Rosh Hashanah 1997 by Federation of Synagogues

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i At last: we reveal the secret of our unparalleled care. m ary resemble you T h is a m Iful look again p eop le 4 ,0 0 0 o f in d iv id u a ls rep resen ts Jew ish are, glitterin g stars w here com m itted p ro fessio n a ls and p rovid e com bine volu n teers com m unity resiu en om es, centres, 5 special day care centres for m er’s D isease, p eople wi sheltered hom es for people with mental health problem s, a locally based social work service and 3 specialist centres

catering for problems from acute mental distress to unem ploym ent. And there are stroke clubs and hom e visiting services, a H olocaust S u rvivors’ Centre and kosher meals on wheels. And m ore and more. A nglo-Jew ry’s largest social services organisation is A n g lo -J ew ry ’s largest source of pride. For more inform ation, please call 0181 922 2000 and find out why we can ju stifiab ly say, w ithout any fear of contradiction, n o b o d y cares like Jew ish C are.

Nobody cares like Jewish Care. fE W IS H CARE

R E G I S T E R E D O F F I C E : S T U A R T Y O U N G H O U S E 2 2 1 G O L D E R S G R E E N R O A D L O N D O N N W 1 1 9 D Q T E L E P H O N E : 0 1 8 1 9 2 2 2 0 0 0 FAX- 0 1 8 1 9 2 2 1 9 9 8 C H A R I T Y R E G I S T R A T I O N N U M B E R 8 0 2 5 5 9 J E W I S H C A R E - A C O M P A N Y L I M I T E D B Y G U A R A N T E E . R E G I S T E R E D IN E N G L A N D N U M B E R 2 4 4 7 9 0 0

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR elcome to what I think is a very special edition of Hamaor, for many reasons. We continually aim to try and improve Hamaor and once again have added sev eral new features including Hamaorah a page for women; an extended Kids 'Spot section; and a slightly new layout which I am sure you will agree, looks more at tractive. In addition we have a very special re port on El A1 which I thoroughly enjoyed researching and would like to thank Mr Eitan Davidy, El Al’s Catering Manager for hosting me for the day and for all his assistance. At this point I would also like to welcome our new readers - those of you who are travelling on El A1 to Israel - and wish you a safe trip and pleasant journey. There are plenty of give-aways in this issue including a discount voucher for Cassit restaurant and the chance to win a cassette by a new Jewish singer. I do hope you enjoy reading this edi tion as much as I enjoyed putting it together. We always welcome your com ments and suggestions and if you have any thoughts on Hamaor or ideas of what you would like to see included in the magazine, please write or fax and let us know, or you can e-m ail us at: shmuel_sarah@classic.msn.com. Until next time, have a

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V Founded 1962 ISSN 0966-0291

Vol. 30 No. 2 Pesach 5757 - 1997

CONTENTS Notting Hill Celebrates its Centenary.........................................4 N ew s.................................................................................................6 Personal..........................................................................................11 Tribute to Abraham Banks.........................................................12 Obituary........................................................................................13 Kedassia’s Kashnut Dilemma.....................................................14 Profile on Rabbi Zaiden.............................................................. 15 A Remembrance of the 30’s and 40’s part 3 ............................. 16 The Fight of L ife...........................................................................19 The Hamaor Restaurant Review: C assit..................................20 A Day at the El A1 Kitchens........................................................22 Norwood Ravenswood................................................................. 25 Hamaorah......................................................................................26 Kids’ S p ot......................................................................................28 Jewish Heritage & Geneology.....................................................31 Travel............................................................................................. 32 Music.............................................................................................. 33

S A R A H M A N S B A C H E R SCHLEIMER

Editor

Books.............................................................................................. 34 Information...................................................................................36

FOR DETAILS OF Published by the Federation of Synagogues, 65 Watford Way, London, NW4 3AQ.

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Editor: Sarah M Ansbacher Schleimer

OR A MEDIA

Deputy Editor: Rochel Cohen Kids s Spot Editor: Elana Brown

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VIEWS expressed in articles and reviews in Hamaor are those held by the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of either the Editor or the Federation o f Synagogues.

MAUREEN LEVY 0 1 8 1 -2 0 2 2263

COVER: Children of the Yeshurun Talmud Torah Celebrating Succot. Inset Picture: A port steward unloading an El A1 aeroplane.

NOTTING HILL CELEBRATES ITS CENTENARY by S am ath a Fogelm an a n d Sarah M Ansbacher

n Sunday 8 June 1997 (3 Sivan), Notting Hill Synagogue cel ebrated its Centenary with a special commemorative service at the Synagogue. The C entenary Service which was attended by present and past members of the Synagogue, Rabbonim and Honorary Officers of the Federation o f Synagogues was welcomed by the Chairman, Mr Paul Fogel. Mincha was followed with addresses by Dayan Y Y Lichtenstein, Rosh Beth Din of the Fed eration; Mr Arnold Cohen, President of the Federation; Mr Morris Schwarz, a member with many memories of the Shul; and Rabbi Julian Klein, the present parttime Rabbi o f the Community. At the conclusion o f the formal service, a L’Chaim was proposed by Mr Isaac Benoliel. The origins of the Notting Hill Syna gogue go right back to the 1860’s when Jews who had settled in the areas o f Bayswater and in the adjoining district near Kensington Gardens in the west o f London established a Synagogue in

Bayswater in 1863. An off-shoot of that congregation, the New West Synagogue, was opened in St Petersburgh Place, op posite Kensington Gardens less than twenty years later. The members o f these congregations were, on the whole, well to do professional men and merchants who lived in large four, five or even six

storied houses, which were typical of the district, and they represented AngloJewry at its traditional best. Within a few minutes walk of these splendid family residences, in an area bounded approximately by St Luke’s Road, Clarendon Road, Chesterton Road and Elgin Crescent, with Portobello Road,

T he D ayanim o f the F ederation B eth D in extend their w arm est wishes for a rQ ita

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'yVij/fwrTt» NOTTING HILL SYNAGOGUE CENTENARY 1897-1997 Presents a REUNION TEA on Sunday 16 November 1997 3.00pm-6.30pm at the Herbert Samuel Hall,Bark Place, W2 (behind the New West End Synagogue) £15.00 per person Tickets limited - Admission by ticket only for tickets please contact Samantha Fogelman on 0181-969 8416

and Kensington Park Road running though its centre, was Notting Hill. Some of the streets in this district con tained fine houses, but much of Notting Hill consisted of smaller, three or four storied houses, which were beginning to be let off into flats. Here, another type of Jewish commu nity was growing slowly, but steadily. It consisted of tailors, dealers, stall-hold ers and small shop keepers, with a wide variety of other occupations. They were nearly all immigrants from Eastern Eu rope, poor, hardw orking, Y iddish speaking, and natural “shul” goers. They were not attracted by the magnificent synagogue buildings of Bayswater, but wanted a small, intimate place of wor ship, where it was possible to “daven” rather than say prayers. Among these immigrants was Mor ris G reenberg, who cam e from Lithuania. A fine Baal Tefillah, he con ducted the first Notting Hill services in 1897, when a minyan met in the home of a Mr Cohen in Lancaster Road. The community was very small, a regular minyan was difficult to organise, and the congregants eagerly aw aited every Barmitzvah, so that the basis of the lo cal minyan might be strengthened. A year or two later, the minyan moved to the hom e o f Mr S chneider at 40 Chesterton Road, and although the num bers were growing slowly, it seemed to be a really steady growth, and the need for a shul was becoming apparent. As usually happens in such circumstances, a man with an ideal was found, he be came the inspirer o f a schem e for congregational development. This man was Moses David, who lived at 40 Ladbroke Grove. A member of the New West End Synagogue, a pros perous businessman with a fervent love

of Judaism which he interpreted into practical social service, he realised that a synagogue in the heart of the Notting Hill area was essential, not only for the religious well-being of his fellow Jews, but also as a focal point of community growth. With a group of helpers and the blessing of Lord Swaythling (who organ ised the Federation of Synagogues in 1887), he acquired a church meeting hall in Kensington Park Road, with two ad joining houses which became Notting Hill Synagogue and community and school rooms. The synagogue was con secrated on 27 May 1900, and the tablet commemorating this event can still be seen on the western wall of the syna gogue. The congregation now needed a min ister, and once again, the right man was found when the Rev Chaim Leib Caplan, originally from Poland, came to Notting Hill afte r m in isterin g to the West H artlepools congregation for some years. There is no complete record of the manner in which the synagogue was equipped in its early years, but some time before the First World War a Sefer Torah was given to the community by Hayman Joseph Rubinstein of Moscow. Its silver ornaments were beautifully fashioned and still form the most valu able single item in the synagogue inventory. Who this man was and what connection he has with Notting Hill, or how he came to make this magnificent gift to the local shul is still not known. Mr Monty Kolsky, a former Treasurer and Honorary Officer Notting Hill, cel ebrated his Bar Mitzva there in the 1930’s and recalls how the Synagogue was at its most vibrant during the 1920’s and 1930’s. “There was a community of just under eight hundred at that time, and

on Shabbos the Synagogue could barely contain the numbers who wanted to wor ship there,” he says. Mr Kolsky can also recall some people who used to daven with him there in the thirties and later went on to be national and international Jewish figures. They include Kopel Rosen who became the Rav Rashi of the Federation and founded Carmel College; and Abe Herman (later Harman), Isra el’s representative at the UN and later, President of the Hebrew University. In the Centenary commemorative brochure Dayan Y Y Lichtenstein paid tribute to Notting Hill Synagogue as “a prime example of a community that, in the face of the greatest adversity, has continued to survive and flourish.” He concluded by expressing the “fervent wish and berocho that at this start of its second century, Notting Hill should spearhead a religious revival throughout the neighbourhood, and will serve as a dynam ic exam ple to other communities.”

BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY

Andrew Dismore MP at the Federation

n July 1997, Mr M oshe Leib S tuart, ad m in istra to r o f the C hevra K addisha, received a telephone call from a lady in Exeter whose mother had just passed away. She had contact other burial societies, but none of them were prepared to help her. Her mother had a burial plot in Exeter and there were three ladies to perform the Tahara. The problem was that they were not exactly sure how to carry it out. Moshe Leib called Mrs Mordfield, co ordinator of the Ladies' Voluntary Chevra Kaddisha and explained the problem to her. “She immediately replied that she would go to Exeter to carry out the Tahara with the ladies," Moshe Leib said, “She took an early morning train the follow ing morning, taking all the equipment and Tachrichim with her, since she was not sure what would be needed. She carried out the Tahara and then travelled straight back to London. We were very gratified and im pressed that Mrs M ordfield dropped everything to go there."

Dayan Lichtenstein presenting a copy o f a History o f the Federation to Mr Andrew Dismore MP. n T uesday 5 A ugust, Mr Andrew Dismore, Labour MP for H endon, m ade his first official v isit to the o ffices o f the Federation of Synagogues. Mr Dismore MP was shown around the building, and as a S o licito r by profession specialising in personal in ju ry and in d u strial litig a tio n , was particularly interested in the procedure and workings of the Beth Din and its comparisons and contrasts with the Brit ish Court. He also had a legal discussion with Dayan Berkovitz, him self a lawyer Afterwards over tea, the issue o f the Eruv was discussed. “In my personal view,” he stated “I can't see anything particularly wrong with it and those that want to comply with an Eruv and use it, fine - and those that don't - do not have to.” When asked what the Labour Party’s view on Shechita was, he explained that fox hunting was enough for them to worry about and that Shechita was not an issue. Dayan Lichtenstein also explained the need for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to declare all contents in food even when it is less than 2%. “At least if we know what we have got, we can de cide whether it is kosher or not. If there is not going to be any declaration then there is no way we can honestly say what is Kosher." stated Dayan Lichtenstein. Mr Dismore MP expressed his interest in as sisting to make this legislation and in addition, wanted to learn more about the Jewish community and see some of the synagogues in his constituency.

Croydon Synagogue's Heritage by Stella H an o ver

he Croydon Synagogue is very grateful to the Croydon Council Heritage Committee for giving them a Heritage Grant to enable them to restore the Stain Glass Windows which they were able to save from the old S ynagogue. The grant w hich amounted to £ 1000 for restoration work was received after two and a half years o f work with the Heritage Committee by Stella Hanover. Four o f the windows are on display in cabinets inside the Synagogue, the rest o f the glass has been made into a collage, and situated in the foyer of the Synagogue. Each panel o f the collage depicts the festivals which are celebrated during the year and the collage is cen tred around the heraldry of the biblical King David o f Israel. In addition, another two windows have been restored by the Heritage Com mittee and will be on display in the Council’s Museum in their Millennium Exhibition and will be returned to the Synagogue after two years. On 14 S ep tem b er 1997, the Synagogue held a successful exhibition of the stained glass windows which was followed by a barbecue.

E vents tit the Ilford Federation S yn a g og u e by Alex Stuart - Chairm an

he Ilford Federation Synagogue has held m any successful functions over the past six months, the most notable of which was a Friday Night Oneg Shabbat at which one hundred members of the community experienced a true Shabbat in the Synagogue with a traditional Friday night service, candle lighting, dinner and Zm irot. The community was also entertained by some of the children from the Cheder. In addition, the first A' level class in Jew ish Studies to be held at the Synagogue has just been completed. Under the teaching of Rev N Kreiman, six students sat for an A' level in Jewish studies and the results achieved were outstanding. 4 “A" grades and 2 “B" grades were obtained by the stu dents. The Synagogue intends to continue with these classes in the new academic year. These are now being publicised locally and all are welcome to join.

HESPED FOR DfiYfiN PESfiCH BRfiCEIMER zt! by M ichael Goldm an

Service in memory of Dayan B raceiner was held at the Finchley Central Synagogue on 10 August 1997/7 Av, where he had been Rav from 1961 until 1982. As well as the Dayan’s Rebbetzin and fam ily, the gathering included the Dayanim and other Rabbanim of the Federation of Synagogues, Federation Honorary Officers, local Rabbis, Talmudim and friends of the distinguished Niftar. The present Rav, Rabbi Zvi Telsner, noting that the Hesped was taking place just two days before Tisha B’Av, re minded the congregation that Avelus (mourning) was one o f the paths to Teshuvah (penitence). One o f the rea sons for the destruction of the Second Beis Hamikdosh was stated to have been lack o f mutual respect amongst the scholars of the time. It was an outstand ing speciality of the late Dayan that he showed Derech Eretz towards all his Beth Din and rabbinical colleagues as well as due regard and courtesy towards

his congregants and fellow-men in gen eral. Citing apposite Ma ’amorei Chazal, Rabbi Telsner took the opportunity to emphasise how important it was for Kehilla leaders to extend kavod - and this certainly included concern for their material needs - to their Rabbanim. Dayan Y Y Lichtenstein, the Rosh Beth Din, outlined Dayan Braceiner’s early achievements in the pre-War world of Torah learning and chassidus, and his special qualities as a Dayan. Aside from his exceptional scholarship and b 'kius in Poskim, he possessed immense per sonal dignity - a trait that helped to enhance the status and honour o f his Beth Din. Moreover, that dignity was combined with genuine humility and self-effacement, a characteristic that aroused true respect and affection in those privileged to meet him. His loss would be felt by all, and not least by his colleagues of the Beth Din. Mr Arnold J Cohen, President of the Federation o f Synagogues, spoke o f Dayan Braceiner's long career as Rav

and member of their Beth Din, a career that epitomised the history of the Fed eration itself as it progressed through its impoverished beginnings in London’s East End to its renewal as an established Kehilla today. Dayan Braceiner had brought distinction to all the posts he held, as teacher, headmaster, Rav and Dayan. Mr Cohen expressed the con dolences o f their entire K ehilla to Rebbetzin Braceiner, her son, daughter and family. The President of the Synagogue, Mr M orris Reich, in a moving address marked by illuminating personal rem iniscences, described their former Rav's relationship with his congregants, and recalled highlights from his Droshos and Shiurim. Mr Reich read a warm tribute to Dayan Braceiner from Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, whose late father had been a founding member of Finchley Central and who had himself grown up in the Shul. A plaque in m em ory o f Dayan Braceiner was unveiled by his son, Mr Avrohom Yakov Braceiner.

Full O bituary on Dayan Pesach Braceiner on page 13.

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T H E R A B B I, H O N O R A R Y O F F IC E R S AN D M EM BERS OF IL F O R D F E D E R A T IO N SYNAGOGUE 14-16 C O V E N T R Y ROAD, ILFO R D , E S S E X IG1 4Q R E X T E N D T H E IR B E S T W IS H E S TO THE M EM BER S OF THE F E D E R A T IO N O F S Y N A G O G U E S FO R A H A P P Y N E W YEAR AND W ELL O V E R T H E F A S T

F ie ld g a te S tre e t G reat S yn agogu e 41

Fieldgate Street • London E l

The Honorary Officers and Board of M anagem ent extend New Year greetings to members of the Synagogueand th eir families, as well as the Beth Din, Honorary Officers and the Executive and Staff of the Federation of Synagogues in n n m

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Ilford Torah Outreach Centre by Simon M Jackson

f you have ever felt that Judaism is outmoded and outdated, irrelevant and backward, why not ask your burning questions, share your doubts, and receive convincing answers from mature, experienced educators? Or if you simply feel the urge to learn a little more about Jewish texts, history, values, life and practice, why not join the increasing numbers of others who _ ____ r'-__ n i 1 \~__ feel the same way? From 9.30am until 4.30pm every day of the week, a group of eight young engaging students can be found pouring over Jewish legal texts in a search for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Under the aspiring dynam ism o f Rabbi R Z Godlewsky, these fresh and eloquent communicators learn and teach at the Ilford Redbridge Torah Outreach Centre, situated on the first floor of 476 Cranbrook Road, Gants Hill. You can join them any Monday or Thursday evening for a special learning session on either a one-off or more regu lar basis on any subject matter of your choice. Or you can join one of their outof-town subsidised w eekends where spiritual replenishment and social rec reation go hand-in-hand. Ilford Torah Outreach Centre invite you to come and experience for your se lf ju st how rich and versatile the Torah's legal texts and ethical teachings are in being able to meet the challenges o f a world in flux at the end of the twen tieth century. Brow se around their impressive, well-stocked library of Eng lish Judaica and research for yourself an area o f Judaism which interests you. Share a rare glimpse o f a world gone by, sitting in the com pany o f w orld-re now ned C h assid ic R ebbes and marvelling at their total commitment to serving the Creator. The Centre which is free o f charge with refreshments provided - welcomes all sections o f the Jewish community with no obligation. Tempted? To find out more contact Rabbi or Mrs Godlewsky on: 0181 551 4191 or 0181 5 18 3792 - or else just visit the Centre!

Focus on Youth jjjg ; t h e

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Yeshurun outh and education is a prime consideration at the Edgware Y eshurun Synagogue w ith activities and programmes for all ages. YESHURUN TALMUD TORAH

Yeshurun Talmud Torah is a thriving centre which runs classes every Sunday and Tuesday. At present there are approxi mately sixty-five children from the ages o f five to thirteen (Bar Mitzvah). According to Mrs S Brackman, the centre's headmistress they “Try to give children a good time within a learning environment."Many of the classes incor porate arts and crafts, and drama within the lesson and additional activities in clude a Purim Seudah, communal Seder and Chanukah party.This year they had a party for Lag B'Omer around the bon fire with musical entertainment, stories and refreshments. It is their policy to take experienced teachers. The Bar Mitzva class is under the direction of Mr Brian Gordon and the Bat C'hayil class is led by Mrs Judy Lopian, the wife o f Dayan Lopian. In ad dition there is an active and supportive parents-teachers association. Yeshurun Talmud Torah is always happy to welcome children from any where and membership of the Shul is not a pre-requisite for membership of the Talmud Torah.Further information is a va ila b le fro m M rs Brackm an on: 0181 951 0239. CHILDREN’S SERVICES

Each Shabbat there are four separate Children’s Serv ices at the shul.Their aim is for the children to understand the con-

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cept of prayer, become familiar with the ritual of davenning and to be confident and happy in a Shul environment. The Younger Children’s Service is for children under the age of six.Prayers, a story and fun environment keep the chil dren 's atten tio n .T h e children are introduced to the fundamentals of our Jewish religious tradition in an attractive way.They insist a parent or some other responsible person stays with the very young children so that what the child has experienced can be reinforced at home. The Intermediate Service (six to nine years), recognises that this age group cov ers a w ide range o f com petence in Hebrew and therefore uses a standard for mat so that everyone can participate at their appropriate level.Each child is en couraged to become involved, girls as well as boys, and learn to become confi dent and fluent in their davenning. The Older Children’s Service (ten to tw elve years) is a challenging age group.The children are by now fully con versant with the essential prayers and do not wish to be governed by the same dis ciplines as the younger children.They concentrate on asking the children to pre pare short talks on the Sedra of the week, to leyen and to participate in discussions. The Youth Service which has been running for nine months is for ages twelve and over. It is held in a specially built youth Beth Hamedrash where the Aron. Bimah and all furnishings have been do nated by generous members, and uses brand new A rtscroll Siddurim and Chumashim.The Service provides an ideal opportunity for the youth to daven and become acquainted with the ritual and prayer. For more information about the serv ices or to assist in any wav, please contact Dayan G Lopian or Alan Finlay on:0181 952 7517.

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Beis Nadvorna Beth Hamedrash eis Hamedrash Nadvorna is the most recent Shul to join the Federation of Synagogues as an affiliated Synagogue. The Nadvorna dynasty was founded by Rabbi Mordechai o f Nadvorno in Galicia which was a part of the Austrian Empire. His father, Rabbi Yissochor Ber died on 3rd Ellul 1848, leaving his son Mordechai as a young orphan. He was brought up by his father’s brother, Rabbi Meir of Premishlan, who was also his teacher. Rabbi Meir was a grandson of the great Rabbi Meir of Premishlan, a friend and pupil of the Baal Shem Tov. Rabbi Mordechai grew up to become the Chassidic Rebbe in Nadvorno and later in Kivyash, Hungary. He was a re nowned Tzaddik and miracle worker whose Chassidim came to him from all over Europe, to ask for his Brocho or in tervention on behalf of their poor and sick, or people with other needs. It was generally accepted that Ruach Hakodesh was inherent, generation after generation back to the great Rabbi Meir, who was his great grandfather. Rabbi Mordechai was known to daven most of the day and was recognised as a Tzaddik by all his contemporaries. When he died on the first day of Succos 1895, he left six sons: Rabbi Yitzchok o f Stanislaw; Rabbi Berzi of Satmar; Rabbi Meir of Kretchinef; Rabbi Yisroel Yaacov of Lhust; Rabbi Ahron Moishe of Lanzut; Rabbi Yosef of Niderhauz, and a son-inlaw Rabbi Avrohom Yosef Igra of Zelin, all being known by the name of the town where they resided, and held their Rebbishe court. The family surnames were Leifer and Rosenbaum. The dynasty was continued by the children and grandchildren all over Eu rope until the Second World War when most of them perished. After the war, the remaining offspring started Shuls in Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak, Kfar Ata, New York, Pittsburgh and many other places, continuing the Minhagim of Nadvorna. In 1984, a Beis H am edrash was opened in London by Rabbi Mordechai Leifer, named after his ancestor. The Rebbe is fifth generation, descending from three of the children: Rabbi Yosef, Rabbi Aharon Moishe and Rabbi Berzi, as well as being descended from The

Ropshitz and other dynasties. (Rebbes often intermarried with cousins from the same origin.) The Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Berish is the son of Rabbi Yaacov Leifer, the last Rebbe to officiate in the town of Nadvorno. The Beis Hamedrash and its Mikva is very popular throughout Stamford Hill, its doors being open from dawn to late and night, with people davening and studying Torah. There is a Kollel which trains young men in the laws and prac tices of shechita. There are Minyonim four times a day, two separate Minyonim for Mincha, and a host of partners learn ing together in pairs - day and night. The Beis Hamedrash is used by all different types of orthodox Jewry: Chassidim of Satmar, Belz, Bobov, Ger, Lubavitch, Ashkenazi and Sefardi Jews, numbering from thirty to sixty at any time. The Nadvome Rebben is well known for his good heart, ready to help anyone in need and his house and Beis Hamedrash is open to the hungry and lonely who are greeted with friendship, warmth and practical help. No task is too great and no problem too small for the Rebbe’s attention. In 1995 the house next door was pur chased due to the lack of space and this has been incorporated into the new Beis Hamedrash, with a new ladies section, and a hall which is used for Simchas. N evertheless, on the first night o f Selichos and Yom Tov, with many more ladies attending, the congregation in creased to such an extent that people had to stand in the hall and front yard to be able to participate. At the beginning o f 1997 the Beis Hamedrash joined the Federation of Synagogues, and this will obviously be a great benefit to furthering and expand ing Yiddishkeit in Anglo Jewry.

PO STBO X PROJECT ASSISTANCE I am a sixth form student currently studying Advanced Level Religious studies. At this present tim e I am embarking on my personal project as part of the course. The title of my study is: “How impor tant is the Synagogue in the Jewish community, especially in Liverpool17” I would be grateful if you could pro vide me with any relevant information concerning this subject. Yours sincerely Christopher Nairn Fazakerley High School Liverpool

Rabbi Zaiden replies: I suggest that you contact the Jewish Studies Department at the King David School in Liverpool and also Rabbi Cofnas of Childwall Synagogue who will be able to assist you with your research.

Please send your letters to The Editor, Hamaor Magazine, 65 Watford Way, London NW4 3AQ fax: 0181-203 0610 e-mail: shmuel sarah @classic.msn.com

The President and members of the Croydon Synagogue send their best wishes for a Healthy & Happy New Year to you all

O hel Jacob Beth H am edrash Ilford T orah O utreach C entre and R abinnical College 478 C ran b ro o k R oad, G ants H ill, Ilford T he Rov, P resident and G abboim as well as the M ispalelim and Kollel Families take this o p p o rtu n ity o f thanking the R osh Beis D in, D ayonim , P resident and H o n o rary O fficers o f the F ederation for their outstanding su p p o rt in helping to build up this successful M okom T orah and Tefilah in Ilford.

May they be blessed w ith A G ut G ebentched Jahr

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PERSONAL BEIS H A M E D R A S H S IN A I M A Z A L TOVt Marriages Rabbi and Mrs Knopfler on their son’s marriage. Mr and Mrs G Halibard on their son’s marriage. MrandMrs C Hoffman on their daughter’s marriage. Mr and Mrs J Ryness on their daughter’s marriage. Rabbi and Mrs E Klein on their daughter’s marriage. Mr and Mrs S Bradpiece on their daughter’s marriage Mr and Mrs G Halibard on their daughter’s marriage. Engagements

Miss S Katz on her engagement. Births Rabbi and Mrs Knopfler on the birth of a son. Rabbi and Mrs Blackman on the birth of a daughter. Mr and Mrs Ezekiel on the birth of a son. Mr and Mrs D Kaye on the birth of a son. Dayan and Mrs Elzas on the birth of a son. Mr and Mrs D Kaufman on the birth of a son. Mr and Mrs I Leskin on the birth of a daughter. Mr and Mrs L Kramer on the birth of a daughter. Mr and Mrs M Kramer on the birth on a son.

Mr and Mrs R Steinhart on their sons Barmitzvah. Mr and Mrs Rosenthal on their son’s Barmitzvah. Birth o f Grandchildren Mr and Mrs M Leitner Mr and Mrs M Steinberg Mr and Mrs S Roth Mr and Mrs D Chontow Mr and Mrs S Galandaur Mr and Mrs B Fagil We would also like to offer special congratulations to the following Bochurim who have gone up to major Yeshivas in Israel, Manches ter and Gateshead: Y M Elzas, M M Steinhaus, A Y Kampf, G Cohen, N Adler, Y Kruskal, Y Lemon, B Kruskal, N Weg. Sincere Condolences To: Mrs C Knopfler on the loss of her father Rabbi D Komhauser on the loss of his father

EAST LONDON CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE

M A Z A L TO Vt Mr Hyman Singer, President of the East London Central Synagogue, on his ninetieth birthday which he celebrated in May Mr and Mrs Basil Stone, Financial Representative of the former Great Garden Street Synagogue, who celebrated their forty-fourth wedding anniversary in June.

Barniitzvah Mr and Mrs Hoffman on their son’s Barmitzvah. Mr and Mrs Weider on their son’s Barmitzvah. Mr and Mrs J Simmonds on their sons Barmitzvah.

Please send in all your personal announcements for the next edition of Hamaor by M onday 17 N ovem ber 1997

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G REENFO RD SYNAG O G IE PAYS T R IR E T E TO ABRAHAM RANKS z by N orm an N Simons

reenford Synagogue was filled to capacity on Sunday 13 July (8 Tammuz) when some two hundred people attended the memorial service to Abraham Banks z ”/, their lay minister and spiritual leader, who died on erev Pesach, 21 April (14 Nisan) at the age of 76. In addition to his family, friends and office staff (he was a solicitor by pro fe ssio n ), n early the en tire present community and many former members from all over London and as far afield as Brighton, those attending included representatives from neighbouring syna gogues, AJEX, and other organisations with which he was associated, including many m em bers o f the Ealing (Selig Brodetsky) Lodge o f B ’nai Brith, o f which he was a past President. The Fed eration o f Synagogues was represented by its President, Mr Arnold Cohen. The Service, consisting o f Mincha, the memorial prayer, Kaddish, Tehillim and Divrei Torah, was conducted entirely by Mr Banks' three sons, and Hespedim w ere d eliv ered by D ayan Y Y Lichtenstein, Rosh Beth Din, and Mr N N Simons, President o f Greenford Syna gogue. Dayan Lichtenstein referred to Mr B anks' dedication to G reenford Synagogue over a period o f forty eight years, and to his wonderful ability to conduct the many varied services, in cluding assisting at chupas, despite not having received a Yeshiva or other for mal training. He went on to recount the story o f Balaak, the subject o f the week’s sedra, and his enmity to the Jewish peo ple, which caused him to summon the magician Balaam to curse the Jewish people on his behalf. Balaam, however, had an enforced change of heart, and was prom pted to utter the famous words which are recited in our prayers every morning - “Ma Tovu - How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, Thy dwellings, O Is rael.” Dayan Lichtenstein said that it was through the devotion o f men such as Abraham Banks that our tents and dwell ings - our places o f w orship - were indeed goodly, not only in appearance

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ti photo: Abraham Ranks with is son Jeremy on the occasion o f his granddaughter's Bat Chayil in Greenford Synagogue and atonement, but also in the quality o f depth of the teaching and inspiration they provided. Mr Simons stated that he had joined Mr Banks on the Board of Management o f the Synagogue forty years ago, and had been its Warden for the past thirtysix years, during which time he had formed a close association and deep friendship with him. No one who had heard him conduct a service or offici ate at a Levaya or m em orial stone consecration could fail to be moved and uplifted by the experience. Abraham Banks was bom in the East End o f London o f Latvian immigrant parents, who had instilled in him all the values o f tra d itio n a l Judaism and ‘Y iddishkeit', which he eagerly ab sorbed in his youth. Blessed with a melodious tenor voice - he had sung in the choir o f Hammersmith Synagogue in the immediate post-war years - this training and experience made him the perfect choice as lay minister when a community was formed in 1949 in the Greenford area where he and his wife had settled, and where their home soon became ‘open house’ with hospitality,

help and advice unstintingly given. Shortly after his w ife’s death at the end of 1990, following a tragic illness last ing three years, during which period he cared for her devotedly, he discovered he had a cousin still living in Latvia, and another, Fruma, who lived on her own in Moscow. In the December of 1992 Fruma came to London and she and A braham B anks w ere m arried in G reenford Synagogue the following March. It was of great solace and con solation for the community to know that she was at his side to tend, comfort and support him during his own illness, dur ing which he underwent three major operations. Mr Simons concluded by thanking Dayan Lichtenstein for his presence and for giving such a moving Hesped, and saying that we should all give thanks for having known Abraham Banks, for having experienced his wis dom, kindness and courtesy, and having learned from his knowledge and exam ple. The service ended with the singing o f Adon Olam to the tune of de Sola, Mr Banks’ favourite, and was followed by a reception in the Synagogue hall.

O B IT U A R Y

D ayan P e sa e h B r a c e in e r z tl by Dayan Berel Berkovits

ayan B raceiner was born in May 1911 into a distinguished family in Czernowitz, one of the leading kehillos in Romania. His father Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Brocziner was a Tchortkover chosid, and his mother’s fam ily stemmed from Belzer Chassidim. At the outbreak of World War 1, the family tied to Neupest (a suburb of Buda pest), where young Pesaeh attended a Hungarian school. In 1920, with an unfa vourable change of regime in Hungary, they were expelled in cattle-trucks, on the grounds of their non-Hungarian national ity, and arrived one Erev Shabbos in Grosswardein, a Transylvanian town on the Hungarian/Romanian border. Grosswardein had some 20,000 Jews, a large proportion of whom were shomrei Torah umitzvos, and counted in ranks many famous geonim It was also home to C hassidic Rebbes, most prom inent amongst whom was the Vishnitzer Rehhe (Rabbi Yisroel Hager, the Oheiv Yisroel) who had fled there in 1915. It was re nowned for its learned ha 'alei batim, many of whom were distinguished talmidei chachomim in their own right, and for its comprehensive and all-inclusive kehilloh structure. The community boasted, in addition to many shuls, a complete school system for both boys and girls, yeshivos, a Jewish hospital, and an old-age home. (In 1943, a year before they were all deported, the community built a m agnificent new mikvah.) It was in such an environment that Dayan Braceiner spent his formative years. He learned in the Yeshiva of the Kossover Dayan, known as the Pischei Zuta, and at the same time became closely attached to, and a life-long chossid of the Vishnitzer Rehhe. Years later, tears would come into his eyes when he spoke of the Rebbe. These two outstanding characteristics outstanding hasmodoh and devotion to Limmud Hatorah, combined with the warmth of chassidus - exerted such a powerful influence on him, that they epitomised the man he became, and remained, for the rest of his life. In 1928 he came to England,, he im mediately enrolled in Etz Chaim Yeshiva,

where he became the favourite pupil of Rav Elya Lopian ztl (who subsequently saw to it that he came into his family, by marrying a sister-in-law of his eldest son, Rav Simchah). Three years later, when he obtained Semicha from leading gedolim, they testified that he knew the whole of the first volume of Yoreh De 'ah by heart, with the standard meforshim, including Pri Megodim! In 1937 he succeeded his father (who had arrived shortly after him in England) as Rov of Greenfield Street Synagogue, beginning his distinguished career in Rabbonus with the Federation of Syna gogues. His shul merged with Vine Court Synagogue, where he remained until 1952, when he was appointed Rov of Montague Road Beis Hamedrash in Dalston. Throughout this period, he remained in Stamford Hill, which he felt was the ap propriate environment at the time for raising a Torah-dik family, and would regu larly walk to Dalston and the East End on Shabbos. In 1961 he became Rov of the recentlyestablished Finchley Central Synagogue which he built into a heimisher kehilloh (the first Federation shul to have a gemora class in its Talmud Torah, and to build a keilim mikva). With his gentle unassum ing personality, com bined with an unswerving loyalty to principle, his Chassidic warmth, articulated in inspiring and powerful English oratory, and his natural aversion to politics and machlokes, and ability to get on with everybody, he influenced hundreds of people to become closer to Yiddishkeit and a true life of Torah. The same qualities were evidenced during his career as a teacher and Mechanech, firstly in the Yesodey Hatorah

from 1943, until 1959, and later as Head of Pardes House school. He had the unu sual ability, for someone who was always immersed in Limmud Hatorah, to come down to the level of each child and be come a fatherly friend to them. At the same time he was close to Gedolei Yisroel both of the Litvish and Chassidish world. In the late 1960s, Dayan Braceiner was appointed to the Federation Beis Din, which he served with distinction, and to which he brought his unusual combination o f Torah, h o ra 'a h , and chochmas hachayim based on years of communal activities. He continued to sit, and attend sessions, until recent years, only reluc tantly retiring when ill-health left him with no alternative. As younger Dayanim, all of us at the Beis Din benefited greatly from his presence and his experience. Dayan Braceiner respected all talmidei chachomim, and encouraged contact with Chassidic leaders. His greatest joy was to talk Torah to his colleagues, his visitors, and grandchildren. His beki us in Chazal and Divrei Chassidus was remarkable; he learnt through every sefer in his library, and could pinpoint references with unfail ing accuracy. He was always immersed in learning, rarely engaging in small talk, but preferring to exchange Divrei Torah and challenge visitors. Illness in his latter years prevented him from fulfilling his life-long aspiration of moving to Erez Yisroel and returning to the strong Torah and Chassidic environ ment which he had so loved in his youth. His personal loss in this respect was a gain for us all, however - for the many people who benefited from his example, and influence of his years in North West London. His death leaves us all im poverished.

by D ayan Y Y Lichtenstein

n 10 July 1997, the Jewish Tribune printed a report of an unusual visit - a joint meeting between Dayanim of the London Board for Shechita and of the Rabbinate of the Union o f Orthodox Hebrew Congre gations (Kedassia) - to examine a new kashrut problem that had surfaced in UK poultry: damaged leg tendons. It followed an in v itatio n from the K edassia R abbinate to the London Board Rabbinical Authority of a discrepancy between the amount o f shaalos (birds of questionable kashrut) found between Kedassia poultry and London Board. Kedassia bodkim (kashrut inspectors) reported an unusually high percentage of damaged leg tendons, while London Board bodkim and Rabbonim, even after numerous investigations, could report no appreciable increase. Sources of supplies of both organisations are identical (Lon don Board wholesalers supply Kedassia with the bulk o f their livestock) and halachah is halachah. The bodkim of both organisations are highly competent and professional staff. The mystery was fur ther complicated by Kedassia's claims that no pattern could be established in the oc currence of their problem and no sign of damage was visible on the outside of the leg. To catch this shaaloh, it was neces sary to actually open up each leg after the Shechita and examine every tendon, a la borious and time consuming process for the staff, and on the public (Kedassia raised the price o f their roasters by ten pence to cover the additional inspections). To see if we could shed some light on this confusion, Dayan Ehrentreu and myself met with Dayan Frydman and Dayan Greenhaus of the Kedassia Rab binate, on 2 July 1997 at the Kedassia’s abattoir to view several of the shaalos in volved by Kedassia bodkim. To the average Jew, the word treifa is used to describe any type o f non kosher meat. However, strictly speaking, meat that is derived from an animal or bird that has not been shechted is called neveila. The term treife which is taken from shemos, chapter 22 verse 30, refers to an animal whose flesh has been “torn” i.e. attacked with a fatal wound. The Mishna in Chulim enumerates a long list of other diseases which are also considered by our

Sages to be eventually fatal, and includes in them the category o f treifa. Once an animal or bird is considered treife, it is forbidden to eat it, even though it has been shechted subsequently. However, any damage after shechita, does not render it treife. One o f the categories of treife is a lacerated leg tendon in the bot tom part o f the leg; the area that is referred to in the Halacha as the tzamus hagidin. There are sixteen tendons in each leg and the halachah states that if even one is damaged, the bird is treife. It was this treife which had suddenly become a major problem. This treife is not unusual in its own right: for many years, the Lon don Board has instructed its bodkim to check every bird on the outside for any damage to the leg. But if there is no mark or sign on the outside of the leg, the bird had been deemed to be kosher. What was unusual was Kedassia's claim that a tendon could be lacerated to the extent that it would be treife without any visible sign or mark on the outside surface, and the frequency of such inju ries claimed was too much to be ignored. It was this point that the Dayanim had gathered to determine if anything had to be done and, if so, what? Dayan Ehrentreu and myself, on behalf o f the London Board, asked Kedassia to conduct a trial Shechita and we would watch the bodkim do their inspection in situ. Based upon this, we would determine if there would be a need to open up each bird. A sample Shechita and inspection was performed while we watched. One hundred and fifty six birds were shechted. Forty eight were im m ed iately opened up afte r the Shechita, and a further one hundred and eight were opened up after plucking. From the complete group, only one bird was found to have a tendon lacerated, a second bird revealed one weakened ten don. The q u estio n s that faced the Dayanim thus were: a) Did the lacerated or weakened tendon occur pre or post Shechita? b) Assuming the laceration did take place before Shechita, how frequent does a shaaloh have to occur to require every bird to be examined internally? To the first question, no conclusive an swer could be established. During the period immediately after Shechita, poultry are forcibly thrust into the bleeding out

cones, and conceivably a tendon could rip at that point. However, the nature of the lac eration seemed to indicate that we were dealing with a pre-Shechita problem. At best it had to be considered a sofek - a doubt. To the second a definite answer was given. Less than one percent frequency did not halachically require any inspection. The Talmud in Mesechta Chulin 1 lb rules that the majority of animals are kosher, i.e. the majority of animals we shecht do not have any injuries that would render it treife, Nev ertheless, Rashi adds that if a common type of problem exists, even if only in a minor ity of cases, it must be investigated. For this reason Rashi concludes we search the lungs of every animal we shecht. The question arises how common is common? The dis tinguished halachic authority Mishkenas Yaakov, chapter 15 Yora Deah rules that there must be a minimum of ten percent frequency for a check to be required. Less than ten percent, does not require any in spection. This is the accepted halachah by all worldwide kashrus authorities. When we put this to the Kedassia bodkim, they claimed that particular day was exceptionally good, usually, the per centage would reach twelve percent and possibly more. But further investigation by our Rabbonim and bodkim only served to prove our findings that the condition was quite rare. We concluded therefore there was no need to burden our bodkim with unnecessary inspections. At present, it appears the Kedassia bodkim, (though they did not dispute our findings) still insist upon this stringency. Can one insist on an additional chumrah if the halachah does not require it? The Darkhei Teshuva chapter 39 Yora Deah, verse 1, brings numerous authorities that say one can put such a stringency upon himself but it is forbidden to do so to the public as there is another prohibition of causing Jews to spend unnecessary money. The source for this is sefer Tevuous Shor which is the final word on the rules of treifot. It was thus clear to us that not only was there no need to introduce an unnec essary inspection, but as Dayanim responsible to the public, it was forbid den to do so. Therefore the London Board was informed they should not burden themselves with this inspection.

PR O FILE ON R A B B I ZAIDEN abbi Sholom Zaiden is the new R egistrar at the Beth Din .responsible for m arriage authorisations, divorces, assisting with Dinei Torah and Kashrus, as well as acting as general co-ordinator at the Federation of Synagogues. Rabbi Zaiden who has a BA in crimi nology and Political Science through UNISA, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and educated at Yeshiva College High School. During which time he was also a madrich of local Jewish Youth movements. After leaving High School he went on to study in Yeshiva in Israel, first to Yeshiva Kol Torah for two years followed by four years at Yehivat Hanegev (Azata) for four years. It was during this time that he met and married Belita nee Miller (originally from London) in Israel. He then spent a further two years at Kollel Machon Harry Fischel and four years at Rav Unterman’s Kolel. He chose these particular Kollelim to enable him to study Sofros as he “wanted to be a Rabbi with skill” .

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After Kollel, he returned to South Af rica, which he felt was a “ moral obligation” to give something back to the community for support he had been given. He took up the post of Community Rabbi of Orange Grove Hebrew Congre gation and then Community Rabbi of Edenvale Hebrew Congregation. He also became the Rabbi for outlying districts for the South African Board of Deputies travelling the length and breadth of the country, a position he held for just under ten years. In addition, he taught in a number of schools including Yeshiva College and Beis Yaacov and acted as a Sofer writing Mezuzos, Kesubos and Gittin. Rabbi and Mrs Zaiden who have who have four boys aged nine to nineteen, left South Africa for their children’s education and due to the political situation there. Rabbi Zaiden arrived in the UK in De cember 1996 and feels he has settled extremely well in London citing going to Shiurim as a major contributing factor. His wife Belita who qualified as a teach er in London U niversity and

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Michlalah was in charge of Limmudei Kodesh in Shaarei Torah High School whilst in South Africa and is now the Sec ond D eputy Head in H asm onean Primary School in charge of Limmudei Kodesh Rabbi Zaiden began working for the Federation as Registrar of Bet Din on 12 March 1997, and views his job as: “ Fantastic! I love it. It is such a challenging position.” When asked for his aspirations for the future in his new roll, his answer was simply “to become a good anchor-man and co-ordinator.”

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A REMEMBRANCE OF TH E 30S AND 4 0 S (PA RT 3) by W illy U ngar

here was a sm all num ber o f British troops marching us from the Liverpool dockside to a gang way leading up to the top deck of the enormous troopship - HMS Dunera. I felt a certain amount o f excitem ent as I mounted the steps and looked forward to my first ocean voyage. Apart from the Channel crossing from the Hook van Holland to Harwich, fifteen months earlier, I had never even seen the sea. The prospect of crossing the Atlantic and a new life in Canada - even after a certain period o f internment - filled me with hope for the future. There were, however, a few disturbing details that did not seem quite right. Firstly, there were so many of us: were we not told by the authorities that only single and young men could volunteer for Canada? Looking around me I saw many men who had had to leave their wives and children behind; old men with white beards, Rabbis, Professors, and hundreds o f refugees from all walks o f life. Only later did I find out that we actually numbered about two thousand souls. The second puzzling thing was the order to leave our suitcases piled up high on the top deck before we had to descend into the very bottom hold of the ship. But, when 1 saw the amount o f barbed wire wound round the gates of our designated living areas, 1 realised that this was just a prison ship. There were only long wooden tables and benches and nothing else apart from a score of hammocks which were after some heated argum ents among ourselves - given to the oldest in our group. The rest o f us had to lie on the wooden floor, in our suites, no bedding, and rolling against each other in the same rhythm as the ship was rolling. The food situation was a disaster for those o f us who would not eat the “one-pot-mixture” o f meat, spuds, and vegetables served in a thin gravy which the army supplied. After a little while we, the kosher group, bartered our meaty ra tions for slices of bread and cheese. A few of us did not even eat the cheese, although we were told by the Rabbis that it was a must to eat and survive. The portholes were below the water line and we only saw daylight for ten min utes every day when we were led up and made to run round the top deck. At either end o f the ship two soldiers were sta-

Ship, prisonthe two faces of the Dunera Jerusalem Post, December 19th 1986 tioned, with machine guns trained on us, their fingers on the trigger. Every time 1 passed them I gave a sigh o f relief and thanked Hashem that a wave did not hit the ship at that moment and the soldiers inadvertently fired the guns. Along the two sides of the deck, other soldiers were standing at regular distances with rifles and bayonets at the ready, urging us on to keep running at the same pace the whole ten minutes. For the young ones, like myself, that was not difficult, but the elderly who could not keep up, were prod ded into their thighs with the tips of the bayonets. Once, 1clearly saw an old man hobble along as best as he could while a trickle of blood seeped through his trou ser leg. Some of us who could speak a little English remonstrated with the sol diers and pointed out that we were Jews and not Germans, although we spoke to each other in German. It was to no avail, they just called us ***** German Jews. They really were filled with hatred for anything German. The reason for this was that these soldiers were the remnants of a platoon that had been dive-bombed by the Luftwaffe during their evacuation from France on the beaches of Dunkirk. Naturally, they hated the Nazis and any one who spoke their language; it was just unfortunate that we happened to be mis taken for the enemies o f Great Britain. The ordeal o f the ten minute exercise was not the only one we had to suffer: all our clothes were in our suitcases piled up high on the deck and not available to us. Furthermore, the captain in charge came into our enclosure and conducted a

search, looking for some correspondence or any gadgets concealed on our bodies which might be used to communicate with the “Fatherland". In the process of these searches everything else, like wrist watches, fountain pens, rings and even Tefillin, were confiscated. Of the forty or so men who had brought their Tefillin with them down into the hold, only about a dozen were left in our possession. From that time onwards, we davened in shifts. After a few days, the food situation became a real problem for the orthodox. We chose Rabbi Erentreu (the Rav of Munich and later to be the uncle of the present Rosh of the London Beth Din) to act as our spokesman. He was willing to approach the captain of the ship, by passing the army. On his return from the bridge, we were shocked to hear that the Navel officer had threatened to tie the Rabbi to the top of the mast, by his beard, should he ever again have the audacity to approach him. Amongst our fellow internees, we had a couple of expert astronomers who fol lowed closely the path and direction the Dunera took. First northwards, skirting the northern shores of Ireland, then west w ards into the A tlan tic, alw ays zigzagging to mislead any lurking sub marine. After three or four days these “experts" seemed rather worried and told us that instead of charting a western course, the ship was sailing due south and that would never bring us to Canada. Most o f us shrugged off this news as scare mongering and thought no more about it. However, when the journey extended

GREENFORD SYNAGOGUE Oldfield Lane South, GREENFORD, Middx

The President, Honorary Officers and Members o f the Board o f Management extend sincere good wishes to all members o f the Synagogue and their families fo r a %

naira nxrnm ro ro

into the second week and the tempera ture began to rise and we were given less drinking water “to conserve the dwind ling reserves,” we had to admit that we were definitely not on our way to Canada. After two weeks sailing in the midAtlantic, we were rocked by a missile, which hit the stem of the ship, but did not explode. It was obvious to us that we were hit by a torpedo and with fear in our hearts we awaited the second attack; miraculously, it never came. The ship continued it’s zig-zag course and seemed to have escaped its pursuer. Only years later, after the war, the story was told on German television by the commander of that U-boat. He told his audience how he followed this large troop carrier and at tacked it with a torpedo. The first shot hit home but did not explode. Before fir ing the second one, he noticed through the periscope an unusual amount of de bris floating on the surface of the water. He allowed the ship to gain some dis tance, surfaced, and after fishing some suitcases out of the water, checked their contents. To his surprise, he found a lot of correspondence, all written in German, and naturally assumed that the British had taken German and Austrian prisoners

whom they transported out of the UK. He immediately cancelled any further attack against the Dunera, but decided to escort her and, if necessary, warn off any other submarine in order to protect “his com p a trio ts” ! When I was told o f this televised interview, I said to myself that G-d indeed works in mysterious ways. Who would have though that the loss of our suitcases was probably the reason for our survival! After a few days, still continuing in a southerly direction, we approached the coast of West Africa. In Freetown, Sierra Leone, we were to take water on board, but were not even allowed to dock, as German planes, operating from an air craft carrier, had dropped poison into their water reservoirs. After that, our ra tions of liquids were reduced to two cups of tea and one cup of water a day; it was sufficient to survive - but it was no pic nic! Even some of the guards showed some concern and began to talk to us. From them we heard that our next stop would be South Africa and in Cape Town we would be able to tank water. Life on board seemed less harsh as time went on. Even the captain had stopped his daily searched - perhaps the

equatorial heat was too much for him as well. Or maybe he saw that we Jewish refugees really had no intention to blow up the ship. We were allowed to mingle with friends in other fenced off areas. In consequence, Shiurim were organised, some in small groups, some to a larger audience. Talks were given by philo sophers and even some light musical entertainment was laid on. By now we had been on our voyage for about five or six weeks when we fi nally reached Cape Town, where we dropped anchor a mile off shore and took in water from a tanker. As I had men tioned before, all our portholes were below the Plimsoll line, except for one in each of the two toilets and showers, which were on a slightly higher level. Naturally, all of us wanted to see the famous Table Mountain; but the only way to get a glimpse of it was by teaming up with a friend who was willing to let you stand on his shoulders while you had a good long look at it and then reverse the roles. There was only one problem: those who actually wanted to use the toilets for other purposes than widen their geographical experiences had no chance! Finally, we organised ourselves into two queues: the

users and the viewers. One of the reasons that we had come through the appalling, overcrowded conditions on a ship that was designed to carry six hundred army personnel, without any epidemic, were the hot salt water showers. There was unlimited supply coming from the engine room and we made full use of it. We showered once or twice daily, washed our clothes - which dried overnight, and the salt content acted as a disinfectant. Once, however, one man hung his wet underwear over the housing o f the electric light fitting to have them nice and dry the next morning. The clothes caught fire, the guard noticed it, raised the alarm and pandemonium broke loose. Within minutes the captain and a number of soldiers stormed in, accusing us of trying to bum the ship down, and the daily searches were reinstated. After Cape Town we proceeded eastwards, crossing the Indian Ocean in a straight line towards Australia. The monotonous daily routines continued but many o f us made new friends, learned from each other's experiences and tried to educate ourselves by talking and listening, as there was not a book at our disposal. There were some non-Jewish men among

us refugees, Sudeten-German Communists who had come to England as asylum seekers. I am sure they had been trained party activists, as they were able to turn any talk they attended into a political debate. Their unshakeable belief was that all the world's misery stemmed from the suppression o f the working class by the capitalist system. Even amongst the Jewish men, I was amazed at the diverse backgrounds, different custom s, different levels o f observance; from complete heretics who continuously wanted to convince everybody of the non-existence of a Deity (but could never stop talking about G-d), to young men who had just discovered their Jewish heritage and were so eager to acquire knowledge of all the practises they had not experienced in their home. All these topics to which I had never been exposed to in my parent’s house were discussed, debated and argued over every day. However, those who just sat and bemoaned their fate naturally fared w o rseso many yearned for their wives and children and worried how they would survive without their husbands. Many got very depressed and one man jumped overboard during the exercise on the top deck. The

call went out: “Man overboard!” A Life buoy ring was thrown into the water by a soldier, but the captain of the ship did not even bother to slow down, nor were we allowed to stop running, There were no more incidents after that which I can recall until HMS Dunera docked in Sydney harbour after having sailed for ten weeks, When we were escorted to the quay side by the British troops, we were handed over to a large contingent of Australian soldiers, all lined up with their weapons at the ready, It took quite a while to disembark two thousand men and those, like myself, who had not had a decent meal in ten weeks, could barely shlepp themselves for more than a hundred yards without having a rest, After finally having lined up, the Australian sergeant-major in charge gave us one good look and exclaimed: “You are no **** German parachutists, you are just a bunch of**** Jews!” He turned round and dismissed three quarters of his troops. The remaining soldiers guided us slowly and with obvious sympathy to a nearby railway sliding, where we boarded a train that was to take us to an unknown destination, To be continued...

Ivor (Silverman THE ULTIMATE IN KOSHER BUTCHERY THE NO. I FOR QUALITY AND HYGIENE 4 Canons Corner, London Road, Stanmore, Middx. Telephone: 0181 -958 8682 or 958 2692 Fax: 0181 -958 1725 358 UXBRIDGE ROAD, HATCH END, MIDDLESEX Telephone: 0181 -428 6564 WE ONLY STOCKTHE FINEST QUALITY CERTIFIED BEEF, LAMB AND POULTRY All our food is prepared under the strictest Kashrut and EEC supervision. O ur aim is to continually satisfy the customers' needs by giving value for money & the finest quality meat & poultry. All our meat is matured for tenderness under the strictest hygienic conditions. O ur family has served the Jewish community for over 100 years. We are continually reviewing our suppliers to obtain the best in quality and price for our customers. We are committed to ensuring that all of our team are trained to the highest standards for the benefit of our customers.

Wishing all our customers A Happy New Year and Well over the Fast PLEASE ASK FOR OURWEEKLY SPECIALS! ALL OF W HICH ARE AT OUR USUAL HIGH STANDARD. LICENSED B Y TH E LO N D O N BOARD FOR SH ECH ITA A N D U N D ER TH E SUPERVISION OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL A U TH O R ITY O FT H E BOARD.

THE GIFT OF LIFE w ith Stephen Bennett vm

ichard Bennett (pictured above with his father Stephen, mother Bobbi and sister Emma) was diagnosed at age six as having a rare genetic disease called “Alports Syndrome" which affected his hearing (he now has a 50% hearing loss) and in time would cause his kidney’s to fail. That was fifteen years ago and Richard was told of his condition only five years ago aged sixteen. “After much thought we decided to leave it as long as possible before breaking the news to Richard,” says Bobbi, “We wanted him to lead a normal life without the pressures of knowing a serious illness was looming. At sixteen he was mature enough to understand the implication of what we told him, and even with hindsight, I know it was the right decision.” In early 1997 Doctor Chisolm Ogg, the Head of Renal Medicine at Guy’s and a pioneer of kidney transplant surgery, told the family that Richard’s condition was deteriorating to the point where he would suffer renal failure some time during 1997. His only option then would be to go onto dialysis until a suitable kidney could be found for a transplant. Says Stephen: “Ri chard had been marvellous since we told him of his condition. He was attending uni versity and had worked hard to keep himself extremely fit. He was even still playing rugby for his university. But by this time his kidney problems were begin ning to make life very difficult. His diet was very restricted and extreme tiredness, high blood pressure and blinding head aches had unfortunately become part of his daily life. Any parent knows what a terrible thing it is to see one’s son suffer ing like this and we wanted him to avoid having to wait perhaps two, three or more years for a cadaverous donor transplant. I

had asked the hospital years before if I could donate my kidney when the time came, but at that time it was frowned upon ethically. Thankfully, attitudes have now changed and when I suggested it this time, Doctor Ogg was very supportive. It’s not just the waiting that is eliminated, but also, the match with the related donor is often so much better, which means that the risk of rejection is much reduced. At first, Ri chard was totally against the idea, but in true Jewish fatherly style, I told him this was the way it was going to be! Also, the hospital assured him that apart from the normal risks in major surgery, I would be able to carry on my life as normal after wards.” The weeks leading up to the operation were an anxious time for the family, as both father and son underwent a series of tests to ensure compatibility. In the event, the match was very close and the opera tion scheduled for early July. The Bennett’s were approached at this time by Channel 5, with the permission of Guy’s Hospital, to see whether they would allow the TV cameras to follow their progress through out the first week after their operation for a nightly thirty minute programme on or gan transplantation to mark “National Transplant Week”. “After much thought, we agreed," says Richard. “We all feel so strongly that more needs to be done to edu cate people and on that basis, felt the programme was a good idea and were pre pared to suffer the inevitable intrusion." The operation took place on 30 June. “The evening before was a very harrow ing time emotionally,” says Stephen, “Neither of us was concerned about the risks of our own operation, or the poten tial pain afterwards. We were simply concerned about each other and particu

larly about Bobbi and Emma who had, I feel, to suffer more stress that we did. When you are involved as a participant, in some small way you seem to have more control of events than if you stand on the sidelines looking in. Although he wanted to, it was important to me that Richard was never to feel that he needed to thank me. Believe me, it’s the opposite. To be able to help one’s child in this way is a privilege for which I will always thank G-d." The operation, which lasted over three hours for Stephen and five hours for Ri chard went well. The cameras were there to film the operation itself and to trace progress through the week. The TV pro gramme highlighted a lot of important issues and was an unqualified success. “None of the family has watched the video yet as Richard still feels its too emotional at this time and we won’t watch it without him! I am sure we will see it before he returns to University in a few weeks time," says Bobbi. Both men, being very fit, re covered from such m ajor surgery remarkably quickly. Stephen is back at work and Richard is currently doing what most university students do at this time of the year - nothing! Apart from a daily cocktail of up to thirty tablets and almost daily visits to the hospital, Richard is lead ing a normal life - of far better quality than had he been forced onto dialysis. There is always the risk of rejection, particularly at this early stage, but thankfully the signs are very positive that Richard will be able to continue his life much like any other boy of his age. As is fitting, the last word comes from mum: “I am very proud of them both. We have always been a very close family and the operation just inten sified that closeness. The hundreds of letters and cards of support we received were a marvellous expression of warmth, as were the prayers said in a number of Shuls for us. We will never forget that. But most of all we will always remember the dedication and commitment and amazing sensitivity all the doctors and nurses showed us. It is only when you come face to face with a major medical problem, that you realise just how marvellously caring these people are." Stephen is P resident o f Croydon Synagogue.

R E ST A I K VVI REVIEW by Sarah M A nsbacher w ith Shm uel Ansbacher

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hen arranging by telephone with Mr Eli Cohen, the pro prietor, to review Cassit res taurant - for Hamaor, his one specific request was that we should not reveal who we are to the restaurant staff. He wanted us to see for ourselves what the service was really like at his Italian fish restaurant in Golders Green, which is under the supervision of the Federation Kashrus Board. I could not help but be impressed by this, it was obvious that Mr Cohen had implicit trust in his staff, quality and service. He was not to be proved wrong. The first thing that struck us when we were shown to our table by one of the waiters, was his courtesy. He was concerned that we may find the air-con ditioning overhead too cool, and hastily brought us to another table without us ever having said a word. Menus were brought to us almost im mediately which we were given enough time to study without being rushed. The options on the menu were extensive and definitely needed careful consideration. When we were ready to order, there was a waiter to attend to us straight away and we found him very helpful in answer ing queries regarding our choices. What we found particularly admirable was that

when we asked him about the differences between some of the wines, he did not pretend to know the answers but told us he would bring someone else who knew more about them than he did. The wait ress he called not only explained to us the differences between them and which dishes they would best accompany, but also went to the trouble of going back wards and forwards to bring the bottles from the kitchen to show them to us. With our choices finally decided, we hardly had to wait any time at all to be served. The presentation was very appe-

tising, and the food delicious. There are four chefs at work in the kitchen includ ing one from Italy, France and Spain and the dishes reflect the cuisine of these Mediterranean countries. Shmuel particu larly enjoyed his starter, and whilst I enjoyed mine too, I think that I also pre ferred his as it was such an original dish. We both thought our main course choices were very good but mine was such a gen erous portion, that I was unable to finish

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WHAT WE ORDERED: Starter Shmuel:

Raviola Piemontesi Ravioli stuffed with smoked salmon in a cream of horse raddish and shallots.

Sarah

Trota Affumicata Smoked trout served with horse raddish sauce and garnish.

Main Course

it. The desserts were very tasty, but after sampling both choices, decided that I pre ferred mine because of its variety of tastes and textures. Soft slow music played quietly in the background which added to the ambience rather than imposing on it. Shmuel re marked how the children of a family sitting on the next table to us sat at the table quite happily rather than running around as children are apt to do. The at mosphere seems to be conducive to it; yet children are welcomed not frowned upon, and staff actively make an effort to talk to their young clientele. When this same family left the restau rant, the table was cleared and re-laid so quietly that it was hardly noticeable. I would not have realised it at all had Shmuel not pointed out the waiter spread ing out the tablecloth with absolute precision. Perhaps one of the most surprising things about the restaurant is the price. A three course meal with wine averages between £ 15-£20 which, as Mr Cohen points out, is 30% to 40% lower than a regular Italian restaurant o f the same quality. Mr Cohen also revealed to me that in the next few weeks they will be introducing many more dishes to the menu, raising the standards of the res taurant to the equivalent of any top class restaurant in London. Prices, however, will remain the same. “We constantly strive to improve Cassit,” says Mr Cohen, “I make no se cret of the fact that we want to be the best Kosher restaurant.” There is no doubt that he is certainly succeeding.

Shmuel:

Rigatoni Siciliana Short tubes of pasta with peppers, artichokes, olives and tomato sauce.

Sarah:

Filetta di Sogliola Principessa Poached fillets of sole with asparagus and white wine sauce. (Served with mashed potatoes)

Dessert Shmuel:

Mousse Cassit Chocolate mousse made with Belgian chocolate

Sarah:

American pancakes Pancakes served with fresh fruit, cream, nuts, chocolate sauce and ice cream.

H A M A O R/CA SSIT O FFER This voucher entitles you to:

10%

When you order a meal upstairs in Cassit Restaurant from Monday to Thursday. Simply fill in your details below and hand it in when you pay your bill Name Address:

Tel:

Date

Valid until Thursday 27 November 1997

by Sarah M Ansbacher

10.30 am was taken to Heathrow Airport by Dayan Elzas. My passport was at the ready, but I was neither going on holiday, or to meet passengers off a night. I had been given the unique opportunity of visiting the El ATs kitchen based at Heathrow Airport to spend the day rep o rtin g for H am aor on the preparation o f their airline meals. The kitchen in London is the only one directly owned by El A1 - even the kitchen at Ben G urion is only a subsidy - and have been under the su pervision of the Federation since 1990. It is considered one of, if not the top kitchen of El Al.

I was suiprised to learn that in addi tion they also supply Kosher meals for South African Airways, Air Canada and first class for JAL (Japanese Airways), as well as other airlines and hotels. Every two weeks the cycle of food is changed, and every year or two a chef is sent from Tel Aviv to introduce brand new menus. They are currently working on new ideas. Mr Davidy hopes they will soon be able to re-introduce beef onto the menu which they have been substituting for lamb or duck since the BSE scare. The option o f using Argentinian Beef had been investigated, but it was decided that the quality was not good enough. He also plans to start preparing dairy meals when they move into their new premises, which they are now unable to do, due to lack of space. Even for breakfast (or brunch as it is termed), they use margarine as op posed to butter.

I 1.45am

I 1.15am I was given a warm welcome by Mr Eitan Davidy, the Catering Manager, who began by giving me some background regarding the operations there. The kitchen was opened in 1963, and they are in fact presently looking for new sites as the lease on their current premises expires in 1999. Plans have already been drawn up to make their new kitchen one of the most modern airline kitchens in the world. They mainly cater for El Al flights to Ben Gurion, Ovda (Eilat), Transatlantic flights from Tel Aviv to Newark, New York via Standstead (due to a lack of stor age space) and El Al Cargo flights. This amounts to 820 flights a year or approxi mately 20 flights a week and an additional 10 cargo flights a month. On average, they prepare 25,000 meals a month, but this can double in August! Since 1993 they have increased their production of meals by an impressive two thirds or 164%.

I was given a white coat and we began our tour on the second floor which con sists of the offices o f Eitan Davidy, his assistant and secretary (who between the three of them do all the administration and accounts); the store rooms and bak ery. It is the only unit which offers food, washing up, loading on, loading off and passenger good supplies all under one roof. In the store room, Eitan pointed out the products which they use for their recently introduced, and extrem ely popular Mehadrin meals. Only ingredients with a Bedatz hechsher are used - including the pepper!

In the bond store where the duty free goods are held, I saw genuine French Champagne for the first class passengers, which of course is strictly kosher. They also keep their trays for Pesach there and all have red markings on them so as not to be confused with the ones for the rest of the year. Pesach is a major operation for El Al because the kitchen and aeroplanes all have to be kashered three working days before Pesach after which time they can only serve Pesach meals, but it is also one of their busiest times of the year. In the bakery I watched the two chefs preparing the desserts and rolls for the LY 316 flight to Tel Aviv that evening. I saw a freshly baked chocolate and almond gateau for the First Class passengers who receive special desserts - and could not help but feel hungry.

12.00pm Our tour continued downstairs at the Supervision Room which in a sense is the centre of the operation. It is here that the reservation system is checked and all meals prepared according to require ments. It is continually checked until the very last moment in case any details have been updated. El Al offer a variety of meals apart

from the regular meal including Mehadrin, vegetarian, child meal, fish which are the most popular - and health options such as diabetic, salt free and low cholestrol. A Mashgiach is present in the kitchen every day and when it is busy, a second one arrives at 2.00pm and they overlap for a few hours. Apart from opening the re frigerators, he also switches on the ovens so everything is Bishul and Afiyas Yisrael. Some of the Mashgiach’s time is also spent checking vegetables. At El A1 meals are sealed with tape apart from the meals sent to other airlines and Mehadrin meals which always have double foil sealed casseroles. Hygiene is a prime consideration at El Al. There is a seperate section set apart from the food preparation area for wash ing up dishes only. The people who work there are contracted out and are not al lowed to prepare food. In addition, there are seperate cleaners contracted just to clean the kitchen when the kitchen staff take their breaks at 9.00am, 12.00pm and 3.00pm. During breaks no food must be left on the tables it all has to go into the fridge. Lunch is provided for all the staff because both for Kashut and Hygiene reasons, they are not allowed to bring any food onto the premises. Six chefs work in the kitchen who are assisted by twenty permanent staff and fif teen to thirty five tem porary staff depending on the season. All temporary staff are hired on recommendation to en sure security. There is a very good rapport between

Eitan Davidy and his staff: “Apart from meetings, my door is always open to them. I want them to realise that although I have higher authority because I am their boss, I am also a worker, and do not own the air line,” he explains. I watched the preparation of the tourist class meal, as the various sections were place on the individual tray and sent down a conveyor belt where they were placed in the catering tray which stores fourty-two meals. (Business and First Class passen gers are served on plates instead of trays). Each salad and hors d’oeuvre is given a coded sticker to know when it was pre pared as they are always served fresh within twenty four hours of having been prepared. The rolls are also usually freshly baked but there is always a frozen batch kept as a back-up. 1.30pm After a morning spent looking at food, we stopped for a light lunch of smoked salmon, trout, garnished with vegetables and fresh fruit salad for dessert, before we returned downstairs to watch the port stew ard check each tray to make sure the correct quantities had been prepared according to his final figures. The port steward loads all the meals ac cording to a fixed layout for the loading and unloading proceedure. Even if the weather is cold, the meals must be dis

patched chilled all the way onto the air craft. Apart from the trucks being refrigerated, El Al have recently introduced a new technique called Snow Shooting which sprays food to keep each meal indi vidually chilled at optimum freshness. 3.00pm Mr Davidy drove me to the airport in his car and after going through our own security clearance, watched from the ter minal bulding as the passengers who had just arrived from Israel disembarked the plane and the old supplies were unloaded off the flight. Even if there are any left overs - such as a full carton of milk - they are never re-used as a health and hygiene precaution. Meanwhile, in the terminal building, passengers for flight LY 316 had begun to check in and go through security. 3.30pm The port stewards continued to un load and re-load supplies as I boarded the plane with Eitan Davidy. There was a hub o f activity with a team of clean ers, vacuum cleaning and preparing the aircraft for the next flight, security of ficials checking the plane, stewards and stewardesses waiting for any last minute briefings regarding the flight. Despite the organised chaos, there was a good atmosphere on board. I was taken up to see the First Class section and tried out

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3.45pm Back in the terminal building, the Business and First Class passengers had slowly begun to arrive in the King David Lounge. Passengers sit down and relax on leather sofas whilst waiting for their flight, and can enjoy soft or alcoholic drinks and light snacks. El A1 supplies the soft drinks and after 9.00pm specially prepared sandwiches from the kitchen. In addition, there is a rack o f daily news papers and some magazines, a television and a recently introduced facility to surf the internet and check your e-mail.

one of the wide seats for size. I decided I could definately get used to it! Mr Davidy knew almost all the El A1 crew on the flight. He explained to me that he tries to go onto the aircraft whenever possible, at least once or twice a month because it gives him use ful feedback as to what is popular, what is not, and with that information can constantly improve the quality o f the meals. 1 met the purser whose name was Mr Steinberg and seemed delighted to see Eitan Davidy there. “The kitchen in London is the best one,” he told me, “It is very professional, and the qual ity o f the food is excellent. I have never had one c o m p la in t from a passenger.”

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gers who were now waiting in the board ing lounge would soon begin boarding the flight. At this point, after an extremely interest ing and enlightening day, it was with regret that I left the airport and Mr Eitan Davidy I would not have minded joining the pas sengers and boarding the flight myself! We always welcome your letters and contributions. You can write to us at Hamaor, 65 Watford Way, London NW4 3AQ Fax: 0181 203 0610 and don’t forget you can now e-mail us at shmuel sarah@classic.msn.com

4 .0 0 p m The meals were now all on board, the loading doors locked and the cleaning operation almost completed. The passen «^S

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SHIMON’S HEIMISHE CAR SERVICE

GLATT KOSHER LEMEHADRIN MEALS

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SPECIALISING IN AIR CONDITIONED 8/9 SEATER MINI BUSES

TAKING C A R E O F A LL YO U R PERSO N AL AND B U SIN ESS N EED S WHAT SHIMON'S CAR SERVICE OFFERS: • • •

COLLECTION FROM ALL LONDON BASED AIRPORTS AND STATIONS SPECIALISING IN LONG DISTANCE TRIPS THROUGHOUT THE U K. AND EUROPE

EL AL Israel Airlines, together with the Beth Din of the Federation of Synagogues, are pleased to announce Glatt Kosher Lemehadrin meals are now available on all flights to Tel Aviv, Eilat and New York, departing from Heathrow and Stansted Prepared in the EL AL Kosher Catering Centre at Heathrow to the strictest demands of the Chareidi

FULL AND HALF DAY SIGHT SEEING TOURS community, the meals must be ordered in advance

24 HOUR RELIABLE SERVICE

through your travel agent or with EL AL Reservations.

FOR A PROMPT AND EFFICIENT CAR SERVICE CALL:

0956 474 067 • 0802 176 716 I

ADVANCE BOOKINGS PREFERRED SHOMER SHABBOS

01719574100 Make sure to also request these meals when travelling on other airlines

NORWOOD RfiVENSWOOD: Wc need you - you can make a difference by M arion Adler, M a n a g e r o f the Volunteer D epartm ent

t the beginning of 1996, two of the community's largest chari ties, Norwood Child Care and Ravenswood, announced their intention to merge. Now that intention has be come a reality, and Norwood Ravenswood has become the largest Jewish child and family services charity in Europe. Each year it cares for over 6000 children, young adults, people with learning disabilities (m entally handicapped) and their families. Of course, every parent hopes for a perfect, healthy child. It would be ideal if life was always trouble-free. However, this is not always the case and sometimes a helping hand is needed. People who need help need the best help they can get as quickly, efficiently and professionally as possible. Today Norwood Ravenswood provides a comprehensive range of car ing services which include: Community Services - Social Work and Counselling, Residential Care, Day Services for Adults with learning disabilities, offering train ing, education and recreational activities. The Family Centre offers a range of sup port groups to fam ilies with young children. Binoh provides a special edu cational service which helps each child to achieve his/her potential and much more. In order to provide all these services, we work hard to raise the necessary funds and are totally committed to excellence in all our service delivery, but we can’t do it all ourselves. We need the com munity to become involved with us. One way in which the community can help is by donating money. The other - often more difficult way - is by giving us some time. Time that we will put to good use where it is most needed. Volunteering covers a vast range of activities and makes an enormous con tribution to the society we live in. Many people are involved in doing chesed(good deeds) without recognising that they are volunteering: shopping for an elderly neighbour, cooking a meal for a young mother coming out of hospital, or offer ing someone a lift. Research suggests that people view volunteering as one of the most rewarding activities they can under

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take, a way in which they can both con nect with their communities and achieve personal fulfilment in return. At Norwood Ravenswood we have a great need for people’s time. Time that we can channel to where it is most needed. Volunteers bring their own life experiences into volunteering and we will match their skills and interests to our cli ents’ needs. Volunteers received training and ongoing support. We need drivers - offering people a lift, enabling clients to access our serv ices. We need befrienders - offering peo ple some companionship and a listening ear. We need volunteers to help run our charity shops - the shops are a most valuable source of income to the org anisation. We need volunteers to help at our recreational clubs for children and adults with special needs. We need volunteers to work at our Family Centre in Hendon - hands on work with young children and their families. We need volunteers to shake our col lection boxes on flagdays, and much more! Norwood Ravenswood is constantly responding to needs in the community and we are developing new projects all the time. The autumn will see the open-

ing of a modern Family Centre in Hack ney where we will offer the community a series o f services from special edu cational needs programmes, to a mother and toddler group and support groups for parents of children with special needs. Again, we need the help of the com munity to make all this happen, by individuals offering some of their time. The volunteers department has a team o f highly experienced volunteer co ordinators who help people find the right voluntary work for them. There is a rec ognition that the needs of our service users as well as the needs of the vol unteers (yes, volunteers have needs too), have to be matched up. If you are interested, contact the Norwood Ravenswood volunteer depart ment for an informal chat and let us tell you more about what is available and how you might become involved. You will be welcomed, your time will be put to good use, and you will be satisfied in the knowledge that you have made a dif ference in someone's life. #

Norwood Ravenswood, Norwood House, Harmony Way, off Victoria Road, Hendon, London NW4 2BZ. Telephone: 0181 203 3030

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Volunteers in the Southgate Norwood Ravenswood Charity Shop

elcome to Hamaorah, the new woman’s page of Hamaor. This month we have selected a few features for you which we hope you will enjoy, but since this is your page, we would like to hear what you would like to see on it. If you have any ideas, or are a budding writer yourself, please let us know. In addition, please send us your letters, tips or recipes - and as an extra incentive, the best one will receive £5! You can write to us at: Hamaorah, Hamaor Magazine, 65 Watford Way, London, NW4 3AQ. Fax: 0181 203 0610 or e-mail at: shmuel_sarah@classic.msn.com (please title your subject box: Hamaorah)

Letter From Hadassah love my computer, especially its e-mail facility. I love the fact that I can switch it on and receive mail from all around the world, which was written hours - rather than days - ago. Growing up, I was one of the kids who would thunder down those steps at 9 am every day to greet the post as it fell through the letter box. Most of the time there was nothing for me, but it was the thrill that maybe there would be. Nowa days, I don’t rush for the mail as I know most of it will be bills and yet more bills (Oh for the innocence of youth!). How ever, whenever I have two minutes to spare I hurry to my PC, log on, retrieve mail, print, and settle down for a good read. Recently my best friend finally sub scribed herself to e-mail, and it has made such a difference. When we lived in the same city, we would speak to each other for hours on the telephone every night. That all stopped, though, when I deserted to Canada. Now we continuously e-mail each other, and it is almost like old times. I have to admit that because bringing up two babies is so time consuming, I un fortunately tend to neglect those friends without e-mail capabilities. With “snail mail” you need an envelope, stamp and to get to the post box. Three very simple things, but it takes forever in my house. If I am really pushed for time, I write a generalized “newsletter” to all my fam ily and friends and send it down the powerlines. It is cheating a bit, but at least I can stay in touch with everyone that way.

Sometimes I even e-mail Shmari, my husband, with a list so that he can go shopping for me on his way home from the office. In addition, I subscribe to a daily news bulletin from Israel, which keeps me in touch with what is happen ing there. There is no doubt that e-mail makes my life easier, keeping me connected with the outside world. Now, I could not do without it. ★ ★ ★ As I write this the Three Weeks / Nine Days have just finished, and everyone is turning the music up loud, and eating meat as if there is no tomorrow. It strikes me as a rather peculiar thing to do. When someone mourns for a parent, it takes a while to shake off that year long griev ing process. No one goes out the day after their mourning period to buy a wardrobe full o f clothes, watch every showing at the cinema or or feels like cranking up the music. On Tisha B'Av, though, we mourn more than just the death o f a parent, we lost our two Botei Mikdash, which was then the centre of our Judaism, and yet overnight we throw off all signs o f our mourning and immediately be come jolly. I am not saying we should mourn forever - that would not be healthy - but perhaps we should think a little more about why we were subdued in our actions during the 3 weeks, and not wait with anticipation until we can throw off the shackles.

Hadassah D erge /

T IP S Tips to a void household drudgery Hadassah Dergel, Hamaor Contributor advises: •

•

Don’t let the tasks mount up. At the end of the day take 15-20 minutes to do a quick tidy up, sweep the kitchen floor, tidy away toys, etc. Don’t ever leave dishes in the sink overnight. You'll only regret it when you see them the next morning .Every time you use a dish or cutlery, wash it up. Don't leave it till the sinks are both piled high. When you cook clean up as you go along. An absolute essential is music while you work - it makes mundane tasks more bearable.

Time and money savers R o ch el Cohen, D eputy Editor, suggests: • Cover saucepans with lids to cut cook ing time and save energy / fuel. Another time and money saver is to cook two casseroles, chickens etc in the oven at the same time, freezing one for another occasion. • Use neat vinegar instead of prepared products for cleaning windows - it is much cheaper and works just as well. • Place cut Bowers in a vase of lemon ade, they last double the length of time. • To rem ove chew ing gum from clothes, place it in the freezer for a couple of hours. The gum then peels off leaving no trace.

Are you bored with making honey cake for Rosh Hashana year after year? Here are some other suggestions for a sweet New Year. From Hadassah D ergel a n d Rochel Cohen

8oz/225gcoarsely grated raw apples cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon or any other spice as preferred allspice 1/2 teaspoon cloves 1/4 teasoon chopped walnuts (leave out for small 3oz/75g children) Preheat the oven to 350F / Gas 4 / 180C

Honey Chicken Ingredients: Chicken in eighths Honey 2 Cups of crushed crackers (the best to use are Ritz / Snackers crackers)

Instructions: Coat chicken in honey. Dip into cracker crumbs. Place in a roasting pan and bake at 350F for an hour and a half.

Instructions: Mix oil with honey or syrup. Mix in the eggs. Sift together flour, baking powder / bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mis the grated apples with the spices and nuts. Add a little of the flour mixture to the egg mixture, then a little grated apple, some more flour mixture and so on until all the Hour and apple mixtures are used up. Place the mixture in paper cases 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes until done. Let them cool and serve plain or spread with honey.

Apple-Honey Cupcakes Ingredients: 4 tablespoons 10 oz / 275g 2 8oz / 225g 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon

Vegetable oil Honey / Golden syrup Eggs Plain flour Bicarbonate (baking) soda salt

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Welcome to a bigger edition of Kids' Spot, which we hope you will find even more enjoyable. Congratulations to Yomti Davis, aged nine, who was the winner of our Matza puzzle competition. Yomti guessed that there were 3 7 3 dots on the Matza. The answer was in fact 374. Well done! In this issue we have a story for Rosh Hashana, as well as a fun puzzle and prize competition. Good luck

A p p le & H oney C o m p e titio n Which apple is attached to the honeypot? The first correct answer after the closing date of Monday 3 November 1997, wins a copy of the hook “Seven Animal Stories for Children”. Please write your answer on the entry form below.

Please make sure you send us your entry form by the closing date for the competition. Monday 3 November 1997 to: Apple & Honey Puzzle Competition, Hamaor, Federation o f Synagogues, 65 Watford Way, London NW4 3AQ (Please write in BLOCK CAPITALS) APPLE __________

IS ATTACHED TO THE HONEYPOT.

NAME: .................................................................................................................................................................. ADDRESS:.............................................................................................................................................................. TELEPHONE NUMBER:....................

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A WHALE OF A TALE When you have a job to do, don't think up excuses to get out of doing it.

• •

onah lived many, many years ago in Israel. His job was to tell people how G-d wanted them to behave. “Stop acting like those terrible peo ple of Ninveh,” he would tell the Jewish people. “Do G-d’s commandments." But the Jewish people wouldn’t lis ten to him. Then one day, Jonah received a mes sage from G-d. “Jonah, the people of Ninveh are stealing, cheating, and being cruel to each other. You must go to Ninveh at once and tell them to stop their terrible behaviour or the whole city will be de stroyed." “Don’t send me, please," Jonah said to G-d. “What if the people of Ninveh actually listen to me? What if they start behaving nicely toward each other? How will it look if the terrible people of Ninveh listen to me, but the Jewish peo ple don’t? You'll want to punish the Jewish people for not listening to me, won’t You? And it will be all my fault!” G-d did not answer, yet Jonah knew he was expected to go. But instead, that very night, Jonah ran away. He boarded a boat sailing in the opposite direction from Ninveh. “ Let G-d send som eone else to Ninveh,” Jonah said to himself. “I don’t want to be the cause of bad things hap pening to the Jewish people.” But Jonah soon discovered that he could not run away from his job as a messenger of G-d. A storm appeared out o f nowhere, rocking and shaking the boat. The

“Where did you come from?” Asked the king’s guard. “Just tell the king I have an impor tant message from G-d,” Jonah told him. The king him self came to see the messenger of G-d. And when Jonah told him what G-d had said, the king an nounced, “This is truly a messenger of G-d. We must all listen to him. Every one must act nicely to each other. No more fighting. No more cheating. No more lying. We must be good!” Like their king, the people of Ninveh accepted G-d’s commandments. They listened to Jonah and their lives were changed. Jonah went back to the Jewish peo ple. “Now,” he told them, “Start acting like those people of Ninveh. Do G-d's commandments.” And so they did.

sailors on the boat shouted, “What have we done? We’re sinking! We're sink ing!” Jonah saw that the storm was only over his boat. The sea was calm every where else. “It is not you who have done any thing. It is I who have done something wrong,” he announced. Then Jonah jumped into the water and the storm stopped. The sea began to swirl around him. Suddenly, a w hale appeared and swallowed Jonah. Jonah tumbled onto the tongue of the whale, flipped down the whale’s throat, and landed in the whale’s stomach. “I'm alive,” he cried as he picked him self up. fish were flopping all around him. “But how do I get out of here? “It’s up to you,” the whale said. “You have decide when you are ready to leave.” Jonah thought for a moment, and then he finally understood. “G-d saved me because I’m supposed to finish my job. I am a messenger of G-d and I must de liver my message. Is that right?” The big fish answered by burping Jonah onto the shore, only a short walk from Ninveh. Jonah got up, brushed himself off, and walked into the centre of the city. Jonah went right up to the king’s pal ace and knocked on the door.

(Taken from Seven Animal Stories for children, retold by Howard 1 Bogot and Mary K Bogot, published by Pitspopany Press).

For your chance to win a copy of Seven Animal Stories for Chldren, enter our prize compe tition.

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JEWISH HERITAGE AND GENEALOGY HERITAGE TOUR

n 1 Septem ber 1997, Sir Martin Gilbert, the recognised Churchill biographer, launched his new book, Holocaust Journey, Trav elling in Search o f the Past, at the Imperial War Museum. This fascinating account is related in diary form of the tour he led his M A students through Belgium, Ber lin, Prague and many Jewish historical sites in Poland. Sir Martin was accompa nied by Ben Helfgott who came from the Polish town of Piotrkow Trybunalski which the group visited during the tour. The students tell of a powerful histori cal journey seeing the Nazi Headquarters at Wannsee where the Final Solution was planned and locations where Jewish com munities once stood and flourished. They travelled the arduous route to death camps, listened to readings and accounts as told by Holocaust survivors and stood at the place where the horror of mass murders of our Jewish ancestors were carried out.

This is one of many Jewish Herit age Tours arranged by Laraine Abrahams. If you wish to know more information about making a similar visit, contact LestAir Services on: 0181 958 9340. GENEOLOGY SEARCHES

If you are one o f the increasing number of people interested in research ing your family tree but do not know where to begin or how to go about it, you may be interested in a Genealogy Re search Service run by Gloria Mound of Casa Shalom, (who was interviewed in the Pesach 1997 edition of Hamaor). The service is at a very reduced rate for members of Casa Shalom - costs can be as low as £30 - but of course it all depends on the amount of research re quired. Gloria has been able to assist many people in making exciting discoveries about their families. She was recently approached by a family from the USA

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with a name from Salonika, Greece, where so many Jews went in 1492. They asked her how far she could go back to show the origins of their family name in Spain. Gloria managed to go right back to the 9th Century! A nother family - from Jam aica - wanted to strengthen what information they already had on her family’s connection to the trad ing houses o f Europe and how each branch of the family linked up. Sometimes, families are quite sur prised to find that branches of the family are Sefardi, or that forbears had links to towns and countries they previously knew nothing about from their parents. Fre quently, delving into such matters has brought families together from different parts of the world. If you are interested in learning more about the origins, background or history of your family, you can contact Gloria Mound at Casa Shalom, Insti tute for Marrano - Anusim Studies, P O 66 Gan Yavneh, 70800, Israel. Tel/ Fax: 00 972 8 857 3150 or e-mail her at: Marrano@Gezernet.co.il. Gloria advises that it is a big time saver if you can give as much starting material as possible as to the first and second names of your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles etc., and if possible, any information regarding where they were bom, married or died.

PEITER STORES: The H aim ishe H om em ade Food Sp ecialists elter Stores which is situated on Edgware Way in Edgware, Middle sex is under the supervision of the Federation of Synagogues and was one of the first kosher food shops to open in Edgware. The shop which is run by husband and wife team Noson and Yudit Gutstein, spe cialises in haimishe food. In addition to making their own boiled gefilte fish and a wide variety of salads, they have a large selection of kosher groceries and frozen foods. They offer the convenient service of a free home delivery service on all orders over £20 and can cater for Kiddushim, Simchas and parties. For further informa tion or to place an order call: 0181 958 6910.

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Bucharest's own “Arc de Triomph " f you are looking for a short city break to a unique d estin atio n , Peltours may well have the solution. They are currently offering a three night tour of Bucharest combining Jew ish sites w ith the beauty and culture o f Bucharest in September and October 1997 and April, May and June 1998. 1he trip which is based on a minimum ot two people with English speaking guide throughout is from Thursday to Sunday and includes a visit o f Jewish points of interest along with a general tour of the beautiful city of Bucharest. Shabbat will give you an opportunity to meet the local Jewish community at the Yeshua Tova Synagogue, followed by a festive dinner at a kosher restaurant. There are also two evenings of enter-

tainment, one at a Jewish theatre in Yid dish (with English translation) and the other either at the opera or ballet. The cost per person sharing a three star hotel starts from £475 (including taxes) or four star hotel with an addi tional supplement o f £196. The price includes flights with British Airways, four days' guided program me, three nights of accommodation, porterage and entrance fees. The price also includes some meals in kosher restaurants. Oth ers will have to be self-catered but there

are kosher shops nearby and packed lunches from the kosher restaurant can be arranged. The single supplement for the three star hotel is £48 or £238 for the four star hotel. For further information contact Tsvia at Peltours on: 0181 346 9144. EST

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I Jv’oso H azm an b y Yossi G o ld stein review ed by Sara Gold

f you enjoyed Yossi’s debut album, “At The Threshold,” you’re going to love “Uv’oso Hazman” which has just been released. According to Yossi, who has been cultivating this album for a long time to ensure its perfection, “I used a different approach with my second re lease. This recording has a lot to offer everyone, including the younger genera tion of listeners.” The songs are unusual and exciting. They sparkle with energy. “ U v'oso Hazman”, the title song, is actually based on the last Halacha of the Rambam. Its lively rhythm is upbeat, and its meaning ful message is thrilling. It deals with the coming of Moshiach, when there will be no more hunger, war, or jealousy. Every one will be united in the service of Hashem. “Tip The Scale” is another unique se lection with an important message. “In this song,” Yossi says, “I am having a conver sation with myself in the forest. If you look around and see the great changes that have occurred in the world over the past few

years (the fall of communism, Jewish refu gees arriving by the thousands from Russia, and army tank plants being con verted into minivan production lines), you can’t help but realize that these are all signs of the coming of Moshiach.” It’s a power ful and moving song, and it will leave you

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breathless and inspired. “Mehayroh,” is a spirited and fast paced affirmation of future events. The nations of the world will one day recognize that Hashem is indeed everywhere. “Ka’ayol Ta’arog” is based on a parable. Just as a deer stands near water but is just out of reach, so too, do we yearn for the days of the Bais Hamikdosh which seem to be just a distant memory. Some of the songs on this recording are very intricate and quite challenging. Yossi’s singing style is crisp and powerful, his sound is young and vibrant. It’s a perfect combina tion and it works well on this album. Yossi Goldstein’s musical career is flourishing. His is a voice that we will be hearing much of in the future. For your chance to win a copy of Uv’oso Hazman, simply answer the following question: What was the name o f Yossi G oldstein's debut album. Answers on a post card to Mu sic Competition, Hamaov, 65 Watford Way, Hendon, London NW4 3AQ.

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ik ’uba-Chodesh Shofar: Thought for Rosh Hashana by Rabbi Avigdor ha-Levi Nebenzahl and translated by P R Tal from the original Hebrew, serves us in our preparation for Rosh Hashana as well as a companion to the Machzor. On Rosh Hashana, the Day of Judge ment when we renew the coronation of Hashem as our King and Sovereign, our task at the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance is to acknowledge His rule. In addition, we are charged with coming to realise the worthlessness of sin in or der that we be inscribed and sealed for a good year. The day’s prayers, as well as its Torah readings, were specifically chosen to aid us in this task. In his unique style, Rav Avigdor HaLevi Nebenzahl, shlita, Rav of the Old City of Jerusalem, explains why these particular Torah readings were chosen for Rosh Hashanah and the mes sage we should learn from them, in addition, he shows how the Mussaf serv ice interweaves the themes of Malchuyot, Zichronot and Shofarot. Throughout the pages of this illuminating work, we fol low the meaning of the shofar’s call. Practical Judaism by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Israel is in tended to serve as a gateway to the world of Jewish law and belief, and to provide the reader with the basic understanding of his own heritage. Who are we Jews? What is unique about us? What is the basis for all our beliefs and practices? Today more than ever before, these questions arise among all segments of Jewry, and particularly among the youth. They want to understand the foundations

underlying their very existence as Jews, but their parents are often unequipped to provide the information they seek. A gap has appeared in the long chain of trans mission o f Jewish tradition, a chain extending all the way from Sinai, and a means of bridging that gap is urgently required. Jews are no longer ashamed of their being Jewish, as in generations past; today many Jews are ashamed of their ignorance. What is prayer? Why are Tefillin worn? What does the Kaddish mean? in an effort to answer these compelling questions and many more, this volume takes the reader around the clock and calendar, according to the Jewish life style, from the moment he rises in the morning until he goes to sleep, discuss ing the prayers, blessing, food and drink, and family life; the Sabbath, festivals and fast days. Here too the reader will find answers to his questions concerning all the joyous occasions in the Jewish life cycle - birth, marriage, bar mitzvah - as well as those concerning times of sorrow. Thirty Seconds to Emotional Health: Torah Therapy for Achieving Spiritual Well-Being is by Miriam Adahan who makes no secret of her own difficult background which she feels has uniquely equipped her to empathise with victims of physical and emotional abuse. Emotional injury can be as debilitat ing as any physical ailment, yet we are expected to function normally in spite of the pain and continue our daily routines. But how can we just “snap back” when our minds are numbed by anguish and our hearts heavy with despair? Now, noted psychologist, author and lecturer Dr Miriam Adahan offers that

much-needed quick relief in the form of “thought pills”, healthy, positive, spirit ually nourishing thoughts that in ten to thirty seconds can deliver a strong dose of emotional balm to relieve stress and anguish for hours and even days. In this volume, she teaches the reader to replace unhealthy beliefs with healthy ones, to use the power of emunah to over come adversity, and to draw strength from the Almighty and persevere, even under the most trying conditions. Shining Lights: Illuminating Stories of Faith and Inspiration by Ruchoma Shain opens her latest volume with the words: “We have all had experiences which left indelible impressions on us events and circumstances which have changed our lives and given us new di rection, occurrences in which we have seen the light of Hashem’s Providence il luminate the path before us.” This wonderful and inspiring col lection of true stories cover every facet of Jewish life: stories of marriages and of having and raising children; stories of sorrows, tragedies and triumphs; stories of humour and warmth - all infused with unswerving faith in Hashem and his Guiding Hand. Here the reader will meet Rachel, who at thirty-four found the strength and faith to break an inappropriate engagement and wait for the right shidduch; Vanessa, who rediscovered her own Judaism while exploring other faiths on a visit to India; and Pauline, whose Hebrew linguistic studies led her to understand what was written in the Siddur, opening the way for her to her Jewish heritage. A story of the Shain family at the turn o f the century reveals how their unshakeable emunah served as a glorious example for generations to come. There is Reva's X-ray miracle and the power of prayer; the man who jumped off the train in order to observe Shabbos; the taxi driver and the lost diamond ring, and many more. In this her fifth book, the best-loved author of "All for the Boss ", Reaching the Stars, Dearest Children and All fo r the Best demonstrates once again her great affinity for her fellow Jews. She has sen sitised her co untless readers and acquaintances to the wondrous miracles and boundless loving-kindness which the Almighty constantly bestows on His be loved people, and they, in turn, share with her their amazing experiences from which others will surely draw inspiration.

With re v ie w s b y D e v o ra h T a n a n b a u m SEVEN ANIMAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN by H ow ard an d M ary B ogot and illustrated by H arry Araten his is the first in a new series of books, designed to be read to children 3-6 years old, is now available from Pitspopany Press.Each story in this attractive book is based on a “midah,” a moral theme. The themes include Respect, Modesty, Gratitude, Friendship, Responsibility, Attitude, and Honesty.At the end of each of the seven w ell-w ritten stories is a “Thinking Thoughts” section that helps parents and children adapt the moral of the story to everyday life. Some of the stories, like “A Whale of a Tale,” and “The Raven and the Dove” are well known to most children. Others, like “The Royal Bee Kiss” and “A Snake on Trial,” are less well known but no less spellbinding.This reviewer particularly enjoyed reading “Croak! Croak! Croak!” a lovely story that reveals how a little frog taught King David that animals also speak to The Creator, but in their own way.Even older children will enjoy these fascinating stories and beautiful illustrations. My 10 year old son loved “Spiders Make Good Friends”, especially the part where the spider cleverly tricks the soldiers. Seven Animal Stories fo r Children is available in hardcover and softcover and should be a welcome addition to any Jewish home.

BUDGET COOKING* ELEGANT DINING * THE KOSHER EXPERIENCE by Sue Epstein ooking for company this Yom Tov? Make life easy: With Sue Epstein’s new cookbook, Budget Cooking * Elegant Dining * The Kosher Experience, you’ll have all the cooking done quickly and elegantly without spending extravagantly. Mrs. Epstein has a unique approach to kosher cooking. She blends traditional “haimeshe” recipes with creative alterna tives; mixes the wisdom of her practical

experience without lowering the quality and presentation. Whether you are cook ing for a large family or a small dinner party, Budget Cooking * Elegant Dining * The Kosher Experience is a practical, no nonsense, cookbook. Budget Cooking * Elegant Dining * The Kosher Experi ence takes you through the Jewish year, explaining briefly each life cycle event such as Sheva Brochos, Bris and Bar Mitzvah with helpful menu plans for each. There are suggested menus for the Yom Tovim with Dairy and Parve options and a special Pesach section. Whether it is Gefilte fish, Tsimmes, Impossibly Easy Pizza, Matzo Cheese Kugel or Chicken Fricassee - Sue Epstein presents a diverse variety of culinary delights. The cookbook does not only present easy to use recipes - it allows you to be as creative as you wish: There is a “notes” section alongside each recipe to add in your own variations and a valuable “How to use leftovers section” as well as a marvelous table o f substitutions and equivalents for those who like to impro vise. Also included is priceless information on budgeting and menu planning that covers everything from how to shop to coping with unexpected guests. Epstein studied under Julia Child, Perla Meyers, Rene Verdon and other internationally famous chefs.

THE ESSENTIAL JEWISH TRIVIA BOOK FOR KIDS o you think you have a well rounded Jew ish education! Bet you don’t know who was the most famous Jewish science fiction writer. Or what the name “Baumgarten” means. Or which Jewish baseball player spoke 12 languages. You know all that? Well how about, who led the last Jewish rebellion against Rome? In which river was M oses found? The word “Tanach” is an acronym of which three Hebrew words? Scratching your head? Well, you

should know the answers. And so should your kids. That’s why, although it sounds like an oxymoron, a new book, The Essential Jewish Trivia Book for Kids is right on target. This book was written by kids for the enjoyment and enlightenment of kids in the 7 - 13 age bracket. It has questions and answers which will stimulate even the hard-to-reach youngsters. The trivia questions are fun as well as educational, and some of the quirky facts are just what appeal to kids’ probing minds. The questions that fall into the “essential” category make learning about Judaism both enjoyable and interesting. These questions deal with basic Jewish categories like Bible, Jewish History, and Jewish Laws and Customs. All the questions included in this attractive book were the result of a nationw ide contest among students from Jewish Day Schools, Hebrew Schools, and Yeshivot. Pitspopany Press, selected questions that would pique the curiosity of all kids. “We saw that the kids who learned the answers to some of the harder questions in this book developed a greater desire to know even more about Judaism,” explains Tami Lesser, editor of The Essential Jewish Trivia Book for Kids. “Their new knowledge fed their egos and so their egos sought new knowledge. It was a very positive cycle.” The book deals with 9 categories of questions: Famous Jewish Men and Women, Bible, Jewish Holidays, Arts and Literature, Customs and Law, He brew Language, Jewish Geography, Jewish History, and My Jewish Name Means... There is a wealth of knowledge in the pages. By the way, just to stop you tossing all night, the answers to the first three questions are: Isaac Asimov; Garden of Trees; Morris (Moe) Berg. As to the other questions, and questions like which Olympic sprinter’s story was made into the movie “Chariots of Fire”, I suppose like me, you'll just have to read the book!

All Pitspopany Press titles are available at good Jew ish bookshops or can be ordered direct from the UK distributor B Florowitz in Manchester on:0161 740 5897.

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C o -o p te d : J. G itlin

Tel: 0 1 8 1 -2 0 2 3903. Fax: 0 1 8 1 -2 0 3 0610. O u t o f h o u rs a n s w e rp h o n e : 0 1 8 1 -2 0 2 3903.

BETH DIN E m e ritu s R a v R ashi: D ayan M. Fisher.

C e m e te rie s:

R osh B e th D in: D ayan Y. Y. L ic h te n s te in

M o n ta g u e R oad, E d m o n to n , N18. Tel: 0 1 8 1 -8 0 7 2268.

D a ya n im : D ayan M. D. E lzas, D ayan B. B e rk o v its

U p m in s te r R oad N o rth , R a in h a m , E ssex. Tel: 0 1 7 0 8 5 5 2 8 2 5 .

R e g istra r: R abbi S h o lo m Z a id e n E n q u irie s to th e R egistrar, Tel: 0 1 8 1 -2 0 2 2263.

D u rin g th e w in te r m o n th s both c e m e te rie s a re o p e n daily, e x c e p t S h a b b o s a n d Yomtov, fro m 9 .0 0 am until dusk.

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CONSTITUENT SYNAGOGUES

AFFILIATED SYNAGOGUES

BEIS HAMEDRASH 65 Watford Way, Hendon NW4 3AQ Tel: 0181-202 2263. Rav: Dayan Y.Y. Lichtenstein.

BEIS NADVORNA BETH HAMEDRASH. 45 Dareth Road N 16. Tel: 0181-806 2030. Rav: Rabbi M LeiferTres: MrSTessler

CLAPTON FEDERATION SYNAGOGUE (Shaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;are Shornayim). (Incorporating Yavneh Synagogue), 47 Lea Bridge Road E5 9QB. Tel: 0181-806 4369. Secretary: W. Jacobs. Tel: 0181989 5211.

CROYDON & DISTRICT SYNAGOGUE, The Almonds, 5 Shirley Oaks Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 8YX. Tel: 0181662 0011. Rav: Rabbi H. Vogel. All correspondence to The Secretary: Mrs. S. Hanover, 2 Lynden Hyrst, Addiscombe Road, Croydon, CR0 SPD. Tel: 0181-655 4040

EAST LONDON CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE. 30/40 Nelson Street, El 2DE. Tel: 0171-790 9809. Secretary: L. Gayer. Tel: 0181-554 5267.

FINCHLEY CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE, 2 RedboumeAvenue, N3 2BS. Tel: 0181-346 1892. Rav: Rabbi Z. Telsner. Secretary: M.Moller. Tel: 0181-203 2822

ILFORD FEDERATION SYNAGOGUE. 14/16 Coventry Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 4QR. Tel: 0181-554 5289. Rav. Rabbi R. Livingstone. Secretary: Mrs. P. Hackner.

OHEL JACOB SYNAGOGUE (Ilford Beth Hamedrash), (Incorporating the Ilford Rabbinical College) 1st Floor, rear of 476/478 Cranbrook Road, Ilford. Essex IG2 2LE. Rav: Rabbi R. Godlewsky. Secretary: Mrs. R. Pressman. Tel: 0181 -550 4596.

OHEL SHEM SYNAGOGUE. Hon Min: Rev. G. Glausiusz. Tel: 0181-904 5773. Hon Secretary: A. Cohen. Tel: 0181-459 3479.

SHOMREI HADATH SYNAGOGUE, 527a Finchley Road (entrance in Burrard Road), NW3 78G. Tel: 0171-435 3766. Rav: Dayan Kaplan. Secretary: Mrs. J. Segal. Tel: 0171 -431 0017.

SINAI SYNAGOGUE, 54 Woodstock Avenue, N W 11 9RJ. Tel: 0181-455 6876. Rav: Rabbi B. Knopfler. Secretary: Mr E. Cohen.

WOOLWICH & DISTRICT SYNAGOGUE. Anglesea Road SE18 6EG. Tel: 0181 854 6680. Minister Rev. M. Gingold Secretary: B. Greenberg Tel: 0181-658 0448.

YESHURUN SYNAGOGUE. Fernhurst Gardens, Stonegrove, Edgware, Middlesex HA8 7PH. Tel 0181 -952 5167. Rav: Dayan G. Lopian. Secretary: D. Cohen. Tel: 0181-952 3844.

CONGREGATION OF JACOB SYNAGOGUE. 351/355 Commercial Road, E l. Secretary: P. da Costa. Tel 0181-809 4221. FIELDGATE STREET GREAT SYNAGOGUE. 41 Fieldgate Street, EL Tel: 0171-247 2644. Secretary: Mrs. D Jacobson. FINCHLEY ROAD SYNAGOGUE (Sassover), 4 Helenslea Avenue, NW 11. Tel: 0181-455 4305. Rav. Rabbi S. Rubin. GREENFORD & DISTRICT SYNAGOGUE, Oldfield Lane. Greenford, Middlesex. Tel: 0181 -578 2256. Hon. Secretary: R.A. Hyams. Tel: 0181-868 7275. LEYTONSTONE & WANSTEAD SYNAGOGUE. 2 Fillebrook Road, E ll. Secretary: S. Pizer. Tel: 0181-924 7505 LOUGHTON, CHIGWELL & DISTRICT SYNAGOGUE. Borders Lane, Loughton, Essex, IG 10 3HT. Tel: 0181-508 0303. Min: Rev. J.D. Lorraine. Rav: Rabbi H Belovsky.Secretary: Mrs M. Lewis. Tel: 0181-504 2248. MACHZIKEI HADASS SYNAGOGUE. Highfield Road, NW 11. Rav: Rabbi C. Pearlman. Hon. Secretary: R. Shaw. Tel: 0181-204 1887. NEW WIMBLEDON & PUTNEY DISTRICT SYNAGOGUE Secretary: J. Leigh. Tel 0181-788 0176. NOTTING HILL SYNAGOGUE. 206/208 Kensington Park Road, W 11. Min : Rev J Klein. Secretary: H. Lamb. Tel: 0181952 4354 SPRINGFIELD SYNAGOGUE, 202 Upper Clapton Road, E5. Tel: 0181-806 2377. Rav. Dayan I. Gukovitski. Secretary: L. Blackman. Tel: 01702 340 762. STAMFORD HILL BETH HAM EDRASH. 50 C lapton Common, E5 9AL. Rav: Dayan D. Grynhaus. Secretary: M Chontow. Tel: 0181-800 5465. TOTTENHAM HEBREW CONGREGATION. 366a High Road, N 17 9HT. Tel: 0181-808 4698. Minister: Rev. M. Davis. Secretary: Dr. S.S. Cohen. Tel: 0181-368 4158. WALTHAM FOREST HEBREW CONGREGATION. (Queens Road) 140 Boundary Road, E l7 Tel: 0181-507 0775. Minister Rev. L. Mockton. Secretary: A Wolpert. Tel: 0181-509 0775. WEST END GREAT SYNAGOGUE (Beth Hasepher & Soho), 32 Great Cumberland Place, W1H 7DJ. Tel: 0171-724 8121. Secretary: S.B. Levy. WEST HACKNEY SYNAGOGUE AND MONTAGUE ROAD BETH HAMEDRASH, 233 Amhurst Road, E8 2BS. Chairman: I Leigh Tel: 0181-550 9543.

FEDERATION OF SYNAGOGUES KASHRUS BOARD Chairman: Mr. W. Ungar. Director o f Kashrus: Dayan M. D. Elzas The following establishments are licensed by the Federation Kashrus Board and are under the Supervision o f the Beth Din o f the Federation o f Synagogues: CA TERERS: PARK LANE HOTEL Piccadilly, London W1Y 8BX D ELICATESSENS AND SHOPS: PELTER STORES 82 Edgware Way, Edgware, Middx. THE WORLD OF KOSHER 25 Station Road, Cockfosters, Barnet M ARLENE’S 6 Hendon Lane, Finchley, N3 MACCABI, KING OF FALAFEL 59 Wentworth Street, London El

0171-499 6321

0181-958 6910 0181-441 3621 0181-349 1674 0171-247 6660

BAKERIES: M ARLENE’S 6 Hendon Lane, Finchley, N3

0181-349 1674

HOTELS: GOLDERS GREEN HOTEL 147/149 Golders Green Road, London N W 11

0181-458 7127

TALMUD TORAHS C hairm an: M aster J. Winegarten D irector o f E ducation: Rabbi Ronen Broder

Loughton, Chigwell & District Talmud Torah, Borders Lane, Loughton. Ilford Talmud Torah, 16 Coventry Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 4QR. Yeshurun Talmud Torah, Fem hurst Gardens, Edgware, Middlesex, HA8 7PH. K indergartens:

Loughton Synagogue, Yeshurun Synagogue.

RESTAURANTS: AVIV RESTAURANT 87 High Street, Edgware

0181-952 2484

FOLM AN’S RESTAURANT 134 Brent Street, NW4 2DR

0181-202 5592

CASSIT, 225 Golders Green Rd.,London, N W 11 9PN

0181-455 8195

SAM I’S, 157 Brent Street, London NW4

0181-203 8088

EREZ RESTAURANT 239 Golders Green Road, N W 11

0181-958 0444

MANUFACTURERS: Bluebird (Sweets) El-Al Kosher Catering, Hansen (Soft Drinks) J. Moldovan, Quality & Flavour (Fish) Simtom (Pickles) Sundora (Dried Fruit) Wilkin & Son ‘Tiptree’ (Jams) Brauerie Herrenhausen (Distribution contact Mr P Martin)

0181-897 6136 0171-408 0345 0181-958 5791

0181-684 7682

MEMORIAL STONE INSURANCE Samson Insurance Services

— Hill House, 9-10 Ye Comer, ChalkHill, Bushey, Watford, Herts WD1 4BS. Tel: Watford (01923) 225201 Fax:(01923)818657

PROTECT THE MEMORY OF A LOVED ONE It is a sad reflection of today’s society that many memorials suffer wanton vandalism, and these attacks are not restricted to grand or elaborate monuments; often the simplest family stones are the target of malicious or accidental damage. Whilst it is impossible to prevent this happening, STONEGUARD in surance can ensure that any damage can be put right very quickly - even to total replacement of the memorial. The cost o f this unique insurance is 1% p.a. payable on a renewable 5 year term.

Many insurance policies are limiting in what they will ensure you against. But STONEGUARD is different. This scheme covers ALL RISKS - acci dental or malicious, including damage by storm. STONEGUARD covers the full value o f replacing or repairing the stone and provides third-party liability up to £1,000,000. There is no need to renew the policy every year. Stoneguard cover lasts for five years and can then be renewed each succes sive five years for as long as you wish. The memorial stone value will be index linked at 5% p.a.

THIS IS WHAT YOU PAY Premium Payable for 5 Year Cover

Replacement value of stone

£50.00 £62.50 £75.00 £ 100.00 and so forth at 5% o f the value o f the stone

£ 1,000

£1,250 £1,500 £ 2,000 Please return this form completed to:

Samson Insurance Services, 129 St Albans Road, Watford, Herts, WD1 1RA, Hill House, 9-10 Ye Corner, Chalk Hill. Bushey. Watford Herts WD1 4BS Tel: Watford (01923) 225201. Fax: (01923) 818657

Name of D eceased..............

Your Name ..,

Date of D eath......................

Your Address

C em etery.............................. Position of G rav e................

Your Telephone Number: Day

Replacement value of stone

E v en in g ....................................

I hereby declare that at the time of signing this application the stone to be insured is in good repair and the sum insured represents the full replacement value o f the stone. Signature........................................................................ D a te ..............................................

How much are you worth? And do you know how much of that will go to the Chancellor “after 120 years”?

Specialist help could save your money If you are worth over £215,000 and you haven’t reviewed your will in the last 3 years, contact Arnold Israel, specialist in wills, trusts, probate and inheritance tax planning. Free initial meeting followed by proposal and fee estimate.

SOLICITORS

384 CITY ROAD LONDON EC1V 2Q A 5 minutes’ walk from Angel (Northern Line) Tube

TEL: 0171 833 8453 FAX: 0171 833 8454 Home visits by arrangement

FRANKS, CHARLESLY & CO S O L IC IT O R S TO T H E F E D E R A T IO N

H u lto n H o u se 1 6 1 /1 6 6 F le e t S tre e t L o n d o n E C 4 A 2DY

T e le p h o n e : 0 1 7 1 -3 5 3 1588 Fax: 0 1 7 1 -5 8 3 0 6 4 7

FUNERAL SERVICES Contractors to the FEDERATION OF SYNAGOGUES BURIAL SOCIETY 24 Flour Service

LIMOUSINES ALSO PROVIDED FOR MEMORIAL STONE CONSECRATIONS, WEDDINGS AND ALL OCCASIONS Contact Mrs VIVIENNE POSNER 0171-700 1437/8 Day 0171-908 4039 Night

Printed by Freedman Bros. (Printers) Ltd., St. Albans Lane, Golders Green, NW11 7QB

Tel: 0181-458 3220 Fax: 0181-455 6860