Our Rabbi

Rabbi Mark L. Solomon was born and brought up in Sydney, Australia. He studied for the rabbinate at the Lubavitcher Yeshivah Gedolah in Melbourne and Kfar Chabad in Israel, then earned a BA (Hons) in English from Sydney University. He came to Britain in 1988 to study at Jews’ College, London, the Modern Orthodox seminary where he was ordained in 1991. Having left Orthodoxy, come out publicly as gay, and joined Liberal Judaism, he completed an MA in Jewish Studies at Leo Baeck College, where he has taught since 1991, and is currently Senior Lecturer in Talmud, Rabbinic Literature, Jewish philosophy and Kabbalah.

He became part-time Rabbi of the Neve Shalom, Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation in 2014, alongside his position as part-time rabbi of Sukkat Shalom, the Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community (since 2005). Previous pulpits include Watford United Synagogue (1990-92), West Central Liberal Synagogue (1992-2000), The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, St John’s Wood (2000-2009) and Manchester Liberal Jewish Community (2010–2014). In 2009 he became the first Interfaith Consultant for Liberal Judaism and is also Chair of the Beit Din (rabbinic court) of Liberal Judaism.

With a deep commitment to interfaith dialogue, Rabbi Solomon is co-chair of the London Society of Jews and Christians. He is past branch chairman of the Council of Christians and Jews, for whom he frequently gives talks and concerts. He is a member of the executive committee of the British Chapter of IARF (International Association for Religious Freedom). He serves on the organising team of the Jewish-Christian Bible Week and is a regular participant at the annual JCM (Jewish-Christian-Muslim) conference, both in Germany. He has taken part in may events for the St Philip’s Centre, the Leicester Council of Faiths, and the Leicester Council of Christians and Jews.

Beginning as chorister, and later Reader and Deputy Cantor, at the Great Synagogue in Sydney, Rabbi Solomon has a deep love of synagogue music and biblical cantillation and, in addition to leading services, gives concerts illustrating the different styles of Jewish music, including Yiddish and Chasidic song. For lighter relief he enjoys singing Gilbert and Sullivan.