Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a sky-diving rebbetzin!

The rebbetzin of Norris Lea Synagogue has embarked on a sky-diving mission before Yom Kippur, after tracking down the country’s only female diving instructor.

Rebbetzin Freda Kaplan, a grandmother, took to the skies over Bury St. Edmonds on 9 October, hoping to reach her £10,000 sponsorship goal.

Kaplan teamed up with London-based GP Judith Tobin, who is selling Shabbat cards, as the pair try to raise £100,000 for a ‘bucket list’ ambulance, which is specially designed to take those who are stretcher-bound to life events.

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They said the ambulance would be donated by the UK Jewish community to “anyone requiring its services, regardless of faith, creed, gender, colour or culture”.

The idea for the Jewish Ambulance’ was started in The Netherlands, and Kaplan recently experienced the Israeli version, when her father – four days before his death – was able to leave his hospice bed to attend his grandson’s chuppah.

“On my return to the UK, I felt passionate about enabling others to fulfil their final wishes,” she said. “I found out that this facility does not exist here yet, so my idea is to raise sufficient funds from the UK Jewish community. Sky-diving will start the ball rolling.”