Hadley Wood Jewish Community has a new ministerial couple, Rabbi Akiva and Batya Rosenblatt.

Currently the assistant rabbinic couple at Woodside Park United Synagogue, they will join the North London congregation in August, their appointment having been comprehensively approved in a members’ vote this week.

The Merseyside-born rabbi (a Liverpool FC fan) was raised in North-West London and spent many years studying at prominent yeshivot. He is also a trained chazan and enjoys singing at wedding ceremonies.

Mrs Rosenblatt hails from Manchester, where she taught Jewish studies at Broughton Jewish Primary after studying at Gateshead. When the couple moved to Israel after marriage, she attended the Shelem College of Complementary Medicine in Jerusalem, qualifying as a massage therapist and reflexologist and a going on to establish a successful massage salon in the city.

Earlier this year, the Rosenblatts graduated from the Rabbinic Training Academy, an 18-month leadership programme. They were recently appointed to the chaplaincy team of the Nightingale Hospital.

Rabbi Rosenblatt said that although he and his wife would “miss the Woodside Park community tremendously”, they were excited to be joining a “vibrant, dynamic and innovative” congregation.

Hadley Wood chair John Melchior said that “through a very unusual lockdown interview process, the Rosenblatts shone through. We were convinced they possess all the qualities we were looking for to drive our wonderful community to further strength and engagement.”

The Rosenblatts are replacing Rabbi Yoni and Elisheva Birnbaum, who are leaving Hadley Wood after ten years to join the independent Toras Chaim in Hendon.