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Selfie delusion Shame of the yellow star wearers at London’s latest lockdown protest
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21 Tamuz 5781
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Issue No.1217
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Building collapse death toll rises P12
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VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY 1 July 2021
Mourning in Miami
@JewishNewsUK
Summer loving! Month of mazeltovs ahead as number of Jewish weddings soars 160 percent by Sandy Rashty @SandyRashty
The Jewish community is gearing up for a summer of love as the number of weddings is set to soar by more than 160 percent compared to the same period last year. Patient couples who delayed their simchas as a result of the pandemic hope the government’s plan to lift restrictions on 19 July – so-called Freedom Day – will mean they can host large celebrations with more guests. Figures obtained this week by Jewish News show the number of summer weddings – conducted under the auspices of the Office of the Chief Rabbi (OCR) and the S&P Sephardi Community – will increase by a significant 162 percent from just 42 weddings last summer to more than 110 over the same period this year. At least 97 weddings will be held under the auspices of the OCR this summer, a 169 percent increase on just 36 weddings last summer when guests were limited to 30 people. In the summer of 2019, before the Covid-19 outbreak, there were 67 summer weddings. The OCR summer period covers the Jewish calendar dates from the 9 Av until Rosh Hashanah (19 July to 5 September this year). Meanwhile, there 100
80
60
Office of the Chief Rabbi (OCR) weddings from 9 Av until Rosh Hashanah
40
20
0
2019
2020
2021
• 169% increase 2020 to 2021
has been a 117 percent increase in the number of couples getting married under the S&P Sephardi community, from just six weddings – over July and August last summer – to 13 weddings planned so far over the same period this year. The figures do not include marriages taking place under progressive movements, which were also contacted for comment. Simcha suppliers this week welcomed the news, after many weddings were cancelled as a result of restrictions over the pandemic. While the slow easing of restrictions meant that by 21 June, 30 guests were allowed to attend celebrations, there were still limits, including preventing indoor dancing. Freedom Day is set to take place after the fast day of Tisha B’av, which falls during a three-week period from 27 June to 18 July when weddings are not allowed under Jewish law. Just before this period began, weddings took place across the community – with some suppliers such as florist Miri Moses seeing a surge in celebrations. Moses, who is based in Golders Green and Stamford Hill, said: “The fact people could not get married over Tisha B’av meant a lot of people had their weddings last week. I was inundated with work. I took most bookings thinking they would be small weddings of 30 guests, but when the prime minister said there could be large weddings again, I got such a shock. I worked day and night to make it happen.”
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DON’T MENTION THE SCORE! NEXT BIG MATCH IS ON SHABBAT NIGHT by Francine Wolfisz francine@jewishnews.co.uk @FWolfisz
As 55 years of hurt were wiped away with England’s 2-0 victory over Germany on Tuesday night, more observant Jewish fans of Euro 2020 were left with a sinking realisation: the quarter-final against Ukraine takes place during Shabbat! It means those who observe the day of rest will not be able to watch the match until 10.25pm – more than two hours after kick-off. Some communal members now face an extra 120-minutes of shpilkes, but Rabbi Barry Lerer of Central Synagogue remains remarkably unperturbed. He said: “I’ve been doing these lock-ins for 30 years. My first one was the 1990 World Cup. A group of 10 of us went to early mincha and then we all came back to my home for the rest of the afternoon and prayed together in the evening.” Continued on page 9 Sterling scores against Germany