1361 - 4th April 2024

DONATE TRANSFORM PLEASE

MORE LIVES TODAY to

Support the US Chesed Appeal and you will help ensure that:

150+ families receive weekly food parcels and freshly cooked meals

900 families receive Pesach boxes and food vouchers

Our prison and hospital chaplains visit anyone identifying as Jewish

Over 1200 under-privileged children receive gifts at Chanuka/ Christmas

Asylum seekers and refugees receive our vital support

Our young people learn about the

importance of giving

We can provide a listening ear to anyone who needs us

Children from families in need can attend Tribe trips and camps

Gaza aid plan that could have prevented tragedy

Proposal seen by Jewish News had IDF’s backing but Netanyahu’s office said: ‘What’s the rush?’

jenni@jennifrazer.com @Jennifrazer

The deaths of seven aid workers in the Gaza Strip this week (pictured, right), among them three Britons, might have been avoided had an emergency plan for aid distribution launched as planned two months ago, documents obtained by Jewish News reveal.

A detailed proposal was presented to the Israeli government back in February by the head of humanitarian aid agency GDC (Global Development Company) in conjunction with a high-level American security company.

GDC chief Moti Kahana, who provides logistical support and services to governments and non-profit organisations, has worked in numerous theatres of war

including Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan, rescuing civilians and providing vital goods and services.

Kahana revealed this week that two months ago he — together with the Americans — presented a plan to Israel which would have led to aid being safely delivered to Palestinians in Gaza but was told by the Benjamin Netanyahu’s o ce: “What’s the rush?”

The meticulous plan, seen by Jewish News, envisages the creation of “gated communities” in a safe space in the Strip and biometric recognition put in place for civilian recipients of aid. Those who did not pass the biometric tests would not have received aid. The gated communities are described as a Secure Humanitarian Logistics Corridor which, the plan states, “once established, can process and securely deliver humanitarian assistance from other sources across Gaza”.

The proposed cost of the

six-month project would be around £160million.

Kahana told Jewish News: “Israel has had this plan on the table for more than two months. We have had several meetings at the highest level to present the plan and go over the ideas. The army was in favour and we have been waiting for the green light, but when we asked if we could go ahead, the Prime Minister’s O ce asked, ‘What’s the rush?’”

The idea, according to the proposal presented to the Israeli government, would be to phase in the delivery of aid. In the first instance, there

Continued on page 2

Shelved: a key section of the aid plan put forward in February

Damian Sobol Zomi Frankcom

Jacob Flickinger

John Chapman

Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha

James Kirby

James ‘Jim’ Henderson

ISRAEL AT WAR

‘Israel is better than this’, says horrified WCK chief

by Lee Harpin

The chef who founded the humanitarian aid organisation that lost seven workers, including three Britons, after they were killed delivering food aid in Gaza, has said: “Israel is better than the way this war is being waged.”

José Andrés – who has long been a vocal critic of Hamas and who defended Israel’s right to protect its citizens after the 7 October terror atrocity – described the seven people killed by the Israeli drone attack as they delivered food aid for his World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity as “the best of humanity”.

But writing for Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Andrés, a Michelin-starred chef, was deeply critical of the way Israel has conducted its military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas massacre.

He wrote: “The seven people killed on a World Central Kitchen mission in Gaza on Monday were the best of humanity. They risked everything for the most fundamentally human activity; to share our food with others. Israel is better than the way this war is being waged.”

WCK, which had a close relationship with Israel and had delivered aid following the 7 October Hamas attack, has now suspended its operations in Gaza. Andrés also used his social media platform on X to call for Israel to “stop this indiscriminate killing”.

The Spanish-born chef, who founded WCK

in 2010 and now lives in Washington in the US, also wrote in his Israeli newspaper op-ed: “We know Israelis. Israelis in their heart of hearts know that food is not a weapon of war.

“Israel is better than this war is being waged. It is better than blocking food and medicines to civilians. It is better than killing aid workers who coordinated their movements with the IDF.”

Andrés added the Israeli government needed to open land and food routes to ensure aid could enter the region, and that the country “needs to start the long journey to peace today”.

An Israeli government spokesperson claimed it would now “try harder” to ensure more aid gets into Gaza, stressing his country was not at war with the Palestinian people but with Hamas.

David Mencer told Sky News that WCK were “the good guys” and “the unsung heroes” in the region. Asked about the targeting up to 200 aid workers by the IDF since the campaign against Hamas began Mencer said he “did not recognise” this figure, and suggested the United Nations was “part of the problem” for the aid crisis.

In what appeared to be a catastrophic mis-

take three Britons, a Palestinian, a US-Canadian dual citizen, a Pole and an Australian, were killed on Monday after they were targeted by an Israeli drone, which fired three times at the convoy of three cars, all marked on their roofs with the WCK logo, after they had taken food aid to a warehouse in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

Reports in Israel claimed the drone strike had been launched on the convoy because of a suspicion that an armed militant was travelling with them. But there had been no sign of a suspect leaving the warehouse as the delivery was made and the cars were hit as they travelled back along a route pre-approved and co-ordinated with the IDF.

In an admission of fault, Benjamin Netanyahu said his military took responsibility for the attack, adding that forces had “unintentionally struck innocent people in the Gaza Strip”.

The IDF chief of sta Lt Gen Herzi Halevi also apologised for the strike and described it as “a mistake that followed a misidentification”.

“I want to be very clear – the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a

misidentification – at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened,” Halevi said.

The Britons killed were John Chapman, 57, James Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47. All had been working for WCK as employees of security firm Solace Global, based in Poole, Dorset.

In a statement the Kirby family said: “Despite the risks, his compassionate nature drove him to o er assistance to those in dire need. A genuine gentleman, James was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone, even in the face of senseless violence.

“James lost his life trying to save others, he will never know what a void he has left, our family will never be the same.”

Henderson was a former Royal Marine, while Chapman, a father of two from Poole, is understood to be a former special forces soldier.

A statement from the Chapman family said: “We are devastated to have lost John, who was killed in Gaza. He died trying to help people and was subject to an inhumane act. He was an incredible father, husband, son and brother.

“We request we be given space and time to grieve appropriately. He was loved by many and will forever be a hero. He will be missed dearly.”

The UK government issued a sharp rebuke to Israel on Tuesday over the deaths. There were also growing calls from MPs and peers from across the main parties for the UK to exporting arms to Israel in response to the incident.

Rishi Sunak has called for an urgent investigation into the deaths of three British aid workers. On Tuesday evening, he telephoned Netanyahu to say that “far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza” and that the situation there is “increasingly intolerable”. But asked by the Sun if he now backed an arms sale ban on Israel, Sunak said: “We’ve always had a very careful export licensing regime that we adhere to.”

Andrew Mitchell, a foreign o ce minister, summoned Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotolvely over the incident and requested “a quick and transparent investigation, shared with the international community, and full accountability”.

BIBI ‘SHELVED’ PROPOSAL FOR AID CORRIDOR

Continued from page 1 would be “mass food and water deliveries to alleviate hunger, and restore civil order to those areas, then progressively expand food aid into Gaza and eventually re-establish warehouses”.

One of those supportive of the scheme is Palestinian political analyst Samer Sinijlawi, who told Jewish News that “there is a Palestinian interest in general, to see international organisations have operations of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

“Now Gaza is on the edge of famine, people are starving. The tragedy of the World Central Kitchen was that they had just entered Gaza, with the full co-ordination of the Israeli army, and they were

hit and killed.

“Now important countries, which were financing humanitarian aid, like the Emirates, have declared that they will stop their involvement.

“People are trying to save lives in Gaza, but there is a lack of understanding on the Israeli side that this is something important.”

Palestinians would very much like to see organisations such as Kahana’s going into Gaza and providing much-needed food and provisions, he said.

Sinijlawi said he had seen the joint GDC and American plan and believed that, “I can trust these organisations, they have worked intensively in 40 or 50

countries and have done an excellent job. If they have succeeded elsewhere they should succeed in Gaza.

“It’s a political challenge, now — but the decision-maker in Israel needs to allow it.”

He did not believe that the two companies would have any problem in hiring local Palestinians to help deliver the aid.

“People, logistics, equipment — that can be done. But they [GDC and the Americans] need to be there physically.

“It cannot be more urgent. We should be worried about every hour that we lose, not every day.”

The Israeli prime minister’s o ce has been asked for comment.

Passports said to be those of aid workers unintentionally killed on Tuesday in an IDF strike

lee@jewishnews.co.uk @lmharpin

WCK founder and chef José Andrés

One of the three targeted vehicles carrying the aid workers

Iran pledges to punish Israel for consulate hit

Iran this week promised to “punish” Israel for killing one of its top commanders in broad daylight in Syria.

The alleged Israeli airstrike killed Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with six other Iranian o cials in the country’s consulate in Damascus on Monday.

While Israel stayed silent on the attack, the New York Times quoted

four Israeli o cials as admitting that Israel was behind it.

“After repeated defeats and failures against the faith and will of the Resistance Front fighters, the Zionist regime has put blind assassinations on its agenda in the struggle to save itself,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said following the attack.

“The evil Zionist regime will be punished at the hands of our brave men. We will make them regret this crime and the other ones,” Khamenei added.

day, including over the last few days. We operate everywhere, every day, to prevent our enemies from gaining strength and in order to make it clear to anyone who threatens us – all over the Middle East – that the price for such action will be a big one.”

Hezbollah issued a statement, explaining how Zahedi played an essential role in helping the group in Lebanon.

“This crime will certainly not pass without the enemy receiving punishment and revenge,” Hezbollah said.

Zahedi was the most senior Iranian figure to be assassinated since the outbreak of the war. He was considered a key figure in IRGC, responsible for Iran’s actions in Syria and Lebanon, and close to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Defence minister Yoav Gallant fell short of acknowledging Israel’s role in the assassination but said: “We are currently in a multi-front war – we see evidence of this every

such action will be a big one.” the meantime relayed a wanted to make it very

The United States in the meantime relayed a message to Tehran that it was not involved in the assassination.

“Tensions being high in the region, we wanted to make it very clear in private channels that the US had no involvement in the strike in Damascus,” a Pentagon spokesperson said.

Iran is not expected to directly attack Israel but other options have been mentioned by Israeli pundits since the assassination, such as hitting Israeli targets abroad, and ordering its allies in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq to increase their attacks on Israel.

Israel allegedly assassinated several IRGC commanders in both Syria and Lebanon, in what appears to be an attempt to slow down its coordination with other terror groups acting against Israel.

The delegation, along with Egypt, formulated an updated proposal for Hamas after the terror group rejected the last ceasefire proposal for a sixweek cessation of hostilities, along with the release of 40 hostages and roughly 800 Palestinian prisoners.

“Israel expects the mediators to take vigorous action regarding Hamas to advance the negotiations toward a deal. The State of Israel is continuing to make all necessary e orts for the release of the hostages from Hamas and their return to Israel,” Benjamin Netanyahu’s o ce said.

Haaretz Daily reported that sources involved with the negotia-

As Israel continued to attack Hamas and Islamic Jihad positions in Gaza this week, a delegation led by Mossad, Shin Bet and IDF returned to Israel from Cairo on Tuesday after another “intensive round” of ceasefire negotiations.

‘Jew pigs’ candidate withdraws

A Conservative Party candidate has withdrawn from the forthcoming local elections after a social media post emerged in which he appeared to have used the words “jew pigs”, writes Lee Harpin.

Azmat Husain had been due to stand as the Tory candidate for Eccles in the city of Salford, Greater Manchester, in the May elections, with campaign material showing his name circulated in the seat.

Yesterday he confirmed to Jewish News he had now stood down.

A Facebook post appeared to show that Husain, the current chairman of Salford Conservative Federation, had used the words “jew pigs” during an online discussion about settlers in the West Bank.

Jewish News understands that a complaint about Husain and the social media posted in 2021 had originally been made to the Tory Party more than a year ago, and he had been suspended.

The result of the investigation conducted by the party is not known.

A Conservative spokesperson told Jewish News: “The party has an established code of conduct and formal processes where complaints can be made in confidence. This process is rightly confidential.”

Husain initially said he did not want to comment about the reason for his decision to withdraw as a candidate, but when asked whether he had used the words “jew pigs” he said: “It was all fake. It was not just one time, it was four times. Every time it was fake.”

He added: “I have been in business all the time. I have got good

friends, colleagues. I can’t even think of anything like that.”

Asked if he believed somebody else had written the words “jew pigs” under his name, Husain added: “I don’t think it was fake, it was fake.

“Last year in the elections we received so many emails. That’s why I am so disappointed.”

Husain, a former deputy chair of Bury North Conservatives, added that he was prepared to answer questions on the matter “because I’ve not done anything.”.

He said: “I have been with the party for the last 19 years, and I haven’t done anything at all that might bring some embarrassment to the party, or the community, … all of the people.”

Husain, a chief executive of an import/export company, said he had decided to withdraw as Tory candidate last Friday. He added he had wished to stand as a candidate “to bring people together”.

The local elections take place on 2 May.

tions warned that the gaps between Hamas and Israel are “dramatic,” but that Israel has agreed to be more flexible regarding the number of civilians allowed to return to northern Gaza.

Israel will, however, not compromise on the security checkpoints needed to prevent Hamas members and arms from being smuggled from south to north, the report added.

The remaining 134 hostages are believed to be in dire condition as no medical attention has reached them yet, while released hostages have spoken about hunger and sexual assaults during their captivity.

Families of hostages demonstrated for four days in a row outside Knesset this week, demanding new elections and a deal to free the hostages immediately.

CAMERON PRESSED ON LEGAL ADVICE

Foreign secretary Lord Cameron is under pressure to publish the legal advice he has received on Israel’s actions in Gaza following claims that UK government lawyers believe it has broken humanitarian law.

Commons foreign a airs committee chair Alicia Kearns said she was convinced that the government had concluded that Israel was not demonstrating a commitment to international humanitarian law.

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy urged Cameron and Rishi Sunak to come clean about the advice they had been given. The Foreign O ce said advice on Israel’s compliance with international law was kept under review, but would remain confidential.

Israel has come under international scrutiny over its treatment of Palestinians during its war against Hamas.

In a leaked recording of a drinks reception hosted by West Hampstead and Fortune Green Conservatives on 13 March, Kearns said: “The Foreign O ce has received o cial legal advice that Israel has broken international humanitarian law but the government has not announced it.

“They have not said it, they haven’t stopped arms exports. They have done a few very small sanctions on Israeli settlers.”

Arms export licences cannot be granted if there is a clear risk the weapons could be used in a serious violation of humanitarian law.

Azmat Husain said: ‘It was fake’

Cameron with Eli Cohen at Be’eri

‘Tent city’ protest at the Knesset

Target: Hassein Amman al-Lahi

Iranians burn Israeli, American and UK flags during an anti-Israeli demonstration in Tehran. Israel launched an airstrike on Monday targeting the Iranian consulate building in Damascus

by Jotam Confino in Israel jotam@jewishnews.co.uk @mrconfino

Thousands helped by Pesach Chesed

Thousands of people who are struggling, vulnerable or lonely are turning to the welfare department of the United Synagogue for support over Pesach, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

US Chesed and the charity’s synagogue volunteers have delivered 6,962 food parcels to people in need over the last 12 months.

The charity is running a matched giving campaign next week (7-9 April) to raise the £500,000 needed to run the services required in the coming year.

In the past few years, US Chesed has seen a big rise in the number of Jewish families asking for support to make ends meet. The charity used to support around 600 families at Pesach time. This year 800 families have asked the charity for support – a figure which is only 12 less than last year.

Pesach parcels this year will contain more than 20 food items including matzah (donated by Rakusen’s), grape juice and fruit juice, cheese and tuna, tea and coffee, jam and butter, and some chocolate and biscuits. The United Synagogue is also expecting to continue playing its part supporting Ukrainian refugees and others through the charity’s existing asylum seeker centres.

Michelle Minsky, head of chesed at the United Synagogue, said: “US Chesed helps others every day of the year. In addition to our essential food parcels, our volunteers call or visit elderly people living alone or help them with shopping as well as providing bereavement

A United Synagogue Pesach food collection for those who are struggling

befriending or organising meal rotas for new parents.

“The cost of living crisis has not gone away despite falling inflation and thousands of people still rely on us for financial, practical and emotional help.

We need our generous donors to step up once again and help us raise enough money to ensure that US Chesed can be there for every family that needs us – and to support our work beyond the Jewish community.”

LAMMY: SWASTIKA CLEARLY A VILE MARK OF ANTISEMITISM

The swastika symbol is “clearly” a mark of “vile antisemitism”, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has insisted.

Speaking on his LBC radio show, Lammy said: “All of us know that the swastika is a vile, terrible Nazi image that led to the attempted destruction of the Jewish people, and certainly the loss of life of millions and millions of people.

“Not just Jewish people actually – black people were killed, disabled people were killed, gay men and women were murdered by the Nazis.

“And the idea that a swastika is something where you need context,

when clearly it is something that is aimed at Jewish people, particularly with what is happening in Israel-Gaza now, is horrendous.”

Nick Thomas-Symonds

said the story posted on X was “very concerning” but that he sympathised with officers doing public order policing, which he said was “very difficult”.

MPs want Unrwa funding restored

Foreign secretary Lord Cameron has come under pressure to restore funding to the UN’s relief agency in Palestine from a cross-party group of more than 50 MPs and peers.

The UK was among a group of countries that halted funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) amid allegations from Israel that some staff members were involved in the 7 October atrocities carried out by Hamas.

In a letter to Cameron from MP Brendan O’Hara, SNP foreign affairs spokesman, and signed by colleagues from all main parties, they called for clarity about why the UK suspended funding and why

interim reports from investigations into Unrwa had not been enough to resume the supply of money.

The UK government has said no funding is due from Britain to Unrwa until the end of April and it is awaiting the findings of both a review of the agency by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna and a UN investigation into the claims.

The letter said: “By reinstating funding, the UK can demonstrate its commitment to upholding human rights, promoting stability and fostering a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

WIESEL CHARITY BACKS UYGHURS

A foundation named after the late Holocaust survivor and writer Elie Wiesel is at the forefront of an interfaith conference about how to help the Uyghur people from persecution by China.

The Elie Wiesel Foundation, chaired by Wiesel’s son Elisha, has joined the Uyghur Human Rights Project and the World Uyghur Congress to hold the New York conference on 17 and 18 April entitled Disrupting Uyghur Genocide.

Those taking part include Ellen Germain, the US State Department’s special envoy on Holocaust issues, Dr Mehnaz Afridi of the Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith Studies Centre at Manhattan College, and a number of leading imams and rabbis.

The event will be preceded by an exhibition, Made in China, which will trace the supply chains of consumer products back to Uyghur forced labour camps in China.

Al Quds counter protest planned

Community members and interfaith allies will hold a counter protest at a notorious anti-Israel march planned in London on Friday.

not let London forget this fact. We reject the calls to destroy Israel and stand against normalisation of Jew hatred.”

The annual anti-Israel, antiZionism and pro-Palestinian International Al Quds Day event takes place outside the Home Office in Westminster on 4 April, the last Friday of Ramadan. Speakers include anti-Zionist Bristol University professor David Miller, retired Anglican priest Steven Sizer and ex-MP Chris Williamson.

Debate about the swastika had raged after a social media videoclip was posted in which a police officer spoke of the need for context to be considered when making an arrest, after he was questioned during last Saturday’s proPalestine demonstration in central London.

He told LBC’s Matthew Wright: “I do have sympathy for bobbies on the front line… if someone’s going to make very difficult decisions as to whether you intervene in something and make it worse or whether you try to stand back.

Labour’s shadow minister without portfolio

Thomas-Symonds then said: “When I was shadowing the Home Office I went out on the frontline with officers and met a lot of them trying to do a very good job in very difficult circumstances.”

In response, a group called Al Quds Unmasked is calling for “residents and citizens of UK Jews, Christians and Muslims to say enough is enough and put an end to the hate marches”.

The group says it “will not sit silently by as we witness the normalisation of terror! Hamas are terrorists, funded by Iran. We will

Itai Galmudy, organiser of the counter protestors, told Jewish News: “These marches have ballooned into anti-Jewish, anti-Israel events whose sole purpose is to remove us from the public domain.

“We won’t be made scapegoats for their anger. We will be there to make sure the police help us uphold our democratic rights. Our community should not be afraid because someone is protesting. We are not afraid.”

A CST spokesperson said: “The Quds Day rally is an annual event inspired by the government of Iran, with all the extremism and antisemitism that entails. It is a march predicated on anti-Israel hate, expressed through calls for Israel to be erased from the map.”

Emily Schrader talks to a Met officer in the videoclip

‘Israelis’ pain is our pain, their trauma our trauma’

In the first of three reports, Michelle Rosenberg reflects on a profound trip to Israel with UJIA, bearing witness to the horrors of 7 October

Walking towards Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, I realised what I’d done. We’d met the father of Gaza hostage Tal Shoham, who’s turned 39 in captivity, and I was carrying his poster. As a British Jew, my reflexes still hard-wired for selfpreservation, I was automatically carrying it with Tal’s face hidden towards me. I checked myself and turned it to face outwards. It was liberating.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s been three days since landing back at Heathrow. I’m still processing the intense 72-hour trip with UJIA, alongside 13 British Jews from London, Leeds and Manchester.

Following the Hamas terror attacks of 7 October, UJIA, the UK’s largest Israel charity, launched an emergency community appeal. From 8 October, its focus has been on allocating funds to support the most pressing needs for Israelis, key among them mental health and trauma support.

The trip was to strengthen the connection between British Jewry and Israel, to bear witness to the unspeakable horrors that unfolded on ‘Black Shabbat’ and highlight programmes and projects UJIA is supporting.

My brain is still struggling to slot together the scenes we saw with the online footage we’d read, listened to, watched and, in the case of myself and the Jewish News team, written about since 7 October.

The site of the Nova festival massacre, near Kibbutz Re’im, has become a place of pilgrimage.

We approached it on the 232 Road, now grimly infamous from the media footage of burnt out, bullet-ridden cars of those who attempted to escape and the stories of the impossibly brave Israelis who traversed it back and forth on rescue missions.

The field where the main concert stage had been is now neatly plotted out with memorials to every innocent person who was massacred that day. Israeli flags, flowers, memorial candles, pictures, ceramic red flowers, notes and stickers.

Our group recited Kaddish, some wept and we walked in silence to bear witness. It was eerily quiet, the silence permeated only with the boom of artillery rounds being fired by the Israel Defence Forces into Gaza, just kilometres away.

Kibbutz Be’eri was overwhelming. That such a beautiful place, filled with so much

Quite frankly, it’s impossible to fully describe the emotional and spiritual impact of the trip. I know the other members of the group would agree. You cannot visit the site of the Nova music festival massacre and the charred ruins of houses set ablaze by terrorists at Kibbutz Be’eri and not be bonded in some way.

love, community, carefully cultivated greenery, flowers and trees, was subject to such brutality, is incomprehensible. We were met by Nieve, a 29-year-

old, who has lived his whole life there and whose aunt was murdered on 7 October. He showed us the picture of the two bullet holes in the wall of the room where she was massacred.

We see the bullet-ridden yellow wall of the dental clinic where two residents were murdered; we witness the ruins of the home of Emily Hand, the nine-year old Irish-Israeli kidnapped from Be’eri and released in November alongside 12 other Israelis after 49 days in captivity.

In Jerusalem, we meet residents of the Michael Levin Lone Soldier centre, where UJIA is supporting the provision of trauma support for released soldiers from this war. “Big up the Essex!” was the raucous response as one former Ilford boy introduced himself.

We heard from Rabbi Donniel Hartman of the Shalom Hartman Institute, a man of such profound intellect that collectively we agreed

that, through his example alone, the world could rest easy that Jews are indeed People of the Book.

At a warehouse in Rishon Lezion, with sleeves rolled up and surrounded by boxes of matzah, wine, olive oil and chickpeas, we packed Pesach food boxes at Pitchon Lev, Israel’s leading poverty-fighting charity.

Supported by UJIA, it has developed additional services to meet the needs of Israelis during the war.

We prayed at the Kotel for the safe return of the hostages, heard from reservist paratrooper Sam Sank who insisted that despite his 140 day stint in Gaza, it was British Jewry who were heroic for dealing with rising antisemitism.

While the trip amplified the enormity of the challenges ahead for Israel, politically, economically, socially and mentally, it demonstrated beyond doubt the undisputed, unbreakable connection, the Yiddishkeit, between British Jews and Israelis. We are one family, one tribe. Their pain is ours. Their trauma is ours. Their grief is ours.

What was extraordinary was that everyone we met thanked us for coming but expressed concern for our safety in the UK. “How is the UK antisemitism?” we were asked repeatedly.

Having felt so liberated, so viscerally proud of my culture, my history, my heritage, the thought of coming back to the UK and having to reshrink that identity, to hide myself away for my own safety, to worry about my youngest daughter wearing her Israel tour hoodie or my eldest wearing her great-grandmother’s Magen David necklace, was profoundly disturbing.

I realised, as Jews in the UK, how much we have normalised making ourselves smaller.

Like Peter Pan being severed from his shadow, I feel I’ve left a huge part of my true self in Israel – perhaps the most important. My neshama

It’s one I carry with fierce pride and one I will never give up. The challenge for me now is how to navigate that dual citizenship; physically present in the UK while my heart and soul remain forever in Israel.

The British UJIA delegation at leading anti-poverty charity Pitchon Lev

Gilad Korngold, together with Michelle Rosenberg of Jewish News, holds a poster of his son, Tal Shoham, who is a hostage in Gaza

Lighting memorial candles at Nova

Post-7/10 trauma: ‘Suddenly they are flooded with pain’

Six months into the war in Gaza, where destruction and death is daily news, Israel’s own pain feels unending , writes Nicole Lampert

People in Israel aren’t really talking about post-trauma. Instead, they have spent the nearly six months since 7 October living in a constant state of trauma

The Simchat Torah massacre was like a giant boulder being thrown into a pond, creating waves of distress that keep on being felt.

Hit by the first wave were the victims and survivors of the attacks – from the kibbutzim, the Nova Festival, and the towns of the Gaza envelope. The next trauma layer consists of everyone who has spent the past six months living out of a suitcase, including about 200,000 people evacuated both from the border with Gaza and the northern border with Lebanon. None of them has any idea when they will return to their homes – if they have homes to return to.

And then there are the families with serving IDF members; almost everyone is swallowed up in this layer. Almost 600 soldiers have been killed, either on 7 October or in the ensuing

fighting. Every day brings tragic news about another young person killed.

The layers continue; everyone has seen the videos, everyone is experiencing life at war, everyone has had the ground beneath them – the idea of Israel’s strength and that finally Jews could be protected – stolen away.

Meanwhile, on the other side of this awful conflict, the scenes of horror and destruction in Gaza continue to shock and dismay.

Perhaps it is little wonder that Israelis are turning to drugs and other substances, both legal and illegal, in record numbers.

“Here in Israel, we haven’t even started to recover,” says Shauli Lev-Ran, a professor of psychiatry at Tel Aviv university and co-founder of a charity, Israel Centre on Addiction. “People are struggling with acute trauma. And because of what is happening we have seen an alarming increase in the use of addictive substances.

“Everyone is struggling differently. Some

have insomnia, others have acute anxiety. Some have developed depression. Many of them have become hot-tempered. And they are turning to addictive substances in order to alleviate some of that but while they can help in the short term, the worry is that they can aggravate the situation in the long term.

“What we are seeing is a cycle of more stress, more anxiety, more depression, more use of addictive substances. If you look of alcohol, for example, this can cause an aggravation of depression so some people are living in a vicious cycle.”

According to figures compiled by the centre in December, one out of three women was reporting substantial post-traumatic stress symptoms such as having difficulty falling asleep, having violent nightmares, being startled by loud noises. One out of five people had substantially increased their use of addictive substances since the war started.

One of the most astonishing figures was

on the use of sleeping pills with one million Israelis requiring them to fall asleep. “Sleeping pills are the number one substance which is being abused right now,” says Shauli. “There is also a 200 percent increase in the use of prescription sedatives, anti-anxiety and sleep medications and that is what we know about and doesn’t take into account the people who are taking them from parents and siblings.”

Just behind sleeping pills is an increase in the amount of alcohol being drunk and use of cannabis. “The closer people were to the trauma, the higher those figures were,” adds Shauli. “For example, the people from the Gaza Envelope are most acutely affected by the trauma and 50 percent of them reported a significant increase in the use of addictive substances.”

As a society highly knowledgeable about both trauma and psychology, there have been attempts to stem some of this pain. But that

has not stopped what Shauli describes as a “second wave” or spike in trauma. The causes are twofold: first there is the continued uncertainty and a general feeling of helplessness, and second is the return of soldiers, many of them young conscripts, from the frontline.

For the first time therapists were on the frontline with the IDF in an attempt to stem the problem of PTSD. But it has only done so much. “There were 800 mental professionals attached to each unit meaning that everyone had someone they could speak to,” says Shauli.

“That means the risk of PTSD was reduced substantially during the war. But things have started to fall apart as they have returned home and they aren’t with their unit any more. All of a sudden, they have time on their hands and they are flooded with pain.”

The ICA is doing what it can. It is working closely with schools from the Gaza envelope region and is focusing in on the survivors from Kfar Aza, one of the most badly a ected of the kibbutzim. But the problem as Shauli sees it is that there simply not enough bodies on the ground to help. “It feels impossible to get to everybody – there aren’t enough therapists to go around and we need a lot more money in the public mental health system.”

They are doing what they can – training, assessing, and carrying out targeted therapy – but there is perhaps no surprise that it feels like a drop in the ocean. “We are just having to allocate our resources as wisely as we can,” says Shauli sadly.

• For more information about the ICA and to donate, visit: ica.org.il/en

A survivor of the Nova festival where more than 250 people were killed on 7 October

Are you in? Since JDA supported me at school, I’m in a much better place To donate please scan the QR code, call 020 8446 0502 or visit charityextra.com/ jewishdeafassociation This Sunday and Monday 36 hour matched funding campaign

We rely entirely on your donations to meet the increasing demand for our 40 life-enhancing services – which no other organisation can provide.

For 36 hours only, your donation will go twice as far.

Registered Charity no. 1105845 By supporting JDA on 7-8 April, you’ll be ensuring that deaf children in our community are never held back by their hearing loss and always have somewhere to turn to.

On Sunday 7 and Monday 8 April, your donation to JDA will be doubled, making twice the difference in enabling vulnerable deaf people to cope with life in our hearing world.

JDA supports hearing families from the shocking diagnosis of their baby’s deafness, enabling parents to adapt, cope and give their child the best start in life. And, with us beside them every step of the way, the deaf children of our community have all the support they need to grow up confident, proud of their identity and able to achieve their potential.

JDA’s expert staff and volunteers support over 2,500 deaf people of all ages each year, wherever they are and with whatever they need.

To help us make a difference, you can double your donation at no extra cost at charityextra.com/ jewishdeafassociation

Are you in?

Union boss blasts activists’ targeting of Jews at work

Unite’s general secretary has launched a scathing attack on pro-Palestine activists for targeting members of the trade union who “have recently been attacked directly, spat at and called ‘child killers’”.

In a letter sent to all sta , organisers and o cers at Unite, Sharon Graham wrote: “We have watched on with horror the bombardment and destruction of Gaza and the unbearable terror, su ering and death of its innocent civilians. We have been unequivocal that the deliberate killing of civilians, hostage-taking

and collective punishment are war crimes and should be identified as such.”

But speaking about the targeting of union members who work in the UK defence industry, she said: “We cannot and will not endorse any

organisation which decides unilaterally to support the targeting of our members’ workplaces or their jobs.

“To be clear, this will not happen. No outside body, no matter what their political position, will be allowed to dictate terms to our union and our members.”

The union leader, who has been unafraid to criticise Labour leader Keir Starmer in the past, added: “We are a trade union with thousands of members employed in the defence industry. It is the views of a ected mem-

bers that take precedence in a trade union. That will not change and nor should it.

“Unite members have recently been attacked directly, been spat at and called ‘child killers’.

“We cannot and will not endorse this.”

Graham stressed that Unite had been “the first major union to publicly and unambiguously call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza”.

But she argued: “There is no contradiction for a trade union to hold a position of solidarity with Palestinian

workers, while at the same time refusing to support campaigns that target our members’ workplaces without their support.”

In a further put-down of far-left foreign policy dogma Graham wrote: “Similarly, we cannot be expected to a liate to organisations that actively work against our members and their jobs.

“Examples include groups that look to build networks inside trade unions to undermine the defence industry or demand the disbandment of Nato and [the security partnership] AUKUS.”

Under Graham’s leadership Unite has also taken great strides in attempting to combat antisemitism within the movement.

The Liberal Democrats’ London mayoral candidate has said the pro-Palestinian

At the latest London Jewish Forum mayoral election breakfast event at JW3, Rob Blackie was asked for his views on the policing of the regular protests since 7 October and claims London’s streets become unsafe when they are held.

He said: “Keeping London welcoming means everybody has to feel safe in our city, so when we fail to do that it is a failure for everyone.”

Stressing he was not a lawyer, Blackie added: “Common sense is that some of the things that are chanted, like ‘from the river to the sea [Pales-

tine will be free]’ are clearly antisemitic. Some people might be doing that out of ignorance, but I think most of the time it’s pretty obvious. In most circumstances chanting that is obviously antisemitism.”

In the last of four London Jewish Forum events, with the Green, Labour and Tory candidates having already held sessions, the Lib Dem candidate was careful not to be too critical of the policing of demonstrations in the capital.

Jewish News has partnered with the organisers during all four events, and will also support a hustings with all four candidates next month.

Blackie said it was “di cult” making more arrests “because policing demos is very manpowerintensive; for every one person you

arrest you probably need 20 police o cers”. He added: “I think it is not recognised enough quite how overstretched police in London are now. ”

He was also loath to criticise current mayor Sadiq Khan on his attempts to call out antisemitism in the capital. But the Lib Dem candidate said he would have spent the past four years “fixing” the situation so that there were more police available in London.

Blackie said the Metropolitan Police also had a significantly high number of o cers working in back o ce roles, rather than the front line.

Later he praised Layla Moran, the Lib Dem foreign a airs spokesperson, who has a Christian Palestinian background and, while speaking out on the devastating humanitarian crisis

in Gaza and the loss of innocent lives, has never been afraid to call out the atrocities committed by Hamas.

“I agree with Layla on almost everything,” said Blackie, who was introduced by Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel honorary chair Gavin Stollar.

The event took place at JW3 two days after Sadiq Khan had appeared at a similar early-morning session. Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall had appeared on Monday, and Green candidate Zoë Garbett took part in an event last week.

chant of “from the river to the sea” is antisemitic when used at protests in the capital in “most circumstances”.

Unite’s Sharon Graham

Gavin Stollar (seated) with Lib Dem mayoral candidate Rob Blackie

Teachers’ concerns / Cohesion adviser / Survivor portrait / News

TEACHERS DEBATE ISRAEL-GAZA LESSONS

Teachers are set to debate if their union should publish and circulate educational resources to “increase understanding of Palestine and Israel”.

Delegates at the National Education Union (NEU) annual conference in Bournemouth this week are also set to vote on whether it should support the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

A motion to be debated at the conference of the largest education union in the UK, accuses Israel’s government of being “racist” and suggests it is the “main driver” of the conflict, violence and war.

The motion says: “The UK government must stop being an enabler of Israel’s apartheid policies, violence and anti-Palestinian racism.”

It suggests it is trying to “criminalise peaceful tactics of boycott,

divestment and sanctions promoted by the global Palestine solidarity movement” and calls on the union’s executive to rea rm its support for PSC and Stop the War Coalition and support campaigning “to defend the right to pursue boycott, divestment and sanctions tactics”.

It adds the executive should “publish and circulate educational resources members can use to increase understanding of Palestine and Israel”.

Speaking about the motion, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said: “Teachers are nervous about having discussion around such dicult subjects in school. It’s a very sensitive issue, very di cult.

“In our union, we’ve been very clear that we absolutely condemn the attack from Hamas and the taking of

hostages.” But he added there was a “real humanitarian disaster” and young people wanted to talk about it.

Kebede said: “Schools are the best place for young people to talk about di cult subjects, but there is a nervousness among the profession.”

Department for Education guidance says teachers should avoid expressing their political views to pupils unless they are confident it will not amount to promoting that view.

When asked about the teaching union taking a political stance on the conflict, Kebede said: “Our union has a long history of standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Teachers discussing this issue will do so in a way that’s supportive and allows young people to form their own opinions around a world that is incredibly complex.” National Education Union delegates will vote on a pro-Palestine motion

Schools ‘risk fuelling anger’ by avoiding controversies

Schools in England are running the risk of “fuelling anger, hate and polarisation” by avoiding debate about the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to the government’s independent adviser on social cohesion.

Dame Sara Khan said teachers were steering clear of controversial issues because of fears of intimidation and harassment and feel ill-equipped to address the issues.

She told the Guardian: “There is no doubt the conflict has had a direct impact on schools.

“There is a desire among some pupils to talk about what is happening in Israel-Palestine, yet many teachers feel ill-equipped to talk about the conflict while also being conscious they are expected to uphold their legal duty to remain impartial.”

Delegates at the National Education Union conference this week will debate whether the union should publish and circulate resources to “increase understanding of Palestine and Israel”.

“In the absence of resources to facilitate such discussions in an educational setting – which are needed especially

when a great deal of propaganda and disinformation exists online – some schools are closing down any legitimate dialogue, which can have a potential e ect of further fuelling anger, hate and polarisation,” said Khan.

The comments come days after the publication of Khan’s review into threats to social cohesion, which said there was not enough guidance on teaching controversial issues.

A government spokesperson told the Guardian: “ We know navigating these issues can be challenging, which is why we provide teachers with extensive advice and resources through our Educate Against Hate website. This includes practical advice on promoting cohesion and challenging radical views, as well as providing quality-assured materials for use in the classroom.”

Dame Sara Khan’s review found there was a lack of guidance

Advertisement

IN ISRAEL with Israel Bonds

5.5

7% 2-year GBP Jubilee bond £1,000 min.

Rate as posted valid to 14 April 2024.

Subject to conditions.

Development Company for Israel (International) Ltd.

Your capital may be at risk.

This advertisement has been issued by the Development Company for Israel (International) Ltd., which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and registered in England No. 01415853. This is not an o ering, which could only be made by prospectus. Your capital is at risk, the rules under FSMA for the protection of retail clients do not apply. An investment in any of these bonds will not be covered by the provisions of the Financial Services Compensation scheme, nor by any similar scheme. Israel bonds are intended as a long-term investment as they are not listed or admitted to dealing on any recognised investment or stock exchange nor is there any established secondary market, as a consequence Israel bonds are not readily realisable before their maturity date. DCI (International) Ltd is not the issuer of these bonds, they are issued by the State of Israel. In the event that the information regarding o ered bonds on the State of Israel’s o cial records di ers from the information contained here, the information on the State of Israel’s records shall control and take precedence. 04-24

Sacks’s legacy is ‘age of hope’

Former prime minister Gordon Brown drew on his close friendship with Rabbi Lord Sacks as he delivered the inaugural lecture aimed at keeping alive the legacy and teachings of the former Chief Rabbi, writes Beatrice Sayers.

Brown recalled in his talk being asked to write a foreword to a reprint of Jonathan Sacks’ book The Politics of Hope, and being so thrilled to be asked that he worked on it even on his honeymoon. Then chancellor of the exchequer, he wanted to do justice to the earlier edition of the book. “I think I spent more time doing that than on the budget that year,” he joked.

Rabbi Sacks died in November 2020. In his 22 years in the role of Chief Rabbi he became a global religious leader. As a philosopher and award-winning author, his was a respected moral voice. He was described by King Charles, with whom he also had a warm friendship, as “a light unto this nation”.

His friendship with Brown contributed to the sometimes light-hearted tone of the memorial lecture. The former Labour politician recalled: “Jonathan said to me one day, ‘I have one piece of advice for you: humour. Your speeches need humour. You’ve got to tell stories.”

Brown, who was chancellor from 1997 to 2007 and prime minister from 2007 to 2010,

spoke of how Rabbi Sacks’s thought and writings had been a huge influence on him. He also spoke of the importance of morality in politics and the transformative power of hope. “Hope is more than optimism. It is not an expectation but an intention to do things,” Brown said. “A feeling that it can and will be done.”

Hope, along with faith and charity, were the themes of his hour-long lecture, organised by the Rabbi Sacks Legacy and delivered on a stage at King’s College London without notes, or the protection of a lectern.

Earlier, Brown recalled the financial crisis of 2008-09, a point when he said he relied on Rabbi Sacks, “because I understood, as he understood, that this was not simply a financial crisis. This was a moral crisis. Bankers had awarded themselves bonuses they didn’t deserve, had taken risks they didn’t understand and people were buying goods they couldn’t a ord.”

On foreign relations, he said: “When I was in government, working with the King of Saudi Arabia and the prime minister of Israel, working with other people, we could see the way the problems that existed could in future be solved.”

In what appeared to be a reference to Israel and Gaza, he added: “There is a way forward, and I believe it is still possible, and we must never lose

hope. Because hope is the starting point of everything that Jonathan Sacks wrote about.”

In Britain, the biggest problem now, Brown said, was poverty, with up to six million children going without basic necessities. “How can children have an equal access to hope, how can they realise their potential if they’re living in homes without kitchens and bedrooms with beds? There is desperation in towns and villages that ‘levelling up’ has passed by.” He spoke of the importance of philanthropy,

adding that charities helping people in need were themselves struggling.

Philanthropy was part of the idea of us doing something together, Brown said. “I would like to take out of the memory of Jonathan Sacks that we have a new age of hope, based on responsibilities and rights, based on getting people equal access to hope, and based on his groundbreaking work on how we can partner together to make a better society, recognising the sheer power of social conscience and what it can achieve.”

Gordon Brown with Lady Sacks, and delivering the memorial lecture Pictures: Yossi Abrams

Eurovision boycott probed by regulator

The Charity Commission this week launched an inquiry into the actions of east London’s Rio Cinema after the Dalston film and community centre said it would no longer hold a Eurovision screening party in protest at Israel remaining in the competition, writes Jenni Frazer.

The cinema, which runs as a registered charity, says it will organise an event to raise funds for Palestinian aid instead. Its annual event for Eurovision has, over the years, become the biggest of its kind.

The European Broadcasting Union, which organises Eurovision, has condemned the cinema’s action, saying the contest is “nonpolitical” rather than “a contest between governments”.

But after complaints from –among others – Jewish groups and MP Sir Michael Ellis, that the cinema might be in breach of charitable guideline regulations, the Charity Commission now says it has opened a “regulatory compliance case” to establish whether there had been “wrongdoing”

in the cinema’s decision to boycott Eurovision Replying to Ellis, the Charity Commission said that “concerns have been raised with us about the Rio Centre’s decision to cancel an event relating to the Eurovision Song Contest

“As a result, we have opened a regulatory compliance case and are currently reviewing information supplied by the charity’s trustees.

This will inform any next steps.”

A Charity Commission spokesperson told Jewish News: “Concerns have been raised with us about the Rio Centre’s decision to cancel an event relating to Eurovision “As a result, we have opened a regulatory compliance case and are reviewing information supplied by the charity’s trustees. This will inform any next steps.”

UJS awards students for their exceptional work

Nearly 250 students attended the Union of Jewish Students’ 16th annual Student Awards to recognise the exceptional work of Jewish students across the UK and Ireland. UJS received more than 200 nominations for the 15 award categories, with 80 nominations shortlisted. The winners received a certificate, trophy and a copy of Rabbi Sacks’ Haggadah.

Congratulations to all the winners:

• Tel Aviv Takes London –Israel engagement initiative of the Year (supported by UJIA)

• Huddersfield JSoc – the Jewish enrichment award

• Rebecca Myers, Bristol JSoc – volunteer of the year

• Cork JSoc – Social Action project of the year

• Adam Rose – the Sir Victor Blank alumni award for outstanding contribution to the Jewish Community

• Emma Levy, Leeds JSoc –

campaigner of the year (supported by the CST)

• Saul Sutcli e, Edinburgh JSoc – interfaith initiative of the year

• Ofrrie Haddi, Edinburgh JSoc – inclusion champion of the year

• Sylvie Green, Bristol JSoc –UJS social media award 2024

• Jenna Morris, Nottingham JSoc – sports person/team of the year

• Elie Glaser, Edinburgh JSoc and Harry Isaacs, Bristol JSoc – the Maurice Helfgott award for leadership

• Nottingham JSoc FND –event of the year

• Emma Sherrard, Central School of Speech and Drama

JSoc – the Alan Senitt award for outstanding contribution to campus life

• University of the Arts

London (UAL) JSoc – new JSoc of the year

• Warwick JSoc – JSoc of the year

UJS president 2023-24

Edward Isaacs said: “In the face of the worst antisemitism seen on campus in a generation, students responded with resilience and leadership, and the 2024 UJS Student Awards gave recognition to this work across the UK and Ireland.”

Meanwhile, Britain’s representative at Eurovision, Olly Alexander, has rejected a plea from the Queers for Palestine group to withdraw from the contest, rather than appear alongside the 20-year-old Israeli entrant, Eden Golan.

Alexander said: “I wholeheartedly support action being taken to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the return of all hostages and the safety and security of all civilians in Palestine and Israel.

“I know some people will choose to boycott this year’s Eurovision, and I understand and respect their decision.

“As a participant, I’ve taken a lot of time to deliberate over what to do and the options available to me. It is my current belief that removing myself from the contest wouldn’t bring us any closer to our shared goal.”

RILEY ADVISES AT SWIPE-UP EVENT

The pro-Israel charity StandWithUs UK hosted more than 200 students from Jewish and non-Jewish schools in London for the Swipe-Up Rise-Up (SURU) conference in tackling antisemitism on social media, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

This the second year in a row that the charity has run the SURU event, which is part of its e orts to educate and empower sixth-formers on countering disinformation and antisemitism in person and online.

The highlight of the conference, held at Stone X Stadium, was an expert panel with the TV presenter Rachel Riley, American-Israeli journalist Emily Schrader and rights activist Konstantin Kisin, a popular social media influ-

encer and bestselling author and social commentator.

The conference welcomed MPs Mike Freer and Matthew O ord as well as Dov Forman and the candidates for the Board of Deputies presidency Sheila Gewolb and Phil Rosenberg. Anne Clark, London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden, was also present. Issac Zarfati, StandWithUs UK executive director, said: “October 7 changed everything and we are experiencing a 250 percent growth in the demand for our work.

“Now, more than ever, younger generations need to be equipped with the tools necessary to engage with Israel, to combat antisemitism and to counter misinformation wherever they may see it.”

WE PROTECT

Protecting and securing the Jewish community in the UK against antisemitism is what we do. CST will leave no stone unturned in the fight against those who wish to do us harm.

We need your ongoing and long-term support to continue our work.

The Rio Cinema cancelled its screening party for Eurovision

Some of the winners in the UJS Student Awards 2024

Rachel Riley speaks at StandWithUS UK’s event for students

Exquisite Judaica goes on show at Jerusalem’s National Library

by Jenni Frazer jenni@jennifrazer.com @Jennifrazer

An extraordinary exhibition, Encounters of Beauty, opened this week at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem.

The exhibition, taking place in the library’s new building, comprises items from the Braginsky Collection and from the NLI itself, of rare and unique manuscripts, including Passover Haggadahs, wedding contracts and a stunning Hebrew bible produced in both Spain and Portugal at the time of the 1492 expulsion of Jews.

The Braginsky Collection is a private collection of the rarest of Judaica, based in Zurich, and the thinking behind the exhibition is that the Swiss and Israeli items “talk” to each other to provide a striking visual conversation.

René Braginsky, who acquired his collection over 30 years, said: “The opportunity to make important items of our

collection accessible to a broad audience here in Jerusalem, alongside the impressive collection of the National Library Israel, fills me and my family with great joy.

“It is crucial for us to engage deeply with our religious and cultural history, especially at the present time.

“This helps us to contextualise and better understand the dramatic current events.”

On show in Encounters of Beauty are manuscripts of all periods, many profusely decorated and illuminated, including illuminated Hebrew Bibles and Passover Haggadahs, decorated marriage contracts from all over the Jewish diaspora, and a pristine selection of illustrated Esther scrolls, including the earliest dated and signed Megillat Esther, copied by a Venetian woman in 1564.

The exhibition will be open for approximately five months, during which time there will be gallery talks with the curators, and a meeting with Braginsky at the National Library of Israel.

Jerusalem, 11 Nisan 5656 (25 March 1896) Israel, son of Aaron Shabtushvili and Miriam, daughter of Jacob Hakhmishvili

Megillat Esther Venice dated 1564 by scribe Stellina, daughter of Menahem

Braginsky Leipnik Haggadah Altona, 1739, copied and illustrated by Joseph ben David of Leipnik

Perek Shirah [Hamburg or Copenhagen], copied and decorated by Uri ben Isaac Fayvesh Ha-Levi around 1750

Ketubbah Senigallia, 4 Sivan 5533 (26 May 1773) Moses Foa, son of Elijah Foa and Pyrena, daughter of Isaac Hay Mozzato

Book of Hours, France [1870 -1880]

Sea One Private Club: Live the Dream in Israel

The Sea One Private Club Residence, geared towards both residents from abroad and Israelis over 60, provides all the amenities of a world- class seafront resort: business lounge and conference rooms, concierge and laundry services, extensive spa facilities and state-of-the-art gym, gorgeous swimming pools, Jacuzzi, banquet halls, and synagogue. Culture beats at the heart of the Club: lectures, jazz concerts, and other cultural activities as well as bridge club, art gallery and studio, private cinema, and round-the-clock sport classes and culture events fill each day with joy; all with the sea as backdrop. Step out of your door onto a beachfront promenade of shops, restaurants and cafes, or step out of the elevator and hit the beach for a relaxing walk or a yoga session.

Entertaining has never been so easy: some 20-plus units are available for friends and family; fine-dining restaurants and grab-’n-go cafes provide a wide variety of food and beverages, and all the facilities are open to guests. Banquet halls, private rooms, or the synagogue are perfect for celebrating special events like bar mitzvahs or birthdays; and somebody else will do the cleaning up! What’s more, trained staff is on hand to help deal with all of your maintenance and cleaning as well as the famous only-in- Israel bureaucracy; let an Israeli ease you into the complications. The ultra-elegant Residence is only a 15-minute drive from Tel Aviv; 20 minutes from Ben-Gurion Airport; and 45-minutes away from Jerusalem with a train station located 5 minutes away by car.

The beautiful complex, developed by Oranim Group, an international company with over 30 years’ experience in successful seafront projects is set to open by end of 2024, adheres to the highest standards of construction and safety. The luxurious apartments come in a wide range of spacious layouts all units include a safe room, fully equipped bathrooms and kitchens, private terraces and parking.

Apartment prices start from 3.9 million shekel and are fully refundable after Consumer Price Index adjustment. Residents pay monthly membership fees starting from 10,000 NIS and may choose to terminate their membership with three months’ notice. Whether you want to live in Israel full-time, or just spend a few months in the country each year, Sea One Private Club is the perfect home for you. Live the dream: wake up by the beach and work or play all day in the sun. Sea One Private Club: the next level in luxury seafront living.

For further information contact: seaone.co.il | Tel: +972-549656415

Biggest anti-Netanyahu protest since 7 October

The largest anti-government demonstration since 7 October took place in Jerusalem last weekend to call on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to step down and for a deal to be reached to free the hostages.

And in a dramatic turn in Tel Aviv, the main organisation lobbying on behalf of the families of Israeli hostages in Gaza said it would cease its Saturday night rallies in what has come to be known as Hostages Square and instead join in anti-government protests that have taken place in a different location several blocks away.

“This is the last Shabbat we will be here,” Eli Albag, whose daughter Liri is one of more than 130 hostages, told the Hostages Square crowd. “We won’t meet here anymore, we will be in the streets… ”

The Jerusalem demonstration on Sunday night kicked off a four-day vigil by the protesters in front of the Knesset, Israel’s par-

liament, and came following an anti-government protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday night that also drew thousands.

Protesters in Jerusalem tried to block a nearby highway and lit bonfires on its lanes, while some set up tents to camp out in the capital. Organisers said 100,000 attended the demonstration. Taken together, the demonstrations and their tactics were a return to the days before Hamas’ invasion of Israel launched the war.

At that time, weekly demonstrations in Tel Aviv routinely brought more than 100,000 people into the streets to protest Netanyahu’s government and its effort to weaken the judiciary.

Those protests came to an abrupt halt on 7 October and the protest groups pivoted to providing aid and relief to victims of the attack as well as to soldiers. But recently, some of the same groups have been organising growing weekly demonstrations

against Netanyahu and calling –often with family members of the hostages – for the government to do more to secure a deal for their release.

The demonstrators blame the government for negligence surrounding 7 October and for failing to get the rest of the hostages out – more than 100 were released during a ceasefire in November.

WE WON’T SERVE, SAY CHAREDIM

Strictly-Orthodox Jews protest in Jerusalem as the government prepares to make plans to enlist them into the Israel Defence Forces. In February, the Supreme Court ordered the government to explain why they were still not drafted into the army, with a deadline set for last Wednesday.

United Torah Judaism MK

Moshe Gafni said: “Without Torah scholars we have no right to exist in this land after 2,000 years of exile.”

AL JAZEERA TO BE SHUT

The Knesset passed a temporary law on Monday paving the way to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledging “immediate action”.

The law, which will expire on 31 July, will make it possible for the government to shut foreign media in Israel if they are deemed a risk to national security.

Netanyahu said: “Al-Jazeera has harmed Israel’s security, actively participated in the 7 October massacre and incited against IDF soldiers. It’s time to remove Hamas’ mouthpiece from our country.”

‘LIKE NAGASAKI’ CLARIFICATION

Polls show the government, which took office at the end of 2022, has low approval ratings and would lose an election were it held today. Yair Lapid, the leader of Israel’s parliamentary opposition, spoke at the Jerusalem rally and decried the government for being irresponsible and ineffective. “If we want to end the war, we need a different government,” he said.

A prominent American politician has released a statement saying he was not calling for nuclear war after he came under fire for advising Israel to “get it over quick” with Hamas in Gaza, “like Nagasaki and Hiroshima”.

Republican Tim Walberg said: “I used a metaphor to convey the need for both Israel and Ukraine to win their wars as swiftly as possible, without putting American troops in harm’s way.

“As a child who grew up in the Cold War era, the last thing I’d advocate for would be the use of nuclear weapons.”

Do you have a property to sell or let?

List it with us and we will take the stress out of finding a buyer or tenant

Why choose Squires?

Established in 2004, we advertise on all the major property portals including Rightmove and Zoopla and have 3 linked branches within North-West London.

Why choose me?

With 15 years experience I have a deep understanding of the local property market and living in Hendon means I have a wealth of useful contacts.

Thousands attend a protest outside the Knesset in Jerusalem

WORK ON ANTISEMITISM MUST BE FOLLOWED UP

The proactive position taken by many Jewish organisations in publicly confronting the colossal increase in antisemitism post 7/10 is, of course, to be welcomed. This includes in my mind, the investigative journalism of Jewish News.

We need to ensure collectively that with all the work being done by so many, there is a robust follow-through to ensure that justifiable outcry leads to consequences for antisemitic actions, views and behaviour. Whether this takes place on university campuses and schools, local councils, public officials, private companies or indeed anywhere that antisemitism manifests.

That is why I agree with the Jewish Leadership Council and others that a centralised effort of resources, focus and action is now critically needed. Serious allegations must be brought to the hilt, if not through pressure by numbers, which we as a community lack, then by the abundance of moral rectitude which we do have.

We all have an important part to play in ensuring our individual and communal Jewish wellbeing. We cannot abdicate our responsibility

Derek Saker, Edgware

ISRAEL’S EXPECTATION

I cannot recall a time in human history when one of the combatants during a war – especially the one that was initially attacked – receives heavy demands to give food and medical aid to the enemy.

The voice calling for this the loudest comes with an enormous amount of hypocrisy. A so-called august body such as the United Nations has the audacity to play the innocent party. This is especially galling when its offshoot UNWRA is a prime protagonist, not only giving succour to Israel’s enemy but physically and visibly denigrating the country and people by indoctrinating the youth of Gaza with its anti-Israel school curriculum.

Did the British ever give forethought, when firebombing Dresden, slaughtering upwards of 30,000 innocent civilians, that aid should immediately be forthcoming?

In 1945 did the US have the plight of civilians in mind when it launched atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Stephen Vishnick, Tel Aviv

Food security in Gaza

John Ware is a decent journalist, well disposed to Israel, but in his Jewish News column of 21 March on the Jewish response to the suffering in Gaza he got it wrong.

There is nothing even approaching starvation in Gaza, which is why Jewish organisations and Jewish leaders have not spoken out.

Some days ago reporters in Rafah filmed scenes showing well-fed civilians swarming around food boxes in a market – they were aid packages stolen by Hamas and then sold at inflated prices on the open market.

Israel is enabling as much food aid as possible, while maintaining the necessary checks to ensure that military supplies are not smuggled in with it.

Ware relies on his report of “imminent food insecurity” from one source, namely the IPC

CEASEFIRE

(Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative), which was set up by the UN in 2004 to deal with starvation in Somalia, adapted since then for other areas of concern, by agencies such as Oxfam, Save the Children and the UN’s World Food Programme, none of whom is well disposed towards Israel.

Israel, of all countries, would never countenance starvation, given the real starvation seared in its collective memory of Jerusalem’s civilians under a siege lasting many months during the war of independence.

The British Mandatory authorities still in control at the time refused to allow food to access literally starving Jews, under the pretext that their neutrality would be compromised and they would be seen to take sides.

Colin Rossiter WC2A

CALLS? THIS IS FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL

Letter writer Mr D Lister complains that your correspondents seem “impervious to Palestinian suffering”, which, according to him, is the reason for the current criticism of Israel, and calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip (28 March).

Mr Lister should get real. Israel is prosecuting a war for her survival, waged upon her by a cruel enemy that vows it will repeat the atrocities again and again, until Israel is obliterated,

The reason for the current criticism of Israel, from some quarters, is antisemitism. You can safely bet that should the war go against Israel, there would be no calls for a ceasefire.

The number of civilians killed, compared to other wars, is tiny and many of Hamas’s inflated figures contain its own terrorists and deaths from its own rockets falling short.

Other than Mr Lister tapping his keyboard to your newspaper as a feel-good exercise, what has he done to alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s civilians, most of whom are complicit with, and supportive of, Hamas? Warren S Grossman, Leytonstone

I MISSED BEING FOOLED

This year, of all years, we needed an April fool in Jewish News but where was it? Did I miss it?

A bit of light relief is always welcome, but especially now with the unrelenting bad news.

Joan Pearlman, Edgware

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community.

Unlike other Jewish media, we do not charge for content. That won’t change. Because we are charity-owned and free, we rely on advertising to cover our costs. This vital lifeline, which has dropped in recent years, has fallen further due to coronavirus.

Today we’re asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity. Support Jewish News by visiting our donor page at jewishnews.co.uk

DON’T RISE TO THE BAIT

Your letter writer Ronnie Landau writes that it’s a crying shame communal organisations have shown little or no empathy with the plight of the Palestinians “and the prospect of thousands of Gazans facing starvation”.

I applaud them for not rising to the bait of the latest blood libel against our people invented by much of the world’s collective hostile bodies, like the EU and UN, in a desperate attempt to stymie Israel’s victory in defeating the existential threat that is Hamas.

It’s also bizarre of Mr Landau to “congratulate” your newspaper for “having the courage” to publish John Ware’s report about suffering in Gaza. Jews have never invaded newspaper offices to murder journalists or issued death threats. The only hostile actions Jews seem to take is write to newspapers to express their disagreement.

James R Windsor, Ilford

‘You wanted a blue whale having a krill? Sorry, this is a Jew whale having a kvell ’

Rabbis misunderstand purpose of education

EVE SACKS

JEWISH ORTHODOX

FEMINIST ALLIANCE

It was recently suggested that multiculturalism discourages integration and promotes a society in which di erent communities live parallel lives. With that in mind we should not only be worried about the lack of integration by some of those who hold culturally antisemitic beliefs about Jews. We should also be concerned about the lack of integration inside the Jewish community.

I’ve been lobbying about unregistered schools for the best part of a decade, and in that time another generation of boys have progressed through a system that leaves them innumerate, functionally illiterate and unaware of the world around them.

In particular, I’m appalled by the group of Chasidic men who wear yellow stars as part of their protest outside parliament at each stage of Flick Drummond MP’s private member’s bill.

Two loopholes in UK legislation have

enabled the continuation of unregistered yeshivahs. One is that the yeshivahs can’t register as schools as they do not provide education suitable for children of compulsory school age. The other is that the government does not know which children are not in school.

The private member’s bill, which seeks to require local authorities to keep track of children who are not in school, is designed to ensure all children are safe and educated, particularly post-Covid when so many have dropped o the radar.

It is a far cry from Nazi persecution. The suggestion there is any comparison desecrates the memory of those who su ered in the Holocaust and has no place in civil society.

And yet, we see a group of Charedi rabbis opposing the bill on the grounds it “threatens the sacred education we have provided our children for generations, following the teaching of our Torah and tradition”. The rabbis, it seems to me, have no clothes and no one seems willing to tell them that the need for literacy and numeracy, and the ability for boys in their community to access a broad range of careers, are basic human rights.

INVOKING THE NAZIS IS A DESECRATION OF THE MEMORY OF THEIR VICTIMS ❝

The truth is that full-time yeshiva education is a recent institution. In previous generations, in the absence of the welfare state, boys had to learn a trade. As the Gemara cautions at Kiddushin 29a: “Any father who does not teach his son a trade teaches him theft.” The Gemara expresses surprise at this statement: can it enter your mind that he actually teaches him to steal?

Rather, the verse means that it is as though he teaches him theft. Since the son has no profession with which to support himself, he is likely to turn to theft for a livelihood.

Second, providing a broad and balanced secular education in a school setting – even one that leads to GCSEs and A-levels – leaves plenty of time for Torah study. Third, there

seems to be a total lack of understanding that the aim of a broad and balanced education is so that the next generation become productive members of society. The social contract in this country requires you to contribute as well as receive. Government welfare is a safety net, not a universal entitlement.

The Gemara rightly cautions against theft – which is precisely what earning cash in hand while claiming welfare benefits is. The intention of the Gemara is Jews should be able to earn a trade so they can, instead, support their families honestly and with dignity.

Fourthly, the Judaism I love taught me the importance of Jews being a light to the nations, set out in Isaiah 42:6: “I created you, and appointed you a covenant people, a light of nations.” This requires Jews to integrate into and contribute to wider society.

The denial of secular education to a whole cohort of Chasidic boys, leaving them functionally illiterate and innumerate and unable to contribute to wider British society, supported by a group of extremist Rabbis who teach intolerance and seek to remove Chassidic boys’ right to education, is a failure of multiculturalism.

In January 2023, We Believe in Israel launched a campaign calling for the proscription of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). A far-left and secular Palestinian terrorist organisation founded in 1967, it has predominantly targeted civilians and is best known for mainstreaming aircraft hijackings as a terror tactic in the 1970s, assassinating Israeli minister for tourism Rehavam Zeevi in 2001 and participating in the 7 October attacks.

Banned by the USA, Japan, Canada, Australia, Israel and the European Union, it remarkably remains lawful in the UK under a post-Brexit loophole yet to be resolved.

In the UK, the PFLP is associated most with the far-left who have consistently used its flags and symbols to promote and glorify Palestinian terrorism, including since 7 October. Leila Khaled is now a regrettably

consistent fixture in certain activist circles, with the University of Leeds’ Palestine Solidarity Group promoting an online event she spoke at in 2020, the Socialist Worker publishing an article praising her in 2022, and a branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign initially attempting to host her as a speaker at a fundraising dinner earlier this month.

She also appeared on an Instagram post shared by the Queen Mary Barts & the London Friends of Palestine Society in February 2023.

As part of our proscription campaign, we submitted freedom of information requests to every public authority in the UK requesting disclosure of any data they held on the PFLP. While most refused, citing a national security exemption (a puzzle – if an organisation is a national security threat, how can it not be banned as a terrorist group?), one of the few who did respond was the University of Essex.

UoE is best and rightfully known within the community for its proactive, principled and exemplary response to antisemitic attempts to prevent a Jewish Society being established in February 2019.

However, disclosure we received shows the

university was informed of posters promoting the PFLP’s activities along with its logo alongside that of the Communist Party of Turkey/ Marxist–Leninist’s armed wing (Tikko) at exactly this time. Thus far, there has been no additional disclosure whether the posters inviting support for a terrorist group were further investigated or properly responded to.

While just one incident we discovered through FOI disclosure, we fear it is the tip of an iceberg of similar incidents which have been allowed to pass without consequence due to the PFLP’s current lawfulness.

In cases such as this, lack of proscription means – if we are to be generous – authorities, including universities, are unable to recognise and respond to groups such as the PFLP, or even decide they do not need to.

In the context of law enforcement and the criminal justice system, it prevents those who make clear expressions of support for terrorist organisations, and who are reckless as to whether that will encourage others to support the organisation, being prosecuted as they would be for doing with Hamas or Hezbollah.

Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000

makes it an o ence to display an article such as a flag or placard in a public place if doing so in all the circumstances arouses reasonable suspicion the person is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation. Under section 12(1), it is an o ence to invite support for a proscribed organisation. PFLP supporters have regularly done just this, yet escaped prosecution because of that loophole.

Put simply, proscription would empower the police and Crown Prosecution Service to investigate and charge those suspected of supporting the PFLP and using it to promote Palestinian terrorism.

The group’s current lawfulness is directly against the public interest and acts as a potential radicaliser that risks drawing individuals into supporting terrorism, especially those on the left who would find radical Islamist groups unappealing but for whom the MarxistLeninist PFLP has an ideological resonance.

With this in mind, we call on the home secretary to close the loophole and proscribe the PFLP. To join the 7,000 people who have so far signed our campaign petition, visit webelieveinisrael.org.uk/pflp

Opinion

Respected senator who embraced his Judaism

DAN SACKER

PAYS TRIBUTE TO HIS FRIEND JOE LIEBERMAN

The first time I saw Senator Joe Lieberman was, typically, in shul. I had moved to Washington DC in September 2005 not knowing a soul to study for an MA in political management. As a way of trying to make friends, I had started going to shul each morning. Having risen to be Al Gore’s running mate on the Democratic ticket in the hanging-chad presidential election of 2000 (the first Jewish politician to do so), Senator Lieberman was a well-known political figure in Washington. As a 23-year-old Brit, I was in awe of him, but determined not to miss an opportunity to speak to one of my heroes.

After a couple of days, I plucked up the courage to chase him out of shul. It was a Sunday morning. “Senator Lieberman,” I called. Hearing my British accent, he stopped, turned around, smiled, and said: “Hey. What

brings you to town?” I explained I was studying political management for a year. Then I asked what to me was the milliondollar question: “I wondered if it might be possible to come and get some work experience in your o ce?”

I had no expectation of a positive response, but I figured there was little to lose. So when he handed me his business card and told me to call his chief of sta who could see what was possible, I was shocked. A few weeks later, after a couple of interviews and a background check, I walked through the doors of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman’s Senate o ce and into my very own version of The West Wing

I retell this story not to prove my chutzpah, but to prove what a mensch Senator Lieberman was. As a long-time student of American politics, he was someone I had admired from afar. He was a man who never compromised on his principles, and a rare breed of American politicians: someone who was domestically liberal but hawkish when it came to foreign

nising the fact that it was di erent, and celebrated that fact. I remember asking one of the other dinner participants to take a photo of the three of us, somehow knowing that I would not just want to remember this moment, but remember what these two individuals represented.

I found out about Senator Lieberman’s passing as I arrived home from the inaugural Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Memorial Lecture, brilliantly delivered by the former prime minister Gordon Brown who spoke engagingly for an hour (without any notes!) about faith, charity, and the need for, what he called, “a new age of hope”. These were subjects that I know both Rabbi Sacks and Senator Lieberman passionately believed in.

We are a growing community of Jewish people in Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City and surrounding areas. We are social, we support each other, and we celebrate our Judaism together supported by the United Synagogue.

Come and join us for a Pesach picnic on Sunday 28 April. We’re less than 15 minutes away from Borehamwood.

Email hatfieldinfo@theus.org.uk to book.

policy. He was a passionate and powerful advocate for the State of Israel. Above all else, I admired him for the way he combined his deep faith in Judaism with his passionate commitment and devotion to public service.

This was evident in very public ways. On the wall of his Senate o ce was a large poster of an American flag on which were printed the names of all those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attack. Standing upright on his desk was a siddur and a Hebrew Bible, which he often quoted from in his contributions on the Senate floor.

During the seven months I interned in his o ce, there was a regular mincha minyan in his o ce. When absolutely required to do so, he would walk to Capitol Hill from his home in Georgetown if he ever needed to be on the floor of the Senate over Shabbat. He never shied away from his Judaism. Never shied away from defending the State of Israel. Never shied away from recognising and living up to his unique position in American public life.

Some years later in October 2015, while I was working for Rabbi Sacks, I accompanied him on a visit to New York. As part of the trip, we spent a wonderful dinner in the company of Senator Lieberman and his wonderful wife Hadassah. I had the privilege of watching these two towering figures of the Jewish world and public life in their respective countries, engaging in laughter and deep conversation about Judaism, politics, and the many challenges facing the world.

I remember thinking how lucky I was. Here were two people who epitomised the kind of Judaism I believed in, one that was rooted to our people’s history and traditions but equally committed to the world at large. It was a Judaism that saw the value it had to o er to contemporary life, but always recog-

When Rabbi Sacks published his Covenant & Conversation volume of Torah essays about ethics in 2016, we were considering who could write the foreword. There was one obvious candidate: Senator Lieberman, who eagerly agreed and wrote a masterful essay to open the book.

In his acknowledgements, Rabbi Sacks wrote the following: “I owe an immense debt of thanks to Senator Joe Lieberman not only for his lovely preface to the book, but also for the way he and Hadassah have been role models in their life in the public square as well as within the Jewish community. They have been a kiddush Hashem. They have shown the moral beauty of our faith and its concern for justice and compassion, freedom and dignity, living all that I have tried to articulate in this book. Elaine and I cherish their friendship.”

In both Senator Lieberman and Rabbi Sacks, our community and our world were blessed to have two leaders of moral courage who lived their lives in ways that we should all seek to emulate, especially in today’s dark and challenging times.

Ultimately, Senator Lieberman’s life contribution is best summarised in a passage written by Rabbi Sacks in 2013: “In the 21st century, Jews will need the world, and the world will need the Jews. We will not win the respect of the world if we ourselves do not respect the world: if we look down on non-Jews and on Jews less religious than ourselves. Nor will we win the respect of the world if we do not respect ourselves and our own distinctive identity. Now more than ever the time has come for us to engage with the world as Jews, and we will find that our own world of mind and spirit will be enlarged.”

From the moment I first chased Senator Lieberman out of shul that Sunday morning in 2005, it was clear to me that he was a man who did just that. The smart thing would be for us to do likewise. May his memory be for an eternal blessing.

Dan Sacker flanked by Joe Lieberman (left) and Rabbi Lord Sacks in New York

1

CARNIVAL AND GIFTS

SPREAD SEED OF JOY

More than 350 people joined the Purim celebrations with education charity Seed. Families gathered in Seed centres in London and Manchester, all enjoying an array of activities, from caricature portraits to packing mishloach manot for older people. Rabbi Fine, Seed’s education director, said: “The Purim carnival in Edgware was everything a Purim event should be and more - action, enjoyment, and lots of family smiles. A great Purim time had by all.”

2 TRIBE’S SHABBAT WITH CHIEF RABBI IN ISRAEL

Together with the Chief Rabbi, Tribe held a beautiful Shabbaton for 120 gap-year students in Israel. The young group spent Shabbat at Kibbutz Tzuba where they enjoyed lively discussions. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said: “At this exceptionally challenging time, I draw so much inspiration from our British gap year students in Israel”. Attendee Josh Marcovitch said: “This Shabbat was an incredible look into what lies ahead for us both in Israel and England and made us very excited for the next Tribe event.”

3 PURIM FUN ACROSS THE COMMUNITY

Children and young adults living at Bayis Sheli care home in Stamford Hill dressed in colourful costumes, participated in Megillah readings, and enjoyed a beautiful Purim Seudah where they gifted mishloach manot Tenants at JLiving’s Harmony Close and Meta Worms Court had a joint tea party to celebrate the festival, and tenants at Daniel Court decorated and ate hamantaschen, declaring them ‘delicious!’. St John’s Wood, Finsbury Park, Wembley, Bushey, Mill Hill East and Golders Green were among the United Synagogue communities putting their best fancy-dressed feet forward in honour of the festival.

4 WALK IN MEMORY OF MANNA CHAIRMAN

Thirty determined walkers raised more than £4,000 for people in need and displaced families in Israel. The charity walk was in memory of Sir Erich Reich, the former chairman of Manna. The Association of Jewish Refugees partnered in the event, which featured a fascinating walk around the Jewish East End of London.

5 OUTSTANDING EVENING FOR PAPERWEIGHT

The Jewish community’s advice centre, Paperweight, was a big winner at the Barnet Civic Awards, receiving the accolade for outstanding service to the community from the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Nagus Narenthira. The charity’s chief executive, Bayla Perrin, said: “Our win was a total surprise. We are beyond delighted to be recognised and for the dedication and hard work of our volunteers to be acknowledged by these prestigious awards.”

Moshe Reuven tells Pat Lidiker about his journey from a secular childhood to becoming a Chabad rabbi and hip-hop singer

When Moshe Reuven landed in London from New Jersey to play his first UK shows, his fame as a chart-topping hip-hop artist with millions of social media followers preceded him.

With new song Red & Yellow currently number one in Israel, US gigs that attract thousands of fans, and collaborations with the likes of Julian Marley, he is one of rap’s fastest rising stars.

What may take people by surprise is that he is also a Chabad rabbi, who continues to study, pray and follow strict Jewish observance every day, even while touring.

As diverse as his two worlds may first appear, they are melded by his deep faith and conviction. The message of his unique rap poetry interweaves personal experience with the wisdom of Torah teachings, appealing to listeners worldwide of all faiths and backgrounds.

Speaking to Jewish News, while observing the pre-Purim Fast of Esther, he smiles when asked if he feels lucky to have reached this point in his life.

“Lucky isn’t the word,” he replies. “I feel blessed. It has taken a lot of time and a lot of work to get to where I am now and I feel blessed that God

was behind me to give me a push in this direction.”

Moshe’s great-grandfather was from a family of Chasidim, but his own childhood was spent in a nonreligious, non-kosher Conservative (equivalent to the UK’s Masorti) household in Florida, where he grew up as Marc Sheradsky.

With three brothers and many friends, he enjoyed Florida’s party scene… probably a little too much. Partying and drinking were the norm, until a near-death experience changed his outlook on life.

“I was at a party and had a drink, but something tasted o . It must have been spiked; I think maybe

someone had done it for what they thought was a joke. I found myself in a room and couldn’t move. I lay down on the ground; I felt like I might die.

“That was a turning point in realising that my life had to be better that this. I felt God was giving me an ultimatum that I must embark on a more meaningful path or it would be wasted.”

This set the rapper on a path towards finding God, but it didn’t happen overnight. A visit to Chabad “had a profound influence in igniting a quest to find out more about Judaism”, he says.

“I stopped going out on Friday nights, fully observed Shabbat, only ate kosher and grew a beard, which my brothers constantly teased me about.”

He next went to Israel to study at yeshiva, which he recognised as further awakening the reasons for him being there. Back home, he furthered his religious studies at the Chabad Rabbinical College of America in New York, where he gained his semicha in 2021.

Now 31 and living in New Jersey with his wife Rivka, the couple enjoy travelling together wherever his music takes him – including tours in Canada, Greece, Brazil, and across the US and Israel.

This latest trip, to London and Manchester, was facilitated by Eli Goldsmith (Unity Bookings) from the well-known London Goldsmith family of event promoters.

Moshe tells me: “We have been typical American tourists, visiting all the famous sights, including Buckingham Palace. We were told the flag was flying because the King was there.”

When asked how he broke into the mainstream music business that has made all this possible, he simply says: “Baruch Hashem, everything comes from above.”

Unsure how to blend the music he was making with the Jewish observance he was coming into, Moshe recalls being given a CD by another Jewish singer, Matisyahu – who combines spiritual themes with reggae, rap and hip-hop – and found beauty in what Matisyahu was doing.

To have now have performed together was one of many career highlights. “He actually told me he loved my music; at that moment I felt I’d come full circle,” Moshe recalls.

His prolific songwriting comes from the heart of Jewish history, beliefs and philosophy. The hip-hop sounds of his youth, especially during his time as a basketball player, are a

key influence – but he’s also inspired by his parents’ choice of music, including Elton John and the Beatles.

Talking about putting everything together into his inspirational concerts, he says: “I just like meeting people and relating to them. Each audience is di erent with its own vibe and, when I go on stage, I focus on what they want and give it to them.

“Not all in my crowds are religious or even Jewish. Other very di erent people relate to the messages and are a ected by them. I just try to leave them happy and uplifted.”

It’s all a far cry from those early years. He says: “My parents are very proud but in a surprised way, and my brothers and friends are amazed.

“Nobody could have expected things to turn out this way… not even me.”

• Moshe Reuven’s music is streaming on Spotify. moshereuven.com

Reuven and Marley’s single, Say

Moshe Reuven performs for all types of audiences

Moshe grew up in a non-religious household in Florida

Reach for the Stars

Neil Silver speaks to the founder of a fast-growing talent agency that has boxer Tommy Fury among its clients

Jake Lee knew his parents meant well when they advised him against quitting his job selling o ce space to set up a talent management agency. But he showed them he had what it takes to succeed by adding professional boxer and reality television celebrity Tommy Fury to his rapidly-growing list of clients, which also includes Made in Chelsea star Digby Edgley and Bethan Kershaw from Geordie Shore.

His parents became so proud of how he successfully built his business, Alpha Talent Group, that his father invested in the company and became the chairman.

Jake, 26, fell in love with the idea of becoming an agent after watching a television show called Entourage, which featured an agent who managed actors and talent across various sectors. Then in 2019 he got hooked on Love Island – which featured Tommy, brother of world champion boxer Tyson –and decided to focus on working with reality TV personalities and digital creators.

Jake is building an impressive list of clients, headed by professional boxer and former Love Island contestant Fury, who finished runner-up on the show with his now fiancé Molly-Mae Hague. They are a popular couple, clocking up almost 14 million Instagram followers between them.

“I never went to university as I wanted to make my own way and my own money, so I went straight out to work after A-levels,” explains Jake. “I was selling o ce space but then I was given the opportunity to work for a football agency. I am a big football fan, and my dream was to become an agent, so I grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

“It was a great place to work for someone in their early 20s but,

after a few months, I realised that the industry was not as it seemed, and the type of work also took away some of my enjoyment of football.

“I set up Alpha and went back to selling o ce space to make sure I had some money coming in while I built the company on evenings and weekends.

“I was following Love Island on social media and saw all the deals that were going on for the contestants and I thought that was something I could definitely get involved in. I used social media to message everyone on the show and one person got back to me, which was all I needed to get me in the door and get me invited to events where I could network.”

Jake made Alpha his ‘side hustle’ alongside his full-time job, working every evening and weekend to build his reputation and his client list.

“I knew I wanted this to be my life and realised the only thing stopping me was me – I had to make the jump and just go for it.

Eighteen months after setting up the company, after being away with a few clients in Mykonos, I asked myself why that couldn’t be my life all the time. I told my parents I was quitting my job and making the leap full-time.”

Initially they were both against the idea and said he needed a steady job with a salary.

“In their defence, they’d both always had salaried jobs, so the idea of me starting something without any security was quite foreign to them, so I fully understood their reservations. But I had a vision and I knew I could make it work.”

At the time, Jake, who went to Immanuel College and is a member of Edgware Reform Synagogue, was working with boxer Danny Williams and sports presenter Mac Gri ths, who was on Love Island with Fury in 2019. When Tommy mentioned he was looking for a new manager, Mac told him to call Jake.

“My MD Kevin and I jumped on a Zoom call the next day with Tommy. It took him a little while to free himself from his contracts, and when we met he was cautious because he had been promised things in the past from people who didn’t deliver.

“He said there was a company he would like to work with that supplied protein bars, so I said I would get him a contract with that company and he said he would sign after we proved we weren’t all talk. Kevin and I put a deal together in two weeks and Tommy was true to his word and signed an agreement.”

Jake, who likes to go and watch Tottenham Hotspur when he switches o , has since added Tommy’s older brother Roman to his list of clients.

“We build close connections with our clients outside of work and make sure they excel in their career and achieve their goals and ambitions. That’s what makes Alpha stand out – we put our talent first and genuinely care for their wellbeing,” he says.

“We have now built-up credibility in the industry and the

agency is starting to attract top talent all the time – that’s down to the dedication and e ort of my team. There are seven of us working in the o ce in Farringdon and everyone gets on so well and works well together, it really does have that family feel.”

Life has changed beyond recognition for Jake. “I am doing a lot of travelling – recently I’ve been to New York (for 36 hours), Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and, this year, I have trips to Cannes, Saudi again, LA and Canada.

“However, it’s not all glamour. The hours can be unsociable, with lots of early starts and late evenings. Often things go wrong behind the scenes and it can get incredibly stressful at times.”

Jake spends a lot of time with Tommy and says they are as close as two people can be without being family. “There’s a lot of trust there and we get on very well. We are both big fans of movies, particularly The Wolf of Wall Street; we’ll often sit and recite lines of the film together back and forth and be sat there in stitches. Plus we both love the gym – when we’re away we will always find a gym to train in to make sure we’re not slacking.”

Where is Alpha Talent Group heading? “I am taking each day as it comes and enjoying it, and it is exciting to see where we can go,” says Jake. “We see our talent as business partners and we want to grow alongside them and be there for the journey.”

Tommy Fury and fiancée MollyMae Hague were on Love Island

Mac Griffiths (left) suggested Jake as a possible manager for Fury

Tommy Fury (left) and Jake Lee get on very well

JFS SCHOOL

POST OF DIRECTOR OF JEWISH LEARNING

JFS School - Brent • New • Quick apply

Salary: Inner London Pay Scale - Leadership (Competitive)

Job type: Full Time, Permanent

Start date: 1st September 2024

Apply by: 2nd April 2024

Jewish education has been at the heart of JFS since its founding in 1732. We want our students to appreciate that Judaism is not just ancient texts and prayers, but a living, breathing and vibrant faith that inspires them daily.

Today, JFS remains a pioneer in Jewish education and a vitally important institution for Jewish life in Britain. To advance this mission, we are now seeking to appoint an innovative and experienced Jewish Educator who can work alongside Mrs Abi Keene, Director of Jewish Life, in providing a dynamic Jewish experience to our students.

For more information, please contact our Headteacher directly: david.moody@jfs.brent.sch.uk or Mrs Abi Keene: keene@jfs.brent.sch.uk

THE TOP-RANKED COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY, 2024 RATED NATIONALLY AS ONE OF THE TOP-10 SCHOOLS IN 2024

By Candice Krieger

OPENING AND RESCUING THE ‘CITY LIFESTYLE’ HOTEL

Founder of the Amano group draws on his eclectic heritage to extend his offering to business and leisure clients in the most sought-after locations

hen Ariel Schiff, founder of the trendy Amano hotel group, found the perfect site for his debut UK offering, he did not expect he would be building it over Zoom.

WBut when the pandemic struck, just a few months after Schiff had received planning permission for the London hotel in the heart of Covent Garden, the Berlin-based businessman had no choice.

“It was terrible,” recalls Schiff, who had opened 12 hotels across Germany before deciding to enter the UK market. “We started the process before Covid and then suddenly it was lockdown and impossible for us to come to the UK. For the first time in my life, I developed a hotel over Zoom.

“We had to do the entire construction process

online. Sometimes samples were sent to Germany for us to look at, but mostly it was the architects showing us videos and us making big decisions remotely.” He added: “Nobody knew how long the pandemic would last, so we just carried on.” Despite the difficulties, Schiff says he is “very happy” with the finished product. Quite.

The Amano Covent Garden has become one of the City’s most sought-after hotspots for both business and leisure clientele since it launched in 2022, situated just a few minutes from Covent Garden station. For location, says Schiff, is everything. “This [location] is our USP and is super-important.”

In keeping with the Amano brand’s unique style and character, the “city lifestyle” hotel features a popular rooftop terrace. And the hotel’s food and beverage offering sets it

apart in the competitive London market.

Inspired by Schiff’s dual heritage, the hotel is home to its signature restaurant, Penelope’s. Named after one of Schiff’s four children, Penelope’s serves Israeli-Spanish fusion food, inspired by the flavours Schiff discovered while growing up between Tel Aviv and southern Spain. The hotel holds a regular ‘Isramani’ party – ‘Isramani’ being a mash up of ‘Israeli’ , the food it serves, and ‘Mani’, the restaurant in Berlin where the parties were created.

Schiff has long enjoyed Israeli food, explaining that his late father would often take him and his family to visit their cousins in Israel.

“We [Amano] have the Israeli DNA,” says Schiff. “I have family in Israel, my wife was born there and we have a lot of friends there. There’s a big connection.”

The Group employs around 50 Israelis, whom Schiff has flown over to work in the restaurants. “They are helping us bring the Israeli mentality to the restaurants. You are more likely to hear Israeli or English being spoken there than German [where a majority of them are].”

The period after 7 October was extremely challenging for Schiff and his staff. “We struggled a lot. We had to close our restaurants, some because we were afraid to open them in Germany, but the main point wasn’t fear; many of our Israeli workers lost family and friends and weren’t able to work. They were sad and in shock. And some of our staff were called up to the reserves.”

Schiff closed for a couple of weeks and, when they opened, “business was bad,” he says. “Our Jewish customers didn’t feel like going to a restaurant and dancing, and some of our non-Jewish customers were afraid to go to Israeli restaurants. Even now people are asking if we have security.”

Business has since picked up, with occupancy back to pre-pandemic levels. “People are starting to go out again, and there’s the Jewish mentality of not giving up and of saying ‘we are here’.”

Schiff wasn’t always destined for the hotel industry. “My father owned a nightclub in Spain and told me that if I wanted to take it over, I had to learn something beforehand about hotels.”

When his father died, Schiff, then 13, “always had in mind to learn hotels like my father said”. He went to work in a large Germany hotel group, but realised it “wasn’t for me”, adding: “I learnt the business but the money wasn’t good.”

He studied business administration at university before entering the real estate world. When one of his tenants, who ran a hotel, went bankrupt, he and his business partner Artur Süsskind saw the opportunity to take it over.

“With my experience, I was able to rescue the hotel. This was my first hotel and it was completely by accident, but I don’t regret that move at all.” The same thing happened with another tenant. “We realised we knew how to do it and we wanted to do it more.”

Today, Amano has a portfolio of 12 hotels; eight in Berlin, one each in Munich, Dusseldorf, Leipzig and London. Six others are under construction in Leipzig, Munich, Hamburg and Boston.

The biggest challenge, notes Schiff, is labour costs. “It’s a problem all over the world – labour costs have gone up hugely. We have to find ways to work with fewer people and, last year, we really focused on how we can do this.”

Looking ahead, while Schiff rules out any plans to open a hotel in Israel, he says he would love to open another one in London. “We have the infrastructure there now, so it makes more sense to open another in London than in another UK city.” amanogroup.com/en

Ariel Schiff

Top left and below: bar and rooftop at Amano Covent Garden. Above: Isramani party at Penelope’s

MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

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

BY RABBI ALEX CHAPPER

Our spirituality is nourished by a healthy lifestyle

After weeks of unnecessary and unpleasant speculation, and conspiracy myths about an edited family photograph, news was eventually released that no one wanted or expected to hear.

The Princess of Wales had been diagnosed with cancer, was in the early stages of treatment and had taken time to tell her young children. The news came shortly after the disclosure that her father-in-law, King Charles, was also undergoing treatment for cancer.

As British Jews, we are proud of our longstanding tradition of reciting the prayer for the Royal Family in our synagogues, in which we ask God in His mercy “to preserve

the King in life, guard and deliver him from all trouble and sorrow” as well as blessing and protecting all his family. At this time, this prayer gains added poignancy as we wish both the King and the Princess refuah shlema – a complete and speedy recovery and hope that they are given the privacy they need.

It was the Roman poet Virgil who wrote that “the greatest wealth is health”, and in Judaism great importance is attached to the sanctity of life and preserving it as well as the duty to maintain a healthy body.

This seems to be underlined in this week’s parsha, Shemini, where the Torah prescribes the laws of kashrut – the dietary requirements with its list of permitted and prohibited animals, fish, birds and even insects, along with the rules of ritual impurity associated with the non-kosher species.

However, there is a misconception that the reason for these laws is the physical health benefits of only eating ‘clean’ animals and

avoiding ‘unclean’ ones. The fallacy of this suggestion is evidenced by the fact that there are many examples of kashrut adherents who are not particularly healthy and a large proportion of people whose food consumption is not regulated but who live long lives free of illness.

The Torah itself does not make such a claim and instead alludes to the intent in the final verses of the parsha where God says: “For I am God who is bringing you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, therefore you shall be holy, because I am holy.”

The Gemara notes that usually God refers to taking the Jewish people out of Egypt whereas here it uses the term “bringing up”, which implies that we are somehow elevated to a level of holiness on account of our dietary laws. In other words, we are what we eat, not simply in a physical sense but also spiritually as well. The health of our soul is a ected by what our body consumes and so we should

take equal care over our spiritual wellbeing as our physical health.

This consideration is highlighted by the prayer we make for someone who is unwell, in which we ask God to send them a complete recovery, a recovery of the body and of the soul.

Clearly our holistic approach to health is to seek Divine assistance when necessary, but also to accept upon ourselves the responsibility to nourish our spirituality by embracing a healthy lifestyle.

The Princess of Wales reveals her diagnosis

Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI JORDAN HELFMAN OAKS LANE REFORM SYNAGOGUE

Britain is still a superb place to be Jewish

Many Jews showed up for Purim this year. At shuls around the country – including my own –families packed in for spiels, parties and Megillah readings. Many enjoyed record attendances.

This may sound surprising for those whose attachment to Jewish life is primarily through the lens of media, especially social media. Talk about ‘no-go zones’, the psychological weight cast over us by Palestinian flags, and news of antisemitic incidents can feel overwhelming.

On a recent rabbinic trip to Israel – to show comfort and support for those devastated by the 7 October terrorist attacks – many expressed

concerns for my safety and indeed have been questioning the safety of life for all Jews in Britain.

The rise in antisemitism impacts us all, whether we have been victims or are now living in fear. But if you step foot into our synagogues, our schools and our homes, there is a real feeling of community.

Among the pain, there is incredible and uplifting joy. It isn’t just Purim or the many upcoming ‘sold out’ Seder nights. I’ve learned of two new Jewish book clubs in this past week. Challah bakes are booming and there are many activities for kids and teens in our communities and beyond.

My own children are spread between a Jewish primary school with pupils of all faiths, Clore Tikva, and a non-Jewish religious secondary school. Each day the Clore Tikva students, Jewish and not, travel to and from school,

Suits from £79.50

unharrassed, with a Magen David emblazoned on their chests. When I came to read Megillah Esther at the secondary school, the reading and especially the hamantaschen went down with glee.

And then there are those who choose to join us. Both the Reform and Liberal Batei Din are seeing a boom in the number of people wishing to convert. Sitting on the Reform Beit Din, I heard many stories of people whose family chains were decoupled from Judaism by the Shoah, and relinked through Friday night dinners, Seders and the transformative joy of music in our Progressive communities.

While our interfaith activities have slowed a little, they still continue.

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

This month my synagogue was one of many Progressive communities inviting in Muslim friends and neighbours for iftar as they broke their Ramadan fast. If your world and Jewish life are too focused on the fear of public Jewishness and that extra weight of fear forced upon us by others, please reach out to your local Progressive community so we can welcome you into a Jewish life that also truly celebrates the joy.

QUALITY MENSWEARS AT DISCOUNT PRICES

Overcoats from £79.50

TROUSERS ARE DOWN! £20 ANY 2 PAIRS £30

Trouser Bargains £25

CASUAL JACKETS £20

BODYWARMERS £25

Raincoats from £49.50

SUITS £85 ANY 2 FOR £150

SPORTS JACKETS FROM £49.50

OVERCOATS £39.50

KNITWEAR BARGAINS £20 ANY 2 FOR £30

Open everyday & Sundays til 5:00pm

We accept

Because in among the pain, Jewish life always finds a way to smile.

10 Golders Green Road London NW11 8LL

Opposite Cafe Nero

SHIRT BARGAINS£15 EACH OR 2 FOR £25

Large Sizes a speciality Shirtsuptosize23

The Purimspiel at Oaks Lane Reform Synagogue, Newbury Park, Essex

Jewish News presents

The BIG Event

Wedding and bar/batmitzvah show

Sunday 12 May 2024

DoubleTree by Hilton London Elstree WD6 5PU

Show sponsors Music by Food by 11am - 4pm

Ask our experts / Professional advice from our panel

Our Experts

Do you have a question for a member of our team? Email: editorial@jewishnews.co.uk

HUMAN RESOURCES / EMPLOYMENT LAW

DONNA OBSTFELD

Qualifications:

• FCIPD Chartered HR Professional

• 25 years in HR and business management.

• Mediator, business coach, trainer, author and speaker

• Supporting businesses and charities with the hiring, managing, inspiring and firing of their staff

DOHR LTD

020 8088 8958 www.dohr.co.uk donna@dohr.co.uk

ACCOUNTANT

ADAM SHELLEY

Qualifications:

• FCCA chartered certified accountant

• Accounting, taxation and business advisory services

• Entrepreneurial business specialist including start-up businesses

• Specialises in charities; personal tax returns

• Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation Volunteer of the Year JVN award

SOBELL RHODES LLP

020 8429 8800 www.sobellrhodes.co.uk a.shelley@sobellrhodes.co.uk

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

LISA WIMBORNE

Qualifications:

Able to draw on the charity’s 50 years of experience in enabling people with physical disabilities or impaired vision to live independently, including:

• The provision of specialist accommodation with 24/7 on-site support

• Knowledge of the innovations that empower people and the benefits available

• Understanding of the impact of a disability diagnosis

JEWISH BLIND & DISABLED 020 8371 6611

www.jbd.org

Lisa@jbd.org

CAREER ADVISER

LESLEY TRENNER

Qualifications:

• Provides free professional one-to-one advice at Resource to help unemployed into work

• Offers mock interviews and workshops to maximise job prospects

• Expert in corporate management holding director level marketing, commercial and general management roles

RESOURCE

020 8346 4000

www.resource-centre.org office@resource-centre.org

PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST

TREVOR GEE

Qualifications:

• Managing director, consultant specialists in affordable family health insurance

• Advising on maximising cover, lower premiums, pre-existing conditions

• Excellent knowledge of health insurers, cover levels and hospital lists

• LLB solicitors finals

• Member of Chartered Insurance Institute

PATIENT HEALTH

020 3146 3444/5/6

www.patienthealth.co.uk

trevor.gee@patienthealth.co.uk

ISRAEL PROPERTY & MORTGAGE BROKER

ILAN RUBINSTEIN

Qualifications:

• UK born, licenced Israel estate agent in Israel since 2001

• Ilan assists in buying, financing & re-sale of new & existing property in Israel.

• Helps level the playing field opposite vendors, developers & even the bank

• Attentive to your needs, saving you time, hassle & money

I.L.A.N. ESTATES & INVESTMENTS “Bringing Jews Home” UK: 0203-807-0878 ISRAEL: +972-504-910-604 www.ilanrealestate.com nadlan@hotmail.com

JEWELLER

JONATHAN WILLIAMS

Qualifications:

• Jewellery manufacturer since 1980s

• Expert in the manufacture and supply of diamond jewellery, wedding rings and general jewellery

FINANCIAL SERVICES (FCA) COMPLIANCE

JACOB BERNSTEIN

Qualifications:

• A member of the APCC, specialising in financial services compliance for:

• Mortgage, protection and general insurance intermediaries;

• Lenders, credit brokers, debt counsellors and debt managers;

• Alternative Investment Fund managers;

• E-Money, payment services, PISP, AISP and grant-making charities.

RICHDALE CONSULTANTS LTD 020 7781 8019

www.richdale.co.uk

jacob@richdale.co.uk

FINANCIAL SERVICES

JOE OZER

Qualifications:

• Executive director for the United Kingdom at DCI (Intl) Ltd

• Worked in finance for more than 20 years

• Specialists in distribution and promotion of Israel Bonds

DEVELOPMENT COMPANY FOR ISRAEL

020 3936 2712

www.israelbondsintl.com

joe.ozer@israelbondsintl.com

GOAL ATTAINMENT SPECIALIST

DR BEN LEVY

Qualifications:

• Doctor of psychology with 15 years’ experience in education and corporate sectors

• Uses robust, evidence-based methods to help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be

JEWELLERY CAVE LTD

020 8446 8538 www.jewellerycave.co.uk jonathan@jewellerycave.co.uk

CAROLYN ADDLEMAN

Qualifications:

• Specialist in supply of diamonds to the public at trade prices

DIRECTOR OF LEGACIES

• Lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in will drafting and trust and estate administration. Last 14 years at KKL Executor and Trustee Company

• In close contact with clients to ensure all legal and pastoral needs are cared for

• Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners

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

REMOVALS MANAGING DIRECTOR

STEPHEN MORRIS

Qualifications:

• Managing director of Stephen Morris Shipping Ltd

• 45 years’ experience in shipping household and personal effects

• Chosen mover for four royal families and three UK prime ministers

• Offering proven quality specialist advice for moving anyone across the world or round the corner

STEPHEN MORRIS SHIPPING LTD

020 8832 2222

www.shipsms.co.uk stephen@shipsms.co.uk

• Works with clients individually to maximise success

MAKE IT HAPPEN 07779 619 597

www.makeit-happen.co.uk ben@makeit-happen.co.uk

SUE CIPIN OBE

Qualifications:

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

• 24 years+ hands-on experience, leading JDA in significant growth and development.

• Understanding of the impact of deafness on people, including children, at all stages

• Extensive services for people affected by hearing loss/tinnitus

• Technology room with expert advice on and facilities to try out the latest equipment.

• Hearing aid advice, support and maintenance

JEWISH DEAF ASSOCIATION 020 8446 0502

www.jdeaf.org.uk mail@jdeaf.org.uk

PRINCIPAL, PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL

LOUISE LEACH

Qualifications:

• Professional choreographer qualified in dance, drama and Zumba (ZIN, ISTD & LAMDA), gaining an honours degree at Birmingham University

• Former contestant on ITV’s Popstars, reaching bootcamp with Myleene Klass, Suzanne Shaw and Kym Marsh

• Set up Dancing with Louise 19 years ago

DANCING WITH LOUISE 075 0621 7833

www.dancingwithlouise.co.uk

Info@dancingwithlouise.com

REGISTER AT www.jewishnews.co.uk/life and start receiving the magazine for free if you live in the UK.

Friendly Family Company established for 30 years

We clear houses, flats, sheds, garages etc. No job too big or too small! Rubbish cleared as part of a full clearance. We have a waste licence. We buy items including furniture bric a brac. For a free quote please phone Dave on 07913405315 any time.

BRIDGE

Harold Schogger

FREE TASTER 1st May

Beginners Course 7th May 2024

Intermediates Course 13th May 2024

Advanced Course 14th May 2024

Success guaranteed

Phone 0208 905 3877 for more details

www.haroldschogger.com

COMPUTER

LAW MENTOR

Former “Magic Circle” solicitor offers help with:

LAW MENTOR

LAW MENTOR

Former “Magic Circle” solicitor offers help with:

• CVs and personal statements

• interviews and assessment days

• coping with stress and workload

• promotion and new opportunities

SECURITY

• CVs and personal statements

• interviews and assessment days

• coping with stress and workload

• promotion and new opportunities

/ 07590 057097

FOR RENT IN ISRAEL

Large 5 room high-end furnished apartment, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms & laundry room.

Large balcony, 5 minute walk to the train station with a shul downstairs

Call + 972 52 669 2108

Fun, games and prizes

WORDSEARCH CROSSWORD

WORDSEARCH CROSSWORD

CODEWORD

CODEWORD

SUDOKU

SUDOKU

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

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

SUGURU

SUGURU

Each cell in an outlined block must contain a digit: a two-cell block contains the digits 1 and 2, a three-cell block contains the digits 1, 2 and 3; and so on. The same digit must not appear in neighbouring cells, not even diagonally.

Each cell in an outlined block must contain a digit: a two-cell block contains the digits 1 and 2 a three-cell block contains the digits 1 2 and 3; and so on. The same digit must not appear in neighbouring cells not even diagonally.

The listed rainbow-related words can all be found in the grid. Words may run either forwards or backwards in a horizontal vertical or diagonal direction but always in a straight unbroken line.

In this finished crossword, every letter of the alphabet appears as a code number. All you have to do is crack the code and fill in the grid. Replacing the decoded numbers with their letters in the grid will help you to guess the identity of other letters. with brass bands can all be found in the forwards or backwards, in a horizontal, direction, but always in a straight, unbroken line.

In this finished crossword every letter of the alphabet appears as a code number. All you have to do is crack the code and fill in the grid. Replacing the decoded numbers with their letters in the grid will help you to guess the identity of other letters.

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

All puzzles © Puzzler Media Ltd - www.puzzler.com

All puzzles © Puzzler Media Ltd - www.puzzler.com

WAS

SCHMERLING

NOW

NOW