1387 - 2nd Oct 2024 by Jewish News

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A message from Campaign Against Antisemitism

This Rosh Hashanah, we reflect on a year of tragedy for the Jewish people, a multi-front war against the Jewish state, skyrocketing antisemitism around the world, and over one hundred hostages still in captivity.

The international community has failed the Jewish people, and here in Britain the authorities have failed the Jewish community.

Over the past year, we have raised awareness of the hostages on billboards and digital vans, exposed antisemitism on weekly anti-Israel marches, made countless reports to the police, regulators and broadcasters about antisemitic incidents and rhetoric, helped more victims than ever, including with free legal representation, kept antisemitism on the front pages, worked with ministers on closing loopholes, supported students and arranged major public events, including the largest gathering against antisemitism in living memory.

But it is still not enough. That is why, on the cusp of the Jewish New Year – the Festival of Judgment – we rededicate ourselves to the fight for justice for British Jews. We will do whatever it takes to defend our community.

We are proud to support the cross-communal commemoration event on Sunday 6th October in solidarity with Jews in Israel and calling, once more, for the swift return of the hostages.

May the Jewish people know no more sorrow, and may the new year be one of happiness, joy and justice.

BRING THEM HOME

Iran declares war as missiles

Iran launched approximately 200 missiles into Israel on Tuesday evening, marking a significant and alarming intensification of the conflict, writes Lee Harpin.

Residents in Tel Aviv and other central parts of Israel took cover in bomb shelters and safe rooms while the attack took place.

Shrapnel or rocket impact areas were reported in Tel Aviv, near the Dead Sea, in the south and in the Sharon region. Magen David Adom said there were no reports of serious injuries, although some people su ered shrapnel wounds.

Footage following the attacks showed damage to properties in Tel Aviv including a restaurant.

Iranian claims that 80 per of missiles hit their target appeared to be wildly incorrect.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said after the attack: “We will protect the citizens of Israel. This attack will have consequences. We have plans. We

will act at the time and place of our choosing.”

Keir Starmer spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Jordanian PM following the Iranian barrage.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister spoke to King Abdullah II of Jordan. The leaders began by underscoring the urgent need for a ceaseﬁre in both Lebanon and Gaza. They both called for de-escalation to prevent the extreme humanitarian situation from worsening. The prime minister said he will work alongside partners and do everything possible to push for de-escalation and push for a diplomatic solution. The leaders agreed to stay in touch.”

Multiple impact sites were reported of either shrapnel or rocket impacts near the Dead Sea, in the south and in the Sharon region.

Israel said that while it was “identifying and intercepting launches”, its air defence system was not “hermetic” and therefore citizens needed to follow instructions to remain safe.

“The IDF is fully prepared for both defence and o ence at peak readiness,” it added.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards earlier said it had launched of missiles toward Israel and warned that if Israel retaliated Tehran’s response would be “more crushing and ruinous,” Iranian state TV reported.

Israeli o cials say they expected the attack to be “widespread” and said the country’s highest defences had been activated.

The Biden administration said that it stood ready to assist Israel.

“The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,” a senior White House

o cial said Tuesday by email, before the attack began. “We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack.

A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran.”

Iran last barraged Israel with missiles, including ballistic missiles, in April. The United States led a small coalition of nations that came to Israel’s assistance.

The combined defence deﬂected all but one missile in that cas, and prevented fatalities. Many of the missiles launched were drones that took hours to reach Israeli airspace. Israel later responded with a relatively small bombing raid

ISRAEL LAUNCHES GROUND INVASION INTO

Israeli troops moved into southern Lebanon early yesterday for what the IDF termed “limited, localised and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets”, writes Jenni Frazer.

In a statement posted on social media, the army said the targets were “located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel. The IDF is operating according to a methodical plan set out by the General Sta and the Northern Command, which IDF soldiers have trained and prepared for in recent months. The Israeli Air Force and IDF Artillery are supporting the ground forces with precise strikes on military targets in the area”.

British-born IDF spokesman Lt-Col Peter Lerner, back in uniform for the third time since 7 October, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Our plan is to dismantle the infrastructure that has been established by Hezbollah to penetrate into Israel and kill Israelis. There is no plan to occupy.” He said the American administration had supported Israel’s right to self-defence, and “can’t allow an attack like October 7 to happen again on any of our borders”.

Reuters reported a Hezbollah spokesman saying that no IDF personnel had entered the country.

Writing on Twitter/X yesterday, Israeli defence secretary Yoav Gallant said he had spoken to his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, overnight, and reported that Israel and the United States agreed on the importance of dismantling Hezbollah’s attack infrastructure

along the Israel-Lebanon border.

UK foreign secretary David Lammy has warned Iran about the danger of escalating military tension in the region.

Brieﬁng reporters yesterday, he called for ceaseﬁres in both Lebanon and Gaza, saying: “We will continue to speak to the Israelis and indeed to other actors in the Middle East. At this time, none of us wants to see a regional escalation. None of us wants a return to the years in

which Israel found itself bogged down in a quagmire in southern Lebanon and pitched battles between Israeli soldiers and of course the Lebanese side.”

Asked what message he had for Tehran, which backs Hezbollah, he said: “We are urging restraint. None of us want to see a regional war, the price would be huge for the Middle East and it would have a signiﬁcant e ect on the global economy.”

Bombing of speciﬁed areas in Beirut continued overnight on Monday as the IDF urged residents in more than 20 towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate.

In a post on Twitter/X, IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee told civilians: “The IDF does not want to harm you and for your own safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately.”

He said anyone near Hezbollah members or equipment would be putting their lives in danger. “Any home used by Hezbollah for its military needs can expect to be targeted.”

Meanwhile, Britain has chartered at least one commercial flight out of Lebanon to help UK nationals to flee the fighting, Lammy said.

He made his announcement about the rescue ﬂight, scheduled to leave Beirut only hours before IDF troops entered southern Lebanon. He said the situation was “volatile” and had the potential to “deteriorate quickly”. As of last week, there were thought to be between 4,000 and 6,000 UK nationals, including dependants in Lebanon.

The site of the Israeli airstrike in Beirut that killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah

Killed: Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah

The scene in the sky above Jerusalem on Tuesday evening as missiles rained down on the city from

Map of the missile strikes across Israel

ONE YEAR ON

missiles strike Israeli cities

on Iran. Anticipating a response from Iran and its proxies to its o ensive in Lebanon, Israel announced new protective measures for its citizens until the Rosh Hashanah holiday is over. The two-day holiday begins Wednesday evening.

“Regarding Iran, we are following the threat in a serious way,” Daniel Hagari, the army

spokesman, said in a broadcast.

“The incoming ﬁre from Iran is likely to be widespread. You must remain close to sheltered facility from this moment,” he said.

“As soon as you hear the alarm you just enter the secure space and don’t leave until told. The defence is not airtight, I repeat, the defence is not airtight.”

Israel’s Cabinet met in full on Tuesday evening in a bunker for the ﬁrst time since last October, Israel’s government run Kan broadcaster said.

Among the measures in e ect until 5 October, Israeli media reported , is a request for Israelis to keep gatherings small — up to 30 people in open spaces and 300 in closed spaces — and to stay within 90 seconds of a bomb shelter.

Beaches were closed. Mass pre-Rosh Hashanah selichot, or penitential prayers, planned for Tuesday night at the Western Wall

were cancelled.

The US warnings came after 10 days of devastation rained on Hezbollah by Israel, including the assassination of the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. On 8 October 2023, Hezbollah joined Hamas in its war against Israel that was launched a day earlier. Israel has eliminated much of Hezbollah’s leadership in addition to Nasrallah.

It has taken out operational centres and on Tuesday the army revealed that ground forces, in Israel’s ﬁrst ground incursion into Lebanon since 2006, destroyed Hezbollah weapons depots and tunnel systems. More than 1,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in the strikes.

“The soldiers identiﬁed and breached underground access points near the border area, exposed extensive weapon caches, assembly areas for terrorist operative operations, and more,” the army said in a statement.

Starmer invites hostage families to Downing St

Keir Starmer and David Lammy have held their ﬁrst Downing Street event for the Jewish community, a meeting families of British citizens taken hostage or murdered by Hamas, writes Lee Harpin.

And the prime minister put down a marker straight away, telling those present that hostages in Gaza needed to be returned “immediately and unconditionally”.

The event, on Monday, was organised with the help of the Board of Deputies and was also attended by representatives of di erent Jewish denominations and key communal organisations. Before the meeting, the prime minister met some of the family members of British hostages and victims of 7 October.

“Sometimes in politics and in life we say things like ‘I can imagine what it’s like’. I can’t – it’s torture,” he told the families. “It’s impossible not to be moved by your pain and the agony you’re going through. I want you to know, as your prime minister, that every single word you said to me has been hugely impactful.”

He added: “I don’t want any of you to walk out of here this morning and think it has not gone in. We will not give up until your family come home.”

In more formal remarks, Starmer said: “I have just sat with some of you. Some I have met before and some for the ﬁrst time. And it is impossible not to be moved by your pain

and what you have said to me, the agony you are going through. I admire your courage, your humanity and your determination to make sure your loved ones are not forgotten.

“I want you to know as your prime minister that every single word you have said to me this morning has been hugely impactful and will be thought by me over and over again – as it should be. I will do everything to keep alive the memory of those who were killed and to bring the hos-

tages home”.

He described the 7 October attacks as “not just an attack on individuals but on Jewish communities, on their way of life and on the state of Israel, which is the symbol of Jewish security to the world”. And he pledged: “We remain a steadfast partner to Israel. We remain committed to her security and self-defence. I promise you we will root out antisemitism wherever we ﬁnd it. We will not be silent.”

Netanyahu pledged on Tuesday to achieve enough of a victory in Lebanon to return tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from their homes along the northern border since the war’s launch a year ago. However, he also urged Israelis to abide by safety precautions when they are announced by the government.

“I ask of you two things,” he said in a broadcast. “First, strictly follow the directives of Home Front Command; it saves lives. Second, stand together. Together we will stand steadfastly in the trying days ahead of us. Together we will stand. Together we will ﬁght and together we will win.”

American forces are ready to provide “additional defensive support” to Israel after helping protect it during an Iranian missile attack, a US defence o cial said on Tuesday evening after the missile assault. “Our forces remain postured to provide support and to protect US forces operating in the region” after “defending against Iranian missiles targeting Israel,” the o cial said.

Meanwhile, six people were murdered in a terror shooting attack in Ja a, leaving several people wounded. The two terrorists who carried out the attack were “neutralised,” police said. Five of those wounded are in serious condition, and a child was lightly wounded.

The two assailants were shot dead by a passerby and a security guard who were in the area, police said. An eyewitness who was at the scene said: “I saw a terrorist shoot a girl who was on the ﬂoor and another girl, then I saw the terrorist shoot a man on a bicycle who fell to the ﬂoor, but I don’t think he wasn’t hurt. At that moment a civilian arrived with a gun and shot the terrorist.”

‘YOU HAVE MY STEADFAST ADMIRATION’

Keir Starmer has used his Rosh Hashanah message to state his “steadfast admiration for the cherished Jewish community” at a time when “hearts are heavy” from the brutal Hamas attacks of 7 October, writes Lee Harpin.

In a statement released ahead of the High Holy Days, the prime minister said he recognised that Rosh Hashanah was usually a joyous occasion, but would this year be one of “anguish” for the community as a result of the on-going conﬂict in the Middle East.

He added: “As we remember those who lost their lives, I pledge to do all we can to bring home the hostages.”

The three Barnet MPs – Sarah Sackman, Dan Tomlinson and David Pinto-Duschinsky – also issued their own messages to Jewish News ahead of the start of the festival, each recognising that this year’s festival will be particularly testing for the community as the anniversary of the 7 October atrocities approaches at the weekend.

The PM’s statement begun: “As we usher in the most signiﬁcant period in the Jewish calendar – a period of deep reﬂection – let me send heartfelt and sincere good wishes to Jewish communities throughout the UK marking Rosh Hashanah.” He added: “At a time of huge challenge for the Jewish world, I stand steadfast this Rosh Hashanah in admiration of this cherished community. “

Hostage familes meet with Keir Starmer and David Lammy inside Downing Street

Iran

Israelis take shelter from the bombardment

The two terrorists in Jaffa

How we united in the

Following the horror and heartache, the UK Jewish community came together in the most unprecedented ways, writes Michelle Rosenberg

On the morning of 7 October 2023, the clock stopped. The horriﬁc, unprecedented attacks against Israel by Hamas terrorists changed everything. The day now known to Israelis as Black Shabbat was the worst atrocity committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Now, almost 365 days later, from fundraising and vigils to Shabbat candle initiatives, installations and hundreds of suitcases of emergency supplies sent to the IDF and displaced families, Jewish News highlights some of the British Jewish community volunteers who have stood side by side with Israelis for the past 12 months.

There are many more still who remain in the shadows, reticent to platform the work they have done, whether it’s raising £300,000 to send uniforms, medical supplies and protective equipment to more than 700 front-line soldiers and combat medics, to those who continue to give their time and resources to help initiatives.

Israeli writer, speaker, and social media inﬂuencer Hen Mazzig has joined many British vigils since 7 October in a show of solidarity and support with the community.

He tells Jewish News that, since 7 October, the world he knew has been “irrevocably altered. The events in Israel that day weren’t just distant headlines—they were deeply personal”.

Mazzig adds that even in the darkest hours, he found strength.

“Within the Jewish and pro-Israel communities, a groundswell of support buoyed me. I vividly remember the pro-Israel protest in London just days after the attacks. Thousands gathered, not just in solidarity with Israel but as a collective declaration of our Jewish identity.

“It wasn’t a reactionary response to the pro-Palestine riots that seemed to punctuate every weekend. It was an a rmation of who we are – proud, resolute and unwilling to stand down in the face of hate.”

He says it’s the stories of the hostages that pierce the deepest. “British-Israelis like Nadav Popplewell, Channah Peri and Emily Damari are not just names. They are our friends, our neighbours. Their fates remind us of the fragility of our people and the intimate bonds that make a tragedy far away feel like an attack on our own families.”

Mazzig says: “There is something remarkable about how the Jewish community has rallied. Beyond the protests, I’ve found solace in conversations with fellow creators and activists. As an Israeli, I see the existential threats my country faces, but I’ve come to realise that the battles we fight on the ground are only part of the solution. The tide of misinformation, hatred, and extremism we face abroad is just as formidable. And in London, I have found a community that, despite being small, fights with unparalleled fierceness. We may be few, but we are vibrant, and we are proud.”

His mission, he adds, is clear: “To ensure that no Jew, anywhere, feels alone or ashamed. That’s the cause I’ve dedicated my life to, and in the Jewish community here in England, I’ve found the ﬁercest allies. I am proud to stand with them as we push back against the hate, the misinformation, and the forces that seek to divide us. Together, we are unstoppable.”

Orit Eyal-Fibeesh is originally from Israel but has lived in north west London for 21 years.

The founder of the 7/10 Human Chain, before 7 October she was involved with UK protests against proposed judicial reform in Israel as part of a group called We Democracy.

The group had Parliament Square booked for a protest on 15 October. Then 7 October happened.

She tells Jewish News: “It was obvious we were not going to protest any more and had to do something for the hostages. According to Jewish tradition, we do the shiva, and the 15th was more or less a week after 7 October. We thought, why not use the space and do a vigil for those who were murdered?”

The group of 12 recited Kaddish, lit candles and printed posters of those who were kidnapped. It was

the ﬁrst vigil in the UK.

At the next one, they decided to wear black and hold posters of a kidnapped person, standing close to each other and forming a chain.

Fibeesh says: “On the day I remember clearly there were 203 kidnapped. We made a promise to ourselves, that we were going to continue until they all came back. This is what we have been doing since.” And 7/10 Human Chain was born.

They’ve held vigils and chains around Parliament square, protested outside the Qatari Embassy and the offices of the Red Cross. On the 2 June, they held a march on the streets of London with 40,000 people.

Fibeesh adds: “We protested outside BBC for them not doing their job and being biased; we wore bloodied trousers and shouted ‘Rape is not Resistance’. The idea was always to create awareness to make sure the hostages are not forgotten.”

“I used to think that British Jewry were sitting on the fence and were very hesitant in expressing an opinion and being vocal about how they feel. 7 October. and everything that has followed since has been so horrendous that everyone has come out of their shell. The community has found its voice.”

Jerusalem-born and now Borehamwood-based Nivi Feldman is chair of

the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in the UK. She became actively involved in raising awareness after one of her children’s friends was taken hostage in Gaza. Her ﬁrst public action was joining a symbolic installation of empty prams outside Parliament, representing the missing children.

Nivi has also ensured the families have attended the Labour and Liberal Democrat Party conferences, advocating for their cause at key political gatherings.

She played a key role in various events, including vigils in Borehamwood and a major gathering in St John’s Wood, as well as the empty Seder table installation and a candle-lighting vigil in Hendon.

Feldman describes the work as “non stop”, adding that if she was in Israel, “I’d probably be volunteering, or in service full time. This is my way of helping. This is my service.”

She adds: “I’ve made life long friends with people I’ve met since 7 October. The community became a web of communications; a real support network for one another.”

Lucie Kon is a commissioning editor for BBC Storyville. She commissioned and executive produced the Nova Music Festival documentary: Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again Leo Pearlman, who has spoken

up on social media business portal LinkedIn about the silence among industry ﬁgures, was also a producer.

Kon tells Jewish News that after 7 October she “felt like every Jew in the country. There’s quite a few people in the BBC who are Jewish. We feel what Jews around the country felt. We are no di erent. We have the same feelings. We have the same shock and the same devastation. But we work at the BBC and are professional. We have to operate within the guidelines to tell the stories that we need to tell, whether we do that in news, current a airs, drama, comedy or documentaries. At the heart of everything I’ve done in my career is the truth. My job is and has always been to tell audiences the truth. That’s it.

“I can’t go on a protest or wave a ﬂag because I work at the BBC. I’m not going to do anything political. And I’m OK with that. It’s a huge privilege to do what I do and with that privilege come responsibilities. It’s what I signed up to when I signed my very ﬁrst contract with the BBC.”

But, she adds: “The one thing I can do is tell stories.”

Kon was already working with Israeli film makers on other projects, and “put feelers out to see if anyone wanted to tell a story about 7 October. [The film producer] Sheldon Lazarus got in touch in mid November with a trailer of this film, which started with the kids dancing at Nova.”

Downloading and watching it

Hostage remembrance balloons are released near London’s Tower Bridge on 27 October last year

Orit EyalFibeesh

Lucie Kon

ONE YEAR ON

face of grief and shock

outside the tube station, despite the fact she’d never actually spoken to Sheldon before, she realised “I had to phone this man. We need to show this ﬁlm to audiences on the BBC. I rang him and said ‘we need to talk’. He explained that he was going to meet with Channel 4 about it later in the week. I said I would share with colleagues and be able to get a quick decision. We have to have it for audiences on the BBC. And that’s how it started.”

Kon travelled to Israel in March to work with the team in the edit, which she says was “another huge privilege”. They worked together to include as much as they could reasonably show to television audiences of Hamas – what they ﬁlmed themselves doing and saying that terrible day.

She tells Jewish News: “It’s really clear that they set out to decimate the Jewish people. To rape, murder. They were incredibly well organised. They had one thing in their mind. We wanted to make sure audiences could hear them, to witness what they did. and what they set out to do. Hamas were having a good time.”

By the end of next week, ‘We Will Dance Again’ will have been seen by audiences across the world – in the US, Australia, Canada and across Europe as well of course as in Israel. Here, there have been special screenings to Jewish students at schools including JCoSS, at community centres across the country, and a UK premier at JW3 attended by cross communal ﬁgures and some of the BBC’s most senior leaders.

And for Lucie, it’s one of the most important films she’s ever made. “As one of our contributors said to me this week. This is about good vs evil. The film sets out to show it in a way that is manageable for TV audiences. Everyone who has worked on the film, and the team at the BBC care enormously about what we do. In this film we set out to show the world what Hamas did on October 7th and what those they did it to went through. It’s been a huge privilege to be able to do that. It’s the privilege of doing what we do.”

Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again is available on BBC iPlayer.

Itai Galmudy, together with Yochy Davis and Max Royston, are the activists behind Stop the Hate UK, which since May, have held weekly counter protests outside the Swiss Cottage Library in opposition to those marching against the war in Gaza.

The anti-Israel protests have, says Galmudy, caused “serious disruption to the local Jewish community with incidents of antisemitic abuse, assaults, and provocative placards. The protests occur on the eve of Shabbat in a predominantly Jewish area near several synagogues, which many view as deliberately antagonistic.”

Despite more than 1,500 resi-

dents signing a petition to relocate the protest, Galmudy says that “police have refused to act.”

He adds that “the counter-protesters aim to raise awareness for hostages, counter the antisemitic hate, and protect the community.”

Eddie Hammerman, together with Josh Moont, Lara Lipsey, Ronit Tam-Hammerman, Nivi Feldman, Lisa Sha er and Gidi Matlin, is a founder of the Borehamwood weekly vigils. He tells Jewish News that he “had no idea on that cold, damp, and deeply depressing autumn morning following 7 October, that hundreds of us would gather every week, come rain or shine for a year.”

Over more than 48 weeks, more than 120 people have spoken at the Borehamwood vigil, hailing from the local community and nearby areas including Mill Hill, Bushey, Edgware and Belmont.

They’ve had rabbis from all denominations join them as well as Christian friends standing by their side.

Hammerman says: “Speaking about hostages each week and understanding their loves and aspirations has enabled us to connect us with hostage families in Israel alongside raising awareness

of their struggles.”

Hammerman recalls that on the day of a UN vote against Israel, “our deputy PM Oliver Dowden, took the Borehamwood vigil platform alongside the Chief Rabbi to state the UK’s government position in defeating Hamas and bringing the hostages home. For a day, we had gone global.”

Reverend Hayley Ace is a Christian minister and co-founder of Christian Action Against Antisemitism. Speaking to Jewish News, she says her heart shattered when she saw the horrifying images of the 7 October massacre, particularly the video of Naama Levy.

“In that moment, my determination to ﬁght against antisemitism was turbo-charged, propelling me to intensify my e orts and organise a solidarity event in London.

Since then, she adds, “my bond with the Jewish community has deepened, as I have actively participated in the 7:10 Human Chain and organised events to advocate for hostages and rally Christian support for Israel.

“I am inspired by the countless Christians who quietly show their solidarity through various acts of support, whether it be visiting Israel, raising funds for survivors, or attending protests and vigils. I am here to amplify their voices and demonstrate the unwavering love and support that true Christians have for the Jewish community.

Natasha Goodman since 7 October has been instrumental in spreading the work of the Hostage Forum UK, coming up with communication and event ideas to raise money for the hostage familes. She is part of the Gift One Family hostage necklace committee and worked on the Hostage Seder Table, Challah bake, Yellow Piano, Yellow Ribbon campaign, the memorial of hostages gathering in Hendon and events the community can be part of with hostage families or people connected to Israel.

David Krikler, a communications consultant and speechwriter tells Jewish News: “From very early on I found myself working to connect hostage families with media. A few days after the attack, I helped organise a press conference for Sharone Lifschitz and Noam Sagi, who both had parents kidnapped. Seeing a roomful of hardened journalists spellbound by their strength and decency under such dreadful circumstances was powerful. The release of Sharone and Noam’s mums provided rare highlights. It’s tragic that Sharone’s dad and 100 others remain hostage and we need to keep doing what we can to keep

them in the public eye.”

He adds: “The day job has also been busy. As a speechwriter I’d like to think that some of the speeches I’ve worked on have helped Jewish communities around the world make some sense of what we have been experiencing collectively.

Chana Lancry Sufrin is the owner of Hendon-based House of Lancry, a fashion brand for modest, modern clothes. The Brazilian born mother of four tells Jewish News that on 9 and 10 October she closed down her London operations and turned it into “a drop-o zone for items for the IDF, and then later on displaced families”.

The whole store on Parsons Street became a depot. Sufrin was sent a list of items from an IDF soldier and published a call to action on Instagram, which went viral.

The next morning, she says, “I had more than 500 people dropping o stu . From personal care, underwear to tourniquets and medical supply, duct tape and tactical uniforms.”

organisation, the Chayal Project, to assist soldiers and their families with equipment and mental health support.

Chana adds: “For Simchat Torah, we have more than 10 soldiers coming to London because they are struggling with PTSD from that day, to be part of the community and to lift their spirits and our community spirit.”

She tells Jewish News that her business is not on hold, she is simply “multi-tasking”, because “as long as they are ﬁghting for us, we need for to ﬁght for them”.

To date, El Al, Chana and her team have sent more than 1200 suitcases of IDF essentials and clothing and toys for displaced families. During the winter, they sent over “more than 400 tactical winter uniforms for the soldiers. To date we have sent more than 300 vests and helmets and more than 20 AVATAR/matrix drones.”

Chana and the House of Lancry are “still fundraising, doing events in the London community to raise money for the IDF and the families of those struggling with PTSD to pay for therapy, day care, and wives of Miluim (reservists), as well as helping victims of the hardest hit kibbutzim and Nova Festival.”

She is launching a non-proﬁt

Tami Isaacs Pearce from Karma Bread, aka known The ‘Challah Queen‘, has supported numerous charitable initiatives since October 7th, including an event for 200 women, creating symbolic shlissel challahs, raising more than £4,500 for the Hostage Forum UK. Allison Kanter and Susan Deal tell Jewish News that they felt strongly after the 7 October massacre “that awareness and support for Israel and the hostages needed to be raised in London.” Allison had returned from Israel on 10 October after her son in law had been drafted to the north of Israel leaving her pregnant daughter with three kids.

She says: “Between us we imported as many dog tags as we could ﬁnd. We enlisted the help of friends and family to clean, assemble , advertise and sell the tags, even selling them on tube trains. Natasha Goodman and Elissa Zi made sure they were sold at all vigils and Israel related events. Word spread fast and tags were brought in sometimes more than monthly, and we later introduced pins and hostage ribbon necklaces. They add that they “also gave

Young survivors of Kfar Aza visit London

Bring Them Home Now DogTags

Christian supporters of Israel at a march this year

Maureen Lipman and Nivi Feldman with a yellow ribbon

ONE YEAR ON

tags to politicians and high proﬁle individuals although sadly only a few of the most principled and courageous public ﬁgures wore them. We have now raised £50,000 for for victims of terror attacks perpetrated on or after 7 October.

Maxine Elias has four sons, one of whom is a lone soldier.

She is an advocate for Chayals’ Angels, a non-proﬁt trauma organisation set up by Tasha Cohen, a British young woman who lives in Israel, that works with IDF soldiers on their bases, giving them all manner of therapeutic sessions to ease their physical, mental and emotional trauma.

The charity has supported 7,000 soldiers since 8th October.

Elias tells Jewish News: “Having a son who’s a soldier, I was going out of my mind and needed to do something. While in was in Israel in February, I went to visit my friend who lost his son, Benjamin Needham. I met an old man on the plane who was going to volunteer. He was from Edgware, that’s all I know, but he was my inspiration.”

She adds: “Literally, as they are coming out of Gaza, or Lebanon, we are waiting with open arms and have a whole clinic set up. I’m just a mum, but every religious philosophy says that to be complete person, you have to give. And that’s what I’m doing.”

Growing up in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, Sarah Sultman, known

for her original and visionary community ideas, tells Jewish News that her visit to the Gaza envelope in early November with UJIA, cemented her resolve “to ﬁnd an e ective way to help in any way that I could following October 7th.”

Together with community activist Michal Noe , ‘Letters Light and Love‘ was their collective response. A theatre production for one night in London, entirely scripted using only the medium of letters, primary sources of evidence, stories and testimonies that span 3,500 years, telling of the Jews’ connection to the land of Israel.

Sultman says: “The letters took months to research from a variety of libraries and archives. They were arranged and presented to tell a story of a people through personal yearning, sacriﬁce, wandering and promise. The show was a journey through history and it was proud, unashamed, unapologetic, celebratory and hopeful.

“The show was delivered by a professional and celebrated cast

of international actors, literary ﬁgures, inﬂuencers and singers. It was brought together on the stage by renowned Israelis, Americans, British, and Arab actors and personalities to deliver a message, in a way that has not been done before – as an epistolary homage.”

The evening raised more than £1m for the rebuilding of Kibbutz Be’eri.

Sultman stresses that “whilst I may have had the initial idea for ‘Letters Light and Love’, the heroes of this event comprised the entire team. My co producer Michal Noe (who I could not have done this without) and I had the privilege of working with some incredibly talented professionals who gave their time freely to pull this together.”

Since 7 October, more than 2,000 volunteers have signed up to support the Community Security Trust (CST), the charity that protects British Jews from antisemitism and related threats. More than 900 people have done training to a level that they could be deployed to do a CST operation and approximately 30 percent are under the age of 30.

CST chief executive Mark Gardner tells Jewish News: “Since 7 October, CST’s remarkable volunteers have stepped up every aspect of their work and training. When the community needed it the most, their sheer resilience, selﬂessness and commitment to protecting the community has shone through. We thank each and every one of them for making our community so much stronger. We couldn’t have done this without them. Together, we protect.”

UJIA and Project Kfar Aza Supported by the UK’s largest Israel charity, Emily Cohen led an initiative impacting more than 100 young survivors of 7 October.

She tells Jewish News: “The

Kfar Aza initiative was a labour of love and the most important thing I have done in my life.”

Cohen was committed to bring all surviving 100 young adults to London in five groups of 20 for a much needed break and to be surrounded with love and support from the UK.

She adds: “I needed a charity to help me make it into a reality and approached UJIA who agreed immediately to help. I went on to independently raise £280k to cover the expense of all the trips, including hotels, flights, security, shows, restaurants, football and more.” All five trips were “deeply moving, profound, meaningful and very important both for them and for us, the London Jewish community.”

UJIA, with the support of the community, has raised £6m for Israel since 7 October.

Daniel Burger, the chief executive of the UK charity supporting Israel’s only national medical emergency and blood service, tells Jewish News that following 7 October, “the entire community seemed to step up to support Israel through Magen David Adom (MDA) UK.”

He was amazed by “the amount

of crowd funding projects initiated by people, the length and breadth of the country. “I believe at the ﬁnal count, more than 100 had been established in support of MDA UK.” Burger says: “Each day presents new challenges and a stark reminder of that day where Hamas unleashed hell on our people.”

A few days after 7 October, event planner Jo Woolfe, together with friends Claudia Salem, Lisa Ronson, Charlie Balcombe and Amy Dorfman, approached community hub JW3 with the idea of installing an empty Shabbat table to represent the missing hostages.

Woolfe says that nearly all of her suppliers donated their products for free, from the tables themselves, to the chairs, to the ﬂowers.

“Everything,” she say. “Not one cost. People didn’t bat an eyelid. The majority were not even Jewish suppliers. They just said ‘forget it, we don’t want anything.’”

In February, the Lovelock Hostage Bridge was opened at JW3 on Finchley Road. The art installation aimed at keeping Israel’s hostages in the public consciousness was the brainchild of creator Marcel Knoble. Dame Maureen Lipman and Sir Simon Schama, together with members of the public, added their personalised padlocks.

Nova Survivors at the premiere of We Will Dance Again

A pro-Israel counter protest by Stop The Hate in Swiss Cottage

The installation Empty Shabbat Table at JW3. Photo: Blake Ezra

WE EXPECTED THE SYMPATHY TO VANISH BUT DIDN’T EXPECT THE CONSTANT HATE

BY HUGO RIFKIND JOURNALIST

There are things I expected, and things I did not. A year after 7 October, one diculty is remembering which is which. I certainly remember knowing what was about to happen. I think everybody did. The day after, I was at the Cheltenham Festival on a panel and I said it out loud: that the wave of global sympathy Israel was at that point receiving would last, precisely, only until Israel retaliated. And then, such would be the scale and nature of that retaliation, it would disappear. This wasn’t a particularly insightful thought. Everybody knew it. I did, and you did, and Hamas did, and Benjamin Netanyahu did. It’s what always happens. Did I, though, expect that within days, posters of Israeli hostages would be being torn down, in every western city? No. That was new, and the experience of being a Diaspora Jew in lands where that occurs is new, too. And did I expect, when that experience began to change, how few people would care? Indeed, how many people would make a point of not caring? Again, no. I can remember,

going back really not so far, how earnestly I tried to explain to people, for example, what that Hamas phrase – “from the river to the sea” – meant to most Jews. Honestly and truly, naively and stupidly, I really did think this might make them think twice about saying it. Instead, the opposite happened. It made them all love saying it even more.

It’s at this point in a column, I know, that I should set out my stall. Make a declaration about my Zionism, my feelings about the Netanyahu government, my condemnation of Hamas, my despair about the slaughter of the inhabitants of Gaza, my preferred technicalities of some theoretical solution for peace in the Middle East. I’ve been asked about all of that quite a lot over the last year though, and I think I’ve perfected my response. Ready? It is “fuck o ”.

It doesn’t matter what I think. Even I don’t much care what I think. I can’t solve this. Why must I pretend I can?

That’s the main thing that feels new. For a Jew to be expected to have all the answers, and to exhibit absolute moral perfection, before he or she is allowed to say anything at all.

Linked to this is the low-level, constant, burning sense that quite a lot of people now hate me. Obviously not everybody. I’ve experienced enormous kindness this past year, from friends who, as the phrase goes,

are “checking in on their Jews”. Plenty have checked in on me, and I will never forget it.

Is there not a part of you, though, that now wonders how long they will hold out? Because that hatred is hard to miss, and it seems infectious. It’s hatred for existing, and hatred for not apologising about it. It’s hatred, even, for noticing the hatred, because how dare I think about that, how dare I even notice it, how dare I think it matters, far from Gaza, safe and silent and Jewish as I am. Which makes it hatred that grows when you mention it, which of course makes you wary of mentioning it at all.

It’s there because something has broken. And, in its absence, left-wing commentators will now make insinuations about Jewish power when they wish to ﬁght the right, and right-wing ones will co-opt Jews into their own ﬁghts about the left. And when you ask them to stop, they will not, and when the hatred grows they will not wake in the night and wander to the bathroom and look themselves in the mirror and think: “I hope I didn’t make that worse.” Not anymore. Instead they’ll double down, feeling bold and brave. Thrilled in their relief that they need no longer pretend.

It has become impossible, over this past year, to be irrelevantly Jewish. Impossible not to feel it, and be seen as it, by friends

and foes, whatever you do, whatever you say, whatever the circumstances, whatever you’d otherwise prefer. Is it worse than being in Gaza? Of course not. Neither is it worse than being in Israel.

Ask yourself, though, why I feel compelled to say that, when I’m here in Crouch End. I do, though, don’t I? Somehow, our society has decided that I have lost the right not to just be. And no, I did not expect that, at all.

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Why BBC must shift policy and call Hamas ‘terrorists’

LBY JOHN WARE FORMER BBC JOURNALIST

ast week BBC2 viewers were given a 90-minute insight into the terror experienced by young Israeli partygoers as they ﬂed Hamas’s genocidal assault on the Nova music festival, one of multiple sites Hamas attacked a year ago.

The documentary, Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again, was mostly footage from the phones of survivors, their testimony, CCTV footage, dashcams and the Go-Pro cameras of Hamas. As the BBC publicity says, the all-night festival was a “party that began as a celebration of love and spirituality for around 3,500 Israelis and other foreign nationals, ended with 364 people murdered and 44 others taken hostage”.

In every sense, 7 October has taken us to a civilisational crossroads. This was not just the Palestinians ‘ﬁghting back’, although that is how it felt for many of them. It was the stalking, hunting and extermination, burning, mutilation, and torture of human prey and then revelling in it. A pogrom in every sense.

‘Show me, don’t tell me,’ says the documentary maker in the best tradition of the craft. This documentary also shows why the BBC should be encouraged to rethink its policy of refusing – on the basis that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom ﬁghter – to refer to Hamas’ actions on 7 October as terrorism.

Knowing those responsible for this policy, as I do, I know it is based on the best of impartiality intentions, namely that it is not for the BBC (“and never has been”, says Deborah Turness, chief executive of BBC News) to declare one side of a conﬂict like Israel-Palestine as ‘terrorists’. Labelling must be left to others, is the view.

However, that policy does not appear to have been applied consistently. For example, the 2019 attack by a white supremacist against a New Zealand mosque killing 51 people was described by the BBC as “New Zealand’s worst terrorist attack”, without attribution.

And down the years, there have been many other instances of straightforward labelling:

• 9/11, New York (2001): “al-Qaeda terrorists

…..the deadliest terror attacks on US soil”

• 7/7, London (2005): “…it was the worst single terrorist atrocity on British soil…”

• Charlie Hebdo, Paris (January 2015): “Three days of terror….”

• Bataclan, Paris (November 2015): “…… France’s worst ever night of terrorism.. .”

• Manchester Arena bombing (2017): “Manchester terrorist attack…..”

• IRAN-IS attack (2017): “… the most serious terrorist violence in Tehran since the turbulent early years after the 1979 Islamic revolution”

• Boko Haram, Africa (2019): “A decade of terror explained… “

• Afghanistan (2023): “Can the Taliban tackle Afghanistan’s terror problem?” And so on.

So, the question posed by this documentary is whether this policy has become too doctrinal in respect of the Israel-Palestine conﬂict in the face of overwhelming, unarguable visual facts.

Some of the most harrowing footage comes from Hamas’s cameras, which it broadcast for propaganda purposes.

Yet traumatic and powerful though the documentary is, I know from my own research in Israel earlier this year, that the footage gathered by the ﬁlmmakers was the not the worst of it. The Israeli police shared with me other, corroborating footage that has never been shown because it is even more harrowing.

Children were also mercilessly slaughtered. And in recent months compelling evidence has emerged that Hamas and other Palestinians engaged in a pattern of rape and sexual mutilation of women and men.

Some viewers will doubtless argue that Hamas’ horriﬁc violence can be explained by what Israelis have done to Palestinians for decades, that there is a kind of moral equivalence. There are two key moments in the ﬁlm which convincingly dispel that notion.

One is the sight of the half-naked broken body of 22-year-old Shani Louk with hundreds of Palestinians delirious with joy yelling “Allahu Akbar!” (God is the greatest) as Hamas paraded her and other hostages like trophies through the streets of Gaza, propagandising their humiliation by publishing it online.

The other is the ﬁlm’s portrayal of the excruciating, drawn-out terror experienced by 27 partygoers crammed into a bomb-proof rocket shelter just 5ft by 8ft about three miles from the music festival.

We see the partygoers near certain they’re about to die because they’ve seen their friends shot as they were chased by Hamas. Among the 27 is a Druse. He courageously leaves the shelter, hoping to negotiate safe passage for them all because, like Hamas, he’s a Muslim. The gunmen see him as a ‘Yahudi’ collaborator. As he begs for Hamas to spare the young people in the shelter, he is tortured and murdered. The way this man met his end is too gruesome to show.

A grenade is then tossed into the shelter. Most grenades detonate within seconds of the

pin being removed. But 22 year-old Aner Shapiro grabs the ﬁzzing grenade and tosses it back outside in the nick of time before it explodes.

The gunmen, however, are determined to blow the 27 unarmed Israelis to pieces. So they toss in another grenade, and another and another – in fact six more, and each time Shapiro manages to toss it back. On the eighth attempt, the gunmen beat him to it and the grenade explodes, killing this brave young man.

A grenade’s kill radius is some 15ft, and blast radius, about 20 yards. But because so many bodies are packed so tightly into the shelter, it kills only those on top of the blast.

So Hamas keeps going. Several more grenades – at least four – are tossed in. A 28-yearold called Eitan Halley manages to throw all of them out, except the last. Miraculously he survives, the two blasts being absorbed by others. In all, 17 of those 27 souls were murdered.

What the documentary doesn’t show, because it’s so traumatic, is the post-blast footage in the shelter. The hysteria and fear on the faces of survivors, and those so badly mutilated they knew they were not going to survive, are excruciating.

So, back to my point about this ﬁlm taking us to a civilisational crossroads. Can the ease and joy experienced by Hamas at killing non-combatants be explained by Israeli settlements, the harsh vicissitudes of permanent occupation in the West Bank and too-often excessive force by some poorly disciplined IDF units?

The American philosopher Sam Harris has argued that it cannot. The more credible explanation, he says, is “Islamic doctrines of martyrdom and Jihad” which have removed those Palestinians who have imbibed this ideology from the family of humanity. When you believe that life in this world has little value, apart from deciding who goes to hell and who goes to paradise, sadism, killing and rape come easily.

Hamas’ ﬁlmed evidence shows its ﬁghters thanking God and Islam non-stop for giving them the chance to massacre Jews. Well, goes the relativist argument, the jihadists are simply acting as we would, had we been treated as they have by us in the west. Again, as Harris argues, this is delusional naivety and downplays the pre-eminence of religion in inspiring Hamas.

Which brings me back to BBC editorial policy’s insistence on not referring to Hamas as terrorists or even describing their 7 October pogrom as a “terror attack”.

The BBC still requires reporters and documentary commentary to refer to Hamas as ‘militants’ or ‘ﬁghters’. The noun ‘terrorist’ can be used, but only when attributed to someone else.

So which noun – ‘militant’, ‘ﬁghter’ or ‘terrorist’ – comes closest to capturing factually the events portrayed by tonight’s documentary?

The documentary’s Israeli writer and director Yariv Mozer has said the broadcast on BBC2 was conditional on him agreeing not to describe Hamas as a terrorist organisation, without attribution either by the interviewees, or a third party. Mozer agreed to this condition and it’s created a bit of fuss in the Israeli media.

In fact, viewers will scarcely notice the difference as the documentary is replete with survivors calling Hamas terrorists.

During a recent Editorial Policy Masterclass on “reporting war impartially”, the BBC’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen, is reported to have said that there’s “a lot of truth in the cliché that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom ﬁghter”. He’s right.

Bowen is also reported to have said that good journalism is ultimately about searching for “the truth” rather than “some kind of spurious balance”. Here too, he’s in good company. Half a century ago, the late British journalist James Cameron argued that demonstrating neutrality to fulﬁl some “arbitrary concept of objectivity… was of less importance than the truth”.

If the BBC decides that on the facts Hamas acted as terrorists on 7 October, it is surely time the corporation does as other broadcasters have: decide the terminology on an evidenced based case by case, because facts and evidence based truth are paramount.

The best advice I ever had as a much younger journalist came from a barrister perusing a somewhat over emotive draft script about an atrocity committed by the IRA: “Look, why don’t you just report the facts.”

On the facts shown by this documentary, the unassailable truth about Hamas’s conduct on 7 October is that it conformed precisely to the world’s deﬁnitive guide on the meaning of “terrorist” in the English language.

Truth must surely always trump fear of o ence or engaging in a form of moral relativism which is how the BBC’s policy — wellintentioned though it is —strikes not just the prime minister but many ordinary folk.

If the BBC decides that on the facts Hamas acted as terrorists on 7 October, it is time the corporation does as other broadcasters have: decide the terminology on the evidence, because facts and evidence-based truth are paramount.

In my time at the BBC, they were certainly the values that drove the vast majority of BBC journalists. That is why this festering issue of terminology has become so central to the debate thrown up by this exceptional documentary.

Can Hamas’ ease and joy at killing non-combatants be explained by Israeli settlements?

ONE YEAR ON

CST’S WORK RELIES ON MUTUAL TRUST TO ENSURE THAT UK JEWISH LIFE CAN THRIVE

BY YONI GORDON-TELLER CST INCIDENTS DATA ANALYST

When news broke of Hamas’ terror attack on Israel on the morning of 7 October 2023, the immediate impact was unquantiﬁable. Shock, horror, anger, grief and devastation coursed through our community as we came to terms with the largest massacre of Jewish people on any single day since the Holocaust. Even then, the sheer scale and depravity of Hamas’ brutality would only unveil itself over the coming days and weeks.

Beyond that, there was an underlying anxiety about what this would all mean for Jewish people everywhere, and especially for Jewish people in the UK.

We know from bitter experience that when Israel is at war, antisemitism thrives. We know that a hatred of Israel often blurs with and reveals a hatred of Jews. Some people took to the streets immediately, celebrating Hamas’ barbarity as a deﬁant act of resistance. Where would this end?

Incidents of anti-Jewish hate instantly spiked before Israel had co-ordinated

any large-scale military response in Gaza. Jewish communities were targeted with threatening and intimidatory shouts, abuse, gra ti and online rage.

While the volume of reported antisemitism has fallen from that initial surge, it has sustained at more than double the level recorded prior to October 2023, with Jews singled out by those who hold them responsible for Israel and the ongoing war, or opportunists who use events in the Middle East as an excuse to vent their pre-held antiJewish prejudice.

For some, who previously maintained that their loathing was contained to Israel or of Zionism, the mask has slipped. Meanwhile, we have seen anti-Israel demonstrations persist throughout the country as the war has continued and, while the majority of protestors do so peacefully and legally, there is often a minority who exploit these marches as a vehicle for the expression of antisemitic hatred, support for terrorism, or both.

Usually, this hate speech goes uncontested. Vigils for the hostages have, on numerous occasions, been disrupted by passers-by who will not let Jewish people grieve in peace. Further to this, there are the existential threats to Jewish life of Hizbollah and the Iranian regime, whose participation in the war has increased

HELP US ENSURE CONNECTIONS ARE SWEET ALL YEAR ROUND

anxiety that they may yet again target the Jewish diaspora beyond Israel’s borders.

The Community Security Trust promised at the outset that we would not let you, our community, down. We were braced for what was to come and mobilised fast. CST volunteer security o cers worked endless extra shifts, giving our community the physical protection they sought and deserved. Sta from across the organisation selﬂessly set aside time from their own increased workloads to answer phones that seemed to never stop ringing. They listened to antisemitic incident reporters, gave them the assistance and reassurance they sought, and logged their reports so that CST could best monitor the rapidly developing situation in real time.

CST’s expert researchers investigated a vast increase in threats to the community, incitement to anti-Jewish violence and online support for terrorism. Rather than helplessness, there was action: a welcome swell in people registering to join CST as volunteer security o cers or donating money to help continue our work.

One year on and we are still working at an unprecedented pace and volume, aided and motivated by additional resources, new sta and volunteers.

As well as our usual facilitation of security at hundreds of schools, shuls, youth movements and community centres across the country, we have secured more communal events than ever before, because there have been more communal events than ever before. And it is from this, our community, and its collective determination to keep Jewish life thriving in the most distressing circumstances, that we draw our greatest strength.

We promised that we would not let you down because we knew that you would not let us down either. We knew that we could rely on your resilience, solidarity and courage to stand strong together and show that we will not cower in the face of antisemitism.

Jewish life, as it always has done, goes on. It is your trust in us that enables us to do all we can to ensure that remains the case.

CARLY

“I wouldn’t be alive right now if it wasn’t for Jami and the staff at Head Room café. I feel like I’ve got the right people helping me with the things I need.”

CST volunteers protecting a communal event

Robert Jenrick has said the next Conservative manifesto will include a pledge to move the UK’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem if he is elected party leader, writes Lee Harpin.

Speaking alongside the three other leadership hopefuls at the Conservative Friends of Israel reception at the party conference in Birmingham, Jenrick vowed to build the embassy himself if “the Foreign O ce or the civil servants don’t want to do it”.

Kemi Badenoch was also applauded as she told the audience: “Israel is ﬁghting a war for the west.”

Repeating comments made in a television interview on Sunday morning, she stressed the need for “moral clarity” over Israel. “People seem to get confused about what is going on, and sometimes we need to make clear who the bad guys are… Hezbollah,” she said.

Tom Tugendhat hailed the signiﬁcance of Israel’s blitz on the Hezbollah leadership in recent few days.

He said the Conservatives should be “absolutely clear that we will always stand with democra-

cies defending themselves” and hit out against Labour’s partial arms embargo on Israel. “To those who say there should be an arms embargo on a country defending itself against terror, I say no,” he added.

In his speech James Cleverly, recalled his own time in government on 7 October and its aftermath.

“I never thought I would have to deal with something as horriﬁc, and as painful as that,” he said.

He also recalled a conversation

I’ll move UK embassy to J’lem, says Jenrick Mitchell’s horror at 7/10

with President Isaac Herzog shortly after 7 October. Herzog noted that Israel had many friends at that point, but that once the response in Gaza came only those truly supportive of the country would remain.

“No friendship is completely unqualiﬁed but when a friend has experienced something as brutal as the atrocities of 7 October you stand shoulder to shoulder with them,” Cleverly added.

In his Hamas Are Terrorists jumper, former immigration minister Jenrick said to loud applause: “We need to move the British embassy to Jerusalem, and I said it then, and I say it now tonight, if the Foreign O ce or the civil servants don’t want to do it, I’ll build it myself.”If he was made leader Jenrick added “the next Conservative Party manifesto would say, build the Embassy in Jerusalem, recognise Jerusalem as the legitimate capital of the state of Israel.”

Liz Truss had said she was looking at moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2022 during her short spell as PM.

People who fought against the Nazis and against South African apartheid would “turn in their graves” at use of the words genocide and apartheid for the situation in the Middle East, said Andrew Mitchell, writes Lee Harpin.

The shadow foreign secretary told a Conservative Friends of Israel event at the Tory conference in Birmingham that a “vitriolic outpouring of hostility has crossed all boundaries of sane debate” about the Middle East.

In a well-received speech, he conceded that his views around Israel “have changed.” He said that “politics is a journey of sorts” and that “where

you end up is not necessarily where you began.”

He continued: “Israel is one subject on which I have changed. It wasn’t that I hadn’t considered myself to be a friend of Israel. I always considered myself a strong, if critical friend.”

But he said that on 7 October “everything changed”, adding: “Like everyone here, I was utterly horriﬁed by the brutal scenes unfolding in southern Israel. Innocent civilians, women, children, babies. In their homes, their beds. Dancing at a music festival for peace. Murdered. Raped. Taken hostage. I saw my own family in all of them.”

Magen David proposal

Liz Truss has backed calls for the Star of David to be displayed at UK airports to show support for Israel.

Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick said he came close to securing a deal under the previous government to allow Israelis to enter the country through easy access E-gates.

Jenrick told a Conservative Friends of Israel reception that the move would have shown Britain to be “the most welcoming country in the world for Israelis and the Jewish community”.

He said this would mean “at “every airport and point of entry to our great

country”, there was a Star of David, as a “symbol that we support Israel”.

Former PM Truss was asked if she backed the move when she appeared at a packed Tory fringe event. She told the Telegraph’s Tim Stanley: “I’d be absolutely happy with that.”

She told a hall of 300 people that she supported Kemi Badenoch’s claim that some cultures are more “valid” than others. “I think she meant that this country is based on Judeo-Christian values,” said Truss.

But Truss declined to endorse any of the four Tory leadership candidates.

Our vital services, which have been a lifesaver to both Bernie and Carly, receive no government funding. They rely entirely on the generosity of our community.

Please help us continue to connect all those who need it, to Jewish Care and Jami’s services this Rosh Hashanah and all year round. Wishing you all a happy New Year and well over the fast.

Scan the QR code to donate now, visit jewishcare.org/roshhashanah or call 020 8922 2600

BERNIE

“I don’t think anyone should have to be alone. I love meeting people and socialising. Thanks to Jewish Care, I no longer have to look at the four walls of my home with no one to speak to.“

Robert Jenrick makes pledge

Ex-BBC chief hits out at Gaza war coverage

A report compiled by former BBC1 controller Danny Cohen has exposed numerous problems with the broadcaster’s reporting of the Gaza war, writes Jenni Frazer.

The study, which calls for an independent inquiry into the BBC’s coverage of the war and the regional conﬂicts which have ﬂourished in its wake, has been endorsed by UK Jewish communal leaders, who say that “many British Jews conclude that the BBC has become, in practical terms, institutionally hostile to Israel” It was also published by researcher David Collier and media monitoring group Camera UK.

It follows a similarly-critical report three weeks ago, headed by the BritishIsraeli lawyer Trevor Asserson.

In an introduction to the new document, the writers say: “Honest mistakes can happen in any ﬁeld, especially one where quick judgements are needed in response to incomplete information.

“This report concludes that the BBC is not merely careless in its reporting of the war in Gaza. The ‘mistakes’ are almost always in the anti-Israel direction. It would not be possible to com-

pile a similar record of anti-Palestinian errors.

“Whenever the corporation is faced with the choice of whose account or narrative to believe, it seldom points in Israel’s direction. For Hamas in this war, proof is rarely necessary. For the IDF and Israel, proof is rarely enough.”

There follows a long list of “false and damaging claims about Israel’s conduct of this war”, many of which have remained on the BBC’s website “long after they have been comprehensively debunked”.

Arguably the most shocking issue is that on 7 October 7 itself, “while the

rest of Britain’s media were detailing the brutality of Hamas’s attack on Israel, the BBC led its coverage with a headline about ‘Israeli revenge attacks’”.

In the immediate aftermath of the atrocity, the authors say, the BBC broadcast “interviews with Hamas apologists who used their platform to make comments which the BBC was forced to admit were ‘o ensive’”.

It took outrage from the Jewish community and senior politicians for the BBC to “back down” on its policy of not calling Hamas “terrorists”.

Notoriously, the report says, the BBC reported that an “Israeli strike” killed “hundreds’” at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza, “thereby repeating, legitimising and reinforcing entirely false claims that directly caused unrest in some European and Middle Eastern countries, including serious arson attacks upon synagogues in Germany and Tunisia”.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: “Few institutions are as vital for our national cultural identity or for the health of our democracy as the BBC. That’s why the content of this report is so profoundly troubling.”

The BBC has made a partial climbdown over an inﬂammatory interview with an Iranian academic on Tuesday morning’s Radio 4 Today programme, insisting he was challenged during the interview but “accepting” his language should have continued to be challenged.

In a live interview with presenter Mishal Husain, Sayed Mohammad Maradi, introduced as a professor of English literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran, repeatedly called Israel a “genocidal regime” and attacked Britain and the West for “justifying crimes” by Israel.

Maradi added: “Iranians will deﬁnitely do whatever it takes to make sure that the Israel regime fails in its genocide in Gaza and its genocidal airstrikes in Lebanon”.

When Husain asked him what he meant by “whatever it takes”, Maradi launched into an uninterrupted rant, declaring: “Just as the UK supports this holocaust in

Sayed Maradi

Gaza, just as it supports the slaughter of the Lebanese and just as it justiﬁes whatever actions the Israeli regime takes, we have no doubt that they will be with the Israelis until the very last Palestinian.

“Because we are all Amalek in this part of the world. We are inferior. They are the chosen people, they are your allies… the only solution, the only way forward is resistance.

A BBC spokesperson told Jewish News: “This was a live interview and he was challenged. However, we accept we should have continued to challenge his language throughout the interview.”

Every setback for our people serves only to strengthen us

CHIEF RABBI EPHRAIM MIRVIS

On 2 December 1917, thousands of people crowded into Kingsway Hall in Holborn, central London, for a Zionist rally. At that time, the notion of a Jewish state had long been considered by many as little more than a distant dream, but just one month before the British government had declared its public support for “the establishment of a national home of the Jewish people”, in what we know today as the Balfour Declaration. Though some remained sceptical, Chief Rabbi Joseph Hertz gave a stirring address in which he declared his belief that regardless of the many obstacles, a State of Israel was possible.

“Di culties? Of course there are di culties!” he exclaimed. “The task of laying the foundations of a new Israel must be one of long toil and severe trial. But a people that for 25 centu-

ries stood victoriously against the storm of time possesses vitality enough, patience enough, idealism enough, to rise, with the help of God, to the level of this unique, world-historic opportunity.”

More than a century later, I believe that his inspiring optimism still rings true.

Last October introduced the world to acts of barbarity and evil that many people believed were no longer possible. Yet, when a person is raised on a diet of hateful propaganda, which casts Jews as the eternal enemy and which lionises martyrdom and terror; when a person is taught that unspeakable acts of murderous violence are the highest service to God; when a person is denied any hope of a better life by leaders who misappropriate international aid to enrich themselves and fund yet further terror; tragically it is unsurprising that such a person should ﬂing themselves at the feet of evil.

In May, I visited Columbia University in New York, where Jewish students have been told to “go back to Poland” and where the words, “Go Hamas, we love you… we support your rockets too…” have been gleefully chanted.

At universities in the UK we have seen calls for “Zionists o our campus” and Jewish students attacked for refusing to declare their sup-

port for Hamas. It seems that for some young people, living in the unprecedented comfort and freedom a orded to them by western democracies, the cheap thrill of associating themselves with a cause to which they have little proximity and apparently little understanding, takes precedence over the wellbeing of Jewish students.

Yet, over the past year, we have also seen countless examples of breathtaking heroism. Like the kindergarten teacher Tali Hadad, from Ofakim, who, having run out of her home while still in her pyjamas to rescue her injured son, repeatedly ran back into the danger to rescue others who had been hurt. Or, like Youssef Ziadna, a Bedouin Israeli who drove his minibus into the gunﬁre at the Nova Music Festival, saving 30 lives.

There has also been an extraordinary response to the trauma of 7 October from across the Jewish world. Almost overnight, prayer services were organised, fundraising drives established, rallies held and campaign organisations set up.

At the very moment when the Jewish people might, God forbid, have been brought to our knees – we rose to our feet. And that is where we have remained. Despite the calls for Intifada on our streets, the abuse of our students on campus and the demonisation of Israel in the media, Jewish communities around the world have stood tall in defence of justice and truth.

As history has proven, at moments of the greatest peril for the Jewish people, our resilience, our creativity, and our trust in God have helped us to stand victoriously against the storm. The story of the Jewish people is one of struggle and survival against the odds, repeated in every generation. Yet every setback, no matter how great, has served only to strengthen our spirit and our resolve.

At Kingsway Hall, Chief Rabbi Hertz con-

WE HAVE SEEN COUNTLESS ACTS OF BREATHTAKING HEROISM ❝

cluded his remarks with a reference to the fascinating metaphor found in Psalm 126, which is sung in Jewish homes before Grace after Meals every Shabbat and Festival: “Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the streams of water in the Negev.” For months, the Negev desert appears to be a picture of desolation, but an unusual feature of the topography there is that a single downpour of rain can quickly convert the dry ravines into rushing streams. Within a matter of days, as if by magic, vegetation is conjured, and the desert becomes an Eden.

“Israel and its future have often appeared bleak,” Chief Rabbi Hertz said. “But let the dew of restoration descend upon it and the dry riverbeds will be transformed into living streams of faith, freedom and righteousness.”

We know now that he was proven right. The Jewish people would not only go on to survive the most horriﬁc crimes ever perpetrated, but to thrive, reestablishing a Jewish state, which is indeed overﬂowing with streams of faith, freedom and righteousness.

Di culties? Of course there are di culties. But ultimately the destiny of the Jewish people, in our homeland and around the world, is to bring light where there is darkness, wisdom where there is ignorance and peace where there is conﬂict.

May we merit to realise that destiny speedily, in our days.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis with Rishi Sunak, then prime minister, in Finchley on 9 October 2023

ONE YEAR ON

‘Every

single day is a battle –our lives have just stopped’

As the campaign to free the remaining hostages continues, the families of the dead and missing try to ﬁnd ways of coping, writes Adam Decker

“I can’t believe it’s been a year already… Everything is so painful...”

Ayelet pauses, her composed veneer disguising acute grief. Voice cracking a little, she proceeds:

“You must understand, our whole lives have been centred around this ordeal every single day. Every day is a battle. Our lives, they have stopped.”

The 46-year-old is reﬂecting on the anniversary of the 7 October massacre. On that day, her older brother Roi, 54, was shot and killed behind his home. Her mother, Channah, 79, and other brother, Nadav, 51, were taken hostage.

“I was actually on the phone with my mother when the Hamas terrorist entered her home. I hung up when I heard his voice.

“I could not bear hearing my own mother being murdered over the phone.”

Hours later, a picture was posted on her mother’s Facebook showing them both alive, alongside an armed Hamas gunman.

For Ayelet, the past year has been a whirlwind of emotions. Channah was released after 49 days being held in tunnels alongside Nadav with little food or water. It was the last time she saw her son alive. In June, Israeli authorities conﬁrmed Nadav had died in captivity a few months earlier.

“Nothing matters now apart from the release of the hostages,” Ayelet continues resolutely. “Knowing there are still hostages – I can’t wrap my head around it. How can this still be happening to us one year later?”

Her response has been a wholehearted e ort to secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages, putting herself through numerous international media interviews and joining delegations to the UK, United Nations and Qatar.

“There is a bigger story ongoing. I can’t just sit back and get on with my life. I will keep ﬁghting until every hostage is released.”

This determination is shared by Stephen, who has campaigned tire-

lessly to free his brotherin-law Eli Sharabi. Stephen’s sister Lianne and children Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, were murdered on 7 October. The girls were found in their home, huddled in their mother’s arms.

“The ﬁrst months were full of sobbing and visceral emotions,” Stephen says. “It is impossible not to picture their faces in those of my own children who are a similar age. It has broken my parents – Lianne was their only daughter.

“Yet, once we learnt Eli was a hostage, we buried out grief and focused our e orts on ﬁghting to ensure the British government was putting pressure on Israel and Hamas to get the hostages home.”

Stephen, who lives in South Wales, believes the previous and current governments have been supportive, with measures including introducing a dedicated Gaza hostages team to ensure lines of communication remain open. Like Ayelet, he has also

been in touch with other hostage and victim families through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

“All the hostage and victim families have a shared experience, an inextricable link which bonds us together. We feel the same deep sense of loss and connection every time we learn of hostages being killed.

“Equally, we feel a shared sense of joy for those families whose loved ones have been returned to them.

“Frustratingly, however, nothing has changed since that ﬁrst wave of releases last year. This is an abject failure of international diplomacy. We need to see results,” Stephen insists.

With war raging on, Gaby has focused her own e orts over the past year in supporting the welfare of soldiers and the many displaced families.

The 39-year-old’s brother, Nathanel, was killed ﬁghting terrorists who inﬁltrated his army base on 7 October. He was just 20.

Nathanel’s heroic actions saved the lives of numerous soldiers on the base and prevented a nearby kibbutz from being inﬁltrated.

Since his death, his family have set up numerous charitable initiatives in his honour, including making meals

for soldiers and raising money for a Magen David Adom motorbike and apartments for displaced families.

Gaby also organised a party in a Tel Aviv nightclub in March to mark the former JFS pupil’s 21st birthday.

“Nathanel was a passionate DJ –it was the birthday party he would have wanted. Over 100 people attended, including many of his friends. Many hadn’t been to a single party since 7 October,” she says.

As the anniversary approaches, the families have planned commemorations for their loved ones.

emony at the graves of Roi and Nadav is planned.

“There will also be a ceremony at our kibbutz with the community which we will join,” she adds.

And what of the future? Ayelet is resolute: “We didn’t start this war, but we can’t a ord to lose it. We have the right to live safely and not be kidnapped in our nightwear from our bedrooms.”

For Gaby, keeping Nathanel’s memory alive is her central focus.

“Nathanel’s infectious smile and generosity touched everyone. I hope we all can draw inspiration, treating others with the same kindness he showed,” she says.

“Since Nathanel’s passing, we’ve welcomed three new nieces and one nephew, and we will continue to share his joyful stories with them.”

Stephen plans to take his family to the coast near his home where a memorial bench has been placed. “It’s a place we had such joyous times with the girls playing in penny arcades and making sandcastles.

“We’re going to try not to make it too sad of an occasion and remember the happiness they gave us.”

For Ayelet, a quiet personal cer-

Stephen remains focused on processing his grief and bringing some normality back to life. “You have these feelings of guilt when you catch yourself having fun – perhaps enjoying a nice meal or ﬁlm. That guilt used to be crippling.

“I’m learning to give myself permission to smile, laugh and enjoy the moment. Yet, the truth is, my sister and nieces will never enjoy those things again. In that sense, one year on, nothing has changed.”

“And for the other hostages, time is running out.”

Noiya and Yahel with the family dog Mokka

The memorial plaque, of ‘Bristol Blue’ glass, laid on Noiya’s grave in Israel

Eli Sharabi (left), his wife Lianne and daughters Noiya (in hat) and Yahel. Eli is a hostage and the rest of his family were murdered

Lianne’s favourite childhood teddy bear, rescued from her home on Be’eri, on the memorial bench in Porthcawl, South Wales

alongside Nadav with and Yahel, 13,

MARCHING STANDINGTALL

SUNDAY 17TH NOVEMBER | PARADE BEGINS 2PM | THE CENOTAPH, LONDON SW1

Register now and save the date to join AJEX at The Cenotaph this November where we will honour the thousands of Jewish servicemen and women who served for our freedom.

United as British Jews in pride and purpose, we march to Remember, to honour and to stand against antisemitism, shaping our future together. Veterans, individuals, families and community groups of all ages are welcome. We will be ‘Standing Tall’ in solidarity, honouring their legacy.

If you are a Parade regular or newcomer, be sure to register to participate. To secure your spot to march book your ticket by Friday 8th November at www.ajex.org.uk

To support the Parade as a spectator from the East Whitehall Pavement no booking required. Please allow enough time to arrive at the event as there will be a high level of security provided by CST and the Police.

Daniel, our Neve Hadassah Youth Village graduate, was severely injured in Gaza.

After 5 months in hospital, with Neve Hadassah staff by his side, the first place Daniel went to visit was his home at the Youth Village, where he had lived before joining the IDF’s Kfir Infantry Brigade.

The children we support need the anchor of “home” now more than ever. The graduate programmes at each Youth Village are funded by donations like yours.

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Hundreds to gather at Remembrance Parade SCHINDLER DOC

This year’s AJEX Parade and Ceremony at the Cenotaph will have the theme ‘Marching Together, Standing Tall’.

The 17 November parade marks events including the anniversaries of D-Day, Operation Market Garden, the battles of Imphal and Kohima in India, the end of the Battle of Monte Cassino and the 10th anniversary of the UK ending combat operations in Afghanistan.

AJEX is encouraging families to take part by marching with younger generations and wearing relatives’ medals andwill also welcome a contingent of Cadets from Jewish schools JFS and JCoSS, alongside

This year’s event will mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day

JLGB and other youth groups.

Dan Fox, AJEX’s national chair, emphasised the sig-

niﬁcance of the march, saying: “This is a landmark event for the Jewish community,

blending military tradition with Jewish values.

“By ‘marching together and standing tall’ we honour those who served and stand against antisemitism, ensuring their legacy endures.”

Chief executive Fiona Palmer echoed the sentiment. She said: “We encourage families to involve younger members, passing the baton of remembrance through generations and keeping the memory alive of those who served.

“We look forward to many marchers signing up and seeing supporters line the streets.”

MUSIC MAESTRO JOSEPH STEPS DOWN

Universal Music UK chief executive David Joseph is stepping down from the biggest job in the industry.

A former JFS pupil, and widely regarded as one of the industry’s “nice guys”, he worked for Universal Music

Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge for 26 years. Conﬁrming his decision to sta , Joseph, who was awarded a

ERIC LEFT A LEGACY TO SECURE ISRAEL’S FUTURE WILL

For over 120 years JNF UK has worked tirelessly to develop the Land of Israel.

Much of our work has only been possible thanks to the generosity of our legacy donors like Eric, who regarded the work of JNF UK as vital to realising the Zionist dream.

Leaving a gift in your Will, no matter how small or large, is one of the most valuable ways you can forge an everlasting bond with Israel.

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CBE in 2016, said he now plans to study for a Master’s degree in religion and theology at King’s College London.

A document signed by Oscar Schindler has been sold at auction for £15,000 writes Michelle Rosenberg.

The insurance policy, dated 8 February 1936, is for the Oscar Schindler Company, which Schindler owned before his enamelware factory.

through the bribes he gave to Nazi leaders, thereby saving the lives of his workers.

The paper is seen as a testament to one of the greatest heroes of the 20th century, made famous by director Steven Spielberg’s 1993 ﬁlm Schindler’s List.

Any papers signed by Schindler, the man responsible for saving 1,200 of his Jewish employees from certain death at the hands of the Nazis, are extremely rare, especially those dating from before or during the war.

Signed with his full name, the policy document insures a 1930 Chrysler car for a year, from 8 February 1936.

While owning his enamelware factory, Schindler ultimately lost his entire fortune

Oscar Schindler

Schindler signed in February 1936

Heroes raise £1.2m for GIFT

Social action charity GIFT has raised £1.2m thanks to the generosity of more than 6,000 donors, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

For its Be a Giving Hero campaign, launched in the lead-up to Rosh Hashanah, individuals and groups came together to raise funds for the organisation’s initiatives.

One group of teenagers took on the largest zip wire in London, raising £28,000.

In another impressive effort, a team of women walking the South Coast raised more than £25,000.

Michelle Barnett, director of GIFT, said: “Now, more than ever, we

need to counterbalance a culture of self-interest by teaching people — young and old — the power of giving.

“The overwhelming response to this campaign is testament to the generosity and spirit of our community. Together, we are not just raising money; we are cultivating a movement of compassion and kindness.”

Barnett added: “I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all those who created fundraising teams, and to every single person who gave — not just financially, but also of their

time and energy — to the Giving Heroes campaign.

“The community’s support has been remarkable, and without them, GIFT wouldn’t be able to have

the impact it does. I would also like to thank those who generously matchfunded our campaign – we are incredibly grateful for their commitment.”

The funds raised will directly support GIFT’s critical educational programmes, food distribution, and volunteer initiatives.

From January to July 2024, GIFT mobilised 4,080 volunteers, delivered 935 educational sessions in schools, prepared 9,200 hot meals, and distributed 44,000 food parcels to families in need.

The money raised through this campaign will allow GIFT to continue meeting the growing demand for its services and expand its new volunteer hub and food bank in Hendon.

TRIBUTES TO CFI DIRECTOR AS HE LEAVES ROLE

Former cabinet ministers and MPs have hailed the “brilliant” work of the Conservative Friends of Israel’s director in deepening bilateral ties as he prepares to leave the post.

James Gurd has worked at the group for 14 years, including eight in the top job, working on economic, cultural and defence ties.

During his tenure as executive director, CFI campaigned successfully for the UK’s proscription of Hamas and Hezbollah, the government toughened its stance on voting on Israel motions at the UN and, following the Hamas attacks last year, Rishi Sunak established himself as one of Israel’s most steady allies.

Gurd led more than 40 missions to Israel, showing politicians, advisers and policy gurus the country for the first time, including visits within weeks of 7 October. He ensured the CFI fringe receptions continued to be a hot ticket at party conferences, with queues often snaking around venues.

More than 100 doctors from across the UK attended the first medical job fair in the country for those intending to make aliyah — MedEx. The event took place in London under the auspices of the aliyah support group Nefesh b’Nefesh, which works primarily in north America, in co-ordination with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and Ministry of Health.

It is part of the International Medical Aliyah Programme (IMAP), aimed at streamlining the immigration process for medical professionals, and enabling their integration into Israel’s medical workforce on arrival. MedEx is a key component in this broader national effort, launched last March, to tackle the growing staffing problem in Israel’s healthcare system.

IMAP is aimed at bringing 2,000 Jewish doctors to Israel over the next five years, supported by key partners including the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Ministry of the Negev, the Galilee and National Resilience, the Marcus Foundation, the Gottesman Foundation and the Jewish Federations of North America.

Lord Pickles said much of CFI’s success was down to Gurd. “Likeable, knowledgeable, and capable are the qualities that made him a familiar figure in Westminster and Whitehall.

“A respected figure, who was fun to be around, will undoubtedly enjoy a bight future.”

This Rosh Hashanah support Hatzola Northwest

More than 6,000 donors took part in the campaign

News / Jewish Care / Sculpture trail

Women raise £75k at Jewish Care lunch

Some 150 women raised more than £75,000 for Jewish Care’s mental health support at a lunch in London.

Guests at Jewish Care’s Woman of Distinction Awards support the organisation’s Sidney Corob House residential care home for people with enduring mental health needs.

Gerry, who recently moved to the home, spoke at the lunch about his experiences. “Before I entered the home, I was in a very dark place with severe depression. Unfortunately, medication was not dealing with the symptoms. I became quite ill and was in hospital for several weeks.”

He added: “I must admit that there was a feeling of concern to whether I could cope with the environment. To my amazement, I have found the home to be my nirvana. I entered an enormous feeling of security, peace and

a desire to further my life. The care that is given by the sta is exemplary.

“Please do support this fantastic organisation to carry on its remarkable work for the care of its residents and people in the future who will need this incredible care and attention.”

Co-chairs of the Woman of Distinction lunch, Danielle Hess and Danielle Lipton, said: “We want to thank Gerry for his openness and honesty in

sharing his experiences with us and we are proud that every penny of the money raised will go to Jewish Care’s Sidney Corob House Care Home.

“It provides unique care for those over 50 years-old living with severe, long term mental health needs and for people who are ﬁnding it hard to cope in the community.”

Recognised with a Woman of Distinction Award were Joanna Franks and Reverend

Hayley Ace. Franks, a consultant breast and oncoplastic surgeon, was a pan London breast hub co-ordinator during the regional response to Covid-19 and supports numerous health charities.

Addressing the guests, she said: “I want to thank Jewish Care and the committee for this honour. It is particularly gratifying that this award is all about celebrating women.”

The Rev Hayley Ace, a Christian minister, was recognised for her dedication and passion to combating antisemitism and her solidarity with the Jewish community, promoting positive change and interfaith dialogue.

She told the lunch: “It’s an honour to receive this award, though it shouldn’t be exceptional or di erent to say that racism is wrong, antisemitism is wrong, and something we should all ﬁght.”

HOOT FOR N LONDON HOSPICE

TV personality Matt Lucas with the owl he designed for a sculpture trail in north London. It is in memory of his friend Grant Morgan’s son Jack, who was cared for by the event’s organiser, North London Hospice. The owl, named Jack, can be seen at Alexandra Palace until 13 October

Still open for business and still delivering

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from 12pm to 11.00pm

Leket Israel – the National Food Bank, has been rescuing excess fresh, nutritious food for over 20 years. Each day, it collects surplus fruit, vegetables, and cooked meals from farmers, hotels, corporate cafeterias, and IDF bases, distributing them through nonprofits to feed Israelis in need.

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Congregation of Jacob Synagogue

351-353 Commercial Road London E1 2PS

davidibrandes@tiscali.co.uk

www.congregrationofjacobsynagogue.org Tel: 07305 993573

You are cordially invited to join our friendly and inclusive community for our services over the festivals as itemised on our list. We are welcoming and some of us will help those to follow the services.

Our aim is to help people who have not been to a Synagogue for some time to feel comfortable and want to repeat the experience.

Wishing you a beautiful New Year and well over the fast.

Rev. David

SHUL SERVICE TIMES FOR 5785

Thursday, 3rd October 2024

Rosh Hashanah - 1st Day

Shacharis/Musaph: 10am

Friday, 4th October 2024

Rosh Hashanah - 2nd Day

Shacharis/Musaph: 10am

Shabbos 5th October 2024

Shacharis/Musaph: 10am

May this year bring the fulfilment of all your tefillos for the good, and the dream of parenthood to those who long for it. We wish all our clients

Friday, 11th October 2024

Eve Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement

Kol Nidrei: 5.50pm

Yom Kippur Shabbos 12th October 2024

Shacharis: 10 am

Yizkor: approx. 11 am

Musaph

Mincha

Neilah: 5.30pm approx. Fast ends 7.03pm

Please see our website for additional service times

Hashanah

Get in touch

The Kasner Centre, 48 Church Road, London NW4 4EW office: 020 8203 8455

email: info@chana.org.uk chana.org.uk

Niet to the Russians

The director of the Auschwitz Museum has ruled out the presence of Russian participation in January’s 80th anniversary events to mark the concentration camp’s liberation –even though the Red Army liberated Auschwitz on 27 January 1945.

Dr Piotr Cywiński madę his comments in response to a question from a Polish press agency reporter when the museum was announcing plans for next year’s ceremonies.

He said: “This is the anniversary of liberation. We remember the victims, but we also celebrate freedom.

“It is hard to imagine the presence of Russia, which clearly does not understand the value of freedom.

Such presence would be cynical. I would like it to be possible again some day, but let’s be serious — it certainly won’t be in the next four months.”

Russia has not been present at the annual anniversary ceremonies for the past two years because of its war with Ukraine.

The Auschwitz Museum has created a website, 80.auschwitz.org, to show updated details of the planned events on 26 and 27 January. It is expected that many countries who were involved in the Second World War will send delegations, and it is hoped that there will still be some Holocaust survivors present.

‘LOBBY’ SLUR BY REPORTER

An Irish-based reporter for Virgin TV used the phrase “global Jewish lobby” to describe opposition to recent statements made by the Irish president, Michael Higgins.

Gavan Reilly, broadcasting live on 23 September, was reporting on allegations by Higgins that his letter welcoming the incoming Iranian leader had been leaked by the Israeli embassy in Dublin. He expressed regret that Israel’s ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich, was not in the country so he could address his complaint directly to her.

The letter of welcome had in fact been displayed on the Iranian embassy to Ireland’s website. The reporter, describing opposition to Higgins’ remarks, spoke to camera of a “global Jewish lobby”. His report was posted by Virgin TV on Twitter/X before being deleted.

Survivor and partisan dies, aged 102

Tributes have been paid to the Holocaust survivor Fania Brantsovsky, who has died in Vilnius, Lithuania, at 102.

Aged just 21 in 1943, she escaped the ghetto to join a group of partisans led by the writer Abba Kovner. Hiding in the forests a few miles from Vilna, this group called themselves the Nokmim, or Avengers,

and spent the last years of the war attacking Nazis where they could.

Brantsovsky met the man who would become her husband, Mikhail, in the forests. She said after the war:

“We blasted trains and placed explosives in the enemy’s equipment. We shot and killed them.

“Yes, I did. I killed them and did

so easily. I knew that my dear ones were dead, and I took my revenge for them and thousands of others with each and every shot.”

In later life Brantsovsky became an advocate for Yiddish culture and the preservation of what she and the other partisans did in their ﬁght against the Nazis. Her last wishes

were for the preservation of the wooden bunker in the forest where she and 100 other Jews lived during the Holocaust.

“It’s my dream that this place be preserved for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren,” said Brantsovsky, who lost most of her family in the Holocaust.

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King Charles marks 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. The Auschwitz Museum ruled out Russia from January’s events

Fania Brantsovsky: Nazi avenger

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Editorial comment and letters to the editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

VOICE OF THE JEWISH NEWS

7/10

– one year on

The unprecedented rise in antisemitism, open and often unpoliced support for Hamas and Hezbollah and a society grappling with polarisation have left Jews in Britain with a profound sense of alienation over the past 12 months. As our columnists reflect in this week’s ‘one year on’ edition of Jewish News, the sense of isolation has been painful and palpable.

Yet, in the face of such grave challenges, our community has consistently shown an inspiring resilience. Grassroots heroes have stepped up – organising rallies, vigils, fundraisers and creating platforms for Jewish voices to advocate for peace and solidarity in increasingly hostile environments.

As we mark the first anniversary of 7 October, the road ahead remains uncertain, but glimmers of hope have emerged that were unimaginable just days ago. Israel’s recent military successes against the Iranian terrorist proxy Hezbollah hint at a decisive shift in the broader conflict, sparking cautious optimism for a more peaceful future. But that’s a conversation for another day.

In the agonising hours ahead, Jews across the world will reflect on the grief and trauma of last October and how its aftermath has reshaped not just Middle Eastern politics, but their own sense of safety and belonging. Yet, despite the adversity, our community stands strong. Our resilience throughout these 12 terrible months is not just a reaction to fear. It is a testament to our enduring strength. Shana tova.

Netanyahu survey had flaws

Your screaming front page headline that UK Jews have turned their back on Benjamin Netanyahu (19 September) was based on one survey of 4,500 British Jews, all members of the JPR Research Panel, ie a very narrow group of individuals.

The result such surveys produce is often heavily biased in favour of the political leanings of the designer(s) of the survey, easily achieved by the way in which the questions are posed.

I have never been approached to take part

You report an “overwhelming 80 percent” of adult British Jews disapprove of Benjamin Netanyahu. All respondents to this survey were members of the JPR Research Panel, which may not necessarily be representative of British Jews as a whole (“UK Jews turn their back on Netanyahu”, 19 September).

Last month, a poll for the Jewish Democratic Council of America found that 72 pecent of American Jews supported a Kamala Harris

The headline in your report on the JPR Survey of British Jews read ’Overwhelming 80 percent now disapprove of Israeli leader’. That number is simply wrong.

First, Benjamin Netanyahu’s net disapproval rating (that is, taking the balance of disapproval and approval) is 68 percent. Second, the report excluded ‘don’t knows’. Adding them in reduced the net disapproval rate to 65 percent.

Third, only 4,641 of the JPR panel of 12,000 responded. So in fact only 25 percent of the entire panel disapproved (net) of Israel’s prime minister.

Fourth, the JPR Panel was self-selected. JPR said it made appropriate adjustments but it seems that those were on the basis of the 12,000,

in such surveys, nor has anyone I know. In fact, among my own community, opinion has swung behind Bibi as to how he is conducting the war.

Even if the survey’s result reflected reality, it is highly irresponsible of Jewish News to give it such publicity, in view of the tsunami of anti-Israel hatred and antisemitism we are experiencing.

Why give ammunition to those who hate us?

D Rosenthhal, NW4

presidency. However, this was based on a sample size of a mere 800 voters and can hardly be considered representative. Opinion polls claimed that the Scots would vote for independence in 2014 and the UK would vote to remain in the EU in 2016.

I dare say that a poll about Netanyahu conducted in the aftermath of the pager and walkie talkie explosions last week would have produced an entirely different result.

David Miller, Chigwell

not the 4,641 who responded. And there was no adjustment for ‘activism propensity’: a cursory glance at X/Twitter proves that Jews on the left are far more vocal than those on the right.

Finally, JPR gave the game away on page six of its report: “Overall these figures can be seen as a measure of British Jews’ somewhat limited understanding of the details of Israeli politics and politicians.” Why should one attach any weight to opinions based on ignorance? Even if one gives the survey credence, a net disapproval rating of –25% is very low for a prime minister who has grappled for a year to resolve the conflicting aims of releasing the hostages and defeating Hamas. Jonathan Hoffman, Southend

COHESION? PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH

Your full-page statement that “Jewish News is the Jewish community” would be hilarious if we weren’t living through such dire times.

The smug opening line that “recent events at the Jewish Chronicle have highlighted the importance of transparency in the ownership of community news and media” reveals your glee as to its present difficulties. If “the objectives of the Jacob Foundation are to promote cohesion within the Jewish community…” you have a funny way of showing it. Last week’s front page, ‘UK Jews turn their back on Netanyahu’, promotes

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division, not cohesion, the obvious motive being to increase dissent within the Knesset to force a change of government… shocking when Israel is at war.

As for the failed merger between Jewish News and the Jewish Chronicle, it is healthier to have Anglo Jewry’s views represented by two very different publications. That the JC’s ownership remains opaque is all to the good. It is broad-based, and its editorial line represents mainstream Anglo Jewry, as opposed to the Jewish News which reflects the progressive wing. Warren S Grossman, Leytonstone

JOSH GLANCY

Iboard the 310 bus at the southern end of Golders Green station, outside the building that used to be the Hippodrome, nearly became a mosque and is now a slightly mysterious megachurch. I am, as far as I can tell, the only Jewish person on board.

We drive through my north London heartlands. Past the house on North End Road where I used to have handwriting lessons to cure my illegibility; past Kenwood, scene of my triumphant year 3 history project and so many childhood rambles.

We trundle past quiet gated streets and wide plutocratic avenues. This, it occurs to me, more than anywhere else, is my home; verdant, solid and a uent, a place of ease and plenty.

And yet the very existence of this bus speaks to a creeping sense of domestic unease. Upon unveiling the new 310 bus route between Golders Green and Stamford Hill, London mayor Sadiq Khan emphasised that “given the terrible rise in antisemitism, this route will provide a safe route for local residents”. The BBC agreed: “Bus service to help Jewish Londoners feel safe” ran its headline.

The truth of the 310 is slightly more complicated: the bus route has been mooted for 15 years as a connection between the twin totems of frum London - it is not simply a rapid response to 7 October and rising antisemitism. The bus also travels through long stretches of Hornsey and Archway with nary a yid in sight.

And yet Khan wasn’t indulging in mere empty virtue signalling. It’s also true that changing at Finsbury Park, which was necessary for Golders to Stamford Hill travel before the new bus route, has become a fraught exercise for visible Jews. The year since 7 October has seen a 278 percent increase in recorded antisemitic incidents in London, according to the Met Police. Some of these have taken place in Finsbury Park, for reasons that are sadly obvious.

It’s happening again, isn’t it? This is the clearest distillation I can think of to describe the feeling many Jews in Britain have had since 7 October. A sense that the streets are more hostile, the mood darker, and the boom and bust cycle of diasporic Jewish history entering one of its habitual downturns.

For 150 years and more, Britain has been pretty good for the Jews. We’ve entered both houses of parliament, the supreme court, the honours list, the rich list, but nothing lasts forever. It will happen again eventually, we assume.

This may sound paranoid, because it probably is, but after the “cruel and painful” year that has followed 7 October, as Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg recently described it, our imaginations have wandered along these dark, familiar pathways of Jewish memory.

And yet I still don’t buy it. In the days and months after 7 October, I drew sharp criticism from some parts of the Jewish community online for saying I still thought London was

broadly safe for Jews. For saying that the pro-Palestine marches, for all their periodic antisemitic sloganeering, were not a clear and present danger to Jewish safety. What we’ve seen is very troubling, I argued, but it should be viewed with a sense of perspective: Britain has long been a relative haven for Jews and that won’t change overnight.

Thus far at least, I believe I’ve been vindicated. There is undeniably a darkness in our lives that wasn’t there before; a year ago, I was still writing comic columns for the Jewish Chronicle, splitting the di erence between bagels and beigels. Much has changed. Life is heavier, more fearful. Antisemitism is certainly more present.

But the pogroms of the Pale, the murderous rampages that drove most of us to seek sanctuary here in the ﬁrst place, have not come to the streets of Britain. Nor do I expect them to anytime soon, though the potential for violence still lingers on the margins.

On my 310 bus ride to Stamford Hill, wending our way through Haringey, I listened to Isaiah Berlin’s Desert Island Discs from 1992. The liberal philosopher spoke of his childhood, seeing the Russian Revolution in St Petersburg. He said that he considered Britain to be the best country in the world.

Why did he think so, a slightly surprisedsounding Sue Lawley asked. “I think it’s civilised and fundamentally liberal,” Berlin said. “I think it’s unsqualid. On the whole people are more tolerant. If liberal civilisation is what we’re in favour of, then of the great countries of the world I think perhaps it comes top.”

Berlin, who came to Britain from the ﬁres of totalitarian Bolshevism, admired the fact that in this country people are broadly left to live how they please. “To go their own way, if need be, provided they don’t obstruct other people too much.”

Nowhere is this more true than in Stam-

ford Hill itself, where my bus journey ended. I disembarked the 310, which had ﬁnally picked up some actual Jews, outside Rav Pinter Close, next to the Yesoday Hatorah school and Shloimy’s Judaica shop.

Everywhere in Stamford Hill there are frum Jews going their own way, their lives hardly di erent in character or rhythm to the ones they once lived in Grodno or Bialystok. Unlike in Tsarist Russia, however, they are (mostly) protected by police, supported by the state and left pretty much to their own devices.

There are undeniably some worrying trends apparent in Britain, but I still believe this country to be civilised and tolerant and fundamentally liberal. If that means putting on an extra bus route, in part to assuage fears of sectarian cruelty, then that is what the Muslim mayor of our capital city has done. When one thinks of all that has transpired elsewhere this past year, it is worth remembering that for all our anxiety, both justiﬁed and irrational, British Jews today remain transcribed in history’s book of life.

 Josh Glancy is editor of News Review at the Sunday Times

Sadiq Khan joins Jewish communal leaders at the launch last month of the 310 bus service

New day of remembrance in the ﬁght against hatred

KAREN POLLOCK

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

HOLOCAUST EDUCATIONAL TRUST

The Jewish calendar is ﬁlled by days of remembrance, where we come together to reﬂect on tragedies that have shaped our le. From Yom HaShoah, when we remember the six million Jewish men, women, and children murdered during the Holocaust, to Tisha B’Av, marking the destruction of the Temples and our expulsion from the Holy Land. These dates serve as solemn reminders of loss and resilience. Last year we were forced to add a new, tragic date to this list: 7 October.

What should have been a day of celebration for Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah was transformed into one of chaos, destruction, fear and grief. On that day, the world changed for Jews everywhere. We all remember where we were as we heard the news, worrying about friends and relatives and the people of Israel.

We have mourned more than 1,200 people brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists in the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust. Another 251 were kidnapped and taken hostage to Gaza. We grieve again and again each time we hear of hostages murdered in captivity. We beg and demand over again for those still held in captivity to be returned home, now. We think of the thousands who were left to bear the horrors of rape, torture, and terror. The collective trauma reverberated not only throughout Israel, but across the entire Jewish community worldwide.

As we now approach one year since that dark day. The grief is still palpable, the wounds still fresh. But one thing we could never have anticipated a year ago is the explosion of antisemitism that has followed in its wake.

In the immediate hours after the attack, the streets and social media were ﬂooded with disturbing scenes of celebration. Individuals on news channels grotesquely framed the horriﬁc violence as ‘resistance.’ In the days and weeks that followed, fear gripped Jewish communities across the globe. Protests sprang up, not in

condemnation of the terror inﬂicted on Israelis, but to demand the destruction of the Jewish state. Denials of the atrocities and a shocking lack of empathy towards Jewish su ering became disturbingly commonplace.

Antisemitism exploded. From violent mobs hunting Jews at an airport in Dagestan, to Jewish students barricading themselves in a university library in New York, to ﬁrebombed synagogues and Jewish homes marked with the Star of David — the hatred has been pervasive, unrelenting, and terrifying.

This antisemitism that shocked us in the immediate aftermath of the attack has become an almost constant presence, a background hum that now pervades our daily lives. It has, in many ways, become the new normal.

But we must be clear that this new normal is anything but acceptable. Antisemitism is not, and must never be, normalised.

As we mark this painful anniversary, we have a duty to ourselves, to future generations, and to the memory of all those who have su ered due to antisemitism, to reject this categorically. Antisemitism is a vile

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and ancient hatred that has no place in our society and can never be tolerated, whether it manifests in our schools and universities, in the NHS, on our streets or on social media. The conspiracy theories, misinformation, and mistruths that have fuelled this hatred must be tackled head on.

Antisemitism is not a Jewish problem but rather a societal problem. We must remember that we are not alone – there are good people, allies, who know the truth and are determined to speak it. People who have learnt about the Holocaust and committed to keeping its legacy alive. People who know what happened on 7 October and stand with us in our grief and horror. People who know that antisemitism cannot be left to the Jewish community alone to ﬁght.

This anniversary is a painful one, but we must not lose hope. Together, we must continue to raise our voices, louder and stronger than ever before. For the hostages still in captivity. For the people of Israel viliﬁed and attacked. For the Jewish people. For the ﬁght against the world’s oldest hatred.

Is it now time to clean house once and for all?

DAVID PATRIKARAKOS

AUTHOR AND WAR

CORRESPONDENT

Where were you on 7 October 2023? For people of my age, it’s a question that sits alongside where you were on 9/11 and, for the truly aged, the Kennedy assassination. I was, perhaps fittingly, in the Middle East. I remember waking up and hearing about a Hamas attack on Israel. I didn’t give it too much thought as it is – unfortunately – a common occurrence. But as the day wore on and the news kept coming in I realised this was something different entirely, both in method and scale.

The day is imprinted on to the psyche of every Israeli and most diaspora Jews as well. It was the bloodiest single day for Jews since the Holocaust, and arguably the single greatest security failure in Israeli history. Jerusalem eventually reported a total of 1,195 people murdered (including the later

deaths of hostages in Gaza). Analysis by AFP has found that 815 of these were civilians, including 79 foreign nationals, 282 women, and 36 children. In total 251 people were taken hostages, including 44 from Nova music festival and 74 from kibbutz Nir Oz.

The 7 October atrocities included several violations of international humanitarian law, including deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, wilful killing of people in custody, cruel and other inhumane treatment, crimes relating to sexual and gender-based violence, mutilation and despoiling of bodies, the use of human shields and pillaging and looting. The UN’s March 2024 report found there were “reasonable grounds” to assume conﬂict related sexualviolence, including rape and gang-rape, also occurred.

The Israelis then, of course, went into Gaza – as any state was not just likely to do, but duty bound to. Accurate death and injury tolls are hard to come. Gaza death ﬁgures come from the Hamas-run Health Ministry and are accordingly not to be trusted (for

what it’s worth, their figure is 41,615 killed with 96,359 wounded). It’s also hard to find a public Israeli death toll. In August, the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, said 10,000 had been killed or wounded in the fighting, but other than that there is little in the way of concrete figures.

The strategic objectives of destroying Hamas and taking out its system of terror tunnels are equally ambivalent. The IDF has nonetheless also degraded Hamas’s capacity to regroup as a coherent ﬁghting force. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week claimed Israel had “destroyed nearly all of Hamas’ terror battalions – 23 out of 24 battalions” and “over 90% of their rocket arsenal”. It’s an assessment echoed by the US think tank Institute for the Study of War, which assesses that “Israeli operations have defeated or severely degraded Hamas units across the Gaza strip… Hamas units do not appear to be ﬁghting as a cohesive military formation”. In particular, ISW has cited lowering rates of attack from Khan Younis and Rafah to suggest that the IDF has been

successful militarily in destroying Hamas in these two Gazan regions.

Set against that is of course a primary goal of the war: the return of the hostages. Of the original 251 hostages, 97 remain in Gaza, their whereabouts and well-being unknown, with Israeli o cials claiming that at least 33 are believed to be dead. The majority of those released hostages came through the deal in November in which 105 were freed. At least eight have been rescued alive by the IDF. In December three were killed by the IDF who mistook them for combatants (despite the fact they were holding a white ﬂag).

The other primary war aim of ‘defeating Hamas’ has not happened and will not. The IDF can destroy Hamas’ fighting capability, but the true destruction of Hamas in Gaza can only happen once additional political measures have happened that allow for the formation of a new civilian political authority to govern Gaza. That said, there is much benefit in degrading the fighting capability of a neighbouring enemy possessed of an implacable desire to see you dead.

That’s what we might call a top line assessment of the micro one year on after 7 October. What about the wider picture? Well, that is equally bloody and fraught. Also, you simply cannot consider it without considering Hezbollah and the Houthis with Iran behind them on one side; and the West, led by the United States, on the other.

Simply put, this conflict stands at the centre of regional, and by extension, global geopolitics. And what is happening regionally right now is simply astonishing. Netanyahu knows this. Last week the Israelis killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, prompting Netanyahu to make clear that Israel’s goal to “change the balance of power in the region for years”.

On Monday evening, Netanyahu addressed the Iranian people, telling them you’ll be ‘free sooner than people think’. Does this mean Israel is going for regime change in Iran? Unlikely. But that is obviously the desired state, and right Israel has the momentum.

I’d be surprised if Jerusalem is up for all-out war with Iran, but they can try to encourage action from within, not least by hinting Israel will act without committing to anything. But for now, the situation is this. Gaza is quiet. Hezbollah has seen 98% of its leadership eliminated in the space of two weeks. Iranian deterrence is shot. Revenge for Haniyeh? We’re still waiting for an adequate revenge for the killing of Quds force commander Qasem Soleimani who the Americans droned in January 2020.

Then there is the fact that Iran’s proxies

are in utter disarray, there is a strong US naval presence in the region, and all the momentum is with Israel. Could it be time to clean house once and for all?

But start a war with Iran to achieve what? There is a strong argument to take out all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, but the regime planned the security of its programme by learning from the 1981 Israeli strike of the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak: a single, above ground reactor.

Iran’s facilities are dispersed across a vast country, installed deep underground, not to mention that Israel would have to fly over the airspace of hostile countries. The assessment remains that Israel does not have the capability to do it. The US does but lacks the appetite.

If a ground offensive into Lebanon is successful, Middle East power dynamics may shift again. If Iran does not directly support Hezbollah in its war against Israel and it is subsequently defeated, its allies across the region will feel betrayed; Iran will look even weaker. If Iran does help and Hezbollah still gets pounded that could be even worse. Israel’s flaw has always been arrogance –especially with Netanyahu at the helm. He may feel it is time to take the war to Tehran.

One year on, all that remains clear is that wider situation is more fraught– and dangerous than ever.

In the interim, all Jews can do one thing at least, when it comes to 7 October. This, at least, should be easy. It’s something we have been called to do for decades, if not centuries to do: never forget.

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Zionists aren’t neutral on Israel – and aren’t disloyal

BY RABBI CHARLEY BAGINSKY AND RABBI JOSH LEVY CO-LEADS, PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM

For Progressive Jews across the world, 7 October 2023 was, in common with Jews in Israel, Simchat Torah. As our communities danced with the Torah, news began to spread of what was happening in Israel.

Mobile phones began to buzz. Whispers rippled through communities. Some rushed out to check on loved ones. Some stood in stunned silence as others, still yet unaware, danced around them.

Rabbis and cantors struggled to know how to respond – to continue or to stop, though what words could possibly be said in response to this moment?

The ripple of emotion and confusion that began that morning continues to travel as a wave through our communal life.

A year on we still wake in the night when

our phones buzz, we still make nervous phone calls to our loved ones to check they are all right, and we are still not sure whether can see or hear more news. Many feel as if we are still standing in stunned silence as the world goes on around us.

The pain that began that day continues to live inside us: The pain of those who yearn for the release of hostages, and the pain of those who are approaching ﬁrst yahrzeit for those killed on that day.

The pain for all the death and destruction that continues.

We stand in awe of those who provide testimony about the events of that day, to ensure that they are remembered and, extraordinary as it is to need this, that they are believed. The survivors and families of the bereaved who recently visited London – for the screenings the documentary ﬁlm Surviving October 7: We Will Dance Again –show bravery and resilience that most of us cannot even contemplate.

This is also seen in those members of our communities who stand week after week – in London, Manchester, Brighton and all

around the UK – speaking for the hostages and keeping their names and plight in the public consciousness.

On 7 October this year, and in the journey to a Simchat Torah, we will join with Jews around the world in memory of those who died, in protest at the failure to secure the release of those in captivity, and in deﬁance of those who seek to deny or celebrate the events of that day last year.

As Zionists, we are not neutral observers of events in Israel, and these events still a ect us. We feel what happens there from a position of love and loyalty, even more so when we are still in the midst of pain and trauma.

And it is also true, maybe especially true, when we ﬁnd ourselves having to fulﬁl the mitzvah of tochechah – our obligation to say things that are challenging.

As Zionists, because we are not neutral, we also have an obligation to protest at much that was unleashed on the world that day –not only by others, but also by the country that we love.

It is not disloyal, in the heart of our mourning and our pain, to seek also to be a critical voice, to ask better of that country when it errs, and to seek a better future than that which its government currently pursues. This is also a part of our love and loyalty. It is not disloyal to join our voices with the voices of protest of our friends, relatives and colleagues on the streets in Israel.

For all of us, these next few weeks will be ones of sorrow, pain and mourning. The ripple that began on that Simchat Torah morning continues to travel through our lives. As we pray that 5785 will be a year of peace for all of us, and for Israel, we recognise that it is also a sign of our love and loyalty to pray for, and call out for, a better future.

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In the last 12 months, X has marked the hatred

IMRAN AHMED CHIEF EXECUTIVE , CENTER FOR COUNTERING DIGITAL HATE

If you were to look for authoritative, reliable information about current events, healthy debate, and balanced, political discourse, I doubt your ﬁrst instinct would be to scroll through X.

There was once a time that the platform formerly known as Twitter was a go-to source for activists, politicians, journalists, and the public looking for real-time news. Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform in 2022, things have changed.

Under Musk’s leadership, my organisation, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has documented the rise of racism, antisemitism, misogyny, and other types of hate and disinformation on X.

Following his declaration of “general amnesty” for previously banned users, the likes of Andrew Tate, Tommy Robinson, neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin and more have returned to the platform, generating

millions in advertising revenue as their enraging content generates views.

Since 7 October, CCDH found that just 10 influential accounts on X posting hateful content grew their followings on average four times faster by exploiting the IsraelGaza conflict. Antisemites now can flock back to a platform that won’t kick them o for spreading lies – they can recruit more followers, share more conspiracies, and continue to divide communities through hate.

Social media has fundamentally changed how we interact, access information and garner consensus. A healthy discourse is integral to a healthy democracy.

We can no longer ignore the fact that a signiﬁcant part of our discourse now takes place online on social media platforms.

The horrifying social disorder and violence we saw in the aftermath of the Southport murders was a stark reminder of how social media can be instrumental in spreading digital hate and misinformation which can lead to violence on the streets.

Since 7 October, CCDH found that 10 inﬂuential accounts on X posting hateful content

SINCE ELON MUSK’S ACQUISITION THINGS HAVE CHANGED

grew their followings on average four times faster by exploiting the Israel-Gaza conﬂict.

In the days following the murders, there were riots in Southport and across the UK, triggered by false information spread online. The very same people – Tommy Robinson, Andrew Tate, the leaders of Britain First – used X to rack up hundreds of millions of views on false claims about the attacker’s identity.

Our researchers found that accounts spreading disinformation were monetised, with a ‘blue tick’ veriﬁcation that granted them the appearance of greater credibility and prioritised ranking in X’s algorithm.

For X, and all social media platforms, your attention is king. The longer they can keep you scrolling, enraged and engaged, the more adverts the platforms can serve you.

Social media platforms actively incentivise hate and controversy ‘by design’ because controversial content is addictive, and if users spend more time on a platform, the platform makes more money. Not only that, hate actors like Tommy Robinson understand this and leverage the products to not only spread their hate widely but for proﬁt. The more controversial and hateful the content, the more it is algorithmically ampliﬁed, the more we see it in our feeds and the more money the bad actors and social media companies make from it.

The dominance of the social media industry on our information economy has yet to be matched by corresponding safety regulations. Every other big industry must by abide by laws and rules set by governments and independent watchdogs.

With last year’s passage of the Online Safety Act in the UK, for the ﬁrst time, there are now rules in place for platforms to follow to ensure they are not allowing illegal content to reach their users and that they are taking action when platform rules are broken. Ofcom can hold companies accountable only if legislation is robustly implemented and enforced.

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THE SOUND OF

With all that Israel has had to contend with in the past year, hate at the Eurovision Song Contest was the last thing the country needed – musically that is. Traditionally a bit of fun for the contestants and with Israel’s impressive track record at Eurovision (Milk and Honey, Dana International, Netta) no one in the wake of the 7 October atrocities could have predicted the global attention and animosity experienced by entrant Eden Golan. Initially banning the song October Rain , the European Broadcasting Union allowed Israel to take part with a changed lyric, so it was Hurricane that Eden performed in Sweden in May. The song, which placed fifth in the contest, has become an anthem for a country in mourning.

Israel’s history is mirrored in its popular music – especially songs written during or after wars. In 1948, Haim Gouri and Sasha Argov composed Shir Ha’Reut (Song of Friendship). A favourite of Yitzhak Rabin, it was performed at the 1995 Peace Rally. In his ﬁnal public act, the normally introverted Rabin shyly sang along just before he was gunned down by assassin Yigal Amir. The song is still sung at commemorative events and its lyrics resonate a year after 7 October:

“…Already a year, and few of us remain.

So many are no longer among us. But we’ll remember them all.…”

soundtrack. Naomi Shemer’s epitomises

Let it Be, inspired

hopes following the 1973 war llow them to

’. Fast forward 21 (Winter of

Arthur Weiss reflects on the musical homages that have been released since 7 October – but tragically not the hostages

elders blessed us with damp eyes, saying, May these children never go to war….”

In our eyes we won’t look back, We won’t raise our hands.

and another wearing a superman tallit.

On a di erent, much more optimistic, note, Eyal Golan, a singer popular for almost 30 years, rewrote: Am Yisrael Chai “Ho my land is our heritage, our spirits will not fall now, around us ‘swords of iron’ and the dove will spread her wings, the hope of two thousand years, we’ll go out in the streets to sing again”

Yom Kippur war and the

Each conﬂict brings its own soundtrack. Naomi Shemer’s Jerusalem of Gold the 1967 genre, while her song Lu Yehi ( by The Beatles), reﬂects the hopes following the 1973 war with lyrics: ‘A return safely here, all that we seek, let it be years, Horef ’73 ‘73) paints a more sombre picture. It speaks of the children conceived after the Yom Kippur war and the shattered broken promises left behind:

“When we were born the

By 1994, the hopes from 1973 seemed tangible: peace with Egypt and Jordan, and the Oslo accords ending the First Intifada. But this was before Rabin’s assassination. Since 7 October, Israeli songwriting has surged, ranging from furious raps to heart-wrenching ballads. Two songs reprise Horef ‘73. Teachers Mia Shilon, Barak Gonen and Doron Ben Ami, had formed a parody trio – Morat Ruch –during Covid. Their song, October ‘23 is not a parody but a tribute to their students’ bravery, using the same Horef melody but with new words. Lacking the hope of the original song’s dove and olive branch promise, it laments:

We’ll never forget that in heaven there’s one God, the Star of David and Guardian of Jerusalem…”

Even angrier is Harbu Darbu, a drill song that topped the Israeli charts in November ’23. The title refers to an Arabic idiom for war-strike. Sung by Ness (Nessiya Levi ) and Stilla (Dor Soroker), the song lists IDF units targeting Hamas, equated with Amalek (the Biblical enemy of Jews and ancestor of Purim’s Haman), with a beat “One, Two, Shoot”. Ness and Stilla emphasise:

In contrast, his daughter Aline’s song, Ain Li Makom (I have no place) is far less upbeat. And with good reason. Dedicated to the Gaza hostages, the video includes Michal Lobanov, the wife of Alex Lobanov who was recently murdered by Hamas alongside the other hostages Hersh Goldberg Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino and Almog Sarusi. Michal has since given birth to the couple’s second son but in the video she’s still heavily pregnant, with the words “Daddy come home” written on her stomach.

words. Lacking the hope of the original song’s

“True – there’s no dove, nor olive leaf” Horef ‘23 darker and angry. Written by Odeya Azoulay and rapper Izzy Erez Sharon – EZ

– it includes the line “We are the children of Winter, ‘23” while questioning leaders

If October ‘23 is dark, Horef ‘23 is the line “We are Winter, ‘23” and God. my sabbath and the late”. Izzy also released a rap, , just

“They ruined my sabbath and the messiah is late” also released a rap, “Seventh of October”, just days after the attack, which reached 200,000 views within a week. The lyrics challenge Israel

“This is my Jewish blood on fire…

“This song is not really our song, it’s your song. For more than a month, all the fighters, the female fighters, and the security forces all over the country have been giving their hearts and souls for all of us”.

Another rap Ze Aleinu (It’s on us)– by Subliminal (Jacob Shimoni) opens with “Good Evening Gaza – Another Day, Another Dead Nazi” and continues “You won’t break my spirit. You won’t crush my soul”. Like Harbu Darbu, it also compares Hamas to Amalek but ends with hope:

“Know that tomorrow will come. And hope rises from the ashes. It will grow, and will come, it’s on us (Ze Aleinu).

From now I swear I’m fighting for the next generation

Even if the road is long…”

The accompanying graphic video is unforgiving – starting with a lullaby, a baby and images of the destruction, followed by IDF soldiers marching, with one putting on teﬁllin

It is hard to believe that the morning which brought us the terrifying news of the Hamas attacks is now a year ago, yet barely a week has passed since without more tragedy. Fallen soldiers, dead hostages and insurmountable grief for bereaved relatives has been interpreted by musicians who have already responded to the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Nadav and Assaf Frishman’s 2006 Lebanon war song, Yalla Ya Nasrallah, has been revived with a change to the chorus which now states: “we will send you back to Allah, with all of Hezbollah…it’s already been sentenced from above that this is your end”. Perhaps the song that best encapsulates the sorrow and hope following 7 October is Ariel Zurayev’s anthem Am Echad (One Nation), co-written with Yonatan Giertz, and Yehuda Kaplan. “We joined forces to produce a video that would be from the people of Israel,” said Zurayev. “It wouldn’t just be our song, but one for all of Israel, united together”. The song has since transcended borders, with Noa Tishby and Gal Gadot amplifying its message at Hollywood’s Take Action, Build Hope event.

“…Our hope is not yet lost (Od Lo Avda Tikvateinu)

To be free in our country (Lihiyot Hofshi B’Artzeinu)

Hear O Israel, we are all one nation…. The people of Israel are a family

We will be victorious, there’s no doubt”

haters with deﬁance.

Ness and Stilla Eden Golan

Rapper EZ

Odeya Azoulay

Subliminal

A positive impact

From packing kits for Israeli families displaced a er 7 October to cooking for Londoners living in poverty, one charity prepares our youth for the task

Making volunteering part of a young person’s journey to adulthood is the goal of the awardwinning Jewish youth charity Project ImpACT. As the name clearly states, this is an initiative that empowers, educates and engages teens to contribute to the wider community, creating positive change and shaping the next generation of active young leaders. Teens also gain an understanding of social responsibility and learn about the inspiring charity sector, while developing transferable skills and boosting conﬁdence and resilience.

Sam Ellis was 14 when he ﬁrst got involved with the charity and now, as a Project ImpACT youth ambassador, he share his reasons for being involved.

“I was looking for volunteering that was both meaningful and suitable for my age to complete the Duke of Edinburgh Award,” writes Sam. “I was soon busy chopping vegetables in the ImpACT Youth Kitchen with new friends. Very quickly I could see the positive di erence that volunteering with Project ImpACT was having both for us as volunteers and for the charities we support.

“One event that really stood out was when the late Father Terry, a priest from a local food bank we

support, came to visit an ImpACT Youth Kitchen session and shared his appreciation for our volunteers providing meals. He told us that freshly cooked, healthy meals were a welcome addition to the packaged goods their clients usually receive. He acknowledged that we are a Jewish charity supporting wider society.

“For me, this is the power and the unique approach of Project ImpACT, where we care about and practically support people of all faiths and backgrounds including through homeless shelters and food banks.

“We heard from Marilyn, a client of Together in Barnet’s night shelter and she underlined the importance of what we do, saying: ‘I have been using the night shelter for four weeks and have been street homeless since last November. It’s amazing to see young people with such a good and humanitarian heart.’

“I’ve also found it really meaningful to participate in the special ImpACT events throughout the year, which has included packing essentials to send to Ukraine, collecting and wrapping toys for children in hospital and running intergenerational activities with care home residents.

“Soon after October 7th, Project ImpACT arranged for us to speak to families who had to leave their homes due to the war and we packed 5,000 resilience kits for children of displaced families in Israel. This very moving experience really helped us to understand and personalise the volunteering we were doing.

“We also have an Israel volunteering programme where teens get to learn about another charity in Israel each week via a Zoom link.

now helping to lead sessions for

“I have got so much out of my volunteering with the charity that I applied for and was proud to be selected as an ambassador. I am now helping to lead sessions for younger volunteers and engage them in impactful volunteering.

with the volunteering and social action projects and said: ‘Project ImpACT is one of the most amazing opportunities that exists for young Jewish people in Britain today. When you give selﬂessly to others, you make a positive impact on their lives and also on your own.’”

ImpACT has a variety of volunteering programmes for all age groups including its Bar/Bat programme, the intergenerational volunteering programmes and the ﬂagship ImpACT Youth Kitchen, bringing Jewish youth together from all backgrounds to cook for people of all faiths who normally

rely on local food banks and homeless shelters. Each month surplus food is transformed by the teens, who, guided by a professional chef, use it to prepare nutritious meals with innovative menus. These are then delivered to the shelters and food banks for those in need.

At a time when 25 percent of people in London are living in poverty and food banks are experiencing a huge increase in demand, the youth kitchen has delivered more than 25,000 meals to feed some of the most vulnerable members of society.

“We bring teens together from across the Jewish community from diverse backgrounds and to date, young people from over 42 schools have given their free time to support those in need.

from diverse backgrounds and given time to support those in need.

hours to their local communities.

supported over 40 charities, devel-

Teens volunteering with ImpACT have given an incredible 45,000 hours to their local communities. ImpACT is also delighted to have supported over 40 charities, developing long-standing partnerships along the way.

“Project ImpACT enables

“Project ImpACT enables Jewish youth to understand the importance of looking out for everybody and that no one should go without. For me, this is the power and the unique approach of the charity as we care about people of all faiths and backgrounds.

everybody and that no one should power and the unique approach

“We have even inspired Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis KBE, who was deeply impressed

And there is another beneﬁt, as volunteer Gaby points out: “Project ImpACT gives me the opportunity a positive contribution and I love

And there is another beneﬁt, as volunteer Gaby points out: “Project ImpACT gives me the opportunity to meet new people, while making a positive contribution and I love volunteering in a fun and e ective way every Sunday.”

But Chayli Fehler, founder and director of Project ImpACT, says it best when she states: “Our vision is for all teens to participate in regular meaningful volunteering as part of their routine, gaining an understanding of the charity sector and a commitment to global responsibility. Every young person should know that they can make their impact and become active changemakers in our society creating a better future for everyone.”

But Chayli Fehler, founder and is for all teens to participate in as part of their routine, gaining an understanding of the charity global responsibility. Every impact and become active society creating a better future for everyone.” tion and to sign up to

involve your school or

For more information and to sign up to Project ImpACT volunteering programmes or involve your school or community, visit projectimpact.org.uk or email info@projectimpact.org.uk

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis with ImpACT volunteers, who develop transferable skills and boost their self-confidence

Sam Ellis, right, with other ImpACT 4 Ukrainian Kids volunteers

KBE, who was deeply impressed

Chayli Fehler, the charity's founder

UNITY in diversity

Israel is a melting pot of cultures co-existing and waiting to welcome your visit, writes Charlotte Henry

Unity, to be real, must stand the severest strain without breaking’, said Mahatma Gandhi. And after an exhausting year of war, this is certainly true of Israel, where minority communities live and thrive side by side even in dark times.

That support for Israel from the diaspora has never been more important goes without saying, but it is the return of visitors which matters most to all the diﬀerent groups that live there. They are waiting to greet people with open arms.

In the next part of a series from JewishNewswith the Israeli Government Tourist Oﬀice, we look at the full spectrum of Israeli life as it never gets reported globally.

We meet the minority communities that have fantastic businesses and defy the false narrative by introducing the citizens of other faiths who have fascinating stories to tell and are waiting to serve customers.

For many of us, Jewish heritage rightly sits at the heart of our love for and connection to Israel. That should never be lost. But Israel is a

includes their ﬁerce loyalty to the State of Israel, stemming from a belief that the country you’re born into is the country you’re from – there is no aspiration for another homeland.

They also feel strong ancient bonds with Jews, with whom they serve in the IDF. Druze men ﬁrst began serving in special military units in 1948. Then, in 1956, Druze leaders asked to be drafted, as Jewish men are. Units are now fully integrated, with some Druze holding very senior military roles. While conscription does not apply to the Druze community in the Golan Heights, who originated in Syria, many of them now volunteer too. Druze women contribute in other ways, partaking in a national service programme.

Back home, the Druze use traditional methods for agricultural work –we were shown huge, rather dramaticlooking equipment. They live in relatively small homes surrounded by vineyards. The Druze village I visit is Ussifya, on Mount Carmel. Staring into the green against the bright blue sky on a sunny day really does take the breath away. As does the

village spotless would be an understatement. There is not one thing out of place, not one piece of rubbish in the streets, the houses white and gleaming. Walking through feels like being on a ﬁlm set.

tion but work on the land, contributing to products like olive oil. (The site boasts 100 hectares of grapes and 100 hectares of olives.)

diverse, colourful country. I had the pleasure of meeting some members of other communities who live and work alongside the Jewish majority, playing key roles in Israeli society.

When visiting the Druze, we were immediately plied with food and drink – a typical example of this group’s hospitality – and told the fascinating history of this secretive religion. While many elements of this faith remain known to members only (there are no converts), they are keen to explain what they can. This

Druze’s significant contribution to the vibrancy of Israel life. Even their flag has five colours, representing the five prophets of their religion.

Take the Druze, for instance. They have been in Israel for around 1,000 years. Like their Jewish neighbours, they have been directly aﬀected by Hezbollah’s near-daily rocket attacks on the north. In August, a rocket launched from Lebanon by the terror group hit Majdal Shams. Twelve Druze children playing football were killed. The outpouring of love from the rest of Israel made clear this community’s important place in society.

The Circassians are an even smaller community, but, like the Druze, they

In fact, Kfar Kama is one of just 32 areas around the world recognised by the UN tourism body UNWTO as one the Best Tourism Villages. Both the residents and Israelis as a whole are, not surprisingly, rather proud of this and work hard to maintain the high standards set.

While the Circassian faith has changed over the years, they are now almost all Muslim. Yet there is no animosity towards Jews. In 1958, they asked to be drafted into the IDF. While they continue to maintain their own dress, traditions and language, Circassian children learn alongside Jewish children at school. Starting the interaction and integration at a young age help builds important bonds heading into adulthood.

Food is a huge part of their culture and the cheesecake served at the local cafe was up there with the best I’ve ever had. (Sorry, Mum!) Their cheese itself is incredible too –fresh, rich and creamy. It is the perfect complement to the bread also made freshly in the village.

Things are not always straightforward, not least because the Circassians have the ultimate hope of their own homeland after facing brutality from Russia in the Balkans, where they are originally from. However, these athletes are proud to represent Israel and our Circassian guide emphasises the community is happy to be in Israel.

Visits to wineries such as Mony have become increasingly popular in recent years. Sipping a chilled, refreshing Caladoc rosé in the cool of an ancient cave, it is easy to see why.

When visiting the towns, villages and business where Druze, Circassians, Arabs, Christians and Jews all live and work together, I’m struck by how diﬀerent the reality of Israel is compared to the story told to the wider world. Deep down many of us know that is the case, but being on the ground really brings it home.

It feels that facing genocide and attempted extermination gives Jews and Circassians a shared understanding, tying the two together in some ways.

Circassian Israelis have competed in top-level international sport. Yanal Ashmouz is a Mixed Martial Arts athlete from Kfar Kama, competing in the UFC. Furthermore, Bibras Natcho was the ﬁrst Muslim and the ﬁrst Circassian to captain the Israeli football team.

Meanwhile, sitting in the heart of the Judean Mountains, the Mony Winery is perhaps one of the best demonstrations of all elements of Israeli society living and working together. Jews, Christians and Muslims all contribute fully to the business. Arab-Christian winemaker Shakib Artoul works alongside his Jewish counterpart Sasson Ben Aharon. Artoul describes himself as “proud” of his role. His Muslim colleagues obviously do not deal with alcohol produc-

Like any diverse country, the different communities in Israel have to compromise and find different ways to respect each other and exist together. Nobody pretends things are always easy. But after talking to these different groups, it is clear that all parts of Israeli society are determined bounce back. Welcoming visitors from

Yanal Ashmouz

Pupils at the elementary school in Kfar Kama on Circassian Flag Day

Photo by Chen Bram

Shakib Artoul, left, an Arab Christian, works with Sasson Ben Aharon

The Circassians in Kfar Kama

Bibras Natcho was the first Muslim to captain the Israeli team

The Druze, seen here in 1900, have been in Israel for about 1,000 years

Sinai Jewish Primary School

Open Events

Open EveningTuesday 12th November @ 7.30pm

Ope n M orn ingWednesday 13t h November @ 9.30am

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Business

Start up the MEMORY

Izhar Shay appears in the current issue of Life magazine. This is the second part of his heartbreaking story, which is also about his route to healing and how he is helping others. Izhar Shay is a grieving father who lost his son, Yaron, on 7 October. Yaron was killed protecting civilians at the Israel/Gaza border. While Izhar sat shiva, he made a pledge. The former minister of science and technology vowed to create a startup to honour every person whose life was brutally cut short in the war with Hamas. The target was 1,200, then 1,400 and now 1,600, each bearing the name of someone killed, each one ‘to make the world a better place’. By Candice Krieger

Nearly one year on and his project, Next October, which stands for hope, resilience and optimism, has already recruited 600 companies. One thousand to go, though likely many more. Shay will continue to count. He hopes he soon won’t have to.

The business community and beyond have united in support of Next October, to help make its vision a reality.

The initiative, which has been endorsed by President Herzog and backed by dozens of major organisations including Google, Amazon, Sisco, Meta, LeumiTech and Deloitte, has now matched 250 of the 600 tech-for-good startups with families in honour of their loved one. Between 50 and 80 new and meaningful connections are being made every month.

Izhar Shay said: “It has been incredible to see the response from people to Next October. We have been both surprised and touched by the level of commitment from those who have approached us, insisting on being part of it.

“We now have close to 50 volunteers who want to help spread the word and vision –many who are doing so alongside their fulltime day jobs.

“People are identifying with our message: not only the need to commemorate those who have lost their lives but that Hamas came to try and destroy us and we are responding by creating innovation and building a better world.

“Next October must be better, and the one a er that even better, and so on. So, we are introducing a bit of optimism, a hint of Israeli resilience, and entrepreneurship.”

Next October volunteer Sharon Raz, Commemoration and Startups Relationships, said: “I am honoured to take part as a volunteer in the Next October initiative.

“The moment that I connect a bereaved family with a startup they didn’t know but now just wants to embrace the family and honour their loved one, is a moment of magic and excitement. The inspiration I draw from

bereaved families in general, and the Shay family in particular, and the idea of commemorating the fallen through ‘doing good’ and innovation, gives me strength every morning since the tragedy of 7 October.

“To commemorate and to grow is the goal. Optimism is the plan. We have no other options. We have no other country. We are strong and we are here to stay.”

In part two of a special feature to mark the anniversary of 7 October, Jewish News is showcasing some of the tech-for-good startups that have been matched with families in memory of their loved ones.

NUTEK, COMMEMORATING NOAM ABRAMOVICH

Noam was 19 years old when she was killed on 7 October during her military service as a lookout at the Nahal Oz outpost. The outpost was captured in a few hours by Hamas, who murdered and kidnapped Noam’s observer team.

NUTEK is developing a handheld imaging device with high precision, for use during cancer tumour-removal surgery. The surgeon uses it to scan the patient’s body after removing the tumour and makes sure that there is no residual cancerous tissue left.

that we all experienced, the Next October message acted like a ray of light in the darkness, motivating us to do good, express resilience and hope.

“We feel privileged, adding an important meaning to our success as a company. Noam and NUTEK’s missions have much in common.

“Noam was an observer whose mission was to observe a scene and analyse what’s hidden from view. The purpose was to provide information in real-time that can save lives.

“Similarly, NUTEK’s mission using the imaging device developed is to locate cancer cells hidden from the surgeon’s view, which otherwise might have been le undetected on the patient’s body at the end of the operation. It is a lifesaving device.

PART 2 MIND GUARD, COMMEMORATING COLONEL YONATAN STEINBERG

Colonel Yonatan Steinberg, 42, was the commander of the Nahal Brigade in the IDF. He served in the IDF for more than two decades, holding various esteemed positions before his final role as the Nahal Brigade chief. He is survived by his wife and six children.

Raised in Givat Ze’ev, he studied at Horev High School Yeshiva and Ma’ale Eliyahu Yeshiva in Tel Aviv. Steinberg was known for his deep curiosity about history and geography and was admired for his bravery, humility, and dedication to his soldiers.

Mind Guard is dedicated to improving

Dov added: “We met Noam’s family, Adva, Yossi and her two younger brothers. A very emotionally painful meeting.

emotionally painful meeting.

“Getting to know Noam was through family stories, photo albums and eulogies written from the broken hearts of friends and family members, who are grieving the loss.”

from the broken hearts of friends and family always has her own way, from kindergarten and joy as a way of life. Her way

The device identifies any residual cancer tissue and guides the surgeon to its exact location for further removal. NUTEK has decided to name its first model of the imaging device developed for breast cancer surgeries Noam.

NUTEK co-founder and chairman Dov Cohen said: “Amid all the chaos which followed 7 October, the hard feeling of loss

Noam’s mother Adva said: “Noam always has her own way, from kindergarten to the army. The environment she lived in did not define her – Noam defined it. Her path included iron-strong principles: never giving up, never bowing to anyone, doing justice, excellence in disguise of lightness, friendship and social involvement as a pillar, innate leadership and joy as a way of life. Her way was love. Love to live in the full sense of the word. To make the most of every moment, to devour life with intensity. She loved her family and rejoiced in her love for her partner. She loved to study, research, work hard and persistently, loved her friends, the community she lived in, the country. Next to the terrible pain of all this, we will remember that Noam never was, that Noam will always be.” nutekmedtech.com

Yaron with his father Izhar

Noam Abramovich

Colonel Yonatan Steinberg

A Next October manager discusses its product with Yonatan

the resilience of young women by helping mental health apps to increase retention and engagement through personalised digital behaviour analytics.

Mind Guard CEO Yair Nativ said: “Yonatan was my commanding officer. He wasn’t just a leader; he was someone who deeply cared about every person under his command. His dedication to making the best use of every moment has left a lasting impact on me and many others. To keep his spirit alive, we’ve added a feature to our app with some of his most inspiring quotes. These words continue to motivate and guide young Israeli women, just as he inspired all of us who had the privilege of knowing him.” getmindguard.com

BRAINZY’Z, COMMEMORATING HANNA’LE KRITZMAN

Hanna’le Kreitzman was seriously injured in the rescue from her home in Kibbutz Be’eri on 7 October and died two weeks later in hospital, aged 88, just after her tenth great-grandchild was born in the same hospital.

Born in Warsaw, Hanna’le immigrated to Israel as a child. She was a kindergarten teacher, educator, librarian and storyteller in Kibbutz Be’eri. She was a believer in positive

and experiential education and was focused on creating a supportive and enriching environment for all children.

Brainy’z develops smart platforms for collaborative learning that integrate both digital and physical experiences. The company was founded in 2018 by Dov and Tzipi Rothstein and its solutions harness data to personalise the learning experience for students, offering flexibility through UserGenerated Content (UGC) tools that allow users to create and share content, fostering an active and engaged user community.

Their flagship solution, the Brain Station, is an interactive smart table designed for collaborative learning for up to four students simultaneously. The system features a 32-inch multi-touch screen and includes a wide range of educational content across various subjects and numerous educational games. The table also supports SocialEmotional Learning (SEL), a growing focus in the education sector.

Brainzy chief executive Yiftach Geva said: “The Next October initiative resonated deeply with us at Brainy’z because of our belief in the power of education to shape future generations.

“In choosing to commemorate someone through this initiative, we sought to honour an individual whose life and values align with our mission as a company. Hanna’le Kreitzman z”l, epitomised the ideals of nurturing and educating future generations. Her dedication to positive reinforcement and the belief that no child should be left behind aligns perfectly with the educational principles that guide Brainy’z.

“We met Hanna’le’s family to discuss how best to honour her memory. We have created a dedicated memorial page on our company’s website, added a commemorative slide to our company presentations, and are planning to install a Brain Station smart table at a library or kindergarten in Be’eri or Hazerim (where the Be’eri community is temporarily residing until they can return to their kibbutz), with a dedicated plaque in her honour.

“We are also developing new activities within the Brain Station system that reflect Hanna’le’s legacy, such as the ‘From Picture to Story’ activity, which encourages creativity and storytelling – two elements that were central to Hanna’le’s educational approach.

“We are committed to ensuring that Hanna’le Kreitzman’s memory is honoured for years to come through our ongoing educational initiatives. We plan to continue integrating her story and values into our product and are exploring additional ways to commemorate her, such as creating a dedicated memorial corner in our office and developing a unique trivia quiz related to her life and contributions.”

Brainzy.com

EYE CONTROL, COMMEMORATING SERGEANT MAJOR ZVIKA LAVI

Sgt Maj Zvika Lavi, 30, a fighter in Battalion 669 Esh Brigade, died on 11 December 2023 after being critically wounded on 20 November in the northern Gaza Strip. Zvika was married to Talia and they have three children, Shaked, Amitai and Aviv. He was the son of Miriam and Moshe and brother to Netanel, Yael, Roy, Yair and Tamar and was in the middle of a Master’s degree in social work and connected to Torah and action. Eye Control develops technology that

enables communication and delirium management for acute care patients. Its eye-tracking medical device platform provides a 24/7 personal companion for ventilated patients, allowing communication with family members and medical staff through eye gestures, with the aim of transforming the standard of care in clinical communications and cognitive management in acute care settings.

The company is backed by prominent investors, including the European Innovation Council Fund, leading funds like Menomadin, and support from the Google AI Fund.

CEO and co-founder Or Retzkin said: “We met Zvika Lavi during the first months of the war, after he was seriously wounded. Over the course of several weeks, he used the Eye Control system in the intensive care unit of Asuta Ashdod Hospital and the connection with his family grew stronger.

“As soon as the Next October initiative was announced, we knew we wanted to commemorate Zvika. We had the privilege of connecting with Talia, his widow, a remarkable woman. In honour of the anniversary of Zvika’s passing, Talia shared with us a collection of phrases and sayings that he was known for. As a tribute, we introduced these sayings to our team, allowing each employee to choose the one that resonated with them most and incorporate it into their email signature. Now, every email sent from our company carries a piece of Zvika’s legacy.

“We were also honoured to host Talia at our office, where she shared with our entire team the story of who Zvika was, their beautiful family, and the impact that Eye Control had on their lives.

“The meeting left a profound impression on everyone. While it was undeniably emotional, it also served as a powerful reminder of why we do what we do, infusing us with renewed motivation and purpose.”

Retzkin added: “When Next October was announced, we knew immediately that we wanted to be part of it. With a third of our team called up for reserve duty in the war, including both founders, the rest of us continued our work in hospitals, assisting soldiers and the wounded. How could we not participate in such a meaningful cause?

“It is great privilege to commemorate Zvika, and we hope that our efforts will be a fitting tribute to him and all those who have fallen.” eyecontrol.co.il

Steinberg’s widow, Yisca

Hanna’le Kreitzman

Hanna and family

Brain Station

Sgt Maj Zvika Lavi

Or Retzkin

Eye control

MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

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

BY RABBI BRENDAN STERN HENDON UNITED SYNAGOGUE

A year of pain and of hope

The date 7 October will forever be etched into our personal and historical consciousness. It was a day when our protective walls were breached, our sense of security was rocked and left us doubting many of our perceived friendships – on both a personal and national level.

We have spent the past year glued to screens, ﬁxated on updates about the hostages, praying for their safe return as well as the success of our heroic soldiers. Rivers of tears have ﬂowed as we have felt as if there is a gaping hole in the heart of the national collective, while we have mourned

all too many times along with the immediate families of those who have departed this world too soon.

To say that this has been the hardest year in recent memory for Am Yisrael is an understatement.

However, this year has also been a transformative year of hope for Am Yisrael. The bravery shown by the soldiers of the IDF to help return and protect our people is of Biblical proportions. The ingenuity of our intelligence infrastructure is mindboggling. The resilience of the citizens of Israel – some still displaced from their homes – is inspiring. The camaraderie, generosity and unwavering acts of kindness exhibited by world Jewry are legendary.

Our nation is a nation of lions, a phoenix reborn from the ashes.

This week’s parasha, Ha’azinu,

reﬂects a debate in the Gemara (Sanhedrin 97b) about the coming of Moshiach. One opinion holds that Moshiach will only come if Am Yisrael do teshuva, while the other opines that the arrival of Moshiach is independent of whether Am Yisrael do teshuva. The Rambam (Hilchot Teshuva 7:5) holds that “the Jewish people will only be redeemed if they do teshuva”.

This leads to a tremendous question. If the coming of Moshiach is dependent on Am Yisrael’s prior teshuva, as the Rambam writes, how can we say: “I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, and even though he may delay, nevertheless I await his arrival everyday”?

How can the Rambam count the coming of Moshiach as one of his 13 Principles of Faith if it is possible

The bravery shown by IDF soldiers is of Biblical proportions

that the redemption won’t arrive due to our non-teshuva? If Moshiach is contingent on a prior event, then surely his arrival is at best a matter of doubt rather than of certainty?

Rav Soloveitchik suggests a most phenomenal insight. He explains that the Rambam is emphasising that belief in Moshiach is ﬁrst and foremost contingent and predicated upon a belief in Am Yisrael. If one does not believe in the power of Am Yisrael

and our ability to implement positive change then that person cannot truly believe in the coming of Moshiach.

Hence when we make the declaration that we believe in the coming of Moshiach, the denial of which is considered heretical (Hilchot Teshuva 3:6), we are a rming our faith in Am Yisrael.

Beyachad Nenatzeach, together we will prevail.

Am Yisrael Chai!

Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI AARON GOLDSTEIN CO-SENIOR RABBI, THE ARK SYNAGOGUE

“For many years, I struggled to attend synagogue because the only option was in-person participation, which posed signiﬁcant challenges,” says Ellie.

Ellie – whose autism meant that the large crowds, unexpected noises and social interactions of a synagogue building were too overwhelming – wasn’t alone. Many could not come in-person, including those who were elderly, unwell, disabled, housebound or simply too far away from their favourite community.

Thanks to advances in technology, and the changing nature of the way many of our congregations now operate, this is no longer an issue.

Within Progressive Judaism, the use of technology on Shabbat and festivals – in order to allow people to attend and be part of our services and communities – is encouraged.

At my own Ark Synagogue, as members and

friends lit our candles for the last Havdalah of 5784, I realised that we were joined by people in Germany, India, Ireland, Israel and the United States, as well as those from all corners of the UK. There was a young family, a group of student rabbis and those who were housebound, including a Holocaust Survivor.

Most are weekly participants for whom connecting online provides a vital community that represents the Jewish values of the synagogue: belonging, caring, experiencing and personal.

Being a hybrid congregation and community means that we are connected wherever we are. These past Shabbat evenings, as our students go for the ﬁrst time or back to university, their family in the sanctuary or in their homes are delighted to have ‘Shabbat Shalom’ messages pop up from their children joining the service from their rooms.

Over the High Holy Days, we move from our synagogue sanctuary to a larger venue. Enabling everyone to be connected involves professional support provided by our supplier

A stimulating series where our progressive rabbis consider how Biblical ﬁgures might act when faced with 21st-century issues

Shock AV and a group of volunteers. To maintain the quality is not easy but this task is just an extension of what every synagogue has ever done at this time of year.

This model is replicated in Liberal and Reform communities across the UK. Each is set up to suit its particular culture and needs,

making sure to be present for those who are physically unable to attend in person – as an essential tenet of our Progressive value of inclusivity – through hybrid services and/or other means of keeping everyone involved.

To complement what our communities are doing, there are also online-only Progressive services from Abraham & Sarah’s Tent (an online community).

To list every hybrid service taking place over the High Holy Days would ﬁll most of this newspaper, and I’d be bound to leave someone out, but please contact your chosen community, or ﬁnd the list of our 80 congregations at pathtoprogressivejudaism.org.uk, to see how they can include you.

I would like to leave the last word to Ellie, who is now an Ark Synagogue member and Shabbat regular. She says: “Hybrid congregations like The Ark make it possible for people like me to actively participate and feel included. I am deeply grateful for this forward-thinking embrace of technology and the opportunities it provides.”

Luxury living, exceptional care

Within the grand, historic surroundings at Signature at Hendon Hall you will experience outstanding hospitality, ne dining and engaging resident-led activities alongside exceptional person-centred care.

We hold services every Friday with a local Rabbi, provide menus that are sensitive to our Jewish community’s needs, and celebrate Jewish holidays with our residents.

To book your personal show round, please contact the Client Liaison Managers on 020 3131 3028 or email enquiries.hendon@signaturesl.co.uk

signature-care-homes.co.uk/hendon

Signature at Hendon Hall, Ashley Lane, Hendon, London NW4 1HF

AT HENDON HALL

Attending The Ark synagogue on Zoom

Ask our

Our trusty team of advisers answers your questions about everything from law and ﬁnance to dating and dentistry. This week: Lipreading classes, shipping goods to Israel and cashﬂow advice for a new business.

Dear Sue

SUE CIPIN

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

JEWISH DEAF ASSOCIATION

Since I started losing my hearing, I’ve found socialising really difﬁcult and have lost the conﬁdence I used to take for granted. I feel isolated, even when I’m around others.

My brother told me that a friend of his goes to a lipreading class and that they not only teach about different lip shapes but are also fun and supportive. That sounds like just what I need!

It would be so good to learn to lipread and meet people who truly understand what this is like. Can you tell me more?

Geoff

STEPHEN MORRIS

STEPHEN MORRIS SHIPPING LTD

Dear Stephen Your company shipped my family and me to Israel when we made aliyah in 2019. Obviously, we no longer have our aliyah ‘rights’ but wonder if you could ship over an old English dinner service, perhaps by putting it in someone else’s container?

I’m not trying to avoid Israeli import duty

and VAT, I just need to get it over cheaply for sentimental reasons.

David

Dear David

Thank you for your email and for thinking of us. Unfortunately, placing anything in someone else’s container is illegal and, even if you get to keep the dinner service, you – and we – could be ﬁned heavily by customs. However, there are other ways of doing this. First, there is our regular groupage service between the UK and Israel. There is a minimum fee for this service because certain charges, such as UK and Israeli customs clearances,

Dear Geo

You are absolutely right. Lipreading classes provide an opportunity for you to meet people in similar situations and develop new ways to cope socially in a fun, lively and stimulating class. You also get to improve your communication skills, discuss common issues and access lots of useful information.

We have a new Zoom class on Friday mornings from 10.30am till 12.30pm, which is easy to join wherever you are.

We also have Monday classes here at JDA from 9.50 till 11.50am and 12.10-2.10pm for people who prefer the social interaction of meeting up in person. If you would like to observe a class, or for more information on the course, please contact Jodie at JDA on 020 8446 0502 or jodie@jdeaf.org.uk

We look forward to welcoming you to the JDA community… you’re going to love lipreading classes – everyone does!

remain the same for any size shipment. We start at 4cbm, which equates roughly to 10 washing machines. If you can’t justify the expenditure for what might be a much smaller shipment, then we can o er air freight. Air freight costs have fallen sharply in the last couple of years and my company’s air freight division despatches and receives hundreds of shipments each week. The service is door-to-door and o ers full export packing. We have successfully packed and shipped many dinner services to Israel without damage.

So please, just call me and we will simplify the process for you.

ADAM SHELLEY ACCOUNTANT

SOBELL RHODES LLP

Dear Adam

I have recently set up a new business and need some support in managing cashﬂow effectively. Can you provide any guidance?

Sarah

Dear Sarah Managing cashﬂow e ectively is critical for the survival and growth of your business. It’s about planning, monitoring and controlling the money coming

in and going out of your business, which ensures you have enough cash to cover expenses and avoid insolvency. Given the nature of the economy and evolving business practices, staying updated with the latest tools and strategies is vital.

The first step is to understand how cashflow works in your business. This involves knowing when and how your income and expenses occur. Create a cashflow forecast that includes all expected inflows (from sales, accounts receivable and so on) and outflows (such as operating expenses, inventory purchases and any loan payments). This forecast should be updated regularly to reflect actual figures and revised projections.

Accelerating the inﬂow of cash is crucial. You can do this by invoicing promptly, o ering payment incentives, implementing payment terms and streamlining processes.

Maintaining a cash reserve is a strategic ﬁnancial safety net for your business, designed to shield against unforeseen cashﬂow dips.

Assessing your current financial status can give you a plan aimed at improving your cashflow including reducing unnecessary expenses. Additionally, insights can be provided into tax e ciencies to ensure you’re not overpaying, thereby improving your overall financial situation and enabling more informed decision-making for sustained growth and to benefit personally.

TREVOR GEE

Qualifications:

• Managing director, consultant specialists in affordable family health insurance

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

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

• LLB solicitors finals

• Member of Chartered Insurance Institute

PATIENT HEALTH

020 3146 3444/5/6

www.patienthealth.co.uk trevor.gee@patienthealth.co.uk

HUMAN RESOURCES / EMPLOYMENT LAW

DONNA OBSTFELD

Qualifications:

• FCIPD Chartered HR Professional

• 25 years in HR and business management.

• Mediator, business coach, trainer, author and speaker

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

DOHR LTD

020 8088 8958

www.dohr.co.uk

donna@dohr.co.uk

ACCOUNTANT

ADAM SHELLEY

Qualifications:

• FCCA chartered certified accountant

• Accounting, taxation and business advisory services

• Entrepreneurial business specialist including start-up businesses

• Specialises in social media influencers and sport sector including tax planning and financial management

• Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation Volunteer of the Year JVN award

SOBELL RHODES LLP 020 8429 8800 www.sobellrhodes.co.uk a.shelley@sobellrhodes.co.uk

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

LISA WIMBORNE

Qualifications:

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

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

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

• Understanding of the impact of a disability diagnosis

JEWISH BLIND & DISABLED 020 8371 6611

www.jbd.org

Lisa@jbd.org

Experts

ISRAEL PROPERTY & MORTGAGE BROKER

ILAN RUBINSTEIN

Qualifications:

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

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

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

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

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

JEWELLER

JONATHAN WILLIAMS

Qualifications:

• Jewellery manufacturer since 1980s

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

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

JEWELLERY CAVE LTD 020 8446 8538 www.jewellerycave.co.uk jonathan@jewellerycave.co.uk

DIRECTOR OF LEGACIES

CAROLYN ADDLEMAN

Qualifications:

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

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

• Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners

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

REMOVALS MANAGING DIRECTOR

STEPHEN MORRIS

Qualifications:

• Managing director of Stephen Morris Shipping Ltd

• 45 years’ experience in shipping household and personal effects

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

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

STEPHEN MORRIS SHIPPING LTD 020 8832 2222 www.shipsms.co.uk stephen@shipsms.co.uk

FINANCIAL SERVICES (FCA) COMPLIANCE

JACOB BERNSTEIN

Qualifications:

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

• Mortgage, protection and general insurance intermediaries;

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

• Alternative Investment Fund managers;

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

RICHDALE CONSULTANTS LTD 020 7781 8019

www.richdale.co.uk jacob@richdale.co.uk

GOAL ATTAINMENT SPECIALIST

DR BEN LEVY

Qualifications:

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

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

• Works with clients individually to maximise success

MAKE IT HAPPEN 07779 619 597 www.makeit-happen.co.uk ben@makeit-happen.co.uk

SUE CIPIN OBE

Qualifications:

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

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

• Extensive services for people affected by hearing loss/tinnitus

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

• Hearing aid advice, support and maintenance

JEWISH DEAF ASSOCIATION 020 8446 0502 www.jdeaf.org.uk mail@jdeaf.org.uk

Need Cash Fast?

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Come and see us in our North London showroom for the best engagement ring selection.

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A free valuation from our in house gemmologist and gold experts on anything you may wish to sell. If you are thinking of selling, we purchase all diamonds in any shape, size, clarity or colour. WE PAY MORE than all our competitors. Try us, and you will not be disappointed!

We purchase a wide range of Antiques, including Furniture through the ages, from Georgian, Regency and Victorian, to the more rare 20th century modern pieces. We also specialise in diamond jewellery, gold, silver, and paintings of any period, with an emphasis primarily on quality.

If you would like advice or to sell direct, do get in touch. Selling direct eliminates the high commissions involved with auction houses. In fact, we encourage sellers to obtain an auction estimate before contacting us, to be certain of receiving the best possible price.

Payment is immediate, by cash or Bank Transfer and we collect free of charge. We are here to help.

Please call Sue for a free valuation on: Freephone 0800 840 2035. Mob: 07956 268 290. email: antiquesbuyers8@gmail.com. Visit our website for more details: www.antiquesbuyers.co.uk

Antique – Reproduction – Retro Furniture (any condition)

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SURE YOU CONTACT US BEFORE SELLING

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We clear houses, ﬂats, sheds, garages etc. No job too big or too small! Rubbish cleared as part

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ARE YOU BEREAVED?

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LEGACY

THE JEWISH NEWS CROSSWORD

11 Female rabbit (3)

12 Morally proper (7)

SUDOKU

10 Indicated with the hands (8)

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.

11 Beautiful white bird (4)

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)

2 Dog’s restraining chain (5)

3 Appendix to a will (7)

4 Wax light with a wick (6)

12 Unemployed (9)

16 Asks for money (4)

17 Cutting or reducing drastically (8)

19 Shell or Esso establishment, eg (6,7)

21 ___ Chung, TV presenter (5)

22 Ghost, phantom (7)

2 Spoilt, wrecked (6)

3 Articulates badly in fury (9)

4 Machine for cutting grass (5)

6 Munch (3)

7 Writing-desk combined with a chest of drawers (6)

5 ___ basket, wickerwork carrycot (5)

6 Bishop’s area (7)

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

8 Made a surprise attack on (6)

11 Artificial, man-made (9)

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

in the forwards or backwards, in a horizontal, direction, but always in a straight, unbroken line.

13 Still in the shop after all customers have left (6)

14 Frosties or All-Bran, eg (6)

SUGURU

15 Of sports, played under a roof (6)

18 Misbehave or cause a fuss (3,2)

22 Practise for a feat of endurance (5)

20 Tyrannosaurus ___, fearsome dinosaur (3)

CODEWORD

SUGURU

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

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

The words to do with pandas 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.

Crossword

ACROSS: 1 Pups, 3 One-sided, 9 Earplug, 10 Ogres, 11 Alpen, 12 Entice, 14 Even so, 15 Saliva, 18 Anorak, 20 Run up, 22 In-law, 23 Wasters, 25 Slanders, 26 Asia.

DOWN: 1 Pie, 2 Paraphernalia, 4 Nugget, 5 Short, 6 Directionless, 7 Dust, 8 Flunks, 11 Aver, 13 Gawp, 16 At rest, 17 Skewer, 19 Rowed, 21 Ribs, 24 Spa.

EFTESNUSEKY DSUNLAMPSTO NUUEOELAIIS UNMNOEFNRUU SSHAKTURNIN AUAEESIDUUT LNNRIBRLSGR MGSDOYNONTA SUNDAEBUPUP NERAIYEOSLS

puzzle solutions.

Sudoku Suguru

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Codeword

Sudoku Suguru

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Codeword

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