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www.jewishnews.co.uk
Jewish News 2 December 2021
News / Marathon man / Teacher banned / Special award / Neo-Nazi convicted
Blind Israeli stuns the field at Abu Dhabi race Blind Israeli runner, Ethiopian-born Avi Solomon, placed an incredible 62nd out of 12,000 participants at this year’s Abu Dhabi marathon. Justine Zwerling, the British-Israeli who co-ordinated Solomon’s participation on behalf of the GulfIsrael Women’s Forum, together with Jerusalem deputy mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, said: “Being in Abu Dhabi was the most intense experience of a lifetime.” Solomon’s run – with running guide Lior Berhamo – at three hours and 22 minutes, raises funds for Afikim, a charity founded to help children in need. The 15-strong team who accompanied Solomon to the UAE were “overwhelmed”, said Zwerling, at the reception from the Emiratis. “From start to finish we were supported by Emiratis and the organisers of the race. They were incredibly
Israeli Avi Solomon and Lior Berhamo run a marathon
sensitive about who they call ‘people of determination’ rather than ‘disabled people’, and they received Avi in the most beautiful way.”
DOV AWARDED BY PRIME MINISTER
Dov and Lily with Boris, left
A teenager who co-wrote his greatgrandmother’s memoir about surviving Auschwitz been honoured by the prime minister. Dov Forman, 17, was given the Points of Light Award by Boris Johnson at Downing Street this week. The great-grandson of Lily Ebert, 97, used social media during the pandemic to share her story with a million
followers on TikTok and thousands on Twitter. When Lily contracted coronavirus, Dov became determined to record her story, co-writing Lily’s Promise when she recovered. The book is now a Sunday Times bestseller with a foreword by Prince Charles. Dov said: “This is the signal for me and Lily to keep going and to spread her message.”
EX-JFS TEACHER SPARED JAIL A former JFS teacher convicted of child sex offences has been banned from the classroom but spared jail. Shovan Tamjidi was arrested in 2019 for possession of indecent images of children on his personal computer. On advice from the Metropolitan Police, he was suspended by the school shortly afterwards, and convicted of three counts of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children. A professional conduct panel ruled the teacher, who worked at Europe’s largest Jewish secondary for four years until his suspension, is “prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth-form college,
relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England”. Decision-maker Sarah Buxcey also ruled that “in view of the seriousness of the allegation found proved against him, I have decided Mr Tamjidi shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach”. The panel outlined that in January 2020, “Tamjidi was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment suspended for 18 months with requirements to complete 30 days rehabilitation activity requirement and 180 hours unpaid work. He was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and required to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.”
Neo-Nazi group founder guilty A man has been convicted of acting as “head of propaganda” for a banned neo-Nazi terror group set up to wage a race war in Britain. Ben Raymond, 32, cofounded the “unapologetically racist” organisation National Action in 2013, which promoted ethnic cleansing, as well as attacks on LGBTQ people and liberals. It was banned under legislation in December becoming the first far-right
to be proscribed since the British Union of Fascists in 1940. After the move by the Home Office, Raymond, from Swindon, helped National Action morph in to a new group called NS131 – National Socialist Anti-Capitalist Action. Raymond denied being a Ben Raymond member of a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 11 terror of the Terrorism Act but was convicted 2016, on Tuesday after a three-week trial at group Bristol Crown Court.
“Cuddling Macey helps make the world feel alright.” BEN
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