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
CHUKAT – “Laws”
The Sixth section of the Chumash of Numbers (Bamidbar) opens with the “law”, governing the process of purification from the state of defilement that a person contracts through contact of a human corpse.
On the day the Tabernacle was inaugurated, the 1st of Nissan, G-d instructed Moses, how to purify the Jewish people from ritual defilement contracted by contact with a human corpse.
On the third and seventh days (the defiled person) must purify himself. (19:12)
In order to purify ourselves from the defilement of death – which in psychological terms means paralysis caused by depression or feeling dead toward the spiritual dimension of life- we must invoke the third and seventh emotional attributes of the soul.
The third emotion is pity and the seventh emotion is lowliness.
When we feel the pain that our Divine soul suffers from its constructed consciousness in the material world, we are aroused to rescue it by studying
G-d’s Torah and performing His commandments. When we are not egocentric, the flow of Divine life – force and vitality that should energise our lives is not blocked by our self – centred interests.
Wishing you an enjoyable, meaningful Shabbat, followed by a fulfilling week.
