London shul to host its first ever services in French
London is to see its first synagogue services in French, in response to the huge influx of French Jews now living and working in the British capital.
Following the part-time appointment of a French rabbi, Liberal Jewish Synagogue in St. John’s Wood is to begin tri-lingual services in Hebrew, French and English, on Friday evenings, starting next week on Friday 29 January.
“We will be offering a home-from-home spiritual base for French progressive Jews in London,” said a spokeswoman. “The sermon will be in French, given by Rabbi Rene Pfertzel, who also serves the progressive Jewish community in Lyon, France.”
Senior minister Rabbi Alexandra Wright said: “We wish to extend a warm welcome to all those of the French-speaking Jewish community, living in or visiting London, to these new services as well as to all our other services and event. We look forward to seeing them at the LJS.”
London is now home to an estimated 300,000 French nationals, making it France’s sixth-biggest city by population, and the idea for French services came about last year, after a shul member proposed meeting this new demand.
“I lived abroad myself,” she said. “I know what it’s like to miss services in your own language. So I thought it might be a good idea.”
The shul’s Friday evening services commence at 6.45pm, and the tri-lingual services are likely to be fortnightly, with two prayer books, in English and in French.
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.
