1212

27 May 2020

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16 Sivan 5781

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Issue No.1212

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@JewishNewsUK

BRITAIN’S BLIND SPOT We’ve never been so focused on fighting racism, so why the deafening silence as antisemitism spirals out of control?

• Hospital probes ‘cutthroat gesture’ to Jewish patient • Driver with Israeli flag attacked in Golders Green • Crucifixion banner at huge pro-Palestinian demo • BBC journalist’s #Hitlerwasright tweet revealed • Nearly 300 antisemitic incidents in under 3 weeks ‘It’s okay not to be okay’ K B O OI V E DR

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ANTI-JEWISH RACISM – THE MADNESS SPREADS: Pages 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 20, 22 & 23

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

News / UK diplomacy / MP’s anger / Tory inquiry

Raab holds talks with Netanyahu and Abbas

by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk @lmharpin

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab flew to Israel this week for talks with senior leaders after the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians.

He met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah during his one-day visit.

Before boarding his flight, Raab said: “The UK welcomes the ceasefire in Israel and Gaza.

It is crucial that all sides now focus on ensuring it can last. The events of the last month demonstrate the urgent need to make genuine progress towards a more positive future for both Israelis and Palestinians and breaks cycle of violence that has claimed so many lives. The UK supports a two-state solution as the best way to deliver a lasting peace.”

Raab also met Israeli foreign and defence ministers Gabi Ashkenazi and Benny Gantz, as well as Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Foreign Minister Riad Malki.

Zarah Sultana holds up photos in Commons

Celebrating the ceasefire in Gaza last week

Foreign secretary Raab arrives in israel

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who spent two days in the region meeting Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian and Jordanian leaders, said he wanted to rebuild the destruction in Gaza while ensuring none of the aid reaches Hamas. The solution to that, he said,

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was in bolstering the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority.

But Blinken’s priorities were kept deliberately low-key: there was strictly no mention of the US sponsoring peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

While there was no fighting in region, tensions remained around the Temple Mount and the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah — both of which fuelled the violence.

The UK has said it remains committed to the two-state solution as the best way to deliver Palestinian self-determination as well as preserving Israel’s Jewish and democratic identity.

Labour MP Zarah Sultana has criticised Israel, accusing its military of committing “war crimes” during the recent Gaza conflict.

During Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons, the member for Coventry South, read out the names of three Palestinian children she said had been “killed in an Israeli airstrike”.

She added: “The Israeli military murdered 63 other children and 245 Palestinians in its recent assault on Gaza.” Sultana then asked if Boris Johnson could look her the eye and say the three children, whose photos she held up, had not been killed as a result of “war crimes” by Israel.

The PM responded: “Nobody wants to see any more of the appalling conflict we have seen in Israel and Gaza.”

Responding to a further question from Sultana about the scale of UK arms trade with Israel, the PM reiterated the government’s belief in a two-state solution in the Middle East.

In the 11 days of conflict more than 70 children died, the majority Palestinians in Gaza.

Two Israeli children aged five and 16 were killed.

Board warned Tories of minorities’ fears A submission by the Board of Deputies to a report into allegations of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party said “significant effort” was needed to tackle the concerns other ethnic minority communities had over discrimination.

But when published on Tuesday, the 44,000word report by Professor Swaran Singh said the Board had suggested there were “no problems” with the party or “its complaints processes”. in 2019 Boris Johnson had ordered the independent report into how the party handles discrimination allegations. Finally published, it concluded that there is “clear evidence” the complaints system is “in need of overhaul” – but said claims of “institutional racism” were not borne out by evidence..

It also said anti-Muslim views were seen at local association and on an individual level.

Jewish News can reveal that in its own submission to the inquiry the Board had said the Tory Party had “a strong track record in fighting antisemitism in recent years”.

But tellingly, the Board’s submission also concluded: “Despite the broadly positive picture in relation to the Conservative Party’s response to antisemitism, we have noted that other minority groups, including black people, Muslims and the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community do not feel they have the same level of dialogue with the party and have raised various concerns which need to be taken seriously.”

The submission said that cases of antisemitism in the Tory party were “infrequent” and that when they occurred the Board enjoyed “constructive dialogue” with the party.

Though the communal organisation raised

Boris Johnson with Board’s Marie van der Zyl

delays in resolving some of the cases of antisemitism that emerged during the run-up to the December 2019 election – it accepted that the pandemic might have slowed down procedures.

The Board warned about the impact of “loose, pejorative language” in relation to immigration, stating: “Our political leadership must therefore be careful not to promote hatred or baseless suspicion towards migrants and asylum seekers.”

But the summary of the Board’s submission in the final report read simply: “The Board of Deputies of British Jews submitted a statement confirming it had not experienced any problems with the Party or its complaints process.”

The Singh report considered comments made by Johnson in a 2018 column in the Daily Telegraph that women wearing burkas looked like “letter boxes”. The review said such cases “give an impression to some of a party and leadership insensitive to Muslim communities”.

Johnson told the inquiry he was “sorry for any offence taken” and said he would not use “the offending language” from his past writings now.

www.jewishnews.co.uk

27 May 2021 Jewish News

3

Police investigation / Anti-hate ads / BBC report / News

‘We want blood’ threat ignored The Metropolitan Police launched an internal investigation this week after a shocking video appeared to show at least one of its officers ignoring death threats against Jews, writes Jack Mendel.

Footage emerged of a mob walking through the streets of central London last Sunday, yelling: “We’ll find some Jews. We want the Zionists. We want their blood.”

The group had just attended a counter-demonstration, opposing a rally organised by the Zionist Federation in support of Israel.

In a clip posted by ‘Subject Access’ on YouTube, at least one officer can be seen walking alongside the group acting as a bystander

while death threats are made.

Another man is heard saying: “We don’t want the Jews bro, we want the Zionists.”

A police spokesperson said: “The Met are aware of this footage and officers from the Met’s Public Order Crime Team are making enquiries.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact the Met by dialling 101 or by Tweeting @MetCC on Twitter.”

It confirmed that further internal inquiries are being made as to why officers failed to intervene.

Police were forced to separate pro-Israel rally attendees and proPalestine campaigners on Sunday, after counter-demonstrators attempted to breach security and

confront them.

In a separate incident, a demonstrator is filmed walking through central London with Israel flags on his shoes, saying: “This is the Nike anti-Jewish edition.”

The Met confirmed that it was aware of antisemitic comments made at the protest, adding that seven people were arrested, including for a racially aggravated public order offence.

Following Saturday’s protest and arrests, Chief Superintendent Andy Walker, said: “We reacted quickly to the decision by a small group to break away from the main protest and where offences were identified, arrests were made.”

‘LET’S DISAGREE WITHOUT HATE’ Full-page advertisements against hatred were been taken out in national newspapers this week by Jewish and Muslim organisations.

Muslims Against Antisemitism (MAAS) and the Jewish Leadership Council have teamed up to place the adverts in leading British newspapers, including The Times and The

Mirror, condemning both antisemitism and Islamophobia.

The ad also runs on page 26 of this week’s Jewish News.

It urges respectful debate amid 267 antisemitic incidents reported in the past 17 days, many linked to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

“Jews and Muslims. We’re on the same page,” it states,

adding: “At a time when emotions are running high over the desperate situation in the Middle East, antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred are spikingly alarmingly across the world, and across either side of the political divide.

“We accept there’s much to disagree about. Let us disagree without hatred.”

A still from the video, which appears to show police ignoring threats to Jews

Call for BBC to reveal Balen report

A Tory peer has urged the BBC to “make absolutely clear where it admits responsibility” following the publication of the Dyson inquiry, and commit to releasing the Balen report into its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Former BBC director of news Richard Sambrook commissioned the 2004 Balen report into the corporation’s coverage following complaints from the public and the Israeli government about anti-Israel bias.

Senior journalist Malcolm Balen examined

thousands of hours of coverage of the conflict and produced a document that has never been published, despite a six-year legal battle.

During questions in the Lords about former Master of the Rolls Lord Dyson’s blistering report, Lord Hayward asked the BBC to be more transparent.

He said: “Can I call on the BBC to clear the plate... make absolutely clear where it admits responsibility, but commit for the future it will publish the likes of the Balen report.”

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

News / Hospital investigates /Nurse’s ordeal

‘Cut-throat gesture’ at Jewish patient The Royal Free Hospital is investigating after a staff member allegedly made a cutthroat death-threat gesture to a Jewish patient, writes Joshua Salisbury.

The patient attended the hospital for a blood test when she allegedly noticed the health professional wearing a Palestine flag on their jacket and a badge which said: “Stop killing our children.”

The patient claims she asked for a different person to take her bloods, but while walking away the staff member “swiped her finger across her throat”.

The incident, which is said to have happened on Tuesday morning, has since been widely publicised on WhatsApp and social media sites.

The alleged victim has not been identified and no witnesses have yet come forward to substantiate her claim.

A hospital spokesperson told Jewish News the allegations were being investigated and taken “extremely seriously” but it had not received a formal complaint.

“We do not tolerate racist or antisemitic behaviour of any kind, from anybody

The hospital trust is investigating but has not received a formal complaint

on our premises,” said a spokeswoman for the Trust.

“The Royal Free London is proud of the rich diversity of the patients we serve and we are taking these allegations extremely seriously.

“Although we have not received

a formal complaint, we will investigate this matter thoroughly.

“We would urge anybody who experiences racist or antisemitic abuse in any of our hospitals to report it immediately to a member of our security team or to the patient advice and liaison service (PALS)”.

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City Hall tackles antisemitism rise A delegation of Jewish leaders from across the community held a meeting with two of the mayor of London’s most senior officials to discuss the rise in cases of antisemitism in recent weeks, writes Lee Harpin.

Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor of London for Policing and Crime and Debbie Weekes Bernard, Deputy Mayor of London for Communities and Social Justice, were made aware of the significant concerns over community cohesion at the meeting.

Representatives from all the major Jewish organisations – including the London Jewish Forum, Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council, along with religious leaders – raised concerns over the policing of demonstrations and antiJewish hate speech.

An increase in campusbased harassment was also discussed at the meeting,

as well as the concerning recent images seen in London schools.

Andrew Gilbert, co-chair of the London Jewish Forum said: “At this delicate time it was important for us to bring together this wide coalition of Jewish community organisations to raise real issues of concern for Jewish Londoners.

“Many have been horrified by recent antisemitic events in our city and we are thankful for the assistance of the GLA and Metropolitan Police.”

Linden said: “Today we met with a delegation of Jewish leaders on behalf of the mayor to discuss the issue of antisemitism in London.

“The mayor is clear that antisemitism has absolutely no place in our city, and we will continue to work with the community and do all we can to support the police in stamping this out.”

JEWISH NURSE RECALLS ‘PETRIFYING’ LIFT ORDEAL

A Jewish neonatal nurse who was cordidn’t say anything, I just got out of the nered by two men in a hospital lift lift.” Abrams said she reported the and accused of killing Palestinian incident to hospital security and children has recounted how she to the CST. Officials at the hoswas “petrified” by the ordeal, pital have promised to review writes Michael Daventry. security footage with her in a Hadasa Abrams (née Mayerbid to identify the individuals. feld), 27, who works at the Royal The Royal London is based London hospital in East London, in a Muslim neighbourhood of said the men began questioning her London and Abrams said she usuafter noticing her gold Star of ally does not stand out because David necklace. She was in the Hadasa Abrams she wears a headscarf. elevator returning to her ward “90 percent of the babies I after mincha prayers on Tuesday. look after are Muslim and I care for them as if “Someone saw my necklace and ques- they are my own child, with all the love, with tioned me if I believe in Free Palestine,” everything that they need,” she said. “I’m so Abrams told Jewish News. “I told them I was careful about looking after them for hours on Jewish – I was actually petrified when I did – end. It doesn’t matter, their race or religion or and he said to me ‘how could someone who anything. They get all the love they need.” comes from those people, from people who Abrams said the parents of Muslim children kill innocent children, work here?’ she has cared for have contacted her to express “He asked me if I worked here to kill people. I their shock at the incident.

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27 May 2021 Jewish News

5

Na’amod protest / Factory occupied / Court appearance / News

End occupation, say Palestine Action hundreds of UK Jews in factory protest

by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk @lmharpin

Up to 250 British Jews joined protests organised by the Na’amod group in solidarity with Palestinians and calling for “an immediate end to the conflict in Gaza”.

The demonstrations were organised across the country by the British Jews Against Occupation group, with the largest held in central London.

They included a call to “end the occupation and oppression of Palestinians”.

Photographs posted on Na’amod’s Twitter account appeared to confirm organisers of the fringe group’s claim that around 200 supporters had attended the demonstration at the Southbank in London.

Further photos showed smaller events in Bristol, Manchester, Leicester, Leeds and Newcastle.

Protesters held banners including some that read: ‘Inaction Is Complicity’ and ‘Save Sheik Jarrah’.

In a statement, Na’amod said: “Hundreds of British Jews ral-

Na’amod’s protest in London, one of six across UK

lied across the country to demand freedom from occupation and freedom from violence for all in Israel-Palestine.”

The group added that the support for the

protests was “unprecedented” and said “change is coming”.

It also issued a call for “our communal leaders to join us in calling for an end to the occupation”.

Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied a factory in Leicester, claiming they were disrupting “production of arms and military technology” for Israel.

Supporters of the Palestine Action group chained the gates shut and scaled the roof of the UAV Tactical Systems factory in the Meridian Business Park in Braunstone Town.

Protesters were seen on the roof holding Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine” and Shut Elbit Down”.

They refused to leave the site with emergency services on the scene.

UAV is a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, an Israeli-based defence electronics company, and Thales, a French aerospace company.

A Leicestershire Fire and Rescue

Service spokeswoman said: “We have been at the Meridian Business park through the night assisting the police.”

Palestine Action say that parts made in Leicester are being used in military technology that was used in the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

It said: “[This] action shows it is entirely within our power to stop the production of machinery.

“The past week has shown the relentless death and destruction Israeli forces can and will inflict. It is the duty of anyone who has been rightly appalled by these atrocities to stand up and take action.”

Palestine Action has previously targeted factories in Greater Manchester, Staffordshire and Elbit’s headquarters in Bristol.

TWO MEN IN COURT OVER BRICK ATTACK ON RABBI

Two men have appeared before magistrates in Colchester accused of assaulting a rabbi with a brick.

Rabbi Rafi Goodwin was treated in hospital for head wounds after being attacked in Chigwell.

Abderrahman Brahimi, 25, and Souraka Djabouri, 18, of Tudor Crescent, Ilford, appeared in court charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, robbery and religiously aggravated criminal damage.

Prosecutors allege that the defendants walked into the road causing Goodwin, who was driving, to brake. They allege that one said: “He’s a Jew,” before kicking his car.

The court heard that Goodwin got

out and was punched in the face until he fell to the ground, and was then hit on the back of the head with a concrete brick.

Both men were remanded in custody to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 16 June.

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

News / Safety concerns / Hate crime

Plea to ‘protect us all’ Home Secretary Priti Patel has been urged to ensure that British Jews living outside the main communal hubs are adequately protected by police, writes Lee Harpin.

At a meeting with Jewish communal leaders last Thursday, Patel responded positively to a request by communal leaders for police and crime commissioners across the UK to be reminded of their duty to ensure hate laws are vigorously enforced locally.

Jewish News understands that representatives from the Community Security Trust and Jewish Leadership Council, along with Lord Mann, the government’s antisemitism adviser, were keen to raise security issues around vulnerable members of the community outside the main Jewish communities.

At a meeting with communal leaders last Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson also gave assurances that British Jews living away from major regions would be properly protected.

A source told Jewish News: “Both the PM and the Home Secretary get it.

They responded well to the reminder that not all of Britain’s Jews live in London and Manchester.”

There are concerns that UK Jews, some of whom live in regions with little or no community, have become targets

The home secretary meets with community leaders in Temple Fortune

of pro-Palestinian activists singling them out over the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Police and crime commissioners are elected to oversee how crime is tackled in each police force area across the country.

Among matters discussed were the abuse of Jewish residents by a convoy of cars bearing Palestinian flags; videos seeming to show police officers publicly siding with anti-Israeli protestors and concerns over individuals and groups fanning the flames of the conflict.

During the meeting, Jewish repre-

sentatives called for the proscription of Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist organisation in the UK. Currently, only the so-called military wing is proscribed.

Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl thanked Patel for setting up the meeting at short notice and also for her strong support for the Jewish community over these recent difficult days.

On Friday, the home secretary and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick were photographed having breakfast outside Daniel’s bakery in Temple Fortune, along with local senior police officers.​

SHARP INCREASE IN RACIST INCIDENTS At least 267 incidents of antisemitism have been reported over the past 17 days – a near 570 percent rise, writes Jack Mendel.

Between 8 and 25 May, the sharp spike in reported hate crime comes amid tensions between Israel and Gaza, with the overwhelming majority of incidents related to the conflict.

Last week, a ceasefire was announced, ending 11 days of violence, but protests continued in cities across the world, with incidents of antisemitism at a demonstration in London on Saturday.

Of 267 incidents, more than 243 involved imagery or behaviour that linked them to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

The increase in hate comes after 47 incidents in the 17 days prior to 8 May, representing a rise of 568 percent.

Among the incidents were physical attacks, including the brutal assault of Rabbi Rafi Goodwin in Chigwell two Sundays ago, over which two people have been

arrested. Four people were also arrested after a convoy of cars displaying Palestinian flags drove through London with a man heard shouting that Jewish women should be raped.

Last week, a spokesperson for the Community Security Trust outlined that the number of incidents was likely being under-reported owing to time required for processing the incidents.

The spokesperson said: “The level of anger and hate that is directed at Israel always spills over into antisemitism at times like this and yet the people stoking this anger, online and on the streets, never take responsibility for this particular consequence.”

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27 May 2021 Jewish News

7

Pro-Israel demo / ZF role / News

Rally marred by Robinson The anti-Israel crowd grew increasingly hostile as the event drew to a close, facing up to police, who were in attendance in huge numbers, and chanting: “F*** Israel” and “What do we think of Israel? S***. What do we think of s***? Israel.”

Controversially, far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, was spotted among the crowd. The former leader of the English Defence League held a banner stating “Free Gaza from Hamas”.

The Board of Deputies, JLC and ZF all condemned his presence, emphasising the event was about “supporting Israel, not spreading hate”. A Board spokesperson added: “He and supporters of far-right extremist organisations like the English Defence League are not welcome. Their message of hate and division must be confronted and defeated. We utterly reject their bigotry.”

The event was hastily organised in the wake of a 600 percent rise in antisemitism linked to the recent 11-day conflict with Hamas, according to the Community Security Trust.

Charney said: “Perhaps now more than ever, it is crucial British Zionists... come out in force.

We are also seeing an unprecedented rise in antisemitism, and by attending this rally we are all reiterating that we will not be cowed by it.

“We hope friends in Israel see this act of solidarity and know that they are not alone, with many supporters in London.”

• Editorial comment, page 20

Photo by Sharna Kotlowski

An estimated 1,500 people took to the streets of rainy central London on Sunday afternoon to show their support for Israel, writes Adam Decker.

The rally, organised by the Zionist Federation of UK and Ireland (ZF UK), took place outside the Israeli Embassy in Kensington.

A croaky Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely addressed the crowd, telling them she had lost her voice in recent days while “loudly standing up for Israel”. The envoy thanked British Jews for their support and said: “Israel sees you and hears you and thanks you.”

Other speakers included ZF chairman Paul Charney, Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl and Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) chairman Jonathan Goldstein, who had sharp words for those behind the antisemitic car convoy in north London last week, saying: “We will not be intimidated by racist scum.”

While the good-natured crowd sung Hatikvah and God Save The Queen, a counterdemonstration gradually grew in numbers down the street. Around 50 people, mostly young men, arrived by 2.45pm, attempting to drown out the singing of Shalom Aleinu and Od Avenu Chai with screams of “Allahu Akbar” and “Free Palestine”.

A minority of pro-Israel supporters attempted to engage the counter-demonstration with chants of “Tell no lies, tell the truth. Gays in Gaza thrown off roofs”, “1, 2, 3, 4, we want peace, you want war” and “Free Gaza from Hamas.”

Tommy Robinson, inset, was among the crowd on Sunday

‘His presence was an O N L I N E appalling look for us’ START-UP

The government’s independent antisemitism adviser has warned that former English Defence League (EDL) leader Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon should be “excluded at all times” from “any Jewish event” after his appearance at Sunday’s proIsrael demonstration.

Lord Mann told Jewish News: “There should be no place for Robinson or any of his friends at any Jewish community event. He should be excluded at all times.”

In a video filmed as he left the pro-Israel demo, which took place outside the Israeli Embassy in west London, the far-right activist, better known as Tommy Robinson, launched a scathing attack on what he

described as the “pathetic, weak, cowardly leadership of the Jewish community”.

Footage of him at the demonstration was circulated on social media, with many Palestinian activists seizing on it as proof of their claim that Israel activism is a far-right cause.

One social media meme circulated on a school WhatsApp group on Sunday evening, at a school with a large Muslim intake, expressed alarm at the image of a man associated with Islamophobic beliefs in attendance at a demo with British Jews.

The Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council, Community Security Trust, Zionist Federation and We Believe In Israel groups

all issued statements condemning the presence of the ex-British National Party member at the protest. And on Monday, one senior communal figure admitted Robinson’s presence at the demo was an “appalling look for us”.

They also said they were aware of the possibility of the activist, along with other supporters of the EDL and the Britain First group turning up to exploit wider fears in the community about the openly antisemitic conduct of some pro-Palestinian activists.

On social media, a small minority of those attending the demo said they had welcomed Robinson’s presence, with some suggesting he had been invited.

ZF’s goodbye to Charney The chairman of the Zionist Federation has stepped down after nine years in the role.

Paul Charney announced his resignation on Monday. Richard Woolf takes over as acting chair and Robert Festenstein as acting vicechair.

The ZF said: “We are saddened to formally announce the resignation of Paul Charney.

“We thank him deeply for his dedication in developing the ZF. In addition we should also like to thank Jonathan Turner for his contributions following his resignation as president last month as he is making aliyah.”

They added: “We are determined to maintain our support for Israel in the face of ever increasing biased and dishonest reporting.”

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

News / Union exodus / School ‘tensions’/ Offensive banner / Envoy meeting

JFS teachers quit union over Israel Teaching staff at JFS have staged a mass exodus from the biggest education union over its policies towards Israel and wider antisemitism.

Jewish News has learned that at least 25 members of the National Education Union (NEU), along with three official reps, at the north-west London school have quit since February.

In recent weeks, dozens of Jewish teachers at schools across the country have also resigned from the NEU after leader Kevin Courtney spoke at rallies organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign at which there were open displays of antisemitism.

John Lopez, a former NEU rep at JFS, told Jewish News: “I felt I had no choice to leave the union, which isolated me as a Jewish, pro-Israel teacher.

“I spent close to two years trying to get the NEU, starting with Brent Branch, to adopt the IHRA [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] definition [of antisemitism] so Jewish NEU members can feel safer, as well as

writing letters with others to Educate magazine, which were ignored.

“The NEU have chosen to align very closely with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), who do not support a two-state solution.

“Most recently, they urged NEU members to join the PSC rally for Palestine, which involved antisemitism and calls for the abolition of the Jewish state.

“The NEU claim they believe in freedom of education for all, but they didn’t call for Hamas to stop firing rockets at innocent civilians so Israeli children can attend school.

“The NEU have picked a side that is not only anti-Israel but indifferent to Jews.

I am glad I am no longer part of this union.”

There were also claims this week that Jewish NEU members who announced they were resigning from the union had their posts and comments on the organisation’s official Facebook page muted or removed.

One Jewish teacher said she was muted on an NEU Facebook page after writing “I wish to cancel my membership, with immediate effect.

“This is due to the unions continuous, and in my opinion bias, involvement with

Photo by Mark Kerrison/Alamy Live News

by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk @lmharpin

HEAD’S WARNING ON PALESTINIAN FLAGS

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union

demonstrations that have unfortunately seen a rise of antisemitic attacks against one of the smallest UK communities [sic].

“A teaching union should be impartial, as we are a professional body, who must represent these strong ethics and values in our schools.

“I do not feel comfortable being part of a union that encourages (although not necessarily intended) antisemitism.

“This is not why I became a teacher.

I expect my membership to be terminated immediately. ” Jewish News has approached the NEU for comment.

A headteacher has sparked anger after suggesting the Palestinian flag is used by some as a “call to arms” and can be seen “as a message of support for antisemitism”.

Mike Roper, head of Allerton Grange High School in Leeds, had issued a warning about possible protests and briefed pupils, parents and staff about the possible repercussions.

He had intended his speech to calm tensions over the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. But a video of his remarks went viral last weekend and he was accused of “blatant Islamophobia”.

In a two-minute video, he said: “When I spoke to them they were so articulate in how they felt about innocent people in the Middle East and how they were being treated, but the problem is by using a symbol such as the Palestinian flag that message is lost because for some people they see that flag and they feel threatened, they feel unsafe, and they worry because for

Headteacher Mike Roper

other people that flag is seen as a call to arms and seen as a message of support of antisemitism, for being antiJewish and it was never meant to be like that.”

Some pupils claimed they had come to school with proPalestinian lanyards that had been confiscated. Police were seen patrolling outside the school on Monday.

In a statement by Roper and the Leeds education authority, he said his speech had been “an attempt to address tensions”.

The statement added: “I am deeply sorry a particular example I used in that assembly referring to the Palestinian flag has caused such upset within the community.

That was never my intention.”

Christ killers slur at demo Association of Britain and A banner comparing the the Friends of Al-Aqsa. plight of the Palestinians Speaking from the stage, with that of the crucifixion of former Labour Shadow Jesus was openly held aloft Chancellor McDonnell said: at an anti-Israel demon“There will be no ceasefire in stration in central London, our campaign to boycott the writes Lee Harpin.

Israeli apartheid state.”

A middle-aged man held Labour’s shadow minup the poster as he listened ister for employment rights to speakers – including Imran Hussain, the MP for Labour shadow frontBradford East, failed to menbenchers John McDontion his party’s two-state nell and Richard Burgon – solution for the Middle East launch one-sided attacks on policy pledge in his speech.

Israel following the conflict After a similar demonwith the Palestinians.

A man holds the offending poster stration last weekend was With wording that clearly evoked the 2,000 year-old antisemitic blighted by further examples of antisemitism, slur of the Jews as Christ killers, the banner, all organisers had asked those attending this weekin capital letters, read: “Do not let them do the end’s protest not to bring signs that equated Israel and Zionism with the Nazis. same thing today again.”

Police later reported that they had made Saturday’s demonstration was organised by the Palestinian Solidaity Campaign, the Muslim seven arrests.

HOTOVELY TO MEET QUEEN Israel’s Ambassador to the UK will present her credentials to the Queen in “the next few weeks”, Jewish News understands, writes Sandy Rashty.

Tzipi Hotovely is expected to have an audience with Her Majesty after the delay to the traditional ceremony since her appointment last October.

The event with the Queen, which is usually held soon

after an ambassador takes up their post, was delayed as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the meeting between the Queen and Hotovely will be online as a result of ongoing restrictions.

According to sources, the palace is working its way through arranging meetings with ambassadors, in the order in which they arrived in the UK.

Hotovely, who joined the Knesset in 2009, was appointed to represent the Jewish state by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The decision to appoint Likud’s former diaspora and settlements minister to the position was considered controversial, given the UK government’s official opposition to the expansion of Israeli settlements.

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27 May 2021 Jewish News

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Covid figures / Justice calls / School masks / News

First month with zero Online rally held Jewish Covid deaths for Sarah Halimi No Jewish coronavirus deaths have been reported over a one-month period for the first time since March 2020, writes Jack Mendel.

Latest figures released by the Board of Deputies reveal zero funerals where the deceased had contracted the virus since the end of April.

This comes after the Board began collating mortality statistics at the beginning of the pandemic, with seven of the community’s largest burial boards, and local groups.

As of 14 May, 903 coronavirusrelated funerals has taken place in the community.

Welcoming the drop-off in deaths, Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl said: “After the terrible toll the coronavirus has

Masks for all: the Board of Deputies urges everyone to get vaccinated

wrought on our community, it is welcome news that a month has passed since the last Jewish death was recorded.

“My heart goes out to everyone

who has lost a loved one during this awful pandemic. I urge everyone to keep following all the regulations and to take up the offer of both vaccinations when invited to do so.”

The Board of Deputies’ Marie van der Zyl joined politicians, academics and officials for a digital rally demanding justice for Sarah Halimi, the French Jewish grandmother whose killer will not stand trial.

Her case generated global outrage after France’s highest court ruled last month that Kobili Traoré was not criminally responsible for the 65-year-old’s death because he had succumbed to a “delirious fit” after smoking cannabis.

Halimi died four years ago, after Traoré attacked her in her Paris flat while shouting “Allahu Akbar”. He later pushed her out of the window onto the street below.

The former French prime minister Manuel Valls, Paris’ current mayor Anne Hidalgo, and Israeli presidential candidate Isaac Herzog were among

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo

those speaking at this week’s event.

It was organised by Crif, the French Jewish community organisation, and the Combat Antisemitism Movement.

“We should never ever forget Sarah Halimi. This [court’s] decision hurts me, hurts us – citizens of the French Republic. It’s truly a judicial and moral catastrophe,” Valls said at the event.

JFS ADVISES PUPILS STILL TO WEAR MASKS, DESPITE GUIDANCE

Pupils at a leading Jewish school are still being required to wear masks in classrooms because of a high prevalence of the ‘Indian variant’.

Students at JFS in Harrow

are being advised to continue wearing face masks in classrooms and corridors over new variant fears.

The government dropped its nation-wide recommendation

to schools to wear face masks in classrooms on 17 May. Richard Boulton, the chief operating officer at JFS, confirmed that Brent Council had recommended all pupils con-

tinue wearing masks inside school buildings.

“Brent Council has advised that all students in Brent schools must continue to wear masks inside the building, due

to the current Covid variant,” he said. “We are following this advice.”

Government guidance published on 10 May confirmed that pupils in most areas are

not expected to wear masks in school from 17 May “ensuring the clearest possible communication to support learning”.

Jewish News contacted Brent Council for comment.

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

News / Cowell withdraws / Gaza aid / Tribunal ruling

‘Disappointed’ Cowell quits Israel’s X Factor Simon Cowell has pulled out of a planned appearance as a judge on the new series of X Factor Israel, Jewish News can reveal, writes Lee Harpin.

The veteran presenter had been announced as a judge for the fourth season of the show, which was originally due to be filmed in Israel last December.

His team also played an active role in selecting judges for the new season of The X Factor Israel, included booking former Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai.

But a source close to Cowell told Jewish News: “Simon won’t be going to Israel after all. I know it has already been announced that he was one of the judges, but for a number of reasons he just can’t be there in Israel to film the show now.

“Of course he is bitterly disappointed – but it was a decision he had to take.”

The source declined to say whether Cowell’s decision had been taken as a result of the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. There have also been concerns about the impact of a busy work schedule on Cowell’s health following a recent back injury and operation.

The X Factor Israel casting team is believed to have now compiled the cast

MAN ARRESTED FOR GOLDERS ATTACK A teenager was arrested after allegedly attacking a Jewish driver in Golders Green last Friday morning.

Shomrim and the Community Security Trust were quickly on the scene outside Kosher Kingdom on Golders Green Road. They detained the 19-year-old man until police arrived.

A police spokesperon said:

A man was restrained

“The individual who was arrested has been released under investigation.”

£3.2m to Gaza recovery The government is to provide a £3.2million aid package for civilians in Gaza.

Britain will contribute to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) funds, which are being collected to provide food, water

Israeli-Ethiopian Eden Helena, second left, won Israel’s X Factor in 2018 and went on to represent the country at Eurovision

and emergency shelter for Palestinians affected by the violence, Minister for the Middle East James Cleverly announced last Thursday.

It came after UNRWA launched an emergency appeal for extra support.

WORKER ‘VICTIMISED’ A Jewish sales manager could receive a payout after a tribunal found he was subjected to antisemitic ‘banter’ .

Matthew Weinreb had taken his former firm, the London-based Online Travel Training Group, to tribunal

of singers who will participate in the new season, which will air on Israeli TV channel Reshet 13 later this year.

Cowell, took time off from live TV after breaking his back in a bike accident last August, said last December he “can’t wait to see what Israel have to offer” in terms of undiscovered musical talent.

after being mocked by colleagues, including one who asked: “Is that the Jew coming out of u?”

The judge said: “We find the claimant was victimised for having made allegations of discrimination.

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

News / Hippodrome dispute / Treatment battle

‘Bias’ claim over mosque

by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk @lmharpin

Barnet Council could face legal action over alleged “religious discrimination”, lawyers acting for an Islamic Centre in Golders Green have claimed.

Lawyers for the Markaz El Tathgheef elEslami (the Markaz), a Shia Muslim community based in the Golders Green Hippodrome, wrote to the Conservative-led council last week warning of possible legal action over its handling of a planning application to change the building’s use from a church to a “place of worship”.

The letter set out claims that its conduct had contravened the 2010 Equality Act. It was sent days before the publication of an independent review into anti-Muslim discrimination in the

Conservative Party, which drew attention to local Islamophobia at local levels.

“At every turn the council has obfuscated, delayed the process and made demands of the Markaz it did not make of the previous owners, the El-Shaddai Church,” wrote the lawyers.

It is “inconceivable”, they argued, “that such demands would have been made had the application been made by a community of a different faith... The Markaz has been treated differently because it is a Muslim institution and one which has, sadly, been on the receiving end of unprecedented levels of objection.”

Barnet Council said: “We take pride in the strong faith communities that call Barnet home and support all in a culture of harmony and respect. The council has been working closely with the applicant throughout the planning process. It is not possible for us to com-

ment in detail on a live planning application but we are aware of the concerns raised by the applicant... and will be working with the applicant to get these resolved.”

The council has been accused of making unreasonable demands of the centre – such as that it funds expensive parking schemes – that it did not make of previous occupants. “The council’s actions appear to be a deliberate attempt to delay and ultimately “make the problem go away” by discouraging the application, say lawyers for the Markaz.

A residents’ spokesperson said: “This is a complex planning application which would see significant intensification of the use of the Hippodrome with up to 3,000 attendees between the hours of 8am and 11.30pm. As we have already seen, the impact on the environment, particularly traffic and parking, would be

The Markaz bought the Hippodrome in 2017

immense.

“Barnet’s planning officers have dealt with this application with sensitivity and I’m sure they and the planning committee will continue to focus solely on the relevant planning issues rather than be swayed by threats of litigation.”

The Markaz, comprised largely of Shia refugees who fled Saddam Hussein’s regime, bought the Hippodrome and moved into it in 2017.

The planning application has been supported in the past by Jewish organisations.

High Court fight for life support A Jewish couple who have been told by doctors that treatment for their seriously ill daughter should end are engaged in a High Court battle to move her to Israel for life-support treatment.

Specialists caring for two-year-old Alta Fixsler, who has brain damage, think that treatment should end and managers at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust have asked a judge to decide whatPage moves Alta’sPAGE parents want her in Israel HALF ADVERT JANtreated 2020:Layout 1 09/01/2020 16:04 1 are in the girl’s best interests.

Alta’s parents say their Jewish faith means they cannot agree to steps being taken that would lead to her death and want treatment decisions made in Israel, by doctors who “share their religious beliefs and ethical framework”.

Mr Justice MacDonald is considering the case at a private virtual hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

Victoria Butler-Cole QC, representing Alta’s

parents, said in a written case outline that they “struggle to understand why the trust will not agree” to a transfer to Israel. “Hospitals in Israel are willing to accept Alta, the risks of transfer are very low, and the costs of transporting Alta safely will be met.” The judge has been told a Jerusalem hospital has confirmed it would accept Alta.

The hearing began last Wednesday and is due to end later this week.

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13

Jewish News meets... Paul Harris

‘What happened to these people was evil’ Alex Galbinski speaks to a lawyer representing some of the subpostmasters whose fraud convictions were quashed after a shocking miscarriage of justice Last month, 39 subpostmasters were man and he had to deal with the embarrassment cleared by the Court of Appeal after having of the press referring to him as a ‘crooked cop’ or been prosecuted by the Post Office for similar. It destroyed him,” explains Harris.

Rubbina Shaheen received a 12-month jail fraud, theft and false accounting.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission, term; she lost her business, and she and her huswhich investigates alleged miscarriages of jus- band lost their home. “They ended up living in a tice, had referred the cases of 42 former post- van before a member of their religious commumasters to the appeal court last year following nity helped them out. And she has suffered huge health problems ever since.” a landmark case at the High Court in 2019.

Scott Darlington, from Macclesfield, strugIn 1999, the Post Office introduced Horizon, an accounting system developed by Fujitsu, gled to find a job, had “massive money worries” to record transactions and stocktaking. and depression and struggled to provide for But, almost immediately, subpostmasters and his child.

Harris explains: “It didn’t just destroy the other staff complained about problems with shortfalls in their branches. Rather than looking individuals, it destroyed their families as well, into their concerns, between 2000 and 2014 the so the human cost was absolutely massive.”

He says the Post Office pursued prosecutions Post Office prosecuted 736 subpostmasters.

Some challenged the Horizon evidence but for years, spending huge sums on legal fees, were convicted and jailed. As the evidence was despite subpostmasters’ many calls to its helpresumed by the court to be reliable, others pline about the software, which he says the corpleaded guilty (some were advised to do so to poration “knew was flawed pretty much from avoid prison). Having been threatened with the get-go”.

He adds: “The more you read about it, the dismissal, many used their own money or borrowed heavily to plug the shortfalls, which ran more you are absolutely shocked at the extent into thousands of pounds. Some went bank- to which it went to conceal problems. This is rupt. Marriages broke down. People suffered ill a state-owned, government corporation, so health; some died with their convictions extant. you would not expect this level of dishonesty.

It wanted to protect its reputation and save At least one subpostmaster killed himself.

Four of the 39 subpostmasters were rep- money.”

The strategy backfired. The Post Office resented by Paul Harris, a senior partner at London firm Edward Fail, Bradshaw & has spent £32 million trying to deny fault Waterson, who had worked on the case for just in Horizon and paid out settlements of under a year. While Harris feels justice has been £58 million to 555 subpostmasters following served, he says it will be completed when all are the High Court battle.

After the verdict, Paula Vennells, an properly compensated for their losses and for the damage done to their lives, adding; “But at ordained priest and Post Office chief executive from 2012 to 2019, resigned from her church least their names have now been cleared.”

The case has been called the biggest duties as well as from her non-executive roles miscarriage of justice in British legal history, at retailers Dunelm and Morrisons. Harris believes a public inquiry should now be held. an assessment with which Harris agrees.

“There needs to be a proper public statutory “As a criminal defence solicitor, I’ve represented people over the years who regularly get inquiry that can look into who knew what and into trouble. But these are all decent, innocent, when... And there should be a criminal investihardworking people whose lives have been gation running side by side.”

Harris, 53, who is married with three chilruined by the Post Office for its desire to protect dren, was until recently co-chair of New North its own reputation,” he says.

“The subpostmasters all worked London Synagogue. He has represented Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy, former Pakiat the centre of their community where everybody knew their stani cricket captain Salman Butt and name. Their reputations were is working on one of the Hillsborough entirely destroyed, and it was cases. But he says he has not seen anytotally unnecessary.” thing like this case in 30 years as a criminal defence lawywer.

One of Harris’ clients wishes to remain anonymous, but he “The judgment was very damning by can speak about the other three: the Court of Appeal. It’s nothing short of the toll on them, he says, was evil what happened to these people. Their lives were taken away from them.” “absolutely immense”.

Peter Holmes had been With the Post Office a retired police officer asking remaining who, Harris says, workers to come forward if they want to “sadly didn’t live to see his name cleared”; the challenge their convictions, it looks as if appeal was brought Harris will continue by his wife, Marion.

Criminal defence to make a difference.

“He was a really good lawyer Paul Harris

Former Post Office workers celebrate victory outside the Court of Appeal last month

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News / Flag row / Book apology

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Spurs defends telling fan to hide Israeli flag

Tottenham Hotspur has defended asking a fan to take down an Israel flag, days after the Football Association (FA) said players and supporters could display Palestinian flags, writes Jack Mendel.

In video footage that surfaced online, a steward is seen telling a supporter it was “not the time or the place for you to be using that flag”.

He gave an ultimatum to the fan, Gabriel [whose surname is withheld on request], saying: “You’ve got two options. You either put that flag away and it doesn’t come out again. The second option is you’ll be asked to leave the stadium.”

The official added: “This is from the FA, I’m talking to the FA now,” and added that a “safety officer” asked him to request the flag’s removal.

The FA told Jewish News that it would not penalise Hamza Choudhury and Wesley Fofana of Leicester City, in addition to Paul Pogba and Amad Diallo of Manchester United, after they brandished Palestinian flags after games.

It confirmed that it was not a breach of its rules for players or fans to display internationally recognised flags in the

A steward at Tottenham tells Gabriel to put the flag away

stadium – as they aren’t viewed as discriminatory, political or religious.

The FA denied having been in contact with the steward at Spurs during the incident.

It took place during a home fixture against Aston Villa.

Tottenham Hotspur told Jewish News: “The club has always considered that a football match is a time to show allegiance to a football team first and foremost.

“A football match is not an appropriate arena to display flags of any political or religious affiliation or anything that could possibly be considered inflammatory – this can include national flags during

times of political conflicts, campaigns or issues.”

Tottenham says it is investigating the incident internally.

Speaking to Jewish News, Gabriel, a Nottingham Trent student who attends Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue, said he felt “harassed by the number of stewards who confronted me and my family.

Many of the fans around us were very supportive telling the stewards to leave us alone”.

Tottenham Hotspur has historical links to London’s Jewish community, which led to some supporters calling themselves ‘Yids’. Fans say they are reclaiming the slur and using it in a positive way.

WHSmith ‘sorry’ for Protocols WHSmith has apologised for listing notorious antisemitic books for sale on its website.

The company said it has removed from sale The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, but other titles, including some by Holocaust denier Stephen Mitford Goodson and conspiracy theorist David Icke, remain on its site.

The protocols is a notorious forged antisemitic tract purporting to describe a Jewish plot to achieve world domination, which has fuelled antisemitic conspiracies and violence.

A WHSmith spokesperson confirmed that it had been removed, saying: “We apologise for

any offence caused. We have strict guidelines on the books we sell and it is against our policy to stock books which incite hatred.

“This title appeared on our website through a direct feed from our distributor; it was not possible to purchase it and it was removed immediately as soon as it was brought to our attention.”

Other books still on its website include The Answer by Icke, and Goodson’s A History of Central Banking and the Enslavement of Mankind. Goodson once labelled the Holocaust “a huge lie”.

TWO HELD OVER CAMPUS SWASTIKA Two people have been arrested following the discovery of antisemitic posters on the campus of Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL).

Police confirmed a 21-yearold man from Egham, Surrey, and a 19-year-old woman from nearby Englefield Green had been arrested. Both individuals have been released on bail with investigations ongoing.

In one instance, a poster with a swastika in place of the Star of David on the flag of

Israel was displayed outside the premises’ library.

The swastikas were found outside entrances to campus facilities in Egham, Surrey, and on the library terrace.

The Jewish MP Dame Margaret Hodge has been the chair of the Royal Holloway College Council since November 2018.

RHUL Jewish Society said: “Royal Holloway has garnered a reputation of being a liberal, diverse and welcoming university, yet these images and

experiences make Jewish students feel more and more as if that doesn’t apply to them.”

Several other instances of antisemitism that have occurred on the campus are similarly being investigated by the police.

Jon Howden-Evans, director of student and support services at Royal Holloway, said: “Our university has an abhorrence of violence, discrimination and harassment.”

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27 May 2021 Jewish News

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Special Report

Near tipping point?

Revolution is in the air, author Nadav Eyal tells Nathan Jeffay

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The “revolt” is “unorchestrated, and fluid,” There is a roaring “revolt” worldwide against forces of progress, and leaders and “it is more about the rejection of current are bumbling in their response, an power structures than about the fine details of Israeli journalist claims in an influen- building new ones”.

In an interview about the book, Eyal said tial book that has been newly-translated the challenge of world leaders is to empathise into English.

Nadav Eyal’s Revolt has caught the atten- with those who are frustrated, and avoid them tion of some of the world’s most influential falling in to the grip of radicals and extremists.

“I have empathy and understanding thinkers, including former US President Bill Clinton. “The message is clear,” he wrote, ech- towards people who feel their lives have oing its call to spread benefits more equally been unhinged and turned upside down by and build a global community capable of “con- changes they cannot control,” he stated. “This could be coal miners losing jobs in Pennfronting our collective challenges together”.

Eyal told Jewish News that he is excited sylvania and blaming national gas, or those by the impact the book is having and said who feel their national or cultural identities are threatened. its thesis formed in his head over a few “I feel empathy with these years, starting with the global ecopeople, though I am connomic crash of 2008, which cerned that their grievhe covered for Israeli media ances are being exploited from London. by extremists, radicals, He recounts meeting anti-vaxxers, [those Nick Griffin, then head who are] anti-science of the British National and others.

Party, who said that the “These people are world order was about to trying to exploit them in be shaken, and only later their push for a new order realising how how right the that is, at its core, anti-libprediction of this “bigot” eral and anti-democratic.” had been.

Nadav Eyal Eyal argues that many “The main point of the of the grievances are avoidbook is to say that if you don’t able if power structures, which respond to this sense of revolt, others will harness it and use it to destroy haven’t been updated to cope with what progress has achieved,” he said. a globalised world, are caught up in today’s challenges.

“Wake up guys.”

One example is realising that redundanEyal, senior columnist for the daily newspaper Yediot Achronot and commentator for cies as a result of technological advancements Channel 13, focuses mainly on globalisation, are inevitable, and making changes to corpowhich he writes has “bettered the human con- rate tax systems so they provide budget supdition, but it has also decimated communities port for people who lose their jobs because and ravaged ecosystems, sowing the seeds of of innovations. Another is stronger international bodies, including criminal courts and insurrection”.

People who assess that they have a raw deal the World Health Organisation, which he says from globalisation are raging against it, often was shown during the pandemic to lack the calling to throw out the baby with the bath strength it needs.

“Experts and the scientists who deal with water, he states.

Citing interviews he conducted, Eyal the way our world and our order is built depicts this anti-globalisation lobby as understand we need changes, whether a global a disparate collection of individuals and ide- tax regime or a unified response to climate ologies, driven by a sense they have been left change, But the politicians we have don’t behind as others advanced economically, or deliver agreement on the issues.

“The world is moving really quickly and has because the Western values it makes domihuge challenges, but it’s stuck with the politnant clash with their own tradition.

They range from Griffin, who told him ical cultures of the late 19th century.” gleefully as the economic crisis took hold that “the wheels of the capitalist system have fallen off ”, predicting “a crisis that will last for generations”, to Islamic fundamentalists and anti-science anti-vaxx Americans.

Eyal views Donald Trump as exploiting the “economic and cultural of grievances of those disillusioned by the American dream”. The anger that drove some Brexiteers is also part of the narrative he presents.

But these are far from the entire story.

“The rise of populism and nationalism, from Brazil to Italy to Hungary, constitutes an attack, albeit diffused, on today’s globalisation,” Eyal writes, claiming that it grows “out of an echo chamber of injustices that have plagued the middle class throughout the industrialised world”.

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Mental health / BBYO anniversary / School criticised / Sacks honoured / News NEWS IN BRIEF

NAZI FANATIC IS JAILED FOR FOUR YEARS A Nazi sympathiser whose stash of extremist material was likened to “an undergraduate degree” in the far-right has been jailed for four years. Nicholas Brock, 53, decorated his bedroom with SS memorabilia and covered his upper body in tattoos of the “death’s head” skulls associated with the paramilitary group as well as swastikas and other symbols of Hitler’s Germany. He collected Nazi-era daggers, downloaded terrorism manuals and even had a framed “certificate of recognition” from the Ku Klux Klan in his own name hanging on his wall. Judge Peter Lodder QC jailed Brock for four years on Tuesday, with another year on licence.

GLOBAL SEMINAR WILL EXPLORE JEWISH YOGA More than 340 Jewish yoga teachers from around the world have signed up to an online seminar on Sunday. The 90-minute Jewish Yoga Network International Seminar explores themes including whether yoga is kosher, how you can have a ‘Jewish yoga’ practice and who is teaching Jewishlyinspired Asana and Vinyasa classes.

Founder, author and organiser Marcus J Freed said: “There are so many spiritual seekers who have not yet found their religious expression within a traditional framework. They often prefer a yoga or meditation studio to the synagogue, but this seminar will show you do not have to choose between one or the other.”

Claudia boosts book launch

By Jenni Frazer @Jennifrazer

The tragic death of her sister, Rebecca, propelled Esther Marshall away from her corporate career to writing groundbreaking children’s books aimed at helping and reassuring their anxieties.

This week, Marshall said she was “honoured” to team up with ORT UK, celebrating its 100th anniversary, to launch a £50,000 campaign aimed at distributing 7,000 copies of her book, It’s Okay Not To Be Okay, to children in Britain and in ORT schools across the world supported by the charity.

On Tuesday night, ORT chief executive Dan Rickman explained that incoming chair Annette Kurer had asked him to think laterally about a campaign to celebrate the 100th anniversary.

As an educational organisation with its roots in 19th century Russia, ORT UK supports children in the UK and internationally.

Rickman and Marshall were teenage friends and leaders in the BBYO movement and the two kept in touch.

He was aware Esther had begun writing her Sophie Says series about a cast of friends going on adventures and finding out that their friendship, and talking about their prob-

lems, helped them negotiate life’s difficulties.

And so ORT UK approached Marshall, now on the verge of completing the third book in the series, which has won applause from educational psychologists, teachers and, particularly, parents.

In conversation with the broadcaster Claudia Winkleman, Marshall said people could think of the second book – It’s Okay Not To Be Okay – as “a toolkit to navigate difficult situations”.

Marshall had begun her writing career before Rebecca’s death.

A doctor and “a brilliant artist”, Rebecca had encouraged Marshall to write when she was on maternity leave, with the idea that Rebecca would illustrate the story, eventually published as Sophie Says: I Can, I Will.

Sadly, Rebecca was diagnosed as bipolar and last year, after prolonged spells in hospital, she ended her life.

Now, says Marshall, she looks on the books as “Rebecca’s legacy”.

Because her family saw rainbows after her sister’s death, and because they became a symbol of the NHS during the pandemic, there will be rainbows in every book in the series. The latest one, which will be published in November, is called Be Proud Of Who You Are.

Stars shine on BBYO’s 80th Youth group BBYO celebrated its 80th birthday this week with a star studded line-up from the worlds of entertainment, politics and business.

The host of stellar guests included actresses Tracy-Ann Oberman and Maureen Lipman, alongside Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps MP. Coronation Street star Lipman warmly recalled her time in the BBYO Hull Chapter: “There were only three shuls in Hull growing up and so BBYO was a way for younger people to get together. We did community outreach work and it was always incredibly exciting going to conventions in Leeds and Manchester.”

The 75-year-old added that her experiences with BBYO had shaped her career: “When you get to university you’ll use your skills. BBYO is a good platform because you can fail in front of your friends and get over it!”

The 1,000 attendees also heard current BBYO national president, Ethan Katz, interview his predecessors, including Shapps. The former Pinner chapter president recalled: “I loved BBYO from the moment I stepped into the door aged 16 – mainly because there were no adults.”

He added: “Although I knew I wanted to become an MP, the thing that gave me both the skills and confidence to do the job was my experience at BBYO. I learnt how to run meetings, use an agenda and received valuable training at conventions. Without BBYO I almost certainly wouldn’t have become an MP and ultimately transport secretary today.”

Media partnered by Jewish News, the virtual event sought to raise £100,000 to secure the movement’s future. The hour-long live show

Maureen Lipman recalled her experiences

also included National President Guess Who, a magic trick, and interviews with BBYO members in Malta and South Africa.

Oberman, star of Friday Night Dinner said her time with BBYO in the 1980s “made me who and what I am”. She said she was still best friends with “loads of people I met there”, many of whom “found their own creativity and voice, because of what BBYO gave us”.

Well-wishers included Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, who praised BBYO’s work as “central in ensuring young Jewish people stay connected to their homeland”, and Simon Johnson, former head of the Jewish Leadership Council.

BBYO director Lord Morris of Kenwood, reflected: “Our mission is to build leaders who will embody and strengthen our values within the Jewish and wider community... However, the last 14 months have been profoundly challenging. Our priority now is to ... create the UK youth movement of the 21st century, built on our tradition and core values of inclusivity, pluralism, activism and Jewish identity – and of course fun and enjoyment!”

Author Esther Marshall and broadcaster Claudia Winkleman with the books

Last year, before their departure for California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex held a reception at Buckingham Palace for campaigners in mental health – and Marshall was one of the guests.

As she told Winkleman, she was obliged to keep the event secret – “even from my husband”. She gave Harry and Meghan a copy of her book in which one of the characters

is called Meghan, and was told the couple “loved” the book and the work she was doing.

As Marshall acknowledged: “I would have been a much more resilient adult if I’d had these books.”

The series deliberately does not use the terminology of mental health but sets out to reassure children and families of the importance of sharing anxieties.

PUPILS REMOVED FROM SEX CLASS

Yale doctorate for Lord Sacks

All pupils at a strictly-Orthodox school in Gateshead have opted out of the government’s sexual education scheme, according to Ofsted.

Ateres Girls High School “does not meet all of the independent school standards that were checked”, the inspectorate said, following a visit in April of this year.

Its report outlined the school’s “curriculum planning for pupils’ personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) development had some shortcomings” and that its approach “remains only to teach pupils in general terms to be respectful of others, including those with ‘different lifestyles’.”

Ateres Girls High School, which teaches 246 girls aged 11 to 16, prepared a “separate” PSHE programme and has “consulted with parents about the content to be taught”.

The Ofsted report said: “Following consultation, all parents have exercised their right to withdraw their child from the teaching of sex education.” Pupils are “not being prepared fully for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in British society”, according to the inspectorate.

Ian Mearns, MP for Gateshead, told Jewish News: “I know almost all, if not all, of the community were concerned about the imposition of age appropriate sex and relationships education in all of the community’s independent schools.

“I relayed these concerns to Department of Education ministers prior to the introduction of this requirement.”

The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks has been awarded an honorary degree from Yale University in recognition of his “wise and steadfast moral leadership”.

The former Chief Rabbi, who was in post for 22 years until 2013, died last November.

Now Yale University, one of the most prestigious universities in the world, has conferred a honorary doctorate of divinity on Lord Sacks.

“Championing dialogue over division, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks called us to work together to fulfill our responsibilities and heal the world,” said the university in announcing the award.

“A respected scholar, an esteemed teacher of Torah, and a light unto the nations, he dedicated his life to serving others, showing us what it means to put ‘we’ before ‘I’.”

Lord Sacks is survived by his wife of 50 years, Lady Elaine Sacks; their three children, Joshua, Dina, and Gila; and several grandchildren.

Last year, Jewish News and MDA UK launched a campaign in memory of the late rabbi for a life-saving ‘bloodmobile’ in Israel, raising around £100,000.

Money from the ongoing appeal will pay for the first of a new batch of bloodmobiles, which will transport teams around the country to collect some of the 1,100 units a day that keep supplies full.

Bearing Lord Sacks’s name, it will eventually find a home at the new British-funded Blood and Logistics Centre, which is due to open next year.

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

World News / Erdogan backed / Video removed / Child recovering NEWS IN BRIEF

SURVIVOR OF LODZ GHETTO MOURNED A Lodz ghetto survivor who negotiated with the post-war German government for billions of dollars in compensation for Jewish Holocaust survivors has died, aged 92. Roman Kent, who moved to the United States in 1946, was a longtime board member of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. Last year he recorded a video to demand that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg remove Holocaust denial content from his entire social media network.

SWEDEN LAUNCHES REVIEW INTO MOHEL Health Ministry officials in Sweden have launched a review into the actions of a rabbi and doctor for circumcising Jewish infants without anesthesia. The review in Sweden of Rabbi Dr Peter Borenstein followed articles in Svenska Dagbladet in which other doctors criticised him for not administering anesthesia. Borenstein also is a longtime mohel. Some mohels offer babies a few drops of a sugar-rich liquid as a distraction instead of anesthetic.

Turkey’s Jews stand by Erdogan

by Michael Daventry mike@jewishnews.co.uk @michaeldaventry

Turkey’s Jewish community has made a public show of support for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after the country’s president suggested Israeli leaders were “only satisfied when sucking blood”.

The US State Department was among those criticising the Turkish leader for the remarks, describing them as antisemitic.

But the Turkish Chief Rabbinate Foundation tweeted this was “unfair & reprehensible”, adding: “On the contrary, he has always been constructive,

supportive & encouraging towards us.”

Erdoğan made the comments during a lengthy televised speech on Monday in which he attacked Israel for the war in Gaza. But it was not clear whether his reference to sucking blood was directed specifically towards Israeli prime ministers or to Jewish people in general.

“The state of Israel, whose borders are still unclear, has become a tool of terror in the hands of politicians chasing Zionist dreams and radicals who deem it permissible to commit crimes against humanity,” Erdoğan said in the speech.

“Fanatical Jews did not even shrink during the peace talks of 1995 from killing their own prime minister, who

they accused of granting concessions to the Palestinians.

“Yes, a Jewish prime minister – I won’t give their name – once said to me, ‘Whenever as a serving general I was killing Palestinians, that gave me the greatest pleasure.’ He was saying this to me, while visiting me as prime minister of the Republic of Turkey. This exists in their character; they are only satisfied when sucking blood.”

Three Israeli prime ministers – Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert and Benjamin Netanyahu – have been in office during Erdoğan’s premiership, but only Sharon held the rank of general in the Israeli military.

The Turkish Chief Rabbinate tweet

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

contained two photos of Erdoğan attending an event with a number of faith leaders at which the Chief Rabbi was represented.

VIDEO ‘INCITES’ VIOLENCE Boy, five, survives disaster

The TikTok video

A video appearing to incite violence ahead of a pro-Israel rally has been removed from social media.

It features the poster for a rally in Sydney last weekend with the caption: “If you’re from Victoria, Australia, you know what to do.”

The teenager also performs a hand gesture in the clip, which was posted on TikTok and includes Islamic music being played. Some sources say the music is related to

Islamic State. Before being taken down, the video had received more than 75,000 views, according to the Australian Jewish News.

The newspaper reported several of the comments incited violence, including: “I’m pulling up with AK-47s”, “Should we get the IEDs? [improvised explosive devices]”, “We coming to burn their flags”, “Who’s trying to shoot?” and “Soon Inshallah”.

A five-year-old Israeli boy is recovering in hospital as the sole survivor of a cable car disaster in northern Italy that killed 14 people.

The gondola tumbled down part of the mountain overlooking Lake Maggiore after the lead cable apparently snapped.

The boy, named by the Israeli foreign ministry as

Eitan Biran, remains in a Turin hospital with multiple broken bones.

Eitan’s father Amit Biran, who was killed, was studying at the University of Pavia near Milan, according to La Republica. His wife Tal Peleg-Biran, 27, and their two-year-old son Tom also died, along with two great-grandparents. The others who died were Italian.

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Editorial comment and letters ISSUE NO.

1212

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

VOICE OF THE JEWISH NEWS

Hijacked by bigots It started well. An upbeat crowd brushed off the drizzle and an abusive counter-protest to show the Jewish community in a positive light and educate wider society about the true nature of the threat facing Israel.

They listened to spirited speeches, proudly sung Hatikva and God Save The Queen, Shalom Aleinu and Od Avinu Chai. And then it happened.

Word spread. Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, former leader of the English Defence League (EDL), was in the crowd – and he wasn’t alone. Former Britain First campaigner Paul Besser had also showed up like a bad smell, while the BNP and nationalist group Voice Of Wales were broadcasting live. Some of the most infamous far-right extremists in the country who peddle anti-Muslim sentiment had attached themselves like a cancer to the Jewish community, sending the rally’s organisers into panic mode.

The Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council and Zionist Federation were all quick in their condemnation but by then the damage was done, the pictures taken, the connection made. The anti-Israel mob had the ammunition they required to equate support for the Jewish state with support for extreme far-right politics. It was, as one senior communal figure put it, “an appalling look”.

British Jews will never have common cause with pariahs on the extreme right who sow bigotry and discord. Sunday’s hijacked rally did nothing to improve the community’s standing in this regard, and nothing to persuade onlookers that the only true supporters of Israel are level-headed and in search of peace.

THIS WEEKEND'S SHABBAT TIMES...

Shabbat comes in Friday night 8.49pm

Shabbat goes out Sedra: B ehalotecha Saturday night 10.07pm

Send us your comments PO Box 815, Edgware, HA8 4SX | letters@jewishnews.co.uk

Anti-Israel media distorts facts We’ve fully entered an age of distorted reporting, where the media reports facts it wishes to report but conveniently ignores facts that don’t suit editorial agendas.

The numbers game is a firm favourite when it comes to reporting Gaza conflicts. Thirty Palestinians died today, but only three Israelis.

We could play a different numbers game. How many missiles were precision-targeted on each side and how many were not? How many advance evacuation warnings were issued by each side to the other? How large is Israel in terms of square kilometres compared with the Arab Middle East? All perfectly legitimate numbers, but of little interest to an anti-Israel media.

After 20 or more years of this type of reporting, Israel is a lost cause. A whole generation has grown up without a balanced presentation of the facts, thanks to biased media reporting, irresponsible social media platforms and a vocal anti-Zionist presence on university campuses.

Many of today’s younger journalists themselves grew up in this era. A whole generation no longer knows reality from fiction.

The result? Every time violence erupts in

Gaza, history no longer matters. ‘Israel is wrong’, ­insists the media narrative. Tens of thousands go marching through the streets of Europe shouting ‘Free Palestine’, dwarfing a tiny handful who understand the full picture and can defend Israel. People drive up and down Finchley Road with Palestinian flags across their cars, yelling: “F*** the Jews, rape their daughters... we have to send a message” (pictured above).

That is where media agendas lead to.

Simon Aaron, By email

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21

Editorial comment and letters

Sketches & kvetches

THE LEFT IS TO BLAME Both the biased media and politicians of the left are responsible for the antisemitic outrage that occurred in Golders Green and other Jewish neighbourhoods in the wake of the Gaza conflict.

They might try to distance themselves from what happened, but they are, nevertheless, primary inciters. The stock condemnations, particularly from Sir Keir Starmer who, in a one-sided tweet, almost seemed to condone the Arab violence against Jewish worshippers who emanated from the Temple Mount, do not deserve to be valued.

Yisroel Davis, By email

WARS ONLY HAVE LOSERS

“At last, something we can all agree on – the UK’s Eurovision song was awful!”

Rabbi Charley Baginsky’s oration in last week’s edition was apposite; if only more people would follow her lead. On both sides of the Israeli-Palestine equation, she was critical when she needed to be, and clear-headed and concise when trying to find a just and peaceful resolution. She said she is a Progressive Zionist who supports two states, an anathema to many Jews.

Any right-minded person knows wars in Gaza never have winners, only destruction.

Robert Dulin, By email

Church leaders’ solidarity We write as leaders of churches across the UK to publicly express our solidarity with the British Jewish community during these difficult times in Israel.

We understand that these are days of great anxiety for the safety of loved ones and friends in Israel. We also share your deep concern about rising antisemitism in recent years, both in our country and

globally. We recognise how conflict in the Middle East can stoke communal tensions here and make many Jewish people feel they are isolated and alone.

We assure you that as Christians and church leaders we stand with you in prayer and practical support.

Pastors Clive Urquhart, Stuart Bell, Aaron Partington and others, By email

RABBI WRONG Lod? How odd Student Rabbi Lev Taylor writes that we should not refuse converts, which has indeed always been the practice of Judaism (Jewish News, 20 May 2021).

He also says “we owe the existence of our communities to converts and outsiders” and “by excluding people who want to be Jewish, you weaken the whole community”. There is no basis for such statements. The thrust of his piece is that “Shavuot teaches us to celebrate Jews in all their diversity”. It teaches the opposite.

Ruth was rebuffed from conversion and accepted only after she insisted that she would keep every aspect of Torah and Boaz did not raise a family with her.

Ann Cohen, By email

In last week’s Jewish News (20 May 2021) the opinion by the co-CEOs of The Abraham Initiatives included a photo of the recent rioting in Israel, describing the image being of Lod. However, a street sign in the image shows the rioting at a junction with route 65 in the direction of Afula.

Route 65 goes from Hadera, through Afula, to north-west of the Kinneret, and is some 70 kilometres away from Lod. With all the fake images and videos being posted of events in the Gaza Strip, it is rather sad that your excellent newspaper can’t get its facts right when including photos in your paper.

Daniel Shear, Edgware

Setting the stage for a backlash from Gaza JENNI FRAZER

Y

ou might be forgiven if you think we have been in this particular spiral of events before. The summer of 2014, anyone? The last Gaza war? Demonstrators on the streets, a spike in antisemitism… and then it all died down. Sort of.

Except that the following year, with a new leader of the Labour Party, all the seething hatred that found expression on the street came bubbling to the surface.

With Jeremy Corbyn’s accession to power, the disgusting things that could never be said in public about Jews suddenly were said. Those on the extremes of the political spectrum gave themselves permission to say the unsayable, write the previously unthinkable.

In return, I am sorry to say, there were a few – thankfully only a few – on the extremes of the Jewish community, both left and right, who were hitting back. On the left were the #AsAJews, and on the right the #PerpetualVictims. Neither of these was a pretty picture. As a former chief rabbi once remarked: “If you sit in the middle of the road for long enough, you get run over.”

So, many of us have been forced into

a position not necessarily of our choosing.

We may have a natural, humane sympathy with the Palestinians – but we may not be #AsAJews, either. How, then, are we to deal with the fallout from the latest Gaza war, in which, once again, diaspora Jews are being pushed into taking responsibility for the actions of the Israeli government? It scarcely matters any more how much we are invested in support of the Israeli state rather than its government. We are all too aware that the moment we begin to explain “Yes, but…” we are on the way to losing the argument.

And for its part, all the Other Side needs to do is to say ‘But, Israel…’ and the whole panoply of rotten excuses rises to the surface: the inequity in weaponry, the ‘unfairness’ of the Iron Dome, the numbers game. I wonder, occasionally, what would be an acceptable number of Israeli – or even diaspora – casualties to even up the playing field. Perhaps we should disable the Iron Dome for a time?

So we come, inexorably, to Maureen Beattie.

If you have never heard of her – and I hadn’t – she is president of Equity UK, the actors’ union. Performers on the professional stage – theatre, film and TV – need an Equity card in order to work.

They pay their subscriptions not just for an

❝

UNIONS IN BRITAIN ARE ALIENATING JEWS BECAUSE OF THE VIEWS THEY ADOPT ON THE MIDDLE EAST

Equity card but also for union representation if they run into employment problems, which is how all trade unions work. Yet, increasingly, unions in Britain are taking positions that alienate Jews because of the political views they adopt on the Middle East.

Equity is just the latest. Maureen Beattie, a few days ago, endorsed a petition addressed to the government, calling for sanctions against Israel. She said: “The government should introduce sanctions against Israel, including blocking all trade, and in particular arms. Its disproportionate treatment of Palestinians and settlements that are regarded by the international community as illegal are an affront to civilised society.”

So far, this petition has attracted nearly 400,000 signatures. It only requires 100,000 to

Equity UK’s president, Maureen Beattie

be debated by parliament and so Beattie’s plea will be discussed in the Commons on 14 June.

If you were a young actor, dependent on an Equity card in order to work, and you weren’t in either the #AsAJew or the #PerpetualVictim camp, what must go through your mind when you see what your union president has done?

And when one critic suggested that she might call for sanctions against antisemites, Beattie replied disingenuously: “Absolutely!

Introduce sanctions against antisemites and I will sign that petition and be on that march.”

Heaven forfend we should depend on the likes of Maureen Beattie to defend Jewish rights. Tracy-Ann Oberman is leading the fightback against this latest manifestation.

One thing is for sure: this is going to get much worse before it gets better.

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Opinion

Our joint call to tackle hatred on our streets STEVE MCCABE, MP & STEPHEN CRABB, MP CHAIRS, LFI & CFI

I

n the past fortnight there have been truly sickening displays of antisemitism on the streets of London.

At a protest against the conflict between Israel and Hamas in central London, widely circulated footage on social media showed antisemitic imagery, chants celebrating and calling for the death of Jews and even the logo of a proscribed terrorist group.

The following day, a convoy of cars travelled through parts of north London deliberately targeting the Jewish community. From one of the cars, a megaphone blared explicit, offensive language – including shocking calls for the rape of Jews.

We welcome the fact that a number of arrests were made by the police but, as we said in our letter to the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, there must be an investigation into how this convoy was able to travel through

London and incite violence and sexual assault without being stopped.

Let us be clear: much of the language involved in these incidents goes well beyond what can reasonably be considered free speech – and those who seek to intimidate, incite violence and damage social cohesion cannot be allowed to hide behind that defence.

It is also clear that these events are part of a wider picture of rising antisemitism. Last week the Community Security Trust (CST) reported a three-fold increase in the number of incidents compared with the previous week.

As the CST said, this increase in response to events in Israel is both depressingly familiar and completely inexcusable. It is, of course, the responsibility of the police both to investigate criminal behaviour, enforce the law and, as they have done, step up patrols to deter antisemitic

incidents and help ensure the safety of the Jewish community. However, the fight against antisemitism is not just for the police.

Whatever their views on the causes of the tragic violence in Israel and Gaza, politicians and those in the public eye should not use inflammatory language that stokes tensions.

They should exercise caution to avoid sharing misinformation.

We must recognise the inextricable link between anti-Zionism and anti-Jewish racism.

People have the right to criticise and protest against the actions of any government in the world. But the obsessive focus on Israel and the manner in which that criticism is voiced has to change. That is why we strongly support public and private institutions, including universities and local authorities, adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance

❝

THE OBSESSIVE FOCUS ON ISRAEL AND THE MANNER IN WHICH THAT CRITICISM IS VOICED HAS TO CHANGE

Alliance working definition of antisemitism.

It protects the right to free speech on Israel while making clear the kind of language – for instance, drawing comparisons between contemporary Israeli policy and that of the Nazis and holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel – that crosses the boundary into antisemitism.

Antisemitism has to be combated at the national and international level. Through its funding of terrorist groups, such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, the government of Iran poses a clear and present danger to Jews in Israel and around the world.

But we shouldn’t forget Tehran’s pernicious role as the chief propagator of antisemitism globally, such as by staging state-sponsored Holocaust cartoon competitions.

At this difficult time, we must show our support for, and solidarity with, the Jewish community here. But British Jews should expect and demand more than just warm words from politicians. Instead, those words must be combined with action to root out antisemitism in all its ugly and dangerous forms.

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23

Opinion

Three constants: death, taxes and antisemitism JACKIE MASON

W

extrajudicially. It was an extra judicious use of American power, and only Trump could have pulled such a brazen act off, just like his move of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

He took such bold steps that nobody thought of messing with the Jews, and finally after years of struggle, they were beginning to have a more equitable position in the region.

I’ve heard Biden him talk of his experiences as a young senator meeting Golda Meir, and how after a meeting where the threats facing Israel before what was to be the Yom Kippur War were explicitly laid out, she said to him, “Senator, you look worried. I said, well, my God, Madam Prime Minister, and I turned to look at her. I said, the picture you paint.

She said, oh, don’t worry. We have – I thought she only said this to me. She said, we have a secret weapon in our conflict with the Arabs. We have no place else to go.”

Biden told this story at countless functions. He claims to

know the score. He just doesn’t have the spine.

Right now, as I’m writing, there are Jews who I am in touch with in London who are cowering in their houses, afraid to step outside.

Unfortunately, my worst fears have come true. I’m not saying that I’m a prophet or anything, but it seems like you just have to have eyeballs that work to see what’s going on.

All the radical activists screaming about Israel, who sound like they are on a religious mission from I don’t know what God, don’t know the first thing about what’s really going on in Israel.

All the journalists who have been covering this tiny sector of the world have been telling the same narrative, the same lie, for so long that any 18-yearold on any campus across the United States thinks Israel is the devil. Stay strong, be sensible, and God help us all. s on lom So ul Pa By

ell, it is happening again.

My grandfather told me about it. My father told me about it. Every other Jew who came over from Europe told me about it. Even the New York Times told me about it. You got it, antisemitism and the persecution of Jews.

When I was a young man sometime in the early part of last century, whenever I looked into the New York Times classified section for a job that I really needed, the jobs available would say “White Christian only”.

The Times wasn’t always as woke as it is now. I’m not even as woke as I am now, because I just fell asleep while writing this sentence.

I’ve always said there are three constants in life death, taxes, and antisemitism, a subject I’m an expert on unfortunately. All these people here in America and around the world commenting on the atrocities of the Israelis. Killing women and children!

Ethnic cleansing! Apartheid! Thousands of journalists sitting on their good for nothing tuchses yelling into the internet. All you hear is oy what a terrible thing the Israelis are doing. Evicting people from houses! Stopping people from praying! Terrible!

And, my friends, if you would go to any young Israeli man asking him what would he prefer to do, sit by an anti-missile battery or in a fighter jet, or would he rather go with his girlfriend to sit on the beach? It seems to me that the answer is obvious, and the absurdity of the question says everything about what’s going on in the Middle East.

Yet we hear so many people who have given very little thought to the topic yelling and screaming like they have lived in the region for 100 years and know every nuance of this terrible conflict.

They have decided that this is what they are going to spend their time screaming about. They don’t scream about the hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have died in the last decade by their own co-religionists’ hands, more people killed than all sides combined in the entire history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You don’t hear anyone screaming on Twitter about that.

You don’t hear anyone screaming about the 50 Afghani schoolgirls who were blown up by the Taliban last week. No, you just hear the one off-key, off-kilter continuous blast about the terrible human rights violators, the Israelis. Go look, my clear eyed, lucid friends at which countries are on the Human Rights Commission at the U.N. Try not to laugh or cry, just let the idea simmer in your head like an exploding Qassam rocket.

Now that we’ve got all of that out of the way, I’d like to tell you something that you might not like to hear. Something even more controversial than drinking coffee without any artificial sweetener.

Here it is. Everything took a turn for the

worse after Donald Trump left office.

For four years there was relative calm. For four years the region took a turn for the better, and for four years sensible thinking about Israel was becoming a reality. Everything about the region was becoming normalized. Diplomatic relations were being renewed, and with the Abraham Accords masterfully orchestrated by the Trump administration, the potential for peace was no longer an idealistic fantasy.

At the least, a new balance of power was developing, and things were more stable than they had been in a long while. There were still what seemed like insurmountable problems, for example, the desire of a large part of the Arab world to “drive the Jews into the sea.”

You don’t have to take my word for it. You can read the translations of Arab newspapers and media on the terribly accurate website Palestinian Media Watch. Or have a look at Camera or Memri. I just gave you enough homework to take you through the summer.

You know, some light poolside reading. You might have to stockpile some anti-nausea pills or give up entirely because the news is so bad.

The truth is, as much as you might not like to hear it, when Trump was in office it was good for the Jews. Too bad most Jews just don’t know what’s good for them. Also most of the Jews that might benefit from clear thinking will surely not read this. Perhaps you’ll share this with someone who needs to hear it and we can all pray that they will listen. Believe me, it’s as important as ever.

Now Mr Biden is in office, the flood of money to terrorists has begun again. The funnels of money to Iran turns around into tunnels in Gaza. The efficiency is blinding, like with one touch of a button, quicker than PayPal, US taxpayer money is magically transformed into terrorist infrastructure.

Don’t forget about the padded pockets of the corrupt Palestinian leadership.

You do know that the hero of his people, Yasser Arafat, died with two billion dollars in his bank accounts. This is public knowledge, of course. Try telling that to the day labourer from Ramallah, and don’t forget all the pension payments that go to the families of suicide bombers. Look up the Taylor Force Act that was pushed through under Trump’s watch.

Yes, Biden turned the spigot of money back on, and here we are again, back on the rodeo.

Tell me that he, and his policy makers and budget appropriators, don’t know that every American rifle and bullet sent over to Lebanon goes straight to Hezbollah. Even Robert Malley knows that every dollar sent to Iran goes into the hands of groups on the U.S. terrorist list.

To give Trump credit is too much, and the bias against him is too great. Love him or hate him, and he’s got good sides and bad sides, and he made plenty of mistakes, but in certain areas he was more than flawless. He protected the Jews, and nobody messed with them.

Which President ever had the balls to knock out a General in Iran. Qasem Soleimani was directly responsible for the deaths of countless Americans. What a brave act to order his death

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Opinion

How Anthony Hopkins lit up my family’s lives BENNETT ARRON AUTHOR & COMEDIAN

A

few years ago I made a documentary for BBC Wales called The Kosher Comedian in which I traced my family’s roots from Lithuania to Port Talbot, South Wales.

I looked into why my family was the only one to remain from a once thriving Jewish community, and also the overall reason for the decline of Jews in Wales.

(I wanted to call the show Jew Do You Think You Are? but no one let me).

While researching the programme, and visiting the vandalised Jewish cemetery with my father, I was reminded of a wonderful story.

My grandparents were Orthodox Jews and as such were not able to light their fire on the Sabbath. They therefore had someone to come and light it for them. The person who did this, along with his father, Richard, the local baker, was the young Anthony Hopkins.

Watching him do this on a weekly basis was my own father, who was around the same

age. This simple, helpful action formed a childhood friendship between the two.

Because of this friendship – although, to be truthful, I would probably have done it anyway – I have followed Sir Anthony’s career from as far back as I can remember.

Seeing him in films such as A Bridge Too Far, Magic and The Elephant Man, was the reason I went into the acting profession instead of studying psychology. Well that and the fact I didn’t get the grades I needed.

I recently watched Sir Anthony’s latest film, The Father. It was one of the most incredible performances I have seen. I managed to obtain an email address for Sir Anthony and wrote to him. I introduced myself and told him how incredibly moved I had been by the film and how I had related so much to it because my own father, his old childhood friend, now suffers with dementia.

Sir Anthony replied immediately. He told me how sorry he was to hear about my dad and that he vividly remembered lighting the fire with his father and how he and my father would sit there quietly while the adults chatted.

❝

SIR ANTHONY AND I HAVE EXCHANGED WONDERFUL MEMORIES OF LIFE IN PORT TALBOT

Since this first email contact, Sir Anthony and I have exchanged wonderful memories and photos of Port Talbot. He signs his emails ‘Tony’, although oddly I feel somehow disrespectful calling him that!

I shared all this with my father and passed on Sir Anthony’s good wishes to him. My father was, of course, delighted and told me other stories of them growing up together. However, as has become the norm, the next time I spoke with him he had forgotten everything.

As too many people unfortunately know, dementia is such a devastating disease. It not only impacts the life of the sufferer, but also the lives of those around them.

My mother sadly passed away a few

weeks ago. My brother and I weren’t sure whether or not our father should attend the funeral, but we were advised that he should.

He coped very well and even took some of the service himself. That evening, he had forgotten everything.

Now, whenever I speak with him, he asks where mum is. We thought about pretending she was still alive and that he just couldn’t see her at the moment. So again sought advice, and again we were told it is best to tell the truth as otherwise, when he does have those moments of clarity, it could confuse him even more. This means he constantly suffers the loss of his wife as though for the first time. It is heartbreaking.

If you have the opportunity to see The Father I recommend you take it. It’s not an easy watch at times, but it is an incredible portrayal of the disease that cleverly, and upsettingly, shows the effects from the point of view of the victim as well as those close to them.

And from my own point of view, having the title role played by someone who knew my own father, made it an experience I hope to remember for a very long time.

Close vote shows worry over Board’s direction JONATHAN NEUMANN

FORMER CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT, BOARD OF DEPUTIES

W

hen the result of the Board of Deputies’ presidential election was announced earlier this month, showing I had lost to the incumbent by only 56 percent to 44 percent, with more votes than any unsuccessful presidential candidate in the Board’s history, many deputies and communal leaders were stunned by the narrow margin. I was not.

Partly this was because of the dedication of a strong team of canvassers backing my campaign, so much so that we were able to predict our votes to the exact number on the eve of the announcement.

It was also partly due to the attraction of the uniquely positive, issues-based agenda that we were promoting, which stood out in an election otherwise marked by too many ad hominem attacks and misrepresentations in the Jewish media and during hustings, notwithstanding my persistent efforts to steer the conversation back to policy and

the challenges facing the Board and facing our community.

But, above all, it was because I know how deep goes the dissatisfaction with the direction and operations of the Board, and parts of our communal leadership more generally.

On antisemitism, real leadership has fallen to capable grassroots groups, for example Campaign Against Antisemitism, which brought the complaint against the Labour Party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and Jewish Human Rights Watch (JHRW), which has fought for years against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement at local councils.

Indeed, the day the Board’s election results were revealed, the government announced in the Queen’s Speech its plan to legislate a ban on BDS at local councils, thanks to the work of JHRW, which I helped

❝

to found and in which I have previously been privileged to play a role.

On Israel, the community has long chafed at its leadership’s quietism, despite the obvious double standards applied to the Jewish state by the international community and the direct impact of media and political bias against Israel on our safety as Jews here in the UK. Ordinary Jews do not take kindly to lukewarm defences of Israel when it is under attack, but again it falls to stellar grassroots advocacy and legal coalitions, including the Friends of Israel groups, to lead Israel’s defence in this country and online, which is why they have such large popular followings.

The Board of Deputies in particular also expends far too much energy imprudently criticising the government – including

HOW CAN THE PERSISTENCE AND IMBALANCE OF CRITICISM POSSIBLY REFLECT WHAT THE COMMUNITY FEELS, GIVEN HOW IT VOTES?

on issues almost entirely unrelated to the Jewish community – despite the overwhelming electoral mandate bestowed on it

by Jewish voters in several successive general and local elections.

Of course, there will be times when we disagree with government policy and must make that known, but how can the persistence and imbalance of criticism possibly reflect what the community feels given how it votes time and again? Clearly, its leadership is out of touch.

Finally, and most importantly, there is the question of the future of Anglo-Jewry.

With the end of lockdown hopefully in sight, a related and increasing need for mental health services, a post-pandemic economy to navigate, difficulties (and opportunities) for all our synagogues ahead, two academic years of disrupted education and cancelled Israel tours, an ageing population with pressing care needs, a rapidly growing Charedi sector and a dozen other challenges, we need to restore long-term strategic thinking at the top of our community, from which it has been absent for too long.

So no, I wasn’t stunned at all by the result of the election. Those who were should heed the message.

27 May 2021 Jewish News

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Community / Scene & Be Seen

1 GLOBAL GREETINGS

Thousands of Jewish students across the world, ­including in Israel, took part in a digital postcard exchange and quiz as part of ORT Day 2021. Students swapped postcards revealing what life is like in other countries and schools were paired to help pupils make friends across the world, while a quiz tested students’ knowledge about ORT. The winner was Tomas Podolsky from ORT Argentina.

And be seen!

2 MONTH OF THANKS

The latest news, pictures and (virtual) social events from across the community

Year 8 pupils at Yavneh Girls’ High School in Manchester made NHS gratitude packs to show their appreciation to hospital staff as part of a four-week course on gratitude and appreciation. The packs will be distributed at the Royal ­Manchester Children’s Hospital.

The course, run by GIFT Manchester staff Sophie Woolfstein and Aliza Noe, will be expanded to other year groups at the school to create more packs.

Email us at community@jewishnews.co.uk

3 GAN OPENERS

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis unveiled the newly rebranded Woodside Gan nursery in North Finchley on Friday. The nursery, which was formerly known as Woodside Park Synagogue’s Yavneh Nursery, changed its name based on research from its p ­ arent body and to avoid confusion between the ­synagogue nursery and the secondary school of the same name in Borehamwood. Headteacher Natalie Mayer said she was “thrilled” to reveal the revamped nursery.

4WEDDING TZEDAKAH

Newly-married couple David Mindel and Samuel Burke tied the knot on Lag B’Omer.

The happy couple, who met at a brunch in Marylebone a ­decade ago, encouraged guests to donate to Jewish Care rather than give wedding gifts.

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5 SHAVUOT SCHOLARS Those attending Kisharon services had fun learning and preparing for Shavuot. Tuffkid Nursery set up a florist shop, where children could buy and sell flowers. Meanwhile, children at Kisharon Noé School tried their hand at using a quill and ink. People attending Kisharon Day Opportunities and the Kisharon College took part in a Zoom cheesecake baking lesson followed by an explanation of the Shavuot story by Rabbi Shmuel Neuman.

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27 May 2021 Jewish News

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Television / Weekend

Oys in the

hood!

Jewish gangsters exchange their Torah scrolls for Tommy guns in sumptuous new drama The King of Warsaw, discovers Francine Wolfisz

L

eft as a smouldering heap of ruins after the Second World War, Warsaw was virtually razed to the ground, while the Polish capital’s once flourishing Jewish population suffered a blow from which it would never recover.

Indeed, of the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust, half were Polish.

It was a far cry from the Warsaw everyone knew before 1939; a cosmopolitan city boasting glitz, glamour and grandeur, earning it the nickname, “Paris of the North”.

Now Warsaw’s interwar vibrancy and Yiddishkeit has partly returned thanks to director Jan P Matuszynski’s sumptuous drama, The King of Warsaw, which premieres at Kinoteka film festival next week and airs on More4 later this year.

But rather than looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses, the eightpart series also presents the poverty, violent crime and brutal politics of Warsaw’s underbelly, where fascists, nationalists and Jews all vie for control.

Based on Szczepan Twardoch’s bestselling 2016 novel, Król, the plot revolves around the Warsaw of 1937, where the Jewish mafia rules the city under the leadership of Buddy Kaplica, a Polish gangster-socialist with connections in high places.

His right-hand man is heavyweight Jewish boxer Jakub Szapiro, played

by Polish actor Michal Zurawski.

On the surface, he is a loving husband and doting father, but that belies his insatiable appetite for murder, sex and violence, as well as his ambitions to usurp Buddy and become the king of Warsaw.

While essentially a work of fiction – and an almost inconceivable mix of The Godfather with the Orthodox Jewish world of Yentl – lead actor Zurawski is keen to mention the “historical background is authentic”.

For example, Szapiro is based on a real-life personality, Szapsel Rotholc, a Jewish lightweight boxer

Jakub Szapiro, played by Polish actor Michal Zurawski

Teenager Mojzesz is taken under the wing of gangster Szapiro

who became a policeman in the ghetto during the war – although he never dabbled in gangsterism. Szapiro’s back story is however typical, says Zurawski, of Polish Jews who “aspired to climb the social ladder”.

Speaking over Zoom, the 41-yearold actor, who was born in Silesia before later moving to Warsaw, explains: “I tried to imagine myself in his shoes. He was born to an Orthodox Chassid family, in a very impoverished part of Warsaw. His whole life he wanted to be treated as an equal, to climb the social ladder.

“For Jewish people to do that at the time he was born – when Poland was a part of Russia – they had to speak three languages: Yiddish at home, Polish for the people in the street and Russian to speak to the authorities.

Szapiro is based on Szapsel Rotholc

“I was trying to understand his brutal ways of doing things and I felt that men like him had no choice, that was the only way out for them to break through.”

But Szapiro is a complex character.

Despite his desire to break forth from his Orthodox roots, he refuses to forget his Jewish identity altogether.

“He still has a Jewish soul and struggles to find that place where he feels comfortable with his heritage,” explains Zurawski.

Equally confounding is Szapiro’s ability to violently murder an Orthodox Jewish man for failing to pay protection money, only to then take his victim’s 17-year-old son Mojzesz under his wing and “train him in the gangster trade” as his successor.

It’s these dichotomies that made Szapiro all the more appealing as a role to Zurawski, alongside the actor’s own Jewish heritage.

“I was a teenager when my grandfather told me about our Jewish roots, so I felt very connected to this role,” he recalls.

“My grandfather’s story is a complicated one. He came from a Jewish family, but was brought up Catholic. As a teenager, he joined the home army, even though Jewish people were not welcomed. After the

war, he went into hiding because the communists persecuted the soldiers.

“He only came out of hiding after Stalin’s death, but he still had to hide his Jewish identity. My grandfather only talked about it when he was an old man and I’m determined to find out more about my background.”

Zurawski is now in the process of trying to discover the surname of his great-grandmother, who moved to Poland from the Crimea region and married in a Catholic church.

“I’m hoping I can devote more time to research it,” he adds, before revealing he has just become an ambassador for the Jewish community of Warsaw.

“The situation is changing here, because there is a growing sense of nostalgia for the city’s Jewish heritage. Before the war, one third of the population was Jewish. That was finished first by the Germans, who very efficiently carried through their plans, and then the communists after the war. But when I speak to young people today, I definitely feel they want to learn more. They want to rediscover this part of our history.”

A look

Inside Competition: Win tickets to a West End show!

Spellbinding: Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker reunite for Hocus Pocus 2

 The King of Warsaw premieres at the Kinoteka Polish Film Festival on 3 June, https://kinoteka.org.uk and arrives on More 4 from 13 August

Kosher welcome!

TV star Stacey Dooley stays with an Orthodox Jewish family

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Vaccinated staff help protect our homes against Covid-19 L

ooking for a care home which is safe as possible in the current pandemic? Then you could do no better than to join us as a resident in one of the homes in the Springdene Group, one of the premier care organisations in north London.

We’re delighted to announce that our staff are undergoing a programme of vaccination against Covid-19. In addition, they are subjected to daily testing to avoid infections being brought into the homes.

This, combined with exemplary and scrupulous hygiene controls, make a Springdene home as Covid-secure as it is possible to be. Not only do we have a rigorous regime of cleaning and disinfecting, but we use special ozone-generating machines, which are highly effective in sanitising the air.

Naturally, there are generous supplies of personal protective equipment, which is worn at all times. You can rely on the fact that at Springdene we are managing against the risk of the virus in the most effective way.

New residents can be sure of a warm reception. Our homes have been established for more than 50 years, run continuously by the same family. All our homes – Spring Grove in Hampstead, Spring Lane in Muswell Hill and Springview in Enfield – are rated as good by the Care Quality Commission. Residents enjoy hotel-style luxury, with their own spacious room, complete with full en-suite facilities, personal telephone and wi-fi.

50 YEARS OF CARE

There are three delicious meals a day, and a varied choice of menus.

And there are lots of regular activities, including quizzes, short stories, art competitions and poetry readings, live-streamed concerts and filmshowings on a big screen, as well as walks in delightful gardens.

‘We’ve a great team, offering terrific care and everyone is brilliantly looked after,’ says CEO Jeremy Balcombe. As our motto says: ‘Life is for living!’

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Spring Grove

Springview

214 Finchley Road, London NW3 6DH

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The ultimate in comfort, Spring Grove was purpose built in 1992 to luxury hotel standards. With 40 single and three double rooms, it is situated on the Finchley Road near to Swiss Cottage and is close to local shops, cultural facilities and a tube station. It has large terraces and attractive, well-planted gardens.

To arrange a visit, or for more information, just call

0208 815 2000

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Standing in tranquil surroundings, Springview is a purpose built home, situated near to Enfield Town with its local shops and public transport. It is adjacent to green belt countryside with views overlooking Enfield golf course and beyond.

With 59 rooms the home has recently undergone a major refurbishment and residents enjoy superb facilities.

Springdene CARE HOMES

16/03/2021 17:08

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27 May 2021 Jewish News

29

Entertainment / Weekend

EXHIBITION

FILM

A Wanderer

Hocus Pocus 2

During lockdown, artist Rafael Klein found himself wanting to discover more about what happened to the family his grandmother left behind in Poland or the relatives his father once had in Austria.

As he reflects: “In my family, nobody ever talked about the old country. My grandmother left Poland at the turn of the 20th century.

She never spoke about what happened to the family she left behind. I knew my father’s family came from Austria. But when I asked him, he said: ‘I don’t know what city’ – they didn’t talk about that.”

He set himself the task of learning what it was like when Jews hid in forests, in attics, in holes in the ground – and the result was

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are returning as the delightfully wicked Sanderson Sisters nearly 30 years after appearing in Disney’s 1993 original cult classic, Hocus Pocus.

Singer and First Wives Club actress Midler (pictured right) reprises her role as Winifred alongside Sex and the City star Parker (pictured top right) as Sarah and Sister Act’s Najimy as Mary in Hocus Pocus 2.

Three young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern-day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.

A Wanderer, a hand-printed, limited edition artists’ book.

Now, Klein presents this tactile work together with large-scale interactive panels that open to reveal Jews in hiding at a new exhibition hosted by Chabad Islington Jewish Art Gallery in Upper Street.

Works by London-based Jewish artists David Hochhauser and Beverley-Jane Stewart are also on display.

For more details, visit jewishislington.co.uk

Anne Fletcher (The Proposal, 27 Dresses) will take over the directing reins from Adam Shankman, who serves as executive producer.

Fletcher says: “Now more than ever, people need to laugh. We should be laughing every day, and there is so much fun to be had with these three unbelievable women playing delicious characters from such a beloved film.”

Hocus Pocus 2 will premiere exclusively on Disney+ in 2022.

COMPETITION

BOOKS

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit A special 50th anniversary edition of Judith Kerr’s classic children’s book, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, featuring the original line drawings will be released this autumn, publisher HarperCollins has announced.

Tacy Kneale, daughter of the late author and illustrator (pictured), will also record a new audiobook of this much-loved story.

Based on Kerr’s early life and her family’s escape from Nazi Germany when she was only nine years old, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is told from Anna’s perspective, who is too busy with schoolwork and tobogganing to listen to the talk of Hitler.

But one day, she and her brother are rushed out of Germany in alarming secrecy, away from everything they know, to embark on an extraordinary journey to a new life.

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit has sold more than three million copies worldwide and features on education curriculums across the globe. It was described by author Michael Morpurgo as “the most life-enhancing book you could ever wish to read”.

Kerr – who died in 2019 aged 95 – was inspired to write it after taking her children to see The Sound of Music. She said: “After the film, they said: ‘Now we know what it was like for Mummy when she was a little girl’, and I thought, No, it wasn’t like that at all.

“As well as giving me a chance to tell my children about my experience, the book was also a way for me to remember my parents, and for them to be remembered.”

IN THE PIPELINE

Lansky Harvey Keitel is set to portray American-Jewish gangster Meyer Lansky in a biographical drama about his life from writer and director Eytan Rockaway.

Lansky, which is due for release in the US next month, explores the life of the well-known organised crime figure (pictured above), who was known as the “Mob’s Accountant” and was a contemporary of Bugsy Siegel and Charles “Lucky” Luciano.

The narrative is based in part by interviews conducted with Lansky by the director’s father, Robert Rockaway, a history professor at Tel Aviv University and specialist researcher in American crime figures.

At the film’s opening, an ageing Lansky (Keitel) has been living quietly in Miami Beach after being pursued by the FBI for decades. When he enlists a young journalist named David Stone (Sam Worthington) to tell his story, the Feds use him as a pawn to track down the missing hundreds of millions of dollars the mobster has been suspected of stashing.

The cast also features Emory Cohen, Austin Stowell, Alexandra Daddario and Tony Danza.

Win West End tickets with Nimax Theatres!

Jewish News and Nimax Theatres have teamed up to offer three lucky readers a pair of tickets to their choice of one of three shows.

Nimax Theatres are back… once again!

All six of their West End theatres are open this summer with a very exciting programme that has something to suit everyone and with Covid-19 secure procedures in place.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie brings some glitter to the grey at the Apollo Theatre, the Tudor queens are back at the Lyric Theatre in Six and Mischief Theatre return with the hilarious The Play That Goes Wrong.

Other shows include Constellations, Death Drop, West End Musical Celebration, Billionaire Boy, What the Ladybird Heard, Wonderment Magic & Illusion and Jimmy Carr: Terribly Funny.

ENTER ONLINE:

jewishnews.co.uk Closing date 10 June 2021

The Rising Stars Festival is also now live, with 24 young theatre producers being given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to present their work in the West End for the first time. Their 18 productions – plays, musicals, concerts and one-off events – have attracted wonderful performers from emerging talent to popular West End stars.

Experience the magic of live theatre once again. To book, and for Covid-19 secure information, visit NimaxTheatres.com To be in with a chance of winning, answer the following question: Which Lyric Theatre show explores the many wives of Henry VIII? A. Nine B. Twelve C. Six

COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Three winners will each win a pair of Band A tickets to their choice of Billionaire Boy, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Wonderment Magic and Illusion, subject to availability at time of booking. Valid for all performances excluding Saturdays until 15 August 2021. No cash alternative. Travel and accommodation not included. Prize is as stated, not transferable, not refundable and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or exchanged in whole or in part for cash. By supplying your email address, you agree to receive marketing information from the JN Media Group or any of its affiliates and carefully selected third parties. The promotion excludes employees of Jewish News and the promoter, their immediate families, their agents or anyone professionally connected to the relevant promotion. Proof of eligibility must be provided on request. For full Ts and Cs, see www.jewishnews.co.uk. Closing date: 10 June 2021.

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Weekend / Television

‘Our guests don’t normally bring a film crew!’

Rabbi Mordechai Wollenberg introduces TV presenter Stacey Dooley to Orthodox Jewish life for her new reality series, writes Micaela Blitz

F

or a man who doesn’t own a television, Rabbi Mordechai Wollenberg has suddenly become a star both in front and behind the camera.

Next Monday, he and his family feature in the latest episode of Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, while earlier this year he was a religious consultant for the BBC One faith series Being…

The programme is now in its second series and award-winning documentary maker Dooley spends a weekend with a wide range of modern British families, gaining a unique insight into what goes on behind closed doors.

She has spent time with a ‘tradwife’, who has put her own career goals to one side to take on a more submissive, traditional role within her marriage, an eco-warrior family living on a remote Hebridean island and the UK’s homegrown version of the Tiger King, based in Nottinghamshire.

For her latest episode, Dooley discovers more about Rabbi Wollenberg, his wife Blima, and their nine children who are aged between one and 16, at their Essex home, which is next door to Woodford Forest Synagogue.

The rabbinic couple are no strangers to welcoming people into their purpose-built six-bed house and didn’t act any differently – even when the guest this time was a celebrity.

“I think we showed her the same level of hospitality during her stay as we would any other guest who comes to our home. Obviously in this case, the main difference was that she stayed with us for 72 hours and brought a film crew!”

Dooley experienced first-hand what everyday life looks like for a modern Orthodox family of 11 and the Wollenbergs were

extremely open to discussing any questions she had about Judaism, including their sleeping arrangements.

For the flame-haired presenter, having that kind of access felt “quite privileged”.

She said: “I don’t think it’s typical for an Orthodox Jewish family to allow cameras into their home.

That felt like a real treat in itself, but I just love how relatable, how warm and how

Stacey Dooley, right and top, learns about Judaism from Rabbi and Blima Wollenberg’s family

honest the family were about who they are and about how important religion is to them.”

Throughout his rabbinical career, Wollenberg has worked in communities with differing degrees of religious observance, and this has given him valuable experience of knowing how to connect with people on different levels.

He hopes the programme shows a different side to the life of an Orthodox rabbi, other than the ones portrayed by Netflix hits Shtisel and Unorthodox.

“It’s often easy for people to make judgements based on our outward appearance. I don’t live in a religious bubble where everyone I know looks the same and thinks the same as me.

I hope once people watch this programme, they will be able to see who we are as human beings and what is important to us and why.”

The family thought long and hard about taking part in the series before committing, but ultimately felt it would be a useful way to educate people about their lives.

“Judaism is about asking questions and I think it is better that those seeking answers find out from reliable, proper sources instead of seeking knowledge elsewhere that may give misinformation or cause even more confusion and misunderstanding.”

The intimate access Dooley was given also meant she could take her time to bond with the family and

ask all kinds of questions – even the more awkward ones.

She said: “I have to ask the questions, but I also have to sit down and have dinner with them an hour later. And I have to ask them how to use their shower. So, there’s no denying that it sometimes feels very awkward.

But that’s my job. You can ask questions without being unnecessarily confrontational.

We’re so used to TV interviewers going: ‘Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang’, but you can ask questions calmly.”

During the episode, which was filmed over lockdown, Dooley witnessed an incident during her stay in which youths shouted antisemitic abuse at Wollenberg as he returned home.

Seeing this first-hand is something Dooley found upsetting and led her to conclude there is “still so much to do” when it comes to acceptance of others.

For the Wollenbergs, taking part in the series and opening up their world to the presenter over three days suddenly become all the more worthwhile – and gave them an opportunity to “dispel the mystery that often surrounds religion and religious people”.

Wollenberg added: “Stacey was a lovely guest and a real pleasure to work with.

“We hope we were able to show the human face of Judaism and Jewish life and to present it in a down-to-earth way, which will help to dispel some misconceptions.

“When people understand the reasoning behind why we do certain things it makes it clearer as to why we do it. Whether they believe the same or not, it at least it gives a foundation to what we do!”  Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over airs on Monday, 10pm on W

27 May 2021 Jewish News

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Care:

the process of caring for somebody / something and providing what they need for health or protection This dictionary definition took on new meaning for us all during the pandemic. There were people who required more care than ever in hospitals and others who longed for care living alone. For some, charity really did begin at home – but thankfully didn’t end there as there was much effort to help by individuals and organisations in our community. Tzedakah was never needed more – and over these pages are the charities who made a difference and will continue to do so in the future.

Heroes emerged during Covid and Louisa Walters was one of them.

Here she meets several others who were recognised for their help

I

“

t has been so rewarding to know that I’m making a difference to someone’s day.”

This how Jamie Shone describes his volunteering during the pandemic.

Jamie, from Clayhall, and Daniel Sacks, from Barkingside, both 18, were each presented with a Jack Petchey Foundation Award for helping to distribute Jewish Care’s Meals on Wheels to older members of the community during the first lockdown.

“In the middle of March 2020, I was told my A-levels were to be cancelled and my school was to close. I was clearly going to have a lot of time on my hands!” says Jamie. “I saw Jewish Care’s urgent call for volunteers and I wanted to do something to help the community during this tough time.”

Jamie got stuck in, helping to produce and deliver food for Meals on Wheels and also helped out on reception at Jewish Care. “I was shocked and proud to have been recognised for this,” he says. “Delivering the meals was an incredible experience, especially seeing how happy the clients were to see their food arrive with a smile.”

Daniel has been volunteering with young people since he was 11, so helping Jewish Care during lockdown seemed like a natural thing to do. “I was checking what people had ordered, packing it up and getting it ready for deliveries,” he says. “I was really pleased to open an email from the Jack Petchey Foundation to let me know I’d received an award for my efforts.”

“It’s been fantastic to see the dedication of the young volunteers,” says Melodie Driscoll,

Jewish Care’s Meals on Wheels coordinator.

“Food for older, isolated people who don’t have a support network was critical during lockdown, especially as they couldn’t attend day centres where they often got a hot meal. We recruited an additional 600 volunteers so we could get meals to them.”

Like Jamie, I was shocked when I opened my front door a few weeks ago to find an innocuouslooking cardboard tube. Knowing I hadn’t ordered any artwork, I was truly mystified as I opened it. Inside was a Covid-19 Community Hero Certificate of Recognition from the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Caroline Stock. During the first lockdown, I garnered the might of my Facebook group, The Restaurant Club, to raise £70,000 to feed NHS staff with restaurant takeaways.

Louisa’s Certificate of Recognition

Above: Jewish Care’s Rachel Esterman presents Daniel Sacks with his Jack Petchey award. Right: Volunteer Jamie Shone with Anita Frankle

This had the double benefit of financially supporting independent restaurants while they were closed and feeding hospital workers who were doing extra-long shifts and struggling to get food, because cafes around the hospitals were closed and supermarket shelves were often empty by the time they were able to go there.

In the past, like many other people, I have given to charity, taken part in campaigns and supported others in their efforts. But this is the first time I have run a campaign myself. It was a full-time volunteer job (that somehow I ran alongside my part-time paid job!). When you give your time to a cause, you don’t do it for the glory or the recognition – you do it because you passionately, genuinely, desperately want to do something to help. I was humbled, proud and very excited to receive my award.

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Think about Charity

Barbara Wallis, above, and her award

In the heady days before March 2020, Barbara Wallis ran lunch and tea clubs at a Jewish Blind & Disabled (JBD) home, so residents could socialise with their neighbours.

The pandemic put paid to that and everyone was confined to quarters.

“My mum used to live in a JBD home and I always knew I wanted to give something back.

I wasn’t going to stop just because of lockdown,” explains Barbara. She started to do shopping for the residents and made befriending calls as many were so very lonely.

“I come from a charity-oriented background – my parents were involved with Barnardo’s – and volunteering was always something I wanted to do when I retired. I went from managing a

£3

cosmetic brand and a team of 100 staff to doing something more menial but so rewarding.”

Barbara was thrilled to learn she had been nominated as JBD Volunteer of the Year at the JVN (Jewish Volunteering Network) awards and excited to win at an online ceremony ‘attended’ by 1,000 people, hosted by Natasha Kaplinsky with a speech by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“I was so moved that I cried,” says Barbara.

You Donate, We Deliver (YDWD) was a charity initiative that took the north London community by storm, delivering thousands of meals to hospitals in and around London during the first lockdown, and to paramedics during the second one.

Sarah Lester, Katie Icklow and Katie’s mother, Jackie Commissar, had friends working in the NHS and heard first-hand how bad things were getting and how the staff were on their knees. “I put a post on Facebook asking for lip balm and hand cream donations and mum got busy making chicken soup and sandwiches,” says Katie. “But pretty soon two things were clear: a) this wasn’t enough and b) there were a lot of people with time on their hands who were willing to help.”

Katie set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to buy supplies from Costco and David Benveniste offered to do deliveries. Word spread fast, and in no time Katie had a series of

pop-up tents on her driveway and a team working in all weathers. “Chefs, caterers and home cooks came forward and we had 12 hubs all over north London taking in donations. It was a huge logistical operation – at its peak, we had 75 drivers delivering to 22 hospitals daily.”

The team was nominated for the prime minister’s Points of Light award, which recognises outstanding UK volunteers. This was presented on Zoom by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden and Katie has it in pride of place on her mantelpiece. YDWD also won a Heroes of Hertfordshire badge, presented by the Lord-Lieutenant of

Hertfordshire, Robert Voss, and the High Sheriff, Henry Holland-Hibbert.

“We were incredibly proud to receive our awards,” she says. “At the time, it really didn’t feel like we were doing so much, as it grew organically – now I look back I see that YDWD was really quite amazing. As well as what we did for the NHS, we gave all those working with us a sense of purpose and something to focus on during a bleak time.”

To find out more about volunteering at Jewish Care, email volunteer@jcare.org or call 020 8922 2405

The YDWD team: Jackie Commissar, Katie Icklow, David Benveniste and Sarah Lester

Support people on their mental health journey

£9

Working from home during the pandemic hasn’t always been easy, but research suggests that many of us have managed to save money – on fuel and travel costs, coffee or takeaway lunches at work, as well as on meals out.

As we begin to make the transition back to office and social life, we’re asking for your help. Demand for our services is greater than ever, by donating your commute you can help us to continue delivering them.

Go to jamiuk.org/donate-your-commute

£25 For more information about our services visit jamiuk.org Telephone 020 8458 2223 | Email info@jamiuk.org

£50 Registered charity no. 1003345

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27 May 2021 Jewish News

33

INDEPENDENCE. DIGNITY. CHOICE.

“My diagnosis of MS was like a hammer blow but I am happier now living here than I’ve ever been.

Especially in current times, there is nowhere else I would want to be.”

Neil, Jewish Blind & Disabled tenant

ENABLED If you or anyone you know could benefit from living in a JBD apartment or to support us, visit www.jbd.org or call 020 8371 6611 Registered Charity No. 259480

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Thinking about Charity

Helping our community to live in dignity The AJR wants to hear how to support survivors and refugees

I

n June, Evelyn Lipmann turns 97. Born in Vienna, Evelyn (A-25466) is a survivor of the Leopoldstadt Ghetto, Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, Belsen, and the munitions factory at Salzwedel. She owes her life, she says, to luck and youth. Luck and ingenuity also allowed her to stay with her mother, Lily (A-25465), during their camp odyssey, after Lily lied about her age on arrival at Auschwitz.

Evelyn’s story is not unique. She received no post-war counselling, and her method of coping was to lock away everything.

Her children were unaware of their family’s past until their teens. When her son, Anthony, was young, he asked his mother about the number on her arm. Her reply was, ‘It’s just my number’, and he assumed that all mothers came marked in this way.

Evelyn is now one of the few people alive to have experienced the horrors of the Holocaust. She remembers seeing Hitler during the Anschluss. The enthusiastic cheering of the crowd that turned out to welcome their Führer is still vivid in her memory.

A courageous tutor, whom Evelyn

recalls as an elderly maiden aristocrat who dismissed the Nuremberg laws as nonsense, visited the family in the 1930s to teach Evelyn English with the aid of A.A. Milne’s stories for children. Thanks to her, Evelyn found work after liberation. Utilising her knowledge of English, she worked for the ‘Property Control Sub Section’ of the US Army. Her income enabled her to support herself and her mother in post-war Vienna.

But that would be the only employment Evelyn ever had. She met her husband, a refugee from Vienna, shortly after arriving in the UK in 1947. He was of a generation of men who regarded themselves as providers.

Evelyn had to find other means to obtain self-esteem, including obtaining a BA in humanities from the Open University.

After her husband died, Evelyn came to terms with the fact she hadn’t had an income since leaving Vienna. At her great age, the ability to advocate for support was limited, so it came as a significant morale boost to her that, thanks to The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), she now receives

financial support allowing her to get the help she needs to live in her own home. The support received from the Homecare Scheme has given Evelyn back her independence.

Michael Newman, CEO of the AJR, said: “We are in the fortunate position to help defray the costs of Homecare for Holocaust survivors and refugees with funds negotiated by the Claims Conference from the German government.

“This exclusive funding comes at a critical time and enables this community of people to live in dignity, security and comfort in their own homes. We urgently want to hear from survivors and refugees, and their families, how we can help from this generous fund.”

The AJR, founded in 1941, is the national charity delivering social, welfare and volunteer services to Jewish victims of Nazi oppression living in Great Britain.

Contact the AJR on enquiries@ajr.org.uk

Above: Evelyn post-war and, left, her identity papers

Evelyn pictured with her great-grandson

If you or a family member think you could be eligible for a Homecare grant, please contact the AJR on enquiries@ ajr.org.uk or 020 8385 3070

How Chana was productive, during a year of paused fertility treatments...

As we tentatively ease out of lockdown into a new normal, we reflect on the past year at Chana. The pandemic has had a direct impact on our services and the fertility sector as a whole. With the NHS focused on Covid -19; fertility treatments came to a standstill in March 2020 even now, over a year later, the backlog shows little sign of easing.

Private clinics too closed their doors - and today are over capacity and pricier than ever.

This has led to an unprecedented growth in need and demand for Chana’s services. New clients reached out in their droves and the couples we were already supporting stayed with us far longer as their progress in the fertility journey came to an abrupt halt. The emotional support required was unparalleled as they faced a harsh double dose of isolation, the isolation of Covid coupled with the isolation which accompanies fertility challenges.

As many parents struggled with the challenges of homeschooling, our clients were struggling to become parents.

We are grateful to our wonderful team of 14 psychotherapists, who have ensured the continuity of vital therapeutic support; rising to the challenge

to provide therapy via zoom, whilst struggling through a global pandemic themselves.

As one of our senior psychotherapists remarked I have so much respect for our clients who have zoomed in for their therapeutic sessions week on week not knowing when clinics would reopen or if treatments would go ahead. Their strength and resilience has been truly humbling.

Chana currently works with 144 clients a week, with 25 new referrals each month. Each new client has an introductory meeting with a Senior member of the therapeutic team, led by Dr Romy Shulman, during which Chana can detail the correct package of care each client receives; ensuring they are supported by the right therapist, combined with the bespoke elements of Chana’s services they require; whether that be emotional, practical, medical, halachic or financial.

For our clients, often the sheer navigation of the huge amount of choice in the fertility world is overwhelming and it is difficult to know where to start.

‫בם״ד‬

WE ARE

A marked change during the pandemic has been the way people have accessed Chana’s services. Helpline calls have come in via the free confidential helpline, but noticeably other streams of referrals have made their way to us. Via professional links in the community, via the medical sector, communal organisations, Rabbis and Rebbetzins, personal recommendations and people reaching out via the website and social media, a growing way to spread awareness of Chana’s services.

OPEN

Sometimes we see clients who have ‘put off’ accessing medical far longer than they should, and that has been particularly pertinent this year.

Please do not delay contacting Chana if you have a reproductive health issue you are concerned about.

In the midst of the darkness, there have been moments of huge reward. We are currently celebrating the birth of Chana’s 809th baby; and during a year of terrible suffering, it is wonderful to have this joyous news to share.

ChanaUK @ChanaCharity chana_uk

www.chana.org.uk Office 020 8203 8455 Helpline 020 8201 5774

27 May 2021 Jewish News

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35

Thinking about Charity

JNF UK: Always Building Israel’s Future JNF UK IS HISTORY

JNF UK IS VISION

JNF UK is the oldest Israel-supporting charity in the UK, having spent over a century building the miracle that is the modern state of Israel. Our history is part and parcel of the history of the British Jewish community, a history that we can all be proud of. Since our first supporters started collecting donations in our iconic Blue Boxes 120 years ago, we have been synonymous with investing in the land, people and state of Israel. Our passion and experience has only grown since we began, as we continue to write the next chapter of the story of our Jewish homeland.

Today the mission of JNF UK is no less urgent then when our first supporters began rebuilding a Jewish state in our ancient homeland. Since 1948, the state of Israel has made incredible progress, but there is still much work to be done.

Poverty remains a real challenge, especially for immigrants and their children. And nearly all the population lives in the overcrowded centre of the country, restricting the ability to successfully absorb new citizens.

By investing in education, welfare, employment, culture and more, we are transforming underdeveloped areas like the Negev into the future heart of Israel. As an independent charity, every pound donated to JNF UK goes directly towards making that vision a reality.

JNF UK IS URGENCY Our experience and connections allow us to quickly pivot our resources when the people of Israel are in urgent need of support. With a dedicated team on the ground in Israel, we are able to assess new situations and emergencies as they arise, and decide how to respond for maximum impact.

JNF UK IS COMMUNITY There has never been a more pressing need to make sure the next generation understands and supports Israel. That’s why JNF UK’s groundbreaking Israel education grant scheme has allocated £1.2 million over four years to benefit over 10,000 students in more than 15 Jewish schools across the UK. The money is being used by the schools to boost their Israel education programmes, enabling pupils to develop a stronger connection to the Jewish homeland.

During the pandemic, for example, we assisted thousands of vulnerable families who were struggling financially.

With the help of the community, we raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for those who needed it most.

Find out more about JNF UK and the work we do by visiting www.jnf.co.uk

JNF UK IS SOLIDARITY JNF UK is proud to stand with Israel in good times and in bad – including during the latest round of violence. Over the past year, we started training hundreds of young leaders to be ready to help during the next crisis. As soon as the first sirens sounded, they travelled across the country, giving vital support wherever it was required. From looking after the children of essential workers to clearing out disused shelters, they made a huge difference to those living under the constant threat of rocket attacks.

Registered Charity Number 225910 JN - Charity Supp FINAL.indd 1

25/05/2021 12:47:52

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Chai’s Big

Thinking about charity

Chai’s Big

C C

The energy was electric at Chai last month as we physically opened the doors to our flagship centre in NW London for the first time in over a year. With the easing of The energy was electric at Chai last month lockdown restrictions, we were delighted as we physically opened the doors to our toflbe able to restart providing face-to-face agship centre in NW London for the first complementary therapies. time in over a year.

With the easing of lockdown restrictions, we were delighted

Valerie Nead, of the first Chai clients to to be able to one restart providing face-to-face come into the building, said: “It was so lovely complementary therapies. to come back, it’s like my home. Chai has brought through of times.

It’sto Valerie me Nead, one ofmy theworst first Chai clients wonderful bebuilding, back!” said: “It was so lovely come intoto the to come back, it’s like my home. Chai has

brought through myhave worst of times.

It’s The past fime fteen months been particularly wonderful for to be back!” challenging both our clients and Chai as an organisation. Chai’s services therefore The become past fifteen months beenwho particularly have a lifeline forhave so many challenging for both our clients and Chai depend on us. Each cancer diagnosis creates as an organisation.

Chai’s services therefore a ripple effect and in some cases, it is not have become a lifeline for so many who unusual for us to be supporting up to four depend on us. Each cancer diagnosis creates generations of one are anticipating a ripple effect andfamily. in someWe cases, it is not for this increased demand to continue the unusual for us to be supporting up to as four ramifi cations of Coronavirus will be felt for generations of one family. We are anticipating years to come. for this increased demand to continue as the ramifications of Coronavirus will be felt for

From yearsthe to start come.of lockdown, our focus was to ensure that our clients continued to receive From start of of lockdown, focus was to the highthe standard care andour support ensure that ourwhat clients continued to receive consistent with they were used to. We the high standard of caremany and support successfully transitioned of our services with what they were used to. We toconsistent be provided through telephone, Skype and

www.jewishnews.co.uk

of face-to-face Care is back! of face-to-face Care is back!

Zoom. This included the Medical Outpatient Rehabilitation and Palliative Care service, Advocacy and Financial Advice, Lymphedema Exercise, Mindfulness, Groups, Reiki, Yoga, Zoom. This included the Medical Outpatient Nutrition and Dietary Advice and a range of Rehabilitation and Palliative Care service, specialised counselling. Since March 2020, we Advocacy and Financial Advice, Lymphedema have provided 14,492 counselling sessions Exercise, Mindfulness, Groups, Reiki, Yoga,– a staggering increase of 33%.

Nutrition and Dietary Advice and a range of specialised counselling. Since March 2020, we

An unexpected positive from Covid has – a have provided 14,492 counselling sessions been the further development and additions staggering increase of 33%. to the number of groups we provide. These include BRCA, bereavement, An unexpected positive fromMen’s Covidand has been the further Women’s Supportdevelopment Groups and and our additions Music to the of groups we provide.

These and Artnumber Workshops.

As these were provided include BRCA, bereavement, and via Zoom, our clients had theMen’s opportunity Women’s Support Groups Music to access them from acrossand the our length and and Art Workshops.

As these were provided breadth of the UK.

via Zoom, our clients had the opportunity to access themactive from across the length and We have been in hosting several online breadth of the UK.

awareness events including our annual Natalie Memorial Lecture hosted We haveShipman been active in hosting several online by Professor Gordon Jayson, The Christie, awareness events including our annual Manchester whichMemorial covered the topichosted of Natalie Shipman Lecture ‘New Strategies for Improving Outcomes

by Professor Gordon Jayson, The Christie, in Ovarian Cancer’; ‘Ask the Experts: Breast Manchester which covered the topic of Cancer and Covid’ webinar that featured ‘New Strategies for aImproving Outcomes in Miss Joanna Franks, Dr Adrian Ovarian Cancer’; ‘AskUCL the and Experts: Breast Cancer and Covid’ a webinar thatQ&A featured Tookman, Marie Curie and a live Miss Joanna UCL and DrHope Adrian session led byFranks, nutritionist Jenna titled Tookman, Marie Curie and a live Q&A ‘Food for Thought’.

successfully transitioned many of our services to be provided through telephone, Skype and

session led by nutritionist Jenna Hope titled ‘Food for Thought’.

Chai ss doors are open ’ Chai doors are open ’ once again, delivering once again, delivering our our Big Big

of of Care Care

Care Careisisat atthe theheart heartof ofeverything everything we we do. do.

We in Weare aredelighted delightedthat thatthe thedoors doors to to Chai’s Chai’s flflagship agship centre centre in North NorthWest WestLondon Londonare arenow now open open and and we we are are able to resume face-to-face face-to-facecomplementary complementary therapies. therapies.

Thisisisaamuch-anticipated much-anticipatedand and welcome welcome addition addition to all the This specialisedsupport supportand andcare care that that we we are are still still providing for our specialised clientsthrough throughtelephone, telephone,Skype Skype and and Zoom.

Zoom. clients Formore moreinformation informationplease please call call 0208 0208 202 202 2211 2211 or or our our Freephone For Freephone Helpline on 0808 808 4567 or visit www.chaicancercare.org.

Helpline on 0808 808 4567 or visit www.chaicancercare.org.

Together we can cope. Together we will care.

Together we can cope. Together we will care.

Registered Charity No. 1078956

Registered Charity No. 1078956

Traditionally, a large percentage of our income is through fundraising events – large and small, celebrations and challenges. As these were either cancelled or postponed during the Traditionally, a large percentage of our income pandemic, we needed to find an alternative is through fundraising events – large and and in November, we were one of the first to small, celebrations and challenges. As these launch a matched funding campaign entitled were either cancelled or postponed during the ‘The Big Campaign’.

We were overwhelmed pandemic, we needed to find an alternative by the support of the community, raising and in November, we were one of the first to more than £3million in 36 campaign hours. However, launch a matched funding entitled we remain very aware calendar of ‘The Big Campaign’.

Wethat wereour overwhelmed events is still quite and the raising budget for by the support of thebleak community, providing our expertinservices forHowever, this financial more than £3million 36 hours. we remain very aware that our calendar of year is £3,100,000. events is still quite bleak and the budget for providing ourExecutive, expert services for thissaid: financial Chai’s Chief Lisa Steele, year “It isisso£3,100,000. heart-warming to see our clients

benefitting from the treatments that they

Chai’s Chief Executive, Lisa Steele, said: have not been able to access for such a long “It is so heart-warming to see our clients time. Over the coming months we look benefitting from the treatments that they forward to being able to reintroduce all have not been able to access for such a long 66 of Over Chai’sthe specialised services. will be time. coming months weItlook wonderful to be fully operational so that our forward to being able to reintroduce all clients can benefi t from the extensive 66 of Chai’s specialised services. It willrange be of support services that make such a diff erence wonderful to be fully operational so that our to theircan everyday lives.”the extensive range of clients benefit from support services that make such a difference For more information, to their everyday lives.” please contact our

freephone helpline on 0808 808 4567 or

For information, please contact our callmore 020 8202 2211. freephone helpline on 0808 808 4567 or call 020 8202 2211.

Sadly, due to Covid-19, the doors of our Centres are closed.

But we are still open to the community.

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27 May 2021 Jewish News

37

Thinking about charity

Charity Reg No. 802559

Transforming our services to keep the community connected As the largest health and social care charity supporting the Jewish community, Jewish Care needed toWebe incredibly are working on plans to welcome back members when it’s safe to do so. In the meantime, Jewish Care are still providing even more Meals on Wheels and befriending calls and a growing virtual programme of talks, digital support and entertainment and online activities. agile in facing the challenges of the past year, transforming Our social work and community support services are still here for those who are isolated and alone. services quickly to meet new and increasing needs You can see the full programme of online activities at jewishcare.org/community. If you or

W

hen the pandemic hit, Jewish Care redeployed staff and purchased additional technology to assist care home residents with staying connected to their relatives through phone and video calls.

Once government guidelines allowed it, Jewish Care installed visiting pods with Perspex screens in care homes to safely facilitate in-person visits with

someone you know is feeling lonely or isolated please contact our Jewish Care Direct Helpline on 020 8922 2222 or email helpline@jcare.org for more information.

use of PPE. Jewish Care residents were among the Community CentreCovid-19.

Ad JN 165x260mmThis adverts v5.indd first to receive vaccinations against was a significant moment for us all in starting to find a way out of the pandemic.

Hundreds of dedicated volunteers stepped forward to support isolated and vulnerable members of the community. They have helped to deliver more than 57,500 Meals on Wheels and make 55,5000 telephone befriending calls.

By connecting online, Jewish Care found innovative ways to keep the community and care home residents safe, supported and stimulated.

Max Bianconi, Jewish Care’s digital engagement lead, is on hand to support older people learning to connect online.

The JC Presents programme hosts events with guest speakers from a range of areas of interest.

It now has an online audience of more than 600 regular viewers. Michael Palin and Judge Rinder

are two of the recent celebrities who have joined the JC Presents series, sharing anecdotes with virtual audiences of more than 220 people.

Other groups have also continued online. The digital Pilates, yoga and chair-exercise groups keep older people moving at home. Members of Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre were able to join their peer, Freddie Knoller, in celebrating his 100th birthday and his and his wife Freda’s diamond anniversary online too.

Jewish Care’s chief executive, Daniel CarmelBrown says, “Many people in their 90s are joining Jewish Care’s digital events and Zoom calls. It’s been a welcome change for those who were lonely or isolated in the community, even before the pandemic. They will continue to be a feature of dayto-day life, not replacing in-person conversations and activities, but adding to and enhancing them.”

Thelma Katz, 81, is a regular at JC Presents events

2

NOT ALL INJURIES CAN BE SEEN. PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE MAY BE INVISIBLE BUT IT IS VERY REAL. Emunah helps and supports the most at risk and vulnerable children and families in Israel.

Emunah’s yearly budget is £177,000,000 of which only 90% is funded by the government and various departments within it. When an emergency occurs extra funding is needed on top of the 10% additional funding that is required within a regular year – this happened with COVID-19 and again now. The continued barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza have now stopped but this is the time when more requests and referrals are made. Once it becomes silent again people’s inner anguish finds its way out into the open and that’s where Emunah steps in.

Our new and larger Sarah Ronson Crisis and Intervention Centre in Sderot has seen a daily increase in the numbers of calls it is taking – the 24/7 hotline is ringing 24/7 and our waiting list continues to grow.

Our Emunah Counselling Centre in Netivot had to close its doors as there’s no safe room.

However, our therapists were on the phone to their patients still managing to treat them remotely. If you would like a naming opportunity in memory of a loved one for a new safe room please be in touch.

The boys in Emunah’s Neve Landy Children’s Centre had returned to almost COVID status as they all had to stay in the Centre for Shavuot, with their counsellors and therapists to ensure their safety. These boys are already some of the most vulnerable we care for.

As always our staff go above and beyond the call of duty. Whilst shielding their own families in their shelters they were on the phone to parents of the day care centres or their patients, making sure they kept calm whilst protecting their own families too.

In an emergency you can find the strength to cope but once the emergency and the rockets stop…. that’s when our work really begins.

To show your continued support please contact the office on 020 8203 6066 or visit https://www.emunah.org.uk/Appeal/shavuot-emergency-appeal-2021 Registered charity number 215398

and community group Zooms. “It’s wonderful to see people and to participate on the Zooms. 14/04/2021 We all agree we don’t know what we’d do without them. I can’t praise it enough.”

There are more than 15 online Supportive Communities groups that match people’s interests, including Chaps That Chat, Ukulele, Tea Parties and Men’s Talk, enabling older people to socialise online.

“The Jewish Care family is far larger and more innovative than we could have ever imagined,” adds Carmel-Brown, “and the support from the community and our partner organisations has been invaluable. We are incredibly grateful for this, and it is down to the partnerships that existed and new ones that emerged, that we are able continue to do what we do.”

Visit jewishcare.org for monthly listings.

Email jcpresents@jcare.org or call 020 8418 2114 to join the programme

10:42

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

“The condition or quality of having life and being alive; Possession of energy, vigour or animation; The ability to live as our best, true selves”

Langdon is a charity that helps hundreds of Jewish adults and young people with learning disabilities and autism across the UK to live independent lives.

Livingness means different things to different people of course. For Robert, livingness is having friends that he can invite to his birthday for the first time in his life.

Our primary objective is to empower our Members (the people who we support) to live their very best lives and to be their best, true selves. This is something that we call ‘livingness’.

For Jack, livingness is the immense pride he feels at the end of every month when pay day comes and he is able to experience the high of having his own hardearned money in his pocket that he is able to spend however he wishes.

Livingness is the absolute essence of what we enable our Members and their families to strive for, every day of the year. Livingness is not just doing but thriving.

Naomi is passionate about her Judaism. Livingness for her is knowing that she has a home of her own where she is able to prepare a weekly Shabbat meal for her housemates.

Langdon enables livingness through our five key areas of support provision: supported living, education, employment, community and youth services, Langdon Brady.

Livingness permeates throughout Langdon, not just for our Members but also for their parents and families who recognise and appreciate how all their lives are enriched by the opportunities provided.

You can find out more about livingness and support our work at langdonuk.org or by calling 020 8951 3942

Making a weekly Shabbat meal for her housemates.

That’s livingness for Naomi.

Naomi is passionate about her Judaism.

Livingness for her is knowing that she has a home of her own where she is able to prepare a weekly Shabbat meal for her friends. Through Langdon’s supported living programme, Naomi is empowered to live independently and celebrate her Jewish identity however she chooses.

We support hundreds of adults and young people with learning disabilities and autism across the UK, by helping our Members be their best, true selves every day. That’s livingness.

You can find out more about livingness and support our work at langdonuk.org or by calling 020 8951 3942 Registered Charity no. 1142742

News Jewish News 27 May 2021 20 February 2020 Jewish

www.jewishnews.co.uk www.jewishnews.co.uk

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Thinking about charity Charity

Fundraising in a global pandemic Covid-19 reminds us of the power of relationships

By Alisa Avigdor, World Jewish Relief’s Director of Philanthropy and Communications.

I

n 2020, whilst diligently reviewing and updating our risk register, none of us would have believed that we had omitted a devastating risk that was just around the corner: a global pandemic and international lockdown with no guaranteed end in sight. For World Jewish Relief, Covid-19 has meant that the pain, worry and suffering already felt by the vulnerable communities we work with around the world has been doubled; the elderly, refugee communities and those already recovering from disaster. The psychological impact of being homebound and self-isolating for so long is immensely tough, particularly for an ageing client group, and the consequences will be felt for some time. For those that we had helped over many years by equipping them with the essential skills they needed to gain employment and support themselves and their families, facing the prospect of a drastically declining economy and huge job cuts has been devastating. And for those living in fragile circumstances, having fled war or persecution, or trying to rebuild their lives after an emergency, the additional lack of safety and security that the pandemic has brought has been terrifying.

But necessity in the mother of invention, and like so many other charities, despite the uncertainly and turbulence that surrounded us World Jewish Relief faced this crisis head on. Working with our extraordinary partners around the world, from Ukraine to Bradford, Bangladesh to Uganda, we adapted our services to ensure we could deliver support directly to those who needed it, meeting their critical needs in a Covid-safe way. Our partners around the world could not have mobilised quicker or more effectively; they really are the beating heart of our organisation.

Forced to plan in the moment and significantly upskill ourselves in a range of areas, our professional team discovered an agility and resilience that we perhaps did not know we had.

We quickly embraced a new world of virtual events and digital communications, ensuring that we could continue to engage meaningfully with our supporters. And, during both lockdowns, regular phone calls to our donors, in particular those aged 70 and above, to make sure that they were safe and well and to thank them for being there for us, paid huge dividends.

They looked beyond themselves, despite the fear and tragedy many in our own community were facing, helping us reach out to those who had no safety net - no furlough scheme, no NHS and no vaccine rollout – demonstrating the very essence of Tikkun Olam.

Our supporters could not have been more generous; digging deep, they ensured not just the continuation and adaptation of existing programmes, but the growth of new ones. The pandemic really has shown philanthropy at it best. We could never have imaged that a digital inclusion programme could become a priority.

Ensuring that our programme participants have tablets, mobile phones and pre-paid access to the internet would previously have been considered a luxury, but as a result of the pandemic this is now a necessity and thanks to our supporters, it can be a reality.

Although we have really missed squeezing

World Jewish Relief’s partner in Bangladesh distributes food and hygiene equipment our 35 strong team into our offices in NW2, where collaboration and communication was made easy by open plan offices and time spent together, we have done our utmost to remain resilient and positive, using Zoom and Teams and that old fashioned resource, the telephone, to keep in touch and stay creative! There is no question that it has been tough, and often isolating, and like others we have really missed the collegiate experience. But as we start to think about going back to our office, albeit in a new and different way, if we have time to briefly reflect on the last twelve months we should take a moment to be proud of our community’s professional staff, partners, Trustees, volunteers and our communal bodies. It has been extraordinary to see how the entire Jewish community has rallied to the challenges of this crisis, allowing even the smallest charities to gain the largest of profiles and raise funds that have exceeded their expectations.

The pandemic has provoked many challenges about the way we live and work, and how it will ultimately shape the future of fundraising is yet to be seen, but in the meantime perhaps if I were asked what I have learnt most of all, it would be that fundraising has always been and remains all about relationships. Relationships must be the core tenet of any fundraising strategy. Our donors are not just donors, they are people, and as fundraisers the many hours, days and months spent getting to know and understand them, and provide clear, transparent, thoughtful and informative communications about how their support will or is impacting on our programme participants, is never a waste of time. If we do this well, then our relationships will be far beyond transactional, but meaningful and mutually beneficial, and when crisis hits, they will be there for us, and those who need us.

World Jewish Relief supports self-employed Jewish community members in Kharkov, Ukraine to adapt their businesses during the pandemic

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27 May 2021

Thinking about charity

Stay positive: There are jobs I est n 2021, in one of the tough te, Resource da employment climates to r clients to ou of has helped 75 percent ernships, int m fro find a job. Roles ranged tors tra nis mi ad graduate trainees and d an rs ge na ma to architects, business the d ha o als rce sou finance directors. Re es rol o int nts clie g privilege of supportin h suc s nie pa com at well established Service, as Bupa, Police Now, Civil Cabinet the d an BDO Accountancy JVN as h suc es riti Office and cha and Norwood. show that, I am sharing this news to rtunities out even now, there are oppo d active in there. So, stay positive an your hard your job search, and with r dedicated work and the support of ou win the job advisors we will help you that’s right for you.

LOOKING FOR A JOB? Resource offers a free, comprehensive range of services to help you find your next role.

• 1 to 1 advisor support • CV building • Mock interviews

• IT training • Networking • Psychometric profiling

To make an appointment for our FREE services, call 020 8346 4000 or visit resource-centre.org

Good luck!

Victoria Sterman

Chief Executive, Resource

Charity No. 1106331

CLIMB KILIMANJARO 30 JANUARY > 13 FEBRUARY 2022

Kosher / Vegetarian food

Minimum fundraising targets apply

No walking on Shabbat

Pushing your limits so others can reach theirs

Join the trek!

www.climb4shalva.org | challenges@shalva.org

The Israel Association for Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities

27 May 2021 Jewish News

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Thinking about charity ADVERTORIAL

NORWOOD: TAKING ON LIFE TOGETHER WITH OUR WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS

Our amazing volunteers play a key role in helping us to enable and empower the people we support to live meaningful and fulfilling lives. We are delighted have this opportunity to thank each and every one for their support and encouragement, which has meant more than ever given this very difficult past year.

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o all Norwood’s volunteers, we say a heartfelt thank you this National Volunteers’ Week Organisations like Norwood are all about people and the high quality support we’re able to give to those who turn to us for help, enabling individuals to face challenges with confidence and take on whatever life throws at them. Of course our dedicated staff team is vital to providing this support, but equally important is the role that our volunteers play, and this has never been more evident than over the pandemic.

Covid has posed an unprecedented challenge to our resources and dramatically impacted the way our services have been able to function, with our biggest priority being the health and safety of the people we support and our frontline staff.

This is where our dedicated cohort of volunteers stepped in, many of whom began volunteering for the first time during what was an anxious and challenging time for everyone, delivering vital PPE equipment and food supplies to our homes across London and Essex.

The pandemic has inevitably had a significant impact on the people we support, as lockdown has restricted their usual physical and social activities that are fundamental to their wellbeing. However, together we rose to this challenge with the launch of our virtual Connect Together programme, through which our volunteers have been able to deliver a comprehensive programme of activities to keep the people we support engaged and connected, all the while preserving social distancing rules. From gym club, to bingo and singing, cooking and painting, the generosity of our volunteers in sharing their time and skills during lockdown has helped to alleviate anxiety and loneliness of our residents in these unprecedented times, providing them a lifeline to the outside world and helping them to maintain friendships on screen.

meaningful role to play in their wider community, providing a means of interaction for those shielding and giving them a window into the inclusive and person-centred approach that is integral to the Norwood mission to help each individual we support to live fulfilling lives.

Thanks to the support our volunteers have provided, our staff have been able to concentrate on providing care and we have been able to continue in our mission to enable and empower the people we support to live meaningful and fulfilling lives. For this we honour you, our volunteers, this National Volunteers’ Week.

We look forward to sharing your personal stories of volunteering in the pandemic throughout the week on social media, as well as the impact that has had on the people we support and the staff caring for them.

Please do visit our social media channels for more of these stories.

We are looking forward to welcoming you back into our homes and services and we certainly know both the people we support and our staff have missed you just as much as you have missed them. With your ongoing support, we can continue ‘taking on life together’.

The past year has also seen our Young Norwood volunteers step in front of their computers to compere virtual karaoke and magic sessions direct to our homes, providing vital interactive activities, as well as offering friendly conversation and catch-ups, which were thoroughly enjoyed by all.

We know that for many of our volunteers of all ages, volunteering has also been an enriching experience in challenging times, offering them a So, from everyone at Norwood, thank you for all do for us and we will see you soon.

Patron Her Majesty The Queen • Registered Charity No. 1059050

NorwoodUK

NorwoodCharity

NorwoodUK

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Thinking about charity

WAGE: Matching those who need work experience with businesses that need help

‘I NOW HAVE FORMAL TRAINING THAT WILL BENEFIT ME IN ANY WORKING ENVIRONMENT’

I

t’s a problem that is almost as old as work itself.

People who are looking for jobs are told they need the right experience, but they can’t get that experience without first doing the job.

On the other hand, there are new and small businesses that need support in areas ranging from finance to marketing in order to grow, but can’t afford to take on full-time staff in those positions until they have grown.

These two vicious circles have only been made worse by the pandemic – jobs have been lost, people have been on furlough for many months and some businesses literally had to shut down overnight.

It’s why Work Avenue created WAGE, its first social enterprise, at the start of this year.

WAGE (which stands for Work Avenue Generating Employment) aims to both create employment and grow businesses by training those seeking work in key disciplines to match the areas for which small businesses require help so they, too, can grow and develop.

The first 75 WAGE members who have been accepted onto this exciting new programme have begun their heavily subsidised training courses in the sectors in which research said small firms need most help - including bookkeeping, graphic design, IT/admin, digital marketing, web design, sales and

W A G E

WAGE CAN HELP #OUR BUSINESS PROGRESS WITH TRAINED COMMITTED AND TALENTED PEOPLE AT AFFORDABLE RATES

ECIVRES REMOTSUC

SALES

DIGITAL MARKETING

BOOKKEEPING

NIMDA

GRAPHIC DESIGN

WEB DESIGN

CONTACT EREM# THEWORKAVENUE.ORG.UK

WWW.THEWORKAVENUE.ORG.UK/WAGE/BUSINESSES REGISTERED CHARITY 1164762

customer service. And the paid work placements have started already too.

WAGE Director Jeremy Bohn said: “We have only just begun, but already have our first WAGE members earning through paid work experience.

“Our sales course has finished and one of the WAGE members on it landed a role in a north-west London community business… and made her first sales on just her second day.”

Another aspect of WAGE is the recruitment of experienced mentors to give help and support on each work experience project. This gives WAGE members invaluable guidance, while businesses have the knowledge that there is an expert there to oversee and add value to the work produced.

Jeremy added: “The idea of a mentor system is something unique to WAGE and helps us retain both the charity and community feel of the work we do.”

One of those already benefiting is Shira, who was among the first cohort for the sales programme and has now started a project with one of WAGE’s small business clients.

She said: “The course was fantastic; it was methodical, organised, and structured, making it easy and accessible to absorb information. It was hard work, but I really enjoyed learning in such a supportive environment.

“Best of all, WAGE allowed me to consolidate and have confidence in my skills. I now have formal training that will benefit me going forward in any working environment.”

If you are an individual looking to gain training and experience in one of these fields, a business wishing to grow or a potential mentor looking to give something back to the community, then Work Avenue would love to hear from you.

Email jeremy@theworkavenue.org.uk or visit www.theworkavenue.org.uk/wage to find out more.

27 May 2021 Jewish News

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JOIN US IN MARKING

90 YEARS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM SUNDAY 6TH JUNE 2021 Whether it’s a terror attack or a heart attack, Magen David Adom is at the forefront of saving lives, just as it has been for the past 90 years.

To get involved, please visit mdauk.org/90years call 020 8201 5900 or scan the QR code Registered Charity Number 1113409

MEDIA PARTNER

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Thinking about charity

JDA keeps deaf people smiling - th THE JEWISH DEAF ASSOCIATION’S RESPONSE TO

News from the Jewish community’s specialist in deafness Social isolation can be really tough - and the pandemic has been a real struggle for deaf people.

Face masks leave those with hearing loss unable to read people’s lips and work out what people are saying to them.

And for older Deaf and Deafblind people, who can’t pick up the phone for a chat, or communicate at all with their GP, pharmacy or even their neighbour or family ... it can create mental instability.

Thanks to our supporters, we’re here, looking after them as we always have done, like family. And we’ve been ensuring deaf people are not disadvantaged or more endangered by enabling them to:

• • • •

Understand and communicate with healthcare professionals Stay informed, safe and healthy Keep engaged and stimulated Connect with other people and keep mentally stable.

The good news is everyone in the JDA family – from babies to centenarians - is doing great!

JDA has given away thousands of clear masks to Jewish schools – enabling deaf pupils to read lips and facial expressions and communicate effectively with their teachers and classmates.

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Thinking about charity

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Our specialist team has been working around the clock. From making synagogue services accessible on Zoom to fixing hearing aids on people’s doorsteps to building our Dcafe signing café a garden terrace; from interpreting in medical crises to delivering food, medication supplies and challahs every Shabbat … there has been so much to do!

Providing a place to meet, socialise, enjoy Jewish traditions and share memories has been JDA’s raison d’etre since our beginning 70 years ago.

So, on 12 April 2021, we brought together some of the most isolated people of our community.

Just a few at a time once again enjoyed a hot, kosher lunch with their lifelong friends.

The first time they were reunited, after months of enforced isolation, there were floods of tears from us all!

The tricycle for two is a great way for a Deafblind person to enjoy companionship and exercise in the fresh air!

When care homes couldn’t allow visitors in, JDA introduced amplification systems so their residents could hear and chat with their relatives from the other side of a glass barrier.

Now, as we carefully emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, it’s time to start enabling those who cannot fend for themselves in a hearing world, not only to cope with life … but to really enjoy life.

We’re planning day trips to the seaside, garden parties, outdoor fitness classes and tea on the terrace! There’s so much catching up to do and we’re jolly well going to make the most of it!

We’re all so happy to be coming back together – our loving, caring, laughing, wonderful community of Deaf and Deafblind people, who fit in nowhere else and belong only together.

If there is any support we can offer you at this time, please contact JDA on 020 8446 0502 or mail@jdeaf.org.uk.

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Thinking about charity Coming out of Covid – a message from the CEO of the S&P Sephardi Community As we start to come out of lock down and optimistically into a more ‘normal’ world, now seems the opportune time to reflect on the past year; to consider our successes, our challenges, how we served our community and what we have learned and still must learn about how to provide our membership with meaningful support, combining spiritual guidance with pastoral care.

COVID-19 has had a profound effect on our Community as it has on many others.

When the pandemic imposed upon us all a new way of life, we were faced with the unthinkable - most of our vital activities and services were shut down overnight; people could no longer congregate in our synagogues, and the older members of the community could no longer attend our well established and well attended Friendship Club. We were all concerned, uncertain and unsure of what the future held and yet we knew that we had to find ways, and quickly, to work together to provide our members with the care and support they needed, whilst keeping them connected to the unique community to which they belong.

Yet whilst Coronavirus presented us with extraordinary challenges, out of crisis the S&P Sephardi community found the energy, determination, and creativity to ensure members remained connected to the unique ethos, culture and values of the oldest Jewish Community in the United Kingdom. From online Shahrit, Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah services to children’s events and weekly discussion groups; from Intergenerational events to virtual tours of Bevis Marks Synagogue to delivering letters and goody bags to our entire membership we all found these ways and more to keep in touch with each other and to ensure the continuous connection of the heritage and values for which this community stands.

As we emerge from this difficult time, we know we must learn from our experience of the past year as we build and strengthen our community for the future which will, no doubt, come with its own set of challenges. We look ahead with considerable optimism for our synagogues and look forward to welcoming back all our members and friends with a renewed sense of respect, care and support.

‘The darkness that has enveloped the entire community can be illuminated with determination, faith and strength and it is my belief the S&P Sephardi Community has a renewed sense of resolve which will stand it in good stead for the future’.

DAVID ARDEN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, S&P SEPHARDI COMMUNITY

www.sephardi.org.uk

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SAVING LIVES IN THREE MINUTES OR LESS United Hatzalah’s speed and quality of care make saving a life possible even in the most dire scenario.

United Hatzalah of Israel bridges the gap between the time a medical emergency call is made and the time an ambulance arrives.

Following an emergency call, an alert goes out to all of our trained and certified community-based volunteer medics who are in the local area. They could be up the road, around the corner, or even in the building. These inspirational people will drop whatever it is they are doing at the time – personal or professional – to get to the patient and deliver immediate care.

Our ability to target the volunteers who are closest to a patient allows us to achieve an amazing average response time of three minutes right across Israel, and just 90 seconds in some urban areas. It is our mission to achieve this across the whole country as United Hatzalah’s existing network of over 6,000 volunteer medics continues to grow.

Permanent brain damage starts from lack of oxygen after just four minutes. It is the speed of our response and the quality of care offered by our experienced and fully equipped volunteers that make us a leading emergency medical service organisation.

United Hatzalah also recognises that saving lives goes beyond the immediate medical emergency. To assist citizens who require continual monitoring, we have developed several dedicated services which speak to the specific needs of different segments of the Israeli population. These include our Care with Dignity programme, Ten Kavod, which matches our volunteer medical personnel with Holocaust survivors and the elderly across the country enabling both medical check-ups as well as friendship and socialisation for those who have little to no external support. United Hatzalah

has also developed a dedicated Women’s and Midwives Division which can be requested by women suffering a medical emergency who are more comfortable with female assistance.

United Hatzalah is funded entirely through donations. All of its services are free of charge and available to all who need them 24/7, irrespective of race, religion, nationality, country of residence or medical insurance status. Please consider supporting our lifesaving organisation.

If you are in Israel and need emergency medical care dial 1221 from a local number or +972 2 538 3838 from an international phone.

Charity number: 1101329 | uk@israelrescue.org www.israelrescue.org/uk | 020 3823 4650

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Thinking about charity

WIZO SPRINGING INTO ACTION Fourteen months ago, Covid-19 sent shock waves through the world as we were all gripped by fear, anxiety and uncertainty as to what the future might hold; a familiar state of mind to so many of the vulnerable and disadvantaged in WIZO’s care. The pandemic led to a steep rise in the demand for WIZO’s services.

WIZO’s expertise and its understanding of the need to respond swiftly in any emergency propelled it to implement immediate emergency measures.

The steep rise in victims of abuse necessitated WIZO opening an emergency shelter, in addition to its existing two shelters. Whilst managing to keep open 19 WIZO Comprehensive Day Care Centres - a lifeline for children at risk, a food campaign was put in place, ensuring a hot

workers to focus on saving lives, knowing their children are well cared for. One of these is located in the Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, a few miles from the border with Gaza. In this latest conflict, the children have been nurtured by WIZO professionals, learning and playing in the bomb shelter whilst their parents are treating the sick and injured.

meal for all those disadvantaged children who normally would have received their only nutritious meal of the day at their WIZO Day Care Centre, closed due to Covid. Vulnerable young people at WIZO Youth Villages, many from dysfunctional families, needed therapy and additional

care… and so much more. All this over and above WIZO’s ongoing commitment to those who already depend on WIZO. WIZO operates Day Care Centres in 6 hospitals which have remained open throughout, to allow medical teams and key

As the largest independent social welfare organisation in Israel for more than 100 years, WIZO has been springing into action, developing services to meet the needs of an everevolving society, whatever the challenges in daily life or in times of crisis. WIZO continues to change lives, build futures and strengthen society.

WIZO THANKS YOU…

…MORE THAN A

£MILLION TIMES FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Our fundraising Campaign Spring into Action has been an enormous success, far exceeding expectations.

The Campaign was launched to meet the emergency needs and the steep rise in demand for WIZO’s services.

We so appreciate the immense generosity of our members, supporters and friends who answered our call for help.

To make a donation: wizouk.org or 020 7319 9169 CHANGING LIVES

BUILDING FUTURES

DOING WHAT MATTERS

WIZOuk Registered address: Charles House, 108-110 Finchley Road, London, NW3 5JJ. Registered charity number: 1125012. Registered company number: 6634748.

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Thinking about charity

We will be here for you...

GIFT volunteers stepped up to help those in need As the 2021 lockdown was announced, GIFT volunteers were again first responders, ready and assembled to do what was needed to ensure the community would be supported.

Since March 2020, GIFT volunteers have responded to more than 7,000 urgent shopping and prescription requests. More than 15,000 freshly-cooked meals have been supplied to the most desperate and vulnerable in our community; over £350,000 of food support packages have been distributed by hundreds of dedicated volunteers and over 500 tutoring pairs have been set up to help those struggling with their studies.

Working closely with the other large charities, such as Jami, Jewish Care, Norwood, JWA and Hatzola, GIFT continues to take referrals and provide volunteers and support for all those in need in our community.

In keeping with GIFT’s mission to shift attitudes and behaviours towards giving, GIFT created lockdown ‘giving’ initiatives that can be done safely at home. This includes putting together gratitude packages for paramedics/ Hatzola, making isolation packs for the elderly and a virtual mentoring programme for young people struggling with the lockdown. Rabbi Sandor Milun, GIFT’s managing director, says: “2020 was a tough year for all but one of the most positive things we saw was how

our community stepped up and made giving time and helping others an important priority.

In 2021, just as we have all these new norms such as wearing masks and washing our hands, we at GIFT want to make ‘giving’ the new normal.”

GIFT has big plans for this year, including a new community cooking club, an exciting new Year 6 curriculum; increased engagement with high school and university students, a YP launch and an immersive social action trip in the summer for year 11s.

Shira Joseph, GIFT educator, says, “We have seen from the success of our virtual tutoring programme, which paired over 500 students aged 16+ with a younger tutee, that students are crying out to get involved and want to add a positive focus to their lives. One area we will focus on is bnei mitzvah, as 2020 has shown us this milestone is so much more than just a party and can have real meaning attached. We have appointed a bnei mitzvah coordinator, Esther Zneimer, and she is hoping to revolutionise the experience.”

The intensity and longevity of the pandemic has placed a big financial strain on many and GIFT has seen a dramatic increase in those requiring vital food support. More than 100 additional families have requested weekly support within the past year.

Michelle Barnett, GIFT’s founding director, said: “We have almost doubled the amount of food we need to give out. This has had a huge financial and logistical impact on our food bank/GIFT hub. The community’s support both in donations of food and money has been absolutely essential. Due to Covid restrictions, our entire operation has been carried out by incredible groups of family units and those in bubbles, coming week after week to pack, sort and organise our hub.

Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to support the large numbers we do.”

This year, the GIFT Giving Hub will become more streamlined and stock checking and food storage will transition to a digital system.

This should save time and resources and the food bank will become more cost efficient. We also plan to roll out healthy eating initiatives.

Last year wasn’t an easy one, yet we all adapted. The GIFT staff and volunteers made it that bit easier for those on the receiving end, whether it was via befriending, receiving cooked meals, shopping, food deliveries and tutoring. We have entered into 2021 under a cloud of uncertainty, but there is one thing we do know… GIFT will be there to inspire the community while supporting the community. www.jgift.org, 020 8457 4429, info@jgift.org

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PRIZES

TO BE WON!

jgift.org/raffle

GIFT's mission is to develop a giving mindset and lifestyle, through education and volunteering Our vision is to live in a world transformed from 'me' to 'we', in which all are engaged with and empowered by the GIFT of giving; whilst supporting those in need

£5 per ticket

Sunday 23rd May – Sunday 6th June

GIFT Initiatives

jgift.org 020 8457 4429 | info@jgift.org Registered charity 1153393

Volunteering:

Education

Projects

Packing & Delivering Food Parcels

Year 6 Courses

GIFT Foodbank

High School Courses

Cooking Club

Bnei Mitzvah Initiatives

Spiel Factor

Tutoring (virtual and in person) Helping Hand / Befriending Go Green Litter Picking

Lunch and do

NHSOS

High Level Classes

The Great GIFT Raffle

Summer Camp

YP Events

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Thinking about charity

We are on the frontline

T

he pandemic regulations may be easing but the fallout continues. ‘Unprecedented’ is a word that has become the new ‘normal’ in analysing the impact of the past nearly two years.

The effects on people, their families, their businesses, their finances, their mental health, their lives ... cannot be overestimated.

In the past, the circumstances in which our clients have found themselves were rarely ordinary; postpandemic, they are, more often than not, extraordinary.

The charity sector as a whole has, of course, had to re-think, re-structure and re-emerge in fighting form in order to be able to help the communities they support so passionately. We feel incredibly fortunate to continue to be supported by such a loyal community, especially at a time when everyone is struggling.

It is heartening and testament to our applauded the government’s spirit as a community that we are decision to launch a much-needed still determined to help others. scheme to support those in debt.

Paperweight was established to ‘Breathing Space’, the rather apt support the needs of that community; name for this new service, enables owing to the very nature of our those facing financial difficulties work, our volunteer caseworkers and to receive debt advice or mental clients become part of the extended health crisis treatment, without Paperweight family. the pressure of mounting debts or It is through their pandemic experi- creditors at the door. ences that we have witnessed the We see first-hand the family rifts true extent of the Covid fallout; the created from the stress of making small businesses now under presbasic ends meet. The number sure from landlords as they are no of divorce and domestic abuse longer protected from legal actions cases coming to us for guidance for unpaid rent. Then there’s also have soared. Welfare services are the affordability of residential tenanunhealthily stretched and the sheer cies and mortgages; the tremendous length of time for responses from the financial pressure on families, where Department for Work and Pensions breadwinners are now juggling two leaves us in despair. or more jobs and working in whatever Due to the pandemic, our field is available to them, in order to ever-increasing caseload includes Your situation may involve any of these tasks, and more. Whatever your administrative, legal or financial problems, ourthose 200 caseworkers, London, Manchesterof and pay the bills. facingbased jobinloss, arrears rent, Gateshead, have the expertise to help. And it’s all free of charge.

Paperweight is on the frontlines mortgage and council tax, bankTo access our services or to make a donation to support our work, of these social issues; we have ruptcy, significant reductions in call 020 8455 4996 or visit paperweight.org.uk

income and the new experience of having to claim benefits, with the cliff edge end of furlough and the £1,000 uplift in Universal Credit set for the end of September.

These concerns unsurprisingly lead to an exponential growth in mental health problems, coupled with a rising demand for affordable debt management solutions.

During Covid alone, Paperweight’s London volunteer hub conducted more than 5,000 Zoom hours, resolved 400 debt issues and engaged and succeeded with government departments as part of a drive that transformed more than 900 lives.

We continue to offer hands-on guidance to more than 100 new clients a month.

Debt-negotiating, courtattending, benefits-advising, law-guiding, tribunalaccompanying, mess-clearing, rights-advocating, landlordchallenging and people-empowering.

The Paperweight Trust Registered Charity 1146302 Registered Company 07705745 Design: hope.agency

To access our services or to make a donation to support our work, call 020 8455 4996 or visit paperweight.org.uk PWT_038_JN 260x165mm_v2.indd 1

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Debt-negotiating, courtattending, benefits-advising, law-guiding, tribunalaccompanying, mess-clearing, rights-advocating, landlordchallenging and people-empowering.

Your situation may involve any of these tasks, and more. Whatever your administrative, legal or financial problems, our 200 caseworkers, based in London, Manchester and Gateshead, have the expertise to help. And it’s all free of charge.

To access our services or to make a donation to support our work, call 020 8455 4996 or visit paperweight.org.uk

PWT_038_JN 260x165mm_v2.indd 1

The Paperweight Trust Registered Charity 1146302 Registered Company 07705745 Design: hope.agency

25/05/2021 11:00

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

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Thinking about charity

Kisharon Gives Ability Kisharon is a unique organisation, which supports people of all ages with a range of learning disabilities. The organisation plays an essential and critical role within the Jewish community - from nursery to school, college, and independent living support as well as employment and vocational opportunities.

Kisharon recently raised over 1.67 million in a Charity Extra fundraising campaign to offer vital front-line services for people with learning disabilities – themed on ability - illustrating the value Kisharon places on each individual.

KISHARON FAMILIES SHARE THEIR KISHARON EXPERIENCE:

“A year ago in lockdown our beautiful, cheeky son Noah was diagnosed with a rare genetic syndrome. A year ago Noah was not walking and had very limited ability to communicate - and the future felt a very scary place. We were then introduced to the amazing team at TuffKid and the wider world of Kisharon. Noah has come on in leaps and bounds - he still doesn't walk...now he runs and climbs and explores.

And even though he still doesn't speak he has a whole range of communication tools that means we are never in any doubt what he wants or needs.”

“We always knew what amazing work Kisharon did but have now seen for ourselves as since September, Raphael has become a part of the wonderful Kisharon community. We are truly thankful for what he has received in this short period especially in this challenging time for schools and are hopeful for his future years in this lovely school.”

“Kisharon is very dear to our hearts and its School has given our Elias the most wonderful education for the last 12 years. Through the pandemic, their services have been fantastic and through the dark days of lockdown #3, Elias’s teachers did everything they could to ensure that he was engaged in zoom lessons. They remained open for many of his peers providing much needed continuity and routine for the children who needed it most. He is now back in school, learning in the beautiful new school, built by the donations which have allowed the dream of such a facility to become a reality.”

“Our elder son, Max, moved into supported-living with Kisharon in December 2020.

During quite unprecedented times, the professionalism, support and genuine care shown to him and to us as a family, have been exemplary.”

Social care funding for people with learning disabilities has never been more important. To find out more on how Kisharon gives people they support ability or to make a donation visit:

www.kisharon.org.uk

Charity Registration No. 271519

DANNY Aspiring Astronaut

27 May 2021 Jewish News

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Thinking about charity

‘Only in the darkness can you see the stars’ – Martin Luther King, Jr W

e have been living through a strange and trying period. Those of us blessed with families and friends have naturally focused our love and concerns on them and their well-being. They, in turn, have hopefully done the same for us.

However, not everyone has someone they can rely on. Many in our community – particularly the elderly and vulnerable – have been lonely and understandably KKL Tea before the pandemic anxious. These have been challenging times, particularly for those who have found we have spent the pandemic connecting with clients and reassuring them they are themselves in isolation for an extended period, not forgotten. Prior to Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh not seeing another person for weeks owing to Hashanah and Chanukah last year, and Pesach recurring lockdowns. We have heard much of this year, many of our more vulnerable clients the effect of this pandemic on mental health received parcels of food essentials to help them and, prior to the vaccine roll-out, the danger to celebrate the festivals and still feel connected to older and vulnerable people with underlying the wider community. health problems.

As one client told us: “I am shielding and it KKL’s response to the challenges of the wasn’t possible to go to Golders Green as I used 14 months has been one of reassurance and to do. This is the second Pesach in this situation, dependability. KKL Executor and Trustee which is terribly hard, but your thoughtful gift Company is a subsidiary of Britain’s oldest Israel really lifted my spirits.” charity, JNF UK. For more than 70 years, we have KKL has also produced special newsletbeen providing a range of legal services to our ters with interesting articles and puzzles to clients, including the provision of will writing by keep clients busy. KKL’s newsletters have been independent external practitioners and we have welcomed by all over the past year, but particuadministered many estates. larly by clients with little or no access to the Pastoral care underpins KKL’s work and

internet.

In addition, we started hosting online events for clients. For example, what would normally have been a physical gathering for Chanukah, with latkes and sufganiot, was held online. However, the tradition of live entertainment was still at the heart of the event. This included a virtual tour of the Stanley Grossmith Music Conservatory in Yerucham – renovated and expanded

by JNF UK – and live performances from some of the conservatory’s talented young musicians.

In an address to participants, His Excellency Neil Wigan, British Ambassador to Israel, thanked all of JNF UK’s generous donors and acknowledged how many families in Israel, especially in the Negev, would be celebrating Chanukah with the blessings provided to them by JNF UK’s brilliant work. He said: “It is your generosity, commitment and hard work that lets the great light in and drives the darkness out.”

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, KKL had been able to host an interactive pre-Pesach seder for clients who may otherwise have spent Pesach alone. This year, KKL was proud to able to host a pre-Pesach seder via Zoom.

While we cannot hold in-person client events as we normally would, or visit our clients for

a chat and a cup of tea, each one is being called on a regular basis by a member of our team to see how they are managing, offer help or simply lend a listening ear.

There is a powerful ripple effect to all this.

The KKL team sees the pleasure and hope these activities generate among our wonderful clients who have demonstrated their concerns for the community and for Israel through their legacies.

These leave a footprint on future generations and encourage the hopes and aspirations of all who benefit from them.

In turn, our own strength and hope is nourished, enabling us to look beyond the gloomy skies and see the stars glimpsed by Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. We look forward to the time when we can again be physically together safely and not just via a screen. We now see light at the end of the tunnel and hope we won’t have to wait too much longer for this.

Carolyn Addleman is director of legacies at KKL Executor & Trustee Company Ltd, a subsidiary of JNF UK. To find out more about our work, call 020 8732 6101 or email enquiries@kkl.org.uk

Will services, estate planning and friendship, all at no charge KKL, JNF UK’s legacy department, has been serving the Jewish community for over 70 years. Our highly qualified team combines first-rate executorship and trustee services with personalised pastoral care. We can take on the role of close family when needed, keeping in regular contact with you and taking care of any Jewish needs in accordance with your wishes.

For a no-obligation and confidential consultation, and to find out more about supporting JNF UK’s vital work in Israel, please get in touch.

Call 020 8732 6101 or email enquiries@kkl.org.uk

KKL Executor and Trustee Company Ltd (a Company registered in England No. 453042) is a subsidiary of JNF Charitable Trust (Charity No. 225910) and a registered Trust Corporation (authorised capital £250,000).

JN Half Page - KKL - Friendship Advert.indd 1

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

WHAT IS THE POINT? THE POINT IS FOR US TO ENSURE THE FUTURE OF OUR JEWISH COMMUNITY PLEASE LEAVE A GIFT IN YOUR WILL TO A JEWISH CHARITY

For more information on leaving a gift in your Will to one or more of our 43 Jewish Charity partners, please visit www.jewishlegacy.org.uk, email gina@jewishlegacygiving.org.uk or call 020 3375 6248.

Promoting leaving gifts in Wills to Jewish Charities

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16/06/2020 15:48

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Thinking about Charity

DUTY, RESILIENCE AND RELEVANCE: AJEX RISES TO THE COVID CHALLENGE

T

he past year for AJEX has been challenging yet rewarding, showing the organisation’s resilience, ability to adapt and its relevance. AJEX is widely recognised for its efforts to ensure the contribution of veterans from the Jewish community that served in HM Armed Forces, is never forgotten. What is less well known perhaps is that AJEX also focuses on welfare, remembrance, education and combatting antisemitism. Chief Executive, Fiona Palmer reflects on some of their achievements during the pandemic.

In the 100th year since the first Jewish wreath laying at The Cenotaph, it should come as no surprise that an organisation with its roots in military service has shown such resilience and adaptability. When I joined in January 2020, I was looking forward to the forthcoming ceremonies for key events such as 75 years since the liberation of Bergen Belsen. I was also eagerly anticipating being part of the AJEX annual ceremony and parade. However when lockdown hit, we had to re-envision our plans.

During these challenging times, I took Inspiration from Jewish men and women who served in the British forces over the last hundred plus years. Through their incredible devotion to duty, they exemplified the Jewish understanding of service, loyalty and sacrifice. The meaning of their actions and the values they represent are the foundations of AJEX. At the start of lockdown, AJEX set up our Loneliness Project. We were worried about our members’ potential isolation and anxiety over Covid. This project with its amazing volunteers tirelessly provided a ‘listening ear’.

Our Welfare team also gave Covid related grants to those

National Chairman Mike Bluestone at the Cenotaph with veteran Ron Shelley for the AJEX 2020 Remembrance Ceremony

in need, as well as continuing our festival grants to ensure veterans and their families were supported.

Having had to cancel our event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen Belsen we rapidly adapted to providing online events. Usually, National Armed Forces week in June is marked at the National Memorial Arboretum, however instead we created a successful event online celebrating the Jewish role in HM Armed Forces. On the education front, we launched a series of ‘Historical Talks in Your Home’ and held virtual events for key anniversaries such as the 75 years since VE day, and a

campaign encouraging people to make a Shabbat L’chaim in honour of those who fought for our freedoms.

Our greatest challenge was the annual Cenotaph parade which has been a major event in the calendar of the Anglo-Jewish community since the 1930s. AJEX was determined to honour the vital role played by our community in British life and remember those who fought for freedom. With the help of the Metropolitan Police and Westminster Council, we visited The Cenotaph twice. Once in October to film a ceremony which was a centrepiece of the online event and for a second time in November when a small group laid wreaths, ensuring a presence on the Sunday after Remembrance Sunday.

The virtual Remembrance event had excellent support from across the community. Over 10,000 tuned in both in the UK and overseas. As a result of being online, the event was accessible to a wider audience which was warmly received by many. Our virtual Remembrance drew interest from all generations of the community including primary schools where children took part in our ‘Remember in Red’ campaign, an online poppy drawing competition and virtual veteran talks for many schools. I am so proud of the way AJEX rose to the challenges we faced due to Covid.

Nearly every family, from every part of the Jewish Community has a connection with AJEX. Our work is as relevant today as ever and it will continue stronger than ever as we emerge from the pandemic. With communal support, I look forward to our fundraiser on 11th & 12th July. If you would like to be a team leader visit www.charityextra.com/AJEX

Save the Date: Sunday 27th June, 2pm To mark National Armed Forces Week 2021 join AJEX for a unique virtual tour of the National Memorial Arboretum and a special ceremony to honour the Jewish role in HM Armed Forces both past and present.

www.youtube.com/ajexjma For more information please contact Headoffice@ajex.org.uk or call 020 8202 2323

You can also keep up to date with AJEX on social media.

We would love you to follow us: youtube.com/ajexjma facebook.com/ajexheadoffice twitter.com/AJEX_UK instagram.com/ajex_ jma AJEX Charitable Foundation Registered Charity No 1082148

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Thinking about charity

IT’S

R E E T N U L O V O T GOOD SEARCH for volunteering opportunities charity name or cause (eg elderly, children etc) volunteering type (eg befriending)

REGISTER at JVN

skill location time

FIND a volunteering role that fits your life

VOLUNTEER!

APPLY directly via the JVN WEBSITE

Become a volunteer! It’s easier than you think

By Amanda Weinberg As we approach the end of lockdown and the return to normality, our communities need you more than ever. The easiest way to help is to use the JVN website to make volunteering part of your return to a lockdown free life.

Kindness matters and you will find, just as our own JVN ambassadors have done, volunteering brings huge rewards.

We make it simple. No need to spend time on the internet researching charities, opportunities, different possibilities and positions. Whether you have an hour or ten to give, a one-off activity or a longer-term volunteering commitment, look no further. JVN will help connect you to what you are looking for without the fuss, amidst a wide range of charities and volunteering opportunities within the Jewish community and wider charity sector. We enable you to search in comfort and at ease.

Volunteers have a multitude of reasons for deciding to volunteer from time on

their hands during the pandemic, a desire to give back, a need to help themselves through a difficult time, a need for purpose, to name but a few.

According to one of our JVN ambassadors, Michael Rosen, giving back to the community during Covid is his main reason for volunteering. “During lockdown, I found myself with time on my hands and wanted to see if there were any opportunities that I could get involved with. So, I went onto the JVN website and found a lovely opportunity with Jewish Choice care home in Wembley.

They were looking for someone just to help them with gardening and maintaining their grounds on an ad hoc basis. So, I got in touch with them through the JVN website and every week throughout the summer I went down there and helped.

I was able to mix with the people living there, those who worked there and it was just a wonderful opportunity to help people who really needed some assistance during a very difficult time. I was just so pleased I was able to connect with them through the JVN website.”

For Hannah Cohen, an ambassador and trustee at JVN, volunteering is an excellent way to use her skills and experience from all different walks of her life. “I can give

back to the community in a really, really beneficial way using my experiences from growing up, through voluntary youth movements, experiences in my professional life working in the voluntary sector, and recent life experiences when my family were also supported by volunteers in a time of need. I can bring all these different areas together to help promote the work of JVN, help drive the organisation forward and help share what we’re doing with as many people as possible. My aim as trustee is to spread the love of volunteering as far and wide in the community as I can.”

After being made redundant from his role at a Jewish educational organisation, David Sagal signed up with JVN in January 2020. Within weeks he found an opportunity with Goods for Good and began volunteering in their warehouse with other volunteers. With the help of a lottery grant, Goods for Good were able to offer David part-time employment. “My experience volunteering with Goods for Good has been life changing. I was able to use my many years of experience in project management to help the needy by working for a charity that was making a difference locally in London and abroad.

It has been a circular journey. From initially signing up with JVN, then being introduced

to a JVN user of volunteers, I ended up working with JVN to get individuals to volunteer with Good for Good. It’s only 1 click away, but please register and JVN will match you with a charity that needs you. It’s a mutually beneficial process.

The volunteer’s wellbeing increases and the charity gains too.”

Whether you want to learn something new, find a purpose, meet like-minded people, make a difference, gain work skills or improve your CV look no further than the JVN website.

There are some simple steps to help connect you to the volunteering role that will suit you: • Log onto the Jewish Volunteer Network www.jvn.org.uk and register your details.

• Search for opportunities by type, location, charity, skills and interests.

• Consider the various charities from the search.

• Decide which ones are of interest and simply click APPLY. • If you are still unsure or would like to speak to somebody, JVN offers 1-to-1 support. Just drop us an email at info@ jvn.org.uk or phone 020 8203 6427.

Reg Charity Number: 1130719

27 May 2021 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

55

Orthodox Judaism

SEDRA

Behalotecha RABBI BORUCH M BOUDILOVSKY When detailing the functions of the biblical trumpets, our Parsha carefully distinguishes between a community and an encampment.

“Make for yourself two silver trumpets of hammered work; and they shall be to summon the congregation and for causing the encampments to set forth.” (Numbers 10:2) What is the difference between an encampment and a community?

Rabbi Joseph B Soloveitchik suggests an encampment is a gathering designed to provide comfort, strength or self-defence. When people gather together under a bus stop seeking shelter from rain, or when an ancient society lives together surrounded by high walls for protection, encampments have been forged. Indeed, the Torah uses the word “encampment” in the context of preparation for battle: “When an encampment goes out to face your enemies” (Deut 23:10).

A community, however, is a collection of individuals with a common

future and shared aspirations. Unlike an encampment motivated by fear, a community is driven by ideas, a sense of mission, and a common goal shaped by a shared past.

Our nation, summoned and moved by the biblical trumpets, served both as an encampment and as a community. The nation was an encampment of former slaves wondering in the wilderness and staying together for survival. Additionally, the nation was an evolving community of free people journeying together to the promised land with new dreams.

As modern Jewish communities, we function in these same two capacities. Like an encampment, we come together for comfort, to belong, and to share our experiences.

At the same time, we collectively embody a set of values designed to guide our lives, inspire our choices, and direct our nation. ◆ Rabbi Boruch M Boudilovsky serves Young Israel of North Netanya

9:30 pm

by a virtual tour of the e may forward you the

HEADTEACHER

uk

Required for January 2022 School Group 3 (L11 – L24)

are available on request y is also on our website.

I’m a religious hybrid. My father is from a Protestant family and my mother a Jew. The journey began in Reading where I played for Swindon Town and Reading FC, enjoying night clubbing and Nietzsche.

I had virtually zero Jewish identity when I went to read law at University College London.

It was there antisemitism made a profound impact upon me. It was a particularly sultry afternoon when I overheard a fellow student complain: “I’m so hot.

Hotter than a Jew in Auschwitz!”

It was a wake-up call. I embraced Judaism and, after graduating, studied Torah in Jerusalem before becoming a community rabbi. My voyage has given me insights into Jew-hatred and our response.

Antisemitism seems destined to show dogged durability, as the Talmud predicts; but Jewish rela-

tions with the rest of humanity have enormous potential for good. What is the right approach to today’s antisemitism?

Judaism teaches that our ancestors’ life journeys foreshadow ours. Rabbi Naftali ZY Berlin wrote of the Torah’s depiction of Jacob’s last years lived outside Israel as being golden ones, a sign the story of the Jewish people will be one largely based in exile. “The primary cause as to why most of our existence has been spent in the diaspora is – as God revealed to our father Abraham – that his

descendants were created to be a light unto the nations and this is only possible when they are dispersed throughout the exile.”

Rabbi Berlin wrote this in 19th century Czarist Russia, the scene of rampant antisemitism.

Yet he recognised a positive opportunity to lead by example.

The integrity and moral values that should be the hallmarks of the Jews were meant to serve as inspiration to all peoples.

The word victim is related to victorious. The darkness of antisemitism and our resultant victimhood must be met with light. It is not enough to oppose antisemitism. We must listen to this ancient clarion call and share the Torah’s wisdom for the benefit of ourselves, our hosts and the glory of Hashem. ◆ Rabbi Jonathan Hughes serves Radlett United Synagogue

Noa Girls provides practical, emotional and therapeutic support to adolescent girls in the Orthodox Jewish community. Due to our expansion, we are looking to recruit a Head of our new Eating Disorders program.

Attention all Prospective Pre-Nursery, Nursery & Reception Parents

Open Evening on Wednesday Virtual 18th November 2020 from 8–9:30 pm

18th November 2020 from 8–9:30bypm There willWednesday be a Zoom presentation by the Headteacher followed a virtual tour of the

school.

Forbe security, contact your details so thatby we you the There will a Zoomplease presentation by us thewith Headteacher followed a may virtualforward tour of the Zoom details to the school. For security, please contact us with closer your details sotime. that we may forward you the Zoom details closer to the time.

the London

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RABBI JONATHAN HUGHES

Attention all Prospective Pre-Nursery, Nursery & Reception Parents

Virtual Open Evening on

er 2021 must be January 2021 for

What does the Torah say about: Antisemitism

Head of Service ED

ception Parents

ery & Nursery must

Torah For Today

Email admin@hasmonean-pri.barnet.sch.uk

Email admin@hasmonean-pri.barnet.sch.uk

Applications for entry in September 2021 to Pre Nursery & Nursery must Applications for entry in September 2021 to Pre Nursery & Nursery must be received by Wednesday th9th December 2020. be received by Wednesday 9 December 2020.

---------------------------------------------------

Applications for the the Reception ReceptionClass Classin inSeptember September 2021 Applications for 2021 mustmust be be th January 2021 for received the School SchoolAND ANDBarnet Barnet Tuesday received by by the byby Tuesday 12th12 January 2021 for which needto tocomplete completetwo two separate forms: which you you will need separate forms:  

The Common Common Application toto bebe returned to the London The ApplicationForm Form returned to the London Borough of Borough of Barnet Barnet(online) (online) The Hasmonean Hasmonean Primary Information Form (on our The PrimarySupplementary Supplementary Information Form (on our website) to School website) to be bereturned returnedtotothe the School

A copy of the Governors’ Admissions Policy and Application Forms are available on request

A copy of the Governors’ Admissions Policy and Application Forms are available on request from the School Office or on the school website. Our Privacy Policy is also on our website. from the School Office or on the school website. Our Privacy Policy is also on our website.

This pivotal new role, which would initially involve working alongside our CEO and other service leads to develop the service, would ultimately require you to be responsible for overseeing the referral and treatment journey of all the girls referred to the service (through the management and supervision of the clinical team).

This is an exciting opportunity for a well-established senior Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist who has extensive knowledge and experience of working with adolescents and young adults struggling with Eating Disorders and delivering high quality CAMHS (or equivalent) services to children and families. They should have a proven track record in service development, strategic partnership working, management and clinical supervision within an MDT context.

Salary depending upon experience and qualifications equivalent to an 8b position.

This is a part time role based in NW London.

For an application pack please contact HR@noagirls.com.

Deadline for applications Wednesday 2 June 2021.

Interviews will be held week commencing 14 June.

Reg. Charity No 1130834

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Jewish News 27 May 2021

Progressive Judaism

Progressively Speaking

The Bible Says What?

‘God told Hosea to take a wife of whoredom’

Returning to the status quo is the worst ending to this awful mess

BY RABBI ALEXANDRA WRIGHT ‘From there I will give her back her vineyards and make the Valley of Disturbance the Door of Hope.’

(Hosea 2:17).

Hosea, the first of the 12 ‘minor’ prophets in the Hebrew Bible preached to the northern kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BCE. Israel had lost her outlying lands to Assyria. Hosea scorned appeals to Egypt ad Assyria and the people’s faithless wandering. The most difficult part lies in the imagery the prophet employs of God and Israel.

God is a wronged husband, Israel an adulterous wife; God has sent her away because of her ‘whorings’.

He strips her naked and exposes her as on the day she was born.

In an extraordinary rhetorical device, this God tells Hosea himself to take a wife of ‘whoredom’ and to beget children of ‘whoredom’.

And Hosea’s marital experience becomes a mirror of God’s own experience with Israel. His wife is named

Gomer (‘finished’), his children Lo ruhamah (‘not accepted’) and Lo Ammi (‘not my people’).

And yet, despite the brutal imagery, there is also a compelling message of reconciliation and love.

The 40 years in the wilderness are seen as a time of courtship between God and Israel, the place where God entices His people and speaks tenderly to their heart.

It is the above verse that speaks to us painfully now, as we witness events taking place throughout Israel and the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank.

Israel and Palestine may be unable to embrace the words of love in Hosea but, at some point, we can hope leaders will embrace the prophet’s vision of righteousness and justice, goodness and mercy and the Valley of Disturbance will become the Door of Hope.

◆ Alexandra Wright is Senior Rabbi at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue

BY RABBI MIRIAM BERGER Just before the ceasefire was announced, a wise community member told me: “Things often return quite quickly to the status quo... the status quo being the worst possible end to this awful mess.”

With lives needlessly lost and society even more broken, we cannot go backwards. The only positive that can come out of the fear and tragic experiences of the past two weeks is if they force us to move forward in a positive way.

Not just in Israel and Gaza but here in the UK, where we saw such an ugly by-product of the violence there.

A teacher spat on as she walks down the corridor with the pupils jibing that they’re going to burn the Israeli flag. A man whose Instagram account usually only promotes fast cars suddenly feels the need to share his expertise on Middle East politics.

Abuse gets hurled from cars

Fundraising Manager Noa Girls provides practical, emotional and therapeutic support to adolescent girls in the Orthodox Jewish community. Following a successful matched funding campaign, we are looking to recruit a Fundraising Manager to help develop donor engagement strategies and plan a programme of communications that complement our fundraising strategies.

This important role, which would ultimately require you to be responsible for donor relationship and engagement, is an exciting opportunity for a creative and organised fundraiser with a proven track record in donor engagement.

Salary depending upon experience.

This is a part time role based in NW London.

For an application pack please contact HR@noagirls.com.

Deadline for applications Wednesday 2 June 2021.

Interviews will be held week commencing 14 June.

Reg. Charity No 1130834

bearing Palestinian flags. This list of how the violence in Israel and Gaza makes the British public take sides seems endless. Each seeing perpetrator and victim, right and wrong.

When there is relative calm in Israel, we are merely seen as Jewish.

When there is unrest, we Jews are all seen as representatives of the Israeli government.

I don’t get to influence Israeli government, not even with a single vote, yet so many people who know

me as Jewish assume they know how I feel.

I feel huge anxiety when I see rockets are being launched into Israel, yet feel no ounce of victory when I see rubble and lost lives in Gaza.

How can the teacher and the student talk about Israel and Palestine during calm, so that they have context and conversations to fall back on at times like this?

How can social media influencers help Palestinians to create a stable and supportive government who will represent their own wishes for coexistence and free them of Hamas’ terrorist leadership tactics?

Last but not least, how can Muslims and Jews around the world find avenues for conversation at times of the ghastly status quo, so that in times of war our flags do not become weaponised? ◆ Rabbi Miriam Berger serves Finchley Reform Synagogue

Finance Manager Noa Girls provides practical, emotional and therapeutic support to adolescent girls in the Orthodox Jewish community.

We are looking to recruit a Finance Manager with excellent financial and commercial awareness and significant experience of leading a successful financial function and delivering through a high-performing and outcome focused team.

As a qualified accountant, you will bring a strategic financial perspective to the development of organisational strategy and business planning. This important role is an exciting opportunity for a candidate who wants to operate at a strategic level, whilst also remaining hands-on in a small team.

Salary depending upon experience.

This is a part time role based in NW London.

For an application pack please contact HR@noagirls.com.

Deadline for applications Wednesday 2 June 2021.

Interviews will be held week commencing 14 June.

Reg. Charity No 1130834

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27 May 2021 Jewish News

Ask our

57

Professional advice from our panel / Ask Our Experts

Our trusty team of advisers answers your questions about everything from law and finance to dating and dentistry.

This week: Building up a network, being made redundant while on maternity leave and the best kitchen worktops CLAIRE STRAUS CAREER ADVISER

RESOURCE

Dear Claire I’m graduating soon and everyone says ‘network to find work’. How do I do this when I don’t have a network?

Tanya Dear Tanya Networking is a vital tool of an effective job search. Others have information and can give advice to enable you to find vacancies, access the hidden job market and ensure your application matches what the hiring manager is seeking.

First, use your positive thinking skills to identify the networks that you do have.

Consider your fellow students, tutors, family

during maternity leave and now I’m very nervous.

Is this right?

Samantha

EMMA GROSS EMPLOYMENT LAW AND DATA PROTECTION

SPENCER WEST LLP Dear Emma I’ve worked for my company for three years, and I am currently on maternity leave with my first child. One week before I left, my boss reduced my hours to part-time to help me manage. This week I was given notice that I’m at risk of redundancy as my job function is no longer required. I didn’t think I could be made redundant

Dear Samantha I’m sorry to tell you, but it is a misconception that people on maternity leave cannot be at risk of redundancy.

As long as the correct procedures are followed, and it is a genuine redundancy situation unrelated to your pregnancy or maternity leave, you are not protected by your circumstances.

Your employer is, however, obligated to offer you first refusal of a suitable vacancy. If they not give you priority, then you will have an automatic claim for unfair dismissal. If you turn down

friends, colleagues from holiday jobs and classmates from school as a starting point.

Prioritise those who work most adjacent to your chosen field and work outwards from there.

Second, build up new networks. Join and contribute to online industry groups, attend events where you could meet new contacts and consider work shadowing or volunteering in a relevant area.

Third, manage the networks you do have effectively. Keep in touch with people, contribute to online groups and connect on LinkedIn to those you know.

Networking is about having purposeful conversations with people who can help, and Resource can guide you how do this effectively. Remember you are asking for advice and information, suggestions of who else to meet, but never directly for a job.

Good luck.

the alternative role, then your dismissal for redundancy is likely to be fair. If you unreasonably refuse the new role, you will lose your right to a redundancy payment.

Whatever the outcome, you will continue to receive your statutory maternity pay (SMP) for the remainder of the SMP period.

If you are made redundant during your maternity leave, your employer will base your redundancy pay on your rate of pay before you took your leave, not on your SMP. If you were working adjusted hours in the period leading up to taking maternity leave, then the redundancy pay is calculated using an average of the previous 12 working weeks, excluding maternity related absences.

SHANTI PANCHANI ROLE

THE KITCHEN CONSULTANCY Dear Shanti There are so many choices of worktops, so which is the best one for me?

Tammy Dear Tammy There is indeed a lot of choice. The best worktop is based on several factors.

The most cost-effective worktop is laminate. These will cost typically around

£80 per linear metre (60cm deep). Modern laminate worktops are extremely durable and come in a vast colour range. The next level up is composite (Quartz) or granite worktops.

These are roughly £200£300 per linear metre, plus fabrication.

One is man-made (quartz) and the other natural. Quartz is available in virtually any colour from pure white to jet black. These are more suited to the modern handle-less litchen. As well as being a non-porous material, it is extremely durable and does not scratch or stain. Granite is a porous material and the colours are limited to the darker shades, i.e greys, browns and blacks. The next level of worktop would be

Corian, which is a man-made acrylic-based product. The major advantage of Corian is that it can be installed with virtually invisible joints and it can be used as a splashback seamlessly.

Your kitchen designer should advise you on the best worktop based upon your family’s needs and complement your choice of cabinet colours.

Worktops can be used to bring the room together, so using the right material and finish is crucial.

58

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Ask Our Experts / Professional advice from our panel

Our Experts Got a question for a member of our team?

Email: editorial@jewishnews.co.uk PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST

BREAST, GROIN & HERNIA SURGEON

EMPLOYMENT LAW AND DATA PROTECTION

TREVOR GEE Qualifications: • Managing Director, consultant specialists in affordable family health insurance.

• Advising on maximising cover, lower premiums, pre-existing conditions.

• Excellent knowledge of health insurers, cover levels and hospital lists.

• LLB solicitors finals.

• Member of Chartered Insurance Institute.

SIMON MARSH Qualifications: • Consultant General Surgeon with specialist interest in dealing with both breast cancer and non-cancer breast conditions.

• Surgical Director of the Gilmore Groin and Hernia Clinic experienced in hernia surgery, including “non-mesh” hernia repair and Sportsman’s Hernia.

• Local anaesthetic surgery including lipomas, cysts and skin cancers.

EMMA GROSS Qualifications: • Specialist in claims of unfair dismissal, redundancy and discrimination.

• Negotiate out-of-court settlements and handle complex tribunal cases.

• HR services including drafting contracts and policies, advising on disciplinaries, grievances and providing staff training.

• Contributor to The Times, HR Magazine and other titles.

PATIENT HEALTH 020 3146 3444/5/6 www.patienthealth.co.uk trevor.gee@patienthealth.co.uk

108 HARLEY STREET 0207 563 1234 www.108harleystreet.co.uk info@108harleystreet.co.uk

SPENCER WEST LLP 020 7925 8080 www.spencer-west.com emma.gross@spencer-west.com

DIRECTOR OF LEGACIES

JEWELLER

CAROLYN ADDLEMAN Qualifications: Lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in will drafting and trust and estate administration. Last 14 years at KKL Executor and Trustee Company.

In close contact with clients to ensure all legal and pastoral needs are cared for.

Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

• •

JONATHAN WILLIAMS Qualifications: • Jewellery manufacturer since 1980s.

• Expert in the manufacture and supply of diamond jewellery, wedding rings and general jewellery.

• Specialist in supply of diamonds to the public at trade prices.

KKL EXECUTOR AND TRUSTEE COMPANY 020 8732 6101 www.kkl.org.uk enquiries@kkl.org.uk

JEWELLERY CAVE LTD 020 8446 8538 www.jewellerycave.co.uk jonathan@jewellerycave.co.uk

•

Got a question for a member of our team?

Email: editorial@jewishnews.co.uk

COMMERCIAL LAWYER ADAM LOVATT Qualifications: • Lawyer with more than 11 years of experience working in the legal sector.

Specialist in corporate, commercial, media, sport and start-ups.

• Master’s degree in Intellectual Property Law from the University of London.

• Non-Executive Director of various companies advising on all governance matters.

LOVATT LEGAL LIMITED 07753 802 804 adam@lovattlegal.co.uk

CONSULTANT DERMATOLOGIST

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

DR LAURENCE LEVER Qualifications: • MBBS FRCP, private practice at 108 Harley Street The Skin Clinic.

• Consultant Dermatologist with a special interest in the management of malignant and pre-malignant conditions of the skin • Looks after all dermatological conditions, including dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, acne, moles, warts, cysts, skin tumours/cancer/oncology, dermatological surgery.

SUE CIPIN Qualifications: • 20 years+ hands-on experience, leading JDA in significant growth and development.

• Understanding of the impact of deafness on people, including children, at all stages.

• Extensive services for people affected by hearing loss/tinnitus.

• Technology room with expert advice on and facilities to try out the latest equipment.

Hearing aid advice, support and maintenance.

108 HARLEY STREET SKIN CLINIC 0207 563 1234 www.108harleystreet.co.uk info@108harleystreet.co.uk

JEWISH DEAF ASSOCIATION 020 8446 0502 www.jdeaf.org.uk mail@jdeaf.org.uk

REMOVALS MANAGING DIRECTOR

PRINCIPAL, PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL

PC, Mac, WiFi, Laptops & Desktops Remote Support and On-Site

STEPHEN MORRIS Qualifications: • Managing Director of Stephen Morris Shipping Ltd. • 45 years’ experience in shipping household and personal effects.

• Chosen mover for four royal families and three UK prime ministers.

• Offering proven quality specialist advice for moving anyone across the world or round the corner.

LOUISE LEACH Qualifications: • Professional choreographer qualified in dance, drama and Zumba (ZIN, ISTD & LAMDA), gaining an honours degree at Birmingham University.

• Former contestant on ITV’s Popstars, reaching bootcamp with Myleene Klass, Suzanne Shaw and Kym Marsh.

• Set up Dancing with Louise 19 years ago.

Man on a Bike IT Consultancy Call now 020 8731 6171 www.manonabike.co.uk

STEPHEN MORRIS SHIPPING LTD 020 8832 2222 www.shipsms.co.uk stephen@shipsms.co.uk

DANCING WITH LOUISE 020 3740 7900 www.dancingwithlouise.co.uk Info@dancingwithlouise.com

Computer problems solved

27 May 2021 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

59

Professional advice from our panel / Ask Our Experts

FINANCIAL SERVICES (FCA) COMPLIANCE

ACCOUNTANT

KITCHEN CONSULTANCY

JACOB BERNSTEIN Qualifications: • A member of the APCC, specialising in financial services compliance for: • Mortgage, protection and general insurance intermediaries; • Lenders, credit brokers, debt counsellors and debt managers; • Alternative Investment Fund managers; • E-Money, payment services, PISP, AISP and grant-making charities.

ADAM SHELLEY Qualifications: • FCCA chartered certified accountant.

• Accounting, taxation and business advisory services.

• Entrepreneurial business specialist including start-up businesses.

• Specialises in charities; Personal tax returns.

• Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation Volunteer of the Year JVN award.

SHANTI PANCHANI Qualifications: • Experienced designer with 25+ years’ experience in German and English kitchens.

• We provide a full-circle approach: from designing and supplying to installing your new kitchen including appliances and speciality worktops.

• Our suppliers are flexible in design, ensuring the customer remains the priority.

• We have been supplying kosher-friendly kitchens for over 15 years.

RICHDALE CONSULTANTS LTD 020 7781 8019 www.richdale.co.uk jacob@richdale.co.uk

SOBELL RHODES LLP 020 8429 8800 www.sobellrhodes.co.uk a.shelley@sobellrhodes.co.uk

THE KITCHEN CONSULTANCY 07738 067 671 www.thekitchenconsultancy.com shanti@thekitchenconsultancy.com

INTERNATIONAL PAYMENTS SPECIALIST

IT SPECIALIST

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

NAOMI FELTHAM Qualifications: • Leading currency transfer provider since 1996 with over 500 expert employees.

• Excellent exchange rates on your transfers to/from Israel.

• Offices worldwide, with local support in Israel, the UK, mainland Europe and the USA. • Free expert guidance from your dedicated account manager.

IAN GREEN Qualifications: • Launched Man on a Bike IT consultancy 15 years ago to provide computer support for the home and small businesses.

• Clients range from legal firms in the City to families, small business owners and synagogues.

• More than 18 years’ experience.

LISA WIMBORNE Qualifications: Able to draw on the charity’s 50 years of experience in enabling people with physical disabilities or impaired vision to live independently, including: • The provision of specialist accommodation with 24/7 on site support.

• Knowledge of the innovations that empower people and the benefits available.

• Understanding of the impact of a disability diagnosis.

CURRENCIES DIRECT 07922 131 152 / 020 7847 9447 www.currenciesdirect.com/jn Naomi.feltham@currenciesdirect.com

MAN ON A BIKE 020 8731 6171 www.manonabike.co.uk mail@manonabike.co.uk

JEWISH BLIND & DISABLED 020 8371 6611 www.jbd.org Lisa@jbd.org

ISRAELI ACCOUNTANT

INSURANCE CONSULTANCY

LEON HARRIS Qualifications: • Leon is an Israeli and UK accountant based in Ramat Gan, Israel.

• He is a Partner at Harris Horoviz Consulting & Tax Ltd. • The firm specializes in Israeli and international tax advice, accounting and tax reporting for investors, Olim and businesses.

• Leon’s motto is: Our numbers speak your language!

ASHLEY PRAGER Qualifications: • Professional insurance and reinsurance broker. Offering PI/D&O cover, marine and aviation, property owners, ATE insurance, home and contents, fine art, HNW. • Specialist in insurance and reinsurance disputes, utilising Insurance backed products. (Including non insurance business disputes).

• Ensuring clients do not pay more than required.

HARRIS HOROVIZ CONSULTING & TAX LTD +972-3-6123153 / + 972-54-6449398 leon@h2cat.com

RISK RESOLUTIONS 020 3411 4050 www.risk-resolutions.com ashley.prager@risk-resolutions.com

ALIYAH ADVISER

CAREER ADVISER

DOV NEWMARK Qualifications: • Director of UK Aliyah for Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organisation that helps facilitate aliyah from the UK. • Conducts monthly seminars and personal aliyah meetings in London.

• An expert in working together with clients to help plan a successful aliyah.

ERIC SALAMON Qualifications: • Provides free professional one-to-one advice at Resource to help unemployed into work.

• Offers mock interviews and workshops to maximise job prospects.

• Expert in corporate management holding director level marketing, commercial and general management roles.

NEFESH B’NEFESH 0800 075 7200 www.nbn.org.il dov@nbn.org.il

RESOURCE 020 8346 4000 www.resource-centre.org office@resource-centre.org

DIVORCE & FAMILY SOLICITOR

PALLIATIVE CARE MANAGER

VANESSA LLOYD PLATT Qualifications: • Qualification: 40 years experience as a matrimonial and divorce solicitor and mediator, specialising in all aspects of family matrimonial law, including: • Divorce, pre/post-nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, domestic violence, children’s cases, grandparents’ rights to see grandchildren, pet disputes, family disputes.

• Frequent broadcaster on national and International radio and television.

LEON SMITH Qualifications: • Career spent in running one of the country’s largest care homes for older people (Nightingale Hammerson) • Extensive experience in political lobbying on matters relating to older people • Experience in housing matters related to older people and current board member of JLiving

LLOYD PLATT & COMPANY SOLICITORS 020 8343 2998 www.divorcesolicitors.com lloydplatt@divorcesolicitors.com

SWEETTREE HOME CARE SERVICES 020 7644 9522 www.sweettree.co.uk info@sweettree.co.uk

If you would like to advertise your services here email: sales@ jewishnews.co.uk

60 Jewish News

27 May 2021

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27 May 2021 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

61

Fun, games and prizes

THE JEWISH NEWS CROSSWORD 1

2

3

7

4

5

Fill the grid with the numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and 3x3 block contains the numbers 1 to 9.

6

9 10 13 15 16 19

Measure of land area (4) Bogus (4) Race (an engine) (3) In a lazy way (4) Marble‑like material (4) Dog of which the Clumber is a variety (7) 21 Decorate (a cake) (3) 22 Sill (5) 23 Financial return (5)

8

9

10

12

13

11

14

15

16 17

19

20

21

23

ACROSS 1 Modify, amend (5) 4 The Earth (5)

7 Leap on one leg (3) 8 Really stupid (7)

K T V T O B P

S

N

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J

B O

8

S A B E Q U O L E

12

D M R X R C R O K W L B V

13

N

I

J

14

I

E S A C K O O B R A T S

19

N D P Q O N L N O B

L V H

I

B A M W H K H L B

B A S K E T G T G C F

12

W G H J D M A E N N E G A

22

I

N W U L 9

B U C K E T G E D S C F D

11

E M B A A F R F E S S Q X

17

B R Q T D R Y A B K D Y H

26

BEDSTEAD BENCH BIRDCAGE BLANKET

BLENDER BLINDS BOOKCASE BOWL

Last issue’s solutions Crossword ACROSS: 1 Gasket 4 Pass 8 IOU 9 Courage 10 Yodel 11 Knave 13 Turps 15 Third 17 Chateau 19 Bat 20 Tape 21 Cheesy DOWN: 1 Grimy 2 Shudder 3 Excel 5 Aga 6 Scene 7 Dunk 12 Amiable 13 Tacit 14 Stew 15 Touch 16 Ditty 18 App

BROOM BUCKET BULBS

4 5 6 9 1 2 3 7 8

3 2 7 8 5 6 4 9 1

1

10

7 10

14 14

10

7

1

26

26

7 7

15

8

23

1 16

P

23

I

19

7

R

14

5

14

15

26

17

18

1

24

14

7

6

10

23

23

24

14

15

26

23 17

25

9

5 3 8 6 2 9 7 1 4

1 9 2 4 7 8 6 5 3

4 5 6 1 7

SUGURU Each cell in an outlined block must contain a digit: a two-cell block contains the digits 1 and 2, a three-cell block contains the digits 1, 2 and 3; and so on. The same digit must not appear in neighbouring cells, not even diagonally.

2

7

14

12

23

24

14

20

7

1

19

15

14

16

14

12

26

13

14

17

3

10 14

3

9 1

21

22

3 1

24

1

12

2

23 14

4

24

1 23

4

2

24

19

19

19

1

1 23

4 2

3

23

12 14

4

21

15

16

16

14

15

14 9

7

4

15

12

22

14

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

R

5

26 26

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

8

9

10

11

12

13

21

22

23

24

25

26

I

Suguru 6 7 4 1 3 5 8 2 9

9

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Sudoku 8 1 9 3 4 7 5 6 2

11

10

1

Y D L B T C B Z D Z X U P

BASIN BASKET BATHROBE BEDDING

1

6

L B

U L E Z S B N E

8 5 5 2 1 8 7 7 8 6 3 7 1 3 6 9 8 2 3 5 1 7

In this finished crossword, every letter of the alphabet appears as a code number. All you have to do is crack the code and fill in the grid. Replacing the decoded numbers 7, 23 and 25 with their letters in the grid will help you to guess the identity of other letters.

The household items beginning with B can all be found in the grid. Words may run either forwards or backwards, in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal direction, but always in a straight, unbroken line.

I

4

CODEWORD

WORDSEARCH B E

9

DOWN 1 Continuous pain (4) 2 Average (7) 3 Pillager (6) 4 Jot (4) 5 Putrefy (3) 6 Leave, go elsewhere (6) 11 Erratic, wild (7) 12 Christmas glitter (6) 14 Salvo of gunfire (6) 17 Quote, mention as an example (4) 18 Extinct (4) 20 Say further (3)

18

22

I

SUDOKU

2 6 3 7 8 1 9 4 5

7 8 5 2 9 4 1 3 6

9 4 1 5 6 3 2 8 7

1 3 2 3 1 4

5 4 1 4 2 3

3 2 3 5 1 5

P

All puzzles © Puzzler Media Ltd - www.puzzler.com

Wordsearch 1 4 1 2 4 2

3 2 3 5 3 1

4 5 1 2 4 2

1 3 1 5 4 2

2 4 2 3 1 3

1 3 1 4 2 5

5 4 2 5 3 1

2 1 3 1 4 2

3 4 5 2 5 1

E G D O L Y Y W H B W N E

Y S V N P R S P C D G L M

S R E B R A M T H C T U H

G S F H J I O Q A A P U P

T Z B L A V X Q Q B N B O

F E U E E A M U T X L J O

W A R E V B A H J E A E C

Codeword K Y R W A R R E N I I Z C

I X O U I L T N Z R R D T

P R W U U E E N S V A H W

D O M D R K S E T T O B O

E K N Y E V I H F L Y S I

N A B D F Q K Y T G P E N

B A Z OOK L I M E N TW I N A H T T R E K T R E QU C Y R AGO E N L F O X O F P E R H I NO I C R U E J E C T

A I GAG E N D UO R I R E O S L A L A M B E E E N T R U

MA C I C E U N T E V E E D G L I N DG

G E L H E C T E E D I T W N E E E D

B P Y X D L Z UMH K S O W I C R T F N E J Q V A G27/05

62

Jewish News 27 May 2021

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Business Services Directory ANTIQUES 44

The Jewish News 22 September 2016

Stirling BUSINESS SERVICES DIRECTORY Antique – Reproduction – Retro Furniture Top prices paid (any condition)

Hille, G Plan, etc.

CarerEpstein, Archie Shine,Clothing

Dining Suites, Lounges Suites, Bookcases, Carer Desks, Cabinets, Mirrors, Lights, etc.

FURS WANTED Auxiliary Nurse Cash paid for Mink House clearances Available to support

WE BUY ANTIQUES VERY HIGH PRICES PAID. FREE HOME VISITS. All Antique Furniture Hille & Epstein Diamond Jewellery, Gold, Silver, Paintings, Porcelain, Glass, Bronzes, Ivories, Oriental & Judaica Antiques etc.

Full house clearances organised.

Please look at our website for more details

jackets, coats, you in your home. boleros, stoles, Single items to complete homes also fox coats, Days/nights. jackets etc.

MARYLEBONE rates.

ANTIQUES - 8 CHURCH STREET NW8 8ED Very reasonable Wardrobes cleared Call 0208 958 2939 614 744 (ANYTIME) Call 01277 352 560 or 0749507866 026 168

www.antiquesbuyers.co.uk

Computer

FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL SUE ON: 0800 840 2035 or 07956268290

0207 723 7415 (SHOP) closed Sunday & Monday

STUART SHUSTER - e-mail - info@maryleboneantiques.co.uk Man on a Bike will get MAKE SURE YOUfast!

CONTACT US BEFORE SELLING you working

OPEN 8am TO 9pm 7 DAYS. PORTOBELLO RD LONDON.

Rapid Response IT support for your PC & Mac Networks, virus problems, broadband, wireless systems, new computers and everything else you may need.

For small businesses & home users.

CHARITY & WELFARE

of Kensal Green

Antiques

Established over 60 years.

Know who you are dealing with.

All quality furniture bought & sold.

Best prices paid for complete house clearances china, books, WEincluding BUY ANTIQUES clothing etc. Also rubbish clearance VERY HIGH PRICES PAID. FREE HOME VISITS. service, lofts, sheds, etc All Antique Furniture Hillegarages & Epstein

Ep Dini D

Diamond Jewellery, Gold, Silver, Paintings, Porcelain, Please contact Gordon Stirling Glass, Bronzes, Ivories, Oriental & Judaica Antiques etc.

Full house clearances organised.

020 8960 5401 or 07825 224144

C

Please lookgordonstirling65@gmail.com at our website for more details Email:

www.antiquesbuyers.co.uk

FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL SUE ON:

HOUSE CLEARANCES 0800 840 2035 or 07956268290 OPEN 8am TO 9pm 7 DAYS.

Call Ian Green, Man on a Bike on

ARE YOU BEREAVED?

Anti

PORTOBELLO RD LONDON.

020 8731 6171 • www.manonabike.co.uk

S

MAKE

Charity & Welfare

Bereavement Counselling for adults and children individually. Support Groups available.

During the pandemic, we offer telephone and online counselling.

Contact Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service in confidence.

0208 951 3881 enquiries@jbcs.org.uk | www.jbcs.org.uk

Labels are for jars.

Refer yourself or a loved one

by YOU BEREAVED? ARE Not people. calling 020 8458 2223 or visit Counselling for adults & children who are www.jamiuk.org

experiencing loss. Support groups offered.

REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 1003345 Call The Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service in confidence

CHARITY & WELFARE

IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHICH WAY TO TURN, REMEMBER OUR HELPLINE. For confidential advice, information and support don’t forget Jewish Care Direct.

020 8922 2222 jcdirect@jcare.org

jewishcare.org/helpline

020 8951 3881 • 07765 693 160 HOUSE CLEARANCE E: enquiries@jbcs.org.uk

We hav warden a in Eal warden

For furth West

Charity Reg No. 802559

PLUMBSAFE (UK) LTD “Better Safe Than Sorry”

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Fast & Efficient House Clearance

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We are reliable, cover all neighbourhoods & suit all budgets.

We also buy good quality furniture, old books & Judaica.

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07860 881505 or 0800 610 12 12 Not shabbat

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CHARITY & WELFARE

We have an open waiting list in our friendly and comfortable warden assisted sheltered housing schemes in Ealing, East Finchley and Hendon. We provide 24-hour warden support, seven days a week; a residents’ lounge and kitchen, laundry, a sunny patio and garden.

For further details and application forms, please contact Westlon Housing Association on 020 8201 8484 or email: johnsilverman@btconnect.com

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HOME & MAINTENANCE

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MOTOR VEHICLES PURCHASED CLASSIC OR CARS for vehicles over 10 years old preferably with low mileage

A Wi

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PEST CONTROL

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SAFE AND DISCREET PROFESSIONAL PEST CONTROL We cover all aspects of pest control for residential and commercial properties.

For all your heating and plumbing requirements

07860 881505 or 0800 610 12 12

020 8953 2094 office 020 8207 3286 home 020 8386 8798 hallandrandallplumbers.com

“Better Safe Than Sorry”

PROFESSIONAL PAINTING, DECORATING & PAPER HANGING

Over 20 years experience Friendly, reliable & service. personal The specialist masons in creating bespoke Granite and Marble Memorials for all Cemeteries. competitive rates Very Clayhall Showroom 14 Claybury Broadway Ilford. IG5 0LQ T: 0208 551 6866

Edgware Showroom 41 Manor Park Crescent Edgware. HA8 7LY T: 0208 381 1525

STEPHEN: 07973 342 422 srindsmc@hotmail.com

Email : info@garygreenmemorials.co.uk

www.garygreenmemorials.co.uk

Gary Green ad 84 x 40mm JM Group v2.indd 1

18/03/2019 12:50:51

City and A. ELFES LTDGuilds Elect

All types of electrical work un

New memorials Rewiring, extrainscriptions sockets, BT points, Economy 7 Additional storage heaters, Shabbat time switches, securi & renovations LED spotlights, fault finding, CCTVportable ap landlord tests and house buyer’s surveys.

Gants Hill Edgware

12 Beehive Lane 130 High Street For Hill, anIG1 efficient reliable and friendly Gants 3RD Edgware, HA8 7EL Call Harvey Solomons on Telephone Telephone

0207 754 4646 0207 4659 020 754 8958 6495 / 07836 648 554

www.memorialgroup.co.uk

27 May 2021 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

63

Business Services Directory SILVER

ANTIQUES

ANTIQUE JUDAICA & HEBRAICA Books, Manuscripts, Ephemera, Works of Art and Silver

ADVERTISE IN THE UK’S BIGGEST JEWISH NEWSPAPER FOR LESS THAN

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£24 A WEEK

CLEANING

Professional standard with elegant finishing.

End of tenancy, deep cleaning, post renovation cleaning services. We create a clean environment with our clean projects.

Email Sales today at sales@jewishnews.co.uk

Call us on 07907 017869 or email us via our website, www.cleanthecity.co.uk, to discuss your specific requirements – we are happy to provide a free quote.

OFFICE FURNITURE

LEGACY- LEAVE A GIFT IN YOUR MEMORY

JEWISH WAR VETERANS

Leave the legacy of independence to people like Joel.

& THEIR DEPENDANTS NEED

YOUR LEGACY

PLease remember us in your wiLL.

eNABLeD

Tel: 020 8202 2323 Web: www.ajex.org.uk Email: headoffice@ajex.org.uk

visit www.Jbd.org

Registered Charity

or caLL 020 8371 6611 No. 259480 18-361-JM Small legacy advert v1.qxp_Legacy 09/10/2018 10:27 Page 1

Registered Charity No: 1082148

Need to furnish your home or office?

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Free assembly and delivery next working day on most items – call now!

HELP US CONTINUE TO BE THERE FOR OUR COMMUNITY WITH A GIFT IN YOUR WILL. Call Alison on 020 8922 2833 for more information or email legacyteam@jcare.org Chancellors House, Brampton Lane, London, NW4 4AB Tel: 020 8903 8746 | Fax: 020 8795 2240 www.bfiwd.org | email: info@bfiwd.org

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we protect our children’s future Please include CST in your will

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Call 0800 559 3917 Email sales@andrewsofficefurniture.com www.andrewsofficefurniture.com

16/04/2021 10:55

ADVERTISE IN THE UK’S BIGGEST JEWISH NEWSPAPER FOR LESS THAN

ADVERTISE IN THE UK’S BIGGEST JEWISH NEWSPAPER FOR LESS THAN

Email Sales today at sales@jewishnews.co.uk

Email Sales today at sales@jewishnews.co.uk

£24 A WEEK

£24 A WEEK

64

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Jewish News 27 May 2021

COV I D- 19

Meeting up again?

Yo u ’re s a fe s t o u td o o r s .

Around 1 in 3 people who have Covid-19 have no symptoms and can spread it without knowing so it’s safest to meet outside because the fresh air blows Covid-19 particles away.

Let’s take this next step safely.