The past fifteen years have seen the Sephardim in London make great strides. New communities have been established, focussing on Torah education, more and more families have come closer to their roots, and an awareness in the wider community of the richness of a religious lifestyle is increasing.
Our aim is now to accelerate this process by providing an all-encompassing place which will be reaching out to all segments of the Sephardi community and actively catering for their needs. With your help we will be able to establish a community an of returning the pride of the Sephardim in this country to its former glory.
The Jewish community is witnessing dramatic changes. There has been a remarkable resurgence in Jewish learning and a sense renewal in all aspects of Judaism. There is a renewed pride in Jewish identity in countries where acknowledging one's Jewishness was forbidden for decades. There are thousands of books published in every language. There are schools and education programmes appearing wherever there are Jews to be found. And yet increasing numbers of people are marrying outside of the religion, and family life and values are being challenged on every level. This contradiction is perhaps not so surprising, but it should not be witnessed with complacency. There is a need for more outreach and development in those parts of the community which have not benefited from the huge surge in optimism within the religion. Torah learning and a Jewish way of life is the only way to guarantee continuity.
Born in India of Iraqi descent, Rabbi Bassous grew up under the influence of a strong Oriental Sephardi heritage.
After learning in the yeshivot of Gatehead and Mir in Jerusalem, and receiving semicha from the rabbis in Gateshead, Rabbi Bassous continued to learn for many years in Rabbi Hager's kollel in Golders Green.
During this time he became increasingly aware of the need to bring together the fragmented elements of the Sephardi presence in the north-west of London. To this end he established a small minyan, in The Drive, NW11. From this modest beginning, Rabbi Bassous has almost single-handedly created and shaped the community as it is today.
Rabbi Bassous immediately recognised the spiritual challenges that faced Sephardi Jewry, and has striven ceaselessly to strengthen and enlighten his ever- growing community.
Beyond the confines of his kahal, Rabbi Bassous has inspired and reached out to countless people with his scholarship and tireless commitment to all aspects of Jewish life.
Rabbi Bassous's exemplary devotion to meticulous tefilla is renowned and is seen as a model on every level. His unshakeable faith and driven leadership have provided the grounding for generations to flourish under his influence.
Having settled in Golders Green after his marriage in 1982, Rabbi Bassous Shlita commenced learning in the Kollel of Rabbi Gershon Hager Shlita. Over the subsequent years Rabbi Bassous became increasingly aware of the need to bring together the fragmented elements of the Orthodox Sephardi presence in North West London. To this end, he established a minyan in the small flat of Mrs Bassous senior, the Rabbi's mother, at 23a The Drive, London NW11. The preparations for the start of the minyan took place at a frantic speed to be able to start at the auspicious time of the first yahrzeit of Rabbi Bassous's late father Reb Yehezkel Bassous ZT”L after whom the Beit Hamedrash was formed. On Thursday evening 19 Adar 5747, 19 March 1987 a few days after Purim, about 30 people gathered to pray Arbit, to hear Divrei Torah and to drink a L'Chaim. It was then announced that there would be daily morning and evening services as well as a Shiur every evening, the aim being to have a Shul based on Torah and Halacha and at the same time following the Sephardi traditions and customs. From the original pioneering members who came regularly from the outset, special mention must be made of families Benveniste, Dor-Chay, Gabay, Mr Solomon and Mr E Cohen who are still with us today. Even in those small premises, a great light shone. It was recognised almost immediately that a constant voice of Torah was to be found there. Guest Rabbonim were invited to speak and we are in fact proud to record that Chacham Ovadia Yosef TZ"L, Chacham Benzion Abba Shaul TZ"L and Rabbi Yosef Toledano TZ"L, all spoke to our Kehilla there. Furthermore, during the Chol Hamoed days of Pesach and Succot, a tradition was introduced which has continued to this day namely that Yeshiva Bochrim and Avreichei Kollel say original Torah thoughts between Mincha and Arbit. This gives them the experience of teaching the Torah that they learnt in their respective Yeshivot and Kollelim. After two years, it was felt that we needed bigger premises from which we would be able to provide better facilities for our Kehillah. With much effort and Siyata Dishmaya, our present premises at 187 Golders Green Road was acquired in January 1989. After completing extensive renovations and after adding a rear extension, we were able to move in just before Rosh Hashanah 1989. Rabbi Bassous and family then moved in to a flat on the top of the Shul whilst the Shul itself occupied only the ground floor. The monies for the acquisition and renovations were raised from a mortgage and private funding from both the Sephardi and Ashkenazi communities. Special mention must be made of Mr and Mrs William Stern who hosted our first fundraising dinner in 1989 and their son in law the late and unforgettable Benzi Dunner ZT"L, for their most generous support. In January 1990, we celebrated our Chanukat Habayit and were privileged to have with us on that auspicious occasion the esteemed Rishon LeTzion and Gadol Hador Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ZT"L together with his Rebbetzin A"H and sons Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita (the present Rishon LeTzion) and Rabbi David Yosef Shlita. This was combined with a new Sefer Torah donated by our dear friend and founder member Mr Alan Cohen ZT"L. It was a truly momentous occasion, a wonderful Kiddush Hashem and very spiritually uplifting. In our new premises, we soon established an evening Kollel, a weekly one-to-one learning programme and a number of regular Shiurim. Special mention must be made of Rabbi Pinchos Jung Shlita who gave regular Shiurim and talks which were very well appreciated. We were also Zocher to have a special Shiur from Rabbi Shalom Shwadron ZT"L in 1992 where he kept a massive crowd spellbound with his charm and oratory. Special thanks must also be given to Reb Chaim Haleviem for co ordinating the one -to -one learning programme for many years. We must also express our Hakarat Hatov to our dedicated Hazan for the Yamim Noraim, Rabbi David Suissa Shlita, for leaving his family for the period between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur to conduct and lead the Tefillot so superbly for the last 27 years to the present day. May Hashem give him the strength to continue in his Avodat HaKodesh for many years to come. In June 1990 a special connection was made with the Salem family after the passing away of their dear mother and as a result they kindly donated a new Sefer Torah in 1994 in the memory of their late parents. This was brought into the Heichal with great Simcha and we were Zocheh to have the participation of Rabbi Yaakov Toledano ZT"L from Paris for the occasion. A Sukkah extension was added to the Shul in 1996 and a unit was set up at the rear of the garden housing a Shul office, English lending library and storage room in 1997.
The Rabbi's family had grown from three children in 1989 when they moved above the Shul to seven children by 1997 and the flat was proving to be too small for them. Also, the Shul downstairs was getting far too cramped and so a fundraising drive was started to purchase the adjacent property at 185 Golders Green Road, for the use of the Rabbi and his family with a proposal to redevelop number 187 to be used solely by the Shul. With the help of Mr Isaac Jebreel, the Salem families and the Zeloof family together with many other smaller donors, we succeeded in purchasing 185 Golders Green Road in September 2000 and renovating it by June 2001 when the Rabbi and Rebbetzin moved in. Work then commenced to refurbish the Shul which completed in 2003. A re-dedication service was held in the Shul on Sunday 30th November 2003 with special guest speakers Rabbi Ezriel Rosenbaum Shlita of Gateshead Yeshiva and Rabbi Yehuda Ades Shlita Rosh Yeshivat Kol Yaakov, Yerushalayim. This was immediately followed by a fundraising dinner at the Marriot Regents Park Hotel generously hosted by the Zeloof families and the family of the late Raymond Salem in memory of their late husbands and fathers. It was a tremendous event, well organised and a big Kiddush Hashem. The monies raised were used to offset part of the bank loan that the Shul had taken out to be able to complete the project. 2007 - 2017 As a number of our members had moved to Ramat Beit Shemesh, Rabbi Bassous together with a small committee of ex members decided to start an English speaking Sephardi minyan on the same lines as Knesset Yehezkel London i.e. Torah based, tuneful Tefillot and a warm family atmosphere. With a lot of Siyata Dishmaya, the Meam Loez Minyan started up in March 2007. Initially only active on Shabbat with evening Shiurim during the week, over the course of the years a daily Shacharit Minyan was added. Starting out in rented premises, they have just recently completed a major building project consisting of their own large Beit Hamedrash and decent size ladies gallery which is also used for Kiddushim and Seudot. Starting from a small core of English families, it has now attracted families from other English speaking places such as USA, Canada, Gibraltar etc. It is a young and vibrant community with many children. The new building has approximately 150 seats for men and 100 seats for ladies. In London, work was done to consolidate activities of the Shul. The weekly one to one learning programme was placed under the guidance of Rabbi Jonathan Tawil. Our long standing Maggid Shiur on Nach, Rabbi Joseph Pearlman made Aliyah in June 2015 after teaching in our Shul for over 20 years. In 2005, at the beginning of the previous cycle of Daf Yomi, an impetus was started to learn Daf Yomi in our Shul every morning before Shacharit and has successfully continued to the present day. Many thanks to our devoted Gabbai Rabbi Gavriel Tovim for continuing to give this important Shiur. Additionally, a weekly Avot UBanim session was established one hour after the termination of Shabbat throughout the winter months. This has proven to be very successful with a unprecedented packed turn out with a very vibrant and loud Kol Torah. At the passing of Maran Chacham Ovadia Yosef ZT"L just over three years ago in November 2013, our Shul was instrumental in co ordinating all the Sephardi communities of North West London to make a joint Hesped in the Hendon Synagogue, Raleigh Close. This proved a massive Kiddush Hashem with the turnout of approximately 700-800 people. Rabbi Aharon Botbul a son in law of Maran was brought over to relate intimate and first hand experiences of Maran. Since then Maran’s Yahrzeit on 2nd Chesvan has been marked in our Shul with a guest speaker and Divrei Torah. For many years Knesset Yehezkel has marked the anniversaries of other selected Gedolei Yisrael especially Harav Hagaon the Ben Ish Chai ZT"L where we are privileged to hear Divrei Torah from his great grandson Rabbi Yosef Chaim David Shlita. The Sefer Ben Ish Chai is a foundation of the Halacha that is taught in Knesset Yehezkel, Rabbi Bassous has started writing a commentary on it of which the first volume has already been published. In 2014 the Kehilla embarked on a Netz Minyan until 2016, when it changed to become a Hashkamah Minyan. This Minyan has attracted a new group of people who were not able to attend the regular Minyan. It has on average between 15-20 people daily. At the same time this Minyan started an earlier Minyan for Arbit which attracted again a very large crowd. This Minyan has also started an earlier Selichot service for the entire month of Ellul attracting 20-30 people. These include people working in the City and Canary Wharf who for the first time have been able to pray with a Minyan Selichot followed by Shacharit. Rabbi Bassous is currently working on printing his Shiurim on the Moadim both in Halacha and Aggada. To date, the following works on the topics of Yamim Noraim, Shavuot, Chanukah and Purim have been produced. Recently a new committee was formed to take care of the maintenance and day to day running of the Shul to alleviate the pressures from the Rabbi and Rebbetzin and allow them to concentrate their energies and focus on the spiritual and social welfare of the community. Around 2010, a new initiative was made to relocate the Rabbi's family to alternative premises due to the pressing issue that the Shul had become too small for our needs. It was decided that the Shul must build a brand new Shul on four floors to include a large Shul, second Beit Hamedrash and Function Hall. To this end, a house was purchased at 209 Golders Green Road and refurbished with the Rabbi's family relocating there in January 2016. We have Baruch Hashem secured all the required legal permissions for this project and are moving forward with the necessary details hopefully to start the building process after the Chagim in October 2017.
As a number of our members had moved to Ramat Beit Shemesh, Rabbi Bassous together with a small committee of ex members decided to start an English speaking Sephardi minyan on the same lines as Knesset Yehezkel London i.e. Torah based, tuneful Tefillot and a warm family atmosphere. With a lot of Siyata Dishmaya, the Meam Loez Minyan started up in March 2007. Initially only active on Shabbat with evening Shiurim during the week, over the course of the years a daily Shacharit Minyan was added. Starting out in rented premises, they have just recently completed a major building project consisting of their own large Beit Hamedrash and decent size ladies gallery which is also used for Kiddushim and Seudot. Starting from a small core of English families, it has now attracted families from other English speaking places such as USA, Canada, Gibraltar etc. It is a young and vibrant community with many children. The new building has approximately 150 seats for men and 100 seats for ladies. In London, work was done to consolidate activities of the Shul. The weekly one to one learning programme was placed under the guidance of Rabbi Jonathan Tawil. Our long standing Maggid Shiur on Nach, Rabbi Joseph Pearlman made Aliyah in June 2015 after teaching in our Shul for over 20 years. In 2005, at the beginning of the previous cycle of Daf Yomi, an impetus was started to learn Daf Yomi in our Shul every morning before Shacharit and has successfully continued to the present day. Many thanks to our devoted Gabbai Rabbi Gavriel Tovim for continuing to give this important Shiur. Additionally, a weekly Avot UBanim session was established one hour after the termination of Shabbat throughout the winter months. This has proven to be very successful with a unprecedented packed turn out with a very vibrant and loud Kol Torah. At the passing of Maran Chacham Ovadia Yosef ZT"L just over three years ago in November 2013, our Shul was instrumental in co ordinating all the Sephardi communities of North West London to make a joint Hesped in the Hendon Synagogue, Raleigh Close. This proved a massive Kiddush Hashem with the turnout of approximately 700-800 people. Rabbi Aharon Botbul a son in law of Maran was brought over to relate intimate and first hand experiences of Maran. Since then Maran’s Yahrzeit on 2nd Chesvan has been marked in our Shul with a guest speaker and Divrei Torah. For many years Knesset Yehezkel has marked the anniversaries of other selected Gedolei Yisrael especially Harav Hagaon the Ben Ish Chai ZT"L where we are privileged to hear Divrei Torah from his great grandson Rabbi Yosef Chaim David Shlita. The Sefer Ben Ish Chai is a foundation of the Halacha that is taught in Knesset Yehezkel, Rabbi Bassous has started writing a commentary on it of which the first volume has already been published. In 2014 the Kehilla embarked on a Netz Minyan until 2016, when it changed to become a Hashkamah Minyan. This Minyan has attracted a new group of people who were not able to attend the regular Minyan. It has on average between 15-20 people daily. At the same time this Minyan started an earlier Minyan for Arbit which attracted again a very large crowd. This Minyan has also started an earlier Selichot service for the entire month of Ellul attracting 20-30 people. These include people working in the City and Canary Wharf who for the first time have been able to pray with a Minyan Selichot followed by Shacharit. Rabbi Bassous is currently working on printing his Shiurim on the Moadim both in Halacha and Aggada. To date, the following works on the topics of Yamim Noraim, Shavuot, Chanukah and Purim have been produced. Recently a new committee was formed to take care of the maintenance and day to day running of the Shul to alleviate the pressures from the Rabbi and Rebbetzin and allow them to concentrate their energies and focus on the spiritual and social welfare of the community. Around 2010, a new initiative was made to relocate the Rabbi's family to alternative premises due to the pressing issue that the Shul had become too small for our needs. It was decided that the Shul must build a brand new Shul on four floors to include a large Shul, second Beit Hamedrash and Function Hall. To this end, a house was purchased at 209 Golders Green Road and refurbished with the Rabbi's family relocating there in January 2016. We have Baruch Hashem secured all the required legal permissions for this project and are moving forward with the necessary details hopefully to start the building process after the Chagim in October 2017.
The cornerstone of all development will be an expanded range of learning opportunities and facilities. There is an established practice of advanced learning in the community. However, outreach is the vital component to expanding the educational programme. It is a priority to develop learning skills in those less experienced in the yeshiva tradition. Learning may be text-based or centred on topical issues, according to the needs of those involved. No-one within the broader scope of the Sephardi community should be excluded by their lack of learning or experience. This expanded programme will be achieved by a variety of methods, tailored to the specific needs of individuals or small groups. One-to-one learning, for example, has proved extremely effective in enabling individuals to establish a permanent engagement with their Jewish heritage. Similarly, it is important to take the lessons out of the synagogue and into private homes. Rabbi Bassous has pursued this last strategy with great dedication, as he is committed to communicating with those as yet unable to learn regularly within the premises of the Beth HaMedrash.At the Beth HaMedrash there will be increased numbers of shiurim and visiting speakers. This will involve substantially increasing the number of people involved in education, as well as formalising an educational programme to meet the needs of everyone within the community. It is a primary aim that Beth HaMedrash Knesset Yehezkel will become a central focus for all Sephardi education in London. It will provide a structure and resource to create and satisfy the demand.
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