“We have also received a remarkable seven-figure multi-year gift, which will enable us to establish and properly fund a young leadership programme for three years, including supporting Progressive Jews studying at university…
“This gift will allow us to begin refurbishing the Montagu Centre [the current Liberal HQ] and provides seed funding for an endowment, both of which require matched-funding.”
This support “provides a strong beginning – but it is only a beginning,” he said, as he appealed to the audience to add to it with further three-year pledges.
(l-r) Rabbi Charley Baginsky, Dr Ed Kessler and Rabbi Josh Levy (Photo: Graham's Photos)Graham?s Photos
By the end of the evening, which included a fundraiser, a further £450,000 had been raised.
Dr Kessler, the founder of the Woolf Institute, an interfaith centre in Cambridge, has already played a key role in bringing the two movements together as chair of the advisory board and then the implementation board that oversaw the project.
“This evening marks a rare, perhaps unique moment – the launch of a movement that can reshape Progressive Jewish life in Britain and Ireland,” Kessler said.
He asked whether he should “focus on the increase in intemperance, abrasiveness and aggressiveness in society. Or the lethal combination of chauvinistic nationalism, political demagoguery and religious fundamentalism. Or should I focus on defending Israel from those who seek her harm, or critiquing Israel when it should be critiqued?”
For many, the priority, he said, was “combatting the rise of antisemitism, examples of which we have all witnessed. Let me make it clear: I am not one of those people who sees antisemitism everywhere. As a Progressive Jew, I refuse to be intimidated by it.”
But, he went on: “What should we do? Well, we need to make friends and allies, and it is good to see some of them in this room, both Christian and Muslim. We must not be left to fight antisemitism on our own. It cannot be done.
“The hated cannot cure the hate. The victim cannot cure the crime. Antisemitism is the paradigm of a dislike of the unlike. It is not simply a crime against Jews, but against humanity because although antisemitism begins with Jews, it never ends with Jews.”
Citing the prophetic inspiration of Jeremiah, he urged supporters too to help “ co-create a startling new voice, advocating for the powerless, the homeless and the stranger.
‘This is a moment when the vision, courage and optimism of so many people come together to create something bold, hopeful and essential’
“The establishment of a unified, courageous and joyful Progressive Jewish movement will hold power accountable to truth, refuse to be fobbed off with evasions and equivocations and will demonstrate moral passion.”
In their opening address, MPJ’s co-leads, Rabbis Charley Baginsky and Josh Levy, previously the heads of the Liberal and Reform movements respectively, hailed “a moment of history, a moment when the vision, courage and optimism of so many people come together to create something bold, hopeful and essential”.
They said the movement stood “for dignity, inclusion, justice, compassion and intellectual honesty. And we believe these Jewish values should shape the world.”
The evening began with the blast of the shofar and the recitation of the Shehecheyanu blessing to mark something new. A choir of rabbis and cantors provided uplifting interludes of song, while a punchy video highlighted the movement’s achievements in promoting equality within the Jewish community.
Rabbi Igor Zinkov blows the shofar (Photo: Graham's Photos)Graham?s Photos
MPJ’s new logo – incorporating the P and the J – was also revealed, shaped to resemble the Hebrew letter shin, which stands for various words, including “Shalom” and “Shechinah”, the Divine presence.
Rabbi Paul Freedman, the senior rabbi at Radlett Reform Synagogue, which, in April, announced plans to form a combined Progressive Hertfordshire community with Elstree Liberal Synagogue, said he felt “really excited” about the merger of the two parent bodies. “For us, it gives a national structure to what we are already doing. It’s not about Liberal Judaism becoming Reform or Reform becoming Liberal, but about embracing the diversity of the two movements and nurturing creativity.”
His colleague at Radlett Reform Shul, Rabbi DY Stern, said he felt both “excited and emotional” about the formation of Progressive Judaism. “It marks the culmination of a major transitional moment. While we realise there is still work to be done in coming together, a world of possibilities has opened up.
"I have long felt that Liberal and Reform Judaism – now Progressive Judaism – could be home to a large number, even the majority, of Jews in the UK. The moment now requires amplifying that ability to bring people to a Judaism that can help them through life, the crazy world we are living in and to mark life’s milestones. I think that is fundamentally what people are looking for.”
Katie Freedman, a movement worker at Reform youth movement, RSY-Netzer, told the JC: “RSY and [Liberal Jewish youth movement] LJY-Netzer still have very separate identities as two youth movements, but it’s really amazing to be able to collaborate more and share resources.”
While she said there were “no plans to merge” the two youth arms, “we can both learn a lot from each other”.
Periodically, attempts had been made to merge Reform and Liberals over the past 80 years. Covid interrupted discussions resurrected in 2019, but proposals to make it happen finally began in earnest two and a half years ago.
One guest claimed the size of the attendance was a sign of the enthusiasm for the venture, saying he would have only anticipated a few dozen at a fundraising dinner of this nature.
Another said the launch of the combined movement marked its arrival as “a big league player” .
In a message in the dinner brochure, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the movement’s “steadfast commitment to inclusivity enriches not only Jewish life but the fabric of our wider society.”
Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said the “historic union… represents a truly significant moment for the Jewish community and our nation as a whole”.
