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At the AGM I found out that Jeremy Jacob had agreed to put himself forward. I am extremely grateful to him for doing so, and I fully support him in this. I asked him to prepare a brief statement for trustees and all members, which he has done.

I circulated this to the other trustees who were unanimous and enthusiastic in endorsing Jeremy.

Jeremy will take up his position in the next few days. I will  help him with the handover, also taking responsibility with Becky and the recruitment group for Cantor Rachel’s first few months and induction.

Tony Bryant – outgoing chair

“You are not required to finish your work, yet neither are you permitted to desist from it.” Pirkei Avot

Statement

Jeremy Jacob
3 Sivan 5783/23 May 2023

I am honoured to have been approached to be co-opted as the Chair of Sinai. There is much to be positive about the future of Sinai, but also challenges
and responsibilities that will need facing. Despite the various problems of the last few years, the Kehilla kedosha of progressive Jews centred on Sinai Synagogue, has demonstrated its resilience.

Lay leaders, drawn from the wardens and others, have ensured the continuation of tefillah: every service has gone ahead, and the recent introduction of professional leaders for the successful seder, and selected Shabbat services has improved matters. With a new permanent spritual leader, Cantor Rachel Weston, we can look forward to building on that recovery.

Cantor Rachel joins a small, but able, team of professionals already working for Sinai. Their contribution to our resilience should not be underestimated. We have the continuing responsibility of being good employers. Our values of tikkun olam and limmud have been nurtured by able volunteers. We must ensure that all our community, “from age 0 to 120”, are enabled to
contribute what they can, and gain what they need.

We have recently had the Sinai shouk, which showed the community coming together, both to socialise and to raise money towards the next big set of challenges, arising from the replacement of our worn out building. This process is the largest challenge we face in the immediate future. It needs acceptance from the community, to ensure that we do not alienate anyone. Part of that is ensuring that the new building is fully accessible, and sustainable, as well as providing for our spirtual, study and social needs. We need to keep the community together. while the transition happens. This will need imaginative “thinking outside the box”, and growing the membership. To meet our responsibilities and challenges, with minimal compromise, we will need more resource, of money, time and enthusiasm. An important part of the next Chair’s duties will be to create a setting in which this can be achieved.

Biography

I was born, in 1957, into The North London Progressive Synagogue.

Thea and I met in 1992 on Kol nidre and were married three years later, in the Oxford Synagogue. We moved to York in late 1993 for my work: a lectureship at the University of York. Early the following year we joined Sinai and have been members ever since. Our two children were b’nei mitzvah at Sinai, and went through RSY Netzer. I was Deputy Chair of Sinai for a year, during the period when Matt Thornfield was chair. I was an enthusiastic participant in the late Vanessa Rosenthal’s ‘Words and Music’ productions for Sinai. Later, I was honoured to be Chatan Torah during the lockdown for the Covid-19 pandemic. For several years Thea and I were the Jewish Faith Advisors for York St John University. In recent years, Thea and I have been regular attendees at the main Limmud festival, and at Northern Chagigah.

I am a Senior Lecturer at the University of York, coming to the end of a 30-year career: from October 2023 I will be in part time work for two years, before full retirement. This will make me, not time-rich, but less time-poor to take on new responsibilities.

I have had many roles in my time at the University of York, as well as eaching and research, giving me considerable experience of chairing large meetings, framing and implementing policies and procedures within the wider organisation’s requirements, managing students, mentoring junior colleagues, and dealing with complex, and often sensitive, issues of individual students and colleagues.