One of the great privileges of rabbinic life is accompanying people on meaningful Jewish journeys and witnessing the sincerity, courage, and commitment that those journeys require. In recent weeks, I had the pleasure of accompanying two new members of our community, Zoé Toussaint and Lev Klisurov, as they prepared to appear before the Kerem Beth Din for recognition of their giur journeys. These were moving moments, not only for Zoé and Lev personally, but also for our wider I

A recently published book by Natalie Livingstone entitled “The Nuremberg Women” highlights the role played by women during and after the Nuremberg trials, a role, apart from female interpreters and reporters such as Rebecca West and Erika Mann, that has been underplayed and even suppressed. With her book, the author, grand-daughter of Holocaust survivors, tries to set the record straight and speaks about the many women whose contribution has been deliberately overlooked. One

By Diana K --- “Six million is just a number. Here I want to give a voice to two people who perished in the Shoah, my grandparents, Max and Trude Hahn.” This is how I start my presentations to high school students at the Hainberg Gymnasium in Göttingen, the school my mother was expelled from shortly after her 16th birthday in spring 1938. This was my second visit to the school. Thanks to the foresight of my grandparents who sent many documents and belongings to Sweden and Sw

Rachel and Stephany A couple of years ago I asked the children at the end of the Hebrew school year what they liked most about the past year, and without hesitation they answered “Matzah baking.” From then on, I try it every year. But honestly, I dread working with the ovens at BH and I have skipped a year sometimes. This time we were able to buy a little electric oven, and although it is small, it does the trick, and I do not have to worry about blowing up the building. Now

Most of us nowadays associate the island of Lampedusa with the major entry point for Mediterranean migrants. But not many people are aware of the Jewish connection to the island. In June 1943, Sergeant Sydney Cohen, an RAF pilot, unwittingly captured the island of Lampedusa, 200 km south of Sicily. He then accepted the surrender of a garrison of 4,300 Italian troops. Cohen, who had been a tailor’s assistant in the East End of London, joined the RAF in 1941 and was sent t

In spite of – or perhaps because of – the current geopolitical tensions, this year’s IJC Seder brought together a record number of participants: close to 90 people around multiple tables. It was especially heartening to welcome so many new faces, alongside wonderful interfaith guests who joined us in a spirit of curiosity and connection. There was a real sense of community in the room – familiar faces, new friendships forming, and a shared willingness to enter the story toget

This year’s Purim celebration at IJC was exceptional in many ways. Thanks to the enthusiasm and volunteer spirit of many IJC members, our community was treated to a celebration of mega proportions. The initiative came from Monica and Pierre who worked with our events coordinator Peter D to create a varied programme with something for everyone, but with a focus on the kids. Many hours of preparation, clocked up largely by Peter D, Pierre and Monica in the weeks and days prior

By Steve Brummel The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from a New York production I recently took my wife Marion to see an afternoon matinee of Verdi’s opera “Nabucco” at the Antwerp opera house. It is about the Babylonian invasion of Israel around 586 BCE, the destruction of King Solomon’s Temple and the forced movement of many Jews to Babylon. The storyline combines the Babylonian conquest and the subsequent Persian conquest and freeing of the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Th

While disappointed to miss this year's outstanding IJC Purim party, I was elated to come across three paintings depicting the Purim Story by the artist Jacopo del Sellaio (Florence 1442-1493) painted in 1485-90 and hanging in the Uffizzi Museum in Florence. The two below and presented together are The Banquet of Ahasuerus and The Banquet of Queen Vashti. The third (here on the left) is the Triumph of Mordechai. Reported by Leslie O The Banquet of Ahasuerus and The Banquet o

The name Sarah Bernhardt conjures up not only one of the greatest actresses of her time, but also one of the greatest courtesans. Her list of lovers is amazing. She even had a liaison with a man nearly forty years her junior! Her life was long and truly eventful. However, let us turn to an aspect of her life story that is significant but little known. She was a friend of the author Alexander Dumas who gave her letters of introduction when she moved to Brussels in 1862, aged 1

Over the past years, our community has grown not only in numbers but in activity, creativity, and connection. With that growth has come a familiar challenge: communication. Emails multiply, WhatsApp threads overlap, information gets buried, and it becomes harder than it should be to keep track of what matters. For that reason, the Board is proposing that IJC adopt its own dedicated mobile application, built on the Donkey Mobile platform. The goal is simple: to bring IJC onto

Just over a year ago, we began something ambitious at IJC. We called it Living Judaism , and the name was deliberate. We did not want simply to offer a course, or a lecture series, or a bookish introduction to Judaism. We wanted to create a space where Judaism could be explored as something lived – questioned, wrestled with, tasted, argued over, and slowly woven into the fabric of daily life. Knowing Jewishly and living Jewishly, interwoven in a single path. What began as a h

The name Sarah Bernhardt conjures up not only one of the greatest actresses of her time but also one of the greatest courtesans. Her list of lovers is amazing. She even had a liaison with a man nearly forty years her junior! Sarah was born Henriette Bernard to the Dutch Jewish courtesan Julie Bernard in 1844. It is not clear who her father was. It is now assumed that he was Maurice Bernard. In exchange for financial help from her father, Sarah was baptized and educated in Cat

Get ready for Purim at IJC — an evening full of joy, laughter, and community! Join us for a festive celebration featuring: 🎭 A fun Purim Spiel 🎨 Kids’ activities & crafts 🥟 Snacks 🍹 Cocktails & mocktails for adults 🎶 Music, dancing, and great vibes Looking forward to a festive evening for all ages and in costumes. Purim at IJC is a celebration you won’t want to miss . 📅 Date: March 7th⏰ Time: 18:00📍 Location: IJC Synagogue ✨ More details coming soon — stay tun

IJC Hosts Survey Results Meeting Undeterred by the cold weather, on Sunday January 11, 2026, more than 30 dedicated IJC’ers gathered in our sanctuary to enjoy a scrumptious catered lunch to discuss the results of IJC’s recent membership survey. A full summary of the results and next steps will be available to IJC members & Giur members shortly. A few highlights: · The response rate to the survey was outstanding · IJC is viewed as a friendly, warm and welcoming co

By Rabbi Brian -- I’m writing this early on January 1 st after returning yesterday from a short city trip to Rome with Peter. I was planning to write about Chanukkah and our fabulous celebration, an amazing example of IJC at its communal best, but my memory of Chanukkah this year has lost much of its joy. So, instead, here are some musings on Rome, sunshine and 15°C. The last time I visited the city was 35 years ago, and while the spectacular sights haven’t lost their magn

The Lighting Ceremony Guests: Organisers of the Emouna Interfaith Programme. The recent IJC Chanukkah party was a great success!! Here are some preview pics, with the full story coming soon.. All best wishes for a more peaceful 2026.

By Rabbi Brian --- This Monday morning, December 15, I sat in the car, parked outside a local DIY store, and my phone beeped, a WhatsApp notification, so I took a look. It was a message from my sister in Australia. “We are in shock here,” she wrote. “This is not the Australia we love. It’s impossible to know what to say or do, we are all heartbroken.” And at that moment I realised my heart was broken too and emotion overwhelmed me. It was OK to be emotional, but as my equilib

By Ann E- --- Or is there? Here are a few of amazing coincidences that I have heard which defy logical explanation. A distant relative of mine in the UK called Brian was a very naughty boy when he was young. He was fascinated by many forbidden things including his mother’s Shabbat candlesticks. These were hollow inside so he placed a cork in the base of each one and then proceeded to carve his initials with a penknife as if claiming them as his own. This all happened in Londo

Opening Day hosted by the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at the KU Leuven The second edition of the Flemish Emouna Programme started on October 8 with Peter DB and myself as Jewish participants alongside a strong contingent of Muslim, Buddhist, Baha’i, Catholic, Protestant and Humanist representatives. This visionary project was launched in Paris in 2016 and continues to inspire communities of faith across Europe. Founded at Sciences Po by Rabbi Pauline Bebe, among