Hearing Requires Room for Every Story
Hearing is never a passive bureaucratic gesture. Twice a day, Jewish liturgy commands us to engage in a profound act of spiritual attention: "Hear, O Israel." We know the Shema not as a polite request, but as the central spiritual imperative of our tradition. To hear is to bear witness to the Eternal, to internalise truth, and to translate that truth into ethical action. In the theological grammar shared by Jews and Christians alike, hearing has never been neutral.
We Will Not Hide Our Light
Rabbi Adrian M. Schell addresses the Wimbledon Synagogue community following the horrific knife attack on the streets of Golders Green. The fading surprise at such violence is perhaps the most terrifying reality of all. Our response cannot simply be to retreat behind higher fences.
Exploring Parashat Emor and its demand for "one standard for stranger and citizen alike" (Leviticus 24:22), Rabbi Schell confronts the normalisation of antisemitism in the UK. He unpacks the "canary in the coal mine" metaphor, reflects on the Home Secretary's recent statements, and highlights the vital need for a society that tackles hatred through education and the full force of the law. A Progressive Jewish response is not to shrink, but to act with spiritual defiance. We are still here, and we will not hide our light.
They Burned Our Ambulances, Not Our Resolve
On Monday morning, we woke to images that turn the stomach. Four ambulances, vehicles whose absolute sole purpose is to save lives, were reduced to charred, twisted metal in Golders Green. The shattered glass and the blackened frames speak of a profound, targeted hatred. To attack a Jewish volunteer emergency service is not simply an act of vandalism. It is an assault on the very principle of preserving human life. It is entirely natural to feel outrage, vulnerability and a deep, aching exhaustion when confronted with such blatant antisemitism on our streets. We are allowed to be angry. We are allowed to be horrified by this violation of our community's safety.
The Theft of Memory: Why the "Palestinian Jesus" Narrative is Antisemitism
From the billboards of New York City to the viral feeds of our social media, a troubling narrative has taken hold this holiday season. The claim that "Jesus was a Palestinian" is being repeated with increasing confidence, often framed as a gesture of solidarity with the oppressed. Yet, beneath this veneer of social justice lies a dangerous revival of an ancient hatred.