Jewish News Rosh Hashana Supplement 970

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29 SEPTEMBER 2016

Rosh Supplement

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29 September 2016

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Rosh Hashanah / A lighter look at the news

NOW AND PEN:

A TOONFUL LOOK BACK AT THE YEAR

A

s Jewish News’ resident cartoonist, Paul Solomons is programmed to see the funny side of things, be they good, bad or inscrutable. His perspective on news and politics gives us all a laugh each week.

In terms of inspiration, he was spoilt for choice.

“The Brexit campaign and aftermath has been a cartoonist’s dream,” he says. “It had everything that you would normally expect to find in a biblical epic, a Shakespearean play, or a Hollywood blockbuster. And it’s the story that keeps on giving. It hasn’t been as much fun being a cartoonist since the horsemeat scandal. “I thought the Olympics were great, too. Not many Jews on the podium, but setting off late is in our genes, so I suppose that’s to be expected.”

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A lighter look at the news / Rosh Hashanah

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Rosh Hashanah / New year greetings

OUR NEW YEAR

RABBI EPHRAIM MIRVIS

RABBI LAURA JANNER-KLAUSNER

Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth

Senior Rabbi, Movement for Reform Judaism

#PrayersForParis #PrayersForMunich #PrayersForBrussels.

If these popular sentiments from social media are anything to go by, it seems that the world is rarely more united in prayer than after devastating terrorist attacks. In July, after the particularly brutal murder of a beloved Catholic Priest in Normandy, one Twitter user responded to my own message in despair: “The time for prayer is long gone,” he said. I couldn’t disagree more.

The Hebrew word that we use for the act of prayer – ‘Lehitpalell’ – actually means to sit in judgement of oneself. You see, prayer is not something that God needs from us, but it is certainly something that we need for ourselves.

At this time of year, through focusing on prayer, we acknowledge that we are all imperfect, that we can improve our ways and that we must do better with the life that we have been blessed with.

Last Rosh Hashanah we could barely have imagined the international political and social upheaval that we would see in the coming year. All around us, the world seems in turmoil. Unspeakable terrorist atrocities in Israel, Europe and beyond seem ever more frequent. We are challenged by economic uncertainty and the values of tolerance and peace seem to be giving way to polarisation and sectarianism.

These are not problems that any one of us can solve alone but, I sincerely believe that if we can all find the courage to stop trying to change others and focus instead on changing ourselves, we will eventually change the world.

May this coming year be one filled with only peace and reconciliation among the peoples of the world.

Valerie and I extend to you all our very best wishes for a happy and fulfilling new year.

It has been a turbulent year. Close to home, concerns of anti-semitism have increased in our political system and we have experienced the division in society and subsequent violence caused by the EU referendum. In our spiritual home of Israel, the knife intifada brought tragedy to the streets again. Across the world, there have been countless people seeking refuge from violence and war.

Many are yet to find it.

However, as we anticipate the new year, we draw strength from our collective history and tradition, knowing that it has always been the Jewish way to face adversity and to persevere through it in the best way we can. Halacha, the Hebrew word for the Jewish law which inspires how we live, more accurately translates as “the way to go”. Living as a Jew has always been about coming together to find the best “way to go” through times of concern; to face the world and keep moving forwards.

In the year ahead, may we continue to be strong and strengthen one another – chazak, chazak v’nitchazek. Let’s work together to make “a sweet new year” not only a greeting, but a reality for ourselves and the world we share.

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RABBI DANNY RICH Chief Executive, Liberal Judaism On behalf of the Board of National Officers, the Rabbinic Conference and the 40 constituent communities of Liberal Judaism I send a hope for a sweet Rosh Hashanah to the staff and readers of Jewish News.

The past year has been one of great potential change for the citizens of Britain and a number of Jews have expressed anxieties about the future.

The genius of the Yamin Nora’im is that the season permits us to acknowledge our failings and our fears but, at the same time, offers each one of us the possibility of renewal.

In his Judaism as Creed and Life (Macmillian: London (1903), page 255) Morris Joseph (1848-1930) observed: “Life is so frail and fleeting, we must begin this serious use of it at once, and begin by entering upon the task of self-examination and self-enoblement which is its essential preliminary. “ A new year, say the rabbis, should inaugurate a new life. May 5777 be a year of renewal for us all.

RABBI JOSEPH DWECK Senior Rabbi, S&P Sephardi Community If we were asked to predict the outcome of a year at its beginning, we would likely fall short of approximating any of it accurately. This year, no different from those before it, had its predictable elements that were anticipated when the year began last Rosh Hashanah: The American presidential election, the Olympics and of course Adele’s world tour. But the actual unfolding of events were hardly foreseen.

Brexit, for example, wasn’t quite on our radar last Rosh Hashanah.

So it is with each year. None of us can truly calculate what will come to pass. We speak of God in this mysterious and surprising capacity, as Rav haAliliya — the Great Mover. It is this aspect of God and His world that keeps the unknown coming and challenges us to be aware at all times. The best way to engage with an unforeseen reality is to build a rapport with its Divine source.

There is value to life’s unpredictability — even the elements that are not pleasant or welcome. They require us to acknowledge that there is a limit to our ability to control the outcome. The unexpected prompts us to surrender our tendency to manipulate and instead practise responding faithfully and responsively.

As Viktor Frankl famously wrote: ‘The last of human freedoms [is] to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way’.

The surprises that come to us in our lives charge us to maintain integrity, for consistency of character is the best source of stability against any turbulence that comes our way.

The High Holy Days are the times set aside for us all to carefully examine our virtues and inner worlds. It is in this commitment to building strong, faithful identities, that we ask God to record us for Life.

On behalf of the Sephardi Community of the UK, I wish readers of Jewish News, Shana Tova.

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New year greetings / Rosh Hashanah

WISHES

Communal and political leaders share their hopes and aspirations for a sweet and prosperous 5777

RABBI JONATHAN WITTENBERG

THERESA MAY

Senior Rabbi, Masorti Judaism

The Prime Minister

In the blessings before we blow the shofar, we acknowledge God who has commanded us ‘to listen’ to its sound.

There is always awed silence before that first cry of the shofar. But what exactly is it to which we are supposed to be attentive in its mysterious call?

I hope we hear in the broken shevarim note the anguish of those lives which are crushed in this often cruel world.

I hope we feel in the weeping teruah note the sorrow of those left frightened and lonely amidst their tears and that their cries awaken in us deeper understanding and compassion.

I hope we hear in the long tekiah the call of faith and hope itself and that it inspires us to work with greater courage for all that is right, beautiful and worthwhile.

I hope we hear in the bare shofar, fashioned from an animal’s horn, the raw, plaintive outcry of all animate existence, of nature itself, and that it moves us to act for the safe future of this wonderful planet we share with all life.

I hope, too, that we hear the silence between the shofar’s notes and that it opens our hearts.

Leshanah Tovah. May this be a good, peaceful and fulfilling year in which we, all Israel and all humankind are inspired to do what is compassionate, just and good.

I want to wish the Jewish community in Britain and around the world a very happy and peaceful new year.

At this special time of celebration and prayer, we remember the tremendous contribution made by Britain’s Jewish community to this country over the years, and we also think about the opportunities ahead not only for ourselves, but for our country.

I want to ensure that Britain is a place where all our communities can flourish. So – as the Jewish new year begins – I want to renew my unshakeable vow to stand by our Jewish community now and for the years to come. We must redouble our efforts to stamp out shameful and sickening anti-Semitism, and as Prime Minister – and working in partnership with you – I will do everything in my power to protect your community, and indeed all our communities.

May the coming year bring you health and prosperity. I wish you all a Shana Tova.

JONATHAN ARKUSH President, Board of Deputies In 5776 the Board of Deputies’ profile was raised to a new high.

We are setting and leading the national agenda on the matters which count for Jews in this country.

When allegations of anti-Semitism emerged in Labour we confronted the problem head-on, raising concerns robustly in a face-to-face meeting with party leader Jeremy Corbyn. We made a detailed submission to the Chakrabarti Inquiry into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and responded to what we saw as the shortcomings in her report.

This has been the most tumultuous year in British political life in living memory, with a decision by referendum to leave the European Union and a new government. Throughout it all the Board of Deputies has been heard as the clear and calm voice of British Jews, addressing the issues with clarity and firmness of purpose.

We continue to be staunch defenders of Jewish schools. When the Hebrew GCSE and A-level came under threat again this year, we successfully campaigned to protect it.

We have continued to interact through all levels of government, from desk officer to secretaries of state. This year, we produced the first Jewish manifestos for the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish elections and are planning seminars for local councillors across the country.

In 5777, we will continue to represent your interests as only a democratically elected body can. May this new year bring you, your families and all of Am Yisrael health, strength and peace.

JEREMY CORBYN Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition Shana Tova. As Jewish communities here in Britain and around the world, gather to celebrate the High Holy Days, I want to extend my warmest greetings. This is a sacred and beautiful time for contemplation, celebration and new beginnings. This is my promise to you, Labour must and will be a party that represents all communities across Britain, to challenge inequality and injustice wherever we find it. But I can’t do this alone. I need your help to make the Labour Party a strong representative and vibrant community.

In 5777 I will continue to fight for a Britain where the young can afford homes, where communities are not pulled apart by house prices, where the old are not isolated, and on their own, to create a country that works for everyone and not just a privileged few. Let us usher in a happy and peaceful new year together, to campaign for our shared values of peace, justice and equality. Shana Tova u’Metukah.

TIM FARRON Leader, Liberal Democrats At a time when the politics of division and hate are driving divisions in Britain, it is important that those of us who believe in openness and tolerance proudly celebrate the diverse cultures of communities throughout our country. Britain has been consistently enriched and strengthened by their contributions, not least that of the Jewish community.

Rosh Hashanah and the High Holy Days offer an opportunity to reflect on the year which has passed, to renew ourselves and to make a new beginning. In politics, this opportunity to reflect, take stock and begin afresh is all too rare, and I hope to join the spirit of this season and do some reflection of my own.

Meanwhile I wish you all a happy, and reflective, new year. L’Shana Tova.

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THE HERO HEALER An injured soldier who saves children is just one of Shaare Zedek’s superheroes. Noga Tarnopolsky met him

I

f Asael Lubotzky were a doctor in the UK, heads would turn when he entered a hospital. Handsome, confident and with a ready smile, he is the sort of man who attracts attention, but it is the specially modified crutches on which he leans that would set him apart. Sadly this is not the case in Israel, where the sight of a young man with battle scars is all too commonplace and where Lubotzky, the senior resident in pediatric medicine at Jerusalem’s iconic Shaare Zedek hospital, inhabits two worlds, as that of healer and of the walking wounded.

If people stare at Lubotsky in the hospital, it is not because they are fascinated by his crutches with torches on the handles and suction pads on the base, but because they recognise him as the young doctor who has become something of a celebrity since publishing a memoir that turned into a local bestseller.

His book, From the Wilderness and Lebanon, is about his experience of battling the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon where, in 2006 at the age of 23, he was a lieutenant in the Golani brigade commanding a platoon of 30 soldiers.

Lubotzky was almost killed when a missile registered a direct hit on the spot on which he was standing in the tank. He survived with extensive wounds and with one leg so badly mangled his doctors were close to amputating it.

Lubotzky’s circumstances are extraordinary by any standard, but at Shaare Zedek, which in English means Gates of Justice, they have been treating the war wounded for almost 115 years and the hospital permeates with stories like his that beggar belief.

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Thanking our Thanking supporters and Thanking our supporters and Thanking our our supporters andsupporters and wishing everyone wishing everyone wishing Thanking our everyone supporters and happy, healthy and peaceful wishing aaThanking everyone Thanking our supporters supporters and and happy, healthy and peaceful aour happy, healthy and peaceful wishing everyone New Year 5777 wishing everyone wishing everyone New Year 5777 a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year 5777 a happy, healthy and peaceful a happy, healthy and peaceful a happy, healthy and New Year 5777peaceful NewNew YearYear 57775777 New Year 5777 Esther & Simon Bentley together with Esther &atSimon BentleyUK together with everyone Yad Vashem Foundation everyone at Yad VashemEsther UK Foundation & Simon

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Rosh Hashanah / Festival forages

Bidding for the

CHAGIM I

t is not the most obvious thing to do ahead of the chagim, but eBay enthusiasts don’t need much of an excuse to peruse the global shop window.

A gift that defies explanation or serves as a talking point at a family gathering is as good a reason as any to look around and see what eBay throws up when you enter the words Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Succot. There are the obvious things like candlesticks and festival colouring books, but there’s also some strange, unusual and unexpected items that money can buy.

From crumbling, useless museum entry tickets to yom tov gifts for your cockapoo, here are some of the most eye-catching things on offer…

HISTORIC NEWSPAPERS If you want to brush up on your history this Helpline General Flyer_Layout 1 copy Yom 14-047-AW Kippur,Jewish why not invest nearly £100 in 2 nine issues of the Jerusalem Post? From the

time of the 1973 Yom Kippur war, the pages show the original coverage of the event – and are in “generally good condition”, as the seller takes pains to point out. “Most of these issues were bought to keep and not to read,” he writes, helpfully adding, “but there are smaller tears, paper discolouration and creases… these papers are almost 40 years old. Even new papers have some tears and creases.”

PRESENTS FOR THE PET How’s it fair that you, your husband and your kids all get new outfits, but poor old Fluffy and bouncy Rover are left out of the festivities? That’s why it’s important to make a bid on a special collar artfully decorated with stars of David.

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Deborah Cicurel perused eBay for Rosh Hashanah items you never knew you needed ANCIENT LOTTERY TICKETS If you’re pretty into your Judaica, you’ll like this little slice of history: an old lottery ticket from the 1960s. It’ll set you back about £5, but it’s safe to bet that you won’t win this week’s lotto.

GIFTS FOR THE DOLL’S HOUSE If you enjoy studying Torah and think your dolls should too, luckily for you, there are plenty of Jewish books in miniature sizes. You can pick from minuscule song books so your toys can brush up on their musical skills, siddurim so they can pray, and even a teeny-tiny lulav and etrog so if, Toy Story-style, the inhabitants of the doll’s house were to come alive, they could keep up with Succot traditions just like you.

PAST-IT AND USELESS TICKETS Of all the things you could collect – stamps, postcards or fridge magnets – if you decided to collect meaningless, useless tickets, eBay’s the place for you. Redundant, used tickets to Jewish museums around the world are on offer all over the site, and for only £5 (more than the cost of entry to most of the museums the tickets are from) you can have your very own bit of scrap shipped halfway across the world. But there’s a home for everything, right?

COOL COOKIE CUTTERS To add some extra pizzazz into the high holiday proceedings, why not ditch the standard, boring cookie shapes and mould your delicious desserts into Hebrew words such as “Yom Tov” and “Chag Sameach”? You’ll be on the Great British Bake Off before you know it, even if it is on Channel 4.

BEAUTIFUL BIBS You can’t have your baby spilling his apple and honey all over himself at the table. Little ones have got to look stylish when all your guests come over for the new year’s dinner or to break the fast – why not snap up a hilarious and cute bib on eBay? My personal favourite is the one that reads “future doctor”.

You can never start to think about your children’s job prospects early enough, apparently.

TEN COMMANDMENTS If you’ve been sinful this year and you need to remind yourself more frequently of how to follow all the commandments, you can buy your very own set of tablets for your wall. They’ll set you back quite a few hundred pounds, but how can you put a price on bringing back a special slice of synagogue to your own home?

PRAYER BOOKS If you’re keen for your machzor to mean a bit more than a quick trip to the bookstore in Golders Green, why not invest in a prayer book from eBay? There are hundreds to pick from, with a variety of origins, and some even date back centuries. Just make sure no one puts your special purchase into the pile of communal prayer books in synagogue, because you’ll never see it again.

SOME STRING FOR GOOD LUCK If you haven’t been accosted by men trying to sell you some in Jerusalem recently, and you want to follow in Madonna’s footsteps, buying a red ‘Kabbalah’ string on eBay is an option. Belief that it will protect you from the evil eye is optional, but definitely encouraged.

A TEMPLE YOU CAN BUILD YOURSELF While we love the time off work and school, there’s no denying that all that time at home can be taxing at times. Once the novelty of Articulate, Monopoly and Scrabble wears off, what do you do? We’ve got a perfect, festival-appropriate option for you: your very own 3D jigsaw puzzle, which lets you build the Beit Hamikdash (or at least, a tiny, less impressive version) in your own home. That’ll keep the kids busy for hours.

29 September 2016 Jewish News

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Rosh Hashanah / Festival Food

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DELIcious DELIightful As their customers run around frantically shopping for the chagim, Debra Barnes asked deli owners to look back at the year and reveal their new year specialties Photos by Adam Stoller

B KOSHER EXTRA Rivka Schtraks “This has been our first complete year in business [the Golders Green branch] and I have been blown away by the success of our speciality ranges.

Forty percent of our customers are French-speaking and they particularly like our French delicacies, such as tinned truffles, confit duck thighs, boutargue (dried smoked cod roe) and feuilles de brick filo pastry as well as our massive cheese selection. We have customers from Nigeria, North Africa, Sweden... all over the world!”

“Our Rosh Hashanah speciality is our tinned truffles which, at £32.50, are not cheap, but they are really popular especially in yomtov North African dishes and we are the only shop that sell it here.”

121-123 Golders Green Road, Golders Green, London, NW11 8HR

NAT JACOBS Moishi Schmahl (pictured with fishmonger Michael) “The past year has really seen the business expand from just a fishmonger to a deli. As well as selling to our regular customers, we also cater for functions now and we’ve even delivered to Westcliff for an event.

We supply caterers and other shops, and we’ve started to sell sushi too.

“Fish is perfect for the new year and as regards our Rosh Hashanah speciality, we sell everything from traditional carp and gefilte fish to more deli-style fried haddock and plaice, herring and salads.”

7 The Promenade, Edgware HA8 7JZ

KOSHER DELI Jack Bendahan

“As part of our commitment to giving back to the community, we raised £4,000 for Jewish Care with the help of our customers, and we partner with GIFT and Keren Shabbat, enabling families in need to be able to have chicken for Shabbat. We’ve also undertaken various projects to improve our customers’ experience from shop renovations, a new website and great offers like the one on roasters during July – they were going cheep!”

“As for our Rosh Hashanah speciality, prime bola is a secondary cut to roast beef and makes a great yomtov meal, as do lamp chops or turkey breast for a healthier option.”

13 The Promenade, Edgware HA8 7JZ

29 September 2016 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

RH11

Festival Food / Rosh Hashanah FLAX’S FOODS

KOSHER KINGDOM

“This year, Flax’s has celebrated 25 years serving the Bushey community, which has been a great honour for us and we would like to thank all of our customers for their support.

“We have lovely yomtov dried fruit gifts and different types of honey to welcome in the sweet new year and help you celebrate with family and friends.”

“As soon as our customers tell us what is missing, we do our best to get it in. This year, we have continued to expand our product selection, particularly in our party & colour paper goods section, the new slush machine and our extensive cake decorating aisle. We bring the vibrancy of American supermarket shopping to the UK.” “Our Rosh Hashanah specialities are the sweets gifts from our brand new Candy

Eyal Gold (with Mitchell Swillman)

43 High Road, Bushey WD23 1EE

first in the UK and now we’re selling them in Selfridges!

Fortnum & Mason stock our plain and black bagels.

“We’ve got all the yomtov favourites like delicious fried fish, fish balls, herring, handsliced smoked salmon plus, of course, fresh challahs and rolls.”

Rivki Rokach

105 The Broadway, Mill Hill, London NW7 3TG

Corner. Customers can fill a free container from a choice of more than 130 types of sweets, including mazeltov taffy and Shabbos candy. We also stock delicious honey lollipops and honey stix.”

7 Russell Parade, Golders Green Road, London NW11 9NN

YUMMIES

Lawrence Samuels “We’ve been overwhelmed by the success of our rainbow bagels. The day after watching them being made by a New York bakery on a Facebook video, I had bought all the ingredients and made the first batch. We were the

! a v o T a n Sha

With your help Boys Town Jerusalem can look forward to another remarkable year Boys Town Jerusalem takes boys from the edges of Israeli society and provides them with an exceptional education, focusing on technology, coupled with unparalleled pastoral care.

To support Jerusalem’s most remarkable school this Rosh Hashana go to www.boystownjerusalem.org.uk/support-btj or call 020 8090 8421 Reg. Charity number: 1100332

RH12

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Jewish News 29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah / Festival Food

NEW YEAR,

new dishes Alex Galbinski leafs through the latest cookery books to spice up your Rosh Hashanah and everyday menu FOR THE SEASONAL COOK The Seasonal Jewish Kitchen: A Fresh Take On Tradition – Amelia Saltsman (published by Sterling, distributed in UK by GMC Distribution, £25)

Of Romanian and Iraqi-Jewish heritage, Amelia Saltsman’s book includes recipes with a modern seasonal twist.

There is rustic chopped liver with an accompanying parsley and celery salad, a golden borscht with buttermilk and ginger, roasted carrot and sweet potato tzimmes, roast chicken with tangerines, green olives and silan (date syrup) and chocolate pavlovas with tangelo sorbet and Seville orange sauce.

Saltsman provides shopping tips and dairy/parev/vegan variations. Wonderful for the seasonal cook.

THE AMERICAN OTTOLENGHI Zahav – Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, £25)

Chef Michael Solomonov and co-author and business partner Steven Cook did for Israeli cooking in the United States what Ottolenghi has done here.

Years after opening their restaurant Zahav in Philadelphia in 2008, Israeli-born and US-raised Solomonov (who was named ‘chef of the year’ in 2014), has shared his and Cook’s recipes in this heavy and personal tome.

I look forward to trying so many recipes, but particularly the many types of hummus (which put their restaurant on the map), salatim, the fried aubergine with tehina and pomegranate seeds, chicken pastille with cinnamon and almonds, Solomonov’s mum’s coffee-braised brisket, his Persian rice....

A DESSERT FOR ANY OCCASION Something Sweet: Desserts, Baked Goods, and Treats for Every Occasion – Miriam Pascal (ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, £24.85 from www.lehmanns.co.uk)

This is Miriam Pascal’s debut cookbook but, as the creator of OvertimeCook.com, she is no novice in the kitchen.

Pascal has gathered a rapid following, her blog recipes are often shared on various Facebook recipe groups and she takes feedback seriously (see her no-margarine cookie recipes).

Pascal says: “There’s always room for something sweet!” So there is, and among the many recipes I want to try are her trail mix oatmeal cookies, Snickerdoodle bundt cake, cinnamon cheese buns, healthy apple spice muffins, fruit-filled pastry roses and her popular hot gooey caramel pie.

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What Levi and his brothers had to do to survive neglect is hard to swallow Before coming to live at Emunah’s Children’s Centre in Afula, Levi and his siblings were regularly left to find their own food – usually other people’s leftovers from bins.

Emunah in Israel cares for 12,000 children, many of whom have been severely neglected. This Rosh Hashanah, with your donation, we can help them to heal, thrive, succeed and reach their full potential.

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29 September 2016 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

RH13

Festival Food / Rosh Hashanah TASTY FOOD WITH A STUNNING BACKDROP AND STORIES THAT INSPIRE

A LOVE-SONG TO MEDITERRANEAN JEWISH COOKING

Israel Eats – Steven Rothfeld (Gibbs Smith, £22.50)

The New Mediterranean Jewish Table: Old World Recipes for the Modern Home – Joyce Goldstein (University of California Press, £29.95)

Photographer Steven Rothfeld had avoided visiting Israel until a chance encounter in Italy with an Israeli planted a seed in his mind. Twenty-seven years later, he finally made it and travelled the length and breadth of the country for several months, being invited into the homes of Israeli farmers, cooks, chefs and artisans.

The result is a beautiful book containing stories, recipes, and photos of Israel’s food culture, including roasted beet carpaccio, fried artichokes with labneh, siniya of sea bass, freekeh tabbouleh with preserved lemon vinaigrette and vegan chocolate mint cake ... but the stories of the people behind the food stay with you as well as the recipes.

This book of updated and modernised Mediterranean recipes by the American doyenne of Jewish cooking Joyce Goldstein is reminiscent of Claudia Roden’s Book of Jewish Food.

Along with the recipes that are based on or inspired by dishes from Sephardic, Maghrebi and Mizrahi cultures, it gives the background to these individual communities.

There are no photos but plenty of food to inspire: baked fish with almond stuffing; lamb tagine with raisins, almonds and honey; Moroccan sardines marinated with lemon and cumin and Greek baked quince filled with walnuts.

A PALEO AND GLUTEN-FREE TAKE ON TRADITIONAL MEALS The New Yiddish Kitchen – Simone Miller and Jennifer Robins (Page Street Publishing Co, £18.99)

This book, written by Simone Miller and Jennifer Robins, two leaders in gluten-free and paleo cooking, taps into the current needs of those who don’t eat processed grains and/or dairy. The more than 100 traditional Jewish recipes have been re-worked to be grain, gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free, as well as kosher.

Recipes, from sections such as ‘Not-Your-Bubbe’s Appetizers and Soups’ and ‘Not So-Traditional Deli Fare’ include grain-free challah, matzo balls, charoset sweetened with coconut sugar, balsamic braised short ribs, smoky beef-stuffed aubergine, everything bagels with cashew cream cheese and blintzes with blueberry topping.

The UK Friends of the

Israel Guide Dog Centre

help raise awareness and

much needed funds for

Israel’s 23,000 registered blind and visually-

impaired people.

We need your help now to support the 36 new guide

dog partnerships we need to create this year, each

one costing around

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To donate or find out more please call 020 8090 3455 or email our UK Executive

Shana Tova to all our friends and

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supporters

Israel Guide Dog Centre for the Blind - PO Box 756, Borehamwood WD6 9JE www.israelguidedog.org.uk UK registered charity no: 1027996

FRENCH CLASSICS THE KOSHER WAY Le Marais: A Rare Steakhouse… Well Done – Mark Hennessey and Jose Meirelles (Gefen, £25.99)

The fact I can still remember how good was a steak from New York’s Le Marais restaurant back in 2009 is testament to the talents of its chefs. Owner Jose Meirelles is Portuguese and not Jewish and executive chef Mark Hennessey is an Irish-Italian Catholic. No matter – they have created what former US senator Joe Lieberman calls “one of the finest and most successful kosher restaurants in the US”.

With this irreverent book (“Desserts gives us that one last opportunity to show off our skills before they head out to the car and have the inevitable conversation of grading your efforts”), we can recreate French classics such as braised duck legs with white pearl onions and petite pois, frisée aux [veal] lardons, and caramelised quince charlotte. I can’t wait!

RH14

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Jewish News 29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah / Festival Wine

SPIRIT GETTING INTO THE

I

t’s wine, Jim. But not as we know it....”

Have I imagined this? Or do I recall Spock saying these words during the Star Wars episode where they visit the Upper West Side, get invited to Friday night supper – and drink kosher wine?

That syrupy red stuff, what was it like? It had its uses – but ‘making food taste better’ was nowhere in the list. Thankfully, times have changed.

“There’s been a real revolution,” says kosher wine expert Abbie Deutsch. “You’ve now got wine producers in Israel, France, Spain and Italy, all producing high quality kosher wine.

It didn’t used to be this way.”

Change started in the 1990s, when a winery in the Golan Heights produced, seemingly out of nowhere, a stylish red called Katzrin. The world sipped – and took notice.

“It was a revelation,” said Abbie, manager of The Wine Cellar in Stamford Hill. “Conoisseurs couldn’t believe a relatively unknown winery could produce such a wine. But it was no fluke.

Today, a bottle of Katzrin 2003 will cost you £500. Even some of the recent vintages are £100 a bottle. And the

winery – Yarden – has become one of the giants of the international wine trade.”

Yarden’s success was built on a mixture of business acumen and the extraordinary climate of the Golan, where cold nights and warm daytime temperatures mimic the weather pattern of great wine areas such as Bordeaux.

Indeed, the nights are so cold that it’s possible to make ‘ice wine’ – they call it Heights Wine locally – from frozen grapes, concentrating the sugars and producing rich, complex, sweet pudding wines.

Suddenly, a whole palette of wines was emerging from the Golan – everything from award-winning bubbly to elegant whites and beautifully complex reds. And as the quality of kosher wine went through the roof, a lucrative new international market developed. “In business terms, it was the perfect circle,” said Abbie. “People who keep kosher suddenly had high quality wines to drink. So their interest developed. More people started to drink it, which meant more wineries were interested in making it.”

Many of the resulting wines are excellent – with some among the very best. And what better time of year to

Kosher wine has come of age and Rosh Hashanah is a good reason to open a bottle or two, says Steve Bailey enjoy them than Rosh Hashanah?

We’ve taken a look at The Wine Cellar’s shelves to come up with some of the best on the market and suggest a string of real winners.

If you want simple value for money, it’s here.

If, however, your City bonus is burning a hole in your pocket, there’s something for you, too.

Enjoy the chagim.

CHAMPAGNE AND SPARKLY

Budget: ‘Les Floreales’ Prosecco. Lively, lemony Italian bubbly at a bargain price – currently on special at £8.99 (down from £12.99).

The perfect aperitif, equally at home with fish. Can you afford not to?

Mid-price: Yarden Blanc de Blancs. Complex and elegant.

Lemon zest, apple and floral notes with a hint of creaminess. £25.99.

Great on its own or with a delicate cheese soufflé or smoked salmon.

Treat Time: Champagne Laurent Perrier. The real deal – and kosher! Pure class in a glass. Citrus and peach, a refined acidity, powdery bubbles... all beautifully structured. £105.

Come on, it’s that time of year.

WHITE WINES

Budget: Yasmin White. A Chardonnay/ Sauvignon Blanc blend from the Recanati winery in the Hefer Valley. Crisp, with notes of pear, citrus, aniseed and a hint of spice. Well worth the £11.99.

Drink on its own, or with fish and creamy cheeses.

Mid-price: Yarden Chardonnay.

A single-variety wine from the Odem Organic Vineyard, this classy white has fresh floral flavours tempered with a touch of minerality and a hint of biscuit.

Complex and with a long finish. £17.99. Try it with herb-crusted salmon or roast chicken.

Treat Time: Recanati Special Reserve White. A heady blend of Roussanne and Marsanne, skilfully matured in oak to produce a rich, complex and elegant white made only in a limited edition from the vineyard’s best grapes. One for the connoisseur. £29.99.

Fish, rich pasta dishes, chicken... you choose.

RED WINES

Budget: Gamla Merlot. Intense black fruit with a touch of orange zest and herbs from the Golan Heights. Great value at £11.99 (usually £16.50). An excellent accompaniment to lamb or roast duck.

Mid-price: Bazelet Hagolan Magma. A well-judged Cabernet/ Merlot blend with red fruit, a hint of liquorice and finely balanced tannins. Worth the £25. Red meat and cheeses will love it.

Treat Time: Metzuda Har Eitan.

A fabulous blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Shiraz barrel-matured to perfection for at least two years. A hint of chocolate on the nose, then lots of lush red fruit with notes of mint and cinammon. Utterly wonderful.

Limited to production of 1,000 bottles – and only produced on good years. £90 well spent.

Perfect with beef or lamb.

DESSERT WINE

I’m sorry, you want to drink budget or mid-price sweet white wine? I don’t know you.

Treat Time: Yarden Heights Wine.

Sweet and intense. Notes of apricot, lychee, honeysuckle and spice. Perfect with a mature Reblochon, tarte tatin or a rich baked cheesecake. A half bottle in a special case (the ideal New Year gift?) costs £14.99 – reduced from £20 for the celebration.

L’Shanah Tovah, uM’tukah!

Rabbi Lisa Barrett, Honorary Officers, Council and staff of SWESRS would like to wish the entire Jewish community a very Happy and Healthy New Year for 5777.

We invite you to join SWESRS members for the High Holydays Services at Oaks Lane, Newbury Park. FREE tickets for 18 – 27 year olds – Check out Jeneration.org website for further details.

Please call the Synagogue office for tickets and further information: 020 8599 0936 Throughout the year our doors are always open and we are happy to welcome you to our wonderful Choral, Family and Children’s Shabbat services, as well as our monthly table-top Chavurah Erev Shabbat services, groups and activities.

We would be delighted to see you at any time of the year….

Why not take a look at our website for further details? www.swesrs.org.uk

29 September 2016 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Fast breakers Sea Bass with Pistachio Crumbs

Whatever you’re doing over the holidays, Denise Phillips has some tasty and easy recipes for you

Serves: 6

When it comes to breaking the fast, you want a light tasty meal that is quick to make. This recipe is just that!

I first made this recipe while on my Sicilian cookery class this summer and just loved the simplicity of ingredients contrasting with great flavour and elegance. However, it can be enjoyed with your favourite potatoes and vegetables in season.

It is a quick and sumptuous sea bass recipe, perfect for dinner parties. Prepare the crumb mix in advance and then oven bake when your guests sit down.

METHOD

1 Place the bread and cheese in the food processor and pulse together until you get a cheese breadcrumb mixture.

2 Add the pistachio nuts and pulse gently so that you get a coarse texture.

3 Remove and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil.

4 Place the crumb mix evenly over each fillet. Press down firmly.

INGREDIENTS Preparation: 10 mins • Cooking Time: 10 mins

5 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas mark 6.

6 Line a tray with baking parchment paper. Add the sea bass, drizzle a little oil over the top for a golden coating.

6 sea bass fillets – pin boned skin on Stuffing 2 slices of brown bread 30g Parmesan/cheddar cheese 50g pistachio nuts 2 tablespoons of olive oil Salt and pepper to taste

Baked Salmon with Herb Tahini

RH15

7 Bake for 10 minutes.

9 Serve immediately.

Serves: 6

The criteria required for a top yom tov recipe, especially one to break the fast include: quick and easy, few ingredients, family-friendly, and can be enjoyed cold or warm.

This recipe does all of that and more, as it looks and tastes delicious too. I like to serve this with paprika roast potatoes and a selection of salads.

If preferred, it can be made using a whole salmon or trout fillets. All of the ingredients in both recipes can be bought from Sainsbury’s.

INGREDIENTS Preparation: 10 mins • Cooking Time: 20 mins

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC/170ºC fan/ Gas mark 4.

2 Place the salmon on a tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season well.

6 x150g salmon fillets – skinned and pin boned 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 140g Greek yoghurt/natural yoghurt 1 tablespoon of tahini 1 tablespoon of lemon juice 3 tablespoons each of fresh mint, coriander and flat leaf parsley – finely chopped Zest of 1 lemon 2 teaspoons of sumac 50g pine nuts – toasted Garnish 1 lemon – cut into wedges

3 Bake for about 20 minutes or until just cooked.

4 Remove from the oven to cool. Transfer to a platter.

5 Meanwhile, mix the yoghurt, tahini and lemon juice in a bowl and season.

6 In a separate bowl combine the chopped herbs, lemon zest, sumac and pine nuts.

7 Spread each salmon fillet with the tahini sauce and scatter with the herb mixture.

Sainsburys.co.uk

RH16

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Jewish News 29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah / Festival Food

JUST

DESSERTS

When it comes to breaking the fast, Denise Phillips suggests something light and not too sweet - “Certainly nothing rich and creamy!” These treats can be made in advance, enjoyed hot or cold and are ideal for your family

Crunchy Nut ‘Black Apple’ Crumble You can never have too many apple crumble recipes! This one is completely different from any of my other creations and is another family favourite to make time and time again. It is made with a gooey filling of blackberries and apple, hence the ‘black apple’ title, and topped with chopped marzipan and a crunchy coating of almond crumble.

PREPARATION TIME 30 minutes

METHOD

COOKING TIME 40-45 minutes

1 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/Gas mark 6.

Ingredients

6 large Granny Smith apples Juice of 1 lemon 300g blackberries 50g demerara sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon mixed spice 100g marzipan Crumble Topping

150g butter/non-dairy margarine – cut into cubes 200g plain flour 200g oats 50g demerara sugar 100g skin-on almonds – roughly chopped Zest of 2 lemons

SERVES 10 people

2 Place the apples in a large ovenware dish (1.6 litre).

3 Squeeze over the lemon juice, then gently stir in the blackberries, sugar and spices.

4 For the crumble, rub the flour and oats into the butter/margarine to make a coarse crumbly mixture.

5 Stir in the sugar, almonds and lemon zest.

6 Chop up the marzipan and dot it over the fruit evenly in the dish.

7 Sprinkle over the crumble mixture.

8 Place the dish on a baking tray and bake for about 45 minutes or until the topping is golden and fruit is juicy and tender.

Serve with custard or ice cream.

Vanilla Custard and Plumogranate Tray Bake Plumogranates are a hybrid fruit with the tanginess of pomegranates and the sweetness of plums. I found these in my local supermarket but this recipe can be made with plums if you cant find ‘plumograntes’. Enjoy as a dessert or with a cup of tea or coffee.

MAKES 16 squares PREPARATION TIME 30 cm with baking paper.

20 minutes

COOKING TIME 50 minutes

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter/non-dairy margarine 150g golden caster sugar 4 eggs 250g self-raising flour ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda Pinch salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 75g ready-made custard/non-dairy Alpro custard 5 Plumogranates – destoned and chopped 5 Plumogranates – sliced To serve: Golden syrup/honey

METHOD 1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan/Gas mark 4.

2 Grease and line a flat baking tin measuring 20cm x

3 Using an electric mixer, whisk the butter/margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy.

4 Beat in the eggs one at a time with some flour so the mixture does not curdle.

5 Fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

6 Add the vanilla extract, custard and chopped plums.

7 Spoon the mixture onto the prepared cake tin and smooth out.

8 Bake for 20 minutes then gently, without disturbing the mixture, remove from the oven.

9 Place the plumogranate slices in rows gently positioned on top.

10 Bake for a further 30 minutes or until golden.

11 Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To serve, drizzle with golden syrup or honey. Cut into squares and enjoy with more custard, cream or ice cream.

29 September 2016 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

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RH17

20/09/2016 09:28

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RH18

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Jewish News 29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah / Food

MY RESTAURANT,

MY ROSH HASHANAH

All year long they serve us in their restaurants. Louisa Walters asked Jewish restaurant owners what they will be serving at home for new year

JONNY KRANTZ owns Bluebelles in Portobello and Mill Hill

A TO DV AD BO ISA VA OK BLE NC IN E

Bluebelles café is open all year except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. “We may re-evaluate the latter on the basis that 1 January is a really good day for hangover brunch!” says Jonny.

“We are not religious but we do love a family meal, especially if it includes matzah balls! This year we are heading to my partner’s grandparents’ house. There will be four generations in attendance. There will be lots of honey cake, and pink lady apples with locally produced honey to dip into and then we will collapse on the sofa for an

JO TAPPER owns Jin Sushi in Hendon

Jin Sushi serves sushi and an array of first class unspirited binge fest of Narcos on Netflix.

Japanese dishes We actually eat apple and honey with incredible regularly, prolonging the good new year flavours and artistic vibe for as long as possible. presentation. It has I can never remember which festival been open just over is which. In my mind they all merge into a year and has a one and everything happens loyal following.   on the same  day. So my memory tells me that we fast “For me Rosh to the point of no hope, stuff our faces on Hashanah is a time to celebrate new challah, egg and salt water, lokshen soup beginnings with family and friends. It’s a and then strip bare an entire orchid and time to be hopeful and make everything consume a hive of honey! Joking aside, positive,” say Jo. Rosh Hashanah is all about family for “We will be having lunch with family me – having kids, being a father, a son, a after synagogue. Our table groans with brother and soon a husband and an uncle. food – there must be 20 dishes or more!

Now that Bluebelles is established within Mum seems to think the 5,000 will turn up, two communities, I believe that there is an which is always possible in our house as we extended family of regular customers who have an open door policy – anyone could see Bluebelles as part of their lives – an come along up at a minute’s notice. I grew extension of their own homes. We also have up in an extremely inclusive open family. a family of 30 employees who are united As a child I remember going to for the same reasons. “ synagogue and watching the shofar being blown by a young boy. I always looked forward to dipping the apple in honey to bring in a sweet new year.

Now I am older I feel thankful and appreciative of the small things and I enjoy celebrating with family and friends.

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AVI COHEN owns the Hummus Bar in Golders Green

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The Hummus Bar is a relative newcomer to the kosher dining scene in Golders Green and has met with tremendous acclaim.

“We close the restaurant for the Chagim, giving us a nice holiday,” says Avi. “Our main meal will be dinner on Rosh Hashanah evening at home with my family and we will also be hosting a few friends. My favourite dish is the honey cake for dessert.

When I was a child the highlight of Rosh Hashanah was that all my family used to come to my grandparents’ house in Haifa for a huge dinner and all the younger kids would stay over. As I got older I started to understand the religious meaning of this festival and over the years it became a very relaxing time that gives me a short holiday!

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SET MENU

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Excluding drinks, VAT is included in all prices

SIMON MITCHELL runs KERB street food market in Camden

open all day everyday 12.00 noon - 11.00pm Sunday and Bank Holiday 12.00 noon - 10.00pm

T: 020 8445 1188

Check out the website for our full menu

www.cocoricorestaurant.co.uk 1314-1316 High Road, Whetstone, London N20 9HJ

[N]

KERB Camden is open 364 days of the year.

(Rosh Hashanah isn’t the day it is closed) There are 35 stalls serving incredible food, including several varieties of Mac n Cheese, and the most incredible halloumi fries, KERB offers a catering service – mainly for

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Simon Mitchell of KERB

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large corporate events, but it is becoming popular for weddings.

“Our Rosh Hashanah meal is lunch on the first day,” says Simon. “This year we are going to family friends. My mum passed away three years ago so family occasions are difficult these days.

“I tend to get quite emotional in synagogue, especially during Yizkor on Yom Kippur. As lovely as our friends’ cooking is, nothing will ever beat my mum doing it.

This may sound controversial but I have never been a fan of honey cake. Our lunch has always been focused on fish – literally every kind of fish! Boiled, fried, schmaltz herring, chopped herring, smoked salmon...

As a child I spent the entire Rosh Hashanah service outside Bushey shul talking to my friends (and telling my parents I was in the youth service).”

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FOOD TRENDS FOR 5777 Jonny at Bluebelles: “I saw some cool stuff online about a new toasted sweet potato fad, and ready-to-go products are definitely a growing area. There is also a return to cream teas and conversely some more fitness related recipes.”

Jo at Jin Sushi: “Everything Taiwanese - we have already started doing bubble tea and Taiwanese pies. Spring onion flavour is a hit - people go mad for it! Don’t be surprised if you see steamed buns on our menu soon. In terms of sushi, I think it’s all going American with crazy flavours like kiwi and cream cheese, plus deep fried sushi rolls.”

Avi Cohen at the Hummus Bar “Trends for 2017... seeing as it’s only getting healthier over the last few years I think ‘poke’ could become the next thing in food trends. It has already started picking up in London and most importantly it’s delicious.”



29 September 2016 Jewish News

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RH19

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Jewish News 29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah / Israel’s Holiday Mood

WHEN IN

ISRAEL C

elebrating Jewish holidays in Israel has its perks; actually, there are a lot of them. In a country where national holidays and Jewish holidays are one and the same, vaction spirit pulses through the entire country.

From Rosh Hashanah through to

Simchat Torah, everyone puts a fresh spin on their products. With apple and honey massages at the Elma Hotel, to special VIP vineyard tours at the Golan Heights Winery, and a fresh stock of white dresses at Trumpeldor, Jerusalem’s iconic vintage clothing store, everyone gets involved in the celebrations. Even the public buses in

Israel stream ‘Chag Sameach’ across the front of the bus.

For Marissa, a second year student at Naale Elite Academy, a high school programme in Israel, seeing the country transform blew her away. ”Coming from the States, where Jewish holidays are celebrated in private, it’s incredibly meaningful to see the whole country in the Jewish holiday spirit.”

Seeach Sod – a non-profit that supports children with special needs and their families – makes sure that no one gets left out of the celebrations. “We tailor the celebrations so the kids and adults can be involved and feel more included in their nation,” said Sarah Nathan, Seeach Sod’s spokeswoman. Taking special care to provide a joyful celebration catered specifically for the needs of its community, Seeach Sod organises special prayer services, trips and a massive Simchat Torah celebration in

From honey massages to white dresses, everything in the Holy Land is infused with the holiday spirit, reports Raizel Druxman

Jerusalem that is open to all.

The streets of Jerusalem are usually where people flock to for the chagim, but celebrations happen all over Israel. Tel Aviv, in particular, has a growing religious community with the establishment of Chabad on the Coast, White City TLV and many more synagogues and communities geared towards young Jews and families. With more options, Jews of all stripes are coming out of the woodwork to celebrate the holidays.

Founders of Chabad on the Coast and former programme directors at Ascent in Tzfat, Sarah and Eli Naiditch, saw that people were searching for community. “In Tzfat, we met a lot of people who came up from Tel Aviv for a spiritual getaway,” Naiditch said.

“It shouldn’t be that you have to run to Tzfat to have a meaningful Shabbat experience.” Wanting people to feel

at home and pampered, their holiday events are always beautifully decorated, elegant and heimish. “If you want to engage people, you need to be up to the standards of the world,” added Naiditch. “No one is coming for a plastic bowl of cholent.”

Also upping the glamour in Israel are Elma Hotel, Golan Heights Winery and Trumpeldor. Elma is featuring a new massage using special apple-scented oils and honey-infused creams. The winery offers special jeep tours of the vineyards and the beautiful Golan Heights surrounding them. A few weeks before the chagim, Trumpeldor stocks dresses from around the world, including a huge selection of white dresses.

According to Trumpeldor co-partner, Jordana Rabinowitz, availability of new fashion items is limited in Israel. “People show up to synagogue in the same outfits, especially on the chagim when a lot of people are buying something new,” she explained. “Shopping at vintage shops gives you more opportunity to look unique and find your own style.”

The special holiday flair that Israel offers is unparalleled. From unique places to pray, get pampered, wine and dine and even shop, Israel will show you a side to the chagim you’ve never experienced.

29 September 2016 Jewish News

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Wish all of our friends and supporters A happy, healthy and sweet New Year 5777 Rabbi & Mrs Sufrin MBE & Mrs Brocha Muller of Gants Hill Rabbi & Mrs Brandman of Buckhurst Hill Chabad of Epping & Westcliff On Sea www.chabadilford.co.uk www.chabadonthehill.co.uk

Wishing all our clients a happy and healthy new year

RH21

RH22 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah / Festival fun abroad

LET’S DO THE CHAGIM IN

HONG KONG Having spent Rosh Hashanahs in India and Athens, expat Debbie Colton is determined to find her Jewish festival-feet in the Far East

I

n 2003, a nice Jewish girl and Jewish boy miraculously breached the north-south divide and got married, bringing together the Richmond and Kenton communities.

Never knowing what their future would hold (but expecting it to follow the northwest London path of jobs/houses/kids and,

ultimately, loft conversions) they moved to West Finchley. In 2006, they had a little girl and all looked rosy. However, they discovered that they were feeling a little stuck in a rut professionally and so took the path less trod, packed 15 suitcases and boarded a flight to Gurgaon, south of Delhi, to take on expat life.

What started out as a two-year adventure has changed our lives forever. Two and a half crazy years in India and the arrival of a little boy led to two idyllic years in Athens, and another son. Then, for the same reason we left, we returned and settled back to London life.

Thinking that was the end of the big adventure,

by mid-2015 we had moved to Mill Hill, made new and reconnected with old friends and done a loft conversion. Then

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29 September 2016 Jewish News

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RH23

Festival fun abroad / Rosh Hashanah Mr C was asked to go to Hong Kong. So here we are and while Mr C gets on with his job and the children settle into school, I have set out to build us a life including infiltrating the extremely active Jewish community.

One of the oldest expat Jewish communities in the world. there are four congregations in this not very large city. We plumped for Ohel Leah but, unlike in London, where you have your community and stick with it, here you can switch and choose depending on the day, the festival and what activities are on offer for the kids. So from matzah-baking at Chabad pre-Pesach to communal seder at Ohel Leah, we have experienced fascinating events.

And now we ‘head’ towards to the big one.

Yet again, we are going to spend the ultimate Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah, in another country. What will HK offer? Our previous expat assignments have seen us turn up at the Sephardi shul in Delhi for the holiest day of the year, just helping to make up a minyan. Spoke and were spoken to by no one and went home.

Living in Athens,we really couldn’t face another RH away from the families, but never say never,

and we found ourselves in the much friendlier, incredible warmth of the Athens Chabad for another New Year celebration. The one and only Rabbi Mendel Hendel welcomed 200 people of Jewish descent into his community and being away from family didn’t seem quite so bad.

Before we left for our Chinese adventure, we had, as ever, already received the save the date invite for the Colton Rosh Hashanah events. Well, you wouldn’t want to leave it to the last minute and find another branch of the family had nicked your meal, would you? We do always feel a little detached being away for the big festivals, but on the upside, we do get to do whatever we choose and it looks like Honkers will not be a difficult place to find a plethora of options . We already have a dinner invite for erev Rosh Hashanah and are planning to join the communal lunch after shul on the first day.

While kashrut was always a serious challenge in our previous expat existence (in Delhi, you were safer being vegetarian), in Hong Kong it’s a breeze – albeit an expensive one. The Jewish Community Centre (JCC) has an on-site Koshermart, where you can pick up fish fingers for the bargain price of £20 or a chicken for around £25. There are two great (and quite reasonably priced) restaurants at the JCC and a couple of others in other areas. You can order meat online, best to just type in your credit card details and not actually look at the total though.

The question now is – what to wear? With a heavy proportion of Israelis and a crosssection of religiosity, the general dress code for shul seems to range from totally casual (shorts and sandals) to HK Glam (stilletos and Prada).

Hats are few and I assume most people have erected their own private eruv based on the bag-carrying brigade. Chatting with a few ex-north London massive here brought home how Judaism is Judaism wherever you are.

The one major difference is the weather. It’s not unknown for a typhoon to hit over the High Holy Days, resulting in a total shutdown.

As an expat who has watched her three kids be bar and batmitzvahed in this community, Nicole Izsak feels the toughest part in taking over the mantle of mothers/grandmothers in planning and creating your own chagim.

However, once you create your ‘Hong Kong family,’ that becomes your norm.

Likewise for the Rubin family, it’s familial relationships that you create in expat world that stand in place of actual family but often feel as deep-rooted. Additionally, says Sharon, who grew up in Chigwell & Hainault shul: “There’s no judgement, no out-dressing or out-hatting anyone else and a relaxed openness that encourages a diversity of belief.”

Donna Peters has spent the past six years in Hong Kong with her husband and two children, having left Edgware. They love the warmth of a small community, where the rabbi knows everyone and you celebrate festivals as a group of friends, all mucking in to make food, focusing on the children in a relaxed environment.

Rabbi Asher Oser of Ohel Leah, who is Australian, believes it comes down to the fact that the core of our religion is the same the world over. From the shofar sound to the apple and honey, the sense of the familiar defines Rosh Hashanah, whether you are sitting in Mill Hill or overlooking Hong Kong’s Harbour.

Top: Nicole Izsak and family. Middle: Rabbi Asher Oser of Ohel Leah. Above: The Rubins

He told me something that resonated at this time when I reflect on where I am, where my family are and how we choose to live our lives. “Expats often move away to recreate themselves, but the most sublime thing is when you choose to be who you were all along.”

Shana Tova wherever you are.

The Lab would like to wish all of it’s jewish members a very happy

Rosh Hashanah!

For a better version of you.

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RH24

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Jewish News 29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah / Festival Films Rabbi Nissan Wilson and Reverend Gary Newman the Honorary Officers and Board of Management of

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SOMETHING TO BE

SEEN

Keep your eyes peeled for Jewish names in cinema and on television in 5777

The 10 days between Rosh Hashanah

and Yom Kippur are known as The Days of Awe, which happens to be a great movie title. Fittingly, the New Year heralds a slew of big and small screen entertainment featuring Jewish performers. As we all have a predilection for trying to identify talent of the faith as the credits roll, this list of upcoming productions should make it a lot easier.

So let’s kick off with Israeli beauty Gal Gadot, who was chosen by director Zack Snyder to play Wonder Woman. Created as a redemptive comic book character in the Second World War to metaphorically take on the Nazis, it feels right that a Jewish former IDF soldier got the role.

Gadot also stands Will Poulter beside Batman in Justice League.

The year 5777 could be the year of the Jewish superhero as Ezra Miller is Gal Gadot puts the wonder into Wonder the Flash in both Justice League and his Woman solo film for Warner Bros. wizard has long moved on and pops up Miller has become a bit of poster boy next in Jungle in which he plays Israeli for the studio as he is also in J.K Rowling’s Yossi Ghinsberg, who spent three weeks Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them lost in the Amazon rainforest in 1981 and playing Credence Barewrote several memoirs about bone, the son of the leader his survival experience. of an extremist group intent Oscar-winner Rachel on killing wizards.

Weisz also plays someone But it is not only the who fought for survival, but casting of Miller that in a courtroom, for that was will please Rowling’s where acclaimed American Jewish fans, as there are writer and historian Deborah also the film’s central E. Lipstadt went up against characters Tina and Holocaust denier David Irving, Queenie Goldstein, the who sued her for libel. sibling witches whom the Daniel Radcliffe Based on the book History author has admitted are of on Trial: My Day in Court with Jewish descent. a Holocaust Denier, the film Although it’s a struggle to think of Denial, which opens in February, has Daniel Radcliffe as anyone other than Weisz performing the court transcripts J.K.’s bespectacled Harry Potter, the boy verbatim. In Pablo Larrain’s Jackie, Oscarwinner Natalie Portman plays Jackie Kennedy in the days following JFK’s assassination in 1963.

Word is that Portman delivers a magnificent performance in the film, which is released in December, but the Israeli actress is also looking for a distributor for her directorial debut A Tale of Love and Darkness, which is in Hebrew and based on Amoz Oz’s autobiographical novel about the first years of Woody Allen in an episode of Crisis in Six Scenes independent Israel.

Ezra Miller dressed to kill as The Flash

Other Jewish actors gainfully employed include Will Poulter who is in the satire, War Machine, with Brad Pitt Natalie Portman and currently filming an untitled project about a police raid in Detroit in 1967 directed by The Hurt Locker’s Kathryn Bigelow, while Sir Daniel DayLewis reunites with his There Will Be Blood director Paul Thomas Anderson on a film about the fashion industry.

Woody Allen making a TV series for Amazon has caused a stir and, although the director has openly admitted he wished he had never agreed to do it as he found it so difficult, the results of his toil, Crisis in Six Scenes, starts tomorrow night on Amazon Prime.

For the record, it’s a comedy set in the 1960s during turbulent times in the United States and a middle class suburban family is visited by a guest who turns their household completely upside down. Go Woody!

Rachel Weisz as Deborah Lipstadt

29 September 2016 Jewish News

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RH25

Look Beautiful / Rosh Hashanah

NEW YEAR NEW YOU Brigit Grant has the products for your beauty renaissance...

It’s time to repair and reveal an improved you. So throw out the old face cream that doesn’t deliver, shift the dark circles under your eyes, and then big up your lips and boost your brows

MOUTH Not everyone wants to look like Kylie Jenner, but we like her lips. Kardashian smackers are cosmetically-enhanced, but you can try Fillerina Lip Volume (from £41), which is a revolutionary no-needle, filler treatment for home use sold at M&S online and cult beauty.co.uk. Containing hyaluronic acids that plump and smooth, it comes in a rollerball applicator with enough gel to use five times a day for a month. Use it for three months to notice the full effect, but it just improves definition initially.

SKIN

Loved by the cast of TOWIE (males, too, no doubt) Plump It! (£19.99) is a temporary lip volumiser that goes on under lipstick or without. When my friend tried it, she yelled as it stung, but I didn’t find it so and the warming sensation enhances the blood flow in your lips, which makes them fuller and plumper instantly. plump-it.com

‘Use an eye cream,’ is one of the 10 commandments of beauty, and right now Resultime 5 Expertise Eye Cream by Collin Paris (£37) is the one to try. I’m never sure what the unique formula is in any cream, but this one deals with dark circles, puffiness, fat pockets, wrinkles and sagging.

I’ve only used it for a few weeks but the lines are less pronounced and it is very cooling after a day on the computer. resultime.co.uk

Like all informed women, I’m currently obsessed with the US elections and eyebrows. I do get them dyed, but when they fade, I rely on WunderBrow D-Fine. (£19.95). All the Wunder products perform and this dual-ended specially-angled pencil for defining, filling and extending is their newest. With it, you can create those ultra-fine hair-like strokes, which mimic real brows.

Soft or bold brows – it does both and it has a tinted soft hold gel for grooming and setting. Wunder2.co.uk

Kylie Jenner’s smackers

Stay away from soap, they say, but fail to suggest an alternative. Daily Cleansing Ritual from MOA (£17.50) is that substitue and is ideal for oily, acne-prone skin as well as dry and sensitive types. The 50ml pot of Green Balm made from yarrow, tea tree oil and beeswax comes in an eco-friendly tube with a soft bamboo face cloth to give skin a balancing deep cleanse, remove excess oils and impurities. Apply the balm as paste, steam with warm water on the cloth, then finish with cold water to seal the pores. Your skin will glow.

To buy at moa.london, Fenwick’s and Planet Organic.

The name Estée Lauder speaks for itself and her granddaughter Aerin now runs a tight ship producing things like the miraculous wrinkle-lifting serum Perfectionist.

House of Fraser is currently focused on skin improvement and is selling Estée Lauder’s Revitalizing Supreme Global Anti-Aging Creme (50ml for £68) for the mature woman who wants help with lines, wrinkles, loss of firmness, dullness, dehydration and Lauder’s exclusive IntuiGen Technology hydrates, firms and smooths.

Oh and younger women can use it, too.

EYES & BROWS

Innovative Art & Interiors

Reluctant to start wearing foundation after the summer, when my Mediterranean Jewish skin goes green, Nars Cosmetics Sheer Glow Foundation (£31) gives a satin finish and brightens my skin tone. Go on any fashion photo shoot and you ’ll see bottles of Nars with good reason. houseoffraser.co.uk

FACE UP TO ROSH HASHANAH As the stars of the festival, apples and honey can also make you beautiful. Apple has the highest content of natural collagen and can be used grated as a face mask or to hydrate if you mix apple vinegar with one tablespoon of honey and an egg white. Raw honey, baking soda mixed with a few drops of vegetable oil also works as a natural make-up remover on a wash cloth. Shana Tova face!

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RH26

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Jewish News 29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah / Dressing Up

WHAT TO WEAR NOW Notebooks at the ready. Brigit Grant has some fashion pointers for you...

E

ven those in a front seat for every show at London Fashion Week might struggle to nail the trends for Autumn /Winter 2016. With no clear brief on skirt length or decade to cling to, the mix of themes covers everything from granny’s attic (think bubbe’s basement, pictured left) which is flowers and mismatched checks to wildcat coats and velvet. Anything goes as long as it is new and that is the key, says fashion maven Mitch, who runs her plus-size shop in Temple Fortune with one eye on the trend and the other on what suits her customers. Mitch knows the big flowers paraded on the catwalk will not appeal, unlike the long waistcoats she sells along with a wide range of trousers and long-sleeved T-shirts. Check out the key pieces by Joseph Ribkoff (pictured right) while they last and adhere to Mitch’s mantra “new clothes make you look and feel younger”. Now go shopping …

Wild Thing

Bombs Away

The cat’s out of the bag again, but only one item at a time, as less is more when it comes to leopards – particularly for the holidays

Essential for the school run and now the bomber in satin or suede is required garb for a night out

House of Fraser £249

V by Very £50

Miss Selfridge £89 Shirt £45, Coat £95, H! by Henry Holland

Phase EIght’s Belluci sequin embellished bomber and trousers (both £120 )

Dune £75

Attention!

National Velvet

Smart or casual, a woman in uniform is a thing of beauty

Luxury and warmth combines in the smooth fabric, which is available in on-trend frills. Note that black velvet works well with the must-wear big earrings

River Island £38

Zara’s velvet military jacket £89.99

Check dress £42 Miss Selfridge

Military coat, Nine by Savannah Miller, £100 Debenhams

Striped military blouse £35 Next

Monsoon Simone embroidered bomber £69

Zara velvet top £19.99

Bubbe chic

Myleene Klass military coat £99 from Littlewoods.com

Flowers, plaids and oversized sweatshirts as channelled by Gucci and worn by those who know how

Zara velvet trousers £29

Miss selfridge frill dress £99

Dress by Matthew Williamson £250

Durga earrings

by Eina Ahluwalia at Boticca.com £131

Velvet boots Zara £69

Ruffle blouse Top Shop £34

29 September 2016 Jewish News RH27

www.jewishnews.co.uk

Working Life / Rosh Hashanah

BACK TO WORK BABY!

Choosing childcare for your kids is never easy. Mum of three Debbie Lightman highlights some of the most popular options for Jewish working parents

W

hen you’re living in maternity PJs, are knee-deep in milkstained muslins and believe three hours’ sleep is an achievement, the last thing on your mind is the job you left behind and the childcare you’ll need when you return. But, like it or not, it’s worth researching your local provision now, especially if you want your baby cared for in a Jewish environment.

While some of us can depend on doting grandparents, many of us live too far to rely on them for babysitting (and even when they’re close by, it doesn’t automatically mean they’ll want to spend their week changing nappies).

From various types of nursery to childminders and nannies, we take a look at Jewish childcare designed with working mums in mind.

option could be your best bet. While there aren’t too many Jewish-run daycare centres that are open all year round, there are some, including Shofar Daycare Nursery in Finchley and Tracy Lewis Childcare in Hendon.

Otherwise, there are all-day, year-round nurseries that do not have a Jewish ethos but do provide exemplary care for kosher kids.

Asquith Nurseries, which have branches nationwide, are extremely sensitive to religious needs and buy in kosher meals. They’re open from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, 51 weeks a year and take babies from three months old.

Orthodox mother of two, Samara Braverman, sent her sons to Asquith Golders Green, when her oldest was a year old and when her second son reached nine months.

“It was easy getting there by public transport, on my way to work,” explains Samara, who’s a medical administrator. “Also, the long hours offered meant I could fit my working hours into two long days. They’re so professional and fantastic with the children and it’s helpful not having to send in kosher lunch.”

Childminders in Borehamwood. With the help of two assistants, she opens her home to up to nine under fives, from 7.30am to 6pm weekdays.

“As a working mum myself, I understand the pressures of juggling a family with a career,” explains Jackie. “Childminders offer a clear progression towards nursery, as a child’s confidence grows. We offer short, long-term and ad hoc placements. We have large indoor and outdoor spaces and offer freshly-cooked vegetarian meals. The children take part in a wide range of activities and outings, and are treated as if they were our own.”

NANNY For tailor-made childcare, a nanny may be the answer.

While pricey, it’s more costeffective than paying for two at daycare.

Mum of three and director of a fundraising agency, Debra Yardley employed a nanny (pictured left) who came recommended by another family. “I returned to work when my second was six months and decided on a nanny because of the greater flexibility. My children were in the comfort of home with individual attention and had kosher meals made in my kitchen. She’d take them to music classes or the park and they’d end the day with a bath, unlike if they were rushed home from nursery. She still babysits as she developed a strong bond with all my kids.”

PRE-NURSERY Parents preferring a smaller environment may consider a pre-nursery, which generally caters for children up until they’re two and a half.

NURSERY If you’re looking for a lively, structured setting that will see your little one through until school age, a nursery is a great choice.

Of the 63 Jewish nurseries listed on www. findajewishschool.co.uk, frustratingly, few accept children under 18 months. However, there are exceptions, such as Gan Kinneret, in Edgware United Synagogue, and its new sister branch, Noah’s Ark, at Edgware Masorti Synagogue.

Gan Kinneret, rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, is open 8.30am – 4pm (until 12pm Fridays), and runs a summer holiday scheme. “We have a big beautiful classroom for one-year-olds that’s separate from the bigger children,” describes owner Dina Samson, who’s been running the nursery for 36 years. “There’s a qualified teacher for every three toddlers. Around 80 percent of our mothers have jobs, so I help them by being flexible with finishing times and have teachers who care for the children at home after closing.

I’d finish later if there was interest.”

DAYCARE If you’re planning a short maternity leave, start work at 8am, or distance is an issue, a daycare

North West London Jewish Day School is a warm, happy, high-achieving Modern Orthodox Zionist Primary School, always aiming for excellence whilst supporting everyone to reach their full potential— Every Child Matters.

OPEN EVENING Taking place on

Sarah Bookbinder, who runs Bookie’s Babes nursery at Edgware Reform Synagogue, together with her team (pictured above), looks after 13 children, from the age of three months. Open from 7.45am to 5.30pm (and until 2pm Fridays), they only close for a week in December and the High Holy Days.

“Bookie’s Babes is small and nurturing,” says Sarah, who originally set up as a childminder at home in Stanmore, when her sons were little. “I bend over backwards for working mums because I know it’s hard and they always tell us how much easier we make their lives.

They appreciate that I charge per hour rather than for sessions, because I can’t tell them when their working hours are. I have mums registering when they’re pregnant as our waiting list is huge!”

CHILDMINDER For a home-from-home environment, childminders are ideal. Often the most costeffective choice, they tend to offer long hours and wraparound care if your child also attends a nursery.

Former teacher Jackie Liff runs Little Land

Monday 14 November 2016 7.30pm — 9.30 pm You will be able to view the facilities of the School.

There will be a presentation, tour and refreshments.

An OPEN MORNING, taking place next day, Tuesday 15 November 2016, 9.30am - 10.45am, will be an opportunity to see around our working school.

We invite applications for admission to our Nursery & Reception for September 2017, and look forward to welcoming prospective families to our Open Evening and Open Morning.

Please let the school know if wish to attend: Tel: 020 8459 3378; Email: admin@nwljds.org.uk Please look at our website: www.nwljds.org.uk Please note that the closing date for all applications for entry into the Nursery in September 2017 is 30 November 2016.

Closing date for Reception is 15 January 2017.

North West London Jewish Day School Headteacher: Miss Judith Caplan 180 Willesden Lane, London NW6 7PP 020 8459 3378 www.nwljds.org.uk

RH28 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah / Developments at JFS

SUCCESS BEHIND THE

HEADLINES T his summer, JFS was confirmed as the top performing totally nonselective school in the country at A-level as well as the third top comprehensive nationally at GCSE. Its exam results are truly outstanding and this is something about which the Jewish community should be hugely proud. While the results students achieve are important, it is essential to look beyond the headlinegrabbing success as there is so much happening at JFS that it’s hard to keep up.

One of the most exciting developments has been the publication of its updated vision and values statement. Work by the governing body, senior leadership team, students and staff has resulted in a newly-articulated aspiration for JFS as a “co-educational inclusive, modern, Orthodox Jewish school that strives to produce well-educated, faithful and proud Jews who will be responsible and contributing members of society”.

This is being put into practice with a comprehensive review of the Jewish education provision at the school which looks to use local and international expertise to offer a Jewish experience that will truly educate and inspire students in their Jewish skills, heritage, culture and identity. Executive headteacher

Deborah Lipkin says: “The aspiration is that every child should leave feeling comfortable with their Judaism so that if you go into shul you can pick up a Siddur and daven if you need to; if unfortunately, you lose a parent, you can say Kaddish; if you need to say Kiddush on Friday night, you know how. If you want to go to Israel, you have a strong identity with Israel. If you want to be a cultural Jew, you are very aware of your history.”

They also wait with anticipation for the successful appointment of a new deputy headteacher for Jewish life and learning, with the vacancy representing the prime role in Jewish education in the country.

In years past, the JFS model of behaviour management was often held up as a shining example, but the past few months have seen a complete rethink of behaviour management.

A full-time behaviour lead is now in place and listening to the students was key in developing a new policy. Standards and levels of expectation remain high but alongside a ‘ladder of consequence’ there is now a ‘ladder of reward’ to recognise and incentivise positive conduct. Gone are silent detentions, replaced by a ‘reflection room’ and the introduction of ‘restorative justice’. Students are being challenged to behave as one would expect, but

rather than just facing retributive punishments are now being asked to reflect on their behaviour and work to repair relationships. The impact has been quite pronounced and the new dialogue has already changed the atmosphere in the classroom and across the school.

There was much made of the decision allowing students to bring in packed lunches.

A month in and approximately a quarter of students have chosen a packed lunch option.

The variety and health of the food has been particularly impressive, with a wide array of salads, home-made sushi and wraps being a daily feature. It has placed at the forefront a discussion about kashrut and students are really

appreciating what it means to keep kosher in ways that were previously unaddressed.

Lipkin says there are many more exciting developments on the cards, including the raising of £600,000 at its recent gala dinner.

“We will be making some adaptations to our already impressive site, offering an enhanced curriculum with expanded pathways that meet the needs of all our students,” she says. “JFS is a great school and we all remain dedicated to ensuring the best opportunities and outcomes for every single student. The changes we have made have taken a great deal of effort and the governors and staff are to be commended for their dedication and commitment.”

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29 September 2016 Jewish News

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RH29

Prospective Parents’ Open Day Sacks Morasha Jewish Primary School is a vibrant, Modern Orthodox, voluntary-aided school. We are dedicated to providing the best education possible for every one of our pupils.

Ofsted recognised our rapidly rising standards and graded us as ‘Good’ in June 2014, with ‘Outstanding’ grades given for pupils’ behaviour and for the leadership and management.

With places available for Reception in September 2017, we invite all prospective parents to visit Sacks Morasha JPS and find out more.

Monday 10th October at 9.30am Monday 10th October at 7.30pm Please contact the School Office on 020 3115 1900 to book your place now and visit sacksmorasha.org.uk for more information.

A leading independent day and boarding preparatory school for boys and girls aged 3 -13, set in 28 acres of beautiful Hertfordshire countryside.

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Join us at our Open Morning saturday 1st October 2016 10am – 12pm no pre-booking necessary

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RH30 Jewish News

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29 September 2016

OAKINGTON MANOR

Wishing all our clients a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Please contact us to view our Venue for your forthcoming Simcha!

Oakington Manor School Oakington Manor Drive Wembley HA9 6NF

Contact Adriana on 0208 795 7517 or lettings@oakmanor.brent.sch.uk

Your future starts here...

Help your child reach their full potential in small, nurturing classes in a warm, Jewish environment filled with happy, thriving children.

For more information or to book a tour please contact Lynda Dullop, Director of Admissions: ldullop@immanuel.herts.sch.uk or 020 8955 8938

29 September 2016 Jewish News

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RH31

Education / Rosh Hashanah

Location alert for

WORKING PARENTS SOCIAL SKILLS, confidence, self-esteem children are provided with freshly prepared and independence are exactly what you breakfast, hot cooked lunch and dinner daily would hope your children learn at school, from a kosher in-house kitchen. which is why Keren’s nursery has it at the The nurseries have invested in high quality top of their list of must-dos. That the nursresources and learning stems from the chileries offer these skills within a Jewish and dren’s own interests.

Israeli context is all the more reassuring to “We make sure that all children make parents who are wondering where to send progress and reach their full potential while their infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers. nurturing their emotional well-being,” says the Keren’s is a private Jewish Nursery and Pre- Nursery founder Keren Ben-Ezra.

School which takes children from 18 months Make an appointment to see for yourself by to 5 years ,was judged outstanding by Ofsted in calling nursery manager, Miss Emer Pateman their last inspection in 2015 (its Belsize Park on 07494 540518 or email hollandpark@ and Hampstead Garden Suburb Nurseries) kerensnursery.com and now it is opening a new nursery at Holland Park Synagogue.

Priding itself on establishing strong and happy relationships between staff and children as well as among the children themselves, the team in charge are highly-trained early years specialists, teachers and practitioners. Their established track record ensures that children will be best prepared for a successful admission into top primary schools.

Keren Nursery is open throughout the year and its location Holland Park Synagogue is close to many transport links which makes it a convenient choice for working parents. There are several outdoor areas for the children as 8432 LJN garden Ad 150716.qxp_Layout 1 15/09/2016 12:18 Page 1 well asHB a large opposite the nursery and

PRIMARY MOTIVES

SACKS MORASHA is a modern Orthodox voluntary-aided Jewish primary school in Finchley, north London. It promotes educational excellence, a commitment to Orthodox Jewish practice, a love of and commitment to Israel and active involvement within the Jewish community, the British community and the wider world.

The name of the school honours Lord Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi, and ‘Morasha’ meaning legacy and it aims to be a source of immense pride to the community, passing on Jewish values as a living inheritance. Sacks Morasha is a nurturing and warm community school, where every teacher knows every child. Ofsted particularly noted its outstanding leadership,

management and pupil behaviour.

It is passionate about achieving excellent results in both Chol (secular) and Kodesh (Jewish) studies and pride themselves on their innovative approach to education, integrating Chol and Kodesh where possible to provide meaningful links between the two subjects. Interactive, exciting and multi-sensory lessons are taught throughout the school and learning is individualised according to every child’s needs. It is especially proud of the interventions that take place on a daily basis, enabling each child to fulfil their potential both inside and outside the classroom.

The school welcomes you to visit and experience Sacks Morasha for yourselves.

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School

Habs Nurturing Excellence The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School is a single-sex, independent day school offering an enthusiastic, positive and challenging learning environment for creative and inquisitive pupils.

Habs Boys is known for its academic excellence and the results achieved this year speak for themselves. The School was ranked the second-highest independent boys’ school in the UK in The Times’ A Level League Table.

Habs Boys’ 2016 A Level results were once again outstanding, with almost 39% of applicants achieving the sought after A* grade.

This year an amazing 79.6% of results were in the A*/A range and 98.1% received A*/B. 41% of Mathematics and a remarkable 85% of Further Mathematics entrants achieved the top grade of A*. The consistent attainment of such high standards across the entire range of academic disciplines is a testament to the work ethic inculcated at Habs.

Jordan Bernstein, School Vice-Captain and Chairman of the Jewish Society at Habs, achieved 3 A*s. Jordan said: “I’m really happy, particularly with obtaining full marks in English. I’ll be studying Law at Pembroke College, Oxford.”

Aaron Gelfand, who achieved 3 A*s, said: “I am ecstatic with the results and excited to be studying Medicine at Leeds University. I believe Habs has set me up for life and I’ll truly miss it.”

Habs Boys’ 2016 GCSE results were the highest in the School’s history, with 95.5% of boys

achieving A*/A grades; this reflects the incredible drive of both boys and staff to attain academic excellence. Highlights from this exceptional performance included the A* grade awarded to 91% of entrants in Mathematics, alongside 85% across the three sciences.

Nurturing Excellence

Open Day Saturday 8 October 2016 1–4pm Booked tours available through the year

Joshua Baumring-Gledhill, who also received 10 A*s, added: “I’m delighted to receive straight A*s across the board. It proves that if you try, you can achieve your potential.”

However, academic achievement is only part of the experience of life at Habs. The range of cocurricular activities is enormous. Sport, music, drama, art and debating are popular, with students regularly gaining national distinction.

The School’s brand new state-of-the-art sports complex, the Medburn Centre is one of the best sports facilities available at a British school.

The Medburn Centre boasts a 25 metre, eightlane swimming pool, fitness suite, squash courts, climbing facilities, sports hall, conference room, school shop and café.

An outstanding independent day school for boys aged between 5 and 18.

The School produces confident and selfmotivated young men who are fully prepared for the challenges of the future.

The School is served by a unique coach service with over 100 stops, spanning a 30mile radius, offering easy access to the School, and provision for pupils staying for after-school activities.

www.habsboys.org.uk registered charity no: 313996

Butterfly Lane, Elstree, Hertfordshire WD6 3AF Tel: 020 8266 1700 admissions@habsboys.org.uk Headmaster Peter Hamilton MA

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Jewish News 29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah / An Education

T

Insight into

IMMANUEL COLLEGE

his year, Immanuel College Preparatory School reaches a milestone in its development since opening in September 2011.

This is its first year running classes covering a full age range from Reception to Year 6. Located on the campus of Immanuel College, it offers private space in addition to being located on a large site with specialist facilities.

The school’s aim is to give children the very best start to their learning careers. In Reception, the learning objectives are taught in relation to the interests of the children, addressing both information to be gained and opportunities to be enjoyed. There is a balance of independent and teacher-led learning, giving the children autonomy and support, formal and informal opportunities.

The children are taught by specialist teachers for Jewish studies, music, modern Hebrew and PE. The focus is on giving them the tools and support they need to become confident, mature people with a lifelong love of learning.

In Key Stage 2, they build on the KS1 learning and add breadth wherever possible.

One way they do this is through their modern foreign languages programme; in addition to modern Hebrew, they introduce French in Year 4, switch this to Spanish in Year 5 and then Mandarin in Year 6. Their intention is to expose the children to the languages, cultures and lifestyles of others.

In Year 6, the pupils who are in a maximum class size of 22, are taught in the senior school for art, music and science, preparing them for transition into secondary

education. It continues to include opportunities for them to ask questions to develop independence in their learning.

The individual is at the heart of Immanuel College and the school places significant value on the happiness and well-being of every pupil. The possibility of doing something better, achieving something greater, trying again to make something more effective influences the style of teaching and the interactions that take place in classrooms and around the school.

The third pillar of provision is an exciting, inspiring and relevant Jewish education. The curriculum is broad and balanced, modern Orthodox in outlook, giving the pupils a detailed understanding of Jewish customs and practices, access to and understanding of biblical and rabbinical texts and a love for Israel.

Get in touch if you have any questions or would like to visit. Time spent at Immanuel College will tell you more about the school than reading about it ever could and will help your decision.

AN INTRODUCTION TO HABS

T

he Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School is a single-sex, independent day school offering an enthusiastic, positive and challenging learning environment for creative and inquisitive pupils.

Habs Boys is known for its academic excellence and the results achieved this year speak for themselves. The school was the second-highest ranked independent boys’ school in the UK in The Times’ league table.

Habs Boys’ 2016 A-level results were once again outstanding, with almost 40 percent of applicants achieving the sought after A* grade. This year an amazing 78.5 percent of results were in the A*/A range and 97.7 percent received A*/B. A total of 40 percent

of mathematics and a remarkable 85 percent of further Mathematics entrants achieved the top grade of A*. The consistent attainment of such high standards across the entire range of academic disciplines is a testament to the work ethic inculcated at Habs.

The pupils are the best placed to speak about their achievements and the school, among them Jordan Bernstein, school vicecaptain and chairman of the Jewish Society at Habs who achieved 2 A*s and 1 A. “I’m really happy, particularly with obtaining full marks in English,” said Jordan, who will be reading law at Pembroke College, Oxford.

Aaron Gelfand, who achieved 3 A*s, said: “I am ecstatic with the results and excited to be going to university. I feel Habs has set me up for life and I’ll truly miss it.”

Habs Boys’ 2016 GCSE results were the highest in the school’s history, with 95.4 percent of boys achieving A*/A grades; this reflects the incredible drive of both boys and staff to attain academic excellence. Highlights from this exceptional performance included the A* grade being awarded to more than 91 percent of entrants in maths, alongside 85 percent across the three sciences.

“I’m delighted to receive straight A*s across the board,” said Joshua Baumring-Gledhill, who gained 10 A*s. “It proves that if you try, you can achieve your potential.”

However, academic achievement is only part of the experience of life at Habs. The range of co-curricular activities offered is enormous and the level of participation by

pupils very high. Sport, music, drama, art and debating are popular, with students regularly gaining national distinction.

The school has just opened its new state-ofthe-art sports complex, the Medburn Centre, one of the best sports facilities available at a British school. The Medburn Centre boasts a 25-metre, eight-lane swimming pool, fitness suite, squash courts, climbing facilities, sports hall, conference room, school shop and café.

The centre further enhances the school’s already comprehensive sports facilities, which include seven rugby/football pitches, two all-weather pitches for hockey (one

floodlit), which become 15 tennis courts in the summer term, three grass cricket squares, three artificial cricket wickets (plus grass and artificial cricket nets), the Solai Indoor Cricket Centre, a 400-metre grass running track with synthetic sprint track and jump/throw areas.

The school produces confident and selfmotivated young men who are fully prepared for the challenges of the future. The boys leave knowing that they have benefited from an outstanding educational experience, and take with them the knowledge that this privilege brings with it a duty of ethical leadership and social responsibility.

29 September 2016 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

THE RAPHAEL RECANATI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL wishes its 1,800 students from 86 countries, and their families,

A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL

Gabriella Savage Manchester

Yaniv Mazin London

BARUCH IVCHER SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY

TIOMKIN SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

Amalia Gherson London

LAUDER SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT, DIPLOMACY & STRATEGY

Coralli Azouri London

EFI ARAZI SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Yoel Knopf Manchester

Natascha Ouwerx-Wade London

ARISON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

SAMMY OFER SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS

Live in Israel, Study in English BA Info Session - Wednesday, November 23, 5:30 PM BA Business Administration | Business & Economics (double major) | Communications | Government | Government & Sustainability (double major) | Psychology BSc Computer Science MA Counter-Terrorism & Homeland Security Studies | Diplomacy & Conflict Studies | Financial Economics (MAFE) | Organizational Behavior & Development (OBD) GLOBAL MBA Innovation & Entrepreneurship | Strategy & Business Development MBA One-Year Program

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Jewish News 29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah/ Check-In

JUST ASK FOR DAN...

If you are stumped for somewhere to stay in Israel, there’s a chain you can rely on in every place you want to go, writes Brigit Grant

T

here are certain things you can rely on in Israel. You are never more than 50 yards from a falafel stand.

There will always be two handsome soldiers waiting at a bus stop and the sun will always set gloriously through the window of the lobby at the Dan Tel Aviv.

It is even more spectacular if you happen to be seated by the window enjoying a cocktail after checking in as a guest.

Much like the falafels and handsome soldiers, the Dan hotels are in all the right places. They differ in size, shape and design, but the name is synonymous with luxury accommodation, great service and has been since the first property was established in 1947.

The hotels – of which there are now 12 – are also in prime locations around the country and so it is possible to see the very best bits of Israel without ever leaving a Dan. In Tel Aviv, there is a choice of two perfect locations. Dan Tel Aviv, the first luxury hotel to be built in Israel is situated right by the Mediterranean, so ask for a sea view. It’s a five star superior property (naturally), with 280 rooms and only a short walk from the city

Above: The Dan Jerusalem Hotel. Below: Dan Panorama Tel Aviv lobby. Bottom: Dan Panorama Jerusalem and the city’s King David Hotel

centre and Tel Aviv’s amazing nightlife. Like all good hotels, this Dan is always looking for ways to enhance its guests’ stay, and the latest temptation is a “Restart” workshop designed

to refresh the body and mind using tools from different disciplines, including yoga classes once a week on the sun deck overlooking the pool.

For those who like more of a buzz, there are jazz nights in the lobby, every Thursday evening.

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Dan Panorama Tel Aviv (above) is located further up the coast and a 10-minute walk from the fascinating ancient port of Jaffa. A very popular holiday hotel with families who struggle to leave the pool, it also provides parents with downtime as there is an excellent children’s club. It is also close to the beach and opposite Tel Aviv’s oldest neighbourhood, Neve Tzedek, with trendy cafés and bars.

The Dan Accadia takes pride of place on the Herzliya coastline. Everybody loves the beautifully-designed chalets that lead out onto the lawns surrounding the pool and then it’s down to the beach. Herzliya is a thriving city with excellent restaurants, an array of water sports and many tourist attractions within easy reach.

A visit to Israel without a stay in Jerusalem is like a visit to New York without seeing Liberty, and that is true no matter how many times you have been there. Luckily, there is a choice of four Dan hotels to suit all tastes and budgets. Everyone should stay at The King David Hotel at least once, as the flagship property overlooking the Old City is the jewel in the crown, which is fitting as it has hosted kings and queens, along with presidents and celebrities.

There are three other properties in Jerusalem: Dan Panorama Jerusalem – centrally located just around the corner from the King David, Dan Boutique situated opposite Mount Zion and Dan Jerusalem, which is on Mount Scopus with 505 guest rooms and wonderful views of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.

With customer care being high on the list of priorities throughout the chain, training courses are run on a regular basis for all members of staff, and ways to enhance guests’ stay are constantly being introduced. The Dan internet loyalty club, e-Dan, is free to join and offers members many benefits on accumulation of points, received after every visit, and advance notice of special offers.

So if you are thinking about spending October half-term in Israel or looking ahead to Pesach next year or even the summer, wherever you want to go, you can rely on there being a Dan hotel nearby.

As well as a falafel.

29 September 2016 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

RH35

Check-In / Rosh Hashanah

KOSHER

GETAWAYS Are concerns about kashrut the only thing keeping you from taking an exotic holiday?

Brigit Grant has solutions FOR PEOPLE perpetually on the move throughout history (albeit not out of choice), it’s no surprise we enjoy travelling.

For some, this begins and ends in Marbella, but there are others who long to do long haul, but worry about how they will keep kosher in exotic destinations. Luckily for them, this is no longer a problem.

Two industrious companies, which are travel experts and know about kashrut, are offering incredible holidays to observant adventurers. So if you thought India was off-limits because of food restrictions, but have always longed to go there

India Kosher Travel can make it happen. Its Israeli-born Moshe Goldstein and his brother Rabbi Shimi went to India 16 years ago to set up a Chabad House in Pushkar.

“I spent months visiting India, became fascinated with the country and wanted to bring Jewish people here,” says Moshe. And so he started a tour company as well as a catering service from a glatt kosher kitchen in Delhi, from where food is sent to all the cities to which their groups travel.

The response was incredible and now Moshe runs three tours annually for up to 30 people coming from the UK, USA, Israel and Australia to visit Rajasthan, Kerala and Cochin.

“They meet local people, experience the culture and see forts, palaces and villages,” informs Moshe, who also guides his clients through the Himalayas during the summer months. Camel and elephant safaris and exploring the Jewish heritage sites of Cochin are all on offer to the group and individual family tours who will never have to worry about what or when they are eating during their stay.

Clever Ben Miller has broadened kashrut horizons further still with his company Bespoke Kosher Travel, which will take you to Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and any European destination you care to choose and deliver kosher food directly to your door or table.

“We provide personalised custom-built programmes, which include kosher menus,”

says Ben. “The whole itinerary, from accommodation and transport to activities and tours, is based on your wants and your budget and you never have to worry about where the next kosher meal will come from.”

The company also offers bespoke tours to America, where kosher grub is available in LA and New York, but head for Texas and you’ll need Ben to help you find a restaurant or plan something for Shabbat.

“We are happy to help,” chirps Ben who confirms that all meals are supplied under local kashrut authority supervision for simchas, family trips and groups who will never go hungry because Ben won’t allow it. indiakoshertravel.com /+972-3-6708285 bespokekoshertravel.com/020 3151 1660 koshertours.org.uk/

Dan Hotels Israel

Gorgeous beaches - Thrilling destinations - Endless sunshine Discover the ongoing pleasures of a Dan Hotel vacation. Whether it’s the legendary King David in Jerusalem or resort hotels on the Mediterranean and Red Sea, every Dan hotel is a landmark destination that reflects the spirit of its surroundings. And thanks to our wide range of locations, the options are endless for enjoying the beauty, history and diversity of Israel.

For information & reservations, please call your travel agent or ISRAEL: Call Dan Reservation Center: 972-3-5202552 Toll Free from: UK, Germany, France, Belgium: 00-800-326-46835 King David, Jerusalem | Dan Tel Aviv | Dan Carmel, Haifa | Dan Jerusalem | Dan Eilat | Dan Accadia, Herzliya-on-Sea | Dan Caesarea Dan Panorama Tel Aviv | Dan Panorama Haifa | Dan Panorama Jerusalem | Dan Panorama Eilat | Dan Boutique, Jerusalem

Experience The Best

Connect with us on Dan Hotels Israel

www.danhotels.com

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Jewish News 29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah/ Check-In

DIFFERENT STROKES Isn’t it time you tried a new hotel in Israel?

W

hen it comes to visiting Israel we tend to be creatures of habit. Staying in the same hotel and lying on the same sunbed, beside the same people year in year out, isn’t a problem. Until it is. That is when you should stay at the newly-built Ramada Resort in Hadera Beach.

There is nothing quite like a sojourn in

Ramada Jerusalem

a hotel that has just been unwrapped for its debut. It literally sparkles with newness and there’s the joy of knowing that you are one of very few guests to have slept in the beds or soaked in the baths. How can a hotel that stands on Menachem Begin Boulevard be anything but stately, though it is also superluxurious and situated on the beach with suites overlooking the gorgeous lagoon.

Uniquely the Ramada Resort is a 100 percent non-smoking hotel and there is an on-site spa with a Turkish hammam.

Hadera itself was founded in 1891, by Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Latvia on land purchased by Yehoshua Hankin, who was known as the Redeemer of the Valley.

For a long time, it has been thought of as the ideal stopover for those on their way to Tel Aviv, Caesarea or Haifa, but changes are afoot and the city is slowly but steadily attracting new homebuyers and businesses, with a plan for it to become a future vacation destination because of its proximity to the Galilee beaches.

Ideal as a location for conferences and business meetings, the Ramada Resort will soon be on the radar of discerning visitors to Israel. Particularly those who are tired of lying on the same sunbed.

Ramada Netanya

Ramada Hadera

If you happen to be a fan of Netanya, the Ramada Hotel and Suites, which was a recipient of the 2015 TripAdvisor certificate of excellence award, is also an excellent hotel and offers multiple dining options with restaurants such as the Natalia, Green Cafe or Saquella Caffe. For international flavour, head to Taipei Restaurant or Simaki Sushi and there is beach front dining at the Artik.

The hotel has wheelchair-accessible suites, which are good to know about, and there is the very comforting full American breakfast on offer, which you don’t expect to get in Israel.

Pancakes and maple syrup anyone?

You will also get a hearty breakfast at the Ramada in Jerusalem, which is ideal if you are there for business or on a sightseeing mission.

For politicos in the making, the Knesset is very close to the hotel, as well as the interactive exhibits at Bloomfield Science Museum Jerusalem, the Bible Lands Museum, and the Tower of David Museum.

Less than 15 minutes from the Old City, the Ramada Jerusalem has tennis courts, a sauna and two pools, which are always welcome after you have toured historical sites or made your debut at the Knesset.

For more information on Ramada Hotels in Israel and other countries visit ramada.co.uk

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29 September 2016 Jewish News

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Bespoke Kosher Travel

RH37

SUKKOT

KOSHER TOURS

IN SUNNY SICILY, ITALY

Ben Robbins Director, Kosher Tours Group

SPECIALISTS IN BESPOKE KOSHER TRAVEL t. 07932658255 e. ben@koshertours.org.uk www.koshertours.org.uk

5 STAR LUXURY RESORT

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• Beautiful sunny warm weather • Exotic sprawling resort • Delectable haute Italian Glatt Kosher Cuisine • Stunning spacious Sukkah • Exciting historical optional touring • Two championship 18 hole golf courses • Gorgeous Outdoor & Indoor Pools • Spectacular 9,600 sq ft Spa & Health Club

destinations

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WINTER SPECIAL

Ramada Jerusalem - The Affordable Luxury Hotel

newly renovated lobby

Only USD $94 per person per night sharing double room on bed & breakfast basis applicable for Tourists staying a minimum of 5 consecutive nights*.

November 24 , 2016 to December 21 , 2016

&

January 03 , 2017 to February 28 , 2017

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Student to age 21 stays free of charge on bed & breakfast basis in rollaway bed in parents’ room.

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One Shabbat Lunch free per full paying adult for those staying a minimum of 5 consecutive nights. For those staying 7 consecutive nights in addition also one weekday meal free .

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Early arrival / late departure at no charge (subject to availability).

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Year Round Glatt Mahadrin certification under the Badatz Rabbinate of Jerusalem and the Orthodox Union.

Facilities include: shul, shabbat elevators, de–luxe health club, indoor pool with separate swimming on alternative evenings free of charge, on site parking free of charge & Free WIFI throughout the Hotel.

Ruppin Bridge at Herzl Blvd, POB 3369, Jerusalem 91033 Israel, Tel: 972-2-659-9999, 972-2-6599950 Fax: 972-2-651-1824

Email: ramadajerusalem@netvision.net.il, or via your travel agent

RH38 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

29 September 2016

Rosh Hashanah / A Trip Down Memory Lane

ISRAEL REVISITED Debra Barnes went to visit her in-laws, but found many other reasons to holiday in the Holy Land

I

f you haven’t been to Israel since tour and you’re aged over 35, then it’s definitely time to go back. We returned this summer after a long absence and realised we shouldn’t have left it so long.

And just because the sun is lower in the sky, don’t panic , as the weather makes it a great destination for autumn.

Our first stop was the northernmost coastal town of Nahariyha, where my in-laws live. It has a long and well-kept promenade, good

beach areas and some cool bars. We also caught some rare Pokémon there, which is more important than you think.

If you don’t have family to visit, then best stop for lunch at Nahariyha on the way to the incredible Rosh HaNikra grottoes or the historic port of Akko. I suggest Eyal’s Bar, where four of us ate the best falafel and hummus ever for £10.

The Ghetto Fighters’ House, established in 1949 by survivors, was the first Holocaust museum in the world, and can be found on the

“A dream trip to India, memories for a lifetime” Jewish Heritage and the Golden Triangle

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Groups tours Nov 13 – Nov 29, 2016 2 seats available Jan 15 – Jan 31, 2017 Limit seats available February 19 - March 07, 2017 Registration started

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main road between Nahariyha and Akko. It’s a good option for anyone wanting to avoid the crowds at Yad Vashem and has the excellent children’s exhibition, Yad Layeled, which provides a first journey into the world of the Holocaust.

Once the family visit was over, we made our way down to Tel Aviv and chose the Port and Blue Hotel in the Port area, which is the trendy place to be, and the boutique residence has large, comfortable rooms and the beach five minutes away.

Tel Aviv is the city of contrasts, with Arabs peacefully enjoying the sea in their burkinis and the frummers coming out of the religious beach with their tzitzit hanging over their Bermudas.

If you don’t get run over by a crazy cyclist testing the speed limit on their electric bike, then chances are you’ll get hit by a runner instead.

As soon as the sun goes down they come out, in their hundreds, jogging late into the night, headphones on, dog by their side, weaving in and out of the strolling tourists. We even had a guy jog through a restaurant we were eating in.

There was no such thing as a bad meal in Israel, and even the McDonalds in a service station was better than London thanks to the Israeli salad on the menu. Highlights were breakfast at Cafe Nimrod, which included a shot glass of yoghurt and granola, 14 dishes of salads and dips, plus eggs, bread, juice and coffee overlooking the sea, and dinner next door at Benny the Fisherman, where we ate a delicious salt-baked white fish after enjoying

the complimentary starter of 14 dishes.

While the Kikar Atarim, where I misspent my teenage summers, has been in a state of ruin for some years , the newest place to hang out is Sarona Market. This was the site of the terrorist attack in June and for me a reason to want to visit and show my solidarity, so it was good to find Israel’s largest indoor market (think Borough Market), a haven for foodies and menopausal women in need of air-conditioning on a hot day in Tel Aviv.

Despite the weak pound, there are still bargains to be found and in the Shuk HaCarmel there are colourful Israeli trousers for a fiver (incidentally, Israelis do not wear these trousers and call them Thai trousers), fake IDF sweatshirts and synthetic opal hamsa necklaces. On Tuesdays and Fridays next door Nachalat Binyamin turns into an arts and crafts market with some great characters parading for anyone interested in street photography hence these by my husband Adam Soller.

As I said, we left it too long, but we will be back – and not just for the Pokémon GO. www.portandblue.com/en www.gfh.org.il/Eng

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West End Travel would like to wish all their clients and friends a Happy and Peaceful New Year and well over the Fast

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MOROCCO 9 MARCH

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All imperial cities Fez, Meknes, Rabat, Purim in Casablanca and Marrakesh

Repeating our Jewish Renaissance Greek tour Salonika to Athens 8 days

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Porto to Lisbon

WEST BALKANS 4 MAY 6 countries over two weeks

29 September 2016 Jewish News

www.jewishnews.co.uk

RH39

Travel / Rosh Hashanah

WHERE ARE YOU HOLIDAYING

IN THE NEW YEAR? Brigit Grant asks the travel experts

In the weeks leading up to the summer holidays, there were times when cancelling your trip, staying home and buttoning down the hatches seemed like the best idea.

Granted, a two-centre vacation in Somalia and Afghanistan was never going to be on the cards, but Israel, Turkey and France certainly are and from January, after civilians were killed in a bar on Dizingoff Street in Tel Aviv, we lost count of the terrorist attacks happening in places we love to visit.

Just two months after Rosh Hashanah last year, there was the attack at the Bataclan in Paris, followed by the horror of the truck incident in Nice in July. But for all the global tragedy, people still went on holiday and for those in the travel business, finding destinations and keeping up with trends is part of their job. After so many years in the business, David Segel of West End Travel is eternally optimistic , but notes that it “certainly hasn’t been the easiest year” owing to security worries and concerns about travelling in the wake of so much terrorism.

“Popular destinations for the Jewish traveller have all suffered – Paris, Nice, Brussels, Istanbul – and then New York but, looking at the positives once nerves have settled, there will be an upsurge in travel, particularly to Israel, with many bookings already made for

Pesach and excitement for the Maccabiah games next July.”

David predicts that the New Year will see Eilat regain its popularity with the help of direct flights with Monarch.

“There is also an upswing of bookings to New York, Miami and Los Angeles notwithstanding threats of terrorism and uncertainty owing to the USA election result,” he says.

City breaks in 2017 will be much in demand, with many families looking for short interesting destinations two, or even three, times a year in addition to their main summer holiday.

“Jewish interest tours are booming,” adds David, who cites a high demand for places such as Budapest, Prague, Berlin and Poland, where he does heritage trips.

While cruising will continue to be a big seller, as all major cruise ships value the Jewish traveller, Anthony Gothold at Travelink thinks Costa Rica will be a great destination for 2017 with a new direct British Airways flight to San José.

“It is attractive for families, with exceptional wildlife in cloud forests and rainforests, and a range of exciting activities on offer, from white-water rafting to ziplines through the forest canopy and beautiful beaches to relax on,” says a clearly-enthralled Anthony, who also recommends Peru as a fascinating country to visit with direct British Airways flights now also available to Lima.

As an Israel specialist, Anthony has noticed

A WEEKEND IN THE COUNTRY Olivia Ambrose created her own bucket list in West Sussex When summer still feels a grasp away, but the nights are drawing in, it’s a good time to get out of London and head somewhere to ease the family into winter. To quote the recently-resurrected Bridget Jones: “There is nothing like a mini-break,” and everyone seems to be taking them.

Hence our visit to Bailiffscourt Hotel & Spa in Climping,West Sussex. Country hotels can be hit and miss with kids, but when our nine-year-old daughter Ruby was presented with the Bailiffscourt Bucket List on arrival, we knew she was impressed. The list set tasks to be completed during our stay and with a choice that included “beat your family at croquet”, “walk through our underground tunnel after dark” or “take a family selfie on our swing” so there was no time to lose.

Bailiffscourt is a beautiful hotel set in 30 acres of private land, 25 miles from Brighton, with views of the Sussex countryside in one direction and Climping Beach in the other.

There are 39 bedrooms and suites, and we stayed in the Baylies Room in the Medieval House, which Ruby renamed “a castle”.

Decorated with paintings and tapestries,

that spa resorts are increasingly popular for clients who want a few days relaxation after a busy touring itinerary.

“Isrotel has recently taken over Mitzpe Hayamim spa, with its organic farm in Rosh Pina. The Beresheet in the Negev remains exceptionally popular, and also trending is the Elma Arts complex in Zichron Yaacov, a contemporary hotel with art installations, top restaurants and contemporary spa.”

At Travlin Style in Stanmore, the owners have watched destinations go in and out of fashion for more than 14 years. Well-versed in the needs of business and holiday travellers, this family-run firm knows its way around five star properties, particularly in the Far East and the UAE. “You’d be surprised how many of our Jewish clients do like to go to Dubai and that will continue,” says longstanding team member Michael Phillips, who is predicting that Croatia will be huge next summer. “Dubrovnik is also growing in popularity, and deservedly so, as it is beautiful and Split, particularly, where I recommend the Radisson Blu followed by a second week at the Amfora Grand Beach Resort in Hvar.” So now you know where you are going next!

Visit : Travlin Style 020 8954 0077 travelinstyle.co.uk West End Travel 020 7644 1500 westendtravel.co.uk Travelink 020 8931 8000 travelinkuk.com

there was a four-poster bed, not one but two freestanding baths, a comfortable sitting area with TV and DVD and a log burning stove, which is perfect for winter.

A relaxed walk in the grounds offers the chance to meet Bailiffscourt’s resident peacock, Kevin. We didn’t meet Kev, possibly because Ruby was completing the ‘Perfect your Tarzan yell’ task on the new woodland rope.

The luxurious spa has fantastic facilities, including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a Jacuzzi, steam room, and wide selection of beauty and body treatments. We swam inside and out as the pools were warm.

Having done more exercise than I do in a month in London, I decided it was time for a break and one of Bailiffscourt’s famous cream teas in the pretty courtyard. After melt-in-themouth scones, it was on to a game of Swingball in one of the gorgeous gardens. ‘Beat the Bailiffscourt keepy-uppy record’ was the task with the tennis ball we had been given on arrival, which Ruby didn’t quite manage, but made up for with a run of cartwheels across the hotel’s helipad.

Other guests made extremely welcome here are dogs, which can go in all areas of the hotel, as long as they are well behaved. Your dog won’t have to miss out on the luxury on offer either, with doggy treats on arrival and even the option of a dog-friendly one night package, known as Sandy Paws.

Our dinner in the Tapestry Restaurant was delicious with a choice of two menus, and children are also very well-catered for. We were

Elma Arts complex in Zichron Yaacov

Synagogue in Prague

For Radisson Blu, go to travelinstyle.co.uk

eating again the next morning – hot Belgian waffles – before I went for a pedicure at the spa and husband and daughter went for another swim. I don’t know about their swim, but the Pristine Pedicure was the best I ever had. I had to force myself out to see Ruby, with all tasks completed, collect her ‘Bucket of Fun’ certificate. I now have my own Bucket of Fun list and returning to Baliffscourt is at the top of it.

Visit: hshotels.co.uk/baliffscourt or call 01903 723511.

RH40 Jewish News

29 September 2016

www.jewishnews.co.uk