I nervously wait in front of Chabad Islington, the synagogue inside Elliot’s Place, Islington, for my interviewee to arrive. After five minutes or so, he walks briskly towards me, apologetic for arriving late. “I am sorry to make you wait, I have back-to-back appointments,” he says as we enter Chabad Islington. I gather that Rabbi Mendy Korer is a busy man.
I take in the space we are in – there are transparent chairs which remind me of minimalism, but then there are also beautiful artworks and religious texts on the walls – “hmm,” I think to myself, “he’s got taste”.
After talking to him for about five minutes, I am certain he has given a lot of interviews. His confident demeanour and warm personality make me feel optimistic about the interview. We start with general pleasantries as he introduces himself – Rabbi Mendy Korer, the only Rabbi of Islington.
Chabad Islington is the only synagogue in Islington, that serves the one per cent of Jewish community that lives in Islington – which is about 3000 people. Rabbi Mendy has been here for the last 12 years with his family. Reminiscing about his work, he says: “There is never a boring day!”
As we’ve made ourselves comfortable, Rabbi Mendy is the first one to ask questions; he asks me about my work and my favourite piece of writing as a journalist – a little role reversal later, we get onto his work within the community, especially in the past few months.
Being the only Rabbi in Islington comes with a lot of responsibilities for him – he not only offers people a sense of direction and purpose in their lives, but sometimes also a hug.
In the last few months, with the Israel-Gaza things have been tense. There has been a sense of unrest in the world and within communities. Rabbi Mendy says: “There has been an acute need for the Jewish community to have a sense of safety, belonging and care.”
Reflecting on the last year, Rabbi Mendy spoke more about “spiritual therapy.” He explained how even though his work delves into giving people a sense of direction, it is mostly about creating opportunities for people or the community to congregate and get together to ensure that it’s a safe and secure place to live in.
“I don’t just mean physically, but also emotionally”, he adds. “There needs to be a safe place for everybody – be it a communal dinner or a prayer session, it essentially is about people letting their guards down.”
Chabad Islington is a place where people can let their guards down. He says: “Our safe spaces are not just about hosting communal dinners or prayer sessions, but essentially about creating a place that people can let their guards down.”
He continues: “A sense of understanding and belonging is needed in such dire times and Chabad Islington is a place where people understand each other, put forth their fears and anxieties and freely celebrate their identities.”
I absolutely believe that there’s never a boring day for Rabbi Mendy because apart from guiding people, Chabad Islington also organises events to teach people how to defend themselves physically. But, as it turns out, it is much more than that. It is also about “giving people a sense of confidence, making them feel that they are in a safe and secure space” because he doesn’t want people to be looking over their shoulders while walking.
Rabbi Mendy, by the looks of it, is a natural leader. It is even more apparent when he passionately talks about the work he has done for the community and how he has helped people to embrace their identity.
It is clear that Rabbi Mendy is a man for whom leadership comes with passion. My fifteen-minute conversation with him ensured me that his passion for helping people and uplifting the community makes him a fantastic leader.
