Rabbi Shmuli Sagal has been overwhelmingly endorsed by Sutton Synagogue members as their new minister and will take up the role next month.
Having spent the past year in Israel, he is moving in the opposite direction to his predecessor at the south London congregation, Rabbi Meir Lev, who has made aliyah.
Raised in north-west London, Rabbi Sagal studied at Yeshiva University in New York, earning a BA in history and graduating with a prize in Talmud. He also holds an MA in Jewish history. His wife, Tali, is studying medicine at Barts and the London College of Medicine and Dentistry. The couple both attended Hasmonean.
The Sagals impressed the 238-member congregation with their ideas to increase involvement in communal activity and education. Rabbi Sagal was "touched by the warmth and sincerity of the community. We look forward to working with the lay leadership to enhance Jewish life in this area."
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