November 2018

JEWISH CONNECTIONS WITH HUMAN RIGHTS – Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah – SJN – 12.18

This year we have been marking several anniversaries, including the 70th birthday of the establishment of the State of Israel (14 May 1948/5^th Iyyar 5708) and the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht (9^th-10^th November 1938/16^th Cheshvan 5699).

On 10^th December it will be the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although not a date on the Jewish calendar, the UDHR was ratified by the UN in the aftermath of the Sho’ah and has significant Jewish connections.

One of the main architects of the UDHR was the French Jewish lawyer, René Cassin. The Jewish human rights charity, René Cassin, based in Britain has adopted his name to remind us of the Jewish links with the Universal Declaration. Passionate about the Jewish roots of human rights, last year, the charity published Human Rights Thought for the Week. 54 Human Rights Commentaries on the Weekly Parasha, an inspiring collection which includes pieces by a range of rabbis and engaged laypeople (my commentary is on parashat Bo). I’m very proud that one of the young people who grew up at Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue, Hannah Swirsky, is now working as Campaigns Officer for René Cassin.

It’s no accident that Jewish input was so central to the formulation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In her book, A Magna Carta for all Humanity, homing in on human rights, published in 2015 to coincide with the 800^th anniversary of the Magna Carta, Professor Francesca Klug, who played a major role in the creation of the UK Human Rights Act 1998 for which she was awarded an OBE, shows how Jewish teaching informed the Universal Declaration.

So, perhaps 10^th December should be added to the Jewish calendar. As it happens, for decades now the Liberal and Reform movements have observed Human Rights Shabbat on the nearest Shabbat to the 10^th. Of course, there are other times in the Jewish year, when we can focus on human rights, not least at Pesach, Sukkot and Chanukkah. This year, Chanukkah, the festival of ‘dedication’, begins quite early, and as it happens the eighth and final day falls on 10^th December. As we light the Chanukkiyyah each evening, and see the flames accumulating night after night, may our commitment to increasing the light in memory of the Maccabean struggle against Imperial tyranny, inspire us to re-dedicate ourselves to the continuing task of protecting human rights here in Britain and extending human rights throughout the world. Chanukkah Samei’ach!

TWO ANNIVERSARIES – Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah – SJN, November 2018

For the past four years here in Britain, we have been commemorating the centenary of the First World War. Each year, the nation marks Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday. This year, which marks hundred years since the war ended, both fall on 11^th November. At the time, of course, this terrible conflict, which destroyed so many lives, was known simply as ‘The Great War’. It was only when conflict returned to the continent of Europe in 1939 that it gained a new name, designating it as the First World War.

11^th November is going to be a very unique moment. For Jews across the world, there is another significant anniversary that immediately precedes it: the 80^th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the ‘Night of the Broken Glass’, 9^th to 10^th November 1938. This year, Kristallnacht falls on Shabbat. So: from Friday evening on the 9^th through Sunday, 11^th: a time for reflection and remembrance.

It has been some years now, since there have been any survivors of the First World War to share their testimony with us. Soon, those who lived through Kristallnacht will also no longer be alive to talk about what happened to them. At BHPS, one of those who experienced that terrible moment when the persecution of the Jews of Germany transmuted into a campaign of violence, Rose Cannan, Z”L, sadly died in November 2016 at the age of 94. Fortunately, she wrote her autobiography, In Paris We Sang. A Memoir (Ashgrove Publishing, 2013) which includes her Kristallnacht story, so her testimony has been preserved for present and future generations. We are blessed that among our membership, another Kristallnacht witness is still in our midst: Margarete Mendelsohn. She was only eight years old at the time. Margarete has also written her autobiography: The Nazis Through the Eyes of a Child (My Voice Publishing, 2012).

At BHPS, we will be holding a special Shabbat of commemoration to mark the 80^th anniversary Kristallnacht, and we are delighted that we will be joined by Rabbi Tamarah Benima and members of the Beit HaChidush congregation in Amsterdam, aware that the Jewish community in the Netherlands lives in the shadow of the Sho’ah to this day. On Erev Shabbat, after the service, Dr David Jünger, Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Sussex, will speak to us about Kristallnacht. The Shabbat morning service will include readings from the memoirs of Rose and Margarete, as well as scholarly accounts from historians, Lucy Dawidowicz and Martin Gilbert. In the afternoon, Margarete will talk to us about her experience. During lunch, we will go upstairs to the library, where one wall is adorned with two portraits by artist, Pauline Lewis. One is of Rose Cannan, the other is of Hans Levy, Z”L, another beloved member of the congregation, who came to England on the kindertransport and died in June 2016. Aware that those who have joined the congregation during the past two years did not meet Rose and Hans, their portraits are now accompanied by brief texts, so everyone will know who they were. Remembrance is vital – and informing ourselves is also essential if we are going to ensure that future generations also remember. Books about the Sho’ah, including Rose’s and Margarete’s autobiographies, will be on display in the foyer and in the library. Zichronam livrachah – May the memory of all those who were murdered be for blessing.