Induction of Rabbi Kathleen De Magtige-Middleton
Written by Rabbi Dr. Tony Bayfield Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Sermon given at Middlesex New Synagogue, Sunday 9th November 2008.
Quite some years ago my colleague at RSGB as it then was, Mike Frankl, told me that I ought to be leading the organisation in risk assessment. I thought this might have something to do with the likelihood of Jonathan Ross becoming Chair of Middlesex New but when I discovered that it was all about trustee liability and staff running off with our stock of siddurim, I left him to it.
A few years ago we began discussions about risk management, particularly in relationship to RSY-Netzer and our summer programmes. I now have recurring nightmares about standing in court whilst a barrister looks down his nose at me and says: “Let me just clarify Rabbi Bayfield. You left 120 young children in the charge of a peer-led youth movement in Snowdonia?
A couple of months ago I was talking to one of our major donors, a quiet and modest man who’s built an important investment management company within the financial services industry in the City. I asked him, nervously, how things were and he said: “Fine. We tend to be risk averse”.
Risk assessment, risk management, risk averse, risk – it’s a word that dominates the news these days. So I suppose it’s not altogether surprising that when I started preparing this sermon ten days ago, it occurred to me that when to take risks and when not has been one of the most significant questions in my rabbinate.
It was a risk to start writing this sermon ten days ago – I’ll come back to that.
But I need to begin eighteen months ago. A man called Ian Luder, an accountant living in Bedfordshire and an Alderman of the City of London, rang me and said that he was standing as one of the two Sheriffs of London and would I be prepared to be his Chaplain. I didn’t have a clue about what the Sheriff of London does but assumed that it was something like being Sheriff of Nottingham. Actually, I wasn’t so wrong. The Sheriffs of London are responsible for the Old Bailey and therefore for outlaws and they do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time prancing around in tights and fancy dress at the Guildhall and the Mansion House. I suspected that there might be some profile in it – the chaplaincy not the tights – for the Reform Movement. And that’s my job. I gathered that I got to go to the Lord Mayor’s banquet so I said ‘yes’. Ian mentioned that if things went well he had hopes of becoming Lord Mayor of London and I knew vaguely that there was a Lord Mayor’s Show but didn’t think much more about it.
Last Friday, Ian Luder became the 681st Lord Mayor of London, the 9th Jew, the 1st this century and the first Progressive Jew. On Friday, late in the afternoon, we held a special service for him at West London Synagogue (we couldn’t use Bevis Marks where previous services have been held). It was attended by 150 leading City figures (back to the outlaws). Yesterday was the Lord Mayor’s Show and back we come to risk.
The Lord Mayor’s Show always takes place on a Saturday and cannot be moved. The last Jewish Lord Mayor, Lord Levene, took part like all his Jewish predecessors. It was suggested to him that he should walk behind the coach but he declined. Clearly Ian Luder was going to do what Lord Mayors, Jewish and otherwise, always do. So what was I, his Chaplain, going to do?
After some thought and discussion, I decided to book a room at the Guildhall and hold a full Shabbat morning service, with Sefer Torah and Torah reading, for all those Jews in the City who were going to take part in the Lord Mayor’s Show but who also wanted to acknowledge Shabbat. A number of members of the Movement Board, not to mention David Jacobs, supported me and when we’d finished, they were treated to a breakfast of smoked salmon beigels whilst I went off to ride in the coach with the Lord Mayor.
I think that demonstrates how Progressive Judaism makes it possible for people to fulfil both their Jewish and civic responsibilities in a sensible way. But it’s a risk. The JC could report it as: ‘Reform rabbi rides in coach on Shabbat. Shock! Horror!’ Without mentioning the service or the fact that Reform Jews drive on Shabbat anyway and the coach has a better carbon footprint than a car. I may have upset some of you. We’ll see. That’s risk.
There’s another risk in this sermon and one I was just as nervous about. You see, I wrote this sermon ten days ago – last weekend was Southport’s 60th anniversary and last week included a Reform Movement Board Away Day followed by preparation for this weekend and all of the normal demands of the day job.
Twelve days ago I was having dinner with some American friends. I moved the conversation on to the American election, in preparation for this sermon. Both were clear that Obama would win. I asked how they thought that American Jews would vote and Jack was equally clear that the overwhelming majority would vote Democrat. I asked him why but before he could answer, his wife interrupted (I was going to say that they’re clearly a Jewish couple but that would be an unacceptable risk). She said, ‘Why?’ and began to express reservations that I’ve heard from Jews in this country, particularly amongst our staunchest supporters of Israel. ‘Although Obama is a Christian, there’s a Muslim dimension to his family. We really can’t be sure where he stands on Israel. We’re worried by his Pastor. Although Jews were prominent amongst the whites who supported the civil rights movement, black anti-Semitism is rife. Michelle Obama is not to be trusted and so on’. When Marilyn had finished, Jack said: “You’re right Marilyn. Lots of people are worried. But Obama will win and the overwhelming majority of Jews will vote for him because they think that the time has come for America to elect a black President’. Now you can see that I was taking a risk because if McCain had won and the voting figures had turned out to be different, this sermon would have fallen apart.
Much more importantly. Look at the risk taken by American Jewry. It’s true that Israel’s cause has not been helped by association with George Bush’s neo-conservatism and obtuse foreign policy. But it’s also true that without American support, it’s hard to see how Israel would have survived this last sixty years. Yet American Jewry has been prepared to take a measure of risk – probably not as great as some believe and maybe even the best chance for change in the Middle East – because change at home is necessary, because change is what President Obama promises and because the view of one free and flourishing minority is that it’s time another minority attained the Presidency.
Risks are necessary but they have to be sensible. They have to be thought through, measured and responsible. All leadership involves taking sensible, measured risks, judging when to be brave and when to go with the flow, assessing what’s worth making an issue over and what isn’t. It’s the every day stuff of the life of a rabbi and of a Synagogue Council.
This synagogue has reached the point when risk-taking of the sensible, measured variety cannot be avoided. Indeed, not to take risks and do nothing would be the riskiest option of all. Middlesex New Synagogue is a community that has gone through much of the cycle of a synagogue. The first phase of birth and development. The second phase of enjoying a period of full bloom as a vibrant community with a magnificent building uniquely led by my much loved and revered colleague Rabbi Simon Franses. For some time now MNS has been in the third phase of the cycle – beginning to decline in numbers and age through no fault of its own but because Jews have a habit of moving and this is an area of demographic decline.
Particularly in America, there have been congregations which have refused to accept the inevitability of the conventional cycle and have taken a measured and considered risk. They’ve embraced change, gone for renewal and sought to re-invent themselves. They’ve taken good care of their old community whilst developing a new and younger community who will provide renewal and hope, a second cycle of existence.
I’m very aware that this community has been wrestling with those issues for some time. It would be absolutely wrong for me to tell you how to go forward – it would be impertinent and you know better than anyone else what is in the best interests of your own community. But I think that there is a strong awareness that moving forward, re-inventing yourselves is necessary. Whatever form moving forward takes will involve risk but sensible, measured risks need to be taken and the Reform Movement will be with you and will support you to the hilt in the process of re-invention and renewal.
Indeed, today, the first step has been accomplished. You’ve sought and found a young, talented, dynamic rabbi, undoubtedly better looking than her predecessor, to lead MNS forward in partnership with the Synagogue Council. In a few minutes Rabbi David Goldberg will be telling you all about Kathleen but I want to say with considerable conviction that you’ve made a very wise choice. There was a risk involved in appointing a mother of young children. There was a risk involved in accepting a post with a synagogue still wondering how exactly to move from the cycle of decline to the cycle of renewal. But it’s no more than I would expect from both parties, well considered and very sensible.
Which leads me to conclude by saying that I didn’t take much of a risk by assuming that Barack Obama would become President of the United States and I’m absolutely certain that you will be similarly rewarded in seeing today as the first day in MNS reborn, taking good care of its distinguished past but re-inventing, renewing for the future. What precisely that means, a lot of people will watch with great interest, assist in whatever way you need and wish you Rabbi Middleton, and every member of Middlesex New Synagogue a bright, well assessed, well managed and exciting future together.
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