Miriam Berger

Miriam Berger (née Bayfield) is a British Reform rabbi, and the Principal Rabbi of Finchley Reform Synagogue in London.[1][2]

Berger grew up in London, the younger daughter of Rabbi Tony Bayfield, former chief executive and, later, president of the Movement for Reform Judaism and his wife, Linda (who died in 2003). She has a brother, Daniel, and an elder sister, Lucy.[3][4][5]

She took a degree at the University of Bristol and studied at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem before training for the rabbinate at Leo Baeck College in London. She was ordained as a rabbi in 2006.[6]

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she criticised Britain's Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, for allowing relatives of people dying from COVID-19 to visit them in hospital and attend their funerals.[7][8]

She and her husband Jonni, a tax consultant, and their son live in north London.[1]

References
  1. Gordon, Olivia (1 July 2012). "How I make it work: Miriam Berger". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  2. "Rabbi Miriam Berger". Biography. Finchley Reform Synagogue. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  3. David, Keren (31 March 2020). "North London rabbi officiates at funeral of her grandfather, who died from coronavirus". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  4. Rocker, Simon (11 September 2019). "God won't leave us alone — let's see where we are". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  5. Epstein, Jon and Jacobs, David (2006). A History in our Time: Rabbis and Teachers Buried at Hoop Lane Cemetery. Movement for Reform Judaism and Leo Baeck College. p. 9.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. "Rabbi Miriam Berger". Movement for Reform Judaism. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  7. "Rabbi criticises Matt Hancock for letting families attend hospitals, funerals". Jewish News. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  8. Mackintosh, Thomas (20 April 2020). "Rabbi urges Jewish community not to visit dying relatives". BBC News. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
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