Masorti testing satellite reception in Radlett
A FIRST Masorti service is planned for Radlett next month as the movement looks to build on the success of its neighbouring St Albans congregation, which has grown to 300 members.
Masorti chief executive Matt Plen said that “a significant minority” of the St Albans membership was from the Radlett area.
In addition, “we know anecdotally that there are lots of people in Radlett who are attracted to our approach to Judaism but want to walk to shul. They want a local community.”
It will be Masorti’s first attempt at a satellite congregation and Mr Plen stressed that the St Albans shul would benefit.
“We are trying to create a situation where people can meet, daven and learn in one location but use a slightly distant, larger synagogue hub for other important bits of service — for example, burial, cheder, the services of a rabbi. “I can imagine a situation where you have a group meeting regularly for a Friday night service in Rad lett. When those people decide that they would like to be members of the community, we encourage them to join St Al bans. Thesy nagogue gets the best of both worlds because they are managing to grow their membership faster.”
Mr Plen was intrigued by the possibilities for future collaborative ventures. “Wouldn’t it be interesting if our New London Synagogue in St John’s Wood could support a network of minyanim in Willesden and West Hampstead?”
With the recent establishment of groups in Bristol and Liverpool, Masorti now has 16 communities with a total adult membership exceeding 4,000.
Noting that net growth was around five per cent annually, Mr Plen added: “We don’t see ourselves in competition [with other synagogue movements]. We want to bring people in for the benefit of the whole Jewish community.”
Both the two new regional communities are attracting more than a dozen people to services and he sees particular cause for optimism in Bristol. “From Census figures, there are a lot of unaffiliated Jews. There are jobs locally and it is a good option for people looking to move out of London. It’s got potential.”
He is also excited by the progress of Ohel Moed, a group comprised mostly of recent graduates living in London and Hertfordshire who have come through Masorti’s Noam and Marom organisations.
A number of the 30 regulars have also spent time at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.
They conduct Friday-night services at members’ homes using the skills acquired through their Masorti involvement — and also participate in regular Shabbatons. “They’ll pray together on Friday night, they’ll come back on Shabbat morning, have lunch together and so on,” he explained.
“There’s a sub-set who are meeting weekly on Sunday afternoons to study Talmud with Rabbi Roni Tabick. From my perspective, this is something remarkable. Off their own backs and without any pressure from out- side, they want to meet to pray and study Torah. In the context of the nonOrthodox Jewish world it’s a remarkable thing.” Were they the movement’s future leadership? “Sometimes the Jewish community applies excess pressure and expectation on our young,” Mr Plen reflected. “What we need to do is relax a little and say: ‘They are doing something amazing. Let’s see what support we can give.’ We are not in the business of pressuring them into a particular agenda.”