A WOMAN rabbi is distraught that an invitation to recite kaddish at the City Hall ceremony was withdrawn after complaints from “observant Jews”.

Rabbi Miriam Berger of Finchley Reform Synagogue was “honoured” to have been approached by Boris Johnson’s office. “But a few weeks ago I got a call asking to do a reading instead. They said pressure had been put on them not to allow kaddish by a woman.

“I felt terrible that our internal Jewish politics had put the Mayor’s office in this position. I assumed they would ask someone else to do it but when I saw the running order I realised kaddish wasn’t being said at all.

“There were survivors there who had lost family but we couldn’t stand with them and say kaddish.”
A Mayor’s office spokesman confirmed that disquiet had been expressed from “more traditionally observant Jews” over a Reform minister saying kaddish.