Words From The Chair

As we get older there are times when different parts of our brain do not seem to be working in unison with each other. At the end of my report in December’s edition of the Gate I referred to the Synagogue’s 75th anniversary, and stated that the Civic Service would take place on Saturday 3rd November. Not sure why I did that, because I was instrumental with others in deciding it would be the on the 10th. Oh! for the long lost days of my youth when life was so crystal clear. Even though my birthday is in February, it always seems to me to be a funny old month. It can be very cold or unseasonably mild. As daylight gets longer, thoughts focus on if winter is coming to an end, or will March be a harsh month. Whatever the case may be, come wind, snow, rain, or shine, SPS continues in its day by day duty to provide its members with some Yiddishkeit in their lives. Whether that might be adult education sessions, services, clubs, serving on committees, or volunteering to help out, SPS is the place to be by becoming involved in communal life. 

Every year on Tu Bishvat the children of Ruach plant a tree in the Synagogue garden. A member suggested to me that we should plant one in Hilda Schindler’s name. Everyone I spoke to agreed that would be a wonderful thing to do, as she gave so much of her life to the children of the Religion School. The tree planting will take place after the Shabbat morning service on February 3rd. Everyone is welcome to attend the service and stay for the poignant ceremony. 

As I write this missive, the repercussions about President Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital are still reverberating around the world. In last month’s Gate, Rabbi Yuval succinctly summed up how detractors are, but within the wider world there are probably millions of people who only believe what they see and hear about the Jewish state through biased news outlets and prejudiced social media. 

I have a friend who is a devout, warm-hearted Christian steeped in knowledge of the old and new testaments, who said to me that she thought Tel Aviv was Israel’s capital. My response was very much the same as Rabbi Yuval’s narrative, mentioning King David, Solomon, and the Torah, amongst other Judaic links to the holy city. Eventually she apologised and conceded how misguided she had been, and if the topic ever came up with her church friends, she would persuasively steer them in the right direction. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss, however the world will have to get used the fact that Jerusalem has always been sacred to Jews, and always will be. At the conclusion of the Pesach Seder the following words resonate, “next year in Jerusalem, next year in a world redeemed”. May that always be the case. 

Robert Dulin

SPS Donation Thank You

We were thrilled to have received a donation from SPS of £1,182.50, Jewish Deaf Association’s share from this year’s High Holy Day Appeal. Thank you so much. 

JDA receives no government support and relies entirely on voluntary donations. You can be assured that every penny raised will go towards maintaining our life-enhancing services for people in the Jewish community and beyond – people with all kinds of hearing loss, from babies diagnosed at birth to people losing their hearing due to illness, accident or ageing, to multiply disadvantaged older Deaf and Deafblind people. For our oldest, most vulnerable clients, we take the place of family and are by their side through illness, bereavement and end-of-life care. 

JDA welcomes everyone with hearing loss into our friendly, Deaf-friendly community centre based in North Finchley, with technical help, personalised support and a range of stimulating activities to suit all ages and all levels of deafness. We also reach out into the community, helping older people living in care with hearing loss. 

Please pass on our sincere gratitude to the members of the congregation for their kind contributions. Each and every one of them has made a significant difference in the lives of vulnerable deaf people, many of whom depend on JDA completely – to get them out of the house, accessing the support they so desperately need, socialising with people who understand them, knowing we are there for them, our skill and dedication helping put zest and purpose back into their lives. Your generous donation has helped us keep doing what we do best. 

Many thanks again. 

Warm regards, Marilyn

SPS 2017 Chanukah Party

Although we were too late to include a write-up on Chanukah in the January Gate, I decided it is never too late to thank all those members and friends who came and joined in the fun of the evening. There were 78 in the end, after one or two people cancelled due to illness. 

Firstly I am always amazed at the wonderful selection of food which you all bring and I know that we discuss this beforehand; nevertheless those of you who cook and prepare dishes are to be commended for the quality, taste and presentation. In addition, items purchased are of the finest and we end up with platters of food which, as someone pointed out to me ”A Caterer could not possibly present any better!” Thank you all. Also to our wonderful ladies of the House Committee, chaired by Barbara Martin, for their attention to organisation and detail, you are truly fantastic. We must not forget our wonderful Security team who braved the cold – thank you, we appreciate what you do for us to keep us safe inside. 

The Karaoke session turned out to be lots of fun - so many people stood up and sang and I know that everyone enjoyed themselves. Maybe we can repeat the same next Chanukah. I do hope you all had a good break and feel rejuvenated to cope with 2018. I spent a few days in Berkshire with my daughter Denise and her husband Coenie and had such a relaxing time eating, drinking and playing scrabble and also working on 2 jigsaws that it was a pleasure not to be relying on the Internet/Ipad/Iphone for entertainment. Denise was working on the 3rd jigsaw when I returned home. Unfortunately, after a few days I developed a nasty head cold and had to stay at home and cosset myself and was really grateful for the programmes on Television, which I had previously recorded, to keep me company, so the internet does come in useful when required! 

I hope this year will bring good health and peace for everyone and bring happiness to all. Thank you again for making the festival one to remember.

Pearl Phillips 

The Joy of Community Involvement - From the Rabbi

I once sat with a boy preparing for his Bar Mitzvah and asked him was was his favourite fesitval. He replied without hesitation: “It’s definitely Purim.” I asked him why Purim was his favourite, expecting an answer such as ‘I like dressing up’ or ‘I love Hamentashen’ but received none of these answers. ‘My favourite festival is Purim because last Purim I took part in a play and we told the story of Purim. I was amazed by his answer. At that moment it dawned on me that the reason the Bar Mitzvah boy enjoyed the festival was because he had an active involvement in the affair and that gave the celebration a completely new meaning for him. We live in a fast-moving world and we have many distractions in our lives. For a young person there are the increasingly demanding academic workload at school, extra-curricular activities in the afternoon and much of the time is filled with virtual reality – mobile phones and watching TV. Many adults work hard and often play hard. In our society we often find it difficult to engage in the life of the Jewish community. Active involvement in the life of the community is both essential and enjoyable. It is almost impossible to lead a meaningful Jewish life without the continuous support and encouragement of the community. Judaism and Jewish values cannot be acquired solely from text books, TV programmes and Hollywood films. One has to live and experience the reality of Judaism in order to appreciate it. Without real and concrete hands-on engagement with Judaism then there can be no Judaism, and ultimately there will be no Jews. 

The solution is to get spiritually active and fit. When I join a health club I want to make the most of my membership fees and attend regularly. We ought to treat our synagogue membership in the same way. There is a wealth of activities in our community: study sessions, synagogue services and social events. It is possible that we do not currently support your particular interest but with sufficient demand and enthusiasm you can make it happen. Together we can support Israel and Jewish interests, and get involved in local and wider causes. I believe that we need to do so for our own sake and for the sake of our future generations. We need to get active for the sake of this wonderful religion named Judaism, for the truth and beauty it represents and for the sake of the unique role that our religion plays in the world. 

The Tannaitic Rabbi Hillel once said: “If I am not for myself, who is for me? And when I am for myself, what am I? “And if not now, when?” (Mishnah, Avot 1:13) “If I am not for myself, who is for me?” We cannot rely on others to practice our Judaism for us. We must make the effort ourselves in order to reap the benefits. “When I am for myself, what am I?” In our times individuality and personal space are appreciated, sometimes at the expense of the communal. Yet, the prayer in a Minyan (a quorum of ten) is considered to be higher than the prayer of the individual. This also extends to cultural and social aspects of Judaism. We draw our strength from numbers and we are able to support each other. “If not now, when?” Detach your eyes from the small and large screens, reshuffle your busy diaries to make space available for meetings, study, prayer, and other Jewish activities, whether within the community or without. Do not say ‘when I have time I will get involved’. Get involved today!