LJ Today May/June 2007

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May/June 2007

VOL. XXXIV No. 3

ljtoday

More donors back Liberal mission Baroness Neuberger tells Patrons of her pride in Liberal Judaism Two women who have reached the highest ranks of political life addressed nearly a hundred donors and guests at Liberal Judaism’s third annual Patrons’ Dinner, held in the magnificent Drapers’ Hall, in the City of London. Baroness Neuberger DBE, president of the movement, gave the audience an account of her early life, including how she came to train as a rabbi. She said she had found a home in Liberal Judaism partly because it was so passionate about women’s equality, adding: ‘The thing I’ve had most pride in is that ours is the first faith organisation to have offered a service of blessing in civil partnership ceremonies. Liberal Judaism is about welcoming people and making them feel comfortable.’ At the dinner, in February, she also paid tribute to the late Rabbi John Rayner, ‘my great teacher’, and to the late John Rich, who chaired South London Liberal Synagogue while she was rabbi there and was the father of the

Baroness Neuberger, right, with Gillian Merron MP and Stanley Fink at the dinner in the City of London

movement’s chief executive, Rabbi Danny Rich. ‘What John taught me was to look at what we do honestly – and to have integrity,’ she said. In a lighthearted note in tune with the relaxed and confident atmosphere of the evening, Baroness Neuberger added: ‘We need to make people laugh. My

Two communities welcome new rabbis Rachel Benjamin was formally welcomed as rabbi of South Bucks Jewish Community at Berkhamsted Civic Centre in March as part of a Shabbat morning service. In an atmosphere of huge warmth, Rabbi Janet Burden, a much-loved former rabbi of the community, addressed the 160-strong congregation and performed the induction ceremony.

Rabbi Benjamin, who was brought up in Berkhamsted, referred in her sermon to the day as her ‘special homecoming’. At a service in Vienna, Walter Rothschild was inducted as rabbi of Or Chadash, the city’s Progressive Jewish community, by Rabbi James Baaden of South London Liberal Synagogue. Rabbi Rothschild was previously rabbi of Beth Shalom, Munich.

challenge is to develop a quintessentially Liberal Jewish sense of humour.’ Gillian Merron, the MP for Lincoln, gave a very personal and frank account of her own Jewish upbringing in Dagenham, Essex, and her later involvement with Judaism. A visit to

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Israel in focus This edition of LJ Today contains two reports from the World Union for Progressive Judaism convention in Jerusalem. We also publish opinion pieces from two Liberal rabbis about the Independent Jewish Voices group. And the LJY-Netzer page carries a report on the biggest ever gap-year group to visit Israel. WUPJ, page 3; Why I signed the IJV statement, page 4; LJY-Netzer, page 11


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LJ Today May/June 2007 by Liberal Judaism - Issuu