We were asked to host the Lewisham Council Holocaust Memorial event at Catford. In excess of 100 people of different faiths attended, who heard presentations from various speakers. We watched a recording made by Rachel Levy, a Holocaust survivor and member of C&B. The Major of Lewisham spoke and was invited to light a memorial […]
We have never held a Selichot service at Catford and Bromley Synagogue before so this year Rev Rome took the bull by the horns and organised our first. This, as tradition demands, took take place on the Saturday night prior to Rosh Hashanah. Selichot means forgiveness and the service includes penitential prayers to set the […]
A small but increasing number of women in our community are reciting the mourners kaddish which is something that I would like to actively encourage. The Chief Rabbi has produced a booklet which may well help those women that wish to say kaddish during a period of mourning or yahzeit. Women are as entitled as […]
As we approach the High Holydays, one of the things that often slips our mind is our remaining or even becoming a cohesive nation. We are frequently either so involved with the minutiae of the religion or not involved nearly enough, we forget how Jewish unity enabled us to overcome some of the worst forms […]
Pesach otherwise known as Passover is the time when Hashem bypassed the houses of the Israelites whilst smiting those containing the Egyptian firstborns. What was so miraculous about the ten plagues? A recent documentary aired on television outlined various scientific theories regarding how and why the plagues were not necessarily miraculous. Let me indulge in […]
Shavuot is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the giving of the Torah to the Jews. The Talmud tells us that God gave the Ten Commandments to the Jews on the sixth night of the Hebrew month of Sivan. Shavuot always falls 50 days after the second night of Passover. The 49 days in between are […]