1392 – 7th November 2024 by Jewish News

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All the fun of Jewish News’ annual party expo Page 23

Historic week for Surrey community P12 Guildford's ﬁrst rabbi since 1274

Home Office weighs Palestine Action ban

Police pledge crackdown after vandals smash buildings and behead Chaim Weizmann bust

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

The Home O ce is looking at the possible proscription of the group Palestine Action as police pledged to use the “full force of the law” to pursue those responsible for criminal incidents last weekend in London and Manchester.

Images of smashed windows and red paint splattered over o ces used by a Jewish business and Israel advocacy organisation in Hamsptead and Hendon, and the word ‘Palestine’ partially sprayed on walls next to o ces on Hampstead High Street sparked anger and concern in the community.

Palestine Action fanatics also claimed responsibility for stealing two busts from the University of Manchester last weekend, including one of Israel’s ﬁrst president, Chaim Weizmann, who had been an academic at the institution,

which was later shown “beheaded” in a social media post.

Jewish News understands that the latest incidents, which Palestine Action claimed on X as its own work, have sparked renewed discussion on building a case for proscribing the group under existing terrorism laws.

A report published in May by Lord Walney, the government’s adviser on political violence, called for Palestine Action to be proscribed and claimed the militant group is “using criminal tactics to create mayhem” in this country.

Palestine Action has long resorted to direct action at companies it accuses of being Israeli-owned, or British companies it says are supplying arms to Israel.

A government source conﬁrmed to Jewish News this week that the possible proscription of Palestine Action “remains on the agenda” and would be “revisited after the group’s latest actions”.

The government source also said they “shared” Lord Walney’s concerns about the group.

A Home O ce spokesperson said it would never comment on which groups are under consideration for proscription.

Some legal experts fear that proscription would lead only to the group, which was founded in 2020, re-emerging under a di erent name and continuing to carry out acts of intimidation.

Police have been increasingly successful in cracking down on the group’s ringleaders over recent months, leading to some experts believing that the best route to stopping Palestine Action is via criminal convictions through the courts. By its own admission, Palestine Action Continued on page 4

In what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called ‘history’s greatest comeback’, Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, despite his Democratic Party rival Kamala Harris securing 79 percent of the Jewish vote. Full story and analysis, pages 2-3. Editorial comment, page 18

7 November 2024 • 6 Cheshvan 5785

Trump victory / Jewish vote / Gallant sacked / JLC chair

Trump wins White House 79 percent of Jews backed

Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, marking an extraordinary comeback for the former president whose refusal to accept defeat four years ago sparked a violent insurrection at the US Capitol, writes Jenni Frazer.

Polling figures show that defeated Democrat, Vice-President Kamala Harris, who was expected to sweep up votes from groups such as Jews, Latinos, Arab-Americans, new immigrants, young people and women, failed in almost every measure, allowing Trump to cruise to victory.

Trump beat Harris by 277 electoral college votes to 224 — 270 are needed for victory.

Although nationally 70 percent of American Jews identify with the Democratic Party, a Pew Research Centre survey says that 75 per cent of Orthodox Jews are Republicans.

Strictly-Orthodox Jews in Charedi strongholds, such as the Williamsburg and Crown Heights districts of New York, supported Trump by huge margins in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and are said to have done so in equal numbers this time round.

During his campaign, Trump made a point of visiting the grave of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, and has courted Jews in the strictly-Orthodox communities by promising to stamp down on crime and encourage more beneficial social welfare programmes.

An NBC News exit poll released on Tuesday night indicated that 21 percent of American Jews voted for Trump, with 79 percent of Jews

voting for Harris. Edison Research, which conducted the poll for the National Election Pool, surveyed voters in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. Trump was victorious in North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and on Wednesday afternoon UK time was said to be ahead in Michigan, Nevada, and Arizona.

Trump chose his home state of Florida to announce his victory from his base of Mara-Lago.

There were some crumbs of comfort for Democrats as Josh Stein became North Carolina’s first Jewish governor, defeating Republican Mark Robinson with 54.8 percent of the vote.

And in California, Adam Schiff, another Jewish Democrat currently serving in the US House of Representatives for parts of greater Los Angeles, has been elected to the Senate, to replace the late long-serving Jewish Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Schiff became a particular thorn in Donald Trump’s side during the latter’s impeachment hearings, earning for himself Trump’s nickname of “Shifty Schiff”, an insult the former president has used at every opportunity during the campaign, calling him “scum” in public comments.

In Texas, Craig Goldman, a businessman and Texas state legislator, easily won his congressional race, bringing the number of Jewish Republicans in Congress to three for the first time in more than a decade. He joins Republicants David Kustoff of Tennessee

Netanyahu sacks Gallant and gives his job to Katz

Benjamin Netanyahu this week sacked his defence minister Yoav Gallant for a second time, writes Joy Falk. The Israeli prime minister tried to get rid of Gallant in March 2023 but was forced into reversing his decision after thousands of Israelis took to the streets in protest. This time the sacking looks likely to stick.

Netanyahu took the snap decision on Tuesday evening to get rid of his troublesome opponent. He made his announcement in a prerecorded message saying there was “a crisis of trust” between the two men.

He added: “Significant gaps were discovered between me and Gallant in the management of the campaign.” Some reports in the Israeli press say

that the two had also clashed about Gallant’s attempt to oblige 7,000 strictly Orthodox men to serve in the military –and that the prime minister had also tried to blame Gallant for the alleged leaks about the war which are now the subject of a major legal inquiry.

Gallant will be replaced by the foreign minister, Israel

Katz, and Gideon Sa’ar will become foreign minister.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the farright national security minister, has been urging Netanyahu to get rid of Gallant for months. On X, Gallant posted one bleak sentence: “The security of the state of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life.”

and Max Miller of Ohio as the Republican Jewish contingent in the House. There are currently 24 Jewish Democrats in the House and nine in the Senate.

Post-mortems in America are likely to concentrate on what went wrong for the

crats and Kamala Harris’s campaign.

was, for example, heavily criticised

JLC chair says community feels ‘under siege’ after 7/10

Jewish Leadership Council chair Keith Black has said the community “now feels under siege” as a result of the “staggering increase in anti-Jewish hatred in this country.”

In a speech given to a packed room at the organisation’s annual members tea in parliament, Black also highlighted how this situation was also impacting on the “emotional and psychological health” of the community.

“Our community feels untethered,” he added. “The sense that our future here is secure and permanent is shaken because our freedom to be Jewish is compromised.”

Black, who became chair of the JLC in January 2022, told those at Tuesday’s event of the “visceral and close” connection the community has

with Israel, which has only increased following 7 October.

“And as Israel fights back against her enemies, attempts to recover her kidnapped hostages, restore security to her borders, deal with terror and incoming attack, and mourns her fallen, so we watch with horror and concern,” he said.

“We understand the emotions caused when innocent civilians are caught up in war

and all of us feel huge compassion for their terrible and horrendous plight. And in the same breath, we reject those shrill and extreme voices from within Israel and the diaspora who ignore this tragedy.”

“But it should not be necessary to remind anyone that it is Israel who has been attacked and invaded by terror armies committed to her destruction.

“Iran and its network of terror proxies poses an existential threat to the state of Israel, the global Jewish population, and the entire liberal democratic order. The stakes of this war could not be higher.”

Also speaking to guests, who included Rabbi Josh Levy, Rabbi Charley Baginsky, Dame Louise Ellman and Lord Pickles was the respected peer Baroness Altmann.

Demo-

She

Keith Black of the JLC

Yoav Gallant with former UK defence secretary John Healey

Donald and Melania Trump after his victory. Many commentators are now wondering about the impact

House – though backed Harris

for her choice of Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running-mate, rather than the energetic Jewish governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, who could have won her many more votes in his swing state.

But many commentators are now wondering about the impact Trump’s victory will have on the Middle East.

It is a fact that during his term of office as the 45th president from 2016 to 2020, Trump did what he promised and moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital; he recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights; and the Abraham Accords, the groundbreaking agreements between Israel and three Arab states, were signed in the closing months of his presidency in 2020.

But there have been mixed messages from Trump during this presidential campaign, as he seemed both to court Jews and Israel —and in almost the same breath to “break bread” with people who are considered antisemitic, anti-Israel and fascist.

The Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 galvanised both the Trump and Harris campaigns, as she, seeking to appeal to Arab-Americans, was attacked for being anti-Israel, while he tried to woo Jewish voters by promising to defund universities which do not adequately protect Jewish students, and to deport foreign students who participate in the unrest.

At one stage, however, he told Amer-

ican Jews that they would be to blame if he lost the election.

In his victory speech Trump made clear he was looking for a swift end to the ongoing fighting in Gaza — a position that has been resisted by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli premier.

And many eyes will be on how Trump plans to tackle the Iran issue, with several commentators speculating that he might well seek direct American military action against the Islamic republic, rather than watch an increasingly dangerous regional escalation between Israel and Iran.

• Editorial comment, page 18

Netanyahu welcome / UK reaction / Trump victory

HISTORY’S GREATEST COMEBACK, SAYS BIBI

Israeli leaders and politicians were among the first to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory.

Benjamin Netanyahu was the first world leader to congratulate him, even before news outlets began to call the election.

“Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!” he said in an English-language statement written in Trump’s trademark over-the-top style.

“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!”

“In true friendship,” Netanyahu signed off.

The election result will be a relief for Netanyahu’s coalition, which has clashed with President Joe Biden‘s Democratic administration over the war in Gaza and Lebanon, which began on 7 October last year with the Hamas attack on southern Israel.

The Biden administration has been vocally critical of Israel’s handing of the war, decrying the vast scale of humanitarian suffering in Gaza and Netanyahu’s propensity for escalation over resolution, often directly contradicting the US president’s wishes.

Netanyahu and Trump enjoyed a very warm relationship from 2017 to 2021, when the former president moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, recognised Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and oversaw the Abraham Accords.

But their ties soured after Netanyahu recognised Biden’s victory over Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Trump went on to describe the Israeli premier as an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.

The two have apparently patched up their differences in recent months, with Trump hosting Netanyahu at his Mar-aLago resort in July, and the two speaking on the phone several times since then.

As the war in Gaza entered its second year, Trump has been outspoken about his desire to end it, saying many times that too many people have been killed and Israel should end the war “fast”.

Last month, Israeli officials expressed concern to The Times of Israel over Trump’s repeated call for Israel to end the war, fearing an inability to do so will lead to a clash if the former president returns to office in January.

Echoing this sentiment in his victory speech on Tuesday night, Trump said: “I’m not going to start wars, I’m going to stop wars.”

After it seemed clear Trump had won the election, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog congratulated him on a “historic return to the White House,” calling him

“a true and dear friend of Israel, and a champion of peace and cooperation in our region.”

“I look forward to working with you to strengthen the ironclad bond between our peoples, to build a future of peace and security for the Middle East, and to uphold our shared values,” Herzog tweeted. “On behalf of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel, and all our people, I wish you much success.”

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich tweeted: “God bless Israel, God bless America.”

“Yesssss, God bless Trump,” said far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in a post on on X.

New Hope party chair Gideon Sa’ar, incoming foreign minister, congratulated the forthcoming president “on a truly historic victory”.

Minister for Jerusalem affairs and Jewish heritage Meir Porush also congratulated Trump, citing the verse “the heart of a king is in the hand of God.”

UK politicians divided on American election result

In Britain, there was predictable division both across the political spectrum and internally at the result of the US election.

Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, offered his congratulations to Trump, saying: “As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.”

He added: “From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come.”

But London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has made no secret of his distaste for Trump, issued a statement saying Londoners would be “anxious about the outcome”, and reflected on the lesson that the victory showed that “progress is not inevitable”.

Khan said: “Asserting our progressive values is more important than ever – re-committing to building a world where racism and hatred is rejected, the fundamental rights of women and girls are upheld, and where we continue to tackle the crisis of climate change head on.”

In the Commons newlyelected Tory leader Kemi Badenoch scolded Foreign Secretary David Lammy for his previous description of Trump as “a neo-Nazi sociopath”, saying he should apologise.

But commentators said Lammy had spent time building bridges with those thought likely to be in Trump’s new administration, and he himself said that Britain “had no greater friend than the US”, and that the UK “looked forward to working with” Trump and his runningmate, JD Vance.

Benjamin Netanyahu (right) was first to congratulate Trump

impact his return to the White House will have on the Middle East

Harris and husband Douglas Emhoff

Despondent kippah-clad Harris voter

UN removes exhibit Israel envoy labelled ‘shameful’

Israel’s ambassador to the UN has welcomed the removal of an exhibit at its headquarters that showed a panel with the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, writes Jenni Frazer.

Accusing the UN of “hypocrisy” and “antisemitism”, Danny Danon said the panel should never have been there in the ﬁrst place.

Vincenzo Pugliese, acting chief of the UN’s visitors’ services, said the Peace Flags exhibit “was compiled by a fashion designer, who asked students and other community groups in several countries to draw messages of peace on fabric scraps as a way to repurpose fashion waste for positive impact. The pieces of fabric were woven into quilts, each with 36-48 square pieces, with these messages (‘peace ﬂags’) meant to represent a variety of views and perspectives that symbolise peace.”

ISRAEL WELCOMES BADENOCH AS ALLY

place, and that in the meantime, the entire quilt containing the disputed panel had been removed “to avoid a repeat of the unauthorised uncovering of that panel”. Pugliese added that “the quilt with the panel in question has been replaced with alternative quilts that the organiser of the exhibit has provided.”

Ambassador Danon had complained to the UN, calling the exhibit a “disgrace” and “shameful” and asking for it to be removed.

Benjamin Netanyahu this week sent “heartfelt congratulations” to Kemi Badenoch, saying: “I am sure she will continue the great tradition of Israeli-British partnership and friendship”, writes Lee Harpin.

He was joined on social media platform by foreign minister Israel Katz in welcoming the new Tory leader.

Pugliese told Jewish News that “at the time of installation, sta of the exhibits enit said the quilt with the panel in question could not be on display or that it would need to be fully covered. The organiser proceeded to fully cover it, along with several others, and they were on display as

white panels for three weeks.”

But he admitted that “late last week, exhibits unit sta noted that someone had removed the tape and uncovered the panels. They proceeded to recover them immediately.

The panels were uncovered again over the next two days, and the exhibits sta repeatedly re-covered them.”

He said an internal investigation as to who was removing the covers was taking

In a video on social media, Danon said: Nothing hostages. Look what

In a video on social media, Danon said: “Look at the drawings of children from all around the world. Nothing about Israel. Nothing about our hostages. Look what they have. They don’t recognise Israel. They promote hate in those drawings. That is shameful.

“This is part of the hypocrisy of the United Nations. I demand that the UN will remove this exhibit immediately and stop the hypocrisy against Israel.”

Katz posted on X: “Warm congratulations to Kemi Badenoch on becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party in the UK.” He went on to call her “a true friend of Israel” and praised her “for breaking yet another glass ceiling”.

Conservative Friends of Israel said: “Kemi has demonstrated her staunch support for Israel and the UK’s Jewish community during her time in Government and throughout the leadership contest. ”

As former business secretary, the new Tory leader developed friendly relations with Israeli ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely.

In another sign of the pro-

Israel foreign policy direction of the Tories under Badenoch’s leadership, the appointment of Priti Patel as foreign secretary was a clear signal of intent. Badenoch had “no concerns” about Patel’s exit as international development secretary under Theresa May, which followed unauthorised visits to Israel, sources told the Independent But a report by BBC political editor Chris Mason said: “One senior Conservative got in touch with me to claim that Badenoch, in appointing Patel, had ‘destroyed within 48 hours any chance she had of having a respectable foreign policy’.”

Palestine Action plan

Australia Australia

Continued from page 1 has “16 political prisoners in Britain, 11 of which have not yet faced trial”.

Palestine Action co-founder Richard Barnard is among those facing three charges for two speeches, and is accused of supporting a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act and encouraging “criminal activity”.

The group complained its activists “have been subjected to regular dawn raids, police harassment, stops at the airport and smear campaigns”.

In the aftermath of the incidents in Hampstead and Manchester, the Board of Deputies and London Jewish Forum held talks with the Metropolitan commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, and senior o cers.

The meeting also included the recent provocative action outside JW3, as well as wider issues of antisemitism and extremism.

Afterwards, Sir Mark said: “The criminal acts we saw in London this weekend are being pursued using the full force of the law.” Board of Deputies President, Phil Rosenberg, said: “ We will continue to work with the Metropolitan Police, police services across the country, and the CST, to ﬁght antisemitism in our country.”

Lord Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, is also holding talks at the Home O ce this week, where concerns about Palestine Action will be on the agenda.

An occupant of the Hampstead High Street building told Jewish News: “CCTV shows three masked men arrived at the o ce at 4:30am armed with hammers and a ﬁre extinguisher ﬁlled with red paint.

“They very quickly smashed 12 groundﬂoor windows and sprayed red paint everywhere, including inside the lobby. They then began to gra ti the word ‘Palestine’

on the wall but ran o when they were approached.” The propoerty is an address listed for the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre.

Palestine Action also claimed it had targeted the Jewish National Fund (JNF) premises.

In Manchester, activists from Palestine Action claimed responsibility for stealing two busts from Manchester University over the weekend.

The group bragged it had “abducted” two sculptures of Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s ﬁrst president, who had worked as an academic at the university. It then posted a photo of a beheaded bust. It later emerged that while one of the two sculptures was of Weizmann, the second was of chemist Prof Harold Baily Dixon.

The group shared a post on X on Tuesday showing one of the sculptures without its head, alongside the comment: “First bust of Weizmann is dead. Soon, his Zionist project will be too.”

In a previous post, both busts had been shown wearing a ke yeh, a Palestinian scarf. The group wrote: “Weizmann is now under Palestine Action’s control.”

Greater Manchester Police is investigating the incident, which it is treating as a hate crime.

Badenoch with Tzipi Hotovely

The Peace Flags exhibit and (inset) Israel’s ambassador Danny Danon

The beheaded Chaim Weizmann bust

Jewish charities’ concern over NI budget rise

Communal charities have reacted angrily to the steep rise in employer national insurance contributions announced in the budget and joined calls for the government to exempt social care, public sector providers and charities, writes Lee Harpin.

Jewish Care CEO Daniel CarmelBrown told Jewish News: “While we understand the huge demands on the government, the latest rise in employer national insurance contributions will have a damaging impact on us, and all those who are part of the social care and charity sectors. It will add hundreds of thousands of pounds to the cost of employing our 1,300 dedicated, caring staff, with no balance elsewhere in the budget.”

The charity was “disappointed” that the chancellor had not exempted social care, the NHS, public-sector providers and charities from the rise in employer NI contributions, adding: “We will have no alternative but to raise the fees paid by selffunders and to push local authorities to increase their already limited contributions to people’s care costs.”

The United Synagogue also criticised the lack of an exemption for charities from the rise in NI contributions from employers combined with the lowering of the threshold at which employee contributions begin.

The organisation said it employed more than 800 people across its communities, nurseries, cemeteries, kashrut and support areas and now faces an extra £500,000 tax bill.

As a result of the employer NI rise – the biggest tax-raising measure announced by Reeves last week – the rate paid will rise from 13.8 percent to 15 percent and the

threshold of employee earnings at which firms start paying will drop from £9,100 to £5,000 a year.

The chancellor said this would raise an extra £25bn a year by the end of the parliament, with an increase of 1.2 percentage points on the national insurance paid by employers.

Michael Goldstein, president of the United Synagogue, said: “It is incredibly unfair – and self-defeating – that the government, while seeking to bring more tax revenue to the Treasury from businesses, is treating charities in the same way as profitmaking companies.

“The government must urgently grant an exemption for charities. Charities exist to support some of society’s most vulnerable people and plug the gaps left by government. If the government doesn’t reverse its decision, it is vulnerable people

across the country who will inevitably pay the price.”

Norwood reacted to Reeves’ budget, saying: “Whilst we’re cautiously optimistic about the pledged £600m investment into social care, Norwood remains concerned at the impact that the government’s budget announcements will have on us in the immediate term and our ability to continue to provide quality care for the people we support, while remaining a competitive employee in a sector that is increasingly struggling to recruit and retain its workforce.

“The budget announcements risk further tying our hands in already trying circumstances, presenting us with an additional £1m staffing bill we are forced to balance whilst pursuing a dynamic growth agenda designed to fill the gaps in local authority provision and government funding

for families struggling to cope with neurodiversity and neuro-developmental disability.

“We look forward to hearing further detail on how the government will deliver on its commitment to redress inequality of care and pay for charities such as ours.”

The Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the budget “risks worsening the NHS crisis by hiking costs for care providers and pushing some to the brink”.

Carmel-Brown said every government for the past 30 years had promised and failed to deliver on support for the future of social care, adding: “At the same time, Jewish Care continues to see an increase in the need for the provision of care for older people, including those living with dementia, or who are at the end of life, and a rise in those living with mental illness, distress or trauma, who rely on Jami’s mental health service for the community.

“We urgently need to see crossparty political agreement on the social care crisis and to find a way forward to address this.”

Health secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged that a number of healthcare providers would will be affected by the NI rise for employers.

Asked whether social care providers would be protected, he told the BBC’s World at One: “I’m working through that now and I’ll have more to say on that in the coming weeks in terms of what we can do more quickly to deliver the shift I’ve wanted to see for some time, in the focus of NHS investment spending out of hospitals into primary community.”

Streeting pointed to the extra

£600m for social care. But social care sector leaders said that sum risks being swallowed by wage and employer tax rises, leaving little or nothing to tackle spending pressures.

The chancellor announced that councils would receive at least an extra £600m in grant funding for social care in 2025-26. This was part of a wider package worth £1.3bn which, along with other revenue increases, would give local government a real-terms rise in resource of about 3.2 percent next year.

Care England, which represents independent adult care providers, similarly warned that providers were already underfunded and that the £600m – which it presumed would also cover children’s services – was a “drop in the ocean”.

“We needed a bold step forward, a signal that adult social care matters to the fabric of our society,” said chief executive Martin Green.

The Office of Budget Responsibility, which provides independent oversight, has said it assumes companies will “pass on most but not all of their higher tax costs to employees”. In 2025-26 it estimates 60 percent of these costs will be passed on to workers and consumers via lower wages and higher prices.

School chiefs criticise VAT decision

Jewish schools’ network PaJeS has met with Treasury officials to express disappointment at confirmation by Rachel Reeves in the budget that private schools will be subject to VAT on fees from the start of 2025, writes Lee Harpin.

The announcement, which had been widely expected, also saw the government removing the tax benefits previously linked to the charitable status of all private schools in the UK.

A statement released by Chinuch UK, a representative body for Charedi strictly Orthodox Jewish schools in the aftermath of last week’s budget announcement, also warned that the January 2025 implementation, “leaves the sector with very little preparation time”.

Rachel Reeves praised education secretary Bridget Phillipson’s policy as she delivered her budget, saying: “To provide the highest quality of support and teaching that they deserve, we will introduce VAT on private school fees from

January 2025 and we will shortly introduce legislation to remove their business rates relief from April 2025, too.”

The chancellor added: “I can confirm today that they will in fact raise over £9bn to support our public services and restore our public finances. That is a promise made and a promise fulfilled.”

She praised the education secretary for her determination to raise standards in the state sector.

While introducing tough measures in the private sector, Phillipson has shown herself to be a strong supporter of Jewish faith schools such as JFS and JCoSS.

PaJeS, which had claimed earlier this year that the measures were a threat to the future of the independent Jewish sector, held their meeting with the Treasury shortly after Reeves had concluded her hard-hitting budget, aimed at restoring the country’s economic stability.

PaJeS assistant director Raisel Friedman told Jewish News it was still “tricky to unpick” the budget, but added: “We are further disappointed that the 60 per cent of Jewish schools in the independent sector have not been given due consideration in the government’s response to the consultation over VAT and business rates relief.”

But in their post-budget update Chinuch UK confirmed that “several schools” had approached them over “consideration of entry into the state-funded sector” but added there were “practical obstacles to transition from independent to state-maintained status”.

These included the “schools’ ability to meet all independent standards” while they added that a “second major obstacle concerns schools’ staff qualification levels and whether these are similar to state schools”.

Away from the large and successful Jewish state schools such as JFS and JCoSS, most schools serving the community are independent, serving the strictly Orthodox sector in particular.

The Institute for Jewish Policy Research suggests that about 30 percent of school-age children in Hackney are in Charedi independent schools.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting at a Jewish Care event

Members of the United Synagogue with former Israel envoy Mark Regev

Bridget Phillipson with JFS pupils

Palestinian and Israeli women discuss war, peace & the future.

Saturday 9th November 2024

Tea House Theatre, Vauxhall 8pm - 9.30pm

£11

JTEEN SHORTLISTED FOR HELPLINE OF THE YEAR 2024 AT THE HELPLINE AWARDS

JTeen has been shortlisted for Helpline of the Year 2024 at the upcoming Helpline Awards, hosted by the Helplines Partnership. This nomination highlights JTeen’s significant achievements in providing vital support to teens, driven by the dedication and hard work of its volunteers, therapists, safeguarding leads, and supervisors.

JTeen is an organization established in 2021, dedicated to supporting Jewish youth aged 11-24. It offers a support line that provides confidential, anonymous emotional assistance via text and phone, guided by volunteer counselors and therapists in line with Torah values. Led by psychotherapist and clinical supervisor Yaakov Barr, JTeen has become a trusted source of support for the community. In addition, JTeen Prevent delivers workshops, resources, and parent events to equip teens, educators, and families with essential tools for mental health and resilience.

The nomination acknowledges JTeen’s rapid growth and unwavering commitment to empowering and supporting teens. “It’s an honour to be recognized alongside other inspiring organisations, and we are looking forward to the awards ceremony on November 7th,” said Yaakov Barr, CEO of JTeen. “This acknowledgment is a testament to our team’s relentless dedication to fostering mental well-being and providing essential support that empowers teens to navigate their challenges.”

JTeen extends best wishes to all the nominees and looks forward to celebrating the outstanding work of helplines across the sector.

Abir Elzowidi Palestinian-Americanfrom Gaza

Noam Joon Jewish-Israeli

Samah Salaime Palestinian-Israeli

AJEX set to remember at Cenotaph ceremony

Hundreds of people are set to gather at the Cenotaph for the annual remembrance parade and ceremony marking the contribution of Jewish service personnel to Britain’s war efforts , writes Michelle Rosenberg.

AJEX, the Jewish Military Association, is asking the Jewish community to register to take part in the march, while those who want to support from the Whitehall pavement are encouraged to save the date. The parade marches off from Horse Guards Parade

at 2pm down Whitehall, honouring the thousands of Jewish servicemen and women who have served the Crown.

This year’s theme, “Marching Together, Standing Tall,” emphasises unity and resilience, with Whitehall closed exclusively for the Jewish community to pay tribute and to stand against rising antisemitism.

AJEX chief executive Fiona Palmer said: “Whether marching or spectating, come join us at this landmark event, embodying both pride and remembrance. We are proud to

be British Jews and remembrance is a key part of our story and legacy so relevant today.”

The organisation encourages families to bring younger generations, handing on the baton by their wearing relatives’ medals and sharing their stories.

The parade will be attended by Jewish Cadets from JFS and JCoSS, and by the JLGB who will march alongside veterans.

AJEX national chair Dan Fox said: “The parade is a blend of military tradition and Jewish values, a

time to honour those who served and to take a stand against antisemitism. It is where we can remember together and stand tall.”

The 2024 Parade also marks sev-

eral anniversaries, including the 80th anniversaries of D-Day, Operation Market Garden, the Battles of Imphal and Kohima and the end of the Battle of Monte Cassino.

WES STREETING ACTS ON ANTISEMITES IN NHS

Wes Streeting has demanded that the NHS takes action after Jewish News and the online account @GnasherJew exposed a torrent of antisemitism from health workers since 7 October 2023.

The health secretary’s comments follow the JN’s cataloguing of incidents that have caused concern among the

Jewish community and medical professionals, including:

• A doctor at Northwick Park Hospital being removed for posting antisemitic comments online

• A UK doctor urging Gazans to ‘fight and die in dignity’ after 7 October terror attack

• The temporary suspension by NHS England of Harrow

GP Dr Wahid Shaida, who led the UK branch of now banned Islamist terror group Hizb ut-Tahrir

• Dr Asif Munaf, a former Apprentice contestant, being suspended by the General Medical Council for his vile and offensive remarks about Israel, Zionists, Hindus and women.

Streeting said: “There’s no place for antisemitism in our NHS. It is right that action has been taken against some individuals revealed by the Jewish News and we would expect NHSE and the GMC to take action against anyone working in the NHS who promotes hatred against Jewish people.”

Kingston Hospital in

south London said it had “taken action” after a post from Daniel Nava Rodrigues, revealed by X (formerly Twitter) account @GnasherJew, stated that he hopes “every IDF soldier shoots him/herself in the mouth”.

Posted on Twitter/X on 23 October, the pathologist, who previously worked at the

Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, also wrote: “Dead and/ or suffering Israelis are the only thing that brightens the day lately.”

The GMC has told Jewish News that it will “investigate serious concerns that suggest patient safety or the public’s confidence in doctors may be at risk”.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis at a previous ceremony at the Cenotaph

Netanyahu aide arrested over alleged leak to press

One of Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior aides has been arrested for alleged leaking of classiﬁed information, writes Lee Harpin.

Opponents of the Israeli prime minister claim the intelligence was “faked” and leaked in an attempt to scupper a possible Gaza ceaseﬁre and hostage deal.

The alleged leaks – to German newspaper Bild, and the UK’s Jewish Chronicle – were published in September as ceaseﬁre and hostage release negotiations were ongoing and appear to back the narrative given by Netanyahu at the same time.

Magistrates’ court Judge Menahem Mizrahi partially lifted a gag order on details of the security breach on Sunday. “Classiﬁed and sensitive intelligence information was taken from IDF systems and taken out illegally,” the ruling by the Rishon Le-Zion Magistrates’ Court said, which may have caused “serious damage to the state’s security and posed a risk to information sources”.

Eliezer Feldstein has been

named by Israeli opposition politicians as an aide to Netanyahu, and one four suspects, including three of them members of the security establishment.

None of the four could not be reached for comment.

It is also alleged that the leaked info was taken from Israel’s military data and that it may have been “illegally issued” to harm e orts to reach a ceaseﬁre in Gaza.

A spokesperson for Netanyahu denied the leaking of clas-

siﬁed info, and in relation to claims against aagainst Feldstein said the “person in question never participated in securityrelated discussions”.

Bild had published a report at the time which appeared to back claims made by the Israeli PM in a news conference on 2 September, where he showed an alleged Hamas document which was said to have been found in a tunnel in Gaza. The document, he said, showed that Hamas was

attempting to create division in Israel. “I’m not going to surrender to this pressure,” said Netanyahu.

Bild’s report included a Hamas document it claimed was written by Yahya Sinwar, showing how the group was drawing out the war and was trying to create divisions within Israel and build pressure on the families of the hostages’ families so they in turn could pressure the government.

But in a statement on 8 September, the IDF said it was not written by Sinwar and it was an old document found ﬁve months ago and “written as a recommendation by middle ranks in Hamas and not by Sinwar”.

The information did not “constitute new information,” added the IDF, who conﬁrmed the possible leak of the document was a “serious o ence.”

Asked about the investigation, Bild said that it does not comment on its sources. “The authenticity of the document known to us was conﬁrmed by the IDF immediately after publication,” it added.

Jeremy Corbyn accepted £10, 000 from a hardleft activist who appeared to justify the kidnapping of female teenagers by Hamas, supported claims of a “Holocaust” being carried out in Gaza, and who questioned claims of humanrights abuses against the Uyghur Muslims.

Parliament’s Register of Interests conﬁrms that the Islington North MP accepted the money from Stephen Moorby in May 2024, and that the £10,000 was “a shortterm loan repayable on 31 May 2024 but with the opportunity for renewal, which was repaid on 3 June 2024”.

Social media records show that in April Moorby shared a post by conspiracy fantasist Matt Kennard who wrote: “There is no good Zionism.”

On 14 October, a week after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel, Moorby shared another hugely inﬂammatory post from the American author Max Blumental, who wrote in response to Israel action against Hamas: “The Holocaust continues.”

Moorby was also keen in November 2023 to show his support for a post that questioned claims made in a newspaper report about the kidnap by Hamas terrorists of four teenage women on 7 October. The report was headlined: ‘Don’t forget them. Faces of girls still held by Hamas.’

Jewish News has contacted Corbyn’s o ce for comment about his decision to accept the £10,000 from Moorby.

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Eliezer Feldstein has been named as one of four suspects

Student ‘full of joy’ on 7/10 wins visa appeal

A Palestinian student who publicly celebrated the 7 October Hamas attacks has won her appeal against a Home O ce decision to revoke her visa, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Dana Abu Qamar, 20, president of the Friends of Palestine Society at the University of Manchester, had her student visa revoked on 1 December.

That decision followed her speech at a university protest a day after the attacks in which 1,200 Israelis were massacred and 250 taken captive in Gaza. In a subsequent live interview with Sky News, she called the slaughter “a once-in-a-lifetime experience” and said “we are full of pride”.

According to the Guardian, the

tribunal found that the Home O ce failed to “demonstrate that the presence of Dana Abu Qamar” was not “conducive to public good” and its initial decision was a “disproportionate interference with her protected right to free speech” under the European Convention on Human Rights.

It also found that her statements could not be taken as support for Hamas or its 7 October attacks.

Abu Qamar, a law student, has claimed that she was misinterpreted and not speaking in support of the terror group. A Jordanian-Canadian citizen of Palestinian origin, she says 15 members of her family were killed in Gaza, “murdered in an Israeli air-

strike that targeted their residential building”.

Following the interview, the University of Manchester issued an email to sta describing Abu Qamar as being in “considerable distress about the misinterpretation of their views”. It added that sta were “supporting them through this di cult time”.

After the revocation of her visa, she told Qatar-funded news outlet Middle East Eye: “I came here to the UK to receive an education and as a resident I thought I would receive equal rights here in terms of my human rights to freely express myself and stand in solidarity with those who are oppressed in Gaza and beyond.

“But it came to me as a shocking realisation that, no, there is systemic discrimination here in the UK and this country that takes pride in itself for being a beacon of human rights, for being a beacon of democracy, does

not act in that manner towards ethnic minorities and towards people of colour like myself.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has called the tribunal decision “a complete mockery of our visa system”.

A UK charity supporting men, women and children who have su ered sexual abuse has been renamed JSAS: Jewish Sexual Abuse Support.

The charity was formerly known as Migdal Emunah.

Chief executive Erica Marks said: “Over the past 11 years we have been the ﬁrst UK Jewish sexual abuse service supporting children and women and men. We have delivered lifesaving and life-changing services and inspired other organisations to o er this type of support.

“As JSAS Jewish Sexual Abuse Support, our new name illustrates who we are and what we do, and we are excited to continue

our groundbreaking work and deliver vital services to our clients across the UK Jewish community.”

JSAS has seen high demand for services since the attacks of 7 October, and works from o ces in London and Manchester.

It has close ties with communal leaders across the Jewish community and adds that it “has consulted with leaders and clients to ensure the new name serves the community in the best way”.

Jewish Sexual Abuse Support was founded in February 2013 and recently won a LimeCulture Award for its work protecting and safeguarding children.

Sir Trevor Chinn, one of the leading ﬁgures of Anglo-Jewish communal life, has been named as one of eight recipients of this year’s Israeli Presidential Medal of Honour for service to the state and the Jewish people, writes Jenni Frazer.

The award, ﬁrst instituted by Israel’s ninth president, Shimon Peres, is awarded to ﬁgures who have made outstanding contributions to the state of Israel or to humanity.

Sir Trevor, 89, is a businessman and philanthropist who has been prominent in his support of national charities as well as Jewish and Israel endeavours. He has particular interest in projects in Israel which help Jews and Arabs, is a former chair of the JIA, the precursor to UJIA, and is one of the founders of Bicom, the Britain, Israel, Communications and Research Centre, as well as being a board member of JW3.

This year’s awards were made by President Isaac Herzog on the recommendations of an advi-

sory committee which he appointed when he first took o ce. The 2024 awards mark the first time the medals have been collectively awarded to a group of Jewish and non-Jewish leaders from abroad who have contributed to Israel and the Jewish people both personally and through institutions – a category that will also be included in future years. Herzog, who informed each recipient personally of their award, said: “The past year, the most di cult since the founding of the state, tested our resilience as a nation and as the Jewish people; it showcased the diverse and beautiful face of Israeli society and proved, as we have always believed, that all of Israel is responsible for one another, that the Jewish communities worldwide and the state of Israel share a common destiny, and that we have great friends and supporters in the world who fight alongside us against antisemitism, defend Israel’s name in the media, and have long fought for Israel’s place among the nations.”

Dana Abu Qamar said she was a victim of UK’s ‘systemic discrimination’

Emily Damari / Cancer charity / Bereavement group / News

Hostage’s mum thanks Spurs fans

The mother of the British hostage Emily Damari has thanked the 100strong group of Spurs fans who gathered outside the club’s stadium on Sunday to call for her release, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Friends, family and supporters held a special vigil at White Hart Lane in Tottenham for three hours before the match to raise awareness among attendees of the 28-year-old, held captive by Hamas for more than a year.

The group held banners, distributed stickers and posters, spoke to supporters arriving at the match against Aston Villa and sang a version of a chant normally reserved for former player Harry Kane.

Expressing her “heartfelt gratitude to everyone who came together”,

Emily’s mother Mandy said: “The unity and dedication shown in sharing her story was both powerful and deeply moving.

“The chant, the stickers, the spirit, and the energy at the stadium were incredible, creating a moment that not only went viral here in Israel but also touched hearts across the world.

“I even got messages from the United States. From the opening to the closing moments of the match, Emily’s spirit truly resonated, bringing hope and positivity to all of us. And let’s not forget – she certainly brought Spurs the luck they needed! 4-1!”

She added that it was “a beautiful display of solidarity and kindness, reminding us of the power we

Chai says more seeking breast cancer support

Chai Cancer Care has reported a rise in the number of people it is supporting following a breast cancer diagnosis, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

The charity has released new figures to highlight the need for increased awareness and support for people given a diagnosis.

Chai says that over the past year, 17 percent of all appointments were for people with breast cancer. In the year to October, it facilitated 22,046 appointments for people affected by cancer, of which 3,834 were for women with breast cancer, a rise of nearly two percent on the previous year.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in December with no prior family his-

tory, Sara*, who is in her late forties, is one such client.

She says: “Having cancer is really complicated. As well as managing your daily care, you must project manage a lot of things and there are so many decisions to have to make – the people I know who have had cancer, are all in their eighties and

above. I know I’m in my late forties, but I don’t feel very young any more.”

She adds: “I have been getting the most amazing support from Chai. When you’re feeling vulnerable and not sure in yourself, there’s nothing like being surrounded by so many special people.”

This year Chai launched a support group for people who have tested positive for the BRCA 1 or 2 gene mutation, who have not been diagnosed with cancer.

Chai chief executive Lisa Steele said the rising number of people affected by breast cancer was a reminder to women of how crucial it is to seek support early.

have when we come together for a meaningful cause. May Emily come home soon.”

Spurs fan Jeremy Wootliff, who organised the chant, told Jewish News: “Emily is one of our own. Spurs, a football fan, British, a woman. I changed the words of the Harry Kane song and it works. So it seemed obvious to start this as part of the Bring Emily Home campaign to galvanise the country.”

He added: “People relate to Emily as one of our own and we all need to get behind her and make her our issue. We owe that to her mother Mandy, her family, friends and because we are all Emily Damari. Bring Emily Home. She’s one of our own.”

GROUP HELP FOR YOUNG BEREAVED

Chai has launched a group aimed at young people who have lost a parent.

The bereavement initiative comes as the cancer care charity experiences a big increase in the number of people under 50 seeking support, with more young people being affected by a cancer diagnosis in their family.

The Loss of a Parent Bereavement Group is designed to support those aged 20-45, offering them a safe and understanding environment to discuss their experiences of losing a parent.

The group deals with the challenges of using appropriate language to explain a loved one’s diagnosis to children, and the emotional struggle of life milestones such as getting married without the presence of a parent.

Since October 2023, Chai’s wider

group therapy sessions have had a rise in participation, with 12 percent under the age of 30 and 26 percent under 50.

Chai’s chief executive Lisa Steele, said: “We are seeing a growing number of young people turning to us during what is undoubtedly one of the most challenging times of their lives.

“Losing a parent or loved one at a young age is incredibly isolating, and we recognised the urgent need for a dedicated group to offer support, connection and understanding.”

She added: “This new group aims to provide a space where young people can openly share their experiences with others in a similar situation. At Chai, our mission is to ensure that no one faces cancer alone. This group is an important extension of that promise.”

Supporters call for Emily Damari’s release before last weekend’s match

A Chai Cancer Care specialist

Irish schoolbooks ‘trivialise the Holocaust’, report warns

Troubling aspects of education about Jews, Judaism and Israel have been revealed in Ireland’s school textbooks, according to a new report by the Tel Aviv-based organisation IMPACT-se, writes Jenni Frazer.

The ﬁndings, the ﬁrst in a new survey of eight selected European countries, describes “Holocaust minimisation”, in which Auschwitz is portrayed as “a prisoner-of-war” camp, and, in contrast to other religions, Judaism appears as the religion which uniquely endorses violence.

The textbooks examined in the IMPACT-se report are those aimed at pupils aged from 12-13 up to 15-16, and the ﬁndings chime with a signiﬁcant upturn in antisemitism in Ireland and a new surge in anti-Israel sentiment.

Irish school students are asked to learn from history textbooks with an opening illustration on the Nazi state showing the railway line to Auschwitz, with a caption describing it as a “prisoner-of-war camp.

The IMPACT-se report notes: “Referring to the Holocaust as ‘the systematic destruction of the Jewish race’ is problematic for several reasons and could potentially minimise its horrors.

“First, it perpetuates the false Nazi ideology that Jews are a race when, in fact, Judaism is a religion, and Jews are an ethnic group. The Nazis used this racist concept to justify their genocide

of the Jewish people.

“Second, the term ‘destruction’ does not adequately convey the systematic, industrialised murder of six million Jewish men, women, and children by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The Nazis used mass shootings, gas chambers, starvation, and other brutal methods to commit genocide against Jews on an unprecedented scale.

“Thus, the deﬁnition “the systematic destruction of the Jewish race” is reductive, inaccurate, and o ensive,

because it echoes Nazi ideology and minimises the scale and methods of the genocide. O cial deﬁnitions rightly focus on the Holocaust as the statesponsored genocide of six million Jews by the Nazi regime due to antisemitic beliefs”.

In a chart in a religious education textbook, looking at religious understandings of peace and war, mainstream religions are shown as “inherently peaceful and non-violent, yet by contrast, Judaism alone is described as

GUARDIAN REINSTATES ISRAEL WHISKY REVIEW

The Guardian has reinstated a drinks writer’s praise of an Israeli whisky distillery in his online drinks column after it was edited out of the copy in the print edition, writes Richard Ferrer. Concerns surfaced at the weekend that the newspaper may now be boycotting all Israelrelated content after reference to the whisky was edited out of a feature in Sunday’s Observer newspaper – the Guardian’s sister title – on unusual whiskies from nontraditional regions.

& Honey) distillery over the weekend from my drinks column. It was there on Friday and by Saturday it had gone.”

Je reys added that the edit left him in an awkward position, having informed the distillery of its inclusion only for it to be absent by the time the link was accessed.

holding a belief that ‘violence and war are sometimes necessary to promote justice’”.

The report says that there are many hostile references to Israel in the Irish textbooks, frequently in relation to Biblical education or religious values. When the parable of the Good Samaritan is discussed, for example, the illustration shows a Palestinian boy protesting against Israel.

In another edition of the same textbook, students are asked “How could the Old Testament notion of the covenant relate to the situation in Israel and Palestine today?” It is implied that the expectation of treating neighbours and foreigners with special care is not met by Israel, and consequently the right of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel is diminished.

Many narratives, the report says, “question the legitimacy of the state of Israel and undermine Jewish claims on the land. Additionally, discussions on the Israeli-Palestinian conﬂict often lack the necessary historical and political context, presenting a onesided view that frames Israel as the sole aggressor”.

Marcus She , chief executive of IMPACT-se, said: “Textbooks are a window into what societies will look like in years to come. As such, Irish textbooks are deeply troubling. The Holocaust is glossed over and at times

HALPERN TRIAL IS DELAYED

The Crown Court trial of Rabbi Chaim Halpern, who faces two charges of sexual assault, has been delayed for a year, writes Jenni Frazer.

The case was due to begin at Harrow Crown Court on Monday, November 11. The Golders Green rabbi, 65, pleaded not guilty in May this year, after which Judge John Lodge ordered a full trial to begin in November.

But last week there was an application made at Willesden Magistrates Court to delay the case, because the person who is the complainant against Rabbi Halpern had been taken ill and was not thought likely to be out of hospital in time for the trial.

Instead, an alternative date was sought — and because of the backlog of Crown Court cases, Rabbi Halpern is now not due in court until November 10 2025.

Rabbi Halpern, charged under his birth name of Aaron Halpern, became the subject of a police investigation after an unnamed woman made allegations against him in an interview broadcast on Israeli TV in December 2022. The alleged o ences were said to have taken place on 1 June 2022. He has always denied the allegations.

Guildford inducts its first rabbi in 750 years

Guildford Jewish community has inducted its ﬁrst rabbi for 750 years, centuries after Jews were expelled from the town in 1275, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

related content after reference to the in Sunday’s Observer newspaper – known for its award-winning the time the link was accessed. whisky than scotch and bourbon,” Jewish News, the article was

The title’s drinks columnist, Henry Je reys, included in his review a mention of Israel’s M&H distillery – known for its award-winning single malt aged in pomegranate wine casks near the Dead Sea.

Je reys was further shocked to discover that mention of the distillery, which had appeared when the column was ﬁrst put on the Guardian’s website, was later removed.

Expressing his frustration on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: “I was surprised to see that the Guardian removed a reference to an Israeli single malt from M&H (formerly known as Milk

The article, titled “There’s more to whisky than scotch and bourbon,” originally highlighted the distinctive qualities of M&H’s four-year-old 2019 (The Heart Cut) and its Sherry Elements, which won the World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2023.

Following an inquiry from Jewish News, the article was amended on Tuesday to reinstate the reference to the M&H distillery and a footnote to that e ect added at the bottom of the page.

The footnote fails to mention the words “Israel” or “Israeli” but states: “This article was amended on 5 November 2024 to reinstate a reference to a whisky from the M&H distillery.”

The Guardian’s u-turn comes in the wake of its deleted review of a Channel 4 documentary

Rabbi Alexander Goldberg was o cially instated in a landmark ceremony on Sunday, presided over by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, together with local Surrey dignitaries including councillor Sallie Barker, mayor of Guildford; Zoe Franklin, MP, chaplains from various faiths and two vice presidents of the Board of Deputies.

It was Guildford’s ﬁrst induction of a minister since 1945 and the ﬁrst rabbi of the town since 1274.

Rabbi Goldberg, appointed in May, described the induction as “a profound moment in my journey and for our community.”

He highlighted the growth of the congregation, which has expanded from 17 to more than 150 members, and reﬂected on the legacy of the last rabbi of the community in the 13th century, Isaac of Southwark, and its last minister, Rev Clayman, in 1945.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis commended Rabbi Goldberg’s dedication to communitybuilding, broadcasting, and his work in interfaith engagement.

He also honoured key community members: 94-year-old president Beatrice Gould, for her dedication to Holocaust education and her lifelong service to the community; Professor Dr. Silke Goldberg, for her commitment to community development and Dr Susie Bloom, who led the recent renovation of Guildford Synagogue.

Rabbi Goldberg said: “Together, we are building a community rooted in kindness, justice, and peace.” He also paid respects to the late Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, who inspired him “with the idea of covenant as a partnership in kindness and responsibility”.

Rabbi Goldberg with the Chief Rabbi

Left: reference to Auschwitz as a ‘prisoner of war camp’ Right: depiction of Jews in religious garb as haters of Jesus M&H whisky

STANDINGTALL

17TH NOVEMBER

JOIN THE MARCH OR COME AND SUPPORT THE MARCHERS

Register to march and join AJEX at The Cenotaph where we will honour the thousands of Jewish servicemen and women who served for our freedom.

> To secure your spot to march, book your ticket by Friday 8th November at www.ajex.org.uk

> To support the Parade as a spectator from the East Whitehall Pavement, no booking is required. The Parade marches down Whitehall at 2pm.

WE WILL BE ‘STANDING TALL’ IN SOLIDARITY & HONOURING THEIR LEGACY

LAST CHANCE TO BOOK TO MARCH

There will be a high level of security provided by CST and the Police. Please allow enough time to arrive at the event and do not bring large bags.

Jewish Sexual Abuse Support is the new name for Migdal Emunah.

Our name may have changed, but our work as the only Jewish UK-wide charity providing support for children, women, and men remains our priority and focus.

JSAS offers a trauma-informed, person centred approach, led by ISVAs, with offices in London and Manchester.

Wherever you are, you are not aloneJSAS Jewish Sexual Abuse Support is here for you.

Oh, the irony – pro-Pals try to frustrate critics of Israel

OBY ADAM SCHWARZ WRITER & POLITICAL COMMENTATOR

n 27 October, hundreds gathered at JW3 for the Haaretz conference, which brought together British, Jewish, Israeli and joint IsraeliPalestinian organisations and delegates working for Middle Eastern peace.

Greeting myself and other attendees at the entrance were some 60 anti-Israel protesters who lined the pavement to the front and side gates. Many were masked and shouted chants over megaphones, including “You are mass murderers”, “Baby killers” and “Nazis”, while recording footage of attendees and waving Palestinian ﬂags and banners.

Footage of distressed, older people entering JW3 for the conference soon circulated on social media, prompting outrage. Counter-protesters waving Israeli ﬂags assembled, and the Board of Deputies condemned the demonstration for targeting a “Jewish community centre”, without referencing the conference.

Communal outrage was warranted. But much of the response missed the signiﬁcance of this protest as vividly understood by conference attendees. British Jews have become highly familiar with the regular anti-Israel, pro-Palestine protests in central London that started after the 7 October attacks. But attendees were dismayed, and some angered, about why protesters opted to target this speciﬁc conference.

“Why today? We’re here to support peace,” said one woman, looking relieved to have arrived inside. My attempt to engage with protesters later that day provided an insight into the answer.

The sound of chants and drums boomed over conference speeches in the overﬂow room, where about 100 of us watched opening remarks being streamed from the main hall. The speeches, some of which used similar

language to that on protesters’ signs, rapidly laid bare the glaring futility of the attempt to intrude on the conference.

The Israeli government operates an “apartheid regime” and conducts “ethnic cleansing” against the Palestinians, declared Haaretz’s publisher, Amos Schocken. His speech, which also called for sanctions against Israeli settler leaders, was considered so intolerable by the Netanyahu government that the Israeli Diaspora Ministry has since suspended ties with the newspaper.

Most corrosive to the protesters’ claims to represent Palestinian welfare was the presence of Palestinian delegates themselves at the conference. This included Dr Rula Hardal, director of A Land for All, who said Israel was “colonising” Palestinian land. The Arab-Israeli lawmaker Ayman Odeh spoke against the “fascist” Netanyahu government and called for UK recognition of a Palestinian state.

Discussions revealed some variation in opinion among the 700 attendees on terminology. Yet, audience and speaker engagement was markedly calm and constructive throughout

the conference. Many felt the “contrast and power of being with hundreds of people keen to engage thoughtfully with Israel and the IsraeliPalestinian conﬂict”, said David Davidi-Brown, New Israel Fund CEO. Attendees told him that they felt an “extra determination” to take part in the conference after witnessing the protest.

“The people in this room are able to see both realities of what is happening in Israel and Gaza”, said Dr Ayala Panievsky, City of London University fellow, during a panel discussion.

The writer and Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland said: “The hardest position is the one that thinks two things at once. The one that says, there are appalling things going on… but that doesn’t mean this country [Israel], uniquely among others, should stop existing.”

Acknowledgement of the conﬂict’s complexity, nuances and, most importantly, legitimate grievances of both Israelis and Palestinians characterised the temperament of the conference. Attendees listened to and engaged with unrestrained criticism of Israeli policy with the conﬁdence that its purpose was to aid issue diagnosis and consider practical solutions – rather than to encourage Israel’s demise.

The desire for Israeli-Palestinian peace was most powerfully articulated by Dr Sharone Lifschitz, whose parents were kidnapped on 7 October and whose 84-year-old father, Oded, is still being held in Gaza. Dr Lifschitsz persevered through grief to narrate how her mother Yocheved had turned to her Hamas captor as she was released and shook his hand. “She looked really clearly into her captor’s eyes, and in that look is a demand – to acknowledge shared humanity.”

Dr Lifschitz brieﬂy turned to the topic of the protesters. “These are confusing times,” she confessed. “I felt so angry with the people outside but, really, I should look at them in the eyes for shared humanity.” Inspired by Dr Lifschitz’s words and the example of her mother, I decided to speak to the protesters.

A counterprotest of equal numbers to the original protest had mobilised by late morning. The anti-Israel protest had been moved to the other side of the road as the Metropolitan Police bolstered its presence.

“We were just driving past and saw the protest against JW3. We went home, collected our Israeli ﬂags and came back to stand with the Jewish community,” a couple told me. I asked their views on the conference, only to discover that they were unaware it was taking place, as was every counter-protester I spoke to.

I walked over to the anti-Israel protest and attempted to engage politely, initially as a journalist and then as a curious (but admittedly Jewish-looking) pedestrian. No one was willing to talk. Most showed visible suspicion and hostility to me, which they appeared to consider as an act of deﬁance.

Eventually, a young man was willing to talk. “Are you Jewish?” he asked, to which I said I was. He proceeded to ask me how I felt being part of a “religion of paedophiles” before spewing a related antisemitic conspiracy theory. None of his fellow protesters who were listening interjected.

David Davidi-Brown had earlier also tried to speak to protesters. “They ignored me and continued to shout ‘Shame on you Zionists, you are nothing but Nazis’ and, in a perhaps revealing moment, ‘Hitler will judge you’, hastily corrected to ‘History will judge you’.”

As reported by Jewish News, protest groups mobilised attendance by advertising that “war criminals” former UK prime minister Tony Blair and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert were taking part in the conference. But given the protesters’ unwillingness to engage beyond spouting explicit antisemitism, it’s clear that their presence was not motivated by a mere rejection of these two people. The briefest of Google searches into the organisations attending would have revealed that the conference comprised delegates ferociously critical of Israeli policies.

While ‘pro-Palestine’ protesters outside were rejecting dialogue, Palestinians inside were pioneering peace with Israelis. “This is the ﬁrst time I have attended any Israeli conference,” proudly proclaimed Dr Nasser alQudwa, former Palestinian foreign minister, who received rapturous applause and shouts of “welcome” from the audience.

My despondency from my failed engagement with the protesters lifted as I watched Olmert and al-Qudwa, who is also a nephew of late PLO leader Yasser Arafat, jointly present their plan for a two-state solution to an energised audience. Their courage demonstrated that, amidst endless violence and war, the real act of deﬁance is not to reject dialogue, but to embrace it.

The protest failed to impede the success of the conference. Yet it undoubtedly contributed to its atmosphere, albeit inadvertently, through distinguishing the noise-makers outside from the solution-makers and Israeli and Palestinian peace-makers inside.

The protest also served as a sobering reminder of the hard realities of the Middle East and beyond. The besieging of JW3 was a vivid metaphor for the external threats actively exploiting the conﬂict to fuel hatred. In doing so, it reinforced the urgent necessity to seek solutions beyond military force.

As Dr al-Qudwa told attendees, “We have to begin by talking to each other.”

Protesters outside the Haaretz conference last month, held at JW3 in north London

Many protesters had no idea that a conference was taking place in the community centre

Haaretz begets internal strife

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has published an editorial criticising remarks made by its own publisher, Amos Schocken, in reference to Palestinian “freedom ﬁghters” at a conference in London, writes Lee Harpin.

Leonid Nevzlin, co-owner of the paper, has also publicly expressed his strong disagreement with statements made by the publisher.

In a leader column headlined ‘Terrorists are not freedom ﬁghters,’ published on Monday, the left-leaning paper said that while Schocken had not been referencing Hamas when he used the term “freedom ﬁghters” and had instead been referring to those resisting occupation in the West Bank, nonetheless: “Deliberately harming civilians is illegitimate.”

The editorial continued: “Using violence against civilians and sowing terror among them to achieve political or ideological goals is terrorism. Any organisation that advocates the murder of women, children and the elderly is a terrorist organization, and its members are terrorists. They certainly aren’t freedom ﬁghters.”

The opinion piece adds: “Throughout history, nations have waged armed struggle against oppressive occupiers to liberate themselves and achieve independence; not every armed struggle is terrorism.

“But the term ‘freedom ﬁghter’ has a positive, even romantic, connotation, which could lead people to support illegitimate acts of violence.

Those should be unacceptable in any way, shape or form.”

Schocken had delivered an introductory speech at the start of last

Sunday’s Haaretz conference, held at JW3 in north London, which attracted more than 650 people.

The editorial in Haaretz notes

that in his speech Schocken said, among other things, that: “The Netanyahu government doesn’t care about imposing a cruel apartheid regime on the Palestinian population. It dismisses the costs of both sides for defending the settlements while ﬁghting the Palestinian freedom ﬁghters, that Israel calls terrorists.”

He was referring to the Palestinians living in the West Bank, and later clariﬁed his remarks saying he misspoke when using the term “freedom ﬁghters”.

Nevzlin, a partner in Haaretz, stressed his commitment to liberal values and a free press, but added: “I wish to express my complete disagreement with Amos.”

FLIGHT PAUSE EXTENDED DEMOS OVER ALBANESE

American Airlines said it will not resume ﬂights to Israel until September 2025, extending an existing pause by six months and potentially sparking a cascade of other airline delays.

The airline became the ﬁrst United States carrier to push back ﬂights to Israel until at least the second half of 2025, amid a swathe of cancellations a ecting most non-Israeli airlines.

Delta and its partner airlines have pauses on

Israel ﬂights until March, and United Airlines has not set a return date for its own Israel ﬂights.

Many carriers suspended flights to Israel following Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack and have delayed their return citing security concerns including the expansion of regional conflict into Lebanon and Iran. Others resumed flights after 7 October but suspended them amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran.

Plans have been announced for demonstrations at three UK university campuses in protest at lectures being given next week by Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Albanese has taken a hard line against Israel in almost every one of her public pronouncements and social media posts. According to the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), which

has announced protests at LSE, SOAS and Queen Mary University of London, the UN o cial was condemned by the French Foreign Ministry after she wrote onTwitter/X that “The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism but in response to Israel’s oppression”.

She also declared that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the 7 October attack, was “inhumane”.

Amos Schocken called Palestinians in the West Bank ‘freedom fighters’

Israeli researchers in chance cancer treatment discovery

A chance discovery in a Tel Aviv University laboratory has found a mechanism which prevents the immune system from attacking cancer tumours, writes Jenni Frazer.

As a result, the researchers have found that reversing this mechanism stimulates the immune system to fight the cancer cells — even in types of cancer previously considered resistant to current forms of immunotherapy.

The three scientists working on the discovery are Prof Carmit Levy, Prof Yaron Carmi and PhD student Avishai Maliah, from the university’s faculty of medical and health sciences.

Prof Levy said: “It all happened by coincidence. My lab studies both cancer and the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun on our skin and body – both of which are known to suppress the immune system.

“Cancer suppresses approaching immune cells and solar radiation suppresses the skin’s immune system. While, in most cases, cancer researchers worldwide focus on the tumour and look for mechanisms by which cancer inhibits the immune system, here we

proposed a different approach: investigating how UV exposure suppresses the immune system and applying our findings to cancer. The discovery of a mechanism that inhibits the immune system opens new paths for innovative therapies.”

With this idea in mind she approached Prof Carmi to join the study.

“Avishai Maliah led the project,” she said. “The first stage was a comprehensive investigation of changes in the skin induced by exposure to UV, using a mouse model. Avishai examined the behaviour of dozens of proteins post-UV exposure, and surprisingly discovered a significant rise in the level of a relatively unexplored protein called Ly6a. This led us to investigate further, to understand the protein function and whether it is involved in the immune suppres-

sion process.”

Maliah noted: “We found that after exposure to UV radiation, the immune system’s T cells — that play a critical role in fighting cancer — begin to express high levels of the protein Ly6a. We suspected that Ly6a serves as a brake, through which UV inhibits the immune system, and that by releasing this brake, optimal activation of the immune system might be resumed.”

Once the trio had isolated the Ly6a protein, they used it to treat two kinds of cancer tumours in mice, and “amazingly the tumours were significantly reduced”. They also found that cancers resistant to known treatments reacted well to Ly6a antibodies. They say their discovery can have practical implications in immunotherapy. Prof Levy said: “Evidently, we have discovered a general mechanism through which cancer tumours desensitise the immune system.”

Prof Carmi added: “Immunotherapy has revolutionised the treatment of cancer. However, about 50 percent of the patients do not respond to the currently prevailing treatment – the protein PD1. We discovered a new protein, Ly6a, and found that its antibody eradicated tumours in our model animals. We are working to translate our findings into a drug for human cancer patients.”

The discovery has been published in the journal Nature Communications

IRAN KILLS JEWISH CONVICT

Iran has hanged a 20-yearold Jewish man who killed a man in a 2022 fight after the victim’s family refused to negotiate an alternative to the death penalty.

Arvin Ghahremani had been scheduled to be executed in May but received a stay after Jewish and human rights groups around the world called attention to his case. He was arrested more than two years ago on charges that he had killed a man with whom he had a financial dispute. In a report published on Monday in Mizan Online, an Iranian news agency, the prosecutor for the city of Kermanshah, where Ghahremani lived, said the victim had been stabbed five times, including in his back and neck.

The prosecutor said Ghahremani had confessed and the execution had been carried out in compliance with law after the victim’s family had twice declined referrals to a dispute resolution group. • Editoral comment, page 18

Carmit Levy and Yaron Carmi from Tel Aviv University

Editorial comment and letters to the editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

VOICE OF THE JEWISH NEWS

Praise for Ravenswood Trump and Tehran

Almost unnoticed, in the flurry of news and commentary over the US elections, was the barbaric execution on Monday of a 20-yearold Iranian Jewish man, Arvin Nathaniel Ghahremani, who has been sitting in prison in Kermanshah, Iran, for two years.

When he was 18 he was ambushed by seven men outside his gym. One of the attackers, Amir Shokri, ended up dead. Ghahremani was charged with his murder.

His execution by the Iranian regime is a small but horrible illustration of what may lie in wait as the Iranians struggle to process the unexpected victory of Donald Trump as the US president.

Even before the US elections, the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was making threats — in Hebrew — on Twitter/X. On Saturday night he posted: “The USA and the Zionist regime will receive a crushing response to what they are doing against #Iran and against the #Resistance.”

Though outgoing US President Joe Biden has repeatedly urged caution on Israel, for fear of a Middle East conflict that would escalate until it was uncontainable, there is every indication that Trump would have no such compunction. He does not care for being threatened and is quite capable of instigating US military action against Iran, if the ayatollahs and their Revolutionary Guards do more than issue threats and bluster.

For the wellbeing of all concerned, we hope that some brake on the tit-for-tat can be applied before Trump takes office.

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

john@jewishnews.co.uk

Accounts Benny Shahar 020 8148 9694 benny@jewishnews.co.uk

Sales Manager Marc Jacobs 020 8148 9701 marc

I would like to add to the useful and no doubt welcome advertisement that Norwood placed in your most recent edition for residential and supported living homes for neurodiverse people in London. Readers may be interested to know that places may also be available at another part of Norwood, Ravenswood Village, which I see as the charity’s jewel in the crown of facilities for neurodiverse people with complex needs.

I am the mother of a 55-year-old autistic man with complex needs who has lived at Ravenswood Village, run by Norwood, for over 35 years.

Ravenswood Village is a beautiful, secure site, in a quiet, rural setting in Crowthorne, Berkshire, where the low buildings are complemented by many mature trees. Because of its setting, my son can safely walk around the village, independently. He can feel part of a community he has experienced all his adult life.

At Ravenswood, he is not subject to the noises and potential hazards of a city which he would find stressful and confining as he could not safely cross a road or cope with the sight of a dog. In London, he would be totally dependent on others for any activities outside the home.

At Ravenswood, he has a degree of independence we had not thought possible. Ravenswood also supports the Jewish way of life, providing kosher food and Shabbat activities.

We feel very grateful to know that our son is happy and comfortable in such a caring and peaceful environment. While some neurodiverse people, especially those with social skills and independence, might be equally well served in a city, others have disabilities that mean the place where they would thrive is Ravenswood Village. It deserves to be better known.

Bette

Rabie, By email

EMILY VIGIL ‘PROFOUNDLY MOVING’

I was at Tottenham’s stadium on Sunday and found myself profoundly moved by the vigil outside the Spurs shop to raise awareness about Emily Damari, a British citizen held hostage by Hamas.

Seeing fellow fans rally for her was a reminder that this is not just a political issue; it’s a deeply human one. Emily’s mother’s words haunt me: “Every moment lost is another moment of unimaginable suffering.” The reality of her plight

really struck home on Sunday, knowing she could be anyone’s daughter, sister or friend.

The vigil, in contrast with the ugly anti-Israel protests elsewhere, underscored an essential truth: this is about a British woman whose life has been ripped from her. My son and I left the ground with a conviction that our voices matter in calling for her release and that we won’t let her be forgotten. Barry Saniker, By email

UK ARMS EXPORT POLICY WAS MISAPPLIED

The statement by Anneliese Dodds MP that the UK would consider suspending further arms export licences to Israel should the latter fail to reverse its decision to ban UNRWA (Jewish News, 31 October), risks her government misapplying its own policy on this matter for a second time.

The first suspension was justified by the government on the basis, in 2b of its licensing criteria, that Israel risked breaching international humanitarian law (IHL) because of its alleged hindering of humanitarian aid and mistreatment of detainees. The problem was that the government failed to show, as criterion 2b required, that the “items” (ie the arms exported by the UK to Israel) would be used by Israel in a way that risked

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breaching IHL over detainees or aid. Conceptually, this is a difficult link to imagine.

By intimating that the UNRWA ban may lead to “implications... such as the recent decision we made in the House about the arms licensing regime”, Doddss appears to suggest that the government will again fail to make the correct link – this time between a decision of the Knesset to which the UK objects, and use by Israel of UK arms in the humanitarian consequences that arise out of that decision.

If the government does act again on this basis, we will be paying attention to make sure it is not acting purely politically on Israel, something it has so far failed to pretend is not the case.

Naji Tilley, Hendon

•

Why additional £2m for Shoah studies matters

stayed with me: we cannot allow these vital testimonies, these ﬁrst-hand accounts of humanity’s darkest chapter, to fade as this horriﬁc period slips beyond living memory.

One of the privileges of being a member of parliament is meeting remarkable individuals from all walks of life. Among the hundreds I have already met, there is one person who stands out as someone I will never forget.

In a crowded room at the last Labour Party Conference, I remember vividly the profound stillness as Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich was speaking; you could have heard a pin drop.

On her 94th birthday, Mala – a constituent of mine in Chipping Barnet, a fact that is a source of immense pride – recounted her powerful testimony.

She spoke of the brutal conditions in the Piotrków ghetto, of the day her mother and younger sister were murdered by the Nazis and of her experiences in several concentration camps, including Bergen-Belsen where she was liberated. As I listened, one thought

This is why I was so heartened to hear the prime minister, Keir Starmer, tell an audience at the Holocaust Educational Trust appeal dinner in September of his national ambition for every student in the country to have the opportunity to hear a recorded survivor testimony.

In his speech, he highlighted the Holocaust Educational Trust’s initiative Testimony 360: People and Places of the Holocaust. This is a digital programme designed to ensure school children will always have the opportunity not just to hear from Holocaust survivors but also to interact with their powerful testimonies and, using virtual reality, explore the sites associated with their stories.

And last week, the government stepped up to meet this ambition. Amid the challenges of a budget where di cult decisions needed to be made, I was delighted that the chancellor, Rachel Reeves committed £2m to support the incredible work being done in this ﬁeld.

This announcement was warmly welcomed by the Holocaust Educational Trust.

Its chief executive Karen Pollock said: “This is fantastic news. We are hugely

grateful to the chancellor for recognising the crucial juncture we face as Holocaust survivors become fewer and frailer and for emphasising the importance of ensuring their testimony is preserved and accessible for generations to come.”

With antisemitism sadly persisting at levels that have not been seen for many years, this funding could not be more important. Young people today must be made aware of the ever-present dangers of antisemitism and hear from people like Mala about where it can lead if not challenged and defeated.

I know that nothing will ever replace hearing directly from a Holocaust survivor, but I am reassured that, thanks to the incredible work of organisations such as the Holocaust Educational Trust and many others in this ﬁeld, millions more – including those who are not yet born – will hear the harrowing testimony of a Holocaust survivor.

With the support from the government announced in last week’s budget, we can create a new generation committed to carrying on the legacy of survivors and to ﬁghting antisemitism and hatred.

Dan Tomlinson with survivor Mala Tribich

Our time to thank Jewish war heroes across Britain

AJEX JMA, NATIONAL CHAIR

As the remembrance tide nears, our community is once again reminded of what it means to be both Jewish and British. This community’s military history has always hugged the contours of Britain’s story and 2024 has provided many reminders of our contribution to the UK’s security and freedom. In the past year, I have been privileged, as national chair of AJEX, to attend and support a number of events organised by those outside of the Jewish community to recognise this.

In June, in Harlech, north Wales, the town’s historical society unveiled a plaque to X-Troop, the commando unit of Jewish refugees from Nazism, who lived and trained there during the Second World War. X-Troop operations proved crucial to the allied victory in the war and local dignitaries, residents, the commandos’ families, and the family of their (non-Jewish) OC, Maj Bryan Hilton-Jones (a

Harlech native) were in attendance. Kaddish was said in the middle of the high street by Rabbi Captain Rabbi Nir Nadav, of HM Forces Chaplaincy, and the sons of two X-Troopers gave talks on how important their fathers’ Jewish identity had been to their service.

Three weeks later, on Canvey Island, the local community held a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the B-17 Air Collision in 1944. Two United States Air Force crew were lost, returning from a bombing mission in France in support of the Battle of Normandy. The dead included 2Lt Fred Kau man, a Jewish airman, and AJEX was invited to parade our Standard and say Kaddish.

At Lincoln’s International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC), in September, a replica of the Magdala Stone (uncovered in Israel in 2009 and depicting the Second Temple) was unveiled in commemoration of Jews massacred following the Little Hugh blood libel of 1255. The stone had been commissioned and funded by a local quarry business and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. The IBCC, overlooking Lincoln, had enthusiastically welcomed

its placing beneath its main memorial, due to the Jewish connection to the RAF. Over 900 Jews were killed serving in the air in the Second World War. ACM Sir Michael Graydon, chair of the IBCC Trustees, spoke of this Jewish contribution and I closed proceedings with the following words: “After the defeat of the Philistines at Mizpeh, the prophet Samuel erected a huge rock on the site in thanks for the interventions he believed had secured victory: an eban ha’nezer. Humanity’s ﬁrst memorial stone. Tonight, around the Lincoln Jewish Memorial Stone, we made that connection back through the millennia to a biblical battleﬁeld, via the imperfect, yet rich and proud, history of this great nation and its Jews.”

On 6 November, in Glasgow, the Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) held a ceremony at the grave of Emil Stock, an Austrian Jewish refugee who crewed a tank on D-Day +1, eventually dying of injuries sustained two months later. The official invitation reads that the event will be “about Emil and his three families: the Stock family, his RTR family, and his Jewish family. All three will

come together to pay their respects and to commemorate him.”

Because the antisemites on our streets are the loudest, and those in our media and politics are best known, it is easy to believe that they are the majority. But among our fellow citizens across this land, Jews are met with nothing but great a ection and admiration.

Our friends are many, and I am extremely proud that AJEX is at the heart of that relationship. And that at the heart of AJEX is our Annual Parade.

Last year, record numbers turned out to march or to spectate, and we hope that 2024 will be no di erent. On 17 November, on Horse Guards Parade, along Whitehall, and around the Cenotaph, it will be the place to stand tall and march together as Brits, as Jews, as one.

• Dan Fox is the national chair of AJEX, the Jewish Military Association. Details of this year’s AJEX Annual Parade, which takes place on Sunday 17 November, are at ajex.org.uk/ajex-annual-remembranceparade-ceremony-2024-390

DAN FOX

1 100 REASONS TO CHEER!

Family and friends gathered on Sunday to celebrate the 100th birthday of Kindertransport refugee Alexander Klein. Guests from Manchester and Israel joined Barnet Mayor Tony Vourou, who presented the birthday boy with a glass paperweight. Alex also received an engraved silver picture frame from the Association of Jewish Refugees and 100 birthday cards made by pupils of the Orion School in Mill Hill. Alex arrived in the UK in 1939 and served his adopted country in the RAF. He set up a successful men’s clothing business, Klein Bros, in Salford, where he worked until his retirement in 1984. He and his wife Joan moved to London 15 years ago to be near their family. Joan died in 2022. Pictured are their daughters Michelle and Diane, granddaughters Claudia, Sophia, Chloe and Olivia, and great-grandson Lucas.

2 FRIENDS WITH HEART

Seven friends completed a oneday, 110km cycle ride in Spain to raise £50,000 for the British Heart Foundation. The challenge was in memory of Daniel Wayne, from Elstree, who died from an undetected heart problem in 2021, aged 43. He left a wife and two children.

3 PLANT THERAPY

Nearly 20 people at Manchester Maccabi community centre enjoyed a horticultural therapy session from Get up and Grow in Rochdale. Jewish Action for Mental Health (JAMH) has partnered with Incredible Edible Prestwich and District (IEPAD) to be awarded a grant for £36,558 from The People’s Health Trust as part of its Nature for Health fund.

4 THE NEXT GEN TREK

A group of Jewish youngsters, parents and relatives from Manchester and Liverpool retraced the steps of the Windermere Children during a three-day camping expedition in the Lake District. They hiked 13 miles and skimmed stones on Lake Windermere, just as the Holocaust survivors had done, as well as learning navigation and first aid skills. The trip was organised by Regenesis, a not-for-profit organisation founded by Marc Duschenes, whose Czech Jewish grandfather escaped the Nazis.

5 MOBILE SUKKAH

Lubavitch Stamford Hill’s mobile sukkah travelled throughout London, providing more than 50 people with the opportunity to fulfil the mitzvah of dining in a sukkah. Rabbi Mendel Sudak said: “It was heartwarming to see so many come together to celebrate and connect.”

JEWISH CARE GOLF DAY

Golfers have raised more than £23,000 at Jewish Care’s 46th Pro-Am Golf Tournament at Brocket Hall in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The funds will go directly to Jewish Care’s Rela Goldhill at Otto Schiff care home.

Jewish News’ Big Event!

Hundreds of families planning simchas flocked to Jewish News ’ Big Event on Sunday at Elstree’s Doubletree by Hilton. Now in its 19th year, the Big Event is an extraordinary celebration of simcha planning – whether it’s a wedding, barmitzvah or batmitzvah, with more than 60 vendors offering inspiration to anyone planning their next party. Exhibitors on the day included Funtime Hire, Many Hats, All wrapped Up, Led Factor, Encore, Wedding Dresses by Imbal, WA Carr, Philippa Louise Makeup and Just Smile. Thank you to sponsor Many Hats

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Australian cookbook The Who turns 60 Andrew Gardfield Inside A look

Minister of tourism is optimistic about the return of visitors to the country ‘where you can make local calls to God’. By Brigit Grant

We are going to be the Land of Milk and Honey again,” said Israel’s defiant tourism minister Haim Katz this week. “We want to see and hear tourists on our streets.”

Talking to Jewish News at the World Travel Market in London, his robust take on the future for travel to the Holy Land was reflected by the much larger and more prominent stand Israel has taken at Excel this year. Against brightly lit signs projecting Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other destinations, enthusiastic representatives from the hotels, tour groups and landmarks chatted to clients and visitors who nibbled on Bamba and varieties of halva.

Any indication that the country has and continues to be targeted by its enemies and global critics was well hidden and the freebie T- shirts were a smart and useful cover-up that many were keen to accept. “We are in difficult times, yes, but we have a very strong economy and the shekel is stable” he said. “We have holy historical places, we have landscape, we have the sea, good food, nightlife

and a co-existing culture. It was the land of milk and honey until 7 October and then the honey was gone, but it will come back. The end of the war will come soon.”

For more than a year the Ministry of Tourism has been leading the mission to house and care for the hundreds of thousands

of displaced families who were forced to relocate after the Hamas atrocities and subsequently from hostilities in the north.

“I was the general of the civilian war inside Israel and responsible for 130,000 people being moved from their homes,” as Katz puts it.

“I asked to get this mission which is

a different kind of tourism. We took around 50,000 of the 54,000 hotel rooms in Israel.

“We, the government, paid and have got the hotels through this crisis. Now most of the citizens from the south have gone back, and in Eilat there are now 15,000 people in hotels and 48,000 are now living in houses for which we pay the rent. You can’t let people stay for a year in a 20-square metre hotel room.”

With support for the hotels and dispossessed citizens as his first priority for a year, Katz is now hopeful that the rapidly changing situation will bring a normalised tourist industry back to Israel, and was keen to stress that while he understands that people may delay their current travel plans, British tourists should keep Israel at the front of their minds.

“Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat and even Tiberius are open and safe and have been working hard throughout the crises to support operators and businesses in Israel to keep them strong and ready to welcome back visitors in higher numbers with open arms.”

Katz has that welcome set for spring 2025. “Maybe as early as March we will be ready,” he added.

“But the south is safe now and Israel will give you value for money. It is cheaper than London, for example, and in Israel you can make local calls to God.”

Ultimately the minister’s message for Jewish visitors is that a trip to Israel offers the country and the people a vital show of support. “So when the time is right for you and your family, we will be ready to see you,”he said and then went on to chat about the country’s first legal and official camel race to be held with the Bedouin community in the Negev desert which was attended by thousands of spectators. “Formula One for camels,” he laughed. “And an example of coexistence in what will be the restored land of milk and honey.”

Flights are still disrupted but Israeli carrier Israir has announced a new schedule, with six flights a week taking UK visitors from London Luton to Ben Gurion. The flights will depart Sunday to Friday, from 17 November 2024

Haim Katz (centre) with ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely and Michael Ben Baruch

The Negev Camel

IT TAKES

A pair of Australian home cooks with a strong Jewish identity have published their third book. Alex Galbinski finds out what drives them

In this fractured world, where people are becoming increasingly divided and polarised, two women have made it their mission to bring people together.

It was in lockdown when I first saw videos of Delia Baron and Ronnit Hoppe rustling up fresh salads and meals. The pair, who are based in Melbourne, Australia, were making recipes they had published in their two cookbooks, Better Together Kitchen (BTK) numbers 1 and 2. Now, they have released their third cookbook, which they say promises more of what they are known for: “simple, tasty and honest” food. A quick look through the index of the third book and I’m salivating – dishes include baked quinoa pilaf, sticky salmon bite bowls and oven-baked crispy chicken.

Delia says the attraction of their recipes is their unfussiness – but make no mistake, Delia and Ronnit are extremely exacting. “The reason the books have been so

and tested a million times and they actually work,” says Delia. “They’re recipes you’d want to make every day – they’re very user friendly and simple but really delicious.”

Their audience is predominantly women, and many BTK cookbooks are bought as gifts for their children who are at the movingout-of-home stage.

“They [mothers] want to nurture them to make food that is wholesome, honest and tasty and is also good for them. They really appeal to the home cook who wants a variety of tasty food, from all genres, and there’s usually something that’s just a little bit special about each recipe that makes it really good – for example the pickled onions or the toasted nuts – and it’s not boring.”

Delia and Ronnit are inspired by food from their travels and meals out, which they often emulate. Delia’s daughter, when in Israel, tasted a ceviche on labneh and wanted them to try to make it. “She sent us a photo saying, ‘Oh my God, it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever eaten. You have to work out how to make it’ so I got her to write down everything that was in it and we recreated it, using our own spin.” A version of it is in the latest book.

salad-making workshops. Their first book was published in 2018 and was followed, three years later, by the second.

Delia has several cookery books to her name; 20 years ago, she published three volumes of Cooking with the Raizons, with her mother Sandi and sister Lana, as well as another with Lana on lunches.

The BTK books are dedicated to “all the amazing women who have nurtured and nourished their families for millennia – we see you, we are you”. Delia and Ronnit both learned to cook from their mothers and grandmothers and want to honour these women they cherish.

“Cooking is the way we show our love for our family and our friends. And that’s what we women do, don’t we? Our love language is food, and nothing makes us happier than really taking the time to make a beautiful meal and sitting around the table – the simple things really.”

successful is that every recipe is tried the

do Shabbat dinner every Friday night and we celebrate all of the High Holy Days. We’re always cooking [Jewish food], whether we’re making honey cakes or doughnuts – we do every chag; we’re very traditional.”

But it’s not just about the food, Delia stresses. “We love eating, but we also love gathering around the table – for us, that’s a non-negotiable with our families. We sit at the dinner table every night; it really is about being together as well.”

The pair have 25,000 Instagram followers and, while they have a very loyal Jewish audience, Delia says they also have a strong following in the non-Jewish community, with people “coming from all over Victoria to meet us” at the book launch pop-up shops.

Unsurprisingly, Delia and Ronnit are already working on their next book and as well as planning cooking classes. There is also another project, being kept under wraps, but it will be accessible worldwide.

Their Jewish identity is also very important to them. “We

Their Jewish very important to them. “We we’ve classes give back. Every time we do charity function or we could cook and Ronnit ran classes

“We’ve got a vision of really uniting the community worldwide – we’ve wanted to have a conversation around food, traditions and community for a long time, and we’re trying to find the right platform to do that.

Tzedakah is another significant principle for Ronnit and Delia. Each purchase of the cookbook supports a box of fresh produce for an Australian family in need. “We’ve got four pillars, which we’ve adhered to since we started running cooking classes together: connect, inspire, nourish and give back. Every time we do something – and it could be a charity function or we could be guest speakers at an event – we always make sure we hit those four pillars.”

speakers sure

‘Better together’ is our mantra and our motto, because we all are better together. Ronnie and I are better together. We’re better together with our community and we’re better together with the world, so we really want to hone in on creating more community.”

Given the fabulous feedback they have received for their cookbooks, we are convinced that their next venture will be equally inspiring –and tasty.

Balaboosta and

The pair met about eight years ago – Delia was teaching children to cook alongside another business and Ronnit ran cookery classes and was behind the Balaboosta recipe website – and collaborated on

was teaching children priced at £37.

Better Together Kitchen 3 by Ronnit Hoppe and Delia Baron is out now, priced at £37. bettertogetherkitchen.com

Delia Baron and Ronnit Hoppe: ‘We’ve got a vision of uniting the community worldwide’

JEW WHO?

Something wow happened at the Golden Globes in January 2023 and it wasn’t Steven Spielberg collecting best drama gong for his biopic The Fablemans as that was inevitable. The very visible frizzante between Jewish actor Andrew Garfield and Jewish Brit YouTube sensation Amelia Dimoldenberg was much more interesting. Fans of both the multi-award nominated Tick Tick Boom star and the woman who fronts hit show Chicken Shop Date felt romance was on the cards and posted predictions all over social media. But nothing happened. Not until 18 October when Garfield made a long-awaited appearance and shared nuggets and fries with Dimoldenberg in person. Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran and Cher are just a few of the celebs who have dined with Dimoldenberg, who is on a mission to find love, but no one has come to the table with more expectations than Garfield, who admitted that they did have a “couple of lovely interactions” together in the past. Dimoldenberg noted that they haven’t seen each other in a while, teasing the actor for “avoiding her.” “I’m surprised you’re here,” she said.“I’m surprised I’m here as well,” Garfield replied. The pair then talked about their dating etiquettes and Dimoldenberg admitted she’s normally the person who asks someone else out on a date, even at the risk of getting rejected. What happened next is not for us to share, but for you to see on Chicken Shop Date on youtube.com

British rock band being celebrated in stamps has plenty of Yiddishe links, writes Nathan Abrahams

While none of its members was Jewish, the British rock band rock band formed by Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon in 1964 has a surprisingly Yiddishe history and not just because its name rhymes with Jew. To mark its 60th anniversary, the Post O ce has issued a set of eight stamps celebrating these rock stars.

The band grew to prominence at a time when Jewish managers such as Larry Parnes dominated the music industry. One cannot consider The Who without the Mod subculture which relied on the fashion sense of Jewish moguls in places like London’s Carnaby Street and the very Jewish East End.

The Who began life as a Mod band called the Detours and frequently played gigs at a Jewish club in Ealing. Their ﬁrst manager, Helmut Gordon, was, in Daltrey’s words, “a Jewish German doorknob manufacturer who wanted to be the next Brian Epstein”, alluding to the Jewish manager of the Beatles. Gordon bought them a van and professional ampliﬁers, and paid for studio time for their initial recordings. Gordon was replaced by Pete Meaden, whose father, Stanley, was “half-Jewish,” according to Daltrey. Meaden’s business partner Andrew Loog Oldham was also Jewish and the manager of the Rolling Stones. Good yichus as we like to say.

The Detours never made it and when Daltrey interviewed Townshend for his new band, the audition went something like this:

Daltrey: “Can you play Hava Nagilah?”

Townshend: “Yes.”

Daltrey: “You’re in. See you next Tuesday night.”

Perhaps it was more than music that brought them together. Like Daltrey, guitarist Townshend revealed a deep a nity with Jewish culture. His mother Betty was a singer with the Jewish Sidney Torch Orchestra. Townshend grew up in Acton surrounded by Jews who were many of his parent’s closest friends. His best friend Mick Leiber was Jewish, and the Townshends lived in a house divided in two and the Jewish Cass family lived in the top half.

“I remember noisy, joyous Passovers with a lot of gefilte fish, chopped liver and the aroma of slowroasting brisket. It provided a familiar, comforting sense of home. I was seven, and happy to be home again, back in the noisy flat with a toilet in the back-

yard and the delicious aroma of Jewish cooking from upstairs. It was all very reassuring.”

In 1966, Townshend visited Israel and when the Six-Day War broke out a year later, he was moved to write Rael – short for Israel – about the country’s struggle to survive. It was released later that year on their album The Who Sell Out

Daltrey later praised the song as “prophetic”. Townshend, he said, “wrote that in the autumn of 1967, six years before the Yom Kippur War, and half a century later look where we are with the world. History repeats itself. It repeats itself far too often and Rael was prophetic, Pete was prophetic… he was trying to do more than just write another pop song.”

Novelist Ilan Mochari, a lifelong fan of The Who, wrote: “I’ve often felt there was something ine ably Jewish in their themes and melodies.” He singled out the rock opera Tommy. “In the way it builds, in the way it deiﬁes, in the way it mounts and repeats, it has always reminded me of Ein Keloheinu and Adon Olam.”

The 2006 album Endless Wire includes a song called Trilby’s Piano, about the hidden, forbidden love of a Jewish man named Hymie, sung by Townshend. Daltrey unwittingly borrowed money from the Kray brothers who had Jewish heritage. Fortunately, he paid them back. When he began watching Arsenal, an employee in his manager’s o ce named Robert Rosenberg sorted him out with tickets.

On his 50th birthday, 1 March 1994, Daltrey received a letter and photo from a 27-year-old ‘Jewish girl’ named Kim. One look at the picture and Daltrey had no question that she was his daughter, one of several, far-ﬂung o spring, the products of rock ‘n’ roll dalliances. She was welcomed into the family. Obviously.

It would appear that playing Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live may no longer be a longrunning gig for Jewish actor Maya Rudolph. But the Bridesmaids star certainly claimed the spotlight when she appeared as the vice-president in the show’s opening. In a sketch that had Rudolph looking into a mirror while wishing she could “talk to someone who has been in my shoes”, the camera panned to the reflection and there was Kamala. Black Jewish comedian Rudolph is the daughter of singer Minnie Riperton and her composer father Richard is of Lithuanian heritage. His grandfather changed their last name from Rudashevsky and founded Congregation Beth Shalom in Pittsburgh, and interestingly Pennsylvania had a pivotal role in the deciding votes.

The Post Office stamps commemorating The Who

Pete Townshend

Spot the difference: Jewish actor Maya Rudolph and Kamala Harris

Spark: Amelia and Andrew

Orthodox Judaism

MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

BY RABBI ARIEL ABEL

In our thought-provoking series, rabbis, rebbetzins and educators relate the week’s parsha to the way we live today Abraham and the journey that never ends

Go, find yourself! This phrase sticks in my mind since I reflected recently on a video presentation on theology and British Jewry by Miri Freud-Kandel and it is the meaning of this week’s parsha, Lech Lecha. The journey to find God is incomplete for Abram until he completes a journey to find himself. I use ‘Abram’ because until God renames him, that is what he is. Even his name is not complete. Or perhaps, his name is incomplete because he is.

Abram has no voice of his own until he is put through a lot of pain. Some people are destined to pass through this world without having a voice, others go through a lot of pain to acquire

it. “Ha” is no more than clearing one’s throat to get ready to speak, but it is voice. That is where the final piece of the puzzle slips into place for Abram, when he becomes Abra-ha-m.

Ha is said to represent God in his life, the Heh of the Creator’s name, YHWH. God was already in his life; Abraham has discovered him, God had spoken to Abram, God was there. But God had not yet given Abram his voice. Abram no doubt was able to speak – he had spent 75 years talking to his wife, his brother Haran, his father Terah, anyone worth having a conversation with. But Abram did not yet have the voice of which I speak. That voice is the voice that is fit to speak up on matters Godly.

The voice of Abraham is the one that pipes up when it is controversial to do so. The Abrahamic voice is the one that runs contra to populism and off-the-shelf religion. The Abrahamic vocal imperative is the one that can clear its throat and object to the wanton destruction of five towns in the fertile valley of Sodom,

notwithstanding the crimes that the locals have perpetrated. The Abrahamic call even represents itself on Godly promises to inherit the earth: “How do I know that I will inherit it”?

Abraham represents what we have not yet learned to say from our souls. All we came to this earth to do is to distinguish ourselves as beings gifted with the power of speech. What we say is at least as powerful as what we do.

This week a new American president has been elected on the strength of what he has told the people. On any given day in our lives, something will rise or fall inside us or beyond us on the strength of what we have said to others. Therefore, be not afraid to speak - to speak up, even. The sound or pitch of our voice is not our voice, it is the message our voice carries. Even if a person has no vocal chords, the message we articulate will carry further than any world class opera artist. Even Moses spoke through his brother, and in doing so, he spoke truth to power, bringing about the

most famous national liberation movement in word’s history: Israel.

Abraham set into motion for us a journey that never ends, for each of us to find the courage to speak up. At this time, more than any other, the nation that Moses began needs every personal voice available to state its case fearlessly. May the ‘ha’ stuck in our throats become the ‘heh’ of divine interpolation, as we speak out for the welfare of every Jew. May we all be blessed to see Israel restored to peace within its borders, and the hostages returned.

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Elected on his words rather than his deeds

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI SYLVIA ROTHSCHILD COMMUNITY RABBI IN SOUTH LONDON

In September, 52 percent of adults reported an increase in their cost of living compared with the previous month. Of those, 92 percent said it was because food shopping had risen in price, while 68 percent said it was because gas and electricity bills had gone up.

As providing for basic needs becomes ever more expensive, we become more aware of the necessity of managing our ﬁnances well.

Maybe Jewish tradition is not the ﬁrst place we might look, but it is rich in models of ﬁnancial prudence. Take Joseph, who manages in the seven good years to save enough to provide for the seven years of famine in Egypt. Or

the Eshet Chayil who, among her many qualities, is the economic force in her household, buying wool and linen to turn into garments she will then sell, considering a ﬁeld before buying it, planting vineyards and bringing food from afar.

Or Moses, who publicly accounts for all the donations used to build the Mishkan, proving that no money was used inappropriately or wastefully.

Rabbinic tradition, too, is replete with ideas about how we should approach our ﬁnances. Well aware of the deep relationship between material and spiritual wellbeing, the rabbis taught “im ein kemach, ein Torah...” (without ﬂour there is no Torah, without Torah there is no sustenance).

But once our needs are met, we must make ﬁnancial decisions based on our values. Moses teaches: “When you have eaten and been satisﬁed,

beware lest you grow arrogant and say ‘my own activities made me wealthy’ and you forget God” and “After death, the soul is asked several questions, including ‘were you honest in your business dealings?’ and “When we give tzedakah, we must give enough that the recipient can themselves give tzedakah.”

Risk management is also considered – emulating Jacob, who divided his camp before meeting Esau so as not to lose everything. The Talmud quotes Rabbi Yitzchak: “A person should always divide money into three – a third each in land, commerce and cash.”

How we manage our money speaks to our values. The Talmud records Rav Elai: “In three matters one’s true character is seen – in drink, in pocket (ﬁnancial dealings) and in anger.” But maybe it is the word for a coin, zuz, which gives the

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

most important insight. Coming from a root meaning ‘to move’, we understand that acquiring and storing much money is not helpful to

society. Money moves around from one person to another, and this helps each person to have enough, rather than wealth being an end in itself.

Models of financial prudence include Joseph and the Eshet Chayil

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YOU CONTACT US BEFORE SELLING

ARTICLES WANTED

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LAW MENTOR

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