Thousands join in challah bake as Shabbat UK gets off to a triumphant start

More than 3,000 women – and a few men – gave an extraordinary start to the Chief Rabbi’s Shabbat UK by joining in a mass challah bake in London last night.

The response was so great that there were nearly 800 on the waiting list for the date with the dough at Allianz Park in London, home of Saracens Rugby Club.

Another 4,000 other people took part in challah-making sessions in Manchester, Leeds and other communities around the country.

The Allianz Park crowd may not quite have matched the roar in the stadium on a rugby day but the non-stop chatter showed a high-level excitement.

For Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the turn-out was a personal triumph and augured well for the Shabbat UK celebrations this weekend in which he expected some 100,000 Jews across the country to part.

But even he struggled to command silence as he told the assembled bakers: “Tonight we are putting the yeast into Yiddishkeit.”

United Synagogue president Stephen Pack said: “The volume of noise is amazing – it’s a positive one. It’s uplifting that there is such a huge cross-section of the community here.”

While he kneaded his dough manfully, his plait-work suggested that a job in the bakery is not about to happen yet.

Charedi boobas with daughters and granddaughters came as did women in sleeveless tops and jeans.

Atara Fachler, eight, from the Hasmonean Primary School in Hendon, plaited her challah with surgical precision. “It’s hard making the dough, you have to do a lot of kneading, but it’s quite easy to plait,” she said.

“It’s a great for all Jews to get together and have fun,” said 10-year-old sister Eliane. “It’s lovely to see everyone from all parts of the religion together.”

Participants donated a sixth of their dough for loaves to be given to charity which were baked in the club’s kosher kitchen later that night.

Then they carried their still expanding challahs to their cars with Diwali fireworks exploding in the night.

But not everyone was convinced of the fruits of her labours. “I think I’m still going to go to Grodzinski’s in the morning,” said one woman.