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Tensions reignite over memorial ‘shambles’
Lords clash over Westminster Holocaust centre deepens communal divide
Tensions over the long-promised UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Westminster resurfaced this week in the wake of a heated debate in Parliament which led a Conservative peer to brand the project an “out-of-control shambles”, writes Michelle Rosenberg.
A succession of Conservative peers have raised concerns about the spiralling cost of the project, now claimed to be at £138.8m with a 15 percent contingency, for the building of a memorial and educational centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.
Speaking in the Lords, Lord Blencathra, who introduced himself as a strong supporter of the Conservative Friends of Israel group, said he did not want his opposition to the memorial to be “misconstrued”. But he added: “I cannot blame the present government for pushing on with this out-of-control shambles.
“The government whom I supported were more guilty, because they were told two years ago that the project was unachievable.
“Did the department do anything to sort out the project definition, the schedule or the budget, which the authority said was not manageable nor resolvable? No, of course not, because it was a big sacred cow – or, to mix metaphors, no one dared to suggest that this emperor had no clothes.
“Just as Jewish organisations were told, ‘You’d better back this proposal or there’ll be no Holocaust memorial,’ so no one dared to admit that this project in Victoria Tower Gardens was out of control, for fear of being accused of not supporting Holocaust commemoration.
“I say that pushing on with a failed project with no proper cost control is treating parliament with contempt. We need to know the best estimates for the operating costs and exactly who will be in charge.”
Several critics of the project noted that when first proposed under David Cameron’s leadership, the memorial was costed at £100m, which the government proposed to finance with £25m in philanthropic funding.
Lord Robathan, another Conservative peer, said: “It is the wrong place to put a large building such as this. It will, furthermore, cost a great deal more than £138.8 million, as I think we all know, even including a 15 percent contingency.”
Speaking in support of the memorial, Lord Finkelstein began by saying: “I was a member of David Cameron’s Holocaust Commission and take a long-standing interest in this as the son of a Holocaust survivor.
“Of course, not all Holocaust survivors agree about this
Continued on page 3
DOGGED DETERMINATION
Israel’s Roni Sagi and her dog Rhythm, social media stars since their America’s Got Talent success, made history as Israel’s first competitors in Crufts’ Freestyle Heelwork to Music. Full story, p10
PALESTINIAN ‘TERRORIST’ IN UK COURT
A Palestinian man who entered the UK illegally and has a history of calling for the mass killing of Jews has been arrested and charged with immigration o ences, writes Annabel Sinclair.
Abu Wadee, also known as Mosab Abdulkarim Al-Gassas, was taken into custody on Sunday, three days after arriving in the UK on a small boat. His detention follows reports
highlighting his violent antisemitic statements and extremist social media activity, raising urgent concerns about border security and the delay in his arrest.
Wadee, believed to be in his 30s and originally from Khan Younis in Gaza, has posted videos online in which he openly calls for the murder of Jews. In footage uncovered by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, he
can be heard praying: “Allah, kill them one by one, and don’t leave a single one. Allah, destroy them completely, disperse them completely, and make the earth fall from under his feet.”
He has also posted images of himself holding an assault rifle and declared himself a member of the so-called ‘tyre-burning unit’, a terror group known for attacking Israeli forces with firebombs and rocks.
A Home O ce spokesperson confirmed that Wadee has been charged with knowingly arriving in the UK without leave. He is due to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court.
The delay in his arrest has sparked strong political criticism, with shadow home secretary Chris Philp calling for immediate deportation.
“I’m glad the authorities have Continued on page 2
A protest againt the Shoah memorial’s planned location
Arrested: Abu Wadee
Trump’s envoy in Qatar to prolong the ceasefire
by Adam Decker
Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East arrived in Qatar on Tuesday for indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, aimed at extending the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and address the complex issues surrounding hostage releases and long-term peace prospects.
Steve Witkoff’s arrival in Doha signifies a renewed effort by the United States to mediate the impasse.
Scheduled to meet with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Witkoff praised Qatar’s mediation efforts and acknowledged the roles of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in the process. The United States has taken an increasingly active role in the negotiations. Notably, Adam Boehler, the US hostage envoy, even engaged in direct talks with Hamas, a departure from longstanding US policy. These discussions aimed to secure the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander. Boehler revealed that Hamas proposed a ceasefire lasting five to ten years and a comprehensive prisoner exchange, expressing optimism about Hamas potentially disarming and relinquishing control of Gaza.
However, these secret talks have strained US-Israel relations. Israeli officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, criticised Boehler’s initiative, asserting that he cannot represent Israel’s interests. The Netanyahu administration expressed frustration over being informed about the talks through media reports rather than official channels
Hamas claims to hold 24 living hostages and the bodies of 34 others. Israel’s proposal for extending the ceasefire includes the release of half of these living hostages upfront. However, Hamas remains steadfast in its demand for a total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as part of the original ceasefire agreement’s second phase.
Speaking on the day before he left for Qatar,
Women charged over paint attack
Three women have been charged after pro-Palestine protesters sprayed red paint on an insurance company’s offices in the City of London.
Seren John-Wood, 29, of Timberyard Cottages, Lewes, Hannah Miles, 28, of Gilmore Road, Hither Green, and Anna Letts, 43, of no fixed abode, have all been charged with criminal damage and aggravated trespass, City of London Police said.
The trio, who were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, have also been charged with targeting the Allianz building following the incident on Monday.
Members of protest group Palestine Action targeted Allianz Insurance offices in Gracechurch Street, scaling the building
with a flag reading “Drop Elbit” and spraying the office with red paint on Monday.
The group has repeatedly targeted Allianz, which it claims has links to the Israeli-based defence firm Elbit Systems.
An Allianz UK spokesperson said: “We respect everyone’s right to have and express their opinion. However, we will not give in to threats and criminal behaviour that endangers the safety or the security of our people, business and property.
“Our business operations and service to customers and partners have not been affected.
“We are working closely with the police and we will also be taking independent legal action to address these threats.”
Witkoff said the terror group has “no alternative” other than disarming and leaving Gaza. He added: “If they leave, then all things are on the table for a negotiated peace, and that’s what they’ll need to do. We need deadlines for an agreement on the next phase in a deal.”
In response to the current deadlock, Israel ceased the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza on 2 March, with the stated aim of pres-
STARMER CONDEMNS NHS ANTISEMITISM
Keir Starmer has condemned antisemitism in the NHS after a shocking case emerged of a Jewish healthcare worker being called a “baby killer” by a colleague.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Labour MP Tulip Siddiq raised concerns about rising antisemitism in the NHS, citing the incident in her constituency as part of a disturbing trend.
“The NHS that I know and love is open to everyone regardless of their background,” Siddiq said. “Could
I ask the prime minister what he is doing to ensure that my Jewish constituents can safely use our beloved NHS?”
Starmer described the reports as “deeply concerning” and “completely unacceptable,” and insisted that racism and discrimination have no place in the health service.
“I expect all trusts and healthcare providers to take necessary action against any staff who have expressed views that do not reflect the values of the NHS,” he said.
surising Hamas into accepting the proposed extension. This action has been condemned by mediators Egypt and Qatar, as well as the United Nations, labelling it a violation of the ceasefire terms. Israel has also cut off power in much of the enclave.
The UK government has appealed to Israel to restore electricity, citing potential violations of international humanitarian law.
‘TERROR
BACKER’ IN CUSTODY IN THE UK
Continued from page 1 tracked him down, but he should never have been able to get there in the first place,” he said.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also questioned why it took authorities three days to act, despite reports of his arrival surfacing on Saturday.
The Home Office defended its handling of the situation, stating: “The British public can be reassured that we take all steps necessary at all times to protect the nation’s security, including taking action in the Border Security Bill to give the police and immigration officers stronger powers to act where anyone poses a threat.”
Wadee has built a significant online following, with his TikTok and YouTube accounts reportedly attracting millions of views. He is believed to have docu-
mented his journey from Gaza to the UK on social media, including footage of his boat being approached by UK Border Force.
Wadee’s presence in the UK has intensified concerns about antisemitism, extremism and border control, with growing pressure on the government to explain why he was not detained immediately.
It remains unclear whether further charges will be brought against him or whether authorities will seek to fast-track his deportation.
Steve Witkoff arrived in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday. Before setting out, he said Hamas had ‘no alternative’ other than leaving Gaza
Illegal migrants in Dover
Lords clash on location and costs of memorial
Continued from page 1 about this memorial, but my mother certainly did, as did Ben Helfgott, who sat on the commission with me. Indeed, he regarded the issue of the location as central.”
The Tory peer and respected author and commentator then took issue with complaints about the cost of the project.
“Every single point that I have heard was also made against the erection of Nelson’s Column,” said Finkelstein. “They did not have the money. The public subscriptions had fallen short of how much it would cost. The cost ballooned. It was too high. It had to be made shorter. People were not sure about the design and lots of people were not sure about Nelson either. They were furious that the Tsar had contributed.
“The economic strain was regarded as too great. These are points that are made about the construction of anything when it is first proposed and are later found to be entirely irrelevant to the impact that it will have. This Holocaust memorial is a memorial to everything we fought the war for and that the young people who liberated Belsen for. It is a reminder of why we have a parliament and why we have a parliamentary democracy and therefore it is relevant that it be next door to parliament.”
Responding, Lord Carlile praised the contribution to the debate from Lord Pickles, who had led the effort to finally see the memorial and learning centre built, but took issue with his claim that the location in Victoria Tower Gardens is extremely important for symbolic reasons.
“Yad Vashem, the most celebrated Holocaust memorial in the world and the most moving, is situated on a mountain which was completely devoid of any historical associations,” said Carlile. “It was deliberately put there and after it was built, it was called the
HEZBOLLAH BACKER ON PRIZE SHORT LIST
The Royal Television Society is “reviewing its criteria and processes” after honouring a Hezbollah supporter, writes Michelle Rosenberg.
Palestinian journalist Hind Khoudary, who covers the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza for Qatari-owned Al Jazeera English, was one of three people shortlisted by RTS for its emerging talent award.
A writer for Electronic Intifada, former researcher at Amnesty International and former news correspondent at Kuwait TV, in 2022 Khoudary tweeted support for terrorist mass murderer Nasser Abu Hamid, founder of Fatah’s alAqsa Martyrs Brigade.
Hamid took part in the lynching of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in 2000 and was sentenced by an Israeli court to seven life sentences and 50 extra years’ imprisonment.
Also convicted of 12 counts of attempted murder, he died in prison from cancer in December 2022.
Khoudary has also used
her platforms to support antiIsrael university encampments and mocked the fate of Israeli hostages in Gaza, responding to concern for their welfare with the comment: “bla bla bla bla bla.”
As revealed by investigative reporter David Collier, Khoudary retweeted posts in support of former Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah as well as posting support for ‘martyred’ members of Islamic Jihad.
A spokesperson for the Royal Television Society told Jewish News: “The RTS is looking into what happened in this case and is reviewing its criteria and processes.”
mountain of remembrance, or whatever the correct translation is.”
Baroness Deech told peers: “It is the case that most of the remaining Holocaust survivors do not know what is being done in their name or the details of it. In fact, people have gone to great lengths to stop them finding out. I was temporarily banned from talking to a group of survivors in north London in case they found out what was going on. However, one of the greatest survivors, Anita LaskerWallfisch, is opposed to this project.”
Deech said after the debate that it was “not about nimbyism. It is about quality and appearance.”
She told Jewish News: “I suspect the government support for it is because of the allegations against Jeremy Corbyn, from which they want to distance themselves. If politicians have to be whipped by their parties to support it this is a clear demonstration that there is something gravely wrong.”
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said she was “deeply grateful” to successive governments for their commitment to establishing the Memorial and Learning Centre, adding: “The urgency to preserve testimonies and ensure lessons endure has never been greater.”
New BBC demo over Gaza doc
A second protest was held outside BBC headquarters after it emerged that a documentary on Gaza featured the son of a senior Hamas figure.
Demonstrators chanted, waved flags and listened to speeches from figures including actress Dame Maureen Lipman outside the offices in central London.
“We are gathering to tell the BBC: We refuse to fund terrorists with our licence fee,” organiser Campaign Against Antisemitism posted on X.
“Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen the BBC engulfed in scandal, following the broadcast of its so-called documentary… which was tantamount to a Hamas propaganda film.”
“Where is the balance?”
Dame Maureen told the crowd. “As always, all I ask for is a level
PEER SORRY FOR COMMENT
A Tory former minister has apologised for his “grossly insensitive” comments after he said Jewish people should “pay for their own” Holocaust memorial because they have “an awful lot of money” and “property everywhere”.
Lord Hamilton of Epsom made a personal statement in the upper chamber at the start of proceedings on Monday.
He had already issued an apology in the face of a backlash which in which his remarks were branded “disgusting racism”.
Lord Hamilton has not been stripped of the Tory whip but his comments were condemned by the party as “completely unacceptable” and “flagrantly antisemitic”.
He was speaking in a Lords debate last Tuesday on legislation which would pave the way for a Holocaust memorial and learning centre to be built in a park next to parliament.
Lord Hamilton said: “The Jewish community in Britain has an awful lot of money. It has a lot of education charities that would contribute towards this. I do not understand why they should not pay for their own memorial.”
Defending his stance at the time, he added: “I have plenty of Jewish blood, and I am a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel.”
Challenged by former Labour MP and nonaffiliated peer Lord Austin of Dudley that the memorial was “for everybody”, not just the Jewish community, Lord Hamilton said: “I take that point, but the driving forces behind putting up this memorial are the Jewish people in this country.
“They are people who have property everywhere,” he added. “I do not see why they should not fund it.”
FURY AT POLITICIAN’S HOLOCAUST DENIAL
playing field.”
One placard at the protest read: “BBC, I refuse to fund terrorists.”
Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone was removed from BBC iPlayer after it emerged that the child narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.
The broadcaster has apologised for the making of the programme, about children living in Gaza during the IsraelHamas war. After doing an initial review it has now launched a further internal probe.
The BBC said it is “seeking additional assurance” from production company Hoyo Films after it admitted that “they paid the boy’s mother, via his sister’s bank account, a limited sum of money for the narration”.
A newly appointed Isle of Man politician who questioned the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust, downplayed antisemitism and cast doubt on Hamas’s 7 October atrocities has sparked outrage among the local Jewish community, writes Annabel Sinclair.
Gary Clueit was elected to the upper chamber of the Legislative Council of Tynwald on 4 March, securing a term until 2030, despite warnings from members of the Manx Jewish community about his history of inflammatory remarks.
Before the vote, a collection of Clueit’s social media posts was shared with members of the House of Keys (MHKs). In one post he mocked antisemitism, writing: “‘Antisemitic’ has been rendered meaningless. It’s like pissing into the wind. That warm feeling it gives you is just the piss running down your leg.”
He also cast doubt on the scale of the Holocaust, saying, “I may question some of the numbers.” In another post, he ridiculed the concept of ‘the
chosen people,’ dismissing it as “a delusion brought about by a mental illness”.
Following Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel, Clueit questioned well-documented evidence of Israeli babies being kidnapped. He also suggested that governments supporting Israel were being financially influenced. After criticism, Clueit locked his X account but later wrote: “I enjoy being called antisemite since it has no meaning anymore.”
His appointment was backed by MHKs David Ashford, Lawrie Hooper, Alex Allinson, and Michelle Haywood.
Gary Clueit: outrage
Hind Khoudary
Maureen Lipman at the demo
Robert Jenrick (right), the late Sir Ben Helfgott and his grandson Reuben look at the proposed memorial in 2021
Hamas being ‘dehumanised’, author tells LSE book event
by Richard Ferrer richard@jewishnews.co.uk
The co-author of a new book, Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters, has denounced the “dehumanisation of Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups”.
Speaking at an event titled Understanding Hamas at the London School of Economics (LSE) on Monday evening, Helena Cobban said: “Hamas is not well understood in this country or the United States.
“It has been systematically misrepresented in the corporate media in much of the west for a long time prior to 7 October and most especially since then. I am trying to represent a broad range of specialist views on the topic.”
Cobban, a British-American writer on international relations, told the audience she had coined the term ‘disrepresentation’ to describe how Hamas has been let down by the mainstream media, which “actively puts out false-
of the event.
hoods” to deliberately misrepresent the movement and its actions”.
She added: “This suppression of vital information about Hamas and the other resistance movements has been responsible for a lot of public ignorance we now see.”
Cobban was later sharply challenged by both the chair, Michael Mason from LSE’s Middle East
Centre, and members of the audience, after asserting: “It is important to note, both by the recent Israeli military investigation and many Israeli investigative journalists, that a lot of what Hamas did on 7 October was attack military targets.”
Mason introduced the panel –which also included Prof Jeroen Gunning from King’s College, Dr Catherine Charrett, senior lecturer in international relations at the University of Westminster, and Mouin Rabbani a Dutch-Palestinian Middle East analyst – by expressing his “ethical unease” about the book’s “moral one-sidedness”.
Mason also cautioned the panel that he would terminate the event if they crossed the line into statements in support of Hamas.
“Hamas, like Israel, should be investigated by the International Criminal Court. The attacks [of 7 October] were shaped by the settler colonial context of the conflict. The timing of the attacks was also connected to the threat of Saudi normalisation with Israel. Hamas has twice the support of Fatah so a political solution without Hamas is unlikely to work. Sidelining them is not helpful.”
Some audience members staged a walkout during the Q&A section
Three “Nazis” who believed that a race war was imminent were planning terrorist attacks on synagogues, a jury has been told.
Gunning said he also believed that use of the term “terrorist” in relation to Hamas was “dehumanising”, adding: “It has devastating e ects.
Praising the book, Dr Charrett said: “It places Hamas’ strategy in a longer history of anti-colonial struggle, such as the Tet O ensive in north Vietnam, which led to American withdrawal in the county.”
to Hamas was “dehuman-
“It erases the historical context of 7 October, facilities the dehumanisation of Hamas and other Gazans and obstructs the political solution. None of this is to deny war crimes.
In a significant intervention ahead of the event, a Home O ce spokesperson told Jewish News that anyone taking part “should seriously consider any views they plan to publicly express” in regard to illegally stating support for a proscribed terror organisation. A protest against the event took place outside the building.
Artist defends banned work THREE ‘NAZIS’ PLANNED ATTACKS
An artist whose painting depicting Benjamin Netanyahu and Adolf Hitler morphing into one another has defended his work after it was removed from a London art fair, writes Michelle Rosenberg. Monster, by James Earley, was pulled from The Other Art Fair in the Truman Brewery after the opening night for violating the event’s terms and conditions.
The piece, part of the artist’s Racism and Colonialism collection, has since been sold to a private buyer for £3,750. Earley, responding to the backlash, said he has faced “waves of hate and insults” and claimed that pressure from critics has led galleries and art platforms to distance themselves from him.
He wrote on his website: “I strongly disagree that art should be censored, and I will not be silenced,” and urged supporters to share his work online.
Addressing accusations of antisemitism, Earley told Jewish News: “I am not antisemitic. I have previously created paintings that call
out the horrors of the Holocaust and how evil that period of our history is. I’ve been to Auschwitz and crumbled as I learnt the cruelty that took place there.
“I just want all the violence to stop, whether it’s done by Hamas or the IDF. My views are of Netanyahu and not the people of Israel.”
The painting, according to Earley, illustrates how “monsters such as Netanyahu and Hitler are created and ultimately how we defeat them”.
Sheffield Crown Court heard that Christopher Ringrose, 34, Marco Pitzettu, 25, and Brogan Stewart, 25, were “right-wing extremists” who were preparing to use firearms, explosives and a range of bladed weapons in their attacks.
They were arrested when security services believed that an attack could be imminent after undercover o cers infiltrated their group, the court heard.
Jonathan Sandiford KC, prosecuting, said the defendants had acquired or were trying to acquire a
“wide variety of weapons” including swords, knives, axes, spears and crossbows as well as gathering information on explosives and firearms.
He said the preparations they were making included “taking steps to complete the manufacture” of a 3D printed semi-automatic firearm.
Sandiford said: “The prosecution say that these three defendants were right-wing extremists who regarded themselves as National Socialists, or Nazis, and they supported the National Socialist movement in the UK, such as it is or indeed was.”
The prosecutor said the defendants followed a cause that embraced an admiration for Adolf Hitler, white supremacy,
a “hatred towards black and other nonwhite races”, and glorification and admiration for mass killers who have targeted the black and Muslim community. Ringrose also denies manufacturing a prohibited weapon.
Trump’s resort vandalised
Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort has been vandalised by activists in response to the US president’s recent statements on Gaza.
The golf course in South Ayrshire was targeted overnight, with activists painting ‘Gaza Is Not For Sale’ in threemetre high letters on the lawn, and damaging the greens including the course’s most spectacular hole, the 9th, used in Open Championships.
Red spray paint was used to deface the elite club house at the 800-acre resort, on Friday night.
Palestine Action described its vandalism as a “direct response to the US administration’s stated intent to ethni-
cally cleanse Gaza”. Trump’s recent comments include plans to “clean out the whole thing”.
The US president last week published on Truth Social an AI video advertising his plans for the Strip, which included
himself and Israel’s president Benjamin Netanyahu, shirtless, drinking at the ‘Trump Gaza’ resort.
The creator of the AI video, which shows a gold balloon shaped like Trump’s head, in a satire inspired by comparing the Las Vegas Strip with the Gaza Strip, revealed that it was a joke and that there were concerns it might o end the White House. Trump sent a message to the two million population on his Truth Social platform, writing: “To the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are dead.”
The Trump administration recently signed o on the shipment of 40,000 bombs to Israel.
Demonstration outside LSE during the event. Inset: Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters
Trump Turnberry, in South Ayrshire, was targeted by Palestine Action
Sheffield court where trial is being held
Monster was removed from an art fair in east London
PM meets freed hostage Eli Sharabi
Keir Starmer has hosted freed Gaza hostage Eli Sharabi at Downing Street and told him the way Hamas treated him in captivity was “inhuman”, writes Lee Harpin.
A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed the prime minister had invited Sharabi to No 10 where he heard further details of his 491 days in captivity in Gaza.
A statement released on behalf of Sharabi and his family said: “Today, Eli Sharabi and his family held an emotional meeting with the British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street.
“The Prime Minister welcomed Eli to the UK less than four weeks after he was released, having been held hostage since he was taken from his home on 7 October 2023.
“Sir Keir heard first-hand from Eli about the terrible conditions he was held in for almost 500 days by the terrorist group, Hamas, during which he was beaten and starved. Eli said ‘I never lost my hope of coming home’.”
The statement added: “The Prime Minister expressed his deep sympathy for the deaths of Eli’s BritishIsraeli wife, Lianne, their BritishIsraeli teenage daughters, Yahel and Noiya, and his brother Yossi.
“Eli thanked the Prime Minister for the UK taking responsibility for him as a hostage with close British connections, and for working towards his release for over a year.
“Eli asked the Prime Minister to confirm that he would do everything he possibly could to ensure that the 59 remaining hostages were released, including the body of Eli’s brother, Yossi, who was killed in captivity.
“The Prime Minister said that he had read the transcript of a recent interview given by Eli to Israeli TV, which had moved him deeply, and ‘was very powerful’.
He said that ‘inhuman is a word
law Stephen Brisley, family friend Annabel Sheldon and the family’s lawyers, Adam Rose and Adam Wagner, were also at the No 10 meeting having twice before visited Downing Street to meet then-PM Rishi Sunak and Starmer and each time saying they would return with Eli.
Sharabi, 52, was taken captive from Kibbutz Beeri by the terrorists during the 7 October Hamas attack.
His Bristol-born wife Lianne and teenage daughters Noiya and Yahel were killed while hiding in their safe room, while his brother, Yossi, who lived next door, was killed in captivity.
that is used too often, but your experience warranted that word’.”
The family said Starmer pledged the government to do everything it could and “the number-one priority” was the release of the hostages.
Sharabi gave the prime minister a personal letter and a framed copy of a Peter Brooks cartoon from The Times depicting him, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami being released on 8 February, appearing emaciated and weak.
Sharabi had earlier handed a copy of the same print to President Trump in the Oval O ce.
The family statement noted Eli’s brother Sharon Sharabi, brother-in-
Starmer had commented on the case before in a statement after Sharabi, looking poorly treated, was paraded by Hamas on 8 February during his release from Gaza.
On that occasion, the PM said: “I shared the relief of so many at Eli Sharabi’s release earlier today but was dismayed to see his frail condition and circumstances of his release.
“Having met his relatives, I appreciate the deep pain they have endured and my thoughts are with them.”
Starmer said everybody involved “must continue to see all the hostages freed – these people were ripped away from their lives in the
most brutal circumstances and held in appalling conditions.”
On the new meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister hosted Eli Sharabi in Downing Street this morning.
“The Prime Minister began by saying how pleased he was to see Eli, and paid tribute to his phenomenal courage and bravery. He expressed his heartfelt condolences to Eli on the loss of his wife, Lianne, daughters Noiya and Yahel, and brother Yossi.
“Hearing firsthand about his 16-month ordeal, the Prime Minister said he could not begin to imagine what Eli had been through.
“It was a brutal reminder of what the remaining hostages were enduring, the Prime Minister said.
“The UK would redouble its intensive work, at all levels, to secure the release of the remining 59 hostages, the Prime Minister added.
“All e orts needed to focus on full implementation of the remaining phases of the ceasefire and reuniting the remaining hostages with their loved ones, the Prime Minister said.”
Starmer has previously told how profoundly moved he was to speak with Emily Damari and the freed British hostage’s mother Mandy.
CHICKEN SOUP KIBBLE HAILED AS CURE FOR CANINE AGGRESSION
by Meg Illah
A Japanese pet food company has launched a range of chicken soup products following the success of trials with shelter dogs.
Chicken Soup Kibble, made by Ochel Group, led to improved alertness and obedience among all breeds of dogs at two rescue centres, in Tokyo and Yokohama.
During the trial the dogs, many of which had arrived as strays, some with injuries, were fed the kibble twice a day.
Managers at Kelev shelters reported that after just six days on a diet of Chicken Soup Kibble, the snarling and growling among the canine residents had vanished.
A fortnight into the trial the dogs could be found gathered in groups of 10 and bowing in a downward movement, calmly vocalising at low volume as they did so.
“To call the transformation a miracle would be an understatement,” said Esta Tanaka, rehoming manager at Kelev’s Tokyo shelter, who supervised the three-month controlled trial in partnership with Ochel Group’s
director of development, Mord Ichai.
“We are talking about dogs with severe reactivity,” Tanaka said.
“Many of them we have had trouble rehoming because of their aggression or separation anxiety.”
She now expects new owners will soon be found for all the residents.
Haman, an older dog who is thought to be an Akita cross, was the longest-staying resident at the shelter.
He showed severe aggression, and had been handed in to the shelter by his pre-
vious owner after repeated biting attacks. Haman had other social problems that had led his owner to give him up, including urinating in the house and incessant barking. With his transformation since being part of the food trial, Esta is hopeful that, in time, even he will be adopted.
Chicken Soup Kibble is made by distilling and freezedrying soup made according to a recipe that Ochel Group said originates from eastern Europe. Ochel is now planning a trial of dill pickles, rugelach and tzimmes to see if they similar positive e ects.
Photo by ChatGPT
Keir Starmer with talks with Eli Sharabi at the Downing Street meeting
Dogs at Kelev’s shelter in Tokyo after a week on the new food
Ministers help JLGB toast its 130th year
Wes Streeting insisted that JLGB “matters now more than ever” amid rising antisemitism as Lord Levy urged the community not to take friends in government “for granted”, writes Justin Cohen.
The youth movement marked its 130th anniversary with a reception in Parliament on Monday, which also featured the oldest members of the group and one of its youngest leaders, aged 100 and 18.
The health secretary, who boasted that the charity was headquartered in his constituency, said: “It’s extraordinary that JLGB has continued to survive and thrive in face of many challenges including the pandemic. You provide the most remarkable opportunities for young people to give them a chance to experience things they otherwise might not be able to and to find their talents.” JLGB delivers a range of opportunities including the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.
But he said events of the last 17 months meant the way charity
nurtures and encourages proud Jews was also crucial. “JLGB gives young people in the community the pride and confidence to go out in what can sometimes be a di cult environment,” he said, before also heaping praise on CST, UJS and charity president Lord Levy.
Also addressing the event was culture secretary Lisa Nandy, who said she would be ensuring Jewish voices have “clout” as part of a national youth strategy, both on
issues of general interest to young people and specific issues like antisemitism and housing.
Normandy veteran and Belsen liberator Mervyn Kirsh, 100, recalled being signed up for the then JLB by his parents aged just nine after regularly being beaten up because he was Jewish and small in stature.
The self-defence skills and confidence he gained prepared him for life including in the army, he told
the gathering including Wohl chair Prof David Latchman.
Also stealing the show was Deena Baker, who at 18 has already spent a decade in the organisation. She said JLGB “completely shaped my life” including helping her through the loss of her dad and “reaching goal after goal”.
Thanking the two secretaries of state, Lord Levy said: “To hear a speech like we did from Wes and Lisa is very special for our community. Never let us take our friends for granted. That applies to the PM and many others in the shadow cabinet.”
CEO Neil Martin said: “Tonight has been a truly momentous celebration of 130 years of JLGB – 130 years of empowering young people, breaking down barriers, and ensuring that every Jewish young person has the opportunities, skills, and support to thrive. With the continued support of government, philanthropy, and our dedicated JLGB family, we are ready to take JLGB to even greater heights .”
WILLIAMS ADDRESSES SACKS EVENT
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has condemned the “resurgence of antisemitic rhetoric”.
Giving the Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Annual Memorial Lecture at King’s College London on Tuesday, Lord Williams said: “We have witnessed the resurgence of antisemitic rhetoric and activity, within the nightmare cycle of violence that has been so much more deeply entrenched, with the butchery of 7 October.
“The desperate plight of the hostages is a bitterly vivid symbol of the way that so many lives – Jewish and non-Jewish – are held hostage by a climate of terror.”
A close friend and colleague of Rabbi Sacks, Lord Williams also spoke movingly of the late Chief Rabbi and asked how Rabbi Sacks might have approached the profound challenges of our time.
Stuart Roden, a trustee of The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, said: “The annual memorial lecture continues to pay tribute to Rabbi Sacks, who had a unique ability to convey Jewish teachings in a way that resonated with people of all backgrounds and faiths, drawing on our shared humanity as a foundation for a better future.”
Lord Levy and Lisa Nandy with young JLGB leaders
Israeli discovery opens up ‘new natural antibiotics’
Scientists from the Rehovot-based Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered a new part of the immune system which provides researchers with a new place to look for antibiotics, according to a new study, writes Joy Falk.
Research published in the journal Nature says the development could help tackle the growing problem of superbugs which resist existing drugs.
According to the study, researchers in Israel discovered a part of the body known to recycle proteins can also generate bacteria-killing chemicals.
The authors of the study said the discovery “could provide an untapped source of natural antibiotics for biotechnological applications and therapeutic interventions in infectious diseases and immuno-compromised conditions”.
Professor Yifat Merbl from the institute told the BBC: “This is really exciting, because we never knew that this was happening.
Research has revealed ‘a new place to look for antibiotics’
We discovered a novel mechanism of immunity that is allowing us to have a defence against bacterial infection.
“It’s happening throughout our body in all the cells, and generates a whole new class of potential natural antibiotics.”
The research conducted by the Weizmann scientists focused on a specific part of the cell called the proteasome.
The organism carves old proteins into smaller chunks so
they can be recycled to make new ones.
According to the study, the researchers found through a series of experiments, that some of these smaller parts can also detect when a cell has been infected by bacteria.
It then reacts by changing structure and role, transforming old proteins into weapons that can pierce the outer layer of bacteria to kill them.
The discovery was described in a BBC interview by Dr Lindsey Edwards, a senior lecturer in microbiology at King’s College London, as a “potential goldmine for new antibiotics”, adding that the discovery was a “quite exciting’ breakthrough.
“In previous years it’s been digging up soil (to find new antibiotics),” she added.
“It is wild that it’s something we have within us, but comes down to having the technology to be able to detect these things.”
UK PRAISE FOR MEDTECH FIRMS
Nine stand-out Israeli companies have been part of a pioneering medical tech delegation to London organised by the UK-Israel Tech-Hub based in the British Embassy in Tel Aviv.
The pioneering startups, which specialise in AI-driven healthcare solutions from rare disease and early pregnancy diagnostics to mental health support, have been participating in the Dangoor HealthTech Academy – a first-of-itskind programme connecting Israeli startups with the UK healthcare system.
The three-day visit marked the end of the eight-week programme for this first cohort of selected companies. The startups met with NHS and private healthcare organisations, innovation hubs and accelerators.
The government said the initiative was designed to underline its ambition to deliver an NHS fit for the future and bring cutting-edge medical solutions to improve patient care in Britain and drive economic growth, delivering on ministers’ Plan for Change.
Throughout the eight-week academy, the startups were provided with deep insights into UK healthcare regulations, research and development and pilot programmes with mentorship from experts in Israel and the UK.
Middle East minister Hamish Falconer said: “The UK-Israel partnership in healthcare is delivering benefits for both nations. Through cooperating with the UK-Israel Tech Hub, we are creating opportunities for joint innovation that will transform patient care in the UK.”
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Paw marks for Roni
Since taking second place in America’s Got Talent last summer, Israel’s Roni Sagi and her dog Rhythm have become social media stars, and there was excitement about them competing at Crufts last weekend, writes Brigit Grant.
CHABAD’S £1.5M DRIVE
The duo’s performance at the show in Birmingham was the first time Israel has competed in the Freestyle Heelwork to Music category. Dancing to the emotional Eye of the Untold Her by Lindsey Stirling, the three-year-old border collie and his partner from Kfar Saba wowed the audience in the main arena and the viewers at home, but were placed 11th.
“The organisers were very nice, but the scoring was considered extremely low compared to marks we have had previously for the same routines and the biggest surprise was the divide between the judges ‘scores for musical interpretation which ranged from 7.5 to 9.5.” Roni initially thought there had been a typing error. “But when I went to speak to the judges they said Rhythm is too fast, which came as a surprise as there is no rule about the speed of dogs in the competition rules.”
Fans of the pair took to social media to complain about the scoring. One wrote: “#judgestospecsavers. I’ve never been so annoyed about scoring in all my life! That was a winning performance to say the least.”
In spite of the disappointment Roni only had praise for her dog. “I couldn’t be more proud of Rhythm. He was amazing and perfect and no matter the score. No one can take that away from us.”
Italian Megillah’s return
A 17th century Purim scroll is the crowning jewel of an exhibition opening this week at the National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah (MEIS) in Ferrara, Italy.
Beautiful Esther. Purim, A Timeless Story explores the Biblical queen through Renaissance art, precious scrolls, historical artefacts, and interactive installations.
of Esther
The illuminated megillot (scrolls) of the Book of Esther includes a parchment scroll made in Ferrara, the exhibition’s location, by Moshe Ben Avraham Pescarol and on loan from the National Library of Israel. The Book of Esther does not mention God and so can be illustrated without violating Jewish law.
Dr Chaim Neria, curator of the Haim and Hanna Solomon Judaica Collection at the National Library of Israel, said the megillah was made in 1616 by Pescarol for Mordechai Ben Eliyahu Halevi, who lived in Brescello, near Ferrara.
He describes the scroll as “one of the most special in the library’s collection and one of the earliest”.
• Beautiful Esther. Purim, A Timeless Story runs from 12 March to 15 June at MEIS in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna.
Nova-themed ballad is Israel’s Eurovision pick Israel this week released the video for NewDayWillRise , its entry to the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest that focuses on the theme of emerging from darkness. In the video, Yuval Raphael, who survived the Nova festival massacre, sings in a field of red anemones, Israel’s national flower, after connecting with a crowd of young people
Chabad’s Jewish community centre in Borehamwood is fundraising £1.5m for an expanded new home in a former NatWest bank.
To help bring the project to life, a 36-hour fundraising campaign rans last weekend, championed by Rabbi Chaim, 39 and Leah Hoch, 37, who moved to the area in 2011.
The couple are the driving force behind the busy Jewish Life Centre, currently running from rented 1,250 sq ft first-floor space near Shenley Road.
By leasing the NatWest building, which closed in 2022, the JLC team aim to provide a space where the 15,000-strong Elstree and Borehamwood community can continue to grow, o ering an expanded programme of classes, children’s activities and social events.
A proposal for the new centre features an art lounge, co-working space, a commercial kitchen for events and pop-up evenings, a shul and formal event space for bar and batmitzvahs, nursery and children’s hub, sensory room and exercise studio. The Keystone Passageway space would be retained as a Jewish youth hub.
Rabbi Hoch said: “This is far beyond just bricks and mortar. It’s about creating a space of exponentially greater impact over what we can o er in our current home. It will be a space where every Jewish soul can belong, learn, and celebrate together.”
The campaign raised funds to secure a lease on the new site and begin the next phase of development in May.
The coronation
Women’s
Women take Haart at Israeli charity lunch
by Annabel Sinclair
Julia Haart, the businesswoman, bestselling author, and star of the Netflix hit My Unorthodox Life, joined a lunch in London on Monday to honour the strength and resilience of Israeli women.
The event, organised by the children’s charity Migdal Ohr, was attended by prominent female figures from the Jewish community, with Sunday Times style journalist Sarah Jossel serving as host.
Held at Home Grown in Marylebone, the lunch was aimed at raising funds for Afikei Ohr, Migdal Ohr’s programme supporting at-risk young women in Israel.
Haart, who left the strictly-Orthodox community and subsequently built a path as a business leader, spoke passionately about gender equality and the systemic barriers women face.
“When a man is successful, he’s a captain of industry, an innovator,” she told the lunch. “What do they call successful women? Something far less respectful.”
Since the 7 October attacks, Haart has been outspoken in her support for Israel, visiting the country to see the devastation herself.
was five.” But for her, clothing is about more than aesthetics; it’s about freedom.
Frustrated by the limitations of traditional shaping lingerie, she asked: “Why is shapewear always beige, black, or white? Why can’t it be something you actually want to wear?”
Haart created garments with built-in support that allow women to feel comfort and confident.
“The fabric we create, it’s insanely comfortable. It feels like velvet.”
The event also included a harrowing testimony from Natalie Sanandaji, a Nova Festival attack survivor and public a airs o cer at the Combat Antisemitism Movement. She described the moment that the attack unfolded: “Imagine Coachella, but instead of music, there are rockets overhead, and no one panics. That’s Israel’s reality.”
Union of Jewish Students chief executive Arieh Miller is stepping down from the position after more than six years.
“I never had an emotional connection to Israel before. And then, in one instant, it all changed. I was enraged. How dare they mess with my country, my people?” she said.
Beyond activism, Haart continues to challenge industry norms, using fashion as a tool for empowerment. “Fashion is something I’ve loved forever,” she said. “I think I drew my first handbag when I
Sanandaji recounted how she and her friends initially dismissed the warning sirens as routine until gunfire erupted. “I started speaking out because I realised I was still dissociating, but it gave me the ability to share my story without breaking down,” she said, determined to raise awareness.
Reflecting on the resilience of both survivors and the women in the room, she added: “The strongest activists today are women. We are lionesses.”
The charity representing 9,000 Jewish students across 75 Jewish societies on campuses said that under his stewardship, “UJS has gone from strength to strength, continuing its vital work in leading, defending and enriching Jewish student life across the UK and Ireland.”
Mental health support launch
JTeen has launched the UK’s first dedicated mental health support service specifically for Jewish university students.
The charity already runs a confidential service for those aged 11-20 which was named ‘helpline of the year 2024’.
The launch of JStudent comes as recent data from Mental Health UK reveals that 42 percent of students report serious personal, emotional or mental health challenges, while the Community Security Trust records a 117 percent increase in antisemitic incidents at UK universities over the past two years.
JStudent o ers support through both traditional helpline and digital channels; access to volunteer counsellors and qualified therapists who understand the challenges Jewish students face; specialised training in university-specific issues and planned on-campus wellbeing workshops.
The service plans to expand the initiative to include in-person services.
Psychotherapist Yaakov Barr, chief executive of JTeen, said: “Jewish students
today face a complex web of challenges – from academic pressure and social isolation to rising antisemitism on campus.” She said JStudent was not “just another helpline” but would be a “comprehensive support system” specifically for Jewish students, sta ed by professionals.
Saul Kelly, JTeen trustee, adds: “Every student deserves to feel safe, supported, and heard. JStudent represents a lifeline for Jewish students who may feel isolated in their struggles. We’re not just o ering help; we’re building a community of support.”
JStudent is now live and accessible to Jewish students at all UK universities. Students can get support through text and WhatsApp: 0786 006 5192 or visit jteen.co.uk
It added: “His leadership has also been instrumental in securing key partnerships, enhancing interfaith and cross-communal relationships, and ensuring Jewish students have a strong voice on campus and beyond.
“Arieh led UJS through the challenges of the Covid pandemic, the antisemitism crisis within the student movement, and the recent wave of antisemitism that has hit our universities. Through all of this Arieh oversaw the growth of UJS, a steep increase in membership and secured new and long-term sources of funding.”
Miller said it had been a privilege to work with so many inspiring Jewish leaders. “The passion, commitment, and energy of our students, each Ppesident, and the teams I have had the pleasure to work with, are what drive this organisation, and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together. While it is the right time for me to move on, I have no doubt that UJS will continue to thrive and evolve, remaining at the heart of Jewish student life, and as a pillar of the Jewish community in the UK and Ireland.”
UJS chair of trustees Daniel Dangoor added: “We are immensely grateful to Arieh for his tireless dedication to UJS and the Jewish student community.”
The organisation is to begin to recruit a new chief executive, with Miller staying in place for up to six months.
Left to right: Natalie Sanandaji, Julia Haart, Amit Fraser, CEO of Migdal Ohr UK and singer Golda Amirova Photo: Vinnie Kiss
Caption to go here
Departing: Arieh Miller
Take-off for Herzog’s great debate on Judaism’s future
At a gathering in Haifa initiated by the Israeli president, 150 ‘councillors’ start their two-year mission to solve the problems of global Jewry. Beatrice Sayers joins them
What’s the future of Jewish life anywhere around the globe? How do we develop and enhance it? How do we deal with the explosion of antisemitism? Questions of this size and complexity are often handled by thinktanks or advisers, but last week more than 150 individuals from around the globe arrived in Haifa to begin the task of answering them.
Handpicked by algorithm, the self-identified Jews – a requirement for participation – came from 75 cities in North and South America, South Africa, Australia and across Europe as well as from all parts of Israel to attend and to become the Voice of the People, an initiative of Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog.
The project is close to Herzog’s heart and he twice visited the group chosen for the council, at a cocktail reception at the start of the four-day convention and addressing members at a final gala.
Herzog, a historian as well as a lawyer, reminded them that the initiative rested on the Jewish people’s most significant asset –“the ability to engage in deep, collective dialogue and, through it, drive joint action”.
At a time when our nation is ever more challenged, he said, it was important to remember the Jewish story is not only about bloodshed and tears but something unique: “We read it in parashat hashavua and then we read the interpretations and then we read Jonathan Sacks.”
The algorithm chose from among thousands who applied to take part a group representing different ages, nationalities and religious backgrounds, from secular to orthodox, who were meeting in person for the first time following an initial online session last month.
They were told to be creative, to take risks and to think together to tackle the immediate and long-term challenges facing Jews.
Plenary session styles were varied. Jewish
matchmaking guru Aleeza Ben Shalom was part of an event where videos were shown of problem scenarios, and delegates worked in a series of different pairings to identify the challenges and suggest solutions.
The series of short, first-person videos included a young man who found himself being challenged over Israel by his LGBT+ community after 7 October, an IDF soldier troubled by the fact Charedi do not serve in the military, and an Australian who spoke of antisemitic threats to his family.
A couple of hours, later the results of the suggested solutions, submitted through online forms, were presented in charts, word clouds and bullet points.
The results were delivered, perhaps inevi-
tably, with the help of AI analysis – technology was another theme of the conference – by the Israeli startup Raizit, which specialises in public participation and consultation.
In a briefing with journalists, Herzog called the Haifa convention a “dream come true”.
He was asked how the project, partnered by the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organisation and announced in April 2023 during the height of Israel’s anti-government protests over judicial reform, had shifted following 7 October and the ensuing war.
He replied: “It’s pretty amazing because in hindsight it was a foresight.” People had been ostriches before the Hamas invasion of 7 October, he said, but since then there had been a “sea change”: antisemitism was now,
inevitably, taking a predominant place in the Voice of the People discussions.
The president was also asked whether future gatherings – the plan is for a series of two-year-cohorts – could include Israel’s nonJewish citizens. “We are right now dealing with a Jewish story,” Herzog said. “We have our own story to tell and discuss openly.”
It was not necessary right now to open the group to others, he added, but he did not dismiss the idea: “Let’s succeed with the first council and see how it goes.”
Over the next two years of Voice of the People the councillors will work in teams of 15, each of which will focus on one of five areas: antisemitism, polarisation, Israelglobal Jewry, Jews and non-Jews, and identity and heritage.
“They like to do small topics,” joked council member, Dan Sacker, a communications consultant from London, who spoke to Jewish News about the importance of creating unity without expecting uniformity, something the late Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, his former boss, had understood well.
Sacker said the convention was “like a big melting pot and you’re not sure what’s going to bubble to the surface but it could be very interesting. Every which way you look, there’s people you know you’re not going to agree with. But that’s in itself quite exciting.”
Agreement, and its opposite, were a big theme: the singular “voice” for a people who are known for being opinionated and disagreeing with one another is, as a metaphor, optimistic. But acceptance of difference gives impetus for that optimism.
Ashager Araro said being on the council had given her a hope and excitement that had been missing since 7 October. An Israeli advocate on behalf of Ethiopian Jewish identity, she said she wanted the council to “break the paradigm of how we talk about Jewish peoplehood, Israel, Zionism, by bringing diverse voices into the ring. Diverse in the way they think”.
The councillors range in age from 19-yearold French-American student Ava Fitoussy to 82-year-old Prof Lenore Walker, a psychologist from Florida who specialises in trauma treatment. Among those from Europe were Jews from Sweden, Austria and France.
Ora Yochanan, who comes from Nigeria and has lived in Jerusalem for three years, is on a team working on Jewish–non-Jewish relations. For her, it was important to work out “how to get non-Jewish folks to join in this conversation, to find progressive solutions”.
Coming out of a team session, one participant said to another: “Everybody in the community thinks they’re right, and they are –because we’re 12 tribes, not one.”
That understanding and love of peoplehood, along with acceptance of difference, will be key to the Voice of the People’s success.
Editorial comment, page 18
One of the 15-strong teams at last week’s Voice of the People gathering in Haifa
‘Dream come true’: President Herzog addresses the convention
Ethiopian delegate Ashagar Araro in Haifa
Yiddish writer’s ‘lost’ novel
to be published in English
by Jenni Frazer @Jennifrazer
A “lost” novel by one of the last great Yiddish language writers, Chaim Grade, has been discovered in his papers in the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York. And now, in what has been described as a literary publishing sensation, Sons and Daughters is to be published for the first time in English.
The book, translated by Rose Waldman, is a sprawling family saga about the Katzenellenbogens, living in Poland in the 1930s and facing all kinds of new challenges. Polish gangs are beginning to boycott Jewish merchants and the modern, secular world is pressing in on the shtetl from all sides.
This clash between the free-thinking secular life and a life bound by religious duty –and the comforts o ered by each – stands at the centre of the novel.
Grade died in 1982 and bequeathed his literary archive to the YIVO Institute, which is celebrating its centenary this year.
YIVO spent 13 years working on Grade’s papers, a massive task of reconstruction, organisation, preservation and digitisation. Sons and
Daughters was published in serial form in the 1960s and 70s in New York-based Yiddish newspapers, but was never published in its entirety, and fell from sight after the author’s death.
In 2016, while translating the novel, Waldman discovered it had never been com-
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pleted, to the frustration of readers who were denied a conclusion to the story.
But seven years later, after YIVO finished digitising all Grade’s material, Waldman discovered two pages showing Grade’s attempt to outline the ending. These have now been included with a translator’s note at the end of the book.
The novel is being published at the end of this month by the American publishing house Alfred Knopf, part of the Penguin Random House group. Grade is described by those familiar with his work as a masterful writer and, according to some, “better than Isaac Bashevis Singer”.
YIVO chief executive Jonathan Brent said it was “particularly fitting” Grade’s last work was being published during the centennial year. He added: “The English-language publication of Sons and Daughters is a literary event of the highest magnitude in any language.
“Thirteen years of painstaking reconstruction of Grade’s literary estate by YIVO archivists have made this possible. [The novel] shines with Grade’s immense literary talent and represents the culmination of his thinking about Jewish life, community and tradition.”
In its publisher’s summation of the book, Penguin Random House reported: “Rabbi Sholem Shachne Katzenellenbogen’s world,
the world of his forefathers, is crumbling before his eyes. And in his own home! His eldest, Bentzion, is o in Bialystok, studying to be a businessman; his daughter Bluma Rivtcha is in Vilna, at nursing school.
“For her older sister, Tilza, he at least managed to find a suitable young rabbi, but he can tell things are o between them. Naftali Hertz? Forget it; he’s been lost to a philosophy degree in Switzerland (and maybe even a goyish wife?). And now the rabbi’s youngest, Refael’ke, wants to run o to the Holy Land with the Zionists.
“Sons and Daughters is a precious glimpse of a way of life that is no longer – the rich Yiddish culture of Poland and Lithuania that the Holocaust would eradicate.
“We meet the Katzenellenbogens in the tiny village of Morehdalye … with characters that rival the homespun philosophers and lovable rogues of Sholem Aleichem and I. B. Singer –from the brooding Zalia Ziskind, paralysed by the su ering of others, to the Dostoyevskian demon Shabse Shepsel. Grade’s novel brims with humanity and heartbreaking a ection for a world once full of life in all its glorious complexity, that would in a few years vanish forever.”
All that’s required now is for Hollywood to come knocking.
Yiddish novelist Chaim Grade
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Culkin gets invite to Holocaust Museum
An Israeli-American actor, Yuval David, has invited Kieran Culkin to tour the US Holocaust Museum with him in response to Culkin’s failure to mention antisemitism when accepting an Oscar last week, writes Jenni Frazer.
Culkin won for his part in A Real Pain, written and directed by Jewish actor Jesse Eisenberg.
In the ‘road trip’ film two cousins go to Poland to find out more about their grandmother and the Holocaust.
David said that Culkin, in accepting the best supporting actor award, had not mentioned “antisemitism, antiJewish bigotry, the plight of the Jewish people, or the Holocaust—especially given the subject matter of A Real Pain”.
Speaking to Jewish News, David strongly criticised Hollywood for what he called “performative activism” and the “silence of celebrities when it comes to Jewish people”.
He said there was hypocrisy throughout the industry and he believed that people were “scared” when it came to public support of Israel or the Jewish people.
He was particularly critical of the situation in which actor Guy Pearce, whose role in The Brutalist was one of a Wasp-
ish antisemite, wore a Free Palestine badge to the Oscars ceremony — despite the Academy having warned stars that no political statements or pins would be allowed.
David said he understood that some stars had been told to remove their yellow hostage pins,”because it was too political”, but that Pearce had not been told to remove his badge.
“To me, he represents an anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish agenda. Free Palestine is aligned with Hamas. The question of why he was allowed to wear his badge, while people who were supporting Israel and advocating for the release of the hostages, were told they were not allowed to do it — it’s a clear message of the Hollywood industry being too afraid to stand up for the values of
human rights, civil rights and social justice.”
He deplored a situation in which actors such as David Schwimmer and Gal Gadot could voice their pro-Israel support only in “the echo chamber” of a Jewish platform, as happened last week when they spoke to an audience at the Anti-Defamation League.
Adrien Brody won best performance by an actor in a leading role for The Brutalist, Mikey Madison won best performance by an actress in a leading role for Anora, Zoe Saldana won best performance by an actress in a supporting role for Emilia Perez.
David, who won his Emmy for a TV series he hosted and produced, One Actor Short, said he did not know Culkin personally and was not sure how the actor would respond to his invitation.
He told Culkin: “As an actor, filmmaker, and Jewish leader, I truly appreciate the work you brought to the screen.”
But he added: “In a time of rising anti-Jewish hatred and Holocaust denial, voices like yours have an opportunity to make a real impact. Public figures often speak out on important social issues, and this was a moment where that engagement was missed.”
PENTAGON ‘CONSPIRACIST’
The Pentagon’s new deputy press secretary Kingsley Wilson has been criticised over inflammatory social media posts, including one allegedly promoting an antisemitic conspiracy myth.
Wilson, the daughter of Trump adviser and conservative commentator Steve Cortes, is also revealed to have backed the far-right AfD party in Germany and suggested that transgender people should not be allowed to buy guns on mental health grounds.
Appointed in January into the Trump administration role Wilson had previously worked at an organisation founded by the architect of Project 2025, the Christian conservative blueprint for a Trump White House.
In one tweet, she commented on a post from the Anti-Defamation League commemorating the death of Leo Frank, a Jewish American whose 1915 lynching was a key factor in the organisation’s founding.
Frank was abducted from prison and murdered by a mob following his conviction for the murder of Mary Phagan, a teenager working at a factory where he was a director. Most modern legal scholars agree that Frank was wrongly convicted based on circumstantial evidence and that his lynching was antisemitic violence.
But in a response to claims made by the Anti-Defamation League Wilson repeated the
accusation that Frank “raped and murdered a 13-year-old girl” and that he “tried to frame a black man for his crime”.
She was accused on social media of promoting an “antisemitic conspiracy theory”. The ADL said she was “parrotting” a “neo-Nazi talking point”.
Elsewhere Wilson is accused of supporting the theory that white people in Europe and America are being deliberately replaced through engineered demographic change and mass migration, orchestrated by political elites.
This has often led to claims from far-right activists that Jews are responsible for a “great reset.”. Wilson has argued that the ‘great reset is “not a conspiracy theory” but a “reality”.
Kieran Culkin: criticised
Kingsley Wilson is deputy press secretary
Editorial comment and letters to the editor
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Sudden rise of 8 October Jews
In a timely move, Israeli President Isaac Herzog has launched the Voice of the People initiative, bringing together 150 Jewish leaders from 75 cities to tackle global Jewish challenges over two years. This diverse group spans ages, nationalities and religious backgrounds, aiming to foster dialogue and action on issues such as antisemitism, identity, and Israel-Diaspora relations.
The moment is poignant. Following 7 October, many Jews have reconnected with their heritage, highlighting the need for unity. Voice of the People chief executive Shirel DaganLevy notes the rise of “8 October Jews” – those who now feel a stronger Jewish identity.
However, achieving consensus among such a broad cohort is challenging. The selection algorithm ensures representation, but translating discussions into impactful action requires sustained effort. Some may dismiss this as another well-intentioned initiative with little real impact. Yet, simply bringing these voices together is a step toward unity.
Voice of the People won’t succeed overnight, but with commitment and a clear vision, it has the potential to strengthen Jewish ties and address critical issues.
Publisher and Editor
Richard Ferrer
020 8148 9703
richard@jewishnews.co.uk
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Peer’s Jewish roots
Lord Hamilton of Epsom, the Tory peer, who suggested that as Jews had so much money they really ought to pay for a memorial to the Holocaust themselves is, in fact, a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel, and himself of Jewish origin.
Archie Hamilton’s maternal grandmother, the Hon Dorothy Olive Coke, was the only daughter of Harry Levy-Lawson, second Lord Burnham, and owner of The Daily Telegraph Her father, Edward Levy-Lawson, the muchadmired proprietor of that newspaper, had been raised to the Baronetcy by his friend, King Edward VII, and was considered part of
the “Prince of Wales Set”. The father, Joseph Moses Levy, commenced in business as a printer in Shoe Lane in the City of London, before becoming the chief proprietor of The Sunday Times, later renamed The Daily Telegraph Interestingly, the royal connection still exists in Jack Brooksbank, husband of Princess Eugenie, who is a great-grandson of the Hon Dorothy Coke, and thus a descendant of the Jewish Levy-Lawson family, Lord Hamilton may not have realised that not all Jewish families come from a “moneyed” background.
Doreen Berger
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain
BATMITZVAH EQUALITY
Naomi Cohen’s letter (6 March) spoke of “meaningful” options for batmitzvahs. My twins – a girl and a boy – shared the bimah in the first twin event to take place at my shul. Since then there have been many barei and batei mitzvah, including one of girl triplets. The ceremony is not Torah min Hashamyim, emerging in the Middle Ages, as Judaism always evolves.
Naomi says the “first thing we want her to do is teach us”. I would guess a bright girl on the verge of womanhood might be wondering why her brother has a privilege denied to her.
Barry Hyman, Bushey Heath
LIBERAL ZIONISM ALIVE AND WELL DEHUMANS
Joe Millis (Zionism Isn’t Liberal, 6 March), who claims being a progressive Zionist is impossible, appears to overlook the fact that there are many Israeli politicians (Yair Lapid being a perfect example) who identify as liberal Zionists. Contrary to what Mr Millis says, even the Israeli right cannot be defined solely by the actions or statements of BenGvir and Smotrich. This is very evident in Netanyahu’s tendency to resist some of the demands from these very politically radical factions.
Liberalism promotes individual autonomy, equal opportunities and the safeguarding of personal rights, but this by no means equates to
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Prof Jeroen Gunning, of King’s College London, believes “labelling” Hamas as “terrorists” leads to their “dehumanisation” (See page 4). That is the point. It is indeed dehuman to behead, butcher, rape, kidnap and incarcerate.
Shimon Cohen, by email
having open borders or handing out citizenship “on demand”. The fairly liberal European Union permits free movement among its member nations while simultaneously enforcing very strict regulations on its external borders, including tough visa and deportation policies.
This approach stems from the understanding that unrestricted freedom for individuals at all times could undermine the very foundation of liberal democracies, much like a one-state solution lacking a clear Jewish identity, which Mr Millis seems to advocate.
David Frencel, Hackney
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Purim’s lesson: Strength can and will outlast hate
KEITH BLACK CHAIR, THE JEWISH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
The festival of Purim reminds us the ancient hatred of Jews is nothing new, yet the last 16 months have been among the most difficult in recent memory for our community. The events of 7 October shook the Jewish world to its core. As chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, I have been at the heart of our communal response and reaction to that dreadful day. As we reeled from Hamas’ brutal attack, we saw antisemitism surge to levels we never expected. We all knew the battle against antisemitism always needed to be fought. Our shuls, schools and communal buildings have required significant protection for decades. However, we all believed this level of threat inhabited only the darker corners of our society.
The upsurge in antisemitism we have seen since 7 October has been brazen, as
anti-Zionism has become the acceptable face of antisemitism. Our streets have been filled with protesters screaming Jew hatred. Our students have faced relentless waves of abuse on campus.
Online, the Antisemitism Policy Trust estimates there are now four antisemitic posts on X per day for every Jewish person in the UK. It is no wonder research in the aftermath of 7 October revealed 77 percent of British Jews feel less safe in the UK.
There has been a sustained attack on the legitimacy of Israel’s existence, an outright denial of the Jewish people’s historic right to live in the land and a rejection of the idea Arabs and Jews can coexist peacefully.
The repeated slogan “From the river to the sea” suggests the only proposed solution to this conflict is the expulsion of Jews from the land of Israel. Jews all over the world feel deeply uncomfortable and often threatened when they see the world’s only Jewish state attacked like this.
The reality is a terrible, heinous crime was committed against Israel and the Jewish people; on 7 October, Jews were yet again massacred on a horrific scale with
medieval levels of violence. Yet, we have been confronted by 7 October denialism, accused of crimes that echo the darkest blood libels of history, cancelled for being Zionists and forced to defend the right of the Jewish state to exist.
The trauma of the past year has been profound, but so too has been the Jewish community’s response.
We have shown extraordinary resilience.
In February 2024, the JLC gathered 180 community leaders, activists, professionals, experts and funders to plan a way forward.
Following this, in April 2024, we launched Forge the Future : a long-term strategy to ensure our community continues to live and thrive in safety and harmony.
We have seen our community rise to these challenges, led by our major communal organisations: the JLC, the Board of Deputies, CST, the Office of the Chief Rabbi, Progressive Judaism, UJIA, UJS, UKLFI, CAA and countless others.
We marched, protested, campaigned and fought back. Our charities continue to support the most vulnerable within our community and beyond. Our security
organisation works tirelessly to protect our institutions. Our advocacy groups have taken our concerns to the highest levels of government, and we have been heard (though often not as quickly as we would have liked). Of course, much more remains to be done, and we will use every ounce of our energy to defend our rights to live in this country free of victimisation.
Through all this, Jewish life in Britain has not faltered. In shuls, schools and on campus, we continue to gather, celebrate and support one another. We have every reason to take great pride in our identity, heritage and values.
The Purim story shows the challenges we face are sadly part of what it means to be Jewish today, but despite everything we do not merely survive, we thrive.
While there may be many reasons for the next generation of British Jews to leave this country, it is my belief profound antisemitism will not be one of them.
For as long as we live in a liberal democracy that upholds freedom of religion and expression, we can stand tall and say: “I am proud to be a Jew.”
Purim and the fear of unmasking ourselves
DR JONATHAN BOYD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JPR
The notion of hiding our identity from others seems particularly pertinent this year, as nearly two thirds of British Jews say they feel less confident revealing their Jewishness in public.
Jews traditionally wear masks on Purim. The reasons are varied: they range from the simple calendrical alignment of the holiday with Mardi Gras in medieval Italy, when masks were commonly worn, to the more spiritual idea that God ‘hides’ in the Book of Esther – the book read on Purim, and just one of two in the Hebrew Bible in which God does not appear at all. Other ideas include the notion that the Jewish queen in the story, Esther, hides her identity from her husband, King Ahasuerus, until she is compelled to reveal it to help save the Jewish People. Indeed, as many have pointed out, the name ‘Esther’ has the same root letters as the Hebrew word ‘hester,’ meaning ‘hide’ or ‘conceal’.
The notion of hiding our Jewishness from
others seems particularly pertinent this year. When we asked British Jews in our summer 2024 national survey whether they feel more or less confident sharing their Jewish identity openly in public since the October 7 attacks in Israel – for example by wearing Jewish jewellery or revealing their Jewishness to colleagues or fellow students – close to two-thirds said they feel less confident, and just 5% said more. The remainder reported no change.
In brief, it seems many of us are hiding away on occasion, concealing our Jewishness for fear of how others may see or treat us.
The data vary a little by age and sex – women feel more vulnerable than men, and the middle generations more than the oldest (aged 70+) or youngest groups (aged 16-29) – albeit not dramatically so. The gender finding is unsurprising – in general, women tend to feel more at risk than men, and Jewish women are no exception. The age results are more intriguing. It seems that the ‘ambient antisemitism’ many Jews have experienced since 7 October has hit the middle generation the hardest. Perhaps it has come as more of a shock to them than their elders, who still recall the everyday antisemitism of their youth and their children, who
have little personal memory to draw on. The middle generation has lived in probably the best era ever to be Jewish, in a country that has consistently been shown to have one of the lowest levels of antisemitism anywhere.
But other trends in public mask-wearing by Jews are perhaps more revealing. There is an interesting denominational gradient, with slightly more mainstream or modern Orthodox Jews feeling less confident than progressive or secular Jews. Charedi Jews break the mould though; whilst the same fundamental shift in confidence has taken place, they are notably less likely to have been impacted in this way than other Jews. It is not uncommon to see this – interestingly, Charedi Jews tend to be more
likely than most others to experience antisemitism, but least likely to let it affect them.
However, perhaps the greatest distinctions can be seen when examining the data by people’s connections with Israel and Zionism. Again, while all groups report an overall shift towards feeling less confident, self-identifying Zionists and those most attached to Israel have been hit the hardest. Only about a third of antiZionist Jews and those not attached to Israel at all feel less confident – the vast majority in these two groups (which overlap to some degree) report little change at all.
By contrast, over 70% of Zionists and those most attached to Israel are showing signs of this type of vulnerability. The ways in which we relate to Israel, and the place it plays in our Jewish identities, are clearly related to our sense of Jewish self-confidence since 7 October.
Yet overall, Jews of all denominations, beliefs and connections have been affected, suggesting that our tendency to ‘mask’ our Jewishness in some way, is rather common and widespread. Perhaps the question this Purim is less about when we put on our masks and more about whether we have the confidence to remove them.
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Opinion
Wins and frustrations for Orthodox women
RABBI MIRIAM LORIE
JOFA UK RABBINIC SCHOLAR
As one of the few women ordained as Orthodox rabbis, and one of even fewer who run a shul, I’m always on the lookout for news of attitudes in my community towards women’s roles in the synagogue.
An Israeli colleague shared a new survey, whose context is the dati leumi religious nationalist community in Israel, but nevertheless bears parallels with our UK context.
Dr Ido Liberman at the Leshem Institute for Social Research conducted this survey with several thousand respondents.
A headline is that in our 3,500-year-old religion, comparatively fast progress for women has been made in the past few decades.
With Purim almost here, it was good to learn women’s Megilla readings were a clearly acceptable feature, here to stay in mainstream orthodox communities.
Alliance recorded 139 such women’s Megilla readings around the world in 2019. This was
based on those who recorded readings via their form, so in reality the numbers are likely to be much higher.
The same category included women reading from the Torah in women-only spaces, with a huge 73 percent feeling either supportive or neutral about this. This detail shows Israel is several years ahead of the UK, as few Orthodox shuls here allow women to lein (read from the Torah), even in women-only spaces.
In other surprisingly positive results, women’s work “as female rabbinic leaders in the religious community” was welcomed or seen as neutral by 56 percent of respondents.
This is an incredibly high result, which spells good news for those of us who have taken such a path.
A relatively new phenomenon which received overwhelming support was female teachers giving psak halacha – Jewish legal rulings – to other women on female-related areas like the laws of menstrual purity.
In the UK, we have a handful of women qualified in this area of law, but I sense we are under-utilised, with women choosing to direct such questions to male rabbis, “Rabbi
Google” or simply not asking the questions. It was fascinating to see that the language of “legal rulings” from women received such warm support, when many trained women are encouraged to give “advice” only, and to pass any “legal ruling” questions up the chain to male rabbis.
Women giving halachic rulings to mixed groups on a broader range of topics received cooler support, with a respectable 54 percent showing either support or neutral feelings.
However, areas that received much lower support were those where women’s voices are brought into spaces traditionally reserved for men’s voices – both at shul and in the home.
Most shockingly, women reciting kaddish out loud in a shul received a meagre support. Only 29.5 percent of respondents (who were men and women) felt positive about women saying kaddish without the chorus of a male voice, and this rose slightly to 36.2 percent with a male voice chiming in.
Anecdotally, women who do attempt to recite kaddish in shul often face trouble and pain, even in shuls which theoretically welcome them.
Some examples include their voice simply not being heard and the service continuing without them, or men reciting much louder and faster, leaving the woman feeling flustered and silenced. This topic is certainly worthy of its own column in the future.
Also disheartening to me was that in areas where men and women are equally obligated in a law, such as reciting kiddush or hamotzi on shabbat, more than half of respondents felt negatively about a woman taking this role when a man was present. This shows that social norms take precedence over the straight halacha – but arguably it was ever thus.
The study shows both wins and frustrations for those of us interested in seeing opportunities grow for women in Orthodox spaces. With Israel (and America) often leading the way, and the UK following a decade or so later, we can look forward to more teaching, legal rulings and leadership from Orthodox women. We can expect more women’s participation in women’s-only spaces.
However the power of social norms, or “meta-halacha”, rather than what the law itself allows, is set to stay in tension with progress.
The bold leadership of women with conviction
SAMI BERKOFF
UJS PRESIDENT
To the community I love and adore, I want to take a moment in the wake of this year’s International Women’s Day to reflect on the incredible women who support me, uplift me and inspire me to do more and be more.
To my mum, my sister, my aunties and my grandma – thank you. You are my foundation, my role models and my biggest cheerleaders. Your strength, wisdom, and love remind me every day of the power of women in shaping the world around us.
To the female chief executives, the fellow female movement workers and the women leading our community with resilience and vision – thank you.
You demonstrate what is possible when women support each other, break barriers and lead with conviction. Your courage inspires me and so many others to strive for a more inclusive and equitable future.
I also want to take a moment to recognise the inspiring legacy of female leadership within UJS. The past female UJS presidents have each left an indelible mark on our movement, showing unwavering dedication, resilience
and passion. Their work has paved the way for leaders like me to continue advocating for Jewish students with pride and confidence.
And this year is particularly special as, for the first time, all the leaders of our youth movements are women.
This milestone is a testament to the progress we have made and the incredible women who continue to step forward to lead with strength and vision.
It is an honour to stand alongside them as we shape the future of our community together.
I am incredibly grateful for my trustees, who o er me guidance and wisdom, and my sabbatical and permanent sta team, who work alongside me every day to build a better future for Jewish students. Their support and leadership are invaluable, and I am proud to be surrounded by such a dedicated and inspiring group of women and allies.
And to my students, whether women or
not, who are standing by their female friends, female leaders and female colleagues – thank you too. You are the energy that keeps me
fighting day in and day out for a future where hopefully, in five years’ time, this column won’t need to be written.
To the men of our community who champion equality, who see me and my female peers as equals, and who refuse to treat us
any di erently – thank you. True progress comes when we stand together, and your allyship is indeed deeply valued.
And to those who try to bring us down, who tell us we don’t belong, who tell me my seat is simply there because of my age, my gender, anything but my role and experience, or who try to convince me that I don’t even deserve to be in the role – thank you. You remind me why this fight matters. Every challenge only strengthens my resolve, and every barrier fuels my determination to continue paving the way for those who come after me.
Let’s celebrate the women who inspire us, the allies who support us and the resilience that keeps us moving forward. Together, we can create a future where every woman and girl knows she is valued, capable and powerful.
Attendees at a UJS Women’s Network event
1
SCIENCE WEEK TAKES OFF AT TORAH TEMIMAH SCHOOL
Emily Ben-Ze’ev from Emily’s Adventures in Wonderland visited Torah Temimah School this week to celebrate National Science Week. All the classes from reception to Year 6 enjoyed their interactive workshops on explosions and eruptions. The boys loved all the rocket balloons, Alka Seltzer rockets, gravity experiments and volcanic eruptions.
2
HAND IN HAND’S FAMILY DAY IS THE ‘FUNNEST FUNFAIR’
Hand in Hand held a fun-filled pre-Purim afternoon in Finchley, with 52 of the organisation’s teenage volunteers running activities and helping the families in attendance, all of whom receive regular support from the charity. In total 75 parents and their 169 children enjoyed bouncy castles, face-painting, a Lego room, arts and crafts, balloon modelling, falafel, a mobile petting zoo and more. One of the mothers who attended said: “The kids enjoyed it so much and it gave us such a break trying to work out how to keep them entertained on another Sunday (always a challenge!). It was honestly perfect, and I am blown away by what you put together for us.” And in the words of one of the children who came: “This was the funnest funfair I ever went to!”
3 TRAINEE TEACHERS FROM LSJS ON TRIP TO ISRAEL
A group from LSJS’ ‘Teach to Lead’ Jewish Studies programme took part in a transformative trip to Israel for the first time since the pandemic in 2020. The seminar, supported by the Pincus Fund for Jewish Education, gave trainee teachers the opportunity to meet educational leaders, take part in interactive discussions and explore Israel’s history and culture. The trip included visits to the National Library of Israel and a variety of schools.
4 KISHARON LANGDON JOINS COMMUNITY CHALLENGE
Kisharon Langdon took part in the Cross Community Zone Challenge, a six-month programme led by the United Synagogue for 40 children in Years 8 and 9. Among the speakers were Salome, head girl of Kisharon Noé School; Daniel, from Edgware, who spoke about his job at New Chapters; and Charlotte, from Golders Green, who shared how she works at a nursery and contributes as a taxpayer – a milestone historically out of reach for many with learning disabilities. The group enjoyed a hamantaschen baking workshop and ended with Rabbi Luis from Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue leading Purim music and dancing.
5 GREAT VIBE AT LAUNCH OF YOUNG ADULTS SCHEME
The United Synagogue’s young adults’ department hosted a membership launch at South Hampstead Synagogue. Shevi Grunewald, project manager for Young US, said: “The event was very well enjoyed with a great vibe, delicious food and an open bar.” Young US Membership is open to 21–29-year-old singles for £70 a year. Find out if you are eligible and read more at: join.myus.theus.org.uk/youngus
Josh Radnor tells Nathan Abrams that while his new role is not a Jewish one, he still brings his background into it
What could be more Jewish than a “satisfying, feelgood portrait of family dysfunction”, which is how Josh Radnor’s new movie AllHappyFamilies has been described.
Josh, who played the half-Jewish character Ted Mosby in the long-running sitcom How I Met Your Mother, takes on the role of Graham in this movie about the Landry family, which gathers for the weekend to fix up their family home in Chicago.
Graham really wishes his life was in a better place, especially since he’s reconnected with his college crush, Dana (Chandra Russell). His mother, Sue (Becky Ann Baker), is looking forward to the next chapter in her life when an incident at her retirement party forces her to question things, including her marriage to complacent Roy (John Ashton). And brother Will (Rob Huebel), a television star, is in hot water over some troubling allegations at work.
“We Jews don’t own dysfunction,” says Josh, speaking to me from his home in Brooklyn, New York. “But the director is Greek, and she calls Greeks ‘the Jews of the sea’.” He adds that there’s a lot of love in the movie.
There is no obvious Jewishness in the film but Radnor brings that sensibility with him to his role as Graham. He has a strong Jewish background and grew up in the Midwest, in Columbus, Ohio.
Radnor and his family were very active in their Conservative synagogue, and he and his two sisters attended the Orthodox Hebrew day school, Columbus Torah Academy, from eighth grade through to high school. There, he spent half of the day studying Torah and Hebrew and the other half as any typical Midwesterner. He has visited Israel three times, including a six-week teen tour when he was 15 and a nine-week solo trip during his time at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
These days, Josh
describes himself as “culturally Jewish and spiritually omnivorous. I’ll take wisdom wherever it’s on o er.” He and his Jewish wife Dr Jordana Jacobs (they got married last year in a snowstorm) light the candles on Friday night, celebrate Passover and so on.
I wonder how Jewishness impacts his work. “My background has served me really well,” he says. “Acting is 50 percent of myself and 50 percent of the character. It’s a combustion.”
combustion.”
are autobiographical. In an interview with CBC in 2020 he said:
In a way, then, all of his roles are autobiographical. In an interview with CBC in 2020 he said: “There’s something elemental about being Jewish that I just never have to fake. I don’t have to lean into it. There’s just something of my DNA about it.”
Josh feels on a deep level that his Jewish-
ness has inspired him. “Coming from a people that revere a book above all. We kiss it. It’s a sprawling, strange narrative. We love story. We love making sense of our lives through story. I consider myself a storyteller.”
Josh played alongside Al Pacino in the Nazi-hunting television series Hunters. He also had a role in the very Jewish Fleishman , which starred Jesse Eisenberg, who recently earned an Oscar nomination A Real Pain. “Jesse was lovely to work with. I admire him a lot as an artist and like him a ton as a person.” and Fleischman are explicitly Jewish, written for Jewish actors, and I ask Josh where he stands on JewFace, the debate about non-Jews playing Jewish roles. “I appreciate when Jews are played with grace and subtlety,” he says. “We can get sensitive.” In an Instagram exchange with Hunters, he convinced the author to add a footnote to his book Jews because Baddiel hadn’t watched the entire series.
I ask whether he has been a ected by 7 October? “It’s impossible not to be,” he answers straight away.
“You’d have to have your head buried in the sand not to be alarmed by rising antisemitism.
“It might be epigenetic. I want the Jewish experience to be about something
much larger than antisemitism. I thought Rabbi Jonathan Sacks did some incredible writing about antisemitism. It’s alarming how it mutates and metastasises, and this is the latest strain of the virus.”
Josh is a busy man. His directorial debut, which he also wrote, Happythankyoumore please, won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award. He directed and starred in the movie Liberal Arts. He makes his own original music and is half of the duo Radnor & Lee. Last year, he starred in an o -Broadway play called The Ally about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The play revolves around a Jewish college professor, played by Josh, who initially agrees to sign a manifesto from students in response to an incident of police brutality but disagrees when he sees there is a section accusing Israel of engaging in an “apartheid” and “genocide”. He describes the play as “a brilliant piece”.
Later this year Josh is launching a podcast called The People of the Book, in which he will interview Jewish authors and celebrities about their books and lives, discussing everything from food to spirituality.
With Josh at its heart and its themes of family, tradition and personal growth, All Happy Families certainly feels like a Jewish family movie.
Josh Radnor: being Jewish is ‘elemental’
With Rob Huebel in All Happy Families, and marrying Jordana Jacobs in January 2024
Josh as Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother
‘It’s
Bob Dylan’s friend and confidant Louie Kemp says Jewish principles had a profound influence on the musician’s work, writes Jared Feldschreiber
not me, it’s God’ “
As Bobby Zimmerman, he’s just one of the boys,” says Louie Kemp, buddy of Bob Dylan since the early 1950s. The two Jewish Minnesotans met at Herzl Camp in Burnett, Wisconsin in 1953; they did not know that were also born in the same hospital, St Mary’s in Duluth.
When they were campers, 12-year-old Bobby’s destiny as a rock and roll star was already etched in stone. “He would go around telling everybody that he was going to be a rock and roll star. I was 11, and I believed him,” recalls Louie.
The two boys attended the camp each year between 1953 and 1957, and both were instilled with a heavy dose of Jewish values and understanding of its tenets.
Bobby Zimmerman, who would change his name to Bob Dylan less than a decade later, formed his first musical group, The Jokers, while at camp. Louie remembers Bobby there as a bright and wide-eyed prankster who was well-liked by other campers and his counsellors. Their shared experiences, particularly at Herzl Camp, helped lay the foundation for their continued escapades, as told in Louie Kemp’s 2019 book Dylan & Me: 50 Years of Adventures. The crux shows that Bob Dylan’s best work lay in a deeply felt, lived and solid understanding of Jewish principles, all of which continue to find their way within his wondrous songs.
lucky’. No, he wasn’t lucky. He was blessed,” reflects Louie. “Luck’s a random occurrence. When something good happens to you, and you have that understanding and that connection, it’s a direct blessing from God. Bob knows that.”
By late summer 1972, Bob was living in downtown New York with his wife, Sara Lownds, and their five children. As he and Louie had not been in touch for some years, they each learned about how the other was doing through Bob’s doting mother. Beatty Zimmerman, a presence in the Jewish community as a leading member of Hadassah, often bumped into Louie on Superior Street in Duluth. “Beatty was very warm and outgoing. Everybody liked her,” he says.
Once Louie found himself in New York on business and the two old friends met at a café near Dylan’s apartment on MacDougal Street. “It was just like old times,” says Louie.
“Once he wrote Blowin’ in the Wind , the floodgates went wild because he started spitting out these songs of such consequence and meaning that people were rushing to his door, and [asking things] like, ‘Who is this guy?” recalls Louie. “I remember asking Bobby, ‘How were you able to write these songs? They’re pretty amazing.’
Much of the world’s attention towards Dylan these days is focused on the success of James Mangold’s multi-Oscar-nominated A Complete Unknown, which garnered eight Academy Award nominations. Even though the film did not win anything on 2 March, its success achieved a new level of appreciation of Dylan’s remarkable oeuvre. It also brought younger fans into his ever-expanding musical tent.
“I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the e ort that went into this role and how much this means to me, but the truth is this was five years of my life,” says Timothée Chalamet, who won best actor for his portrayal of the music legend at the Screen Actors Guild in late February. “I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist, Mr Bob Dylan, a true American hero. It was the honour of a lifetime playing him.”
“People would say to me, ‘Bob’s been really
were rushing to his door, and asking Bobby, ‘How were you able just the scribe, and I write them
“He’d say, ‘It’s not me, it’s God. He puts the words in my head. I’m just the scribe, and I write them down. He gets all the credit.’ He’s always been very humble about this gift that was given to him from God. He knows that it’s a gift. At some point, he came to the understanding that some blessings come from God and that there are responsibilities that come with it. He took that gift, and he has very humbly run with it. He’s shared it with
the world.”
Louie has also led an interesting and righteous life. Around the time Bob left for New York in 1961, Louie also left his studies at the University of Minnesota, to take over his father’s Lake Superior fish business. Since then, his fishing empire has expanded into Alaska and is one of the most successful seafood operations in the US. In 1985, Kemp Fisheries began producing surimi-based seafood products; the following year, the company introduced the Crab Delights brand and changed its name to the Louis Kemp Seafood Company.
Louie became head of Aish HaTorah Discovery Program, a seminar in Jewish history that has reached hundreds of thousands of participants. He is also the founder of Chabad of Pacific Palisades, California.
In August 2024, Louie made aliyah. “My people are under attack; the country that I love is under attack. I wanted to show solidarity. I feel the best way to do so was by moving to Israel,” he said in an interview with ynetnews. “I’ve always had a strong Jewish identity.”
Despite not being well-versed in the art of producing concerts, Dylan still chose his pal to oversee all business operations of his famed Rolling Thunder Revue shows in late 1975 through the spring of 1976. “If you can sell fish, you can sell tickets,” he wryly told Louie who, in turn, accepted his friend’s o er.
Rolling Thunder Revue has often been cited by rock fans – and hard-to-please Dylan devotees – as among the finest of all his tours.
Much of Dylan & Me:
50 Years of Adventures is devoted to Louie’ successful ability to bring his buddy Bobby back home to his Jewish roots. In fact, when Bobby asked Louie to live with him for three years in Brentwood, California, between 1980 and 1983, not only did he oblige, but he introduced Bobby to prominent Jewish figures he knew from back home in Minnesota. Chabad educator Rabbi Manis Friedman was among them. Rabbi Friedman soon taught Bob Dylan “the Jewish version of the meaning of life,” says Louie.
It was like Herzl Camp all over again.
“It had become my mission to help Bobby find the spiritual fulfillment his soul was yearning for in Judaism – the religion of his ancestors,” writes Louie. “I would introduce many more rabbis and observant Jews to Bobby, each bringing with him a brick to strengthen the foundation of his faith.”
Two of Dylan’s sons, Jakob and Jesse, had their barmitzvahs at the Kotel in the early 80s, and his kids also attended Herzl Camp. “I think most people know I was raised Jewish,” says Jakob Dylan, Bob’s son and storied singer-songwriter in his own right. Jakob is the lead singer of The Wallflowers.
Today Bob Dylan remains a staunch supporter of Chabad, in large part due to the insistence and e orts by his devoted friend.
“We saw each other from the inside out, not outside like everyone else did,” concludes Louie, who says that he plans to write a book about making aliyah and his newfound life in Israel. “Our history is very real.”
Bob Dylan, left, with Louie Kemp and (inset top) at Jewish camp. Inset right: Kemp as he is today. Inset left: his book on life with Dylan
Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown
By Candice Krieger candicekrieger@googlemail.com
DRIVING FORCE FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS
Co-founder of Green Tomato Cars was so impressed with tool that enabled him to save his firm from collapse he now empowers others to use it too
ntrepreneur Jonny Goldstone knows about the highs and lows of running a business. His environmentally friendly taxi company, Green Tomato Cars, was on the brink of collapse. But with just hours to go until the company was taken into administration, Goldstone managed to pull o a dramatic rescue, steering it back to profitability and overseeing its successful sale to Addison Lee in 2023.
His secret weapon? The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), designed by Gino Wickman to help companies run and scale their businesses effectively.
“I discovered EOS as part of the turnaround of Green Tomato Cars by reading Gino Wickman’s book Traction,” he says. “It outlines his set of simple and practical tools that entrepreneurs can use. I had no idea there was such an operating model but in hindsight, it makes perfect sense.”
So convinced was he by the transforma-
tive power of the EOS method, Goldstone decided to leave GTC after its profitable sale to Addison Lee to reinvent himself as a professional EOS implementer.
Today, he dedicates his time to helping businesses navigate their own challenges and unlock their full potential.
“My mission is to empower 1,000 business leaders to achieve their goals by 2035.”
So what is EOS? “It’s like an instruction manual for your business,” says Goldstone, 48. “It is a set of simple tools and principles that help businesses get organised, set clear goals, and run more smoothly.” It focuses on improving leadership, accountability and teamwork so that companies can grow and solve problems effectively.
EOS has been adopted by more than
275,000 companies worldwide and more than 2 million entrepreneurs use resources from Wickman’s Traction Library, which o ers guidance on implementing the principles.
Goldstone notes that he’s not a consultant.
“It’s about coaching from the sidelines and empowering leadership teams to use the tools independently. I want to teach businesses to be self-reliant,” he says. He works with privately-held businesses, typically with revenues between £1m and £200m, and also offers pro-bono coaching – such as for the leadership team at New North London Synagogue, where he is a member. “This is my way of giving back.”
returned to the UK and Goldstone founded Piccnicc, a Deliveroo-style service for people visiting large spaces – airports, sports stadiums, train stations, exhibition centres, hospitals and the like.
Having successfully raised seed capital in 2016 and while he was preparing to partner with Gatwick Airport, the deal was pulled at the 11th hour. Goldstone, who had taken out a second mortgage, was able to return the majority of funds to investors in 2017.
In a twist of fate, the managing director of GTC contacted Goldstone a couple of weeks later, asking him to step in temporarily while the company was being prepared for sale. What started as a short-term commitment turned into a life-defining challenge. Transdev, which owned GTC, had struggled to find a buyer, and the business teetered again on the brink of administration.
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Back to Goldstone’s journey. A Cambridge graduate, he launched Green Tomato Cars in 2006 as an eco-conscious alternative to traditional private hire services. The company quickly gained traction and was sold to multinational transport company Transdev in 2010.
But the road ahead was far from smooth. In 2013, Goldstone relocated to the United States with plans to expand GTC into Washington DC.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. “Uber was growing and making a real stink in Washington specifically,” he recalls, referencing the controversial ‘Greyball’ incident where Uber allegedly used software to spy on senators.
Goldstone’s plans to operate under the Green Tomato brand were blocked, and the expansion ended in failure. “In hindsight, it was the worst place possible to try to do it. It was an amazing experience as a family but a disaster as a business.”
After two years, Goldstone and his family
Goldstone and business partner Joe Bitran took back control of the company from Transdev and had just three to four months of cash flow left to stabilise the business. “The market had shifted drastically, with Uber reshaping the private hire industry. We literally had hours before everyone lost their jobs and would not get paid. It was the worst position I’d ever been in.”
Recognising GTC’s unique value proposition – its focus on sustainability and personal service – Goldstone pivoted away from directly competing with Uber. “I streamlined operations, reducing head o ce costs by 60-70 percent, and implemented more ecient insurance and overhead strategies.
“Having been blown away by Gino Wickman’s book around this time, I started to implement EOS in the business.”
Revenues started to grow and within two years GTC went from losing £2m annually to turning a £2m profit, with margins exceeding 20 percent, a rarity in the private hire industry.
A breakthrough came during the pandemic when GTC, which had a contract with the NHS contract, provided transport for key healthcare workers at a time when many taxi companies, reliant on airport traffic, were struggling. This was followed by a milestone moment in 2021 when GTC was appointed as the official government transport provider for the C26 climate summit in Glasgow, driving world leaders and their delegations around Scotland.
In 2023, Goldstone oversaw the sale of GTC to Addison Lee for an undisclosed sum. “I was losing my passion for the business and decided it was time to move on and use my experience to help others.” This was when he trained to become a professional EOS implementer and today he has a growing roster of clients.
“Even the toughest challenges can lead to extraordinary opportunities. Resilience, paired with the right tools, can drive lasting success,” he says.
Jonny Goldstone
Jonny and co-founder Tom Pakenham at the launch of GTC in 2006
MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA
BY RABBI ALEX CHAPPER BOREHAMWOOD & ELSTREE SYNAGOGUE
We have become accustomed to broken promises, from political leaders reneging on manifesto pledges to advertisers selling products or services that fail to live up to the hype. Should we lower our expectations and no longer be surprised when a promise is not kept?
This is a question we grapple with as we read about one of the worst sins.
Standing at the foot of Mount Sinai, waiting for Moses to return with the Ten Commandments, the Jewish people gathered around Aharon and demanded: “Make us gods that will go before us.” Despite Aharon’s attempts to stall them, they fashioned the Golden Calf. Can you imagine doing anything worse, at that time and in that place? It is like a rabbi
going away for a month and returning a day later than expected to find people eating bacon sandwiches in his shul!
Therefore, we can understand why God reacts angrily and tells Moses: “Go down, for your people that you have brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.
“They have quickly turned away from the path that I have commanded them; they have made themselves a molten calf. And they have bowed down before it, slaughtered sacrifices to it and called it their god!”
In his anger, God is emphatic he will wipe out the entire people and start again to build a great nation. But Moses pleads on behalf of the people and, knowing that the very survival of the nation depends on it, he employs every possible argument.
His chief defence is to say to God: “Remember Avraham, Yitzchak and Yisrael, to whom you swore yourself and said, ‘I will multiply your seed like the stars
of the heavens, and all this land which I said that I would give to your seed, they shall keep it as their possession forever.’’’
Rashi quotes the midrash to explain Moses’ case. He emphasised to God that he himself had made a promise, sworn an oath to our ancestors and that destroying the entire Jewish nation would be in violation of his oath to our forefathers to multiply their o spring and grant them the Land of Israel as an inheritance.
Although it could be argued that the sin of the Golden Calf meant the people had forfeited their rights and voided the covenant, God’s hands were tied as he had made a promise which could not be broken. Therefore, God relented and the people were saved.
Despite how critical a condition the Jewish people were in at that moment, with their very
survival in the balance, there is one simple point that emerges from this whole episode: a promise is a promise. If you make a promise, you cannot break it; you must keep it. Even if you are God and your people have committed a terrible sin, you still have to keep it.
In the most dramatic way, here we are reminded we must never underestimate the importance of keeping our promises.
A promise from Rachel Reeves (or anyone) is a promise
Progressive Judaism
LEAP OF FAITH
RABBI MONIQUE MAYER
Is there a more quintessentially British directive than ‘Keep calm and carry on’? Yet human beings are not meant to suppress their emotions for long periods of time, and doing so can lead to physical and mental health issues.
As we recovered from the isolation of Covid, the Jewish community was traumatised by 7 October.
We are all su ering from exhaustion, bereavement and despair as devastating events continue to unfold. This is, of course, compounded by the struggles in our day-to-day lives.
Yet Jewish tradition can help us to address mental health challenges. At the most basic level, we are encouraged to help each other. Kol yisrael aravim zeh bazeh – “Every Jew has the
responsibility to care for and support each other” (BT Shav 39a).
We read in the Talmud (BT Ber 5b): that Rabbi Johanan once fell ill. Rabbi Hanina went to visit him and said to him: “Are your su erings welcome to you?” Johanan replied: “Neither they nor their reward.” Hanina said to him: “Give me your hand.” He gave him his hand and he raised him. Why could Rabbi Johanan not raise himself? They replied: “The prisoner cannot free himself from jail.”
It’s unclear what ailed Johanan, but we could understand this as a mental health issue. When Johanan acknowledged that he did not welcome his su erings, he wanted to alleviate them but was stuck. The Sages, in their wisdom, understood that when one is imprisoned by one’s mind, when they can’t think beyond their present circumstances, they need someone to help them out.
To find how we help each other, we can look to the core declaration of faith in our Torah: Shema Yisrael YHVH elokeinu, YHVH echad –“Listen, Israel! The Eternal is our God, the Eternal is one.”
Reciting this a rmation, we might overlook the most important word in relation to our fellow human beings – Shema (listen). Listening is part of our Jewish DNA. We may do a lot of talking (and often we do), but the Shema indicates that listening is at least as important as expressing ourselves.
Key to listening e ectively is to practise empathy, not sympathy. When we o er sympathy, we pity, we diminish the other’s experience, we talk about ourselves, we try to fix the other or to make things better. Or worse, when someone says
they’re feeling sad or angry or depressed, we don’t acknowledge their feelings at all. Listening with empathy means sitting with the other person in their pain, enabling them to express their true feelings without judgement. With empathy, we might reflect back the other’s feelings, showing they have been heard, or we may choose to remain silent.
As my colleague Rabbi Neil Blumofe shared: “Instead of ‘Don’t just stand there, say something,’ think ‘Don’t just say something, stand there.’” Our listening presence is perhaps the greatest gift we can give to another who is su ering. Empathy goes beyond merely hearing the words. We learn in Pirkei Avot (6:8) that we acquire Torah through attentive listening and an understanding heart. In so doing we share their burden, making it lighter.
And each time we find ourselves slipping into judgment, wishing our friend would “lighten up” we should remember that, like us, they too are made in God’s image – b’tselem Elokim – and deserve the care and empathetic listening that we would want, were we in their shoes.
Resist the urge to slip into judgment
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