Annual Report 2023-24

We have had a busy year, with many activities and events, participation in the local community and developing our membership of the Board of Deputies. We sadly lost several members of our community this year, including Wendy Bellany, Ruth Henig, and of course Malcolm Weisman.  Last year’s AGM was on 21st September, between Rosh Hashana […]

Stand Up To Racism meeting

In response to the recent far-right gatherings in the area, our newly-elected Chair Ben Soffa spoke of the need for anti-racist unity alongside representatives of other faith communities, political parties, trade unions and others at a meeting of Stand Up To Racism at Lancaster Town Hall on September 12 2024.

Message of support to the Lancaster Muslim community

In light of recent events both locally and nationally, we have written to our local Muslim community as follows: Dear members of the Lancaster Muslim community, As the leaders of the Lancaster and Lakes Jewish Community we wish to express our support and solidarity, given the extremely worrying events of the past week. It is […]

High Holy Days 5785

The Community will be hosting services for Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur during October 2024. Details of all services will be sent to those on our mailing list and all are welcome. As in previous years, we will be following Liberal Judaism’s Machzor Ruach Chadashah, copies of which will be available for everyone.

On Holocaust Memorial Day 2022

From a talk by Fiona Frank The Holocaust was an extreme example of dividing people and breeding hatred between peoples who should be natural allies against oppressive governments and oppressive economic and judicial systems. There are so many examples of ‘righteous gentiles’ that we can be assured that the strategy isn’t always successful. In turn many […]

Statement on events in Texas

Members of Lancaster and Lakes Jewish Community were understandably very concerned by the events in Texas over the weekend, when four Jewish synagogue congregants were taken hostage during the Shabbat service at Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. The hostages were eventually freed. The perpetrator was a Muslim man from Blackburn who was shot […]