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
This week’s portion is BAMIDBAR…in the dessert….
This week we begin the Fourth Book of the Torah, named BAMIDBAR.
The Torah describes the journey of the Jewish People from the foot of My Sinai to the threshold of the Land of Israel. The first section begins as G-d tells Moshe to take a census of the adult Jewish males in the dessert. The purpose of the census is to form the adult males in the army, which will be necessary to fight the non-Jewish occupants of the Land of Israel.
The Levites were exempt from Military service, because they were conscripted to work in the Tabernacle they guarded the Tabernacle, dismantled it whenever the Jewish people broke camp, and reconstructed it whenever they camped and assisted the priests in the Tabernacle rituals.
G-d told Moses, “Bring forth the tribe of Levi and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him,” (3:6)
The Levites were singled out from among the rest of the Jewish people, to act as G-d’s personal servants. Nevertheless, the medieval Jewish Sage Rabbi Moses Maimonides points out, that anyone who wishes to dedicate him or herself to the service of G-d can do so. He or she thereby becomes a “Spiritual Levite” – and even a Spiritual Priest” or even a Spiritual High Priest!” – Regardless of their tribal lineage.
Have a wonderful week, followed by a Spiritual meaningful Shabbat
