Left or right? Celebration inspiration! Israel at a crossroads after election Pages 2-3
Striking a pose at our simcha show Page 28
THE CHOSEN PAPER 5 November 2026 • 25 Cheshvan 5786 • Issue No.1496 •
@JewishNewsUK
Police blueprint to fight Jew hate Dossier obtained by JN reveals five demands from senior officers to confront antisemitism
TRAINING • CLAMPING DOWN • SPECIALIST for frontline cops on online racism
POLICING DIRECT HOTLINE • TOUGHER • at hate marches for rapid response UK police chiefs have admitted officers urgently need better training to tackle antisemitism in a damning internal dossier that exposes shortcomings in the response to escalating anti-Jewish hatred, writes Lee Harpin. The National Police Chiefs Council document, obtained by Jewish News through a Freedom of Information request, acknowledges an “urgent need to develop high-quality training for prompt delivery across the service”. While the document does not state that officers have received no antisemitism training, it identifies significant gaps in the knowledge and understanding required to police Jewish communities effectively. “There needs to be general
cultural competence for front line officers, including an understanding of why antisemitism is a significant issue,” the document states. “Officers need to understand that the Jewish community is not homogeneous – there are distinct differences even within the community, and policing must be able to navigate these differences.” The revealing document, circulated to British police chiefs under the title ‘National Response to Tackling Antisemitism,’ also confirmed that a series of “stringent, assertive and expansive use of powers” were required to respond to increasingly serious and frequent attacks against the Jewish community.
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at synagogues and community centres
The dossier calls for stricter policing of hate marches
Distributed to the Chief Constables Council, it outlined “Five significant recommenda-
tions” for future action, aiming to ensure a consistent national response to the growing chal-
lenge of antisemitism in the UK. It is recommended that The College of Policing should develop targeted training for officers in affected communities and provide tailored training to senior leaders, with universal training available for all forces. Officer wellbeing should be prioritised, especially for Jewish police, with welfare roles embedded in command teams. In another significant admission, chief constables were informed that the laws governing the policing of pro-Palestine protests, which have taken place on a near-weekly basis in the UK since October 7, 2023, ”allow a reasonably high threshold for expression for the purposes of protest and is context-based, Continued on page 3
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Jewish News 5 November 2026
News / Israeli election
Israel’s election is ove battle for 61 has only In the United Kingdom, except in very rare situations, our voting system allows the election process to run like clockwork. There is polling day, the ballots are counted through the night and – depending on the results – the removal vans speed away the previous prime minister’s belongings from Number 10, with a new UK leader in situ less than 24 hours after the polls close. Israel is rather different. No party has ever won an outright majority of Knesset seats. Every election is followed by extended bouts of wheeling and dealing. An average British person trying to comprehend this might feel slightly like the eponymous hero of Life of Brian when faced by the demand that instead of simply paying for something, he must haggle for it. Now to specifics. As the entire world now knows, neither the parties which had previously formed a governing coalition under Benjamin Netanyahu, nor the Israeli Jewish parties which were in opposition, has gained enough seats to reach the magic number of 61, which is what is needed for a Knesset majority.
VOICE OF THE JEWISH NEWS In the simplest terms, there’s an anti-Netanyahu bloc of Jewish-Israeli parties (48 seats) a pro-Netanyahu bloc of Jewish Israeli parties (53 seats) and Arab Israeli parties (19 seats). An immediate gambit tried by Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud Party, in common with right-wing parties from the US to Brazil over the last six years, was to claim that the elections had been rigged. Rather than accept that perhaps the behaviour of the government over the past four years, in particular the statements and actions of politicians such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, but also from a wide variety of Likudniks, might possibly have driven Arab citizens of Israel to exercise their right to vote, Netanyahu preferred to go with “Qatar” having done it – a brave accusation, given the allegations about the Gulf state having sought to purchase influence within his own prime ministerial office. Likud’s claims to delay certifying the Advertisement
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results of the election will fail. Which leads to the next conundrum – how to reach 61. Below is a breakdown of how many seats each party or alliance received, as well as their overall leader. None of this is simple. In regular circum-
An anti-Netanyahu protest in Tel Aviv following the election result
Likud (Benjamin Netanyahu) – 27 Yashar (Gadi Eisenkot) 21 Together (Naftali Bennet) – 12 Joint List (Yousef Jabareen) – 11 Democrats (Yair Golan) – 8 Yisrael Beiteinu (Avigdor Liberman) – 7 Ra’am (Mansour Abbas) – 7 Otzma Yehudit (Itamar Ben-Gvir) – 7 UTJ (Ya’akov Asher) – 7 Shas (Aryeh Deri) – 6 Religious Zionist Party/Zehut (Bezalel Smotrich) - 6 stances one might expect the centre-right and the right to unite, giving them a working majority of 67, but the presence of Benjamin Netanyahu makes that almost impossible – too many parties have placed their opposition to him front and centre. Eisenkot, the de facto leader of the opposition bloc, theoretically has more choices, none of them easy. In return for their support, the strictly-Orthodox parties will want a reversal of policies designed to cancel their traditional draft exemptions, a radioactive step for both the left and indeed many on the right. When it comes to the Arab parties, while Ra’am has joined a government before, there are those within the wider Joint List whose political views on the existence of Israel itself are anathema to many of the right-wing politicians and it is their support would be
vital to the establishment of a viable antiNetanyahu coalition. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s path is far from smooth. This election was far from a vote of confidence in the 2022-2026 government. Likud may have won more seats than any other party, but it simultaneously lost more than a quarter of the seats it had previously held. Bibi
US to stop giving $4bn a year in aid to Israel Donald Trump has said the US will stop giving Israel around $4bn (£2.98bn) a year in aid by the end of 2026, following an agreement with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US president said the two leaders had agreed months ago to end the payments, arguing that Israel no longer needed American financial support. Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday, Trump said: “We’ve already agreed that by the end of this year we won’t be paying Israel. Now we’ll help Israel if they need it.” However, it remains unclear how the decision will affect an existing agreement under which the US gives
Israel $3.8bn a year, mainly to help pay for its military. That agreement is not due to end until 2028, two years after Trump’s proposed deadline. Trump said the two leaders had already discussed ending the payments. “As far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal that we give Israel $4bn a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping,” he told Fox News. He added that Israel would still be able to buy weapons from the US if needed. Netanyahu has previously said he wants Israel to stop relying on American aid, although he had proposed doing so over a longer period.
In an interview with CBS in May, the Israeli prime minister said he wanted to reduce the funding to zero over the next decade. Israel has received around $174bn in US aid since the Second World War, making it the largest recipient of American foreign assistance over that period. But support for giving Israel money has weakened among some American politicians, particularly since the war in Gaza began following the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. In July, 103 Democrats backed an unsuccessful attempt to cut US military aid to Israel.
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5 November 2026 Jewish News
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Israeli election / News
r, but the just begun
may seek to lure Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu into joining (or in fact, re-joining) a government coalition under him, but that would take him to only 60 seats. Likud would need to try and persuade politicians from other parties to break ranks and cross the floor once they were sworn in as MKs - a harder feat than it was four years ago, given everything that has
happened in Israel since 7 October 2023. The most likely result of this election, frustratingly, is that another one will be held next year – maybe more. Between early 2019 and late 2022, Israel held five elections. Meanwhile, a country which urgently needs stability and normality seems likely to experience neither in the short term.
Could coexistence become coalition? BY NEIL HAMBURGER CHAIR, ABRAHAM INITIATIVES UK
Israel’s election delivered a remarkable result. Arab-led parties secured 19 seats in the Knesset, following record participation by Arab voters. With neither major political bloc holding a majority, the question of Jewish-Arab partnership has returned to the centre of Israeli politics. But perhaps we should begin with a simpler question: why should political partnership seem so extraordinary in a country where Jewish and Arab citizens already share so much of everyday life? Walk into an Israeli hospital and you will find Jewish and Arab doctors, nurses and patients working together and depending on one another. The same is true in universities, high-tech companies and countless other workplaces. Jewish and Arab Israelis study in higher education together, share public spaces, enjoy the same restaurants and increasingly live in the same neighbourhoods. This is not some distant vision of coexistence. It is already part of Israel’s reality. Yet when it comes to the country’s political leadership, a different set of expectations often applies. Israel’s Declaration of Independence promises complete equality of social and political rights to all its citizens. These are founding commitments, not new political demands. The Bennett-Lapid government of 2021/22 offered an important precedent. For the first time, an independent Arab party, Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am, became a formal partner in a governing coalition. The arrangement was imperfect and short-lived, but it showed that
parties with profoundly different identities and political outlooks could cooperate pragmatically on shared priorities. It also placed practical concerns affecting Arab communities – including housing, infrastructure, economic development and organised crime – on the government’s agenda, backed by substantial funding commitments. Not every promise was fulfilled. Nor did the coalition resolve Israel’s deeper divisions. But its legacy was significant: Arab political participation could extend beyond opposition to a place at the decision-making table. There are genuine disagreements about which parties can govern together, particularly after 7 October and the years of conflict that have followed. Political partnership requires trust, shared responsibilities and difficult compromises. None of these concerns should be dismissed. The Abraham Initiatives has spent the past 14 years working to strengthen Jewish-Arab relations, equality and civic participation. We see daily evidence of both the challenges and the possibilities of a shared society. Israel is in need of healing. Its citizens have experienced profound loss, fear and division. The relationships already being built in hospitals, universities, workplaces and communities offer a powerful model for rebuilding trust. The election has not resolved the question of who will govern Israel. It has, however, made the question of who can share in governing impossible to ignore. The promise of Israel’s founding declaration remains an important barometer by which to measure the country’s democratic temperature: a state in which Jewish and Arab citizens share not only the experiences and challenges of everyday life, but the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Police chiefs’ blueprint for tackling hate Continued from page 1 which makes it impossible for police and prosecutors to identify clearly language, slogans, banners and chants which are automatically an offence.” The NPCC document also says police urgently await the publication of Lord Macdonald’s independent review of Public Order and Hate Crime legislation. “Policing clearly cannot, and should not, define what acceptable public discourse is,” it states. “However, the current law leaves much open to interpretation based on context, which inevitably leads to inconsistency. “Lord Macdonald’s independent review of Public Order and Hate Crime legislation is expected to be published soon, but in the interim there is a clear need for stronger national coordination and greater consistency.” The peer’s review was delivered to
home secretary Shabana Mahmood in May, but she is yet to outline the government’s official findings. The NPCC document also confirms how much police chiefs have come to value the input and collaboration with communal organisations such as the Community Security Trust and Shomrim, as they attempt to stave off criticism from the community over the way they have policed pro-Gaza demos and investigated allegations of antisemitism. Forces should designate named escalation routes (at superintendent rank) for Jewish community organisations (like CST and Shomrim) to report concerns and improve trust, it is concluded. Assessing the current climate in regard to antisemitism in the UK, the document confirms: “Following a series of serious attacks against Jewish people in London and against a backdrop of increas-
ingly frequent antisemitic attacks across the country, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre raised the terrorism threat level in the UK from ‘substantial’ to ‘severe’. “This has not happened in a vacuum,” it adds. “We have good evidence that hate crime and antisemitism are rising. “Jewish communities are in a uniquely targeted position, facing both the highest levels of hate crime per capita and persistent targeting by the Iranian state. “As an indicator, anti-Jewish hate crime offences in April 2026 were as high as 100 per 100,000 of population, while anti-Muslim hate crime offences were around 10 per 100,000.” Written earlier this summer, when Keir Starmer was still prime minister, it adds: “The NPCC has established Operation Solar, led by Chief Constable Mark Hobrough. “This coordinating group aims to
ensure the safety and confidence of the Jewish community by reducing the threat, risk, and harm from antisemitic violence and extremism through a unified command structure, coordinated operational activity, and strong stakeholder engagement and partnership working. “However, as agreed at the Prime Minister’s summit, a broader response will be required to address the scale and threat of antisemitism— of which policing is only one part.” The document, which outlines new codes for “Fair and impartial policing,” also reveals a deliberate change in police tactics in May 2026 in response to both the pro-Palestine Nakba Day protests and the Tommy Robinson-backed far-right demonstrations held on the same day. It is confirmed: “In London, during the most recent operational example at the UTK and Nakba Day protests on 16 May 2026, the MPS, in
partnership with the CPS, adopted a more robust and expansive approach to charging hate crime, testing the limits of the current law. “This was an attempt to reassess the legal thresholds in light of recent incidents and the cumulative impact of antisemitism on the Jewish community. As such, it was agreed that neither officers nor prosecutors should be constrained by previous decisions to take no further action or by earlier prosecutions that resulted in acquittal.” It was confirmed that the tougher approach “generated 18 hate crime allegations, 10 of which have been submitted to the CPS with three charging decisions to date”. The document added: “As the phrases and slogans used on the 16th were not novel, it has shown that context is key to prosecution and, therefore, previous precedent is not always relevant.”
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Jewish News 5 November 2026
News / What Next? documentary / CPS hate stats
Chief Rabbi’s warning: ‘UK losing its identity’ By Rosa Doherty and Marcus Dysch
Chief Rabbi Mirvis has expressed fear for Britain’s future, saying “our civilisation is under attack” and “national leadership is turning a blind eye”. Sir Ephraim said the country was “moving from a Christian-based, British identity” to something “more general”, leading him to “lament the weakness of the church”. Interviewed for a new Jewish News series, What Next?, examining the state of Jewish life in Britain, Chief Rabbi Mirvis praised the community’s “strength, fortitude and resilience”, but added: “There are some Jewish people who are letting us down.” Asked to identify his main concern for the future, he said: “My greatest fear is for Britain itself – the future of our culture, our identity, our values. Our civilisation is under attack and my fear is exacerbated because I believe that our national leadership is choosing to turn a blind eye to that direct threat. “We can see the influence of other cultures coming. That is happening as well in terms of our value system, our beliefs, what it means to be British. I think that we’re seeing a definite move away from a Christian-based British identity towards a more general-based identity. “The weakness of the church I lament, because previously you had a society which was rooted in what we used to call a JudeoChristian value system, but it has started to move away from that.” To maintain hope for British Jews’ future in the country, the Chief Rabbi said it was vital for the community to remain “united”. “If you would ask me what is something which upsets me more than anything? It’s the occasions on which there are some Jewish people who are letting us down. We need to be together in this. Ultimately
Sir Mark Rowley and the Chief Rabbi in Golders Green after two men were stabbed
we have to preserve Jewish unity at a time when there is such an enormous threat from without. We have to be united within. That for me is the call of the hour.” He acknowledged that a proportion of British Jews were now questioning their long-term future in the country, but highlighted that the rise in aliyah rates was not “dramatic” and “there is no need for anybody to want to flee from Britain right now”. The aftermath of 7 October was still being felt three years after the atrocity, he said, “and our enemies are milking whatever they can out of it at a PR level in order to poison the minds of people right around the world about Israel and about Jews”. The Chief Rabbi outlined his belief that “ignorance” about Jews and Judaism was affecting the community’s position in Britain. He said it was difficult for non-Jews to understand how the impact of 7 October “ran so deep”.
“It’s mishpacha (family). We feel it. Something so awful and terrible had happened to Jewish people – echoes of the Holocaust. What our non-Jewish neighbours or colleagues didn’t appreciate was that for us it was like a bereavement for a member of family. They’re ignorant of it – ‘it’s a different country, so who cares?’ kind of thing. And that absence of appreciation meant that we weren’t met with sufficient empathy.” A number of factors were contributing to a tone in society which encouraged hate speech, he said. “There are images, there are sound bites, which educate, either positively or negatively. When a politician stands at the despatch box in Parliament and you can sense the hatred of Israel in that person’s voice – and here I’m not referring to a particular government – we’ve seen it, and that tone, that is irresponsible leadership. “We know how hateful thoughts can so
easily become translated into hate speech which in turn is only one step away from hate crime. And all these hateful thoughts fed to people irresponsibly through social media… through the support that’s been given to the lies about what has transpired in Israel on 7 October and since – all of that contributes to a tone in our society which then encourages hate speech. “We have seen how the slogans and the pronouncements on our streets have then inspired hate crime and terrorist activity. So it all merges into one.” The prevailing mood of the community was one of a group of people who have been “shaken”, the Chief Rabbi said. A feeling of “despondency” and “vulnerability” among British Jews was understandable, but he added: “Our strength, our sense of fortitude, our resilience has just become expressed in a very natural way. When you think of it historically, that’s how Jewish people have always responded to testing and trying times. “The reality is that we are definitely not alone. I encounter this on a daily basis. Whether it is from our monarch to many people within the political landscape. We are aware of the people who disappoint us, but there are many others who are wonderful supporters of us. “The silent majority is very much with us and supportive of Israel. I wish though that the silent majority would become more vocal and that is desperately something that we want people around the country to appreciate. “I have had so many exceptionally encouraging experiences through messages and gestures from non-Jewish people who are going out of their way to express their support. We’ve got broad shoulders and we’re proud of what we are about. I know that the clear majority of people in Britain are very much with us.”
CPS NOW RECORDING SPECIFIC JEW HATE DATA The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has begun recording antisemitic hate crimes separately for the first time, following growing pressure over how offences against Jewish people are handled, writes Lee Harpin. The change means prosecutors can now track how many antisemitic cases lead to charges, reach court and result in convictions. Until now, the CPS recorded offences under broad racial and religious hate crime categories, making it impossible to identify how many cases specifically involved Jew hate. According to documents obtained by The Telegraph, the new system was introduced in May, allowing prosecutors to distinguish between antise-
mitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes. The CPS confirmed that two new markers had been added to its system to identify cases involving antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred. Jewish communal groups welcomed the decision. David Toube, general counsel at the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “We have long called for the CPS to collect this data, and are pleased they have listened. “Jews are vastly disproportionately targeted by religious hate crime, yet without data we cannot know how effectively these offences are prosecuted. Understanding where the system is falling short is essential if we are to improve it.” Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it had spent more than a
Police in Golders Green
decade calling on the CPS to publish separate figures for such prosecutions. Welcoming the move, the group
said: “We cannot hold public bodies to account if they make it impossible to assess their performance.”
It added that the change would help rebuild trust between the Jewish community and the CPS, describing it as “an important milestone in the fight against antisemitism.” The change comes amid persistently high levels of antisemitism in Britain. Figures from the Community Security Trust (CST) show 1,926 antisemitic incidents recorded during the first six months of 2026, twice the level seen before the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. The CPS said the new system would help it improve transparency over how hate crimes are prosecuted. A spokesperson said: “There is no place for hate in our society, and we will do everything we can to prosecute those responsible.”
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5 November 2026 Jewish News
5
Green ultimatum / News
Labour axes council deals with Greens over anti-Zionist policy Green Party England and Wales representatives have been given an ultimatum by Labour to disown their party’s anti-Zionist policy or face the collapse of coalition agreements, writes Joy Falk. Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said local deals “cannot come at the expense of upholding the moral obligation we have” to stand up for all parts of the community. Co-operation will be or already has been withdrawn in Arun District Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Havant Borough Council, Lewes District Council, Runnymede Borough Council, Sheffield City Council, Stafford Borough Council, Warwick District Council, Wealden District Council, West Devon Borough Council and West Suffolk Council. Coventry City Council had no formal arrangement and none will be made in future. Co-operation will continue in Broadland District Council, Monmouthshire County Council, North Somerset Council, Rother District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council and West Sussex County Council. There will also be continued co-operation in the West of England combined
Angry scenes outside the Green Party’s annual conference in Brighton this year
authority, where Labour mayor Helen Goodwin has a Green deputy. Phillipson said: “The Labour Party exists to deliver for communities across the country at all levels of government. “Any local powersharing arrangement cannot come at the expense of upholding the moral obligation we have to stand up for everyone in our communities and the values we share. Labour has been clear from the start the ‘Zionism is racism’ policy crosses a line
Briti s
COME AND SUPPORT THE MARCHERS
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and we cannot work with any party that supports it – at any level of government.” The Green Party and its Local Government Association group representing councillors condemned Labour’s move, warning it would cause disruption at the affected authorities. In a statement, they said: “Across the country, Green, Labour, Independent and Liberal Democrat councillors have worked together to provide stable local government,
protect services and deliver positive change. Leaders across these parties are rightly proud of what those partnerships have achieved. “Those who issued ultimatums that destabilised powersharing agreements have often ignored the judgments of their own local leaders, failed to respect the choices made by local voters, and are disrupting successful partnerships.” The statement continued: “The Green Party believes top-down directives to break up and disrupt locally-run services are not in the interests of the residents we represent. “We trust local communities, local councillors and local leaders to know what is best for them. We ask that others do the same.” The row follows a heated debate at the Green Party’s annual conference when members voted in favour of an anti-Zionist motion which has led to condemnation from political opponents and the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The motion declared the Greens to be an “anti-Zionist party” and sets into its policy that Zionism, the movement to develop and protect a Jewish state in Israel, will be “treated as any other form of racism”.
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Jewish News 5 November 2026
Special Report
From the NHS to Israel: The UK Jewish doctors considering aliyah
Some cite antisemitism and isolation, while others see an opportunity to tackle Israel’s shortage of medical staff, finds Annabel Sinclair An NHS psychiatrist whose patient refused medication because she was Jewish. A dentist whose former manager allegedly suggested Jews had little reason to complain because they were not being sent to the gas chambers. Both are considering leaving Britain for Israel, although neither sees antisemitism as the sole reason for moving. They are among British Jewish medical professionals exploring opportunities in Israel, where hospitals are seeking overseas recruits to address staff shortages. Around 150 British doctors attended MedEx UK at JW3 in north London, meeting Israeli medical recruiters to discuss employment, licensing and the practicalities of making aliyah. For some, experiences of antisemitism and growing isolation in Britain have brought forward plans to move. Others have long wanted to live in Israel and hope to contribute their skills to its healthcare system. The event came amid an increase in British aliyah. Figures released by The Jewish Agency for Israel show 890 people moved from the UK to Israel in 2025, compared with 704 in 2024 and 377 in 2023. A further 445 made aliyah between January and July this year, including 39 people working in medicine or other healthcare professions. Among those preparing to leave is Sophie (not her real name), an NHS psychiatrist who had expected to spend another five to ten years working in Britain before moving to Israel. Instead, she hopes to make aliyah in August 2027, shortly after completing her specialist training. She told Jewish News her decision had been brought forward by experiences since the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, including an incident in which a patient refused medication because she was Jewish. The patient was experiencing psychosis, she explained, making it difficult to establish what had prompted the remark. Sophie raised the incident with her consultant and team leader but said she was unaware of any formal investigation. She subsequently stopped treating the patient. She also described challenging the choice of a speaker invited to address her medical training programme because of social media activity she considered inappropriate. Following several weeks of correspondence and support from senior Jewish consultants, the talk was cancelled. The decision prompted objections from some colleagues, with one reportedly describing it in a WhatsApp group as “antiPalestinian racism”. Sophie said she was relieved colleagues did not appear to know she had raised the concerns. She has also felt uncomfortable seeing colleagues wear pro-Palestinian badges and watermelon symbols on psychiatric wards,
Nefesh B’Nefesh co-founder Rabbi Fass with aliyah minister Deganit Sankar-Lange
Staff at work at an NHS hospital
where she believes political displays are inappropriate given the vulnerability of patients. But beyond individual incidents, she described a growing sense of isolation. “You just feel lonelier and more isolated, but equally you feel more conspicuous in a way,” she said. A small group of Jewish staff at her workplace have established a support network on Microsoft Teams, providing a place to discuss concerns and share experiences. Her account comes amid wider scrutiny of antisemitism in the NHS. In September, vascular surgeon Muhammad Khalil, formerly of Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool, was suspended from the medical register for nine months after a tribunal found his social media posts were antisemitic. They included the words “Death to Israel” over a Star of David. Separate figures reported this month show six doctors received General Medical Council sanctions following antisemitic allegations involving 169 doctors since October 2023, with 34 cases still under consideration. An independent review led by Lord John Mann in June highlighted discrimination and workplace isolation among Jewish NHS staff. The 2025 NHS staff survey found 13 percent of Jewish employees reported discrimination from managers or colleagues, while warning some were considering leaving the service. The government has accepted recommendations to improve reporting procedures, training and staff guidance. In a parliamentary update, health minister Karin Smyth said NHS England was introducing training on antisemitism and improving procedures for investigating racism complaints, although several recommendations remain outstanding. Yet not every Jewish doctor considering
aliyah has personally experienced antisemitism. Elizabeth, a family doctor whose name has been changed, said her own workplace had remained supportive. “In my own workplace, thankfully, I have not personally experienced antisemitism. I work alongside other Jewish doctors and my own experience there has been fine,” she said. Her concerns stem partly from accounts shared by other medical professionals. “But I am in Jewish doctors’ WhatsApp groups, and I hear what other doctors are experiencing. There are reports of antisemitism being tolerated in wider professional groups and of people feeling that administrators are not dealing with it appropriately.” She hopes to settle in Jerusalem and continue practising family medicine. For another prospective immigrant, the decision represents a change she would have once considered unthinkable. Tammy, a resident doctor whose name has also been changed, had expected to spend her entire medical career in Britain. “I never planned to practise medicine anywhere other than the UK,” she said in testimony supplied by organisers. Her husband had raised the possibility of aliyah before they married, but she initially resisted she said, “but the world changed, and my perspective changed with it. In the end, I was the one who said we were making aliyah.” She is also attracted by the prospect of raising her family somewhere where Jewish festivals and religious observance are part of everyday life. For Shlomo, a 59-year-old dentist whose name has been changed, Israel is already a familiar territory. He previously lived and worked there before returning to Britain to raise his children. Now they are older, he hopes to go back. He recalled an incident in which a former
clinic manager allegedly made a remark suggesting Jews had little reason to complain because they were not being sent to the gas chambers. Shlomo said he did not pursue a complaint because it would have been his word against the manager’s. But he was equally keen to emphasise the positive relationships he had built during his career in Britain, including with Muslim nursing colleagues. He has always been openly Jewish at work, including wearing a kippah, and does not regard his decision to move as an escape. For doctors making the move, adapting to a new healthcare system can be one of the biggest challenges. British GP Rivka Lebrett, who moved to Israel with her husband around four years ago, established a WhatsApp group to help English-speaking doctors navigate the process. The network has grown to more than 700 members from Britain, the United States, Australia and elsewhere, providing advice, professional contacts and practical support. Her husband told Jewish News the network also helps connect English-speaking patients with doctors. Israel’s recruitment drive comes amid longstanding concerns about its medical workforce, particularly outside the country’s main population centres. According to figures cited by MedEx organisers, Israel has approximately 3.5 practising doctors per 1,000 residents, compared with an OECD average of 3.9. The Bank of Israel has warned changes to the recognition of foreign medical qualifications could reduce the number of newlylicensed doctors by between 400 and 600 annually from 2026, before efforts to expand domestic medical training take full effect. Government representatives also outlined financial incentives for eligible doctors willing to work in underserved regions, including grants of 300,000 shekels over three years, rising to 400,000 shekels for those who also live there. The event forms part of the International Medical Aliyah Programme, launched in 2024 with the aim of bringing 2,000 doctors to Israel by 2029.
5 November 2026 Jewish News
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Jewish News 5 November 2026
News / Supreme Court appeal
JLC and CST intervene in Palestine Action ban battle The Jewish Leadership Council and Community Security Trust have been granted permission by the Supreme Court to intervene jointly in the appeal relating to the proscription of Palestine Action (PA), with the two organisations describing “why the continued proscription of Palestine Action matters for society as a whole”, writes Lee Harpin. In their submission, the JLC and CST, or “Jewish Communal Organisations” (JCOs), described how “the UK’s Jewish community is especially vulnerable to Palestine Action (PA)’s violent activities”. “Prior to its proscription, PA’s target list expanded to organisations within the Jewish community,” the submission said. “PA activists attacked Jewish charities and Jewish-owned businesses in predominantly Jewish areas. This is why in the Home Secretary’s statement to Parliament announcing the decision to proscribe PA she justified it by
reference to an ‘attack against a Jewish-owned business in North London’ which was ‘clearly intimidatory and unacceptable’.” The submission said the JCOs were seeking to bring PA’s “intimidatory and unacceptable” attacks against the Jewish community to the attention of the court after the Court of Appeal “rightly concluded that PA is a violent organisation, concerned in terrorism, with a wide range of targets, that its activities are often undertaken covertly with no suggestion of restraint or proportionality, and that at the point it was proscribed it had an escalating trajectory of seriousness and an expanding focus”. The submission noted the evidence before the Supreme Court was that in the period leading up to its proscription, PA’s crosshairs moved from Elbit [an Israeli weapons firm], to Elbit’s landlords, insurers and bankers and to ‘tertiary’ targets chosen for ‘propaganda value’, including a focus on figures or institutions deemed by PA to be ‘Zionist’.
The Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict by the weekend
This in practice incorporated important parts of the Jewish community – “because most British Jews and Jewish institutions have a connection with Israel, a campaign against institutions PA’s activists consider to be ‘complicit’ with Israel is, in practice, a campaign that threatens the mainstream Jewish community”.
The JCO submission, drafted by barristers Adam Wagner KC and Daniel Isenberg, went on to warn that “if the proscription of PA was held to be disproportionate and quashed, this would cause serious prejudice to the Jewish community. “PA’s proscription has provided a security benefit to a wide range of
Jewish institutions. The rights of those members of the Jewish community to hold lawful beliefs, and go about their private, cultural and religious lives, is a vital ingredient to the Court’s proportionality assessment.” Founded in 2020, Palestine Action undertook hundreds of “actions” against targets around the UK. It was proscribed as a terrorist group in July 2025, following an incident the previous month in which members of the group filmed themselves infiltrating the UK’s largest RAF base and damaging military aircraft, footage which was subsequently published on Palestine Action’s social media accounts. In February 2026, after a legal challenge by group co-founder Huda Ammori, the Divisional Court ruled the proscription had been unlawful. That decision was reversed by the Court of Appeal in June, with the Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority in the country, subsequently agreeing to hear the case. A decision from the court is expected in the coming days.
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Assault charges / BBC apology / News
Golders Green rabbi goes on trial over sex assault charges Rabbi Halpern outside court
A rabbi sexually touched a woman who had sought religious advice from him before giving her money and telling her to “keep quiet”, a court has heard, writes Joy Falk. Aaron Halpern, also known as Chaim Halpern, 68, is accused of locking the woman in a room in his home above a synagogue and sexually assaulting her before regularly contacting her to talk about sex and power. The defendant, of Golders Green, north London, is on trial at Harrow Crown Court charged with two counts of sexual assault
against the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons. In a police interview recorded in February 2023 and played to jurors on Tuesday, the woman described Halpern as a “monster” and said she had been “scared” to tell anyone what happened after he insisted on secrecy. “He took this opportunity to use me for his own sexual pleasure. He wanted it, I did not want it,” she said. “He is a monster.” She added: “He must be stopped.” The complainant called the content of his phone
calls “disgusting”, saying: “He spoke about sex and power and that is all he wanted to talk about.” She claimed he said to her over the phone: “Should I penetrate you? Do you like it soft, do you like it hard? Should I smother my lips on your breasts?” The complainant spoke to a journalist from Channel 12 News in Israel, which eventually broadcast a report about her allegations in which her identity was hidden. Halpern, who denies the two counts of sexual assault, was arrested in London in March 2023. The case continues.
BBC SORRY FOR HOSTING ‘SCUMBAGS’ GUEST The BBC has admitted its vetting procedures fell short after it invited an influencer who called Jews “a bunch of lying scumbags” onto a live programme. Bushra Shaikh, a former contestant on The Apprentice, appeared on BBC One’s Sunday Morning Live on 11 October to discuss whether full-face coverings should be banned in public. Her appearance sparked
anger over previous social media posts about Jews, Israel and the 7 October Hamas attacks, raising questions about how she had been selected for the programme. The broadcaster initially defended her appearance but has now acknowledged that producers were unaware of her past comments and confirmed that changes have been made to its vetting procedures.
The admission came after Labour MP David Taylor wrote to BBC director-general Matt Brittin demanding answers about checks carried out before Shaikh was invited. In a letter reported by The Telegraph, BBC head of religion and ethics for television Daisy Scalchi acknowledged the concerns. She also confirmed production staff had not known about the
posts, saying: “The senior team confirmed they had not been made aware of these posts, which they accept is not in line with the standards we expect when selecting contributors for BBC programmes. “The company have subsequently reviewed and updated their protocols [with[ oversight of these checks by the most senior member of the production team.”
Buchra Shaikh, left, on the programme
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News / Jewish News talk
Oscar-winning filmmaker to lift lid on BBC at JN talk by Annabel Sinclair annabel@jewishnews.co.uk
An acclaimed filmmaker who received a £400,000 settlement from the BBC after raising complaints about antisemitism will share her story at JW3 next month. Lucie Kon, an award-winning documentary producer who has described being pushed out of the broadcaster after speaking up for Jewish colleagues, will appear at the Jewish News event on Thursday 3 December. She will be interviewed by John Ware, an investigative journalist best known for his work on BBC’s Panorama, including his 2019 investigation into antisemitism within the Labour Party. The pair, who both worked on Panorama, will discuss Kon’s experiences at the BBC, events leading to her departure and what she believes needs to change at the broadcaster. As previously reported by Jewish News, Kon, 57, alleged that
she faced antisemitic remarks and was treated differently after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023. She claimed colleagues described Zionists as “evil”, questioned whether she could report fairly because she was Jewish and raised concerns about her involvement in a documentary on the Nova music festival massacre. “It was like having ‘Jew’ stamped on my forehead,” she told The Telegraph last month. Kon, whose work also includes the Emmy-winning documentary Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again, also set up a group for Jewish BBC staff following the attacks. She said she was later left out of meetings and stopped attending film festivals after raising concerns about antisemitism. Her employment ended in April 2026, shortly after Mr Nobody Against Putin, a documentary she commissioned and executive produced, won an Oscar.
The BBC agreed to pay her £400,000 to settle her legal claim without admitting liability. Kon said most of the money related to personal injury. The case comes amid wider concerns about antisemitism within the BBC. In 2024, more than 200 Jewish staff, contractors and contributors called for an investigation into alleged antisemitism and bias at the broadcaster. A BBC spokesperson previously told Jewish News: “The BBC processes did not uphold any of Ms Kon’s allegations of antisemitism. However, the outcome did acknowledge there were shortcomings and personal impact on Ms Kon.” The JN event, “My BBC Story: Lucie Kon in conversation with John Ware”, begins at 7.30pm on Thursday 3 December at JW3 in north London. Tickets are available through the JW3 website
Lucie Kon with her Oscar in March 2026
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Jewish News meets... James Cleverly
Can James Cleverly win over Jewish Londoners? Conservative mayoral hopeful James Cleverly has accused London mayor Sadiq Khan of failing to respond effectively to concerns raised repeatedly by the Jewish community about their safety on the capital’s streets, writes Lee Harpin. Speaking to Jewish News, the former Tory cabinet minister, born in Lewisham, south London, insisted that when Khan was first elected mayor in 2016, party politics aside, he also believed having a Muslim politician in the role sent a “powerful message” about the capital’s diversity. But a decade later, and with the divisive impact of the war in Gaza still evident in London, Cleverly now says: “So the mayor must be, not should be, or could be, must be, absolutely must be, a mayor for all the communities and all the geographies in London. “And for me, when one of the communities in London, when the Jewish community in London, says, over and over again, we do not feel safe, the mayor is duty bound to do something about that.” While accepting Khan has regularly “said all the right things”, Cleverly adds, “words are one thing, actions are another”. He continued: “Actions matter. I don’t think the mayor has been as responsive to concerns from the Jewish community as he should have been. Now, I also know, sadly, in this era of polarised politics there are many, many people, many Muslim Londoners, who also feel very intimidated and scared, because this whole situation has generated a huge amount of division. “But supporting Muslim Londoners shouldn’t come at the expense of supporting Jewish Londoners. You must do both. And I think the mayor has not been as active on both sides of the equation.” We meet for our interview in Hendon, north London, after a visit Sir James made to see Community Security Trust leaders and to meet local councillors. With his past track record as a former home secretary and foreign secretary in the last Tory government, the 57-year-old politician is on familiar terms with many Jewish communal leaders in the capital, including those at the CST. In a move which may have surprised many but not all political observers, Cleverly announced in August he was stepping down as shadow housing secretary and left Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet to campaign freely from the backbenches and focus entirely on the mayoral contest, where elections
Mayoral hopeful James Cleverly, left, and Sadiq Khan, who is yet to throw his hat in the ring again
are due to be held in 2028. He also announced he will not stand for his current seat of Braintree at the next general election. He is seeking the Conservative mayoral nomination against rival candidates including Westminster councillor Festus Akinbusoye and businessman Alex Challoner. Reform UK has selected Laila Cunningham to run, while Khan, the incumbent Labour mayor, has not yet confirmed whether he will run for an unprecedented fourth term. What becomes apparent as we speak over coffee in a cafe in busy Brent Street is Cleverley’s clear determination to position himself as a “liberal Conservative” and someone hopeful, if selected as seems likely, as the party’s mayoral candidate, to pick up votes from life-long Labour voters living in the capital as well. Some might argue it’s also a positioning that makes him perfectly suited to pick up sizable support from many in London’s Jewish community. Asked for his overall critique of mayor Khan’s time so far in office, Cleverly speaks of friends of his who were initially excited when the Labour mayor was elected. “Then those same people, you know, you fast forward a decade, and those same people, like, they’re not furious with him, they’re just disappointed,” he observes. “I think that’s what it is ... so many missed opportunities, things
❝ I DON’T THINK
THE MAYOR HAS BEEN AS RESPONSIVE TO JEWISH CONCERNS AS HE COULD BE
that he could have done and should have done, that haven’t been done,” he adds. “Where’s the dynamism? Where’s the buzz? “You see, London’s night-time economy is just gently slipping. We see primary schools merging and closing. Young people can’t afford to live in London. “Perhaps one of the most heartbreaking things is when I talk to people, and London’s reputation as being a safe city, I think, is being lost.” Cleverly admits later he is well aware there are some in the Jewish community who, after 14 years of the last Tory government, and after two years of a Labour one, have had enough of promises and pledges from both mainstream parties. Some of them, he notes, have now drifted rightwards to become supportive of the tougher rhetoric
coming out of the Reform UK party led by Nigel Farage. “I don’t have the right to demand votes or support from anybody or any community,” Cleverly reflects, “I know that I’m going to have to earn people’s support. “I’m more than willing to do so. Be careful of people promising simple answers to complicated problems.” Of his own record as a cabinet minister, he adds: I’m very proud of the work that I’ve done regarding funding for security to Jewish schools and Jewish communities, from when I was home secretary. “I’ve always been very vocal in my support for the community organisations that help Jews stay safe in London.” But he also accepts when discussing further the impact the regular pro-Palestine demos have had on some Jews in the capital over the past three years : “You know, trust is easily lost, and is hard to win back.” Cleverly also criticises what he sees as mayor Khan’s failure to have the sort of conversations he says he had with police chiefs over elements of the pro-Palestine protests that were “demonstrably antisemitic” and “celebrating murder”. Cleverly recalls having conversations with Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who he says he knows well and “respects highly”, about clamping down on those “celebrating the murder of Jews in Israel”. “I had those conversations, and
frankly, those conversations the mayor should have had,” he says. But in a sign of Cleverly’s more liberal political leanings, he also explains why he has not joined those calling for an outright ban on the proPalestine marches. “I am not a big fan of banning stuff,” he says. “For me, you know, for outright bans the bar needs to be set quite high.” But he continued: “I do question why there need to be so many marches. I do question, and as I say, I have questioned the behaviour of several people who are on those demos. “But banning them outright, for me – I’m not saying I never would, but for me, the bar is set pretty high “And I want to make sure that we, you know, we look at other options, whether it be static, whether it be with a distinct named organiser.” In summary, Cleverley says: “There are things that I think the mayor could and should have done so that these protests were less intimidating to the Jewish community. “ Cleverly is also keen to outline his position on Israel. “Look, Israel remains a really important international partner,” he says. ” I am completely committed to Israel’s right to exist. “I am also, and I’ve done this privately, I’ve done this publicly, I’ve done it as a foreign office minister, and I’ve done it since leaving government –I have been critical of a number of the decisions made by the Israeli government. “For example, settlement expansion, I think, is deeply counterproductive to Israel’s economic and security interests. “And I have called on the Israeli government to take a much, much firmer action on illegal settlement expansion, and particularly on the violent behaviour of some of the people in the settler movement. “I have said that, and I will continue to do so. ” Cleverly is only too aware of how foreign policy issues around Israel have led to further impact on Jews living in London. ” It is totally inappropriate to blame Jews in Britain for the decisions made by the government in Israel,” he says. He attacks what he views as “an old and lazy prejudice that every Jew in Britain has got, like, split loyalties, or somehow is somehow more focused on Israel than their own local community. “Everyone has a right to live in peace and security in London, irrespective of faith, and that will absolutely be one of my priorities.”
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News / Bus ‘abuse’ / Beit Halochem
Bus driver abuse charge
A London bus driver accused of locking a Jewish passenger on board and making antisemitic remarks has been charged after prosecutors reversed their original decision not to take the case to court, writes Annabel Sinclair. Paul Lindo, 60, is accused of racially aggravated intentional harassment following an incident involving Jewish passenger David Abraham on a bus in Stamford Hill last year. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed to Jewish News that Lindo faces one charge and is due to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 16 November. The decision follows a challenge to the CPS’s initial refusal to prosecute, with Campaign Against Anti-
semitism (CAA) providing legal support to Abraham through the Victim’s Right to Review scheme. The case dates back to 27 October 2025, when Abraham, then 52, said his bank card fell into a gap beside the driver’s cabin as he boarded the number 67 bus. He alleged that the driver refused to retrieve it and made remarks about Jewish people, including telling him he looked like a “Mossad agent” and that he “doesn’t like Jewish people”. Abraham said he was left locked inside the bus for an hour before police arrived. Speaking exclusively to Jewish News, he said: “I’m scared now to go in the bus… I start to panic, like, who is that driver? It affects me.”
Abraham, who is originally from Africa, added: “I was shocked to see another Black man hate me because I’m Jewish. It hurt me deeply.” The driver was subsequently removed from public service by bus operator Arriva London while an investigation took place. CAA welcomed the decision to bring charges but questioned why the case had initially been dropped. A spokesperson said: “We welcome the CPS decision following the Victims’ Right to Review. However, it is disappointing that a review was necessary. “Harassment of visibly Jewish individuals in public spaces has become all too common, and delays in securing an appropriate judicial response risk further undermining
the confidence of the Jewish community – already at record-low levels – in the ability of public institutions to protect them.” CAA said Abraham is unable to speak to the press while criminal proceedings are ongoing. The CPS has declined to explain why its original decision was reconsidered, citing the active court case. A Transport for London spokesperson said: “We take a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of abuse and are determined to stamp out antisemitism and other hate crime on our network, working closely with the police to pursue anyone who is abusive to our customers or staff. We supported the police and the bus operator, Arriva, while they investigated this incident.”
Paul Lindo, 60, faces court
UPDATES Veterans arrive in London BOARD EMPLOYER’S GUIDE A 35-strong delegation of veterans and staff members from Beit Halochem returned to London for the second successive year for a week of outdoor activities, connection and recuperation. The number of disabled veterans at Beit Halochem has grown from 51,000 to more than 72,000 since 7 October 2023. The charity provides physical rehabilitation and support for a range of injuries, including PTSD. The veterans trip, from 14-20 October, saw the delegation welcomed at various donor houses in the community, with some hosted at Central Synagogue by Rabbi and Rebbetzin Lerer. The group enjoyed a the-
Beit Halochem delegation to the UK, October 2026
atre trip, a Premier League match, sight-seeing across Shoreditch, Camden, Covent Garden, Oxford Street, Carnaby Street, the London Eye, the Tower of London, and a trip down the Thames. Veteran Shay, 43, was injured in 2003 at 19. He was positioned in a tank unit at Beit Hanoun, north of the
Gaza strip, when a bomb was detonated next to the tank, shrapnel entering his head. At the hospital, Shay was declared clinically dead. After a 14-hour surgery, removing part of the brain, the doctor told his family to be prepared for at least 90 per cent of Shay’s memory to be gone, with the likelihood of him
remaining in a coma. Shay woke up a few days later. “I remember everything – being in the tank, the bomb. But nothing after that about why I am in the hospital. I remember where I live, my sisters, my childhood. It was just my short-term memory that was missing.” After seven years of rehab and another four years with a specialist head trauma centre, he says his memory is fully back. His secret to beating the odds? “I am 100 per cent optimistic.” Beit Halochem recently opened its fifth Centre in Ashdod, which has already been recognised as the national PTSD Centre in Israel.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has welcomed an updated edition of the Board of Deputies’ Employer’s Guide to Jews and Judaism, launched at a conference to combat antisemitism. The initiative provides employers, HR professionals and business leaders with practical guidance on supporting Jewish employees and creating inclusive workplaces. Reynolds convened a roundtable of community and business leaders at the conference to discuss antisemitism in the workplace, an issue the Guide highlights. The Board’s “BoD@Work” revised Guide is the result of
two years’ consultation and feedback. It includes updated legal guidance, practical advice, and a more accessible overview of the Jewish way of life. It explains how aspects of Jewish life, including religious observance and Jewish Culture, can manifest in the workplace, and argues that supporting Jews at work should form part of a wider societal approach to combating antisemitism. It also highlights the importance of employers understanding Jewish identity as both an ethnicity and a religion, reflecting protections under UK equality law.
Board deputy resigns after being given second suspension warning A member of the Board of Deputies has resigned from the organisation after being faced with a potential second suspension in the space of 18 months, after signing a letter calling for a ban on Israeli settlement trade, writes Adam Decker. Philip Goldenberg, who represented North West Surrey Reform Synagogue, was one of five suspended in 2025 after the Financial Times published a letter from 36 deputies which was scathing about Israel’s conduct. The former Liberal Democrat councillor was set to retire from his position next May. However, he was informed he could be subject to a further suspension unless he apologised for signing a letter supporting a trade ban with Israeli settlements in which the words “Board of Deputies” featured next to his name.
Resignation: Philip Goldenberg
The July letter, drafted by Yachad, was signed by more than 1,000 British Jews. It said: “too often, public debate about Israel and Palestine reduces diverse communities to a single political position...we know this is
neither accurate nor fair.” It went on to “urge” the government to “take the next step by introducing, without delay, a ban on trade with Israeli settlements.” The letter’s stance was in opposition to the Board’s official organisational viewpoint. While Yachad is one of many member groups at the Board, the letter did not mention its affiliation. The only signatory to have “Board of Deputies” next to their name was Mr Goldenberg. As reported by the Jewish Chronicle, Goldenberg wrote to the Board’s chief executive, Michael Wegier, saying that “the heinous crime in relation to which bell, book and candle have now been applied to me was to co-sign a public letter from Yachad to the government, and add to my signature a statement that I was a member of the Board of Deputies.
“The idea this constituted a representation that I was speaking on behalf of the Board as a whole is so ridiculous it would be laughed out of court in any other organisation.” A Board spokesperson said: “The Board recognises the diversity of opinion in our community and believes in providing a platform for different opinions. However, we draw the line at misrepresentation of the views of individual Deputies as the views of our organisation as a whole. “Following the findings of an independent disciplinary panel, we have been left with no choice but to apply a sanction again in this case. That the Deputy has chosen to resign instead is a matter for them. We will work with their constituency to ensure its voice remains properly represented on the Board of Deputies.”
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News / Siegel family / CPS decision
Baby joy for freed Hamas hostages Former Hamas hostages Keith and Aviva Siegel have welcomed a new granddaughter, marking another happy milestone for a family heavily affected by the 7 October attacks, writes Annabel Sinclair. The couple were pictured smiling this week as they held the new-born baby, whose mother, Shir, had postponed her wedding until her father returned from captivity in Gaza. The photograph was shared by Israel advocacy group StandwithUs, which congratulated the arrival of their newest grandchild. “From darkness to new life. Mazeltov to the Siegel family,” the organisation wrote. Keith and Aviva were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023. Aviva was released after 51 days but Keith remained in Gaza for 484 days before finally returning home on 1 February 2025. Their daughter Shir became engaged to Yuval Bar-On just weeks before the attacks but was determined not to marry
without both her parents present. The couple eventually tied the knot in August 2025, six months after Keith’s release. Sharing a photograph from beneath the chuppah, Shir wrote: “My wish came true.” The birth comes as Keith and Aviva continue rebuilding their lives following the ordeal. Speaking at Limmud Festival in Birmingham last December, Keith recalled how thinking about his loved ones had helped him endure captivity, describing how he would close his eyes and picture their faces. “Our connection as people gave me strength,” he told the audience. Aviva also spoke about the importance of hope and the support of the Jewish community. “We have to keep hope,” she told the audience. “That’s what gives us strength. That togetherness matters to us as Jews.” The couple now live in northern Israel, close to their daughters and grandchildren, after leaving their home in Kfar Aza.
Keith and Aviva Siegel share a tender moment with their newborn granddaughter
CPS DECLINES ‘JEW TRAP’ MAN CHARGE A social media content creator who filmed videos in Stamford Hill where he threw coins on the ground and described it as making “a Jew trap” will not face charges, after the Crown Prosecution Service said there was “no realHarry istic prospect of conviction”. Marsh Harry Marsh, known on social media as “Penofein”, had published a series of videos on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok that generated millions of views. In one clip, coins were thrown onto the pavement and described as a “Jew trap”, filming passers-by to see if they’re picked up. In another, a woman is approached for her phone number and continues to be filmed after declining. Metropolitan Police said: “A file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service in August. After consideration, the CPS decided that the case did not meet the evidential threshold for any charges to be brought. “The man has been informed that no further action will be taken and the investigation has been closed.” The CPS told Jewish News: “Having carefully considered potential offences, our review determined there was no realistic prospect of conviction based on evidential difficulties, including unidentifiable witnesses.”
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Sandys Row Synagogue / News
Funding for Sandys Row to ‘help safeguard remarkable synagogue’ by Michelle Rosenberg michelle@jewishnews.co.uk
Sandys Row, London’s oldest functioning Ashkenazi synagogue, is receiving grants of £145,092 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and £40,000 from the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust to safeguard its future. Opened in 1854, the Spitalfields shul now faces urgent risks; ceiling collapse has made a historic meeting room unusable, while damp, cracking and other defects require specialist assessment. Working with the Foundation for Jewish Heritage, the shul will use the funds to commission urgent ceiling repairs, a comprehensive Condition Survey, and a Statement of Heritage Significance. Supporters will also review how to improve opening the site to the public and continue to build on hosting educational and cultural events. Used continuously for more than 250 years, the Grade II listed synagogue is housed in a former Georgian Huguenot church adapted by Dutch Ashkenazi migrants and retains its historic bimah, ark, Ladies Gallery and Georgian fabric, bearing witness to the East End’s intertwined histories of migration, faith and trade.
The shul’s entrance
Sandys Row synagogue interior
Chair of Sandys Row synagogue, Harvey Rifkind said the site “has a very special history and we have many members who trace their ancestry back to the founders.” He welcomed the two grants which “will enable us to work with the Foundation for
Jewish Heritage to help ensure the future sustainability of this beloved building and its continuing role engaging the wider community of the area.” The Chief Executive of the Foundation for Jewish Heritage, Michael Mail, described the
shul as “one of only two synagogues that still survive in the East End, once a flourishing centre of Jewish life”. He said the foundation remains “eager to work with the synagogue community to help preserve the site and also explore how it might become a centre for presenting the legacy of the Jewish East End.” Stuart McLeod, director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Historic places of worship play an important role in connecting communities with their shared history, culture and identity. “This project will help safeguard this remarkable synagogue and enable more people to discover and engage with its unique heritage for generations to come.”
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World News / President’s appeal / flydubai
ALIYAH TOUR Herzog backs
heroes search
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog has backed a global search to honour 18 Jewish and Israeli humanitarian heroes, praising those who put compassion into action and urging greater recognition for their work around the world. In a letter supporting the Global Impact List, launched last week by Jewish News, ynet Global, SID Israel and OLAM, Herzog highlighted the contribution of Jewish and Israeli humanitarians helping communities affected by war, natural disaster and poverty. He wrote: “Especially after the painful years since 7 October, it is vital to shine a light on those who choose solidarity over indifference and service over self-interest.” His endorsement comes as organisers encourage the public to nominate individuals making outstanding contributions to humanitarian work, with submissions open until 30 November. In the letter, Herzog said Jewish values carried a responsibility to help others beyond national and communal boundaries. “Our Jewish ethical heritage has always taught us that responsibility does not end at
Isaac Herzog
the borders of our communities or our nation,” he wrote. “It calls upon us to pursue justice, practice chesed, and embrace the sacred mission of repairing our world.” He praised Jewish and Israeli humanitarians responding to disasters, supporting displaced families, expanding access to healthcare and education, and tackling challenges including food insecurity and climate change. “As President of the State of Israel, I firmly believe that our nation’s remarkable ingenuity carries with it a duty to share our knowledge and capabilities for the benefit of others,” Herzog added. The initiative recognises
18 individuals from fields including international development, philanthropy, social enterprise and humanitarian aid, whether working in paid or voluntary roles. The number 18 was chosen for its significance in Jewish tradition, with the Hebrew word chai, meaning life, carrying a numerical value of 18. An international judging panel, including Jon Polin, father of murdered IsraeliAmerican hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, philanthropist Sir Trevor Pears and Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg, will select those to be featured by Jewish News and ynet Global. Herzog also expressed his gratitude to the organisations behind the project, saying he hoped it would inspire others to turn their values into action. “May this initiative inspire many more people to turn our deepest values into deeds, and to work together to build a brighter future for the Middle East and the entire world.” Nominations are open until 30 November. Visit: https://docs. google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIp QLSf7MTqXnNc21C9yp2NqpMi5O2vV88ddfaKUKYILjIJY 0xFzOQ/viewform
NAMED: THE HERO PILOTS WHO SAVED 150 ISRAELIS Two off-duty pilots who helped save around 150 Israeli passengers after a co-pilot attacked the captain of a flydubai flight with an axe have been named. Henson Steven, from Fiji, and Rowan Tooth, from South Africa, took control of the aircraft after the attack sent it into a steep dive over Saudi Arabia. The pair, who were travelling on the plane to operate its return flight, managed to land safely after passengers overpowered the attacker. Their identities emerged after the United Arab Emirates honoured the pilots and crew for their bravery in preventing a disaster. The incident happened on 30 September aboard flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Captain Smit Machchhar was seriously injured when his co-pilot allegedly struck him with an emergency axe kept in the cockpit. The Boeing 737 plunged 16,000ft in just 30 seconds as passengers and crew fought to regain control. Israeli passengers rushed to help restrain the attacker, allowing Steven and Tooth to take over the controls and land the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia. Steven previously worked for Fiji Air-
Pilots took control to land the aircraft
ways, while Tooth flew for South African airline Airlink until 2023. Their bravery was recognised last week by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who awarded them and other crew members the First Class Order of Zayed II. Machchhar, who survived life-threatening injuries, also received the award. He told the president that his recovery would take another two months. UAE prosecutors have said the co-pilot, a 29-year-old Omani national, planned to crash the aircraft into the passenger terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in a suicide attack inspired by 9/11.
5 November 2026 Jewish News
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Survivors’ story / Special Report
7 October and then cancer – the family reaching out to diaspora by Michelle Rosenberg michelle@jewishnews.co.uk
During the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz, five members of Ayelet Cohen Zohar’s family were murdered. Her brother Yaniv; his wife, Yasmin; their daughters, Keshet and Tehelet; and Haim Livne, Yasmin’s dad. Ariel, Yaniv and Yasmin’s son, 13 at the time, was the only member of his immediate family to survive. In a twist of fate, he’d decided to go jogging that morning. He lost his parents, his two sisters and grandfather. Since 7 October, Ariel has lived with his Ayelet, his aunt, who adopted him. Another aunt, Sivan Zohar Alkobi, Ayelet and Yaniv’s sister, has also been there to provide Ariel with support and help him navigate a new reality – while carrying the weight of her own loss. But for Sivan, there has been no respite from tragedy. In another blow, her husband Eli was recently diagnosed with bowel cancer.
Ayelet says the weight of responsibility falls heavily on Sivan; a mother of two young children, neither she nor Eli are working because they are at the hospital every day. “Eli was very active as a father, as a husband, as a person. He has helped the family very much in these three difficult years, because of the situation, they’ve closed their company, and they are not working.” Ayelet is now leading efforts to raise 1.5 million NIS (around £370k) to provide her sister with some sense of “quiet and to try and give her and her children a good life.” She adds: “We are not getting any support from the country. Nothing. We handle everything by ourselves; it’s very difficult because it’s not one person that was murdered. Three generations is very heavy.” It is a struggle, she admits, every morning “to get out of bed and to try to do everything to give everyone in your family a good life. Until now, I didn’t have the time to grieve.I stopped working after 7 October.
With neither husband or wife working, any financial support will give them the ability to focus on the difficult months ahead; to provide stability whilst Eli undergoes treatments, give the family time to return to some semblance of everyday life, and ease some of the economic pressure that has accumulated after nearly three years of unimYaniv, on the far right, with Ariel, below. Keshet, centre. aginable upheaval. Mother, Yasmin, on the left, with Tchelet on her right “We cannot undo what happened on My only focus is Ariel’s recovery. I’m family. His son, my 7 October”, their around him and my parents every day. brother, was all his friends have written My father is a Holocaust survivor. He beginnings in Israel... on the campaign is 93 years. old. He lost all his family in the love of his life. page. “We cannot the Holocaust.” There used to be Sivan with husband Eli bring back the At this point, Ayelet’s voice breaks. 11 members in my people they lost. “I’m sorry”, she says, struggling to family, [now] there are six.” “But we can help make sure that, regain control. The fundraising by Sivan’s family as they face yet another crisis, Sivan “My father,” she continues after a and friends, is not for medical treat- and her family do not have to carry pause, “has now again lost his whole ment, which is covered by insurance. the financial burden alone.”
^ŚĂůŽŵ EŽĂŵ WƌŝŵĂƌLJ ^ĐŚŽŽů ŽĨĨĞƌƐ Ă ǁĂƌŵ͕ ĨƌŝĞŶĚůLJ ĂŶĚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚŝǀĞ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ͘
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lexible ours - Immediate Start We are seeking enthusiastic, reliable and adaptable individuals to join our team as Teaching ssistant over / Substitute Teachers. This role is ideal for those who enjoy working with children and would like the opportunity to support teaching and learning across the school on a flexible basis. Successful candidates will work alongside class teachers, provide classroom support where needed and help ensure that pupils continue to thrive in a positive and nurturing environment. We are looking for individuals who: •
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Opinion
When hate is the norm, no minority can be safe SHABIR RANDEREE
CHAIR, BRITISH MUSLIM TRUST
T
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis visits the Al-Khoei Islamic Centre in Queen’s Park for Mitzvah Day (Picture: Yakir Zur)
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that their fear or anger is legitimate before the rest of society takes notice. When we see mindless attacks like the stabbings in Golders Green we stand with those affected by antisemitism and we thank those in the Jewish community who feel exactly the same way when they see the targeted stabbings in Edinburgh and tide of anti-Muslim hatred. That solidarity makes a huge difference – I cannot stress this enough. I have spent the past year learning more about hatred in all its ugly forms, and I think the truth is that if any hatred is normalised, every minority becomes less safe. Macpherson established this important principle and it should apply to all – when communities tell us that they are experiencing prejudice, we must listen.
crucial. Organisations rooted in affected communities understand the impact of these incidents and see patterns that may not be visible from individual police reports. They understand the language, symbols and context through which hatred is expressed. This is not peculiar to any one community. The Community Security Trust has demonstrated over many years the importance of dedicated monitoring of antisemitism, helping Britain understand both its scale and its changing forms. At the British Muslim Trust, we are clear that antisemitism is real, serious and growing. Jewish people should not have to moderate their concerns about antisemitism to make them acceptable to others. They should not have to prove repeatedly
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protest or gathering in which it occurred was “mostly peaceful”. In other words, context matters, patterns and intent matters – so does impact. A threat directed at a place of worship does not just affect the person who receives it. An assault outside a synagogue or mosque can reverberate through an entire community. When visible symbols of our existence are attacked – our synagogues and our mosques – the message is loud and clear: you are not welcome here. It can change how we feel walking the streets, how much freedom parents are prepared to give their children, it can make us question every daily interaction. This chips away at our lives and it hangs around for years. That is why community monitoring is
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he evidence is there in the official data. Religious hate crime has risen for a fifth year in a row to its highest level since records began. Antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crime both recorded significant double-digit increases. But official statistics tell only a fraction of the story. Not every hateful incident crosses a criminal threshold and, more importantly, many incidents are never reported at all. At the British Muslim Trust, much of our work involves going into the community to raise awareness about the importance of reporting hate –and letting victims know they are not alone; that they will be supported. That is important because we cannot respond to a problem we do not fully understand. Nor can we allow the scale or impact of hatred to disappear simply because much of it happens beyond the reach of government statistics. However, this is not a new phenomenon – Britain has confronted this problem before. The Macpherson Inquiry, set up after the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the catastrophic failures that followed it, established an important principle: a racist incident should be recorded where it is perceived to be racist by the victim or another person. The lesson was simple but profound: institutions should not begin from the assumption that minorities have misunderstood or exaggerated the prejudice directed at them. They should listen to the people experiencing it. I think that principle matters just as much today. Hate does not organise itself according to neat categories. An incident does not cease to concern a synagogue or mosque because it happened 20 yards outside its front door. Nor should hatred somehow cease to count because the wider
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Opinion
Nobel committee made a disgraceful decision GARY COHEN
WRITER & FILMMAKER
T
he awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay was a disgrace. It flew in the face of the values and principles the award is supposed to uphold and celebrate. It rewards a woman with a demonstrable record of hostility towards Israel, whose public positions should have disqualified her from ever chairing a supposedly impartial UN investigation into the Jewish state. It rewards an official who defended the UN’s obsessive institutional targeting of Israel, who had publicly accused Israel of apartheid and campaigned for sanctions against it before being appointed to investigate it, and who defended a fellow commissioner after he invoked the antisemitic trope of a powerful “Jewish lobby” controlling social media. Worse still, it rewarded her in the name of precisely those qualities her record calls most seriously into question. The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised
Pillay’s “independence”, “integrity”, “judicial rigour” and “firm moral compass”. It specifically cited her chairmanship of the UN Commission of Inquiry into Israel as part of the record for which she is being honoured. The obscenity of the contradiction is difficult to overstate. A woman who had already publicly judged Israel was subsequently appointed to investigate it and is now rewarded for her impartiality. A woman who campaigned for Israel to be sanctioned before chairing an inquiry into its conduct is celebrated for her judicial rigour. A woman who defended a commissioner invoking the “Jewish lobby” is lauded for her moral compass. A woman who defended the only permanent country-specific agenda item in the UN Human Rights Council is held up as a champion of universal legal principles. This is not simply another questionable Nobel Peace Prize. It is the validation of everything that has gone wrong with the international human rights establishment: the institutional obsession with Israel, the grotesque double standards, the abandonment of even the appearance of impartiality
and the extraordinary conceit that those who invoke international law are somehow themselves above scrutiny. Pillay’s award was particularly revealing because none of the evidence was hidden. The United Nations knew her record when it appointed her. The Nobel Committee knows it now. What should have raised serious questions about her suitability for such positions has instead become part of the career for which she is being celebrated. Pillay’s fixation with Israel stretches back through her tenure as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights between 2008 and 2014. An analysis by UN Watch of every statement published by her office between September 2008 and June 2010 found that nine of 21 country-specific statements concerning the entire Middle East and North Africa were about Israel. During the same period, according to the analysis, Pillay issued no country-specific statement concerning 34 countries then classified by Freedom House as “Not Free”, including North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Cuba and Eritrea. The comparison with Iran is instructive.
When the Iranian regime brutally suppressed demonstrations following its disputed presidential election in 2009, Pillay issued no dedicated public statement. Her first comments came three months later as part of a wider address to the Human Rights Council. Following Israel’s interception of the Gaza flotilla in May 2010, she found her voice considerably faster. While acknowledging that the facts still required investigation, Pillay condemned the outcome and referred to “the impression that the Israeli Government treats international law with perpetual disdain”. It is difficult to find comparable language from Pillay about regimes imprisoning dissidents, torturing political opponents, executing homosexuals, crushing democratic protests and murdering their own citizens. Israel appears to have inspired a particular degree of moral outrage. There was a time when such ignominious behaviour was recognised for what it was, not lauded by respectable institutions. Today, in 2026, it wins you the Nobel Peace Prize.
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Opinion
Zionism isn’t theirs to define and never will be MAX ROYSTON STOP THE HATE UK
I
n 1906 the Daily Mail needed a name for the militant women heckling Cabinet ministers and storming political meetings. It settled on “suffragette”: a diminutive, a sneer, a way of making a movement sound like a children’s club. The women took it. They leaned on the hard G, suffra-GET, because they meant to get the vote. Within a few years it was the name on the masthead of their own newspaper. The insult did not survive contact with the people it was aimed at. The movement did. Last month, the Green Party tried the same trick on us. By 1,022 votes to 813, its members declared Zionism a form of racism. The effect was meant to be simple. Any Jew who used the word would be confessing to a crime, and any Jew who wanted to stay respectable would quietly stop using it. It is not working. Three weeks later, the Board of Depu-
ties, the elected voice of British Jewry, voted overwhelmingly to call the Greens a racist party. I seconded that motion, and argued for it in these pages. Labour then told every Green group sharing power with it to reject the policy or lose its coalition. The retreat began almost at once. It took three weeks for the Greens’ own councillors to start disowning their party’s definition. The bigger story is not them. It is us. JPR has followed the same 2,500 British Jews since 2020, through years of record antisemitism. Over that time the share calling themselves Zionist rose, from 59 percent in 2022 to 66 percent in 2025. The share calling themselves anti-Zionist barely moved, at around one in 10. Two years of being told the word was a crime, and more of us claimed it, not fewer. The slur arrived. The community moved towards the word. Not everywhere: among Jews in their 20s, less than a quarter now call themselves antiZionist, another fifth non-Zionist. That is the frontier: the seminar room and the group chat, where a 21-year-old hears one definition a hundred times and not ours once.
It is not a reason for despair. It is the address of the work. And we should do that work knowing how these fights end. This country is full of names that began as insults. “Tory” was an Irish word for an outlaw, thrown at the supporters of a Catholic king; the party that kept it has governed Britain longer than any other. “Quaker” was a magistrate’s joke at the expense of George Fox; the Quakers went on to found Barclays, Lloyds, Cadbury and Clarks. “Methodist” was Oxford undergraduates mocking John Wesley and his friends for praying to a timetable. None of them won by begging their opponents for a kinder word. They won by wearing the cruel one until it meant them. No people has more practice at this than ours. Our very name was won in a fight. Jacob wrestled through the night beside the Jabbok, refused to let go until dawn, and walked away limping with a new name: Israel, the one who struggles. We have carried a contested name for three thousand years, and we have never once handed it back. We will not start now. We do not apologise for who we are, and we will not apologise for
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what we call ourselves. I know what the Greens’ definition sounds like out loud, because I have heard it shouted for months as Shabbat came in, we stood opposite the weekly protest at Swiss Cottage. From the microphone, a speaker called Zionism the cancer of the 21st century. Another told the crowd that Zionists needed to be put down. And one Friday in January, a demonstrator stopped bothering with the code word. In full view of the police, he told a Jewish counterprotester that being a Jew made him the scum of the earth. That is the journey the word makes. It starts as Zionist. It never stays there. So let the Greens keep their definition. They wanted to hang the word “racist” on two in three British Jews, now it hangs on them. Ours is older and simpler: a people with the same right to a home as every other people on earth. The women of the WSPU did not write to the Daily Mail asking for a kinder word. They printed theirs across the top of their own newspaper and sold it on street corners. Jacob did not ask for a gentler name. He limped away with the one he had fought for, and his children have carried it ever since.
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Opinion
Was Montagu's fear of Zionism right after all? JOSH GLANCY ASSOCIATE EITOR, THE SUNDAY TIMES
W
as Edwin Montagu right about Zionism all along? This is the kind of question usually reserved for recondite Jewish history lectures, so I was surprised to hear it recently asked on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. The source was, of course, Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader who was immediately chastised by his host Nick Robinson for veering off into a “student seminar”. In recent days, Montagu’s name has also been raised by pesky Israel obsessive Mehdi Hasan. Montagu is also the beneficiary of an entire chapter in the hot anti-Zionist book of the moment, Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History, by Benjamin Moser (whose surname surely wins this year’s nominative determinism award). How funny, to hear these ardent leftists draw on the thoughts of a long dead Jewish aristocrat. Edwin Montagu, or Lord Swaythling to his peers, was monocle-wearing heir to a banking fortune, husband to an heiress and secretary of state for India and wartime munitions. Not your archetypal working class hero, then. Yet Montagu is back in fashion because he was the most prominent of the Jews who waged a campaign against the Balfour Declaration in 1917, expressing anguished concern that Zionism would make British Jews aliens in their own home. The man Herbert Asquith nicknamed “the Assyrian” has been exhumed and press-ganged into the urgent mission of undermining the existence of the Jewish state. Still, in the context of the Green Party’s ‘Zionism is Racism’ fatwa, this is an interesting moment to reassess Montagu’s thinking on Zionism for what it does (and doesn’t) reveal to us today. We might also rescue him from the semi-literate effusions of Comrade Polanski. Edwin Montagu was the son of Samuel Montagu, a Liverpudlian banker whose vast pecuniary success led him to marry into the “cousinhood”, Anglo-Jewry’s tightly woven web of elite families. The son of a watch-maker, Samuel acquired all the trappings of the still regnant Jewish aristocracy: a smart townhouse in Kensington Palace Gardens, a large estate in Hampshire and ten children. His second son Edwin took
World War I enlistment poster, with Edwin Montagu pictured on the right
after his father by following him into Liberal politics, but the pair had the kind of tempestuous relationship familiar to many Jewish sons. Edwin resented his father’s frumkeit and financial control, though he did eventually ask his wife Venetia Stanley to undergo a cursory conversion, allowing him to secure his inheritance (which was conditional on not marrying out). As Chaim Bermant recounts in The Cousinhood, his meticulous chronicle of the Anglo-Jewish aristocracy, Montagu did everything in his power to become an English gentleman, hiring Sir Edwin Lutyens to renovate an Elizabethan country pile in Norfolk, that most goyish of counties. There, Bermant writes: “He hunted and fished, shot big game and little game, stalked and walked. Amid all the solid trappings of Olde Englande, it was easy to forget that here was a grandson of a bearded Hebrew from Liverpool.” Even by the standards of the Cousinhood, Montagu was sweatily eager to assimilate, devoting his considerable intellect, charm and fortune to climbing the political ladder and washing off the smell of chopped liver. This yearning for acceptance informed his revulsion at the idea of a Jewish state. “All my life I have been trying to get out of the ghetto,” he fumed at the proZionist David Lloyd George. “You want to force me back there.” Montagu was deeply uncomfortable in his Jewish skin and this assimilationist anxiety was the engine of that era’s anti-Zionism. It was led by insecure patricians such as Montagu and Claude Montefiore, who feared that their hard-won and precarious position in the British establishment was imperilled by Jewish nationalism.
Jewishness to Montagu was a religion and nothing more. It had to be, otherwise he could never consider himself a true Englishman. Montagu knew little of Jewish faith or history and went out of his way to demonstrate his lack of ahavat yisroel. “I regard with complete equanimity whatever treatment the Jews receive in
hood and was effectively disproved by what came next. Nations, after all, are imagined communities. The Jews may have dispersed for long centuries, but they willed themselves back into nationhood. Second, Montagu argues that “when the Jews are told Palestine is their national home, every country will immediately desire to get rid of its Jewish citizens”. Then the Jews will all go to Palestine, “driving out its present inhabitants”. His first assertion here is half true, in that life for Jews became unliveable across most of the Muslim world following the establishment of Israel in 1948, though it has always struck me as the height of victim-blaming to pin this on Zionism rather than the emergent antisemitism of Damascus, Cairo and Baghdad. His next point is also half true, in the conflict that birthed the state of Israel, many Palestinians left or were driven out of their homes. Many others were not, however, and two million Arabs live inside Israel today, albeit in imperfect circumstances. Montagu’s third point is that the historic Jewish claim on Palestine
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CRUCIALLY, MONTAGU DIDN’T LIVE TO WITNESS THE HOLOCAUST, WHOSE SHADOW LOOMS OVER ALL ARGUMENTS THAT PRECEDED IT
Russia,” he wrote to a friend in 1916. He thought a Jewish state would be a “Tower of Babel” and had no concept of the revival of Hebrew. Yet whatever Montagu’s motivations, some of the arguments he made against Zionism still resonate today. Others were drastically wrong. His famous memorandum The AntiSemitism of the Present Government, which he circulated around the cabinet during the Balfour Declaration debates, is what Polanski and Hasan are using as evidence of Montagu being an early proponent of “Zionism is racism”. Montagu’s memorandum established four principles of antiZionism. Let us take them in turn. His first principle was that the Jews are not a nation, so that to say a “Jewish Englishman and a Jewish Moor are of the same nation” is no more true than it is to say that “a Christian Englishman and a Christian Frenchman are of the same nation”. This argument shows a thin understanding of Jewish people-
simply isn’t strong enough to merit its own state. “It is quite true that Palestine plays a large part in Jewish history,” he acknowledges, but so it also does “in modern Mahommedan history” and of course Christian history too. A religious test of citizenship, he argued, would reflect a “narrow view of one particular epoch in the history of Palestine,” and “claims for the Jews a position to which they are not entitled”. This is an intriguing argument which reflects the essential Palestinian objection to Zionism: yes, some Judeans who may (or may not) be your ancestors were here a long time ago, but that is ancient history and should not impede on the rights of those who have lived on the land for many centuries. Is he right? This one really is subjective. The messianic Jewish desire to return to the land is unbroken in prayer and thought since the Roman expulsion. Following that expulsion, Jewish presence in Muslim and Christian lands was often subjective and
precarious and became particularly so in the face of murderous, racialised 20th century anti-semitism. As George Eliot wrote, only with a homeland would “the outraged Jew have a defence in the court of nations, as the outraged Englishman or American”. Without that defence, the path to Auschwitz was open. – “When the Jew has a national home,” Montagu worried in his final principle, “surely it follows that the impetus to deprive us of the rights of British citizenship must be enormously increased”. All Jews, he feared, “will become foreign Jews, inhabitants of t ... Palestine”. This was wrong. It has proven perfectly possible for Israel to exist in tandem with Jewish life in the diaspora. Anglo-Jewish identity has been knotty and tense at times since 1917, but it has also proven sufficiently supple to absorb these complexities, which are far from anomalous in a country as diverse as modern Britain. There’s a caveat here though, because this play isn’t finished. Israel’s unending war for survival demands fealty and sacrifice from Jews around the world, while also provoking, amplifying and revealing anti-semitism in the diaspora. As much of the world turns on Israel, many Jews in Britain increasingly feel like foreigners in their own land. Many speak of moving to Israel, others actually leave. A narrow version of Montagu’s gloomy prophecy is perhaps being realised. Would Montagu still have been anti-Zionist today? Would he have welcomed his role as Zack Polanski’s intellectual crutch? His particular brand of elite, neurotic, deracinated Jewishness has often found expression in anti-Israel politics and may well have done so today as well. Once the Balfour Declaration had been passed in 1917, Montagu effectively gave up on his antiZionism. But he would have likely felt vindicated that some of his concerns about Zionism were realised, particularly if one views Israel through a critical lens. Crucially though, Montagu didn’t live to witness the Holocaust, whose shadow looms over all the arguments that preceded it. In 1922, he was pushed out of the cabinet and then heckled out of his parliamentary seat. In 1924 Edwin Montagu died, aged just 45. His friend Duff Cooper reflected: “He was very nervous and absurdly pessimistic”. Anti-Zionist he may have been, but Edwin Montagu was Jewish alright.
5 November 2026 Jewish News
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Community / Scene & Be Seen ROSH PINAH PLAYGROUND 10FFICIALLY OPENED
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis addressed pupils and staff at Rosh Pinah Primary School in Edgware before cutting the ribbon to open its new playground. The provision of the equipment was made possible thanks to support the school received through its Big Give fundraising campaign. Calling the event a “privilege”, the Chief Rabbi said: “May these new facilities bring joy to the teachers and pupils of this wonderful school.”
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And be seen!
MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE FOR SHINE FOR SHANI
The latest news, pictures and social events from across the community
Friends Jacob Maze and Eli Radomsky, both 19, took on the incredible challenge of climbing North Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Toubkal in Morocco, to raise £1,869 for Shine for Shani, a charity is named in honour of Shani Berman who passed away after complications from a severe congenital heart defect just before her sixth birthday. Radomsky said: “Growing up knowing Shani makes this challenge particularly meaningful supporting a charity that continues to do so much good in her name.”
Email us at community@jewishnews.co.uk
SHARES FATHER’S 3AUTHOR UNFORGETTABLE STORY
Multi-award-winning author Richard K Lowy visited Barnet United Synagogue to talk about his new book Kalman & Leopold: Surviving Mengele’s Auschwitz. He is the son of the late Leopold Lowy, one of the so-called “Mengele Twins” selected as test and control subjects for Dr Josef Mengele’s notorious human biology experiments at Auschwitz.
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CARE’S BRIDGE 4JEWISH EXTRAVAGANZA
More than 130 guests raised £100,000 for Jewish Care’s dementia care services at the charity’s 29th Bridge Extravaganza, which has now raised over £2.5m since the event began. Joint chairs Patsy Bloom and Susan James said: “Congratulations to all our raffle and trophy winners, and a heartfelt thank you to our guests for their incredible generosity. As the number of people living with dementia continues to grow, the vital funds we raise help Jewish Care’s dementia day centres provide award-winning, specialist support that is a lifeline for people living with dementia and their families.”
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GOES ABOVE 5STANDALBANS BEYOND
St Albans United Synagogue community leaders gathered at the home of member Jacqui Bowman to honour her as an Eishet Chayil. Jacqui has been waging a fierce battle against Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Until around 18 months ago, when she felt strong enough, Jacqui was still able to attend occasional shul services and join in the community’s social activities. Rabbi Daniel Sturgess said: “With Jacqui sadly no longer able to leave her home, the St Albans United Synagogue community was keen to acknowledge not only her inspirational role in community life, but also her determination not to be defined by MND, and the resilience, cheerfulness and ever-present smile with which she continues to face its challenges.”
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28 Jewish News 5 November 2026
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Jewish News Big Event
Big day, big ideas, big simcha! Laughter and music echoed through the packed exhibition rooms at The Stage at Lumiere in Borehamwood for Jewish News’ annual simcha event. Against a backdrop of soulful tunes from international violinist Bar Marcovitch, mixed with beats from a resident DJ, and a party dress fashion show from Rebecca Rinder – introduced by her proud brother in law, TV personality and criminal barrister Rob Rinder – suppliers offered a smorgasbord of ideas to to help plan the perfect day. From catering, candy floss, photo-booth hire, gaming tables and consoles to jewellery, towering cakes and more, exhibitors included Black Magic Hospitality, Chiko photography, Flame Music Duo, Oli’s kitchen, Wafflelicious, Hermolis catering, Etim Arts, Balloon Inspiration, Glittery Arty, Meridian Grand, Seven stars Jewellery, The Video Man, Freedman photography, Amy’s Bakehouse, Candy Cotton and accessories by Favourite Child.
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JUST WANTED TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU FOR INVITING US TO THE BIG EVENT. WHAT A DAY!
Photos by James Shaw Photography
Frame Our Day
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WE TRULY ENJOYED EVERY MOMENT AND FOUND IT VERY HELPFUL AND INSPIRING. El Vaquero Events
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Jewish News Big Event
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IT WAS A VERY GOOD SHOW WITH A GOOD FLOW OF VISITORS. I HAD A CALL WHICH HAS TURNED INTO A BOOKING FOR A WEDDING. Freedman Photography
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THE EVENT BROUGHT TOGETHER A WONDERFUL DIVERSITY OF CREATIVE BUSINESSES AND TRADITIONS, REFLECTING THE MANY WAYS WE CELEBRATE JEWISH LIFE. Today, Tomorrow, Forever
30 Jewish News 5 November 2026
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– Liudmyla, 73-year-old resident of Bucha in Ukraine
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Inside A look
R.B. Kitaj exhibition in London; Litvak Life at JW3; interview with Ian Marcus
Moshe Rosenthal’s movie Tell Me Everything is a contender for the Oscars. By Anne Joseph
“I
like to dream as big as possible, because if you’re allowed to dream then…” muses movie writer-director Moshe Rosenthal. One of his big dreams has come true as his film Tell Me Everything made Ophir (Israeli Oscars) Award history this year with a record-breaking 16 nominations. It won 10 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay and will be the Israeli submission for the 2027 Academy Awards for Best International Feature. “I’d hoped for success, but it’s complicated; you grow in and out of love with a film,” he says. “When people ask me if I was surprised, I say of course. At the same time, since I was six, I’ve been planning to win awards, make amazing films and do endless beautiful projects that people will adore.” Tell Me Everything is only Rosenthal’s second feature. His 2022 Tell Me Everything is a coming-of-age movie debut, the dramedy about a family in the 1980s Karaoke (2022), my late 20s. I remember hoping for of his own starring Lior Ashkeand needing my father’s guidance, masculinity nazi, Sasson Gabai being afraid of failing him by not and his and Rita Shukrun, becoming that type of man.” explored marital relafather’s sexuAll these dilemmas are part tionships. By contrast, ality. It later cuts of Boaz’s experience, albeit in an Tell Me Everything is to 1996, where extreme way. “This existential short on laughs, but it is an adult, outwardly question of what he is supposed to a sensitively told cominghomophobic Boaz (Ido Moshe Rosenthal become. It’s a complex question, Tako) seeks out Meir of-age memory story in which Boaz and his father deal with.” in an attempt for which Rosenthal examines Paranoia and fear were widesome form of resolution. the complexities of the father-son spread in 1980s Israel, Rosenthal Rosenthal draws on aspects of relationship and what it means to recalls, speaking from San Franhis own life in his films. He grew up be a man. It premieres in the UK cisco, where he is presenting with two older sisters in Holon and at the Jewish Film Festival this the film at a festival. “I vividly a mother who ran a beauty salon month, with screenings in London remember there were no queer from their apartment. Unlike Meir, and Manchester. presentations, people who were however, his father was a soldier. The film opens in 1987 when struggling and suffering. There “The story isn’t autobiographical,” he 12-year-old Boaz (Yair Mazor) sees were only news interviews with sex says. “But the world, characters and his adored father, Meir (Assi Cohen) emotions [sometimes unconsciously] workers. It was a dark and closhaving gay sex in a pool shower eted time and I think it impacted a are partly taken from my life.” cubicle. Rosenthal’s distinctive whole generation about sexuality. I This influenced how he portrayal of the 1980s – the era of grew up connecting sex and death. approached the theme of mascubig hair, shoulder pads and synth When I came out, I think that fear linity. “I grew up in a macho world pop – unfolds during the early AIDS was embedded in me.” and I struggled with it; asking epidemic. Told from Boaz’s perspecThe movie’s 1980s colour palette myself what it means to be a man, tive, the story sees him become especially when I came out as gay in is a visual spectacle. To achieve this, preoccupied with illness and aware
Yair Mazor plays 12-year-old Boaz
he focused on memory as well as pictures from his childhood home, with pink and light blue emerging as the main colours. “But when we move to the 90s, there are dark undertones, [symbolising] what happened to that pink and that light blue. They turned into dark blue and red.” Rosenthal has been surprised and moved by audience response to the film. He has received countless messages from people who tell him their story and has had individuals cry on his shoulder. “I wasn’t expecting it to touch such a nerve. Their experiences may not be the same, but they have
a similar emotional thread.” It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the US, where he saw a woman sobbing “in a way that felt like she needed help”. “That was when I first realised something is going on,” he says. “I then started to see this reaction repeatedly. It’s difficult as I want to be there for people when they share, but I also need to take care of myself.” A graduate of the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University, Rosenthal wanted to be a filmmaker after seeing Jurassic Park as a child. “A lot of who I am as a filmmaker is an outcome of that combination of growing up in small town Israel and thinking about the Hollywood dream,” he says. At a time when there are continuing and increasing calls to boycott Israeli art and artists, Rosenthal, inevitably, has been affected. In October, Tell Me Everything was disinvited to Everyone’s Perfect, a queer film festival in Geneva. “At least they were brave enough in the beginning to take the film,” he says. “We don’t talk about all the festivals who are not touching it. I’m tired of seeing how everything is being politicised and it’s important for me not to allow it to happen to the film. “I have political views as a private person but I’m an artist. And I want conversations with people who appreciate art and films, instead of conversations about war.”
The UK premiere of Tell Me Everything is at the Curzon Mayfair, London as part of the UKJFF on 8 November, followed by a Q&A with Moshe Rosenthal, and at Cineworld Manchester: Didsbury on 24 November. Tickets at ukjewishfilm.org
32 Jewish News 5 November 2026
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JN LIFE The Wedding 1989-1993 courtesy artist’s estate
R.B. Kitaj inspired a generation of painters, but a critical backlash drove him from London. A new exhibition celebrates the extraordinary work and Jewish identity of the artist behind one of the Tate’s best-loved works. By Anthea Gerrie
H
e mentored David Hockney, put a kippah on him and painted his famous best man under the chuppah when he married at Bevis Marks Synagogue in 1983. And now R.B. Kitaj, the Jewish painter who fell out of love with London despite his wedding picture becoming one of the most beloved works held in the Tate, is back on display in the capital with From Fragments, a collection of rarely-seen early works, including collages fans can pick up for as little as £12,500. They may be small fragments on card or board, but fragments that combine to tell a story are the very essence of Kitaj’s work, even when put together in huge canvasses like those also newly on display at Piano Nobile in London. The modestly priced collages, some incorporating bits of paintings the artist made earlier and tore up to reuse, seem an astonishing bargain for originals by an artist whose paintings command more than £500,000, despite London art critics doing their best
Purple Tower (from Art and Tech) 1969
to destroy his reputation in the run-up to the Millennium. Hockney called their savaging of his friend at the time of his 1994 Tate retrospective “vicious” and “appalling”. One wonders what provoked such disparagement. Kitaj received a Golden Lion award at the Venice Biennale the very next year and was lauded by one of the world’s greatest art critics, Robert Hughes, as being able to draw “better than almost anyone else alive”. Hockney praised Kitaj’s draughtsmanship many times himself, citing his work as a huge influence on his own output. Lucian Freud, who – along with fellow School of London artists Frank Auerbach and Leon Kossoff, was depicted at Kitaj’s wedding – painted his friend’s portrait and sat for him at the time he was being reviled by the British art world. But the damage done to the psyche of an artist hyper-sensitive to criticism was done. In 1997, Kitaj returned to the US, believing the premature death of Sandra Fisher, the woman he first met in LA but married at Bevis Marks, was partly due to the toll the
Malta (for Chris and Rose) 1974
London critics’ hostility to his work had taken on her health. The painter, who became increasingly obsessed with Judaism, writing a “diasporist” manifesto and the memoir he subtitled Confessions of an Old Jewish Painter, told a friend: “When my wife died, London died for me, and I returned home to California to live among sons and grandsons – a very good move.” Of Sandra, he wrote: “She came into my life in 1970 as a passionate Jewishness began to form crazily in me. She seemed like a shining California miracle of new-old Jewish womanhood invented in the diaspora.” Ronald Brooks Kitaj, known only by his surname to his nearest and dearest, including Sandra, got that exotic monicker from his stepfather. Born in 1932 and educated in New York, Vienna and England, the merchant seaman turned artist settled in London in the 1960s, forming a close friendship with Hockney when they were both at the Royal College of Art. Also in his circle were Francis Bacon and other great Anglo-Jewish artists of the time. Despite being elected to the Royal Academy and having his work collected by British museums, Kitaj felt like an outsider battling barely-suppressed antisemitism during his London years. He felt those who criticised his habit of writing commentary on his own work were actually attacking the Talmudic tradition from which his practice sprung. Back home and 6,000 miles away from those critics, Kitaj embraced
his Judaism in spades for the last decade of his life. It took centre stage for the artist in the last decade of his life as he embraced Shabbat rituals, attended Seders with his children and machutanim and took the deep dive into Kabbalah which saw him re-casting his late wife as the Shekhinah, or female presence of God. “Deifying Sandra was chutzpah of the highest order for someone with no notion of God that would be familiar to Jewish believers,” says Kitaj’s close friend, the American academic David Myers. “But he identified deeply with the modern Jewish condition and embraced it as his own.” Indeed, although the artist did not grow up religious and barely thought about being Jewish until feeling compelled to marry Sandra under a chuppah, Luke Farey, director of research at Piano Nobile and co-curator of the new exhibition, says: “Kitaj reinterpreted his early work through the lens of his later concerns with Jewry, diaspora, his Jewish identity and heritage.”
WEDDING PORTRAIT
Of his picture The Wedding, begun in 1989, six years after the ceremony, Kitaj wrote: “Sandra and I were married in the beautiful old Sephardic Synagogue founded in London by Rembrandt’s friend, Menasseh ben Israel. “Under the chuppah, aside from my children and the Rabbi in top hat, Freud is on the left, Auerbach in the middle, then Sandra and me, and Hockney (best man) is to the right of us. Kossoff appears at the far right, transcribed from a drawing by John Lessore. “I worked on the painting for years and never learned how to finish it even though painter friends, including most of those in the picture, gave me good advice about it which I took up and changed things all the time. “In the end, instead of finishing it, I finished with it and gave it away to a deserving old friend.”
• R.B. Kitaj: From Fragments is at Piano
Nobile in West London until 27 November. piano-nobile.com
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5 November 2026 Jewish News 35
Love from Lithuania
JN LIFE
The Litvak Life exhibition at JW3 shows shtetl maps, letters, recipes and photographs that reveal a ‘distant, vanished world’, which has connected scattered families. By Michelle Rosenberg
A
n exhibition bringing together photographs, letters and personal stories collated by members of the UK Jewish community of Lithuanian descent launched at JW3 this week. Litvak Life traces a vibrant and deeply rooted society and follows the largest wave of Jewish migration in modern history between 1881 and 1914, reflecting on how the Lithuanian Jewish diaspora continues to shape life in Britain today. The project to preserve their collective heritage began in 2017, when family members began uploading their photographs to a shared Google drive. South African Litvak Dani Jaff-Klein, the co-organiser who recently managed a heritage trip for 21 family members to Lithuania, shared that the project was put on hold firstly due Clockwise from top left: exhibition signage, prewar playing in to Covid and then after the sea, Jawschitz family, cousins on the beach at Neringa October 7, when “no one whole other part of the world.” the humour or an really had an appetite to do She discovered that people sometimes aesthetic”. an exhibition about Litvak”. returned to visit their old shtetls in Lithuania Leila admits Last December, she up until the mid-1930s for funerals or for that when she invited her young cousin began researching marriages, and “this created these dystopian Leila Kuper from Paris, who pictures that we also saw, where people who the project she at the time was studying had left were standing with people who were didn’t know anything about Litvak history. explore the wider world social anthropology in to perish a few years later in the Holocaust”. Between 1881 and the beginning of the First of Jewish Lithuania, and Brighton, to tea. “We looked What Leila wants is for you to remember World War, around two and a half million Jews together they began interthrough the photos together, left the Pale settlement, the area that Jews had how they lived. “Our span of time is quite viewing other Litvaks, and I told her about my Dani Jaff-Klein and Leila Kuper short because we mostly have pictures from been confined to in the Russian Empire. “listening to their family long-held ambition to the end of the 19th to the 20th centuries, “A disproportionate amount of them came create an exhibition. ‘Well, why don’t you?’ she stories, discovering extraordinary collections from the northern provinces of the Pale, which because that’s what the families we interof photos, letters, and memories”. asked. And so this crazy journey began.” viewed had. But Jews were in Lithuania since is where Litvaks lived,” she says. “So, from that After an interviewee told them that Dani and her sister Natalie Barnett were the 1300s, and they’d always been seen as an period, vast networks of Litvaks were created knowing about her past made her feel safer, astonished to discover so many of the same outside group. Their role in the shtetls, which between Lithuania and all these mostly Anglo Dani considered that “these stories give us a photographs, the same faces and family was where they lived for most of their time in countries, where people had arrived, and so sense of belonging, connecting us not only to members. “We saw all of these in my grandLithuania, was traders and artisans. there were continuous flows of letters, care the past but also to the future. They remind father and his siblings’ treasured albums “Jews were weavers, bakers, shoemakers, packages, money, but also people. us that we are a part of something much that we had seen over the years,” says Dani. tailors, and shtetls are essentially market “We heard stories of people going back to larger than our own small individual lives”. “It was an extraordinary revelation. These their shtetls after they had emigrated in order towns. And the reason we associate them More than that, she adds, reflecting on the old black and white photographs, which with Jews is because Jews ran the markets. to find someone to marry. People followed wealth of materials they have gathered and had always seemed to belong to a distant, They weren’t allowed to own their own land each other to places where they already knew noting that a recent online Zoom meeting vanished world, suddenly connected us to for most of the time, and so they couldn’t be people, and as a consequence, large parts brought together 81 relatives and lasted four living people scattered across the globe.” agricultural workers like the vast majority of of Jewish communities would sometimes hours, “you find something of yourself in the The siblings “used to pore over them and non-Jews or communities.” uproot and reconstitute themselves in a lives that they lived, whether it’s the values, wonder who these people were. They were Litvak Life has inspired interest from Lithpictures, of course, of the alter heim, the old uanian communities in Brazil, Israel and the homeland. But there was nothing particularly Japanese consulate in Kaunas, Lithuania, now old-fashioned about the people in these photothe Sugihara House Museum, where diplomat graphs. They were worldly, sophisticated, Chiune Sugihara issued life-saving ‘visas for learned, stylish – even cool – and their lives life’ to thousands of Jewish refugees. seemed full of intrigue and untold stories. With many of the images, letters and “Everyone in the photographs seemed stories reflecting Jewish family members to be connected to everyone else. Cousins who perished in the Holocaust, Dani notes: appeared in each other’s photos. Families “Their lives were cut short. Their stories overlapped, and gradually a whole world were cut short” – but adds that the exhibition began to emerge. I became so captivated “connected us to so many of the living relatives by these photos and by the world that they and it’s just an extraordinary thing to suddenly represented that I began dreaming of an exhifind you’ve got family all over the world”. bition almost as soon as I saw them online.” ■ Litvak Life runs until 11 November Dani and Leila were adamant that the at JW3. No booking needed photos would act as a starting point to Dani Jaff-Klein, co-organiser: ‘These old photographs connected us to living people’
36 Jewish News 5 November 2026
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Business / Ian Marcus
candicekrieger@googlemail.com
With Candice Krieger
12 ROLES AND COUNTING: IAN’S LIFE BEYOND CREDIT SUISSE Property veteran and OBE on his ‘plural career’, why people remain the key to success and what the next generation needs to stand out
W
Perhaps surprisingly for someone who now hen Ian Marcus left Credit holds a dozen roles, Marcus has never actuSuisse in 2012, aged 53, it ally applied for a job, apart from the Bank of might have looked like an America graduate scheme. “People have called early retirement. It was anyand said: ‘Would you be interested?’ thing but. Fourteen and I will always take the call.” years later, the vetThe approach has led to a porteran property banker – who was folio featuring some of the most awarded an OBE for services prominent names in property. to business and education in Marcus is a senior adviser to 2020 – has 12 roles, leaves global real estate investment home at 6.30 most mornings bank Eastdil Secured Savills, and appears busier than ever. chairs Europe’s largest self-storage Marcus, 67, calls it his “plural company Shurgard and holds career”: a collection of board, Ian Marcus positions with businesses including advisory, educational and chariTown Centre Securities, Redevco, table roles that, he says, must satisfy AEG, Elysian Residences, Work.Life and data three criteria: “They have to be intellectually centre operator Green Mountain, after being stimulating, offer me the opportunity to keep learning and, most importantly, involve people approached by Danna Azrieli, chief executive of parent company Azrieli Group. who I know, like and trust.” But he adds: “The He sees his non-executive roles as having ‘who’ is the most important thing in business. three principal functions: fulfilling his fiduTo me, it’s all about the people.”
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Ian Marcus playing in the University of Cambridge “cuppers final” in 1980
ciary responsibilities, challenging and supporting management, and acting as a mentor, sounding board and door-opener. “You have to know when to be the handbrake and when to be the accelerator,” he says. “You are there to test the chief executive, ask the right questions and offer a different perspective. But you shouldn’t get into the weeds. Advisers advise and principals decide.” A grammar-school boy from Essex, Marcus attended Westcliff High School for Boys, where a teacher encouraged him to apply to Cambridge. He got in and studied geography before switching to land economy, setting him on the path towards property. “I had always wanted to work in America and applied to 10 US banks after graduating,” he says. He decided on Bank of America, which ironically sent him not to New York or California, but to Birmingham. The location at least suited another of his great passions: rugby, playing for Warwickshire. It also launched his career in property finance. After Bank of America came roles at UBS, NatWest and Bankers Trust (later acquired by Deutsche Bank). He joined Credit Suisse in 1999 and became chairman of European real estate investment banking, remaining there until 2012. By then, Marcus had “grown tired of spending more time on compliance, compensation, reviews and managing people than meeting clients and doing deals”. He left fulltime investment banking without any grand plan for what would come next. Yet even before leaving Credit Suisse, he had begun taking on positions outside the bank. He became the first president of the British Property Federation who was not a landlord, chaired the Investment Property Forum and spent a decade chairing the Bank of England’s Property Forum. He also chaired The Prince’s Regeneration Trust and related organisations for the now King for 14 years and served for nine years as a Crown Estate Commissioner. Marcus shows little sign of slowing down. He is normally in central London from Monday to Thursday and can often be found at Eastdil’s offices. “Do I need to work? No, but I do it because I enjoy it,” he says. Besides,
he jokes: “My golf isn’t good enough and my wife Beverley doesn’t want me at home.” Marcus remains closely involved with the next generation and acknowledges that young people trying to enter the industry face an increasingly competitive market. Eastdil received 4,000 applications for just 14 graduate positions in Europe this year. “Candidates need to find ways to distinguish themselves beyond academic results. When I look at a CV, I’ll start at the bottom rather than the top. I assume that if they have been to a good university and achieved a good degree, they are intellectually and academically capable of doing the job – I want to know what differentiates them: their interests, experiences, and whether they are team players.” He adds: “Some younger people have become too reliant on digital communication. They would rather text than call, and rather call than meet. Technology is going to make people more efficient, but what are they going to do with the time it releases?” Marcus believes the sector will continue to offer opportunities, even as the way buildings are used, owned and financed evolve. “We all need somewhere to live, work, shop and spend our leisure time.” His own portfolio reflects this shift, spanning senior living, flexible offices, self-storage, experiential real estate and data centres. Away from business, rugby has remained a constant thread. Rugby also led him into education. Marcus, who has longstanding friendships with Saracens investors Nigel Wray and Nick Leslau, spotted an appeal for school governors in a match-day programme and applied online. Within two hours, Leslau called and suggested that his experience would be better suited to the board of the wider Saracens Multi-Academy Trust. Marcus is now its deputy chair, helping to oversee schools serving around 2,000 pupils. “It is tremendously rewarding when you see these children from very challenging backgrounds doing so well,” he says. For all his professional commitments, family and community remain central to Marcus’s life. He lives in Stanmore with his wife, Beverley, whom he met in the US, although she grew up in Kenton. They are members of Mill Hill Synagogue, which their children and four grandchildren also attend. In 2026, Marcus received the PROPS Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to the property industry. “My wife said: ‘I think they’re telling you it’s time to retire,” he laughs. There seems little prospect of that. And although Beverley believes he “needs to become better at saying no”, Marcus remains as enthusiastic as ever about new people, ideas and opportunities. With 12 roles already, is there room for another? “I should get to a barmitzvah really, shouldn’t I?”
5 November 2026 Jewish News
www.jewishnews.co.uk
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Orthodox Judaism
MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA In our thought-provoking series, rabbis, rebbetzins and educators relate the week’s parsha to the way we live today RABBI YONI GOLKER
MAGEN AVOT UNITED SYNAGOGUE
Quiet heroes who shape the future A journey with Year 12 students from Immanuel College gave me much to reflect on about Jewish memory. Their thoughtful questions and care for one another left me hopeful about the generation who will carry our stories forward. Remembering the Shoah, and reflecting on 7 October, the darkest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, brings us face to face with devastating loss. It also introduces us to extraordinary courage, generosity and the enduring strength of community and the Jewish people. With 11 November approaching, I find myself thinking about the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey. One unnamed person has become a focus through which generations honour the service and sacrifice of so many.
This brings a striking detail in this week’s parsha, Chayei Sarah, into focus. Much of the Torah portion follows Abraham’s servant as he searches for a wife for Isaac. He travels, prays, recognises Rebecca’s kindness and speaks with her family. He helps make possible the next chapter of the Jewish story. Throughout this account, the Torah never names him. Jewish tradition identifies him as Eliezer. Within the narrative, he is simply “the servant” or “the man”. His name remains unspoken, his contribution fills the page. There is something wonderfully encouraging about that. We do not need a famous name or an impressive title to make a lasting difference. The future can turn on the care and commitment of someone working quietly. The histories we remember are profoundly different, but each reminds us to notice individual lives. During the Shoah, countless people sustained others through courage and kindness, often in circumstances we can
scarcely imagine. Many of their names and deeds will never be known. Since 7 October, we have also witnessed remarkable generosity: people protecting strangers, supporting bereaved families and helping shattered communities rebuild. Alongside the stories that reach us are thousands of quiet contributions. Every life deserves remembrance, regardless of achievement or heroism. And every act of goodness offers us something to carry forward. That is what makes Eliezer’s story so hopeful. His mission begins in a household grieving Sarah’s death and ends with the possibility of love, comfort and renewed family life. Rebecca’s arrival opens a future without erasing the past. The kindness at the well becomes the foundation of a home. For our communities, that offers a practical invitation. We can welcome someone who feels alone, support a family through difficulty or encourage a young person discovering
Everyone can make a lasting difference
their place in Jewish life. Such gestures help create the confidence to begin again. The students’ willingness to engage with difficult history reminded me that remembrance is an active responsibility. Through their learning, questions and friendships, they are already helping to shape our community’s future. As we mark Armistice Day, we honour those who came before us by learning their stories and accepting our own responsibilities. Eliezer helps build a future whose full reach he could never have imagined. So can we. Through patient, everyday acts of kindness, each of us can help write the next chapter of our shared Jewish story.
Shalom Noam Primary School offers a warm, friendly and supportive working environment. ^ŚĂůŽŵ EŽĂŵ WƌŝŵĂƌLJ ^ĐŚŽŽů ŽĨĨĞƌƐ Ă ǁĂƌŵ͕ ĨƌŝĞŶĚůLJ ĂŶĚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚŝǀĞ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ͘
We are looking to employ a
KS2 Rebbe
We are looking to employ a
KS2
Immediate start /January 2027 start We are seeking an enthusiastic and inspiring Rebbe to join our dedicated and caring team.
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e
e e
e
Immediate start/January 2027 start
This is an exciting opportunity for someone with a passion for Torah learning and Jewish education to help nurture our pupils' love of Yiddishkeit, strengthen their connection to Torah values and support their growth as confident, thoughtful and engaged young Jews.
We are looking for a candidate who is able to work collaboratively, has an excellent grasp of curriculum and a love of teaching to join our supportive and caring team.
The successful candidate will be an excellent classroom practitioner who is able to motivate and inspire pupils, work collaboratively with colleagues and contribute positively to the wider life of the school.
Please contact the school office office@shalomnoam.org for an application form and job description.
Please contact the school office office@shalomnoam.org for an application form and job description.
^ŚĂůŽŵ EŽĂŵ WƌŝŵĂƌLJ ^ĐŚŽŽů ŝƐ ĐŽŵŵŝƚƚĞĚ ƚŽ ƐĂĨĞŐƵĂƌĚŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽŵŽƚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ǁĞůĨĂƌĞ ŽĨ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ ĂŶĚ LJŽƵŶŐ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ĂŶĚ ĞdžƉĞĐƚƐ Ăůů ƐƚĂĨĨ ƚŽ ƐŚĂƌĞ ƚŚŝƐ ĐŽŵŵŝƚŵĞŶƚ͘ ƉƉŽŝŶƚŵĞŶƚƐ ǁŝůů ďĞ ƐƵďũĞĐƚ ƚŽ ƐĂƚŝƐĨĂĐƚŽƌLJ͕ ĞŶŚĂŶĐĞĚ ^ ĐŚĞĐŬ͘ •
Shalom Noam Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Appointments will be subject to satisfactory, enhanced DBS check. • • •
It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. Our child protection policy, including employment of ex-offenders, is available to read: www.shalomnoam.org Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a criminal conviction declaration
• • .
It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. Our child protection policy, including employment of ex-offenders, is available to read: www.shalomnoam.org Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a criminal conviction declaration
38 Jewish News 5 November 2026
www.jewishnews.co.uk
Progressive Judaism
LEAP OF FAITH
A stimulating series where our progressive rabbis consider Judaism in the face of 21stcentury issues
RABBI CHARLEY BAGINSKY
CO-LEAD, THE MOVEMENT FOR PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM
The Israel I believe in On the Saturday before Israel’s election, I stood in Rabin Square surrounded by Israeli flags. I had gone back to Israel to vote, taking my three children with me. The Hebrew undid me first. On the plane, in the streets, shouted across cafés. The relief of being somewhere I could say “Israel” without wondering what I would have to explain next. Then there was Mike’s Place. My old bar family. People who knew me before I was a rabbi, before I was a mother. There is still a cocktail named after me there. Walking past the old Jerusalem bar after voting, I sent a photograph to a friend: “This is where Charley
was invented.” I meant the drink. They suggested I might have meant something rather more profound. But back to those flags. It was blue and white everywhere, carried by people who had spent years protesting for peace, for democracy, and often against their own government. I hadn’t expected the flags to make me cry. In Britain, we have become uneasy about the Israeli flag. We always have one hanging in our Movement for Progressive Judaism office, despite the uncomfortable conversations it can sometimes provoke with guests. In Tel Aviv, thousands were waving those same flags for change. Lihyot am chofshi b’artzenu. To be a free people in our land. I have sung those words all my life. I am less certain than ever what they promise, or to whom.
Incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot
But where does the election result leave us? Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats, the opposition 48, and the Arab parties an unprecedented 19. Rabbi Gilad Kariv, a Progressive rabbi and Knesset member for the Democrats, has called for the opposition to cooperate with Arab representatives and form a majority, saying: “Most Jews in the State of Israel have a deep interest in
extending a hand to the two million Arab citizens living here.” For Progressive Jews, regardless of who we want to see form a government, this goes to the heart of what we believe Jewish sovereignty should mean. A Jewish state that cannot accommodate the political equality of its Arab citizens has questions to answer about its democracy.
Rabin Square, where I stood, carries its own history: 31 years since a Jewish extremist murdered a prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin, who had dared to imagine peace. My children know Rabin as history. I remember when he was the future. I have been humming David Broza’s “Yihye Tov”, written when Egypt’s Anwar El-Sadat came to Jerusalem in 1977. It will be good. Nearly 50 years later, we are still singing it. I think about my children and the Israel they have experienced this week. The Hebrew, the noise, the arguments, the people at Mike’s Place who welcomed them because they knew me. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life telling them about a country that almost was. Yihye Tov. I still want to believe.
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5 November 2026 Jewish News
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