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Hadley Wood announce appointment of new rabbinic couple
'We are filled with excitement for the journey ahead': Rabbi Toby and Rebbetzen Bracha Weiniger join in January 2026 from St. John's Wood synagogue
Hadley Wood Jewish community has appointed Rabbi Toby and Rebbetzen Bracha Weiniger as its new rabbinic couple, with the pair saying they “look forward to taking the community from strength to strength.”
The Weinigers are moving from St John’s Wood Synagogue, where they have been serving on the rabbinic team since their appointment in July 2021. They will succeed Rabbi Akiva and Rebbetzen Batya Rosenblatt, who are moving to Hampstead Synagogue.
Rabbi Weiniger received his semicha (rabbinic ordination) in 2024 from Rabbi Shraga Feivel Zimmerman of the Federation. For the past three years, he has been a regular lecturer at the Jewish Learning Exchange in Golders Green, where he teaches classes on Talmud and Jewish law to students and young professionals. He studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel for several years and graduated with a first-class law degree from the London School of Economics.
Rebbetzen Bracha studied at MMY (Michlelet Mevaseret) seminary in Jerusalem and is now pursuing a PhD in chemical biology, developing drugs to block cancer pathways, at Imperial College London. She holds a MSc in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry from Imperial and has been awarded a grant from the Royal Society of Chemistry for research.
The Weinigers said: “Our years at St John’s Wood have been an extraordinary privilege, marked by the chance to serve a vibrant community and learn from an inspiring Rabbinic team.
“As we look to the future, we are energised by the warmth, ruach and community spirit we already felt so strongly in Hadley Wood during our trial Shabbat, and we look forward to building on those values and taking the community from strength to strength.”
Chair of Hadley Wood Jewish Community, Mark Ross said the couple “bring warmth, intellect, enthusiasm and a sincere passion for community life. They have impressed the whole community with their thoughtful approach, extraordinary potential and their genuine desire to grow alongside our community.
“We take this opportunity to thank Rabbi Akiva and Rebbetzen Batya Rosenblatt for their exceptional contributions to Hadley Wood over the last five years and wish them well on the next step of their rabbinic and communal journey.”
Chair of St. John’s Wood shul, Michael Abraham, said: “We thank Rabbi and Rebbetzen Weiniger for their tremendous contribution to the St John’s Wood community over the past four years. We wish them every success in their next chapter at Hadley Wood, where we have no doubt they will continue to make a remarkable impact.”
The Weinigers and their daughter are expected to take up their new role in mid-January 2026.
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