Community
Reflections of a US President
Last week, Michael Goldstein stepped down as president of the United Synagogue. Here he looks back on his eight years at the helm
July 22, 2025 17:20
Last week, Michael Goldstein stepped down as president of the United Synagogue. Here he looks back on his eight years at the helm
July 22, 2025 17:20Since October 7, the Jewish people have experienced the most trauma that we have endured since the Shoah. Yet today, to quote Rabbi Sacks z”l, “as we stand as if on a mountain peak surveying the breathtaking landscape of Jewish history, we know this: that those who sought to destroy the people of the covenant gather dust in the museums of mankind while am Yisrael chai, the people Israel, lives. Ancient Egypt is no more. The Moabites have long since disappeared. The Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans successively strode the stage of world dominion. Each empire played its part, said its lines, and each in turn has gone….But the Jews survive.”
We have endured so much, yet we survive. It is this fact, more than anything else, that resolves my belief in God. But to ensure the positive continuity of our people, we must instil in our young the positive messages of Judaism.
Too many of us, and our enemies in particular, portray us through the memory of tragedy, particularly the Holocaust. It is vital that we learn the lessons from the Holocaust and honour those that survive. But it is even more important that we teach the beauty of our Judaism and the Divine Presence. It is there around the table at a Shabbat meal, in the light of the candles, it is there when we return to the world after Shabbat and in the eyes of our children. We all have a purpose. Every breath we breathe is the spirit of God within us.
These past eight years have been the most rewarding that I have spent outside of my home. We, in British Jewry, should be immensely proud of the deep and profound sense of kehillah that we are able to maintain and central to this is our relationship to the Almighty and to the State of Israel. Whilst these last 21 months have been so painful, the sense of unity of strength and purpose has been palpable and central to this is the importance that we place on our synagogues.
Our places of worship, more than ever, are welcome to Jews of all stripes under a single roof as heirs to common memories, with a shared sense of destiny so that, together, we can sustain the spirit of our revolutionary faith for another generation. We come together to pray the same prayers, hear the same words, face in the same direction and embrace each other as we celebrate our single community of faith. This sense of togetherness has never been felt more than it is felt today as we face, together with our brothers and sisters in Israel, the fight of our lives.
Our rabbis are able to say the Prayer for the State of Israel every week, while acknowledging the pain and suffering of innocent children in Gaza. There is no contradiction
I am proud of the United Synagogue’s steadfast commitment to Israel. Where others have wavered, we have stood firm. Not by coincidence do organisations want to partner with the United Synagogue for big Israel events – in the last few weeks alone, thousands of people have come to hear survivors of October 7 speak and enjoyed concerts for Israel.
Where we have shown smart leadership, I think, is to keep discussions about Israeli politics away from the pulpit and press releases. Our members – just like the Israeli people themselves – hold all sorts of views when it comes to geopolitics. Our unbreakable bond with Israel does not mean we support every policy of every Israeli government. Our rabbis are able to say the Prayer for the State of Israel every week, while acknowledging the pain and suffering of innocent children in Gaza. There is no contradiction in doing so, and our members appreciate the nuance: the situation is immensely complicated.
We have welcomed many new members in the last 21 months from shuls whose leaders have spent more time criticising Israel than supporting it. Our doors are always open.
It has been a painful period for the British Jewish community. But if we continue to remember that Israel is core to our Jewish identity, I have no doubt that we can rebuild community life even stronger than before.
To get more from community, click here to sign up for our free community newsletter.