Beyond SAMS

Mitzvah Day is an important national and international social action event and SAMS actively participates in it. Each year SAMS runs a number of projects in the wider community, with something for everyone to get involved in while performing a mitzvah (good deed) and, quite often, having fun.

Beyond the day itself, we have a good relationship with the local community and offer year-round support to local homeless shelter Centre 33 and also Welwyn and Hatfield and St Albans and Hertsmere women’s refuges. We also have a collection point for the Trussell Trust St Albans and District food bank in the building foyer.

Young@Herts, under the sponsorship of Jewish Care, is a group that plans social activities for the over 55s in Hertfordshire.

It runs its own programme of regular activities, including line dancing, walks, theatre visits and outings, as well as selected events in partnership with Hertfordshire-based synagogues.

For more information, contact by email at youngatherts@gmail.com.

This unique group draws its members from all sections of the Jewish community, whether affiliated to United, Masorti, Reform or Liberal synagogues, or indeed none at all. The only qualification for membership is that you should be Jewish and a woman! Its activities include social and cultural events, welfare support and fundraising for our chosen charities.

The forum is always keen to enlarge its membership and Jewish women of all ages are most welcome.

For more information, contact Jenny Taylor, President, by email at rykjen@aol.com or Jay Grenby, Honorary Secretary, at jaygrenby@aol.com.

Marom – the Young Adults division of Masorti Judaism – facilitates social and educational events for young adults in both established and grassroots communities and on university campuses in the UK. It is also part of an international movement that strives to combine tradition and modernity into a meaningful way of living a Jewish life, encouraging young adults who have not yet started families to participate in Jewish events and to engage in leadership opportunities.

Marom is composed of two halves: ‘MAROM-on-Campus’ and ‘MAROM Young Adults’, run by a University Fieldworker and Young Adults Project Coordinator. Throughout the year, there are activities on various campuses, a European trip, a trip to the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, as well as events in the UK for all students.

Noam is the youth movement of the Masorti synagogues. Events throughout the year include summer and winter camps, weekly clubs and Meltam/Masa, a 2-year youth leadership training programme. We pride ourselves in providing an exciting and engaging Jewish experiences in an informal atmosphere as well as high-quality leadership training for our young people.

At SAMS we run age appropriate Noam programmes during term time for children in school years 3 -10. Please contact noam@e-sams.org for more information on current programming.

The Board of Deputies is the only democratically elected, cross-communal, representative body in the Jewish community. It comprises over 300 deputies directly elected by the synagogues and communal organisations they represent, from congregations to youth movements, and social welfare charities to regional councils.

In addition, there are also a number of ‘Under-35 Observers’, appointed by synagogues and organisations to supplement their representation and to ensure that a new generation of communally-minded activists can contribute to our work on behalf of the community.

Each synagogue and organisation elects one or more Deputies, depending on the size of that particular body, with elections occurring every three years.

SAMS current deputy is Anthony Adler.