November/December 2006
VOL. XXXIII No. 6
ljtoday
LJY-Netzer’s new, home-grown prayer book, Siddur Lil’mod v’La’asot, was launched at the end of September. It brims with songs, poetry and drawings, all set out alongside the liturgies. The siddur is designed around the concepts of creative prayer (ma’amad) and education, both important parts of LJY-Netzer’s ideology. Prayers are surrounded with explanations as well as art and poetry. It began as a personal project of Victor Kaufman when he was on Etgar, LJY-Netzer’s leadership programme, in Jerusalem. Back home, he continued working on it with others in the movement, including Rabbi Stephen Howard, of Southgate Progressive Synagogue, and student rabbi Yuval Keren, who helped with typesetting, editing the Hebrew and providing
Phil Stone
LJY launches its siddur
LJY-Netzer leaders Jenny Walton, left, Jess Herman, with guitar, and Jordan Helfman join Victor Kaufman second left, for the launch at a Kabbalat Shabbat service at Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue
transliterations. About his reasons for creating the siddur, Victor says: ‘I wanted to repay my movement for
the many great experiences that it has given me.’ A tool for LJY-Netzer, page 11
Danny Rich joins an interfaith vigil for Darfur Rabbi Danny Rich has taken part in an interfaith vigil calling for more to be done to protect civilians in Darfur. He and representatives of the United
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and Reform synagogues and Muslim and Christian religious leaders, read specially written prayers for Darfur outside 10 Downing Street before delivering them to the Prime Minister. Liberal Judaism’s contribution was written by Rabbi Janet Burden, of the Ealing and West Central liberal synagogues. Rabbi Rich said: ‘Darfur is an international tragedy unfolding before our eyes on a scale which may involve the death of millions.’ The faith leaders have urged the international community to do all it can to ensure that a strong, international peacekeeping force protects civilians. They have also asked
the British government to exert continued diplomatic pressure for safe, unfettered access for humanitarian organisations to all who need their help. Despite the signing of a Darfur peace agreement in May, there has been no end to the three years of violence in western Sudan in which hundreds of thousands of people have been murdered; in some areas the violence has grown worse. Attacks on civilians continue, and people are being displaced from their homes and do not feel secure enough to return or to plant crops. Liberal synagogues have said a Darfur prayer in their Shabbat services.