What is Chesed?

Chesed means 'kindness' in Hebrew.

Chesed is the group which aims to strengthen the ties of community in FRS in very practical ways:

• helping members who need support,
• bringing together members with similar interests,
• making you feel at home in the Synagogue.

The Chesed Group

The core Chesed group is led by Joan Bayes. We also have a much larger group of volunteers who help out on occasion. So if you need help, or want to volunteer it, please call Chesed via the Synagogue office.

What does Chesed do?

Chesed helps out

Everyone needs a little help from time to time. Chesed is the group within the Synagogue that tries to make sure we are there when you need that extra bit of support. So far we have:

• given members lifts to local hospitals, or to local tube stations
• built up a supply of emergency food to take to members who are not well
• set up plans to create networks of near neighbours so that if a member is not well, someone really nearby can pop in just to see if they need any immediate help

If you need help please phone the Synagogue office

Making you welcome

Just turning up to a Synagogue service or activity can be inhibiting. If you want a just a bit of reassurance before coming to a particular event, contact Chesed and we will try to make sure there is someone to make you welcome.

Chesed keeps in touch

FRS has grown and grown. Keeping in touch with such a large number of people needs much more organization than it used to. And we can’t leave it all to the professional staff. Chesed is organising a phone rota to make sure you are contacted at least twice a year - roughly Pesach and Rosh Hashanah. So do not be too surprised if you get an unexpected phone call at those times. Or when you have a really important birthday. Or a new baby!

Chesed creates and supports social networks

Unless you are already very involved in the Synagogue, it’s often quite difficult to know where to start. Chesed supports Synagogue activities which help bring people together with common interests. For example:

• Leading an active retirement: A recent survey showed that there were numbers of retired members who would enjoy meeting other members with shared interests. Chesed is helping them meet and organize. So far we have initiated a bridge group and a group of people interested in going on outings together. To join in contact the Synagogue office.
• Area Groups: There are two area groups currently up and running: Mill Hill and Hendon. Area groups meet from time to time in members’ houses, to share a Friday night meal, for informal discussions and other activities that the members find interesting. If you want to join in please contact the Synagogue office.

Chesed needs volunteers

Obviously Chesed will not work, or not work very well, unless we have support from the community. There is already a network of volunteers to whom we are very grateful, but we will always need more. So do please join in and volunteer for any of the above, or feel free to suggest any other activities that will make FRS more useful, and more sociable.