UPDATED COVID MESSAGE – DECEMBER 2020
WELCOME TO CHABAD HAVERING
Chabad North East London & Essex launches the foundation for its latest Chabad Branch.
Chabad N.E. London & Essex are delighted to announce the recent launch of its newest chapter in the area of Havering, which covers amongst others the area of Collier Row, Romford, Hornchurch, Upminster & Rainham.
With the ongoing migration of the Jewish Community across Essex, Chabad locally have been mapping where families are choosing to live outside the well-known areas of Ilford, Redbridge & beyond.
Activities began in January with regular meetings, discussion groups, one to one learning and a Challah bake led by Mrs Devorah Sufrin. Last week a joint Challah bake was held in Romford Synagogue to which there were some twenty five participants. A new website displaying recent and ongoing services is live on www.chabadhavering.co.uk.
Rabbi Sufrin MBE, Exec Director Chabad N E London & Essex says; “continuous requests have been made to us over a fair period of time, asking Chabad to get more involved in the area of Havering. In discussion with my wife Devorah, we decided that we must respond. In addition to three thriving Chabad Houses, based in Ilford, Buckhurst Hill & Epping with full time Chabad Emissaries, regular activities are held in Southend and now Havering.”
For now, these additional areas are serviced in the main by Rabbi & Mrs Sufrin, as the foundations are laid and relationships are built, scouting the wider areas mapping where Jewish people are living. This is often the way that in due course the seeds are sown in order to secure further Shluchim (emissaries) leading to full time Chabad Centres.
Funding will have to be secured to bring these new areas into realities, but as Rabbi Sufrin tells us,
“even though funding is always a concern and a challenge, however, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Schneerson zy”o taught us so well, that when it comes to Jewish Education and the needs of securing Jewish Communities, we cannot allow funding to hold us back”
Rabbi & Mrs Sufrin celebrate their 37th anniversary of Chabad leadership locally picking up the baton of his late Parents Rev Aron Dov & Hennie Sufrin z”l who laid the first seeds for Chabad back in 1976, from which Chabad across Essex continues to flourish.
Thought for the week from Rabbi A. M. Sufrin MBE
Ki Tisa (Census) – this week’s portion (6th March)
G-d tells Moses to take a census of the adult male Jews by collecting a half-shekel silver coin from each one.
The account of the Golden Calf and its aftermath is the recorded.
Moses told the Jewish People, that he would be spending 40 full days on Mount Sinai, but the Jews mistakenly counted the first half day as one of the 40, hence, when Moses failed to appear as promised, they clamoured in hopelessness and made the Golden Calf. This incident records the worst tragedy of the Jewish Peoples history.
“They sacrificed to the calf….” (32:6)
How was it possible that the people, who witnessed the greatest revelation of all time at Mount Sinai, could commit such a blatant transgression so soon afterwards?
True that it was only a percentage of the people who worshipped this idol, but even so, this is hard to imagine.
The Sages of the Talmud therefore teach us that indeed, the Jews at that point were incapable of sinning. In order for the Jewish People to rise to the heights of spiritual achievement only attainable through repentance, G-d forced the entire incident upon them.
In this light, we can all focus on our past misdeeds as opportunities through which we can scale spiritual heights that we could not rise to otherwise.
This week we take out two Torah scrolls. In the second, we read the portion called “Parshat Parah” (the Red Heifer), the third of the special portions we read prior to Pesach.
Have a wonderful Shabbat and successful week to follow.
