Martin H. van den Bergh

Today marks the 75th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and it is being commemorated with ceremonies taking place around the world. It follows on th...

Even though I am no longer a Congregational Rabbi, I still take a great interest in happenings within the Rabbinic World. As in every arena, the Rabbinic Wor...

Over the last few days Israel's citizens have faced the onslaught of rocket attacks from the Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Admittedly, I have not been directly targ...

This is a very sad day in British politics, when a very long standing and experienced politician feels she can no longer belong to the Party she has associat...

Last Tuesday was our second General Election this year in Israel. Those outside Israel may be somewhat confused with both the General Election and its outcom...

Abbey Road is famous for the Beatles crossing the road. For me Abbey Road and more specifically where it meets Carlton Hill (in London) has great significanc...

No sooner have we collectively mourned the destruction of the Temple on Tisha B’Av we begin preparations for the Yamim Norain, the Days of Awe, Rosh Hashanah...

I have two apologies. Firstly, I have not been blogging lately (perhaps this does not need an apology). Secondly, coming back to the subject of antisemitism...

It may be surprising, but there is no doubt that Antisemitism exists today and is becoming an increasing phenomenon. This is despite the fact that Jews are n...

A number of years ago I had the great privilege of officiating on Yom Kippur at Bevis Marks Synagogue in London. I had made great efforts with the indispensa...

I have always tried to be welcoming and welcoming of all people and of all Jews. It is something that my parents ingrained in me as a result of the horrible ...

I have been captivated by the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, when the Allied Forced launched the offence against the Nazis in 1944, What mad...

As I Rabbi I have always supported and taught Halacha. But what is Halacha? Essentially it is Jewish law as expoused by our sages and based on the Torah, bot...

The rise of antisemitism should be a a great concern for us all, Jews and non-Jews alike. But, the only plausible antidote to this is for Jews to live their ...

I am alarmed at the decision of the London Corporation to allow transgender people to swim in the women's only session at the open-air pool at Hampstead Heat...

I have always taken an interest in current affairs and politics, something which I possiibly got from my late father. At the moment I feel a deep sense of fr...

Today in Israel is Yom HaZikaron, when we remember those who lost their lives in the defence of the State of Israel and to terrorism. This is also a time tha...

Standing before you here in the Liverpool Town Hall marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz/Berkenau fills me with mixed feelings. On the one ...

My approach to Pastoral Care is based my PhD thesis, which was: "A critical examination of patient-centred spiritual care from a Jewish perspective, and its ...

Today there are a good amount of Yeshivot, Kollelim and other institutes claiming to train rabbis to serve in Diaspora communities. While such rabbis need to...