CCJ Hillingdon - Who's Who

The CCJ Hillingdon Branch Committee is made up of representatives of both the Christian and the Jewish communities.

Chair

Judith Kramer
Judith read for the bar and worked as an employment lawyer in industry. She studied anthropology, psychology and sociology. For the last 30 years she has been a group facilitator, teamwork trainer and therapist, in Europe and for 20 years in India, often as a volunteer. Judith is a proud mother of three and a grandmother of five.

She is a member of Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue and a Vice-chairman of Hillingdon Community & Police Consultative Group.

Vice Chair

Reverend Wendy Graham
Wendy was brought up in the Church of England but spent four happy years as a member of St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Eastcote (now a United Reformed Church), where she met her husband, Tony. After their marriage they lived for a short while in Chesham before moving to Chalfont St Peter, where they became active in both Church and community.

Wendy worked for a London Child Care Organization, then for Bucks Health & Welfare Social Work Dept., and later as a Medical Secretary at Amersham General Hospital. She is a member of the local Drama Group, a Trustee of the Community Centre and Chairman of the Chalfont St Peter Arts Festival. She has two sons, one small grandson and a granddaughter.

Wendy became a Licensed Lay Minister in the Church of England, was subsequently ordained and is an Associate Priest in the Parish of Chalfont St Peter. She has found a warm welcome at the Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue, is a firm believer in the aims and principles of CCJ, and has made new friends amongst its members.

President
Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein
Dr Goldstein has been Rabbi of Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue for over 30 years. Over the years, his main interest has been Jewish education and he is still the principal of the large religion school at the synagogue. He travels frequently to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Ukraine supporting the establishment of new congregations there. His PhD was on travel to the Holy Land from Britain in the early 19th Century focussing on the journey of Sir Moses Montefiore. He is currently co-editing a new High Holy Day prayer book for the Liberal Jewish Movement in this country and actively researching Jewish liturgy. He is an Executive member of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ), helps plan their international conferences and recently co-edited a paper for the ICCJ on A Jewish and Christian Understanding of A Just Society.

In the News...

CCJ Hillingdon Branch's Vice-Chairman Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein honoured

Hon. Secretary
William Haines

Hon. Treasurer

Neil Drapkin
Neil was born in London and in 1940 was sent to South Africa where he had most of his education. He returned to England in 1953, and practised as an Electrical Engineer, travelling the world, until 1964. He married Cynthia (nee Freeman) in 1963, and they have two children, Jonathan and Jane.

Like many parents, Cynthia and Neil decided they should join a synagogue when Jonathan approached cheder age, and opted for Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue, mostly because it was relatively handy. This turned out to be an excellent decision and they have been active members ever since, serving in various positions on and off Council. At present Cynthia is completing her tenth year as minutes secretary (amongst other things) and Neil is serving a term as President of the congregation.

Neil has lived as much amongst non-Jews as amongst Jews, and believes that every person's truth deserves respect, except for those who claim a monopoly of the truth. He looks forward to working towards greater understanding and tolerance between Jews and Christians, and hopes that this may be extended to other faiths.

Other Committee Members

Clive Abrahams
Born at home in Notting Hill quite some time before the area gained its present cachet. Attended school in West London and worked in a department store and a restaurant (menial work but all you could eat) after school hours and at weekends. Followed by National Service at RAF Fighter Command HQ. Then commenced a management career in Sales and Marketing which eventually led to 33 years in financial services. In 2001 was made a Freeman of the City of London. Active in Freemasonry holding London Grand Rank and presently Almoner of Neptune Lodge No. 22. Also a volunteer helper with the Northwood Live-at-Home Scheme. Other interests include literature, classical music and theatre.

Rabbi Hillel Athias-Robles

Gillian Burton
Educated at Upton Hall Convent FCJ, Upton, on the Wirral.
Trained at the Gregg's Secretarial College, Liverpool.
Spent six years working for the Maritine Insurance Company, Liverpool.
Married - had four children, a daughter & three sons, with three grandchildren to date!

I've always had an interest in the Jews. My first contact with a Jewish family was while in a flat at Wembley Park. I was impressed by the kindness of my neighbours. I have a good friend whose husband left Austria for his safety as a boy and was brought up in a Catholic family. He was a gentleman and a friend.

I have been a member of the Methodist Church for thirty nine years and served nearly all that time as a Pastoral Reader and now share leadership of a weekly Prayer meeting. In latter years I have understood from the Bible that Christians must love and help the Jewish people and I hope to put that into effect while being on the Committee of the Hillingdon Branch of CCJ.

Father Timothy Gorham
I was brought up in Reading, Berks. I joined the monastery in 1989 after working for British Rail for 15 years. After studies I was ordained to the priesthood in 1995. I was assigned to St Benedict's Junior School until 2003 when I joined the Ealing Abbey parish team as Assistant Priest. I am the spiritual director of the First Holy Communion and Confirmation programmes.

I was the last Christian Joint-Chairman of Ealing CCJ until its merger with Hillingdon CCJ.

David Lowes

Sidney Moss
Retired Insurance Executive living in Northwood.
Married to Barbara with two grown up children.
Founder member of the CCJ Suffolk & North Essex branch.
A Vice-President of The Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain.
Committee member of the Hillingdon Inter Faith Network.
Member of the Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue.
Member of the B'nai B'rith Yad B'Yad Lodge.
Norwood volunteer.

Regula Sharp
Born and educated in Switzerland, Regula has lived in London since 1963. A retired social worker, she lives in Eastcote and worships at St Lawrence Church. After her retirement, she worked for a number of years as a lay-chaplain at Mount Vernon Hospital. Interfaith relations are a very strong interest of hers, mainly Judaism and Islam. She holds a certificate in Interfaith Relations from the London Inter Faith Centre.

Bernard Tiley (Publicity)
I am retired and have lived in the Borough of Hillingdon for over 40 years. My wife Joan and I have supported the Hillingdon branch of the CCJ almost from its inception. We are members of St Bernadette's Catholic Church and have 3 grown up children. My priority as a CCJ Committee Member is to try and raise awareness of the existence and aims of our local CCJ branch, and to encourage support from the local faith communities.

(Bernard has written most of the reports that you'll find in our News Section and Archives).

Ruth Weyl
Born 1924 in Berlin into very long established German Jewish families with a Liberal Jewish background. Brought up with a strong Jewish identity, yet also part of what was once termed 'German culture' and pacifism taught by my father, a First World War soldier in the Kaiser's army who met English soldiers in a field hospital.

Friendship with Rabbi Leo Baeck led to much involvement in that Rabbi's synagogue. Fleeing from Germany to what was then Palestine in 1938 my parents and siblings were able to get there a few weeks before the outbreak of the Second World War. My earliest job was in the so-called export department of the Jewish Agency selling goods to the neighbouring countries and supplying the British and French armies, which not only taught me to understand English and Arabic (the latter since alas almost forgotten), but brought me into contact with different cultures and ways of life.

Married in 1944, a lawyer, by inclination a defender of minorities and the marginalized, I lived in Jerusalem under the British Mandate, the siege of Jerusalem, the establishment of the State of Israel. With our two daughters we moved to England in 1958. Upon my husband's death in 1974 I joined as assistant. Rev William W Simpson (known to all as Bill) then retired as CCJ general secretary but continuing to be general secretary of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ). Since then I have held various positions in the ICCJ spending considerable time in their head office in the former home of Martin Buber in Heppenheim, Germany and am now their consultant.

I am a member of the Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue.

Webmaster
Phil Groom
By trade I'm a Boatman turned Bookseller (manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources in Northwood from 2000 - 2010) and now turned freelance web developer, writer and blogger. Back in 2000 I discovered Paul McFedries' book on web design, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Web Page, then started building websites for a hobby. All feedback on this site is appreciated: please either sign the Visitors' Book

I hope that my web design skills will prove helpful in furthering CCJ's aims and am quite happy to help any other branch of CCJ or any church or synagogue that doesn't yet have its own website to set one up.

You can usually find me online somewhere: facebook | philgroom.wordpress.com | twitter