Kol Chai - The Hatch End Reform Jewish Community

15/10/2026

15/10/2026

Ora designed our new Torah mantle! Beautiful!

15/10/2026

How talented is 13 year old Ora? She designed our beautiful newTorah Mantle ❤️ Thanks too to all the clever sewers who brought her design to fruition!

15/10/2026

By Rabbi Josh Levy and Rabbi Charley Baginsky Co-Leads, The Movement for Progressive Judaism The Movement for Progressive Judaism condemns the racism, Islamophobia, misogyny and violent language expressed by councillors and candidates of the Reform UK political party, as exposed by an ITV News inves...

15/10/2026

Simchat Torah was extra special this year at Kol Chai - The Hatch End Reform Jewish Community, as the community welcomed a new Torah mantle designed by 13-year-old Ora and handmade by members of the congregation.

The project began in January 2026, when Jacky, Juliette, Ben, Bernadette and Ora came together to create a mantle for the community’s newest lightweight Torah scroll, which was introduced to encourage more people to take part in hagba (the lifting of the Torah) during services. Textile artist Lana, a friend of Jacky’s, kindly provided valuable practical advice.

Bernadette said: “Although none of us had made a Torah mantle before, we brought sewing, artistic and DIY skills to the project. Ora presented several beautiful designs, and we unanimously chose one featuring the Sun, Sunrays, and Dove of Peace.

“Using vibrant colours, we transferred the design onto silk, carefully sewing each piece before attaching it to a velvet background. Many hours of teamwork went into creating a colourful, durable mantle that we hope will stand the test of time.

“Everyone contributed to this special project, and our names and the year are sewn into the lining as a lasting reminder. May this Torah mantle be treasured and used for generations to come!”

15/10/2026

Rabbi Naomi attended this event at the House of Commons celebrating 75 years of the Refugee Convention, hosted by HIAS-JCORE, the Jewish refugee organisation. “Love the stranger because you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19)

14/10/2026

Follow us on our new Instagram account! kolchai_at434

09/10/2026

Shabbat Shalom! Mazel tov to Shiloh & family on his Bar Mitzvah! Important meeting Sunday evening - please check the Weekly Email for details of it and everything else! Stay safe.

07/10/2026

Many of us remember exactly where we were on 7 October 2023. Three years later, it’s hard to imagine how much that day, and everything since, would change us. Our lives, our relationships, the way we see the world and each other.

So much grief. So much that cannot be undone. We may wonder how much of ourselves we have lost along the way.

At our memorial service this week we used the poems of Roee Kibrik, scholar and peace activist:

“The seeds of our deeds, lying in the furrows, are waiting for rain.

The paths of our shared life are pleading for our footsteps.

Let us walk in peace, with open hearts, and recognise our own face in the other.

Good days lie ahead of us.”

Some days those last words feel almost painful to believe. Today especially. But we cannot stop believing them.