MONDAY 30TH OCTOBER AT 7.30 P.M. off-site
(PLEASE NOTE NEW STARTING TIME OVER THE WINTER MONTHS)
We will be discussing two of this celebrated writer’s novels - so if you have never read any of her books, or not recently, and would like to discuss them in more detail please join us for what will be an enjoyable evening with refreshments provided.
Cost £1. All welcome. Please contact me for further details and venue:
Marion Smith Email - marionksm@gmail.com
My Cousin Rachel
Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in making Philip his heir, knowing he will treasure his beautiful Cornish estate. But Philip's world is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries - and then dies suddenly in suspicious circumstances.
Before long, the new widow - Philip's cousin Rachel - arrives in England. Despite himself, Philip is drawn to this beautiful, mysterious woman. But could she have masterminded Ambrose's death?
An extremely clever novel with an ending that will haunt and trouble the reader.
Jamaica Inn
After the death of her mother, Mary Yellan crosses the windswept Cornish moors to Jamaica Inn, the home of her Aunt Patience. There she finds Patience a changed woman, down trodden by her domineering, vicious husband Joss Merlyn. The inn is a front for a lawless gang of criminals, and Mary is unwillingly dragged into their dangerous world of smuggling and murder. Before long, she will be forced to cross her own moral line to save herself.
First published in 1936, this novel is one of the author’s finest and con?n-ues to enthral its readers to this day.
Happy reading.
Thursday 26 October 2017
Thursday 19 October 2017
Chavarah Supper With Words From The Savoy Butler
Congratulations to Jane Greenfield for organising a thoroughly enjoyable chavurah service in early September. She managed to get over sixty people to come and listen to Sean Devoren, the Head Butler at the Savoy Hotel, regale us with revelations of what his job entails.
He took us into a different world that most of us could never aspire to. It was fascinating and at times bewildering but great fun. Special thanks to the lovely ladies of the house committee, who as usual made sure the amazing choice of food was served with aplomb.
Wonder who Jane will come up with next time. What about the life and times of a London Cab Driver? Could be interesting, or perhaps not.
Thursday 12 October 2017
Words From The Chair
On Tuesday 29th August the Synagogue’s revered Hon Life President Hilda Schindler passed away.
In 1946, three years after it was founded, Hilda joined Southgate & District Liberal Synagogue as it was known in those days, and in a short space of time became Head Teacher. Apart from a period at the old NLPS cheder, she taught at SPS for fifty two years. In 1983 she was made Hon Life President, and in 1986 was presented with a certificate for forty years of service. Hilda also served as Hon Secretary for seventeen years, and was on just about every committee, as well as attending Council meetings, where she did not suffer fools gladly. She was a stickler for protocol as was her dear friend Doris Reese. In 2010 I nominated her for the LJ Chairman’s Special Award; she won hands down, as her CV was far more impressive than any other nominee. Apart from her beloved Religion
School, the other great loves of her life were The Friends of Progressive Judaism, and the Leo Baeck Education Centre in Haifa, where she was held in the highest esteem. Many years ago I told Hilda I was going to Israel, and she said you must visit Leo Baeck, which I duly did. There was security outside the office and when I asked if I could come in and look around the answer was an emphatic no. When I said Hilda Schindler told me it was ok for me to visit, it was like a magic wand had been waved, and I was treated like royalty. Subsequently I visited Leo Baeck on a number of occasions and was always very well received.
Hilda retired from Religion School in 1998; throughout the many years of her dedicated teaching career she touched the lives of countless young people, including my two daughters. Even when they reached adulthood they still referred to her as Miss Schindler and always treated her with the greatest respect. Sadly the last few years of her life were in care homes, and at times in and out of hospital, but she battled on because, even though the body “In 1983 she was made Hon Life President” was weak, she had the heart of a lion. As the quality of her life deteriorated and she finally passed, it could be deemed to be a blessed release for someone who once had such vitality and fervour. Inexplicably it took nine days before she was laid to rest. Unfortunately, as the Synagogue had no input with the arrangements of the cremation, it was beyond our control to rectify that sorry state of affairs. Hilda did not have any immediate family, but SPS was undoubtedly her surrogate family and she loved and served the community with unceasing commitment and passion.
In the evening of her cremation a service was held in the Synagogue in front of nearly one hundred people. Rabbi Yuval set the tone for the evening with his moving recollections of the short span of time he knew Hilda. There were also reminiscences from Pearl Phillips, Jane Greenfield, myself and especially her friend from Germany, Rabbi Harry Jacobi, who brought tears to people’s eyes when he referred to how they were like brother and sister. Hilda Schindler will be fondly remembered by all who knew and worked with her. She was an iconic figure in the history of SPS, and her like will never be seen again, may her memory always be for a blessing. There will be a service to celebrate Hilda’s life on Sunday 26th November; details will be in the next issue of the Gate. Despite our mourning, life must go on, and another towering figure of the Synagogue, the Hon Life Vice President Pearl Phillips was nominated at the September Council meeting to take Hilda’s
place. Also unanimously nominated to take over from Pearl is another Synagogue stalwart, the indomitable Phyllis Freedman. Both will be put forward for ratification at next June’s AGM.
Bob Dulin
In 1946, three years after it was founded, Hilda joined Southgate & District Liberal Synagogue as it was known in those days, and in a short space of time became Head Teacher. Apart from a period at the old NLPS cheder, she taught at SPS for fifty two years. In 1983 she was made Hon Life President, and in 1986 was presented with a certificate for forty years of service. Hilda also served as Hon Secretary for seventeen years, and was on just about every committee, as well as attending Council meetings, where she did not suffer fools gladly. She was a stickler for protocol as was her dear friend Doris Reese. In 2010 I nominated her for the LJ Chairman’s Special Award; she won hands down, as her CV was far more impressive than any other nominee. Apart from her beloved Religion
School, the other great loves of her life were The Friends of Progressive Judaism, and the Leo Baeck Education Centre in Haifa, where she was held in the highest esteem. Many years ago I told Hilda I was going to Israel, and she said you must visit Leo Baeck, which I duly did. There was security outside the office and when I asked if I could come in and look around the answer was an emphatic no. When I said Hilda Schindler told me it was ok for me to visit, it was like a magic wand had been waved, and I was treated like royalty. Subsequently I visited Leo Baeck on a number of occasions and was always very well received.
Hilda retired from Religion School in 1998; throughout the many years of her dedicated teaching career she touched the lives of countless young people, including my two daughters. Even when they reached adulthood they still referred to her as Miss Schindler and always treated her with the greatest respect. Sadly the last few years of her life were in care homes, and at times in and out of hospital, but she battled on because, even though the body “In 1983 she was made Hon Life President” was weak, she had the heart of a lion. As the quality of her life deteriorated and she finally passed, it could be deemed to be a blessed release for someone who once had such vitality and fervour. Inexplicably it took nine days before she was laid to rest. Unfortunately, as the Synagogue had no input with the arrangements of the cremation, it was beyond our control to rectify that sorry state of affairs. Hilda did not have any immediate family, but SPS was undoubtedly her surrogate family and she loved and served the community with unceasing commitment and passion.
In the evening of her cremation a service was held in the Synagogue in front of nearly one hundred people. Rabbi Yuval set the tone for the evening with his moving recollections of the short span of time he knew Hilda. There were also reminiscences from Pearl Phillips, Jane Greenfield, myself and especially her friend from Germany, Rabbi Harry Jacobi, who brought tears to people’s eyes when he referred to how they were like brother and sister. Hilda Schindler will be fondly remembered by all who knew and worked with her. She was an iconic figure in the history of SPS, and her like will never be seen again, may her memory always be for a blessing. There will be a service to celebrate Hilda’s life on Sunday 26th November; details will be in the next issue of the Gate. Despite our mourning, life must go on, and another towering figure of the Synagogue, the Hon Life Vice President Pearl Phillips was nominated at the September Council meeting to take Hilda’s
place. Also unanimously nominated to take over from Pearl is another Synagogue stalwart, the indomitable Phyllis Freedman. Both will be put forward for ratification at next June’s AGM.
Bob Dulin
Thursday 5 October 2017
Words From The Rabbi
In Parashat Vayelech, Moses delivers his final address to the nation he shepherded through the desert for the last forty years. At the beginning of that journey, events unfolded at a very rapid pace. The Ten Plagues were inflicted on the Egyptians for no more than several weeks. It took them three from the time they left the land of Goshen until they crossed the Red Sea. A year later, they stood at Sinai to receive the Torah (and worship the golden Calf); two months later, they sent the spies to tour the Promised Land. It was the report of the spies and the response of the People that convinced God that, although it took only a few to get the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, it would take a lot longer to get the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, and turn them into a nation. Some processes need to take time, experience and maturity. Some mind-sets can only be shifted over the course of generations.
Moses, who gave up on herding sheep at the age of 80, was bidding farewell to the nation he helped form for the past forty years. His last piece of advice to the Nation was: “Be strong and resolute, do not fear or dread the others; for the Eternal your God marches with you. God will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
When Moses delivered this message, he knew that his work was done. During the forty years of the journey through the desert, the People of Israel managed to shed their slave mind-set, the dependency they had on their Egyptian masters, and the fear they had about controlling their destiny. Yet, Moses also realised that what took forty years of hard work to build could take very little time and effort to destroy. This destruction could come from a ‘mighty’ external enemy, and it could come from their fears and weaknesses. Although Moses explicitly talked about an external enemy, he actually aimed at the enemy from within, the self-enemy that doubts our strength and capabilities. It is the enemy of the slogan “Yes we can” that we know from the children’s TV series Bob the Builder, and from Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign. Seventy two years have passed since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. During that time we were busy learning the lessons from the Shoah (the Holocaust) and ensuring that the generations ahead do not repeat the same mistake.
Nearly a hundred years ago women were allowed to vote in the US for the first time, Britain followed ten years after. Since then our society removed many barriers and indeed benefitted from empowering women in many aspects of life: in the workplace; at home; in politics; in business; in the military; and more.
It has been a hundred and fifty years since the 16th US president, Abraham Lincoln, paved the way for the abolition of slavery, and nearly 75 years since Rosa Parks refused to abide by laws of segregation between whites and blacks in Montgomery, US. Both events marked the beginning of the end of racism and exploitation. Recent events in our world mark for me a setback on some of these trends. Antisemitism is gradually raising its ugly head again, even among circles considered to be enlightened and free from prejudice. The barriers to historical revisionism (a.k.a. Holocaust denial) are gradually removed, and the language associated with anti-Semitism is replaced with a ‘cleaner’ anti-Zionism, anti-Communism or anti-liberalism. The march of the Alt-right last month in Charlottesville, US brought to the fore all sorts of old ‘demons’ of white supremacy, segregation and antisemitism.
The declaration, which announced support for the establishment of a "national home" for the Jewish people in Palestine. All this might leave us in a state of despair and a great sense of setback. This is where the words of Moses must echo in our hearts and minds. We must be strong and resolute in our struggle against racism and prejudice. We must have no fear or dread of those who march with torches and Nazi flags, and who wish to march us back to the times of segregation, slavery and genocide.
So long as we believe in our path of freedom, equality and liberation, and so long as we believe in ourselves, God is going to be on the side of the alt-righteous, and not on the side of the alt-right.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Yuval Keren.
Moses, who gave up on herding sheep at the age of 80, was bidding farewell to the nation he helped form for the past forty years. His last piece of advice to the Nation was: “Be strong and resolute, do not fear or dread the others; for the Eternal your God marches with you. God will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
When Moses delivered this message, he knew that his work was done. During the forty years of the journey through the desert, the People of Israel managed to shed their slave mind-set, the dependency they had on their Egyptian masters, and the fear they had about controlling their destiny. Yet, Moses also realised that what took forty years of hard work to build could take very little time and effort to destroy. This destruction could come from a ‘mighty’ external enemy, and it could come from their fears and weaknesses. Although Moses explicitly talked about an external enemy, he actually aimed at the enemy from within, the self-enemy that doubts our strength and capabilities. It is the enemy of the slogan “Yes we can” that we know from the children’s TV series Bob the Builder, and from Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign. Seventy two years have passed since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. During that time we were busy learning the lessons from the Shoah (the Holocaust) and ensuring that the generations ahead do not repeat the same mistake.
Nearly a hundred years ago women were allowed to vote in the US for the first time, Britain followed ten years after. Since then our society removed many barriers and indeed benefitted from empowering women in many aspects of life: in the workplace; at home; in politics; in business; in the military; and more.
It has been a hundred and fifty years since the 16th US president, Abraham Lincoln, paved the way for the abolition of slavery, and nearly 75 years since Rosa Parks refused to abide by laws of segregation between whites and blacks in Montgomery, US. Both events marked the beginning of the end of racism and exploitation. Recent events in our world mark for me a setback on some of these trends. Antisemitism is gradually raising its ugly head again, even among circles considered to be enlightened and free from prejudice. The barriers to historical revisionism (a.k.a. Holocaust denial) are gradually removed, and the language associated with anti-Semitism is replaced with a ‘cleaner’ anti-Zionism, anti-Communism or anti-liberalism. The march of the Alt-right last month in Charlottesville, US brought to the fore all sorts of old ‘demons’ of white supremacy, segregation and antisemitism.
The declaration, which announced support for the establishment of a "national home" for the Jewish people in Palestine. All this might leave us in a state of despair and a great sense of setback. This is where the words of Moses must echo in our hearts and minds. We must be strong and resolute in our struggle against racism and prejudice. We must have no fear or dread of those who march with torches and Nazi flags, and who wish to march us back to the times of segregation, slavery and genocide.
So long as we believe in our path of freedom, equality and liberation, and so long as we believe in ourselves, God is going to be on the side of the alt-righteous, and not on the side of the alt-right.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Yuval Keren.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)