Jewish Faith Advisor
Mr. Richard Dale
Born into a Jewish family in Beckenham, Kent, I attended West London and Bromley Synagogues as well as non-Jewish Schools in Kent and Surrey. 
My maternal great grandparents had fled “terrible violence” in what is now Lithuania in the latter part of the 19th century and eventually settled in Leeds via Hull.
My paternal grandparents travelled to England at around the same time from what is now Poland and Ukraine and settled in Woolwich, South London.
My father, having changed his surname to Dale, fought in the 2nd World War, became a Lt. Colonel, and was awarded a DSO and MC for bravery.
My mother served in the Woman’s Air Force throughout the war. Immediately after the war she volunteered to go to Berlin where she celebrated Seder – the ancient Jewish celebration of freedom – with American and British Jewish service personnel.
I was bought up with, and retain, a strong sense of loyalty to the UK.
After leaving school I worked for 2 years as a community service volunteer in Swindon where I worked with a local RC priest – we established a Cyrenian hostel for the single homeless – the hostel still exists. I then went to Essex university – where I met my wife – obtaining a politics degree.
After university I decided to qualify as a solicitor studying at Chester then Nottingham and have practiced law in Lincoln since 1983 – specialising for many years in Mental Health and criminal law and more recently practice management of my own firm.
On the death of my father in 1988, I joined the Nottingham Liberal synagogue and with their encouragement and support helped re-establish a Lincolnshire Jewish Community in 1992 (after a break of over 700 years) of which I was for many years the Chairman. I am a keen cyclist, runner, and footballer. I have two sons, a Swedish daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren. Born in Kent I feel very fortunate to have lived in Lincoln since 1983.