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Touring the new Jewish Care campus for Essex

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN

THE Essex Jewish News team have been among the first people to see the construction and progress of Jewish Care’s new Sugar & Ronson Campus in Redbridge.

We were given a ‘hard hat tour’ of the site – set to bring all of the charity’s local services under one roof – and it looks fantastic!

We were blown away by just how much thought and preparation has gone into designing and developing the campus, and struck by how big the space looks and the many incredible things being packed in there.

The building’s framework – including all floors and the roof – is now complete. Contractors are busy fitting bathrooms, hanging doors, decorating rooms, installing kitchen facilities and completing the outdoor patio ahead of a planned opening in June 2026.

The campus is located on Woodford Bridge Road, on the site of the former Redbridge Jewish Community Centre/ Sinclair House, which was originally built in 1969. It will include The Sugar Family Care Home – replacing Jewish Care’s Vi & John Rubens House in Gants Hill, built in 1982 – and The Ronson Community Centre, a replacement for the RJCC. It will also house The Dennis Centre for people living with dementia, relocating there from Gants Hill.

The work has been made possible by the commitment and huge generosity of cornerstone donors – Lord Sugar and his family, and the Ronson family via The Gerald and Gail Ronson Family Foundation – along with the ongoing support of the Dennis family and success of Jewish Care’s Always Essex fundraising campaign, which raised £1million.

Our tour was led by Jewish Care’s Ellisa Estrin (director of fundraising and marketing) and Richard Shone (director of

community services, volunteering, social work and hospitality). Their knowledge, insight and, above all, passion for the community, were on display throughout.

We began by walking through the communal areas. We were told how there will be a feature wall in the main reception displaying a timeline of the history of the Jews of East London, along with Judaica and historical elements from the former Sinclair House.

There will also be an on-site hairdresser, serving both residents and community centre members. This space will double as a booth for visitor pods – should Covidstyle social distancing restrictions ever be in place again, although the hope is this aspect is never required.

A small Shabbat door at the entrance will provide access for those attending on Shabbat or festivals. The day centre foyer will also include a cloakroom.

For food lovers, the meat servery –the future home of the popular Salt Beef Bar nights – is taking shape. Behind it, a photo of Marky Cohen, a local butcher, is a reminder of the Jewish East End heritage.

As well as making meals for the day centre, the servery will act as a café – the only licensed kosher establishment in the area. It will have ample seating, and behind it, flexible spaces will host activities such as Pilates and line dancing.

Nearby is the Meals on Wheels collection hatch for volunteers delivering food to isolated community members. There’s also a dairy servery and a small coffee shop.

The Dennis Centre area features a main activity room, kitchenette, quiet lounge, and patio for members to enjoy the fresh air and sunny days.

Adjacent to this is a breakout room that will house Jami’s local mental health services, Jewish Care Explore (technology support for older people), and the campus

is also home to local social work and community support team.

Ellisa and Richard then guided us into The Sugar Family Care Home, which will offer 66 en-suite bedrooms across three floors. Each floor includes spa baths, outdoor patios, and stunning views of the City and surrounding green spaces. Rooms on the ground floor open directly onto patio areas.

A family function room will allow residents to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or Friday night dinners with loved ones. The main garden patio, featuring a pergola, will also function as the Sukkah.

Each care home floor includes a lounge, dining room with a fitted kitchen, activity room for physiotherapy and other uses, a quiet lounge, and an outdoor space.

The building has been thoughtfully designed and Jewish Care has partnered with Park Grove, and has been supported by Hamberley Developments Limited and Patron Capital.

Speaking to the Essex Jewish News, Jewish Care CEO Daniel Carmel-Brown said: “We have been delighted and proud to show the EJN team, as well as nearly 300 people from the local community, around the site of the new Sugar & Ronson Campus on hard hat tours – and to share our excitement for this first-class facility.

“The new campus will be transformative for the Jewish community across Essex and North East London. We are so grateful and thank every person in the community whose generous donations are vital in helping us meet the needs of our community, now and in the years to come.”

• If you wish to support the project, please contact Ellisa Estrin on eestrin@ jcare.org.

From Barkingside to the ballroom

By MICAELA BLITZ

THE Essex Jewish News wish Ellie Goldstein mazel tov and good luck as she takes to the dancefloor for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The 23-year-old Jewish model and campaigner from Barkingside was announced, as this paper went to press, as the ninth celebrity for this year’s edition of the BBC show. She has made headlines as the first contestant with Down Syndrome to take part in the show.

Other Jewish stars to have danced beneath the disco ball include presenter Vanessa Feltz, former S-Club 7 singer Rachel Stevens, Judge Robert Rinder and Countdown star Rachel Riley.

As a keen dancer and a great fan of the show, Ellie has said she is “absolutely over the moon” to be participating.

We wish her lots of luck for this exciting new challenge, and remember keeeeep dancing, Ellie!

Memorial for Romford rabbi

By MANNY ROBINSON

ASPECIAL memorial was unveiled outside Romford Town Hall to remember Rabbi Lee Sunderland, who passed away last year.

Many people of all faiths came to see the unveiling, including members of Romford and District Synagogue and local politicians.

Andrew Rosindell, MP for Romford, unveiled the memorial and said: “We remember a great man. You couldn’t meet Lee without him making an impact on you. Every time he spoke, he inspired us with all his words.”

Other speakers included Rabbi Sunderland’s son Ari, Havering Council leader Cllr Ray Morgan and Michael Levy

from Romford and District Synagogue. Cllr David Taylor said: “Rabbi Lee didn’t befriend us because he wanted anything. He did so because he was a man filled with love and that loved extended to all he met, no matter whether they were in positions of authority or whether they were abandoned by society.”

The EJN’s Simon Rothstein, Pat Lidiker, Linda Newman and Jason Levy don their hard hats

Ellie Goldstein is about to hit the BBC dancefloor

The Essex Jewish News is the newspaper of the Jewish community in Essex and is published by Essex Jewish News Ltd.

CIRCULATION AREA

Barking, Barkingside, Brentwood, Cambridge, Chigwell, Chingford, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping, Gants Hill, Gidea Park, Harold Hill, Harlow, Hainault, Highams Park, llford, Leyton, Leytonstone, Loughton, Newbury Park, Ongar, Redbridge, Romford, Southend and Westcliff, Wanstead and Woodford.

ESSEX JEWISH NEWS TEAM: Chair: Philip Leigh

Directors: Manny Robinson, Simon Rothstein, Jonathan Bloom, Micaela Blitz, Hazel Weinberg

Editor: Simon Rothstein

Editorial Consultant: Manny Robinson

News and Features: Micaela Blitz, Linda Newman and Pat Lidiker

Proofreaders: Jan Martin-Ellis and Sherri Hoppen

Typesetting & Artwork: Jason Levy and Kate Abram (Dynamic Pear)

Printing: Sharman Printers

All material is the copyright of Essex Jewish News Ltd and must not be reproduced without the written permission of the Editor.

CONTACTS:

All stories, pictures and editorial contributions should be sent by email to simon.rothstein@hotmail. co.uk or mannyrobinson@outlook. com

For all advertising opportunities, please contact: sales@essexjewishnews.co.uk

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Age Concern

Redbridge 020 8220 6000

Ahada Bereavement

Counselling

07758 727 328

Alzheimer’s Society

020 8970 5770

Board of Deputies

Information Desk

020 7543 5400

Chabad Gants Hill

addiction support

020 8554 1624

Chai Cancer Care

0808 808 4567

Chigwell and Hainault

League of Jewish Women

0790 560 5781

Chigwell and Hainault

JACS

020 8551 2355

Citizens Advice Bureau

0870 126 4140

Empathy

07765 191 067

Gants Hill JACS

0208 550 9450

Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade

020 8989 8990

Jewish Bereavement

Counselling Service

020 8457 9710

Meet the team

Micaela Blitz

Each issue we introduce you to a member of the wonderful Essex Jewish News volunteer team.

Please can you give us a brief introduction about yourself: I hate talking about myself, but this feature was my idea and everyone else has been interviewed for previous editions… so here goes.

I’m a freelance producer and journalist, with experience working on TV programmes, documentaries, films as well as live events. I have been lucky to work on some great projects, including Who Do You Think You Are? and travelled all over the world for work.

As a journalist, I have written for various publications, and really enjoy writing fiction, especially short stories, and have even dabbled in comedy writing and stand up.

How and when did you first become involved with the Essex Jewish News: When I was around 14, and wanted to be a journalist, my mum’s friend’s father, Freddie Gold, was involved with the paper (which I think was The Bridge at the time) and suggested I join to gain experience.

As I was the youngest member of the team, I became the youth reporter and I remember being part of the editorial meetings at Manny Robinson’s house where we would not only discuss what we were writing, but Manny would share funny stories from his impressive career as a journalist.

I am proud to have grown up in Essex as it made me what I am. I attended Woodford County High School, used to go to Sinclair House (Redbridge Jewish Youth Centre) and Barkingside club, went to brownies and guides in Roll Gardens, performed at Redbridge Drama Centre, went to shul in Newbury Park and in my youth would go shopping with friends at the Exchange in Ilford, so my life was very Essex-based.

much of Jewish coverage and activity seems to be North-London centric. EJN helps to redress the balance.

Jewish Blind and Disabled

020 8371 6611

Jewish Care

020 8922 2222

Jewish Care

Community Events

0208 418 2100 or email: timea.kasza @jcare.org

Jewish Marriage Council

020 8203 6311

Jewish Women’s Aid 0800 591 203 League of Jewish Women www.theljw.org email: office@ theljw.org

Redbridge WIZO

020 8551 1301

Resource

020 8346 4000

Samaritans

020 8553 9900 /020 8520 9191

Southend and Westcliff JACS 01268 771978

The Paperweight Trust

0330 174 4300

Phone numbers are correct at the time of going to press. If your contact number or the contact number of your organisation has changed, or if you would like a contact number to be included, please advise us.

After a hiatus of quite a few years – which saw me going to university, travelling, starting work, moving to North London and getting married – l rejoined the paper in 2017 and have been part of the editorial team ever since. I guess you can take the girl out of Essex, but you can’t take the Essex out of the girl!

What is your personal connection to the Essex area?

I am a girl from Essex (Gants Hill to be precise), rather than an Essex girl which is a very different thing! Even though I live in North London now, I visit often as my family and friends still live in the area, and contrary to popular belief, I don’t need my passport to come here.

SYNAGOGUES

Brentwood Reform Synagogue

Chabad Buckhurst Hill

Chabad Epping

Chabad Gants Hill

Chelmsford Jewish Community

Chigwell Synagogue

Chingford Synagogue

Cranbrook United East London & Essex Liberal

Synagogue

Harlow Jewish Community

Ilford Federation

Leytonstone and Wanstead

Synagogue

Loughton Synagogue

New Essex Masorti

Oaks Lane Reform

Romford Synagogue

I think that Jewish people from Essex are down-to-earth, have great humour and a special type of Yiddishkeit, and we all love a good beigel.

What is your role within the paper?

As well as being part of the editorial team writing news articles and features, I am also on the EJN Board. I am responsible for overseeing the distribution of the paper and liaise with printers and delivery drivers to co-ordinate the whole operation and make sure that the paper is in the right place at the right time, so that our lovely readers can get their copy.

Why do you think that the EJN is important to the local community?

Having a newspaper that focusses on the Jewish community in Essex and the surrounding areas is important as so

Southend & Westcliff Hebrew

Congregation

Southend Reform

Sukkat Shalom

Woodford Forest

SCHOOLS

Clore Tikva

King Solomon High

Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary

COMMUNAL

Jewish Blind & Disabled Aztec

House

Jewish Blind & Disabled Hilary

Dennis Court

Jewish Blind & Disabled Milne

Court

With Jewish schools, a kosher butcher and baker, and lots of synagogues for all flavours of Judaism, there is a lot going on and it is EJN’s duty to celebrate this. I think Essex Jews are very communityminded and really care about each other, and this is very much reflected in the many of the amazing things that people do that we include in the paper. I sound like an advert for the Essex tourist board. What do you enjoy most about writing for the paper?

I think I am quite nosey and like to hear about people’s lives and experiences, so being able to interview people and chat to them is ideal. Whether it is an author telling me about their debut novel, someone raising money for charity or a local businessperson, writing for the paper gives me an opportunity to tell their story to a wider audience.

Tell us a fun fact or secret about yourself that people would not expect?

I can touch my nose with my tongue which apparently only 10% of the population can do, so I guess that is quite unique.

Jewish Care’s Southend & Westcliff Jewish

Community Centre

Jewish Care’s Vi and John Rubens House

Limewood Court, Beehive Lane

The Shop, Southend

RETAIL

Delicacy, Chigwell

Gary Green, Clayhall

La Boucherie, Barkingside

Reuby’s Salt Beef & Cheesecake Bar, Clacton-on-Sea

Shalom Bakery, Gants Hill

SUPERMARKETS

Morrison’s Loughton

Sainsbury’s Barkingside

Sainsbury’s Brentwood

Sainsbury’s Loughton

Sainsbury’s Newbury Park

Sainsbury’s Ongar

Sainsbury’s South Woodford

Sainsbury’s Southend

Sainsbury’s Westcliff

Tesco Barkingside

Tesco Collier Row

Tesco Epping

Tesco Westcliff

Tesco Woodford Avenue

LIBRARIES

Fullwell Cross

Gants Hill

Celebrating 130 of JLGB… and 20 years of its CEO

INTERVIEW By LINDA NEWMAN

IAM at the headquarters of the JLGB, the national award-winning Jewish charity based in South Woodford, to talk to CEO Neil Martin OBE on the occasion of his 20th anniversary in the role.

In modest fashion Neil says there may be a small-scale celebration, “but this year is also the 130th anniversary of the charity and that is my priority.”

In addition to the day job, Neil’s voluntary leadership roles include chair of Yom HaShoah UK where he has produced some of the UK’s largest-ever Holocaust commemorations including the memorial on the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust outside the Houses of Parliament this year. He is also Chair of the Interfaith Youth Trust which works hard to bring together communities across faiths.

Neil grew up in Barkingside before his family moved to Gants Hill and is, he says, “proudly an Essex, Redbridge Jew.” Now Neil, 46, and his partner Ginny live in South Woodford with their three boys Barnaby, six, August, four, and Gabriel, two.

He starts by explaining how JLGB all began, saying: “The charity was founded in 1895, during the Victorian era, as the Jewish Lads’ Brigade – girls were admitted as members in 1963.

“Though we’ve modernised with the world around us, the core ethos of what we do remains the same, to provide skills and opportunities to young Jewish people in

safe and supportive environments to help them realise their full potential.

“I joined JLGB on 30th May 1992 when I was 14, because a friend of mine went to ‘this club’ where he learned to play a musical instrument and I wanted to do the same,” says Neil, a former pupil of Ilford Jewish Primary School and Beis Shammai Grammar School (now closed).

“I was a quiet, shy kid, but when I joined the band, I was given the loudest instrument, the trumpet – and I didn’t look back.

“But did I think one day I’d be running the whole thing? No!”

At university he achieved a BSc degree and a Masters in Software, Arts and Media and afterwards lectured in the subject while continuing to volunteer for the charity.

It was then that he was unexpectedly approached to consider taking on the professional role of Chief Executive, a job which Neil says is his “passion”. His two decades in charge have certainly been a huge success.

He says: “Across the UK, numbers for summer and winter camps sell out now within six hours – 756 people just returned from their national summer camp in August; more than half of all pupils in Jewish schools are now working towards volunteering awards through JLGB’s ‘Evolve’ initiative, where we have put 15,000 Jewish teens through the Duke of Edinburgh Kosher Award in recent years, made fully kosher and shabbat friendly by JLGB. And we still have a very vibrant branch in Redbridge.”

Fundraising is also booming, with Neil adding: “With help from our president Lord Levy, we’ve raised over £20 million in recent years, which is more than ever before as our services have expanded.

“JLGB uses funds raised to support activities, programmes and awards that empower young Jewish people, and ensures no child misses out.”

King Charles III is patron of JLGB and there’s a lovely story about the time in 2017 when Neil famously met the then Prince three times in one week.

He told us: “The Prince wanted to visit a Jewish school in conjunction with the work JLGB was involved with and we met there. In the same week we met again at a youth award ceremony where JLGB was one of the recipients. Finally, the date for my OBE was in the same week.

“As he pinned the medal on me, he said: ‘It’s so lovely to see you again, Neil! We’ve had quite the week… haven’t we?’

It’s clear JLGB is having something of a renaissance. When Neil first joined there were six full time staff working there; today there is a dedicated professional team of 30 running clubs around the country.

But what of the future?

He says: “We’ve recently been awarded a government grant to expand our services even further and another 500 children will get the chance to take part in activities in 15 Jewish primary and secondary schools.

“Flying the flag for Redbridge and Essex, we’ve chosen King Solomon High School, Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School and Clore Tikvah Primary School as three of these schools to take part. In this our 130th anniversary, as we help to build a brighter future, our new Generation: Resilience programme, feels very fitting to launch.”

What great news to finish the article, plus here’s a fun note on another of Neil’s passions – 1980s and 1990s cartoon characters. Neil often credits his childhood heroes the Muppets and Transformers with instilling in him the values of optimism, resilience and positivity.

On a recent visit to King Solomon school he wore his Ninja Turtle kippah, because he says: “I’m not an accountant, or a lawyer. I’m here to bring happiness and positivity to our community. All my work is about hope, and boy, do we need some right now!”

How does Chai care?

“Chai recognises that each of us is unique, with our own journey and challenges.

Here we find connection, meaning and purpose as we face a new chapter in our lives.

With Chai’s support and care we rediscover ourselves.”

The Chai Art Workshop Group (Artist, Etty Debourcieu)

For more information on our extensive range of specialised services and care across the UK, please call our Freephone helpline on 0808 808 4567 or visit www.chaicancercare.org

The JLGB CEO receiving his OBE from King (then Prince) Charles

Neil Martin OBE with Ginny and their sons Barnaby, August and Gabriel

The sold out JLGB 130th anniversary Summer Camp

Chai Lifeline

Southend fashion show raises thousands for Emunah

By GEOFFREY PEPPER

SERIAL fundraiser for Israel Marilyn Salt, and her ‘Israel Functions’ team of Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation, entertained a packed synagogue hall in a fashion show to raise money for British Emunah.

Held in association with online and in-store local boutique Just Fox Ltd, it was a lovely display of clothes for all occasions.

All in attendance agreed that the fashion show was very professional. The models were superb and showed the garments off very well on the catwalk. There were outfits designed for different occasions and different figures. A lovely basket of goods from Israel plus vouchers were distributed at the end.

The night raised £3,000 for Emunah, which provides life changing services and programmes to help Israel’s most vulnerable children and their families.

Amazing Lily donates hair to help others

OUTGOING Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School (WIJPS) pupil Lily Glicksman showed extraordinary generosity by cutting her hair to raise funds for The Little Princess Trust.

In front of the entire school, Lily – who was in year 6 and has now moved onto to secondary school –courageously donated over 12 inches of her hair, which will be transformed into a wig for a child experiencing hair loss.

In addition, the funds she is raising

ILFORD Federation Synagogue member Alfie Buechler has celebrated his 100th birthday.

Pictured on his special day, with his two sons Jackie and Ellie, he is a popular part of our Essex Jewish community.

Alfie came to England after being rescued from Nazi Germany, when he was eight, as part of the Kindertransport programme.

will help cover the cost of making, fitting, and styling these wigs, as well as supporting research into gentler and more effective treatments.

The Little Princess Trust was WIJPS’s chosen charity for last year, and the school community has already raised over £1,400 – enough to fund two wigs – through weekly tzedakah (charity) collections and a lively Funky Hair Day, where pupils and staff sported creative and colourful hairstyles.

By MANNY ROBINSON

REDBRIDGE resident Jack Matthews, honorary chairman of the Norwood Old Scholars Association, and Ruth Freedman, honorary president, attended the unveiling of a Memorial Fountain on the old Norwood grounds in south London.

A group of around 60 former Old Scholars – many of them currently living in the Essex area – attended the unveiling ceremony. They were joined by dignitaries from the London Borough of Lambeth together with Norwood’s chief executive, Naomi Dickson, and Rabbi Nathan Godleman, from the South London Liberal Synagogue in Streatham.

Naomi Dickson said at the ceremony: ‘’The model of support for children and their families facing challenging times may have changed considerably over the last 150 years, but Norwood’s commitment to supporting our community’s families remains the same.

“We are determined to help ensure

Clore

children today get the best possible start in life, as they did at the orphanage, and go on to lead rich, meaningful and fulfilling lives at the heart of their communities.’’

The fountain had been updated and moved to its new home by the West Norwood Leisure Centre beside the site of the former orphanage.

The monument was originally bequeathed in 1906 by the widow of Dr Henry Behrend, who presided over the institution for 24 years. It was known then as the Jews Hospital and Orphan Asylum and later became known as the Norwood Orphanage for Jewish Children. It is estimated that around 8,000 children were educated and lived there from the mid-19th century to the early 1960s.

Norwood scholars unveil Memorial Fountain Happy 100th Alfie!

The Memorial Fountain, which had been renovated by Stonewest with plaques by Gary Green Memorials, also commemorates those who gave their lives during the two World Wars.

kids honour intergenerational Mitzvah Day promise

CTikva and Jewish Care’s Redbridge Jewish Community Centre (RJCC) joined forces in a journey of friendship, discovery and memory making.

In November last year, as part of the school’s Mitzvah Day work, a group of Year 6 pupils started working with 10 members of RJCC.

The aim of the project was to enable the children to create a bond with their chosen RJCC member, learn about who they are, where they have lived, their family, friends, hobbies and what professions they may have had. Through a series of sessions named ‘Getting to Know You’, ‘Where it all Began’, ‘During the War and ‘Family Time’ the children and their partners worked together to create an immersive and valuable piece of work.

The finished work resulted in a

celebratory tea, which included an exhibition and poetry readings that the pupils presented to RJCC. The children also presented their partners with a Clore Tikva lanyard complete with their names and roles, making them ’honorary’ staff.

Samantha Bendon, Head of Jewish studies at Clore, said: “It is essential to learn about the wonderful senior people of our community who have helped to shape and make Essex Jewish life what it is today. This project enabled that. It created a bridge between the young and the old, with sharing what makes us who we are and our hopes and dreams. It united us. It ignited a spark of togetherness and meaningfully forged new friendships.”

Pupil Ella Barker said of her partner, Pamela: “I really loved meeting her and I think I have made a new best friend.”

LORE

New Jewish podcast with a side order

By MICAELA BLITZ

ANEW podcast combining great guests from across the Jewish world with delicious kosher food launched earlier this year.

What the Falafel? hosted by wellness coach and content creator Jodie Brandman, in collaboration with Joice, brings together Jewish personalities to have honest and open conversations about their cultural identity and personal experiences, all combined with a kosher food delivery, courtesy of Balagan in Borehamwood.

The podcast has a strong connection to Essex with Jodie’s husband Joel – a former King Solomon High School pupil – and former Essex Jewish News Board member Marc Shelkin deeply involved.

The idea initially came from Jodie’s own experience around her Jewish identity. As she told the EJN: “Since October 7th, and everything that has happened since in terms of the rise in antisemitism, I began to feel like I could not be openly Jewish anymore.

“I have always been proud to be Jewish, and have an interest in personal growth

and spirituality, and wanted to explore how other Jewish people were dealing with their own experiences. Food is a common theme for Jews, so adding in the food element made sense. It also appealed to my professional interest as a nutritional therapist.”

Jodie has previous experience of creating podcasts for her business, and the idea for this developed from discussions with Joel and Marc.

Jodie describes working with her husband, who has a background in film and design, and their good friend Marc – who founded Joice – as a “great experience”. She

added: “Marc is the glue that holds it all together and I think we make a great team.”

What the Falafel? is filmed in a professional studio. It can be watched on YouTube and is also available on Spotify, Apple and all the usual podcast platforms.

Guests so far have included: fashion blogger turned activist Elaine Chaya; chef and vlogger Ben Rebuck; Israeli writer and influencer Hen Mazig; and Dov Forman, content creator and grandson of Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert. Discussions have explored different aspects of spirituality, identity, humour and healing.

Eagle-eyed viewers will see various items of Judaica decorating the set, much of which has come from Jodie’s home.

She explains: “I wanted to create a space

THE SUGAR AND RONSON CAMPUS

that was a bit like a Jewish home, where we could have big real conversations that also make you laugh and feel proud to be Jewish.

“We’re here to celebrate the richness and weirdness of Jewish life with great chats whilst, in true Jewish style, sharing delicious food.”

Currently the project is being funded by Jodie and the team, but the hope is that additional funding and sponsorship will help to ensure the continuation of the podcast. When it comes to future guests, Jodie would love to speak to those that may not be overtly or outwardly Jewish but still have some connection, such as ex-KS pupil Stacey Solomon.

Whilst Jodie has lots of ideas about the direction of the podcast, she is happy to “go with the flow”.

She concludes: “For now, I feel like this is where I want to be right now and am excited to see what happens next.”

• Find out more on Instagram: @wtfalafelpodcast

A stunning new campus for care, connection and community in Redbridge. Bringing all of our local Jewish Care services, supporting young and old, under one roof.

• Sugar Family Care Home

• Ronson Community Centre

• Dennis Centre for people living with dementia

• Social Work and Community Support

• Meals on Wheels

• Jami Community Hub

Jodie Brandman and the guests on the brand-new podcast exploring Jewish identity… and food

Coming together to remember… one stitch at a time

PEOPLE from all across Southend, and beyond, are picking up their needles for Poppies for our Pier, a community-wide initiative that will cover Southend Pier with thousands of red knitted and crocheted poppies this November in honour of Remembrance Day and the pier’s 100th anniversary.

Among the many groups taking part is Jewish Care’s Southend & Westcliff Jewish Community’s Centre Knit and Natter group, whose members meet weekly. They’ve also received wonderful support from the Redbridge Jewish Community Centre, where members of their own Knit

and Natter group, led by volunteer Nettie Keene, have been helping to make poppies to contribute to the Southend project.

Esther Shaw, one of the Southend volunteers and a member of the Knit and Natter group, told the Essex Jewish News that several members are involved in the project.

She said: “We have a lady who brought the pattern, and there are three or four of us here knitting. It is so exciting that the pier will be filled with these beautiful poppies.”

Esther added that so many people are involved in the project, that at one point

Oaks Lane community gets in the swing of things

By BRENDA SOSKIN

“SHALOM Aleichem, peace be upon you”, is one of the traditional greetings of the Jewish people, to the angels which accompany us throughout the day and is repeated at the start of Shabbat.

Whilst the traditional Shabbat music might conjure the angels descending in floating files, at Oaks Lane Reform Synagogue, the angels and the congregation were tapping their toes and moving their feet like a New Orleans jazz parade blessed with Yiddishkeit.

Sabra Swing, led by Essex local Sara Feldmann Brummer, brought out the hidden complexities of the traditional

liturgy through its complex chords, and syncopated rhythms. Of particular note, was the soulful improvisation of violinist Miriam Kramer, whose artistry lifted the congregation’s prayers towards the heavens without making the service into a performance.

Friday night worship at Oaks Lane Reform is rotated with many of the other Essex and East London Progressive and Masorti communities in their synagogue buildings.

Sara said: “I am really delighted that the Jazz Shabbat went so well and am delighted we are going to be able to do it again around Chanukah time.”

Harlow rabbi attends ordination of new deacon

Rred wool was sold out everywhere due to high demand.

The Knit and Natter group meets every Thursday, where members also create blankets for charity.

Service coordinator Amanda Clarke said: “It is incredibly meaningful that members of the Knit and Natter are involved in such a big community effort.

“It is clear that Jewish Care’s Southend & Westcliff Jewish Community Centre continues to be a vibrant hub of life, laughter and belonging. Through every stitch sewn, the centre brings people together.”

Domino effect as WIJPS kids help those in need

Pupils at Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School enthusiastically took part in a creative and meaningful Cereal Domino Challenge to support families in need. Every child was encouraged to bring a

box of cereal to donate, and together they collected an impressive 225 boxes.

The donated cereal boxes were carefully lined up, stretching from the top of the school stairs and continuing along the corridor.

With the entire school community gathered on either side, Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin MBE, School Governor and Director of Chabad Aid, set the challenge in motion by toppling the first box. Cheers and excitement filled the air as the boxes cascaded one by one in a thrilling domino effect.

Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin said: “The energy and excitement of both the children and staff was electric in preparation for kickoff. What a meaningful way to involve our pupils, their parents, and families in a chesed (kindness) project.”

All 225 boxes of cereal were immediately delivered by Chabad Aid to support their weekly food distribution programme for families in need across the wider Essex area.

The event combined fun with a powerful message about community, empathy, and giving, leaving a lasting impact on everyone involved.

contact, studying together and delving into theology. Sarah regularly joins our Adult Education sessions and occasionally attends our services and events. The

service was fascinating, very different from my own Rabbinic ordination, of course! But it was deeply meaningful.

“I was pleased to meet Sarah’s family and the Bishop, Rt Revd Dr Jane Mainwaring, Bishop of Hertford. The experience was rich with respect and warmth. Sarah will be working in East Herts and will, I hope, join the East Herts Interfaith group, of which I myself am a member.

“I look forward to working closely with her and welcoming her often as a guest to the Harlow Jewish Community.”

ABBI Irit Shillor of Harlow Jewish Community attended the ordination of The Reverend Sarah Bagnall as one of the new deacons in the Church of England’s Diocese at St Albans Cathedral.

Rabbi Irit Shillor said: “I met Sarah during a teaching seder I led at the church in High Wych three years ago. Since then, we’ve kept in close

Members of Jewish Care’s Redbridge Jewish Community Centre helping with the Southend Pier project

Jewish Care’s Southend & Westcliff Jewish Community Centre group knitting away

Sabra Swing wowed on Shabbat at Oaks Lane Reform Synagogue

The Right Revd Dr Jane Mainwaring, Bishop of Hertford, Rabbi Irit Shillor, and The Reverend Sarah Bagnall

Head Lisa West with school governor and Director of Chabad Aid Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin MBE

WIJPS pupils watch the Cereal Domino Challenge

Community Security Trust &

CST wishes all of our community a Chag Sameach and a better year ahead.

We also want to thank you for the last two years. We want to thank you for the trust and the support you have given to CST as we do our utmost to give you safety and security

We want to thank you for being determined to lead the Jewish lives of your choice: because that is why CST does our work. If we have helped to give you strength, then that is our privilege.

Security begins with the partnership between you, your communities and CST. We know that security measures can be annoying, but they need to be there for when times are tough.

The last two years have shown the need for security. There has been far too much antiJewish hatred, including the threat of terrorism. Even if Israel somehow finds peace, it will take a very long time for the hatred and the terrorist threat across Britain to meaningfully decline.

Our partnership is with you, every member of our Jewish community. Your reports of antisemitism and suspicious behaviour give us what we need to best organise our security, and to get the support of police and politicians. When you follow our security advice, it not only helps your own safety, it also helps the safety of your family, friends and fellow congregants.

Your resilience and keeping calm, especially in tough times, are vital in projecting the basic strength of our community.

Our community is strong and so is CST. We are not separate to our community, we are part of it. You give us our personnel and we give the training, teamwork and skillset. That is how, in two years, we have more than doubled the number of events we are guarding, working three times the number of hours.

CST’s professionalism means we manage £18m of government money that pays for commercial (not CST) security guards to work at our schools, shuls and community centres. Hundreds of those sites have CCTV and radio connection to our 24/7 National Security Control Centre.

We still need more people to help in this vital work. If you are physically capable of joining us please do so and don’t leave it up to others.

A deep thank you to all of our volunteer security personnel. Some of you have protected our communities for a very long time and then, after 7 October 2023, you stepped it up to yet another level. Others have joined us after that fateful day, bringing more strength when we really needed it.

Thanks to all of our community for supporting CST. From all of us, we wish you a Happy New Year, and a safe and meaningful fast.

Wes Streeting joins Clore Tikva for Kabbalat Shabbat

By PAT LIDIKER

HEALTH Secretary and Ilford North MP Wes Streeting took part in the final Kabbalat Shabbat assembly of the last school year at Clore Tikva Primary School.

He spoke about both roles, before taking questions and asking the children what they would do if they were an MP, or even the Prime Minister, for a day.

Speaking afterwards to the Essex Jewish News, the Health Secretary said: “Visiting schools in Ilford North and speaking to students about my role as their MP is one of the highlights of my week, and my recent visit to Clore Tikva was no exception.

“From insightful questions about what an MP does to sharing their ideas about how they’d make the country healthier, Clore Tikva’s students are a credit to our community, their parents and their teachers.

“The staff do an amazing job at creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for their students, and I thoroughly enjoyed joining this special Kabbalat Shabbat assembly. Thank you to everyone at Clore Tikva for having me.”

Those in attendance – including teachers, staff and Rabbi Jordan Helfman of Oaks Lane Reform Synagogue – were impressed with the time the MP took to answer the

students’ questions and explain the work he does.

Headteacher Margot Buller said:

“We were delighted to welcome Wes Streeting MP to Clore Tikva. His genuine interest in our school, the thoughtful way he engaged with the children, made a real impression on both pupils and staff.

“It was wonderful for our students to see first-hand how their voices matter in our democracy, and to have Wes join our Shabbat assembly, giving us the opportunity to share our religious and cultural traditions with him.”

Baroness Luciana Berger speaks at synagogue event

By SUZANNE LARHOLT, CHAIR OF SOUTHEND AND WESTCLIFF`S LADIES GUILD

IN a warm and welcoming gathering at the Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation Hall, more than 80 people sat down to a very enjoyable threecourse meal as Baroness Luciana Berger took centre stage during a charity lunch, captivating attendees with her inspiring speech.

The active member of the House of Lords and prominent advocate for social causes had just returned from a hectic four-day trip to Israel, taking Labour MPs to introduce them to the country. She spoke candidly about her life in politics, sharing insights into her career, the vital issues she has championed, and the roots of her political journey.

Baroness Berger shared that her great-uncle, Manny Shinwell, a celebrated

Love on wheels knows no bounds

“MARRIAGE? It’s just a word” said 101-year-old Solly Sharpe as he and his slip of a partner 90-year-old Maxine Wagner danced around the floor at Jewish Care’s Tuesday Club at Woodford Forest Synagogue, both holding onto Zimmer frames.

The couple, who must arguably be the oldest dancing partnership in the area, are regulars at the Tuesday Club.

Solly, who lives in Clayhall, and has three sons, was great friends with Maxine’s late second husband, Ivor Wagner.

“Ivor and I had both worked for an accountancy firm in Finchley for 12 years.” Solly told us, adding “We took turns to drive each other to work. After work we would all get together and have lunch or play bridge.

‘’He was a very good friend and after he passed away, Maxine and I began to see each other. After all, we had known each other a long time.”

Solly’s was widowed 15 years ago, when his wife Hilary passed away after 57 years of marriage.

He now spends four days with Maxine at Jewish Blind & Disabled’s Milne Court in South Woodford, and she spends the other three days at his home.

Maxine’s first husband, Stan Bresslaw was the brother of TV and film actor Bernard Bresslaw. She has one surviving son, Laurence Bresslaw.

As for their future and possible wedding bells, Solly added: “You never know. We might do it one day! We drive each other mad but we love each other.”

Historic memorial opens in Belarus

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN

ALabour politician, was an early influence on her ambitions. She recounted how her entry into politics began during her time in the student union, where she first honed her passion for advocacy and public service.

This foundation later propelled her to champion causes such as mental health awareness and community welfare. She convened the NUS Anti-Fascism Anti-Racism campaign and was herself targeted by antisemitism whilst she was the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

She was most entertaining and spoke for over an hour and then took questions from the audience who were engrossed with her talk and the warmth she showed towards them and Israel.

MAJOR milestone in Jewish heritage preservation was marked this summer with the opening of Memory Embrace, a powerful new memorial on the site of the former Brest-Litovsk Jewish cemetery in Belarus.

The project, 12 years in the making and led, by UK-based charity, The Together Plan, has restored dignity to a site long desecrated and forgotten. It is being supported by Phillip Leigh, chair of the Essex Jewish News

Once the burial ground of Brest’s vibrant Jewish community, the cemetery was destroyed during the Second World War and later built over in the Soviet period. Today, Memory Embrace transforms the space into a place of remembrance, reflection, and education.

The memorial was made possible by USA filmmaker and writer Stephen Grynberg, who provided cornerstone funding and commissioned Texas-based artist Brad Goldberg to design the

installation.

He said: “This monument is an act of justice, honouring and reclamation. Returning dignity to this place and the community it represented felt like the obvious antidote to attempted erasure.”

The Together Plan works with socially and economically vulnerable communities in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. It was co-founded by Debra Brunner in the UK and Artur Livshyts in Belarus.

This latest project represents years of persistent advocacy and partnership with the Jewish Religious Union of Belarus.

Debra said: “This is a first-of-its-kind memorial in Eastern Europe: bold in scale, concept, and message.”

Artur, who grew up under Soviet silence around Jewish history, added: “Today we reclaim the names, the stories, and the dignity of those who came before us. This is more than stone and memory; it is defiance against forgetting.”

WORDS By MANNY ROBINSON / PICTURES By LHEILA OBERMAN

The Health Secretary made a real impression on staff and pupils as he answered questions

Wes Streeting MP with Clore headteacher Margot Buller

Record-breaking £5.5 million raised at Jewish Care dinner

EZRA

OVER 900 guests – including senior community leaders and members of the team – showed tremendous support for Jewish Care, as the charity broke its own single-evening fundraising record.

The Jewish Care Annual Dinner took place at Grosvenor House and celebrated 35 years of the charity’s work at the very heart of the Jewish community.

Guests heard how Jewish Care needs to find £20 million each year to fund its wide-ranging services, which positively impact the lives of 12,000 people each week, and how much of this work receives no Government funding in support.

In turn they dug deep and donated a record-breaking £5.5million!

Phillip Leigh, chair of the Essex Jewish News, has been involved in Jewish Care from the start, playing a key role in the work in this region.

He said: “The evening was quite emotional for me, as it was the 35th anniversary of Jewish Care. I take great pride in seeing how this vitally important organisation has progressed over the years.

“One of my fondest memories is working with the centre managers of what was the old Sinclair House, which was merged with Jewish Care by myself and the late but well remembered Frank Cass and Ellis Burke some 30 years ago.

“Now as life president of the Redbridge Jewish Community Centre I look forward to seeing the new Sugar & Ronson Campus, being built on the new RJCC site, emerge in Essex when it opens next year!”

The event was presented by Nick Ferrari, host of London’s award-winning weekday breakfast show on talk radio station LBC, together with Natasha Kaplinsky OBE, the anchor for ITV’s ITN network.

Natasha said: “I’ve spoken at many Jewish Care events and had the privilege of meeting their wonderful clients, including of course, Holocaust survivors, 250 of whom Jewish Care currently supports.”

Nick added: “I got involved with Jewish Care a few years ago and I saw for myself just how committed the staff and volunteers were, what an astonishing job they all do and just how much love, care, dedication and professionalism there was.”

Guests saw an incredibly emotional

the stories of just some of those who have relied on the love, care and support of Jewish Care and Jami in times of crisis and need, as well as showing some of the compassionate and professional staff from across the organisation.

Among those attending were a number of Jewish Care clients from Essex.

Helen Birmingham is an 89-year-old member of Jewish Care’s Southend & Westcliff Jewish Community Centre.

She was born in Stepney in 1934 and had a childhood shaped by both hardship and resilience. During the war, she spent five years in a Jewish children’s home after her family was bombed out and her mother suffered a breakdown.

Despite challenges, she embraced life with warmth and determination, working tirelessly from the age of 15 to 83 in retail, fashion, and even running an antiques shop with her husband. A true people person, she also devoted time to volunteering, from the Red Cross to supporting children with special needs.

Married twice, Helen found love and companionship but never had children, instead cherishing friendships and community.

After struggling with loneliness and loss, she found a renewed sense of purpose at Jewish Care’s Southend & Westcliff Jewish Community Centre. Initially hesitant, she now calls it her lifeline, embracing its warmth, activities, and friendships. Known for her bubbly personality, she brings laughter and energy to those around her, celebrating Jewish traditions once more and living each day with gratitude and optimism.

Monty and Rhoda Goldstein are active members of Jewish Care’s Redbridge Jewish Community Centre (RJCC).

Monty has lived in Essex since 1958 and has been involved in the community since his youth and is well connected with Jewish Care as his grandchildren attended Redbridge Jewish Community Centre and worked for Jewish Care later on.

Monty began attending RJCC himself and received support through Jewish Care’s Meals on Wheels service. It was at the centre that he met Rhoda, who, like him, had been widowed, who he later married. Today, Monty and Rhoda are treasured members of the community.

A highlight of the evening was the chance for Jewish Care’s chair, Marcus Sperber, to celebrate his first year in the

for the new care

He said: “We are also deeply grateful to the Sugar and Ronson families for their cornerstone gifts and ongoing support, enabling the construction of our fourth care and community campus, in Redbridge, which is set to open next summer to serve East London and Essex with exceptional facilities.”

This includes The Sugar Family Care Home, The Ronson Community Centre, and The Dennis Centre to provide vital support to people living with dementia

and their families.

Many of the Jewish Care top team live in Essex including CEO Daniel CarmelBrown and Ellisa Estrin, the charity’s director of marketing, communications and customer engagement.

Speaking afterwards, Daniel said: “We are so grateful to our supporters from Redbridge, Chigwell, Southend and all across Essex.

“Your generosity means we can continue to be there for the community. Essex has always been at the heart of Jewish Care and will continue to be in the years ahead.”

WORDS By SIMON ROTHSTEIN / PICTURES By BLAKE

appeal film sharing

role and highlight plans

and community campus in Redbridge, opening next summer.

Jewish Care clients - including Helen Birmingham, Monty Goldstein and Rhoda Goldstein from Essex - with some of the charity’s team at the Annual Dinner

Event hosts Nick Ferrari and Natasha Kaplinsky OBE

Essex Jewish News Chair Phillip Leigh has played a key role in Jewish Care’s work in Essex

Salt Beef Bar nights are back in Redbridge and Southend

By PAT LIDIKER

THE famous Salt Beef Bar has returned! Now back at both Jewish Care’s Redbridge Jewish Community Centre and Southend and Westcliff Jewish Community Centre, members and local residents are thrilled.

These evenings are always packed, providing a warm and welcoming space for people of the area to come together, connect, and enjoy a taste of Jewish tradition.

Locals are especially delighted to be able to enjoy a freshly prepared kosher meal just down the road in the heart of the community. The evening also includes some great entertainment.

At Jewish Care’s Redbridge Jewish Community Centre, the Salt Beef Bar tradition began several years ago with around 40 attendees. It has since grown to attract over 100 people.

Organiser Sharon Imber says: “It has become a fantastic social event for the community and has grown from strength to strength, becoming a way of catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. I love seeing smiley happy faces eating, dancing and enjoying themselves.

tradition, offering good food, friendly company, and a warm community atmosphere that keeps people coming back time after time.”

Long-standing centre member Joe Sheridan, who has attended the Salt Beef Bar since its Sinclair House days, agrees: “I always have a wonderful time. It’s about more than just the good old fashioned salt beef and latkes… it’s also getting to catch up with friends.”

At the Southend and Westcliff Jewish Community Centre, the Salt Beef Bar has the same mix of tradition, great food and connection.

The Aid Society, formed in 1953, works closely with Jewish Care in Southend to provide practical and financial support to those in need. All money they raise stays local, helping local residents directly.

Its chair Derek Silverstone said: “This is a great social gathering for friends to meet up. With the entertainment, it’s a real event.

New prayer space at Southend Hospital

By GEOFFREY PEPPER

SOUTHEND Hospital has officially opened a new prayer space for Jewish patients and staff, offering them a place to observe Shabbat.

Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation’s Rabbi Geoffrey Hyman – who cut the blue ribbon – and chair Dennis Baum attended the opening ceremony together with members of the shul, local Charedi communities and representatives from the charity Gezint, which supports Jewish health and wellbeing.

The space is located within the hospital’s chaplaincy suite and has been designed to “offer comfort, dignity and privacy”. It includes a kosher microwave and freezer, washing facilities, a cupboard with kosher food and drink, a small food store for children, and a resting area.

David Childs, lead chaplain at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust,

said: “Hospital can feel like a world away from daily life, so we wanted to create an area that feels personal, comforting and familiar – somewhere that offers a sense of calm in the middle of what can often be a stressful time. Everything in the space has been carefully thought through to meet practical needs, while showing real care for the community it serves.”

Rabbi Isaac Kohn, director of Gezint, added: “For many Jewish patients and families, being in hospital especially over Shabbat and Yom Tov can be really difficult. Having a dedicated space like this means you don’t have to worry about kosher food and prayers – it’s wonderful to see the hospital recognising and supporting our needs.

“The service operates 24/7, is restocked regularly and maintained by a local volunteer. Shabbat essentials such as tea lights are on hand.”

“The Salt Beef Bar brings a taste of

RAF tour leaves men’s groups on cloud nine

By MANNY ROBINSON

MEMBERS of Jewish Care’s Chaps That Chat and Men’s Talk groups in Redbridge visited the RAF Museum in Hendon for a comprehensive tour.

Gerry Goodman, who helps Chaps That Chat with Ivor Lethbridge, said: “It was an amazing afternoon and brilliantly organised by the museum staff. When I was last there were just three aircraft hangers: now there are 12. Our group could have stayed all day.”

These social groups are open to men aged 60+, providing a friendly space to chat, connect, and enjoy regular outings like this one. New members are always welcome.

Contact Debra at debra.rein@jcare.org or call 07810 856 955 for more info.

“The food is good; the staff really make it and having it occasionally rather than every month keeps the attendance up and keeps it special. It gives the community time to plan – it is well worth going.”

Chigwell rabbi helps new estate agent open its doors

CHIGWELL has welcomed a new addition to Brook Parade with the opening of Lester & Lachs, a boutique estate agency founded by two members of the local Jewish community – James Lester and Daniel Lachs.

The new business, which officially launched this spring, aims to bring a premium, personalised service to property sales and lettings in Chigwell and the surrounding area, offering a more bespoke alternative to the traditional estate agent model.

To mark the opening of their new office, Rabbi Rafi Goodwin, of Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue, was invited to affix a mezuzah to the doorpost – a proud and public affirmation of the pair’s Jewish values and commitment to ethical business.

“We’re really proud to be part of the Jewish community in Essex, and it was important to us that our business reflected that from day one,” said James Lester. “Having Rabbi Goodwin join us to put up the mezuzah made it feel official, and also reminded us that every success comes with gratitude and responsibility.”

Daniel Lachs added: “This area has always had a strong Jewish presence, and we hope Lester & Lachs becomes a trusted name in the community — whether someone’s upsizing, downsizing, or just looking for honest advice.”

With their doors now open, the team at Lester & Lachs are keen to welcome clients old and new. For more information or to get in touch, visit www.lesterlachs. com or call 020 8051 2010. The office is located at 22 Brook Parade, Chigwell.

Chefs at the Salt Beef Bar at Jewish Care’s Redbridge Jewish Community Centre

Rabbi Rafi Goodwin with James Lester and Daniel Lachs

Rabbi Geoffrey Hyman cuts the ribbon to open the new prayer space

Redbridge Salt Beef Bar organiser Sharon Imber dances with 101 year old centre member Monty Goldstein

A closer look at one of the amazing aircraft

A combined outing for two local Jewish Care groups at the RAF Museum

Progressive Judaism forms as Liberal and Reform unite

The member communities of Britain’s Movement for Reform Judaism and Liberal Judaism have voted to unite into one Progressive Judaism for the UK and Ireland.

Dr Ed Kessler MBE – a leading interfaith thinker, writer and academic – chaired the Advisory Board that has overseen the process. He hailed the decision, saying: “This is the biggest change and most significant development in British Judaism since the Second World War. For the first time, this country now has a single, unified Progressive Judaism – providing a voice and a space that brings together timeless Jewish tradition with the diversity and values of 21st-century Jewish life.”

The new Progressive Judaism will be the UK’s largest synagogal movement, measured by number of communities (80). It will represent around 30 per cent of synagogue affiliated Jews with the goal of reaching out to roughly the same percentage of non-affiliated Jews which it believes align with Progressive Jewish values.

Essex has one Liberal community, East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue, and five Reform – Oaks Lane, Southend, Harlow, Brentwood and Sukkat Shalom Wanstead. There are also some small communities/ groups further afield who follow Progressive practice but are not members of the movement(s).

The decision to merge was made at two parallel Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs), with the number of votes in favour at each exceeding 95%. It is understood that all of our region’s communities voted in favour.

This is the first ever known unification of two Jewish denominations and the first merger of any two religious streams since the Presbyterian and Congregational Christian groupings formed the United Reformed Church in 1972.

Rabbi Charley Baginsky, CEO of Liberal Judaism, and Rabbi Josh Levy, CEO of the Movement for Reform Judaism, have led the process and will continue the work of creating the new movement. They have spent the last two years, since the project travelling and hearing directly from Progressive Jewish communities.

Rabbi Josh Levy said: “We have heard first-hand how Progressive Jews all around the country want to take this once-in-a-

generation opportunity to create something new and intentional – a Progressive Judaism that has something to say into the world and that can help more people have more fulfilling religious lives.”

Rabbi Charley Baginsky added: “We are now seeing the fruition of the next iteration of Progressive Jewish history. Through this vote, our members are both standing on the shoulders of all those who came before us and creating something long and lasting for our children and the generations who come after us.”

Progressive Judaism differs from Orthodox Judaism in several ways. It believes in Progressive revelation – the idea that every generation discovers new meaning in Judaism’s texts, traditions and values that are relevant to the lives they lead – and that these texts are not the literal word of God, but the divinely inspired work of human beings.

In practical terms, Progressive Jewish services are egalitarian with everyone sitting together. The Progressive clergy is 50% women and 20% LGBTQI+. Its communities fully include mixed-faith families and hold dual-heritage wedding blessings. The movements campaigned for the introduction of the same-sex marriage law.

In a further key difference to Orthodoxy, Jewish status can be inherited from either parent where a person is brought up and identifies as Jewish. This practice is sometimes referred to as equilineal descent.

Liberal Judaism Chair Karen Newman said: “Our new Progressive Judaism, just like the two movements which have come together to create it, will manifest from day one its commitment to a Judaism that is non-dogmatic, inclusive and celebrates diversity in policy, prayer, and practice.”

Paul Langsford, Chair of the Movement for Reform Judaism, added: “As a unified movement, we will now be stronger, our voice will be louder and we will be able to bring even greater benefit not just to our own members, but to the whole Jewish community and wider British society.”

The new Progressive Judaism will have four key missions: to strengthen, support and connect its communities; to promote, amplify and embolden Progressive values and forms of Jewish life; to inspire and nurture the next generations of Progressive Jews; and to foster inclusion, provide resources and pave the way for those

seeking to join.

At the same times as the EGMs were taking place, Reform and Liberal communities all over the country were getting together for joint ice cream picnics to celebrate both the result and the Jewish festival of Shavuot.

It is expected that the new Movement for Progressive Judaism will be in place by 1 January 2026, with a brand launch and celebratory fundraising dinner set to be held this November.

• Photos by Zoe Norfolk and Karen Zetter

Members of ELELS, Oaks Lane and Harlow celebrate the news at one of the celebratory Progressive ice cream picnics

Paul Langsford, Karen Newman, Ed Kesller, Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy announce the result

Rabbi Josh Levy and Rabbi Charley Baginsky say a prayer for the formation of a new movement

FOCUS ON: ISRAEL GUIDE DOG CENTRE

FOR more than three decades, the Israel Guide Dog Centre has been a source of independence and dignity for people in Israel who are blind or visually impaired. The Centre’s guide dogs provide not only mobility and freedom, but also companionship and confidence.

In recent years, the Centre has expanded its mission to meet new and urgent needs thanks, in part, to support and funding from British supporters including many from Essex.

Today, it also trains service dogs to provide comfort and reassurance to IDF veterans and civilians living with posttraumatic stress, as well as emotional support dogs for children and families with additional needs. All dogs are provided free of charge and are cared for throughout their working lives and beyond.

During the recent war with Iran in June, everyday life across Israel came to a halt. Sirens rang out daily, families took cover in shelters, and the emotional toll of uncertainty weighed heavily. The team at the Centre was no exception with staff being called to reserve duty, evacuated from their homes, or navigating the chaos with children at home.

Despite all these challenges, they ensured that training continued so that the very increasing demand for these life changing dogs could be met. And in the midst of the chaos, life went on with the birth of eight healthy puppies to Ricksie, one of the Centre’s beloved dogs, bringing much needed light into the darkness.

Whilst difficult for all Israelis, for people who are blind or severely vision impaired the conflict was particularly challenging. But those who were fortunate enough to have been partnered with a guide dog were kept safe and enabled to cope with the chaos of sirens and missiles and rushing to shelters by their specially trained superhero dog.

And the PTSD service dog programme is also proving more vital than ever. For those already living with the effects of trauma, the added strain of conflict was intense. The dogs provided more than just support – they offered calm, structure and emotional grounding.

As the Centre’s co-founder Noach Braun explains: “Throughout this unexpected conflict, our resolve remained unshaken. Together, we endure and overcome.”

IN an exciting development for the Centre, Bessie, a yellow Labrador puppy from the UK, is making Aliyah to Israel.

Thanks to the Centre’s partnership with Dogs for Good, through Assistance Dogs International, Bessie will head to Israel to become a breeding dog – helping to create the next generation of life-changing puppies.

Israel Guide Dog Centre CoFounders, Noach and Orna Braun, came to the UK to collect Bessie, with a stop at Reubens Deli and Restaurant. With the hope that Bessie will bring Rolls Royce standard puppies into the world… the car parked nearby was very fitting!

Orna, who is the also Centre’s head of breeding, said: “Bessie is going to grow up and learn in Israel. There is a worldwide standard for breeding dogs and if she passes that she will become a breeder and, if not, she will go on for other training.”

Noach added: “Bessie is going to make Aliyah and hopefully next year she will become a mum and her puppies will go to other schools, and ourselves, and they will will go on to do good deeds and change people’s lives.”

THE Israel Guide Dog Centre’s PTSD programme has become a lifeline for many, including Or. Or was not even 20 when a series of traumatic incidents during his military service in the West Bank left him with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“PTSD is very complex,” he says. “It’s like bleeding from the inside. You’re reliving the moment, all the time. I felt constant guilt, anger, panic attacks, nightmares. I knew I needed someone beside me.”

That someone turned out to be Lily, a gentle yellow Labrador trained through the Israel Guide Dog Centre’s specialist PTSD programme. Together, Or and Lily completed intensive training. They practised techniques like the crowd barrier, ‘nudge’ alerts, and grounding exercises to manage flashbacks and nightmares.

IN the wake of the devastating events of 7 October, the role of emotional support dogs in Israel has become more vital than ever. These remarkable animals, chosen for their exceptional temperament and gentle nature, are bringing comfort to families traumatised by war and displacement. Unlike assistance dogs trained for specific tasks, Emotional Support Dogs offer something less tangible but no less essential: companionship, emotional grounding and unconditional love. Their presence alone can ease anxiety, soothe distress, and provide much-needed mental stability.

The Centre has long provided emotional support dogs to children with autism. But since the attacks, the programme has rapidly expanded to reach evacuees, survivors and those suffering from acute trauma.

One particularly moving case is that of an IDF commander from Sderot. His family endured the trauma of war and the heartbreak of losing friends and colleagues who were killed or kidnapped. One of their children, who is autistic, was deeply affected – becoming completely withdrawn and silent outside the home. On the recommendation of a psychiatrist, the family received an emotional support dog from the Centre.

The results were extraordinary. The child formed a strong bond with the dog, and for the first time since the attacks, began speaking again. What was once a home filled with silence and sorrow now has a new source of hope and healing, thanks to this devoted companion.

“Looking back, I can say it’s getting better,” Or reflects. “Lily is like an anchor. She gave me the chance to live again, not to be stuck in the past. She just makes my life happy.”

For Or, and many others like him, the bond with a PTSD service dog is not just supportive. It is transformative. These dogs give people their lives back – helping them reconnect with the world, regain independence, and rediscover joy.

Super Sunday II smashes fundraising goal for local schools

THE local Essex Jewish community came out in force for Super Sunday II, the hugely popular charity football match between Clore Tikva Primary School and Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School, hosted at Buckhurst Hill Football Club.

The atmosphere was electric as over 550 supporters cheered on players, enjoyed family-friendly activities, and took part in a raffle packed with fantastic prizes.

The eagerly awaited rematch delivered a truly unforgettable spectacle. WIJPS stormed into a 2-0 lead, capitalising after Clore missed an early penalty and then seeing their opponents reduced to 10 men following a red card.

But Clore Tikva staged an extraordinary comeback, scoring twice late in the second half, including a breathtaking lastminute equaliser that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

With the match ending 2-2 after full time, it went to penalties.

In a nail-biting shootout, Clore Tikva held their nerve to win 5-4, with David Berg calmly slotting home the decisive kick to spark wild celebrations from the Clore supporters.

But while Clore Tikva lifted the trophy this year, the real triumph was for the children and families of both schools. The event has raised an incredible £24,000, with every penny going directly to support Clore Tikva and WIJPS.

Jonathan Bloom, vice chair of Clore Tikva, reflected on the impact of the day saying: “Super Sunday II has been a

shining example of what our community can achieve together. The energy, generosity and good spirit we saw on and off the pitch will stay with us for a long time. The £24,000 raised will allow our schools to invest in resources and initiatives that give our children the very best start in life.”

The funds will help both schools continue to deliver outstanding education and enriching experiences for their pupils, ensuring they can serve as pillars of the community for years to come.

WIJPS organisers Jonathan Epstein and Michael Fine said: “To raise such a significant amount is testament to the players, volunteers, and every person who bought a ticket, a raffle prize, or came along to cheer. This match is about more than football, it’s about building connections, celebrating our schools, and giving back. Seeing hundreds of people from across the community come together in support has been truly inspiring.”

Jamie Berlin, organiser for Clore Tikva, added: “We’re so proud to be part of an event that not only brings people together but also raises vital funds for our schools. The passion on the pitch and the generosity off it remind us why Super Sunday has become such a special tradition.”

The teams also extended heartfelt thanks to Buckhurst Hill Football Club for providing their excellent facilities, and to all sponsors whose support helped make the event such a success and ensured the day exceeded all expectations.

Pictures By JAMES BLOOM

Chuppah at the care home

WHEN Kim and Ian Steinberg’s son Hayden married Jemma in Cheshire, it was a beautiful day.

However, sadly, Kim’s father, Wallace, who lives at Jewish Care’s Vi & John Rubens House care home in Gants Hill, was unable to travel that far so attended via Zoom.

So when Kim spoke to Jacklin Stephenson, the care home’s social care coordinator about the possibility of creating a special celebration at Vi & John Ruben’s House, Jacklin immediately knew she wanted to make it happen.

Jacklin and the team pulled out all the stops to bring the wedding to Wallace, arranging for a chuppah to be made in the home so he could share in his grandson’s big day. Balloons, flowers and refreshments filled the room, and staff and residents joined in the celebration dressed in their finest attire.

Jacklin said: “To recreate the wedding here was fabulous so I was thrilled. For many of our residents who haven’t seen or been to a wedding recently, it was such a joy.

“Moments like these encourage them to reminisce on happy times from their own lives, and that’s exactly what

we’re here for, to improve the lives of our residents and to enhance their wellbeing.”

The couple, joined by family and friends, took part in a mock service led by Jewish Care volunteer, Stephen Shelton, and Stuart Kaye. Hayden’s brother, Scott Steinberg, took care of entertainment, playing the guitar for everyone and singing before the traditional breaking of the glass. Jemma’s parents, Amanda and Paul Becker travelled from Manchester to be part of the event, to make it a real family occasion.

After the ceremony, everyone gathered for sandwiches and refreshments, and the family were joined by friends and relatives of care home residents.

Bride Jemma was overjoyed by the occasion. She said: “I thought it was such a lovely idea to recreate our wedding for Wallace. It meant so much for Hayden and me to be able to celebrate our wedding with him.”

Wallace was touched and moved by the special day. He said: ”There was a first-class atmosphere. Family means a lot, and I’m pleased that I live in a Jewish home. I think that I’m very fortunate.”

JLGB’s sell-out spectacular in Imagineland

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN

YOUNG people from Essex enjoyed a sold-out JLGB Summer Camp, to celebrate the organisation’s 130th anniversary, that has been called “the best camp ever”.

They were among 750 youth from across the UK – joined by international guests from Israel and beyond – who descended on JLGB’s colourful, purpose-built Imagineland for a week of adventure, creativity and connection.

A packed programme balanced the high-energy with the heartfelt. It included epic adventures, creative exploration, sports tournaments, funfair rides, costumed themed evenings, fireworks under the stars, live music, a whole camp Kabbalat Shabbat and the unforgettable Imagine Friday Night Banquet.

Beyond the fun, JLGB Summer Camp 2025 was about values and belonging.

From inspiring talks and social action workshops to inclusive programming for every age group – the week built friendships, boosted confidence and strengthened Jewish identity.

Fifteen-year-old Ira, from Southend, ran the Year 10 group, saying: “Creating special moments for my year was a true joy, while the whole-camp entertainments brought everyone together in an incredible atmosphere.”

Parents were impressed, with one summing up the feeling by saying: “Thank you to the whole team for everything you do for our kids, who more than ever need a safe space to understand what it means to be loud and proud Jews.”

Commission on Antisemitism finds ‘unacceptable’ Jew-hate

THE Board of Deputies of British Jews’ groundbreaking Commission on Antisemitism published its report with key recommendations on how to tackle

the disturbing rise in anti-Jewish discrimination in the United Kingdom.

The Commission, co-chaired by the Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism Lord Mann and former

Secretary of State for Defence Dame

Penny Mordaunt, focussed on civil society. It spent a year taking evidence from a wide range of organisations, staff networks, students and the Jewish community.

It heard testimony of the day-to-day experiences of Jewish people accessing services or working in particular organisations or sectors. It includes specific recommendations concerning the NHS, contract compliance for arts organisations and festivals, the obligations of trade unions, and professional bodies that provide indemnity for individuals working in professions including the police.

Lord Mann said: “It is unacceptable that the Jewish community has faced an onslaught of antisemitism since October 7th. Whilst this is not new, the Commission heard shocking experiences that we will not ignore. Antisemitism is racism and it must be treated as such. We hope these recommendations will provide additional guidance and action for civil society.”

Penny Mordaunt added: “No person should face abuse or discrimination whilst going about their business,

whether it is pursuing the career of their choice or accessing public services. We wanted to suggest some very practical things that can be dealt with swiftly and will dramatically improve people’s experiences.”

The work was commissioned by the Board of Deputies following the dramatic upsurge in antisemitism following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

Board president Phil Rosenberg said: “Overall, the challenge in civil society can be summarised as one of a failure to apply the protections rightly afforded to different vulnerable groups equally to Jewish people in the same positions.

“Many sectors promote strong Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) processes, which are very important, but too often, these protections seem to exclude Jews. To quote the title of the popular book on antisemitism by David Baddiel, it too often seems that ‘Jews Don’t Count’.

“Going forward, the Board of Deputies will insist that ‘Jews Must Count’, and we will use the recommendations of this report to ensure that they do.”

Jemma and Hayden with their parents, Wallace and Hayden’s brother Scott at the mock wedding at Jewish Care’s Vi & John Rubens House care home

Just one of the fun activities at JLGB Summer Camp 2025

Lord John Mann and Dame Penny Mourdant at the report launch

Clore mum runs to raise thousands Jewish Essex comes to the Soho Theatre

By PAT LIDIKER

Kelly Stanton, a parent at Clore Tikva, has raised more than £2,650 for the school by taking part in this year’s London Marathon… and achieving a personal best time of 4 hours and 12 minutes.

Kelly first ran the London Marathon 10 years ago and has entered the ballot every year since. After countless

rejections, she finally secured a place in 2024 – and decided to use the opportunity to support Clore Tikva.

She trained for four months, often accompanied by friends on long runs, with the goal of completing the race in under four hours. Although she narrowly missed that target, she was delighted with her new personal best and with the fundraising total.

She told the Essex Jewish News: “It was physically and mentally challenging, especially with the weather conditions on the day.

“Afterwards I said ‘never again’ – but then I entered the ballot for 2026, never thinking I’d get in. Over 1.1 million people applied this year, which is a record, and somehow I got the email saying I was in!”

Kelly has now set her sights on training once more and raising even more money by running again in April 2026.

By MICAELA BLITZ

ACCLAIMED playwright and performer Nick Cassenbaum brings his play Revenge: After the Levoyah to Soho Theatre later this year.

This sharply satirical comedy is set in 2019 Jewish Essex and follows Jewish twins Lauren and Dan, an octogenarian East End thug, a Holocaust survivor, and a rabbi on a chaotic mission to kidnap Jeremy Corbyn.

In true Cassenbaum fashion, the play mixes high-stakes absurdity with poignant social commentary. Performed by Dylan Corbett-Bader and Gemma Barnett, this two-hander explores modern Jewish identity, the dangers of antisemitism, and the surprising uses of a jar of chraine. What could be more Jewish?

Revenge is the first in a planned trilogy, with the next instalment

already in the works. Entitled Rebellion: After the B’nei Mitzvahs, Cassenbaum describes it as “a horror film set in Stamford Hill,” inspired by his experiences at Jewish summer camp.

Nick continues to make his mark across Jewish theatre, returning for the third time to write the JW3 pantomime. This year’s show, Cinderella and the Matza Ball, promises all the joy of traditional panto – reimagined with a distinctly Jewish twist.

His work also extends to storytelling. Alongside theatre-maker Tash Hayman, he co-created the podcast Machloket: A Disagreement for a Greater Good – a celebration of diverse Jewish voices and stories from across the UK. The project initially started as a storytelling workshop in Ilford, but soon developed into a nationwide project which saw Nick and Tash visiting around 30 communities all with very different Jewish backgrounds and viewpoints.

Earlier this year, these recordings were used as a live storytelling experience, and later developed into a podcast. The first four episodes feature a range of people from an online Yiddish class to a group of ex-Egyptian refugees. The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple and other podcast platforms.

BOOKING:

Revenge: After the Levoyah: https://sohotheatre.com/events/ revenge-after-the-levoyah/

JW3 panto: https://www.jw3.org.uk/ panto

Marathon mum Kelly Stanton with her children

Participants on Jewish Care’s MIKE Youth Leadership Programme explored Budapest on a Jewish heritage trip, visiting historic sites and learning about the city’s rich Jewish history.

Dylan Corbett-Bader and Gemma Barnett - picture by Christa Holka

New Year greetings to the Community 5786/2025

Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue

Synagogue

Sukkat Shalom Reform

1 Victory Hill, Hermon Hill, Wanstead, E11 1UL

Rabbi Dr Tali Artman-Partock and all of our members wish you a happy and healthy Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Most of our High Holyday services this year will be in the synagogue. If you would like to join us please contact our Administrator at admin@sukkatshalom.me.uk

If you would like more information about the synagogue please contact us on: Tel: 0208 530 3345

(Answer phone, please leave a message) Email: admin@sukkatshalom.me.uk

Website: sukkatshalom.org.uk

New Essex Masorti Synagogue wishes the community a happy, healthy, peaceful & sweet 5786

We would be delighted to welcome you to our High Holy Days, and fortnightly Shabbat services.

To ﬁnd out more and to book yourself a place, please email: nemasorti@hotmail.com or phone: 07922 090180

Greetings from ROMFORD & DISTRICT (AFFILIATED) SYNAGOGUE

(Incorporating Havering Jewish Ladies) 25 EASTERN ROAD, ROMFORD, ESSEX RM1 3NH 01708 741690, 01708 748199 or 01708 765117

The Honorary Officers and Congregation wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year and Well Over the Fast

ILFORD FEDERATION SYNAGOGUE

A thriving community

2a Clarence Avenue, Ilf ord, Essex IG2 6JH Tel: 0208 554 5289

Rabbi & Rebbetzen Singer, The Honorary Officers, Board of Management and our Community send greetings to all EJN readers for a Healthy and Peaceful New Year.

Southend and District Reform Synagogue 851 London Road

Westcliff-on-Sea Essex SS0 9SZ Telephone 01702 711663 www.southendreform.org.uk

Rabbi Yanky & Rebbetzen Rochel and family, the Honorary Officers and Board of Management wish all readers a sweet and healthy New Year

Rabbi & Rebbetzen Wollenberg, the Honorary Oﬃcers & Synagogue Council wish all readers a Shana Tova

All welcome f - or current informa on please go to www wfus org uk Telephone 020 8504 1990

A fresh approach to design, branding and communications www.dynamicpear.co.uk

Wishes the Essex Jewish community a very Happy New Year

Fullwell Avenue, Barkingside, Ilford

Essex IG6 2JN

Telephone: 8551 1097

email: admin@cloretikva.redbridge.sch.uk

The governors, staff and pupils wish the community a happy, peaceful and safe Pesach Clore Tikva

The Executive and Council of Southend and District Reform Synagogue, together with Rabbi Warren Elf MBE, warmly wish the community and all readers a happy and healthy New Year

The Executive and Council of Southend and District Reform Synagogue, together with Rabbi Warren Elf MBE, warmly wish the community and all readers a happy and healthy Pesach

Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat morning services are held weekly by Zoom andfortnightly in the shul.

The services for the High Holy Days will be held in the shul and via Zoom.

Shabbat morning services are held in person and online once or twice a month at 10.30 am. Please contact the synagogue for details of online Friday night services.

You are welcome to join us. Please contact the synagogue for details.

info@kshsonline.uk www.kshsonline.uk

Tel: 020 8498 1350 office@ijpsonline.co.uk www.ijpsonline.co.uk

The Governors, Staff and Students at both schools wish the whole community a very happy and peaceful New Year

wish all of our friends and supporters a ver y happy and healthy Rosh Hashanah

On behalf of Executive Directors:

Rabbi Aryeh MBE & Devorah Sufrin of Chabad Gants Hill

Rabbi Odom & Henny Brandman of Chabad Buckhurst Hill

Rabbi Yossi & Rivkah Posen of Chabad Epping

Rabbi Tzvi & Mushkie Birnhack of Chabad Southend-on-Sea

Gants Hill: www.chabadilford.co.uk

Buckhurst Hill: www.chabadonthehill.co.uk Epping: www.chabadepping.co.uk

Southend: www.chabadsouthend.co.uk

For all advertising opportunities, please contact sales@ essexjewishnews. co.uk

Rabbi Geoffrey, Rebbetzen Michelle Hyman, The Board of Management, together with the SWHC Community wish all EJN Readers a Happy New Year and well over the fast

www.swhc.org.uk | shuloffice@swhc.org.uk

Community Shana Tova V’Gmar Chatima Tova.

A friendly and inclusive Reform synagogue

Join us for the High Holy-Days

All welcome No charge

A friendly and inclusive Reform synagogue

Wishing everyone Shana Tova and well over the fast

• Shabbat and festival services conducted by Rabbi Irit

• Cheder

• Social events including coffee mornings and garden parties

Join us for Seder on Sunday April 13 led by Rabbi Irit Shillor £10, must be booked in advance

• Adult education

• Conversion class

• Ample parking And more…

• Shabbat and festival services

• Cheder

§ Social events

Visit www.harlowjewishcommunity.org.uk

• Adult education

Want to know more?

Rabbi Goodwin and Chaya, Rabbi Rosen and Olivia, the honorary officers and synagogue council together with the Shul staff wish all readers of the Essex Jewish News a Happy and Peaceful New Year

• Ample parking And more… www.harlowjewishcommunity.org.uk

Email us at admin@harlowjewishcommunity.org.uk

Limes Avenue, Limes Farm Estate, Chigwell, Essex IG7 5NT

WE DO HAVE FRIENDS...

Grandchildren and great grandchildren of the SS and the other Nazis

ANTISEMITISM in Germany almost doubled last year according to the Federal Research and Information Point for antisemitism with 8,627 incidents of violence, vandalism and threats against Jews in that country. That’s almost twice the number in 2023 of 6,886 and far ahead of the 1,957 in 2020.

As we know to our cost, antisemitism has spread at an alarming rate throughout Europe this year too, including Britain.

A story from Germany is of particular importance simply because of a snippet of good news that hardly anyone saw or read in the mainstream media, mainly because,

VIEW FROM THE SIDELINES

By MANNY ROBINSON

of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II earlier this year and against the backdrop of rising antisemitism since the 7th October massacre by Hamas, more than a thousand of these German descendants of Nazis marched through the streets of Berlin supporting Israel with the messages – “we will not stand silent again” and “the people of Israel live”.

to my knowledge, it was never broadcast or printed in the national press.

It concerned the grandchildren and, in some cases, the great grandchildren, of Nazis who took part in the extermination of Jews. These grandchildren and great grandchildren are the direct descendants of SS members, Wehrmacht soldiers and Nazi policemen who actively participated in the Holocaust.

The news that seemed to pass most people by was that during the marking

The marchers passed through historical sites connected to the Nazi regime, including Hitler’s bunker, symbolizing their commitment to learn from the past and prevent its recurrence.

The event was organised by March of Life, a German Christian movement founded by Jobst Bitner, a descendant of a Nazi family who, with others, chose to face an historic truth, take moral responsibility and work towards reconciliation with the Jews.

In an interview with Yehuda Dov of the New York based Chassidic online news site Vin News he said: “October 7 was a turning

point. We witnessed that antisemitism doesn’t belong to the past – it is the present. When Jewish suffering is met with silence – it’s not a coincidence, it’s a failure. Antisemitism thrives on ignorance, denial, and the silence of the majority. That’s why we cry out: We will not be silent! The time to take a stand is now. Not later.”

Marcus Diemer (62), who participated in the Berlin march, said: “My grandfather was a devoted Nazi. He joined the Nazi party as early as 1928, and in 1939 he served as a police officer under the SS in Poland. He was involved in property confiscation, torture, and murder of Jews and Poles, and took part in Kristallnacht.”

“The first time I came to Israel in 2007, when the plane landed, I felt like I was coming home,” he said. “I’ve never met people like Israelis, open, ready for forgiveness. Unfortunately, most media in Germany is biased against Israel and doesn’t show that rockets are constantly being fired at you. We want our voice to be heard, that not only Jews raise their voices, but also we as Germans.”

Kim Kascha (25), a student from Tübingen, also took part in the march. “My great-grandfathers served in the Nazi German army. When we asked them about the war, they avoided elaborating on the subject,” she said. “One of my grandfathers, Reinhold Kascha, even

mentioned that he learned to ride horses and referred to his military service as unimportant and even with humour, but after his death we discovered that he was involved in the invasion of Poland, the establishment of the Kovno ghetto, and the cruel treatment of Jews there.”

“It wasn’t easy for me to speak up for Israel at the university,” she continued. “I have quite a few friends, many of them Muslims, who were very angry with me because of the way I sided with Israel. But I continue on my path. We learned from the past that the Holocaust happened because the majority remained silent. If we stay quiet now, we are no better than our family. We have a responsibility to support Israel and not stand by when Jews are attacked.”

Felix Kunsa (31), a volunteer with the organization, testified about the personal change he experienced: “My grandfather was a Nazi until the day he died. My life changed when I met Holocaust survivors in Israel and told them about my family. When I looked into their eyes, the historical knowledge moved from my mind to my heart.”

He added. “For us, it wasn’t the Nazis who murdered Jews, it was our family. We don’t come from guilt, but to raise our voice so that history doesn’t repeat itself.”

In a televised broadcast by i24 News in Israel, members of the organization went there earlier this year to take part in the annual March of the Nations event held this year in Metula.

The group also participated in the inauguration of an exhibition in Jerusalem dealing with the history of antisemitism and later held marches in Beersheba, Netanya, Ashkelon, and Zichron Yaakov. Throughout the summer more than 60 reconciliation and remembrance marches took place around the world.

So we do have friends!

1 - Kim Kascha - Marcus Diemer - picture courtesy of March of Life

2 -Marcus Diemer - picture courtesy of March of Life

University Jewish Chaplaincy

31,314 STUDENT INTERACTIONS AND SUPPORT. + ASSISTANCE

120 MEETINGS WITH UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS REGARDING STUDENT SAFETY AND RIGHTS.

3,735 HOURS ON STUDENT WELFARE AND MENTAL WELL-BEING.

HOME HOSPITALITY FOR 8,712 STUDENTS.

18,113STUDENT ATTENDEES AT EVENTS.

VIEW FROM THE SIDELINES

By MANNY ROBINSON

Questions, questions, questions... and arguments

THIS year, perhaps more so than in other years, there has been an avalanche of quizzes on television. I can think of The Chase, The Weakest Link, Jeopardy! Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? University Challenge, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Countdown.

Jews love quizzes: perhaps that’s why we always answer a question with another question. How are you? How should I be? You know the pattern.

People react in so many different ways when they sit down at a quiz table. There is the man or woman who always dives in first at the ‘running question’ before anyone else has had a chance. That ‘running question’ might ask, for example, the names of all of Tottenham or Arsenal managers since 1950 or Fred Astaire’s dancing partners. The ‘diver’, after answering three or four then run out of ideas and say: “I’ve left the rest for you.”

Then there is the man or woman who insists he or she is certain of the answer. The capital of Nicaragua is Obedje they proclaim proudly. Someone else says I’m sure it’s Managua but Mr or Mrs Knowall insists the answer on the paper be scrubbed out and changed to Obedje. When Managua is called out as the correct answer they go all sheepish and mutter: “I’m sure it was Obedje…”

One of the most embarrassing situations is when there is someone at the table who is a sports enthusiast, doctor, film or musical buff and when a

sport, medical, film or musical question comes around they all look to him or her nodding their heads confidently, sure that this is the round to play their joker. After all, they muse, he is a doctor. He should know. Then, when the wrong answer is given, the rest of the table shoot daggers at the hapless man or woman.

Of course running quizzes are, to a certain extent, unfair. You often have a table with 70 or 80-year-olds who think the Pet Shop Boys look after rabbits and parrots and the 16 or 17-year-olds who believe Perry Como is a large lake in Italy. Unless you are on a table with a mix of young and old you only have an outside chance of winning.

Most people take quizzes as a fun evening but a few take it deadly seriously and get worked up if their mind goes blank over a question they should know the answer to or they challenge the accuracy of the answer.

There are contestants in the country who will never live down the answers they have given on television or radio. Private Eye published a list in a book called Dumb Britain 2, edited by Marcus Berkman. So here we go …

The Weakest Link (BBC One): Ann Robinson, presenter: What was the principal language used by the ancient Romans? Contestant: Greek.

Perfect Recall (Channel 4): Sir Terry Wogan, presenter: Which Duke resides at Woburn Abbey? Contestant: Hazzard.

The

Face to face with Facebook

IREMEMBER some years ago a song called I Heard It On The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. Today I hear (or to be more precise), see it on Facebook.

I see everything – from Yvonne telling everyone she is now standing on platform 4 at Paddington (presumably she isn’t the train) to Harry who wants the world and his wife to know he can’t sleep.

There is also someone who posts pictures of his child every 48 hours expecting everyone to marvel at the way the child has changed over two days. Others who announce they are in hospital and give chapter and verse of the treatment they have had or are having.

I believe that Facebook has its uses. And one has been to wish people the compliments of the season, whatever that season might be. Indeed, last Rosh Hashanah I received one – yes, just one – New Year card and 24 Facebook greetings from around the world. Impersonal, of course. But these days the cost of the stamps is often more than the cost of the cards, so why not economise?

But even I had to draw the line when I read an article in which the writer told a friend that her mother had died. “I didn’t see it on Facebook” the woman replied. Have we really come to that? Are people going to announce on Facebook the death of a loved one so that the world and his wife can see and send a “Like” message. What next? Stone setting dates?

Independence starts at home

“My

life changed overnight. After having my leg amputated, Jewish Blind & Disabled offered me the housing and support I needed to retain my independence.” Geoff, JBD Tenant

Jewish Blind & Disabled offers housing and support for adults who have physical disabilities or vision impairments.

To make a donation or to find out more about our housing and support, please visit jbd.org or call 020 8371 6611

Viking Radio: Presenter: Who was Prime Minister before Tony Blair? Contestant: George Bush.

Arts (2CR): Presenter: Who painted the Sistine Chapel? Contestant: Leonardo Di Caprio.

It was all Greek on the Weakest Link

THIS summer, Chabad Buckhurst Hill joyfully marked the 20th Anniversary of its inaugural service with a special Shabbat celebration.

For their anniversary weekend, Rabbi Odom and Henny Brandman, directors of Chabad Buckhurst Hill, welcomed Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin MBE and his wife Devorah, regional directors of Chabad North-East London & Essex as special guests.

Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin gave the sermon and made a special presentation on behalf of Chabad’s trustees, following which another presentation was made by Laraine Warren, on behalf of the community, to the Brandmans, thanking them for 20 years of unwavering commitment and dedication to the community.

An extremely special kiddush followed the service including a sushi bar, hot meats station with kugels and deli roll, and a delicious selection of salads and desserts.

A few weeks later, hundreds then attended a celebratory summer BBQ complete with music, entertainment and plenty of delicious kosher food.

From humble beginning

What began two decades ago as a humble gathering in a small, rented home on Russell Road, in Buckhurst Hill, has blossomed into a vibrant and active community.

In May 2005, Rabbi Odom and Henny Brandman moved from their home in New York to establish Chabad in Buckhurst Hill. A few weeks later, in June, they held that first Shabbat service in, welcoming local families into a new community which would be grounded in authentic Jewish values, warmth and inclusivity.

A young couple, married for just under one year, with no children yet, they moved to the UK full of enthusiasm for what they hoped to build.

Fast-forward to today, and the Brandman family, with their 12 children, have become household names across Essex, and their centre, now located on Epping New Road, is complete with a spacious shul, community rooms, youth lounge, guest suite and kosher facilities serving a wide range of people across the community.

Rabbi Odom Brandman said: “It has been an honour and pleasure to serve this community for 20 years, although I feel the best and busiest years are still to come.

“One of the greatest joys of serving the community over such an extended time is the amazing continuity that we get to be part of. I have had the special privilege of officiating at weddings of boys and girls whose Bar and Bat Mitzvahs we did near the beginning of our tenor, and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs of boys and girls whose Brit or Baby Naming we officiated at”

“We have watched the community change and move around over the past 20 years, and we are here to be flexible, adapt and serve in whatever way the community needs.”

Today’s incredible offering

Over two decades, Chabad Buckhurst Hill has introduced a wide array of services from weekly Shabbat and festival services, followed by the famed cholent Kiddush, youth programming which includes a Babyccino group, cheder classes, CKids club for Juniors, C-Teen for teens, Bar and Bat Mitzvah preparations, and events for young adults.

Chabad functions as a community centre, open to all, and its shul is at its

Celebrating 20 years of Chabad Buckhurst Hill

heart and soul with daily services, Bars & Bat Mitzvah celebrations, weddings, and lifecycle events from birth until end of life.

Chabad runs an array of large events over the course of the year from community meals, restaurant nights, educational evenings and outreach. At Chanukah there are public Menorahs in all the surrounding areas.

Everyone is welcome, their philosophy remains simple: “unconditional acceptance, no matter one’s level of observance with a drive to ensure Jewish continuity.”

Rabbi Odom Brandman is also active in local schools, hospitals, and at community events, reinforcing Chabad’s mission in the wider area. Henny Brandman runs the Cheder, Babyccino group and ladies events and oversees lots of entertaining in their home.

The next chapter

Chabad Buckhurst Hill is now looking towards its next chapter, especially as more of the Essex community move further out.

Plans include expanded youth engagement, deeper social outreach, and a vision for a purpose-built centre – continuing to be “a beacon at the crossroads” for Jewish life or those living in Buckhurst Hill, edges of Woodford, Chigwell, Abridge, Waltham Abbey, Loughton, Chingford, and other surrounding areas.

For more information and to get involved, please visit www.chabadonthehill.co.uk.

Rabbi Odom and Henny Brandman at the first Chabad House in 2005

Rabbi Odom and Henry Brandman with their family today

Chabad’s most recent weddingof James Bongart and Chloe Gordon

The First Bar Mitzvah at Chabad Buckhurst Hill in 2007

My Adult Bat Mitzvah journey

Sarah

Camlett on how a very special simcha at ELELS nourished her soul

AS 2023 drew to a close, I found myself contemplating New Year’s resolutions.

I felt a powerful urge to make 2024 my “year of learning”. It had been many years since I had engaged in any formal study, and I longed to challenge that part of my brain once again – to find something purely for myself, separate from my roles as a mother and professional. Little did I know that one email would offer me this and so much more.

The weekly newsletter from East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue (ELELS), where I am a member, arrived in my inbox containing a message from Rabbi Richard Jacobi inviting women in the community to take part in an Adult Bat Mitzvah programme.

As soon as I read it, I knew this was exactly what I had been searching for. I hadn’t celebrated a Bat Mitzvah as a child, and as an adult looked back on this absence with regret. This felt like the perfect opportunity to learn more about Judaism and work towards an important and meaningful life event.

Our first meeting took place over Zoom, and to my delight, seven other women had expressed interest in joining. One of the greatest joys of this journey was getting to know such a diverse group of women, spanning different ages, backgrounds, and life experiences — and sharing such a personal and intimate process together.

Over the next 15 months, we met every Monday evening on Zoom, passionately led by Rabbi Richard Jacobi and Mich Sampson. We covered a wide range of topics: Jewish history, Torah study, the role of women in the Liberal Jewish movement, and Hebrew.

My Hebrew, last studied during my cheder days, was extremely rusty – and remains my biggest challenge – but I embraced it wholeheartedly and continue to work on it. I also enrolled in an additional leyning course, where reading musical notation from right to left and Hebrew from left to right often made my brain ache! Singing together on Zoom was beautiful and uplifting, and I found myself looking forward to it every week.

Throughout the programme, we were inspired by incredible guest speakers, including several pioneering female rabbis who generously shared their wisdom. Week by week, my connection to my faith and Jewish identity grew and blossomed.

Shabbat, in particular, became increasingly meaningful, ultimately becoming the central focus of my D’var Torah. As discussions turned toward setting dates for our Bat Mitzvah ceremonies, I felt a wonderful freedom in not being tied to the traditional birthday portion. Instead, I explored Torah commentaries and chose a portion that spoke deeply to me: Exodus 31:12–17 — when G-d commands Moses about the observance of Shabbat, emphasizing its fundamental importance to Jewish life and the serious consequences of neglecting it. My chosen date: 1 March 2025.

Inspired by a Bat Mitzvah tradition we had studied – where significant women in the Bat Mitzvah girl’s life offer blessings and words of wisdom – I asked some of my closest friends to participate in my ceremony. To my joy (and no surprise), they all enthusiastically agreed.

With the help of Rabbi Richard and Mich, I curated a service that took place at the end of Shabbat and into Havdalah. My parents and children participated too – moments that were deeply emotional, especially when my 10-year-old daughter sang the Shema on the bimah.

The service wove together poetry and music that Mich and I carefully selected, while my six-year-old son provided some unforgettable comic relief!

When the time came for my D’var Torah and leyning, I took a deep, steadying breath — and all the months of preparation came pouring out. It was, and always will be, one of my greatest personal achievements. I dedicated my Bat Mitzvah to the memory of Shiri Bibas, with whom as the mother of a beautiful red headed son, I feel a deep and sorrowful connection.

And of course, no celebration is complete without a party! I was overjoyed to celebrate with family and friends… with food, dancing and even being lifted on a chair in true simcha style.

In the week that followed, I was elated. Being surrounded by the people you love most, celebrating something so meaningful, nourished my soul in ways I hadn’t imagined.

Today, I feel more connected to my Jewish identity than ever before – and my journey of learning is only just beginning as is my commitment to my community.

At the ELELS AGM I was co-opted onto the Council, and look forward to being a part of building the future of our wonderful shul.

Sarah Camlett on the bimah at East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue on her Bat Mitzvah

Sarah with two of her close friends and Rabbi Richard Jacobi on her special day

By DAN BERLINKA EAST LONDON AND ESSEX LIBERAL SYNAGOGUE

IT began when a friend posted on Facebook that they were trying to help a Palestinian medical student find a place to stay in London over the summer.

I won’t say I saw this as “a sign”, but we pray every week for peace and co-existence and beating swords into ploughshares, so I felt that, in a small way, this was a chance to live by the principles I so firmly believe in.

So for the month of July, Amir (not his real name) lived in my spare room. And this became a profound, sometimes difficult, but ultimately transformative experience for me.

Amir is 24 and from Gaza. He learnt Russian to take up a scholarship at a medical school in Russia. He has one year left and has been there since 2019, so he has avoided the war in Gaza, though his family are still there.

Amir now has Russian citizenship but in a perverse twist he needs to get out of Russia as soon as he graduates, so he does not end up drafted into the war against Ukraine. His stay in London

was to improve his English and make contacts in the UK that might help him continue his studies here.

He arrived with a warm smile and would insist on being helpful even when no help was needed (he never let me carry the shopping bag to or from the supermarket.)

Over the month we spent together had many deep and often uncomfortable conversations about Islam and Judaism, Western society, and of course Israel/ Palestine.

Amir is deeply religious and with his beliefs came some conservative attitudes that I do not share, particularly in relation to gay people. He never said anything hateful, but he did voice his disapproval. When my wife mentioned that she had friends who are gay and Muslim he looked at her quizzically and said “how is this possible?”

But inevitably the most complicated topic was Israel / Palestine. We clashed over his use of the term “prisoners” in response to me saying “hostages”.

And this wasn’t a language issue – he understood the difference.

He challenged me over Benjamin Netanyahu’s references to Amalek and I tried to explain Liberal Judaism’s approach to these passages as best I could. When I told Amir that Netanyahu, Ben Gvir and Smotrich do not represent the kind of liberal Zionism that I and my friends believe in, he replied ruefully, “it’s not just them.” And on the surface, at least, Amir’s aspirations for a Palestinian state extend “from the river to the sea.”

But beneath that there was also a realism about Israel’s existence. He mentioned having wanted to go to medical school in Haifa if that had been possible. And one evening he talked about how his life would have been different had his grandfather not fled to Gaza in 1948 and had stayed to become an Israeli citizen. When I talked about the Jewish attachment to Israel – both religiously and as a response to European persecution, I felt he heard and understood me.

Throughout our many talks I tried to walk a line between representing what I believe in while giving Amir space to express how he felt. And even when he said things I profoundly disagreed with, I remained mindful that his family are in real danger every day. He showed me pictures of his house - a bombsite - and of his adorable 5-year-old niece playing on a heap of rubble.

At the end of the month, Amir moved on to his next host. He gave me a copy of the Qur’an as a parting gift. This wasn’t a movie – no big moral or lesson to wrap things up. Amir was just one voice and not representative of a whole people. And yet I feel marked by those 31 days.

In a world riven by so much hatred, when every day I see more divisive articles and social media posts and “hot takes”, the simple act of Amir and I listening to each other in my back garden felt like a radical act and one that leaves me still hopeful for our shared futures.

Comment My month with Amir Israel is calling you home

By MICHAEL BEN BARUCH UK DIRECTOR OF THE ISRAEL MINISTRY OF TOURISM

AS we approach Rosh Hashanah 5786, the sound of the shofar calls us not just to reflection and renewal, but to action. This year, more than ever, that action can take the form of a journey home – to Israel.

When many gather in synagogue and hear the tekiah gedolah, that final, long blast of the shofar, we’re reminded of both our ancient connection to the Land of Israel and our presentday responsibility to support it. Since October 7th, 2023, that responsibility has taken on profound new meaning.

I moved to London with my family from Israel in August 2023 to become the UK Director of the Israel Ministry of Tourism, full of excited optimism to promote a thriving UK-to-Israel travel market. Like the entire Jewish world, I quickly found myself facing the trauma and disruption of a post-October 7th reality. As an organisation promoting Israel tourism, we faced challenges including flight cancellations, evolving travel advisories, and understandable concerns about safety.

The past year has brought unprecedented challenges. We’ve witnessed direct attacks on Israeli soil, ongoing regional tensions, and periods when airlines suspended services. Yet remarkably, travel to Israel has continued. Despite the difficulties, tens of thousands of travellers from the UK visited Israel during 2025, and the Israeli tourism industry and people welcomed them with overwhelming gratitude for their solidarity during such challenging times. This Rosh Hashanah, I ask you to consider making 5786 the year you

return to Israel.

Beyond showing solidarity – go for the sheer fun and spirit, go for the unique family memories you’ll create and go for the diverse experiences only Israel can offer.

Walk through Jerusalem’s ancient stones, float in the Dead Sea, explore the

incredible beaches and dynamic urban life of Tel Aviv, hike in the Galilee, or dive in the Red Sea at Eilat. From world-class museums to outdoor adventures, from spiritual journeys to culinary discoveries, Israel awaits.

The Israeli people have shown remarkable resilience, and the tourism

industry stands ready to welcome you with open arms. Hotels, restaurants, tour guides, and attractions are all operating, eager to share the Israel they love with visitors who choose to come.

Rather than waiting for some distant future, make this the year you book that ticket. Shana Tova… and this year in Israel!

Uniting mothers against terrorism

Linda Newman visits a poignant exhibition at Cranbrook United Synagogue

THE term ‘Eternal Embrace’ signifies a love or connection that is unending, transcending time, characterized by unconditional acceptance and enduring commitment.

Eternal Embrace is therefore a fitting title for a poignant exhibition that came to Cranbrook United Synagogue.

Originally launched in Israel, in collaboration with the Zionist Council, it was created by Israeli artist and photographer Ifat Peer in conjunction the #MomToo project, an international movement which aims, “at uniting mothers from all over the world in the fight against terrorism.”

Ifat photographed 25 bereaved mothers each holding a picture of their lost forever child, which appears alongside texts in which the mothers describe their beloved son or daughter, the moments of terror when they received the news of their death, a tribute to the child and finally, the memory of the final embrace with their beloved. QR codes allow visitors to share family videos of precious times.

Viewing the exhibition was an overwhelming experience.

The mothers speak out

“Our Segev was a personality! A colourful person with a unique sense of humour, a free spirit, a nonconformist, a magnetising personality to both young and old.”

“The police had told her to hide inside the garbage bin. I asked her to cover her ears, sing a song in her heart and ignore the noises… I told her it would be over soon.”

“Our Liel vowed to draw the terrorists away if they came and he did just that.

Footage shows him running over a kilometre at top speed chased by multiple terrorists till he was eventually caught.”

“She had a tattoo of the number 25. She used to say there was a special significance to this age, but we didn’t know she would remain 25 forever.”

“On Friday night we all had a lovely holiday dinner; before my daughter left, I gave her a big long hug and kissed her. I was privileged for the last time.”

“He was 19 when he was murdered.”

“She was 20 when she was killed.”

The mothers share their stories

The exhibition begins with two separate displays which both feature the one mother, Sigal Shteiner Manzuri, whose two daughters Norelle, 25 and Roya, 22 were killed during the Nova Music Festival massacre in 2023, as was Norelle’s partner Amit Cohen.

Sigal wrote: “On Wednesday 11 October 2023, we were informed of the murder of our beloved daughter Roya. We buried her on Thursday 12 October, then the next day we were informed about the murder of our beautiful eldest daughter Norelle.

“I felt like a lava is burning in my body and soul from head to toes. For one long moment I wanted to give up and move to a world where my daughters are, but in

the end I chose to continue their legacy by spreading their light, joy, love and endless giving.”

Sigal ended with this message: “Only through love and acceptance of the other will we overcome the crises and the difficult social and global rupture at all times. All my prayers are for miracles and for bringing the kidnapped home.”

The legacies

Legacies parents have dedicated to their child’s memory include: “scholarships for disadvantaged people with potential”; “the opening of a dance school”; “a Torah scroll in his name”; “a soccer tournament”; “a bottle of wine with her story on the label”; and “a beach volleyball court in his name”.

Claire Barzilai and Victoria Portnoy of the Cranbrook United Synagogue Events Committee arranged for ‘Eternal Embrace’ to be shown at their synagogue.

Claire said: “The exhibition was well attended over the three days it was shown and everyone who came along said they were glad they did so.”

The #MomToo group added: “As mothers our most important role is to act as a single force to build a safer future for our children, regardless of religion, race or nationality.

“Eternal Embrace is more than a photography exhibition… it is a cry of pain and a call to action.”

Photographer Ifat Peer is planning an exhibition next on fathers’ stories.

• For more information, please visit www.momtoo.net.

REBUILDING HOPE

In June 2025, an Iranian missile struck Soroka Medical Centre in Be’er Sheva - the only major hospital in Israel’s South. With wards and labs destroyed, it’s now operating at just 50% capacity, with patients being treated in an underground emergency preparedness area with extreme overcrowding, limited equipment and no privacy.

This Rosh Hashanah, JNF UK is helping Soroka Medical Centre restore the Internal Medicine department to ensure that enough beds are in place before the winter, when there is a dramatic surge of patients due to seasonal illness.

Your support can help rebuild a functional and dignified healing environment for patients and the dedicated teams who care for them.

Registered Charity Number 225910

Sigal Shtiner Manzuri’s powerful words about the loss of her daughter Roya

Victoria Portnoy and Claire Barzilai brought the exhibition to Essex

ROSH HASHANAH 2025/5786

Thoughts from our communal leaders

BY CHIEF RABBI SIR EPHRAIM MIRVIS KBE CHIEF RABBI OF THE UNITED HEBREW CONGREGATIONS OF THE COMMONWEALTH

AFEW months ago, while recording some podcasts in Israel, I interviewed hostage campaigner Dalia Horn. Her family’s pain is unimaginable: her brothersin-law, Yair and Eitan, were both taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th. Yair, who was released after nearly five hundred days of unspeakable torture, shared a story with Dalia which she recalled during our conversation.

At one point during their captivity, the two brothers were forced to run for their lives through a tunnel deep beneath Gaza. Eitan collapsed. Broken and exhausted, he begged his brother to leave him behind. But Yair refused. He bent down and lifted him up, with two Hebrew words: “Achim anachnu” – “We are brothers”.

After his release, Yair asked Dalia, “Who will be there to lift Eitan now, when I no longer can?”

Dalia’s answer became her mission, and her message to the Jewish world: We are all brothers and sisters. And it is our responsibility to lift one another.

On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, we read the story of the Akeidah – the binding of Isaac. In its aftermath, Hashem famously blesses Abraham: “I shall significantly increase the number of your offspring so they will be like the stars in the heavens above and like the sand which is by the seashore.”

The Midrash asks: why both stars and sand? Both seem to symbolise incalculability – so what is the difference?

The answer is that stars are high, untouchable and secure. They represent the Jewish people in times of safety and strength. But sand is trampled underfoot. It symbolises us in our moments of danger, pain and vulnerability. And yet, this is part of a blessing. How so?

Because the reference here is not merely to “sand”. It is “sand by the seashore”. Wet, compact and pressed tightly together by the tide, the individual grains are bound together as one.

This was Hashem’s deeper blessing: that even when we are under assault, when we feel trampled or cast aside, we will not scatter. We will draw together. We will hold each other

up.

As we mark two years since the atrocities of October 7th –atrocities that have left deep scars across the Jewish world – we can reflect with pride not only on our survival, but on the way that we have stood together. We have felt the loneliness of facing down hatred, and the weight of grief and fear. And yet, like the sand on the shore, we have held firm, bound together by a heritage that is ancient, unshakable and sacred.

Achim anachnu: We are brothers. We are sisters. And we do not let one another fall.

As I write these words, Eitan Horn remains in Gaza. He is one of fifty whose families still await their return. May this Rosh Hashanah bring healing, strength and redemption. For our hostages, for our homeland, for every Jewish soul still waiting to be lifted and for everyone whose lives have been shattered during these exceptionally challenging times.

Shanah Tovah!

BY RABBI SHULAMIT AMBALU CHAIR OF THE ASSEMBLY OF

REFORM RABBIS AND CANTORS & RABBI IGOR ZINKOV CHAIR OF THE CONFERENCE OF LIBERAL RABBIS AND CANTORS

“Here I am about to do something new… do you not perceive it?”

Isaiah 43:19.

We are writing to you during the month of Elul, conscious that these times are unlike any other.

How can one speak of a new beginning? An inexplicable near two years of war in Israel, the unspeakable horrors both there and in Gaza, and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Suffering, its necessary accommodations, the exhaustion and the human cost.

Can we speak of something new? Our tradition teaches us: not only can we do that, but we must speak of renewal and hope. Isaiah’s famous words contain an implicit message. Here I do something new.. do you not perceive it?” There will be something new. It is up to us to recognise the potential of that moment. To know when and how change will, and must come.

Our Reform and Liberal forbears were people who understood that religious change, a future-facing Judaism, was inseparable from

their core political aspirations for justice, democracy, equality and the rule of law. They gifted this evolving tradition to us.

Their voices are alive in us today. Their recognition of the potential of the new is what lies at the heart of a growing Progressive Jewish community across the globe, who are working together to strengthen that vision in Israel and all over the world. In turn, this strengthens us.

Isaiah’s message is not only that change will come; it is a reminder to recognise that moment, to understand its meaning, and to act on it.

May you and your loved ones find that moment of renewal, may you know the tremendous potential of Jewish community, and together may we approach 5786 with awareness, confidence and hope.

BY RABBI ARYEH SUFRIN MBE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CHABAD LUBAVITCH NORTH EAST LONDON & ESSEX

THE Festival of Rosh Hashanah celebrates the beginning of the year. It is interesting to note that this date falls on the sixth day of Creation, rather than the first day of Creation.

The significance of this day, and of this event, is not in the fact that a new creature was added to Creation, even if on a higher plane than the rest of the animal kingdom, as the animal is superior to plant, and plant to mineral. The significance lies in the fact that the new creature, humankind, is essentially different from the others.

It is us, the human race, who recognise the Creator in and through Creation, and even more so, brought about the elevation of the entire process to recognise and thereby fulfil the Divine design and purpose. This recognition and appreciation of the Creator is the ultimate purpose of the Creation.

One of the main distinguishing features which sets us apart from all other creatures, is the gift of freedom of choice which G-d gifted us.

The Torah is our guidebook to assist us in choosing to make the correct choices and thereby elevating this physical world.

Human intellect alone is

insufficient to make the correct choices, as our intellect is limited. On Rosh Hashanah we stand not only before the Divine Judgment, but also before our own.

The verdict of one’s own judgment, with regard to the future, must be that we take upon ourselves to fulfil our duty, that is, to work for the fulfilment—in oneself and one’s surroundings.

This can be attained only through a life inspired and guided by the Torah.

Let no one think: Who am I? Can my choice truly have such tremendous powers of building or destruction.

The creative power entrusted to each of us works in harmony with the Divine purpose, for in this case one is also given special abilities and opportunities by Divine Providence to attain the goal for which we have been created.

As we continue to fulfil the role that we have of responsibility for each other, let us continue to do our part to assist in securing the release of our remaining hostages held in Gaza, together with the safety of our IDF soldiers and a long-lasting peace in Israel and beyond. Let’s commit each on our own level, to strengthen our relationship with our Creator and hence, further fulfil our Divine mission on earth, wherever that may find us.

Devorah joins me in wishing you and your loved ones a Shana Tova coupled with good health and prosperity.

BY RABBI RONI TABICK RABBI NEW STOKE NEWINGTON MASORTI SHUL

Ilove writing ‘To Do’ lists. Some might say I like them too much, as when I sat down to write these words I discovered I have over 150 To Do lists on my Notes app, going back to 2016, not to mention countless notebooks and scraps of paper.

For me at least, this time of year is full of To Do lists, with everything that needs to be done for the High Holy Day season that is rapidly approaching. There are services to prepare, sermons to write, people to speak to, volunteers to be organised and so much more. It’s a huge operation and I’m grateful to all the wonderful volunteers making sure that it will be as

smooth as possible.

What’s on your pre-Rosh Hashanah To Do list?

Do you need to buy the apples and honey, bake the honey cake, send a New Year card? Are you making sure you’ve got some good reading material for Synagogue, or cleaning your tallit? Perhaps you’re dusting off the Machzor from last year, or contemplating the coming year and what you’d like to do differently.

According to the Talmud (Baba Batra 10a) there is one important element we should not forget:

It is related that Rabbi Elazar would first give a coin to a poor person and only then would he pray…

Through a creative rereading of the verse in Psalms, Rabbi Elazar understood that he shouldn’t pray without first giving some money to charity, helping out someone less fortunate than himself. Why should God heed our call if we don’t hear the desperate cries of those in need? Rabbi Elazar seems to be teaching us that prayer alone is unhelpful if we don’t also take practical steps to make the world around us better.

If you’ll be in shul over the next few weeks, there will be a lot of praying, with services far longer than the rest of the year. The liturgy can be arcane and difficult, but with practice and with good preparation, it is also beautiful and can take you on a profound spiritual journey, to help you feel God’s presence, to feel in touch with your inner self and the person you could become. But before all that prayer starts, we should take a page out of Rabbi Elazar’s book, and make sure that we first put Tzedakah on our To Do lists, make sure we give some charity to those in need.

Tzedakah is considered to be a hugely important mitzvah and a core component of the season. After all, at the deepest part of the central service of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, in the Unetaneh Tokef prayer, we declare that: “Repentance, Prayer and Charity can avert the evil of the decree”. We can repent and pray on the days of the festivals themselves, but Charity must be done before or after.

I feel that the world is very painful right now. I’ve felt that way since at least Oct 7th 2023. Sometimes prayer doesn’t feel like enough of a response, that it makes no practical difference. That’s why it is not the entire package, but part of a program with Teshuvah and Tzedakah, repentance and prayer.

I hope you will add Tzedakah to your High Holy Day To Do list.

One Moment in Israel A Lifetime of Memories

By MICAELA BLITZ

From Redbridge to a life on the water Chef cooks up a book

WORDS By LINDA NEWMAN PICTURE By JAN LEVERS

ARE you living with purpose? What makes you truly happy? Do you want to make a change in your life?

These are questions Adam Lind, 32, asked himself during the grieving process after the devastating loss of his father, who died when Adam was in his midteens. It became “the catalyst” he says for “a life changing event” that set Adam off hitchhiking across 26 countries.

On returning five years later, he and his wife Lauren, switched from nomadic land roaming to living on the water with their dog Shanti as they explored the UK on a 59ft narrowboat, The Raman Rose.

That’s where I caught up with Adam on his boat moored peacefully on a stretch of water in the Milton Keynes area to talk about his first book in which he writes about what his adventures have taught him, from the importance of human connection and community, to gaining control of the mind and achieving peace, as well as the fascinating personal stories of other ‘boaters’.

travelling “as far as the mountains of North Wales, the most northern point of the canal network”. They’ve also spent a lot of time around Nottingham, Oxfordshire, Birmingham.

Adam told me: “Our licence means we have to move every two weeks, but we only need to move twenty miles a year, so it depends on how long we want to be around a particular area.”

So what’s a typical day like?

“Being surrounded by water is a much slower pace of life and you are much more connected to nature,” he sas. “Even in a city you can look out of your window and be surrounded by water, bullrushes, moorhens and ducks, but we still have to work, cook and clean.”

SOUTHEND-based chef, Carina Mercer, has recently published a cookery book with a difference.

As a dyslexic person, she has found that it has been an issue throughout her 40-year career and at times has made her feel that she was not taken seriously as a result. It was this personal experience that started her thinking about how to make cooking and cookery books more accessible to those with dyslexia and other neuro divergent conditions.

After nine years of thinking about it, and eighteen months of creating and developing her idea, Carina finally published and launched her book –Carina’s Kitchen: From My Table to Yours – in July.

Whilst the book is for neurodiverse cooks, it is truly for everyone, and Carina hopes that it will make “being in the kitchen a more joyful, accessible and delicious place to be.”

Carina worked with a specialist coach and nutritionist, Julie Bibas, to ensure that the information was presented in a way that would be accessible to all. Each

A former pupil of Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School and King Solomon High School, Adam grew up in Barkingside and has lived in Redbridge, Gants Hill, Newbury Park.

Community, connection and how people enrich each other’s lives is a recurring theme in his book: “There is such a strong community on the water; people really have time for one another.”

Although not religious, he says: “The close-knit Jewish community plays a big part in my life. “I have known most of my closest friends since we all attended the same schools, some since the age of four years old.

“However, until I moved away, I didn’t realise how unique it was that the majority of my friends’ parents and grandparents knew one another. That connection from being so interlinked as part of a multi-generational Jewish community is something we don’t always give enough credit to for how that enriches our lives.

“I have my inherited faith to thank for that.”

Also interlinked are over 2,000 miles of the UK canal network, with the couple

Adam’s business is creating content for social media, working with different brands on campaigns on anything from food, clothes to mental health.

He said: “After years of nomadic living, I’ve come to learn that having purpose and routine plays a part in being free.”

It’s now been five years since their boat journey began and it hasn’t all been ‘smooth sailing’ says Adam.

He revealed: “The initial concern raised by others at the start came true. The engine broke down on our very first cruise and we didn’t know how to fix it; we were freezing during our first winter because we ran out of wood and yes it can be challenging at times living as a couple in a small narrowboat. However, if we’d been deterred from the start, we wouldn’t have experienced the abundant joy and pleasure we get from living on the water.”

So, is it boat life for the foreseeable future?

“Absolutely, though if we have a family – so far undecided – we would move to a bigger boat, but we are staying on the water.”

• Adam regularly documents his life on Instagram via @adam.floatinghome.

• Floating Home: Lessons From a Life Less Ordinary by Adam Lind is out on 25 September (Bloomsbury Tonic, Hardback, £18.99)

recipe has a photograph to show the result which was taken by friends and family who tested the recipes themselves. Alongside these, Carina has included images of the specific utensils required for each recipe, as well as useful tips. Another feature that makes it more accessible to the reader is the colour of the print. As Carina told EJN: “I was mindful that for dyslexic readers, the colour of the print can be an issue, so the print is not 100% black. I also included words rather than numbers in the instructions as I know that for some autistic people this can be an issue.”

Since its launch, the book has been well received, and Carina hopes to tour the book around schools and universities.

• Carina’s Kitchen: From My Table to Yours is out now (£15) and can be purchased from www.cateringbycarina. com.

Renee’s story of survival

By MARILYN SALT

SOUTHEND and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation was the venue for and inspirational talk by Holocaust survivor, author and renowned speaker Renee Salt BEM.

Renee, now aged 95, recalled her life in Poland before the invasion by the Nazis, after which life dramatically changed for her family and all the Jews.

She spoke about her experiences through the Holocaust in Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen and slave labour camps. She told how she had revisited the camps and how she owed her life to her mother who looked after her all through the war, and who died 12 days after the liberation of Belsen.

Renee said how her family were highly respected and had a very comfortable life before the war until the Nazis came to Poland.

Life after the war was hard, she went back to Poland in 1947 but she found there was still much antisemitism. She went to Paris with an aunt and stayed there with a family who had survived the war and that was where she met her future husband, Charlie. They came to England in 1949.

That was very difficult too as she did not speak English and Hackney was not like Paris. Renee said she did not hate, but could not forgive. Her mother prayed every day and she believes that is what saved her and she continues every day to pray and to love.

Renee said she never spoke about her experiences until she was approached by the Holocaust Survivors Trust to speak and since then she has spoken hundreds of times to schools, universities and has met Royalty and Prime Ministers.

When asked who her favourite was, she replied: “Prince William – he was so kind and we had both lost our mothers when we were 15.”

The event was moderated by former SWHC president Stephen Salt, who is related to Renee.

• A Mother’s Promise: My True Story of Surviving Auschwitz and the Horrors of the Holocaust by Renee Salt is out now from all good bookstores.

Carina Mercer

Renee Salt with her cousin Stephen Salt

Adam Lind

A dose of Noshtalgia as Chigwell remembers Blooms

By FIONA HULBERT

CHIGWELL and Hainault United Synagogue hosted the Jewish Historical Society’s summer meeting in August, drawing an exceptionally large audience who had come to hear the social historian Pam Fox renew their memories of Blooms restaurant and the manufacturing and wholesale side of the business.

It was a delightfully and lively talk based on her latest book, Noshtalgia: The Bloom’s Story 1920–2010

Pam talked about the rise of the restaurant from its humble beginnings in the 1920s as a tiny café and takeaway store, set up by Morris Bloom, an immigrant from Lithuania. Morris prospered and soon had a thriving company manufacturing and selling kosher meat products to Jewish butchers across London, as

well as the popular restaurant in the heart of the East End.

The big milestone came in the post war years when Sidney Bloom, who had by then taken over the business from his father, opened a new, much grander restaurant at 90 Whitechapel High Street, which was designated as ‘The Most Famous Kosher Restaurant in Great Britain’.

This restaurant was beloved by Jews and non-Jews, from market traders to Hollywood celebrities, both for its food but also for its characterful staff and exuberant atmosphere.

Blooms was famed for its Eastern European food …and the resulting long queues of customers waiting to get inside. They were eager both to buy their heimische favourites, such as the thick doorsteps of salt beef sandwiches from the counter, or to be seated at one of the tables served by the notoriously rude, yet still somehow beloved, waiters.

The factory also flourished. It hit boomtime in the late 1970s, after it moved from its longstanding premises in Wentworth Street to Tunmarsh Lane in Plaistow. It was now producing huge quantities of canned and vacuum-packed goods to fill the shelves of the new chains of supermarkets opening up and down the country.

Stories of staff and customer altercations abound and were exemplified by amusing anecdotes read from her book by Pam’s husband, Michael Hart. These were selected from the numerous interviews Pam had conducted.

The stories were warmly received and added to by members of the audience, including Jeremy Dein, who spoke about his father Lou Dein, one of the most irascible of the team of outspoken waiters.

Morris Bloom and his descendants exemplified the Jewish virtues of those Jewish immigrants who strived so hard from impoverished beginnings to contribute to establishing Jewish life in Britain.

The altruism of the Bloom family ensured that they also offered a hand up to others, both in the Jewish community and beyond.

They supported Jewish charities financially and also with contributions of food. In addition, they gave valuable practical support, offering a home and employment to refugees and Holocaust survivors, to enable them to find security and the skills which could enable them to move on to better things.

• Noshtalgia: The Bloom’s Story 1920–2010 is out now. It can be bought from all good bookstores or Pam Fox’s own online shop –https://pamfoxbooks.square.site/ – where you can purchase signed personalised copies. The delightful cover was designed by the artist Beverley-Jane Stewart and the book contains many lovely images and full colour photos to illustrate the text.

An insight into life in Iran

By PHILLIP LEIGH

ISPENT a most informative and interesting evening at Chabad Buckhurst Hill listening to one of our foremost British-Iranian international journalists, Jonathan Harounoff.

Jonathan was launching his latest book Unveiled: Inside Iran’s #WomanLifeFreedom Revolt, in which he explains the current situation in Iran, and particularly the plight of women inside the country today.

Jonathan is now serving as Israel’s International spokesperson to the United Nations. Based in New York, Jonathan’s Jewish Grandparents on both sides hail from Mashad the holiest cities in Iran.

Many thousand Jews left Iran in the aftermath of the Islamic revolution of 1979 with the population dwindling from 80,000 then to some 10,000 today, making it surprisingly the largest Jewish population in the Middle East

after Israel.

As Jonathan puts it, his book sheds light and honors on the irrepressibly brave Iranians young, old, religious and non-religious, who have never stopped fighting for a brighter future, for dignity for women, for life, and for freedom.

Jonathan faced many questions from an educated full house audience, particularly about the current situation in Gaza.

• Unveiled: Inside Iran’s #WomanLifeFreedom Revolt is out now. It can be bought on Amazon or by contacting Chabad Buckhurst Hill

Pam Fox

Jonathan Harounoff

By SHELLEY POSNER

Cookery

I’m reviewing the situation

THIS Rosh Hashanah I have been looking through some of my past recipes and seeing if it’s possible to simplify the dishes. It’s always such a busy time that anything that makes the meals easier and cheaper with less ingredients and washing of dishes must be an

improvement!

Here are a couple of recipes that use just one pan and the oven does all the work. They are based on serving four people but can easily be scaled up for a larger crowd. The chicken dish is Spanishinfluenced, whilst the fish dish has a more

Middle Eastern flavour.

Around this time of year I go to my daughter’s armed with several carrier bags and pick the most fabulous plums from her tree! Plum cake is a traditional dessert in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine and is associated with Rosh Hashanah and New Year as they are perfectly ripe and ready for use in time for the holidays. There are lots of variations of this cake but this is the most straightforward and easiest recipe. There are too many plums to use all at once so I halve and stone them then open freeze them on a baking tray and pack them into polythene bags. They do keep well but are best used in crumbles and cooked desserts as they collapse a little when defrosted. You can replace the plums with apricots or figs for this cake and it will still be delicious.

Whatever you are serving for the holidays this year, I wish you good health, happiness and peace this Yom Tov. Enjoy your time with family and friends and don’t stress too much over the cooking.

Chag Sameach.

ALL-IN-ONE PAPRIKA CHICKEN:

This is a quick and easy dish to prepare and can be served direct from the cooking dish. The spices and flavours permeate through the potatoes underneath during the cooking time and the chicken gets nice and crispy on the top. Do buy thighs with the skin still on for the best results. You could also use (or add) wings and/or legs but make sure you increase the amount of potatoes and seasonings accordingly to keep the correct balance of flavours.

750g waxy new potatoes

Good quality olive oil

A good pinch of dried oregano – or you could strip the leaves from a couple of fresh stalks

1 whole head of garlic split into peeled cloves

150g wurst – or if you can get it kosher chorizo slices (available sometimes with the cold meats)

8 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in 1-2 tsp smoked paprika

A handful of black or green olives

Salt & pepper

Chopped fresh parsley to serve

Preheat the oven to 200 deg C / 400 deg F.

You will need a large shallow ovenproof dish big enough to hold the chicken in a single layer.

Slice the potatoes lengthways depending on their size. Oil the roasting dish and spread the potatoes out over the base. Season well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the oregano leaves and pop the garlic cloves evenly between the potato slices.

Chop the wurst into diced pieces (or halve the chorizo slices), add them to the dish then sit the chicken pieces on the top and season them too with salt and pepper. Sprinkle everything with the smoked paprika.

Trickle the olive oil over the whole dish and then bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes. Open the door and baste the chicken well with the juices. Throw in the olives and then bake for a further 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. The skin should be a dark golden brown and crispy. If it is browning too quickly turn the oven down a fraction and cover loosely with tin foil.

Remove from the oven, scatter with plenty of chopped parsley and serve straight from the dish.

ONE PAN COD & CHICKPEAS:

This dish takes no more than 20

minutes from start to finish so you can prepare it 24 hours in advance and just run it into the oven whilst you are having pre-dinner drinks. The recipe calls for cod but really you can make it with any other white fish and it will work just as well. The harissa paste does not make the dish spicy but gives it a really nice warmth without burning your mouth.

4 x good sized fillets of cod 1 or 2 shallots depending on size 2 cloves of garlic crushed 2-3 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped 1 tsp rose harissa paste, plus a little extra for serving

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

400g tin of chickpeas drained and rinsed

½ tsp sugar

Olive oil

1 bag of washed spinach

Salt & pepper

To Serve:

Good quality thick Greek yoghurt Harissa paste

More thyme leaves or fresh parsley

Finely slice the shallots. Add a little olive oil to a large frying pan that has a lid. Sauté the onion until translucent then add in the garlic and stir. Add the harissa paste, the chickpeas, the tomatoes and sugar and the thyme leaves. Season well with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Throw in the spinach then carefully place the cod fillets on top of the mixture evenly in a circle. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over some olive oil.

Cover with the pan lid or some tin foil, bring back to the boil and then simmer gently on a low heat for around 5 minutes until the fish has turned opaque and is cooked through. Remove the lid and blob the fillets with a tablespoon or two of the yoghurt. Swirl over a little more harissa paste and scatter over the extra herbs. Serve straight from the pan with some bread to mop up the juices.

PLUM TORTE:

150g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 pinch salt

150g caster sugar

115g butter at room temperature

2 eggs

10-12 plums halved lengthwise, stones removed

Topping:

1 tbsp demerara sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C / 350 deg F.

Line an 8-9 inch springform cake tin with baking parchment

In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Use a standing mixer or hand beaters and cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and the eggs all at once and beat well until combined.

Spread the batter into the cake tin. Arrange the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter in circles. Mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle all over the cake.

Bake the cake for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the middle. Cool the cake on a cooling rack for around 10 minutes then open the spring and let it finish cooling on the base. Serve as soon as possible.

You can double wrap it in tin foil, put it in a plastic bag and freeze it. When ready to use, defrost thoroughly and then reheat it in a medium oven for 5-10 minutes.

Essex actress bringing Anatevka home

By LINDA NEWMAN

IT’S 1905 in the tiny village of Anatevka, where Tevye, a Jewish milkman, lives life by his proud traditions.

As each of his five daughters challenges his beliefs in a changing world, can Tevye hold on to his roots, or must he bend to the will of his children and learn to embrace the unfamiliar?

For those who can’t get enough of the acclaimed new production of Fiddler on the Roof – or who missed its Regent’s Park Theatre and Barbican run – there’s another chance to catch the Olivier Award-winning show as it embarks on a seven-month tour across the UK and Ireland, including a stop in Southend.

Essex-born Jewish actress Jodie Jacobs, 46, takes on the role of Golde. A seasoned West End performer with credits including Evita, Les Misérables, Hello Dolly and Rent, she also won a Broadway World Award for Best Supporting Actress (Rock of Ages). “I’m thrilled to get this part,” she says.

Those who saw the magical Regent’s Park production may wonder how it transfers from an outdoor to an indoor stage.

“There’s an atmosphere and vibe you gain from being outside,” Jodie explains. “But indoors you have the resources for things that can’t be done outside. It’s a different kind of magic – just as beautiful an experience.”

I spoke to Jodie during rehearsals, just days before the start of the 17-theatre, tour, which reunites several cast members from the Barbican run, including Matthew Woodyatt as Tevye and Beverley Klein as Yente.

Jodie couldn’t audition for the show last year. “I wasn’t available because I was doing Hello Dolly,” she says. “But I’d already seen the production four times before I auditioned for Golde, so I had an attachment to the part when I walked into the audition room. Plus, having been brought up traditionally Jewish, I understood the story – I cared about it.”

Born in Ilford and raised in Gants Hill, Jodie still lives close to her roots. “Mum and Dad are still there and I live in Stratford. I didn’t properly leave my parents’ house until I was 32, apart from moving in with a boyfriend when I was 26 – big mistake! Even when I finally moved out, it was only up the road.”

Jodie has been with her partner, Drew Givens, for ten years. “Drew isn’t

Jewish, but he’s absorbed so many of my mannerisms that he basically speaks Yiddish now – he’s Northern/Jewish adjacent!” she laughs.

She attended Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School, where her classmates included comedian Simon Amstell. “After that, I went to Beis Shammai until it closed down, then moved to Woodbridge High School in Woodford – which was the best thing that could have happened. I joined the choir to make friends, and that’s when I realised I could sing.”

After training at the London School of Musical Theatre, her career took off with her first principal role – playing Serena, a Jewish girl, in Fame. “I love both singing and acting,” she says. “But I always got hired for jobs at first because of my voice.”

As Golde, Jodie is rarely off stage. “The cast are all on stage all the time. I’m always plutzing around in the background doing something!” she smiles.

And then there are the show’s unforgettable songs. Golde has solos in Do You Love Me?, Sunrise, Sunset and The Sabbath Prayer. “The way our director Jordan Fenn has created it, Golde is a much warmer character than we usually see – much more like the mummies we all grew up with,” Jodie says.

How does she feel about life on the road?

“It’s different from being in the West End,” she admits. “But I love the nomadic aspect of touring. It’s a privilege to bring a top-class show to places and people who might not be able to get – or afford to schlep – down to London.”

Coming to Southend is especially meaningful for Jodie. “A lot of my family – my grandma’s sisters – are down there. Every week, if the sun was out, we’d all be on the beach at Chalkwell or Southend. My happy place was always the trampolines on the beach.”

Her family will be out in force at the Cliffs Pavilion. “My cousins, aunts and my mum and dad will all be there. Actually, mum’s a hairdresser, so all her clients are coming.”

All of which makes us think that is a good enough reason to book your tickets now too!

• Fiddler on the Roof will be at the Southend Cliffs Pavilion from 30 September – 4 October. For tickets, go to www.FiddlerOnTheRoofUK.com.

For over 22 years, Leket Israel - Israel’s National Food Bank has been rescuing excess fresh, nutritious fruit, vegetables and cooked meals to distribute via 300 nonprofits to help feed Israelis in need. Each day, Leket collects this surplus food from farmers, hotels, corporate cafeterias and IDF bases.

Leket’s focus is on intensifying food rescue efforts and supporting Israeli farmers in maintaining operations and recovery.

Jodie as Golde in Fiddler on the Roof - picture by Johan Persson

The cast of the touring Fiddler On The Roof production - picture by Marc Brenner

OBITUARIES

to those we have lost, written by

REV JONATHAN ‘JOHNNY’ LORRAINE

Born: 29 March 1939

Died: 13 April 2025

THE occasion was a gala dinner to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Brady Boys’ Club in the East End of London and Johnny Lorraine led the grace after meals. As soon as he had completed the prayers he went straight into the club song, We Are The Brady Boys, to a rapturous response from all those in the hall.

That was Johnny at his best as a youngster. He loved the camaraderie of his friends. He went on to join the Brady Ramblers music group where he was lead singer. He was also introduced to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1955 when the Duke visited the group.

Johnny was approachable and articulate with a gift of listening to everyone. It was a gift he carried into his later life and enabled him to become one of the most popular and respected ministers in the area. In 1975 he became the minister

of Loughton and Chigwell District Synagogue and served that community for more than 30 years until his retirement at the end of 2007. But he held the title in the synagogue of Emeritus Minister and remained in Loughton with his wife, Sandra, until his passing. His daughter, Ilana, was born in 1979 in Loughton.

He was regularly referred to as ‘Johnny’ and not always as Rev Jonathan, yet this did not diminish the respect and admiration the community felt for him.

His contribution and input at Loughton cannot be underestimated. He officiated at countless Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies, weddings and funerals and was so respected by those boys and girls that eventually they would go on to send their own children to him for lessons.

He taught part-time in Chigwell private boys’ school, Beis Shammai School and King Solomon School over

the years.

His greatest talent was his ability to understand the needs of his congregants and those not familiar with the prayer services, and his forward-looking thinking, together with his creative talents, allowed him to compile and create his own Friday night siddur in Hebrew, English and transliteration. This allowed nonHebrew readers to be able to take part and respond to the service, which culminated in them not only learning how to read Hebrew but also greatly enhanced the service and their own connections to yiddishkeit.

The siddur is still used every Friday night and was also sold to many other synagogues and individuals. He then went on to compile an easy-to-read shiva service siddur and a siddur for stone settings, plus an authentic version of the Haggadah which has not yet been published.

One of Johnny Lorraine’s greatest

achievements was to devise a unique method for teaching boys their Bar Mitzvah. He created a website (BarMitzvahMadeEasy) where the Bar Mitzvah boy heard on the screen the parsha being sung while each word was highlighted as the boy followed it.

Johnny Lorraine was brought up single-handedly by his mother, at their home in British Street, Bow, together with his brother Michael who was born in 1941.

He attended cheder at Commercial Road Talmud Torah where he sang in the choir every Shabbat and where he had his Bar Mitzvah. Singing in shul was a joy to him and a feature that was prominent throughout his life.

In 1958 he went to live in the United States, working there as a laboratory technician, but decided after a short stay to return to the UK.

Rev Lorraine attended Jews’ College in London and studied chazanut. He was a devoted student of Rabbi Eli Cashden. He became a warden at Kinloss Synagogue during the time that Rabbi Avraham Rosenfeld was there and who greatly influenced his learning.

He became assistant chaplain to the late Rev Malcolm Weisman to small communities and universities and also served as minister at Barking and Becontree Synagogue where he was extremely popular.

During that time. he met his wife Sandra. They married on 14 February 1972 at Marble Arch Synagogue. Their first child, Anthony, was born in September 1972 when Johnny was minister at Barking.

From 1973 until 1975 he served at Portsmouth and Southsea Hebrew Congregation, when their daughter Susan was born in August 1975, and from 1975 onwards he became minister at Loughton.

Loughton Shul’s President Phillip Leigh, speaking on behalf of the community, said how loved Johnny was by all of the past and present members of the shul, adding: ‘His chair on the bimah will remain as an item of memory of the blessing he was to so many of our members.’

He is survived by his wife Sandra, son Anthony, daughters Susan and Ilana, and many grandchildren and his first great-grandson who was born on the day of Rev Lorraine’s shloshim (the 30-day Jewish period of mourning) and named after him, Yehonatan David.

A remarkable man who left a legacy to be proud of.

• Rev Lorraine’s siddurim for Friday night, the shiva service and the stone setting service in Hebrew, English and transliteration are still available. For further details contact josan@talktalk. net or phone 0208 508 0270 or 07956 400 866.

Tributes

MANNY ROBINSON

Reverend Johnny Lorraine

ALAN WEINBERG MBE

Born: 21 August 1946

Died: 19 June 2025

COUNCILLOR Alan Weinberg, MBE, was a tremendous servant to East London and Essex in general and Redbridge in particular.

He would be seen at almost every Jewish event and other communal events in the area, always with a large smile and a welcoming handshake.

Alan was instrumental in ensuring that Redbridge had its own Holocaust Memorial in Valentine’s Park, an event marked every year by the attendance of religious leaders, local politicians, pupils from diverse schools as well as the general public.

He was a long-serving councillor and was Mayor of Redbridge in 2000–2001. He was elected as councillor for Clayhall Ward in 1982 and served until 2018. During that time he chaired several committees and was cabinet member for children’s services and for leisure.

Alan was passionate about education and held many public positions, in particular Chair of Governors of Beal High School for around 30 years, during which time he supported the merger of Beal with Hainault Forest High School, later the Forest Academy, to form the Beacon Multi Academy Trust.

He was also Vice Chair of Ilford County High School, Vice Chair of British Tamil Conservatives, a member of the Advisory Committee of Redbridge Community Centre, Director of Hainault Business Park, and of Boleyn Court Management.

At the time of his death he was

REV GARY NEWMAN

Born: 1962

Died: 24 June 2025

REVEREND Gary Newman, who passed away suddenly in June, was a well-loved and popular leader at Cranbrook United Synagogue.

His career covered 40 years of service, 24 of them with Essex Jewish communities.

Rev Newman began his ministerial career at Southport Jewish community, then to Higher Prestwich Synagogue in Manchester before moving south to Essex – first to Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation, then to Newbury Park Synagogue where he spent 15 happy years in various roles, including that of chazan.

When Newbury Park merged with Clayhall Synagogue Rev Newman went with them, but the closure of the Redbridge Jewish Community Centre –where Clayhall held its services – meant another merger, this time to Ilford United, which changed its name to Cranbrook United, where he became the community welfare officer. He retired last year with tributes paid from across Essex and beyond.

Rev Newman’s dedication to the community was evident in his active involvement in synagogue activities and his unwavering commitment to the welfare of its members.

His warmth and compassion extended well beyond synagogue walls; for two decades, he served as chaplain at King

a councillor for Buckhurst Hill Parish Council and a Governor of Thomas Willingdale School.

Buckhurst Hill Parish Council described him as ‘a dedicated public servant whose life was marked by extraordinary contributions to local government and education in East London.’

During his time on Redbridge Council, Alan was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. He also served as Governor of King Solomon High School for eight years and was a Founder Governor of Ilam Academy. He received the MBE in 2014 from King Charles for services to education.

Alan grew up in Stoke Newington and was educated at Avigdor Orthodox School and later Central Foundation Grammar School. His early employment included being a watch repairer and a window dresser and buyer before becoming a black cab driver at the age of 20.

Alan, a member of Loughton Synagogue, married his wife Hazel when he was 23. They were married for 55 years. Both shared a commitment to Jewish community life, with Hazel joining the Conservative Party in 1977.

Alan became a Redbridge councillor in 1982 and he remained a staunch public servant until 2018. His 15-year career as a cab driver ended when he suffered a heart attack.

He is survived by his wife Hazel, son and daughter and four grandchildren.

George’s Hospital and Queen’s Hospital in Romford, offering comfort and guidance to patients and their families.

He also played a vital role in supporting the United Synagogue’s Burial Society, helping those in their darkest moments. His farewell reception was a testament to his impact, with colleagues highlighting his unwavering dedication and genuine desire to help others.

He often reflected on his life’s work with humility, saying: “The biggest lesson I have learnt from my career is how to love people, to be there for everybody and to be a mensch. I prided myself on trying to go beyond the call of duty.”

Rev Newman is survived by his wife Gillian and children Meir, Aharon, Malka and Ayelet and grandchildren.

Alan Weinberg MBE

Reverend Gary Newman