A Weekend of Celebration in Hendon
Friday, 01 May 2009
Hendon Reform Synagogue recently marked it’s 60th anniversary with a weekend of events in celebration. A special Shabbat morning service was held on 28th March. Two hundred copies of a welcome leaflet were prepared but the people at the welcome desk, soon “sold out” as the size of the congregation leapt and when finally Rabbi Steven Katz with Yuval (soon to be Rabbi) Keren walked in accompanied by Rabbi Dr. Tony Bayfield, the gallery was also filling up.Rabbi Steven read his own beautifully worded special prayer, 'Elohaynu shebashamayim' followed by the choir’s stunning rendering of the shehechiyanu after which the service proper began.
Special guests included the President of the Movement, Sir Sigmund Sternberg attending with Lady Sternberg, Andrew Dismore MP for Hendon, the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor John Marshall, and Councillor Maureen Braun, Hendon Reform’s own Mayor of Barnet a year ago. Also present were Rabbi Dr. Michael Shire, Vice-Principal of Leo Baeck College, and the Movement was also represented by David Jacobs, Director of Synagogue Partnership and Mike Frankl, Director of Synagogue Services. Visitors from other Reform communities were also out in force.
Valerie Boyd-Hellner, Director of Education, produced a moving and perfectly performed presentation with a group of young people suggesting how we may have arrived at the name of God, in biblical days which resulted in hardly a dry eye in the house and to add to the joy of the day, there was an aufruf, of Richard Specterman and Elizabeth Guppy.
Rabbi Dr. Tony Bayfield’s sermon focused on the journey of the Jewish people and Rabbi Steven’s was described as ‘brilliant, moving and emotional.’ A finale of zemirot sung by children, before a special rendering of Adon Olam brought the service to a close. Music was also provided by the choir led by Ben Seifert.
A Gala Evening took place on Sunday with a champagne and canapé reception followed by dinner and dancing and a candle-lighting ceremony with six candles lit representing the generations of HRS, starting with Ethel Clayton, aged 94, down to Jo Sorensen with the last one. Musical entertainment was provided by Ben Seifert and community member Ed Shirman, performing after a long and serious illness as Tevya, with 'If I Were a Rich Man' was greeted with a standing ovation.
There was unanimous agreement that the weekend had been a huge success
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