Pinchas Sermon 2023 – EHRS
When I became Rabbi of Finchley Progressive Synagogue in 1999 I followed Rabbi Frank Hellner, who had been rabbi of the Synagogue for 32 years. He became, and still is, the greatly valued Emeritus Rabbi of the Synagogue. Rabbi Hellner, Frank, was especially known for his excellent sermons. He had a way of finding an image which stuck in your mind making the message of his sermons deeply memorable. A book was published of his sermons with a title that said it all, from the Yom Kippur pledges of young people: I’ promise I will try not to kick my sister.’ Not I won’t kick my sister, because perhaps it might happen – but I will try not to – often the best we can do to avoid sin.
I was reminded of Frank’s sermons by a former FPS congregant of mine on Wednesday at a special event held at Bevis Marks synagogue, the oldest and most beautiful in London, built in 1701. Frank had been admitted to a local hospital for some ailment. He was asked by the admitting nurse if he was of any particular religion which might affect his care or dietary needs. Frank pointed to the name on his admitting form – Rabbi Frank Hellner. ‘Would it surprise you to know that I am Jewish?’ he said. ‘Ah said the nurse, you are one of the people who don’t eat pork.’
The rest of Frank’s sermon spun on this image – was that all the nurse knew about Judaism? What about our culture of millennia, Jewish values of care for the stranger, the orphan and the widow, our campaigning for social justice based on the Torah, our history all across the world, our literature, our contribution to humanity. No – all that had got through was ‘ You are the people who don’t eat pork.’
Something similar happened at this Bevis Marks event. It was organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the organisation that for three hundred years has represented the British Jewish community to government and which is the unique meeting place of all the UK mainstream Jewish denominations, assuring the future of our communities. Given what it does, way too many of us strike the contribution we are asked to make to the Board off our Synagogue subscriptions.
Wednesday afternoon was a unique opportunity to hear Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby speaking at Bevis Marks. He was in conversation with eminent Jewish historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, in honour of whose illustrious 19th Century ancestor Sir Moses Montefiore a seat is forever reserved at the front of the Synagogue. Hundreds were there including a healthy delegation from EHRS.
The conversation started with Simon Sebag Montefiore addressing a tough subject with the Archbishop, reminding him of the Church of England and its antecedent’s woeful attitudes towards Jews in past centuries, it’s support tacit or otherwise of anti-semitism, it’s missions to convert the Jews to Christianity. He especially mentioned the honouring of Simon de Montfort, after whom a university is named in Leicester.
In the thirteenth century Simon De Montfort, Earl of Leicester, brought the beginnings of democracy to England, establishing the first parliament. But he also expelled the Jewish community from Leicester in 1231 writing that this was “for the good of my soul, and for the souls of my ancestors and successors”. He cancelled all debts owed to Jews in the regions that he controlled and he was responsible for the massacre of hundreds of Jews in London, Worcester, Derby, Winchester and London. Such a man is still honoured in today’s Britain.
Archbishop Justin, as he asked Simon Sebag Montefiore to call him, spoke then of course about the need for reconciliation and vigilance against anti-Semitism in the church. He said, and we can all agree, with this that we haven’t got there until security guards are no longer needed for our Synagogues and Jewish schools. Archbishop Justin spoke about how his own father, who himself had Jewish ancestors, had told the young Justin Welby not to associate with a Jewish pupil at School called Myers. He spoke about anti-Semitism at universities, especially the attacks on Zionism and Jewish students’ support for Israel. He spoke about how Israel has to be treated like other countries and not held to a standard that is impossible for any country defending its citizens to live up to. He spoke about how the church must repent of its past anti-Semitism and effect reconciliation by helping Judaism to thrive.
Marie Van Der Zyl, President of the Board said at the event that the Archbishop had been a staunch ally to the Jewish community during the Corbyn era Labour party, when anti-Semitism was allowed to hound good people out of the party.
It was all good. What we hundreds of Jews assembly for the first time in history in our mother Synagogue to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury speak experienced was a serious addressing of the sins of the past.
But at the end of one hour conversation I was left with a nagging feeling. It was like Rabbi Frank Hellner’s at that hospital. Is that it? Is anti-Semitism the only issue that we can discuss with one of the most prominent people of the country, the leader of the national church? What about our culture of millennia, Jewish values of care for the stranger, the orphan and the widow shared with Christianity, our campaigning for social justice based on the Torah where we can work together with Christian communities, our history all across the world and for a thousand years here in the UK, our literature which is foundational to Christianity as well as to Judaism, our contribution to humanity which Christianity needs to recognise. Are we to be reduced to victims of anti-Semitism?
Maybe this is unfair as Archbishop Justin could only really respond to the conversation from Simon Sebag Montefiore in this setting, but I have experienced this reductionism too many times. Jews are not a victim people, we are a contributing people.
Our place in the world is not to be the eternal punch bag. It is to be a people who make a difference from the values that we have believed in and fought for millennia. In the Torah portion of Pinchas many loose ends are tied up, inheritance rules, the next leadership for the people of Israel, the festivals which will infuse our culture and communities for ever. We build for the future in the Promised Land. The oppression in Egypt is still there to be remembered but it is to spur us forwards to be a compassionate people, an activist people, not to get stuck as a victim people.
Jews are way more than the people who don’t eat pork and are victims of anti Semitism. Let’s be sure that our Synagogue is always an exemplar of the contribution that Judaism can make to the world.
