Rabbi Neil Janes

Finchley Progressive Synagogue

Rabbi Neil Janes is the rabbi for Finchley Progressive Synagogue. He was ordained by the Leo Baeck College in July 2006. Neil grew up at Radlett and Bushey Reform Synagogue and was involved in RSY-Netzer (the youth movement of the Movement for Reform Judaism) while at school and at university. He has a BA Joint Honours in Education and Psychology from the University of Wales, College Cardiff. After university he spent two enjoyable years working professionally for RSY-Netzer, as an Education officer. Following this he worked for a number of communities as a youth worker and curriculum coordinator, before deciding to train for the Rabbinate.

While training at the Leo Baeck College he was placed with various communities, including The Liberal Synagogue, Elstree, Westminster Synagogue and Middlsex New Synagogue. In 2003 he spent a year abroad studying at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Neil has an MA (with distinction) in Hebrew and Jewish Studies from the Leo Baeck College and was also awarded a distinction for his rabbinic thesis.

Neil is fascinated by the reading and re-reading of Jewish texts and is webmaster for www.chinuch.org.uk – a website dedicated to Jewish textual learning.