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IT’S FLOUR POWER! Young and old don their aprons for this year’s Great Jewish Bake Day. All the news and pictures from the big event inside Page 25

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST JEWISH NEWSPAPER 6 July 2017

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12 Tamuz 5777

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Issue No.1010

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The gift of giving back 16-page supplement in this week’s newspaper

@JewishNewsUK

Modern Orthodox shul membership lowest in decades Charedi synagogue numbers are up 139% as mainstream Orthodoxy falls by a third A dramatic new report on synagogue membership in Britain reveals the Charedi community is up by a staggering 139 percent since the 1990s, while mainstream Orthodox movements have experienced a 37 percent decline, writes Jenni Frazer.

The report, prepared for the Board of Deputies by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, also shows that

while overall synagogue membership itself is declining, there are more synagogues today than ever before.

The last such survey was prepared in 2010 and the authors say many of the trends they have found echo the figures seven years ago. But among the more extraordinary statistics is the fact that in 2016 there were 454 synagogues across the UK, the highest number in recorded history; and that while what is broadly termed “Central Orthodoxy” is declining by eight percent from 2010, the strictly Orthodox are up by 18 percent from the last survey.

The report, compiled by JPR executive director, Dr Jonathan Boyd, and Dr Donatella Casale Mashiah, a research fellow at JPR, was carried out between April and September 2016, shows that “the most significant changes in synagogue membership since 1990 can be seen in Central Orthodoxy, which has experienced a 37 percent decline over the period, and in strict Orthodoxy, which has experienced a 139 percent increase.

“These trends have continued since the last synagogue memberThe revealing report issued this week ship report was published in 2010. The

If I were a Jewish man!

Omid Djalili on his transformation into Tevye in a new West End production of Fiddler On The Roof

Page 27

SIR BEN’S STRUGGLE The Oscar winner reveals how his own family’s antiSemitism motivated him to take a stand against intolerance Page 15

Central Orthodox share has declined by eight percent over the past six years, while the Strictly Orthodox share has grown by 18 percent”.

Half of all synagogue members in the UK belong to synagogues located in just five areas: Barnet, Westminster, Hertsmere, Redbridge and Stamford Hill; while Manchester accounts for 11 percent of the total synagogues in Britain.

The report breaks down denominational affiliation into six groups, as follows: “Central Orthodox (the United Synagogue, the Federation of Synagogues and independent modern Orthodox synagogues); Liberal (synagogues affiliated to Liberal Judaism, plus Belsize Square Synagogue); Masorti (synagogues affiliated to Masorti Judaism); Reform (synagogues affiliated to the Movement for Reform Judaism, plus Westminster Synagogue, Chaim v’Tikvah, and Hastings and District Jewish Society); Sephardi (synagogues affiliated with the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi Community, plus synagogues that identify with the Spanish and Portuguese tradition); and strictly Orthodox Continued on page 4

Putting royals in the picture Reginald Davis looks back on seven headlinemaking decades photographing the rich and famous Page 28

BRITNEY DRIVES TEL AVIV CRAZY

Britney Spears held her first concert in Israel this week, performing in front of 55,000 fans at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park.

She’s one of many top acts performing in the city this summer, including Justin Bieber, Guns N’ Roses and Radiohead.

Balfour centenary Former ambassador Daniel Taub on the lessons Israel can learn from the historic declaration Pages 12-13

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

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News / Hate speech / Flag petition / News briefs

Union chief guilty of hate speech

by Jenni Frazer @Jennifrazer

The South African Jewish community is waiting for an apology from a leading trade unionist after the country’s Equality Court unexpectedly ruled that Bongani Masuku had been guilty of hate speech directed at Jews, writes Jenni Frazer.

British academic David Hirsh, who gave expert witness testimony in the case, said the judgment was vitally important “because it blows a hole in the extreme left argument that anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism”.

Charisse Zeifert, spokeswoman of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, which brought the case against Masuku, told Jewish News: “All we ever wanted was an apology, nothing more.”

She said any such apology, according to the judge’s ruling, would have to be agreed between the Deputies and Masuku’s Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). But it is widely expected he and the union will appeal against the ruling, the second such made in South Africa against him.

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the annual Israel Apartheid Week, to the country’s Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), which ruled Masuku’s remarks and others made publicly by him before the Wits address, amounted to hate speech. The Commission said his comments had incited violence and hatred against Jewish students present at the campus meeting.

Despite being ordered to apologise, Masuku refused to do so. At the end of 2009 Britain’s University and College Union (UCU) invited him as a special guest to its annual Congress to discuss boycotts against

Israel. Eventually, SAHRC took Masuku to court. In February 2017, in a seven-day hearing, expert witnesses – including Hirsh – gave testimony as to the nature of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.

Masuku insisted during the hearing he was making statements about Zionists and not Jews but, Mr Justice Moshidi, sitting in the Equality Court of the South Gauteng High Court, dismissed these claims.

He said the impugned statements by Masuku were “hurtful; harmful; incite harm and propagate hatred; and

amount to hate speech as envisaged in section 10 of the Equality Act 4 of 2000”.

Masuku and COSATU were ordered to tender an unconditional apology to the Jewish community within 30 days.

Hirsh said: “In a country where too many people don’t have enough to eat or a roof over their heads, COSATU chose to spend millions of rand, the hard-earned union dues of South African workers, to prove it was just fine to tell people that Jews in South Africa were Nazis and to threaten to make their lives hell.”

OFSTED: CHAREDI SCHOOL PUTTING PUPILS AT RISK A Charedi boys’ school in Stamford Hill faces closure after Ofsted assessed its pupils are ‘at risk’ owing to poor safety and sanitary conditions.

Yesodey Hatorah Boys School, which has 671 pupils aged five to 15, was told by inspectors that procedures must “urgently” be set up to ensure staff “routinely undergo necessary vetting checks”.

The fee-paying school was also criticised for a “damaging” lack of hot water facilities and “unacceptable arrangements to share both toilet and washroom facilities with male members of staff.”

10,000 back petition to ban hate flag

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Above: Bongani Masuku.

Main: An anti-Israel protest veers towards hate speech

In March 2009, Masuku gave a speech at Witwatersrand University (“Wits”) in which, among other things, he threatened “Zionists” on South African campuses, said COSATU activists would make their lives hell, and that Zionists should leave the country.

He threatened violence “‘with immediate effect,” against families in South Africa whose children had moved to Israel and served in its army and harm against people who lived in Orange Grove, known as a Jewish neighbourhood, who did not agree with him about Israeli politics.

The Deputies reported his remarks, made during

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UK) who set up the petition, urged More than 10,000 people have signed Rudd to ban the group and say “no a petition calling for Amber Rudd to to terror”. ban Hezbollah entirely.

CUFI UK executive director, The campaign for the Home SecDes Starritt, said: “Hezbollah retary to outlaw the organisation is an anti-Israel, anti-west completely gathered storm following organisation that should not the controversial Al Quds Day march be allowed in Britain, yet last month. its supporters marched Rudd said she would look into through central London flying banning the annual demonstration Hezbollah flags. and proscribing the whole of Hez“If Britain is to genuinely say ‘no bollah as a terrorist group. to terror’ then all terrorist organisaUnder current legislation, tions must be banned without comBritain outlaws the military wing of Hezbollah, but not its polit- Al Quds Day marchers wave terror flag in London promise. Following the Arab League and United States in proscribing ical wing – even though leaders Hezbollah is one simple step that the UK of the group suggest they are one and political wing of the group.

Since the Al Quds Day march, Government can take in ensuring that the same. from the Labour and extremism will not be tolerated in this During the march through central figures London on 18 June, demonstrators were Conservative parties have called for the country.”  Sign the petition at: http://bit. advised to pin messages to Hezbollah flags whole of the organisation to be banned.

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Tommy Robinson row / News briefs / News

Former EDL chief holds ‘secret’ meeting with Manchester Jews

A war of words has broken out over a meeting held by 12 members of the Jewish community in Prestwich, north Manchester – with the former leader of the English Defence League (EDL), Tommy Robinson, as their special guest, writes Jenni Frazer.

The secretive event at which Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – is believed to have spoken about his extreme views on Islam is understood to have taken place last Wednesday night in a city centre hotel.

But attempts to speak to the organisers of the event were stonewalled this week after Robinson himself boasted about the meeting on social media, drawing immediate condemnation by the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Labour Movement.

He announced on his Twitter account that he had given a talk “to the

t.

Es

Manchester Jewish community”, and thanked his audience for £400 raised for the Amelia-Mae Foundation, a charity that supports people with neuroblastoma.

The Board’s vice president, Marie van der Zyl, said: “Tommy Robinson’s record of anti-Muslim provocation means that he could never be a partner of a respectable or mainstream Jewish organisation. Our community should not tolerate any form of hatred.”

Anthony Dennison, of the North West Friends of Israel, said he had been told about the meeting but had refused to attend, as he did not share the ideas about Islam, but believed there should be co-operation with members of the Muslim community.

Jeremy Newmark, chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, said: “There can be no space in our community for the politics of extremism and hate.

British Jews stood firmly against the British Union of Fascists, the National Front and the BNP. “We are warning them not to be taken in by the likes of Tommy Robinson, who is part of that same legacy of hate.

“We call upon the Board of Deputies

English Defence League protesters during a demonstration in London.

Below: Former EDL leader Tommy Robinson

and Jewish Leadership Council to take political and educational steps to distance our community from Robinson and his associates … No ifs, no buts, Tommy Robinson is an enemy of our community.”

Robinson, a former member of the far-right British Nation Party, has sought in recent years to ingratiate himself with

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the Jewish community, travelling to Israel and declaring himself a Zionist.

EDL demonstrations frequently feature Israeli flags.

On Tuesday, Robinson wrote on Twitter: “People actually think I’m a Jew. I’ve gone full 360 [degrees] over last eight years. From people thinking I hate Jews to people thinking I am a Jew.”

A Muslim man who said he was planning to attack a synagogue has been sentenced to two years in prison. A court in Marseille sentenced Mohamed Chebab, 33, on Tuesday, a little over a year after he was arrested for praising the Islamic State terrorist group. He was convicted of supporting acts of terrorism. Chebab said he wanted to “smoke some Jews, at least three” at the Grand Synagogue of Marseille. [JTA]

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

News / Synagogue membership

A demographic earthquake Continued from page 1 synagogues (synagogues aligned with the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations and others of a similar ethos”.

Boyd and Mashiah say that the largest denominational group in 2016 was Central Orthodox, with 52.8 percent of the total membership, followed by Reform with 19.4 percent, strictly-Orthodox with 13.5 percent, Liberal with 8.2 percent, Masorti with 3.3 percent, and Sephardi with 2.9 percent.

But they add: “However, in terms of the relative number of synagogues associated with each denominational strand, Central Orthodox and strictlyOrthodox share the dominant position with an identical number, each accounting for 37.4 percent of the total 454 synagogues.

“Nevertheless, in assessing these figures, it is important to bear in mind that the average congregational size in the Central Orthodox strand (247

Distribution of household membership and numbers by denomination (% of totals)

members) is almost four times larger than in the strictlyOrthodox strand (63 members). Reform synagogues have the highest mean congregational size, with an average of 344 members per synagogue.”

For the first time, says the report, Masorti has grown so that it is no longer the smallest

of the six denominations, just beating those affiliated to the Sephardi movement.

The authors say: “The most striking figures are for the Central Orthodox and strictlyOrthodox strands, albeit for contrasting reasons. Central Orthodox membership figures have declined by over a third in

The two biggest synagogues in Britain are both Reform — Edgware Reform and West London, each holding between 1,500 to 1,900 synagogue memberships by household.

A United Synagogue (US) spokesperson said: “Orthodoxy continues to constitute over two-thirds of those affiliated to communities in the UK and we are aware that a small number of US members are moving to the right with an even smaller number moving to non-Orthodox groups.

“Our responsibility is to continually respond to such changes in the Jewish community and to provide the best possible offering for all our members.”

Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Simon Johnson said: “This is an important addition to the debate regarding the future of our community. It will be incredibly useful as we plan our next initiatives.”

However, chief executive of Liberal Judaism Danny Rich warned: “The massive growth in the strictly-Orthodox sector – at the expense of mainstream Orthodoxy – has the potential to transform the nature of Judaism in this country, from outward-looking and inclusive to introverted and isolated.”

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the past quarter of a century, from 66,201 in 1990 to 41,990 in 2016 – the equivalent of about 930 household memberships per annum.

“By contrast, strictlyOrthodox membership figures have increased dramatically, by 139 percent, rising from a recorded count of 4,489 in 1990, to 10,712 in 2016, the equivalent of about 240 new households per annum.

“As is the case with UK Jewish population data in general, these dynamics in the Charedi community, which are driven predominantly

by demographic forces (particularly high birth rates), are helping to offset the decline seen in other parts of the Jewish community.

“The data also reveal contrasting fortunes for the various non-Orthodox strands.

The counts recorded both for the Reform and the Liberal movements are at the lowest levels seen since 1990.

“Membership of Reform synagogues has declined by eight percent since 1990 (a net loss of 1,366 members, or the equivalent of an average of about 53 per annum), while among the Liberal strand, the equivalent figure is 16 percent (an average loss of about 49 members per annum)”.

In contrast, the report says “Masorti has grown consistently since 1990, from 1,226 members at that time to an all-time high of 2,620 in 2016. These are significantly lower numbers than either of the other two nonOrthodox denominations, but an increase nonetheless of 114 percent (or the equivalent of about 54 members per annum). Indeed, in 2016, for the first time, Masorti membership counts exceeded Sephardi ones, rendering it no longer the smallest denominational strand.”

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BY DR JONATHAN BOYD

EXEC DIRECTOR , JPR/INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH POLICY RESEARCH

Synagogue membership figures have been falling for at least a generation, if not considerably longer. But the overall decline masks important developments at the denominational level.

Critically, the sector that has declined most sharply is central Orthodoxy – broadly understood as the United Synagogue, the Federation and various independent modern Orthodox synagogues dotted around the country – which collectively have seen a 37 percent drop since 1990.

The decline is partly about disaffection, but it’s also been driven considerably by natural decrease – more members dying than being born.

The Charedi community is growing at the fastest rate – by 139 percent since 1990. A generation ago, Charedim comprised 4.5 percent of all synagogue members households; today they comprise 13.5 percent.

It’s not that vast numbers are being drawn towards stricter forms of observance, it’s rather

that Charedi women, on average, have seven children. Slowly but surely, high birth rates in this sector are transforming the composition of the British Jewish community.

Taken as a whole, Liberal, Reform and Masorti figures have been fairly stable over time.

Liberal and Reform have both declined slightly since 1990, whereas Masorti has grown, albeit from a lower base.

But the overall picture of stability is somewhat misleading. Data from JPR’s recent National Jewish Community Survey indicate that Liberal and Reform synagogues are both losing members at a similar rate to the central Orthodox ones, but unlike those central Orthodox ones, they are also attracting members from their religious ‘right’ to offset those losses.

There are two big trends in the British Jewish community. The first is towards greater religious liberalism or secularisation, driven by sociological forces.

The second is tremendous growth among the most Orthodox sectors, driven predominantly by demographic forces.

The result of both is a gradual shakeout of the middle ground – the slow erosion of centrist, middle-of-the-road, Orthodox Judaism.

6 July 2017 Jewish News

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5

Israel debate / Olmert released / News

Labour attacks government’s Israel policy in heated debate Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, made a swingeing attack on the government’s Israel-Palestine policy in a Commons debate on Wednesday, criticising the fact that the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, was not present, writes Jenni Frazer.

Instead it fell to Middle East Minister Alistair Burt in his renewed role at the Foreign Office, to speak on behalf of the government in the debate where scores of MPs lined up to contribute.

Burt’s opening remarks were repeatedly interrupted by MPs, many of whom raised issues such as the flying of Hezbollah flags in London, or violence of language.

Conservative MP Andrew Percy said he had been called “Israeli scum and Zionist scum” during the election campaign.

He said it was “vital” for people on both sides of the conflict to avoid acts that undermined the prospect of peace and a two-state solution. The people of Israel, he said, “deserve to live free from terror and anti-Semitic incitement”.

But Thornberry, in a long and measured response to Burt, cited the Balfour Declaration, which had been written by Arthur Balfour himself. “Not only words matter,” she said, “but who says them matters, too”.

Emily Thornberry criticised Tory policy

She complained that the Conservative Party had failed completely to mention Israel and Palestine in its 2017 election manifesto – and, while calling herself a friend of Israel and Palestine, mocked Conservative supporters of Israel for raising the issue of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his “Hamas and Hezbollah friends”. This, said Thornberry, was a “Lynton Crosby” line, the former adviser to the Conservative leadership, who had been discredited.

She believed, she told MPs, that Britain’s

failure to delineate its policy towards the peace process was because it was afraid to be at odds with what the Americans might say or do. “This government is so weak and wobbly that it has to be in lockstep with the US,” she said. Instead, she added, Britain should be ready to condemn Donald Trump and part company with his attitude where necessary.

Thornberry also asked for the government to publish its report on the funding of extremist groups, particularly asking to discover whether Qatar or Saudi Arabia had been responsible for any such funding.

The long-time Palestinian supporter Crispin Blunt warned that the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration was “a touchstone issue for millions of Arabs and Muslims and needs to be handled with utmost care”.

Last year, he said, Britain had said it would neither apologise nor celebrate the Balfour Declaration, an approach he welcomed and wanted to be reiterated.

Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers spoke of payments made by the Palestinian leadership to terrorists and the fact that 25 Palestinian schools were named after terrorists. There would be outrage, she suggested, if such a thing were to happen here.

Ehud Olmert freed from prison early Israel’s former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been released from jail after serving time for corruption.

The parole board last week granted the 71-year-old early release from his 27-month sentence. He was convicted in 2014 on charges of accepting bribes to promote a property project and obstructing justice.

The charges related to when

Ehud Olmert leaving prison

he was mayor of Jerusalem and trade minister before he became premier in 2006.

His imprisonment ended the last major Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and ushered in the era of Benjamin Netanyahu in 2009.

LEADERS SUPPORT PEACE FUND The chief executives of AngloJewry’s two core representative bodies have strongly endorsed a new campaign by Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) to launch a fund for Middle East peace.

Gillian Merron of the Board of Deputies and Simon Johnson of the Jewish Leadership Council have backed LFI’s campaign, which is to open an International Fund for IsraeliPalestinian Peace.

Calling on the government

to support the LFI initiative, they said in a statement: “While direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are stalled, this is no excuse for the world to stand idle.

“We should be investing in the kind of grassroots projects which bring together Israelis and Palestinians and promote peace, coexistence and reconciliation which will be needed to underpin future political progress.”

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

News / Royal visit /Barmitzvah mitzvah / Ofsted success

William and Kate to visit Nazi camp in Poland The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will take their children on their tour of Germany and Poland, where they’ll visit a former Nazi camp and meet survivors.

William and Kate will travel with Prince George and Princess Charlotte during their five-day trip, which begins on 17 July in Poland’s capital Warsaw and ends in the German city of Hamburg on 21 July.

The Royal couple will meet survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi oppression during their trip as they acknowledge the complex 20th century histories of each country.

In Poland, they will tour the former Stutthof concentration camp where 65,000 people died at the hands of their captors, and also visit Berlin’s Holocaust

museum and memorial in the German capital. A Kensington Palace spokesman said: “The Duke and Duchess are looking forward to this tour and are delighted with the exciting and varied programme that has been put together for it.

“They have decided that their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, will travel with them and we expect the children to be seen on at least a couple of occasions over the course of the week.

“They look forward to a busy and impactful tour, and are grateful that they will have the opportunity to meet the Polish and German people – such important friends of the UK – as a family.

During the tour of Poland and Germany the children are likely to be seen

only during arrivals and departures at the two countries.

The Cambridges are making the trip at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

In Poland they will also visit the site of Gdansk’s shipyards, the birthplace of Poland’s Solidarity movement that helped topple Communist rule.

Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a private meeting with the royal couple in Berlin at the start of the German leg of their tour, and afterwards William and Kate will visit the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of German unification.

The royal couple will fly to and from the countries in a private charter plane which they will use for some of the internal legs of the visit.

Kate and William with their children, George and Charlotte

Barmitzvah boy Miles helps Hatzola save lives HIGH MARKS FOR SCHOOL A barmitzvah boy has donated money from his special day to Jewish emergency service Hatzola, to help pay for life-saving equipment worth £1,500, writes Jack Mendel.

Miles Isaacs’ mum Melodie said she is “enormously proud” after her son helped

fund a defibrillator to the volunteer ambulance service.

She added: “I feel very emotional about the fact that my son is now going to care for other people.”

At a special event on Sunday attended by Hatzola trustees, members and staff, as well as Miles’ parents,

the 13-year-old Immanuel College pupil fixed a plaque onto the defibrillator, used to treat victims of cardiac arrest, purchased thanks to his gift.

The plaque says the charity gives “grateful acknowledgment for a generous donation”.

There was a double dose of welcome news for Simon Marks Jewish Primary School this week, with Ofsted rating the school as “good” and a new, leadership team announced.

Gulcan Metin is to be the new headteacher. She was previously the head at Southwold Primary School, also in

Hackney. Metin will be joined

by Yolande Pieters, currently at Partnerships for Jewish Schools.

Oftsed, meanwhile, found the quality of teaching is “consistently good”.

Chair of governors Howard Pallis said: “This is a huge achievement by the teachers, staff and pupils.”

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

Special report / Limmud FSU in Moldova

Limmud FSU bowls over Moldova

by Jenni Frazer @Jennifrazer

More than 300 young Russianspeaking Jews have taken part in a one-day annual Limmud FSU event in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.

It its fourth year, the Moldovan event, held in Kedem, the Jewish community centre in Chisinau, has become one of the most eagerly anticipated for the country’s young people, many of whom are heavily involved in the renaissance of Moldovan Jewry.

Limmud FSU – founded just over 10 years ago – has formed a focus for young Jews who are eager to learn more about their roots and want to express their Jewish identity.

The founder of Limmud FSU, former Jewish Agency treasurer Chaim Chesler, spoke at the opening ceremony of

Sunday’s conference. He told a packed audience: “Limmud FSU has become an important element in the Moldova Jewish community, not just in providing events packed with Jewish content, but also for the many people who have joined us as volunteers, working on the planning, programming, logistics and administration of all our events.

“We’re happy to be nurturing a new generation of leaders who are creating or revitalising the Jewish community in Moldova”.

With more than 60 sessions on offer, and 50 prominent speakers from around the world, the festival offered a pluralistic array of culture, creativity and learning. Subjects ranged from art to Jewish culture and tradition, history, politics, academics, business, Zionism, Jewish cooking and

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lifestyles and included Jewish views of astrology and superstition, and childrearing.

Limmud FSU’s co-founder, the New York philanthropist Sandra Cahn, said: “Since its inaugural conference in Moscow in 2006, Limmud FSU events have attracted more than 50,000 participants in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Israel, North America, Western Europe and Australia.

“We hope our conferences will continue and bring a spirit of intellectual freedom to young Jews in a liberal, pluralistic, egalitarian, non-demanding and gender-free atmosphere of study – the personification of the Hebrew word ‘Limmud’ in its widest possible sense.”

Among the presenters were the Moldovan minister of culture, Monica Babuk; the chairman of the board of the Jewish Museum and Centre of Tolerance in Moscow, Rabbi Boruch Gorin; Russian-Israeli comedian Ilya Akselrod, and Dr Joel Rappel, the founder of Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel’s archive at Boston University.

Participants at Limmid FSU in Moldova pictured with founder Chaim Chesler [second right]

As one of the country’s most successful businessmen, the president of the Jewish community of Moldova, Alexander Bilinkis, was one of the most popular presenters for his lecture about entrepreneurship and business.

He said: “Limmud FSU is a tradition that unites people who are close to each other in

Limmud in the UK almost 40 years ago, saying: “We cannot praise highly enough our volunteers.”

Tributes were also paid to the event’s sponsors: the Claims Conference, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Nativ, and the Jewish community of Moldova.

spirit. It’s a celebration of intellect, and the place of gathering for the most interesting, bright and educated audience.

“I want to thank all involved, may our next event be an even bigger success than this one.”

Limmud FSU’s executive director Roman Kogan highlighted the volunteerism, a guiding principle of the first

Anniversary tribute to iconic Elie On the first anniversary of the death of Elie Wiesel, the Romanian-born Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor, Moldovan Jews held a special service in the country’s capital, Chisinau.

The service took place on the eve of the one-day Limmud FSU event, which attracted more than 300 young Jews from all over the country.

Wiesel (pictured) was widely known as one of the fiercest fighters for Soviet Jewry in the

days before the gates of the Soviet Union allowed them to go free.

The keynote service, remembering the legacy of Wiesel, was held on Saturday night at the Chisinau Chabad Lubavitch Synagogue, the only synagogue that is still active today, in a city that had more than 70 synagogues before the Holocaust.

Rabbi Zusha Abelsky, the son of the former Chief Rabbi of Moldova, Zalman Abelsky, recited a special Kaddish in memory of Wiesel.

Others taking part in the service were Rabbi Mandy Axelrod, the president of the Jewish community of Moldova Alexander Bilinkis, Limmud FSU founder Chaim Chesler and Elie Wiesel’s close friend and colleague, the founder of his archive at Boston University, Dr Joel Rappel.

Aged 15, Wiesel and his family were sent to Auschwitz.

His mother and younger sister died, his two older sisters survived.

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Government grant / Maths list / Qatar ban / News

11

ART OUT OF THE

Shoah centre gets BLOODLANDS A Century of Polish Artists in Britain £1.2m fund boost One of the country’s leading Holocaust education institutions will receive a £1.2million in funding after being selected for membership of the Arts Council’s National Portfolio.

The National Holocaust Centre and Museum (NHC) will get £300,00 for each of the next four years, enabling it to expand its educational work.

In being selected Portfolio status, the NHC becomes one of 831 organisations in the arts and culture sector to receive a total of £1.6billion over the next four years.

The Nottingham-based centre is known for its ground breaking Forever Project which uses advanced digital technology to deliver survivor testimony to children.

The initiative involves the use of cuttingedge technology which displays survivors as 3D projections, able to give testimony and answer questions.

The software is able to identify responses from a bank of up to 1,000 pre-recorded answers, matching it the the one which is most relevant to the question asked Increased funding for the centre over the next four years will enable it to expand its educational outreach and arts programmes, especially with schoolchildren.

NHC chief executive Phil Lyons said: “We

Survivor Martin Stern taking part in the NHC’s 3D Hologram initiative

are absolutely delighted to be joining the Arts Council’s National Portfolio. The centre does exceptionally important work, both in keeping alive the history of the events of the Holocaust, and working with young people and adults today.

“National Portfolio support will help to underpin and expand its work over the next four years. As a result of this funding, we hope thousands more people will be able to connect with the centre’s work.”

CYBER ARREST Uni tops count Israeli police have assisted in the charging of a British student for supplying malware used in a string of high-profile cyber attacks.

Jack Chappell, from Stockport, is accused of running a web business supplying software used to attack the websites of several multinational firms, including Amazon and Vodafone.

Police said the 18-year-old was charged following an investigation led by the West Midlands Regional Cyber Crime Unit, assisted by Israeli Police, the FBI and Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre.

Prosecutors allege Chappell supplied Denial of Service software – which crashes websites by flooding them with huge volumes of data and ran an online helpdesk for would-be hackers.

West Midlands Police said Chappell was accused of helping cyber-criminals target websites around the world, including a 2015 attack on NatWest that hit the bank’s online system.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is counting its blessings – literally – after it was named the 11th best university in the world for mathematics.

The placing was awarded by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy which has just announced its 2017 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.

Out of scores of international institutions, the Hebrew University was named in the top 50 in the world in three additional subjects: 39th worldwide in communication, 40th in political sciences, and 46th in economics.

It was also among the top 75 in the world in three other subjects: veterinary sciences, public administration and law.

In total, the Hebrew University was ranked in the top 100 worldwide in 10 different subjects and took first or joint-first place in Israel in 18 subjects.

WORLD NEWS IN BRIEF

AUSTRIA RIGHT TO SEIZE HITLER HOUSE FROM ITS OWNER

QATAR BECOMES THIRD ARAB STATE TO BAN GAL GADOT FILM

Austria’s highest court has ruled the government was within its rights to seize the house where Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was born in 1889 after its owner refused to sell it.

Authorities said the move was needed to give the state full control over plans to reduce the house’s attraction for neo-Nazis.

The Constitutional Court ruled that the government had “full authority” to expropriate the house in Braunau am Inn, near the German border.

The expropriation, it said, “was in the public interest, proportionate, and not without compensation and is thus not unconstitutional”.

Qatar has become the third Arab-majority country to ban the screening of the movie Wonder Woman because lead actress Gal Gadot is Israeli – who has served in the IDF. The film had been scheduled to premiere in Qatar this week and was being promoted by local theatre chains VOX Cinemas Qatar and Novo Cinemas. But in the days before its scheduled release, the film was removed from cinema websites.

The film currently is banned in Lebanon and Tunisia.

Jordan’s Communications Commission initially banned the film and then allowed it to be screened “due to a lack of legal precedent”. [JTA]

Marek Zulawski, Poland First to Fight, 1939, poster, private collection, courtesy the artist’s estate

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Special Report / The Balfour Declaration

‘The biggest event in our history since the destruction of Judea’

A

head of this year’s 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, we speak to former Israeli Ambassador to the UK Daniel Taub (pictured, far right). The Declaration, which was passed by Foreign Secretary Lord (Arthur) Balfour to Zionist Federation chief Lord Rothschild on 2 November 1917, said the British government would do all its power to pursue a home for the Jewish people while “it being understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the rights of existing nonJewish communities in Palestine or the rights enjoyed by Jews in other countries”.

There are numerous events being planned by synagogues and community organisations across the country to celebrate this landmark occasion.

Mr Taub will deliver this year’s Isaiah Berlin lecture at Hampstead Synagogue on 13 July. To book your tickets for this event, email admin@ hampsteadshul.org.uk

the song Hava Nagila was written in celebration of the Declaration. But the most remarkable thing has been to learn about the unusual group of people who helped make the Declaration happen. They were a very unlikely bunch, with no small amount of eccentricities, by no means people you would mark as leaders or diplomats. But they changed history. To me, that’s a reminder that every one of us can play a part in writing the Jewish story.

Q: Prime Minister Theresa May calls the Balfour Declaration ‘one of the most important letters in history’. Is she right?

A: It certainly was for the Jewish people. It was the first recognition of the right of the Jewish people to re-establish a homeland in Israel after two millennia, not just by the British Government but by any government. Although it wasn’t a legal document in itself, it played a critical role in making the state of Israel possible. And when you look where Israel is today, and and depth of UK-Israel cooperation, it’s something Britain can be very proud of, too.

Q: Any other lessons for our community leadership today?

A: It’s worth remembering that the Declaration very nearly didn’t happen, not because of British opposition but because of divisive splits within the Jewish community. That might be a useful reminder of how much damage destructive arguments within the community can cause, and how much we can achieve if we manage work together.

Q: What interest did the British have in issuing the Declaration, especially in the middle of the First World War?

A: It is remarkable to see the amount of time the War Cabinet devoted to discussing Zionism and the Balfour Declaration right in the heat of the war. Of course, in some ways, the two were related. Some members of the cabinet hoped they could use Jewish influence to generate American and Russian support for the war effort.

But a striking number, Lloyd George and Balfour among them, were genuinely moved by the plight of the Jews in Russia and inspired by the dream of

The eponymous Lord Arthur Balfour

the return of the Jews to the land of Bible.

Q: In later years, Britain reneged on the Balfour Declaration and prevented Jewish immigration from Europe to Palestine when the Jews needed it most. Should that cast a shadow on our celebrations?

Q: You’ve looked into the background of the Declaration in archives in Israel and the UK. What surprised you?

A: There have been many surprises. Some are curiosities – I hadn’t realised, for example, that

A: The White Paper restricting Jewish immi-

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The Balfour Declaration / Special Report gration was clearly a very low point in our relations, but we should also remember the British leaders – Balfour and Winston Churchill were among them – who spoke out passionately for Britain to honour the Declaration. I think that one of the messages of this centenary is that history isn’t carved in stone, it’s up us to write it. So while we have to be honest about the past, I think it’s also right that we choose to celebrate the people that made the Declaration possible, and all those who have contributed to the success of Israel and strength of the relations between our two countries.

Q: What about Israel? Are there lessons Israelis can take from the Declaration?

A: I think there are. The Balfour Declaration is obviously a historical document that played a historic role in in the establishment of Israel.

But it’s also an aspirational document. Short as it is, it sets out a vision of Israel that is guided by Jewish values and which ensures equality to all its non-Jewish residents. In both of those missions, it’s still a work in progress. I’m currently working with Yad Hanadiv, the Rothschild Foundation in Israel, and it’s very moving to me to see that the descendants of the Lord Rothschild to whom the Declaration was addressed are today involved in so many projects to fulfil the promise of that vision.

Q: In recent months, we’ve heard Palestinian representatives threatening to sue Britain for issuing the Declaration or to ask for an apology for it. How do you think Palestinians should relate to the Declaration?

A: I think Britain has rightly recognised these

campaigns as nonsense. But the Palestinians who are making these demands are really missing the main lesson of the Balfour Declaration. Lord Balfour himself said that the Declaration didn’t give the Jews Palestine, rather it gave them an opportunity and they would have to work to take advantage of it.

We were blessed with leaders who did just that – establishing communities and industry in Israel and developing relationships across the world. I think the key lesson, for Israelis and Palestinians alike, is not to become obsessed with the past, but to seize opportunities proactively and work to build the future.

Past master: Former Israeli ambassador Daniel Taub

NEWS IN BRIEF

TONGE TAKES AIM AT UK’S OVERSEAS AID TO ISRAEL Britain’s overseas aid budget has been used to help pay for Israel’s “illegal occupation” of Palestine for more than 50 years, a peer has claimed. Former Liberal Democrat Baroness Tonge, who now sits as a non-affiliated member in the House of Lords, argued the situation made the UK “complicit” in breaking international law. She said: “Considering the length of time this outrage has been allowed to continue, it is an extremely ineffective way of using aid.”

Q: You’ll be sharing some of your findings about the hidden history of the Declaration in the Isaiah Berlin Memorial Lecture next week. Is there a connection between Isaiah Berlin and the Declaration?

A: Isaiah Berlin’s active involvement in Zionism came much later. At the time of the Declaration, he was a young child in Russia, which had just gone through the Russian revolution. But he does write movingly that he remembers well his excitement when the Declaration was announced and he was given a blue and white and gold flag and taken to a celebration in the local synagogue. Only later did he realise that he was celebrating “the greatest event in Jewish history since the destruction of Judea”.

GERMANY CRACKS DOWN ON SOCIAL MEDIA DENIAL The German parliament has passed a law aimed at cracking down on hate speech on social media, which critics say could have drastic consequences for free speech online. The measure is designed to enforce the country’s existing limits on free speech, including the long-standing ban on Holocaust denial. Social networking sites could be fined £44million if they fail to remove illegal content within a week.

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News / Memorial dispute / School fire

Anger over Aslef chief’s ‘insult’ to Jewish anti-fascist fighters A major row has erupted over a speech given by the president of the train drivers’ union, Aslef, at a commemoration ceremony for those who died in the Spanish Civil War, writes Naomi Frankel.

Last weekend Martin Sugarman, the Ajex archivist, was waiting to lay a wreath at the South Bank in memory of the Jewish dead of the 1936-38 conflict, when Tosh McDonald gave a speech citing other struggles against fascism and drew a comparison between fascist Spain and Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

Sugarman said: “Speeches at the commemoration on the South Bank always avoid other political issues. I have heard many politicians, union people, Spanish Embassy officials, families etc, speak at these meetings and it is always about fighting fascism,

Tosh McDonald at last year’s Labour conference

the heroes of Spain and the International Brigade against Franco, etc”.

He said other matters were never raised and that the union leader had broken an “unwritten rule” in his reference to Israel.

A furious Sugarman, who is a former kibbutznik, stood up with his wreath and told the 300 people present that he felt “insulted” by McDonald’s

remarks. He said: “His demonising of Israel was an inappropriate politicisation of the event and offended me and probably others. I said that I was leaving in protest and would not lay my wreath”.

He added that he had been laying a Star of David wreath in honour of the Jewish veterans of the Spanish Civil War for 25 years. He said: “To make

Jews unwelcome on such an event in which Jews played a major part – 25 per cent of all the International Brigade were Jews, and 15 per cent of the UK battalion were Jews, despite being only 0.5 per cent of the UK population – is profoundly antiSemitic.”

He told the International Brigades Memorial Trust (IBMT), which organises the ceremony, that he would not be returning to the event next year unless he received a public apology. But in a statement, the IBMT said: “Tosh expressed the view that, just as the Spanish Civil War had been the great cause of young people in the 1930s, or that the anti-apartheid campaign had been the great cause of his generation, the plight of the Palestinian people was the equivalent cause for many people today.”

STAMFORD HILL SCHOOL BLAZE Around 100 firefighters tackled a blaze at a Jewish school on Tuesday evening.

London Fire Brigade said 15 fire engines were sent to the building, on Craven Walk, Hackney, after the alarm was raised shortly before midnight.

Crews faced hazardous conditions after flames severely dam- The scene of the fire on Craven Walk aged the basement and ground floor of the three and four- their equipment to shore up the ground storey Jewish school run by the Belz floor to enable crews wearing breathing Chassidic sect. apparatus to gain better access to the Station manager Nicola Lown said: fire in the basement.”

“The ground floor has partially colThe fire brigade said the cause of the lapsed into the basement leading to haz- fire is not known at this stage and there ardous conditions. Rescue units used are no reports of injuries.

NEWS IN BRIEF

BIBI: EVERY JEW SHOULD FEEL AT HOME AT KOTEL

JAY Z IN ROW OVER ‘ANTISEMITIC’ SONG LYRICS

Benjamin Netanyahu said he was committed to making “every Jew feel at home” at the Western Wall, in the wake of strong condemnations for freezing a non-Orthodox prayer section at the Kotel. The prime minister added that concerns will be addressed, saying: “All we need is patience and perseverance.”

Rapper Jay Z has been accused of using antiSemitic lyrics in his new song. The 47-yearold’s song The Story of O.J has the lyrics: “You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America?” Fans have come to his defence, claiming the lyrics were taken out of context and meant as a compliment.

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Sir Ben interview / Bill abandoned / News briefs / News NEWS IN BRIEF

ISRAEL AIDS ANTITERROR CAMPAIGN A campaign has been launched to help Britain learn how to tackle terrorism, drawing on Israel’s experience in the field.

United Against Terror has been launched by the Israel Britain Alliance (IBA), comparing tactics of terrorists in recent attacks in Manchester and in London to those of Palestinian attackers.

The campaign was launched after a successful ‘Pledge for Israel’ drive during the recent general election.

MAN CHARGED WITH RACIST OFFENCES A 22-year-old man has been charged with stirring up racial hatred.

Jack Renshaw, of Bearncroft, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, is accused of two public order offences after allegedly using threatening, abusive and insulting words aimed at Jewish people.

The offences relate to comments allegedly made in February and March last year at events in Blackpool and Yorkshire believed to have been organised by farright political groups.

Sir Ben: My grandma’s racism spurred me on Oscar-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley, who has portrayed important figures from the Holocaust, told a packed lecture hall how his grandmother made an anti-Semitic comment which spurred him on to prove her wrong, writes Alex Galbinski.

Sir Ben discussed the Holocaust on film with professors Robert Eaglestone and Barry Langford from Royal Holloway’s Holocaust Research Institute in Egham in a deeply personal question and answer session last month.

He spoke of watching footage of survivors at Bergen-Belsen on television, alone, aged nine; a formative moment that led him to help tell vital stories of the Holocaust through film.

“My heart stopped beating. I was shattered by what I’d seen,” recalled the actor, who attended Manchester Grammar School, where, he said, “most of my friends were Jewish”.

A few days later, his grandmother said: “Hitler was right; he should have killed all the Jews.” Sir Ben told the audience: “I was given a very sharp close-up of European anti-Semitism. Something in me said: ‘I’ll have an answer for you one day.’”

The actor, who won an Oscar for playing the part of Ghandi, portrayed Wiesenthal, the survivor who searched for Nazi war criminals in Murderers Among Us; Itzhak Stern, the Jewish accountant who helps his employer save Jews in Stephen Speilberg’s Schindler’s List; and Otto Frank in Anne Frank: The Whole Story.

Sir Ben, who was introduced by Sir Andrew

JERUSALEM CONDEMNATION The United Nations’ cultural agency has once more voted to condemn Israeli actions in Jerusalem.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation’s World Heritage Council passed a resolution submitted by the council’s Arab states rejecting Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.

The resolution that was passed was a softened version of the original text submitted, reportedly due to pressure exerted by Israel and the United States.

The resolution was passed

by a vote of 10 countries in favour, three opposed and eight abstentions.

The resolution called Israel the “occupying power” and said that the UN body “regrets the failure of the Israeli occupying authorities to cease the persistent excavations, tunneling, works, projects and other illegal practices in East Jerusalem”.

The Jewish Leadership Council’s SImon Johnson said: “UNESCO has once again risked turning a political dispute into a religious one and this is to be condemned.” [JTA]

Bibi shelves conversion bill

Robert Eaglestone, Sir Ben and Barry Langford

Benjamin Netanyahu has halted a controversial bill that would have made the Charedidominated Chief Rabbinate the only body authorised to perform conversions in Israel.

The prime minister’s office announced that the legislation will not be considered for six months while a “team” he will appoint comes up with recommendations for an “arrange-

Burns, former UK Special Envoy for post-Holocaust issues, described the responsibility he feels in sharing tales of the Shoah. “When we attempt to describe the Holocaust, the language fails,” he explained. But he emphasised the importance of remembering it, saying: “We must tell tales.”

Langford, the institute’s professor of film, said: “Sir Ben’s portrayals in seminal works are not just lessons in first-class acting, but are a manifestation of his desire to use his craft to ensure such horrors do not happen again.”

ment” on the issue.

The decision comes after an outcry by the Reform and Conservative movements and American Jewish communal organisations, who felt that the bill would impugn the validity of non-Orthodox Judaism.

Netanyahu’s coalition partners agreed with his compromise, which keeps the status quo on conversions in place.

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World news / Indian summer / Survivor dies / Herzog toppled / World briefs

Modi breaks mould on Israel visit

Modi and Netanyahu embrace

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a high-profile visit to Israel aimed at celebrating 25 years of diplomatic relations and strengthening his country’s ties with the Jewish state.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warmly greeted him at Ben Gurion airport and has accompanied the Indian leader throughout the three-day visit. Israeli officials said the warm treatment goes beyond diplomatic protocol and reflected the importance of the visit.

Modi, who will not be meeting Palestinian officials while he is in town, was wel-

comed with an honour guard and hugged Netanyahu as he descended from the aircraft.

“We receive you with open arms. We love India.

We admire your culture, we admire your history, your democracy, your commitment to progress,” Netanyahu said.

“We view you as kindred spirits in our common quest to provide a better future for our peoples and for our world.”

Modi said it was a “singular honour” to be the first sitting prime minister of India to visit Israel. “Alongside building a partnership for shared economic prosperity, we are also co-oper-

ating to secure our societies against common threats such as terrorism,” he said.

“A progressive partnership in all these areas will shape the scope of my conversation with prime minister, my friend, Netanyahu.”

During the Cold War, India was a leading member of the Non-aligned Movement of developing countries and sided staunchly with the Palestinians in their conflict withIsrael. Before ties were established in 1992, India would not even allow its citizens to enter Israel on an Indian passport.

Modi has invited Netanyahu to visit India.

WORLD NEWS IN BRIEF

Your weekly digest of stories from the international press...

IRAN

The Star of David was used as a target for a ballistic missile test by Iran, Israel told the UN. The Israeli diplomatic mission distributed to UN Security Council members satellite images of the site during a test showing “Iran continues to seek to harm Israel”.

USA

Quentin Tarantino has become engaged to an Israeli singer, Daniela Pick. The famed director and the 33-year-old musician and model, the daughter of Israeli singer and songwriter

Tzvika Pick, got engaged last week in Los Angeles. “It’s true, we’re very happy and very excited,” Pick said. The couple started dating in 2009 when Tarantino was visiting Israel to promote a film.

FRANCE

Women who read aloud from the Torah at a Marseille synagogue were threatened and insulted on social media and in emails by congregants after local rabbis condemned the event. The comments came in on Saturday night after women read at the Fleg Jewish Centre that morning.

Survivor and politican dies HERZOG LOSES ELECTION Simone Veil, a survivor of the Nazi death camps and prominent proponent of Europe’s integration, has died aged 89.

One of France’s most widely respected politicians on both sides of the political spectrum, she was a centrist who was president of the European Parliament and a French cabinet

Israel’s opposition leader Isaac Herzog has been defeated in his bid for re-election as head of the Labour Party.

The left-wing party will hold a run-off next week for the top two candidates: former Labour Party head and former Defence Minister Amir Peretz, who garnered the highest total

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She was arrested and deported in March 1944, but survived Auschwitz. [JTA]

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with 33 percent of the vote and Avi Gabbai, with 27 percent of the vote, who switched to the Labour Party several months ago from the centre-right Kulanu Party.

Herzog, who came third with 16 percent of the vote, served as head of the Labour Party for one four-year term.

Sarah Lurcat and Tom Nisani got married on the Temple Mount despite rules forbidding Jewish rituals from being conducted at the holy site.

www.jewishnews.co.uk

6 July 2017 Jewish News

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

Editorial comment and letters ISSUE NO.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

VOICE OF THE JEWISH NEWS

1010

Kosher porridge We always knew Jewish food was great — and now the prison population in Scotland has officially endorsed that belief.

For despite the fact that in the whole of Scotland, there were just nine Jewish prisoners in Scottish jails in 2013-2014, last month a startled HM Inspectorate of Prisons found that 111 prisoners in HMP Edinburgh had opted for a kosher diet, with a further 10 set to join them the following week. That means 13 percent of the overall prison population reckon kosher meals are better than the usual fare.

In its June report, the Inspectorate noted that a significant number of prisoners had decided to move onto a kosher diet, which did not appear to be for wholly faith-based reasons.

Going kosher is costing the prison an extra quarter of a million pounds a year, and it is claimed that some of the trend can be laid at the door of the TV show Orange is the New Black.

In one episode, a character converts to Judaism in order to get better food. Edinburgh prisoners, who are said to have watched the cell-set show avidly, are believed to have thought this a good wheeze — and tried it, with great success.

We think the prison authorities could cut this trend off at the knees by asking the men to say the appropriate blessing before each meal.

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RADIOHEAD IN ITS RIGHT PLACE We must doff our caps to the guts shown by Radiohead against the arrogance and bullying of Roger Waters and Ken Loach. Artists for Palestine is just another front for the left-wing to support a cause they do not understand. However, this is not my point. My point is the sheer lack of sensitivity shown by Loach and Waters.

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke replied after about four weeks to the request not to play in Tel Aviv. This

Sketches & kvetches

Mike Abramov By email

ALL IN ONE STATE MAKES AN EASY TARGET Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is reported to have said: “If Jews gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide.”

(Jewish News, 22 June).

Where are the Jewish leaders worldwide with the courage, wisdom and vision to say that, for the continuation of the Jewish people,

concepts and beliefs, the preponderance of a very large proportion of Jews in a very small area of land is completely undesirable, and constitutes the circumstances readily available for a further Holocaust to happen.

Martin Saffer North Finchley

THERE MUST BE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR JEW-HATRED

THIS WEEKEND'S SHABBAT TIMES...

Shabbat comes in Friday night 9.02pm

might be due to the fact he was so shocked by the request and offended.

Let us not overlook the fact that guitarist Jonny Greenwood has an Israeli wife.

Is there a dilemma? Pink Floyd was one of my all time favourite bands. Do I stop listening to their music because of Waters’ absurd politics? Do we stop watching Ken Loach films for the same reasons? Answer: Yes!

Shabbat goes out Sedra: Saturday night 10.29pm Balak

Printed in England: West Ferry Printers Limited Published by: The Jewish News & Media Group. www.thejngroup. com. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form of advertising without prior permission in writing from the editor. Registered as a newspaper by Royal Mail. The Jewish News reserves the right to make any alterations necessary to conform to the style and standards of The Jewish News and does not guarantee the insertion of any particular advertisement on a specified date or at all – although every effort will be made to meet the wishes of the advertisers. Further it does not accept liability for any loss or damage caused by an error or inaccuracy Member of in the publication of an advertisement. Signatures of both parties involved are sometimes required in the case of some announcements. An order for an advertisement shall amount to an acceptance of the above conditions. Hotels, Audit Bureau products and restaurants which are not supervised are marked with an [N]. The Jewish News reserves the right to edit of Circulations letters for size and content without prior consent. Submission of letters is no guarantee of publication.

“...Then I think I know where I’ll be sitting for the next five hours!”

I’ve always been proud of being a Jew living in such a tolerant country as England.

My own tolerance has been severely tested in light of recent events such as the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic bias so prevalent at the BBC; the government allowing the display of Hezbollah flags and no sign of an official Royal state visit to Israel.

This country must have zero tolerance to antiSemitism and any statements or activities calling for Israel’s destruction. Since the Royal family have visited many countries that do not share our British values, surely they can go to one that does?

J D Milaric By email

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19

Editorial comment and letters

Is there a JFS memorial for heroes of Great War? My great uncle, Harry Levy, was killed at Passchendaele on 4 October 1917.

Harry had attended the Jews’ Free School from 1899 until 1906, but I cannot find a JFS war memorial that commemorates him or indeed the dozens (perhaps hundreds) of other former pupils and staff who were killed in the Great War.

Did the school commemorate its fallen? If not, why not?

If any Jewish News readers can shed any light on this question, I would be grateful if they would contact me through the newspaper.

Derek Stavrou Kfar Sava, Israel

RESEARCH IS MISLEADING Your article, ‘Jewish vote cost Labour in London’ (Jewish News, 22 June), and the research cited is interesting, but some findings are misrepresented.

Dr Daniel Allington selected 13 adjoining constituencies in north-west London. But he omitted constituencies with different characteristics.

Richmond Park and Twickenham experienced a fall in the Labour share of the vote, but neither has a significant Jewish population. By contrast, Ilford North saw an increase of 13.9 percentage points in the Labour vote, and

Hackney North & Stoke Newington an increase of 12.2 percentage points – higher than London’s average 10.5.

The linear relationship identified is not present when the analysis is extended to the whole of London.

Some constituencies with the very highest Jewish populations buck this trend – it is likely to have more to do with the nature of those Jewish communities, rather than the presence of Jews per se.

Daniel Vulkan N2

WHAT WILL JEZ BE? I recently sent directly to Jeremy Corbyn a very simple question, but so far have not received a reply from the Labour leader. When, inevitably, this country has a civil war, will he be a Royalist or a Roundhead? Many of his followers have already made their preferences known.

Gary Spedding By email

REAL ELECTION WINNER

FAILINGS LED TO TRUMP Poor Isaac Cohen, who is very easily ‘angered and sickened’ by attacks on Donald Trump (Jewish News, 29 June).

Notwithstanding Mr Trump’s apparent support for Israel (what happened to the promise to relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem?) people across the world see a bullying, blustering, narcissistic, self-regarding sexist, a master of the fake news of which he accuses others and, most

Tune into this Friday’s Jewish Views podcast!

• We hear how the Dream Doctors Project trains medical staff to perform as clowns to help paediatric patients.

The community should be under no illusions about the General Election result. There was only one winner – and it wasn’t the winner. Theresa May remains in power but Jeremy Corbyn is in the box seat to be the next prime minister.

Adam Alexander Stanmore

• As a new study reveals declining shul membership, we explore what attending synagogue means to the community.

• We meet Miles Isaacs, who donated his HOW TO LISTEN... barmitzvah money to help Hatzola PODCAST: Fridays iTUNES ‘The Jewish Views’ purchase vital MW RADIO: Sundays 558AM at 12 noon lifesaving WEB RADIO: Sundays at 10pm on Wandsworth Radio equipment.

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importantly, an unstable man with a finger on the nuclear button.

His election is down to the inadequacies of Barack Obama, who drew a red line and did not enforce it, and Hillary Clinton for her grinning and embrace of celebs who meant nothing to those who felt unrepresented by the elite. The rest of us live with the consequences.

Barry Hyman Bushey Heath

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

Opinion

A little knowledge is no defence against racism ALEX BRUMMER CITY EDITOR, DAILY MAIL

E

very year, thousands of British schoolchildren of all ages troop through shuls all over the country as part of their religious education instruction. Rabbis, teachers and knowledgeable community volunteers report the children are held raptured as the ark is opened, a Torah scroll removed and the content explained.

The Jewish Way Of Life exhibition, organised by the Board of Deputies as part of its outreach, tours the country moving from Richmond in Surrey to north Wales, seeking to give citizens insights into the way Jews live their lives, from the simple Shabbat meal to barmitzvah, batmitzvah and marriage.

Jewish school in areas such as south London, where there are not enough children of the faith to fill the classes, gladly open their doors to non-Jewish children who are then exposed to Judaism as part of their daily lives.

Hopefully this exposure to Judaism is helpful in removing the mysteries around the religion and is a force against the

❝

OUR DEBATES ARE AS NOTHING WHEN WE CONSIDER HOW LITTLE THE REST OF BRITAIN KNOWS OR CARES ABOUT THEM prejudices currently reinforced by the attitudes of Jeremy Corbyn and the extreme left of the Labour Party. Yet we sort of know, from the history of the Shoah, that knowledge of Judaism is not necessarily a defence against anti-Semitism.

In the shtetls and towns of pre-Second World War Europe, Jews often lived cheek by jowl with non-Jewish citizens who had intimate knowledge of their ways of life. Yet that did not stop neighbour betraying neighbour and citizens turning a blind eye to the destruction of families going on around them.

In spite of all that we would like to think our fellow citizens know and understand about Judaism, it is sometimes easy to forget how wrapped up we can become in our own narrow affairs.

The limits of knowledge even among the most educated Britons can be astonishing.

Indeed, one supposes that may be among the reasons that anti-Semitism on the extreme right and left finds such an easy market.

I was very conscious of this at a high level economic/geopolitical seminar attended last weekend.

A conversation with a female BBC producer turned into an interrogation. Having lived almost all of her life in Britain, worked in an organisation that employs Jews in jobs at all levels, the profound ignorance was mind blowing. Where did the laws of kashrut come from? Why do we celebrate the Jewish festivals? How do Jews regard Jesus? Did they consider him a prophet? Are our children less Jewish than we are?

All of these were perfectly good questions and answered with as much care and elucidation as could be mustered, but were a reminder of how little Britain’s chattering classes know about our religion.

When examined through this prism, you come to realise how profoundly unhelpful the schisms in our own community are when we need a unity of purpose and presence.

Questions of whether or not to reach out to Jeremy Corbyn may loom large for Jewish Labour supporters, but it is probably a lost cause knowing what we already know from the experience of Baroness Chakrabarti’s ill-fated report into anti-Semitism.

The debate about Rabbi Joseph Dweck’s ‘liberal’ attitudes towards same-sex relationships may have gone to the world’s highest rabbinical authorities, but it is an unnecessary luxury in a British Jewish community that already struggles on points of difference.

As prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu commands support in our community for the courage of the office he holds in an often hostile environment.

Yet he divides diaspora Jews with his selfinterested, politicised ruling on prayers at the Western Wall.

All of these debates may be hugely important to us. But they are as nothing when we consider how little our friends, neighbours and co-workers know, understand and care about our community.

Why it’s vital to nurture ties with Muslim community allies JONATHAN ARKUSH

PRESIDENT, BOARD OF DEPUTIES

I

’ve never been one for interfaith encounters that go no further than a cup of tea and a samosa. I’ve dedicated my presidency to building bridges with Muslim communities as it’s vital we have the relationships allowing us to share sometimes difficult opinions, as well as making progress on issues of common concern.

So as I travel the country speaking to Muslim communities – so far including London, Bradford, Leicester, Leeds and Birmingham – I tend to go straight for the toughest topics: hate crime, extremism, religious freedom, the Middle East and anti-Semitism.

It is no surprise hate crime is on people’s minds. The recent heinous attack on mosque worshippers in Finsbury Park and a spate of ‘acid attacks’ have left many in the British Muslim community understandably fearful.

Last week, addressing a mosque in Birmingham, I pledged the support of the Jewish community in fighting anti-Muslim hatred and told the Muslim community we are counting on them to help us combat anti-Semitism, which

❝

MUSLIMS AND JEWS HAVE A LARGE COMMON AGENDA ON ISSUES OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT US is also at historically high levels. This week, we followed through on our commitment by speaking out against former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson, whose record of anti-Muslim provocation means he could never be a partner of a respectable or mainstream Jewish organisation.

We also know that, across the world, the majority of Islamist extremist victims have been Muslim, and of course the Muslim community is simultaneously a target for the far right. Likewise, the Jewish community is a prime target for both Islamist extremists and the far right, as we have seen recently in Belgium and France, where

murderers specifically targeted Jews.

To address the threat of extremism, we all need to speak up clearly and frankly about our challenges. I would never suggest Muslims be held accountable for the actions of violent criminals.

However, the moderate majority of Muslims are our most powerful ally in the struggle against Islamist extremism. Many prominent Muslims have spoken out. There have been substantial Muslim-led organised rallies against murderous attacks on our streets and hundreds of imams have said they will refuse to perform funeral rites for Muslim extremists.

I praise this activism, which I know many Muslims have been leading courageously for a long time, and would urge Muslims to speak even louder. I hope their leading scholars will develop and articulate a firm religious response that condemns extremist attacks and makes clear that those who carry them out will receive not reward but retribution in the world to come.

But prejudice against the other lurks in both our communities and there is far more to do. As I was leaving one recent meeting, one Muslim told me: “You say there are myths about the Jewish

community. Maybe that’s true. But surely you can’t deny that Jews control the media?” “Which media?” I asked. “Look at Sky and Fox News – all owned by Murdoch. He’s Jewish, isn’t he?”

Of course, I was able to counter robustly, which shows the benefit of engagement with those who are open to changing their view.

British Muslims and Jews have different perspectives on the issues between Israel and her Arab neighbours. But we should not view each other through that prism. I cannot see any point in having arguments about it when neither of us carries influence with any of the parties.

Muslims and Jews have a large common agenda on issues of religious freedom that directly impact us, such as protecting shechita, halal, circumcision and our mainstream faith schools – all of which are under concerted attack from the aggressive secularism existing in British society. Where we already unite – for example on the need for out-of-hours coroner services and non-invasive post-mortems – we get vastly better results for both our communities.

We are weaker divided and stronger united.

Increasing direct engagement, including on the difficult issues, is vital for us all.

6 July 2017 Jewish News

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21

Opinion

Sometimes a court ruling falls straight into your lap JENNI FRAZER

R

eaders with long memories may recall my column last March, when I raised the issue of a lawsuit being brought against El Al by an octogenarian former lawyer, Renee Rabinowitz.

Ms Rabinowitz, who is both a Holocaust survivor and Orthodox — one is relevant here, one is not — was sitting minding her own business in, indeed, a business class seat, on an El Al flight back to Israel from Newark, New Jersey.

Moments before take-off, a strictly Orthodox man sat down next to Ms Rabinowitz, who nodded a polite hello.

But the man summoned a flight attendant and a prolonged whispered conversation ensued. Its desperately disappointing result was that the flight attendant asked Mrs Rabinowitz to move seats.

With reluctance, she did so, though

she asked her unhappy seat-mate what his problem was. “He started to tell me about about how the Torah prohibits it. I said I was 81.” But this cut no ice with the objector.

“I was pretty upset, but I also didn’t want to sit next to this man, who didn’t want me to be there, for 11 hours. The thought was not pleasant so I decided to move of my own accord.”

The Rabinowitz case has finally come to court and may, once and for all, have lanced the boil that has enraged passengers from all sides of the religious spectrum. Judge Dana Cohen-Lekah ruled that “under absolutely no circumstances can a crew member ask a passenger to move from their designated seat because the adjacent passenger doesn’t want to sit next to them due to their gender”.

The judge said that the policy was a “direct transgression” of Israeli discrimination laws relating to products and services.

El Al has accepted the ruling and the notional fine of around £1,450 which it was ordered to pay to Ms Rabinowitz.

An understandably happy Ms Rabinowitz said she looked forward to future flights with El Al, adding, drily: “I hope I could witness a moment in which an ultra-Orthodox man says, ‘I won’t sit until you move this woman’, and the El Al flight attendant tells him the law prevents her from doing so.”

It remains a mystery why, in the first instance, the El Al steward did not ask the man to move, or why Ms Rabinowitz herself did not say to the steward, “If he doesn’t like sitting next to me, tell him to sit somewhere else?”

We are all aware of aberrant behaviour on airlines flying to and from Israel, and it is to be hoped that British Airways and easyJet have also taken notice of this court

ruling.

Imagine, if you will, Israeli Jews objecting to sitting next to Arabs, or an airline caving in to a Ku Klux Klan demand not to sit next to a Jew? Gender discrimination falls into the same category.

My only regret is that this important ruling was made by a female judge, since it is inevitable that those on the religious right will dismiss what she had to say.

Anyway, hot tip: next time you see anyone objecting to sitting next to a woman on a plane, ask for details of his rabbi, and whether the rabbi approves of breaking the law.

Sometimes things just fall, out of the overhead lockers, into your lap.

❝

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

Opinion

All hands on Dweck, but this controversy is nothing new GEOFFREY ALDERMAN ACADEMIC & HISTORIAN

L

ast week, the Joseph Dweck affair took an ominous turn.

A statement, reportedly authored by several London-based Sephardi and Ashkenazi rabbonim, warned United Synagogue Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis that any attempt to reinstate or rehabilitate Dweck in the UK risked being repudiated by very significant sections of the Orthodox Jewish world, and would – therefore – lead to schism.

At the request of the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Mirvis has agreed to convene a panel of dayanim to investigate not merely Dweck’s controversial public lecture on “male homosexuality in the Torah” but the entire spectrum of Dweck’s halachic rulings.

“In the coming days,” a Mirvis spokesperson insisted, he would “establish a dignified and appropriate format that will allow for concerns relating to a wide range of Rabbi Joseph Dweck’s teachings and halachic rulings to be considered

❝

THE RABBI FACES A STARK CHOICE: HE MUST PUBLICLY REPENT OR FACE OSTRACISM AND MARGINALISATION and for a way forward to be set.”

But, reminding Mirvis that Dweck’s very status as a rabbi had been openly repudiated by eminent rabbinical authorities worldwide [including the communal rabbi of Gateshead, Schrage Feivel Zimmerman], the authors of the statement addressed to Mirvis did not pull their punches: “If Joseph Dweck is maintained in office as a rabbi … Chief Rabbi Mirvis should realise that he will be responsible for the splitting of Anglo-Orthodoxy… such a decision to

keep Joseph Dweck in a rabbinical position in the UK would be a detrimental act and Chief Rabbi Mirvis will be remembered for causing a terrible rift within the Orthodox community in the UK.” Reading these words, my thoughts turned to two other Anglo-rabbinical controversies that have erupted during my lifetime.

The first concerned the late rabbi Louis Jacobs, who in 1957 published We Have Reason To Believe, which questioned whether every word of the Torah had been dictated by God to Moses.

At the time of its appearance, no one took much notice of it, but when he was considered for position of rabbi at the New West End Synagogue [1963-64], Jacobs was told by Chief Rabbi Israel Brodie that he would first have to pen a written declaration of repentance. He refused. This, after a great deal of very public rancour, brought his position and status within the Orthodox world to an abrupt end.

In 2002, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks published Dignity of Difference, in which he opined that Judaism did not have a monopoly of spiritual truth. In a multicultural society,

this platitude might have struck a sympathetic chord. But in the Orthodox world, it smacked of sacrilege. In a public statement condemning the book, Bezalel Rakow, then communal rabbi of Gateshead, urged Sacks to withdraw it, while the revered Jerusalem-based sage Yosef Elyashiv issued against the book a psak (decree) forbidding any Jew from keeping it in his home. Sacks was in effect branded a heretic. In a humiliating retreat, he agreed to rewrite the book: many offending passages were reworded or deleted.

Dweck faces a stark choice: he must either publicly repent or face ostracism and marginalisation. Those many members of Britain’s Sephardi community who have, no doubt sincerely, come out in his defence also face a stark choice: if they continue to support him they, too, face marginalisation, while the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi Community itself risks losing its credibility as a body of Jews professing Orthodox Judaism.

Rabbi Mirvis must know he has been handed a poisoned chalice. If he is seen to support Dweck in any way, his own Orthodox credentials will be called into question. You can’t see him doing that, can you? No? Neither can I .

The flourishing friendship between Israel and India LORD POLAK AND LORD POPAT

J

erusalem’s famed King David Hotel welcomed India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week as the leader of the world’s largest democracy made his much-anticipated visit to the Jewish state. Israelis are fairly accustomed to the world’s leaders making whistle-stop diplomatic visits, but it’s hard to overstate the importance of Modi’s visit; the first to Israel by an Indian prime minister.

Principally, this is a celebration of democracy. Between Bangladesh and Morocco, India and Israel are the only two non-Muslim countries and both are flourishing democracies.

At a time of great uncertainty and instability worldwide, it is warming that both prime ministers have embarked on extensive world tours to promote the virtues of these two great democracies. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a series of fruitful visits to emerging African countries, Modi is running out of countries that he hasn’t visited since his election in 2014.

In the UK, the Hindu and Jewish communi-

ties have formed a strong bond, largely due to our shared values and mutual admirations, which have helped underpin a vital diplomatic alliance.

Both are very successful communities because of integration with the host community. The commonalities between our communities led to the Indo-Jewish Association UK. It is therefore very much in the UK’s interests to ensure we not only support this friendship, but look to join in.

The economic opportunities are vast.

Despite their gulf in geographic size, both countries boast growing economies and invest significantly in the technology and space sector. Israel may be the second largest defence supplier to India after Russia, but

Lord Polak, Y K Sinha, Mark Regev, Lord Popat

❝

THE HINDU AND JEWISH COMMUNITIES HAVE FORMED A STRONG BOND DUE TO OUR SHARED VALUES AND MUTUAL ADMIRATIONS there is significant scope for trade growth in other industries. In 2015, the two nations began negotiating an extensive bilateral free trade agreement.

As the ‘start-up nation’, Israel boasts the world’s most groundbreaking high-tech companies. The UK grasped the potential for partnerships between British and Israeli tech companies in 2011 when it opened the UK Israel Tech Hub – its first such one in the world. To build on this success, the UK announced earlier this year it would create a global network of tech hubs, and given India’s own burgeoning tech industry, the country is likely to be high on the list.

Utilising Israeli tech, India can make huge strides in major national projects, including cleaning up the Ganges River and general water management.

Israelis looking for adventure after their IDF service have for years headed to India for its beautiful scenery, history, and culture. Israel offers its versions of these in abundance. As ties warm, India’s growing middle class will hopefully be encouraged by its government to consider Israel as a tourist destination. We’re looking forward to Bollywood coming to the Holy Land.

As the UK lays the groundwork for postBrexit free trade deals with some of the world’s major economies, both India and Israel will be increasingly important strategic partners.

Given our shared interests in defence, cyber, health, fintech and many more, one can expect our three countries will work ever more closely for shared benefit. Moreover, India, Israel and the UK share the same core values of democracy and the rule of law.

We’re natural partners on the world stage.  Lord Polak CBE is honorary president of Conservative Friends of Israel and Lord Popat is the founding chairman of Conservative Friends of India

6 July 2017 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

A STUNNING NEW COLLECTION OF HOMES FOR NORTH WEST LONDON A stunning new collection of homes, The Park Collection is the latest release of high specification homes at Colindale Gardens, the exciting new development in the heart of north west London. With an on-site school, gym, 9 acres of landscape gardens, cafés, restaurants, retail space and fast connections to central London, it offers a superb investment opportunity, as well as being an ideal place to live.

3 and 4 bedroom homes available.

Prices from £560,000*

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Computer generated image is indicative only. Show apartment photography is indicative only. *Prices correct at time of print.

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

ADVERTORIAL

MAKING A HEALTHY SWITCH! Deborah Cicurel speaks to Dan Parker, director of Switch Healthcare, which prides itself on getting the best insurance deals for their customers

W

hile you might think it is easy to dismiss, insurance is something we all need. Whether life insurance, health insurance or critical illness protection, it’s always good to know that if the worst happens, our finances will at least be protected.

But how do you make sure you find the best policy for you, without being cheated?

Switch Healthcare is a health insurance comparison firm that prides itself on putting clients first.

Founded two years ago, the company scours the whole market to find the best private medical insurance deals and recently expanded to life insurance protection, critical illness protection and other life insurance products.

Director Dan Parker says it’s the company’s focus on customer service that sets it apart from its competitors.

“We’ve got a sales team of 12 and an in-house retentions team that we

Switch Healthcare gives you peace of mind

call the loyalty team, who are solely in charge of looking after all the renewals,” he says.

“Unlike many other brokers, who pass their existing clients onto other services and get paid a commission if they sell anything else, we’re very much focused on making sure that the customer is always getting the best policy and best deal.”

Parker also says it’s the experience clients have with Switch Healthcare that makes them want to stick around.

“You’re always with the same consultants, so you’re not passed around the office,” he says. “You’ll just get one dedicated account manager.

“Plus, it’s a free renewal – we don’t charge for our service. Our renewals are dealt with in-house by someone who is not targeted to sell a different deal; it’s just always negotiating a discount, making sure the client is always getting the best policy.”

The fact that Switch Healthcare reviews the entire market helps to ensure clients are getting the best deals.

“There are not many brokers that are whole of market,” he says. “You find that most brokers have gone to a thin panel to get better commission rates and better deals with certain providers.”

So what process does the team go through to make sure clients get the best deal?

“First, we do an initial fact find to find out exactly what the client needs and why,” Parker explains.

“We then conduct a full market review, which looks at between 16 and 20 insurers and we narrow that down to three options that we think would be the best for the client.

“We send those options to the client

to consider, answer any questions, or discuss them and go from there.”

Working so closely with their clients means that Parker and his team really get to know the people they are helping and the impact their insurance has on their lives.

“I feel like I’m helping people,” Parker says. “I think you get great satisfaction in hearing back from clients who’ve experienced very good things from the policies that you’ve set up.

“Obviously you don’t ever want anyone to get ill, but I had a client who I set up on a policy with new underwriting, so pre-existing conditions weren’t covered.

“She never had private medical insurance before and later that same year she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“She said that the policy was absolutely fantastic and her blood tests were sent off to America for a £10,000 diagnostic test.

“The blood tests came back to confirm that she didn’t need chemotherapy, she could have radiotherapy, and could continue working throughout the treatment.

“If she’d have gone to the NHS, they’d have given her chemotherapy and she wouldn’t have been able to have worked during the period of time, because the side effects from the chemotherapy would have outweighed the benefits of that treatment.

“She was absolutely delighted. It’s those stories that give you a sense of pride.”

Parker says he wishes more people knew that insurance can be cheaper than people think.

“Regardless of medical conditions, you’re not necessarily tied to the

same insurers who have cover in place,” he says.

“There are simplified declarations that enable you to look around and still keep cover for pre-existing conditions.

“For those who haven’t got a policy in place at the moment, sometimes it’s not as unaffordable as they might think.

“There are policies that are more geared towards what I call the ‘peace of mind’ policies, and they cover the major things.

“There are also non-postcode-rated policies, because you tend to find that those living in central London with access to expensive hospitals typically pay through the nose for private medical insurance – but some insurers are not postcode-rated, so it’s the same price whether you’ve got an N1 postcode or a GL postcode.”

Switch Healthcare also offers a service, that is free, to negotiate with a client’s current insurer.

“Nine times out of 10, if they appoint us as their insurance advisory, we can negotiate a discount with their current provider and it makes no difference at all to how they deal with the insurer and makes no difference to claims or cover.

“We’ve got account managers who can handle and negotiate better premiums than they can directly.”

Of course, we all hope never to use our insurance policies – but if you’re going to have them, it’s important to make sure you’ve got the best price and policy for you.

It doesn’t cost you a penny to call, but it might just save you a lot.

Switch Health: switchhealth.co.uk, Tel: 01242 371300, Email: info@switchhealth.co.uk

6 July 2017 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

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Scene & Be Scone GREAT JEWISH BAKE DAY SPECIAL

And be scone!

1SWEET SALE

There wasn’t a brownie or ice cream cone left by the end of Wolfson Hillel Primary School’s afterschool bake sale for The Great Jewish Bake Day, as parents and children pitched in, raising muchneeded money to fund Jewish Care buses, which take older people to and from community centres and on outings.

A record 29 schools, nurseries, cheders and Brownie groups have been cooking and selling cakes and other treats for Jewish Care’s fifth Great Jewish Bake Day...

2YOUTHFUL TREAT

Lyla Loftus and Zach Estrin were just some of the young guests at a bake day tea party hosted by Andrew and Nicola Loftus, (a trustee of Jewish Care) in their home.

3ELISE’S CREATIONS Elise Kay created some sweet treats when she decorated cakes for a bake sale with mum Jenna Kay and friends at Golders Hill School last week.

4ETZ CHAIM VISIT Children from Etz Chaim Primary School got creative at Jewish Care’s Clore Manor home when they visited residents for The Great Jewish Bake Day.

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Photo by Justin Grainge Photography

Photos by Blake Ezra Photography

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Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

6 July 2017

Scene & Be Seen / Community

1 JCD’S SIMCHA

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Jewish Child’s Day celebrated its 70th anniversary with a platinum dinner at The Bloomsbury Ballroom.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Ambassador Mark Regev were among the 260 guests in attendance for the evening, which started with a welcome speech by executive director Nicole Gordon, who told the audience how helping more than half a million children over the past decade was “an exceptional figure for a small charity.”

2 A GIFT FOR ISRAEL

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Celebrating Israel’s independence by helping others, charity GIFT facilitated sessions in schools across London and Manchester. Students made shrink art keyrings and special ID card holders to be given out to lone soldiers through Make A Soldier Smile and The Michael Levin Lone Soldier Centre. Cards and rainbow loom band bracelets were also made and given out to children in hospitals in Israel.

OUR PUPILS WORKED HARD ALL YEAR AND THIS HAS SHOWN THEM THAT HARD WORK REALLY DOES PAY OFF

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4 IPO CELEBRATION The British Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) raised more than £275,000 at its annual gala. Held at the Savoy London, the event raised money for the IPO and celebrated guest of honour Maestro Zubin Mehta, who has announced his retirement for 2019, after serving for 50 years as the orchestra’s music director. Chairman of the British Friends Marsha Lee said “As a world leading orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic has power. With power comes responsibility.

In this case, it is the power to bring change; change within Israel and around the world.”

5 KEREM IS ‘BEST’

Kerem School won the Best Overall School prize at the Annual Etgar Challenge Quiz at Wembley Stadium.

Competing against 900 pupils from 27 UK Jewish primary schools and one school from Israel, the quiz focuses on a variety of topics, including the Jewish calendar, Jewish history, Israel, Jewish texts, mitzvot, brachot, Numbers/ Gematriah and the Temple.

Shosh Hill, Kerem’s head of Jewish studies, said: “To have won the award is an absolutely outstanding achievement. Our pupils worked extremely hard and conscientiously all year and this has shown them that hard work really does pay off.”

Beit Shvidler (pictured, inset) was the other winner on the day, having scored the highest amount of points.

3 SENIOR SOCIAL

Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue recently hosted a social afternoon for 70 seniors. An initiative that followed on from last year’s Mitzvah Day and successful seniors’ tea, those in attendance enjoyed food and musical entertainment.

Your simcha announcements Sam Gold celebrated his barmitzvah at Edgware & District Reform Synagogue.

Sophie Page celebrated her batmitzvah at Chabad, Buckhurst Hill.

Photo by Kate Swerdlow Photography

Photo by Kate Swerdlow Photography

Tyler Morris celebrated his barmitzvah at Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue.

Photo by The Photo People

Photo by contributor

Marianne Nelson celebrated her batmitzvah at Highams Park and Chingford United Synagogue.

Have you had a recent simcha?

Send your picture to picturedesk@thejngroup.com

6 July 2017 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Life

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running head / Lifestyle

IN THIS SECTION: Travel 30 / Active 39

‘If I were a Jewish man’ Brigit Grant speaks to Omid Djalili about Tevye, Jewish dancing and oversized restaurant menus ahead of the new revival of Fiddler On The Roof

T

o life, to life, l’chayim! Omid Djalili bent in the middle. So they knocked it out of me.” is singing to me and clearly in his Djalili has also acquired a Jewish wife in element. “Fiddler On The Roof is the the shape of actress Tracy Ann Oberman, who Jews’ greatest gift to the world,” he is playing Golde. “Tracy and the other two says with alacrity and thumps the table.

Jewish cast members have been very helpful,” That this Iranian Baha’i stand-up is so he continues. “They explained the rituals of the impasssioned about Fiddler can only be a good Sabbath prayers and tried to sum up a general thing, as from next Thursday he will play Tevye, feeling about what it is to be Jewish. the poor milkman, at the Chichester Festival.

“Tracy summed it up for me as: ‘They tried to The responsibility of taking on this iconic kill us, we survived, let’s eat’ and I get that.” character created by Sholem Aleichem is not lost Djalili also gets Tevye’s relationship with God. on the comic and – “I know, I’m not Jewish’ is “I like the idea of a very personalised entity who the phrase on repeat during our chat. But what gives him opportunities to test himself and I Djalili may lack in religious rights to the role, is believe he passes those tests. more than compensated by his natural chein and “But I was intrigued when my Jewish friends koyek (star quality and strength). in New York asked if I would be saying the lines It could even be argued that entertain‘God Be With you’ when Chava leaves with her ment has made him Jewish by default with his non-Jewish Russian husband. Apparently, when impressive interpretations of Fagin in Cameron Zero Mostel played Tevye on Broadway, he Mackintosh’s Oliver and Mahmud Nasir, the refused to say them as he didn’t feel they were adopted Muslim who discovers he is Jewish in appropriate for an Orthodox person at the time.

David Baddiel’s film The Infidel.

But I believe Tevye is an open-minded person “David told me he expects a cut from this,” and acceptance is a very pro-Jewish thing.” jokes Djalili. “He also said it was about time, but I’ve always felt I needed to have more life experience as a parent before taking on Tevye.

Above: Omid Djalili “I’m genuinely interested in in The Infidel and, the discourse of young people. right, with Tracy I like the way they challenge Ann Oberman in the older generation. Now with Fiddler On The Roof two sons and a daughter at the point of marriage, I can relate to Tevye as one father to another.”

With so many Jewish performers reluctant to publicly identify with their faith, Djalili’s embrace of all things Jewish is refreshing, but there are things he had to learn ahead of appearing in Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s musical.

“Take the dancing,” says Djalili. who uses Iranian disco moves in his stand-up . “I am Semitic and assumed I could do my Middle Eastern thing. The choreographer Alistair David has studied these things and arms must be straight for Jewish dancing, instead of slightly

Djalili has even managed to win rabbinical favour with his sympathetic Fagin.“I was having dinner in Covent Garden with you at the time,” he says. “As you will recall, Rabbi Thomas Salamon, of Westminster Synagogue, came over and said ‘Mazeltov on delivering the most proJewish Fagin I have ever seen.’”

Djalili’s stories about his period as a surrealist actor in Eastern Europe are classic, but so are his stand-up anecdotes with Schmuck For A Night as the title of his most recent tour.

“I did a show in Hertford, which I think is about six miles from the Aviv kosher restaurant in Edgware. I ate there with a friend and the menus were so big they looked like telephone directories. ‘They are not food menus,’ said the owner. ‘They are lists of all our patron’s allergies.

Crustaceans, molluscs, Muslims, Other Jews, Jews who say they live in Stanmore, but really live in a toilet in Watford.’”

Pause for laughter, then he continues. “When I got to Hertford, I asked the theatre manager if it was an ethnically diverse town. ‘What do you

mean?’ he replied. Are there many black people, Muslims or Jews? He paused and said: ‘I think there is one in Welwyn Garden City’. I pictured one Jew on display, but had to drop the Jewish stuff in my act until I got back to London.”

Djalili will not be dropping the Jewish stuff to play Tevye, although any crying generated by the story was done in rehearsal.

“No one wants to see actors blubbing,” he says, but appreciates how tough it is to say goodbye to one’s children and hometown.

“How do you deal with pogroms, being thrown out of a country, form relationships with people who live beside you, but attack you twice a year? Fiddler asks all these things and is a universal story loved by audiences around the world.”

Yet in those gentler moments during the show, Djalili has pondered over what he should do. “I asked the festival’s artistic director Daniel Evans if during my daughter Hodel’s farewell song I should just sit there like a schmuck? ‘Yes, you sit there like a schmuck,’ he said. “It’s incredible that everyone is using Jewish vernacular.”

As for his Tevye accent, Djalili is opting for something between “Stamford Hill and Highgate, and not rolling my r’s.” The Chichester Festival won’t have heard anything like it, but Djalili’s milkman will definitely deliver.  Fiddler On The Roof runs at The Chicester Festival from 10 July to 2 September. Details: cft.org.uk

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

Lifestyle / Celebrity photographer

Diana walks up the aisle to marry Charles, as Camilla Parker Bowles (third row) looks on

Seven decades putting royalty in the frame...

The Queen and Princess Anne have fun with a younger Prince Andrew

Francine Wolfisz talks to Reginald Davis, who has spent a lifetime photographing the famous

N

othing could stand in the way of photographing Jacqueline Kennedy on holiday in Acapulco, thought Reginald Davis (inset) – even if it meant he was at risk of the Mexican authorities ramming his small motor boat.

As the gunboat turned to ram Davis again, the wake caused the Kennedy’s dinghy to capsize, giving him a unique photo opportunity: JFK’s widow and her two children, giggling and smiling in the water, following their unplanned plunge.

The resulting picture is just one of a stunning array of images taken by Davis, now 92 and a member of Hendon United Synagogue, who spent 70 years photographing famous personalities around the world.

A selection of his work has just been published in a new book, My Life Photographing Royalty and The Famous.

After learning his trade as a Fleet Air Arm photographer during the Second World War, the grandfather-of-three began with a small press agency before establishing himself as a Fleet Street regular.

To say his career has been varied is an understatement. As he recalls in his book: “I’ve flown in a helicopter and Air Force One, been driven in a power-boat with the Crown Prince

of Iran and privately dined with royalty.”

His subjects read like a who’s who of the rich and famous, including Sophia Loren, Isabella Rossellini, Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Collins, as well as the Queen and Prince Philip, Emperor Hirohito, Golda Meir and Princess Grace of Monaco. Of the latter, he says: “She was very awkward and thought a lot of herself.”

Speaking to Jewish News, Davis, who grew up in Stoke Newington and now lives in north London, says: “I’ve had so many incredible moments, I couldn’t pick one over the other.

“Working with the Queen was wonderful.

She creates a tremendous amount of aura and it excites you to do better things. She recognised me when I came to collect my MBE in 2008, shook my hand and asked how I was.

“I was never nervous when I took my photographs, because I had to have full control.

When I went with my camera, I always told myself, ‘I am king for the day’, otherwise I would have been useless.”

He adds: “I achieved what I set out to do and proud I gave many people pleasure.”  My Life Photographing Royalty and The Famous by Reginald Davis, is out now, published by Austin Macauley Publishers, priced £19.99 (hardback)

Jacqueline Kennedy and her two children are thrown in the water in Acapulco, Mexico

Left: Elizabeth Taylor. Right: Prince Charles pictured for the first time with a beard

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

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Lifestyle / Travel

Water, water everywhere

Sharon Feinstein travels to Venice, home of the first ghetto, and discovers how the city’s natural beauty has kept artists mesmerised for centuries

T

here’s a new wave of travellers, harking back to the 18th century ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe, that educational rite of passage for the privileged few. Cultured tourism for those with taste, time and means, where you attempt to like a local, imbibe the history, language and way of life.

So I came to Venice for a month, which turned into three months, to live like a Venetian, where the Grand Tour always ended up.

Byron arrived after Napoleon had smashed up its 1,000 year glory. They found poetry in its tragic, melancholic state, and Venice was reborn as a centre of carnival, fashion, gambling and feasts.

Jews mistakenly think of Napoleon as a saviour because he tore open the ghetto gates.

But this wasn’t an act of emancipation, it was a loathing of religion and a miracle he didn’t destroy the five magnificent ghetto synagogues as he ransacked so many of the city’s 118 churches.

With Napoleon, Venice plunged into misery, but resurrected herself as she’s always done and is doing again. Sadness and splendour seem to be the default settings in this city.

Beset by threats to her survival, Venice deals with adversity by wowing the world, reviving Carnival, creating the Biennale, Film Festival and attracting global aficionados.

Sharon enjoys the heat in Do Forno’s kitchen

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OUR TOURS CROSSED ERAS, PALACES, CHURCHES, ISLANDS; HER KNOWLEDGE AND IMAGINATIVE APPROACH WAS A TOTAL DELIGHT Within weeks, I ran into Damien Hirst, singer Zucchero and Hollywood’s Adrien Brody, all in my new hood, Dorsoduro.

To live like a 15th century noble, you must get to know Filippo Gaggia, director of luxury rentals firm Views on Venice. He even played a character in the Jolie/Depp movie, The Tourist, while staying in his Gothic Palazzo Loredan Dell’Ambasciatore, once home to two doges, historically the most senior elected official in Venice.

I lived briefly in this opulence, masquerading as an English dogaressa in the vast terrazzo living rooms surrounded by stone sculptures, waking to those special sounds of the watery city, gondolieres’ cries, bells clanging out the hours, water slapping on stone. And that play of luminous light, which has mesmerised painters across centuries, splashing gold on my balcony. I shifted my carved desk outside with views over the Grand Canal.

Gaggia’s palazzi are the stuff of fantasy. Period furniture, vibrant Venetian reds and gold, bathrooms of splendour, a largesse known only by nobility who still dominate this timeless city.

I enrolled at Venice Italian School, my improving Italian bringing gusts of great pleasure, especially at my local baccaro, Bottegon, when

ordering ombra (wine) and cicchetti (tapas plates). There’s a sweet sense of belonging when you reel off some decent Italian and down your glass of Friuli-Venezia Giulia with locals.

To understand Venice’s secrets, from someone with a rare storyteller’s gift, guide Luigina Romor transforms the city’s tales into a kaleidoscope of history and legends. Our tours crossed eras, palaces, churches, islands... her knowledge and imaginative approach was a total delight.

Signs for the Jewish ghetto, dating from 1516 Venice is built upon the mud and swamp of the lagoon atop millions of submerged Antiche Carampane, in the back streets of tree trunks, which, having been starved of Rialto, the first banking and trading post, is oxygen for centuries, now lie ossified and family-run by passionate Francesco and his supporting this strange, fragile place. mama, specialising in creative fish dishes and is If the water recedes, and the piling system famous for the legendary raw fish antipasto. is exposed to oxygen, it all crumbles like a I returned often to local gem Oniga; artistic, pack of cards. But Venice isn’t just a city, it’s a quirky, with shiny brass pots dangling from feeling, a journey of the imagination. wooden beams, and inspired, organic dishes.

I made an art out of good eating, pounding the For shopping it’s Empresa for artistic clothes, streets to discover the best restaurants. Top is Atelier Segalin di Daniela Ghezzo for bespoke Do Forni, behind Piazza San Marco; traditional shoes, and Nina for sharp fashion. and romantic, it is like a set piece in an Antonioni Venice is always about the water, a movie. Owner Eligio Paties has cooked for the mythological virgin born from the lagoon.

Pope, Princess Diana and a long line of A-listers, Ironically, the only hospital faces the only who have all signed the legendary leather-bound cemetery on San Michele island, unless you’re book. I was allowed in its hallowed kitchens to Jewish and taken by boat to the Lido cemetery, cook with head chef, Mimo, who kept his cool just east of the lagoon city. Coffins used to be in the face of my blunders and multiple orders rowed by gondola to San Michele, but now only coming in with bullet-like speed. Upstairs is gondoliere and Patriarchs have that romantic Italy’s third most important wine cellar. privilege. The rest are taken by motorboat Smaller, more intimate is Da Ivo, good hearse, poetically, across the lagoon. enough for George Clooney’s stag night, run So you’re taken by ambulance boat to hospital by the bear-like Giovanni Fracassi, who has a to enter the world and to your final resting place crippling handshake and heart of gold. via water again. Such is the circle of life in Venice.

WHERE TO STAY...

Sharon found accommodation through Views on Venice, viewsonvenice.com and used tour guide Luigina Romor, bestveniceguides.it/guida/luigina-romor

6 July 2017 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

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Sedra: Balak / It’s Biblical / Orthodox Judaism

It’s Biblical

SEDRA Balak

RABBI MENDEL KALMENSON

Everything you ever wanted to know about your favourite Torah characters, and the ones you’ve never heard of...

BY RABBI ZVI SOLOMONS

The greatest insights into Jewish existence and continuity often come by way of history’s most notorious anti-Semites.

Take Balak, a Moabite king who tried to eliminate the Jewish people and failed. While at face value Balak seems like a typical anti-Semite, in fact, he is anything but.

He understood then what many philosophers would come to realise in subsequent millennia, that the Jewish people are governed by a unique destiny and are not subject to the normal rules of history. Author Mark Twain called the Jews “immortal”, philosopher Nikolai Berdysev “metaphysical” and writer Leo Tolstoy “the symbol of eternity”.

Balak was a discerning and open-minded student of history. He recognised that divine intervention alone could wrest a group of downtrodden slaves from the ironclad grip of a mighty superpower, and recognised the thread of divine providence woven into the events that led up to, and followed, this people’s liberation. Their invincibility, proven time and again, derived from a spiritual origin, and their source of strength and survival was unlike any other nation.

By attempting to manipulate and weaken the spiritual dynamic of this people’s destiny, he hoped to leave them vulnerable. He would learn the hard way that God’s covenant with and commitment to this people was immutable and eternal.

Hence, the story of Balak serves as an annual reminder of that wonderful sentiment attributed to Ben-Gurion: “A Jew who does not believe in miracles is not a realist.”

 Mendel Kalmenson is rabbi of Beit Baruch and

executive director of Chabad of Belgravia, London

THIS WEEK:

ESAU

Esau is a difficult Biblical character.

He is clearly both an innocent and a very violent person, hence the saying: “Eisav soneh et Yaacov” – “Esau hated Jacob”.

Well he might. Our ancestor Jacob tricked him twice, once into selling his birthright for a “mess of potage”, and the second time stealing his blessing from his father while he was out hunting.

Esau is the original man of action.

He is described as being loved by his father Isaac, because he put game in his mouth.

His encounter with our father Jacob and the lentil stew contains five consecutive verbs – the most in any location in the Bible.

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“He ate and drank and got up and left and despised his birthright” (Genesis 25, 34).

Despite his apparent simplicity, Esau is also loving and loyal. He wants his father’s blessing, and his cry when he realises his father had tricked

ESAU WANTS HIS FATHER’S BLESSING, AND HIS CRY WHEN HE REALISES HIS FATHER HAS TRICKED HIM IS TERRIBLE

him is terrible.

Our sages suggest this led to Jacob’s later troubles, never seeing his mother again after he left for Laban’s place in Syria.

However, Esau is not to be trusted.

His behaviour prior to his reunion is suspect, and the armed men suggest malignancy.

Although he kissed Jacob, the Midrash suggests that he attempted to bite his younger brother, whose neck turned to marble and broke his teeth.

Later understandings in rabbinical texts link Esau (or Edom) with Rome, the type names having a similar lettering in Hebrew.

In addition, we Jews forcibly converted our Edomite cousins, and that could never lead to real trust.

Herod, the Romanising king of Judea, was an Idumean or Edomite, perhaps underlining Esau’s association with Rome.

 Zvi Solomons is rabbi of the Jewish Community of Berkshire (JCoB) in Reading, JCoB.org

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

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Progressive Judaism / The Bible Says What? / Progressively Speaking

The Bible Says What?

Progressively Speaking

Sodom and Gomorrah must be destroyed

How fragmented is British society?

BY RABBI AARON GOLDSTEIN “Then the Lord caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.

And he overthrew those cities and all the plain, and all the inhabitants.”

At first sight, and indeed on each subsequent reading, the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the most shocking in the Torah.

After all, what lesson can a Liberal Jew find in a story that ends with two cities destroyed, their residents killed and Lot’s wife turned to salt for “looking back” (Genesis 18:16-19:25)?

The origin of God’s desire to destroy the Sodomites is obscure: “The outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave!”

There is more detail in the ensuing account of depravity regarding their treatment of Lot, which is enough to turn any stomach.

But while our sages accuse the Sodomites of a multitude of sins, the worst of all is that no one stood out to object to the hideous soiling of

their society.

When Abraham pleaded with God to spare those innocents of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Torah account certainly suggests there was not one innocent male to be found (the women are not talked of).

So while Liberal Jews will recoil at the Torah account of Sodom and Gomorrah, there is a clear lesson in there. To conscientiously object, especially when it runs contrary to popular thought, is immensely difficult and potentially damaging to the individual who does so. But to abstain from doing so is in itself sinful.

That is why Liberal Judaism demands that we stand up – to take moral responsibility to prick the conscience of society when it is in danger of “abusing human freedom” by choosing hatred, selfishness and greed over love, care and generosity.

 Aaron Goldstein is senior rabbi at Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue

RABBI DEBBIE YOUNG-SOMERS We have seen over the past few weeks divisions highlighted between rich and poor, left and right, and a growing sense that minority communities (including our own) are being misrepresented, deepening isolation.

The Scottish Referendum, Brexit, and the last election have reminded us we are not a nation readily able to agree. This division was felt well before the election, and the increase in hate crimes has made many minority communities fear it.

Fierce debate and political discussion has taken on a new nuance, and I’ve been shocked by the inability of many to gracefully disagree.

Online, people feel free to abuse others for supporting the other side.

❝

Societal divisions have come to light

Emotions run high, and most act out of a desire for good. Yet we seem incapable of disagreeing with respect, or to understand that disagreement can help us reach better decisions.

Our Judaism shows us how to be better than this. The Talmud demon-

WHEN WE DISAGREE, WE MUST SEE THE HUMANITY OF THE OTHER

strates another way of debating; the conversation is sometimes more important than the conclusion, and minority opinion is always recorded.

Generations converse on the same page, and disagree vehemently; they are trying to fathom how to live their Judaism well in their generation. The conversation continues instead of being shut down. Arguments are for the sake of heaven, but also for those of us on earth; when we disagree, we must see the humanity of the other.

Events that allow us to enjoy our diversity and celebrate what we have in common are a great starting point.

Having difficult conversations about things we care passionately about is a challenge. But we must learn to disagree better as a community, and as a society, if we are to heal and move forward productively.  Rabbi Debbie YoungSomers is community educator at Reform Judaism

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Jami’s education service, Head Room, contributes to our optimistic vision of enabling people to live empowered lives aided by the personal development and educational opportunities provided through courses, events and seminars. Jami Head Room is an outward facing service engaging with the diverse Jewish community to provide learning and development to improve mental wellbeing and help combat the stigma of mental illness. Jami Head Room works in schools to help build resilience in young people by giving them the information and skills to better manage their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

At an exciting stage in the development of our Head Room education service we are looking for a dynamic individual to deliver a psychoeducational wellbeing programme to young people attending JCoSS, a Jewish secondary school in New Barnet. The individual will develop an optimistic, strengths based education programme that aims to contribute to the building of resilience in the young people who engage with the project.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an individual who is a self-starter with a real enthusiasm and commitment to young people. As a member of the Jami Head Room education team you will also benefit from supervision and development opportunities, as well as working with other Jami colleagues.

To apply for any of these vacancies, please call Jami on 020 8458 2223 or email recruitment@jamiuk.org and ask for a job description and recruitment pack. Application by CV and covering letter. Applicants need to demonstrate in their covering letter how they meet the requirements of the job description and person specification.

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For more information about Jami visit www.jamiuk.org Registered Charity 1003345 @JamiPeople JamiMentalHealth

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Professional advice from our panel / Ask Our Experts

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CHANA Dear Carolyn My husband and I are feeling anxious and alone and are not sure where to turn.I have recently had two miscarriages, which doctors called ‘early miscarriages’. The first occurred at 11 weeks and the second at nine weeks. When this first happened, I was comforted by the fact that miscarriage is relatively common.

However, now that it has happened a second time, it has hit us both really hard. How can we prevent this happening again?

Dina

CAROLYN ADDLEMAN DIRECTOR OF LEGACIES

KKL EXECUTOR AND TRUSTEE COMPANY Dear Carolyn We want to pass our home on to our children in our wills. Can you give me a brief summary of how the new tax rules work?

Arnold Dear Arnold The additional residence nil rate band (RNRB) came into

force in April. This is added to the single person’s inheritance tax (IHT) allowance of £325,000, or £650,000 in the case of a married couple, to enable passing the family home to direct descendants without a tax charge.

This year’s individual RNRB allowance is £100,000 rising to £175,000 in 2020/21.

Any unused RNRB of a deceased spouse can be passed to the survivor’s estate, allowing a couple to pass up to £1,000,000 to their children tax-free by 2021 if they use all the available allowances.

There are provisions for people who have downsized or moved into a care

Dear Dina I am so sorry to hear about your losses. I can hear this is a very difficult time for you both.

Chana can help you both emotionally and practically, as we have with other couples in your situation. I would very much like to meet you and your husband, so that one of our trained counsellors can discuss your individual and particular needs.

Sadly, one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage. The NHS will investigate after three, but sometimes people want answers before. At Chana, we are fortunate to have an expert medical panel who are all specialists in reproductive health. Our scientific advisor, Dr Veronique Berman, will ensure your questions are directed to the appropriate specialist on the panel.

You don’t have to go through this alone.

I do hope you will call our confidential helpline so we can arrange an appointment to meet you both.

home to enable them to benefit from the RNRB up to the value of the residential property that they previously occupied.

Arnold, the new rules offer tax-saving advantages but there are some restrictions and pitfalls to look out for.

You can always contact me for further advice or discussion on the opportunities arising from the new residence nil rate band allowance.

KKL deals with all matters relating to will drafting; indeed, we have been drafting wills since 1948. Please contact us for some further advice on 0800 358 3587 or email us at wills@kkl.org.uk

BERNARD MIEL KITCHEN SPECIALIST

KITCHENS CONTINENTAL Dear Bernard I am replacing my kitchen and can’t decide on modern or traditional. It is a large kitchen and, although I would like to go modern, as our last kitchen was a shaker style, I am worried about it looking clinical.

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Dear Daniella This question is one we encounter often in the showroom.

A general rule of thumb is that in a small space, it may be better to go for clean lines, light colours and possibly gloss (to reflect the light if the space lacks natural light).

A large kitchen, however, can take a lot more ‘features’, colours and textures.

Rather than choosing traditional or modern, mix the two.

You could choose a smooth shaker door or go one step further and go handless (check out Mackintosh’s new handless shaker door).

Add deep colours such as blues and charcoals mixed with lighter tone wall units and you can transform a traditional kitchen into a modern kitchen with classic style.

Coppers and rose gold accents can enhance the look.

Modern does not need to look clinical. Adding different textures and colours can dramatically change a white kitchen.

Please do feel free to call me on 020 8203 6033 or to pop in to our showroom in Hendon and have a look at the kitchens on sale. Hopefully you will find all the inspiration you need to help you choose a kitchen you will love.

34

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

Ask Our Experts / Professional advice from our panel

Our Experts Do you have a question for a member of our team? Email: editorial@thejngroup.com

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• • •

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Professional advice from our panel / Ask Our Experts

ACCOUNTANT

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KITCHEN SPECIALIST

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• • •

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•

FAMILY SOLICITOR

•

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•

Got a question for a member of our team?

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Travelling abroad this Summer?

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BUSINESS SERVICES DIRECTORY 36

Jewish News 6 July 2017

Business Services Directory

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6 July 2017 Jewish News

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37

Business Services Directory COMPUTER

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For small businesses & home users.

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020 8731 6171 • www.manonabike.co.uk

Job Vacancy - Youth Director(s)/Youth Couple at Lauderdale Road Synagogue We are looking to recruit dynamic and enthusiastic Youth Director(s)/couple at Lauderdale Road Synagogue to expand and enhance the range of religious and social activities provided for our children and youth on Shabbat, Yom Tov and during the week.

SILVER

• Create and implement a dynamic youth programme for the community.

• Produce annual plan of key activities and organise same activities via all social media.

• Improve the quality of the children’s and youth services on Shabbat and Yom Tov. • Provide special events at key points in the Jewish calendar.

Qualifications and Experience • Proven experience with youth work to include developing and implementing youth programmes and training madrichim.

• Good communication and excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to motivate youth.

Initially a 12 month contract with potential to extend.

Accommodation is available on site for the right candidate/s Salary is circa 20K for a minimum of 35 hours a week including evenings and weekends.

The post is subject to receipt of a satisfactory enhanced DBS (CRB) disclosure.

Please send a covering letter + a C/V to: alison@sephardi.org.uk

LEGACY- LEAVE A GIFT IN YOUR MEMORY

Leave a legacy and create the future leaders of Israel

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1 in 4 people will experience mental illness.

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Leave a legacy to Jami to support those with a mental illness across the Jewish community.

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Remember our future Please remember the future of Jewish children by remembering Jewish Child’s Day in your will. It is the legacy that will last a lifetime.

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38

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Jewish News 6 July 2017

Fun, games and prizes

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Hilarious Hebrew Hilarious Hebrew Word of the Week Word of the Week

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THE JewishNews CROSSWORD 1

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19 Mud mixed with snow (6) 20 School fair (4) DOWN 1 Company trademark (4) 2 Police letter between alpha and charlie (5) 4 ___ Perkins, former co‑presenter of The Great British Bake Off (3) 5 Spirit dispenser in a bar (5) 6 Operator of a writing machine (6) 7 Self‑assurance (6) 11 At home, yet heard to drive home (6) 12 Large Arctic seal‑like mammal (6) 14 Wales, in Welsh (5) 15 Highly oxygenised air (5) 16 ___ MacLachlan, US actor (4) 18 Strip of paper used as a label (3)

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06/07

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20

One reader will win an overnight spa stay for Terms and conditions: Prize is as stated and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or exchange in whole or in part for cash. By supplying your email address you agree to receive marketing information from the JN Media Group or any of its affiliates and carefully selected third parties. The promotion excludes employees of Miroma and the promoter, their immediate families, their agents or anyone professionally connected to the relevant promotion. Proof of eligibility must be provided on request. Normal T&Cs apply and can be found at jewishnews.co.uk/ about-us/promotions-terms-and-conditions.

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Closing date: 20 July 2017.

6 July 2017 Jewish News

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39

Active

How did you stay active this week?

Send details of what you’ve been up to and forthcoming events to: andrews@thejngroup.com

Service with a smile at JW3’s tennis initiative CHARITY As the world’s top tennis players limbered up for this year’s Wimbledon Championships, JW3 played host to an afternoon of mini tennis on Sunday as part of a fun fundraising event.

The Freddie Krivine Foundation – a co-existence tennis charity which has been teaching tennis to Jewish and Arab children in Israel for the past 15 years, together with Tony Hawks, a tennis playing British comedian, joined forces for the event, which was followed by a screening of Hawks’ film Playing the Moldovans at Tennis, with money raised going towards the Jewish Arab tennis programme.

Jane Krivine, daughter of the late Freddie, also created the Tennis For Free charity, which brings children of different backgrounds together. She said: “It was hard to believe that we were not in Israel, such was the hot sunshine, view of the Tel Aviv beaches, Israeli songs blasting and children playing in the sand. To top it all, our tennis coach Mohamad Rashwan, who was eight when he started to learn tennis on the first Freddie Krivine coexistence programme, was there to show youngsters how to play tennis. It was a great day and we were all delighted with how it went.”

More than £2,000 was raised from the day, which included cash donations for the tennis lessons, an auction, ticket sales for the film and show, together with a bucket collection.

ACTIV8 STAY ACTIVE NEXT WEEK...

1 2 3 4

Ilford Synagogue Picnic in the park 8 July – from 11am 020 8554 5969 Krav Maga – women 16+ 9 July – 10.00am www.jw3.org.uk Diddi Dance (18 months-5 years) 9 July – 1030am-12.15pm admin@jewishmuseum.org.uk Woodside Walkers – walk & picnic 9 July – 10.30am-2.30pm woodsideparksynagogue.org.uk

DJ on his bike for charity

CYCLING

A part-time DJ cycled 1,500km at his local gym in Luton as he raised money for three different faith charities – including Jewish Care. Undertaking the challenge while going without food and water as he observed Ramadan, Imy Shah, 44, said: “There’s some division among people at the moment so I decided to choose three faith charities to support. In my view, what matters is that we are good to each other.”

Youngsters net third place finish

TENNIS

Akiva Primary School’s tennis players won bronze at the London Youth Games. Representing Barnet in the Year 5/6 Mini Orange Tennis Tournament, the winning team consisted of Skye Crewe, Joey Sanders, Yasmin Crewe, Eli Langleben and Ami Morad.

5 6 7 8

Hertsmere Forum of Faith Walk 9 July – 2pm (meet Croxdale Road) info@borehamwoodshul.org Tots playgroup at Edgware United 10 July – 10.00am-11.30am www.edgwareu.com Israeli dancing at Ealing shul 11 July office@ealingsynagogue.org.uk Super Soccer Stars 13 July – 10.50am (2-4-years-old) www.jw3.org.uk

AND IF YOU’RE FEELING INACTIVE...

Seudah with Dr Enrique Mandlebaum 8 July – 8:45pm-10:22pm office@muswellhillsynagogue.org.uk

Marvellous Max completes fundraiser WALK Max Norman completed a 17km charity walk on Sunday, after he decided to mark his barmitzvah year by raising money to fund research into fighting Motor Neurone Disease. Walking from his Mill Hill home to Imperial College in west London in just over three hours, he took on the challenge after his father died from the condition two years ago, and has so far raised more than £1,700.

Pictured with his mum Samantha and Professor Jackie S de Belleroche at Imperial, Max said: “I’ve never walked so far, but was very excited to take part in it. Knowing how much money I’ve raised for a cause that means so much to me has made it all worthwhile, I’m very grateful to everyone who sponsored me.” You can still donate via his JustGiving link at: http://bit.ly/2tIub6m

40 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

6 July 2017

Active

El Al to med-al?

Team GB athletes arrive in Israel, dreaming of a golden Maccabiah Games

Above: Members of Team GB’s athletes set to board their plane to Israel and visiting Galil as part of their pre-Games programme, right

Team GB’s athletes have landed in Israel and are all set to compete in the 20th Maccabiah Games.

Some 300 athletes will be taking part in more than 30 sports over the next 10 days, as they look to eclipse the 24 medals they won four years ago.

Ahead of the Games, which began yesterday with matches for the men’s football and cricket teams, the delegation enjoyed two days of pre-camp. The programme included a Monday Mifgash as UJIA and Maccabi GB brought together 550 British and Israeli youth to Galil, with 200 Team Maccabi GB athletes volunteering at UJIA-funded projects in northern Israel, as part of a new programme by the two charities. The mifgash (encounter) took part across Carmiel Children’s Village, Youth Futures mentoring programme in Akko, The Equalizer football

programme in Shfar’am and a summer camp in Shlomi.

UJIA chief executive Michael Wegier said: “This is one of the biggest youth volunteering encounters by British teenagers in Israel and I’m so proud that we managed to work with Maccabi GB to make it happen.” Maccabi GB Chief Executive Martin Berliner said: “Maccabi GB and UJIA are committed and will remain committed to educating and empowering the next generation of British Jewry to ensure our long term future both in the diaspora and Israel.”

Other events in the pre-Games schedule saw the delegation visit The Ghetto Fighters’ House museum and hear from 2012 Paralympic gold winner Noam Gershony.

Photos by Marc Morris Photography

MACCABIAH GAMES

 Follow Team GB’s progress in Israel at jewishnews.co.uk/sport

Sela off to a winning start at SW19 WIMBLEDON Dudi Sela got his Wimbledon campaign off to a winning start after he won a five-set epic to book his place in the second round of the singles competition. Beating Spaniard Marcel Granollers 4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1, his reward was a tough-looking second round clash against American John Isner, set for later today. He said: “I’m very happy to be in the second round, it’s more points, money and it’s nice to be playing against Isner. Hopefully I can play a little better on my service game and try to put a lot of balls back on his return.”

 Follow all the Jewish players at Wimbledon at jewishnews.co.uk

Published by Jewish News Ltd, PO Box 34296, London NW5 1YW

It’s just not cricket for Israeli teenager

CRICKET

An Israeli girl has been told she can’t represent her country at the Maccabiah, after a court ruled the competition is for males only. Naomi Eytan, 14, (pictured back row, third-from-right) has played all season for the Israeli national under-19 cricket side, but was told she couldn’t compete by the Tel Aviv District. Court.

Email info@thejngroup.com

Tel 020 7692 6929