Miriam Berger

{{Short description|British Reform rabbi}}

{{EngvarB|date=April 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}

Miriam Berger (née Bayfield) is a British Reform rabbi, who was senior rabbi of Finchley Reform Synagogue in London until she stepped down in 2024.{{cite news | url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/make_it_work/article1068347.ece | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407091739/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/make_it_work/article1068347.ece | url-status=dead | archive-date=7 April 2014 | title=How I make it work: Miriam Berger | work=The Sunday Times | date=1 July 2012 | access-date=9 March 2015 | author=Gordon, Olivia}}{{cite web | url=http://frsonline.org/biography/2014/12/03/rabbi-miriam-berger/ | title=Rabbi Miriam Berger | publisher=Finchley Reform Synagogue | work=Biography | date=3 December 2014 | access-date=9 March 2015}}

Berger grew up in London, the younger daughter of Rabbi Tony Bayfield, former chief executive and, later, president of the Movement for Reform Judaism and his wife, Linda (who died in 2003). She has a brother, Daniel, and an elder sister, Lucy.{{Cite news |last=David |first=Keren |url=https://www.thejc.com/community/community-news/north-london-rabbi-officiates-at-funeral-of-her-grandfather-who-died-from-coronavirus-1.498635 |title=North London rabbi officiates at funeral of her grandfather, who died from coronavirus |date=31 March 2020 |work=The Jewish Chronicle |access-date=22 April 2020}}{{Cite news |last=Rocker |first=Simon |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/news-features/god-won-t-leave-us-alone-let-s-see-where-we-are-1.488457 |title=God won't leave us alone — let's see where we are |date=11 September 2019 |work=The Jewish Chronicle |access-date=22 April 2020}}{{cite book | url=http://www.jtrails.org.uk/cms_file/?file_id=137 | title=A History in our Time: Rabbis and Teachers Buried at Hoop Lane Cemetery | publisher=Movement for Reform Judaism and Leo Baeck College | author=Epstein, Jon and Jacobs, David | year=2006 | page=9}}

She took a degree at the University of Bristol and studied at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem before training for the rabbinate at Leo Baeck College in London. She was ordained as a rabbi in 2006.{{Cite web |url=https://www.reformjudaism.org.uk/rabbi-miriam-berger/ |title=Rabbi Miriam Berger |website=Movement for Reform Judaism |access-date=22 April 2020}}

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she criticised Britain's Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, for allowing relatives of people dying from COVID-19 to visit them in hospital and attend their funerals.{{Cite news |url=https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/rabbi-criticises-matt-hancock-for-letting-families-attend-hospitals-funerals/ |title=Rabbi criticises Matt Hancock for letting families attend hospitals, funerals |date=20 April 2020 |work=Jewish News |access-date=22 April 2020}}{{Cite news |last=Mackintosh |first=Thomas |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cl86xeee248t/judaism |title=Rabbi urges Jewish community not to visit dying relatives |date=20 April 2020 |work=BBC News |access-date=22 April 2020}}

She and her husband Jonni, a tax consultant, and their son live in north London.