1364 - 25th April 2024

Miles of smiles! Mitch’s verdict on new biopic Interview, p29 ‘Me and my Amy’ Marathon runners raise thousands for charity p26

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Miles of smiles! Mitch’s verdict on new biopic Interview, p29 ‘Me and my Amy’ Marathon runners raise thousands for charity p26

As we mark Passover and reflect on 200 days since 7/10, it’s time to ask…

The four questions

• How does the conflict with Hamas end?

• Is there still hope for the hostages?

• What is the lasting impact on British Jews?

• Is Israel entering a post-Netanyahu era? See inside

Two hundred days of war – four questions

As the Israel-Hamas conflict and its reverberations preoccupy UK Jews, Jotam Confino and Michelle Rosenberg look at what the future might hold

How can the conflict with Hamas end?

The war between Israel and Hamas will not end after the terrorist group has been removed from power in Gaza. While the enclave is likely to be governed in the future by either the Palestinian Authority or local Palestinian clans, pockets of Hamas resistance will still exist. Unless Israel maintains security control with Gaza, it is just a matter of time before that resistance grows stronger in Gaza and challenges the leadership there.

It will also continue to operate in the West Bank, from where it will plan the next 7 October massacre. After seeing how the terrorists could penetrate what was seen as a heavily secured border, Hamas will try to do the same from the West Bank into Israel.

As the hostages have proven invaluable to Hamas, more kidnapping attempts will be made, both of soldiers in Gaza and civilians in the West Bank. Israel will be forced to continue to crack down on Hamas operatives wherever they are, remaining on high alert in Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Is there still hope for the hostages?

With many of the hostages presumed dead, hope is beginning to recede that the rest will make it out alive. The only way to get them out is through a deal but Hamas refuses to compromise and has rejected the last five ceasefire proposals. For Hamas, especially its leadership, the hostages are considered a kind of life insurance. The su ering, sexual

assaults, hunger and beatings the hostages are likely to have endured during their 200 days in captivity are one reason why Hamas won’t let them out. The stories they will be able to tell are presumably much worse than those the 110 hostages who were freed in November have told. Despite the world caring very little about the hostages, their stories can only damage Hamas’ cause. For as long as the world’s sympathy lies with Palestinians in Gaza, Hamas will see no reason to release them.

What are the long-term effects on British Jews?

Jewish life in Britain took o on a new tangent after 7 October. If before it could be imagined as a straight line, with the odd wobble, after the Hamas atrocities it veered o on a new trajectory. Its destination remains unknown.

Two hundred days ago our world view shifted on its axis. We are no longer the ‘diaspora’, the ‘other’. Many of us feel as if we are one with Israel. The pain of Israelis is our pain. While many of us remain defiant in vigils, protests and counter-protests, and feel angry, others of us are also scared. Conversations about Israel in public areas such as on public transport and in restaurants are now often undertaken quietly, carefully, in hushed tones, so as not to attract notice. We are proud members of British society, despite constituting only 0.5 percent of its population. But, in 2024, here we are, again, pondering our long-term future. Our university students demonstrate extraordinary courage fighting hate and misinformation. We have rediscovered our heritage, wear Magen

Davids proudly, defiantly. We remind ourselves of who we are and who we have always been. Has it ever been any di erent?

Is Israel on the verge of a post-Netanyahu era?

Experts are torn over this question. Some believe there is little reason to believe Netanyahu will survive the catastrophic results of his last term. 7 October has become the biggest failure and tragedy in Israel’s history, a responsibility Netanyahu cannot escape from. The polls consistently show that his Likud Party has lost almost half its mandates,

which will make it impossible for him to create a government after the next election. The longer the hostages remain in Gaza, the more pressure will mount on him. Mass demonstrations and even general strikes could paralyse the country. Other experts, like Netanyahu’s former advisor, Aviv Bushinksy, thinks it’s too early to dismiss him. “He managed to reinvent himself again and again. The only realistic way to get rid of him is through elections, which is roughly three years from now. If his coalition partners topple him now, they will have nowhere to go. Netanyahu is all in to achieve total victory over Hamas because, if he doesn’t, not only will he not survive politically but his legacy will be tainted.”

CAMERON URGES HAMAS TO END HOSTAGES’ SUFFERING

David Cameron this week issued a renewed plea exactly 200 days after the 7 October atrocity for Hamas to release the remaining hostages.

In a statement to Jewish News, the foreign secretary writes of the “unimaginable suffering” of families and friends of the captives. Lord Cameron noted

that this was “su ering” Hamas itself “could choose to end” if the terror group agreed to repeated proposals for a ceasefire.

As Jewish communities across the world spent a Pesach clouded by events in the Middle East, the former prime minister noted: “Today marks 200 days of captivity for the hostages still held in Gaza at the hands of Hamas, which has brought unimaginable su ering. I have met many

of their families and heard of their horrendous ordeals. They have shown incredible courage in the most di cult circumstances. Our call is as strong as on the day they were taken, Hamas must send hostages home.”

Cameron reiterated his point on social media, posting on X/Twitter: “200 days ago, Hamas carried out the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. 200 days on, hostages remain in

captivity, and their loved ones continue to face unimaginable su ering.”

His plea came as families of the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip held a protest in Tel Aviv to mark 200 days of their loved ones being held captive.

The families and their supporters painted their hands red and held them up to the sky in an act of protest at the city’s HaBima Square.

A hostage-themed Pesach poster in Tel Aviv reads Chag Cherut Sameach, Happy Freedom Festival, with the words ‘happy’ and ‘freedom’ struck out

Met chiefs this week agreed to consult with senior Jewish police o cers more closely over culturally sensitive matters in the aftermath of criticism at the way they responded to an incident at an anti-Israel protest in central London, writes Lee Harpin

On the day after the police meeting, Rishi Sunak told journalists that Britain’s biggest police force needed to “not just manage” pro-Palestinian protests but to “police them”.

The prime minister added that he had been “shocked” to see footage of antisemitism campaigner Gideon Falter being threatened with arrest at the pro-Palestine demonstration.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley was among the group of senior figures to meet on Monday with the delegation of communal leaders, including representatives from the Board of Deputies, London Jewish Forum, the Community Security Trust and the Union of Jewish Students.

The talks, attended by assistant commissioner Matt Twist and chief communications o cer Sharon Sawers, following the outcry after Falter was described by an o cer as being “openly Jewish” during the pro-Palestinian protest this month. One source at the meeting said it had been “frank but friendly” and had not included any call from communal leaders for Rowley to resign.

The Met representatives all repeated the police apologies made at the weekend regarding recent

Met will consult Jewish officers after criticism

communications and agreed to consult more closely with Jewish community representatives and with senior Jewish o cers to ensure greater cultural sensitivity. All organisations expressed appreciation for the work of the police since 7 October to support the Jewish community; however, all stressed that when a mistake is made it needed to be admitted, rectified and learnt from.

In a statement after the talks communal leaders said: “We will continue our dialogue with police later this week to press our concerns regarding the cumulative impact of the repeated anti-Israel protests in terms of disruption and intimidation of the Jewish community.

“We urge the police and government to work together to find ways to limit this impact through reducing the number of protests, moving them to less disruptive locations and acting firmly and consistently whenever o ences are committed by people on the demonstrations.”

Rowley said every member of the Met was determined to ensure that everyone in London felt safe.

“We understand how vulnerable Jewish and Muslim Londoners feel since the terrorist attacks on Israel. Some of our actions have increased this concern. I reiterate our apology from earlier this week. Our o cers will continue to police with courage, empathy and impartiality.”

• Editorial comment, page 20

Military chief quits over 7/10 Israelis want elections – poll

The head of the intelligence directorate, Maj-Gen Aharon Haliva, in co-ordination with the chief of the general sta , has “requested to end his position, following his leadership responsibility as the head of the Intelligence Directorate for the events of 7 October,” a statement from the IDF said.

“In a decision with the chief of the general sta and with the approval of the minister of defence, it was decided that MG Aharon Haliva will end his position and retire from the IDF, once his successor is appointed in an orderly and professional process. In his request, MG Aharon Haliva noted his high appreciation for the work of the Intelligence Directorate personnel during the war,” it added.

Haliva took personal responsibility for the failure to prevent 7 October from happening.

IDF chief Herzl Halevi, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and defence minister Yoav Gallant have also taken responsibility, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is yet to do so.

NUS CONFERENCE IS BROKEN BEYOND REPAIR, SAY STUDENTS

The conference of the National Union of Students has been called “broken beyond repair” by the body that represents 9,000 students Jewish in the UK, writes Michelle Rosenberg. The Union of Jewish Students took to X (Twitter) after attending this year’s NUS event in Blackpool between 17 and 18 April.

It said: “Following the Tuck Report (2023) which detailed nearly two decades of horrific antisemitism in the NUS, they committed to ensuring that Jewish students would be as welcome as any other student in their spaces. Yet at NUS Conference this week, Jewish students were faced with gross antisemitic rhetoric, with a swastika gra tied in the toilets, defence of Hamas in debates, and reports of Holocaust inversion from fellow delegates.”

As reported by Jewish News, the allegations come just over a year after the National Union of Students repeated its apology to Jewish students over the “failure to address antisemitism head on”.

An NUS spokesperson told Jewish News: “Alongside UJS, NUS strongly condemns the racist antisemitic incidents that took place during this week’s NUS conference, which

resulted in some delegates being removed from the event.

“Disciplinary action was taken and continues to be taken against some delegates due to unacceptable language and the drawing of antisemitic gra ti.

“We are in contact with the police and CST. We remain committed to ensuring NUS is a safe and welcoming place for all students –and we are reviewing all aspects of the conference to ensure that is the case. We’re deeply sorry to Jewish students and we won’t stop taking action until antisemitism is rooted out of all corners of our movement.”

Most Israelis want new elections by the end of 2024, according to a poll released this week by the Israel Democracy Institute.

A little over 50 percent want to see fresh elections in 2024 while 15 percent want elections during 2025, and 25 percent say that the government should be allowed to complete its term of o ce as planned and elections held in 2026.

Nearly 62 percent agree that the time has come for those who were responsible for the failure of 7 October to resign.

On the question of who should rule Gaza the day after the war, 32 percent say international force should govern the enclave; 13 percent want the Palestinian Authority to take over; 23 percent say Israel should maintain limited military presence to control Gaza military; 18 percent want Jewish settlements; and 11 percent don’t know.

When asked whether, in retrospect, and in light of the severe Iranian response, Israel was correct to assassinate a top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander in Damascus, 69 percent said it was the right decision. Meanwhile, 34 percent say Israel in principle should agree to future establishment of a Palestinian state in return for a permanent regional defence agreement

Israel’s military intelligence chief resigned from his position this week, marking the first senior Israeli o cial to quit following 7 October, writes Jotam Confino.

Gideon Falter (right) speaks with a Metropolitan Police officer at an anti-Israel protest this month

Video of the conversations and of the march caused concern and led to Monday’s talks with communal leaders

Pictures taken at the NUS conference

Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command have charged a woman with a offence as part of an investigation into online support of proscribed terrorist group Hamas.

Sara El-Houssein, 23, of north-west London was charged with publishing an image of an article in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse a reasonable suspicion that she is a supporter of a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas, contrary to section 13(1A) of the Terrorism Act. El-Houssein was released on bail and was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this week.

Police said a public referral was made last October to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU), highlighting posts linked to a social media account allegedly showing support towards Hamas.

The posts were assessed by specialist officers in the CTIRU, who believed they could be in breach of terrorism legislation. The case was passed for further investigation. Further inquiries were carried out to identify the user behind the account, which led officers to arresting a then 22-year-old woman from north-west London on 2 November.

Downing Street came under mounting pressure this week to restore funding to the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, despite claims of links to Hamas and the 7 October attacks, writes Lee Harpin.

Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson told Jewish News yesterday that the government was “continuing to carefully consider the findings” of a report published at the weekend by the former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna.

Israel has accused more than 2,135 of the agency’s staff of being members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, proscribed terrorist organisations in Israel, the UK, United States and other countries.

But the Colonna report, which looked at ways of making UNRWA more “transparent and accountable”, has suggested Israel was yet to provide “supporting evidence” for its claim of mass links to Hamas.

Jewish News understands that No 10 is now “likely” to accept reluctantly the view that there is no other organisation currently operating in Gaza that can distribute aid effectively and quickly.

Some pro-Israel Tory MPs continue to argue that such a decision would amount to “moral bankruptcy” because of what they say are clear links between UNRWA workers and Hamas, including support for the 7 October attacks.

But equally strong representations have been made to Downing Street urging it to recognise the humanitarian

situation in Gaza, including a looming famine if more aid does not arrive.

Richard Pater, of the Jerusalem-based Bicom think tank, conceded: “UNRWA is needed as there may be no immediate replacement.

“As faulty and problematic as UNRWA is, you can’t have a vacuum in Gaza, so until an adequate body is there to replace them, renewing aid might be the calculation of a British government.”

The UK was one of 18 countries that in January halted financing for the UN Relief and Works Agency after Israel alleged that 12 of its 30,000 staff had taken part in the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October.

Britain had made all its planned contributions of £35m ($43.1m) to UNRWA for the last financial year up until April and the government said it would resume

funding only after reforms proposed by a UN inquiry have been made.

Since then, the EU and nine countries, including Germany this week, have restored funding.

Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is also believed to be in favour of ending the pause.

But some Tory MPs argue it would be a form of “moral bankruptcy” to resume funding, and have written to foreign secretary Lord Cameron.

Former home secretary Suella Braverman claimed: “UNRWA has been categorically discredited. Hamas has taken over elements of UNRWA and used them for terrorist attacks.

“For the UK government to divert British taxpayers’ money to fund Unrwa’s activities would be a disgrace. This must not happen.”

The EU’s humanitarian chief, Janez Lenarčič, has called on donor nations to support UNRWA, describing it as “the Palestinian refugees’ lifeline” .

Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, has hailed countries including Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Japan and Sweden for already resuming their funding.

The United States, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Austria and Lithuania have not yet done so.

“In terms of our funding of UNRWA, that is still suspended,” White House security spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.

The US House of Representatives has finally approved emergency defence assistance for Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza – but the vote demonstrated an erosion in the body’s once near-unanimous support for Israel.

The House approved the £20bn Israel-Gaza bill on Saturday in a 366-58 vote, along with separate bills providing aid to Ukraine and Taiwan, with £17bn earmarked for Israel and £7bn for humanitarian relief in Gaza.

The package also includes £322m in grants for the Nonprofit Security Grant Programme, which funds security measures for US synagogues and other Jewish community institutions.

The package of bills in total resembles closely a £76m Senate foreign aid bill passed in February. The Senate is now expected to approve the House package and President Biden, who called for the additional aid, is expected to sign it.

The lopsided margin in favour of Israel aid showed the country still retains strong support in Congress despite growing criticism of US support for its military campaign in Gaza.

That dissent was reflected in “no” votes from 37 Democrats and 21 Republicans, in addition to seven Representatives who withheld their votes.

Observers say those numbers are bound to make Israel advocates uneasy: Among the Democratic nays were members who have been reliable votes for Israel assistance, including two Jewish lawmakers – Becca Balint of Vermont and Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who were among the first Jewish lawmakers to call for a ceasefire.

Among Republicans, Kentucky’s Thomas Massie had long been the lone congressman, consistently voting “no” on pro-Israel measures. This time, 20 others joined him.

By contrast, a 2021 vote to fund Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system passed 420-9, a margin that also stirred controversy at the time.

The president welcomed the passage of the assistance, which he had requested almost as soon as Hamas launched its war against Israel on 7 October.

In a statement, Biden said the approval “comes at a moment of grave urgency, with Israel facing unprecedented attacks from Iran, and Ukraine under continued bombardment from Russia”.

The aid package comes after US forces led a coalition that helped Israel to repel the recent massive Iranian drone and missile attack.

It also passed as the Biden administration is expected to announce it is considering withdrawing funding for an Israeli army unit alleged to have abused Palestinians, which would be an unprecedented action.

The Charity Commission is investigating a sanctioned woman over the possible misuse of charity donations to help fund a news agency that promotes the Hamas terrorist group.

The regulator said it had launched an inquiry into Aozma Sultana amid “serious concerns” public donations meant for humanitarian aid in Gaza were instead providing financial support for the Gaza Now agency.

Funds were raised by two companies, Aakhirah Limited and Al-Qureshi Executives – of which Sultana is sole director – that advertised a partnership with Gaza Now.

An appeal was launched seeking donations for emergency medication, food and

The government rejected pleas to move Monday night’s crunch Rwanda Bill vote to avoid it clashing with the first night of Pesach, it has emerged.

Crossbench peer Lord Carlile of Berriew told the House of Lords that “strong representations” to move the date of the vote were ignored. He confirmed that some Jewish peers missed the vote “on the grounds of conviction and conscience”.

Carlile said: “I note there may well be some Jewish peers in the House today. I am told that strong representations were made, not least by the Labour Party, through the usual channels to avoid the final stages of the Safety of Rwanda Bill being heard today.” He said the request was refused. I take it as an offence to our ambitions for diversity in this country.”

Plans to fly some asylum seekers crossing the Channel by boat to Rwanda have been fiercely criticised

US agrees Israel aid deal UK urged to restore funding to UNRWA Charity probe on terror aid

shelter for those in need in the war-torn territory, the commission said.

Both the UK and US governments previously sanctioned and froze the assets of Sultana and Mustafa Ayash using domestic counter-terrorism powers.

Sultana is automatically disqualified from serving as a trustee or holding senior management positions for any charity.

Established in 2006, Gaza Now is a news agency based in the Palestinian territory. It has seen a growth in popularity since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict following 7 October.

A report into the charity inquiry’s findings will be published in due course.

Catherine Colonna looked at how to make the agency accountable

Migrants leaving the French coast this week heading for Britain

President Joe Biden: ‘grave urgency’

UN Photo/Manuel Elías

This

Pesach, please help Kisharon Langdon to meet the growing needs of our community

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Passover challenging and painful this year – Starmer

Keir Starmer has said he recognised Passover would “feel different” this year in “painful and challenging” times for the Jewish community following 7 October, writes Lee Harpin.

Visiting Alyth Synagogue in Golders Green to film a video message ahead of Pesach, and after being welcomed by the community’s senior rabbi, Golan Ben-Chorim, the Labour leader joined a group discussion about the meaning of the festival.

Starmer told Jewish News that speaking to young people at Alyth showed him how “powerfully the story within Pesach speaks to them”.

But in the aftermath of the Hamas atrocity, he added: “I know that for many this year Passover will feel different. I know how painful and challenging these past few months have been for the Jewish community.”

Labour’s Finchley and Golders Green parliamentary candidate Sarah Sackman was also filmed saying that for her it is the fact that the youngest person at the Seder table asks the questions that generates the storytelling that “is really powerful”.

She adds: “This year is going to be particularly powerful because I don’t think there will be a single Jewish family in this country that will be holding its Seder and telling the story without the backdrop of what is happening in the Middle East in mind.”

Rabbi Elliott Karstadt then speaks of his view that Pesach offers the opportunity to acknowledge “the suffering of others” and of “having the empathy, having the ability to see not just the suffering of your own people, but that of others”.

and Sarah Langsford, fundraising coordinator, also note the sadness, the poignancy and the enjoyment that is had while the Seder progresses.

Rabbi Ben-Chorim reminds all involved in the discussion that “everywhere around the world Jews did this with being in connection through the stories that we told”.

Starmer also confirmed to the group that his own family would also be gathering around the Seder table.

It would be for what he said represented “a chance for different generations to bond over profound traditions and teachings”.

Laughter is heard as student rabbi Nicola Feuchtwang mentions that arguments have been known to break out over the history of the tunes sung at the service, while taking a more serious note she also mentions that people who have “shaped our lives” will also be missing.

Lynette Sunderland, head of community care at Alyth,

‘Too many empty seats’ ‘WAR CRIMINALS’ SEDER

Rishi Sunak has issued the prime minister’s traditional Passover message to the community by recognising that “for too many families, there will be empty seats” at the Seder table this year as a result of the 7 October Hamas terror attack.

He said he recognised Pesach would be “a moment for families and communities to give thanks” as they gathered around the Seder table to break matzah together.

But Sunak added that “for too many families, there will be empty seats”, adding: “My thoughts are with those who lost loved ones

on 7 October. And those who continue to be held hostage.” Sunak said his government will “continue to stand with Israel … against the kind of reckless attack that we saw earlier this month from Iran.”

In a video posted on social media on Monday, the prime minister also said that the “promise of Passover is that better times lie ahead”.

He continued: “So to the Jewish community in the UK and around the world, whether your loved ones are near or far, I hope that this holiday brings some comfort. And a reminder of that promise of a better tomorrow.”

An alternative Haggadah supplement includes an essay by a Masorti rabbi referring to Israeli politicians as “war criminals who have forced Palestinian families to flee their homes”.

The article, one of 16, is entitled Let All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat, and is written by Lara Haft Yom-Tov, a Jewish educator and community rabbi working at New North London synagogue (NNLS). Rabbi Yom-Tov, who uses they/them pronouns, dismisses those who will “lift up their matzah and wax poetic about the Israelites’ rush to escape Egypt”.

The essay forms part of an alternative “justice-oriented Haggadah” reader with contributions from members of Halachic Left, All That’s

Left and HaSmol HaEmuni. Rabbi Yom-Tov adds that the “same politicians who have manufactured a famine in Gaza, leading millions to the brink of starvation, will proudly declare: ‘Let all who are hungry come and eat’.” The same rabbi asks whether “this Pesach, we must ask if there’s any meaning left in the words we are saying” and that “what was once the simplest line of the Haggadah has become gibberish”.

A Masorti Judaism spokesperson told Jewish News: “We can’t offer a comment on Rabbi Lara’s writing which was not written for or published by us. We pride ourselves on being a community that holds space for members and leaders with many different political opinions.”

When it comes to saving lives in Israel, Magen David Adom is o

the first to arrive in the most dangerous areas. On October 7th, MDA medics, paramedics and volunteers were deliberately targeted by terrorists. Tragically, 27 have lost their lives whilst trying to save others since the conflict began. To protect our lifesavers so we can save more lives visit mdauk.org/protect or call 020 8201 5900

Keir Starmer with Rabbi Golan Ben-Chorim (left) and Sarah Sackman; (inset) with Nicola Feuchtwang

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Death certificate reformed

Changes to the death certification system in Britain – the first overhaul in more than 50 years – have been welcomed by the Board of Deputies, writes Jenni Frazer.

The reforms by the Department of Health and Social Care will be rolled out in September. The changes mean a speedingup of the process immediately following a death, with the consequent advantage to the Jewish community of speedy burial.

Currently, doctors can issue a medical certificate cause of death (MCCD) only if they have attended the deceased within 28 days before death. The reforms mean medical practitioners can complete the certificate, without which a person cannot be buried, if they have attended the deceased “in their lifetime” and can propose a cause “to the best of their knowledge and belief”.

Once the certificate is issued, it goes to a medical examiner, a senior practitioner, to complete. The MCCD will be sent to the registrar, crucially without meeting a coroner at any stage in the process unless there is a suspicion of death by unnatural causes.

Board vice-president Amanda Bowman said: “We welcome the announcement from the government that the national roll-out of the new system for medical examiners will take place this September.

“The Board of Deputies has been at the forefront of aiming to ensure that the new certification process will be user-friendly for the Jewish community, liaising closely

Change ‘is a win for the community’

with burial societies from all denominations, including the strictly Orthodox, as well as the National Medical Examiner and key officials and teams from the Department of Health and Social Care.

“Until now, many religious families suffering a bereavement will have had to cope with additional trauma caused by the delay of the release of their loved one for burial; the new system should help surmount some of these obstacles.”

The tidying-up of the death certification process means a win for the Jewish and Muslim communities, both of which seek to bury people as soon as possible after death.

Too often there has been a delay in approval by coroners for release of a body, usually because of a backlog in the system and the number of cases with which the coroners have to deal.

Dr Suzy Lishman, a former president

of the Royal College of Pathologists and now senior adviser on medical examiners for the RCP, told Jewish News: “All medical examiners (MEs) understand the needs of the Jewish community and the importance of ensuring that burials can proceed as soon as possible.

“A representative from the Board of Deputies speaks at the training day that all MEs attend. ME services put the bereaved at the heart of everything they do, and work closely with faith leaders and communities to make sure they meet their needs”.

Introducing the reforms, health minister Maria Caulfield said: “Reforming death certification is a highly complex and sensitive process, so it was important for us to make sure we got these changes right.

“At such a difficult time, it’s vital that bereaved families have full faith in how the death of their loved one is certified and have their voices heard if they are concerned in any way.

“The measures I’m introducing today will ensure all deaths are reviewed and the bereaved are fully informed, making the system safer by improving protections against rare abuses.”

The minister told parliament that from 9 September it would become a requirement that all deaths, in any health setting that are not referred to the coroner in the first instance, should be subject to medical examiner scrutiny.

A SPECIAL 2024 YOM HASHOAH

This year’s national Holocaust remembrance ceremony, Yom HaShoah, on 5 May, emphasising the importance of community, solidarity and collective memory, will take place at a ‘significant and historic’ central London outdoor location. It will be the first large-scale, in-person commemoration since 2019.

More than 800 tickets have already been booked online for the ceremony, which will honour the 85th anniversary of the Kindertransport and pay tribute to the children of the Holocaust, promoting a message of hope and resilience. Children’s choirs from several Jewish primary schools will sing alongside combined male voice choirs.

Yom HaShoah UK invites the UK Jewish community to join the historic gathering to remember the past and reinforce the community’s collective future.

The specific location will be disclosed to ticket holders nearer the date.

NOT GUILTY PLEA

Golders Green rabbi Chaim Halpern has pleaded not guilty after being charged at a hearing at Willesden Magistrates’ Court last week with two offences of sexual assault.

Halpern, 65, appeared under his birth name of Aaron Halpern, and elected to go to trial in a crown court rather than a magistrates’ court. He will appear at Harrow Crown Court on 17 May for a plea and directions hearing.

Halpern was investigated by police after an unnamed woman made allegations against him in an interview broadcast on Israeli TV in December 2022.

The alleged offences were said to have taken place on 1 June that year. He has always denied the allegations.

Mission: Delivering the Jewish vote for Labour

When the Jewish community’s relationship with the Labour Party reached its lowest ebb, Adam Langleben was hit harder than most, writes Lee Harpin.

As the Jewish Leadership Council’s head of communications and the Jewish Labour Movement’s longtime executive member and later national secretary, the 37-year-old was at the centre of planning the wider community’s response to the antisemitism crisis.

At the very the same time the East Barnetborn Labour man was seeking an overhaul of the leadership and change in direction of a political party he had long held a deep a nity for.

It says much about the overall success of the battle waged both by the communal organisations, and by Jewish Labour members such as Langleben that in September last year he announced he was standing down from both his JLC and JLM roles to begin a new job as executive director of Progressive Britain – a campaigning think-tank, connected closely to Keir Starmer and his battle to change Labour.

But speaking with the married father-of-two at his new o ce in south London, it is apparent he has not decided to leave the eight years he spent working for the JLC behind in his new role.

“I still have enough of the community in my life,” he says. “I send my son to a Jewish school, I’m an active member of Alyth synagogue.

“I love my community, but I didn’t see myself working within it forever. But I was o ered this opportunity and I couldn’t turn it down.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to lead Progressive Britain, especially at this time.”

The organisation is the successor to Progress, the organisation associated closely with Tony Blair’s leadership campaign and the Policy Network group before that. All were a orded considerable support from Jewish Labour supporters.

“I trust Keir Starmer to deliver, he has demonstrated that time and time again” says Langleben, when asked about the current Labour leader’s repeated claim to be transforming his party into a similarly electable force as that led by Blair.

“When 2019 happened, my view was it was going to take Labour ten years to rebuild. Not just because of the size of the Tory majority, but because of the mess the party was in.

“To remove antisemitism in the Labour Party was going to take such a huge cultural change, I felt it would take decades to do it. I was wrong.”

Through his work leading Progressive Britain, Langleben says it is now his job to ensure Labour stays under the control of “sensible people with a sensible programme” so it can convince the electorate it is ready to form the next government.

“We do a lot of work through our partnership with Labour First in the internal elections within the Labour Party to make sure moderates win,” he says. “All the stu people wouldn’t ordinarily think about – national and regional committees –that’s really important work for us. If we lose control of these key parts of the party there’s always the risk of bad things happening.”

Langleben, who also felt the time was right to move away from his JLM role, stresses: “Keir used the term ‘irreversible’. Our job is to make sure that the change that has happened in the Labour Party is irreversible, and we are making

good progress. Of over 200 candidates selected, less than four were supporters of Corbyn. That’s the proof of change.”

Antisemitism, Langleben argues, does indeed continue to exist within the Labour Party, but he says “there is no part of society or in this country or abroad where you won’t find it anywhere”.

Again referencing what he says has been Starmer’s “great achievement”, Langleben suggests levels of anti-Jewish racism are “no longer any higher than in the Conservative Party, in the Liberal Democrats”.

But he accepts it is “perfectly reasonable” members of the Jewish community would choose not to believe his claim of similar levels of antisemitism across all mainstream parties. “I think five years of Jeremy Corbyn is enough to leave a bad taste in anybody’s mouth,” he adds.

It is hard not to return to the bad old days of Corbyn in Langleben’s presence. In May 2018, Langleben made national headlines after he was ousted as a councillor in Barnet’s West Hendon ward at the local elections.

The voters had “punished” the Corbyn-led party, Langleben said at the time, over the leadership’s failure to face up to the antisemitism issue, a view he continues to hold.

“I’d given the best of a decade of my life to Labour” he says now of the moment he felt he had to follow the lead of ex-MP Luciana Berger and leave the party.

There were further, disgusting, incidents to follow. When Langleben announced he was quitting the party he had joined 13 years earlier, he had a phone call from a former landlord saying a message had been left at the front door – along with a pile of dog poop. “It was awful,” he recalls now. “To have daily abuse, and at its worst case having threats on a daily basis.”

Asked for his views on the leadership of the UK Jewish community, especially after the 7 October attack, Langleben is quick to reject claims organisations were ill prepared.

“Every single community is struggling to deal with this because the impact is so wide-ranging and vast,” he says. “Nobody could fully prepare for what has happened.

“A 500-600 percent increase in antisemitic attacks – who could possibly mitigate against that? So I don’t think criticism (of the UK communal organisation’s response to 7 October) is actually fair.”

With a general election looming and on a more positive note, Langleben is convinced the community can play a vital political role.

He believes the past 14 years of Conservative government have “left the country completely broken” and is convinced under Starmer the “deep roots” the Jewish community once had in his party have been restored.

“We know the Jewish community is capable of voting Labour in very high numbers,” says

Langleben, reflecting on the years of government under Blair and Gordon Brown. “Our community is not a community of Labour voters or of Conservative voters. The biggest chunk are swing

voters. It just so happens the national swing since 2010 was with the Tories. I’m pretty confident Labour will win the vote of significant chunks of the Jewish community at this election.”

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Adam Langleben, inset, and with former Jewish Labour Movement colleagues

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A non-military solution to checkmate Tehran

DR NADER FALLAH & AFSHIN PAYRAVI

THE ASSOCIATION OF IRANIAN HUMAN RIGHTS AND ALLIES

It is believed that chess was developed in Iran and that checkmate is derived from the Persian phrase shah-matt, meaning, ‘The King is helpless.’

Since the unprecedented attack on Israel by the Islamic Republic, Israel found itself in a predicament: strike back or hold fire.

Despite calls for restraint from the West, Israel launched a retaliatory strike. As expected, the IDF targeted the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a paramilitary force supporting the dictators in Iran while aiding and funding proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

It is widely known many in Iran stand against the theocratic dictatorship of the Islamic Republic and the vast majority want a regime change. The precision strikes resulted in no collateral civilian casualties or damages to the civilian infrastructure. Anything less would have played into Tehran’s hands.

The Islamic Republic has downplayed the Israeli retaliation, claiming initially all drones and missiles were intercepted,

only later to admit some missiles struck an airbase but resulted in no damages.

Tehran had stated its revenge attack on Israel ‘concluded matters’ and its attempt to downplay Israel’s retaliation may be a sign the Islamic Republic does not have an appetite for further escalation at this time.

However, there is now an opportunity for IRGC hardliners to demand action against the Jewish state either by another direct engagement or escalation via one of the many proxies funded and supplied by the IRGC.

Israel may find Iranian counter-strikes may not be as forgiving as the first. Perhaps the Islamic Republic sent the slow-flying drones to test the best routes into Israel and observe the coordinated response of the IDF and her allies. Rumours from Iran suggest many of the drones were unarmed.

For the past four decades, the Islamic Republic has called steadfastly for Israel’s destruction. A no-response by Israel would have bolstered Tehran and its proxies’ hopes and aspirations that Israel is not invincible and would eventually be destroyed.

A military strike against Iran will certainly escalate the conflict. A war of attrition will be costly. If Israel had not struck back, her enemies would have seen it as weakness, paving the way for more attacks.

However, none of the above scenarios

will permanently resolve the threat faced by Israel and the free world. The attack against the Islamic Republic will, sadly, not force regime change but a non-response would have emboldened it. The regime will survive regardless.

The Islamic Republic is unpopular with nearly all Iranians. The regime has plundered the economy and our environment. Tens of thousands have been executed and an untold number imprisoned, tortured and raped.

Multiple uprisings by unarmed civilians have been ruthlessly crushed, resulting in thousands of deaths. The very young have been targeted by death squads and snipers and many teenage girls were systematically raped. The savagery of the regime’s response

to the national uprising in September 2022 was so brutal and inhumane a UN fact-finding mission charged the Islamic Republic with crimes against humanity.

The Islamic Republic is responsible for the spread of terror and hate – kidnapping, assassination and sea piracy – in the Near East and beyond and is dedicated to Israel’s destruction. Yet Western democracies attempt desperately to appease it.

It is of grave concern Western diplomats have failed to reflect on the consequences of the appeasement of Hitler’s Germany.

Israel may need to think ‘outside the box’ and consider a solution that will guarantee the safety and security of the nation.

By empowering the Iranian people through maximum support and by encouraging the Western democracies to stand firm with their principles of freedom and human rights, the Islamic Republic will be isolated economically.

The empowered Iranians, who have already shown their bravery in fighting the brutal regime, will without doubt and hesitation topple the regime in Tehran without a single shot having to be fired by Israel or her allies.

Without the support of Israel, the Islamic Republic will survive, to the detriment of Iran, the Iranians as well as Israel.

A nuclear-armed Islamic Republic may truly be an international checkmate.

IRANIAN DISSIDENTS ‘FIGHTING THE SAME ENEMY’

Iran’s recent barrage of missiles fired into Israel has prompted Iranian dissidents based in the UK to speak emotionally of their opposition to the Islamic Republic’s regime – and to call for the Jewish community’s help “in fighting our greatest enemy”, writes Jenni Frazer.

But Vahid Beheshti, who has maintained a camp opposite the Foreign O ce in Westminster for more than a year, and who spent 72 days on hunger strike in support of a campaign to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was in no doubt what should happen

next. He told Jewish News: “The Iranian regime is not what they are trying to show us. They are paper tigers. We all witnessed the 300 missiles and drones that they fired into Israel, but almost none of them could make their targets.

“This is who they are: they are good when it comes to proxy wars, or when it comes to infiltrating into countries, brainwashing our youth, influencing politicians.

“But their weakest point is their military force. The Iranian people, more than 80 million of them, are waiting for this moment. They are

writing slogans on walls in Iranian cities, saying ‘Israel: hit them and we will do the rest’.”

Another dissident, who calls herself Lily Moo, is concluding a visit to Israel as part of a nine-strong delegation of anti-regime diaspora activists invited by Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

The London-based campaigner won’t use her real name because of numerous death threats against her by IRGC agents.

Speaking from Tel Aviv, she says: “The people of Iran want peace and do not want to have a war that is imposed on them by a terrorist govern-

Without

we wouldn’t have been able

ment that has taken them hostage for the past 45 years. We believe Israel does not want to harm civilians.”

She said she was “not prepared to sugar-coat this for the world – they need to know the truth. Forty-five years ago, the sugar-coating allowed the entrance of the Islamic republic and the destruction of my country.”

And she warned that Iranian influence was seeping into the west: “How many years are we going to wait before cranes on the bridges of London will have people hanging from them?”

Iranians protest with Israelis in London

Seder table opposite Downing Street keeps 133 hostages in our thoughts

A hundred and thirty-three empty seats at a meticulously laid seder table set the poignant scene for a vigil in central London, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

More than 350 members of the media and Jewish community attended a solidarity event organised by the UK Hostages Families Forum in Richmond Terrace, opposite Downing Street, to witness the unveiling of the Empty Seder Table.

The installation had 133 empty chairs, each representing a hostage in Gaza.

The missing range from infants to people in their 80s and each chair, including two high chairs for children, had a poster of a person still in captivity.

The forum said the installation was a “poignant reminder of the individuals who remain separated from their families this Passover”.

Co-organiser Nivi Feldman said: “The hostages were dragged into Gaza into conditions no one should endure. The su ering they’ve been going through for six months now, no one should endure. The Jewish

people are waiting for them to come back home. This Pesach, I know I will see myself as if I’m in Gaza today with them and I will feel that a part of me is captive in Gaza.”

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said: “In the lead-up to Passover in any other year, if anyone would have told us there would be a long seder

table facing the entrance to Downing Street, we would have celebrated.

“We would have said ‘that’s wonderful’. That it’s a public display of our Jewish identity. But right now as we view this seder table with 133 empty chairs, our hearts are broken.”

Shai Shojat, the nephew of hostage Michel Nisenbaum, kidnapped on 7

October while on his way to pick up his granddaughter to take her to her mother, also spoke at the event.

Speaking to Jewish News, he said: “We’ve come here to just try and touch people’s hearts, maybe someone in the government, maybe an influencer.

“Just raising our voices makes a di erence. They can’t go on for much longer. They will not survive”.

Israel advocate Jonny Daniels, who also addressed the crowd, spoke to Jewish News, saying: “It’s remarkable to see Jews and non-Jews alike

coming together to show solidarity and make sure none of us forgets our 133 brothers and sisters who are being held in the most horrendous conditions by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

“Especially poignant was seeing this seder table, days before we all sit with our families remembering being brought out Egypt.

“Now we think also of those being held in captivity in Gaza and our brave soldiers, our heroes fighting for not just our freedom but for all western civilisation.”

CIVIC AWARD FOR SHUL AND MOSQUE LEADERS’ UNITY

A civic awards ceremony in Hertfordshire has recognised communal e orts of the leaders of a synagogue and mosque, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Among 10 awards given by the mayor of Hertsmere, Chris Myers, to members of the community was one honouring Joshua Moont and Amir Choudhury for their work in maintaining positive community relations.

Moont is chair of Borehamwood United Synagogue and Choudhury is the chair of the Borehamwood Islamic Society.

Hertsmere borough council leader Jeremy Newmark said: “I nominated Josh and Amir jointly for this civic award because since the Hamas attacks on 7 October, it’s been a testing, trying and challenging time for community relations across the country and in our borough.”

Fellow nominator Christian Gray added: “They’ve both displayed exemplary community leadership in a time of crisis that’s been di cult here in Hertsmere.”

Co-winner Choudhury said: “What happened in Gaza and Israel is far away but it’s

definitely a ected here because there’s a huge Jewish community but there is also a Muslim community and some of them are Palestinian.”

Co-winner Moont said: “There was a big shock from the community about what happened on 7 October.

“Quite soon after, we started vigils in Borehamwood every Friday morning but also to feel the support of the community. And it was really powerful seeing the community come together.”

Mayor Myers said: “I feel truly privileged to have presented these awards to the wonderful unsung heroes of Hertsmere.

“I am taken aback by the selflessness and generosity these individuals and groups display in their day to day lives.

“By going the extra mile, our award winners have inspired everyone around them and are so deserving of this award. I would like to thank them all for their positive contribution to our borough.”

Nominations for the awards were invited in January 2024 and the winners selected by a panel of judges.

Photos by E Jacobs Photography

The beautifully laid seder table in Richmond Terrace

High chairs and a game for Ariel and Kfir Bibas, snatched from Nir Oz

Josh Moont from Borehamwood Synagogue Amir Choudhury, of the local Islamic Society

Auschwitz whistle-blowers

Eighty years since two Slovak Jews, Alfréd Wetzler and Rudi Vrba, escaped from Auschwitz to warn the world, the national charity supporting survivors in Britain brought together experts and descendants to discuss how their story is remembered today, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

The panel discussion at the Slovak embassy included contributions from renowned journalist Jonathan Freedland, whose book The Escape Artist relates Vrba’s life and story.

Other noteworthy speakers on the panel included the director of the Holocaust Museum in Sereď, southern Slovakia, Dr Martin Korčok, with relatives of Wetzler and Vrba, and the director of AJR Refugee Voices, Dr Bea Lewkowicz, who shed light on some lesser-known strands of history about the two remarkable men.

The event also unearthed details of the groundbreaking Vrba–Wetzler Report, also known as The Auschwitz Protocols, an early attempt to throw light on the numbers of victims murdered in the camp’s gas chambers.

The panel emphasised how Vrba and Wetzler’s bold actions are credited with helping to persuade the Hungarian regent, Miklós Horthy, to halt the deportation of Hungary’s Jews to Auschwitz.

It also highlighted that the Allies had known since November 1942 that Jews were being killed en masse there.

Newman added: “It is a great pleasure to be partnering with his excellency the Slovak ambassador again following the event we organised to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in 2023.

“The AJR is hugely proud that among our Refugee Voices archive of almost 300 testimonies, we have a precious interview with Gerta Vrbova, an extract of which will be screened and analysed as part of the event.

Slovakia ambassador to the UK Dr Róbert Ondrejcsák, said: “Today, as we reflect on the legacy of Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler, we are reminded of the power of resistance in the face of tyranny, and the importance of bearing witness to injustice wherever it may occur.

“We are proud to partner with the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) to honour the legacy of these two courageous men –ensuring the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten and the voices of the victims continue to resonate across the generations.”

SHOAH SURVIVORS’ CENTRE WELCOMES TV DRAMA CAST

Members, staff and volunteers at Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre gave a warm welcome to key cast and creatives from the Sky TV series The Tattooist of Auschwitz , writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Actors including Jonah Hauer-King (Lali) and Melanie Lynskey (Heather Morris) met the survivors in advance of the release of the six-part series on Sky on 2 May.

Other key cast members Anna Próchniak, (Gita), Jonas Nay (O cer Stefan Baretzki) as well as executive producer Claire Mundell and director Tali Shalom-Ezer all shared in the moving and uplifting afternoon which included a Q&A session and an opportunity to talk with the members.

Ivor Weider, 92, shared his traumatic memories from Auschwitz, where he was deported from Romania at the age of just 12. Miram Freedman, 89, who survived the Holocaust by going into hiding as a child, shared with the cast that she also comes from Bratislava in Slovakia, where Lali came from, and felt a strong connection to his story.

Following the visit, Holocaust survivor and centre member Ivor Perl BEM, 92, who was taken at the age of 12 from Hungary to Auschwitz-Birkenau, said: “After all these years, and with all that’s happening in the world today regarding acceptance of other people, it’s been an honour to meet some of the actors, the director and producer and I wish them the best of luck with this project.”

Jewish Care Holocaust Survivors’ Centre and outreach coordinator Sarah-Jane Burstein said: “It was our great privilege to host the cast

and key creatives from the series. It was an incredibly memorable, moving and unique encounter for everyone involved.

“Survivors spoke openly about their deeply-harrowing experiences in Auschwitz and the conversation and exchange was empowering for everyone involved, as we listened to the group of young actors have taken on their roles in this production with such sensitivity and deep responsibility to ensure these stories are never forgotten.”

More than 250 Holocaust survivors and refugees are supported by Jewish Care at the Holocaust Survivors’ Centre with a programme of social, cultural and therapeutic activities, in the care homes and retirement living apartments.

The therapeutic Shalvata service, with a specialist team o ering counselling and social work support, is for those dealing with trauma.

AJR chief executive officer Michael

“I am grateful to my colleague Dr Bea Lewkowicz, the AJR Refugee Voices Archives director, for organising this special commemorative event during which she was also able to sharing her own memories of meeting Alfréd Wetzler and Rudi Vrba.”

Donate now at worldjewishrelief.org/pesach or call (0)20 8736 1250

War still rages in Ukraine.

It’s been two years of hurt and pain, two years of damage and devastation, two years of fear and uncertainty. Parents and children are traumatised. The suffering of war never seems to end. But you can help them today.

This Pesach, will you help Ukrainian families suffering from the trauma of war? SCAN TO DONATE

Hannah Janulewicz with AJR CEO Michael Newman, Slovak ambassador Dr Róbert Ondrejcsák, translator Julia Sherwood, AJR Refugee Voices director Dr Bea Lewkowicz, author and journalist Jonathan Freedland and Sered’ Holocaust Museum director Dr Martin Korcok

Vrba’s granddaughter Hannah Janulewicz with author Jonathan Freedland

The cast meeting survivors

Joy for baby Bneyah, miracle survivor of the Nova massacre

Bneyah Moshe’s arrival into the world has become one of the most talked-about births at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus, writes Jenni Frazer.

The baby’s parents, Astar Moshe and Shlomi Tobi, are survivors of the Nova music festival massacre on 7 October and the need to save their future child was the imperative which drove the couple to escape from the killing grounds of the kibbutz.

New father Tobi, 37, has spent much of the time since his son’s birth in tears. He says: “The moment came when the delivery room ID was placed on my hand, right next to my Nova admittance band. Seeing them on my hand, side-by-side, I started to cry.”

His partner Moshe, 35, nods in agreement. Holding their newborn, she, too, is in tears. “We could so easily have been one of those who are no longer with us or one of the hostages,” she says. “Thank God for this treasure we hold in our hands.”

The couple live in the north of Israel, but had joined friends in the south for the Nova music festival at Kibbutz Re’im. Moshe was newly pregnant and they had been looking forward to the festival when the sound of guns and missiles suddenly erupted around them.

She recalls: “We didn’t understand what was happening. We thought it was a Code Red attack that would soon pass – the usual. We never imagined such a massacre.”

But now the pair believe that it was her maternal instincts which saved them, as everything in the expectant mother galvanised her to ensure her baby was safe. She led Tobi and some friends in a frenzied run to escape. “All I cared about was keeping the treasure in my womb, my partner, and my friendships,” she says. We couldn’t look back. There was only death and terror behind us. We had to keep moving forward all the time.

“There were moments when Shlomi told me, ‘Astar, you’re pregnant. Come on, let’s stop,

rest a bit.’ I couldn’t agree to stop for a moment. I told him that if I stopped, I didn’t know if I could continue.”

Tobi remembers his terror during those critical hours. “Everything was random. We didn’t know where we were going or what we were running from. People were being shot and falling, right by us. Gunshots came from everywhere – and we followed her.”

The couple and their friends ran for 20km, until they arrived at Moshav Patish. “An amazing family, Nili and Dan and their children, took us in and cared for us,” Tobi says. “They checked Astar was okay, and we could begin to relax. That is where the penny dropped as to what we had escaped.”

Moshe gave birth at Rambam Hospital in

Haifa but the couple acknowledge “after going through something like this, it’s not easy to act as though everything is fine”.

Tobi adds: “We try to see the glass full and say ‘thank you’ for being here. If we survived, then we have a role. It’s part of who we are, it’s also part of the trance music community and the group of Nova survivors. We are all brothers. We were all reborn on the same day. The birth of our child – it feels much bigger than it is.

“The meaning of a nova is ‘born again’. That’s the Nova. There is life after this terrible disaster that took so many righteous people, my friends.

“There is life after, there is hope and there is love.”

MUM FACING RENAL FAILURE ‘DESPERATE’ FOR DONOR

An inspirational 52-year-old mum of two from Borehamwood is calling on the community to help save her life by being tested as a possible kidney donor, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Sharon Caplan has battled debilitating Crohn’s Disease since she was 12. She estimates she has had 30 operations and says she nearly died three or four times because she had sepsis –“It creates a lot of complications.”

Speaking to Jewish News to raise awareness of her race to survive, Caplan recalls she began getting kidney stones about 10 years ago.

A week before her youngest daughter’s batmitzvah, she did a biopsy which revealed she was in stage three of chronic kidney disease.

“I didn’t really understand much about it,” Caplan says. “I just learnt to live with the symptoms – constant urine infections, pain in my side,

back pain, water retention, breathlessness.” Her condition has since progressed to stage five which, she explains, “means I am in renal failure. I have been told I need a kidney transplant. It has been explained to me that it would be better to have a kidney from a live donor.”

A live donation will give her at least 20 years of good health before she needs another and will lessen the chances of rejection. By comparison, an organ from someone who has died would last about five years.

“If I get to the point that I’m really ill and need dialysis, my doctor doesn’t want me to have it because of my conditions,” Caplan adds.

When she’s put on the deceased donor list, she is likely to be waiting years for a donation, which in turn means she will need dialysis to keep her alive. And if she goes on dialysis,

bypass and diabetes, so he’s not allowed. My other family can’t for medical reasons. You have to match six criteria, such as blood and tissue types. My kids matched three.”

Caplan doesn’t know who else to ask and admits she has “been trying to live my life in denial”.

she will “never be strong enough to have the operation and my life won’t be worth living”. She adds: “My kids were tested. They weren’t a match. My husband Daniel had a heart attack and

For the past six months, at stage five renal failure, she’s “having terrible urinary tract infections, peeing blood, waking up with painful fluid retention and swelling. I have no energy. To look at me you wouldn’t know.”

Caplan knows it’s “a huge thing to ask a stranger. They’d have to have

major surgery and need six weeks to recover. But it’s giving the gift of life.”

Her daughters, she said, are “used to me being ill. They’ve dealt with my Crohn’s. I had a bowel resection after each of them was born.

“There is something called a sharing scheme, but I’m reluctant for my eldest daughter to do it. God forbid they got ill, had children one day; they haven’t lived their lives yet.

“It’s a lottery: the kidney they donate will help someone else and I’d get a kidney in return.

“My eldest said she’d do it. If I was at death’s door, I’d say yes, but until then I don’t want her to do it.”

 If you would like to be tested as a live kidney donor, email ICHC-tr.livingdonorcoordina tors@nhs.net and quote her consultant’s name, Neil Duncan

Astar Moshe and Shlomi at Ramban Hospital, top, and with their new baby son Bneyah

Sharon Caplan and, inset, daughters Jessica and Olivia

Sacks archive at National Library

The personal archive of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks has arrived at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, writes Jenni Frazer.

It is a significant milestone for the library and the Rabbi Sacks Legacy, the charitable trust which honours the life and teachings of the former Chief Rabbi, who died in 2020.

While the archive awaits review and cataloguing, an initial survey reveals materials on topics close to Rabbi Sacks’ heart, such as engaging Judaism with the world, community building and Jewish education, with more discoveries anticipated.

The Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe supported the acquisition. Once it is catalogued, the library intends to provide extensive access to researchers, as agreed with the Sacks family.

tell the same story. We are the people who carried with us the indelible recollection of centuries of suffering, not because we revel in it, not because we see ourselves as victims, but in order to remember that whatever else divides us, history unites us.”

Rabbi Sacks was a global religious leader, philosopher, award-winning author and respected moral voice. He was the laureate of the 2016 Templeton Prize in recognition of his “exceptional contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension”.

Described by King Charles III as “a light unto this nation”, Rabbi Sacks was a frequent and sought-after contributor to radio, television and the press, in Britain and worldwide.

Twenty-two students from universities across the UK have celebrated their graduation from a one-year pro-Israel programme.

The ceremony for StandWithUs UK’s bespoke Emerson Fellowship cohort of 2023/24 was hosted at the House of Lords by Lord Leslie Turnberg and attended by Lord Stuart Polak and Baroness Ruth Deech.

Keynote speaker Mike Freer MP said: “I am not Jewish, but I am a gay man. Israel is a country that recognises minority rights ... an oasis of liberalism in the modern world.

“This is not only a war in Israel, but

a bigger war of religion and freedom of speech – where we are seeing Jewish bodies across campuses in the UK being silenced as they are not getting support from university authorities. What society is it when people cannot argue? Your job as future leaders is to ensure your voice is not lost.”

The fellowship is an international bespoke one-year programme that empowers and inspires pro-Israel student leaders at universities across the UK to form a pro-Israel network to inspire their peers and collaborate to run educational events, workshops and dialogue about Israel.

NEW GRADUATES FOR PRO-ISRAEL NETWORK WINNING MITZVAHS

The archive includes a letter written in April 1998 ahead of Pesach in which Rabbi Sacks reflects on disunity in the Jewish world: “The Haggadah is not predicated on a simple concept of Jewish unity,” he writes. “It presents to us a portrait of four children around the table. They are not the same. One is wise, one a rebel, one is simple and one unable to ask.

“Their perspectives are different. Their voices are not in harmony. But they sit at the same table. They are members of the same family. They

National Library chairman Sallai Meridor said the institution was “honoured” to be given responsibility for incorporating the archive into its collections, adding: “His legacy will not only serve as a magnet and a source of inspiration but also ... made available around the world for generations to come.”

Chag Pesach Sameach from the Spring Grove family

Communities, charities and volunteers were honoured at the 2024 annual Mitzvah Day Awards which saw the Jewish community joined by Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Sikh friends and neighbours.

Opening the event, Mitzvah Day founder and chair Laura Marks said: “What makes these awards even more special is being joined by people from other faiths and communities.

Come and visit Spring Grove in Hampstead to feel what it’s like to be part of the family. Our doors have been open for 55 years and we provide the highest quality of care including an interactive activities programme and a nutritious diet. We hope to see you soon!

The Outstanding British Mitzvah Day Award was won by South Hampstead Synagogue and Maidenhead Synagogue, whose projects included cooking, collections and conservation to help those most in need and improve the local environment.

The Individual Award was won by Rachel Ucko of Kisharon Langdon and chef Jas Singh of Sufra NW London Community Kitchen.

“Mitzvah Day is all about being together and showing that, when united, we make a difference.”

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

Unhelpful debate

Many things have changed beyond measure since 7 October. One is that Jews feel less safe, fuelled by record levels of antisemitism on campus, in the streets, at work and online.

Equally in no doubt is that these fears are compounded by open expressions of hate at pro-Palestinian marches and that the organisers of these events have not been vocal enough in taking a moral stand when this happens. It weakens the cause they claim to stand for – the Palestinian people – when Hamas bandanas, images of hang gliders, swastikas and signs equating Zionism to Nazism appear. Policing such large and frequent events is hardly an enviable task and there’s no question the Met, on occasion, has fallen short of the standards rightly expected by Londoners in both words and deeds.

One example was the language used by an officer towards Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Gideon Falter at a march earlier this month. But we also must not ignore the improvements in policing over the last couple of months that have been highlighted by the Community Security Trust and the hundreds of arrests and dozens of charges that have been made in this period. The idea that the Met commissioner should resign or be removed may grab headlines but in no way reflects reality and does not help our community in the long run.

Focus on the hostages

Your reporter Jenni Frazer’s article (4 April)

accusing Israel’s prime minister of deliberately stalling aid into Gaza was based on one uncorroborated and unverified remark by his office. Moti Kahana, head of the service GDC (Global Development Company), who made the allegation, obviously had a commercial interest in seeing that his plan went ahead without delay.

The report, with photos of the seven aid workers tragically killed in the convoy in error in the fog of war, deliberately defamed Netanyahu, head of a war cabinet making decisions collectively in an horrific war of extermination by Hamas, aimed at our sole Jewish state.

It debased Israel, implying Gaza’s civilians are being deliberately starved by setting out to deter aid convoys.

Frazer then quoted one Samer Sinijlawi, a so-called Palestinian ‘analyst’, who alleged that “Gaza is on the edge of famine. People are starving.” This is a lie.

In a recent emotional address to the hostage vigil held in St John’s Wood shul, Col Richard Kemp, former commander of British troops

in Afghanistan, said there are plenty of food supplies getting in, some from the US even discarded because they “didn’t like the taste”.

Having spent much of the past six months with the IDF in Gaza, he testified that no army in the history of warfare has done more than the IDF to protect enemy civilians, achieving the incredible ratio of 1:1 civilians to combatants, in an unprecedentedly difficult war zone, when the average in recent wars is 9:1.

So far, 604 heroic Israeli soldiers have sacrificed their lives in this conflict so that Israel may live and that Jews will always have a safe haven. Jewish News should publish a biography of each one, every week, which would take two years to complete, as a small token of gratitude.

It should also focus on each of the hostages, who, unlike the enemy population of Gaza, are being starved, beaten and sexually assaulted without access to any humanitarian agency.

There is no end of media outlets and personalities criticising Israel unfairly. We don’t need Jewish News to add to their number.

D Rosenthhal, NW4

SOME LETTERS DO NOT WARRANT PUBLICATION

I’ve lived in Israel for almost 18 years. A friend passed on the 21 March edition of your newspaper, in which I was excited to read the number of subscribers to Jewish News has grown so substantially.

However, this was overshadowed by your decision to publish a letter entitled Palestinian Suffering from Mr D Lister, who describes himself as “a Zionist who passionately believes in a Jewish homeland”.

Really? A true Zionist would be aware that Yasser Arafat, at the behest of the Soviets, created the concept of “Arab Palestinians” in 1964, culturally appropriating the name “Palestinian” from the Jews.

Most of these so-called “Palestinians” are descendants of violent Fedayeen guerrillas – NOT a single ethnic group – from the Caucasus, Egypt, Syria, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, Lebanon, Persia, Tunisia, Turkey and Bosnia.

The figure of 30,000 deaths quoted by Mr D Lister was produced by people who raped, tortured and murdered on 7/10. The moral compass of anyone who believes anything released by the Gaza health ministry needs a radical reset. Mr D Lister needs to review the sources of his “information” and Jewish News needs to consider the pros and cons of publishing letters which have no truth to them.

Helen Oster, Israel

TAKING MORE CHEAP SHOTS AT OUR CHAREDI SCHOOLS

Your columnist Eve Sacks decided that some strictly-Orthodox rabbis misunderstand the purpose of education, the truth of which she kindly imparted in her recent opinion piece (11 April).

She says boys in unregistered strictly-Orthodox schools are innumerate, illiterate and unaware of the world around them. She would like local authorities to make sure these children are safe and educated, without which these children will not become productive members of society. She implies Charedim are not successful in the business world. She interprets the idea of Jews being a light unto the nations as meaning we should integrate into society.

Ms Sacks dismisses the rabbis’ concerns that integration means assimilating into the fast downward spiral into the abyss of society today.

It is not the mostly-unneeded and misdirected secular education that is producing either productive or moral citizens (check out the universities), or indeed the knowledge to live productive lives, rather the Charedi education system that produces the best of society as can be evidenced by the almost-unheard-of Charedim in our jails.

Ann Cohen, Golders Green

A TIME FOR WISE HEADS

The past six months have been agony for the families of the hostages and fallen IDF soldiers. As citizens of Israel living through this nightmare, we have a duty to face the reality of a complex situation. On these occasions, we are desperate for our leaders to show wisdom and courage to guide us through these dark times. Their aims must prioritise what is required to safeguard our citizens and have a clear objective in restoring “normalcy” . Whether the current incumbents are capable of achieving this is debatable, but one thing for sure is each of those murdered on that fateful day back in October and those killed since must not be forgotten, as it is vital their passing must not have been in vain.

Stephen Vishnick, Tel Aviv

NUMBERS COUNT WHEN TALKING ABOUT CONFLICT

My letter of 28 March was strongly criticised by Mr Warren S Grossman, who called the number of citizens killed in Gaza over the past six month “tiny”. Even if he was right that the 30,000-plus figure is “inflated” and that it is “only” in fact 20,000, I would like Mr Grossman to consider the following figures.

In the Second World War, some 70,000 British civilians were killed out of a population of around 50 million – meaning one in 700 civilians were killed in six years of war. In Gaza, some 20,000 civilians have been killed out of a population of around 1.75 million, meaning that one in 90 civilians have been killed in six months of war. And if the number is 30,000 civilians, it’s one in 60 killed in six months.

The fact Hamas started this conflict and its atrocities on 7 October is no justification for this level of innocent victims, especially when there is no chance of children being evacuated from Gaza as were, for example, my mother and uncles and aunts during the Blitz.

Mr D Lister

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Exploding myths about Jews in the UK military

RABBI REUVEN

LIVINGSTONE

JEWISH CHAPLAIN TO HM ARMED FORCES AND AJEX

One of the unique aspects of the Armed Forces Jewish Community –and AJEX also – lies in the fact that we often are not well understood by the mainstream Jewish community. In the instance of serving personnel, this is not only due to geographical dispersion but also because serving in the military can be an all-consuming lifestyle.

There is, however, another important dimension to this phenomenon: since the Second World War and the founding of the State of Israel, the Jewish community has changed its focus away from the UK military experience toward the often more eventful events. As a result, it is not very good at embracing our distinguished history of service to the Crown and supporting those Jews who are currently in the British Army, Royal Navy, or RAF – or indeed MI5/6 and GCHQ.

There is a widespread view that somehow Jews outside Israel do not belong in this type of career and should not be ‘loud and proud’ as veterans. But this is incredibly wrong-headed as Judaism continues to be observed in disparate circumstances inside and outside the Forces.

Antisemites have always maliciously accused Jews of seeking to evade military duty. This lie (leading to the infamous Juden Zalung in the First World War in Germany) has been roundly disproved again and again; yet many Jews have unwittingly absorbed it – or at least the part that implies that Jews are not particularly well-suited to this type of pursuit and should stick with being doctors, lawyers, accountants and business people.

A few years ago, we attended a lecture at King’s College London by Professor Derek Penslar (Stanley Lewis Professor of Israel Studies and Fellow, St Anne’s College, Oxford/ University of Toronto) whose topic was ‘Dreyfus was not alone: the army as a Jewish career in modern Europe’.

He made the point that the Dreyfus a air – the antisemitic victimisation of a French artillery o cer – was not entirely typical of

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the Jewish experience in European armies. Based on archives, it can be seen that in France, Austro-Hungary, Italy, Poland and other countries during the Victorian era, 4-8 percent of military o cers were Jewish; more than the proportion of Jews in the wider populations.

In Russia, under di erent conditions, the same situation prevailed, with even greater numbers in the Soviet Red Army. This was partly because a military career o ered Jews more equality of opportunity, especially in areas such as engineering, artillery and logistics, where they excelled. It also gave them the means to shine as men and to put to rights the noxious stereotype of the passive Jew.

In the late 19th century Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan of Radin, known as the Chafetz Chaim, wrote a guidebook called Machaneh Yisrael for Jewish soldiers. Despite o ering special leniencies for serving personnel, he is not judgmental (especially regarding tinok shenishba, sins that result from having been raised without su cient knowledge of Judaism) and does not say that Jews should not serve or that such service is prohibited. On the contrary, the author reaches out to these men and tries

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to recognise their importance and integrate them into the Jewish world.

But then, as today, the mainstream communities did not really know what to do with these military men. While they lionised some, such as Meno Berg in Germany, they largely ignored the rest. This had the e ect of alienating them and reinforcing a sense of separation.

During the American Civil War, significant numbers of Jews served on both sides (20,00050,000, according to Penslar). But, as in the later world wars, because this conflict was a national emergency and fought mainly by conscripts or ‘temporary’ volunteers, afterwards they reintegrated into their communities and did not su er the same alienation as career soldiers tended to. That said, even the veterans often did not feel able to share the full extent of their experiences and often remained somewhat reticent within wider Jewish society.

Just as the Jews who left Egypt found new pride, discipline and purpose – and self-respect as a nation – so may we look on our contribution to UK life and community, whether inside or outside the military, and in the shuls and congregations of Great Britain.

Defend interfaith work from smear campaigns

LAURA MARKS CO-FOUNDER, NISA-NASHIM

With the tragic conflict continuing to rage in Israel and Palestine, threatening to tear communities here in the UK apart, it has never been more important to bring people of different faiths and beliefs together to build understanding. However, in my 20 years of working in this space I have never seen such forceful efforts by people on different sides to denigrate these initiatives quite so brazenly. The consequences, if their efforts are successful, should worry us all.

As the founder of the Jewish-Muslim women’s network Nisa-Nashim, I believe that we need more opportunities to meet people of di erent faiths. But I’ve come under attack from people who seem intent on driving ever deeper wedges between our communities – particularly between Jews and Muslims, but other faith and cultural communities too.

‘Too

First, we have those who belittle what we do: it’s easy to paint “interfaith” work as naive, idealistic or in some way flu y. They say that we can’t solve the big issues by listening and by entering into dialogue. They say interfaith has ‘let us down’ and so should be abandoned. But what alternative are they are proposing?

Do they believe that retreating to polarised, shouty narratives is any less naive when it comes to solving the big problems we face?

The evidence for building relationships between faith communities is compelling, academic and far from flu y. As Dr Katherine Marshall of Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World A airs has written: “Interfaith knowledge can avert the social tensions that can lead to conflict and violence as well as political divides that detract from e orts to develop flourishing societies.” Then, we have detractors who are set on discrediting people or organisations who associate with ‘undesirables’, whatever that might mean. ‘Guilt by association’ has become the norm: I have seen my own charities being scoured by people looking to find funders or connections their narrative finds unpalatable.

In reality, most big Jewish philanthropists support Israeli causes and most Muslim funders support Palestinian causes, making it easy for some to lay suspicion that they are in some way ‘hateful’. Of course, we must all have red lines, but to solve inter-community conflict and tension we need to reach outside our echo chambers and welcome people whose wider networks don’t always align with our own.

And at its most dangerous, there are those who are actively trying to undermine our e orts because it suits their extreme positions to whip up yet more distrust and ultimately intimidate people away from connecting with people who are di erent to themselves.

Despite the successes we have seen at Nisa-Nashim, where our work is underpinned by friendships between Muslim and Jewish women, our members are too frequently under immense pressure from family and friends, as well as organisations with an agenda, to step away: they’re warned not to hang out with Muslim ‘extremists’ or Jewish ‘Zionists’.

Put simply, they use intimidation tactics designed to break the limited chances we have to share, learn and reflect together.

All types of attack come from a position of fear. For many Jews (not all), there is already a level of mistrust and anxiety about engaging particularly with Muslim neighbours. For many Muslims (not all), there is a fear of association with Jewish people, particularly if there is a perceived link to Israel, and therefore a worry about being stigmatised in turn.

I am deeply worried about where this intimidation will lead. I know of many people in the interfaith space who have simply had enough of dealing with the constant pushback from all sides and are now, tragically, walking away from dialogue; not only direct participants but funders of our work on whom we rely in an already precarious landscape (made one step worse with Iranian intervention this week).

We need more people not fewer to come to the table. As we pass Easter and Ramadan and move through Eid rapidly to Vaisakhi and Passover, the opportunities to connect are endless. I’m a relentless optimist and, writing this as I as I prepare for my interfaith Passover seder meal, I believe change is in our own hands. Indeed, it can be found round our own dining room tables.

Jewish’ Larry David is

really

the last

DARREN RICHMAN

During his years as a struggling stand-up comic in New York, Larry David was in the habit of walking on stage in an army jacket while sporting a receding Jewfro and opening with the line, “I’ll tell you the thing about good-looking people – we’re not well liked.”

Not only is this a perfect joke but it also displays the keen interest in popularity that would remain with the comedian all the way through to the pilot of Curb Your Enthusiasm in 1999, when the character Larry David complains to his wife Cheryl, “People used to like me… I’m beginning to sense a whole wave of antipathy.”

In a sense, the character could have been giving voice to the real Larry. The writer had reinvented the sitcom with his pioneering work on Seinfeld but in 1998 came the airing of that show’s finale along with his debut feature film, Sour Grapes. The former was one of the most divisive episodes of television has known and the latter was a disaster, critically and commercially.

How would Larry react to two failures on the trot after years of success? Well, as he

says to Cheryl in Curb when she asks why he told their friend that his infant son is wellendowed, he “took a risk”.

Larry had unfinished business. After close to a decade running the country’s biggest show, he wanted to perform once more.

That 1999 pilot was intended as a one-o special, an improvised hour built around an outline that would allow those involved to be unfettered by the constraints of anything as passé as a script. It worked: the actors had fun and so a series was commissioned. That series ended this month after a quarter of a century.

Some 35 years separates the beginning of Seinfeld from the end of Curb, an imperial phase of almost unprecedented length.

Larry’s two masterpieces can be viewed as companion pieces, not least in the way the shows can be split into thirds.

The first third of both shows that they are at their purest and truest to life, in the middle third the plots are more convoluted and there is the highest percentage of classic episodes, and in the final third things become more outlandish and less consistent.

If Seinfeld explored the world of struggling singletons in New York, Curb put a successful, married man under the microscope on the opposite coast. There is clearly more than a hint of George Costanza in Curb’s Larry David

of

his kind

THE MORE HE HAS HOMED IN ON HIS OWN EXPERIENCES, THE MORE HE HAS FOUND FANS ACROSS THE GLOBE ❝

but there is also an undeniable charm to the character. There is a misconception that this is a cantankerous man who goes out of his way to be rude to everyone he encounters but it is not borne out by the evidence. The Seinfeld characters were a product of all their creator’s worst impulses whereas Larry in Curb is the man the comedian who shares his name wishes he could be.

HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm is the fiefdom of Larry David and it is within these half-hour episodes that he is able to act out his fantasies of living entirely by his own rules. The hero is a “social assassin” and “victim of circumstance” who wants to know why things are as they are and, if they aren’t to his taste, why he can’t change them. The plots are often farcical

but rooted in reality and, unshackled by the restrictions of network television, the creator and star has been able to explore themes such as incest, the Holocaust and Palestine. There have rarely been objections because this is not some lazy hack but a master working at the very top of his game.

Seinfeld was often considered a “show about nothing” but at its best, like Curb, it was an examination of the minutiae of everyday life, the unspoken rules and implied etiquette that govern our waking moments far more than the high drama of most television.

At 76 and after a Curb finale that perfectly put a bow on both TV shows, Larry might well be finished with the medium he mastered.

All this would have seemed unthinkable in 1989 when the Seinfeld pilot aired and a memo from one NBC honcho read simply, “too New York, too Jewish”.

The specific is the universal and the more the writer has homed in on the specifics of his own personal experiences, the more he has found fans across the globe.

The promotional material for the final season of Curb called Larry, “the last of his kind” and, in comedy terms, that’s precisely what he is. And he can rest assured that the thing about funny people – they are well liked.

And be seen!

In a superlative e ort across the community, runners from all walks of life took to the streets of the capital on Sunday for the London Marathon. Mazeltov to all the heroes who took part, completing the 26.2-mile course and raising thousands of pounds for charities including Jewish Care, Jami, Norwood, Jewish Breavement Counselling Service, Camp Simcha and Kisharon Langdon

Daisy Coutts, Jami

Gary Nortman, Norwood

Aaron Deitsch, Camp Simcha

Adam Driver and Olivia Fox, Jami

Yomi Cohen, Kisharon Langdon

Jamie Steinberg, Jewish Care

Naftali Levene, Kisharon Langdon

Gabbie Fried, Norwood

Lee Platt, Norwood Netanel Rosen, Camp Simcha

Melissa Oliver, Norwood

Uriel Levy, Norwood Ben Morrison, Jewish Bereavement

Eric Israel, Norwood Clark Norton, Kisharon Langdon

David Nezri, Kisharon Langdon

Dan Schauer, Kisharon Langdon

Danny Harris, Kisharon Langdon

Ollie Lenga, Kisharon Langdon

Joshua Carmel-Brown, Jewish Care

Charles Braunstein, Camp Simcha

THE SPECULATION IS OVER Back to Black, the Amy Winehouse biopic, is at the cinema. Reams have been written based solely on the trailer and several self-appointed Amy ‘experts’ couldn’t wait to give their verdict on Marisa Abela’s performance as the singer and on the way the film presents Amy’s father, Mitch. Many of the opinions on Mitch are based on Asif Kapadia’s 2015 documentary, Amy, rather than on the film or knowing the man himself.

In the days leading up to the launch of Back to Black, there was a roster of friends, alleged friends and anyone who once stood beside the singer wanting to share their Amy anecdotes. Mitch, however, said very little. Back in 2020, I walked with him in Camden Town. We stood in front of the statue of his daughter, laughed about of her antics, then sat on a bench close to Amy’s home. That was when Mitch cried. Later he talked about the proposed film, which at that point was just an idea. Now it has been made, he’s agreed to talk again. Interview by Brigit Grant

Were you worried about being portrayed by an actor?

Amy and I always joked that in “our film” I would have George Clooney play me. Of course, this has been falsely used to say that I was disappointed it wasn’t him. I wasn’t as I got Eddie Marsan.

How was that first meeting with Eddie and what did you tell him to help him with playing you?

As soon as we met I knew he would be great for me. And we have become mates. I didn’t tell him how to play me. We just had a few meetings and I told him some Amy stories and then he just did his thing.

Were you familiar with Eddie’s work?

I’d seen him in lots of films and TV shows. Loved Sixty Six, Ray Donovan, Ridley Road, and that one about the canoe bloke [the 2022 mini-series The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe]. Brilliant actor.

We had talked about the film a while ago, so were you involved in the production?

I wasn’t involved in the production. I went on set once and just got in the way. I didn’t get any scripts and I had no script approval, otherwise Sam Taylor Johnson wouldn’t agree to direct the movie.

Did you have concerns about the film being made?

Watching those people working with care and love for Amy le me feeling very confident about the movie. I hadn’t seen anything until I saw the uncut film. The relationship Amy had with me and the family was spot on.

Arguments, laughter, tears. Just like any other family.

The moment the biopic was announced you were approached by actors who felt they were perfect to play Amy. Did you have much involvement with the casting of Marisa Abela ?

I saw [the English actress] Marisa

Do you feel a duty to protect Amy’s legacy? Amy’s legacy is about far more than her music and this film.

are helping thousands of through our schools project.

Abela’s audition on video. I thought it was Amy singing. Marisa was brilliant. Sam and the producers made a great choice.

How much time did you spend with Marisa?

I met her a couple of times just to help her get a deeper understanding of Amy. We got on really well. It felt totally weird but very nice.

Did it make a di erence that Marisa is Jewish, as Amy was so proud of her heritage?

Amy was fiercely proud of her Jewish heritage. Yes, Marisa is Jewish but it wouldn’t have mattered at all if the actress playing her wasn’t. For instance Lesley Manville, who plays my mum superbly, is not Jewish and neither is Eddie.

Was it tough when you first saw the film?

It was emotional but I was able to keep it together. When my family saw the film, that was more di icult.

Through the Amy Winehouse Foundation we are helping thousands of disadvantaged young people through our schools project. Amy’s Place is a project that bridges the gap between young women leaving addiction treatment services and finding independent accommodation. There is the music therapy for severely disabled kids, and four music projects in the Caribbean and New York.

How did you feel when a Gaza sticker was placed across Amy’s Star of David on the statue and how do you think she would have responded to 7 October and the rise of antisemitism?

The sticker on Amy’s statue was incredibly upsetting. Amy has millions of fans of every race and religion all over the world. Amy always said that love conquers hate. So let’s hope she’s up there weaving her magic.

Eddie has been very supportive and spoke at the antisemitism rally. How does that make you feel?

All Jews are fearful of the rise of antisemitism. Too see Eddie and many others at the front of the Jewish solidarity march gave us all a li .

You went through a nightmare when Amy died. Unbearable loss and then hurtful accusations. Has making the film been cathartic?

With the movie I want people to get a glimpse of the real Amy. How she was with her friends and family. I’m not looking to set any records straight. My family and friends and most of Amy’s fans knew how we all loved and cared for her.

What would you like audiences to take away from Back to Black?

I want people to see the movie and come out singing her songs. It’s obviously a sad ending but it’s not a sad film.

If you could have 24 hours with Amy how would you spend it?

Now you’re making me cry. 24 hours. Well, first I’d introduce her to her nephew, Cosmo, my grandson. He is nine and has so many of Amy’s qualities. Then we’d all go to Balans in Soho and have lunch. Then we’d see Auntie Renee and the rest of the family and we’d hug until it was time for Amy to leave. It would be nice if we could do that every week. I wouldn’t dare tell her about the movie because she’d say what’s all the fuss about?

What Amy song is stuck in your head?

She chose Body and Soul to duet with Tony Bennett because it was my favourite song and I’d been singing it to her for 25 years. That was the true beauty and devotion of my daughter.

Photo by Adam Soller Photography

Mastering your mind

Psychotherapist and JTeen CEO Yaakov Barr has written a book to help teens deal with mental health struggles. Here he shares an extract with Jewish News

After years of working directly with teens and analysing data from our support line at JTeen, I wanted to write a book that offers a fresh perspective on adolescent mental health. I believe that prevention is key: stopping challenges before they become crises, by employing cognitive behavioural techniques to help reframe negative thoughts, manage emotions and develop healthy coping strategies. The book looks at friendships, managing stress, coping with life challenges and building resilience.

Healthy friendships: eight tips for making good friends

1. Be YOU

It is so easy to go wrong on this one. So many teens try so hard, too hard, to make friends and yet complain to me that it doesn’t work. They try to impress, show o , look cool, crack

jokes and ‘talk big’. Although this might bring them some popularity in the short term, it’s not going to create real friendships in the long run. It sounds simple, but the best way to make friends is just by being genuine. Ditch the show. Be yourself.

2. Be loyal and trustworthy

If you are loyal and trustworthy, you have the rare qualities that will attract friendships. Loyalty means supporting someone even in di cult situations. It means being honest and caring, no matter what. Trustworthy means keeping what is said to you private and not gossiping behind your friend’s back.

3. Be open-minded

It is human nature to judge people based on initial impressions and decide if ‘they are my type or not’. There are times when our first impressions may be correct,

but we still need to keep an open mind. One of my closest friends is someone who couldn’t be more di erent from me. We somehow ended up being roommates and I initially thought that we would have nothing in common. However, the more I spoke to him, the more I realised we were actually similar in so many ways. The more we are willing to give people a chance, to delay our rash judgments, the greater the possibility of making friends – real friends.

4. Be patient

You cannot force friendships, nor can you buy them with money or snacks. Friendships have to be natural, and they can take a while to develop. You don’t need to launch into DMCs (deep meaningful conversations) the first time you meet someone in a bid to become friends. Take the time to get to know the person. Like wine, a good friendship takes time to mature. Remember that di erent people will also have di erent qualities, which will take time for you to discover and appreciate.

o and make amends by working things out.

8. Just do it

5. Avoid being exclusive

If possible, it’s always better to have a wider social circle. Have several friends with di erent personalities and interests rather than just one overly intense friendship.

6. Look after yourself

If there’s a certain activity that you don’t want to do, or you feel that you need some ‘me time’, then be ready to put yourself first. That sometimes means saying no, even if it disappoints someone else. A good friend is one who cares and supports you, but it doesn’t mean you are meant to be their ‘therapist’ and be fully responsible for their emotional health. They might expect it, but you can quickly feel drained and stressed if you allow someone to become dependent on you.

7. It’s OK if you argue

Even the closest of friends are going to have disagreements at times. With good friends, an argument should not mean the end of the friendship, but rather you will both know how to step back, cool

Too often, we assume we know what other people are thinking about us. We presume they do not want to be our friends, so we play it safe and wait for others to make that initial friendly move. This is a poor strategy for making friends. They might be thinking the same and waiting for you to make the first move. It’s up to you to summon the courage and approach potential friends. Don’t wait. Be bold. Take the risk and speak up. The worst that could happen is that the person you approach is not interested in being your friend. Yet, alternatively, the best that can happen is that this person will become your new friend. It’s a risk worth taking!

Do these thoughts sound familiar? They can be changed

“I wish from the bottom of my heart that some classmates at school would want to be friends with me. But they aren’t. I always notice the other girls talking and laughing but as soon as I try to join in, they all go quiet. I feel so alone. So unwanted. At the beginning of this school year, I tried really hard to be nice

to everyone. I brought in lots of snacks each day, but it didn’t help. I have realised that the people in my class are just too di erent from me. When a new person joined our class recently, lots of girls welcomed her and befriended her. But when it comes to me, nobody is interested. Each day during the break I sit o to the side, bored and lonely. Inside I am so pained, and the worst thing is coming to school each morning, knowing I must face it all over again.”

RF (age 13)

“I can’t help it. As soon as I am around my friends, all I feel is my stomach churning and my face going red. I don’t talk normally and I constantly worry about whether I’m saying something stupid. I also panic if there are any silences in the conversation. I’m fine with my parents and siblings. It’s with everyone else that I become so nervous. I know it’s not the right thing to say but the truth is I feel calmer and less anxious when I’m away from friends.”

AG (age 17)

• Mastering Your Mind: 10

Proven Life Hacks for Teenage Happiness & Success is available on Amazon and at Jewish bookshops, price £20

Yaakov Barr

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 JEFF BERGER

MOSES BEN MAIMON SYNAGOGUE AT THE ABRAHAMIC FAMILY HOUSE IN ABU DHABI, UAE

People are the catalyst for big steps forward

Day seven of Pesach commemorates the crossing of the Red Sea during the exodus from Egypt.

The former Israelite slaves found themselves encamped before Pi-Hahiroth – strategically boxed-in between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-Zephon, a mountainous Egyptian deity (Ex 14:2).

Cutting o any possible escape, Pharaoh’s army approached quickly. Ahead was only water. Many called out to God in fear, while others

complained to Moses that they had never wanted to leave Egypt in the first place, only to die in the wilderness. Some suggested that they stand and fight. Moses, unsure what would happen next, asked God for help. “And the Lord said unto Moses: ‘Why are you crying to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward’ (Exodus 14:15).”

Midrash Rabbah explains that Nachshon ben Aminadav, from the tribe of Judah, was first to lead the way into the water, immediately after which God told Moses to use his sta to part the sea.

An east wind blew all night, splitting the waters, enabling the Israelites to cross the dry seabed. But by dawn Pharaoh’s army, who were in pursuit, were mired in mud

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and when the waters returned at daybreak the world’s greatest army had drowned and was washed up on the shore for all to see. The Song of the Sea, celebrating the Israelites’ survival, was sung spontaneously and is part of our daily prayers today. There are two important lessons that we take from this event. First, we recognise that miracles don’t happen by themselves; they require human catalysts. Second, we see that often it isn’t leaders who take the initiative but inspired individuals who set progress in motion.

In an age of fake news, we aren’t surprised to find climate sceptics who underestimate the human contribution to climate change. Their arguments fall into several categories, such as: it’s so cold in

winter, how can you say there’s global warming?; climate change is natural, it’s happened before; there’s no scientific consensus; plants and animals can adapt; change is good for us; even if there is climate change, it’s too late to do anything about it.

In the Anglo-Jewish community, EcoJudaism is leading a responsible communal strategy toward net zero.

They recognise that environmental degradation is real, accelerating, and requires bold action now. The community audit focuses on five easy steps. It begins with the decision to want to assess our impact and to consume responsibly.

This year’s initiative on reducing single-use plastic and minimising food waste has been widely circulated. (Many resources are available on the EcoJudaism website.)

We read in Genesis that we are guardians of God’s creation, that it is our duty to protect and ensure a healthy environment for our children and for generations to come. So far, about 70 synagogues have begun the EcoJudaism audit process. Isn’t it time for the rest of us to jump in?! • ecojudasim.org.uk

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LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI JORDAN HELFMAN OAKS LANE REFORM SYNAGOGUE

Rabbi, is it true I can get married here?

This wasn’t a question put to me by a young bride or groom planning their wedding day and looking forward to building a Jewish life and family together with the blessing of their community.

Instead, this query came from a wizened member of my synagogue, who had been married to her partner for many years. Together they had produced two responsible Jewish adults.

Like many couples and families in our Progressive communities, she is an active participant in congregational life and a proud part of a Jewish family, though

not Jewish herself. Last year – in common with many others in our Progressive Jewish movements – my synagogue’s council made the choice to allow the blessing of mixed-faith unions inside our prayer hall.

So when she asked me this question, I was proud to be able to give her a simple and emphatic “yes”.

I think about the time before we made that decision. How, when she entered our prayer hall previously, she may have felt that her love was unsanctionable in that sacred space; that her soul’s home was not yet inclusive enough to hold her love.

It says in the book of Proverbs: “Anxiety on the mind drags down, and a good word brings joy” (12:25).

By replying “yes”, that her love and life could be celebrated

with her community, I could see a weight being lifted from her shoulders. It was as if she had removed a burr from under her clothing, near her heart, and now the unconscious friction is replaced with pride of belonging.

Some can often feel that relationships with communities require us to dress and to act a certain way in order to be accepted, and to speak a certain ‘in’ language as we try to carve out our special place inside of the crowd. When there is enough dissonance between the inner self and the person we have to portray to others, it isn’t a healthy space for our souls.

That’s why I believe, however you live and however you love, it is important to find a place where your soul can experience the joy of being fully itself, in a community you can call ‘home’.

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

SECONDARY PROGRAMMES MANAGER / JEWISH STUDIES PROGRAMMES MANAGER

We are Recruiting!

Talented and inspirational Jewish Studies and Hebrew teachers required for our High School section (Grade 6-12) to commence August 2024. Carmel School Hong Kong, a Jewish International School is seeking teachers with:

 BA or above in relevant studies, an recognized teaching diploma.

 Minimum two years relevant teaching experience in Hebrew and Jewish studies in Primary and/or Secondary schools.

 Knowledge of IB curriculum is an asset.

 Excellent classroom management skills.

 Interest and experience in informal education.

Why Carmel School?

Carmel School is the only Jewish Through School in Asia, with over 370 students from 1 to 18 years old. Carmel School is accredited by WASC and IB offering the DP, MYP, and PYP. Our students graduate with impressive academic results and enter top universities around the world.

Carmel School is a cornerstone of Hong Kong’s Jewish community with strong interpersonal relationships, an enviable working environment and a high teacher:student ratio. The School offers career progression, professional development to talented candidates.

Interested candidates are invited to apply to hr@carmel.edu.hk

Full time position for a candidate who could offer Jewish Studies teaching and programme leadership. Alternatively, the role can be split into two parttime positions: Secondary Programme Manager and Jewish Studies Programmes Manager.

This is an exciting and challenging role that would suit a senior educator with leadership experience and understanding of the wider landscape of ITT. You will be highly motivated and passionate about Jewish education, teaching and learning. You will manage, develop and deliver inspiring courses for trainee teachers at secondary level, working with our school partners across the community. You will run LSJS’ flagship secondary training porgramme for trainees across a wide range of subjects.

At LSJS we train and develop inspirational teachers & educational leaders, enabling them to have a transformative impact on our schools and communities.

Visit www.lsjs.ac.uk for a job description

Please send your full CV and cover letter by 3 May to helena. miller@lsjs.ac.uk.

Interviews will be held on 15 May to start on 1 September.

A weight lifted: Reform Judaism enables love to be celebrated in community

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

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

Professional advice from our panel / Ask our experts

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

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

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

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

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Former “Magic Circle” solicitor offers help with:

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• CVs and personal statements

• interviews and assessment days

• coping with stress and workload

• promotion and new opportunities

/ 07590 057097

LAW MENTOR

Former “Magic Circle” solicitor offers help with:

• CVs and personal statements

• interviews and assessment days

Fun, games and prizes

CROSSWORD

CROSSWORD

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.

3 Glossy mac fabric (inits) (3)

7 Bring back into the mind (6)

8 Unpleasant smells (6)

WORDSEARCH

WORDSEARCH

CODEWORD

CODEWORD

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.

with brass bands can all be found in the forwards or backwards, in a horizontal, direction, but always in a straight, unbroken line.

The listed battle tactics and strategies 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.

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.

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

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

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

Last issue’s solutions

is proud to support its students in this difficult time.

With your invaluable support, we will continue to educate, share the truth and lift their spirits.

Lancelot Ribeiro (1933-2010) King Lear, 1964

Born Bombay (now Mumbai), India

Migrated to the UK in 1950

Clara Klinghoffer (1900–1970)

The Girl in the Green Sari, 1926

Born Szerzezec, Poland, now Lemberg, Ukraine

Migrated to the UK in 1903

US: From There to Here

Discover the stories of exiled artists from Asia and Europe in this exhibition as part of the wider Ben Uri Research Unit focus on the Jewish, Refugee, Immigrant contribution to British visual art since 1900.

The exhibition runs at the gallery in Boundary Road, St. John’s Wood, NW8 0RH

from 10 April to 14 June

Open Wednesday to Friday, 10am to 5.30pm

STOP PRESS: Ben Uri is honoured to be appointed as permanent custodians of diaspora-artists.net

which has been researched and compiled by Professor Eddie Chambers of the Department of Art History,