3 March 2020
Sophie, Year 11
On Friday 28 February, Year 11 headed to London to visit the Jewish Museum and the Liberal Jewish Synagogue to aid our in-class learning about Judaism. On our arrival at the Jewish Museum we were met by the vibrant and engaging education team. Following an initial debrief we split into smaller groups, each learning about a different aspect of Judaism such as the Kashrut Laws and the different forms of prayer. This was extremely useful for revising and reinforcing our knowledge from lessons while also teaching us some new things about the religion. We also had the opportunity to look around some of the artefacts at the museum, analysing the different symbols and the hidden meanings within them. This provoked some vey insightful conversations and debates.
After lunch, we travelled to the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, situated opposite Lord’s Cricket Ground. Following a dash through the rain to try and find the correct door, we stepped into the warm and welcoming hub of the synagogue. There we met the Senior Rabbi who showed us around and told us about the history of the synagogue. It was truly inspirational to learn of the strength of the community after the synagogue was bombed during the Second World War and extremely interesting to analyse the beautifully decorated mural which conveyed not only the different Jewish festivals but also the history of the religion. We were then given the fantastic opportunity to listen to the rabbi’s story of how she came to be a senior rabbi - a wonderful message about breaking stereotypes for us as young women. She also answered the multitude of questions we had. It was amazing to see her passion both for caring for the extensive community and for spreading the message of her religion. She showed us the Torah scrolls and the highly decorated Ark in which they are kept before we had to head off to make it back for Parents’ Evening!
It was an incredible day in which we learnt a lot and enjoyed debating the meaning of different symbols, while at the same time expanding our knowledge. Thank you to Mr Kellaway, Mrs Molla, Miss Pendlebery, Mrs Vivian and Mrs Clayton for making the trip so enjoyable!
