Glimpses of Anglo Jewish History

e were the lucky ones. We had time to think about and digest what was going W on around us and the implications it had on Xander’s upcoming Bar Mitzvah (BM) ceremony. Xander worked so hard on his portion, practicing it unpointed every day, even on holiday in Scotland. Determined to do something in the synagogue, it’s no secret that we pushed fiercely to be able to use the building, even if it was just us present (no guests). We wanted Xander to be called up and read from the scroll. Rabbi Pete completely understood. He came to meet us in our garden for a cup of tea. He gave us ideas and laid out all our options and we started to feel at peace with a Zoom BM. We were allowed to borrow the synagogue’s small scroll and the two pull-up banners which replicate the ark. Most importantly Rabbi Pete gave us access to the sanctuary two days before the BM so Xander could read on the bimah from the scroll. On the Thursday early evening, we made ourselves presentable and arrived at the synagogue with Xander’s grandparents. Rabbi Pete had put out Post-It notes everywhere to help us find everything we needed. He also created lovely, bespoke service booklets for our use, and we ran through the service, as a rehearsal for Saturday. But it was much more than a rehearsal. The experience exceeded our expectations, and it was an emotional and proud event for the six of us. Xander read his portion beautifully. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house! For us, this was it. He’d become Bar Mitzvah and become part of his community that evening. Xander felt more relaxed and confident now to participate on Zoom/Facebook live on the Saturday.

Mike Beral ensured everything was in place tech-wise for Saturday’s Zoom service. We’d had a practice run on the Tuesday evening to make sure our camera was in place and everyone’s faces could be seen. He even agreed to show a video of Xander’s baby photos at the end of the service for our friends and relatives who stayed on Zoom. Saturday morning arrived and we set up our home for the service. We had our booklets ready; the scroll was in the right place for us; and the banners were up. Our challah was out, and we’d poured out our Palwins. Everyone was excited and nervous but very happy and very proud. We had created our very own little sanctuary and Xander was ready to take a big part in TLSE’s Shabbat morning service. There was a warm, welcoming community of friends, family and TLSE members who all greeted us on Zoom and wished us mazal tov. Rabbi Pete started the service, and it ran, like clockwork, smoothly until 12.15. Naturally Xander was nervous, his legs were shaking under him, but no one could see that on Zoom. He read so well and even admitted to enjoying it. It was moving, fun and not something we will ever forget. People were still messaging and calling us a week after the service to

before. In the late18th Century the government of the time sought to relax some of the laws against the Catholic community. The “Protestant Association” led the agitation against any relaxation of the law. The leader of the Protestant Association was Lord George Gordon. Gordon was the younger brother of the Duke of Gordon. He was educated at Eton and then went into the Navy. He was a difficult person and offended almost everyone he came in contact with. This stopped an to any chance of promotion; so he resigned from the service and decided to enter parliament. Even in Parliament he managed to offend both government and opposition. The agitation against Catholic emancipation ended in the terrible Gordon Riots, many buildings were torched and hundreds were killed or wounded. The army had to end it. Gordon was charged with High tell us how wonderful they thought it was. To anyone with an upcoming BM or simcha, be assured that without gatherings, without parties, without dancing you can still have a fantastic and, dare we say it, even more meaningful event on Zoom. We felt held and we felt like part of the community, even from a distance. We would like to give a heartfelt thank you to Rabbi Pete and Mike Beral for making it all so special for us and for

ou may think that we live in intolerant times, but it is nothing to what has gone Y Xander. Treason and held in the Tower.

He was allowed out without bail and fled to the Netherlands. It is not known what happened to him in Amsterdam, but in 1786 or 7, he came back to England dressing and acting as an orthodox Jew. Whether he formally converted there or in Birmingham, where he went to live is not known, but he did go to a mikvah and went through Brit Milah in Birmingham. He seemed to be a devout Jew observing all the rituals. He was arrested for a number of old charges and sent to Newgate Prison. He was allowed to put a mezuzah on his cell door and ate only strictly kosher food. He visited prisoners who had nobody and gave charity to them. He appeared to be liked by both warders and prisoners and held in high regard. His stay in Newgate was short. He caught Typhoid in 1793 and died. His family would not allow him to be buried in a Jewish cemetery. Article by Rabbi Alan Mann