Rabbi Lawrence headed home?
AFTER almost a decade as senior rabbi of Sydney’s Great Synagogue, Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence (pictured) will find out later this month if he has been endorsed to succeed Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis as senior minister of London’s Finchley United (Kinloss) Synagogue.
AFTER almost a decade as senior rabbi of Sydney’s Great Synagogue, Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence (pictured) will find out later this month if he has been endorsed to succeed Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis as senior minister of London’s Finchley United (Kinloss) Synagogue.
Rabbi Lawrence has been recommended for the role by Kinloss’s selection committee and will travel to the UK to spend next Shabbat (January 18) with the congregation, who will subsequently vote on whether to ratify the nomination.
In a letter to congregants, Kinloss chairman Jon Mendelsohn wrote, “Our community needs a senior rabbi who has the capability to talk to, to lead and be part of our community. One bursting with ability who can chart the next journey ahead. Your selection committee has found someone who can do this and I ask you to support the appointment of Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence as our senior rabbi.”
Rabbi Lawrence, who is originally from London, said the prospect of returning home to be nearer to family was exciting, but stressed that nothing was yet finalised.
“I am delighted to have been recommended for the position,” he said.
“I am looking forward to meeting the Kinloss community formally.”
He said he looked forward to an ongoing and strong relationship with the Great Synagogue congregation and the Sydney Jewish community.
The AJN understands that if he is officially appointed on Sunday, January 19, Rabbi Lawrence will remain in Sydney for at least six months before moving to the UK to take up the position.
Stating that Rabbi Lawrence’s appointment to Kinloss was “expected”, the Great Synagogue’s president Michael Gold told The AJN his departure would “not only be a loss to the Great Synagogue, but also to the wider Jewish community, where his involvement with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry has been crucial to their operation by providing halachic and general tactical advice.
He added, “The Board of the Great Synagogue and the synagogue’s congregants have appreciated all of the good work that Rabbi and Mandy Lawrence have been doing for us over the past nine years.”
Gold went on to assure congregants that “if there were to be a move by the rabbi, it will not occur immediately and he has expressed his enthusiasm to continue his service to the Great Synagogue and its members during that period”.
“Once the appointment is confirmed, we will be searching the world for a suitable replacement, who, we expect, will continue the traditional role of the Great Synagogue in the Sydney community,” he said.
“We congratulate the rabbi on his selection and wish him much success in the future.”
GARETH NARUNSKY
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