Shabbat Morning Service
2026-06-13 11:00, 2026-06-20 11:00, 2026-07-04 11:00 (Europe/London)
If you have a Yahrzeit and would like to have a mitzvah either on Zoom or at the Synagogue, please email the office and we will allocate the reading of your choice, if available. If attending in person, you will be given priority when booking your place.
Our prayer for those who are sick is recited at the Shabbat morning service so please let the office know if there is anyone you would like added to that list.

Saturday Morning Shiur
2026-06-13 12:30
Rabbi Michael’s monthly lunch-and-learn Shiur at around 12.30 pm in the Baron Harris Room.
Lunch will not be provided; it will, instead, be a Chavura-style lunch - please bring for yourself, and if possible, something that you can share with others; tea and coffee will be provided.
These informal sessions are always interesting and entertaining, starting with a discussion loosely based on the weekly Parasha, which generally leads to amusing tales from Michael’s experiences as a Rabbi over many years.
No prior knowledge is required.

Table tennis
2026-06-16 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-23 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-30 10:00 - 12:00

Exploring Judaism
2026-06-18 11:00 - 13:00
Particularly for those who are considering conversion to Judaism or others who ‘missed out’ or have forgotten what they once knew
Exploring Judaism with Tutor: Rabbi Danny Rich
Classes will take place from 11.00 to 13.00 on Thursdays (as below):
18 June 2026: The Jewish Life Cycle A: Birth and childhood.
25 June 2026: The Jewish Life Cycle B: Adulthood to death.
2 July 2026: Israel: the Land, the People and the State
9 July 2026: Streams of Judaism
16 July 2026: A Jewish View of Christianity, Islam and other faiths.

Erev Shabbat informal service and Chavurah bring and share supper
2026-06-19 18:00 - 20:00
An early informal service and Chavurah bring and share supper.
Please contact Barbara Martin by email at house@spsuk.com for catering purposes.

Exploring Judaism
2026-06-25 11:00 - 13:00
Particularly for those who are considering conversion to Judaism or others who ‘missed out’ or have forgotten what they once knew
Exploring Judaism with Tutor: Rabbi Danny Rich
Classes will take place from 11.00 to 13.00 on Thursdays (as below):
25 June 2026: The Jewish Life Cycle B: Adulthood to death.
2 July 2026: Israel: the Land, the People and the State
9 July 2026: Streams of Judaism
16 July 2026: A Jewish View of Christianity, Islam and other faiths.

Erev Shabbat Service
2026-06-26 20:00
Traditional service.

All Generations Shabbat Morning Service
2026-06-27 11:00

Erev Shabbat Musical Service
2026-07-03 18:00 - 19:00
Musical service: New and old melodies to welcome Shabbat

Book Club
2026-07-13 10:15

Rosh Hashanah
2026-09-11 18:00 - 2026-09-12 18:00
Rosh Hashanah is on 1st Tishri. On the Shabbat nearest this date, we hold an Selichot Service, which traditionally should start late. We, as with other communities, tend to start earlier, about 9pm. At this service we change the Torah mantles from their usual coloured ones to white. The Selichot Service is also a choral service and sets the tone for Rosh Hashanah and the 10 Days of Awe which follow, leading to Yom Kippur.
At Rosh Hashanah we have a round challah to show that the world is round and that the years are continuous. We do not put salt on the challah but dip it in honey, as we hope for a sweet new year. We also wish each other l’shanah tovah – a good year.
We also use a different prayer book, a Makzor, which is used only for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. In our regular prayer book, Siddur Lev Chadash, we have additional prayers during the Amida and these are recited during the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Our tradition is to offer mitzvot to members who have contributed to SPS life during the year, whether on committees, contacting members, regular attendance at Shabbat services or helping with social or other events. We also hold a family service aimed at all ages but primarily for those members who want to bring their children to a service they can understand and be part of.
The sounding of the shofar heralds the start of the Erev Rosh Hashanah service and also forms an important part of the morning service.
Rosh Hashanah concludes with Havdallah.

Yom Kippur
2026-09-20 18:00 - 2026-09-21 18:00
Ten days after Rosh Hashanah is the Holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur. Kol Nidrei, the evening service, is one of the most spiritual of the year and sets the scene for a long day of fasting and prayer.
As with Rosh Hashanah, we offer mitzvot to involved members of our community. Our morning and additional services are continuous but then there is a break for study, if one wishes, or just for a walk before resuming for the afternoon, memorial and concluding services.
Again, as with Rosh Hashanah, we offer a family service in the morning, where the story of Jonah is often acted by families.
As Yom Kippur draws to a close, the shofar is again sounded, signalling the end of these Days of Awe. Finally, Havdallah completes the day, as families return to their homes to break their fast.
Weather permitting, the building of the sukkah is traditionally started after the service, as we prepare for the harvest festival of Sukkot.

Sukkot
2026-09-25 18:00 - 2026-10-02 18:00
Sukkot is the final of the 3 harvest festivals and is celebrated by the building of a sukkah. Our sukkah is a permanent wooden structure, open to the skies, so one can see the stars. It is covered with laurel leaves, many of which are taken from our own garden and were planted for that purpose.
Children and adults, bring fruit and we hold a “Sukkah Decorating Event”, where children draw pictures to decorate the sukkah, usually of the Ushpizin, spiritual guests, who we invite to share our sukkah with us. Adults string the fruit and together we decorate the sukkah.
At SPS, instead of having one lulav (the four species mentioned in the Torah, consisting of the myrtle, the willow, the palm branch and etrog,) and an etrog (citron fruit), we buy a few which are passed around the congregation during the Hallel, so that everyone can be part of this mitzvah.
Kiddush, weather permitting, is always held in the sukkah.

Simchat Torah
2026-10-03 19:30 - 2026-10-04 19:30
At Simchat Torah we offer the special mitzvah of finishing reading the Torah, which ends with the death of Moses, to either a Chatan (bridegroom) or Kallah (bride) of the Torah and immediately we start reading from the beginning of the Torah, with the birth of creation, again offering the mitzvah to either a Chatan or Kallah Bereishit.
Following the Torah readings and Bible (evening service) or Haftorah (morning service), the Sifrei Torah are all taken from the Ark and paraded round the Synagogue, at least seven times. Everyone is encouraged to dance round the Synagogue with any of the Sifrei Torah, some being quite small and light and others heavy. No-one is excluded. There is singing and dancing, as this is a joyous festival, and apples, flags and sweets are distributed.
After Kiddush in the Sukkah, the fruit is distributed to those on site and the rest, as long as it is in good condition, is taken to one of the local care homes, for the residents. It has also been known for chutney to be made fromthe fruit that has gone soft!

Tu Bishvat
2027-01-22 18:00 - 2027-01-23 18:00
The kabbalists, a group of Jewish mystics living in Israel in the 16th century, created a Seder for Tu Bishvat (New Year for trees). They gathered in the evening around a beautiful table decorated with sweet-smelling flowers and lovely candles and long into the night they sang, talked and ate.
At SPS we reciprocate this tradition, albeit earlier in the evening and not going on too late!
During the evening, we follow our own produced Seder, where we drink four glasses of wine, each a different colour, to represent the four seasons. We will also have three plates of various types of fruit, representing a body covering the soul, the heart is protected, and pure spiritual creation.
Another custom at SPS is the planting of trees, usually by the youngest and eldest children at Ruach (Religion School). Some of these trees now give us the greenery to decorate our sukkah at Sukkot.

Purim
2027-03-22 18:00 - 2027-03-23 18:00
Purim is a joyous festival, commemorating the survival of the Jews who, as narrated in the biblical Book of Esther, had been doomed to annihilation in Persia in the 5th century BCE.
The holiday occurs on the 14th of Adar in the Jewish calendar, falling in February or March on the Gregorian calendar.
Of the many holidays in the Jewish calendar, Purim’s celebration of the Jews overcoming oppression—through the actions of a Jewish woman and her uncle—is one of the most jubilant and is marked with lively festivities, pageantry, and a special triangular pastry.

Pesach
2027-04-21 18:00 - 2027-04-28 18:00
Following the tradition of other LJ Synagogues, at SPS we do not hold a service for Erev Pesach but many families conduct their own Seder at home. Our practice has also been to “marry up” people who have no-one to share a Seder with, with a family who is happy to invite them. There is always a 1st day Pesach service, followed, in the evening, with the communal Seder which, as we are an inclusive Synagogue, is open to everyone. A collection is usually made, with the money being donated to the specified charity for that year.
As LJ has updated it’s Haggadah (prayer book for Pesach), so have we and are now using the latest version, which includes a child-friendly Seder. Children are encouraged to participate in the Seder, being it reciting the Mah Nishtana, to finding the Afikomen, for which there is a prize. Families are also included in helping to lead the service.
Pesach concludes with an Erev (last night) service, followed by a 7th day morning service, which includes the dedication of leaves on the Memorial Tree.
