Northern communities join together in Manchester

The Movement for Reform Judaism held its Northern Communities’ Day on Sunday 25th January at Manchester Reform Synagogue.

Presenters included Rabbis Laura Janner-Klausner, Bobby Silverman, Debbie Young-Somers, Warren Elf and Esther Hugenholtz amongst others as well as a range of talented lay educators and experts including Clive Gilbert and author Sherry Ashworth. There was a performance by Shir Chadash led by David Hoffman, and a workshop where Jewish music was taught. Other sessions included a debate on core Reform values led by Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, an introduction to leyning with Isobel Silverman, and a discussion of how the Dead Sea Scrolls help us solve some problems in second Temple Jewish History with Clive Gilbert.

MRJ Chair Robert Weiner spoke about the movement and its place in UK Jewry. Additionally, ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day, Kindertransport survivors Margot Showman and Marianne Phillips shared their memories.

Sarita Robinson, MRJ’s Northern Community Partner who organised the event said: “The Northern Communities Day was a fantastic example of how MRJ and its communities can work together. This collaborative working resulted in over 100 people registering for the day from 9 of the 13 Northern Communities and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I can’t wait to do it again!”