Shofar June 2016 by Finchley Progressive

June 2016

Shofar

‫שופר‬

the magazine of finchley progressive synagogue

FPS visits Antwerp

From the Editor pat lehner Flowers, flowers, everywhere! No, I’m not talking about the sudden explosion of colour in the garden and on our walks to school, although they’re a welcome sight. With the warmer weather comes the return of the annual school summer fair, and I’ve been knitting and crocheting little cotton flowers that are then sewn onto hair bands and sold at the fair. I made so many we even put them into the party bags at my daughter’s birthday party. I keep finding more of them in the oddest places in the house, on my craft shelf, on top of the bread bin, in my hand bag… Early summer is also, always and forever, GCSE and A-level exam season for many of our families. If this is the case for you and your family, we wish you all success and all the best! And speaking as a mother who’s been there (and still is there), wishing all you exam mums and dads patience, good humour and courage. A big glass of wine may help. But really, there is only one word of the season, only one word that really matters, at a fundamental level, and that word is Cheesecake. At least in our kitchen, with Shavuot just around the corner, the search is on again for the ultimate recipe: bake it or just chill it? And if you go for the proper, baked version then the question remains, to bain marie or not?? Let us know and we would love to see photos of your creations, on our facebook or to our Shofar email, see below. Wishing you all a sweet and sunny June!

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: The Sephardi Synagogue in Antwerp, from our recent FPS trip to Antwerp. Photo provided by John Norman.

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

From the Rabbi rabbi rebecca qassim birk

I think it was our member Katherine Klinger at our communal Seder who commented: Do Jews do the outdoors? Is the midrash of the Israelites complaining about the mud crossing the sea of reeds indicative of something that’s been nurtured ever since? Is flourishing Jewish life only an urban phenomenon? Clearly not of course. There are vibrant communities in the countryside too including Cotswolds’ Jewish Community and the Berkshire synagogue of Rabbi Jonathan Romain, fastest growing ever! Reflecting on Yom Ha’atzma’ut this year and the origins of Zionism and the growth of pride and contribution to the state of Israel, I came across these publicity posters. The first from 1930 and the second from 1950. Our understanding of physical stature and being Jewish had changed. Israel was a departure. A break from the cerebral, pasty Jew from Eastern Europe and Pale of Settlement. The growth of the sabra, the Jew who worked outdoors, built wells, planted cucumbers, laid irrigation pipes. It was a new type of expression and capability. Outdoor singing and dancing replaced tradition. And strength, commitment and yiddishkeit was transformed in that emerging Jewish society. And now in 2016 London, do synagogue

and Jewish life have a place in the outdoors? In our pressured lives of choices, synagogue and community life is often the indoor option on a weekend and all the harder for children who want to be outside. In Israel and the United States I frequently attended outdoor services, plein air Torah readings, Jewish conversations on the grass or the sand or amongst the trees. Some synagogues invest time and effort in their gardens, not merely as spots to admire, but rather places to be, meet and pray. I wonder about this for us at FPS. We affirm this possibility by celebrating Shavuot au plein air or b’toch ha’yaar. After Continued on page 4

From the Chair alex kinchin-smith

aving written about external issues last month, I want to get back to our community this month and update members on some key areas. Firstly, I am delighted to be able to announce that we have appointed Gabriel Webber as our newest member of staff. Gabriel will join us in July as our Community Development Manager. Gabriel is a member of Kingston Liberal and a graduate of our Youth Movement, LJY-Netzer. Most recently he has been working at Mitzvah Day and providing cover for Rabbi Charley Baginsky at Kingston. Gabriel’s role will be to support the development of our community, enabling our voluntary structures to work more effectively and leading on key projects. We will publish a fuller biography of Gabriel plus more details on the role in the July edition of Shofar. The other important area I wanted to update members on was the legacy left to us by Maurice Needleman. I wrote in April Shofar that I had received a number of suggestions of how the funds might be used. Council discussed the subject last month and concluded that more considered thought needed to be given to how we might best utilise the funds and suitably honour Maurice. We plan to involve some of our members who made suggestions and also to consult with a small number of people outside our community who may be able to advise us on how funds can help a community develop. In the meantime we also hope to be able to take forward some of the excellent suggestions 4

which do not require too much funding. I will continue to provide updates to keep members informed. I also want to mention one issue that I and several others have noticed recently, specifically that the number of members attending Shabbat Morning when there is a Bar/Bat Mitzvah seems to be falling. It is of course lovely to have a synagogue bolstered with guests but a real shame that some congregants seem to feel they should stay away. Please do come and support our young people, there’s always a great Kiddush too! Lastly, just to say that I hope to see you at both our Shavuot Celebration on 12 June, where we are visiting the woods of one of our members in Hertfordshire, and at our AGM on 12 July where we also hope to introduce Gabriel to the community.

rabbi’s word / cont. from page 3

a traditional night of study with Southgate Progressive and Reform communities on 11 June. We will go the next morning, Sunday 12 June, to the woods for hiking, foraging, challah baking and outdoor services fitting for Shavuot. This will be good and appropriate for all members (and pets). A foray into outdoor Jewishness! (After all, Sunday Kenwood walks have already developed our community). Nachman of Bratzlav suggested each person should go outside each day. “When a person meditates in the fields, all the grasses join in the prayer and increase its effectiveness and power,” he wrote. We are going to try.

FPS Camp Out FPS CAMP OUT 2016 IS SHAVUOT IN THE WOODS

Outdoor bush craft. Remembering agricultural seed of the festival. Festival lunch cooked outside. Judaism on the ground

Earthly Judaism Explored.

SUNDAY 12 JUNE 10.30 -‐4.30 PET SHAVUOT IN THE WOODS AM

Dramatic Torah Revelation in the Trees

FINCHLEY PROGRESSIVE SYNAGOGUE EMAIL PAULINE@FPS.ORG FOR SECRET COORDINATES IN HERTFORDHIRE. 30 MINUTES FROM FPS.

Community Event. HAVE DOG BRING IT. OR FERRET OR OTTER OR MOUSE. Everyone stood at Sinai, even the animals! Bring food to grill, cook and eat. AND your favourite piece of Jewish story or Torah For more information on where and when we meet please contact the office. PAULINE@FPS.ORG

WWW.FPS.ORG

12/06/2016 10.30-‐4.30PM

Pesach in Mogilev thank you fps!

Dear friends at FPS! The “Keshet” community in Mogilev would like to send you our gratitude for “making things happen”. Thanks to your generous support we have been able to organise a wonderful Pesach Family Festival. The venue for our big events is a nightclub, so you can imagine how difficult it is to create the right atmosphere in that place, where it is appropriate to bring families with children and to talk about the slavery, suffering, the ten plagues and the Exodus from Egypt… but with your help we could decorate the place, create festival posters, print some banners and prepare other decorations. You can see them in this video we made: http://tinyurl.com/mogilev We were able to purchase materials for arts and craft activities for young children and for pre - Bar Mitzvah children such as wood for art,

acrylic and outline paints, books for creative activities and so on. Our youngest participants received presents. Our musical band gave a little concert for the participants of the Pesach Family Festival. Another Seder took place in the Jewish kindergarten in Mogilev for children and their parents. For some of them it was the the first Seder celebration in their lives! We do hope that for these families it is the beginning of their Jewish journey… Leader of the community, Mila Izakson, and Jewish educator from Minsk, Irina Belskaia (who both visited London last October) thanked FPS for helping to create wonderful events in Mogilev Jewish community. Toda Rabah, our dear friends, you are always welcome to our community! Mila and Irina

Notices urgent help needed

All Members and Friends in N3 and N12! Together in Barnet, (the parent charity of the Night Shelter in which FPS participates) urgently needs funds to help defray running costs. Now some local estate agents have offered sponsorship to help raise these funds.

end) to let us put an estate agent’s board up outside their house for 4-6 weeks. By offering your house for a few weeks, you will be instantly helping the homeless. Please email your name, address and telephone number to treasurer@togetherinbarnet.org stating you are happy to have a board outside your home if you are willing to help this very good cause. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

We need 100 families (50 in N3 within 1 mile of 336 Regents Park Rd and 50 in N3/N12 Finchley

Sarah, Andrea and Elliott (on behalf of the TiB Night Shelter)

SAVE THE DATE!

“Spiritual and Earthly Jerusalem” -‐Tikkun Leil Shavuot

Bring & share a non-‐meat dish

Saturday 11th June 2016

At Southgate Progressive Synagogue, 75 Chase Road, Southgate, London N14 1QY

Join us for a night of spiritual, cultural, educaJonal and culinary nourishment!

Service from 6.30pm followed by shared dinner and learning and Rabbi’s panel

Beit Tefillah services at fps

services - june Friday 3 June

Kabbalat Shabbat service

Saturday 4 June

Shabbat Service honouring Martin & Elaine Borish

Friday 10 June

Kabbalat Shabbat service

Saturday 11 June

Shabbat service with Torah read by Adult Bat Mitzvah group 6.30pm Tikkun Leil Shavuot at Southgate Progessive with Southgate Reform & Progressive Synagogues going on to late night study

Sunday 12 June

11.00am Traditional Shavuot Service at FPS + Shavuot in the Woods 10.30am start

Friday 17 June

Shabbat Resouled led by Paul Silver-Myer

Saturday 18 June

10.15 Musical Shabbatots for 0-4’s Shabbat service led by Rabbi Danny Rich

Friday 24 June

Kabbalat Shabbat

Saturday 25 June

Shabbat service celebrating Adam Rosenthal Bar Mitzvah

breakfast shiur

Saturday 18 june 8.45am Spinoza: the Eternity of the Mind and the Intellectual Love of God - John Heyderman Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) was expelled by the Jewish community of Amsterdam and reviled in his lifetime and in the century following his death as an atheist. Yet, to the German romantic poet Novalis, Spinoza was nothing short of ‘God-intoxicated’ and Albert Einstein professed a belief in ‘Spinoza’s God’. We will be exploring what Spinoza meant by Deus sive Natura (God or Nature), looking at his curious 8

notion of the ‘eternal part of the mind’ and considering the possibility of our participating in his ‘intellectual’ love of God. John Heyderman undertook the BA in philosophy at Birkbeck College where he wrote his dissertation on ‘Spinoza, Davidson and the mind/body problem’. Since graduating in 2010, he has given lectures and led workshops on Spinoza and other philosophers, and has taught courses on Spinoza and on the philosophy of religion at the London School of Philosophy. He is currently studying for the MA in philosophy. www.philosophicalbibliotherapy.org

Beit Knesset people we warmly welcome new member

Charlotte dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Alton Eldridge congratulations & mazal tov to

Adam Rosenthal who celebrates his Bar Mitzvah on 25 June condolences to

Rabbi Frank Hellner on the death of his sister Laura Sobrower in April

edgwarebury cemetery

Because of the shortage of space at Jewish cemeteries, for the past five years it has been Liberal Judaism policy not to accept grave reservations but instead to offer the alternative to bury in depth. This means that on the death of the first spouse, burial is carried out in depth leaving the upper space for eventual use by the partner or another close member of the family. There is no longer the option to reserve graves. However, it is still possible to make grave reservations in the LJ section at Cheshunt Cemetery and this is an option you may wish to consider. woodland burials

There is now a woodland burial area at Edgwarebury available to all members. The cost of a woodland plot is ÂŁ1700 which is the cost charged to Liberal Judaism by West London who are making this area available to Progressive Jews. Woodland burials are also available at

The family of Denis Bloom who died in May The family of Renee Gunyon who died in May The family of Alec Velleman, founder FPS member, who died in May june stone settings at edgwarebury cemetery

26 June at 10.00 am - Valerie and Peter Leapman officiated by Rabbi Rebecca Birk

Cheshunt Cemetery for LJ members. Please remember that following a woodland burial no headstones are allowed. burial or cremation?

FPS records do not consistently show whether members wish to be buried or cremated. Because of the information above and the choices now available, please ensure that we have a record of your preference by contacting Pauline in FPS office. Joan Shopper, Burials Officer

The Rosenthal Family welcomes all members of the Finchley Progressive community to share our joy at the Saturday morning service on 25 June when Adam Rosenthal is called to the torah as a bar mitzvah.

Beit Midrash learning at fps Beit Midrash presents: closing the gap: interfaith dialogue in an age of conflict

2 June Elizabeth Harris-Sawczenko (Deputy Chair, Council of Christians and Jews) Building a shared society: one woman’s story after 25 years of living in Israel. 9 June Stefan Chrysostomou and Philip Davidson (Priests at St Mary’s C of E, Finchley) What does Christianity offer to the conversation? 16 June Mohammed Amin (Co-Chair, Manchester Muslim-Jewish Forum) Muslim-Jewish relations in the UK

Impressions from a joyous Yom Ha’atzma’ut celebration at Sha’arei Tsedek, North London Reform Synagogue, Rabbi Rebecca and Rikud. Photos by Josie Kinchin

Thursdays, 7.30-9.30 pm, with a break for refreshments. £5 donation on the door, or £25 for the series in advance contact administrator@fps.org also at beit midrash... pilates

6.30 - 7.15pm Get fit in our small, friendly class, under the expert guidance of Tali Swart. Cost £60 for a series of six sessions. To arrange a trial session, contact Pauline in FPS office cafe ivriah

Saturdays 9.45 – 10.45am Informal discussion over coffee and biscuits, between Ivriah dropoff and morning service.

Beit Knesset arts at fps book club

rosh chodesh

The Book Club meetings are held in people’s homes at 8pm on the second Wednesday of each month (recently changed from 7.30pm).

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

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

Rosh Chodesh Sivan 7 June Tuesday 15.30pm Please note changed time and venue! To celebrate Rosh Chodesh Sivan we have organised a guided tour to the famous Ismaili Centre in Kensington instead of our usual evening meeting.

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. bridge group

Mondays @ 7.30pm £4, for details contact Gunter Lawson on 020 8346 5208

The address is 1-7 Cromwell Gardens, London SW7 2SL (nearest underground station: South Kensington); we meet there at 3.30pm (latest 4.00pm start) to finish by 5.00pm. The whole community is invited, bring your friends too - but let Wika Dorosz vdorosz@gmail.com know if you intend to join. 50/50 club draws, may winners:

1st 2nd 3rd

Andrew Hochhauser Goorwich Family Paul Miller

£20 £15 £10

Left: Rikud; Above: Pesach in Mogilev (see page 6)

Letter from Lima the bonneff family

e have just celebrated our second Passover in Peru. Last year we went to the seder at the Synagogue and this year we were delighted to be invited to a family in Millie’s class to see how they celebrate. It turns out just the same as us, up to and including the food. Gefilte fish had been flown in from Miami, chicken soup and roast chicken were also on the menu. I was expecting something a bit more Sephardi.

A week later the kids were on school holidays so we decided to explore some of central Peru, a region called Oxapampa. This trip took us on a 10 hour car journey over one of the highest drivable mountain passes in the world called Ticlio. It is 4,818m above sea level and as a precaution we were told to take an oxygen canister with us in case of altitude sickness. Oxapampa is an area known as the ‘ceja de selva’ or the eyebrow of the jungle, and is 12

a mixture of mountain and jungle. The month of May is considered to be the beginning of summer with temperatures ranging from about 4 degrees at night to about 25 degrees during the day. The landscape was simply stunning, thick jungle forestation with undulating mountains as far as the eye could see. A lot of people visit the region to learn more about the German community (a mixture of Germans, Austrians and Swiss) which settled in a place called Pozuzo in the 1850’s (a 3 hour vertiginous car drive from Oxapampa). It was called the ‘promised land’ as at the time the Germans were starving in their own homeland. Ironically enough the landscape is much the same as the Austrian Tyrol which many had left behind. It took them 2 years to walk from the port of Callao, in Lima. The only prerequisite by the Peruvian government was that they should be Catholic and have a trade. The area is now know as the land of Granadillas as they are the biggest producers in the whole of Peru of this interesting fruit. There are also hundreds of different species of orchids and bromelliads that grow in the area although it is now illegal to pick them as certain species are endangered. If you drive 1 1/2hrs from Oxapampa and descend 400m, you reach a town called Villa Rica, also known as the coffee capital of the world. It was fascinating to learn about the Continued on next page

From 0ur Members living alone?

Some years ago, my sophisticated, ‘career woman’ aunt, was visited by two charming representatives from the ‘Water Board’. They had found a serious fault in her water supply and must deal with it immediately. During the next hour, her house was flooded, she had been frog marched to her bank and had been coerced into handing over £10,000. By then, of course, she knew it was a scam, but was terrified of these men, who were, now, looking menacing. Please, never allow strangers into your home without being certain that they are bona fide. I have a burglar alarm in my house so, by the front door, I have a ‘panic button’. Some people keep copies of their account numbers for utilities etc near the door. They then, ask the caller to tell them the number.

This would not work for me, as I would have to find my reading glasses. Finding my reading glasses has become my hobby... So I have set up a password with my gas/ electricity companies and regular calling companies. Unless I am told the word, they don’t have access. Some firms will arrange for the caller to phone when they are outside. Failing all this, I shut the front door, and phone the organisation to check. I make it clear that I don’t buy anything on the doorstep and neither do I give charity donations. Wearing a luminescent jacket does not qualify anyone to gain your trust. Even you can buy one. Neither does an ID card, even if it is hung round the caller’s neck. Enjoy the summer. Keep safe! Rochelle Simmons

letter from lima / cont.

planting and processing of this crop. I will never drink another cup of coffee without remembering the beautiful red berry that it comes from. This region is a chance to enjoy the big outdoors, full of waterfalls, sensational views, cloud forests and exotic plants and flowers. The flip side was learning about the difficult problems that Peru faces of deforestation, polluted rivers from mining companies, poaching of wild plants and flowers and the dumping of rubbish everywhere. As I say to the children, not all of life’s lessons can be learnt in a classroom; some of it has to be seen with your own eyes. Love from the Bonneffs

time for shabbatots!

Usually our morning starts at 10:15 with around 20-30 minutes of singing on the Bimah. We have child friendly versions of the Tefillah and this includes a point where the children get to open the ark and find cuddly versions of Torah scrolls. Even if the children understand the Hebrew we start with a brief introduction to the gist of each prayer and the focus is on introducing the prayers in an enjoyable way. The children are encouraged to join in with instruments and clap along. We finish this time with a song about the prayers we say on Shabbat, the prayer for lighting the candle, blessing the wine and blessing the Challah and then we have our own mini Kiddush before heading to the family room. I usually set up a couple of activities, along a theme if a festival is coming up, or maybe we

look at Shabbat more closely. We might make candle holders from playdough or a scene of Moses crossing the Red Sea. For Shavuot I am hoping we can make mini cheesecakes! There are also toys for the younger members to play with whilst the parents have a bit of a chat. We aim to finish the session with a story and then families are welcome to leave to join the service and keep using the room and the resources as and when they need to. As a Reception teacher at Eden school in Muswell Hill I do lots of work with this age group; introducing them to Tefillah and festivals. Come and join us on the third Shabbat of the month! Emily Moxon, Shabbatots leader

adam rosenthal bar mitzvah

My name is Adam Rosenthal, my mum is Swedish and my dad is American, and I was born in Sweden, so I speak Swedish. My hobbies are football, tennis, violin, piano and video games. We welcome the whole community to come to my Bar Mitzvah on 25 June.

shavuot term – ivriah classes

additional family dates

12 June (Sunday) Shavuot in the Woods 18 June 25 June 2 July 9 July 16 July

Sunday 12 June - FPS Shavuot in the Woods – for everyone Saturday 16 July - Last Ivriah of the year Celebration in the Park

liberal judaism BIENNIAL CONFERENCE 2016

THINKING

BOOK

THE

ST. JOHNS HOTEL, SOLIHULL July 1-3 2015

http://tinyurl.com/bien2016 0207 631 9830

h"p://&nyurl.com/bien2016 0207 631 9830

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

Wika Dorosz, Braham Fredman, Phillip Raphael

54 Hutton Grove N12 8DR 020 8446 4063 www.finchleyprogressivesynagogue.org

President: Alan Banes

Rabbi Rebecca Qassim Birk - rabbi@fps.org Emeritus Rabbi: Dr Frank Hellner Ivriah Principal: Rabbi Rebecca Qassim Birk Musicians in residence: Franklyn Gellnick, Dean Staker Synagogue Manager: Pauline Gusack pauline@fps.org Premises Manager: Howard Hamerton executive & council

Life Presidents: Clive Winston and 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

Chair: Alex Kinchin-Smith - chair@fps.org

Beit Tefillah (Rites & Practices): Michael Lassman, Josie Kinchin

Treasurer: Martin Silk

CafĂŠ Thursday: Nicky Marzell

Honorary Secretary: Josie Kinchin honsec@fps.org

Shofar Editor: Pat Lehner - shofar@fps.org

Vice-Chairs: Louise Gellman, Adrian Lister

Website editor: Viktoria Dorosz

Council members: Jacquie Fawcett,

ashley page insurance brokers Commerce House 2a Litchfield Grove London N3 2TN Tel. 020 8349 5100

janet tresman mediator & collaborative family law solicitor now back in finchley! Altermans Solicitors 239 Regents Park Road, London N3 3LF Direct dial: 0203 1820121 Email: janet@altermans.co.uk