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Senior Reform rabbi: West London leaving movement would be our Brexit equivalent
Rabbi Jonathan Romain writes that the possible move could be acrimonious - 'and leave a massive hole'
November 19, 2021 14:30
Rabbi Jonathan Romain writes that the possible move could be acrimonious - 'and leave a massive hole'
November 19, 2021 14:30It is hard to express adequately my sense of shock at the news that West London Synagogue could be leaving the Reform movement.
Any departure is regrettable. But that of West London would leave a massive hole, as it was not only the first Reform synagogue in Britain. It also helped found and nurture many others.
It was established in 1840 by a mix of Ashkenazi and Sephardi families eager for reforms to a Judaism they felt had stultified.
For many decades, it was also the religious hub of Reform Judaism, determining its theology and practices, publishing its prayer book, housing the Leo Baeck College, which trains its rabbis, and also hosting its national offices.
A decision to formally resign from the Reform movement would be the Jewish equivalent of Brexit — and could prove equally acrimonious.
But could it follow the pattern of two other Reform synagogues in previous decades who rejoined the fold after a period away from it?
West London is probably big enough to survive by itself, though questions remain about how it would access the Reform Beit Din for conversions, holiday camps for its youth and the many other resources a national body offers.
For its part, the Reform movement has long left the womb that West London provided and has developed into a powerful force of its own.
Unlike Brexit, the parties are religious organisations, based on values of respect and integrity. Hopefully this means that if a split happens, it will be a soft “WLexit”, not a hard one.
Jonathan Romain is rabbi of Maidenhead Synagogue and former chair of the Assembly of Reform Rabbis UK