2,000 years in the making: UK hosts first cross-communal yeshiva
Edinburgh welcomes more than 100 learners to inclusive Talmud community at Azara
More than 100 participants from different denominations and age groups have taken part in Edinburgh’s Azara cross-communal yeshiva, the first of its kind in 2,000 years of European Jewish history.
Participants joined a variety of events, including sessions of textual study of Talmud, Halacha and books on Modern Jewish Thought, as well as get-togethers with the wider local community. Attendee Sam Gaus said that the first meeting had been “one of the best Torah events I’ve been to in Edinburgh”.
According to Jessica Spencer, a founder and teacher at the yeshiva: “participants bonded remarkably well” and “were very invested in hearing other people’s thoughts and understanding their worldviews”, showing the possibility of respecting and learning from others’ views, while not compromising one’s own values.
Jeremy Tabick, a Talmud teacher at the yeshiva, said: “Azara is giving access to deep Torah learning to a whole group of people who have never had the opportunity. It’s inspiring to watch such committed and excited participants throw themselves into a month-long experience. The organisers have done incredible work in putting the programme together.”
Reflecting upon the month of study, one student told Jewish News:
“Favourite thing: learning in an accepting, pluralistic environment, where disagreeing with the text is okay. Biggest surprise: I don’t suck at Gemara. Most important thing I learned: what it actually looks like to learn (and teach) in a non-judgemental environment.”
Looking towards the future, the students have committed to sharing their studies when they return to their own communities. Azara believes that this summer will be the catalyst for text learning across the community, and, as Jessica Spencer puts it, “we’re certainly hoping that this will be the first of many.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
