Together Groups

EHRS Together Groups are all about making our congregation of over 3000 people a place where we know each other and are can find people who share their interests. It’s a great way of making sure that more and more of our members find the people within the Synagogue that we would especially enjoy getting to know. We support our members in creating groups, which could be as few as five or six people or as many as thirty, around any interest or topic that sits alongside the values of the Synagogue. They could be shared care groups, interest groups, or groups to help meet a challenge. They could be learning groups or just for fun. The principle is that they are led by members of the Synagogue with the support of the Synagogue staff team to get started, get out to members and find resources.

Together groups are a natural way of bringing our community together, person by person and helping our Synagogue to be more and more. It is a way of building great relationships in our lives with people we do know and with people we don’t. If you have a group you might like to get going please contact any of our Clergy or Debbie Drapkin at the Synagogue and they will be delighted to help you.

Our current EHRS Together groups are listed alphabetically below.

Art Appreciation

Angela Wilson will be showing a selection of paintings by artists some of whom you will be familiar with, while others you will never have heard of! We will be exploring their lives and their artworks. No previous knowledge or artistic experience is necessary. Just sit back, relax and enjoy some of the most beautiful, unusual, avant-garde and disturbing paintings in the world.

After the session we will have tea together and you will have the opportunity to discuss the art.

£2 for EHRS Members  ~  £5 for Non EHRS Members

Tuesdays 14:00-15:30

Dates 2024:3 December,

Dates 2025: 14 January, 4 February, 18 February, 4 March, 12 March, 1 April

Please click here to register

Badminton Group

Thursdays, 21:00-22:00 in Stanmore

Do you play, did you play or do you want to play Badminton? Come and join us each week for a friendly doubles game or two in a non-competitive environment.

Level – recreational / social

Please click here to register

Bridge for Beginners

Wednesday 11 December, 20:00-21:30

Led by Annita Tischler, Beginners Bridge will enable you to learn the basics of the game in a friendly and welcoming setting. Booking is essential. As places are limited to a maximum of 20, priority will be given to EHRS members.
Donation: £2 per session for EHRS members, £3 per session for non members

Please click here to register

Coffee & Chat

Wednesdays, 10:30-12:00 fortnightly

Our tea and coffee mornings at EHRS are for those on their own who would like to meet others in the same situation. We would also like to welcome couples for a relaxing morning. All are welcome.

Enjoy chatting, making new friendships and eating delicious homemade cakes.

Please click here to register

Cookalongs

Join our monthly Cookalong’s where we create delicious treats together with all different types of foods. Open to all adults who would like to join us.

Past Cookalong’s have included Hamantashen for Purim, Vegan dishes, Chinese fakeaway, fresh pasta, a Tu B’Shevat seder, Pesach florentines and cocktails, Foraging and Freebies, Shavuot alternatives to cheesecake, cookies & loaf cakes for tea, making our own ice-cream, and vegan & Parev desserts.

Wednesday 20 November, 18:00 in person
This month: Our cookalong led by Rabbi Debbie will be a special in person interfaith event as part of Mitzvah Day, cooking for our drop in shelter and Community Care Team. Book your space here

Please click here to register your interest and be added to our mailing list for future cookalongs

Creative Writing

A Creative Writing Group for your enjoyment, with a slight twist. Come and explore the joy of expression with this small and friendly group.

Each session will be based around a central theme, together with 4 or 5 different writing genres to experiment with. We will all then share our words with each other, and enjoy the many individual ways we all explore themes and language. If you have always fancied turning your hand to writing, then this group is for you!

If you are interested in joining this group, please register your interest and the group organiser will be in contact.

Please click here to register

Cycling Together

Our cycling together group is aimed at everyone who is confident at riding on a road in a group for 20 miles at a leisurely pace (with a refreshment stop halfway). All types of bikes (road, mountain, hybrid, e-bike, tandem, penny farthing) are welcome, but please make sure that they are roadworthy. Children are welcome but, if aged under 15, must be accompanied by an adult, (and confident to ride on a road).

*This group will return in the Spring of 2025*

For more information, please contact Andrew Woolstone, andrew.woolstone@ehrs.uk

Please click here to register

Folk Dancing

Mondays, 11:00-12:30

Please join us for our dance class at EHRS. This class is for all adults and runs weekly.

A warm welcome to all who want to join us for this energetic and fun morning.

Please click here to book your place

Football Club

Sundays weekly 20:00

EHRS’s weekly football game organised for male members between 21-45, at Centenary Sixes, Centenary Park, Stanmore, HA7 2NW. Games are organised on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis each week allowing everyone the opportunity to join.

This takes place weekly (with exception to holidays). Minimum 5 a side, Maximum 6 a side.
Members: £5 per session, Non Members: £7 per session
Please go to the calendar section of the website, select the date/s you would like to play, and book your place.

If you would like to register your interest and receive more information please click here.

Foraging Group

During the special Jewish Year known as the ‘Shmita’ or sabbatical, we are looking forward to learning with our EHRS member Peter Bradley about local foraging opportunities through the seasons.

Find what food the local area offers us for free, and learn how to use them from Vegan Honey to Ketchup, Salad to Soup!

Sunday 10 November, 11:00
We are delighted to welcome a special guest for this forage, much later in the season to make the most of what the winter forest has to offer! We will be led by Michael Green of The London Fungus Network, getting to know common species of fungus (edible and non-edible). £5 members, £10 non members to cover costs, please click here to book.

Please click here to register your interest.

Genesis

This informal, friendly and caring social group is for those aged 60 plus who have lost their partners in recent years.

If you are interested in this group please click here to register your interest.

Interfaith Group

Getting involved in inter faith activity is a great way to build friendships with people of different faiths, beliefs and cultures. You will also gain knowledge and skills that enable you to interact well with people whose ways of seeing the world differ from your own, and can help to build bridges between communities, promoting peaceful coexistence, understanding and respect for our different beliefs and cultures.

EHRS’s Interfaith Group, work closely with the Rabbinical team and are tasked with planning interfaith activities throughout the year.

We welcome members of all ages from 12 to 120 to be part of this important group.

If you’d like to be a part of the conversation or come on board, please get in touch with Debbie Drapkin by calling the synagogue or emailing debbie.drapkin@ehrs.uk

Juke Box Gold

Thursday 21 November, 20:00-21:30

If you lived through the 1950s, 1960s, or 1970s or just love music from those eras, then this group is for you!

From Cliff Richard, Elvis Presley, Roy Obison, Neil Sedaka, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Supremes, to great singers such as Matt Monroe, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, Scott Walker, together with many other memorable groups and singers from that era. We look forward to welcoming you each month with videos and songs on very informal basis, where we will play many of your favourites!
Refreshments available from 19:30. Hosted by Richard Hartman.

2025 Dates: 16 January, 20 February, 20 March

Please click here to register

Knit & Natter / Crochet & Kvetch

Monthly on Thursdays, 11:00-12:30

Pick up your needles and hooks, pack up your yarn, and come along to our knitting & crochet group. Suitable for all ages and all levels, this friendly group, will meet monthly. Free to members, suggested donation £2 for non-members.

Future dates 2024: 21 November, 19 December

Future dates 2025: 16 January, 20 February, 20 March

Please click here to register

Let's Talk about ED

If you are the parent of a teen who is battling an eating disorder, you might like to chat with other mums and dads in a similar situation to share your struggles, exchange tips on how to cope or just know that you are not alone.

To join this warm, non-judgemental group, please click here to register.

Opera Appreciation

Thursday 14 November, 19:00-21:30

Do you like opera? If so then please join our opera appreciation group at EHRS with other like-minded members. This warm and welcoming group meets at EHRS in the early evenings to see classical opera on DVD which is introduced, and then discussed by the group. You will see why great operas by composers such as Mozart, Puccini, Bizet, Verdi Donizetti have lasted the test of time and are as popular today as they were 200 years ago. All are welcome. Refreshments will be available during an interval.

2025 dates: 23 January, 6 February, 27 March, 24 April

Please click here to register your interest for this group.

For more information please contact geoffrey.bard@ehrs.uk

Phoenix

Following on from the success of Genesis, a recently established bereavement group for those who have recently lost their partners, there is demand for another group.

This group will be for those in their 70s and bereaved, who would like to meet others in a similar situation with a view to doing things together.

If this appeals to you and you would like to find out more please click here to register your interest for this group.

Rabbi Kraft Memorial Book Club

The ‘Rabbi Kraft Memorial Book Club’, was set up in memory of our dearly missed Rabbi Neil Kraft z’l. Rabbi Kraft was a keen reader and we’re sure that he would have been pleased with this new venture. As a tribute to Rabbi Kraft we will include books which touch on the values he was most passionate about, such as understanding and caring.

We meet on Zoom at 19:30

Tuesday 3 December: ‘The Covenant of Water ‘ by Abraham Verghese click here for details

Tuesday 7 January 2025 : ‘The Beekeeper of Aleppo ‘ by Christy Lefteri click here for details

A full synopsis of these books can be found on the calendar section of the website. You will be sent the Zoom details a day or two before the evening.

Please click here to register

Rambling

Rambling Group

There’s only one thing that beats getting out into the fresh air and discovering new places – and that’s doing it with other people.
As part of EHRS’s Together Groups, Rambling is a fantastic way to make new friends and learn about local lore. Worried about breaking the ice? That’s the beauty of being part of a group, you will have your love of great views, fresh air and a love of nature in common.
Led by our member Phil Muller, our monthly walks will be approximately 1-2 hours, moderately challenging, and super friendly. Open to all ages.
To find out more about our future walks simply email rambling@ehrs.uk

This group starts again in the spring of 2025

Please click here to register your interest.

Rosh Chodesh

Wednesdays 6 November, 4 December, 19:30-21:00 on Zoom

On the first day of a Hebrew month, a sliver of the new moon is visible in the sky. Rosh Chodesh (‘head of the month’) is the traditional Jewish holiday on this day. Join us on Zoom for music, contemplation, chat and creativity to mark each new month.

For more information on this group, please email rabbi.tanya@ehrs.uk

Please click here to register.

Rummikub

Calling all Rummikub players!

Do you love playing Rummikub?  This friendly group is open to all ages and abilities.

Dates 2024: Thursdays 14 & 28 November, 12 December, 14:00-16:00

Dates 2025: 9 January, 23 January, 6 February, 27 February, 13 March, 27 March

Donation £3 per person. Booking essential.

Please go to the website calendar to book your place

Schmoozing with the Clergy

New Options: For the active retired and semi-retired (60 plus)

Join our Clergy for a light hearted topical discussion, in an informal setting, in person at EHRS

Wednesday 6 November, 10:30-11:30 with Rabbi Mark

More dates & details coming soon.

Please click here to register your interest

Singing Circle

Mondays, 14:00-15:30

Singing Circle is for anyone who enjoys bursting out into song. You don’t need perfect pitch or be able to read music. Most of our 150 + song repertoire (which we add to every week) consists of popular songs, and songs from the shows which we sing along to while watching YouTube videos to ensure that, when we sing them unaccompanied, everyone is on the same (eco-friendly) page!

We designate the first Monday in the month as an opportunity to learn some Israeli songs or lively songs from our EHRS liturgy. No knowledge of Hebrew is needed as everything is transliterated into English characters.

Join Lawrence Cohen our facilitator, and Angela, Estelle and Linda, our song leaders, for joyful harmonies with a break for coffee and chit chat. This group runs weekly at EHRS.

Please click here to book your place

Spanish Conversation Group

Hola, hablas español? Do you speak a little Spanish? Want to brush up your Spanish conversation in person?

This group is for those who wish to improve their Spanish and runs fortnightly. Want to find out more? Email maureen.gorb@ehrs.uk

Please click here to register

Talmud Class

EHRS’s stimulating and friendly Talmud class is open to all levels of Jewish knowledge.

Join Rabbi Mark to grapple with the ideas of our classical Rabbis. Join the discussion of 2000 years ago and its remarkable relevance to issues today.
No previous Talmud study experience necessary, just a thirst to get deep into the foundational texts of Judaism. This class is conducted online through Zoom as discussion and argument is what it is all about!

Please email rabbi.mark@ehrs.uk to get the dates, Zoom details and the Talmud texts we are studying.

 

TV Addicts Club

The TV Addicts Club meets a few times per year to enjoy brand new and old classics of movies. Come along and meet people with the same enthusiasm, and relax in front of the box. All are welcome! Please click here to register your interest and be added to our mailing list, and to make any film recommendations.
We offer at light buffet supper from 18:30, the film starts at 19:30. £5 donation towards food. Booking essential so we know how many to cater for.

Thursday 28 November, 18:30-22:00
‘Instant Family’
On this date we will be showing the 2018 film ‘Instant Family’, starring Mark Wahlberg & Rose Byrne.
When Pete and Ellie decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. They hope to take in one small child, but when they meet 3 siblings, including a rebellious 15-year-old girl, they find themselves speeding from zero to 3 kids overnight. Now, Pete and Ellie must try to learn the ropes of instant parenthood in the hope of becoming a family.
Inspired by the director’s own experiences fostering and then adopting 3 siblings, this film is the perfect comedy, romance & emotional mix.
Please click here to book.

Previous films we have shown: Secretariat, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Fiddler on the Roof, The Zookeepers Wife, Green Book, 1917, Woman in Gold, The Help, Darkest Hour, One Life, to name just a few!

Whisky Tasting Group

You might think that the way to taste whisky is to merely pour yourself a glass and drink it, but there is more to learning to appreciate the flavours of whisky. The question is, how do you go about trying it in a way that doesn’t leave you broke, hungover, or bored with the same old name brand selection? The answer is to join us at EHRS for an evening of whisky tasting where you can sample different whiskys and chat about your favourites with others who share the same love for this delicious tipple.

Offering the chance for our members to be able to experience the unusual and the extraordinary, a charge of £7 per member / £10 per non-member, will be applied and spaces must be booked by a minimum of 7 days prior to the event.

We will source and procure a carefully curated selection of outstanding whisky to sample and discuss on the night. Please bring your own whisky tumbler if you so wish, though small disposable shot glasses will be available.
Light refreshments will be provided. Hosted by Laurence Stein

Next Date: TBC

Please click here to provide your details to the group organiser