From the President's Chair
March - April 2012
Regrettably the plan to set up a Norwich Jewish Centre has stalled.
The PJCEA voted 20 for and 13 against coming to use the Shul Hall for monthly services. This was
intended to be a preliminary arrangement prior to the establishment of the centre that we had
envisaged for several years. Our planned alterations to accommodate two congregations in
one Shul are therefore paused.
I am sad about this because it is a sensible way forward for the two small Norwich Jewish
Congregations. 20 FOR and 13 AGAINST is a good majority but not the two-third’s majority that
PJCEA considered necessary to make what was not much of a commitment. I cannot understand why
the 13 people who voted NO felt so opposed to what seemed to be a fairly cautious arrangement,
designed to see how things would work out.
The Committee has considered alternative ways forward. One suggestion is an alteration to our
rules which would permit us to hold what Alex has styled "family services" with increased
participation of ladies, more English and some new tunes. Such "alternative" services to be held
perhaps monthly might be attractive to members of our own Congregation who find our traditional
service a little inaccessible. This also creates an opportunity to welcome some of the "rebel
majority" from the PJCEA who wanted to come to the Shul anyway. Our regular Shabbat traditional
service would continue unchanged for most of the year.
Let’s all have a BIG CONVERSATION about this. Your committee is anxious to have as many views
as possible. Perhaps members have other suggestions about how we might encourage
people to come to pray in our beautiful Shul.
This is a time for change, because Alex has indicated that he would like to step down and take
a well-earned second, or is it third, retirement, so we are now beginning to look out for a
replacement. He will continue as usual until a replacement is found. He has worked so hard for
us for 12 years, that he will be a very difficult act to follow.
Peter Prinsley