Liberal Judaism (UK)

Liberal Judaism (ULPS) supports and develops a network of liberal and progressive synagogues and communities across the UK and Europe. On 5 November 2012, 'Liberal Judaism (ULPS)" was incorporated as a registered company (company no: 08281223), a private company limited by guarantee without a share capital (and with an exemption from use of the word 'Limited'). It is also a registered charity (No: 1151090), registered on 5 March 2013.

Liberal Judaism and Zionism

Liberal Judaism (UK) is a 'progressive' Zionist organisation. Along with The Movement for Reform Judaism, it is a member of the World Union for Progressive Judiasm which is an affiliate organisation of the World Zionist Organisation (WZO). Its youth movement LJY-Netzer are a branch of Netzer Olami, the worldwide Progressive Zionist youth organisation. Liberal Judaism is, therefore, a formal member of the Zionist movement.

On its website it states its position on Israel and Zionism:

We affirm a love for the Land of Israel and a strong commitment to the State of Israel. We pray for her people, care about her security and wish to enact the vision of her founders of a Jewish state for all its inhabitants, at peace with its neighbours, democratic and prosperous. We promote a two-state solution, and oppose all boycotts. We also strive to emphasise the value of, and to nurture, the unique symbiosis between Israel and the Diaspora. We combine this vision of Israel with strong support for religious pluralism within the State, and partner with selected organisations within Israel to advance the cause of Progressive Judaism inside Israel and the rights of all Israelis, including those of other faiths and none.

History

The start of Liberal Judaism in the UK can be traced back to 1902 with the founding of the Jewish Religious Union by Lily Montagu (1873-1963) and Claude Montefiore. In 1944 the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues (now called Liberal Judaism) was founded. There were 11 affiliated synagogues by 1949, 28 by 1991 and 31 by 2005. As of December 2021 there are 39 affiliated synagogues and communities as listed on the Liberal Judaism website.

The movement's first Rabbi was Israel I. Mattuck, who established Liberal Judaism in Britain as a movement whose character resembled the radical end of American Reform Judaism.

The organisation is part of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, which estimated their membership to be around 1.7 million in 2009 and is claimed to be the largest grouping of Jews in the world.

Membership of Liberal congregations in 2016 (including the unaffiliated Belsize Square Synagogue) constituted some 8.2% of synagogue membership in the United Kingdom.

People

Correct as of 29 November 2021:

Staff

Rabbi Charley Baginsky - Chief Executive Officer | Shelley Shocolinsky-Dwyer - Chief Operating Officer | Alexandra Gellnick - Director of Community Partnerships | Becca Fetterman - Director of Youth | Ali Simmons - Office Coordinator | Tanya Garfield - Senior Administrator | Janet Manderson - Financial Accountant | Simon Rothstein - LJ Today Editor & Public Relations | Thomas Rich - Fundraising & Events Manager | Jess Mindel - LJY-Netzer Movement Worker | Joe Shotton - LJY-Netzer Movement Worker | Rabbi Anna Posner - Student Chaplain | Rabbi Eryn London - Chaplaincy Project Manager | Shaan Knan - Project Manager; Heritage Projects | Alison Turner - Liberal Judaism Archivist

Rabbis

Rebecca Birk Finchley Progressive Synagogue; Co-Chair of The Conference of Liberal Rabbis and Cantors | Dr René Pfertzel Kingston Liberal Synagogue; Co-Chair of The Conference of Liberal Rabbis and Cantors | Charley Baginsky Chief Executive Officer of Liberal Judaism | Rachel Benjamin Liberal Jewish Synagogue (St John’s Wood) | Rebecca Birk Finchley Progressive Synagogue | Janet Burden (Emeritus) Ealing Liberal Synagogue | Elana Dellal The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (St John’s Wood) | Nathan Godleman The South London Liberal Synagogue | Aaron Goldstein Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue | Dr Andrew Goldstein (Emeritus) Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue | Roberta Harris-Eckstein Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community | Dr Frank Hellner (Emeritus) Finchley Progressive Synagogue | David Hulbert (Emeritus) East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue | Dr Margaret Jacobi Birmingham Progressive Synagogue | Richard Jacobi East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue | Leah Jordan Kehillah North London | Yuval Keren Southgate Progressive Synagogue | Sandra Kviat Crouch End Chavurah & Shir Hatzafon (Copenhagen) | Miri Lawrence Ealing Liberal Synagogue | Monique Mayer Bristol & West Progressive Jewish Congregation | Dr Charles H Middleburgh (Emeritus) Dublin Jewish Progressive Congregation | Lea Mühlstein Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue | Dr René Pfertzel Kingston Liberal Synagogue | Anna Posner Student Chaplain, Beit Klal Yisrael, & Norwich Liberal Jewish Congregation | Danny Rich (Emeritus) Kingston Liberal Synagogue | Tanya Sakhnovich Nottingham Liberal Synagogue | Mark Solomon Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community & Leicester Progressive Jewish Community | Jackie Tabick West Central Liberal Synagogue | Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah Brighton & Hove Progressive Synagogue | Pete Tobias The Liberal Synagogue Elstree | Alexandra Wright The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (St John’s Wood) | Igor Zinkov The Liberal Jewish Synagogue

Officers & Vice Presidents

Board of National Officers

Ruth Seager - Chair | Karen Newman - Deputy Chair | Paul Silver-Myer - Treasurer | Amanda McFeeters - Company Secretary | Ros Clayton - Officer; Legal Governance | Hannah Stephenson - Officer; Youth | Susanne Szal Combe - Officer; Education, Complaints and Policies | Owen Power - Officer; Inclusion and Communications | Janet Berkman - Officer; Communities | Alex Kinchin-Smith - Officer; Strategy/Structure and HR | Leslie Moss - Officer; Strategy and Finance

The chair(s) of The Conference of Liberal Rabbis and Cantors also sits on the Board of National Officers of Liberal Judaism.

Liberal Judaism President & Vice Presidents

Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein - President | Simon Benscher | Monique Blake | Lord Fink | Louise Freedman | Sharon Goldstein | Lucian J. Hudson | David Lipman | Corinne Oppenheimer | David Pick | Rabbi Danny Rich | Tony Sacker | Joan Shopper | Phil Stone | Beverly Taylor

LJY-Netzer

LJY-Netzer is the youth movement of Liberal Judaism. Founded in 1947 as FLPJYG (Federation of Liberal and Progressive Jewish Youth Groups), it was renamed in 2004.

They run a host of events around the country throughout the year for young people aged between 8 and 23 years old.

LJY-Netzer are a branch of Netzer Olami, the worldwide Progressive Zionist youth organisation. This gives them a link to thousands of other progressive Jewish young people in more than a dozen countries around the world.

LJY-Netzer’s events include day events, youth clubs, overnight residential, longer camps and trips abroad. The flagship events are spring camp (Machaneh Aviv), the amazing summer camp (Machaneh Kadimah), Europe Tour (Kayitz), Israel Tour and a gap-year programme in Israel for 18-year-olds (Shnat Netzer).

LJY-Netzer is run by a team of professionals called movement workers, based at Liberal Judaism’s head office in Central London, and a larger group of volunteers who help on nationwide events.

LJY-Netzer is an ideological youth movement. This means they have a set of values that guide everything they do. There are four main pillars of LJY-Netzer’s ideology: Liberal Judaism, Progressive Zionism, Tikkun Olam and Youth Empowerment. The ideology shapes how they run the movement, ensuring that all aspects of the ideology are covered on each event.

Alliance for Progressive Judaism

On 17 September 2014 Liberal Judaism and the The Movement for Reform Judaism announced the creation of an alliance between their two movements. The Alliance for Progressive Judaism saw an expansion of collaboration between the two movements in areas such as student chaplaincy, social justice and social action. Leaders from both Liberal Judaism and Reform Judaism were keen to stress that this was not a merger and the two movements would retain their autonomy and distinct identities.

In 2017, the Alliance for Progressive Judaism established an Israel Desk. This full-time position aims to build and strengthen the movements relationship with Israel. The desk is a collaborative venture and is jointly funded by ProZion, Israel Movement for Reform & Progressive Judaism (IMPJ), Friends of Leo Baeck Haifa and Friends of Progressive Judaism (FPJ).

The Israel Desk is currently staffed by Carrie Shaw.

Members and Communities

Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue | Beit Klal Yisrael (London) | Birmingham Progressive Synagogue | Brighton & Hove Progressive Synagogue | Bristol & West Progressive Jewish Congregation | Crawley Jewish Community | Crouch End Chavurah | Dublin Jewish Progressive Congregation | Ealing Liberal Synagogue | Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community | East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue | Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community | Finchley Progressive Synagogue | Kehillah North London | Kent Liberal Jewish Community | Kingston Liberal Synagogue | Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation | The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (St John's Wood) | Lincolnshire Jewish Community | Manchester Liberal Jewish Community | Mosaic Liberal Synagogue (Harrow) | Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue | Norwich Liberal Jewish Community | Nottingham Liberal Synagogue | Peterborough Liberal Jewish Community | Reading Liberal Jewish Community | Shir Hatzafon (Copenhagen) | South Bucks Jewish Community | South London Liberal Synagogue | Southgate Progressive Synagogue | Stevenage Liberal Synagogue | Suffolk Liberal Jewish Community (Ipswich) | The Liberal Synagogue Elstree | Three Counties Liberal Jewish Community | Wessex Liberal Jewish Community (Bournemouth) | West Central Liberal Synagogue (London) | York Liberal Synagogue

Developing Communities & Associated Congregations

Beit Ha’Chidush (Amsterdam) | Oxford Liberal Jewish Services

Programmes

• LJY-Netzer - LJY-Netzer is the youth movement of Liberal Judaism. They run a host of events around the country throughout the year for young people aged between 8 and 23 years old.
• Progressive Jewish Students - The Alliance for Progressive Judaism’s Progressive Jewish Students team offers educational and religious support for Progressive Jewish university students, as well as rabbinic and pastoral care and connections by our Student Chaplaincy. As part of external advocacy, it aims to lift up the Progressive Jewish voice on campus to combat anti-Semitism, strengthen the connection between students and the media, provide pastoral support to students running for on-campus elections, enable students to engage in serious dialogue with one another, and advocate for Progressive Jewish voices in the context of Orthodox-normative Jewish student life.
• Rainbow Pilgrims: The Rites and Passages of LGBTQI Migrants in Britain
• Twilight People
• Rainbow Jews
• Judaism in Plain Sight – Kabbalat Torah Programme

Affiliations

Liberal Judaism’s sister and partner organisations:

Progressive Judaism

• World Union for Progressive Judaism
• European Union for Progressive Judaism
• Netzer Olami
• Union for Reform Judaism (North America)
• Movement for Reform Judaism (UK)
• Leo Baeck College
• The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism
• Israel Religious Action Centre
• The Friends of Progressive Judaism in Israel & Europe
• ProZion/Arzenu UK

Partner Organisations

• Citizens UK
• The Faith & Belief Forum
• Council of Christians and Jews
• Mitzvah Day 365
• Board of Deputies of British Jews
• Jewish Leadership Council
• Jewish Book Service

Jewish Schools

• Akiva School
• Clore Shalom School
• Clore Tikva School
• JCoSS School
• Mosaic Jewish Primary School

Contact

Website: www.liberaljudaism.org

Address: The Montagu Centre, 21 Maple Street, London, W1T 4BE

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7580 1663

email: montagu@liberaljudaism.org

Twitter: @liberaljudaism