She has worked as a teacher, writer and researcher but found her true vocation as a rabbi.

Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah, better known as Rabbi Elli, is the only female rabbi in Sussex and one of only 26 in the country.

She was appointed to lead Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue nine months ago and has since become a leading figure in the city's Jewish community which boasts a population of 8,000 - the third largest in the country.

Tomorrow, Rabbi Elli's synagogue in Lansdowne Road, Hove, will be inviting all unaffiliated Jews to reconnect with their roots at an informal gathering where they can find out about the progressive movement.

Rabbi Elli, 46, grew up in London in a household that celebrated Jewish festivals and had a strong Jewish identity but did not regularly attend synagogue.

After university, she became deeply involved in feminism and socialism and trained as a teacher before going on to work as an education researcher and editor of an academic journal.

When Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, she was shocked by the anti-

Semitism of some of the Radical Left, prompting a personal journey to rediscover her Jewish roots.

She said: "When I heard people describe the Israeli prime minister, Menachem Begin, as 'Hitler' I knew this was wrong. I needed to find positive reasons for being Jewish and discovered this fascinating culture which fitted perfectly with the rest of my beliefs."

She took a course in Hebrew and within five months had enrolled at the Leo Baeck College in London and was training to become a rabbi within the progressive Jewish movement.

She said: "It felt like I had come home to myself. It tied together what it meant for me as a woman, a radical, a feminist, an academic and a Jew.

At first she had to overcome scepticism from friends and family, who were shocked by her decision.

She said: "My parents thought I had lost my marbles and were worried I would start telling them what to do. One or two of my friends stopped talking to me altogether, thinking I had sold out to the patriarchy.

"Over time they realised I hadn't changed and it suited me perfectly."

She was ordained in 1989 and worked in three different posts before her appointment in Brighton in December last year. She continues to teach classical Hebrew at the Leo Baeck College and is chair of the rabbinic in-service training programme.

Since her ordination she has had to fight to be accepted as a rabbi. Orthodox Jews do not accept female rabbis at all and even progressive Jews sometimes need convincing.

She said: "It's a fact of human nature that we are afraid of the unfamiliar. People may have nothing against a woman rabbi in principle but in practice some people need a bit of persuading."

Aubrey Milstein, vice-president of the synagogue, said: "It's very unusual to have female rabbis. There haven't been any for almost three thousand years.

"There was concern by some about her appointment but she has overcome those reservations. She has attracted much favourable comment by her friendly and compassionate approach."

Rabbi Elli said the open day at the synagogue was part of an effort to reach out to Jews and the wider community.

She added: "The progressive movement is very inclusive, we treat everybody the same."

She also wants to raise the Jewish profile in Brighton and Hove.

She added: "Being a female rabbi immediately confronts people's assumptions about Judaism. The first thing many people say to me is 'I didn't know there was such a thing as a woman rabbi'.

"It's all about broadening horizons and challenging prejudices."

Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue is open tomorrow between 11am and 1pm.