Senior United Synagogue rabbi suddenly leaves his congregation

The senior rabbi of a major United Synagogue congregation has suddenly left after nearly 19 years in the role.

Congregants of Stanmore and Canon’s Park Synagogue were informed late last week that Rabbi Mendel Lew would be stepping aside.

A “community announcement” to Stanmore members explained that Rabbi Lew “recently informed us that he has decided to leave our community to pursue other roles.”

It had been “agreed by mutual consent that Rabbi Lew would step away from his duties with immediate effect”.

Rabbi Lew’s picture no longer appears among the rabbinical team on the congregation’s website or the rabbis on the United Synagogue site.

Stanmore and Canon's Park Synagogue (photo: synagogue website)[Missing Credit]

Arrangements were already in place so that “services and pastoral activities carried out by Rabbi Lew continue”.

Members were told there would be an opportunity to “say goodbye to Rabbi Lew in a few weeks time”.

David Metzger and Jacqui Rudolph, joint chairs of Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue said, “We are grateful to Rabbi Lew for his many years of service. His charismatic personality has endeared him to many members and visitors alike and he has become a well-recognised figure in our local community. On behalf of our Elders, honorary executive, members and professional team, we wish the Lews only success in their future endeavours.”

In 2011, Rabbi Lew was involved in a court action to protect his job, securing an interim injunction to stop the United Synagogue from proceeding with a capability review.

Rabbi Lew and the United Synagogue reached an “amicable settlement” before the case made it to a hearing.

His counsel at the case told the court it was a “trumped-up procedure” and that Rabbi Lew had felt himself to be in a ‘Kafka-like’ situation.

But the United Synagogue’s lawyer maintained it was “not gunning” for Rabbi Lew.

At the time, Stanmore was the biggest congregation in the US but demographic changes have since shrunk its numbers.

Rabbi Lew has been approached for comment.

One US rabbi commented, "There's been a spate of departures from the rabbinate these past years. It makes you wonder if the United Synagogue has been changing course and losing its homogenous spirit. We used to be a family. Now it feels like a business."

In response, Jo Grose, chief executive of the US, said: "The beauty of the United Synagogue is the diversity of its communities. The last thing we want to be is homogenous.

"Rabbinic recruitment goes from strength to strength". In the last 18 months, no fewer than 10 rabbinic couples had taken new positions in congregations,

"We've also been delighted to welcome five intern couples who are now participating in a monthly post-intern programme called 'Maslul' through our Centre for Rabbinic Excellence which ensures not only that we teach practical Rabbinics appropriate for United Synagogue communities but that we also maintain strong relationships with the couples as and when Rabbinic job openings become available."

Rabbi Piny Hackenbroch, chair of the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue, said: "While we are sad to be losing a great friend and rabbi in Rabbi Lew, we are now gathering for our annual conference, supported by the United Synagogue, to continue developing and building our rabbinate to serve British Jewry."