St John's Wood Synagogue director of programming Rabbi Yosef Richards is leaving to become community and youth director at Bushey shul. He succeeds Rabbi Jonny Spector, who left Bushey last year to pursue a career in education.

Bushey chair Louis Sharron hopes Rabbi Richards will draw on his experience at St John's Wood - where he has been targeting young professionals in particular - and elsewhere to "provide a variety of educational programmes and events, both structured and informal, which will engage and serve the interests of our members. I am looking forward to Rabbi Richards contributing to their development and learning."

The London-born rabbi will be moving to the area in the next few weeks with his wife Tamima and their young children Chaim Zvi and Binyomin.