1371 - 14th June 2024

The hug we all felt!

VOICE OF THE JEWISH NEWS

It was an incredible operation, reminiscent of the Entebbe hostage rescue nearly 50 years earlier. Under intensive fire, IDF soldiers freed four Israeli citizens abducted by Hamas from the Nova music festival on 7 October.

The footage of Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv reunited with their families brought forth tears of joy across the Jewish world.

For 246 agonising days, their faces had been images on kidnap posters. Then, in a moment that felt like a miracle, they were free, embracing and being embraced by their loved ones in scenes of indescribable emotion.

Yet not everyone shared their unfiltered happi-

ness. In the hours following the operation, criticism began to bubble on social media, suggesting that –perhaps all things considered – the hostages might have been better off remaining with Hamas.

Journalist Mehdi Hasan ludicrously chastised some of the Israeli soldiers on Twitter/X for not wearing their IDF uniforms during the operation, accusing them of “masquerading as humanitarian workers”.

UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese took exception to the IDF’s failure to be more conspicuous during the rescue, accusing it of using “humanitarian camouflage” by “perfidiously hiding in an aid truck”.

Perhaps Albanese would rather they had rolled into Nuseirat on a glittery blue and white carnival float with Hava Nagila blasting through the speakers.

BBC news anchor Helena Humphrey, meanwhile, reduced herself to a laughing stock during her questioning of former IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus when she suggested that Israel might have reduced the risk of civilian casualties by giving Hamas advance warning of its surprise raid.

No doubt about it, a ‘save the date’ card sent to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of 7 October, would have put things on a friendlier footing. There is, Continued on page 18

Noa Argamani gets a father’s embrace after eight months in Hamas captivity

‘The diamonds are in

All four of the hostages rescued by Israeli commandos from the Gaza Strip on Saturday after 246 days in captivity have now been released from hospital, writes Adam Decker.

Noa Argamani, 26, was the last to be discharged on Tuesday from Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

Her mother, Liora Argamani, who is being treated for advanced brain cancer, is herself in hospital.

Ronni Gamzu, the hospital’s chief executive officer, said the mother’s condition was “complicated and tough”. Noa Argamani had been able to communicate with her mother, who it is believed understands that her daughter has come home, he added.

“For the last eight months we are trying to keep her in a status that she can communicate,” Gamzu said.

Noa Argamani’s father, Yaakov, was the first to meet her after a military helicopter brought her back to Israel on Saturday.

Argamani has been one of the most recognisable faces among those abducted on 7 October, following a widely circulated video of terrorists taking her from the Nova music festival, and separating her from her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, who remains in captivity.

Video shared to social media on Tuesday showed Argamani being reunited with Or’s mother, while other footage shared by Israeli media and the IDF spokesperson’s Unit showed Argamani in the embrace of her father, Yaakov, whose birthday fell on the day of the rescue.

Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were abducted from the Nova

music festival in Re’im, southern Israel, when thousands of Hamasled terrorists broke through the Gaza border, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, initiating the ongoing war.

Officers of the police’s elite Yamam counterterrorism unit along with Shin Bet agents simultaneously raided two multi-storey buildings in the heart of Nuseirat, where the four hostages were being held by Hamas-affiliated families and guards of the terror group, according to the military.

Within a minute of special forces breaching the building where the three male hostages were being held and killing the three Hamas terrorists guarding them, the Israeli special forces called over the radio: “The diamonds are in our hands.”

At that stage the Israeli Air Force began to strike targets in the area to provide the special forces cover to extract the hostages.

They were then taken in

armoured vehicles quickly to a makeshift helipad deep inside Gaza, where a helicopter took them to Sheba Hospital in Ramat Gan, wrapping up the entire operation within an hour.

The raid had been weeks on the drawing board, with plans in place for various scenarios. Chief Insp Arnon Zmora, died while freeing the hostages.

During the actual operation, some adjustments were made based on the conditions on the ground.

Hamas’s government media office claimed that at least 274 people had been killed in the operation, an unverified figure that also does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.

The IDF acknowledged that it had killed Palestinian civilians amid the fighting, but it put the blame on Hamas for holding hostages and fighting in a dense civilian environment.

“We know about under 100 [Palestinian] casualties. I don’t know how many of them are terrorists,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

The doctor overseeing the recovery of four rescued hostages said they had been beaten frequently during their captivity.

Dr Itai Pessach, of Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv, told CNN that they had suffered almost daily abuse and that their time in captivity was “a harsh, harsh experience”.

He added: “Every hour, both physical, mental, and other types, and that is something that is beyond comprehension.”

According to CNN, Pessach said that the eight months the hostages spent in Hamas captivity had “left a significant mark on their health”,

despite their outward appearance of being in good shape.

“They had no protein, so their muscles are extremely wasted, there is damage to some other systems because of that,” he said, adding that the hostages had said the supply of food and water varied, and that they were moved a few times and had experienced different guards.

“There have been periods where they got almost no food whatso-

ever,” Pessach said. “There were other periods where it was a little better, but all in all, the combination of the psychological stress, malnutrition or not getting enough food or not getting the right kind of food, medical neglect, being limited to space, not seeing the sun and all of the other things have [had a] significant effect on health.”

Elaborating on the strain, he said: “As time passes, hope of being

HOSTAGE-TAKER WROTE FOR AL-JAZEERA

Three of the four hostages rescued by Israeli special forces from Gaza on Saturday were held at the home of Abdallah Aljamal, a Palestinian self-stylied ‘journalist’ and member of Hamas who contributed to an opinion piece published by Al Jazeera in 2019, writes Adam Decker.

Social media erupted with rumours after Ramy Abdu, head of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, posted on X about soldiers storming the Aljamal home during a raid in Nuseirat on Saturday.

He claimed that several family members, including Abdallah and his father, Dr Ahmed Aljamal, were killed and that Aljamal was a reporter who worked or had worked for Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem bureau chief, Omar al-Walid, categorically denied any affiliation. He said: “This man is not from Al Jazeera, and he

did not work for Al Jazeera at all. He is not listed as working for Al Jazeera either now or in the past.”

Al-Walid added that the network planned to sue anyone spreading

rumours of a connection to Abdallah Aljamal.

Al Jazeera wrote on X: “Abdullah

Al-Jamal has never worked with the network, but had contributed to an op-ed in 2019. The network also stresses that these allegations are a continuation of the process of slander and misinformation aimed at harming Al Jazeera’s reputation, professionalism and independence. It calls for accuracy before publishing any of these allegations.”

Abdu shared an image purportedly from the Aljamal home but did not mention hostages being held there. Aljamal had previously served as a spokesman for the Hamas-run labour ministry in Gaza and contributed to several news outlets.

Amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, articles by Aljamal were

published by the Palestine Chronicle, even as hostages Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv were allegedly being held captive in his home.

The fourth hostage, Noa Argamani, was rescued from a nearby building during the operation. The Israel Defence Forces and the Shin Bet security agency confirmed that Aljamal had held the three hostages in his home alongside his family.

“This is further proof that the Hamas terrorist organisation uses the civilian population as a human shield,” the military stated.

During the raid on the Aljamal home, Yamam commander Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora was fatally wounded by Hamas gunfire. He died after arriving at an Israeli hospital and the rescue mission was subsequently named Operation Arnon in his honour.

An image reportedly of the room in Nuseirat where hostages were held. Right: ‘journalist’ Abdallah Aljamal

Safely back in Israel after more than eight months of abuse in Gaza: Shlomo Ziv,

Mourned: Chief Insp Arnon Zmora

o ur hands!’

released kind of decreases and you start wondering if this would ever end… losing that faith is where you get to the breaking point.”

Rishi Sunak said it was a “huge relief” to see their return.

The prime minister wrote on X: “We will continue to strive towards an end to the fighting as well as safety and security for all.”

Foreign secretary Lord Cameron said: “News of the rescue of

four hostages will be a huge relief to their families.

“My thoughts also with families of those still captive, and all the innocent lives affected by the conflict. We must secure the release of all hostages and end the fighting through a ceasefire deal.”

Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy wrote: “It’s now 245 days since 7 October, when these hostages were kidnapped

from the Nova music festival by Hamas terrorists. Their rescue is a glimmer of hope in the darkness. We need an immediate ceasefire now, to get all the hostages released and a surge of aid into Gaza.”

Meanwhile, the United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday that Israel may have committed war crimes in its rescue operation.

A spokesman for the office said in a statement that “hundreds of Palestinians, many of them civilians, were reportedly killed and injured”, presumably referring to reports by Hamas, which said that 274 people had been killed and 698 wounded.

“The manner in which the raid was conducted in such a densely populated area seriously calls into question whether the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution – as set out under the laws of war – were respected by the Israeli forces,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said Hamas and “one guy” hiding “ten storeys underground” will be to blame for any failure to back President Biden’s latest ceasefire plan.

Speaking on Tuesday, Blinken said Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “reaffirmed his commitment” to the proposal when they held talks in Jerusalem the previous day.

But he added that Hamas’s response to news that the United Nations Security Council had also backed the plan was not conclusive, saying that “what counts” is what is said by the Hamas leadership in Gaza, “and that’s [a response] we don’t have”.

Manifestos: the promises

Political parties have launched their manifestos ahead of next month’s general election, with all containing often brief references to the conflict between Israel and Palestinians, writes Lee Harpin.

The Conservatives said that if re-elected they would bring back a Bill to ban public bodies from boycotting Israel.

Despite a failed promise to pass the legislation before Rishi Sunak’s decision to call a 4 July election, the manifesto said: “We will bring back our Bill to ban public bodies from imposing their own boycott or divestment campaigns against foreign countries and territories.”

It added that the Tories would “push for a two-state solution in the Middle East, and that “our long-standing position has been that we will recognise a Palestinian state at a time that is most conducive to the peace process”.

Labour’s manifesto claims that the creation of a Palestinian state is essential to Israel’s long-term security. It adds: “Labour will continue to push for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of inter-

national law, and a rapid increase of aid into Gaza.” It adds: “Palestinian statehood is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people. It is not in the gift of any neighbour and is also essential to the long-term security of Israel. We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.”

The Liberal Democrats pledged to recognise the independent state of Palestine “with immediate effect”. Their manifesto added: “Recognising the existential threat of Iran not just in the Middle East but to Western democracies, by proscribing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.(IRGC).”

The Green Party failed to include a manifesto commitment to support a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. Its document says there is “strong evidence to support South Africa’s submission to the International Court of Justice that Israel is guilty of genocide in its conduct in Gaza”.

GREEN PARTY’S TOTAL LACK OF AWARENESS

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay has admitted being unaware that candidates who praised the 7 October Hamas attacks and who supported a pro-Palestinian protest taking place outside Auschwitz have been allowed to stand at the general election.

Appearing on Radio 4’s Today programme, he was asked by presenter Justin Webb about the party’s efforts to tackle widespread claims of antisemitism among candidates.

Webb referred to Adam Pugh, candidate in Lewisham North, who on 7 October had appeared to praise the attacks on X, writing; “There is no peace without freedom to resist.”

Asked if Hugh was still allowed to stand on 4 July, Ramsay said: “Justin, as I mentioned to you, we have 574 candidates across England and Wales, I can’t recite them all by name. I sus-

pect you’d struggle to get any party leader to do that.”

Webb then mentioned the Green candidate in Birmingham Perry Barr, who had praised a pro-Palestinian demonstration that took place outside Auschwitz “of all places”. He then mentioned Kefentse Dennis, who said Hamas rocket attacks launched before the 7 October massacre were an example of “Palestine defending itself as it is legally allowed to”, was the Green “equalities and diversity co-ordinator”.

The Green leader replied: “I can’t answer a question on every one of the 574 candidates across the party. What I can I tell you is the Green Party has a clear process where if questions are raised they are assessed by an. independent panel and action is taken where appropriate.”

41, Andrey Kozlov, 27, Almog Meir Jan, 21, and Noa Argamani, 26

The former hostages on a helicopter to Tel Hashomer Hospital, central Israel

Israeli special forces approach the building where the male captives are held

Under heavy fire the soldiers make their way to where the men are cowering

Almog Meir Jan is told by the IDF soldiers: ‘We have come to rescue you’

HOW THE DARING RAID IN GAZA UNFOLDED

Opposed: Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak

SEVEN DEADLY GROUPS

A UN investigation has concluded that Hamas and six other Palestinian terror groups carried out abductions “with significant physical, mental and sexual violence” during the 7 October massacre in southern Israel.

But a second parallel report by a commission is damning about Israel’s conduct as it responded to the atrocity.

It accused the country of “the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare, murder or wilful killing, intentionally directing attacks against civilians”.

The commission, which has no power to impose any penalties, accused Hamas’s military wing and other armed groups – aided by Palestinian civilians in some instances –of killings, torture, sexual violence and kidnapping.

“Women and women’s bodies were used as victory trophies by male perpetrators,” the report said, noting desecration of bodies, as well as decapitations and burning.

But in regards to Israel it said there had been a failure to provide food, water, shelter and medicine to Palestinians.

Israel’s mission to the UN said: “The commission of inquiry has once again proven that its actions are all in the service of a narrow-led political agenda against Israel.”

UN backing for ceasefire motion

The United Nations Security Council has adopted a United States-backed motion calling on Hamas to accept a ceasefire plan in Gaza, writes Lee Harpin.

On Monday, the Security Council endorsed for the first time a plan for a six-week ceasefire, during which Israel would withdraw its troops from population centres in Gaza, and Hamas would release hostages it kidnapped when it attacked Israel in October.

The US said Israel had accepted the plan and that Hamas remained the obstacle to enacting it.

But it was unclear on Tuesday whether both Israeli and Hamas leaders had signed up to the details of the resolution. A senior Israeli official told the council, according to Associated Press:

“We will continue until all of the hostages are returned and until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are dismantled.”

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has a divided cabinet over the ceasefire plan. Hardline coalition members are threatening to quit and bring down his government if he accepts the deal.

Hamas has also stopped short of accepting the proposal as fighting continued in the Palestinian territory, despite claiming it “welcomes what is included in the Security Council resolution”.

The UN resolution, which passed with 14 votes in favour and just one abstention from Russia, was proposed by the United States’ delegation.

Israeli cabinet minister Benny Gantz resigned over the weekend, accusing Netanyahu of mismanaging the war.

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, was due to meet Gantz and the opposition leader Yossi Lapid on Tuesday.

Blinken had talks with Netanyahu on Monday, arguing that a ceasefire would also bring peace to Israel’s northern border areas, which have been repeatedly attacked

SCOTS APPLAUD

BIBI ACCUSATION

Benjamin Netanyahu is “committing war crimes” in Gaza, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has claimed.

by the Lebanese Hezbollah terror organisation.

The ceasefire plan, first announced by Biden, set out a three-phased approach to ending the conflict.

Phase one includes an “immediate, full and complete ceasefire with the release of hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, the return of the remains of some hostages who have been killed, and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners”.

Phase two would see a permanent end to hostilities “in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza”.

In phase three, “a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza” would begin and the remains of any deceased hostages still in the Strip would be returned to Israel.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the diplomatic community was “united behind a deal that will save lives and help Palestinian civilians in Gaza start to rebuild and heal… and a deal that will reunite hostages with their families after eight months in captivity”.

UK SHOULDN’T HAVE FOUGHT NAZIS – REFORM CANDIDATE

A candidate for the Nigel Farageled Reform UK party claimed the country would be “far better” today if it had “taken Hitler up on his offer of neutrality” rather than fighting the Nazis in the Second World War.

Ian Gribbin, the party’s candidate in Bexhill and Battle, also wrote on the Unherd website that women were the “sponging gender” and should be “deprived of health care”.

In the 2022 posts, revealed by the BBC, the candidate also praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The posts emerged just one day after former home secretary Suella Braverman had urged Tories to find a way to merge with Reform UK, and suggested there was “not much difference” between Farage’s policies and those of her party.

Former UKIP and Brexit Party leader Farage was confirmed as Reform’s new leader earlier this month, and is aiming to capitalise

on the Conservative Party’s rocky election campaign.

In July 2022, Gribbin wrote: “Britain would be in a far better state today had we taken Hitler up on his offer of neutrality…. but oh no Britain’s warped mindset values weird notions of international morality rather than looking after its own people.”

According to the BBC, that same month, he wrote: “In Britain specifically we need to exorcise the cult of Churchill and recognise that in both policy and military strategy, he was abysmal.”

He apologised on Monday, after his comments sparked an outcry, saying they were “old” and he withdrew them “unreservedly”. He added: “I myself am upset at the way these comments were taken out of context especially when my mother was the daughter of Russian Jews fleeing persecution.”

Writing in January 2022,

Gribbin said Putin had “shown a maturity of which we can only dream”.

He also criticised women, writing on the site’s message board: “Do you think you could work and pay for it all too like good citizens? Men pay 80 per cent of tax – women spend 80 per cent of tax revenue. On aggregate as a group you only take from society. Less complaining please from the ‘sponging gender’.”

A Reform UK spokesman said: “Through offence archaeology the BBC has found that Mr Gribbin has made a series of comments about a number of subjects.

“They were written with an eye to inconvenient perspectives and truths. That doesn’t make them endorsements, just arguing points in long distance debates.

“As for the feminism point, his tongue is so firmly in his cheek one should be able to spot it from 100 yards.”

The government led by Netanyahu has been under international pressure due to its actions in the region following the 7 October Hamas attacks.

At a BBC debate in Glasgow on Tuesday, Sarwar hit out at the Israeli prime minister’s actions after being challenged by a member of the audience.

Asked what a Labour government would do about Gaza if it wins the general election on 4 July, he said: “I’ve been to the Gaza Strip myself to deliver aid into the Gaza Strip before I became a politician, my views are well known.

“I believe in a two-state solution, I believe Benjamin Netanyahu is committing war crimes, I believe Hamas should be separated from the Palestinian people, I believe that we need an immediate ceasefire and immediate access to humanitarian aid.”

The Scottish Labour leader added that there needed also to be a “change of situation on the ground” for the benefit of the Palestinian and Israeli people.

Sarwar’s comments about the Israeli prime minister drew applause from sections of the audience.

Last week, the Labour Party pledged to recognise a Palestinian state if it wins on 4 July.

THE WATERMELON STRIKES BACK

Supporters of Israel stage a counterprotest in Aldwych, central London, last weekend as thousands of people marched in solidarity with Palestine calling for a ceasefire in Gaza

Arrest over suspected support for

A 43-year-old man has been arrested by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command over online posts allegedly related to the proscribed terrorist group Hamas, writes Lee Harpin.

Following a tip-off, counter terrorism officers arrested the male in west London on Wednesday 12 June on suspicion of showing support to a terrorist organisation, contrary to section 12 of the Terrorism Act, 2000.

He was taken into police custody and officers also carried out a search at an address in west London as part of the investigation.

The matter had been referred to specialist officers in the national Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit for initial assessment of the posts and the matter was then passed to detectives within the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command for further investigation.

Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism

terrorism

command, said: “Ever since the terrible attacks in Israel last October, and the subsequent conflict, there has been a significant increase in the amount of extremist and terrorist material being referred to us by the public.

“Each and every referral gets assessed by specialist officers and anything that is considered a potential terrorism offence here in the UK will get passed on for further investigation.

“From that investigation, if and where we find evidence of a crime being committed, then we’ll look to identify, arrest and bring the person responsible to justice.”

The man was subsequently released from police custody and has been bailed to a date in September, with enquiries ongoing.

• Anyone wishing to report extremist or terrorist content can do so online via: www.gov.uk/report-terrorism

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‘British Jews have a choice’

Constituency with highest proportion of Jewish voters o ers political snapshot

by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk @lmharpin

The result of voting in the Finchley and Golders Green constituency might not actually impact on the outcome of the forthcoming general election. But it will go some way to showing the community’s response to the way our main political parties have reacted to testing times for Anglo-Jewry.

The constituency has a higher proportion of Jewish voters than anywhere else in Britain – around 20 percent – and among them are some of the most politically engaged voices in the entire community.

But, more importantly, the result in the north London seat on 4 July will also provide a litmus test on the response from the community to both Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer and, indeed, Ed Davy’s claim to have our best interests at heart.

The quality of the candidates standing for election will obviously also be key. In a seat where Mike Freer had been MP since 2010, standing

down in the face of awful threats to his life, Alex Deane is stepping up for the Conservatives.

For Labour, local barrister Sarah Sackman, who ran against Freer as a close second in 2015, stands again, while Sarah Hoyle is standing for the Liberal Democrats.

Steve Parsons represents the Greens and Reform UK field Tim-

othy McGeever.

In 2019, it was the Lib Dems who mounted the main challenge to Freer, with the Jewish ex-Labour MP Luciana Berger standing as a result of her response to the antisemitism scandal under Jeremy Corbyn.

Freer held on to the seat with a 6,000 majority over Berger, although the combined Lib Dem and Labour vote would have easily eclipsed the Tory victor.

Ahead of the 2024 election, unless the Lib Dems dramatically increase their campaigning in the seat, it feels like a straight fight this time between Deane and Sackman.

“The great thing about this election is that British Jews have a choice,” opines Sackman. “Alex will present his credentials, but I think people can see I’m someone who is committed to public service and, as far as the Jewish community is concerned, standing up and being a strong voice for our community.”

Deane said that while he did not know Freer particularly well before he decided to stand, the worrying circumstances behind the MP’s decision to stand down left him convinced “the call had come to serve”.

While not Jewish, Deane stresses he is a strong Zionist. “I think there is something powerful about someone who is not Jewish being a voice for that community. Not just Mike, there’s Eric Pickles, there are people who have stood up over the years.”

Speaking to Jewish News, both Sackman and Deane were keen to stress they both stand for election as strong believers in democracy, and it was notable the Labour candidate has been just as outspoken in condemning the threats and intimidation directed at Freer over several years.

But there are significant political di erences between the pair.

“I think my experience does help me,” says Sackman, who grew up attending Norrice Lea Syna-

gogue, and who is now a New North London regular. “I’m local and qualified, both as a community campaigner and as a lawyer, and I think I am the best qualified person to represent all the diverse communities in Golders Green.”

She adds that, as a vice-chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, she has been “proud” to have witnessed the change that has engulfed Labour under Keir Starmer, in terms of the fight against antisemitism, and the “historic” victory by her party in Barnet at the 2020 local elections.

Deane, previously a director of the anti-state Big Brother Watch and the executive director of the pro-Brexit Grassroots Out group, describes his political stance as more of a “free

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market, lower tax person than

market, lower tax person than not just Mike, but also the prime minister”.

He adds: “That’s fine, there’s still room for me in the Tory Party. Think about the issues that matter in our patch though, Mike and I are as one on antisemitism, crime and anti-social behaviour.”

The Tory candidate has also been unafraid to pitch himself as someone proudly standing up for Jews in the climate of fear that has emerged since the 7 October terror attacks, but he has made claims that Labour is more on the side of those who take part in pro-Palestine marches.

Sackman is keen to come across as a candidate wanting to “build bridges” for the community, rather than stoke division.

In the event of a predicted overall win for Starmer’s party on 4 July, she adds: “I think people in Finchley and Golders Green have got a choice. You can have a Conservative back bencher shouting in the wind, or they can have me picking up the phone to Keir, to Wes, to Rachel, to David, saying this is how the community is feeling on a certain issue.”

Deane disagrees and suggests he will always be someone who makes himself heard, whether Sunak or Starmer are elected into No 10 next month.

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

Luciana Berger, Ross Houston and Mike Freer at the 2019 Finchley and Golders Green general election count

Lib Dem candidate Sarah Hoyle

On the Finchley trail: Alex Deane, left, with Robert Jenrick. Right: Sarah Sackman, centre, visits Akiva School

Hertsmere voters ‘worried about Labour on Israel’

by Lee Harpin

Deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden has raised concerns about the Labour Party position on Israel, while defending Rishi Sunak following his decision to leave D-Day commemoration events in Normandy early.

In an exclusive interview with Jewish News, Dowden, standing again as Conservative candidate in Hertsmere, said: "Whether it’s what David Lammy said about the ICC [International Criminal Court], or the story today about putting Palestinian statehood in the manifesto, or whether it’s the sort of language and tone around Diane Abbott … I think, yes, there is some worry there.”

Dowden said the community should expect to see the Tory manifesto again include a renewed attempt to ban local councils from engaging in Israel boycotts, despite the government’s failure to get the Economic Activity of Public Bodies bill passed in the last parliament.

The politician also played down claims that foreign secretary Lord Cameron had become too critical of Israel over the impact of military action in Gaza, adding that the cur-

rent government should be “judged by its actions” such as the decision to use British aircraft to intercept Iranian drones in the attack last April.

But first reflecting on the need for Sunak to issue an apology on Friday after he left the 80th anniversary D-Day ceremony early to return from France to the UK to record a TV interview set to go out next week, Dowden said the prime minister had been right to apologise over what had been a “genuine mistake".

Dowden added: “To be clear on this, I know from discussing it with the prime minister how passionately he cares about the sacrifice made by the D-Day veterans, something that I feel very strongly about as well. They fought for our freedom and our liberty and we should honour them.

“He was there for all the events involving British veterans. A decision was taken some time ago not to attend the international event. Now he says, with hindsight, that was a mistake and he’s apologised for it.

And I think that’s right.”

Dowden also accepted that the forthcoming election was taking

place during a “challenging” time for the party, but that he was “working hard” to secure votes in Hertsmere, where he has “always felt my values of hard work and aspiration are the values of the Jewish community” in the constituency.

He faces a challenge on 4 July from Jewish Labour candidate Josh Tapper, widely known after appearing on Gogglebox, who was previously narrowly defeated in the local election in the Edgwarebury ward.

Also standing in Hertsmere are Emma Matanale for the Liberal Democrats, Darren Selkus for Reform UK and John Humphries for the Greens.

Asked whether he found the prospect of being favourite to win the seat he has represented since 2015, at a time when there could well be a new Labour government, particularly daunting, he said that in terms of support for Sir Keir Starmer’s party: “I think there’s a few things giving people pause for thought in terms of both the local and national picture.”

Dowden continued: "Tax is coming up on the doorstep. I say to people if you think that a Labour

government is going to happen you had better start saving now.

“Because we already know the stu they are talking about, the things they’ve announced, but there’s plenty of things they haven’t ruled out. A pension tax, very clearly not ruled out."

A second issue he mentioned was the green belt, which he said was "a huge issue in Hertsmere".

"I was born and grew up in the green belt, I love walking and cycling and so on. Labour have got a clear policy which is to redesignate large chunks of the green belt as grey belt in order to build on it. ”

Then turning to Israel, Dowden claimed: “I was very pleased with what Keir Starmer said recently [during the live TV election debate] in terms of the conflict in Israel and Gaza. This is eight months to the day since those terrible events of 7 October.

“But I just see, and think constituents notice, whether it’s what David Lammy said about the ICC or the story about putting Palestinian statehood in the manifesto, precipi-

tously in my view. Or whether it’s in relation to the language and tone around Diane Abbott. I think there is some worry there.”

Dowden claimed that these doubts over Labour meant “there is everything to fight for” although ahead of the July 4 poll he admitted “of course it’s a challenging election”. But he added that he was a “participant in this election” and that others could “commentate” on the state of the polls.

“My job is to win every vote I can in Hertsmere, and nationally, because I believe every vote for a Conservative means I’ll be returned as a strong voice for the Jewish community as you know I always have been,” he added.

But the former Tory Party chair, twice also elected as chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Jews, said that while it was “great” that so many Jewish young families wished to live in Hertsmere, he believed that the community was not in favour of development in green belt areas such as Woodstock Hill.

“I think the answer in building new houses is not to build on the greenbelt. If you take Borehamwood, for example, where there’s a large and growing Jewish community, I don’t want us to build on Woodcock Hill or in any of those areas. I don’t think the Jewish community wants us to either.

“ What we can do around stations, for example, is to make sure we have a greater density of housing, it makes sense for those areas to expand.

“But I think if we went after the green belt we would destroy the very thing that makes it attractive for familes to come here in the first place. You are surrounded by big fields, you have got a growing Jewish community, I don’t think we should put that in peril.”

MORE THAN 20 JN ELECTION HUSTINGS NATIONWIDE

The community is to get its chance to judge local general election candidates from all the main parties at more than 20 Jewish hustings taking place ahead of the big day on 4 July.

Jewish News is media partner for the debates taking place across London, in Hertsmere, Manchester, Leeds and Scotland, which will allow audiences to put

questions on issues that concern them to the main candidates.

The hustings, backed by the Jewish Leadership Council, Board of Deputies and London Jewish Forum and Jewish Representative Council of Manchester and the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, with the support from the Community Security Trust, are

taking place in all the main communal hubs, including seats in Barnet and in Bury and Altrincham in Greater Manchester.

So far 23 hustings have been confirmed, but there is a probably chance of this list increasing as more candidates commit to taking part, including seats such as Chingford and Woodford Green, and Chipping Barnet.

The first hustings took place on Monday evening in Leeds North East.

At that event, KC Simon Myerson chaired a debate. Hornsey and Wood Green, in north London, is the seat for the next Jewish community hustings on 16 June.

Jewish News intends to report from several of the hustings in the run-up to the election.

Hertsmere’s Conservative candidate Dowden at the Western Wall

Oliver Dowden with Chief Rabbi Mirvis at a hostage vigil in Borehamwood in December

A Jewish community hustings event

tously in my view. Or whether

The friends who are leaving parliament

Among the 134 MPs who are stepping down are big supporters of the community and of Israel. Jenni Frazer waves them o

Some 134 members of parliament have said they will not seek re-election on 4 July. Among the 78 Conservative and 33 Labour MPs who are leaving Westminster are supporters and friends of Israel, many of whom have spoken in Commons debates, or have visited the country on supportive missions with the Conservative or Labour ‘Friends of Israel’ groups.

Labour is losing LFI’s chair in parliament, Steve McCabe, who is standing down from his Birmingham Selly Oak seat, which he has held since 2010. He was previously MP for the adjoining seat of Birmingham Hall Green from 1997 to 2010.

Since 7 October 2023, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the local group Palestine Solidarity Selly Oak have organised protests outside his surgeries, calling on him to engage with constituents’ views e ectively or resign.

LFI director Michael Rubin said: “We want to say a huge thank you to Steve McCabe as he announces he is standing down as MP for Birmingham Selly Oak. In his four years as LFI chair, Steve has played a key role in returning the Labour Party to its historic position of support for Israel and a two-state solution. In good times and bad, Steve has been a staunch ally of the UK’s Jewish community, including in the fight against antisemitism within Labour.

“He has also tirelessly championed the cause of freedom for the Iranian people. Parliament will be poorer without him.”

Another big name leaving is the Jewish Labour veteran Dame Margaret Hodge, who was MP in Barking from 1994 to 2024. During the Corbyn years she became one of the most vociferous critics of antisemitism in the party, and had a well-publicised clash with then leader Jeremy Corbyn, in which she accused him directly of antisemitism. He always denied the charge. Despite seeking help from the Jewish community in 2010 when she saw o a seat challenge from the British National Party leader Nick Gri n, Dame Margaret famously declared it was “Jeremy Corbyn who made me a Jew”.

Other Labour supporters of the community and Israel who are not standing again are Wayne David, Rosie Winterton, Jon Spellar, Kevan Jones and George Howarth.

David held Caerphilly before and after boundary changes in that constituency, representing the area from 1994 to 2024. He has been closely involved with LFI.

Rosie Winterton — properly Dame Rosie — held Doncaster Central for Labour from 1994 to 2024 and was one of the voices frequently heard speaking out against antisemitism in the party. She was involved with LFI, as was John Spellar, who was MP for Warley, formerly Warley West, from 1992 to 2024. Previously he

represented Birmingham Northfield from 1982 to 1983; and he served as vice-chair of LFI.

Kevan Jones is vacating the North Durham seat which he held from 2001 to 2024, and George Howarth, a member of Labour’s national executive committee, was first voted in in a byelection in 1986, initially as the MP for Knowsley North (until 1997) and then Knowsley North and Sefton East (1997–2010). After boundary changes Sir George, as he became, served as Knowsley MP until 2024.

Many of the foregoing have decided to step down after long years in the Westminster battleground. That’s not the case with all of those “friends” on the Conservative side. In all, 78 Tories announced they are standing down. Outgoing “friends” of Israel and the Jewish community include former prime minister Theresa May and former ministers and “big beasts” such as Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid, Nadhim Zahawi, and Michael Gove.

Their reasons for departing are complex: some, like Sajid Javid and Nadhim Zahawi, might have expected to lose their seats. Javid, both a former home secretary and chancellor, sat for Bromsgrove in the West Midlands from 2010 to 2024. His appointment as home secretary was welcomed by the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council.

In 2015, when he was secretary of state for communities and local government, Javid wrote to all local council leaders to ask them to adopt the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism. That same year, addressing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s annual dinner, he condemned “dinner party antisemites” and said: “I can’t remember the last time I spoke to a Jewish friend or colleague who hasn’t, at some point, found themselves sitting awkwardly at a dinner party while a fellow guest railed against the international ‘kosher conspiracy’”.

Zahawi, also a former Conservative chancellor, has represented Stratford on Avon since 2010. He has made many appearances at Jewish communal events.

Jonathan Djanogly, who is Jewish, might

have stayed in parliament but was felled by boundary changes in his Huntingdon constituency. He failed to secure automatic re-adoption as a candidate in a new seat.

Andrew Percy, the maverick Conservative who represented Brigg and Goole from 2010 to 2024, is another who faced di culties as the boundaries of his constituency were redrawn. Percy, who converted to Judaism in 2017 and was outspoken on behalf of Israel and the Jewish community in the Commons, became vice-chair of the Conservative Friends of Israel and a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Jews. Described as one of the Tories’ “most rebellious MPs”, he has voted with Labour on various key issues such as loan sharks, student tuition fees, and other education issues. He has defended Israel’s actions against Hamas, saying “Israel acts as we would”.

Also bowing out is barrister Sir Michael Ellis, who was part of the 2010 intake of MPs when he won Northampton North. He was attorneygeneral for a brief month under Prime Minister Liz Truss, before being dismissed by Rishi Sunak. Sir Michael was recently vociferous in parliament about South Africa’s moves against Israel in the International Criminal Court.

Another politician who is calling it a day is Rob Halfon, MP for Harlow 2010-24 and a former political director of the CFI. He has said that one of the three things that motivate him in politics is “unashamed support for the state of Israel as the only real democracy and progressive force in the Middle East”, adding: “I have always been very supportive of Israel. I have been to Israel many times for work and family, especially now that my father, who has become more Orthodox, lives in Jerusalem. I talk a lot about Israel in the Commons.”

But Halfon, a familiar figure in parliament because of his use of crutches due to osteoarthritis, was engaged in an unseemly row with the Board of Deputies in 2020 when he accused it of having a “left-of-centre political agenda”, and complaining that the Board had failed “to wish prime minister Boris Johnson

a good recovery” from his Covid infection, an allegation which turned out to be untrue.

In Barnet, home to the UK’s largest Jewish community, two Conservative MPs are quitting: Matthew O ord in Hendon and Mike Freer in Finchley and Golders Green. O ord entered the Commons in 2010, beating Labour’s Andrew Dismore by just 106 votes. He is a CFI o cer.

Mike Freer has been an outspoken friend of the community and Israel, who was forced into standing down after sustained abuse and an aborted attempt on his life by the man who went on to kill MP David Amess. Freer, another member of the 2010 intake, was a popular and active figure in Finchley and Golders Green.

Perhaps the biggest loss for the Conservatives is that of levelling up secretary Michael Gove, who in the last days of the Sunak government delivered a hard-hitting speech on antisemitism at JW3. Gove, MP for Surrey Heath since 2005, is a former journalist who has spoken of his admiration for Israel and Zionism and his scorn for antisemites.

Also on the “departing friends” list are Sir Brandon Lewis in Great Yarmouth and John Howell in Henley.

But neither Michael Rubin, director of Labour Friends of Israel, nor his opposite number at CFI, James Gurd, was too downhearted at the losses. Both pointed to potential new parliamentary friends.

Labour has picked Josh Simons, director of the think tank Labour Together, to stand in Makerfield, between Wigan and St Helens; Luke Akehurst, director of We Believe In Israel, is fighting to win North Durham; Georgia Gould, leader of Camden Council since 2017, is running in the new seat of Queens Park and Maida Vale. David Pinto Duschinsky and Sarah Sackman are strong prospects for Hendon and Finchley and Golders Green respectively.

At least six Conservative candidates have been to Israel on CFI missions since October, including Katy Lam, Alexander Clarkson, Ben Obese-Jecty and Bradley Thomas.

From Left: Dame Margaret Hodge, Steve McCabe, Michael Gove, Andrew Percy, Rob Halfon. Matthew Offord, Mike Freer

A Beacon of Hope in Times of War

DINE AND WINE WITH SONGS FROM THE MUSICALS

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Pro-Palestine yobs vandalise Barclays

Twenty branches of Barclays Bank were vandalised this week, including one in St John’s Wood, as part of a coordinated campaign by pro-Palestine activists, writes Lee Harpin.

Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the violent action, during which the windows of the Barclays branch in Bristol’s Broadmead district were completely smashed.

In Edinburgh, rocks were thrown through windows, inscribed with the names of Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas war.

Westminster Conservative councillor Alan Mendoza posted on X/Twitter: “Disgraceful scenes across the country, and I am sorry to say in St John’s Wood, as pro-Palestine activists vandalise Barclays

branches. This crime wave must be brought to a close and arrests made immediately.”

Shut the System, a recentlylaunched underground climate movement, partnered with Palestine Action’s underground division to launch the attacks, both activist groups confirmed. The groups said they were carried out to “demand the bank divests from Israel’s weapons trade and fossil fuels”.

A spokesperson for Palestine Action said: “This latest action marks a significant escalation in activist tactics. Up until now, most groups have relied on peaceful demonstrations and open engagement with sta and managers.

“Now this has proven futile,

groups like Palestine Action and Shut the System are escalating matters. Palestine Action aims to halt the Palestinian genocide by undermining suppliers of weapons to the Israeli military, including Elbit Systems, along with financial companies involved with these weapons suppliers.”

Lord Walney, who has advised the government on extremism, posted on X/Twitter: “Extreme protest group Palestine Action is today claiming to have targeted ‘around 20’ branches of Barclays Bank – their criminal sabotage is evident today.

“Currently, they freely advertise training days to instruct activists on criminal acts.”

Barclays said it provides “vital

financial services” to US, UK and European firms that supply defence products to Nato and its allies but that it “does not directly invest in these companies”.

The bank said it supported “the right to protest” but urged campaigners to “do so in a way which respects our customers, colleagues and property”.

Boris Johnson faced widespread criticism after branding the leader of the Labour Party “Sir Keir Schnorrer” in his weekly newspaper column.

ITV presenter and political editor Robert Peston reacted angrily to what he said was a “pretty o ensive” use of the Yiddish word for beggar and scrounger to mount an attack on Starmer in his Daily Mail column.

Peston wrote on X/Twitter: “‘Schnorrer’ is the Yiddish word for beggar and scrounger. It is pretty o ensive. It was part of the lingua franca of my grandparents and of my childhood. I find it unsettling to see Johnson appropriating it to describe someone whose wife is Jewish”.

The Jewish presenter pointed to the former prime minister’s claim in the article when he says “if Schnorrer gets in, he will immediately begin the process of

robbing this country of its newfound independence and make the UK the punk of the EU”.

Peston asked his followers on social media if he was being oversensitive, but his concern was widely shared.

Jewish News and Sunday Times columnist Josh Glancy said: “Don’t bring the Yiddish unless you know what you are doing. Johnson misapplies the word schnorrer in an attempt to sound vivid and clever.

“Schnorrer means someone who is stingy or a beggar. It does not mean a trickster or a liar. What a shmendrik.”

Tory peer and commentator Danny Finklestein said: “I can’t imagine what on earth persuaded either Boris Johnson or the Mail to think this was acceptable in any way.”

Johnson has been outspoken in support for the Jewish community, and of Israel, joining the national demonstration against antisemitism in central London last November.

Johnson stepped down as a MP last June after accusing a Commons investigation into whether he misled Parliament over partygate of attempting to “drive me out”. But as a Conservative shadow minister, Johnson had faced criticism of a book he wrote that described “Jewish oligarchs” who run the media, and fiddled the figures to fix elections in their favour.

EL AL AND VIRGIN ATLANTIC SIGN DEAL

Israel’s national airline El Al has announced a codeshare and loyalty club-sharing scheme with British airline Virgin Atlantic.

The agreements were signed during the International Air Transport Association annual general meeting in Dubai, attended by El Al chief executive o cer Dina Ben Tal Ganancia and Virgin Atlantic chief executive o cer Shai Weiss.

The partnership gives passengers greater flexibility on the Tel Aviv-London (Heathrow) route. The El Al code (LY) will be added to Virgin Atlantic-operated flights, while the Virgin Atlantic code (VS) will be added to El Al-operated flights on this route.

Additionally, members of El Al’s Matmid Frequent Flyer Club

and Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club will benefit from reciprocal loyalty rewards. Points can be accumulated and redeemed on flights operated by both airlines, not just on the London-Tel Aviv route, o ering greater value and earning potential for frequent flyers.

Shlomi Zafrany, vice president of El Al’s commercial and aviation relations, said: “The new agreement enhances our o erings on the highly sought-after Tel AvivLondon route and extends valuable benefits across the entire Virgin Atlantic network. El Al remains dedicated to forging strong partnerships with leading airlines and expanding our service reach.”

The St John’s Wood branch of Barclays Bank after the attacks

Golders Green kosher supermarket knife attacker avoids jail sentence

A man who brandished a knife outside kosher supermarket in Golders Green and shouted antisemitic abuse at staff in a terrifying incident that shocked the community has avoided prison, reports claim, writes Lee Harpin.

Gabriel Abdullah, 34, was arrested on 29 January, minutes after he attempted to make his way inside Kay’s kosher supermarket on Hamilton Road, waving a knife and threatening staff inside, asking them for their view on events in Gaza.

Police later praised the bravery of shop staff and members of the public who intervened and thanked Shomrim for its invention after it was alerted to the attack.

Abdullah, who lives in Golders Green,

had pleaded guilty to causing affray and being in possession of a knife in February, when it emerged that police had amended hate crime charges originally planned for him.

But it has now emerged that after appearing at Harrow Crown Court, Abdullah was handed two concurrent suspended sentences for the crime, along with a nine-month alcohol treatment requirement.

Yosef Reitman, one of those to bravely intervene and prevent Abdullah carrying out an attack, said the decision not to send Abdullah to prison left him shocked.

In a statement he told GB News: “When I first heard about the suspended sentence I was utterly surprised. The

fact he was basically out threatening a bunch of people is crazy.”

Reitman said he planned to ask for an appeal and described the sentence as “way too lenient”.

GB News reported on Tuesday that rather than being sent to jail, the judge sentenced Abdullah to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 12 months imprisonment, again suspended for two years.

Alongside the alcohol treatment, he was also ordered to complete a 30-day rehab requirement. At an earlier trial Matthew Ness, Abdullah’s barrister, told the court he had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia before the incident, which he reportedly tried to selfmedicate with alcohol.

‘Don’t forget the hostages,’ former ambassador urges

The former Israeli ambassador to France urged a capacity auditorium at the north London community hub JW3 not to forget the hostages.

Daniel Shek, head of diplomacy at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, was speaking alongside the families of three current and former Israeli hostages in Gaza. They included Noam Sagi, whose 75-year-old mother Ada, abducted from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October, was released in November.

The event, which was organised with the European Leadership Network (ELNET UK), welcomed 300 people to hear Shek tell guests about the ongoing campaign to secure the release of the hostages and the work they have done to lobby governments

around the world – as well as in Israel – to support their cause.

The evening took place soon after the Israel Defence Forces confirmed the deaths of four further Israeli hostages in

Hamas custody, including British-Israeli national Nadav Popplewell. Shek asked the audience not to miss a moment to raise their cause, warning those assembled that the greatest danger to the hostages after Hamas itself was forgetfulness.

ELNET UK chief executive officer Joan Ryan told guests the strong turnout, following the 40,000 people who rallied in support of the hostages outside Downing Street, was a demonstration of the UK community’s ongoing and unwavering support for the hostages and their families.

INTERFAITH FOOTIE BUILDING BRIDGES

Thirty boys from three single-faith schools came together for the first time to play football at Arsenal Emirates Stadium.

Students from Hasmonean Boys School joined those from the AlKhoei Shia School and Maria Fidelis Catholic School earlier this month in an initiative organised by Faith Forum for London to build bridges.

For both the Jewish and Muslim schools, in particular, the path to this interfaith day was not an easy one.

Parents were initially concerned the politics from the war in Gaza would create division between students.

Instead the group of 13, 14 and 15 year-olds sweated through a twohour football practice with Arsenal coaches, before sharing a kosher and halal lunch, and a stadium tour. They met with Jewish professional footballer, Dean Furman, who advised

them on how to combat hate crime on and off the pitch and Riz Rehman, who is leading the Faith and Football initiative at the Professional Footballers’ Association.

Aliya Azam, head of science at Al-Sadiq and Al-Zahra Schools, and one of the organisers of the day, said: “Playing together is a great way to break down barriers. It opens the door to a deeper understanding for our students of their Jewish and Christian peers.”

Former ambassador Daniel Shek at the JW3 event

Jewish, Christian and Muslim boys

Gabriel Abdullah brandishes a knife in Golders Green

Ivy House School thrives as a distinguished co-educational and non-denominational school in Hampstead for children aged 2 to 11.

www.ivyhouseschool.co.uk

Chief Rabbi visits 7/10 memorial in Brighton

The Chief Rabbi spoke of his “awe” as he attended a memorial in Brighton and Hove’s Palmeira Square to the 1,200 people murdered in Israel on 7 October, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Sir Ephraim Mirvis expressed admiration for the volunteers who created the memorial and who each night perform a service dedicated to a victim of the Hamas massacre.

He said: “Let the world know and let the world internalise this message and be aware of the suffering of the Jewish people as victims on that horrific day. And that explains our determination to do whatever we can in order to bring the hostages home.”

The memorial was set up on 7 November, a month after the attacks. It has been vandalised 20 times since then but Jewish and non-Jewish volunteers have rebuilt each

time. Victims were from 33 countries and more than a dozen were from the UK.

Adam Ma’anit, who lives locally and whose 18-yearold relative Ma’ayan Idan was killed on 7 October, said: “Ma’ayan just turned 18. The balloons from her birthday party were still up in the house.

“When the terrorists came into the house she tried

will return home soon. The ribbons are part of a Yellow Ribbon campaign to raise the profile of the hostages and particularly the six captives with British connections.

to help her dad hold on to the door. But they shot her in the head and she died in his arms. Her father, Tsachi, was dragged away by the terrorists with the blood of his first-born daughter still on his hands and clothes as he desperately tried to save her life.”

Lady Mirvis tied a yellow ribbon around a tree to symbolise the continuing wait and the wish that the hostages

The ribbons tied last Sunday were vandalised the next day with graffiti that referenced a far-right website.

Ma’anit said of the memorial: “I can’t tell you how much it means to me and my family. I tell them how many people come out and how many care about the hostages and the victims. You care. You do things in your own lives. You keep the memory of the hostages and the victims alive.”

BRIGHT DAYS AHEAD

A historic synagogue in Brighton has appointed a lottery-funded team to help sustainably plan for its future.

Middle Street Synagogue, designed by the distinguished Victorian architect Thomas Lainson, was opened in 1875 and has been described as the jewel in the crown of the Jewish community of the south coast. It has been closed for worship for 20 years.

The appointments were made possible with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Architectural Heritage Fund and Pilgrim Trust.

Architecture practice Purcell and specialists Cultural Consulting Network will work on the project, managed by the Foundation for Jewish Heritage, until December. The team will hope to give Brighton & Hove Hebrew Congregation a road-map to reopening the building.

STUDENT PARIS RIDE

A team of eight is setting out to cycle from London to Paris to raise funds for the 9,000 Jewish students across the UK and Ireland.

Union of Jewish Students president Edward Isaacs, chair of trustees Daniel Dangoor and six friends of UJS – Adam Joseph, Adam Wilkinson-Hill, Brent Mallows, Harvey Kaye, Manu Mazzoni and Oli Gee –are due to take part.

Dangoor said: “Jewish students have shown tremendous resilience in the face of a tough year on campus. Out of solidarity, we’re challenging ourselves to ride from London to Paris in a day to raise money to continue the amazing work UJS is doing to support them. ” Isaacs said: “I’m very proud to be raising funds to support Jewish students as my time at UJS comes to an end.”

Aliyah: Building Dreams

The memorial in Palmeira Square and (inset) the Chief’s visit

Middle Street Synagogue

Times article backlash

Two journalists who wrote a newspaper article questioning the validity of rape accusations during the atrocities of 7 October have been accused of “exploiting” those they interviewed for the piece, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

On 7 June, The Times published an article by its world a airs editor Catherine Philp and journalist Gabrielle Weiniger, asking: ‘Israel says Hamas weaponised rape. Does the evidence add up?’ The piece alleges “insucient evidence that Hamas intentionally and systematically used rape as a weapon of war”.

Referring to 7 October, it states:

“Perhaps nothing arising from that day had been more contentious than Israel’s assertion that Hamas had not only burned and slaughtered its way through Israeli communities along the Gaza border, killing 1,200 and taking more than 200 hostages but that it planned and carried out a campaign of mass and systematic rape as a weapon of war.”

It claims for “specific survivors, the only reason they told their story was because they wanted political pressure on the Israeli government to work harder to release the hostages”.

It quotes Dr Sarai Aharoni, head of Ben Gurion University’s gender studies programme, saying the collective trauma of eastern European Jews, “in which thousands of Jews were killed and Jewish women raped by Christian soldiers and antisemitic mobs”, meant “historical memories” would “come to play a role in the reporting” of the 7 October events.

It also states: “Talk of rape began circulating almost before the massacres were over” and that, according to Pramila Patten, the UN secretarygeneral’s special representative on sexual violence, “much of it came from “non-professionals”, who supplied “inaccurate and unreliable forensic interpretations” .

Also criticised are the first volunteer responders from Orthodox organisation Zaka, whose reports of discovering rape victims were called into question because of their “lack of familiarity with the women’s bodies ... and their tendency to focus on injuries they believed pointed to sexual violence... ignoring other injuries”.

The report quotes Orit Sulitzeanu, executive director of Israel’s ARCCI (Association of Rape Crisis Centres)

saying: “They are all religious guys; most of them are ultra-religious. They never saw a woman except their wife” and that “Aharoni and others are struck by how closely the Zaka accounts cleaved to stories about the horrors of the pogroms”.

Three main contributors to the article, who were quoted in detail, have since criticised the piece for its

“cynical exploitation”. A statement signed by professor Ruth HalperinKaddari, (former vice-president of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, Aharoni, and Sulitzeanu was widely shared across social media.

It claims the article “misrepresented our words, twisting them to convey the impression that we sup-

port the prejudiced argument that claims of sexual violence are being manipulated by Israel. The article aims to discredit and gaslight the victims of heinous acts of sexual violence... Only selective excerpts were used, taken out of context to serve the article’s agenda.”

The Times said it was “aware of a complaint and is investigating”.

The main contributors to the Times’ article say it ‘misrepresented’ their words

Catherine Philps

Gabrielle Sivia Weiniger

‘Misconduct’ rabbi keeps job

A student rabbi at a leading Masorti synagogue will remain in post, despite an internal inquiry finding them guilty of serious misconduct for branding Israeli politicians “war criminals”, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Lara Haft Yom-Tov, who asks to be referenced using they/them pronouns, is a community rabbi and Jewish educator at the 3,700member New North London Synagogue (NNLS) in Finchley.

Yom-Tov was placed under internal investigation for calling Israeli politicians “war criminals who have forced Palestinian families to flee their homes” in Let All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat, an alternative Haggadah supplement.

In a message sent to its membership on Saturday, hours before an emergency meeting, the rabbis, chief executive o cers and council of NNLS updated the community on the outcome of Yom-Tov’s disciplinary process: “We are conscious lots of people won’t see this ahead of the meeting tomorrow morning so we will start the EGM with this statement. The council has voted unanimously not to dismiss Rabbi Lara. The disciplinary process did, however, lead to a finding of serious

misconduct. Rabbi Lara still has the option to appeal the decision. Until this process is concluded, the council, senior leadership, and Rabbis are not able to make further comments on the disciplinary process. Further communications will follow in due course.”

NNLS Senior Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg added that he was “conscious of the deep hurt experienced by many as a result of the publication by Rabbi Lara Haft Yom-Tov’s of an article in a Haggadah supplement”.

He continued: “I respect that hurt, especially when felt by those with close ties with the families of hostages, friends and relatives killed or injured, and soldiers risking their lives. It is not my role to be detailed; the synagogue has followed its relevant processes and will share its findings as appropriate.

“I’m aware of Rabbi Lara’s deep personal ties with Israel and with friends wounded both physically and emotionally. I appreciate, alongside many others, the energy Rabbi Lara has bought to the rabbinic team, and value Rabbi Lara’s knowledge and enthusiasm which have inspired lots of people. It is not the Jewish way to ignore such a public apology. Instead, one looks to what follows.”

Acknowledging that he and “all our leadership team bear responsibility and have much to learn”, Rabbi Wittenburg asks: “How do we guide and support new rabbis and leaders? How do we ensure that what enters the public domain has been appropriately reviewed by others, without being unjustly censored? How do we teach, in light of our values? How do we hear and heed the di erent, often contradictory, views among our members, and build strength, rather than divisive discord, out of our diversity?” He appears to then ask the community to grant Yom Tov teshuvah, or forgiveness, in order to embark on “the path to healing”. Speaking to Jewish News, NNLS member Simon Eder, while unable

to publicly comment on Sunday’s meeting, said: “Student Rabbi Lara’s recent article, which accused Israeli politicians of war crimes and deliberately instigating famine in Gaza, breaches the very ethos of the community with its commitment to Zionism and quest for truth.

“The language draws from extreme anti-Zionist rhetoric and is not only a distortion of the truth but shows a blatant disregard for the complexities of the region and the challenges faced by Israel.

“What is perhaps worse, is the way that both the rabbinic and lay leadership have sought to brush the issues arising from the Hagaddah’s publication under the carpet.

Another member of NNLS told Jewish News: “‘Rabbi Lara is respected and loved by many, especially young people, but equally by members of all ages. Some shul members have been extremely vocal in their criticism but there are hundreds, including myself, who feel very di erently.

“There is a much wider spectrum of views on Israel than is perhaps generally acknowledged and this flashpoint is part of a growing current surging through many communal organisations.”

George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain is not fielding a candidate in Finchley and Golders Green after concerns were raised about a proposed candidate who shared an antisemitic caricature about the festival of Passover.

Final nominations for the north London seat confirm that Mez Roth (Derak), who was initially listed as standing in the seat, has now not been o cially registered. Jewish News last week reported on a 2019 social media post, which showed he had shared The Story of Passover image and article, which claimed the festival’s meaning was one in which “God Kills A Bunch Of Babies, Except The Jewish Ones” and “the celebration of the mass murder of children”.

The Who Can I Vote For? election website confirmed eight candidates are standing on 4 July in the country’s most Jewish constituency –Alex Deane, Conservative, Brendan Donnelly, Rejoin EU, Sarah Hoyle, Lib Dem, Katherine Murphy, Party of Women, Steve Parsons, Green, Giuseppe Pezzulli, Reform UK, Sarah Sackman, Labour, and Michael Shad, independent.

Rosh Pinah

Sunday 7th July 2024

Primary School

Rabbi Lara Haft Yom-Tov called Israeli politicians ‘war criminals’

Thrilling win for Israel’s Guy

Israel’s Guy Sasson won his first Grand Slam tennis title on his debut at the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, beating Sam Schroder 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7) for the Quad Wheelchair Singles title, writes Jenni Frazer.

A thrilled crowd broke into cheers as Sasson, 44, dedicated his win to the four rescued Israeli hostages and roared “Am Yisrael chai”.

Sasson’s win is all the more remarkable as he was able-bodied until a winter sports accident in 2015 left him partially disabled.

Wheelchair tennis has been a part of all four Grand Slams since 2007 and at the Summer Paralympics. There are two divisions – open and quads. Quads is for players who use wheelchairs and also have loss of function in at least one upper limb.

Now Sasson is looking forward to making his Wimbledon debut, speaking of it as “a dream come true” to play on the famous grass courts. He and his doctor wife and four children, aged five, eight, 11 and 13, are currently living in Houston, Texas, as she takes specialist medical training.

He hopes very much to bring the family to Wimbledon, where he will play doubles with the British wheel-

chair quad athlete Andy Lapthorne.

Ranked number three in the world for both singles and doubles quad playing before his Roland Garros win, Sasson was pipped to the post last month by Sam Schroder in the Australian Open final. His Paris victory over Schroder was all the sweeter.

Sasson told Jewish News he was incredibly grateful for the Australian support and hoped very much that British Jews would come to watch him play in the UK – first at Roehampton, in the warm-up for Wim-

bledon, on 3-5 July, and then at Wimbledon itself from 10 July.

Sasson grew up in Ramat Gan, served in the Israel Defence Forces, attended the University of Michigan, and went into business, particularly in real estate and property management. He became a wheelchair user in 2015, after falling off a cliff while snowboarding in France. He told JNS news service that “they flew me to Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel, I had major surgery on my spine and hand, and the doctors told me I won’t walk

again”. After a year in rehab, Sasson walked out – “with braces and canes.”

Keen to stay active, he contacted the Israel ParaSport Centre in Ramat Gan. After seeing the tennis facilities and learning that Ofri Lankri, a professional tennis player who played on Israel’s 2014 Fed Cup team, would be serving as a coach, Sasson, who played tennis as a child, became interested. He started slowly and without sharing the news with others. “At first, I didn’t tell anyone, not even my wife.”

Now Sasson is on top of the world

and is thrilled to be making his first London appearance. And then he is headed back to Paris for the Paralympics later in the summer.

Now that Guy Sasson has become the first Israeli to win a tennis Grand Slam there is the opportunity to cheer him on in the UK. He is playing in Roehampton on 3-5 July and then in Wimbledon from 10 July and hopes many people will turn up to watch.

BIBI TO ADDRESS CONGRESS

Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of the US Congress on 24 July, his fourth time appearing before the legislative body.

The Netanyahu speech, coming against the backdrop of the IsraelHamas war, is meant to demonstrate US support for Israel at a time when the Jewish state has come under widespread criticism for its military campaign and Netanyahu faces a possible arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.

Netanyahu will visit US

“We look forward to hearing the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement.

The announcement last Thursday of the

date comes at a time of uncertainty in the war, as Hamas weighs up a ceasefire proposal by the US and Israel that would pause the fighting for at least six weeks and could lead to the end of the war.

It also comes at a tense political time in Israel: former defence minister Benny Gantz, whose centrist party joined Netanyahu’s government at the war’s outset, has quit.

A significant number of Democrats have lambasted Netanyahu and called for a ceasefire in the war. In a speech earlier this year, Senate Democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer, long one of Israel’s most stalwart backers, called for new elections in Israel and for Netanyahu’s government to be replaced..

IRISH PREMIER MEETS ENVOY

Irish premier Simon Harris has met the Palestinian ambassador after Ireland made the move to recognise a Palestinian state in the wake of 7 October.

Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid’s visit last week to Government Buildings in Dublin marks the first time a Palestinian ambassador has been formally received in the Taoise ach’s office.

During the meeting, Dr Abdalmajid thanked Harris and the Irish people for the recognition, and said it was a source of strength and hope for the people of Palestine. She briefed the Taoiseach on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and the urgent need for more food and aid.

They spoke about efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages, after a three-phase proposal was announced by US President Joe Biden.

The Taoiseach said the onus was now on all parties to “stretch themselves” and to engage, despite any internal pressures.

Ireland’s recognition, made as part of a joint diplomatic move with Spain and Norway, is based on the 1967 borders. Slovenia also recognised Palestinian statehood this week, after its parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of it. Harris has said work would continue with other nations towards a two-state solution.

Jilan Abdalmajid and Simon Harris

Guy Sasson on his way to the Quad Wheelchair Singles title in Paris Sasson with opponent Sam Schroder at Roland Garros

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

NEWS

Take hostages and you risk being shot

Continued from page 1 of course, a secondary moral question swirling around Israel’s daring rescue operation: the awkward fact that some in the local Gazan community seem to be totally fine with hosting ‘guests’ who are, in fact, hostages – and who are therefore placing themselves directly and ethically in the line of fire.

As a headline on the satirical website Babylon Bee put it: “Palestinian researchers discover startling correlation between holding hostages in your home and people shooting you.” The people of Gaza, whether they choose to admit it or not, are also victims of Hamas.

It was Israel’s solemn duty to rescue its people from the grip of terrorists the moment the opportunity presented itself, while taking every possible precaution to protect its soldiers. A viral Facebook post scathingly responded to those who criticised the raid’s tactics: “You don’t get to choose how we rescue our hostages.”

Israel said about 100 Gazans had been killed during the operation. Hamas, in contrast, claimed – within hours – that the number had been 270. Many mainstream media outlets eagerly reported Hamas’ figure, in the same way they have been relaying information from the so-called Gazan Health Ministry for months: treating it with the same credulity as if it were the NHS.

Every single loss of life in this conflict is an unspeakable tragedy. But it is crucial to speak first about its root cause: Hamas’ disregard for Palestinian lives and its thirst for Jewish blood.

Thank you to the IDF, and wishing long life to the family of Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora, who died while rescuing the hostages.

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Get on board, Gary!

Gary Mond, chairman of the unelected National Jewish Assembly, has had it in for the wholly democraticallyelected Board of Deputies since he left.

He is clearly annoyed that most of the newly-elected Board is, as he suggests, on the left of British politics, whereas his unelected board seems to be, with one exception, United Synagogue members (nothing wrong with that of course. Some of my best friends....) and on the right of British politics. That’s fine too, of course, but I do

wonder what politicians and government officials make of a community under the cosh that has a self-selecting body rubbishing the Board, which has represented us for more than two centuries.

I don’t know that that will incline them to take us seriously, or rather tell us to get our house in order, then come back.

As to the next government, can I suggest there be little doubt that it will continue the policies of the current one in supporting our community?

Barry Hyman, Bushey Heath

CAPTORS AND CAPTIVES

It is perplexing to read that the Board of Deputies is representative of the views of the majority of UK Jews. How can this be justified when others, such as myself, and cohorts (seniors, etc) and non-Labour voters don’t align with its views?

Any political party fighting this election is, as has been shown particularly by Starmer, trying to spread its message far and wide to incorporate as much of the electorate as possible to ensure a sweeping victory.

Labour is now insisting on a Palestinian state, despite at the moment there being no end in sight of a ceasefire or the return of hostages. This is very concerning, not just for Israel but for the security of our community, which is already experiencing unprecedented attacks, and many of us in the community feel let down and unsupported by such institutions. Indeed, I have on several occasions written to the Board about the vitriol and exponential rise in antisemitism, but never received a response.

We as a community appear woefully weak and lacking in any cohesive effort to unite across the Jewish divide or speak with a strong and determined voice. It is now time to take a much stronger stance and look far more inward to support each other.

Daphne Bland, NW11

Your editorial leader of 30 May quite rightly attacked the shameful, shameless decision by Norway, Ireland, Spain and now Slovenia to recognise Palestine as a state. We should “drill down“ a little more here.

All of these states are left-leaning. It is time Jews in the UK (and moreover in the United States) realise that the state of Israel and Jews generally should align with centreright governments rather than leftwing leaning governments that are bending over backwards to appease Palestinian terrorism and do nothing about antisemitism in their countries.

While of course we must be careful, it seems that even the rightwing populist parties across Europe are defending the right of Israel to exist and condemning antisemitism (not least from Islamic attacks), far more than their left-wing opponents. Howard Ricklow, Notting Hill

We are constantly being told that ordinary Palestinians are innocent victims and not a part of Hamas’s terror war. Yet the rescued hostages, innocent Israeli civilians subjected to the most brutal abduction and months-long captivity, had been held not by terrorists or soldiers but by “Palestinian families”.

One such family home was that of a photojournalist and former contributor to both Al-Jazeera and the Palestinian Chronicle. Surely those holding these hostages are in a flagrant breach of international law and are to be considered combatants and legitimate targets of war?

We can at least view them how they would like to be seen themselves.

Shimon Cohen, By email

HOW MANY ARE STILL ALIVE?

The tragic question we are all now asking ourselves is: how many of the remaining hostages are still alive?

We used to rely on Mossad for accurate information that in the tunnels of Gaza appears to be a complete unknown. What action we should have taken on 8/10 we must now take and demand the release of all the hostages both alive and dead in the first phase of this so-called peace deal. Or, if not forthcoming, the complete destruction of the rest of Rafah must follow, including the remaining Hamas battalions as well as its leaders.

Stephen Vishnick, Tel Aviv

I write in response to Alex Brummer’s recent column highlighting the disparity in media coverage between Israeli and international news outlets regarding the current conflict (Jewish News, 5 June).

Israel is still deep in mourning and the emotional wounds are far from healed. Expecting Israelis to confront guilt over the inevitable destruction and casualties resulting from a war that is not merely defensive but existential in nature seems both insensitive and unreasonable.

The question posed by Mr Brummer as to why Israeli media does not show more of the battlefront and the humanitarian crises in Gaza should be viewed through the lens of national trauma and survival. The emotional and psychological burden on Israeli citizens, coupled with the existential nature of the conflict, justifies a different approach to media coverage.

Eli Cohen, NW11

Alex Brummer is an excellent economics journalist and usually a very reasonable gentleman. His latest column must be a mistake.

How can we give advice to Israel from outside the country? The pain in Israel is unbearable as the country fights for her survival. Antisemitism in the media as at an all-time high.

There is absolutely no time, capacity and necessity to show any chesed – to shed tears for Gaza.

Dr Yaakov Schmidt, W1H

How fitting that the the death of the late David Teacher MBE, who was celebrated for his role in the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy, should be reported in your edition of 6 June – the 80th anniversary of the landings.

As my synagogue president, the late Joshua Swinburne, delighted in reminding us, there is no such thing as coincidence.

Judith Konzon, Ilford

VOICE OF THE JEWISH

‘I’m so confused. When someone says they’re Reform, I don’t know whether to say ‘Shabbat shalom’ or throw a milkshake over them’

Self-sabotage for cultural ‘purity’ is getting worse

ALEX HEARN DIRECTOR, LABOUR AGAINST ANTISEMITISM

How far are our cultural institutions and organisations willing to go to pass a purity test? In recent days some have shown that they are prepared to inflict damage on their own industry to gain acceptance by an ideological cult, and this self-sabotage seems to be getting worse.

Hay Festival is the largest literary festival in the country. It gave in to a boycott campaign that was based on very tenuous links between its main sponsor, Baillie Gi ord, and Israel. Hay Festival admitted that its decision will impact its ticket prices and scope, and now BG has pulled its sponsorship of all literary festivals. Was the desire to please a small but vocal minority, supported by Charlotte Church and Nish Kumar, who pulled out of the festival, worth this cultural self-harm? A sector that was already struggling now has a big gap to fill.

Academia has long been experiencing this intimidation; if you let a bully take your lunch money once, they’ll soon be back for more.

Durham University was due to hold a debate on Israel/Palestine when an aggressive masked group blocked the venue. The university postponed the debate but didn’t get the protesters cleared in time, leaving attendees trapped. Universities are supposed to be places where ideas are challenged, not an entry point for totalitarianism and intimidation. They are already in economic freefall, and episodes like this leave many wondering if they are worthwhile or even safe places for their children.

Other sectors harm their own reputation without any encouragement.

“Does the evidence of rape add up?” asked the Times headline, using the tactic of internet trolls who innocently claim they are “just asking questions”. The answer was in the subtitle: “Investigators say the evidence does not stand up to scrutiny.” It was accompanied by a picture of Amit Soussana, a hostage of Hamas who recounted being sexually assaulted at gunpoint while chained in a dark room for weeks.

I dread to think what impact this article had on women, many of whom are already reluctant to speak up after being sexually assaulted. In 2022 the Victims Commissioner reiterated that the collapse in rape prosecutions meant “the e ective decriminalisation of rape”.

The evidence of what Israeli women su ered echoed what we heard from Yezidi women about their experiences at the hands of Isis, a di erent variety of the same Islamist ideology.

But the newspaper of record didn’t cast doubt on the experiences of Yezidi women.

Maybe the co-author, world a airs editor Catherine Philp, could only see bad things in relation to Israel. She had previously posted that gay rights in Israel were a ploy: “pink washing”, the implication being that even when Israel does good things it is for sinister reasons.

Perhaps that is why the three experts quoted in the piece complained that their comments had been “misrepresented” and “cynically exploited” for an agenda, overriding ethics and accuracy. The arguments put forward in the article seemed contorted to fit a pre-ordained conclusion. For example, a significant part of

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the article implies that Israelis were reliving European pogroms and projecting them on to Hamas terrorists, now recast as the victims of Jewish hysteria and racism. In fact, most Israelis aren’t European Jews; and rape was also used against Jews in the Middle East, such as the 1941 pogrom in Iraq.

Instead of objective journalism, the Times article reads like activists twisting facts to fit their simplistic oppressed/oppressor narrative. This is the opposite of holding power to account, and further erodes trust in an industry struggling to compete with social media.

A week ago former Al Jazeera contributor Abdallah Jamal had an article published in the Palestine Chronicle entitled, “My house will always be open”, while he was holding three Israelis hostage in his house. This sums up the issues around coverage of the conflict. These industries all had problems before the Gaza conflict. But entertaining the zero-sum game of people whose ideological worldview revolves around the destruction of Israel isn’t fighting injustice but rather a fast route to the bottom.

This conflict has always been hope versus hate

RICHARD FERRER EDITOR, JEWISH NEWS

It’s been a bumpy ride but, all things considered, a Jewish democracy in the Middle East has made a pretty decent fist at surviving for 76 years in a part of the world that hates two things above all else. Jews and democracy.

In the wake of 7 October, an Israeli friend described his country’s existential struggle like this: “We live on an island surrounded by a sea that rises higher than the land. On 7 October, a brick came loose and we sacrificed ourselves to fill the gap to stop our little island from being submerged.”

When it’s not busy laying bricks, the island, with all its imperfections, does its best to harbour diversity and tolerance in a region at war with these values.

The eight-month conflict in Gaza, triggered by the medieval massacre in southern Israel, is but the latest and darkest chapter in a generational war against Jewish sovereignty. Keyboard warriors and worriers have

neither time nor patience to wrap their heads around the daunting minutia when there are pictures of matcha green tea smoothies to upload. It’s easier and far less boring to signal virtuous engagement with memes like “All eyes on Rafah”. So put down that blender, dear Instagrammers, and join me, if you will, on a journey back in time to 18 February 1947, when there was no occupation, no settlements, no Nakba, no refugees. Simply put, there was no Israel.

On that day, Ernest Bevin, the UK foreign minister, stood up in Parliament to explain why the British government had succeeded in creating Arab states in Iraq and Jordan but failed to find a solution in Palestine that was acceptable to Arabs and Jews. Bevin told the House of Commons that His Majesty’s government had been thwarted because the conflict in the land was “irreconcilable”.

He told MPs that, between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, there were two groups, Jews and Arabs, each with a primary goal. The primary goal of the Jews who survived the Holocaust was to establish a state in their historical

homeland. The primary goal of the Arabs was to prevent Jewish sovereignty in any part of the land. The Jews want a state, the Palestinian Arabs want to stop the Jews from having a state. That was the conflict then and that is the conflict now.

Every time the Palestinians have been o ered sovereignty – in 1937, when they were o ered a whopping 80 percent of the land, in 1947, 1993, 2000 and 2008 – they said no, no, no, no and (checks notes…) no once again, because to say yes would mean Jewish sovereignty somewhere. And anything that goes against their primary goal is worth going to war for.

Former Israeli politician Einat Wilf put it well when I met her in Tel Aviv last month: “Imagine a scale where you place an end to the occupation, an end to settlements, joint sovereignty of Jerusalem and a Palestinian state on one side. But on the other side of the scale there’s something the Palestinians value so much more that, time and again, they are happy to walk away from this to violently pursue the other. What do you think the other might be?”

When Israel unilaterally left Gaza in 2005, dragging thousands of its citizens kicking and screaming out of their homes to create the possibility of an independent Palestine, the Arabs of Gaza didn’t say to themselves, “How fabulous! What a lovely strip of land! Wonderful beaches! And all the Jews have gone! Let’s turn this place into the Singapore of the Levant!”

Nope. Instead, tragically true to form, they said: “How fabulous! What a lovely strip of land to turn into an integrated war machine, above and below ground, to fire tens of thousands of rockets into Israeli towns and cities.” This conflict is frequently referred to as urban warfare, but it is much more severe. It’s most perilous battleground on the planet.

Contrary to those fake social media maps depicting a disappearing Palestine, the Gaza withdrawal in 2005 was the first time Arabs in the former British Mandate of Palestine had sovereignty over their own territory. And, like the self-sabotaging quarter-wits they are, they messed it all up on purpose.

Palestinian identity since 1948 has been defined by violent opposition to Jews, to the crippling detriment of Palestinians – particularly young aimless men lured by Kalashnikovs and martyrdom myths.

Whenever Yasser Arafat or Mahmoud Abbas accepted the idea of two states, Israeli leaders mistakenly assumed that one of those states would be Israel. They should have checked the small print. Because when Arafat and Abbas said two states, they meant a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza and another to replace Israel through the right of return.

When President Biden arrived in Israel during the first days of the war, bringing his aircraft carriers with him that deterred Hezbollah from carrying out its own 7 October slaughter in the north, he was keen to emphasise that Hamas does not represent the Gazan people. Of course it’s deeply painful to admit, which is why so few people, including the American president, dare, but over the last 17 years Hamas and the Gazan people have grown toxically intertwined, like a cancer consuming the human body.

Hamas doesn’t need to hide its Iranian weapons in mosques, nurseries, schools, hospitals and apartments from Rafah in the south to Gaza City in the north. It keeps them in plain sight to facilitate rapid attacks from civilian locations. This strategy is possible because they operate freely within a population that either supports them or is too terrified to resist. The Gazans, knowingly or not, are also victims of Hamas.

This cancer prognosis can be extended to the West Bank where, according to a December poll by the Ramallah-based Palestine Centre for Policy and Survey Research, more than 90 percent of people believe Hamas “did not commit any atrocities against Israeli civilians on 7 October.” The key word here is ‘civilians’ – people entitled to live in the land. Every Israeli man, woman and child is a legitimate target. They are seen as anything but civilians.

Once the conflict is recognised for what is truly is and always has been – the Jewish aspiration of self-determination opposed by the Palestinian goal of eliminating every Jew from their midst – two possible outcomes become clear.

Either 7 October is eventually repeated on a grander scale to deal with the seven million Jews living between the river and the sea, or the Palestinians are finally led by a grownup willing to accept a Jewish state in 0.31 percent of the Muslim Middle East, coexisting with 49 Muslim-majority nations.

When the Palestinians finally cease their century-long loathing for Jewish sovereignty, they will find that the good people of Israel and, believe it or not, even a future Israeli government free from the shackles of Benjamin Netanyahu and his calamitous coalition, are ready to be partners for peace and the creation of two prosperous states side by side, along similar equitable lines to those o ered on five previous occasions.

When this devastating war finally ends a brighter tomorrow is possible. But it will only dawn when the Palestinians abandon their poisoned priorities and put their e orts into building a state rather than destroying one.

Hamas terrorists pose behind Palestinian

President Mahmoud Abbas’ desk in Gaza in June 2007 after violently seizing control

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Jews have long been drawn to the world of real estate. Buying London takes us through the front door.

By Debbie Collins

Whether you’re buying or selling you should definitely be watching and, as the format has proven time and time again, audiences just can’t help getting sucked into reality TV drama. Following the success of American hit SellingSunset (now in its seventh series), BuyingLondon is one of the hottest Netflix listings, featuring property mogul Daniel Daggers and his team at DDRE, focusing on the luxury global real estate market.

Nosing inside ostentatious homes? Tick. O ce drama? Tick. Rich buyers? Tick. Jews in all of those scenarios? Tick, tick, tick. The agents provide us with much opportunity for a snoop inside of pristine properties and a south-facing view of the o ce antics that always seem to occur when a fierce mix of personalities is involved. And as well as the property inspo, there’s also some fabulous gastronomy options for a Saturday night as we see the team out and about at client meetings and hosting swanky gatherings in private dining rooms.

Buying London might be its name, but the show has a far bigger reach as viewers are invited into homes in Radlett, Sandbanks, Stanmore and even Dubai. They weren’t messing around when they said they wanted to take over the global market.

So, from o ce flirting to home furnishings, let’s focus on the Jew-crew of the show and play spot the mezuzot at the properties seen on screen.

At the entrance we have Daniel Daggers, the self-proclaimed ‘Mr Super Prime’, who is immensely proud of his growing team of super agents at DDRE Global. From humble beginnings at JFS, he was always a go-getter and hungry for business from the age of 17, when he started out with one of the OGs in the property game,

Little Voices inspires children across north London

HOT PROPERTY

Vickers and Company. It’s no surprise that Daniel eventually set up on his own and has racked up 25 years in the industry, his reputation preceding him.

Daniel has a knack of building long-term relationships with a warm and chatty demeanour, so it stands to reason that he represents some of the most successful entrepreneurs and organisations. And somehow he doesn’t seem to have fallen foul of the de rigueur veneered bright white smile and all the bling; he’s just a wellgroomed nice Jewish boy with all his own teeth and hair who wears a real man’s watch. While his parents, Naga and Derrick, are immensely proud of their bubbelah, they don’t mince their words over dinner when they tell him to slow down and find a match.

In contrast to all the drama that unfolds around him, Daniel seems pretty unflappable and has no time for o ce antics , saying: “You can’t let your emotions get the better of you.” He checks in daily with his 89,000 Instagram followers (@daniel_daggers) with general musings as well as sound advice for those wishing to break into the luxury property market: “You have

to create content around it and put in a huge amount of e ort into it.”

Just next door (almost literally) with his own property company is Alex Bourne, co-founder and director of London House, with more than 25 years in the business. Alex grew up in Woodside Park and is perhaps best known for being the ex-husband of Rachel Stevens, of S Club 7 fame.

Just as every superhero needs a nemesis, Alex fulfils the ‘villainous arch enemy’ role, but he is old friends with Daniel, who says of his mate: “Alex is a puppy and I’m a big dog.” Alex means (big) business and has an unparalleled knowledge of London and its neighbourhoods, having lived north, south, east and west.

He admits it’s tricky to be friends while rivals as it does bring up some serious tension. His previous acting experience comes across, and this career change into the prime property sector has brought over a colourful contact list of clients who place huge trust in his discretion and ability to buy and sell for their discerning eye.

Top-floor fabulousness comes in the form of Olivia Wayne, who

is familiar from her time in front of the camera, but this time she’s behind it. A well-respected former Sky Sports journalist, she now has a key role at DDRE, working alongside the team to orchestrate the all-important social media reels clients are sent ahead of a potential viewing – time is money, after all.

Olivia is there at every initial viewing to scope out the place and mark every camera angle to ensure the best footage is collated. She often brings in potential buyers, including a close friend who, in episode one, came to peruse Radlett’s fairytale Halcyon Hall property (pictured above), owned by a Jewish family, that many viewers have passed by and pondered, “I wonder what it’s like inside?” (£15 million and it’s yours.)

While Olivia is very jobfocused, she has the right disposition to di use o ce dramas, is ready to mediate when things start to bubble over, and is often the one

delivering the last line, putting everyone back in their place. In episode three, we enter Eaton Place, home of husband-and-husband property developers Tim Cohen and Bruce Denny.

Tim, a Golders Green boy, takes us on an impressive tour of the penthouse they completely transformed, proudly highlighting the incredible sculptures Bruce has produced (@brucedenny). While the area’s white stucco properties might all seem the same, this interior tells a vastly di erent story. Among luxury and contemporary design nestles all the warmth you would expect from a family home that they share with their two children (but no sticky hands on the sofa please!).

If the series has taught us nothing else, it reminds us of everything that our glorious city and its surrounding areas have to o er. Will there be a second series? It’s a buyer’s market and only time will tell.

• Buying London is on Netflix

Danny Daggers

Alex Bourne

Olivia Wayne

Eaton Place, home to Tim Cohen and Bruce Denny

Thank you for the music

Katie Hainbach has drawn on her performing arts training to manage one of life’s biggest challenges. Now she’s teaching the same skills to children. By

Louisa Walters

When Katie Hainbach’s daughter was diagnosed with a rare mitochondrial disease in 2019, life turned upside down. Leia’s condition a ects her brain, heart, hearing, vision, digestive system and kidneys. What followed – and will continue – were a series of hospital visits, treatments, surgeries and wading through the red tape that goes with all of that. And yet Katie finds time to be head of music at North Western Reform Synagogue in Alyth Gardens and to launch Little Voices North London, which runs lessons and holiday camps for primary and secondary aged children.

Katie, 36, says the skills she gained through performing arts lessons as a child have helped her navigate the complexities of Leia’s condition, giving her the confidence to speak up for her daughter – now five – and herself when applying for (and sometimes having to fight for) essential therapies, home adaptations, grants and care hours. Singing and drama have also been vital in managing her mental health.

“I think so much of why I’m a strong, confident person, and why I’ve been a good advocate for my children, has been because I learned to speak and use my voice and not be afraid, especially as a woman. I am not afraid to stand up for myself or to go on stage and present and talk. And I realise that was from my training as a child, from stage school.”

Katie wanted to give other children the chance to improve their confidence through singing and drama but with the right ethos “I didn’t want to start something that says ‘you’re going to be in the West End’. Maybe they will, but that’s not the aim. I wanted to give children what I had. Because I’ve realised in the last five years, since I’ve become a mum to this special little girl, how important that training has been for me. No one wants to be in a position where you’re having to make big decisions, having to speak in front of panels for medical trials, but doctors always talked about me being articulate and it’s highlighted to me how I am not afraid to use my voice. So much of that is down to my training and Little Voices is my way of giving something back.”

Little Voices is a national company that uses performing arts to give children life skills that they can transfer into other areas as they grow up: mood-boosting singing sessions to improve diction, breathing and relieve stress; and drama to promote communication, team building and the ability to express themselves. Katie says these skills will carry them through their teenage years into adulthood.

Katie grew up in Dublin, where singing was a huge part of her life. She moved to London in 2013 to study for a masters in vocal performance at Guildhall School of Music and Drama before embarking on a career as a freelance opera singer and teacher. She was also a function singer as well as performing with choral societies. “I love singing musical theatre. I love singing jazz. I love singing pop. I just love music! I love being on stage.”

Katie and her husband Tom live in High Barnet and have two other children – Robin, two, and Dylan, eight months. Tom is not Jewish “so it was a really big learning curve for him when we met but he came with me to classes to learn about Judaism and we had a Jewish blessing when we got married.” Tom, 42, gave up work as a freelance singer to be a stay-at-home father and work one day a week teaching English as a foreign language.

Since Leia was born, Katie has spoken on behalf of her family on campaign videos and on national television, and has been the keynote speaker at many charity fundraising events. She has also spoken on Sky News about accessibility for children and playgrounds.

“Having a child with complex needs is extremely taxing on one’s mental health and performing arts have been a huge release for me at the most di cult of times. Singing has also been important to my entire family. We sing together when times are tough and it bonds us and relieves stress.”

In 2022 Leia needed a kidney transplant and thankfully Tom was a match but it was a rollercoaster time. “We had two last-minute

cancellations of the surgery, one because Leia had Covid and then because she had a seizure. Leia had a number of complications post-surgery but she still managed to find the energy to smile and laugh. She inspired us all to keep going even on the worst days. Tom recovered well at first, but then developed an infection and had to be readmitted for a week for intravenous antibiotics.”

Life has settled somewhat since this and Leia is now in full-time school. The family receives wonderful support from charities such as Camp Simcha, the Lily Foundation and Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice.

Katie leads the choir at Alyth and last year, when the shul celebrated its 90th birthday, she organised a jazz concert. “The community has been a huge support for my family. Throughout all the stress they have held us and cared for us. I’m very liberal in my Judaism but working at Alyth has made me connect to it in a much deeper way.”

Leia is nonverbal but has responded to

music therapy since she was a baby. “So we’ve really, really worked with it. She likes music with a strong beat, like Abba. I use music to make her happy or to soothe her in di cult times. It’s also a great way for my older son to connect with her. I’ll get my guitar, and Robin will be singing. It’s just such a nice way to bond us all together.”

Little Voices North London runs weekly term-time lessons for primary and secondary children in Mill Hill and will be opening another centre in Hampstead Garden Suburb in September. This August Little Voices North London will be running a Theatre Week holiday camp, open to primary-aged children. At the end of the summer camp the children will be putting on a Matildainspired show for their parents. “We will also do a presentation where I will stand up and say something about every single child because it’s about building their confidence and making sure that whether they didn’t say anything by themselves, or had five lines to say solo, they all worked hard. I want the child who sometimes stands at the back and doesn’t always have the loudest voice to feel as important. That’s what really matters to me.”

Katie’s next project is to work with schools delivering workshops and teaching sta how they can use singing and drama to empower children, help them with public speaking and improve their posture, their breathing and their mindfulness. “It’s all about trying to reach children in di erent ways,” she says.

• littlevoices.org.uk/north-london

Katie Hainbach, head of music at Alyth Reform synagogue, and with her five-year-old daughter Leia, who loves music with a strong beat

Katie and husband Tom, a teacher, with Leia, Robin and baby Dylan

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MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

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

BY RABBI ALEX CHAPPER BOREHAMWOOD & ELSTREE SYNAGOGUE

How to find meaning in our traditions

There is a great story about Albert Einstein and his teaching assistant at Princeton University.

The great physicist was administering a second-year exam when his assistant, in a state of anxiety, informed him that he had handed out a paper that the group had completed the previous year.

Einstein showed little concern for his blunder. “Why would you do that?” asked the teaching assistant. “Because,” Einstein replied, “the answers have changed.” Einstein’s perspective will help us

understand an apparent dichotomy in parshat Naso

It contains the longest and most repetitive section in the whole of the Torah. Following the completion of the construction of the Tabernacle, the princes of Israel brought o erings to inaugurate the altar. For 12 consecutive days, each prince, representing his tribe, brought his o ering, and the text describes, in monotonous detail, each of the o erings of each of the princes. And they are completely identical!

Compare that with the mysteriously unique law of the Nazirite found earlier in the same parsha. What is so remarkable about this piece of legislation is that at the completion of this period of selfimposed abstention, a sin o ering has to be brought as atonement,

which suggests it is a practice that is somehow deviant and disapproved.

The contrast is stark and almost forces us to conclude that conformity is celebrated while individuality is punished. The princes’ slavish contributions are deemed worthy of detailed note, but the Nazir’s attempt at originality is dismissed.

We are left questioning whether the Torah discourages us from expressing our religious and spiritual feelings in a personal and distinct way. Do we really prefer uniformity and homogeny?

The key to the answer is understanding the error of the Nazir’s methodology. Their intentions are noble, they seek spiritual uplift and to be holy, but Judaism is not a ‘pick and mix’ sweet stand; it does not lend itself to arbitrary selection. In

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fact, the unity of our people depends on having shared practices and our communities are founded on a commonality of tradition.

Just as the Nazir is misguided in thinking that abstinence from that which is permitted is the answer to finding holiness, so, too, it is a mistake to think that we can choose convenience over dedication or that we should adopt new customs because they just appeal to us and discard old systems because they feel somewhat outdated.

Nachmanides (a 12th-century Spanish commentator) explains that

the o erings in the Tabernacle were not identical; rather, each one was infused with the individual enthusiasm of the prince who brought it. Each one was permeated with the unique personality of its owner, their own personal devotion, their own spiritual striving.

Judaism does not disincline self-expression – on the contrary, it challenges us to find significance, symbolism and meaning in everything we do so that, even though we may do the same, the experience for everyone is di erent and fulfilling, both individually and collectively.

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The unity of the Jewish people rests on shared practice

SOUTH HAMPSTEAD SYNAGOGUE

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI ELLIOTT KARSTADT ALYTH SYNAGOGUE

Talmud is a blueprint for renewal

In the midst of a Covid lockdown I was part of a group that launched the Alyth Chavruta Project, a course that allowed members of the North Western Reform Synagogue to study traditional Jewish texts in pairs.

Since we were limited in how many could meet up in the same place, participants had the freedom to meet outside to study, or they could study together online or on the phone.

Each pair would be sent the same text each week, and the whole group would then convene on Zoom to exchange ideas. It has continued to go from strength to strength. It was

in this context that I was able to see firsthand the power that Talmud study held for Progressive Jews.

In the 19th century, Progressive Jews were much less attentive to the Talmud than they were to the Hebrew Bible. But, by the time I was admitted to the Leo Baeck College in 2015, the study of rabbinic literature – and, at its core, the study of the Babylonian Talmud – was a orded pride of place in the curriculum.

For the first three years of the fiveyear programme I would spend seven and a half hours a week in the Beit Midrash (House of Study) with my fellow students, poring over the Hebrew and Aramaic texts. But why is the Talmud such an important text for Progressive Jews to reclaim?

Progressive Jews should read the Talmud because it presents us with a multivocal tradition that is alive, constantly changing and rearranging itself in the light of contempo-

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

rary challenges. The rabbis of the Talmud grappled with many of the same questions we do: who counts as a Jew? How should we as Jews relate to non-Jews? How should we relate to other people? What are our obligations to our spouses and children? Is there anything that is worth dying for? What role does the land of Israel play in the formulation of our Jewish identities? Did God create us or did we create God?

As well as being challenged by many of the issues we encounter

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as modern Jews, the rabbis of the Talmud also celebrated disagreement and diversity of interpretation.

In one famous, seemingly unresolvable disagreement between the Houses of Hillel and Shammai, the Talmud recounts that a divine voice came forth from heaven proclaiming: “Eilu v’eilu divrei Elohim chayyim,” (these and these are the words of the living God).

The House of Hillel finally established the law, but the Talmud tells us that the reason their posi-

tion was privileged was because they would teach both their statements and those of their opponents. And the Talmud continues to do this, often citing minority opinions and interpretations not followed by the majority. While we may not agree with many (or any) of the conclusions of the rabbis of the ancient world, the document they produced was a blueprint – a blueprint for disagreement, evolution and renewal for each new generation of Jews.

The rabbis of the Talmud grappled with many of the questions we encounter, and celebrated disagreement

Ask our

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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.

manufacturer (6)

(6)

Chopped into squares (5)

As a result (5)

Sloping type (7)

Bivouac (4)

Withdraws (from a federation) (7)

2 Mouth sore (5) 3 Inseparable pals (5,7)

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)

WORDSEARCH

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

Snooty, stuck-up (6) 6 Morning dress hats, familiarly (7) 7 Sir ___ Jagger, Rolling Stone (4) 8 Incident (7)

Grand National, eg (12)

Wood shavings (7)

SUGURU

Hanoi’s country (7) 18 Notify, inform (6)

Salt-water solution (5)

22 Practise for a feat of endurance (5)

Stylish (4)

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.

The listed historic county towns can all be found in the grid. Words may run either forwards or backwards in a horizontal vertical or diagonal direction but always in a straight unbroken line.

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

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

See next issue for puzzle solutions. All puzzles © Puzzler Media Ltd

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