Reforming zeal pays dividends

A SWITCH from Orthodox to Reform and a chairperson with new ideas has brought fresh life to a dying northeastern community.

Darlington Hebrew Congregation has been great-grandmother Bess Robertson’s closest community since 1974. But she had shied away from involvement because her husband, Jimmy, was not Jewish (he has since converted).

However, following the decision to switch to Reform, she has become increasingly engaged, taking over the chairmanship three years ago.

Under her leadership, numbers have risen from 10 to 48. “I wrote to a lot of people who we hadn’t seen for years, saying ‘come back, we are friendly and welcoming’.” The mail-out brought in eight new members. Then a few more joined after Newcastle violinist David Biermann gave a concert in the shul, Mr Biermann among them.

Mrs Robertson, 67, also encouraged members to take ownership of the shul’s activities. The monthly Shabbat services, Friday night meals and social events now attract a core of two dozen people. Rabbi Barbara Borts leads services and adult education on an ad hoc basis and a fortnightly cheder serves the community’s seven children.

As numbers grow, the community is extending its smallish building — it had downsized after the sale of its old synagogue. The recent Reform ruling that anyone with a Jewish father but non-Jewish mother will not have to undergo a full conversion process to be considered Jewish should, in theory, help to grow the congregation further. “I would like to think it would but there are very mixed feelings about that,” Mrs Robertson says.