Page 8 LJ Today
CEOs
September/October 2025
A force for good in the world Rabbi Danny Rich on the many moments that made him proud to be a Liberal Jew
IT is always difficult to reflect upon the recent past of which one has been a part. Of the fifteen years I served as Senior Rabbi and Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism there were many moments and policies I recall with pride. However one truly stands out. In the summer of 2013 Liberal Judaism, in partnership with the Quakers and the Unitarian Church, led the campaign advocating for equal marriage when the overwhelming majority of religious organisations (Jewish and other) were vehemently opposed. Although probably not reflecting their memberships, religious leaderships were fearful that statute might oblige them to change their practices although they also affirmed the notion that marriage ‘was the union of one man and one woman for life’ despite the historic evidence that the concept of marriage had undergone transition through the ages and the changes in practice in the current time. On 7 February 2013, I received confirmation that on Tuesday 12 February at 2pm in the Boothroyd Room of Portcullis House, House of Commons. I would give oral evidence to the Public Bill Committee examining the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill. I was required to supply the Committee with biographical information and a short paragraph of my views on the Bill before the meeting. There were eleven Committee members including Jim Shannon of the Democratic Unionist Party, David Burrows (whom I knew) who was Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Enfield South and a committed Christian, Helen Grant who is an MP from Kent and now Conservative Shadow Solicitor General, and a number of Senior Labour MPs including current ministers: Chris Bryant, Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty.
Others being seen that afternoon included a representative from the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Ben Cohen, the Jewish Founder and CEO of Pink News. Liberal Judaism was the only Jewish religious organisation interviewed by the Committee, although a number of its members were more attracted to the opposition expressed by the then Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation. For Liberal Judaism equal marriage was both a matter of justice and a question of religious freedom. The decision to support, and indeed to lead, the campaign was an obvious consequence of its previous actions. These included: publishing the 1991 pamphlet Where We Stand on Homosexuality: the decision of the Liberal Rabbinic Conference in 2003 to “recognise Same-Sex Partnerships between two Jews by appropriate Jewish ritual and support rabbis who wish to officiate”; the publishing in the following year of Lesbian and Gay Jews and Same-Sex Relationships; and, in a world synagogal first, the production of Brit Ahavah (Covenant of Love): A Liturgy for the Service of Commitment for Same-Sex Couples in December 2005. These efforts reflected Liberal Judaism at its best, seeking to combine the Jewish values of committed love, integrity and compassion with the modern understanding of sexuality. Further, it fulfilled the mission that Liberal Judaism ought seek to influence public policy for societal good and to do so in partnership with like-minded organisations. It was in the same spirit that Liberal Judaism also sought to facilitate modern Jewish life wherever it was possible. Building upon the work of the late Rosita Rosenberg (Liberal Judaism’s Executive Director from 1989-1997) and of its first Outreach Director, Rabbi Aaron Goldstein (now Senior Rabbi at The Ark Synagogue), Liberal Judaism resolved to develop and support its communities, even when it was costly to do so.
This was, of course, part of its history as the first Liberal rabbi in England, Rabbi Dr Israel Mattuck (1884-1954), visited groups and encouraged them to establish Liberal Jewish congregations including, for example in Ireland where the Dublin Jewish Progressive Congregation has existed since 1946. During my tenure I was frequently out of London visiting both historic, large and well-established affiliates, as well as smaller constituents. But it was a particular joy to be involved with communities where numbers and geography made maintaining community life more difficult. I recall with pride the creation of Stevenage Liberal Synagogue (which I continue to visit monthly), and the formation of Crouch End, Three Counties and York Liberal Jewish Communities, all of whom are now served by ordained rabbis. As Liberal Judaism joins forces with its sister Movement for Reform Judaism in the newly emerging Progressive Judaism I am hopeful and confident that not only will the expression of Progressive Judaism find new places, large and small, to support a modern Jewish life but more importantly it will promulgate its unique combination of Jewish values and modern understanding in even more corridors of power, and thereby fulfil its purpose as an active force for good in the lives of Jewish individuals, families and communities and equally make its contribution to the betterment of society.
Rabbi Danny Rich leading the first baby naming at York Liberal Jewish Community