Prizes for outstanding dissertations awarded

Within the last two decades the College has had two prestigious prizes which it may award in an academic year to a student whose work reaches a very high level.

The prizes are named in memory of two seminal figures at LBC, Rabbi John D. Rayner, former Director of Studies and senior rabbi at the LJS; and Professor Ludwik Finkelstein who was professor of Engineering at Imperial College in London and who did a PhD and studied at LBC in his retirement. The former prize is endowed by the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, the latter by our former Vice-Principal, Rabbi Professor Michael Shire.

This year the Academic Board unanimously approved awarding two exemplary final year dissertations, the John Rayner prize to Rabbi Matt Turchin for his dissertation The Final Shavua of Life and the Ludwik Finkelstein prize to Rabbi Eleanor Davis for her dissertation Renewing the Moon: Kiddush Levanah and Progressive Judaism.

We wish Rabbi Eleanor and Rabbi Matt mazal tov for this great achievment.