Shofar February 2017 by Finchley Progressive

February 2017

Shofar

‫שופר‬

the magazine of finchley progressive synagogue

Symphonova perform at FPS

From the Editor pat lehner These bright, cold winter months are always a busy time in our house. There is lots to learn and do and the early nights are an invitation to spend time around the table, reading and crafting and making things. Weekends are spent with long walks in the woods and in parks, looking for icy patches or checking to see if our favourite ponds have frozen. This year our winter got even busier as we decided that late December would be a good time to move house, and so New Year’s Eve saw our family pushing our big, ancient, upright piano from our old house to the new one. It was a big job and it took everyone, from the oldest to the youngest, to do their bit – and to celebrate when, with a last push, our piano came to a happy rest in its new corner. Winter at FPS is very similar – although we won’t make you push any pianos – but there are opportunities and projects for everyone, from the very young to the still very young (at heart!), and our FPS family tends to embrace these moments with gusto. From Mitzvah day to Havdalah concerts to Chanukah celebrations and discussions there were so many photos and articles to let you know about the many different things that go on at FPS, that I could barely fit them into just one edition. So come join us! We hope to see you soon, and spend the winter months productively together.

Shofar is always interested in including photos of FPS members, either at synagogue events, with their families or on their travels near and far. Please remember to send them to us: pat@ericlehner.com

Cover: Symphonova, Photo by Eric Lehner.

Copy deadline is the 10th of each month. Please email all content to shofar@fps.org

From the Rabbi rabbi rebecca birk

his month I am thinking further afield than Hutton Grove. Probably good for me and you! I am leading Liberal Judaism’s Day of Celebration, this year. I hope we will have a good representation from FPS so I am flagging the date now. We care deeply, at FPS, about being part of the wider LJ community. This will be an easy and rewarding way to demonstrate that. Last year’s Biennial decided on the title ‘Is Liberal Judaism Political Judaism?’ – it will be interesting. The key question, of whether Liberal Judaism is political, will be inclusive and expansive. People relate to their Judaism in such varied ways, and this event will reflect that. An opportunity to be reminded of what we stand for, and are proud of. The Day of Celebration is about renewal and making sure we all leave having had an experience we haven’t had before. All this as well as the Laftas (a film competition Ivriah will be part of) and ubiquitous table tennis through lunch! We are expecting hundreds of delegates, coming from all parts of the UK and beyond. I hope to see you there! A music day at NPLS on Saturday 10 June will flow into the day for all who are

interested and we will host a special Erev Shabbat service here on Friday 9 June. Come join us at Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue (NPLS) on Sunday 11 June from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Tickets cost £35 for adults and £15 for students and children. A family ticket (for two adults and up to three children) can be purchased for £70. Lunch is provided and there are travel subsidies available for those coming from outside London. Tickets can be purchased from www.doc2017.eventbrite.co.uk

Food Bank peggy sherwood

lison and I went along directly to the Food Bank at St Mary’s Church in East Finchley yesterday to drop off the FPS donations. It was great to meet the organisers and talk a little bit about the Food Bank and who they help. They told us that this past year they have helped approximately 300 families and we saw something of the set up at the Church. We’re never sure if we get it exactly right with regard to the donations although we do liaise with the churches for updates on what is needed. However apparently there are certain things which they have so much of that they will not need for ages (pasta, tea and all tinned beans except baked beans) and they gave us some ideas of things which people don’t donate very often. The following is a condensed list of other needs: Spices/flavourings – chilli powder, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, mustard, stock cubes, tomato puree – these all help to bring plain meals to life;

Canned meats – often users of the Food Bank will not be getting enough protein; Toiletries – loo roll, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, shampoo – men’s items particularly welcome; Crackers/tortillas – these don’t spoil and are generally very popular; Baby toiletries – wipes, shampoo, soap, nappies etc; Soup packets – particularly hearty ones; Chocolate – a treat and a good morale booster; Socks (!) – to quote a Food Bank user: “They mean the world – they keep you warm, make you feel like you have something new and just comfort you”; Canned fruit other than pineapple. Lots of pineapple is donated but other kinds of fruit would be great. Feminine products especially pads, panty liners and tampons. ‘From the chair’ returns in March.

letter from america

After the election in the US in November I reached out to E.J.Cohen, who many will remember from her time as the head teacher of Ivriah, and asked for her reaction: I’m stunned. And I’m rarely speechless. I can’t understand it. We go from a black president to one endorsed by the KKK. From an eloquent and educated man to a buffoon who can’t complete a sentence. I’m heartsick and scared. Anti-Semitic and racist events are appearing more publicly and more often. The PE (president elect) is choosing members of his cabinet

who are ignorant of the law; an education secretary who is uneducated and unrelated to educational professions? My country (and the world?!) seems to be falling apart and I feel helpless. I pray for the guidance and strength to change what I can and fight what I can’t. E.J. Cohen

Member Profile peggy sherwood & alison rees

e are Peggy Sherwood and Alison Rees. We had our Civil Partnership in 2007, which was a wonderfully joyous occasion consisting of a LJ Covenant of Love ceremony under a Chuppah, officiated by two LJ Rabbis, with all our family and friends present. When the law changed, we ‘upgraded’ to marriage in February 2015. It was important for us to be married, as so

many people had fought for so long for full equality. Our only disappointment was that the law didn’t stretch to us having Rabbi Rebecca marrying us in FPS as we were already in a Civil Partnership. We had connections with FPS for many years before we joined, as some of Alison’s family were members, and so we used to attend some High Holyday services and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. During this time we were members of Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue as Peggy’s late mother was living in Hove, but then when we started spending more time in London, we decided that we would like to become members of FPS.

Since joining FPS, we have been drawn to several elements of what makes up the wonderful community, in particular the social action aspects of the Homeless Shelter (Peggy has been in charge of the rota the last 2 years), setting up the FPS Food Bank in conjunction with local churches and recently the Coffee Club for the Syrian Refugees. We LOVE Shabbat Resouled, and attend most months, to us this service is so uplifting and spiritual. We met through the Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group (JGLG), of which Peggy was Chair for many years, until last year. At the time, Peggy was a paediatric community nurse and Alison was (and still is) Assistant Head in a special school. We discovered that several years earlier before we met, Peggy had nursed children who Alison had taught! Until finding JGLG, we each had struggled to find a place where we could feel whole in terms of our LGBT and Jewish identities. We have many very dear friends who we met through JGLG, including some who are also members of FPS. We share many values, have huge respect for each other and still laugh at each other’s jokes! We care deeply about the plight of the world, in particular what is going on at the moment. We have found FPS to be such a welcoming and inclusive community led by Rabbi Rebecca – we love the ethos and principles of FPS, and for the first time for either of us, we feel completely at home within a synagogue community.

Mitzvah Day Andrea Narcin writes: A group of our musicians, aged 6 to ‘Much older’, visited Lady Sarah Cohen and Rubens House to entertain the residents. I have already been emailed by Lady Sarah to tell me how much they were appreciated and to ask us to develop the links further. FPS has been at the forefront of pressurising Barnet council to welcome Syrian refugees. This weekend saw the first Drop in session for the families that have now arrived. For Mitzvah Day we sorted toys for a toy library and made brownies for the next Drop in. In addition, a group sewed squares into blankets for WJR, and we labelled towels for the winter homeless shelter that returns to our synagogue in December. could not attend en masse. Nevertheless a productive and enjoyable day was had by all, hosted once again by Alyson who works full time at the cemetery. She also gave us a brief guided tour of the West cemetery that illumined the many weird and wonderful ways we humans approach death.

Paul Silver-Myer writes: Sweeping leaves, cutting back the ivy, and general grave maintenance was again on the FPS Mitzvah Day menu. Due to a Health & Safety issue that should be resolved in time for next year, it meant that under 18s were not permitted to join us this year. Sadly that meant that our numbers were reduced as families

Packing our rakes and secateurs away as the sun slipped behind the autumnal canopy of trees, we acknowledged that with 57,000 graves our contribution was but a morsel, yet we were heartened by the words of Rabbi Tarfon in Pirke Avot: ‘Lo alecha hamlacha ligmor, v’lo atah ben chorin l’hivatel mimena’ - We are not expected to complete the task, but neither are we free to avoid being a part of it.’ More photos on page 15

Symphonova rochelle simmons

hose of us who have been visiting FPS on Wednesday evenings will have been intrigued by the interesting sounds emanating from the Hall. On 10 December, all was revealed. The Sanctuary filled to capacity, and there was a buzz of eager anticipation. Our much loved members, Abigail and David Dolan, had already found a special place in the affection of those of us who have been enjoying the monthly ‘Musical Havdalah’ events. This was to be an exciting experiment, and we were appreciative of being witness to a concert in the smallest space in which Symphonova had played. It was, therefore, its first truly ambitious performance.

Thirteen talented young musicians constituted the orchestra and were surrounded by cables taped to the floor. ‘Stringed’ instruments, minus their strings were strategically placed at the sides and, we were told, were amplifiers. David Dolan played for us the 1st movement of Mozart Piano Concerto in E Flat major. He

followed the tradition of Mozart’s time, by playing an improvisation at the end. David has a reputation for improvisation and very skilfully melded into the Star Spangled Banner! Shelley Katz, the conductor, gave us some insight into the aims and intricacies of Symphonova, which were to create a full orchestra sound which would respond to his ‘magic wand’ baton. The objective was for orchestral music to no longer be restricted to large concert halls. ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ (Ravel version) demonstrated the effect. This, I feel presented a problem. Large concert halls are designed with acoustics in mind. So, I ask myself, can smaller venues cope with this intensity of sound? For me, the main difficulties were with the lowest and highest notes. I do hope that this can be worked on, because the overall effect was great. We had an exciting and delightful evening, rounding up with wine and a delicious buffet prepared by Nicky Marzell. Thank you so much, Abigail and David, for giving us this very special and memorable experience. We wish Symphonova a great future and will always remember that we heard them first! See also page 11

Beit Tefillah services at fps

services - february Friday 3 February Saturday 4 February

Kabbalat Shabbat service

Shabbat B’Yachad

Friday 10 February

Kabbalat Shabbat service

Saturday 11 February

Shabbat service

Friday 17 February

Shabbat Resouled

Saturday 18 February

10.15am Musical Shabbatots with Zoe Jacobs Shabbat service

Friday 24 February

Saturday 25 February

Kabbalat Shabbat service Shabbat service

reflections in berlin, st. hedwig’s cathedral

I sit here thinking, “So what shall I make of it now”? “Forgive but don’t forget“, people say, “How can you forgive when you remember?” Their memories and ours, both victims. So what do I make of being here in Berlin, a place imbued with the memory of irreversible atrocities? It doesn’t feel right to be staring in admiration at this beautiful, clean, cream coloured stone church, when I know of far bigger, monstrous places. Architects of death, flaunting their gift for impressive architecture, expecting us to somehow overlook the deporting and murdering of my people.

And so everything here, even the people, are potential victims, recipients of this desperately sordid embellishment . Yet a new generation of Germans didn’t ask to be born German, anymore than I a Jew. I think of the reparation, the memory, the sadness and shame which continue to be part of German identity. Let that be enough to heal us. May the pain be erased from the children of its perpetrators and from the children of its victims. So that we heal. Tony Rose

Beit Knesset people a warm welcome to our new members

Eddie Loyd, father of Annabel who together with husband Roy and children Ella, Rachel and Joe are members of FPS. Hayley and Jonny Krantz, with their sons Rory and Huxley. Haley and Jonny were married by Rabbi Rebecca in January in Somerset. Jonny is a keen guitarist and rather liked Shabbat Resouled. our deepest condolences to

The family of Irene Trenner who died in December. Irene was a member of FPS for many years. She will be greatly missed by her children Vivienne, David, Lesley and Alison and grand-daughter Tiffany. The family of Jenny Silk who died in January. Jenny was an active member of FPS and will be greatly missed by her husband Martin and children Paul and Julia and their families.

The family of Sybil Blum, widow of Denis, who died in December. People who knew Paul Nyman will be saddened to learn that he passed away in Croatia in November. We wish the families long life. 50/50 club draws, june winners:

December 1st Toby Helfman 2nd Elah Golan 3rd Tessa Samson

£20 £10 £8

January 1st Henriette Helfman 2nd Josie Kinchin 3rd Edgar Jacobsberg

£20 £10 £8

fps thanks

Rabbi Rebecca writes: Every month we’ll acknowledge and appreciate folk and their leadership at FPS. Let us know about our members!

Simone Lee for representing FPS at LJ’s Communication day and leading us into new exciting pastures.

Stanley Volk for Cable Street exhibition and an evening with Frank (Sinatra not Hellner)

John Rubinstein for his great B’nei Mitzvah teaching of our FPS youth.

Lionel Lassman for his Jewish Contribution of the Jews to Modern History series at Beit Midrash

Peggy and Andrea and all their volunteers at the Winter Shelter

Trish Banes for her ongoing magnificent work for our mitzvoth and kiddushim 9

FPS Beit Midrash Winter 2017 FPS Beit Midrash February 2017 presents The Jewish Contribution to Modern History Presented by Lionel Lassman 2 February 9 February 16 February 23 February

Today I am a fountain pen! The Nobel Prize exploded The Political Element Why the Jews?

Thursdays, 7.30 - 9.00pm, £5 donation at the door, refreshments. coming soon:

New series ‘The Jewish Calendar’ March-April, with Rabbi Rebecca Birk, Adrian Lister, Mauro Manela, and Michael Baxter, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

pilates

FPS Thursday Pilates class at 6.30pm is oversubscribed and has a growing waiting list. Our excellent teacher Tali Swart has agreed to teach an additional class at 5.30pm. Duration: 45 min. Cost around £10 per lesson, depending on number of participants. Each course consists of six sessions, with a rest on the seventh week! If you are interested, please contact Tali taliswort@btconnect.com or Pauline at the office pauline@fps.org as soon as possible.

All meetings at Finchley Progressive Synagogue 7.30-9.30pm, £5 donation on the door (for the charity concerned). Refreshments will be served.

Beit Knesset arts at fps cafe ivriah

rosh chodesh

Coffee & discussion Saturdays 9.45 – 10.45am during Ivriah term.

Celebration of the new moon by women gathering for sharing, learning and spiritual exploration. We usually meet in the FPS Library.

book club

The Book Club meetings are held in people’s homes at 8.00pm on the second Wednesday of each month.

Rosh Chodesh Adar 28 February 2017 “To hijab or not to hijab?” our reactions to Islamic clothing, introduced by Andrea Narcin.

We choose a wide variety of books, many – but by no means all – of Jewish interest: the only condition is that the person who recommends a book has read it (and loved it!) and that it is available in paperback. For more information contact Sheila King Lassman on sheila@waitrose.com or Edgar Jacobsberg on e.jacobsberg@gmail.com

new! learn followed by lunch

yoga

Tuesdays @ 7.30pm Contact Richard on 020 8349 9602 cafe thursday

Thursdays @ 12.45pm, £6, for details contact Nicky Marzell via the synagogue office.

on Thursdays, 1.00-2.30pm From Thursday 11 January at 1.00pm, Rabbi Rebecca will lead an hour’s learning in the small hall which will be followed by lunch hosted by Nicola for anyone who chooses to stay. We hope that this will drum up more interest so that those of you who choose to learn can stay for lunch and that those who come to lunch can come to learn beforehand. The learning topic for the term will be Covenant and Being A Modern Jew and all are welcome to join in.

bridge group

Mondays @ 7.30pm £4, for details contact Gunter Lawson on 020 8346 5208 new - parliamo italiano!

You are invited to join a small group who would like to have conversations in Italian. We’re meeting at Renzo’s house in East Finchley, times and dates to be confirmed. For more details, please get in touch with Renzo, 020 88833011 David Dolan introduces Symphonova

How the Maccabees Stole Christmas simone lee

n Shabbat 9 December in the small hall at FPS, thirty or so welcome members of our community gathered to ponder the Chanukah and Christmas dilemma,* how mixed faith families manage the winter festive season. The panel consisted of Daniel Cainer, entertainer, story-teller and songsmith extraordinaire, who had travelled east from Shepherds (watch their flocks by night) Bush. Rabbi Rebecca had sojourned from across the corridor from our own Sanctuary, the large hall; she too shared some thoughts and a spiffing quiz on the Feast of Dedication aka Chanukah. I sat betwixt them, completing the panel of three (and if any comparison was drawn by the audience with “the three wise men,” this would have been entirely understandable). After introductions, we opened with a discussion about the commercialisation of Christmas and Chanukah. This provoked an outpouring of responses. The giving of presents for either/both Chanukah and Christmas was quite split between the ayes and noes. However, when the young folk were asked if they liked presents, to our astonishment, most said they did. Some adults were against presents altogether, others felt that giving was the pleasure; some thought receiving was the pleasure and Daniel Cainer said he was all forgiving, which was kind of him. Some of us eschewed any kind of Christmas celebration, including trees (even Chanukah 12

bushes) and assiduously avoided tinsel and bling; while others felt Christmassy traditions were not religious, rather festivities to enliven the dull winter season. Some spoke of having made a transition from orthodox Judaism, where Christmas had been ignored, to some accommodation of Yuletide, whereas others had been brought up with Christmas in some shape or form, and missed not having it; another expressed how now, after making a full commitment to Judaism, the demands of Christmas celebrations sat uneasily. This led us to think about our own stances in relation to our immediate and extended families’ December-time preferences, and we considered the tensions that can arise. Rabbi Rebecca here introduced the central Jewish concept of Shalom Bayit, meaning peaceful home, which emphasises the importance of harmony at home, and with family, a sentiment which could be drawn on helpfully. We spoke of turkeys, reindeer, carrots, Chanukah candles (over the total eight days, 44 candles are lit, including the shammes - servant candle ), whether on Christmas Eve to leave out mince pies and milk or gefilte fish and Palwin No. 10 for Santa, and we sang Ma’oz Tzur. On a thoughtful note, Rabbi Rebecca, while acknowledging the important messages of Chanukah, shared her personal quandary as to whether the Maccabees had, in general,

been too inflexible and unwilling to integrate Hellenistic elements into their own social and religious systems; she speculated whether this nearly cost us the unbroken religious and cultural tradition that continues to this day. In saying this, she reinforced the ethos of Liberal Jews which encourages us to be full members of our communities and open and inclusive. This was echoed by Rabbi Danny Rich when he told us how he says “Merry Christmas” many hundreds of times over the season, especially on Christmas Day, when, every year, he goes out with the Mayor of London, visiting Christian

communities. After about an hour and once the chocolate was consumed the younger children lost interest and went outside to play, liberating Daniel Cainer to give a fabulous rendition of his (adult and hilarious) composition Bad Rabbis. Also, and on a different note, we were reassured that we Jews need not feel envious of Santa, a kindly, berobed and behatted, elderly gentleman; we have many of our own aged sages to celebrate, including Rambam and Hillel (admittedly, it is unlikely they travelled on sleighs pulled by reindeer) whose profound offerings have continued to enrich our lives, potentially every day and not just one day a year. In the best Jewish tradition, we were reminded too that mitzvot are always important, so if you do find Santa stuck down your chimney on 24th Kislev/December, be menschlich and rescue him; but, whatever you do, do not greet him with Good Yomtov, for Chanukah is a minor festival, so please use the salutation Chag Sameach instead, or indeed, Merry Christmas! *It is probably true to say that the younger members’ dilemmas were focused on whether they would prefer the chocolate Chanukah gelt on the table or a shiny red cracker.

Letter from Lima the boneff family

t has been a very busy few months here in Lima. The kids finally finished school and my parents who have been staying with me were able to come to the closing ceremony. They gave out prizes for each year group for the best in each subject and I am very proud to say that Millie picked up the one for Spanish language. This was such a huge achievement for her as in just two short years she is speaking like a local, accent and all, and this prize validated her progress. She will be starting her IB diploma programme in March when school starts up again and is very enthusiastic about it. I think this is because there is obviously no such thing as GSCE’s or ‘A’ levels here so she has to stay focused for two years instead of the four in the UK to effectively come out with something that the UK universities recognise. This is really spurring her on and one gets the feeling that the UK exam system seems very lengthy and

intense and little wonder that the kids are burnt out by the end of it. It has been wonderful having my parents around for the second year in a row, and now that I am more familiar with Lima and more comfortable speaking Spanish it has been much more fun and relaxed to explore some more sites with them. One of my best friends and Oli’s best friend also joined us for Christmas, which also happily coincided with Chanukah so there was something wonderful about celebrating Christmas eve with all Christians’ family but also lighting the Chanukah candles. We spent Christmas at the beach which always seems strange and then went on to show our friends the delights of Paracus with its wonderful bird life and sea lions. And we could celebrate with some delicious Chilcanos, my new favourite type of Pisco drink!

living alone?

Are your joints creaking? I don’t fancy the idea of myself in leotards. Gyms are not for me! Instead, I take the stairs whenever I can and at home I do a 20 minute dance routine to a CD brought back from Cuba, into which I also incorporate any exercises suggested by my physiotherapist. First, check with your GP - analyse your fall risk: dizzy spells, joint pain, numbness, medication. You want to keep active but you also want to be safe in your home. Wear good fitting indoor shoes, and take away loose rugs. Fit plenty of grab rails. It is better to see where you are walking rather than pile objects up in your arms. If you need 14

to carry things up the stairs, try putting them in a backpack, or in bags that can be hooked on your arms, leaving both hands free to steady yourself. Following the same principle people feel safer, outside, with two walking canes (or hiking poles). And a final thought: I wonder who designed the skirting board level electric socket? Plug in an adapter with a few sockets and attach them into wall hooks at a sensible height. You won’t need to bend down again and there isn’t even a need to find an electrician. Enjoy your home! Keep safe. Rochelle Simmons

ljy-netzer

LJY-Netzer has opened applications for its February half term events, as well as its legendary spring and summer camps. These are fun-filled youth-led events with exciting sessions exploring Judaism, attended by young people from all across the country. This year, LJY-Netzer’s theme is ‘Reclaiming Zionism’. For all the details on how to join a young Progressive Jewish inclusive multi-national community, follow these links:

Kadimah summer camp, 14-27 August: http://www.ljy-netzer.org/kadimah Aviv spring camp, 4-9th April: http://www.ljy-netzer.org/machaneh-aviv February events for school years 7-10, 11-13 February: http://www.ljy-netzer.org/FebruaryEvents Chorelf sleepover for school years 3-6 (over eights only), 14-16 February: http://www.ljy-netzer.org/FebruaryEvents Our Mitzvah day teams in action at the synagogue (left) and at Lady Sarah Cohen & Rubens House (bottom left & right)

Contacts fps whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who finchley progressive synagogue

54 Hutton Grove N12 8DR 020 8446 4063 www.fps.org facebook.com/finchleyprog Rabbi Rebecca Birk - rabbi@fps.org Emeritus Rabbi: Dr Frank Hellner Ivriah Principal: Gabriel Webber Musicians in residence: Franklyn Gellnick, Dean Staker Synagogue Manager: Pauline Gusack pauline@fps.org Premises Manager: Howard Hamerton executive & council

Chair: Alex Kinchin-Smith - chair@fps.org Treasurer: Martin Silk Honorary Secretary: Josie Kinchin honsec@fps.org Vice-Chair: Louise Gellman

ashley page

President: Alan Banes Life President: Sheila King Lassman Vice Presidents: Renzo Fantoni, Josie Kinchin, Lionel King Lassman, John Lewis, David Pelham, Paul Silver-Myer, Andrea Rappoport, Joan Shopper contacts

Board of Deputies Reps: Janet Tresman, Stanley Volk Beit Midrash (Education): Adrian Lister, Louise Gellman Beit Tefillah (Rites & Practices): Michael Lassman, Josie Kinchin CafĂŠ Thursday: Nicky Marzell Website Editor: Gabriel Webber Shofar Editor: Pat Lehner - shofar@fps.org

janet tresman

insurance brokers

mediator & collaborative family law solicitor

Commerce House 2a Litchfield Grove London N3 2TN

Altermans Solicitors 239 Regents Park Road, London N3 3LF

Tel. 020 8349 5100

Council members: Jacquie Fawcett, Wika Dorosz, Samantha King, Simone Lee, Maureen Lobatto, Phillip Raphael

Direct dial: 0203 1820121 Email: janet@altermans.co.uk