South Hampstead Shabbaton for Rabbi Sacks Fellowship programme

Twenty four young professionals from the London School of Jewish Studies’ Rabbi Sacks Learning Fellows gathered recently for a “deeply inspiring” Shabbaton at South Hampstead Synagogue.

This year’s cohort, drawn from across the UK, Mexico and Israel, heard Gila Sacks talk about her father’s life and legacy, with other speakers including Rabbi Dweck, outgoing Senior Rabbi of the UK’s S&P Sephardi community and LSJS educators Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum and Michael Rainsbury.

Rabbi Eli Levin of South Hampstead Synagogue invited three fellows to address the community on Shabbat morning to share their ideas for addressing issues in their communities.

Fellow Galia Daniel spoke about the absence of Modern Orthodoxy and female role models in her home community of Mexico City and her decision to be a teacher; Nessya Kamhi discussed navigating Sephardi identity within predominantly Ashkenazi UK environments and advocated for the importance of including different traditions in our Jewish life; Shirly Piperno, from Italy, now living in Zurich, described the lasting impact of WWII on Italian Jewry and how to think about the challenge of disappearing traditions in many small communities in Italy.

Galia Daniel said: “Attending the Shabbaton was truly incredible. I got to meet so many brilliant people; both the participants and the teachers, all united by the same goal: to live and share a more meaningful, more alive Torah. It was deeply inspiring to see people so committed to their learning and personal growth.”

She joined the programme because she’s “always been a huge admirer of Rabbi Sacks’ Torah — his teachings are so profound, meaningful, and truly life-changing. I hope to continue learning from his ideas and, hopefully, become an ambassador of his Torah within my community in Mexico.”

Sacks Fellow, Natalie Lang added: “The Shabbaton set the tone for the year ahead, combining engaging sessions and inspiring speakers with the chance to connect with other Fellows. Hearing from Gila Sacks was a particular highlight; it was so special to hear a more personal side of Rabbi Sacks. I’m looking forward to learning from outstanding educators and contributing a project that gives back to the wider community.”

Michael Rainsbury, head of adult education at LSJS said: “There is such a thirst for authentic, meaningful and outward-looking Jewish learning. Our Fellows are talented and lead busy lives – yet make time to invest in their Jewish learning journey, and that is truly inspiring.”

The Fellowship, now in its fourth year, explores key areas of Jewish thought, with its core curriculum based on a syllabus originally devised by Rabbi Sacks in 1978 for students. It has been updated by LSJS to include Jewish approaches to contemporary issues, such as sustainability, social justice and AI.