Living in a small community: Reforming zeal pays dividends in Darlington

A switch from Orthodox to Reform and a chairperson with new ideas has brought fresh life to a dying north-eastern community.

Darlington Hebrew Congregation has been great-grandmother Bess Robertson's closest community since 1974. But she had shied away from involvement because her husband, Jimmy, was not Jewish (he has since converted).

However, following the decision to switch to Reform, she has become increasingly engaged, taking over the chairmanship three years ago.

Under her leadership, numbers have risen from 10 to 48. "I wrote to a lot of people who we hadn't seen for years, saying 'come back, we are friendly and welcoming'." The mail-out brought in eight new members. Then a few more joined after Newcastle violinist David Biermann gave a concert in the shul, Mr Biermann among them.