March 2013

Shofarthe magazine of finchley progressive synagogue

פר שו

Journeys & Stories

 

mogilev update

Despite temperatures in the region of minus

20c in Belarus, our twinning relationship with

the Keshet community is getting warmer and

warmer! We have now established a monthly

Skype link with Mogilev. The first session took

place on the last Sunday of January, when we

introduced ourselves and told our young friends

about the history of FPS, in the light of our 60th

anniversary. The February session is about Purim

(comparing - hopefully on video - our Purim

spiels from the night before!) and antisemitism

- as experienced today in Belarus and Britain.

We are hoping to continue our exchanges on

the last Sunday of every month, at 2.30pm in

the synagogue library. Everybody is welcome to

come and say ‘hello’.

Meanwhile we are making good progress

in raising the money for our belated

Chanukkah gift to Keshet. It is not too late

to put something in the envelopes available

on the board of the Mogilev exhibition in

the synagogue corridor - or the jar for coins/

banknotes marked ‘Mogilev’ at the entrance. If

you would like to know more or get involved in

our twinning, please contact Wika on

vdorosz@gmail.com.

Cover: Listening and learning at the Tu B’Shvat seder.

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

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And so, at the beginning of March, as we start to

think about Pesach and the story of a truly epic

journey, our own FPS community is on a journey of

discovery at the Weekend Away in Hothorpe Hall.

Over two days of revisiting stories and sharing songs

and celebration, new memories will be made and

treasured. And as this journey becomes a memory and

perhaps, the source of a few new stories, too, I look

forward to Pesach and wait for Spring.

Wishing you all happy travels and fresh stories!

From the Editorpat lehner

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rabbi rebecca qassim birk

The theme of our FPS weekend away is the

story, our stories, stories in general. Indeed

the narrative that runs through our lives,

and makes for many of us, the connection to

Judaism so visceral. At the moment I find the

story the most compelling thing in Jewish

tradition and experience. The point of entry in

the Venn diagram where one’s own experience

meets with the collective imagination. Jung’s

discovery of the collective imagination and

consciousness appeals deeply to the Jewish

experience of sharing stories and memories.

Martin Buber wrote:

“To begin with oneself, but not to end with

oneself; to start from oneself, but not to aim

at oneself; to comprehend oneself, but not to

be preoccupied with oneself.” (Hasidism and

Modern Man, Humanities Press, 1988).

As Liberal Jews we need to connect with and

be informed by the narratives that run through

Jewish literature and liturgy. We want to know

and we want our children to know. We want to

have an intimate knowledge of Tanakh because

it’s the text that Jewish experience flows

from. We want to have a grasp of the order

of our liturgy and the prayers we offer, edited

so expertly in Siddur Lev Chadash by Rabbi

John Rayner z’l and others. We want to know

whether the traditional and very theistically

minded God that appears in the pages of the

siddur is the God we imagine and subscribe to

now. In other words, words matter to us. And

the stories that the words build matter even

more. We are made of them.

We navigate our life by the story. Philip

Roth in his novel ‘Patrimony’ relates the slow

death of his father and the intimacy therein. He

finds himself drawn to his father’s story which

is now in him:

“There was my patrimony, not the money, not

the tefillin, not the shaving mug, …It was his

Deuteronomy, the history of his Israel …Very

few who wound up sitting across from him

for any length of time didn’t get at least the

abridged version of his sacred text..”

This year, our 60th, starting with our

Weekend Away, we intend to take the story to

the heart of our celebration. We are embarking

on a story project of members listening to

each other’s story that got them here to FPS,

into their Judaism and on the journey of their

lives. We’ll start with the children listening and

recording but I hope it will be a significant part

of our community life.

So, “Once upon a time” will become

personal...

From the Rabbi

stories

pesach seder

Saturday 23 March - Our last morning at Ivriah

will be a Pesach Preparation morning for our

children and their families. Please join us.

We are not three

months into the

sixtieth anniversary

year and already the

journey is one of

discovery. In preparation for the Founders’ Tea

and archive exhibition, long-standing members

are offering their memorabilia and stories that

connect them to FPS. At the same time old and

new members are preparing for the Weekend

Away, continuing the chain of relationships and

memories that pave the communal journey.

Our personal journeys are interwoven with

the synagogue’s and I write this following

Howard and Joan Shopper’s golden wedding

anniversary Shabbat celebration. The bimah

was filled with their children and grandchildren,

all of whom contributed to the service and

with whom the congregation shared the

marking of such a milestone. Our challenge is

to ensure that we offer the opportunities and

connection for succeeding generations to be

here to celebrate their own life cycle events.

The synagogue operates in a world of instant

gratification, global connectedness and non-

stop entertainment: on TV, on radio, online.

Friends are on Facebook, views on Twitter

and comment is instantaneous. Against this

backdrop, the synagogue must provide the

human touch and spiritual sustenance that will

draw people to its path.

Cafe Ivriah, the Purim spiel, Beit Midrash,

Services and suppers, skyping our twin Mogilev

community are all opportunities to strengthen

the bonds that make a community. Where

members get into the habit of coming and

children see their parents contributing to a

Jewish community, friendships blossom and

journeys are shared. Looking back and looking

forward, we see kin and kindred who are part of

our lives and with whom we share the way. In

the opening meditation in Siddur Lev Chadash,

Rabbi John Rayner wrote “...It is not merely a

feeling of the heart but a decision of the will,

a commitment to a task, a self-enrolment in a

great adventure.”

COMMUNAL SEDER

Tuesday 26 March at 6.00 p.m Each year our Communal Seder is oversubscribed and we are sure it will happen

again this year so use the enclosed form to book your place as soon as possible Prices are: Adults £15 Children under 12 £10 (members) Adults £18 Children under 12 £10 (non-members)

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laura lassman

From the Chair

journeys

security appeal - urgentCan you offer help to FPS by doing a security

rota at the gates on a Friday, Saturday

or festival? Would you like to take this

opportunity to welcome members, get to know

others on security and make a contribution to

the synagogue? Or would you rather make a

donation to pay for professional cover?

We need people at the gate to greet members

and visitors, to ensure the safety of our

children and the basic well-being of those

inside.

We also need a Security Officer to co-ordinate

activities: liaison with CST, with Angela

over the rota and encouraging members to

participate. If you can help, please contact

David Aarons through the synagogue office.

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the magazine but Lionel might think otherwise.

Who knows! I do recollect writing many feature

articles.

I remember my joy when I was first invited

to read the Haftorah, standing on the bimah

with my toddlers holding on to my skirt. When

I was 12, my closest friend, Maureen, and I

had to learn our portions by rote as the cheder

teacher didn’t know what to do with the 2 girls

in the class. We then experienced the indignity

of mouthing the words on the appropriate

Saturday mornings as a male member of the

community read “our” haftorahs.

In 1968 or 9, for family reasons, I sadly had

to leave the community, I had also lost contact

with Maureen.

I did, later, attempt a brief membership - as

a single member. I directed a Purim play for the

children and I was delighted that my daughter

took part. But, the discrepancy between

community and home didn’t work for me.

Once widowed, I felt very isolated and in

need of a ‘reference group’, I wasn’t sure I

wanted to evoke the past and so hesitated to

return yet again.

Then, something wonderful happened. After

40 years I found my girlhood friend, Maureen.

We joyfully reunited and I discovered, to my

amazement, that she and her husband Adrian

and family were members of FPS!

My grandmother used to say (in Yiddish of

course): “If the end is good – it’s all good.” –

and this is very good.

Adrian sadly died, but Maureen and I, in

our mid 70s, sit together in synagogue as we

did as girls, but this time surrounded by our

wonderful FPS family.

It was a Saturday morning in 1965 or 1966 and

I had tucked my two little ones into their twin

buggy and set off from Courthouse Road to take

the air.

With two babies born in 13 months, and

free time taken over by 2 demanding families

with somewhat limited interests, I was

underwhelmed socially and intellectually.

As I walked, I fell into step with a friendly

young man. We started to talk. The next thing

I knew was that John Lewis, on his way to

Hutton Grove, had invited me and the babes to

accompany him to the service.

Now we felt we had ‘come home’ intellectually and spiritually.

I suddenly found a welcoming, stimulating

group of folk who quickly made me realise that

there was a world beyond domesticity. My

husband Barry soon joined me and we quickly

became active members of the community. Our

lovely ‘grandmotherly‘ neighbour had a weekly

Friday night baby sitting commitment and the

highlight of the week became the Friday night

service frequently followed by a discussion and

good conversation.

Our backgrounds in my Luton orthodox

community and Barry’s London Federation

Synagogue had led us both to alienation. Now

we felt we had ‘come home’ intellectually

and spiritually. I was the first convener of the

monthly ‘Minyan’, a social/cultural group and

Barry was quickly roped in to be the synagogue

treasurer.

We were around when Shofar was started.

It was not the glossy publication we know

today. I suspect that I suggested the name for

rochelle simmons

My FPS Journey

Spot the Bimah!

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coming soonEach month, we have planned either a special activity for the sixtieth anniversary or

focus on a regular event with a 50s perspective; three big events for the spring

friday 1 - sunday 3 march: away weekend

The Away Weekend will be in full swing at the beginning of March where old and new

members will have the opportunity to tell their stories and celebrate the FPS journey.

saturday 20 april: civic service

Our community will be joined by local MPs, the Mayor and Councillors,

representatives of Liberal Judaism, local clergy and synagogues for a special Shabbat

service that will include the best of what we are and where we have come from.

Following the service there will be a Kiddush lunch and we do need to know numbers

to ensure that everyone is well-fed! You should have received an invitation with last

month’s Shofar, but if not, please contact the office. Also please let Angela or Pauline

know if you are intending to come.

A very special honoured guest has been invited – if she accepts, we will reveal the

identity.

sunday 12 may: founders tea

Preparation for the Founders Tea is well underway. Lionel has been in touch with

many long-standing members and their offspring. He is collecting a wonderful array

of stories, photographs and memorabilia which will be exhibited during the year and

form the focus of the tea.

If you have not yet made a contribution, please contact Lionel

lionel.lassman@gmail.com or call 020 8445 3284. Invitations will be coming soon.

60th Anniversary  

wika dorosz

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Finchley Progressive Synagogue presents

CANTOR GERSHON SILINS DEAN STAKER

FRANKLYN GELLNICK

54 Hutton Grove, London N12 8DR

Tickets £15 each (Concessions: £7.50)

£100 Group booking for 10 ticketsemail: administrator@fps.org

saturday 6 april

Yom HaShoah & Czech Scroll Service Our guest speaker will be Neil Pike from

Nottingham Progressive Synagogue and we will

honour our scrolls and our loved ones. This year

Sofer Rabbi Ron Berry has been attending to our

Czech Scrolls and will continue to work on them

over the coming months. Our own Diana King

will share her story of Kindertransport with the

congregation as well.

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Beit Tefillahservices at fps

Friday 1 March Shabbat Resouled Unplugged FPS Away Weekend at Hothorpe Hall

Saturday 2 March Shabbat service

FPS Away Weekend at Hothorpe Hall

Friday 8 March Kabbalat Shabbat family service

Saturday 9 March Shabbat service

Friday 15 March Shabbat Resouled

Saturday 16 March Shabbat morning service including

Daniel Dolan Bar Mitzvah

Friday 22 March Kabbalat Shabbat service

Saturday 23 March Shabbat service including

Maeve Silver Bat Mitzvah

Tuesday 26 March Pesach morning service

Communal Seder at 6pm

Friday 29 March Kabbalat Shabbat service

Saturday 30 March Shabbat service

Sunday 31 March Erev 7thDay Pesach Short service

& supper at Rabbi Rebecca’s home

shabbat services - march

tuesday 26 march

Our wonderful Communal Seder planned and

executed by Corinne Oppenheimer is again

returning this year Sign up and be in touch with

Rabbi Rebecca if you’d like to work on a short

play on the theme of slavery and persecution to

illuminate the evening.

congratulations & mazal tov b’nei mitzvah

Daniel Dolan and family on his Bar Mitzvah

Maeve Silver and family on her Bat Mitzvah

Many members are celebrating important

life milestones by hosting and accepting a

mitzvah at a Shabbat service. If you have a

celebration you would like to share with the

community please contact the office.

our sincerest condolences

To Colin and Paul and their families on the

death of their mother Margie Glinsman

We wish the families long life.

yahrzeit list

There is an FPS Yahrzeit list from which we

remind those who would like a Yahrzeit to be

announced, that the date is coming up. If you

do want to be reminded please provide the

office with:

Name of the Honoree, Date of Yahrzeit

(Hebrew or secular depending which date is

to be observed), Name of Observer/s

a warm welcome to new members

Jon & Yasmin Gale

Jasmine & Tom Horna

Phillip & Alison Raphael

Karen Glaser

Braham Fredman

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Beit Knessetwhat’s happening at fps

cafe thursday

Thursdays @12.45pm7 March: Lunch & poetry and prose reading

14 March: Lunch & music

21 March: Lunch & Passover quiz

28 March: Passover lunch & family/friends day

Please book by 21 March

yoga

Mondays @7.oopmTuesdays @7.30pm Contact Richard on 020 8349 9602

film club

Sunday 3 March @7.30pm, ‘Roman Holiday’. For details please see page 11.

curtain up!

Wednesday 20 March @7.30pmFor details please see page 11.

people

rosh chodesh

Celebration of the new moon by women

gathering for learning and spiritual exploration

(over a glass of wine).

Rosh Chodesh Nissan: Tuesday 12 March -Lillith and Eve

fps breakfast shiurim

No Shiur in March

Saturday 6 April @8.45amAlan Ereira / Swimming in St Paul’s CathedralThe top of St Paul’s cathedral stands 67m above

sea level. It has been calculated that when

the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets finish

melting, that is exactly where the sea will be.

What else is going to happen? How will this

affect the Northern Line? And are we really

meant to take this seriously?

Thursday evenings from 7.30pm | The Sermons and Intellectual Legacy of Rabbi John Rayner z’l, with Liberal rabbis and others that knew him well, Hebrew & Delving into Judaism: A Course to

Refresh and Illuminate Judaism. | £5 donation/session For more information, contact Adrian Lister

adrianlister@blueyonder.co.uk

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Beit Midrashlearning at fps

pilates at fps

We have re-started a weekly Pilates class with

professional Pilates trainer Tali Swart. Tali is

a specialist of the lower back but covers all

aspects of Pilates and will tailor exercises to

suit each individual. The classes take place on

Thursday evening 6.30-7.15pm, before the Beit

Midrash discussion. The cost is £10 per session,

payable half-termly in advance, but this will go

down if more members join. If you would like

to join the class or have any queries, contact

Adrian Lister adrianlister@blueyonder.co.uk

or 07966 222953 (evenings preferred).

cafe ivriah

Shabbat mornings, from 9.30amAn informal lively discussion over coffee for Ivriah parents & others2 March: Richard Greene - Does Jewish

law forbid me from telling my friend how

brilliant you are? What exactly is lashon hara?

9 March: James Levy - Is a Jew obliged to give

tzedaka?

16 March: Karen Glaser - Secular conversion

23 March: Alan Milner - Zionism

30 March: Adrian Lister - How eastern mystics

made me a better Jew

Also in Beit Midrash...

ma

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7

7.30pm 8.30pm

ma

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14

ma

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HebrewBeginners & Intermediate

HebrewBeginners & Intermediate

HebrewBeginners & Intermediate

Delving: Liberal Jewish Theology and

Recollections

Delving: Death & Mourning in Jewish

Tradition and the rhythm of customs

Delving: Seizing the Seder and understanding

the power of Pesach

Rayner - Radical or Rooted: His Relationship with Jewish Tradition & History

with Rabbi James Baaden & Rabbi Rebecca Qassim Birk

Rayner: The Acerbic Correspondent

with Rabbi Andrew Goldstein

Rayner: The Wider World and Us: ‘Jews and Non-Jews’

with Rabbi Danny Rich

to let may 2013 january/february 2014

Bright, spacious and furnished studio flat

Purpose-built block in peaceful location

Close to shops, bus routes (82, 125 and 460) and short walk from

Finchley Central Underground

Separate kitchen and bathroom, ground floor and backing onto park

£450 per month including service charge, council tax, utilities etc.

Phone: Lillian 07854 786990

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Arts at FPS

The monthly theatre group will meet on

Wednesday 20 March at 7.30pm for a general

discussion on theatre in the West End and

Fringe. The focus will be on the following

five plays: The Captain of Kopenick (National

Theatre to 4 April); Paper Dolls (Tricycle to 13

April); Quartermaine’s Terms (Wyndham’s);

Trelawny of the Wells (Donmar to 13 April);

Longing (Hampstead Theatre to 6 April).

All are welcome to join this interesting and

informal group. For more information, contact

elaine.borish@virginmedia.com

The Book Club in March are reading The Old

Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. This

book was first published in 1953, 60 years ago,

and is the Book Club’s contribution to the 60th

anniversary. Meetings are held in people’s

homes, 7.30pm on the second Wednesday of each month. Contact sheilakl@waitrose.com

if you’d like to join.

curtain up! the screen on the grove

book club

Sunday 3 March | Roman Holiday

Kicking off Screen on the Grove’s 1953 season!

£5 includes refreshments.

Contact Wika vdorosz@gmail.com.

fps bridge groupIf you enjoy a game of Bridge, do come and join

us, on Mondays at 7.45pm at FPSIt only costs £4 for an enjoyable & friendly

evening of Chicago scoring bridge, including

light refreshments.

You do not need to bring a partner, as we can

always match you up with someone.

For any further details, please contact

Gunter Lawson at 020 8346 5208

♣♦♥♠

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Tu B’Shvat

A wonderful time was had by all at this year’s Tu B’Shvat, planting, learning and eating.

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Tu B’Shvat

MARCH Friday 1 – Sunday 3 FPS weekend away @ Hothorpe Hall Friday 1 4.30–6.30 Friday Ivriah Shabbat 2 9.30 – 12.30 Shabbat Ivriah Friday 8 4.30 – 6.30 Friday Night Family Service with

Kiddush hosted by Kita Dalet & Hey Shabbat 9 9.30-12.30 Shabbat Ivriah Friday 15 4.30-6.30 Friday Ivriah followed by Shabbat

Resouled Shabbat 16 9.30 – 12.30 Shabbat Ivriah 11.00-

12.30 Shabbat Service including Daniel Dolan BM

11.00 Kids Kehillah Friday 22 4.30 – 6.30 Friday Ivriah END OF TERM Shabbat 23 9.30 – 12.30 Shabbat Ivriah END OF TERM 11.00-12.30 Shabbat Service including Maeve

Silver BM

Key: Shabbat Ivriah Friday Ivriah Family events

PESACH ACTIVITIES Monday 25 March

Pesach begins & 1st night Seder

Tuesday 26 March 11.00 Pesach morning service 6.00 FPS Communal Seder Sunday 31 March 6.00 Erev 7th day Pesach short service and

supper @ Rabbi Rebecca’s home Monday 1 April

11.00 7th Day Crossing the Sea Service at Dollis Brook. Bring your last matzahs!

         

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This half term Ivriah have been

learning about the environment, and

how we as Jews can help to preserve

it. Kitah Gimmel were given the title

‘What makes a greener synagogue?’

and made posters in response to it.

The whole of Ivriah then voted for the

best one and this is the one that won!

Kezia & YaseminKita Gimmel teachers

MARCH Friday 1 – Sunday 3 FPS weekend away @ Hothorpe Hall Friday 1 4.30–6.30 Friday Ivriah Shabbat 2 9.30 – 12.30 Shabbat Ivriah Friday 8 4.30 – 6.30 Friday Night Family Service with

Kiddush hosted by Kita Dalet & Hey Shabbat 9 9.30-12.30 Shabbat Ivriah Friday 15 4.30-6.30 Friday Ivriah followed by Shabbat

Resouled Shabbat 16 9.30 – 12.30 Shabbat Ivriah 11.00-

12.30 Shabbat Service including Daniel Dolan BM

11.00 Kids Kehillah Friday 22 4.30 – 6.30 Friday Ivriah END OF TERM Shabbat 23 9.30 – 12.30 Shabbat Ivriah END OF TERM 11.00-12.30 Shabbat Service including Maeve

Silver BM

Key: Shabbat Ivriah Friday Ivriah Family events

PESACH ACTIVITIES Monday 25 March

Pesach begins & 1st night Seder

Tuesday 26 March 11.00 Pesach morning service 6.00 FPS Communal Seder Sunday 31 March 6.00 Erev 7th day Pesach short service and

supper @ Rabbi Rebecca’s home Monday 1 April

11.00 7th Day Crossing the Sea Service at Dollis Brook. Bring your last matzahs!

         

15

bar & bat mitzvah at fps by rabbi rebecca

Ivriah is growing and we are, as we hoped,

attracting new families to our Shabbat

religion school. Because we are bigger, we

have more B’nei Mitzvah, many more! So

this is a plea and an explanation that families

need to have booked the date for Bar or Bat

Mitzvah by the time their child turns 12, and

preferably a few months earlier.

We are now booked up completely for 2013,

have several bookings for 2014 and one for

2015! We’ve established a clear timeline for

B’nei Mitzvah preparation at FPS which starts

with families booking a Bar/Bat Mitzvah

date with Pauline in the office and an initial

meeting with me no later than 15 months

before the ceremony.

I ask parents and the Bar/Bat Mitzvah

to meet with me again one year before

the ceremony in order to explain the FPS

minhagim and to agree a tutor who should be

booked for regular one-to-one lessons.

For the year preceding the ceremony,

prospective B’nei Mitzvah are expected to

attend a weekly Friday or Saturday service

so that they all become familiar with our

customs. Equally important in the Bar/Bat

Mitzvah journey is weekly attendance at

Ivriah classes to support learning. We host

three Chavurah suppers for the full B’Nei

Mitzvah group and teachers so that families

get to know one another socially and come

together for learning.

In the final 3 months before the ceremony,

students have regular meetings with me so I

can get to know them better and support all

learning as well as clarify practical details.

The FPS Beit Tefillah Chairperson also offers

further support.

Our aim is to ensure that each Bar/Bat

Mitzvah candidate feels comfortable on this

part of their Jewish journey. It’s a very special

time and we look forward to it with every

family.

16

Contactsfps who’s who

finchley progressive synagogue

54 Hutton Grove N12 8DR

www.fps.org

020 8446 4063

Charity Number: 1071040

Rabbi: Rebecca Qassim Birk

rabbi@fps.org / 07939 227480

Emeritus Rabbi: Dr Frank Hellner

Synagogue Manager: Pauline Gusack

pauline@fps.org

Community Manager: Angela Wharton

angela@fps.org

executive

Chair: Laura Lassman

chair@fps.org / 07957 545 569

Vice-Chair: Joan Shopper & David Aarons

01582 792 959

Joint Treasurers: Richard Kravetz & Martin Silk

020 8349 9602

Honorary Secretary: David Pelham

020 8445 8111

Board of Deputies Reps: Stanley Volk

& Janet Tresman

Life President: Clive Winston

President: Sheila King Lassman

synagogue committees & groups:

Beit Midrash (Education): Co-ordinated

by Laura Lassman. Working groups with

responsibility for Ivriah; Young families; Adult

Education; Youth Club

Beit Tefillah (Rites & Practices): Co-ordinated

by Joan Shopper. Working groups with

responsibility for Shabbat; Life Cycle; Festivals;

High Holydays

Beit Knesset (Community): Co-ordinated

by David Aarons. Working groups with

responsibility for Contact; Membership; New

members; Events

Operations: Co-ordinated by David Pelham

Working groups with responsibility for

Premises; Finance; Security.

If you would like to join any of these working

groups, please contact the relevant co-ordinator

shofar editor

Pat Lehner / shofar@fps.orgEditorial assistant Sarah Aldridge

FPS is a constituent of Liberal Judaism

21 Maple Street W1T 4BE

020 7580 1663

LJY Netzer (youth dept) 020 7631 0584

ashley pageinsurance brokers

Commerce House2a Litchfield Grove

London N3 2TN

Tel. 020 8349 5100

janet tresmanmediator & collaborative

family law solicitor

consultant now at hoffman-bokaei.co.uk

Lithos House, 307 Finchley Road

London NW3 6EH

Tel. 020 7433 2380 / jlt@hoffman-bokaei.co.uk