FROM THE WARDENS' BOX

Henry Magrill

The last six months have been very eventful in the life of the New West End. Shortly before Rosh Hashanah we bade farewell to Rabbi and Mrs Butler and wished them well in their new life in the legal sphere. This meant, of course, that for the first time in living memory we did not have our own Rabbi for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. However, we were very fortunate to be able to secure the services of two fine and distinguished preachers: Elkan Levy, the son of our former and respected Minister Rev. Raphael Levy, for Rosh Hashanah; and Rabbi Edward Jackson, formerly Rabbi of the Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue, Norrice Lea, for Shabbat Shuva and Yom Kippur.

Together with our Chazan Jeremy Lawson, the choir under the direction of Elliot Burman, and our Ba'al Koreh/Ba'al Shacharit Prof. Lester Kershenbaum, they formed a top-class team who gave us services and sermons that were as inspiring and memorable as any that have been held at the New West End for a generation.

The festive season was rounded off by Simchat Torah, and our Chatanim and their wives, David and Wendy Myersmith and Dori and Fariba Schmetterling, hosted a very enjoyable and well-attended party in the Herbert Samuel Hall.

Just three weeks later, Shabbat 11th November saw a double celebration: the arrival of our new Rabbi and his wife, Geoffrey and Anne Shisler, and also the Bar Mitzvah of Josh Morris, son of Board members Gaby and Howard. The following Shabbat Rabbi Shisler initiated his "Shabbat Lilmod" discussion group which takes place every week after the Kiddush and is attended by the great majority of the Shabbat congregation.

Early in December we held a communal Friday evening dinner in the Golda Cohen Room, and on Sunday afternoon 24th December the Chanukah Service and tea party was well attended by many children and adults, with a very warm and friendly atmosphere. We were also delighted to host the Bar Mitzvah of a young Australian boy, David Berman, on 23rd December, at which the Chief Rabbi preached.

In January Rabbi Shisler commenced his adult education programme with a series of informal lectures on Sunday mornings timed to end at the same time as the Cheder, thus enabling parents to attend and learn alongside their children. He also runs a weekly Mishnah Shiur on Wednesday evenings and a study of the Midrash between Minchah and Ma'ariv on Shabbat afternoons.

The highlight of the last six months was undoubtedly the formal Induction Ceremony on Sunday 28th January. Some 400 people, including many from Rabbi Shisler's former congregations at Kenton and Bournemouth, crowded into the Shul to hear the Chief Rabbi speak with his usual eloquence and humour, and an equally moving response by Rabbi Shisler, of which an extract may be found elsewhere in this Newsletter. Among the many dignitaries present were the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Westminster, Cllr Michael Braham and Mrs Stephanie Braham; Dayan Ivan Binstock, representing both the London Beth Din and also St John's Wood Synagogue; Peter Sheldon, the President of the United Synagogue; and Rabbis and Honorary Officers from our neighbouring communities and other U.S. congregations. The Service was conducted by Chazan Jeremy Lawson and the NWES choir under Elliot Burman's direction, with a musical contribution from the children of the Cheder, and it managed to combine a great sense of tradition and formality with a wonderful warmth and homeliness. There were so many people present that we struggled to accommodate them all at the reception in the Herbert Samuel Hall after the service, but despite the overcrowding a most enjoyable time was had by all and many old friendships were renewed.

On Shabbat 3rd February the Service included a dedication for a beautiful Sefer Torah and silver crown, breastplate and pointer which were presented to us by the Notting Hill Synagogue. Since the Notting Hill Synagogue closed last September we have been delighted to welcome their members who regularly attend on Shabbat and have made the right-hand block near the Ark their own little "Shtetl"!

We held a very successful concert on 15th February in the Golda Cohen Room at which Jewish students from the Royal College of Music and Imperial College performed a range of classical pieces with outstanding skill. This was the second year running that we have staged this event and once again the room was packed and the atmosphere electric.

Our Megillah Reading and Purim party was attended by so many people that we had some difficulty in accommodating them in the Golda Cohen Room. A report and photographs can be found elsewhere in this Newsletter, but suffice it to say that, together with the Induction, it is a rare happening for there to be not one but two events in the life of the NWES at which we have been heavily oversubscribed!

On Tuesday 13th March, in conjunction with the Council of Christians and Jews, we held a cantorial and classical concert as part of a UK tour by "The Three Cantors" - Sidney Dworkin from Toronto, Stephen Robins from Woodside Park and our own Jeremy Lawson, together with the A Capella singers directed by Stephen Glass from Montreal. The Golda Cohen Room was full once again and the audience greatly enjoyed a repertoire which ranged from chazanut to Broadway musicals.

Perhaps the most significant change which we have seen since the arrival of Rabbi and Mrs Shisler is the very noticeable improvement in our Shabbat attendances - our average for the first three months of 2001 is close to double that for the same period of the previous year. Moreover, our morning Minyan is going extremely well and and a substantial daily attendance is guaranteed. Of course, there is still a long way to go, but there is definite whiff of optimism in the air, and this is undoubtedly due to the warmth, enthusiasm and hard work of Rabbi and Mrs Shisler.

As always, may I conclude by acknowledging with great appreciation the hard work of our dedicated staff - Susan Hayman, who in addition to her regular tasks has now taken on additional responsibilities since we have installed the United Synagogue's "Sofer 3000" membership and accounting software onto the Shul computer; Arnold Chazen, who continues to carry out his varied duties with unflagging good humour; and our security and caretaking staff Simon, Terry and Lino. Finally, my colleagues Martin Lewin and Melvyn Lux, and also all the members of the various sub-committees, who have as always worked tirelessly for the welfare of our congregation, deserve an enormous vote of thanks from all of us.

Rachel joins me in wishing you all a Chag Sameach.