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PROUD VOICE OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY 30 November 2023 • 17 Kislev 5784 • Issue No.1343 •

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LI FE Winter 2023/24

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Let there be light Your magazine. These times

. Our people.

100,000 at largest protest against against antisemitism since Cable Street

Photo by Simon Hill

United

We’re a magazine next week.

Chanukah issue of Life will reflect on 60 days since 7 October

Yoni Asher hugs his wife Doron and daughters Raz and Aviv

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Danielle Aloni hugs her family Eitan Yahalomi with his mother, Bathseva

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Tearful reunions as hostages are freed Unrivalled news, analysis and opinion from Israel – see inside

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Jewish News 30 November 2023

ISRAEL AT WAR

London, Sunday 26 November: 100,000 attend UK’s largest protest against antisemitism since Battle Of Cable Street

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30 November 2023 Jewish News

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ISRAEL AT WAR

Photo by Simon Hill

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Jewish News 30 November 2023

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ISRAEL AT WAR

Biggest antisemitism rally

Some 50,000 people were expected to take part in Sunday’s march in London, from the Strand to Westminster, in protest against rising antisemitism in the wake of the Gaza war. More than DOUBLE that number turned out on the day to proudly show their commitment to combating the surge of hatred against the Jewish community since 7 October, making it the largest such gathering since the historic Battle of Cable Street in 1936, writes Adam Decker.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson was among the high-profile figures joining the demonstration, while those who addressed the marchers included Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and immigration minister Robert Jenrick, as organisers claimed the proPalestinian rallies of recent weeks had turned the capital into a “no-go zone for Jews”.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis referenced the call of “they shall not pass” at the Cable Street protest against fascism in London as he urged the country to “be united against antisemitism”.

But he added: “At this very moment in the streets of London within our wonderful tolerant and decent country our call is United Kingdom, be united against antisemitism.”

Mirvis said the community since the 7 October Hamas atrocity had discovered it has “truly outstanding friends” both in government and elsewhere and who recognised “a threat to Jews is a threat to our entire society”.

“Since 7 October, we have found out who our true friends are and to each of them we say More than 100,000 Jews and their supporters turned out for Sunday’s march through central London ‘thank you very much’.” “stain on our country, it organisations such as Hamas, and incitement ‘Never Again Is Now’ and ‘Zero Tolerance for Rabbi Mirvis added: to racial or religious hatred against Jews. The Antisemites’. is moral decay”.

“We must teach our Speaking at Parliament Square, Tracy-Ann Jenrick added: “We sad truth is that Jews do not feel safe in our children that the superOberman said: “We’re seeing a frightening stand with Israel and all capital city.” heroes of our society are Campaign Against Antisemitism chief and swift rise in antisemitism, Jewish attacks who share its determithose who pursue peace nation to defeat Hamas, executive Gideon Falter told marchers anti- on our children not being able to go to school and loving kindness, and whose defeat will be a semitic crime in Britain “has surged by over wearing their blazers with a Jewish insignia or not those who glorify Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis speaks 1,000 percent” since the deadly incursion by skullcaps, our children and ourselves advised blessing to this world. violence and murder, to take off any sign of being Jewish.

“Week after week, central London has Hamas terrorists into southern Israel. and we must teach people that they must draw “I have so many friends and neighbours “Demonstrations marched through our their conclusions from historical facts and not become a no-go zone for Jews. We have witfrom what they see and hear on social media.” nessed mass criminality, including glorifica- cities, marched through our capital, where and people who contact me on social media He also acknowledged the “sad suffering of tion of terrorism, support for banned terrorist people glorify terrorism, where people incite saying they will take their mezuzahs off their doors, that they feel frightened, they feel isoracism against Jews.

Palestinians in Gaza”, and mourned all loss of “And indeed, as we saw yesterday [at the life as “a tragedy”. latest pro-Palestine march] yet again, placRabbi Mirvis went on: “Since 7 October we ards showing a Star of David thrown in the bin have witnessed here in the UK an alarming with a caption ‘Please keep the world clean’, rise of antisemitism, but we will not be intimimessaging that would not have been out of dated. We call for a strengthening of commuplace in 1930s Germany. It is appalling.” nity cohesion and we will forever be proud to Boris Johnson compared antisemitism champion the finest of British values. with “an old spore of a virus”. “Whatever “So with regard to the poisonous spread of the rights and wrongs of what Israel has antisemitism, what should the response of done, or is doing, I think that the antithe British people be? semitism that we’ve seen in some of “Number one, call it out when you see these marches around western it. Number two, call it by what it really is Europe and further afield has – Jew hatred. Number three, be vigilant really confirmed for me and report every incident. Number the absolute necessity, the four, we must arrest every single perhuman necessity, for Israel to petrator and bring every single one of exist,” he later told GB News. them to justice.”

Security minister Tom Tugendhat Immigration minister Jenrick, who was among other big names including Tracysaid he was at the march to repreAnn Oberman, Rachel Riley and Robert sent the government, spoke from the Rinder as the large mass of people waved stage to warn protesters that “enough A youngster gets her messsage across Israeli and Union flags and placards reading is enough”, adding antisemitism was a Ryan and his eye-catching banner became a talking p

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30 November 2023 Jewish News

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ISRAEL AT WAR

point

Photo by Simon Hill

since Cable St lated and alone. But we are not alone. We are a successful and flourishing multi-ethnic and multi-faith capital city of a multi-ethnic and multi-faith country, a tolerant democracy where all racism, including racism against Jews, is not tolerated.

“We have to call out antisemitism for what it is, it is an incitement to hatred; it is an incitement to divide.”

Actor Eddie Marsan, who is not Jewish, questioned why some people did not condemn Hamas after its attack on Israel. He said: “Following the events of 7 October there were those who rushed to condemn the destruction of Gaza and the loss of innocent life, which is completely right.

“But there were many who were hesitant to acknowledge or condemn the actions of Hamas against Israel and to call for the hostages to be released.

“And when I saw this I asked a Jewish friend of mine in the film business ‘Why can’t they do both?’

“And they said ‘it’s because they’re afraid, because they’re afraid of the backlash’.”

He also called for moderate people to “face down extremism and bigotry”.

He went on: “Fundamentalists always scream loud to drown out the voice of reasonable people, moderate people. Well in my experience people aren’t moderate because they’re turning a blind eye to injustice, people are moderate because they can see both sides of the debate, both sides of an argument, and they can sense the greater truth.”

Countdown star Rachel Riley called on people to “get serious” about tackling antisemitism. She said: “We’ve learned from history the sharp price to be paid when good people stay silent and I’m grateful to each and every one of you here today for refusing to be bystanders.

“We’re going to have to get serious about fighting this now ... to start having to have tough conversations, to have to stand up to the mob and we’re going to need strong stomachs.

But together I believe we can and we will.”

Actress Dame Maureen Lipman and television personalities Rob Rinder and Vanessa Feltz joined the front of the march. Actors Louisa Clein, Felicity Kendal and Elliot Levey were also present.

• Gideon Falter and Maureen Lipman, p6

ROBINSON IS ARRESTED AS MARCH STARTS Eddie Marsan: ‘We must face down bigotry’

March was positive and family-friendly

Jewish dog Tonto with his keeper

Rachel Riley: ‘Time to fight antisemitism’

Some held Israeli flags but focus was on the 1,000 percent rise in antsemitic crime in UK

Can march catch me a catch?

One of the placards at Sunday’s march showed a little more chutzpah than most: it had a mobile phone number below text that read: “Looking for a nice Jewish husband”, writes Beatrice Sayers.

The 31-year-old who held up the colourful sign lives in Marylebone and is still looking for a first serious relationship.

Several hopefuls who approached on Sunday were disappointed. “We had to shoo a few men away,” said Ryan, the creator of the sign, who attended the march with his sister.

“I think they thought I was holding it on her behalf.” His sister is married with two children, so she is not on the market.

Ryan made the sign in a rush shortly before

leaving for the protest, which was attended by more than 100,000 Jews and supporters, and while he thought it would be nice to have a funny message, he is also serious about looking for marriage.

When Jewish News phoned to find out more about the romantic, who celebrated his barmitzvah in Israel at the top of Masada – and to see whether it could help to make a shidduch – Ryan was busy sifting through his messages.

“I got a few texts during the march,” he said.

“Then Rob Rinder posted a photo on Twitter and after that there were a whole lot more.”

Ryan added that he had also received a text from a matchmaker living in Edgware offering her services.

Having already helped to clinch one engagement, Jewish News thought it would like to repeat the feat, so we asked him what he was looking for in a partner.

“Someone who’s hygienic, who’s kind, funny and doesn’t take life too seriously,” he said.

“And is culturally on top of things.”

Ryan was proud of the Jewish community for accepting same-sex relationships. “A lot of people said to me if you’d been holding that on the [pro-Palestinian] march yesterday you might have been harassed,” he said on Sunday evening. “But today everyone was happy with the message.”

The hope now is to go beyond happiness and find wedded bliss.

Far-right figure Tommy Robinson has been charged with a criminal offence after allegedly refusing to leave the antisemitism march.

The Metropolitan Police said the 40-yearold, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, is accused of failing to comply with a direction to leave an area and will appear in court on 22 January.

Robinson was arrested near the Royal Courts of Justice in London, where the demonstration began on Sunday, after organisers said he would not be welcome at the event.

Robinson, the founder of the English Defence League, was escorted away at the beginning of the march.

There had been fears that Robinson, 40, could disrupt the protest after he had previously been seen among the crowds of counter-protesters who clashed with police during ceasefire protests on Armistice Day. Police said later: “A man has now been charged in connection with this incident.

“Stephen Lennon, of Bedfordshire, has been charged with failing to comply with a section 35 direction excluding a person from an area. He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on January 22.”

Officers sprayed Robinson with synthetic pepper spray and handcuffed him as he was arrested. He uploaded a video of himself with partially closed eyes to social media after the confrontation.

Other footage of him arguing with police officers was also posted on his X account, with Robinson claiming to be present as a journalist at the march.

Following his release from custody, he claimed that bail conditions preventing him from entering London or taking part in protests were “a blatant abuse of my human rights”.

The day before Sunday’s march, tens of thousands of people gathered for the latest demonstration calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

In a familiar pattern, some demonstrators accused Israel of committing genocide, with others chanting “from the river to the sea”.

Eighteen arrests were made over the course of the day for a range of alleged offences – including suspicion of inciting racial hatred and suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation.

The organiser, the Stop the War coalition, said attendees at the now-regular marches have “clear anti-racist foundations” and oppose both antisemitism and Islamophobia.

It had asked anyone attending Saturday’s rally to “respect these clear anti-racist principles, including in any signs or placards they choose to bring to the march”.

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ISRAEL AT WAR

MARCH GAVE US HOPE FOR OUR COUNTRY

BY GIDEON FALTER

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANTISEMITISM When we talk about community, we usually mean our Jewish community. But our community has grown.

It now includes the legions of non-Jewish friends and allies who came or supported the march last Sunday, bringing the numbers to 105,000 in the largest gathering against antisemitism in a lifetime.

Last weekend’s march was about Jews expressing themselves proudly.

It was also about reminding the British public – our fellow citizens – what our country stands for.

That includes our world-famous values of tolerance and decency, which were on full display.

That isn’t just a platitude: when Peter Tatchell showed up on Sunday with the same provocative messaging that got him booted from Saturday’s anti-Israel march, he was welcomed.

Why did so many – including celebrities, politicians, broadcasters, influencers, ambassadors and activists of all backgrounds – attend?

They came because, following the 7 October Hamas massacre in Israel, police figures show that antisemitism has surged by 1,350%. They turned up because Jewish people have become afraid to venture into our city centres, with a staggering 90 percent of British Jews telling us that they would avoid travelling to a city centre if a major anti-Israel demonstration was taking place there. Our urban centres have felt like no-go zones for Jews.

And they turned up because they believe – like two-thirds of British Jews – that the police are not treating antisemitic hate crime as seriously as other forms of hate crime, even as more than six in 10 British Jews told us they have either personally experienced or witnessed an antisemitic incident since 7 October or know somebody who has.

This is the worst situation faced

by Jews since 2014, when Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) was founded. Seven in 10 British Jews say that they are less likely to show visible signs of their Judaism right now, according to polling of the Jewish community that we carried out in mid-November, and almost half have considered leaving the UK due to antisemitism, since 7 October.

Gideon Falter (left) marches alongside Chief Rabbi Mirvis

These are the worst results that we have recorded since we began polling these sentiments several years ago.

Obviously, we hope that the march has reassured many of the attendees – and those who could not make it – that they are not alone, and that the community of people supporting British Jews, is so much bigger than the Jewish community.

We did not suddenly solve antisemitism, but should still allow ourselves a pause to acknowledge and celebrate what Anglo-Jewry achieved at the weekend. It was the

largest gathering against antisemitism since the Battle of Cable Street in 1936, and finally gave a voice to how British Jews have been feeling these past two months, if not the last several years.

When we all looked around at the more than 100,000 who stood together, shoulder to shoulder, we all felt a profound sense of hope for our country, and for the future of British Jews. There are many people deserving of thanks for helping to bring that about. First, those who travelled from far, some on coaches

organised locally and others by public transport, sometimes leaving very early in the morning or staying overnight in hotels. Without them, this would not have been the truly national march that it had to be.

Then there are the Jewish organisations and the non-Jewish groups that supported the march, which so many participants have told us was one of the most important events of their lifetimes. We could not have done it without that powerful coalition that stepped up when the Jewish community needed them.

Finally, we must all thank the Metropolitan Police for guarding the march, the CST for protecting us all with one of their largest ever deployments, and the CAA stewarding and operations team who helped the march run so smoothly. Thank you to them all for keeping us safe.

Sunday’s march will not, on its own, stop the surge of antisemitism in its tracks. But because of what we all achieved together on Sunday, the voice of British Jews and our friends has been heard. The march will amplify the impact of the work that continues in the coming weeks: to hold antisemites to account, to demand action by the authorities, and to defend the Jewish community.

I’m proud to show that we do count

BY DAME MAUREEN LIPMAN It should have been breathtaking and it was. It should have been unnecessary and it wasn’t.

One hundred thousand philosemitic folk from the five corners of this Septic Isle, marching from the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand to an erected stage in Westminster.

Yes, 100,000 people, flanked by why-faced police-persons on the shift one day after the programmed pro-Palestinians spewed their weekly, scarcely veiled anti-Zionism/semitism on to the freedom of our streets.

There were so many people in attendance that when the frontline, sporting Rob Rinder, the Chief Rabbi, Rachel Riley, Tracey-Ann Oberman, Elliot Levey, Vanessa Feltz, Michael Brandon, Glynis Barber and me reached Westminster, there were still thousands, still waiting to set off from the Courts of Justice.

Somewhere in the crowd were David Baddiel, Boris Johnson and Felicity Kendal. Tom Tugendhat, Robert Halton, Peter Kyle and Edward Lucas. All coming together to fight antisemitism.

There were 100,000 supporters according to the organisers – although there were only 60,000 according to the BBC, who had “suggested” to their staff that they must stay away from this utterly peaceful approbation of the rights of Jewish

people to live peacefully in their UK homeland.

One wonders whether their staff would have been banned from a similar march for LGBT or for the safety of Sikhs.

Nonetheless, we quietly

Maureen Lipman on Sunday: ‘We were slightly embarrassed to chant’

❝

THE BBC HAD ‘SUGGESTED’ TO ITS STAFF TO STAY AWAY. ONE WONDERS WHETHER THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN BANNED FROM A MARCH FOR LGBT OR FOR THE SAFETY OF SIKHS marched, holding up our placards demanding safety and understanding. We chanted ‘Bring them Home’, but not in any organised way; we were slightly embarrassed to chant, perhaps, or was it ‘100,000 Jews, 200,000 opinions’?

We sang Oseh Shalom (Give Us Peace) in Hebrew, which I joined in singing but worried it excluded the many righteous gentiles who gave up their Sunday roasts to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with those loyal, creative British citizens, with whom they had grown up in harmony.

The speeches were rousing, with Chief Rabbi Mirvis at his most robust and actor Eddie Marsan bringing an almost Arnold Weskerlike passion to his plea for diversity and peace. I did suggest coming on at the end to say: “This is the largest Jewish gathering in history, without food!” I always want to plump for

levity when the issue is so serious.

It’s what we Jews do. Still.

I was very proud of my brave people and their compassionate colleagues.

There were few lefty Jews and fewer Union ones and neither Reform Jews or the Board of Deputies were on the platform. In Israel, all factions left and right have come together to fight an existential threat. Here in England we need no schisms in our society. We should bring all Jews closer as we face the peril of being the scapegoat for societies ills yet again. Prejudice is cyclical and we can’t afford to only remember that every 70 years.

Robert Crampton wrote that he enjoyed the fact that we had no chant. If we had, I would have had David Baddiel leading us, chanting; “One hundred thousand – a stunning amount! PROUD TO SHOW YOU JEWS DO COUNT.”

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Calling out fascists? It’s a rite of passage to us lads Actor Eddie Marsan who spoke out at last Sunday’s march against antisemitism says it all started with the TV series Ridley Road Back in 2021 my friend, the Jewish actress, writer and activist Sarah Solemani, contacted me about a TV show she was writing as a creative response to the rise in antisemitism during the Corbyn years in the Labour party. It was an adaptation of Jo Bloom’s novel Ridley Road, and the part of Soly Malinovsky, the leader of the anti-fascist 62 group, was written for me. How could I say no?

So, we shot the series with a wonderful cast. Agnes O’Casey played the lead, Rory Kinnear played Colin Jordan, the British fascist, Samantha Spiro played my sister Liza, the indomitable Tracy-Ann Oberman played my wife Nancy and my good friend Allan Corduner played Rabbi Lehrer.

When the show came out it was a big success but for some reason I received an incredible amount of antisemitic abuse. I tried to explain I wasn’t Jewish, I was just acting (and by the way, Rory Kinnear isn’t really a Nazi).

But when have facts ever stopped racists?

Following this bizarre event, I met a young man called Elie Kraft who works for the Campaign Against Antisemitism, and he recorded an interview with me for their podcast (it’s still available online, if you want to see it). Elie has this wonderful energy and generosity of spirit, and he made me laugh throughout the whole interview.

When the idea of the march against antisemitism was first mooted, I started corresponding with Elie and my friend Justin Cohen, news editor at Jewish News, to see if I could help in anyway.

At first it was suggested I join the front of the procession holding the banner but then, on the Thursday before the march, Elie emailed me to ask if I would also be prepared to speak, for five minutes. Five minutes!!

Thanks Elie, next time give me a couple of weeks to prepare… just saying.

Anyway, after a couple of sleepless nights preparing the speech, it was finally completed at 4am on Sunday.

An hour before the march, I met my old school friend from Stepney, director of photography and screen writer Gareth Munden.

We had a quick drink, and then headed towards the march, laughing that it’s just two East End boys standing up to fascists, a rite of passage where we come from.

But we were almost late because on the way people kept stopping us – not for me but Gareth, the spitting image of David Baddiel.

When we eventually arrived at the march you could sense the enormous crowd building. The feeling of comradery, fun, solidarity and self-deprecation was wonderful.

Rachel Riley was there, so was Rob Rinder, looking gorgeous as usual (there must be a

Eddie Marsan in full flow on Sunday. ‘People kept coming up and thanking me for being there. I thought, well, what else do you expect?’

painting of that man in an attic somewhere, that looks grotesque), Tracey-Anne, Dame Maureen Lipman, Lord Ian Austin and the brilliant activist and lawyer Mark Lewis.

And then we were off, holding the banner and leading the procession. We had to walk very slowly to accommodate the photographers. I was next to the Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, a lovely, kind man who kept smiling at me to offer encouragement.

Something confusing happened on the way, which I think is a testament to how bad things have become for the Jewish community in this country – people kept coming up and thanking me for being there, which made me slightly uncomfortable.

Not that I didn’t appreciate their expressions of thanks. They were very moving. It’s just I was thinking, ‘Well, what else do you expect me to do? ‘ Why is it such a surprise a non-Jew attends a march against antisemitism? Sadly, it seems antisemitism has somehow seeped into the very bones of this country, not

only since 7 October but before that; since left-wing antisemitism ran rife in the labour party from around 2015, if I’m honest.

We reached Parliament Square and I looked back and saw the vast sea of people, which both inspired and terrified me, because I knew I had to make the speech. I thought of my friend Gareth, who had gone off to find his brother, and my other friends who were there somewhere, and for a split second I wished I could join them.

But then it was my turn to speak, Just before I went on it was announced there were 105,000 people at the march, which didn’t help. The young woman who set up the mike told me to speak loudly, because people had to hear me from as far back as Trafalgar Square. “You have a mike but you still have to shout,” she said, which helped.

I just thought, ‘get angry’. I’ve been angry at fascists since the NF marched through Bethnal Green when I was a kid, when I had to pass them on the corner of Brick Lane every Sunday morning.

I would be on my way to get beigels and doughnuts. I remembered their union jacks and swastikas, and I got angry. I thought about the history of the East End, Cable Street, the 43 group, the 62 group and all the Jewish stallholders on Petticoat Lane who offered me nothing but encouragement as a young actor – ‘I saw you on TV, all the mazel, boy, all the mazel.’

I thought about Tommy Robinson trying to hijack the march with his Islamophobia, and about the amazing anti-bullying charity in Tower Hamlets, ‘Streets of Growth’, that I’m proud to be patron of that helps mainly Muslim and Bangladeshi kids in life threatening situations, and I got angry.

And then I was on stage, and the anger in my belly and the love, energy and the hilarious self-deprecating banners in the crowd pulled me through.

And I thought about my mate Gareth giving out selfies as David Baddiel and, as he says, East End boys calling out fascists? It’s just a rite of passage where we come from.

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Jewish News 30 November 2023

ISRAEL AT WAR

Eighty-one hostages are free – and stories emerge

by Jotam Confino in Israel Twitter @mrconfino

Eighty-one hostages have been released from Hamas and Islamic Jihad captivity in Gaza in the past week as part of Israel’s ceasefire deal with the terror organisation.

Sixty Israelis and 21 foreigners, most of whom are from Thailand, had been freed at the time Jewish News went to press on Wednesday at 6pm, with the first batch freed through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt on Friday. The Israeli hostages were all women and children: the youngest was aged two and the oldest 84.

Every round of hostages were handed to the Red Cross which then drove them to the border crossings.

The ceasefire nearly fell apart

twice over the previous five days, once on Saturday night when Hamas refused to release the second batch of hostages after it accused Israel of failing to deliver humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.

On Tuesday, Hamas without clarification again accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire, causing the terror organisation to attack Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza.

As part of the agreement, Israel received a list each day with names of hostages to be released the following day. However, Hamas breached the agreement, by separating some children from their mothers, while keeping the youngest hostage, 10-month old Kfir, hostage in Gaza.

Kfir, his four-year-old brother Ariel and two parents, Yarden, 34, and Shiri, 32, are believed to have

been handed over to a different terror organisation in Khan Younis, according to the IDF. “We don’t know if they are alive, or wounded. Yarden was taken prisoner when he was wounded,” Yossi Schneider, a cousin of Shira, told Kan public broadcaster yesterday.

Most of the hostages were considered in good condition physically, after undergoing extensive medical checks at hospitals in Israel. But one hostage, 84-year-old Elma Avraham, was taken by helicopter from Gaza to a hospital in Israel on Saturday, as her condition was “critical”.

On Tuesday, doctors said her condition had improved. Her daughter, Tal Amano, criticised the Red Cross for failing to provide her mother with the medical care she needed.

“They abandoned my mother

from a health perspective,” she said.

“My mother didn’t have to return like this. It was neglect during her entire period there. She didn’t receive her lifesaving medications. She was abandoned twice, once on 7 October and a second time by all the organisations that should have saved her and prevented her condition.”

Among the hostages released were the Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand, whose father, Thomas, had initially been told Hamas had killed her in the 7 October massacre.

Scenes of Thomas and Emily hugging were filmed and shared widely on social media. Thomas later told CNN: “The most shocking, disturbing part of meeting her was she was just whispering, you couldn’t hear her. I had to put my ear on her lips. She’d been conditioned not to make any noise.”

American citizen Abigail Mor Edan, whose parents were killed in front of her on 7 October and who spent her fourth birthday in Gaza, was also released as part of the deal.

President Biden had personally worked to get her on the list of hostages to be freed, putting pressure on Qatar and Hamas.

Stories about the hostages’ conditions also began to emerge following their release. The most vivid account came from the aunt of 12-year-old Eitan Yahalomi, a dual Israeli-French citizen.

“Every time one of the children cried, they threatened him at gunpoint in order to silence him,” Dvora Cohen told France’s BFM TV. “The Hamas terrorists forced him to watch films of the horrors, the kind that no one wants to see.”

30 November 2023 Jewish News

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ISRAEL AT WAR RELEASED (AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 6PM)

Dvora also said he himself was beaten by Hamas as well as by civilian Palestinians in Gaza. His grandmother said he had been kept in solitary confinement for 16 days.

One hundred and eighty Palestinian prisoners were also freed from Israeli jail as part of the ceasefire deal.

Most were minors and women, but some were Hamas and had been convicted of attempted manslaughter, possession of weapons, stabbing, bomb attacks and stone-throwing.

Huge crowds in Ramallah in the West Bank gathered to welcome the prisoners returning from Israeli jail, chanting Hamas slogans and waving Hamas flags.

Israel and Hamas were yesterday afternoon still in negotiations over a possible extension of the ceasefire, with Mossad chief David Barnea visiting Qatar to discuss the details with his Egyptian, Qatari and American counterparts.

While Israel has insisted it will

continue to wage war on Hamas and remove it from power in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed willingness to continue the ceasefire if hostages are released.

“We are committed to completing these missions: freeing all of the hostages, eliminating this terrorist organisation above and below ground and – of course – that Gaza must not return to being what it was, that it will no longer constitute a threat to the state of Israel,” he said.

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ISRAEL AT WAR

I was held captive... I sense the pain of Hamas hostages

Held by Iran for six years, Teheran-born Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe speaks to Jenni Frazer during an emotional talk at Hampstead Synagogue “I’m OK, I’m free.” There could not have been any more poignant words spoken as the Israel-Hamas hostage deal continued to make news.

But these words hid a world of pain – and gratitude. The speaker was Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, held hostage by the Iranian government for six years. She and her husband Richard Ratcliffe, who campaigned for her, were the guests at an often emotional evening at Hampstead Synagogue, in conversation with Rabbi Michael Harris.

A packed audience, many of whom had supported Nazanin during her long incarceration, warmly applauded the couple, who brought with them their daughter Gabriella – who had been her mother’s mainstay in prison, until the Ratcliffes took the difficult decision to return her to Britain to attend school and live with her father.

Nazanin, after a long period of “will they, won’t they” on the part of the Iranian regime, was finally released in March 2022.

“When I came back, it was at the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia war – and then Covid – and then the start of the uprising of Iranian women. The world was a different place. The world that I left when I went to Tehran and then entered prison, was very different to the world I was released to.”

In frank remarks, both Nazanin and her husband spoke of their very different experiences while she was in prison, serving time after a summary arrest accusing her of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government. The Teheran-born Nazanin had been arrested with her then 22-month-old daughter as they had travelled to Iran to celebrate the Iranian new year with her parents.

At the time of her arrest, she had been working for four years as a project co-ordinator for the Thomson-Reuters Foundation, in charge of grants applications and training.

Acknowledging the most recent news about the Israeli hostages in Gaza, Nazanin said: “Being in prison has made me very much aware of people’s pain.”

It was not something at the forefront of her busy life as a working mother before her arrest and time in prison, she admitted.

Since coming home and trying to readjust to “normal” life, she has found the degree of attention paid to her by the local community both “very humbling and very daunting”.

She described how a 14-minute walk to the Tube or train station near her home would often take up to two hours, as people stopped her to talk and congratulated her on her release.

“People were very kind; they were amazing and so supportive. Some would give me a hug, some would give me flowers. It shows how my story reached the heart of every individual,

Richard Ratcliffe, his wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratfcliffe, and Hampstead Synagogue’s Rabbi Michael Harris

especially in this area.” Even today, more than a year after her release, she still gets recognised in the street. “That is a privilege, because there are so many people in the world who are captives and people don’t know their names or their story. So I am grateful for that”.

Richard Ratcliffe, who spent 21 days on hunger strike outside the Foreign Office during his campaign to free his wife, observed: “It takes time to return to normal.”

Paying tribute to members of the audience who had supported the campaign, he said: “There is something about people crying with you during the most difficult times. It’s not been plain sailing, but it’s nice to have people celebrate with us now.”

Nazanin was asked about her time in prison, which she said was often a place of “great sadness, separation and cruelty”. But she spoke of a Bahai friend, whom she met in prison, who told her that when she eventually went home, she would realise “how strong you were and how prison had been an amazing life experience”.

At the time, she said, she did not understand what her friend meant. “But when I got home, I realised she had a point.

“Being in prison is a very interesting experience to get to know the way people live in suffering. The solidarity, how people survive.”

In the prison in which Nazanin served time, “98 percent of the women were innocent”, she said. “They had done nothing wrong – except that what they were doing was wrong in the eyes of the government. But it was quite a remarkable experience, to meet people I would never have met in my previous life, to share with them happiness and the pain we were all going through.”

Now that Nazanin looks back, she said “[prison] made me a better person”. She had her family supporting her and she had Richard campaigning for her. When she was temporarily released in 2020 her husband told her: “The whole nation is behind you.” That had a powerful impact on her, she said, adding: “It was an incredible experience – in a very strange way.”

Nazanin’s prison time included eight and a half months of solitary confinement. “That was total isolation,” she said. But then she was returned to a general ward and formed close bonds with other prisoners.

Richard admitted that it had been “a long old battle” in his campaign to free his wife, and said that he had perhaps been “naive” at the beginning in his dealings with British government ministers and civil servants. But, he said: “It was a learning curve for me how reluctant the government was to step in.” He also said,

however, that “Nazanin did not come home because of our campaign, she came home because of people who listened”.

During his hunger strike outside the Foreign Office there had been initial “euphoria” as his body adjusted to the deprivation of food; but there had also been numerous visitors and his protest had turned into a “monument of lovingkindness…. it was a profound experience in just how much people can reach out and support you”.

In words that clearly struck a chord with the audience, Nazanin said: “As a hostage, your arrest is not in your hands. At the end it was very clear, I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I was just a pawn between two governments.”

Richard observed that hostage-taking, as a diplomatic tool, has grown in recent years, “and that is deeply problematic”. He explained: “If, as a government, you are taking hostages, it might be a sign that the government is on its last legs. Those are the tactics of a criminal gang – and the tactics of an unsavoury criminal gang. Not all criminal gangs will do this.”

He said he had warned Britain that hostagetaking was likely to become normalised as rogue governments and groups found that it was the only lever that worked in obtaining their demands.

30 November 2023 Jewish News

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AG A I N S T A N T I S E M I T I S M AND EXTREMISM Antisemitic graffiti on an East London building, October 2023

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ISRAEL AT WAR

Concerns over GP exposed as member of Hizb ut-Tahrir A leading Jewish doctor has expressed concern that an NHS colleague believed to be a leader of extremist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) may be continuing to treat London patients, writes Charlotte Henry.

Dr Wahid Shaida, whose HT connection was exposed by The Mail on Sunday, has referred to the Hamas terrorists who carried out the 7 October attacks as “brave Mujahideen” and called the attack “a very welcome punch on the nose”.

Dr Shaida remains listed on the General Medical Coun-

cil’s (GMC) register as having a licence to practice. He is also approved to train other GPs. The Jewish doctor, who did not wish to be named, said: “My formative years were in Harrow, which has a wonderful multicultural community. I personally do not believe that this individual is fit to practise medicine in the UK in light of his involvement in an extremist, Islamist supremacist organisation.”

The GMC told Jewish News: it was aware of the concerns but was not able to provide infor-

mation about complaints or concerns unless the matter was referred to a full hearing at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS).

Remaining registered by the GMC does not necessarily mean action has not been taken

by Welbeck Road surgery, where Dr Shaida has worked for 20 years. However, the practice still names him as a salaried member of staff on its website.

The surgery referred Jewish News to the North West London Integrated Care System (ICS), responsible for planning and

delivering NHS services in the area, including primary care.

A spokesperson said: “We are actively engaging with the practice and NHS England on this matter. The conduct of individual practitioners sits with NHSE and the GMC. Both are aware of the concerns raised and are investigating.

“NHS North West London abhors antisemitism and all forms of hate crime and has written to all GP practices reminding them of the zero tolerance approach that we expect all staff to adopt.”

Under investigation: Dr Wahid Shaida

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Wembley Stadium arch will ‘HATE ATTACK’ MAN HELD not be lit for future causes The Wembley arch is unlikely to be lit in support of campaigns and causes or to mark tragic events in the future.

The Football Association was criticised last month – including by the Cabinet minister responsible for sport – after a decision not to light the arch in the colours of the Israeli flag following the 7 October attacks by Hamas terrorists.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said after the Hamas atrocity his organisation would review its approach to lighting the arch, and it is understood it is now unlikely to be lit in future except for matters related directly to sport and entertainment.

It is thought this will also mean the arch is not lit for inclusion and

Stadium arch was not lit for Israel

diversity matters, such as being illuminated in rainbow colours to support the LGBTQ+ community.

The FA says it will still use the power of the sport to support campaigns and causes in other meaningful ways and “exceptional circumstances”, such as the death of the monarch or England footballer.

Bullingham said last month:

“This week has made us question whether we should light the arch and when, and we’ll be reviewing that in the coming weeks.

“I recognise that our decision caused hurt to the Jewish community, who felt we should have lit the arch and that we should have shown stronger support for them.

This was one of the hardest decisions we’ve had to make and the last thing we wanted to do in this situation was to add to the hurt.”

The FA was heavily criticised by several Jewish community groups, while Rabbi Alex Goldberg resigned from an FA faith in football group over its response.

The governing body was also criticised by culture media and sport secretary Lucy Frazer.

Police have confirmed they have arrested a man on suspicion of arson and the racially aggravated harassment of a Jewish woman in her thirties in Haringey, north London.

The 55-year-old man is suspected of having racially abused the woman in Townsend Road, N15, on Tuesday 21 November, and of setting fire to the same victim’s car on Monday 6 November.

He was arrested on Thursdaylast week on suspicion of arson and racially aggravated harassment.

Detective Sergeant Chris Church, of North Area CID, said: “This was a terrifying experience for the victim, who was just going about her day.

“We simply won’t tolerate hate crime and those who commit such abhorrent crimes will be prosecuted.”

Church added: “While the victim in this case was not physically harmed, the effects of being a victim can be damaging and long lasting.

The incident happened in Haringey

“We continue to support her and her family. All reports of hate crime are taken seriously and I would like to reassure all our communities that we have specially-trained officers who investigate these cases with a view to taking robust action against offenders. If you encounter hate, please do report it.”

If you are a victim of hate crime, call the police on 101 or report online.

To report crime anonymously, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

30 November 2023 Jewish News

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13

ISRAEL AT WAR

London council CANCELS Chanukah over tension fears A London council has decided not to allow a menorah to be erected outside its town hall to commemorate the full eight days of Chanukah over fears it could inflame tensions between local communities, writes Lee Harpin.

Jewish News understands the leader of Havering Council in East London made the “highly sensitive” decision not to allow the installation due to the increase in hate crime in the borough following the 7 October Hamas terror attacks.

Instead, the council has recommended “a temporary installation” along with an

“event to celebrate the beginning of Chanukah”.

It is understood that local Chabad Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin had committed to lighting the menorah, while there was also a reception planned at Romford Synagogue on 12 December.

Local Romford MP Andrew Rosindell had written to Havering Council leader Ray Morgon expressing “grave concern” over any move to halt the Chanukah celebration. In a letter seen by Jewish News, he adds: “Should this be true it would be a grave insult to Jewish communities in Romford.”

A leaked email seen by Jewish News reveals Havering Council, which which has no single party in overall control but is led by Havering Residents Association, admits taking “the difficult decision to pause the planned installation of the Chanukah menorah outside Havering Town Hall this year”.

It adds: “This is a hugely sensitive issue but in light of escalating tensions from the conflict in the Middle East installing the candelabra now will not be without risk to the council, our partners, our staff and local residents.”

Confirming plans for a temporary installation the email warns about concerns over “possible vandalism or other action against the installation.”

Worryingly it confirms “an increase in the number of hate crimes” in the borough “both towards the Jewish and Muslim community”. It adds: ”After consulting with the leader of the council we believe it would be unwise to move forward with the installation which could risk further inflaming tensions.”

Jewish News has approached Havering Council leader Morgon for comment.

One of the many chanukiot that dot the city

The uncontrolled power of social media is truly frightening. Efforts to roll back its extraordinary economic power or inhibit the scale of operations have been ineffectual. Whatever the abuse be it financial, pornography, incitement to violence or anti-Israel hate and antisemitism it is impossible to corral.

Two years ago, when Roman Abramovich was still in charge of Chelsea Football Club, he organised a Stamford Bridge breakfast to combat antisemitism. Guest speaker Sharon Nazarian of the Anti-Defamation League in the US, warned TikTok was straying far from its perceived image as a fun place to watch dance videos.

She argued targeting 9-13 year- olds with uncensored, ill-informed-messages about Israel and the Middle East, with their underlying anti-Zionist, antisemitic messages, was capturing the minds of young people.

As long as TikTok, owned and controlled by China, avoids Beijing politics or advocacy of Taiwan, its output is largely untrammelled and unregulated. Economic and strategic relations between Beijing and Jerusalem have strengthened. China, which buys arms and tech from Israel, is the nation’s second largest trading partner. Yet it has done nothing to prevent TikTok being occupied by Israel and Jewish hate.

Much of the British Jewish community’s venom since 7 October has been aimed at the BBC, the Guardian and other unfriendly outlets. The BBC has enormous influence globally; its reporting shapes public opinion. the Guardian online has tremendous reach in the US and Australia.

One may dislike the reporting, some of it shameful in its willingness to swallow Hamas propaganda, but content is monitored and complaints heard. Corrections, when they come, are mostly too late, as at the start of the IDF campaign when Israel accused the BBC of ‘blood libel’ over misreporting of the loss of life at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital.

Social media, where most young people gather their news, is more insidious. Elon Musk was treated like a conquering hero when he showed up at Rishi Sunak’s AI safety summit at Bletchley Park. Shortly after, Musk went on his own social media site X to endorse a hate tweet which alleged Jews stoked the same hatred about whites ‘they claim to want people to stop using against you’.

X may continue to propagate hate but US politicians will be fearful of outlawing the wrong-headed genius to whom the Pentagon has outsourced satellite surveillance of Ukraine and the Middle-East.

It is doubly unfortunate no one seems to have been listening to the Anti-Defamation League and warnings about how young minds at schools and American universities have been poisoned on Israel by TikTok. In much the same way as social media was used by activists to propagate revolution (since largely crushed) in the Arab Spring, it has been ruthlessly exploited to stir up Islamic populations to demonstrate in London and other cities for Gaza.

Suella Braverman may have been defenestrated for using the term ‘hate marches’, but that is what they are.

Marches of hundreds of thousands don’t just happen. Emotions are stirred up by Palestinian activists, antisemites and the Socialist Workers Party on social media. Israel, among the most polyglot nations, with a two million-plus Arab minority, is labelled a colonialist power.

0203 375 6248 The audiences are so vast and the platforms so many that stamping on anti-Zionist propaganda and tropes is impossible, the equivalent of the ‘whack-a-mole’ fairground game. www.jewishlegacy.org.uk Yet at the Bletchley summit it was agreed self-regulation by the tech behemoths was the way to go. AI, with its huge processing power, ought to offer the tools to kill internet hate. It won’t because the tech gina@jewishlegacygiving.org.uk tribes have no interest in interrupting traffic.

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Fury as Sky News queries EMILY ROW ‘OVERREACTION’ Israel’s moral equivalence An Israeli government spokesperson has been left speechless after a distasteful question of moral equivalence between the importance of the lives of Hamas hostages and Palestinian prisoners, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Sky News presenter Kay Burley asked Eylon Levy whether Israel releasing 150 Palestinian prisoners in return for 50 hostages meant “Israel thinks the lives of Palestinians are valued less than Israelis?”

In an image that has been captured and shared widely, Levy’s eyes widen and he is visibly stunned. He calls Burley’s question ‘an astonishing accusation’.

He adds: “If we could release one prisoner for every one hostage,

Eylon Levy reacts to the question

we would obviously do that. We are operating in horrific circumstances.

We are not choosing to release these prisoners who have blood on their hands. We are talking about people who have been convicted of shooting and stabbing attacks.

“Notice the question of proportionality doesn’t interest Pales-

tinian supporters when they’re able to get more of their prisoners out.

But really, it is outrageous to suggest that the fact that we are willing to release prisoners who are convicted of terrorism offences, more of them than we are getting our own innocent children back, somehow suggests that we don’t care about Palestinian lives? Really? That’s a disgusting accusation.”

Other commentators expressed disgust on Twitter/X, where the issue has more than 4,000 posts.

Others noted in 2011 more than 1,000 Palestinian and Arab Israeli prisoners were swapped for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, rendering Burley’s line of questioning both “obsolete” and “repugnant”.

Ireland’s further education minister, Simon Harris, has said Israel’s summoning the Irish ambassador for a reprimand over comments by the country’s premier was an “overreaction”.

Israel took issue with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar saying “an innocent child who was lost has now been found” after Hamas released nine-year-old IrishIsraeli hostage Emily Hand.

Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, said the comments were an attempt to “legitimise and normalise terror”.

Cohen told Varadkar on X the premier seemed to have “lost his moral compass”, and needed a reality check, adding: “Emily Hand was not ‘lost’, she was kidnapped by a terror organisation worse than Isis that murdered her stepmother. Emily and more than 30 other Israeli children were taken hostage by Hamas, and you @LeoVaradkar are trying to legitimise and normalise terror. Shame on you!”

Speaking on RTE radio on Monday,

Harris said Ireland was “utterly elated” at the child’s release. The criticism was “a complete distraction –Emily Hand, the little girl, is free.”

Asked if the relationship with Israel had been further strained, he said: “Israel have decided to summon a number of ambassadors from a number of European countries in recent days, it’s their prerogative to do that.

“I think it is a bit of an overreaction, being honest, and I think the taoiseach’s statement was extraordinarily clear. The main thing is Emily Hand is back with her family.”

Varadkar said on Sunday: “I call for all hostages to be released without any conditions and always have done so ... the Irish government has worked very hard over the last few weeks, with Egypt, with Qatar, with the Red Cross and also with Israel.”

The important thing was Emily was at home with her family, he added.

“That’s all that really matters.”

14 Jewish News 30 November 2023

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ISRAEL AT WAR

Ada’s son ‘overjoyed’ to see his mum back doesn’t have a home Ada Sagi, a 75-year-old to go back to, she Israeli-British woman, doesn’t know so was among the 12 hostages many of her friends released from Gaza on were murdered. We Tuesday, after being kept in will have to pick up Hamas captivity for 53 days, the puzzle and put writes Jotam Confino. everything in place…

Ada’s son, Noam, told the but for now, today, BBC before her release that it’s really just about he could not wait to give her the joy.” “the biggest hug possible”.

According to the “It really is a beautiful, BBC, Ada was planamazing moment,” he said. ning to visit London “It’s such a huge relief. I’ve for her 75th birthday just finished a video call with the week after she her. She’s sharp, she’s funny, was taken hostage. she’s witty. She’s her own Noam had previself. I’m over the moon. ously told the broad“I just want to feel her and hug her and I want her Noam Sagi and poster of his mother. Picture: Beatrice Sayers caster how uncertainty over the wellto know how hard we fought Ada, a peace activist who spoke being of his mother and the other to get to this day and she will know fluent Arabic, was part of a commu- hostages amounted to “psychological forever how loved she is.”

Ada was taken hostage by Hamas nity whose members fought all their terror”.

“Every night waiting like a leaf on 7 October from Kibbutz Nir lives for good relationships with for a list.. Are we in? Are we out? It’s Oz near the Gaza border, after the their Arab neighbours.

Noam said the joy of getting his been excruciatingly painful,” he said, terror group rampaged through the community executing civilians and mother back was also mixed with describing it as being “like Russian anxiety. “She doesn’t know she roulette to the heart”. burning down homes.

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BOARD’S ‘BRING THEM HOME’ WEEKLY VIGILS The Board of Deputies has said it will hold small weekly vigils outside Parliament for the return of hostages from Gaza and is asking for the Jewish community’s support.

Leaders at the representative group for British Jews warned it was “important for the public not to forget” those still being held

by Hamas, despite several dozen having already returned home in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

“Any lasting peace is impossible as long as a single hostage remains,” said Board president Marie van der Zyl. “We continue to call to bring them home.”

Anyone prepared to sit vigil for two hours on a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon is being

urged to sign up on the Board’s website. The vigils will take place while Parliament is in session.

“We hope we will soon see the return of every man, woman, and child held hostage in Gaza,” said the Board.

More hostages were freed early this week in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, with hopes of a similar trade yesterday. But the Board cautioned that more than 150 are still being held.

London vigils have been held since Hamas launched its deadly attack. One vigil was held outside Harrods, which is owned by Qataris. The tiny Gulf kingdom hosts several Hamas political figures and has acted as a mediator.

The scene at one of the Board of Deputies’ London vigils

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30 November 2023 Jewish News

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W H Y I T ’ S I M P O R TA N T TO GET THE RIGHT H E R N I A T R E AT M E N T Choosing the right doctor and procedure plays a huge part in a successful recovery.

Without the right hernia treatment, you might only have a 50/50 chance of fixing it the first time.

Surgery is the situation a lot of people with hernias are faced with.

So, it’s important to get it right the first time, otherwise, you’re back at square one.

This is particularly important for older patients who have a specific type of hernia, called hiatal hernias. Often medication helps, but surgery is recommended in tougher cases.

“The absolute best time to get your hernia fixed, with the best chance of success, is your first surgery,” says Mr Borzoueh Mohammadi, an experienced minimally invasive Upper GI surgeon at Cleveland Clinic London. “You want to go to a highly skilled surgeon who will explore all the options. This will make it less likely you’ll have complications like ongoing reflux or the hernia returning.”

Hernias are a hole in abdominal muscles that allows things to poke through that typically shouldn’t. Hiatal hernias happen in the diaphragm where the oesophagus joins the stomach, usually causing heartburn and reflux. If the hernia just makes you uncomfortable, your consultant will treat it with medications.

More serious hiatal hernias, also called paraesophageal hernias, become larger over time. This can cause significant difficulty swallowing, chest pain after eating, and potentially weight loss and bleeding. “In those cases, surgery is usually needed,” says Mr Mohammadi. “It’s best to seek treatment as soon as a hernia begins causing discomfort.”

Why that first surgery is crucial An unsuccessful surgery is frustrating for the surgeon, but even more so for you and your quality of life. Plus, the symptoms that bothered you in the first place can return. “Working with an experienced surgeon is best for any hernia patient, but surgeries for recurrent hernias, especially in older patients, are even more complex and challenging,” says Mr Mohammadi.

If you reach the point where you need hernia surgery, it’s important to go to a comprehensive hernia centre. With expertise in both minimally invasive surgery and large comprehensive surgery, a dedicated hernia centre, with teams of doctors working collaboratively, helps ensure the operation is done right the first time. “Advances in minimally invasive surgery mean that, for many patients, hernia surgery is no longer a major operation,” Mr Mohammadi continues. “Patients now typically go home within 24 hours.”

Hernias aren’t preventable, but good general health can help Usually, a hernia’s cause isn’t known. But an injury, strain or weakness in the area may contribute. Two other types of hernias can impact the elderly but are no more likely to occur later in life than at a younger age.

1. Inguinal hernias These hernias occur in the groin and are more common in men.

They’re typically associated with heavy lifting, constipation and prostate issues that cause difficulty urinating or abdominal pressure.

“They can cause a lot of pain and discomfort,” says Mr Mohammadi.

“There’s no way to prevent hernias — and not doing heavy lifting wouldn’t prevent them.” If you notice a bulge in your groin causing discomfort, it’s time to see a consultant. “Once you have a hole there, it will never go away on its own,” says Mr Mohammadi. “We can fix most of these hernias using minimally invasive techniques.

This means you’ll have less pain while you recover and get back to regular activity levels quicker.”

2. Ventral hernias Ventral hernias occur in the abdomen, where you’d notice a bulge and pain. These won’t go away on their own and there’s no way to prevent them. They’re more common in people who have obesity, diabetes or chronic smoking habits, so being in good health reduces your risk. “Sometimes these surgeries are performed laparoscopically and sometimes the entire abdominal wall is reconstructed. The latter provides two advantages,” says Mr Mohammadi. “It improves your core muscles, but you also end up with a flatter-looking abdomen.”

For more information about hernia surgery services at Cleveland Clinic London or to schedule a consultation, call +44 20 3423 7500.

Mr Borzoueh Mohammadi

Book with us today at clevelandcliniclondon.uk or scan the QR code

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ISRAEL AT WAR

#MeToo, unless...

by Michelle Rosenberg michelle@jewishnews.co.uk

Shortly after the 7 October Hamas atrocities, a group of Israeli women founded the #MeToo_Unless_Ur_A_ Jew online global campaign.

It was in response to the silence of and lack of condemnation from the organisation UN Women for the depraved and violent murderous acts of gender-based violence and war crimes committed against Jewish women and children by terrorists.

On 20 October, UN Women, purporting to be a global champion for gender equality, published a report entitled UN Women Rapid Assessment and Humanitarian Response in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It was followed by an official UN Women statement on 27 October, entitled ‘Infocus: The conflict in Gaza’.

The emphasis was on Palestinians in Gaza, with an omission by the international body of any mention of the hundreds of Israeli women brutally burned, beheaded, raped, killed and kidnapped during the conflict. # Me To o _ U n l e s s _ U r _ A _ Je w founder Danielle Ofek is based in Washington DC. Noa Matz, responsible for strategy is based out of Tel Aviv with the rest of the team. She

tells Jewish News the chilling implication is that Israeli and Jewish women do not count.

To date, just under 300,000 supporters from 50 countries have signed its petition, proclaiming that every woman’s life is equally precious and no side of any story should be deliberately excluded.

“We understand there is a lot we don’t know,” says Matz. “But there is a lot we do know from videos, footage and data that directly shows there was severe sexual violence and torture of women.

“The report mentions only the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It is clearly one sided. They have two million followers on their Instagram account and they only mention violence done to the women in Gaza.”

She describes the “parade of the kidnapped women in Gaza” who were “stripped of their clothes completely”, adding: “You can imagine the horror. There were a few cases that we know of group rape, one after the other.”

Matz pauses, clearly distraught.

Jewish News asks if she would prefer to write everything down rather than say the words out aloud. She refuses and continues to describe one woman who, while being raped, had her

Maayan Zin, whose daughters were freed after weeks in captivity

breasts cut off before being shot in the head.

She goes on to describe the case of a 13-year old child whom a soldier found dead, with her pants down. It was clear that she too had been raped.

Matz adds: “There are many testimonies that people were standing there watching. And, still UN Women and other women’s organisations are failing to condemn [it] in some way.”

She says their campaign is “targeting UN Women as part of the UN”, saying. “We know its stated purpose is to maintain global peace. UN Women

is dedicated to gender quality and the empowerment of women. As a global champion of gender equality, you would expect them, and the UN as a whole, would stand up for women as a whole in Israel and Gaza” Matz continues: “There are victims of Hamas in Gaza and Israel. But UN Women is only taking a stand for victims in Gaza. Israeli women are excluded from their agenda.”

The movement chose its hashtag deliberately, to “encapsulate the hypocrisy of the UN Women” because “the world will not stand for us”.

Matz says the #MeToo_Unless_ Ur_A_Jew movement “doesn’t expect Hamas to follow international law because they are terrorists and animals” and adds: “But I do expect UN women to enforce it or at least to condemn it. They have all the data.”

The campaigners were supported

by Israeli diplomat and lawyer Sara Weiss Maodi, who, with her own team, “watched all the footage, video and data”.

She says: “It was a horrific job. And we sent it out to women’s organisations including UN Women. You cannot say they don’t know. They do and they choose to remain silent.”

She describes UN Women’s approach as “selective justice, applying only to certain groups... That in certain contexts it is OK, permissable to do such things”.

It is, she adds, not only dangerous for Jewish women, but sets a global precedent. While the signatures are important for #MeToo_Unless_ Ur_A_Jew, they are not the main goal.

With more than 50 volunteers, Matz says the movement is “very significant”. She says: “We are growing very fast. We want to show we have support so [UN Women] will unequivocally condemn the war crimes done to us.”

Freed terrorists have ENTREPRENEUR RAISES reoffended, says MP $40M FOR IDF GEAR History shows us that previous security pris- David Lammy had asked an urgent question in oners released by Israel have gone on to commit the Commons and said: “We must now urgently further terror offences, an MP has warned, support the parties to reach an agreement to extend the cessation of hostilities, to secure the writes Lee Harpin.

Speaking in the Commons, Conservative MP release of remaining hostages, to deliver more Greg Smith said: “The release of some hostages aid to ease the unacceptable humanitarian is incredibly welcome, but the price for that is catastrophe and, crucially, to provide a stepping Israel has taken the difficult decision to release stone to an enduring cessation of hostilities and many Palestinian prisoners held for terror ensuring that what follows the war is a durable offences, including bombings and stabbing political solution.”

Also addressing the fact that foreign secreattacks, in exchange for its civilians held in Gaza tary Lord Cameron cannot answer questions in unimaginable conditions.

“History shows us that previous security in the Commons, Lammy said: “This is feeling prisoners released by Israel had gone on to more like a game of Where’s Wally?”

Mitchell also told the Commons: “The commit further terror offences, so will my right honourable friend agree with me that this British government is supportive of the current should be of concern to the whole world and we pause in hostilities continuing, but that is for must continue to stand shoulder to shoulder the Israelis and others in the region to agree.

“But we are clear this pause should not be with Israel to support them to combat terror?” a one-off. The increased flow of fuel and relief In response, Foreign Office minister supplies over the Rafah crossing accompaAndrew Mitchell said: “I think the nying the pause was welcome and must be point that he makes, particularly sustained.” about prisoners reoffending, underHe thanked Lammy for expressing the lines the importance of us pursuing “desire to ensure there is an extension in every possible way of getting on to a the cessation of hostilities”. Addressing political track. the jibe aimed at Lord Cameron, Mitchell “And when this ghastly violence noted what he described as the finishes, or is significantly diminished, “extraordinary authority a everyone must bend every conceivable former prime minister carsinew to drive forward a new politrying out these tasks can ical process for peace.”

Greg Smith MP bring to bear”.

Shadow foreign secretary

In the days after the 7 October terror attacks, Amsterdam-based Israeli entrepreneur Eran Efrat got in touch with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to ask how he could help, writes Candice Krieger.

“The answer was protective military equipment, so I knew I had to do what I could,” Efrat told Jewish News.

The managing partner at green energy investment fund Verdiesel has since raised $40m ( about £32m) to source, produce and deliver tactical supplies, including ceramic-plated bullet proof vests and helmets.

Efrat, who himself served in the combat unit Haruv in early 2000, told Jewish News: “As soon as the attacks happened I, like so many others, just wanted to help. A lot of people were sending gear to the IDF but it wasn’t passing their tests so I wanted to make sure they had exactly what they needed and were able to use.”

He started collecting donations through his own network and via social media, and received a large sum from Jerusalem-based philanthropists, Chani and Steven Laufer. Efrat then directly sourced US-based manufacturers to produce the gear.

In addition to helmets and ceramic-plated vests, Efrat has also provided drones, medical equipment and 360-degree cameras for army vehicles. “We are in constant contact with the IDF to understand their needs. The IDF are

Eran Efrat found a US manufacturer, which has been producing close to 2,000 helmets a week for the IDF

sourcing and buying some things for themselves but it’s really challenging for them so we want to close that gap and buying protective gear is the most essential.”

Efrat is ordering around 2,000 helmets and 10,000 ceramic bullet proof vests a week, with the amount needed increasing week by week.

The entrepreneur says he was surprised by the lack of some IDF supplies. “But with so many reservists, it’s really challenging,” he says,adding: “Private individuals having to donate to the army is nothing new. We’ve always had to privately fundraise.”

Efrat is hoping to raise a further $15m. “Then I will feel we have really done our part. It’s been amazing to see how generous people have been and if you do want to help, we are a really good option as we are speaking directly to the IDF to get them exactly what they need.”

18 Jewish News 30 November 2023

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19

ISRAEL AT WAR

‘Fight’ – doc’s reaction to 7/10 PLACES OF WORK home by Scotland Yard counter-terrorism officers. He has since retained law firm Bindmans. He is supported by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, which describes him as a “renowned war surgeon”.

Bindmans said: “Humanitarian doctors who risk their lives to give aid in the midst of a humanitarian crisis should not have to worry about police harassing their families at home.

“Professor Ghassan is a wellknown and celebrated doctor who is risking his life in what can only be described as a heroic effort to save lives. We are satisfied with the police explanation to us and that they have no further need to speak to Professor Ghassan.”

On his personal website, Dr AbuSittah advertises his servies as an aesthetic plastic surgeon in Upper Wimpole Street, W1. His “signature procedures” are facelifts, scarless lip lift and scarless chin augmentation.

A British doctor urged Palestinians to ‘fight back and die in dignity’ the day after the 7 October terrorist attacks, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

London-based Dr Ghassan AbuSittah promoted a post on 8 October which claimed civilians in Gaza should fight back as they were “going to die anyway”.

It reads: “We know Israel is going to kill us anyways. We are starving, we are being besieged, we are being dispossessed, we are being displaced. We know all of this. Israel is going to kill us anyways. Israel wants us kneeling….So why not fight back and die in dignity?”

His shared post was subsequently shared more than 6,000 times.

A board member of Inara, the International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance, the doctor is described as a British-Palestinian associate professor of surgery and a plastic and reconstructive surgeon.

His biography says he is an “honorary

senior clinical lecturer at the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College University of London and Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Conflict & Health Research Group at Kings College London University.”

Jewish News was unable to find his name among Imperial staff members.

Since the conflict began, Dr Ghassan says he has spent 43 days in Gaza treating patients at the al-Ahli and al-Shifa hospitals.

He has appeared on international news networks and gave a press conference on 27 November describing the conditions he has worked under.

The Daily Telegraph quoted him saying he had “performed six amputations in one night”.

He told Sky News he had seen evidence of burns from white phosphorus. The IDF has denied using the banned chemical agent.

He has dismissed evidence the bombing of the al-Ahli hospital in

October was due to a misfired rocket from inside Gaza intended for Israel.

He also disputes al-Shifa hospital was used as a Hamas base, telling reporters: “At no stage did I see any armed police at Shifa, even the security men at Shifa, they were there just to police the number of relatives trying to get into the emergency department.”

Following the interviews, Dr Ghassan and his wife were visited at

Labour’s David Lammy has described the impact of the Hamas massacre in Israel as being “so awful, it feels like a shiva we have still not got up from”, writes Lee Harpin.

In an impassioned speech to the annual Labour Friends of Israel lunch, the shadow foreign secretary and Tottenham MP also accepted the prospect of a resolution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians at this moment looked “bleak”, but confirmed a future Labour government would appoint a new Middle

East Peace envoy, “embodying our new resolve and focused on where we can make the greatest impact”.

Lammy, who gave the keynote speech at the packed event added:”I am realistic about Britain’s influence.

We hold no illusions. This is hard.

“But do not doubt my and Keir Starmer’s determination. We will be dedicated to a just and lasting peace based on two states in which all enjoy security, dignity and human rights.”

Recalling the horrific news from Israel on 7 October, he told the audi-

ence : “Over the course of my adult Lammy added: “Words, I learnt from life It has been my honour to have you that have always marked me.”

Reading out the names of those been invited so many times, to come to a shiva, with you, for your loved murdered he said: “Mothers and ones. What happened that morning fathers. North Londoners and Glaswegians. Arsenal and Spurs fans. in Kfar Aza, in Be’eri, in Ofakim, Families and ravers. Their and elsewhere…was so awful, it names are crying out to us. feels like a shiva we have still This was not only an attack not got up from.” on the music festival and the Referencing the famous kibbutzim. It was the worst words of Rabbi Hillel – ‘Whoday the Jewish people have ever destroys one soul, it is as suffered since the Holothough he destroyed caust.” the entire world’ – David Lammy MP

Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah

Lammy: Hamas attack like a shiva

‘HOSTILE TO MANY’

A major new study has revealed how widespread religious discrimination is across workplaces and highlighted the reality of tolerance and diversity for millions.

The report, which is one of the biggest projects of its kind, set out to examine the experiences of more than 6,000 Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh employees.

It says there has been “progression” in fighting racism, discrimination and efforts to embrace diversity, but places of work have been found to be hostile environments for people of faith. Worryingly, nearly a third (32 percent) who expressed their religious identity had a negative experience which included mockery, exclusion, mistreatment, isolation and more.

Many organisations and businesses adhere to public holidays which may include bank holidays, Good Friday and Christmas dates, yet nearly one in five (19 percent) said they have had a request to take annual leave rejected.

In fact, one in five (20 percent) Jews felt requests for time off for religious holidays and festivals were rejected without good business reason, an experience shared by one in four (25 percent) Sikhs, 23 percent of Hindus but only two percent of Christians.

7 OCTOBER DENIERS SHOULD LISTEN TO ADI

BY RABBI NAFTALI SCHIFF

CEO OF JEWISH FUTURES The horrific slaughter of 7 October must be remembered and lessons learned, not only of a practical but also of an attitudinal nature. The attacks must be seared into the memory of the world.

Already in these past weeks, so-called protesters and activists in the West have begun to deny Hamas’ infiltration into Israel and its wanton, murderous rampage.

Social media, mainstream news, parliaments and our streets are awash with denials and dismissals of this act against humanity.

As Jews, we are enjoined, as Moses instructed after Amalek’s attack, to remember and inscribe these atrocities for history, never to forget such shocking events. The Talmud conveys to us that “seeing is believing” (Yevamot 65b).

For 20 years, JRoots has facilitated educational trips to the camps in Poland and recorded the eye-witness testimony of

hundreds of Holocaust survivors. It took the Holocaust deniers decades to surface their vitriolic lies; it has taken Hamas sympathisers but hours.

Thus, Jewish Futures brought over to England Adi Efrat, a survivor of the Kibbutz Be’eri massacre, a woman who was captured and held by the Hamas terrorists, so she could tell her story to more than 2,000 people in person as well as to the national and Jewish media, so they should see and remember 7 October.

Adi opened up, in graphic detail, to journalists from the Times, the Daily Telegraph and others, telling how, after being used as a human shield in a gunfight, at one point she was alone with 15 armed and threatening Hamas terrorist fighters.

She was brutally manhandled and handcuffed from behind, witnessed a mother and her children shot and soaked in their own blood and spent hours frightened for her life Adi’s heart-wrenching testimony had to be heard and our organisation had to help her do so. By ensuring younger generations have met survivors of the Holocaust, we have all created millions of bearers of eye-witness testimony.

So must our generation ensure the evil of 7 October 2023 is passed on as historical fact, not dumped on the pile of fake news.

Our duty, in an all-too-often morally obfuscated world is to call out right from wrong, good from bad, virtue from evil. The ongoing nature of current events calls upon us all to stand up and to call out morally indefensible actions, attitudes and pronouncements. We have to combat to the best of our ability the anti-Israel hate that has filled our media, campuses and official institutions.

Yet, like the Biblical commandment to remember Amalek’s ambush, there is also an internal message to be taken from 7 October.

At the heart of Jewish Futures is the drive to strengthen and educate young Jews. Jewish identity, thankfully, is often formed through positive acts of engagement: By being involved in charity and welfare, studying ancient wisdom and introducing spirituality to those who want it.

Jewish Futures supports a host of organisations, led by talented educators, brimming with these opportunities. Yet, sadly, Jewish identity is not always formed by our own positive actions. Sometimes it is forged, as Jews all over the world are experiencing now, by persecution or a sense of isolation.

Rav Joseph B Soloveitchik, one of the most esteemed Talmudists and thinkers of modern times, spoke often of these two crucibles of

Jewish identity, the destiny we create for ourselves on the one hand, and the fate we are subjected to on the other.

Adi’s story, and hundreds more from the southern kibbutzim, are crucial for us to hear, making us cognisant of this other, darker side of the millennial reality that is part of Jewish identity.

As JRoots’ countless trips to eastern Europe educate, our people remarkably blend tragedy with triumph, loss and horrific suffering with unity and strength, interweaving, in Soloveitchik’s terms, fate with destiny.

Sadly, it can take events such as these to unite our disparate parts, as these times have shown. Adi, in front of the microphones and notepads of the national press, portrayed all that. She allowed the general public to hear these atrocities first-hand, yet she also reminded us, the Jewish community here, of our Jewish connection, unbounded by geographical distance or differences in language.

Her testimony’s impact upon us caused us to remember how we are all connected, brothers and sisters in both times of joy and of tears. Jewish identity and the Jewish future depend on these testimonies.

Adi, we will remember what happened to you and who we are. Thank you.

20 Jewish News 30 November 2023

www.jewishnews.co.uk

ISRAEL AT WAR

Sunak accused of ignoring letter from victim’s family

Wales and are in their 70s, to raise the matter with the prime minister.

He revealed: “It’s now over a month since my parents wrote to Rishi Sunak, setting out their feelings of isolation and abandonment by the British government. They asked their prime minister if he felt his government’s response to this British family, shattered by events, has been adequate. That letter remains unanswered.

“Are the standards of this government and its commitment to my British family so depleted

pleasure since 2 01 7

Comedian Guz Khan, best known for his BBC Three comedy Man Like Mobeen, has been booked to host BBC panel show Have I Got News for You, despite backing claims saying Israel was guilty of “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” in Gaza.

After Israel’s response to Hamas’ terror attacks on 7 October, Coventry-born Khan, 37, posted on his X account (formerly known as Twitter) “Ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. The system is setup in the West so that Israel have total, utter impunity to commit these war crimes. How can they wield this level of power? It’s frightening. Just know, one day, it could be you,” he wrote.

He has been chosen to host this week’s show, to be aired on BBC One tomorrow.

A BBC spokesperson said Hat Trick had been making the show for 30 years. “Their job is to deliver a programme that fully complies with the BBC’s editorial standards.”

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Steve Brisley speaking at LFI reception

that it cannot even argue its case that it has met a threshold as low as ‘adequacy’?”

Brisley added: “Last Thursday, David Cameron visited Kibbutz Be’eri. His feet broke the dirt into which the blood of my sister and two nieces is soaked. And yet neither he nor his predecessor has seen fit to meet with the British families who have been traumatised by their loss and who, every day, live in uncertainty about the fate of their relatives in captivity. When will the names Lianne, Noiya, Yahel, Eli and Yosi pass from the lips of the British government?”

Labour shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who delivered the keynote speech at Tuesday’s event, which was attended by more than 450 people, including 90 Labour parliamentarians, told the audience he would be raising the matter with Lord Cameron immediately.

Earlier Brisley, who lives in Bristol, said: “Eli Sharabi is my brother. I love him and I miss him. I need your help to bring him home.

My family and I will mourn our loss for the rest of our days, but the safe return of Eli and Yosi will act as the greatest memorial possible to Lianne, Noiya and Yahel’s lives.”

Also speaking at the lunch were LFI parliamentary chair Steve McCabe MP, Adrian Cohen, lay chair, Michael Rubin, the group’s director, and Louise Ellman.

CO

Rishi Sunak has been accused of ignoring a letter sent to him over a month ago by the British family of victims of the Hamas terrorist atrocity, who had informed him they felt “isolated and abandoned” by the UK government’s response, writes Lee Harpin.

In an emotional speech delivered at the annual Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) lunch in central London on Tuesday, Steve Brisley told of his struggle to come to terms with the murder of his sister Lianne Sharabi, along with his two nieces Yahel, 13, and Noiya, 16, by the terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri, close to the Gaza border.

Two other family members Eli and Yosi, 53, remain kidnapped, but Brisley accused the UK government of remaining “silent” over efforts to locate them and bring them home.

“My government can help my British family – Eli and Yosi’s British family – by meeting with us and intervening in a meaningful way and in a way which acknowledges its obligations towards Eli and Yosi and members of my British family,” he said.

“But they are silent. How can I be reassured that my government’s voice is being heard on the international scene, when I cannot even be reassured that my government has heard my voice?”

Then Brisley referenced the attempt of his own parents, Peter and Gill, who live in South

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ISRAEL AT WAR

THE LONE SOLDIERS WHO RISK THEIR LIVES TO PROTECT ISRAEL

by Sarah Miller

Every Friday night, Rebbetzin Eva Chapper prepares to make the traditional blessing over her sons. “May God bless you and watch over you,” she recites.

She must have said these words so many times, but in recent weeks they have taken on a new poignancy, as she delivers them over WhatsApp video for her two sons serving in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), amid the country’s ongoing battle against Hamas terrorists.

Aharon, 22 and Yisroel, 20, are just two of the 7,000 “lone soldiers” in the IDF, a label given to foreign nationals who voluntarily sign up to the Israeli forces and have no immediate family in Israel to support them. An estimated 10 percent are from Europe, including from the UK. For Eva and her husband, Rabbi

sation for non-Israelis. During that time, he made aliyah, finished the army, and now works in security.

“Yisroel went on his gap year to Mechinat Keshet Yehuda, a pre-army programme for Israelis that allows 15 non-Israelis to join. After that, it was natural for him to join the IDF and he is in the process of making aliyah.”

For 19-year-old Zara*, who has been serving in a non-combat role in the IDF since last December, thoughts of joining the army came at a much younger age, during a school trip to Israel when she was 13. Her mother, Donna*, initially dismissed the idea as a pipe dream, but came to understand just how serious were her daughter’s intentions.

“She had researched a lone soldier programme, Garin Tzabar, and worked hard to get the forms in on time. There was one point where we thought she might miss the deadline

An estimated 10 percent of soldiers who do not have immediate family in Israel are from Europe, including from the UK

“When Levi thinks about Israel, he has this feeling of a unified God, land and people – and it’s immutable. You can’t take it out of him,” explains Yael, who is married to Rabbi Hillel Simon.

“I cannot tell you how many times I replay this moment when Levi asked me if he should go into the army,” she tells me. With her practical hat on, she advised her son to take an opportunity that would “allow him to grow on his terms, not our terms as parents” and was supportive of his choice.

But there was further reason for

About 7,000 lone soldiers are serving in the IDF

Alex Chapper, the atrocities of 7 October and the launching of Israel’s military campaign in the weeks since, have left them “going through waves” of differing emotions as they express both anxiety and pride for their sons.

Growing up, neither son had especially planned to join the IDF. “It kind of just happened that life went this way for them,” explains Eva. “Aharon fell in love with Israel after a short stint in yeshiva and signed up to Machal, the voluntary IDF organi-

and even though we reassured her she could apply again, she was so disappointed. That was the moment I saw this is truly what she wanted to do. If you ask her why, it’s because she feels this deep obligation to protect and care for Israel.”

Having a child with a strong desire to defend Israel is something Yael Simon relates to with her son, Levi, 28. He first served as a lone soldier in 2015, has since made aliyah and has now been called up as a reservist in the elite special forces.

Yael to back her son’s decision. Her Baghdad-born father, Reading Dallal, served as a reservist paratrooper in the Yom Kippur War in 1973. His eldest brother served in the Palmach and fought in the War of Independence in 1948, with her grandfather hiding armaments under the floorboards of the family home and training the troops.

Fighting for the land of Israel is “in their DNA”, says Yael. “Literally 50 years ago to the day my father was called up as a reservist, my son

is going to war.” Prior to the events of 7 October, I ask the mothers what their greatest fear was for their children serving in the IDF. “My biggest worry was Zara being kidnapped, because there have been cases, such as Gilad Shalit and others,” says Donna. “I was reassured that she didn’t want to get into a combat role, but it still made me feel anxious that the minute she puts on the uniform, she is a target for anyone. Even then, no one could have imagined the past few weeks.”

Yael, however, says she “literally had zero worries” for her son, because of the training he had received in the IDF. “For Levi, the army was transformative. It wasn’t about identity, and it certainly wasn’t about the physical strength. The IDF is only about mental strength and being mentally indestructible.

“The army has brought out all of the leadership qualities we saw when he was a child but perhaps the typical school system didn’t pick up on. The army really gave him that chance and, in my heart, I still feel this was an amazing opportunity for him.”

Eva recalls receiving a knock at the door just after 7am on 7 October She was informed that both Aharon and Yisroel had been called up, a moment she recalls with fear in her voice.

For Donna, her greatest comfort was knowing that Zara was spending the weekend visiting relatives when the attacks happened.

“I’m very grateful, very relieved that she was with family at the time.

She could have been on her own and

❝

MY SON IS BUSY PROTECTING NINE MILLION ISRAELIS I think she would have felt anxious and scared. The people running her programme are 100 percent looking out for the lone soldiers, but it’s not the same as having your close family around you.

“In our house, we all have nicknames, terms of endearment that work within our family, but when she finally phoned, she said she needed to speak to “Mummy and Daddy”. That is not her.

“We can send her WhatsApp messages and ask if she is OK, but I can’t just turn around and give her a reassuring hug. That I think is something really tough for these lone soldiers.”

In the absence of being there physically for their children, the mothers have instead relied on speaking or messaging with the lone soldiers whenever they can. But, for some, there can be an agonising wait of hours, if not days, between communications.

Eva says: “At the moment, Aharon has his phone. He sends us, when he is not having to deal with dark and dangerous events, videos of him singing and dancing with his fellow soldiers and it’s heart-warming.

30 November 2023 Jewish News

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23

ISRAEL AT WAR

Parents of lone soldiers are proud but also worried for their children

“Our other son does not have access to his phone and we don’t know when we will next hear from him. Sometimes we have gaps of a week to 10 days.”

Zara does have her phone and Donna sends her daily messages, understanding that it might not always be possible for her daughter to reply straightaway.

“I’ve told her: ‘All I need to see is two blue ticks on WhatsApp, because then I know that you are safe and well enough to have looked at it.’

Seeing those blue ticks gives me a sense of relief.

“But we’ve told her that if she hears from either of her grandmothers, who

live in the UK, she has to reply that day because they don’t have the same access to social media.”

With the military operation now fully under way, Yael hears from Levi intermittently and remains positive for him, although admits that some moments are harder than others.

“As a parent, you want to go in and fix everything, you want your child to be OK. But here he is, busy protecting nine million people in Israel.

It gets you thinking, who is protecting whom?

“The other night, I was up with worry and messaged him. ‘Levi, tonight I go to sleep with fear on my mind and my heart. I worry for

you. You are my precious son. May Hashem keep you as safe and strong as ever, as lions. I love you.’

“He wrote back: ‘Stay strong for me mum, everything will be OK.’ “In all his messages, that’s what he always tells us.”

It’s a sentiment that chimes strongly with Eva. She tells me she “keeps the fears away, because it doesn’t help me or them or the rest of my family to not be able to face the day and all that life brings. They are constantly on my mind and in my prayers.”

She adds: “One tells me not to worry, that his middle name is Chaim, meaning ‘life’, and the other is named after Israel. They are the ones who reassure me.”

As events continue to unfold and Israeli troops deepen their operations in Gaza, I ask the mothers how they feel for what might lie ahead for their children.

Eva says: “I know how my boys have been trained and taught to uphold the morals of the IDF. And my faith keeps me strong too.

“Knowing there are things we don’t understand, the Jewish people have been through unbearable struggles before and we will get through this too.

“Not without loss, grief and fear, but we will come through.”

Donna says she is anxious for

Zara and fearful about the things she might witness or the potential grief she might feel for lost comrades, but admits to being equally anxious – perhaps more so – for her other daughter, who is facing antisemitism at a university outside of London.

“I’m worried about what is going on in Israel, but it is a unified society in what it is trying to do. In the UK, it feels like everyone is not united, not supported and not cared for.

“In some respects, I just want both my girls back, I want to give them a hug.

“My husband has said this won’t be forever, and I know it won’t be – but at what cost?

“Every person I know right now in the army are young adults. The potential physical and emotional cost for them is great, but I know it’s even bigger to do nothing.”

Yael is firmly focused on remaining positive for Levi and for the rest of the IDF. “There’s no greater Jewish pride for parents than to have a child who’s ready to give up their life for his faith, our country, our people.

“Levi told me his message for everyone is: ‘Don’t give up on us, we will make it worth it.’ We have to believe that.” *The names of these individuals have been changed

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ISRAEL AT WAR

Uni defends ‘genocide’ row rector The principal of St Andrews University power.” One alumna said Maris had played into appeared to stand by its rector this week after the antisemitic trope of Jewish power.

In Monday’s statement, Prof Dame Sally Jewish students claimed the rector “misled” them over an email accusing Israel of “apart- Mapstone defended the rector, saying: “I wish to unreservedly condemn the abuse she has heid” and “genocide”, writes Beatrice Sayers.

The two women issued a joint statement received from sources outside the university.”

Maris’ email on 21 November said Palestinon Monday saying they would take part in mediation following the “serious issue which ians had suffered “apartheid, siege, illegal occupation and collective punishment”. It differed is dividing our community”.

Stella Maris was heavily criticised for a markedly from a draft sent to representatives of the university’s JSoc the previous evening. four-page email to students about Fourth-year undergraduate Annie Gishen the Israel-Hamas war and for subsequent remarks she made said there had been “back and forth” emails between the rector and JSoc before her online. She responded by saying email was sent: “She basically misled us all. she was a victim of intimidation.

[The draft email] didn’t accuse Israel of genMaris responded online to an ocide. It was very different.”

Instgram post by the university JSoc: “I will not have antisemitism In her email, Maris also included a weaponised against me... you link to a website with a story headwill never intimidate me lined: “The evidence Israel killed into not speaking truth to Stella Maris its own citizens on Oct 7,” the

BBC reported. Maris, 22, a graduate of the university, is the youngest rector of recent times and was elected to the three-year role – which includes giving pastoral support to the student community – by the students on 10 October.

An attachment to her email had links to proPalestinian Instagram accounts that included Yara Eid, who accuses Israel in almost every post of genocide, ethnic cleansing and apartheid; Bayan Abusultan, whose Instagram bio says “from the river to the sea”; and Wael Al Dahdouh, who has posted a reel saying Jews are inflicting on the Gaza population the “same crimes” inflicted on them in the Holocaust.

The university issued an earlier statement saying it regretted Maris’ “message, the language it used and some of the sources it cited have caused alarm, division, and harm in our community, and more widely”.

Students, alumni and others have signed an open letter to the rector accusing her of

abusing her position. It says: “We are deeply shocked at the way in which you appear to justify the acts of terrorism witnessed on 7 October, where you have appealed to the student body to ‘appreciate the deep-seated grievances and frustrations’ behind said actions.

“No grievance or frustration can ever justify the atrocities of that day, and any suggestion otherwise carries the implication violence against Jews or Israelis is somehow acceptable ... borne out in the form of a 10-fold increase in antisemitic hate crimes across the UK.” On her LinkedIn profile, Maris has accused critics of trying to intimidate her and writes: “You can let them know that they won’t receive a response from me so they might as well stop.”

Gishen, 22, who was president of the university JSoc last year, said Jewish students feel “pretty isolated” by the events in a town which has no synagogue. “We are the only Jews in St Andrews,” she said.

HUMBLED BY THE FAITH OF OUR NATION

BY RABBI PINY HACKENBROCH

CHAIR, RABBINIC COUNCIL OF THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE I’ve returned from a two-day United Synagogue solidarity mission to Israel with colleagues of the Rabbinic and Rebbetzens’ Executives and members of the United Synagogue central leadership team. Its purpose was to show our support and deepen our understanding of the challenges now faced by Israel.

We started by meeting Rabbi Doron Perez, chief executive of World Mizrachi. Two of his sons, Yonatan and Daniel, were serving on 7 October. Yonatan, due to marry just 10 days later, was injured saving residents; Daniel remains missing, presumed a hostage.

Remarkably, the wedding went ahead.

Doron, while full of joy standing under

the chuppah with Yonatan, was also experiencing tremendous anguish not knowing Daniel’s location or safety. As we heard him speak, he showed us his extraordinary faith for the future of Israel and our people.

At Shura army base, we learned of the painful but holy work of those tasked with attempting to identify the dead so their remains could be released for burial. Some bodies were so disfigured they were flown to America where advanced equipment enabled their identities to be confirmed.

We heard the harrowing tales of residents from the kibbutzim who had witnessed the tremendous trauma of the attacks and had loved ones kidnapped.

Their close-knit communal bond and resilience were self-evident. At Har Herzl, we held a memorial service with the army and visited the graves of the fallen. Seeing the graves of some of the soldiers we knew was particularly distressing and made the losses seem exceptionally personal and real.

We hosted a barbecue for soldiers back from active duty and I met Rabbi Shmuel Slotki, an older reserve soldier, and discovered we had been contemporaries in Yeshiva. He told me two of his sons, hearing of the scale of the Hamas assault, went to the front line to defend the southern border towns under attack. Both were killed. Each left behind a wife and a baby.

Rabbi Slotki was called up at the start of the war to assist in the monumental effort to identify the bodies of those murdered by Hamas and carried on even during the five days when his sons were unaccounted for, before their remains were discovered and their deaths confirmed. I asked him tearfully why he was serving just a few weeks after such a tremendous loss. His answer was humbling: “Israel needed everyone to serve as we are at war.”

We visited displaced residents from both north and south Israel who are now living in the hotels across the country and it was

striking how, despite the limited space and resources, they have managed to transform the hotels into mini towns complete with schools and activities for their communities.

We also visited a rehabilitation centre and met soldiers injured defending the residents of the south. They were all struggling with their injuries yet showed tremendous determination to return to their families and life as soon as they were released.

Yossi was helicoptered into Be’eri and fought to rescue residents from the terrorists. Despite ongoing pain from his injuries, he said he was determined to start again his Torah learning and, remarkably, had recommenced his Daf Yomi learning schedule.

We returned from our all-too-brief visit humbled by the faith of our nation and full of admiration for their dogged determination and resilience.

We asked what should we tell people to do to help Israel. They said “just come” and “focus on bringing the hostages home”.

30 November 2023 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

25

ISRAEL AT WAR

Marathon runner dedicates his fundraising to hostages

One of James Sorene’s online dedications

The uncle of a survivor of the Supernova music festival massacre by Hamas terrorists on 7 October has embarked on a daily sponsored run to raise money for Magen David Adom.

James Sorene’s nephew, Ariel, managed to escape the attackers on 7 October but his cousin, Jake Marlowe, a security guard at the festival, was tragically murdered.

Determined to take action and to highlight the plight of the hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, Sorene, a civil servant and a qualified UK Athletics running coach, is now running every day.

Speaking to Jewish News, he said: “Like many Jewish people in London, I was personally affected by the events of 7 October.

“Seeing the terrible suffering in Israel, I decided to do something practical and resolved

to run at least 10km every day to raise money for Magen David Adom. I knew I might be running for a very long time – I started on 5 November so I am aproaching week four.”

As of 23 November, he had run more than 200km and raised more than £1,500.

He added: “I wake up every day at 5am. I dedicate my run each morning to one of the hostages and post their picture.

“I then set out whatever the weather and run usually 12km or more. I am a qualified coach, ran the marathon in April and usually do a few runs each week. But doing a run six days a week is a very specific challenge, having the energy to do it every day and focusing on avoiding injury.”

Among Sorene’s routes is the 14km loop taking him from his office in Whitehall to the Israeli embassy in Kensington.

James Sorene runs 10k every day

We urgently need to step up our act

BY DR JONATHAN BOYD EXECUTIVE

DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH POLICY RESEARCH

With all the antisemitic incidents, antiIsrael demonstrations on our streets and often distorted narrative put out by parts of the media, it feels the whole world is against us. It has been the most gruelling period I can recall to be a Jew in the UK and it’s difficult not to feel isolated, alienated and anxious about the future.

Just two months after the last major flareup in Gaza in 2021, JPR research found 73 percent of British Jews felt they were being held responsible by non-Jews for the actions of the Israeli government. We don’t have equivalent data for our feelings now, but the proportion is almost certainly even higher.

Yet amid all the apprehension, it’s impor-

tant to assess what is happening through an empirical as well as an emotional lens. And based on research by YouGov over several years, it is striking to see levels of British public sympathy for Israel doubled in the month immediately after 7 October while equivalent levels of sympathy for the Palestinians fell to their lowest levels for years.

In the four years before 7 October, about 20-25 percent of people in Britain sympathised with the Palestinians and just 10 percent with the Israelis. The rest – about two-thirds – either felt sympathy with both sides equally or had no opinion. Sympathy levels over these four years were largely steady; biannual data gathered by YouGov found essentially the same results each time.

But straight after 7 October, sympathy for Israel rose from 10 to 20 percent, while sympathy for the Palestinians fell from about 25 to 15 percent – for the first time in years, a realignment in public opinion, with more sympathy for Israel than the Palestinians.

Over the following few weeks, as casualties and deaths in Gaza mounted, the picture began to change, though perhaps not quite as one might expect. While sympathy for the Palestinians gradually climbed to about 20 percent by early November, sympathy for Israel remained at more or less the same level. So whereas before 7 October there were about five Palestinian sympathisers for every two Israeli sympathisers in Britain, a month later, the ratio was about one-to-one.

Many British Jews with whom I share this information are often extremely surprised. It doesn’t align with their perception of reality; their feelings of isolation and alienation are such the empirical reality doesn’t compute.

However, this is reliable data, conducted by a credible research agency. And we are lucky to have it: it gives us critical information, not only about public sentiment during the crisis but, even more importantly, benchmark figures from before the war to contextualise what we’re seeing now.

This is not ‘nice to know’ information; if the community is to respond intelligently to the threats that exist, it has to collect the right data on the right issues in a careful and methodical way, on an ongoing basis.

But we only have this data because YouGov gathers it. Few if any Jewish community organisations have seen fit to invest seriously in the research work required to understand, even in the simplest terms, what is going on. And not just on this issue, but on numerous others too – even on the most basic demographic statistics such as Jewish births and deaths and migration.

The 7 October attacks on Israel, and their impact on Jews worldwide, should demonstrate to us all that Jewish communal life is not a game. The world has changed, and we as a community urgently need to step up our act. Emotions are high and are likely to stay high for some time. In that context, having cold, hard data, and using it to shape communal policy, is more critical than ever.

26 Jewish News 30 November 2023

www.jewishnews.co.uk

ISRAEL AT WAR

BBC rejects complaints over war The BBC has not upheld complaints raised about its reporting of the IsraelHamas conflict, writes Joy Falk.

It follows an investigation after concerns were raised by law firm Mishcon de Reya Solicitors on behalf of the Board of Deputies and Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) about a report on 17 October over the explosion at al-Ahli Hospital and other news bulletins.

Both organisations complained that the BBC news programme The Context “wrongly attributed” the air strike at the hospital to the Israeli military, while Israel suggested it was caused by a rocket misfired by Palestinian terrorists.

During the show, BBC correspondent Jon Donnison, reporting from Jerusalem, said: “Now the Israeli Defence Forces, the Israeli military, have been contacted for

comment and they have said that they are investigating. But, you know, it’s hard to see what else this could be, really, given the size of the explosion, other than an Israeli air strike or several air strikes, because, you know, when we’ve seen rockets being fired out of Gaza, we never see explosions of that scale.”

BBC director-general Tim Davie referred the complaints to the corporation’s executive complaints unit (ECU), which considered them in light of its “editorial standards of accuracy and impartiality”.

The ECU said the complaint had been “resolved” as it judged Donnison had made clear to viewers the Israeli military had not made any “substantive comment” and had not offered a “definitive judgment”.

However, it accepted that it was

The scene at al-Ahli Hospital after the 17 October explosion

“not consistent with the BBC’s standards of due accuracy to offer any view about responsibility for the incident at a point where so little reliable information was available”.

The CAA also complained about a tweet, push notification and post

in relation to the reporting of the events of 17 October. The ECU did not uphold the complaints about inaccuracy in the report as it referred to BBC Verify’s coverage and stated “the BBC cannot yet establish as fact who was responsible for the blast”.

Another complaint not upheld questioned the BBC’s impartiality in not using the term “terrorist” in relation to Hamas.

The Board of Deputies argued that the use of such “terms as ‘bomber’, ‘attacker’, ‘gunman’, ‘kidnapper’, ‘insurgent’ and ‘militant’ fell short” as they failed to “convey the full horror” of Hamas’ actions on 7 October.

The complaints unit accepted that none of the terms on their own conveyed the full horror of the actions, but added that there was “room for doubt” that even the word “terrorist” did this.

It added that it was the reporting by the BBC’s various outlets of the Hamas invasion rather than the terminology used “that was the test of whether justice has been done to the events”.

Pope criticised over ‘terrorism’ accusation Jewish groups have criticised Pope Francis for appearing to accuse both Israel and Hamas of “terrorism” in their ongoing war following the 7 October invasion.

“This is what wars do,” the pope said at his general audience Pope Francis meets in St Peter’s Square. “But here we Chief Rabbi Pinchas have gone beyond wars. This is not Goldschmidt war. This is terrorism.”

Francis made the comments following separate meetings with Jewish relatives of hostages being held by Hamas and with Palestinians with family in Gaza.

His remarks come a month after he called on Hamas to free the hostages being held in Gaza, and weeks after calling for a ceasefire and for more Palestinian aid.

Noemi Di Segni, the president of the Union of Jewish Communities in Italy, issued a statement saying that she would have preferred Francis had issued a clear condemnation of the events of 7 October.

“Certainly we cannot equate the responsibilities of those who have a design of extermination and terror versus those who are defending

themselves and defending an entire country and a community that includes both Muslims and Palestinians,” Di Segni said.

In a statement published on the official website of the Jewish community of Milan, the Council of the Assembly of Italian Rabbis charged the pope with “publicly accusing both sides of terrorism”.

WILL WE HAVE ZIONIST GRANDCHILDREN?

BY ADAM TAUB

CO-FOUNDER OF ETGAR Matthew Parris wrote recently in The Times that Israel is in danger of losing its friends. The number of civilian casualties in Gaza alarms him and if Israel does not change course it risks losing the sympathy of its supporters.

I believe him. But I do not have the option he has, to turn my back on Israel.

I know Israel is a guarantor of Jewish safety throughout the world. I know Israel and Jews are inseparable in the eyes of organisations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood and the leaders of Iran.

I have read too much Jewish history to think that if Israel did not exist, there would be no more antisemitism.

For more than 40 years, Yossi Klein Halevi has been a commentator on modern Israeli politics. His book, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbour, is a heartfelt plea to find a way for the two peoples to live together in a land they both hold sacred and call home.

In The Times of Israel, he wrote recently: “We know many of those who are demanding a ceasefire are our friends, good people who are horrified by Gaza’s devastation. But the

fact that even they don’t seem to understand what’s at stake in this war, and that a ceasefire would allow Hamas to regroup, only reinforces our sense of isolation.

“There are moments when we must risk going alone. We know that the longer the fighting in Gaza lasts, even our friends will begin to pressure us to relent. We must resist that pressure and not fear the consequences.”

I understand these words. I understand Israel cannot afford to live with a terrorist organisation on its southern border a mile or so from its towns and villages.

I understand the notion that Hamas can be trusted to become a responsible governing authority concerned for the welfare of the people of Gaza lies in tatters in the wake of the massacre of 7 October.

So I cannot turn my back on Israel.

But what does it mean for our children?

What does it mean for the next generation of Jews who have grown up in a different world from the one of my childhood?

I still remember sitting in synagogue on Yom Kippur 1973 and hearing the whispered conversations of shock. I still remember the massacre of athletes at Munich in 1972 and the hijacking of aircraft culminating in Entebbe. In short, I remember the feeling that Israel is a tiny, vulnerable country beset by enemies in a hostile corner of the world.

But my children have none of these memories. They have known only a mili-

tarily strong Israel. They have known only an Israel led almost exclusively by Benjamin Netanyahu. They have known only an Israeli divided against itself with strictly-Orthodox Jews avoiding the draft and extreme religious nationalists trying to evict Palestinians and Israeli Arabs.

I am worried they do not have an unshakeable commitment to Israel, an emotional attachment that goes far beyond summer holidays spent in Herzliya.

I know that, as a community, we have tried to imbue them with a love of Israel through songs, camps and trips, through stories of innovation like cherry tomatoes and water irrigation in Africa. But these identity-strengthening exercises cannot be relied on to fill them with pride or ensure their continued commitment.

The extraordinary story of Israel that encompasses heroism and sacrifice, the return of a nation to its homeland after 2,000 years, the creation of a refuge for immigrants from all over the world, is the most remarkable story of national revival.

And our children do not know it. Without that foundational knowledge, our children will be easily confused, shocked by the images social media will feed them and open to the simplistic narratives offered by those who blame Israel exclusively for the situation.

I meet many young Jews and some of the smartest of them are attracted to antiZionist positions: they feel it is their respon-

sibility as Jews to oppose the state of Israel as a colonial power that oppresses the Palestinians. Without facts, without knowledge, our young people are defenceless against lies, half-truths and distortions.

For example, I recently heard a Palestinian spokesperson argue the West Bank is a peaceful community of Palestinians and yet Israelis are unwilling to make peace. Sounds reasonable, unless you know Palestinian suicide bombers in the Second Intifada entered Israel from the West Bank and blew themselves up in restaurants, bus stops and public places to kill as many Israelis as possible.

Without facts, without knowledge, our children are susceptible to false arguments that will shake their commitment. And, sadly, our children are ignorant. They do not speak Ivrit. They know little or nothing of Jewish history, of the philosophies of Zionism, of the founders of the state, of its challenges, failures and successes, of the remarkable culture of modern Israel. How is it possible to love Israel deeply without knowing about it?

We, as a community, have been sleepwalking towards a crisis. We have failed to educate our children properly about Israel. If we do not wake up and take education of the next generation seriously, we will find that when confronted with the next challenge that Israel will face, they will shrug and say “it’s not my problem”. It is our problem.

30 November 2023 Jewish News

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ISRAEL AT WAR

Hostage families at JW3 tell of ordeal nightmare

by Jenni Frazer jenni@jennifrazer.com @Jennifrazer

A renewed pledge for British Jews to continue highlighting the Hamas hostages was made this week at a meeting at JW3 with family members of those murdered or kidnapped.

A three-person delegation of Israeli family members was brought to the UK by Gesher, which works to improve relations between different Jewish communities in Israel and the diaspora.

The three – Limor Sella-Broyde, Shachar Mor and David Barr – shared their individual stories but said that even though hostage releases were taking place, they still felt overwhelming grief.

The feeling, said Shachar, was that Israel as a nation “was in shock” and that it would take a long time to process what had happened to their families and friends.

Limor, who has spoken in the UK a month previously, said she had had 12 family members hurt.

“Three were murdered, nine were taken captive. Eight have been returned and one still remains in Gaza. It’s a miracle, but it’s an intervention-induced miracle.”

She described a nightmare scenario in which funerals and shivas were overlapping each other. as bodies were slowly identified. “The return, as well as bringing relief, brings with it a lot of uncertainty, sadness, and heartache.”

Those who had returned were coming back to the news of their relatives’ deaths, together with the fact that they had no homes to go.

“We are here, among other things, to advocate for the release of every last one of the hostages,” she said.

“Part of the reason that we are here today is that we see how important it is for us to stay strong and stay together.”

She said support could take many forms, from speaking out on social media to financial aid, in helping not just returned hostages, but also the hundreds of displaced families in both north and south of Israel.

Shachar Mor, who described himself to Jewish News as a “leftwing activist for peace”, had four family members kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest hit of the southern kibbutzim.

Towards the end of last week his aunt, cousin and their nine-yearold son were released; but Shachar’s cousin Ro’ee was murdered.

His 78-year-old uncle, Avraham, remains a captive of Hamas.

Before 7 October, said Shachar, Nir Oz had been been “as close to heaven as you can get, just a 40-minute drive from Tel Aviv.

“It was green, it was lush, it was beautiful. The places had their own energy, and it was a peace energy.

My uncle used to drive sick cancer patients from Gaza to Soroka hospital in Beersheva. My grandmother was from the generation that were pioneers, and she raised her kids the same way.”

Describing some of the newly related experiences of the released hostages, Shachar was adamant. “I don’t care about Hamas. I just want my uncle back”.

British-born David Barr is an educator from Kibbutz Alumim,

Limor Sella-Broyde: three of her family were killed and nine kidnapped

whose sister-in-law, Naomi, was murdered as she went for her regular early morning run in Sderot.

He spoke of the psychological problems engulfing Israelis, particularly those who – like him and his family – have been evacuated to

different places around the country.

Barr said: “The school where I work is spread out all over the country.

We tried having lessons by Zoom but it’s a waste of time, the kids have no interest in studying: they’re not in the world.

“The headline that I saw is that psychologists have no way of dealing with the situation that we find ourselves in.”

Drily, he said social media should really be called “the anti-social media – you get thrown back in your face what you want to hear, and then we become little robots. A war against trying to persuade the other side is a lost war. And, by the way, even if we say we’re going to win this war, we can’t – we lost it on the first day. We can only defeat the enemy but we’re not going to win any wars.”

Ilan Geal-Dor, the chief executive of Gesher, said the war and the hostage issue “was no longer an Israeli issue. It’s an issue of the Jewish world, a mutual challenge of the Jewish people. This new reality brings us together.”

The war was described both as “a war between good and bad” and “a proxy war between human rights believers, and those who do not believe in human rights.”

The Israeli delegation asked British Jews to “keep the tension up”, including asking the UK government why it continued to send money into Gaza. For their part, the British Jews asked what more they could do to help. “Every little thing counts in terms of support,” Limor said.

Raymond Simonson, JW3‘s chief executive, said one of the most effective campaigns had been JW3‘s Shabbat candles package, each of which spotlighted one of the hostages. “Big numbers are hard to process. but giving the names of hostages personalise the situation.”

Board of Deputies chief executive Michael Wegier chaired the meeting.

...as UJS campaigns for them

A vigil in Tel Aviv. Students in the UK will light Chanukah candles for hostages

The Union of Jewish Students, which represents 9,000 students in the UK, is launching a nationwide campaign for Chanukah called ‘Light for Those Who Can’t’.

In an echo of an earlier Jewish student-led campaign for Soviet Jewry, UJS will co-ordinate the distribution of 3,000 boxes of Chanukah candles, so that members of the public can light a second menorah for those who continue to be held hostage in Gaza.

Each box of candles will bear a sticker for an Israeli individual, captured and held by Hamas.

The candles, which, with the

support of UJIA, can be ordered without charge from ujs.org.uk/ lightforhostages, will be lit every night of Chanukah, traditionally the festival of lights. People will be encouraged to take pictures of their hostage-linked candles for each night of Chanukah, and post the images on social media, as a continuing reminder of every Hamas kidnap, using the hashtag #lightforthosewhocant.

Edward Isaacs, UJS president, said: “At a time when innocent civilians are still being held in Gaza, we, as the UK’s Jewish youth, have united to light candles for

those who can’t this Chanukah.

Join us as we spread the light, which is needed now more than ever before.”

The UJS initiative has the support of every Jewish youth movement in the UK. Jewish News is the media partner for the project.

Students led the fight on behalf of Soviet Jewry in the 1970s, tying in the plight of Soviet Jews to Pesach, the festival of freedom.

Half a century later, 21st century-Jewish students are raising awareness of Israeli captives with an imaginative candlelight campaign.

30 Jewish News 30 November 2023

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30 November 2023 Jewish News

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31

Are we protecting children too much from Israel’s war?

One of the letters drawn by children to support soldiers in Israel

survival instinct against threat, when anxiety overwhelms, when it grows without boundary or proportion, it can paralyse and weaken us. Constant discussion cycling around the same fears and threats can be very unhelpful and in itself reawaken further anxiety and harmful responses.

The key is to channel conversation towards constructive and positive discussions. It is also helpful to sometimes provide a

❝

CONSTANT DISCUSSION AROUND THE SAME FEARS CAN REAWAKEN FURTHER ANXIETY. THE KEY IS TO CHANNEL CONVERSATION TOWARDS CONSTRUCTIVE ISSUES

specific timeframe for them so that they don’t overtake life.

This generation’s emotional resilience is said to be at an alltime low. Our job, as educators and as parents, is to build that resilience, to create pathways of recognising, processing and dealing with painful or confusing situations, of disappointment and devastation.

The challenge is that we have become snowplough parents, clearing away any small challenge or obstacle away from our children’s path before they can stumble on it, or even know it is there. We are scared for them to experience any pain or discomfort. The issue is that instead of helping our children, it can be disempowering and harmful.

Our children will at some point have to face pain and difficulty; we all do. When we shield our children from every hurt, every chance of failure or pain, we rob them of

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27 May 2020

BRITAIN’S BLIND SPO T •

16 Sivan 5781

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Issue No.1212

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UK

We’ve never been racism, so why so focused on fighting the deafenin g silence as antisemitism spirals out of control?

• Hospital probes ‘cutth

• Driver with Israel roat gesture’ to Jewish patient attacked in Golders Green • Crucifixion banneri flataghuge pro-Palesti • BBC journalist’s #Hitle nian demo • Nearly 300 antisemitic rwasright tweet revealed

ANTI-JEWISH

RACISM – THE

incidents in under

MADNESS SPREAD

‘It’s okay not to be okay’ BOO KVE DRI

S: Pages 2,

3 weeks

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Journey’s end Fredd ie’s Covid

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Page 10

VOICE 22 April 2021

•

OF TH E COM M

10 Iyar 5781

•

Issue No.1207

23 1105254

In all the heartbreak and horror of the events in Israel since 7 October, and with the sharp rise of antisemitism in our own streets and around the world, it is hard to give space to other thoughts, other concerns.

But as we try to come to terms with a changed world and the constant uncertainty around the next few days and weeks, questions have started to arise about how we process and follow developing events.

These concerns are for our own mental health and state of mind but, as parents, primarily for our children and adolescents whose emotional resilience seems to be needed more than ever.

As with all parenting, the decision of how much to share about current events, for example about the hostages taken or the antisemitism nearby, will be a personal one. It’s a balance, weighing up various factors and circumstances including age and personalities of children, their wider environment and our own personal values and educational styles.

When making our decision it is worth bearing in mind that our children often know and sense a lot more than we think they do.

Regardless of how sheltered we try to make our homes, and whatever controls we may have on things like their phones and social media, living today in the news orientated

Charity number

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOTHERAPIST

and super-connected world, it is nearly impossible that they do not encounter information from many other sources we would have preferred they not see or read.

Even our younger children sense atmosphere, what we are not saying, our moods and fears. When not given a voice, these can morph into unhelpful anxiety without direction or outlet. When we don’t discuss events with our children, we can lose out on the opportunity to provide a framework in which to respond to tragedy and to fears, one that reflects our values and worldview.

Discussing events, in an age appropriate safe and calm way, can go a long way to opening up a healthy conversation about how to cope with, manage and allay scary situations. Talking about measures we can take, both physical and spiritual, for example additional security behaviours, prayer or positive charitable actions, can give a child a way through.

We know that things kept in the dark often cast a greater shadow for children, for everyone, than those things examined clearly in the light. Anxiety is often dispelled by demystifying and breaking down fears in a concrete way.

A note of caution: while anxiety and fear are a natural response and

century!

UK registered

BY NAOMI LERER,

Beloved survivor’s 100th birthday P31

the gift of independent strength, of self-confidence in the face of adversity, of emotional stability.

This is vital for raising successful adults. By rushing in to save them, we are broadcasting to them that we do not believe they are capable of overcoming or meeting the challenges life throws at them.

The Jewish people are hurting at this moment. This is our collective reality. By talking to our children about the ongoing situation we are telling them we believe they can manage, that they have the emotional resilience inside themselves to move forward successfully. When we guide them to harness their feelings towards positive action, whether that is raising money in support of Israel, attending or organising solidarity events, by praying or encouraging others, we empower them to know that even when there are events over which we have no control, there is always something we can do.

Then our children won’t just survive this period, but they will emerge seeing themselves as people who contribute, who build, who in the face of chaos or evil are not powerless.

Now, more than ever, our children need that inner strength. Certainly, information and discussions about any subject need to be age appropriate and carefully thought through. But when evaluating what to share and what to conceal, we need to be aware of whether we are doing this as protection for our children or to prevent our own shortterm discomfort at the cost of their long-term growth.

• Naomi Lerer is also the CEO of Noa Girls

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DRESSING

Inside Julia’s

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YIZKOR – Living

with loss

New Beginnings

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turns 50

32 Jewish News 30 November 2023

www.jewishnews.co.uk

ISRAEL AT WAR

Images of hostages placed on Auschwitz train tracks

Some of the hostage photographs on display

Two hundred students from JFS have placed photos of the almost 200 hostages being held

by Hamas in Gaza remaining after the first releases on the train tracks outside Auschwitz, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

The students were on a trip to Poland with Jewish heritage education organisation JRoots.

Zak Jeffay, of JRoots, said: “Auschwitz is the ultimate symbol of the age-old phenomena of Jews being targeted and murdered for the simple

fact that they were Jews. It should serve as a wake-up call to the world today, as it has over the past 78 years, that the lives of Jews wherever they are cannot be disregarded.

“Jews killed and kidnapped from their homes in 2023 happened against the backdrop of centuries of antisemitism.

“Placing these pictures in front of Auschwitz allows people to see more clearly the context in which the crimes of today are taking place.”

Auschwitz visitors check out the photo array

Police hunt for train abuser MAN HELD OVER HATE MAIL A man who called passengers returning from last Sunday’s rally against antisemitism “a bunch of killers, a bunch of child-molesters” and “donkeys” is being sought by British Transport Police (BTP), writes Adam Decker.

In video footage uploaded on X (formerly Twitter), the man can be heard saying he is surrounded by “a bunch of killers, a bunch of child-molesters”. He calls them “donkeys”, shouts “free Palestine” and then

appears to be drawn into a physical scuffle with other passengers.

BTP says detectives are investigating the “racially aggravated” incident on a Thameslink train from West Hampstead to Mill Hill Broadway on 26 November at around 5.30pm.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is asked to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40, reference 528 of 26 November 2023.

A man has been remanded in custody for allegedly sending threatening and abusive messages about Israel and Gaza to a Conservative MP. Feras Al-Jayoosi, 36, from Swindon, Wiltshire, was arrested by counterterrorism officers last Thursday on suspicion of harassment.

He was later charged with stalking North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson by sending multiple abusive and threatening emails that

caused fear and concern. Swindon Magistrates’ Court was told last Saturday that the alleged emails were about the situation in Israel and Gaza.

Al-Jayoosi, who spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address, was denied bail and remanded in custody ahead of a hearing expected to take place at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

He is also charged with criminal damage over an unrelated matter.

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30 November 2023 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

33

Community / Scene & Be Seen

1

RACHEL’S SHABBAT LUNCH

The Ladies Guild at Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation marked Jewish Women’s Aid Shabbat with a ‘sold-out’ lunch with guest speaker Southend-born TV presenter Rachel Riley, whose family fled the pogroms to end up in the UK. She is an ambassador for the charity.

2

FRIENDS’ FUNDRAISER

Friends of Sidney Corob House held an evening with Dame Maureen Lipman at Jewish Care’s Betty and Asher Loftus Centre. It raised nearly £7,500 for recreational activities and outings for residents at the care home for adults with mental health needs.

And be seen!

The latest news, pictures and social events from across the community

3

GOLF CLUB QUIZ NIGHT

At a quiz night at Aldenham Golf Club, 140 people enjoyed a fish and chip supper before answering questions. Almost £6,000 was raised to be shared between Hadassah Hospital, United Hatzalah of Israel, Leket Israel and IDF soldiers fund. WAGOS golf society were the winning team.

Email community editor Michelle Rosenberg: michelle@jewishnews.co.uk

4

WHISKY GALORE FOR CHARITY!

Whisky producer DS Tayman released 144 bottles of Peated Linkwood priced at £100 and pledged the proceeds from sales to United Hatzalah. This reflects the company’s commitment to making a positive contribution to the world.

Within 12 hours, all 144 bottles were snatched up, with orders pouring in from the UK and US.

5

1

2

SPECIAL DELIVERY TO ISRAEL

GIFT and JRoots coordinated on a four-day humanitarian trip to Israel to pack essential supplies, visit displaced families, offer condolences at a house of mourning, deliver provisions, participate in farming activities and organise BBQs for displaced communities and soldiers. “Our ethos revolves around inspiring giving, so it was a natural step to create this impactful journey,” said GIFT’s Rabbi Sandor Milun. “The palpable sense of togetherness, shared loss and the resilient spirit to live in peace resonated deeply.”

6

NATIONAL QUIZ CHAMPIONS

Edge Grove School in Aldenham has been crowned national junior champion in the Britannica What On Earth! magazine quiz. The team, comprising Josh Carr and Reuben Colton with two other boys, competed against 80 primary schools in the online heats earlier this month and were invited to London to line up against the country’s top four primary schools.

3

7

POSITIVE JEWISH LIVING

More than 500 children and 75 teachers and parents from non-Jewish schools visited Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue’s Jewish Living Exhibition. A large volunteer team created a positive Jewish experience for the children. Rabbi Alex Chapper said: “Particularly during these challenging times it’s so important to educate others about our religion and way of life and for them to discover, at a young age, that we share much in common.”

4

5

6

8

SONG AND HOPE IN GLASGOW

More than 100 people packed Glasgow’s Giffnock Newton Mearns Synagogue hall for ‘A Night of Song and Hope’. Sholom Jacobs was accompanied by musicians Shimon Santhouse and Lipa Tomlin of Manchester and Cantor Eddie Binnie of Garnethill Synagogue. The event raised £5,000 for United Hatzalah to sponsor the cost of a medical bag, two defibrillators and other urgently-needed items.

7

8

34 Jewish News 30 November 2023

www.jewishnews.co.uk

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30 November 2023 Jewish News 35

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Inside A look

Remembering a stillborn baby Chanukah gifts

The Fabulous Barbershop Boys Debbie Collins meets two members of The Ashatones as they get through to the second round of ITV’s The Voice

F

riendships formed at university can bring about great things and while I’m still patiently waiting for the publishing rights to my uni girls’ group chat, Ashley, Sam, Harry and Alex went next level and formed The Ashatones – a barbershop quartet – while at Leeds together.

Everyone loves a background story and theirs is pretty harmonious: a meeting of musical minds.

Ex-JFS pupil Ashley says: “We met at Leeds over 10 years ago where we were all studying music – we were finishing our exams and leaving first-year halls, singing five hours a day and just exploring our voices.

“People heard us rehearsing and it encouraged us so we formed The Ashatones, which is an acrostic of our names.”

Ten years on, the group is still going strong and was seen on TV singing competition The Voice last weekend. “A friend mentioned that a mate was involved in production for The Voice and we decided to go for it,” says Ashley.

“The show has so much credibility in that it’s ‘pure voice’ – we have no sob story, we are just four best mates from uni who love music. I actually had stage fright being in front of the cameras and don’t remember a thing – you can’t afford to drop pitch and lose tempo when performing live.”

Harry, who attended King Solomon school, concurs: “It was actually a terrifying experience!”

Their nerves were clearly not an issue as judge Olly Murs spun round in his chair with a decisive ‘yes’ to see who was behind the clever arrangement of About Damn Time by Lizzo. This being the first year a group was allowed to enter, did the guys see it as a ticket to stardom? “We’d flirted before with shows like Britain’s Got Talent but ultimately decided against applying,” says Ashley.

“The thing with The Ashatones is that it’s a side hustle – we all have day jobs within the creative industry and so we act passively with opportunities. It’s such a big task to get together so when we really want to do something, like the (unofficial) 2022 World Cup anthem in support of Women’s Aid, we make it happen.”

Ashley is currently touring with stage show Mamma Mia, which came about at the same time as The Voice – that must have made for a tricky decision. “It was a chance-ina-lifetime opportunity for a longterm contract and the boys told me I had to go for it,” he says Theirs is a pretty niche style of singing for a bunch of millennials, but they have managed to

Alex

give it a fresh look. Harry says: “We started singing classic barbershop songs because you have to learn the fundamentals, the right blends and harmonies. But it was boring to sing, so we did our own arrangements, like The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, lots of medleys – we wanted to push the boundaries so we explored Lizzo and Olivia Rodrigo, using our own skills as musicians to hone the arrangements to suit our voices.”

And with differing styles and personalities, who is the Gary Barlow of the group? “No one is the boss,” says Harry. “Alex is the driving force at the moment with promotion – he does social media for a living.” Ashley says: “Harry is brilliant at music arrangements. I bring my skills as a musical director and Sam went to drama school so that really helps with our performance practice. There are no egos in the group.”

With a TV debut and a new website their audience is definitely growing, with fans wanting to know everything about these four lovely lads, so I endeavour to

Ashley

find out more about their Jewish roots. They both grew up singing in shul choirs and are members of an acapella group called the Ah Men Singers. Harry is also choirmaster at Central Synagogue, where they sing most High Holy Days.

Ashley says: “The majority of our fanbase are friends and family, and we feel very strongly about not being silenced right now and connecting with our Judaism. But we don’t want to get too political as a group – the aim is to just put out nice music.”

The quartet being half Jewish certainly had its appeal to fellow Ashatones Alex and Sam, with Harry recalling Alex’s 21st birthday – a Friday night dinner at Harry’s family home. “It was what Alex specifically wanted for his birthday – a bunch of uni mates and old school friends at my mum’s house for a traditional dinner. It was a great night.”

Ashley continues: “Jewish food just brings everyone together – challah is like crack to our mates!”

And not everyone can say they had Friday night dinner at Harry Style’s

Sam

house, because Harry’s surname is actually Style. “Nothing good has ever come from having that surname,” jokes Ashley. “We were at uni just when One Direction’s fame was rising and people would get hold of Harry’s phone number.

He was getting calls from all around the world. It got so bad that he had to change his number.”

And with a potential influx of new fans from their TV performances, what is on the horizon for 2024? Ashley says: “We might do a public event early next year.

“We don’t really know how far this is going to go. We just want to ‘be in the moment’.”

But if this thing blows up will everyone pack in their day jobs?

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Our friendship comes first before the interest of the group.”

Friends before fame – the ‘voice’ of reason.

■ Find them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube @theashatones theashatones.com

Harry

36 Jewish News 30 November 2023

www.jewishnews.co.uk

JN LIFE

Remembering our children

Joshua and Kitty didn’t live long enough to have a barmitzvah or a batmitzvah but their parents still chose to commemorate the two occasions

By Louisa Walters

N

ext weekend it would have been Joshua Jacobs’ barmitzvah.

Yet it will be his father Marc leyning his portion in shul because on 3 December 2010 Joshua was stillborn.

His mother, Nikki, was almost 38 weeks pregnant when her waters broke but when she reached hospital they discovered that there was no heartbeat.

The Jacobs went on to have three more boys – Mason (12), Blake (10) and Ryder (five) – and Joshua is very much part of the family.

“He is subtly in every room in the house,” says Nikki. “There is something of his or a picture of us holding hands or something that represents him.

“I wanted him never to be forgotten. Every year we mark his birthday with a family tea and on his 10th birthday Marc and I ran a half-marathon, and our son Mason (nine at the time) did a 10k bike ride, all to raise money for charity. We’ve had this weekend looming knowing it would have been his barmitzvah and we decided that it is still ‘our’ weekend and it should be marked.”

Marc decided he wanted to leyn Joshua’s portion and in the evening the couple are hosting a charity casino evening to raise money for Sands, a charity for stillborn and neonatal which helped them in the early days. The goal is to raise £13,000 in honour of Joshua’s 13th birthday.

Marc will be reading maftah and haftorah at Borehamwood shul. “I haven’t done this since I was 13, so it has been a little stressful trying to remember everything – the different vowels and the scales,” he says.

“I’m really nervous because if I don’t do it right I’m letting Joshua down.”

Nikki and Marc have been overwhelmed by the generous response to their plans. They have sold almost 100 tickets for the casino evening and have been donated “incredible” raffle prizes. Emma Miller has given them the function space at Rowley Lane and Paul Zimbler at Me Love Events is arranging the casino-themed event.

“We feel really grateful that we’re surrounded by so much love. I don’t know if

Blake, Nikki, Ryder, Marc and Mason Jacobs. Inset: Joshua

we’ll be emotional over the weekend because of what it’s not, or should we just be thankful for what it is?” says Nikki.

“The boys are excited and I think they’re proud of us. I hear of families pulled apart by losing a child but I feel like Joshua brought our family closer together.”

Nikki says stillbirth is a taboo subject which is not openly talked about. “People don’t know what to say. At the time, we became that couple who had just lost their baby and we totally lost our identity.”

Nikki and Marc go to Joshua’s grave every year to sit with him and read from the book Nikki wrote when he died. “I just wrote everything down. It was a way to get it out.

It’s a book to help us remember the journey we’ve been on.”

Sarah and Ian Doefler’s daughter Kitty was born in Leeds on 5 January 2006. Sarah started noticing little bruise-like blue marks on her skin which at first were dismissed by the doctors but when Kitty was two weeks old she was diagnosed with a congenital form of leukaemia. “Because it was such a rare type, even though Leeds is a centre of excellence for children’s haematology and oncology the doctors were a bit stumped, because they had never seen a baby so young with this type,” says Sarah.

“We were told we could just let her be, in which case she would only last a couple of weeks, or we could try treatment, even though there wasn’t a treatment protocol for such a young baby.”

They decided to try, and for the next four months they essentially lived in hospital.

Then when Kitty was nine months old she

relapsed and the family were told there was nothing more that could be done. “Kitty was put on active palliative care and every step of the way, she blew everyone away by lasting longer than expected,” says Sarah.

“She died at 15 months old, but we feel we were given 15 months we never would have had if she hadn’t had the treatment”.

The Doeflers have two other children – Max (20) and Libi (13). “Kitty’s first birthday was the only birthday she ever had. We held a party for her but we asked people for donations to charity instead of giving her a present,” says Sarah.

“After her death we continued to mark her birthday in different ways. One year we went to her grave and there had been a heavy snowfall and Max decided he wanted to build a snowman for his sister. The cemetery is right by the motorway and a few people called in to the local radio station to remark that they’d seen a snowman in the cemetery!”

In 2018, when it would have been Kitty’s batmitzvah, Sarah and Ian wanted to commemorate the occasion and to raise money for two charities that had supported

Max, Libby, Sarah and Ian Doefler. Inset: Kitty

them – Jewish Welfare Board and Martin House Children’s Hospice. “We organised a huge cross-communal challah bake at our shul (United Hebrew Congregation) and it was just amazing.,” Sarah says.

“We hosted a reception while the dough was rising, where we did a raffle. And the thing I loved the most was a mitzvah auction where people had to pledge a mitzvah in Kitty’s name.”

They also had a tea for family and friends and asked for donations to charity and in all raised £8,000 in Kitty’s memory.

Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers at Hendon Reform Synagogue leads group services for those who have lost stillborn or older children and accompanies women to the mikvah to process and mourn miscarriage.

“There are fantastic resources in our tradition, but sometimes we need an expert to help us find them,” she says.

She says she sees whole families coming together to memorial services. “It’s a family ritual through which they can all pull the memory of this child and process the loss together and not pretend it didn’t happen.”

Painting a stone to put on a grave has become a popular ritual. “This is a way to personalise a tribute to a child and gives the mourner a sense of ownership and that they are not just going through the motions.

“People lose babies and don’t know what to do. Turning to people who do is a blessing.

Once there were no mourning rights for babies born under 30 days old – families didn’t even know where they were buried.”  To donate to the Jacobs family fundraiser: https://www.justgiving.com/page/ nikki-jacobs-1695828721163 sands.org.uk chana.org.uk

Kitty’s cross-communal challah bake

30 November 2023 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

37

JN LIFE

Haven’t finished buying your Chanukah gifts?

Don’t worry, there’s still time – and Alex Galbinski and Naomi Frankel have done the research for you FOR FOOTIE FANS Keep muddy football boots to a minimum this winter with Soccer Bot, the ultimate indoor football trainer to improve quick response and ball control.

Using the latest sensor technology, Soccer Bot keeps track of the football and will try and tackle it.

There are three skill levels to keep up the challenge.

From age six. smythstoys.com £49.99

FOR KIDS A personalised search-and-find extravaganza, where you’re looking for… yourself! The first in the Where Are You book collection, children will love exploring six alternative universes, spotting different versions of themselves – along with lots of other fun challenges. By finding different versions of themselves in alternative universes, children learn they can be anything from intergalactic vets to cosmic superstars! wonderbly.com £21.99

FOR PUZZLE LOVERS Prepare to be challenged by the complexity of the Barbie Challenge 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, which pays homage to one of the most beloved and iconic figures. With its intricate design showcasing a variety of Barbie characters, it promises to test the skills of any fan. From age 12. ravensburger.co.uk £15.99

FOR DOGS Treat your pampered pooch to a doggy treats carrier case from Biscuiteers. These handmade dog biscuits are guaranteed to make your pooch go barking mad for them. Inside you’ll find three tail-wagging flavours cheese, rosemary and carrot & apple. biscuiteers.co.uk £25

FOR TEENAGERS Inspired by the popular trend on Twitter and TikTok about turn-offs (or ‘icks’), party game Get the Ick is fun for all ages. Deal out three cards, each containing a classic ick such as: “They clap when the plane lands” and try to predict which one your friend will find the ickiest. bigpotato.co.uk £9.99

FOR LITTLE ONES Turn bath time into a fun time at Chanukah with bath bombs and bath crayons from Mini U, experts in in haircare, bath and bodycare for kids. miniu.co.uk £15 full set, £4.50 crayons only

FOR JEWELLERY LOVERS Four friends had the idea to reclaim the Magen David, the star we see as a symbol of hope, security and identity.

They enlisted the help of Jewellery Cave, which produced their Stars of Strength design at cost price, allowing 100 percent of profits to go to MyIsrael’s emergency fund, which supports projects around Israel such as specialised therapy for traumatised children. These limited edition necklaces are available in nine carat gold and diamond or sapphire. jewellerycave.co.uk £165

FOR CHARITY People all over the world have been eager to get their hands on and wrists adorned with these original colourful Hebrew letter beads bracelets. At the beginning of the war there was a hectic week of sales of blue and white Am Yisrael Chai bracelets with all proceeds going to the IDF. More recently, Libi Beads has partnered with MDA UK to create bespoke red beaded chai bracelets to help raise funds. Libi Beads will be showcasing at the preChanukah Shoperama this Sunday 3 December at Soro Felsentein Hall, Golders Green Road from 6pm to 10pm.

Available to buy through Instagram @libi.beads

38 Jewish News 30 November 2023

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JN LIFE

Let there be

Wine

Tal Sunderland-Cohen compiles the ultimate Chanukah wine list for those planning to entertain over the festival of light As a wine enthusiast, I am always seeking the perfect balance between different types of food and wine. Chanukah presents a particularly complex challenge, because it is a jumble of traditional dishes: latkes characterised by salty flavours, the smoothness of cheese and dairy, the jammy sweetness of sufganiyot, and the dark richness of brisket and gravy. It appears that those who developed the Chanukah menu did not suffer from food guilt.

LATKES

Before the main event, offer guests some coin-sized mini-latkes with an aperitif. They are quick and easy to fry in a pan and serve warm with crème fraîche for a dairy meal or apples auce for a meat meal.

Matching wine: there is a widespread belief among wine lovers that champagne complements salty, fried foods the best. Champagne has a unique texture characterised by high acidity. The bubbles and mild sweetness are perfect to offset your mini latkes. Alternatively, you can serve them with a glass of rosé wine.

I prefer dry, crisp and floral rosés to the sweet and fruity ones – perhaps

Chanukah presents a complex challenge as it has a mixture of dishes

potato kugel, which is heavier, try a dry red wine like a Pinot Noir or Zinfandel. The earthy aromas that represent these wines will be very flattering.

SUFGANIYOT

Cranberry and onion brisket. Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot will go well

something from Provence or even Britain.

BRISKET

A classic dish in Jewish-American cuisine, brisket is typically served at Rosh Hashanah and Passover, but why not at Chanukah as well?

This cut of beef is from the bottom of a cow’s chest and since this part of the cow is in constant motion, brisket is relatively tough. It contains a lot of connective tissue, collagen and fat. Cooked at a low heat over a long period of time, brisket becomes soft and rich, full of meaty flavours.

An earthy, dry red goes with many Chanukah dishes

Matching wine: to balance the depth and richness of this dish, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot are recommended because they contain robust, spicy flavours. The wine should not be too young. Try one that has been aged in the bottle from the years 2012-2018 and you will not be disappointed. There are many flavours in these wines, and the tannins should be soft.

KUGEL

Particularly when life does not seem to be going as we would like, pressures from both the outside and the inside cause a sense of restlessness.

There is a desire to eat something familiar and comforting, from a time when everything seemed simpler. Kugel is pure comfort food.

It always reminds me of the scene in the movie Ratatouille, where the difficult food critic tastes a rustic ratatouille dish and is thrown back into his childhood. Who doesn’t remember going in to Grandma’s kitchen full of pots and aromas, lifting lids and opening the oven to find out what she has made for Shabbat?

Matching wine: a slightly sweet white wine such as a white Rhone blend or an off-dry Riesling work well with kugel made from noodles, because they compliment the rich, buttery flavours. With a savoury

These are made with the dough used for buns and bread, however, instead of baking in an oven, the donut is fried in oil and absorbs the oil, hinting at its Hebrew name, which means ‘like a sponge’. There is almost no kitchen that will not claim that the donut was born there.

The Greeks and Romans were the first to discover donuts. Nevertheless, the Jewish donut is believed to

have been influenced by German cuisine, where it is known as a Berliner.

Pairing wine: sweet wines can be served on their own as dessert, but some are known for pairing well with different types of sweet foods (in this case, donuts). The general rule of thumb when combining sweet foods with wines is that the sweetness level of the wine must be (at least) as sweet as the sweetness level of the food. Obviously, I am not referring to sweet red wines for Kiddush. White dessert wines such as Sauternes or Tokaji should be your primary focus. But please, serve them very cold. L’chaim!

THE WINE LIST LATKES Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut NV - £30 Champagne René Jolly Blanc de Noirs Extra-Pur NV - £37 Kosher Laurent Perrier Brut Champagne - £75 Mirabeau La Folie Rosé £16 Chapel Down English Rose £16 Kosher Israeli premium Teperberg Essence Rose £32 BRISKET Château La Croix de Marbuzet Saint-Estèphe £22 Château Clarke £37 Kosher Israeli Shiloh Secret Reserve Merlot £ 32 KUGEL Les Vins de Vienne, Saint-Péray £18 Leitz Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Kabinett £14 Kosher Israeli Galil Mountain White £15 Finca Ferrer 1310 Pinot Noir £29 Brazin Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi £18 Kosher Israeli Gamla Pinot Noir £22 SUFGANIYOT Royal Tokaji Betsek Primae Classis 6 Puttonyos 50cl £58 Château Doisy-Védrines 2016 Barsac £40 waitrose.com

kosherwinecellar.co.uk

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Where life is for living 04/11/2023 12:01

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Ask our

41

Professional advice from our panel / Ask Our Experts

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

This week: Making a will, living with epilepsy and private health renewals CAROLYN ADDLEMAN DIRECTOR OF LAGACIES

KKL EXECUTOR AND TRUSTEE COMPANY

Dear Carolyn We have recently bought our first house and are expecting our second child. My husband has suggested that we write a will. I thought our assets would pass to each other if anything were to happen to either of us and then to our children. Is this the case?

Lily Dear Lily Making a will is one of the most important things to protect your family and hard-earned assets. If you don’t make a will, the Statutory Intestacy Rules will govern where your assets end up and who is appointed executor and

LISA WIMBORNE CHARITY EXECUTIVE

JEWISH BLIND AND DISABLED Dear Lisa I’m 28 years old and was diagnosed with epilepsy following a car accident in my teens. Although I’m mostly able to manage my condition with medication, from time to time I have seizures. I live with my parents, but I really want my independence, yet I know I need support at hand.

Friends have suggested I

look at sheltered accommodation, but it sounds to me like something for older people with physical disabilities. Is there anywhere that could help me?

Jordan, Margate Dear Jordan The good news is we are here for you. We can provide you with the independence you are looking for. At Jewish Blind and Disabled, our youngest tenant is in his 20s and our oldest over 100. We support people with a wide range of disabilities.

Many of our tenants have neurological conditions, so you certainly wouldn’t be alone in that respect.

You will have your own

guardian of your children under 18. The rules date back to 1925 but have changed very little since that time.

The order set by the rules states the first £270,000 of a married couple’s estate passes outright to the surviving spouse together with all personal possessions, including the value of any property owned.

Remaining assets are divided – 50 percent absolutely to the surviving spouse and 50 percent on trust for any children of the deceased until they reach 18. This can affect the deceased’s inheritance tax liability as the share that exceeds the nil rate band (£325,000) and which passes to the children will be liable to IHT at 40 percent.

By not making a will you lose the chance to do estate planning, save inheritance tax by using exemptions and reliefs and perhaps leave something to charity. It’s not morbid – more of an insurance to protect loved ones.

apartment, enabling you to have the independence you are looking for with peace of mind that support is on hand 24/7 should you need. In terms of support, each apartment comes with emergency pull cords, emergency call buttons for tenants to wear, and we have a house manager who is always available, day and night.

Plus, some of our tenants are in their 20s and 30s, so you’ll find a warm, welcoming community of people of all ages.

We offer support to anyone over 18 from the community – have a look at our website or get in contact to find out more at www.jbd.org or by email to info@jbd.org

TREVOR GEE PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST

PATIENT HEALTH 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

JDA is there for me, for all deaf children and our families and for everyone with a hearing loss

Your donation will enable deaf children to lead the amazing lives they deserve.

020 8446 0502 www.jdeaf.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1105845 Company Limited by Guarantee 4983830

Dear 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 different 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 offered to the client.

Just two weeks ago I called an insurer to protest that a hospital offered to a client for a procedure was quite inconvenient and that a closer and similar hospital be offered 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.

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Ask our experts / Professional advice from our panel

FINANCIAL SERVICES (FCA) COMPLIANCE

PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIST

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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

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CHARITY EXECUTIVE

DIRECTOR OF LEGACIES

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

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

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

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

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

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• • •

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Orthodox Judaism

MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA In our thought-provoking series, rabbis and educators relate the week’s parsha to the way we live today Hostages released this week

BY RABBI ARIEL ABEL LLM CHAPLAIN AND LAWYER

Mind games are familiar Dinah was a young woman minding business of her own and that of her new-found friends, when, as we read in this week’s parsha, Vayishlach, she went to see what life was like for them in a promised land. Dinah was kidnapped by the son of the chieftain of Shechem, renamed much later Neapolis by the Romans, and Nablus by the Arab rulers of the Ottoman Empire.

Jacob had only just emerged from the double trauma of leaving their home in the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia to return to Canaan and face up to an angry Uncle Esau. The family

was nervous of the new reality and, for the first time in three generations, the family of Abraham had a girl of marriageable age with 12 brothers!

Dinah was a loner looking for friendship and solace. She was desperate to settle down into a peace-loving civilisation, put behind her nomadic wandering and mobile identity. She wanted to be part of the accepted, landed, rooted local society.

She wanted peace but was brutalised and violated. She was kidnapped, raped and held for ransom.

Shechem took to sweet-talking her family. Rashi reveals: “Shechem was telling her, ‘Look, your father spent a fortune buying a single piece of land from my father. You marry me and you will have the entire city and its fields for yourself.’”

This is reminiscent of a mind

games scenario. The enemy attacks and then tries to make the victim look unreasonable if they don’t agree to their logic.

How close this is to the predicament of Israeli families whose relatives are held captive in Gaza: the talk is of hostages, violence against women as a weapon of war and subsequent negotiations, political and regional interests, territory, responsibility for land and the local economy.

The phrase “Dinah daughter of Leah, who gave birth to her to Jacob” – in this awkward, indirect way – indicates a distance in the fatherdaughter relationship. The Biblical story tells of Shechem, a prince who embarked on a campaign of wooing Dinah. He loved her, and spoke to her, soothing her heart with calming words. What was he saying to her?

Essentially, all the prince’s soothing speech was covert warmongering.

Hamas has sweet-talked its way into occupying the place of aggressor and arbiter of hostage negotiation.

Ironically, negotiations are taking place and being facilitated by Qatar,

the home base of Hamas’ senior leadership. Many Israeli families are still in agony, awaiting the return of loved ones. They are, right now, the priority – the focus of our prayers at this time.

May all the remaining hostages be returned safely to Israel.

RABBI AND REBBETZIN Overview

The Community

Flagship United Synagogue house of traditional Jewish worship in Great Britain, located in central London, The New West End Synagogue occupies a rarified status in the history of Judaism.

The Synagogue is seeking a dynamic rabbinic couple to define the future trajectory of a loyal community approaching its 150th anniversary.

A vibrant, eclectic congregation enjoys a varied programme of events which reflects the complexion of a diverse, highly social and welcoming membership. The two main community aims are complementary; to enhance the “Minhag Anglia” form of worship and to grow the congregation by reaching out across central London and beyond.

The Position

The Roles

Timings

Applications are invited from qualified candidates with the following criteria:

The community seeks an engaging and approachable couple as Rabbi and Rebbetzin, to minister across the full spectrum of Jewish life, focused on the following disciplines:

•

• • •

Proactive rabbinic couple Vocational motivation Rabbinic ordination approved

The Employment Package • •

Remuneration is attractive and aligned with the responsibilities of the roles Accommodation on-site in a period town house

• • • • • • • •

Communal Events Courses Education For Adults and Children Hosting Lifecycle Events Outreach Pastoral Care Ritual Services

For informal, confidential enquiries: rabbinicselectioncommittee@newwestend.org.uk

• •

Applications: Now open.

Close at 3pm GMT 3rd Tevet 5784 Early application an advantage Interviews: Commence following closing date Start date: By mutual agreement

The Application • • • •

Curricula Vitae References Your approach to community Rabbonus Your congruity with The New West End

To view the job descriptions and apply for this position: www.theus.org.uk/vacancies

The United Synagogue is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of babies, infants and children; it requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service and other checks will be mandatory.

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Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI JOSH LEVY

CO-LEAD OF PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM

Symbols can illuminate the path to life In his 1971 collection of essays, The Messianic Idea in Judaism, the great scholar of Jewish mysticism Gershom Scholem explores the history of the Star of David, and how it came to be a symbol of Jewish identity. The essay begins: “Symbols arise and grow out of the fruitful soil of human emotion.”

For many of us, the symbols of our Jewish identity have come to carry a new human emotion over the last few weeks: fear. For the first time in many of our living memories, wearing outward symbols of our Jewish identity such as a Star of David or kippah now brings anxiety. To wear them is

to be publicly Jewish at a time when this feels strangely vulnerable. We worry for our children on the way to or at school, for students at university, and for ourselves on public transport or in the workplace.

Many of us have experienced, for the first time in our lives, the feeling that we need to hide these markers of who we are for fear of what this will bring upon us. It is clear in Jewish law that it is not just permitted but in some circumstances obligatory, to remove the outward symbols of our Jewishness if the danger they might bring is real. The value of pikuach nefesh – the saving of a life – supersedes almost all other considerations in our tradition.

A parallel can be found in the laws of Chanukah. The mitzvah of publicising the miracle is fulfilled by placing our chanukiah where it can be seen by others. But the Talmud

stresses that this does not apply in a ‘time of danger’. So, we are permitted to hide the symbols of our Jewishness. It is a Jewish act, rather than an act of betrayal, and is about being careful for the sake of our welfare.

Yet there are also many reasons to overcome our anxiety if we can, when if it is safe to do so: to express our pride in our identity, to communicate our sense of peoplehood, to make connections with others who are also feeling vulnerable. We have a responsibility to engage with the outside world as Jews wherever we can. We cannot be a ‘light unto nations’ if we are unable to show our light.

Over the past few weeks I have been in a situation where I have felt compelled to remove my kippah, after unexpectedly finding myself in the middle of a demonstration.

At the same time, I have also been delighted by the encounters that

A stimulating series where progressive rabbis consider how to navigate Judaism in the face of 21st-century issues

Jewish symbols express something deeply powerful about who we are

wearing a kippah has brought: the person who stopped to say hello in the street; the Muslim who struck up a conversation on the train.

Symbols express something deeply powerful about who we are.

In his essay, Scholem concludes

that the Star of David is a symbol “worthy of illuminating the path to life and reconstruction”.

Through this difficult period, let us remember this symbolic power – and know that the path to life and reconstruction is ahead of us.

Calo’s

Communications Manager: ELNET UK 1. Responsibilities & Experience i. Upgrade and deliver ELNET UK’s 2024 Communications Strategy across owned, earned, paid and social media ii. Supervise all internal ELNET UK communications iii. Build stakeholder maps and media relations to help maximise ELNET UK’s profile iv. Coordinate external communications with ELNET affiliates across Europe and Israel v. Support fundraising work-streams vi. Prepare crisis management communications

i. 5 years experience iii. Writing for publications; Pitching and securing op-eds; Facilitating coverage of flagship events iv. Excellent written, verbal and oral communications skills v. Team player, able to work independently and meet reporting deadlines

Looking for someone to join our busy family run funeral directors in Edgware. Duties include, Undertakers roll which involves lifting, lowering, and transferring. No admin involved. No experience needed. A full driving licence is preferable.

Also need to be flexible for overtime evenings and weekends.

2. Experience & Skills ii. Knowledge of Israel and an interest in politics

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Hours are Sundays 8:30 till 4:30 Monday to Thursday 9-5 Start pay £11.50 per hour plus opportunities for overtime.

Please contact Lisa or Ashley on: 0208 958 2112 07946 446701

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Chancellors House, Brampton Lane, London, NW4 4AB Tel: 020 8903 8746 | Mobile: 079 3172 2153 www.bfiwd.org | email: info@bfiwd.org

47

30 November 2023 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Fun, games and prizes

THE JEWISH NEWS CROSSWORD 1

2

4

3

5

8 9

10

11

12

14

13

15

17

16

18

19

21

20

22

24

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

15 Whispered remark (5) 20 Very rich (7) 22 Amplified light beam (5) 24 ___ Christmas, Bing Crosby song (5) 25 Video-sharing website (7) 26 Prejudiced people (6) 27 US film awards (6)

7

6

SUDOKU

23

25

26

27

ACROSS 1 Exertion (6) 4 Weak in body (6) 9 Live-in pupil (7)

10 Army officer (5) 11 Use uneconomically (5) 12 Sudden increase (7) 13 Collect together (5)

9 4 6

DOWN 1 Joints in the arms (6) 2 Paving stones (5) 3 Colours up (7) 5 Titles (5) 6 Hurt, wounded (7) 7 Deal uniting two companies (6) 8 Full English breakfast? (3-2) 14 Handling roughly (7) 16 Meet Me in ___, 1944 Judy Garland musical (2,5) 17 Corner dust trap (6) 18 Old corsetry items (5) 19 Directives (6) 21 Straight-backed (5) 23 Scandinavian steam bath (5)

4

N R N M E A S L E S X

3

T

10

L A D Y B

I

R D O R

S O R P E N P O P H A E S A C O L B

I

I

T N

D X E E

I

I

A

I

I

T Y O D E H O

R E H R

I

N E O S C P

F C N A

I

T A M L A D

20

15

3

2

10

22

13

2

24

6

6 9

1

22

6

10

23

22

9

20

8

6

I

9 15

20

9 15

17

22

17

23

13

22

24

M

1 11

11

23

12 5

20

14

1

1

6

6

8 23

1

13

3

3 17

23

14

16

H

24

20 6

12 18

20

13

C H L N C T S O L E R E S A

20

26

M T N

K D R E S K L M P E D

15

22

21

15

3

3

2

17

3

13

13

15

4

20

23

13

15

22

17

23

23

13

14 1

16

17

3 4

25

3

9

25

5

20

17

6

3

1

20 13

4 2

11

6 3

24

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

MEASLES

PIXELS

CHICKENPOX

FRECKLES

PATTERN

RAINDROP

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

DALMATIAN

LADYBIRD

PIMPLES

TOADSTOOL

1

2

3

4

DICE

LEOPARD

14

15

16

17

Last issue’s solutions Crossword ACROSS: 1 Modify, 4 Sierra, 8 Dan, 9 Unwrapped, 11 Snub, 12 Flatmate, 15 Called off, 18 Resistor, 19 Cull, 21 Have a stab, 23 Nib, 24 Satire, 25 Severs.

DOWN: 1 Modest, 2 Denounces, 3 Foul, 5 Inaction, 6 Rip, 7 Audrey, 10 Walked out, 13 Affluence, 14 Alistair, 16 Brahms, 17 Globes, 20 Oboe, 22 VAT.

Sudoku 1 6 2 9 3 7 8 5 4 4 7 8 6 1 9 3 2 5 5 9 3 7 8 6 2 4 1

5 4 9 1 2 8 7 3 6 6 1 5 3 7 2 8 9 4 2 8 7 4 5 1 9 6 3

M

18

19

I

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Suguru 8 3 7 5 6 4 9 1 2 3 2 9 4 5 8 1 7 6 6 4 1 2 9 3 7 8 5

1 4 3 2 1 4 5 2 1 5 3 2 4 3 4 2 4 1 5 2 1 3 5 3 1 3 5 2 4 2 2 4 1 3 1 3

4

7

DOMINO

6

3

4

23

CHEETAH

5

2 4

12 22

9

3

22

2

10

2 9 1 9 2 5 7 2 6 9

9

24 2

1 9 5 3

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.

6

15

19

2

17

4 6 4

SUGURU

CODEWORD 9

7

9

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.

20

2

9 7

4

The listed words to do with spots 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.

10

8

7

WORDSEARCH D B N R E T T A P Y F

8

H

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

Wordsearch 1 3 4 3 1 2 4 2 1 2 4 5 5 3 5 3 1 3 4 1 2 4 2 4 3 5 3 1 5 1 2 1 2 4 3 2

O K T T N P E T O Y G

E G D S I X E I W J R J L X L R N O E D N R T I E R W H A M K U U D N H O I T P A A C C T D G N S S H A R U I E A E O T A Y L E M E C S I R L M I R E A R

Codeword L C H R I S N S O A I

A M Y N E O S G A U C L E O N S R T P D E L

P E ACH P RO SO DY R N A I V B A I NKL I NG E L V E R G L R L R I D G L E E D EWD RO P I D T R U T SEPT I C NAUSEA H R V R W X BEZ I QUE PEEP F V D S J N A I RAT E T RAGE DY L I N I M M E ME L OD I C BUY E R

30/11

48 Jewish News 30 November 2023

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Bring light to Israel this Chanukah Chanukah feels different this year.

It may feel a little harder to get excited. So Myisrael has come up with a way for you to mark Chanukah and support vulnerable people in Israel at the same time.

For one night of Chanukah you can choose one of four charitable gifts in honour of a loved one. We will send them a physical or e-card letting them know of your donation.

100% of all donations go directly to helping those in Israel with the greatest need.

There are four gifts including a therapy doll that will help a child who is dealing with trauma to feel less anxious.

VISIT OUR CHANUKAH STORE

myisraelstore.org UK registered charity number 1121960

JNFP_Myisrael_Chanukah 260mmWx330mmH_AW_7Nov.indd 1

New Burlington House, 1075 Finchley Road, London NW11 0PU

28/11/2023 11:27

30 November 2023 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Join the biggest online Jewish learning community in the UK

WE ARE STRONGER

Sign up to learn with your own well matched learning partner for 15 minutes once a week. Be part of our free learning community, explore and strengthen your Jewish identity. join here phoneandlearn.org/together 0208 455 3118 info@phoneandlearn.org

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Photo Credits L-R: Joel Carillet / Istockphoto, Shutterstock, Collive, Susannah Ireland / Reuters, Justin Tallis / AFP, Lucy North / Pawire, Rabbi Amar’s Office

C

D

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Jewish News 30 November 2023

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY’S DEDICATED CANCER SUPPORT ORGANISATION Chai is currently working in

29

Chai is currently supporting over 4,000 people aged 3-98 from 11 centres across the UK

schools across the UK

This year Chai has provided over

20,900 appointments

51,130

Chai does not charge for services and does not receive any statutory funding

hours of expert support and care

60% of Chai’s clients are patients and 40% are their loved ones To donate please scan here:

One in three of Chai’s clients are under 50 years old

This year Chai has provided support to

1,035 new clients

For more information on Chai’s services, visit chaicancercare.org Generously sponsored by

Chai Lifeline Cancer Care Registered Charity No. 1078956

6876 Chai Campaign 2023 (JN 2pp Wrap) v3.indd 2

All figures correct at time of going to print

29/11/2023 10:41