Keeping Yiddishkeit

My non-Jewish husband and I decided even before marrying that he would support me to keep a kosher home and bring our children up in the Jewish faith (We need to talk about marrying out, urgently, 20 August).

We agreed that to do this I would have to observe more Yiddishkeit, not less, because if I did less it would not get us anywhere, as I was the one with the Jewish knowledge. That was what nailed our successful marriage inside Judaism.

Soon after coming to the UK, I joined the Sutton & District Synagogue, where I was not only made to feel very welcome but also encouraged to join the Board and be an active member who would give her all for the benefit of our community.

In time I worked up the ranks as Treasurer of the Ladies Guild, I assisted with Hebrew reading in the Cheder, organised many events over the years (including a film club) which drew large crowds of members and visitors.

When elected as the first female Vice Chairman and

Honorary Officer I encouraged our members old and new to be pro-active. I organised Shabbatons, speaker events with VIPs, South London inter-cheder and other joint shul events. When between Rabbis, I organised for members of our community, young and old, to each write a D’var Torah to cover all the Parashiot in the Torah and when accomplished I took the draft to the United Synagogue who were so impressed they helped us turn it into a book “Torah from Sutton” which raised funds for our shul.

I have been encouraged by all the Rabbis with whom I have worked with in our synagogue over the years to persevere with my good work. I also took members from our synagogue and friends to interview elderly residents at Nightingale Hammerson and and we turned their stories into two books “A Celebration of Jewish Life I & 2” which I edited, the last with a foreword by HRH The Princess Royal.

Our only daughter married a nice Jewish boy in the beautiful Hampstead Synagogue. Yes, I have been blessed with a good Jewish life but much of it has been through my sheer determination to keep it Jewish right from the start and with the encouragement and support of my husband, family and local Sutton & District

Synagogue, and this applies whether you marry in or out.

In response to Mr Boyd, individuals hold the key to living a Jewish life, whether they marry in or out, but, if they are encouraged by their local synagogues, if they are nurtured to thrive and grow inside Yiddishkeit and made to feel part of the community, then the sky is the limit.

Sutton & District Synagogue certainly did it for me. Rica Infante

Surrey