Mass blessing in St John’s Wood gives ‘hope for the future’

Over 30 children between the ages of five months and 10 years old were named and blessed at the conclusion of this week’s Shabbat morning service at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in St. John’s Wood.

The service included a welcoming prayer and a naming prayer and each child received their specially chosen Hebrew name with a verse from the Hebrew Bible that included the mention of their name.

Head Teacher of Rimon Religion School, Dr Dov Softi and the Head Teacher of the LJS Nursery School, Caroline Villiers presented each child with a certificate from a charity which plants trees in inner city streets and recreation grounds in London.

Rabbi Alexandra Wright said: “Welcoming these new children into our community gives us immense hope for the future of Judaism.”