Finchley Reform Synagogue (FRS) and Finchley Progressive Synagogue (FPS) teamed up to run ‘Finding the Way Back To Our Jewish Heart’, a four-session course that brought congregants from both communities together to talk about sources of Jewish wisdom that could nurture and inspire us at this contested point in Jewish history.
The course, run by Rabbi Rebecca Birk of FPS and Rabbi Howard Cooper of FRS, used texts from Franz Rosenzweig, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Rabbi Sheila Shulman and Rabbi Jill Jacobs. It gave participants an opportunity to share their own Jewish journeys and learn from each other, as well as engage with the insights of teachers wrestling with questions about how to keep alive the heart of Judaism.
Rabbi Howard said: “There’s no substitute for bringing people together and giving them the space and time to explore in a personal and reflective way what matters to them about their Jewishness. Add in to this the insights of teachers past and present, and our conversations became both stimulating and consoling as we delved into some of the fraught issues we are currently facing as Jewish seekers. There is a shared concern at the moment for the soul of Judaism and we need each other now more than ever as we face an uncertain future.”
Rabbi Rebecca added: “The appetite and enthusiasm for this learning was exciting. People want and need this ‘Jewish conversation’ and it was the better for sharing it. The course also helped us to mark this new moment of Progressive Judaism, giving congregants from both our synagogues the chance to explore, reflect and connect across community lines.”