The Movement for Progressive Judaism

04/09/2026

As we enter our first High Holy Days as The Movement for Progressive Judaism, the latest edition of our bi-monthly Voices magazine is dedicated to everything the Movement, its leadership, clergy and communities have achieved so far.

Starting with a welcome from MPJ Co-Leads Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, its pages examine how the Movement supports and strengthens our 77 communities across the UK and Ireland, promotes and amplifies the Progressive voice, opens doors to Jewish life, and inspires the next generation.

Key milestones include the success of our inaugural conference, more than £2.2 million raised at our first fundraising dinner, a record 276 conversions through the Progressive Batei Din, and the launch of new leadership, training, campus and youth initiatives.

You will also find plenty of pictures – from our joint Netzer Europe Tour, interfaith work and launch of the first MPJ book, through to visits from the King, Prime Minister, London Mayor and Archbishop of Canterbury.

Click below to read the latest edition:
https://progressivejudaism.org.uk/voices-september-october-2026-our-year-in-review/

04/09/2026

EHRS Bark Mitzvah celebrates the New Year for Animals!

It was standing room only at this year’s Bark Mitzvah service at Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue (EHRS), where 15 dogs and their doting owners braved the pouring rain to mark Rosh Hashanah La’Behemot, the New Year for Animals, often commemorated on or around the first of Elul.

The service included blessings for the gift of animal companionship, a moment of remembrance for beloved pets who had ‘crossed the rainbow bridge’, and a presentation detailing the crucial work done by the Israel Guide Dog Centre UK, highlighting the ways that guide dogs and other service animals change and save lives every day.

Cantor Tamara Wolfson officiated the service alongside her dog Maisie, and was thrilled with the turnout and engagement.

Cantor Tamara said: “Despite the inclement weather, this year’s Bark Mitzvah proved for the fourth year running that the power of communal gathering and our steadfast love for our dogs are worthy of celebration.”

04/09/2026

A devastating flash flood has struck northern Nepal, destroying towns and villages, cutting off communities and leaving tens of thousands of people in urgent need of help.

The flooding has caused widespread devastation across the region. The death toll is rising, people have been displaced from their homes and are searching for missing loved ones.

The Movement for Progressive Judaism is supporting the World Jewish Relief (WJR) campaign as it stands with the people of Nepal in this crisis.

A devastating flash flood has struck northern Nepal, destroying towns and villages, cutting off communities, and leaving families in urgent need of help.

02/09/2026

"This is the way of Progressive Judaism. It requires a constant mediation between our particular attachment to the Jews and our universal concern for human rights. It is an ongoing struggle to love one’s people and all other people in a world beset by hatred."

Following a nasty attack in The Canary on Green affiliated members, Rabbi Lev Saul, of Kingston Liberal Synagogue, delivered this powerful sermon last Shabbat about the question of dual loyalty.

Read here:

Friends, at this season of teshuvah, I want to begin with an apology. I am terribly sorry, because I have been selling KLS short.When people asked me over the last couple of years what Kingston Lib…

01/09/2026

"The Zionism we want to inhabit is one strong enough to confront dispossession rather than provide moral cover for it; one able to hear Palestinian vulnerability without denying Jewish vulnerability; one capable of condemning Kahanism, settler violence and settlement expansion not only in principle, but when that condemnation carries consequences."

Read Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy's op-ed in The Jewish News here:

The Zionism we want to inhabit is one strong enough to confront dispossession rather than provide moral cover for it

01/09/2026

The possibility of UK Government action against Israeli settlements raises difficult and important questions for British Jews. It demands a response grounded in the seriousness of this moment, while recognising the breadth of opinion within our community. There is no single British Jewish view.

Our Jewish values call us to hold together truths too often separated: the safety and dignity of Israelis and Palestinians; our attachment to Israel and our opposition to the expansion of settlements; Israel’s right to security and the Palestinian right to freedom, self-determination and a State of their own.

Antisemitism is real, urgent and always at risk of escalating into violence. Protecting Jews is a moral imperative but it must not require closing down legitimate scrutiny of Israeli policy, nor should opposition to settlement expansion be treated as an attack upon Jews.

Our position is consistent. We defend Israel’s security, condemn Hamas and reject BDS, including attempts to introduce it by the back door. We also oppose occupation, Palestinian dispossession and settler violence. These commitments belong together.

Judaism teaches that every person is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God; that law matters; and that peace must be pursued, even when it demands difficult decisions. A Jewish commitment to Israel cannot require indifference to Palestinian suffering, just as support for Palestinian rights should not require hostility towards Israel or its people.

Support for two States cannot remain permanently theoretical. It requires a commitment to ending settler violence, halting settlement expansion and meaningful land swaps, as well an end to Hamas rule, credible Palestinian leadership and guarantees of Israel’s security.

It also requires us to confront honestly the reality of places to which we feel the deepest Jewish attachment. Love of a place should deepen our responsibility towards everyone who lives there, not obscure the violence and inequality they experience.

E1 is not an isolated planning decision. It is part of an explicit project, led by Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, to establish permanent Israeli control and make a viable Palestinian state impossible. Settlement construction, administrative annexation and escalating violence are interconnected and incompatible with the justice, human dignity and peace we seek to uphold.

We do not yet know what measures the Government will propose. They must be judged carefully. Are they lawful, targeted and effective? Do they distinguish Israel from settlement activity and avoid unintended harm? Will they uphold international law and help preserve a credible path towards peace?

Those opposing meaningful action must offer an alternative. After decades in which condemnation has achieved so little, how should E1 be stopped, Palestinians protected and those enabling violence held accountable? If we support two States, what should the international community do while that possibility is systematically dismantled?

Our Zionism is rooted in Jewish safety and national self-determination, and also in the Jewish pursuit of justice and peace. It does not fear accountability. It demands the courage to pursue an Israel that is secure, democratic and at peace alongside a Palestinian state, with freedom and dignity for both peoples.

Rabbi Josh Levy and Rabbi Charley Baginsky
Co-Leads, The Movement for Progressive Judaism

Read here too:
https://progressivejudaism.org.uk/statement-on-the-possibility-of-uk-action-on-settlement-expansion/

21/08/2026

🌻 Belonging starts with being seen, understood and welcomed as you are. We’re proud to see EHRS become a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower organisation. ✨

Edgware & Hendon Reform Synagogue - EHRS has become a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower organisation, marking a new step in its commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive and accessible community.

The Sunflower symbol communicates that EHRS recognises that not every disability is visible and that individuals may need additional support, with understanding and without judgement.

As part of the initiative, EHRS has delivered dedicated training to its staff team on hidden disabilities, with training for volunteers and lay leaders to follow over the coming months.

EHRS has also run support groups for parents and grandparents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), works with Norwood and opened its Senitt Sensory Room three years ago.

Edgware & Hendon Reform Synagogue (EHRS) has become a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower organisation, marking a new step in its commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive and accessible community. The Sunflower symbol communicates that EHRS recognises that not every disability is visible and that i...

21/08/2026

🗳️ Who will shape Israel’s next chapter? Join us as we unpack the election, the parties and the choices facing Israeli voters. 🇮🇱

Israel’s elections can appear complex, even to those who follow Israeli politics closely.

This four-part webinar series from The Movement for Progressive Judaism and Arzenu will offer a clear and accessible guide to the electoral process, the parties competing for votes, the issues shaping the campaign and the possible consequences of the result.

Click below to learn more and register:
https://progressivejudaism.org.uk/webinar-series-understanding-the-israeli-elections/

Session 1: How the Israeli electoral system works
Thursday 8 October 8-9pm

Session 2: An overview of Israeli political parties in this election
Tuesday 13 October 8-9pm

Session 3: 5 Key Issues in play in this election
Wednesday 21 October 8:30-9:30pm

Session 4: What happened, and what does it mean for us?
Thursday 29 October 8-9pm

17/08/2026

The Movement for Progressive Judaism stands with Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem after the shocking vandalism of its synagogue over Shabbat.

A synagogue window was smashed, artwork damaged and its Pride flag torn down. This was an attack on a community, but also on the principle that there must be space in Israel for different ways of being Jewish.

It is especially disturbing that Kol HaNeshama has faced hostility before simply because it is a Reform community. We should be able to disagree deeply about Judaism without denying one another’s legitimacy, and certainly without intimidation or violence.

We send our love and solidarity to the whole Kol HaNeshama community and to our partners across the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism.

Progressive Judaism belongs in Jerusalem. It belongs in Israel. No act of hatred will make us smaller or less proud of who we are.

שוב, פשע שנאה כנגד קהילת כל הנשמה.
בסוף השבוע פרצה חבורת נערים לשטח בית הכנסת, הבית שלנו, ניפצו את אחד מחלונות הבניין, נכנסו דרכו ותלשו את דגל הגאווה שהיה תלוי באולם בית הכנסת. תוך גרימת נזק לעבודת אמנות התלויה שם.
ונדליזם ואלימת לא יכבו את האור שלנו. אנו ממשיכים בעבודה היומיומית שלנו בקיום בית חיינו, בית תפילה של יחד, של קבלה ושל אהבת כל הבריאה, של ערכים וחיים משותפים.
אנו מקווים כי רשויות האכיפה יאתרו בהקדם את העבריינים וימצו איתם את הדין.

15/08/2026

We are thinking of our friends and colleagues at Central Synagogue in New York following the frightening attack during Shabbat services.

We send our love to the whole community, who responded that very night in the most powerful way: gathering again, relighting the Shabbat candles that had been extinguished, and continuing to pray and celebrate Jewish life with strength and pride.