Kingston Liberal Synagogue

HeBrew Café
2015-01-10 12:30 - 13:00 (Europe/London)
After the Family Service – our fundraising café selling filled bagels, crisps, cake, sweets and hot and cold drinks

Family Service
2015-01-10 11:30 - 12:30
Saturday morning at 11.30am led by Rabbi Charley Baginsky.
This is a chance for the whole family, and the wider KLS family too, to pray, discuss the Torah reading and show off what the children have been up to at religion school. We have multi-lingual renditions of Happy Birthday for all those who have celebrated that month – so far we have sung in English, Hebrew, French, German, Welsh, Spanish, Italian and Russian! There is also a group for the littlest ones, ShabbaTots.
For more information about the services at KLS see Services

Bookcrashers
2015-01-10 10:00 - 11:00
Come and join us whether you have read “The Book” or not.
At this meeting we will be discussing “Jacob’s Folly” by Rebecca Miller. Jacob Cerf is a Jewish peddlar in 18th century Paris then reincarnated as a fly in the 21st century. he directly and indirectly influences the lives of two people, a heroic giant and an Orthodox Jewish teenager who longs for a forbidden life. the novel skips to Jacob’s Parisian memories to better understand who he was.

Shabbat@Home
2015-01-09 20:00 - 21:00
This Friday, the Simmons Family, are leading and hosting the informal, relaxed Shabbat@Home service. Bring something to share in the service, and for the kiddush afterwards.
Please contact the Synagogue Office for address details.

KLS Youth Club
2014-12-20 13:00 - 15:00
For children aged 7 to 16 (school years 3 to 11), meets monthly after the Family Service and HeBrew Café at KLS for a range of activities from craft to sports.

HeBrew Café
2014-12-20 12:30 - 13:00
After the Family Service – our fundraising café selling filled bagels, crisps, cake, sweets and hot and cold drinks, and especially for Chanukah this week, latkes and doughnuts as well!!!

Chanukah Family Service
2014-12-20 11:30 - 12:30
Saturday morning at 11.30am led by Rabbi Charley Baginsky followed by a Chanukah Party
This is a chance for the whole family, and the wider KLS family too, to pray, discuss the Torah reading and show off what the children have been up to at religion school. We have multi-lingual renditions of Happy Birthday for all those who have celebrated that month – so far we have sung in English, Hebrew, French, German, Welsh, Spanish, Italian and Russian! There is also a group for the littlest ones, ShabbaTots.
For more information about the services at KLS see Services

Bookcrashers
2014-12-20 10:00 - 11:00
Come and join us and share and discuss books that you have recently enjoyed. We meet in the Library (where else?!), and all are welcome whether you have read a book recently or not.
At January’s meeting (10 January), we will be discussing “Jacob’s Folly” by Rebecca Miller. Jacob Cerf is a Jewish peddlar in 18th century Paris then reincarnated as a fly in the 21st century. he directly and indirectly influences the lives of two people, a heroic giant and an Orthodox Jewish teenager who longs for a forbidden life. the novel skips to Jacob’s Parisian memories to better understand who he was.

Shabbat Island Discs with.....
2014-12-19 20:00 - 21:00
Music Service led by Rabbi Charley Baginsky, with the KLS Choir. This month you are invited to bring your favourite Chanukah songs on your phone/iPod/MP3 player, to share as part of our regular Shabbat Island Discs feature, which takes place on the fourth Friday night of each month.
Both members and guests can take a turn at choosing the music. If you’d like a chance, contact Sandra Webber.
This week we are delighted to welcome Rabbi Ofek Meir from the Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa, one of the charities that we are supporting through our High Holy Days Appeal this year. Rabbi Meir is taking the opportunity to come to KLS to thank the members for their valuable support. Please come along and meet Rabbi Meir.
Rabbi Ofek Meir
Rabbi Ofek Meir joined the Leo Baeck Education Center in 1989, and worked as a community youth leader at the Leo Baeck Community Center and as Assistant Rabbi at Leo Baeck’s Ohel Avraham Progressive Synagogue. In 1991 he served as the first Shaliach to Liberal Judaism in the United Kingdom where he also attended the Royal College of Music. Rabbi Meir was the founder and the first Director of the Lokey International Academy of Jewish Studies until 2006. He holds a B.A. in Jewish History and Thought from Oranim Teachers’ Seminary of the University of Haifa, an MA in Jewish Education from HUC-JIR New York and a degree in classical guitar from the Royal College of Music in London.
Please bring something to share for kiddush.
Guests are welcome to join us for services at KLS, but please contact the office beforehand.

Chanukkah
2014-12-17 - 2014-12-24
חֲנֻכָּה Festival of Lights

First Candle Chanukah Family Service
2014-12-16 18:30 - 20:00
Lighting Chanukiah

Join us to light the first candle – bring your chanukiah and candles, and we will light them all together during this family service led by Rabbi Charley Baginsky, and probably followed by doughnuts!
Guests are welcome to KLS, but please contact the office beforehand.

Shabbat Service
2014-12-13 11:15 - 12:30, 2014-12-06 11:15 - 12:30, 2014-11-29 11:15 - 12:30
Service held from 11.15am to 12.30pm, led by Michael Brandon. Followed by kiddush. See Services for more information on the type of services that we hold at KLS.
Guests are welcome to KLS, but please contact the office beforehand.

Adult Education - Cantor Gershon Silis
2014-12-13 10:00 - 11:00
We are privileged to have Cantor Gershon Silis with us to talk about:
(R)evolution in North American Synagogue Music: how the music changed, what caused it, and what it means for Progressive Judaism in the UK.
Meet in the Library at 10am.

Wear Your Bobble Hat to School Day @ KLS
2014-12-13 09:45 - 13:00
We are proud to be raising supporting the NSPCC/Childline “Wear Your Bobble Hat to School” at Beiteinu. Wear your bobble hat, put some money in the tin, and help an amazing charity. Everyone coming to KLS that day is encouraged to join in – we’ll keep the heating turned off to stop heads getting too hot! Who will have the biggest bobble?

Chavurah Supper
2014-12-12 18:30 - 20:30
Monthly 1st Friday of the month (apart from December!!)
You are warmly invited to this year’s Chavurah Suppers, a great way to relax, let go of the week and welcome in Shabbat with other KLS members. Using the LJ Youth Siddur, we will be singing together, sharing our stories from the week that has gone, de-stressing, and most importantly sharing food, in an informal Friday night service and shared supper, with student rabbi Naomi Goldman. Please bring a plated vegetarian or fish supper and, if possible, a favourite dish to share. All ages welcome.
Guests are welcome to services @ KLS, but please contact the office beforehand.
Our first gathering of the new year will be Friday 7 November at 6.30pm. The nights will be drawing in so bring some warm food and keep the cold out with a great Friday night atmosphere.
Dec 12 – almost Chanukah, we’ll be looking ahead to the festival, telling stories and sharing some winter treats.
Jan 2 – the first Friday night of 2015 – bring your wishes for the secular new year and a dish that you’d like to make more often.
Feb 6 – the New Year for Trees – join us for a mystical Tu B’Shevat seder with different fruits representing the seasons of the year. Bring fruity foods.
Mar 6 – Purim Shabbat – bring desserts and a joke or funny story to share!
Apr 10 – this Shabbat is also the last day of Pesach, the day the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. We will talk about what freedom means to us. Bring nice Pesach food (guidelines nearer the time)
May 1 – Counting the Omer – get together to mark spring shading into summer and find out why we are counting at this time of year. Spring food!
Jun 5 – Summer shabbat and summer food
Jul 3 – Reflect on the year that’s gone and say goodbye before the Chavura suppers take a break for the summer. Bring your favourite dish of this year so far.

Krav Maga (Self Defence)
2014-12-11 19:00 - 20:30
Weekly 1 1/2 hour class on Thursdays 7-8.30pm
Stay sharp. Be fit. Burn 1000 calories. Look after yourself.
Rabbi and Chair discuss deep theological issues
Krav Maga is great for confidence, awareness, exercise, stress-relief, fitness and self defence. You don’t have to be fit to start but your fitness will improve. Geared to mixed ages and abilities, beginners welcome. cost- £10 per session, paid directly to the external trainer. First trial session free. Please contact the KLS Office for more information or if you would like to try Krav Maga.

Fundraising Coffee Morning - The Pampered Chef
2014-12-06 10:00 - 11:15
Come and do some Channukah (oh, and the other big holiday) shopping at everyone’s favourite kitchenware shop – Pampered Chef – and raise money for Kingston Liberal Synagogue.
Check out their catalogue at www.pamperedchef.co.uk and come armed with your credit card. A percentage of profits will go to KLS depending on how much we spend!!
Coffee/tea and cake will be available, in return for donations. Plus, there will be a festive raffle.

Shabbat @ Home
2014-12-05 20:00 - 21:30
On the second Friday of each month (1st Friday this month!!) a member invites us to welcome Shabbat at home with them. The service is informal and friendly, from our siddur, but please feel free to bring a reading or a topic for discussion. Please bring something to share for the Kiddush.
The venue for this month is the Hyman Home, and they will lead the service. Please contact the office for the address and to let us know you intend to come (but you won’t be turned away if you don’t).
Hosts needed: If you would like to host one of these services in future months, please contact the Synagogue Office.

LJY-Netzer Israel Tour 2015 - information meeting
2014-12-02 18:30 - 20:00 | Liberal Judaism – Montagu Centre, 21 Maple Street, London, W1T 4BE
Information evening for all potential participants and parents/carers. This is an opportunity to hear more about what Israel Tour is and ask any questions that you may have. Check the LJY-Netzer website for more information.

Adult Education - Informal Education
2014-11-29 10:00 - 11:00
Tom Francies, LJY-Netzer Movement Worker, will be leading a session on informal education: In an age of technology and social media, shaking up the way we educate is more important than ever. Through looking at a mix of Jewish and non-Jewish sources, we will discuss ways of engaging with and educating through less traditional mechanisms and discover the true power of informal education.
Please join Tom in the library for an interesting discussion. Want to know a bit more about Tom? Click here to see him talk about his roots on YouTube

Shabbat Island Discs with.....
2014-11-28 20:00 - 21:00
Choral Service led by Student Rabbi Naomi Goldman, with the KLS Choir, and Naomi will also be our castaway this month, sharing her choice of music as part of our regular Shabbat Island Discs feature, which takes place on the fourth Friday night of each month.
Please bring something to share for kiddush.
Both members and guests can take a turn at choosing the music. If you’d like a chance, contact Sandra Webber.
Guests are welcome to join us for services, but please contact the office beforehand.

A Rabbi and a Priest re-read the story of Adam and Eve
2014-11-25 20:00 - 21:30
We can promise you a thought-provoking and entertaining evening when a Rabbi and a Priest together re-read the story of Adam and Eve at the next meeting of CCJ Staines.
The event is part of Inter Faith Week. The Revd Patrick Morrow is an Anglican priest and a national programme manager for CCJ. Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers is the Community Educator for the Movement for Reform Judaism.
Christians may not realise how differently to Christianity Judaism interprets the story of Adam and Eve. So the question our guest priest and rabbi are posting for the audience is: “Adam and Eve – falling up or falling down?” “In our society the story of Adam and Eve has had a huge impact. Christians, and not only the most devout, think of it as about ‘the Fall’, which brought sin and death into the world, and gave rise to the need for a heavenly Saviour,” explains Patrick. “Judaism interprets the story differently, sometimes as one of Eve and Adam growing up, learning good and evil. Hence the idea of ‘the Fall Upwards!’ This will be a close reading by a rabbi and a priest trained in their respective traditions, for the text holds secrets in every detail. Come and join the discussion.”

Entry free but donations invited to CCJ funds.
Contact CCJ Staines and District Branch at ccjstaines@gmail.com or on 01252 622978.

Family Service
2014-11-22 11:30 - 12:30
Saturday morning at 11.30am led by LJY-Netzer
This is a chance for the whole family, and the wider KLS family too, to pray, discuss the Torah reading and show off what the children have been up to at religion school. We have multi-lingual renditions of Happy Birthday for all those who have celebrated that month – so far we have sung in English, Hebrew, French, German, Welsh, Spanish, Italian and Russian! There is also a group for the littlest ones, ShabbaTots.
This Shabbat we will be Taken Over by LJY-Netzer leaders and children for a “different” family service….come and find out what LJY-Netzer is all about.
For more information about the services at KLS see Services

Beiteinu - LJY Netzer Take Over Day
2014-11-22 09:45 - 12:30
Religion School from 9.45am-12.30pm each Saturday morning during term time.
Beiteinu celebrated Purim with games, food and some strange characters joined us for the morning…..
This Shabbat we will be Taken Over by LJY-Netzer leaders and children for a “different” religion school and family service….there will be activities and games for all, so come and find out what LJY-Netzer is all about.
The school uses the principles of Informal Education to teach a religious knowledge and Hebrew curriculum to over 50 pupils aged between 5-17. It also has a developing early years’ programme. The children have a short breaktime – bring fruit for the snack. There is a short assembly for all children each week, and teaching in year groups. Music, art and Hebrew teaching feature for children in primary school. The 12-13 year olds prepare for B’nei Mitzvah, then go on to studying for a GCSE in Jewish Studies, and then complete their Beiteinu experience in the Kabbalat Torah class.
Beiteinu pupils working on the Shalom Mosaic that welcomes all to KLS
Beiteinu students at the unveiling of their handiwork – the new Shalom Mosaic welcoming all to KLS

Shabbat @ Home
2014-11-21 20:00 - 21:30
On the second Friday (or third as it is this month!) of each month a member invites us to welcome Shabbat at home with them. The service is informal and friendly, from our siddur, but please feel free to bring a reading or a topic for discussion. Please bring something to share for the Kiddush.
Please contact the office for details of this week’s service.
Hosts needed: If you would like to host one of these services in future months, please contact the Synagogue Office.

LJY-Netzer Kinus
2014-11-21 18:00 - 2014-11-23 12:00
What is Kinus?
Are there things in LJY-Netzer that you would like to be different? Do you have an idea of a charity that we should support? Do you want to make real change in YOUR Youth Movement? If so then Kinus is the place to be. It’s our decision-making event for Nechalim and Yamim. That means that you get to have your say about how LJY-Netzer works—and change the things that you think need changing. No need to complain any more about stuff—now you can actually make a difference.
Kinus is an LJY-Netzer event, so you’re guaranteed an amazing couple of days filled with games, exciting activities, a little bit of learning as well as time to hang out. You’ll get to see your friends again if you’ve been before or make a whole bunch of new ones if this is your first time.
Last year, Kinus made some drastic changes to LJY-Netzer such as bringing back a fun theme to MachanehKadimah (summer camp)… who knows what could happen this year!
Want changes with LJY-Netzer? Come on Kinus!
Last year, Kinus discussed LJY-Netzer’s vegetarianism, the way we do Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals) on events, how much time Nechalim and Yamim spend together on events, what events we run each year forNechalim and Yamim and many other important topics.
Questions? Contact Tom at tom@liberaljudaism.org and 020 7631 9825 or Tamara at Tamara@liberaljudaism.org and 020 7631 9823.

Mitzvah Day 2014
2014-11-16
This year KLS is expanding its Mitzvah Day projects. Join the Beiteinu pupils and the KLS Choir at Southborough Nursing Home in Langley Avenue (Surbiton) where the residents will be entertained with music and songs.
We are also introducing a year-round donation station for the Kingston Food Bank. Non-perishable food (with a future Best Before date) that can be donated to help local people who are in crisis:
Milk(UHT or powdered) Sugar(500g) Fruit Juice(long life cartons) Soup Pasta sauces Sponge pudding(tinned) Tomatoes(tinned) Cereals Rice pudding(tinned) Tea bags/instant coffee Instant mash potato Rice/pasta Tinned meat/fish Tinned vegetables Tinned fruit Jam Biscuits or snack bars
Mitzvah Day is an international event: Every year on Mitzvah Day an astounding 35,000+ people say ‘yes’ to social action and giving, spreading goodness, repairing the broken and quite simply, making this world a better place.
Mitzvah Day’s hundreds of social action initiatives are underpinned by our mission to reduce hardship and poverty, care better for our environment and give a little joy. We bring these Jewish values alive by creating opportunities and partnerships that put them to work. It’s all about imaginative hands-on projects that play a pivotal part in building stronger communities, creating durable links between different faiths and charities, both Jewish and not, and cultivating valuable relationships with other faith groups.
Mitzvah Day was founded in 2005 by Laura Marks and became a registered charity in 2008. There are lots of ideas for Mitzvah Day at their website, as well as getting involved with KLS’s activities.

Bookcrashers
2014-11-15 10:00 - 11:00
The next meeting of Bookcrashers will be on 15 November. As its name might suggest, KLS’s book club welcomes gatecrashers who have not read the book being discussed.
But for those who do want to read the book, November’s is An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris.
The book is a historical fiction thriller based on the true story of Georges Picquart as he struggles to expose the truth about the doctored evidence that sent the French Jewish artillery officer Alfred Dreyfus to Devil’s Island. It won this year’s Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction
More information from Sara Alston via the KLS office.
Stuck for Chanukah gifts? Come along to Bookcrashers to get some suggestions of books that would make good Chanukah presents.
