Brondesbury Park Synagogue

2016 2017 2019 2022

Event:

Approximately 550 people attended the various ShabbatUK events arranged by Brondesbury Park, which kicked off with a huge ladies Challah Make that didn’t just celebrate the mitzvah of making challah, but also featured wine, sushi, music and song. Also part of the build-up was a Whisky and Torah evening at which Rabbi Tatz spoke on the Hidden Dimension of Shabbat. Family activities and a captivating talk from Rabbi Sharon Shalom about his journey to becoming the first Ethiopian Rabbi enlivened the communal Friday Night Dinner no end. The Havdalah programme was equally upbeat, with attendees joining in a musical ceremony and children enjoying arts and crafts activities and a special supper.

Evaluation from Rabbi Levin:

“The challah bake drew in a swathe of people in the community who would not normally engage in our routine activities and gave them an appreciation of this unique mitzvah. The Friday night dinner generated a wonderful sense of communal spirit whilst reinforcing the value of Shabbat in people’s minds and allowing them to experience what it should feel like when done right. Havdalah left people feeling deeply moved. With our Eruv going live shortly this was an opportunity to hopefully set the scene for several families to fully embrace Shabbat observance once the Eruv is up and running.”

Participant Feedback:

“It was all well organised and well attended, with a fabulous atmosphere throughout, though especially at the challah make.”

“Everything was amazing. The challah make was a fabulous evening, and the challah tasted delicious. The speaker on Friday night was inspirational and Havdalah, as always with Rabbi Baruch was beautiful.”

“Such an amazing experience, even better than last year’s! The community was out in force and was so amazing to share this with friends old and new. It was a joy to see the children get so much from it.”

“Was a lovely, community experience. All children regardless of age were able to join in, be stimulated and experience a wonderful melodic Havdalah.”

Event:

The challah bake was as ever a great hit and helped create an electric atmosphere in the lead up to Shabbat. The Friday night dinner brought the community together and created the most phenomenal Shabbat ruach which people couldn’t stop talking about. The musical Havdalah was powerful with a number of new families attending who were very moved by it.

Participant Feedback:

‘Friday night speaker was excellent – engaging, interesting and relevant’

‘Increased respect for the value of Shabbat’

Event:

ShabbatUK kicked off at Brondesbury Park with an uplifting Kabbalat Shabbat service followed by a kiddush. On Shabbat day, a higher than usual attendance created a wonderful atmosphere. After the service, the community were given the opportunity to attend breakout sessions, an opportunity to hear a range of speakers deliver some fantastic thought provoking talks, providing deep insights and understandings of Shabbat. This was followed by a large communal lunch, with the opportunity to hear more speakers.

Evaluation by Baruch Levin:

The breakout learning sessions on Shabbat morning were particularly impactful and were attended by over 130 people. The strong attendance has demonstrated that there is an appetite for this sort of programme and has also shown that Shabbat morning, being a natural time for people to tap into community, is a conducive slot to draw people into learning.

Participant feedback:

“The Friday night service, oneg shabbat, shabbat morning service and delicious lunch were all extremely stimulating, well organised and inspiring.”

“all excellent – really good speakers, good atmosphere and nice to see some newer people coming along as well!”

Event:

Cholent bake off, whisky tasting, Friday afternoon crafts, Friday Night Dinner with Dovie Maizel of Hatzalah, Seuda.

Evaluation by Leslie Silver:

“It was amazing to have circa 190 people sharing a Shabbat a meal together with friends and family and welcoming them back to shul. It has made the community feel more invigorated”

Participants Feedback:

“Nice evening, excellent speaker”