The life of an Orthodox Rabbi living in Reading, Berkshire

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Rabbi Zvi

Rabbi Zvi

Registered: 4 December 2008
The Rabbi of Reading Hebrew Congregation, I live and work in Reading. I am married to Shira, and have three children Gavriel Ora and Shula, who go to the local primary school. I have previously been Minister in Norwich, Potters Bar and Liverpool's Princes Road Synagogue. My interests: Interfaith activity, Fountain pens, gardening (occasionally) reading, music, foreign languages. I hold the following degrees: MA (Cantab) in Archaeology, MPhil (Reading) Land Management, and Semicha from Jews' College/LSJS.

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The Lost Jews and the Jews of Death

By Rabbi Zvi, September 17, 2010

I spent yesterday afternoon with a lovely mother and daughter who live not far from Reading. They have always known that they are Jewish but have never actively participated in the Jewish community. No Mezuzzah on the door, just faint memories of the food. I offered a mezuzah and they both accepted with some delight and a few tears.

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Sacks gets it wrong 2

By Rabbi Zvi, September 17, 2010

(I write this as a Jew, an Orthodox Rabbi, and as a graduate in Roman, Saxon and Mediaeval Archaeology from the University of Cambridge)

Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks cites the Pope in his recent op ed
http://www.chiefrabbi.org/ReadArtical.aspx?id=1674
in the Times:

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Sacks gets it wrong.

By Rabbi Zvi, September 17, 2010

The Chief Rabbinate in this country is a fascinating institution. To some extent it is a mini-version of the Pope's fiefdom, setting as it does one person at the head of a whole network of places of worship, the pinnacle of a whole institution. The Chief Rabbi has the ear of the powerful. The current incumbent boasted the ear of no less a person than Gordon Brown, and he uses his position to act as a one-man lobby to the powerful and influential people in our society. He cultivates and (on his own admission) advises those who rule and have power over the rest of us.

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Thames Valley Limmud

By Rabbi Zvi, July 25, 2010
Time:
Sunday 10 October
8:30am

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Has anyone read this? Why hasn't it made the front page!

By Rabbi Zvi, July 25, 2010

http://www.thejc.com/blogpost/chief-rabbi-sacks-boasts-about-limmud

I find the whole thing hard to believe. Here I am going to Limmud every year - I have made more of a contribution in the past 15 years than the Chief Rabbi because I actually attend (unlike most Orthodox Colleagues) and he's claiming responsibility for the whole thing. Hardly what one might call an honest assessment of the situation. Does the Chief ever look at his term of office through the eyes of his constituents? I am surprised that the JC hasn't really made very much of this - it's outrageous.

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Thames Valley Limmud

By Rabbi Zvi, July 4, 2010
Time:
Sunday 10 October
8:30am - 5:30pm

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Shocker Rabbi in FAVOUR of conversion!

By Rabbi Zvi, February 26, 2010

In view of recent coverage from Mill Hill here is the other point of view.

A Rabbi should be a leader in the community but this should not extend to excluding a proportion of his congregation from his personal classification of who is a Jew, however "theoretical" or "devil's advocate" this could be. I am shocked to see a Rabbi, of all people, publicly flouting the call in the Talmud not even to remind a convert that s/he was once not a Jew.

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If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

By Rabbi Zvi, December 23, 2009

For many years there have only been two choices for Jewish mainstream schooling in Anglo-Jewry: Orthodox or more Orthodox. This has suited most of us, who (whatever our practice) are nominally Orthodox. The recent go-ahead for the JCoSS school (http://www.jcoss.org/) means that this is now broadened to include the "Progressive" or non-Orthodox wing of the wider community. However, this has not been enough for many, who want access to the tried and tested education of the longer-established Jewish schools.

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Criticizing Israel

By Rabbi Zvi, January 7, 2009

This is not the time to criticize Israel. And this is not what I am doing in this blog, at least not with regard to what is happening in Gaza. I pray that both sides may find peace, and that as few civilians as possible may be hurt on either side. Peace, and a two-state solution, is what I pray for every day. Sheyavo bim'heyra v'yameinu.

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Pre Shabbat Rituals

By Rabbi Zvi, December 5, 2008

Getting the kids to school (they come home early as it is Shabbat but it's only 5 minutes' walk here), reading the JC, preparing Leyning, and writing our weekly sheet, as well as phoning up everyone who has a birthday this week. These are some of my Shabbat rituals. It's quite cold in the house this morning, and I was up late last night trying to log on to the JC website to see my article (yeah I know, horribly narcissistic) but of course my server seems to have caught the emails letting me log on and I can't get in...

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