Chief Rabbi’s Initiatives
The Chief Rabbi’s Centre for Community Excellence endeavours to support those communities.
Rabbis for Communities
The CCE has a team of Rabbis able to regularly visit and support communities that do not have their own rabbi.
These Rabbis have the ability to lead services, officiate at life-cycle events, and offer Halachic advice.
Please get in touch on 02083436308 or rachel@chiefrabbi.org
Community Twinning
CCE helps communities to develop their twinned relationship, as well as assisting with developing suitable programming to enjoy and participate in together. We offer support to communities, providing ideas on how to start and maintain twinning.
CCE has funds available specifically for twinning events. One application for funding may be submitted per twinned event (on behalf of both communities). An application to CCE for a twinned event should include the income and expenses jointly for both twinned communities. Applications for funding for twinning are considered on a case by case basis.
https://chiefrabbi.org/community-twinning/
CCE Lay Leaders Group
Regional community lay leaders have their own WhatsApp group, which people can sign up to here.
The ‘Etz Chaim’ Madrichim Project
The CCE recruits outstanding young adult group leaders, ‘Madrichim’,to visit and work alongside communities. Small teams of Madrichim can visit congregations to create enriching Jewish experiences, sharing their enthusiasm and Jewish knowledge to enhance communal life.
An Etz Chaim group can assist with leading services, singing, layning, giving shiurim (talks), running youth programmes, leading Simchat Torah dancing, running a Friday night dinner, Shabbat lunch and much more. Essentially, helping to create a wonderful Ruach (atmosphere).
Costs: The Madrichim are volunteers. Communities pay for their travel and food, as well as arranging and financing their accommodation.
Please call 02083436309 or email – katie@chiefrabbi.org
Travelling Chassidim
Travelling Chassidim UK – a not-for-profit organisation – is a group of Chassidic families from London, Westcliff and Manchester who travel around the country, visiting Jewish communities in the Provinces.
We’re a group of Chassidic families who travel around the country. We bring with us classic Chassidic warmth and liveliness, and together with the special aura of Shabbos, we form a deep connection with the hosting community, resulting in a Shabbaton that is truly transformational.
One very special feature of our group is that we do not charge a penny for our services; we are totally, utterly, completely free – the host community’s only expenditures are the travel – and on some occasions – accommodation costs!
- Prayers & other Activities: If a community has no facilities (Shul / communal meeting place) we could hold services in a private home or rented hall/room, where we could also do all other activities – just like any other Shabbos with the Travelling Chassidim!
- Sleeping Arrangements: We are not a fussy bunch, so we could sleep over with members of the host community or we could use any B&B or budget hotel – after all, it’s only for one night; we can check out on Shabbos morning (with a little cooperation of the hotel’s front desk).
- Food & Drink: We usually specify that all meals be prepared Kosher with the U.O.H.C. (London & Provinces) or Manchester Machzike HaDass (Manchester & North of the UK).
(Synagogues under the auspices of the Chief Rabbi can apply for financial support from the “Chief Rabbi’s Centre for Community Excellence“ towards the cost of a visit by Travelling Chassidim.)
For more information or to book a Shabbos for your community, visit www.travellingchassidim.org.uk, contact the coordinator Shloime Stark on 07854 113 127 or email chossid@travellingchassidim.or.uk