Following is the Hesped delivered by Jan Aspinall at her father’s funeral. Additional coverage can be found in the December 2018 issue of Haderech. Last week a colleague gave me a sympathy card which said ‘A life well lived is a beautiful thing’. I think that this is a lovely sentiment and would mean that […]
Thank you to everyone who came along to make our Purim Oneg so special. A musical Erev Shabbat service was a a lovely way to start. It was followed by a Megillah reading/spiel performed in our usual crazy NWSS way. All the performers really entered into the spirit but special mentions should be made to […]
Sunday 15th July at NWSS was a night to remember, for two reasons. The programme ‘Voices from the Dust’ was memorable because it was beautifully produced. In a most professional style, Anthony Sheppard, Anita Fox and Alex D’Olier presented their choice of poetry and music to mark the first nine days of the month of […]
INTERVIEW WITH COLIN SHINDLER Jean Cohen As the lead-up to this year’s NWSS Foundation Lecture, I made a Shindler’s List ( I couldn’t resist saying that!) and, as usual, electronically sat down with Colin Shindler, who was in Caesarea, to discuss BDS and anti-Israel student groups. Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed, Colin. I’d […]
I sat down recently with Rabbi Dr Jonathan Magonet. Since Rabbi Dr Magonet is the much-anticipated guest speaker at the upcoming NWSS Foundation Lecture on 15 January 2017 on Leo Baeck: The Man and the College (mark your calendars!), the subject was going to be “Leo Baeck, the man.” But then I thought […]
NWSS is currently undertaking a consultation regarding the option of Live Streaming our services. We’ve studied a number of other communities who have implemented a Live Stream and produced an interim report. We’ll keep you posted on any developments
“Give me your children” – surely the most chilling words that any parent could hear, especially when they know that, if they do, the children are going to their deaths, but if they don’t the children will be taken nonetheless. In 1942 these words were spoken by Chaim Rumkowski, known as “The Eldest”, a Jew […]
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Thank you to everyone to came together to share a very special Shavuot last weekend, celebrating Torah and the giving of the Ten Commandments, one of the greatest known and most significant stories of our Jewish history. NWSS hosted a fully packed weekend, not just with this great festival but also a special birthday for […]
Shavuot. What, why, where, when…. The Holiday of Shavuot has no specific date in the Torah. The Torah tells us “Count 50 days from Passover this shall be the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot)”. So, what is the holiday of Shavuot all about and why does the Torah not state a specific date for it? Unlike […]
North West Surrey Synagogue, in Weybridge, is seeking a Head for its Cheder. This is a part-time appointment with flexible hours equivalent to an average of 2-days a week, including Sunday mornings, on an initial 24-month contract. Job share would be possible. NWSS is a Reform community, so the person appointed will be sympathetic to the approach of Progressive Judaism. The […]
Every year NWSS has celebrated Israel’s Independence Day with a special service and entertainment on the following Saturday, Shabbat Atzma’ut, thanks in the past to Avril Hallé and members of the Israel Group. This year we marked a special birthday, Israel’s 70th, which I had the privilege to lead. Few of those present at the […]
Many thanks to all of you who joined the Communal Seder this Passover. As always it was a fantastic evening with the community coming together to share this special festival. Whether it was your second Seder of the year or your first, you brought energy, high spirits and great conversation to make this year’s Pesach […]