From the Warden's Box

The philosophy of ‘every little helps’ is expounded by Tesco. It shows that in the world of commerce, as well as community, every gesture, whether big or small, is significant. Every offer of hospitality, every phone call to someone who is on their own, every greeting extended to a visitor, is an example of the little gestures that help our community to be a better place.

At St John’s Wood Synagogue, we are fortunate to have amongst our members people who have made extremely generous donations, so that the physical facilities continue to be updated and made more attractive. We are also fortunate that there are people who have been extremely generous with their time and expertise in helping to provide services for other community members.

We realise that not everyone has huge pockets or vast amounts of free time. I, together with the other Honorary Officers, value all support, whatever the amount. These are not just idle words; we recognise and acknowledge the cumulative benefit to the community of all efforts made. Here are just a couple of examples. Every week, come rain or shine, members of the community are outside the Shul on security. Even if only a few more people volunteered for just one 45-minute session a month, the burden would fall less heavily on the current volunteers. Additionally, just £7.50 would cover the cost for one elderly person to enjoy a meal at one of the fortnightly communal lunches. We’re excited to announce the appointment of Sara and Gideon Halter as our new Youth Directors. So we will also be looking for support from parents to help them in their development of youth programmes.

In our 19 years of attending the Shul, my family and I have been fortunate enough to be touched by the small gestures of many individual members, where people helped us find comfort and joy at the critical points in our lives. Underpinning these kindnesses has been the balance of rights and responsibilities that encourage each individual both to give and receive. Our Shul needs to provide an environment for spiritual and educational growth; a place for children to develop a keen appreciation of values and benefit from interaction with older generations; and somewhere for people to express themselves, pursue their interests and share their skills and life experiences. I believe that everybody has a unique contribution to make. With people making that contribution, our community will be able to provide the best and most appropriate facilities and services for its members.

So I’d like to thank all those who have been donors and/or volunteers over the years. In particular, I’d like to thank the previous team of Honorary Officers: Keith Breslauer, Andrew Mainz, John Nathan, Susan Kosky, Jonathan Stewart, Paul Summer and Yossi Knoll, for all their contributions to the Shul. I’d also like to thank the professional team: Dayan Binstock; Chazan Haschel; our choir, the Neimah Singers; Shira and Rafi Joseph, our Young Professional Directors; Jennifer Weider and Sharna Saunders in the office; the caretakers and security staff; Ezra Allen and the teachers at the Cheder; and Estelle Brown and the teachers at the Kindergarten for their ongoing efforts. My family and I, together with my fellow Honorary Officers, wish you and all your families a happy and healthy New Year.

Philip Garcia
Chairman