4th February 2021 - 22nd Sh'vat 5781 |
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Greetings!
Today, we are pleased to introduce a member of staff in our Weekly - our new Head of Or Shabbat, Lilinaz Evans, who works closely with Yael, our Director of Community and Education, and parents and children of the community. Lilinaz has been doing a terrific job developing Or Shabbat, our programme for children ages three to eleven. Thanks to Lilinaz's hard work, our programming continues despite lockdown, with weekly one-to-one Hebrew opportunities, community Havdalah, and parent learning. Read more about Lilinaz and the special message she has for us based on this week’s Torah portion below:
This week in parashat Yitro we read a lot about learning. The story starts off with Moses, our greatest prophet, learning a lesson in humility and leadership from his father-in-law Jethro, and it ends with the revelation at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Ten Commandments. For me, growing up in the British progressive community, there was always a big emphasis on the Ten Commandments as the basis of Jewish moral and ethical teachings, but I think that the way they are given in this parasha can also teach us a lot about the Jewish imperative to be a lifelong learner.
I started my Jewish learning journey at the Bromley Reform Synagogue cheder at the age of four. Trembling at the foot of the mountain of Jewish knowledge which my teachers and the older students seemed to have, and being confronted with lots of new things, could sometimes be overwhelming and confusing. When God revealed the Torah to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, He knew the potential for this new knowledge to be overwhelming and so, as Exodus Rabba explains, God spoke to each person individually according to their ability to understand and according to their koach (strength).
As I learned and grew at cheder, my ability to understand increased. I loved the Festival celebrations, my new friends and arts and crafts and with each year I was able to connect more and more dots in the web of Jewish learning. In my Bat Mitzvah class, I remember feeling so much connection to the stories of Jewish History and in particular the stories of the ’Golden Age’ of Spain, where sacred and secular learning were intertwined and celebrated. This is like the ‘fire that God descended with, to Mount Sinai; the passion of learning something new.
When I was a teenager I started helping and then teaching in the youngest classes at Bromley. I revisited the same stories I learned as a child, but with the new koach of many years of Jewish and secular education, as well as the life experience that I did not have as a four-year-old. As I researched and relearned the stories of the Torah in order to be able to teach them to the best of my ability, I fell in love with the old stories again. I think this is the beauty of Jewish learning, even after the fire and smoke of initial revelation, the Torah is revealed to us again and again as we revisit it with new perspectives.
I continued to teach and learn Torah as I studied and started working in Engineering. Then last year I decided to dedicate a year to study at Paideia, the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Stockholm. It was an intensive year of Jewish History, Philosophy, sacred and secular literature and Hebrew. I learned more new things in a wider range of subject matter than I thought possible, but still Ben Bag Bag's statement in Pirke Avot ‘Turn it [Torah] over and over, for all is in it’ rang true. From Rambam's medieval philosophy to modern Hebrew literature, it was all based in the old stories I learned as a small child.
I am looking forward to being a part of the learning journey at Westminster through Or Shabbat. I hope to bring my love for Jewish learning - Torah in the broadest sense - as well as many different ways of accessing text and tradition for students who have many different kinds of koach.
Wishing you all a week of learning and growth,
Lilinaz Evans
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Shabbat Services Links and Resources
Friday at 6:30pm
Shabbat Evening Service
Tomorrow, 5th February, Rabbi Benji will be leading the evening Service as we welcome in Shabbat
Saturday at 10:30am
Shabbat Morning Service
This Saturday, 6th February, Emeritus Rabbi Thomas will be leading our Shabbat Morning service.
To follow along, click here to download the Siddur we will be using.
Meeting ID: 809-168-590
Password: 146760
Saturday at 3:00pm
Matthew Rampin Bar Mitzvah
Let us know you wish to join, and we'll send the Zoom details.
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Purim 2021 and Mishloach Manot
We will be celebrating Purim together on Thursday, 25th February, from 6:00pm. Soon you'll be receiving information about how we will be celebrating (and don't you worry, our much-loved Purim Spiel will still be here!) but in the lead up to the festival, we're launching a new community project: Mishloach Manot.
Mishloach Manot are gifts of food that friends (and prospective new friends!) exchange on Purim. We are instructed in the Megillat Esther (9:19) to send gifts to one another and so this year we hope that you'll sign up to send (and receive) a gift to another member of the community.
Mishloach Manot are usually food and drink gifts, but you're welcome to throw other goodies in too - we encourage you to be creative as you send your gift to another member.
All you need to do is complete this form before Friday 12th February, to sign yourself up and we'll then send you though the name of the member you'll send a gift to. It's that simple!
Save the Date
Purim Celebrations
Thursday 25th February
6:00pm
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Be a Zoom
Warden
Though we are in difficult times, it has been a delight to see members engaging in services on a weekly basis. Every Shabbat we see someone new joining in, connecting with us and enjoying being together once more – albeit in different circumstances.
If you want to help out and support our services, then being a Zoom Warden is a great way to do so. It would include helping members to know where we are in the service, with page numbers, muting members and spotlighting videos.
It sounds more technical than it is, but if you are interested in becoming a Zoom warden, we will of course train and support you in this.
Get involved by emailing Nik von Mehren, our Mitzvah Coordinator, here.
If there’s a different way you want to get involved, either in services or in a different area of our community, or have any questions, don't hesitate to get in contact with Nik by clicking here.
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Camp Simcha exists to make a difference to seriously ill Jewish children and their families, which they have continued to do even during lockdown. They are running an urgent 36 hour fundraising appeal on 7-8th February, to make sure they can carry on being there for the children.
One of many children being supported by Camp Simcha is Jake, our beloved Membership Administrator Hilary's grandson.
See Jake's story here, where parents Hannah and Adam, share how Camp Simcha has helped them.
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Progressive Jewish Students Career Month
This Monday, 8th February, Progressive Jewish Students Career Month starts.
Aware that many students are concerned about their job prospects post-university and many young people are considering what to do next, Careers Month is held with speakers from a wide range of different professions who will talk about the work they do and how someone might get into doing the same work.
Speakers include our own Yael Roberts (speaking as an artist) alongside a lawyer, a doctor, a chef, the founder of a charity, the deputy mayor for business, a senior BBC journalist on the fact-checking team, teachers, a civil servant and many more. Work Avenue will also be giving two sessions on CV writing and interview skills.
Monday 8th February - Thursday 25th February
You can find the full schedule here.
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We look forward to seeing you this week, the last one of this half term.
Saturday 6th February
6:00pm
Friday 5th February
5:00pm
Friday 26th February
5:30pm
Wednesday 24th February
5:30pm
Wednesday 24th February
6:30pm
For more information,
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Jewish Book Week is an annual international literary festival, held in London. This year the festival will be held virtually on Saturday 27th February-Sunday 7th March with many talks and events each day.
Every year, the festival brings together writers and speakers – from the most eminent to the first-time published – from the worlds of history, journalism, philosophy, science, art, music, poetry and fiction in a celebration of ideas.
The festival features Jewish themes and writers, as well as discussions on the most important issues of the day, and is open to everyone.
Over eighty events are presented during the festival itself. A number of special events are also organised over the course of the year, outside the festival period.
You can book tickets for specific events or a pass for the whole week.
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Westminster Connects - local support
Westminster Connects was set up at the start of the pandemic to support people who were vulnerable due to coronavirus.
With the help of volunteers, community groups and businesses, Westminster Connects has supported more than 6,000 residents, and continues to reach out and offer support to those who are vulnerable, with over 50,000 acts of kindness.
If you would like to volunteer to help out, click here.
If you, or someone you know, would like some help from Westminster Connects, click here.
This support is not only for residents who are shielding, but also families who need support with laptops and technology while homeschooling.
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Join JMI – Jewish Music Institute & Nightingale Hammerson, on Thursday 11th February, at 7:30pm for an exclusive online evening with our hosts, as we tour the world meeting the stars and champions of Jewish music.
Please join us for JMI’s free online Gala & Fundraiser. 20% of all donations raised will support the work of our partners Nightingale Hammerson, who provide residential and nursing care for older people in the Jewish community.
With music, conversation & messages of support from an incredible array of talent including: Claude-Michel Schönberg, Steven Isserlis, Jessie Ware, Nicola Benedetti, Tom Cohen, Frank London, Shura Lipovsky plus many more.
Thursday 11th February
7:30pm
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Shabbat Services
Shabbat Evening Service - Every Friday night, 6.30pm - Join here.
Shabbat Morning Service - Every Saturday morning, 10.30am - Join here.
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