Rabbi Maurice Michaels blesses ship

When Rabbi Maurice Michaels of Bournemouth Reform Synagogue boarded a ship this week at Southampton Docks it was not with an exotic destination in view. Rather, he together with the General Secretary of The Mission to Seafarers, Revd. Andrew Wright, had been invited to bless a new cruise ship at its naming ceremony.

The Azamara Pursuit is the latest addition to the fleet of Azamara Club Cruises. Rabbi Michaels referred to the link between humans and the sea since pre-history with the story of the flood in many traditions. “Humans had taken to the sea for a variety of reasons,” he commented, “exploration, escape and refuge, challenge, and in more recent times, recreation and relaxation.”