A Constituent of the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues
Liberal Judaism -- Supporting the Leo Baeck College-Centre for Jewish Education

NEWSLETTER MAY 2004 - NOTICEBOARD

CONDOLENCES Russell Grahame, father of Lesley died peacefully on April 25th and was buried at the Jewish Cemetery in Edgware, London. Our sincere condolences to Lesley, Tom, Ruth and Alex

LETTERS Jonathan D’angour writes: There is something missing. I wouldn’t have come to the computer at 3.26 am on Yom Ha’atzmaut if I didn’t think something was missing. After all, I haven’t slept for nigh on 40 hours and the last three hours were spent listening to Reshet Gimel playing quite numbing Israeli rock-punk on the shortwave. Again, we know that the European Union is going to get bigger imminently, we know the labour government in England are testing biometric id cards, we know the Indian elections are going forward, that Bush and Blair are airing their wings for re-election, that the recession might become a boom, that Osama bin Laden is still in absentia, that July 1st will see an Iraq no different to that of June 30th, that the Rwanda reconciliation continues, as does Mugabe’s trashing of Zimbabwe, the Tamil Tigers fighting for Sri Lanka, the Immigrants in Western Europe and the rest of Western civilisation are at a premium in terms of how they are treated or deported, and that the Environment Protocols still unsigned suggest that even if and when we reach Mars or Star Wars whichever is closer the wholesomeness of the planet might not be inherited in due time available for descendents to survive – but what is missing? Something is missing. It’s not that Norwich is now back in the Premier League of British Football after ten years or that David Beckham makes a good husband or that Madrid still reels from bombings as does Israel and Bali and New York – the age of 911 – what is missing is that noone really has any idea however much they try to find out, what is the distilled essence of our human history and condition, the elixir, the philosophers stone, the atom, the nano bit and the gene. It’s now 3.35 am and I haven’t come to any conclusion either. Hag sameach. Jonathan

LIBRARY BOOKS Members and Friends of the PJCEA are encouraged to borrow any title held. For a complete list, check out the website. Or have a word with Kathy Worsencroft (email K.Worsencroft@uea.ac.uk)

If you have any PJCEA library books on loan which are not doing anything much, now is the time to return them to the library (I know who you are! —Kathy)

BASIC JUDAISM Lecture Schedule 2004:

20 March - Jews, Jewishness, Judaisms
17 April - Tradition and Authority
15 May - Division and its Discontents
19 June - The Face of the Other
17 July - Timing
21 August - My Ways are not Your Ways

All meetings at the home of Ellman Crasnow, on
Saturdays from 4.00–5.30 pm

— Ellman Crasnow

SUNDAY WALK Fairhaven Garden Trust. Nine miles east of Norwich at South Walsham; signposted off A47 at B1140 junction. Meet in the car park at 11.00 am. £4.00 adults, £3.50 senior citizens, £1.50 children, under 5s free, dogs on lead 25p. For lunch we will visit a local hostelry (optional!) Beautiful ancient woodland, water gardens and a private broad at South Walsham in the heart of the Norfolk Broads. Wonderful woodland walks - all easy walking with superb views. Boat trips daily, April to end of October (additional charge) - great bird watching from the boat. 950 year old King Oak and many other ancient oaks and beech trees. Nature reserve with bird hide

In spring you can see daffodils, skunk cabbages, bluebells, primroses, rhododendrons, azaleas and the UK’s finest collection of naturalised candelabra primulas