My mother was a modern woman with a limited interest in religion. When the sun set and the fast of the Day of Atonement ended, she shot from the synagogue like a rocket to dance the Charleston.

He has also been diagnosed as having Parkinson's Disease. Blue regained his faith while at the University of Oxford when he found some resolution to severe personal conflicts regarding his sexuality at a Quaker meeting. Broadcasting career
For more than 25 years Blue has been a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day.

In July 1998 Blue was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Open University. He is also widely respected in the UK as a journalist cook and author. Lionel Blue (born 6 February 1930) is a British Reform rabbi journalist and broadcaster.