My Experience as Student and Lecturer at Leo Baeck College

Abstract

My experience of the College predates my admission to the Rabbinic programme. While I was studying Hebrew at UCL in the late 70s, I was fortunate enough to watch Charles Middleburgh and Jonathan Romain successfully make the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate rabbinic studies and knowing them allowed me access to the hallowed halls of the College at West London Synagogue. At that time as an external undergraduate I experienced some of the highlights of the College year including Summer Study Week and JCM at Bendorf. Bendorf was a difficult yet vital experience in putting some of the ghosts of Germany to rest for me as a child of refugees. Out of this emerged the exciting experiences of travel and learning offered by WUPJYS led by various rabbinic students primarily Wally Rothschild. For me the College seemed small and intimate. Faculty and students mixed casually and lessons were informal enough that I sat in on a number. The way in which Rabbi Albert Friedlander and Susan Lewin in the office welcomed me was always a delight. It was a period when there were a number of North and South American students including Danny Gottleib, Barbara Borts and Renee Werner who all made a significant mark on the communities they served and the College in general. Rabbi John Rayner's intellectual prowess was evident emphasising the correct reading and translation of texts. Despite the challenge of getting it right, a new compelling and spiritually fulfilling world of interpretation and critical reading of rabbinic texts was opened up to me. However I was not to follow them immediately as I left to study for my doctorate at HUC and work in Jewish education in USA for the next seven