Dear members and friends of the community,
As the year draws to an end, we’d like to update you on the highlights of 2021 and share our plans for the coming year.
2021 has been another difficult year in the life of our community as the Covid pandemic continued and more lives were lost. However, we are extremely proud of how well-prepared and organised we were, enabling us to carry on with our activities. Despite all the challenges we faced the community stayed vibrant and functional, and provided care and support to those who needed it.
Zoom and in-person mix
We started the year fully on Zoom. Our online presence had proved to be popular, convenient and more importantly the safest way to interact with each other and to worship. Until June we conducted all our services, educational classes and social activities on Zoom. We even had our first online bar mitzvah in April which was well-attended by many HJC members and guests from the UK, Germany, Israel, France and China.
As Covid restrictions started to ease in the second half of the year, HJC introduced its first ever hybrid service in June which welcomed participants online and in-person simultaneously. The synagogue conducted the required risk assessments to welcome worshippers in person and upgraded our IT system to facilitate the online streaming. Since June, Rabbi Irit has conducted a number of hybrid services which received positive feedback and we plan to continue with this form of worship for the foreseeable future.
Friday night future
As pandemic continues to present us with new challenges, there is an ongoing discussion about what is the right mix of in-person and online participation and at what times. For example, our Friday evening service remained fully on Zoom in 2021, and we intend to continue this. This is not a legacy of the pandemic - on the contrary, it has become a popular service with up to 25 people on Zoom. We didn’t see such high attendance pre-pandemic and so this is a positive development for us.
Website and social media
To continue our online theme, in 2021 we rebranded our website which now contains a calendar of services and events as well as a safe and easy mechanism to donate to HJC via a “Donate” button maintained by the Charity Aid Foundation. We’re grateful for your donations which have been used to maintain our building and to support some charities in the UK and Israel.
We’ve also continued to post on Twitter and Facebook. Our participation in civic activities like Remembrance Sunday Day, Holocaust Memorial Day and interfaith services as well as our social activities and online tours of Israel all featured on our social media platforms during the year.
Cheder
In September our cheder resumed in a more traditional format after lockdown disruptions. It’s pleasing to see that the cheder, now run by two teachers from the community, generated a significant interest among members and we’ve seen an increased number of children in the synagogue on Saturdays.
National stage
We’ve appreciated Reform Judaism UK guidance and support during the year as we navigated through the Covid challenges. Going forward we will continue to be a constituent member of the movement and in the coming year we’re looking forward to working with them on six different initiatives that will affect our community in some ways.
We are delighted to say that in 2021 after many years without representation on the Board of Deputies of British Jews, one of our members has become our representative. It is a significant moment for a medium-size Reform community like ours, as well as for the whole of progressive Judaism, to bring our voice to this high-profile organisation that looks after interests of Jewish people in the UK.
Rabbi
Finally, 2021 marked the 16th anniversary of Rabbi Irit Shillor being appointed as our congregational rabbi. HJC is truly blessed to have such a dedicated and hardworking rabbi, who continues to be a central figure for progressive Judaism in Essex and Hertfordshire. Her pastoral care, Jewish educational activities and inclusive services were much appreciated by the members and friends of HJC in 2021 as well as in previous years.
In summary, 2021 has not been an easy year. However, jointly we’ve found solutions and we’ve adapted to a challenging environment. And most importantly, we’ve continued to be a true Jewish community as we prayed, celebrated and grieved together.
2022 is a big year for HJC as it marks our 70th anniversary since the community was established in 1952.
We wish you a very happy new year and looking forward to seeing you in person or online.
Chairman Alan Cohen and the trustees.
