The Movement for Reform Judaism

Rabbi Kathleen de Magtige-Middleton, 37, a mother of two young children, conducted  her first service on June 7, soon after Rabbi Franses held his last service at the synagogue in Bessborough Road, Harrow.

He spoke movingly in his sermon of his and the synagogue's key achievements: producing a caring community and expanding its multi-faith role. He said:"One again we are facing a financial crisis. I am very proud that with your help and assistance we created a group of people in the previous recession to advise congregants and help them find gainful employment. To our credit as a community we were able to fulfill  the highest degree of charity. " The name of the synagogue as well as my own personal standing in the city and Harrow is very well known. I was chaplain to the Mayor of Harrow as well as to a Mayor of Hertsmere and we expanded our work not only through the Council of Christians and Jews but also with our Muslim brethren."

He thanked the community and its council officers for its support, particularly during his illness (cancer) since he joined MNS  with his wife Ann and two children, Josef and Abigail. Born in Larissa in Greece in 1943, he came to London in 1961, graduated from Leo Baeck College, and joined Edgware and District Reform and later Glasgow New Synagogue. 

Rabbi de Magtige-Middleton, who was an associate rabbi at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in St John's Wood, said she did not plan to make any initial sweeping changes until she had settled in and discovered what was needed. She is keen to attract more members, especially young people. She said:"I would hope being a young family will help to attract people; hopefully part of the magic. I would like to start up something for tiny tots which is good way for people to meet other young families."  

She is aware that her liberal background as well as being a woman may concern some people. She said:"I have always been more traditionally inclined, particularly with regards to services, than most of my Liberal colleagues. I have had different responses to me being a woman, from both ends of the spectrum, but it's all perception. Very orthodox people will find it difficult but nominally orthodox people have no problem with it at all."

She is also very interested in promoting dialogue between different faiths, having taught basic Judaism at the Muslim College as well as taking part in interfaith services. She has led bible study sessions for the local Council of Christians and Jews, taken part in a  conference for rabbis and imams organised by the Home Office and been co-organiser of several seminars and conferences for the young adults' division of the World Zionist Organisation.

Having been ordained at Leo Baeck College, where she has also lectured, the rabbi has written a number of articles as well as making contributions to Liberal Judaism's Thought for the Week. She said the whole family was looking forward to meeting everyone at MNS. She said:" As a congregational rabbi I would like to create in the community a positive sense of belonging, a positive understanding of what it is to be progressive Jew, so that its individual members will be able to assert themselves proudly as responsible, ethical progressive Jews in the Jewish as well as the non-Jewish world." 

Rabbi Franses has now been appointed Emeritus Rabbi at MNS.

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