1328 - 17th August 2023

Kindest cut

Charity haircut in honour of late wife’s cancer battle Page 8

My call of duty

Meet the Israeli soldier who commutes from London Page 7

Shul saves Muslim family from Sudan

Refugee rescues his wife and child from war-torn state with help of West London Synagogue

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

A Sudanese-born Muslim man who fled the war-torn state for a new life in Britain has risked his life for a second time to bring his wife and baby daughter to this country with the help of West London Synagogue

Salih Adam, 35, who received UK citizenship this year, was due to arrive at Heathrow this morning after completing a dangerous journey back to his homeland to rescue his wife Moram, 35, and 10-month-old Warif from the on-going civil war, which has seen more than one million people flee the country.

The family’s arrival in the UK comes as a result of the remarkable work done on their behalf by members of Britain’s oldest progressive shul, alongside others at a local mosque and nearby church.

Nic Schlagman, head of social action and interfaith at WLS, who has become friends with Salih since he was directed to the shul’s homeless shelter by a local charity in 2014, praised his “absolute bravery and determination” to be reu-

nited with his family.

He also reflected on the historical fact that help, often from strangers, had saved countless Jewish families from being wiped out during the Holocaust.

“Family members living in Germany at the time figured they could get my grandmother, who was five-years-old, out of a small town in Poland and onto a train to London to ensure her safety,” said Shlagman. “She was taken in and brought up by strangers in London who paid to do this themselves.

“I grew up in a household where we knew that the kindness of strangers was literally the only reason we were alive, when people around us wanted to kill us.

“Helping Salih and his family was not done out of self-interest but a sense that people in the world simply need our help. I feel a tremendous sense of pride that we have been able to complete a circle.”

Alongside other shul members, a group of volunteers had worked tirelessly to organise Salih’s risky route to his family, and their eventual journey back to the UK.

The family reunion was also made possible with the assistance of Rabbi Sybil Sheridan, renowned for her work in providing assistance to the Jews of Ethiopia, who provided a fixer for Salih as he risked his life on the border with Sudan to get passports to his wife and infant child.

Schlagman praised the Home O ce, and sta at Labour leader Keir Starmer’s constituency o ce, near where Salih lives, for their critical help.

Schlagman also confirmed the Saudi

Continued on page 4

A NOSE FOR CONTROVERSY

accused Cooper of reinforcing antisemitic caricatures by adopting the fake nose.

Hollywood actor Bradley Cooper is facing criticism for the use of a prosthetic nose in his portrayal of Jewish conductor Leonard Bernstein (pictured, inset). The backlash comes as Netflix released a teaser for Maestro, with Cooper playing the conductor opposite Carey Mulligan as actress and activist Felicia Montealegre Bernstein, who became his wife and with whom he had three children. Critics have

Salih Adam (left) with King Charles

Israel finance minister Bezalel Smotrich’s decision to cut funding for educational programmes earmarked for Palestinian youth in East Jerusalem is based on false arguments, Hebrew University has warned, writes Jotam Confino.

Smotrich caused uproar last week when he announced he was freezing £42m for a five-year educational programme for Palestinians, along with £66m for Arab Israeli municipalities that had been approved by the previous government.

The far-right minister claimed that the funding was going to terrorist and criminal activities and leading to extremism but provided no evidence.

Hebrew University told Jewish News that not only is Smotrich’s claim incorrect but his decision will hurt both Israelis and Palestinians.

Director of strategy and diversity Prof Mona Kassabri said: “It’s discrimination. None of his arguments are true. For example, he said that our programme is affecting the number of international students, which isn’t true.”

The university is one of the Israeli institutions that allows Palestinians from East Jerusalem to enrol in higher education preparatory programmes. The initiative, which is aimed at integrating Palestinians into Israeli society, was

approved by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in 2016. Since then, the programmes have increased in popularity.

Kassabri added: “Seven years ago, 80 Palestinian students enrolled. This year, we have 450 [and] this year, nine out of 72 in computer science are Palestinians from East Jerusalem,

which is one of the most competitive faculties. But they are integrated in all faculties.

She said Smotrich, who has been accused of racism for his decision to cut funding, had been advised by many professionals who agree that the programme plays a positive role. This included the Shin Bet, the mayor of Jerusalem

and the university. “They all told him it’s a good programme.”

Hebrew University took pride in preparing pupils for a future in the Israeli workforce, she went on.

“The students take courses in Hebrew and English and go on tours to Yad Vashem, the Knesset and the Supreme Court to get exposed to Israeli society. It’s different from what they are used to in the Palestinian curriculum.”

The programme, Kassabri added, also helped to build a bridge between Israelis and Palestinians who otherwise do not engage with each other. “The goal is that they will be open to seeing they are different to how they have perceived each other their whole lives,” she said.

Because the 450 Palestinian students have started their studies, the university will allow them to continue, despite not knowing if it will receive government funds.

“We hope we get the money, otherwise we won’t be able to continue next year,” Kassabri said. “[Parents] want their kids to have a future. This is what we are trying to give them.”

Sit at back, girls told

A group of teenage girls wearing shorts and tank tops were told to sit at the back of a bus in Israel on Sunday in order not to offend strictlyOrthodox  passengers.

The girls were about to board a Nateev Express bus from the city of Ashdod to Kfar Tavor in northern Israel when the driver spoke to them about their clothes.

When the girls asked why the way they dressed was a problem, the bus driver said: “When you get on a bus where there are religious and ultraOrthodox people who respect your way of life, you should respect theirs,” according to a Times of Israel translation.

Israeli law forbids discrimination and the bus line said it would take “all the necessary

steps in a determined attempt to prevent a recurrence of such incidences”.

PALESTINE ENVOY APPOINTED

Saudi Arabia has appointed its first “non-resident ambassador to the State of Palestine”.

The kingdom’s current envoy to Jordan, Nayef Al-Sudairi, handed his credentials to the Palestinian Authority at its embassy in Amman on Monday and will act as both the ambassador to Jordan and a non-resident Saudi consul in Jerusalem.

“This important step will contribute to strengthening the strong and solid brotherly

relations that bind the two countries” Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas’ diplomatic adviser, Majdi al-Khalidi, said at the ceremony.

The move was seen as another part of the Saudi-Israel normalisation process which foreign media reports say will require Israel to make concessions on the Palestinian issue.

Israel foreign minister Eli Cohen said the ambassador would not be allowed to reside in an official consulate in Jerusalem.

Jewish Hawaii relief effort

Jewish groups in the United States have launched relief efforts following the devastation caused by Hawaii wildfires that have killed at least 100 people.

The disaster has all but destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui, which Hawaii’s Jewish

governor Josh Green toured after the outbreak with Brian Schatz, the state’s Jewish senator. “What we saw was likely the largest natural disaster in Hawaii state history,” Green said in a statement.

“It’s with much gratitude and humility to share that the Jewish congregation of Maui

and its grounds are safe,” the non-denominational synagogue said on its website.

“However, many in our community have lost their homes, businesses and also a loved one from the devastation.”

Schatz added: “Lahaina Town has been reduced to ashes. It’s heartbreaking.”

Palestinian university students in Jerusalem and (inset) Hebrew University’s Mona Kassabri

Netanyahu versus the IDF: the military crisis explained

by Jotam Confino in Israel

The Israeli army is struggling with thousands of reservists no longer turning up for duty in protest against the judicial reforms, as the government launches near-daily verbal attacks on the IDF.

The conflict between Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the IDF has brewed for months, leading to several clashes between ministers and the army’s top brass.

Far-right MKs from Religious Zionism and Jewish Power accuse the IDF of being too soft on the Palestinians, failing to protect settlers and being an extended arm of the left wing.

But the biggest crisis is the one in which the IDF is being criticised by the prime minister and his coalition members for explaining the severity of the crisis in the army to the public.

Last Friday, air force chief Tomer Bar said the harm was “worsening” due to the refusal by reservists to

turn up for duty and that the air force “won’t be the same as it was, even if everyone came back tomorrow”.

This led to a heated phone call in which Netanyahu, according to Channels 12 and 13, shouted at Tomer Bar and IDF chief Herzl Halevi, saying: “It looks like the army is running the country. You’re damaging our deterrent credibility. Why are you putting out headlines like this?”

Halevi reportedly stood his ground, telling Netanyahu: “It is our duty to issue a warning when the army’s fitness is at risk.”

On Monday, Netanyahu’s son Yair, who is believed to hold influence over his father, shared a Facebook post that said Halevi “will be remembered as the most failed and destructive chief of sta in the history of the IDF”.

Shortly after, defence minister Yoav Gallant issued a statement calling Halevi “one of the most excellent o cers I’ve met in all my years in the IDF and security establishment”.

Likud MK Tali Gotliv, who has attacked the IDF in recent months,

accused Halevi on Tuesday for harming the IDF and playing into the hands of Israel’s enemies by talking publicly about the crisis in the army.

Regional co-operation minister David Amsalem echoed Gotliv on Tuesday, lashing out at Halevi and Bar: “In any normal army, you treat rebels like rebels should be treated. This is happening on their watch. This will enter the history books. People will learn in 20 and 30 years who the chief of sta was and who the air force chief was and what happened.”

Netanyahu has been criticised in the media by Israeli security experts and opposition lawmakers for letting the IDF give a full briefing to the security cabinet about the damage to the army’s operational readiness.

In July, more than 10,000 soldiers in the army reserve said they would no longer show up for duty because of the government’s judicial overhaul.

This led to attacks by coalition members against the reserve soldiers, of whom 1,000 serve in the air force.

“A country that submits to the

threats of generals will be a country ruled by a military junta,” said finance minister Betzalel Smotrich.

National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said: “We will not give in to this dangerous attempt to create chaos, so that the army, which in a democratic country is subordinate to

the government, will be the one that bends the government.”

According to a Channel 12 report, Halevi asked Netanyahu to condemn the continuation of attacks by his government members against the military generals but the prime minister refused.

Benjamin Netanyahu, defence minister Gallant and the IDF’s Herzl Halevi

Credit: Kobi Gideon, GPO

Israelis import XR tactics

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

The co-founder of Extinction Rebellion has been advising the leaders of a radical group taking part in the protests against Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul, it has emerged.

Roger Hallam, who founded the non-violent environmental movement in 2018, is said to have been mentoring leaders of Constitution from Below on tactics in demonstrations against Israel’s far-right government.

Hallam reportedly gave the Israeli protesters “many hours of discus-

sions and learning under his tutelage” in a series of Zoom meetings with the founders the group, who say their goal is to develop a “constitution by

broad agreement that is written by the people, for the benefit of the people”.

The 57-year-old’s involvement with the more radical side of the Israel’s anti-government protest movement was revealed in a feature in Haaretz on the young people trying to fight back against the Jewish state’s slide into authoritarianism.

The newspaper spoke with activists aged 16 to 24 determined to change the future of the Israeli state, including Ariel Dukelski and Omer Ovadiya, from Tel Aviv, and Givatayim, founders of Constitution from Below. Ovadiya, 23, said he had travelled to London for a meeting with Hallam, to develop

JLM unveils meetup in Manchester

ideas on becoming more influential among those taking part in the Israeli protests. He told Haaretz that at the initial meeting Hallam said: “Listen, find a group of five or six people and I’ll help you. Fifty percent of the work is finding the people.’”

Ovadiya said that after recruiting the group, including Dukelski, they held further meetings with Hallam on Zoom. Ovadiya told Haaretz: “We want a constitution by broad agreement that is written by the people, for the benefit of the people.”

Jewish News has approached Hallam for comment over his involvement with Israeli protest groups.

Shul helps rescue Sudanese family

Continued from page 1

Arabian embassy in the UK had also been supportive, as the family escaped the war-ravaged republic by flying out to the city of Jeddah, before catching a final flight to London.

Philanthropist Edwin Shuker, who chairs the Board’s of Deputies’ communities and education division, also had a key role in the mission’s success.

But Schlagman said: “Salih is the real

hero in this story, someone who has travelled from Sudan, to Ethiopia, to Saudia Arabia to come home. What he has done is unbelievably brave. He has thrown himself into danger, just to be the best father and husband he could be.”

With his wife living at his mother’s home in Darfur, it took Salih two years to travel, first across Libya, then into Europe, and finally on a boat across the English channel before he would

arrive in UK in 2014, with the promise of work through contacts to provide for his family he left behind.

Civil war in Darfur meant his life was at risk if he stayed there. Inside the WLS homeless shelter he was o ered vital support, and shul members helped to pay for the doorman’s licence that allowed Salih to work.

At the time WLS shul members were also making monthly trips to Calais to

help migrants in the “jungle” camps. Salih o ered to volunteer on trips himself. When Prince Charles visited WLS to celebrate its 175th anniversary in 2015, Salih was one of six people connected to the shul that he spoke with, as the future King praised the social action work of the institution.

Moving to council accommodation in Camden, Salih has continued to do voluntary work for the shul.

The Jewish Labour Movement is to hold its first one-day northern conference. Senior Labour frontbenchers, including Yvette Cooper, Lucy Powell, Lisa Nandy and Alison McGovern, are taking part in the event in Manchester on 22 October. Baroness Anderson and Lord Mann are due to speak, alongside appearances by MPs Alex Sobel, Christian Wakeford, Charlotte Nicols and Bill Esterton. It is aimed at building on the success of JLM’s London one-day conferences at JW3.

Actor and mohel dies in New York

Cantor Philip Sherman’s biggest audience might have been for his role as a judge on the Netflix series OrangeistheNewBlack

But his most prominent role was as one of New York’s most in-demand mohels, performing, by his own estimate, more than 26,000 circumcisions during his 45-year career. “My record is 11 in one day – [two pairs] of twins and seven others,” he said in a 2014 interview. Sherman died this week, aged 67, in New York City, from pancreatic cancer.

Extinction Rebellion’s Roger Hallam helped anti-government protesters

‘Ban IRGC for welfare of Jews at university’

The Union of Jewish Students this week joined other communal organisations in calling for the government to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, writes Lee Harpin.

New UJS president Edward Isaacs wrote in the Times: “I never thought I would need to speak out against Iranian military leaders speaking to students.

“I did not think I would ever have to directly call for a group to be proscribed in the name of Jewish student welfare. Nonetheless, this is what I must do.”

The student body’s decision to call for proscription of the IRGC, which is central to the Iranian military structure, followed reports that the Islamic Students Association of Britain broadcasted anti-Jewish hate speeches at meetings. The Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies have also called for the proscription of the IRGC after the Foreign Office confirmed Iran has “increased its efforts to kill or kidnap individuals perceived to be enemies of the regime outside of Iran, including in the UK”.

Jewish Israeli individuals in the UK are reportedly said to be at risk.

But the government has resisted calls for the IRGC to be classed as a terrorist group, preferring to expand the criteria by which supporters

and companies can be put under sanctions.

The Foreign Office is also fearful that proscription might have led to the expulsion of the UK ambassador to Tehran. It also believes that the European Union is unlikely to take the step.

Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said last month that if her party won power it would ban state-sponsored organisations that pose a threat to the UK, including the IRGC.

• Editorial comment, page 14

A Labour councillor vying to become the party’s parliamentary candidate in the new seat of Blackpool North and Fleetwood has told Jewish News she “fully” supports the IHRA definition of antisemitism, after concern was raised about her decision to abstain on a vote on the issue three years ago, writes Lee Harpin.

Lorraine Beavers, one of four candidates on the shortlist for the seat, abstained from a vote at a full meeting of Wye Council in September 2020 over the adoption of the definition.

At the council meeting, held remotely during the pandemic, Beavers spoke wearing a Palestinian-style keffiyeh scarf. She was one of eight Labour councillors to abstain on the constitutional amendment, which passed easily, to include the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism in the council’s code of conduct.

Labour sources in the north west also told Jewish News that Beavers, who was a strong supporter of former leader Jeremy Corbyn, had spoken at events organised by the leftwing Campaign for Labour Party Democracy group, an organisation that have claimed attempts to tackle the party’s antisemitism problem were a “witch hunt” against socialists.

Local party sources told Jewish News that Beavers stands a “good chance” of becoming the Labour candidate. The new Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency is one of Labour’s target seats to win at the next election.

Members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps at a parliamentary session in

More than 450 rare maps handed over to National Library of Israel

One of the world’s greatest map collectors has made a hugely significant donation to the National Library of Israel (NLI), writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Howard Golden has gifted 466 rare maps of Israel, plus 120 books with prints and associated illustrations. The donation is particularly valuable as some 400 of the drawings are new to the NLI collection.

The antique illustrations, dating from 1475 to 1800, are in excellent condition after being preserved by Golden, who collected the historical works over several decades. A significant percentage were printed before 1700 and are defined as rare.

NLI has catalogued and digitised them for preservation and research purposes to be used as a primary source, downloadable and free for students, researchers and visitors from Israel and abroad.

Among the outstanding items in the Howard I. Golden Map Collection are a printed and hand-col-

oured Dutch-language map of Israel from 1593 and a hand-coloured version with Latin text from around 1653. Printed in Amsterdam it features illustrated Bible stories including the children of Israel crossing the Jordan, the murder of Absalom, the anointing of King Saul by the prophet Samuel and David facing Goliath.

Together with NLI’s Eran Laor Cartographic Collection, the Golden archive makes up the world’s largest collection of maps of Israel.

NLI head of collections Raquel Ukeles said: “This exquisite collection dramatically expands our holdings and reinforces our standing at the forefront of historical cartographic research and inquiry.”

CEO Oren Weinberg added: “This one of the most important donations recently received.”

The library has put the collection online, to allow the public interested in historical geography to enjoy “a collection that is both important and beautiful”.

CST HITS BACK AT MILLER Gateways moves in

The Community Security Trust has accused disgraced academic David Miller of maintaining his “long history of peddling antisemitic nonsense” after he chaired a discussion with anti-Israel writer Asa Winstanley, which featured sustained attacks on the trust, writes Lee Harpin.

The sacked Bristol University professor asked proJeremy Corbyn writer Winstanley to explain what he had “learnt about the Zionist movement, the Israel lobby, the CST” during the event at the Iran-linked Islamic Human Right Commission (IHRC) o ces in Wembley.

Winstanley, promoting his book Weaponising Antisemitism, repeatedly praised Miller for his own research, which he said showed “the CST works very closely with the Israeli state in order to delegitimise and attack people considered by Israel to be their enemies”.

Miller said he would not discuss inflammatory posts on social media last week in which he claimed “Jews are not discriminated against” and “are over-represented in Europe, North America and Latin America in positions of cultural, economic and political power”.

Winstanley told the small audience the CST had been behind delegitimisation of UK religious anti-Zionist

groups like the Neturei Karta and “secular anti-Zionists like Naomi Wimborne Idrissi” of the Jewish Voice For Labour Group.

Responding to the claims a CST spokesperson said: “David Miller has a long history of peddling antisemitic nonsense and anybody helping him to do it should be ashamed of themselves.”

Other organisations to be criticised by the pair for alleged links to Israel included the Jewish Labour Movement and the Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Independent charity Gateways is becoming a tenant at Norwood’s Kennedy Leigh Centre in Hendon.

The two organisations o er support to children and families facing challenges and Gateways will operate out of its own self-contained space at the north London hub from September.

Norwood is working with other partner organisations to focus resources in a tough economic climate.

Gateways is an organisation to help Jewish young people struggling in mainstream schools by providing bespoke academic and vocational courses. Its team of professional child and adolescent psychotherapists currently o er therapy delivered by Norwood’s psychological therapies team.

Norwood chief executive Naomi Dickson said she was delighted the organisation was able to o er “valuable workspace” to Gateways at what

she called “such a pivotal time in the organisation’s evolution”.

It was a di cult time not only for charities but for children and their families in the community facing challenges and it was “more important than ever before that our communal charities work cohesively where we can to serve the collective need”.

Dickson said Kennedy Leigh was “a vital community facility” and welcomed the Gateways team to “our special hub and to working collaboratively to signpost our individual tailored programmes of support so we can continue to reach as wide a cross section of children and families in the Jewish community as possible”.

Gateways founder and CEO Laurence Field said the charity was “very excited” to open in Hendon and have Norwood and its “essential children and family services” as neighbours.

Miller and Winstanley at the event in Wembley

A 1593 map of “the Land of Israel” from the Golden collection

Call of duty Jotam Confino meets an Israeli soldier who commutes from UK

“When I tell my comrades the army isn’t paying for my flights they call me a freier, Itamar Mayshar laughs, referring to the Hebrew word for “sucker”. But for the 34-year-old Dutch-Israeli sniper in the Israeli army reserve, it’s an honour to show up for duty despite living here in the UK, he told Jewish News.

Mayshar has an interesting story. He was born in Israel to an Israeli father and a Dutch mother, but due to his father’s job in a high-tech company the family moved around a lot, leaving Israel for the US when he was only two.

The family then moved to Belgium, Singapore and, finally, when Mayshar was seven, to Hereford where they spent the next 10 years.

When he finished secondary school, Mayshar flirted with the idea of moving

to a new country to study. But his brother, who is 18 years older and had served in the Israeli army, made him change his mind. “My brother said, ‘No, you are going back to Israel and going into the army and do your part’. And I thought he was right. I guess for my family it was always on the cards,” Mayshar recalls.

He served as a sniper with the rank of senior chief petty officer in the Givati Brigade, one of the Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) five infantry brigades and one of the two under the Southern Command.

A few years after finishing his tour, he decided to move back to the UK in 2018 to study. But unlike most Israelis who move abroad after the army, Mayshar insisted on continuing to show up for reserve duty, despite not being obligated to do so.

When he enrolled at university in the UK, he knew he had to ask for permission

to leave his studies occasionally to show up for duty in Israel. The authorities were very accommodating and took his special circumstances into consideration.

“They hadn’t dealt with a situation like this before, but they were very good about it,” Mayshar recalled. “They were understanding. It was foreign to them but they never gave me any problems about it.”

During four years of studying, he flew back to Israel six times for reserve duty, serving both in the West Bank and along the Egyptian border, taking his books with him to avoid falling behind in his studies.

“I’m not doing this for the money. It’s all about ideology. I believe in Israel and the importance of the army. I feel it’s our duty to go. We have to go when we are called up,” he said. Mayshar’s dedication to the IDF earned him an award as an “outstanding member” of the Reserve Corps.

Despite being raised in an Englishspeaking home and having been in different countries from the age of two to 18, Mayshar always felt connected to Israelis and Jews.

With no Jewish or Israeli community in Hereford , he was always pleased when the family met Israelis or Jews in other parts of the country. “I always felt more of a connection with them,” he said.

It was therefore only natural for him to get involved with the tiny Jewish representation at his university, ending up leading the Jewish society. “It’s important to me that there is a Jewish presence in the university,” he said.

Mayshar’s involvement in the university’s Jewish society as well as his strong belief in Israel come from his family’s deep roots in the Zionist movement. His greatgrandmother, Clara, participated in the first Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897.

“It’s not always easy or great to live in Israel, but it’s the only place that truly feels like home,” he explained. “And not in the sense that it’s the Holy Land, just that it’s my home. I was born a Jew and I will die a Jew.”

Much-travelled Itamar Mayshar in IDF uniform and, right, receiving his award for being an “outstanding” member of the Reserve Corps

DURING FOUR YEARS OF STUDY AT HIS UNIVERSITY IN THE UK, HE FLEW BACK TO ISRAEL SIX TIMES FOR RESERVE DUTY, TAKING HIS BOOKS WITH HIM TO AVOID FALLING BEHIND IN HIS STUDIES

£5k cancer plea in wife’s memory

A husband who lost his 56-yearold wife to bowel cancer five months ago is looking to fundraise £5,000 for a long overdue haircut to champion the charities that helped her, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

During her illness, Michele Kaye, from Mill Hill, had dedicated support from the charities Chai Cancer Care and Bowel Cancer UK. She was also a client at the Kink Hair salon in Daws Lane, where Martin, who grew his hair during lockdown, aims to have it cut on 10 September hoping to raise £5,000 in the process.

Writing on his JustGiving page, Martin says over the Covid period “like everyone else, I let my hair grow. After, when we were told we could go back to the hairdressers, I decided to continue to let it grow for charity and donate money raised in Michele’s name.”

To date, the page has raised more than £1,400 from 21 generous donors. Martin’s hair will be made into a wig for a cancer victim whose hair has been lost due to chemotherapy.

Martin and Michele were recommended to Chai as Michele’s condition worsened.

“In this safe haven,” Martin writes, “Michele was able to receive complimentary therapies to help her as well as counselling. When you are living with someone who is terminally ill you try imagine how you are going to feel when they are not around but when the day comes when your loved one passes, the

world that you knew and loved suddenly ends and all you are left with is pain, confusion and emptiness.” Describing Chai as “an amazing support” for the family, Martin is appealing to friends, family and the wider community for “both these fantastic causes so we can help other families use the centre as their lifeline.”

Chai chairman Louise Hager said the charity was “touched” by Martin’s gesture: “Each donation is deeply appreciated and will help us to continue to provide our support and care to all those who turn to us.”

Describing Kink Hair salon as Michele’s “happy place, in good days and bad days”, Martin adds “although we want to eliminate cancer, sometimes we can’t cure but we can help. Please give whatever you can.”

All proceeds will be split evenly between Bowel Cancer UK and Chai Cancer Care.

From Schindler’s List to The Red Sea Diving Resort, the award-winning non-Jewish actor Ben Kingsley has starred in a number of Holocaust and other Jewish-themed movies.

The recurring theme in his career wasn’t an accident, he said in a recent interview – he picked the roles because his “vigorously antisemitic” grandmother motivated him to want to speak out on the issue of racial hatred.

In Parade magazine this month, Kingsley was asked why he has played so many Jewish characters in film – his British mother is thought to have Jewish ancestry, but in a 1994 interview about Schindler’s List, in which he plays Schindler’s helper Itzhak Stern, he said “the thread is so fine, there’s no real evidence”.

He told Parade he remem-

bered as a schoolboy watching a TV series on World War II which featured the liberation of Belsen. He recalled: “I went into deep shock as a child.

“The disturbing part of this story is that I remember within the same few days having a conversation with my maternal grandmother,

who was inexplicably but quite vigorously antisemitic. So, the two impressions came to me almost simultaneously, and as a child it was very di cult for me, impossible for me to counter my grandmother’s outburst, but I think a seed was planted that said to me, ‘One day I will speak’.”

Martin and Michele with daughters Charlotte and Daniella

Ben Kingsley, right, in Schindler’s List

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Saudi pact ‘would reassure’

A US-Saudi defence pact would stabilise the Middle East and prevent Riyadh from seeking nuclear weapons in the future, Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has written in The Wall Street Journal

In a piece entitled ‘Korea is a model for Middle East peace’, Cohen said a defence pledge by Washington could “reassure Middle Eastern nations, primarily Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states”.

Cohen argued that this approach would make “individual nuclear ambitions unnecessary” while bolstering regional stability, and “promote the peace and normalisation agenda” referring to a much talked about Saudi-Israeli normalisation deal.

He used South Korea as an example to back up his claim about Saudi Arabia giving up any nuclear ambitions it might have.

“South Korea, despite living under the shadow of a nucleararmed neighbour and having the means to develop its own nuclear

weapons, has abstained from nuclearweapons development.

“The US’s defence commitment acts as South Korea’s deterrent against Northern aggression,” he said.

His comment came after The New York Times reported that Saudi Arabia is asking Washington for permission to develop a civilian nuclear programme in exchange for a deal with Israel.

Despite Saudi Arabia and Iran renewing diplomatic relations recently, Cohen claimed that a “united front, bringing together moderate Sunni nations and Israel, would be an e ective check on Iran’s growing ambitions.

Iran’s nuclear programme, which has developed significantly in the past year and made it a nuclear threshold state, still needs to be fought “through international economic and diplomatic pressure and a credible military threat,” said Cohen..

term comes back in use

Australia will resume referring to the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza as the “occupied Palestinian territories,” an uno cial policy change after the term fell out of favour over the past decade.

At the Labour Party’s caucus briefing, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government was strengthening its opposition to

Israeli settlements in the West Bank by “a rming they are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace”.

The West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza were occupied by Israel following the 1967 Six-Day War.

Most Australian ministers have avoided using the words “occupied” and “occupation” since 2014,

according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Wong’s announcement was criticised by members of the parliamentary opposition as well as by the Zionist Federation of Australia and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which issued a joint statement calling the change “inaccurate, ahistorical and counterproductive”.

ATTACKS ARE CONDEMNED

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has condemned a recent string of violent attacks on Christians in the country, calling it an “extreme and unacceptable” phenomenon.

Accompanied by leaders from various Christian denominations and communities, Herzog visited the Stella Maris Monastery in Haifa, where he spoke out against the rising number of attacks against Christians across the country.

“In recent months, we have seen very serious phenomena towards the Christian denominations in the Holy Land. Our brothers and sisters, Christian citizens, who feel attacked in their places of prayer, in their cemeteries, on the streets,” Herzog said. “This phenomenon needs to be uprooted, and I am very grateful to the Israel Police and the law enforcement agencies for taking this issue seriously.”

Israel has been criticised in recent months for failing to protect Christians, in particular in East Jerusalem, where numerous attacks have been documented and reported to police.

“We are committed to the story of the Christian denominations in the Holy Land, a special and unique story which has inspired people around the world,” Herzog said.“I come here on behalf of the entire State and people of Israel to reinforce our commitment to the full protection of freedom of religion and worship in the State of Israel.”

Abbot of Stella Maris, Father Jean Joseph Bergara, said: “We want to live together in peace and harmony. Thank you for your support.”

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‘Occupied’

US President Joe Biden, left, with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia

Criticised: Penny Wong

Israel ends Ukraine medical insurance

Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel has called the government’s decision to halt medical coverage for Ukrainian refugees deeply disappointing and urged it to reconsider, writes

Jotam Confino.

The move by Israel’s finance ministry will a ect some 14,000 Ukrainian refugees in  the country.

“We are deeply disappointed and troubled by the decision to terminate health insurance benefits for Ukrainian refugees,” said Ukrainian ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk.

“Not only does the Israeli government refuse to sell Ukraine protective measures against the murder of our citizens by the Russians – now Israel is also stopping medical assistance for refugees who fled to Israel from the threat of brutal killing at the hands of the Russians.

“We call on he Israeli government not to turn the back on a basic humanitarian act,” Korniychuk said.

Over the past 18 months, some 100 million shekels have been allocated to pro-

vide humanitarian relief to refugees, of which 80 percent was earmarked for health insurance. The aid helped more than 83,000 Ukrainian refugees.

The welfare and social a airs ministry also criticised the decision to withhold funds, urging both the finance ministry and the prime minister’s o ce “to address this matter urgently”.

The welfare and social a airs o ce added: “It’s worth noting that, at present, the ministry will persist in o ering welfare and emergency housing services to Ukrainian war refugees in Israel.”

Korniychuk called on the government to “uphold its commitment to fundamental humanitarian values by safeguarding the wellbeing of Ukrainian refugees”.

ISRAELIS IN ETHIOPIA RESCUE

Israel has evacuated more than 200 people from a northern province of Ethiopia where a militia is fighting government forces.

The evacuees include 174 people from the city of Gondar in Amhara province, historically a gathering spot for people awaiting authorisation to move to Israel.

Another 30 Israelis were taken from Amhara’s capital Bahir Dar to Addis Ababa, with some continuing on to Israel.

Some 150,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel, many involved with or descendants of those airlifted from Ethiopia in the 1980s and 1990s.

“The State of Israel looks after its citizens wherever they are,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

“In recent days, Israeli citizens and people eligible for aliyah [immigration] from Ethiopia became in distress in areas of combat. I directed that they be brought out of there.”

Producer up for NTA award

A Jewish producer has been nominated for a National Television Award for a moving documentary about the late Dame Deborah James, who lost her five-year battle with bowel cancer in June 2022 at the age of 40.

BBC Lucie Kon is one of several Jewish creatives given a nod in the Awards which will be announced in September.

She met James, who was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2017 aged just 35, during the pandemic, when she was fighting her own battle with breast cancer. The two initially made a Panorama programme together about the impact of Covid on cancer

treatment.

Kon then led a “brilliant team” to make ‘Bowelbabe in Her Own Words’, an 80-minute, incredibly moving

portrayal of the final weeks of James’s battle. It is testament to the strong friendship between the two women.

Speaking to Jewish News, Kon said she was proud of the team behind it: “I am so pleased and proud Deborah’s film has made the NTA shortlist. She would be so excited and busy posting on Instagram asking people to vote.

“We started making the film with Deborah. She was adamant that we worked with her family to finish it when she realised she wouldn’t be able to see it to completion. It’s going to be very special to go with her family and the team who made the film to the NTAs.”

Ukraine is urging Israel to safeguard refugees’ wellbeing

Lucie (right) with Deborah

NATURE

The of Israel

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

THIS WEEK: Golden Jackal

This Golden Jackal, a member of the wolf family, which is normally a nocturnal animal, was out during the middle of a summer day in Tel Aviv – presumably it was The Day of the Jackal! Only mad dogs and Englishmen were out in the midday sun.

dogs Englishmen were out in

We are delighted to invite you to our

Rosh Hashanah

With Guest Speaker Colonel Richard Kemp CBE Counter Terrorism Expert and former British Army Commander

Tuesday 5th September 2023 3pm-5pm

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Price £15 per person

RSVP: 020 8732 6143 or email sarah.emanuel-holder@kkl.org.uk

FOLLOW JULIAN ALPER: julian.alper.7 @alperjulian

UJS speaks for all on Iranian threat

Earlier this month, home secretary Suella Braverman pinpointed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as “the biggest threat to Britain’s national security”. The spectre of Iranian operatives plotting to kill British citizens, including prominent Jewish figures, is “something that keeps the security people up at night”, a Home O ce insider revealed.

The presidnet of the Union of Jewish Students, Edward Isaacs, is to be congratulated for keeping the spotlight firmly fixed on this pressing issue.

In a significant article published in The Times this week, he highlighted the evil influence of the IRGC and its propagation of anti-Jewish hate speeches within campus life.

In a time where hate-driven rhetoric knows no borders, the need to counteract this venomous influence in our universities cannot be understated.

Isaacs’ call for the IRGC’s proscription transcends political lines and underscores the importance of protecting basic democratic values.

By taking this crucial step, the government can demonstrate its resolve in the face of international terrorism. By o cially recognising the IRGC for what it is – a terrorist group – the UK would send a powerful signal that it is unwavering in its commitment to combating international terrorism and safeguarding its citizens.

Suella Braverman has identified the danger. Now is the time to replace words with action.

Bringing hatred on ourselves

The latest Community Security Trust (CST) antisemitic incidents report of 3 August shouldn’t come as a surprise. We don’t need reminding that antisemitism, in all its forms, has plagued us for more than 2,000 years and is still very much alive, kicking and getting worse – despite the gallant efforts of those organisations whose sole aim is to protect us. Sadly, it’s here to stay. If the Holocaust didn’t end antisemitism, nothing ever will.

In the same issue, you reported of demos [by mainly British citizens], protesting in central Lon-

don against Israel’s judicial overhaul. Before planning their next rally, they might do well to pay close attention to the CST report.

The world links Israel to Jews and vice versa. Whether a multitude of Israelis and diaspora Jews don’t choose to see it that way, like it or not, that’s the way it is. So, by the protesters ‘hanging Israel’s dirty linen in public’ they are playing into the hands of both the Israel-haters and the Jew-haters and that, of course, includes themselves.

Michael White, N3

THIS WEEKEND'S SHABBAT TIMES...

Sales Yael Schlagman 020 8148 9705 yael@jewishnews.co.uk

Operations Manager Alon Pelta 020 8148 9693 alon@jewishnews.co.uk

There seems little doubt that Iran is planning an attack on Israel (Jewish News, 3 August). The state should make clear any aggression by Iran or its surrogates will be met with the most severe response. Israel cannot bear even the slightest risk to its citizens and national integrity. A massive deterrent might get the ayatollahs’ attention.

David Maharam, By email

IRAN’S RESPONSE HIDEOUS BEHAVIOUR

There’s something particularly revolting about an Israeli setting up home in Germany, then self-righteously justifying throwing out the ambassador from his home country who wished to visit his cafe – as a protest against Israel’s “political trajectory”.

Equally revolting is Jenni Frazer’s suggestion that ambassador Ron Prosor should have engaged in dialogue with cafe owner Avi Berg “to talk him out of his tree” on the grounds of “a missed opportunity”.

Whatever sins Berg perceives Israel to be guilty of, they surely pale into insignificance compared with Germany’s behaviour vis à vis reparation payments to Holocaust survivors and bringing war criminals to justice.

Those taken in by Germany’s faux contrition should read Reckonings by Mary Fulbrook, non-Jewish professor of German history at University College London.

Warren S Grossman, Leytonstone

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Gerry Solomons suggests Palestinians should be satisfied with building in areas A and B not area C (Jewish News, 13 July). He claims there was “massive illegal Palestinian construction” in area C, which I doubt.

There are draconian laws on building and construction, making it near-impossible for Palestinians to obtain building permits legally and so some illegal building is inevitable. There are 300,000 Palestinians in area C, who have

lived there for generations and cannot easily move and who are in danger of eviction because of the property laws and settlement expansion.

If all or part of the West Bank is to be part of a Greater Israel, why would any Palestinian give up armed resistance unless offered some form of significant political autonomy in return – whether called a “state” or “region”?

Fraser Michaelson, Southgate

PEOPLE AT RISK OF EVICTION SINGLES GROUP FOR 65+

In response to the letter about support for bereaved singles in the community, we wanted to let you know about our group called Jewish Care Singles, or JCS for short. (Jewish News, 27 July 2023). JCS welcomes single people who are 65 and over to meet other single people in the community. These evenings include entertainment with food and refreshments and are arranged by staff, supported by wonderful volunteers.

Events are generally at Jewish Care Michael Sobell Jewish Community Centre in Golders Green, and at Sandringham, our new care campus on the Stanmore/Hertfordshire borders. You can find out more by contacting the Jewish Care Direct helpline on 020 8922 2222 or helpline@jcare.org

Tracy Lenihan, community events

coordinator, Jewish Care

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.

Thousands of Ethiopian Jews are caught up in war

SYBIL SHERIDAN

Ethiopia once again is in a state of civil war. But while the rebellion in Tigray in the past two years affected very few Jewish lives, the current conflict in Amhara is centred around Gondar, where some 6,000 of the remaining 10,000 Ethiopians of Jewish descent, the Beta Israel, reside. Moreover, there were about 50 Israeli citizens, many young volunteers, trapped in the city unable to leave as roads were blocked and the airport in the hands of the rebels.

The government declared a state of emergency and advised people to stay in their homes. Sensible, since the streets rang out with the sounds of gunfire, but sensible only if you have running water and a well-stocked fridge. Neither of these are available to many in the Beta Israel community that the charity Meketa supports.

There are families who live in one-room mud constructions that have neither electricity nor running water. They had to make the choice daily whether to risk going out for

water and being caught by a sniper or dying of thirst. As for food, the shops were shut and, no one was working. How long could they survive?

At the time of writing, the government has regained control of Gondar, but with fighting continuing in the outlying districts, even if shops reopen, food will be scarce.

Additionally, Israel has once more launched a rescue mission airlifting the Israeli citizens, plus some 60 Ethiopians eligible for citizenship, to Addis, with a view to transporting them to Israel.

Meketa is a British charity enabling education and training for Beta Israel in Gondar. We work with Project Ten, part of the Jewish Agency that sends volunteers around the world after their army service.

The volunteers assigned in Gondar were running a summer camp and training some of the Ethiopian youngsters to become madrichim for the youth club that Meketa supports.

They were, in the main, young dati girls, who must have been terrified to find themselves trapped in a conflict zone. It is a great relief therefore to know that they are now safe and out of danger.

Their rescue, however, has left the Beta

Israel feeling isolated. Only 60 Ethiopians taken out of 6,000? This was a far cry from 1991 at the end of that civil war, when, in Operation Solomon, some 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were airlifted out of the country.

Recently, the Israeli government announced it was not going to bring any more of the Beta Israel on aliyah, despite promises made by former governments.

Is it going to leave the remaining Jews to their fate? Ethiopians in Israel are mounting demonstrations in support of their coreligionists but, given there are so many demonstrations in Israel at the moment, will they be heard?

Meketa usually focuses on educational support, but in times of emergency, such as during the Covid crisis, it raised funds to feed the community since there were no opportunities for work.

Such an emergency is emerging now and Meketa hopes to raise money to ensure the

community has enough food to survive. This could be the beginning of a real humanitarian crisis. We at Meketa cannot stand by while our coreligionists in Gondar, people whose names we know, whose faces we recognise, slowly starve.

We are mounting a campaign now to alert people to what is happening and to raise funds.

We will find the best way possible to deliver that support directly into the hands of those who need it.

 To support Meketa visit meketa.org.uk

Nasa

finally receives communications from Voyager 2 after two months of silence

CO-FOUNDER OF MEKETA

Some of the Beta Israel community in Ethiopia

Photo by Meketa

Wake up Jerusalem, you need to fix this and fast

JENNI FRAZER

Relations between Israel and Ukraine are not at their best. Despite the fact Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish, the situation is fractious, to say the least. For historic and current reasons, Israel has chosen largely to lag behind mainstream global support for the country.

There is the burgeoning Russian presence just over the Israeli border in Syria plus the fact Israel is home to any number of displaced Russian Jewish oligarchs. Jerusalem does not want to upset the Russian bear, in the persona of president Vladimir Putin, any more than is completely necessary.

Nevertheless, Israel has taken in numbers of Ukrainian refugees and finally agreed at the end of July to supply Ukraine with a radar defence system that can provide crucial and precise early warning of missile and rocket attacks on residential areas. It ties in to an existing Russian network, which is not as specific. Reports in the Hebrew press say o cials at

the defence ministry’s directorate of defence research and development, and from the political-military bureau, have been in Kyiv to lead the co-ordination of the Israeli and Ukrainian systems.

This can’t be seen as the first step toward Israel providing o ensive weapons to Ukraine. But at least it’s something. And the timing is important, nearly 18 months after the start of Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.

For two things have happened in Israel that ought to concentrate minds in both countries. First, Israel has arbitrarily and with no prior warning stopped medical coverage for around 14,000 Ukrainian refugees to whom it has given shelter since the start of the war.

The finance ministry has withheld funding but several government departments, including the health ministry and the inexplicably-separate welfare ministry, are blaming each other for failing to request the money on time.

And nobody cares about the real-life crises a ecting Ukrainian refugees who are being chucked out of hospital or refused treatment because they no longer have medical insurance.

Ukraine, you might think, doesn’t have a

CAUTIOUS ISRAEL NEEDS TO ENSURE IT IS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY

lot of comeback, embroiled as it is in fighting Russia on every front it can. But perhaps it does: the Kyiv Post has reported Ukraine is seeking to remove Israel from the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein Group, an alliance of 54 countries that supports Ukraine militarily and convenes monthly. That would be a shameful development

I said the timing was important in these developments and that’s because we are once again approaching Rosh Hashanah, whose days in the calendar are marked annually by pilgrimages by strictly-Orthodox men to the Ukrainian town of Uman.

A couple of weeks ago, the Ukrainian ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, no stranger to tough interactions with Israeli authorities, held a meeting with Meir Porush, the Jerusalem a airs and heritage minister, under whose aegis

the Uman pilgrimages take place, telling him bluntly the safety of this year’s Uman pilgrims could not be guaranteed.

He also warned “the current situation leaves us no choice but to consider limiting the entry of Israelis” to the city. Since hundreds travel to Uman each year to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the ambassador said the numbers of army and security personnel necessary to protect such pilgrims could scarcely be spared while Ukraine fights Russia in the area.

“Give us defensive weapons”, ran the subliminal message, “and we will allow your pilgrims in.”

Israel needs to fix this situation, and fast. It needs to sort out medical cover for the Ukrainian refugees it houses and it needs to ensure that, in this war, it is on the right side of history. It is time for Jerusalem to wake up.

Growing evidence makes IRGC ban ever more urgent

AUTHOR & JOURNALIST

Evidence that the Iranian government poses an alarming threat to UK interests grows by the day. In a recent article, Kasra Aarabi, the Iran programme lead at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and journalist David Rose, reported the Islamic Students Association of Britain (ISA) has presented a series of online talks featuring no fewer than eight IRGC commanders – three of whom are on the UK sanctions list.

These commanders called on listeners to join a jihadist ‘apocalyptic war’ against non-Muslims, promoted Holocaust denial and other forms of hate speech and urged listeners to ‘raise the flag of the Islamic revolution’. As the authors say, it is abhorrent students are being pumped with such violent, racist propaganda and there is a strong argument it constitutes a clear form of incitement to commit terrorist acts.

It is another reason why the IRGC should be banned in the UK.

In the discussions my organisation, B’nai

B’rith UK, has had with diplomats and civil servants, the reasons given against banning the IRGC are as follows. Prohibition could lead to the closure of the UK embassy in Tehran, denying the country a secure base to help British citizens as well as shuttering a valuable centre of intelligence. It could threaten the prospects of UK citizens in Iran. It would close o a valuable opportunity to communicate with the Iranian government on a number of key issues, including attempts to resolve the Iranian nuclear weapons programme.

Yet the arguments for banning the IRGC remain extremely strong. It is not like the conventional armed forces of other nations but an ideological army at the forefront of promoting the Islamic Republic’s revolutionary activities. It has plotted terrorist attacks on behalf of the Iranian government for over 40 years, with violent and illicit acts.

It has disseminated radical Islamist propaganda in Western countries and called on recruits to kill the ‘enemies of Islam’, among them Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians and opponents of the clerical regime. Thus, the violent ISA speeches are emblematic of the group’s hardline ideology and provide

compelling evidence of campaigns to nurture homegrown extremists. The IRGC also supports ‘armed resistance to the state of Israel’, code for seeking destruction of the Jewish state – aims no di erent from those of Isis or Hezbollah.

Proscribing this group sends a message to Tehran its subversive campaigns against western countries will not be tolerated and new followers of the IRGC will face criminal charges. Banning the organisation will not close the door to dialogue between the UK and Iran, assuming that this is what the latter wants – communication between the

UK government and Lebanon continued despite the 2019 ban on Hezbollah and there is cross-party political will for proscribing the IRGC, given Parliament has already voted unanimously for this action.

The case for proscription has been made more necessary by new developments, with MI5 director-general Ken McCallum revealing the Iranian government was behind at least ten credible threats to ‘kidnap or even kill British or UK -based individuals perceived as enemies’. Threats to the dissident group Iran international TV forced it to close its London studios.

Continuing to appease Tehran by allowing the IRGC to operate increases the risks of further outrages. Tehran heads a rogue regime that aims to destabilise its neighbours, including Israel, while posing an alarming threat to Europe.

It is incumbent on the UK government to deal with this threat. Banning the IRGC is a first step in the right direction.

• B’nai B’rith UK has produced a research document: A Growing Danger: How the Islamic Republic of Iran poses an escalating threat to the Middle East and the West

CONTINUING TO APPEASE TEHRAN BY ALLOWING THE IRGC TO OPERATE INCREASES THE RISK OF MORE OUTRAGES

JEREMY HAVARDI

VIVIAN WINEMAN FORMER PRESIDENT, BOARD OF DEPUTIES

There is a venerable Jewish tradition, going back to Talmudic times, of the existence of 36 righteous men on whose merit the world survives. In some versions the number is larger. In some, these men are linked with the Messiah. In some, they themselves are ba’alei mofes – miracle workers – and in others they are merely people whose prayers found special favour in Heaven.

One element, though, is common to all versions. These righteous men were simple people. In the Talmud, they are the people who sit underneath the upper chamber of the synagogue – that is, in the least coveted seats. In the Chasidic version, they are hewers of wood and drawers of water – the Biblical term for workers on the bottom rung. They were known as tzadikim nistarim, hidden righteous men. If someone claimed the

honour, it was proof he could not be one. This idea of democracy in service of God is found outside Judaism. Arthur Koestler, himself a Jew, used it to understand the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Observing a regime seemingly at war with its own people, he explained it by describing those citizens who, with conscientiousness and quiet loyalty, performed the vital functions needed for its survival and linking them to the 36 righteous men.

The extreme version of this tradition was described by Professor Bernard Williams as the Dostoyevskian Heresy, where the greatest heroes are often thieves or prostitutes, like Sonya Marmaledov in Crime and Punishment

The more general versions have them as simple honourable people, often at odds with the establishment, such as Jacob in Isaac Bashevi Singer’s novel The Slave

Like many themes in Chasidism, however, this idea soon deteriorated. In place of the tzaddik nistar there arose the much grander figure of the rebbe, whose moral qualities and great learning gave him real closeness to God with power to represent the people and intervene on their behalf. Later the idea

spread to the Misnagdim, the opponents of the Chasidim who, in the 20th century, would invest their leaders with Daas Torah, real understanding of the Torah that gave them total insight not just into it, but on all human a airs. One argument goes that they are so close to God He will not let them err, another that God himself wants to fulfil their wishes.

With increased pretensions has come real power. In 1943, 400 Orthodox rabbis travelled from New York to Washington to plead with President Roosevelt to do something to help save the Jews of Europe. Roosevelt refused to meet them or even admit them to the White House. Today, no politician in the USA or in Israel would dare treat rabbis so.

With power has also come wealth. The largest Chasidic courts are vast institutions with tens of thousands of followers. Their rebbes own or control assets running into hundreds of millions of shekels. Their patronage can make or break governments.

The idea of the hidden tzaddik has transformed. Powerful rabbis are now candidates for this description. The latest candidate I encountered was a man of great learning

of which he was very proud. A graduate of famous yeshivot, he took a great interest in other people’s observance and regularly rebuked individual congregants for their perceived shortcomings. Righteous he may well have been, but hardly hidden.

I write while my wife sits in mourning for her mother, Gillian, the last person to have pretensions to anything. She was not particularly observant, was never honoured in synagogue. She was tremendously talented but kept it quiet. The late Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks said of her and her husband they had all the knowledge to write a dozen encyclopaedias and all the modesty to keep us from knowing it. She had a prestigious position in University College London, but also taught underprivileged children without letting it be known. She did good by stealth and blushed to find fame. Fiercely loyal to her family she was even more loyal to the truth, as she saw it, for which she su ered a great deal. Though ignored in the community she was, like Bashevis Singer’s hero Jacob, revered by those who knew her and were close to her. May her memory be for a blessing.

My mother-in-law was the epitome of ‘hidden tzaddik’ Community is the true message of Judaism

EXCHANGE

Educational Jewish organisations are considered by some as controversial. Are they trying to sell Shabbat observance surreptitiously with sushi dinners and glitzy parties? As educational director of the Jewish Learning Exchange (JLE), I am often asked what really is my aim? What lies at the heart of the social and learning programmes we o er young professionals? Am I on some religious crusade?

You may think the answer is simple: I do outreach or kiruv, two terms that have recently become loaded. I want to draw people into mitzvah performance and Talmud study through whichever means works. Critics, not without a sprinkling of cynicism, paint such work as disingenuous and even Machiavellian in their design.

To be sure, as a religious Jew, rabbi, and thinker, I greatly value Judaism, mitzvah observance and learning (that’s an understatement). I have been privileged to study at the feet of

Talmudic masters, in this country and in Israel, rabbis who truly epitomised virtue, erudition and wisdom. Furthermore, Maimonides, the great medieval philosopher and sage, described how the founding father of our nation, Avraham, spread his message of monotheism and morality to the world precisely out of love and enthusiasm for what he had discovered.

The truths he had uncovered on his personal quest for meaning resonated so deeply with him that he could not help but spread it to the world. The Biblical patriarch’s travels and hospitality were kiruv on a global, or at least Middle Eastern, scale. Outreach should not be seen in such a negative light.

However, with all that said, I would answer as my roshei yeshiva (yeshiva dean) would do in their incisive lectures, namely, by drawing a distinction. At JLE, our aim is not kiruv but connection. We are not aiming to provide simply formal education, but rather a holistic and wholesome Jewish engagement for all those who want it. Let me explain.

Judaism is not just rituals or reading, but about living within a community: forming friendships and deeper relationships, giving to charity, socialising constructively and supporting others. As Maimonides writes in his legal code, a Jew must immerse himself in

his community, taking part in joyous and sad occasions, praying, celebrating, mourning and helping those around him. Jewish learning must be bound up with communal life. The JLE’s educational opportunities should be conducted within a welcoming, warm and social framework.

A grant by the United Synagogue organisation Olami has enabled 15 or so keen young professionals to be subsidised to live near our hub in Golders Green and enrol in a more tailored scholarship programme, o ering six hours of textual study a week, guided by our educational and rabbinic directors. Olami’s vision is based on Moishe House, another international non-profit organisation made up of a collection of homes around the world, including in London, that serve as hubs for the young adult Jewish community.

Now, with Olami’s tremendous help, we

not only cater for thousands of young professionals looking to become engaged Jewishly with weekly programmes but have been able to o er this more holistic set-up, a fuller social, communal, educational opportunity, the way Judaism should be, melding all these values together.

I meet with those interested in studying Jewish texts and being assisted by the JLE to live in the area and become more engaged with the community.

With the cost-of-living crisis as well, this programme is a welcome one for those enthusiastic and suitable to join it. Without it, they would not have had this strong sense of belonging, Jewish learning and access to communal and social life around the hub.

Personally, I have encountered less and less cynicism toward my work and passion. Connection and community are what JLE is all about, providing young professionals with more of an opportunity to engage in Jewish life, socially, intellectually and practically. That is our aim. We’re not “selling” anything, but giving what many are so desperately trying to grab and embrace.

As Avraham realised, the Jewish message of community, friendship, service, generosity and scholarship is certainly an appealing one.

I’M OFTEN ASKED –WHAT’S MY REAL AIM? AM I ON SOME RELIGIOUS CRUSADE?

RABBI AMROM NEMETH JEWISH LEARNING

1 BIGGEST JLGB SUMMER CAMP IN ALMOST 50 YEARS

JLGB Summer Camp 2023 brought together more than 750 young participants from all across the UK, Europe and Israel. Highlights included basketball, Bhangra dancing, steel drums, fencing, caving and a giant swing. The JLGB Juniors (school years 3-6) enjoyed dance and basketball skills clubs, water activities, paddle boarding, Krav Maga and an aqua inflatable assault course.

2 TEEN DANCERS’ MACCABI MEDAL TRIUMPH IN FLORIDA

Team GB took a full dance team to the Maccabi JCC Games this year. Teenage performers Jess Petar 15, Etta Saunders 15, Izzy Goodman, 13, and Sabrina Davis, 15, were among those travelling to Fort Lauderdale in Florida to represent their country. They performed two solos and a duet as well a group dance. Under the guidance of 21-year-old dance manager, Renee Yantin, 21, the girls brought back two gold medals, six silver medals, one bronze medal and five choreography awards. Bravo!

3 CAMP SIMCHA MUM PEAKS FOR EPILEPSY AWARENESS

A mother whose nine-year-old son has epilepsy has climbed the 15 highest Welsh peaks in 24 hours to raise awareness and funds for Camp Simcha, which has supported Talya, husband Dov and Levi following his diagnosis. Talya Richman, from north London, completed the challenge to raise nearly £2,000 for the charity. Levi was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was five.

4 LEEDS JEWISH HOUSING ASSOCIATION TURNS 70!

Leeds Jewish Housing Association (LJHA) marked its platinum anniversary this year with a celebratory summer party. The event included inflatables for children, circus and drama workshops, a huge range of stalls, refreshments for residents, live music as well as visits from West Yorkshire Police and the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. LJHA was officially constituted on 22 October 1953 and has been providing social housing and wider social welfare provision for 70 years.

5 CHABAD’S JAPANESE DAY FOR KIDS IN WEST HAMPSTEAD

The children at Chabad West Hampstead camp enjoyed a Japanese-themed day with facilitator Emily Ben-Ze’ev, the former primary school teacher behind the immersive workshops company Emily’s Adventures in Wonderland. The children dressed up in authentic Japanese clothes and masks, made origami, used chopsticks and listened to some Japanese tunes which Emily played on her clarinet.

6 SEFER TORAH FOR LOUGHTON DEDICATED TO LEWIS LANE

In a touching tribute to a beloved member of their Loughton synagogue community, family, friends and shul members came together to dedicate a new Sefer Torah in memory of Lewis Lane. The dedication ceremony began at the Lane family home, where participants completed the writing of the Torah, guided by the sofer Rabbi Singer from the renowned Ilford Federation shul. The Torah, generously donated by the Lane family alongside contributions from members of the community and friends, served as a testament to Lewis’s profound commitment to Torah values.

Community / Scene & Be Seen

7 AJR MEMBERS ENJOY JUDITH KERR’S TIGER WHO CAME TO TEA

Second, third and fourth generation Association of Jewish Refugee members gathered to enjoy a performance of Judith Kerr’s children’s story The Tiger Who Came to Tea at the Radlett Centre. AJR was founded by Jewish refugees and survivors such as Judith Kerr and her family 82 years ago. Today, many of the children and grandchildren of those original refugees choose to join the AJR to preserve and celebrate their family history.

8 AISH GIVES STUDENTS IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE IN JERUSALEM

Fifteen university students completed a five-week immersive experience in Jerusalem with Aish on campus, including four weeks of internships at leading firms as well as sand dune surfing and white-water rafting. Throughout their journey, the students engaged with educators, thought leaders and local families, who shared their knowledge and hospitality. Weekends were spent exploring the cities of Jerusalem, Ramat Bet Shemesh and Yavneel.

9

GOLDMAN SACHS VOLUNTEERS JOIN CAMP SIMCHA DAY OUT

A volunteer team from Goldman Sachs joined seriously ill children and their families on a Camp Simcha outing to Paradise Wildlife Park, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire. The 14-strong group joined the outing as part of the investment banking company’s volunteering initiative. The Camp Simcha day out was one of 13 outings the charity is running as part of its annual Keshet Summer Day Scheme, giving families with sick children an opportunity to enjoy the same summer fun as their peers.

10

SCIENCE WORKSHOP IS A REAL BLAST AT LUBAVITCH DAY CAMP

Sixty boys had a blast at a Lubavitch Day camp in Golders Green with Emily Ben-Ze’ev. At the science workshop the kids made tornadoes, lifelike snow, gigantic bubbles and enjoyed balancing and gravity tests.

11 BLIND AND DISABLED RESIDENTS THROW A SCRUMPTIOS PARTY

Tenants at Jewish Blind & Disabled’s Milne Court development threw a scrumptious Sunday night shindig, inviting family and friends from the local community for a haimishe dinner, quiz and raffle for 85 people. The event was organised by tenants David Taylor, Paul Cross, Melvyn Lewis, Etta Applebaum, Maureen Vanderberg and Henry Moss.

12

GIFT GATHERS TO SAY THANK YOU TO ITS VOLUNTEERS

More than 200 GIFT volunteers, staff members and supporters gathered to share their experiences at a country club in Mill Hill. The occasion was an opportunity for the GIFT organisation to thank its exceptional volunteers who hail from all walks of life and include drivers, cooks, food support parcel packers and dedicated befrienders.

Even as a teenager, I loved eating out solo. A little unusual perhaps, but I come from a Jewish family whose conversation veritably revolves around food and my preferred reading, aged eight, was the MyLearntoCookBook, the one with all the cat and dog cartoons racing around the pages. I’d devour cookbooks at the homes of my grandma and my aunt. There was Evelyn Rose and Florence Greenberg, of course, but what I really loved were those that evoked sunny Mediterranean eating like Robert Carrier.

Hence, my Saturday afternoon ritual –post-working in John Lewis rather than going to shul, I admit – of taking myself out to The Stockpot on the King’s Road. It encapsulated the kind of bistro I imagined Simone de Beauvoir would hang out in while discussing philosophy and feminism with Sartre and made me feel terribly sophisticated aged only 16. My favourite order was salade niçoise followed by crème caramel, for the grand total of £4 – about a third of my earnings – and so worth it.

No wonder I am so bemused by the current rumpus about solo dining surrounding

London’s newest two Michelin-starred restaurant, Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal (which actually offers London’s most reasonably-priced tasting menu in this genre). It is owned by Alfred Akirov, a Tel Aviv-based real estate company that has hotels in Jerusalem, Amsterdam and Paris.

The restaurant’s new policy on solo dining has been ridiculously misconstrued in the press. Yet it’s nothing to the outrage of restaurants in central Barcelona banning solo diners from eating on the terrace. What’s more, these are not gastronomic but regular, nothingspecial restaurants with large seating capacity wanting to maximise their tourist bucks.

Back in London, understandably, profit margins still count against the solo diner, but surely we all want independent businesses and ultra-talented young chefs to thrive? As Victoria Sheppard, chief executive of Alex Dilling’s restaurant, says: “Since getting our second Michelin star (in a record six months of opening) we have had up to five solo diners wanting to book in advance, with some even coming from beyond the UK as gourmet tourists. This is incredibly flattering, yet we’ve often

found ourselves with 20 people on our waiting lists for tables of two to six. In a restaurant with only 11 tables, that’s a huge hit to our still-new business.

“We decided to only have one or two solo tables bookable in advance per service, though walk-ins or bookings on the day for one, should we have a spare table, are most welcome. We are categorically not banning solo diners as some media rushed to portray.”

Victoria says they did propose to a few guests that they shared tables (something I am always up for) but they found diners weren’t keen and, in any case, wanted to dine at different times and paces.

As well as extending their opening hours, the restaurant is looking at offering shorter tasting menus at the bar beyond the beautiful main dining room with prime views into the vast glass-fronted kitchen.

Dining at the bar overlooking the culinary engine room is catnip to a serious foodie like me. What could be better than seeing some of the techniques at play to create the dishes and vicariously experiencing the buzz of a fastpaced kitchen operating at full pelt?

I vividly remember dining solo at the late great Joël Robuchon’s trailblazing L’Atelier du Robuchon in Paris. Inspired by his love of Spain and tapas, Robuchon, whose restaurants held the most Michelin stars in the world, was the first high-end dining room to introduce dining at the counter. I was incredibly fortunate to have Robuchon himself finishing off his legendary decadent pomme purée with lashings of cream and butter before me, plus all manner of other intricate delicacies. What’s more, I got to talk to him (strictly in French only) and some of the debonair bons vivants dining beside me.

I’ve relished similar starry experiences at Niklas Ekstedt in Stockholm, where he showed me how he tames the flames to cook (his restaurant within the Great Scotland Yard hotel in London offers similar) and many restaurants in New York and Montreal. Having the company of fellow diners, we’d regale each other with restaurant experiences and recommendations, which truly enhanced my stay.

Grazing at the bar was a great way to eat when I spent a few days alone in Seville (though several more traditional diners raised eyebrows at my nonchalantly sitting at the bar alone) and even with a bit of a language barrier, I felt I was in like-minded company. Similarly, I met an unashamedly foodie guy with a high-flying film producer career over croquetas at London’s Charing Cross Barrafina a few years back, with whom I have kept in touch on a purely platonic/ professional basis.

Can romance flourish through solo dining? I have certainly tried once or twice to chat up the intriguing handsome chap on the next solo table. In one memorable case, it resulted in a strong friendship with a gorgeous, interesting South American guy whose company I greatly enjoyed, although he turned out to not have a predilection for women.

I confess I am probably more than usually confident about embracing solo dining, but I wouldn’t want to do it all the time. For me, it is quite often for work: when I hear fellow customers speculating about whether I am a restaurant critic (as I heard in the loudest-ever stage whisper at Le Manoir Aux Quats’Saisons once) they are probably right. Perhaps it is a family thing. My 91-year-old dad will happily take himself off to lunch or dinner on his own, preferably when there is jazz on the menu too.

Think of the advantages. The bill will be far smaller so, if there is somewhere you’re longing to try but not sure if friends would share your enthusiasm nor whether you can afford to treat a friend, go for it. After all, dining alone means there is no struggle with awkward small talk nor any danger of a row or disapproving glares if you flirt with the waiter, catillate (use your little finger to lick up the delectable sauce) or order a second digestif.

What I would suggest to those newer to eating out alone is not to bury yourself in a book or catch up on those emails you never intended to answer and not to commune solely with your Instagram followers. Rather, use the time as if you’re in the theatre or participating in your very own series of The Bear and watch what’s unfolding, speculate on the dynamics of fellow diners and enjoy your food mindfully, relishing every bite and not having to offer tastes to your dining companion!

Vanessa goes dating Win a Lussmanns restaurant meal

Restaurant critic Sudi Piggott is happy to dine alone, but some restaurants are less taken with the idea

The two Michelin-starred Alex Dilling restaurant at Hotel Café Royal in Regent Street

Sudi Piggott is confident to eat out solo

MEET AND GREET Ali G back in da house

Childhood friends Aaron Feinberg, Jeremy Bernstein and Victor Lee have racked up a combined 1.2 million followers on their TikTok and Instagram account Meet Cutes NYC, where couples share their stories of how they got together. The trio walk the streets of Manhattan stopping couples and asking: “Are you two a couple? Would you mind telling us the story of how you met?”

Cameraman Feinberg says he and the team felt they’d struck social media gold on day one. “The first couple we spoke to were incredibly welcoming and open. We immediately knew we had something.”

Bernstein, the interviewer, says the couples love the interaction as it gives them a chance to think about the beginning of their relationship, something some of them haven’t thought about in years. “It’s really special for them. People find love and connection at all ages and in so many di erent ways.”

Cutest couple so far? We love Jamil, a deaf sign language instructor, who clocked Angela, a preschool teacher who isn’t hearing impaired, when she enrolled in his signing class for work. They started dating once she finished the course and have been together for four years. “Our languages are di erent. Our worlds are di erent. But we still connected,” Jamil signed in a post as Angela interpreted.

FASHION

The Diana E ect

We are still awaiting the arrival of summer on these shores but that’s not going to stop us swimwear shopping, especially where our favourite princess is involved. Israeli swimwear brand Gottex has reissued the animal-print swimsuit worn by Diana in the 1990s, and last seen on her a few days before her death, when she was in Saint-Tropez with Dodi Fayed. Though the original was a tiger print and the new version is a leopard print, whose tones are more orange, the cut is identical. Gottex says the model was designed expressly for the Princess of Wales in the 1990s and has now been recreated in her honour. It can be yours for £200.

The name Gottex reflects the surname of its creator, Lea Gottlieb. Born in Hungary in 1918, she made aliya during the Holocaust with her husband and two daughters. She started designing raincoats, but quickly realised that there is not much call for them in Israel. In 1956, she chose to create swimsuits instead, borrowed a sewing machine, and assembled models in her apartment in Ja a. Mrs G is a documentary about Lea Gottlieb and her company. Directed by David Kimor in 2019, it portrays an ambitious and inventive woman.

TWO LINDSAYS, ONE SHOW

Nigel Lindsay and Lindsay Posner come together at the Ustinov Studio in Bath Theatre Royal in FarewellMister Ha mann. Directed by Posner, the play is set in 1942 in Nazi-occupied Paris.

Lindsay plays Joseph Ha mann, the Jewish owner of a jewellery shop who swaps roles with his long-standing employee Pierre Vigneau as part of a strange deal in which Ha mann transfers the ownership of the shop to Pierre, and Pierre hides him from the Nazis. In return, Pierre insists that Joseph enters a very unusual intimate arrangement with Isabelle, Pierre’s wife. Add to that a Matisse painting, an art-loving Nazi o icer and his outrageous wife, marital di iculties amplified by the bizarre domestic situation and it is no wonder that Pierre is driven to the brink.

Nigel Lindsay was recently seen in TheLehmanTrilogywhile Posner’s latest work included NoisesO with Felicity Kendall. Next year he will be bringing DroptheDeadDonkeyto the stage.

FarewellMisterHa mannis at Theatre Royal Bath, 24 August23 September. theatreroyal.org.uk

Sacha Baron Cohen is planning to revive Ali G for a new stand-up tour. The spoof wannabe gangster became a hit thanks to his prank interviews with unsuspecting experts on his TV show in the early 2000s. He then starred in his own film, and has made occasional appearances in recent years. Now he is working on a stand-up tour in which Ali G will feature. It is all very hush hush and there are no further details just yet.

In 2021, Baron Cohen brought back Ali G for a sketch at the MTV Movie & TV Awards, and for a one-o routine at a Sydney comedy club. “I just wanted to get on stage and muck around and see what Ali G would be like with a crowd,” he said at the time. “It was really good fun.”

It is 25 years since Baron Cohen’s alter-ego made his debut on Channel 4’s The11 O’ClockShow. He retired the character in 2007 and since retiring Ali G, Baron Cohen found even more success with the Kazakh reporter Borat and the fashion journalist Bruno.

VANESSA GOES DATING

TV Just a few months a er splitting from her cheating fiancé Ben Ofoedu it seems the intrepid Vanessa Feltz is looking for love again. She will appear in the 12th series of CelebsgoDating, starting on Channel 4 this Sunday. “I have liked dipping my toe in the dating pool again, having not done it for 17 years,” she says. “I have built up more courage with each date.” We might all intend to be glued to the screen but Vanessa not so much. “I have never watched back a date or seen any footage. I will be on holiday, I hope, when it airs, and I will be quite pleased to be out of the country.” But it seems she’s found the experience helpful. “I have broadened out a bit. One of the things the agents have said is, ‘Don’t write people o on sight. Give them a bit of a chance.’ And they are right!”

Espresso Display – the world’s thinnest portable monitor

WHAT IS IT?

The thinnest portable monitor for creatives and professionals, according to its manufacturer.

PLUS POINTS

• The design of this is excellent. It’s so thin and made of brushed metal. It wouldn’t be out of place in any Apple promotional material.

• This has to be one of the easiest set-ups ever. One cable does it all. Just plug the screen into your existing laptop or desktop.

• You have the option to buy a touchscreen variant with a stylus. Perfect for users of graphic design so ware.

• An optional stand and stylus for the screen are mounted using magnets.

• The monitor comes with its own so ware called Espresso Flow, where you can manage your workspaces, snap apps to di erent parts of the screen and adjust colour settings.

NIL POINTS

• Since this monitor is geared towards creatives, I think a less glossy screen would have been better.

• I found that the screen wasn’t as bright as the Mac it was plugged into.

• Using Espresso isn’t ideal with a desktop computer as they’re generally larger than the screen itself, which looks strange.

• The optional accessories are great, but I wish at the very least that a stand was included in the box.

VERDICT ✡✡✡

For people working on the go, in airport lounges, co ee shops or hybrid spaces, the Espresso display can be a gamechanger in terms of portability and ease of use.

Reviewed by Daniel Elias TikTok

@daniel_ _Elias Instagram @daniel_elias

Hats o to a special anniversary

By

Silver

It’s nearly 60 years since milliner David Shilling made his first hat. He was just 12 and his mother was going to Ascot. He made her a hat and the following year she asked him to make another one.

Gertrude Shilling was proud to flaunt her son’s ever more outrageous creations on her head – among them a football, a giant daisy, a sailing boat and a gira e. “She was terrified of wearing the gira e hat,” says David, “but it became a real favourite.”

Eventually he opened a hat shop on Marylebone High Street but when the demand for hats started to decline in the 1980s he turned his hand to sculpture, creating stunning pieces out of mirror-polished stainless steel.

Next moth Shilling’s artistic talent will be the focus of Willesden Jewish Cemetery’s 150th anniversary celebrations on Heritage Open Day, England’s largest festival of history and culture, involving thousands of local volunteers and organisations. Every year in September it brings people together to celebrate their heritage, community and history. The famous designer will be donating one of his abstract sculptures to the cemetery on 10 September.

The theme of this year’s Heritage Open Day is ‘Creativity

Unwrapped’, and Shilling will be delivering a speech to mark the occasion, before unveiling the new sculpture. The event, which is free to attend, is the second of the celebrations taking place this year to mark the fact that Willesden Jewish Cemetery has been a prestigious burial ground for London’s Jewish community since 1873. There was a special visitation afternoon in June with volunteers on site to share their knowledge and stories about the history of the cemetery and those who are buried there.

Miriam Marson, the United Synagogue’s head of heritage, told Jewish News: “We mark Heritage Open Day every year, but this year we wanted to do something really impressive. David will talk about his connection to this important heritage site as well as some of his stories on heritage, art, design as well as his charitable endeavours.

“After his sculpture is unveiled, there will be a captivating, guided walk that delves into the lives and legacies of the artists, architects, and creative industry personalities resting at the historic cemetery. We shall uncover their remarkable stories, artistic contributions, and the ingenuity that shaped their lives and careers. We’ll be walking past the graves of artists, architects, musicians, and other creatives at WJC including Mark Gertler, whose painting ‘Merry Go Round’ is well known, and Simeon Solomon, a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood of painters.”

artists, architects, musicians, and other whose painting ‘Merry Go Round’ is well

The Victorian cemetery is the final resting place of nearly 30,000 members of the Jewish community, with around 20 funerals still carried out there each year.

Prominent Jews buried there include members of the Rothschild family, Tesco founder Sir Jack Cohen, Harriet Samuel who founded H Samuel Jewellers, and former chief rabbis. Some 200 of the Jews buried there died serving Britain in the two world wars.

The cemetery was the first major building project of the United Synagogue since the charity’s creation by an Act of Parliament in 1870. The architect was Nathan Solomon Joseph, who also designed the Central and Bayswater Synagogues, and was joint architect of the New West End Synagogue.

The United Synagogue’s House of Life project at Willesden Jewish Cemetery was created with the help of a £1.7m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

At the event in June the Chief

Rabbi formally opened the Heritage Centre where Professor Andrew Eder, United Synagogue lead trustee for the House of Life project, sponsored the new mezuzot – bronze casts of mezuzot from the homes of Jewish people in pre-war Poland linking the past and present.

The Chief Rabbi said: “In Jewish tradition, death is an integral part of life, and our treatment of the dead is a reflection of the way we live.”

 Heritage Open Day is at Willesden Jewish Cemetery on Sunday 10 September at 1.30pm. The talk will be held indoors. The event is free but booking is essential.

 willesdenjewishcemetery.org.uk

A work by milliner David Shilling will be the focus of Willesden Jewish cemetery’s 150th anniversary.

Neil

Lord Rothschild’s tombstone and the Willesden Cemetery prayer hall and (inset) Jack Cohen

David Shilling, and his mother, with some of his outlandish creations

WIN dinner at Lussmanns sustainable restaurant

With five restaurants across Hertfordshire, including one in St Albans, Lussmanns proudly brings relaxed, ethical dining to the high street. The branches in Berkhamsted and Harpenden also have beautiful walled gardens so you can enjoy the summer sunshine (when it appears!) and have your meal al fresco. Lussmanns is founded on the fundamental belief that it’s possible to be both ethical and profitable. The team believe that eating out can have a restorative impact on the planet.

Since 2002, Lussmanns has pioneered sustainable dining – championing local sourcing, promoting organic, high-welfare farming and serving fish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. The restaurants run on green energy, recycle 100% of all waste and support a wide range of charities. Each Lussmanns restaurant boasts a stylish private dining area, ideal for larger groups, or for those looking for a more intimate setting.

To win a voucher for £150 to be used at any Lussmanns restaurant please visit jewishnews.co.uk/lussmanns

To discover more about Lussmanns restaurants visit lussmanns.com

Terms & Conditions

The prize is a £150 voucher to be used at any of the Lussmanns restaurants. Voucher is valid for six months from date of issue. The prize is non-transferrable and cannot be exchanged or returned. Any extras to be covered by the winner. Closing date Friday 1 September. Winner will be notified by email.

MORE THAN A CAFE, A PLACE TO CONNECT

MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

BY REBBETZEN DR HADASSAH FROMSON GOLDERS GREEN SYNAGOGUE

How are we to judge other people?

Shoftim is always first sedra of Elul, the Jewish month of introspection before we get judged by God at Rosh Hashanah.

The Talmud teaches that “someone who judges others favourably is themselves judged favourably”. This is by other people as well as by God. The opening words of the sedra shows that there is a place for judging: “You shall appoint judges and enforcing o cers in all your gates.” People must be judged and held accountable for their actions. People cannot do whatever they feel like. However, the judging is left to the judges. While we can bear witness and bring people to court, only a few judges can actually pass judgment. The end of the verse teaches us that those who do must do it with mishpat tzedek – righteous justice.

Today’s cancel culture is when the influential power of social media causes a person to be ‘cancelled’, for example the rapper Kanye West (also known as Ye), who made antisemitic remarks. All associations with someone are cut o after they are seen to have said or done something o ensive or problematic. Overnight, a person can lose all their credibility and income and will be shamed and humiliated. This culture has impacted academics, politicians and authors, and it has even extended beyond the grave to the likes of the children’s author Dr Seuss.

People should be held accountable for their actions and words. People need to be much more careful about what they say. However, there is also something toxic about anyone being able to pass judgment so quickly, with lasting e ect, without the person who is cancelled being given an opportunity for a trial, the chance to explain themselves or to show remorse.

Later in this week’s sedra we are warned against this immediate judgment. The Torah teaches us that if we hear something we must darashta hetev (seek well), or have a thorough inquiry of the matter. You do not quickly judge but must check the facts and seek to understand the issues. This is particularly important given that humans are psychologically wired to make judgment quickly to keep themselves safe. We must work on ourselves and go against our nature to stop and think about all these ideas.

In the era of social media, this is particularly important as the nature of it is immediate. We often don’t know the full context and many times we don’t even fully understand

the tone in which something was said. This is the opposite of mishpat tzedek or how we ourselves would want to be judged.

As we start this month of introspection and self-development, let us take more care in how we judge others so we all merit a judgment from God, who is actively looking to acquit us. We need to seek and find our positive selves. May we all be written in the book of health and life.

Rapper Kanye West (Ye) was cancelled over his antisemitism

Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI DEBORAH BLAUSTEN FINCHLEY REFORM SYNAGOGUE

How lovely that Elul begins in August

It’s that time of the year when the bulk of email replies in my inbox seem to come from the same person, or rather the same feature: the out-of-o ce auto-responder. August is a month where work has a di erent pace, fewer people are in o ces responses are slower. There are not enough people around to hold regular meetings, trains are emptier and the city has a di erent rhythm.

The pace of everyday life is di cult to slow down, especially when the world around you continues to move at speed. It’s one of the reasons people often tell me they both struggle with and also value the structure and rest of Shabbat. Shabbat provides a framework that tries to assert itself against the pressures of modern life. You have to take a break, Shabbat isn’t interested in the email you haven’t sent yet, its demand that you cease from work is clear.

Despite this call, the reality of contemporary Jewish life is that many people struggle to carve out this weekly time. Shabbat is countercultural. The world moves quickly, life pressures compete with our religious and personal aspirations, and taking a weekly break is something that can feel like a dream rather than an accessible reality.

Then the summer comes along, and the social flow shifts, making it easier to imagine taking a step back. When some people take a break, it makes it more possible for others to imagine taking time for themselves too. It can remind all of us of the role we play in supporting our friends, our family and our colleagues to set boundaries and create space for family life and rest alongside work.

I love that our High Holy Days period comes on the back of the summer, and that Elul, the month of reflection and contemplation, begins this week in the heart of August, in the heart of this time of relative calm. It’s a huge opportunity to take back some time for ourselves and to begin the work of cheshbon hanefesh

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(accounting the soul), that helps us to prepare for a new year.

If you’re someone who struggles to make time for a weekly reset, this time of year o ers

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

Ask our

Dear Adam

I’m setting up a new business and have been advised to find the best option for accounting software. What should I consider?

Olivia

Dear Olivia

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment, having the right tools and systems in place is crucial for success. However, one tool that sometimes gets overlooked is accounting software, which can help you manage your finances more e ectively, save time and reduce the risk of costly errors. There are two main types: desktop and

First, dream big: in an ideal world, what job would you choose? There are NO limits – but it’s something you’d want to do every day.

cloud software. With desktop software, your accounting software and financial data reside on your desktop or laptop computer after manually installing it. Cloud accounting software is stored online. For instance, as your data is stored online, you can view it in real-time from anywhere, on any device with an internet connection, making it easier to remain productive on the move. It also makes recording expenses and income easier, as you can integrate your software with other apps, such as ones that allow you to collect and store expense records. You can begin by identifying your primary needs and objectives such as do you need inventory management, integration with other software applications or travel a lot and therefore require an online solution?

As your business grows, so will your accounting needs. So it’s crucial you choose software that can scale with your business.

the day-to-day work?’ You will start to find you are narrowing the list of potential careers.

MAKE IT HAPPEN

Dear Ben I want to change my career path, but I have no idea what direction to take.

Can you help with this?

Gideon

Dear Gideon

Yes, that’s my job! Let’s take you through a structured exercise to o er you more clarity and help you work out what you really want from a new career.

Now have a think: what is it about this job that means so much to you? Go beyond the ‘fun stu ’ and the superficial. What does doing this job give you, deep down? How does it make you feel? Competent? Fulfilled? Like you are making a di erence in the world? Write these core feelings down.

Next, consider other careers that will give you those same feelings deep inside. Take your time over this. As ideas spring to mind, ask yourself ‘Do I have the skills to do a job in that profession (or could I learn them)?’ and ‘Would I enjoy

You are doing so by navigating from your heart, from what matters to you most. That’s the most surefire way of focusing you, keeping you energised and making sure that – whichever career you end up choosing – you know you will arrive where you are meant to be.

Six months ago I changed my career path. I decided I wanted to use my knowledge and skills to have powerful conversations that change people’s lives for the better. Why? So I could feel competent and respected.

And I hope this ‘conversation’ changes your life for the better too, Gideon.

TREVOR GEE

Dear Jeremy

Dear Trevor

My wife and I have just received our private health renewals, as they renew on the same day. We are covered by different insurers. On both the wording is very similar in that they both suggest we take advice about our plans from an independent broker. Why would they write that?

Jeremy

What an excellent question, Jeremy. The main reason is that by law, the health insurers are not permitted to give you any advice, so whether their policy is the best one for you, or the cheapest, you will not be told by them. Whereas, an impartial intermediary like me, practising across a much wider marketplace, and not charging any fees for our advice, will provide the client with di erent options.

Having choice is central to the way we work and so, when you decide on a policy, you are properly informed and have better peace of mind.

We are also licensed by the FCA, and so are trained and educated to provide

client-friendly and independent advice. This must be for the benefit of the client. We represent you and do the best for you.

Many a time I have spoken to insurers to help advance a client’s claims, secure discounts which had previously not been o ered to the client.

Just two weeks ago I called an insurer to protest that a hospital o ered to a client for a procedure was quite inconvenient and that a closer and similar hospital be o ered to where she lives, which duly happened. The client was delighted to receive the extra help.

So, you can see, not only are we your personal advocate, but we are also your personal adviser.

Our trusty team of advisers answers your questions about everything from law and finance to dating and dentistry. This week: Choosing accounting software, finding a satisfying new career path and getting the right health insurance

1 Cornhill London EC3V 3ND 0207 781 8019 info@richdale.co.uk

DR BEN LEVY GOAL ATTAINMENT SPECIALIST

ADAM SHELLEY ACCOUNTANT SOBELL RHODES

Ask our experts / Professional advice from our panel

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOE OZER

Qualifications:

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

• Worked in finance for more than 20 years

• Specialists in distribution and promotion of Israel Bonds

DEVELOPMENT COMPANY FOR ISRAEL 020 3936 2712

www.israelbondsintl.com

joe.ozer@israelbondsintl.com

GOAL ATTAINMENT SPECIALIST

DR BEN LEVY

Qualifications:

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

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

• Works with clients individually to maximise success

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

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

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

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

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

Kisharon and Langdon are merging. The newly formed charity, Kisharon Langdon, will offer a wider breadth of services of enhanced quality, enabling us to better support people with learning disabilities and autism and their families. The organisation remains dedicated to meeting unique religious and cultural needs, fostering an inclusive environment.

From nursery and school to further education, through to employment opportunities and supported living, Kisharon Langdon will enable people with learning disabilities and autism to thrive and realise their ambitions and aspirations.

Come on the journey with us and find out more at www.kisharonlangdon.org.uk

ANTIQUES

Top prices paid

Antique – Reproduction – Retro Furniture (any condition)

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

House clearances

Single items to complete homes

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

closed Sunday & Monday

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

MAKE SURE YOU CONTACT US BEFORE SELLING

etc. No job too big or too small! Rubbish cleared as part of a full clearance. We have a waste licence. We buy items including furniture bric a brac.

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

LAW MENTOR

Costume jewellery and watches etc 01277 352560

Former “Magic Circle” solicitor offers help with:

• CVs and personal statements

• interviews and assessment days

• coping with stress and workload

• promotion and new opportunities

For more information contact Tom lawmentor@btinternet.com / 07590 057097

LEGACY- LEAVE A GIFT IN YOUR MEMORY

HOME & MAINTENANCE

Former “Magic Circle” solicitor offers help with:

• CVs and personal statements

• interviews and assessment days

• coping with stress and workload

• promotion and new opportunities

For more information contact Tom lawmentor@btinternet.com / 07590 057097

WEB DESIGN

THE JEWISH NEWS CROSSWORD

9 Rectors (7)

11 Coasters (4)

12 Impresario (8)

15 Boot with a blade for ice (5)

16 Informal speech (5)

19 Tense movie (8)

21 Edible starch used in puddings (4)

23 Pair of earphones (7)

25 Operatic melodies (5)

26 Aromatic ointment (4)

27 Thrive, be successful (7)

DOWN

2 School’s maintenance person (9)

3 Scottish hillside (4)

4 Bulletin (6)

5 Caesar salad lettuce (3)

6 Jouster’s weapon (5)

7 Holding device (5)

10 Talk off the point (6)

13 Tempt (9)

14 Sharp-pointed engraving tool (6)

17 Speak angrily using threats (6)

18 Lifting tackle or machinery (5)

20 Animal famed for its laugh (5)

22 Organs sensitive to sound (4)

24 Horse’s mother (3)

WORDSEARCH CODEWORD

The listed horse-related words 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.

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.

U

TE IM BAPY UC I

RI AG ZE GR EY N

NH SE HB OC OT E

YK CO LE RO FE C

GALLOP

Last issue’s solutions

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

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