Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue has taken another step towards including women in the service by organising a procession for women with lulav and etrog over Succot.
In previous years, women have simply had to watch from the gallery as men paraded their arba minim — the four species used on Succot — around the bimah.
But after the formal conclusion of prayers on the second day of the festival, women came downstairs and took a turn with their lulav and etrogs around the synagogue.
HGS’s Rabbi Dov Kaplan said the congregation was “looking for ways to accommodate women within halachah without offending members here”. For several years, women have been able to dance with Torah scrolls during the congregation’s Simchat Torah celebration.