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Thursday 24 July 2008   |   21 Tammuz 5768

“...we know that in being Jews we must not give anything up, not renounce anything but lead everything back to Judaism, from the periphery back to the centre; from the outside, in.”

Franz Rosenzweig

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Next Festival: Purim

Who are we?

We are a community of people who recognise the true diversity of Jewish experience and who welcome all new members and participants, especially those who are distanced or estranged from many facets of contemporary Jewish community life. We realise that many people have found that life in and around traditional synagogues offers only a traditional welcome, no real place and no recognition of their legitimate needs as Jewish people.

A Beit Klal Yisrael service

Hence our name Beit Klal Yisrael, House of all Israel.

BKY Members celebrating their Civil Partnership


BKY Members celebrating their Civil Partnership

A number of committees support the activities of the community, which is administered by an elected Council. Beit Klal Yisrael is a member of Liberal Judaism and an affiliate member of the World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organisations.

Much of what we stand for is laid out in Rabbi Sheila Shulman's talk for the BKY Benefit on 31 March 1990 : A Vision of a New Community.

We meet in Notting Hill, London - please contact us for further details.

Whom do we welcome?

Everyone, but especially:

  • Lesbian Jews and gay Jews

  • Patrilineal Jews

  • People who are for one reason or another on their own and who would feel more comfortable in a community which emphasises individual presence and participation

  • Jewish women who want to work out an independent and challenging relation, as women, to Judaism and to being Jewish

  • Jewish women and men who may not think of themselves as formally religious, that is, as pious or observant, but who do have Jewish issues, questions and concerns (spiritual/existential/ethical/moral) they want to engage with

  • Jewish women and men whose partners, though not Jewish, wish to be supportive and participate in the life of the community.

    What do we do?

  • Shabbat - we hold regular services on the first and third Friday evening and second and fourth Saturday morning of each month.

    Beit Klal seder
  • Festivals - we celebrate all the major festivals, including a communal seder on the second night of Pesach. Our festival celebrations are known for their richness and the warm welcome we extend to all who come along.

  • Socials - after each Friday evening service we hold a social where we bring along and share vegetarian food. A discussion or other type of event is sometimes also organised.

  • Cultural programme - we offer a varied programme including discussion groups, speakers, folk dancing, singing and lesbian group events.

  • Study - there are opportunities for Jewish study and learning, which allow you to encounter Judaism freshly, or for the first time, as an adult.