Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue

Purim is today a time of great celebration and fun but lying below the surface is a story that reflects a deeper reality. This is the reality of bigotry, fanaticism and hatred that infects every people and every land and whose consequences are inevitably death and destruction. Within living memory we have seen the Shoah as well as horrendous massacres in Cambodia and Rwanda.

Yesterday I had the honour of serving on a Beit Din for the first time. As is always the case when I work with Gerim (the Hebrew term for those undergoing conversion) I was moved and humbled by the sincerity of the candidates and was honoured to be able to hear their stories and share in their journeys. As it happened, there was a brief impromptu discussion the same day with a number of my rabbinic colleagues on the same topic.

I received this e mail 1 week ago via the synagogue website

Shalom! I am an American from California spending my gap year before university living in London. I live by myself in Leyton, but work as a teacher’s aide and sports coach at Sir William Burrough Primary School in Limehouse. Although my parents did not raise me religious, my brother has recently come to better appreciate the importance of our Jewish heritage and has been encouraging me to find a synagogue, or at least a Jewish youth organization, while I am in London.

There was a Charity concert in the synagogue during November 2007 organised by Rabbi David and Fiona Hulbert and it was an excellent evening.

There were about 50 people there on the night and it was enjoyed by all who attended.

The evening raised some money towards instruments for budding musicians.