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.
KS75 75th anniversary of Kurt Schwitters anti-Nazi Merz Barn project. 19th July 2022
The date 19th July will also mark the 85th anniversary of the launch of the Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art) exhibition in Munich, when the Nazis formally declared war on all modern art.The event in July will also honour and acknowledge the other cultural communities persecuted by the Nazis; e.g. Gypsies, Gay people, Black African, Trade Unions, Polish people, neuro-diverse/disabled, and, of course, artists. Spokespeople from all those groups are invited to […]
St Johns Hospice – Last Days Matter script
Lancaster and Lakes Jewish community was invited to work with St Johns Hospice alongside members of the local Muslim community, on a film script which will show people how helpful it is to know more about ways in which people of different faiths commemorate death and dying.
Lancaster City Council Mayor Making
Fiona Frank, Secretary of Lancaster and Lakes Jewish Community, was invited in her role as Chair of Lancaster City Council’s Communities Together group, to attend Lancaster City Council’s Mayor Making, where she was able to get a selfie with the new Mayor, Councillor Joyce Pritchard.
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 […]
Sukkot 2021
Following the success of the picnic for tashlich we repeated this at the end of Sukkot, on Sunday 26th September. As a community we have purchased a lulav and etrog and brought them to the event so those who wish were able to shake them to perform the mitzvah.