New Year's Greetings from the Head of the Movement - 5769
Written by Rabbi Dr. Tony Bayfield Monday, 15 September 2008
Not JUST 'any dream will do'
Linda Bayfield defined herself, first and foremost, as a wife and mother. But she was also a Jewish educator of great talent. She was Head Teacher of Akiva School at the Sternberg Centre in Finchley, the first Progressive Jewish primary school in Britain. It was a private school with 160 pupils.
Linda’s educational style was characterised by love and care for each individual pupil. It contributed much to Akiva’s popularity.
She had a dream. She wanted Akiva to be available to all, regardless of their income. She wanted Akiva to offer a lot more places. Thanks to many people but particularly her Chair of Governors Philip Simmons and her successor Sue de Botton, the new Akiva opened its doors in January, a matter of metres from its old premises. It is now a state school, in a state-of-the-art building, with 420 places.
This September our elder daughter Lucy’s first child Francesca, who spent much of her first 2½ years with grandma Linda, will be in the junior school. Her brother Oliver will be in the reception class. Linda’s son, Daniel, hopes that Zachary, born last November, will manage to get a place when he is old enough. Getting a place will be a challenge, as Linda’s younger daughter Rabbi Miriam Berger knows well, since Finchley Reform Synagogue has experienced a huge increase in membership over the last two years, many hoping that their children can go to Akiva. Despite the two and a half fold increase in places, the Akiva waiting list is longer than ever.
If I stand at my office window I can see the new Akiva and catch a glimpse of Francesca running into grandma Linda’s school. Life is a perplexing and challenging business, full of dreams and loss, joy and pain. Most of us carry both at the same time.
But thinking about Linda, our three children and our grandchildren – with Linda’s dream now, five years on, fulfilled – my sense that there is more to life than the secularists would have us believe; that there is meaning and purpose in there somewhere, is stronger than ever.
May the New Year be a good one in which our best and worthiest dreams come to fruition.
L’shanah tovah.
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