News

Zoom into a Thriving Kehillat Kenrow

Since the beginning of March, Chairman Jeremy Jacobson has been organising members of Kehillat Kernow to prepare for the long period of self-isolation due to Covid-19, and to make contact, communication and inter-action viable, on-going and meaningful to our Jewish lives.  As a result, our small Jewish Cornish community is alive, well and offering a range of options to ride out the pandemic.

During March, April and now almost through May, Jeremy, with the help of shul members, has not only organised social/cultural events (Quiz afternoon, chat sessions, a KK WhatsApp group, Jewish Britain: Your favourite object in the Jewish Museum), Festival and Commemorative services (Erev Shavuot, Yom HaShoah), but also initiated regular Friday Night/Kiddush services and on-line end- of-the-month Shabbat Services. Meeting the needs of individual community members in self-isolation has also been organised to ensure that more vulnerable members have access to food, medicines and other necessaries to ensure their well-being.

A KK Weekly Bulletin, produced by Jeremy,  is being emailed to every member of the community to inform us of upcoming events, relevant news from Reform Judaism, services on offer, information about mental health, and specific KK Council news.

We may not be able to have person-to-person contact yet, but through Zooming, Internet Information, emails and the telephone, weekly and daily help and access to all of us in the community is available.

Thank you Jeremy and all the specific member of our community who are working so hard to make this happen, exemplifying the best of what it means to be Jewish. We are thriving! 

News

Cancellation of services and our Communal Seder Night due to the Coronavirus

The Prime Minister addressed the country on 12 March 2020 through a news bulletin outlining the serious situation the country faces with the spread of the Coronavirus. The most important thing we can do to protect each other and reduce the speed with which this illness affects people is to minimise social contact. Coronavirus is now circulating in the general community throughout in the UK and Cornwall. To protect all members we have taken the decision to suspend all Shabbat Services including the one on Saturday, 14 March 2020 until further notice and this year’s communal Seder Night. This is in keeping with advice from Reform Judaism

Coronavirus can be transmitted before people have symptoms and the only action that can be taken in order to slow down the rate of transmission is reducing social mixing.

We are not aware of anyone at this time within Kehillat Kernow who has been diagnosed and very much hope everyone remains healthy.

When the public health situation settles we will be able to resume services.

News

Getting ready for Pesach, Torah Style

The four special Shabbats leading up to Pesach are God’s proscription for purification before the  major festival of Passover to begin the Jewish calendar year.  And you thought it was all about getting rid of the Chametz and purchasing your ‘unleavens.’ Like all major Holy Days, the Torah guides the way with preparatory parashot to put us in the right frame of mind to participate in our festivals in the right spirit.

Shabbat Shekalim starts with the equitable contribution to the holy community with each of us giving our half-shekel. It is followed by Shabbat Zachor to remember our past, both its triumphs and desecrations. Shabbat Parah, the “Red Heifer” is about purification, this week’s  parsha of Ki Tissa, a much needed element considering it is the narrative involving the Golden Calf incident and the redeeming second set of Tablets containing the Law carried down the mountain after Moses, once again, rescues  the B’nei Yisrael from total annihilation. It took two tries. We are not called a ‘stiff-necked people’ in this parsha for nothing. Finally, just before Pesach, we have Shabbat Ha-Chodeh which concerns forgiveness, reconcilliation and specific instructions for Passover.

By that time, we ought to be both spiritually prepared and physically strong to meet Pesach with gusto!

In this week’s service, led by Pat, you will learn more about what it takes to be purified, have a greater understanding of what God wants from us through the revelation of His thirteen attributes of mercy and learn that there is more to Aaron than meet the eye.

News

Purim PARTY 2020

Graggers and Hamentaschen: It must be Purim

Pre-Purim got off to a fine start at Malpas Village Hall on Saturday, the 7th of March for children and members of Kehillat Kernow. A Purim party which included many young children in costume (several Queen Esthers on show along with a variety of spacemen and rakish looking youngsters resembling Mordechai, to be sure), arrived and began making their homemade graggers before the story of the Jews of Sushan, was shown. The older ‘kids’ of the community laid out the goodies: varieties of Hamentaschen, Mohn Torte, assort sweets, salads for falafel-making, meringues and biscuits. Hamen was properly boo-ed and rattled; Mordechai and Esther were enthusiastically cheered. After, we were all treated to a mini-concert from Isaac Feldman who is becoming a genuine violin virtuoso.

Many thanks to the Feldman family who all worked very hard to make this a special celebration. Purim officially begins on the 14th of Adar, Tuesday, the 10th of March. Hag Sameach!

Pictures form the Purim Party can be seen by clicking here.

Jewish Community of Cornwall