Belmonde Pesach 2024

Welcome to Belmonde

Dear Members

In the Rosh Hashanah edition David wrote that by the time of print who knew what the situation would be in the Ukraine. Little did we know that by Simchat Torah the people of Israel would be under murderous and rapacious attack. So many of our members have given so much time and money to Israel.We are all in awe of the unique service given by our Rabbi – heeding Israel’s call in its hours of need and his wife and children for their stoic acceptance at a time of such worry.

Unfortunately time grumbles on with no end of hostilities in sight and hostages still incarcerated in Gaza, many soldiers injured or killed, families torn and displaced. Our hearts go out to Israel, and to all Jews world wide. All are in our thoughts and prayers.

We hope that by the time you get this Pesach magazine the situation may have drastically altered –we can only pray that it is for the best and that all of Israel has a Pesach of Redemption.

Barbara Lerner - Chair, on behalf of the Executive and the Council of Management

We are told repeatedly to tell our story of leaving Egypt, and to ensure it is told to our children throughout the generations. This edition of Belmonde has three foci, much based around Pesach themes. There are articles from members on leaving the Middle East because of persecution and a section on knowing who we are and where we come from.

Belmont is a community of volunteers. We feature our two N’Shai Chayil, Beverley Corper and Karen Korklin. We have items on our volunteering and work connections with Norwood and the JVN award to our BCC volunteers. With Israel in our hearts, minds and hopes, we report on the volunteering and Israel experience of three Belmonters who made Aliyah, two on gap year and the volunteering activities of members who have visited Israel recently. We celebrate the simachot of members with many photographs of younger ones and acknowledge the commitment and activities of our current children. We conclude with the tale of a kosher Pesach for the Jewish Legion in Jerusalem in the aftermath of WW1. May we all have a kosher Pesach.

THANK YOUS - to David Simmons who made such a contribution to Belmonde; to all contributors and advertisers. We commend their services. I thank Philip Bunt who is now doing the page setting, with the thankless task of following my many updates and uploads and confusing guidance. Writing of thankless tasks, I salute my wife for Chairing our community.

David Lerner

David Simmons – Belmonde retiring editor

David joined the Belmonde team some eight years ago when he first came to Belmont, with the task of getting in New Years greetings. In 2017 he became editor of Belmonde. Up to last Rosh Hashanah he continued with invaluable contributions to its layout and type setting. Previously he was editor of Wembley Shul’s magazine.

David grew up in Liverpool. He was at grammar school with John Lennon. David’s family were members of Greenbank Drive shul. David went to Liverpool University and studied electronic engineering. His career started with English Electric Computers, writing programmes to test large main-frame computers and their peripherals.

He wanted to move from batch processing to the exciting new field of real-time computing and joined BEA (British European Airways) working on their developing passenger reservation system. From there, David went to Canada to do similar work for Air Canada. From air to water, David worked on a prizewinning project to help ice breakers navigate

Pesach Recipe

Surely not short bread?

Certainly not short matzo!

Definitely Pesadik and delicious too.

We’ll call them Shorties – a traditional Scottish name

Plain and chocolate versions

– why not try them both?

Ingredients

Plain shorties

100g Superfine Matzo Meal

channels in the frozen St Laurence River at times of poor visibility.

Back in England he met Judy at a Festival Hall concert, where she was with a group of friends. They married in ‘the Cinemagogue’the Etz Chayim shul of Leeds, which had, indeed, been a cinema. Subsequently, the community built a very nice new shul. Judy and David started married life in Wembley where they raised their children Michael, Neil and Claire. After thirty-eight years membership of Wembley they moved to Belmont shul and a flat in Stanmore.

David’s entire career was in IT, spanning a variety of roles. As a project manager for the then Lord Chancellor’s department, he designed and implemented a successful system for the appointment of judges – a step in a gradual movement away from the age of quill pens.

On retirement, David took a BA in Photographic Arts at the University of Westminster. His hobbies include walking, ceramics, calligraphy and sculpture. Judy has become the Evelyn Rose of Belmont with her recipe page in each edition of Belmonde. Her hobbies include printmaking and painting. We thank and salute them both.

By Judith Simmons

50g Ground Almonds

50g Castor Sugar

100g Margarine (or butter, to use as dairy)

Chocolate shorties

100g Superfine Matzo Meal

25g Ground Almonds

25g Cocoa powder

50g Castor Sugar

100g Butter or Margarine

Method

Heat oven to 170°C

For both types of shorties mix the dry ingredients together then rub in the margarine or butter to a crumbly texture; then squeeze the mixture into lumps.

Line a 26 x 16 x 3cm rectangular or a 22cm diameter circular baking tray with non-stick paper. Press mixture into the tray so dough is level and reaches all the edges. Prick all over with a fork.

Heat tray in oven for about 20 mins (if the tray is smaller and the dough is deeper it will need a little longer). Remove from oven; leave for a few minutes then cut into sections.

Leave the shorties in the tin until completely cold.

Our N’shai Chayil

Beverley Corper

Beverley has a very longterm connection with Belmont as her parents, Gill and Roy Davis have been members since the1970s. She studied at Cheder and had her Bat Chayil in the shul. She also attended the youth club which became Belmont Maccabee and here she took on the important role of leader. Beverley’s heart was always in the family business, China Presentations. She worked there in her school holidays and on Sundays. However, she was encouraged to extend her experience. This was very fortunate as it was while she was working in a sales capacity in a paper company that she met Marc who was working for one of her customers in the printing industry. They were married in 1993 by Belmont Rabbi Hyman and the Belmont choir sang at the chuppah. Following their marriage the couple moved to Stanmore and became Belmont members in their own right. At this time, Marc accepted a position at

China Presentations with a view to eventually running the business and Beverley took up the opportunity of joining the staff as well. They now run the well-established firm.

The Corpers have two daughters: Sophie, who is married to David Schogger, born in 1996 and Leah born in 1999. Beverley in her characteristic pro-active way led of the Mother and Toddler group and was subsequently on the Nursery committee.

Beverley has become increasingly involved in the Community in recent years. She was a member of the Selection Committee for Rabbi Sam and Leat and is now a member of the Executive as Women’s Officer and on the Council. She helps with meal deliveries for the BCC, is jointly in charge of kiddushim and catering, with Barbara Mazliah. She is joint Fire Officer and an active member of the Sisterhood.

When finding leisure time, Beverley enjoys eating out, musical theatre, walking and travel, particularly cruising.

Karen Korklin

Karen has been a member of Belmont since 1978. Her active involvement in shul life started shortly afterwards and has continued to this day, earning her the welldeserved honour of being one of our n’shei chayil for this year.

She was brought up in Golders Green and attended Hendon County school, but it was a fortunate journey to Sheffield, where her aunt organised a blind date for her, that led to her marriage to Selwyn in 1975. They spent the first two years of marriage in that city then, in 1977, the Korklins came to live in Stanmore. They have two married sons and four grandchildren, two boys and two girls aged 13 to 7 years old.

In 1982

Karen was one of the first members of the Belmont Building Committee (BBC) and made a huge contribution to fundraising for Belmont over many years by putting on end-of-year functions, organising tombolas, selling raffle tickets and much more which gave her a great deal of pleasure and

through which she formed firm and valuable friendships which endure to this day.

In 2019

Karen was asked to join Belmont Community Cares (BCC) where her organisational and administrative skills are much appreciated. Her main role is to provide food parcels for needy members of the community. She collects these from Finchley and distributes them on a regular basis. Her work was particularly busy during Covid. Karen carries out this tireless task quietly and modestly so that few knew of her involvement before the BCC recently received one of the prestigious Volunteer Team of the Year awards at the Jewish Volunteering Network awards event. We heard of this in shul and realised Karen’s valuable commitment to helping others.

Karen is now retired, having pursued a busy career in the family accountancy practice for 40 years during which she managed to juggle childcare as well. She attends many Belmont events, particularly enjoying Speakers’ Corner and contributing to the Knitting Circle. Beyond the shul she runs a play reading group for the local U3A. She enjoys theatre, musicals, exhibitions and travel.

We wish Beverley and Karen mazaltov on their deserved honours and look forward to celebrating with them.

Pesach message from Rabbi Sam

A young boy steps off a plane, a traditional Ethiopian end-blown flute, a washint, in his hand. He pauses as he descends the stairs, his fellow travellers waiting behind him, and he plays a melody, something from his country, from his past. This boy has left all he knows behind him to come to a land that was promised to his ancestors millennia ago, a land that until this moment was but a distant dream.

From Egypt to Ethiopia, Prague to Poland, New York to Nottingham, Jews have come home. Home to a place they’ve never been, home to a place they’ve never seen, home to a place that is tougher than any other they’ve ever lived in before. Home to a land where the sun shines hot on your neck in the summer, where the mountains of Jerusalem stand as golden gates to the holy city, where the waters of Ein Gedi flow cool and sweetly over the falls.

Israel demands all that we have. It is a land that calls the best of us, but also, at times, the worst. It is a land that demands that we live in complete control of ourselves and our freedom, the freedom earned so long ago in the sands of Egypt, the freedom won again so recently from the ovens of Auschwitz.

We flock to Israel not because life there is better in any objective sense, though it is. We flock to Israel not for the weather, though it’s pleasant; not for the scenery, though it is beautiful; not for the people, though they’re family. We flock to Israel because it is home, the place we left Egypt for all those years ago, a distant dream in our ancestors’ eyes that we now can see in high definition. We flock to Israel because we see, before our eyes, the promise of the prophets fulfilled, “And the streets of the city shall be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.”

(Zecharia 8:5)

Pesach is about freedom, not freedom from, but rather freedom to. It is about freedom to be ourselves, to be what we were created to

be, to own and embrace our identities as part of this crazy, rambunctious, loving, tumultuous Jewish family. Freedom to go home to the land that was so far away from us for so many years. Freedom to build the Temple, the focal point of our nation, the seat of God’s presence on Earth.

We did not cross the sea to travel to England, or America, or Europe. We did not witness the greatest miracles humanity had ever seen to settle for second best. Pesach challenges us to take up the mantle of our desertdwelling ancestors and settle the land that was promised to our forefathers, to go home.

As the small boy from Ethiopia descends those stairs, as he plays his tune, as the enormity of the moment registers in our hearts, we hear the words of the prophet ringing in our ears, the words written in hope so long ago that finally, in our age, have come true.

“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.” (Jeremiah 16:14–15)

© GeulahTwersky

Unity and Resilience: A Passover Reflection Amidst Israel's Challenges

In the heart of every Jewish home, the story of Passover resonates with warmth and emotion. It's not just a tale of ancient liberation; it's a narrative that speaks to our very essence—community and unwavering faith. Yet, as we prepare to gather around our Seder tables, the echoes of our ancestors' journey find new meaning amidst the backdrop of Israel's current struggles. In these moments, the call to stand strong together reverberates with a depth of emotion that binds us as a nation.

The Passover story, with its trials and triumphs, evokes a sense of solidarity that transcends time. It reminds us of the power found in unity, as our ancestors stood shoulder to shoulder, bound by a shared vision of freedom. As we retell their story, we are reminded of our own capacity to overcome adversity when we stand together as a community. It's a message that stirs the soul, igniting a flame of hope in a time that is so hard for us all.

In the midst of Israel's current challenges, our hearts ache with a mixture of sorrow and determination. The news of conflict weighs heavily on our minds, yet it also serves as a rallying cry—a reminder of the importance of standing steadfast in our support for one another. It's in these moments of uncertainty that the bonds of our community are truly tested, and it's in these moments that we must rise to the occasion with compassion and strength.

As Jews, we are blessed to have a homeland—a place where our heritage can thrive, and our traditions can be upheld. Yet, with this blessing comes the responsibility to protect and defend our homeland, ensuring its safety for generations to come. The current challenges facing Israel serve as a poignant reminder of this responsibility—a reminder that calls upon us to stand in solidarity with our fellow Jews, both near and far.

As we gather around our Seder tables this Passover, let us not only retell the story of our ancestors' exodus from Egypt but also recommit ourselves to the values of unity and resilience that define us as a people. Let us embrace the warmth of community, finding comfort in the shared bonds that unite us. And let us hold onto hope, knowing that even in the face of adversity, the spirit of our people will endure.

Let us carry the spirit of unity and resilience with us into the world. Let our actions speak loud words as we extend our hands in support to our fellow Jews, near and far. Together, let us reaffirm our commitment to stand strong and united, drawing strength from our shared history and shared destiny. As we journey forward, may the warmth of our community and the richness of our heritage continue to guide us, lighting the path towards a brighter tomorrow.

Sam and I would like to extend our heartfelt wishes to you all for a joyous Pesach. From our family to yours, we feel immensely grateful to be part of the Belmont community and to share in the celebrations of our second Pesach together. Your warmth and camaraderie enrich our lives. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to see you over the holiday be it at our home, at our communal Seder or in Shul. Wishing

The Golders Green you may not know:

Evelyn and Jeff Graham ramble on

For this walk of approximately four miles which ends at the largest collection of kosher cafes in Europe, start outside Hodford Lodge, No. 2 Hodford Road, look for the plaque commemorating where Anglo-Jewish Olympian Harold Abrahams lived from 19231936. He won the 100 metres Gold medal at the 1924 Olympics, featured in the film: Chariots of Fire.

Turn left into Finchley Road and walk to No. 855, the site of the Jewish Vegetarian Society. It was formed in the 1960s’ as the Jewish Vegetarian & Natural Health Society. Founded by Vivien and Philip Pick, Philip was the first chairman.

Continue walking along the Finchley Road, cross over Golders Green Road and continue, turning right into Hoop Lane, stopping outside Golders Green Crematorium and opposite the Jewish Cemetery. The cremation of bodies was legalised in 1885. In 1902, it was the first crematorium to open in London. Some notable Jews from the world of showbiz were cremated here including, Bud Flanagan, Larry Adler, Marc Bolan, Bernie Winters and Sid James. There is a monument dedicated to Freud, honouring his wife Martha and daughter Anna.

The Jewish cemetery was purchased by the West London Synagogue in 1894 on farmland in Golders Green. In 1896 they sold eight acres to the Spanish & Portuguese community. Amongst the people buried here are Agony Aunt, Marjorie Proops; Leslie Hoare-Belisha the War Minister 1937-1940 and then Minister of Transport in 1947, after whom the Belisha Beacon is named; playwright Jack Rosenthal; cellist Jacqueline Du Pre, and actor David Kossoff.

In 2012 twelve rescuers of Jews in the holocaust were honoured with plaques at this cemetery.

Continue walking up Hoop Lane, then turn right into Wild Hatch. At the bottom of this road, take the track to the right of the building and follow it down to Hampstead Way. You should now be looking at Hampstead Heath Extension. The Extension was saved from development in 1907 by the efforts of Henrietta Barnett. The area was sanctioned by Act of Parliament in 1902. The Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead railway wanted to extend north to North End and Golders Green.

This area was designated for housing development. As a result of her efforts, the station at North End, near the Bull & Bush pub, never opened, as without housing here the economic reason for a station was not justified. The station had been built but no entrance at ground level was constructed.

You can now turn left along Hampstead Way. Near the end of the Extension, align yourself with The Great Wall of Hampstead and follow this all the way to Wildwood Road. Raymond Unwin, who designed the overall layout of the Suburb, wanted this wall to be a major architectural feature, but as a result of financial constraints due to World War I, only a third was completed. Once in Wildwood Road, look for No. 15, the home of Frank Pick. This was the man who gave London Underground its “corporate identity”. He created eye-catching posters to encourage travel and was responsible for the creation of a unified signage, with a new typeface. It was used across the network, presenting the Underground and buses as one unified system.

At 48 Wildwood Road look for the blue plaque commemorating Dame Myra Hess. Born into a Jewish family, she was a concert pianist of international renown, famous for her daily chamber music concerts, given at the National Gallery throughout World War II to help lift the public spirit. She was created a Dame in 1941.

Stop outside No. 8 Wildwood Road to see a plaque commemorating Elizabeth Taylor. She was born here in 1932 and lived here until 1939. The plaque is difficult to spot, as the house is situated very far back from the road. She was known primarily for her beauty, glamorous lifestyle and numerous marriages. In all, she married eight times, twice to Richard Burton. She converted to Judaism in 1959. She actively campaigned for Jews to be allowed to leave the Soviet Union and emigrate to Israel.

Continue along Wildwood Road, turning sharp right. Walk along and before Wyldes Close, look for a large gate for service vehicles, giving them access onto the Extension. Opposite this is a pathway going towards the Heath. Take this path, climb a bit, bear right and you will come to some houses. The third and fourth properties are the farmhouse and building from the Wylde Estate and were thought to have been built in the early17th century. Old Wyldes was the home of the painter John Linnel. The adjacent property, now called Wyldes, was an 18th century barn which became a house and was formerly occupied by Raymond Unwin.

At the end of the line of houses as the road turns left, look to your right at Wildwood Terrace. There is a blue plaque here commemorating Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the German-born Jewish art & architectural historian. In 1933 his family came to England to escape persecution. He is best-known for his 46-volume, county-bycounty guide to the buildings of England. He was knighted in 1969 for 'services to art and architecture.'

Follow the road left (Wildwood Terrace) and note the blue plaque to Michael Ventris – architect and decipherer of 'Linear B’, the ancient Mycenaean Greek script. Turn right into North End and stop outside The Old Bull & Bush pub. Originally a farmhouse, in 1645 it received a licence to sell ale in 1721. It eventually became a popular destination for day trippers. It gave its name to The Old Bull & Bush song by Florrie Forde.

Golders Hill was saved from auction and development after the intervention of soap baron Thomas Barratt. The owner of the estate, Spencer Wells, had died in 1897. Barratt, chairman of A&F Pears Soap, bid for the estate and in 1899 handed it over to the LCC for public enjoyment. The main house was destroyed by a bomb in 1941. Walk down North End Road and stop outside “Underhill”, No. 145, home of Evelyn Waugh. Amongst the books he wrote are; Brideshead Revisited; A Handful of Dust and Love Among The Ruins. Waugh was renowned for his snobbery. When he needed to post a letter, he would trudge uphill for a quarter of a mile to the post box by the Bull & Bush to ensure that his letters had the sought-after NW3 postmark, rather than unfashionable NW11.

Continue down the road and stop outside the former Golders Green Hippodrome. Built in 1913 as a 3,000 seat music hall, it became a BBC TV studio in the 1960s’. It has also been the home of the BBC concert orchestra. It was purchased by a Christian group, El Shaddai in 2007. Sold again in 2017 to the Centre for Islamic Enlightenment, it was purchased in 2021 by Hillsong Church for holding Sunday services.

Continue to Golders Green Station which opened in June 1907 when Golders Green was a small rural hamlet. The station created a housing boom. With the railway came the start of the Jewish community to the area. It increased significantly as European Jews fleeing the Nazis arrived in the 1930s. Dunstan Road United opened in 1922. Today there are at least 40 shuls in the area. The 2021 census indicated that the area is 49.9% Jewish. It is time to eat and drink.

Norwood then, now and Belmont’s proud links

Norwood’s history

The Jews' Hospital was founded in 1807 at Mile End. The largest part of the building housed a trade boarding school for children of ‘respectable’ poor Jewish families. Initially it had places for 10 boys and eight girls. The Jews' Orphan Asylum was founded at Tenter Ground in 1831, literally a stone’s throw from the old Bell Lane JFS entrance. Originally, seven children were housed at the Asylum. By 1860 it housed 60 orphans. The Jews' Hospital was overcrowded, with 100 boys and 40 girls by 1860. In 1866, the children were transferred from the Jews' Hospital to new premises at Norwood, South London. In 1876, the Jews' Hospital merged with the Orphan Asylum, and the children from the latter also moved to Norwood. The numbers of Jewish children at Norwood increased to 260 by 1888. Gradually the numbers diminished, particularly after the second world war. The old Orphanage became redundant and was demolished in 1963.

In the latter half of the 1950s, nine family houses were built or acquired by Norwood in South London with the aim of giving children a homelike environment. The Norwood family homes were moved to North London and closed one by one, with the last one closed in 1992. In 1985, Norwood opened its first registered residential care home for adults with learning disabilities. In 1996, Norwood merged with Ravenswood.

When JFS opened its doors in 1732, it was a school for 15 male orphans. The curriculum was restricted to Jewish Studies until 1793 when English and maths were added and the school roll increased to 21. When JFS became a full primary school in 1821, the orphan children had a special uniform and reserved seats in the Great Synagogue. Amazingly, the first post second world war JFS headteacher was the late Dr Edward Conway, the last headteacher of the Norwood orphanage school. We are delighted to present a short cameo of our late and beloved members Sonia and Alec Colman whose first job in London was as houseparents for one of the Norwood family homes. Both went on to work at JFS with Alec becoming the first head of the newly created Sixth Form.

Former staff - Sonia and Alec Colman by Susy Weiss with Liz Zneimer and Steve Colman

Our parents, Sonia and Alec, came from Manchester to London in April 1961 when my sister Liz was six months old, to be House

Parents at one of the new Norwood family Houses, built near the old orphanage. Mum and Dad always said that the idea was to live together like a family instead of the institutional feel of the old orphanage. There were about ten children in each house of various ages from birth to about 16. They lived in the Norwood home until just before I was born in 1963. They kept in touch with many of the children who had been in their care well into their adulthood. Liz also has a distant memory of her third or fourth birthday party surrounded by children of all ages from Norwood.

Liz Zneimer, second left

My parents used to speak about the annual Jewish taxi drivers’ trip to Brighton for children from Norwood. Every year, 60 or so balloon-festooned black cabs would show up

at the orphanage to take the children for a day out at the seaside. It features in family cine films. After they left Norwood in 1963, they moved to Streatham. It was during this period that Dad retrained as a teacher. There was a shortage of teachers for Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics subjects and his degree in Engineering allowed him to do this with, unlike today, minimal training (around four weeks). His first job was at Tulse Hill School, a large comprehensive for boys which my father always described as rather rough. The family moved to Belmont, in 1967, after JFS headteacher, Dr Conway, offered dad a job

as a maths and technical drawing teacher, and just before my brother, Steven, was born.

Dad later became Head of Weizman House and subsequently head of what was then the first ever sixth Form. The school built a sixth form complex which dad helped to design. Toward the end of his career, he became Head of Administration and was responsible for computerising the school. He worked for JFS for over 25 years until he retired in 1993. Mum worked as a secretary for various companies including Green Shield, with its headquarters in Edgware and Kodak, based in Harrow. Around 1985 she joined our dad at JFS as a school secretary and worked there until she retired in 1989.

Former staff - Melinda Kett by Russell Kett

Melinda worked for Norwood for almost 20 years, first as the receptionist for its Stanmore offices - or the Director of Initial Impressions as I preferred to call her, such was the quality of the welcome all visitors and staff received from her. Returning to full-time work having brought up our children almost single-handedly (such were my frequent absences travelling on business), she quickly became part of the Norwood community, taking a keen interest in the activities of the Stanmore office – staff, volunteers and visitors – as well as maintaining close contact with the local Norwood care homes and their residents, who she visited regularly. She took great pleasure in seeing them at Belmont shul on Shabbat morning and making sure they were welcomed.

pleasure to see how every child was advancing each year within their adoptive families and it made all the bureaucracy, the hopes, the disappointments, the hard work of all members of the team, and their persistence so worthwhile.

Former staff - Philip Bunt

I joined Norwood in 2006 as Director of Corporate Services a grand title which meant I was the executive lead for finance, property, human resources, information technology and governance. At the time Norwood’s annual income and expenditure were about £35million and it had net assets of a similar amount. There were 1,700 staff and volunteers and a portfolio of 70 properties. Although Norwood is a charity it is clear from these figures that it is a substantial business.

After two years she transferred to join Norwood’s vibrant fostering and adoption team as their administrator, also conveniently based in their Stanmore offices – work she thoroughly enjoyed. Her involvement in the important process of bringing together suitably matched parents and children left her enormously fulfilled. She remained with them until after the team’s transfer to children’s charity Coram, when they moved offices first to Finchley, and leaving only after she was asked to commute to their offices in central London (her first job after leaving school was in Swiss Cottage, where she eventually became the general manager’s secretary at the newly opened Holiday Inn there – now Marriott – and she was glad to give up commuting after we were married.)

The confidentiality that she maintained throughout regarding all her “clients” was hugely impressive. I remember one occasion when the first I knew about two of our close friends’ success was only after they had welcomed their newly adopted child into their home, a process which had taken several years to accomplish.

Melinda also particularly enjoyed organising the annual tea party for adopters and their children when she could observe each child’s progress over the years. It gave her huge

While I worked there, local authorities paid annual fees of around £25million towards the cost of adults’ and children’s services, topped up by vital annual donations of around £10million. My time at Norwood covered many years of the government’s austerity programme and I spent a lot of time in tough negotiations with local authorities. Everyone who depends on Norwood’s services needs that funding to continue.

When I moved on after seven years I had become amazingly attached to the organisation and to so many of the people who Norwood supports. I am left with many fond memories of my time there.

Current volunteering - David Freedman

In 2012 I was in the fortunate position, having taken early retirement, to look for a great volunteering opportunity. At that time, I had no idea what I wanted to do, nor did I know much about Norwood besides the existence of the Ravenswood Village and the two homes in Old Church Lane where my children among others, visited as teenagers to help the residents with Kiddush and celebrating our festivals.

Norwood’s head office is a 10-minute walk away in Stanmore, and it was there that I offered my newfound free time. I did not have any preference for what I wanted to do, but I have spent my working life in an office and involved in finance and investment. Initially I helped with the post room, and for several years was a member of the Norwood Investment Committee keeping an eye on the funds invested by Norwood as part of their reserves. I also did the driving course to qualify to drive minibuses for residents and I helped the benefits team in head office.

Twelve years on and I still go into head office twice a week to help the small “Benefits team”. Norwood looks after over 200 individuals in full time “residential care” or “supported living” across about 30 homes in London and the Ravenswood Village. Many of these people came to Norwood as children and are now pensioners. Some have loving families, but for many Norwood is their only family. They have varying learning difficulties and/ or physical disabilities. One thing they

have in common is an entitlement to help from the state, but no ability to claim it themselves, be that Employment Support Allowance, Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payments, Housing Benefit, or help with healthcare costs. I help filling in the various claim forms or collecting and recording the information required by the State.

After 12 years, I am still incredulous at amount of information and form filling that the Government requires year after year for such vulnerable people to be able to access the help they are entitled to. They are the people least able to complete a simple form, yet the government routinely sends out to them 50-page unintelligible questionnaires, looking for detailed information on their health and finances. The Government and Local Authorities would immediately stop the benefit if the information were not forthcoming or received in the required format.

My role feels quite mundane, but I do get a good deal of personal satisfaction each time a Norwood resident gets the benefits to which they are entitled and of which they are so clearly in need.

Belmont Community Cares is JVN Volunteer Team of the Year

Belmont Community Cares was nominated for the Jewish Voluntary Network (JVN) Volunteer Team of the Year Award. 29 teams from numerous charities received Team Awards. We were honoured to attend the JVN Awards ceremony to accept the award for BCC on behalf of all our wonderful team of volunteers. Thank you to our Belmont Financial Representative Selwyn Korklin and Karen Korklin for joining us.

We are delighted that all the efforts of our team of over 50 volunteers has been recognised. Mazaltov and a huge thank you! The team provides a range of support for members of our Shul. It includes calling all our members before Pesach and Rosh Hashana to wish them well; visiting those who are unable to get out as much as they would like; providing practical assistance with transport to hospitals, shopping and meals and information on support available from other organisations.

If you need support or information of any kind or know of someone who might, please contact us in confidence on communitycares@belmontus.org.uk or leave a message on our answerphone 020 8863

3000.If you can spare one hour a week and would be interested in joining our team, we would be very pleased to talk to you about how you might get involved. Again you can contact us at communitycares@belmontus. org.uk or leave a message on our answerphone 020 8863 3000.

Youth volunteering

Towards the end of Covid lockdown, our youth and a team of adults began visiting the residential homes in Old Church Lane. Over the last two years, our adult team of Sue Harris, Anthony Kaiser, David Lerner, Barry Lightman and Allen Winthrop make kiddush every Friday and Yom Tov night. We are delighted that all the residents come with the staff to shul occasionally, and three of them attend on Shabbat most weeks.

Our youth help enliven and give meaning to our Chagim with singing and violin playing on Chanukah, taking the Seder on both nights, helping with Sukkah decorations and blowing the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah to name but a few of their wonderful activities. Whilst on a Jewish identity trip to Gibraltar, our youngsters added a charity walk around the rock to the itinerary and raised £4,133 for the local home.

We would welcome any members of the community who would like to join our programmes. It makes a difference to residents and staff alike. With that in mind we are delighted to profile three leaders at the two homes who have dedicated their working lives to supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

Barry Lightman

From Sri Lanka and the Philippines via Israel to Stanmore – three remarkable carers for our community

It is now common in Belmont shul to see residents and staff of the local Norwood Homes. For some of our big events, from fireworks parties to BBQs, we are so pleased that all the residents and staff can attend. We are honoured to put a spotlight on three home managers who between them have supported members of Anglo-Jewry with a range of learning disabilities and autism to live their most fulfilling lives.

My name is Enrique Del Agua but I am known as Ike. I am an Assistant Manager at the Norwood Home. I have been here nearly 20 years, having started working here in 2005 as a support worker. As such, I attend to the personal care of the residents and support their day to day activities. I come from the Philippines. I went to work in Jerusalem when I was 29 and there met my wife, Anna, also from the Philippines. We both worked as carers for the same elderly person. We were there 6 years before coming to work in the UK at Norwood. My wife now works at Barnet Hospital. We have two girls aged 15 and 13 and live in Stevenage, but I regard Norwood as my second home. I still speak a little Ivrit.

Six of the current eight residents were all here when I started. They had come from another Norwood home where they had lived from the late 1990s and so some have grown up together since infancy. The parents of one had both passed away by the time I got here in Stanmore. They were all in their twenties when they got to Stanmore and are now in their forties. One recently celebrated her 50th birthday.

Belmont youth entertaining at Chanukah at a local home

The weekly routine includes taking residents to St Joseph’s [a club in Hendon near another Norwood home] twice a week where they do cooking, dancing and arts and crafts. Some of the residents enjoy cooking and other tasks alongside the staff in their home. As the residents get older, people with learning disabilities may experience more complex health conditions, including dementia, although thankfully none of our residents are facing those challenges now.

I enjoy my work especially in the summer when we are out and about. This was really challenging during the Covid 19 pandemic when the residents and staff were restricted to our home and garden and couldn’t enjoy our normal routines. I can’t imagine working anywhere else.

Eugene Valdez told us: I was training to be a physiotherapist in the Philippines and thinking about new adventures. An employment agency was recruiting and the short-listed candidates of which I was a fortunate one, were interviewed in my home country by Norwood staff. I thought ‘well why not give this a go. I can always change if I don’t like it and here I am eighteen years later”.

I started as a bank worker for several Norwood homes in Harrow, Kenton and Belmont. After six months I was offered a permanent post. Since then, I have been given opportunities for advancement and relevant training to help me.

I now have a Level 5 QCF (the Qualifications and Credit Framework), which replaced the NVQ structure. I have worked my way up the care career ladder at Norwood and I am now the registered manager for two Norwood homes

I was so proud when my home was recently assessed as ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and it is my ambition to repeat that in the other home I manage. I have worked with Mel most of my time at Norwood and she has

been an amazing boss. She has supported me to gain recognition for my work at Norwood as well as new opportunities for developed. I am so happy to see our residents progress, whether it is from transition from a long stay hospital, residents helping fund raise and though it may seem odd, helping a resident with a cancer diagnosis plan his own funeral. Throughout their lives, we look to support residents to live life on their terms, with dignity and respect.

Mel Arulraj

Until I was six I actually lived in London whilst my father trained as a gynaecologist. When he qualified we went back to our home in Sri Lanka. I returned at the age of 18 and trained at the Royal Berkshire Hospital as a nurse. My early career included stints at Harefield, Ealing and Northwick Park hospitals. I got fed up with how over stretched the NHS was in A and E so decided on a change. I wanted to do something with Learning Disability and before you know it I have been with Norwood for twenty three years. Although I started as a support worker, even at my first interview I was told I was over-qualified. Eventually I gave into pressure and moved up the ladder of additional responsibility. Over the years I have worked in several Norwood homes, and at a Norwood home in Kenton, Eugene and I saw ourselves as part of the ‘Dream team’. As I had some responsibility as the ‘on-call’ for one of Norwood’s Stanmore homes, I have known the long standing residents for decades. We are part of an extended family for each other, and it is amazing that we are such partners with those of our residents who have families.

I love working in a Jewish environment and have learned so much from Jewish staff and volunteers. At the previous Norwood home I worked at, I was responsible for the food orders and became known as the ‘Shabbat Queen’. I am looking forwards to the Big Norwood wide Purim party and the Sedarim we will be holding with the help of your young volunteers. We have such a bond with each other and with the residents. Like Ike and Eugene I can’t imagine working anywhere else.

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Family histories

Pesach is both forwards and backwards looking. We are obliged to remember the past and tell our story to the generations to our children. In this context, genealogical research is a quintessential Jewish interest.

We recollect a warm and treasured friend, David Pacifico. There are two angles on this story. A dozen of our youngsters went to Gibraltar in February and as part of the trip learned the story of David’s ancestor, Don Pacifico. Our David made his living in part as a genealogist and thus tracing the rightful inheritors of estates that were intestate. Gerald Jacobs tell us how he managed to trace some of his family through basic historic data – gravestones. By contrast Richard Simon writes about how the use of the scientific breakthroughs of DNA analysis, led to the most remarkable discovery for his mum.

Gravestones - Gerald Jacobs

Despite researching my family history for the best part of twenty years, I had never been able to establish the correct names of my maternal grandparents. They came from Russia in the 1880s’ and had seven children. They obviously could not speak much, if any, English when they arrived. I have found all the certificates for their children. Nearly everyone has a different name for my grandparents. For my grandfather I have a choice of four first names and seven surnames whilst for my grandmother I have a choice of six first names and five surnames. This does not include the one that says Shalom Aleichem. Although they are phonetically similar, I do not know if any of them are correct. If I had to choose a surname it would probably be Goltzer, which may be derived from Gol'tseker (woodcutter)

Allegedly my grandfather had three brothers but this proved difficult to confirm. The great grandson of one of the alleged brothers, although having put some information on My Heritage refuses to confirm any information. So I trieda different approach: research via gravestones.

My grandfather was Solomon Goldstein. He is buried in the Western Cemetery in Montagu Road, Edmonton. His gravestone is unreadable but the records show his Hebrew name was Dovid Shlomo ben Shmuel Yosef. I found confirmation on the Jewish Gen Online World Wide Burial Registry and also the Billion Graves web site. I found that his first brother was Hyman Goltzer, who is buried in the Adath Yisrael Cemetery, Enfield. The gravestone is still legible and one can clearly read the Hebrew name. Chaim ben Shmuel Yosef.

The second brother Louis (Lewis) Goldstone is buried Blackley Cemetery, Manchester and the website Find a Grave reveals his Hebrew name was Aryeh Lev ben Shmuel Yosef. The third brother, Morris, used the surname Goltzer and is also buried in Blackley, with his Hebrew name being Moshe ben Shmuel Yosef. I have all the relevant death certificates and with all the brothers having a father named Shmuel Yosef I feel confident I have the right people. Even though they all passed many years ago, it is still possible, if you are lucky, to find information on such sites as Find A Grave, Billion graves, My Heritage and Jewish Gen. One of the features of the Jewish Gen website is its Family Finder section. One can search for people looking for the same surnames and same cities whilst allowing for phonetic variations.

WW2 Isle of Man - Ruth Fish

As a result of Winston Churchill’s wartime “Collar the lot”, policy all people of German, Austrian and Italian descent were interned regardless of their origins or behaviour. The internees were grouped into three categories of enemy aliens A- immediate threat, Bcertain restrictions on travel and ownership and C friendly who could be identified as genuine refugees. All ended up being interned. What is difficult for me to understand is why the British government of the time were so insensitive of the suffering under the Nazi regime and even sometimes put Jews and fascist/ nazis together in the same camp and in some cases the same room.

At the age of 29, my father, Arnold Davidsohn was interned on the Isle of Man for around a year. So it was with great enthusiasm, that Robin and I decided to go on a Jewish Heritage tour to the Isle of Man. Dad was incredibly lucky as I understand it, as many of the internees at other places, were not treated well. He was a man of few words, but he always said that after living in a safe house in Hamburg and being cooped up, it was brilliant to be able to be outside and to play football every day. He described eating good food for the first time in many years: particularly kippers!, and seeing the sea, even though they were behind barbed wire. He also became friendly with Marjan Rawicz part of the well-known pianist duo team, of the 1930s called Rawicz and Landauer. I have been able to find out about them on the internet. It’s nice to be able to read about them and indeed hear them playing instead of them just being a name that my Dad mentioned all those years ago. I am not sure if he said it was a good time, just so that our family wouldn’t be sad. I hope it was true.

On arrival we were met by our guide and taken to meet the charming and delightful lieutenant governor at his typically colonial official residence. Our very knowledgeable guide showed us the various camps. The Mooragh camp in Ramsey, housed over a thousand internees many of them religious Jews. They were given special food and other privileges. Quakers who used to help internees to put in requests to be allowed to leave due to certain circumstances used to visit the internees. I believe that they may have helped my father to obtain an earlier release so that he could go back to London to look after his mother.

We looked at Hutchinson camp area in Douglas, which housed many academics and musically talented internees. In the gardens we found various references to the internments, a tree planted using an acorn from Auschwitz and another sapling planted in 2022 donated by the Association of Jewish Refugees and various concrete tiles etched with references

Joan, Arnold, Robin & Ruth

to the artistic and musical contributions in the camp. Amazingly, on the other side of the fence, Robin’s mother, Joan Fish (nee Pyser) who served in the WAAF was sent to the Isle of Man at some point to guard Italian prisoners of war, also interned on the island.

Ruth Fish

WW2 Isle of Man - Ronnie Fraser

My parents, Alice Frenkel and Rolf Feibusch were both were interned in the Isle of Man in May 1940 and had totally different experiences.

Alice was 19 years old when she came to Britain from Germany in March 1939 with Hanna, her 21 year old sister. They came on domestic servants’ visas as they were too old for the Kindertransport. On 27 May 1940 the Police came to arrest them. They found Alice in their flat in Alyth Gardens, Golders Green but Hanna was at work. Alice was terrified that she would never see her sister again. Taken first to the Police Station, Alice was then transferred to Holloway Prison like a common criminal. At supper time all the women went to the dining hall where there appeared to be hundreds of women. Alice stood on a table whistling a tune only Hanna knew hoping she would hear it. Remarkably from the other side of the room she heard her sister’s response and so the sisters were reunited.

3 days later

Alice and Hanna arrived at Rushen Camp, Port Erin in the Isle of Man. Alice wrote in her diary “that they had a decent room and a decent bed. Each house had to make a rota that you had to help around the house, peel potatoes, clean vegetables, and all that. You had your duties and obviously you had to look after your room. Otherwise your time was free” They also helped other people in the house. Some of them were old Polish women, who had lived in the East End for years. Their sons were fighting but they had never got citizenship. Because they couldn't read or write, Alice and Hanna translated and helped them to write letters.

later she wrote “both of us think of her a lot. I only hope she enjoys the day and hope that next year we will be together.” Her parents were living In Luxembourg on 10 May when the Germans invaded and from then on they could no longer receive letters from them.

Alice and Hanna left Port Erin after l0 months. They first went to live in Manchester and then back to London where they took rooms in Fordwych Road, Cricklewood. They quickly became part of a group of young German Jewish refugees.

On Alice’s birthday on 11 September, she complained that she did didn’t get one letter but “did get a nice watch-bracelet from Hanna.” On her Mother’s birthday two weeks

Rolf, my father, arrived in Britain in February 1939 with his parents, brother Hans, sister Rosel and 5 Uncles, 4 Aunts and 6 cousins. It was very unusual for such a large group from one family to arrive together, a story for another time. They had permission to stay in Britain temporarily until they were able to complete their journey to America. They went to live in Southend. The Government decided in May 1940 that any aliens who were living on the Essex coast, which was at risk of German invasion, were to be interned. Two cousins, were working and living in Cricklewood, the rest of the family were interned. The men were in the Mooragh camp and the women in the Rushen camp in Port Erin.

My father remembered that one sunny morning the Police turned up and took everyone away. My Grandfather, Adolf, wasn't with the rest of the family because he was in hospital with a broken arm and gashed head after riding his bicycle into a brick wall.

Rolf aged 19 and his brother Hans, 18 were initially interned with the rest of their family but because they were of military service age they were interned instead, along with 988 other young Jewish men in July 1940, to a prisoner of war camp in Quebec, Canada. After spending 2 years behind barbed wire, the brothers returned to Britain in July 1942 to serve in the British army.

Simon Feibusch, my father’s uncle, recalled that 300 Jewish men who kept kosher, were given the best accommodation, for in the words of the English Major in charge, "You are the real Jews, and you deserve the best”. Simon lived with his brothers in a hotel in Mooragh camp with 182 other men, including nine Rabbis.

Simon was the bakery Chef. On 1 October 1940, erev Rosh Hashanah, Simon’s wife Selma gave birth to their son Morris in Rushen camp. The first time he saw his son was at his bris, 8 days later where he and his brother drank milk instead of wine.

My grandfather, Adolf was the first to leave, at the end of August 1940, and headed for London, where he worked as a labourer clearing bomb sites. Simon, the last to be released, in May 1941, went to work on a farm, living with his family in an isolated cottage, far away from the war.

Ronnie Fraser

Relatives of Belmont members interned on the Isle of Man during the Second World War:

• Arnold Davidsohn, father of Ruth Fish

• Max Lerner, grandfather of David Lerner

• Ruth and Martin Schaul, Aunt and Uncle of Barbara Mazliah

• Friedrich Weiss, grandfather of Arthur Weiss

• Alfred Straus, grandfather of Karen Bunt

Ronnie Fraser’s relatives who were interned:

• His mother Alice Frenkel and her sister Hanna, who came on domestic servants’ visas as they were too old for the Kindertransport

• From his father’s family, the Feibuschs arrived in England from Germany as a group in February 1939: his grandfather Adolf Feibusch, wife Paula and their daughter Rosel; his Grandfather’s brothers: Simon Feibusch, wife Selma and their son Morris, who was born in the Isle of Man; Aron Feibusch and his wife Bertha and their son Kurt; Max Feibusch, Phillip Feibusch his wife Fanny; David Feibusch, his wife Ida and their son Gunter.

• His father Ralph and his brother Hans were interned in Canada from May 1940May 1942 when they returned to England to serve in the Pioneer corps.

• His father’s cousins Miriam Feibusch, Margot Feibusch and Horst Feibusch who were young adults and not living with their parents were not interned.

WW1

On 5 August 1914, the day after Britain declared war on Germany, the Government passed the Aliens Restrictions Act, whereby the Government could control the movement of “enemy aliens”. General internment of all German and Austro-Hungarian born men of military age began in May 1915 following the sinking of the “Lusitania”.

Whist the Act was initially focussed upon identifying potential spies, all “enemy aliens", even if they had lived and worked in England for many years, together with their wives had to register as an “enemy alien” or face a £100 fine or six months imprisonment.

The first 200 internees arrived on the Isle of Man in September 1914 for internment in Cunningham’s Camp, a former Young Men’s Holiday Camp in Douglas. With public concern over “the enemy in their midst” whipped up by the press, which resulted in ever increasing internments, more space was needed. In October 1914 the Government identified Knockaloe Moar farm and the first internees arrived on 17 November. The turning point was the sinking of the Lusitania on 7 May 1915 after it was torpedoed by a German submarine. This led to serious riots initially in Liverpool and the East End of London, with German and other “alien” families being attacked. It was reluctantly agreed that “for their own safety and that of the community” all non-naturalised adult males between 17 and 55 should be interned or, if over military age, repatriated.

Initially anticipated to hold 5,000 it was agreed that Knockaloe should be expanded to house the vast majority of civilian internees. It ultimately held nearly 24,000 prisoners in 23 compounds inside barbed wire, with 4,000 old soldiers acting as armed National Guard. The camp was three miles in circumference; 695 miles of barbed wire surrounded the compounds. It set the precedent for the mass internment of ‘enemy aliens’ in WW2. It held thousands of Jews.

On the site are the graves of two Jews who passed away there. It now houses a visitor and memorial centre.

Although not born in Germany, one of those treated as an enemy alien was Isidore Buntgrandfather of Richard and Philip Bunt. They still have his registration certificate.

David Pacifico - The heir hunter

David was born and raised in Willesden. He started his working life as an Estate Agent but through a family connection he joined Fraser and Fraser – Genealogists and Probate Researchers, where he spent the remainder of his working life.

Probate research entails tracing beneficiaries to unclaimed estates of money, when a deceased dies intestate. He originally spent his time either in Somerset House doing research or on the road contacting beneficiaries who were traced. Over the years the methods of tracing beneficiaries changed. This greatly reduced the time taken in finding heirs.

The work of probate research remained unnoticed for many years, until a television company decided to make a programme called ‘Heir Hunters’ and David found ‘fame’ –but not fortune, as they were paid £1 each to appear in the first series!!

The TV cameras followed him around the office whilst he directed his research team around the country finding the beneficiaries. This created pressure on David as often his company was in competition with rival companies in a race to trace and sign up any relatives of the deceased.

The TV programme was a success and more programmes were commissioned over a period of 10 years. In the later years David took a back seat whilst the filming was going on. He was frequently recognised in the street by viewers and was often asked ‘can you find any of my relatives?

David often helped friends who were carrying out family research. There was one case where someone had spent months trying to find a relative in America. Within an hour David had found the person and gave the friend not only the current address and contact phone number of the missing relative. The thanks he received was to be told ‘Oh

you are not bad at what you do, are you?’ David really enjoyed his work and continued as a consultant after he retired, until his death in 2018.

Linda Pacifico

The Don Pacifico affair

The Don Pacifico affair in 1850 was a problem for the governments of Greece, the UK and Portugal. It was named after David Pacifico, a British subject born in Gibraltar (and whose parents incidentally were married at Bevis Marks) The dispute began in 1849 after Pacifico’s home was vandalised and robbed by an antisemitic mob following his suggestion they resist their traditional burning of a model of Judas, so as not to offend a Rothschild family member visiting Greece. Three days later, David Pacifico wrote to Sir Edmund Lyons, the British Minister to Greece regarding the incident. On May 20th 1847, Lyons informed the Foreign Office in London and applied to the Greek Government for compensation for Pacifico. British Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston, advised Lyons to write the value of all the items lost and if it was proven to be legitimate, to send a request to the Greek minister of foreign affairs asking him to demand that the sum be paid. After backand-forth negotiations with the government, Pacifico brought up the affairs of two Jews massacred at Patras and the additional burning of a synagogue in Negroponte. Pacifico used these events to prove the weak action of the government, and to request his compensation. At the time, the UK parliament debated action against Greece, in a change of foreign policy. The British navy set up a blockade on Greece, involving France and Russia in the affair, due to their ties with Greece. After much discussion in Parliament, the compensation money was finally sent to Pacifico.

Zevi and Eliora Arden

My birth family by Judy Simon with Richard Simon

My mother, Judy Simon, had always known that she had been adopted, but as a child, she wasn’t aware of the circumstances. She believed that she had been given up for adoption because her English mother wasn’t married but when mum was 14, a school friend told her that she had been born in Austria. That was how she began to learn about her true identity.

Mum grew up in South Harrow and Stanmore with her adoptive parents Rosa & Arthur Gardner. They loved her like she was their own daughter and out of respect for them, mum didn’t do a great deal of research into her biological family. She knew that her mother and father were Brandla Leja and Josef Auerbach, and that they had lived in Vienna. She even knew the address of their home. I’ve looked it up on Google Maps and it’s now a major highway running through the city. At the time, mum thought that she may also have had a sister.

Mum was born on 20 April 1942 as Judis Auerbach and almost immediately she was hidden in a Jewish children’s home in Vienna where she was looked after by a nurse called Martha Wenger. However, at the age of just 5 months she was taken to Theresienstadt concentration camp. Amazingly, she survived the war but through severe malnutrition and diphtheria she was nearly blind and had lost her hair. Mum was looked after by the same nurse who had looked after her in the children’s home, since they had been deported to Theresienstadt together.

Mum was air lifted to England after the war. She had believed that she went straight to Weir Courtney residence in Surrey where she was looked after by Alice Goldberger (who was featured on “This is your life”) until she was adopted. Mum started to go to various Holocaust Memorial Day trips with the AJR where she would see photographs of herself as a young girl in unfamiliar settings. For example she learned that she had initially been taken to Windermere along with ‘The Boys’ before going to Weir Courtney. There are even some photographs of mum on the BBC documentary from 2020 ‘The Windermere Children’. Before going to Weir Courtney, mum stayed in Bulldog’s Bank in Sussex, with some of the younger children from Windermere. There are photographs of her, and other evidence that suggests that she was one of the six children that were the subject of Anna Freud’s Bulldogs Bank research, and the paper entitled ‘An Experiment in Group Upbringing (1951)’ although this still needs to be confirmed This sort of new information made mum curious about her past, and she began to investigate.

Over time, various pieces of the puzzle that make up my mum’s past have started to surface. In 2004, mum had to visit the Austrian Embassy, where she was told that Josef Auerbach had survived the war, that he had moved to Columbia and had then returned to Vienna where he died in 1996. My mum was very upset by this news; why hadn’t he looked for her after the war?

In 2023 the AJR put mum in contact with Elise Bath, a researcher at the Wiener Holocaust Library. Elise had managed to find out that mum had a sister called Rifka and also had a brother Kurt. She found a great deal of information about my grandmother, Brandla and my aunt and uncle, including their names on the deportation list from Vienna to Auschwitz. Elise also discovered that Josef may have left Austria before my mother was born. In fact, he may not have been my mum’s father at all, as records showed that he left for Columbia in 1938. That is as much as Elise could discover, so

she put mum in contact with genealogist Michael Tobias, OBE. Michael asked mum if she would like to do a DNA test and suddenly a wealth of new information came to light. My grandmother’s husband Josef had left Austria before the war began. By cross matching the

DNA test with records in a Polish database and the International Tracing Service archive, Michael was able to discover that my mum’s biological father was not Josef, but was a man called Chaim Bernstein who lived in the same apartment block as Brandla. Chaim was on the same deportation train from Vienna to Auschwitz as Brandla and her other children. The train left on 17th July 1942 and they were killed in Auschwitz the following day.

Michael managed to draw out mum’s family tree for her father, Chaim. Chaim had a nephew Samuel who was born in Poland in

1937. Samuel, my mum’s first cousin, and his mother survived the war by hiding in various places and they moved to America after the war.

Michael also managed to trace Brandla’s family. She was born in Poland and moved to Austria where she married Josef. Brandla had a brother Israel who left Vienna before the war and went to live in Israel. By his second marriage, he had a daughter Daniela, my mother’s first cousin.

Daniela is still alive, and she has spoken to mum briefly on a Zoom. Daniela was able to send my mum a picture of Brandla – the only one that we have. In a recent interview in the Daily Telegraph, my mum said “It was a shock – to see the photograph and to know where I came from. And sadness. It’s very emotional, even though I’ve had the most wonderful life. I have been extremely lucky”.

Samuel lives in Florida and recently he and his family met my mum and our whole family on a Zoom call. Josef Auerbach who went to Columbia had a son there called Hans. Although he’s not related, Hans has also been in touch with my mum and is due to visit the UK where he wants to meet up.

Before writing this article, I had found the whole process of my mum’s discovery to be interesting and was amazed at how much information has come to light. But writing this piece has been a more emotional experience, where I too have more of a sense of my own identity and pride in my mother’s survival against the odds.

When I asked mum recently about how she feels about what she has learned recently, she said that she is glad that she went through the process and that she now knows where she came from. But if you ask her who her parents are, she will always tell you that they were Rosa & Arthur Gardner “who gave her life”.

Judy, second left

Growing up in the Arab world

The story of Pesach of course begins with our enslavement in Egypt and the first post biblical reference to Pesach is from a papyrus found at the start of the 20th century. It was written c. 419 BCE by a Jewish man named Hananiah and is addressed to his brother Jedoniah and the rest of the Jews garrisoned at Elephantini. This is a very small island in

the Nile and was a fort on what was at one time the Southern border of Egypt.The papyrus states that KingDariusII who reigned from 424 to 404 BCE has instructed the PersiansatrapArmases to allow the Jewish garrison at Elephantine to observe a seven-day festival of unleavened bread. Nine years later, the Egyptians destroyed the temple of Elephantini.

We profile the stories of two of our members who started life in the Middle East: Iraq and Iran

Iraqi Jewry – my story

Linda

Brian

The Jews of Iraq date back to the Babylonian captivity of c.586 BCE, making it is one of the world's oldest and most historically important Jewish communities. Over a third of the population of Bagdad was Jewish. In 1947 there were 156,000 Jews living in Iraq. Now there are less than 5. Over the centuries Jews had their trials but were always predominant, making contributions in parliament as ministers and civil servants; they developed the postal and judicial system. Trade was dominated by the Jewish

community and as such they enjoyed a wonderful quality of life with bustling synagogues, social and sports clubs.

After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 there wasn’t the mass exodus that some other communities saw. Jews had been rooted in Iraq for thousands of years and for the main they were not Zionists. They feared a hard life of ploughing the newly created state. Nevertheless, over the years life became harder and Jews were increasingly excluded. My own family dispersed, moving to the USA, Canada, Israel and the UK. During this difficult period my father passed away. By the early 1960s it was just my mother and older brother who looked after us. After the 6 Day War, life changed significantly. Jewish property was expropriated, bank accounts were frozen, Jews were dismissed from public posts and businesses were closed. Most horrifically in 1969, nine Jewish men were publicly hung, alleged to be spying for Israel. I remember the fear. I recall being a little girl and my mum telling me to always look to the ground when we were out so that we did not draw attention to ourselves. My brother was imprisoned twice for being Jewish. My mother and I were desperate, not knowing who to turn to. We walked to the prison daily begging for his release.

Eventually in 1972 my mother and I were allowed to leave. We travelled to Turkey and were met by my sister who lived in London. Months later my brother was able to escape through the north of Iraq into Iran before joining us in London.

Although, we were pleased to leave Iraq, life for the first few years in London was extremely difficult. I was 14 years old. I had to navigate a very different way of life, learning a new language and making new friends was not easy. Unfortunately, due to the influx of Jewish children I didn't get a place at JFS where it would probably have been easier to fit in. I changed schools three times before finally settling at St Marylebone High School.

It was very alien to me as I had to go to church often which was very uncomfortable, but I felt like I had no choice. In time we created a new life. We felt rooted and happy in England and stayed true to our Jewish Babylonian heritage, customs and of course our food!

I feel so lucky to live in England, a country where we are free to practise our religion and are able to succeed and prosper in all walks of life. My children were born here and have had opportunities that I never had. Post 7 October I have been really shocked by the rise in antisemitism. It reminds me of my days in Iraq and the fear I had as a child Nevertheless, I am comforted by the support the government has shown us. I love this country. It has been enormously kind to us and enabled us to have a fulfilling life which we would never have had if they hadn’t opened the door to us as refugees.

Linda Brian

Jewish Life in Iran by

Shahnaz Selby

I was borne in Tehran and lived there until I moved to London in 1979, soon after the Revolution.

My mother was from Kermanshah and my father was from Kordestan and they lived in Kordestan with my brother and 6 sisters before moving to Tehran. I was the youngest. Sadly, my father passed away when I was only 7 years old, and my mother then looked after us as a single parent.

Life for Jews in Tehran before the revolution was wonderful and there were no restrictions on what we could do or wear. The Shah, who was deposed by the Revolution, was sympathetic to Jews and we had many Moslem and Christian, as well as Jewish, friends.

There was a shul and a kosher butcher near our home in Tehran, so we were able to live as practicing Jews. Although most people were friendly to Jews, there were exceptions, and my mother took the precaution of installing our Mezuzah inside the front doorframe so that it was not visible

from outside.

I vividly remember Pesach in Iran. Iran is well known for delicious breads which are baked in a special clay oven called a “tanur”. There was a bakery near our home which my mother arranged with the friendly Moslem owner to close a few days before Pesach so that it could be cleaned to make it kosher for Pesach. My mother made the unleavened dough and a special cushion for placing the dough in the hot tanur, which was baked into matzah. The matzah was large, round and hard, like Shumrah matzah. I remember my mother sprinkling the matzah with water to soften it before meals.

Before Pesach, as well as cleaning our home, we had a set of metal dishes, pots and pans which were thoroughly cleaned and freshly coated to make them kosher for Pesach. During Pesach we did not eat any dairy food (butter, milk and cheese etc) and instead ate boiled eggs with tarragon, basil and matzah for breakfast and meat for lunch and dinner. We are permitted to eat Kitniyot, including rice, during Pesach. We also drank lemon juice with water sweetened with sugar.

There was a custom during the seder which we continue to this day. When singing “Dayenu” we beat each other with spring onions. I believe this is done to re-enact the whipping endured by the Hebrews enslaved by the ancient Egyptians.

The day after Pesach it was customary to eat bread and dairy food, e.g. butter and cheese.

Most Jews who lived in Iran emigrated during or shortly after the Revolution and there are now less than 10,000 Jews in Iran. One of my sisters moved to London a few years before the Revolution to train and work as a nurse and my mother, brother and sisters emigrated from Iran shortly after the Revolution. When I arrived in London, I lived with my sister and then lived with my brother in his apartment in Maida Vale until I married my husband, Marc.

Shahnaz Selby

Belmont youth rock in Gibraltar

In February 12 of us youth, aged 10-16 had the pleasure to travel with the shul to Gibraltar. This little rock on the tip of Spain had a surprising amount of Jewish history and culture spread throughout. We visited all four synagogues, all beautifully decorated and packed with their own snippets of history.

At Shaarei Shemayim shul, standing above the trap door where the silverware was hidden in case of a nazi takeover

The same evening, we took part in one of the services—a Sephardic service. As an Ashkenazi Jew, it was enough to say that I got a little lost; but interesting nonetheless. It was weird to think about the fact that while at the same time the Jewish community there was so strong, it was so different to us at the same time. All the people there were welcoming, of course, and tried to help us in the best way they could. We ended the day by playing social deductive games in the social room upstairs, which was a nice and relaxing way to finish the lovely day. On Monday, our second day, we decided to say shacharit as a group in our flat. Having the ability to put on my tefillin again was a joy, thanks to the rabbi, of course. From there, we visited the bakery, where its soft loaves seemed to melt in our mouths.

Next, we had the pleasure of hearing from Mrs. Violette Weisfogel, who had to evacuate the rock during World War II with her family. Hearing her story was incredible, and at 97 years old, being able to be there to share her story was truly inspiring to hear.

From there, our day seemed forever, as David gave us the task of going up Gibraltar Rock, a massive expanse stretching 450 metres above sea level. It was very tiring but a good workout nonetheless.

While on the monkey-infested walk, we encountered the WW2 tunnels, which were built inside the rock by the British to defend against the Nazi takeover of the country, which gave us a good insight into modern history. We also saw majestic scenes inside St. Michael’s cave, whose views were serene, when water from the stalactites above was not dripping into my eyes.

When we did reach the top, we were dumbfounded by the views of what we saw— the whole of Gibraltar was clear as day to us—even Morocco on the coast of Africa was in our sights. After taking in the views, we thanked David and the youth club that gave us the grant needed to come on this trip. What was even cooler was that afterwards, with pure chutzpah we came down for free by taking the last cable car of the day. Tired but content, we finished off the day with a group game of charades.

On the final day, the day of our charity walk for our local Norwood home, we were once again greeted with clear skies and warm weather. It made the walk quite easy, and we were even ahead of schedule at some points. At one point, we had to be driven through massive man-made tunnels through the rock, which were cool to see. The walk itself was smooth—far longer going around the rock but flatter terrain than the previous day going up. We had raised over £4,100 for our Norwood friends. We were lucky to have a great team of leaders in Rabbi Sam, Barbara Mazliah, Neil Livingstone and David Lerner.

Nathan Easterman

Belmont in Israel with Israel

In this issue of Belmonde we have reported on the JVN award for Belmont Community Cares and the support that we give to our local Norwood homes. The last few months have demonstrated how that community spirit is exhibited in Israel. Children of our members describe what they have been doing since war erupted on 7 October and we give a glimpse into volunteering undertaking by members who have visited Israel in recent months.

Michelle Pomerance née Hart and Alan Levenson write from Modiin

It became clear pretty quickly on 7 October that this was not the “normal” rocket cycle that even we in relative safety of Modiin are used to. Reports from irreligious neighbours were confusing and scary, the booms were constant even though we didn't have our first siren until later in the morning. Upon arriving at shul I was greeted by one of our community members apologising that he wouldn't be able to do the children's service as his commander had told him to go home and be ready to go to base. By the end of chag we had heard of many more community members who had been called up, leaving behind sad and scared children and wives trying to be strong. As a community we realised we needed to find as many ways as possible to support these wives and families, many of whom had no immediate family in the country. During the first few weeks when schools were closed we organised arts and crafts sessions and music classes at shul with lunch for the families, meal rotas and shopping deliveries. We also made sure that the wives were contacted regularly so they would know they are not alone.

Even though life for most of us has seemingly returned to normal in the past few months, we are very aware that this is not the case for our miluim families. We have organised Shabbat packages for the families, pilates and coffee morning for the wives, a Chanukah party with gifts for the families and meals as and when needed. Of course we have not been able to replace their spouse who is fighting but I hope we have eased some of the physical burden for the wives and families and given them something to make them smile at the end of a difficult day.

For those of us who made Aliya too late to serve in the army, watching our friends go to fight left us wishing we could do more. On 19 October a friend contacted me that he wanted to do a BBQ for his brother-in-law on the border with Gaza. 5 months later we are coordinating a group of over 100 volunteers having arranged 115 barbecues for over 16,000 soldiers and counting. We have barbecued for soldiers on the border with Gaza, the border with Lebanon, Zaka volunteers in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and those guarding yishuvim around the country. We have received calls from commanders whose units are coming out of Gaza for a few hours and would like a hot meal before heading back in, units who have experienced severe losses and are in need of some comfort and an elite commando unit finishing their training. It has been truly humbling to see how grateful everyone is for a hot freshly cooked meal and we shouldn't underestimate the value of what might seem like a small gesture but it really raises the morale of our soldiers. Michelle Pomerance née Hart

Shai is harvesting kohlrabi. "Don't bother with the large ones as the supermarkets won't buy them," he tells us. They weren't picked on time because 9 of his 15 workers returned to Thailand as soon as the war broke out. We salvage what we can from the current batch and ask him when the next batch will be ready. A bus full of 60

Yeshiva boys will come to pick those before they grow too large for him to sell.

Miki is harvesting olives. Most of his regular workers are absent because of the security situation. He's so desperate for volunteers that even under age children and visiting grandparents from Belmont are welcome. He's so grateful for volunteers that he provides an Israeli breakfast and runs after us as we leave to give us a bottle of olive oil. A fellow volunteer coordinates for her Shul to bring a group next week to help with the next row of trees.

The agricultural crisis is one of the less well documented impacts of the war. Many businesses are suffering and the overall harm to the economy is significant. But the way that people from all ages and backgrounds have stepped up to fill the void is inspiring and it's been a privilege to play a small part in that. Alan Levenson

On Shabbat morning of October 7th, my husband, Josh, was called to reserve duty. Josh served in the IDF as a doctor and has regularly been called up to Miluim since his obligatory service ended in 2016. Despite this, the emergency call to service of this kind was something neither of us had experienced in our decade of living in Israel.

Josh's military service lasted until midFebruary. During this time, I went into survival mode. I was very fortunate that both my mum and mother-in-law came to Israel to lend help and support. Looking after a toddler while being pregnant and working full-time with the emotional stress and worry for both my own family and all of Israel was a lot to handle.

Friends, family, and neighbours looked out for me. I received meals and offers to take our son Matan to the park. A stranger even took down our Sukkah while another neighbour who I had only met once offered to take my rubbish out to the communal bins! Though it was sometimes uncomfortable to be on the receiving end of help, I could not have got through the period without it.

Eve Minsky-Cohen

Anya Berg writes on her gap year: Since the end of January, I have been living on Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael in Israel, one of the most affluent and beautiful kibbutzim in the country. I have been immersing myself in kibbutz life alongside over 60 other people from a wide range of countries and ages. Participating in the Ulpan programme has enabled me to have an experience beyond anything I ever expected. Not only do I see and take part in the day-to-day operation of communal living, but I have been given the opportunity to make some of my best friends and talk to new people every day from all walks of life. The Kibbutz is located right on the beach so I am lucky enough to be able to walk or cycle down there nearly every day to see the sunset. I have everything I could ever need here, including a supermarket, an off-licence, a coffee shop, a swimming pool, a petting zoo and I could not forget Sonia’s, the pub just next to my room (can’t complain).

The best part of the week is, without a doubt, Shabbat. Every Friday night I get to bring in Shabbat with my closest friends and eat our meals together in our dining hall. Five to six days each week, I study Hebrew for four hours and work for four hours. My job is in one of the many nurseries. I care for the children and whilst they are learning, I get to learn so much from them. The people I work with are so supportive. They have really aided me in progressing with my Hebrew. I never feel alone. There is always someone willing to lend a hand. It is the people which make the programme as great as it is (although the weather helps). It is incredible to see such a variety of people with one thing uniting us all, our Judaism. The most amazing thing by far is everyone having different reasons for being here, but they all have a clear purpose and a direction, something driving them forward - whether it is joining the army, making Aliyah or just wanting to be in the country of our people. I admire every single one of them and being surrounded by it motivates me to make the most of the short time I have in Israel. It has already been a phenomenal experience which I would not change for the world.

Olivia Cowen writes on her gap year: Earlier last year I decided that before starting university, I wanted a gap year. As a Jew, Israel has always had a very special place in my heart, so I thought there was no better place to spend it. After the horrific events of 7 October, my desire to go to Israel was heightened – I wanted to volunteer and do all I could to help the country I am so fond of.

The programme I chose is called Aardvark, it offered a six month semester, which was perfect for me. I spent the first six months of my gap year working as a nanny, and then came to Israel at the start of January. I am living in Florentine, Tel Aviv in an apartment with four other girls (two from Australia, one from London, and another from Germany) and have had the time of my life so far.

We get a new schedule each week. A typical week consists of, volunteering, hearing from guest speakers, tiyulim, ulpan, and other fun classes and activities. We attend our volunteer placements five times a week for four hours a day. I am in a nursery, which I am really enjoying. After our morning sessions we have different activities/classes. For example, I am taking a kabbalah class and a self-marketing class, where I learn things that I would probably never have the chance to back in London. On Mondays we have a programme called Faces of Israel. We get to hear from people of all different backgrounds, which is very interesting. Just last week we had a member of the LGBTQIA+ community who grew up and still belongs to an ultra-orthodox community in Jerusalem. Every Tuesday we have a tiyul, which is my favourite part of the week. So far, we have gone to the Negev, the Kineret, fruit picking, Jerusalem and much more. We have ulpan twice a week which I love. Although I am 100% not fooling anyone that I am Israeli, I am able to communicate and understand Hebrew so much more. I hope this is a skill I never forget.

After my volunteering on Thursday, we have a madrichim meeting, where we do fun activities and go through the next week’s schedule, and then we are free to do what we like until Sunday morning. Thursday night is

massive in Tel Aviv, I spend most Thursday evenings on Rothschild Street with all my friends, going to bars, restaurants, and having so much fun - there has really never been a dull Thursday night. On Fridays and Saturdays we usually spend the days on the beach, and chilling, just like Shabbat at home, only with the sun involved!

One of the highlights of my time so far has to be a trip to Ethiopia. Aardvark offers a number of international trips, so I took this opportunity to go somewhere that I never would have thought of going before. During my time in Ethiopia we explored the local culture, as well as the Jewish culture. One of the most fascinating things about the Jewish community in Ethiopia was the similarities they shared with our community in London. They have their own charity ambulance service, just like Hatzola, they have Jewish schools, where they do tefilla every morning, and they all share the same love for Israel. This was a very insightful trip. I feel like I grew to be a lot more appreciative of what I have, after seeing how a lot of the locals live.

The last and most important thing I am going to be taking with me from my time in Israel is the friendships I have made. I have made friends from all around the world – Canada, Australia, Mexico, Germany and much more. It has been so surreal meeting all these people from all different backgrounds who share the mutual love towards Judaism and Israel. These have been the best few months of my life, and I cannot wait continue on my gap year journey.

Belmont volunteers

Sue and Anthony Broza

We travelled to Israel in early January for 17 days, for a niece’s wedding and to give chizuk to all our extensive family. We were only one of two flights arriving at Ben Gurion. The border booth man didn’t even bother to check our passports when he heard we had come to hug and hold tight our family and friends. He told us “How wonderful you have done that". We both commented it was not the same country that we left last year. The people are hurt and bruised and the country is crying and feels ill and unwell. We saw Israeli flags and yellow ribbons on car handles signifying “Bring them Home”, signs everywhere that read “Together we are United and "Together we will win". Shopkeepers closed early in the afternoon. Some shops simply did not even open. Instead of the Covid "Keep 2 Metres apart" signs, every store and public space has signs pointing to ןגומבחרמ- Safe Space or Bomb Shelter. Strikingly, the radio stations were not pumping out the Top Hits of ‘23 but rather more sombre, reflective music. We kept on hearing Jimmy Paige and Robert Plant's iconic track Stairway to Heaven, which seemed to have taken on a special resonance and meaning of its own.

bench for “The two volunteers from London”. They cried with joy when we told them we had just come to help. Our job was to open mixed boxes of jeans and sort them into different size piles and then create boxes of the same jeans. We worked a six hour shift of schlapping, opening, sorting and re-packing. Thoroughly exhausting but very rewarding.

The local Iyr Yamim community app put us in contact with a volunteer group setting up a free clothes shopping area at the Netanya Sports Stadium for families forced to flee from the North to safer Netanya. On our first day, the manager rushed to find a work

Jacquelyn Segal

Whilst in Israel, I had the privileged opportunity to do three different kinds of volunteering in three locations. The underground car park of the Exhibition Centre in Tel Aviv hosts the enormous and well-organized operation “Eran’s Angels” Donations of all kinds of goods are piled high and displayed in sections for soldiers, for babies, for children, for the home, etc. I delivered twenty-five hats for soldiers which had been knitted by the Belmont Knitting Circle.

Later that week we received a terrible post on the local Netanya group. A young chayalsoldier – who lived in the next street to our home had fallen in battle. The funeral cortège was scheduled to pass by our home at 1pm. We assembled in the street, lining the road with hundreds and hundreds of other local residents. We waited quietly with our flags and with tears in our eyes and running down our faces, as the local Bikers Group, family funeral cars, the army representatives and then the hearse passed us on the way to the cemetery. We have never before witnessed such an intense or public outpouring of grief and emotion. A few days later we did the same, only this time for one of the hostages. There are no words. The sense of grief, of upset, of anger on the street is palpable. The war has done terrible things to a fun loving, boisterous people.

Orot Yisrael is a farm located close to Kfar Saba. Together with two friends, I spent a few hours packing lettuces - hundreds of them! We worked alongside employees from the nearby Arab village.

The local WIZO centre held a 3-day grand sale of clothing, toys, bric-a-brac and an abundance of Purim costumes! The regular volunteers gave me a warm welcome and prior to the doors opening, we formed a circle, held hands and prayed for the safety of our soldiers and the swift return of the hostages.

Liz and Anthony Reindorp

For some years Anthony and I had talked about going on SAR-EL to do volunteer work on army bases supporting the IDF, however, it took the events of 7 October to give us a much-needed push. At Ben Gurion we were allocated to our base for the next five days. We arrived in good time thinking we would be leaving fairly promptly. However the registration process took longer than expected as there were a record number of volunteers, more than 250 in total coming from all over the world, predominantly USA and Canada but also Australia, Germany, Holland, Finland and South Africa but virtually no others from the UK. What was striking in the current international climate was how many were not Jewish. Eventually we were marshalled on to coaches. That week we were allocated to a base near Be’er Sheva. We were to sleep in bunk beds, in heated marquee style tents - 32 in the women’s tent and 28 in the men’s. Everyone knows that armies march on their stomachs so the first order we received was to eat lunch! Our duties consisted of sorting food products by date and extracting sachets of tomato ketchup, halva and jam from the boxes of assorted tinned goods. We also had the privilege of packing 4,000 shabbat bags: two challah rolls, two croissants, two packets of nuts, one packet of biscuits and a small bottle of grape juice. We accomplished a lot in that first week which was very gratifying. In the evenings we had talks from various soldiers. The first was the by the second commander (whose family were originally from India) and his Bedouin Muslim colleague who tracks Palestinian terrorists in Gaza. The next night we had a talk by three young soldiers, two female and one male, on their main role, patrolling the Egyptian border for drug smugglers. Since 7 October they are now seconded to protecting the very important logistics base we were on. One of the girls struggling with her tears told how she lost a very close friend on 7 October. Their resilience is absolutely amazing. The three were all reservists who once they heard of the atrocities did not hesitate to head for base to serve their country. Our final talk was about all about the different coloured berets of the different regiments of which there are 17. The last evening was

receiving certificates and commemorative SAREL tee shirts showing that we have been part of the Iron Swords campaign.

For our second week we were on a base near Tel Aviv sorting medical supplies. This time sleeping in small dormitory-style rooms. Initially we were told to make 2,500 packs with five items for the field: each pack to consist of two catheters, one intravenous tube, one webbing bandage strip, two sterile antiseptic wipes and a reel of tape. Other people were sorting medical equipment returned from the battlefield or checking the expiry date on a variety of medications ranging from eye drops to paracetamol to diarrhoea tablets! Each evening our madrich gave us talks and various quizzes, ending with a final and most distressing talk about how an 80 year old man on one of the kibbutzim near the border told his wife, daughter and grandson to hide in the bathroom rather than the strong room and not to make a sound. The terrorists killed him but the rest of his family were saved by his quick thinking. Still full of the positivity gained from two very satisfying weeks working with other likeminded volunteers, we found ourselves on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Tel Aviv at Hostage Square. I am not often lost for words,

but the realisation that I was standing next to the mother of Romi Gonen who had spent four hours on the phone hearing at first hand exactly what was happened at the Re’im peace festival site, a phone call which ended with Romi being taken hostage, was a sobering moment and a reinforcement of why the Iron Swords campaign is being waged.

We are pleased to o,er a complete range of security measures for the o,ice, the workplace and the home including: Gates, Access Control, CCTV, Alarm systems, Fencing and Door entry

Fencing gates

CCTV CCTV

Door entry

The Jewish Legion celebrates Pesach 1919

Pesach 1920 in Jerusalem is a time that no one would wish to remember with fondness. The Nebi Mussa riots against Jewish citizens in British Mandate Palestine were not as devastating as what happened in Israel on October 7th last year, but there are disturbing parallels. The local Arab populations had been whipped up into a frenzy by Amin alHusseini, a virulent antisemite who later as Grand Mufti of Jerusalem told Hitler that he should ‘burn the Jews.’ The Arabs were well prepared, but so were the Jews. Some 2,000 members of the Jewish Legion, a volunteer force of British, local and other nationalities attached to battalions which had terminated the rule of the Ottoman Turks in Palestine, had been under the command of Colonel John Henry Patterson (right) until they were disbanded towards the end of 1919. Patterson, a Christian Zionist and supporter of the Balfour Declaration, was well disposed towards his men. The same could not be said of his superiors and other battalion commanders in the British Army and the Mandate Authority mandarins.

On Sunday 4 April 1920, the first day of Chol Hamoed in Israel, thousands of Arabs gathered in Jerusalem. The menacing crowd, brandishing knives and other weapons, shouting ‘Slaughter the Jews’ headed for the Jewish Quarter. The Arab police joined the attackers, their British counterparts turned the other way.

Jewish self defence units largely former fighters of the Jewish Legion attempted to intervene, but the British forces blocked their entry to the Old City. For three days the outrages continued unchecked. Five Jews were murdered and over 200 wounded, some critically. Synagogues were desecrated, shops were looted, and homes were ransacked. The British military authorities rejected Jewish demands to dismiss the Arab police amid accusations of their complicity in the pogrom.

To add insult to the Jewish injuries, British forces rounded up twenty members of the Jewish Defence Units who were imprisoned for three years. Their leader, Vladimir (Ze’ev) Jabotinsky, a lieutenant in the British Army until he was demobbed in December 2019 was arrested and jailed for fifteen years on trumped up charges of ‘banditism’ and possession of a handgun. All sentences were dropped some months later following petitions by Zionist leaders to the British and US governments. Later, Jabotinsky broke with the mainstream Zionist movement and founded the Alliance of Revisionists-Zionists and its youth paramilitary organization Betar. Jabotinsky became the mentor of Menachem Begin. His career in the British Army is less well known.

Born in Odessa in 1880, he was an early participant in the Zionist Congresses founded by Theodor Herzl. Jabotinsky’s life was a constant procession towards the sound of gunfire. When World War I broke out Jabotinsky had the idea of establishing a Jewish Legion to fight alongside the British against the Ottomans. Together with Joseph Trumpeldor they created the Zion Mule Corps, several hundred Jewish men, mainly Russians who had been exiled from Palestine by the Ottoman Empire and had settled in Egypt. The unit served with distinction in the Battle of Gallipoli. Later when the Mule Corps was disbanded in 1917 the British government agreed to three Jewish battalions, initiating the Jewish Legion.

This was the year of the Balfour Declaration, in retrospect the high point of British-Jewish relations in the mandate period. Jabotinsky, now an honorary lieutenant in the 38th Royal Fusiliers, saw action in Palestine in 1918. Jabotinsky was demobilised in September 1919, soon after he had complained to Field Marshal Allenby about the British Army's attitude towards Zionism and the reduction of the Jewish Legion to just one battalion. His appeals to the British government failed to reverse the decision. Curiously in December 1919 he was awarded the OBE for his services to the Empire.

But before these events, exactly one year prior to the Nebi Mussa atrocities, Jabotinsky had a direct hand in the Jewish Legion’s celebration of Pesach 1919. By this time, the British Mandate authority’s attitude towards the Jews and in particular the Jewish Legion had hardened, doubtlessly under the encouragement of local Arab leaders.

Having fought with distinction alongside British and allied forces during the liberation of Palestine, the men of the Jewish Legion were eagerly anticipating celebrating Pesach in the Old City of Jerusalem, yet they were barred from doing so. The legion’s commander, Colonel Patterson had no doubt that the new rulers in Palestine – the British Army – had continued the Ottomans’ antisemitic practices against the Jews. His fury about the manner of his Jewish soldiers’ vicious treatment from British commanders could barely be contained. These are his words:

“Palestine has become the theatre of an undisguised anti-Semitic policy. Elementary equality of rights is denied the Jewish inhabitants; the Holy City, where the Jews are by far the largest community, has been handed over to a militantly anti-Semitic municipality…

“The Hebrew language is officially disregarded and humiliated; anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism is the fashionable attitude among officials who take their cue from superior authority…

“The Jewish soldier is treated as an outcast… When there is a danger of anti-Jewish excesses, Jewish soldiers are removed from the threatened areas and employed on fatigues, and not even granted the right to defend their own flesh and blood…

“In April 1919 the men were considerably upset on the receipt of orders from G.H.Q. that no Jewish soldier would be allowed to enter Jerusalem during the Passover; the order ran thus: ‘The walled city (of Jerusalem) is placed out of bounds to all Jewish soldiers from the 14th to the 22nd April, inclusive.’…

“I cannot conceive a greater act of provocation to Jewish soldiers than this. The days during which they were prohibited from entering Jerusalem were the days of the Passover. Think of it! Jewish soldiers for the

first time in their lives in Palestine and barred from the Temple Wall of Jerusalem during Passover! Only a Jew can really understand what it meant to these men, and the great strain it put on their discipline and loyalty…

“Not since the days of the Emperor Hadrian had such a humiliating decree been issued. However, to make up somewhat for the action of the authorities, I made arrangements for the Passover to be observed with all the joy and ceremony usually attending that great Feast of the Jewish People. At considerable cost we provided unleavened bread, as well as meat and wine—all strictly ‘Kosher’. As we were nearly 2,000 strong at this time, the catering for the feast had to be most carefully gone into, and Lieut. Jabotinsky, Lieut. Lazarus, and the Rev. L. A. Falk did yeoman service in providing for all needs. It was a wonderful sight when we all sat down together and sang the Hagadah on the edge of the Sinai desert…

“I had considerable trouble with the authorities in the matter of providing unleavened bread. However, we surmounted all difficulties, and had an exceedingly jovial first night, helped thereto by the excellent Palestinian wine which we received from Mr. Gluskin, the head of the celebrated wine press of Rishon-le-Zion, near Jaffa.

The members of the Jewish Legion who celebrated Seder night together in 1919 had good reason to sing loudly ‘Next Year in Jerusalem’.

David Levenson

May all our brave soldiers celebrate Pesach 2024 peacefully.

Mazeltov to…

Max Coby, son of Marc & Sophie, grandson

Helen & David Carr, great grandson

Tzipora Liba, daughter of Josh & Avigail Reindorp,

Anthony,

Yakov Shalom, son of Dov & Miriam Lerner, grandson to Barbara & David

Itai, son of Adam & Emma Gordon, grandson to Karen & Jonnie Dorman

Wedding of Sarah Miller to Benjamin Hildebrand, son of Julia and Simon

Engagement of Olivia Marks, daughter of Jane & Brian to David Cohen

Engagement of Rachael Simons, daughter of Helen and Derek to Jason Berelowitz

Wedding of Benjamin Fisher to Hannah Paley, son of Denise and Harry

Jack Stanley, son of Simon & Nathasha Abrahams, grandson to Louise & Jonathan

Ayala Rose daughter of Rachel and Adam Ifield, granddaughter to Tina and David Freedman and Hilarie and Stuart

Joel Levitan MSc in aerospace engineering, University of Liverpool, grandson of Marilyn Levitan

Libbie Bella Levy, daughter of Ashley & Caroline, granddaughter to Simone & Raymond

Azariah Hoshea son of Asher and Michelle Israel, grandson of David and the late Janet Sarsby

Amalyah, daughter of Matthew and Sheerelle Marks, granddaughter to Jane and Brian

Benjamin Robeson MSc in Clinical Embryology, Leeds University, grandson of Linda & John Simmons

granddaughter to

Liz & the late Simone Reindorp

Eva Rose daughter of Simon & Sami Heller, granddaughter to Esther & David

to

to Miriam Carr