Julia Babette Sarah Neuberger, Baroness Neuberger, (née Schwab; born 27 February 1950) was the second woman to be ordained as a Rabbi in the UK, and is a British member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. She previously took the

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

whip, but resigned from the party and became a crossbencher in 2011 upon becoming the full-time senior rabbi of the

West London Synagogue The West London Synagogue of British Jews, abbreviated WLS ( he, ק"ק שער ציון, ''Kahal Kadosh Sha'ar Tziyon'', "Holy Congregation Gate of Zion"), is a synagogue and congregation, affiliated to Reform Judaism, near Marble Arch in cent ...

, from which she retired in 2020. She became the chair of

University College London Hospitals University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College London ...

(UCLH) in 2019.

Early life

Neuberger was born Julia Babette Sarah Schwab in the Hampstead area of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 27 February 1950, the daughter of art critic Liesel ("Alice") and civil servant Walter Schwab. Her mother was a German-Jewish refugee who had fled the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

, arriving in England at the age of 22 in 1937, while her father was born in England to German-Jewish immigrants who had settled there before

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The Schwab Trust, which supports and educates young refugees and asylum seekers, was later set up in her parents' name. She attended

South Hampstead High School ) , established = as St. Johns Wood School , closed = , type = Independent day school , religious_affiliation = , president = , head_label = , head ...

and

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...

, where she first studied Assyriology. After she was refused entry to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

because she was British, and then to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

because she was Jewish, she had to change her subject and instead studied her second language of

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

full-time. Her lecturer at Cambridge,

Nicholas de Lange Nicholas Robert Michael de Lange (born 7 August 1944) is a British Reform rabbi and historian. He is Professor of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University of Cambridge. Academic and literary career Nicholas de Lange is an emeritus fellow at ...

, suggested she should become a rabbi. She obtained her rabbinic diploma at

Leo Baeck College Leo Baeck College is a privately funded rabbinical seminary and centre for the training of teachers in Jewish education. Based now at the Sternberg Centre, East End Road, Finchley, in the London Borough of Barnet, it was founded by Werner van ...

Career

Religious roles

Neuberger taught at her alma mater,

, from 1977 to 1997. She later became Britain's second female rabbi, the first being

Jackie Tabick Jacqueline Hazel "Jackie" Tabick (born 1948, née Jacqueline Acker) is a British Reform rabbi. She became Britain's first female rabbi in 1975. She is convenor of the Movement for Reform Judaism's Beit Din, the first woman in the role, and unti ...

, and the first to have her own synagogue. She was rabbi of the

South London Liberal Synagogue South London Liberal Synagogue is a synagogue at Prentis Road in Streatham in the London Borough of Lambeth. The community is currently served by Rabbi Nathan Godleman. The synagogue, which is affiliated to Liberal Judaism, was established in ...

from 1977 to 1989 and is president of West Central Liberal Synagogue. On 1 February 2011, the

Movement for Reform Judaism Reform Judaism (formally the Movement for Reform Judaism and known as Reform Synagogues of Great Britain until 2005) is one of the two World Union for Progressive Judaism–affiliated denominations in the United Kingdom. Reform is relatively ...

synagogue) announced that she had been appointed as senior rabbi of the synagogue. She retired from her West London Synagogue role in March 2020. She also regularly appears on the ''Pause for Thought'' section on BBC Radio 2.

Public sector activity

Neuberger was Chair of Camden and Islington Community Health Services

NHS Trust An NHS trust is an organisational unit within the National Health Services of England and Wales, generally serving either a geographical area or a specialised function (such as an ambulance service). In any particular location there may be several ...

from 1992 to 1997, and Chief Executive of the King's Fund from 1997 to 2004. She was also chancellor of the

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

from 1994 to 2000. '' Who's Who'' lists a large number of voluntary and philanthropic roles she has undertaken. Her book, ''The Moral State We're In'', a study of morality and public policy in modern Britain (), was published in 2005. The title is an allusion to

Will Hutton William Nicolas Hutton (born 21 May 1950) is a British journalist. As of 2022, he writes a regular column for ''The Observer'', co-chairs the Purposeful Company, and is the president-designate of the Academy of Social Sciences. He is the chair ...

's 1997 book, ''The State We're In''.

Political and parliamentary roles

Neuberger was the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

candidate for

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...

in the 1983 general election, coming third with 8,317 votes (18.1%). She was appointed a DBE in the

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

of 2003. In June 2004, she was created a life peer as Baroness Neuberger of Primrose Hill in the

London Borough of Camden The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and ...

. She served as a Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson from 2004 to 2007. On 29 June 2007, Neuberger was appointed by the incoming Prime Minister

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...

as the government's champion of volunteering. She resigned from the Liberal Democrats upon becoming senior rabbi of the

Controversy

In 1997, Neuberger criticised

education in Northern Ireland Education in Northern Ireland differs from education systems elsewhere in the United Kingdom (although it is relatively similar to Wales), but is similar to the Republic of Ireland in sharing in the development of the ''national school'' syste ...

as " sectarian" at the opening of Loughview Integrated Primary School. The ''

Irish News Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

'' claimed she had criticised Catholic schools as sectarian, leading to criticism from the Director of the Catholic Council for Maintained Schools."Catholic schools are sectarian says chancellor"
Anna-Marie McFaul, ''

'', 17 April 2007"UU 'washes hands' of chancellor"
Anna-Marie McFaul, ''

'', 19 April 2007 However, she said that the report from the ''Irish News'' had given a misleading impression and that she had been quoted out of context: "In fact, I think in what I actually said at the opening I didn't mention Catholic schools. I think I actually mentioned Protestant, Muslim and Jewish but then I was interviewed afterwards and I certainly said to the reporter that what I said applied just as much to Catholic schools as to Protestant or Jewish or Muslim or whatever."UU Chancellor defends comments on single denomination schools
, The IE Professional #120b, 23 September 1997

Charity work

In January 2013, Neuberger was appointed chair of an Independent Review of the

Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient The Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP) was a care pathway in the United Kingdom (excluding Wales) covering palliative care options for patients in the final days or hours of life. It was developed to help doctors and nurses pro ...

. The impartiality of the appointment was questioned by some of the bereaved families, due to her previous endorsement of the pathway, which was written by Dr John Ellershaw, medical director of the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute in Liverpool, in a 2003 BMJ article, and her widely publicised support of the Marie Curie Institute. The results of the review were published in July 2013; accepting the review's recommendations, the government advised that NHS hospitals should phase out the use of the LCP. Neuberger was elected vice-president of Attend, a charity that supports and expands the roles volunteers play in creating healthy communities, in 2006 and held the position until she retired in 2011. Neuberger was appointed to the board of Irish health insurers

Vhi Healthcare The Voluntary Health Insurance Board ( ga, An Bord Árachais Sláinte Shaorálaigh) — which trades under the brand name Vhi Healthcare, and is still commonly referred to in Ireland as "The Vhi" – is the largest health insurance company in I ...

for a five-year period from 2005 by

Mary Harney Mary Harney (born 11 March 1953) is an Irish former politician and the current Chancellor of the University of Limerick. She was leader of the Progressive Democrats party between 1993 and 2006 and again from 2007 to 2008, resuming the role aft ...

, the

Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Tao ...

and Minister for Health and Children. Neuberger is a Vice President of the

Jewish Leadership Council The Jewish Leadership Council (previously known as the Jewish Community Leadership Council) is an organisation in the United Kingdom, founded in 2003, whose declared aim is to forward the interests of the organised Jewish community in Britain. ...

Personal life

Neuberger married professor Anthony Neuberger on 17 September 1973. They have a son named Matthew and a daughter named Harriet. Anthony is the son of professor Albert Neuberger and the brother of professors Michael and

James Neuberger James Max Neuberger (born 4 November 1949) is a consultant physician, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, part of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, and professor of medicine at the University of Birmingham. He is one of the ...

, as well as the brother of former UK Supreme Court President

David Neuberger David Edmond Neuberger, Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury (; born 10 January 1948) is an English judge. He served as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2012 to 2017. He was a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary until the House of Lo ...

. In the wake of the

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...

vote in 2016, Neuberger stated that she would apply for a German passport, for which she is eligible through her parents. She said, "My decision has nothing at all to do with anti-Semitism, but with my origins, my admiration for how today's Germany has dealt with its past, and my sense of being European as well as British."

Titles and honours

*Miss Julia Schwab (1950–marriage) *Mrs Julia Neuberger (marriage–1977) *Rabbi Julia Neuberger (1977–2003) *Rabbi Dame Julia Neuberger DBE (2003–2004) *Rabbi The Baroness Neuberger DBE (2004–)

Publications

*''The Story of Judaism ''(for children), 1986, 2nd edition 1988. *''Days of Decision'' (Edited four in series), 1987. *''Caring for Dying Patients of Different Faiths'', 1987, 3rd edition 2004 (edited, with John A. White). *''A Necessary End'', 1991. *''Whatever’s Happening to Women?'', 1991. *''Ethics and Healthcare: the role of Research Ethics Committees in the UK'', 1992. *''The Things That Matter'' (anthology of women's spiritual poetry, Edited by JN), 1993. *''On Being Jewish'', 1995. *''Dying Well: a guide to enabling a better death'', 1999, 2nd edition 2004. *''Hidden Assets: values and decision-making in the NHS today'', (edition with Bill New), 2002. *''The Moral State We’re In'', 2005. *''Report on Volunteering'', 2008. *''Antisemitism: What it is; What it isn't and why it matters'', 2019.

References

External links

Baroness Neuberger
profile at the site of Parliament
2004 Interview
by

Joan Bakewell Joan Dawson Bakewell, Baroness Bakewell, (''née'' Rowlands; born 16 April 1933), is an English journalist, television presenter and Labour Party peer. Baroness Bakewell is president of Birkbeck, University of London; she is also an author a ...

for ''Belief'' ( BBC Radio 3)
Video interview with Baroness Neuberger
on PMLiVE.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Neuberger, Julia, Baroness Neuberger 1950 births Living people 20th-century English rabbis 21st-century English rabbis 20th-century English women politicians 20th-century English politicians 21st-century English women politicians 21st-century English politicians Alumni of Leo Baeck College Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge British Ashkenazi Jews British Liberal rabbis Chancellors of Ulster University Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Crossbench life peers Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire English Jews English people of German-Jewish descent Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Harkness Fellows Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers

Julia Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...

Ordained peers People educated at South Hampstead High School Rabbis from London Social Democratic Party (UK) parliamentary candidates West London Synagogue Women rabbis