1323 - 13th July 2023

Israeli anger boils over on to streets of London

Expats in the UK gather outside ambassador’s home as police in Jerusalem use water cannon on judicial reform protesters

Tens of thousands of people protested this week in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and London against the Israeli government’s judicial reform plans, writes Lee Harpin.

Police used a water cannon to clear a major highway in Jerusalem, while thousands of o cers prevented the shutdown of Ben Gurion airport, as around 80 people were arrested across the country.

Anger also grew in Jewish communities worldwide, including in the UK, where Israeli expats led protests outside ambassador Tzipi Hotovely’s north London residence as well as at an event she attended at the Kinloss synagogue in Finchley on Tuesday evening.

Anger increased among opponents of the hard-right Netanyahu government this week as a bill to remove the power of the Supreme

Court to review ministers’ decisions passed its first reading in the Knesset on Monday.

The previous evening around 300 people joined a demonstration outside ambassador Hotovely’s residence – an unprecedented show of anger from expats living in the UK –along with a small number of allies born here.

Some protesters held banners which said ‘Get O The Fence’, a call for communal organisations and the wider community in this country to express outrage at Israel’s political drift further rightwards.

Sharon Shochat, one of the protest organisers, said: “On Monday night the Israeli government aimed to abolish the ‘Reasonableness Doctrine’. This would give it unlimited power to do as it pleases and would be the a milestone in turning Israel into a dictatorship.

“Some 300 Israelis and British Jews came together to protest. To those who haven’t yet stood up in defence of Israel’s democracy – the time to act is now.”

Police o cers watched on as the crowd in London engaged in chants warning about the significance of Monday’s vote in the Knesset, a move aimed at preventing the country’s High Court from blocking government decisions that it found to be unreasonable.

Among those to address those gathered was Dr Sheldon Stone, who said that if the legislation was passed it would represent the “first step towards turning Israel into a dictatorship”.

He said that if it was passed there would be no checks and balances on the government in

Continued on page 2

Protesters outside Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely’s home in north London on Sunday

‘My family launched the Jewish Museum – now it needs saving’

We’re counting our blessings!

Chief Rabbi and Rachel Riley receive honours from King Page 11

Museum founder Wilfred Samuel

‘Day of disruption’ spills over on to the streets of London

Continued from page 1 Israel, and “the only true democracy in the Middle East is at risk from within by its own elected government”.

On Tuesday protests were held outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington, west London, throughout the day, attracting a smaller number of people. But a further protest outside Kinloss shul drew significant numbers of protesters linked to the Defend Israeli Democracy group.

In a speech outside the shul, Matan Aderet, an Israeli living in London, said prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “a dictator”.

To cries of “Shame!” he told a crowd of around 100 activists carrying Israeli flags outside Kinloss: “Please, British Jewry, do not support dictatorship in Israel. British Jewry, reject dictatorship.”

He branded ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich “terrorists” and said Ambassador Hotovely represented a “criminal government” and called on her to “quit”.

In Israel protest leaders called for a day of “disruption and resistance” and demonstrations began early on Tuesday as protesters waved Israeli flags, banged drums, carried flares and chanted slogans blocked roads

across the country, causing snarl-ups during rush hour. One banner on display at the Tel Aviv demonstration compared Israel’s drift towards “dictatorship” with the Iranian regime in Tehran. Another said: “Rage rage rage against the dying of democracy.” Another was aimed at the Netanyahu government and read: “Hands off women’s rights.”

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In Tel Aviv, video showed a police horse knocking a protester to the ground while, in Herzliya to the north, protesters burnt tyres in the middle of a junction before being removed.

Thousands of demonstrators converged on Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport later on Tuesday, packing into a designated protest area at Terminal 3, the airport’s main hub.

Earlier, war veterans protested inside the terminal, with supporters dressed as characters from the TV series The Handmaid’s Tale greeting people arriving in the country. Demonstrations have also been called outside the president’s residence in Jerusalem, the Israeli defence ministry in Tel Aviv and the American embassy’s branch office there.

The judicial reforms have divided the country, with weekly mass protests – often drawing hundreds of thousands of people on to the streets – since they were unveiled at the start of the year.

• Israeli Bar Association targeted, p14

1M ISRAELIS HAVE VISITED UAE SINCE THE ACCORDS

One million Israelis have visited the United Arab Emirates since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020, writes Richard Ferrer in Jerusalem.

Speaking to Jewish News in Jerusalem about the social and economic benefits of the historic normalisation treaty between the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and Israel, foreign ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat said: “Almost one in 10 Israelis have visited the UAE since the end of 2020.”

There are currently more than 200 weekly flights between the countries, with 88 from Ben Gurion to Dubai and 22 to Abu Dhabi. Services are operated by Emirates, flydubai and El Al.

Haiat, who is also head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “Part of the UAE’s popularity is due to the absence of antisemitism on the scale we have witnessed in other Arab states.

“It is one of the few countries in the Middle East that had no historical Jewish presence. The locals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi don’t harbour entrenched feelings of hostility towards Jews. They don’t see Israel as their enemy.”

Asked if the Saudis could be poised to become the next Arab state to sign the accords, Haiat said: “Any agreement with the Saudis will probably be separate to the Abraham Accords and much bigger in terms of importance. That agreement is not a question of if but when.

“We can see changes already in words the Saudi leadership is using to its own people

Israeli national flag-carrier El Al’s flight LY971 after landing in Abu Dhabi for the first time in 2020

when it comes to Israel. In the past, whenever Israel was raised the Palestinian issue was also raised, but that isn’t such an obstacle now. Israel is seen by the Saudis as a future partner.

“A peace agreement between our two states – with a third county that borders Israel – would change the entire region and inspire even more Arab and Muslim counties to follow.”

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and foreign minister Eli Cohen are reported to be in talks aimed at expanding the Abraham Accords to include Indonesia, Niger, Mauritania and Somalia.

Mounting anger: Police in Tel Aviv prevent the protesters from marching

Foreign Office refuses PA aid audit request

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has refused to disclose and publish documents concerning how British aid to the Palestinian Authority is being audited, writes Lee Harpin.

In a statement on Tuesday to the campaign groups We Believe in Israel and B’nai B’rith UK, the Foreign Office said: “The disclosure of information detailing the audit reports of the Palestinian Recovery and Development Programme could potentially damage the bilateral relationship between the UK and Palestine.”

The two pro-Israel groups had asked for the documents under a freedom of information (FOI) request sent by them in May.

The request was motivated by a desire to establish whether British taxpayers are funding the notorious ‘pay for slay’ scheme, whereby the Palestinian Authority incentivises terrorism by disbursing salaries to terrorists while they are in Israeli prisons, or to their families in the event of the terrorists’ deaths.

We Believe in Israel director Luke

Akehurst said: “Our FOI request was submitted in good faith as part of an attempt to ensure that British aid to the Palestinian Authority is not being used to support, facilitate, or incentivise terrorism, be that directly or indirectly.

“By initially failing to lawfully respond and now refusing to provide the disclosure, the FCDO raises questions about the integrity of its foreign aid distribution, especially to the Palestinian Authority. It is highly likely that

BERGER PRAISE FOR STARMER

oversight mechanisms are lacking, and the FCDO are attempting to conceal serious due diligence failures.

“We have requested an internal review, and on exhausting internal appeals will re-refer the FCDO back to the [Information Commissioner’s Office]. We are determined to secure this disclosure, and will take all reasonable steps necessary to do so.”

In its refusal notice, the FCDO wrote that the disclosure of information “would reduce the UK government’s ability to protect and promote UK interests through its relations with Palestine, which would not be in the public interest.”

It was also suggested that the presence of third-party personal data prevented publication, despite how easily such content could be redacted.

The two groups said this decision contradicts precedents set by the Information Commissioner’s Office when, in 2019, they ordered the now defunct Department for International Development to release similar documents requested by UK Lawyers for Israel.

Fresh concerns over anti-BDS proposals

Foreign secretary James Cleverly’s office this week warned that the government’s anti-BDS bill could breach the UK’s commitments under UN Security Council resolution 2334 “because it does not distinguish between boycotts against Israel and those against settlements in the occupied territories”, writes Lee Harpin.

A letter sent to Downing Street also stressed that while Cleverly accepted BDS as being “divisive”, he recommended removing the specific references to Israel and the occupied territories from the face of Michael Gove’s measure

It also emerged that Rishi Sunak decided in December to include Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the controversial legislation.

The BBC reported that Downing Street was warned that the bill as currently drafted could be employed by Russia against the UK, as it offered Moscow the opportunity to accuse the UK of “hypocrisy” and “use it against us”.

As the bill passed its second reading in the Commons last week, Gove told MPs he did not know of any advice given to the government claiming the bill could breach Britain’s international commitments.

The legislation, which has been backed by the Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies despite growing opposition in the community, is an attempt to stop local councils adopting Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns and divesting in Israeli companies through pension funds.

The bill names Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Golan Heights as regions that cannot be targeted by boycott cam-

paigns, while the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement wants to end international support for Israel.

As revealed by Jewish News ahead of the Commons debate, a growing number of MPs across all parties have raised serious concerns about the impact of the bill.

The communal organisation Yachad has been a driving force in spearheading opposition to the bill, with some arguing it actually impacts negatively on the community here, and conflates Israel with the West Bank settlements.

The letter from the Foreign Office official, sent on 12 May, is also a sign of a deep split at the heart of government over the bill.

During last week’s debate Gove attempted to sell the economic activity of public bodies bill to MPs stating at one stage: “The question for every member of this House is whether they stand with us against antisemitism or not.”

Sir Keir Starmer has returned Labour “to its historic position as an honest broker on the Middle East”, former MP Luciana Berger has said.

She spoke after joining Labour Friends of Israel on its latest delegation to Israel.

Berger, who returned to Labour this year after expressing confidence in Starmer’s leadership, joined prospective parliamentary candidates on the visit, which included a meeting with Israeli president Isaac Herzog.

The former Liverpool Wavertree MP, now CEO of a communications agency, said:

“It’s been an enormous privilege to join this delegation.

“Keir Starmer has made significant progress in rooting out the antisemitism that festered in the Corbyn years, and has returned Labour to its historic position on the Middle East. We have all benefited hugely from this unique and diverse experience to understand the complexities both within Israel and with her neighbours.”

The delegation, led by LFI chair Steve McCabe MP, also included Barnet Labour councillor and London Assembly member Anne Clarke.

Luciana Berger (third left) with the visitors at Yad Vashem

A mural celebrates Palestinian Leila Khaled, the first woman to hijack an aircraft

A BDS protester in central London

Erasing

by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk

A peer who came to Britain as a child refugee from the Nazis has been praised for his criticism of immigration minister Robert Jenrick, after he ordered pictures of cartoons at an asylum centre to be painted over to ensure children did not feel welcomed.

Lord (Alf) Dubs, who escaped from Prague aged six on a Kindertransport, described Jenrick’s order to paint over the mural as “shocking”.

Speaking in the Lords, he said: “The minister has just said that the government take the welfare of unac-

‘a

too welcome? Is that not a disgrace? Is it not time that government backbenchers felt as embarrassed as we are that this is happening in our country?”

Lord Murray of Blidworth (Conservative) replied: “The murals the noble Lord refers to were provided by our detention contractors and were not commissioned or approved by the Home O ce. It is clearly the correct decision that these facilities have the requisite decoration befitting their purpose.”

Stage victory for Tour de France team

companied children seriously. How does that relate to the arrivals centre in Dover, which had cartoons and welcoming signs for children removed on the orders of the Home O ce minister because it might make the children feel

Lord Dubs had asked minister Lord Murray to explain the removal of murals on the grounds they were “too welcoming for children”.

Dubs later tweeted his thanks to those who praised him for highlighting the decision to paint over the mural. He wrote: “I’ve been tweeting about

refugees for many years but never before received such an upswell of sympathy and near universal condemnation of the government’s callous approach.” The pictures of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and cartoon favourites Tom and Jerry, were removed from the wall last week at the facility in Dover, on the orders of Jenrick.

Another Tory, Lord Cormack, said: “This incident of the painting out of murals designed to amuse unaccompanied children sends out a message that frankly is not worthy of our country.”

Rishi Sunak’s immigration bill was heavily criticised in the Lords on Tuesday. Theresa May and Tim Loughton were among more than a dozen backbench Tories seeking further changes to the legislation.

Court challenge on Twitter racism

Twitter is a facing a court challenge in Berlin after being accused of failing to remove antisemitic tweets reported by users of the social media platform.

In January, Elon Musk’s company was alerted to six antisemitic and racist tweets by the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) and HateAid, a German organisation focused on digital media. Even though the tweets appeared to break Twit-

ter’s policy, and included explicit Holocaust denial, they were not removed from the platform.

One post read “blacks should be gassed and sent with space x to Mars”, and one compared Covid vaccination to mass extermination in Nazi death camps. Twitter has received notice of the legal action and has since acted to block some of the o ending tweets.

HateAid and the EUJS say he account @

Royston1983 posted tweets alleging predatory Jewish or Zionist plots and control of the media, schools and banks. It is now claimed Twitter ruled that three of the tweets did not violate its guidelines.

HateAid and the EUJS applied this year to the court to have the tweets deleted, arguing that Twitter had failed to meet obligations to provide a safe environment for its users.

An Israeli cycling team celebrated success in the Tour de France race after Canadian Michael Woods became one of the oldest men to take a stage victory. Woods, 36, helped the IsraelPremier Tech team backed by Canadian-born Israeli businessman Sylvan Adams. Woods took up cycling at the late age of 27. He is now the first person to run a fourminute mile as well as win a stage of the cycle race.

Far-right minister cancels Fauda star

Israel’s far-right national security minister minister Itamar Ben-Gvir cancelled the appearance at an antidrug conference of an Arab Israeli star of the hit TV show Fauda owing to his past comments about the IDF. Ben-Gvir took issue with actor Hisham Suliman for past remarks, in which he said Palestinians “have the right to fight against the occupation”. Suliman’s comments were made in a 2015 interview.

Orthodox leader has talks with prankster

A leader of Stamford Hill’s Orthodox community has sought to explain a decision to meet a notorious social media prankster after a picture of them together sparked anger, writes Adam Decker.

Levi Schapiro was seen meeting Mizzy (real name Bacari-Bronze O’Garro) at a local restaurant along with Talk TV presenter JJ Anisiobi and another man.

Images of the group were posted on Twitter, with Mizzy, who has been fined for entering a home in a prank, tweeting “Equality”, while Anisiobi wrote: “Great to see our neighbours working together for the greater good of our whole community.”

Not everyone in the community was impressed with Schapiro’s actions. Mizzy had previously been arrested for assaulting a Charedi man after he was filmed placing his hands on his victim’s shoulders and trying to leapfrog over him.

In another video, he can be seen cycling while wearing a hoiche hat and saying: “Guys I’m a f**king Jew.”

Another clip entitled, ‘Who leaves their door open like that?’, shows Mizzy entering the home of a Jewish family.

One senior Stamford Hill source told Jewish News this week: “This purported peace feast is a miserable letdown for the community. Unilateral actions like this underline

why the UOHC [Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations] expressed such strong concerns in its recent letter.”

But Schapiro defended his actions in meeting Mizzy, who was arrested at last Sunday’s Wireless pop festival for breaching court orders. He told Jewish News the meeting followed a request by the Talk TV presenter to “explore options how we can mitigate Mizzy’s pranks on the community”. It was a chance to “sit down with him and explain directly the aggravation he is causing members of the community. He has been arrested and charged so many times yet he is still continuing his silly and dangerous pranks. We appealed to him to stop these pranks and o ered to send him to professional help, which he accepted.”

An Arsenal supporter who shouted “Hitler should have finished the job” has been banned from football games for three years and fined £471.

Daniel Down, 29, pleaded guilty at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court for using threatening, abusive, distressing words in Arsenal’s match against Tottenham on 15 January.

Sentencing, the judge told Dow his comments were “egregious in the extreme”, adding: “You ought to have known better.” The total fine includes a victim surcharge of £110.

The charges, which were racially

or religiously aggravated, were brought against him by the Crown Prosecution Service.

This year Arsenal launched a new a liate called Jewish Gooners, partly in response to antisemitism from some of its supporters.

The victim, who reported the incident to police, told Down that he took “great o ence” at the comments and explained that members of his family had died in the Holocaust. Down apologised to the victim immediately and attended a police interview without legal counsel.

‘King’ Solomon to Spurs

Israeli footballer Manor Solomon is finalising a five-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur.

The 23-year-old winger broke on to the international circuit at Fulham, scoring in five straight games, the first Israeli to achieve that feat. He drew interest from clubs including Barcelona, Arsenal and RB Leipzig.

Solomon, from Kfar Saba in central Israel, played professionally for the Maccabi Petah Tikva team before joining Ukrainian soccer club Shakhtar Donetsk in 2019.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, he made the 17-hour journey to the Polish border before

returning to Israel. “I feel lucky I got out,” he said at the time.

Following his sudden success as a Jewish star in the Premier League, fans in Israel now refer to him as King Solomon.

Levi Schapiro (far right) with Mizzy (second left). Inset: Jumping on a young Charedi man in Stamford Hill

Manor Solomon playing for Israel

Welby: Use carrot and stick to tackle university antisemitism

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has told a packed Jewish audience that a “carrot and stick” approach should be applied to universities to encourage them to deal forcefully with of antisemitism or anti-Zionism on campus, writes Joy Faulk.

In a conversation with historian and novelist

Simon Sebag Montefiore at Bevis Marks Synagogue, the archbishop spoke of the need to “reward” vice-chancellors for taking action he under-

stood “takes courage”. Better funding, he suggested, might serve as the “carrot” – although he was committed to freedom of speech at universities.

But he added: “No one is entitled not to be offended – but everyone has the right not to be abused.”

The event was held under the auspices of the Board of Deputies, founded at Bevis Marks, Britain’s oldest synagogue, in 1760. Guests were greeted by the Board’s chief executive, Michael Wegier, its presi-

dent, Marie van der Zyl, and the Bevis Marks Rabbi, Shalom Morris. Welby spoke about his

personal commitment to stamping out antisemitism, which he ascribed to two family issues. One,

REEVES’ LOACH CLASH WITH REPORTER

he said, derived from what he had been taught by his mother and grandmother, neither of whom “had any truck with racism of any kind”. His mother had worked as a secretary to the Jewish scientist Sir Ernst Chain, who had treated her with great generosity”. But he recalled striking up a friendship with a boy named Myers at boarding school aged nine. His father told him not to play with him because he was Jewish – an instruction Welby was determined to ignore.

BRENT COUNCIL’S TRIBUTE TO SIR BEN

Brent Council representatives this week paid an emotional tribute to Sir Ben Helfgott at its first meeting since the Holocaust survivor’s death last month at the age of 93.

At the start of the meeting at the Brent Civic Centre Conference Hall, councillor Michael Maurice and councillor Neil

Nerva were both applauded by colleagues after delivering speeches that recalled the bravery, achievements and the legacy of Sir Ben, who had been a resident of Wembley up until his death.

Later, all at the council meeting stood for a minute’s silence in remembrance of Sir Ben’s life.

In his speech, Nerva, a cabinet member for public health and adult social care, spoke movingly of Sir Ben’s association with Brent’s Holocaust Memorial commemoration.

He added: “Ben believed suspicion, intolerance, prejudice and racial hatred which made the

events of the Holocaust possible are unlikely to vanish.

“By making people aware of the consequences and by widening the circle of enlightened human beings, we can at least reduce the intensity and help create mutual respect and understanding of one another.”

Rachel Reeves has told a Guardian journalist “we might have to agree to differ” after he attempted to defend the film director Ken Loach over antisemitism claims.

Labour’s shadow chancellor was speaking the newspaper’s leading interviewer Simon Hattenstone, who suggested her party was now “gung-ho” in “labelling people antisemitic who simply aren’t”.

Hattenstone, who is Jewish himself, claimed to agree with Keir Starmer’s zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism in the party, but said that in some cases “there is a danger of destroying lives in the process.”

Reeves stressed she was not personally involved with decisions around those found guilty of downplaying or denying antisemitism, and did not know the details of all cases.

But she told the Guardian journalist: “It is so important that we are seen to – and we do –tackle antisemitism.

“Ken Loach, you might like his films, but his views… well, certainly, they are not ones I share.”

Hattenstone responded by telling the shadow chancellor that in the case of Loach “this doesn’t make him antisemitic.”

Reeves then replied: “You don’t think Ken Loach is antisemitic? OK. Well, I think we might have to agree to differ.”

Loach was expelled by Labour in 2021.

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Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore and Justin Welby

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My family launched the Jewish Museum. Now it could be history

JONATHAN SAMUEL, the grandson of one of the co-founders of the Jewish Museum, reflects on the role of the institution, what it means to the community and why it must be saved

Throughout my childhood, the Jewish Museum was always part of my family life. My grandfather, Wilfred Samuel, founded it in 1932. My father, Edgar, was always involved with it. After early retirement, he studied history and took on the work of running it.

For my father, running the museum, showing classes of schoolchildren around and answering queries from children, visitors and researchers was not merely a job but an endless source of pleasure.

For me, like generations of Jewish children, there was a feeling that we, Jews, had our own museum just like the British Museum or the Science Museum. We were part of Britain. Our identity was recognised in the British landscape. I felt pride that this was something my grandfather created and my father continued.

The objects in the museum that sparked my imagination as a child were the spiky rollers used for putting the holes into matzot,

the silver Havdalah spice towers, so like the one we had at home, and my favourite, a 4,000-year-old earthenware bowl (now sadly lost) from Ur of the Chaldees that I always thought of as Abraham’s cereal bowl!

My grandfather Wilfred was acutely aware of what was going on in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. He saw what was coming and

worked tirelessly and, with some success, to get as many Jews as possible out of Germany. However, it was a struggle that depressed him, for whatever he did was not enough.

It was at this time that he became enthusiastic about a suggestion by his good friend Cecil Roth to create a Jewish museum. It would be a collection of Jewish objects of

beauty that illustrated Judaism and the history of Jews in this country.

With the help of his many friends, a number of whom were businessmen, he put together a fine collection, including Torah scrolls and their mantles, bells and pointers, Kiddush cups, Sabbath lamps and Havdalah silverware, megillot and mezuzot. He collected items from the history of the Spanish and Portuguese and Ashkenazi communities in Britain and Jewish religious artefacts.

Exhibits include The Little Boy in Blue and Gold, a portrait painted by Jewish artist Catherine da Costa of her eight-year-old son Abraham in 1714.

Then there is the 17th-century Italian synagogue Ark, which turned up in Chillingham Castle in Northumberland, where it was being used as a wardrobe in a steward’s bedroom.

My grandfather’s hobby became his delight and it gave him the strength to continue his efforts in rescuing German Jews until war broke out in 1939 and he threw every fibre of his being for the next six years into defeating Hitler and the Nazis.

To each generation, their own Jewish Museum. Under my father’s leadership, the museum became more accessible and more professionally run.

CHAI GAVE US OUR MUMMY BACK

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Being able to rely on Chai’s all-encompassing support gave me the confi dence to come home to my husband and girls.

Thanks to Chai, we’re together as a family again”

Leon Greenman speaking at an Anti-Nazi League demonstration Leon’s Buchenwald camp uniform

A group of schoolchildren taking part in a workshop at the Jewish Museum London

Historic photograph of pressers in a tailoring workshop, 1926

Photos are courtesy of Jewish Museum London

I remember my father working on the first audiovisual displays to introduce visitors and schools to the museum with accurate information, educational content and a fitting welcome.

The script was written by my father, illustrated by photographs of beautiful objects from the museum collection. The repeated refrain my father chose to accompany this audiovisual tour was a verse from the song the Israelites sang on crossing the Red Sea:

“This is my God and I will glorify Him, the God of my father and I will extol Him.”

I never fully understood the significance of this quote until the final night of my father’s shiva, last January, when the o ciating rabbi explained it.

In the Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael (third century) the rabbis explain the verse “This is my God and I will glorify Him” in a number of ways. Each explanation plays on the meaning of the word ve’anvehu (I will glorify Him):

Rabbi Yishmael asks: Is it possible for a creature of flesh and blood to add glory to his maker? Rather, read ve’anvehu as “I will be beautiful before Him by observing the commandments – with a beautiful lulav, a beautiful succah, beautiful tzitzit, beautiful tefillin.”

to non-Jewish people. I think this is what the Jewish Museum encapsulates.

The museum, when open, has tens of thousands of visitors a year. A total of 11,000 school students, mostly non-Jewish, are shown around the collection annually. Another 11,000 students engage with it virtually. If the funding and space were available, museum educators estimate the demand would be there to host 25,000 schoolchildren a year.

total of 11,000 school stu-

A young mother was battling breast cancer, but there was nothing more the doctors could do. She longed to be home with her family in the time that she had left.

Sir Simon Schama has expressed concern that without it, “Jewish history is reduced entirely to the Holocaust and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” (BBC, Front Row, 20 June).

Last month, the trustees of Jewish Museum London announced they were preparing to close the current site in Camden’s Albert Street as it has faced unanticipated rising costs, which has “prevented its return to producing temporary exhibitions”.

The decision, they said, “reflects the need to make the museum more sustainable into the future. It is expected that the site will close at the end of this month, to reopen in a more prominent location within five years.”

Yad Sarah made it all possible, lending equipment to make her comfortable. Because of Yad Sarah, she was able to attend her son’s Bar Mitzvah before she passed away.

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beautifying religious objects.

verse that will be inscribed on

This is the Jewish basis for beautifying religious objects. Whether the Jewish Museum survives him or not, it is this verse that will be inscribed on my father’s tombstone.

Other explanations are given: Abba Shaul says: “O be like him” (i.e., “ve’anvehu” = ani vehu [“I and He”]). Just as He is merciful and gracious, you, too, be merciful and gracious.”

The Jewish Museum would need £1.5 million per year to stay open until then, but as the old chestnut has it: it’s easier to get people to give £100 million for a new building than £1 million for running costs.

people to give £100 million hope someone reading it with access to serious derful creation.

Housepital.

I therefore decided to write this article in the hope someone reading it with access to serious funds will save our wonderful creation.

Rabbi Yossi Hagalili says:

Rabbi Yossi Hagalili says: “Beautify and praise the Holy One Blessed be He, before all the peoples of the world.”

We make God and Judaism beautiful and pleasant in the world through doing mitzvot in a beautiful way, through our goodly behaviour in the world and through how we present Judaism

If that is you, please write to Nick Viner, chair of trustees, Jewish Museum, 129–131 Albert Street, London NW1 7NB. For everyone else, visit the Jewish Museum while you can.

Museum, 129–131 Albert you can. 5pm, until it closes at the

It is still open on Sundays or Thursdays, 10am–5pm, until it closes at the end of this month. Perhaps forever.

A 13th century stone mikveh discovered during excavations in Milk Street, City of London, in 2001, and moved stone by stone to the Jewish Museum, where it was reconstructed

Model/miniature of a carpet loom by Jach Poyastro of Istanbul

Gold circular medallion

Sir Ephraim given insignia from King

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis received his knighthood this week at a ceremony at Windsor Castle, writes Joy Faulk.

He was recognised by King Charles III in the New Year’s Honours list for his services to the Jewish community and interfaith relations and education.

As reported by Jewish News in December, he said: “I am enormously honoured and deeply humbled by this award. It will be particularly moving for me to receive this award from His Majesty the King, in his first year as our monarch.”

The Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire is one of the UK’s highest honours. The Chief Rabbi’s immediate predecessor Lord Sacks also received a knighthood.

Sir Ephraim was one of the first United Synagogue rabbis to host an imam in his community while still in his role at Kinloss and became the first Chief Rabbi to pay an o cial visit to an Arab state at the invitation of the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace.

Reacting to news of the award, he noted that the accolade had been made against the background of a worrying rise in global antisemitism, and said it was important to continue to challenge high-profile figures who give voice to antisemitic ideas.

NOW I MUST EARN THIS MBE – RILEY

Rachel Riley has said she needs to “earn” her MBE, after being recognised for services to Holocaust education and fighting antisemitism.

The Countdown presenter received her honour from the King at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, joined by her parents and husband Pasha Kovalev, after being announced in the New Year Honours list.

She said more should be done to stop the spread of antisemitic hatred online with stronger legislation.

Of her honour, Riley said: “It’s really special. I now I need to earn it.

“The Holocaust Survivors’ Centre had a reception a few months ago where there were many survivors being rewarded. Compared to what they went through, my experiences are nothing.” Antisemitism was on the rise while knowledge of the Holocaust was in decline, and Jewish communities were having to take precautions as a consequence, she added.

“You go into a Jewish school, organisation or charity and often they’re unmarked, they always have tight security and primary school children are taught how to hide in case there’s a terrorist attack. That’s not normal in Britain.”

Riley said she would continue her work as an ambassador for the Centre for Countering Digital Hate as she felt that “legislation hasn’t kept up with” the growth of social media.

She enjoyed finally meeting the King, after missing out on a reception that he attended while she was heavily pregnant. “The King is a big advocate for all faiths and inter-faith relations, it’s one of his passion projects. He was genuinely interested in what I’ve done to deserve it,” she added.

Rachel Riley with her award at Windsor Castle on Tuesday

King Charles III with the Chief Rabbi at Windsor and (right) Sir Ephraim Mirvis after the ceremony

charities as ‘truly

A frontbench Labour politician has described the performance of leading communal charity sector organisations Work Avenue and Kisharon as “truly inspirational” during an engaging meeting with senior sta .

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, travelled to the Finchleybased headquarters of the employment and business support charity Work Avenue last Tuesday to hold talks with chief executive Debbie Lebrett and trustee Philippa Mintz and hear from service users.

Also at the meeting was Richard Franklin, the chief executive of Kisharon, which provides specialist educational support to those with learning di culties in the community.

The meeting had been arranged by the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC), through the work of its parliamentary o cer Marc Levy, who brings politicians from all parties into contact with the communal group’s member organisations. Jewish News was invited to sit in on the talks and what was apparent was the complete absence of political point-scoring

during the conversations. Ashworth showed himself keen to take away bright new ideas.

The communal charity sector leaders spelt out what they required from the government, regardless of which party was in power.

Franklin told Ashworth of the need for greater cooperation between the government and charitable organisations, which provide vital support to those requiring help

and assistance throughout society. “What goes on at Work Avenue and Kisharon is truly inspirational in o ering jobseekers, vulnerable people and disabled people real help, tailored support and the confidence to find a job or start a business,” he later said. “These are superb examples of what the charity sector can achieve and how they change lives.”

Lebrett also revealed Work Avenue had

helped 2,500 people find work or improve their business skills over the past year and stressed how important it was to “provide people with a dignified approach to finding work”. She added: “The links between business owners and people finding employment are so important and need to be nurtured.”

Franklin said there was a need to dramatically improve spending by the government on social care. “There’s much more that can be done to make [it] attractive,” he said. “Social care is not the answer to the NHS, it’s larger than that, but the poor relation.”

Work Avenue’s CEO spoke of her determination to look at di erent funding streams to fund “bigger and more ambitious projects”. She said: “Supporting people, in business, into employment and once they secure a job, is essential to grow the economy.”

Levy, the communal group’s north west, north Wales and west Midlands external a airs manager, said: “By discussing [our member organisations’] agendas with ministers, shadow ministers and chairs of allparty parliamentary groups, we assist with supporting their work while amplifying their messages and concerns to key decisionmakers.”

Marc Levy, Jonathan Ashworth, Debbie Lebrett, Philippa Mintz and Richard Franklin

Survey will help shape Jewish life on campus

The organisation representing nearly 9,000 Jewish students across the UK and Ireland has launched a survey to encourage members to talk about their lives on campus, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

The UJS National Jewish Student Survey, supported by Jewish News, is open to those who are currently at university or graduating this year.

It covers a range of issues about Jewish life on campus, including students’ religiosity, finance, engagement with communal Jewish organisations and mental health. The aim is to deliver a clear understanding of what it means to be a Jewish student on campus today and to inform the way UJS work with students in the years to come.

Arieh Miller, chief executive of UJS,

tells Jewish News: “The last time UJS ran a Jewish Student Survey was in 2011. Of course, the shape of Jewish life on campus has changed a lot since then.

“This survey will help us and the wider Jewish community support both current and future generations of Jewish students.

Trans group helps at London Pride event

Jewish members of the trans community were joined by allies to help run a hydration station that handed out more than 3,000 bottles of water to the estimated 25,000 people who attended London Trans+ Pride 2023 .

“Those who are eligible to take part in the survey can shape the life of the Jewish community on and off campus for years to come and have the chance to win up to £500 at the same time.”

There are more than 30 cash prizes to be won, once students complete the survey. Further details at www.ujs.org.uk

The team of trans people and others said they had responded to a “direct ask” from the organisers of the event, now in its fifth year, to show solidarity with its aims.

The group had raised funds to cover costs, and volunteers handed out more water and snacks to those at the event on Saturday. Gideon, who helped at the hydration station, said: “We want to show that trans

ADVANCED TORAH COURSE FOR WOMEN

The United Synagogue is launching an advanced Torah programme for women, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

The two-year programme, called Ma’aleh (meaning to ascend) has been designed by the Chief Rabbi

and will begin in October. It will be taught by Rabbanit Shani Taragin, Rebbetzen and Yoetzet Halacha Lauren Levin and Rabbanit and Yoetzet Halacha Rachel Weinstein. The course will give participants

the opportunity to learn Tanach (Bible), Halacha (Jewish law), Gemara (the Talmud) and Jewish thought in depth, acquiring a solid grounding in all these areas. It will also include leadership and peda-

gogic training. The course is open to applications now and is for any woman who would like to study Torah at a high level.

 Full details are available at www.theus.org.uk/maaleh

lives are sacred both inside our own community and the wider trans community as well. The Torah repeatedly reminds us of the life-giving powers of water and safety.”

Attendees said the event was in “response to the injustices” faced by trans+ people. One banner on display at the group’s stand stated: “There are eight genders in the Talmud.”

Applications are open now

The Union of Jewish Students is carrying out its first student survey since 2011

Coalition steps up attack on Israeli Bar Association after new bill passes

The Israeli politician behind a controversial new bill that would scrap the Israeli Bar Association’s (IBA) seats on the panel that selects judges has ratcheted up up his attack on the organisation, branding it “unregulated and irrelevant”, writes Richard Ferrer in Jerusalem.

The new bill, which passed its preliminary reading last week, would scrap the IBA’s licensing authority and its representation on the committee that selects judges – rendering it toothless.

A yet-to-be-created Lawyers Council – led by a judge chosen by the justice minister – would take over the IBA’s roles, giving ministers ultimate power over who acts as Israeli lawyers.

Amit Becher, a vocal critic of the coalition who was elected to head the IBA last month, branded the bill “thuggish, antidemocratic and absurd”, adding that lawyers could “shut down” the judicial system if it became law.

In an interview with Jewish News in the Knesset, Likud politician and former lawyer Hanoch Milwidsky, the prime mover behind the plan, branded Becher’s umbrella organisation “unregulated and irrelevant”.

Speaking just hours before parliamentarians passed the preliminary reading by 50 votes to 43, Milwidsky told Jewish News: “It is compulsory for Israeli lawyers to pay IBA membership before they can practice. It’s a considerable amount. The IBA receives around 100m shekels (£21 million) in fees every year with basically no oversight. It can do whatever it wants with this money.

“I’ve been a lawyer since 2000. The IBA has been completely irrelevant to my professional life. It’s the same for a

lot of Israeli lawyers. They don’t feel they get any thing for their membership fee.

“What I’m suggesting in my bill is to have lawyer membership situation be the same as, say, accountancy. There would be a legal council, in change of handing out Ministry of Justice licences, which would charge a small fee. It would not collect the millions of shekels the IBA currently does.”

Milwidsky, who is also co-chair of Knesset’s Israel-UK Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, added: “I’m not

talking about the coalition choosing judges. The IBA will still have representatives in the committee that chooses judges.

“The coalition is planning to change the composition of that committee in a different bill. I want to prevent lawyers from paying an organisation that’s irrelevant to their professional lives.”

Laying down a clear challenge to Becher, the MK who says his children have been harassed by anti-government protesters outside the family’s home, said: “Why is he so afraid of this move? If it is still relevant, people will continue to be members. But I’m pretty sure that once this bill has passed that within one month more than 50 percent of its members will quit. That’s what I am taking care of here. The professional life and interest of lawyers. Nothing more.”

Critics view the move against the IBA as the government’s latest assault on the judiciary, which has become a target for Netanyahu’s far-right and strictly-Orthodox coalition partners, after judges gave a series of unwelcome rulings on issues such as the Orthodox military exemption and religious nationalists’ efforts to discriminate against Israeli Arabs.

Milwidsky was speaking to a group of British journalists in a delegation to Israel organised by the ELNET European Leadership Network.

Supreme Court Justices arrive for a court hearing in Jerusalem. Inset: Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky speaking in the Knesset

IT ENDED WITH A JOB AT THE BBC

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IT STARTED WITH A CALL TO RESOURCE

Remains of Munich shul found by river

Rubble from a German synagogue destroyed by the Nazis in June 1938 has been discovered, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Construction workers found remains of Munich’s main synagogue during the renovation of a weir on the Isar river, uncovering columns and a stone tablet showing some of the Ten Commandments.

Hitler ordered the building’s destruction in 1938, claiming it was an ‘eyesore’. The event was a prelude to Kristallnacht five months later, when Jewish buildings and businesses were destroyed in a violent pogrom.

The rubble from the synagogue discovered in the water is thought to have been part of the 150 tonnes from buildings demolished during the war used to reconstruct the Grosshesseloher Weir (river dam).

Bernhard Purin, head of Munich’s Jewish museum, said: “We never thought we would find anything from it.” Speaking to the

BBC, he added: “I saw [the remains] for the first time and it was one of the most moving moments in 30 years of working in Jewish museums, especially seeing a plaque of the Ten Commandments not seen since 1938.”

Charlotte Knobloch, the 90-year-old president of the Jewish community in Munich who grew up alongside the original synagogue, told local newspaper Münchner Merkur she was looking forward to the fragments “returning to the community and showing us a piece of our history.”

Rolf Penzias, now aged 100, is a member of the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) and lived in Munich at the time. He helped empty the synagogue.

As part of his AJR Refugee

KIM IN TEARS OVER KANYE

ANTISEMITISM

Kim Kardashian breaks down in tears over Kanye West’s antisemitic remarks in the latest episode of Hulu’s The Kardashians on Disney+, writes Brigit Grant. In the episode, which aired last Thursday, the reality star, worth $1.2 billion (£0.9bn), also questions expressing her support for the Jewish community on Twitter, fearing she was responsible for her ex-husband being dropped by his agency CAA and MRC, as well as sponsors Adidas and Balenciaga.

“I feel guilty that I posted something in support of the Jewish community, then people dropped him today,” Kim tells her sister Khloé Kardashian in the episode. “Is that my fault? That I posted that? Did that push them? Should have just kept quiet? But I’m vocal about everything else… I never know what to do. I don’t know how to emotionally manage it.”

Voices archive testimony, he said:

“The biggest synagogue in Munich was a beautiful building, near where all the government places were. Hitler said, ‘I want that down.’ I was in the Jewish vocational school at the time, pre-

paring to emigrate. There was just time to go to the synagogue, take the Sefer Torah and books out and take some of the other things inside.

“They dismantled the synagogue... they put bulldozers in it... because Hitler wanted it as a parking place.”

The stone tablet, above, with some of the Ten Commandments, was dismantled by the Nazis

Kim in tears over her former husband

Nazanin case and proscribing IRGC

The government this week again rejected calls from communal groups and MPs across all parties to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group, instead choosing simply to widen its sanctions net.

Speaking to Jewish News in Tel Aviv, Iranian-born Meir Javendanfar, senior research fellow for the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Lauder School of Government in Israel, suggested the decision was motivated by the tragic case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – the Iranian-British dual citizen unjustly imprisoned by Iran for six years. The government, he claims, is concerned for the future safety of 40,000 Iranian nationals living in the UK, most of whom loathe the Tehran regime but return to visit family.

Yet while repercussion fears are valid, they should not be allowed to overshadow the urgent need to finally address the threat. The IRGC has a history of engaging in destabilising activities across the Middle East, supporting proxy militias and perpetuating terrorism. This year alone it has targeted Israeli civilians in Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. It has played a significant role in fuelling conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq –and, of course, arms Hezbollah in Lebanon to the teeth with the latest weaponry. Estimates suggest Hezbollah now has capacity to fire up to 1,500 rockets into Israel in 24 hours.

While the safety of Iranian nationals in the UK is undoubtedly important, refusing to proscribe the IRGC sends a clear signal that the UK is unwilling to confront a clear and present threat responsible for international terrorism.

Why deny Palestinians’ rights?

Gerry Solomons argues that “Palestinian Arabs are appropriating the West Bank by building illegal settlements on land to which they have no entitlement” (Jewish News, 22 June).

He then changes tack and tells us Winston Churchill “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 effect of this was supposedly to remove the right of Jews to reside in the territory of TransJordan, i.e. Jordan east of the Jordan river as part of the Balfour policy. But it is unclear what this has to do with Palestinian Arab rights on the West Bank today.

RIOTS WERE RESTRAINED

Jenni Frazer is a serial purveyor of feelings in place of facts. In her latest purview are those dastardly “settlers”, all half million of them, living legally in our historic Jewish homeland, Judea (“country of the Jews”).

Aside from “settler” having pejorative connotations implying they shouldn’t be there, a term never applied to the Palestinians from elsewhere, Frazer gave no context for the “rampaging through Arab towns”, which were as she put it “in retaliation for the June murders of four Israelis”.

Mr Solomons’ view of Churchill’s actions is anyway disputed. See, for example, the book Israel and Palestinians by Bernard Wasserstein, in which Wasserstein provides an alternative explanation that exonerates Churchill from any such behaviour. Whatever view is taken on the historical position of Churchill and the ‘East Bank’, it is largely irrelevant to the main issue. Can Mr Solomons tell us what legal, moral or other reasoning he invokes to deny Palestinians on the West Bank their rights to reside there as free and equal citizens?

And if they are building illegal settlements, what laws are they breaking?

Fraser Michaelson, Southgate

BECKHAM’S PRIDE

David Beckham comes across as such a lovely man. Of course, one can never assume to know a celebrity from afar, but he appears to understand the values of family, hard work and dedication. He also appears proud of his Jewish heritage and it was therefore upsetting to read disparaging comments online questioning his “Jewishness”. He never said he was Jewish, but he does say he is proud to be part of the community. Surely we can be happy that someone identifies with their Jewish roots?

Joanne Freeman, By email

020 8148 9693 alon@jewishnews.co.uk

In fact, they were riots, provoked by daily terror attacks ongoing for years by Palestinians against the presence of Jews, incited by the Palestinian Authority’s “pay to slay” policy, who haven’t been afforded adequate protection by successive Israeli governments.

Rather, it shows remarkable restraint the riots took so long to occur and are limited to very few, despite intolerable provocations.

Why does Jewish News continue to give a platform to columnists who from the safety of the UK regularly do down our one, tiny Jewish state living against impossible odds?

James R Windsor, Ilford

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SCRATCHING ITCH OF WEDDED BLISS

I didn’t need to scratch my head when reading Barry Hyman’s letter, “Scratching the 53–year itch,”(Jewish News, 29 June 2023). The contents suggest Mr Hyman was just itching to write his letter.

Marriage is much maligned in our modern-day world, yet surely still has a place in our lives – as well as being such a blessed union

and foundation of family life in Judaism. This likewise applies to many other faiths. May many more marriages be celebrated in our lifetime and last for as many decades as Mr Hyman’s, and counting.

So, Mr Hyman, how have you managed to make it work for 56 years now?

J D Milaric, By email

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.

We have been asked to continue Sacks’ legacy

guiding us with his wisdom, consideration and kindness.

And then, one day, silence fell upon us.

Rabbi Sacks was gone and our anchor was yanked away.

Last week I had the privilege of joining 25 fellow leaders on a profoundly transformative journey that has the potential to change the course of my life .

As a community, we su ered a devastating loss in November 2020. The passing of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks left us stunned and bereaved. Although we were not his family, who experienced his loss in a di erent way, we were his students and the leaders he nurtured.

In the corporate world, there is a concept known as the ‘Key Man Strategy’. When a driving force, the heart and soul of an organization, is no longer present, how does one carry on? During Rabbi Sacks’ lifetime, we recognised his vital role in our religious and moral lives. He became our voice when we were speechless and our solace in times of despair. In a spiritually desolate world, Rabbi Sacks led us to intellectual and compassionate waters,

From the depths of sorrow emerges hope.

“Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope an active one. It needs no courage to be an optimist, but it takes a great deal of courage to hope. The Hebrew Bible may not be an optimistic book, but it is undoubtedly one of the great works of hope.” (To Heal a Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility by Rabbi Sacks, p. 166)

Under the leadership of Joanna Benarroch and with the support of the Sacks family,

the Rabbi Sacks Legacy established the Sacks Scholars programme. Led by the talented Rabbi Jeremy Bruce, the programme’s development began a year ago. With a remarkable sta in America, England, and Israel, they meticulously crafted a unique programme.

The first crucial step was selecting the inaugural cohort of scholars. Each of us shared a personal connection with Rabbi Sacks and our encounters with him had a profound impact on the trajectory of our lives. In various ways, he urged us to step up and embrace active leadership roles and we answered his call.

The Sacks Scholars programme aims to propel each of us to the next level. Rabbi Sacks set us on a course and now his legacy is positioned to see us fulfil the potential he saw in us.

During our time in Jerusalem, we had the privilege of meeting leaders from various fields,

including intellectual and religious giants, an Israeli music sensation, political commentators and policy-makers. We explored sites that have yet to be opened to the public, the Museum of Tolerance and the New National Library of Israel. Through these experiences, we are being equipped to comment on the spiritual trajectory of our communities.

While the first five days were undeniably life-changing, the real challenge lies ahead. Each scholar will spend the next year working on an individual project aimed at further spreading Rabbi Sacks’ ideas. By combining our own voices with his profound insights, we aspire to ensure his words and spirit endure.

I once heard that Rabbi Sacks wrote more in his lifetime than the revered Rambam (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon – Maimonides) did. Even 800 years later, we continue to discuss the Rambam. May the same be true for Rabbi Sacks.

We are committed to sharing his Torah and ideas for generations to come, and the establishment of the Sacks Scholars programme is a crucial step towards ensuring that his teachings are heard and embraced far and wide.

HAMPSTEAD COURT CARE HOME

BY COMBINING OUR VOICES WITH SACK’S, WE ASPIRE TO ENSURE HIS WORDS ENDURE

ILANA EPSTEIN REBBETZIN, WESTERN MARBLE ARCH SYNAGOGUE

A haunting reminder of the perils of devaluing life

be prevented from producing what he termed ‘equally defective o spring.’ Many of those who were sterilised never had the opportunity to have children and their trauma had a profound impact on their mental health and well-being.

On 14 July 1933, the Nazis implemented a policy that ultimately led to the systematic murder of more than 250,000 disabled Germans. The Sterilisation Law sanctioned the forced sterilisation of individuals the Nazis deemed genetically ‘undesirable’. Thousands were subjected to the procedure without their consent or knowledge.

The sterilisation agenda was part of a broader ideology that led to the mass murder of six million Jewish men, women and children and millions of others deemed ‘unworthy of life’. It was all part of a larger e ort to create a ‘pure’ Aryan race, based on pseudoscientific ideas.

Using appalling terms like ‘useless eaters’, they dehumanised disabled people, declaring them as burdens on society. Hitler himself said they were ‘defective’ and believed they had to

In 1939 the killing of disabled children and adults began. All children aged under three who had illnesses or a disability were targeted.

Many parents were told their children were sent for ‘improved care’ and that they had died and their bodies cremated to prevent disease.

Following the outbreak of war in September 1939, the programme was expanded. Adults with disabilities, chronic illnesses and mental health problems were included into what was known as Action T4. Six killing centres were established to speed up the process. The Nazis implemented a policy of murdering disabled patients in gas chambers disguised as showers.

As we mark the 90th anniversary of this vile policy, we must acknowledge it stands as a warning against the dangers of ever thinking the lives of certain groups are less valuable than others. Today, extensive e orts have been made to dismantle barriers, promote accessibility and ensure the full participation and rights of

people with disabilities. But the fight to uphold and safeguard the human rights of people with disabilities extends beyond legal frameworks. It is also a cultural endeavour encompassing the representation and portrayal of disabilities in media, education and everyday discourse.

As the mother of a daughter with learning disabilities, I am aware prejudiced attitudes persist within our society. From excluding a disabled child from the class party, to not ensuring disabled people can enter the workplace, there are many ways in which contemporary prejudice manifests. We can all actively work to dismantle barriers and challenge the stereotypes that perpetuate them. This requires us to acknowledge that societal prejudice

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against disabled people extends far beyond a few trolls on social media seeking attention.

A key element here is language, which plays a pivotal role in shaping societal perceptions. It is important to use respectful and inclusive language when referring to individuals with disabilities, avoiding derogatory terms that perpetuate centuries-old stigmas.

We must recognise that disabled people, like my daughter, are precious human beings who have as much right to a good quality of life, and participation in society, as non-disabled people.

It is crucial we continue to educate ourselves and others about the need to value and protect the lives of all people, regardless of any physical or mental disabilities. It is imperative we strive to establish a society in which everyone gets the utmost support and opportunities whatever their needs. This is why, as well as being the CEO of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, I am also a proud trustee of KIDS, a charity providing a wide range of services for disabled children, young people and their families.

As the author Rosemarie Garland-Thomson put it: “What we call disability is perhaps the essential characteristic of being human.”

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I’M FULLY AWARE OF THE PREJUDICED ATTITUDES THAT PERSIST IN SOCIETY

❝

Calm amid the frenzy, but will anyone listen?

ALEX BRUMMER CITY EDITOR, THE DAILY MAIL

The adrenalin rush which drives reporters into war zones and danger and escape from duller home assignments is a feature of the international scene. As a former foreign correspondent, I covered America’s invasion of Grenada, blood-stained revolution in Haiti and the IDF’s withdrawal from West Bank towns after Oslo. The urge to be on the scene and file a dramatic report is always there.

The age of 24-hour television news journalism, video streaming, podcasting and social media speeds the news cycle and demands for fresh material. In the rush to instant judgment and the demand for original, even ghoulish, footage, analysis and context is often lost. Even experienced veterans like the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen can find themselves drawn in.

A few weeks ago, Bowen was reporting on atrocities and wanton destruction in Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. As the Israeli military

incursion into Jenin flared early this month, Bowen was swiftly on the scene trying to give some context to the drama. Allegedly onesided BBC reporting including a claim based on Palestinian sources of a massacre, which angered Israel’s supporters, needed calming.

TV bulletins rarely provide context – it’s about spectacle. Predictions of a lengthy Israeli Jenin incursion, as in 2002, proved wrong. Bowen provided political background, seeking to explain the muscle rippling of the Israeli right driven by Itmar Ben-Gvir and the impotence of Mahmoud Abbas and the West Bank Palestinian leadership.

But what the viewer saw in what the FT called the ‘West Bank Tinderbox’ were narrow streets ploughed by bulldozers, mangled burnt-out vehicles and a macabre funeral ceremony for Palestinian fighters on the

streets of Jenin amid a cacophony of gunfire. That will be the lasting image – the pick-up truck ramming and stabbing of pedestrians by a terrorist in busy Tel Aviv was barely noted.

Anyone wanting to understand better what has been happening in the West Bank this year, where the UN reports 114 Palestinian and 16 Israeli deaths, might be advised to tune into BBC iPlayer, where a cool analysis was o ered by the journalist David Aaronovitch on the Radio 4 programme The Briefing Room.

It sought to strip away the drama and assess what is happening on the ground in Jenin in the broader context of the region and the blowing-up of the Oslo accords of two decades ago. No condemnation, just sensible analysis.

It went like this. Benjamin Netanyahu is on the ropes and this has allowed the far right to dictate the narrative in the disputed territories

with its encouragement of settler ‘pogroms’ and renewed building. The Jenin refugee camp had become host to young militants from Hamas, the Jenin Brigade, Islamic Jihad and rejectionist groups who have contempt for the PA as well as for the IDF. The built-up enclave o ers shelter for an armed struggle by those who deny Israel’s right to exist.

Thrown into the mix are the Abraham Accords and Netanyahu’s e orts to bring Saudi Arabia under the umbrella. Deals with the Gulf countries and Morocco have locked the West Bank Palestinians and Hamas and Gaza out of the diplomatic arena.

The Briefing Room suggestion was that the price of bringing in Saudi Arabia might be a return to a peace process which could lead to a two-state solution.

It was also pointed out a one-state solution, giving Palestinians full rights in a unitary state, has growing support.

The programme gave facts and authoritative opinions which reached beyond the numbers game and the trauma of funeral processions.

But was anyone really listening?

Time to bring pernicious BDS movement to heel

JAMES GURD CONSERVATIVE FRIENDS OF ISRAEL

Boycott Israel stickers were everywhere. A lecture theatre had been occupied by students demanding the revocation of an honorary doctorate for Shimon Peres. The vicechancellor had circulated an email calling for an end to abuse of Jewish students.

It was January 2009 at King’s College London and Israel and Hamas were engaged in conflict thousands of miles away.

Noisy protests are part and parcel of university life but this felt di erent.

The rage and rhetoric were vitriolic.

For me as a non-Jew, it was a startling introduction to BDS and how easily it erupts into outright antisemitism.

It troubled me that the moment I left the university grounds I was able to flick an oswitch and be entirely una ected by what was happening on campus, while my Jewish friends had no such escape.

BDS has long-since moved from campuses into mainstream politics, reaching the very heart of taxpayer-funded bodies. The movement had even been on the cusp of entering

the door of 10 Downing Street through Jeremy Corbyn a few short years ago.

Recognising the harm BDS has caused to the Jewish community, the Conservative Party has sought persistently to tackle the division it sows. Repeat attempts, however, to issue guidance for public bodies against BDS have been quashed by UK courts, leaving the government with no other choice but to legislate.

Making good on the commitment in the 2019 Conservative manifesto, the long-awaited Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons last Monday.

The Bill has generated a lot of interest but it would appear there is still much misunderstanding around it.

Lost in the heat of the debate is a simple principle underwriting the whole legislation: foreign and trade policy is a reserved power for the elected government of this country.

The clumsy, politicised, foreign-policy grandstanding of public bodies undermines this age-old principle and muddies government foreign policy.

Accordingly, the legislation is universal –public bodies will not be able to boycott any country unless the elected government of the UK chooses so.

Of course, sanctions remain a crucial foreign policy tool. The government has already publicly committed to introduce secondary legislation to enable public bodies to continue enforcing their boycotts against Russia.

Existing legislation also means public bodies can consider human tra cking and modern slavery, which is an important tool against China’s abuse of the Uyghurs.

Make no mistake though, the Bill is also a deliberate and targeted response to BDS. After all, BDS’ trademark is its very specific obsession with Israel. No other country – however blatant or grotesque their human rights abuses may be – is deserving of the wrath and fury of BDS activists.

Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, China’s systematic persecution of the Uyghurs, Assad’s butchering of Syria? Not a single raised an eyebrow. Yet the UK is by no means alone in wanting to tackle BDS – the German parliament has passed a resolution unequivocally condemning BDS as antisemitic.

It is for these uncomfortable truths the UK government has seen fit to apply an extra legislative hurdle in relation to Israel – an insurance policy, if you will. Critics claim this puts Israel beyond reproach, but this misses the point that a future government will be able to disapply Israel from the Bill through primary legislation.

The Labour frontbench may be claiming it is opposed to BDS, but last week’s debate suggests many of its backbench MPs remain keen supporters of this pernicious movement. If anything, some of the divisive, unpleasant rhetoric simply reinforced the need for this landmark legislation.

The real-world harm BDS has wrought on community cohesion is incontrovertible. That it has been done by public bodies using taxpayer’s money necessitates government action. Strong headwinds and a long legislative road lie ahead, but the Bill’s founding principles are right and just. It is time to act before any more harm can be done.

THIS WAS NOT CONDEMNATION, JUST ANALYSIS TO STRIP AWAY THE DRAMA

❝

THE PRINCIPLES ARE RIGHT AND JUST. IT’S TIME TO ACT BEFORE MORE HARM IS DONE

❝

Building Safety Act 2022 - Unintended Consequence

The Government introduced legislation in order to try and tackle some of the fundamental building safety issues brought about by the Grenfell disaster in June 2017. Its aim was to ensure that those who developed defective buildings take responsibility for remedying them in order to make these buildings safe, particularly, those a ected by cladding issues.

In essence, it provides an obligation on developers to remedy historical building safety defects in respect of residential buildings that are considered to be ‘high risk’, i.e. those that are at least 11 metres high or ve storeys. This duty is extended even where they no longer own the building in question. Where the developer cannot be identi ed or has refused to pay towards its defective buildings, funding would be made available to pay for the remedial costs.

To the extent that the leaseholder holds a ‘qualifying lease’ in a ‘relevant building’, they are a orded protection from either having to contribute towards the remedial works (in case of cladding), or their contribution would be capped to a maximum of £15,000 for other remedial works (e.g. re safety issues), which payments are to be spread over 10 years. If the remedial costs exceed the cap, developers would be required to meet the shortfall.

The main issue relates to the de nition as to what constitutes a ‘qualifying lease’ for the purpose of the Act. The Act is precise and stipulates that the lease must have been granted before 14 February 2022. Where a new lease is extended under the provisions of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, a new lease would be granted in substitution for the existing lease. As the new lease will not be granted before 14 February 2022, the protections a orded to the at owners by the Building Safety Act will not apply, notwithstanding the fact that some leaseholders would have owned their leases from the date of grant of the original lease.

The general consensus is that the Government did not intend to exclude statutory protection to those who extended their leases post 14 February 2022, particularly given the recent press coverage of the Government seeking the balance the scale in favour of the leaseholders in protecting their interests. Pressure is therefore being applied on the Government by industry groups to address this defect! Very much unlike the nancial measures being made available within the context of building safety, this defect, by the Government’s own making, can be remedied by way of a simple amendment to the legislation.

In the meantime, those leaseholders who are either seeking to embark on statutory lease extensions or those with ongoing claims, should obtain specialist solicitor’s advice to ensure that they are not adversely a ected.

Bishop & Sewell’s award-winning Landlord and Tenant team are industry experts on Leasehold Reform legislation, including enfranchisement, lease extensions and Right To Manage.

If you would like to discuss any of the points raised in this article, please do not hesitate to contact Laurent Vaughan directly on 0207 079 4193 or lvaughan@bishopandsewell.co.uk.

1 GOSH CHARITY WELCOMES

FIVE NEW LABORATORIES

Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity) welcomed members of the cardiac team and the Noé family to formally open the five Noé Heart Centre Laboratories at the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children. The labs will assist in advancing life-saving medical research and were generously supported by the Rachel Charitable Trust. The Noé family said they were deeply grateful to the doctors and nurses of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for the care they took of their son, grandson and nephew, Zeke.

2 JBD GOLF RAISES £33K

Jewish Blind & Disabled’s annual ‘Friends of JBD Golf Day’ raised over £33,000 for the charity. Organised by Lloyd Botchin together with his golf committee, the Golf Day took place at Hartsbourne Country Club in Bushey with over 80 golfers tee-ing off. This was Lloyd’s ninth JBD Golf Day, which he originally set up to thank the charity for the support they gave his late parents, Shirley and Max, who were the first tenants to move into JBD’s Cecil Rosen Court development in Bushey.

3 £10,000-PLUS RAISED BY CHAI TEAM RUNNERS

More than 100 runners, many of whom have had personal experience of Chai’s support, eagerly took part in the Maccabi GB Community Fun Run on Sunday 25th June, raising more than £10,000. Chai participants ranging in age from two years old to 70, dusted off their running shoes to take part in the 10K, 5K and1K distances.

4FAIRGROUND FUNDAY

North West London Jewish Day School’s first in person Funday returned for the first time since 2019 and was attended by over 400 members of staff, parents, pupils and the wider community. On offer were a fairground ride, bungee jump, goal shooting, arts and craft stations, pupil-led enterprise stands and a pony ride for some of the younger children.

5 90 YEARS YOUNG

British Emunah raised more than £70,000 at a special anniversary party celebrating 90 years of life-changing work with at-risk and vulnerable children and families in Israel. The music was provided by two entertainers – Eli and San – who were helped by the charity when they were children. The guitarist and singer, now both 26, talked about how their time at the Emunah Afula Children’s Centre and how it turned them from troubled kids into successful young men. Both are now married and in employment, while Eli is also studying part-time for an engineering degree.

6 BUSHEY JAZZ NIGHT

Last Sunday night saw the Tom Shooter Quintet perform their debut concert as part of the Bushey Festival at Bushey Synagogue. The group comprises Tom Shooter, Robin Blake, Malcolm Parris, Fraser Hauser and Will Hestleton, five talented musicians who all studied together at Haberdashers’ Boys’ School. The evening ended with a standing ovation and calls for an encore.

7 SQUARE ROOTS FOR ETZ CHAIM PRIMARY

Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School joined 38 schools from around the UK at Oxford University for the finals of the Quiz Club National Inter-School Maths Championships. Etz Chaim’s team consisted of Rafi Bibring, Jake Glass, Noah Keene and Edward Wolfin, all in Year 6.

L’chaim to Kedem!

Summer loving (aka eating and drinking) was in full force at Kedem’s Kosher Food and Wine Experience at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane this week. There were 200 wines from Israel, France, Italy and the USA to sample, plus cocktails full of summer flavours from the cocktail bar and a fantastic bu et.

Top wineries and distilleries brought their new vintages and styles including premier French growers Chateau Leoville Poyferre, Chateau Pontet Canet and Chateau Giscours, plus the favourites from Israel were there too – Castel, Yatir, Flam and Matar by Pelter.

Areas were dedicated to whisky, gin and champagne, and there was plenty of rosé on display – a perfect fit with the food. Chef Luca Camboni of kosher caterer Arieh Wagner created a stunning bowl and finger food bu et full of the fresh taste of summer, plus the regular KFWE favourites. Attendees piled their plates high at the popular sushi station, tucked into salt beef and short rib plus scumptious canapes including sea bass ceviche, duck wraps and salmon poke bowls.

Photos by Levi Saltman Photography

Novelist opening teenagers’ eyes

Black is Back

With no fewer than three shows in the West End this year, Don Black is hitting the right notes, writes Jonathan Baz

Broadway and West End director Hal Prince said: “The three most important things in a musical are the book, the book and the book.” According to lyricist Don Black, this is absolutely true, but it doesn’t mean that just because you’ve got a great book you’re going to have a hit musical.

Don knows a thing or two about hit musicals. He currently has two shows running in town with a third due to open in September.

Aspects of Love, starring Michael Ball, is seeing its first West End revival since opening in 1989 with a three-year run in 1989. Don’s newest musical, The Third Man, has just premiered at the Menier Chocolate Factory in Southwark and Sunset Boulevard is scheduled to open shortly at the Savoy Theatre with American megastar Nicole Scherzinger playing Norma Desmond, the legendary faded Hollywood diva.

Both The Third Man (1949) and Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) are critically acclaimed movies that hail from the era of ‘film-noir’. Both strongly characterdriven with an underlying crime theme, they are filmed in black and white and typically with a typically smouldering sexual passion too. Speaking in London last month, Don told me of his attraction to these stories and of his writing partnership with co-lyricist Christopher Hampton.

“I’ve only taken two movies and transformed them into musicals. Sunset Boulevard was my favourite movie as a kid and it just lends itself to songs.

“As you watch Billy Wilder’s movie you can imagine: what would Norma sing, and what would Joe Gillis sing? And so back in the day, when Andrew (Lloyd Webber) first mentioned a musical interpretaion of the story, it was a no-brainer.

“When Sunset Boulevard opened in the West End in 1993 Billy Wilder and his wife were there and Billy is on record as saying, ‘The best thing they did was leave the script alone.’ He said to me separately that Christopher and I were very clever because we didn’t change anything with Sunset Boulevard’s story.

Don says that writing a show is a very complicated process, laughing that Neil Simon’s memoir is called Rewrites for a

reason. “Neil says you’re always rewriting and it just takes forever – even more so when you’re working with very busy people. I remember working with Christopher Hampton on Sunset Boulevard back in 1990 and he was so busy, too busy to write. Andrew and I were there, but Chris was never there – so he said we would meet the first week of every month. And that’s what we did, for the first week of several months we would meet at Andrew’s house in Cap Ferrat and with some intensive writing, that is how the show was born.”

The Third Man was a di erent challenge because, according to Don, it is so many people’s favourite movie. Set in Vienna, with its European aura of post-war intrigue, it is still an important piece of work there today. There’s a Viennese cinema where it’s been playing for 40 years. “The City of Vienna’s

arts council was behind it from the outset with development support, and we staged a workshop of the musical there six years ago. Trevor Nunn was in the audience – he loved it and that was where its future was born, albeit delayed by the pandemic.

“We’ve been very faithful to Graham Greene’s story and Carol Reed’s movie – we didn’t just make it singing and dancing, we stayed very true to the plot and we are seeing that the audiences at the Menier are packed and the producers are happy too. It has been great bringing the show to its London opening alongside Christopher and Trevor with George Fenton’s music.”

Asked whether in his view there are any modern movies that have the strength to stand up to a musical theatre treatment, Don’s reply is sanguine: “I don’t see many movies these days. They’re nearly all about

superheroes, and people of a certain generation don’t like these superheroes. Personally, I don’t like to see anything that can’t happen in real life. I take my grandson to Westfield and he sees this one, that one, Spiderman and so on, so honestly, I don’t know.”

The conversation returns to Sunset Boulevard, where Don tells me that he recently met Jamie Lloyd (who will direct the Savoy production) for the first time. Lloyd is an acclaimed theatre-maker who in 2019 directed a thrilling Evita at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

“I was so impressed. And so was Christopher Hampton, because Jamie has done his homework and everything he said made sense. I don’t want to say too much more about it while the show rehearses with Nicole, but you’ll like it.”

The lyricist Don Black and scenes from (top) Aspects of Love and The Third Man. Inset: Nicole Scherzinger will play faded Hollywood diva Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre

Turning fact into fiction

Former

As a Jerusalem correspondent for The Washington Post there were few aspects of the conflict that Ruth Marks Eglash was not called on to cover. Between 2013 and 2020 she reported on it all – stabbings, shootings, car-rammings, the continuous cycle of renewed hostilities and the fragility of the peace process.

But in the eight years that she churned out breaking news for the publication, Eglash – a native north Londoner who moved from Edgware to Israel nearly 30 years ago –realised that a tight word count and matterof-fact reporting could never do justice to everything she saw and heard. There were still so many more stories to tell.

Added to that was a far more personal layer of wanting to explain the conflict – as best she could – to her children, Gefen, Ben and Ela, who were struggling to understand what was happening around them at a time of increasing violence.

So began the idea five years ago to use those untold stories for a fictionalised narrative of the conflict as seen through the eyes of three teenage girls from vastly di erent backgrounds.

The result is her young adult debut novel, Parallel Lines, which centres on Tamar, a secular Jew; Rivki, who comes from a Charedi community; and Nour, a Palestinian Muslim. Co-existing in Jerusalem, their lives seldom intersect until a terrorist attack on the light rail train brings them together in ways they could never have anticipated.

Speaking to Jewish News from her home in Jerusalem, Eglash reveals that writing her first work of fiction after decades of reporting on the conflict was in many ways “therapeutic”. The 51-year-old veteran journalist, who currently writes for Jewish Insider and Fox News, said: “When you write a news article it’s sanitised, structured and written in a certain format. You can’t put feeling into it, just the

facts. So in writing this book I was finally getting out my feelings and emotions on this conflict that I’ve been covering so closely.”

She acknowledges that she was “uniquely privileged” as a British-Israeli and Jewish journalist working for the foreign media in Israel and specifically, “one of the biggest, most influential newspapers in the world”.

While many other journalists might have felt unsure about going into the Palestinian territories to cover a story for a Jewish title, Eglash says that as a Washington Post correspondent she felt able to “access all sides”, giving her a di erent insight and empathy into the conflict.

“Journalists here are like first responders,” she explains. “We get to a site immediately after there’s been an attack or we sit with a family that’s just lost a loved one and we listen to their heartbreak.

“You’re thinking about how you’re going to shape that story, but at the same time you’re sitting in front of someone who’s just had this huge, devastating loss and it hits you. That has happened to me several times. It’s almost like you absorb their sorrow.”

She recalls how in 2014 she secured an exclusive interview with the mother of Naftali Fraenkel, one of three Israeli teenagers kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Hebron. At the time of their interview, the fate of Naftali was unknown.

“She didn’t know whether he was dead or alive. You try to be just a journalist, but at the end of the day, I’m also human and a mother and it was impossible not to connect. It was heart-breaking and you really feel for these for these families, you feel their pain.

“Equally there were times I would go and interview a Palestinian family whose son had gone and carried out a terror attack, and they are in mourning as well. I came to understand it doesn’t matter if they’re Jewish or Palestinian – everyone feels the pain of losing a child or a loved one in the same way.”

While there was little opportunity to incorporate that emotion into a hard news report, Eglash instead banked those experiences for when she would eventually write her novel.

Seeing Parallel Lives in print is a long ambition fulfilled, she says, having harboured a desire to become a writer since childhood.

“I always wanted to be a writer, I always wanted to write books,” she recalls with a smile. “I got my first typewriter when I was eight and I used to write stories with it all the time. When I was about 12, I hand-wrote my first ever book in my neatest handwriting and sent it o to Corgi Books. They sent me a very lovely rejection letter saying it doesn’t quite fit our books right now, but encouraging me to keep on writing. And so I did.”

For 30 years Eglash honed her skills as a journalist, but all the while she mulled over the idea of writing a work of fiction. The first seeds were sown when her eldest daughter, Gefen, then 12, started going to school in the centre of Jerusalem during a renewed wave of violence in the Israeli capital.

“She came home asking me, ‘Why are there people who hate us? What did we do to them?’ I began to think about how we don’t really think about the impact this conflict is having on young people.”

The experiences of Gefen, now 21, and her teenage friends largely inspired the character of Tamar, while Eglash also sat down with young ultraOrthodox girls to help flesh out the story behind Rivki.

She also spoke with several young Palestinian women to shape the character of Nour. “It was interesting to hear their experience of growing up in Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty and their take on the conflict.”

Eglash concedes that it was not a conscious decision to narrate the conflict through the voices of three young females, but is glad her novel turned out that way.

“I think it’s a good thing to tell the story from their perspective, because we don’t always hear that,” she explains. “As journalists we always hear the loudest voices and those tend to be the most extreme – we don’t always pay attention to the more moderate voices, which often belong to women and which advocate for something other than combat and violence.”

Having covered the conflict over decades and spoken to those whose lives have been impacted on both sides, Eglash may well be in a stronger position than most to understand the causes and the solution – but the IsraelPalestinian conflict is far more nuanced than people realise, as Parallel Lines shows.

“People see this conflict in such simplistic terms, but it’s so very not,” she explains. “In fact, it’s very, very complicated and there is no straightforward answer. If there is one message we can take, it’s that everyone has their narrative and everyone has their claim. We need to find a way we can live together.”

so very not,” she explains. “In fact, and there is no straightforward answer. If there is one everyone has their narrative and everyone has their claim. together.”

Parallel Lines by Ruth Marks Eglash is published by Black Rose Writing, £15.95

Jerusalem correspondent Ruth Marks Eglash examines the IsraelPalestinian conflict through the eyes of three teenagers, writes Sarah Miller

They may not be the easiest family to get on with but we all fell a little bit in love with the Ermosas last year when they hit our screens in TheBeautyQueenofJerusalem. And now they’re back! On 14 July all 16 episodes of season two will air on Netflix

The setting is 1940s Jerusalem and things are a bit strained between newlyweds Luna (Swell Ariel Or) and David (Israel Ogalbo) as they enter a bohemian British circle. Meanwhile Gabriel (Michael Aloni) is searching for the son he never knew he had from his a air with Rochel (Yuval Scharf) and the family shop hits hard times, forcing Rosa (Hila Saada) and the women of the family to take matters into their own hands. We will see Ephraim (Tom Hagi) become even more radical in his actions putting the whole family in danger, all while the threat of the Second World War becomes critical.

“Acclaimed for its lavish design, period reconstruction and masterful storytelling, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is one of Israel’s most addictive and ambitious series to date and season one proved a big hit with viewers all over the world,” says Sharon Levi, managing director of Yes Studios (which also produces Fauda and Shtisel). “The same characters return in season two, with the backdrop moving more from the dying days of the Ottoman Empire to The British Mandate and World War II –providing a fascinating history of a fledgling country as well as the passionate and heart-breaking story of the Ermosa family.”

Adapted from the best-selling novel by the same name, written by Sarit Yishai-Levi, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem won four awards at the Israeli TV Academy Awards, including best daily drama.

 The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is on Netflix from tomorrow

Rosa (Hila Saada)

Luna (Swell Ariel Or) and David (Israel Ogalbo)

Gabriel (Michael Aloni)

David (Israel Ogalbo)

WIN tickets to one of THREE fun family shows this summer with Nimax Kids!

FAMILY FUN AT THE THEATRE

Believe in unicorns this summer with an enchanting story about the power of books, zoom into outer space for a joyful tale of star-crossed aliens and travel back in time to discover the legends (and the lies!) of the torturing Tudors...

The Smeds and The Smoos at the Lyric Theatre, 20 July-3 September. From £10. Age 3+. Soar into space with Tall Stories’ exciting adaptation of the award-winning book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Sche ler – also seen in the BBC TV animation on Christmas Day.

Horrible Histories - Terrible Tudors at the Garrick Theatre, 27 July-2 September. From £18.50. Age 5 to 105! We all want to meet people from history. The trouble is everyone is dead! So Terrible Tudors is back with the hit West End show for a second sensational year.

I Believe in Unicorns by Michael Morpurgo at the Apollo Theatre, 27 July-12 August. From £12.50. Age 6+ Award-winning storyteller Danyah Miller brings best-selling children’s author Michael Morpurgo’s treasured story to life. This intimate show is set in a library full of books that hold more than stories within their pages.

TECH THAT!

There’s something for the whole family at Nimax Theatres this summer! For more information and to book your tickets, visit nimaxtheatres.com

Terms & Conditions

Three lucky families can win four tickets (minimum one adult) to see the Nimax Kids show of their choice, valid from 1 to 25 August 2023. Closing date 27 July. To enter visit jewishnews.co.uk/nimax-summer23

Ticket allocation for your chosen show will be subject to availability. Only one entry per household. No cash alternative available. Travel and accommodation not included

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – BIG on features, BIG on size!

Available from Samsung, Amazon, John Lewis, Curry’s and more RRP – from £1,249

WHAT IS IT?

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is Samsung’s yearly top-of-the-line smartphone with pretty much every feature a user could want.

PLUS POINTS

• Samsung’s design and build quality are still top notch and impressive.

• The phone is boxier than last year’s and fits nicer in the hand with a good amount of heft .

• The phone is more sustainable than last year’s with double the amount of recycled metal, glass and plastic used.

• Screens are where Samsung always shines. This year is no different. Colours are bight, the screen is sharp and gets very bright in direct sunlight.

• Last year’s processor was abysmal. This year Samsung has switched to using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and it does wonders for this phone in terms of speed and battery life alone. Samsung even worked with the manufacturer to optimise the chip for this device.

• I was able easily to get a full day out of the battery with medium to heavy usage.

• As usual the cameras on this phone are exceptional. Photos come out punchy and crisp. There are also more camera

modes than the average person would need including one that lets you take photos of 200 megapixels!

the

• Years of software updates means you’ll be able to use this phone well until 2027.

NIL POINTS

• The S Pen stylus makes this phone unique and helps give it the Ultra moniker. I personally don’t find it very useful but for someone else it may be a killer feature.

• Whilst most other phones are offering super-fast charging, the S23 Ultra still charges at 45w speeds which isn’t terrible but could be much improved.

you’ll be able to use this phone well huge. It’s a literal handful for people

• As mentioned, this phone is boxy and huge. It’s a literal handful for people with small hands.

• The price will be limiting for a lot of people.

VERDICT ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡

For the majority of people the regular S23 and S23+ will be the best phone upgrade you’ve had in years, but for those that want the biggest, best, featurepacked phone then the S23 Ultra is it.

by Daniel Elias TikTok @daniel_ _Elias Instagram @daniel_elias

Reviewed

Business / Marc Nohr

IS FLEXIBLE WORKING HERE TO STAY?

Afew years ago, Marc Nohr was something of an anomaly. As the then group CEO of major marketing firm Miroma, he was among a minority of senior business leaders working flexibly. Fast forward and flexible working has been thrust into the mainstream as the pandemic reshaped the world of work. Many questioned whether the traditional o ce model had been altered forever.

But as we move on in the post-pandemic world, Covid has not revolutionised work in the way many thought it would, says Nohr, one of the UK’s most recognised creative entrepreneurs.

He adds: “The debate on whether it’s as productive to work from home or flexibly was overtaken by the brutal realities of lockdown,

where everyone was working from home (if they could). In the period of adjustment since, we have flipped and flopped between ‘working from home is the new normal’ and ‘working from home is a bit lonely and not conducive to learning and maybe we should go back to the o ce’.

“While we shouldn’t mandate that everyone needs to be in the o ce all the time, there is definitely an enduring role for o ces, and I don’t think that Covid revolutionised that.”

Nohr has been a leading figure in the creative industries for more than three decades.

The former founder of Kitcatt Nohr, one of the UK’s top agencies of the 2000s with clients including Waitrose, Starbucks and Apple, today he works across a portfolio of organi-

Are you affected by

advertising agency Fold7, strategic marketing consultancy Stick & Twist and London’s Jewish cultural centre JW3. He is also working on new ventures in the areas of fitness, wellness and entertainment.

A father of three, Nohr was an advocate of flexible working long before most. In 2018, while chairman and CEO of Fold7, now part of the Miroma Group, he moved to a four-daya-week role. He was credited as being the first male chief executive of a large business to announce he did so.

“I looked to some of the most amazing people I know who operate at high levels and who observe their own schedule and I realised there was a connection. Creativity doesn’t happen between nine and five,” says Nohr, who was included in the 2020 Timewise Power 50, which celebrates senior executives working flexibly.

“I also thought about the words of former US senator Joe Lieberman in The Gift of Rest and how observing the Jewish Sabbath is a cornerstone of his week. Switching o for at least a day is vital. Religious Jews have been doing this for thousands of years for a reason. They have ritualised rest and protected it within the week.”

Workplaces are catching up with the benefit of o ering flexible working, but not entirely or uniformly.

Many companies, including giants Amazon, Disney, JP Morgan and Meta have been calling workers back into the o ce postCovid. And some workers, who were reluctant to return, are finding maybe it’s not so bad after all. Other businesses are still allowing permanent working from home.

According to recent ONS government figures, the majority of people – 63.9 percent – never work from home, while 21.4 percent work from the o ce and remotely. Just 7.8 percent of workers were based at home permanently, the survey said.

Nohr, a member of Hampstead Synagogue, believes that everyone should have the opportunity to work from home if the job and

circumstances allow, but says much depends on the nature of the job: “For some aspects of the creative industry for example, being in the o ce is vital, whereas for others it’s not always conducive.

“We can’t multi-task; it’s a myth. It means your attention is shallow and split between competing demands. Working flexibly allows time and space for proper, considered work. To do ‘deep work’, you have to switch o sometimes. I’m evangelical about it.”

For many people, having the opportunity to work flexibly and from home has been transformational; no commute and a better work-life balance.

Employers can have the benefit of the reduced overhead costs and a larger talent pool to choose from, as geography doesn’t necessarily matter.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt caused a stir earlier this year by saying working in the o ce should be the “default” unless there is a good reason for working from home.

He added that while working remotely had produced “exciting opportunities”, he was worried about “the loss of creativity” when it is permanent.

“The situation is beyond binary,” says Nohr. “It’s not about ‘stay at home’ or ‘work in an o ce’ (unless you are a sole worker or can’t work from home).

“If you want great people, you will have to show a degree of flexibility for workers to show that they can align a balance between di erent parts of their lives.”

He adds: “For collaboration and sharing ideas, there is no substitute for the o ce. That di erence of perspective and richness is very di cult to achieve on Zoom. That kind of collaboration requires people to be present, as does learning from others.

“What does an apprenticeship mean if you’re sitting at home alone, especially for young people who may not have a home o ce so are working from the edge of their bed!

“For that generation, who want to learn and absorb, we need to see a return to o ces.”

Marc Nohr

MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

BY ARIEL ABEL HM LAND ARMY MILITARY CHAPLAIN TO 206 (NW)

Promises

The latest news on the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine includes news of the broken promises of major companies such as Heineken, Unilever and Oreo-maker Mondelez to either leave or scale back their operations in Russia.

This week’s parsha, MatotMasei, starts out by discussing the laws of vows. Words are easy to utter, but the Torah holds us to our word. A promise must be fulfilled, unless it promises a transgression of

God’s law. There is a way out in a domestic situation to avoid pledging to debt, whereby for example the head of a house may annul a promise he hears made in the home.

The scripture then tells how the Israelites waged war against the Midianites, a people committed to destroying ancient Israel both morally and physically. The war was a retaliation for their e orts to tempt Israel into morally objectionable conduct. War spoils from that war were divided among the people and also tithed to the priests. Moses strongly objected to the taking of women captives, not least because this was the reason for

the initial downfall of Israel at the hand of the Midianites.

Following this war, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh asked not to inherit with the remaining tribes of Israel on the West Bank of the Jordan, preferring instead to remain on the East Bank (modern Jordan). Moshe accepted their request after pointing out that only if they joined their brothers in the general conquest could they do so.

The reading of Masei lists the 42 stations of Israel in the Sinai desert and delineates the borders of what will be the Holy Land. In anticipation of entering Canaan, Moses appoints new tribal leaders to

divide up the land and allocates cities of refuge and rehabilitation sta ed by Levites. These cities are especially relevant to the negligent killers who escape the fate of murderers but who are, according to the Torah, guilty of manslaughter.

Thus, the first four books of the Torah culminate in the desire of God for His people to settle the Land of Israel.

Anti-Israel rhetoric has a long and inglorious history. This reading reassures the readers of scripture that the adherents of the law of Moses have nothing to fear from detractors, but the Israelite camp also needs to resolve to be united. In the words of Moses to the tribes of Gad and

Reuben: “Will your brothers do battle while you sit here?”

Moses urges the tribes of Israel to stand together in common enterprise. Taking responsibility for words said and promises made, and fraternally shouldering responsibility for the common good, are central to the philosophy and practice of Torah. Even a child

Synagogue

must not be promised anything by an adult if the adult has no intention of fulfilling their word. No word is too secular to become a promise sacred to its beneficiary.

 Rabbi Abel completed officers’ training at Sandhurst Military Academy last month

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must be fulfilled

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

Heineken has broken its promise on trade with Russia

Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI DANNY RICH SOUTHGATE PROGRESSIVE SYNAGOGUE

Mitzvah Day is another Jewish contribution to society

Volunteering in its modern form is a relatively novel idea whereby a person, without a specific obligation and in the absence of being paid, o ers to carry out a supportive task on behalf of another individual or a group. A fantastic example in our faith communities is the Jewish-led Mitzvah Day, which takes place every November. This year’s e ort was launched last week.

The Judaism of our Torah is primarily about duties and obligations and corresponding rights.

At its basis, however, is the process of sacrifice, including tithing. Sacrifice involved o ering via the religious cult the best of one’s herd, flock or produce, which had a number of purposes. As I remind my congregants when there is an appeal, sacrifice or the modern equivalents, charitable giving, was meant to be felt. It is supposed to hurt a little.

There were also tithes – a percentage, usually 10 percent –of new produce which again supported the cultic system as a whole, and these were accompanied by a general obligation to provide support as a matter of justice to one less fortunate than

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the donor. In the rabbinic period, this came to be represented by the communal chest, to which every person was expected to contribute and from which anyone could draw if their circumstances so required it.

A more modern response, fitting with our communal charities such as Mitzvah Day and the Jewish Volunteering Network, is that just as one tithes one’s earnings, so one should tithe one’s time or e orts.

Jews are rightly proud of the contributions we, and the Hebrew culture, have made to the societies where we have found our home. These include the idea of a Sabbath, a day o each week; they encompass impressive social services which sometimes serve communities beyond our own; and they are underpinned by a level of voluntary donations and service to the arts, medicine and science and to public advancements which benefit the populations among which the Jews live.

Who would have believed that every year in the United Kingdom, during its National Interfaith Week, tens of thousands of people of all faiths and no faith would carry out a voluntary, unpaid act of social justice under the banner of Mitzvah Day? Furthermore, that the only relationship between those giving and those receiving these acts of kindness would be a commitment and a willingness on the part of one and a need on the part of the other?

Volunteering in the 21st century is no longer about maintaining the religious cult but at its core is the religious maxim: “Do not separate yourself from the community” (Pirke Avot 2:4) and “If I am not myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” (Pirke Avot 1:14).

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

The basis of Jewish volunteering is the idea of sacrifice

Ask our

Our trusty team of advisers answers your questions about everything from law and finance to dating and dentistry. This week: Making a stress-free move to Israel, avoiding HRT for the menopause and arranging a will...

STEPHEN MORRIS REMOVALS MANAGING DIRECTOR STEPHEN MORRIS SHIPPING LTD

Dear Stephen

I’ve never moved home before and would be interested to know what exactly you include in your moving services to Israel please?

Amie

Dear Amie

The move from the UK to Israel should be as stress-free as possible. This is what we aim for with every move.

Usually, I will come and visit you and survey so as to assess the overall volume for the shipment. At the time of my visit we can discuss any special requirements such as wooden cases for glass and marble etc. I will

SASSY LA FEMME

Dear Angela

Is hormone replacement therapy the only way forward?

Jenny

Dear Jenny

I’m often asked about alternatives to HRT, especially by those women who are not able to take HRT for medical reasons. For many women HRT works well, but not necessarily for all their symptoms.

also answer any questions that you may have concerning the move.

Once my quotation has been accepted and dates agreed for the move, we will send an experienced crew to pack your shipment and remove it for loading either into a container on site or at one of our depots. The shipment will then travel to Israel. We attend to all shipping documents, clear through UK customs and load to the vessel sailing to Israel.

The sea journey takes just 14 days and, on arrival, our partners will clear the shipment through customs and arrange delivery to your new home. We will pay all the port charges etc. and, on delivery, unpack the furniture and place it where you require. We will assemble anything that we have disassembled for the journey and cartons will be left in whichever room you choose. Then we will remove all the packing debris on the day of delivery. Overall, still stress-free!

There are a number of other options which may help alleviate some of the common menopausal symptoms, such as regular exercise, yoga, hypnotherapy and/or herbal remedies.

As always, it’s good to bear in mind the general things to help your wellbeing such as avoiding alcohol, ca eine and cigarettes. And certain things you can do to help the discomfort of hot flushes, including dressing in layers so these can be removed when you experience a hot flush. Also, carrying a portable fan to help cool you down.

Of course, I’m a firm believer in magnetic therapy. It’s safe and easy to use and one of – if not

the – best alternative or complement to HRT during menopause.

LaBalance by Sassy La Femme is drug-free, has no known long term sidee ects, though some women do feel a bit nauseous for the first two weeks of wearing, it’s worth sticking it out. I thought of giving up on my trial of LaBalance and am so pleased I didn’t as I am now one of many women who tell us they are symptom-free.

For professional menopause advice you should always contact your medical practitioner if you decide to stop taking HRT.

If you have found anything you’ve tried helps your menopause symptoms, please let me know at hello@ sassylafemme.com

CAROLYN ADDLEMAN DIRECTOR OF LEGACIES

KKL EXECUTOR & TRUSTEE COMPANY

Dear Carolyn I have no family so have appointed two friends as executors under my will. Most of my assets are held digitally and I am worried that they won’t be able to access the information when they need it.

Max

Dear Max

This is an important issue

and one that is becoming more and more common.

At KKL we advise clients to make a list of their assets and any debts and to consider either sharing it with their executors or at least telling them where the list is kept.

Understandably, you may have concerns about confidentiality and safeguarding this sensitive information.

You could leave it in a sealed envelope marked ‘to be opened after my death’, especially if your will is deposited with a professional organisation.

It is important to review and update the list regularly.

In this digital age people have an increasing number of online accounts, not just for banking and investments but also on sites such as eBay and

Amazon or funds in a PayPal account.

Consider including password and account details in your list as long as you are satisfied with secure storage arrangements for the list and remember to update it.

When the inevitable happens, your executors need to be able to access all your assets and liabilities both hard copy and, more importantly, digital. Postal redirection helps with the former and this is something KKL always does.

It helps to ‘capture’ any missing assets, though it won’t solve the digital tracking issue. This will need forward thinking on your part by putting digital access in place now for your executors to use only after your death.

Ask Our Experts / Professional advice from our panel

MENOPAUSE CHAMPION LABALANCE

ANGELA DAY-MOORE

Qualifications:

• Founder & CEO Sassy La Femme Women’s Wellness

• Passionate about women’s wellbeing

• Home to LaBalance

• Recommended by fellow women for period, perimenopause & menopause

MENOPAUSE CHAMPION LABALANCE 0333 188 6580 www.sassylafemme.com hello@sassylafemme.com

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

CAREER ADVISER

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

LESLEY TRENNER

Qualifications:

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

• Offers mock interviews and workshops to maximise job prospects

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

RESOURCE

020 8346 4000

www.resource-centre.org office@resource-centre.org

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

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

Superb care in a setting

OFFER

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

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

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

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

As our motto says:

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

Muswell Hill

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

Hampstead

The ultimate in comfort, Spring Grove is situated on the Finchley Road near to Swiss Cottage and is close to local shops, cultural facilities and a tube station.

Enfield

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

PREMIER CARE HOMES IN NORTH LONDON

ANTIQUES

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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

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MAKE SURE YOU CONTACT US BEFORE SELLING

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For a free quote please phone Dave on 07913405315 any time.

HOME & MAINTENANCE

352560

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• CVs and personal statements

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LAW MENTOR

Thinking of a career in law?

WEB DESIGN

Already in law but need a change?

• CVs and personal statements

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THE JEWISH NEWS CROSSWORD

9 Full of self-importance (7)

10 Colour of a leguminous vegetable (3,5)

11 Butcher’s product (4)

13 Absolve (6)

15 Worker who cuts timber (6)

18 Actor’s character (4)

19 Skirt, evade (8)

22 Bubble of gas in a pipe (7)

23 Given inner backing (5)

24 ___ pole, religious symbol (5)

25 Easily alarmed (7)

DOWN

1 Popular picnic food (4,3)

2 Latin American dance (5)

3 ‘First Lady’ of a town (8)

4 Sibling’s son (6)

5 Source of light (4)

6 Raining intermittently (7)

7 Adjust (a clock) (5)

12 Campaign strategy (4,4)

14 Person at fault (7)

16 Briskly (7)

17 Union (4-2)

18 Behave (5)

20 Part of a uniform (5)

21 Bubbly froth (4)

WORDSEARCH CODEWORD

The listed synonyms of beautiful 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.

EP YLE MO C BKY

In this finished crossword, every letter of the alphabet appears as a code number. All you have to do is crack the code and fill in the grid. Replacing the decoded numbers with their letters in the grid will help you to guess the identity of other letters.

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

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.

O

HZ SU OR OM AL G

IZ HB IR HM UR I

NA YN NO BEE NS

GD GO PR ET TY A

HUNKY LOVELY PRETTY RADIANT

Crossword

10

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

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

R e t r e a t e x p e r i e n c e - S p a & W e l l n e s s ( K o s h e r ) 3 6 5 d a y s a y e a r i n t h e m o u n t a i n s o f C y p r u s

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Rooms, suites & villas with private pools

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• Complimentary Tea & Coffee 24/07

• For adults only!