Dear Members and Friends,

NLJC’s 35th Annual General Meeting took place on Monday, 31st March and I’m pleased to say we now have 9 members on Council. They are…

Chair: Linda Albin

Vice Chair: Rosie Anfilogoff

Hon. Treasurer: Helen Hodson

Hon. Secretary: Steven Pruner

Officers: Jo Abel, Helen Brown, Eric Marcus, Elise Page, Ezra Woodger

I’d like to thank all those who agreed to serve again, and welcome to Helen Brown, Elise Page and Ezra Woodger.

We look forward to serving you, the Community, as we embark on another year together.

*********************

I want to begin, not with the usual list of what’s in this issue of the newsletter, but rather with a big thank you.  I learned a lot in our last Shabbat service.  Many of you now know I’m taking the Ba’alei Tefillah course offered by Liberal Judaism which will teach me not just how to lead a service, but also about the meaning of the service and how it best serves you, the community.  As it turns out, you were my best teachers.

When, at the last minute, it became apparent that Rabbi Martina was quite ill, I stepped in, and not for the first time.  But the last time I did so, I wanted it to be perfect… mitzvot all pre-assigned, the service mapped out, the scroll set, etc, etc. No mistakes allowed!  And it all went smoothly, but I didn’t get much out of it and frankly, I’m not sure you did either.

So this time I went to you for support and asked people to choose a poem, a reading or anything that might resonate with them.   And to my amazement and relief, many of you stepped up.  Lorna with her feminist take on Queen Esther, Bob with his reading and then beautiful singing of the Aggadah, in preparation for our Torah reading.  Ezra delivered an exceptional d’var Torah, and Elise reminded us of Jewish women’s resistance to the Nazis, through love, rather than by brute force. 

And so, while we didn’t have a formal Beit Midrash, our service became a House of Study.  And this time I took away a lot.  It may not have been word perfect, but it felt good and right.  By the time we concluded with a rousing rendition of Adon Olam, I realised how fortunate I am to be part of a community that’s there when you need it.

So, Kol Hakavod and Todah Rabah!

Moving right along, what a Purim Spiel we had thanks to Ezra, our playwright in residence, and his merry band of actors, including Zak, Joni, Osian, Lorna, and Aaron.

Next up is our Annual NLJC Communal Seder at Chantry Hall at 6:45p.m. on Sunday, 13 April.  Please do come along to retell and reflect on the story of our liberation and exodus from Egypt.

Also in this month’s newsletter, Rabbi Martina has a Pesach message and Venetia Strangwayes-Booth shares a recipe for the holiday.  Also, if you weren’t with us last Shabbat, have a read of Lorna’s take on Queen Esther.  And don’t forget Lorna’s Jewish Fiction Book Club.  We’ve got a few ‘takers’ but would love to see more of you.  Chaim of Drayton, aka Philip Lawrence regales us with More Yiddish You Can Use and there are some interesting opportunities for learning.

I wish you all a Chag Pesach Sameach!

Linda

Tayere ale!   (Dear All)

 A greeting I’ve learned in the Yiddish course I’m taking on Zoom, through Leo Baeck (HHDs Appeal recipient) and which our newest member, Osian is teaching.  I can truly say, try it-you’ll like it.  So welcome Osian!! 

He’s also got a starring role in our Purim spiel, written by renowned local playwright, Ezra Woodger.  Please join us! (On Zoom too) Lots of hamentaschen to be eaten! Details to follow in this newsletter.

I should say that the spiel, in the Peill Room and followed by a chavurah meal, will take the place of our usual Kabbalat Shabbat service with an earlier start time of 7p.m.  Normal programming resumes on Saturday with our Beit Midrash at 9:45 in the Vestry followed by Shacharit at 11:30 in the Peill Room.

An important reminder!!  NLJC is holding its 35th AGM on Monday, 31 March at 7:30 on Zoom.  Our acting Secretary, Steve Pruner has sent out the agenda and will send a reminder in due course.  Only full members can vote but everyone has a voice, and we encourage both members and friends of the Community to attend.

You will also have received a package explaining the proposed coming together of Liberal and Reform Judaism into one Progressive Movement.  There was a lot to digest there and so LJ has put together a more user-friendly version with which to familiarise yourselves.  Prior to the EGM of LJ & Reform scheduled sometime in mid-May and at which time a vote will be taken, NLJC will hold a community meeting to discuss the ‘merger’, hopefully address your questions/concerns so that we may fairly represent the views of our Community.

Our annual 2nd night Seder will again be held at Chantry Hall on Sunday, 13 April at 6:45 and will be led by Rabbi Martina.  There is disabled access, limited parking, as well as what one euphemistically refers to as disabled ‘facilities’.  We’ve got several invited guests joining us so please fill out your forms and put the date into your calendar.

Also in this issue, more Yiddish You Can Use, from Chaim of Drayton, AKA Philip Lawrence, some news about our conversion programme from Rosie, news about a new book group from Lorna and a mouth-watering Hamentaschen recipe.

To close, before handing over to Rabbi Martina – While NLJC has always prioritised the ‘spiritual’ side of things, i.e., our Beit Midrash and services, we do recognise the need and desire to do more together as a community.  So, we’ve got our Purim spiel and our Seder in the calendar, but there’s lots more to look forward to! Coming up, we’ve got a quiz night, a talk by a co-founder of Human Rights Watch, a visit to the Theatre Royal, a horn quartet, a summer party, and a mystical outdoor Kabbalat Shabbat. We very much want to hear from you with your suggestions and invite you to get in touch.   We’re listening!

Best wishes,

Linda

P.S. Greetings from Student Rabbi Hannah who will  be ordained this summer. Yasher Koach Hannah!  I attended a lovely Shabbat service with her at Finchley Reform while in London recently and saw the Czech scroll she wrote about.

Dear Friends and Members,
 
A very Happy New Year to all! 

2024 was a year of transition for NLJC.  We bid farewell to Student Rabbi Hannah and welcomed Rabbi Martina.

And we are grateful that she has continued the tradition of our highly successful Beit Midrash (House of Study) and our Interfaith Sukkot.  She will also represent the NLJC Community at the Holocaust Memorial Day Service at St.Peter Mancroft Church on the 27th of January at 11 a.m, where we hope to see many of you.

Thanks to those who represented NLJC at the Menorah Lighting at City Hall and to Ezra and Diane for the photos.

For Jews, 2024 was a difficult and painful year.  We bore witness to the atrocity that was October 7 and after that, attempted to process Israel’s response, which has resulted in the killing of tens of thousands of innocent civilians in Gaza and more recently in Lebanon.  And despite our differences, we have engaged in maklochet, argument for the sake of heaven or in plainer language, constructive dialogue.  The ability to have these difficult conversations is, in part, what defines us as a progressive and inclusive Jewish community and for that I am grateful.

One last thing before I hand over to Rabbi Martina-we need to do more together, as a community.  A service once a month is great, but what about chavurah meals, films, walks, and a Purim Spiel?   I know that Ezra and Aaron are looking at what we can do and how to make that happen.  If you’ve got any suggestions, please do get in touch!

Oh, and a heads-up: Our Annual General Meeting will take place in late March. Date TBA.
 
Best wishes,

Linda

Dear Friends and Members,

A big thank you to all who joined us and made our High Holy Days observances, beginning with Erev Rosh Hashanah and culminating with our Interfaith Sukkot, such a resounding success. It was a pleasure to see the OMH filled with so many faces, many known and many new, but all coming together to usher in the New Year.  The photos say it all!!

A special thank you to Nick Young and to Rabbi Martina for leading our services, and to Jo Smith from the Quaker Community and the Rev. Dr. Fiona Haworth of St. Peter Mancroft for their readings and to David Keys for ‘loaning’ his poem “Bedrock” to be read out.  And a big thank you to Stella Koenick who led the Jewish Norwich Walk which will be featured in “LJ Today”. (Stella apologises for having a couple of dates wrong. Jews were expelled in 1290, not 1170, allowed back in 1656 and returned to Norwich in 1750). Also thanks to Eliyanah, Varin, Olivia and Reuven for the paper chain, each link with the name of those taken hostage on October 7 and which adorned our Sukkah.

Also, thanks to Bob and Ian for setting it up and for Annie’s organisation. And not to be forgotten, thank you to John Mudd our cellist who played Bruch’s Kol Nidrei so movingly and to our shofar blowers, Bob and Jo. And a special thanks to Bob for his generous gift of a lovely velvet pouch in which to store the shofar.

Also a big thank you to Alan Joseph for leading our afternoon Yom Kippur service and for organising our security. And of course, to Mindy who keeps us safe.

Rabbi Martina shares a poem in From the Rabbi.

And we’ve got a new representative to the Jewish Board of Deputies.  Steven Pruner has kindly stepped up and as he’s London based will be able to attend meetings in person, so a face at the table for NLJC and importantly a voice for Progressive Judaism. 
 
In this issue, Helen Hodson has written about the student trip she accompanied to war graves in the Flanders area and how she stumbled upon the grave of a young Jewish private killed in action.  And we remember him here as we approach Remembrance Day when Annie Henriques will lay a wreath on behalf of NLJC on Sunday in Norwich.
 
And there’s more—--Byron Simmonds shares information on his updated PJC Facebook Group and Chaim of Drayton, aka Philip Lawrence has more Yiddish You Can Use. And we’ve signposted some events in which you may be interested. 
 
Looking forward to seeing you online and in person.
 
Best wishes,
 
Linda

Dear Friends,
 
What a great and interesting April we’ve had, beginning with the visit from Rabbis Charley Baginsky (LJ) and Josh Levy (RJ) who invited us to imagine what we might see with the coming together of our two Jewish movements into one Progressive movement with shared core values which supersede any differences we may have.

Charley and Josh have been making the rounds and already say they are seeing a difference, and by mid-2025 hope to see a new movement with 80+ congregations, both small and large, on a shared Progressive path, with access to family education, on campus support for students, services, expanded rabbinical access, and with a reach and a voice beyond the Jewish community.   

There were lots of questions for our guests and lots of lovely food provided by Julia.   Keep an eye out for updates in the Newsletter.

Our annual Pesach Seder was a resounding success, with well over 40 people in attendance!  There were the usual suspects among us, as well as some new faces, who we hope to see again.

Hannah did a magnificent job, explaining why and how we tell our story and significantly, making it relevant to what is happening in the world and how we are not alone in our experience of enslavement, displacement, and journey to freedom.  Paul Robeson would have applauded Bob’s “Go Down Moses”.

Olivia did a terrific job with “Ma Nishtana”, everyone brought something and loads of folks helped to set up and clean up.  But most of all we owe a huge thank you to Julia Ward who made our seder such a success, dealing with forms, food, coordination and so much more.  Todah Rabah! Thank You, Julia.   Next year in Norwich!

In other news, our own Rosie Anfiligoff has won The Guardian Foundation’s Hugo Young Award 2024 (19-25 category).  All will be shared later in this Newsletter.   And, Chaim of Drayton (aka Philip Lawrence) has some more Yiddish You Can Use! 

We’ve also thought it would be a good idea to offer some training for security, tech and Torah.   We on Council very much hope that many of you will opt to take advantage of what’s on offer and which we believe will be of benefit to you and to the Community.  Details on what’s coming up and where to get in touch in the newsletter.

On a more personal note, on Wednesday 1st May, the Community paid their respects and said good-bye to long time member and a remarkable friend and woman, Joanna Strangwayes-Booth. 

Joanna was an extraordinary woman, who, I have to admit, frightened me a bit in the beginning.  Going to see Joanna was like going to visit the Queen.  What does one bring?  Flowers were always appreciated, and I learned much later, Mrs. Elwood’s Haimisha Gherkins would earn you the royal seal of approval.

One of the things that really made me think of the Queen and was a bit intimidating for me, as an American, was her voice and speech.  Almost on a par with Winston Churchill’s, “We shall fight them on the beaches…We shall never surrender”.  And of course, she never did.

We didn’t always see eye to eye on everything.  This remarkable woman who was an anti-apartheid activist and freedom fighter and was once part of a group of activists who attempted to blow up an electricity pylon, rather unsuccessfully, (I’m reliably informed it just went a bit wonky) somewhere along the line made a right turn, politically.  But that didn’t matter.  The great thing about Joanna was you could agree to disagree.
 
Joanna was a freedom fighter, activist, journalist, author and a strong voice against anti-Semitism, a committed Jew, but most of all a loving wife, mother, grandmother and a good and loyal friend to many. 
 
I am honoured and privileged to have been her friend.  Kol Hakavod.  All the respect to a great lady.  I will miss her and will always think of her when I bite into a Mrs. Elwood’s Haimisha Gherkin.
 
Linda