A woman who was the first female Rabbi in Scotland has taken up a position at a synagogue in Newbury Park.
The South West Essex and Settlement Reform Synagogue has welcomed Rabbi Nancy Morris, who gave her first service this week.
Mrs Morris said: “It seems like a really warm community, people have come here for generations. There’s a huge sense of involvement in the place that it’s their community and their family.”
Mrs Morris was born in Montreal, Canada and worked as a lawyer before she started rabbinical studies at Leo Baeck College in London.
She was ordained in 2002 after five years of studying in London, Israel and the US.
Mrs Morris added: “I think I would like to bring a renewed sense of pride and dynamism to the Jews of East London which has a large Jewish community and lots of people who would like to be more involved in their traditions.”
The recruitment process involved 40 synagogue members attending five assessment panels and voted overwhelmingly in favour of Mrs Morris.
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