CRE is delighted to announce the launch of the Chief Rabbi’s Community Twinning project.
Community Twinning promises to be most enriching and mutually beneficial to all Shuls and I would like to encourage as many of our communities as possible to ‘twin’ with another.
We have over 130 communities in the UK and these are wonderfully varied, in terms of their locations, buildings, members, interests, history, demographics and resources.
Twinning will enable communities to take part in a wide variety of activities and exchanges, such as spending Shabbatot together, arranging Tikkun Leil programmes for Shavuot, dancing and learning for Simchat Torah, trips to European places of Jewish interest together and joint youth programmes and events.
Recently, fifty Pinner Synagogue members, together with Rabbi Bergson, spent Shabbat with the Portsmouth Jewish community. It was a great success and a special Shabbat was enjoyed by those involved:
“I would thoroughly recommend Twinning with another community. We haven’t had a Shabbat like it since Shabbat UK!”
Tony Cooper, Portsmouth Synagogue President.
“It was so inspiring to see how a community with only a few remaining members holds steadfast to their traditions – on Shabbat a special memorial prayer was read out with the names of members of the Portsmouth shul who had perished out at sea in the 18th century! The sense of pride in Portsmouth and dedication and perseverance is certainly something we must bring back to Pinner.”
Rabbi Bergson, Pinner Synagogue
We hope twinning will develop as a way of establishing friendships across our congregations, sharing enriching Jewish experiences and fostering links with vibrantly differing communities, which paint the picture of the wonderful tapestry of Anglo-Jewry.
You can register your interest here to twin with another Synagogue, as well as indicate if there is one you already have in mind to twin with:
http://goo.gl/forms/A5VUpwYnLL
CRE is able to assist with advice and funding for the Chief Rabbi’s Community Twinning project. Please be in touch if you would like to discuss further, either via email or by calling: 0208 343 6309.
We do hope that your community will take the opportunity to participate in what promises to be a most worthwhile project and we look forward to hearing from you.
Rachel Shababo
Director of The Chief Rabbi’s Centre for Rabbinic Excellence