Page 18 - Ma Chadash Rosh Hashanah 2019
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Meet our mitzvah menBarry Blain introduces our honoured Chatanim for Simchat TorahRabbi Landau Chatan TorahOur new Rabbi Dr Samuel Landau and his wife Ma’ayan Shoshana are experts on John Lewis sofas. As Ma Chadash is a family and synagogue publication, this comment won’t go the way some readers might expect. In any case, “never knowingly undersold” doesn’t seem a good motto for a rabbi.Early in their marriage, the Rabbi would take a lunch-time stroll from University College London to meet Shoshana. They sat in the John Lewis furniture department, apparently very comfort- able, and discussed their first major move: to become the Rabbinic Couple at Kingston US.But to start at the beginning. Samuel Landau was born in 1988 at Watford, where his parents attended Watford Shul. He attended North West London Jewish Day School, then moved to City of London. His career ambitions were very mixed: for years he studied the stage, joined the National Youth Theatre and the Stagecoach Theatre School, and so he might have become a pro- fessional actor.However, “somewhere along the way” his aspirations turned towards medi- cine, first as a vet, then as a cardiologist, but eventually realising his true calling was psychology.He had a busy few years: attending Yeshiva Kerem B’Yavneh near Ashdod, beginning his psychology degree atUCL, breaking to study at Edgware Kollel and receiving semichah, working at Northwood as Youth Minister, mar- rying Shoshana, moving to Kingston, and completing a doctorate in clinical psychology. He is currently studying at the Jerusalem Kollel for Jewish leaders and teaches at a nearby seminary. As well as training to become a communalleader, he has a small private practice as a clinical psychologist and is a keen competitive cyclist, as well as part-time singer, flautist and actor.So what made him turn to the rabbinate? At home, inside a display cabinet is a black-framed fragment of material with a yellow star which his grandfather wore.This historical scrap persuaded him to devote his life to the survival of the Jewish people. He claims that Judaism is “the best product in the world”.Looking for the best place to contribute to his goal, he saw Barnet Shul as open to new ideas. He outlines his exciting plans in Jerusalem to Barnet on pages 8- 9, and will try to combine all his interests holistically: Torah, psychology, acting, singing – and cycling.He will introduce changes, but by con- sensus not top down edicts. Will there be a move to the left or to the right? The Rabbi doesn’t like these boxes. His initiatives will encourage maximum par- ticipation, and be life-changing: Barnet is going to become the most vibrant shul in north London.Like most people, Rabbi Landau is un- happy about threats to Judaism from political extremists and from other re- ligious groups. But he isn’t pessimistic, and points out that Jews are very influ- ential and Judaism always punches above its weight. He sees the situation in the UK as being quite different from continental Europe. Our values and tra- ditions are more profound than “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”, and our future is secure..“Judaism is ‘the best product in the world’”18 Ma Chadash | Rosh Hashanah 5780DALYA HOLDERPAUL LANG PHOTOGRAPHY


































































































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