By Zoe Winograd
1 min read
Yom Masorti, the Masorti movement’s annual educational and cultural day, attracted nearly 250 people to Finchley’s New North London Synagogue on Sunday, double last year’s turnout.
The attraction was a diverse programme of speakers, including Israeli ambassador Daniel Taub, High Court judge Sir Bernard Eder and New Israel Fund chief executive Adam Ognall. There were cookery demonstrations, children’s activities and a talk by tour leader Rachel Kolsky.
Mr Taub offered insights into Israel’s future. In conversation with broadcaster and journalist Joshua Rozenberg, Sir Bernard said that when adjudicating on immigration cases, “I often feel my Jewish background. My father was a refugee, my mother was a refugee.”
New London Synagogue rabbi, Jeremy Gordon, led a lively discussion on parenting.
Yom Masorti chair Veronica Kennard said the day was “an opportunity for us to get together as the Masorti movement. People from communities big and small share, learn and have a day of socialising and fun.”
Edgware Masorti co-chair Barbara Goldberg was pleased by the pooling of intellectual and practical resources. “When you are in a small organisation, it is possible to become introspective and stale. By opening up and sharing, there is something to give and something to gain.”
Masorti chief executive Matt Plen said the turnout and enthusiasm of participants were “a testament to the connections and relationships between our communities and to what we are doing — something exciting and compelling.” Participants were drawn from congregations including St Albans, Hatch End, Buckhurst Hill and Bournemouth.
