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www.jewishnews.co.uk
Jewish News 8 April 2020
News / Tragic history / Student role / Joint appeal / Security grant
Whitty’s untold family tragedy
CARE HOMES UNITE TO LAUNCH APPEAL
The diplomat father of England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty was assassinated by Palestinian terrorists 36 years ago in revenge for arrests after a foiled attempt to kill Israeli diplomats in London two years earlier, writes Stephen Oryszczuk. Whitty, who has been the public face of medical advice during the coronavirus pandemic, appearing calm and measured alongside Boris Johnson at Downing Street, was at school in Worcestershire in 1984 when his father was killed in Greece. Kenneth Whitty, 44, was the British cultural attaché in Athens when he was stopped
The three largest Jewish care home providers in the UK have launched an historic joint appeal for “several million pounds” to combat the pressures posed to the elderly by the pandemic. Jewish Care, Nightingale Hammerson and The Fed in Manchester took the extraordinary decision not to compete for reducing donations, as care home costs escalate and the economy takes a battering over the lockdown. The trio collectively care for more than 1,000 elderly Jews, many of whom have underlying health issues, which makes them particularly vulnerable to Covid-19, the potentially fatal disease caused by the virus. The charities said their joint appeal, coordinated with the National Association of Jewish Homes, was a “landmark moment” in the history of the British Jewish community.
by a pedestrian while driving. As he wound down his window, the pedestrian shot him five times, three of which were in the head. A passenger was also shot. Responsibility for the attack was soon claimed – via message to a Beirut news agency – by the Revolutionary Organisation of Socialist Muslims. The group was set up by veteran Palestinian terrorist Sabri al-Banna, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Nidal. Whitty senior was also head of the British Council in Greece at the time of the attack and was driving three British Council colleagues when he was killed. The assassination was timed to coincide
with Queen Elizabeth’s official visit to Jordan. In its message to the news agency, Nidal’s group said Whitty was killed because Britain was trying “to resume its former colonial role in the world by spreading colonial culture under a new guise”. It also threatened more attacks due to Britain’s “continuing detention and persecution of our Muslim fighters”, thought to be a reference to members of Nidal’s group who had been jailed in the UK for the attempted murder of the Israeli ambassador to London in 1982. Abu Nidal set up the Abu Nidal Organisation because he was vehemently opposed to the state of
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty
Israel in any form. He mounted attacks in 20 countries, killing 300 people, including Israelis, and was for years considered the world’s most dangerous terrorist.
Jewish student get NUS scrutiny role
Elected: Amanda Sefton
A Jewish student has been elected to a National Union of Students (NUS) scrutiny role. Amanda Sefton, 22, from Finchley, is among more than a dozen students elected on Monday to serve on the NUS National Scrutiny Committee, which is the main body scrutinising union officers. Sefton, who serves as education officer at the University of
Birmingham Guild of Students, was “excited and thankful” to have been elected. “Antisemitism occurs far too often in the student movement, and there’s much more NUS can do to support Jewish students,” she said. “I look forward to implementing my manifesto in my new role alongside scrutinising the work of the NUS officers to ensure
they’re doing all they can to support Jewish students,” she added. The Union of Jewish Students’ campaigns organiser Daniel Kosky congratulated Sefton. “We are proud that Jewish students continue to be successful in NUS elections at national conference, which is an empowering message to Jewish students across the country,” he said.
CST grant renewed Home Secretary Priti Patel said antisemitic incidents are an attack “on everyone who believes in a free and open society”, as she renewed the Community Security Trust’s annual Priti Patel and £14million security grant. Boris Johnson “This funding will help Jewish people practise their religion and way of life without fear of attack or persecution,” Patel said in a statement.