Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community
BEIT CHAVERIM
www.eljc.org.uk
Registered Charity No: 1115670
A Constituent of Liberal Judaism
Newsletter
August 2014
HAVE YOUR PORTION AND EAT IT!
ELJC CELEBRATES ITS FIRST THIRTEEN YEARS!
On 12th July, Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community celebrated its 13th anniversary with a communal
Bnei Mitzvah, at which four adults and one 13-year old boy became bar and bat mitzvah. A splendid
cake in the shape of a Torah scroll meant that the congregation could not only have its Torah portion
but eat it as well!
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Angela Jay, (above right) one of the co-founders of our community in 2001, was bat mitzvah.
The service was conducted by Student Rabbi Nathan Godleman (above left) on his last visit to ELJC.
Angela Jay, Yvonne Greene (our vice chairman), Suzanne King (our chairman), Russell Brenda
Waffel and Ben Occadi, 13, read from the week’s Torah portion and were then given a misheberach
(blessing) by Nathan to celebrate the occasion. Ben is the grandson of Rose Wattis and the great
grandson of Sylvia Ash. Ruth Selo followed the Torah portion on the scroll and read the Haftarah.
Ben Occadi reads his Torah portion with Student Rabbi Nathan Godleman.
The sermon was given by chairman, Suzanne King, and centred on the meaning of the bar or
bat mitzvah ceremony. Traditionally, at the age of 13, male children took on adult religious
responsibilities and the ceremony of reading from the Torah was to publicly mark this before the
congregation. Suzanne said that it should not be seen as a graduation ceremony marking the end of
one’s religious education but more a springboard for a lifetime of study.
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Suzanne (above) noted that in Liberal Judaism girls also now celebrate a bat mitzvah at 13
and have full rights and obligations for their own religious life. Referring to the Haftarah, from the
book of Joshua, where daughters inherited, albeit in the absence of male relatives, she said that it
was many centuries before the Christian and secular law caught up with women’s rights.
Nathan’s address touched on the current situation in Israel and his hope that the crisis will
soon abate. He spoke about the contact there had recently been between the families of the
murdered Arab teenager and one of the murdered Israeli teenagers.
Nathan, Suzanne and Ruth read from the Torah
Each of the bnei (the collective noun for bar and bat) mitzvah was presented with a
certificate for a tree planted in Israel on their behalf. (Below, Ben Occadi receives his certificate from
Suzanne)
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As Yvonne (seen above right with daughter, Rachel) will be leaving us this month to move to
Oxford, she will be presented with a “tree of life” tallit (prayer shawl) as a thank you present for the
enormous contribution she has made to ELJC over the last two years.
Suzanne also presented flowers on behalf of the congregation to co-founder, Angela Jay.
With her husband, Andrew, who died in 2012, she raised funds and worked hard to establish a
progressive congregation in Eastbourne which is now flourishing and serves members living
elsewhere in East Sussex as well as the town.
Finally, Suzanne paid tribute to our student rabbi, Nathan, who has spent a year at ELJC and
has been so hard-working and enthusiastic. She said that she expected a student rabbi to be an
“acorn” but instead we got “a tall, strong oak with vision.” Nathan was presented with a bottle of
Irish whiskey to thank him for his time with us.
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Russell Brenda Waffel reads from the Torah.

Not just for choirs – LJ Sunday Seminar
It was a real treat to hear the Zemel Choir at the LJ Sunday seminar “Not just for choirs” on 20th July.
This day-long seminar, held at the Montagu Centre, LJ’s London HQ, was intended to educate
synagogue choirs and singing groups about what can be achieved, even with small numbers of
people. We can’t all emulate the Zemel Choir, whose range of styles and sound was breathtaking,
but, as Cantor Gershon Silins persuaded us, with simple rounds and unison pieces, any service can be
enhanced. Woodford Liberal Synagogue Choir with their rousing songs and Lena Mortimer, from
Northwood and Pinner, with her own compositions, showed us just what can be done. We got the
chance to sing with the Zemel Choir under their dynamic young director, Benjamin Wolf. Even those
of us from small, provincial congregations came away inspired to add more music to our services.
Watch this space!
The LJ Sunday Seminars are free to all members of LJ congregations (with a £5 contribution for
lunch). For further information see the LJ website (www.liberaljudaism.org). The next one, on 7th
September, is “Finding the Flocks”.
Ruth Selo

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The Chairman’s Message this month:
“After a wonderful celebration of thirteen years of ELJC with the community Bnei Mitzvah, we are now
looking forward to more summer events. We hope friends and families will join us. We also welcome
and encourage visitors, whether from other Jewish communities or none, and new members.
“Our next event is Parsha in the Park! on Saturday 9th August. We will be meeting at
2.30pm at Princes Park near the Sovereign Centre for a short, informal service and picnic (for
security, exact details will be released by email several days before the event.) All ages welcome. If it
is raining on the day, we will continue at the nearby CTK church hall. The service will be aimed at our
youth using the LJ prayer book “Siddur l'dor v'dor.” There will also be games and music – so bring
along your picnic, musical instruments and your best Shabbat singing voice!
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“The fun continues with our BBQ and Torah on the Beach! at 1.30 pm on Saturday 30
August at Langney Point. A short service will be followed by some great outdoor home cooking
(vegetarian options available on request when booking). There will also be a treasure hunt on the
shoreline – metal detectors at the ready!
“Tickets on sale from Angela (email [email protected] or telephone 01323
725650) from 7th August to 26th August.
“Come and enjoy a relaxed and informal summer service, see old friends, make new ones,
bask in the spirit of Shabbat in the great outdoors. Hope to see you there!”
Suzanne E King, Chairman
What is a “parsha?” The parsha is the weekly reading of a portion of the Torah, the five books of Moses,
which are handwritten on our parchment Torah scroll. It takes a whole year to read the entire scroll divided
into weekly portions. The scroll is written in Hebrew without any vowels, punctuation or page and paragraph
numbers. Rabbis and lay leaders need to study for many years to be able to read the Torah scroll.

Ecostream closure
The Ecostream shop, in Western Road, Brighton, scene of almost two years of anti-Israel boycott protests by
the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement and counter-protests by Sussex Friends of Israel (SFI),
closed suddenly at the end of June. Simon Cobbs, the founder of SFI, says that commercial factors caused the
shop to close, although, he says, it will inevitably be seen as a victory for the boycott.
Cobbs writes, “ I am incredibly proud of the way we responded to the BDS [and] being part of this
amazing fight-back. The sight of the blue and white flying in such vast numbers every Saturday made it all
worthwhile.
“I just want to say a massive thank you to all the people who joined us from Sussex, from across the
UK and Europe. Shalom from Sussex Friends of Israel. Am Yisrael Chai!”
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AROUND OUR CONGREGATION
AUGUST BIRTHDAYS
We wish many happy returns to Fiona Etkin and Suzanne King.
We are pleased to welcome Dana London as a new member.
Angela Jay writes: “ I am delighted to announce the engagement of my son Simon Haar to
Hannah Simmons. Mazel Tov and best wishes to them from all the family here in Eastbourne.”
AUGUST YAHRZEITS
We wish long life to the family of Moss Michael Berlin, father of Valerie Scrase.
Do you have something to celebrate? Exam results, weddings, engagements, births?
If you have any family events you would like the ELJC Newsletter to cover or want to
contribute an article please contact: [email protected]. We do reserve the right
to edit contributions for length, style and content.

Book Review
Israel Mattuck – the inspirational voice of Liberal Judaism by Rabbi Danny Rich
Published by Liberal Judaism, £4.99. Available from www.liberaljudaism.org.
Rabbi Danny Rich, the chief executive of Liberal Judaism, says that as a third generation Liberal Jew,
“the values and ideals of Rabbi Israel Mattuck are part of my heritage and were so long before I was
even conscious of their source.” Mattuck was one of the founders of Liberal Judaism, along with
Claude Montefiore and Lily Montagu, who were known as the “three M’s”.
Rich’s short book, published by Liberal Judaism, outlines Mattuck’s life, the origins of his
theological thought, and draws on his sermons for his views on God, the prophets, Israel’s mission,
liturgy and ceremonies and on Zionism. The book comes with the novel addition of a card with QR
codes, which can be scanned, allowing the reader to download the complete sermon onto a mobile
phone or tablet. The full texts are also available from the website www.israelmattuck.org.
Mattuck was born in Lithuania in 1883, emigrating to the United States as a child, and was
appointed minister to the recently opened Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London in 1911 after having
been ordained as a rabbi in Cincinnati in the USA. He was instrumental in developing Liberal Judaism
in Britain over the next 40 years until his death in 1954.
Rich’s book contains some fascinating excerpts from Mattuck’s over 2,000 sermons. What
strikes the modern reader is how relevant they are still and well worth reading.
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CALENDAR FOR AUGUST 2014 Av/Elul 5774
Monday
4
8
Tuesday
Wednesday Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1 August 2
5 Av
6
Torah
reading Dvarim
Sunday
3
7
7
11
8
12
10
14
5
9
Tish’ah
b’Av
(see
page 6)
6
10
11
15
12
16
13
17
14
18
15
19
18
22
19
23
20
24
21
25
25
29
26
30
27
1 Elul
28
2
22
26
Friday
night
service,
6.00 pm,
CTK
Church
Hall and
supper
club
29
30
3
4
Torah on
the Beach
and BBQ –
1.30 - 4.00
pm
Langney
Tish’ah b’Av and World
War One Centenary
Memorial Service,
Brighton and Hove
Reform Synagogue,
Palmeira Avenue, Hove
BN3 3GE at 6.30 pm.
See: www.bh-rs.org for
details. (See p 6)
Klezmer with
Dunajska
Kapeleye at
Lamb Folk
Club,
Eastbourne
8.00 (see
page 10)
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9
13
Parsha in
the Park
3.00 –
5.00 pm
Princes
Park
Torah
reading –
Vaetchannan
16
20
Torah
reading –
Eikev
23
27
Torah
reading –
Re’eh
2.45 pm
Drumhead
Interfaith
Service,
Brighton
Pavilion,
(see p6)
17
21
24
28
31
5
Point
Torah
readingShoftim
What is Tish’ah b’Av?
Tish’ah b’Av (the ninth of the month of Av) is traditionally a Jewish day of mourning. This year it takes place
on 5th August. It commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem, as well as other
tragedies of Jewish history such as the edict of expulsion from Spain in 1492 which took effect on that day. It is
traditionally observed as a 24-hour fast and the Book of Lamentations is read. Most Liberal Jews prefer to
commemorate other days of Jewish suffering such as Kristallnacht (9th November), the Nazis’ orgy of
destruction on the “night of broken glass” in 1938, Holocaust Memorial Day or the anniversary of the ill-fated
Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1944.
Brighton & Hove City Council is holding an outdoor ‘Drumhead’ Interfaith Service to commemorate
the centenary of World War One on Sunday 3rd August at 2:45pm. The service will be held on the
East Lawns of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton in the presence of the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex and
the Mayor of Brighton & Hove and led by The Bishop of Chichester, The Right Reverend Dr. Martin
Warner. Rabbi Andrea Zanardo will be representing the Sussex Jewish community at the event.
Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue will hold a service on Monday 4th August 2014 at
6.30 to mark Tish’ah b’Av and commemorate the start of the First World War. (see page 7)
Services at Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community:
Friday night services are usually held at the WRVS, 24 Hyde Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4SX at 6pm on
the 4th Friday of every month and are followed by supper. Please note that this month the Friday
night service will be at CTK Church Hall. Saturday afternoon services are usually held at CTK Church
Hall, Princes Road, Langney Roundabout, Eastbourne, BN23 6HS. This month we have a service in
Princes Park and a BBQ on Langney Point Beach (see above). We look forward to seeing you at our
friendly services! Visitors are welcome to attend. See the diary and calendar above for dates and
times.
Services at Eastbourne Hebrew Congregation: (independent orthodox)
Every Saturday morning at 10am at the Susans Road Synagogue. ELJC members are welcome.
Our congregation’s preferred funeral director is Kevin Young at Rosedale, 62 Grove Road,
Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 4UH. Telephone: 01323 726100.
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 Looking Ahead - Dates for your Diary 
Sunday 7 September – 11.00 – 4.00 – LJ Sunday Seminar – Finding the Flocks – Montagu Centre,
London W1
Saturday 13 September – 3.00 – Shabbat afternoon service, CTK Hall
Sunday 14 – Sunday 21 September – European Days of Jewish Culture and Heritage – Theme
“Women in Judaism”
Thursday 18 September – “Jewish Women in Public Life” – panel discussion, Jewish Museum,
London NW1.
High Holydays 2014/5775
Wednesday 24 September – 7.00 – 9.00 pm – Erev Rosh Hashanah, CTK Hall
Thursday 25 September – 10.00am – 12.00 noon – Rosh Hashanah morning service, WRVS
Wednesday 1 October – 2.00 pm – Tashlich service (meet by RNLI museum, Eastbourne sea front)
followed by tea at Cavendish Hotel
Friday 3 October – 7.00 – 9.00 pm – Kol Nidre service, CTK Hall
Saturday 4 October – 10.00 am – 12.00 noon – Yom Kippur morning service, WRVS
AGM – Sunday 5 October – 11.00 am – 12.00 noon, WRVS
Saturday 11 October – 3.00 – Sukkot service, CTK Hall
Friday 24 October – 6.00 pm, Simchat Torah service, WRVS
Wednesday 5 November – 3.00 – Afternoon tea, Library Room, Cavendish Hotel, Eastbourne.
Sunday 9 November – 11.00 -4.00 – LJ Sunday Seminar – When we talk about Israel – Montagu
Centre, London W1
Sunday 16 November – Mitzvah Day
We hope you can join us!
For further information contact: Suzanne (chair) at [email protected] or Angela at
[email protected] or by phoning 01323 725650.
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Northampton Hebrew Congregation has published ‘A Taste of Jewish Northampton’ to celebrate 125 years of
the congregation. Available from www.felandon.co.uk at £10.00 per copy inclusive of UK postage with 50% of
the profits going to Cynthia Spencer Hospice.
The Zionist Federation is organising a trip Israel:behind the scenes between 13 and 17 November 2014. Meet
key people and see exclusive places. For more details contact [email protected], or telephone 07879 494078 or
see: www.zionist.org.uk.
Six Point Foundation is a grant-making charity that gives grants to UK-resident Holocaust survivors and
refugees of Jewish origin who are in financial need. If you, or someone you know, may qualify for help, please
contact: Renata McDonnell, Communications and Grants Officer, Six Point Foundation, 25-26 Enford Street,
London W1H 1DW, Mondays to Thursdays 9am-5pm. Tel: 020 3372 8882 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.sixpointfoundation.org.uk. You can also
subscribe to a quarterly newsletter. Six Point Foundation is a company limited by guarantee (7714355) and a
charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (1143324)
Wednesday 6th August 2014, Klezmer at The Lamb Folk Club, High Street, Eastbourne, BN21 1HH. Doors
open 7.00 for 8.00 pm start. Tickets £7 on the door.
The group Dunajska Kapeleye, led by violinist Piotr Jordan, play klezmer with a touch of Hot Club jazz. Their
show features a phenomenal range of music from the most plaintive of gypsy ballads to riotous Romanian
dances! See www.dunajskakapeleye.co.uk. More information about the volunteer-run folk club can be found at
www.lambfolkclub.freeuk.com .

Sussex Jewish Representative Council has a calendar of all Jewish events in Sussex:
www.sussexjewishrepresentativecouncil.org
Sussex Jewish News is available monthly by subscription (paper £24 a year or PDF by email £18 a
year). Contact: [email protected] for details.
FOR MORE ON ELJC SEE OUR WEBSITE: www.eljc.org.uk. This has a full calendar of our up-coming
events, previous newsletters, photos and write ups on past events, as well as links to other useful,
relevant websites.
We are on FACEBOOK too. Go to: www.facebook.com/ELJCommunity
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