Neville Sassienie, who has died aged 91, spent his life moving between worlds, as an environmental activist, a seeker after spiritual truth, and a leader in the Jewish community.
It was at school in the 1940s at Haileybury college in Hertfordshire that Neville developed an interest in two of his abiding passions: sport (anything involving England) and religion. He played rugby, with more enthusiasm than talent; and, in spite of being Jewish, took pride in reading the lesson in chapel: this gave him an inkling that there might be something true in religion. This conviction developed into an active involvement in the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain, now known as the Movement for Reform Judaism, first in the 1960s as a member of the newly formed Finchley Reform Synagogue in London, and later as chair (1996-99) of the national movement.
