BRS 60^th Anniversary Celebration Events throughout the year.  

2007 – and Bournemouth Reform Synagogue celebrates 60 years of serving the Reform Jewish Community of Bournemouth and surrounding areas. Those first meetings in a church hall and Cheder classes in members’ homes under the guidance of their first Rabbi established a loyalty to the cause and future of  Reform Judaism in Bournemouth.

A commemorative brochure was produced, relating members’ experiences of various events contributing to the Synagogue’s progress since those few founder members got together in 1947, and now in 2007 we celebrated throughout the year starting off with an Auction of Promises evening in January followed by a special Purim Spiel in March when we re enact the Story of Haman and Esther.

In April we held two communal Sedarim to celebrate Passover. One on the second night and one on the 5^th night when we invited local Clergy and other representatives of the secular community. A third one was held on first night in the Ferndown to accommodate members living out of the main Bournemouth area. 

In May  we were entertained Ritz Style by the Synagogue Choir and hosted by the Guild.

Mid June there was a re-dedication Sabbath also a special blessing of 8 of our members celebrating their 60^th birthdays during 2007 with special guest Rabbi Tony Bayfield, Head of the Movement for Reform Judaism. 

Later in June Council hosted a celebration Tea in the Marsham Court Hotel with the band of the Jewish Lads and Girls Brigade led by Director of Music Neil Martin and guest speaker Michael Freedland.

The Guild of BRS hosted a celebration Luncheon in July with entertainment. Following the High Holydays the Opera Film Club held a special showing of “Excelsior” a Dance and Music Extravaganza of celebration and evolution, with a light supper (date to be announced).

October 27 was the date for the annual Civic Sabbath hosted by BRS.

And in November the L’Chaim functions group held a Celebration Concert.

The year closed with a special Chanukah Oneg on December 7^th.        

 SHALOM AND SINCERE WISHES FOR ANOTHER 60 YEARS AND MORE

 FOR A REFORM COMMUNITY IN BOURNEMOUTH.  

NB: Applications for prepaid tickets for these various functions will be available from the synagogue office.  

And here's what happened during our 60th anniversary Shabbat:

BOURNEMOUTH MAYOR CONGRATULATES BOURNEMOUTH REFORM SYNAGOGUE ON 60 YEARS 

Members and invited guests attended the Bournemouth Reform Synagogue on 16 June 2007 for the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary Rededication Service.  It was a special day that the Bournemouth community had been planning for some time, and what a memorable day for everyone. 

Guests from the Movement for Reform Judaism included Head of the Movement Rabbi Dr Tony Bayfield as well as David Jacobs Director of Synagogue Support and Mike Frankl, Deputy Chief Executive.  Specially invited guests from Bournemouth included the Mayor of Bournemouth Anne Filer, the Mayor’s Consort Michael Filer, the Archdeacon of Bournemouth Ven Adrian Harbidge, the Catholic Dean of Dorset Father Patrick Chrystal, Canon Jim Richardson OBE, Rev Ian Woodward, Father Raphael and Stuart Miller.  There were representatives from the Bournemouth Jewish Representative Council, AJEX, League of Jewish Women and WIZO. 

At the beginning of the service Professor Ruth Soetendorp read a message from Rabbi David Soetendorp.  Rabbi Soetendorp had previously been the Rabbi at Bournemouth Reform Synagogue for 33 years. 

The study passage and short D’var Torah (a word of Torah) was read by the Mayor of Bournemouth.  Anne Filer, who is from an Orthodox background, said of Bournemouth Reform “This is a thriving, forward-looking, vibrant synagogue which brings together Jews from across the South of England.  You believe that a healthy community is one that prays, socialises, learns, plans and grows together.” 

It was a pleasure for the Bournemouth community to have Rabbi Dr Tony Bayfield deliver a sermon on this very special Anniversary.  Rabbi Bayfield mentioned that “If this community has a significant number of people who are my age or even older, we nevertheless have much to celebrate and much to contribute.”  He went on to say “To have formed a community which offers as much as this one does, which holds such an important place in the life of Bournemouth Jewry and the wider society of Bournemouth and to have got there without significant outside help, is a testimony to what vision, commitment, hard work and nous can achieve.”  Rabbi Bayfield talked about the British Reform Movement and that Bournemouth Reform Synagogue is one of the older constituents.  He said “When the Reform Movement was born, we were only 6 communities in number.  Bournemouth was number 9 – we’re now 42.” 

Rabbi Neil Amswych also gave a short sermon in which he talked about the founder members and their commitment and the difficult choices they had to make. He said “The community was formed out of a difficult decision, out of a conscious choice to engage in a different way with our traditions.  It was a difficult choice.  It was a trailblazing choice.  The founder members of this community stood up for what they believed in, they did not take the easy way out.” 

Rabbi Amswych also talked about tradition and modernity and said “Society is changing so rapidly that all religious communities are having to ask serious questions about how and why we do the things we do.  And what I love about this community is that we are not afraid to ask those questions.” 

The Torah portion was beautifully read by Student Rabbi Jenny Amswych, who is due to be Ordained on Sunday 1 July 2007.  Another great Bournemouth celebration! 

Some members of the community who were also celebrating their 60^th birthdays were a big part of the service.  It was a delight to have 2 people present whose parents were founder members of the synagogue in 1947.  How things must have changed since those very early days.  Joyous messages were also received from Rabbi Kolberg and our twinned community in Kehilat Ra’anan, Israel. 

It was a wonderful Diamond Jubilee service commemorating 60 glorious years of Bournemouth Reform Synagogue.  The next challenge for the community is to grow and to look towards the next 60 years.  Our community must try to shape the Jewish lives of our members and educate future generations to carry on our traditions.