LSJS Annual

ANNUAL

LSJS Library Treasures

A look at some highlights from the LSJS collection

The Future of Jewish Education

Bringing together key representatives from organisations across the sector

Lessons from Rabbi Sacks The profound importance of Jewish Education by

Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum

I extend my best wishes to the London School of Jewish Studies for its ongoing work in providing lifelong Jewish learning opportunities for the Jewish community.

When Margaret Thatcher gave the keynote speech at a special event to mark the retirement of one of my predecessors, HaRav Lord Jakobovits, she recalled how, during her tenure as Secretary of State for Education, he made a remark to her which had left a lasting impression. “You know”, he said, “you are really

When Margaret Thatcher gave the keynote speech at a special event to mark the retirement of one of my predecessors, HaRav Lord Jakobovits, she recalled how, during her tenure as Secretary of State for Education, he made a remark to her which had left a lasting impression. “You know”, he said, "you are really the Minister of Defence".

Chief Rabbi Jakobovits was pointing out that the education we receive is ultimately what fortifies us for life. While this is certainly true in secular studies, it is all the more relevant in the realm of Jewish studies. This is why, in addition to its adult education programming, the commitment that LSJS has made to the training

Chief Rabbi Jakobovits was pointing out that the education we receive is ultimately what fortifies us for life. While this is certainly true in secular studies, it is all the more relevant in the realm of Jewish studies. This is why, in addition to its adult education programming, the commitment that LSJS has made to the training of Jewish studies teachers is so essential for the future of our community.

Message e frrom the Chief Rabbi

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis

Welcome

Joanne Greenaway, CEO of LSJS

Welcome to the first edition of our annual LSJS magazine. I am so proud of what we have achieved as an organisation and the journey we have been on. I’d like to thank all the team at LSJS for creating this magazine as a way to show you, our supporters, students and teachers, a snapshot of the breadth of our programmes.

Since 1855 LSJS, formerly known as Jews College, has played a central role in the UK Jewish community, training educational leaders and being a source of Jewish thought leadership. We strive every day to continue that tradition. However, we also strive to innovate. As per Rav Kook’s famous pun from 1908, “ha yashan yitchadesh, ve hechadash yitkadesh” (the old will be renewed, and the new will become holy). The balance of tradition and innovation, history and contemporaneity and relevance is critical to the holy work of Jewish education and it is central to who we are at LSJS.

This year has been momentous in many ways – most notably the loss of Queen Elizabeth II who in her own unique way embodied such a blend of tradition and adaptation. We are so grateful for the respect with which she treated our community, allowing us to thrive over the entirety of her reign. Our LSJS library collection is a treasure trove of Anglo-Jewish history and we are privileged to hold many historic books, pamphlets and documents which document the relationship between the monarchy and the Jewish community. We look forward to bringing them to you and

the wider public. We have just opened our brand new Rare Books room in memory of Michael Phillips z’l which will be an exhibition and teaching space to which we hope to welcome you shortly.

At LSJS, we welcomed two new senior members to the team this year - Michael Rainsbury, our Head of Adult Education and Danny Baigel, our Secondary Teacher Training Programmes manager and Jewish Career Pathways Director. They are already leading our programmes in new and exciting directions.

We have launched a number of ground-breaking initiatives, some of which we introduce you to in this magazine, and we continue to grow our campus as the hub for Jewish Education, home to 13 organisations. We published, in partnership with the UJIA, our Report on the Future of Jewish Education in the UK, the product of a major cross-sectoral initiative, bringing together 70 educational leaders from a huge range of schools, youth movements, community organisations and educational providers.

We launched a brand-new Fellowship programme for a select group of young professionals to come together to learn the thought of Rabbi Sacks zt’l and take it forward into the next generation. We launched a highlevel women’s learning course, giving a group of skilled learners the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and become highly skilled under the expert guidance of Rabbanit Surale Rosen. To further honour Rabbi Sacks’ profound legacy at LSJS we also established, with thanks to the Zandan Family, the Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought, occupied by our Dean, Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum.

From our beginnings as an AngloJewish institution we are now flourishing as a global leader in Jewish Education. We have students and teachers from right across the world. Our Masters degree programme led by Dr Helena Miller attracts a high calibre of professionals looking to advance their careers in Jewish Education and become experts, developing their own specialisms for the benefit of their schools and communities. We run this alongside our teacher training programmes offering numerous access points to those wishing to teach. And we have more in the pipeline.

We continue to promote the blend of the old and the new, tradition and modernity, history and relevance, authentic Torah Judaism with innovative delivery. We are increasingly forming critical partnerships with leading organisations from around the world with a modern, forward-thinking outlook and looking to work with us to make Jewish education the very best and the most creative and dynamic it can be, driven by excellence in teaching. Our community both in the UK and further afield deserves nothing less and it is this which will sustain it into the next generation.

Thank you to all our supporters who value the work we do, share our vision and help us in bringing it to fruition.

Lessons from Rabbi Sacks

The profound importance of Jewish education

It should come as no surprise that a Chief Rabbi would promote Jewish education, but in his tenure Rabbi Sacks expressed this with a grave sense of urgency. In his maiden speech to the House of Lords in 2009 he said:

“If there is one insight above all others to be gained from Jewish history, it is that freedom depends on education. To defend a country you need an army, but to defend a civilisation you need schools… In ancient times the Egyptians built pyramids, the Greeks built temples, the Romans built amphitheatres. Jews built schools. And because of that, alone among ancient civilisations, Judaism survived.”

Contrasting a nation’s security needs with its education system makes a stark point. Investment in schools must be executed with as much urgency, determination and resources as for its military might.

“Rabbi

What I and many of his students have come to realise is just how rooted they all were in Jewish sources. It is always worthwhile uncovering some of the rabbinic texts on which he drew. Particularly so in this case.

The Jerusalem Talmud (Chagigah 1:7, 6b) contains a powerful story that appears to be the foundation of his approach to education:

“Rabbi Yudan Nesia sent Rabbi Chiya, Rabbi Assi and Rabbi Ami to visit the cities throughout the Land of Israel [to assess the quality of Jewish life in each one]… They came to a certain place and did not find any Torah teachers there, so they said to the locals, ‘Bring the defenders of the city to us.’ In response, the locals brought out the watchmen of the city. The rabbis said, ‘These are the defenders of the city?! Surely these are the destroyers of the city!’ So the locals said, ‘Who then are the city’s protectors? The rabbis responded, ‘They are the teachers of Torah, as it is written, ‘Unless God builds the house, its builders labour in vain on it; unless God watches over the city, the watchman keep vigil in vain.’ (Psalms 127:1).”

Rabbi Yudan, also known as Judah III, was the religious leader of Israel’s Jewish community at the end of the third century. He commissioned the heads of the rabbinic academy in

Tiberias, Rabbi Assi and Rabbi Ami, to join forces with the peripatetic sage Rabbi Chiya bar Aba in order to evaluate the provision for Jewish education up and down the country.

In the story we witness these rabbis teaching the people of the city that it is foolish and dangerous to rely on security forces as their first line of defence. If people are not taught the values and beliefs of their faith then in times to come, they will leave and disperse, and then there will be nothing left to defend.

This story is preceded by a damning statement by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: “If you come across cities in the land of Israel that have been abandoned – know that it is because their inhabitants did not support the wages of Bible and Mishnah teachers.” Education is paramount. The very survival of our people is predicated upon it.

Rabbi Sacks also emphasised that the Jewish approach to teaching ethics was radically different to that of wider society. The contemporary educational view is to present autonomous choices. Children are encouraged to articulate their personal preferences in a completely non-judgmental context. No way of life is to be advocated as better or worse than any other. In his book, The Politics of Hope (p.176), Rabbi Sacks utterly rejects this attitude:

Sacks had a unique way of expressing his ideas in succinct and compelling ways that were accessible to all.”

He makes the point that once a student is grounded in the Jewish tradition then there is room for challenging it, but first and foremost, education is the transmission of a tradition. We inherit our faith from our parents and pass it on to our children. There will be necessary adaptations along the way, but if we love and respect it then we will make these in a balanced way rather than a damaging one.

In the end we are just temporary guardians of our tradition, and we must never forget the continued urgency for quality Jewish education. I wonder what rabbis Chiya, Assi and Ami would say were they to visit our Jewish educational institutions today?

Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum, Dean of LSJS and the Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought, established by the Zandan family.

“

This is not how we learn. It is not the way we learn anything, let alone the most important question of all, namely, how to live. To learn any skill, as Aristotle noted, we need to see how masterpractitioners practice their craft. We need to watch and imitate, at first clumsily, then with growing fluency and confidence. ”

In 1988 in Jews’ College’s L’eylah journal, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt’l wrote that: “education is the most potent guarantor of Jewish continuity, that Jewish education works best in close orchestrated harmony with the other key institutions of Jewish life – the home and the synagogue – and that there is not a short-cut to its proper resourcing. The question marks hanging over Diaspora Jewish survival are sufficiently strong to make a coherent, collective community-wide educational strategy our most immediate priority.”

Whilst much has changed since then, Jewish Education for our young people remains an urgent and pressing matter. It is the vehicle to create communities of practice, populated by proud, engaged Jews. We cannot afford to get it wrong. Many varied initiatives and institutions have blossomed over the last 25 years, but the sector as a whole has suffered from both a lack of joined-up thinking across these various types of institutions and from chronic under-investment.

During the Covid pandemic, Jewish schools and educational organisations were severely tested. Many rose to the challenges presented but it was clear to us that there were important lessons to learn and that this was a defining moment at which to take stock and reflect on how to build back better for the years ahead. Business as usual would not suffice.

We partnered with UJIA to convene an initial Symposium bringing together key representatives from organisations across the sector (both formal and informal educational settings) and from a cross section of denominations. This initiative, the first of its kind, led to the creation of 5 working groups, overseen by a steering committee and led by

5 excellent facilitators. The groups met over the course of 6 months, shared ideas and experiences and produced short, medium and long term recommendations divided into the following 5 areas:

• Overarching Aims and Outcomes of Jewish Education

• Family Education

• The intersection between schools, synagogues and youth organisations

• Resourcing the Sector

• Experiential Education

With Dr Helena Miller’s unparalleled expertise in research in the Jewish Education sector, we compiled a report on the future of the Jewish Education Sector in

the UK. This report, which brings together the findings of the 5 working groups, now forms the blueprint for future development and growth in the sector. It highlighted many key issues and proposed many innovative ways of dealing with them. A few that I personally find most compelling are as follows:

• Our institutions must each be driven by a clear vision which its parent body or stakeholders can more easily understand and connect with.

• For Generation Z, our teaching and educating must be led by the learner at the centre. We must speak to them where they are, with full respect for their worldview. No question can

The Future of Jewish Education

be off limits. They must have a role in designing their own learning journey.

• Teachers must be better valued across the community. They are critical leaders and we must do all we can to provide for them both materially and with the respect they deserve. We must invest more in their development to truly provide a prestigious career path.

• The various organisations and providers of education both formal and informal must work in a more joined-up manner in order to minimise duplication and ensure a well thought out pathway for young people that collectively provides them with all they need to become proud, educated and engaged Jews.

• Education for families must be an area of increasing focus to equip parents to support their children’s learning.

We at LSJS are not complacent. There is much to do and we will work in partnership with all those who are engaged in Jewish education to spread these messages and effect change whilst building on all that is positive in the sector. The JLC has now established a strategic forum to work on the implementation of these recommendations. We are delighted to be helping to drive that forward. We will work strategically to build for the future and we will focus our energies as ever on training and developing excellent teachers and educators to serve as role models for our young people.

Many organisations across the community are now exploring these recommendations and applying them to their individual missions and priorities. In particular, many are adopting the set of core values within the report to serve as a guide to best practice. We are also delighted that this project, the most extensive of its kind, is now serving as a model for communities around the world to emulate.

To read the full report please visit the news section at www.lsjs.ac.uk

We would love to hear your thoughts and for you to bring your voices to the ongoing conversation on these critical issues. Please contact me at joanne.greenaway@lsjs.ac.uk.

The Rabbi Sacks Learning Fellowship

How do you even begin to enshrine the legacy of Rabbi Sacks? This is the question we at LSJS faced, as we planned our educational future without our former principal and guiding light.

The Rabbi Sacks Learning Fellowship, launched in September 2022, was our first answer to that question. Bringing together 20 young professionals, this prestigious cohort are spending this

year exploring key themes in Jewish thought as well as the teachings of Rabbi Sacks, with an emphasis on their relevance and application, and how they can influence our lives.

Crucially, the fellowship does not aim to merely teach the ideas that Rabbi Sacks taught, but instead aims to foster a cadre of individuals who think, learn and speak Torah in a way that reflects Rabbi Sacks’ unique worldview. Or as Rabbi Sacks may have said: ‘to continue the

conversation’. This has been a key part of LSJS’ efforts in preserving the legacy of Rabbi Sacks, such as in the popular weekly series ‘Covenant and Continuity’, in which teachers expand upon Rabbi Sacks’ ideas and take them in their own direction.

For Matt Marks, a fellow who is studying for the Mizrachi semicha programme, it could not have come at a better time. Having written his MA thesis on the educational vision of Rabbi Sacks, he jumped at the

chance to join the programme. “For me, the fellowship offers a chance to learn from teachers who have spent years exploring Rabbi Sacks’ ideas. The discussions we are having in each session are enriching, allowing us to contextualise Rabbi Sacks’ unique teachings into a corpus of thought”.

As well as attracting educators, the target audience had a broader remit. Just as Rabbi Sacks moved seamlessly between Jewish and secular disciplines when writing and teaching, we wanted our fellows to come from a variety of professional backgrounds. In our inaugural cohort, you will meet people working in sustainability strategy, real estate, accountancy and non-profits. All are involved in the Jewish community, whether at their local shul, as trustees of charities or running learning programmes.

Yaela Orelowitz, a drama therapist from Johannesburg, South Africa, applied to the fellowship to imbue her work with values and concepts from Torah: “My goal is to dive into these teachings of Rabbi Sacks and use them to deepen and enrich my work in the field of mental health”. Since the onset of Covid and having seen the impact it had on people’s mental health, she has been trying to find out what is “critical to some essence of why we live, and how can we infuse our lives and the lives of future generations with more of this?” Indeed, the question of ‘how to live a meaningful Jewish life’ is being asked by many young people, and it is the guiding question running through every fellowship session.

A major part of the fellowship is the relationship fellows will build with their teachers. This includes LSJS educational staff and teachers of Rabbi Sacks, such as Rav Alex Israel, Dr Tanya White and Rabbi Johnny Solomon. As well as the regular sessions, each fellow will have a personal mentor who is there to answer questions, go through the learning

and provide guidance as they move through the course. Although not every session is overtly about Rabbi Sacks’ teachings, each one will be infused with his worldview.

Creating a course named after Rabbi Sacks is an awesome responsibility, and it is not easy to summarise his wide gamut of teaching. Fortunately, we were able to benefit from the foresight of Rabbi Sacks himself, who decided to write a similar course in 1978 for students. His course aimed

provided a series of readings for each session. We have simply updated his course, adding elements of Rabbi Sacks’ Torah worldview as well as contemporary issues such as ethics of AI, social media, medical dilemmas and many more.

In this way, we have stayed true to the ideas of Rabbi Sacks himself, while giving ourselves the space to create more content based on his style of learning and what he thought was fundamental to Jewish life.

Our hope is that the Rabbi Sacks fellows will deepen their understanding of Judaism through the sessions, mentoring and the conversations within the cohort. And most of all, for them to see themselves as torchbearers of the legacy of Rabbi Sacks.

Michael Rainsbury is Head of Adult Education. For more

“In this way, we have stayed true to the ideas of Rabbi Sacks himself, while giving ourselves the space to create more content based on his style of learning”

Joanne Greenaway & Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum with some of the Rabbi Sacks Learning Fellows. Sept. 2022

Spring Preview

Make sure you are signed up for the LSJS newsletter so that you will be the first to find out about new events, courses and tours.

There will be a scintillating host of teachers offering a range of indepth courses, special events and tours as well as 13 levels of Ulpan classes. When you sign up for a course or event you get access to a recording the next day, should you be unable to join us live or simply want to re-watch*

This term make sure you join us for TWO special free events: Sunday 26th February, as part of the annual LSJS fundraiser, summon yourself to the Trial of Solomon, and on Monday 30th January, don’t miss the annual Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought lecture. Both these events are taking place at LSJS as well as online.

We are also delighted to be continuing our ‘Covenant and Continuity’ series with the Rabbi Sacks Legacy, developing the thought of Rabbi Sacks on the weekly parasha, and this time focusing on the Book of Exodus.

There are plenty of courses to get stuck into, such as exploring Tehillim, diving into modern Jewish literature or getting ready for the Coronation by looking at Anglo-Jewish history in the reign of England’s Queens. We’ll be running our popular tours at the British Museum and ensuring everyone is ready for Pesach with a special “Super Seder” Day.

Get ready to be inspired and be a part of our vibrant learning community. The full Spring programme is out on the 20th December.

Dr Aviva Dautch

S&P Sephardi Senior Rabbi Joseph Dweck

Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski

Michelle Sint

Simon Goulden

Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum

Dr Harris Bor

Rabbi Professor Samuel Lebens

Rebbetzin Dr Hadassah Fromson

Rabbi Gideon Sylester

Rabbi Michael Pollak

Rabbanit Surale Rosen

Guest Teacher Focus

Rabbi Professor Samuel Lebens will soon be launching his new book at LSJS, ‘A Guide for the Jewish Undecided: A Philosopher Makes the Case for Orthodox Judaism’. In this interview, Michael Rainsbury, Head of Adult Education, asks him how he got to where he is today, and about his passions in Jewish education.

Hello and thank you for your time! Can you tell readers about yourself? Where are you from, and where do you live now?

I grew up in Leicester, in a traditional Anglo-Jewish home. I now live in East Netanya (Kiryat Hasharon). I’m a professor of philosophy and a Rabbi. The journey from Leicester to Netanya included years in university in London, various stints in Yeshiva in Israel, and some post-doctoral positions in America. Thankfully, I was finally able to settle with my long-suffering wife and children, in Israel, when I secured an academic position at the University of Haifa (commuting from Netanya).

What are your current roles?

I am an Associate Professor of philosophy at Haifa, although I’m privileged to teach Torah in various institutions on the side (including

at various Yeshivot in Israel, at the Pardes Institute, at Drisha (in the USA), and of course, at the London School of Jewish Studies). My position at the University of Haifa has two main elements: teaching and researching. The student body is tremendously diverse. I find that teaching philosophy manages, if only temporarily, to bridge the many social divides between my students (some of whom are religious, some secular, some Jewish, some Arab, etc.). I also get to teach a wide array of topics from the philosophy of fiction to the philosophy of religion. My research, like my teaching, allows me to follow whatever philosophical itch I might be experiencing at a given time.

I can’t choose. I love the ethnic and religious diversity of the University. I love the youthful eagerness and spiritual restlessness of gap-year students at Yeshiva. I enjoy the experience of teaching adults, who bring with them a wisdom and a life-experience that undergraduates don’t yet have.

Which topics are you currently researching?

I have a number of different projects on the boil. I’m almost finished co-authoring an introduction to the philosophy of fiction. I’m also busy replying to various scholars who have raised interesting criticisms of an older book of mine, The Principles of Judaism. These criticisms are the best sort of criticism to receive, since they come from friendly scholars, interested in my work, but who have found gaps or problems that I need to address (concerning my account of religious language, and my Hassidism-inspired account

You have taught in many settings throughout your career. Which types of teaching bring you the most joy?

of creation). Eventually, I hope to turn my attention to a new project on the notion of chosenness – a central Jewish doctrine that lends itself, I fear, to misunderstanding and toxic distortion.

As a student in London, I was tremendously privileged to come under the mentorship and guidance of the late Maureen Kendler, of blessed memory. With support from Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum, she first got me teaching in front of adults, at LSJS. Before that point, I’d only ever led informal Jewish education in youth movements (most centrally, Jewish Youth Study Groups), but other youth movements too, through my involvement with UJIA. I think that the first thing I taught at LSJS was as a guest speaker on a course about the weekly parsha. For many years now it has been my pleasure to appear at special events, study-days, and the like.

In my academic career, I’ve had many mentors who have helped me to navigate the challenges of early-career academia. More recently, Dean Zimmerman (at Rutgers), and both Saul Smilansky and Daniel Statman (at Haifa) played a crucial role in securing my long-term employment. The greatest role model in my religious life is the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks of blessed memory. Without his counsel, early on, I don’t know how I would have preserved my religiosity. His memory continues to guide me day by day.

in conversation with the wider Jewish community, and not to stay confined within the ivory tower. Accordingly, it is a book aimed at the wider Jewish community. I argue, in this book that, at least for many people situated in the Jewish community, the choice to embrace religiosity, and halakhic observance, is much more rational than people may have thought.

This book is part of a mission that Maureen Kendler set me: to stay

I can’t easily separate the two. My writing is wrapped up in what and how I teach. My teaching is wrapped up in what and how I write. I’m also learning as I teach, learning as I write, teaching as I learn, and teaching as I write. So, I’m also a student, and hope to remain one for as long as I can.

To book your place to for the special book launch at LSJS on 5th February visit www.lsjs.ac.uk.

What has been your involvement in LSJS?

Who have been the biggest influences in your career?

Can you tell us more about your current book and why you wrote it?

Do you see yourself as primarily an author or a teacher?

Women’s Iyun Learning Programme

LSJS CEO, Joanne Greenaway discusses women’s learning with Rabbanit Surale Rosen

It gives me great pleasure to introduce Rabbanit Surale Rosen. Rabbanit Rosen is leading our new highlevel women’s course which we are running this term in partnership with Matan, an organisation based in Israel, specialising in women’s learning and running a number of different halachabased programmes.

A key LSJS value is equal access to learning for all and it is important for us to introduce opportunities for women to learn at the highest levels. There have been huge strides in women’s learning over the last 70 years and it is exciting to be able to play a part in this in the UK. Our programme will focus on the laws of Kashrut in depth, giving women proficiency in this area and an opportunity, thanks to generous sponsors and Rabbanit Rosen’s attentive support, to really

hone their skills in approaching and understanding Gemara and Halacha.

Surale has 15 years’ experience teaching Gemara and Halacha. She is a certified Toenet Rabbanit (religious court arbitrator), led Matan’s Institute for Talmud studies and then Metivta - Matan’s Advanced Gemara programme. In 2018 she launched Shayla – Matan’s Online Halacha Responsa where she writes and edits Responsa. She currently teaches Gemara in Migdal Oz and Matan.

“ it was important to us to introduce opportunities for women to learn at the highest levels. ”

Gratitude. When I was 14 we moved to London where I studied in Beis Ya’akov for 3 years. During those years the thirst and need to be studying Torah at a high level germinated. Since leaving the UK in 1996, I have wanted to give back to the community by creating routes to high level learning. I am overwhelmed that this dream will be realized with this wonderful group of women.

I embarked on this journey in a mansion outside London where our school went for a Shabbaton. On the second floor a beautiful room was filled with ancient sifrei kodesh (holy books). My friends looked around, admired the serenity of the room and left, turning their backs on the books. I was devastated that we would not take down a book and learn what is dearest to us. I promised myself that on going back to Eretz Yisrael, I would look for a place to learn Torah. I took Aggadah courses in Bar Ilan where I met Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yossi, Rabbi Elazar, Rav and Shmuel (the Rabbis of the Gemara) and many more. The immense wisdom struck me as something I must pursue further.

After completing a degree in Oral Torah and English Literature, as well as Midrasha courses in Jewish philosophy, Torah commentators and Midrash I decided to join the Toenet programme in Midreshet Lindenbaum. I studied Hilkot Dayanim, Eidut, Contracts and Jewish legal procedures and took the Beit Din exams on these Simanim. I met my husband who then insisted I should study in-depth Gemara. I joined the Talmud Institute at Matan and studied for 5 years, 5 days a week.

I look at it both in wonder and with a simple sense of ‘well, how come we didn’t sit down to it before’? Living in Jerusalem offers me the luxury of conversing with women that are well versed in Torah, both written and oral. Many of my colleagues lead Batei Midrash for women, advanced level programmes and Midrashot. Others are Yoatzot Halakha and members of organizations where they are expected to be part of Halakhic discussions and policy making. A large group of women are writing Teshuvot in Halakha while others engage in writing articles in Talmudic studies. As well as women in the higher levels of study, the general exposure to all fields of Torah has expanded to communities as well as Gemara studies in girls’ high schools.

your spare time?

The Gemarah in Brachot 64a (citing Isaiah) teaches: “Torah scholars increase peace in the world”. People that hold positions of religious leadership should do all in their power to limit bloodshed and animosity between Jews and Arabs in Israel. Too many people have died; too many families are broken. It will now be my 7th year participating in Search for Common Ground’s religious dialogue project. Our aim is to encourage community groups to get to know one another, to hear each other’s religious aspirations as inhabitants of the Holy Land and try and reach mutual respect, if not understanding. Together with female Muslim colleagues we visit schools, military preparatory programmes and community centres. I also run a Facebook page where we interview religious leaders and activists and share information about Muslim and Jewish holidays and values.

I would like our students to gain an appreciation of the principles of Hilchot Kashrut as developed in the sugiyot (Talmudic discussions), through the Beit Yosef and Shulkhan Aruch.

Midrash. The wisdom, sensitivity, humour and understanding of the human soul is phenomenal. Midrash is where I find one of Chazal’s most poignant teachings: that our deeds have an enormous effect on generations to come.

Have patience. The journey is long and deep and one can’t skip stages. Always start with dedicating a lot of time to the Gemara before dealing with Halakhic texts and do not try and reach conclusions without having learned as many possible sides of the issues at hand. Also vital is choosing the right teachers who encourage and develop your own skills in learning. And lastly –Ahava. Make the words of Torah loved and appreciated.

For more information on women’s learning programmes at LSJS please visit our website.

What interested you in leading this new course?

What was your personal learning journey?

How do you see the development of women’s learning over the last 20 years?

What do you envisage these women achieving through their learning with you?

What is your favourite Jewish text?

What would you recommend for women of any age looking to get into learning Gemara or Halacha?

It is a real privilege to have Rabbanit Rosen as part of our teaching community and I wanted to ask her some questions:

Rabbanit

Surale Rosen

Levelling up

TChanukah in the balance here are many rabbinics laws associated with the Chanukah candles: where to place the Chanukiah, whether to use wax candles or oil lamps, how many to use, when to light them and in which order, and for how long they should burn. But, for me, the most intriguing laws involve the layout of the lights.

The Shulchan Aruch, our main code of Jewish law complied by Rabbi Joseph Karo in the 16th century, states that the lights should not look as if they are all joined together, like a bonfire (Orach Chayim 671:4). On the same page, his contemporary Rabbi Moses Isserles (known as the Rema), explains this to mean that the lights should be in a straight line and not in a circle, as the latter might look like a single flame from a distance. In the 18th century, Rabbi Abraham Danzig added that the lights should be of equal height (Chayei Adam 154:10).

And so today, even though there are a wide range of Chanukiah shapes and designs, from the rough-andready to the elegant and artistic, they all have this in common: the light holders are all on the same level. This, no doubt, is a reminder of the Menorah in the Temple, which was a seven-branched candelabra whose lights were all level too.

The significance of this “levelling up” becomes apparent when we look at the sixth verse of Maoz Tzur. It calls on God to: “Bare your holy arm and hasten the time of salvation; avenge the blood of your servants from the wicked nation”.

The reference is to our subjugation to “Edom”, a descendant of Esau. Jewish sages view Edom as the manifestation of all the major post-exilic oppressors of our people, from the Romans to the Crusaders to the Nazis. For a long time, it was felt prudent by Jews living in foreign but benevolent cultures not to recite this final verse.

However, it is the last phrase of the verse that is the most intriguing: “Raise for us the seven shepherds .” Who are the sheep herders refered to in these last words of Maoz Tzur?

They are mentioned in the biblical book of Micah: “This will assure safety: should Assyria invade our land and trample upon our fortresses, we will raise up against them the seven shepherds.“ Rabbi David Altschuler, in his commentary know as “Metzudat David”, explains that these seven were great leaders of our people who guided us in difficult times. Meanwhile, Rashi comments that the names of these seven can be found in the Talmud. This is the reference:

“Who were the seven shepherds? David in the middle; Adam, Seth and Methuselah on the right; Abraham, Jacob and Moses to the left.” (Sukkah 52b)

You will notice that these men, all shepherds, are not just listed chronologically. Instead, the ordering seems to duplicate the structure of the Menorah. I.e. one in the centre, and three on both sides.

Also, there is a clear distinction between the characters on the right and on the left. Adam, his son Seth, and his seventh-generation descendant Methuselah, all predate our People – they represent the universal history of humankind.

Taken together, these two sides signify our double heritage: world history and Jewish history; general human thought and achievement, and the specific contribution of our faith. David stands in the middle as the go-between. On one hand reigned as a king like other nations, but on the other he was also our greatest religious poet.

Now, finally, the levelling-up law I began with makes sense. We need to live balanced lives. To survive and thrive, we and our leaders need to be cognizant of both general and Jewish culture. An off-kilter chanukiyah is not acceptable, just as is an off-kilter lifestyle. We need to be grounded and knowledgeable of our own faith as well as informed and capable of living in the world.

This balance is not straightforward. Too much one way may lead to separatism and fundamentalism, to much the other may lead to superficiality and assimilation. The best image I know for this balance comes from Tevye the Milkman, in the musical ‘A Fiddler on the Roof’, based on a series of short stories by Gershon Sholem:

Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum, Dean of LSJS and the Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought, established by the Zandan family.

“

Everyone of us is a Fiddler on the Roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn’t easy. How do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: Tradition! Because of our traditions, we have kept our balance for many years. Every one of us knows who they are and what God expects them to do. Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as… as… as a Fiddler on the Roof! ”

Jewish Lives 10 years on

The Jewish Lives study has provided a unique opportunity to explore the changing lives of young Jewish people and their families. It has also enabled us to understand the shorter-term and longerterm significance of Jewish schools in the lives of their students. It has been helping schools identify issues that will inform their policy and their planning for the future.

Longitudinal research with young people and schools is very rare, and the type of data we have been collecting since 2011 have never previously been gathered in the UK Jewish community.

We have been seeking to understand the forces and factors that contribute to those changes.

• For families: to provide a record of development that offers an account of Jewish lives over time.

• For schools : to develop a feedback loop that can help

stakeholders determine to what extent Jewish education provision is appropriate and achieving its aims.

• For the Jewish community: to deliver a view from the school to the community that conveys a unique record of the impact of a Jewish secondary school education on the Jewish development of young people and families.

• For society : to benchmark our findings against national trends in the wider society.

During the seven years they attended secondary school, the data we gathered offered insights into landmark lifecycle experiences, including bar/bat mitzvah, the start and conclusion of secondary school, as well as trips to Israel and Poland with peers. Some of the participants experienced personal trauma or family loss during this time. All were growing up during a period which saw turbulence in British civic and political life, an upsurge of antisemitism in various parts of the world, and conflict in Israel.

Our latest data collection took place in 2020/21, during the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. All these phenomena shaped how those in our sample experienced and made sense of the world including what it means to be Jewish.

Here is a small sample of what we’ve found out so far:

No matter which school their child attends, when selecting a school, parents consistently attribute the highest importance to general educational concerns. Parents whose children attend Jewish schools want to give their children a foundation of Jewish knowledge, and want their children to make Jewish friendships, but do not place high importance on an intensive Jewish education or on their child becoming highly competent in Hebrew.

Three years after they graduated both students and parents continued to be very satisfied with having spent seven years in a Jewish school. 85% of graduates responded very positively to the statement “it’s worthwhile attending a Jewish secondary school for seven years.” The graduates’ only real

complaint was that their schools had not provided them with financial management of practical life skills; and one could debate whether such matters are in any case the responsibility of schools.

Both parents and students offered a mixed assessment of the Jewish education they received at school. Schools have found it challenging to satisfy the religiously diverse families they recruit unlike with respect to general education where parents’ goals are much more aligned. Schools which cater to less diverse populations have fared somewhat better in this respect; the parents and children in these schools are much more positive about their Jewish studies offerings.

Jewish schools are frequently criticised for functioning as ghettos that separate young Jews from mainstream society or as contributing to an insular mentality. For these reasons, we have paid close attention to how students in Jewish schools view themselves as British citizens and the extent to which they get involved in larger causes in the UK. We found an increasing sense of ease with their

British identities: For example, they were twice as inclined to volunteer for non-Jewish social causes than for Jewish ones. During their university years, Jewish school graduates were active in the same causes as their non-Jewish peers; environmentalism and racism most prominently. Close to 90% reported having voted. Their schools seemed to have empowered them to play an engaged role as British citizens.

For those in Jewish schools, the school is often seen as highly significant in the development of Jewish identity, for those who do and do not come from families that are less engaged in Jewish life.

At age 22, our cohort members are now young adults, poised for independence. Having followed them for ten years so far, our data show a group of young people who have learnt to look after themselves, are thoughtful individuals, and who by and large, have retained (and in some cases re-developed) strong family ties. Their Jewish lives are evolving –they exist across the whole spectrum of religious behaviours. What brings them together is a strong sense of Jewish identity, linked back to family, schools, youth movements and peers. We can’t wait to see what happens next.

Dr Helena Miller is Director of Degrees and Teacher Training Programmes, Senior Research Fellow at LSJS. To find out more about Jewish Lives please contact her at helena.miller@lsjs.ac.uk

“Schools have found it challenging to satisfy the religiously diverse families they recruit unlike with respect to general education where parents’ goals are much more aligned”

Placing our Jewish Educators on the Windowsill

Ayear ago, the careers coordinator at my previous school organised a focus week centred around career options after leaving school. This aimed to recalibrate students’ motivations and work ethic in the aftermath of the pandemic, through the inspiration future careers could offer. To introduce the week, teachers were interviewed by the sixth form about their own careers. Out of the twenty or so faculty members interviewed, not one of them replied that they had always wanted to be a teacher. The general patterned response

was ‘I would have liked to be X, but that didn’t work out, so I became a teacher.’ This upset me.

or Professional Football? Rather than become too philosophical or downbeat by these thoughts, I announced to all my classes that day, that I have always loved teaching and actively set out to pursue a career in education.

More broadly, does the teaching profession really consist of people that didn’t quite make it in Law, Accountancy, Medicine

The recent report conducted by LSJS and the UJIA in collaboration with the wider community, highlighted the challenge of recruitment and retention of quality educators in our Jewish Schools. It comments that a response is needed by our community to prioritise the provision educational institutions

“Was I part of a culture where most colleagues didn’t really want to be there?”

have at their disposal. It reinforced the importance of quality teacher training and continuous professional development for our Jewish Studies teachers so that, they in turn can maintain, develop and improve the Jewish values, skills, knowledge and identity of the students who attend our Jewish schools. I would like to explore this challenge using two core themes of Chanukah.

Publicising the Miracle Chanukah is a time where we reconnect with our Jewish identity. We respond to the Ancient Greek determination to dilute and eradicate Jewish identity, with ‘Pirsumei Nisa’ – publicising the miracle. By placing our Chanukah candles in the window, we proudly and publicly declare our identity and hope to inspire others to connect as well. The Talmud in Shabbat 21b teaches, we intentionally place our Chanukiah by the entrance of our homes, by the window, so passers-by can be inspired by what they see. The 14th Century halakhist, the Kol Bo explains that the lighting of the Chanukiah in Shul, as well as our homes, is an additional component of Pirsumei Nisa.

He expands the obligation, so that Pirsumei Nisa is not just performed by the individual, but by the community in shul as well. We can see that responsibility for perpetuation of Jewish pride and identity is incumbent both on the individual and community.

I would like to suggest that we should equate our teachers with the flames of the chanukiah. Our educators are the conduit through which our children can connect and relate to their own Jewish identities. I firmly believe that our Jewish educators should be placed on the metaphorical windowsill, celebrated in public, so that our community can be inspired by the tireless dedication, care and passion that they bring to their students. If we want our children’s education to be the best, we need to recognise, support and truly value the work of our Jewish educators.

Not relying on Miracles

Another concept associated with miracles and Chanukah is the maxim that ‘we do not rely on miracles’. Jewish practice requires us to make the effort and not wait for the results we wish to appear without intervention. The two major miracles of Chanukah represent this principle. Both the miracle of the oil and the miracle of battle victory against-all-odds, required action by the Jewish people to ensure Jewish survival and Jewish continuity. The recruitment of quality

Jewish educators is a continuous challenge. Attracting sufficient numbers of talented recruits and retaining our trained educators can sometimes feel like it requires a miracle. Our community needs to take action. We need to publicly recognise the value of our teachers and support them with their own progression to encourage retention and development. Inspired teachers will result in inspired students and this community investment will pay dividends to our children’s education and identity. Inspired by the message of Chanukah, we must play our part to facilitate this task.

I am grateful to LSJS for entrusting me with the task of training new teachers and developing career pathways for Jewish studies teachers. I hope that the community will mobilse to support our programmes to inspire and provide professional development opportunities for our teachers. If we place our educators in the spotlight, publicise their achievements and encourage their development, who knows, their talent might even inspire the next generation to aspire towards teaching as a future career.

Rabbi Danny Baigel is the LSJS Secondary Programmes Manager and Jewish Career Pathways Director. To speak to him about starting your career as a teacher please contact danny.baigel@lsjs.ac.uk

“I firmly believe that our Jewish educators should be placed on the metaphorical windowsill,”

The LSJS Graduation 2022

The LSJS Graduation 2022 saw 50 students graduating from our teacher training and degree programmes. Students who were able to attend in person were awarded their certificates from LSJS Deputy President, S&P Sephardi Senior Rabbi Dweck. International students and guests were able to join in the celebration via zoom. Congratulations to the class of 2022, and we wish them luck in their future careers.

From our Graduates...

When our family moved to Edgware from Israel in 2020, I was able to finally procure my QTS with the wonderful LSJS who were with me every step of the way during an incredibly challenging time for everyone. I worked full time as a teacher of secular studies to year 6 at my very own old school Beis Yaakov whilst completing my schools direct QTS, alongside living through a worldwide pandemic with our young growing family of little boys. Whirlwind though it was, it was a truly memorable learning

experience, where I developed a resilience and perseverance, I didn’t know I had. I was also extremely privileged to be chosen to be a part of LSJS’s new Teach to Lead programme which gave me a space to examine these and other qualities, developing myself further to improve my teaching and leadership skills.

Teaching was never something I specifically thought I would do when I grew up, I always knew I wanted to change the world, with big and bright things, helping people gain the most they could from this beautiful world

around us. The ease in which my path turned to education clarified for me how everything I loved to do, my desire to learn and know everything there is to know, my delight in sharing a story, skill or concept and my yearning to impact those around me was Hashem’s sign to me to give to others what I cherished most; to educate. Having the privilege to teach my precious young students today is something I will never take for granted.

“ What I enjoyed most about Teach to Lead was meeting the team from Faith in Leadership which was brilliant. Both learning from their content and their example I’m excited to do more with them in the future.

Torah l’Am was brilliant, amazing and an important derech halimud to be exposed to. My one to one sessions with Dr Miller and Rabbi Dr Zarum were really worthwhile and very appreciated. A way to reflect on progress, contextualise learning, consider future developments.

The PGCert was really well run and organised with so much help and support. A great way to accomplish some serious academic study and see teaching through an academic lens.”

- Rafi Cohen, Secondary School Direct & Teach to Lead

Shoshanah Ezekiel

I always knew I wanted to change the world, with big and bright things, helping people gain the most they could from this beautiful world around us.

Camille Compton graduated from the LSJS SCITT course in 2021 and is now working at the Independent Jewish Day School (IJDS) in North west London

I have been a volunteer with British Emunah for over twenty years, was Chairman for two terms, a member of the Trustees and on the executive committee. I have always cared about the welfare and education of children and set-up the Emunah Mother Daughter Bat Mitzvah Tour and a programme to raise money to bring vulnerable teenagers in Emunah centres to the UK to experience life in a Jewish home in the UK and to show them they are valued.

In January 2020 I spent the afternoon as a guest artist in a year 5 class at the Independent Jewish Day School (IJDS). I had

I didn’t have a clash of workhomelife during shabbat or over the chaggim. During uncertain times being with a group of likeminded people was helpful and so was being given the opportunity to experience working in a Jewish and secular environment.

LSJS offered support and advice in applying for work and I was fortunate to be offered a position at IJDS. I began working immediately with Year 5 and love being in the classroom. The highlight of my career so far was last week when a pupil arrived in school with a card they had made at home which said ‘Best Ever’ on the outside and when it unfolded revealed the word ‘teacher’ in the middle.

Torah, a deeper understanding to tefilla, make Yiddishkeit interesting, relevant and loved. As well as the theories

understanding to the

ךונח This impacted on my day to day life for me, my family and my students ”

Camille Compton

Torah is like a business, not a title. It must be earned if it is to be sustained. How do we earn it? How do we pass it on to next generations? The Chief Rabbi explains that by instilling a love for Torah and Yiddishkeit that is how we take possession of the Torah and pass it on to the further generations.

This is what I learned at LSJS, how we can not just impart the knowledge of Torah, but to instill a meaning in

and

development of the child so we achieve the וכרד יפ לע רענל

Mordechai

Erlanger, BA Jewish Education

I signed up for the LSJS SCITT course and found myself part of a cohort who bonded really well, as we navigated training with Covid.

Routes to Becoming a Teacher

At LSJS we offer a range of ways for you to become a qualified teacher. We offer an exciting, supportive and inclusive environment for all our students. Our hands-on, expert team are ready to guide you every step of the way.

Whatever your age or experience, whether you are a recent graduate or looking for a mid-life career change, we have a teacher training course for you. So start your career today and make an impact on the next generation.

Have you got a degree and would now like to start teaching children in their primary school years?

Would you like your training to give you experience in a number of schools? If so SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) could be the right course for you.

If you prefer to learn on the job then School Direct Primary is your best option.

With either of these courses you have the option of becoming a Jewish Studies specialist teacher.

Are you passionate about working in Secondary Schools and becoming a subject specialist?

Then School Direct Secondary is the perfect course for you to do! Learn on the job from day one and specialise in a range of subjects including:

Jewish Studies, Modern Hebrew, English, Sciences, Maths, French, and many other subjects on request.

Do you currently teach in a school but don’t have a UK qualification or have never formally trained?

Our Assessment Only fast track route is for unqualified teachers with two years or more teaching experience in at least two schools.

Do you want to be a Jewish Studies teacher but don’t have a degree yet?

Then sign up now for our BA Jewish Education, a part-time four-year course which allows you to work alongside your studies. On completion of your degree, if you have the right experience, you can then get your Qualified Teacher Status certificate via Assessment Only

Interested in degrees at LSJS?

Both our BA and MA Jewish Education are accredited by Middlesex University who recently commended us on our intellectually rich curriculum content, creative use of online pedagogy and the support and ethics of care that we provide our students.

Worried about being supported professionally after graduation?

LSJS is passionate about Jewish Education and our relationship with our teacher trainees does not end with their graduation. We have recently launched an Alumni scheme and specifically for all Jewish Studies teachers, regardless of where they have trained, we offer:

• Primary School Jewish Studies Teacher Conference

• Secondary School Jewish Studies Teacher Conference

• Israel trip for Jewish Studies teachers

• MA Jewish Education

Find out more about how you can start your career as a teacher by contacting suzanne.wayland@lsjsja.ac.uk or visit www.lsjs.ac.uk

Teacher Training With LSJS

Teaching is one of the most stimulating and rewarding careers, offering clear career progression.

At LSJS we have been training teachers for over 10 years and offer a range of courses to become a qualified teacher, specialising in primary teaching or a range of secondary subjects including Jewish Studies, Maths, Science, Modern Hebrew, French and Spanish. Our hands-on, expert team are ready to guide and support you every step of the way. Contact us now to find out more.

*subject to terms 020 8203 6427 ext. 216 |

suzanne.wayland@lsjs.ac.uk

School Direct Secondary With LSJS

• Learn ‘on the job’ as part of the teaching team in a school from day one. Specialize in a range of subjects including Jewish Studies, Sciences, Modern Hebrew, English & many more.

• A programme personalised to your needs and interests. Become a qualified teacher in one year.

• Start your career today!

Financial assistance available for some subjects including Jewish Studies* *subject to terms

suzanne.wayland@lsjs.ac.uk

School Direct Primary With

This is a salaried route – pay your fees from your salary as you earn Learn ‘on the job’ as part of the teaching team from day one in high-performing schools

This option is perfect if you already work in a school without QTS, if you are a university graduate or if you are changing careers

• Very high employment record!

Option to specialise as a Jewish Studies teacher, with financial support available* *subject to

Jewish studies Teacher Training

LSJS offers a range ofcourses to become a qualified

Jewish Studies teacherin primaryorsecondary schools.Trainwith the UK’s leading providerof TeacherTraining forJewish schools and make an impact on the next generation.

Startyourcareertodayand inspire the Financialcommunityoftomorrow! support available* 020 8203 6427 ext. 216 | suzanne.wayland@lsjs.ac.uk

Teaching is one of the most stimulating and rewarding careers and offers a clear career progression. Train with the UK’s leading provider of Teacher Training for Jewish Schools and make an impact on the next generation.

Looking for a change in career? Start your career today and inspire the community of tomorrow. 020 8203 6427 ext. 216 |

suzanne.wayland@lsjs.ac.uk

Are you a good teacher who doesn’t yet have QTS? Have you taught for two years or more? Have you taught in at least two schools? Do you have a degree?

LSJS could offer you the opportunity to get your QTS through the fast-track Assessment Only route.

suzanne.wayland@lsjs.ac.uk or call 020 8203 6427 ext 216

Degree & Teacher Training Courses

Supporting Jewish Studies Teachers

ach year LSJS runs dedicated conferences for Jewish Studies teachers in Primary and Secondary schools which provide the opportunity to share best practise, network, learn about the latest resources and hear from inspirational speakers.

“Heart and soul” was the title of the 11th LSJS Primary Jewish Studies teachers’ conference, originally planned to be a great face to face celebration of returning to Jewish life in schools post-covid. In

January 2022, still in the midst of the pandemic, 165 participants zoomed in to an online conference instead.

The Chief Rabbi’s opening address talked about the symbol of continuity through the sedra of Mishpatim, the value of feeling the beauty of, and experiencing Jewish life, and not only learning about it.

Following the keynote, participants chose from a range of 18 sessions, from sessions on wellbeing, to thinking about the inclusive classroom, to strategies from the Talmud to help us in our Jewish studies teaching. The day ended with an inspirational panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing teachers in a post-covid era.

Orah Soller, Deputy Head of Jewish Studies at Morasha Jewish Primary school said, “Brilliant! All the lectures thoroughly delivered on this year’s theme of heart and soul, which is exactly what is needed right now –thank you so much LSJS”.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank LSJS for arranging the conference and all your hard work. In these unique and ever-changing times it is so wonderful to see the commitment of the LSJS to continue to inspire and show leadership. We really appreciate all the work that you are doing and are looking forward to PG yet another enlightening

conference.” David Wilk, North West London Jewish Day School.

On the 26th May LSJS held its third annual National Jewish Education Conference for Secondary School Teachers – but the first in person! Chief Rabbi Mirvis, LSJS President, opened the conference and spoke about the importance of appreciating good teachers.

The keynote address was given by Rachel Levitt Klein Dratch, Director of Educational Innovation at Prizmah in the United States, who looked at ‘Covid, the hi-tech revolution and my classroom: Where does Jewish education go from here?’. Rachel also spent time visiting several

EstherColman,JoanneGreenaway, Dr Helena Miller

Jewish schools and speaking to the Heads of Jewish Studies of the Secondary schools.

Avi Posen, Senior Director for Education at Unpacked for Educators, also presented break out sessions which focused on how to teach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the philosophy of Israel education.

Adam Levine, Jewish studies teacher at Yavneh College said: “A thought provoking day, highlighting the work of brilliant organisations, with excellent facilitators”.

For more information on LSJS Jewish Studies Teacher conferences contact helena.miller@lsjs.ac.uk.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis, Joanne Greenaway, Rachel Levitt Klein Dratch

The Marc Weinberg Community Library

The library of LSJS was founded in 1855 to support the work of Jews’ College, the remit of which was to avoid entrusting our ‘intellect and souls’ ‘to men of ill-furnished minds…unprepared for the performance of their sacred functions’, and to provide ‘the sons of our middle ranks…the requisite theological and scholastic education…for their future sacred offices’. In other words, to train useful Rabbis, Ministers and Teachers, and prepare the sons of respectable parents for that path.

Subjects included Bible, Hebrew Grammar, Biblical History, and also English Grammar, History, Political Geography, Book-Keeping and Latin. In 1860 Jews’ College obtained the collection of the Jews’ and General Literary and Scientific Institution, purchased by Lewis Meyer Rothschild, and was recognised as one of the ‘outstanding collections of Hebraica and Judaica in London.

As the college grew and developed, the library grew by donation and bequeathed collections. In 1873, the oriental books of Emanuel Deutsch were acquired, and in 1878 the Library of Araham Benisch joined our shelves. Many other donations, and many librarians, followed through the years, as the identity of the college changed and developed.

During the nineteen thirties, the close relationship between Jews’ College and the University of London gave rise to the first female attendee of lectures, as an external student, naturally, and even, in 1938, an Egyptian Muslim student of Hebrew, Aramaic and Syriac. Funding was ever a concern for the college, and for the library, especially during the

second world war, when the most valuable library items were moved into storage away from London. After the war, the Committee on Restoration of Continental Jewish Museums, Libraries and Archives, permitted Jews’ College to hold a large number of books on trust, until such a time they might be restored to their owners or heirs. No record of such a restoration survives.

Through it all, the production of educated, knowledgeable Jewish leaders and readers, was, and still is, the aim of the college, supported by the library.

Of particular interest, especially during the festive season, is our collection of Anglo-Jewish historical ephemera.

I think one of my favourite books is Siftei Yeshenim, The Lips of The Sleepers. Published in 1680 by Shabbethai ben Joseph Bass (1641–1718), this was the first bibliography of Hebrew books to be written, and serves as a guide to all available publications of the day. We hold various Kosher Torah Scrolls, an early Hebrew Typewriter, and a collection of printed material from Pre-State Palestine in Hebrew. In addition to the modern Classical Judaica used by scholars and Rabbinic researchers, we hold a collection of Bibles, Talmud, Mishna, Midrashic sources, and books of religious instruction, sermonic material and pamphlets dating back to the seventeenth century. Items relating to the history of Anglo-Jewry and that of pre-war Gemany are particularly poignant, alongside our large collection of Holocaust Study material, including both academic works and personal narratives.

A researcher might look at ‘Some Teachings of Hannukah’ from 1895, or an annual service for the Children’s service at Bayswater synagogue from 1964, or even ‘A Hannukah Story for Youth’ printed in German from 1938. Youth movements, Burial Societies, Charities and Synagogues are all represented in our historical collections, forming a strong record of communal life in the UK. The choice of presentation and the change in tone over the decades is very telling when considering the communities who produced these items, and who they were produced for.

Here in the LSJS library, we have an unexpected collection of curiosities and historical records, in addition to the standard collection. The collection will continue to remain relevant to the changing identity of the college, and of the Jewish community we serve, promoting an educated, learned community with a lifelong love of learning.

Samantha Reuben, LSJS Librarian

The LSJS Library is open Monday – Thursday from 9.30am - 6.30pm and at other times by appointment. To find out more please visit www.lsjs.ac.uk or contact library@lsjs.ac.uk.

“We now strive to be the best AngloJewish Specialist Archive and Library in the UK, and hold an amazing array of books, journals and ephemera.”

“

Sermons, Orders of Service, pamphlets and occasional publications can reveal much more about their producers than just the words written within.”

LSJS Library Treasures

Highlights from our collection.

Polygot Bible

An unusual book in the LSJS collection is The New Testament in Hebrew, Greek, Latin and German, published for the Worshipers of God’s Word and Languages, by Elias Hutter. He was born in 1553 in Gorlitz, Germany, studied Oriental Languages at the Lutheran University in Jena, becoming Professor of Hebrew in Leipzig at the age of 24. As a religious education reformer and pioneer, he founded a school in Nuremberg to teach students Hebrew, Greek, Latin and German in four years, the first of its’ kind in the world. Finding no extant Hebrew translation of the Greek Scriptures, he created his own, publishing his ‘Nuremberg Polygot’, The New Testament in 12 languages, in 1599. Our edition, published in 1602 is an example of the text his students would have used.

Haggadot

There are a number of Haggadot in the collection. This Haggadah, printed in Prague in 1868 contains the text in Hebrew and Gothic German script, and contains eight engraved illustrations, a lovely translation of ‘Who Knows One?’ and ‘Chad Gadya’ in rather archaic German. Haggadah for Passover, the two Nights, overseen by Dr R. B. Furstenthal, with explanatory notes and homiletics by Dr. A Schmiedl, Prague 1868.

Hebrew Typewriter

This is a cased Imperial Hebrew language typewriter with Royal Appointment decal. The Hebrew inscription reads ‘Imperial, Your Best Friend’, but this is probably a poor translation of the more typical moniker ‘The Good Companion’. The Royal Appointment is to George V, 1911-36. The design dates this typewriter to the thirties but without a serial number or defining feature, it is hard to date this piece accurately, but we suspect this to be a Hebrew version of the Imperial Good Companion Portable Typewriter Model T 1935 & Case. The Imperial Typewriter Company was founded in 1911 in Leicester.

Librarian Sam Reuben has picked out a few interesting pieces from the LSJS collection of over 70,000 items.

Prayers for the Royal Family

Anglo Jewry has proudly marked significant Royal occasions over the years, be it Royal births, marriages, or deaths.

George III’s only legitimate grandchild, Princess Charlotte, gave birth to a still born son in 1817, and died shortly after, wiping out two generations of the already troubled British Monarchy at once, and was buried at St Georges chapel, Windsor. Hoping to avoid the crown being passed to a distant and unprepared cousin, George’s sons were tasked to marry and repopulate the Royal family, it was his fourth son, Prince Edward, who fathered the eventual Queen Victoria. Prayer and Psalms for Princess Charlotte was printed in 1818, produced for the Congregation of German Jews (In London and Throughout England) at which a sermon was preached by Rev S. Hirschell.

Pashtu Pentateuch

The Pentateuch In Pashtu, Translated by Jukes, Rev. Worthington. 1890. London: The British and Foreign Bible Society. This Christian translation of the Old Testament into Pashtu relied on Islamic and Christian scholarship in Hebrew, disregarding Jewish Scholarship of the time.

Worthington Dukes, 1849-1937 was a Church Missionary Society Missionary in Peshawar, 1874-1890. He studied Hebrew, Arabic and Persian, in order to translate the Old Testament into Pashtu, and took great pains to translate the Old Testament faithfully but in an understandable manner, despite the prejudices of his day. The first translation had been made in 1824 by a Mr Carey and “someone, probably a Jew, who knew the language, which Mr. Carey probably did not.” In 1876 The British and Foreign Bible Society commissioned this retranslation which was intended to be “in good colloquial language, understandable by all”, despite the lack of input from available Jewish scholars of the time.

Survivors’ Talmud

In 1948 the U. S. Army issued a full-sized edition of the Talmud in Hebrew, printed photo-offset from the standard Vilna edition. This edition became known’ as the “Survivors’ Talmud.” The title page depicted an idyllic Land of Israel above an image of barbed wire surrounding a labour camp. Only 100 sets were printed and the LSJS collection is home to one of them. The project was completed by the U.S. Occupying Forces in Germany, and the Joint Distribution Committee. The edition was printed at the Carl Winter Printing Plant in Heidelberg, which had previously printed Nazi propaganda. This is the sole instance of a national government publishing the Talmud. The edition is dedicated to the US Army for their role in the rescue of the Jewish people from total annihilation.

“

Teachers open our eyes to the world. They give us curiosity and confidence. They teach us to ask questions. They connect us to our past and future. They’re the guardians of our social heritage. They are the people who really shape our lives.”

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l Former LSJS President, Principal, lecturer & student.

How to support the London School of Jewish Studies

LSJS is passionate about creating an engaged, inspired and educated Jewish community, nourished by a lifelong love of teaching and learning.

Please support our work and help us to deliver inspiring education programmes which transmit a love of learning and achieve excellence in teaching.

Student fees contribute 40% of LSJS’s running costs, so we rely on donations to ensure we can run all our teacher training, degrees and lifelong learning programmes. All our activities are only possible with the help from our supporters.

To find out how to make a donation or to include a gift to LSJS in your will, please visit www.lsjs.ac.uk or contact karen.brosh@lsjs.ac.uk for information on bespoke sponsorship packages.

President Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis Deputy President S&P Sephardi Senior Rabbi Joseph Dweck

Chair Gary Phillips

Trustees

Alan Bekhor Bill Benjamin Elliot Conway

Jo Rosenfelder

Leon Nahon Margaret Rothem

Sara Gamsu

Susan Nyman Zvi Noe