Lionel Blue
Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Jewish leader Lionel Blue Template:Postnominals (né Bluestein; 6 February 1930 – 19 December 2016)<ref>Template:Cite ODNB</ref> was a British Reform rabbi, journalist and broadcaster, described by The Guardian as "one of the most respected religious figures in the UK".<ref name=Guardian>Template:Cite news</ref> He was best known for his longstanding work with the media, most notably his wry and gentle sense of humour on Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He was the first British rabbi publicly to declare his homosexuality.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CareerEdit
Blue was born in the East End of London in 1930. His parents were Jews of Russian origin and his father worked as a tailor.<ref name="bbc obit"/><ref name=Guardian/> Blue did not receive a religious education, declaring that he lost his religious faith at the age of five after a petitionary prayer failed to remove Adolf Hitler and Oswald Mosley. Instead, Blue became interested in Marxism. He entered Hendon County School at sixth form level, following education in the East End and a year out of school at age 16–17.Template:Citation needed He served in the British Army but was discharged after having a nervous breakdown brought on by anxiety over his closet homosexuality.<ref name="bbc obit"/>
Blue read history at Balliol College, Oxford and Semitics at University College London.<ref name=Guardian/> He regained his faith while at Oxford, when he found some resolution to severe personal conflicts regarding his sexual orientation at a Quaker meeting. He also found Victor Gollancz's A Year of Grace helpful during this time, and finally became one of the first two students at Leo Baeck College for training rabbis in 1956.<ref>Blue, Lionel (2010) The Godseeker's Guide pps.15, 36 – 40 & 136, Continuum International Publishing Group, Template:ISBN</ref><ref>Our History – Rabbi Leigh Edgware & District Reform Synagogue</ref>
Blue was ordained as a rabbi in 1960.<ref name="bbc obit"/> Between 1960 and 1963, Blue was the minister of the Settlement Synagogue and Middlesex New Synagogue. He then became the European Director of the World Union for Progressive Judaism.Template:Citation needed In 1967, he began a long-term engagement as a lecturer at Leo Baeck College in London. He lived in Finchley, north London.
Blue made his first radio broadcast in 1967 and was a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day programme for 25 years.<ref name=Guardian/> He made numerous appearances on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 2, also producing a television programme entitled In Search of Holy England in 1989.<ref name=Guardian/> In 1978, he collaborated with the author June Rose, on a cookbook, A Taste of Heaven: Adventures in Food & Faith.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2006, a return trip to his childhood home in London's East End to mark the 350th anniversary of Jewish life in Britain was the subject of an evocative audioslideshow on the BBC News website.
Blue was awarded honorary doctorates from the Open University and Durham University. In 1994, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).<ref name=Guardian/>
Personal lifeEdit
Blue came out in 1980<ref name="autogenerated1"/> while he was involved with sailboat designer Christopher "Kim" Holman, a relationship which lasted from 1962 to 1982.<ref>"The Life and Designs of Kim Holman" Classic Boat, January 2008; accessed August 20, 2019</ref> He published Godly and Gay in 1981.
After his split with Holman, Blue met Jim Cummings through a personal ad in Gay Times. They remained together until Cummings's death in 2014.<ref name="Happy">Template:Cite news</ref> He was involved with various gay charities, including the Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group, and Kairos in Soho.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Failed verification
Illnesses and deathEdit
Blue was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 57; however, he successfully controlled his disorder with medication. During an operation in 1997, a surgeon discovered a tumour which tests proved to be malignant. He received radiotherapy and hormonal treatment to reduce any further growth. He was also diagnosed as having Parkinson's disease.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Blue died on 19 December 2016 at the age of 86.<ref name="bbc obit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
BooksEdit
- To Heaven with Scribes and Pharisees (Darton, Longman and Todd,1975) Template:ISBN.
- A Backdoor to Heaven (Fount, 1985) Template:ISBN.
- Kitchen Blues (ISIS Large Print, 1986) Template:ISBN.
- Bolts from the Blue (Hodder & Stoughton, 1986) Template:ISBN.
- Simply Divine - with Reverend John Eley (British Broadcasting Corporation, 1986) Template:ISBN.
- Bedside Manna (Victor Gollancz, 1991) Template:ISBN.
- Tales of Body and Soul (Coronet, 1995) Template:ISBN.
- My Affair with Christianity (Hodder & Stoughton General, 1999) Template:ISBN.
- Sun, Sand and Soul (Hodder & Stoughton General, 1999) Template:ISBN.
- Kindred Spirits (Fount, 1999) Template:ISBN.
- Hitchhiking to Heaven – Autobiography (Hodder & Stoughton General, 2004) Template:ISBN.
- Best of Blue (Continuum, 2006) Template:ISBN.
- The Godseeker's Guide (Continuum, 2010) Template:ISBN.
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- BBC Norfolk interview with Louise Priest, 25 October 2007
- Sue Lawley's castaway is Rabbi Lionel Blue – Desert Island Discs, 4 August 1989
- Blue's own radio obituary of himself – BBC Radio 4, 20 December 2016
Template:Reform Judaism in the United Kingdom Template:Authority control