I started my teaching career at Leo Baeck College in 1984, having completed my PhD in Targumic Studies at University College London in 1982. I received semikhah from Rabbi John D Rayner, ztz”l, in 1986 and continued working as a congregational rabbi and teaching here.
After 38 years of teaching I have seen a lot of students through LBC as well as working with four of its Principals, and I have seen the evolution of the rabbinic programme into the exciting, dynamic, academically rigorous and relevant course it is today.
We admit the best students to our programme for a transformational five years of study; we get to know each other very well by the time graduation comes around, and firm friendships are formed, between students and between students and faculty.
Studying at Leo Baeck College is a privilege, as is teaching here, and I look forward to welcoming you. You will be given the best possible academic and vocational training by an extraordinary faculty, you will have access to arguably the best Judaica library in Europe, and you will be nurtured and supported every step of the way.
Charles Middleburgh
Dean and Director of Jewish Studies