Jewish personnel in NATO forces celebrate rare Shabbat together
Serving Jewish military personnel from NATO countries around the world have celebrated a rare Shabbat dinner near Andover.
Senior British officers representing the Army, Navy and Air Force joined counterparts from the United States, Germany and Holland at the annual Armed Forces Jewish Families Weekend at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre in Hampshire.
Jewish Chaplain, Padre (Rabbi) Reuben Livingstone, who holds the rank of major, delivered services designed to appeal to people of all shades of Judaism, while other speakers spoke about religious, cultural and military-interest topics.
“For many it is the only full Shabbat experience they are likely to enjoy for some months due to postings and locations,” explained Col. Martin Newman, chairman of the Jewish Committee for HM Forces.
“You could describe it as our very own military Limmud. This year was very special as we had so many overseas participants from other NATO forces.”
He added that Livingstone’s work was “essential to enable isolated members of the services to identify with their Jewish heritage and continue to practice their faith, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances”.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
