Bournemouth Reform Synagogue
Encyclopedia
Bournemouth Reform Synagogue , also known as BRS, is a Reform Jewish synagogue
of over 500 members in the heart of Bournemouth
.
in the town. The split met with fierce opposition from the Hebrew Congregation who at the time refused to share the cemetery. At the time it was the ninth Reform synagogue in the country There have been a number of rabbis in the community over the last sixty years, the longest-serving being Rabbi David Soetendorp who held the post from 1972 to 2005, when he was succeeded by Rabbi Neil Amswych.
, and shares similar goals. It seeks to be welcoming to everyone for social activities, educational programmes, for support or for spiritual nourishment. It seeks to respond to the needs of individuals who need a combination of both tradition and modernity, and says that it believes that "a healthy community is one that prays, socialises, learns, plans and grows together."
BRS is one of the many communities responding to a major difficulty of Reform Judaism - "the question of religious authority with the resulting difficulty of setting limits to a liberal religion." A centralised model of religious leadership under Rabbi Soetendorp was responsible for significantly growing the community in size, and in drawing people into the community. However, as the community continues to grow it is clear that a new model must being employed in order to meet new needs, and the model employed is similar to some Reconstructionist communities in America, in which the community comes to make important public decisions after a long process of education. Other elements from Reconstructionist thought have influenced some of the changes in the community of note. For example, Mordecai Kaplan wrote that "the only element in Judaism which is both permanent and distinctive is the survival and enhancement of the Jewish People" In order to achieve that survival and enhancement, a process of community-education had to be started, since "if the role of the Jewish community is to help every Jew attain self-fulfillment, it can do so only by providing for him at every stage of his development the knowledge and insight he may need to solve the major problems that confront him as a Jew in his personal life." As a result, the Foundations course was established for adults in 2005, and in 2006 became a partially online course for those who live far away from Bournemouth. While, of course, community-led decisions have always been a part of every British Reform community, BRS is one of the communities that has employed a model in which the Ritual Forum, re-established in 2005, advises the Rabbi and Council of ritual decisions after long discussions that can sometimes take place over a period of months.
Under Rabbi Soetendorp's leadership, the synagogue published two volumes of "Emet" - books compiled and edited by Eve Cowan - that told the life stories of some members. This model was expanded upon by Rabbi Neil Amswych who, on the Kabbalat Shabbat (Friday night) service, will often ask members to share the things that they are thankful for from the week that has been, and the things that they are looking forward to in the week to come. By ritualising story-telling the number of people attending services on a Friday night has doubled.
In 2010 Councillor Barry Goldbart became the fifth Jewish Mayor of Bournemouth. He is the first Reform Jewish Mayor and a member of Bournemouth Reform Synagogue.
Rabbi Neil Amswych, principal Rabbi of Bournemouth Reform Synagogue, was appointed as the Mayor’s Chaplain.
Bournemouth Reform services are in both Hebrew and English. The synagogue aims to be egalitarian by encouraging members to participate in relevant mitzvot (commandments) regardless of gender. The Friday evening (Shabbat) service is usually more fluid with a story as the central focus, while the Saturday morning (Shabbat) service has a choir and has the Torah reading and its exposition as the central point.
A significant development in the liturgy was made in March 2008 when the community voted by a large majority to adopt the eighth edition of the Forms of Prayer siddur written by the Movement for Reform Judaism. For Succot 2009, Rabbi Jenny created a booklet of prayers to allow the community to move away from the 50-year old pilgrim festival liturgy. Another major development in the services was the relocation of the reading desk from the front to the middle of the community, creating a more inclusive atmosphere.
Many decisions regarding community customs are made at the synagogue's Ritual Forum which meets around every six weeks and which is open to all synagogue members. Recent decisions of the Ritual Forum can be accessed from the synagogue's website.
In 2006, Rabbi Neil Amswych created the Foundations Course which was designed to teach about matters that lie at the heart of being a Reform Jew. There were sessions three times a month - two Wednesday evenings and one Shabbat afternoon. In 2007, the two Wednesday evening sessions were moved online, so that the Foundations course could be accessed by more people. The website also contains an "Ask the Rabbi" page, a Torah Thoughts page with commentaries on most weekly portions (as well as occasional sermons), and also includes online courses, such as the course for 2007 entitled "Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?" In place of the Foundations course, the Shabbat afternoon sessions for 2009 were an introduction to key areas of Reform Judaism called "Beyond Survival - Reform Judaism Today." In 2009, the adult education also expanded to include an introduction to Hebrew reading class and also a Talmud class led by Rabbi Jenny.
In 2009, BRS set up "Sha'arei Tzedek" - the BRS Social Action Group. The first event was to synchronise with Mitzvah Day 2009, soon followed by a collection of warm clothes for those in the FSU. The January 2010 earthquake in Haiti also brought a community-wide request for donations to the World Jewish Relief.
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
of over 500 members in the heart of Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
.
History
Bournemouth Reform Synagogue was founded in 1947 as the Bournemouth New Synagogue, a break-away from the Bournemouth Hebrew CongregationBournemouth Hebrew Congregation
The Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation is a synagogue in Bournemouth, England.-History:The congregation formed in 1905. It built its present building in 1911...
in the town. The split met with fierce opposition from the Hebrew Congregation who at the time refused to share the cemetery. At the time it was the ninth Reform synagogue in the country There have been a number of rabbis in the community over the last sixty years, the longest-serving being Rabbi David Soetendorp who held the post from 1972 to 2005, when he was succeeded by Rabbi Neil Amswych.
BRS today
Bournemouth Reform Synagogue is a member of the Movement for Reform JudaismMovement for Reform Judaism
Movement for Reform Judaism is the main organizational body of the Jewish Reform community in Great Britain....
, and shares similar goals. It seeks to be welcoming to everyone for social activities, educational programmes, for support or for spiritual nourishment. It seeks to respond to the needs of individuals who need a combination of both tradition and modernity, and says that it believes that "a healthy community is one that prays, socialises, learns, plans and grows together."
BRS is one of the many communities responding to a major difficulty of Reform Judaism - "the question of religious authority with the resulting difficulty of setting limits to a liberal religion." A centralised model of religious leadership under Rabbi Soetendorp was responsible for significantly growing the community in size, and in drawing people into the community. However, as the community continues to grow it is clear that a new model must being employed in order to meet new needs, and the model employed is similar to some Reconstructionist communities in America, in which the community comes to make important public decisions after a long process of education. Other elements from Reconstructionist thought have influenced some of the changes in the community of note. For example, Mordecai Kaplan wrote that "the only element in Judaism which is both permanent and distinctive is the survival and enhancement of the Jewish People" In order to achieve that survival and enhancement, a process of community-education had to be started, since "if the role of the Jewish community is to help every Jew attain self-fulfillment, it can do so only by providing for him at every stage of his development the knowledge and insight he may need to solve the major problems that confront him as a Jew in his personal life." As a result, the Foundations course was established for adults in 2005, and in 2006 became a partially online course for those who live far away from Bournemouth. While, of course, community-led decisions have always been a part of every British Reform community, BRS is one of the communities that has employed a model in which the Ritual Forum, re-established in 2005, advises the Rabbi and Council of ritual decisions after long discussions that can sometimes take place over a period of months.
Under Rabbi Soetendorp's leadership, the synagogue published two volumes of "Emet" - books compiled and edited by Eve Cowan - that told the life stories of some members. This model was expanded upon by Rabbi Neil Amswych who, on the Kabbalat Shabbat (Friday night) service, will often ask members to share the things that they are thankful for from the week that has been, and the things that they are looking forward to in the week to come. By ritualising story-telling the number of people attending services on a Friday night has doubled.
In 2010 Councillor Barry Goldbart became the fifth Jewish Mayor of Bournemouth. He is the first Reform Jewish Mayor and a member of Bournemouth Reform Synagogue.
Rabbi Neil Amswych, principal Rabbi of Bournemouth Reform Synagogue, was appointed as the Mayor’s Chaplain.
Prayer services
The synagogue has been led by five ministers over its sixty-year history: Rev. Charles Berg (1948–1953), Rev. Stanley Solomons (1953–1969), Rabbi Harold Vallins (1970–1972), Rabbi David Soetendorp (1972–2005) and Rabbi Neil Amswych (2005–present day). In 2007, BRS also inducted its first Associate Rabbi - Rabbi Jenny Goldfried Amswych.Bournemouth Reform services are in both Hebrew and English. The synagogue aims to be egalitarian by encouraging members to participate in relevant mitzvot (commandments) regardless of gender. The Friday evening (Shabbat) service is usually more fluid with a story as the central focus, while the Saturday morning (Shabbat) service has a choir and has the Torah reading and its exposition as the central point.
A significant development in the liturgy was made in March 2008 when the community voted by a large majority to adopt the eighth edition of the Forms of Prayer siddur written by the Movement for Reform Judaism. For Succot 2009, Rabbi Jenny created a booklet of prayers to allow the community to move away from the 50-year old pilgrim festival liturgy. Another major development in the services was the relocation of the reading desk from the front to the middle of the community, creating a more inclusive atmosphere.
Many decisions regarding community customs are made at the synagogue's Ritual Forum which meets around every six weeks and which is open to all synagogue members. Recent decisions of the Ritual Forum can be accessed from the synagogue's website.
The Bournemouth Jewish Social Centre
An essential part of the social life at Bournemouth Reform Synagogue is the Bournemouth Jewish Social Centre, formerly called the Day Centre held on a Monday lunchtime. The Day Centre brings together Jews from all denominations across Bournemouth, and is a place for entertainment, good food and socialising. In 2006, the Day Centre celebrated its 25th anniversary. It is still one of the least expensive day centres across the country.Outreach
Bournemouth Reform Synagogue is the largest Progressive community in Dorset and often holds events that link up with the South Hampshire Reform Jewish Community, and smaller communities in Salisbury and on the Isle of Wight. An important part of the outreach by the community is achieved by the synagogue website, created in January 2007, which includes a member chat room for individuals across the South Coast to discuss Jewish matters. Other outreach work includes interfaith activities, such as the 2007 Interfaith Seder, and school visits (either to the community or by community representatives such as Rabbi Neil Amswych, Rabbi Jenny Goldfried Amswych, or educators from the community).Education
The religion school at Bournemouth Reform Synagogue is called "Oseh Shalom" and it brings Jews to Reform Judaism from toddlers up to teenage years.In 2006, Rabbi Neil Amswych created the Foundations Course which was designed to teach about matters that lie at the heart of being a Reform Jew. There were sessions three times a month - two Wednesday evenings and one Shabbat afternoon. In 2007, the two Wednesday evening sessions were moved online, so that the Foundations course could be accessed by more people. The website also contains an "Ask the Rabbi" page, a Torah Thoughts page with commentaries on most weekly portions (as well as occasional sermons), and also includes online courses, such as the course for 2007 entitled "Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?" In place of the Foundations course, the Shabbat afternoon sessions for 2009 were an introduction to key areas of Reform Judaism called "Beyond Survival - Reform Judaism Today." In 2009, the adult education also expanded to include an introduction to Hebrew reading class and also a Talmud class led by Rabbi Jenny.
Social action
Following the name of the community - Gates of Righteousness - Bournemouth Reform Synagogue has a history of social action. Under Rabbi David Sotendorp's guidance, the community was very prominent in the campaign to free Soviet Jewry in the 1980s. Under the guidance of Rabbi Neil Amswych, the community's social action initially focused on environmental concerns, both locally and globally. Visitors to the synagogue website are also directed to internet charity sites where surfers can give to charity for free.In 2009, BRS set up "Sha'arei Tzedek" - the BRS Social Action Group. The first event was to synchronise with Mitzvah Day 2009, soon followed by a collection of warm clothes for those in the FSU. The January 2010 earthquake in Haiti also brought a community-wide request for donations to the World Jewish Relief.