Vision

The Chief Rabbi’s vision is of a Jewish people that places the principle of ‘Achrayut’ – ‘responsibility’ at the heart of everything we do; aspiring to meet our responsibility to God, family, community, Israel and wider society.

The Chief Rabbi’s mission is to strengthen and invigorate Jewish communities across the Commonwealth to become powerhouses of religious commitment, educational excellence and social responsibility.

The Chief Rabbi leads by example whilst strengthening and invigorating communities to excel in the following three key areas:

Religious Commitment

“הפוך בה והפוך בה, דכולא בה”

Take the Torah, turn it this way and that, for everything is in it.

With the Torah as our eternal blueprint for living a life of spirituality and Godliness, together we will build communities with an ever deeper love and appreciation for everything that is in it.

Educational Excellence

“עץ-חיים היא, למחזיקים בה”

It is a tree of life for all those who grasp it.

Education has forever been at the centre of Jewish life. It is the force that has sustained us for thousands of years and which will do so for thousands more. Together we will be a ‘learning community’, developing and championing creative and engaging educational initiatives, as well as best practice and excellence across our institutions resulting in the most valuable opportunities for us all to grasp hold of.

Social Responsibility

“לא עליך המלאכה לגמר ולא אתה בן חורין להבטל ממנה”

You are not expected to complete the task, but neither are you free to neglect it.

Our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us is not merely a commendable virtue for those who can make time for it – it is at the very core of what it means to be Jewish.  We can never rest comfortably in the knowledge that there are vulnerable people living in desperate need whether in our own communities, in Israel or on the other side of the world. We must also cultivate positive and constructive relationships with other faith communities and wider society. Our own future is intertwined with that of many others and, working together, we can achieve much more than we can alone for the benefit of us all. There is much work to be done but we must not be put off by the scale of the task.