1307 - 23rd March 2023

Buried history

The Holy Land And Us is a BBC opportunity missed Page 32

800 families forced to lean on Pesach aid

Demand for welfare parcels and food vouchers reaches record high

Requests from families for urgent welfare support this Pesach has risen by 10 percent in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

For the first time the number of families asking for help from the United Synagogue (US) has surpassed 800. Last year its chesed (welfare) department assisted 730 families with Pesach parcels and food vouchers. This year 807 families have asked for support.

The US provides large bags of Pesach food for families of three or more people and smaller bags for couples or people on their own.

Food parcels contain Pesach essentials such as matzah and grape juice, staples like cheese and fish and additional items like picked cucumbers, jam, mayonnaise, fruit juice, butter, stock cubes and tinned tomatoes. Biscuits and chocolate are provided as treats.

For people who are more mobile and enjoy being able to buy their own food, shopping vouchers for Tesco and

Women of worth

Leaders honoured by Jewish Care P10

the Kosher Outlet supermarket are provided at £60 per household.

The US also covers the costs of attending a communal shul seder as an additional service for members in extreme need. It works through a network of local community care coordinators who ensure tailored support is given to each household, with no names or identities passed on to the charity to ensure anonymity is protected.

The US held an online fundraiser last week to fund the Pesach parcels, and to enable the charity to provide critical support to thousands of its members and those in the wider community throughout the year.

The United Synagogue provides weekly food parcels for those in need and coordinates Jewish Hospital visiting in Greater London and the south east so that Jewish patients receive a visitor should they wish from more than 30 Jewish hospital chaplains.

Continued on page 16

EMBRACING OPPORTUNITY

SUNAK WILL ‘RAISE CONCERNS’ AT NETANYAHU MEETING

Rishi Sunak will “raise concerns where appropriate” relating to Israel’s coalition government at a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister’s spokesperson has said, writes Lee Harpin.

The Israeli prime minister is scheduled to hold talks with his British counterpart at Downing Street on Friday, as he arrives in the

UK for a three-day visit. Hundreds of Israelis and British Jews are expected to take part in an unprecedented anti-Netanyahu government protest outside Downing Street on Friday, as the meeting takes place.

During the meeting the pair are expected to both welcome the signing of a roadmap for bilateral relations between Israel and the UK stretching up until 2030, and the

continuing threat posed to global security by Iran.

Asked by Jewish News if Sunak planned to raise the concerns, shared by many British Jews and Israelis residing here, over the planned judicial reforms by the Netanyahu government, a Downing Street spokesperson said that while he could not reveal what would or wouldn’t be included on the agenda

at Friday’s first meeting between the two leaders, “we have raised concerns where appropriate.”

Reports in Israel, including by the Channel 12 television channel, said Sunak and British o cials had not yet decided whether the British prime minister will publicly criticise Netanyahu’s government over its e orts to radically shake up the judiciary.

During Netanyahu’s trip to Germany earlier this month, Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged him to consider an alternative judicial reform plan put forward by President Isaac Herzog, which was subsequently rejected by the coalition.

Scholz said Germany was watching as the judicial reforms were proposed “with great concern”.

Continued on page 2

UK foreign secretary James Cleverly (right) and his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen this week signed a 2030 Roadmap for UK-Israel bilateral relations, aimed at boosting economic, security and technology ties. See page 4

Collecting packages for Jewish families

Bibi ‘can’t expect rela

Continued from page 1

Britain’s former top civil servant Simon McDonald – who conceded when speaking at an event in Westminster this week that he was fearful that Netanyahu’s judicial reforms would “undermine democracy” in Israel – also said the meeting between the visiting prime minister and Sunak would have a “substantial agenda”.

Netanyahu and his wife Sara’s visit to London begins this afternoon and will end after Shabbat on Saturday evening, reports from Israel have confirmed.

While here, the Israeli prime minister is not expected to meet with representatives of any of the main communal organisations including the Board of Deputies or Jewish Leadership Council.

Netanyahu has previously made it clear that he does not consider meeting with communal groups a necessity when visiting this country. But the Board issued a statement saying it would welcome the opportunity of a meeting with him to discuss the “ongoing situation” in Israel.

A Board spokesperson said: “Given the British Jewish commu-

nity’s extremely close emotional, spiritual and familial connection to Israel, we would appreciate the opportunity to meet him to discuss the ongoing situation in the country, although we understand that given the brief nature of his visit, such a meeting may not be possible.”

The Israeli organisers of Friday’s Downing Street protest are linked to the Defend Israeli Democracy movement, which has staged mass demos in Israel and elsewhere across the globe to show widespread opposition to the proposed overhaul of the judiciary, which they say threatens the democratic nature of the Jewish state, and will impact on the rights of women and minority communities.

Signs could be seen stuck on walls around London giving details of the protest and saying “Bibi should not expect a relaxing weekend in London”. It is believed to be one of the first occasions that a visiting Israeli prime minister has been greeted by mass protests staged by both UK Jews and Israelis living here.

Netanyahu’s trip to the UK will be his third to a European capital

in as many weeks, after his visit to Berlin this week and Rome last weekend, where he was also met with protests. He also visited Paris last month.

Friday’s protest will take place between 8am and 6pm in central London. It will include a succession of presentations and performances, including a ‘Speaker’s Corner’ hour with speakers from across the political and religious spectrum, including the Orthodox community voice Sheldon Stone.

Stone said: “In Israel, many Orthodox and religious Zionists have expressed concern on religious grounds and we ask the Orthodox community here in the UK to reach out and support them.”

Those at the protests will also be invited to join a Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony at 5pm, to be performed by Liberal rabbi Lea Mühlstein.

In similar fashion to demos staged across Israel, and elsewhere across the globe, including one in Parliament Square last Sunday, the protest will also feature at midday a group dressed as handmaids from Margaret Atwood’s book The Handmaid’s Tale

The stunt is meant to warn of

Last Gaza conflict ‘about politics, not just security’

A “considerable proportion” of British Jews felt that Israel’s war in Gaza in May 2021 was waged as much for political reasons as it was for military or security ones, writes Adam Decker.

PRIORITISE POLIO VACCINATION IN YOUR PESACH PREPARATIONS

A CALL TO OUR COMMUNITY TO GET VACCINATED NOW

Poliovirus continues to circulate in Jewish communities around the world, with recent cases of paralytic polio in unvaccinated individuals in Israel and New York

Polio can cause paralysis or death and there is no cure, but it can be prevented by vaccination

Vaccinate before you travel or visit relatives this Pesach to stop the disease from spreading It is vital that you and your children are up to date with your polio and other childhood vaccines to protect yourselves, your family and our whole Jewish community Those who are not fully vaccinated are at increased risk

Contact your GP or local health centre to get vaccinated before Pesach or for advice on which vaccines you or your children may have missed

Wishing all families a healthy, happy and kosher Pesach.

The damning assessment comes in a newly published report by the Institute of Jewish Policy Research (JPR), which asked more than 4,000 people for their thoughts in the aftermath of the intense fighting.

“A considerable proportion of the Jewish population questions whether the motivations underpinning this particular operation were entirely justified,” said JPR authors David Graham and Jonathan Boyd.

Those surveyed were asked about Israel’s military action against Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip almost two years ago. The fighting began shortly after Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. O cers used tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades, which prompted a response of rocket fire from

Gaza. The fighting then lasted two weeks, killing 14 Israelis, and injuring 114, while 256 Palestinians were killed and 2,000 injured.

The JPR survey showed that more than 50 percent of British Jews felt Israel had the right to defend itself, but support was “not uncritical”.

When asked about the motivations behind the Israeli assault, “more respondents (47 percent) expressed a sceptical or critical view in this case, compared with those who did not (42 percent)”, said the authors.

Opinions di ered depending on several factors including respondents’ level of attachment to Israel, educational attainment, political leaning, and age.

“Those with stronger feeling of attachment are more willing to give Israel the benefit of the doubt, independent of other variables such as political stance, religiosity and education,” said Boyd and Graham.

Boyd said the analysis “provides important insights into the relationship between UK Jews and Israel”.

Israel’s Iron Dome intercepts Hamas rockets in 2021

Benjamin Netanyahu emerges from 10 Downing Street in 2019

xing weekend in London’

800 people, urges the prime minister to show “friendship and leadership” by recognising that voicing concerns about the judicial overhaul “is in the best interest of the UK”.

Recalling Sunak’s pledge to “fight very hard for the security of the Jewish state” it suggests that an expected meeting between him and Netanyahu o ers him the opportunity “to act now, before it is too late”.

Netanyahu’s UK visit “presents a timely opportunity to address concerns”, the letter adds, particularly as a free trade agreement between the countries could be impacted by the Israeli legislation.

‘FEAR’ OF FORMER

UK AMBASSADOR

Britain’s former top civil servant and former UK ambassador to Israel has said he is “fearful” the Netanyahu government’s overhaul of the judiciary is an attempt “undermine democracy”.

Lord McDonald was speaking at a British Council backed UK-Israel Science Days event when he observed: “Visiting Israel last week, you couldn’t miss what is happening in Israel right now.

The 1,500 protesters

the dangers of a future dark society in Israel as a result of the planned assault on the judicial system and other anchors of democracy in the country.

Defend Israel Democracy London organisers have staged two previous protests in London. About 1,500 people attended the Parliament Square event, at which Dame Margaret Hodge was among

the speakers. An earlier event, in February, near the Israeli embassy building in Kensington, west London, attracted about 300 mainly Israeli expats.

Meanwhile, hundreds of pro-Israel democracy campaigners in the UK have signed a letter to Rishi Sunak urging him to raise their concerns with Netanyahu. The letter, signed at present by nearly

The signatories, supporters of the movement that has staged mass protests in Israel, the UK and elsewhere against Israel’s government, suggest that there are “multiple reasons” why Sunak should act now, claiming that current legislation by Netanyahu’s coalition government will have a devastating impact on Israeli’s economy.

The letter claims that so-called reforms will leave the Jewish state as a “diminished trading partner” and that an undemocratic Israel will have a destabilising e ect on Middle East security and politics.

• Editorial comment, page 26

“We arrived at the evening when hundreds of thousands of people were protesting in Tel Aviv about the government plans to change the traditional system. All the Israelis I know are fearful that this is an attempt to undermine Israel as a democracy, a country of a rule of law and respect for human rights.

“And so far I have not heard anything from the government to allay those fears.”

Simon McDonald, who was handed a peerage after 40 years’ service in the foreign o ce, was speaking at an event at the Palace of West-

minster. He also referenced visits to the UK this week by Israel’s foreign secretary Eli Cohen and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“There are to be, I predict, interesting meetings this week,” he said of the Israelis’ and their UK counterparts. “The agenda is substantial.”

As well as serving as UK ambassador to Israel, and to Germany, in London he was adviser to Jack Straw as foreign secretary, and to Gordon Brown as prime minister. From 2015 to 2020, he was the lead o cial in the Foreign O ce, a post known as permanent undersecretary.

Seder night is a time for family, a time for food, a time for singing and stories. Above all else, Seder night is a time for memories.

As dementia takes hold and Rockey’s memory fades, it is events like the Seder at The Sam Beckman Centre for people living with dementia that help bring it back, even for just a moment.

Rockey, like hundreds of others, relies on the services provided by Jewish Care. These services receive no government funding and rely on the generosity of our community.

This Pesach they rely on you.

Your donation will ensure that even as memories fade for people like Rockey, they still have the opportunity to make new ones, for as long as they last. Thank you.

Call

Lord McDonald

at the Defend Israeli Democracy rally in Parliament Square

New UK-Israel deal on course

Foreign secretary James Cleverly and his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen this week signed a 2030 Roadmap for UK-Israeli Bilateral Relations, aimed at boosting economic, security and technology ties, writes Lee Harpin.

Talks between the pair also covered the recent increase in violence across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the threat posed by Iran.

Ahead of the signing, Cleverly said: “The roadmap is a testament to the strength of our close and historic relationship. As we approach the 75th anniversary of UK-Israel relations, [it] will allow us to fully take advantage of the opportunities in areas of mutual interest, including tech, trade and security.

“The UK and Israel also stand together, defiant in the face of the malign influence of Iran in the region and against the wider scourge of antisemitism.”

The 2030 document is an ambitious agreement to ensure the partnership remains modern and continues to innovate to address shared challenges.

Taking a thematic approach, it contains detailed commitments for deepening cooperation across the breadth of the Israel-UK

relationship, including on trade, cyber, science and tech, research and development, security, health, climate and gender.

New multi-million-pound programmes announced in the roadmap, including around £20m of joint funding commitments on technology and innovation, will enable both coun-

tries to remain at the forefront of the technological revolution, the government said.

The UK is also committed to working closely with Israel to tackle the scourge of antisemitism and as chair for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2024, will promote fact-based knowledge of the Holocaust and

Jewish families are urged to prioritise polio vaccinations

The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) has urged Jewish families to “prioritise polio vaccination” in the run-up to Pesach, writes Adam Decker.

Cases of polio, which can lead to paralysis or death, have recently been identified in unvaccinated members of Jewish communities in New York and Israel. This week, British Jews were urged to get the jab before they travel, or before relatives fly in.

“Communities with low levels of vaccine uptake as a whole are particularly vulnerable,” said the HSA this week. “Polio is a serious infection with no cure, but serious illness can be prevented by being fully vaccinated.”

Dr Jonathan Cohen, a senior doctor at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, said: “Polio vaccines are very safe and prevent this terrible disease. It would be a tragedy for a child to catch polio over Pesach because they were

not vaccinated.” Professor David Katz, an immunologist at UCL and a leading voice on Jewish medical issues, said vaccines were “the safest way to protect your child from diseases like diphtheria, polio, and measles”, adding that “the short- and long-term effects of these diseases can be extremely serious and devastating”.

Dr Blumberg, a GP in Stamford Hill, said: “Vaccines are safe. Billions of people have been safely vaccinated from key diseases around the world. All vaccines undergo extensive and rigorous multi-stage testing through clinical trials and are continually monitored for safety and effectiveness.” Dr Leonora Weil, a consultant at the HSA, said: “Pesach is a time for getting together with loved ones. Even a single case of paralysis from polio would be devastating and preventable. If you are unsure if your child has been vaccinated, check their red book or ask your GP.”

strengthen media and information literacy.

Cleverly noted the UK-Israel relationship has already delivered benefits to both economies, with the trade relationship worth around £7bn, while there are more than 400 Israeli tech firms operating in the UK.

Israeli investment into the UK drives growth and jobs, said by the government to be adding around £1bn gross value to the country’s economy and creating about 16,000 jobs in the past eight years.

The roadmap is the culmination of efforts that began with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2021 to work more closely over the next decade on cyber, technology, trade and defence, which formally elevated the UK’s relationship with Israel to a “strategic partnership.”

Last year, the UK and Israel launched negotiations for a new free trade agreement, with a focus on innovation and the aim of upgrading the trading relationship.

The new trade deal, by lowering barriers and championing free trade, is a key priority for both governments.

Cohen’s visit came ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrival in the UK.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly (right) with counterpart Eli Cohen. Picture: Stuart Mitchell

The Museum of the Jewish People has put the Codex Sassoon Bible on public display weeks before it is auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York and expected to sell for about £25m. The codex is one of the oldest biblical manuscripts, a 1,100-yearold leather-bound, handwritten, 792-page parchment containing almost the full Tanakh. Radiocarbon dating estimates the creation date of 880CE to 960CE.

Fury at Rwanda ‘Auschwitz’ smear

A picture of Suella Braverman digitally superimposed on to an image of the railway tracks leading to Auschwitz has been branded “utterly disgraceful” by a senior politician, writes Lee Harpin.

The home secretary was pictured laughing during a two-day visit to Rwanda in front of buildings set to be used as a refugee detention centre.

But the Photoshopped image, widely circulated on social media last weekend

– which Jewish News has chosen not to reprint – was subsequently superimposed and used as a spoof picture shared online, which featured the home secretary in front of the Nazi death camp.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron was among those to condemn the

image, tweeting: “I’m incandescent at the home secretary’s witless and wicked policies on asylum – but to liken them to the Holocaust, or to tweet Photoshopped pictures of her with a backdrop of Auschwitz, is utterly disgraceful and completely undermines your case.”

Former Labour MP Mike Gapes also tweeted: “I am not going to retweet the image. But I am sickened by those who are comparing Cruella Braverman visit to detention facilities in Rwanda to visiting Auschwitz. The Tories may be incompetent liars who act unlawfully – but they are not Nazis.”

The photograph was eventually deleted from Twitter following widespread outrage. One account that

shared it but subsequently deleted the image, said the Tories should be held responsible, adding they would compare the government’s “rhetoric to that of early 1930s Germany”.

Braverman was visiting Rwanda in an attempt to change perceptions about her much-criticised agreement with the African state to accept and house migrants from the UK.

She claimed the deal o ered a “blessing” for migrants arriving in the UK on small boats to rebuild their lives.

The UK government has been in negotiations with the European Court of Human Rights in recent days to try to limit the chance of flights out to Rwanda being challenged by lawyers.

New call for Palestine state DALLALI FIGHTS SACKING

Liberal Democrat foreign a airs spokesperson Layla Moran has called again for the UK to recognise a Palestine state, claiming Israeli settlement growth “acts like a woodworm” destroying “the foundations of any peace process”.

The British Palestinian MP spoke out as she brought her Palestine statehood (recognition) private member’s bill to the Commons. The bill asks the British government “to recognise the state… without any preconditions”.

It calls for the UK to recognise Palestine as a

“sovereign and independent state on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination in the State of Palestine”.

Responding for the government, development minister Andrew Mitchell told MPs: “Now is not, in our view, the time to take this step.”

However, he added: “But recognising a Palestinian state is a powerful diplomatic tool and one we will deploy when it best serves the objectives of peace.”

Former National Union of Students president Shaima Dallali is taking legal action against her dismissal, claiming discrimination.

She was sacked last November following an independent investigation into antisemitism in the NUS, which said Jewish students had faced a hostile culture.

Dallali’s lawyers argue that her pro-Palestinian and antiZionist beliefs are protected under the Equality Act.

They said Dallali “was the subject of numerous complaints as well as personal abuse and threats, to the e ect that her past articulation of her anti-Zionist beliefs amounted to antisemitism”.

Her sacking was confirmed after she made four tweets, three of which were not antisemitic, the law firm CarterRuck said. The fourth was deleted once Dallali realised it could be understood as antisemitic by referring to the Battle of Khaybar in 628 CE, in which Muslim troops reportedly attacked Jews in the town.

Suella Braverman in Rwanda last weekend

‘This is about Israel putting religion before democracy’

Even through a screen, you can tell she’s angry. To many British Jews, Tzipi Livni needs no introduction. She is the Israeli politician who, on another day, might have been Israeli prime minister. How differently things could have turned out had she been.

Ahead of her visit to London this week, she spoke to Jewish News about Israel’s moment of reckoning, its largest ever street protests now approaching their fourth month with no signs of waning.

One of 21st-century Israel’s most recognisable political figures, and foreign minister before forming her own party, Livni’s words count, which is why she has been addressing tens of thousands in the streets. Just don’t call it ‘judicial reform’.

“Israel was born as a Jewish and democratic state, the nation state of the Jewish people, with equal rights to all citizens.” These are the simple yet powerful and altogether fundamental opening words of Tzipi Livni when we speak on Monday.

“For years we lived in harmony, not contradiction. What we’re seeing now is a complete change, with those trying to put the Jewishness of the state above the democratic nature of the state.”

Her warning was issued ahead of an event at London’s JW3, partnered by Jewish News, during which she is due to talk to former Times and BBC News editor James Harding about the new right-wing Israeli government’s attempts to hobble judges who can currently veto anything unconstitutional.

“It’s connected. The government wants to overrule Supreme Court decisions, to change the balance of power [between government, parliament and judiciary], and to change the independence of the judicial

Livni with US president Joe Biden

writes Stephen Oryszczuk

Jewish News meets... Tzipi Livni

system in Israel, to take over all of it,” says the 64-year-old, who once also held the post of justice minister.

“The gatekeepers – watchdogs within government, Supreme Court, attorney-general… they all need complete independence. They need it. So, people are demonstrating. They’re taking to the streets, fighting for democracy, demanding that the government stop. These are dramatic moments in Israel.”

Indeed, they are. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to acknowledge as much in recent days by watering down some of the bills’ components and delaying its ratification until 30 April. But this is not about ‘judicial reform’, says Livni.

“It’s about democracy, which is a set of values. It’s not just, ‘majority rules’. Yes, the majority does rule, but under strict conditions, with minority rights and so on.”

What about the elections? Didn’t Israelis vote for this? She thinks, then likens governing to driving. “When you win a majority, it gives you the right to ride, but when you ride, you still have road rules, lanes, signs, lights, traffic police.”

The government, she says, “wants to ride without all this, to take the entire country and change its democratic nature… No election gives you the right to do this. It’s against the system itself.”

Is this not a left-right issue, as rightwingers have depicted? Nonsense, she says. “I cannot accept the idea that democracy is a left-right issue. It’s about the soul of Israel. It’s quite disturbing if people think Israeli democracy belongs only to them.

“When Israel was born, all parts of Israeli society signed up to the Declaration of Independence – ultra-Orthodox, socialists, communists, revisionists, the rightwing… they all agreed that in the State of Israel there were equal rights without discrimination, freedom of speech, freedom of culture and religion…”

Is she willing to paint a picture of the nightmare scenario? What could a rightwing government with extremist ministers do without having to worry about a newly subservient judiciary? What fires to rights and freedoms could it light?

about a newly subservient pared to think of power… It’s fundamental basis

Israel not from a national perspective, but from a religious one.”

Zionism as a national movement helped Israel be accepted and supported by the international community because the Jewish people have the right to a state of their own, she says, “yet there is a group for whom the Supreme Court is a burden, because their vision is about annexation” of the West Bank.

“They live in Judea and Samaria and don’t want to live with equal rights with Palestinians, so they’re trying to erode the nature of Israeli democracy to bring about a one-state reality. On top of this, we have a prime minister who – for his own personal reasons – wants to delegitimise the police, the attorney-general, the courts, the whole judicial system.”

one living in the diaspora) may conclude the Israeli government cares not a hoot about what anyone thinks.

“Oh, they care! Trust me. We took them by surprise. We had some impact, not enough, but we will continue. When Netanyahu was thinking what he’ll do in government, it didn’t include this. He needs to give answers all over the world.

“He doesn’t care about demonstrators, or the opposition, but he does care about his position, about Israel’s economy, about what’s happening in the army, with the fighter pilots – we never had anything like that before.

“So, it’s not just another protest in Israel. It’s something else. It’s about who we are. And, as you saw, they postponed part of the bills already.”

So, what next? At some point soon, there will be judgment day, she says. “Someone will appeal it to the Supreme Court, to ask: is it legal? Is it against our constitutional values?

“If the Supreme Court decides to cancel it, senior government people will need to decide if they abide by the government or by the court. It’s clear they should abide by the court, but it will nevertheless be a constitutional clash.

“This is not ‘judicial reform’. It’s changing the nature of Israel. It’s turning democracy from a set of values into a system of elections. They want to rule without limitation, and we all need to understand it. That’s why people are demonstrating – because they know it’s bigger than just a discussion among lawyers.”

How will it change the relationship between Israel and world Jewry? Israelis need to “stop preaching and start listening”, Livni says. “We still say, ‘we are the safe sheltering place from antisemitism, you should contribute or do whatever we ask you to do’. No way!”

mental values or the legitiits

“I thought, ‘this is different’. They believe in Israel as both Jewish and democratic, they believe people have rights… The very young, very old, children fighting for their futures. It’s touching. To be part of it gives hope.”

The conversation about what it means to be both a Jewish and democratic state was needed even before this, she says. “So, let’s have it. We need these common denominators. ‘Love thy neighbour’ is part of why I’m proud to be a Jew.”

With

She isn’t prepared to think in terms of defeat but acknowledges that “the problem isn’t just the bills on the table, or the balance of power… It’s whether we all agree with the fundamental basis of the Declaration of Independence, and there are some parties within this government that simply do not accept equal rights for all citizens.”

Think of the ultra-Orthodox, she says. “Do they recognise equality for women, or equality of burden? They don’t want to serve in the IDF. For them, ‘equal rights’ is not a common denominator. It used to be, but now they’re breaking it. They’re translating the Jewishness of the State of

Livni says ministers who do not accept Israel’s set of fundamental values or the legitimacy of its judiciary will soon be able to “do whatever they want… that’s why the problem is even bigger than what you see now”.

“do whatever they the problem is even bigger the Supreme Court, politition of judges, and advisers, to make

Were the government to back down over the bills it has already introduced, it would be a victory, but she admits that it would not be enough. The danger would still be there.

“We have to have a new Basic Law,” she explains, “one that adopts the values of the Declaration of Independence. It was clear for decades. It’s not clear now? OK, let’s go back to base and legislate it as a common denominator.

“This is important because it connects not only different parts or ‘tribes’ of Israeli society, it also connects Israel to the Jewish people, to world Jewry. When we say ‘Israel is a Jewish state’ – what does it mean? Mainly it’s an aspiration to us as a people, with equal rights and shared values, so Jews abroad can feel connected to Israel.

Does she have any final words for diaspora Jews dismayed by what they are seeing? “World Jewry must understand that you can support Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, support equal rights, and criticise Israeli policy. It doesn’t mean you’re anti-Israel or antisemitic. It’s legitimate. It’s what we’re doing inside Israel.”

She pauses. “It’s also important for Israelis to know that we are not alone when we take to the streets, that our voice is heard, including by the UK Jewish community, and for you to know that we’re fighting for Israel’s democracy. And it’s not over.”

president

The justice minister, she says, “wants to override the Supreme Court, politicise the nomination of judges, and reduce the power of the government’s legal advisers, to make them a consiglieri ’ –like their own lawyer – so they won’t say ‘you can’t do it’”.

Livni says Israelis are up in arms. “They are on the streets saying, ‘we do not accept it’. In a way, they woke up, a group that was much less active before. It’s amazing. I can see it growing. The first demonstration, it was the regulars. The second, it was different people – religious, moderates.

“The grandparents cried when Israel was established. The children cried in the Yom Kippur War, when they thought Israel might be no more. Now the grandchildren cry because they feel eliminated.

“Yet, it can be an opportunity, to reconnect the different parts of Israeli society and to reconnect Israel to world Jewry. That’s why this is a very important, dramatic, and historical moment.”

When all is said and done, will anything stop this happening? A pessimist (certainly

The Fight For Israel’s Soul: Tzipi Livni in conversation with James Harding Join JW3, Jewish News and the Choose Democracy campaign for a conversation with Tzipi Livni and James Harding on the unprecedented challenges to the future of Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State.

 Thur 30 March – 7:30pm £10 in the building and online See https://www.jw3.org.uk/ whats-on/fight-israels-soul

the Palestinian Authority

Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to oppose the new coalition

I CANNOT ACCEPT DEMOCRACY IS A LEFT-RIGHT ISSUE. SOME PEOPLE THINK DEMOCRACY BELONGS TO THEM

❝

Labour deselects Leicester councillor

A Labour councillor who called for Jewish faith leaders in the city of Leicester to sign statements condemning Israel has been deselected by the party ahead of elections in May. Kirk Master is one of 19 sitting councillors dropped by Labour following an intervention by the party’s national executive committee. In 2021, Jewish News revealed that Master called for Jewish and Muslim leaders to sign a declaration to “condemn the killings of the innocent Palestinian people”.

Anger at left-wing mayor’s Loach invite

A left-wing Labour mayor has sparked anger among Jewish groups after staging an ‘in conversation’ event with the film director Ken Loach. Jamie Driscoll, a supporter of fomer party leader Jeremy Corbyn who was elected as North of Tyne mayor in 2019 to “put socialist policies into practice”, hosted Loach for an event at Live Theatre on Newcastle Quayside on 14 March. Loach was expelled from the Labour Party in 2021.

V&A event tackles Islamophobia

Celebrity influencers and senior politicians gathered in the V&A Museum this week to persuade the government to recognise the UN’s International Day to Combat Islamophobia, writes Joy Falk.

Among the stars representing Britain’s Islamic community was Chunkz, a social media influencer and content creator with more than 30 million followers.

He told Jewish News: “It’s dicult for Muslims to stand alone and we need our friends in the Jewish community to tackle prejudice. It’s great to have the Jewish community involved in our joint struggle.

“Though I haven’t experienced Islamophobia myself, tonight is about fighting for those without a voice. We must eradicate Islamophobia and this will be a big step forward.”

Forty-two percent of religious hate crimes target Muslims, almost double that of any other religion.

Hosting the event, on Monday evening, was Citizen Khan star Adil Ray, who said: “Truthfully, it is a shame we need events like this but fundamentally we must avoid being fearful to talk about Islamophobia.

“We need our allies, especially the Jewish community, to speak

out against anti-Muslim prejudice. Nobody has experienced more prejudice than the Jewish community, we know that.

“As minorities we are one and the same and we must look after each other.”

More than 140 countries, including the UK, voted for the UN resolution to declare 15 March the International Day to Combat Islam-

ophobia, with the aim of creating a dialogue in which respect for all beliefs is promoted. The date commemorates the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, in which 51 Muslims were killed and 40 injured by a 28-year-old white supremacist.

Now campaigners want the government to go one step further and enshrine the definition into UK law.

Labour MP Naz Shah, vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims, told the more than 200 people at the event: “You don’t have to be a Muslim to understand Islamophobia. Muslims are not asking for special treatment- we want equality, justice and fairness. To me, equality means being the best I can be with equal opportunities- I want that for every person regardless of their faith or skin colour.”

Other speakers included Mariah Idrissi, the first Muslim hijab-wearing model, who spoke of the “power of the arts” to drive change, and Ahmed Shaheed, the former United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.

Businessman Asif Aziz, who established the Aziz Foundation and has funded numerous interfaith initiatives, told Jewish News: “The Jewish community faced prejudice in this country long before Muslims, and we have much to learn in terms of tackling Islamophobia. “We have so much more in common than divides us and we must work together.”

ophobia, with the aim

Other speakers included Mariah Idrissi, the first

Businessman Asif Aziz,

The event at the V&A was attended by influencer Chunkz

Ukraine envoy among ‘women of distinction’

Three inspiring women received awards at Jewish Care’s Women of Distinction lunch held at St John’s Wood Synagogue, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Dame Melinda Simmons, UK ambassador to Ukraine, Baroness Kidron, advocate for children’s rights in the digital world, and Doreen Gainsford, who set up The 35s Women’s Campaign for Soviet Jewry, were recognised for their dedication. About 180 guests at the lunch raised more than £73,000 for residents at Jewish Care’s Sidney Corob House care home for people with severe, long-term mental health needs.

Dame Melinda Simmons received the award in recognition for her work serving as the ambassador of the UK in Ukraine since 2019.

Born to Jewish parents in the East End of London, Simmons is of Polish, Lithuanian and Ukrainian heritage. Her parents, Sylvia and Cyril Simmons, and her sister, Juliette, attended and her mother accepted the award on her behalf, saying that the ambassador was out in the field, visiting Ukrainian civilians who were living with the e ects of the war and were undergoing medical care.

The UK ambassador sent a message to guests via recorded video, saying: “I’ve been here in Ukraine since before the outbreak of the war and it’s been a time of unbelievable inspiration for me to work alongside Ukrainians who are defending their country and caring for their people. It’s a source of great pride to me and my colleagues, in the embassy in Kyiv, that

those e orts have been recognised, seen and supported by people all over the world.

“I want to thank you so much for recognising that and also through this award, which I’m so proud to receive; it’s been an opportunity for me and other women to stand up and show what women can do when they are in leadership positions of any kind. It’s been a huge learning experience for me, to be woman leader at a time of war, but it’s also been a time of inspiration for me and the other women I’m working with, and I’m deeply grateful.” Baroness Kidron, a crossbench peer, said: “I’m very supportive of Jewish Care who make sure older people have the care and dignity that they deserve.”

HOME GETS TOP OFSTED RATING

Bayis Sheli, a residential and respite home for disabled children and young adults in Stamford Hill, has received an ‘outstanding’ rating by Ofsted.

Inspectors looked at experiences and progress of residents, how well they are helped and protected, and e ectiveness of leaders and managers.

Ofsted said: “The home provides highly e ective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and posi-

tive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.”

The report says “all children are making exceptional progress with their social skills and overall development”. It also mentions the “warm and homely environment”.

Jacob Sorotzkin, chair of trustees, paid tribute to Micki Herzog and the team, adding: “We consistently seek to improve in all that we do and are delighted that this has been demonstrated in Ofsted’s recent report.”

Interfaith seder

Representatives of the UK’s major faiths gathered for the first interfaith seder hosted by the Board of Deputies at the home of its president, Marie van der Zyl.

The service was led by Rabbi Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz, with input from other Jewish participants. The deputy mayor of London for communities and social justice, Debbie Weekes-Barnard, also attended.

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Doreen Gainsford (second left) with Beeban Kidron and (inset) Ambassador Simmons

Rabbi Taylor-Guthartz leads

Honorary Patron: Lady Elaine Sacks Trustees: David Coffer, Rabbi Danny Kirsch, Lisa Radford & Jacqueline Wright

Pickles rejects memorial criticism as ‘misleading’

Conservative peer Lord Pickles this week hit back at criticism of the government’s plan to proceed with steps to ensure a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre is built at Victoria Tower Gardens, close to Westminster, writes Lee Harpin.

In an article that appears the same publication that published an earlier attack on the location of the £109m project,

...AS SURVIVORS REUNITE AND PRAY 76 YEARS ON

written by Baroness Deech, Pickles defended the government’s introduction of a Holocaust Memorial Bill as “a step towards completing the memorial”.

Writing in parliament’s The House magazine, he said: “The bill aims to remove an obstacle arising from the High Court’s interpretation of the London County Council (Improvements) Act 1900, which created Victoria Tower Gardens as we see it today.

“The bill will not repeal any part of the 1900 Act: we want to maintain the gardens as a ‘garden open to the public’ just as the legislation requires. We simply aim to ensure the 1900 Act does not prevent the establishment of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.”

The peer – who is co-chair of theUK Holocaust Memorial Foundation Advisory Board, alongside the broadcaster and writer and former Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls –stressed that plans also include further investment in making the Gardens “more attractive and accessible for all users”.

Pickles claimed that the formation of a new slope would o er better people views of the Thames, and that new seating would be installed, along with more planting in the green space.

He also hit back at what he said was “misleading information” about the scale of the memorial project, saying it would “only take around 7.5 percent of the area”.

In an article for the previous edition of The House, Baroness Deech had claimed that Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a new bill had been met with “the disappointment of many, not least within the Jewish community and Holocaust survivors”.

The last time Michael Epstein, 87, and Abe Rosenberg, 82, were in the same room was at a displaced person’s camp near Munich after the Holocaust.

On Sunday the men – along with Abe’s older sister, Ada Gracin, who was also in the camp – were reunited after 76 years. This time it was at a social hall in New Hyde Park, New York, where the men embraced, said Shehecheyanu and shared their stories with an audience of 100.

The reunion came weeks after the two men learned that they lived less than 40 miles apart: Rosenberg on the eastern border of Queens, and Epstein in New Jersey. “Hitler’s goal was to destroy Yiddishkeit, Judaism. When we gather here, we are involved in a victory over him,” Rosenberg said. The men were reunited by a sharpeyed videographer working for the Names Not Numbers oral history project.

The last time Michael The

Lord Pickles (right), Ed Balls and survivors look at the plans

Michael Epstein, highlighted in the bottom row, and Abe Rosenberg, top, in their classroom in a displaced person’s camp in 1947

Waters in legal war with German cities

Roger Waters has denounced antisemitism in a statement issued by his lawyers after being prevented from performing in Frankfurt and Munich, despite Frankfurt calling him “one of the world’s most well known antisemites”.

The former Pink Floyd bassist, a leading proponent of the boycott Israel movement, was scheduled to perform on 28 May at Frankfurt’s Festhalle, the site just after Kristallacht of the deportation of 3,000 Jews to their deaths.

The city of Frankfurt noted the historical significance of the concert hall, adding: “The background to the cancellation is the persistent anti-Israel behaviour of the former Pink Floyd frontman, who is considered one of the most widely spread antisemites in the world.”

Waters’ statement read: “My lawyers are taking steps to ensure that my concerts in Munich and Frankfurt in May 2023 take place as contracted.

“Human rights and freedom of speech for all peoples under German law must prevail, which is why I’m taking this stance to ensure the will of the few will not prevent me from performing.”

The statement said the moves by Frankfurt and Munich were “unconstitutional actions of two authorities which seem to rely upon the fundamentally false accusation that has been made against me; namely that I am antisemitic.

“I want to state for the record and once and for all that I am not and never have been antisemitic ... my well-publicized views relate entirely to the policies and actions of the Israeli government and not with the peoples of Israel. Antisemitism is odious and racist, and I condemn it, along with all forms of racism unreservedly.”

Last month, the wife of Pink Floyd guitarist Dave Gilmour accused Waters of being “antisemitic to your rotten core”, in a row over his stance on Israel and the Ukraine war.

Tributes to Ann Summers founder Jacqueline Gold

Ann Summers founder Jacqueline Gold has died at the age of 62 after seven years of treatment for breast cancer.

A family statement on the death of the Jewish businesswoman said it was with “unspeakable sadness” Ann Summers confirmed its “amazing” executive chair had passed away. Her husband Dan, daughter Scarlett, sister Vanessa and brother-in-law Nick were by her side.

Sister Vanessa said: “Jacqueline courageously battled stage four breast cancer for

seven years and was an absolute warrior throughout her cancer journey.”

Jacqueline was awarded a CBE in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to entre-

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preneurship, women in business and social enterprise, and was famous as the lingerie tycoon who introduced sex toys to the UK high street.

As well as the chain of shops, which at the time of her investiture had more than 10,000 staff, she launched the Party Plan for women to buy Ann Summers products at events in people’s homes.

She died two months after her father, the late West Ham United football club joint chairman David Gold. The club sent “heartfelt condolences”.

JLC TAKES THE LEAD

More than 50 guests attended an International Women’s Day event run by the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) and the community’s main leadership development organisation, Lead.

With the theme of ‘Embrace Equity’, the celebration was held at the newly rebuilt Finchley Reform synagogue for attendees with professional or lay positions within the community.

The opening session, chaired by JLC head of strategic collaboration Michelle Mitchell, focused on embracing equality within the workplace with Jewish Care chief executive Daniel Carmel-Brown, Nechama Kutner of Lloyds Banking Group and Rona Harvey of PUBLIC discussing what equity means, why it is important and the steps they have taken to increase it in their organisations.

Other insightful conversations included one chaired by JLC co-chief executive Michelle Janes hosting Finchley Reform synagogue rabbi Miriam Berger, Liberal Judaism chief executive rabbi Charley Baginsky, New London Masorti synagogue rabbi Natasha Mann and rabbi-intraining Miriam Lorie, each discussing the faith leadership journey and how being a woman has influenced and shaped their experience.

Other speakers included public policy analyst Sam Freedman of education charity ARK, JLC co-chief executive Claudia Mendoza, Cevin Owens of Harvard Business School and UJIA chief executive Mandie Winston, with topics on the table including whether a menopause policy was needed and what a family-friendly policy would mean in an organisation.

Waters: ‘I have never been antisemitic’

Meet the man behind the Arab world’s first Holocaust exhibit

You might think memories of the Warsaw Ghetto are a world away from the Arabian desert. But for Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, the two are inextricably linked, writes Etan Smallman.

The 51-year-old is the man behind the first Holocaust exhibition to be staged in the Arab world and has devoted one of the galleries in his privately-owned Crossroads of Civilizations Museum in Dubai to educating Emiratis about “the biggest crime against humanity”.

In our modern history, he says, “there is nothing bigger than the Holocaust”.

At the centre is the life-sized figure of the ‘Warsaw Ghetto boy’, his hands raised before a Nazi gunman, plus displays on Anne Frank and Egyptian doctor Mohamed Helmy, the first Arab to be recognised as a Righteous Among the Nations for saving Jews in Berlin.

Al Mansoori, a former member of the United Arab Emirates Federal National Council, learnt about the Shoah at school, but the trigger for the launch was the sight of “some very bad images of antisemitism” on the news and his realisation Jew hatred was far from a thing of the past.

When he opened the memorial on Yom Hashoah, 2021, Al Mansoori envisaged it would be temporary, but the influx of visi-

tors on the first day made him decide to make it permanent. Since then, he has welcomed British-based survivor Eve Kugler to share her memories of Kristallnacht – on the 84th anniversary of the pogrom – and the UK’s chief rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Noting Al Mansoori was collecting and dis-

playing Jewish artefacts long before the normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE, Sir Ephraim told him last November: “You’re not a product of the Abraham Accords, you’re a product of your heart.”

Al Mansoori notes that though many locals may be unfamiliar with the history, any

laughing or smiling from visitors perusing other parts of the museum is immediately replaced by a reverent hush when they enter the Holocaust exhibit.

He welcomes the opportunity to answer anyone who is “in denial or ridicules the story or tries to say it’s politicised”, adding: “I get questions: Did it really happen? Isn’t it exaggerated? You create a dialogue, you show them the facts. I tell them this museum is showing a very beautiful side of the relationship between both civilisations, both cultures – who are brothers before being cousins.”

Al Mansoori was inspired partly by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, to which he donated when it opened in 1993. He plans everntually to move his own gallery – curated by his Israeli chief operating o cer, Yael Grafy – into its own building.

But he is just as proud of changes across the wider Arab world, including Egypt joining the UAE in January 2022 by putting on its own commemoration.“I’m sure someone will come up with something better than I have,” he says, “and it will be a success for all of us. This is a catalyst project for the whole region.” • This article was originally published in the spring 2023 issue of the United Synagogue’s United magazine

Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori with one of the exhibits in his collection

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Israeli flag flies over ghetto after 80 years

Polish and Israeli flags this week flew over the site of the Warsaw Ghetto –eight decades after the heroic uprising, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Jonny Daniels, of From The Depths, flew the flags overlooking the Warsaw streets that housed the largest Nazi ghetto of the Holocaust.

At its height, as many as 460,000 Jews were imprisoned there. Many were transported from there to multiple German Nazi death camps, most notably Treblinka.

On 19 April, 1943, thousands of German troops entered the Ghetto for the last time. Two brave groups of Jewish fighters stood up against them – the ZOB, the Jewish Combat Organisation and the ZZW, the Jewish military union – in a stand of resistance, uprising and ultimate bravery.

They fought valiantly with the few arms they had and stood their ground for nine days. Before the battle, the head of the ZZW, Pawel Frenkel, addressed a meeting of Jewish fighters: “Of course we will fight with guns in our hands, and most of us will fall. But we will live on

in the lives and hearts of future generations and in the pages of their history…. We will die before our time but we are not doomed. We will be alive for as long as Jewish history lives!”

The group hoisted two flags at the top of the highest building they could reach, the blue-and-white flag of the Zionists and the white-and-red flag of Poland, which had been smuggled into the ghetto through the sewers.

Demand for Pesach aid hits record high

Continued from page 1

Refugees from Ukraine have received support via drop-in centres run by a number of US communities.

Some £525,000 was raised from 2,730 donors which will ensure thousands of people in need can be supported this year. Matzah for the food parcels is donated by Rakusen’s.

“This powerful symbol of resistance, of fighting back, is one we must carry on for the next generations” said Daniels this week. “Resistance wasn’t just the physical act of fighting, it too was staying alive, keeping once’s faith, keeping one’s dignity, we remember all those we lost and promise through actions like these, that they will never be forgotten.”

The raising of the flags was performed in partnership with Onet online news.

Michelle Minsky, US head of chesed, said: “The cost-ofliving crisis shows no sign of abating and with food costs still spiralling, more families than ever have asked for the United Synagogue’s support this year. Fortunately, the generosity of our community means that we have been able to raise additional funds to meet the growing need but this is not something we can take for granted.

“I’d also like to thank our network of extraordinary care coordinators and local volunteers without whom we simply wouldn’t be able to deliver the level of support that’s needed. We are glad

we can meet the increasing demand and thank everyone who donated to our appeal – your generosity means so much for the thousands of people we support throughout the year.”

Sarah (not her real name) said: “Thank you United Synagogue, for your support of meals and essentials. You truly make the di erence for us and we are extremely grateful. Taking into account that we are on very low incomes and the cost of living is increasing, which makes the matter worse, your project helps us to carry on. I don’t know how we could survive without it.”

Jonny Daniels standing above the site of the former ghetto

Pesach aid parcels

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Tributes to acclaimed refugee photographer Dorothy Bohm

Holocaust refugee and celebrated photographer Dorothy Bohm has died at the age of 98, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

She was born Dorothea Israelit in East Prussia (now Russia). Her father moved the family to Lithuania in 1932. Following the Nazi occupation in 1939, Dorothy was sent to England in June that year.

She was 14 and it would be more than two decades before she saw her parents and sister again.

“My father was one of those who believed in anything new and so in the 1930s he was using a Leica,” she recalled in an interview with The Telegraph.

“When I was shipped o to England because Hitler had come and life had become impossible. Saying goodbye to me, he took o his Leica and gave it to me. It was strange. He said: ‘It might be useful to you.’ ”

At the end of the war, at the age of 21, she opened a studio in Manchester. By the late 1950s, she had developed a passion for street photography.

London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts hosted her first exhibition, People at Peace, in 1969. Her first book, A World

P RECIOUS STONES

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Observed, was published the following year.

She was deeply involved in the founding of The Photographers’ Gallery in the early 1970s and elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in 2009.

Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) CEO Michael Newman told Jewish News: “We were deeply saddened to hear of Dorothy’s passing and send our sincerest condolences to her family. Dorothy was a distinguished photographer who made a huge contribution to the cultural life of this country. As well as her remarkable collections, she leaves a rich legacy.

: “We were deeply sad-

“The AJR is honoured to have captured Dorothy’s story as part of our

AJR Refugee Voices archive, which will be featured as part of the International Forum on Holocaust Testimonies next month.”

which of the International Forum on

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A man accused of stirring up racial hatred through a “highly racist and antisemitic” podcast station called Radio Aryan has gone on trial.

James Allchurch, 50, of Church House, Gelli, Pembrokeshire, faces 15 counts of distributing audio material to stir up racial hatred over a two-year period.

The trial began last July last year but was adjourned due to barristers’ strikes. A new hearing began in Swansea on Monday.

The jury heard each charge relates to a separate audio file uploaded between 17 May 2019 and 18 March 2021 to a public website called Radio Aryan, later renamed Radio Albion.

Accused: James Allchurch outside court

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The prosecution said the content of the episodes was “highly racist, antisemitic and white supremacist in nature”, with Allchurch heard being “threatening, abusive and insulting”

about ethnic minorities, and perpetuating the idea that black and white people in Britain are in a race war. The trial continues.

MELINDA’S HONOUR ‘FOR TEAM UKRAINE’

Britain’s ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, fingernails painted yellow and blue to reflect the colours of the country’s flag, receives her damehood from King Charles III for services to British foreign policy.

Describing the occasion as “extraordinary”, she said: “It just feels like recognition of everything that all of my team has been doing in Ukraine.”

PROPERTY

Uni settles claim on ‘anti-Israel’ marking

The University of Leeds has reached a “commercial settlement” with a sociology graduate who claimed an essay she wrote about crimes committed by Hamas against Palestinians was failed by an academic because it did not blame the Jewish state, writes Lee Harpin.

Danielle Greyman has now accepted “an o er without any admission of liability” made by the university in respect of her claim for damages. She told Jewish News it was “nice to have closure” on the dispute.

Greyman mounted an internal appeal after her essay was re-marked to a passing grade.

The university said it strenuously denied the accusation of antisemitism and stressed there was no finding of wrongdoing against the institution. It added it had conducted an internal review which”exonerated our sta of any alleged discrimination”.

Greyman has since been awarded a 2:1 BA degree with honours, but claimed the time spent on the appeal, the re-marking and Leeds’ confirmation of her degree came too late for her to do a master’s course at Glasgow University.

In a statement the University of Leeds told Jewish News: ”No finding of any wrongdoing on the part of the university has been made by

the court. Furthermore, the university does not consider or accept that there has been any wrongdoing. An internal review exonerated our sta of any alleged discrimination and the university remains fully supportive of the academic judgement of its academic sta .”

Jonathan Turner of UK Lawyers For Israel, who assisted Greyman, said: “We are very pleased with the settlement and hope that it will serve as a warning to universities and academics not to allow marking to be influenced by the anti-Israel bias which is so prevalent in academia. Ms Greyman is to be congratulated.”

* David Hirsch, page 30

Genetics charity in £765k screening services boost

The UK’s only cross-communal charity dedicated to tackling genetic disorders disproportionately a ecting the Jewish community has raised more than £765,000 in its second matchedfunding campaign.

The Jnetics ‘Breakthrough’ campaign harnessed a network of 170 ambassadors, to break through their original target of £600k. Thanks to generous donors, the money raised over the 36 hours of the campaign was doubled, ensuring every pound will have twice the impact.

The funds raised ensure Jnetics can continue its screening services in Jewish schools across the country, as well as on university campuses and through the Jnetics clinic.

This is aimed specifically at couples thinking about a family to help them avoid the heartbreak of conceiving a baby with genetic problems.

Jnetics is also working with Chai Cancer Care to engage the Jewish community in NHS England’s new BRCA screening programme.

Chief executive Nicole Gordon said: “Jnetics has been appointed in association with Chai Cancer Care to deliver the engagement campaign for the BRCA programme, for which anybody of Jewish descent is eligible.

“The success of this fundraiser, together with the grant received from the NHS, will ensure we can spread the message of this breakthrough programme to our community even more widely – and will no doubt save more lives across the community.”

“The Breakthrough campaign has not only raised the funds required to support recessive screening programmes in 2023, but also raised awareness so more people understand how vital and life-changing testing is.”

JEWISH CARE LOOKS AHEAD

Shadow secretary of state for health and social care Wes Streeting has addressed Jewish Care’s largest gathering of 150 patrons for a briefing on the charity’s plans for the next 12 months.

Topics included the impact on the charity of the cost-of-living crisis and the bed crisis within the NHS, upcoming campaigns and plans for a new development in Redbridge on the existing Sinclair House site.

Chief executive Daniel Carmel-Brown said

of the new development plans: “I am hopeful that we will be granted planning permission in the coming weeks.

“After decades of the community dreaming about this moment, we are now the closest we’ve ever been to this becoming a reality for the north-east London and Essex community.”

Streeting added: “Jewish Care is a great example of how high-quality social care can be delivered in the 21st century.”

The University of Leeds

Jnetics staff celebrate

Meet Rabb.AI, your seder expert for the new intelligent Haggadah

Two Jerusalem creatives — a graphic designer and photographer, and an architect — have built what is almost certainly the world’s first Haggadah devised by artificial intelligence, or AI, writes Jenni Frazer.

Yitz Woolf, a Canadian-born designerphotographer, who has lived in Israel for 17 years, teamed up with native Jerusalemite Royi Shamir to work on the text, built with two computer programmes, ChatGPT and Midjourney.

Shamir explains: “We were playing with various AI models and enjoyed the results. So we tried to think how to make it relevant to Jewish learning and the Jewish world — and we thought the Haggadah would be perfect to do that”.

ChatGPT was only released in November 2022 and the two men began working with it, finding the programme was able to generate divrei Torah and midrashim which were “entirely new and unique”.

With the aid of a cartoon figure called — inevitably — Rabb.AI, the reader of Haggad.AI can navigate his or her way through the Pesach story. Though this was originally an internet creation, Woolf and Shamir are printing copies for sale in time for Pesach, so observant readers can use it on seder night.

The chunky little robot rabbi tells us: “As an artificial intelligence, I’m designed to offer

insightful commentary, and lead you through various sections of the Passover Haggadah. I’m excited to help you engage with the Passover story in new and exciting ways, offering you a deeper understanding of the holiday and helping you connect with your faith.”

Woolf and Shamir asked ChatGPT to write a

disclaimer using Jewish references, so a reader would know what was AI input and what was the traditional version of the Haggadah. Says Woolf: “It wrote things like ‘Some people walk blindly, but the prudent man always looks where he’s going, be careful about using me’. But then it came up with a midrash that had a Talmudic

conversation of rabbis discussing what was the most important part of the Seder. And it said that this was Magid. In fact, our Haggadah starts — as normal — with Kadesh.”

When the two men asked friends about the AI “solution” of giving incorrect prominence to the Magid section of the seder, they realised the conflicting answers tied in with the whole essence of the seder — to ask questions, and to discover the hidden.

So Haggad.AI contains ChatGPT generated commentary, and some fascinating illustrations, too, when Midjourney, for example, portrays a Lego-like El Al plane as the image for “Next Year in Jerusalem”, or stunning blackand-white portraits of the same child wearing four different wigs, to show the four sons, the wise, the wicked, the simple and the one who does not know how to ask.

Cleverly, the right-hand column of each page shows the reader which cup of wine is being drunk, while Rabb.AI’s cheerful figure will indicate what is ChatGPT commentary compared with the original.

The two creators believe creating a Haggadah with AI will “make it more approachable for the digital nomad generation”. It is certainly fascinating, engaging, and thought-provoking — a unique blend of technology and tradition.

‘As an artificial intelligence, I’m designed to offer insightful commentary about the seder’

Embassy honours ambassador Argov

As the Israeli embassy in London prepared this week to commemorate late ambassador Shlomo Argov, who died 20 years ago, his two daughters spoke to Jewish News about their father and the tragedy that befell the family after terrorists tried to assassinate him in 1982, writes Jotam Confino.

Argov holds a special place in Israel’s history due to an impressive career spanning over 20 years, serving as the Israeli consul in New York and later as ambassador to Mexico, The Netherlands and the UK.

For his daughters, Edna and Judy, Shlomo was best described as “loving, funny, devoted to representing Israel and loved telling stories about his childhood in Jerusalem”.

As the daughters of a career diplomat, Edna and Judy travelled extensively and lived in different cultures. And although both remember their upbringing as diverse and full of culture, Edna said their father was “very concerned about the transitions and making sure we were comfortable”.

Judy added: “Looking back at those years, we had such an amazing childhood. In those days people didn’t really travel the way we did. Basically we travelled all over the world.”

Argov was a man of culture, studying at Georgetown University and the London

School of Economics. He also made an effort to learn the languages of the countries where he was serving, ending up with Spanish, Dutch, English and, of course, Hebrew.

Argov and his wife Hava ensured Judy and Edna felt connected to Israel while living abroad, talking about their home country and hiring private tutors who taught the girls everything their Israeli peers were taught.

But being a high-ranking Israeli diplomat abroad carries risks. On 3 June 1982, three terrorists from the Abu Nidal group shot and severely wounded Argov as he got into his car outside the Dorchester Hotel in London.

Judy and Edna were both in Israel. Judy, 22 at the time, lived in an apartment in Haifa, where Edna, then 19, stayed over. Says Judy: “They weren’t able to contact me, so I heard it from a friend who heard it on the news. It was such a horrible night.”

Edna and Judy flew to London the next day and straight to the hospital where their mother was. “It became obvious after a couple of weeks dad’s condition was not going to improve,” Edna said. Argov had been shot in the head, leaving him paralysed and with severe speech damage.

He was eventually flown back to Israel and hospitalised at Hadassah hospital in Jeru-

salem. He died 21 years later on 23 February 2003, aged 73.

While the family was dealing with personal tragedy, Israel reacted promptly to the assassination attempt and next day authorised the invasion of Lebanon.

However, Judy says: “Our mother, and dad for that matter, could not stand the fact

the war was connected to what had happened to him, that so many people lost their lives because of it. We didn’t like it and we repeated that constantly, our mother certainly did. ”

Although the assassination attempt was in London, it never changed Judy or Edna’s feelings about the city. “We love London. The connection to the UK is so strong because it’s where my parents started their lives and where our father ended it in such a tragic way,” Judy said.

Ambassador Shlomo Argov’s granddaughter Maya Orbach at this week’s memorial. Inset: Family album picture from the 1980s

Smotrich map of Greater Israel

Far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has told an event in Paris “the Palestinian people are an invention that is less than 100 years old”, writes Joy Falk.

Speaking to an appreciative audience at a memorial gathering for Likud activist and Jewish Agency board member Jacques Kupfer, Smotrich said: “Jacques’ truth must be told with all our might and without confusion; he said there is no such thing as Palestinians – because there is no such thing as a Palestinian people.

“We need to tell the truth without bowing to the lies and distortions of history, and without

succumbing to the hypocrisy of BDS and the pro-Palestinian organisations.”

The Religious Zionism leader delivered his speech with a banner in front of him that appeared to display an image of a Greater Israel.

The graphic appeared to define Israel’s borders inside parts of Syria and Jordan, in addition to including the West Bank and Gaza.

Smotrich, who has a long history of inflammatory statements against Palestinians, sparked outrage recently by calling for the Palestinian town of Huwara in the West Bank to be “wiped out” following a Palestinian terror attack.

In further inflammatory comments at the event, held to mark the second anniversary of Kupfer’s death from cancer, Smotrich claimed he is actually a Palestinian.

“My grandfather, who was the 13th generation in Jerusalem, is the real Palestinian. My grandmother, who was born in Metula more than 100 years ago to a family of pioneers, is Palestinian,” he said.

He then added: “There were Arabs in the Middle East who arrived in the Land of Israel at the same time as the Jewish immigration and the beginning of Zionism.

“After 2,000 years of exile, the people of Israel were returning

home, and there were Arabs around [us] who do not like it. So what do they do? They invent a fictitious people in the Land of Israel and claim fictitious rights... just to fight the Zionist movement.”

Referencing the rules of international law, Smotrich said “the rules have five characteristics that define a nation – history, culture, language, currency and historical leadership.” He added: “Who was the first Palestinian king? What language do the Palestinians have? Has there ever been a Palestinian currency? Is there a Palestinian history or culture? There isn’t any.”

 Editorial comment, page 26

US Dems ‘favour Palestine’ NAZI SALUTE AT FOOTBALL

A new poll has found American Democrats are likelier to sympathise with Palestinians than Israelis, although a majority of Democrats have a favourable view of Israel.

Asked “In the Middle East situation, are your sympathies more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians?” 49 percent of Democrats sympathised more with the Palestinians and 38 percent more with the Israelis. An additional 13 percent, according to the poll, sympathised with neither, both or had no opinion. It was the first

time since at least 2001 that more Democrats sympathised with the Palestinians than with the Israelis.

Among Republicans, a strong 78 percent sympathise more with the Israelis and 11 percent more with the Palestinians. Among independents, 49 percent sympathise with the Israelis and 32 percent with the Palestinians. Overall, a majority – 54 percent – of Americans sympathise more with Israelis and 31 percent more with Palestinians.

Turkish Jewish leaders say they are taking action after students at Istanbul’s Üsküdar American Academy reportedly gave the Nazi salute during a football game against Istanbul’s sole Jewish day school.

The students from the American Academy, considered one of Istanbul’s most elite, delivered the gesture at the game as a taunt following goals by the Ulus Jewish School team, according to reports on Twitter and in Avlaremoz, a Turkish Jewish media outlet.

Turkey’s official Jewish communal organisation condemned the incident. The organisation said it was in contact with the American school’s board and that “necessary initiatives will be taken,” though it did not specify what those initiatives might be.

The American Academy is also investigating what happened at the game, according to a statement. “We would like to emphasise that we stand against all kinds of discrimination,” the academy added.

Smotrich and the image of Greater Israel

ISSUE

NO. 1307

As Bibi arrives…

The idea that Benjamin Netanyahu could marry his new coalition with his declared aim of furthering the Abraham Accords was always for the birds. But few could have foreseen one of his new government ministers plumbing the depths she did with a childish attack on Israel’s new ally the UAE this week.

With the diplomatic grace of an elephant on ice, transportation minister Miri Regev said: “I’ve been to Dubai. I won’t be going back. I don’t like the place.” Yet hers was not the looniest voice in Netanyahu’s government this week. Laying claim to that particular accolade – as well as inflicting yet more damage to Israel’s ties with regional friends – was good old two-matzahsshort-of-an-Afikoman Bezalel Smotrich, who denied existence of Palestinians while standing at a lecturn featuring a map of Israel complete with vast chunks of Syria and Jordan.

It’s increasingly clear that Netanyahu has lost control. As he arrives in the UK, he has the choice of putting himself or his country first. If he clings on to this crackpot coalition, he not only risks democracy in Israel but perhaps his greatest achievement: the Accords. Never mind furthering peace with Saudi Arabia – he could oversee the disintegration of prized deals already reached.

JEWISH NEWS CONTACT DETAILS

Publisher and Editor Richard Ferrer 020 8148 9703 richard@jewishnews.co.uk

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We must stop washing our dirty linen in public

It’s unimaginable that Theodor Herzl or David Ben-Gurion could have conceived that a prime minister of Israel would lead the country in neardictatorial fashion, as is currently the case under Benjamin Netanyahu.

They also could never have imagined demonstrations, attended by Jews, criticising Israel taking place on the streets of countries outside of the state. Our sworn enemies must be delighting in this very public show, which will be perceived by them as the Jews dancing to their tune.

By all means we, as Jews and lovers of Israel

The coverage over proposed changes to the law concerning the Israel Supreme Court hs been hysterical. The reasoning has been overlooked as both sides of the debate choose to focus on their own agenda.

(of which I am one), should demonstrate against the current regime in Israel, but only in Israel, where it has a chance of making a difference.

By hanging out our dirty linen here in the UK, the protests have the potential to rebound on us, heaping more damage on British Jews.

Are people so naive as to believe that the demise of Jeremy Corbyn has brought an end to Jew hatred in this country? If ever an own goal has been scored, this has got to be it.

Michael White Finchley

A sensible discussion as to how this can be achieved is long overdue.

Community Editor Michelle Rosenberg michelle@jewishnews.co.uk

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Shabbat comes in Friday night 6.06pm Shabbat goes out Saturday night 7.09pm Sedra: Vayikra

Correction:

Last week’s feature on the BBC documentary The Holy Land And Us: Our Untold Stories incorrectly stated that father and son Daniel and David Gance are Palestinian. We apologise for our error.

The Supreme Court has taken unto itself powers way beyond its remit. The problem started in 1950 when successive governments delayed enacting a constitution as mentioned in the declaration of independence.

A Supreme Court is there to ensure governments act lawfully.

Democracy is not under threat by proposing to regulate what has become an uncontrolled body.

Your letter writer Gabriel Webber accuses me of spreading fake news conspiracy theories when I correctly observed that the Supreme Court justices in Israel have effective veto power over the appointment of their successors (9 March).

Of the nine members of the judicial appointments committee, which appoints the judges, three are the Supreme Court justices. Seven votes are needed to appoint a new justice. Given that the three justices vote together as a bloc, by any reckoning that amounts to a veto.

Since when is basic mathematics a conspiracy theory?

James R Windsor, Ilford

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Further, I take exception to the stance of the Board of Deputies and the JLC. Keith Black, of the JLC, seems to suggest UK Jews are divided into those who think they have the right to criticise the government of Israel and those who think we shouldn’t. Some of us have an opinion on the issue itself, regardless of party politics.

Anthony Goddard, By email

I disagree with Simon Schama’s view that UK Jews should speak up against Israel’s political direction. It is not the duty of the diaspora to protest. Voting should be compulsory. Had it been so in Israel at the last election, and 51 percent of Arab citizens who did not vote had done so, the result may have been more to Mr Schama’s liking.

Leila Cumber, Finchley

I look forward to a visit by your Israel reporter Jotam Confino to one of the West Bank Palestinian villages in Area C, where there are huge warning signs in red stating that it is dangerous for Israelis to enter, or that entry to Israelis is forbidden. If he should emerge alive, his report would make interesting reading.

Warren S Grossman

Leytonstone

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.

PEER RIGHT ABOUT BOARD

Lord Polak is correct that the Board of Deputies has a duty to remain impartial and apolitical as “it is a key representative voice for the Jewish community in the UK”.

It is precisely because it has departed from this requirement that the Board is now seen by much of Anglo Jewry, especially the young, to be at best irrelevant. It’s why, increasingly, grassroots organisations are replacing the Board.

More importantly, the Board has no remit under its constitution to comment on matters not directly related to Jewish life here, in the wider

diaspora and Israel. To opine on a contentious, emotive bill presented by the government, in the name of Anglo Jewry, unconnected to Jewish life and without consulting with it is unforgivable, as is the offensive comparison between migrants fleeing a safe country to come here, and desperate Jews fleeing certain death.

Marie van der Zyl’s foot-in-mouth intervention was also antagonistic to one of the most philosemitic and Israel-supporting governments this country has seen.

Colin Rossiter WC2A

STORIES OF RIGHTEOUS ALBANIANS

A report in Jewish News, (9 March) states that when in Jerusalem the Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama, announced the building of a museum to “memorialise the bravery of Albanians who risked their lives, and to celebrate Jewish history, tradition, culture and art”. However, there is already a Jewish museum in Albania. It is in Berat, and it tells the story of how Muslim and Christian Albanians sheltered hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust.

The outstanding rescue stories of Muslim-Albanian families who saved Jews are recognised as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.

Kay Bagon Radlett

A MUDDLED MENU PAINFUL REMINDERS OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

During the pandemic, the KLBD wisely issued a list of “regular” foods that could be used over Pesach if necessary. Last year, another list was issued of staples that did not need the Pesach hechsher , such as tea, coffee and sugar.

In view of the fact that food manufacturing factories uphold the strictest hygiene standards and it would be impossible for workers to contaminate the ingredients, surely the time has come to update the system.

The KLBD has enough details about so many of the products that we can use during the year that, in these difficult times for so many people, the keeping of Pesach should be made as easy and affordable as possible.

If, as last year, the KLBD decide to issue a list of usables, perhaps they could help us all by not waiting until a week before Pesach to do so!

Ruth Temerlies, By email

CUTS BOTH WAYS

I applaud your columnist Shimon Cohen’s call for respect for strictly-Orthodox Jews in your newspaper (9 March). I look forward to reading his call for respect of Progressive Jews in Hamodia or any Charedi publication.

Joe Millis

By email

The real tragedy for Sarah Agha and Rob Rinder (pictured) in the BBC documentary The Holy Land and Me, was the decision to refuse the two-state solution on offer in 1948.

Accepted by the Israelis, it offered them a much smaller state than now, with a neighbouring Palestinian one on what is at present the West Bank. Israel’s neighbours rejected the plan and invaded. Had it been implemented, there would have been a state of Palestine for the past half century. It needs also to be

remembered that as well as the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who lost their homes, so did a similar number of Jews, families resident in Arab lands for millennia, who fled losing everything as they became victims of persecution.

While these injustices are beyond repair, there are many organisations in Israel trying to put that behind them with Christian, Jewish and Muslim Israeli citizens working for peace.

Let us hope they prevail.

Barry Hyman, Bushey Heath

Overpaid pundit Lineker has debased vital debate

ALEX BRUMMER CITY EDITOR, THE DAILY MAIL

As the son of a refugee from the Czech/Hungarian borderlands who landed here in the teeth of Nazi conquest, I have a very di erent view of migration from many of my colleagues. My father arrived in the belly of a cargo boat from Belgium and during his lifetime was eternally grateful for Britain’s welcome and the tolerance he was accorded from the day he arrived almost penniless at Victoria station.

His journey across wartime Europe, with countless borders where inspections of papers had to be evaded or finessed, cannot in my mind be very di erent from the migrants currently arriving here from across the Channel. Ironically, his journey also began in the Middle East, having been turned back at Haifa with other Zionist-trained future naval o cers by British mandate troops.

Anyone who has watched the 2022 film The Swimmers, directed by Sally El Hosaini,

about the struggle of two Syrian sisters to find a new life in the West, cannot but be acutely aware of the privations of such journeys.

The film illustrates the brutality of life in Bashar al-Assad’s Syria, the pure evil of the people tra ckers sending people on long journeys on unsafe vessels and the violence and sexual intimidation faced on such journeys. It makes one wish there were better legitimate ways of claiming asylum.

I had no problem with overpaid football pundit Gary Lineker identifying with the migrants. His sympathy for asylum seekers is to be admired. However, his ignorance in comparing events in the UK in 2023 to those in Germany in the 1930s was unconscionable. There is no problem in Lineker being allowed to express his views. The BBC gave him the “oxygen of publicity” as Mrs Thatcher once described it in relation to the IRA by its clumsy response. My only wish is the selfabsorbed pundit had the intelligence, wit and knowledge to have recognised the comparison with Nazi-era Germany was wrong.

Anyone with even the slightest knowledge of that era would know Nazi hatred of

socialist critics, Catholic priests, Jewish dissidents was already in full swing and people were being dragged o to Dachau from the early 1930s. A walk through the once-Jewish neighbourhood of Berlin would demonstrate to him the appalling restrictions the Nazis were imposing on the Jewish population.

The Germans were not just destroying enterprises, lives, books and places of worship, as on Kristallnacht in 1938, but restricting basic rights to buy petrol, walk in the park and much else. The language of Nazism was brutal and racist and not even a distant cousin to the UK’s language and handling of migrants.

As much as the people tra cking behind the current small-boat crisis is abhorrent, in my view the best approach of government is not to ship people to Rwanda but to change the approach with an all-out e ort to speed up processing and arrivals brought into the workforce as soon as possible.

Latest data shows there are as many as 1.3 million vacancies in the UK economy, so the idea of new arrivals detained or locked up in hotels at great public expense is ludicrous.

If as much e ort was expended on e cient processing – rather than pouring cash into the hands of the French authorities – the outcomes would be very di erent.

The Tories are the party of entrepreneurship, enterprise and endeavour. One only has to look at the front bench to recognise how in one or two generations people can transform lives. Jews and in more recent times East African Asians are among those groups who are making huge contributions to the UK economy. As The Swimmers demonstrates very well, most people do not risk their lives and savings to feed o the welfare state.

In many cases the migrants are driven by fierce ambition and infused with the spirited qualities that should be better embraced. Putting aside the current politics, there are few states which have better demonstrated the value of an immigrant population than Israel. In just 75 years it has overtaken the UK in terms of per-capita income.

Lineker, with his observations, debases a great national political and economic debate which needs to be conducted in a mature balanced way.

A lesson from Poland on what being Jewish means

DANIEL KORSKI CO-FOUNDER, PUBLIC

Jews are known for their acute sense of history, especially as it concerns our own people’s experiences.

But most Jews today are unfamiliar with the last European antisemitic campaign. It took place 23 years after the Holocaust, 55 years ago this week, when an internal power struggle inside the Polish Communist party spilled into an antisemitic purge, what writer Henryk Grynberg called a “dry pogrom”.

Thousands of members of the country’s intelligentsia, including outstanding Jewish scientists, artists and writers – alongside ordinary people – were thrown out of their jobs and eventually expelled from the country. The ostensible reason had been the Jews’ support for Israel in the Six Days War, a war that saw the communist bloc’s Arab allies defeated by Israel. The campaign equated Jewish origins with “Zionism” and disloyalty to a Socialist Poland.

My mother’s family were among those expelled. Moshe and Ita Wajntraub weren’t prominent in any way. They weren’t members of the Communist Party. Modest, hardworking people, they observed some Jewish

occasions but were not particularly religious. My grandfather had been put up for adoption as his parents died from typhoid fever. My grandmother and her nine siblings lived in the Jewish quarter in Warsaw; her mother made wigs for the city’s religious women.

As Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland in 1939, my grandparents fled as far eastwards as they could and survived the war in Uzbekistan. Coming back to Poland when the war ended, they settled in a small industrial town in western Poland.

To my grandparents, the events following the Six Days War were therefore especially shocking. For the second time in their lives, much as my paternal grandparents had to, they were targeted simply for being Jewish, stripped of their rights and citizenship and forced to seek a new life elsewhere. My mother had just embarked on her studies to become a midwife and her brother was working as an engineer, having recently graduated.

One of the most troubling aspects of the expulsion was the complicity of Polish society in the government’s actions. Not everyone supported the expulsions - my grandfather’s colleagues stand out. As during World War II, when many ordinary Poles hid and helped fleeing Jews, the same took place in the late 1960s. Too many Jews overlook this. But many

Poles were either indi erent to the antisemitism, felt they couldn’t do anything or participated in the discrimination. It is a di cult truth for many Poles to face, even today.

Many Poles struggle to confront this painful chapter in their country’s history. There is a tendency to want to portray Poland as a victim because it has truly been a victim many times in history rather than also a perpetrator. Acknowledging the role that some Poles played in the expulsion goes against that narrative.

But if Poland wants to truly reckon with its history and build a better future for all of its citizens, it should confront the legacy of the expulsion head-on. This means not only acknowledging the harm that was done but also working to repair the damage caused.

President Duda took important and welcome steps in this direction in 2018 when he publicly asked those expelled for forgiveness saying: “What a shame, what a loss for the Polish Republic today that those who left – and some who are maybe dead because of 1968 – are not here with us today... I am so sorry.”

The Polish government has also made it easier for Jews who were expelled to reclaim their citizenship. But there is still more to do to tell the story of the expulsion. To help spread knowledge of the events following the Six Days War, I together with my friends Daniel Schatz,

Philip Boyes and Rene Rechtman – all children of expelled Jews – are launching an archive to collect the testimonies of those that were expelled. The end of more than 700 years of Jewish Polish history deserves further attention and a central repository of testimonies. My mother settled first in Sweden and then in Denmark. She built a great life for herself and for me. Many expelled Jews did the same. But the pain of the expulsion was always present.

Family lore has it that my grandmother was so exhausted from the months of travel back from Uzbekistan, probably in cattle carts, that she told my grandfather, “I don’t care where we are, we are getting o .” So my mother was born and lived her early years in the small town of Choinow close to Wrocław. They were one of the few Jewish families in the village.

When I went back to Choinow with my mother in 2003 the continued poignancy of the events in the 1960s was brought home to me. A woman recognised my mother on the streets and burst out crying, begging my mother to forgive her for not having done more. She had been a family acquaintance. My family had in fact already received an apology. When I told a previous Polish leader, President Komorowski, on a visit to Poland about my family’s history he made me extend a personal apology to my mother and to invite her to come back.

Surreal and grotesque –the UNHRC strikes again

STEVE MCCABE

CHAIR, LABOUR FRIENDS OF ISRAEL

MP

This month, Iran’s foreign minister was invited to address the annual opening session of the UN Human Rights Council. This decision –surreal at any time – was particularly grotesque at a moment when the regime in Tehran is continuing brutally to suppress protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini last September.

That Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was given a platform to slur the protesters – he said the demonstrations for women’s rights and democracy had “turned violent following malign interference by some terrorist elements” – is insulting to the memory of all those Tehran has gunned down, executed and tortured in recent months.

Amir-Abdollahian coupled his slanders on Monday about the regime’s violence at home with lies the previous day about its complicity

in Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine; denying Iran is supplying Russia with the drones it uses to terrorise innocent Ukrainian civilians.

With his close links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Amir-Abdollahian is no reformer or moderate. But there should be no surprise about the UNHRC’s invitation. It is dominated by non-democratic states – only 14 of its 47 members, including Britain, France and the US, are classed as “free” – who use their position to whitewash human rights violations of fellow authoritarian regimes.

Worse, the UNHRC has appointed regimes with appalling human rights records to key human rights panels. In 2020, China joined the five-member Consultative Group, which selects the top o cials who shape international human rights standards and report on violations worldwide. In 2015, Saudi Arabia was appointed to the group, despite its role in picking experts on women’s rights.

Moreover, Amir-Abdollahian’s address on Monday is hardly the first time the UNHRC has allowed the mouthpieces of dictatorships and war criminals to spout self-serving falsehoods and fabrications from its platform.

Just last year Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was given the chance to justify Putin’s war against Ukraine and blame it on the West.

The UNHRC frequently lets the world’s worst human rights abusers o the hook. Since it was established in 2006, it has never passed a condemnatory resolution against Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Zimbabwe or China. It has condemned Venezuela only three times, Russia four and Iran 13.

In one particularly egregious example of turning a blind eye to crimes committed by its members, the body voted last October not to debate the Uyghur genocide.

Yet the UNHRC always seems to find time to debate Israel, the sole member of the UN to which it devotes a permanent agenda item, ensuring ongoing fodder for the campaign of demonisation and delegitimisation to which Israel is subjected.

Since 2006, Israel has been condemned in UNHRC resolutions 99 times. Only Assad’s blood-soaked regime in Syria (41) comes close. It’s clear the focus on Israel is nothing but a ploy and a distraction to shift the world’s attention from countries which would rather their own behaviour wasn’t examined too closely.

The UNHRC’s founding resolution obliges member states to consider “candidates’ contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights” in electing members to the UNHRC, who should “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights”.

At present, it is being disregarded entirely.

Antisemitism on campus – universities don’t learn

DAVID HIRSH

LECTURER

Leeds University has paid damages to Danielle Greyman to settle her legal claim after she alleged that her third year sociology essay had been failed unfairly because of antisemitism. Asked to write about a case study of the crimes and immorality of the powerful, she wrote an essay about Hamas and the UN in Gaza. The essay was failed because it did not blame Israel for the immorality of Hamas and the UN.

To my mind, this story taken as a whole, is evidence of an antisemitic hostile environment at Leeds University and in its sociology department; and there is nothing exceptional about Leeds; the hostile environment exists in many of our universities.

First, Danielle’s essay was failed by two markers, who made it clear in their comments that their main problem was that it was not written according to their own antizionist intellectual framework. The essay was then given to a third examiner who backed up the fail.

I have marked hundreds of sociology essays, over 20 years, with colleagues, with moderators, with external examiners, with the Exam Boards. Danielle’s essay was not a fail; it was so far from being a fail that in my experience it is an outlier of one.

Danielle appealed to the Department informally and it responded with a bureaucratic face; she appealed formally, and it put up a brick wall. The university appeals process stood with the department over the issue of antisemitism, but it did find a procedural reason to have the essay re-marked.

The re-mark that it ordered awarded a pass to the essay. This came only after Danielle had worked hard all summer to rewrite and resubmit the essay; which was in the end rather good, but which was given only a grudging bare pass. Meanwhile, Danielle had in any case earned su cient credits to be awarded her 2.1 degree but nobody told her.

Leeds set about putting up a second brick wall against Danielle, this time a legalistic one. It defended every point made by Danielle and her lawyers from UK Lawyers for Israel. The university refused to read my own expert report on the essay, which the lawyers submitted.

A big, powerful institution, the university

threatened to escalate and to inflate its legal defence against Danielle, and to put her at risk of huge costs if she were to lose in court. But Danielle and her lawyers, who stood by her without expectation of payment, were not to be frightened.

But the university was. It had made grandiose claims about the falsity of the allegation of antisemitism - how very dare she? And then it caved. It abandoned the defence of its sociology department, its sta ,

and its institutional processes and it paid damages to the student who had accused them, while continuing to deny that she had been damaged. The university’s last word to Danielle was a gaslighting letter, reiterating everything she claimed was false.

The university had a legal duty to take what Danielle was saying seriously and investigate her charge without assuming it had been made in bad faith. After a proper investigation, it might have concluded that her claims were without foundation but there was no proper investigation and her claims were not without foundation.

Danielle had adored and respected her sociology lecturers and she been planning postgraduate study. She could not proceed with that because of the delay in getting her degree, and by then, Danielle had no heart to proceed with her MA in the sociology. She she felt that she had been treated within the discipline, and within the university system, as a Jew, in an antisemitic way. By the time Leeds University had finished with her, she felt that she no longer had a place in the country, either. She left Britain and she went to restart her life in Israel.

It is most likely that Leeds University will learn nothing from this experience, because it does not believe that it was real.

FOCUS ON ISRAEL IS A PLOY TO SHIFT ATTENTION FROM THOSE WHO DON’T WANT TO BE LOOKED AT TOO CLOSELY

SENIOR

IN SOCIOLOGY, GOLDSMITHS, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Leeds University paid damages

It is entirely my decision to not drive, not my husband’s

MALKY DAVIDOVITS

Arecent article in Jewish News by Yehudis Fletcher, decrying the choice of many Charedi women not to drive, undermined the whole purpose of the international feminist movement. Despite what Ms Fletcher wants you to think, the decision for a woman not to drive is their choice. For me it is a very personal matter.

Whatever you think about my choice, it is purely mine. Not my husband’s or any other man’s. Why deny my agency?

There are many Charedi women who do drive. It is not a prohibition – it is simply a lifestyle choice which they are entitled to make in the same way that women across the country are allowed to choose whether or not to drive a motorbike, to be a stay-at-homemother or to wear make-up or not.

These are decisions we are allowed to make. I didn’t hear mass outcries when the female grandchildren of the Queen were

driven to her funeral when their male cousins walked. Likewise, I don’t hear protestations of inequalityevery time a woman walks down the aisle in a white dress rather than a black trouser suit. Criticising Charedi woman for this lifestyle choice is just as repressive and belittling as the restrictive social norms from years ago when women were told how to conduct themselves.

What does it matter if Charedi women don’t drive? Indeed, aren’t we being encouraged to get out of our cars to walk and use public transport more? It’s hardly progressive to be telling us to use our cars.

I recognise Ms Fletcher’s piece goes beyond driving. She seeks to use anecdotal evidence to portray Charedi women as a repressed and unhappy group. She wants you to think that women in the community do not count and are treated as second-class citizens with no power or authority.

Well, we do count, we do make our voices heard and we do make an impact. We count on International Women’s Day and every other day of the year. We count when we

chair a board meeting; we count when we are accepting awards on behalf of charities. Most importantly, we count when we are looking after our families and bringing up our children to be respectful, law-abiding and kind British citizens.

The importance of family is integral to how the Charedi community lives and women play an important role in this.

It is true, some women choose not to work but to devote their time and energies to looking after their children. This is not to be sneered at and everyone within the community – men and women alike – respect those who do choose to stay at home. Any parent will tell you that bringing up children is the hardest job they have and is the greatest responsibility they will ever have. Let’s not dismiss this as a denial of rights or choice. Let’s see it for what it is – devoting one’s time and energy to raise the next generation.

I work day-in, day-out with women holding senior positions across the community. They are chief executives of major charities, they are head teachers and they

run successful businesses. Those looking to criticise our community conveniently forget these facts.

Ms Fletcher asks you to pity the woman standing at the bus stop with a double buggy. Don’t pity us for using public transport; pity us for this relentless attack on our way of life, for the continuous broadcasting of myths about our community and for the unjustified criticism of how we choose to live.

We need to be heard – not by our own community – our voice is heard loud and clear there – but among the wider community who seek to belittle us. Look at our charities and businesses and see how many of them have female directors and trustees, look at the number of women in full-time employment and come to Stamford Hill and see the number of women drivers. You might have your misconceptions shattered.

 Malky is a community educator living in Stamford Hill. She serves as a trustee of community charity Sunbeams and works at the Interlink Foundation

BBC would like forgotten Jews to remain forgotten

LYN JULIUS CO-FOUNDER, HARIF

The BBC’s two-part documentary

The Holy Land and Us was commissioned to mark the 75th anniversary of Israel’s birth. Not unexpectedly given the BBC’s ‘pro-Palestinian’ reputation, the series did not focus on the miracle of Israel’s birth, its tremendous achievements in the face of perennial hostility – developing from Third to First World democracy, its ecological, medical and technological advances or its successful absorption of Jews from 120 countries.

Instead the makers chose to focus on the 1948 impact of Israel’s creation on three Jewish and three Palestinian families. The project was delegated to the production company Wall to Wall, which had made a similar series marking the 1947 Partition of the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan, with refugees from both sides telling their stories.

My organisation Harif first got wind of the planned Israel documentary when we stumbled upon a message left on the seldom-visited Facebook page of a Moroccan synagogue in London.

A researcher was seeking a suitable candidate from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to take part. The BBC documentary seemed to us to present a rare opportunity to convey the story of 850,000 Jewish refugees from Arab countries and the injustice done to them – alongside the 20,000 Jews expelled from East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1948 war.

Unlike Palestinian refugees fleeing a war zone, the non-combatant Jewish refugees from Arab countries were driven out by bombings and riots, coupled with Arab League persecution, simply for sharing the same ethnicity and religion as Israelis. Many left with a document stamped ‘one way – no return’.

The BBC brief was a tricky one: the film sought to feature a Jew living in Britain impacted by the 1948 creation of Israel: most Jewish refugees from Arab countries in Israel did not have relatives in Britain. Moreover, the chosen candidate would be taken back to his or her country of birth. This ruled out Jews born in Libya, Syria or Iraq, who are not able to return, or whose lives would be in danger if they did.

Luckily, Viviane Bowell fitted the bill: she was a Jewish refugee born in Cairo. She was 14 when her family was given two weeks’ notice to leave Egypt in 1956 with nothing; they were resettled in England. Aunts on her father’s side fled Egypt

for Israel after 1948 along with 20,000 other Jews. In part two of the programme (which aired this week), the camera would follow her back to Egypt and give the viewers a flavour of what it was like to be a Jew in an Arab country. She would trace her aunts’ journey to Israel, and be united in an emotional encounter with relatives she had never met.

Researchers came and went and eventually the series producer, David Vincent, contacted us. I was eager to impress on him that two sets of refugees – Jewish and Arab – emerged out of the same conflict, just as the war between India and Pakistan had produced refugees on both sides.

I sent him links to background articles and films, and Vincent promised to circulate an electronic copy of my book Uprooted: how 3,000 years of Jewish civilisation in the Arab world vanished overnight among the production team. The three Jewish stories were to be those of the barrister and TV personality Robert Rinder; the Ganze family from north London and Viviane.

Last September I received excited emails from Viviane. Filming was about to start. From Egypt, her aunts’ story would move to Brindisi in Italy, the first leg of their journey to Haifa.

I gave an archive researcher the names of Facebook sites and websites run by Egyptians Jews with plenty of old photos. The producers

dropped even this solution: they said they could not source any archive material from Egypt

But disappointment soon set in. The Egyptian authorities denied Viviane an entry visa. Thus the programme failed to give the Egyptian backstory and Viviane’s narrative lost much of its emotional power, while the Palestinians railed against the injustice of their uprooting. They were free to roam inside Israel, visit Arab villages and chat to Arab historians who, inexplicably, had not been displaced. Egypt, in contrast, had made it clear that did not want Viviane back. ‘One way – no return’ still held true.

A historian Viviane met in Brindisi says that her aunts could have been fleeing violence in Cairo. But the final film was heavily edited. Worse still, Viviane never got to tell her own story. Rather than explain that her family were expelled at two weeks’ notice as refugees, the programme said that she and her family ‘had left to start a new life in England.’

All this leaves us feeling let down. The story of the Jewish refugees from the Middle East and North Africa was glossed over, Arab antisemitism left on the cutting room floor. Perhaps the producers worried that the truth would have introduced complexity into a simple tale of Palestine emptied of its ‘Arab natives’ by European settlers. A golden opportunity was missed.

1 CHAMPION CHAT

Sacks Morasha welcomed professional GB athlete Victoria Ohuruogu into the school for a fitness workshop with the children (and even some teachers!). The circuit was followed by a motivational assembly from Victoria who spoke to the children about ‘Perseverance and Determination’ as they learnt about her journey to becoming a British Athletics Champion in 400m Sprint.

2 FRIENDS RE-UNITED

Trustees at North West London Jewish Day School held a special reunion for school alumni to mark the retirement of long-standing Kodesh teacher Mr Michael Kramar, following his decision to stand down from his role of 32 years. The reception also provided an opportunity to celebrate the department’s recent ‘Outstanding’ rating in its Section 48 Kodesh inspection.

3 PESACH PACKATHON FOR UKRAINE

Project ImpACT teen volunteers collected and packed a huge amount of supplies for GIFT’s urgent appeal to send kosher-for-Pesach food to Jewish Ukrainian families. Almost 100 active and dedicated teens gave their Sunday to sort and pack the large piles of items collected by HGSS and other communities. A truck left HGSS on Sunday evening packed with Pesach supplies for the Ukrainian Jewish community.

4 ROADRUNNER

Congratulations to Yavneh College sixth-former Benjie Baxter, 16, who has just completed the Jerusalem half-marathon in support of Shalva. Despite having to give up his love of playing football three years ago due to multiple bone breaks in his feet, he was determined to get himself out there and is well on his way to smashing his fundraising target of £1,875. Baxter told Jewish News : “I’m so happy to be able to help an amazing cause like Shalva and pleased to have completed my first half-marathon in Jerusalem as well.”

5 GOAL ELITE

Year 5 and 6 Wolfson Hillel girls team competed in the Luton Regional Finals representing Tottenham, Hotspur. This was the first time the girls had experienced an elite level competition. Battling to the end, out of 25 football teams they progressed to the semi-finals. Here’s to more success and achievements at Wolfson Hillel.

6 BABY BOOM

Borehamwood & Elstree United Synagogue (BES) recently held a Baby Blessing, with 100 people in attendance – including 17 babies. Assisted by singer Yuval Havkin, rabbi and rebbetzen Chapper welcomed these new members to their community, giving them a blessing and celebrating with a certificate and branded bear.

Photo by Hayley Posener

Introducing, in the blue corner, boxer turned promoter Dmitry Salita, floating like a butterfly to London to give us a mouth-watering bout between heavyweight contender Jermaine Franklin and England’s two-time former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

In boxing, the best bouts start late at night. That is just knockout for Dmitry because, as an observant Jew, he can’t head ringside until after sundown on a Saturday.

Born Dmitry Aleksandrovich Lekhtman in 1982 in Odessa, his family moved to the United States when he was nine, citing antisemitism in Ukraine, and settled in the Flatbush district of Brooklyn, New York. That is where his love a air with the Noble Art began.

Dmitry explains: “My family lived in a one-bedroom apartment, on welfare and food stamps, and I used boxing as a tool to make it out of the poverty. I saw my first boxing match when I was five. It was Mike Tyson, and I remember dancing around my room that night imitating the moves.”

At 13 he joined Starrett City Boxing Club, which was in the basement of a parking garage in a rundown neighbourhood in Brooklyn.

“There was no air conditioning in the summer, no heat in the winter, no running water and no bathroom, so it was the school of hard knocks, but it produced six world champions.

“I was the only white Jewish kid on the boxing team. One of the reasons my family came to the United States was because Jews were not allowed to be Jews, and when I was 14, I connected with the Chabad-Lubavitch.

I started to become more observant and at the age of 18 and I decided not to box on the sabbath.”

It was just before the Nationals and Dmitry was facing disqualification, but they changed the times of the fights, and he was able to box once Shabbat had

gone out. He won the Nationals, then the New York City Golden Gloves and the Outstanding Boxer Award, and he turned professional.

“My first promoter was Bob Arum, whose stable included George Foreman, Larry Holmes and Manny Pacquiao, and I had a clause in my first contract which said I didn’t box on the sabbath or on Jewish holi-

days,” he says. Dmitry was drawn to Arum, one of the most successful promoters in the history of boxing, as he was born in New York City, and grew up in Crown Heights with an Orthodox Jewish background.

Dmitry, who has a degree in business and Jewish Studies, was nicknamed Star of David, and he always walked to the ring draped in an Israeli flag to promote Israel and Jewish values. He won 35 of his 38 professional fights, losing only two. His victories saw him land the WBA and IBF international titles, NABA title and WBF world title all at junior welterweight before his career came to an abrupt halt in 2009 when he was knocked out after 76 seconds by British light welterweight champion Amir Khan.

Dmitry flew to Israel the next day for a therapeutic first visit to the Holy Land, and kissed the ground when he got o the aeroplane. He said at the time: “To finally be seeing the stu I think of daily and read about in the Bible, it’s a strong emotional experience. I need some time, and I can’t think of any better place than Israel to relax and reflect.”

He reflected on his future and turned to promoting in 2010. He has since been instrumental in the elevation of women’s boxing, guiding the career of undefeated three-time undisputed world champion Claressa Shields, dubbed the GWOAT (the greatest woman of all time).

Last October, more than two million viewers tuned in to see Shields defeat Savannah

Marshall, making it the most-watched women’s professional boxing event in history and creating the biggest audience for a live women’s sport event ever on Sky TV.

Dmitry is looking forward to coming to London for the Franklin v Joshua bout on April 1 at the O2 Arena, which is a 20,000 sell-out.

“There is a Chabad centre near the O2 Arena, so Shabbos comes first and the sport comes second,” says Dmitry, who turns 40 three days after the fight. “My friends and I always have a minyan at the hotel where we stay. I love coming to the UK because boxing is a mainstream sport and the fans and the press love it.

“My drive is my own love for the sport of boxing, and my connection to it since I was a kid and experiencing it on every level. Boxing is a great sport and I recommend it to everybody as an after-school activity – but I tell people not to take it up as a profession because it is very di cult, and you can get hurt.”

Dmitry with three-time world champion Claressa Shields, whom he coaches

At the Kotel. He used to box around Shabbat

Neil Silver gets ready to rumble with observant retired boxer Dmitry Salita

Dmitry with WBA belt

Gifting Galvanising

Matzah power

Wow your friends and family with your Pesach baking and presentation skills by serving up delicious cakes or kugels in one of these gleaming loaf bakers. Made from white porcelain with lustrous gold/silver beads in titanium, they are dishwasher and oven safe. £52.50 www.wrapawish.co.uk

Dark times

Re-enact the story of the plagues with this educational set. £14.49 www.cazenovejudaica.com

Construction plans

This Brick Haggadah Companion by Tzachi Rosman could help unleash your imagination with Lego (NB it’s unauthorised). £25.73 www.lehmanns.co.uk

Clever cube

Keep hands occupied with this Passover pyramid puzzle. £5.99 www.cazenovejudaica.com

Caring bake

Kisharon’s Pesach chocolate brownie cupcakes recipe kit (kosher for Pesach supervised under KLBD) is managed directly by people supported by the charity. Makes 10 cupcakes, £9 From www.equalbykisharon.org.uk or in the Temple Fortune Equal store

Cooking mavens

The Best of Kosher cookbook contains 130 recipes from Chanie Apfelbaum, Between Carpools, Miriam (Pascal) Cohen, Victoria Dwek, Susie Fishbein, Naomi Nachman, Leah Schapira and others. £35.67 Artscroll/Mesorah publications

Canine capers

Let your pooch have his or her own plague fun with this Frederik frog plush toy. £19 www.muttsandhounds.co.uk

Alex Galbinski lines up some treats to keep little ones occupied during the seder and for adults to enjoy over the festival period

Creepy critters

Hive is a board game without a board; the pieces are added to the playing area and you must try to capture the opposing Queen Bee first. £21.95 www.gen42.com

Great escape

Take time out from complaining about constipation with this Egyptian Pyramid Escape Room game. £28. www.johnlewis.com

Great escape

This gorgeous Verona silver tray is perfect for serving your Pesach plava or macaroons, cinnamon balls, fruit or other treats. Made in a striking and elegant titanium-finished, high-fired porcelain, it is dishwasher and oven safe. £31.50 wrapawish.co.uk

Drinking buddy

Make your seder even more special with personalised bottles of wine and grape juice from Kisharon. Deadline for orders is 30 March. £4 each from Kisharon, as before

Marvellous mates

Find out what happens to a crew of pirates who are getting their ship ready for Passover in Pirate Passover by Judy Press. £8.99 hardback, published by Kar-Ben, distributed by Kuperard.

Ororo Men’s Classic Heated Jacket and Women’s Heated Lightweight Vest

RRP: Men’s Classic Heated Jacket £259, Women’s Heated Lightweight Down Vest £269.99

Ororo makes heated apparel for cold weather, including jackets, vests, gloves, trousers and scarves.

PLUS POINTS

• Build quality is exceptional. Zips, stitching and design all appears to be top-notch

•Each garment comes with its own carry case, which is great for

• The hood on the classic jacket is detachable by zipper

• There are three heating modes which can be toggled with a button on the front of the jacket - high, medium or low

• Heating zones differ from model to model. The jacket heats up around the chest and back area, the vest heats up around the neck and pocket area

• The included battery pack can be neatly stowed inside a pocket and doubles as a power bank so you can charge your phone or anything else

• Even when turned off, the jacket still provides excellent warmth from the wind and rain

• Both are machine washable on a cold cycle

• Battery life can last up to 10 hours on the low setting

• Glowing power button on the front of each jacket draws attention and peaks everyone’s interest

NIL POINTS

• Jacket is a bit bulky compared with other lightweight down jackets

• It can be heavier than a regular jacket or vest due to the battery pack and wires inside

• The battery pack connects using a proprietary cable, meaning that you can only use an Ororo branded battery

• Some may consider the jacket a bit pricey (but it’s about the same price as other good quality winter jackets)

VERDICT ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡

If you’re like us and get cold easily during the winter months, this is a unique and effective way of heating yourself.

Reviewed by: Shiri and Daniel Elias

My husband and I are no strangers to cruising. But we’ve never before done a sail out of New York, around the Caribbean and into New Orleans, nor with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). So this was a double first for us. NCL has a relaxed approach, with no formal nights (which, thankfully, meant him leaving the tux at home) or fixed dining times. We liked the sound of this. After all, rules are for land, aren’t they?

We never cease to be impressed when arriving at a cruise port. There’s something very humbling about seeing the ship up close, as they can range from 65,000 tonnes to more than 250,000; yet these behemoths still somehow float.

Launched in 2013, but fully refurbished in 2018, NCL’s Breakaway is a medium-sized ship at a little under 150,000 tonnes. She’s impressive to look at and, as ever, we were looking forward to exploring her

Cruise veteran Beverley Sanford enjoys new experiences on a rather special ship

and seeing what she held in store for our 14-night voyage. The adrenalin was pumping and we couldn’t get on board quickly enough. With pierside check-in swiftly completed, we started to walk up the gangplank, at first slowly, but then the pace gently increased; after all, exploring a new ship is always quite an experience.

With 1,024 staterooms and boasting 27 restaurants, including several speciality dining options, an aqua park and sports complex, a fullsize go-kart track on the top deck, a fully equipped gym, an ice bar and so much more (I’ll not explore the

retail therapy aspect), the emphasis on appearance and functionality is surpassed only by the superb service levels that we enjoyed. We subsequently found these to be the best we’ve experienced at sea, with every crew member primarily there to ensure our safety, but in practice, their sole aim is to ensure that every guest has the best possible holiday and we both felt that they achieved this in spades.

With staterooms carefully planned and storage maximised, there is ample cupboard, drawer and clothes hanging space, a big flatscreen TV, a minibar and a well laid-out bathroom. With full-height glass doors leading on to a private balcony, views are unparalleled. There was no question that we were going to be extremely comfortable and, with the basics now covered and knowing that our luggage would soon be delivered, we took the opportunity to explore Breakaway to see just what she held in store.

The Mandara Spa deserves special mention because although all ships provide similar services, NCL’s o ering was voted the best cruise spa by the World Spa Awards. Having been fortunate enough to experience this first-hand, I can confirm that

the varied selection of treatments available and the quality of what they deliver fully justify the award.

One of the best things for me about cruising is that you only have to unpack once, but you can enjoy a di erent location every day. You also have the comfort of knowing that every conceivable detail has been professionally managed behind the scenes, ranging from a multitude of dining options, all on-board entertainment (including Broadway-style shows, magicians, singers, dancers, pianist, and more), right through to expertly created tours that maximise the available time.

NCL handled all aspects impeccably. Our excursions included a boat tour through the jungle visiting a monkey and sloth wildlife, a visit to underground caves, home to stalagmites, stalactites and a vast bat colony, and a visit to a giant turtle breeding farm. Perhaps our choices weren’t for everyone, but with

numerous options available there will be something to suit all interests.

There’s always so much choice of what to do (or not, as you see fit) that passengers rely heavily on the daily newsletter, left in your cabin in the evening, that tells you what’s happening the following day, when and where, so now all you need to do is to plan how you want to spend your precious holiday downtime.

Perhaps instead, you’d prefer to do nothing at all, but just sunbathe by one of the pools. NCL fed us so well throughout the day and at numerous locations that it was often a challenge just choosing how to walk it all o between meals. No wonder cruising is known as a weight-gain activity.

Having dipped our toes into the water, we are truly smitten and have already booked our next NCL cruise. • NCL’s 14-day Caribbean cruise leaves New York on 28 November. Prices from £1,046pp . www.ncl.com

Waterfront Restaurant, one of several speciality dining options, and one of the suites

The ship’s central Ocean Place

Teppanyaki restaurant

Ice Bar

Breakaway sails past the Freedom Tower, New York

Superb care in a setting

Looking for a care home for yourself or a loved one? Then you could do no better than to join us as part of our Springdene family. Unlike other care homes, which are often part of large corporations, we are a family business. And we’re still run by the same family that founded it more than 50 years ago.

New residents at Springdene can be sure of a warm reception. All our homes – Spring Grove in Hampstead, Spring Lane in Muswell Hill and Springview in Enfield – are rated as good by the Care Quality Commission.

Residents enjoy hotel-style luxury, with their own spacious room, complete with full en-suite facilities, personal telephone and wi-fi. There are three delicious meals a day, with a varied choice of menus.

And there are lots of regular activities, including quizzes, short stories, art competitions and poetry readings, live-streamed concerts and film-showings on a big screen, as well as walks in delightful gardens. We’ve a great team, o ering wonderful care and everyone is brilliantly looked after.

As our motto says:

To arrange a visit, or for more information, just call 020 8815 2000 or visit www.springdene.co.uk Follow us on

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One of the finest and best-appointed homes for older people in North London, Spring Lane is just a short distance from Muswell Hill Broadway.

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Standing in tranquil surroundings, Springview is a purpose built home, situated near to Enfield Town with its local shops and public transport.

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FULL TIME HEADTEACHER Required for September 2023

Salary L15-L21 (£66,073 - £76,003). Contract: Permanent

Menorah Foundation School is a popular and well-established voluntary aided primary school catering for the Jewish community. We are recruiting for a Headteacher with a clear vision and the ability to nurture, inspire, challenge and motivate both pupils and staff.

As Headteacher, you will be joining a thriving community with a strong Jewish ethos and a commitment to excellence in education. The school is embarking on a transition from a two to one-form entry with exciting and ambitious plans for redevelopment of the premises in the near future.

You will be responsible for providing dynamic and strategic leadership to ensure that the school continues to provide a first-class education to its students. The Governing body are seeking a candidate who will champion collaborative working and continue to raise standards of teaching and learning, building on the good leadership recognised by Ofsted (July 2019).

The ideal candidate will have:

A track record of outstanding leadership, with experience of organising and inspiring a team of teachers and support staff.

A deep understanding of current educational policies and practices, with the ability to implement and evaluate them effectively.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with students, parents, staff and the wider community.

A commitment to ensuring that all students are supported to reach their full potential, regardless of their background or abilities.

The ability to drive improvement in academic standards and student outcomes, while maintaining a focus on the holistic development of students

Respect and support the ethos and culture of the school in close collaboration with our Jewish Studies department.

We welcome applicants of any faith and background. If you are a dynamic and inspirational leader with a passion for education and a commitment to ensuring that all students achieve their potential, we would love to hear from you.

You are encouraged to visit our school and meet our dynamic staff and our enthusiastic children who have a genuine thirst to learn. To arrange a visit or to request an application pack please contact Mrs Gibbs, on 020 8906 9992 or cgibbs@menorahfoundation.co.uk

Closing Date: Midday Monday 17th April 2023

School Visits: Details upon request

Interviews: Week beginning 24th April 2023

Menorah Foundation School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Please note this post will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. We value diversity in our workforce and positively welcome applications from all sections of the community.

MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

In our thought-provoking series, rabbis, rebbetzins and educators relate the week’s parsha to the way we live today

BY RABBI JONNY ROODYN EDUCATION DIRECTOR, JEWISH FUTURES & RABBI OF FINCHLEY FEDERATION SYNAGOGUE

This week we start Leviticus, the third of the five books of the Torah, with the parsha Vayikra, a book far more technical than the first two and the initial parshas deal primarily with the laws of animal o erings, something we do not practise. One pities the barmitzvah boys who learn these sedras without being able to grasp any of the content, which seems like a relic from a distant past.

One of the main issues may lie in the fact words can lose so much

in translation. The Hebrew korban bears little resemblance to the word we normally use: sacrifice. To sacrifice means to give up, while korban derives from karov, which means to come close. Obviously, closeness and sacrifice have di erent connotations. With sacrifice, we give something up; when we become close, we feel we gain. Sacrifices may be necessary sometimes but are almost always painful; the bigger the sacrifice, the greater the pain of giving it up.

The second verse of the sedra refers to, “when a man among you brings an o ering”. Commentators note that mikem, ‘among you’, can also mean ‘from yourself’, enabling us to read the verse as ‘if your o ering to God comes from yourself’.

Judaism eschews human sacrifice, but there is a wholly appropriate

aspect to it: self-sacrifice. In this verse we are encouraged to give of ourselves for Hashem, to elevate our actions, hopes and dreams to a more spiritual plane. For many this seems like a sacrifice: the Torah is expecting us to give up so much of ourselves for God. In fact, there is a refrain in Yiddish, ‘Es is schver tzu zein a yid’ (‘It is hard to be a Jew’). This negative perspective of the mitzvot hardly endears observance to future generations and doesn’t do much for Jewish continuity.

Our Judaism does demand things of us. Were it not so, it wouldn’t make an impact on our lives and wouldn’t provide us with meaning and purpose. It is interesting to note the two Yamim Tovim most widely observed are the ones that involve the greatest inconvenience: Pesach and Yom Kippur. It seems that di culty

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alone is not a reason for people not to do things. Rather, we are constantly evaluating whether the result is worth the sacrifice.

Pesach creates family memories and a connection to the Jewish story. Yom Kippur creates purity, forgiveness and a fresh start. For many Jews, these, and many other mitzvot such as Shabbat and Yom Tov, are genu-

inely worthy investments despite the challenges involved.

Yes, it is painful to give things up, unless we are getting an upgrade. Therefore, the term korban is telling us that when we invest in our relationship with the Almighty and draw ourselves close to the Divine, rather than making a sacrifice we gain more than we give.

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How we can gain more than we give

Pesach is widely observed despite involving much inconvenience

Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI DEBBIE YOUNG-SOMERS EDGWARE & HENDON REFORM SYNAGOGUE

thing that achieved the freedom of the refuseniks, but it was certainly a galvanising part of being active in the Jewish community then.

Seeing the rallies in Israel and London to protest against the Israeli government’s judicial reforms, I wonder whether people power matters or ever works.

My grandfather is one of my heroes. He coined the word ‘refusenik’ and was at the forefront of the UK arm of a worldwide movement campaigning to free Jews who had become political prisoners in the USSR simply for wanting to leave and go to Israel.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the protests of students, synagogue groups, women’s guilds and many others may not have been the only

People power doesn’t always work: we only have to look at the protests of Korach in The Book of Numbers to understand this.

Korach couldn’t understand why his cousin Moses had all the power when he was from the same family. He wanted a bite of the pie for himself. Here we see that if a cause is rooted in selfish motivation rather than for the benefit of all, it won’t necessarily have the success its protagonists hope for, even if the leader brings people with them.

But if we look at Jewish history through a wider lens, we can see that people power is key. In Exodus (23:2) we are told we should rule after the majority, and the Talmud and Jewish customs have largely followed this

maxim. Sometimes this has meant that the custom of the majority has overruled the law. Debate and discussion have always been a part of the community. ‘Two Jews, three opinions!’ And any minority voices are recorded in our texts, rather than being silenced, because we may need their wisdom in future years.

Major movements have galvanised Jewish communities during times of struggle and upheaval, sometimes successfully creating change, sometimes failing. The power of coming together to create change cannot be underestimated, and is for me one of the greatest strengths of living in a community rather than just being there for myself.

Ensuring that Israel remains a place of democracy, free debate and fair judiciary is core to continuing the values of the Talmud, where how we treat the loser in an argument is

key to who we are, and the debate is as valuable as the ruling. It is hard to know how the power dynamics will play out in an Israeli democracy built

on allowing a voice to many small parties, but ensuring that justice and freedom are protected is crucial to maintaining a Jewish state.

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Personal

A free valuation from our in house gemmologist and gold experts on anything you may wish to sell.

If you are thinking of selling, the price of diamonds has never been higher! In any shape, size, clarity or colour.

A stimulating series where our progressive rabbis consider how Biblical figures might act when

To protect Israeli democracy is to continue the values of the Talmud

Our Experts

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Email: editorial@jewishnews.co.uk

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PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST

TREVOR GEE

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DIRECTOR OF LEGACIES

CAROLYN ADDLEMAN

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REMOVALS MANAGING DIRECTOR

STEPHEN MORRIS

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FINANCIAL SERVICES

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

• Mortgage, protection and general insurance intermediaries;

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MENOPAUSE CHAMPION LABALANCE

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• 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

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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

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ADAM SHELLEY

Qualifications:

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• 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

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JEWISH BLIND & DISABLED 020 8371 6611

www.jbd.org

Lisa@jbd.org

IAN GREEN

Qualifications:

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

• More than 18 years’ experience

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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

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

ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR PRIVATE HEALTH COVER?

ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR HEAALTH PLAN?

Get it checked, free of charge, by an FCA registered, leading health insurance consultant

Patient Health is this newspapers ‘Ask The Expert’

GET IT CHECCKED FREE OF CHARGE BY AN FCA REGISTERED LEADING HEALTH INSURANCE CONSULTANT PATIENT HEALTH IS THIS NEWSPAPER’S ‘ASK THE EXPERT’

See how you could significantly reduce your premiums and possibly obtain a higher level of cover, and we will always explain whether pre-existing conditions would be covered. We’re also happy for you to call or pop-in. 020 3146 3444 trevor.gee@patienthealth.co.uk

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Where service is all about he ping the clieent, only the client and nothing but the client

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ANTIQUES

Top prices paid

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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)

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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

9 Cooked over hot coals (7)

10 Startled (7)

11 Clean a spillage (3,2)

12 Standing by, available for duty (2,4)

14 Nullify (6)

18 Greets (5)

20 Coyness, lack of vanity (7)

22 All-powerful leader (7)

23 Defy authority (5)

24 Alpine trill (5)

25 Theatre’s backdrops (7)

DOWN

1 Boastful threat (7)

2 Alpaca-like animal (5)

3 Ideal (7)

4 Unimportant person (6)

5 Male newly-wed (5)

6 Backslide (7)

7 Arrive (3,2)

13 Abrupt and terse (of speech) (7)

15 Recommend (7)

16 Allegiance (7)

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

ACROSS

1 Inflated rubber bag (7)

5 Prickly yellow-flowered shrub (5) 8 Divided (5)

WORDSEARCH

The listed words to do with the Jurassic Coast 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.

17 Decorate with

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.

BEER CAMPING

CHARMOUTH CLIFF DEVON

DORSET

DURDLE DOOR EXMOUTH FOSSIL

GEOLOGY GLAMPING

Last issue’s solutions

Crossword

ACROSS: 8 Thank, 9 Hind leg, 10 Innings, 11 Topic, 12 Surcharge, 14 Nap, 15 Hop, 16 Galvanise, 19 Rifle, 21 Charade, 23 Surmise, 24 Recap.

DOWN: 1 Ethics, 2 Raindrop, 3 Akin, 4 Chaser, 5 Anathema, 6 Flap, 7 Egg-cup, 13 Hygienic, 14 Nuisance, 15 Heresy, 17 Lackey, 18 Exempt, 20 Fort, 22 Aura.

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

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

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