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Jewish News 25 June 2020
News / Drama fundraiser / Scribbler support / Bake Day
Rosenthal’s final play to be staged for Chai Jewish household names are to perform a recently unearthed manuscript of the last play written by the late Jack Rosenthal to raise money for a Jewish cancer charity. Stars such as actress Maureen Lipman, comedian David Baddiel and author Howard Jacobson will perform the first showing of Rosenthal’s Tell Me On a Friday as part of the Chai Manchester Virtual Dinner on Thursday night. The event, which will be an online reading, is replacing the charity’s biennial fundraiser and will be especially poignant for Lipman, who was married to Rosenthal for 30 years until his death in 2004. A prolific playwright, he wrote Tell me on a Friday for Chai just 18 months before his death from cancer. It will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube and will be the first time it is seen by a wide audience. Chai Cancer Care chair Louise Hager said she stumbled across the script during lockdown as she was clearing through her paperwork. “I immediately shared it with Maureen and we decided that it just had to
Quentin Blake helps GIFT support NHS
Jack Rosenthal with wife Maureen Lipman. He died of multiple myeloma in 2004
be seen by as many people as possible.” The short play highlights the impact of a cancer diagnosis from five family members’ perspective and the support an organisation like Chai provides. Lipman described the charity as “the most dynamic I have ever come across,”
adding: “They give the best loving care for their clients. We have to keep their flame burning.” The ‘dinner’ takes place from 8pm to 9pm and tickets for the online event are available at chai cancercare.org/virtualmanchester
Sir Quentin Blake, best known for illustrating some of Roald Dahl’s most popular children’s books, has teamed up with the Jewish charity GIFT in aid of the National Health Service. The artist, who painted Dahl’s bookloving Matilda and kooky inventor Willy Wonka, designed mugs Blake’s take on his illustrated mugs in aid of NHS Charities Together, a federation of more than 250 NHS charities. The lifestyle brand Skinny Dip London, owned by former Immanuel College pupils Richard and James Gold and Lewis Blitz, is also taking part, marketing the three £20 mugs on its e-commerce platform. The project was spearheaded by entrepreneurs Howard and Beverley Calvert, who led GIFT’s NHS-OS initiative, in which beauty and food brands donated thousands of items to health and care workers across London. “As lockdown eases, and many return to work, what better way to show our friends and colleagues that we supported the NHS than by toasting them with a cup of tea or coffee each and every day, and with that iconic symbol on the side of our mug for all to see, knowing we donated in solidarity,” Beverley said. Mugs are £20 each from skinnydiplondon.com/nhs
BAKE DAY MOVES ONLINE Tributes to Ada ‘OSCAR’ DIES Dust down your surfaces and have rolling pins at the ready — Jewish Care’s Great Jewish Bake Day is back, writes Francine Wolfisz. Sponsored by Jewish News, the fundraiser, now in its eighth year, is moving online. Denise Phillips will be encouraging junior chefs to make chunky chocolate biscuits on 7 July. The following day, Challah Mummy Allegra Benitah, will run an intergenerational challah bake. The session will be shared with Jewish Care’s community centre groups to continue the tradition of young and old baking together for Great Jewish Bake Day. Youngsters also have the chance to win a tray of cupcakes by entering the Kids Bake Day Word Search Competition, as well as enjoy colouring pages and sharing family recipes. Jewish Care’s director of fundraising Adam Overlander-Kaye, said the day is “a wonderful opportunity for the whole community to unite over baking and have fun, while supporting
‘Challah Mummy’ Allegra Benitah
Jewish Care’s work with older people”. Participants are encouraged to bake at home and donate £5, £10 or £15 by text message. Jewish Care’s Great Jewish Bake Day is on Wednesday 8 July. For details visit jewishcare.org/bakeday
Tributes have been paid to the teacher and historian Professor Ada RapoportAlbert who died in London last week, aged 75. Rapoport-Albert developed the Hebrew and Jewish Studies department at University College London, and specialised in the Chasidic movement. Her other interests included gender issues in the history of Judaism, and the linguistic and literary context of the Zohar, the literary product of the Jewish mysticism. “Ada worked assiduously to build up the department and developed it into one of the foremost in this country,” said Professor Emeritus Colin Shindler. Before setting up at UCL, Rapoport-Albert, who was born in Israel, taught at Oxford University, and held visiting professorships at Harvard and Stanford.
Welsh politicians have paid tribute to their colleague Mohammad Asghar for his support for Israel and work building bridges between Jews and Muslims, after his sudden death aged 74. Known to many as Oscar, he was the first Welsh assembly member to invite the Israeli ambassador to speak at the Senedd. Born in Pakistan, Asghar was a devout Muslim and member of the Conservative Party, having previously joined both Labour and Plaid Cymru. He was the first member of the Senedd from a black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) background. Fellow Conservative Angela Burns said: “He always sought to bring people together.” Assembly member Darren Millar said: “There was no greater supporter of Israel and an advocate of peace in the Middle East than Oscar.”
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