TLSE Hakol January-February 2019

T he L iberal Synagogue E lstree

Hakol

Jan/Feb 2019 Tevet/Sh’vat/Adar I 5779

THE FIRST TLSE TRIP TO KRAKOW & AUSCHWITZ Impressions & Reflections This month:

THE KABBALAT TORAH GROUP SERVICE ON NATIONAL HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL WEEKEND: SATURDAY 26TH JANUARY

RABBI’S WORD – JANUARY 2019

Rabbi Pete Tobias

FROM ELSTREE TO AUSCHWITZ—AND BACK

W

elcome to this special edition of Hakol.

January is the month when we celebrate the Kabbalat Torah service and also recall the Holocaust on the Shabbat closest to January 27th, National Holocaust Memorial Day. So the KT Group will lead a service of memorial on the final Shabbat of the month. As well as featuring them, this special issue contains articles written by participants in a group trip I led a group to Krakow in the middle of November 2018. It was an emotional and moving trip; I hope you will find their words and images thought provoking as we seek to recall this tragic episode in our people’s history.

On a separate note, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the past editor of this magazine. Deborah Gabbay set a new standard for the quality of Hakol; a quality appreciated by many who read it and who featured in it. As we look for a new volunteer to edit Hakol (any offers, please contact me!) I hope the members of TLSE realise how fortunate we are to have had such a dedicated editor for the past two years.

CONTENTS

2

Kazimierz

page 3

Auschwitz-Birkenau

pages 4-5

Krakow Old Town

page 6

The New Cemetery

page 7

Jewish Community Centre

page 8

Looking forwards

page 9

Kabbalat Torah 2018

pages 10-11

A Letter to My Grandson

page 12

Second Generation

page 13

TLSEBurial Officer

page 14

Lunch Club

page 15

November Walk

page 16

Care & Welfare

page 18

KAZIMIERZ—KRAKOW’S JEWISH QUARTER

R

abbi Pete had found a lovely place for us to stay during our visit to Krakow, perfectly situated in the old Jewish Quarter – known as Kazimierz. The area takes its name from King Kazimierz the Great and its history can be traced back to 1335. Originally the Jewish population lived in the centre of Krakow but in 1495 the Jews had begun to be expelled from that region and had been welcomed by King Kazimierz into his area in the hope they would bring their wealth and education with them. Thus the Jews arrived in Kazimierz and continued to flourish there.

‘Basically, this is a map of the Jewish Quarter…’

The area had numerous synagogues and shops and Jewish life continued in Kazimierz until the population were forcibly moved into the Krakow ghetto – on the other side of the Vistula river – when the Nazis arrived and occupied Krakow.

Although some Jews returned after the war, the area became very run down and by the 1970s signs of Jewish life had all but disappeared. In the communist era the area gradually fell into disrepair. Rediscovered in the 1990s, thanks to Steven Spielberg who filmed Schindler’s List in Kazimierz, the Jewish Quarter has become a ‘must see’ tourist attraction when visiting Krakow and boasts beautifully restored buildings, countless cafes, restaurants and galleries.

There is a statue of a seated Jan Karski, a member of the Polish underground known as ‘the man who tried to stop the Holocaust’. During WWII, Karski smuggled himself into the Warsaw Ghetto and concentration camps with the express intent of reporting what was occurring there to allied leaders. Sadly his testimony was not believed – had it been, perhaps the holocaust itself could have been cut short.

He was recognised by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.

The old synagogues still remain although not all of them continue to hold services of worship. One of the synagogues is a book shop, another a museum.

Rabbi in a cage...’

I really enjoyed our visit to the Remuh Synagogue with its delightfully decorated interior walls and ceiling and the wrought iron ‘cage’ around the Bimah (presumably so the Rabbis could not escape!). As a group we sang Psalm 121 (Esa Einei) together there with our voices echoing melodiously around this little shul that has stood in this place since 1557 and that was truly special.

Maxine Steinberg 3

AUSCHWITZ –BIRKENAU

T

his was a trip I always felt I needed to do. This year has been the year of our eldest son's Bar Mitzvah so when it was announced the Rabbi was organising a group trip I was very keen to go. I felt nervous leaving my three young boys at home with my husband and I felt apprehension of what we were about to see.

We left on a Tuesday and visited the camp on the Thursday. The trip was planned very well as when we left Auschwitz I felt a strong need to be home with my boys and hug them tight.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and at times her graphic description of what went on inside the camp was hard to hear and a struggle to digest. I felt great sadness and an overwhelming feeling of anger. Anger at how any of this could have happened and anger that there is still discrimination and anti-semitism in the world today.

I think what will stay I’m my memory the most is the sight of the Tallitot I saw. There were a number behind glass. They looked new, and again I thought back to my son who only weeks ago had been given his on the morning of his Bar Mitzvah.

Even wrapped up warm in my winter coat, gloves and scarf the cold was biting I couldn’t stop thinking of how all those poor souls living there must have felt. It was grey and bleak and a relief when it was time for us to leave. I kept thinking how very lucky we are to be able to leave.

It was a very emotional trip and I am so pleased to have experienced it with the group I was with. As always Rabbi Pete was informative and reassuring and it felt as though we were all there to support each other. I am very grateful to have been included in this experience and truly believe every-one should go at some point.

Kate Nathan

AUSCHWITZ – WHAT I THOUGHT I KNEW

I

thought I knew about Auschwitz ….

I’ve read many books, attended holocaust education seminars, seen hundreds of photos, heard survivors speak passionately and emotively of their unimaginable 6experiences – I thought I knew about Auschwitz …..

54

When visiting Auschwitz I thought I attended with an open mind – I didn’t.

When I saw that barbed wire I thought I would know how it would make me feel – I didn’t.

When walking through block after block I thought I’d feel sadness – I didn’t (I felt anger) When looking at the hair, the glasses, the shoes, the suitcases, the detritus of thrown away lives – I thought I knew the feelings I’d feel – I didn’t.

When walking into the gas chamber, I thought I might feel the ghosts of those who perished here – I didn’t.

When seeing the gaping mouths of the furnaces I thought I would feel sickened, appalled, any number of feelings never even felt before – I didn’t.

I felt numbed, ashamed at the whole human race – and anger.

When continuing the journey to Birkenau, I thought I knew how I’d feel – I didn’t.

The sky became greyer, the wind became stronger, the air become colder and, yes, the whole panorama appeared bleaker.

That ‘iconic’ image of the entrance tower, the railway tracks, the cattle truck standing forlorn, The row upon row of blocks made of bricks, of chimneys that surely did nothing to warm the bodies of those held within.

The ruins remaining from buildings destroyed in attempts to hide the horror of what happened here.

I thought I’d take photos to remind me that I came here, that I was present to bear witness to the truth of this place – I couldn’t.

I thought I would find the words to adequately express how this place made me feel – I couldn’t.

So this is something I’ve learned. I thought I knew about Auschwitz – I didn’t.

No-one can know about Auschwitz until you have personally stood in that place, walked those paths, touched those bricks, seen with your own eyes the wall people were shot at, the gallows people were hung from, the gas chambers that choked the lives from men, women and children, the furnaces that turned young and old to ash.

And even then – even when I have personally witnessed all these things – the feelings will be all-encompassing anger, shame, sorrow, hate and a sadness that will forever remain in my heart. I thought I knew about Auschwitz …. I do now.

6 Maxine Steinberg

KRAKOW OLD TOWN

A

fter the horror and evil of Auschwitz-Birkenau on the Thursday of our trip, we were all a little tired on Friday.

Following continental breakfast at Aparthotel Miodowa and having packed and brought our cases downstairs, we assembled in the lobby at 10:00 a.m.

Rabbi Pete had previously bought a group tram ticket so we went to the bus stop to wait for the tram to take us to the Old Town Square. It was a short ten minute ride. A short walk brought us into the square. It was a cold, dry day.

Krakow Old Town has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1978. It is one of the largest squares in Europe. The Old Town is known in Polish as Stare Miasto and the main square is Rynek Glowny, you will find this written on the front of the trams. St. Mary’s Basilica is a Gothic church in the main market square and on the hour, a bugle sounds from the church tower. When we arrived, we had a team photo and at the same time, the bugle sounded. Tourists can climb to the top of the church tower but I don’t think anyone did from our group.

The Sukiennice or Cloth Hall is in the centre of the square with shops selling amber jewellery and other items. It is a Gothic structure which was rebuilt as a Renaissance edifice. Upstairs, it is home to the Krakow National Museum. We had about 1 ¼ hrs to wander around the square to visit the shops and have a coffee.

Just outside the square is Poland’s oldest university, the Jagellonian and a little further on is the Wawel Castle which we didn’t have time to visit. We visited Krakow about ten years ago and remembered there was a chocolate shop in the square called E. Wedel. The chocolate drinks are made from real chocolate and you can choose from bitter, milk, dark and white. It is from a bygone era.

The square also featured white horse drawn carriages, if you fancied a ride and there were many small stalls selling the twisted ring shaped breads with poppy seeds.

Rabbi Pete bought a red bobble hat with “KRAKOW” in the centre so that we wouldn’t miss him! From then on, it was follow the red bobble hat!

Michael with the winning trophy

Rosalind Moss

6

THE NEW CEMETERY

T

here are now two Jewish cemeteries in Krakow. The first is next to the Remuh Synagogue, but, when this became full in 1800, the New Cemetery was opened. This cemetery was actually about 50 yards from our hotel and was not a part of our itinerary, however, when Maxine and I found that it was so close, we wanted to pay a visit.

What we found were leaning headstones so overgrown or worn that many of the inscriptions are no longer readable. They form claustrophobic alleyways under tall and ancient trees. It is a very peaceful place, standing in stark contrast to the bustling city that surrounds it. In 1920, it became full, so two new cemeteries were opened, sadly they were both destroyed by the Nazis. In fact, this cemetery is once again in use, we could see that a small number of burials have taken place in the past 20 years.

During World War II, the Nazis used the New Jewish Cemetery as a shooting range where they held regular target practice. Nazi vandalism caused the majority of damage seen today. There are a large number of shattered, broken, or fallen tombstones. Many of the dead whose headstones were vandalized would have had no surviving family members to repair or maintain their graves. However, fragments of the old headstones are now being used to create walls and walkways inside the cemetery.

This, in my opinion, is a very worthwhile way of remembering those who were buried there.

As you walk in, there is a large Holocaust Memorial, this is again made from parts of old gravestones plus a number of new black marble stones remembering members of the community who perished in the War. One stone, in particular, caught my eye, Dr Jozef Steinberg. I have no idea if this was a relative of mine, I do know that my great great grandfather came to England from Poland in 1860, and checking websites, I found that a large number of Steinbergs lived in Krakow in the early / mid 19th century, so it could even have been a distant relation.

The scale and size of the Holocaust was so big, it is difficult to comprehend the numbers who were murdered, and yet, this was a reminder to me that it was real people, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, not just numbers.

David Steinberg 7

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTRE JCC Our final official visit was to the JCC for lunch on Friday. Coping with a roller coaster of emotions from the ghetto and the concentration camps, we came full circle back to the Jewish People of today.

On an official visit in 2002, HRH Prince Charles visited the area and met with local Holocaust survivors. After listening to their stories and realising they had nowhere to meet up and socialise, the concept of an old age home began.

However, after further observation, Prince Charles realised there was also a young community who also had nowhere to meet. After discussing the situation with WJR, a decision was made to build a community centre for the re-emerging Jewish community. The Centre was completed in 2008.

Fast forward 10 years, they now have over 600 members who are enjoying the variety of programs they have to offer, from kindergarten school to the weekly chavurah shabbat supper and many other activities in between.

Many of their members have just recently discovered they were, in fact, Jewish and with the help of the JCC have integrated and embraced their faith. There are many people in Krakow who may not realise they are Jewish or who have had to hide that fact for so long after the Holocaust and Communist regime that their extended family members do not know. Maybe one day, with the help of the JCC, they will ..........

Having seen the total devastation at Auschwitz, it was uplifting and inspirational that, following the destruction of the Jewish community, we finished the trip seeing first hand its rebirth, literally rising from the ashes. Unbelievably, we left Krakow on a high.

Jonathan & Davina Bennett

8

LOOKING FORWARD...

O

ur trip to Krakow last week was so full of contrasts. Knowing that we were going to be visiting places where such evil had taken place in the recent past had prepared us for an emotional week, but I cannot put into words the feelings I had when walking through the cold, bleak ruins of Birkenau knowing what had happened there. On our last day in Krakow however, we saw signs of hope for a new Jewish future in Poland, and it is this aspect that I would like to write about.

Rabbi Pete arranged for us to visit and have lunch at the JCC (Jewish Community Centre) in the historic Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, and it is here that Jewish life is being rediscovered and lived. Funded by international donors, the Centre has been open for 10 years now, and runs programmes for all ages, and types of Judaism. As has happened in other former Soviet Union countries, young people are rediscovering the Judaism that had been almost lost in their families after the horrors of the Nazi era and times of Soviet horrors of the Nazi repression. Weekly Shabbat dinners, Hebrew lessons and clubs for older and younger members are thriving there as well as language classes and educational programmes. We chatted A TLSE member, Keith Preston, helped to some of the members who told us that to set up the JCC - a plaque in the entrance hall! their numbers are growing each year, including many non-Jewish Poles who have been keen to learn more about Judaism and participate in the revival of Jewish life in Poland today.

Another place that made an impression on me was the small Remuh Synagogue and old cemetery that we visited in the Kazimierz quarter. The synagogue was built in 1553 and has undergone many repairs and renovations since then.

Following Nazi damage and closure, it has now been restored and used again for occasional services. There was a lovely sense of calm in the now beautiful building, and the old cemetery surrounding it. It is very inspiring to see how Jewish life is being revived now in Poland, but preserving the past is part of the story too.

Ann Etkind 9

TLSE HIGH HOLYDAY KABBALAT TORAH 2018 APPEAL 5779

J

Deborah Gabbay

anuary is the month for the Kabbalat Torah Group concludes its studies. Once that happens, it’s time to prepare for the KT services, which takes place on the weekend closest to National Holocaust Memorial Day. This January that will be on FRIDAY 25TH AND SATURDAY 26TH JANUARY.

The KT service picks up an aspect of the group’s study during the year, which began in February 2018. Hakol also features an image of the KT Group, usually taken as they stand infront of a section of the Berlin Wall.

But this year, owing to a combination of summer holiday and other commitments, it was not possible to get the KT group to Berlin until January 2019, just a week before the KT services.

The advantage of this is that the group will have plenty of time to be together and prepare for the special services at the end of the month. The disadvantage is that they won’t be able to say what just about every other KT student has said in the past about the KT experience—namely that the trip to Berlin was the best bit (it is, but they don’t know that yet!)

So the next edition of Hakol will feature a report on the Kabbalat Torah services and report on the Almost Legendary Annual KT Trip to Berlin, version 14.0 (can you believe that? This will be the 14th Almost Legendary Annual KT Trip to Berlin (not to mention the two not quite so almost legendary adult trips…) All those young people who celebrated becoming bar-/bat-mitzvah at TLSE between September 2017 and September 2018 are invited to attend the services and then sign up for the 2019 KT Group...

Meanwhile on behalf of this year’s Kabbalat Torah Group I would like to give my sincere thanks to Michael Walton for his efforts in Stop that! challenging the group to ‘face history’ by using powerful and inspiring educational materials relating to the issues that lie behind the Holocaust and the challenges that emerge from it.

Mike Walton about to break the ‘no singing’ rule..

10

KT is important for me because learning about the past of the Jewish people is key to my Jewish identity. I lost a lot of family in the Holocaust so being educated about t is very important. I feel as if learning about how so many Jews died is a way to respect their lives.

It is also meaningful to educate the younger generation to prevent these events repeating themselves. It means a lot to me to learn about the past as it will help us grow in the future.

Nathan Hekster

As someone with Bulgarian roots. (a country managing to avoid involvement in the Holocaust at the time when the rest of Europe was a trap for Jews yearning for freedom) I only had the personal accounts of Primo Levi and Viktor Frankl to rely on. Their conclusions showed similar ideas about how the prisoner and jailor both had different itineraries, but with the same dehumanising result.

The KT class, on the other hand, fo-cused more on how Germany’s great culture was contrasted with the sudden desire for power, resulting in somewhat of a distortion of the country’s prior values. I was astonished at how the nation of Kant and Beethoven could so rapidly develop such a destructive perspective towards the perceived minorities of mankind; attempting to ‘cleanse’ society by extermination. Acknowledging this made me see our present day community as even more valuable than before.

Maggie Belcheva

KT is important to me because I find it interesting to learn about our Jewish past.

Not only that, I find it interesting to learn about the Holocaust, and the events that led up to this. I find it interesting to find out why such a horrific event could have happened, and how we as a species can prevent something as bad as this from ever happening again, and what we can do to stop antisemitism from ever corrupting people again.

Kit Boulton

KT 2018 SERVICES Friday 25th & Saturday 26th January 2018

I have enjoyed KT because I like learning about what happened in Jewish history.

The most interesting thing we have learnt about is the holocaust story and reading survivors’ stories.

Alice Elman

I have benefited significantly from KT classes and I have thoroughly enjoyed them.

Through the course I have developed a sense of enquiry and have been encouraged to question why certain things happen and analyse this. I am extremely excited to visit Berlin with the group in January to consolidate Holocaust study. I would strongly recommend the class to those considering it for next year. It has been an insightful and worthy experience.

Katie McAree 11

A LETTER TO MY GRANDSON Hey Jaxon!

I don’t know when you’ll be able to read this, but I think it’s important that I write it to you now. You see I’ve just come back from a place called Auschwitz and there is something I need to tell you about the human race that you’ve recently joined.

To be honest, I think you already know. There’s a story in the Talmud which says that just before a baby is born, an angel shows it all the secrets of the universe. Then, at the moment of birth, the angel touches the baby on the lips and it forgets everything it had just been told. We then spend our lives trying to remember what the angel said.

There’s a look in your eyes that tells me you still remember a lot of it. You look like you have an ‘old soul’. Whenever I look into your eyes and see you staring back at me I can almost see you asking, demanding to know what has happened to the world that the angel told you about. How come human beings have made such a mess of it?

At some point, someone is going to have to explain to you how some human beings were responsible for the mass murder, on an industrial scale, of millions of other human beings. I don’t suppose you’ll understand it. I don’t think I do. I don’t think anyone can. But it’s important to know that it happened, that it can happen and that it could happen again.

Occasionally I stopped to take a photograph of something – mostly the group of people I was with. And every time I took out my phone to take a picture, there you were on the screen. I took this screenshot to remind me of the time.

And your eyes are looking, questioning, challenging, asking me ‘What is this place?

How could this happen?’ and even ‘What is this world that I have been brought into?’

It reminds me of a time two years ago when your dad and I were having a text conversation about how scary the world can be. He said ‘Is there any point in having children any more?’ This was my reply: ‘That’s such a sad thing for you to ask. But the answer is yes. Because there always has to be hope.’

And here you are. I’m sorry that the world you have been brought into can be so horrible. I’m sorry that it is such a long way from whatever that angel showed you just before you were born. But when I look at you – or rather, when you look at me – it makes me remember what I assume the angel told me over 60 years ago. Thank you for helping me to hear it again. And I hope that I, that everyone around you and the world itself can grow closer to your memory of what the angel told you. And may you remember it as well as you can in the days and the years of your life.

Grandpa Pete, November 2018 12

SECOND GENERATION GROUP

A

Group is being formed to explore how our parents’ experience of the Holocaust has affected our lives and relationships. And now, at this stage in our lives, when our parents are ageing or they may no longer be with us, how do we handle this legacy and identity?

Being the ones at the end of the line now, as well as recent media coverage of the Anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Kindertransport and the Anschluss and so on, may perhaps bring up various feelings and issues. Certainly, it seems that people are now wanting to talk about this because Jewish Care have had a lot of enquiries about some sort of an opportunity to discuss and work through such matters. Moshe Teller and Wendy Davis who both work as Therapists at Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivor Centre have decided to set up the Second Generation Group which they will be facilitating. They are themselves children of survivors and have over 30 years’ experience of working in this field. The Group will run for 16 weeks and be held in NW London on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

If you are interested and would like to know more, please contact: Wendy Davis MAHPP Emeritus UKCP …………………….. 07962 262081 Moshe Teller Dip. Fine Art, Dip.ATh ……………………… 07712 581112

A WORD FROM THE CHAIRS..

Richard Boulton & Lizzie Rabin

As we write this we are currently in the middle of Chanukkah. We have already had our first ever adult doughnut making evening earlier this week and the Religion School will be turning their hands to it next. It’s great to see a broad range of our community joining in with these events.

Since we last wrote, Rabbi Pete took a group of our members to Krakow, for an emotional but interesting few days. The feedback has all been extremely positive, together with the feeling by all that attended, that they were so grateful to be able to share the experience and be able to provide emotional support for each other We said thank you and goodbye to Deborah Gabbay, our Office Adminstrator at the end of November. Deborah did a really great job in helping with the smooth running of TLSE, as well as co-ordinating Hakol and the Nursery and we wish her well for the future.

Jacqueline Bernard has kindly agreed to step in for the coming months and we’re sure you all join us in welcoming Jacqueline to her new 13 role.

TLSE BURIAL OFFICER

A

crucial and largely unrecognised voluntary role in our synagogue community is that of Burial Officer. For more years than he would care to mention, Peter Merton has been responsible for ensuring that TLSE members dealing with bereavements are directed to the undertaker and given the necessary assistance in making arrangements at a very difficult time. His contact details, which have been on the TLSE answerphone for years, will finally be changed as Peter retired from this position at the and of 2018. TLSE would like to offer its thanks and gratitude to Peter for his tireless work for our bereaved members.

This vital role will now be taken on by Joan Shopper.

Here is how Joan introduces herself: We became members of Liberal Judaism in 1973 when we joined Finchley Progressive Synagogue. In 2015 we joined TLSE as it is closer to our home, although we have retained our Associate Membership at FPS. I have always been very active in the Liberal Jewish community, and spend much of my working life steeped in it: I was the administrator at Finchley from 1975 until 1997, when I left to work as PA to Rabbi Dr. David Goldberg at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue. I retired in 2004 I was previously a Vice-Chairman of Liberal Judaism and am still a Vice-President of FPS and also of GRAVE SEARCH FACILITY Liberal Judaism.

I am very well qualified to be the Burial Officer at TLSE being a member of Edgware Jewish Burial Board and currently Chair the Operations Committee of Edgwarebury Cemetery.

I am also the Burial Officer for Finchley Progressive and have been so since 1975!

I also keep myself busy as a volunteer reader for the St. Albans Talking Newspaper, and am a member of the Redbourn Neighbourhood Watch, as well as a committee member of the Patients’ Participation Group of our local surgery. I am married to Howard and we have three children and four grandchildren.

14

An online grave search facility is available for Edgwarebury Cemetery (Edgware) and Hoop Lane Cemetery (Golders Green). If you wish to use it, please visit www.edgwarebury cemetery.org.uk/burial-search/ Searches can be made by either forename or surname and you can search in Edgwarebury, Hoop Lane or both. There is no need to enter a year of burial.

The results provide the deceased’s full name, community, plot indication, date of death and date of burial.

If you have any questions please contact Rafe Thurstance at Liberal Judaism Tel: 020 7580 1663

LUNCH

CLUB

Enjoy a great lunch! Make new friends! Be entertained!

Venue: The Synagogue Time: 1pm TLSE members: £5 Non-Members: £6

Tuesday 29 January

Tuesday 26 February

If you are coming, please contact Ann Tel: 01923 857740 email: ann_7747@hotmail.com 15

SHABBAT WALKS

O

ur November Shabbat walk was a ramble round the local countryside starting and ending at The Battle Axes in Butterfly Lane and walking round the reservoir in Aldenham Country Park. Ann and I had practiced the walk earlier in the month and had managed to go slightly wrong at one point. It was worth it because, as we walked across a field near Aldenham Country Park we were suddenly surrounded by about 15 or 20 alpacas! They were all on an alpaca walk organised as part of the Bushey Festival. On the day of the walk we managed to stick to the correct route.

The first part of the walk took us across part of Elstree Aerodrome. I’ve walked around here many times in the past, but I don’t think I have ever seen so many aircraft parked up there. It was certainly a sight worth seeing. We then walked up the road towards the entrance to Aldenham Country Park. Sue saw a section of the fence which had fallen down so we were able to get off the road and walk up through the park. As we went, we passed a tree with various nets hanging round it and several teenage boys jumping from the branches into the nets. They were having a great time and taking photos of each other. Much braver than me! From there we walked round the reservoir. We’ve done this several times before and always enjoy it. There were several tractors where they were cutting down some of the trees near the sailing club. One of the tractors had a little boy strapped on to his daddy’s knee. He was obviously having the time of his life.

The walk continued across the road from the country park down to Watling Street then across paths which ended up at Radlett Golf Club then back down to Watling Street and across to follow a path through fields and woodland to Butterfly Lane and back to our cars. We all came back to our house for tea and cake and a chat.

What a lovely way to spend a Shabbat afternoon!

UPCOMING WALKS Dylan Caplan, James Caplan, Joshua Caplan, Cartine, Date: Saturday 19th January Led by: LeighJoshua and Lisa RenakAriella Davis, Jessica Davis, Dominic De Jonge, Emily Garland, Harry Golding, Daisy Grant, Time: 1:45pm for 2:00pm Mobile number on the day: 07958 512526 Noah Kramer, Harley Morgan, Maxwell Natha, Emilie Setyon, Lexi Smullen, Meet:Swarc, At theCharley Cha ChaSwarc, Cha Café in Cassiobury Belle Imogen WainsteinPark, Watford. If you fancy lunch in the café before we walk, we will be there from 1:00pm.

16

Date: Saturday 23rd February Led by: Sue Woolf Time: 1:45pm for 2:00pm Mobile on the day: 07749 726650 Meet: At the car park on the right-hand side of Marford Road (B653) going North West from the Crooked Chimney pub, Welwyn Garden City, for a ramble round the local countryside.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Florence de la Cour, Olivia Drury, Louis Hochenberg, Violet Saunders, India Mizelas-Hall, Penny Ram, Katie Smullen

MAZEL TOV TO : ...the following who celebrate becoming bar– and bat-mitzvah during January and February (and one who was bar-mitzvah on November 24th 2018 but who was accidentally omitted in the last issue!)

Louie Carvacho 5th January

Tia Boulton 12th January

Jessica Davis 9th February

Dylan Caplan Aden Hekster 16th February 24th November ‘18 17

17

CONDOLENCES TO: We are very sorry to announce that Harold Pomerance has passed away. We send our condolences to Carole and her family.

GET WELL SOON: Barbara Rabin after her recent operation, Gayle McCombe after her accident and to Martyn Fairbanks. If you or a family member would like a visit from the Rabbi or contact with the Care & Welfare Group, please call the synagogue office or notify the relevant person below (based on your surname).

CARE & WELFARE COMMITTEE A-B

BARBARA

020 8953 1369

J-M

ESTELLE

020 8954 9569

C-D

SHIRLEY

020 8953 0416

N-Q

PETER

020 8953 1369

E-F

AVRIL

020 8421 9355

R-S

RITA

020 8953 4439

G-I

CAROL

020 8950 1862

T-Z

JUDY

01582 468100

KEEP YOUR SHEDS AND OUTBUILDINGS SAFE Are you aware that 85% of all thefts are committed by opportunists?

Burglars often use garden tools, in particular ladders, garden spades and forks, taken from outbuildings, to break into houses. Ensure that your shed, particularly doors and windows are in good condition Security lighting will increase visibility at night and may deter a thief from entering the garden.

Make sure all tools and equipment are put away and ensure that all sheds and outbuildings are locked when not in use. Bring tools inside if you do not have a garden outbuilding. Use good quality locks to secure your gates, doors and windows and check that all doors and frames are in a good condition, free from splits, rot and warp.

Most outbuilding door hinges are exposed and easily removed by taking out the screws. Replace ordinary screws and non-return screws or coach bolts. Coach bolts are very long with smooth heads that cannot be undone with a screwdriver or spanner.

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS: Stacey Greenberg

Lucy Holman and Ashley Delaney 18

Also Robert & Aylin Darwin

GENERAL INFORMATION T L S E

Elstree High Street, Elstree, Hertfordshire WD6 3EY Phone: 020 8953 8889 Email: office@tlse.org.uk www.tlse.org.uk

Please note: The office is usually occupied everyday (except Shabbat) but the hours are varied. Every effort will be made to respnd to youy within 24 hours.

Would all those involved in arranging functions, services or meetings please contact the office on 020 8953 8889 or office@tlse.org.uk so that they can be scheduled in the Synagogue diary. This ensures that any physical set-ups in the Synagogue are arranged and that meetings do not conflict.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure that details printed in Hakol are correct, no responsibility can be accepted for information misprinted or incorrectly given to the Editor. Please let the Editor know of any errors or corrections. The Editor reserves the right to edit material submitted for publication.

The deadline for submissions to the next edition of Hakol is Friday 8th February but submissions will be accepted at any time and early submission is appreciated.

COUNCIL MEMBERS’ CONTACT LIST CO-CHAIRMAN Lizzie Rabin 07974 229607 lizzie.rabin2702@gmail.com

CO-CHAIRMAN Richard Boulton 07801 921218 rboulton@gmail.com

HONORARY TREASURER Harvey Adams 07760 666002 frinton43@outlook.com

HONORARY PRESIDENT HONORARY SECRETARY Monique Blake Jo Jones 020 8953 4251 07958 300247 monique.david@ntlworld.com joanne.jones2304@gmail.com Jacqueline Bernard 07885 176417 goonergirly@live.co.uk

Alan Gordenfelt 020 8950 6048 ritalan@hotmail.co.uk

Peter Rabin 020 8958 7783 peterrabin@talktalk.net

Michael Reibscheid michael@reibscheid.co.uk 07710 178603

Penny Beral 07979 800616 penny@pennyberal.co.uk David Swarc 07767 788596 davidswarc@aol.com

In cases of bereavement, please contact our Burial Officer, Joan Shopper on 01582 792959 Designed & Printed by

DESIGN

PRINT

WEB

020 8449 6688 www.brunswickpress.co.uk 19

KRAKOW 13-16 NOV 2018