The Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation is a

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, in the United Kingdom.

History

With a

located on Raikes Parade, Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation was founded in 1947 and was originally a member of the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues. It is now a constituent synagogue of the

Movement for Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, formally the Movement for Reform Judaism (MRJ) and known as Reform Synagogues of Great Britain until 2005, is one of the two World Union for Progressive Judaism–affiliated denominations in the United Kingdom. Reform is relat ...

with which it has been associated since 1961. It is also a member of the

Board of Deputies of British Jews The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established in 17 ...

, the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region and the Blackpool Faith Forum. In October 2005

Michael Howard Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born Michael Hecht; 7 July 1941) is a British politician who was Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposi ...

visited the synagogue on the day he gave his final speech as

leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

of the Conservative Party at its annual Party Conference in Blackpool. He was called up to the

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

during a first day

Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...

service at the synagogue. The synagogue publishes a quarterly magazine, ''Migdal''.

Rabbi

Rabbi Norman Zalud is the community's rabbi. He also serves the community of Manchester's Sha'arei Shalom synagogue and, until 2007, was rabbi of the Liverpool Reform Synagogue. He has worked with the Blackpool Reform community for the last 40 years. He teaches special needs children at Delemere Forest School, is prison chaplain for all faiths in eleven prisons in the north west of England and Jewish chaplain to Southport and District Hospital. Rabbi Zalud trained as a cantor at

Guildhall School of Music The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz along with dram ...

and then at Jews' College, where he received a minister's qualification before going to Leo Baeck College. He received

semikhah ''Semikhah'' () is the traditional term for rabbiinic ordination in Judaism. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 CE. Si ...

in 1993.

References

External links

*
Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation
at GENUKI 1947 establishments in England 20th-century synagogues in the United Kingdom Jewish organizations established in 1947 Reform synagogues in the United Kingdom Religious buildings and structures in Lancashire Synagogues completed in 1961 Synagogues in Blackpool {{UK-synagogue-stub

History

Rabbi

See also

References

External links