We are excited to announce our upcoming Sponsored Walk, a community event designed to bring people together and help raise the final funds for our building work.

On the evening of 26th April starting with Havdalah, we will be walking 40,000 steps, incorporating shorter distances so everyone can take part, to make our way home to FPS.

Our route will give us opportunities to tell the story of London’s Jews, the beginning of Liberal Judaism and of our own FPS members.

Finchley Progressive Synagogue is an engaged and active community. Our congregation brings thoughtful meaning, inclusion and a warm welcome to all those who come through our doors: our gates are open to all. We are much more than just a place of worship; we are a significant resource to many groups in the wider community, such as refugees, asylum seekers, the homeless and the elderly. Providing a home to deliver social action projects and welcoming those from different faiths is something we celebrate. We welcome over 200 visitors into our space each month from our partner charities. Our members value the opportunities for volunteering across our social justice projects.

We are undertaking a much-needed renovation project which will allow us to host and facilitate better the charitable groups that we are so committed to. Mending our roof, fixing our bathrooms to be more appropriate for family use, creating a family drop-in room for members and friends of the synagogue alike will ensure we can host in the safest and most comfortable way possible.

Why the work FPS does in the community is so important:

Home form Home club: FPS offers weekly afternoon drop in sessions for children of asylum seekers living in nearby Home Office supported hotels. FPS welcomes around 30 guests every week.

The Rainbow Lunch Club: FPS hosts an LGBTQ+ lunch for asylum seekers and refugees. It started with 12 people attending and now welcomes around 40 members who join every month for food, friendship and a safe place to be themselves.

FPS hosts a Winter Shelter each year with Homeless Action Barnet, partnering with around 30 other communities in Barnet including churches, synagogues and mosques to provide dinner, bed and breakfast to those experiencing homelessness in Barnet between October and May.

FPS hosts the Yaran Women's club of Afghani and Farsi speaking women, providing vulnerable women and their children with a sense of community and friendship through social and educational courses and activities and mental health support. The club welcomes around 60 people each week.

Working with families supported by the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. FPS persuaded Barnet to be the first borough to settle Syrian refugees through the scheme and helped over 50 individuals to find homes, schools and English classes, three of whom are now graduates of Middlesex University.

Sharing Iftar meals with the Somali Bravames Welfare Association. FPS built this relationship following a devastating arson attack on their building in 2017 and has been proud to work together with them ever since.

For our family, the synagogue is so much more than just a place of worship—it’s a sanctuary. It’s where we feel safe, surrounded by a community that embraces us with warmth and inclusivity.

We look forward to the completion of the building work and thank you in advance for your donation.

Maayan, James, Etan and Lilibeth