Hakol - September - Octomber 2018

T he L iberal Synagogue E lstree

Hakol

Sept/Oct 2018 Elul/Tishri/Cheshvan 5778

HAPPY NEW YEAR 5779

?‫איכה‬

Where are you?

RABBI’S WORD – SEPTEMBER 2018

Rabbi Pete Tobias

EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION

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think it might have been Tony Blair who first said the above, just over 20 years ago. His priority, after being elected to government, was education x 3. His point, as I recall, was to emphasise that the future generation has no hope, unless it is properly educated by those who come before it.

Whatever his intention in emphasising education, there is no doubt in my mind that his mantra needs urgently to be applied to The Liberal Synagogue Elstree. Recent events, in the synagogue, in conversation, and in Facebook groups have made it clear to me that there is very little understanding about what Liberal Judaism is. Visitors from Orthodox synagogues who attend our services regard it as an inauthentic type of Judaism. Men choose not to wear tallit, women regard our services as an occasion to make mobile telephone calls, while the young people, who are pupils at the local Jewish schools, behave in a manner that would presumably not be acceptable in those schools. Or perhaps not - maybe this is what goes on in Orthodox synagogues and Jewish schools, so I should not be surprised to see it take place here.

And the level of ignorance and insult that arises whenever there is a ‘debate’ on Facebook that involves Progressive Judaism is alarming and depressing.

Despite the presence of many TLSE members in these various groups that host such debates, I don’t recall hearing or seeing any of our members rising to the defence of Liberal Judaism. Maybe they share their Orthodox friends’ views that Liberal Judaism is an inferior version of the religion, that we don’t do Judaism ‘properly’ (whatever that means). Of course, it’s convenient – we have a car park, our services are shorter – but perhaps those who choose to celebrate their children’s bar- or bat-mitzvah ceremonies here share the prevailing view about Liberal Judaism.

Whatever your opinion of Liberal Judaism may be, I believe the time has come for me to remind this congregation why the word ‘Liberal’ features in its name. In the coming months, I intend to host a series of discussion groups to consider various aspects of Liberal Judaism. Some will be aimed at proselytes, our KT or bar-/bat-mitzvah students – and their parents. All will be open to members of TLSE and the wider community. I would like the year 5779 to be the year of education, education, education – a year in which we learn, understand and promote the Liberal Judaism this synagogue represents.

For more information see page 7

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Rabbi’s Word Co-Chairs’ Word Lunch Club Information Teaching the KT Class – Part Three Book Review – Many Waters High Holyday Appeal 5779 TLSE and Leket Israel – an update Resource, a different way of finding work The Together Plan – an introduction Upcoming Walks Abu Dhabi Here I Come!

Welcome to New Members Care and Welfare, Mazel Tov to TLSE Contact Details

Rabbi Pete Tobias Lizzie Rabin; Richard Boulton Mike Walton Michael Shaw Deborah Gabbay Zara Provisor Victoria Sterman

Page 2 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 8 Page 10 Page 12 Page 13

Debra Brunner Nancy Shavick Daniel Bernard

Page 14 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19

*Items highlighted yellow are regular features

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

Deborah Gabbay

By the time you receive this edition of Hakol, you should already have received your tickets and all the information you need for the High Holydays.

The calendar included with this magazine also has all the service times, so although the cover wishes you a Happy New Year, you will not find any other information within these pages. But there is an introduction to the charities chosen for this year’s Appeal (pages 10 and 11) and following on from the update from Herts Young Homeless in the July/August edition, I requested updates from the other two charities we supported last year: Leket Israel and Resource. The money our congregation so generously donated has been well used as you will see and in fact, you will also see posters on the notice board in the lobby, about volunteering with Leket in Israel, and an event Resource are holding on 13th September to help new graduates to find work.

There is also more information both on the notice board and in the lobby about this year’s charities. Perhaps this should have been called the Charities edition, as there is also an article from Debra Brunner about the work being done by The Together Plan in Belarus! None of this could happen without your help and every little bit will be well used. Thank you in advance for whatever you are able to give. And I, along with Davina, Stacey and Rabbi Pete, wish you a very Happy, Healthy New Year!

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CO-CHAIRS’ WORD

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Richard Boulton / Lizzie Rabin

s the summer is drawing to a close and the younger generation returns to school and college, we thought it a good time to reflect on what Judaism can bring to those younger members of our congregation.

During the summer several of our younger members have been participating in various Jewish activities. One represented Great Britain in the Maccabi Youth Games in Israel, another attended Kimama in Israel for 2 weeks and others participated in various tours of Israel. These were great opportunities for these young people to learn more about their Jewish heritage and experience life in Israel, as well as making great friends and having a lot of fun. We’re hoping to include some write-ups of these trips in future editions of Hakol, which will provide a glimpse to our even younger members of what they can look forward to in embracing their Jewish heritage.

This links nicely to one of the Council’s key priorities which is to review our Religion School offering. There are many challenges in local Jewish communities in relation to Jewish learning, due to the increase of Jewish schools resulting in families being reluctant to give up time at the weekend to participate in their Jewish community. We don’t have all the answers yet – but you will start to see some changes in Religion School in the coming months. However, as always – what we really want to know is what you would like for your family? How can we make Religion School more appealing and help everyone make lasting Jewish friendships? So please get in touch and let us know your thoughts.

High Holydays will soon be upon us and preparations are in full flow. We look forward to seeing you at our services during this period. The singing group will be there to ensure these services continue to be a great combination of prayer, community and friendship in a musical and appropriate environment. As ever, Deborah, Davina and Stacey continue to do a really great job of running of the Synagogue – especially at this really busy time and we’re sure you will all join us in thanking them for everything they do behind the scenes to ensure that everything runs like clockwork.

As ever, please let us know any thoughts and ideas you have in relation to events that you might like us to offer – we would love to hear from you!

Lizzie and Richard

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LUNCH

CLUB

Enjoy a great lunch! Make new friends! Be entertained!

Venue: The Synagogue Time: 1pm TLSE members: £5 Non-Members: £6

Tuesday 25 September

Tuesday 30 October

If you are coming, please contact Shirley Tel: 020 8953 0416 or email: shirleybatley@gmail.com 6

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TEACHING THE KT CLASS

Mike Walton

Mike continues his story of Leon Greenman, whose life story he uses in his teaching of the KT class.

Leon Greenman, campaigner and witness to the Holocaust Part Two: Deportation and Imprisonment

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n March 17th 1940, Leon’s son Barnett ("Barney") was born. He was registered as a British subject at the British consulate, where Leon also signed a form to be evacuated with the consular staff in the event of a war. On May 10 the Germans invaded the Netherlands. The British embassy staff fled. But Leon believed that, as an Englishman, and under the Geneva Convention on treatment of enemy civilians, he and his family would be protected from Hitler's race laws which were being rigorously applied.

Leon’s son Barney

By late April 1942 the Nazis had enforced the wearing of the yellow star of David on Jews in the Netherlands and France.

Leon had meanwhile given his family's savings and passports to non-Jewish friends for safe keeping. His friends, scared of reprisals for helping Jews, burnt the documents.

Leon's efforts to get new papers to prove his nationality failed.

At 10:00pm on 8 October 1942 Leon and his family were taken from their home to Westerbork, a Nazi concentration camp in the Netherlands. In mid-January 1943, they were told they were being deported to a Polish "work camp". As British citizens, Leon informed the camp commandant (to no avail) that they should not be deported. Years later he discovered that the commandant had found the Greenmans' replacement papers after they were en-route to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Leon’s family Leon’s book

In his autobiography, An Englishman in Auschwitz (2001), Greenman describes how "the women were separated from the men: Else and Barney were marched about 20 yards away to a queue of women ... I tried to watch Else. I could see her clearly against the blue lights. She could see me, too, for she threw me a kiss and held our child up for me to see. What was going through her mind, I will never know. Perhaps she was pleased that the journey had come to an end. We had been promised that we could meet at the weekends..."

Else, her grandmother and Barney were sent straight to the gas chambers. Leon's last sighting of them was as they were taken away in an open truck. Else had made capes with peaked hoods for herself and Barney from bright red velvet curtains.

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Shoes

Leon saw the two splashes of red. He called out, but his wife never heard him or looked back."I thought they must be still alive," Greenman told the Guardian's Stephen Moss in 2005. The thought that he would see them again kept him going.

Out of the 750 people on their train, Leon was one of only 50 selected for slave labour. After six weeks in Birkenau he was taken to the main camp at Auschwitz. There, despite his protestations of "I am an Englishman, I should not be here", he was subjected to "medical" experimentation. He was convinced that it was his skills that saved him, earning extra food for shaving prisoners and singing for the kapos - prisoners chosen by the Nazis to head work gangs - in the evening. He believed the physique he had developed while training as a boxer enabled him to survive the selections held to weed out and murder the weak and sick. And he fought to survive, in that hope that Else and Barney might still be alive.

Leon showing his Auschwitz number tattooed on his forearm

To be continued......

EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION The emphasis of this year’s High Holydays is education. The rabbi and the education committee are looking to engage as many people as possible in actively exploring, discussing and considering what it means to be a Liberal Jew in the 21st century. It is envisaged that these discussions will take place as part of the ‘Sunday Mornings at TLSE’ programme.

The first of these will be on SUNDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER at the shul.

Hope to see you there!

Michael with the winning trophy

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BOOK REVIEW

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Michael Shaw

n my bookshelf is a copy of Picture Stories from The Bible, The Old Testament. My copy was a 10th birthday present from my Uncle and is the hardback version. The pictures are lurid in colour and the printing standard is not high but it was an introduction to the many wonderful stories in the Old Testament. One of my favorites was the story of Noah and the Ark. I had a cardboard Noah’s Ark as a child and when our grandson was born I was very tempted by a hand carved and painted version. However, £300 seemed rather a lot to pay.

One thing that always worried me was how Noah got all the animals into the ark?

One suggestion is that they were all shrunk to fit – otherwise how would and elephant and a giraffe fit in? And of course, there was the food needed and the animals not eating each other, but I am being too literal. This is a story to enjoy not to analyse.

In my CD collection I have two musicals featuring the story, “Captain Noah and his floating Zoo” by Michael Flanders and Joseph Horovitz sung by the King’s Singers and “Two by Two”, a Richard Rodgers musical with Danny Kaye as Noah. Both of these are great fun to listen to and I enjoyed introducing Captain Noah into schools where I taught.

Recently I came across a new version on a story by Madeleine L’Engle, the author of “A Wrinkle in Time”, now a Disney film. That book has always been one of my standards to read to a class as an introduction to science fiction and female heroines. It was only a few months ago whilst researching her details that I discovered this is the first of five books in a series. I ordered the rest and have been slowly reading them. The fourth is called “Many Waters” and tells the story of the twin boys who appear in the first book aged 10. Now 15, they interfere with an experiment and are whisked back in time when the sun was far hotter and people much smaller. The twins are separated by accident and one finds care with Noah and his family whilst the other suffers for being different at the hands of other less kind people. Eventually they are reunited and realise that they are still on earth and are at the beginning of the story of Noah. The brothers become part of the story of good and evil and they help Noah and his family build the ark but are unable to tell them what is in the Bible. In the book we meet Noah and his family, the others who resent him along with the Seraphim and Nephilim, the latter being amongst the evildoers of the story. God is represented by the mysterious figure El who speaks to Noah, although the messages are not always clear.

I enjoyed the book with its links to the Bible and science fiction. It is an unusual version of the story but in a way fleshes out the characters making the story that I knew more meaningful and understandable.

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The title comes from the fact that Noah’s father owns vineyards and the oasis, water being a scarce commodity at the time.

Whilst I can recommend the book, and her others, they are not available as new but only through secondhand booksellers.

Mine came via Abe books – a very useful source for out of print and secondhand books.

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TLSE HIGH HOLYDAY APPEAL 5779

Deborah Gabbay

We are supporting the following organisations in 5779; you can see more information on the notice board in the lobby.

UK JEWISH/LOCAL CHARITY: LANGDON 23,171 people in the Jewish community have a learning disability. Langdon, which was founded in 1992, has grown from a service for four young people, to one that plays a crucial role in the lives of hundreds of people across London and Manchester. At the heart of our work is our strong desire to enable Jewish people with learning disabilities to lead independent and fulfilling lives. We do this providing our members with places to live, and supporting them to find and secure work, and socialise as a community within their local community.

Langdon College began with six students, and since then numbers have grown to over 25. In 2005, Langdon established supported living communities for people leaving the College. Today, the Langdon community is now made up of over 100 people, living in supported accommodation in over 50 properties in Manchester, Edgware and Borehamwood. A dedicated employment service was set up in 2004, and Maccabi House, a community building for Langdon and its members, was opened in Edgware in 2012.

There are so many more people with learning disabilities who need our help, will you open your eyes to people with the ‘invisible disabilities’? Will you see them and support them?

Find out more at http://langdonuk.org/ UK NON-JEWISH CHARITY: BLIND VETERANS UK Blind Veterans UK is a national charity that believes that no-one who has served our country should have to battle blindness alone. The charity provides blind and vision impaired ex-Service men and women with much-needed support that helps them to adjust to sight loss, overcome the challenges of blindness and enjoy daily life.

When Blind Veterans UK was founded in 1915, its mission was to help soldiers blinded during the First World War. Today we offer lifelong support to Armed Forces and National Service veterans - no matter what the cause of their sight loss, and regardless of how long they served.

Blind Veterans UK’s work ranges from helping veterans re-learn vital skills and providing them with the tools they need to be independent in their own homes, to offering new learning, training and recreation opportunities and providing long-term nursing, residential and respite care.

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The charity has three centres (in Brighton, Llandudno and Sheffield) that provide residential and respite care plus sports facilities, as well as qualified welfare staff who help blind veterans across the UK to live independently within their own communities.

Find out more at: blindveterans.org.uk, follow us on Facebook at: facebook.com/blindveteransuk and on Twitter at: twitter.com/blindveterans.

ISRAELI CHARITY: ZAKA. A LIGHT UNTO THE NATIONS. For many people, ZAKA is the embodiment of tikkum olam.

This Jerusalem-based, international humanitarian volunteer organisation brings hope to people around the world in their darkest hours. ZAKA leads the way in search, rescue and recovery missions not only in Israel, but also at global mass casualty incidents – from Japan and Mexico to Nepal and Turkey.

This global network of over 600 highly-trained volunteers in more than 20 countries allows ZAKA volunteers to reach the scene of a terror attack or natural disaster as fast as possible, thereby saving lives in the first vital 48 hours after disaster strikes. The volunteers also ensure dignity in death, searching the scene to recover the victims and bringing them home for burial.

ZAKA’s willingness and professional operational capability to help everyone in need, on a purely humanitarian basis, has earned not just the appreciation of emergency services around the world, but also United Nations recognition since 2005.

In Israel, the 3000+ ZAKA paramedic volunteers are on call 24/7/365, ready and equipped to respond to any accident, terror attack, missile strike or building collapse. Trained in forensics and honouring the dead, the ZAKA volunteers work alongside the IDF and all emergency services. Over the last three decades, ZAKA has evolved into one of Israel’s most-esteemed organisations, with motorcycle, jeep, ATV, canine and rappelling units for land-based missions and divers and jet-skis for rescue and recovery at sea or in lakes.

With your help, ZAKA is ready for whatever tomorrow brings… www.zakauk.org 11

TLSE AND LEKET ISRAEL

Zara Provisor

An update from the Israeli charity we supported last year eket Israel continues to lead the safe, effective and efficient collection and distribution of surplus nutritious food in Israel to those who need it. In 2017, Leket Israel rescued 2,300,000 hot and nutritious meals and 15,000 tons of agricultural produce that would have otherwise gone to waste, redistributing the food to Hot meals collection a weekly average of 180,000 needy Israelis through a network of 200 non-profit organisations.

In 2017-2018, the TLSE support for Leket focused on the Hot Food Rescue Programme which benefits both the elderly in government hostels and youth at risk in day schools. The meals are collected from major hotel chains, IDF army bases and the Israeli Police Force amongst others . A recent recipient of the Hot Meals is a Wizo community center, in the Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood of Jerusalem. In the mornings, elderly women gather for recreational classes but more importantly for camaraderie.

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“Most of these women are widowed and lonely” remarks Aliza, Director of the Center.

“If they didn’t have this center, they would just sit at home by themselves all day long.”

Since Leket Israel began supplying the Center with daily hot meals, it has made a tremendous impact on these women’s lives. Even though they are able to care for themselves, most of them are not eating properly since they do not cook. A meal generally consists of a piece of bread and hummus, maybe a cup of coffee.

“The first time we received the hot meals, we all cried” Aliza says. “The idea of having delicious healthy hot meals that were brought especially for them was a dream. The food is great, there’s enough for everyone, and also, a nice variety. But the most important part is that everyone eats together. Now, every day after their morning classes the women sit together for lunch. Partnering with Leket Israel ensures a tasty, nutritious meal for them with the added bonus of having everyone eat together which also answers their desire to socialise and develop new friendships. I simply couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Currently six ‘last chance’ schools receive hot nutritious meals from Leket Israel. For many of the recipient children, this is the only hot meal that they can rely on. Schools are often able to fund extra afternoon programmes benefitting the children but find that without supplying a meal, the children do not attend. With the advent of the Leket Israel Hot Meal Programme, more children attend, benefit from the programmes, staying safe and more likely to progress in life. “ This reminds me of Friday night meals at my grandma –everyone sits eating together” – a Jerusalem student. “ Thank you for remembering us” an Ofakim student to Leket Israel CEO, Gidi Kroch.

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Hot meals distribution to the elderly

RESOURCE, A DIFFERENT WAY OF FINDING WORK

Resource, a different way of finding work Victoria Sterman, CEO of Resource, takes us through what happens when someone looking for work goes to Resource: A generous donation from The Liberal Synagogue Elstree’s Yom Kippur appeal last year (for which I would like to reiterate our most grateful thanks!) set us thinking: how many members know much about Resource - who we are, what we do and how we go about helping members of the Jewish community get back into the workplace?

We are a charitable organisation, based in Finchley, with a depth of expertise and knowledge developed over our 26 years that has enabled us to have assisted well over 10,000 people start up or switch career, find a new job (perhaps after redundancy) or resume work after a break such as to have a family. Our success rate is high: well over 60 per cent of clients secure employment within six months, and nearly all of them report a huge increase in their self-confidence in approaching their job search. And it costs clients absolutely nothing.

So what happens when a new client comes to Resource?

Firstly, we link them to their own dedicated advisor, providing one-to-one practical and effective advice and support throughout their job search with us, including CV writing and preparing an action plan. Our advisors are all volunteers and come from a wide range of professional and business backgrounds.

The advisor will discuss and recommend which of our 13 seminars and workshops would be of benefit, starting with our two-day Tools & Techniques for Today’s Job Market which lays the groundwork for a successful employment search. Then, for example, workshops covering interview and presentation skills, IT training and making social media, including LinkedIn, work to advantage in a competitive jobs market. We run mock interviews and offer psychometric profiling to help direct clients’ strengths to best advantage. We even have a workshop on how to make a successful impact when starting a new job. And we recognise that sometimes researching and making job applications is not practical at home so our offices provide a fully equipped workspace.

The advisor stays close to his or her client from beginning to end; during the process they might bring in a mentor with specific expertise, knowledge or experience appropriate to a client. They can also help with salary negotiations when a job has been offered and are often called on to give advice if there’s more than one job offer. And as I mentioned earlier, all of this is provided free.

To find out more, please visit us at www.resource-centre.org or call us on 020 8346 4000.

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THE TOGETHER PLAN

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Debra Brunner

n the last edition of Hakol, I wrote about my entertainment unit which was donated to The Together Plan and will be sent to Belarus to be used by a nascent Jewish community as an ark. Debra Brunner, the founder and director of the charity, writes here about their work: The Together Plan is a UK charity dedicated to the rehabilitation, repair and revival of Jewish communities coming out of collective trauma in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. A charity that is enabling, rather than providing, through a self-help approach. For Jews living in the former Soviet Union today, many fail to understand ‘community’ and its benefits, since it was quite literally deconstructed and eroded during the communist years. Yet in spite of the traumatic past, there are many with a yearning to reconnect with their lost identity. It is the mission of The Together Plan charity, not only to help those Jews still living in the region learn how to rebuild their communities, but also to reconnect those in the diaspora to their ancestry and the homes they left behind. The Together Plan is playing a vital and much needed role in the repair and renewal process for a better connected and meaningful Jewish future for Jews everywhere.

In July, 10 young adults from London set off as part of The Together Plan’s Youth for Youth programme to run a week-long youth symposium aptly named ‘Zoymen’ (Yiddish for seed) with the aim of bringing young Jewish Belarusians together. The backdrop was the deep and dense Pushcha (forest) of southern Some of the young participants.

Belarus and we brought young adults from isolated Jewish communities in Minsk, Slutsk, Polotsk and Bobruisk. The programmes offered opportunities for participants to get to know one another and to understand more about Jewish identity, tradition, music in prayer, food, tikkun olam and community. The programme was fully created by the young adults in the UK and Belarus proving that The Together Plan's ethos of self-development and capacity building really does work. Zoymen was creative, impactful and transformative.

The Together Plan was also deeply proud to have been able to facilitate the first Bar-Mitzvah to take place in Slonim for 80 years. The Synagogue, built between 1635-41, is still standing, despite the best efforts of the Nazis and the ravages of time on its boarded up windows and crumbling masonry. Inside, from the rubble strewn floor, astonishing patterns of intricate floral plasterwork in raised relief ascend into the majestic and graceful cupola of the bimah.

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Panels of faded frescos still bear traces of the brilliant colours that must have once adorned the walls. The ladies’ gallery is an open yawning space, and the holy ark no more than a gaping void.

The building’s silent, but still iconic facade, could tell us a hundred stories. It was the main place of worship for the Jewish community in Slonim for over 300 years.

Before the war 80% of Slonim’s population was Jewish. The Nazis murdered virtually all of them, an estimated 26,000. Only a few hundred managed to escape and join the partisans. The synagogue was utilised as a weapons store by the Nazis, using the Jews they hadn’t killed as forced labour to repair guns and arms.

They were unaware that the Jews were secretly smuggling weapons and components to the partisans and some of those components were for some of the time hidden in the walls of the synagogue.

The exterior of the synagogue

Synagogue in Slonim

Now thanks to a joint project with the family of Natasha Kaplinsky and The Together Plan under the auspices of The Foundation for Jewish Heritage, the Great Synagogue is the focus of a campaign for restoration. The townspeople of Slonim are eager to embrace their Jewish cultural heritage and warmly endorse the project. To that end The Together Plan created a real buzz of excitement as all of the ‘Zoymen’ participants arrived in the hot summer sunshine to mark Shabbat and celebrate the bar mitzvah of a Belarusian boy from Bobruisk.

Everything about the celebration was remarkable from the coming together of young Jewish people from different backgrounds and parts of the world observing Jewish life in a place where it once thrived, to the bar-mitzvah boy Stas, reciting his parasha from a Torah scroll obtained in London through fundraising by Youth for Youth (The Together Plan’s Youth arm) in the UK. That scroll had travelled by lorry across Europe to the Jewish community in Polotsk. They then brought their precious Torah by car to Slonim especially for this occasion.

Stas's Bar-Mitzvah

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Stas learned his portion mostly by Skype, under the tutelage of Jonathan (UK born and bred), now The Together Plan's Development Coordinator in Minsk.

Rabbi Stas Wojciechowicz who was officiating, flew in from Poland. The ark curtain was a donation from Potters Bar United Synagogue and it was all captured on Belarus National television. The Together Plan’s Director Artur Livshyts in Belarus did a superb job of coordinating the entire day, from mobilising all of Zoymen by road to Slonim, an hour and a half's drive, to liaising with the Slonim municipality ensuring the day was a seamless success.

All the prayers and songs were in Hebrew, Russian and English collated by Jonathan into a bespoke siddur for the occasion, ensuring we were all able to participate as one community, and the atmosphere was joyous. Very slowly, the restoration of Jewish life in Belarus, along with that of the synagogue is bringing things full circle, showing us that there is no future without embracing the past.

To learn more about the work of The Together Plan Charity and its programmes including the humanitarian aid project ‘Aid Together’, the Youth for Youth programme for 17-30 year-olds, the Slonim Synagogue Project, becoming a volunteer, organising an event or visiting the country, please contact office@thetogetherplan or www.thetogetherplan.com

Upcoming Walks Date: Saturday 8th September Led by: Michael Shaw Time: 2:30pm Meet: At the Thameslink Barrier at St Pancras station at 2.30 for another of Michaels lovely London walks. Michael says, "Join us for a walk along the route of the Walbrook River, one of the underground rivers of London ending at Blackfriars Station. On the way we pass the Eagle Pub (of nursery rhyme fame) and Finsbury Circus amongst other interesting sights.

You will need a return to Blackfriars and your bus pass to get to The Angel Islington and the start of the river walk.

Mobile number on the day ONLY: 07527 525111 Date: Saturday 20th October by: Sue Woolf Time: 1:45pm for 2:00pm Meet: In the car park in on the right-hand side of Marford Road, Wheathampstead, (B653), about 1/2 mile north west of Crooked Chimney pub. Take the A1 north to Junction 4, at the roundabout take the 2nd exit then at the next roundabout take the 1st exit on the A6129 down to the next roundabout. Take the 1st exit under the A1 then take the third exit onto Brocket Road, B653. Keep following the B653 which becomes Marford Road. The Crooked Chimney pub is on the left.

Mobile on the day: 07749 726650 16

ABU DHABI HERE I COME!

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Daniel Bernard

i everyone! Last year in Hakol I wrote about

1959 Engagement how I played basketball in the Special

Olympics Summer Games and won a gold medal. Since then I am very proud to tell you that I have been selected for the Special Olympics Team GB to play men’s basketball for my country in the Special Olympics World Games. These games take place in Abu Dhabi in March 2019. I am going to have to train really hard so we can play well as a team. In May we had our first full team GB weekend and we met in Sheffield. We were measured for our Olympic uniforms and kit, we met all the people in our team as they come from all over GB, we did some training and we also learnt how to talk to the media. It was lots of fun.

I go to training every week but the next time the whole team meet it will be September. I will tell you more about how it is going after that. We all hope that you will be able to watch the games on TV next March.

Here is my team photo.

I am on the left in a red top and my coach Simon is crouching at the front.

Editor’s Note: I have also included a few photos I took of Daniel enthusiastically practising recently!

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS

Jamie, Joanne, Jake and James Caras We also welcome Gideon Moss and Sarah Hargan

Nick Wallis and Sophie Hyde

Nina Jaffa and Alex Belchev, Louie Carvacho Bibi Marholeva and Maggie

Antonia Bolcas and Scott Lester 17

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HIGH HOLYDAYS IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT Don’t be shy to ask - the Care and Welfare Committee is here to help.

If anyone requires transport or home hospitality for the High Holydays, and anyone is unable to attend shul for health reasons and would like prayers at home please contact Carol Hurst.

COMMUNITY CARS Since 1981 Community Cars has been providing essential journeys for those unable to use public transport. They provide transport for those with mobility or sensory issues as well as those who need to access the service on a short-term basis while they recover from an operation or general ill health. Community Cars serves residents across our area and provides a safe, reliable and affordable service. Their team of friendly volunteer drivers use their own cars to provide transport to medical appointments, day centres, social engagements, to visit relatives and much more.

Journeys are charged at 49p per mile and they take requests from individuals as well as referrals from professionals.

Tel: 01923 216964 email: communitycars@w3rt.org

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Nancy Belkin, James Caras, Luke Carmel, Grace Carmel, Carter Charvonia Claret, Asa Harris, Isla Rose Mizelas-Hall, Oliver Nathan, Abigail Perin, Ethan Perin, Lola Rock, Joe Willis

MAZEL TOV TO : The following on becoming Bar-/Bat-Mitzvah:

The following couple who recently married:

Maddy Reid, 15th September

Joe Willis 6th October

Gideon Moss and Sarah Hargan

Oliver Nathan 20th October

CONDOLENCES TO: Shirley Waitzmann on the loss of her husband Leslie.

Rachel Golding on the loss of her grandmother.

CARE & WELFARE COMMITTEE

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A-B

BARBARA

020 8953 1369

N-Q

ESTELLE

020 8954 9569

C-F

SHIRLEY

020 8953 0416

R-S

PETER

020 8953 1369

T-Z

RITA

020 8953 4439

JUDY

01582 468100

G-I

AVRIL

020 8421 9355

J-M

CAROL

020 8950 1862

GENERAL INFORMATION Elstree High Street, Elstree, Hertfordshire WD6 3EY Phone: 020 8953 8889 Email: office@tlse.org.uk www.tlse.org.uk Edited by Deborah Gabbay

T L S E

Please note: Deborah is generally in the office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00am – 4:00pm.

Would all those involved in arranging functions, services or meetings please contact the office on 020 8953 8889 or office@tlse.org.uk so that they can be scheduled in the Synagogue diary. This ensures that any physical set-ups in the Synagogue are arranged and that meetings do not conflict.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure that details printed in Hakol are correct, no responsibility can be accepted for information misprinted or incorrectly given to the Editor. Please let the Editor know of any errors or corrections. The Editor reserves the right to edit material submitted for publication.

The deadline for submissions to the next edition of Hakol is Friday 5th October but submissions will be accepted at any time and early submission is appreciated.

COUNCIL MEMBERS’ CONTACT LIST CO-CHAIRMAN Lizzie Rabin 07974 229607 lizzie.rabin2702@gmail.com

CO-CHAIRMAN Richard Boulton 07801 921218 rboulton@gmail.com

HONORARY TREASURER Harvey Adams 07760 666002 frinton43@outlook.com

HONORARY PRESIDENT Monique Blake 020 8953 4251 monique.david@ntlworld.com

Penny Beral 07979 800616 penny@pennyberal.co.uk

Jacqueline Bernard 07885 176417 goonergirly@live.co.uk

Alan Gordonfelt 020 8950 6048 ritalan@hotmail.co.uk

Peter Rabin Joanne Jones 020 8958 7783 07958 300247 joanne.jones2304@gmail.com peterrabin@talktalk.net

David Swarc 07767 788596 davidswarc@aol.com

In cases of bereavement, please contact our Burial Officer, Peter Merton on 020 8953 1369 Designed & Printed by

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020 8449 6688 www.brunswickpress.co.uk 19

Charity reg number 1144193

When Sharon and Russell got married, they also made their Wills.

And remembered their favourite Jewish Charities with a gift in it.

When something changes in your life, it’s time to change someone else’s too.

Lionel & Pearl have been married 70 years and were recently thrown a special party to celebrate this by the charity that helps and supports them.

That charity depends on Gifts in Wills.

Jewish charities in the UK and abroad rely on gifts in Wills to continue their vital work.

Call Gina Ross on 020 3375 6248 or visit jewishlegacy.org.uk to find out more about leaving a gift in your Will to one of our charity members.