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Northern exposure

The plight of 80,000 Israelis living next to Hezbollah p11

All Bridgerton’s locations p21 Where’s the next ball?

Sir Keir Starmer: My pledge to you

Labour leader tells Jewish News his party in power will be ‘as

ruthless in fi ghting antisemitism as in opposition’

@lmharpin

“cast-iron pledge” to British Jews that, if elected to Downing Street, he will continue the same “ruthless” fight against antisemitism that he waged in opposition. Jewish News after meeting Jewish voters during a visit to Barnet, the Labour leader promised: “We have been ruthless in the last four-and-a-half years in changing the Labour Party. We will be as ruthless in government as we have been in opposition. The changes I have made to Labour are permanent.”

political parties to join us” in the fight

In an impassioned interview, Starmer, aiming to be Britain’s first Labour prime minister for 14 years, revealed that he would seek to “invite other political parties to join us” in the fight against Jew-hate, if he secures victory on 4 July.

the Conservatives had approached bat-

tling against racism directed at Jews, Starmer said the issue should never be one dealt with on a “party-political basis”.

Speaking from the Oak Ca e in Whetstone, Barnet, Starmer confirmed that he would match the current government’s funding commitment to the Community Security Trust of

current government’s funding

£70m over the next four years to protect synagogues, Jewish schools, and communal events across the country.

Turning to foreign policy issues, Starmer stressed his support for the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as its prosecutor seeks warrants for the arrests of Hamas leaders, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his defence minister.

International rants for the arrests of Hamas leaders, also

But Starmer was also critical of chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s comments

Continued on page 2

Holocaust Educational Trust

‘Fight against antisemitism

Continued from page 1 last weekend in a Sunday Times interview in which he compared the actions of Hamas with those of the IRA, saying that he did not believe “comparisons like that are very helpful at all”.

The Labour also admitted he was “deeply concerned” about the impact of the 7 October Hamas terror attacks, and Israel’s subsequent response in Gaza on community relations in this country, adding it was now “vital” work began on efforts to restore trust between British Jews and Muslims.

Inside the cosy confines of the Oak Caffe in Whetstone, north London, Starmer was given a preelection boost as a group of Jewish local voters, including Board of Deputies vice-president Edwin Shuker, confirmed to the leader that having previously voted elsewhere, they were likely to vote for Chipping Barnet Labour candidate Dan Tomlinson at the general election.

But sitting down later with Jewish News, the Labour leader was reminded that for some in the community, while they recognised what he and others on the front bench had done to turn around Labour since the dark days of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, there was still too much noise from backbench MPs, particularly in terms of hostility towards Israel, that meant they could not bring themselves to back the party. Or that having talked the talk and walked and the walk while in oppo-

sition, was it not the case that once Starmer had moved himself into Downing Street he would sideline the fight against antisemitism? Or perhaps, inexplicably, allow those voices that had dragged Labour downwards under Corbyn back into the fold one again?

But pumping his fist on to the cafe table, Starmer responded saying he would give the Jewish community an “absolutely cast iron pledge and commitment” that he would not allow any of these scenarios to happen because “the change that we have made to the Labour Party is permanent... permanent”.

He continued: “That is a really important thing for me to say. I understand only too well that the fight against antisemitism is never over. Because we must never take our foot off the pedal when it comes to antisemitism.”

As a sign of this commitment, Starmer confirmed that a Labour government would “match” Rishi Sunak’s recent announcement over funding for the Community Security Trust.

“We will continue to commit to the CST and match the funding announced by the current government of more than £70m over the next four years, so we will match that commitment,” he promised.

He stressed that if in government, he would seek to avoid claims his party were treating the Jewish community like a political football in the fight against antisemitism.

“The Tories have a tendency to be divisive in almost everything that they do, because they haven’t got a record they can stand on –they can’t say, ‘You’ve had brilliant leadership through the last five prime ministers’,” he opined.

“But I don’t think things like antisemitism should be dealt with on a party political basis.

“I think there is a genuine consensus across the parties and I would try to perpetuate this, to say, ‘this is not a political football, this is something we can stand on as parties together’.”

Starmer pointed out that last year both he and then home secretary Suella Braverman made speeches at the CST’s annual dinner, saying many he met that night had told him how it was important and encouraging to have senior figures from both main political parties present.

Were he to be elected, Starmer confirmed, he would “invite other political parties to join us” in the fight against antisemitism.

He refused also to criticise the police over their handling of the pro-Palestinian marches that have taken place across the country.

“This is really difficult for the police on the ground,” he said. “On the one hand they need to allow the protests to take place, but on the other, they have to come down very hard on the elements that are extremist, that are clearly breaking the law, and are antisemitic.”

Often arrests would be made after the event, Starmer said, when officers reviewed video footage although “on the day, it might have appeared that nothing had been done. So I give them my support as they go about what is a very difficult job”.

Since the Hamas terror attack, Starmer and those close to him within Labour leadership were quick to express solidarity and support for the state of Israel, and its right to defend itself after the atrocity.

But as Israel’s response drew increased and ever more hostile criticism, Starmer was asked about his view of the ICC prosecutor’s decision to seek warrants, not just for the arrest of Hamas leaders, but also for the arrests of Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister Yoav Gallant.

“My position on this is that I’ve long been an adherent to international law, and we have signed up

through the Rome Statute to the International Criminal Court, and therefore I support the independence of the court,” he said.

“Now obviously the prosecutor has applied for the warrants, and it will be up to the court to make a decision, though we don’t know when that decision will be.

“I reject the notion that there could ever be an equivalence here. You’re dealing with terrorists in Hamas, and with Israel a state that has got a right to self-defence, so there’s no equivalence at all there. But we’ll have to wait and see what the court decides.”

But asked for his thoughts on comments made by ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan during an interview with the Sunday Times last weekend, in which he appeared to compare Hamas to the IRA, Starmer was also clear.

“I don’t think comparisons like that are very helpful at all,” he said. “The circumstances are very different, but in the end it will be for the court to look at the material put before it and decide whether it does or does not issue warrants.”

But the Labour leader stressed that he did not believe Israel

Keir Starmer, widely expected to be prime minister after the 4 July election, obliges

Starmer with Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis at his office. He has promised to continue to funding for the CST

antisemitism is never over’

should continue with its military offensive in Rafah, because the “inevitable consequence” of strikes there would be the loss of innocent lives, regardless of whether Hamas terrorists were being targeted.

“The offensive in Rafah has just got to stop, given the circumstances where you’ve got people who can’t move anywhere, who are now trying to survive safe in places that are designated as safe – that’s exactly why this can’t go ahead, and so my message is, ‘stop’,” he said.

“What happened this week was shocking, this was a safe area, and Israel says it was a mistake, but in a sense it was an inevitable consequence of trying to carry out that sort of operation in that kind of space, and therefore I do think the world has to say stop.”

Starmer stressed that while Labour was no longer committed to immediate recognition of a Palestinian state if elected to government, he believes that his party is obliged morally to make some attempt to spark a renewed diplomatic and political process in the Middle East.

“I do think there is a political and moral obligation on an incoming Labour government to play its part in resolving the conflict in the Middle East,” he said.

“I think that in the last decade or so, political leaders have tended to look away, and that in the past, they have put more political capital into resolving the issues.

“Over a decade ago there were initiatives being put forward, but these have been lost. That’s what I mean by turning a page, being prepared, through a sense of duty to play our full part.”

Starmer, whose wife Victoria is from a Jewish family, and who has relatives living in Israel, also clearly feels a Labour government would also have a duty to attempt to heal divisions between communities in this country in the aftermath of 7 October.

He said he was deeply concerned that relations between Britain’s Jewish and Muslim communities had become strained and that interfaith work which he had supported “didn’t have the strength to withstand the pressures of the last seven months”.

Starmer continued: “Relationships that I thought were stronger, understanding that I thought was deeper… these were not as strong or deep as I thought they were.”

But, he went on: “That means we’ve got to redouble our efforts, and I think it’s vital to do so.”

HOSTAGE EVENT FOR LONDON ON SUNDAY

A solidarity event in London this Sunday will call for the immediate return of hostages held captive in Gaza, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Supporters, organised by the advocacy groups Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK and 7/10 Human Chain Project, will march at 2pm from a central location – to be disclosed soon – as part of a global event to coincide with the annual Israel Day parade in New York City.

On Sunday protest marches will also take place across the United States, Australia, Germany, Spain and France, with supporters from across a variety of communities and faiths standing together.

UK organiser Nivi Feldman told Jewish News: “125 hostages are still held captive for more than 235 days.

It’s a brutal war crime.

“This march could be our last chance as the UK community to stand

united behind them and demand their release. My heart is broken with the bodies that are coming out and the abuse we saw in the video last week.

“I’m not losing hope and believe that each hostage coming out is a whole world worth saving. I hope to see many join us from across the UK. And let keep putting up yellow ribbons so when the hostages come out they will know we have been waiting.”

“This march is a show of support for the hostage families and the remarkable people of Israel, who are demonstrating resilience, dedication, and solidarity during these challenging times. We march for them and with the families of the hostages because we believe this is the best way to support them.”

Event organisers are working closely with CST and the Metropolitan Police. £5

Visitors to Israel from visa-exempt countries including the UK will have to pay a £5 and apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA-IL) to enter Israel from the start of August.

New regulations, announced by the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority, state that those who are eligible will be able to travel to Israel and remain in Israel for up to 90 days.

The electronic travel authorisation will allow you to reach the border crossing into Israel, but it doesn’t necessarily grant you permission to enter Israel; the entry will be determined by a border control officer.

Visitors will not be able to board a flight to Israel without the ETA-IL. From 1 June, a test programme will be launched for Germans and Americans, in which they will not need to pay any fees to enter Israel.

From 1 August, the system will be open to visitors from all visa-exempt countries. The ETA-IL is valid for up to two years, “or until your current passport expires – whichever comes first”, the government press office says.

It added: “Journalists should note that the ETA-IL will not be necessary

for B1 visa holders. It will, however, be necessary for their family members holding B2 visa. If you obtain a new passport or change your name or gender, you will be required to apply for a new travel authorisation.”

 Apply for an ETA-IL (active from 1 July) at: israel-entry. piba.gov.il/apply-for-an-eta-il-1

Once your application is complete, you will be updated via the email address you have entered. It is recommended to submit your application form at least 72 hours before your trip to Israel

obliges a young family’s request for a selfie in a Whetstone cafe this week

At events across the globe people will call for the release of the hostages

Board of Deputies’ Edwin Shuker (centre) gives Starmer his backing

With Israel’s President Isaac Herzog in London last year

‘Second blast’ in Rafah blaze

The IDF has presented its preliminary investigation into a fire in a tent camp in Rafah where dozens of civilians were killed on Monday, writes Jotam Confino in Tel Aviv.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israel targeted a compound 1.8km from the designated humanitarian zone in northern Rafah and 180 metres from the tent camp, which was later engulfed in flames.

Two 17kg bombs were used to target senior Hamas commanders in the compound. The attack then set off a fire in an adjacent compound.

Hagari said the investigation could not explain at this point why the incident had occurred, but IDF suggested weapons stored in the building could be an explanation.

It was a “devastating incident, which we did not expect”, Hagari added.

“We are investigating what caused the fire that resulted in this tragic loss of life. An investigation is ongoing,” the spokesman said, adding that the IDF targeted a “closed structure away from the tent area. There are no tents in the immediate vicinity”.

Hagari also suggested that the IDF is investigating a secondary explosion that might have caused the fire to spread to the tent camp, while pointing out that rocket launchers had been identified less than 50m from the camp.

“Following this strike, a large fire ignited, for reasons still being investigated. Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size. Our investigation seeks to determine what

may have caused such a large fire to ignite. We are looking into all possibilities, including the option that weapons stored in a compound next to our target, which we did not know of, may have ignited as a result of the strike,” he added.

Israel has been widely condemned for the strike on Sunday, with footage showing tents on fire and bodies carried out of the camp.

Hamas has yet to provide any evidence for its claim that an Israeli airstrike hit the camp, causing what it called the “massacre”.

Israel has been condemned by the EU, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and a number of other countries following the incident, with new calls for on an immediate ceasefire and a halt to the IDF’s operation in Rafah.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was “horrified” by the news coming out of Rafah with dozens of displaced persons, including small children, who had reportedly been killed.

The incident has not stopped Israel from continuing its operations in Rafah with soldiers

engaging in close-range combat with terrorists, locating tunnel shafts and weapons depots.

Three soldiers were also killed in Rafah yesterday. They were identified as Staff Sergeant Amir Galilove, 20, Staff Sergeant Uri Bar Or, 21, and Staff Sergeant Ido Appel, 21.

Ireland, Norway and Spain formally recognised a Palestinian state this week, drawing fury from Israel.

Ireland said: “The government recognises Palestine as a sovereign and independent state and agreed to establish full diplomatic relations between Dublin and Ramallah. An ambassador of Ireland to the state of Palestine will be appointed along with a full Embassy of Ireland in Ramallah.”

• Editorial, page 14

Candidate is accused ABBOTT ‘UNLIKELY TO STAND’

Voters in Chingford and Woodford Green have raised concerns with the Jewish Labour Movement about Labour candidate Faiza Shaheen, accusing her of attempting to “inflame community tensions” over Gaza.

Shaheen is one of the few left-wing candidates to be selected to fight the election and is attempting to oust ex-Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith from the seat.

But as she seeks to win over voters, Shaheen has attempted to stress her support for former leader Jeremy Corbyn by sharing a photograph of a newspaper article in which she was pictured arm in arm with him. A newspaper article has also reported Shaheen had once called Israel an “apartheid state”.

In a now deleted 22 May post on X/Twitter, she declared she had been “active on Palestine for 20 years and will be so if I make it into gov”.

In another post, Shaheen wrote: “If you live in the area, it’s either me .. or IDS who speaks at pro-Israel rallies.”

The Sun also reported Shaheen liked a post alleging anybody mildly critical of Israel is “assailed” by “professional organisations” who “every time” inflict “non-stop harassment” .

The post added “you can’t easily ignore” the Israel lobby because they “tend to be your friends or people who move in the same circles as you”.

A Jewish Labour Movement source said: “We’ve received a number of complaints about this from local Jewish members who are concerned about the tone of Ms Shaheen’s tweets and her pride on being pictured with a man who did so much harm to the party’s relationship with the Jewish community.

“Given the large Jewish community in the area, and at a time of record levels of antisemitism, we expect Labour candidates to speak responsibly, not risk stoking community tensions.

“We expect the party to look at this seriously at the highest levels.”

The source added: “Like the Jewish Labour Movement, many Jews are highly critical of Benjamin Netanyahu and his Government. The problem is when that crosses a line.”

Shaheen was challenged again on her views on Monday after another online post in which she asserted that the “Number 1 issue on the doorstep” was Gaza.

Diane Abbott is unlikely to be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate in the general election, despite having the party whip restored, Jewish News has been told.

The MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington – the first black woman elected to parliament – had been suspended from the party since last year over a letter to The Observer, in which she downplayed discrimination against Jews.

Further concerns were raised about Abbott’s numerous posts on social media on antisemitism claims, and her sustained attacks on leader Sir Keir Starmer.

She also appeared to back

Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to stand as an independent candidate in the general alection by liking a post on X by his wife, Laura Alvarez.

Abbott, 70, had the Labour whip restored on Tuesday after a lengthy investigation.

She was said to have been issued with a formal warning

Angela Rayner has said Labour will recognise a Palestinian state if it wins power – but failed to put a timescale on such a move.

She was addressing Muslim voters in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency three weeks after party figures acknowledged Labour’s steadfast support for Israel’s right to defend itself had cost it support at the local elections.

It also came after Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said he would look to work with other countries to recognise Palestine as part of a process toward a two-state solution.

Rayner told her meeting, a recording of

by the party and was told to complete an “antisemitism awareness course”.

It emerged she had done this in February, having apologised publicly and withdrawn her remarks.

Friends and colleagues are also said to have raised concerns about the MP’s health, and have been urging her to call time on her political career ahead of the July 4 election.

Sources confirmed to The Times newspaper and to Jewish News that Abbott has been given the chance to stand down with dignity after 37 years as an MP.

Claims that she had been offered a peera

which was leaked to media, she would resign as an MP if it would bring about a ceasefire, adding: “If Labour get into power we will recognise Palestine. I will push to recognise it but there is nothing to recognise at the moment sadly. It’s decimated.

“We have to rebuild Palestine. We have to rebuild Gaza. That takes more than just recognising it. It takes resources, infrastructure, expertise. We need teachers, civil servants, we need all of the infrastructure. That’s a big job and I will push Labour to do our part in that with the international community.”

Palestinians inspect damage after an Israeli air strike in Al-Mawasi area, west of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and, above, a tent city of refugees from Rafah

An X (Twitter) post on 22 May by Faiza Shaheen

Diane Abbott

Three Jewish MPs were among those giving their final speeches in the Commons last Friday, while a fourth announced he was stepping down ahead of the general election, writes Lee Harpin.

Former Conservative minister Robert Halfon, and Dame Margaret Hodge, one of the most outspoken campaigners against antisemitism in Labour under its former leader, and the often fearless MP Andrew Percy, all gave valedictory speeches in the Commons.

tive Party’s most senior Jewish MP, has also announced he is to stand down ahead of the general election.

The MP for Northampton North said it had been “a di cult decision” but “now is the time for a new candidate to seek the nomination to have the honour to represent the seat under the new boundaries”.

The former attorney-general has represented the constituency since 2010, and has been an outspoken defender of both Israel and the community during this time.

South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice saying it “has no legal merit whatsoever” and claimed the country is itself “in danger of becoming a terrorist proxy”.

She described leaving the Commons as “bittersweet” and that it was the “privilege of my life” to be an MP.

Sir Michael Ellis, the Conserva-

In January, he condemned

Dame Margaret Hodge, outgoing MP for Barking for 30 years, spoke of her pride at becoming an MP “to play my little part in the making the world a better place”. A Jewish Labour Movement parliamentary chair, Hodge said: “Politics matters. What we decide here can make a di erence.”

The government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, Lord Mann, has confirmed to Jewish News he has taken the Labour whip again – and will campaign actively for Keir Starmer’s party in the general election, writes Lee Harpin.

Mann was nominated to the House of Lords in former prime minister Theresa May’s resignation list in 2019 and quit as an MP to enter the chanber. He is almost at the end of a five-year term tackling antisemitism as a non-a liated peer.

He had previously served as the Labour MP for Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire, but was an outspoken critic of Jeremy Corbyn, both over

Meanwhile, former Tory minister Robert Halfon also gave another fine speech as he stepped down from Westminster politics, where he has been a strong supporter of the Conservative Friends of Israel group.

Halfon, who uses a Segway, called for improvements in Westminster to ensure access is better for all in the building. The outgoing Harlow MP also urged his party to return to “compassionate” politics, based around the goal of “social justice”.

Jeremy Corbyn’s bid to regain the parliamentary seat of Islington North as an independent MP in the general election has been endorsed by a Muslim leader who publicly expressed praise for the founder of Hamas, Sheikh Yassin.

his handling of antisemitism and over Brexit.

He said he could not campaign for Corbyn knowing that he could become prime minister, and told The Sunday Times he would “never forgive” his left-wing leader for allowing the party to be “hijacked” by antisemites. He also famously clashed with Ken Livingstone.

He entered the Lords chamber last Friday wearing a red Labour Party tie. Later in the day, the parliamentary website was updated to confirm Lord Mann’s party a liation as Labour. He told Jewish News: “I will be campaigning for the Labour Party and recommending a Labour vote.”

Finchley and Golders Green Conservative election candidate Alex Deane has claimed the Labour Party is “actively seeking” to attract the votes of “people who come to our capital city and make it a no-go area for Jews on weekends”.

In an interview with the podcaster Jonny Gould, Deane suggests Labour is attempting to “court votes that are antithetical to a modern pluralistic, democratic way of life”.

In comments that will align him firmly to the right of Rishi Sunak’s party,

Mann’s decision to take the Labour whip is another boost to Starmer’s party ahead of the election, and will be taken as a sign that the life peer believes the fight to boot out the antisemites that flourished under Corbyn has been a success.

Mann’s decision to take the Labour whip again came on the day Corbyn was expelled from the party for standing as an independent candidate in Islington North.

Mann has been praised by politicians across all parties for his work on antisemitism, but he is known to have been frustrated with recent Tory ministers including ex-home secretary Suella Braverman over

Andrew Percy, the departing Tory MP for Brigg and Goole, also delivered his own final Commons speech.

He spoke of being a “working class lad” given this “wonderful opportunity” to serve in parliament and described the Tory Party as “a family, a thoroughly dysfunctional family”.

He praised the work of the Antisemitism Trust under chief exec Danny Stone, and also warned about the rise of “Jew-hate” in society. di erence.”

Lord Mann takes Labour whip Commons goodbye to four Jewish MPs

her approach to tackling the issue.

A Leeds United fan, Mann has frequently spoken at synagogues across the country and always credits the Jewish community in Yorkshire with being supportive to his family.

‘LABOUR CHASING ANTI-JEWISH VOTERS’

he also hit out at London mayor Sadiq Khan, accusing him of “revelling” in a capital city in which there is “diversity and inclusion unless you’re Jewish”.

The interview for Gould’s Jewish State podcast came just after Sunak called the surprise 4 July election, and suggests Deane is ready to set up as a candidate with a di erent style from that of Tory MP Mike Freer, who is standing down after persistent threats.

Deane tells the presenter he is an “ally” to the Jewish community and

also a proud Zionist who is himself a Christian. He praises Freer’s record as MP and describes his own views as prosmall state, low-tax and Thatcherite, while launching a scathing attack on Labour over alleged support for those who attend pro-Palestine marches.

Deane is a political commentator and consultant, who was called to the Bar in 2005. He was the founder of the organisation Big Brother Watch, and campaigned vigorously for Brexit. Freer has held the seat since 2010.

Mohammed Kozbar, the chairman of Finsbury Park Mosque, is also deputy general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain. His is the first name on a leaflet of Corbyn supporters urging people to vote for the former Labour Party leader. Corbyn, who has held his seat since 1983, was suspended from the Labour Party in 2020 after he declared that antisemitism in the party had been overstated.

When he formally announced that he was ready to run in the 4 July 4 general election as an independent, Labour expelled him. Corbyn has now issued a leaflet of people endorsing him — and Kozbar’s name leads the list.

Kozbar wrote: “Jeremy is full of humanity and compassion. He is a fantastic MP who cares about everyone in his community”.

Previously, his description of Hamas founder Sheikh Yassin as “the master of the martyrs of the resistance” caused concern.

After his election as deputy general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain in February 2023, the Muslim activist said: “I have demonstrated interfaith action at a local level, and it is much needed at a national level. I look forward to particularly building this with our Jewish friends, with whom we have so much in common. Antisemitism and Islamophobia must both be tackled vigorously. I have worked with many Jewish colleagues, who have looked past the Islamophobic smears that have been levelled at me in the past…”

But in February 2024, the Metropolitan Police decided to cut ties with Kozbar, who had been a member of its London Muslim Communities Forum. The police said they had decided to “cease engagement” with Kozbar “after a social media post from late January 2024 was brought to our attention and reviewed”.

Candidate: Alex Deane

New role: Lord Mann

Jeremy Corbyn’s election leaflet

Fond farewells: Robert Halfon, Dame Margaret Hodge, Andrew Percy and Michael Ellis quit the Commons

Attacked Iranians called ‘Israeli’

by Michelle Rosenberg michelle@jewishnews.co.uk

Two young Iranians who were violently attacked outside a community centre for welcoming the death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi have told Jewish News their attackers called them ‘Israeli’ as a term of insult.

Navid, 32, and Bahar, 24, were part of a small group of seven gathered outside of the Dewan Al-Kafeel Community Centre in Wembley, on 24 May.

Waving Iranian flags, they were celebrating the death of Raisi, known as the ‘Butcher of Tehran’ when attacked by a group of loyal supporters of the Islamic Republic.

Navid, speaking to Jewish News from his hospital bed, said his attackers recognised him from his attendance alongside the Jewish community at vigils in support of Israel and the return of the hostages held by Hamas.

Iranian Jewish activist and photojournalist Niaz Maleknia said that their calling him ‘Israeli’ was akin to saying he ‘was dead’. Knocked unconscious, Navid was seriously injured and doctors are

assessing whether he needs spinal surgery. Bahar has told Jewish News that she was sexually assaulted during the attack.

Witnesses heard her calling for her mother while she was viciously beaten.

Both dissidents say their resolve to support Israel and the Jewish community remains undiminished.

Navid, who remains in hospital

after five nights, said: “We are all responsible for defeating this terror. We [Jews and Iranians] have a long history. We stand together.”

Speaking on behalf of the Iranian community who remain committed to supporting Israel, Maleknia told Jewish News: “The Jews and Iranians have a centuries old affinity to each other. In order for the Middle East to have peace, and for there to

peace within that region, we need the world to support the people of Iran and Israel, for the removal of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s regime and for the Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi to return and to bring stability within that region.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “At 18:21hrs on Friday, 24 May, officers were called to Alperton Lane, Wembley following

reports of disorder.

“An event was taking place to mark the death of the President of Iran, attended by supporters of the Iranian government.

“Anti-government protesters had gathered outside the venue and clashes had broken out between the groups. Local officers attended, supported by resources from elsewhere in the Met. Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service were also deployed.

“Four people were injured and were treated by paramedics. Their injuries are not believed to be lifethreatening or life-changing. A dispersal order was implemented.

“One man was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder. Further enquiries will now follow to establish what further offences took place and to identify those involved. This will include an examination of footage shared on social media.”

• Anyone with other footage or information is encouraged to call 101, to message @MetCC or to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 with the reference 6379/24MAY

Navid at a pro-Israel rally in Westminster and, inset , being treated by paramedics

Bahar being attacked

‘DON’T LOOK TO NOVELS FOR HOLOCAUST FACTS’

John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, has dismissed criticism of the book, saying learning the facts of the Holocaust should not be done through reading a novel.

The Dublin-born writer, 53, responded to criticism from Jewish groups and historians about the 2006 children’s fiction book, which explores the tragic friendship between the son of an SS officer and a boy prisoner at Auschwitz during the Holocaust.

It was turned into a 2008 film starring Sex Education star Asa Butterfield as eight-year-old Bruno, who does not understand what is happening in the camps and thinks the prisoners are wearing pyjamas.

Boyne told BBC Radio 4’s Desert

Island Discs: “I think that the current climate that we’re living in, in publishing, is very nervous of anything that could potentially be controversial.

“My view on that book, and I have listened to a lot of the criticism, I’ve taken it in, some of it I understand, some of it I don’t understand it, but what I feel about it is that it is a novel, it’s subtitled a fable, a work of fiction with a moral at the centre.

“It was never pretending to be anything more than that. If you want the facts of the Holocaust, don’t read a novel, read a non-fiction work.

“And in all the schools I’ve gone to over the years around the world, I’ve always made it clear to children: This is a made-up story, these boys did not exist. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

Boyne added: “The historians would say, ‘Well, you know, this should not be used as a tool in studying the Holocaust.’ Of course it shouldn’t be. It’s a novel, if you’re studying, use a wide range of things, read non-fiction. Again, I did not write a text book.

“A whole generation of children has grown up and read that book, and has got some insight into the Holocaust and maybe some of them have gone on and read further about it.”

Trial set for three men in ‘plot against community’

Two Tunisian-born brothers and an Iraqi man are to face trial at Preston Crown Court on 7 October next year on charges linked to terrorism, some of which was directed at the Jewish community in Manchester, writes Jenni Frazer.

Walid Saadaoui, 36, and Amar Hussein, 50, are accused of preparing acts of terrorism between 13 December 2023 and 9 May this year. Saadaoui’s brother Bilel, 35, is charged with failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism.

After an initial hearing two weeks ago before Westminster magistrates, the three men appeared last Friday by videolink from custody at Wormwood Scrubs prison for a hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, in front of Mr Justice Jeremy Baker.

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC said Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein had planned “an Isis or Daesh-inspired terrorist attack in the UK”, with the alleged intent “to cause multiple fatalities using automatic guns.

“The main targets of the attack plans were the Jewish community in the north-west of England, members of law enforcement and military.”

Ledward said the prosecution alleged that the men “took significant steps to prepare for that attack”, which included the alleged “purchase and delivery of firearms”.

The trial is scheduled for autumn next year and is expected to run over about 12 weeks. A detailed

timetable of further hearings this year was agreed by the court.

Walid Saadaoui, of Crankwood Road, Abram, Wigan, Bilel Saadaoui, of Fairclough Street, Hindley, Wigan, and Amar Hussein, of no fixed abode, spoke to confirm their identities during the hearing.

The Saadaoui brothers were represented by barristers Irfan Arif and Nadesh Karu while Amar Hussein has so far chosen to represent himself.

The defendants were remanded in custody.

Aliyah: Building Dreams & Saving Tax

The trial is due to start on 7 October 2025

Dublin-born writer John Boyne

BBC sorry for ‘vigil’ claim

The BBC has apologised after it described a hostile pro-Palestinian protest against a cinema screening of a film about the Nova music festival massacre as “a vigil”, writes Charlotte Henry.

Dozens of anti-Israel activists gathered outside the Phoenix cinema in East Finchley on Thursday last week loudly opposing a documentary about the murder of 350 young people on 7 October. The protesters were eventually driven away by a 1,000strong counter-demonstration organised by the Jewish community.

BBC London News presenter Asad Ahmed said later on air “pro-Israel protesters celebrated tonight after chasing away pro-Palestinian supporters who were holding a vigil”.

A caption shown on screen during the report read “Israel supporters chase pro-Pal-

estinian supporters away.” However, clips on social media from outside the cinema showed the pro-Israel crowd waving placards, dancing and singing.

The corporation has now apologised. A

spokesperson told Jewish News: “In a report on BBC London last night, we wrongly described an incident outside a London cinema as a vigil. We should have been clear it was a protest and we apologise for this. The correct description was used in our online report.”

The spokesperson added that the BBC had included this clarification in a subsequent programme and published it on its Corrections and Clarifications website.

Former BBC TV director Danny Cohen was among those condemning the corporation’s coverage of the protest. He said: “For the BBC to describe this pro-Palestinian protest as a ‘vigil’ is utterly sickening. The protest aimed to disrupt and delay the screening of a documentary about a massacre of innocent young people at a music festival.”

• Raymond Simonson, page 18

£1.9m boost for United

More than 320 guests raised an extraordinary £1.9m at the British Friends of United Hatzalah of Israel annual dinner, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

The event, at London’s Nobu Hotel, was in support of the Israeli emergency medical service organisation’s volunteers and speakers included the former

head of Mossad Yossi Cohen, former Israel ambassador Mark Regev and actress and antisemitism campaigner Tracy-Ann Oberman.

United Hatzalah volunteers treated more than 750,000 people in Israel last year.

On high alert for the potential escalation of hostilities in both the

Hatzalah

north and the south of the country, the organisation is now allocating a large amount of resources to training more volunteer medics in addition to the current 7,000 as well as to building up their medical supplies for emergency use.

United Hatzalah president and founder Eli Beer said: “The road is probably long but the will is strong

and with your support we draw strength and encouragement to continue.”

British Friends of United Hatzalah chairman Neil Blair added: “We are deeply grateful for the incredible partnership that has formed between United Hatzalah of Israel and this remarkable community here in the UK.”

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LEVY REVEALS HOSTAGE HELL

Lord (Michael) Levy has spoken of the distress currently shared by his entire family after revealing his 27-year-old cousin is among the hostages held by Hamas.

In an emotional interview, the Labour peer said it had been a “very distressing time” for the family, adding: “What happened was absolutely tragic, barbaric. There are no other words to describe it.”

Levy revealed he had spoken with the cousin regularly before she was taken hostage, and that “her mum was actually a bridesmaid at our wedding”. He had also been out to Israel to visit his family there to share their pain over the cousin’s hostage ordeal.

The 79-year-old peer was also keen to stress that what had taken place in Gaza as Israel responded to the terror atrocity had also been “horrendous”. He told Sky News: “Similar deaths, seeing young babies killed. Seeing the destruction. It really is just terrible.”

Levy said the past seven months had been stressful both for Jewish and Muslim communities alike.

Reflecting on his time serving Tony Blair as prime minister, Levy said a twostate solution was a “real possibility” for Israel and the Palestinians at that time. But he added: “I think that’s gone as we sit here now.”

The BBC report of the East Finchley protest

ISRAEL IS AT WAR

We fled the north following 7/10 – when will we return?

by Richard Ferrer in northern Israel richard@jewishnews.co.uk @richferrer

Barry Praag first laid eyes on Israel from the sea while working as a purser for P&O cruises back in the 1980s. Aged 28, he fell in love with his Israeli wife, Orit, and made aliyah, leaving his native Golders Green behind.

The couple moved to Kibbutz Dafna in the Upper Galilee 40 years ago, less than two miles from the Lebanese border, where they raised three sons. Orit was born there and her parents were founding members. “It’s a beautiful place to raise a family with the River Dan flowing through it,” says Barry, who celebrates his 70th birthday in November. “Water is a rarity in Israel so having our own river is something special.”

The kibbutz, which recently marked its 85th anniversary, produces apples and dairy products and recently opened a hotel and food mall. “It’s a wonderful place to live and raise a family. We’ve been so happy there. But that all changed on 7 October.”

I meet Barry in his temporary home, Daria village, 40 miles south of his beloved kibbutz on the sundrenched shores of the Galilee, during a visit organised last week by the Jerusalem Press Club.

Prior to the Hamas attack in the south, and subsequent rocket fire from Hezbollah in the north, Daria was a popular family holiday resort. Now it’s exclusively home to hundreds of internally displaced Israelis like Barry and Ornit, who were told they’d likely only be gone for a few weeks. Almost eight months later their lives remain in limbo.

Approximately 80,000 Israelis have been evacuated from 28 northern border towns, including

Metula, Nahariya and Kiriat Shemona. Most live out of suitcases in hotels and resorts, with their housing costs covered by the government, which also provides a daily living allowance of 200 shekels (£42). The 1,100 kibbutzniks forced to flee Dafna live in eight temporary locations.

While a plan is emerging for the displaced in the south, focusing on rebuilding destroyed towns and kibbutzim, there is still no clear strategy up north. The northern region, being relatively poor compared to the rest of the country, su ers from less social cohesion and lower levels of educational attainment, adding pressure to its immediate needs.

And while rocket attacks from Gaza have now slowed to a trickle, Hezbollah remains a very clear and existential threat in the north.

A makeshift school has been set up in Daria to give the children some sense of normalcy. The displaced have been told they might return home in time for the new school year in September. However, with

the escalating threat of attacks from Hezbollah, which are becoming increasingly menacing, it’s uncertain how this will be possible.

According to Sarit Zehavi of the Alma Education and Research Center, which monitors Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia launched 1,637 attacks involving anti-tank missiles, high trajectory fire, unmanned aerial vehicles and antiaircraft guns from northern Lebanon between October and April.

Many Israelis in the north are now planning to move permanently to the relative safety of central Israel.

Despite living in Israel for 40 years, Barry’s accent still carries a strong north London twang as he describes the devastating events of that October Shabbat morning.

“The north was quiet, but in the evening my wife received a message that her nephew, Iftach, had been killed. He was 51 and had joined a civilian defence group in the south to confront Hamas. The army didn’t know what was going on, so local

It was last February that I was diagnosed with high risk Neuroblastoma.

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For Dad it was counselling, for Mum it was therapeutic massage and for me and my siblings, a combination of talking, music, art and play therapy.

Thank you Chai.

Ari, 13

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defence forces like Iftach’s, made up of former commandos, grabbed their guns and rushed to the border to defend the country.

Barry and hundreds of his fellow residents have fled the kibbutz since October with no date for their return.

“The sight of Hamas inside Israel put the fear of God into people here in the north because we live with the daily threat of Hezbollah on our doorstep. We thought that if it could happen in the south it could only be a matter of time before we were also invaded, by an even greater threat than Hamas.

“We left on 10 October, a few days before the organised evacuation. There are now only a handful of people in Dafna. Mainly the local defence force and a few workers to keep the dairy going. We return once a week to make sure our home is secure. The kibbutz has been hit by rockets but it’s not targeted all the time. We all have a psychological barrier against returning and obviously families don’t want

to expose their children to the constant trauma of sirens.”

Barry’s voice is tinged with regret as he reflects on living in a state of constant insecurity. “No one knows when we’re going to go back home. Before 7/10 my wife and I were vocal critics of the Netanyahu government. We went to as many demonstrations as we could. We blame the government for what’s happened. For not sensing what was going to happen and what has taken place since.

“The army is doing the best it can. But when you’ve got people like [minister of national security] Itamar Ben-Gvir and [finance minister] Bezalel Smotrich saying they want to establish Jewish settlements inside Gaza after the war it creates even more problems for us. Who’s going to defend Ben-Gvir’s followers if they go and live in Gaza? My son?! We simply don’t know what the plan is for the day after. Never in our history have we worried about simply being here, simply living as Jews in the Jewish state. Now, under this leadership, we fear for our future.”

Barry leans forward in his chair and rests his chin on his left hand. He’s maintained a cheery disposition during our chat despite its tone, but the mood shifts as he talks about Benjamin Netanyahu’s war aims and the heartrending plight of 128 hostages still held by Hamas.

“I fear that by now most of them could be dead,” he frowns. “Those that are still alive must come home now. They have become part of a political game. They are meant to be half of what this war is about alongside defeating Hamas. Well, if they are so important, where are they? People are dying. Soldiers are dying. For what? Netanyahu’s career? Sometimes I think we are living in a world of insanity – in a surreal painting in which nothing makes sense any more.”

It felt really good that Chai was there for me and all my family

An Israeli house in the northern Israeli border town of Metula Barry and Orit in Kibbutz Dafna

World

/ Injured soldiers / Belarus funds /

Combat injury mortality rate at record low of 6.3% £200K FOR BELARUS

by Richard Ferrer in Tel Aviv richard@jewishnews.co.uk

@richferrer

Israeli hospitals have reduced the mortality rate for survivable combat injuries among soldiers to a record low of 6.3 percent since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to one of the country’s leading trauma surgeons.

The figure, the lowest percentage in the history of warfare, is in stark contrast to mortality rates of soldiers in previous global conflicts: 30 percent during the Second World War, 24 percent in Vietnam and 10 percent in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dr Eyal Hashavia, head of trauma surgery at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), revealed the latest data last week to a Jerusalem Press Club delegation during a visit to the hospital to observe how it receives injured troops from Gaza who are flown in on Black Hawk helicopters.

Dr Hashavia said: “We get up to three soldiers per flight and up to three flights per day. It’s a 40-minute journey from northern Gaza and we can get them from our rooftop helipad into surgery within two minutes and 40 seconds of arrival – which is another speed record.”

More than 600 Israeli soldiers have been killed since Hamas launched its surprise terror attack on southern Israel. Some 3,543 soldiers have been wounded in the conflict, with 546 still in serious condition. Remarkably, there have been zero fatalities reported among injured soldiers admitted to Ichilov during the war.

Dr Hashavia added: “The most common injuries from

Gaza are caused by RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), explosives and, less frequently, grenades and bullet wounds. Most of these injuries are not immediately lifethreatening, which was not the case in the early days of the war. Back then we saw a lot of limb injuries, significant vascular injuries and shrapnel to the chest and abdomen.”

Spencer Gelding, chief executive of Beit Halochem UK, which supports the rehabilitation of injured soldiers and victims of terror in Israel, said: “I’m profoundly impressed by the remarkable advancements in emergency medical care demonstrated by Israeli hospitals since the attack on Israel on 7 October.

“The exceptional work of medical professionals throughout Israeli hospitals is a testament to their relentless dedication, innovative practices and cutting-edge technology.”

A UK-based organisation has successfully raised £200,000 for a memorial at the destroyed Jewish cemetery in Brest-Litovsk, Belarus.

The Together Plan (TTP) ran a crowd-funding campaign on Sunday and Monday 19-20 May as part of an 11-year project, which has included the salvaging of pieces of 1,249 Jewish gravestones.

With £100,000 already pledged from an anonymous donor based in the US, the campaign to raise the remaining £100k needed to construct a memorial was supported by local business networking group BNI Chipping in Mill Hill undertaking a

36-hour sponsored exercise bike ride, which raised more than £14k.

TTP chief executive Debra Brunner told Jewish News: “It was a wild ride and extraordinary on so many levels. It has been 11 years getting to this point, with the culmination of this huge fundraising e ort that brought people together from all over the world.

“It was a magnificent e ort, if a little scary at times. I am humbled and grateful to everyone who supported, and to my unbelievable colleagues – people of all faiths and none who went all-out for 36 hours to make it count and keep the energy high .”

20 YEARS OF JEWISH-GERMAN RENEWAL Rabbis hold Torah scrolls during the inauguration of the new Mishkan Shalom synagogue in Kiel, Germany. The event coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Jewish community being re-established after it was wiped out in the Holocaust

An injured Israeli soldier arrives at a Tel Aviv hospital

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Editorial

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Baseless recognition

Just eight months after terrorists brutally attacked Israel, committing horrific acts of execution, torture, beheading, rape and burning children and adults alive, Norway, Ireland, and Spain have outrageously decided to officially recognise Palestine as a state.

This shameful, shameless decision is simply an endorsement of medieval terrorism, made in the middle of a brutal war where Israel is fighting for its very survival on seven different fronts.

It displays cold contempt for the families of the 125 hostages who have been living a nightmare since 7 October, as well as for the survivors of the massacre. Innocent children, women, the ill and the elderly are still languishing in Gaza’s dungeons

How on earth can these countries recognise a state while Hamas is still active and more popular than ever? If they were so desperate to grant full diplomatic status to Palestine, why didn’t they do it before 7 October?

This recognition is a grotesque reward for the most evil people on earth, who dream of committing atrocities like those of 7 October over and over again. It also raises far more questions than it answers. Who will represent this Palestinian state? The corrupt and despised Palestinian Authority, which has refused to hold elections for almost two decades? Hamas? What will its borders be? If the Palestinian state is based on the 1967 borders, it cannot exist without formal peace talks with Israel.

Who’ll be Palestine’s ambassador to Dublin? Yahya Sinwar? If borders and formal agreements are simply irrelevant, why not recognise a Catalonian state? Or Quebec or Western Sahara?

This move is an insult to the memory of the 1,200 people who were massacred in the most barbaric ways imaginable.

8148 9701

@jewishnews.co.uk

8148 9705

jewishnews.co.uk

Pelta

8148 9693

jewishnews.co.uk

Sex hardly relevant

How sad that Laura Marks and Mia HasensonGross, co-chairs of the Alliance of Jewish Women and two leading female figures in the Jewish community, felt compelled to moan at the lack of women voted into top jobs or any senior position at the Board of Deputies elections (Women given crumbs in place of real power, 23 May).

Why? Because if you want to achieve something you must focus, make a plan and work to achieve your ends. Challenges always occur along the way in whatever shape or form. I was encouraged to start a business and when I complained to my husband about the state of our parks and streets he told me to shut up or put up, so I became a councillor in the London borough of Enfield and then became a cabinet member working to create change and engender a better environment. Ladies, you’ve achieved in your own right. Let’s just get real and simply do the necessary

ONLY WAY TO LIVE AS A JEW

My letter about belief in God being an essential part of being Jewish seems to have ruffled feathers.

To answer Herbert Goldberg’s questions, it is not possible to observe all 613 mitzvos. If someone professes atheism, in what way are they Jewish, aside from being born to a Jewess? Answers on a postcard. David Graham had some suggestions, but in essence what he suggested was everyone do what they like, which is not the definition of any religion The only way to live as a Jew is to believe absolutely in God and to strive to observe the Torah in its totality. This has never been a concept grappled with in the past as Herbert suggests.

Ann Cohen, Golders Green

to achieve the roles in which you can serve the community.

And concerning volunteering, there’s nothing quite like it. Both the volunteers and the recipients benefit. It’s a win-win for either gender.

Ann Zinkin Southgate

FAWNING

COMMENTS TO STARMER WERE JARRING

The Board of Deputies’ vice chairman Edward Shuker’s fawning comments while with Labour leader Keir Starmer in a Whetstone café this week jarred.

It seems only a short time ago that Starmer was supporting Jeremy Corbyn and would have kept this stance if Labour had won the election in 2019. Starmer will never answer why he did not resign or question Corbyn’s opinions in this period. Once again a member of the Board Of Deputies shows naivety. Having cancelled my subscription to the Board some years ago in protest at its tie-in with Oxfam and then renewing it [stupidly], my subscription in future will be going permanently to the CST.

Llewellyn Gaba, Cardiff

COLUMNIST’S POINT OF VIEW IS CATASTROPHIC

THE HOSTAGES’ PAIN

Allow me to correct the impression given by letter writer Colin Rossiter on these pages last week. The recent Board of Deputies elections were carried out in an exemplary manner, giving members every opportunity to put their names forward for election to either the office of president or to one of the three vice-presidents positions.

Two women stood for president and one for vice-president. The associated hustings went on for several weeks with many meetings organised and publicised both in the London area and in the provinces, where members of the Board and the Anglo-Jewish public at large were invited to put questions to all the candidates.

I do not know if any were from our Sephardi community as, frankly, although we announce our synagogue or organisation before speaking at meetings, it seems to have little or no bearing to discussions and decisions. The elections were fair – the best man and youngest ever president won, as did the three men elected vice-presidents. Doubtless, Mr Rossiter knows that for the past six years the Board has been led (most effectively, in my opinion) by a woman, Marie Van der Zyl, who, I believe, is a member of both an Orthodox and a Progressive synagogue. Michael Leaver, Stanmore

Your columnist Alex Brummer demonstrates a remarkable lack of self-awareness when he writes that the “Hamas horrors turned our politics on its head” (9 May). This is the same Mr Brummer who wrote letters to Jewish News and Jewish Chronicle in 2020 criticising Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely for accurately describing the Naqba (Arabic for ‘catastrophe’) as “a very strong and made-up Arab lie”.

That is exactly what it is – a propaganda term artfully crafted to make Palestinian Arabs eternal victims of Israeli “oppression”.

Yet Mr Brummer said that it resulted in the depopulation of many hundreds of Arab villages and tens of thousands of refugees to Lebanon and Jordan.

All this without mentioning that it was in fact the result of a war of extermination waged on fledgling Israel by five Arab armies the day after Israeli statehood was announced.

D Rosenthhal, NW4

How many more days of pain must the families of the hostages endure? Action should have been taken on 8 October to pursue the heinous abductors. One did not need a crystal ball to realise that waiting to act was a dangerous fool’s errand. If we continue to listen to the appeasers who believe we can negotiate with those seeking our destruction, more fool us. To paraphrase Rabbi Hillel: “If we are not for ourselves, who will be for us?”

Stephen

Vishnick, Tel Aviv

IMMORAL COMPASS

I write regarding the decision by the International Criminal Court to seek arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant based on charges of “war crimes”, in a war initiated by Hamas against Israel. The world’s moral compass points its hatred in the direction of Israel. The ICC (Inexcusable Critical Conduct) of this intergovernmental organisation demonstrates it is not fit for purpose.

J D Milaric, By email

VOICE OF THE JEWISH NEWS

We’re creating inspired Jews with enriched lives

JO GROSE CHIEF EXECUTIVE THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE

Last week I began a leadership course with senior leaders from across the civil service and public sector. Preparing to join, I was thinking through how to explain to non-Jewish leaders what the United Synagogue (US) does to help them understand the central role we play in powering Jewish life in Britain.

I recently saw an advertising campaign for the Royal Navy which I decided to borrow. The Royal Navy – founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII – prides itself on “doing the unseen”. This adage is very fitting for the US. We’re not quite as old as the Royal Navy – although we are celebrating our 154th birthday this summer – but we often carry out tasks for the Jewish community which nobody else will.

Although we’re known primarily for communities, each unique in size, demographic make-up and culture, our work is

much wider. Just as the Royal Navy is responsible for some of the UK’s critical infrastructure such as keeping trade routes open, the US runs much of the community infrastructure which others can’t or don’t want to do.

We coordinate Hospital Chaplaincy in Greater London and the surrounding areas so that our loved ones have access to a Jewish chaplain and support while in hospital. We run Prison Chaplaincy across the country to o er pastoral care to Jewish prisoners and ensure they have kosher food. Our Chesed team regularly helps people in need who aren’t US members – and indeed who are beyond our community – through our asylum seeker drop-in centres. Tribe programmes and summer camps are open to all young people. Our Burial Society, e ciently and with great care, conducts many funerals each year for Jews who were not members. Some of our work may not be glamorous, but it is essential.

The highly respected O ce of the Chief Rabbi and London Beth Din – crucial for Jewish life in this country and abroad – are supported by the US. All this of course is in addition to our shuls, many of which are

hubs of thriving activity and o er social, educational and children’s programmes together with religious services. Our rabbinic teams provide religious, spiritual, pastoral and educational leadership.

Synagogue membership numbers tell only part of our story. It’s true, as Josh Glancy wrote on these pages earlier this month, fewer people are choosing to join synagogues today compared to his parents’ generation. This reflects the nationwide trend in membership organisations more widely. Despite this, the United Synagogue is still flourishing.

The US is a charity which serves the British Jewish community in the broadest possible way. Whether you’re a member or not, you will have benefited from what we do, whether it’s being represented by the Chief Rabbi at the highest levels, benefiting from our welfare support, buying kosher food in any supermarket around the country or joining our events such as marking Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut or the evening of prayer online last month when Iran launched hundreds of missiles at Israel.

We know we have to keep evolving to

inspire and engage the next generation of Jews. One of my personal priorities is the empowerment of women and the creation of the next generation of female religious leaders. Engaging more young people is also top of the agenda.

Dorot, our ambitious initiative to reduce our environmental impact, together with our work to make our communities more accessible for people with physical disabilities and neurodivergence and our thriving social media platforms and online content o er new ways in for people to engage with the US.

Our mission is to engage Jews with mainstream Orthodox Jewish living, learning and caring. Put another way, we want more Jews doing more Jewish things more of the time. Our vision is creating a community of inspired Jews, with enriched lives, passing our heritage on to future generations.

Like the Royal Navy, you might not see what we do. But with our communities supported by our incredible rabbinic teams, dedicated lay leaders and talented professionals, we’re working 365 days a year to deliver on this vision.

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I may be open-hearted, but even I have a red line

RAYMOND SIMONSON CHIEF EXECUTIVE, JW3

Last week I stood on the stage at JW3 in front an auditorium full of Jewish community leaders –professional, lay, rabbis, charity CEOs, trustees, rabbis, machers and colleagues – and non-Jewish journalists and reporters from national TV, radio and print media. My role was to say a few words of welcome and introduction before handing over to Michael Gove MP, who was there to deliver a keynote speech on antisemitism that would be seen, heard or read by millions over the course of the day.

In my opening speech, I informed the 15 or so members of the press, from the Guardian to the Times, from BBC to GB News, that we Jews had just counted the 28th day of the Omer. I explained how the Omer is a unique period in the Jewish calendar, where we count each day, and each of the seven weeks between Pesach, and the forthcoming festival of Shavuot. We count, and we count and we count.

This is why, as I told them, I have been thinking a lot about Jews and counting in recent weeks, and I gave them examples of what I meant, from – David Baddiel’s book Jews Don’t Count, to the daily count most of us do of the number of days since the Hamas terrorist attacks and the kidnapping of more than 230 hostages, of whom 128 are still unaccounted for.

I ended by saying how I’ve also been reflecting a lot on whom we as a community can count. In particular, on whom we can count inside the community to represent us, and on whom we can count outside our community for support, for friendship, to stand alongside us and to stand up for us. Often when I’ve thought about this in recent months it can be hard not to feel quite low, and I struggle to keep hold of a sense of hope and positivity. However, right now, as I sit and write this, I feel energised, and my sense I hopefulness has been reinvigorated. I have just returned from an unexpectedly uplifting experience, where all around me were Jews of all types who individually and collectively decided to stand together and be counted. I was there with about a thousand other Jews (by my approximate count at least!) and non-

THERE WERE MUMS, DADS, KIDS, RABBIS AND GRANDPARENTS

Jewish friends outside the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley, one of the oldest continuously running cinemas in the UK, to stand up against bullies whose desire to intimidate the community triggered something in us all.

I tend to have a fairly lenient view of (nonviolent) protest, even when I disagree with the views espoused. It’s part of living in a free society. Perhaps controversially given my role as a community leader, I don’t believe that the majority of those who attend all marches are motivated by antisemitism, or that ‘Free Palestine’ as a slogan is automatically antisemitic.

Yes, there’s no question that there are real Jew-haters among the protesters, and more needs to be done to deal with that. However, I am, in general more tolerant about demonstrations and protesters than you might think. Even when it has come to the small handful of times when those demonstrations have taken place outside JW3 over the years, led by people with whose views I strongly disagree.

But there’s a line. Even for someone as patient and open-hearted as me.

Last Thursday evening, at the Phoenix (my local cinema), a documentary about the atrocities committed at the Nova Festival on 7 October was screened as part of the Seret Israeli Film festival. And for reasons beyond the comprehension of right-minded persons, a number of groups claiming to be pro-Palestinian – but seeming to most of us to really just be anti-Israel (at best) – organised a protest.

These same groups have been campaigning for all cinemas and venues to boycott the Seret Festival. They succeeded in putting pressure on two well-known cinema chains to pull out, yet failed to get the Phoenix, the Everyman, or indeed JW3 (where the majority of screenings are taking place, as in each of the precious ten years of the festival) to follow suit.

That evening, buoyed no doubt by the resignations of film-makers Ken Loach and Mike Leigh from their roles as patrons of the Phoenix, the demonstrators turned up in Finchley ready to shout and scream at those arriving to attend the screening.

Protesting outside a cinema in a heavily Jewish populated area that is showing a documentary about the massacre of young Jewish partygoers at a music festival can have no other intention behind it other than to cause hurt to Jewish people who are still in pain.

Standing up for your beliefs in a two-state solution, for freedom for Palestinians, for an end to war, the protection of innocent civilians are all things I get, and in fact that I more than sympathise with. That was not this. This was not a demonstration of being ‘pro’ anything. This could only have been about causing pain and upset to British Jews still grieving over the murders, the rapes and the kidnappings.

And so, for hundreds of local Jews, of which I’m sure a vast majority do not usually go to the demonstrations or counter-demos in town, this was a case of enough is enough.

I turned up over an hour before the film was due to begin, expecting to find 30-50 Jewish people, and perhaps, who knows, even a handful of non-Jewish allies. Within 15 minutes of arriving I was astonished to find myself in the middle of a throng of around 1,000 people drowning out the protests from a couple of dozen anti-Israel demonstrators.

What’s more, these weren’t just your usual suspects, the people within our community that we’ve come to expect always stand up to support Israel or to counter antisemitism.

Yes, they were there too, but looking around at so many people I know, I saw mums, dads and grandparents, teenagers and students, rabbis and cantors from across the denominations, accountants and comedians, photographers and fundraisers, simcha DJs, school PTA chairs, synagogue committee members and solicitors, young and old, left and right, Israeli, South African, Sephardi, Ashkenazi and Mizrachi.

The vast majority were local Jews who live within walking distance (or who know a good place to park for the quick escape!).

Aside from a small handful of more hardcore people who seemed to be there to agitate for a fight, most were there in good spirits, and conducted themselves peacefully (if loudly).

We had turned the volume right up both figuratively and literally as loud, proud Jews, and it felt great. It was a reminder of the words of late Chief Rabbi Sacks: “Let all the world see we are never ashamed to stand tall as Jews.”

I will continue to do what I am most committed to, working hard to create more opportunities for more people to engage in positive Jewish experiences – Jewish arts, culture, learning and social action.

To strengthen Jewish identities and deepen people’s connection to Jewish life and Jewish community. And to nurture a culture of encounter between di erent people, both more and less like themselves.

It was a night of being reminded how powerful it is when we stand up to be counted.

Raymond at the Phoenix Cinema demo

1SACKS FELLOWS GATHER IN SOUTH HAMPSTEAD

A 17-strong cohort of LSJS Rabbi Sacks Learning Fellows gathered last weekend for a Shabbaton at South Hampstead Synagogue. The group travelled from across the UK, Helsinki and Israel. Highlights included a conversation between Joanne Greenaway, chief executive of LSJS, and Rabbi Sacks’ daughter, Gila, about the late Chief Rabbi’s life as a scholar, leader and father. Each of the fellows spoke about the projects that he or she has undertaken as part of the year-long course. Participant David Schogger said: “The Shabbaton was such a wonderful experience. We really bonded as a group and were made to feel so welcome by our host families and the wider community.”

2IMMANUEL PREP KIDS RUN A MINI MARATHON

Immanuel College Prep School children, from reception to year 6, recently took part in the TCS Mini London Marathon. With a huge sense of achievement, the incredible children each ran 2.6 miles and received well-deserved certificates.

3MDA AMBULANCE VISITS JEWISH SCHOOLS

To celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut, a ‘retired’ Magen David Adom ambulance visited Yavneh Primary, Yavneh Secondary and Clore Shalom schools in Hertfordshire. The young students learn about MDA in Israel and saw the “inner workings” of an ambulance. MDA supporter Avi drove the ambulance to the schools and is holding a book, coincidentally named Avi the Ambulance, which can be found at the PJ Library.

4STUDENTS STEP UP FOR CAMP SIMCHA

83 young students completed an eightmile walk to raise more than £51,000 for Camp Simcha’s work supporting seriously ill children. The Camp Simcha B’nei Mitzvah project is a year-long initiative in London and Manchester, offering a mix of volunteering and fundraising activities, culminating in the sponsored walk. Two hundred miles apart, two enthusiastic groups set off, with the London walk stopping at the Royal Free and Whittington hospitals to make deliveries of Camp Simcha teddies and goody packs for the wards; in Manchester the children finished their challenge at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital presenting staff with two pieces of art they had created at the request of the play team there, together with balloons and activity packs for patients.

5WALKING FOOTBALL TEAM

GIVEN WARM WELCOME

On a glorious sunny day in Harrow, Maccabi GB Strollers welcomed the Israeli National Walking Football team on their journey home from the world championships in Chesterfield where they finished in 3rd place. Israel started and finished the game strongly, securing a 4-2 win and both teams claimed it as a wonderful day for making new friends and encouraging walking football.

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Bridgerton is back, and so too its entertaining storylines, dazzling costumes and, best of all, stunning locations. Louisa Walters explores the houses where the series was filmed

As a Jewish mum, author Julia Quinn knows a thing or two about how to make a house into a home, although we would wager that the homes used in the Netflix adaptation of her Bridgerton novels are likely rather grander than the one she lives in herself. They are located in various parts of the UK, from Bath to Blackheath and from Oxfordshire to Lincolnshire and feature dramatic exteriors, magnificent interiors and the now-iconic wisteriaclad frontage of the Bridgerton family home in London. Julia, 54, grew up in California

London’s ‘Jewish’ railway line Investing in art

reading romantic novels and has been writing since she graduated in art history from Harvard. She was already a published author by the time she started her graduate degree at Yale medical school, but left after just a few months to pursue her writing passion.

Set between 1813 and 1827, each book in the Bridgerton series focuses on a different offspring of the late Viscount Bridgerton. The current season centres on Colin, just returned from his travels to the delight of Penelope Featherington, who has long been secretly in love with him.

of more than 700 works of art including medieval sculptures, jewellery and Renaissance paintings. Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, best known as the birthplace of Winston Churchill, and formerly the home of the 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, played the role of Buckingham Palace in Bridgerton spinoff Queen Charlotte and it

This season has a few new characters, including hot-air-balloon inventor Lord Hawkins. His home is his castle, in the form of Grimsthorpe in Lincolnshire. We also see it as the setting for a grand ball attended by 200 people.

Ranger’s House is a Georgian villa in Blackheath and is the London home of the Bridgerton family. It’s open to the public and houses the Wernher Collection

appears on screen again in Bridgerton Season Three. This summer it plays host to the Icons of British Fashion exhibition featuring items by Stella McCartney among others.

Osterley Park in Isleworth, with its six-acre garden and stunning quadrangle, is the setting for a classic Bridgerton-style ball, with the ton turning up in all their glory.

Regency-style Basildon Park in Berkshire is the impressive residence of new character Lady Tilley Arnold. This house has a magnificent staircase and ornate ceilings. The Garden Room was used to film a party scene at the Featherington’s house. The shoot took place in late October but as Bridgerton is set during the London spring/ summer ‘season’, more than 5000 artificial flowers were brought in to fill the rose garden with summer blooms.

No 1 Royal Crescent in Bath is used as the exterior of the Featherington family’s home. It is a restored townhouse museum and runs tours where you can learn about Regency family life, with specially-tailored Bridgerton-themed inclusions. The exterior of wealthy widow Lady Danbury’s mansion is actually Bath’s Holburne Museum and the Modiste dress shop is a real shop at 2 Abbey Street.

In Season Two when Anthony Bridgerton fell in love with Kate Sharma, lots of their scenes were

filmed in Windsor Great Park, notably the horse race at dawn. The sprawling park doubled up as the woods outside Bridgerton’s Aubrey Hall, the site of some memorable scenes between Kate and Anthony.

The spectacular Badminton House in south Gloucestershire was the London home of the Duke of Hastings in Season One. The 17th century estate is the site of the Badminton Horse Trials. It’s the current home of the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort and is not open to the public but you can book a private tour of the house and gardens to see the beautiful Georgian period décor, the majestic drawing rooms and the banqueting halls. It can be hired for weddings and has a wealth of filming locations and photo opportunities.

The gardens at Stowe House in Buckinghamshire were used as the setting for the ball in Season One where Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke of Hastings first connected. The crew built a dance floor in the grounds just in front of the Temple of Venus and a two-storey bandstand with the musicians above and a banqueting area beneath.

Clockwise from top: Grimsthorpe Castle, Ranger’s House and Holburne Museum, Bath

Osterley Park in Isleworth: the setting for a classic ball

From left: the Badminton estate in south Gloucestershire; the gardens at Stowe, Bucks; Basildon Park in Berkshire; Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire

Joshua Hoffman explores the London Overground’s new Weaver Line and its significance for the Jewish community

Summer is not usually a time when commuters look forward to getting on the train. However, this year, overground passengers have something to look forward to.

In February, Mayor Sadiq Khan announced that the London Overground is to be rebranded. Now, with Khan safely re-elected, the changes will go ahead. By the end of the year, the Overground will be divided into six new lines, each with new names and colours.

One line in particular holds significance for London’s Jewish community. The purple Weaver Line will travel from Liverpool Street to Cheshunt or Chingford, passing through stations including Bethnal Green, Hackney Downs, Stoke Newington and Stamford Hill. These areas of London have a strong Jewish heritage and are still home to Jewish communities today.

According to Transport for

London, the name of the new Weaver Line was chosen because it will travel through “areas of London known for their textile trade, shaped over the centuries by diverse migrant communities and individuals”.

As outlined in an o cial TfL blog, these communities are Huguenot, Jewish and Bangladeshi. At various points in time, all these groups have lived and worked in east London, each playing a significant role in the development of the London textile trade.

The Huguenots began arriving from France as refugees from religious persecution in the late 1600s and were instrumental in establishing a thriving textile trade in the East End of London, mainly in Spitalfieds. Today, one can walk through the Tenter Streets in Tower Hamlets, named after the equipment used to hold fabric taut for drying (the equip-

ment is also the origin of the phrase “on tenterhooks”).

earning a living in the textile and fashion

Jewish migrants followed in the 19th and 20th centuries. According to the Museum of London, between 1880 and 1914, 150,000 Jews from Eastern Europe and Russia arrived in the UK, many fleeing religious persecution. This was followed by a wave of migration in the 1930s. Large numbers settled in the East End, between Spitalfields and Whitechapel, many earning a living in the textile and fashion industries. By the late 1960s, the fashion scene had moved across the city to the West End.

On Carnaby Street, one of the centres of the fashion

world, more than half of the shops were once owned by Jews.

The current exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands, Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style (extended until 7 July), showcases the work of Jewish Londoners in fashion.

Roni Tabick, of the New Stoke Newington Synagogue. “There’s something about that continuity between those three communities which is so lovely, and it’s so London. And I think having the Weaver Line trying to capture all three of our communities and the role we’ve played is lovely.”

Dr Lucie Whitthe exhibition, brought to in “That’s the thing the acknowledgement that Jewish

Dr Lucie Whitmore, curator of the exhibition, says that part of her motivation in creating the show was to highlight a history that has not been brought to prominence in the past.

“That’s the thing that’s missing: the acknowledgement that Jewish migrants and their descendants have had an absolutely massive impact on London’s fashion reputation and […] that needed to be acknowledged.”

Today, the East End has a large Bangladeshi community. Bangladeshis began arriving in London in the 1950s, with many settling around Brick Lane and Spitalfields.

The building on 59 Brick Lane, which was once a Huguenot chapel and then an Ashkenazi synagogue, is now a mosque. Like those who preceded them, many Bangladeshis were involved in the textile trade.

Now, east London has become better known for its restaurants and bars, but the history of the area is evident on every street.

“I like that we are situated in a narrative of migration,” says Rabbi

Ian Stone, historian of London and grandchild of a Jewish tailor in the East End, also sees the symbolism in the new name: “If you look at that Huguenot story, if you look at that Jewish story, there are so many similarities. It does speak to a weaving of communities into the fabric of London life. If people become more aware of that, it can only be a good thing.”

The reaction is not all positive, however. Rabbi Tabick sees irony in a new name that celebrates community connections in the context of tensions between Jews and Muslims since the war in Gaza. “There’s millions of pounds being spent on this rebranding e ort,” Rabbi Tabick says, “and fine – I support that, I get the need […] but I also think some money should be spent on trying to create the sort of community cohesion that the names are celebrating.

“It can’t all be down to individual Jews and Muslims to reach out to each other and try to build bridges. We need more investment in that work. It’s so important. And I think that, unfortunately, there isn’t much being invested in it at the moment.”

As a mere rebranding project, perhaps the new line does as much as it can. “You can only ever do your best with these things,” Ian Stone concludes. “You take a long-term view of this, and hope that that weaving – that fabric, that textile –continues.”

Dennis Severs’ House, a ‘still life drama’, in Folgate Street, E1

Workers at the Simpsons Clothing Factory on Stoke Newington Road, Hackney

Fashion City at the Museum of London

By Candice Krieger candicekrieger@googlemail.com

SEEING ART AS AN ALTERNATIVE ASSET

A

er a successful New York collaboration, Philip Ho man is expanding the investment advice firm he founded into Asia, writes Candice Krieger

growing number of investors are choosing art over property as their asset of choice, says Philip Ho man, founder and CEO of one of the world’s leading art investment and advisory companies.

AHoffman, who runs the Fine Art Group, which has managed and transacted more than $2bn-$3bn of art and values and advises on more than $10-$20bn annually, says wealthy people who have typically put their money into property are turning to art as they realise its strong track record as an investment.

He tells Jewish News: “The combination of art’s investment potential, ability to be moved around, enjoyment factor, and its role as an inflation hedge makes it an ideal choice for people. Anyone who has sold their business or made a very good living is now deciding to put maybe five or 10 percent of their wealth into art, instead of real estate.

“We are seeing a lot of people who have sold their business, for say £20m or £30m, thinking: ‘I’ll put £2m or £3m into art as an alternative asset, inflation hedge and to have something to show on my walls.’ They see art as a diversification.”

Founded in 2001 as the Fine Art Fund, the Fine Art Group has expanded its services to o er art investment, advisory, art finance, sales agency and philanthropy to clients worldwide. The company’s team of around 80 represent more than 350 family o ces in 28 countries, including several of Forbes’ listed wealthiest families. Clients can expect to receive returns of between five and 15 percent a year, sometimes more.

Chelsea-based Ho man fell into the art world by chance. Having graduated from York University with an economics degree, he worked as a chartered accountant at KPMG International before landing a job as finance director at Christie’s. Aged 29, he found himself on the board and stayed at

Christie’s for 13 years before setting up the Fine Art Fund. Initially it provided access to the art market for investors who were interested in diversifying beyond traditional assets like stocks and bonds before expanding its services for all things art-related. It also specialises in fine jewellery, luxury watches, cars, wine and other collectibles.

More than one third of the team are former Christie’s and Sotheby’s experts, including the former Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, Patti Wong. Last year, The Fine Art Group launched the joint venture Patti Wong & Associates to expand into Asia following the success of its collaboration with Allan Schwartzman, the New Yorkbased art advisory firm.

The group has been attracting an increasing number of younger art collectors. “They are more comfortable treating their art collections as an asset,” says Hoffman. “Our clients, which number between 25 and 55, are mostly under 40. The 60- 70-year-old sailors are like, ‘We’ve done it. We’ve been there. We’re not going to live long enough to see it out.’”

But investing in art is not that easy, notes Ho man, who has been working in the industry for over three decades. “What I always say to clients is: you should get professional advice if you are spending more than you would on a holiday. So, if you or I might spend $2,000 on a holiday, let’s buy a $2,000 painting, treat it as an expense and enjoy it.

“Smart people would build an art collection with an advisor who understands how

to make money so they can buy art that they love and make significant money at the same time. For some clients it’s not about making money, but it is about protecting their assets and safeguarding their art collection for future generations. We spend a lot of time educating our clients, not just about the market but also about the academic and historical importance of the artist and artworks that interest them. Our job isn’t to tell clients what to buy but to make sure they are properly informed before they do.”

Ho man says that his team have stopped clients buying 90 percent of the art they were showed because they deemed that it was either overpriced or would depreciate.

After two years of recovery growth from the Covid-19 pandemic, the global art market is facing a challenging time. It shrank last year by four percent, from $67.8bn to $65bn, according to a Global Art Market Report and remains down, partly due to rising interest rates and the geopolitical situation and instability. But Ho man believes “now is the best time to buy” that he has seen in ten years. “Collectors selling will have to take a discount. I think the market will rebound in about three or four years. Now is the time to build an art collection, which can take up to 25 years.”

Asked for his top tips, Ho man says: “Buy less but better quality, buy one or two and build up over many years, buy the best quality you can a ord, ask people in the industry and if you can a ord to, get proper advice.”

Philip Hoffman: ‘Buy the best you can afford, ask people in the industry and get advice’

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 ARIEL ABEL

RABBI AND SOLICITOR, LONDON AND LIVERPOOL

We must unite and build a better future

This week’s reading, Bechukotai, means ‘statutes’. It traces the direct relationship between Torah and fate and does not make easy reading. The opening phrases detail what will go right if the people of Israel conduct themselves correctly before God. Many blessings follow for the people, the land upon which they live and its produce. But its also details the terrible times which will come upon the Israelites if they behave callously.

Addressing us in the first person, God cuts a deal. If we abide by his commandments, the rains will fall on time and the produce will arrive safely, season after season. There will be peace in the land, and our enemies will flee from before us. The reverse is also true. If the

Israelites repudiate the covenant with their creator, several stages of decline and degeneration ensue. Not only do plague and enemies threaten to overcome; nature refuses to cooperate with e orts to work the land for produce. Pestilence, then war and starvation occur, followed by a horrific holocaust scenario.

Thereafter, the abused land is said to recover; in exile people will engage in repentance, even while the sound of a fluttering leaf will strike fear in a ghettoed population. After confessing their sins, God will recall the promise he made to their ancestors and bring his people back home.

The agony of the extended oration, called the “rebuke”, is particularly unbearable considering where Israel – the people, the nation, the State – is today. Sixteen million Jews are o cially declared worldwide, but these do not account for the millions of Israelites who are still keeping a low profile, for fear of being seen emerging.

Many Jews and their descendants are still in hiding around the world, due to the lingering fear of the many persecutions throughout history. Africa is another home to millions of Israelite Jews.

We need to invite all those who believe in the God of Israel into one tent and seek justice for the vengeful attacks on our people by uniting in the positive purpose of building for a better future for all the children of Abraham. This is what is expected by Hebrew prophets such as Zephaniah and Isaiah. We need to be unashamed of the Hebrew Bible, its clearly redemptive prophecy of Israel and its policy of settling all those who worship one God in peace and harmony, between the river and the sea.

The State of Israel is the only hope for Jews, and Hamas is the declared threat to the existence of all Jews, anywhere. At this time of year, we express our gratitude for the State

of Israel and for Jerusalem, its holy capital, and pray only that peace and harmony visit its gates once more – this time permanently, and for many generations to come.

The final section of Bechukotai details how individual Israelites can donate to the holy sanctuary a value representative of their capacity to work, the value of an animal or the value of a piece of land. Thus, tithing and contributions close the chapter warning us of callous disregard of the Torah.

Perhaps this reflects the need for people to ensure that our spiritual and educational leaders are adequately supported by the people and not by fractious interest groups so that our children can look forward to a more moral world.

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The State of Israel is the only hope for Jews

SOUTH HAMPSTEAD SYNAGOGUE

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI IGOR ZINKOV THE LIBERAL JEWISH SYNAGOGUE

Approaching AI from a Jewish perspective

In a recent interview, Israeli author and historian Yuval Noah Harari said we are the first generation to have no idea what the future will look like for our children. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most urgent factors.

One way of approaching AI from the Jewish perspective is by re-reading texts about golem, an anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore created entirely from clay or mud.

The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century rabbi of Prague. In this story, a golem was created as a helper and protector, but due to unforeseen development, the creature went out of control and became violent. Luckily, the rabbi embedded an ‘o switch’ in his design and was able to stop the dangerous monster.

Perhaps the first lesson from this story is

having the ability to turn the AI off in case of a serious malfunction.

Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ashkenazi (Chacham Tzvi) also o ers a provoking commentary. He refers to a rabbinic teaching: “The works of the righteous are their offspring.” This suggests that the creation of a righteous Jew could be considered Jewish ( Responsum Chacham Tzvi 93). In other words, the robot can be Jewish if the robot’s developers (read ‘parents’) are Jewish. It could be a funny joke if it weren’t so relevant.

AI models use deep learning techniques and massive datasets of human knowledge to process and predict language similarly to how a human communicated before. Therefore, if you limit the AI model to only the Jewish knowledge dataset, it might be considered Jewish.

In her book Golem, Maya Barzilai argues that golems do not share the most fundamental part of the human condition – they are not born and do not die. Likewise, robots might be human-like and know more than any rabbi, but they can never fully understand

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

humans. How can someone who never dies read mourners’ kaddish?

As a Progressive rabbi, I welcome AI with its promise of helpful assistance. However, this powerful tool must be used with a great sense of responsibility. AI-powered machines can be invaluable in many areas of our lives, but I don’t think they can be meaningful in such a personal and intimate space as prayer when we humans speak to the deepest part of ourselves that we call God.

We may not have had golems in our reality, but we do have software corporations and countries like China working incredibly hard to create the most powerful AI-powered tools and weapons today.

While we may not be able to stop or pause AI development, we must be prepared to face the era when humanlike robots will be around. I don’t have all the answers, but I know that we must engage with urgent questions that AI forces us to answer: what new opportunities and

The golem teaches us the need for an ‘off switch’

limits will AI bring to humanity, what boundaries can we put in place to mitigate potential threats and who should decide on what these boundaries are?

Ask our

Our trusty team of advisers answers your questions about everything from law and finance to dating and dentistry. This week: Peer support for those with sight loss, using a TV listener and giving investment advice to friends and family

LISA WIMBORNE

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

JEWISH BLIND & DISABLED

Dear Lisa

I read a few weeks back about the launch of your peer support groups for people living with sight loss. I don’t have a vision impairment myself, but I am starting to struggle with managing day-to-day tasks in my own home. I’m certainly not ready to be thinking about moving out of my house but wondered if there was any support you offered for people like me.

Steven

Dear Steven

Thank you for getting in touch. We hear from so many people very much like you who are keen to remain in their own homes

SUE CIPIN

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

JEWISH DEAF ASSOCIATION

Dear Sue

My hearing is deteriorating so I was advised to get a TV listener as I could no longer hear the programmes I love to watch.

I now use a wonderful device that enables me to hear the TV beautifully clearly, BUT when I’m using it I can’t hear anything else. I miss being able to chat to my

husband about what we’re watching! Is there anything that would work just as well and let me hear my husband at the same time?

Rachel

Dear Rachel

Yes - there is a fantastic piece of equipment designed with you in mind! It has great sound quality

but need a little bit of help to make things more manageable. Our Independent Living Advisory Service can help you.

The service o ers impartial advice from an occupational therapist on a range of areas including aids and devices to help with tasks such as cooking and personal care, the installation of ramps or grab rails, and recommending technology that can assists with opening doors and windows.

The service is available to anyone who has a physical disability and/or vision impairment, identifies as Jewish and lives within the M25.

The first step is to complete the application form on our website at www.jbd.org/ila. We will then be in touch to arrange an assessment by one of our team of occupational therapists.

If you have any questions about the service, please contact Toni Lewis: toni@jbd.org or 020 8371 6611 ext. 620.

I hope this helps.

and you simply press a button to switch between hearing the TV and hearing the people who are in the room with you.

You can use it with headphones or with a neck loop (if you have hearing aids with a loop setting).

If you’d like to try it out for yourself, please arrange to visit Gabrielle at our Technology Room in North Finchley. You’ll also have the opportunity to talk about any other challenges you may be experiencing with your hearing loss and ways to overcome them.

For a free appointment please contact Gabrielle at JDA on 020 8446 0214 or gabrielle@jdeaf.org.uk.

We look forward to seeing you!

JACOB BERNSTEIN FINANCIAL SERVICES

Dear Jacob I’ve heard about the FCA’s new financial promotion rules and am concerned they may affect my ‘hobby’ of advising friends and family on their investments, which has spilled over to my social media. What does the FCA defines as a financial promotion and will this impact me?

Isabella

Dear Isabella

The FCA defines a financial promotion as “an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity”. This could refer to any communication that promotes or showcases financial services and products and tries to persuade or influence the reader to buy or engage with the provider.

The FCA has rules specific to types of financial promotions, and when crafting any financial promotion there are several principles:

• All materials must be clear, fair, and not misleading.

• The promotion must be in accordance with the relevant FCA handbook requirements relating to the promoted product or service.

• The promotion must adhere to the Treating Customers

Fairly and Conduct Risk standards, prioritising the interests of customers.

• Promotions must also comply with all other relevant advertising regulations and standards.

If the FCA deems a financial promotion to be misleading, it could ban the promotion, request it to be changed, ask the firm to write to customers who may have been misled, and warn or fine the promoter. In your case however, you may qualify for exemption in that financial promotions rules apply to communications made “in the course of business” which requires a commercial interest on the part of the communicator. From your question, it doesn’t seem like this is “in the course of business” for you.

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 social media influencers and sport sector including tax planning and financial management

• 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

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

Our Experts

020

ISRAEL PROPERTY & MORTGAGE BROKER

ILAN RUBINSTEIN

Qualifications:

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

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

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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

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

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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

STEPHEN MORRIS

Qualifications:

• Managing director of Stephen Morris Shipping Ltd

• 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:

• 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

• 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

ujia.org/legacy

Antique – Reproduction – Retro Furniture (any condition)

Epstein, Archie Shine, Hille, G Plan, etc.

Dining Suites, Lounges Suites, Bookcases, Desks, Cabinets, Mirrors, Lights, etc. House clearances

Single items to complete homes

MARYLEBONE ANTIQUES - 8 CHURCH STREET NW8 8ED 07866 614 744 (ANYTIME) 0207 723 7415 (SHOP)

- e-mail -

@maryleboneantiques.co.uk

YOU CONTACT US BEFORE SELLING

Dave & Eve House Clearance

Friendly Family Company established for 30 years

We clear houses, flats, sheds, garages etc. No job too big or too small! Rubbish cleared as part of a full clearance. We have a waste licence. We buy items including furniture bric a brac.

For a free quote please phone Dave on 07913405315 any time.

ADVERTISE IN THE UK’S BIGGEST JEWISH NEWSPAPER FOR LESS THAN £24 A WEEK

Email Sales today at sales@jewishnews.co.uk

ARE YOU BEREAVED?

Confidential Bereavement Counselling for adults and children individually. Support Groups available. We offer in person, online and telephone counselling. Contact Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service in confidence. 0208 951 3881 enquiries@jbcs.org.uk | www.jbcs.org.uk

MENTOR

Former “Magic Circle” solicitor offers help with:

• CVs and personal statements

• interviews and assessment days

• coping with stress and workload

• promotion and new opportunities

Sheltered Accommodation

We have an open waiting list in our friendly and comfortable warden assisted sheltered housing schemes in Ealing, East Finchley and Hendon. We provide 24-hour warden support, seven days a

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For

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For more information contact Tom lawmentor@btinternet.com / 07590 057097 LAW MENTOR

Former “Magic Circle” solicitor offers help with:

• CVs and personal statements

• interviews and assessment days

• coping with stress and workload

• promotion and new opportunities

For more information contact Tom lawmentor@btinternet.com / 07590 057097

THE JEWISH NEWS CROSSWORD

11 Female rabbit (3)

12 Morally proper (7)

13 Blue Shoes, Presley song (5)

14 Culinary pulveriser (6)

16 Plus (2,4)

19 Farmland units (5)

21 Make more secure (7)

23 Try to win the affection of (3)

24 Sudden thrust (5)

25 Take away (7)

26 Tending flocks (11) DOWN

2 Dog’s restraining chain (5)

3 Appendix to a will (7)

4 Wax light with a wick (6)

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.

Fertilised egg (6)

Narrow gorge (6)

Tiny particle (4)

23 Aerial or feeler (7)

25 Kiln or cooker, eg (4)

27 Earl Grey, eg (3)

28 Fast contact sport played on a rink (3,6)

30 Judge, think (4)

31 Antithesis (8)

1 Black deposit from a fire (4)

Detrimental (3)

Fix (7)

Opt for, pick (6)

5 ___ basket, wickerwork carrycot (5)

6 Bishop’s area (7)

7 Signal to take action (4-2,4)

10 Of clothes, reaching the middle of the leg (4-6)

15 Squash (7)

17 With vision (7)

18 Heavy uninteresting food (6)

20 Lottery (5)

Blurred, woolly (9)

Having a stout build (8)

Into the bargain (4)

Settle (a contention) (9)

Man of courage (4)

15 Set off (8)

17 Sum borrowed (4)

SUGURU

20 Dark sweet sherry (7)

22 Adopt as a hobby (4,2)

24 Metal fastener (4)

26 Piece of computer data (4)

22 Practise for a feat of endurance (5)

29 Carp, originally from Japan (3)

CODEWORD

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 fictional horses 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.

LL IE RY G

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.

Sudoku

Suguru Wordsearch

Sudoku Suguru

Wordsearch

Codeword

Struggling to hear the TV? Missing out on family phone chats? Hearing just not what it used to be?

Jewish Deaf Association

Discover The Power Of Helping Others

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A, ad-hoc volunteer

I spent the past 20 years focusing on my career and found myself wanting to contribute my time to help others in the community. I was afraid that it may be too demanding to juggle with my work load and family obligations. I found JVN. It is an amazing gateway to all sorts of roles, allowing you to choose a cause that is close to your heart and volunteer at your pace.”

GB, Volunteer