Dear Rabbi Anna, Members and Friends
Earlier this month we had our first service inside the OMH for more than a year. It was attended by 12 and more than a dozen others participated via Zoom.
As mentioned last month, Rabbi Anna will be taking our Yom Kippur services, but she is with her London community, BKY, for Rosh Ha’Shanah. The High Holydays are very early this year, with erev Rosh Ha’Shanah being on the evening of Monday 6th September. We will be having a home-grown service at OMH and with participation via Zoom for those unable to be present. Home-grown services were much appreciated in 2018 and 2019.
I presented Rabbi Anna with a small gift, a paperweight, from NLJC in recognition of her recent wedding.
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As part of the preparations for resuming services inside the OMH, Annie Henriques and I went there on Thursday 29th July. The eternal light in the Ark is powered by batteries which should last no more than six weeks. They were last charged in March 2020. Remarkably, this is how I found the light:
Still glowing, just, after nearly 18 months. A nes gadol, a great miracle, reminiscent of Chanukah.
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On Thursday 27th July we visited the Norwich Hebrew Congregation shul to see the renovations. NLJC participants were Sarah Boosey, Venetia Strangwayes-Booth, Byron Simmonds and Philip Lawrence. We were warmly greeted and shown around by Marian Prinsley and Poppy Simons.
Written questions concerning the NHC proposal have been submitted by the NLJC Council to the NHC Committee. We have been asked for some additional information about NLJC and understand that a written response will be sent. This will form the basis for further discussion.
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Peter Whear, a former Chair of NLJC and long-serving Council member, has had to stand down because of ever increasing work commitments. We all thank him for his efforts on our behalf over the years. Recently Leiat Becker, Donna Frankel and Elise Page were co-opted onto the Council.
Philip Lawrence