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Kingston, Surbiton & District: Seaside Shabbaton

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Event

A cross-section of the Kingston community joined with the Bournemouth congregation for a residential Shabbaton that allowed them to celebrate Shabbat in a warm, family atmosphere with communal meals, a learning programme, introspective conversations and song. Participants deepened their connection with Shabbat and each other, as well as potentially setting in motion a long-term relationship with a regional community.

Objectives

To experience a warm Shabbat atmosphere as a community
To build the community through shared experience
To deepen understanding and appreciation of Shabbat through the programme
To connect with other communities and build links

Evaluation from Rabbi Landau

‘The Shabbaton allowed the participants to come together, in a family-like manner, to celebrate a Shabbat experience, while demonstrating how much the community still has the capacity to achieve despite a predominantly older membership. I believe they will have had an inspirational and enriching experience that will impact upon their future enjoyment of Shabbat and community. We did not expect people to want to attend a ‘kumsitz’ following dinner, but many did, demonstrating their genuine enjoyment and eagerness. It was a pleasure for our community to join with the Bournemouth community.’ 

Participant Feedback:

  • There was a true sense of being together, regardless of how religious you were; it gave me the chance to sit back and reflect on how my life has changed since my husband passed away 6 years ago, but how lucky I am to be able to share this special weekend with friends.
  • It was a lovely bonding experience for those who attended and we had a very interesting external speaker. The Bournemouth Shul congregants were very welcoming
  • The talks by Rabbi Landau together with his explanations of the various traditional actions, prayers and songs, reminded me of my younger years when they were all part of our lives. Additionally the talks by Rabbi Moshe Freedman were most interesting.
  • A beautiful Shabbat with friends and community members. An opportunity to connect with others in a Shabbat environment.