1320 - 22nd June 2023

The Helfgott family with Ben. Back row: Thea, Michael, Maurice, Danielle, Nathan and Laura. Middle row: Sam, Ben, Arza and Lucy.

Front row: Alex, Nicky, Jessica, Oscar, Noah, Reuben and Amy

Sir Ben Helfgott: 1929-2023

‘Sir Ben’s legacy is the ultimate

The Prime Minister and Chief Rabbi have led tributes to Holocaust survivor Sir Ben Helfgott following his death last week at the age of 93.

Sir Ben, one of the driving forces behind bringing recognition of the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people to the British public, was buried at Bushey New Cemetery on Friday.

He was also a former champion weightlifter, and one of only two survivors to take part in the Olympic Games.

A statement by the 45 Aid Society said: “Ben was one of the greatest ambassadors for the Boys and, indeed, for all Holocaust survivors. We wish long life to his wife Arza, his sister Mala and her family and his sons, Maurice, Michael and Nathan and their families. May Ben’s memory be a blessing.”

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis wrote: “Sir Ben was one of the most inspirational people I have known. He was a charismatic and passionate leader, who promoted the values of compassion, understanding, love and peaceful coexistence. His own horrific experiences inspired him to work tirelessly for a more peaceful and unified world and he inspired us to do likewise.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed Sir Ben’s legacy as “the ultimate triumph over darkness”. He said: “Sir Ben Helfgott was an inspirational Holocaust survivor, who became a British Olympian, global pioneer of Holocaust educa-

tion and grandfather to nine grandchildren. Ben survived the worst of humanity. His legacy is the ultimate triumph over that darkness.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer praised the “incredible legacy” of Sir Ben and described him as a “giant of the Jewish community”. He told Jewish News: “Sir Ben dedicated his life to ensuring that the horrors of the Holocaust and the experiences of its victims are never forgotten. His contribution continues to be passed on to future generations, part of the incredible legacy he leaves behind.”

Sir Ben’s death sparked an outpouring of tributes from the political world, as well as from communal organisations. Former prime minister David Cameron said he was “privileged” to have “learned a huge amount” from his time spent with Sir Ben.

The United Synagogue said: “We were devastated to learn from his family this morning that Sir Ben Helfgott, Olympian, Educator, Survivor and proud member of Wembley United Synagogue has passed away.

“Ben was an extraordinary man with an extraordinary history who despite all he went through went on to live an extraordinary life.”

The tough and diminutive Sir Ben, knighted in 2018 in recognition of his long service to Holocaust education, was born in Poland in November 1929, in the small town of Piotrkow, near Lodz. His family comprised his parents, his grandmother and his two sisters,

and his recollections were of a happy home. His parents, he said, had been concerned about their future as Jews in Poland as news grew throughout the 1930s of the potential threat posed by Hitler’s Germany. As early as 1935 they managed to get permits to leave for Palestine — but his grandmother did not want to go, so the family stayed in Poland.

On 1 September 1939, the 10-year-old Ben Helfgott was enjoying a holiday with his parents and sisters, visiting his grandfather, aunt and uncle in his mother’s home town. He recalled that his mother wanted to reach Piotrkow in time to prepare for Shabbat, so the family began the return journey at seven in the morning. The usual trip home took about two hours,

‘OUR DEAR GRANDPA WILL LIVE ON INSIDE ALL OF US’

Sir Ben’s nine proud grandchildren this week delivered their own moving tribute to “a grandpa who will live on inside each of us”.

Writing to Jewish News, Sam, Lucy, Amy, Alex, Jessica, Nicky, Reuben, Oscar and Noah, aged between 14 and 26, said: “Grandpa Ben has been the most inspirational, supportive and loving grandparent to us all. Growing up, we were always aware of his story – how he experienced such loss and trauma at a young age and then re-built his life with the mind-set to move forward and keep going.

“He believed life was meant to be lived and enjoyed and felt people thrive best when they are productive and connected. Because of this, he would often ask us questions like, ‘What book are you reading?’ or ‘What sport are you playing?’. He wanted us to be interested in the world around us and to get involved with as many opportunities as possible.”

They added: “Grandpa knew how to connect individually with each of his nine grandchildren. For some it was attending our sporting events,

for others a simple chat over his notoriously large bowls of cereal. But for all of us, it was a lot of hugs and ‘I love yous’.

“We will miss our grandpa dearly but he lives on inside each of us. We feel privileged to have had the time we’ve had with him and together we look forward to continuing his legacy of being tolerant and understanding, thriving to always do our best in whatever we do and to enjoy life.”

Writing personally, Reuben

added: “Grandpa Ben has been an inspiration to me my whole life. He won gold medals at the 1950, 1953 and 1957 Maccabiah Games. I was picked for the under-18 football squad to represent Great Britain in the 2022 Games. I brought back a bronze medal. Showing grandpa my medal was a moment I will never forget. His face lit up and I felt a great connection between us. It was very special to share our Maccabiah experiences together.”

Sir Ben was knighted in 2018 in recognition of his long service to Holocaust education

by Justin Cohen and Jenni Frazer

Sir Ben and his grandchildren at the National Portrait Gallery

Sir Ben Helfgott: 1929-2023

ultimate triumph over darkness’

After a brief attempt to stay in a neighbouring town, the family returned to Piotrkrow. Like other Jews, the Helfgotts were ordered to move into a ghetto, the first to be established by the Nazis in Europe. Thousands of people were herded into cramped living areas, scavenging as best they could for food.

father had been shot dead only two days from the end of the war as he tried to escape from a death march leaving the camp.

Sir

The

a special issue of Jewish News on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

but on that day they did not reach home until 6pm. As they travelled, they heard bombs falling and sirens wailing.

Ben’s father organised the smuggling of food into the ghetto, using imaginative ways to defy Nazi restrictions. Ben himself, blond-haired, found he could pass for a non-Jewish Pole and spent a great deal of time outside the ghetto, ditching the Star of David armband which Jews were forced to wear.

So at 15, Ben Helfgott was an orphan. He had found his cousin, Gienek, in Theresienstadt and the two boys initially decided to travel back to Poland. But after being greeted with racial abuse – and almost being murdered by Polish army o cers – the pair decided to accept an invitation to go to Britain instead.

With an initial cohort of 300 young Jews, Ben Helfgott arrived in Britain and was first sent to Windermere in the Lake District.

After three fraught years inside the ghetto, during which time he worked in a glass factory outside its walls, Ben and his fellow workers returned from work to find the ghetto had been sealed. Jews were being rounded up for ‘resettlement” — deportation to the east, to the death camps.

Ben’s younger sister, Luisa, and his mother, were murdered; Ben himself was sent to Buchenwald in 1944 while his other sister, Mala, was deported to Ravensbruck with their cousin, Ann. Ben was separated from his father in Buchenwald, and was sent first to a concentration camp in Schlieben and then to Theresienstadt. He later discovered his

This was the beginning of the intense friendships that characterised Ben’s life, and the subsequent creation of “The Boys” which morphed into the groundbreaking 45 Aid Society, the charity with which Ben became most associated.

after being greeted with racial abuse – and Reviewing plans for the Holocaust memorial were outside were being rounded up for ‘resettle-

When he was 18 and about to go to Southampton University, Ben spotted some people on Hampstead Heath lifting weights. Naturally sporty and athletic, he asked if he could try — and to astonishment, he lifted 180 lbs with ease. He began training with passion and just a few short years after arriving in Britain as “a walking skeleton”, he won a gold medal at the 1950 Maccabiah Games in Israel.

By 1956, he was representing Britain at the Olympic Games in Melbourne. Two years later he won bronze at the Commonwealth Games in

Cardi , and in 1960 won another at the Olympic Games in Rome. He was captain of the British weightlifting team on all these occasions.

Reunited with his sister, Mala — who had been sent to Sweden after liberation — Ben focused on rebuilding his family. With his wife, Arza, he had three sons and a devoted clutch of grandchildren.

All the while he spoke repeatedly about cultural integration and peace, and was widely admired for his continued open hand of warmth and friendship toward the Polish people.

He received many awards during his long life, but anyone who encountered him will have an abiding image of the 5ft 5in Ben on the dance floor, as he and the Boys of the 45 Aid Society celebrated life with vigour and relish.

• Editorial comment, page 20

Sir Ben Helfgott: 1929-2023

loss to the world is

Rob Rinder has called the loss of Sir Ben Helfgott “incalculable”. Speaking to Jewish News from Venice this week, Rinder paid tribute to a man who survived the Shoah and represented Britain at the Olympics within years of his liberation.

As part of the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are?, the 45-year-old, best known as TV personality Judge Rinder, travelled to Poland and Germany in 2018 to discover more about his maternal grandfather Morris Malenicky, whose parents and five siblings were killed at Treblinka.

Sir Ben Helfgott was a close friend of his grandfather and he and Rinder met for the first time at Schlieben, a sub-camp of Buchenwald where both men were forced to endure

hard labour. “Ben’s loss to the world is incalculable,” Rinder told Jewish News. “He taught me and limitless others something the victims of that tyranny are only able to tell us. Whatever horrors of the past, that we have within us the capacity, the soul, the neshamah, to rise above even the worst su ering imaginable and live lives of optimism, joy and simcha.

“His story of survival alongside my grandfather taught me personally, more than anybody I know, that humankind shares an obligation to teach the world to stand up to hate in all of its forms, wherever it is.”

Sir Ben was a founder member and president of the 45 Aid Society, a charitable organisation set up in 1963 by a group of 732 orphaned child survi-

vors of the Nazi concentration camps. Known as ‘The Boys’, they were brought to Britain after liberation in 1945. Malenicky was a member and his daughter, Rob Rinder’s mother, Angela Cohen is chair.

Cohen said: “It’s incredibly, incredibly sad. It feels like the end of an era. And that’s exactly what it is. There’s something quite wonderful being able to talk about Ben. He opened the door for people to talk about Holocaust education.

“He made everyone, everyone just feel so special, regardless of colour, religion or creed. He just saw good in people and connected with them.

“My heart is breaking because it is such an incredible loss of such an incredible human being. It is because

of him that I chair the 45 Society. I’m wearing that hat, but I’m also wearing the hat of someone who loved him

with all my heart. Ben had no ego. He loved people. He was never a victim. He was always a survivor.”

BY KAREN POLLOCK HOLOCAUST EDUCATIONAL TRUST

Despite all he endured, Ben taught us all about resilience, tolerance and the crucial importance of educating future generations. He was our friend and

mentor and we mourn his loss deeply. He went through the unimaginable, experiencing appalling conditions in the Piotrkow Ghetto and surviving Buchenwald, Schlieben and Terezin. He witnessed and survived the depravity of the Holocaust and lost almost his entire family. After liberation he came to the UK as one of The Boys – 732 child survivors of the Holo-

MORE THAN A CAFE, A PLACE TO CONNECT

caust. Although they had nothing, these survivors made relationships that lasted for the rest of their lives.

In 1963 he established the 45 Aid Society – a group designed to support survivors, and later to support other worthy causes.

Ben always worked to ensure that survivors were looked after – he was a true leader of the survivor community.

He led the way in ensuring that young people in the UK will always know what happened. He was so determined and inspired everyone he met –he also encouraged other survivors to share their testimonies.

He was indomitable. One of a kind. He was my hero. It is di cult to describe the void he will leave. May his memory be a blessing.

Robert Rinder with Sir Ben Helfgott on Who Do You Think You Are?

Karen with Ben Helfgott

LONG MAY WE LEARN THE LESSONS THAT HE TAUGHT Sir Ben’s inner strength was an example to us all

BY SIR MICK DAVIS FORMER CHAIR, PM’S HOLOCAUST COMMISSION

Sir Ben Helfgott was, as one tribute put it, small in stature but a giant of a man.

I first met him in 2014 through the prime minister’s Holocaust Commission I chaired and he made an immediate impression –a softly spoken gentle man who exuded strength of both body and soul.

A champion weightlifter, Ben did so much of the heavy lifting to ensure that the stories of survivors are never forgotten and the lessons of the Shoah passed on for future generations.

In the years that passed, I was privileged to be able to call him not only an inspiration but a friend. He was courageous, resolute and focused but never bitter. He took on enormous responsibility on the part of his fellow survivors; he made it seem e ortless but, given the trauma of his own experiences, it must have been anything but.

He had and shared with others total clarity regarding both the universal lessons of the Holocaust on the one hand and its uniqueness on the other. He was determined that the nature of the Holocaust must never be watered down by equating other atrocities, however awful, with its particular and unique horror.

While all genocides share factors that enable

the inhumanity and destruction to take place, none mirrors the industrial scale with which a people were eliminated simply for existing.

His commitment to its victims remained steadfast. He was always striving to ensure Holocaust commemoration and education was never diluted and its lessons, both universal and particular, learnt and internalised.

He was from the beginning supportive of the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre while remaining cautious and vigilant that its content must do justice to the memory of victims and survivors.

It was a privilege, both inspirational and humbling, to work with him and his support was invaluable.

He loved his community, loved Britain and, despite all the cruelty he endured in his youth, loved people.

Ben Helfgott survived the horrors of the Holocaust and our world is a richer, kinder place because of it. Long may we learn the lessons that he taught.

We send our love and condolences to his family and we thank them too, for sharing this diminutive, strong, gentle giant of a man with us all, for the greater good of our society.

He may no longer be with us but his kindness, resilience and decency – the decision he made “not to hate” – and his tireless e orts to encourage others to do the same will inspire all of us forever.

BY MARIE VAN DER ZYL PRESIDENT, BOARD OF DEPUTIES

Most of us can only imagine the strength of a man like Sir Ben Helfgott. His physical strength, certainly – little more than a decade after he came to this country, at which point he described himself as a “human skeleton”, he was representing Britain at the Olympics as a champion weightlifter.

But this was dwarfed by his inner strength, having lived his life the way he did despite the horrors he had faced.

He was at the heart of Holocaust education and remembrance in this country, both through the initiatives of the 45 Aid Society itself and via the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and Holocaust Educational Trust. He served as honorary president of the former and as an honorary patron of the latter.

He would also serve as chair of the Institute of Polish Jewish Studies, as well as being an integral part of the Claims Conference negotiating team. He would later serve the Claims Conference as a special adviser to the president. The Claims Conference is taking place again this week in New York, and I cannot begin to imagine the sorrow with which this news will be greeted there.

Ben was also a delegate to the Interna-

This Learning Disability Week, we are celebrating Langdon Members’ accomplishments#LDWeek

tional Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. With his passing, there are now no more survivors serving as delegates to this organisation.

We sometimes take for granted the impressive accessibility to Holocaust education we are fortunate enough to have in this country, just as we sometimes take for granted the incredible privilege we have of being able to hear first-hand from Holocaust survivors.

The truth is Holocaust education in Britain was not something which came naturally. Survivors like Sir Ben worked tirelessly to ensure the horror would not be forgotten, giving time and e ort so future generations would hear and understand the terrible consequences of hate.

We owe it to Sir Ben and his fellow survivors to ensure Holocaust education here is strengthened and honour their memories by ensuring their experiences are never forgotten.

At Langdon, we believe our Members deserve the same experiences in life, and opportunities in work and education as their peers.

We strive to empower all our Members, helping them to live life to the full by embracing their independence and being their best, true selves.

To find out more or to support Langdon, please visit www.langdonuk.org

Naomi and Sarah recently moved in to a two bedroom flat after living in Langdon homes with 24/7 support. The skills they’ve developed at Langdon have given them the confidence and the ability to live even more independently.

With the support of the Langdon Employment Team, Zoe has recently started a new administrative role that she really enjoys. With transferable skills from her previous employment, Zoe is flourishing in her new job. She’s able to help others and add real value to the team in which she works.

Jordan lights up when he plays the guitar. Now he combines his passion and skills with the confidence he’s developed to run a guitar club. Here he passes on his musical knowledge, teaching other Members how to play.

Sir Ben Helfgott: 1929-2023

Ben twice competed at the Olympic Games

News / BDS battle / Iran threat

New anti-BDS bill hailed as ‘groundbreaking’ move

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

The Conservative Friends of Israel group has described the UK’s proposed anti-BDS legislation as “ground-breaking” as the measure was presented in parliament on this week.

The Economic Activity of Public Bodies Bill aims to stop local councils adopting boycotts, divestments and sanctions targeting Israel.

A statement by CFI parliamentary chairmen Stephen Crabb MP and Lord Pickles, plus group president Lord Polak, said: “Today marks a watershed moment in tackling the divisive BDS movement.

“The ground-breaking legislation, which delivers on a crucial manifesto commitment,

BY LEADERS

HABONIM

We are the future leaders of the British Jewish community from a broad spectrum of Zionist youth movements.

In February of this year, we wrote to the president of the Board

will play a critical role in ending the abuse of public bodies for anti-Israel activity.

“BDS is harmful not only to community cohesion here in the UK but also the wider cause of peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

of Deputies and chair of the Jewish Leadership Council to express our grave concerns at the British government’s proposed ‘Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Bill’.

We called on both organisations not to support or advocate for this bill on behalf of the British Jewish

The Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council also led lengthy campaigns calling for the introduction of the legislation over claims BDS was linked to antisemitism.

The JLC said it welcomed the bill, adding: “Public bodies, especially local authorities, should actively support measures which enable community cohesion and oppose those who seek to undermine this.”

The Board also backed the measure, saying: “We are pleased to support the government’s endeavours which will directly hinder the unnecessary and inappropriate targeting of Israel by local authorities and other public institutions.”

The bill, however, has not been received enthusiastically by all communal groups, or by all civil society groups in Israel.

community. The response that we received was far from adequate and seemed dismissive of our concerns.

The fact that several mainstream Jewish communal organisations, including the Board and the JLC, have campaigned for this legislation in recent years and are con-

O cials are investigating reports that UK universities have collaborated with Iranian researchers on technology with potential military applications, the Prime Minister has said.

The issue was raised by Conservative MP David Davis at Prime Minister’s Questions, with the former cabinet minister calling on Rishi Sunak to “take action to stop the failure of our sanctions regime before it does more harm”.

It follows reports which claimed that more than a dozen UK universities have been working with Iranian researchers on drone research in what the publication suggests is a potential breach of the UK’s sanctions regime.

Davis asked: ““Will the prime minister initiate an investigation into this and take action to stop the failure of our sanctions regime before it does any more harm to our national interests?” Sunak said: “We will not accept collaborations which compromise national security, and that’s why we have made our systems more robust.”

tinuing to do so now that it has been announced, has impelled us to state our opposition to the bill publicly.

The proposed bill will prevent public bodies from supporting boycotts of or sanctions against countries that violate human rights. It will limit our civil rights and ability to impact a

range of social justice issues from climate change to global poverty.

Many young British Jews share our opposition to this bill. We remain committed to both Israel and the democratic right to express opposition peacefully. These are core values of our four youth movements.

Palestinian flags at a BDS demonstration

OF

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News / Film canned / Brighton hub

Glastonbury U-turns on Corbyn propaganda film

Glastonbury has axed a planned screening of a pro-Jeremy Corbyn film at this weekend’s festival after complaints that it downplays antisemitism and promotes conspiracy theories, writes Lee Harpin.

The five-day festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset had been due to show Oh Jeremy Corbyn – The Big Lie on Sunday afternoon at its Pilton Palais cinema.

But ahead of the event’s opening, Glastonbury confirmed in a statement::

“Although we believe that the Pilton Palais booked this film in good faith, in the hope of provoking political debate, it’s become clear that it is not appropriate for us to screen it at the Festival. Glastonbury is about unity and not division, and we stand against all forms of discrimination.”

The Board of Deputies, which had voiced its concerns, said: “We are pleased that in the wake of a letter we sent earlier today, Glastonbury has announced the cancellation of the screening of this film. Hateful conspiracy theories should have no place in our society.”

Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, had condemned Glastonbury’s initial plans to show the film, tweeting: “Glastonbury shouldn’t allow itself to be exploited by antisemitism-deniers seeking to

peddle their vile conspiracy theories. I hope they change their mind and decide against screening this film.”

After the cancellation, Tugendhat wrote: “This is a welcome decision. Spreading conspiracies weakens our democracy and undermines our security.”

An article on the Labour List website, written by former Channel 4 and BBC presenter Paul Mason, who reviewed the film and said it breached “at least two examples of antisemitism in the International Holo-

caust Remembrance Alliance definition”, was instrumental in convincing Glastonbury bosses to cancel the screening.

Mason wrote: “You could easily come away from a screening believing that all that stood between Labour and electoral victory were the PLP (parliamentary Labour Party), the British state, Israel, Jewish community organisations and the ‘spycop’ Keir Starmer.”

The film featured interviews with the disgraced former MP Chris Williams, sacked Bristol University sociology professor David Miller and Ken Loach, the film maker expelled by Labour for membership of a banned group.

At the heart of the film’s narrative is the claim that antisemitism was a “smear” used to bring down Corbyn. It suggests he was the victim of an “injustice and the destruction of democracy” at the hands of a “conspiracy of forces” – including the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Labour Movement and the state of Israel.

A further section of the film, made by Platform Films, attempts to substantiate conspiracy theory claims now circulating on the far-left that Labour leader Keir Starmer is a state agent planted either by the CIA or the British security service.

More than 200 guests celebrated as Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis opened a new hub aimed at revitalising Jewish life in Brighton and Hove, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

He and his wife Valerie were welcomed by BNJC (Brighton and Hove Jewish community) CEO Marc Sugarman, Rabbi Hershel Rader of the Brighton and Hove Hebrew Congregation and project sponsor Tony Bloom.

The Chief Rabbi stayed on to enjoy a Shabbat with the

Brighton Jewish community, accommodated in one of the new homes built on-site.

There are 45 homes available to buy or rent, from onebedroom flats to houses. Twobedroom apartments start at £437,000, and the five-bedroom houses at £1,500,000.

The hub has a new Orthodox shul, with mikveh, a nursery for 26 children, a restaurant, bakery, deli, shop and gym, which has a Shabbatfriendly membership option for those who observe it.

The festival is taking place this weekend

Chief Rabbi Mirvis cuts the ribbon on the city’s Jewish hub

Sunak helps Jewish Care raise £5million

Around 900 guests attended Jewish Care’s annual dinner at Grosvenor House, raising more than £5million for the charity that provides vital support across the community, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was guest of honour. In his first address to the Jewish community at an event, he spoke of the pivotal role social care providers like Jewish Care play.

Attendees heard the stories of some of the charity’s clients including Leon Lixenberg, who is living at Jewish Care’s Sam Beckman Centre for people living with dementia and Fiona Mendel, whose late mother, Anne, was cared for at Jewish Care’s Anita Dorfman House at Sandringham until she sadly passed away in December 2021.

The evening ended with a performance from singer Craig David, who last week paid a special visit to Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre to meet members and hear their stories.

Sunak said: “This is my first Jewish community dinner as prime minister and having heard so much about this incredible organisation, I’m absolutely delighted that I’m here with you at Jewish Care because your culture of service

represents not just the best of our Jewish community, but the very best of Britain.”

Lord Levy, Jewish Care’s life president, said: “I want to thank our clients, volunteers, staff and lay leaders from the bottom of my heart for all that they do for people like Leon, Michael, Fiona, Anne and Tony. When we work together as a community, so much can be accomplished, and Jewish Care is a testament to that. We care for all those in our community who need our help. We are truly one family.”

Germany in £1bn payout

Germany has agreed a £1.1billion compensation package for Holocaust survivors, impacting more than 240,000 survivors globally, writes Jotam Confino.

The package was negotiated between the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) and the German Federal Ministry of Finance.

It means £702million will be provided for home-care services in 2024, in addition to £83 million in funding to address survivors’ increased needs.

The Claims Conference also secured additional yearly

payments under the Hardship Fund, originally set to end in December this year, for more than 128,000 survivors at £1,068 per person for 2024, £1,110 for 2025, £1,153 for 2026 and £1,196 for 2027.

Lastly, funding for Holocaust education is extended for two more years, increasing each year by £2.56 million to £32.5 million for 2026 and £35 million for 2027.

Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) CEO Michael Newman told Jewish News the association was “grateful” to the Claims Conference for “another round of successful negotiations”.

“The AJR receives and distributes Claims Conference funds, through Homecare, to hundreds of ageing Holocaust survivors throughout the country,” he said.

“We see first-hand the lifechanging impact this assistance offers and are delighted this additional support, together with expanded compensation payments, will now provide further critical help.”

Claims Conference executive vice-president Greg Schneider noted the negotiations had become “more critical each year”, as this last generation of survivors aged and their needs increased”.

HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS CELEBRATE MERGER

Leading Jewish housing associations jLiving and Brighton & Hove Jewish Housing Association (B&HJHA) celebrated their merger at the new Brighton & Hove Jewish Community hub, the first event there since it opened earlier this year, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

The two organisations agreed to join forces in March.

Guests included Rabbi Hershel Rader and Rebbetzen Rader of the Brighton & Hove Hebrew Congregation and the chairman and life president of Hove Hebrew Congregation, Michele and Stanley Cohen.

Representatives from the two housing associations included jLiving CEO Jane Goodman

and chairman Adam Gamsu and B&HJHA chairman Michael Davids, all of whom spoke at the gathering.

Guests at the celebration

Jonathan Zenios, Lord Levy, Dame Gail Ronson, Stephen Lewis, Tony Sidnick, Fiona Mendel and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Picture: Blake Ezra Photography

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Proof Jews don’t like cricket... they love it! Arsenal legend means business

The Ashes Test cricket series, in which England currently trail 1-0 to Australia, might not feature a single Jewish cricketer. But within a newly opened exhibition at the magnificent Lord's ground in St John’s Wood, the impact the sport has had on the community over the century is quite apparent, writes Lee Harpin.

Two of the community’s most respected cricket fans, Zaki Cooper and Daniel Lightman, both Marylebone Cricket Club members themselves and authors of a book on the sport, first brought the idea for a Cricket and the Jewish Community exhibition to the authorities at Lord’s in 2019.

After being given the green light to proceed, with the help of a team of curators, including Neil Robinson, the MCC’s head of heritage and collections, the resulting exhibition, which opens this month in a community room at the Lord’s Museum inside the ground’s Grace Gates, is a remarkably vibrant, eclectic and enjoyable showcase of global Jewish influence on cricket.

“There’s definitely an overlap between Judaism and cricket,” Cooper said as Jewish News toured the exhibition ahead of its opening. "I think partly it’s the heritage and the tradition. But as well, it’s all of the data, all of the numbers – you can become a, sort of, real Talmudic expert in cricket. It’s amazing how many people in the Orthodox community really enjoy their cricket.”

Among the many highlights of the exhibition, the tzitzit of South African cricketer Mandy Yachad, which he wore while batting in a test match, are displayed in a frame on one wall, while the amazing achievements of Dr Ali Bacher, the famous South African cricket captain, are celebrated on another. Visitors also learn about the remarkable success of Julien Wiener, who opened for Australia in the 1979 Ashes.

Elsewhere in the room a tribute is played to the great Yorkshire and England fast bowler Fred Trueman, whose claim towards the end of his life that he was Jewish is open to some debate.

Observing the highlights of the exhibition, Lightman, a KC who co-wrote the acclaimed book Cricket Grounds from the Air with Cooper, speaks fondly of the statue of Lord Dalmeny, the Jewish captain of Surrey county cricket club from 1905 to 1907. “For the last year he was combining captaincy of Surrey being a member of parliament, and he would rush from the Oval at the end of the day in order to vote.”

The exhibition also celebrates female star Netta Rheinberg, the only Jew to have played cricket for England, in 1949.

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Former Arsenal and Sweden footballer Freddie Ljungberg has revealed how as a coach he adapted the lessons he learned as a Premier League star to develop young players.

He told the annual business breakfast organised by ORT UK, the global education network, that the experience of being on the pitch and in the dressing room had given him a foundation he was now trying to share with others.

“When I became a manager I had to throw away my ego.,” Ljungberg said. “I am proud to help other people, to use my experience to try to teach them things and make them better. That’s the nicest feeling because it’s not just yourself, you are helping others.”

The event, in Camden, raised more than £40,000 towards ORT’s global schools and training programmes. The charity works in more than 40

countries, giving young people skills to thrive through highquality teaching and training. ORT UK runs the JUMP mentoring programmes, which prepare secondary school students for the working world.

Ljungberg’s fellow panellists, Georgie Hodge, CAA Base’s head of women’s football, and David Ornstein, football correspondent of The Athletic website, also described how they had worked their way to their current roles through hard work, collaboration and relationship building. The event was moderated by sports and entertainment lawyer Daniel Geey.

Curators Zaki Cooper (left) and Neil Robinson at the exhibit

Ljungberg, second left, at the event

News / Border controversy / Cleverly ‘summit’

UJIA in urgent ‘Green Line’ move to protect Israel tours

UJIA has issued a new policy stating it will not support projects “undertaken in a manner which treats areas over the Green Line” as part of Israel – a move it suggests is essential to save Israel tours for hundreds of teens this summer, writes Jenni Frazer.

Jewish News understands the document was devised after last summer’s controversy when two members of the UJIA-supported Birthright group, Lauren Keiles and Jacob Middleburgh, left the tour after accommodation di culties within Israel led to a previously unscheduled stay in Kibbutz Almog, near the Dead Sea and the Jordan border, but behind the Green Line.

Middleburgh said at the time: “I only knew it was in the West Bank because Lauren found out. I was so angry, I felt I had to leave.” He added he and Keiles “were far from alone in being deeply uncomfortable about staying in an illegal settlement, but others felt they had no choice”.

UJIA said last year the issue arose because of logistical problems with accommodation for the 30-strong group of 18-32-year-olds because of the 2022 Maccabiah Games and a visit to Israel by US president Joe Biden.

In a statement, UJIA said: “The development of policy in this area is legally complex and has required careful thought.

“In recent months UJIA has been responding

responsibly to legal advice received, and has worked hard to develop a workable and consistent policy regarding the expenditure of charitable funds over the Green Line.

“[The policy] has been formulated to protect UJIA’s work in Israel, which includes its support for the Israel Experience programme, run in partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel, and to comply with UJIA’s charitable obligations through our regulator, the Charity Commission, all while remaining neutral on the politics of the situation. As a charity, UJIA cannot promote any political position beyond its charitable purposes.”

The statement goes on: “It was clear, from the advice received, that having no policy in place was not an option and could have risked compromising the charitable status of UJIA as well as the youth movements and other organisations we work with, which deliver Israel Tour. Without this policy it is highly likely that there would have been no Israel trips with UJIA’s support this summer”.

The heart of the policy, UJIA maintained, was “transparency, allowing all participants and their parents to know where any programme will be travelling. Some people are happy to travel over the Green Line, while others are not. This allows them to make informed decisions.

Regarding visits to the Old City, the policy itself makes clear that programmes there are very likely to meet the requirements of the policy such that visits may take place”.

The new policy document acknowledges “there are educational and religious sites and institutions beyond the Green Line, which are of the highest importance to some members of the Jewish community”.

But while the “General Rule” states “UJIA does not fund or support activities beyond the Green Line”, the document allows some “wiggle room”, saying for example, UJIA “will consider any limited exceptions to the General Rule on a case-by-case basis in accordance with UK public policy and UJIA’s charitable purposes” and “it is recognised that visits to the Old City of Jerusalem, which is over the Green Line, will likely be approved, but these will still need to be considered on a case-by-case basis”.

In practice, this means Jewish youth groups on Israel Tours — the groups supported by UJIA and most immediately a ected — can still visit

the Old City and Western Wall, or Kotel, but a repeat of last summer’s three-night stay at Kibbutz Almog is unlikely.

In future, UJIA says, “organisations applying to UJIA for support for programmes or visits to or encompassing Israel, will be required to provide UJIA with full details of the programme of [the intended] visit, and specifically whether the visit will or could involve participants travelling beyond the Green Line”

If a group wishes to travel beyond the Green Line, UJIA says, a full explanation is required “as to how it justifies an exception from the general rule”.

Lauren Keiles, one of the two people who left the UJIA-supported Birthright trip last summer in protest at being sent to stay in Kibbutz Almog, told Jewish News: “This is an important and much-needed step by UJIA to respect the autonomy of participants and leaders on programmes. I believe support of the two-state solution must be reflected by all the policies and actions of our community”.

IRAN THREAT IN FOCUS AT CLEVERLY FACE-TO-FACE

Communal leaders have met foreign secretary James Cleverly to discuss the impact of international events on the Jewish community.

The JLC-led delegation, including Jewish Leadership Council chair Keith Black and Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl, restated its long-standing concern on Iran e orts to obtain nuclear weapons and backing of international terrorism and antisemitism and how Iranian activities remain a threat to diaspora Jewish communities worldwide.

The importance of strong bilateral relations with Israel was also raised at the talks, which were also attended by JLC co-chief executive Claudia Mendoza, Board senior vice president David Mendoza-Wolfson and Community Security Trust director of external relations Jonny Newton.

Other topics included the importance of tackling antisemitism and international terrorism, with the JLC tweeting later to thank Cleverly for the government’s support.

Signs to Israeli tourist sites and activities in the Jewish settlement of Shilo, West Bank

James Cleverly with delegation members

Station plea / School setback / Autism awareness / KLBD decision / News

AUTISM INITIATIVE Kohanim request own station entrance for South Ken Tube

An entrance to South Kensington Tube station could get a £2million makeover so it can be accessed by Kohanim prevented from using it because it's connected to the Science Museum which holds human remains, writes Joy Falk.

Kensington and Chelsea’s planning committee will meet next month to consider a plan that will allow around 1,500 Kohanim living in and around the capital to use the station and Tube.

Evidence sent to the committee by the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations notes that Kohanim, descendants of the sons of

Aaron who served as priests in the temple in Jerusalem, have “special rules on how to behave”. It adds: "One of them is not to come in any shape or form in contact with a deceased (exceptions are made for immediate family), even not being under one roof.”

The committee is urged to adopt a plan that “by providing an outside archway breaks up the one-roof phenomenon and will allow those deprived from using the Underground to be able to use it.”

The plan was approved initially. but changes to

the entrance, between the museum and Imperial College London, were objected to by the college and the wider Exhibition Road Cultural Group which represents museums such as the V&A, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum itself.

The group said the entrance was “used by millions of people visiting the museums, Royal Albert Hall, educational institutions, and by people living and working in the area” and said more information was needed about the plan.

• Jenni Frazer, p26

NEW SETBACK IN SCHOOLS PLAN

Plans for Hasmonean boys and girls to study on the same site have hit a roadblock after strict environmental Green Belt regulations once again made them highly unlikely to succeed.

As reported by Jewish News, Barnet Council had granted planning permission for both secondary schools to be located on the same site at the girls’ school on

Page Street in Mill Hill. The long-awaited news had come after growing concerns that the boys’ campus was becoming overstretched, with twice as many students as it was originally designed for. The approval by the council gave hope that both genders would now learn at the girls’ current site.

However, in a message to parents from the chair of Trustees, and CEO of the trust

comprising both schools, Hasmonean MAT, strict Green Belt planning regulations mean there is no option but a return to the drawing board for other ideas:.

In 2017, Jewish News reported London mayor Sadiq Khan had overturned Barnet council’s decision to grant planning permission saying the potential harm to the Green Belt would not be outweighed.

An immersive workshop created by a social action charity and two students at an Orthodox Jewish secondary school is helping to raise awareness of autism.

Through Our Eyes is the latest innovation from the GIFT Charity incubator course at Hasmonean Girls School in Mill Hill, London.

Sixth form students

Shoshi Maurice and Naomi Benosiglio, themselves both autistic, wanted to promote understanding and empathy among their peers. The girls were keen to provide other

students with an opportunity to gain insights into the experiences of individuals on the autism spectrum or those struggling with sensory issues or social anxiety.

Maurice and Benosiglio successfully organised the inaugural Through Our Eyes project last month for students in Years 7 and 8.

It featured a range of workshops and panel discussions aimed at giving students the tools to empathise and understand why some students may react di erently from them in certain situations.

Sweet approval

In good news for those with a sweet tooth, the Kosher London

Beth Din has announced three vegan Rowntree products are now approved as containing no meat or milk. KLBD said Vegan Friendly Fruit Gums, Fruit Pastilles and Jelly Tots from iconic sweet company Rowntree (formerly known as Nestle UK) are parev.

Products not in the company’s vegan friendly range are still considered ‘Not Kosher’.

The proposed new entrance

Jelly Tots from iconic sweet com-

Small but mighty Alma win England schools’ footie cup

Pupils at a Jewish primary in Whetstone are celebrating being crowned the top small footballing school in the country.

Alma Primary won the ESFA (English Schools’ Football Association) cup, sponsored by Pokémon.

The Pokémon Primary Schools’ Cup is the largest primary schools’ cup competition in England, with 5,000 teams and more than 50,000 children taking to pitches across England to play the beautiful game.

Alma’s team comprised

Nadav Okrent, Gilad Sasson, Levi Kay, Charlie Gelb, Ethan Lazarus, Ari Kaye, Yoni Shamash, Josh Norman and Oli Cohen, all aged between 10 and 11 .

They navigated their way through the Borough, Middlesex and Southeast Regional qualifiers, before meeting other regional winners at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium.

Scoring 14 goals and conceding only one (to a questionable penalty decision) Alma demonstrated their superiority with fine

teamwork and individual brilliance, achieving a resounding 2-0 win in the final against Lindow Community School in Cheshire.

Having also won the Dick Bailey (Barnet District) Cup two weeks ago, Alma are now on course to compete in the Barnet League and Central Cup finals. The school has also won Barnet and Maccabi 5-a-side competitions.

Josh Norman said: “It was the best way to finish the school year and great to play with my friends at

Muslim and Jewish girls came together to play football at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium to build deeper understanding through sports.

In the build-up to the Women’s World Cup this July in Australia and New Zealand, 30 young women, aged 13 and 14, from Jewish and

such an amazing stadium.” To celebrate, the school has arranged a Pokémon

day, where all pupils dress either in Pokémon or football clothing.

The sister of a football fan who died in the Hillsborough disaster fought back tears in court as she told an internet troll, who had made a “Jewish rapists” reference and said he wanted to defecate on her brother’s grave, that he is a “sickening” coward.

Louise Brookes, 51, was speaking at Stratford Magistrates’ Court in east London as Zakir Hussain, 28, of Ilford, was given a 14-week jail sentence that was suspended for a year after targeting her in o ensive Twitter messages in April 2020.

The messages were timed to coincide with the anniversary of the disaster on 15 April 1989 in which her brother Andrew, 26, was among 97 Liverpool fans who died as a result of a crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in She eld.

They were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors, an inquest jury ruled in 2016.

Muslim schools in London met to learn about equality, diversity and inclusion in football with the Professional Footballers’ Association.

They then headed to the stadium to train with Arsenal’s female coaches and play football, with the girls playing side by side.

Aliya Azam, head of science at Al-Sadiq and Al-Zahra Schools, and one of the organisers of the day, said: “Playing together is a great way to break down barriers. Events like the World Cup can bind people together who might not normally meet and mix.”

Hussain had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of sending messages on a public communication network that were grossly o ensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character.

In one tweet, Hussain had sent a message which was a photo of Mr Brookes that had four faeces emojis superimposed on to it.

There were threats to deface Mr Brookes’ grave with urine and faeces, and he also made a “Jewish rapists” reference in one of his other tweets, the court heard.

Alma Primary School’s team at the Power Stadium

Survivors and educators in King’s inaugural Birthday

by Jenni Frazer @JenniFrazer

This year’s Birthday Honours List –King Charles’ first such nominations since his accession to the throne last September – recognises many members of the community for activities associated with Holocaust remembrance and education.

Three people have been awarded CBEs for their work, including Laura Marks, founder of Mitzvah Day, who has been recognised for her work in inter-faith relations, Holocaust and genocide commemoration, and the empowerment of women.

She is joined by David Lewis and Anne Webber, who co-founded the Commission for Looted Art in Europe in 1999, and who have been listed for their services in restituting artworks looted by the Nazis.

Anne Webber told Jewish News: “This is a just wonderful honour for both me and David, and I could scarcely believe it. I feel profoundly honoured, both personally and on behalf of our organisation.

“It is a hugely significant recognition of the importance of returning looted art and of highlighting the injustice of those brutal

thefts. Our work is never just about an object, but of returning lives and families to the historical record.”

Laura Marks, whose previous OBE honour has been upgraded, is the cofounder of the Muslim-Jewish women’s network Nisa-Nashim and chairs the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

She said: “There is no doubt that this honour belongs not to me but to the thousands of volunteers, survivors, women, campaigners, staff members, trustees, broadcasters, family members and funders who have made my work over many years possible. I’m indebted to every one of them and hope that this recognition encourages more people to support our vital work to make our world safer, cleaner and fairer.”

Five Holocaust survivors have been recognised for their services to Shoah education. Four of them — Dr Martin Kapel, Rolf Penzias, Ike Alterman and Jacques Weisser — will receive the BEM, or British Empire Medal, while Suzanne Rapaport-Ripton has been made an MBE.

Ike Alterman, who came to Britain as one of the Windermere “Boys”, said he was “incredibly proud” of the honour, adding that “at the age of 95, I am as committed

as ever to continue this crucial work with people of all ages”.

Raphi Bloom and Juliette Pearce of The Fed in Manchester, who nominated Ike for his award, said: “We are delighted and proud that Ike has been recognised by the king for his indefatigable work in the field of Holocaust education and awareness over the past

five years. We see at first-hand, through The Fed’s My Voice project, just how much effort he puts into this work and the immense impact he has on thousands of people of all ages by sharing his life story. Continuing to do this at the age of 95 makes it even more incredible. Mazaltov, Ike!”

Michael Newman, chief executive of the

Michael Rose (left) received an OBE and Rabbi Shlomo Levin is made an MBE

Association of Jewish Refugees, said: “We are so thrilled that these remarkable stalwarts of our community, and fellow members of the Association of Jewish Refugees, have been recognised for their dedication and contributions to Holocaust education and remembrance.

“They all give of themselves, so that communities throughout the country have the opportunity to hear from an eye-witness to the crimes of the Nazis.”

Anita Parmar, who heads the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project, has been awarded an OBE. The project, founded in 1999, has taken 41,000 teachers and students to the former concentration camp since its inception, in a unique programme supported by the Department for Education in England and the Scottish and Welsh governments.

Two rabbis have been made MBEs — Rabbi Alan Plancey, former minister of Borehamwood and Elstree synagogue, and Rabbi Shlomo Levin, senior rabbi at United Synagogue’s South Hampstead synagogue.

Scots-born Rabbi Plancey, 82, described his MBE, awarded for political and public service, as “an absolute honour”, and said it reflected the appreciation of the wider community of the contribution of British Jews.

He added: “When I retired at 66, I entered politics and I have been mayor [of Hertsmere] twice. I’m also an honorary alderman. I would never have been able to do these things without the support of my wife and children, so this award is as much for them”.

Rabbi Plancey’s son and daughter-in-law, Meir and Rachely, founded Camp Simcha.

Rabbi Levin, who is originally from South Africa, has been recognised with an MBE “for services to interfaith and the Jewish community in Camden”.

He and his wife Lynndy have provided rabbinical leadership at South Hampstead since 1984, with his son and daughter-inlaw Rabbi Eli and Lauren Levin joining the “family business”. Rabbi Shlomo also teaches at the London School of Jewish Studies.

Emily Reuben, co-founder of the national charity Duchenne UK, has been awarded an OBE for her services in helping people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Both she and her co-founder Alex

Johnson have been recognised for their work in setting up Duchenne UK in 2012, and leading it over the past 11 years. Both women have sons suffering from the condition, for which there is currently no cure.

Emily Reuben, who is chief executive of Duchenne UK, is a former reporter for CNN International and Channel 4 News, roles she gave up to help launch the charity.

She said: “I am honoured to receive this award. I accept it not for myself, but on behalf of everyone at Duchenne UK. Without the support of Duchenne patients, their families, doctors and academics, we could not have changed the world in the way that we are doing”.

Tania Cohen, chief executive of the charity 360 Giving, has been awarded an MBE for her “services to charity and social justice”. From a Sephardi family, she said she was “really privileged” to work for the charity, which she joined in 2020.

She has spent 25 years of her career working in the charitable sector, including time with the British Red Cross and Shelter among others, as well as being a trustee or holding a senior committee role with BBC Children in Need and the Fawcett Society, and a number of women’s aid charities.

She said: “I feel privileged to do the work that I do and lucky to have had the opportunity to work with so many amazing charities and colleagues. This honour is in recognition of all the committed and passionate people who inspire and motivate me to do the work I do every day”.

Also awarded an MBE is Professor Bencie Woll of University College London, in recognition of her services to higher education and deaf people.

A member of London’s New West End synagogue, she is originally from New York and became Britain’s first professor of sign language in 1995. She was founder and director of UCL’s Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre and is a specialist in researching British Sign Language (BSL).

She told Jewish News the timing of the award “could not have been more appropriate”, since the Department of Education chose the same day to announce a public consultation on offering BSL as a GCSE subject.

In Cambridge, Professor David Abulafia

has been celebrating his CBE award. An emeritus professor of Mediterranean history at Cambridge University, he has been honoured for his services to scholarship.

He described the giving of the award as “heartwarming” adding: “It’s really very nice to be recognised for scholarship. I’m really pleased”.

A maritime historian, Professor Abulafia comes from a venerable Sephardi family, whom he can trace back in a direct line to the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492.

Some of his ancestors, he said, were rabbis and textile merchants in Safed, after fleeing Spain. By the 18th century other forebears were helping to re-settle Tiberias.

Currently working on a book about the Black Sea, the professor — like many of the honorees — observed how happy he was to have been included in the king’s first birthday honours list.

Dr Natalie Shenker, co-founder of the Human Milk Foundation charity, has also been awarded an MBE. The charity, based at the Rothamsted Institute in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, provides donor human milk to sick premature babies in hospital neonatal intensive care units.

Susy Stone, the former head of Akiva School and before that of Bell Lane School in Hendon, has been awarded a BEM for her services to education.

Three other award honorees with loose Jewish connections appear in King Charles’ list. They are the late novelist Martin Amis, who died shortly before the honours were published; the film director Stephen Frears,

and the British Commissioner for Public Appointments, writer and broadcaster William Shawcross.

All three were given knighthoods. Amis is survived by his widow, Isabel Fonseca, a Jewish-American writer with whom he had two daughters, who have been brought up Jewish.

Frears, the director of films such as My Beautiful Laundrette and Dangerous Liaisons as well as numerous TV programmes, is the son of a Jewish mother and an Anglican father and has said he did not know his mother was Jewish until he was in his 20s.

He told the Evening Standard : “I suspect it was a form of rebellion against her own parents. But when I found out I was Jewish I found it ... not consoling, exactly, but a big part of the puzzle dropped into place.”

William Shawcross, who formerly headed the Charity Commission, is a member of the consortium which fronted the mystery bid for the Jewish Chronicle in 2020.

He is the son of the renowned barrister Sir Hartley Shawcross, who was the leading prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials immediately after the war of senior Nazi figures.

The new Sir William Shawcross has been an outspoken critic of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and a passionate Israel supporter, taking part in a whistle-stop tour of the country last month led by the philanthropist Dame Vivien Duffield.

He has lent his voice, too, to the new organisation UK Israel Future Projects, which launched recently, with a highly emotional appeal on behalf of Israel.

Clockwise from top left: Anita Parmar, Emily Reuben, Rabbi Alan Plancey and Laura Marks

Terror attacks / Putin outburst / Killer convicted / World News

Four Israelis killed in West Bank

Four people were killed and another four wounded in a suspected terror attack in the West Bank on Tuesday, writes Jotam Confino.

The gunmen arrived by car and first opened fire at the nearby Hummus Eliyahu restaurant before targeting the gas station, according to an army assessment.

IDF said that “terrorists opened fire adjacent to a gas station in the community of Eli (settlement). One of the terrorists was neutralised at the scene. IDF soldiers are pursuing additional suspects.”

About three hours later, Shin Bet and Border Police officers found the

second suspect and killed him on the spot near the Palestinian town of Tubas.

“The Toyota vehicle with which the suspect fled the scene was located and inside was a weapon that he allegedly used in the attack. During the attempt to apprehend the suspect, he tried to escape from the vehicle, was shot and neutralised by the security forces,” a joint statement said.

Israeli media reported that the terrorist who was killed on the spot at gas station was identified as 25-yearold Mohannad Falah, a member of Hamas.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said

those who harm Israelis will either end up in prison or “in the grave.”

“I would like to remind all those who seek to harm us: All options are open. We will continue to fight terrorism with full force and we will defeat it,” Netanyahu said in a video statement following the attack.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived at the scene of the attack and called on Netanyahu and Defence Minister Gallant to launch a military operation in the West Bank in response to the attack.

Ben-Gvir also encouraged Israeli residents in the West Bank to carry weapons. “It saves lives,” he said. Zvi

Sukkot, lawmaker from the far-right Religious Zionism party, said. “We must begin a military operation now,” he said.

Tuesday’s deadly attack came after

major clashes between the IDF and Palestinians near the West Bank city of Jenin left five Palestinians killed, seven Israeli troops and another 91 Palestinians injured.

SHUL GUNMAN FOUND GUILTY 'Zelensky is not a real Jew'

Russian president Vladimir Putin has claimed other Jews think Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is not Jewish, despite his having “Jewish blood”.

“I have a lot of Jewish friends,” Putin told the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “They say that Zelensky is not Jewish, that he is a disgrace to the Jewish people.”

Putin also said Zelensky has “Jewish blood” but puts “neo-Nazis, Hitler’s disciples” on “a pedestal as heroes of Ukraine”.

Putin has said continually Russia’s war in Ukraine is in part an effort to stem the rise of rampant neo-Nazism there, a claim scholars and analysts around the world have roundly rejected as propaganda.

Zelensky does not speak often about his Jewish heritage but has said he had an “ordinary Soviet Jewish upbringing” though his family was not religious because “religion didn’t exist in the Soviet state as such”. He lost family in the Holocaust.

A jury has found the gunman who committed the worst antisemitic attack in US history guilty of all charges against him.

Robert Bowers, who killed 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in October 2018, faced 22 capital charges — two for each of his victims; 11 charges for the federal crime of “obstruction of the free exercise of religious beliefs

resulting in death”, and 11 charges for the federal crime of “wilfully causing bodily injury because of actual or perceived religion resulting in death”, a hate crime.

The sentencing phase of the trial is set to begin next week, when the jury will consider whether to impose the death penalty. Bowers' lawyers say they may argue a mental health defence.

The verdict is a milestone in one of the most significant court proceedings in American Jewish history. It provides a determination of legal accountability in a tragedy that has reshaped American Jews’ sense of security in Pittsburgh and beyond in the nearly five years since it occurred.

Families of the victims and survivors packed the courtroom for the verdict.

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The scene at the petrol station in the aftermath of the attack

ISSUE

NO. 1320

The very best of us

Never was the prefix ‘Sir’ more appropriate than for Ben Helfgott. The Holocaust survivor, who after emerging emaciated from the camps went on to captain the British weightlifting team at two Olympics, was knighted in 2018. His indomitable spirit and unwavering commitment to education and remembrance reshaped the world in the aftermath of the war, illuminating the path of understanding for future generations.

Sir Ben, who died aged 93 last Friday, held a staggering number of communal roles over the decades. He was president of the Yad Vashem UK Foundation, president, treasurer and trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (at different times), joint treasurer of what is now World Jewish Relief and founder of the 45 Aid Society, helping to secure reparations for his fellow survivors.

He received many honours, including the Polish Knights Cross of the Order of Merit, the Prime Minister’s UK Ponts of Light Award, Freeman of the City of London and an MBE followed by his knighthood.

His sporting achievements were glorious. Sir Ben twice captained the British Olympic weightlifting team, won a bronze medal at the 1958 Commonwealth Games and competed four times at the weightlifting World Championships in the 1950s.

Yet despite all these garlands and accolades, to staff at Jewish News, who got to know Sir Ben personally over many years, it was his humanity, his smile, his vision that made him our greatest hero. Sir Ben was one of those rare figures – alongside the likes of Elie Wisel, Shimon Peres and Sir Nicholas Winton – whose every word seemed special. Wisdom and greatness emanated from his every pore. We enjoyed every moment spent with him and his inspirational wife, Arza.

As his power of speech failed him in recent years and hate increased in the world, his words felt even more special. He would never give up an opportunity to speak about remembrance and education for the future. Sir Ben said many times that he felt confident the baton of remembrance was being passed successfully to the next generation. The best way we can honour his dear memory is to continue where he left off.

Thank you, dearest Ben, and long life to Arza and the family.

How to fill a cultural void

In response to Alex Brummer’s article on the Jewish Museum’s closure (8 June), I would like to say that when I convened a body of Jewish culture providers in the early 2000s, we were well aware of and saddened by the fact that Jewish culture has been underfunded. The irony was that potential benefactors, when surveyed, had the perception that Jewish culture was poorly presented. It was my desire that we should set up a British Foundation for Jewish Culture and to suggest to our Jewish benefactors of British culture to donate say 10 percent of their culture portfolio to Jewish culture. I felt such a foundation would also offer accountants and lawyers when drawing up wills to suggest leaving a donation to such a Jewish culture

A BRICK WALL

Letter writer Michael Leaver believes that “in Marie van der Zyl we have effective leadership” (18 May). Has he forgotten the Board’s recent, unprecedented, dressing down by mild-mannered, left-leaning Israel president Isaac Herzog, who lambasted her for the Board’s “deeply inappropriate and downright insulting comments which elicited deep discomfort” on the private visit to London of a serving MK?

Or the furious response from the senior Hungarian diplomat with whom van der Zyl demanded a meeting, then accusing prime minister Viktor Orban of antisemitism, despite the fact that Hungary is one of the two most supportive EU countries of Israel and of Jews, prompting the diplomat Vince Szalay Bobrovniczky to write to her” “You do not have the slightest respect for Hungary, and I am extremely sorry for the Jews you pretend to represent”? Or the Board leadership’s ill-judged censure of Israel’s 2018 Nation State Law? There are more than enough examples of the Board’s leadership to convince me that becoming a deputy is rather like banging one’s head against a brick wall.

Warren S Grossman, Leytonstone

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fund. This could widen the donating pool that relied on a few individuals, raise the profile of Jewish culture within British culture and be an all-round beneficial development.

We would then devise appropriate criteria and assessment boards for individual culture providers to apply for these culture funds.

However, my colleagues were too protective of their hard-won donations from individuals to contemplate this. Perhaps its time has come, if there is a person or body strong enough and motivated enough to set it up.

Geraldine Auerbach

Founder and retired director of the Jewish Music Institute, SOAS University of London

MATTERS OF HISTORY

Fraser Michaelson asks me to “clarify” the land Palestinian Arabs (only Jews in Palestine were called Palestinians until 1948) are appropriating.

Answer: Judea and Samaria (falsely called the West Bank between 1950 and 1967), building illegal settlements on land to which they have no entitlement.

Churchill in 1921, persuaded by the Arabist T E Lawrence, illegally severed the entire east bank of the Jordan – 77 percent of Palestine allotted for Jewish sovereignty by binding treaties – to give to the Hashemite Abdullah. The

land was ethnically cleansed of every Jew and a written guarantee given to Lawrence that Abdullah would make no claim to the West Bank, which Lawrence reaffirmed would be exclusively for the future Jewish state.

The 600,000 Jewish “settlers” on the “West Bank” are “there of right, not on sufferance” as Churchill stated. The problem is the Arabs will not accept self-determination of the Jews anywhere on land they regard as exclusively Islamic. That is why the conflict is never ending.

Gerry Solomons Highgate

SENDING MIXED MESSAGE

Barry Hyman’s letter (8 June) called my view of Judaism blinkered, but what is Judaism without adherence to the supremacy of Torah in all its

facets? He says that mixed faith marriages are steeped in Judaism. In what way?

Ann Cohen Golders Green

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.

DEAR STANLEY WILL BE MISSED

We at the Hackney Anglo Israel Friendship Association (HAIFA) were sorry to hear of the passing of Lord Stanley Clinton-Davis of Hackney. He was our president for over 50 years, attended many of our meetings and aided our fund-raising for the remarkable clinical staff exchanges every two years with the Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Hackney’s twin town, and Homerton Hospital.

His good name and influence have been of significant assistance to our twinning work and he will be sorely missed. He encouraged us in the early years when we or-

ganised exchanges with town councillors, mayors, business teams, sixth formers, war veterans, sports teams and others, who travelled to and from Haifa to Hackney

I recall when he came to speak alongside the Israeli ambassador and high commissioner for Grenada at the unveiling at Homerton Hospital of our twinning commemoration plaque in the early 2000s.

Over 200 people attended including Hackney citizens, council members, local mayors, plus City of London political leaders and MPs.

Sadly he was not well enough to be with us on our 50th anniversary party in 2018 at the Homerton, but we did pay tribute to him.

Martin Sugarman AJEX

LEGACY OF HUNGARIAN JEWS

Historian Derek Taylor, writing of the contributions of Hungarian emigre Jews, astonishingly omits the four Nobel-winning giants of science, born within 10 years of each other in the same Budapest district.

Leo Szilard, realising that a chain reaction would enable a nuclear weapon, wrote the letter signed by Einstein to President Roosevelt. It was this letter that started the Manhattan Project.

Eugene Wigner, mathematician and physicist, co-wrote it. Edward Teller is known as the father of the hydrogen bomb, 100 times more powerful than the atomic bomb.

John Von Neumann, the mathematical physicist, game theorist, computer scientist

and so much more, has contributed more than any other scientist to today’s technology, based on quantum physics. He is considered a genius almost on a par with Einstein. All four contributed to the Manhattan Project. There were some 25 emigre prominent Jewish Hungarian scientists (mainly physicists and mathematicians), known collectively as the Martians.

When the highly-eccentric Szilard was once asked why there was no sign of intelligent life beyond Earth, he answered jokingly “They are already here among us — they just call themselves Hungarians.”

Colin Rossiter WC2

‘Please put your clothes back on, grandma. I know Miriam Margolyes just posed nude for Vogue magazine, but this is for my barmitzvah album!’

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I hope I’ve done justice to Ben’s life and vision

Russian Army. Among his extended family, only his sister Mala managed to survive the horrors of the Holocaust.

Ben Helfgott’s loss to the Holocaust education and commemoration sector is incalculable – his loss to me as a friend and inspiration is even harder to bear. His praise was worth earning, his support significant.

Ben was one of the very first Holocaust survivors in the UK to tell of his experiences publicly and to a wide audience.

He was born in Pabianice, Poland, in November 1929 and was barely 10 years old when the Nazis forcibly moved him and his family into what was to become the first ghetto established in occupied Poland.

During his formative years, he endured the harrowing ordeals of confinement within the ghetto, forced labour and incarceration in multiple concentration camps. He was eventually liberated in May 1945 from Terezin by the

Ben did more than share his own personal testimony. He and many others worked hard to ensure a strong foundation for Holocaust education and commemoration in the UK and beyond. He was an integral member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, working with colleagues worldwide to ensure international collaboration and consensus for quality Holocaust education.

In the UK, he was a founder of the Holocaust Educational Trust and the 45 Aid Society. He was also a founder trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, following his contributions to the government’s Steering Committee for Holocaust Memorial Day.

At the end of his term of o ce, he became our honorary president, guiding and advising trustees and sta . Over the past decade and more that I have led HMDT, Ben has provided advice, guidance, constructive criticism and comment. Many was the time he said to me, ‘I like you, but I must tell you that you should…’.

I have listened, and hope that I have done

HIS LEGACY IS

AND

justice to his vision for Holocaust commemoration and honoured his experiences fittingly.

Ben was never one to shy away from stating his opinion assertively. His views carried weight and authority. Despite his small stature, he had immense presence and charisma, making deep impressions on everyone with whom he came into contact – young people, prime ministers, journalists and royalty.

No one wanted to let Ben down. He inspired in so many of us the drive and commitment to do whatever we could to share the truth of the Holocaust as widely as possible.

His energy was extraordinary, doing pressups each morning well into his 80s, travelling the world to international conferences about Holocaust education, research, restitution and more – he was also a devoted husband, father and grandfather to a wonderful family.

BUT WE SHALL MISS HIS

– AND THAT SMILE

He was rightly proud of his family: his wife Arza, whom he married in 1966, his three ‘boys’ Maurice, Michael and Nathan, and beloved grandchildren.

His legacy through HMDT is clear: Holocaust and genocide commemoration and education, embedded in communities around the country and marked by royalty and prime ministers. But his personal presence and contributions will be sorely missed. The last few times I saw him, his smile lit his face and has been my inspiration.

His legacy will endure through the educational initiatives he supported, the organisations he influenced, and the countless lives he touched. We will all be the poorer without Ben’s smile, his persistence, his drive and his commitment. All of us at HMDT extend our deepest condolences to all the Helfgott family.

Sir

His passing is a huge loss to our moral conscience

SADIQ KHAN MAYOR OF LONDON

Sir Ben Helfgott was an extraordinary human being and his passing is a profound loss, not only for his family and our country, but for our nation’s moral conscience.

During his life, Sir Ben endured unimaginable pain and su ering – the murder of his parents and younger sister at the hands of the Nazis, the horrors of Buchenwald and two other concentration camps, and the brutal killing of so many he knew during the Holocaust.

But despite the adversity and anguish that were so cruelly visited upon him, he did not succumb to despair, bitterness or hatred. Instead, he drew on his immense physical and mental strength, first to achieve personal success as the captain of the British Olympic weightlifting team, and one of only two Holocaust survivors ever to compete at a Games, and then to become a powerful voice for education, inclusion, equality and peace.

As someone who had the pleasure of

meeting Sir Ben many times – and working alongside him on the panel to decide the winning design for the national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre – it’s no surprise to me that his inspiring example earned him a reputation as one of Britain’s greatest Jews. Sir Ben was small in size, but a giant of a personality. He was humble, gregarious and good-natured, and he possessed a sharp wit and sparkling sense of humour that meant he would often become the centre of attention at gatherings and events. But he was also resolute in his conviction that future

SIR

generations must learn about the darkness of the Shoah so that such an evil could never again be allowed to take root.

We were blessed to welcome Sir Ben as a speaker at City Hall’s annual Holocaust Memorial Day service and through his outstanding work with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Telling his story as a survivor, he played a pivotal role in preserving a grim part of our past all of us have a duty to remember. Indeed, as the Holocaust slowly moves from living memory to the pages of history, it’s more important than ever that we recall Sir Ben’s life and cherish his legacy.

One particular aspect of that legacy I admire deeply stems from the focus and urgency

Sir Ben placed on strengthening the bonds between our communities. Sir Ben was a bridge builder – an advocate for dialogue, mutual understanding and coexistence. He knew unity was key to overcoming division and the best

way to inoculate our communities against intolerance and antisemitism was to break down barriers and bring people together so they could appreciate their common humanity. His tireless commitment to this cause, and to keeping alive the story of the Holocaust, made him a great Brit and force for good. London joins our Jewish brothers and sisters in mourning him and our thoughts are with Sir Ben’s family, friends and loved ones at this di cult time.

Sadiq Khan with Sir Ben and Mala Tribich at City Hall

Inspiring us to value the message of the mitzvah

inadvertent action is worthless. The pupils’ beamed with pride as Rabbi Sacks listened attentively to the presentations and participated in the debate. By the end of the evening, we expected him to “answer” the question and bring our debate to a close.

Shavuot back in 2013 marked a moment of anticipation at the Independent Jewish Day School, which was buzzing with excitement as we eagerly awaited the arrival of the then Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, for our annual Tikkun Leil Shavuot learning programme. The topic for the evening was “Do mitzvot (Torah commandments) require kavanah (intention)”?

Pupils had prepared presentations on various mitzvot, debating whether they could be fulfilled without the appropriate kavanah. They trembled with nervousness and excitement as they presented their topic in Rabbi Sacks’ presence. We debated whether one can fulfil a mitzvah by accidentally sitting in the sukkah during Sukkot, or unintentionally eating matzah on Seder night.

Some argued that the action was done, so the mitzvah is fulfilled. Others argued an

He did the absolute opposite and left us pondering another question: “What is the purpose of a mitzvah?”

Rabbi Sacks went on the explain. Not all mitzvot are enjoyable. The opportunity to fulfil a mitzvah is the opportunity to come closer to God and develop a sense of purpose in life. It is the outcome of the action which determines whether it can be considered a sanctified mitzvah.

“Every mitzvah is a window in the wall separating us from God. Each mitzvah lets God’s light flow into the world” (Rabbi Sacks, Ten Days, Ten Ways ).

The idea of a simple Jew allowing God’s light to flow into this world is revolutionary. Coming close to God is not a concept reserved for distinguished, righteous individuals. Each and every Jew, with no exceptions, has the opportunity to connect to God and seek purpose.

It is that sense of purpose which drives us to fight injustice and encourages us

to maximise our unique contribution to society. A deep sense of purpose instils us with the confidence and capacity to defend and uphold our cherished Jewish values.

Our purpose in this world brings us to the realisation that our Jewish heritage is not an additional burden or liability, it is our greatest opportunity.

Social media continues to develop rapidly. The various platforms provide endless entertainment fuelled by a persistent need by young people to tell the world about themselves. Constantly focusing on one’s perceived image and status is a major distraction that frequently leads to negative consequences.

Parents and educators rightly respond by limiting the use of smartphones and installing powerful filters to protect young people from harm.

However, no matter how powerful the filter may be, social media remains a dominant part of teens’ lives.

I have personally devoted a considerable amount of time and effort in attempts to create a Jewish equivalent to the instant gratification available on social media platforms. I have come to realise that Judaism is not expected to compete with social

media as it offers a very different sense of satisfaction. Most social media platforms encourage self-centred behaviours. Jewish life, by contrast, is about making a positive contribution to the lives of others. Highlighting the risks and dangers of social media is essential, but there is also an opportunity to highlight the essence of Jewish values and tremendous satisfaction in Jewish life.

“The ‘selfie’ culture is harming us… Hyper-individualism has had its day. We need a new code of shared responsibility for the common good” (Rabbi Sacks, The Sunday Telegraph , 5 November 2017).

Sadly, the next generation of British Jews will not have the opportunity to engage with Rabbi Sacks in person. However, he left us a remarkable legacy, and it is incumbent upon us to expose young people to his teachings.

The profound and powerful message of Rabbi Sacks could not be more relevant nowadays for young people: Your purpose is unique, your mission in this world is exclusive, and your personal talents and abilities can change the world for the better.

Your contribution to the world is like no other.

Tube ask takes religious pleading to new heights

JENNI FRAZER

It’s not that long ago that the more secular among us were having either a good laugh or a burst of righteous “who-do-they-think-they-are” indignation at Cohenim who covered themselves in plastic bin-liners on flights which overflew European cemeteries.

I haven’t seen any visual evidence of the plastic baggers for quite a long time, which either means that the airlines have changed their flight routes – unlikely – or someone high up the religious food chain has had a quiet word.

It is certainly a prohibition for a Cohen to set foot in a cemetery because of the ruling that proximity to the dead – except for the immediate family – can be judged a defilement of the priestly caste to which a Cohen belongs. There are many instances of a Cohen standing at the perimeter of a burial ground while funerals take place.

That practice, it seems to me, is completely acceptable within the Jewish

community. It bothers no one and complies with strict religious belief. But there are probably, I’m guessing, quite a number of Cohenim who do not act as high priests within their own synagogues, and who thus do not observe this stricture.

What, then, might we make of the approach by the Union of Orthodox Synagogues to the planning committee of the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, to ask for a makeover to the Exhibition Road entrance to South Kensington tube station?

The UOHC, claiming that there are 1,500 Cohenim in London who are a ected,

say that such individuals cannot use this entrance to South Ken tube because it is part of the Science Museum, which has human remains on display. Actually there is a pedestrian tunnel, leading from Exhibition Road to the Science Museum itself.

Presumably this has been the case since the 19th century. The Science Museum opened in 1857, while the tube station opened to passengers in 1868.

I cannot envisage circumstances in which throngs of Charedi men might need to use the Exhibition Road entrance to the South Ken underground, much less 1,500 Cohenim, but such is the claim.

The UOHC has come up with a cunning plan, however. (And if you think that has shades of Baldrick, you might well be right). It has suggested that an outside archway, or roof, be built on to the entrance, nominally separating the entrance from the Science Museum, and “allow those deprived from using the Underground to be able to use it”.

“Deprived”? Hold on a minute. There are two entrances to South Ken tube – the other one is on Old Brompton Road – so I don’t

understand that argument. Furthermore, this exercise in religious diversity is estimated to cost in the area of £2million – and I have not seen anything to suggest the UOHC is putting its metaphorical hand into its metaphorical trouser pocket in order to pay for what we might call a RoofHole.

No, the union wants the council to pay for this roof. And the council was all set to approve this proposal until there were objections from Imperial College and the Exhibition Road Cultural Group – whose membership includes nearby museums such as the V&A, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.

I’m all for Jews living in this country to exercise their rights as British citizens in order to improve their ability to live full Jewish lives. But this?

This is special pleading on the order of the bin-liner plane passengers, and will win us no friends in the wider community.

Besides, alert readers may think that the UOHC has other, more pressing issues to deal with – such as settling claims about alleged sexual predators.

THIS EXERCISE IN RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY IS ESTIMATED TO COST AROUND £2MILLION

❝

RABBI COBI EBRAHIMOFF

UK DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, RABBI SACKS LEGACY

Israel 75: celebrated in style!

Israel’s 75th anniversary was celebrated in style last week at a series of four events in central London.

Starting the festival was a gala on 13 June, at the immersive digital entertainment district Outernet. More than 1,000 guests attended the celebration, hosted by Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely. Among the distinguished guests were UK government ministers, MPs and the ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

The second event, on 15 June, was a Pride party and live show extravaganza, also held at Outernet.

Hundreds of young people enjoyed a series of performances from British and Israeli artists including the DJ Fat Tony, the Israeli Dance Company, Fresco, and cross-genre violinist Bar Markovich.

The event was produced by renowned Israeli model and actor Eliad Cohen. The third event, on 16 June, was an artistic educational collaboration with British Jewish schools at JW3 in Finchley Road, and the final one, on 18 June, on the big screens outside Outernet, was a showcase screened over 18 hours of Israel and its many attractions – watched by more than half a million people.

The Israeli embassy thanks everyone involved who helped to make this festival possible: Marc Sharer (TASTE) with the catering, the Fresco Dance Company, Miri Mesika, Noam Frank and her Band, Bar Markovitz, Eliad Cohen – PAPA, DJ Aryell Houmous Productions, DJ Zuri, DJ Fat Tony, Tzemach Productions and the Outernet Production Team. The embassy also wishes to thank Odelia from Seret UK and all the donors who helped to make this dream come true, including the Metropolitan Police and all the visitors who came to support Israel 75

Photos by Shai Dolev and Sezgin Kandermir

Gala’s £700k to fight addiction

The Israel Centre of Addiction (ICA) hosted a charity event for the second time in London to raise support for its mission to advance the field of addiction care in Israel. A centre of excellence aimed at spearheading treatment, prevention, research, training and policy, ICA is setting up a national centre on addiction and mental health in Jerusalem in partnership with the Hebrew University.

The evening was hosted by the mentalist Lior Suchard, with former Israeli prime minister and guest of honour Naftali Bennett captivating the audience in interview with Yakir Gabay. Olivier Award-nominated singer and actress Miri Mesika also performed at the event, which was hosted by Elena Gabay from Future Directions Foundation.

Guest speakers included ICA co-founders Dr Ariel Kor and

Prof Shauli Lev Ran, who provided an insight into the scope of what is a national and global crisis. About 250 guests shared their commitment to the centre and contributed more than £700,000 to the appeal.

The event was produced by Tzemach Productions, catered by Tony Page and took place at the Westminster Park Plaza Hotel.

Photos by MART Photography, Tammy Kazhdan

Atelevision comedy set in New Zealand about a Jewish 20-something living at home paying “emotional rent”? This I had to watch. I did and I loved it. I loved KidSisterso much that I got in touch with writer/creator/lead Simone Nathan to find out more. Sadly, there was no o er of being flown out to New Zealand for the interview and Simone was very busy filming season 2, so I settled for a (very early) morning Zoom.

I’d prepared some ice-breakers just in case Simone, who at 31 has a rather impressive CV including studying in Melbourne and at NYU, internships on Bloodline and Inside Amy Schumer , needed thawing. I would give her my favourite lines from the show and ask what hers were.

“Go to your room, Lulu!”

“I’m 29!” or

“You’d make a good Jew – you’re already quite paranoid” were up there, but not needed.

We laughed from the word go, Simone telling me how “hilarious” her real life is with she and her brother now living at home: “My

Simone

parents love having us here. Whenever we threaten to leave they get so depressed.” Hmm, maybe they’d like my ungrateful Gen Z-ers too.

I asked whether her on-screen character Lulu’s parents, especially the fabulous South African mother, were anything like her own parents. She replied that they had the core of everything she loved about her parents: “They really speak their mind, they’re really funny and they’re really loving.” Gosh, they really must all like each other as her real-life brother, boyfriend and father star in the show. However, she shared – and I don’t want to give any spoilers – that she cannot keep secrets from them the way her character does.

Simone’s real mum is from South Africa and her dad’s family were the first Jews in New Zealand in the 1840s. Simone went to the Auckland Jewish school Kadimah until the age of 12 and then, out of the choice of Bnei Akiva or Habonim, chose the former. Despite living in the United States for most of the past decade, her heritage gave her the yearning to create a “quintessentially Jewish show”.

With a Jewish population of about 5,000, it is no surprise that 15-yearold Kiwis take the three-hour flight to Australia to meet Jewish counterparts whom they will eventually join in Israel on their gap year.

“Jewish continuity is one of the biggest problems, I think, facing our people now because we don’t live in the same tight-knit communities as we were once forced to,” Simone says. “I happen to love the culture and I don’t want it to die out.”

Indeed when she moved to New York, her parents thought she would find it easy to meet a nice Jewish boy, but in fact she ended up having a long-distance relationship with a “non-Jewish Catholic Kiwi”. Granted she had been raised within the Jewish culture at home, but “outside of the house, I was in completely integrated groups”. Comedian Paul Williams – who plays her loveinterest Ollie in the show – and Simone have been together for five years and in that time he has taken the time to learn about Judaism and is converting. Simone feels that this will give her a partner an understanding of “both of the worlds” that she comes from.

Simone and I drew lots of parallels between the Kiwi and British

communities, but the size of the Kiwi population is a real issue for romantic relationships. “I am definitely my own fourth cousin,” she shared and I roared with laughter. But it’s not really that funny. Tay Sachs is talked about in the show and in turn we have discussed it around our family dinner table.

After her internships, Simone spent her time writing scripts and attempting to “break into the industry”. I’m sure she worked very hard, but this young woman’s humour, humility, charisma and intelligence could not have hurt her plight. An American production company eventually bought one of her scripts and in a matter of weeks she had a manager, an agent and a lawyer.

Things went on from there and she developed this show which “I get to act in and write and cast all my friends and family”. All very kosher, but Simone says that having a nonJewish director was perfect to bring a non-Jewish perspective to the show, enabling her take on the viewer’s experience.

This is something I had discussed with my own 25-year-old emotional renter. It’s great for Jews as we get all the in-jokes, but how would

gentiles get how funny the show’s non-Jewish character’s pronunciation of chag sameach is or his take on Succot being “the one where Jews sit in cages and shake fruit”? Simone had thought about it too and was advised by her mentor, “the godfather of New Zealand television”, John Barnett, to “trust that your audience is intelligent and they will catch up”. (No Fleabag-esque fourth wall explanation here). She also added a non-Jewish best friend character to help call things out.

Kid Sister, directed by Aidee Walker, is currently showing in New Zealand, Canada, Israel and most recently here in the UK on ITVX. After glowing articles in Ha’aretz and on Heyalma.com, she hopes that Australia and the United States will be next. It is a charming and relatable blend of humour and thoughtprovoking issues – a Kiwi triumph with an all-female director team and a local soundtrack.

We ended our conversation with Simone categorically stating that the storyline is entirely fictional, especially with regard to the grandfather, and that none of the hilarious events actually happened as they are shown. What are they? You’ll just have to watch it and see.

The neo-Nazi Jew Blues singer Leo Green

Simone Nathan (seated, second right) and characters in Kid Sister, New Zealand’s first Jewish sitcom

Simone as Lulu in Kid Sister

Photos by GreenstoneTV

Nathan, creator and star of ITVX’s new Jewish sitcom set in New Zealand, chats to Angie Jacobs

Naomi Frankel chats to John Daly, a Jew who used to belong to a neo-Nazi gang

Die, Jew boy, die,” they repeated as they rained the blows down, punctuating every racist slur with savage kicks and punches.

This was the near-fatal situation John Daly, a covert Jewish member and eventual North Florida leader of 90s skinhead neo-Nazi group American Front, found himself in when his ‘comrades’, led by Richie Myers, found out about his Jewish heritage.

Despite the documentary Escape From Room 18 being broadcast on television channels all over the world and available to watch on Amazon Prime and YouTube channel Real Stories, it seems that many have missed John’s incredible true story.

“I was a 15-year-old searching to belong to something,” John says. “The documentary reveals that I had joined an ‘anti-racist’ gang, a subgroup of skinheads who were actually opposed to racism. Unfortunately, this gang was infiltrated by the American Front, one of the most sinister neo-Nazi gangs of the time.”

The coercive and threatening techniques used by ringleader Richie, aka Richard Myers, leader of the Aryan Youth Force, when he was unwillingly recruited meant that John felt he didn’t have a choice.

The web John wove around himself to try to keep his family safe ended up sticking fast and ultimately almost killing him. Almost miraculously, he survived the assault, although it was later discovered that he had a bleed on the brain. Despite having undergone three surgeries, he’s still in the thick of treatment.

He’s very much a warrior and he was brave enough to testify in court against the group. This resulted in multiple long-prison terms for the leaders of various neo-Nazi groups across the United States. It also marked the end of the American

Front and several other major racist networks. “I only left Florida years later, after everything was done in court. If I had fled without seeking justice, it would have sent a message to these racists that they could continue to attack Jews and send them fleeing to Israel.”

Why he hadn’t reached out to Jewish organisations earlier, or gone to the police?

John smiles ruefully. “This was the 80s, early 90s – long before Google was around with the wealth of information it has available, and also I came to realise they had closeted supporters all around, in the police force, in my neighbourhood.

“I was afraid and I didn’t know who to turn to. I remember going to the local park, and having adults

walk past, lift up their sleeve to reveal a tattoo of a swastika, and saying to me, ‘Keep up the fight.’ And you’re like, this is a grown man with kids supporting Nazism.”

We chat about his life now and his thoughts about the rise of antisemitism and white nationalism in the United States.

“I would say a lot of what the world knows about white supremacists nowadays is smoke and mirrors. The stu they post on their hate groups is nothing at all compared to what we see in the media. They’re far more pro-Biden than pro-Trump – Trump was too pro-Israel. There’s a stream of Nazis called The Accelerationists who just want to see the world burn. They’re

like, ‘We’re gonna take what’s already bad in society, amplify it to the point that there’s enough riots going on that hopefully other white people will say, ‘This is bad, the only way to get safety is to join the Nazis.’ That’s a very powerful group in America right now.”

I ask him why these neo-Nazis feel the way they do about Jews. “They need someone to blame for their failures. It’s all about power. Hatred is part of human nature. It comes out of anger, anger that we all have. It’s very easy to take someone’s anger and manipulate it.

more of an imminent threat.”

In 2014, he met up with Kevin, the former skinhead and friend featured in the documentary, to visit Auschwitz. “Him laying a trap was a very real possibility. Have an old Nazi contact a Jew and say listen I’m sorry for how I used to be, let’s meet up in Europe and go to various concentration camps so I can make amends. That’s what a Jew would want to hear, right? That’s what would draw me out of hiding. Everybody was very much afraid. One of the cameramen who was here in Israel got on a plane and left.

remains: to genocide [boycott, divestment and sanctions] uses

“It was pretty powerful walking through the gates of Auschwitz with someone who has a swastika on their shoulder. He wouldn’t let me hold anything, not even my backpack. He said, ‘No Jew will work in this camp ever again.’ ”

You Begin Change is the name of John’s website as well as his motto. “I feel the Almighty has given me a gift to live again and it’s my job to do the best that I can, to speak up and speak out.

We should about Islamic

“Hate is hate and the end goal remains: to genocide Jews. The BDS [boycott, divestment and sanctions] movement uses the same caricatures the Nazis used before the Holocaust. We should be as vocal about Islamic antisemitism as we are about white nationalist supremacist antisemitism.

“There was a survey done of the top 100 universities in the United States for Jewish students. Out of those that had BDS located on campus, 99 percent of Jewish students said they felt unsafe there. Whereas at universities that didn’t have BDS, 16 percent didn’t feel safe. That says it all, really.”

I ask John if he lives in fear of Richie Myers, who has now been released, or others from his past and he replies with a wry smile: “I’m very much aware of them but living in Ashkelon (mere miles from Gaza) with rockets flying around is

“I believe every Jew can make an impact. Share your personal human experiences with antisemitism with those outside the community, keep the dialogue going. Speak up, call it out when you see it and report it to the authorities or local Jewish security organisations. On an individual basis, all I say is be the best person you can be.”

 Watch Escape From Room 18 (Redemption Documentary) on Real Stories on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/a3nsftdn.

John Daly’s debut novel will be released later this year. He can be contacted for speaking tours and lectures through https://youbeginchange.com

 Follow The John Daly Story on Facebook and on Instagram: @johnd_3.0

A skinhead sticker and the logo of the American Front

John (left) and Kevin after the docemntary was made and (inset) John in his skinhead days, aged 16

John during brain surgery

Following in the footsteps of his father, the jazz saxophonist, broadcaster and writer Benny Green, Leo, 50, has carved out his own career as a musician. He lives in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, with his wife Victoria and their four children, and is proud of his roots: “I love being Jewish,” he says. “I am fiercely proud of it, but I am not a deeply religious person.”

He is a deeply musical person, though, and has played sax with Sir Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Ronnie Wood, but it was Ol’ Blue Eyes who left a lasting impression on Leo when he was a teenager back in 1989.

“My dad knew Frank Sinatra because he’d been invited to a studio to write sleeve notes for one of his albums in 1962, called: Sinatra Sings Great Songs from Great Britain,” he says. “We were at the concert and my dad said: ‘Let’s go backstage and say hello.’ It was amazing. I’ll never forget how Frank looked me straight in the eye when he spoke to me. I was struck by how decent and polite he was. One of the most famous people who ever lived took the time to look me in the eye and ask me how I was doing, and that has stuck with me my whole life.”

Born in Leeds but raised in London, Benny Green was playing saxophone in the 1950s with Ralph Sharon, Ronnie Scott and Stan Kenton. He also had a weekly column in New Musical Express and appeared in the UK charts as part of Lord Rockingham’s XI but was appreciated most of all as the host of his Radio 2 Sunday afternoon show, in which he shared his knowledge of the Great American Songbook.

Leo recalls: “My father wasn’t showbizzy, but that night at the Sinatra concert was probably when I realised for the first time

that people outside my house knew who he was. Bobby Robson, who was the England football team manager at the time, walked in. I loved football and was in awe, so I was gobsmacked when Bobby came over to talk to my dad about music. He knew him.”

Having grown up in a house surrounded by music, it is no surprise that Leo ended up gravitating towards the ‘family business’. His father and grandfather had both played the saxophone, so it seemed completely normal to him.

Leo says: “The strange thing is, I always thought of myself as a musician and knew that I would spend my life being one, before I even started learning an instrument – being a musician is not something you decide you’re going to be, no more than deciding if you’re going to be left-handed or right-handed, you just are.”

After much nagging, Leo’s father, Benny, gave him a tenor sax when he was 15. He says: “I loved it straight away and it seemed a very natural thing to do, and I began immediately to play along with records in my bedroom – lots of classic rock ‘n’ roll and Frank Sinatra’s recordings. It’s something I still do today. Playing along with recordings is the best way to learn phrasing, timing and how to build a solo.”

By this point, Benny had long retired from being a full-time musician, spending most of his working life as a writer and broadcaster. (He died in 1998, aged 70.) Leo’s interest in the sax and constant asking of questions meant that Benny had no choice but to dust o his own saxophone, which up until that point, only made an appearance at every family birthday to deliver a rendition of Happy Birthday

“By this stage in his life, Dad was too old to still be kicking footballs about with us, so he and my brother Dominic began doing gigs together,” says Leo. “First of all, just the odd

one here and there, but it didn’t take long for us to be out gigging together most weekends. Not long after I got the sax, I also began playing with local bands in the clubs and pubs where I grew up, in Watford and Hemel, and between the gigs with Dad and on the pub and club circuit, playing along with the records. I began to build a repertoire that I still constantly call on today.

the last 30 years. He is also passionate about the show he presents regularly on Jazz FM.

Academy of Music when

miles away from anything I

“I got accepted to the Royal Academy of Music when I was 18 to study jazz and naively accepted the place, despite the advice of my father! I suppose the politest thing I can say, is that I realised after about a week that the people the music college had employed to teach jazz were a million miles away from anything I aspired to be.

“However – and this is really important – when I went there, they had only been accepting jazz students for one year and so it was all in its infancy. Since then, they have had some incredible people come and take control of the course, such as the genius Gerard Presencer, and the course has now become one of the best in the world and turns out fantastic and capable musicians – I should know, because I now employ lots of them in my bands!”

His latest project is The Leo Green Experience, a high-energy show in London’s Covent Garden, in which Leo and his explosive band and singers take audiences through the hits of

The live show features musicians who have worked with everyone from Rita Ora, Robbie Williams and Ed Sheeran to Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Van Morrison – all of them putting their own funky, jazzy and soulful twists on everything, from hits by current superstars such as Lizzo, Beyonce and Bruno Mars, to 1980s bangers from Bruce Springsteen, George Michael and Prince.

to from Bruce Springsteen,

during lockdown,”

theatre, or as a telmeeting and working passionate about music.

“The show is an idea I came up with during lockdown,” explains Leo. “I’d love to see it end up in a West End theatre, or as a television show. I love meeting and working with people who are passionate about music.

“One of my favourites is Ronnie Wood, because

“One of my favourites is Ronnie Wood, because he spent his whole life making other people sound amazing. I also have fond memories of working with Van Morrison in New York. Stars like Robert de Niro would turn up and just want to talk about music. It is the same if you speak to Tom Jones – he just wants to know what music you are listening to. It is probably why these guys have gone on for so long.”

Leo is always hard at work and hopes that soon he’ll be announcing one or two live projects for later in the year. They will definitely be worth hearing about.

� www.theleogreenexperience.com

Leo (right) with dad Benny Green

Leo Green was spellbound when he met Frank Sinatra backstage. Since then, he tells Neil Silver, he has been doing it his way

Business / The Label Lady

With Candice Krieger candicekrieger@googlemail.com

TIDY HI! FROM A LABEL-MINDED ENTREPRENEUR

Jemma Solomon loves lists. And labels. So much so that she turned her passions into a successful business, building an online community of over 760,000 followers and securing investment from Lord Sugar. And now Jemma, aka The Label Lady, wants to help others achieve their goals in business or beyond, with the publication of her first book, Love, Lists and Labels, which is out today.

In it, Jemma shares her stories, how the business helps her manage her anxiety, plus tips and hacks to help readers organise their lives and achieve their dreams.

The Essex-based sister of TV personality Stacey Solomon started The Label Lady in

2020, leaving her full-time role as an NHS paediatric nurse to do so. She creates easyto-apply labels to help people organise their belongings, be it in the office, home, school or pretty much anywhere. Customers can choose from a variety of pre-made labels or customise their own. Jemma, 33, tells Jewish News: “For me, being organised and running a business has really helped me to focus on getting where I want to be, and I want to help others achieve this. If you have ever dreamed of opening up a small business, there’s no reason that you can’t, and I hope this book inspires people to build a business

that’s right for them.”

Jemma’s anxiety manifested after the traumatic birth of her first child, Darcy – something she is refreshingly open about in the book. “It wasn’t the baby that caused my anxiety – it was the trauma of the birth and not knowing how to deal with it. It was about having too much time to think about things.” She says: “People ask me if I have more anxiety now because of the business but actually, no, work is a distraction and keeping busy is what’s good for me. It doesn’t matter where your anxiety comes from, it’s about finding what triggers it and what helps.”

The Label Lady “sort of happened by accident”, says Jemma. “I had stepped down from full-time nursing in 2019 to look for a new role within the NHS, which meant I had more time at home.

I started using my label machine for things around the house to get organised. After doing that for a few months my family kept saying, ‘Why don’t you try this as a job?’ and I thought I could give it a go.”

Jemma was regularly doing 20-hour days to build the business and her dining table became her production table, until husband Lee built her first proper workspace during lockdown – a den in the back garden.

Guest Speakers

CHAYA

RIVKIE

Finchley

It was in 2021 that Lord Sugar invested. “It all started with an email. I followed Lord Sugar on Twitter and had seen that sometimes he would put out tweets saying that if you were a small business and you were looking for investment then come forward. I’d seen them a couple of times but never thought anything of it, but then I thought ‘Why not?’ I remember talking to my sister and saying, ‘I don’t know if I should be doing this, he’s just going to laugh at me.’ But he didn’t!”

Lord Sugar is regularly involved in the company and at board meetings. “We discuss how the business is doing and he has a team that I can regularly tap into. I’m forever asking questions and I think that’s so important. I want to suck up as much as I can.”

Jemma is still putting in the late shifts but has since moved to headquarters in Essex and grown to a team of 10. She credits a lot of her success to her family, particularly the support of her husband. They have three children together aged 10 and under.

“The biggest thing for me is knowing that no matter what, I always have that family support behind me. And I don’t mean that

financially, I mean in an emotional way. I want to try for things that I’ve never tried before, and it isn’t always going to work, but knowing I have my family there to pick me up and say ‘try again’ is what keeps me going.”

Jemma runs everything by her younger sister, who is a regular presenter on Loose Women and also known for her crafty interior creations and DIY hacks. “Sometimes we even laugh about it and say: ‘Why are we even running this by each other?’ But I think it’s that fallback of having the support of your family and knowing that they will tell you the truth – constructive criticism is so important. We are constantly talking and sharing new ideas.”

Being organised clearly runs in the family; Stacey is the presenter of BBC’s Sort Your Life Out, where she helps families to declutter and transform their homes, and the author of Tap to Tidy: Organising, Crafting & Creating Happiness in a Messy World Jemma says it’s been embedded in them after growing up with tidy parents.

“It wasn’t until we started writing the books that we reflected and realised how many little things happened when we were younger that influence us now. Our mum would sort all the Lego out into the little people and flowers etc and organise our bedrooms. Don’t get me wrong, we could be messy – but we loved going in and seeing that organisation.”

Being organised is vital when it comes

Jemma Solomon has turned her passion for being organised into a successful business. She shares her experiences with Candice Krieger

Jemma Solomon

Jemma says the business helps her to manage her anxiety

to running a small business, says Jemma, “especially if you are the business. You are your own tax person, your own buyer, your own customer service. There are so many di erent roles you take on, so without any form or order, it becomes overwhelming and you might give up.” Such a strong work ethic was instilled in the Solomon sisters from a young age. “We come from a working family. I’ve never known anything di erent but to work.” Jemma started work aged 14, doing after school and holiday shifts in a nursery, working though her GCSEs and A-levels. “I don’t come from wealth - anything I want I need to work for.”

She acknowledges that small businesses are facing extremely challenging times. “The cost of living is very real. I’m trying to employ people and pay them a decent rate, plus their national insurances and pensions, but I can’t do that if I am fighting a government that is pushing more and more on to me.

“Small businesses should be the crux of our economy yet many are closing because they can’t compete with the taxes and increased charges, and it’s so sad. You have people who genuinely want to work and be part of the economy but they can’t afford to. It would be nice to see more support and initiatives for small businesses.”

In the meantime, Jemma will continue to juggle growing her business and being a

hands-on mum – she spoke to me while she was on the way to do the school pick-up.

“I hope the book inspires people to follow their dreams. You only live once – go for it.”

� Love, Lists and Labels by Jemma Solomon (Ebury Spotlight, £16.99) is out now. The Label Lady is on Instagram @Label.lady.1 and Twitter @the_labellady and Facebook thelabellady.shop

Website: www.thelabellady.shop

JEMMA’S TOP TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

• Knowing your worth is really important. Charging for time is a difficult thing for people to do and you have to grow a backbone to be able to say: ‘I’m working this hard and need to be paid for it.’

• Be prepared to work the hardest that you’ve ever worked. When it’s your business, everything comes back to you, but the rewards are worth it.

• Research – use your family and friends to test things out first

• Believe in yourself. You only live once so go for it.

Jemma (left) and her younger sister Stacey Solomon

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MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

BY PNINA SAVERY UNITED

food and Jewish music. Dubbed the ‘cholent party’, locals started handing out kugel and cholent.

People from opposite sides of the religious and political spectrum met, sharing friendly conversations instead of angry clashes.

Back in March, protesters against Israel’s judicial reforms said they would march in Bnei Brak. Many people feared that the presence of mainly secular demonstrators in a dominantly ultra-Orthodox city could lead to confrontation. Senior figures on both sides pleaded with their followers, stressing that disagreement must not lead to violence.

However, the result could not have been more di erent. The people of Bnei Brak united to welcome the protesters with smiles,

This is a modern-day example of a machloket le’shem shamayim, a debate for the sake of Heaven.

Whilst they might have radically di erent political views, they were able to love and respect one another.

In this week’s sedra, Korach, Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers)

5:17 cites Korach’s rebellion against Moshe’s leadership as the prime example of a dispute that is not for the sake of Heaven. Korach was fuelled by petty jealousy. He was angry that Moshe, his cousin, had risen above him. He made rhetorical

and resentful swipes at Moshe, not allowing him a chance to respond.

In contrast, we are told in the Mishnah that the prototype of disputes for the sake of Heaven are those between Hillel and Shammai. They debated in order to reach the truth, enjoying a friendly relationship. Despite disagreeing in areas of halacha, they were happy for their children to marry each other (Yevamot 14b).

Rabbi Sacks explained: “The sages were drawing a fundamental distinction between two kinds of conflict: argument for the sake of truth and argument for the sake of victory.”

This is a critical point to bring into our lives and communities today. If we can remain focused on reaching the truth, rather than

simply gaining the upper hand over the ‘other’, then we can build unity whilst still disagreeing. This is what was achieved during the recent protest in Bene Brak.

Indeed, an emotional video filmed by a bystander at that protest went viral. It showed a secular man moved to tears when he heard Shalom Aleichem (a prayer sung on

the Sabbath) played over the loudspeakers. It was a song that he had last heard sung by his late father many years earlier. This man later said: “My father had love for every Jew and wanted to see us united.”

It is exactly this unity that Hillel and Shammai tried to create.

And it was this that Korach threatened to destroy.

Adult Social Care Arrangements – Team Leader

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When a cholent party created unity

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

SYNAGOGUE EDUCATOR

Secular protesters mingled with Bnei Brak’s strictly observant inhabitants

Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH A stimulating series where

BY RABBI DEBBIE YOUNG-SOMERS

A recent report suggests that there are more divorces than marriages taking place in the UK. Judaism has never held an aversion to divorce, though that’s not to say it hasn’t had controversial moments, shifting and changing over time.

There are powerful elements of Jewish marriage contracts designed to protect women – the more vulnerable party some would argue, if not until today, then certainly until very recently. But in reality, despite this protective goal, women have remained more vulnerable then men, especially in divorce. As it says in Mishnah Yevamot 14:1: “A woman is divorced in accordance with her will or against her will. A man cannot divorce his wife except of his own free will.”

Would things have played out di erently for the matriarchs and patriarchs if divorce

had been an option that women could pursue? Would Sarah have called it quits after Abraham tried to pass her o as his sister rather than his wife (a trick their son Isaac also tries with Rebecca)? Would Leah have filed for divorce when she realised Jacob was only ever going to have eyes for Rachel? Would Rebecca and Isaac have fallen out over their choosing favourites between their sons?

Key to those women staying may have been their lack of choices, but even the rabbis, who still insisted that women could be divorced against their will, created modes through which women could at least initiate divorce proceedings if they were unhappy with, for example, the smell of their husband if it was caused by his profession.

Although women and men have not traditionally been treated equally in these systems

(something Reform and Liberal Judaism have worked hard to rebalance in both their wedding and divorce proceedings), Judaism holds the principle that if a couple is intractably miserable, divorce should be an option. Trapping people in a union that causes misery is not the Jewish way, although our systems

have often failed both men and women in these processes.

Today, many women in the UK have considerably more say over their lives, finances, careers, and choices. Many vulnerabilities remain for couples getting divorced, but increasingly the shenanigans our ancient ancestors got away with just won’t wash with those who have a say over their destiny.

Rising divorce rates perhaps mean that people are putting less e ort into working to fix problems. But it might also mean that nowadays both partners in a couple have the freedom of choice to say ‘this is broken and making us/me miserable’. Divorce, as Judaism understands it, should always be an option to prevent people being trapped in miserable situations and allowing them to enjoy life once again. If we have done all we can to mend something, perhaps we shouldn’t mourn higher divorce rates, but acknowledge them as a reality in a society where couples have the economic and social freedom to live happy lives, even if that means they live them apart.

our progressive rabbis consider how Biblical figures might act when faced with

Divorce can prevent people being trapped

Ask our

Our trusty team of advisers answers your questions about everything from law and finance to dating and dentistry.

This week: Changing to a new medical insurer, devise your very first business plan and booking the holiday of a lifetime

TREVOR GEE PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST PATIENT HEALTH

Dear Trevor

We have been with our private health provider for over 10 years but there seems to be no loyalty as the premiums have rocketed. Can you please advise me and my husband and explain how previous medical claims will carry across to a new insurer?

Barbara

Dear Barbara

Remarkably, previous medical conditions do not automatically get excluded with a new insurer. So not only could you have a much cheaper policy with perhaps higher cover, but you may not need to declare certain condi-

and aspirations, but also to identify any financial risks and operational challenges you may encounter.

ADAM SHELLEY

ACCOUNTANT

SOBELL RHODES

Dear Adam

I’m setting up a new business and have been advised to build a business plan. Are you able to provide any guidance?

Louise

Dear Louise Companies at any stage in their life cycle can benefit hugely from creating and implementing a business plan. Not only is the plan there to map out your goals

tions. All the insurers compete, so one for example may want to know your medical history going back five years, whereas another just three years.

Not only that, but my job is speak to the underwriters at the insurer and negotiate with them not to exclude something where it is appropriate. That is why I will speak to several insurers for a client to achieve the best outcome. So one insurer may disregard a thyroid issue whereas another would provide cancer cover even where the applicant had cancer several years earlier. Contrary to belief, the insurers do exercise discretion.

In reducing your premiums, there will always be a point between having a low level of cover which covers essentials (for instance cancer care or diagnostic tests) to a policy with all the trimmings which could be expensive. Please do send in your policy and let us give it a free health check.

A business plan will usually outline strategies to avoid all these issues – that’s why it’s important to create one as early as possible. It has a number of advantages, including communicating your business goals, market knowledge, and financial understanding to potential shareholders and investors.

A business plan is also instrumental in accessing funding. If you want a lender to take you seriously, you’ll need to prove how you’ll use their money to grow your business and give them a return on their investment.

To avoid the risk of closing prematurely, your business

plan should account for any threats you may face and how you would overcome these obstacles. Cashflow forecasting can play a crucial role in this process, especially for existing businesses.

Usually, it’s best practice to keep your plan reasonably short but there are a few things you must include if you want it to be comprehensive and a solid representation of what you’re expecting of your business. You should include market research, financial planning including cashflow forecasting, an income statement and a balance sheet. Information on marketing strategy, management and personnel structure, business operations and training and development plans are also important.

DR BEN LEVY GOAL ATTAINMENT SPECIALIST MAKE IT HAPPEN

Dear Ben I want to plan the family holiday of a lifetime this summer. I’m really excited by the idea but I’ve never done anything like this before. Where do I start?

Carina

Dear Carina

Good on you for having such a positive and ambitious goal! I’m sure it feels daunting

to make this wonderful holiday happen (even more so if you are putting pressure on yourself to make it epic).

Luckily, there is no need to be an expert (or work day and night) to make this dream come true. What you need is a bulletproof, manageable plan. To get there, you need the most important thing of all: clarity.

So let’s do this exercise: I want you to imagine you are having the perfect holiday with your husband and kids. What exactly do you see in your mind’s eye? What do your surroundings look like? What are you saying and doing? Your family? What are you each feeling, precisely? Take time to envisage how it will look, sound and feel.

Write down your thoughts,

because this is our target. (By the way, it’s valuable to ask your husband and kids to do the same exercise and compare notes. Where do your answers overlap?)

Next question: do you now have a place in the world in mind? If not, who can help you identify a location that will match your vision?

Once you’ve identified the place, you will have a sharper goal. In other words, clarity. And with clarity, you will also find you have more energy and focus.

And you will be surprised by how quickly and easily we will create a plan to reach your goal, once it has been tuned up in this way. There’s a few more tips and tricks I’ll share as we go along, but I’ll leave that for when we meet…

Stephen Morris Shipping Ltd. Unit 15, Ockham Drive, Greenford Park, Greenford. UB6 0FD UK.

Ask Our Experts / Professional advice from our panel

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ANGELA DAY-MOORE

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HUMAN RESOURCES / EMPLOYMENT LAW

DONNA OBSTFELD

Qualifications:

• FCIPD Chartered HR Professional

• 25 years in HR and business management.

• Mediator, business coach, trainer, author and speaker

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

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

ACCOUNTANT

FINANCIAL SERVICES (FCA) COMPLIANCE

JACOB BERNSTEIN

Qualifications:

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

• Mortgage, protection and general insurance intermediaries;

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

• Alternative Investment Fund managers;

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

RICHDALE CONSULTANTS LTD 020 7781 8019 www.richdale.co.uk jacob@richdale.co.uk

PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST

TREVOR GEE

Qualifications:

• Managing director, consultant specialists in affordable family health insurance

• Advising on maximising cover, lower premiums, pre-existing conditions

• Excellent knowledge of health insurers, cover levels and hospital lists

• LLB solicitors finals

• Member of Chartered Insurance Institute

PATIENT HEALTH 020 3146 3444/5/6 www.patienthealth.co.uk trevor.gee@patienthealth.co.uk

ADAM SHELLEY

Qualifications:

• FCCA chartered certified accountant

• Accounting, taxation and business advisory services

• Entrepreneurial business specialist including start-up businesses

• Specialises in charities; personal tax returns

• Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation Volunteer of the Year JVN award

SOBELL RHODES LLP

020 8429 8800 www.sobellrhodes.co.uk a.shelley@sobellrhodes.co.uk

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

JEWELLER

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIST

DR MONICA QUADIR

Qualifications:

• Consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist with more than 12 years of experience in treating young people and their families, both in the NHS and privately

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

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

PSYMPLICITY HEALTHCARE 020 3733 5277

www.psymplicity.com

enquiries@psymplicity.com

FINANCIAL SERVICES

LISA WIMBORNE

Qualifications:

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

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

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

• Understanding of the impact of a disability diagnosis

JEWISH BLIND & DISABLED 020 8371 6611 www.jbd.org Lisa@jbd.org

JONATHAN WILLIAMS

Qualifications:

• Jewellery manufacturer since 1980s

• Expert in the manufacture and supply of diamond jewellery, wedding rings and general jewellery

• Specialist in supply of diamonds to the public at trade prices

JEWELLERY CAVE LTD 020 8446 8538 www.jewellerycave.co.uk jonathan@jewellerycave.co.uk

DIRECTOR OF LEGACIES

CAROLYN ADDLEMAN

Qualifications:

• Lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in will drafting and trust and estate administration. Last 14 years at KKL Executor and Trustee Company

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

• Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners

KKL EXECUTOR AND TRUSTEE COMPANY 020 8732 6101 www.kkl.org.uk enquiries@kkl.org.uk

REMOVALS MANAGING DIRECTOR

STEPHEN MORRIS

Qualifications:

• Managing director of Stephen Morris Shipping Ltd

• 45 years’ experience in shipping household and personal effects

• Chosen mover for four royal families and three UK prime ministers

• Offering proven quality specialist advice for moving anyone across the world or round the corner

STEPHEN MORRIS SHIPPING LTD 020 8832 2222 www.shipsms.co.uk stephen@shipsms.co.uk

JOE OZER

Qualifications:

• Executive director for the United Kingdom at DCI (Intl) Ltd

• Worked in finance for more than 20 years

• Specialists in distribution and promotion of Israel Bonds

DEVELOPMENT COMPANY FOR ISRAEL 020 3936 2712

www.israelbondsintl.com

joe.ozer@israelbondsintl.com

GOAL ATTAINMENT SPECIALIST

DR BEN LEVY

Qualifications:

• Doctor of psychology with 15 years’ experience in education and corporate sectors

• Uses robust, evidence-based methods to help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be

• Works with clients individually to maximise success

MAKE IT HAPPEN 07779 619 597 www.makeit-happen.co.uk ben@makeit-happen.co.uk

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

SUE CIPIN OBE

Qualifications:

• 24 years+ hands-on experience, leading JDA in significant growth and development.

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

• Extensive services for people affected by hearing loss/tinnitus

• Technology room with expert advice on and facilities to try out the latest equipment.

• Hearing aid advice, support and maintenance

JEWISH DEAF ASSOCIATION 020 8446 0502 www.jdeaf.org.uk mail@jdeaf.org.uk

PRINCIPAL, PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL

LOUISE LEACH

Qualifications:

• Professional choreographer qualified in dance, drama and Zumba (ZIN, ISTD & LAMDA), gaining an honours degree at Birmingham University

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

• Set up Dancing with Louise 19 years ago

DANCING WITH LOUISE 075 0621 7833

www.dancingwithlouise.co.uk

Info@dancingwithlouise.com

ANTIQUES

Top prices paid

Antique – Reproduction – Retro Furniture (any condition)

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

House clearances

Single items to complete homes

MARYLEBONE ANTIQUES - 8 CHURCH STREET NW8 8ED 07866 614 744 (ANYTIME) 0207 723 7415 (SHOP)

closed Sunday & Monday

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

MAKE SURE YOU CONTACT US BEFORE SELLING

ARE

Bereavement

For further details and application forms, please contact Westlon Housing Association on 020 8201 8484 or email: johnsilverman@btconnect.com Are

Would

THE JEWISH NEWS CROSSWORD

13 Cattle stealer (7) 16 Exploits (4) 18 Declaim (6) 19 Police wailers (6) 21 Give

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

10 Per ___, M&S fashion label (3)

11 ___ Chagall, painter (4)

WORDSEARCH

The listed things to do with worms 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.

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.

GARDEN PAD PIT PURPLE RECEPTACLE REDHEAD

Last issue’s solutions

Crossword

STRIPE TREE TUBE UNDERGROUND

ACROSS: 7 Rainier 9 Raise 10 She 11 Dachshund

12 Acrid

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

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

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