Our group has been meeting for the last seven to eight years now, and we come from a variety of occupations. Our ages vary and we only have two things in common – we all belong to the same synagogue and we are all highly opinionated!
The group serves as more than just as a vehicle for book discussion. It has given us friendships, laughter, intellectual stimulation and has proved an open door for new people moving into the area.
We have very few rules and up until now have not limited numbers, even though this means we can have more than 20 people at a meeting. The style of meeting is chosen by the hostess, (the woman whose home is being used), and she also chooses the next book from a list of suggestions. Some hostesses have a pre-selected list of discussion topics; some go round the table, and others prefer names drawn from a ‘hat’. The members also approach the discussions in different fashions; the maths teacher always draws up a family tree; the teaching assistant always prints off background information and discussion points; the secretary always writes a beautiful essay about underlying themes and character points – and then of course there’s the member who never reads the book but always comes to the meetings!
The reading circle has made readers of people who have not read a book since their O-level days; it has proved better than Prozac (but not quite as good as chocolate) at cheering us up! It has encouraged us to see films and plays of the books we’ve read.
Contacts
Anna Churnin
Email churnin@btinternet.com
Barbara Sherling
Email barb_steinberg@yahoo.com
Susan Taylor
Email taylorsuel@yahoo.co.uk
Edgware Synagogue’s Craft Circle
Running along side the Reading Circle is the Craft Circle. This includes a variety of hobbies, such as knitting, sewing, tapestry and really any type of craft you can think of. It is an opportunity to chat and share techniques & expertise.
The group meets approximately once a month at different homes. See the events page for details of dates.
Contacts
Anna Churnin
Email churnin@btinternet.com
Barbara Sherling
Email barb_steinberg@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2010 Edgware United Synagogue
