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at Westminster protest against Netanyahu government

by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk @lmharpin

Organisers of a Westminster protest against plans by Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government to clamp down on the country’s judicial system say the turnout of 1,500 Israelis and British Jews “exceeded all expectations”.

Sunday’s Defend Israeli Democracy demonstration, in Parliament Square, Westminster, saw demonstrators raise the national flag of the Jewish state and call for a return to democratic values they believe have been shelved.

Jewish News understands there are now plans for another imminent protest against the authoritarian plans of Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition.

Organisers of the London protests will also appeal directly to the main UK communal organisations for support for their grassroots movement at a series of meetings over the next few weeks.

Sunday’s protest was notable for the variety of carefully worded banners and placards, aimed at expressing a deep connection to Israel while at the same time

Continued on page 2

NUS opens its conference with antisemitism apology

New leadership sorry for letting down Jewish students for years

The National Union of Students (NUS) began its annual national conference this week with an apology to Jewish students over its “failure to address antisemitism head on”, writes Lee Harpin.

In a move intended to show the body’s commitment to the findings of Rebecca Tuck KC’s damning investigation into antisemitism claims Chloe Field, NUS vice president for higher education, and Nehaal Bajwa, vice president for liberation and equality, read out statements in front of delegates in Harrogate.

Field, who has taken over as interim leader of the organisation after Shaima Dallali was

dismissed as president, announced: “We want to open conference today with a moment of accountability for NUS and a moment of humanity towards Jewish friends and members. On behalf of NUS today and the past, I am truly sorry it has taken us so long to address antisemitism head-on.

“You have been let down by the very organisation that you should have been able to trust the most. My team and I will do everything that we can do to make sure that you never have to fight this fight on your own again.”

She added: “Let us say this to anyone in doubt: antisemitism is real and it is happening in stu-

dent politics today. Antisemitism is an attack not just on Jewish people, but on all of us.”

Union of Jewish Students president Joel Rosen tweeted: “A very di erent feel to the conference this year. Feel incredibly proud of the change we’ve collectively made and are making in the student movement. It is bittersweet as there are generations of Jewish students who didn’t get to witness moments like these.”

Rebecca Tuck’s investigation into antisemitism following outrage over historic posts by NUS president-elect Shaima Dallali and widespread allegations by Jewish students that antisemitism was widespread in the organisation.

Benjamin Netanyahu (left) with Bezalel Smotrich

NUS leaders Nehaal Bajwa and Chloe Field apologise to Jewish students

British and Israeli Jews tell the Netanyahu coalition: ‘Enough’

Continued from page 1 expressing contempt for the country’s current government. One banner stated: “A government of criminals will not appoint judges” while another read: “Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, Smotrich Government out.”

Some made reference to the situation in the West Bank. One large placard read: “There’s no democracy with occupation.” A group of attendees wore costumes inspired by The Handmaid’s Tale, a theme of recent protests in Israel.

One of the protest organisers, Dr Sharon Shochat, told Jewish News: “Sunday’s London protest was successful beyond all our expectations. The turnout on the day was fantastic, but I was also contacted afterwards by many, many people who could not make it, but who said they would join us at future protests.”

Shochat, a government specialist and business development expert, also hit back at those who attempted to suggest the protests were “anti-patriotic” or “leftist”.

“We were protesting against the Israeli government, not against Israel,” she said.

Among those to send the organisers messages of support were a group of Israeli air pilots, who jokingly pledged to fly banners and flags to the UK to be used next time around.

The turnout for last weekend’s protest mir-

rored the numbers turning out for the last major Jewish demo in Parliament Square, the Enough Is Enough demo in 2018 against Labour’s failure to tackle antisemitism under Jeremy Corbyn.

Organisers, who are Israeli expats now living in London, also staged the events as a show of solidarity with protesters in Israel, where half a million Israelis took to the streets in the 10th consecutive week of demonstrations against the Netanyahu government’s plans.

Nearly half of the protesters – about 240,000 – gathered in Tel Aviv, the organisers said. In Jerusalem, several hundred demonstrators gathered in front of President Isaac Herzog’s house. They carried Israeli flags and chanted slogans including “Israel will not be a dictatorship.”

Among those to join last weekend’s two-hour event in London were the Israeli-born chef Yotam Ottolenghi, about 20 UK rabbis, mainly from the Reform and Liberal movements, Mitzvah Day founder Laura Marks and JW3 chief executive Raymond Simonson. The Westminster location ensured that there was widespread media coverage in Israel of the protest.

Among the speakers were Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge, Rabbi Deborah Blausten, organiser Sharon Shochat, Israel academic and Jewish-Zionist educator Mike Prashker and

Yachad’s Hannah Weisfeld. Former Conservative Middle East minister Alistair Burt sent a message of support for the protest, confirming he would have spoken at the event – which was also backed by former Tory Party CEO Sir Mick Davis – had he been in the UK.

In her speech Jewish Labour Movement parliamentary chair Hodge said: “This isn’t of issue of the left or right. It’s about the rule of law.

You cannot compromise on the rule of law.” The demo was protected by about 20 CST guards, along with a small unit of police o cers.

• Editorial comment, page 20

UK foreign secretary James Cleverly has said he urged his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts in talks last week to take steps to de-escalate and avoid a cycle of violence.

The minister told MPs that because of the UK’s very strong bilateral relationship with Israel he was able to raise issues such as settlement expansion and the demolition of Palestinian homes where “we disagree”.

But Cleverly came under

sustained pressure from MPs from all sides to intervene further in an attempt to stop the recent violence that has

led to the deaths of numerous Israelis and Palestinians.

Conservative MP Sir Desmond Swayne said that when he attempted to “raise issues” at a recent meeting , Israel’s deputy prime minister and chief negotiator “simply stormed out”.

Swayne added: “Does the time come when simply raising issues isn’t enough?”

Cleverly responded: “Well, it’s better than not raising them, I would suggest.”

Posters have appeared in north-west London calling for a Jewish News boycott over recent coverage of Israel.

A4 posters in Golders Green and Temple Fortune are headed ‘The anti-Israel Jewish News’ and criticise “sinister front-page headlines attacking the democratically elected government of Israel, giving credence to Israel’s enemies”.

Also criticised is Jewish

News’ coverage of the Huwara rampage, headlined ‘Pogrom’ (a quote from the IDF). The posters note: “One Palestinian was killed in a revenge attack for murdering two Jews,” and saying the headline was “an absolute disgrace and an a ront to real pogroms ”.

The poster ends by urging Jews not to support or advertise in Jewish News

Editor Richard Ferrer said:

“Jewish News reports Jewish

news. Did we like reporting on what happened at Huwara? Do we want to run reports about crackpots being prime movers in the Knesset? Of course not. But the IDF calling the attack on Huwara a “pogrom” should be front-page news in every Jewish newspaper. There is no sugar coating or rose tinting. There is just news.”

Jewish News sta were also this week subjected to abusive anonymous phone calls.

Beware cycle of violence, Cleverly urges both sides

‘BOYCOTT JEWISH NEWS’ CAMPAIGN OVER ISRAEL

Mike Prashker addresses the crowd In London. Inset: Saturday’s demo in Tel Aviv

One of the latest demos

Bibi in Berlin before his arrival in London

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to visit the UK for the first time since retaking o ce, according to Israeli media reports, writes Jotam Confino.

He is expected to meet Rishi Sunak, who said in December: “Next year I will visit Israel on what will be its 75th birthday and landmark year.”

The Israeli leader yesterday travelled to Berlin, where he met Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Netanyahu’s o ce issued a statement saying he would discuss “various diplomatic and security issues, especially Iran and developments in the region” with Scholz, and that he will “emphasise the need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons”.

In an interview with Jewish News, former Israeli ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharo said the relationship between the allies was “extremely close” when he represented Israel 2017 to 2022.

The former ambassador high-

lighted strong support Israel received from Germany during the 2021 Gaza war with Hamas, saying the level of bilateral relations was at the “highest” but that he was certain it would continue with the two new governments.

He also stressed that the relationship between Germany and Israel is one between the German and Israeli people and not “two

persons”, in a reference to the heads of governments.

“I have no doubt that there are concerns in these countries regarding what’s going on in Israel. President Steinmeier, who I know personally, is a great friend of Israel. But when he made his statement about how important democracy is and that changes should be done in a broad base, it’s something

JN TO HOST LIVNI AT JW3

Jewish News will co-host a talk with former Israeli minister and opposition leader Tzipi Livni later this month.

we should listen very carefully to,” Issacharo said. “It’s not every day the President of Germany says that. And I emphasise that this is a profound friend of Israel.”

Steinmeier made unprecedented remarks last week, saying Germany was “concerned about the planned restructuring of the rule of law – especially because we Germans always greatly admired the strong and vibrant rule of law in Israel. Precisely because we know how necessary this strong and vibrant rule of law is in the region.”

When foreign minister Eli Cohen visited Berlin last month, his counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, made similar remarks, saying: “We in Germany are firmly convinced that a strong democracy needs an independent judiciary that can also review majority decisions.”

The government’s judicial overhaul has overshadowed Netanyahu’s trips to France, Italy and now Germany and the UK, with protesters blocking the roads to the airport to try to prevent him leaving.

Organised by Choose Democracy in partnership with JW3 and Jewish News, the Q&A event will see Livni, who has held eight Israeli cabinet posts, discuss the unprecedented challenges currently facing the state.

Livni was elected to the Knesset in 1999 and held numerous ministerial and political positions including minister of foreign a airs and deputy prime minister, minister of justice and leader of the opposition. Following the 2009 elections Livni’s Kadima party won the most seats but could not form a government.

After her retirement from politics in 2019 she became a Fisher Family Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School.

 Tickets for the event (in person and online), which takes place on Thursday 30 March, are available at jw3.org.uk

Honour a loved one

Tzipi Livni is a former Israeli minister

Benjamin Netanyahu in Downing Street in 2019

UJIA: ‘Terrible strain’ on Israel-Diaspora relations

The United Jewish Israel Appeal charity (UJIA) has issued its first statement on the crisis in Israel sparked by Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, admitting a “terrible strain” has been placed both on the population of the Jewish state and among the wider diaspora.

A message sent to the organisation’s supporters and partners, signed by chair Louise Jacobs and chief executive Mandie Winston, also states: “UJIA has a responsibility to speak out, especially since so many young people in our community, who we seek to inspire with a love of Israel, are struggling with their relationship with Israel.”

The statement notes that the “terrible strain being placed both on the unity of Israel’s population and on Israel-Diaspora relations” has “serious consequences for our long-term work”.

Describing UJIA as representing the “bedrock of the British Jewish community’s support for the people of Israel for over 100 years”, the statement says the charity remains “committed” to the values that have always informed its work with the Jewish state.

But it notes: “We are concerned that recent proposals to weaken the independence of Israel’s judiciary together with actions and statements from members of the current Israeli government are undermining these values.”

It adds that UJIA believes it is both “pro Israel and an expression of modern Zionism” to show solidarity with Israelis who are concerned about the “erosion of democratic norms and the unprecedented rifts in society.”

Tellingly, the statement stresses how “proud”

PAINTINGS/ARTWORK

British Jews should be over their support and backing for the state of Israel. It adds: “We now call on those in positions of power in Israel to listen carefully and respectfully to the concerns of both Israeli citizens and diaspora communities for the sake of our collective Jewish future.”

BIBI WARNED BY INVESTORS

More than 250 US-based investors have sent a letter to Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning his government’s judicial overhaul will scare o future donors.

According to a letter published by Channel 12, the 255 signatories expressed their “deepest dismay” over the proposed changes to the country’s judicial system, stressing “a truly independent court system is essential to democracy as well as being crucial for minority and civil rights in Israel”.

The government’s plan to weaken and politicise the High Court of Justice has been met with fierce criticism by virtually all sectors of Israeli society, including high-tech companies, top economists, universities, legal scholars, teachers, and former IDF chiefs.

Former governors of the Bank of Israel have also issued dire warnings about the economic ramifications of the judicial reforms.

Karnit Flug and Jacob Frenkel, who both served the bank in that capacity, said in a joint op-ed article published in Yediot Ahronot the overhaul would “deal a severe blow to the economy and its citizens”.

Pro-Corbyn councillor quits post in ‘solidarity’

A left-wing Islington councillor has quit the Labour Party to sit as an independent in a show of “solidarity” with former leader Jeremy Corbyn, writes Lee Harpin.

Councillor Matt Nathan hopes his actions will spark a wave of further resignations in the north London borough, where Corbyn is MP for Islington North.

Cllr Nathan – who has long been one of Corbyn’s most staunch supporters in the borough – decided not to make any public announcement about his decision to quit Labour.

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Sources say Nathan told local Labour o cials he was resigning in response to Keir Starmer’s announcement last month that Corbyn will not stand for the party at the next general election.

Supporters of the former leader claim up to 10 Islington Labour councillors are also considering whether to resign.

One Jewish Labour source insisted: “No one is going to lose sleep over one fewer farleft acolyte who thinks what happens to Corbyn is more important than supporting a Labour council or helping elect Keir Starmer as prime minister.”

At a press conference held after the EHRC confirmed Labour was no longer in special measures over antisem-

itism last month, Starmer confirmed: “Let me be clear about this – Jeremy Corbyn will not stand for Labour at the next general election.”

To those opposing the changes he had made to the party, Starmer added: “If you don’t like the changes we have made, the door is open and you can leave.”

Jewish News understands several other councillors have vowed to copy Nathan’s actions, with the hope of lining up behind Corbyn if he chooses to fight the next general election.

He had also been the local representative of the Socialist campaign group of Labour councillors, and described himself on one Twitter bio as “Yorkshireman and socialist.”

But concerns have been raised about his social media conduct in the past. In tweets seen by Jewish News he appeared to call for the “bloody end” of the ruling class.

On the o cial Islington Borough Council website his newfound status as an independent councillor is confirmed.

Sources close to Corbyn have also told Jewish News that the former leader is “torn” between announcing he intends to fight the next general election against the Labour candidate, or accepting the advice from other colleagues to bring an up to his near 40 year-long parliamentary career.

UJIA chair Louise Jacobs addressing the charity’s annual dinner

Quit: Matt Nathan

Board hits back at peer’s attack

The president of the Board of Deputies has responded to accusations by Conservative peer Lord Polak that under her the organisation has been “hijacked as a vehicle to push a left-leaning agenda”, writes Lee Harpin.

Polak, president of the Conservative Friends of Israel group. attacked the Board in an article he wrote after it issued a statement questioning the legality of the government’s controversial illegal migration bill.

The statement issued by the Board, after Home Secretary Suella Braverman unveiled her plans raised “significant concerns” that the proposed legis-

lation could breach refugee and human rights laws – was “outside the scope” of the communal organisation.

Polak suggested the Board “stands above politics, intervening in the controversies of Westminster only in truly exceptional circumstances”.

He claimed: “Today, as a Conservative peer, I have observed a concerning trend that has become increasingly common, where the ideology of the Board appears to be influenced by leftleaning opinions.”

But responding to the Tory peer’s column, which was published in the Jewish Chronicle, the

Board’s president Marie van der Zyl writes in today’s Jewish News that the statements are “intended to promote the interests and values of the British Jewish community”. She added in reference to government policies around migration “We are a community which is descended from both refugees and economic migrants who came to this country, and which traditionally faced a hostile reception when they did so. That is a statement of fact.”

Addressing claims of left-wing bias, Van der Zyl added: “Should we count my attendance and speech at the CFI event at the Conservative Party conference last year?

Lineker ‘must still apologise’ for tweet

A former Conservative minister has called for Gary Lineker to apologise for comparing the government’s immigration policy to the language of 1930s Germany, writes Lee Harpin.

In a Commons debate on ministers’ role in upholding BBC impartiality, Andrew Percy, a vice-chair of the antisemitism all-party group, said: “As somebody who grew up surrounded by people who had their lives turned on their

head by the Nazi regime in Germany, I hope that the minister will comment on [Lineker’s] references [on Twitter] to 1930s Germany.”

Percy said Lineker could criticise the bill but should “apologise for comparing actions of the UK government with 1930s Germany.”

He also criticised Labour shadow culture minister Lucy Powell for telling MPs Lineker had been taken off air for tweeting something

“the government doesn’t like”. Lineker will be back on air this weekend after being suspended for his tweets criticising government policy.

• The daughter of a Jewish refugee from the Nazis has delivered a thank-you letter to Lineker’s home. Susie Courtalt, 75, said she was grateful to him for “speaking up for all the people who can’t voice an opinion”.

“Should we include what I said at the event the Board of Deputies co-hosted in November to celebrate the Abraham Accords, at which the Prime Minister spoke, where I acknowledged the Government’s record?”

The Jewish Chronicle reportedly refused to publish the Board president’s response, despite her requesting a right to reply.

Barrister Simon Myerson KC was among those to back the Board over their statement tweeting it had “expressed a legal concern that the bill breached our legal obligations.” He described Polak’s attack as “ill-judged.”

• Marie van der Zyl, page 23

Suella Braverman’s policy is under attack

Gary Lineker outside his home in Barnes

YOU ONLY LIVE

Communal leaders meet King Charles ahead of coronation

by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk @lmharpin

The Board of Deputies president has led a delegation of communal representatives to petition King Charles ahead of his coronation, describing it as a “tremendous privilege”.

Marie van der Zyl read an address in the name of the Board and the Anglo-Jewish Association, congratulating the king following his accession. “Each week our synagogues pray that the Almighty bless the entire royal family and that your majesty be delivered from all trouble and sorrow,” she said.

“We are grateful for this opportunity to recite the traditional Jewish blessing made upon being received by a monarch: ‘Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the World, who has given of His glory to flesh and blood.’”

Van der Zyl was accompanied by AngloJewish Association president Michael Newman as well as her fellow honorary o cers of the Board senior vice-president David Mendoza-Wolfson, vice-presidents Amanda Bowman and Edwin Shuker, treas-

urer Michael Zi and chief executive Michael Wegier.

Past presidents Jonathan Arkush, Vivian Wineman and Henry Grunwald were also present, with previous honorary o cers Sheila Gewolb and Stuart MacDonald.

The delegation also included dayan Ivan Binstock of the London Beth Din, rabbi Joseph Dweck of the S&P Sephardi community, rabbi Kathleen Middleton, co-chair of the Assembly for Reform Rabbis, and Sidney Sinitsky on behalf of the Charedi community.

The Board of Deputies and the AngloJewish Association are among several dozen institutions and corporations and the only two Jewish bodies which have the status of Privileged Bodies of the Crown, meaning they have the right to present an address to the

sovereign in person. The last such petition was in 2012 for the queen’s diamond jubilee.

Van der Zyl said: “It is a tremendous privilege to have been able to petition the King on

RUDE TWEET APOLOGY Man, 64, arrested

A 64-year-old Golders Green man has been arrested in connection with an investigation into alleged sexual o ence incidents, said to have taken place in the area in 2022.

The arrest follows the police being made aware of an interview featuring the suspect that emerged in December 2022. During this interview an unnamed woman, who appeared anonymously, alleged she had been the victim of non-recent sexual o ences.

The Board of Deputies has promptly apologised after a message on its ocial Twitter account described journalist Rachel Shabi as an “a**hole”.

The tweet, quickly deleted from the organisation’s account, followed Shabi’s comments on Holocaust education.

The Israeli-born journalist had responded to an article written by Karen Pollock of the Holocaust Educational Trust, amid the growing row over a tweet by Gary Lineker who had criticised the government’s immigration policy.

Pollock wrote: “However passionately we feel about important issues of the day, comparing those current

concerns with the unimaginable horrors of the Nazis is wrong.”

But Shabi disagreed, tweeting: “A key tenet of Holocaust education is never again, for anyone. The Holocaust is unique, but ‘never again’ is universal. Drawing out similarities and parallels is critical and part of the education.”

A tweet then appeared on the Board’s o cial page saying: “Rachel Shabi telling the head of the Holocaust Educational Trust that she’s plainly wrong about er, the Holocaust, is the definition of chutzpah. The shamelessness of this a**hole.”

After Shabi shared the tweet, and demanded an explanation, the

behalf of the community.” Michael Newman said: “It was a wonderfu opportunity to express how proud we are of the contributions Jews have made to British society.

Board wrote: “Late last night there was a tweet issued in error from the Board of Deputies’ Twitter account directed to @rachshabi. This tweet used inappropriate language, for which we unreservedly apologise. The tweet was immediately

removed. We have also reached out to apologise.”

Shabi tweeted: “Thanks for the apology. I’m concerned the person intending to post this on their personal account is responsible for your Twitter account. Can you take action?”

King Charles greets Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl. Inset: Marie with her MBE which she received this week, pictured with her proud mum

The rude tweet from the Board’s account that was swiftly deleted

‘Jews will feel uncomfortable hearing these painful stories’

be really hard and I found it really hard but doesn’t mean we shouldn’t.”

He says he gets, “that sense that like a beloved family member’s behaviour, they don’t want to talk about actions Israel takes. I don’t criticise Israel. Just even having the conversation feels like having a quiet whisper because its dangerous and we are rightly worried about giving succour to those who would conflate reasonable criticism with outright antisemitism and that malignant point of view. But we have to risk it.”

He knows “people will get uncomfortable, nay angry, and have different views. One person’s defence is another person’s terrorism.”

The first episode of a new BBC documentary series exploring the ways in which four families have been defined by events in Palestine and Israel aired on the BBC on Tuesday evening.

Co-presenter Rob Rinder says The Holy Land and Us: our untold stories, will be difficult viewing for many members of the community.

“A lot of people are angry activists but thoroughly uninformed,” he told Jewish News

Co-presented with Sarah Agha, the series follows the lives of four families of Jewish and Palestinian heritage and aims to get to the heart of what happened to people on both sides of the conflict as the Middle East was reshaped with the 1948 founding of the state of Israel.

Rinder says key to understanding where we

are today is to hear the stories from both sides. Sarah learns about the circumstances under which her family fled their village in Galilee in 1948, and Rob follow his relatives’ journey to escape the Holocaust and start a new life in the recently established state of Israel.

“I’ve made clear I’m a Zionist,” he tells Jewish News. “But that means many things to many different people as we’ve discovered in recent weeks. But at the same time we all have been aware, a dark shadow in our minds, that there is another story, another perspective, another experience. And there are those, that we know, amidst our communities, who find that story too uncomfortable to hear.”

Rinder says his mother didn’t want him to

TWICE

do the series “because she doesn’t want me to be disliked”. But, he continues, “at the same time we know as Jews that we are held, I think to a different standard and that doesn’t mean a double standard. It’s not about equivalency but it requires us to do the work of hearing the accounts and feelings of those who lost lands as the result of the creation of the State of Israel, which was the end of yearning and wandering of the Jewish peoples.”

He adds: “I wanted to make a programme to proudly present [a] Jewish, Zionist narrative in all of its truth, in terms of what it means to British Jews but at the same time of making the programme we can’t pretend that there isn’t another story. To hear those stories can

But, he continues: “It hasn’t changed my views on the State of Israel and its enduring importance in the world. I specifically do not mean about any issues going on today, but I have at least done the complex work of trying to understand those who lost their homes in the complex way of creating the state. They are real feelings. I’m not an idealist. I don’t think it will change minds. But it will enable people that have a strong antipathy to Israel to come away thinking this place is really complex.”

Rinder didn’t see the programme until it was completed. “I found it really hard to listen to a lot of it,” he says. “It made me uncomfortable and angry but to anyone watching it, that’s the point. But you shouldn’t feel scared, threatened or concerned about the State of Israel. It can endure hearing these stories. In fact it will be improved.”  The second part of The Holy Land And Us will be aired on BBC Two on Tuesday 21 March. Both episodes will be available on iPlayer

Every day UJIA is making a difference to the lives of young people. Both here in the UK and in Israel. This is made possible by the generosity of our many supporters who want the causes that are important to them in their lifetime to benefit all over again through a legacy.

To discuss how you can live twice by remembering UJIA in your will, call Elliot Shorrick on 020 7424 6416 or email Elliot.Shorrick@ujia.org

A documentary presented by Rob Rinder and Sarah Agha looks at how four families, of Jewish and Palestinian heritage, have been defined by events that led up to 1948, writes Michelle Rosenberg

Rob Rinder with historian Orli Bach. He says Jews need to ‘hear the accounts of those who lost lands as a result of the creation of the state’

A Palestinian father and son in episode one

News / Jewish Care / LGBTQ summit

Jewish Care has facilitated an emotional reunion between a terminally ill-patient and her daughter’s beloved horse, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Hayley Richardson was reunited with equine friend Sandy at the charity’s Betty and Asher Loftus centre in Friern Barnet.

Hayley’s daughter, 17-year-old Ruby, who is studying for her A-levels at Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ school and competes in show jumping, brought her horse to Jewish Care’s Stella & Harry Freedman House care home, where her mother is receiving palliative care.

The care team brought Hayley outside to meet them both.

Mary Rabbitte, care manager at the home, said: “This was a very special and emotional meeting. We realised that Hayley wouldn’t be able to get to Sandy, so we decided to bring Sandy to Hayley instead.”

Paula Plaskow, part of the team helping co-ordinate Hayley’s care, said: “I asked Hayley what matters most to her and she said, ‘Ruby and Sandy’. This visit brought her and Ruby immense joy and a gift of a memory that will be with Ruby forever. It’s not just about providing medical care at end of life, but addressing one’s total wellbeing. I’m so proud of the care team for making this happen.”

Grant Brown, care manager at Stella and Harry Freedman House, said: “I am delighted that we could facilitate this memorable moment for Hayley. It is warming to see all members of the team going above and beyond for our residents.”

Juliet Nordi, Hayley’s close friend, who was also involved in making it happen, added: “Jewish Care made a bit of magic for a special family.”

After the visit, Ruby said: “I’m so overwhelmed with the kindness and compassion shown by everyone at the home.

“Taking Sandy to see mum was a dream come true and I’m so grateful for how easy everyone made it to do such a nice thing that made all of our days that bit brighter.”

A summit connecting the Jewish LGBTQ community across the globe was staged in London this week, writes Joy Falk.

The Global Jewish LGBTQ partnership, a programme of the Jewish Agency for Israel, was hosted over three days last week, with the support of the Jewish Leadership Council.

The summit involved 24 participants from nine countries including Britain, the United States, Israel, Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil and Mexico. It involved Keshet UK, JW3, the Jewish Museum London, Jami Headroom Café and Masorti Judaism at New London Synagogue.

On Monday attendees heard from veteran British LGBTQ Jewish leader Jack Gilbert on sharing the experience of the LGBTQ Jewish community around the world.

JW3 chief executive Raymond Simonson shared the JW3 story on furthering inclusion of LGBTQ Jews. He spoke alongside social activist Vadim Blumin, of the Jewish Agency for Israel.

Shereen Hunte and Emma Crew of the Jewish Museum London led a tour of the museum and explored how the museum curates and celebrates the diversity of UK Jewish life.

Dalia Fleming and Robin Moss, chief executive and chair of KeshetUK, shared the story of Keshet UK’s formation and work towards delivering change within the UK Jewish community. They spoke about the groundbreaking guide coproduced with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.

On Tuesday, at Jami’s Headroom Café, the summit heard from the mental health charity’s CEO Laurie Rackind on how it incorporates LGBTQ experiences into its service provision, and later with JLC co-CEO Michelle Janes on

tackling tough conversations. New London Synagogue in St John’s Wood hosted the group for a reception with Jewish leaders.

On Wednesday, the final day of the summit, UJIA chief executive Mandie Winston facilitated a conversation on working and surviving in challenging cultural environments. Pnina Agenyahu, of the Jewish Agency for Israel, said: “Connecting Jews from around the world is one of The Jewish Agency’s core missions. In just three days, the Global Jewish LGBTQ partnership gathered for joint thinking and peerlearning based on shared values and goals of Jewish activists from the LGBTQ community.”

Dalia Fleming, executive director of KeshetUK, said: “It has been an honour to share the story of KeshetUK internationally, alongside the wonderful examples of what KeshetUK and the British Jewish community is doing to support our LGBT+ members.

Hayley’s touching reunion SUMMIT FOR LGBTQ JEWS WORLDWIDE WE PROTECT

“Being able to learn from Jewish LGBT+ people from around the world has been enlightening.”

Hayley Richardson, who is receiving palliative care, has a special moment with daughter Ruby’s horse as Ruby looks on

The group at New London Synagogue

Sal and the lost war diary

A proud son has published his late father’s wartime journal after it was lost for 80 years, writes Adam Decker.

Sal Muller, born in Antwerp to a Jewish Dutch family, escaped the Nazis on 10 May 1940 and came to England, where he kept a diary.

The volume, Aim for the Top, was finally published last month, with proceeds going to Kidney Cancer UK.

“We only recently discovered his wartime diary, which had lain unnoticed for 80 years,” said Muller’s son Geoffrey, speaking to Jewish News. “My youngest son was at my 94-year-old mother’s flat going through photos when he found it. She didn’t know what it was.

“They opened it up. Sure enough it’s my father’s wartime diary from 10 May 1940 to 15 August 1945, all written in Dutch. We didn’t know it existed, even though we’re a close family, so we had a Dutch relative translate it for us.

“Every day she would email over another page; it took about five months. It’s the story of a 15-year-old boy arriving in England, who can’t speak the language, and it’s an account of what happened during his war years.”

Sal left Holland when the Germans began bombing Belgium, especially

Antwerp, a major port city. “He was advised to leave,” said Geoffrey. “Had the Nazis captured him, he would have been killed because he was Jewish.”

He arrived by ship at Southampton then got the train to London where he was billeted. His first lodging was in a hotel in South Norwood, then Brixton.

Before long he had foster parents and a job, working for a pound a week in Covent Garden. He later joined the armed forces at the age of 18. His mother would join him in the UK towards the end of the war.

“The Royal Netherlands Air Force had one squadron (320) in the UK and he became an air-gunner, flying 25 mis-

sions on a Mitchell bomber as a rear gunner,” said Geoffrey.

“He wrote about all that but also about everyday stuff like going to watch a film or going to a dance. It’s a daily journal of five years, basically.”

Sal wrote about “that evil Mr Hitler”, said Geoffrey, but added his father likely would have been unaware of the Holocaust at the time.

“Sal’s dad died from a heart attack a year earlier. We lost 70 members of our family [in the Holocaust] but because my dad’s father was from South Africa, they had British passports.

“That saved not only his life but his mother’s and sister’s.”

Sal married London girl Fay in his early 20s and the pair lived in different areas of London before settling in Westcliff in Essex. He died in Israel in 1997 a the age of 72 while attending a bar mitzvah and was flown back to the UK, to be buried in Southend-on-Sea.

“They were members of the shul there, always helping out with charities, very generous,” said Geoffrey. “We’re hoping that a few people may buy the book as all the proceeds go to the kidney cancer charity. Plus, it’s just a really interesting story.”

WIZOUK host virtual tour of its Israel work

Life is a journey and WIZOUK took the community on one this week with an immersive exhibition in Kensington, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

“We can’t take all our supporters to Israel to see our projects, so we are bringing our projects to them here in the UK,” said chief executive Maureen Fisher, at the launch of the exhibit on Monday.

‘The Journey’ sees the spectacular interior of the Westminster synagogue uniquely transformed into a series of rooms, through which attendees follow the journey of ‘Dina’ and her family as she leaves her abusive husband.

She is taken in to a WIZO women’s shelter, and supported by WIZO’s Safety Net campaign when she is ready to leave it. There is support for her children and also for her husband. This multi-sensory experience gives us the opportunity to watch, listen, read and even try our hands at a creative activity as the phenomenal outreach work that WIZOUK does in Israel is brought to life.

“This is our main fun-

draiser, as part of our farreaching Women Leading the Way Campaign, which aims to shine a light on women and their valued contribution across every spectrum of society,” said Annabel Steltzer, chair of WIZOUK.

“Who better to do this than an organisation founded by women, driven by women and enabling women to believe in themselves to create a better future? The timing is spot on,

YOUR LEGACY

following International Women’s Day last week and Mother’s Day this weekend.”

The exhibition coincides with the launch of the 2023 Commitment Awards, a WIZOUK initiative that highlights remarkable people who use their skills, commitment and passion to improve the lives of others. Claude Littner, Sophie Eden, Andrew Bloch, Linda Plant and John Ware sit on the judging panel.

Protecting and securing the Jewish community in the UK against antisemitism is what we do. From the streets of London in the 1950s through to the hate-filled internet chatrooms of today, CST will leave no stone unturned in the fight against those who wish to do us harm. This is not something that we can do without your ongoing and long-term support.

A legacy to CST will ensure that our community is not only protected against the continuous threat of antisemitism but is also given the security necessary to flourish in the future. Contact us on 020 8457 3700 or email legacy@cst.org.uk.

Sal in his early 20s with London girl Fay on their wedding day

Sal Muller in the cover photograph of Aim for the Top

The launch of the exhibition this week

‘Survivors back memorial’

The “vast majority” of Shoah survivors agree with the building of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, Sir Ben Helfgott has said, writes Lee Harpin.

Responding to claims by crossbench peer Baroness Deech that “many survivors” were upset by the government’s commitment to build the memorial next to parliament in Westminster, the president of the 45 Aid Society admitted there was “no obligation” for all survivors to share identical opinions on all issues.

However, Helfgott added: “Having said that, the majority

of survivors in Britain came together as a 45 Aid Society and since 1963 have sought with our children and grandchildren to remember those who were lost and teach the history of the Holocaust and its lessons.

“Few are, of course, alive today but I know the vast majority agree with us that this UKHM should be built now as planned next to the Houses of Parliament. ”

45 Aid Society chair Angela Cohen added: “The 45 Aid Society Holocaust survivors, second generation and our members have consistently

welcomed and supported the cross-party plans for a UK Holocaust Memorial in a unique and important location next to the Houses of Parliament. ”

Last week, Jewish News revealed Deech, a long-time opponent of the memorial, had written that Rishi Sunak’s backing for a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre next to Parliament has been met with “the disappointment of many, not least within the Jewish community and Holocaust survivors”.

In an article for The House magazine, which is distributed

to MPs and other parliamentarians, Deech added there were “alternatives” to a memo-

rial next to parliament such as the Imperial War Museum or Richmond House.

Chief at Muslim conference

Representatives of the Jewish community were among those invited to the first European conference organised by one of the world’s largest Islamic NGOs at London’s Roundhouse in Camden.

Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, the Muslim World League represents Muslim communities around

the world and claims to “present true Islam and tolerant principles”.

Headlining was Dr Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, who in 2020 made history by becoming one of the most senior Muslim leaders ever to visit Auschwitz. At the time, Al-Issa said:

JWA celebration to mark Women’s Day

More than 150 guests attended Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA) celebrations for International Women’s Day at South Hampstead synagogue. ‘Raising Women’s Voices’ was the first event held with the organisation’s new chief executive, Alison Rosen in post. Among the highlights of the event was an address from veteran feminist broadcaster Jane Garvey, who tackled issues facing women that she has discussed during her 30-year on-air career.

Leo Baeck College open house event

“To be among children of Holocaust survivors and members of the Jewish and Islamic communities is a sacred duty and honour.”

Al-Issa’s address to the 200strong audience focused on the Charter of Makkah, a document signed by more than 1,200 Islamic scholars promoting diversity.

More than 60 people attended an open house event one of Britain’s pre-eminent institutions of Jewish scholarship and learning. Leo Baeck College (LBC) trains rabbis and educators for the progressive Jewish community both here and abroad. The day was designed to give members of Liberal, Masorti and Reform Judaism communities, and the public, a closer look at what LBC achieves and plans for the future. The event included tours of the college.

Viewers at the proposed Holocaust Memorial site

The Chief Rabbi meeting fellow delegates

COMING TO LONDON COMING TO LONDON

SUNDAY 26/03/23 AT THE "

E y a l R o s e n b o i m D a r r e n R i c h

H o m e I n I s r a e l - N e t a n y a ' s n o 1 o f f i c e

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I C R I s r a e l ' s l e a d i n g b u i l d e r w i t h a m a z i n g p r o j e c t s a l l o v e r I s r a e l

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Obituary / Chaim Topol: 1935-2023

To his life!

The Israeli stage and screen actor Chaim Topol, who died last week, aged 87, brought pride to his country through his long and successful career.

Though he starred in multiple shows throughout his career, it was the role of Tevye in the musical Fiddler on the Roof, first performed on London’s West End, which earned him most acclaim.

Topol performed the role more than 3,500 times on both stage and screen from the late 1960s until 2009.

His portrayal in the 1971 film adaptation earned him a Golden Globe and a best actor Oscar nomination, as well as a Tony nomination for the 1991 musical revival.

Topol was born in 1935 and grew up in a working-class area of Tel Aviv. Among his earliest film appearances was the lead role in the 1964 film Sallah Shabati by Ephraim Kishon. The play, later adapted for film, depicted the hardships of a Mizrachi Jewish immigrant family in Israel of the early 1960s.

The film was nominated for the Academy Award for best foreign language film and earned Topol the Golden Globe award for new star of the year.

In 1966, he made his first English-language screen appearance as Abou Ibn Kaqden in the big-budget Mickey Marcus biopic Cast a Giant Shadow.

It was then that he landed the role that

would shoot him to prominence, as the milkman Tevye in the stage show Fiddler on the Roof, at Her Majesty’s Theatre, in London. After scoring a major success on the West End stage, Topol later starred in the 1971 film version, which earned him his Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. Despite being on active service with the Israeli Army at the time, he was granted permission to attend the awards ceremonies.

The actor went on to take the leading role in the musical The Baker’s Wife, but was fired after eight months by director David Merrick for unprofessional behaviour. He later starred alongside other contemporary greats, including Brian Blessed in 1980’s Flash Gordon and Sir Roger Moore in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only in 1981.

In 1983, he reprised the role of Tevye in a London revival of Fiddler on the Roof, before going on to play the character during an American tour of the production.

In 1990, he again played the part in a Broadway revival of Fiddler, and was nominated in 1991 for a Tony Award for best performance by a leading actor in a musical, though he lost out to British actor Jonathan Pryce.

He played the part again in a 1994 London

revival, which became a touring production and saw him perform on stages around the world.

In 2005, he was voted the 90th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a public poll by Israeli news website Ynet to determine the 200 ‘greatest Israelis’.

In January 2009, Topol began a farewell tour of Fiddler on the Roof as Tevye, but was forced to withdraw owing to a shoulder injury. He made his last appearance as Tevye in Boston, Massachusetts in November 2009.

In addition to acting, Topol dedicated his time to charitable causes and founded Variety Israel – an organisation that provides support for children living with disabilities and their

families. He also served as the president of Jordan River Village, a free overnight camp for Israeli children living with chronic or lifethreatening illnesses.

In 2015, he was awarded the Israel Prize – the country’s most prestigious award – for lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the state.

In the days before his death, his son told Ynet that the actor had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease several years ago.

Omer Topol said his father was an “amazing actor who developed all kinds of tactics to cover up the problems that began to arise”.

Topol is survived by his wife, Galia, whom he married in 1965, their daughters, Anat and Ady, and their son, Omer.

Chaim Topol and (inset) as Tevye the milkman in Fiddler on the Roof

UNRWA teachers ‘glorify

Teachers and schools at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) have been found to encourage terrorism and antisemitism, according to a new report released by two watchdogs, writes Jotam Confino.

Gathering teaching material from grades 5-9 across 10 verified UNRWA schools, the report found 47 new cases of incitement by UNRWA staff, directly breaching the agency’s policies on racism, antisemitism and discrimination.

The report, by United Nations Watch and the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), also identified 133 UNRWA educa-

tors and staff promoting hate and violence on social media.

In March 2022 and September 2021, fifth-graders at UNRWA’s Al-Zaytun Elementary School in Gaza were taught to glorify Dalal Mughrabi, a terrorist who took part in the killing of 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, in 1978.

Classroom photos show Mughrabi as “the fighting leader” and a “hero”.

The report also highlighted several teachers’ disturbing behaviour online, including Nizar Khalil Abu Shaheen, a UNRWA West Bank educator who shared a post in June 2021 spreading antisemitic conspiracies about “wealthy Jews controlling the UAE”.

The post also quoted The International Jew by Henry Ford, claiming “the Jews prefer to lead the world from behind”.

IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff said: “With a budget of $1.6 billion, nearly 60 percent of which goes to education, and a staff of 30,000, the UN agency might be the most heavily funded educational undertaking in the history of international aid. And yet our report demonstrates how UNRWA has consistently breached its duty of care to the children attending its schools.

“UNRWA is obsessed by PR spin and fundraising, but disinterested in the extremism of its educational network. If it had wanted to stop the

hate-teaching, UNRWA would have done so years ago.”

The report is now due to be pre-

sented in the US Congress, which is considering new legislation to cut UNRWA funding.

Shoah school book removed ISRAELI IN MICHELIN GUIDE

A Holocaust-themed novel by bestselling author Jodi Picoult was among dozens of books removed from a South Florida school district library’s circulation last month, in the latest example of books with Jewish themes being swept up amid a larger conservative-led effort to police potentially inappropriate material in classrooms.

The Storyteller was removed at a high school in Martin County, Florida, after

a parental complaint and according to a list in local media was among several by Picoult taken off the shelves.

Other removed books by Jewish authors include Judy Blume’s coming-of-age novel Forever and Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, about a boy whose father was killed on 9/11.

Jerusalem-born Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani, increasingly well known in the UK for his take on all things pita with his two Miznon restaurants in Soho and Notting Hill, has landed in the Michelin Guide for the first time through the latest addition to his New York restaurant group, Shmoné.

Shani opened Miznon at Chelsea Market in New York in 2018, introducing locals to a new style of Mediterranean street food that eclipsed the usual falafel, hummus and shawarma offer-

ings. Customers lined up to devour his smashed potatoes, inventive pita creations and nowiconic whole roasted cauliflower heads.

Shmoné (which means eight in Hebrew after the restaurant’s address) opened last May and it is its fresh approach, including featuring a new menu daily, that has earned Shani his Michelin listing, a crucial step on the way to coveted star status. According to the guide, “this small, sleek space punches way above its weight with dazzling neo-Levantine cuisine”.

UNRWA Rimal Girls Preparatory School in Gaza City

Jodi Picoult and daughter

Summer Learning Camp

Jewish LGBT+ film starts crowdfunder

The team behind a short film about coming out in the Jewish community is seeking crowdfunding of just over £500 for post-production costs and film festival entry, writes Adam Decker.

Writer Josh Rose and director Emma Fine said the eight-minute piece, Sinnerman, has been filmed and edited and music composed, but still needs grading and marketing.

The film – the title is from the name of a Nina Simone song – features two young Jewish men upstairs in a house while their parents talk downstairs about which girls they will marry.

With neither man ‘out’, it emerges they have engaged in under-the-radar sexual activity over two years, but rather than have it happen again, as one man would like, the other challenges him on the true nature of their relationship and their own honesty in facing up to it.

“It’s a film about being gay within a religious environment and deciding whether to leave the community to accept themselves, or stay and hide their true feelings,” said Rose, 30, a first-

time filmmaker and one of two winners of the 2021 Other Brother Studios Film Fund.

The action takes place all in one room, interrupted only by a briefly inquiring mother. Rose added: “It’s an intense conversation between two young men who have reached an impasse in their relationship. It is also a coming-of-age story, as the men are at a point in their lives when they are figuring out who they are.”

Jewish Children’s Book Awards winners revealed

An Italian-Jewish artist and London-based author have won the 2023 Children’s book Awards illustration and writing prizes.

The competition, run by Green Bean Books and Jewish Book Week, honoured Romebased illustrator Mel Zohar for her work on a story about her grandparents’ magical challah which grows so big it feeds the whole town, even the poor and the homeless, for Shabbat.

London-based Dina Leifer won the writing prize for And Eddie Had An Egg, based on memories of her own son and his reluctance to try new food.

The winners each win £1000 and a glass trophy.

The awards were judged by author and chair of the PJ Library book selection committee Chris Barash; Green Bean Books publisher Michael Leventhal; Kinneret-ZmoraDvir publishing house children’s and YA (Young Adult) department director Yael Molchadsky; translator and author Lawrence Schimel; and awardwinning author Eric Kimmel.

Leventhal said: “Mel Zohar’s illustrations about an ever-growing challah are bright and exciting. Dina Leifer’s story is a charming, witty

and clever story about a boy who is a fussy eater but eventually gets one over his parents.”

Zohar, 32, from Rome, said the judges had made her “very happy”, not only for recognising her work but even more because the images came from her family background and “my personal bond with the Jewish tradition”.

Leifer, 56, said: “Winning this award has boosted my confidence to write more Jewish stories or children.”

Rebecca Marcus for Even the Masfa and Angela Kanter for On One Leg were shortlisted for the text award.

APT ROLE IN TACKLING DAHL ANTISEMITISM

Two organisations involved with preserving the works of children’s author Roald Dahl worked closely with a charity combating antisemitism on how to educate their audiences about his shameful anti-Jewish past, it has emerged.

Antisemitism Policy Trust chief executive Danny Stone MBE confirmed he has been working with the Roald Dahl Story Company and the Roald Dahl Museum providing “guidance and training” on tackling the scourge of anti-Jewish thought.

Stone said both the company and the museum engaged with APT over a period of several months in an “e ort to recognise the impact of Dahl’s words and the desire of sta to educate themselves on antisemitism, and to do more on tackling the issue.”

Dahl, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory among many other books, once said

in an interview: “There is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity, maybe it’s a kind of lack of generosity towards nonJews. I mean, there’s always a reason why antianything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason.”

Secret relationship: Filming Sinnerman

Roald Dahl with his wife and children

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Mae the best act win Eurovision

Jewish singer Mae Muller will represent the UK at the Eurovision song contest in May, writes Adam Decker.

The 25-year-old singer, who says she is “very proud” of her Jewish roots” will perform at the event with the track I Wrote A Song.

Muller, whose grandfather fled Nazi Europe when he was just 12 – “I always find myself trying to imagine how scared he must have been”, she says – was chosen by BBC bosses and global management company TaP Music, which has counted Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding among its clients.

TaP was behind selecting Sam Ryder as the UK entrant in last year’s Eurovision, where he changed the country’s fortunes and came second behind Ukraine.

Muller, who spoke out against antisemitic

rapper Wiley on Instagram last year, writing “F*** Wiley, I stand with all my Jewish friends and family”, was 19 when she wrote her first song, Close. It was produced by a family friend and “paid” for with wine in lieu of money.

Muller’s early musical influences included Prince and Sade, while Gwen Stefani, Florence Welch and Lily Allen have impacted her more recently.

Her releases have so far explored “dysfunctional relationships and inconvenient emotions with wit and verve”, according to her record label, Capitol.

She has worked in recent years with chart-

FBI releases data on hate

A new FBI report has found anti-Jewish incidents increased by nearly 20 percent in 2021 relative to 2020, but decreased relative to prior years.

The updated FBI statistics released this week counted 817 anti-Jewish criminal o ences reported by local law enforcement agencies in 2021, up from 683 in 2020 — a year when people largely stayed o the streets for a substantial period owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 2021 numbers, however, represent a 15 percent decline from 2019, when the FBI reported 963 hate crimes, as well as a slight decline from 2018, when FBI statistics show 847 hate crimes.

Overall, the report showed a total of more than 10,800 total hate crimes — the highest number in decades.

As in previous years, anti-Jewish incidents comprised the majority of the 1,590 hate crimes based on religion.

topping acts including girl group Little Mix, rapper Aitch and music producer and DJ Sigala, and her 2021 single Better Days, featuring Neiked and Polo G, peaked at number

‘WONDER

32 in the UK charts. Muller has 126,000 followers on Instagram and more than 6.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Eurovision takes place in Liverpool from 8 to 13 May.

WOMEN’ AWARDS

A Jewish mental health advocate has been honoured for her work by a community project in Bury dedicated to women’s empowerment and inclusion.

The B.A.M.E project (Believe, Achieve, Maintain, Exceed) held ‘Wonder Women’ awards to recognise women in the Manchester borough for their contributions towards the diverse community.

Mental health advocate Kate Lurie won the ‘Woman in Health & Medical sector’ award (one

of 10 categories) in recognition for the contribution she has made in the Jewish community as project manager for Jewish Action for Mental Health (JAMH). She was nominated by Susan Isaacs from JCFT (Jewish Community Foundation Trust).

The judging panel included deputy mayor Sandra Walmsley, Bury VFCA (volunteering and development support) chief executive Helen Tomlinson and Bury council chief executive Lynne Ridsdale.

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Mae’s warm Twitter exchange with Israel’s Eurovision entry, Noa Kirel

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NATURE

The of Israel

Originally from Manchester and now living in Tiberias, photographer Julian Alper gives Jewish News readers a seasonal sense of animal life in Israel.

THIS WEEK: Swallowtail

This is a swallowtail, Israel’s most beautiful butterfly. They flutter by in Israel for much of the year, though spring marks peak flight season. Butterflies open their wings to absorb heat from the sun as they can’t fly until their temperature reaches 30 degrees centigrade. So early in the morning is a good time to picture them. This photograph was taken early morning at Mount Arbel.

FOLLOW JULIAN ALPER: julian.alper.7 @alperjulian

From Arab Spring to an Israeli Awakening

Whichever side of the debate they fall, few Israelis dispute the country is witnessing its worst societal crisis.

Only 75-years-old, the state has bravely fought for its existence since its birth, surrounded by sworn enemies, some of whom have turned into friends over the years. It was, however, clear from the beginning that Israel would eventually face massive internal challenges due to the vastly different –often deeply contradictory – tribes making up the country.

Secular left-wing Zionists who founded the state slowly but surely became a minority, political speaking. The 1977 election of hardcore right-winger Menachem Begin was the first real sign that Israel had significantly changed.

Begin might have believed in a Greater Israel but he never questioned the importance of an independent judicial system that would protect human rights and stand independently from government.

One can dispute the success of the High Court in ensuring Israelis enjoy equal rights, but its importance has never been in doubt. Until today – and the threat it faces from the new coalition. Segments of Israeli society have long despised the High Court, seeing it as an obstacle to policies they wish to unilaterally impose.

What we are now seeing may not be an Israeli Spring but can be seen as an Israeli Awakening, propelled by secular Israelis, many of whom are inclined to vote for right-wing parties like Ysrael Beitenu and the National Unity Party.

That elite soldiers in the IDF reserve openly talk about refusing to serve is the biggest indicator yet of something very rotten. The IDF is the proud backbone of the state, an institution that never gets entangled in politics. Yet when soldiers put their lives on the line for a government run by bigots and buffoons, they need to know the High Court will be there to function as a rational gatekeeper. Rational. Remember that?

Former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy once said the biggest threat to Israel is from within. Events are proving him right.

THIS WEEKEND'S SHABBAT TIMES...

Shabbat comes in

Friday night 5.54pm

You should not have quoted IDF’s description of Huwara

Jewish News should hang its head in shame for the vile front page it saw fit to publish with the single word “pogrom” emblazoned across it. We can now expect even more hate towards Israel and Jews as a response to the events in Huwara. No one I know condones the people who attacked the town, but to repeat the canard of the IDF officer who used the word pogrom to describe the culmination of years of frustration at the ongoing, unprovoked, unreported terror attacks against Jews trying to live peacefully in places they have every right to be was outrageous. The IDF and successive governments have a lot to answer for in not protect-

Recent repugnant violent actions by a minority in the West Bank town of Hawara must be unequivocally condemned.

We live in a maelstrom that appears to be gathering momentum following each flag waving demonstration by a large section of the populace who are not happy with a government that was legitimately voted for.

There is an urgent need for wiser and cooler heads to prevail, although with this type of creature thin on the ground prospects therefore to resolve issues to everyone’s satisfaction is as likely as winning the lottery.

The drama being played out here is highly unpleasant for home consumption and the account of same being beamed around the world paints an even more disturbing picture.

What is abundantly clear all issues currently being debated and disputed require strong leadership that’s not beholding to certain minority vested interests.

ing citizens as they should. The callous murder of the two young brothers, just for being Jews, was the fuse that lit the tinderbox.

“Pogrom” was the name given to the murderous rampages perpetrated against helpless Jews in eastern Europe who had done nothing to provoke them, other than being Jews. In contrast, some of Huwara’s residents were well armed and the unprovoked murder of the brothers was a cause for public celebration.

I cannot adequately put into words the contempt our community holds for your newspaper.

D Rosenthhal, Hendon

Letter writer James Windsor makes a gallant attempt to defend the indefensible (2 March). In 15 previous years in power, Benjamin Netanyahu showed little appetite for reforming the Supreme Court. Only now, when he is in danger of being convicted and disqualified from office, does he seek to interfere with the Israeli judiciary.

tion is not that this Israeli government is right-wing, but that it contains a number of individuals who have been convicted of, or accused of, serious misdemeanours. It is that which motivates the government’s attack on the courts.

There is a lesson to be learned when governments interfere with the judicial appointments system.

Shabbat goes out Saturday night 6.57pm

Sedra: VayakhelPekudei + Hachodesh

This proud nation and all its people deserve better and unless compromise is the dish of the day we will unfortunately see ourselves moving ever faster towards an even more bleaker and dangerous future.

Stephen Vishnick, Tel Aviv

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Mr Windsor fails to mention that the Supreme Court recently had the temerity to disqualify an MK from a ministry after he had recently been convicted of an offence of dishonesty and as part of the sentence had promised to avoid being involved in politics. Presumably Mr Netanyahu and his mates would like him to serve in his government.

The reality of the situa-

The United States Supreme Court has lost its moral authority as a result of right-wing political interference.

If these reforms go through, no company trading with Israel will allow Israeli courts jurisdiction to try disputes, in case the dispute is put in front of a friend of someone in government.

Philip Levy, WC2A

THE JACOB FOUNDATION

Jewish News is owned by The Jacob Foundation, a registered UK charity promoting cohesion and common ground across the UK Jewish community and between British Jews and wider society. Jewish News promotes these aims by delivering dependable and balanced news reporting and analysis and celebrating the achievements of its vibrant and varied readership. Through the Jacob Foundation, Jewish News acts as a reliable and independent advocate for British Jews and a crucial communication vehicle for other communal charities.

Whatever your attitude to religion, it is impossible to read the recent Sunday Times’ piece, ‘Chasidic boys’ schools leave Jewish pupils barely able to read or write English’ (2 March), without deep dismay.

The insularity of ultra-Orthodox sects is not news, but the contents of the report on Chasidic-run establishments detail a state of affairs within them that no right-thinking Jew can possibly find acceptable.

The report shows how such establishments seek to fall outside categorisation as schools to bypass adherence to the requirements of the national curriculum and pursue a teaching agenda constructed

MEMORIES OF AL

JN ‘SMEARS CHAREDIM’

entirely around the preoccupations of ultra-Orthodoxy.

The report goes on to document pseudo-Dickensian conditions of squalor and danger.

In the context of other current religious fundamentalism, extremism and the re-emergence of the farright, there has never been a more important time for British Jewry, to demonstrate its responsibility to the society in which it belongs.

This selfish sect on the fringes of society must be made to see the potential for its behaviour to cause damage to the greater community and to clean up its act. Fast.

Naomi Price, By email

ISRAEL LINK WON’T BE SEVERED

I refer to the letters from Ann Cohen, under the heading, “Reforms are long overdue,” and Warren S Grossman, “Who cares?” (2 March). Israel is the homeland for all Jewish people, whether they live there, or not. Many Jews in the diaspora have close family there, and may themselves have lived there, or will do in the future. They may have served in her armed forces. Israel has a unique place in our hearts and minds – hence Jewish newspapers, like this one which regularly features Israel, are published, and widely read here.

What happens in Israel – the behaviour and policies of her government – impact Jews worldwide, and matters to many of us. Just because we are not living, or may never live, there doesn’t mean we don’t care –we sure do.

It may well be the case that we are not living in Israel – but Israel lives spiritually in many of us. I deplore any attempt (I’m not suggesting that these two letter writers are doing this) to drive a wedge between Jews in Israel and the diaspora.

J D Milaric, By email

It was sad to read Alfred Huberman (who flew a remarkable 38 bomber missions for the RAF) passed away just short of his 100th birthday (2 March). I am a voracious reader of everything connected to World War II as I was bombed and rocketed by the Luftwaffe between the ages of five and 11.

A few years ago I read a book concerning the activities of Bomber Command over Germany, of whose association Alfred was vice chairman. There is a photograph in the book of the scene over Berlin supposedly taken from the cockpit of a Lancaster by Alf himself. I took the book to a branch meeting and asked Alfred if he knew about it. He didn’t but was pleased to accept the book from me. He told me the photograph was not taken in the cockpit as he was a rear gunner. We shall not see his like again.

David Sherman Chairman, Finchley & HGS Branch of AJEX

ENEMY WITHIN

When the Jewish state is no more, having been replaced by another misogynistic, homophobic, theocratic Islamic terror entity and the Jews having been ethnically cleansed from the Middle East, we can thank Messrs Ferrer, Confino, Frazer and Harpin at Jewish News for their part in its downfall.

Colin Rossiter, WC2A

With predictable regularity, the same story is regurgitated in Jewish News, with the same image of a Charedi rabbi who is alleged to have misbehaved. This reinforces the negative stereotypes which the mostly reform readership of the newspaper has of Chareidim. It also plays into the hands of the far-right, doing their dirty work for them.

Jewish News sets out to smear the Charedi community but ends up actually praising it, in a backhanded way. The case in question is extremely rare. The only noteworthy crime here is that this person did what he allegedly did, being who he is.

In the secular Jewish world this behaviour is so commonplace it would not be newsworthy. The high moral standards and saintly acts of kindness in the Charedi community are ignored; it’s easier to dig up dirt. Ironically, for a paper obsessed with antisemitism, we only have to change goalposts a little and Jewish News would rank high up in this department.

Suzy Bennett, Edgware

TOPOL RAISED THE ROOF

The Jewish News’ article, ‘To Life’, reminded us all of the wide and varied achievements of the now late actor Chaim Topol. For so many of us, he will forever be Tevye, who he immortalised on stage and screen.

Topol accrued an admirable accolade of roles and achievements which brought pride and joy not only to Israel, but to the whole of the Jewish world.

One film role missing from the article was Topol’s role

as Michael, the lead Mossad agent, in The House on Garibaldi Street, the film about the Mossad’s capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann from Argentina in 1960. For me, as a young child, Topol and the rest of the cast brought to life a story which I’d heard my parents and grandparents speak about since as young as I can remember. Thank you Topol. You gave so much pride and joy to us all.

Steve Winston, By email

Why are Orthodox leaders silent on Israel’s direction?

Like most in galut (exile), I am reluctant to criticise Israel. I don’t live there, braving the risks, so I don’t want to ‘judge my fellow without standing in his place (Avot 2.4)” or give succour to Israel’s enemies. But a recent Jewish News poll shows this protective shield has broken down, as the new national-religious coalition government implements its programme. A majority now feel free to criticise Israel and support the unprecedented numbers of Israeli protesters.

The Jewish Leadership Council’s ex-chair has urged us to do so. So has as a new group, Choose Democracy, comprising largely non-Orthodox or pluralistic organisations. Although I have joined it, and attended last Sunday’s rally, these are not the voices I primarily want to hear.

As a kippa-wearing, tzitzit-out, shultwice-a-day, learn-a-little, TottenhamHotspur-supporting kind-of-guy, l want to hear our Orthodox leaders, and religious Zionist organisations, absent from

Sunday’s rally, speaking from an explicitly religious Zionist perspective. If there are good religious grounds for protesting the new coalition’s programme, one can engage with Israeli Religious Zionists supporting the coalition, to challenge the religious foundations of their support, and thus generate effective change.

Indeed there is Talmudic license to protest against a government which seems to forgive, even normalise, corruption, poor governance, incitement, discrimination, intolerance, hatred and division and plans to reform the rules of engagement, the law of return and the democratic norm of an independent judiciary restricting executive power.

The Gemara (Shabbat 54b) in the names of Rav, Rav Chanina, Rabbi Yochanan and Rav Chaviva says: ‘Anyone who can possibly protest (the incorrect conduct) of the people of his household, his town or even the whole world and does not– is punished for (the conduct) of his household, his town or even the whole world.’

Although Israelis are famous for not listening to what others think, with the minister for diaspora a airs telling the US ambassador to ‘mind his own business’, the Gemara concludes (Shabbat 55a) that, as noone knows for sure if they will be ignored, they should still protest!

And we have a wealth of biblical prohibitions, Talmudic teachings and halachic rulings calling into question much of the coalition’s programme.

Coalition supporters may advance their own halachic justifications for their actions. The chair of the Knesset Committee driving the judicial reforms is quoted saying he is essentially “’doing what the Holy-One, Blessed-be-He, wants.’

So for religious Zionists, this is a “Machloket LeShem HaShamayim‘ (argument for heaven’s sake) between hashkafot (world views), between an eschatological ‘end of days’ event-driven one and one where “personal, natural, moral sensibility” transcends other religious behaviors (Rav Abraham Kook, Orot HaKodesh 4e), ameliorating the excesses to which religion and nationalism are prone.

Make no mistake, Israeli religious Zionists are also protesting, founding a new organisation, Smol Emuni (the Faithful Left).

Last week, a Religious Zionist ex-minister, ‘devastated’ by the settlers’ pogrom in the Arab village of Huwara, where two Israelis were murdered, and by Finance Minister Smotrich’s call to “wipe out” Huwara, announced a demonstration in Givat Shmuel, the heartland of Religious Zionism.

That is the kind of Orthodox leadership

I am looking for. As I see it, there’s a Jewish religious case for protesting almost every part of the coalition’s programme.

Smotrich’s call to wipe out Huwara is about as Orthodox as eating pork, and very much worse.

Our own Chief Rabbi, citing the overarching concept that everyone’s created in God’s image, criticised coalition members’ homophobic abuse of the Knesset speaker by coalition members.

Two Shabbatot ago, I hear, an Orthodox London rabbi criticised the judicial reforms, citing the traditional triple separation of powers into ‘Priesthood’, ‘Kingship’ and ‘Torah’ (Avot 4.13).

The late Lord Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote that “God is (also) to be found in the public square, the structures of society: the market place, the corridors of power and the courts of law,” and that there should be ‘no dissociation of sensibilities’ between man meeting God and man meeting man (Covenant and Conversation, Mishpatim).

This seems remarkably close to the Hashkafah of Rav Kook. And in this choice between the two hashkafot on o er, I don’t see a fence to sit on. However, what do I know?

Rabbis and religious Zionist organisations, over to you...

DR SHELDON PAUL STONE

ADVISOR, STOP UYGHUR GENOCIDE CAMPAIGN

“It’s them, but years younger... a bit like your JDate profile picture!”

So where, m’lord, are these examples of left-wing bias?

MARIE VAN DER ZYL PRESIDENT, BOARD OF DEPUTIES

aving read the recent piece in the Jewish Chronicle by Conservative peer Lord Polak accusing the Board of Deputies of having been “hijacked as a vehicle to push a left-leaning agenda”, I wondered whether this was perhaps a late entry for a light-hearted Purim spiel.

I for one am interested to find out more about the apparent abundance of examples of the Board exhibiting left-wing bias in its public positions.

Should we count my attendance and speech at the CFI event at the Conservative Party conference last year? Should we include what I said at the event the Board co-hosted in November to celebrate the Abraham Accords, at which the prime minister spoke, where I acknowledged the government’s record?

Perhaps we should add our organisation’s public backing for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, which the

government, to its credit, is determined to move forward. Clearly these are prime examples of the Board being “hijacked as a vehicle to push a left-wing agenda.”

During the years when Jeremy Corbyn was leader of the Opposition, the Board was a constant voice calling out the anti-Jewish sentiment that had been allowed to flourish within the Labour Party. Our organisation was jointly responsible for holding a rally outside Parliament decrying the antisemitism that had infected that organisation.

Respectfully, I do not recall those criticising us now for a perceived failure to be “apolitical” expressing similar qualms then. I would argue an organisation that demonstrates it is willing to call out either the government or the official Opposition is in fact demonstrating a marked lack of political bias.

The truth is the Board’s statements are intended to promote the interests and values of the British Jewish community.

The proposed “Illegal Migrants Bill” seriously risks breaching human rights legislation. The cover of the bill itself

contains a statement from the home secretary in respect to the European Convention on Human Rights that “I am unable to make a statement that, in my view, the provisions of the Illegal Migration Bill are compatible with the convention rights.”

We are a community descended from refugees and economic migrants who came to this country and traditionally faced a hostile reception when they did so. That is a statement of fact.

The Board has been accused of having “invoke[d] the historically traumatic migrant experience of the Jewish people as

a means to press gang the whole community and its institutions into this partisan campaign”. I am not sure what “campaign” we are accused of running. We have expressed measured concerns, to which we hope the government will listen.

Rather than making ill-judged references to 1930s’ Germany, as one celebrity did this week, we can simply look back into our country’s past. We can consider the Aliens Act 1905, which, while introducing the concept of asylum, was intended as a measure to stem the flow of migrants, many of them Jewish, into this country.

We cannot ignore the past. In fact, we are commanded not to. The book of Devarim, ParshatEikev commands: “You shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

And as long as I am president of the Board of Deputies – and, I hope, after my term ends and for many years to come – the organisation will continue, when deemed necessary, to make its voice heard on issues of clear significance for our community, regardless of which party is in office.

❝ 020 8090 3455 or go to israelguidedog.org.uk

I

I

The new tradition of guilt by association

time around.”

Nearly 20 years ago I was privileged to interview Israeli actor Chaim Topol, known universally by his last name, whose death last week was marked by admiring obituaries.

Re-reading my interview, which took place in the Maida Vale flat which was his London base for years, I was struck again by what a lovely man he was: laughing and joking, and – astonishingly – apparently not minding when people began humming tunes from Fiddler on the Roof whenever he walked into a shop or restaurant.

To be associated, overwhelmingly, with one role for the majority of one’s acting life could be an albatross round a performer’s neck. But Topol told me: “Sure, it dominates my career but I can’t complain. The role is a joy to do, but it’s really hard work. I demand of myself the same energy and effort that I made when I did it first

At that point, Topol had been Tevye the Milkman, to all intents and purposes, from age 27 to, when we spoke, 68.

He would have been entitled to be sick of the sound of the “biddie-biddie-bum” chorus which accompanied the song If I Were A Rich Man , but Topol took it in his stride.

Besides, Topol was other things in addition to being Tevye.

An accomplished painter, he was also a highly successful director and film actor, founding the Haifa Municipal Theatre and even running the hugely popular comedy troupe, Hagashash Hahiver.

He was also deeply involved in the Jordan River Village project, a holiday village for Jewish and Arab children with incurable medical conditions.

In this regard, he partnered actor Paul Newman who had begun the Hole in the Wall villages in the States years previously.

Topol’s Jordan River Village became the first Israeli partner in the scheme.

When we spoke, Cherie Blair, wife of then-prime minister Tony Blair, was about to host a fund-raising reception at Downing Street for Topol’s children’s village.

I couldn’t help thinking how impossible such a situation would be today.

Not just the fact that there is no natural present-day successor to Topol in Israel, but the potential outcry if Akshata Murthy, Rishi Sunak’s wife, were to host a fundraising reception for an Israeli charity in Downing Street.

In many ways the narrative arc over the last 20 years has evolved from one of action to perception.

Today, it’s more a question of guilt by association, a “who’s been standing next to whom” in a photo, a pointing of fingers and comparisons.

Today, as we have all learned to our cost in the last week particularly, attitudes have hardened and Jews, as ever, find ourselves caught in the crossfire.

Those frothing at the mouth over allegations hurled at Gary Lineker over his

refugees Tweets have not found it hard to descend to “what-aboutery” and make ludicrous conspiracy theories of Zionist plots.

One tweet even said: “People have completely missed the point why Gary Lineker got suspended. He has been outspoken on many issues over the years and the BBC never said anything. But this time he got too close to questioning the uniqueness of the Holocaust.

“If you do that you are basically questioning Israel’s right to exist and its sense of impunity. And in the West you simply cannot do that.”

I’m just waiting for someone to put together the undeniable fact that Apprentice front-man Lord Sugar, well-known for expressing bullish political opinions, and BBC chair Richard Sharp, in the firing line for his role in securing an £800,000 loan for Boris Johnson, are both (whisper it) Jewish.

And then, naturally, it will be all our fault. What you might call “Tradition, tradition…”

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JENNI FRAZER

We would not work for this extremist Israeli government

BY 23 FORMER EMPLOYEES OF THE ISRAELI EMBASSY, LONDON

We are former employees of the Israeli Embassy in London. We include British, Israeli and dual citizens. We are former embassy speechwriters, press and public affairs officers, security officers, administrators and support staff. All of us are proud to have worked at the embassy helping to represent the interests of the State of Israel to British audiences.

Today, however, we could not in good conscience carry out the roles we were once proud to hold. Amid the crisis brought about by Israel’s extremist coalition, we do not believe the embassy is any longer a place where the interests of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel can effectively be represented. Indeed, if we worked there today then if we hadn’t already walked out

we would be strongly considering our positions.

Our work involved communicating difficult truths to the British public about the tough choices a democratic state must take to defend its citizens from terror, and communicating positive facts about Israel as a vibrant, thriving, liberal democracy in stark contrast to the slanders of Israel’s enemies.

Sadly, under this government, embassy staff are no longer part of an effort to tell difficult truths on behalf of a liberal democracy, but part of an effort to whitewash Israel’s first government with explicitly anti-democratic intentions. The roles we used to perform, therefore, are no longer credible.

You cannot credibly warn of the dangers of extremism when Israel’s finance minister responds to murderous mob violence against the village of Huwara by calling for the ethnic cleansing of that village by the IDF.

You cannot credibly warn of the threat of terror which Israeli citizens tragically face daily while working for a government whose national security minister has multiple convictions for violence and incitement to terror, but who has the

audacity to call peaceful Israeli demonstrators “terrorists”.

Many arguments we used to make leaned heavily, and sincerely so, on the kinship of shared values between liberal democracies.

But you cannot credibly strengthen the relationship between Israel and Britain on the basis of solidarity between democratic states while working for this government.

A government that seeks to move Israel out of the camp of liberal democracies. A government that by pushing through “Judicial reforms” would remove all the civil rights protections enjoyed by Israel’s citizens, trampling the values of Israel’s Declaration of Independence.

It cannot be ‘business as usual’ and we urge those working at the embassy today – both diplomats and staff – not to stand by while a cynical, extremist government threatens the very soul of the State of Israel.

We could not in good conscience have done our jobs for a government that is betraying the Zionist vision of a Jewish and democratic state and imperilling its future.

No doubt current members of staff at the

Embassy are considering their positions.

They should be.

To our successors there, we urge you at the very least to stand in solidarity with the Israeli public. Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets in recent weeks, flying Israeli flags and singing Hatikva while demanding that their government cease its attempt to establish an illiberal regime.

They have done so not as political partisans, not as part of this camp or other, but as patriotic Israelis who love their country and cherish its democracy. In the face of an unprecedented crisis we hope that you will not stand by, but do the same.

 Orly Amedy Burgess, Itai Bar, Vered Berkovi, Erez Cabili, Lior Ganon, Paul Gross, Ma’ayan Israeli, Shiri Kraus, David Krikler, Natalie Lee, Lior Lev-Ari, Rakefet Malleron, Andrew Morris, Dr Or (Ori) Rabinowitz, Lee Scharfstein, Amos Selinger, Daniel Shafir, Chen Schwartz, Daniel Silverstein, Robin Taylor, Guy Tovi, Yasmin Zlotogorski, Yoni Zlotogorski

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Three Counties Liberal Jewish Community

Mill Hill East synagogue

Camp Simcha got into the festive spirit

Sacks Morashapupils

Jewish Care Purim at Nancy Reubens Primary School

Youngsters at Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City synagogue

Wohl Ilford Jewish

Community / Scene & Be Seen

Ohel David Synagogue

Bayis Sheli

Aish and Moshe House

Purim at JLiving

Kingston Liberal Synagogue

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Photo by Claire Jonas Photography

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A look

Where every day is Mother’s Day Charedi startups

Don’t Send in the Clowns

Debbie Collins meets the artistic director of a highly unusual

The circus is coming to town, but don’t expect clowns and jugglers; it’s not that kind of circus.

Based in Brisbane, Circa Contemporary Circus was established in 2004 and is one of the world’s leading performance companies, with multi-skilled circus artists performing regularly at leading festivals and venues globally. It blurs the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus. Its ringmaster is the visionary Yaron Lifschitz, artistic director and CEO.

Born in Cape Town, Yaron’s father was headmaster of a Jewish Day School. “My grandparents were of Russian-Polish-Lithuanian origin and the dominant person in our family’s life was my maternal grandfather, who studied at yeshiva from a very young age,” he tells me. In 1980, the family resettled in Sydney, Australia, where Yaron’s father founded a high school. “The school was literally built around us, so we got to make stu up, which was terrific. A couple of years from finishing high school, four of us were working on a play in English class and with only three roles available, I o ered to stand out and be director. At the time, I didn’t even know what that meant.”

Yaron went on to direct plays throughout university, while studying English, history and maths. Intern stints at major theatre companies followed, leading to a graduate directing scheme and by 1999, the call came and Yaron moved to Brisbane for Circa. Always aware and curious of his surroundings, he noticed a significantly smaller Jewish presence than in Sydney and I asked how he identifies as a Jew today living and working in Brisbane, his name a huge giveaway to his roots. “There’s a fabulous quote

from a favourite author of mine, Edmond Jabès, who describes the Jews as ‘a god-haunted people’ and I guess it’s how I see myself. I feel like I belong, but I’m definitely not observant. For me, it’s always a mixture of a wider social consciousness along with a Jewish consciousness.”

The current tour is under way, involving many spinning plates for Yaron, who is father to a 21-year-old, a two-year-old and the latest addition, a four-week-old. Add in three-year-old golden retriever Goldberg (named after a Jewish pro wrestler) and that’s a lot of family life to juggle right there while respecting a work/life balance. “I spend about half the year on the road, but don’t tend to do the bulk of touring any more. I leave that to my associate directors, but we have contact daily. I’ll definitely be in London, though, where I’ll hopefully get a little bit of downtime, see some friends. When running a company, major downtime doesn’t exist, as I’m active in two or three di erent times zones. But I’m fortunate that I get to work with such a passionate bunch of people – it makes it pretty easy to wake up, go to sleep and get interrupted in between those two things. ”

With such an intense schedule, does it feel like a ‘work family’? “I actually don’t like the idea of a ‘family’ because that’s something you can’t leave. But you can leave Circa. I don’t want to create an environment where people have to ‘drink the Kool-Aid to get on board’ – I just want good, committed people to show up and do a great job.”

Many are original cast members from the previous success, Humans (2017), centred on performing acrobatics whilst retaining ‘humanness’. By going back to the core, adding more choreography, music and lighting, Humans 2.0 reveals more humour and more beauty, pushing bodies to the extreme.

With such intense physical work, surely the cast age out? “When I started at Circa, people left every year or two, but some of the cast have been on board for 10-12 years. The group is mid-20s to early 30s but they don’t necessarily

circus coming to London next month

age out – the smart ones can adjust and modify what they do to continue on.”

Yaron’s enthusiasm for Humans 2.0 is clear. “I find plays boring but I like sitting in a room full of people all holding their breath. I want audiences to be thrilled. Moved. Connected. At the end of a show there’s often a palpable gasp or roar.”

However, with human performance often comes human error, so does that a ect the show’s flow? “Perfection is the least interesting thing we can achieve. Some of our worst-technically performed shows have been our strongest. The show is like a date with the audience – some go well, some go badly, but it’ll be enjoyable no matter what.”

With lots more in the pipeline for Circa, is there a concern that at some point, audiences will have ‘seen it all’? “We just had a training block and discovered that we had to hold things back because it’s the start of something new that we want to save for something down the track. The team are always discovering new techniques and skills.”

With all of this exceptional talent surrounding him, you’d think Yaron had picked up a trick or two. “I don’t have any great physical abilities. My party trick is being distinctly ordinary. It’s not a choice. It’s just me.”

Humans 2.0 promises to be anything but ordinary.

▶ Humans 2.0 is at the Southbank Centre 12-16 April www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Humans 2.0 has audiences holding their breath

Yaron Lifschitz’s dad founded a high school

Stackable and airborne: the show is ‘like a date with the audience’, says Yaron

Mother’s Day?” my Jewish mother scoffs when hearing about the latest article I’ve writing. “Mother’s Day is every day when you’re Jewish!”

She wags her finger in mock outrage. She’s right (as usual).

Mothering Sunday, as it’s officially known, is a Christian festival that falls every year on the fourth day of Lent, the Christian period of fasting that leads up to Easter. However, respecting your mother and father is one of the Ten Commandments, so my mother’s observations make perfect sense.

I still can’t help musing that for Jewish mothers, guilt-tripping their children is the 11th commandment. Dan Greenburg, author of the 1964 comedic bestseller How to be a Jewish Mother: a very lovely training manual, clearly agrees with me, as he has dedicated an entire chapter to this art form. He assesses that “underlying all techniques of Jewish motherhood is the ability to plant, cultivate and harvest guilt. Control guilt and you control the child.”

Part of the manual’s charm is the use of diagrams to illustrate points made.

A favourite of mine under the heading ‘The Jewish mother’s guide to food distribu-

tion’ illustrates the correct interpretation of the phrase ‘sliver of food’. A sliver as defined by Greenburg is “any portion of food smaller than a breadbox”.

Greenburg further notes that “just as Mother Nature abhors a vacuum, the Jewish mother abhors an empty mouth. It shall therefore be your purpose as a Jewish mother to fill every mouth you can reach with nourishing food.”

“So true!” I laugh uproariously on a video call with one of my best friends, Patricia, as we reminisce about a trip to her Persian parents in Great Neck, New York, some years ago.

Her mother, a skinny, glamorous woman with a perfect blow-dry, piled our plates high with tahdig (Persian rice) and khoresh (Persian stew), beaming proudly as we enthusiastically scoffed it. I ate and ate, but apparently two portions is the very minimum a Persian Jewish mother expects, because when I hugged her goodbye, and thanked her for the meal, she exclaimed: “Thank me for what? You eat nothing!”

Greenburg tells Jewish mothers that “between meals, follow guests about the house with trays of fruit, nuts, candies, cookies, cakes and sour pickles. Eating should never be restricted to the dining table, particularly if there is some question

of health involved.”

“Have you been reading this book, Mum?” I inquire, showing her the page while munching through a large plate of assorted fruit she’s just brought me.

“I’m just worried that you’ve not been eating enough fruit,” she says. “It’s important, to be able to go to the bathroom properly you know.”

It seems absolutely nothing changes when it comes to the traditional Jewish mother regardless of where they reside.

Libby Amber Walker, native New Yorker and content creator, who has 50.5k Tiktok followers, has been dubbed ‘The Modern Mrs Maisel’ and is known for her hilarious portrayal of character Sheryl Cohen (everyone’s go-to Jewish mum). With Libby’s own mother occasionally making a cameo in her Tiktoks, she touches upon everyday Jewish mother-daughter experiences, covering topics such as shopping, going to restaurants together and finding a nice Jewish boy for her to marry via LinkedIn.

My own mother prefers going via word of mouth (so far unsuccessfully).

I was raised in Stamford Hill, the square

mile of Jewish motherhood, and a Shabbat spent there reveals that for these mothers, every day really is Mother’s Day.

Raizy, 48, was married at 19 and is a mother of 12. Her house is packed to the gunnels, much like the dining room table, which groans under an array of leftover salads, kugel, schnitzel and half a challah, waiting to be consumed for seudah shlishit (the third meal). Raizy tells me that any leftovers are eaten on Sunday. I comment on how tasty and crispy the schnitzels are. “That’s cos I bash them and make them flat” shouts her four-year-old son Shloimy.

“Another secret is adding lemon to the egg mixture,” Raizy confides. She generously rattles off the recipe. Raizy and other mums in the area could teach Dan Greenburg a thing or two about being a Jewish mother.

Offering me some still-warm kugel (thanks to the Shabbat hotplate), she informs me that “Thursday is kugel-making time and the older girls help me with the peeling etc”.

The girls in question are her four teenage daughters, close in age, all sitting round the Shabbat table as we chat. They remind me of the characters in Little Women, especially Bella, 18, who, like Amy in the novel, loves the finer things in life, always does her hair stylishly and buys her outfits from local boutiques.

It’s busy and hectic already, but the noise ramps up when eldest daughter Chaya, 22,

Women in the Stamford Hill community often give birth at the same time as their daughters. Right: Naomi Frankel with her mum

Naomi Frankel speaks to Orthodox Jewish women for whom Mother’s Day is just another (very busy) day

Every day is Mother’s Day in Stamford Hill

Jewish mums always have plenty to chat about

arrives with her husband and kleine (little) baby. Chaya and Raizy, who look more like sisters than mother and daughter, reveal that it’s quite common for mothers in the Stamford Hill community to have babies at the same time as their daughters.

Their neighbour, Peshy, 39, confirms this, telling me that she and her 19-yearold daughter were recently in hospital at the same time giving birth, and then recuperated together at Beis Brucha, an Orthodox mother-andbaby home.

“It’s a mechaya [marvel] there,” she gushes.

“Amazing gourmet meals and a night nurse to make sure you get a good night’s sleep!”

Peshy says she’s heard of Mother’s Day “but we have nothing to do with it as it’s a

non-Jewish holiday”. I question whether she thinks hardworking heimishe mothers in particular deserve a day just for them but incredibly, she dismisses this. “Why should we? It’s our ta id [purpose] and it’s a joy to run a home.”

“But what about presents?” I press. “Presents, shmesents,” she retorts. “The biggest present is that the kinderlach [children] are good, that they behave well and bring me nachas.”

I ask Peshy whether she thinks that girls in the community are equipped to become mothers at such a young age. “Sure! We learn on the job! And we have lots of experience from helping in our own homes so we’re all very capable,” she announces proudly.

“Do you still work when you’re married with kids?” I ask.

“That depends,” says Peshy. “Often, when

the children are very little there’s no time and when they’re older you’re busy trying to marry them o !” Indeed, one of Peshy’s daughters has just got engaged, to a boy she met that same day for an hour and a half.

Perhaps this daughter will soon be a fledgling Jewish mother for a Mother’s Day that is every day for this hectic, heart-warming community.

 How to be A Jewish Mother: a very lovely training manual is available from wordery.com for £21.99 or can be downloaded for free at scrib.com

Rather than expecting gi s, strictly Orthodox mums just want their kids to bring them nachas

Libby Amber Walker

Hollywood may still be in the post-Oscar glow – but not everyone got an award. As Mother’s Day USA isn’t until May, now feels like a great time to celebrate Tinseltown’s Jewish mums and their famous offspring

Barbra Streisand (right) with mother Diana and half-sister Roslyn

Goldie Hawn with daughter Kate Hudson

Lilly Collins and mum Jill Tavelman

A young Daniel Radcli e with mum Marcia Gresham

Drake with his mum Sandi

Bette Midler and daughter Sophie Von Haselberg

Lisa Bonet with daughter Zoe Kravitz

Kyra Sedgwick with mum Sosie Bacon

Business / Charedi innovators

The creators of a company that uses technology to help those who stammer, of another that predicts traffic jams, and a mother of seven who set up a personal branding platform are among Israel Charedi entrepreneurs heading to London next week to pitch their startup ideas to investors.

Twenty-one promising startups from Israel’s strictly-Orthodox community will

With

THE HIGH-TECH CHAREDIS

take part in a showcase at Mortimer House. They belong to the technology ‘scalerator’ BizLabs, designed to advance and scale startups from the strictly Orthodox sector.

BizLabs was launched by the Achim Global organisation and Kemach Foundation and provides full services with zero equity taken.

Founded in 2015, BizLabs is now on its sixth cohort of startups, which are approaching the end of a six-month support programme in Israel that includes access to multinational corporations, workshops and an investor forum.

The first cohort came to London in 2019 and, after a two-year break due to the pandemic, current fledglings and graduates will be in London hoping to impress about 50 investors.

Achim Global founder Motti Eichler said: “In 2030, there will be close to two million people in the Charedi community in Israel and we need to find a solution to help them integrate in Israel’s economic society, while respecting their halachic and cultural needs and values. Our mission is to help talented

Charedi men and women to succeed, giving them the same opportunities that others have but in line with the cultural norms and halachic rules that they keep to.”

Among those pitching are Cygnus, Novotalk, About.Me and MikvaTech.

NOVOTALK

Founded in 2019, Novotalk provides a 24/7 speech therapy service to help those with speech disorders, based on a real-life training platform. The Novotalk system eliminates the obstacle of clinician availability: users can sign up and undergo therapy whenever they want. It takes users through the learning and training process, while allowing a cost-effective tool for the supervising clinical team to gain insights into each patient. Novotalk is sold in Israel through a collaboration with Hadassah Medical Center and has a joint venture agreement with Mount Sinai Health System in New York.

The team leaders are Avraham Sheinfeld (proprietor & CEO Israel) and Zohar Beeri (CEO and global technology and business development).

Sheinfeld says: “There are many challenges facing ultra-Orthodox entrepreneurs, starting with understanding the required product and the language of the market, development methods, exposure to investors, and much more. Bizlabs knew how to bring in a unique approach – a solution to the variety of challenges in the form of kashrut, a quality network, and connecting personal mentors as needed.

“From the BizLabs journey in London we expect exposure to quality audiences, and of course collaborations.” novotalk.co.il

CYGNUS

Cygnus is the brainchild of Hillel Paley (CEO and co-founder), Yishai Boasson (vice-president, product) and Dvir Nahary (vice-president, engineering), launched last year to solve

the problem of traffic congestion. The team are developing the next generation of Variable Speed Limit Systems (VSL) using computer vision and AI to predict traffic jams before they occur in real-time. The Cygnus platform connects to traffic control centres, manages VSL systems, and optimises traffic flow, significantly reducing congestion, carbon emissions and road accidents. It is headquartered in Jerusalem.

Paley says: “Two years ago when I was 20 years old, while studying at an ultra-Orthodox yeshiva in Jerusalem, I had a vision for a transportation tech venture. I realised that to bring my vision to life, I needed to step out of my comfort zone and acquire academic and startup entrepreneurial skills.

“Fortunately, BizLabs recognized the potential of what was only an idea back then, and accepted me into their program. Since then, thanks to them, my team and I have made tremendous progress, and I will always be grateful to them for being the first to believe in me.” Paley says it’s difficult for Charedi entrepreneurs to scale their startups. “Have you come across any successful ultraOrthodox startups in the world? I haven’t found any yet... we hope to break this ceiling glass and pave the way for others to follow.”

He adds: “There are three big challenges: experience, knowledge and networks. An Israeli guy who graduated from the IDF’s intelligence service possess significant technological experience, entrepreneurial knowledge, and networks in the startup ecosystem. A Charedi guy has nothing – no experience, no knowledge and no connections – he has to bridge everything completely on his own. It’s very difficult, but not impossible.” Cygnus is now looking to expand its network of contacts within the UK’s incredible mobility market. www.cygnus-traffic.com

ABOUT.ME

Founded last year by advertising expert and

Israeli companies will pitch to investors with ideas including speech therapy services, traffic jam prediction and personal branding, says Candice Krieger

mother of seven Ruchama Kahaneman, about. me is a personal branding platform that enables users to create a professional online presence. Users can showcase their skills, experience and personality, and connect with new professional opportunities via the platform. The platform will be an archive that will preserve personal and public relations for the long term and create a uniform method for sharing and presenting them, making it an all-in-one solution for personal branding and online exposure.

Kahaneman says: “About.me was born from my work desk. As the owner and manager of advertising and public relations offices for 20 years, I realised that the significant work we do for our clients in communication receives one-time exposure and quickly fades away. Excellent articles and in-depth interviews are not reused and their professional effect is not utilised, as there is no easy and smart way to keep and present them well after their initial publication.”

She says: “Being a businesswoman managing multiple hats in parallel and being a mother of seven children, means getting up every morning to a complex project, full of challenges and interest, that requires creative thinking and dealing with crises often, so I came to the world of entrepreneurship with a matching arsenal of skills and experience.”

BizLabs, as Kahaneman tells the story, provided “a warm incubator for me that

enabled professional growth and provided me with maximum tools and information that could assist me in any way possible. I hope to expand my network and form collaborations with key people in London who can appreciate the unique abilities of about.me.” www.about.me

MIKVATECH

Founded in 2019, MikvaTech is credited as being the only tech company of its kind in the world. Developed in conjunction with the Israeli government, MikvaTech’s advanced oxidation technology kills bacteria and viruses (including the coronavirus) and destroys toxic chlorine/ bromine by-products in mikveh waters.

Among its achievements, MikvaTech services the mikvaot of the largest municipalities in Israel and hundreds of others worldwide, including in the UK.

Jerusalem based co-founder Jonathan Heller says: “Originally our oxidation disinfection process was developed for swimming pools but it was a very tough market and when Covid hit we were referred to BizLabs for guidance. We went to their course and ended up pivoting to mikvehs and rebranding.”

He adds: “There aren’t the same support networks for Charedi entrepreneurs as there are for other entrepreneurs. It can be extremely difficult and what BizLabs offers is unique.

“Within the Charedi community, ‘hi-tech’

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is seen as a bit of a weird term, whereas if you said it in Tel Aviv, you’d be the coolest kid on the block.” Heller says pitching to investors at the London roadshow is “the next logical step” on his journey.

www.mikvatech.com

www.bizmax.co.il/bizlabs

WHO ELSE IS PITCHING?

Other companies at next week’s event include BabyTech, ShanenLi, Read Twogether. MediMe, Leema, CyWat, Frenzup, GD Stride, Conext, MindCartAI, Dooio, Same Side, LeadClient, iReadable, SnapiT, Massdom and Skipper

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Jonathan Heller of MikvaTech, which uses oxidation technology to kill bacteria and viruses

In our

By contributing

It seems as if every weekend, another cause demands our attention and asks for our generosity. Our community is blessed with many charities, each supporting a worthy cause. We wonder how many campaigns can be successful, and yet our community continues to show its generosity. Only weeks ago I led such a campaign, raising much-needed funds for Jewish education, and again our community showed its support and commitment. This week’s sedra describes the first massgiving project. We learn that each person contributed something di erent to the construc-

tion of the Mishkan (tabernacle): “Take from among you gifts to God, everyone whose heart is so moved shall bring them – gifts for God: gold, silver, and copper,” (Exodus 35:5) and importantly that they were moved to give so generously that Moshe had to tell them to stop. “The people brought more than is needed” (Exodus 36:5). The word for ‘they brought’ is used seven times. There was certainly no concern that they would fall short of their target. Why was this so, and what can it teach us to ensure we continue to respond with such enthusiasm to calls on our resources in support of communal needs?

The opening words: “Vayakhel kol adat Bnei Yisrael” (and he gathered the whole people of Israel), from the same root as kehilla – community, echo an earlier episode and give us an insight into what was at stake in the Mishkan project. In last week’s sedra, the people gathered to build the golden calf, with the words: “Vayikahel ha’am al Aron,” (the people were gathered to Aron). In that case, the gathering was of an

unruly mob. God had already taught Moses the way to work together in communal service and that was the Mishkan project. Moses understood that he now had to harness the people’s energy for this common purpose. He led them with clarity of vision and enabled them to build something together. The mirroring of these episodes indicates that the Mishkan provided a tikkun (repair) for people’s earlier failings.

As Rabbi Sacks described in his 2007 book The Home We Build Together, by contributing to the project they became part of a shared destiny. They had a stake; they became partners. In our post-Covid times we remain anxious that people are more atomised, less communally-minded. And yet we learn the timeless message that when people are led towards a sense of purpose that is meaningful to them, they will go above and beyond to contribute towards it.

significance. It signifies both the passion fuelling the people’s contributions and the mistaken zeal that must be redirected towards God’s instructions. Where we have a holy cause, we can create great things together in the right way, making space for God to sanctify our combined creation as we sanctify His every Shabbat.

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Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI CHARLEY BAGINSKY CEO OF LIBERAL JUDAISM

interfering by trying to give Esau’s birthright to Jacob. But today her actions stand as a commentary on inheritance and rights.

As we approach Mother’s Day, I think of the four matriarchs in our Jewish tradition – Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah – and what we can learn from them. In the Torah itself, they are all defined by their motherhood. However, when we see them in action it is often as disruptors.

So while Sarah’s story revolves around her want for a child and a miracle pregnancy at the age of 90, it is her death – immediately after Abraham attempts to sacrifice their son Isaac on God’s instruction – that changes the narrative. Isaac’s wife, Rebecca, is often seen as devious and

Which brings me to Mother’s Day. It is important to note that this isn’t a celebration for everyone. Some haven’t had children, either by choice or by circumstance, and others don’t have a mother or healthy maternal presence in their lives.

For me, as a mother and a rabbi, it is a time to think of those disruptors in history who changed the status quo and on whose backs we now stand. There are lots of obstacles that I and others do not face today because of the women and the mothers who went before us.

Many decades ago, Liberal Judaism added our matriarchs into the Amidah and gave them equal status to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in our liturgy and education,

meaning we often reflect on their achievements. However, I also think of more modern pioneers – those early female rabbis in whose footsteps I now follow and, in wider society, all the women who showed that having children wasn’t a barrier to having a career. I think how from them I learnt how motherhood was an integral part of my identity, not how I was defined but also not something separate from my career.

I think of my own mother, now in her seventies, who has just been promoted in her successful career. She is an inspiration to me as a mother and I recognise that I stand on her shoulders.

On a personal level, I have had the privilege of being able to bring my kids to work with me, to have shared the bimah with them on my hip as I led services, to have chaired rabbinic conference with them on my knee. So

it feels incumbent on me to continue to pave the way for opportunities for those who come after me.

On a movement level I, along with my colleagues, am always looking

at how to ensure true equality and inclusion for all. Like those who came before us, we must continue to disrupt and to recognise that there are still things that need disruption.

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A stimulating series where our progressive rabbis consider how Biblical figures might act when faced with 21st-century issues

Dear Carolyn

Can you please explain how the laws around organ donation work and how this might affect my will? I understand it changed a few years ago.

Susie

Dear Susie

Thank you for your timely question. The law changed in April 2020 From that date all adults in England will be considered an organ donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the ‘excluded groups’, which include those lacking the mental capacity to choose.

A standard Will clause can refer to a request

and that you’re not among the 36 million people targeted by investment scams every year.

JACOB BERNSTEIN

FINANCIAL SERVICES

COMPLIANCE

RICHDALE

Dear Jacob

I regularly see various investment opportunities advertising high returns. How do I know which opportunities are safe to invest in and which to steer clear of?

Aron

Hi Aron

The first step when considering any investment opportunity is to ensure its genuine

for one’s body to be used after death for therapeutic purposes (often including corneal grafting and organ transplantation) but most Wills do not contain such a provision.

Under the law, such a clause will now be irrelevant as the NHS Organ Donation Register (www.organdonation.nhs.uk/ register-your-decision) will be the key place for recording your decision.

The current law will expand the potential supply of organs in the face of a national donor shortage. The organs subject to the new law are hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys, pancreases and small bowels. There will also be an option to donate various tissue.

Please note that the law only applies to organ donation following death; lifetime organ donation will still be voluntary.

The NHS website has further guidance about organ donation, with a special section geared to the concerns of Jewish readers.

While investment scams have been around for a while, the number, complexity and brazenness of the current scams is shocking, resulting in individuals from all ages, background and experience, falling victim.

Although it’s di cult to summarise such crucial advice, two simple rules can help protect you against potential scams:

1. Check the FCA register at register.fca.org.uk to ensure the company o ering the opportunity is authorised and has the necessary permissions to provide such investment opportunities (if in doubt, contact the FCA directly).

2. Check the contact

details of the company on the FCA register and contact them directly to ensure the investment opportunity being o ered is indeed from this company.

Don’t rely on incoming emails or calls, even if they show the correct email address or phone number, as scammers are able to make it seem as if they are sending emails or making calls from the genuine source.

After confirming the above, you can take some comfort that the business is likely to be genuine, although this does not necessarily mean that the investment opportunity is appropriate for you.

For that you should speak to an independent financial adviser (IFA) to obtain appropriate advice.

LISA WIMBORNE CHARITY EXECUTIVE JEWISH BLIND AND DISABLED

Dear Lisa

My uncle is starting to experience significant issues with his sight, and I am concerned that he is struggling to manage in his flat. I feel quite helpless and don’t really know how best to support him. Are you able to point me in the right direction?

David

Dear David

Thank you for your question. I know it can be hard to access the relevant information and to know how best to support someone when they first experience sight loss.

There are many aids and adaptations that can make all the difference in helping someone to remain independent in their own home.

These include things like smart speakers, talking book players and clocks, audio markers and special equipment to prevent spills and burns in the kitchen.

Not only are there many physical items that can help, but there are also a wide variety of computer

programmes and software that can help support someone experiencing sight loss.

If your uncle wants to speak to other people in a similar situation, we may be able to connect him to some of our tenants who are living with sight loss who can talk to him about their experiences and what helps them.

If you think your uncle could benefit from being assessed by one of our Occupational Therapists who will be able to see what can be done in his house to help him continue to live independently, please complete our Independent Living Advisory Service application form which can be found at www.jbd.org/ila

Our trusty team of advisers answers your questions about everything from law and finance to dating and dentistry. This week: Laws concerning organ donation, safe investments and remaining independent after loss of sight...

Ask Our Experts / Professional advice from our panel

Our Experts

Email: editorial@jewishnews.co.uk

PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST

TREVOR GEE

Qualifications:

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DIRECTOR OF LEGACIES

CAROLYN ADDLEMAN

Qualifications:

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• In close contact with clients to ensure all legal and pastoral needs are cared for

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REMOVALS MANAGING DIRECTOR

STEPHEN MORRIS

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CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIST

DR MONICA QUADIR

Qualifications:

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• Expertise in assessing neurodevelopmental conditions, such as ADHD and autism, and supporting families to manage these conditions

• Medical director at Psymplicity Healthcare, a private mental health clinic based in London, with a national online presence

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FINANCIAL SERVICES

JOE OZER

Qualifications:

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• Worked in finance for more than 20 years

• Specialists in distribution and promotion of Israel Bonds

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GOAL ATTAINMENT SPECIALIST

DR BEN LEVY

Qualifications:

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• Works with clients individually to maximise success

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CHARITY EXECUTIVE

SUE CIPIN

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• Understanding of the impact of deafness on people, including children, at all stages

• Extensive services for people affected by hearing loss/tinnitus

• Technology room with expert advice on and facilities to try out the latest equipment. Hearing aid advice, support and maintenance

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PRINCIPAL, PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL

LOUISE LEACH

Qualifications:

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• Former contestant on ITV’s Popstars, reaching bootcamp with Myleene Klass, Suzanne Shaw and Kym Marsh

• Set up Dancing with Louise 19 years ago

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FINANCIAL SERVICES (FCA) COMPLIANCE

JACOB BERNSTEIN

Qualifications:

• A member of the APCC, specialising in financial services compliance for:

• Mortgage, protection and general insurance intermediaries;

• Lenders, credit brokers, debt counsellors and debt managers;

• Alternative Investment Fund managers;

• E-Money, payment services, PISP, AISP and grant-making charities.

RICHDALE CONSULTANTS LTD

020 7781 8019 www.richdale.co.uk jacob@richdale.co.uk

MENOPAUSE CHAMPION LABALANCE

ANGELA DAY-MOORE

Qualifications:

• Founder & CEO Sassy La Femme Women’s Wellness

• Passionate about women’s wellbeing

• Home to LaBalance

• Recommended by fellow women for period, perimenopause & menopause

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HUMAN RESOURCES / EMPLOYMENT LAW

DONNA OBSTFELD

Qualifications:

• FCIPD Chartered HR Professional

• 25 years in HR and business management.

• Mediator, business coach, trainer, author and speaker

• Supporting businesses and charities with the hiring, managing, inspiring and firing of their staff

DOHR LTD

020 8088 8958 www.dohr.co.uk donna@dohr.co.uk

Professional advice from our panel / Ask Our Experts

ACCOUNTANT

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

DOV NEWMARK

Qualifications:

ALIYAH ADVISER

• Director of UK Aliyah for Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organisation that helps facilitate aliyah from the UK

• Conducts monthly seminars and personal aliyah meetings in London

• An expert in working together with clients to help plan a successful aliyah

NEFESH B’NEFESH 0800 075 7200 www.nbn.org.il dov@nbn.org.il

DIVORCE & FAMILY SOLICITOR

VANESSA LLOYD PLATT

Qualifications:

• Qualification: 40 years’ experience as a matrimonial and divorce solicitor and mediator, specialising in all aspects of family matrimonial law, including:

• Divorce, pre/post-nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, domestic violence, children’s cases, grandparents’ rights to see grandchildren, pet disputes, family disputes

• Frequent broadcaster on national and International radio and television

LLOYD PLATT & COMPANY SOLICITORS

020 8343 2998

www.divorcesolicitors.com

lloydplatt@divorcesolicitors.com

ADAM SHELLEY

Qualifications:

• FCCA chartered certified accountant

• Accounting, taxation and business advisory services

• Entrepreneurial business specialist including start-up businesses

• Specialises in charities; personal tax returns

• Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation Volunteer of the Year JVN award

SOBELL RHODES LLP 020 8429 8800 www.sobellrhodes.co.uk a.shelley@sobellrhodes.co.uk

IT SPECIALIST

LISA WIMBORNE

Qualifications:

Able to draw on the charity’s 50 years of experience in enabling people with physical disabilities or impaired vision to live independently, including:

• The provision of specialist accommodation with 24/7 on site support

• Knowledge of the innovations that empower people and the benefits available

• Understanding of the impact of a disability diagnosis

JEWISH BLIND & DISABLED 020 8371 6611

www.jbd.org

Lisa@jbd.org

IAN GREEN

Qualifications:

• Launched Man on a Bike IT consultancy 15 years ago to provide computer support for the home and small businesses

• Clients range from legal firms in the City to families, small business owners and synagogues

• More than 18 years’ experience

MAN ON A BIKE 020 8731 6171 www.manonabike.co.uk mail@manonabike.co.uk

INSURANCE CONSULTANCY

ASHLEY PRAGER

Qualifications:

• Professional insurance and reinsurance broker. Offering PI/D&O cover, marine and aviation, property owners, ATE insurance, home and contents, fine art, HNW

• Specialist in insurance and reinsurance disputes, utilising Insurance backed products. (Including non insurance business disputes)

• Ensuring clients do not pay more than required

RISK RESOLUTIONS 020 3411 4050 www.risk-resolutions.com ashley.prager@risk-resolutions.com

CAREER ADVISER

Email: sales@jewishnews.co.uk

KKL, JNF UK’s legacy department, has been serving the Jewish community for over 70 years. Our highly qualified team combines first-rate executorship and trustee services with personalised pastoral care. We can support you in the way that close family would, keeping in regular contact with you and taking care of any Jewish needs (such as saying kaddish for you) in accordance with your wishes.

For a no-obligation and confidential consultation, and to find out more about supporting JNF UK’s vital work in Israel, please get in touch.

Call 020 8732 6101 or email enquiries@kkl.org.uk

LESLEY TRENNER

Qualifications:

• Provides free professional one-to-one advice at Resource to help unemployed into work

• Offers mock interviews and workshops to maximise job prospects

• Expert in corporate management holding director level marketing, commercial and general management roles

RESOURCE 020 8346 4000 www.resource-centre.org office@resource-centre.org

TELECOMS SPECIALIST

BENJAMIN ALBERT

Qualifications:

• Co-founder and technical director of ADWConnect – a specialist in business telecommunications, serving customers worldwide

• Independent consultant and supplier of telephone and internet services

• Client satisfaction is at the heart of everything my team and I do, always striving to find the most cost-effective solutions

ADWCONNECT 0208 089 1111 www.adwconnect.com hello@adwconnect.com

MAKE YOUR SIMCHA ASTONISHING.

Ben was absolutely amazing! We had him for our company party and he didn’t disappoint. His show was the highlight of the night, it was full of surprises and left us all speechless! He was so professional and easy to work with. Will definitely use him for future events. Patron Law

Can’t thank Ben enough for the brilliant Shabbat friendly mind reading and magic show at our son’s Bar Mitzvah lunch. Kept the whole crowd involved, including 35 boys aged 13. So easy to deal with, personalised show and left us all enthralled!

Penina Edel

www.benlevymagic.co.uk info@benlevymagic.co.uk

07922 097 541

ANTIQUES

Top prices paid

Antique – Reproduction – Retro Furniture (any condition)

Epstein, Archie Shine, Hille, G Plan, etc. Dining Suites, Lounges Suites, Bookcases, Desks, Cabinets, Mirrors, Lights, etc.

House clearances

Single items to complete homes

MARYLEBONE ANTIQUES - 8 CHURCH STREET NW8 8ED 07866 614 744 (ANYTIME)

0207 723 7415 (SHOP)

closed Sunday & Monday

STUART SHUSTER - e-mail - info@maryleboneantiques.co.uk

MAKE SURE YOU CONTACT US BEFORE SELLING

WESTLON HOUSING ASSOCIATION

Sheltered Accommodation

We have an open waiting list in our friendly and comfortable warden assisted sheltered housing schemes in Ealing, East Finchley and Hendon. We provide 24-hour warden support, seven days a week; a residents’ lounge and kitchen, laundry, a sunny patio and garden. For further details and application forms, please contact Westlon Housing Association on 020 8201 8484 or email: johnsilverman@btconnect.com

Are you happy paying big household bills?

Would you like to pay less? Find out how

THE JEWISH NEWS CROSSWORD

11 Theme (5)

12 Extra amount (9)

14 Short sleep (3)

15 On the ___, off guard (3)

16 Spur into action (9)

19 Plunder (5)

21 Ridiculous pretence (7)

23 Conjecture (7)

24 Summary (5)

DOWN

1 Science of morals (6)

2 Spot of precipitation (8)

3 Related (4)

4 Drink that washes down another (6)

5 Curse, denunciation (8)

6 Move (wings) (4)

7 Small holder for a breakfast item (3-3)

13 Clean and healthy (8)

14 Annoyance (8)

15 Contrary religious opinions (6)

17 Footman (6)

ACROSS

8 Express gratitude to (5) 9 Rear limb of an animal (4,3) 10 Period of cricket (7)

WORDSEARCH

The listed words to do with simple pleasures can all be found in the grid. Words may run either forwards or backwards, in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal direction, but always in a straight, unbroken line.

TK CPEN IH SN US Y

NL IH E KJS IE ST A

EA RT OEOE L DDUC

MU DATC LJ RH KA O

IG AG AE OS BE US R

LH WO NG NL EY SG G

PT NA NO SP AE TW N

ME YISI SD NT RE I

OR RMN AHD M EEE C

CP IG KT N ARN OK N

SL IE RI TS SI KE A

EN RI KL DO GW BN D

GU BC HI LD RE ND A

BIRDSONG

BIRTHDAY

CHILDREN

CHOCOLATE

COMPLIMENT

CUDDLE

Fun, games and prizes

SUDOKU

Fill the grid with the numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and 3x3 block contains the numbers 1 to 9.

SUGURU

18 Immune (6)

20 Military stronghold (4)

22 Energy field surrounding the body (4)

HILARIOUS HEBREW Word of the Week

Learning Hebrew can be fun and sometimes hilarious! Join one of the WZO's Ulpan classes near you and find out for yourself! The subsidised Ulpanim are based in North West and East London, Manchester, Brighton, Borehamwood and Bushy. Contact- ulpanuk@wzo.org.il or call 020 83715336

Each cell in an outlined block must contain a digit: a two-cell block contains the digits 1 and 2, a three-cell block contains the digits 1, 2 and 3; and so on. The same digit must not appear in neighbouring cells, not even diagonally.

DANCING DAWN DOG HUG JOKE

KEEPSAKE

KINDNESS KISS KITTEN LAUGHTER SIESTA

SINGING

Last issue’s solutions

Crossword

ACROSS: 1 Precipitate, 9 Prior, 10 Placebo, 11 Lottery, 12 Tidal, 13 Piracy, 15 Teapot, 18 Elfin, 20 Algeria, 22 Earnest, 23 Evoke, 24 Coal scuttle.

DOWN: 2 Roister, 3 Curse, 4 Papaya, 5 Toastie, 6 Trend, 7 Apple-pie bed, 8 Toilet water, 14 Congeal, 16 Parboil, 17 Tactic, 19 Forgo, 21 Great.

SLEEP SMILE SPRING SUNSHINE WEEKEND WINE

From the book Hilarious Hebrew- the Fun and Fast Way to Learn the Language, available on Amazon and in book and gift shops throughout London. www.hilarioushebrew.com

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

All puzzles © Puzzler Media Ltd - www.puzzler.com