London: 15:50

Birmingham: 15:50

Sheffield: 15:44

Southport: 15:48

Jerusalem: 15:57

London: 16:55

Birmingham: 16:59

Sheffield: 16:59

Southport: 17:05

Jerusalem: 17:16

Memorial for Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l

Tonight, as we announced last week, the United Synagogue is hosting an online programme in memory of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l. You can watch live at 8pm this evening via this link and it will be available to watch on demand afterwards. We wish the whole family chayim aruchim, long life.

With Chanukah on the horizon, the United Synagogue and Carmelli Bakery in Golders Green are on the hunt for delicious new doughnut flavours to set taste buds alight. With the community experiencing the challenges of lockdown and the temperature falling, we’ve teamed up with the iconic bakery and the Jewish News to spread a bit of warmth this Chanukah with our Design a Doughnut competition.

The top three entries will be put to a public vote and the winning idea will be turned into a real doughnut by Carmelli’s and sold in the bakery over Chanukah. There's a big box of doughnuts on offer as a prize for whoever comes up with the best idea.

All you need to do is tell us your idea for a new doughnut by 8pm next Wednesday (25 November) via theus.org.uk/doughnuts.

And that's not all! There's also a Tribe drawing competition for young people. The best doughnut designs will also be rewarded with prizes and there's a category for primary school pupils and another for those at secondary school. Find out more by going to theus.org.uk/drawing.

We're throwing a party and you're all invited!

So many of our members have had a simcha affected by Coronavirus this year so we are putting on a special live concert with popular musicians Eitan Freilich and Luis Herszaft to throw them the party they couldn’t have.

If you've had a simcha affected by Coronavirus, tell us via theus.org.uk/simcha and we'll mention you and your simcha live on air! Whether it’s a bar or bat mitzvah, a wedding, a special birthday or anniversary, we want to hear from you!

Watch the concert live next Wednesday at 7.30pm on TheUS.tv or on the United Synagogue Facebook page.

Jewish Women's Aid Shabbat

We are proud to support Jewish Women’s Aid Shabbat which is taking place this Shabbat to raise awareness of the issue of domestic abuse and sexual violence in our community.

The pandemic has had a significant impact on domestic abuse nationally, but also in the Jewish community. You can read more here.

A miracle Mitzvah Day

Last Sunday was Mitzvah Day and despite the restrictions imposed on us by Covid-19, our communities put together a quite staggering range of volunteering opportunities. You can read a series of wonderful reviews below.

Thank you too to everyone who has donated food items for our Essential Food Boxes which are sent each week to vulnerable United Synagogue members. Your local shul and a number of Jewish schools are still accepting donations. You can also buy products to include in the boxes from our Amazon Wishlist by clicking here.

Shabbat shalom,

Richard Verber

Communications Director

United Synagogue

Memorial for Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l

With a heavy heart, the United Synagogue presents a memorial event to mark the tragic early passing of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l. All welcome.

This special tribute evening to Rabbi Sacks will take place tonight at 8pm, live on TheUS.tv and available on demand afterwards. Watch it by clicking on the link below.

Rabbi Steady Cook 3

We are back for a third round of Rabbi Steady Cook In partnership with the Jewish Chronicle, and this time it’s regional! Join comedian Ashley Blaker for this festive edition of Rabbi Steady Cook as four rabbis don their chefs’ whites to make the sweetest of Chanukah treats: the doughnut. Watch it live on Wednesday 2 December at 8pm on TheUS.tv by clicking on the link below.

WE NEED YOU!

Be part of an exciting new video series!

Want to feature in our exciting new Chanukah video series? We are looking for people from different age groups to participate. Each participant will be sent eight questions to film themselves answering. Please email Rebecca Harris by clicking the link below.

JEWISH LEGACY

Free will service

Throughout the whole of November, Jewish Legacy is offering a free will service as part of Jewish Legacy Awareness Month. We encourage you to consider leaving a legacy to a Jewish charity. To take up this offer, visit their website by clicking on the link below.

JEWISH WOMEN'S AID

Jewish Women's Aid Shabbat

We are proud to support Jewish Women’s Aid Shabbat which is taking place on 21 November, to raise the issue of domestic abuse and sexual violence in our community. The pandemic has had a significant impact on domestic abuse nationally, but also in the Jewish community.

WATCH AGAIN

Lunch & Learn

In case you missed it, catch up on this week's Lunch & Learn with guest speaker Rabbi Daniel Epstein of Cockfosters & N. Southgate, who delved into this week's Parasha, Toledot. Watch it again by clicking the link below.

WATCH AGAIN

Judge Rachel Freier

Bushey United Synagogue’s ‘BLT Series’ is back! They recently heard from Judge Rachel Freier, the first Hassidic US Circuit Court judge and founder of the first female Hatzolah team. In case you missed it, you can watch it by clicking on the link below.

COOKING SHOW

Bereishit Bites

Join Borehamwood & Elstree United Synagogue’s Rabbi Yaacov Finn as he cooks his way through the book of Bereishit! Each week Rabbi Finn will be bringing you a delicious new recipe to try. This week is red lentil soup - watch it by clicking the link below.

WATCH NOW

The Book of Bereishit

Join Rabbi Baruch Davis from Chigwell & Hainault United Synagogue for a new video series as he explores the Book of Bereishit. This week's talk is titled 'The Blessings – Was Jacob’s deception justified?', and is available to watch on TheUS.tv by clicking the link below.

WILLESDEN JEWISH CEMETERY

Willesden article in the Londonist

Read this write-up of Willesden's new visitor experience on the Londonist, one of the capital’s most influential travel blogs. The experience has also received great feedback on Tripadvisor and has been featured by Lonely Planet.

DAILY DIGITAL DAVENING

Services in your living room

Every day on our Facebook page you can join one of our Rabbis and pray along with him, or watch them on demand. We're aiming to do daily shacharit, mincha and ma'ariv while in lockdown.

DAILY MISHNA STUDY

Mishna study in memory of loved ones

It is traditional to study Mishna, one of our oldest legal texts, in memory of loved ones. We have short, daily videos on our YouTube channel teaching a selection from the Mishnaic section of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers).

THIS WEEK'S KABBALAT SHABBAT!

Jewish Borehamwood East

welcomes you tomorrow!

This Friday at 2:50pm, join Jewish Borehamwood East's Rabbi Levi Goldgrab and Rebbetzen Shternie Goldgrab for an inspiring and uplifting Kabbalat Shabbat service. Watch live on TheUS.tv and on Facebook.

STUDY IN ISRAEL

UJIA Yeshiva and Seminary Fair

Join UJIA on Sunday 29 November for their online Yeshiva and Seminary Fair for anybody interested in a Jewish Studies experience in Israel in 2021. Register via the button below. Please contact your local US Rabbi or email us if you would like to discuss your yeshiva and seminary options!

Why are our voices today more powerful than ever before? Click the play button to watch this week's D'var Torah by the Chief Rabbi.

for more Torah content, click here to read out Daf Hashavua

FINCHLEY UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Lessons for the youth

Join Kinloss for 'Lessons for the youth' - a night of learning for years 7-13 in memory of Rabbi Lord Sacks z"l, featuring three keynote speakers and community speakers. Motza'ei Shabbat 28 November at 6pm. To register for the event, please click here.

HAMPSTEAD GARDEN SUBURB SYNAGOGUE

Anne "Chani" Neuberger

Join Hampstead Garden Suburb as they hear from Anne "Chani" Neuberge, Director of Cybersecurity at the National Security Agency, in conversation with Rabbanit Batya Friedman. Sunday 22 November at 8pm.

COCKFOSTERS & N SOUTHGATE SYNAGOGUE

CLC presents: Julie Siddiqi MBE

Julie Siddiqi was awarded an MBE in the last Queen's Birthday Honours for services to the Promotion of Inter Faith Understanding and will be talking about living as a Muslim in Britain. This is a free event but booking is essential. Next Tuesday (24 November), 11am.

BELMONT UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Belmont's Mitzvah Day

Belmont members celebrated Mitzvah Day with online events, collections and socially distanced gifts and deliveries for different charities and their community. Members also brought food items to be taken to Harrow Food Bank, toys for the children's charity Camp Simcha, and plenty more!

EALING UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum

Join Ealing as they hear from Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum, Dean and Head of Adult Education at LSJS. His talk will be titled: "Why were there seven days of Creation? Science, structure and meaning for today." Motza'ei Shabbat 21 November at 7pm, live on Zoom.

BUSHEY UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Mitzvah Day with a difference

Hundreds attended Bushey's Mitzvah Day, both as ‘virtual volunteers’ as well as for outdoor initiatives including tidying up the garden of The Peace Hospice in Watford. People also volunteered from home, and over 200 cakes were baked and delivered to 28 local organisations and charities.

SHENLEY UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Shenley presents: Nigel Kushner

Join Shenley as they hear from Nigel Kushner, solicitor and CEO of W Legal, whose talk is titled 'Oligarchs, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Mossad and other anecdotes: a career in law'. Monday 23 November at 7:30pm, live on Zoom.

BUSHEY UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Rabbi YY Rubinstein

Bushey's 'BLT Series' is back! Join them as they hear from Rabbi YY Rubinstein, a world famous speaker, writer and broadcaster, who will be talking about building resilience and inner strength. Wednesday 25 November at 8.30pm on Zoom.

GOLDERS GREEN UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Mitzvah Day 2020

Golders Green celebrated Mitzvah Day this year with collections, a blood drive, a knitathon and a Children’s Mitzvah Day Bingo. The community then came together on Zoom to hear a few words from MP Mike Freer, followed by a ‘Sustainable Ready Steady Cook Off’.

KENTON UNITED SYNAGOGUE

CST's Mark Gardner

Join Kenton as they hear from Mark Gardner, Chief Executive of CST, who will be talking about his work protecting the Jewish community. Tuesday 24 November, following Carmel and David Stockman's quiz at 7.30pm.

MILL HILL UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Mill Hill does Mitzvah Day

Mill Hill's successful Mitzvah Day involved volunteers (including numerous children) making cards and writing messages of support to the elderly and vulnerable members of the community, and then going door-to-door delivering the cards as well as plants and flowers.

EDGWARE UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Edgware presents: Saul Gaunt

Join Edgware for Wednesday Night Live with Saul Gaunt, an advanced paramedic practitioner working for the London Ambulance Service and trustee of the Ambulance Wish Foundation. Wednesday 25 November at 8pm, live on Zoom.

STANMORE & CANONS PARK SYNAGOGUE

'Covid-style' Mitzvah Day

Stanmore & Canons Park had an extremely successful ‘Covid-style’ Mitzvah Day, with four ‘collectathons’, a Big Community Tea Party on Zoom, bag decorating for NHS key workers, a Zoom talk from a lone soldier in the IDF who grew up in Stanmore, and more!

RICHMOND UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Mishnah and Torah podcasts

Listen to Rabbi Meir Shindler's 'Bitesize Mishnah' podcast, where he will be starting Masechet Pesachim this Sunday, by clicking here.

You can also listen to weekly Torah Readings by Hirsh Cashdan with short summaries by Rabbi Meir Shindler by clicking the link below.

KENTON UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Tribute evening for Rabbi Lord Sacks

Join Rabbi Yehuda Black for a a special evening with Rabbi Saul Zneimer and the Kenton community to pay tribute to Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l. Monday 23 November at 8pm, live on Zoom.

WHAT'S ON?

Online events

Despite the challenges of lockdown we've got lots of great events taking place online! See what virtual events are happening in our communities every week by checking out the United Synagogue events portal.

Welcome to 'Tell US', our new section where we invite you to contribute a joke, a poem or a story. We look forward to turning the spotlight on your literary creations over the coming weeks and months!

This week's contribution is by Leonie Lewis, a member of Pinner United Synagogue and former trustee of the United Synagogue.

We Will Remember Them

They shall grow old...

stories yet untold

One hundred years

so many tears

A few remain

war to blame

Poppies are worn

hearts are torn

We will remember them...

words are said