About Us
We are a thriving Liberal Jewish community with a synagogue just outside Kingston-upon-Thames, South West London. As a congregation affiliated to Liberal Judaism, our strong sense of Jewish tradition is coupled with a progressive, modern outlook. Our members come from a variety of Jewish backgrounds and this creates the dynamic, inclusive atmosphere we're so proud of.
- Our History
- Our Community
- Our Rabbi
- Our Constitution and Management
- Our Building and Facilities
- Our Heritage
- Our 40th Anniversary
- Membership
Our History
KLS was formed in April 1967 with just 50 families. Before we had our own synagogue, we met regularly for services at the Quaker meeting rooms in Kingston. In 1976 we moved to Rushett Road which has been our home now for over 30 years. In this time we have grown to a membership of several hundred people and our building has recently enjoyed a major facelift.
Our Community
KLS is a vibrant, happy community, actively celebrating Judaism in a progressive context. We rely on our members' energy and efforts to run the day-to-day life of the synagogue and to sit on our elected council and committees. As a community we are dedicated to meeting the spiritual, cultural, educational and social needs of our members.
We are proud members of Liberal Judaism, which identifies itself as the forward-looking edge of Judaism, while reverencing tradition and seeking to preserve all that is good in the Judaism of the past.
Our Rabbi
Our congregation is led by Rabbi Charley Baginsky. Charley takes most of our services, is principal of the religion school and also runs our adult education programme. Charley has been involved in Liberal Judaism for 20 years and has latterly spent several years living in Israel. She has a degree in theology from King's College London and completed her rabbinic training at Leo Baeck College.
We are also proud to have as our Rabbi Emeritus, Rabbi Danny Rich, who was Kingston Liberal Synagogue's first full-time rabbi, from 1988 to 2004. Danny is now Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism.
Our Constitution and Management
We are a registered charity and manage our affairs according to principles of good practice outlined by the UK Charity Commissioners. Ongoing management is undertaken by an elected Council, guided by a written constitution and reporting to general meetings of the membership.
Our Building and Facilities
We have recently completed a new, extended sanctuary, and fitted a brand new kitchen, - the two most important areas of any synagogue! We have also built a new library, and improved our social hall. More improvements to the rest of the building are on the way, in particular a facelift for our religion school classrooms. Our facilities include:
The Norman Fletcher Jones Hall - a large social hall, used for functions and for extra services on the high holy days;
Library - we are proud of our extensive collection which includes children's books, prayer books, history, philosophy, cooking, novels, videos/dvds and new media;
Judaica shop - candles, cards, gifts and much more;
State-of-the-art kitchen - Newly installed, offers full catering facilities for kiddushim, functions and socials.
Our Heritage
Kingston Liberal Synagogue uses three "rescued" Czech Torah Scrolls. These scrolls were part of a collection of ritual objects intended for confiscation by the Nazis from the destroyed Jewish communities of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. After the defeat of the Nazis the scrolls were stored in an old synagogue in Prague. Eventually their existence became known; the Memorial Scrolls Trust was formed to purchase them and bring them to Westminster Synagogue in 1964. More information on Czech scrolls.
KLS has scrolls from Blatna , from Rychnov and from Tabor, towns now within the Czech Republic. The scrolls are a precious heritage; by using them we honour the memory of their vanished communities.
Our Ner Tamid was a gift from a founder member, in memory of her parents who perished in the Holocaust. It was commissioned from a well-known Israeli artist and sculptor, and features a design of petals symbolically encircled with barbed wire.
Our 40th Anniversary
KLS recently celebrated its 40th anniversary with a series of special events throughout the year. The highlight of these was a ‘birthday weekend' with services attended by the mayor, eminent guests from the wider community, and many of our founder members.
Membership
We welcome all visitors and prospective members to KLS. If you'd like to come along to see us, or just want to find out a little more, we'd love to hear from you so please send us an email or call the office (020 8398 7400). Our membership secretary will be pleased to answer any questions you may have, and you can also download our membership pack here.