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Author Archives: Candice

  1. Hosting a synagogue visit for Imam Amir Khan

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    Imam Amir Khan heads up the large Mosque in Chichelle Road where they have 2000 people attend services on Fridays!  We gave him a tour and had a lovely discussion about the similarities between the two religions.

  2. Daniel Taub delivers 15th Annual Isaiah Berlin Lecture

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    Daniel Taub, Ambassador to Israel from 2011 to 2015, delivered the 2017 Isaiah Berlin Lecture (on Thursday 13 July) at Hampstead Synagogue entitled “100 years on: Lessons from the Balfour Declaration.”

    In front of a packed hall of over 250 people, including Lord Balfour (great great nephew of Arthur Balfour), Lord Kestenbaum (chair of the Balfour 100 committee) and Lord Turnberg (who initiated the recent Balfour debate in the House of Lords), Taub gave a wide-ranging lecture, drawing on a range of diplomatic and literary sources. Taub, who currently works as Director  of Strategy for the Yad Hanadiv (Rothschild) Foundation, was given access to the Rothschild archives and shared some behind the scenes  insights about the intriguing background to the Declaration.

    In the course of the lecture Taub identified a number of lessons which had relevance for today. One was that history was not carved in stone, but that it remained open to us to shape and influence it. “The Balfour Declaration was precisely that,” he said,  ” – a declaration,  not a binding document. As Lord Balfour himself said, ‘it didn’t give a land. It gave an opportunity.’ We were blessed to have had a leadership who knew how to seize this historic moment”.

    Daniel Taub speaks at the Isaiah Berlin Lecture July 2017 3

  3. Music for a summer evening with Robert Max and friends

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    Music for a Summer Evening. Robert Max & friendsMore than 100 people attended the Hampstead Synagogue Community Centre on Sunday 9 July to hear a recital given by Robert Max (cello), Hana Mizuta-Spencer (violin), Tim Crawford (violin) and Alinka Rowe (viola).

    They played Samuel Alman’s  Fuga Fantastica for string quartet and was the first public performance of the quartet since the 1950s. The music of Alman has a special meaning for Hampstead Synagogue as he was the choirmaster of Hampstead synagogue from 1917-1947.

    Beethoven’s string quartet in B-flat, op.130 was one of his ‘late’ quartets.   Robert Max spoke about the work and Beethoven at the time of writing this quartet.

    Refreshments were served after the recital when the audience was able to relax and speak with the musicians.

    R MAX

    Summer Concert 2 July 2017

  4. Rabbi Michael takes part in the Maccabi Fun Run

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    Maccabi Fun Run Rabbi HarrisLast Sunday 19th June I took part in the Maccabi Fun Run to raise money for Tribe and for youth projects at our Shul. I am very grateful to all those members who kindly sponsored me.

    The run I participated in was the shortest, just 1km, but it involved being tied to another rabbi, Rabbi Alan Garber of Shenley United Synagogue.  Various other US rabbinic colleagues were running similarly tied. Poor Rabbi Garber was wearing shorts and after about half the distance the rope was hurting his legs, so we ditched the rope and ran the rest properly.

    It brought back happy memories as my previous run on that track (Copthall Stadium as it was then known) was the 800 meters for my House at Hasmonean School Sports Day some time in the late 1970s. I came second out of eight runners, which was the only sporting “achievement” of my entire school and university career (and indeed ever since).

    The atmosphere at the Fun Run on Sunday was lovely – a real buzz with many people running for many different worthy causes.

    To support this great cause donate here!

  5. Pre-Pesach British Museum Tour

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    EgyptRabbi Dr Raphi Zarum of LSJS will lead a tour of the Egyptian materials at the British Museum

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  6. Author Michael Mail visits the Book Club

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    The Hampstead Book Club held its last meeting of the year on Sunday 6th December, lighting candles for the first night of Chanukah and discussing Michael Mail’s book “Exposure”. 

    Based on a true incident from the late 1980s, it tells of a young Jewish photographer who, rediscovering her roots, takes an ageing Jewish community in the East End as the subject of a photographic study, and the explosive events that follow.  We were privileged to be joined by the author himself, and a very interesting discussion followed on the book itself and the issues it raised.  This was a first for the club, and we all enjoyed the opportunity to talk about the genesis of the book and the process of writing and publishing it, and we are very grateful to Michael for making the time to join us.
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    “Exposure” is available on Amazon, as are Michael’s other novels, “Coralena” and “The Three Graves of Samuel Braden”.  Michael has also worked with the photographer Judah Passow on a photographic study of the Jewish communities of Scotland, recently published by Bloomsbury, and is currently working on a project to identify and conserve the architectural heritage of Jewish communities throughout Europe and beyond.

    The book Club is now entering its third year of existence and has just agreed its programme for 2016.  Anyone who is interested should contact Candice at the synagogue office for further details.