Hampstead Synagogue is delighted to announce the appointment of their new rabbinic couple. Following a trial Shabbat, Rabbi Akiva and Rebbetzen Batya Rosenblatt were voted in unanimously by Hampstead members this week.
The Rosenblatts are currently the rabbinic couple of Hadley Wood Jewish Community, another United Synagogue community. They are taking over from Rabbi Dr Michael Harris who is making Aliya after serving Hampstead Synagogue for 30 years.
Rabbi Akiva was born in Liverpool but moved to London as a child (he remains, however, an avid Liverpool FC fan!). He studied for many years in leading Yeshivot including the Jerusalem Kollel then later joined the Rabbinic Training Academy.
Rabbi Akiva joined Hadley Wood Jewish Community in 2020 and from 2018 was the Assistant Rabbi at Woodside Park United Synagogue. He is also a trained chazzan and particularly enjoys singing at Jewish wedding ceremonies. Rabbi Rosenblatt also sits on the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue and is the Honorary Principal at Wolfson Hillel Primary School.
Rebbetzen Batya comes from Manchester. She studied at the Jewish Teachers Training College in Gateshead for three years and subsequently taught Jewish studies at Broughton Jewish Primary School.
After marrying Rabbi Akiva and moving to Israel, she studied at the Shelem College of Complementary Medicine in Jerusalem. Since training in the Three Principles approach to emotional wellbeing in 2018 with Dr George Pransky and Dr Mark Howard, Batya has led wellbeing groups and seminars for women, specialising in relationships.
Rabbi Rosenblatt said: “Batya and I feel truly honoured to be joining the illustrious Hampstead Synagogue – a warm and welcoming community with a proud past, an exciting future, and tremendous potential for growth and dynamism. We look forward to working closely with the shul and Young US to help nurture and strengthen a thriving centre of Jewish life in West Hampstead.”
Richard Abramson, the Chair of Hampstead Synagogue, said: “Hampstead Synagogue is proud of its long history as a pillar of Jewish tradition in North London. The appointment of Rabbi and Rebbetzen Rosenblatt is a wonderful opportunity for us to ensure that we move forward with fresh vigour and success. We are confident that our new rabbinic couple will both enthuse our present membership and bring many young Londoners into the ambit of Jewish life through an involvement with Hampstead. We have come to know and admire their energy, knowledge and enthusiasm, making them worthy successors to those who have served us up till now.”
The Rosenblatts have four children and hope to take up their new role in early 2026.
