Julia Babette Sarah Neuberger, Baroness Neuberger, (; born 27 February 1950) is a British rabbi and politician. She was the second woman to be ordained as a rabbi in the UK and the first to lead a synagogue.
Neuberger was made a
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
in 2004. In the House of Lords she took the
Liberal Democrat whip
A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...
until 2011 when she became a
crossbencher
A crossbencher is a minor party or independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. They take their name fr ...
upon becoming the full-time senior rabbi of the
West London Synagogue, from which she retired in 2020. She became the chair of
University College London Hospitals (UCLH) in 2019.
Early life
Neuberger was born Julia Babette Sarah Schwab in the
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...
area of London on 27 February 1950, the daughter of art critic Liesel ("Alice") and civil servant Walter Schwab. Her mother was a
German-Jewish
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...
refugee who had fled the
Nazis
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
, arriving in England at the age of 22 in 1937, while her father was born in England to German-Jewish immigrants who had settled there before the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The Schwab Trust, which supports and educates young refugees and asylum seekers, was later set up in her parents' name.
She attended
South Hampstead High School and
Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge.
The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...
, where she first studied
Assyriology
Assyriology (from Greek , ''Assyriā''; and , ''-logia''), also known as Cuneiform studies or Ancient Near East studies, is the archaeological, anthropological, historical, and linguistic study of the cultures that used cuneiform writing. The fie ...
. After she was refused entry to
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
because she was British, and then to
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
because she was Jewish, she had to change her subject and instead studied her second language of
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
full-time. Her lecturer at the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
,
Nicholas de Lange, suggested she should become a rabbi. She obtained her rabbinic diploma at
Leo Baeck College. She was the second woman to be ordained as a rabbi in the UK, the first being
Jackie Tabick in 1975.
Career
Religious roles
Neuberger taught at her
alma mater
Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...
, Leo Baeck College, from 1977 to 1997. She was rabbi of the
South London Liberal Synagogue from 1977 to 1989 and was the first female rabbi to lead a synagogue in the United Kingdom.
She was president of
West Central Liberal Synagogue. On 1 February 2011, the
West London Synagogue (a
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 ...
synagogue) announced that she had been appointed as senior rabbi of the synagogue. She retired from her West London Synagogue role in March 2020. She regularly appeared on the
''Pause for Thought'' section on
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
.
Public sector activity
Neuberger was chair of Camden and Islington Community Health Services
NHS Trust
An NHS trust is an organisational unit within the National Health Services of England and Wales, generally serving either a geographical area or a specialised function (such as an ambulance service). In any particular location there may be several ...
from 1992 to 1997, and chief executive of the
King's Fund
The King's Fund is an independent think tank, which is involved with work relating to the health system in England. It organises conferences and other events.
Since 1997, they have jointly funded a yearly award system with GlaxoSmithKline. Th ...
from 1997 to 2004. She was also
chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
of the
University of Ulster
Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...
from 1994 to 2000. ''
Who's Who
A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...
'' lists a large number of voluntary and philanthropic roles she has undertaken. She became the chair of
University College London Hospitals (UCLH) in 2019.
Her book, ''The Moral State We're In'', a study of morality and public policy in modern Britain (), was published in 2005. The title is an allusion to
Will Hutton's 1997 book, ''The State We're In''.
Political and parliamentary roles
Neuberger was the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
Form ...
candidate for
Tooting
Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross.
History
Tooting has been settled since pre-Anglo-Saxons, Saxon times. The name is of Anglo-Saxon ori ...
in the
1983 general election, coming third with 8,317 votes (18.1%). She was appointed a
DBE in the
2004 New Year Honours for "services to the NHS and other Public Bodies". In
June 2004, she was created a
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
as Baroness Neuberger, of Primrose Hill in the
London Borough of Camden
The London Borough of Camden () is a London boroughs, borough in Inner London, England. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the former Metropolitan boroughs of the Cou ...
. She served as a Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson from 2004 to 2007. On 29 June 2007, Neuberger was appointed by the incoming Prime Minister
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
as the government's champion of volunteering. She resigned the Liberal Democrat whip in September 2011 upon becoming senior rabbi of the
West London Synagogue.
Controversy
In 1997, Neuberger criticised
education in Northern Ireland
The education system in Northern Ireland differs from elsewhere in the United Kingdom (although it is relatively similar to Wales), but is similar to the Republic of Ireland in sharing in the development of the ''National school (Ireland), nat ...
as "
sectarian
Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or religious conflicts between groups. Others conceive of sectarianism a ...
" at the opening of
Loughview Integrated Primary School.
The ''
Irish News'' claimed she had criticised Catholic schools as sectarian, leading to criticism from the Director of the
Council for Catholic Maintained Schools.
["Catholic schools are sectarian says chancellor"](_blank)
Anna-Marie McFaul, '' Irish News'', 17 April 2007["UU 'washes hands' of chancellor"](_blank)
Anna-Marie McFaul, '' Irish News'', 19 April 2007 However, she said that the report from the ''Irish News'' had given a misleading impression and that she had been quoted out of context: "In fact, I think in what I actually said at the opening I didn't mention Catholic schools. I think I actually mentioned Protestant, Muslim and Jewish but then I was interviewed afterwards and I certainly said to the reporter that what I said applied just as much to Catholic schools as to Protestant or Jewish or Muslim or whatever."
[UU Chancellor defends comments on single denomination schools](_blank)
, The IE Professional #120b, 23 September 1997
Charity work
In January 2013, Neuberger was appointed chair of an Independent Review of the
Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient. The impartiality of the appointment was questioned by some of the bereaved families, due to her previous endorsement of the pathway, which was written by John Ellershaw, medical director of the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute in Liverpool, in a 2003 ''
BMJ
''The BMJ'' is a fortnightly peer-reviewed medical journal, published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, which in turn is wholly-owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world' ...
'' article,
and her widely publicised support of the Marie Curie Institute. The results of the review were published in July 2013; accepting the review's recommendations, the government advised that NHS hospitals should phase out the use of the LCP.
Neuberger was elected vice-president of Attend, a charity that supports and expands the roles volunteers play in creating healthy communities, in 2006 and held the position until she retired in 2011.
Neuberger was appointed to the board of Irish health insurers
Vhi Healthcare for a five-year period from 2005 by
Mary Harney
Mary Harney (born 11 March 1953) is an Irish former politician and the former Chancellor of the University of Limerick.
She was leader of the Progressive Democrats party between 1993 and 2006 and again from 2007 to 2008, resuming the role afte ...
, the
Tánaiste
The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems.
The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...
and Minister for Health and Children.
Neuberger is a vice president of the
Jewish Leadership Council.
Personal life
Neuberger married Professor
Anthony Neuberger on 17 September 1973. They have a son named Matthew and a daughter named Harriet. Her brother-in-law is
David Neuberger, Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury
David Edmond Neuberger, Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury (; born 10 January 1948) is an English judge. He served as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2012 to 2017. He was a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary until the House of Lo ...
.
In the wake of the
Brexit
Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU).
Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
vote in 2016, Neuberger stated that she would apply for a German passport, for which she is eligible through her parents. She said, "My decision has nothing at all to do with anti-Semitism, but with my origins, my admiration for how today's Germany has dealt with its past, and my sense of being European as well as British."
Publications
*''The Story of Judaism ''(for children), 1986, 2nd edition 1988.
*''Days of Decision'' (Edited four in series), 1987.
*''Caring for Dying Patients of Different Faiths'', 1987, 3rd edition 2004 (edited, with John A. White).
*''A Necessary End'', 1991.
*''Whatever's Happening to Women?'', 1991.
*''Ethics and Healthcare: the role of Research Ethics Committees in the UK'', 1992.
*''The Things That Matter'' (anthology of women's spiritual poetry, Edited by JN), 1993.
*''On Being Jewish'', 1995.
*''Dying Well: a guide to enabling a better death'', 1999, 2nd edition 2004.
*''Hidden Assets: values and decision-making in the NHS today'', (edition with Bill New), 2002.
*''The Moral State We're In'', 2005.
*''Report on Volunteering'', 2008.
*''Antisemitism: What it is; What it isn't and why it matters'', 2019.
References
External links
Baroness NeubergerUK Parliament profile
2004 Interviewby
Joan Bakewell for ''Belief'' (
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
)
Video interview with Baroness Neuberger on PMLiVE.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neuberger, Julia
1950 births
Living people
20th-century English politicians
20th-century English rabbis
20th-century English women politicians
21st-century English politicians
21st-century English rabbis
21st-century English women politicians
Alumni of Leo Baeck College
Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge
British Ashkenazi Jews
British Liberal rabbis
Chancellors of Ulster University
Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Crossbench life peers
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
English people of German-Jewish descent
Harkness Fellows
Jewish British politicians
Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers
Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
Julia
Ordained peers
People educated at South Hampstead High School
Rabbis from London
Social Democratic Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Reform women rabbis