2013 has been a very full and eventful year for P’EIR and has included the first full year of programming for Rebbetsens. For this it is a pleasure to acknowledge the work of Rebbetsens Nechama Davis and Judy Ginsbury who have co-ordinated these new core activities, some of which are recorded below. 2013 has also seen a change of patronage as Lord Sacks retired as Chief Rabbi and was succeeded by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. We at P’eir are grateful to the encouragement that Lord Sacks gave us from its inception and are delighted that Chief Rabbi Mirvis has agreed to assume the mantle of Hon Principal in his place.

During the summer, our administrative co-ordinator, Barry Colman left and we have recruited Mrs Judith Odze to replace him. It is a pleasure to acknowledge

Contacting P’EIRRabbis or lay leaders who have issues of concern or interest in the ongoing development and management of training, support and networking for US Rabbis and Rebbetsens are encouraged to contact P’EIR - in the first instance - by email to peir@theus.org.uk.

The P’EIR office is located at 46 Albert Road, London, NW4 2SG.

Our administrator, Mrs Judith Odze, is usually at the office on Weekday mornings from 11:00 -13:00, and can be reached by email peir@theus.org.uk or telephone 020 8457 1359.

Rabbi Shindler is best contacted by email at rabbi.shindler@peir.org.uk

P’EIR NewsletterP’EIR Year Planner

No. 7 January 2014 / Shevat 5774

Charity Registration No. 242552

and Year Planner

Dayan Menachem Gelley, Senior Dayan of the London Beth Din, presenting an advanced practical rabbinics seminar to rabbanim

January: 13th Rebbetsens Programme (Morning)

22nd Professional Diversification Seminar

February 17th - 19th RCUS Conference

March 4th Advanced Shimmush

24th Rebbetsens’ Programme (Evening)

26th Professional Development Seminar

May Affinity Group Meetings

12th Rebbetsens’ Programme

June 16th Rebbetsens’ Programme

18th Professional Development Seminar

July 21st RCUS Annual Dinner And Siyum

23rd Professional Development Seminar

October 29th Professional Development Seminar

November 5th, 12th Mini - Induction Programme

18th Advanced Shimmush

19th, 26th Mini - Induction Programme

December 3rd, 10th Mini - Induction Programme

Affinity Group Meetings

Hon Principal Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis

the financial support of the United Synagogue and the encouragement of Jeremy Jacobs who recently relinquished the position of Chief Executive of the US. I am grateful to Rabbi Dr Julian Shindler for his help in devising and organising the key programming events for our rabbanim. These have been of a consistently high standard and have featured two special seminars which were hosted by the Department of Astrophysics of University College London at their observatory and at State Street Bank in Canary Wharf. Another special event was the highly successful symposium entitled ‘The Dynamics of Dual Leadership’ which was arranged in conjunction with the Community Division in the autumn and we thank David Kaplan and his team for their part in co-ordinating this.

We continue to benefit from the advice and guidance of our expert Lay/Rabbinic advisory group chaired by Delia Goldring and to work closely with the Centre and with the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue to foster support for our growing Rabbinic teams and to encourage Rabbinic best practice.

We look forward to what we hope will be another productive year in 2014 as outlined in the year planner which is included in this newsletter.

Rabbi M S GinsburyDirector

April: Rebbetsens Programme: Rebbetsen Via Kimche reflected on how to be the best Rebbetsen possible

January: Professional Development Seminar ‘Perspectives on the Creation and Contemporary Cosmology’

At the UCL observatory: Rabbis M Ginsbury and J Shindler together with Professors Ofer Lahav and Mike Dvoretsky

 

Rabbi Fine presenting one of the sessions at the pre-

Pesach seminar.

March: Professional Development Seminar: Preparation and Resources for Pesach

June: Professional Development Seminar:Part 1: Preparing for Sukkot: Helped Rabbanim to prepare for Sukkot, showcasing good practice and materials for the preparation of sermons, shiurim and communal activities.

Part 2: IT Tools for Event planning

Rebbetsens’ Programme: Rebbetsen Ruthie Portnoy on Community Building

Rebbetsens’ Programme: Special shiur from Rabbi Kenneth Brander (Yeshiva University) at Chief Rabbi’s Pre-Yomim Nora’im Conference

Professional Development Seminar: Money, Markets & Morals held at State Street Bank, Canary Wharf

December: Professional Development Seminar: Understanding Personality Preferences and Leadership Styles moderated by Emil Jackson, Tavistock Clinic

Programming Activities during 2013

October: Best practice symposium arranged in conjunction with the US Community Division entitled ‘The Dynamics of Dual Leadership’

David Turner, Chairman of South Hampstead Synagogue, moderates a workshop on communal strategic planning

November: Rebbetsens’ Programme: Domestic abuse with Jewish Women’s Aid and presentation by David Kaplan of the US Community Division

Rabbi Dr Julian ShindlerProgrammes Director

July: First Rabbinic Chavurah Rabbanim learning together at one of the monthly ‘chavurot’ organised in conjunction with the Kinloss Community Kollel and US Living & Learning Department

Rabbi Dr Moshe Freedman, a member of

the multi-faith chaplaincy of Canary Wharf,

introduces one of the days’ sessions