Liberal | Masorti | Reform The Magazine of the Mosaic Jewish Community May 2021 ABOUT OUR MEMBERS COMMUNAL Since our last issue Children and Teen birthdays on page 7 Our move from Bessborough Road MOSAIC REFORM MOSAIC LIBERAL MOSAIC MASORTI WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS: CONGRATULATIONS IN YOUR WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS: after over 60 years Judy & Martin Squires NEW HOME TO: Alison Imren BIRTHDAY WISHES TO: Marian Bliss Lily Ashkenazi-Bakes by Steve Levinson Gabby Kessler, 85 SPECIAL BIRTHDAYS: MAZAL TOV TO: David de Magtige, 55 Margie Goldman Shelley Cooper on the marriage of Bernard Fisherman, 85 Kenneth Herman her son, Joel Rosenberg, to Sarah Yvonne Goldstein, 75 Jo Mans Goldshmidt. ore than 200 locations were also able Neil Goodman, 75 Stuart Rose Sue & Neil Mendoza on the birth of people witnessed to take part, using a Nat Levene, 98 Olga Rosenbaum their grand-daughter, Clea. the closure of specially prepared prayer Paul Mendelson, 70 Anne Steiner BIRTHDAY WISHES TO: Mtheir synagogue building booklet. Beverley Ringart, 75 GET WELL: Sharon Grossman and ceremonial removal of The service was led Paul Russell, 60 Jo Drage Sue Levy the Torah scrolls from both by Rabbis Kathleen de Jeffrey Lee, 75 Michelle Drage Tomer Goldenberg Mosaic Reform and Mosaic Magtige–Middleton from ANNIVERSARY WISHES TO: Sheila Martin CONGRATULATIONS IN YOUR Liberal Synagogues Mosaic Reform and Rabbi Beverley & Ron Ringart on their 50th Evelyn Roos NEW HOME TO: on a glorious sunny Rachel Benjamin from wedding anniversary. Harold Sanderson Nir Goldenberg morning on Tuesday Mosaic Liberal. Rabbi Middleton recalled Sandie & Martin Simonis on their Lynne & Sam Charkham 30th March. that the first Reform Rabbi in the building 50th wedding anniversary. Helen & Marvyn Ellison In an emotional had been Rabbi Lionel Blue. CONGRATULATIONS IN YOUR GET WELL SOON: event for members, (Note: If you missed the service, visit NEW HOME TO: Mark Sachon some of whom were www.choosemosaic.org, “What’s On” Ruby Nerva present 60 years ago and “Past Events” to see a recording) Neil Goodman when Middlesex New Synagogue moved into GET WELL SOON: its freshly acquired building in Bessborough The following speeches were given at the Roger Hart Road, the scrolls were carried out on a journey Farewell Service: CONDOLENCES TO: which will end in a year’s time in a brand Lily Reubens on the death of her Next issue new building in Stanmore. The new building, From Rabbi Kathleen husband, Lionel. Copy date: Wednesday 9th June already under construction on Stanmore Hill, Baruchim ha-ba’im – Welcome to all, both The family and friends of Jacqui Publication date: Thursday 24th will be home for Mosaic Reform, Mosaic near and far! Those of you (Sheila) Katz. June Liberal and Mosaic Masorti communities. It here with us in person, The family and friends of Peter Send your articles, pictures, will also provide a vibrant new Jewish social, and those of you who Mendel-Lion. letters etc to Harry Levy on the death of his sister, cultural and centre of learning for the area. join us online, be it our [email protected] Sylvia Bolton. With lockdown restrictions still in place, only neighbours up the hill or a few members were inside the Bessborough our friends in Israel. Road building as it was deconsecrated. But a We welcome you to Special thanks to David Ruback and Jane Prentice for their spring photographs, featured on the cover Zoom and internet audience of well over 200 this final service, here Continued on following page >> people from local, national and international by Italiaander – www.italiaander.co.uk © Portrait 2 3 COMMUNAL COMMUNAL Continued from previous page... at 39 Bessborough Road. This is a solemn and at the Eternal One’s command they set take forward into the future, when we plan to time; a time of reflection as we find ourselves We feel saddened for having out. yet again be in a building. caught on a crossroad, where past and future to let go of this building... and The Torah is described as a Tree of Life This year has shown us what community converge, as we prepare ourselves to close a (Eitz Chayyim Hi); trees sometimes need to be really is, and it’s the people. We have done chapter and open a new one; like the cycle of yet we are also expectant and replanted for them to thrive again. As we will more to keep in touch with each other, and to our yearly Torah readings – very symbolic for a full of hope for a better future lift our Scrolls from the Ark today, may we carry reach out to one another. We have been able community which was established on Simchat them to a place where they can root, grow to keep connected, to hold our identity, and Torah! in our new building strong, thrive and be fruitful in accordance even create something new and special. This Today’s service inevitably fills us with many with the vision of our founder members. Ken past year gives us a unique insight into the conflicting emotions. We feel saddened for we stand eternally in their debt. We remember yehi ratzon, v’nomar: amen year ahead in Mosaic’s life – our year in the having to let go of this building, filled with them today, the founder members and wilderness. memories of the most poignant moments their families, the many volunteers and our From Rabbi Rachel Many of us are longing to be together of our lives; families and friends celebrating Ministers, in particular our first Minister, Rabbi ‘Remember this day, on in person. For others, joining services and together baby blessings, B’nei mitzvah, Lionel Blue “z’l”. And we are so grateful to have which you went out of activities virtually has allowed them to be weddings and memorial services – and yet we you, Woolfie and Marie Heymann, here with us Egypt… in the month of there with us, and we have welcomed people are also expectant and full of hope for a better today, on your 69th wedding anniversary. Aviv’ – such a pertinent from all over the country, indeed the world, future in our new building. As the time moved on, so did the community, Torah reading for today… I on Zoom. We will have to think how we The conflict of those feelings is exacerbated for the younger generations have moved think we will all remember carry this forward, in a hybrid way, so we by the Pandemic, which makes this service further afield, so the time has come to move this day on which we go can accommodate both physical and virtual our first in-person service for over a year, as where they are. Judaism never much valued forth out of Bessborough Road! attendance. well as our last in this building. the concept of ‘holy space’. We do not build I feel very much that I am the ‘new kid Of course, the ideal is to have a physical When, a moment ago we sang the familiar cathedrals, or mark places for pilgrimage, on the block’ here, having only come to the place we can call home, and this coming words of the Mah tovu: mah tovu ohaleicha instead, we build ‘cathedrals of time’ moments community as Mosaic Liberal’s Rabbi just year is a year full of possibilities, a great Ya’acov, mishkenotecha Yisrael (How good imbued with holiness, held in our memories after the first lockdown, a year ago. In reality, opportunity to develop something new and are your Tents oh Jacob, your sanctuaries through shared stories and texts. that means that this building has never been exciting, in readiness to move into our new oh Israel) we were reminded of the fact that The only objects of intrinsic value and ‘home’ to me. However, the community home in Stanmore. those words refer to a physical space; this, imbued with holiness are our Torah Scrolls have welcomed me and invited me into their V’assu li mikdash v’shakhanti b’tokham, our sanctuary, and yet for over a year we have and when we remove them from the Ark, we ‘space’ – a virtual one, it is true - but what an said God in Exodus 25:8 – ‘let them make Me been singing these words to establish a virtual will extinguish the everlasting light of the ner extraordinary one it has turned out to be. The a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them’. sanctuary, online, a space that is not really tamid – The sense of holiness will lift from enforced situation of this past year has really This last year has shown that, at a time of a space at all, whilst this, our home stood this building, as we prepare for our journey shown us the dual meaning of the phrase necessity, we have been able to make a empty. Mah tovu, how good, indeed, it is to be towards our next spiritual home as we read in ‘community building’. While we have not been sanctuary for God even in a Zoom room, and back, in our home, and how sad that it is for b’midbar (Numbers 9:22-23): able to be in our physical building, we have certainly in our hearts and homes, and that is the very last time. Whether the cloud stayed over the built community in a remarkable way, one what will sustain us through this coming year. Many have invested their time, their tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, which, a little over a year ago, we could not We may leave Bessborough Road with a sense creativity, their wisdom, their leadership, and the Israelites would remain in camp and not set have imagined.