Dear members and friends,

As we prepare to deliver nine sessions at the Jewish Limmud Festival over the holiday period, we are also preparing for Chanukah and Christmas. Last Sunday, Campus Leadership Manager, Katharine Crew organised a Christmas/Chanukah party for Alumni of CCJ’s Campus Leadership Programme. You can read more about the event below.

Remembering those less fortunate than ourselves in the cold of winter, trustees Rabbi David Mason and Zaki Cooper, together with Revd Canon Anthony Ball, co-Chair of the Central London Branch, participated in the World Big Sleep Out in Trafalgar Square on Saturday night to raise awareness and money for homeless people in London and elsewhere.

This week the CCJ team presented our programmatic work to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. I think it was welcome respite for civil servants in the Ministry from elections and Brexit.

I was delighted to be invited as guest speaker at the AGM of our Bournemouth Branch. It was good to hear from members before the holiday period.

If you are visiting or participating in the Jewish Limmud Festival, let us know or come to one of our sessions. Details are on the flyer below. We look forward to welcoming you there!

Finally a big Mazeltov to Revd Dr Nathan Eddy who received his Phd and to Rob Thompson who received his MA this week.

Wishing you all a peaceful weekend

Elizabeth Harris-Sawczenko,
Director

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CCJ Student Leaders and Alumni celebrated Chanukah and Christmas with a party at Birmingham Central Synagogue. Students from universities across the country met to find out more about how each other’s’ festivals are celebrated. This involved lots of festive food, a game of dreidel, and a quiz where we guessed Christmas lights and doughnut related world records! The evening ended with the chance to light the menorah and Advent candle and to hear about how these are used by Jews and Christians and the blessings that would be said.

It was wonderful to bring together a group of students committed to interfaith, and to see the open atmosphere that was created. Whether it was a Jewish student teaching a Christian how to spin a dreidel upside down or a Christian explaining what the different Advent candles mean to them, it was clear that there was a real desire to learn more about each other’s experience of faith.

Katharine Crew
Campus Leadership Manager

Pictured: CCJ Student Leaders and Alumni at the Chanukah and Christmas party. 

CCJ represented at The World Big Sleep Out in Trafalgar Square
 

CCJ trustees Rabbi David Mason and Zaki Cooper, with Revd Canon Anthony Ball, co-Chair of the Central London Branch braved the cold and rain last Saturday to participate in the World Big Sleep Out. The aim of this being to raise awareness and money for the homeless as part of a worldwide initiative. They were there as part of a multi-faith group comprised of representatives for Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist communities. There was great support for the event from senior faith leaders which included messages of support from CCJ Presidents the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols and the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. On behalf of all at CCJ well done to all involved. 

There is still time to donate for this and put your support behind this initiative. To donate please click here. 

If you'd like to learn more and read Zaki and Rabbi Mason's reflections on this you can read their article in the Jewish News by clicking here.

Pictured from left to right: CCJ Trustee and Honorary Secretary Rabbi David Mason, CCJ co-chair of the Central London Branch Revd Canon Anthony Ball, and CCJ Trustee Zaki Cooper.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2020 (27 January) will mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Inspired by this year's theme Stand Together, our annual resource reflects on the complex roles of Christians during the Holocaust. It encourages churches in the UK to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in their services and in their communities and includes suggested prayers and commentaries on the readings set for the Sunday closest to Holocaust Memorial Day. There are notes on how to lead an all-age address, examples of survivor testimony, poetry, and images to encourage reflections. We are deeply grateful to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chief Rabbi, Presidents of CCJ, for their contributions to the resource. For the first time this year we have also included stories of Christians who have been recognised by Yad Vashem as Righteous among the Nations for their work in saving the lives of Jews during the Holocaust. These stories can be shared with congregations to encourage the sort of solidarity between faiths which the theme of Stand Together powerfully invokes. 

The resource can be downloaded here.