Rabbi John Desmond Rayner (30 May 1924 – 19 September 2005) was born in

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as Hans Sigismund Rahmer. He left Berlin in 1939 on one of the last

Kindertransport The ''Kindertransport'' (German for "children's transport") was an organised rescue effort of children (but not their parents) from Nazi-controlled territory that took place during the nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World ...

s. There were about 10,000 children on the train. Both his parents, Ferdinand Rahmer and Charlotte Landshut, were murdered in the

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. Between 1943 and 1947 Rayner served in the

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. In October 1947 he took up an open scholarship in

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that he had previously won at Emmanuel College, Cambridge five years earlier. In his second year he switched to Moral Science which comprised philosophy, logic, ethics and psychology and graduated in 1950 with First Class Honours. In his third year Rayner specialised in Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac and Semitic Epigraphy. In his sixth year Rayner began working as a research student on a thesis about

Maimonides Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...

' conception of Revelation. Rayner was ordained in the Liberal Jewish ministry on 21 June 1953 and served 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 ...

, in Streatham until 1957. He then worked at St John's Wood Liberal Synagogue until in 1963 he left for

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, in the United States. Rayner had been invited to the Hebrew Union College to take up a graduate fellowship. He returned to the UK to serve as Minister at the

Liberal Jewish Synagogue The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, or LJS ( he, קהל קדוש לב חדש, ''Qahal Kadosh Lev Chadash'', "Holy Congregation New Heart"), is a house of prayer in St John's Wood, London, founded in 1911. It is the oldest and largest member of Britai ...

in June 1965. He wrote books on diverse topics including ''

halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

'', marriage,

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

Jewish-Christian relations Christianity began as a movement within Second Temple Judaism, but the two religions gradually diverged over the first few centuries of the Christian Era. Differences of opinion vary between denominations in both religions, but the most importa ...

. He also gave a large number of sermons. He was voted one of the best preachers in Britain by ''

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'' magazine in 1976. During the late 1960s and 1970s Rayner made several appearances on national television and radio. He was an active participant in inter-faith work as co-chairman of the London Society of Christians and Jews. As a result of this work in 1993 he was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

. His thought emphasises the importance of ethics and the need for a more halakhic approach to Progressive Judaism. On 19 September 2005 he died, at home, after a long illness. A carer was by his side on his last night. Her name was "Comfort". John Rayner was married and had three children and two grandchildren.

Works

* ''The Practices of Liberal Judaism'' (1958) * ''Guide to Jewish Marriage'' (1975) * ''Judaism for Today'' (1978) * ''An Understanding of Judaism'' (

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, December 1997) * ''A Jewish Understanding of the World'' (Berghahn Books, March 1998) * ''Jewish Religious Law. A Progressive Perspective'' (Berghahn Books, May 1998) * ''Principles of Jewish Ethics: From a Progressive Point of View'' (New Jewish initiative for social justice, 1998) * ''Aspects of Liberal Jewish Thought'' (1999) * ''Signposts to the Messianic Age: Sermons and Lectures'',

Vallentine Mitchell Vallentine Mitchell is a publishing company based in Elstree, Hertfordshire, England. The company publishes books on Jewish-related topics. One of its earliest books was the first English-language edition of ''The Diary of Anne Frank''. From ...

(2006).

References

Obituary
''

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'', 22 September 2005
Obituary
''

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'', 26 September 2005, and follow-u
letter

Obituary
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', 29 September 2005
Tributes to John Rayner
''European Judaism'', 39(1), Spring 2006 * Brownfeld, Allan C
Rabbi John D. Rayner 1924–2005
''Issues'',

American Council for Judaism The American Council for Judaism (ACJ) is an organization of American Jews. In particular, it is notable for its historical opposition to Zionism, though it is Zionist today. The ACJ has also championed women's rights, including the right for women ...

, Winter 2006 * Middleburgh, C. H. "A Final Interview with John D. Rayner", ''European Judaism,'' 40(1), Spring 2007, pp. 93–99 * Friedlander, A. H. 'The German Influence on Progressive Judaism in Great Britain", ''Second Chance:Two Centuries of German-speaking Jews in the United Kingdom,'' (1991), pp. 425–436 * Goldstein, A. "German, English, American Liturgist", ''European Judaism,'' 40(1), Spring 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rayner, John 1924 births 2005 deaths 20th-century English theologians 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English rabbis 21st-century English male writers 21st-century English theologians 21st-century English rabbis Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge British Army personnel of World War II British Jewish theologians British Liberal rabbis Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English male non-fiction writers English sermon writers British Jewish writers Kindertransport refugees Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom People educated at Durham School Rabbis from Berlin Rabbis from London Writers from London German emigrants to the United Kingdom