Borehamwood rabbi takes leave of absence as shul says: ‘Respect his privacy’
Rabbi Chaim Kanterovitz will be taking a sudden and unexplained 'period of leave' from one of the community's largest synagogues
The senior rabbi at one of the country’s biggest synagogues has taken a sudden and unexplained leave of absence, with the shul’s chair asking congregants to “respect his privacy”.
In a short letter to 4,000 members, Simon Mitchell, the chair of Borehamwood and Elstree United Synagogue (BES), said Rabbi Chaim Kanterovitz would be taking “a period of leave” but did not say why.
On Kanterovitz’s sudden leave, Mitchell told congregants: “We are working closely in consultation with United Synagogue directors and trustees to ensure a full rabbinic provision in his absence.”
Kanterovitz came to BES from Manchester, ending a two-year period when the shul found itself without a senior rabbi, following the departure of Rabbi Naftali Brawer, whose wife Dina this year became the UK’s first Orthodox rabbi.
Listen to this week’s episode of the Jewish Views Podcast:
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.
