Meet Our Communities: Alyth
Introducing one of the wonderful communities of Together in Barnet: Alyth Synagogue
We spoke to Ruth, Danielle, and Clare- Volunteer Coordinators at Alyth, about being a Together in Barnet community.
“How long has Alyth been a night shelter?”
Alyth first joined Together in Barnet in 2014/5. Many of today's volunteer team have been with the Night Shelter project since the outset. This shows the strength of commitment they have for this project.
“Why did Alyth decide to become a Together in Barnet Night Shelter?”
As a community, many of us at Alyth were keen to increase our involvement in social action at a time when there had been a huge increase in homelessness. We had worked closely with Golders Green Parish Church on a number of local projects, notably around Mitzvah Day.
When we became aware of the opportunity to join the Together in Barnet Night Shelter in partnership with Golders Green Parish Church, we knew this was a project our members would be keen to support - social action volunteering has always been a key part of Alyth.
What we hoped, and what became a wonderful reality, was that the Night Shelter project would feel seamless between the two communities. On many nights, our guests and volunteers do not know if they are there with other Alyth or GGPC volunteers. This relationship feels like a great bonus from being involved with Together in Barnet.
“How many volunteers do you have?”
Over the Covid years we have had about 20 volunteers - mainly cooking food.
Pre-Covid, the number of volunteers was closer to about 50, whether drivers, cooks, volunteers in the church hall- on the evening, overnight or breakfast shifts.
“Is there anything else you’d like to share about Alyth and/or The Night Shelter?”
Alyth is one of the three largest Reform Jewish communities in Europe, with about 3500 members. We are a community of volunteers exploring what it means to be a community that works together on the issues of power and justice and achieving social and economic change.
Get involved and volunteer with Together in Barnet!
