Once a month, on a Friday night, a group of Jewish musicians gather at FPS to welcome Shabbat with song and prayer. The service is led by Rabbi Neil Janes, but the music and song come from the musicians, all of whom are members at Finchley Progressive Synagogue.
The instruments include guitar, drums, piano, saxophone, clarinet, bass and flute (sometimes even more).
Lasting a predictable hour (from 6:30-7:30) the service is always full, so come early if you are particular about where you sit.
The melodies are a mixture of traditional (lecha dodi), what you sang at camp (salaam/ki va moed), and creative (singing mi chamocha to the tune of Redemption Song). The musicians themselves are all different ages—from teens to adults with teen children…
Rabbi Neil Janes usually gives a sermon mid-way through, which he calls "Shabbat Re-Told." He'll share a traditionally Jewish story and leave off the ending, encouraging people to discuss how the story might conclude, and share their ideas on the Shabbat Resouled website.
There's always a nice Kiddish at the end of the service and people are very welcoming and warm. If you're new, someone will undoubtedly approach you and wish you a Shabbat shalom.
There's a full spectrum of people: lots of families, and often with young children, as the service and congregation is very family-friendly (they offer toys and books for children to play with in the back of the room during the service).
In addition to young families, there are a range of families with kids; also older members of the congregation.
The non-member attendees tend to be young people (20s-30s) from the local area. They make up about 1/5 of the total population there, the majority being families and members. Then there's usually the odd non-Jew who is curious about what’s going on....
If you hate families, its really not the place for you.... but, it’s not actually swarming with kids. It's actually really cute, even for people who think young children are gross...
The overall atmosphere is lively and passionate, but not over-the-top. Because the musicians are volunteers their voices are not always perfect and their instruments are not always in exact tune, but their "ruach" compensates for any minor technicalities… after all, it's about Shabbat, not performance.