Rebecca Birk is an English

Liberal Jewish Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

rabbi, rabbi of

Finchley Progressive Synagogue Finchley Progressive Synagogue (FPS) is a Liberal Judaism congregation in North Finchley in the London Borough of Barnet. The Rabbi is Rebecca Birk. Synagogue membership is around 350 families. History Finchley Liberal Jewish Congregation was ...

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 ...

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In 2016 the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' listed her as one of "London's most influential people".

Life

Rebecca Birk is a grand-daughter of Alma Birk, Baroness Birk, the journalist and Labour peer, and her husband Ellis Birk, a media lawyer. She grew up in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. She gained a BA in theology from

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

and an MA from

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

before training to be a rabbi 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 ...

. Rabbi Birk led Woodford Liberal Synagogue, and was an associate at

Westminster Synagogue The Westminster Synagogue is a non-affiliated Jewish Reform synagogue and congregation near Hyde Park, London. It is located in Kent House, a restored Victorian town house in Knightsbridge. The building, which dates from the late 1800s, also ...

, before becoming the Rabbi at Finchley Progressive Synagogue (FPS) in 2010. At Finchley Progressive Synagogue she has led a successful campaign 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 ...

to ensure that accommodation was found for

refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

from the Syrian Civil War. 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, and in October 2018 the Council pledged to continue to offer sanctuary to

child refugees Nearly half of all refugees are children, and almost one in three children living outside their country of birth is a refugee.Emily Garin, Jan Beise, Lucia Hug, and Danzhen You. 2016. “Uprooted: The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children ...

. Birk has also worked as a Jewish

prison chaplain Prison religion includes the religious beliefs and practices of prison inmates, usually stemming from or including concepts surrounding their imprisonment and accompanying lifestyle. "Prison Ministry" is a larger concept, including the support of th ...

, holding an annual

Seder The Passover Seder (; he, סדר פסח , 'Passover order/arrangement'; yi, סדר ) is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the world on the eve of the 15th day of san in the Hebrew c ...

celebration at Holloway Women's Prison: In May 2020 she joined other faith leaders to help hand out free meals from the Queen’s Crescent Community Centre in Kentish Town. She has been a contributor to BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought,Pause For Thought: 'No man is an island.'
BBC Radio 2, 17 July 2019.Pause For Thought: 'Laziness might just be overrated!'
BBC Radio 2, 22 July 2019. and written for newspapers including ''

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birk, Rebecca Year of birth missing (living people) Living people English rabbis British Liberal rabbis Women rabbis Alumni of the University of Bristol Harvard Divinity School alumni Alumni of Leo Baeck College Prison chaplains People from Oxford