Finchley Progressive Synagogue (FPS) is a
Liberal Judaism congregation in
North Finchley
North Finchley is a suburb of London in the London Borough of Barnet, situated 7 miles (11 km) north-west of Charing Cross.
North Finchley is centred on Tally Ho Corner, the junction of the roads to East Finchley, Church End, Friern Ba ...
in the
London Borough of Barnet. The Rabbi is
Rebecca Birk. Synagogue membership is around 350 families.
History
Finchley Liberal Jewish Congregation was first established in 1953. The congregation initially met at North Finchley Library, in private houses and at Moss Hall School. The existing synagogue in Hutton Grove was built as Finchley Liberal Jewish Synagogue in 1964, and received the name Finchley Progressive Synagogue in 1971.
[
Previous rabbis at FPS have been Charles Familant, S. Gerstein, Frank Hellner (1966–1999), Rabbi Mark Goldsmith (1999–2006) and Rabbi Neil Janes (c.2006–2010). The current rabbi, Rebecca Birk, took up office in 2011.][
]
Current activities
The synagogue has actively campaigned on behalf of Syrian refugees, working together with Citizens UK
Citizens UK is a grassroots alliance of many local communities working together. Citizens UK has 17 chapters across the UK made up of local institutions, including schools, universities, churches, mosques, synagogues, parent groups, health trus ...
and Middlesex University
Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...
Students Union. In October 2015 Barnet Council became the first Conservative-run local authority district
The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...
to resettle refugees under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme,[Liberal shul helps secure Sukkot sanctuary for child refugees]
''Jewish News
The ''Jewish News'' is a free weekly newspaper, established in 1997, that serves the Jewish communities of Greater London – specifically Middlesex, Hertfordshire and Essex. In 2002, it won the ''Press Gazette'' free newspaper of the year.
In F ...
'', 23 September 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020. agreeing to admit 50 Syrian refugees. The synagogue has continued to provide support to the refugees,[
FPS has been characterised as an 'urban eco synagogue'. It was one of four synagogues which established the 'eco synagogue' concept in January 2018, with a mix of adult education about ]climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
and practical environmental initiatives such as minimizing food waste.
References
{{Liberal Judaism in the United Kingdom
1953 establishments in England
Liberal synagogues in the United Kingdom
Synagogues completed in 1964
Synagogues in the London Borough of Barnet