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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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h"b

WEMBLEY   SYNAGOGUE

Forty Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 8JW

E-mail: office@wembleysynagogue.org.uk

Web: www.wembleysynagogue.org.uk

                                                                                           Sheila Braude: 07871754602

Minister: Rabbi S. Harris BA (Hons), MSt (Oxon)

Administrator: Mrs Sheila Braude  

 Over 90 years of serving the community    

 

10 August 2021

 

 

Dear fellow members of Wembley Synagogue

 

I am writing to you ahead of the Yomim Noraim, going into our second set of High Holidays still under some threat from Coronavirus, though considerably reduced. Please accept my heartfelt wishes to you and your family for your continued good health and a more optimistic 5782.  In what follows I will explain the arrangements that we have put in place for the High Holy Days services and some other matters. 

The programme of services for the High Holy Days

We have planned a programme of services for the High Holy Days, based on following the latest Government Guidance and United Synagogue guidance and instructions and, on that basis, we are confident that we will not be compromising the health of anyone attending services at our synagogue.

 

Apart from ensuring that members attending can be appropriately socially distanced from each other, that they are wearing masks and are not in contact for more than the minimum time required to conduct meaningful services and that the premises are as well ventilated as possible, we are ensuring that the synagogue premises are “deep cleaned” in between services.  This means that we are able to hold the following High Holiday services in Wembley:

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Inevitably, certain parts of the services will need to be tailored to meet the requirements of the Guidelines and the Rabbi and other officiants will do their very best to make the experience for each and every one of you attending as meaningful as possible.

 

The various measures instituted for your safety mean that, despite the size of our synagogue, we have a limited number of spaces available for the services.  As a consequence it might not be possible to accommodate everyone who wishes to attend any particular service and it will be essential for members to book in to attend each of the available services that they wish to attend. That is, you have to tell us which of the above services you wish to attend. For those of you who have internet access, the booking can be done by applying on the United Synagogue web-site at: https://myus.theus.org.uk/events  

 

For those who do not have internet access or those who find difficulty in booking in via the internet, please ring Sheila Braude on 07871754602  and she will organise this for you. If you wish to be absolutely sure that your booking has been lodged, it can do no harm to also email the shul office stating your wishes. This must be done no later than Tuesday, 31 August 2021, to enable us to make the allocations. In the event that you have been successful in obtaining a place for one or more of the services listed above, we will let you know by no later than Thursday, 2 September and will give you the seat number you should occupy.  We will also inform those whose applications have been unsuccessful for any of the services, on that date. If for any reason you find that you will be unable to come, please ring Sheila immediately to enable us to reallocate your seat. We look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

 

Since the services will be considerably shorter than in previous years, please make every effort to arrive on time.  To enable services to be concluded in a shorter time, some parts of the services will be omitted. For instance, certain prayers which can be missed out without compromising the integrity of the service, will be omitted at each of the services and you will be advised to say certain parts of the prayers at home (basically the Pesukei de Zimre) before arriving at shul.

The Kol Nidre Appeal

As in all previous years, we will be making the United Synagogue Kol Nidre Appeal this year, but it will be somewhat different in that there will be no appeal from the pulpit. For all of you for whom we have email addresses, an “email Appeal Card”  will be sent to you. For those members who do not have an email address and those who have not replied to the email card by a certain date, the US will contact them via ordinary mail.

 

With the financial position of the shul having worsened as a result of "lock-down", we have, very reluctantly, come to the conclusion that this year we need to limit allocating part of the Kol Nidre Appeal donations to Magen David Adom to 30% of the total raised. We will also continue to solicit your donation for US chaplaincy and US Chesed. However, the lion’s share (60%) will go to our own Wembley Buildings Fund.  This is a new Fund set up to collect donations to purchase items which will beautify our new “home”, 88 Wembley Park Drive.  Construction work will be commencing there shortly.  This exciting project will provide us with our new permanent synagogue for the coming decades of the life of Wembley Synagogue.  Please God we will be safely established there to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the founding of our Community.

 

Yizkor/the Memorial Prayer

The most significant Memorial Prayers (Yizkor) of the year are recited for our dear departed relatives on the Day of Atonement / Yom Kippur.  We will be reciting Yizkor just before Mussaf and we will be including  the names of your departed relatives as part of that. If you wish to

make a Special Offering in memory of a parent or relative, please let us have a list of the Hebrew names on the form that you will find in the envelope or which has been sent to you via email or which can be downloaded from the shul web-site. It is essential that the lists of names is prepared in advance, as no name can be added on the day itself. Please complete, scan and email this form back to the office email address by absolutely no later than Monday, 13 September. If you do not have email access, please ring Sheila Braude on 07871754602.

 

To make an IN MEMORIAM Offering, as we are unable to bank cheques or cash, please ring Sheila Braude, and she will be able to process credit and debit card payments and deal with any other questions you may have. Alternatively you may make a BACS transfer, using the following details:  

NatWest Bank Sort code:   60-80-07;   

Account number:                  79500420;   

Account name:                      Wembley United Synagogue   

 

 

Wembley Synagogue RoshHashana Newletter

Under the present circumstances it is not possible to produce and distribute the booklet style newsletter we have come to know and love. Instead, Brenda Hyman is producing a newsletter which will be available to read and download from the shul’s web-site. A regular feature of the newsletter is the Executive Report that I deliver at the synagogue’s AGM, and which is subsequently available in the newsletter.  We were unable to meet physically for our AGM but were confined to a Zoom meeting on the morning of 10 May, where I delivered the Report. This is now available to read and I have updated it for matters arising since May. If you have any questions, please contact the shul office and I will respond.

 

I wish that each and every one of you and your families have a healthy (and prosperous) 5782 and that you are inscribed in the Book of Life for good things.  I wish you well over the Fast and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in our beloved shul during the coming High Holy Days and the Festivals.

 

Keep well and keep yourselves safe!

Ketivah VeChatima Tovah

 

Charles Vitez

Financial Representative

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