Please note the following important information from the Trustees and professional leadership:
1. The Alyth building remains closed to all visitors.
2. In line with government advice, the Alyth staff team are working from home.
3. All Alyth programmes and services remain online only.
4. The Annual Meeting of Congregants will be online only. It has been moved back to Sunday 21 June to give us time to make sure that the technology works effectively.
5. We are exploring how and whether we can reopen the Kindergarten. All other youth and education provision will remain online only until the summer.
As we enter the next phase of this situation, we will continue to prioritise the welfare of members and staff, and our ability to offer high-quality programming and care to as many of our members as possible. Rabbi Josh will speak more about this in our Erev Shabbat service this Friday.
Please email hannah@alyth.org.uk to let us know you plan on attending
Join us for Alyth’s seventh annual Iftar, which will be taking a very different form to previous years.
This year, we cannot welcome guests into our synagogue, nor can we eat together, but we can still come together as a wider community to learn from one another and to study.
This year’s event will take the form of a Pre-Iftar Study Evening on the theme of Community, concluding in time for those who are fasting to eat in their own homes “off camera”.
Click here to join us from 19:15 (Meeting ID: 825 6417 2999, Password: 785089)
.
Erev Shavuot - Tikkun Leil Shavuot Thursday 28 May through the night
Please save the date for our annual Erev Shavuot service and study evening. This year's Tikkun Leil Shavuot will be run together with our friends at Finchley Reform and Radlett Reform Synagogues. Together we will study through the night, with sessions from all of the clergy from the three communities. With special guest sessions from Rabbi Professor Tony Bayfield, and, live from America, singer song-writer Dan Nichols. More details in next week's weekly emails.
.
THIS EVENING AT 19:00
Alyth Online Lectures
How to sleep well in lock-down (and beyond) with Dr Hugh Selsick
Click here to join (Meeting ID: 892 0744 7130, Password: 785089)
An eclectic series of lectures on a variety of non-Jewish and Jewish topics. The lectures have two things in common: the speakers are all members of Alyth and are leading experts in their field.
Hugh Selsick studied Physiology and Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg before specialising in adult and addictions psychiatry in London. He established the Insomnia Clinic at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine/University College London Hospitals and is the lead clinician there. He also works as a consultant in the Sleep Disorders Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital. He founded and chairs the Sleep Special Interest Group in the Royal College of Psychiatrists and is immediate past president of the Sleep Medicine Section at the Royal Society of Medicine. He is co-author of 'Oxford Case Histories in Sleep Medicine' (2015) and editor of 'Sleep Disorders in Psychiatric Patients: A Practical Guide' (2018).
Please email any questions for Hugh during the evening to josh@alyth.org.uk.
We will finish just before 8pm so those who wish can join the applause for frontline NHS staff.
.
FRIDAY 15 MAY
FOR YOUNG FAMILIES Baby Den (10:30-11:00) Chug-a-lug into Shabbat with Rabbi Hannah and Beth. Sing your favourite Baby Den songs, dance to a shabbat beat and wave to some familiar faces. For families with Young Children. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 142 813 452, Password: 346202).
FOR YOUNG FAMILIES Pre-Shabbat Story Time Live (17:15-17:45) Those pre-school in age (and in heart) are invited to join Rabbi Hannah and Beth for a pre shabbat story to help bring in shabbat. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 423 529 768, Password: 785089). YOUTH AND EDUCATION: RUACH Ruach 4 @ home (16:30-17:15 and 17:30-18:15) Join Abi and the team for your group’s Ruach session. Please check the times for your group below - please be aware that we will start the session at the start times given. This week we will be looking at different cultures, traditions and denominations of Judaism. Please click here for a family history sheet to fill out before the session as we will be looking at some of these traditions together. - If you are in the new intake to Ruach 4, please join at 16:30 by clicking here (Meeting ID: 956 0652 2899, Password: 5Gh7mx) - If you have been coming to Ruach 4 since January, please join at 17:30 by clicking here (Meeting ID: 836 8808 1391, Password: 823690).
Ruach 1-3 @ Home (17:15-18:10) Please join Mike & Sophie at our regular time as we continue exploring how to make the most of our Bar/Bat Mitzvah journey. The topic for this term is Gemilut Chasadim - “Acts of Loving Kindness”. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 903 736 979, Password: 742355)
LEARN WITH US Erev Shabbat Shiur (17:15-18:15) Sugyot Every Reform Jew Should Know, with Rabbi Josh A sugya is a discrete section of the Talmud. In these sessions, we look at sugyot which are especially important, interesting or challenging. In this session we will look at the prohibition on wronging with words which the rabbis derive from this week’s parashah, Behar, and a very famous story on the subject. With Rabbi Josh. Click here for the study text. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 395 809 430, Password: 964404)
PRAY WITH US Erev Shabbat Service (18:30-19:30) Join Rabbis Josh and Hannah as they lead the Erev Shabbat service from the Beit Tefillah. Please remember that this service is online only. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 839 8597 4404, Password: 785089) The best way to access our services is by Zoom. If you do not wish to use Zoom, then the "Zoom screen" can be seen via our YouTube channel. This can be accessed by clicking here (www.alyth.org.uk/youtubelive) or going to www.youtube.com/c/AlythRS. You can also watch the service from the Beit Tefillah via our LiveStream by clicking here. Please note that the livestream can only show those parts of the service being led from the Beit Tefillah.
We invite you to have Shabbat candles and Kiddush ready in advance of the service so that we can join together in these moments from our homes. We will light candles together at L’cha Dodi and make Kiddush at the end of the service. Please click here to download the Shabbat Supplement for Friday night and the Community News and Yahrzeit list (these will be available from 17:00 Friday afternoon). Please click here to view the Reform Judaism siddur online.
SATURDAY 16 MAY BE WITH US JMM on Saturday (9:15-10:00) Jewish Mindfulness Meditation helps us to open our hearts and find peace through our spiritual heritage, especially in these challenging times. Join Maxine Levy for contemplation, breathing, movement and meditation. Suitable for all. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 844 520 435, Password: 753749)
PRAY WITH US Shabbat Morning Service (10:30) Rabbi Josh is running the Shabbat morning service from the Beit Tefillah. The service will include the Bar Mitzvah of Josh Weinstein who will be reading Torah with the community for the first time from his home. Please remember that this service is online only.
Click here to join (Meeting ID: 852 8166 2531, Password: 785089)
The best way to access our services is by Zoom. If you do not wish to use Zoom, then the "Zoom screen" can be seen via our YouTube channel. This can be accessed by clicking here(www.alyth.org.uk/youtubelive) or going to www.youtube.com/c/AlythRS. You can also watch the service from the Beit Tefillah via our LiveStream by clicking here. Please note that the livestream can only show those parts of the service being led from the Beit Tefillah.
Please click here to download a copy of the Torah portion and the Community News and Yahrzeit list (these will be available from 17:00 Friday afternoon). Please click here to view the Reform Judaism siddur online.
PRAY WITH US Shacharit Den (11:00-12:00) Join Rabbi Hannah and Cantor Tamara to make your way around the stops on the clock as we go on an adventure through the Shabbat Morning service. Make sure to have some colouring pencils, your exploring eyes and your listening ears ready! This service is suitable for everyone up to the age of KS1. Please click here to download the service booklet. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 821 6405 9673, Password: 153884).
.
SUNDAY 17 MAY
PRAY WITH US Sunday Shacharit (9:00-10:00) Our lay-led minyan with bagel breakfast (please provide your own bagels…) Led by our lay members from their homes. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 431 181 644, Password: 163984).
YOUTH AND EDUCATION Alyth Sunday Morning ⟳Reloaded⟳ (ASMR) Every Sunday, open to EVERYONE from Reception to Year 6! Join Mike & Sophie as we continue to explore the breadth of Jewish Studies through fun and creative methods! Reception - Year 2 (10:00-11:00) Click here to join (Meeting ID: 830 747 818 Password: 301658). Year 3 - Year 6 (11:30-12:30) Click here to join (Meeting ID: 836 8543 4865, Password: 194753)
LEARN WITH US Biblical Hebrew (11:00-12:00) A programme for those with high level hebrew reading ability. Please email Philip Brodie at mail@pmbrodie.co.uk if you would like to join this class so that you can be sent the link and materials in advance.
MONDAY 18 MAY
FOR YOUNG FAMILIES Move it, Shake it, Sing it (10:30-11:00) Shake off those social isolation blues as you join your favourite faces for some singing and dancing. For pre-school children. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 662 052 605, Password: 747239).
BE WITH US Craft, Chat and Cuppa! (15:00-16:00) This ‘club’ is for anyone who would like to try any sort of hand craft. Join Brenda Freedman for anything from everyday sewing, tapestry, quilt making, knitting, and anything else you can think of! Click here to join (Meeting ID: 588 095 846, Password: 468060).
TUESDAY 19 MAY
BE WITH US Coffee and Chat with Lynette (11:00-12:00) How are you doing in these slightly surreal and unprecedented times? Anxious, frustrated, lonely, depressed or welcoming the chance to do all those things you have never had the time for in the past? Join Lynette for an hour of chat and check in – come and share how you are feeling and meet and talk with others. All ages welcome, you will just need to bring your own refreshments! If you would rather speak in confidence to Lynette then please email her at lynette@alyth.org.uk or call her on 07746952769. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 884 2321 2866, Password: 785089)
BE WITH US Ballet in your Bathroom (11:00-12:00) For teens and adults with or without dance experience. Join Abi Aleksander and keep your body and mind active. We will start with a short warm up, move onto her version of a ballet barre and finish with some more contemporary exercises. You don’t need any special equipment apart from a chair or countertop to hold on to and enough room to move your limbs in all directions. Wear something comfortable (and if you have a tutu lurking that you have been yearning to wear, feel free). Click here to join (Meeting ID: 942 377 314, Password: 133127)
LEARN WITH US Alyth's Online Iftar (19:15-20:55) See above for more information. Click here to join us from 19:15 (Meeting ID: 825 6417 2999, Password: 785089)
BE WITH US Alyth Choral Society (20:00-22:00) Click here to join (Meeting ID: 976 4873 3959 Password: 113568). For Choral Society Members only.
WEDNESDAY 20 MAY
BE WITH US News, Views & Schmooze (14:00-15:00) Join us for an hour of schmooze to discuss what is going on in the world around us. Led by volunteers from the Soup and Schmooze group and Lynette. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 996 0969 5198 Password: 933950).
BE WITH US Pre-dinner concert with Katie and Tom (17:00-17:30) Join Katie and Tom for a live concert streamed directly into your home. This varied programme will include repertoire from the operas, musicals and more. For all the community. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 108 960 491, Password: 961337).
LEARN WITH US Hebrew for Beginners (20:00-21:00) Taught by Jan Roseman, this is a three week crash course for people wo are beginners in Hebrew so that they are able to join our regular Tuesday Hebrew Reading from Scratch class. Sessions are also on 27 May and 3 June. Please click here to register.
PRAY WITH US Wednesday Ma’ariv (20:00-20:45) Join us for a mid-week evening service led by lay members. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 566 852 225, Password: 763158).
THURSDAY 21 MAY
BE WITH US Mellow Chair Yoga (11:00-12:00) Our special Chair Yoga and Meditation with Maxine is open to all ages wishing to enhance overall mental and physical wellbeing! It includes movement, breathing, stretching, standing, twisting, balancing and more. Great for releasing tensions and increasing, stamina, strength and immunity. Less active participants can do all the movements sitting in a chair. Please click here to sign up and to pay online. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 616 879 143, Password: 797658).
LEARN WITH US Pardes (13:00-14:00) The imagery of a garden has often been used in Jewish tradition to describe our textual tradition. Each week will start with a different text from within our rich library. This week with Student Rabbi Tali Artman. Click here for the source sheets being used in the session (available from Thursday morning) Click here to join (Meeting ID: 123 761 361, Password: 019498)
YOUTH AND EDUCATION A.H.A - Alyth Home Activities (16:00-16:30) A burst of creative space for Primary School aged children. Join us online every Thursday for a new activity led by our wonderful team of educators and youth workers. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 922 5487 0891, Password: 134679).
YOUTH AND EDUCATION Communic8&9 (17:00-18:00) A fun social space for those in Year 8&9 where we play with the new ways we can communicate. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 931 0825 3242, Password: 411477).
LEARN WITH US Alyth Online Lectures (19:00-20:00) An eclectic series of lectures on a variety of Jewish and non-Jewish topics. The lectures have two things in common: the speakers are all members of Alyth and leading experts in their field. This week: Living with Terrorist Risk with Jonathan Hall QC Jonathan Hall is a practicing barrister and, since May 2019, the UK Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation. This is a public appointment that requires him to report annually to Parliament on the operation of terrorism legislation (available on Jonathan's website: www.terrorismlegislationreviewer.independent.gov.uk). In January 2020, following the Fishmonger's Hall attack, he was also appointed by the government to review the management of terrorist risk in released prisoners. Jonathan's role requires him to appear regularly in the media. In November 2019 he visited Israel to discuss counter-terrorism with officials. Click here to join (Meeting ID: 892 0744 7130, Password: 785089)
.
SHABBAT SERVICES
Friday 22 MAY - Baby Den (10:30-11:00) - Pre-Shabbat Story Time Live (17:15-17:45) - Erev Shabbat Service (18:30-19:30) Saturday 23 May - Shabbat Morning Shiur (9:15) With Rabbi Hannah.
- Shabbat Morning Service (10:30) Include the Bat Mitzvah of Audrey Newman. - Imrei Finu (10:30) Imrei Finu is a special, spiritual prayer experience, including lots of singing to new and familiar melodies, davening and space for personal prayer, with an informal Torah service (if time allows). With Rabbi Josh and Cantor Tamara.
.
Alyth@Home Book Club Monday 1 June, 18:30-19:30
The first book in the Alyth@Home Book Club will be “The Chosen”, a novel written by Chaim Potok. The story follows the narrator, Reuven Malter, and his friend Daniel Saunders, as they grow up in the Williamsburg neighbourhood in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1940s. Please email katie@alyth.org.uk by Tuesday 26 May to let her know you are reading the book.
.
Financial Support - How we can help
If you are facing financial challenges at this difficult time, please do not hesitate to contact us. As well as discussing the level of your annual synagogue contribution, we can help you to access a number of Alyth funds that are specifically here to help our members in times of challenge. Please contact Lynette at lynette@alyth.org.uk or Rabbi Josh at josh@alyth.org.uk
If you feel able to support other Alyth members in financial difficulty at this time, please email Rabbi Josh at josh@alyth.org.uk
The Jewish Leadership Council in partnership with Work Avenue has also established a fund to support those across the community whose earnings have been directly affected by COVID-19. This fund was set up to specifically assist those who are ineligible for Government support or who face delays accessing Government funds. Go to www.theworkavenue.org.uk/covid19 for more information.
Some of our partner organisations are also running programmes during this period. Click hereto see additional programming offered by Reform Judaism that you are invited to join.
Please remember that we also have two special numbers in addition to the main synagogue number: New Alyth Careline – 020 8457 8798 This will be answered between 08:00 and 21:00 by a member of the community for anyone who needs someone to speak to. Emergency Careline – 07726 631808 Please use this number if you need urgent pastoral support. The hard reality of this pandemic is that we as a community will support an increased proportion of our members and families through hospitalization and bereavement. This number is there for these cases and will be answered by a member of the Alyth professional team.
