Last Wednesday, more than 100 rabbis and rebbetzens from across the UK gathered at Heaton Park Shul for the Aleinu Conference, a joint initiative of Seed, JLE, RCUS and Jewish Futures.
The theme of the conference, which honoured Heaton Park’s Rabbi Daniel Walker following his brave response to the tragic attack on Yom Kippur, was to reflect on the responsibilities of leadership today and to affirm a shared commitment to building confident, vibrant Jewish communities across the country. There was strong United Synagogue representation: The conference was opened by RCUS Chair, Rabbi Elchonon Feldman; Dayan Eliezer Zobin delivered a powerful shiur about strength, perspective and faith during uncertain times and our CEO, Jo Grose spoke movingly about our shared responsibility to continue to build joyful, resilient, and meaningful Jewish life in the UK.
When Jo Grose addressed the conference, she said, “Language matters. The words we use shape our reality. Listening to Rabbi Daniel Walker in Heaton Park shul – at the site of the horrific Yom Kippur attack – was profoundly moving. As he spoke about the tragedy, and about the strength it demanded of him, not just in the moment but in the months that followed, it was clear to all present that the role of a Rabbi, of a Jewish leader, is to show that Jewish life in Britain is not only worth defending, but that it is worth celebrating.
In thanking him on behalf of the Aleinu Asifa, I asked colleagues: Are we using our words to lift our communities, or are we unintentionally weighing them down? Are we telling a story of fear, or a story of possibility?
Rabbi Walker described the dancing of his community just days after the attack. In doing so he reminded us that we can choose how we tell the story of British Jews. We can tell a story of joyful, resilient, and meaningful Jewish life in the UK. This is the task for 2026.”
14 January 2025