An Adam Gadol
Rabbi Andrew Shaw
Chief Executive, Mizrachi UK
Last Shabbat I was in Radlett Shul for an auf ruf.
I gave a shiur between Mincha and Maariv about the remarkable qualities of Avraham Avinu. How he had the courage to stand up against the idolatrous and pagan culture of his day and, without fear of being ‘cancelled’ he brought monotheism to the world. For this he was selected by Hashem and became the father of our nation.
Avraham was an ‘adam gadol’, a great man.
Last Monday I was standing in a street in Golders Green for the levayah for another adam gadol.
Rabbi Maurice Hool ztl, the Rav of Kingsbury Shul for almost half a century was niftar aged 95.
In his time as Rav of Kingsbury he not only revolutionised the community, but he also changed the course of British Jewry. He would not say it was courage that motivated him but a clear and focused understanding of what Torah is and what Hashem expected him to do. It was never about doing the popular thing, it was always about doing the right thing – to bring kavod to Hashem and His Torah.
As a child growing up in Kingsbury, at the time, I did not realise what I was a part of. Today, not a day goes by when I am not eternally grateful to Rabbi Hool and to Kingsbury to what it gave me and my family.
Rabbi Hool made sure that Kingsbury was the first United Synagogue to have a Chevra Kadisha, eventually it spread to many. What I saw was members of our community, people I knew giving up their time to honour the dead. It was my first understanding of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
He made sure that Kingsbury was the first United Synagogue to have a mikvah. That mikvah changed my life! Not in the traditional way, but due to the construction, they built classrooms above the mikveh – that is where the youth service took place, where I learnt to lain, daven and feel part of my own kehillah.
I remember occasionally coming into the main hall on a Thursday night where there were so many chavrutot going on. Rabbi Hool had encouraged the newly formed Seed programme to come to Kingsbury. Many of those chavrutot formed in the 70’s and 80’s are still continuing today.
I didn’t realise at the time how unique our shul was. When we went succah crawling for hours to over 30 succot down ‘Salmon Street’ or ‘Valley Drive’ – I thought all communities did that. When the youth were encouraged to learn the megillot to lain from a klaf on chagim – I thought that was standard.
The youth service and the youth community were vibrant, Rabbi Hool’s children were leaders there, as well as friends to all of us. They were encouraged by him to be a part of the youth community.
However, of all the achievements of Kingsbury over all those years, probably the most remarkable is the amount of Rabbis that came out of that small community. Not including three of Rabbi Hool’s sons, it is calculated that there are at least SIXTEEN Rabbis that came out of Kingsbury, many of whom became very prominent in the community.
For me, my whole Rabbinic career has been inspired by my years growing up in Kingsbury and the many lessons I absorbed while being involved in the community. These lessons have always been part of the strategy in the work I have done whether for Stanmore Shul, the United Synagogue or Mizrachi UK.
- Osmosis
When I am asked the question – when did you become religious? It is a hard one to answer. It happened somewhere during ages 10 – 18. It was not any eureka moment, it was just years and years of being involved in a community, the youth service, and Kingsbury Bnei Akiva. Any strategies have to be based on gradual growth, there are no quick fixes in Judaism.
- Family
For so many of us, the positive effect of Kingsbury impacted not just the children and youth but the whole family. It was a family experience, we all benefited, we all were involved. Any strategies must be focussed in involving parents not just the youth.
- Community
I remember when I came back for Pesach during my first year in Yeshiva when I was 18, I couldn’t wait to come back to Kingsbury shul to see everyone. This included the Rabbi and the adult community as well as my peer group. There was a true sense of Kehillah. Once a month we davened together on Shabbat Mevarachim, we celebrated chagim together. Yes, there were times where the youth were separate, but we felt we were a central part of the community. The lesson I learnt was that the most important educational institution is the community as it has the power to affect everybody.
- Experiences
When I think back to Kingsbury growing up, my Jewish memories are all about the experiences I had. Singing our hearts out on the succah crawl, catching sweets thrown on Simchat Torah or the thrill of a remarkable Youth Shabbat. Positive Jewish experiences that made me see I was part of something bigger. As I have always said, it is not enough just to learn about Judaism. You have to live it – then you grow to love it.
- Torah
Finally, and most importantly the fuel that drove the community, that drove the Rav. An unflinching dedication and commitment to Torah. Everything we did had the Rav’s blessing, he encouraged us, but always with the goal of l’hagdil Torah Ulehadirah – to make Torah great and to glorify it. Whatever we do as a community, unless that is the goal – eventually will fail.
I was privileged to have Rabbi Hool ztl as my Rav of Kingsbury for over 25 years, until I married and moved away. His vision, his dedication and his passion transformed a community and changed me and fuelled my career in ways I still cannot believe.
I will never forget one of these ways. It was at a youth kiddush where he came to speak to me. At the time I was involved in Leeds University and UJS. He asked if I could come over to him Motzei Shabbat, he had something to show me.
That Motzei Shabbat he showed me an article he had read about a siyum mishnayot and how 20,000 children had learnt in memory of a kadosh their age, who had died in the Shoah. The article was about how these children had completed the learning of 6 million mishnayot in memory of their Kedoshim.
His eyes lit up as he spoke to me. ‘You work with students, this is something wonderful, to learn Torah l’ilu nishmat the kedoshim, maybe not Mishnayot but something similar, you should do something for students’. He spoke to me with real warmth yet real determination.
I remember that evening, that conversation. It led to many meetings with student leaders and the new Chief Rabbi – Rabbi Jonathan Sacks ztl, which eventually led to the launch, about 15 months later of 50 days for 50 years. This of course led to 60 days and then 70 days, which reached nearly 250,000 Jews globally. All from a remarkable Rabbi who was an Adam Gadol, a great man who was devoted to his family, his community and his people.
I feel so honoured and humbled to have been part of his community and to realise now what a visionary he was. I hope he knew, we did tell him many times, that so much of what British Jewry is today, is because of him, and the leaders he helped create.
For I have known him because he commands his sons and his household after him, that they should keep the way of the Lord to perform righteousness and justice.
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יט כִּ֣י יְדַעְתִּ֗יו לְמַ֩עַן֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצַוֶּ֜ה אֶת־בָּנָ֤יו וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ֙ אַֽחֲרָ֔יו וְשָֽׁמְרוּ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ ה לַֽעֲשׂ֥וֹת צְדָקָ֖ה וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט:
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That was Avraham Avinu.
It was also Ha Rav Chaim Moshe Aron Hool ztl.
Shabbat Shalom