Isabelle Walker
Rabbi Gabriel Botnick
- Credit: Belsize Square Synagogue
The new rabbi at Belsize Square Synagogue has said he takes inspiration from its founders who fled Nazi oppression.
Rabbi Gabriel Botnick has moved to London from Venice Beach, California, where he served at the Mishkon Synagogue.
The 40-year-old joined the congregation in early April and will succeed Rabbi Stuart Altshuler at the end of June, becoming only its fifth rabbi.
Belsize Square is an independent synagogue, founded by refugees fleeing Nazi oppression in Germany in 1939.
“One of my goals is to enter the perspective of the original Jewish community and reflect on what it would be like today, said Rabbi Botnick.