Message from our Chairman:

As I write this, my 4th update, we have just watched the funeral of dear Rabbi Kraft z”l. I say watched, but for many of us, myself included, this was a frustrating time as the live link came and went as more and more people tried to access it online. At one point more than 1300 computers tried to access the site. I think Neil would have been quietly amused to have crashed the internet, and he would have been totally surprised that so many wanted to share in this moment, modest man that he was.

If you were unable to join us you can view here a full recording of the service. You will hear and see the whole funeral starting from 30 seconds into the video and also Susannah Kraft Levene's and other eulogies for Rabbi Kraft z''l. However, if all 1300 of you attempt this at the same time, it may not work! You can follow the service in this on-line Siddur provided by Reform Judaism. Click here to download it.
We will also Live-stream a Ma'ariv service here on the EHRS website at 20:00-20:30 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in memory of Rabbi Kraft and other members of our community who have passed away this week. You can follow this service in our full Siddur. Click here to download it.

I have been so comforted by all the warm and thoughtful messages the shul has received from far and wide, all the anecdotes and comments about Neil. We are collating them to pass on to Susannah and the boys. If you wish to add your thoughts please send them to the shul at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

I know that Neil’s family is not the only one to be grieving at the moment. I want to pass on my sympathies and kind wishes to all mourners – I fear this is something I will be saying a lot in the weeks to come.

My next update will be more uplifting, I hope, with some more information of some of the fabulous things still on offer through the synagogue. In the meantime, I wish you and yours well.

Keep safe, Janet Brand

Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue (EHRS) is an inclusive, progressive, vibrant and welcoming Holy community, which strongly values tradition whilst responding to the challenges of modern day Jewish living. 

There are so many activities and opportunities at EHRS, which make it much more than a synagogue, it is a community centre for all ages, or as someone described us, a multiplex cinema offering something for everyone.  

The synagogue building is a place of worship and also a community centre with many different regular and special activities for all ages. We are delighted to offer a huge range of Synagogue services and activities to cater for all ages. These include Nagila, our Early Years Nursery; Orot, our Religion School; Youth Clubs; Uniformed Groups; our Day Centre for the elderly, plus a wide range of adult education and social groups.

You can find out more about EHRS not only on our website, but also in our bi-monthly magazine LeDor VaDor, or subscribing to our weekly email Our Week Ahead. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you wish to be added to the email list.

Here you will see regular updates for our community, and a message from our Chairman Janet Brand

Wednesday 25 March

Please continue to read below the updates on our Community Circles and Shabbat Services.
Please also read a message from our Chairman, Janet Brand who gives information on Funerals and other Life Cycle Events at EHRS. Stay well and stay safe

Due to the Covid-19, the synagogue premises are now closed to visitors. There is no access without prior appointment.

Please do not send anything to the synagogue by post. We can be contacted via email or telephone, as above.
Please do not leave anything in the postbox. Telephones are being answered by staff remotely.

The EHRS offices and departments are trying to operate as much as normal as is possible within the government regulations at this time. This means that you cannot visit the premises – the building is constantly monitored by CST via CCTV, building security systems and security patrols. You can contact EHRS by email or by telephone. The telephone is operated during the normal office hours. Although the staff are operating from home they are reachable via the usual telephone numbers. Please listen to the menu when you call, to be connected as appropriate. Please do not send anything by post. All payments should be made via the website. We will soon be able to take payments over the phone once a new system is set up.

In the case of a bereavement, please contact the Jewish Joint Burial Society
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 020 8989 5252, 07483 308278

During the Shabbat Morning service you may have seen that Rabbi Kraft was not well. Nearly 150 people were online using our Livestream. He returned home during the service and is now resting, looked after by by his wife Susannah. We wish him speedy recovery.

Whilst we can't get together in person, below you will find links to the videos and resources created by your EHRS team.

Here is a link to the entire Reform Judaism Siddur to use on weekdays and Shabbat: Seder HaTefillot - Forms of Prayer. All you need to do to find your way around the Siddur is to type the page number you need in the box at the top next to the word 'pages'. Thank you to Reform Judaism for making this facility available.

If you are joining a funeral service from home you can follow this service in this on-line Siddur provided by Reform Judaism. Click here to download it. 

Have you signed up to the Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue - EHRS Facebook page yet?  If you do you will find live events from the Synagogue, videos of what has been happening and the easiest and most fail-safe way of joining us online.  You need to join Facebook (at www.facebook.com) and then click here.  We also have a thriving page for EHRS Young Families here and for all EHRS Young People here.

For the last weekday of this week, when we have been trying to do what we can from home, Rabbi Mark and Miriam Goldsmith have a song about how good it is to be together, in whatever way we can.  If you stood outside your home at 20:00 on Thursday night and heard all the clapping and pan striking to salute the NHS and all health workers you will know what that means!  Click here to enjoy.

This was made through individual recordings sent to me which I then collated and 'roughly' mixed, and I chose Essa Enai specifically for Rabbi Neil Kraft and his family at this very sad time. Click here to play

The Choir will be able to provide more recordings in this way, so please could everyone look out for them on the EHRS website in the coming weeks.

Friday 3 April
18:30 Erev Shabbat Service
led by Rabbi Mark Goldsmith through the EHRS Livestream
Click here for the Erev Shabbat Service siddur
20:00 Friday Night Lights
Join Rabbi Emily and her family on Erev Shabbat for candle lighting and Shabbat songs, through the EHRS Livestream.

Saturday 4 April
10:30 Main Service
livestreamed form the Synagogue
Click here for the Shabbat Morning Service siddur
A link to our Torah and Haftarah Portions for this week will appear at the top of our EHRS Community Channel on the front page of the website.
Shacharit Service led by Rabbi Mark Goldsmith
Torah Service led by Rabbi Mark Goldsmith

11:00 Shabbat B'Bayit
Join Rabbi Emily LIVE on the EHRS Facebook page for Shabbat B'Bayit, a fun Shabbat morning service with songs, stories, and reflections to give you Shabbat flavour without the formality.

EHRS Online Talk of the Week
Friday 3 April, 12:00

Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism, will be giving our “Talk of the Week” this week on the EHRS Livestream at 12:00-12:45.
Her topic is very relevant to the situation in which we are living today: “What does Judaism teach us about resilience?” To join Rabbi Laura on Friday morning, please click here

Voices Across Continents – EHRS and Temple Israel, Cape Town, South Africa
Wednesday 1 April, 17:15-18:00 – Freedom at a Time that We are Bound

Pesach is our time of freedom, but this year we will be reclining at our seders in the midst of a global lockdown. Physically and spiritually we might feel less free than ever before. What does our tradition teach us to give us tools for this time and how to approach this unique Pesach?

Join Rabbi Mark Goldsmith from Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue in London and Rabbi Greg Alexander from the Cape Town Progressive Jewish Synagogue (Temple Israel) for an interactive cross-continental shiur as we explore two rabbinic texts together. Continue reading for details on how to join us.

Marie Van Der Zyl at EHRS
Sunday 5 April, 10:15-11:00

The President of the Board of Deputies, Marie Van Der Zyl, was elected BOD President in 2018. She was due to be at EHRS to give a Shiur and sermon on 4th April and so this Shiur will give us the chance to meet with and talk with her online as a Synagogue. In this Shiur she will share with us the challenges and delights of enabling our diverse Jewish community to have a voice in government and the nation, steering the Board through controversial issues and empowering the Board to help the development of the British Jewish community. She will of course be addressing the unique circumstances of our community coping with the coronavirus. Hosted by Rabbi Mark. Continue reading for details on how you can join us.

EHRS Communal Seder - Interactive!
Thursday 9 April, 19:00

We regret that due to the government advice on holding large gatherings we will have to cancel the EHRS Communal Seder this year. If you have already booked for the Seder then your payment will be refunded in due course. We plan instead to hold a ‘virtual’ Seder through Zoom, led by our Rabbis.   

We will invite the whole community to join us from the safety of your homes from 19:00-22:00 on Thursday 9 April. 

We will put our EHRS Haggadah on line so that can you follow the Seder easily.

Please keep reading to see how you can join us from any computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone or even by your regular land line phone.

Talmud Class 
Sundays 22 March and 26 April, 10:00 - 11:00

EHRS’s new, stimulating and friendly Talmud class is open to all levels of Jewish knowledge. Join Rabbi Mark to grapple with the ideas of our classical Rabbis. Join the discussion of 2000 years ago and its remarkable relevance to issues today. No previous Talmud study experience necessary, just a thirst to get deep into the foundational texts of Judaism.

Our class will be held by Zoom meeting which you can access from any computer or smartphone.
All you need to do is to go to https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8060706185 and use the meeting ID: 806 070 6185 at the start time. Rabbi Mark will send you the study text by PDF (though email) if you email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or you can find it by clicking here. 

PESACH 2020
Wednesday 8 - Wednesday 15 April

The EHRS team is delighted to help anyone who wants to attend a family Seder on the first night to do so. Please contact Val Joseph, Head of Community Care, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 020 8238 1013 as soon as possible if you would like to find a host family to join for first night Seder.
If you are willing to do the mitzvah of hosting a guest, please let Val know. Your Seder does not need to be perfect, people looking for a host family are simply hoping to be together with others. Please see below for Services and activities this Pesach