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Jewish Leadership Council chair Keith Black has written of his fears that “the Israel I have loved all my life is in danger” as a result of the direction undertaken by Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, writes Lee Harpin.
Reflecting on his recent visit to Israel, to attend a conference, Black writes in Jewish News this week: “I have just returned from the hardest week I have ever had in the country.
“It coincided with incidents of terror, of mass demonstrations, of intense febrile political debate, and pervasive feelings of anger and outrage. It was a brutal week.”
Making clear his own stance on responding
to the excesses of the Netanyahu government, Black continues: “Israel’s democracy is in peril; nationalism, fundamentalism and racism are outpacing liberalism, moderation and respect for minorities. As a British Jew, a Zionist and someone who engages with Israel on many levels, this is a very disconcerting moment. “
Under Black’s leadership, the JLC has so far refrained from criticism of Israel.
However, his comments also address those in the community who feel UK Jews should not criticise Israel as they are not citizens of the country. “There are many in our community who feel that it is vital for us to speak out, to condemn the current government and some of its more extreme members,” writes Black.
“There are on the other hand those who
feel that since we don’t live in the country, we don’t vote, we don’t send our children to the military, and we don’t exist under a daily threat of terror or war that we don’t have the right to pass judgment. Each of us will no doubt make up our own mind and choose our own path of confronting this challenge.
“My position is that of a deeply concerned friend who feels that the Israel I have loved all my life is in danger.”
Black’s predecessor as JLC chair, Sir Mick Davis, was one of the first UK community leaders to warn of Israel’s lurch to the right.
Black’s intervention comes days after briefer, tweeted statements by the Board of Deputies about recent remarks by Israel government ministers.
In one tweet, the Board said: “We utterly condemn Bezalel Smotrich’s comments calling for the State of Israel to ‘erase’ a village which days ago was attacked by Israeli settlers. We hope that this and similar comments will be publicly repudiated by responsible voices in the governing coalition.”
President Marie van der Zyl and chief executive Michael Wegier also had what they said was a “positive, full, and frank discussion” with Israeli minister of the Diaspora, Amichai Chikli, in Jerusalem.
The pair raised issues with the minister such as judicial reforms, political extremism and issues around progressive Judaism.
Editorial comment, page 20
Keith Black, page 21
JLC and Board of Deputies denounce hate speech of Netanyahu’s coalitionIsraeli anti-government protesters clash with police Keith Black, Jewish Leadership Council chair, 9 March: Marie van der Zyl, Board of Deputies president, 1 March:
DEMOCRACY IS IN PERIL – RACISM AND FUNDAMENTALISM ARE OUTPACING MODERATION AND RESPECT
CALLS TO ERASE A PALESTINIAN VILLAGE SHOULD BE REPUDIATED BY RESPONSIBLE VOICES IN THE COALITION
❝
lier. “The army became a tool in the hands of political forces,” he added.
Former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg was among 400 Israeli demonstrators who marched toward the Palestinian town of Huwara in an attempt to show solidity with the victims of what an IDF commander described as “a pogrom” by a mob of violent settlers.
Jewish News was on the ground when the large group of Israelis were prevented forcibly from entering the town by the Israeli army, after the area was declared a closed military zone. Meanwhile Jewish settlers were allowed to enter the town freely.
A number of demonstrators were wrestled to the ground by the army, which threw several stun grenades into the crowd to prevent it breaking through.
Burg got into a physical confrontation with some of the soldiers after he insisted he had the right enter the town. “I asked them to see the document that stated it was a military zone but they didn’t. So I kept walking. But you saw how it ended,” he told Jewish News Burg said army reacted “hysterically” and tried to “overcompensate” for its failure to prevent the pogrom in Huwara a week ear-
As Burg and other demonstrators tried to break through the army blockade, the large crowd behind them began chanting “Where were you in Huwara?” at the soldiers.
The chant, which has also been heard at demonstrations across Israel against the government’s judicial overhaul, is a reference to failure by the army to prevent the attack on Huwara taking place.
Burg, who was the Knesset Speaker from 1999 to 2003, described Huwara as a “watershed” moment, causing an unprecedented number of Israelis to show up for the demonstration in the West Bank.
“People realise that the ministers who are behind the judicial overhaul are the same ministers who want to ignite Huwara. It’s the same Smotrich, Netanyahu and BenGvir. So people are slowly making the equation,” the former Speaker said.
The “pogrom” incident saw a mob of some 400 settlers set homes and cars on fire, throw stones at shops in Huwara and kill a Palestinian man in the nearby village of Za’tara in revenge for a Palestinian terrorist attack that killed two Israeli brothers the same day.
The Israeli army, which also described the attacks in Huwara as “terror”, later took full responsibility for not managing to break
Celebrated historian Simon Schama this wek urged the UK community to join with Jews worldwide in speaking out against Israel’s drift towards becoming a “nationalist theocracy”, writes Lee Harpin.
The television presenter said speaking out against the most right-wing government in the Jewish state’s history was “not a betrayal of Israel” but “a passionate declaration of support for the enormous number of people who feel as anguished as we do ”.
Jewish history expert Schama said the community “should not be lily-livered” about objecting to the threats to democracy posed by Israel’s
The Observer the matter was of concern to Jewry all over the world and it was” absolutely, utterly horrifying” Israel’s 1948 declaration of independence – “a noble document, which
promised equal civil rights to all religious and ethnic groups” – was disintegrating.
Jewish News revealed last week how Israelis living in the UK will be joined by allies from this country when they stage a second “Defend Israeli democracy” protest in London.
In another powerful intervention, Jewish Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge wrote an op-ed for The Guardian warning an “assault on democracy” combined with “vicious attacks on Palestinian rights” was creating a “dangerous moment” for Israel.
deepen division and heighten tensions.
“They will end the dreams of the postwar idealistic Zionists who sought to build a new Jerusalem in the Middle East.”
Hodge recently visited Israel as a “critical friend” of the country, but said she and other British Jews must now be “more vocal” in voicing their opposition to the “excesses” of the increasingly far-right government there.
The US government is considering denying entry to the US to Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli minister who said the West Bank village Huwara should be “wiped out”.
Smotrich, who is the finance minister and the minister responsible for civilian matters in the West Bank, has requested entry to address a meeting this Sunday of Israel Bonds, which markets Israeli government bonds to investors abroad
US government o cials told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last week they would not meet with Smotrich after the Huwara remark.
Smotrich later qualified the statement, saying he did not mean it literally and was referring to terrorists and their supporters.
Price declined to comment to JTA on Sunday about whether his department was considering denying Smotrich entry.
The minister does not appear to have any public meetings planned outside the Israel Bonds session. The American Israel Public A airs Committee says it will not meet him, and the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations has said he agrees with Price that Smotrich’s comments were “disgusting.”
Liberal Jewish groups are planning to protest the meeting. A petition is circulating on WhatsApp asking Jews to call on Israel Bonds board members not to attend the speech, to call on Smotrich to cancel his appearance or to quit the board.
The Jewish Labour Movement’s parliamentary chair added: “There are so many wonderful things about Israel but the deeply anti-democratic proposals being considered by Benjamin Netanyahu’s new extreme right-wing government, alongside a renewed assault on the homes and most basic rights of Palestinians living in the occupied territories, will only
“The voice of the Jewish diaspora must be stronger, we must exert what pressure we can to curtail the excesses of the Israeli government,” Hodge wrote.
added: “There are so many Netanyahu’s new government, alongside a renewed assault on rights of Palestinthe tories, will only
Anthony Julius, one of the UK’s most prominent Jewish lawyers, also said the Israeli government incorporated “the worst features of the populist, anti-liberal democratic parties that operate in Europe and in America as well, but with a special kind of antinomian Jewish intensity”.
Rabbi Jonathan Romain added the “vast majority” of his congregation in Maidenhead was “deeply worried” about what’s happening.
• Editorial comment, p20
But that has not appeased the US State Department, where a spokesman said Smotrich’s statement was “disgusting” and “incitement to violence”.
Israel Bonds works intimately with Israel’s finance ministry and has traditionally welcomed finance ministers to its events.
Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg is the latest pro-Israel stalwart to warn prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms could be catastrophic.
“Close allies bound together by shared values stand together in times of need — not only to support each other but to rea rm the inviolable obligations we have to defend those values,” Bloomberg wrote in The New York Times. “And that is why I am standing up again now.”
Bloomberg, who served three terms as New York’s mayor and ran briefly as a Democrat for president in 2020, is the latest prominent American Jewish figure who was often at the forefront of defending Israel to say now Net-
anyahu’s reforms, which would gut the independence of the judiciary, are endangering the country. Others have included columnist Bret Stephens, constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz and former Anti-Defamation League director Abe Foxman.
Bloomberg noted how, as New York mayor in 2014, he defied a Federal Aviation Administration order not to fly to Israel during its war that summer with Hamas.
He also listed his philanthropic endeavours in Israel, including a health centre named for his mother. In 2014, he travelled to Israel to receive the inaugural Genesis Prize, which has been called the “Jewish Nobel”.
up the violent rampage in time, especially since settlers had announced on social media they would be marching to Huwara to seek revenge.
As the demonstrators were scu ing with the army, Palestinian children were cheering from balconies nearby while showing peace signs.
Other local Palestinians joined the Israeli protesters, with both sides carrying aloft the Palestinian flag.
Israeli protester Jesse Burke told Jewish News that members of the notorious so-called hilltop youth are in his “immediate family” but that he was unable to remain silent after what he described as the atrocities that were committed in Huwara.
Burke, 46, and from the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh declared: “We cannot practise Judaism without caring for all mankind”, adding: “The late Rabbi Sacks wrote a whole book called Not in God’s Name, which says you shouldn’t kill innocent people,”
Another protester who clashed verbally with settlers as they drove past the rally told Jewish News that the attacks on Huwara had
UK business and trade minister Kemi Badenoch flew to Israel this week to continue talks on what she says is a “world-class trade agreement we haven’t seen before”, writes Lee Harpin.
She was on a three-day visit to the country with British negotiators to update existing arrangements for the smartphone era.
She said: “What we’re looking for is something… world-class that we haven’t seen before – a services-based, high-tech innovative trade agreement including digital, health – all of the innovations that our countries specialise in.”
But in a signal agreement could still be some way o , o cials also stressed the UK was looking for “the best deal, not the fastest”.
Britain hopes to benefit from Israel’s multibillion-pound infrastructure investments opening up its financial services sector to British banks and financial technology start-ups.
Badenoch said the UK and Israel “are both service economies and our existing agreement is really about goods – it’s a very old agreement in the 1990s before the internet.
“Now we have left the European Union, we can be so much more ambitious with you and we can be a lot closer. There’s a lot that we can’t do in the EU that we can do as the UK and Israel.”
Badenoch met Israel’s Israel economy minister Nir Barkat to discuss “a modern, innovative services free-trade agreement to mutually benefit both our economies”.
Barkat said: “The agreement being formed is expected to be the largest, most comprehensive and most modern for the State of Israel.
“Striving for an updated agreement is in the common interest of both economies, in order to enable the full potential for business cooperation between Israel and Britain.”
Badenoch was also a guest speaker at an event for women entrepreneurs in Tel Aviv ahead of International Women’s Day.
Hosted jointly by Israeli female entrepreneurs community Yazamiyot and the British Embassy’s Women Leading Innovation Network. the gathering included a pitching contest to find the most promising female founder of the year.
Badenoch focused on her role as a minister for women and equalities, telling the audience:
“My two roles make people ask why I do both.
The reality is that there is a connection between them. Women and girls are at the forefront of Britain’s technology development strategy.
“We want to break down all the barriers that prevent women from reaching their full potential. A level playing field brings more jobs, increases wages and grows the economy.
“You help increase not only the GDP of Israel but also the global GDP.”
made her “ashamed and angry” but that it was “written on the wall – settler violence in the West Bank in the past two years is increasing but the army isn’t doing anything to stop it so they know they can get away with it,” peace activist Dafne Barnai from Tel Aviv said.
Barnai said she had also experienced settler violence in an incident which took place about eight years ago. She said: “I parked my car at Tapuach Junction, not far from here, when settlers threw a burning newspaper through the window which was left open, setting my care on fire.”
The rare sight of a joint demonstration with both Palestinians and Israelis involved was met with fury by settlers driving by, with the majority of them screaming “terrorists” or “traitors” at the Israeli participants.
Some were openly inciting people to violence, repeating a statement made by Jewish Power party lawmaker Zvika Fogel who said he wanted to see Huwara “burn”, while others repeated finance minister Smotrich’s call to “wipe out” Huwara.
Brian’s mum Bertie loved being around people. That’s why she used to say that volunteering for Jewish Care was the happiest time of her later life.
Before Bertie passed away, she never got a chance to amend her Will so she could leave something to Jewish Care. Brian has since told us that he has included Jewish Care in his Will on her behalf; “I don’t want to leave it until it’s too late, like Mum. I’m doing this for her”. With a gift in your Will to Jewish Care, you can make sure that future generations of our community get the care they need, when they need it most.
For more information about leaving a gift in your Will and our free Will Writing Service, please call Sarit on 020 8922 2819, email legacyteam@jcare.org or visit jewishcare.org/legacy
“Jewish Care meant everything to my mum, Bertie. That’s why I’m leaving them a gift in my Will”.
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Baroness Deech this week claimed Rishi Sunak’s backing for a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre next to the Houses of Parliament has been met with “the disappointment of many – not least within the Jewish community and Holocaust survivors”, writes Lee Harpin.
Writing in a magazine distributed to parliamentarians and others working in Westminster, the Jewish crossbench peer added: “Members in both Houses should stand up to the defend the gardens” – a reference to the planned location of the memorial and learning centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.
The prime minister announced on 23 February that the government had introduced the Holocaust Memorial Bill into parliament, which would repeal the protection a orded to the gardens in a 1900 statute.
The Board of Deputies and the Holocaust Educational Trust were among the communal bodies to welcome the government’s move. Levelling up secretary Michael Gove said the new bill was “timely as the remaining survivors are becoming older and fewer in number, meaning it is vital that we push ahead with the memorial”.
He added: “We owe it to the six million Jewish people who were murdered.”
But in The House magazine, Deech says: “To the disappointment of many, not least within the Jewish community and Holocaust survivors, the government is determined to push through the construction of the Holocaust memorial.”
She disputes as “misleading” the government’s claim that just seven percent of space in the gardens will be lost as a result of the £102m project.
Deech suggests that completion of the
Keir Starmer has welcomed the return to Labour of former Ilford South MP Mike Gapes, saying his decision is a “tribute to the hard work done to root out antisemitism, support business and to celebrate patriotism”.
The Wanstead-born politician left the party in 2019 saying he was “sickened that Labour is now perceived by many as a racist, antisemitic party”. One of six MPs at the time, including Luciana Berger, to quit, he stood unsuccessfully as an independent at the 2019 election.
Gapes, 70, wrote in the Times on Tuesday: “It was essential for Starmer to promise action to root out antisemitism. But the way he has taken personal responsibility for chasing it out of the party speaks to the firm, purposeful leadership he has shown.”
Starmer said: “Like many others, Mike turned away from the party in recent years because it no longer represented traditional Labour values. But we’ve changed and there’s no going back.
“That Mike has chosen to rejoin is a tribute to the hard work already done to change our party: to face the electorate, to root out antisemitism, support business, to celebrate patriotism and our Nato membership, not chastise it.
project, not expected until 2027, will stretch out its costs even further.
She claims that the proposed site will mean the Holocaust memorial would overshadow others nearby, including the Buxton memorial to slavery abolition, and that it will be “tough” on the children at an open playground at the gardens to have the memorial nearby, and questions whether it is “appropriate” to have a cafe “on top of a memorial”.
“I know there is more to do, and I’m pleased us in this ongoing work to change
“I know there is more to do, and I’m really pleased that Mike will be with us in this ongoing work to change our party so that we can change our country and deliver our missions for a better Britain.”
As MP for Ilford South from 1992 until 2019, Gapes became known as a staunch friend of the declining Jewish community in his constituency, and in surrounding areas.
The boss of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), one of the UK’s largest business groups, has stepped aside pending an investigation following complaints about his conduct in the workplace.
The organisation said it had looked in January into an allegation about Tony Danker’s behaviour but found that “the issue did not require escalation to a disciplinary process”.
However, last week it was made aware of new reports and has begun an inquiry. The Guardian newspaper had approached the CBI about the
complaints, which included claims from a female employee that Danker made “unwanted contact with her and considered this unwanted conduct to be sexual harassment”.
The paper reported that Joanna Chatterton, head of
employment law at Fox Williams, will lead the inquiry.
The latest complaints were made a day after the CBI’s ‘future work’ conference, which included speeches from education secretary Gillian Keegan and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner.
In his own statement, Danker said: “It’s been mortifying to hear that I have caused o ence or anxiety to any colleague. It was completely unintentional and I apologise profusely. I support the decision we’ve taken to review any new allegations independently.”
The oil that will be used to anoint King Charles at his coronation on 6 May was consecrated in Jerusalem on Friday.
The oil, which is veganfriendly, was made with olives and perfumed with sesame, from two groves on the Mount of Olives, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin and amber as well as orange blossom.
Some of the ingredients used in the oil to anoint the Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 came from a musk deer, a civet
cat and a sperm whale, Dr John Hall, a retired priest of the Church of England, said in a BBC documentary in 2018.
A consecration ceremony took place in the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre and was led by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, and the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, the Most Reverend Hosam Naoum.
The Most Rev Naoum said he had “felt a deep sense of spiritual experience”, adding: “The consecration of the oil... brings about something of a deep and profound meaning. Both to King Charles, to the church and Jerusalem, to the Holy Land, and I think to the whole world.”
Organisers of a second Defend Israeli Democracy demonstration taking place in London this Sunday have hit back angrily at claims that so-called “leftist” groups such as Yachad and the New Israel Fund (NIF) are the real backers of the protests.
Former Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard wrote in an op-ed published online stating that he would not be attending Sunday’s event because “Yachad and the NIF are e ectively the organisers”.
But yesterday one of the Israeliborn organisers said: “Mr Pollard, your statements about the coming protest are wrong and misleading. On behalf of the protest’s organisers I can state that it is grassroots movement of Israeli expats organising the protest on Sunday in London.
“Your branding of the protest as ‘leftist’ is a transparent attempt to discourage local Jews from attending, similar in intention to the disgraceful branding of Israeli protesters as ‘anarchists’.”
Sunday’s demo, which will take place at a location to be announced shortly by the organisers, is aimed at capitalising on the protests that have taken place in Israel and among expat communities across the globe in response to sweeping proposed changes to the country’s legislative and judicial system.
A protest in London last month attracted 300 mainly Israeli expats. Sunday’s event is expected to be bigger, with Israeli media covering it.
But his article Pollard compared Yachad and NIF to Trotskyist groups such as the Socialist Workers Party who had made a habit of infiltrating protests and “attempting to purloin the demo as their own”.
He said he shared “deep concern” about the reforms being pursued by the Israeli government, along with concerns about some of the people in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.
But he said he would not join Sunday’s protest because of the “danger-
ously wrong” and “leftist” politics of Yachad and NIF.
In an angry rebuke, one of the organisers, Dr Sharon Shochat, an Israeli business development expert living in the UK, said: “We are a group of academics, tech entrepreneurs and security professionals whose political views are diverse.
“This reflects the broad spectrum of the mass protests in Israel itself. Our list of speakers at the protest is also diverse.
“Thank you, though, for inadvertently helping us advertise the protest and clarify its importance. We appreciate the support we receive from all Jewish organisations and voices, including those of the NIF and Yachad.
“Anyone who cares about Israel should participate in this protest on Sunday. We hope to see you there, Mr Pollard, as well.”
NIF chief executive David DavidiBrown said: “NIF UK are proud to support and assist Israelis defending democracy and working towards a just, safe, and equal Israel.
“There has not been a press release sent by New Israel Fund
about this Sunday’s demonstration. Two press releases were passed on by New Israel Fund from the Israeli organisers of the rally on 4 February as part of events in various cities around the world.
“One of those press releases stated ‘All events are organised by Israelis who live locally in these cities from across the political and religious spectrum.’
“The other made clear ‘the rally is not a New Israel Fund initiative and is very much led on a grassroots basis by Israelis all around the world.’
“The coordinating we have done and are very proud of is the Choose Democracy campaign that has involvement of many communal organisations and Orthodox and centrist supporters among the 2,000+ who have signed our statement.”
Hannah Weisfeld, Yachad’s director, said her organisation was proud to be supporting the protest, adding: “It is a great shame that more communal organisations haven’t done the same. I am also pleased to have been invited by the organisers to speak at the demonstration alongside a broad spectrum of speakers.”
The Board of Deputies has “significant concerns” that government legislation aimed at stopping small boat crossings could “breach both the Refugee Convention and the Human Rights Act”, writes Lee Harpin.
In a major intervention, the Board noted in a statement how, “today’s British Jewish community is descended from refugees and/or migrants”.
But in response to the bill, it added: “We have significant concerns at the potential for newly-proposed migration legislation to breach both the Refugee Convention and the Human Rights Act.”
Jewish News understands that the Board’s president Marie Van der Zyl is planning to visit a refugee camp in Calais herself in the near future.
Wednesday’s Board statement said it recognised small boat crossings had escalated in recent years. But it added: “We believe strengthening and enhancing safe, legal and viable routes to gaining asylum in this country will be a far more e ective way to significantly reduce such numbers.”
The Board’s intervention came as Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer clashed over the Illegal Migration Bill proposals at Prime Minister’s Question Time in the Commons on Wednesday. It aims to to prevent those arriving illegally in this country from claiming asylum, and will block them from returning or seeking citizenship.
Sunak said it was “fair for those at home and those who have a legitimate claim to asylum”. Starmer described the plans as “unworkable”.
Under the proposals, Home Secretary Suella
Braverman would be placed under a “duty to remove” those arriving illegally in the UK. This would take precedence in law over someone’s right to claim asylum –although there would be exemptions for the under-18s and those with serious medical conditions.
Suella Braverman has called Gary Lineker “irresponsible” for comparing the government’s immigration policy to 1930s Germany. The Match Of The Day host was also criticised by immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who said he is “so far out of step with the British public” after he called the government’s proposed measures “cruel”. A BBC source said the corporation is taking the matter “seriously” and expects to have a “frank conversation” with the 62-year-old.
Magen David Adom UK has completed its second humanitarian aid flight from London to Adana in Turkey.
Working in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic and the UK government’s foreign, commonwealth and development o ce (FCDO), the flight carried pallets of vital supplies, provided by humanitarian aid charity Goods for Good, to help aid the relief e orts following the devastation in Turkey and Syria caused by the recent earthquakes.
Speaking as the plane landed in Turkey, Daniel Burger, chief executive of MDAUK, said: “As Israel’s Red Cross
organisation, it is vital that MDA and its partners around the word do all that we can to help our neighbours in their times of need.
“We would not have been able to send close to £1m worth of supplies to Turkey without the support of Shai Weiss and his team at Virgin Atlantic, to whom we are extremely thankful.”
Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, said: “We strongly believe that business can be a force for good.
“Thank you to the FCDO, MDAUK and BP for your continued support to make this happen.”
A Holocaust survivor whose postwar life in Britain was portrayed in 2020 film The Windermere Children received his OBE at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
Harry Olmer survived five years of forced labour during the Second World War before becoming a dentist and father of four after being evacuated to the Lake District in July 1945.
He was one of 300 Jewish children, who are known collectively as ‘The Boys’ although there were also 40 girls in their number, who were brought to
‘The Boys’ with actor counterparts
the Calgarth Estate near Lake Windermere to begin new lives.
•Jewish Care tribute, page 13
Hackney Council’s education department has sent out a warning relating to Rabbi Chaim Halpern, saying it “strongly advised” children should not be referred to him for counselling, writes Jenni
Frazer.Paul Senior, the council’s interim education director, has written to all head teachers in the borough and “settings leads”, the term used for those in charge of children’s centres and non-school institutions.
Referring to allegations of sexual impropriety made against the Golders Green rabbi, which Rabbi Halpern denies, Senior noted in his message that “this situation appears to be very serious”.
He says that the allegations against the rabbi are being investigated by the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations and notes that while the investigation is taking place, Hackney Education “would strongly advise you not to refer any children in your care to Chaim Halpern, and to ensure that the par-
ents, carers and families of your children are also made aware of this situation”.
Those seeking more information about the issue are advised to make contact with the council’s acting head of wellbeing and safeguarding in education, Katherine Cracknell.
A row has erupted after Lonsdon mayor Sadiq Khan claimed people with “legitimate objections” to the proposed ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) extension have been “joining hands” with people from “far-right groups”.
The mayor made the comments during a heated debate on the issue at a People’s Question Time event in Ealing.
Referring to anti-ULEZ protesters gathered outside the event, including Piers Corbyn, brother of the former Labour leader, Khan told the audience: “Let’s be frank, let’s call a spade a spade. Some of
those outside are part of the far-right. Some are Covid deniers. Some are vaccinedeniers. And some are Tories.”
A source who attended the meeting told Jewish News individuals linked to far-right groups, along with activists on the far-left previously expelled from Labour over antisemitism allegations, were among the audience.
Tory Party chairman Greg Hands attempted to continue the attacks on Khan, tweeting: “These are awful comments from the London mayor, smearing anti-ULEZ voices like this. I am not surprised
the audience in Ealing pushed back. We need to vote mayor Khan out next May!”
Jewish Labour MP Margaret Hodge was among those to condemn Hands’ attempt to dismiss the mayor’s far-right comments.
She tweeted: “It’s totally unacceptable for Greg Hands to give legitimacy to far-right protesters carrying swastikas and spouting dangerous conspiracy theories.
“Trying to gain votes on the back of racism is disgusting. The Tories must reflect on who they choose to align themselves with.”
The Jewish Military Association (AJEX JMA) has raised £151,000 in just 36 hours to ensure it continues its vital work in remembrance, education and combating antisemitism.
Every donation made to ghe orgnisation was doubled through generous match-funding.
As part of the campaign, AJEX held an exclusive interview where hundreds joined to hear national chair Dan Fox interview Rachel Riley MBE about the work she has done combating antisemitism, her career and family.
Following the interview AJEX is now helping to find out more about Riley’s grandfather’s military service.
Riley said: “We should be grateful to everyone who puts on a uniform in our name. Jews are no different to anyone else.”
She praised AJEX for not just supporting veterans in the UK but combating antisemitism
by shining a spotlight on the sacrifices made and the loyalty to Britain that Jewish people have, and “that we have always had, that we always show”.
In another interview, JFS pupil and cadet Edgar Santos sought the views of 98-year-old D-Day veteran Mervyn Kersh.
Kersh shared the importance of AJEX and connecting the generations so remembrance was not forgotten and the legacy of Jewish servicemen and women who fought for our freedom lives on. He said: “The numbers are falling of servicemen. I think I am one of the last.
It is important everyone remembers. It mustn’t be allowed to disappear.”
Santos said: “I cannot express how grateful and honoured I am to have been a part of this project. It certainly is something I will remember for a long time.”
The biggest investor gathering in the Middle East for start-up companies, the OurCrowd summit, has showcased cutting-edge medical technologies coming from Israel.
The Jerusalem event, with a focus on sustainability, drew more than 8,500 people from 80 countries, with around 200 start-ups featuring items from milk made from cow DNA to drones which can help with reforesting.
The tragic death of a nineyear-old boy inspired one start up; the pandemic boosted the health of another. Meanwhile, technology which seems to come out of science fiction films – holograms of a patient’s heart and robotic surgeons –are already being used for the most complex of surgeries.
Nicole Lampert travelled to the summit for Jewish News to report on some of the most innovative developments in medical science:
MedAware was founded when a nine-year-old Israeli boy was given the wrong drug due to human error. Dr Gidi Stein was determined to create a computer system which would flag up possible wrong prescriptions to prevent such a tragedy happening again. It has taken ten years but this system, which creates an AI ‘safety layer’ which checks patients’ notes to ensure they are being given the correct medications is already being trialled in American hospitals with the hope it will eventually become a standard across the world.
Meanwhile, due to rates of diabetes shooting up across the Western world – there are 30million diabetics in the USA alone – DreaMed
Diabetes helps to deal with the problem of not enough specialists being available to help. The system features a digital diabetes expert who can look at a patient’s most up-to-date data and give a customised treatment plan.
There was a lot of fuss around SaNOtize, which was first created by Israeli Dr Gilly Regev in Canada in 2017, when it started trials during the heart of the pandemic; its claims of being able to be e ective against 90 percent of viruses and bacterias including Covid 19 seemed incredible. Yet studies have shown that for someone exposed to Covid-19, correct use of the nasal spray would lead to a 75 percent reduction in the likelihood of infection and a reduced viral load for those who did go down with the virus. The spray, which has the key component of nitric oxide (which has the formula NO, which forms part of the name) is still going through its third round of trials but is already available for sale in Israel and India under the name Envoid and has just won approval from the FDA to be sold in America
We will never not need surgeons but robots are getting very good at helping them reach places while being minimally invasive. Momentis Surgical uses a machine with two ‘humanoid’ arms which are able to turn 360 degrees, replicating the motions of a surgeon’s shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. Ini-
tially deployed for gyneacological surgery, the robot requires only a small single incision to carry out a number of operating procedures.
The ability to heal wounds is of vital importance in Israel as elsewhere and Nanomedic’s futuristic hand-held device prints out a ‘nanofibrous healing matrix’. Sprayed on to a wound, it creates a see-through weblike plaster which heals the damage and allows patients to carry on with their daily lives until ready to be peeled o .
Scans and ultrasounds already allow surgeons to look into patients’ bodies but the frankly incredible interactive holograph display provided by the HOLOSCOPE means they can see and touch an organ, and even slice it in half, as they decide on the best way of performing surgery.
The system was created by hologram expert
Shaul Gelman, who spent 10 years creating the most advanced augmented reality tests for fighter pilots. He then translated his expertise into helping the medical profession through RealView Imaging’s HOLOSCOPE.
Presently concentrated on heart surgery, the hologram is viewed via a machine which the surgeon can either sit at or stand under, and is claimed to be the first medical holography system which allows doctors to interact with a patient’s true anatomy. Following a successful trial, is has now been given approval for use in the United States.
This year’s conference marks the first OurCrowd event since the Abraham Accords.
The fierce rivalry that exists between England and Germany in the world of football was put firmly to one side this week as Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund joined forces to send a powerful message in the fight against antisemitism.
Before the teams kicked o their Champions League clash at Stamford Bridge, the Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, led a commemorative service for Julius Hirsch, marking 80 years since the German footballer was murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Chelsea is leading English football’s fight against antisemitism and at the service the Chief Rabbi delivered a prayer of remembrance and lit a yahrzeit candle.
Chief Rabbi Mirvis, who was presented with a commemorative scarf by representatives of Bun-
desliga club Dortmund, told Jewish News: “This was a very moving ceremony, remembering Julius Hirsch and other German footballers who were murdered at Auschwitz.
“Chelsea and Dortmund have come together to remember the past for the sake of the future, and the statement they are making is enormous. The more we articulate our denouncing of antisemitism, of all forms of xenophobia and racism, the more it is going to be heard.
“We have seen at Stamford Bridge a significant improvement over the past number of years, and this is as a direct consequence of the pro-active stance that has been taken by this club. Well done, Chelsea.
“I am also so moved by Borussia Dortmund, bearing in mind their past. Their sentiments come from the heart and it has been exceptionally moving for me to be part of this.”
Both clubs were also in parliament at the beginning of the week, discussing this commitment alongside the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords, Kick It Out and the World Jewish Congress.
Chelsea director Jonathan Goldstein said: “The fight against racism and antisemitism is ongoing and Chelsea has been at the forefront of that fight within the football community and across wider society. In January 2018, we launched Say No To Antisemitism – a consolidated campaign and programme that was adaptable to other clubs, sports and countries.
“We looked at good practice across di erent sectors and countries and worked with partners
to create a wide-ranging campaign, focusing on education, support and awareness with the message that discrimination has no place in our club or society, thereby creating a welcoming and safe environment for fans.”
Chelsea won 2-0 on Tuesday night, and 2-1 on aggregate, to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
SUNDAY 26/03/23 AT THE
D a r r e n R i c h J u l i a n S h a p i r o
H o m e I n I s r a e l - N e t a n y a ' s n o 1 o f f i c e
P r o f e s s i o n a l l e g a l a d v i c e f r o m t o p r e a l e s t a t e l a w y e r
I C R I s r a e l ' s l e a d i n g b u i l d e r w i t h a m a z i n g p r o j e c t s a l l o v e r I s r a e l
I s r a e l ' s l e a d i n g b a n k + m o r t g a g e s
O p p o r t u n i t y t o m e e t o n e o f I s r a e l ' s l e a d i n g i n t e r i o r d e s i g n e r s
P r o p e r t y s o l u t i o n s f o r a l l o v e r I s r a e l
Jewish educational charity in the UK is charting new territory by managing work experience placements, skills days and trips to Israel for Jewish students for the first time, writes Adam Decker.
ORT UK, the British branch of World ORT, said it was a natural progression from its ORT JUMP mentor programme, which has been running for 14 years, with 400 students passing through annually.
Last year, donors and trustees committed to expanding this. ORT UK head Dan Rickman said: “The idea is to add more hands-on skills, or ‘employability’ skills, for which we have four new programmes, work experience being one.
“We take a structured approach to the mentor programmes, training mentors, matching mentees and giving a guided curriculum. It provides a framework for the 4-5 mentoring meetings.
“We wanted to see if we could apply that approach to work experience, where there are two challenges – one to the employer, who thinks ‘how will I train them, who’ll look after them?’ etc; and the other to the student, who thinks ‘without family contacts, how will I get experience in the industry I’m interested in’?”
Having approached organisations she felt would benefit, ORT UK programme manager Julie Cohen narrowed the project to around 45 placements in 12 sectors and is now detailing what it is these summer work experience students – drawn from three or four schools – could
realistically do there in July.
“It could be anything from admin to research projects to making presentations, shadowing team members, visiting di erent departments,” says Rickman. “It’s brand new for ORT UK. Whereas the mentoring is more passive learning, this is more active.”
Coventry University academics looked at the ORT JUMP mentoring programme and gave it a thumbs up in an evaluation report, suggesting more funding should be found to keep it as a free service. Beyond that, Rickman said work
experience delivery was one of four elements of the new employability skills programme, the second being employability skills days, run by professionals from companies such as YouTube.
“We’re starting in Hasmonean Girls’ School, working with the lower-sixth, around 80 students, but also with JCoSS, JFS, and Yavneh for an o -site version of the same day. The premise of the day is to give young people transferable skills over eight di erent sessions.
“Each student will be able to go to at least two workshops on things like negotiation skills,
creative skills, finance, marketing, journalism, tech, etc. Each session is led by a professional in industry, who sets a challenge.
“So, for instance, the tech challenge may be to help the DVLA deal with the backlog of applications for driving licences. Students could be asked how they’d approach the task and then be guided to a solution by the professional.”
Strand No. 3 is a programme ORT UK is running exclusively for pre-GCSE Year 10 students, aged around 15. Says Rickman: “It’s like a mini Apprentice challenge, working with a vegan food company on a real-life challenge, such as a new product about to come to market.”
Over three days, each team will work together to produce a pitch involving things like market research, supermarkets visits, a focus group, a presentation, and create an ad campaign. On Day 3, the company picks a winner.
Finally, there is a week-long Israel trip for ten UK students to the Kfar Silver youth village near Ashkelon tasked with creating a plan to o er psychological support to Israel’s volunteer paramedics who may witness horrific injuries or incidents in their duties. “Currently they get nothing,” says Rickman.
There will be 24 students in total – ten from the UK, ten Israelis who live and board in the village and four World ORT Brazilian students – divided into four teams by Magen David Adom who will then spend the week meeting di erent people and organisations to tailor their solution to the brief.
Jewish Care welcomed recipients of this year’s King’s New Year Honours to a celebratory tea at its Holocaust Survivors’ Centre to mark the achievements of centre members who received royal recognition for their services to the community, writes Michelle Rosenberg.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and Jewish Care honorary life president Lord Levy were joined by fellow members, sta and volunteers from Holocaust education and partner organisations including the Holocaust Educational Trust, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Association of Jewish Refugees, World Jewish Relief, JW3 and 45 Aid Society.
Honour recipients at the tea included survivors and centre members Lily Ebert, Susan Pollack, Harry Olmer and Harry Heber plus
Yvonne Bernstein, Michael Brown. TV presenter Rachel Riley, World Jewish Relief honorary life vice president Linda Rosenblatt and
AJR chair Michael Karp.
The Chief Rabbi said: “We are blessed to be in a wonderful country that recognises Jews and Judaism and welcomes peoples of all faith and none; ... those who are survivors of the worst atrocity the world has ever known, and those who stand up and fight against antisemitism.
“I am in awe of survivors; those who have been honoured on this occasion and those who have been honoured in the past and will no doubt be honoured in the future as well. Thank you, Jewish Care, for everything you do for thousands of people within our community.”
Lily Ebert added: “We do everything we can to tell the world what happened and it is also up to our children and our grandchildren to continue to tell our stories.”
An historic fountain in London’s East End built to honour a Jewish philanthropist has been unveiled by a senior rabbi after being restored.
The neglected and broken 138-year-old monument is dedicated to Leonard Montefiore, a passionate supporter of women’s emancipation in Victorian England, and
was saved by the Heritage of London Trust (HOLT).
Now newly renovated, the landmark was unveiled by Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE (pictured), who cut the ribbon before talks on the structure’s history were given by Prof Michael Berkowitz and Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein.
The fountain, believed to be Montefiore’s only memorial and an important reminder of the Jewish history of the East End, will provide free fresh drinking water to the area, while HOLT said young people will be encouraged to visit as part of its Proud Places programme to learn about Jewish heritage.
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Borehamwood and Elstree synagogue (BES) is consulting its 2,500-plus adult membership on whether its second site at Yavneh College should become an independent entity.
BES is the largest congregation in the United Synagogue and next month marks the 16th anniversary of the first BES@Yavneh service and the beginnings of what is now a thriving community for those living ‘southside’ of the main synagogue at Croxdale Avenue.
Southside minyan services initially took place in people’s homes, then Shabbat and yom tov services started at Yavneh College. In 2016, as Southside membership grew, its service became formally represented with honorary o cers and a new BES governance structure.
Since then, BES@Yavneh has continued to evolve and develop its own identity and programming, catering to the significant number of BES members with strong a liation to the Southside minyan.
In a letter to members, o cers at BES said it was recognised that “as our community has grown significantly, the complexity of managing the community for two sites has grown significantly with it”.
A community meeting for BES members takes place on Tuesday 21 March at 8.15pm at Croxdale Road, and will also be hosted online.
A blue plaque has been unveiled at the British Embassy in Vienna by the Association of Jewish Refugees, writes Michelle Rosenberg.
In memory of consular ocials and clergy who helped thousands of Jews escape Austria following the Anschluss (annexation) of March 1938, it is the 16th plaque in AJR’s commemorative scheme, and the second to be unveiled abroad.
AJR unveiled a plaque at the British embassy in Berlin in May 2020.
From Hitler’s assumption of power in January 1933 until the outbreak of war in September 1939, sta at the embassy and consulate in Berlin, and then in Vienna, saved tens of thousands of Jewish lives by covertly expediting their emigration, with many coming directly to Britain.
Attending the unveiling were Lindsay Skoll CMG, (Order of St Michael and St George), British ambassador
to Austria, herself the granddaughter of a German Kindertransport refugee, alongside Wolfgang Sobotka, president of the Austrian national council, the UK special envoy for Holocaust issues Lord Pickles, the Reverend Canon Patrick Curran, Vienna’s Chief Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister and Association of Jewish Refugees chairman Mike Karp, whose mother came to Britain on a Kindertransport.
The journalist Hella Pick, forced to flee Austria by the Nazis and who came to the UK on a Kindertransport, attended the unveiling and said it was “deeply moving” to be “standing here at the British Embassy in Vienna, 85 years since the Nazis tore my world apart”.
She said: “It was within these walls – through the resourceful and courageous actions of embassy diplomats,
that so many Austrian Jews were given the chance to make a new life in Great Britain. So today, together with the Association of Jewish Refugees and the Austrian Embassy, we are deeply proud to recognise their singularly brave actions in saving tens of thousands of lives.”
Mike Karp said: “It is our great hope that as well as fascinating passers-by, the plaque will help form a tangible link in the story of the refugees’ escape from Nazism and the sanctuary they received in Britain.”
Lord Pickles, the UK special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, said: “The plaque marks the courage of diplomats and consular o cials at the British Embassy in Vienna and Anglican reverends, who worked together in defiance of their instructions and in danger to their own lives to provide travel documents and baptisms for Jews desperate to cross borders to safety.”
The central Israeli town of Shoham has been twinned with Elstree & Borehamwood at an o cial signing ceremony.
The event, at the civic o ces of Hertsmere borough council, was the culmination of seven years of e orts to forge links across education, sport, culture and business between the communities.
Signing the document were Shoham mayor Eitan Petigro and Conservative mayor Sandra Parnell, who alongside Labour councillor Jeremy Newmark, originally proposed the idea.
Parnell and Newmark serve as chair and vice-chair of Elstree & Borehamwood town council’s international a airs committee and the formal proposal to twin was approved in September.
Describing the ceremony as “an emotional and very happy occasion”, Parnell told Jewish News: “It means to me more than anything I can tell you. We’ve got a lot to give each other. Shoham is a town with 26,000 people; a beautiful town. We are very happy to be sharing our friendship, culture and sport. We will encourage student exchange education holidays and share schools activities. I am happy to say it was a cross-party agreement.”
Nearly 80 years ago, in May 1943, a despairing Polish Jewish politician, Shmuel Zygielbojm, was found dead from suicide in a flat in London’s Porchester Square, writes Jenni Frazer.
His tragic end features in an eight-year project launched by the New York-based YIVO Institute for Jewish Research to digitise all the papers of the Bund, the late 19th- and 20th-century Jewish labour movement, which flourished first in Russia and then Europe and America.
The digitisation scheme of 3.5 million pages is intended to make the work of the Jewish socialists and trade unionists — and the occasional revolutionary — available online to a global audience.
The Bund movement has its origins in the Russian empire. It was a movement of the working classes, preaching revolution, while at the same time running sports organisations, summer camps and sanatoriums, all for the benefit of activist Jews and their families.
Founded in 1897 in Vilnius, now in Lithuania, the Bund teachings energised whole cohorts of angry Jewish young men and women, desperate to break out of their lives of poverty. Soon the Bundists and their campaigns spread throughout
Eastern Europe, and then to Britain and America, as the Jews began to emigrate, seeking not just economic improvement, but also radical social change.
The Bund papers, covering the years 1870 to 1992, include correspondence of major Jewish political and labour leaders; documentation about revolutionary cells active in Europe from the late 1800s right up to the Second World War; ledger books detailing the activities of youth groups; manuscripts of speeches delivered by anarchists and revolutionaries and other Yiddish cultural figures and posters advertising rallies and marches.
The story of what drove Zygielbojm to suicide can be found in the Bund archives.
In April 1942, he went to London to serve as the Bund’s representative in the Polish National Council, an advisory body to the Polish government in exile.
But his pleas, on behalf of the remnants of Polish Jewry, to the British political elite and the Polish government, fell on deaf ears. After learning of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and the ghetto’s destruction in April 1943, he understood that his efforts had been futile. He had managed to address a meeting of the British Labour Party and broadcast on the BBC, but to
no avail. Even a long report in the Daily Telegraph about the fate of the Jews of Europe, which referred to the existsence of Nazi gas chambers, based on Zygielbojm’s research, did not change the minds of the British or the Poles.
His booklet, written in English in 1942, entitled Stop Them Now. German Mass Murder of Jews in Poland, with a foreword by Lord Wedgwood, was his final attempt to make the world aware of the extermination of Jews in Europe.
By May 1943, aged 48, Zygielbojm was tired and angry. And he decided on an action that he hoped would focus attention on the fact that the Jews had been abandoned by the Allied powers and shock them into saving what remained of Polish Jewry: on 12 May, 1943, he killed himself.
In his final letters, addressed to the heads of the Polish government in exile, he denounced the free world for allowing “the greatest crime in the history of mankind” to be carried out and wrote of his hope that “the Polish government [would] embark immediately on diplomatic action... in order to save the living remnant of the Polish Jews from destruction”.
In 1996, Westminster City Council put a plaque on the building where he died.
A Jerusalem street is to be named in honour of Ethiopian Jewry, the community also known as Beta Israel.
For several years, as part of his activities as a member of the Jerusalem City Council, MK Dan Illouz (Likud) has been working to commemorate the legacy of Ethiopian heroes in the public sphere. This included a request to name streets after heroes of the community.
Illouz, who made aliyah from Canada 12 years ago, was shocked to find that not a single street in Jerusalem is named after an Ethiopian leader, especially considering the large community in the city.
Ethiopian Jewry will take place in the near future, and a street will be named Beta Israel.
Illouz said: “I feel today that I am taking part in an important historical correction. Our Zionism will not be complete if it does not include the story of all the Israeli communities who returned to Israel in the return to Zion.
Caption here please
After city council approval and for the first time in Jerusalem, the commemoration of
“I see great importance in integrating the story of the Ethiopian community as a crucial part of the complete return to Zion story of our generation, and this also through expression in the public sphere of Jerusalem. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mayor [Moshe] Lion and my fellow members of the city council for making this important decision. Now Jerusalem will be even more complete.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger has called hate “the path of the weak” and urged people to “choose strength” to overcome their prejudices.
The bodybuilder turned actor said those who embraced hateful ideology were “losers” but always had the opportunity to change.
In a 12-minute video posted online, Schwarzenegger –
known for the Terminator films – recalled his father’s Second World War experience and a recent visit to Auschwitz.
“I want to talk to you if you’ve heard some conspiracies about Jewish people, or people of any race or gender orientation, and thought ‘That makes sense to me’... if you’ve found yourself thinking anyone is inferior and out to
get you because of their religion or the colour of their skin or their gender. I want to speak to you before you find your regrets in the end of the path.”
The former governor of California added that there had “never been a successful movement based on hate” and branded the Nazi, Confederate and Apartheid movements as “losers”.
Brutality and misogyny towards women still dominate the headlines. At Jewish Women’s Aid we provide life-changing practical, psychological and emotional support, delivered by our expert team of caseworkers and counsellors, to women who desperately need our help.
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Steven Spielberg has said antisemitism is “standing proud” for the first time since Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini rose to power during the 1920s and 1930s, writes Joy Falk.
The Oscar-winning director explored his own experiences of antisemitism in his semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans, where a character based on him is bullied. Spielberg, 76, appearing last week on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was asked if he was surprised by the growth of such racism in the US and worldwide. He responded: “I find it very, very surprising.”
He added: “Antisemitism has always been there, either just around
the corner and slightly out of sight but always lurking, or much more overt, like in Germany in the ’30s.
“But not since Germany in the ’30s have I witnessed antisemitism no longer lurking but standing proud with hands on hips like Hitler and Mussolini, kind of daring us to defy it.
“I’ve never experienced this in my entire life, especially in this country.”
The Fabelmans, nominated for seven Oscars including best picture and best director, tells of aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman, 16, played by Gabriel LaBelle, who grows up in a Jewish home with his mother Mitzi, played by Michelle Williams, and father Burt, played by Paul Dano.
The film is described as a comingof-age story about “a young man’s discovery of a shattering family secret and an exploration of the power of movies to help us see the truth about each other and ourselves”.
Williams has also been nominated at the 2023 Oscars for best actress and Judd Hirsch, who plays Sammy’s grand-uncle Boris Podgorny, for best supporting actor.
Spielberg has spoken in a behindthe-scenes review of the film about how he was bullied in his last years of high school, saying it doesn’t define his life but has led to awareness of antisemitism which he has explored in other works.
He told Stephen Colbert: “Somehow, the marginalising of people that aren’t part of some kind of a majority race is something that has been creeping up on us for years and
years and years and somehow in 2014, 2015 to 2016, hate became a kind of membership to a club that has gotten more members than I ever thought was possible in America.”
Albania is creating an historic cultural space in its capital, Tirana, to celebrate the heroic actions of citizens who rescued Jews during the Holocaust.
The “Besa” museum (meaning faith or word of honour) in the historic House of Toptans, was announced by Albanian prime minister Edi Rama during a visit to Jerusalem at a gala event honouring Albania’s Righteous Among the Nations.
The nation’s ministry of culture has launched
an open design competition funded by Israeli philanthropist Alexander Machkevitch, who said: “I am humbled to be a part of this important project that will memorialise the bravery of Albanians who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. “This project is a testament to the power of solidarity and compassion in the face of darkness, and I hope it will inspire future generations to continue this legacy of kindness.”
Albania says it hopes the museum will pave the way for the creation of a hub celebrating Jewish history, tradition, culture and art.
Prime minister Rama said: “I believe we will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief from a longstanding burden of obligation to our children and visitors to our country, which is related to perhaps the most glorious page of Albanian history, the rescue of Jews during World War II.”
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The attack by West Bank settlers on the Palestinian town of Huwara on 26 February created some big questions for Jews in the diaspora. How to respond? How to support Israel? Is this who they are? Is this really who we are? Is more to come?
This newspaper sees its primary job as news reporting. Do we like reporting what happened at Huwara? Of course not. Would we rather cover the good that comes out of the region? Absolutely. Our children go to Israel in their teens and we want them to fall in love with the country just as we did.
Is a savage attack on a West Bank town by crazed Jews news? Of course. A senior IDF commander referred to the abomination as a “pogrom”? That is news every day of the week. Not only that: it’s important.
There’s no sugar coating, rose tinting, or mood music, nor would we want that. There’s just news. To the extent that we editorialise (as we’re doing here), it is to reflect the thinking of the community as we see it.
It was utterly tragic that the crimes of a mob overshadowed the murders earlier that day of two Jewish brothers. We and other media used pages set aside to remember them to report on the mayhem that ensued in the hours that followed.
To say we understand the urge to protect Israel, to stand up for Israel, and to champion Israel, is a towering understatement. Our record speaks for itself. But something’s wrong here. Something’s very wrong. And we strongly believe that the bulk of the British Jewish community senses it too. In fact, we conducted a survey last month, the results of which back it up.
Every year, we talk to others about not being bystanders, about not looking away. For the good of Israel – the nation sate of the Jewish people – the British Jewish community is neither standing by nor looking away when those waving Israeli flags go on the rampage. Nor are we.
Derek Taylor’s excellent column, A good job for Jews in Westminster, made compelling reading but omitted reference to perhaps the most significant Jewish cabinet minister of the 20th century – one whose principal achievement can still be seen. The career of secretary of state for war (19371940), Leslie Hore-Belisha, famous as transport minister for the flashing amber lights (“Belisha beacons”) at zebra crossings, should also be reviewed from an antisemitism perspective. His removal by Chamberlain from the War Office in 1940 was believed to be triggered by those wanting to appease Hitler – a Jew at the War Office was considered unhelpful. It is also thought antisemitism prevented him getting other roles his talents deserved. He is hence very important in Jewish parliamentary history, and should not be ignored.
Gary Mond Chairman, National Jewish AssemblyI’m opposed to proposed changes to the Supreme Court in Israel on two grounds. First, it is desirable the court should be able to assess the legality of proposed legislation or executive action in relation to the constitution. Second, it is wrong for the executive branch of government to be able to pack the Supreme Court with judges who favour the actions of the governing power. This would transform the court from an independent branch of government to servant status.
It is notable that two of those writing in last week’s Jewish News have a record of supporting the right-wing ideology that is currently in office in Israel.
Alan Finlay, By email
Last week’s story headlined ‘Meals on wheels duo retire after 30 years’ carried an incorrect image. The picture we used was not of Annie Hurley and Sid Grant as captioned. We are happy set the record straight.
I’ve spent the last few months shaking my head at Jewish News front pages bemoaning the political direction of Israel. I refused to add my voice to calls for the new coalition to be taken to task. Israel is for Israelis, after all. But in the wake of the savage, unspeakable attack on an entire West Bank village by Jews, who are being empowered by members of the current government, I can remain silent no longer. This is not my Israel. This is no longer a country I recognise. I am demoralised by its direction and by those it has allowed to lead it. The current coalition contains wicked people entirely unworthy of public roles. They betray the Jewish state and the Jewish people. It is time for the diaspora to be on the right side of this.
Mel Sacks, By email
We will now see the result of what the settlers have done. This will now be held up as the face of Israel – the murder of the two Israeli brothers forgotten, their deaths made irrelevant. What madness came over the settlers? We have a world in turmoil, man-made and by nature, as we witness in Turkey and Ukraine. Will we ever see the world in peace again?
Sidney Sands, N12Your columnist Jenni Frazer decries Israeli minister Amichai Chikli for telling American Jews to mind their own business because they give Israel money. In other words, as long as you give us a few shekels you can run the country for us and tell us what to do.
At last there is a government in power that has had enough of bowing to money and pressure by our “friends”.
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James R Windsor’s letter (2 March) claims: “The [Israeli] Supreme Court has judicial veto power over appointments to the bench which it uses to exclude jurisprudentially diverse judges.”
This is simply untrue. Under Section 4 of the Basic Law on the Judiciary, judges are selected by a nine-member committee including judges and Bar Association representatives and chaired by the Minister for Justice.
It is disappointing Jewish News is willing to print fakenews conspiracy theories about these appointments.
Rabbi Gabriel KanterWebber, Brighton (Written in a personal capacity)
Jewish News is owned by The Jacob Foundation, a registered UK charity promoting cohesion and common ground across the UK Jewish community and between British Jews and wider society. Jewish News promotes these aims by delivering dependable and balanced news reporting and analysis and celebrating the achievements of its vibrant and varied readership. Through the Jacob Foundation, Jewish News acts as a reliable and independent advocate for British Jews and a crucial communication vehicle for other communal charities.
Ihave visited Israel during military conflict, times of despair and hardship, and also at times of great national elation. However, this was the hardest week I have ever witnessed.
I was there to visit my daughter but my visit coincided with the conference of the Institute for National Security Studies which I attended.
It also coincided with incidents of terror, mass demonstrations, febrile political debate and pervasive feelings of outrage.
While there I saw groups of people on the streets calmly demonstrating against the judicial reforms.
As I arrived at the conference I walked through a sea of Israeli flags, held by young and old together.
It was a peaceful display of patriotism and of a healthy vibrant democracy.
Little did I know that a similar demonstration later in the day would turn violent as the police turned on protestors with stun
grenades and tear gas. That evening I heard that government minister Bezalel Smotrich had horrifyingly called for the wiping out of a Palestinian town following the murder of two Jewish brothers.
The conference was deeply unsettling. I heard intelligence experts describe Iran as days away from full nuclear enrichment, generals described instability in Lebanon and the ‘perfect storm’ in the Palestinian authority.
They were blunt about these challenges, these issues have been here for a long time, they are not going away and there are constantly evolving strategies and plans in place.
More concerning was hearing a former attorney general claim that the judicial reforms amount to “regime change”, to a “constitutional coup”.
Generals expressed concern that the resilience of the nation was being challenged, that reservists were considering whether to serve and the social cohesion of the country was at risk.
President Herzog’s call that these are “fateful days” with Israel being on “the verge
Letter writer James R Windsor (Reforms are long overdue, 2 March) claims Henry Grunwald and Vivian Wineman are wrong to ask the current Israeli government to respect the independence of Israel’s judiciary by not advancing the proposed radical reforms.
Although I agree with him when he says democracy means those who make laws have been vested with that authority by the majority of citizens, he overlooks one of the most important aspects of democracy. It is not a system where the winners are given carte blanche allowing them to do as they please.
I might be a diaspora Jew, yet the fact that Israel is known as the Jewish State gives Jews like Henry Grunwald, Vivian Wineman and myself the right to voice our opinions.
I hope Mr Windsor understands the Israeli left also has the same right, perhaps even more than someone who is not part of the left, like myself, does, as it is their taxes that
pay Bibi’s salary! Mr Windsor says the left are simply clones of one another – such a generic statement could be thrown at any political opponent for any and no reason.
I believe generalisations like that are a clear sign of a very emotional approach, which I can certainly understand given the current situation of the serious conflict between Mr Netanyahu’s government and the judiciary of the State of Israel.
Will ‘the long overdue judicial reforms strengthen democracy’? Perhaps, but I can hardly ignore Mr Michael Oren’s judgment when he (a veteran advocate of judicial reform) says an override of Supreme Court decisions ‘based on the slimmest possible Knesset majorities and an exclusive government right to appoint all judges’ will effectively eliminate judicial checks.
David Frencel, Hendonof constitutional and social collapse” was a powerful intervention and hearing stories of my friends’ children wanting to leave the country was the most chilling conversation of all. Israel’s democracy is in peril; nationalism, fundamentalism and racism are outpacing liberalism, moderation and respect for minorities.
As someone who engages with Israel, this is a very disconcerting moment. There are many in our community who feel that it is vital for us to speak out, to condemn the current government and its more extreme members.
There are on the other hand those who feel that since we don’t live in the country, we don’t vote, we don’t send our children to the military, and we don’t exist under a daily threat of terror or war, that we don’t have the right to pass judgment.
Each of us will no doubt make up our own mind on how to confront this challenge.
My position is that of a deeply concerned friend who feels that the Israel I have always loved is in danger.
Yes, within Israel there are tremendous stresses and strains. Not knowing one day of
peace since its foundation, living with terror and war, building a nation from so many di erent versions of Jewish and non-Jewish life is an immense challenge.
Our commitment is being tested and how we react may define Israel and diaspora relations for decades to come. Israel is already beset with enough enemies and we will never join their ranks.
However, we do have a role to play in safeguarding Israel as a liberal democracy.
Should the rule of law collapse, should democracy be abandoned, should individual rights be abrogated, then this would become an Israel we no longer recognise.
It would be the great tragedy of our time.
We must remain engaged, to stay on the inside of this battle, to support the voices of moderation and to remain loyal to the vision of the nation’s founders.
As stated in its Declaration of Independence – Israel will be a country “based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel”. Amen.
A longer version of this column can be read on the Jewish News website
The front pages of your newspaper seem to have a fixation with lambasting the government of Israel, despite being democratically elected.
Last week your front page, headlined ‘Pogrom’, stooped to levels I wouldn’t expect even from The Guardian
Following a week when a second set of brothers in their twenties were brutally murdered by terrorists and an American Jewish tourist
killed, you lead with the inexcusable reaction of their neighbours to the unfortunately regular murders that we are seeing.
While no one can condone their actions, your failure to highlight the trigger is damning. Imagine that those killed were from LGBTQ community, I have no doubt that your front page would be different
Saul Meyer, HendonIf your website is representative of UK Jewry, then the community in the United Kingdom is in serious trouble. You are completely out of tune with the new conservative and traditional Jewish majority in Israel.
You are woke beyond belief, on par with other British papers such as The Guardian and Independent D Aarons, Jerusalem
day, call or email to check for mail Flexible
hours
At a dinner with a top British diplomat in Tel Aviv less than a year ago, we discussed how the embassy allocated its time. The answer was surprising. In the past the main focus of UK diplomacy in Israel was the peace process, events relating to settlement activity, Gaza and the West Bank which occupied at least 70 percent of the bandwidth.
Times had changed. The Foreign O ce in London and embassy now saw things through a di erent lens. The relationship with Jerusalem was focused on the economy, trade and finance. Britain was buying into Israel’s high-tech, life sciences, communications and telecoms revolution.
UK FTSE100 firms and tech start-ups were developing ever deeper relations with their Israeli counterparts. In almost every sphere, ranging from health care and the NHS to gambling platforms, Britain and Israel were locked into enduring trade relationships. Indeed, the
importance of these had been underlined by the Abraham Accords which enabled cross-fertilisation in many of these areas across the Gulf where the UK has longstanding economic commitments especially in Saudi Arabia.
More than 12 months on one suspects the relationship which saw former President Reuven Rivlin on an o cial visit to London and former foreign minister/deputy Prime Minister Yair Lapid joyously lighting the Chanukah candles alongside Boris Johnson at Number 10 has lost lustre.
The ultra-right backed Netanyahu government’s judicial overhaul has caused a strong backlash in the British Jewish community, in some cases eroding the ‘Israel right or wrong’ attitude. As seriously a media tide, which had after decades of criticism seemed to be turning in Jerusalem’s favour, is being demolished with questions again asked about the moral authority of Israel’s democracy.
The most recent edition of the Observer carried no less than three lengthy articles on Israel’s drift to ‘despotism’ and hardships of Palestinians.
Following the recent outbreak violence
in the West Bank, Britain’s Ambassador to Israel Neil Wigan tweeted: ‘Terrible scenes in Huwara with reports of a Palestinian man killed in a settler attack and many more injured.’ Once again Israel-Palestine is dominating the narrative in diplomatic circles.
Lives, both Jewish and Palestinian, will always be more important than commerce.
But no one can ignore the detrimental impact of the judicial reforms (and subsequent violence) on Israel’s economic relations.
No so long ago Unilever won praise for sticking with Israel and Ben & Jerry’s sales in the West Bank and settlements after protests from the ice cream maker’s Vermont-based board.
Now it is start-ups, cyber security and financial pioneers such as Wiz moving their funds and operations out of Israel. The Israeli Central Bank, a beacon for monetary wisdom, also has mildly joined the dissenters.
Israel is fighting a long and painful battle against Arab-inspired boycotts of the country’s economy. It is paradoxical that having won many of the arguments on the trading and tech front, Israel’s own cutting-edge digital sector finds itself in the firing line.
At a briefing last month, Tel Aviv University Professor Uzi Rabi, an expert on Arab and Iranian a airs, argued that the Abraham Accords was a game changer for Israel and the Middle East. Beyond all the hype about kosher restaurants, shul openings and tourism, there had been a shifting of the tectonic plates in the Middle East.
The security ties building with Gulf nations (and hidden to view Saudi Arabia) are changing the position of Israel in the world forever at time when Iranian development of centrifuges has reached nuclear weapons grade.
There has been an irresistible switch to the Israeli view of the security risks in the region.
The autocracies of the Gulf are unlikely to be that moved by judicial changes: they have no legitimacy on that front at all.
But if the mood in the Arab street changes, over the West Bank violence, progress made will be setback.
Israel’s reputation as a modern, liberal democracy and global pioneer in technology currently is at stake. The prosperity it has delivered to large parts of the population (if not the Arab minority) faces fundamental challenge which could take decades to repair.
British society today embraces the idea that di erent cultures, religions and lifestyles are all valid and valuable, that we should live not in a melting pot, but in a mosaic, viewing the country as consisting of a colourful array of di erent communities, all contributing in their unique way.
The prime minister, a practising Hindu, hosts Jewish holiday receptions at Downing Street, faith leaders write columns of interest in the national press, British universities celebrate festivals of different cultures and the issues of minority groups are advocated for in the public sphere.
Such an embrace is remarkable, and I am thankful for it.
However, within our own community, such is not the case. Too many in the Jewish community are quick to respect the cultures of others, to have an interest, curiosity and respect for other, totally foreign ways of living. Yet, when they turn inwards and gaze at other
groups within the Jewish community, all that respectful validation, that acceptance of the mosaic of British life, dissolves into thin air.
Simply put, despite the tolerance of other religions, there seems little or no tolerance towards members of our own.
Why do we think we have the right to criticise those who have a di erent Jewish way of life to us just because we are also Jewish?
The Jewish people in Biblical times comprised a dozen tribes and, as the saying goes, “no two people were created alike”.
In pre-war Europe, Romanian Jewry was di erent from German Jewry, Moroccan rabbis seemed a world away at times from their Italian colleagues. Today, all these groups live in the same cities, London, New York, and Jerusalem, yet their di erences still need to be recognised and valued, each on its own terms.
Why are Charedi Jews seen as fair game for complaints, as opposed to acceptance? These complaints are not just rants over a private family Shabbat table. Those from traditional Jewish communities have been busy animating Westminster with their intolerance of the Charedi community. Where is this
appreciation of a mosaic, the realisation others can happily remain di erent?
These activists would never dare campaign against Sikh education or Imam training academies in the UK, say, but when it comes to their own, they do, and with a bren.
I accept it is di cult to truly understand another community as an outsider. But why is such e ort expended trying to do so with other faiths while sneering at our own?
One Jewish activist wrote recently about how the modest dress of others was abusive to her and how oppressed she felt by the clothing and religious norms displayed at a Stamford Hill function she attended as a guest!
A good friend of mine was angry that a lovely Friday night dinner he attended at his rabbi’s home was “wrecked by the insulting intolerance” of the rebbitzen, who recoiled when he leant in to kiss her. “She just ruined the evening. I was horrified” he told me.
When I pointed out the rebbitzen was probably more upset than he was, I was told to “get a life and join the 21st century”!
When these activists visit a mosque, do they not cover their hair? Would my friend at the
dinner really try to kiss an Imam’s wife!? Do they yell “Don’t oppress me” if the warden at the church they are visiting asks them to cover their bare arms!?
But to frum people and Charedi Jews there is simply sneering: “I am as Jewish as you and so I don’t have to respect you.”
Stamford Hill is replete with cultural values we would only be so lucky to have. The pervasive, all-embracing presence of family and friends across the generational divides, the acts of kindness that permeate the community, charitable organisations busy day and night helping with any and all problems, the sense productivity and purpose, and the feeling of belonging and identity, to mention but a few.
True, their dress, Shabbat, speech, and simchas may look di erent from yours and mine but they are entitled to the respect we give, naturally and without thinking, to all other groups di erent to our own.
Let us respect their unique place in this mosaic of modern life. To those obsessing about respect for protected characteristics, please remember people of faith and religion are a protected characteristic too.
On International Women’s Day, we share powerful stories about powerful women. We celebrate women who defend other women, who have brought about change, who have shaped the world.
However, this International Women’s Day, I ask you to remember the stories that are not heard: the women who never get mentioned, whose voices never make these pages. Women not on a Jewish News 20-Under-20 list, or who will never be invited to the Downing Street Chanukah party. Women whose basic rights are being denied by the men who are invited. Why does this go unchallenged? Do these women not count on International Women’s Day?
Thousands of Chasidic women across the UK are not allowed to drive. It became a public scandal in the UK 2015. Despite this, nothing has changed.
This isn’t a hidden abuse. It’s not something leaders will deny – in 2015, Chaya Spitz of the Interlink Foundation said “the rule is key” to Chasidic identity but “this
is not Saudi Arabia, and women will not be flogged for driving”.
The narrative portrayed is that women don’t want the responsibility of driving, or at least accept that it is an acceptable restriction that they embrace, no different from wearing a wig or a skirt.
That may be true for some but is far from a universal attitude within Charedi circles. It is worth noting although Saudi Arabia has recently lifted its ban on women driving, Chasidic leaders haven’t.
Ordinary Chasidic women have told me they feel stuck being prevented from driving. Every one I spoke to told me not being able to drive made planning and controlling their own lives incredibly difficult. Women with medical conditions (including mental health concerns) described the impossible task of managing busy households while trying to get to and from frequent medical appointments.
Charitable organisations that pay for taxis don’t solve the problem of chronic lateness, being unable to manage their own schedule and the overall lack of independence. Devastatingly, several women described a culture of sexual harassment from taxi drivers in firms frequently patronised by the community.
Women described being dependent on their husbands for lifts and the difficulties that brought – ironically, one woman told me she was given a heter (halachik dispensation) to learn to drive because the rabbi agreed her husband was unreliable.
He wouldn’t let the couple use his name when telling people about their dispensation in case it became known he had become permissive about women’s driving. The reputational risk to the rabbi himself was too great.
Another woman told me her husband threatened to divorce her if she learned
THOUSANDS OF CHASIDIC WOMEN ACROSS THE UK ARE NOT PERMITTED TO DRIVE A CAR
to drive and followed through on his threat. She told me she was so angry that pregnant women have to traipse around with all their children in extreme heat and extreme cold, while men get to drive around comfortably.
Women described staying in cramped housing in town centres because they rely on being within walking distance of schools and shops, stopping them moving to newer communities with more space because they fear being stuck at home.
Women are asking rabbis for reasons and justifications for the restriction and it’s hard to get a straight answer other than es pas nisht (it’s unbecoming).
One woman told me she asked her rabbi for permission to learn to drive and he said when women drive they feel very empowered and the men should be the ones to feel this way, not the women.
She was mortified by his response, and is still struggling to find a way to find beauty in her tradition, still trying to make sense of it.
This International Women’s Day, I urge you to think beyond women who are in the public eye and spare a thought for the woman waiting at the bus stop with her double buggy.
Having written a Jewish News column on a completely di erent subject only recently, I am loth to burden readers with another.
Events in Israel, however, make it impossible to avoid speaking out. I am referring, of course, to the recent pogrom in Huwara. The fact that, in the sole Jewish state, innocent people can see their houses, possessions and hence their livelihoods destroyed; that large numbers have been severely maimed and, in at least, one case, killed, is serious enough.
The fact that the army stood by and allowed this to happen, however, is far worse. The army which can use tear gas and other riot control means to suppress peaceful demonstrators in Tel Aviv, is unable to restrain a mob breaching the law to attack innocent Palestinians and destroy their property and endanger their lives.
I sense an objection here. Are these Palestinians innocent? Don’t they want to kill Israelis, and destroy the state?
It is true that there are many Palestinians who are bitterly hostile to Israel, and
to Jews, but collective punishment of an entire community, including people who have clearly done nothing wrong, like young children, is no response to this hostility.
Besides on purely prudential grounds this is a disastrous policy. The Arabs in Israel and the territories are not going to leave, for all Ben Gvir’s rhetoric about who is the the Ba’al Habayit?(the master of the house).
They are a substantial minority – possibly soon a majority – in any event a group, who whether they are given basic rights or not, are a permanent presence in the land and whose rights and welfare deserve respect.
Some months ago I wrote about an unprovoked pogrom in a completely di erent part of the west Bank, in Mufagara in the South Hebron hills.
There, a Jewish mob, though less violent than this one, rampaged through a Palestinian village while soldiers looked on
and only intervened to restrain residents who tried to resist the rioters. That event, however, seemed to end well.
The head of the local army unit, Aluf Yehuda Fuchs, met with the residents of the village (itself a big advance)and acknowledged that the job of the army was to protect all residents. It sounded quite noble at the time but, in fact, was no more than a statement of the obvious.
What is a government’s purpose if, not to protect its citizens? – and that surely means all its citizens. Nevertheless it seemed mean spirited not to welcome Aluf Fuchs’ words. We hoped that this would mark a new beginning. How wrong we were.
Much has happened since that pogrom. Most notably a new government in which law and order is the responsibility of Itamar Ben Gvir a man who by his own account has been indicted more than 13 times on charges of incitement and has been convicted.
A man, who the IDF refused to accept as a common soldier, because of his extremist views and criminal record, who kept a photo in his o ce of Baruch Goldstein, the mass murderer who killed 29 Arabs, using a machine gun, wounding 105 others, when they were at prayer in a mosque in 1994, is now in charge of security in the Occupied Territories.
The next twist to this story though shocking is not surprising. Of at least one hundred people involved in the riot only 11 were arrested and now all those Jewish people arrested have been released three into house arrest.
What message is this meant to put out? When criminals are not even being charged it can only be that their actions are not regarded as proper crimes and that the Palestinian residents of Huwara are not entitled to the protection of the law. The riot was bad but the government’s indi erence is worse.
While democracy is about the rule of the people, by the people, for the people expressed by a majority of them it is also about the rule of law. To paraphrase Lord Denning ‘be you ever so high the law is above you and be you ever so low the law will protect you’.
Lets hope the rulers of Israel reflect on these words.
On the one hand their stories were unique to the experiences of Ethiopian Jews. On the other, however, that yearning for freedom, safety and security in Israel is quintessential to the experience of Jews the world over.
To witness to the reunion of families in Israel and the fulfilment of their dreams was unforgettable. It was also a reminder of the centrality of Israel to providing Jews with a dream of a better life wherever they are from and whatever challenges they face. I see that also with the growing wave of olim arriving in Israel as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I am proud of the work UJIA is undertaking alongside Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency, helping with the absorption of Ukrainian and Russian Jews for whom Israel remains a safe haven from the ravages of war.
That work is vital and the need for it cannot be overstated. The same is true about Ethiopian Jews seeking to make Aliyah and join their families in Israel. In 2020, the Israeli government granted 3000 Ethiopians the right to immigrate to Israel as party of a family reuni-
fication programme for those with a brother, sister or parent already living in the country.
As yet, however, just over 1,500 of that 3,000 have arrived. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons including Israeli government legislation, many families remain separated. Some of the olim I travelled with have waited almost a decade to be reunited with loved ones.
We met one family of four in Gondar who were not with us on the flight. They have been waiting patiently for six years to make Aliyah. They recently sold their home and belongings to be ready for the move and are now living in one tiny room.
The father’s sister, wife and in-laws are already in Israel. He hopes that he and the rest of the family can join them in May and I could sense his excitement at the prospect. I believe we should do everything we can to ensure that this Jewish family’s dream is fulfilled.
The Jewish Agency operation in Gondar is remarkable, undertaking brilliant work to help Ethiopian Jews prepare for challenges and opportunities of life in Israel. Yet the future for Ethiopian olim beyond that number of 3000 is uncertain and could be a ected by Israeli government legislation. If that was to happen, many whose greatest aspiration is to live as
Jews within the Jewish state would remain unfulfilled.
For those who make the trip, however, there can be no doubt as to what it means to them. As our plane touched down at Ben Gurion airport, amid singing and applause, I was moved to be among 124 Ethiopian olim as they lived out
their Jewish dream.
It was a reminder both of Israel’s importance as a homeland for global Jewry and of our duties and responsibilities to our fellow Jews the world over. It was, for me, one of the privileges of my life truly to witness what it means to be a Jewish people.
OF AT LEAST 100 PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE HUWARA RIOT ONLY 11 WERE ARRESTED
❝
GIFT facilitated pre-Purim activities in London, Manchester and Israel. Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue hosted ‘Torah and Wrap’, an evening of Purim inspiration with the rabbinic team, followed by a talk from GIFT founding director Michelle Barnett. Mothers and daughters from the batmitzvah programme packed 300 Mishloach Manot to be given to individuals and families in the community.
Artist Beverley-Jane Stewart was in conversation with Jewish historian Charles Landau at the National Holocaust Centre and Museum in Nottinghamshire discussing British Jewish life as seen through her paintings in communities around the country. The collection of her work on this subject, L’Chaim, is currently on display at the museum. About 100 guests attended the talk, followed by a tour of the Holocaust exhibitions.
People supported by Norwood joined with staff from across the organisation and family members to attend the charity’s annual Purim party in London. There was an array of imaginative costumes on display, as everyone got into the Purim spirit with a live DJ and party food.
300 guests joined the Israeli singer Danny Robas for his first concert in London, which raised £12,000 for people in need at the Manna Meir Panim centre in Or Akiva. Danny performed his Israeli songs in Hebrew and Beatles songs in English. The event’s producer, Shay Har-Zion, who played the keyboard for a few songs alongside Danny said plans are under way to bring more Israeli artists to London to raise funds for Meir Panim activities in Israel.
Picture: Tammy Shefler Kazhdan
The Blue & White Club, a hub for young adults post-university, organised a sold-out Purim party in Shoreditch. The event brought together over 200 people from across London. Amber Pinto, club director, said the group want to “get together to celebrate Israel in a welcoming, inclusive, and open-minded space”. The club has curated professional partners including financiers, diplomats, actors and journalists.
Project ImpACT’s Youth Community Kitchen volunteers rolled their sleeves up and baked hundreds of delicious hamantaschen at JW3. They shared traditional Jewish Purim foods with local food banks and shelters in Barnet and Camden as well as with Jewish Care. This special session was part of their weekly Youth Community Kitchen that has over 150 teens cooking every week for local food banks.
Year 5 and 6 Wolfson Hillel girls team competed in the Luton Regional Finals representing Tottenham Hotspur. This was the first time the girls had played in an elite level competition. They battled to the end and out of 25 football teams they progressed to the semi-finals.
London housemates Marisa Poster and Teddie Levenfiche, both 25, appeared on BBC1’s Dragons’ Den last week to ask for £50,000 to invest in their PerfectTed business, which they created together with Teddie’s brother Levi, 28, who also happens to be Marisa’s boyfriend (do keep up!). All five Dragons made an o er in what was the first clean sweep of the series following the pair’s enthusiastic and infectious pitch. But it was Steven Bartlett and Peter Jones who Teddy and Marisa opted to work with, for a £25,000 investment for a five percent share from each.
Pretty impressive given that neither of them, by their own admission, has much food or drink experience.
Teddie, who went to UCS (University College School) and grew up watching Dragons’ Den with his dad, was determined to appear on the show one day. “I studied international relations then worked in management consultancy and was meant to go to law school, but now this has kind of taken over,” he says. “Every day is a beautiful disaster that we are figuring out.”
Teddie credits his childhood best friend (who was also at UCS) Jack Morgan, who died in 2019 aged 22, as the inspiration behind his entrepreneurship. “Jack loved Dragons’ Den and knew I wanted to start something. He inspired me to pursue
my passion and his passing away made me not want to waste another minute.”
Launched in 2021, PerfectTed (the name is a play on ‘perfected’ and ‘perfect 10’) was born from a desire to bring the green tea-powered energy drinks – made with matcha and flavoured with real fruit – to the masses. They have managed to get the range into more than 1,000 Tesco stores nationwide, plus Holland & Barrett, Planet Organic, Selfridges and Joe & the Juice, among other well-known retailers. There are three flavours: apple raspberry, pineapple yuzu, and pear ginger. The company also sells ceremonial-grade matcha powder.
American-born Marisa explains: “I have ADHD and anxiety and for years I su ered from the negative side-e ects of ca eine and sugary energy drinks. The jitters, crashes and heightened anxiety made my neurodiversity even harder to deal with.
Then I finally found the solution I’d been looking for: matcha green tea.”
The company’s website says the drink can keep you energised without the crashes of co ee, reduce anxiety and improve focus, energy and immunity. Marisa and Teddie met on their first day at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). They both went on to have successful careers in finance, Marisa in real estate finance, with stints at Starwood Capital Group, and Teddie worked as an associate consultant at Bain & Company. It was while putting in the long hours that they discovered the benefits of matcha as a healthy alternative to co ee.
When they returned to the UK, Marisa, Teddie and Levi, who live together in Fitzrovia, were surprised how few ready-to-drink options there were so they decided to create one. “We started making up large batches. We all feel so great after drinking matcha and want to help others feel as good as we do.” They poured their savings into the business and launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to get further funding, enabling them to finalise the PerfectTed branding and complete the first round of production.
The company is run from o ces in Queen’s Park, west London, and the matcha is farmed in Japan and produced from a facility in Devon. Marisa is responsible for advertising and marketing, Teddie for operations and sales, and Levi, also a UCS alumnus, for the financial side of the business, making them the ‘perfect team’ – or make that perfect match(a).
Isn’t it intense, living and working together? “It’s insanity,” says Teddie.” Marisa adds: “We clearly really enjoy one another’s company and it really does help the business, as being together and being able to work through things quickly is really e cient.”
Growing up in New York, Marisa was a member of the Temple Shaaray Tefila (synagogue). She moved to London, where she completed an MSc in innovation, entrepreneurship and management at Imperial College. She often attends Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue (Norrice Lea) on
Friday nights, with Teddie and Levi, who are members there.
Marisa says she has long been aware of the relationship between food and the body. Aged 17 she had a tumour in her hip. “I really started to focus on my diet and healthy food, as what you put in your body is so intrinsically tied to your health.”
the relationship between food and the body. focus as what you put in your body is so intrinsically
A few years later, she spent six months in Tel Aviv, studying at the Tel Aviv University as part of her university degree. As well as feeling “extremely connected to the Jewish community there” she was also inspired by the healthy way of living. “There was so much access to healthy food, and restaurants served a lot of healthy options. There was a focus on food as medicine and that definitely inspired me to want to set something up.”
feeling “extremely connected to the Jewish much access to healthy food, and restaurants
Fast forward and PerfectTed is on track for a turnover of £4m in the next 12 months, in addition to working with two of the nation’s most influential business figures in Steven Bartlett and Peter Jones.
How’s that going? “We have been working with Steven very closely,” says Teddie. “He’s an amazing supporter of the brand. We’re such huge fans of him and it’s through listening to his podcast that we have been able to get through the challenges of the first 16 months in business, so to have him on board as an investor, mentor and adviser is immensely helpful.” He adds: “There’s definitely an extra element to our brand now as everything we do is a reflection of Steven and his own brand –we’re incredibly motivated to prove him right for investing in us.”
• www.perfectted.com
The Jewish founders of a green tea-powered energy drink wowed the judges on Dragons’ Den. Candice Krieger finds out what inspires them
It’s perhaps inevitable that fiction writers will be asked whether their work has some grounding in truth. But Jo Bloom, who has been married for 16 years and whose new novel is about a couple opening up their marriage to other relationships, assures me that hers was merely researched. So if you’re after a salacious author story, you won’t find it here.
Jo’s book, Permission, is a gentle exploration of Fay and Steve, who have been married for more than 20 years and have settled into a bit of a rut. They have two children, the younger of whom is a complex character, and each has tricky family dynamics. Fay believes that an open relationship could reignite the spark they’ve lost and Steve, who is more reluctant to pursue the idea of sleeping with others, finally agrees. The book seeks to
answer whether their marriage can survive non-monogamy.
So, I ask Jo, is it a mid-life crisis that makes the pair decide to pursue other relationships inside the safety net of their genuinely caring and supportive marriage or are they just looking for trouble?
“It’s more of a reflection on a certain age and – obviously this is a massive generalisation – there’s a certain demographic… in your forties, with kids still at home, parents you have to look after, jobs, and you’ve been with somebody a very long time – the whole kind of treadmill that most of us seek to a certain extent, because it represents that we’ve got these full lives.
“I was really interested in the myriad feelings that people have around that. I’ve had lots of discussions with friends over the
years and those feelings are pretty universal. Instead of having an a air, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting, from a dramatic point of view, to explore a more consensual agreement to go out and look for a bit of excitement?’ Of course, the whole point is that it’s never that simple.”
It is easy to sympathise with both Fay and Steve. Fay’s desire to explore sexual experience – having had a full relationship only with Steve – is understandable, as is his initial reluctance. He fears rejection and craves normality, owing to a di cult relationship with his mother.
Jo, who lives in Brighton – where she says she is surrounded by people with an open approach to relationships – found it interesting what readers made of her characters. “Consensual non-monogamy, polyamory and all of that stu is so much more in the zeitgeist and mainstream than it ever has been before, it’s got a di erent experience. When you’re older, there’s more baggage involved. There were younger bloggers who felt Fay was really selfish and that all the sympathies were with Steve.
“That was interesting, because I didn’t think of Fay as being unsympathetic. I guess the fact that she took the lead is not always helpful, because she’s seen as the leader of the demise of it all. But I don’t think she anticipated that it was going to be as complex and as freefalling as it was. I don’t think she loved Steve any less.”
Permission is not autobiographical, Jo tells me, laughing. She read articles and books relating to open marriages but, unlike her super-successful debut novel, Ridley Road – which was about Jewish and other opposition to British neo-Nazis in the 1960s and involved copious amounts of research – this was very much an imagined work.
“It’s not my own experience at all. Probably, having written it, I would really be scared about [letting] that into my life. But it was about those feelings. I’ve been with my partner for a really long time, and I absolutely love my family but you’re not just one thing in life.”
She wrote it as she did because she wanted to write a realistic but thrilling read. “It’s not meant to be a universal comment on whether non-monogamy survives or succeeds –
everyone is di erent. It’s just one story, one couple – and it’s drama.
“I thought it was an interesting thing to explore once you have kids, baggage and history – it’s very di erent if you’re 21 and you don’t have any of that. There are di erent stakes. Can you really separate sex from emotions? Inviting somebody else into your life, whether it’s just sex or more, you are going to bring in a ton more feelings.
“I loved writing it. It tackles a demographic that you don’t widely see in literature, in fiction.”
We discuss the idea that no one is wholly bad or wholly good and Jo says: “That’s the point, isn’t it? Nothing is black or white. And if I had written something where they both followed the rules that they had set, it wouldn’t have been a page-turner, it wouldn’t have been propulsive.
“And also, I think that’s why [the] resolution at the end – is it resolution? We won’t know. But my parents have been married forever, and I remember my dad telling me that you can go right up to the wire with your partner, really go through terrible things, and still pull it back.
“I think that is a really important lesson –that you can grow with people through that kind of chaos.”
• Permission by Jo Bloom is published by Legend Press at £8.99 and is available now
PREPARE FOR SEDER with convenience thanks to Sabeny. Our Passover store is your one-stop shop for all things Kosher for Pesach, providing the widest selection of products available online to make your Passover shopping experience as easy as possible. From matzahs and kiddush wine to gi s and store-cupboard essentials, Sabeny has everything you need to make your Passover memorable. And with our delivery service, you can sit back and relax while we bring your Pesach shopping right to your door, wherever you are in the UK. And that’s not all – we’re excited to o er one lucky Jewish News reader a chance to win a £300 voucher to spend at the Sabeny Passover Shop. Visit www.jewishnews.co.uk/sabeny and enter for a chance to win this incredible prize. Visit passover.sabeny.com for more details.
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It may not be a Pesach miracle but it’s certainly convenient
Blurring the lines between hotel stay and retro music experience, the Prima Music in Eilat swings a little di erently. Music lovers seeking a feel-good vibe will find that this hotel hits all the right notes with a di erent musical theme on each floor, a nostalgia room and a full programme of evening musical entertainment.
Nestled between Eilat’s famed red mountains and the Red Sea, the hotel draws guests in with its coastal-style decor and beach resort ambience. Many rooms have views of the sea, which nicely reflect the bold colour palette in the hotel. Rooms come with cable TV and modern CD stereo system and the bathrooms are spacious and modern. Expect posters of Israeli musicians (our floor had pictures of luminaries such as Ofra Haza and Avi Ge en), rock, pop, Mediterranean (including Ladino) and classical artists.
The newly-renovated Nostalgia Room gives guests the chance to listen to their favourite vibes on vinyl. Whether your taste is classical music (listening to Chopin’s Barcarolle as the sun descends), disco classics to set the mood for a night of dancing, or Seventies rock for feel-good nostalgia, the room acts as a time capsule, indulging guests with the record-shop experience that has otherwise largely long died out. Guests, including kids and adults alike, happily mingle in this musicthemed utopia.
By night the lobby is converted into a stage. One evening we watched ‘Ari Houdini’ marvel the guests with his magic set. His Catskills-style schtick included having more birds appearing and disappearing from his arm than Warren Beatty. On the other nights a guitarist regaled the 100-strong audience with Israeli folk tunes, and a singer sang Israeli and western pop songs.
The large seawater pool, surrounded by spacious lawns, palm trees, cabanas and Ibiza-style chillout relaxation cushions, is quiet during the week as most guests go on activities. We took a trip to Petra. Tour companies arrange day visas and guided tours to view this wonderful, Unesco-protected site, the capital of the Nabataean Empire. Our Jordanian guide regaled us with stories about the historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan on a five km walk. Here, ancient Eastern and Hellenistic traditions blend. There is also the fascinating fusion of Hellenistic architectural facades with traditional Nabataean rock-cut temple and tombs including the Khasneh, the Urn Tomb, the Palace Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb and the Deir (monastery).
Petra is half-built and half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges architecture. All that walking and gazing made us
ravenous and we fell on a Jordanian vegetarian platter of baba ghanoush, pita bread, hummus and falafel.
The hotel’s generous breakfast bu et is cooked Israeli-style, including a pot pourri of cheeses, salads and breads. Cooked dishes include eggs benedict and shakshuka, patiently made by the friendly chefs, who are mainly Bedouins or Arabs. The hotel is kosher but it wears its orthodoxy lightly (there are indeed many European tourists and Druze guests). The ample meat bu et is the perfect fill at the end of long day of activities with soup, salads, red meat and chicken. There are also many restaurants around Almog Beach Marina, 300m away.
Guests have use of Coral Beach, a small beach five minutes from the hotel. Much more secluded than the main beach in Eilat’s port, it has an intimate quality with a stunning view of Jordan. The hotel’s gym was being renovated during my stay so I compensated by running along the promenade, which stretches alongside the Red Sea with the stunning backdrop of the desert hills.
The hotel is five minutes from the scuba diving resort, where you can enjoy guided snorkelling with dolphins. Group tours are cheaper, and fear not – they o er 1:1 instruction to ensure you greet the dolphins and experience the multicoloured reefs. The hotel also o ers
Prima Music, nestled between the mountains and the sea, is a friendly, laid-back base for visits to Petra and to the jeep tours and camel rides on o er in Eilat. Below: Coral Beach
easy access to the marina, jeep tours and camel rides.
If you want to sample the more upmarket restaurants in town and a larger beach, there are two buses that arrive every 20 minutes to take you into town (just 5km away). Or it’s a 10-minute taxi ride costing 40-50 shekels. Although pricey, the Ranch House is still the best kosher meat restaurant in Eilat – with meat imported directly from Nebraska. My 300g rib eye steak was delicious.
Eilat has grown in some sophis-
tication during the past few years. While part of the city is still a little down at heel, there is an emerging music scene. My last night coincided with the opening of the Eilat Winter Jazz Festival. Playing at the Port Arena, Jazz fusion group Third World Love performed Jazz with influences including African, Yemeni, Latin America, funk and blues.
easy access to the marina, jeep tours tication during the past few years.
If the sun isn’t enough to warm your soul, the music scene undoubtedly will.
• Rooms at Prima Music start at £120 a night: www.prima.co.il
Eilat Tourism Board has a list of recommended guides to Petra: eilatinfo@tourism.gov.il
The past two years have had a lasting impact on the world of work, yet we are still operating in uncharted waters, says LinkedIn business development manager Elinor Honigstein.
Honigstein, who joined LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking platform, last year, says: “By now, we would have thought the new working norms had been established. However, we are in fact still operating in uncharted waters where change and uncer tainty are the only constant.”
What is clear is that as we emerge from a post-pandemic period of accelerated change, the ‘Great Reshuffle’, where workers are rethinking how, why and where they work, has been shaking up the job market.
“Traditional assumptions are being ques-
tioned,” says Honigstein, former head of the UK office of the UK Israel Tech Hub, part of the British Embassy Israel.
“People reshuffled during the pandemic as many have been searching for more flexible jobs but also a stronger sense of purpose – jobs that align better with their own values.”
And workers are changing jobs at unprecedented rates.
Research last year by the CIPD ( Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) revealed that more than 6.5 million people in the UK were expected to quit their jobs in the six months after the survey; and a PwC study cited almost one in five UK staff likely to switch. Millennials in particular are moving: the workforce and global consulting research company Gallup found that 21 percent of millennials changed jobs last year, three times the figure for other age groups.
“The traditional career path of ‘a job for life’ is making way for a portfolio of broad and non-linear work experiences,” Honigstein says. “Remote working opportunities opened up the job market to potential candidates that might have otherwise been excluded.”
The Great Reshuffle brings with it a host of challenges for employers, particularly in attracting and retaining talent.
“The one that has been coming up often in my conversations with co-workers is employees are hungry for more learning and development opportunities if they are going to stay with their current employer,” Honigstein adds.
Contract for approx 6 months
Bids in the region of £10,000
Closing date now extended to Monday 27 March
We are seeking a consultant, consortium or organisation to carry out an independent review of our education provision, looking particularly at how effectively it reflects Jewish experience and addresses antisemitism.
The review is being overseen by an advisory group of Shoah survivors and Jewish community representatives, chaired by Marie van der Zyl OBE
The Anne Frank Trust UK is an education charity that empowers young people aged 9 to 15 to challenge all forms of prejudice, inspired by the life and work of Anne Frank.
The review is part of a plan to rebuild trust with the Jewish community after lapses in due diligence and organisational culture caused concern in 2022.
Application details at: www.annefrank.org.uk/ourvacancies
“According to a Microsoft survey, 76 percent of current employees consider these opportunities to be the number-one driver of great work culture. This means thinking beyond promotions and providing employees with the right resources and learning experiences as part of the flow of work.”
Also: “Understanding that employees leave is an important part of being able to support them in their growth. After all, you never know when they’ll come back – ‘boomerang’ employees accounted for five percent of all new hires in LinkedIn UK in 2021.”
Another challenge is being able to tap into diverse talent. Honigstein says: “Let’s take age diversity, for example. With four different generations now working together for the first time – Gen-Z, Gen-X, Millennials and Boomers – it has never been more critical to understand and leverage the multi-generational make-up of our workforce and to challenge our own biases in work by recruiting equitably.”
As the world changes, and the labour market changes with it, diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) is becoming increasingly valued by workers and businesses alike, she notes.
Passionate about the intersection of gender diversity and technology, Honigstein joined the Women @ LinkedIn Committee in London
after landing her new position at the social network. She launched the UK-Israel Women Leading Innovation Network and trained as a facilitator for Google’s #IamRemarkable initiative, which empowers women and other
under-represented groups to celebrate their achievements in the workplace. Honigstein recently joined the Regional Leadership team as programme manager at Women LinkedIn EMEA and aims to plan and execute a range of workshops for the community.
As employers deal with the ongoing Great Reshuffle, they are increasingly turning to a skills-based approach to hiring.
Honigstein says: “Many companies, including LinkedIn, are encouraging this. With candidate shortages across a variety of industries, skills-based hiring can help businesses and recruiters to unlock new talent pools, and we’re seeing them starting to recognise this.
“Rather than relying on past direct experience and formal qualifications, this approach helps to level the playing field for job seekers.”
It remains to be seen how much longer the Great Reshuffle will shuffle on, but companies will need to move quickly to refine their longterm working policies to ensure their business becomes a beacon for top talent and their existing talent has reason to stay.
Elinor Honigstein tells Candice Krieger that as workers rethink their lives, firms are looking for skills over experience when making hiring decisionsElinor Honigstein Employers face a host of challenges in their efforts to attract and retain top talent
21 PERCENT OF MILLENNIALS CHANGED JOBS LAST YEAR, THREE TIMES THE FIGURE FOR OTHER AGE GROUPS
BY RABBI ARIEL ABEL CHAPLAIN IN THE BRITISH ARMY AND SOLICITOR
gods of Egypt, Hapi-Ankh. Essentially, the Israelites grew nervous. How could they survive on their own, untied to a supporting economy? Egypt had been a spiritual and financial parent to the escaping hoard of slaves.
“They crowded against Aaron and said: Get up, make a god for us, who will lead us…”(Exodus 32:2-3)
In this week’s parsha, Ki Tissa, we read that Moses was missing. Rather than send a search party to look for him, a pressure group formed to install new leadership.
Some were tired of Moses because he was not Israelite enough. His brother seemed a better bet as a leader to trust.
Then again, the lobby who approached him had no intention to move over a liberationist theocracy from Moses into Aaron’s hands.
Far from being Israelite in character, the cult of the Golden Calf was pro-Egyptian. Perhaps this was an allegiance to one of the three bull-
Need
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It seemed madness to leave Egypt without a financial plan. Now, nervousness spilled over and became fear. When the people approached Aaron, they had genuine fear.
The vote to leave the European Union split the British nation. Some vehemently wished to leave, others – with equal vehemence – wished to stay. In the centre there may have been a large number unsure which alternative was better but wondering why the UK might not go it alone.
Naturally, independence, legal self-determination at every level, and freedom to negotiate one’s own deals are attractive ideas.
However, as with all major societal changes, there needs to be a clear plan and a fallback plan; an option A and an option B in every circumstance of organisational operation.
This is not a judgment call on the choices of the British electorate with respect to the European Union. Rather, it is an illustration of concerns about choices; a parallel between the struggle our nation has with belonging, a liation, financial security and safety, ideals and values, and the struggle for the same that the Israelites of ancient times underwent.
Above all this is the matter of strong leadership focused on achieving outcomes to benefit more than one party that appeals to the people.
Aharon was a mediator, a leader who predominantly saw both sides to a story and sought a mutually beneficial outcome.
The ideal scenario is one in which Moses does not disappear, and Aharon knows exactly where he is at all times and how to contact him. Moses’ strengths lay in vision; Aharon’s in implementation.
Brexit has had much vision, and many now question its ability to have seen clearly.
Regrexit has every reason to focus on
preparing for sustainable implementation, now that the UK’s economic fortunes are being sorely tested.
Our leaders and representatives – elected and employed, spiritual and temporal – need to listen even more carefully to the people.
Further changes may need to be made, and all parties should cooperate on achieving an outcome that the people can live with.
• Rabbi Abel contributed this piece in honour of his wedding anniversary
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Strong leaders must benefi t all
problem that has troubled leaders and challenged government stability for as long as humans have lived in organised societies.
It draws our attention to solutions on a social level, and the need we all have for those who have oversight of our entire food system to use the knowledge they have for the wellbeing of all.
“Find a man to lead you through the famine, with a flair for economic planning.” Those lines from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s telling of the Joseph story, as Joseph tells Pharoah that his dreams predict a serious disruption in the supply chain, could easily also be spoken in our political moment. When Joseph interprets Pharoah’s dream, he proposes a plan that elevates him to the status of lead adviser, and lifts Biblical Egypt up from sure disaster to the ability to navigate expected shortages e ectively.
The Joseph story reminds us that the question of how to plan for and manage the supply, storage, and distribution of food has been a
Debate may flow between politicians as to who is ultimately responsible for our current shortages, but the lesson the situation we find ourselves in underscores is that these issues are not for individuals to solve by personal stockpiling or finding our own sources of goods.
When it is left to individuals to figure out a way through these situations, those with more means are able to secure what they need, also creating market conditions that further disadvantage others who perhaps did not have the means or the knowledge to make similar plans.
Joseph’s solution is to look at society as a whole, to understand how the coming reality impacts what people need, and to make fair and reasonable asks (in their case to centralise resources, perhaps in our case not to stockpile
or to eat more turnips) so that a sensitive food system is able to weather the storm.
The whole Jewish year is shaped by agricultural festivals, and by a religious awareness of the rhythms of the world around us and the cycles of our crops. Perhaps the constant avail-
ability of food regardless of the season has dulled our awareness of the rhythms of our natural world, and the cycle of the Jewish year might pull us back into consciousness and more sustainable consumption, and encourage us to advocate for better planning.
A stimulating series where our progressive rabbis consider how Biblical figures might act when faced with 21st-century issues
Joseph would have found a way to prevent these empty shelves
Our trusty team of advisers answers your questions about everything from law and finance to dating and dentistry. This week: Returning to work, menstrual symptoms and shipping containers to Israel...
ERIC SALMON CAREER ADVISER RESOURCE
Dear Eric, I’m looking for a job after a seven-year career break. Everyone is telling me I need to network. How do I go about it?
KatieDear Katie
Networking is essential for your job search, because as many as 70% of jobs come through the “hidden” job market. That is, not widely advertised or available through recruitment agencies, which of course you should also be contacting.
Networking is not about asking directly for a job. It is important that as many people as possible are aware of your situation. They
ANGELA DAY-MOORE MENAPAUSE CHAMPION
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Many thanks, Linda
Hi LindaThanks for letting us know the LaBalance has
can then support you with information about current trends and opportunities in the job market of which you may not be aware.
They can extend your existing network by making introductions so more people know about you and what you have to o er and can help you find roles which you would not have come across.
Prepare a brief, around 30 seconds, introduction - often called an elevator pitch.
This should cover the kind of role you are seeking, your relevant transferrable skills and your achievements.
Ask for help and advice regarding your chosen area of interest or enquire who they can introduce you to who could help.
Most people are very happy to help and give advice.
Eventually you will meet people who do have a vacancy or, being impressed by your abilities and proactivity, will create a role.
had a wonderful impact on improving your menopause symptoms. We are so pleased for you!
Yes, your niece may also wear a LaBalance it does work di erently on everyone, but we have many teenagers who wear one to ease their menstrual pains and if for any reason it is not e ective, as its successful for seven out of 10 users, we provide a 90 day money back guarantee. LaBalance takes anywhere between 48 hours to 90 days to work fully –although most people benefit in the first few weeks.
STEPHEN MORRIS REMOVALS MANAGING DIRECTOR STEPHEN MORRIS SHIPPING LTD.
Dear Stephen You emailed to warn me of a possible inspection of my container just about to arrive in Ashdod – but why? Sima
Dear Sima Why? Well, recently, Israeli Customs have taken a closer look at what is in the containers and it would
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appear that a large proportion of imports into Israel are being inspected for –wait for it – drugs!! I have absolutely no idea what’s the reason behind this. My company has never knowingly shipped any drugs anywhere and our containers have never previously been inspected for drugs.
This week, I have had two containers stopped and searched (obviously with nothing in any way linked to drugs found). But the searches are aimed at ALL imported shipments not just us and we have only had 2 cartons opened in the first container and then sealed by Customs and replaced in the container. Other shippers have not been so lucky!!
We as a company are
totally honest as to what is in a shipment that we take to Israel. We comply with all the laws and regulations and we have a clean 45+ years’ history. So, provided we handle ALL the packing then we know that there is no contraband included in your shipment and we know that the packing will withstand an extra lot of handling, then you can sleep easy.
The only bad news is that with these inspections, the port will charge for an inspection and for any storage of your shipment in the port whilst it awaits inspection. The charges vary according to the depth of inspection. Very often it is just an X-ray but it could be a full container for a few thousand shekels.
Got
Got a question for a member of our team?
Email: editorial@jewishnews.co.uk
DR MONICA QUADIR
Qualifications:
• Consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist with more than 12 years of experience in treating young people and their families, both in the NHS and privately
• Expertise in assessing neurodevelopmental conditions, such as ADHD and autism, and supporting families to manage these conditions
• Medical director at Psymplicity Healthcare, a private mental health clinic based in London, with a national online presence
PSYMPLICITY HEALTHCARE 020 3733 5277
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TREVOR GEE
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• 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
PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST PATIENT HEALTH 020 3146 3444/5/6 www.patienthealth.co.uk trevor.gee@patienthealth.co.uk
JEWELLER
JOE OZER
Qualifications:
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• Worked in finance for more than 20 years
• Specialists in distribution and promotion of Israel Bonds
DEVELOPMENT COMPANY FOR ISRAEL 020 3936 2712
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joe.ozer@israelbondsintl.com
JONATHAN WILLIAMS
Qualifications:
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• 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
JEWELLERY CAVE LTD 020 8446 8538 www.jewellerycave.co.uk jonathan@jewellerycave.co.uk
DIRECTOR OF LEGACIES
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
KKL EXECUTOR AND TRUSTEE COMPANY 020 8732 6101 www.kkl.org.uk enquiries@kkl.org.uk
REMOVALS MANAGING DIRECTOR
STEPHEN MORRIS
Qualifications:
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• 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
STEPHEN MORRIS SHIPPING LTD 020 8832 2222 www.shipsms.co.uk stephen@shipsms.co.uk
DR BEN LEVY
Qualifications:
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• Uses robust, evidence-based methods to help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be
• Works with clients individually to maximise success
MAKE IT HAPPEN 07779 619 597
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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
JEWISH DEAF ASSOCIATION 020 8446 0502
www.jdeaf.org.uk mail@jdeaf.org.uk
LOUISE LEACH
Qualifications:
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• Former contestant on ITV’s Popstars, reaching bootcamp with Myleene Klass, Suzanne Shaw and Kym Marsh
• Set up Dancing with Louise 19 years ago
DANCING WITH LOUISE 075 0621 7833
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Info@dancingwithlouise.com
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.
RICHDALE CONSULTANTS LTD
020 7781 8019 www.richdale.co.uk jacob@richdale.co.uk
MENOPAUSE CHAMPION LABALANCE
ANGELA DAY-MOORE
Qualifications:
• Founder & CEO Sassy La Femme Women’s Wellness
• Passionate about women’s wellbeing
• Home to LaBalance
• Recommended by fellow women for period, perimenopause & menopause
MENOPAUSE CHAMPION LABALANCE 0333 188 6580 www.sassylafemme.com hello@sassylafemme.com
DONNA OBSTFELD
Qualifications:
• FCIPD Chartered HR Professional
• 25 years in HR and business management.
• Mediator, business coach, trainer, author and speaker
• Supporting businesses and charities with the hiring, managing, inspiring and firing of their staff
DOHR LTD
020 8088 8958 www.dohr.co.uk donna@dohr.co.uk
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
NEFESH B’NEFESH 0800 075 7200 www.nbn.org.il dov@nbn.org.il
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
LLOYD PLATT & COMPANY SOLICITORS
020 8343 2998
www.divorcesolicitors.com
lloydplatt@divorcesolicitors.com
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
SOBELL RHODES LLP 020 8429 8800 www.sobellrhodes.co.uk a.shelley@sobellrhodes.co.uk
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
JEWISH BLIND & DISABLED 020 8371 6611
www.jbd.org
Lisa@jbd.org
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
MAN ON A BIKE 020 8731 6171 www.manonabike.co.uk mail@manonabike.co.uk
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
RISK RESOLUTIONS 020 3411 4050 www.risk-resolutions.com ashley.prager@risk-resolutions.com
Email: sales@jewishnews.co.uk
LESLEY TRENNER
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
RESOURCE 020 8346 4000 www.resource-centre.org office@resource-centre.org
BENJAMIN ALBERT
Qualifications:
• Co-founder and technical director of ADWConnect – a specialist in business telecommunications, serving customers worldwide
• Independent consultant and supplier of telephone and internet services
• Client satisfaction is at the heart of everything my team and I do, always striving to find the most cost-effective solutions
ADWCONNECT 0208 089 1111 www.adwconnect.com hello@adwconnect.com
ANTIQUES
Antique – Reproduction – Retro Furniture (any condition)
Epstein, Archie Shine, Hille, G Plan, etc. Dining Suites, Lounges Suites, Bookcases, Desks, Cabinets, Mirrors, Lights, etc.
House clearances
Single items to complete homes
MARYLEBONE ANTIQUES - 8 CHURCH STREET NW8 8ED 07866 614 744 (ANYTIME)
0207 723 7415 (SHOP)
closed Sunday & Monday
STUART SHUSTER - e-mail - info@maryleboneantiques.co.uk
MAKE SURE YOU CONTACT US BEFORE SELLING
Sheltered Accommodation
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
Are you happy paying big household bills?
Would you like to pay less? Find out how
11 Pot luck (7)
12 Concerning the movement of the sea (5)
13 Buccaneering (6)
15 Vessel for brewing up (6)
18 Pixie-like (5)
20 North African country (7)
22 Serious and sincere (7)
23 Conjure up (5)
24 Fireside fuel container (4,7) DOWN
2 Revel noisily (7)
3 Swear (5)
4 Large exotic green-skinned fruit (6)
5 Filled sandwich served hot (7)
6 Fashion, general mode (5)
7 Folded sheets trick (5-3,3)
8 Diluted perfume (6,5)
14 Solidify (7)
16 Cook slightly before roasting (7)
SUDOKU
Fill the grid with the numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and 3x3 block contains the numbers 1 to 9.
ACROSS
1 Sudden and hasty (11) 9 Chief monk (5) 10 Imitation drug (7)
The listed words to do with stitches 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.
17 Stratagem (6)
19 Sacrifice (5)
21 ___ Yarmouth, Norfolk resort (5)
Learning Hebrew can be fun and sometimes hilarious! Join one of the WZO's Ulpan classes near you and find out for yourself! The subsidised Ulpanim are based in North West and East London, Manchester, Brighton, Borehamwood and Bushy. Contact- ulpanuk@wzo.org.il or call 020 83715336
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.
BACK BLANKET BLIND BUTTONHOLE FLY GARTER
HEM HERRINGBONE HUNGARIAN JACQUARD LADDER LEAF
LOCK QUEEN RHODES ROSE RUNNING TENT
TOP TWILL VELVET WHEATEAR WHIP WINDMILL
From the book Hilarious Hebrew- the Fun and Fast Way to Learn the Language, available on Amazon and in book and gift shops throughout London. www.hilarioushebrew.com
Last issue’s solutions Sudoku Suguru
Crossword
ACROSS: 8 Revenue, 9 Amuse, 10 Syrup, 11 Knocker, 12 Poor relation, 16 Lodging house, 20 Sounder, 23 Terms, 24 Budge, 25 Panacea.
DOWN: 1 Crest, 2 Overload, 3 Sniper, 4 Teak, 5 Samosa, 6 Luck, 7 Wearing, 13 ECG, 14 Instruct, 15 Close by, 17 Indeed,
See next issue for puzzle solutions.
All puzzles © Puzzler Media Ltd - www.puzzler.com
Wordsearch Codeword
Looking for a care home for yourself or a loved one? Then you could do no better than to join us as part of our Springdene family. Unlike other care homes, which are often part of large corporations, we are a family business. And we’re still run by the same family that founded it more than 50 years ago.
New residents at Springdene can be sure of a warm reception. 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. There are three delicious meals a day, with 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 film-showings on a big screen, as well as walks in delightful gardens. We’ve a great team, o ering wonderful care and everyone is brilliantly looked after.
As our motto says:
To arrange a visit, or for more information, just call 020 8815 2000 or visit www.springdene.co.uk Follow us on
BREAKING THROUGH 5,000 SCREENING PARTICIPANTS
Jnetics is now screening for a larger group of 47 genetic disorders, increasing our relevance to the Sephardi and Mizrachi audiences, as well as now testing for more disorders that affect Ashkenazi Jews.
BREAKING THROUGH SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES
BREAKING THROUGH ACROSS ALL SECTORS OF OUR COMMUNITY
As well as testing across 60 universities and the eight mainstream Jewish secondary schools, Jnetics has branched out further and is now able to test Jewish students in those non-Jewish schools that have a significant Jewish cohort.
Jnetics has been introduced to many new audiences in the last six months. We are delighted that we have been able to get our message out - loud and clear - to the community.
BREAKING THROUGH BRCA TESTING
BREAKING THROUGH OUR OUTREACH TARGETS
We are delighted that Jnetics has been appointed by NHS england to deliver an engagement campaign that will direct anyone of jewish descent to The Jewish Community’s NHS BRCA Screening Programme. Jnetics, together with other community stakeholders, is working to ensure that our engagement with the community is both responsible and effective.
Please support The Breakthrough Campaign this weekend. Scan the code below or visit charityextra.com/jnetics