The Makor Hayim Blog

All Posts

Jul 28
3 min

Our communal lament: TIsha b'av online Kina

By Rabbi Daniel Lichman O how we have found ways to feel ok during this period of lockdown! We have rationalised our experience; we have ...

21 viewsWrite a comment

Jul 14
2 min

Turning Towards the Israel/Palestine Conversation

By Rabbi Daniel Lichman I’ve been avoiding this conversation for a long time. I’ve seen the news stories about it over the last few month...

27 viewsWrite a comment

Jul 7
2 min

Our REal (Virtual) Bar Mitzvah

By Anne Kinderlerer This was not how we thought our youngest son’s Bar Mitzvah would be. We’re old hands at this now - we’ve survived the...

68 viewsWrite a comment

Jun 30
1 min

onwards with pride

by Debbie Danon Though the Pride march was cancelled and we weren't able to gather in person, Makor Hayim celebrated our second Pride Sha...

42 viewsWrite a comment

Apr 21
2 min

We Count: A Community Campaign

By Daniel Mackintosh The Omer is an opportunity for each of us to share our gifts and build a stronger community together, by participati...

43 viewsWrite a comment

Apr 14
3 min

Shehecheyanu: Supporting Us At This Time

By Anne Kinderlerer Prayer is a funny thing. If, as I sometimes think, it’s about meaning and connection, it comes to me only in momentar...

256 viewsWrite a comment

Apr 7
2 min

This Year's Liberation

By Rabbi Daniel Lichman I have spent the past two weeks in isolation - not leaving my flat until my virus symptoms had passed. This Passo...

27 viewsWrite a comment

Mar 3
3 min

Organising for Justice as a Community

By Kate Lebow I learned a lot from my first boyfriend. He was Orthodox; I was secular. Before meeting him, I couldn't have imagined a lif...

23 viewsWrite a comment

Feb 11
2 min

Deep Shabbat: A 24-Hour Unwind

By Rachel Singer For years I have been thinking about how to deepen my Shabbat observance. I love the feeling of stepping out of the real...

108 viewsWrite a comment

Jan 29
2 min

Introducing... the music circle

By Lauretta Dives On a cold Saturday afternoon in January, about 11 people who had earlier expressed particular interest in music and sin...

16 viewsWrite a comment

Jan 1
1 min

Chanukah: To persist is to resist

By Debbie Danon As a wise activist friend of mine says, ‘To persist is to resist.’ So despite the news of antisemitic attacks down the ro...

6 viewsWrite a comment

Dec 13, 2019
3 min

The Day After

The election results are in. You might have some feelings about them...

34 viewsWrite a comment

Nov 28, 2019
1 min

Mitzvah Day at Mora Burnet House

Yasher koyach to everyone from our community who came out to Mora Burnet House earlier this month to celebrate this year's Mitzvah Day wi...

15 viewsWrite a comment

Nov 10, 2019
5 min

A New Approach to Our Torah Reading Cycle

by Anne Kinderlerer, Avodah / Service Wardening Team At Simchat Torah, the Festival which expresses our joy that we have both completed a...

16 viewsWrite a comment

Nov 6, 2019
3 min

REFLECTIONS on Jewish protest from the XR October Rebellion

by Kate Lebow, Tzedek (Justice) Team Oh my G-d, we Jews are weird! Here we are in the City, marching in circles around a police van inste...

163 viewsWrite a comment

Sep 19, 2019
1 min

our joint venture is in the jc! ps save the date

Last Thursday night, Builder Lauretta Dives shared a moving and inspiring account of our community's journey at the annual dinner for he ...

74 viewsWrite a comment

Jul 1, 2019
3 min

OUR VISION, VALUES & NEW NAME (ALMOST)

The Leadership Team - Debbie Danon, Daniel Mackintosh, Martin Dives, with Rabbi Daniel Lichman Last October, after almost a year of our r...

190 viewsWrite a comment

Jun 17, 2019
1 min

Welcome reuben! a new wm baby!

On Shabbat 15 June 2019, we welcomed Reuben Nathan Rothschild Pearson to our congregation at his baby-naming in front of 45 people: his p...

46 viewsWrite a comment

Jun 10, 2019
2 min

Finding Sinai in Wales: a comedy with serious intent

By Jonathan Karas The Shavuot Retreat in Bont-Goch was planned as a gender balanced, diverse weekend of learning. Due to a concatenation ...

41 viewsWrite a comment

May 12, 2019
1 min

Unseder: A liberating experience

By Sarah Nerva, Social Justice Team On the forth night of Pesach.... “I’ve had enough of matzah, not another Seder”.... Willesden Minyan-...

18 viewsWrite a comment

{"items":["5f2047918a69ae0017f2b254","5f0dc3fe0d8d960017aca8ee","5f0463ad826ee30017b50199","5efb072caac2bc00177b4741","5e9f0c4ae3945800178693b9","5e95bd9166e2cd0017441e0e","5e8c7ef91df8010017e77b0a","5e5e793ccbd97d00173354f5","5e399dce65d96400170644ef","5e3165413f40810017793873","5e0c92391d74a00017d3db76","5df3ac5fdd2a2a001771ec16","5ddff519f04a830017b333f0","5dc84b170fdb3f001703835d","5dc2de2c31f1ba00171aba5d","5d83b93effd9110017ab19f5","5d1a534d8fdbd70016bb7c5f","5d07f1dd4c7f7e001678d5ff","5cfec6761b036300168cec7f","5cd89b06cc297f0063d62d9a"],"styles":{"groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":false,"cubeType":"fill","cubeRatio":1,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":454,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":16,"galleryMargin":0,"floatingImages":0,"chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":false,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":0,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":120,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCubeRatio":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":false,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":true,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"useCustomButton":false,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":"SHOW_BELOW","galleryHorizontalAlign":"center","galleryTextAlign":"center","galleryVerticalAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"expand","fullscreen":true,"allowSocial":true,"allowDownload":false,"allowTitle":true,"allowDescription":false,"loveButton":true,"loveCounter":false,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","scrollDirection":0,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowTitleExpand":true,"allowDescriptionExpand":true,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxHeightMode":"MANUAL","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":320,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":50,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"textsVerticalPadding":-15,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"titleDescriptionSpace":6,"customButtonText":"","customButtonBorderWidth":1,"customButtonBorderRadius":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":1,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":454,"itemBorderColor":{"value":"#EAEAEA"},"galleryLayout":1,"selectedLayout":"1|bottom|1|fill|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":1,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":320,"externalInfoWidth":0},"container":{"width":940,"galleryWidth":972,"galleryHeight":1440,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}