‘Last year, we survived. This year, let’s thrive’

Sadly, in the era of social media, this is truer than ever, particularly where Israel is concerned. In just one such example, in July, a well-known medical journal published a letter on its website. The authors estimated that the total number of casualties in Gaza attributable to Israel might eventually reach 186,000, if one were to factor in the impact of secondary causes, such as lack of housing and poor healthcare infrastructure.

No attempt was made to assign any responsibility to Hamas, nor to differentiate between the deaths of combatants and non-combatants, nor identify the ‘Gaza Health Ministry,’ on whose data its conjecture was based, as Hamas-run. Nevertheless, campaigners attributed this ‘new data’ to the journal itself, rather than to a letter it had received. Some claimed that the journal had ‘released a study,’ while others stated that the estimate was ‘peer reviewed.’

Before long, millions had read it and it was cited by activists, British Parliamentarians, and a UN Special Rapporteur.

Kol Nidrei is chanted during our deepest moments of personal and communal introspection. In our confession of the High Holy Days, we call out to Hashem in candour: “You know the hidden secrets of every living soul. You search the innermost chambers of the conscience and the heart. Nothing escapes You. Nothing is hidden from Your sight.” This is a moment of the purest honesty.

The Torah instructs us, “Distance yourself from falsehood,” because it is not enough to be truthful; we must create an environment intolerant of falsehood. Indeed, despite the centuries of lies and hatred, Kol Nidrei has endured because we have always found solace in moments of perfect truth between ourselves and Hashem.

When we know in the deepest recesses of our souls where truth ends and falsehood begins, no lie can diminish us.

The truth will prevail. Am Yisrael Chai!

Rabbi Josh Levy and Rabbi Charley Baginsky

Joint heads of Progressive Judaism

[Missing Credit]

It’s hard to imagine that this time a year ago, as we prepared for Rosh Hashanah, we had no comprehension that just a few weeks later we would experience the tragedy of 7 October. The last year has been one of complex emotions, difficult conversations and extraordinary moments of togetherness as we hold our shared pain.

As a Jewish people we went through an unprecedented horror.

And we also saw an unprecedented response – within and across our community – with people reaching out, caring and supporting each other.

In doing this, we took our inspiration from Israel – seeing how our colleagues, friends and family in the country have looked after those who have been bereaved and displaced, and never stopped fighting for the return of those taken hostage.

This time also showed the importance of community and of movement. Not only in mourning the lives and communities lost on 7 October, but also standing up against hatred at home – whether coming from the far right or far left.

Another emotion we have been through is one of excitement and hope as we continue the work of bringing Britain’s Reform and Liberal movements together into one single Progressive Judaism for the UK

This time, one year ago, we were just starting out on this process. Now, although there is still a lot of work to do, we are coming closer to its fruition.

We have spent much of our time over the last 12 months visiting communities all around the UK – hearing about why movement is so vital to them, the importance of the Progressive Jewish voice in society and, above all, their vision for the future.

In a year that has had so much tragedy, it has been a true joy to see how our 80+ Liberal and Reform communities have all responded to this coming together in creative and dynamic ways... showing that a movement can be so much more than the sum of its parts.

As we enter 5785, we are left with the thought that if we can achieve so much as two separate entities starting to come together… how much more can we accomplish when being one is our new reality?

Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg

Senior Rabbi

Masorti Judaism

Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg (Photo: Masorti Judaism)[Missing Credit]

‘Help me find hope!’ I’ve heard those words over and again across this cruel year. Like most of us, I too have sometimes struggled.

That’s why it’s so important that we give each other hope.

Hope is not a vague belief that somehow the future will be better. Hope is what we create together when we commit to making that better future happen.

Worry and fear may be all around us, for the hostages and their families, for Israel, for innocent people trapped in Gaza, for the future, for nature and the viability of the planet itself. Anguish is sometimes lodged, too, deep within our hearts. We can’t make it disappear.

But we can respond and, by responding, find strength and inspiration. Judaism has a millennia-long history of resilience, founded on Torah and the communal life we have created in countless places, rooted in its teachings. Our Judaism is indeed ‘a tree of life’ and trees are strong and sustaining.

We have seen such strength in the swift creativity with which civil society in Israel and the Jewish world has responded since October 7. We see it in the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel’s work in establishing programmes of healing for traumatised people in woodlands, wetlands and desert. We feel it when students on UK campuses, far from allowing themselves to be intimidated by antisemitism, deepen their commitment to their Jewish identity. We witness it when, despite all the distrust that divides us, people reach out and, rejecting every form of racism, maintain friendships across our different faiths.

This doesn’t take away the grief, threats and suffering around us. But every initiative which brings people together in humanity and compassion creates light and hope in the midst of these grim times. However small that light may seem, we must trust that it will guide us through this darkness.

Rabbi Mendy Korer

Chabad Islington

Rabbi Mendy Korer will take you on a tour of Islington's rich Jewish history (Photo: Chabad Islington)[Missing Credit]

If the past year, has felt as if we were focused on surviving, then this coming year should be the year of thriving!

Over the past 12 months, time and again, I have met people searching for a place where they feel safe, accepted and able to let their guard down. They describe the hurt they felt when their previous social circle rejected their pain and right to victimhood.

While giving them comfort, a hug and a place of warmth, I also offer them a message going forward that is one of hope. My message is that as well as tackling the blatant antisemitic prejudice and the attempts to justify it, we must remember that we, the Jewish nation, have survived for so many thousands of years because we are resourceful, because we innovate and because we are collaborative. We always find a way to thrive as a community, in any situation we find ourselves in and however challenging it might be.

May we be blessed with a year of vibrant, confident and bold Judaism, with safety and security as a given for the whole of the Jewish community in the UK, in Eretz Yisrael and across the world.

Phil Rosenberg

President of the Board of Deputies

[Missing Credit]

Nearly a year on from the horrific events of October 7, our hearts go out to the people of Israel. People who have lost loved ones, suffered a life-changing injury, or who have spent too many hours waiting to hear the fate of a kidnapped relative.

Much is made of division in our own community, particularly regarding Israel. But on so much we have been united over the last year, whether campaigning to release the hostages, pushing back against Iran and its proxies, or working and praying to bring a lasting resolution to the conflict, speedily and in our days.

Despite the challenges, we must be proud to express our unique history and culture.

A key mission must be to make our community more inclusive, and we will launch a Commission on Disability Inclusion in the Jewish Community to better engage a wider range of people. The Board of Deputies' 200 member organisations run from Cornwall to Aberdeen, and we will celebrate our regional communities and heritage. As the Board's youngest-ever president, I want to connect with our next generation to ensure it is active and engaged.

We have been through some hard times in Jewish history and emerged from them with ingenuity and resilience. This last year has been uniquely challenging, but I am determined that we will come back stronger.

With your help, I know we will.

Wishing you all a Shanah Tovah u’ Metukah!

Claudia Mendoza

CEO of the Jewish Leadership Council

Claudia Mendoza, CEO of the JLC (Photo: JLC)[Missing Credit]

This past year has been one of collective trauma for the Jewish community globally. On the morning of October 7, 2023, as Israel welcomed in Simchat Torah, the world witnessed the horrific, brutal attack perpetrated by Hamas. That day will remain etched in our memories forever. In the months that followed, we saw antisemitism rise to unprecedented levels, campuses overrun, and our streets turned into vile hatred. The grief is still raw and is reawakened every time we hear more bad news.

Some have lost loved ones, for others the uncertainty of what it means just to be Jewish and safe as we navigate the unprecedented levels of antisemitism. The era of the so called “golden age” where we have been free to live our lives as both British and Jewish feels in the balance. How has the progress we have made – in living memory of the Holocaust – come so undone?

For many in our community, ‘before’ October 7th feels impossible to imagine. Throughout this awful period, our community has continued to come together to support one another, show support for Israelis and the plight of the hostages, and to demonstrate our unwavering resilience in spite of these challenges. As a people we have survived unimaginable horrors, but we will survive this, and we will come out stronger.

We must however be prepared to take whatever steps necessary to meet the changing needs of our community. This is not just the duty of community leaders but of individuals of all faiths and none. Our fight is a societal one, not a Jewish one. We must not underestimate the challenges but in dealing with them head on, they are not insurmountable.

Am Yisrael chai, the people of Israel live.

Mark Adlestone

Chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region

[Missing Credit]

New years are traditionally for individuals to review the previous year and make resolutions as to their future behaviour. However, this has not been an ordinary year given the unprecedented challenges faced by Israel and Jewish communities across the globe. We have endured horrifying scenes as Israel has been forced to defend herself from Iranian backed proxies whilst simultaneously, we have come under attack enduring a surge in hate crime, the like of which we have not experienced for decades. As a leader, I will never accept Jewish students and schoolchildren being forced to conceal their identity and we will keep reminding key decision makers that it is not normal for our communal buildings to be located behind gates with security guards.

Given the outlook and unprecedented situation, it is easy to be downbeat. As in history, our community will remain resilient and proud of our faith. We will maintain our own traditions whilst integrating into British society as proud citizens recognising how well we have been treated by this tolerant country. We will be firm with those who wish to do us harm but also resist the temptation to become inward looking. We must remain vigilant but also continue our immense record of contributing to wider society.

I have been involved with many communal initiatives over the years. It fills me and our community with a huge amount of fulfilment that our provision is held up as a beacon of best practice. We are delighted to share our expertise with friends from outside our community. Being good British citizens is central to our identity and giving back in this way is something that deeply resonates with me.

So, the message is clear, remain confident, proud and strong. I am praying for an easier 5785.

Susie Gordon

Chief Operations Officer
Leeds Jewish Representative Council

[Missing Credit]

As Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, approaches, we have a chance to look back on the past year, which has been tough for everyone in our community. Even before the tragic events of 7th October and what followed, we were already dealing with the ongoing impact of the pandemic and economic challenges. Yet, through all of this, the strength, resilience, and togetherness of the Leeds Jewish community have been amazing to see. We have witnessed kindness, support, and a renewed commitment to Jewish life and values. Despite the challenges, our schools, community groups, synagogues, and new grassroots initiatives have worked hard to keep our traditions, learning, and connections with each other, and to help bring peace to our city.

For coming year, we are hopeful about continuing to strengthen the ties that hold us together, grow as a community, and be there for one another in times of need. May this year, 5785, bring peace, and we wish you all a happy, healthy, and sweet year ahead.

Ed Horwich

Chief Executive

Jewish Small Communities Network

[Missing Credit]

­­It’s been a year communities never expected to have to face in the 21st century.

The headlines have featured the marches and Jew hatred taking place in our main cities.

But our small towns across the country have also been confronted with the fallout from the 7th October attacks. Those small Jewish communities have had to face the challenges and find ways of responding to them.

In the 1907 Jewish Yearbook there were 88 regional small towns with Jewish communities.

In 2024 there are 100 communities spread across 72 towns. Today they represent 25% of British Jewry.

They may be small; may shrink or occasionally grow; but they stubbornly remain and keep Jewish life alive in as rich and meaningful a way as anywhere else.

They all play an important part in Britain’s Jewish history, its culture and its diversity today.

Not only that... volunteers show great leadership in these communities and have been responsible, in a period of 6 years, for educating over 1 MILLION non-Jewish school children about Jewish Life & Traditions.

They also work hard fostering relationships with politicians, advisory panels, and interfaith groups.

Our small communities play a major role in combating antisemitism, on behalf of British Jewry as a whole.

Rabbi Sacks, of blessed memory, wrote…“A good society is one that offers all its members equal access to hope”

He presses home the point that good society comes from good leadership. As individuals, as communities, as part of the wider society, it is the imperative of being Jews that we strive to look after the earth and all around us, to be the best version of ourselves, and to be a light inspiring all to emulate the selfless leadership of our teachers in the generations before us.

Therein lies my hope. And for this we must stand up as Jews.

For in this way every one of us is a leader.

Shana Tova. Wishing you and your families a meaningful Yom Tov.

Mark Gardner

CEO of CST

Mark Gardner, CST CEO (Photo: CST)[Missing Credit]

Reflecting on overseeing CST after a year at war, I recall writing a JC article last December that ended, “There is more to come. CST will not let you down and you won’t let us down either”.

I was being defiant and resilient, but I think time has shown I was correct, rather than blindly optimistic or cliched. Allow me to explain.

Declaring “there is more to come” was obvious.

Stating “CST will not let you down” was because I knew the determination of our volunteers, staff and trustees. Nine months later and we are still working at an unprecedented pace and volume, stabilised by more resources, staff and volunteers. For example, CST’s annual budget has increased by about a quarter and is now over £11 million.

I said “you won’t let us down either” because I sensed an increasing resolve across our community to stand up and be counted. For me, it’s the most striking development of these last twelve months and is due to a swirl of emotions including pain, pride, bloody mindedness, siege mentality, solidarity and anger or frustration.

At CST, we feel that resolution and determination through the hundreds of volunteers who have joined our ranks. After rigorous vetting and training they are now working hard to protect our Jewish communities across the UK, reinforcing our teams when it was most needed.

Overall, we have never secured more Jewish events, nor had more personnel doing so. But the story here is not CST. Rather, it is that CST’s workload shows that our community has never been this active, whether organising communal events, or protecting and enabling Jewish life.

Looking ahead, we will need lots more resilience before this current wave of war and antisemitism recedes. I find some optimism in our community acknowledging the challenge but showing determination to stand firm.

Laura Marks

Founder and chair of Mitzvah Day

Laura Marks (Photo: Grainge Photography)[Missing Credit]

Standing at a vigil for the hostages earlier this year, I felt connected to the Israeli community in London in a way that felt new. At an antisemitism rally I bumped into friends I hadn’t seen for years. Listening to woman run NGOs working in the Middle East, Jewish Israelis and Palestinians together, on Zoom Nisa-Nashim events I learned that there is more than one way ahead, and lighting candles with my Muslim sisters here at home has filled my heart with hope.

I’ve taken anything good in 5784 as a bonus.

The state of online hate, the plight of asylum seekers in Britain, and the cost-of-living crisis have all presented opportunities for action and campaigns – with the first Women’s Faith Forum event in parliament launched this year alongside a surge of interest in how the faith communities can work together in this challenging year.

And more personally, as our flights to Israel were cancelled for the umpteenth time, we booked a random week in Corfu. Accompanied by one son, recovering from major knee surgery, my husband and I imbibed much needed sunshine, Ouzo and time for reflection – rebooking to visit Israel this Christmas.

For too many people this year really has been an ‘annus horribilis’ but celebrating both my mother and mother-in-law turning 95, receiving my CBE from HM the King, watching my daughter thrive in NYC (come home soon….) and my son change career (proud mum), for me there have been huge rays of sunshine.
With a new government and a positive attitude, and starting with a recycled green T-shirt for Mitzvah Day, ‘Stronger Together’, my focus is what I can do to drive change. 5785 just could turn out to be that seemingly elusive, ‘annus mirabillis’.