1409 - 6th March 2025

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Schmuck of the day

Ignorance doesn’t help Palestinians Opinion, p22

Home O ce alarm over Hamas debate

LSE facing scrutiny after agreeing to host talk on free speech grounds

by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk

Home O ce o cials will closely monitor every speaker at an “Understanding Hamas” event being held at the London School of Economics (LSE) next week for potential breaches of UK terrorism laws, Jewish News has learned.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is understood to be “concerned” about the potential impact of the event, being staged at the institution’s Middle East Centre on Monday, which is promoting a book called Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters.

Counter-terrorism experts plan to take urgent action if there is evidence of speakers breaking the law and expressing

views supportive of the Islamist terror organisation and of its actions on 7 October 2023.

Jewish News understands LSE chiefs have been given a firm warning about the consequence of speakers actively promoting the terror group at the 10 March talk.

A Home O ce source said: “We will be closely monitoring the statements made by speakers at this event at the LSE. People are concerned about it going ahead, but there is also respect for rigorous academic debate at the same time, so it needs to remain within the bounds of the law.”

Promotional notes for the event on LSE’s website have been altered on three occasions, toning down original suggestion it would promote active engagement with Hamas.

But the website still claims the proscribed terror group has been transformed from “early anti-Jewish tendencies” and now “di erentiates between Judaism and Zionism”.

A description of the event states: “Across Western mainstream discourse, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has been subjected to intense vilification. Branding it as ‘terrorist’ or worse, this demonisation intensified after the events in southern Israel on 7 October 2023.”

It claims: “This book does not advocate for or against Hamas. Rather, in a series of rich and probing conversations with leading experts, it aims to deepen understanding of a movement that is a key player in the current crisis.”

An LSE spokesperson defended the event, saying: “Free speech and freedom of expression underpins everything we do at LSE. Students, sta and visitors are strongly encouraged to discuss and debate the most pressing issues around the world. We host an enormous number of events each year, covering a wide range of viewpoints and positions.

“We have clear policies in place to ensure the facilitation of debates in these events and enable all members of our community to refute ideas lawfully and to protect individual’s

SCARS OF STRENGTH

British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari, freed after 15 months in Hamas captivity, said her scars symbolise “freedom, hope and strength” as she underwent surgeries for her injuries. The 28-year-old said she had “fully embraced” the injuries because of what they symbolise. See page 8

Rami G Khouri and Helen Cobban will speak at the LSE event

Arab leaders endorse £41billion Gaza rebuild

by Annabel Sinclair

Arab leaders wrapped up a high-stakes summit in Cairo on Tuesday, endorsing Egypt’s £41 billion ‘Gaza 2030’ reconstruction plan, a comprehensive initiative to rebuild the war-torn enclave without displacing its residents.

The move directly counters US President Donald Trump’s controversial Middle East Riviera proposal, which suggested temporarily relocating Palestinians while rebuilding takes place. While some view the Arab League’s decision as a crucial step toward stability, others claim it’s a political ploy to limit US and Israeli influence in the region.

Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi confirmed that the plan had been unanimously adopted, outlining a phased approach where Palestinians will remain in designated locations within Gaza while debris is cleared and essential services are restored.

“The plan preserves the right of Palestinian people in rebuilding their nation and guarantees their existence on their land,” el-Sissi told the summit, emphasising the importance of keeping the population in place.

A temporary governing body of technocrats would oversee the process, supported by a newly-trained Palestinian police force. A donor conference next month will aim to secure funding, calling on international partners to contribute.

Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas praised the plan, urging Trump to support it over the US-backed alternative. “It’s time to adopt the launching of a serious and

effective political path that leads to a permanent and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause according to the resolutions of the international legitimacy,” el-Sissi added.

Hamas, while cautiously welcoming the proposal, has refused to disarm or relinquish control over Gaza, raising questions about its long-term effectiveness. Meanwhile, reports suggest the group is rebuilding its terrorist capabilities, now estimated at 30,000 fighters.

Critics argue that the Arab League’s plan is less about reconstruction and more about side-

lining Trump’s vision, which promised extensive investment but was widely condemned for potentially altering Gaza’s demographics and bypassing Palestinian sovereignty.

Israel has dismissed the Arab-backed proposal outright, accusing the summit of ignoring key security concerns following Hamas’s 7 October 2023, attack and saying the Israeli government insists that any reconstruction effort must prevent Hamas from rearming and regaining influence.

“The Egyptian plan fails to address reali-

PM: GAZA STRIP AID BLOCK IS WRONG LSE hosting Hamas ‘propaganda’ talk

Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to block aid into Gaza is “completely wrong and should not be supported in this House”, Keir Starmer has told the Commons.

He added: “On the contrary, what we need is more aid going into Gaza, desperately needed at speed and at volume. We are making these representations.”

Starmer made the comments after he was quizzed by Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson on the aid block, which she said was “a breach of internmational law”.

Israel blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza after demanding Hamas agree to a ceasefire extension.

The first phase of a truce mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US expired on Saturday.

Netanyahu’s office said Hamas was refusing to accept a temporary extension pro-

posed by Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Starmer appeared before a packed Commons on Monday to deliver a statement on his attempts to provide support for Ukraine, while attempting to retain good relations with the US president.

He told MPs: “Economic security is national security” and described Putin’s Russia as a “menace” responsible for “cyber attacks on the NHS and assassination attempts on our streets”.

“Britain will lead from the front and we must now win the peace,” the PM added.

Starmer also doubled down on his commitment to “the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War”, saying ministers would now go through the UK aid budget “line by line” to determine the priorities for future funding.

Continued from page 1 also been horrified by past statements by the co-authors of the book, and by other speakers lined-up to address students on Monday evening.

Other speakers appearing include activist Dr Azzam Tamimi, along with academics from the LSE itself with histories of criticising Israel and Hamas on social media. Tamimi was investigated by the police for delivering a lecture at London’s School of African and Oriental Studies where he praised Hamas, calling himself a terrorist.

The Board of Deputies and other communal groups including the Campaign Against Antisemitism have called for the event to be cancelled on the grounds it is “difficult to see how this is anything other than an attempt to whitewash a group proscribed

as a terrorist organisation in this country. “

The UK Lawyers For Israel group has now also written to Professor Larry Kramer, president and vice-chancellor of the LSE, to draw attention to legal concerns in relation to the event going ahead.

Accepting that the LSE has a requirement to ensure free speech at the institution, UKLFI also noted the proscription of Hamas under the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000. It says it therefore “seems inevitable” that speakers at the event will “express views supportive of Hamas if it goes ahead”.

In a statement, the Union of Jewish Students said she was “deeply concerned” about the upcoming event.

“This event risks legitimising Hamas rather than critically analysing its actions, ideology and impact,” it said.

ties,” said Israeli foreign minister spokesperson Oren Marmorstein.

As tensions on the ground intensify, Israel has cut off aid deliveries, accusing Hamas of exploiting humanitarian supplies for its own gain while strengthening militarily.

As the ‘Gaza 2030’ plan moves forward, its success will hinge on Egypt’s ability to secure international backing to turn it into reality.

Egypt foreign minister Badr Abdelatty remains optimistic, saying: “Peace is the Arabs’ strategic option.”

BARONESS BERGER TAKES HER SEAT IN THE LORDS

Former Labour MP Luciana Berger has been formally introduced into the House of Lords as Baroness Berger of Barn Hill. Wearing the traditional robes for the ceremony, Berger, 43, who famously took up the fight against antisemitism under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, was nominated for the Lords by Keir Starmer last December. She, and the now-ennobled Lord Katz, were among 30 individuals nominated by the PM in his list of political peerages. Berger took the oath of allegiance to King Charles, which includes a religious component, invoking God as a witness to the promise made. Her title reflects her upbringing in Wembley.

Arab leaders in Cairo this week gave their backing to Egypt’s ‘Gaza 2030’ plan to rebuild the Strip after the conflicts ends

Families of hostages in UK push for loved ones

by

Israeli hostage families arrived in London this week to call on the UK government to push Benjamin Netanyahu to expedite the release of their loved ones, as negotiations to restore the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire came to a standstill.

At a press conference at the Israeli embassy in London, Yehuda Cohen, whose 20-year-old son Nimrod was kidnapped on 7 October, voiced deep frustration over the deadlock.

“Everything stands on Netanyahu,” Cohen said. “He refuses to secure a permanent ceasefire. He wants to stay in power.”

Nimrod is believed to be alive but remains in captivity with little news available. “The only thing left is for him to come home,” Cohen added.

The first phase of the ceasefire saw 33 Israeli hostages released, including the bodies of eight who had died in captivity or during the 7 October Hamas terror attack. More than 250 hostages were taken.

In exchange for the releases so far, Israel has freed more than 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, many serving life sentences.

The second phase, expected to secure the release of 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, has yet to materialise. The Israeli government insists Hamas must agree to an Israeli withdrawal from key

areas in Gaza, while Hamas demands the preservation of its military infrastructure, leading to a stalemate.

As the impasse drags on, families say they fear time has almost run out.

Ditza Or, a British-Israeli whose son Avinatan, 32, was kidnapped at the Supernova music festival, has spent more than 500 days advocating for his release. Avinatan’s girlfriend, Noa Argamani, was rescued in June, but he remains captive.

“Before 7 October, I was Ditza Or, with a full life, a profession,” she said.

“Since then, I’m only the mother of Avinatan. I fight for him 24/7.”

Others worry about their loved

PLAN ‘A BIGGER CRISIS THAN UKRAINE’

UK foreign policy towards Israel could become more of a “headache” than the Ukraine war for the government, a Conservative MP has said.

Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, told the Commons: “I think it [the policy] may be Israel and the divergence on Israel with the new American administration.”

He asked Foreign Office minister Catherine West whether she accepted international plans for a “$53 billion five-year reconstruction plan for Gaza”.

West saidd that it was “welcome that the $53.2 billion dollars had been underlined, and we are supportive of regional efforts to cohere around a single, workable reconstruction plan for Gaza”.

She also told MPs the UK is continuing to push for “prac-

tical day-to-day solutions” on the situation in Gaza.

Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel asked what role was the UK playing in helping to get an agreement on phase two of the ceasefire

West said the images of hostages’ bodies being released was the “most macabre of pantomimes”, adding: “This level of cruelty is utterly unacceptable and the UK has made that very clear to interlocutors.”

She addded: “There have been stops and starts in this peace process, as often there is in these very difficult situations, and what is our role?

“Our role is to continue to speak very closely with the US and Steve Witkoff (US special envoy to the Middle East) in order to try and push for practical day-to-day solutions.”

ones’ deteriorating health. Alon Ohel, 24, a pianist, was captured after seeking refuge in a bomb shelter.

His family learned recently he is severely wounded from shrapnel injuries to his eye and body and has received no medical treatment.

“He’s left there all alone. His life is in danger,” his aunt Noga Gur-Arye pleaded.

The US has proposed extending the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, ending 20 April. Under this plan, Hamas would release half the hostages on day one.

The remainder would be freed after a permanent ceasefire agree-

Dodds

ment. However, the proposal has yet to gain broad support.

For Ayelet Kaufman, the fight is deeply personal. Her brother, Hadar Goldin, was kidnapped and killed by Hamas in 2014. For a decade, she has pushed for the return of his remains, a battle echoed in the current crisis.

Kaufman’s family lived in Cambridge for four years, making the UK a “second home”. She says she refuses to accept further delays.

“It’s been ten years of waiting, and I’ll cry for 10 more if I have to, until everyone is back home,” she said.

“There’s no way we’re giving up on our kids.”

quits over international aid

International development

minister Anneliese Dodds has quit her post over Keir Starmer’s decision to slash international aid, warning it will be “impossible” to deliver on current spending commitments in Gaza.

In a letter to the PM, Dodds said she believed he was right to increase defence spending after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which meant the postwar consensus has “come crashing down”.

But Dodds, also women’s minister, told the PM she was concerned at his promise to maintain aid funding for Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, among other things, while also cutting foreign spending.

“It will be impossible to maintain these priorities given the depth of the cut; the effect will be far greater than

presented, even if assumptions made about reducing asylum costs hold true,” Dodds wrote.

She concluded: “Ultimately, these cuts will remove food and healthcare from desperate people, harming the UK’s reputation.”

Dodds has spoken regularly at communal events, including the Jewish Labour Movement’s conference at JW3 earlier this year.

‘ASSAULT MORE EMOTIONAL THAN PAINFUL’

A man assaulted at the Knesset Monday says his pain is not just physical – it is emotional, writes Annabel Sinclair.

Speaking exclusively to Jewish News, Yoram Yehudai – whose son Ron, 24, was murdered while hiding in a bin near the Supernova music festival – expressed the growing frustration and outrage among families of hostages.

A group of 40 relatives, including parents and siblings of those still held captive, gathered at the Knesset to demand a state investigation into the security failures that enabled the 7 October Hamas attacks. But their efforts were met with resistance as security prevented them from entering the hearing room, despite prior approval.

“They hit me, and I felt pain in my side,” Yehudai said. “But the real pain is in my soul.”

The families were blocked from entering after being told that only 15 people would be allowed in—despite assurances that a larger group had been approved. In defiance, they insisted that either all or none of them be admitted. Ultimately, they were all forced to leave.

‘JUST 6% OF GAZANS BACK HAMAS RULE’

Just six percent of Gazans want Hamas to continue ruling after the war between the terror group and Israel ends, a new poll claims.

In a future election in Gaza only just over five percent say they would vote for Hamas again, according to the shock survey by the Palestinian Institute for Social and Economic Progress (ISEP).

A significant 44.1 percent blamed Hamas entirely for the diversion of aid, with twothirds believing the policy is a major issue in Gaza.

The poll further showed nearly 58 percent of people believed that the hostageceasefire deal could be brokered only by the administration of president Trump.

In the survey, conducted on 22 January, a majority of respondents (67.9 percent)

credited Trump for the success of the ceasefire deal and the hostage release programme that went with it. While 70 percent believe that Hamas does not have the power to “control the situation” from now on, although whether “the situation” pertains to the war or Gaza itself is unclear.

Following the ceasefire, support for Fatah, a Palestinian nationalist and social democratic political party, rose by 12 percentage points, while backing for Hamas increased to 5.3 percent More than half of respondents expressed a preference for rebuilding Gaza to a better state than before.

The ISEP poll used quota sampling to survey 400 respondents from 34 pre-war locations in the Gaza Strip.

Kochav and Shlomit Levinson, parents of Shay Levinson; Yehuda Cohen, father of Nimrod Cohen; Ayelet Kaufman, sister of Hadar Goldin; Noga Gur-Arye, aunt of Alon Ohel, and Ditza Or, mother of Avinatan Or

Hostage families clash with police in the Knesset

Annabel Sinclair

Former minister Dodds at the Board of Deputies

UK puts Iran on highest tier of foreign influence

by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk

The UK government is placing the entire Iranian state, including its intelligence services and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on the highest tier of its new Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS).

Security minister Dan Jarvis confirmed the move in a Commons statement in which he described FIRS as a two-tier scheme to strengthen the resilience of the UK political system against covert foreign influence.

It is also designed to give greater assurance around the activities of certain foreign powers or entities considered a national security risk.

Jarvis also announced Jonathan Hall KC had been asked to review the UK’s counter-terrorism framework in relation to “modern-day state threats, such as those from Iran”.

FIRS will require “the registration of arrangements to carry out political influence activities

Dan

in the UK at the direction of a foreign power”, with the “enhanced” tier allowing a minister to require countries to register a broader range of activities to protect Britain.

“We will place the whole of the Iranian state, including Iran’s intelligence services, the IRGC and MOIS (Ministry of Intelligence), on the enhanced tier of the new foreign influence registration scheme,”

Jarvis said.

“This action will mean those directed by Iran to conduct activities in the UK, such as criminal proxies, must register that activity, whatever it is, or face five years in prison.

“They will face a choice – expose their actions to the government or face jail.”

He added: “We’ve seen our allies the United States in 2019 designate the IRGC as a terror organisation, we’ve seen our Canadian allies do the same just last year and yet I’ve heard nothing on proscription.”

Jarvis said it was “long-standing” government procedure not to comment on organisations or entities being considered for proscription, and he did not intend to change that.

Jarvis said the government

Jarvis said the government expected the scheme to be up and running by the summer.

On calls for proscription,

On calls for proscription,

Jarvis said Hall’s work would include “giving specific consideration to the design of a proscription mechanism of state or state-linked bodies”.

This would provide “more flexibility than is o ered under current existing powers”, with Hall “perfectly placed to undertake this review”. Also in the statement, Jarvis said he welcomed Charity Commission statutory inquiries into the Islamic Centre of England and the Alto Eid Charitable Trust, and spoke of the government’s commitment to funding security for Jewish schools,

synagogues and other buildings amid continued outside threats “in a dangerous, volatile world”.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the Conservatives supported the listing of Iran in FIRS but questioned whether “merely requiring registration is a strong enough sanction, and I put it to the House it is not... because under FIRS all that is required is registration”.

Welcoming the FIRS decision, Labour Friends of Israel chair Jon Pearce MP said: “The Iranian regime brutally suppresses its own people, represents a clear and present danger to security and prosperity in the Middle East, and poses a growing danger to the UK – from attempted assassinations and plots on British streets, threatening the Jewish community, and aiding Putin’s war against Ukraine.

“That’s why the government is absolutely right to take this strong action today, adding Iran to the foreign influence registration scheme and announcing a review of proscription powers for state-backed groups.”

Schwimmer calls out silent Jewish stars

In a powerful speech at an Anti Defamation League conference in New York, Friends actor David Schwimmer has urged Hollywood to stand up to antisemitism, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Presenting the organisation’s inaugural Heroes Against Hate award on Tuesday, he urged celebrities to show solidarity with their Jewish friends and communities.

He said: “My career has given me an incredible platform – a chance to talk about issues that matter to me and, on a good day, a chance to be heard over the noise that drowns too many people out. With that privi-

lege comes a responsibility to use my voice – especially in moments of danger, bigotry, and violence.”

Schwimmer added: “I wish you would stand up. I wish you would speak out. Because your voices would

be so meaningful. To your fans, who love you. To your community members, who need you. To people who could use a little solidarity from people they respect and look up to. You don’t have to say anything political. No one’s asking you to solve the conflict in the Middle East. Just say that you’re against discrimination.”

Schwimmer has long been an advocate for the Jewish community, speaking up after the 7 October Hamas atrocities, highlighting the plight of its sexual assault victims and supporting Jewish students facing hatred at universities.

While he revealed that “speaking

out often comes at a cost” and “like so many others, I’ve been attacked and threatened by people I’ve never met”, he added: “I’ve also found incredible moments of meaning and solidarity. I want to remind you that there are so many good people out there who have our backs – amazing allies. We will get through this together. Our spirit is unbreakable, our joy irrepressible.”

Addressing Jewish celebrities in Hollywood who have failed to speak up against rising global anti-semitism, Schwimmer added: “Some are working behind the scenes, privately, in their own way. But so many have

chosen not to say anything publicly at all. And if I could say one thing to them it’s: I really wish you would.”

Also speaking at the conference were Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who opened the keynote address by saying proudly: “My name is Gal, and I’m Jewish. And we have had enough of Jew hatred”, together with activist Hen Mazzig.

Mazzig said of Schwimmer: “How fitting that the man who taught me to speak English is the one telling the world to speak out now. David, my English may not be perfect, but you are a perfect example for the Jewish people.”

TRUMP DOWNPLAYS GAZA YOM HASHOAH UK SETS DATE

President Donald Trump briefly mentioned the war in Gaza in a sprawling address to Congress on Tuesday, referencing the ceasefire and hostage release deal his team helped broker in January.

He also spoke briefly of plans for a “Golden Dome” modelled on Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system, which is funded in large part by the United States.

Notably absent was any

mention of his proposal to depopulate Gaza and bring it under American control, a shocking announcement first made one month ago that set o a diplomatic firestorm.

Since then, Trump has alternately backed away from the proposal and embraced it by posting AI-generated content depicting “Trump Gaza”.

Trump’s allusions to the Gaza conflict were limited to a reference to the Abraham Accords and a few sentences referring to Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

It was noted he did not say the words “Israel” or “Hamas” in that part of the speech.

Ten thousand members and allies of the UK Jewish community are set to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen at the National Yom HaShoah UK commemoration on 23 April at Victoria Tower Gardens, proposed site of the new UK Holocaust Memorial.

The event will bring together Holocaust survivors, refugees, dignitaries and families from all corners of

the community for what may be the last major anniversary with survivors and refugees present in large numbers.

Neil Martin said: “Standing in the shadow of Parliament, on the very ground where the UK’s new Holocaust Memorial will be built, this year’s Yom HaShoah will be a defining moment.

“We have a duty not just to remember but to be counted among those who stood with our survivors, who bore witness, and pledged to carry forward the legacy of the Shoah.” • See yomhashoah.org.uk

Former Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi is lampooned at a protest

Jarvis MP

Yom HaShoah UK chair

David Schwimmer speaks at ADL

Trump addresses Congress

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis at Yom Ha’Shoah event

BBC boss ‘lost faith in doc’

BBC director general Tim Davie has admitted he is aware of a “small payment” made to the sister of the son of the Hamas official who featured in a documentary on Gaza, writes Lee Harpin.

Appearing before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Tuesday alongside BBC chair Samir Shah, Davie said he is “not ruling anything out” when asked if the programme could return to iPlayer.

Shah told the committee: “To my shock, I think we found there were serious failings on the independent production side and on the BBC side We now need to decide what action we are going to take.”

The corporation removed the documentary, Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, from its on-demand service after it emerged the child narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.

Davie told the committee: “In terms of saying there was a specific question around the father of the boy, as we have dug into it we have found out we were not told.”

He praised the “fantastic teams”

working at the BBC, adding: “If you’re asked a question a number of times and that question was not answered…

“As editor-in-chief, I have to be secure not only editorially where the film’s at, but the making of that film. At that point, quite frankly I lost trust in that film.”

He said he had therefore decided “quite quickly” to take the documen-

tary off iPlayer “while we do this deep dive”.

The BBC apologised last week for “serious flaws” in the making of the film after conducting an initial review, and has launched a further internal probe.

He added the idea that audiences should see saw what is happening in Gaza through the eyes of children “is a good documentary idea”.

He added: “What we are talking about is the execution of that idea.”

Asked whether the film could return to iPlayer, Davie said he was “not ruling anything out” but he wanted “forensic analysis” to be carried out on the programme on various areas, including its budget.

Following the initial review, a BBC spokesperson said last week the broadcaster had “no plans to broadcast the programme again in its current form or return it to iPlayer” and it would make a “further assessment” once the review is complete.

In a letter to the BBC on Monday, Ofcom chairman

Shah told the committee: “What we’ve now done is ask for a further investigation. I worry people really weren’t really doing their job.”

Lord Grade said the regulator could step in if an internal inquiry into the making of the documentary was not satisfactory.

Lord Grade said Ofcom had “ongoing concerns about the nature and gravity of these failings and the

negative impact they have on the trust audiences place in the BBC’s journalism”.

Davie told the committee on Tuesday there was “a lot of frustration and disappointment” that the Gaza documentary had affected public trust in the corporation.

“I’d say nothing’s more important than we’re trusted and we have actually built trust … so you can imagine that there’s a lot of frustration and disappointment,” he said.

“It’s not about the BBC and people like myself, but we’re very sorry to the audience, because we don’t want to be in a position where we have flaws in the programme-making.

“And overall, I am proud of the way we’re covering these polarised, fiendishly difficult events where many of our journalists are under enormous pressure, ferocious lobbying and it’s been extremely difficult.” However, he acknowledged there were “flaws” with the documentary and the BBC had around 500 complaints about the film being biased against Israel and some 1,800 which wanted it put back on iPlayer.  Richard Miron, page 20

Channel 4 admits filming same child

Channel 4 News has admitted the son of a Hamas official featured in parts of its daily coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

The boy, Abdullah al-Yazouri, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, a former Hamas deputy minister of agriculture, and also featured in the BBC’s Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone.

Channel 4 said it had “thoroughly reviewed” how the youngster came to appear in “three short news segments for the programme”, but denied he had featured in a documentary or any of its coverage which won awards.

A Channel 4 statement said: “Abdullah alYazouri did categorically not appear in any documentary broadcast on Channel 4, as has been erroneously misreported by The Daily Telegraph on the front page.

“The packages in which Abdullah al-Yazouri appeared were aired as part of daily news coverage during the conflict, representing a handful of minutes across hundreds of hours of Channel 4 News output covering the IsraelHamas war.”

The statement went on: “He appeared alongside other voices, including Israeli voices, as part of wider packaging and reporting for Channel 4 News and in line with our principles of due impartiality.”

Channel 4 said no payment had been made to the boy or any of his family , and once the foreign reporting team became aware of the role the boy’s father held they “took a decision not to feature him again”.

It added: “As international media access is

restricted, Abdullah was sourced through an established journalist who has also worked for other major global media outlets.

“As has been widely reported since 18 February, subsequent to the broadcast of these news items, it emerged that Abdullah’s father is Ayman al-Yazouri, a deputy agricultural minister in Gaza’s Hamas-run government.

“The identity of the man named as his uncle in the first report was miscommunicated to Channel 4 News as his father by a local fixer.

“Channel 4 News’ experienced foreign reporting team became aware his father held a technocratic role within the Hamas government in summer 2024 and they took a decision not to feature him again.”

The statement emphasised that “once Channel 4 News’ senior leadership team recently became aware”, action had been taken to provide additional context to the archived online copy of the televised reports in which Abdullah featured.

“Where context could not be added, namely to social media, the content was removed in line with standard editorial procedures. This action was taken on 20 February.”

The broadcaster said it was “proud of its duly impartial coverage throughout the conflict which has upheld the highest editorial standards”, adding: “We continue to mark the contribution of our colleagues across Israel and Gaza who contributed to news coverage for Channel 4 News, in reporting the conflict between Israel and Hamas.”

BBC chair Samir Shah and director general Tim Davie are quizzed by MPs in Westminster. Inset: Abdullah al-Yazouri

Emily Damari has revealed surgery on wounds she sustained while being kidnapped went “much better than expected” and said she looks forward to thanking supporters in the UK after all the hostages return, writes Justin Cohen.

The British-Israeli citizen, held for 471 days by Hamas in Gaza, has undergone a series of complex opera-

tions on her hand and leg to correct complications from gunshot wounds sustained on 7 October. The image of Emily holding her bandaged left hand aloft on the day she was freed has become a symbol of inspiration.

Speaking from Sheba Medical Center, the 28-year-old said: “I have fully embraced my hand, my pain, and my scars. To me they represent

Emily: I will visit UK after hostages freed

freedom, hope and strength.

“The surgery went much better than expected, thanks to the surgeons’ expertise and professionalism at Sheba Medical Center. I’d like to thank the surgeons, the nurses and the sta at the hospital here, for the incredible care I’ve received.”

She added: “My recovery will take time and my hand will never fully recover, but the intense pain I had for a year and a half due to the nerves being sewn together after my first operation in Shifa Hospital in Gaza is now no longer with me and the large scar, that was caused by an open, festering, wound that did not heal for four months because of the conditions of the tunnels I was held in, is now looking better.

“After recuperation, with the help of physiotherapy, I hope to be able to use my hand much more e ectively than before the surgery.”

Emily’s mother Mandy said her daughter was “sewn up like a pin cushion” by Hamas, leaving Emily in significant pain through her captivity,

much of it spent in underground tunnels without water or sanitation.

Hamas did not provide any medical aid other than an out-of-date bottle of iodine for the rest of her captivity. “It is nothing short of a miracle she did not contract a life-threatening infection,” her mother said.

In a call with the Damaris, Keir Starmer invited Emily and Mandy to visit Downing Street on their next visit to Britain. The pair said they are looking forward to being able to see supporters in the UK who campaigned to bring Emily home.

“After I recover from my surgeries, and after the remaining hostages are all released, I will be so excited to come back to Britain. I have so many people that I want to thank personally for helping me get my life back,” Emily said.

The lifelong Tottenham Hotspur fan has also been inundated with o ers of match day tickets from fellow fans, many of whom joined the campaign for her return by releasing yellow balloons at many matches and

reciting a special chant for her return.

Emily remains focused on the other hostages who are yet to return, saying: “Although my injuries were not simple, I know that there are others still in captivity who are in much worse shape than I am, physically and mentally. Every remaining hostage must come home without any further delay. It was shocking but not surprising to see how emaciated some of the other hostages were when they came out. Hamas has created hell on Earth, the conditions down there are unimaginable.”

Two of those yet to be released are Emily’s close friends from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman. While Kfar Aza was under attack, Gali rushed to Emily’s side because she was by herself, and the two were kidnapped together

Emily said “I want to thank President Trump again for securing the deal to get me home. Please help us to bring home Gali, Ziv and all the remaining hostages as well, before it is too late for all of them.”

Emily in hospital last week having surgery on her injured left hand

Business duo prove to be dragon tamers

North London entrepreneurs Zak Marks and James Cohen secured a £75,000 investment from entrepreneurs Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett for a stake in their company Kitt Medical, when they appeared on Dragons’ Den last week, writes Candice Krieger.

Like a defibrillator but for allergies, their award-winning Kitt Medical provides schools and businesses with a consistent supply of adrenaline pens stored in a secure wallmounted kit which includes instructions on how to administer the medicine in response to a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Zak, 27, and James, 28, particularly impressed Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett, who each committed £37,500 for a 3.5 percent stake in the business.

Zak told Jewish News: “The whole thing felt like an out-of-body experience. It was as incredibly nerve-wracking as it was exciting.

“Deborah and Steven were the two (investors) we really wanted. I’ve been a long-time follower of Steven so was really keen to get him involved, as well as Deborah Meaden for her experience in the hospitality world and her passion for environmentally-friendly and passion-led projects.”

Zak and James had initially asked for £75,000 for a five percent share in the business but when

Meaden offered all of the money for five per cent and Steven Bartlett the same but for 7.5 percent of the business, the entrepreneurs asked if they would be willing to share at £37,500 for a 3 percent stake each. Meaden and Bartlett agreed to sharing at 3.5 percent and the duo accepted.

They had also received an offer from Touker Suleyman for eight percent.

Zak, who was diagnosed with a severe nut allergy as a child and carries his own adrenaline pens, said: “Throughout my life, my allergies have often been misunderstood, stigmatised, and even joked about, but anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, can cause serious harm or even death. Our mission is to make anaphylaxis

treatment accessible to anyone who needs it. It’s highly important to have generic adrenaline medication readily available for emergencies, as anaphylaxis can strike anyone, even those without known allergies.”

He was inspired to start the company after seeing too many “avoidable” deaths on the news caused by allergic reactions.

Since launching in 2023, Kitt Medical has partnered with over 600 sites across the UK, including schools, academy trusts, private businesses and hospitality venues such as Alton Towers. The service also includes online training, which has been completed more than 15,000 times.

Last year, Wolfson Hillel Primary School in north London became the first Jewish school to adopt the sets on site.

Zak, who has a background in product design, lives in Hampstead while James, who studied Chinese and International Relations, lives in Queens Park but grew up in Stanmore. The duo met through mutual friends and started working the business during Covid.

The entrepreneurs have since received multiple awards for their work, including the health category of the Mayor’s Entrepreneur Award, as well as the Santander X and Conduit Young Innovators award.

STUDENTS FACE HATE EPIDEMIC

universities since the 7 October Hamas massacre, according to a new University Jewish Chaplaincy (UJC) report.

A survey of 401 students across 100plus universities found 81 percent felt their Jewish life had changed, with verbal abuse, intimidation, and physical attacks – and universities failing to offer adequate support.

The survey revealed incidents including one Edinburgh student being called a “Yid”; hostile stares and swastika graffiti on Jewish spaces; students trapped in libraries by protesters; some professors allegedly describing Jewish and Israeli culture as “homicidal and evil”, and students facing chants of “death to Zionists”.

Rabbi Dr. Harvey Belovski, UJC’s chief strategist, added: “We’ve gone from offering welfare and religious support to acting as mental health first-aiders and human-rights advocates. Universities are failing to address complaints swiftly or comprehensively.”

Compassionate care and luxury living

Almost nine in ten Jewish students have faced antisemitism at UK

An Edinburgh University demo this year

Zak and James on the show

‘Leave UK if yeshiva changes become law’

The head of the largest yeshiva in Europe has urged the strictly-Orthodox community to leave the UK if proposals that change the status of yeshivas become law, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Gateshead Yeshiva’s Rabbi Avrohom Gurwicz warns the Schools Bill containing the proposals – which would leave the religious institutions subject to Ofsted inspections and government oversight – poses a “terrible danger” to the 75,000-strong Charedi group.

In a letter shared throughout the Orthodox community, including Stamford Hill synagogue boards, Rabbi Gurwicz wrote: “In light of the terrible danger that a law might be enacted to mandate the education of our children without Torah and without faith – a law that would require anyone with sons or daughters of school age to uproot their residence from this state to another state that allows education according to the tradition passed down from generation to generation – it is our sacred duty to pray to the Almighty and do everything in our power to prevent this danger.”

The Yeshiva Liaison Committee (YLC) has been at the forefront of advocating against the Bill, which, in one section, seeks to redefine yeshivas as schools, thus subjecting them to Ofsted inspections and government oversight that would completely dismantle them.

Nearly 15,000 Charedi Jews have petitioned the secretary of state for education

over a perceived attack on freedom of religion in the Bill.

Last month, thousands of Charedi men and boys took part in a public display of prayer and fasting in Stamford Hill protest against aspects of the bill, currently in committee stage in the House of Commons. Demonstrators claim it “poses an unprecedented threat to the autonomy of yeshivas and the Torah upbringing of Jewish children”.

Public relations and public affairs expert Shimon Cohen of Roath PR told Jewish News of his concerns over “the huge amount of misinformation being spread about the Charedi

community ... yeshivas are being unfairly targeted based on narratives that do not reflect their reality or the families they serve”.

Yehudis Fletcher, co-founder of Nahamu, which counters extremism within the Jewish community, also told Jewish News: “Yeshivahs, if registered, would be required to follow the independent school standards, which require basic secular education.

“The assertion that all boys should receive an exclusively yeshivah-based education is at best a post-Holocaust innovation. It is ahistorical to characterise this system of recent vintage as a ‘centuries-old tradition’.”

BRODY SPEAKS ABOUT ANTISEMITISM AS HE PICKS UP BEST ACTOR OSCAR

The Brutalist star Adrien Brody said he was representing “the repercussions of war and systematic oppression, and of antisemitism and racism” as he picked up the best actor gong at the Oscars.

The American actor, 51, who is now a two-time Academy Award winner, has won a slew of awards this season for his role playing Hungarian-Jewish architect Laszlo Toth, who flees from post-war Europe to the US.

As he raced up to the stage to accept the award, the actor did a U-turn, with reports saying he threw what looked to be a piece of chewing gum at his partner Georgina Chapman, which she caught.

In his acceptance speech he said he shares the award with Chapman, the ex-wife of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, and thanked his immigrant parents for giving him the “strength to pursue this dream”.

“If I may just humbly begin by giving thanks for the tremendous outpouring of love that I’ve felt from this world, and every individual that has treated me with respect and appreciation,” he said.

“I feel so fortunate. Acting is a very fragile profession. It looks very glamorous and certain moments, it is, but the

one thing that I’ve gained, having the privilege to come back here, is to have some perspective.

“And no matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away. And I think what makes this night most special is the awareness of that and the gratitude that I have to still do the work that I love.”

He added: “I share this with my amazing partner, Georgina, who has not only reinvigorated my own self worth, but my sense of value, and my values, and her beautiful children, Dash and India. I know this has been a roller coaster, but thank you for accepting me into your life. And pop-

sie’s coming home a winner.”

The actor then insisted he would not “be egregious” as he asked for the music, signalling him to finish, to stop.

“Please, please, please. I’m wrapping up. I will wrap up,” he said. Please turn the music off. I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will be brief. I will not be egregious, I promise.” I have to thank my mum and dad, who are here as well,” he said. They’ve just created just such a strong foundation of respect and of kindness and a wonderful spirit, and they’ve given me the strength to pursue this dream.

“I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression, and of antisemitism and racism and of othering and I pray for a healthier and a happier and a more inclusive world. And I believe if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked.”

After his leading actor Bafta win in February, Brody said The Brutalist was “an opportunity for me to honour my own ancestral struggles” as his grandparents and mother had fled Hungary “in ’56 during the revolution”.

GIVE PUPILS A CHANCE IN LIFE

In my role at GesherEU, a charity set up to help people who have left the Charedi community to integrate into the wider world, I was astounded to read Rabbi Asher Gratt’s recent article in Jewish News in which he attempted to defend the Charedi education system.

The picture he painted is so far from the reality experienced by our members – many of whom have been left scarred by the very schools that Gratt idealises – that I feel compelled to address each of his points with stark facts.

Gratt disingenuously conflates two very different types of schools when he points to Hackney Council and Ofsted reports praising certain institutions for their academic progress, exemplary behaviour and strong community values. The schools singled out for such praise are registered and often include secular education, such as those for girls or non-Chasidic children within the broader Charedi community. They are not schools predominantly serving Chasidic boys and are typically unregistered. Even before this age, secular subjects are often limited to just two hours a day and are frequently taught by unqualified teachers. Children are not assessed and receive minimal or no instruction in subjects that are standard in primary education across the UK.

While such a way of life may suit some, it is abusive when imposed without choice or the opportunity for independent thought. Far from undermining democracy, the Schools Bill seeks to empower children to break free from systemic ignorance and dependency.

Israeli street food spot

Mazal scooped a top accolade at the 13th annual British Kebab Awards, held at the Plaza Hotel in Westminster.

The Camden kosher eatery, founded by Neta Nel Segev and Aviv Baum just two years ago, took home the award in the kosher category, introduced in 2022 by Jewish News in collaboration with entrepreneur Ibrahim Dogus, the event’s founder.

“We put a lot of love into our food and serve with passion and joy,” said Segev. “We are thrilled to spread kosher food among the London crowd— may we continue for many years to come.”

The event drew over 1,000 guests, including politicians such as Sarah Sackman, MP for Finchley and Golders Green, whose constituency had the highest number of nominees.

Other finalists in the kosher category included Balady Alaesh (Barnet), Balagan (Borehamwood), Celia’s Kitchen (Manchester), Pita (Golders Green), Sababa (Borehamwood), Sami’s (Edgware), Samis Restaurant, Shefa Mehadrin (Manchester), and Tony Page at Island Grill (now in Marylebone).

Reubens, a previous winner, remains closed for refurbishment after a fire.

With 1.3 million kebabs sold daily, the British kebab industry contributes an estimated £2.8 billion annually to the UK economy.

A Stamford Hill demonstration against the Schools Bill. Photograph: Dudi Braun

The winning team from Mazal

Adrien Brody with fellow winners

BY EMILY GREEN FOUNDER, GESHER EU

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by Michelle Rosenberg michelle@jewishnews.co.uk

Benny Davidson is uniquely positioned to talk about hostage trauma.

On 27 June 1976, the then 13-yearold was on Air France Flight 139 from Tel Aviv to Paris with his family when the aircraft was taken over by two Palestinian and two German hijackers.

It was forced to fly to Entebbe, Uganda, where Davidson and other Israeli and Jewish passengers, separeted deliberately from everyone else, were held hostage for a week.

Supported by Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, the terrorists demanded the release of hundreds of terrorist prisoners worldwide.

At nightfall on 3 July 1976, Israel’s elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, led by Yoni Netanyahu, brother of Israel’s current prime minister, brought the siege to a dramatic end.

Yoni gave his life directing Operation Thunderbolt (later renamed in his honour), ensuring the safe return of 102 of the 106 passengers and crew.

Fast-forward almost five decades and Davidson is now a 61-year-old

Entebbe hostage’s hope Israel takes over IHRA presidency

father of four from central Israel who lectures all over the world on hostage experiences.

He is passionate about mobilising global e orts to bring the remaining hostages in Gaza home, launching #HopeAMinute, an online campaign encouraging participants every day at 11:59am to upload a 60-second video of themselves wherever they are in the world, calling for the release of the remaining hostages, and posting it online to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

The aim is to create a groundswell of momentum, calling urgently on the Israeli government to make a deal to bring home the remaining hostages, of whom Israel has declared 32 to be dead.

Of the Uganda drama, Davidson tells Jewish News: “We were hijacked after a stopover in Athens and landed in Benghazi in Libya for a couple of hours and then continued to Entebbe. We didn’t know we were going to spend a week there.”

He says the main issue of becoming a hostage is “not just taking away your freedom, it’s taking away your ability to predict what’s

going to be in the next minute, or in the next hour, or in the next day.

“The only thing that we did know is that on Thursday, noon time, there is a deadline and at 12:01pm, two of us are going to get selected and get shot in the head. That was the only certainty.”

As the terrorists took control of the plane, Davidson says, they were “running forward and backward on the right and left aisle, waving guns and grenades, shouting, ‘This airplane is hijacked!’. You can imagine

the terror and the fear and the screams and the shock of everybody.”

Davidson’s idea to support the hostages remaining in Gaza is simple but he hopes it will be e ective.

“Let’s stand for one minute. Just 60 seconds at 11:59am and take a photo or a video of ourselves with a crowd, whether we are at home with our kids, if we’re in a restaurant, if we’re in the o ce, if we’re in a factory, if we’re in a shopping mall, if we’re in the streets.

“Take a photo. Use the campaign’s

two hashtags #HopeAMinute and #UntilTheLastOne. You don’t need to write anything else. Just upload your photographs to your social networks and go about your day.”

Davidson, currently recruiting high schools, universities, football teams and o ces to take part, says the idea gives people “a sense of closeness and togetherness in stating something that everybody is for”.

He adds: “Do it in committees. Do it in ministries. Do it in Buckingham Palace. Wherever. That’s the whole idea. Wherever you are, whatever you do. You don’t need to dress, you don’t need to hold a placard or something. You don’t need the drums. You don’t need whistles. You don’t need anything.”

He says by joining the campaign, people will “deliver a message of unity, that we, the people of Israel (and anywhere else worldwide), are standing for the immediate release of all of you, alive and dead.

“We will continue to stand until the last of you is brought back home to Israel. Have hope, stay strong. You are our brothers and sisters and your release is near.”

Israel this week assumed the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) from the UK, with Yad Vashem chair Dani Dayan appointed chair in succession to Lord Pickles, the UK’s special envoy for post-Holocaust issues.

The presidency’s theme, In Plain Sight, drew attention to the fact the Holocaust did not happen in a dark corner, highlighted the nature of society that allowed the murder of six million Jewish men, women and children, and shone a spotlight on all who had a part to play.

Israel’s presidency extends to the end of February next year and coincides with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, which was marked on Holocaust Memorial Day in January.

Dayan said: “We are at a crossroads of generations, so the responsibility of preserving the memory and sharing the stories of the Holocaust will soon rest solely on our shoulders.

“The voices of victims and survivors demand that we honour their legacy by standing firm against Holocaust denial, distortion, and hatred. In a world witnessing a dramatic rise in antisemitism and grappling with the challenges and opportunities of emerging technologies, our obligation to historical truth has never been more critical.”

The UK presidency delivered the My Hometown project, supporting young people across the IHRA membership in learning about their local Holocaust history; 56 schools from across 15 countries took part.

The UK also published the 80 Objects – 80

Delegates at a meeting of the IHRA

Lives digital exhibition, delivered in partnership with the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), with Holocaust survivors sharing personal stories connected to their possessions in a series of 80 short videos. AJR also launched a portal bringing together UK testimony on one platform for the first time.

The UK hosted two plenary meetings, bringing together around 300 IHRA delegates in Glasgow in June and London in December, to discuss e orts to strengthen Holocaust remembrance, education and research.

Israel foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said: “Today, 80 years after the end of World War II and the Holocaust, the State of Israel assumes the leadership of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.”

He continued: “It is our duty not only to remember the Holocaust but also to ensure the existence of the Jewish state, which serves as the guarantee of Jewish continuity for generations to come, while also preserving and passing on the memory of the Holocaust to future generations.”

Benny Davidson on the campaign stand. Pic: Avi Landman

Swiss Cottage demo moved

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed conditions have been imposed on a long-running protest by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) in Swiss Cottage, writes Lee Harpin.

Jewish residents of Swiss Cottage have repeatedly called for an end to the weekly anti-Israel protest that has taken place in their area since October 2023, claiming the demonstrations are “intimidating” and that they amount to “psychological torment”.

The static protest in Finchley Road, at the junction of Eton Avenue, has been taking place on a weekly basis on Fridays.

Cottage area.

Superintendent Jack Rowlands, who is responsible for the policing operation across Camden and Islington, said: “Our role is to ensure all those exercising their right to protest can do so without incident and without causing serious disruption to the lives of the wider community.

“recognised the cumulative impact” of the protests and had made several arrests over alleged antisemitic speech and assault committed by some of the 30 or so activists.

ISRAEL TOURISM BOOST

UK travellers are now the third largest group of visitors to Israel, behind France and the United States, according to the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.

Following complaints from residents and pressure from communal groups including the Board of Deputies and Community Security Trust, the protest must now take place within a specific designated area in Kings Cross.

The decision to impose these conditions has been made with a view to minimising serious disruption to the community in the Swiss

“We have imposed conditions under the Public Order Act on when and where this protest can take place. I would ask anyone attending to make themselves aware of these conditions as to breach them, or to incite others to do so, is a criminal o ence.”

The Met said the force

The newconditions set by the Metropolitan Police state: “Any person participating in the IJAN protest must remain in the area shaded on the attached map outside Kings Cross Station, Euston Road, London, on the pavement between the bus stop and pedestrian crossing.”

The demonstration had previously been held every Friday afternoon from 4.30pm to 6.00pm outside Swiss Cottage tube station.

Miller quizzed by terror police

UK counter-terrorism police have detained anti-Zionist professor David Miller at Heathrow Airport after he returned from the funeral of former Hezbollah terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The sacked Bristol University academic confirmed he was quizzed by SO15 plain

clothes o cers of the Counter Terrorism Command after arriving at Heathrow Airport on Monday evening.

Miller told the Iranian Press TV he was next detained for three and a half hours, where he was questioned about his visit to Beirut for the funeral of the leader of the

For over 120 years JNF UK has worked tirelessly to develop the Land of Israel.

proscribed organisation.

“They tried to find out if I was a supporter of terrorism, as they would call it, and whether I had intentionally met with members of illegal organisations,” he said.

He claimed he had covered the Hezbollah funeral in the role of a journalist.

New statistics show confidence in Israel tourism continues to grow, with visitor numbers in January up 35% compared to the same month in 2024 (5,800), with 78,000 visitors from across the world entering the country.

These numbers still only represent 42% of visitors compared to the 10-year peak of 13,500 from the UK to Israel in the month of January 2023.

However, growing optimism for travel to Israel this year persists due to the sustained ceasefire and the return to an almost normalised flight schedule.

Tourists are able to fly or book with Wizz Air, Israir, EL AL, easyJet and British Airways, while Ryanair has also announced a full flight schedule from the summer.

Much of our work has only been possible thanks to the generosity of our legacy donors like Eric, who regarded the work of JNF UK as vital to realising the Zionist dream. Leaving a gift in your Will, no matter how small or large, is one of the most valuable ways you can forge an everlasting bond with Israel. Our professional and caring Legacy Team offer a range of professional services and first-rate pastoral care.

David Miller

My grandpa’s life as Second World War ‘secret listener’

Comedian Helen Lederer unearths a hidden part of her family history as she leads a tour through the Imperial War Museum

It’s not every day one is invited by the Imperial War Museum to host a tour for the paying public to showcase exhibits “relevant to my own family story”. I was both flattered and daunted, which explains why last month I channelled my new tour guide persona with a host of strangers whilecarefully revealing family secrets alongside the relevant artefacts.

Exhibit one began with an exposé of a secret, completely unknown until a Channel Five documentary unveiled the fact my Czech refugee grandfather was a secret listener at Trent Park, north London, during the Second World War.

As I invited people to gather round the Home Guard rulebook, placed conveniently next to another and very di erently purposed volume called the Black Book, we compared items.

The latter was stamped Geheim! (Secret) and bore the handwritten title Gestapo Arrest List for England, o ering a list of names of Jews, politicians, actors and other “undesirables” considered worthy of either

being arrested, sent to a concentration camp or killed after Germany invaded Great Britain.

In contrast, the Home Guard book set out a sturdy set of rules, explaining calmly how we were to defend Britain but basically we were “to take no prisoners”.

Gone was the image of a Dad’s Army soldier, characterised by humour and a powerless band of brothers — suddenly we were seeing what serious imminent invasion

Police in Sydney have charged a nurse in connection with a viral video from earlier this month that appeared to show her and a colleague threatening to kill Israeli patients and boasting about refusing to treat them.

Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, who worked at Bankstown Hospital, was charged with three o ences: threatening violence; using a carriage (or telecommunications) service to threaten to kill; and using a carriage service to menace, harass or o end.

Her arrest follows an investigation by Strike Force Pearl, a law-enforcement unit established in December

meant and how defence and surveillance would play a crucial part.

I had to look up Operation Sea Lion to comprehend fully just how confident the Germans were of

in response to an unprecedented wave of antisemitic violence.

Abu Lebdeh’s colleague, Ahmed Rashid Nadir, who also appeared in the video, originally posted by Israeli influencer Max Veifer, has not been charged.

New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb said Abu Lebdeh was the 14th person arrested by the special unit, with 76 criminal charges against individuals.

The nurses’ comments about Israeli patients in the video sparked condemnation in Australia and internationally. Both were fired from their jobs and are barred from practicing in Australia.

who died in 1939, now a highlybugged five-star prison run by British Intelligence.

Other highlights on the tour were an Enigma machine – luckily no one asked me how it worked; a special operations executive suitcase, used by spies such as the halfFrench Violette Bushell (better known as Violette Szabo), who ended up blowing up a viaduct, and the remains of a German V1 rocket that fell on Lambeth.

invasion in 1940. It was close.

The connection to these two exhibits was unusual, but true. As my Czech grandmother cheerily waved my grandfather o to guard Hampstead Heath as a member of the Home Guard, German speaker Ernst Lederer (Big Baba to me) did

World Jewish Relief has helped more than 13,000 Ukrainian refugees in the UK via its unique government-backed STEP employment programme, now the UK’s largest of its kind.

The project plays a key role in helping Ukrainians to integrate successfully into UK society following the Russian invasion in February 2022, when millions were forced to flee their homes.

a U-turn before making his way to Cockfosters to slip downstairs into the basement of Trent Park House and put on his headphones.

In secrecy, he would begin listening to captured German generals upstairs carelessly discussing war secrets while held in this requisitioned country house, owned previously by socialite Philip Sassoon,

As far as I know, my mother was not one of these brave spies, but she was invited to work at Bletchley Park in Hut 6 and is mentioned several times in an enticing diary called A Grand Gossip by Basil Cottle.

Trent Park will be opening as a museum next year – so we go from one established magnificent museum to a new one. Let us salute them both – history is for everyone and museums o er the key to the past, so we are able to live the future in an informed way.

By March 2023, some 170,000 Ukrainians had arrived in the UK facing significant barriers to employment, primarily due to their limited language skills. WJR launched the STEP Ukraine programme in August 2023 focused on English language training.

The scheme has aided many remarkable people, including Alex Lidagovsky, a prominent Ukrainian sculptor who has now established himself in the UK, and Oleksandr Pohodin, who has founded a successful boxing gym in She eld.

In addition to working with Ukrainian refugees, WJR has supported more than 330,000 people inside Ukraine since the war began.

great-grandson

British-based Holocaust survivor Eva Clarke, who was born in the Mauthausen concentration camp a week before liberation in April 1945, has thanked the great-grandson of President Eisenhower for the role of American troops in her survival and that of other camp prisoners.

Mrs Clarke, who lives in Cambridge, met Merrill Eisenhower in Washington as part of a collaboration between the March of the Living organisation and the Eisenhower family. The late president was commander of the US Army, whose troops liberated the Austrian camp.

Mrs Clarke told Merrill Eisenhower how much she owed to his great-grandfather, saying : “I am the infant your great-grandfather and the American soldiers saved. General Eisenhower wasn’t just a military man, but a visionary leader. He saw the dangers of Holocaust denial the moment he witnessed the atrocities of the Nazis”. Merrill is continuing his family’s legacy by taking part in this year’s 24 April March of the Living between Auschwitz and Birkenau when he and hundreds of international participants will be joined by survivors, including Eva Clarke.

Oleksondr Pohodin

From left: Peter Lederer, sister Janet, Helen, her mum, grandfather Ernest Lederer, her grandmother, aunt Bridget, cousins Netty and Caroline Main image: Ernst Lederer

Helen Lederer

Eva Clarke

Abu Lebdeh

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Hostages and hypocrisy National disgrace

The BBC, once held up around the world as a bastion of impartiality and rigorous journalism, now stands hopelessly compromised. The revelation that British taxpayers’ money found its way to Hamas via our national broadcaster demands immediate and unforgiving scrutiny.

This is not just a story of editorial misjudgment. It is a scandal of national and legal proportions, one that cannot be brushed aside with hand-waving evasions.

The corporation’s handling of this debacle has demonstrated, once again, it is fundamentally incapable of holding itself to account.

That a publicly-funded broadcaster could have enabled payments to the family of a senior Hamas minister – an operative of a proscribed terrorist group – is beyond belief. It is a damning indictment of a bloated institution that appears to have lost its sense of journalistic responsibility.

There can be no polite inquiries or carefully worded internal reviews. Heads must roll. Starting with BBC News chief Deborah Turness, who is understood to have watched the documentary before broadcast but failed to even question it.

Those responsible for these payments and catastrophic editorial failures surrounding this documentary must also be removed immediately.

Moreover, this is now a matter for the police. A full criminal investigation must determine exactly how British taxpayer money ended up connected to a terror network.

The BBC cannot be allowed to investigate itself. It has forfeited any trust in that process.

This is about more than incompetence. It is about national security, public trust and the moral credibility of our most famous national institution.

The British public deserves answers, accountability and justice. The BBC, as it stands, delivers none of the above.

At a loss over Levy

In the history of human conflict, the emergence of individuals whose traitorous and wilfully biased motivations provide a “free hit” for one of the combatant sides, is far from unusual.

Still, it left me incredulous to witness the recent performance at the UN Assembly of Daniel Levy.

How an apparently intelligent Jew can, while advocating for the Palestinian cause, wag his finger at the Israeli delegation, including a released hostage, and blithely allege genocide and apartheid, is both chilling and astonishing.

Levy, a Cambridge graduate, knows the definition of apartheid so must surely be able to deduce that it cannot rationally be shoehorned to apply to Israel. It cannot be put down to confusion or ignorance.

How satisfied must the murderous Hamas terrorists and their various Jew-hating acolytes be to witness a Jew, on the world stage, accuse with a straight face his own people of genocide when it is the people of Gaza who continue to support a terrorist organisation whose charter is explicitly genocidal?

Jonathan Bloom, By email

The latest attack on Reform UK in Jewish News (27 February) was yet another example of how the political establishment – both Conservative and Labour – are working together to undermine the most popular political movement in Britain today. Reform UK represents a growing voice for real change that makes the old parties nervous. Reform UK has been a consistent and vocal supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself. From the outset of the 7 October attacks, we have unequivocally condemned Hamas, a terrorist organisation responsible for horrific crimes against Israeli civilians. Unlike the Labour Party, which has members who have openly supported anti-Israel rhetoric, or the Conservatives, who have often taken a more muted stance, Reform UK has stood firmly with Israel without hesitation. Regarding the issue of hostages, there is no

question that we desperately want them all released. The plight of Emily Damari and the other captives is not a mere talking point – it is a humanitarian crisis that should be at the forefront of international discourse. Anyone who has walked through Finchley or other Jewish communities in London has seen the yellow ribbons and the posters. Awareness is crucial. The more people talking about the hostages, the better. To suggest that raising awareness is somehow a political manoeuvre is not only absurd but deeply insulting to the families of those still in captivity.

The hypocrisy is astounding. Just a day after attacking Reform UK for supposedly politicising the hostage crisis, they published a picture of Labour’s David Lammy standing beside Mrs Damari. If Reform UK’s actions are deemed political, then what is this? Blatant double standards seem at play. Cllr Mark Shooter, Hendon Ward

UNEDUCATED VIEW

Your recent article on the Schools Bill presented a misleading vision of Charedi education.

The Bill gives council officials sweeping powers – often with little understanding of religious communities – to determine whether a child’s education is suitable.

Supporters claim Charedi parents lack “genuine choice” in education yet paradoxically endorse a bill that deprives parents of this right. The bill forces parents to disclose intimate educational details, which sets a dangerous precedent, allowing the state to seize control over children while relegating their parents to passive caretakers.

Mainstream education is based on an archaic, exambased system where students memorise information that is quickly becoming outdated. As AI rapidly reshapes the workforce, top educators now recognise that rote learning and standardised testing are failing to equip students for the future. In contrast, outcome-driven Charedi education produces adaptable, thinking people who apply their skills to real-world situations.

The Charedi education therefore offers a far more effective alternative to the rigid, one-size-fits-all exambased education model.

Rabbi Asher Gratt, Stamford Hill

ZIONISM ISN’T LIBERAL

The London Initiative launched in February by Sir Mick Davis and Mike Prashker to promote the values of liberal Zionism raises questions about the very nature of the ideology.

I have no doubt that the supporters of this and similar initiatives act with the very best and noblest of intentions. But hand on heart, I don’t think Zionism can ever be liberal or progressive. Even in the early 20th century, Zionism begat the Avoda Ivrit (Hebrew Work) movement, whose aim was to ensure Jewish immigrants to the Ottoman-ruled area were employed instead of local Arabs. Since then, via the refusal of the kibbutz movement – that beacon of socialist Zionism – to allow few, if any, Arab members to the Law of Return, the Nation State Law and the reluctance of any Israeli leader to proclaim Israel a country for and of all its citizens, the direction of travel has been clear.

There is, therefore, no escaping the conclusion that the true embodiment of Zionism is the ideologies of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. Sir Mick, Michael and the other well-intentioned and noble people will eventually come to the same conclusion. Joe Millis, By email

MEANINGFUL BATMITZVAHS

Miriam Lorie is right that a wider range of meaningful options should be considered for boys and girls celebrating their bar and batmitzvah (6 February). However, girls already have a wide range of ‘accepted’ ways to celebrate within our Orthodox communities. Rebbetzen Rachie Binstock, the Senior Rebbetzen of St John’s Wood United Synagogue, recently addressed a group of United Synagogue women’s officers and rebbetzens about this, and she put it into terms which changed how participants understood a batmitzvah.

A batmitzvah girl is now able to carry out meaningful actions or mitzvot on behalf of herself and her community. Therefore the first thing

we want her to do is to teach us! What an amazing lesson for a teenager who might feel that she’s not recognised or validated. We put her at the centre of our synagogue service (perhaps on Friday night, Shabbat morning, Saturday evening or on a Sunday) and ask her to teach us what she has been learning.

Her views and opinions matter to us all, and she has something new to say about our religious texts or traditions that we all want to hear.

In addition, in 2022 the United Synagogue published its Inclusive Bar/ Bat Mitzvah Guide for a Child with Additional Needs for children with neurodivergence.

Naomi Cohen, United Synagogue

HISTORY REPEATS

The tragedy of the Gaza hostages mirrors the experiences of Holocaust survivors who, 80 years ago, emerged from unimaginable captivity only to learn their families had been annihilated by virulent Nazi antisemitism. In both cases, oppressive extremist regimes were empowered and emboldened by the electoral mandate and continued support of their populations.

The world vowed never again. Yet today, Jewish families once more endure such heartbreak. It is time to acknowledge that Hamas, and the vast majority of Palestinian people who continue to sustain its rule, have never sought peace with Israel, only her annihilation. Eli Cohen, NW11

Reform UK’s Tice and Farage

Deborah Turness

The ecstasy and anguish of seeing hostage reunions

JOSH GLANCY

I’ve developed a strange obsession of late. Each weekend, when Hamas’s hostages have been released back to Israel, I sit on social media watching family reunion videos. Again and again and again.

It began with the first group. Seeing Emily Damari back with her mother Mandy, who campaigned so relentlessly on her behalf. Making a “rock on” sign with her mangled, shot up hand, turning her wound into a symbol of defiance.

Even more affecting for me was watching Emily’s many friends celebrate her release, lifting the television reporter onto their shoulders in ecstatic joy. That one made me cry.

In fact I well up as a matter of course watching these videos. Ofer Kalderon, jumping out of his jeep to greet and blow kisses to his cycling group, who were escorting him in a guard of honour on his

way to the hospital. His family dancing an euphoric Am Yisrael Chai to celebrate his release. Sasha Troufanov reunited with his mother Yelena and girlfriend Sapir — both of them also former hostages, among the few people on earth who have a true sense of what he’d just experienced. And on it goes. All of these people somehow feel like distant family to me, such are the bonds of Jewish peoplehood. Sometimes,

though, there’s a slight personal connection and I feel even more overwhelmed.

When Tal Shoham came out a couple of weeks ago, I thought back to interviewing his father Gilad Korngold, on the eve of the first ceasefire exchange.

Gilad was exhausted, trying not to hope too much, shielding himself from the distinct possibility that his son was coming home in a coffin.

What would he do if he saw his son again, I asked. “We have a plan for when he comes out,” he told me. “We want to meet him, hug him, and then send him to be with his family. That is where he should be.”

Gilad cried as he imagined this moment. Even the thought of it was too much to bear. And yet suddenly there Tal was, hugging his family again, embracing his father once more. The high doesn’t last long, of course. Other thoughts and anxieties crowd in. Which is probably why I keep going back to watch them again like an emotional junkie.

Beyond the tears and the hugs, I think what I’m really addicted to is seeing the depth of love on display. The adoration of life.

The desperate yearning to be with those we love. Because there’s another, stranger and more surprising emotion I also feel while watching these videos: envy.

It’s the same strange, unex-

pected envy I felt in Hostages Square in January, reporting on the ceasefire deal as it came into being. Standing in a square with

AMID THE HORROR OF HOSTAGES SQUARE, I FELT JEALOUS OF A SOCIETY TIED TOGETHER BY RESOLUTE BONDS

thousands of people in varying states of deep emotional distress, drained and exhausted after months of campaigning, crying and calling for their loved ones’ release.

In a country that has been fighting a brutal war for 15 months. That has been fighting its entire eight decade history to exist and keep existing. And yet, somehow, I was the one feeling jealous.

What I envied was my fellow Jews’ sense of togetherness. The depth of their commitment to one another. The strength of their will

to live, to be reunited, to fight for each other’s right to exist in peace and freedom.

Even amid the shuddering horror of Hostage Square, no, that’s not right, particularly amid the shuddering horror of Hostage Square, I felt jealous of a society that is tied together by such resolute bonds. It’s not a feeling one often has in Britain today.

One rarely feels such bonds in Britain today.

I’m not naive about Israel nor do I wish to fetishise its anguish. This is a country riven by toxic divisions that split orthodox and secular, Jew and Arab, right and left, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It faces existential threats from within as well as without. Its path is violent and uncertain.

No doubt many Israelis envy the tranquility of my life in placid north London. And yet when I returned home after that trip, back to a country tired and bored with itself, fractious and petty and adrift in trivial culture war battles, the sense of perverse envy stayed with me.

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how,” wrote the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. In Israel, despite all the country’s travails, they have that why. But in Britain? I’m not so sure.

 Josh is news review editor of the Sunday Times

Emily Damari (top left and bottom right) is reunited with her mother, Mandy. Also freed on 19 January were Doron Steinbrecher (top right) and Romi Gonen (bottom left)

Emily Damari in surgery last week for her injured left hand

Freed hostages (L-R) Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev watch as their IDF surveillance soldier colleague Agam Berger is released

This activist mindset is not the BBC

The revelation of basic flaws in the BBC documentary Gaza How to Survive a Warzone is unfortunately unsurprising. This most recent example is part of a systemic issue affecting BBC news and current affairs vividly illustrated by its reporting of Israel and the Palestinians, but not confined to it.

This is a matter of personal disappointment. I was privileged to work for the BBC, spending many years reporting from the Middle East for the corporation. I felt very proud to work for an organisation that was in my eyes a byword for fairness and excellence. But the current standing of BBC journalism is at odds with those values. The issues it faces go far deeper than a failure of due diligence for what a contracted production company, along with the BBC itself, did or did not do in the making of the documentary. This episode demonstrates an embedded failure by the

corporation through an interlocking combination of elements that have undermined its once vaunted editorial standards. These include the demands for a constant stream of content, limited resources, weak management, poor oversight, and a lack of instruction for journalists who often are working with a pre-determined or activist mindset.

This is not about whether a piece of journalism works in favour of Israel or the Palestinians but rather if it is loyal to the BBC’s editorial standards. Its reporting should be about telling the story without fear or favour and letting the facts lead. But too often over the past 16 months, the BBC’s journalism seems to have decided on the story in advance of the facts.

I left the BBC in 2007. At that time, the demands on news and current a airs were growing exponentially. Where a correspondent would once report for just radio or television, they were now being asked to do both, as well as supply copy for on-line outlets. The ability to independently verify and check stories became increasingly di cult with the time pressure, leading reporters to depend upon external sources such as news agencies. And what was

happening for correspondents on the ground was also true for sta in London

BBC Online is now the centerpiece of the corporation’s news operation for both home and foreign news, getting hundreds of millions of visits a month. It is a global brand, bringing with it enormous soft power and influence. Eight out of 10 British adults use BBC news services at least once a week.

Huge e orts go into churning out fresh content before others to expand its appeal. BBC Online sends out push notifications for new stories and regularly runs attention grabbing live news segments on the front page. Every e ort is made to win and keep the audience’s attention by getting there first.

But this comes at a price. A former senior BBC news executive told me he worries “this is coming at the expense of accuracy and careful consideration of its guidelines”.

At the same time, resources are increasingly limited. I have seen a steady stream of former colleagues with decades of experience leaving the BBC because of budget cuts. Those still there say that attending leaving parties has become a regular ritual. According to The

Times, more than 1,800 journalists received redundancy payments in 2021 and 2022 and sta numbers in news are less than there have ever been. Institutional memory and experience, vital for BBC journalism, has been lost.

This is compounded by the fact that instruction for journalists, once a rite of passage, is now virtually absent. BBC World Service Training, where I briefly worked, became part of a wider BBC School of Journalism established in 2005. But this was closed a few years later with training brought into a new BBC Academy, o ering optional online courses.

A further factor influencing coverage is the motivation of sta . The former senior BBC executive who I spoke to described the growing social activism of younger journalists as, “an issue that the BBC and other broadcasters who are bound by impartiality, are struggling with”.

What happens with Israel and the Palestinians is a lightning rod for passions here and around the world and the reporting of it comes with responsibility.

That – apart from anything else – is why the BBC must have a long hard look at what has really gone wrong and act.

RICHARD MIRON FORMER BBC REPORTER

‘What are you doing spending our money on a suit?!’

Mr Lineker, humiliating yourself helps no one

DANIEL SUGARMAN

There’s something I occasionally ask myself when I see that a group of celebrities and professional political agitators have added their names to a letter against a particular injustice. Namely – have they actually read the letter in question before signing? Or have they instead issued a certain organisation with carte blanche to affix their name to all such missives?

I ask because I recall at least one instance which caused considerable embarrassment where an activist’s name was added to a letter despite the widespread knowledge that he had sadly not been compos mentis for years.

No matter. I’m sure we can assume that the raft of celebrities who have signed the latest Artists for Palestine letter – including footballer, pundit and podcast supremo Gary Lineker, actresses Juliet Stevenson and Miriam Margolyes and directors Ken Loach and Mike Leigh – were fully present and incorrect when they added their names.

This letter, as anyone who keeps track of the news may have worked out, condemns the BBC for removing a film called Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone from its streaming services.

The BBC first broadcast the documentary a couple of weeks ago. Since then, investigative journalist David Collier has revealed numerous deeply problematic issues with a number of those associated with the documentary, with perhaps the most central point being that the key child narrator featured in the movie is the son of a senior Hamas official.

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies, the organisation I work for, called this week for an independent inquiry into the BBC, citing this latest egregious episode as yet another in a long line of examples of the corporation’s bias on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

There are, as you might imagine, many elements of the Artists for Palestine letter which will raise eyebrows, but one merits focus, because it shows a fundamental widespread misunderstanding of the true nature of Hamas.

The relevant paragraph reads as follows: “A campaign has sought to discredit the documentary using the father of 14-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, one of the film’s child protagonists. Dr Ayman Al-Yazouri served as Gaza’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, a civil service role concerned with food production. Conflating such governance roles in Gaza with terrorism is both factually incorrect and dehumanising. This broad-brush rhetoric assumes that Palestinians holding administrative roles are inherently complicit in violence – a racist trope that denies individuals their humanity and right to share their lived experiences.”

routinely tortured or murdered. I would like to think that absolutely none of the people who signed this letter would have been credulous enough to agree with a similar argument made about Assad’s Syria or Kim’s North Korea.

documentary, Mr Collier also found that Dr Al-Yazouri used social media to praise Hamas terrorists who murdered Israeli civilians.

These are points which I imagine Mr Lineker – and many other signatories – would struggle to answer.

But even as I was writing this column, the BBC published a further statement. Again, it might be helpful to quote the most relevant passage:

“One of the core questions is around the family connections of the young boy who is the narrator of the film.

This is pretty telling, because Hamas is not merely a terrorist organisation; it is a dictatorial regime. After winning power in an election held in 2006, it subsequently murdered a significant number of its political opponents and seized power over every aspect of life within Gaza.

Those who have expressed condemnation of its regime – or who are deemed to have broken the fundamentalist laws by which Hamas rules Gaza – have been

Can you imagine? “The boy’s father served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture to the Assad regime. He had nothing whatsoever to do with the mass murder of civilians or the torture being conducted in dungeons, and anyone who suggests that he should be treated as anything other than a harmless agronomics professor is guilty of hideous racism.”

This, by the way, is a key reason why in 2021 the ludicrous distinction between Hamas’s military and political wings was ended in this country and the group was proscribed as a terrorist group in its entirety. But it appears that reality has yet to catch up to this letter’s signatories. It is also worth pointing out that during his extensive and damning exposé of this

During the production process, the independent production company was asked in writing a number of times by the BBC about any potential connections he and his family might have with Hamas. Since transmission, they have acknowledged that they knew that the boy’s father was a Deputy Agriculture Minister in the Hamas Government; they have also acknowledged that they never told the BBC this fact. It was then the BBC’s own failing that we did not uncover that fact and the documentary was aired.”

Among other things, this shows that the BBC has fundamentally rejected the Artists for Palestine letter and has fully accepted what is obvious to most other people – that a national broadcaster has a responsibility not to air documentaries about a place in which the audience are not told that a key character has close familial ties to the terrorist organisation which rules it.

Perhaps this episode might encourage Mr Lineker – and the hundreds of other worryingly credulous signatories – to wonder whether embarrassing oneself publicly is in fact an effective way to advocate for the Palestinian people.

A systemic problem that requires systemic change

LEO PEARLMAN

In a quite remarkable first, after 16 months of anti-Israel bias and gaslighting of the Jewish community, the BBC has admitted fault in relation to its documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.

Yes, they passed the buck and failed to take any immediate action, but after the Asserson Report, the 100-plus corrections in “misreporting” they’ve

been forced to make, the appalling anti-Israel social media posts senior BBC journalists have indulged in and of course BBC Arabic continuing to employ staff who openly celebrated the 7 October 2023 massacre, any admittance of guilt feels significant.

Perhaps worst of all was the acknowledgement by the BBC that money was in fact sent to the wife of a senior member of Hamas. This is now a question for the authorities and certainly for Dame Dinenage’s Commons select committee to investigate.

The complete and utter failure of journalistic standards, lack of due diligence and breakdown in trust between the public and our national broadcaster with regards to this documentary, is the culmination of the arrogance of BBC leadership since the Hamas massacre.

This depth of failure does not happen in a vacuum though. It happens because the BBC’s values and code of conduct, it’s very mission to tell the truth, be impartial and transparent have been eroded over time.

Licence fee payers’ money in this country should not be going to terrorists,

the content coming out of our national broadcaster should not be terrorist propaganda and BBC talent and staff shouldn’t be signing politically motivated statements, which place their own twisted world views above the importance of their employer’s impartiality.

The BBC is in crisis and when one faces a systemic problem, the only solution is systemic change.

For anyone who cares about the integrity and indeed the future of our national broadcaster, let’s hope that Samir Shah and the board have the courage to do just that.

Present and incorrect: Gary Lineker

1SCANDINAVIA SETTING FOR NORWOOD TOUR

Eleven young people aged 10-17 from Belmont Shul took part in a Jewish identity tour of Copenhagen and Malmo, learning about the rescue of Danish Jewry during WW2 and raising more than £5,350 in a sponsored walk for the local Norwood home. The programme, with a grant from Oxford and St Georges, included hearing from survivors both in London and Copenhagen who as young children had been on the rescue boats and Rabbi Melchior of Denmark, whose great grandfather advised the Danish community to go into hiding with local friends.

2WHISKY TASTING RAISES VITAL FUNDS

The Malki Foundation UK brought together 31 guests for a tasting evening of charitable giving. The event, which featured five exceptional whiskies from around the globe, raised significant funds to support the charity’s ongoing work in Israel, where it provides crucial therapies to severely disabled children, enabling their parents to keep them at home within the love and care of the family environment.

3DISABILITY PRIDE SHABBAT

Makor Hayim Synagogue in northwest London hosted a ground-breaking Disability Pride Shabbat service. It was the idea of three disabled members who led the service, attracting a diverse crowd from across the community. Student Rabbi Yael Tischler said: “In celebrating Disability Pride, we were not only speaking about disability justice but enacting it. The service was co-created and led by three disabled builders (members), myself included.”

4RADLETT SHUL HOSTS SCROLL CELEBRATION

Radlett Reform synagogue held a special service to honour its five Torah scrolls, two of which are Czech and were brought to the UK from the towns of Vlasim and Ceske Budejovica. They were proudly read from, with Senior Rabbi Paul Freedman speaking about the parchment and script on each one, which were written by different scribes in a variety of styles.

5IN CONVERSATION WITH LOUGHTON SHUL

Loughton Synagogue brought together broadcaster Nick Ferrari, journalist Nicole Lampert and award-winning TV executive Leo Pearlman for a roundtable discussion, drawing a sold-out crowd and raising £5,500.

6INTERFAITH MEMORIAM FOR BIBAS FAMILY

Christian and Jewish friends gathered in St. Ives at high tide to say farewell to Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas by casting orange and yellow petals into the sea. Community member Cynthia Hollinsworth said: “We wanted to show that the Bibas family will be forever in our hearts, and we will not stop praying and standing up for the hostages.”

Istanbul on a plate

Popular restaurant wins prestigious award at gala ceremony. By Louisa Walters

Much-loved local restaurant

Melissa in Canons Park scooped a top accolade at the 13th annual British Kebab Awards, held at the Plaza Hotel in Westminster last week. The Best Kebab Restaurant in North & West London was awarded to owner Cetin Kaygusuz at the British Kebab Awards. The gala event drew over 1,000 guests, including politicians such as Sarah Sackman, MP for Finchley and Golders Green.

“I am thrilled to win,” said Cetin. “It means so much to us, especially knowing how much our customers appreciate what we do.”

This is not the first time he has won a prestigious award – in 2023 he won Chef of the Year.

Launched in 2013 by Ibrahim Dogus, The British Kebab Awards celebrate the best kebab restaurants and takeaways across the UK, championing their contribution to the industry and local communities. Winners are

chosen through public votes and a panel of judges.

Melissa has been a mainstay in Edgware for so long that you could almost go in blindfolded and you’d know what you were getting. Not any more. Not only has it moved two doors down but it’s had a super-swanky fit out so it feels like a whole new concept – but don’t panic, it’s every bit as good as the previous one, if not better!

Comfortable leather seating makes you want to linger longer to take in more of the wide range of authentic Turkish dishes – all of which are generous in portion size and packed with flavour. It’s a huge unit but is always busy and buzzy and feels like being in the west end, even down to the toilets which might be an odd thing to mention but are actually so important - and at Melissa 2.0 they are very nice.

Starters such as sucuk, halloumi and falafel set the tone,

perfectly cooked and seasoned, before tucking in to Yogurtlu Saran Lamb Beyti served on a huge mosaic plate, Chicken Guvec in a casserole dish with a side of bulgur wheat, or a wide range of doner, shish and vegetarian dishes. Save room for baklava, tiramisu or Nutella chocolate cake. There is also an

Cetin Kaygusuz collecting his award

extensive drinks menu, with most alcohols you can think of, inventively concocted into cocktails and ‘shooters’. With 1.3 million kebabs sold

daily across 20,000 outlets, the British kebab industry contributes an estimated £2.8billion annually to the UK economy. • melissarestaurant.co.uk

Melissa has had a refurb

A look

Wines for Purim AI instead of new runways

A farewell to remember

In playing Jewish characters, Alex Waldmann discovers more about his own religion. Debbie Collins chatted to him about his latest role

Goodbyes are often painful, especially the one in Farewell Mister Haffmann, one of France’s most successful and long-running plays (and winner of four Molière Awards), which opened at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park this week.

Set in 1942 in Nazi-occupied Paris, it tells of Jewish jeweller Joseph Haffmann seeing his fellow Jews rounded up for deportation and turning to his trusted employee Pierre Vigneau for help. Haffmann transfers ownership of his jewellery shop to Vigneau in exchange for being hidden from the Nazis. If it seems too good a deal it probably is, because the arrangement comes with an ‘unexpected condition’ involving Vigneau’s wife, Isabelle.

Enter stage right Alex Waldmann, known for The Mikvah Project (Orange Tree Theatre) and Jews. In Their Own Words (Royal Court Theatre) who plays Haffmann, alongside a stellar cast including well-known names Nigel Harman and Jemima Rooper.

I spoke to Waldmann during rehearsals, where he had much to say about the play, starting with his daily journey north: “It’s a schlep, commuting all the way from Richmond to Finsbury Park.”

Is that Yiddish I hear?

“Although I’m Jewish I’m not an active member of the London Jewish community. I hadn’t understood the controversy of it from afar, so when I worked on Jews. In Their Own Words in 2022, I learned a lot.”

Jews exposed the roots and legacy of antisemitism in Britain. How are you finding it being a Jewish actor post-7 October?

“I’ve been privileged to land parts because I’m Jewish, such as in Call the Midwife, where I

played an Auschwitz survivor, although I’m not actively seeking these roles. Tracy-Ann Oberman, who I worked with on Jews. In Their Own Words, said her identity was ‘an obstacle’, but for me as a white middle-aged man, it’s my USP. I haven’t been affected personally or experienced antisemitism in my life, possibly because I don’t look Jewish or wear anything outwardly Jewish. Of course, I’m aware of other peoples’ experiences (not just Jews), so I feel really fortunate to have played Jewish and non-Jewish roles without issue.”

Has your own family history had a personal impact on you?

“My dad’s mum was a Polish Holocaust survivor, so even though we weren’t religious – I wasn’t brought up kosher, there were no Friday night dinners – it’s that innate thing inside of you that’s just ‘there’. My wife isn’t Jewish and we have two daughters who we’re bringing up without any religion, but it’s been amazing learning about faith and spirituality. For me though, it’s more about the history than the spiritual aspect.”

It’s a coincidence that your surname has a double ‘n’ like that of Haffmann

“Yes! It was one of the first things I mentioned to stage management. I remember my dad always having to mention the extra ‘n’ when making a reservation, now an ongoing joke with my wife when we make a booking. In terms of the translation, I’m the least ‘of the woods’ man ever.”

Did you see the 2021 film or stage show in Bath in 2023 to get insight into the role?

“No, I didn’t manage to catch the play and I’m still weighing up whether to watch the film now that I’m in rehearsals. It can affect your own performance and interpretation, although I think ours will have a different dynamic because the original Haffmann and Pierre pairing was more ‘father-son’, whereas ours is more ‘older brother-younger brother’ with me cast alongside Pierre (played by Michael Fox).”

It’s a small cast of five - how are you all getting on?

“Our director Oscar Toeman is Jewish so as the person in charge he has a

particular sensitivity towards the subject matter – I’ve known Oscar for a few years and we’ve worked together before. The cast are all incredibly respectful of each other and when on stage as the ménage à trois – me, Pierre and his wife Isabelle (Jennifer Kirby) – considering we didn’t know each other before, there’s a closeness forming over the subject matter.”

It’s not a new play but is it still one for our time, able to address issues that Jews face today with an appeal to a wider audience?

“I hope people see the strength of the human spirit and the extraordinary ability to survive in different circumstances. The second part where a Nazi joins in for dinner becomes quite Tarantino-esque and when I first read it I found it hilarious – the tension and ridiculousness of the situation feels unreal at times. People can do incredibly morally dubious things for noble means and likewise do incredibly decent things for much more selfish reasons. It’s not about sympathy. It’s about empathy and I think it will have an appeal beyond a Jewish audience simply as an exciting play about human beings in extreme circumstances just doing their best.”

If you’re expecting ‘just another Holocaust story’ then think again. This engaging mix of sadness, laughter, class, greed and impossible agreements will leave you questioning your own moral compass. Definitely worth a schlep but if you live in north London, luckily it’s on your doorstep.

 Farewell Mr Haffmann is at Park Theatre until 12 April. parktheatre.co.uk

Alex Waldman stars in Farewell Mr Haffman at Park Theatre and Call the Midwife (left)

Alex and the cast in rehearsals

to wine with soul

Tal Sunderland-Cohen raises a glass to Purim and beyond

n early February, I had the pleasure (and mild liver abuse) of attending Sommelier 2025 – Israel’s premier wine and alcohol exhibition, held at the grand Heichal HaTarbut in Tel Aviv. This annual gathering of wine industry professionals, including restaurateurs, bar owners, importers, hoteliers, winemakers and devoted oenophiles, has been running since 2003. Over the years, it has cemented itself as the go-to platform for unveiling innovations, trends and, most importantly, copious amounts of wine in the Israeli market.

One of the most striking trends this year was the sheer scale of participation – more than 100 wineries and import companies showcasing an impressive range of wines. This overwhelming presence signals not just a thriving industry but a relentless desire to outdo one another in the art of fermentation. Boutique wineries, including some from the Negev region, made a noticeable splash, presenting unique wines that reflect the character of their local terroir. Clearly, Israel’s wine scene is shifting towards emphasising distinctiveness and quality rather than sheer volume – a notion I wholeheartedly support, preferably with a full glass in hand.

As for the wines themselves, the exhibition showcased a fascinating evolution in Israeli winemaking. More and more, I noticed a shift towards lighter wines with lower alcohol content. Once upon a time, the standard Israeli wine boasted a robust 13-15 percent alcohol, aged in oak barrels for an eternity, delivering an intense, fruit-heavy profile with a punch of tannins. Now, however, it seems the local palate is gradually embracing elegance over power, with many wines settling in at a more restrained 11-12.5 percent ABV. Perhaps it is a response to changing consumer preferences, or maybe just a collective realisation that not every sip needs to feel like a full-bodied assault on the senses.

Adding a particularly Israeli twist to proceedings was a tribute ceremony honouring winemakers and vineyard owners who were called up for military reserve duty during the war. Only in Israel can you attend a wine exhibition and find yourself in a moment of solemn gratitude for those who serve both their country and their customers’ palates. I’ve attended wine fairs across the globe, and nowhere else would you encounter an appreciation ceremony thanking vintners for their contribution to national security – a surreal yet oddly fitting touch to an event celebrating an industry that remains deeply interwoven with the resilience of Israeli society.

Beyond simply reflecting the present, the exhibition also o ered a glimpse into the wines we’ll be toasting with in the coming years. And so, in the spirit of good recommendations (and in preparation for Purim, because, let’s be honest, no one needs convincing to drink on that occasion), I present to you ten wines that, in my humble opinion, will make your celebrations all the more memorable – available at kosher supermarkets and online.

And if by some miracle you have any left over, well, they’ll do just fine for Passover too – from bondage to redemption, from the restricted to the free, all with a well-chosen bottle in hand.

L’chaim!

Flam Classico

Crafted by the esteemed Flam Winery in the Judean Hills, this elegant Bordeaux-style blend of velvety Merlot and structured Cabernet Sauvignon o ers rich black fruit, subtle spice and a whisper of Mediterranean herbs. Smooth yet vibrant, with a lingering finish.

From £39.99

Dalton Asufa Lavantina

From Israel’s picturesque Galilee region comes an exquisite blend of Petite Sirah, Grenache and Carignan grapes – a symphony of rich black and blue fruit flavours intertwined with hints of co ee, tobacco and baking spices. The wine’s fine-grained tannins provide a delightful

structure, making it a perfect companion for Middle Eastern meat dishes. From £24.99

Matar Cumulus

This bold, elegantly balanced red from the Matar by Pelter Winery o ers layers of ripe blackberries, plums and a whisper of spice, all wrapped in velvety tannins. Each sip reveals a harmonious dance between fruit, oak and a lingering, luxurious finish. From £31.99

Kishor Red

Israeli wines being prepared for market

A masterful blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay, this exudes aromas of violets, wild herbs and a whisper of green freshness. On the palate, it glides between silkiness and firm, refined tannins, while a lively streak of minerality and spice carries through to a long, vibrant finish. Suited to delicate meats, aged goat cheeses and convivial gatherings. From £24.99

Teperberg Inspire Malbec Marselan

One of Israel’s oldest wineries, Teperberg has been crafting wines since 1870. This joyful fusion of two bold varietals bursts with ripe blackberries, plums and a hint of Mediterranean herbs, boasting velvety tannins and a touch of spice. The Marselan adds a playful juiciness, while the Malbec deepens the structure. This inspiring wine truly lives up to its name.

From £24.99

La Vie Rouge Du Castel

hint of spice. The palate is smooth and well-rounded, with soft tannins making it an easygoing yet characterful sip which is remarkably good value for money.

From £12.99

Recanati Galilee Petite Sirah

A delightful expression of Israel’s Judean Hills, this charming Bordeaux-style blend bursts with ripe red berries and a whisper of oak, all wrapped in velvety elegance. With each sip, this wine tells a story of sundrenched vineyards and passionate artistry. A joyous, food-friendly red. From £37.99

Barkan Classic Argaman

A delightful expression of this unique Israeli grape, a vibrant cross between Carignan and Souzão. Deep ruby in colour, it bursts with juicy red berries, plums and a playful

From the Recanati Winery, founded in 2000 in the Upper Galilee, this is a bold, deeply-hued delight with blackberry, violet and a touch of dark chocolate. Aged in oak, it gains a velvety richness. The tannins are firm but inviting, making each sip feel like a warm embrace. Pair it with slow-cooked lamb or a rich mushroom risotto, and let the magic unfold!

From £29.99

Tabor Adama Shiraz

From the Galilee region, this is a bold yet elegant expression of highaltitude terroir, bursting with ripe blackberries, plums and a whisper of black pepper. Aged in oak, it gains a velvety depth with hints of vanilla and smoky earthiness. The tannins are smooth yet structured, leading to a lingering, spicy finish. A true delight for lovers of rich, expressive wines. From £19.99

Tulip – White Tulip

From a unique Israeli vineyard in Kfar Tikva (Village of Hope), a community for adults with special needs, this crisp, floral blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer bursts with zesty citrus, honeysuckle and a whisper of lychee. Bright, aromatic, and full of heart, it is perfect with a Mediterranean meze spread. Cheers to wine with soul!

From £22.99

By Candice Krieger candicekrieger@googlemail.com

AI COULD MAKE NEW RUNWAYS OBSOLETE

Udi Segall, founder of Israeli tech firm IntellAct, on eliminating the need for infrastructure upgrades. Interview by Candice Krieger

s Heathrow’s controversial third runway gets the green light and Gatwick looks on track for a second one, an Israeli tech innovation could reduce the need for such costly expansions.

IntellAct is a cutting-edge AI company that helps airports maximise e ciency, cut delays and save billions of pounds. By optimising ground operations and reducing aircraft turnaround times, it could spare airports the need for new runways entirely.

“The aviation industry is bleeding from a thousand cuts,” says Udi Segall, IntellAct’s founder and CEO. “Constant delays – with an average of 15.5 minutes per flight — add up to billions in costs. We saw a financial opportunity in how airlines manage their activities, and that’s where IntellAct comes in.”

ground handling teams with real-time visibility into service performance bottlenecks and the ability to address them in a way that can yield significant operational improvements and a dramatic reduction in flight delays.

IntellAct leverages big data and machine learning to provide airlines, airports and

In February, the UK government backed expansion plans for a controversial third runway at Heathrow and a decision is expected any day on whether Gatwick in West Sussex can expand its operations to two simultaneously functioning runways. If given the green light, Gatwick says the additional runway will enable 50,000 departing flights a year by the end of the 2030s. While the investments in Heathrow and Gatwick are significant milestones, expansion for many airports isn’t an option – whether due to space constraints, environmental regulations or cost barriers. “This is where optimising runway use with AI becomes critical,” says Segall. “Lost runway capacity, often caused

by inaccurate or late departures or TOBT (Target O -Block Time) reporting, can result in significant annual losses for airports.”

According to Eurocontrol, the average departure delay in 2023 was 17.8 minutes per flight, contributing to annual turnaround delay costs exceeding $60 billion.

since received investment from Cockpit Innovation, part of El Al, and OurCrowd, a leading global venture investing platform.

IntellAct has also joined forces with transport and aviation giant Indra and last year partnered with Miami International Airport (MIA) on a Proof of Concept – a collaboration recognised at the recent Airportech Symposium where IntellAct and MIA won the Airport Technology Innovator Award for Advancing Airport Artificial Intelligence Applications. Segall says he has been in touch with UK airports about rolling out the company’s technology.

“We want airports worldwide to have this service and be willing to pay for it,” he says.

“And with the population ageing, more passengers require assistance — up from one percent to 10 percent today. Our AI can help plan for these needs and avoid departure delays caused by waiting for wheelchairs or other services.”

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Segall explains: “Our system compares scheduled departure times against real-time TOBT estimations that are based on the progress of turnaround services. This allows us to predict delays in advance, enabling the control tower to adjust plans and optimise runway capacity.

“We’re collecting enough information so we can react in real time — but even faster — by predicting events before they happen. We can even predict whether a flight will leave on time.”

Drawing on his extensive background in aviation technology, including leading the transportation department at NICE, Segall understands the long-lasting impact of day-to-day operational ine ciencies: “We realised there’s a huge financial opportunity in improving how airlines manage their activities. Delays cost the aviation industry $62 billion annually, with each minute of delay costing approximately $110.”

Segall describes IntellAct’s vision as “like a Formula 1 pit stop — you can’t win the race if the pit stop isn’t perfect. The real value of an aircraft is when it’s in the air; the longer it’s on the ground, the more money and revenue opportunities are lost.”

IntellAct currently monitors around one million flights annually — approximately 2.5 percent of the world’s total 40 million. Founded in 2017, the company initiated a successful pilot scheme with El Al. It has

Could IntellAct actually replace the need for additional runways? “Is there a way to get more without investment in further infrastructure? Absolutely,” says Segall. “We can do better with what we have. It’s not about more planes or more terminals. It’s about breaking the barriers to e ciency, starting with the bottlenecks we already have. AI is uniquely suited to discovering ine ciencies so we can streamline future turnaround processes and help airports get the most out of their best asset: their runway.”

He remains optimistic despite the challenges airports face, from war-related disruptions to an evolving regulatory landscape.

“There’s a silver lining — airports are getting better at understanding what AI can do,” he says. “The future lies in universal coverage, where airports around the world adopt these solutions to enhance e ciency and the passenger experience.”

 intell-act.com

Getting aircraft off the ground more efficiently is key; inset, Segall spreads the word

Udi on awards stage

MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

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

RABBI ARIEL ABEL RABBI, ARMY

CHAPLAIN AND PRACTISING SOLICITOR

Creativity sheds light but we shall not forget evil

Oil, the second most soughtafter liquid on the planet, appears at the start of this week’s parasha, Teztaveh

“They shall take for you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to make the continuous flame rise.”

Nowadays, we seek oil mostly to power mobility. Roads would be empty without the black gold that enriches sheikhs and barons wherever they find it.

The Torah’s oil is pressed from the olive – at first clear, then yellowgold. In biblical times, oil was used as a salve for the skin, a hair shampoo,

a foot bath for the well-to-do, fuel for lighting and, to this very day, for cooking.

The tribe of Asher was blessed with olive trees in its territory. As in the Hasmonean era, when the Chanukah miracle took place, olive tree crops in northern Israel produce Israeli exports that rival the best on the world market.

Olive oil represents the spiritual task of parents – and teachers –raising children.

“Your children are like olives sprigs around your table.” (Psalms)

In the same way that olives need to be pressed to produce their best product, so too do children need to be challenged in order to produce their best e orts. Past studies have shown that virtual social networking and instant reliance on the web has

eroded children’s social skills and abilities to persevere in life.

We need to take the classroom outdoors to exercise our children physically and mentally again, so that their creativity will have the best chance to shed light, as do the lights on the menorah.

This week’s extra reading is Zachor – the eternal commandment to never forget the evil perpetrated against our people by the Amalekites, the Egyptian Pharaohs, Haman, Hitler and the terrorists cults and industries of contemporary history. This generation has learned that we are not free from historic threats; that we must all be ever-vigilant and take charge of our own security.

The extra reading this week is the only one which the rabbis considered to be Torah-mandated. This

‘Your children are like olive springs around your table’

is because the rabbis of old realised that Judaism can only survive through Jews, and only if Jews can hold their own can they carry out their mission. Samaritan Israelites in the Holy Land have reduced in number to very few. Arguably too few to have the desired spiritual impact promised by the Torah by the children of Israel on the world.

Jews have retained this position, but only just; one third of our

world population was cruelly exterminated in the 1940s. Hamas tried to restore belief in Israel’s erasure on and after 7 October 2023. The evil dream of conniving enemies in the Holy Land and beyond it must be opposed with rigour, globally. Purim has no meaning without realising the truth of this lesson.

This piece is dedicated to our wedding anniversary and our daughter’s birthday.

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Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

RABBI DEBORAH BLAUSTEN FINCHLEY REFORM SYNAGOGUE

The art of being Jewish

“We won’t succeed on Broadway if we don’t have any Jews,” according to Monty Python’s musical Spamalot. This remark feels increasingly at odds with the landscape for Jews in the creative arts over the past year and a half. Whether it’s finding a venue for a film or play or dealing with being put on the spot and quizzed about their views on the war in Gaza, directors, producers and actors have been vocal about the challenges of our current climate.

With this backdrop, the fact that both the Best Actor and Actress Oscars were won by Jews (Adrien Brody for The Brutalist and Mikey Madison for Anora ),

with many others both nominated for and presenting accolades, is notable and encouraging.

There is a lot of pressure on Jewish people in the public eye, and that pressure doesn’t only come from external sources. Much of the debate within our community focused on whether these nominees had used their platforms adequately to advocate for hostages, or whether they could have spoken more generally about the scourge of antisemitism.

With such an urgent cause, it makes absolute sense that it feels we have to take any and every opportunity to raise these vital issues. I also wonder if it’s possible that the pressure on this moment is creating a dynamic of unfair or unrealistic expectations of Jews in the public eye, who have the right to be creative, successful and for

their views on Israel to be entirely incidental to their success.

The antisemitic litmus test that requires a person to be the ‘right’ kind of Jew for acceptance by wider society is deeply pernicious, and I fear that the discourse within the Jewish community about whether Jewish creatives could have done more risks creating a parallel dynamic and an utterly unfair expectation.

I dream of a situation where Jews can freely make art that centres the Jewish experience, and that has nothing to do with it, where they can choose to speak of and advocate for their people and community, and to have a separation between their public and private selves. The key word here is freely, where coercion or discrimination is not a driving force but rather creativity and passion.

A stimulating series where our progressive rabbis consider how Judaism relates to 21st-century issues

It’s why I’m especially excited by projects like Rachel Ga n’s Joyfully Jewish theatre project (joyfullyjewish.co.uk) which brings Jewish culture, community and joy to a wider audience.

When external forces seek to box our community in, it’s exciting to celebrate those who resist the shrinking forces of discrimination and represent Jewish talent, stories and identity in their multiplicities.

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Mikey Madison won the Oscar for Best Actress

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