1396 - 5th December 2024 by Jewish News

Grieving father says alarm was raised 72 hours before attack Interview, page 6

PM presses Qatar on hostages’ plight

Starmer puts 28-year-old British-Israeli Emily Damari and her fellow captives on the agenda during Downing St talks

@lmharpin

Keir Starmer raised the plight of the Israeli hostages, including 28-year-old British-Israeli Emily Damari, at a meeting with the Emir of Qatar in Downing Street yesterday.

The talks with Sheikh Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani were aimed at agreeing a £1bn climate technology investment between the UK and the Gulf State.

But the prime minister’s spokesperson conﬁrmed that the su ering of Emily Damari and her family, along with that of the other Gaza hostages, would “feature” during the meeting of the two leaders.

Also on the agenda at the talks, which came at the end of a two-day visit to the UK by the Emir, who is head of the small but inﬂuential state, were further discussions about defence and “stability in the Middle East”.

Asked whether Damari’s situation would be raised with Sheikh Emir Tamim by the prime minister in the talks, Downing Street told Jewish News: “You can expect the plight of the hostages to feature.”

The No 10 spokesperson added: “In every diplomatic conversation that the prime minister has, he urges world leaders to do everything they can to secure the safe return of the hostages.”

Ahead of the meeting between the two leaders yesterday, Mandy

mother, was seen seated in the public gallery at the House of Commons to observe

Prime Minister’s Questions. She was seated with other family members, along with a representative from the Conservative Friends of Israel group.

At the start of PMQs, the prime minister speciﬁcally referred to the plight of those “still being held hostage in Gaza”.

He said that he had met Mandy Damari “a number of times” and that “in my view what she is going through is nothing short of torture”.

Later, Starmer said it was “hard to imagine” what Mandy was going through.

The Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also praised Mandy Damari and said her party and “the whole House continue to seek the speedy release of Emily Damari and the other hostages”.

The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davy, also called yesterday for the hostages to be released “as soon as possible”.

Some have criticised the UK’s decision to roll out the red carpet for the Emir, with its poor record not just with regard to links to the Hamas terrorist group but also around human rights, women and LGBT+ issues.

But a Labour source told Jewish News that the UK and United States administration had been engaged in extensive talks earlier this year at which is was agreed to put added diplomatic pressure on Qatar over its approach to Hamas, which has held a political o ce in Doha, the capital, since 2012, and where many Continued on page 4

Damari, Emily’s

Keir Starmer with the Emir at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday

Labour urged to probe MP promoting CAGE

Labour has been urged to investigate the conduct of the MP Kim Johnson after she promoted the activities of Islamist advocacy group CAGE on social media, writes Lee Harpin.

Last weekend the ﬁrebrand MP also sparked further communal anger when she told a pro-Palestine demo that the Israeli military was using drones to “deliberately target children” and carrying out “extermination” in Gaza.

Johnson, who replaced Louise Ellman as MP for Liverpool Riverside, raised eyebrows this week after using her platform on X to promote a ﬁlm premier put on by Cage International which attempts to link miscarriages of justice around the Birmingham Six, in which innocent Irish men were jailed, with those of convicted Islamist extremists.

The ﬁlm, screened by Cage on Monday, claimed that the Birmingham Four are “innocent men who were set up by police and have spent the last eight years in prison for a crime they didn’t commit”.

The Birmingham Four were Muslim men from the Midlands – Naweed Ali, Khobaib Hussain, Mohibur Rahman and Tahir Aziz – serving life sentences after their conviction in 2017 for planning

a terrorist attack on UK soil. As he conﬁrmed their life terms Old Bailey judge Mr Justice Globe said the men were gripped by a “longstanding, radical, violent ideology”.

When police arrested the men in August 2016 they found weapons including a meat cleaver and a partially constructed pipe bomb.

CAGE has repeatedly denied it supports terrorism in any way, claiming it operates as an advocacy group that “explores all avenues, including legal, to challenge the Government’s deep dive into authoritarianism”. Jewish News

‘GIVE ETHNIC BOXES FOR JEW AND SIKH’

A change in the law is needed to prevent British Jews and Sikhs being “invisible” to policymakers, an MP has said.

Labour’s Preet Kaur Gill has called in the Commons for a Bill to tackle a “fundamental absurdity in the ﬁght against discrimination and inequality” by requiring ethnicity data on Sikhs and Jews to be collected.

data for the purpose of delivering public services to include “Sikh” and “Jewish” as options for ethnic group.

She said religious data is collected by public bodies but said that this is “poor, patchy and incomplete” and that it is “never used” to make decisions on delivering services.

She later added on X: “Despite being legally recognised as ethnic groups for over 40 years, public bodies don’t collect data on Jewish and Sikh people to monitor inequalities and deliver public services. It makes our communities invisible to policymakers.”

The MP for Birmingham Edgbaston wants public bodies that collect ethnicity

During her Commons speech she said that during the Covid pandemic many experts in public health “now recognise that we were too slow to recognise that some ethnic groups were dying at a far higher rate than others”.

She said the Board of Deputies had also recognised that British Jews died at almost twice the rate of the rest of the population.

understands that Labour whips have been made aware of Johnson’s decision to promote the event.

A member of the MP’s local party also contacted Jewish News who was dismayed by Johnson’s promotion of CAGE, adding that “members are furious, it’s one thing after another with her”.

The Community Security Trust has long warned about the activities of CAGE, raising concerns about the group’s attitude to antisemitism and articles on their website which claimed the 9/11 attacks in New York were an

Israel frosty over Lammy’s Gaza tweet

insurance scam organised by a Zionist billionaire.

CAGE emerged as a campaign group against the “War on terror” launched by President George W Bush in the wake of the 2001 attacks on the US. It explicitly campaigned against what it said were abuses perpetrated against Muslims in Afghanistan and elsewhere – but its critics say it was often acting for terrorism suspects.

Its director Asim Qureshi also once described Mohammed Emwazi – who became known as ‘Jihadi John’ for links to beheadings and other attacks in Syria, as a “beautiful young man” and revealed the organisation had been in contact with him before he left Britain to ﬁght for Islamic State.

In March, former Tory minister Michael Gove named CAGE as being among organisations that “give rise to concern for their Islamist orientation and views”.

CAGE said Gove’s allegation was “a continuation of the decadeslong strategy aimed at inciting and exploiting fears against Muslims to build an authoritarian and repressive infrastructure that suppresses any dissent not licensed by Whitehall”.

Jewish News has contacted Labour and Johnson for comment.

Brent votes to look at Nablus twinning

Brent Council has voted to consider twinning with the West Bank city of Nablus in a move branded “divisive”.

A Jewish cabinet member walked out ahead of the vote.

Wembley Hill ward Labour councillor Ihtesham Afzal’s motion was backed by a majority on the council, with the claim that twinning with a Palestinian city “speaks to who we are and what we stand for”.

The motion, which will be subjected to report on its viability and delivery, left Conservative, Lib Dem and some Labour councillors fuming.

Neil Nerva, cabinet member for community health and a Jewish Labour Movement o cial, told the council meeting that Brent should be trying to “promote and enable community cohesion” at a time of tension as a result of the conﬂict in the Middle East.

“Twinning undertaken

in a one-sided way in an area of conﬂict, where there are varying narratives, can do the exact opposite – create community discord inside Brent,” Nerva said. “The very opposite of why we, regardless of party, were elected as councillors.”

Another senior Labour ﬁgure told Jewish News after the 18 November meeting that they believed the “time had come for my party to launch a proper investigation into the conduct of Brent council under its current leadership”.

They added: “We are inundated with complaints about drug dealing, burglaries, litter...but a twinning with Nablus is deemed more important by some.”

Michael Maurice, a Conservative, described the motion “very divisive” and tabled an amendment calling for a twinning with Ramla, a city in Israel.

Israel has responded angrily to a tweet from David Lammy that followed a letter from Britain, France and Germany about the “unacceptable humanitarian situation in Gaza”.

The foreign secretary tweeted that the three countries were urging action and said that Israel “must implement” the United Nations winter plan “now”.

Israel needed to “send equipment to guard against cold and ﬂooding, give access to fuel, repair vital infrastructure, and get aid in”, Lammy said.

In a sternly worded reply, Oren Marmorstein, the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Israel was “facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and does not impose any restrictions on the quantity of aid entering the Strip. However, within the Gaza Strip, international organisations are failing to distribute the aid due to looting by Hamas, among other reasons.”

He added: “As US secretary of state Blinken recently noted, Israel has responded positively to the majority of issues raised by the United States regarding humanitarian concerns.”

Marmorstein added: “Israel will continue to defend itself and its citizens, always in accordance with international law,” before adding: “In any case, the letter will be answered through the proper o cial channels (not via Twitter).”

SACKMAN PROMOTED TO COURTS MINISTER

Finchley and Golders Green

MP Sarah Sackman has been made minister of state for courts and legal services in a signiﬁcant promotion.

The Jewish MP, who entered the Commons in July, had previously been handed a more junior ministerial role in Keir Starmer’s government.

But she now steps up to the role in the Ministry of Justice, working under justice secretary Shabana Mahmood.

In her new role Sackman has been given the responsibility for tackling the country’s crumbling court system.

Sackman, who attends New North London Synagogue in Finchley, where she often leads the children’s Shabbat service, said: “I’m looking for-

ward to working with the lord chancellor Shabana Mahmood and her excellent team.”

The Jewish Labour Movement posted on X: “Mazal tov to Sarah Sackman on her promotion, We’re so pleased for Sarah, our former vice-chair, and know she’ll be fantastic in this new position.”

The government also announced that Ellie Reeves, Labour Party chair and minister without portfolio, would be attending cabinet.

Sackman is replaced by Lucy Rigby, who was also elected in July and represents Northampton North. Barrister Adam Wagner praised Starmer for promoting Sackman to help tackle “one of the most urgent issues in public services –the crumbling court system”.

Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill

Kim Johnson addresses a Palestinian Solidarity Campaign event

Starmer presses Qatari leader on British-Israeli Emily Damari

Continued from page 1 of the terror group’s own leadership have lived since 7 October 2023.

Starmer has previously noted the Gulf state’s mediation role since the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

He added: “We discuss human rights regularly with Qatar. We stand ready to cooperate with them on these issues.”

The pair also hailed a “signiﬁcant milestone” in the relationship between the UK and Qatar, as the Gulf state conﬁrmed an initial commitment of £1billion to a “clean energy partnership” between the two states.

Qatar has played a major role in rounds of unsuccessful talks to broker a ceaseﬁre in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Since 7 October, Doha has also hosted meetings between senior CIA and Mossad figures, including Mossad chief David Barnea, in a bid to secure the release of the hostages in Gaza

The pause in hostilities in Gaza last November, which secured the release of a small number of hostages, and jailed Palestinians, would not have happened without Qatari mediation.

The Biden administration has pushed for Hamas to be expelled from Qatar ahead of January when Donald Trump becomes president.

Appearing on Channel 4 News on Tuesday Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Dr Majed al-Ansari flagged up the role played by his country in the ceasefire talks.

“We believe in it, it is in our DNA, and we have been since April re-assessing our role as mediator between Hamas and Israel because we were convinced that there was not enough seriousness on both sides,” he said.

“When there was a deal on the

table, when there was language that was supposedly acceptable to both sides, a deal did not materialise because one side decided to sabotage the talks.

“And as I said, we will not be political punching bags for those who want to use the mediation as a way just of, you know, pacifying

its people.”

He added: “For months since the 7 October, the team did not take any even day or hour o . I know that one of our negotiators spent 10 hours on one phone call, attempting to deliver one of the hostages during the pause in November.

“But we have to remember that

the only success in the mediation has happened throughout this mediation in November, and it helped release many hostages and hundreds of prisoners from the Palestinian side.”

Ahead of the visit, Starmer said: “I am proud that Qatar has chosen to base this global partnership here in the UK and I am delighted that the project is getting off the ground with this initial £1billion commitment.”

The partnership was originally announced in 2021 on the sidelines of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow and is expected to see the creation of “climate technology hubs” across the UK and Qatar.

Starmer had previously condemned the Gulf state, saying he would not attend the World Cup there due to its poor human rights record. But a spokesperson for the PM said he had since visited Qatar.

The Emir had previously met with in-coming US President Donald Trump, including in 2017. • Editorial comment, page 18

Emily’s mum ‘shocked’ at UK ceaseﬁre vote

The mother of Emily Damari has said the decision by the British government to vote for an unconditional ceaseﬁre motion in the UN “shocked me and broke my heart”, writes Lee Harpin.

had not come to the LFI reception to “ask for pity” and she had previously been one of the least political people in a room.

In a speech on Monday delivered in front of Keir Starmer and foreign secretary David Lammy at the Labour Friends of Israel’s annual reception in central London, Mandy Damari said: “Last month, the government voted for an unconditional ceaseﬁre in the UN that would leave Emily and the other hostages in the hands of Hamas, giving them no incentive to release them.

She added: “I was just the mother to four amazing children, a wife of a wonderful man, and worked as a kindergarten teacher on a kibbutz, and I had a good life.”

“That vote shocked me and broke my heart. Nobody is more supportive of peace than I am, nobody. But there will be no peace until Emily and all the hostages are brought home. Those who are alive should be returned to their families.”

But she said since 7 October, her days had been ﬁlled with despair before adding: “This is not about me. I want us all to take a moment and picture Emily right now with mental and physical scarring that may never heal, clothed in dirty rags, probably still in pain from gunshot wounds in her hand and leg, shivering, starving, dehydrated, ghostly pale.

“Last month, the government want us all to take a moment dehydrated, ghostly pale. bucket for a toilet, impos-

In a speech that received loud applause, and a standing ovation when it ended, Damari said she wished to thank both Starmer and Lammy for raising the proﬁle of her daughter’s plight following a meeting with her.

However, she added: “But let’s be honest, nothing has been tried so far. Nothing that has been tried so far has really made any difference.”

In a speech that left many of the 550-strong audience at the event in tears, Damari said she

“Her breathing shallow, a bucket for a toilet, impossible to get away from the stench, watched over by people who want to murder or rape. Terriﬁed in every waking moment and too scared to fall asleep, ﬁghting to stay alive, minute after minute, month after month, 423 days with no end in sight. She’s in hell.

“I’m asking the government to lead this e ort on the international stage to secure Emily and the other surviving hostages, clean food and water, to keep all the hostages alive while the campaign to bring them home continues.

“It’s time to convert all the goodwill in this room into doing good in the world.”

Mandy Damari at LFI event

Keir Starmer with Emily Damari’s mother Mandy on Monday

Emily Damari

Rabbi Dweck’s aliyah / Shoppers disrupted / Hezbollah

Sephardi leader Rabbi Dweck to step down and make aliyah

The Sephardi community’s senior rabbi has announced plans to make aliyah with his family in 2026, writes Jenni Frazer and Michelle Rosenberg.

After more than a decade of service, Rabbi Joseph Dweck and Margalit will move to Israel to be closer to their children.

The rabbi said: “It has been one of the greatest honours of my life to serve as senior rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi community over the past 11 years.

“With God’s help, Margalit and I plan to make aliyah in January 2026. With most of our children already in Israel, we feel that this is the right time to take this longawaited step, bringing us closer to both our family and the homeland of our people.”

Los Angeles-born Rabbi Dweck said his time in the UK had given him an “appreciation for the strength, wisdom, and warmth of the British Jewish community. I am profoundly grateful for the many opportunities we have had to learn, reflect, and grow together.

“From Israel, I plan to focus more on public teaching, writing, and expanding (online Torah community) the Habura. I very much hope to remain connected with my dear friends and students here, and I look forward to continuing teaching and engaging with the community during frequent visits to the UK.”

Dweck planned to become a psychologist but instead became the

senior rabbi of the S&P Sephardi community of the UK and one of the most admired figures in the rabbinate in Britain — emerging as an accomplished chazzan and a scintillating public speaker.

Daniel Sacerdoti, chair of trustees of the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi community, said: “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Joseph Dweck, Margalit and their family for their exceptional service to our Kahal (congregation).”

Rabbi Dweck’s wife Margalit is the granddaughter of the onetime Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel, Ovadia Yosef, and the couple have five children. Dweck is descended from the Syrian Jewish tradition and served for 15 years from 1999 as rabbi of Congregation Shaare Shalom, a Syrian Sephardi synagogue in Brooklyn. At the same time he also served as headmaster of Barkai Yeshivah, a large Jewish day school in Brooklyn.

TWO PROTEST GROUPS

CLASH IN WEST END

An anti-Israel march and counter-protest led to a heavy police presence in central London last weekend in the midst of Christmas shopping and Winter Wonderland festivities.

Bemused shoppers took photos as the streets around Piccadilly Circus were flooded with demonstrators.

Counter-protesters from Stop the Hate gathered on the route of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) march, to urge the protesters to “stop supporting terror”. Both sets of demonstrators hurled abuse at each other as they met at Coventry Street, but were kept apart by barriers and a line of police.

The Met has said expressing support for Hamas or Hezbollah is a criminal offence because both are terror organisations. Offences include chanting slogans, wearing clothing and displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos.

The pro-Palestine march was also blocked at

Piccadilly Circus when a group of men holding a banner ran into the road. Police pushed them out of the way after a brief struggle.

The Met posted on X later in the afternoon that the PSC march had “passed the Stop The Hate counter-protest without incident”.

Scotland Yard said they had expected it to be one of the busiest shopping weekends before Christmas, with Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland also being held nearby.

The protest followed the agreement of a 60-day truce between Israel and Iran-backed terrorists Hezbollah, and the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas’ military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the war in Gaza.

The UK would respect the process set out under domestic legislation when it comes to the arrest warrant, Downing Street said.

After receiving semicha from Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Dweck also obtained a MA in Jewish education from Middlesex University at the London School of Jewish Studies.

Rabbi Dweck arrived in the UK in 2013 to become senior rabbi of the S&P and served as deputy president of the London School of Jewish Studies, as well as a president of the Council of Christians and Jews alongside Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Hezbollah’s reported claim of victory over Israel following a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, is “reminiscent” of IRA supporters in Belfast, a DUP MP has said.

Gregory Campbell argued “peace is welcome but not people trying to turn peace into a victory parade”.

Israel has said it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah again should the Iran-backed militants violate the terms of the deal.

The MP for East Londonderry asked Commons leader Lucy Powell to consider a general debate in government time on attitudes to ceasefires given Hezbollah supporters were trying to claim a victory reminiscent of IRA supporters in West Belfast doing likewise “to ensure the general public would know peace was welcome but not people trying to turn peace into a victory parade”.

Powell replied: “I think we can all welcome the ceasefire in Lebanon and hope that efforts

Renowned for his public speaking, Dweck ran into trouble in 2017 when he gave a lecture on the Torah’s view on homosexuality, summarising that while sexual relations were prohibited by the Torah, Jewish law did not legislate against the feelings involved. He said there should not be witch-hunts, adding there were “plenty of skeletons in everybody’s closet”.

The lecture was, apparently to his own surprise, controversial. He was particularly attacked by the maverick Golders Green rabbi Aharon Bassous and the affair ended with a rabbinical panel, headed by Chief Rabbi Mirvis, which effectively rapped Dweck across the knuckles, though concluding that he could continue his role, a decision supported by former Chief Rabbi, the late Lord Jonathan Sacks.

Dweck, however, paid a high price, having to relinquish being a dayan on the Sephardi Beth Din and to agree to submit contents of his lectures to a member of the review committee. He also agreed not to return to his former congregation in New Jersey to be a summer scholarin-residence, as he had done for the previous three years.

Rabbi Dweck resumed his lectures in January 2018 with a new series at the London School of Jewish Studies in a sold-out return to Hendon. He has also been serving as a member of the Standing Committee of the Conference of European Rabbis.

for a ceasefire in Gaza are successful quickly too because at the end of the day what we all want is a peaceful solution in this area.

“We do need a political solution to a twostate solution as well.

“So a ceasefire is only the beginning of a process and it’s really important that trust is maintained and that we can work towards that longterm sustainable peace.”

Joseph Dweck delivers a sermon at Bevis Marks synagogue, where he has been the senior rabbi for 11 years

An Israeli attack on Hezbollah in Beirut

Photo by Blake Ezra Photography

‘Roni warned of Hamas attack but was ignored’

The father of a teenage IDF officer killed on 7 October shares his daughter’s final warning: the terrorists are watching us and it’s reached boiling point

“Dad, they know everything...” Eyal fiddles with his glasses, searching for the right word. He is recounting his final moments with Sgt Roni Eshel, his eldest daughter, writesAdamDecker.

“It was Wednesday morning, 4 October 2023. She stood in the doorway of our home and told me the terrorists know what we are doing inside our base, inside Israel. They are watching us, studying the fence. It had reached boiling point, she said. Roni knew what was coming. Nobody in the army listened.

“I put my hand on her shoulders. I told her everything will be all right. We hugged and she returned to her army base. It was the last time… the last time we saw her alive.”

Just 72 hours later, terrorists breached the Nahal Oz military base, less than a kilometre from the border fence with Gaza. Roni, serving as an unarmed surveillance soldier, was one of the first to spot the infiltrators.

The 19-year-old’s radio transmissions, released by the IDF earlier this year, confirm the chilling sequence of events that morning.

06:29: “All stations receive, four people are running to the fence, confirm receipt. Two armed people are running at the fence, confirm receipt.”

Moments later, another transmission: “One armed terrorist has crossed [the border], one armed terrorist, confirm receipt.”

Further broadcasts can be heard until Roni’s final words: “They have blown up the Sand Timer [border fence[. Three people are currently standing [inside Israel]. They are armed. Confirm receipt.” No response was heard and no help came.

By lunchtime on 7 October, 15 female surveillance soldiers, including Roni, had been killed on

the Nahal Oz base, and six were taken hostage. They were burned alive in the situation room.

“They were all smart, beautiful girls that went into the army but didn’t come back.”

Eyal perks up a little as he recalls his daughter’s love for life. “Roni was so funny, she made everyone laugh. She loved music. She was a Taylor Swift fan and liked Bruno Mars. You know... like every girl her age. She also loved being in the kitchen, making food. After the army, her dream was to study in New York and become a chef.”

For Eyal and his wife, Sharon, theirs is yet another “broken family”.

“At the end of the story, our family has been broken. It has happened to all the families of those affected by 7 October.

“We are so sad. At the end of each day I walk in my house but it is empty because Roni is not there.”

His younger daughter, Yael, has recently started her army service. Only his son, Alon, 14, is still at home.

“It is hard, but this is our life today. We hope this will never be repeated for those, like my daughter, going to the army now.”

The 54-year-old is speaking from a London hotel having just flown in from Israel.

“Roni is not here today to tell her story so I must do it as her father. I hope that the whole world will remember what happened. Last year, the violence was in Israel. I hope not, but maybe next time the same will happen in other parts of Europe or America.

“I am not a political man, but I understand one thing: this situation must finish. It has already ended so many Israeli soldiers’ lives and many of those in Gaza also.”

In remembrance, the Eshel family have built a memorial park to Roni near their house.

“Roni loved fruit trees, so we planted many different fruit trees in her honour.”

Another memorial for all the surveillance soldiers killed in baale has been built near the Nahal Oz base. It overlooks the sea of Gaza.

“When I close my eyes, I can see my Roni with a smile on her face. I am here to tell the whole world: keep your eyes open.”

Roni Eshel (far right) with her parents and siblings. They have built a memorial park to her near their home

Nahal Oz, where Roni was killed

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Tate donor to sever ties over ‘alarming’ rise in antisemitism

A prominent Jewish philanthropist is resigning from all her positions in art institutions in this country in a protest over antisemitism, writes Lee Harpin.

Candida Gertler, co-founder of the Outset Contemporary Art Fund, announced the move after Goldsmiths’ Centre for Contemporary Art at the University of London said it would remove her and her husband’s names from one of its galleries.

Gertler said she had made the decision to resign in “a principled protest against the

alarming rise in antisemitism”. She added: “The failure to confront such hate compromises the very essence of what art stands for — a medium for empathy, exploration and shared humanity.”

The move, reported by The Art Newspaper, comes after 1,100 art workers signed an open letter demanding the Tate should cut ties with the Outset philanthropic organisation, which Gertler co-founded in 2003.

Students from the group Goldsmiths for Palestine occupied the art gallery for 27

days in May and June and launched a boycott, leading to its closure over the summer.

A banner at one protest renamed the Goldsmiths gallery after a Palestinian terrorist.

Gertler has been a regular target of antiIsrael campaigners, with her husband Zak being a donor to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

She is a committee member of the British Friends of Art Museums in Israel and has overseen Outset raise more than £16million for arts projects.

JEWISH MP’S ASSISTED DYING PLEA

MPs have backed an historic step towards legalising assisted dying in England and Wales after a vote in the Commons, with a Jewish MP and NHS surgeon giving one of the standout speeches in favour, writes Lee Harpin.

An impassioned debate saw the Commons pass a bill giving terminally ill adults with less than six months to live the right to die once the request has been signed off by two doctors and a high court judge.

Prime minister Keir Starmer, Finchely and Golders Green MP Sarah Sackman and chancellor Rachel Reeves were among 330 MPs for the bill, with 275 against, a majority of 55.

Earlier, the Labour MP Peter Prinsley, who is Jewish and attends Norwich Hebrew Congregation synagogue, told MPs why he had changed his mind on the issue and come around to supporting the bill.

A top surgeon, Prinsley, who

represents his synagogue on the Board of Deputies, told the Commons: “I asked the ENT nurse I’ve worked with for 20 years about assisted dying. She said it’s an essential change.

“No doubt in her mind, like me, she’s seen the unbearable distress that some head and neck cancers cause, and she knows of the very difficult deaths of some of our patients despite excellent palliative care. This is the experience

which has changed my mind. When I was a young doctor, I thought it was unconscionable, but now I’m an old doctor, and I feel sure it’s the right change.

“I have seen uncontrollable pain, choking and, I’m sorry to say, the frightful sight of a man leading to death while conscious as a cancer has eaten away at the carotid artery. I know the terrifying loss of dignity and control in the last days of life.”

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Candida Gertler steps down from Outset Contemporary Art Fund citing ‘alarming rise of antisemitism’ in cultural spaces

Compelling: Peter Prinsley MP

PM meets communal group over hate crime

Communal leaders held an urgent meeting with Keir Starmer to discuss “the abhorrent rise of antisemitism” and how the government can work with them to address it, writes Lee Harpin.

Representatives from the Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council, Union of Jewish Students and the Community Security Trust called for government support to promote cohesion and tackle extremism – whether from the far right, the far left or Islamist sources.

The meeting also discussed community sentiment on Israel’s war against Iran and its terror proxies and raised concerns about the ICC, restated the cross-communal call to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and underscored the plight of the hostages, including British victims.

Police are investigating after a group of students allegedly threw rocks and rubbish at two JFS school buses, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

According to the Jewish Chronicle,

Dominating the meeting – added to the PM’s schedule just one week after communal leaders requested it – was concern that the threat level to the community had worsened in recent weeks after 14 months of serious problems.

Delegates noted problems had grown as a result of increasingly extreme actions by activists from groups like Palestine Action outside buildings used by Jewish organisations, schools and on demonstrations. Pressures facing the community in workplaces and elsewhere in society were also emphasised to the PM.

Downing Street said the meeting had discussed the “abhorrent rise in antisemitism and how the government can continue to work with the community to address this challenge”.

Attendees included Board of Deputies

‘Rocks

president Phil Rosenberg and chief executive Michael Wegier, Jewish Leadership Council chair Keith Black and CEO Claudia Mendoza, CST chairman Sir Gerald Ronson and chief executive Mark Gardner and UJS president Sami Berko and trustees chair Daniel Dangoor.

The PM was told the situation represented a threat not just to a single community but to “national security”.

The UJS delegates also expressed concern

over antisemitic incidents on campus, noting it was no longer possible to submit some complaints anonymously, leading to students fearing repercussions if they did so.

The communal leaders said the PM was both “engaged and concerned” at issues raised about the actions of groups like Palestine Action.

Discussion focused on strengthened legislation around public safety and on the prosecution of hate crimes.

thrown’ at JFS school buses

students from an unnamed school boarded the bus as it made a stop in Edgware, yelling ‘F*** Israel, nobody likes you. F*** o you b******”.

The paper quotes 11-year-old Gabi: “They came on and they did not look friendly. They went upstairs and started swearing and showing the middle ﬁnger. I saw them when they ran downstairs – they were ﬁlming us – and then they got o and started

We are delighted to invite you to our

throwing things at the bus. I don’t know where they got the rocks from – maybe they had them in their bags.

“None of us knew what to do. Some people got o the bus to maybe run away but it was far from my stop so I stayed on They were swearing at us and ﬁlming us. We don’t know what they are going to do with that video or why they did what they did.”

A CST spokesperson told Jewish

News: “This was undoubtedly a frightening experience for the Jewish children. We are providing support to JFS while liaising closely with police and Transport for London to ensure that the incident is fully investigated and that extra support and protection is provided to school students.”

Scotland Yard said o cers in Barnet were investigating “a potential hate crime after a school bus was

Chanukah Lunch

Thursday 19th December

targeted on High Street, Edgware. Stones were thrown at the bus before a group of other students got on and made antisemitic remarks towards those on board. O cers from the safer transport team have spoken to the victims involved, as well as their parents, and enquiries are ongoing”. There have been no arrests.

Jewish News has approached Transport for London for comment.

The prime minister meeting with Jewish leaders in Downing Street

The JFS campus in north London

Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson hosted an event at parliament to showcase global Holocaust education efforts, writes Lee Harpin.

Key voices in the battle to continue study of the cause and impact of the Shoah, including the UK presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, and students, attended the gathering.

Lord Eric Pickles and several MPs were also in attendance to hear students share their research as part of the My Hometown project, which explores links between their local areas to the Holocaust and aims to strengthen young people’s connectedness and affinity with their home towns.

Entries showcased at the event were: Oaks Park High School, Ilford – Leon Greenman, Ilford and The

Holocaust, Trinity Catholic School, Leamington Spa –Bud and Blossom Garden and Commemorative Mosaic, and Nottingham University Samworth Academy, Bilborough, Nottingham – Our Hometown Journey: The Legacy of Simon Winston

Tomlinson said: “We can never forget where hatred and antisemitism can lead.

“I’m grateful for the work of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and

UCL Centre for Holocaust Education in keeping understanding of the Holocaust and its lasting impacts preserved and protected for current and future generations.

“It is imperative that young people in the UK and across the world know of the horrors that so many experienced.

“I’m also proud that our government has pledged £2million to support Holocaust education initiatives.”

A vote of thanks for the ini-

tiative was led by Ruth-Anne Lenga, associate professor at the UCL Centre For Holocaust Education and a leading expert on Holocaust education.

She said: “Thank you Dan Tomlinson MP and Lord Pickles for the opportunity to showcase some of the very best Holocaust education happening in English schools at the Houses of Parliament and in front of such an incredible audience. We are deeply proud of our Beacon Schools entries into IHRA’s My Hometown project.”

Lord Pickles added: “This year, the UK holds the presidency of IHRA. One of the projects I introduced is My Hometown

“I was very impressed by the high quality of the three projects presented to parliament, which will now be showcased at an IHRA gathering in London.”

MP’s showcase event on lessons of the Shoah Festival pulls Novainspired dance film

Israeli choreographer Dor Eldar has spoken of his “great shock” and “disappointment” after an international dance film festival backtracked on a decision to show his film honouring victims of the Nova music festival, writes Jenni Frazer.

Exeter International Dance Film Festival initially accepted Eldar’s short work and invited him to attend the event.

He told Jewish News he felt “I had to do something” after 7 October, “to create something,” emphasising: “I am not a political person, I only wanted to refer to this specific, terrible event.”

His two-and-a-half-minute film, Rave, features young dancers who volunteered to take part. “I did not make this film for Israelis,” Eldar said. “I wanted to have something that the world would see, that was my aim.”

The dancer-turned-choreographer began sending the film to various festivals and it received a good reception, most recently in Lisbon. The film opens with young men hoisting two young women into the back of a truck, mimicking the kidnappings of 7 October.

Eldar said after he submitted the film to Exeter, about a month before the two-day festival opened on 19 October, organisers invited him to come in person.

He was unable to attend but noted that when the festival programme was published, organisers had issued an “alert” note next to a description of Rave, saying the film was about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“It’s not true,” Eldar said, “but I didn’t say anything. It’s their festival. And then, two weeks before the festival opened, they sent me an email

saying they weren’t going to show my film at all.”

The email told Eldar the festival’s selection and programming committee had “come to the difficult decision to pull Rave from our programme”.

It went on: “We have had to consider our audience attendees and artists, and are receiving pressure from the artistic community. The subject matter is controversial and contentious, and as a non-political organisation we have to be extremely careful about what we put the spotlight on.”

The organisers said they were receiving “backlash” from funders and sponsors, but noted “we recognise the artistic merit of the film and that it is expressing genuine emotions about the terrible event that happened”.

Eldar replied by reiterating that the film, which is available to watch online, was not political but was intended to represent the grief and anguish about the “terrible and traumatic” murders. He added: “I feel if this piece had come from the Palestinian side it would have been accepted with open arms.”

A documentary on the 7 October massacre of partygoers at the Nova music festival has been shortlisted for a top industry award.

The 90-minute film, Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again, is one of six films to receive the nod at the 2025 Broadcast Awards for the best current affairs programme.

Produced from footage from the phones of survivors, their testimony, CCTV footage, dash cams and the GoPro cameras of Hamas, it was created by BBC Storyville, together with MGM Television

and Fulwell 73 label Bitachon 365, produced by Bad Boys studio Sipur and led by Israeli film-maker and screenwriter Yariv Mozer.

It features new interviews and previously unseen exclusive footage from the massacre at the festival near Kibbutz Re’im on the Gaza border, where partygoers were raped, murdered, tortured and kidnapped by terrorists.

Lucie Kon, the Jewish executive producer, told Jewish News: “I am so pleased and hugely proud of everyone involved.”

A Palestine Solidarity Campaign motion calling for Hackney in London to end a 50-year civic twinning with Haifa has been rejected amid claims it would send “a problematic message”.

PSC activists, joined by speakers from the Hackney Greens and the Independent Socialists, gathered outside the north London council’s town hall in anticipation the detwinning motion would pass after it was debated.

But Labour councillors, backed by mayor Caroline Woodley, lined up to speak in favour of continuing the twinning, first established in 1968, which has been based largely around the Hackney AngloIsrael Friendship Association medical exchange between Homerton hospital and Rambam hospital in Haifa.

Dan Tomlinson MP, left, with participants in the event

A scene from Dor Eldar’s film

Losing his job isn’t the end of the world for Simon—he still has his faith, his music, and his friends. But when a newcomer to the group hijacks Simon’s plan to start a band, he struggles to come to terms with the prospect of losing everything he has left. Set against the charged backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, Simon Jacobs is a contemporary portrayal of one young man’s journey through the most tumultuous time of his life.

Estevez Writer of ‘Simon Jacobs’ and

Three compete to lead UJS

by Michelle Rosenberg michelle@jewishnews.co.uk

Three student leaders are vying to become the next president of the Union of Jewish Students, representing 9,000 members in 75 Jewish societies across the UK and Ireland.

The candidates, Louis Danker (Edinburgh University), Naomi Bernstein (Cambridge University) and Daniel Grossman (Bristol University), launched their campaigns last week, with voting now open after live hustings.

Their slogans set ambitious tones: ‘A Bolder, Braver UJS’ (Grossman), ‘Bringing Back Jewish Joy’ (Bernstein) and ‘Pride, Diverse, United’ (Danker). Each also released polished one-minute YouTube videos outlining his or her vision.

It’s been a profoundly challenging year for Jewish students on campus, with a signiﬁcant rise in antisemitism following the 7 October Hamas atrocities.

The three candidates know they have a tough job in convincing their peers that they’re best positioned to tackle anti-Zionism, antisem-

itism, pro-Palestinian protesters and campus encampments and ensure they can engage with their Jewish identity freely.

First up is ﬁnal year Edinburgh University geography student Louis Danker, who grew up in Barnet with a London mum and Belfast dad. He told Jewish News that visiting his grandparents in northern Ireland meant that an “understanding of small Jewish communities was a core part” of his upbringing.

He describes becoming Edinburgh JSoc president in 2022 in his second year as “maybe the best thing I’ve ever done”. He “”totally loved it”. Together with his JSoc team, he

built “a vibrant community with 250 people coming to Friday night dinners, hosted 600 people to hear a Holocaust survivor speak and did collaborations with the Islamic, feminist and history societies”. Under his leadership, Edinburgh was awarded ‘JSoc of the Year’.

Naomi Bernstein, from Edgware, is studying English at Cambridge. She told Jewish News she’s “always been very involved with the Jewish community. I was president of my school JSoc and coming to campus was very keen to get involved.”

During her ﬁrst year at Cambridge she was president of its JSoc, an experience she describes as

“fantastic and really fulﬁlling”. Her second year was very much taken up with the aftermath of 7 October on campus. Her JSoc needed a new campaigns o cer and she “stepped up to the plate because I had the experience to handle the role”.

For the past year, she’s been doing all of the media, communications and working to help keep Jewish students safe at Cambridge.” Whilst she had never thought about running for UJS before, “having done all of that, I realised that I found it incredibly meaningful to work so closely with our community. It brought me a lot of joy to see everybody else getting joy from the work I was putting in. So I’d really like to be able to extend that work across the country to not only keep everyone safe, but keep everyone happy.”

Daniel Grossman, from Pinner, is a ﬁnal-year history student at Bristol. A former vice-president of the university’s JSoc, he wants to empower Jewish students to be able to have “di cult conversations”.

Grossman has been representing Jewish students on the Board of Deputies for around two years, was

recently elected to its international division and co-chairs its two-state solution working group.

He tells Jewish News that campaigning for president “feels like a culmination. I’ve constantly wanted to get stuck in and help Jewish students and improve Jewish life on campus. This feels like the best way to do it.”

The Grossman manifesto is based on “my experience over the past year and the experience of Jewish students that I’ve spoken to”.

Bristol University’s experiences with antisemitism on campus are well documented. While he says “the man who must not be named” (Prof David Miller) was “slightly before my time”, he adds that “we’re still dealing with the e ects”.

Overall, Grossman’s vision is for a “bolder, braver UJS made up of combating antisemitism at its roots, fostering comprehensive Israel engagement and tailoring support for every JSoc.

“These are the three issues that I have identiﬁed over the past year that I have solutions to and I can improve.”

From left: Daniel Grossman, Louis Danker and Naomi Bernstein

Plea for ‘miracle’ gift after kidney donor withdraws

A grandmother of four from Barnet has issued a plea for a potential kidney donor after a match withdrew at the eleventh hour, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

A year after Jewish News issued a community-wide appeal, 68-year old Ruth Adley is back to square one. Ruth has Crohns disease as well as polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which has left both her kidneys covered in inoperable cysts and her kidney function at a dangerously low 13 percent.

This time last year her kidney function was 16 percent.

Daughter Tasha Langleben has called the last year a “rollercoaster”.

“A number of incredible people came forward to o er to be a donor,” she said. “Extraordinarily, the ﬁrst person who went through the testing process was a match. They had to go through the initial blood test, then some further matching

tests and finally some tests to confirm she was physically fit to have the operation. We were all ecstatic that a match had been found and we starting to look at timelines.”

Due to the complications of Ruth having Crohn’s disease, she needs two complex operations for this transplant. The ﬁrst will involve removing her kidney using robotics and then, after some dialysis, a second operatore would take place to transplant the donor kidney.

Tasha added: “Just as we were looking at dates, the donor withdrew because of personal circumstances changing. As you can imagine, this was heartbreaking.”

The family returned to the existing list of donors but “unfortunately a few were no longer able to o er due to their own change of circumstances and another two were not matches”.

In the past year Ruth’s condi-

tion has deteriorated further, so that ﬁnding a donor has become even more important.

Tasha says that winter is particularly hard because her mother’s main symptoms are extreme fatigue and being cold. “We are appealing for another ridiculously kind person to come forward, it only takes one person to be a match and save a life and as we approach Chanukah, we’re looking for our miracle.”

Ruth, an Arsenal fan who loves playing cards, going to the cinema and spending time with her family, told Jewish News: “I was completely overwhelmed that anyone would make such a selﬂess o er for a stranger and now I’m asking once again, if there might be any other incredible people willing to be tested.”

 If you are willing to be tested, please email kidney4ruth@gmail.com

Tireless educator

Bob

Tributes have been paid to Kindertransport refugee Bob Kirk, who has died at the age of 99, writes Michelle Rosenberg. Together with his wife Ann, a fellow Kind, he devoted his life to Shoah education and remembrance.

He was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1925. Following the Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938, Bob travelled alone, aged 13, to the UK.

After the war, he discovered his parents had been on the ﬁrst transport out of Hanover, on 15 December 1941, to a concentration camp in Riga, Latvia. They never returned.

Bob met his wife Ann at a club for young Jewish refugees, run by Woburn House. They were married on 21 May 1950. Last year, the couple were awarded the Citron, Sivan and Sefton Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award by the Jewish Volunteer Network for their work at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of Bob Kirk’s passing and extend our heartfelt condolences to Ann and the entire family during this dicult time. Bob played a vital role in our work at the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, standing alongside other Holocaust survivors to share his powerful life story with thousands.

“His unwavering dedication to ensuring

future generations never forget the tragedy of the Shoah was truly remarkable. In a world that desperately needs to learn and uphold the lessons of the Shoah, may Bob’s memory forever be a blessing and remain a source of inspiration for all who carry his legacy forward.”

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said the trust was “deeply saddened at the passing of our dear friend and Holocaust survivor Bob Kirk.

“He refused to let what happened to him and millions of others be forgotten and dedicated years of his life to tirelessly telling his story, often speaking alongside his dear wife and fellow Kindertransport refugee Ann. Bob spoke softly but his words had a profound impact. A ﬁercely intelligent, articulate and thoughtful man, his words will be remembered by all who heard them. He leaves behind a powerful legacy.

“We will miss him greatly and are incredibly grateful for all he did to ensure thousands of young people across the country learn about Holocaust and its lessons. Our thoughts go out to Ann and his family at this sad time. May his memory be a blessing.”

Bob Kirk is survived by Ann, two sons and three grandchildren.

Ruth Adley with two of her grandchildren. Her condition has deteriorated

Bob Kirk: refugee from Nazism

Lone soldier confirmed killed by Hamas on 7/10

After 14 months of clinging to hope, the parents of 21-yearold Israeli soldier Omer Neutra have learned their son was killed in action on 7 October and his body is being held in Gaza, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Orna and Ronan were told the news by the IDF and Israel’s chief military rabbi.

Omer, originally from Long Island, moved to Israel as a lone soldier. He was abducted alongside Nimrod Cohen, Shaked Dahan and Oz Daniel, during the Hamas attack.

TRUMP THREATENS ‘HELL’ FOR HAMAS

October 7, 2023 and was kidnapped to the Gaza Strip by Hamas murderers”.

Donald Trump promised “all hell to pay in the Middle East” if the Israeli hostages Hamas still holds are not released by the time he is inaugurated.

Trump made the threat on social media, saying: “Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East –But it’s all talk, and no action!”

The image of their burning tank surrounded by celebrating Hamas terrorists, became one of the deﬁning images of the atrocities. The deaths of Dahan and Daniel were previously conﬁrmed but Omer’s fate remained unknown until now.

Omer grew up in the US

and at the age of 18 moved to Israel for a preparatory year. He was accepted to study at a university in the US, but decided to enlist.

Israel president Isaac Herzog said: “After more than a year of a persistent, shaking and worldwide struggle, his family received the bitter news about the fall of their

beloved, the late hijacked Captain Omer Maxim Neutra, on October 7. I strengthen and embrace them and all the families of the abductees who are experiencing a terrible hell.”

Defence minister Israel Katz said: “Omer, who grew up in New York and chose to immigrate to Israel out of a deep sense of mission, fell in a heroic battle near Nir Oz on

He added: “Omer’s life story and dedication represent the best and strongest of us as a people. A ﬁghter who stood bravely in the battle for tank number three and sacriﬁced his life for the security of the State of Israel against the worst of our enemies.

“To the Neutra family and to all the families of the abductees, I would like to say on behalf of the State of Israel the return of the abductees is our most important mission and we will do everything to fulﬁl it.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said: “Omer loved sports, played soccer, basketball and volleyball and was the captain of sports teams at his school. His family and friends testiﬁed to a warm, optimistic and people-loving person who ‘lights up the room as soon as he enters it’.”

“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume O ce as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against humanity.

“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”

REMOVING A KIPPAH AN OFFENCE IN NY

It is now a criminal o ence in New York State to remove someone else’s religious garb, including kippahs and hijabs.

Governor Kathy Hochul said the new law would “help protect New Yorkers and further reduce crime”.

She added: “Public safety is my top priority and I’m committed to using every possible tool to keep New Yorkers safe.”

The legislation comes amid a surge in antisemitism in New

York City since the 7 Oct.ober attack on Israel and a report by comptroller Tom DiNapoli which found hate crimes had increased across the state by 89 percent in the ﬁve yesrs between 2018 to 2023.

Many of the attacks in the city target religious Jews who are identiﬁable by their attire, and assailants have regularly swatted kippahs and shtreimels o the heads of Jews on city streets in recent years.

Orna and Ronan Neutra and (inset) Omer

Omer, originally of 18 moved to

Editorial comment and letters to the editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

No peace until the hostages are home

Clarity and humanity must guide our response to the crisis in Gaza. Keir Starmer’s decision to prioritise the hostages this week demonstrated both, cutting through the noise with moral clarity.

Speaking at the Labour Friends of Israel annual reception, the prime minister articulated a fundamental truth: that no peace is possiblem, or even thinkable, while innocent hostages remain in the grip of Hamas. Among them is Emily Damari, the 28-year-old Briton whose story serves as a reminder of how much is at stake.

Emily’s mother, Mandy, delivered heart-wrenching testimony at Monday’s event, condemning the UK government’s support for a United Nations motion calling for an unconditional ceasefire, a ceasefire that would that would leave Emily and the other hostages in the hands of Hamas,.

Her description of Emily’s suffering – an injured young woman enduring unimaginable horrors – left many of those in the room in tears. It was a searing moment, underscoring the unbearable inhumanity of the situation.

Starmer’s insistence that the hostages’ freedom must be the foundation of any ceasefire is not just a political stance; it is a moral imperative. The hostages’ release is not a footnote in the broader conflict. It is the starting point for any possible future. Without their freedom, talk of peace, reconstruction or hope for the Palestinian people is hollow.

This crisis demands unflinching recognition of its realities. Justice for the hostages is justice for humanity and is inseparable from any vision for a stable and secure future in Gaza. Failure leaves not only the hostages but also the people of Gaza trapped in despair.

VOICE OF THE JEWISH NEWS JEWISH NEWS CONTACT DETAILS

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Richard Ferrer

020 8148 9703

richard@jewishnews.co.uk

Publisher and

020 8148 9700

@jewishnews.co.uk Political Editor

Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk

Rosenberg michelle@jewishnews.co.uk

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Accounts Benny Shahar 020 8148 9694 benny@jewishnews.co.uk

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A giant miscalculation

I recently went to see the play Giant by Mark Rosenblatt at the Royal Court Theatre, about Roald Dahl’s antisemitism.

“Inspired by real events, Mark Rosenblatt’s debut play explores with dark humour the difference between considered opinion and dangerous rhetoric,” is how it is described.

The play has a limited run at the Royal Court but, to my horror, I have discovered it has been a huge success and is transferring to the West End for a longer run from next April.

I find it hard to sleep as I am so infuriated.

Do Jewish organisations approve of this production? It isn’t appropriate at a time like this. It was written five years ago, when Jews felt safer here in the UK. I am not happy using antisemitic clichés for entertainment.

Of course people are curious about antisemitism as it is talked about so much in

the media and this play is thought-provoking. I worry that people will take Dahl’s opinions seriously. This play sends a dangerous message at a dangerous time.

Juliana Mann By email

ICC’S ACTIONS UNDERMINE JUSTICE

The murder of the Chabad rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates and the alarming rise in global antisemitism expose an essential but often ignored truth: Islamist extremism is not rooted in opposition to Israel but in hatred of Jews.

This is unmistakable in the chants and placards at pro-Palestinian marches and the surge of antisemitism on streets, the workplace and educational establishments worldwide.

The atrocities committed by Hamas on 7 October further underscore this.

Documented in their own video recordings,

the terrorists openly declared, in Arabic, their intention to hunt “Yahud” (Jews).

These victims were not targeted for being Israeli; they were murdered simply because they were Jewish.

Yet, figures such as the International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan, in pursuing selective accusations, ignore and whitewash this foundational and crucial fact, undermining both justice and the fight against antisemitism.

Eli Cohen NW11

STUNNING VICTORY FOR ISRAEL

Hezbollah will deny it, and those who only view Israel in a critical light will distort it, but what we have witnessed with this latest conflict in Lebanon is one of the greatest military, intelligence and tech victories since the Second World War.

Israel was faced with an enemy and its 150,000 missiles that seemed to be an existential threat, a veritable sword of Damocles. What transpired was this terror organisation being dismantled, its leaders eliminated and its hardware significantly degraded. It has been forced to abandon its close

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ally Hamas and will be retreating north of the Litani river. A stunning achievement for Israel.

Finding a route to a lasting peace in the Middle East is indeed formidable. But this process can only commence when Israel has secure borders and is not under constant threat from nihilistic terror organisations. This defeat of Hezbollah (and potentially Hamas) might be a chink of light following the dark storm of the recent past.

David Bernstein

Deputy chair, Magen David Adom UK

John Lithgow as Dahl in Giant at the Royal Court

Now is a time for human dignity and compassion

RABBI WITTENBERG SENIOR RABBI, MASORTI JUDAISM

Whenever we open the ark, we repeat Isaiah’s words: ‘Torah shall go forth out of Zion.’ But what kind of Torah?

Even as the war against Hamas continues, as hostages and families wait in anguish, Israelis lose their lives and fear for their loved ones, and Palestinian civilians in Gaza su er and die, another battle is being fought, about the nature of Judaism. It goes to the heart of what is being Jewish and is happening irrespective of how antisemitic we may feel the world’s response is. It’s a ﬁght for the Torah’s core teachings of righteousness, human dignity and compassion.

It’s a struggle we cannot ignore.

The Torah teaches that every human being is made in God’s image. The long history of our people, with our repeated su erings at the hands of supremacists and racists, is a bitter protest against hatred and bigotry, and a cry for justice.

A key arena in this struggle is the West Bank, whatever the ultimate political solution. Lifelong Zionist, author and scholar David Shulman spends many nights protecting Palestinian farmers. He was recently accompanied by a young ultraOrthodox man, whom a settler mistook next morning for one of his own. ‘The world is perfect,’ said the settler, ‘Look at this land that is ours, the world God has given us.’ ‘Given us, and others as well,’ David’s companion responded. ‘What “others”?’ the settler rejoined, ‘There are no “others”. It’s ours.’ ‘Not only ours,’ answered the young man, ‘We are hurting those others,’ and, he added, in so doing hurting God and ourselves.

The Torah requires us to see others, especially the dispossessed.

Another arena is Gaza. The atrocities of 7 October have drawn Israel into a terrible war for which the terrorists, by their vicious, nihilistic tactics, carry key responsibility. But it’s impossible to ignore the ruin and death brought about through Israel’s response, the hunger and misery faced by tens of thousands of civilians which Israel is accused of

not having done enough to relieve despite promising massive humanitarian aid.

British surgeon Nizam Mamode broke down while testifying before a UK parliamentary committee about the su ering and death of civilians, including children, whom, he said, were picked o by drones. I struggle with my urge to disbelieve such testimony.

I wish too I could disbelieve senior IDF commander Brig Gen Itzik Cohen’s comment that there’s no intention of allowing residents of northern Gaza to return to their homes. It is disputed, yet supporters of Ben Gvir are waiting to resettle the area.

Rather, as dismissed minister Yoav Gallant said, and as rabbinic law teaches, release of the hostages should be the urgent priority.

But the heartland of the struggle for Judaism is within Israel itself. The government’s proposed reforms to the judiciary have brought hundreds of thousands out in protest because compromising the independence of the judicial system undermines the rule of law and the commandments of the Torah, both of which demand the appointment of impartial judges of incorruptible

integrity, committed to the pursuit of justice.

‘How do you see things?’ I asked Rabbi Levi Lauer, who has lived in Israel for 40 years and whose family members have spent months in constant combat in the IDF. He replied simply: ‘We mustn’t forget the basic question: What does God want of us?’ It’s the same question the prophet Micah famously answered: ‘Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God.’

I write as a Zionist, bound to my people by ties of love, responsibility and respect for so much of Israel’s civil society. I believe in the right of Israel to exist, and in the overriding values of justice, equality, freedom and democracy as proclaimed in Israel’s remarkable and courageous Declaration of Independence. I also believe we must reclaim Zionism both from those who hurl ‘Zio’ as an insult, and from those who trample on the true spirit of Judaism and profane God with outrageous racist behaviour, treating both Palestinians and fellow Jews with contempt. I write as a Jew chastened by Zechariah’s words, read on Chanukkah, that we cannot survive by force alone, but by God’s spirit.

Stories of a nation living on the edge of an abyss

MICHAEL MURPHY JOURNALIST & DOCUMENTARY MAKER

This one could easily cut you in half,” my guide said, brandishing a jagged piece of rocket shrapnel on his front lawn. He lifted another shard of rusted metal. “This bit can go through a wall – it’s ﬂying at 1,000km an hour.” Finally, he pointed to the mangled engine of a Hezbollah rocket, its serrated edges like a shark’s mouth. “That,” he said, “is what’s going to be falling on your head from 100 metres up.”

The serene setting of Kibbutz Metsuva, just two km from Israel’s border with Lebanon, seemed at odds with such a grim demonstration. Birds chirped in the trees and cats wandered lazily through sun-dappled streets. Yet the stillness carried an unnerving weight. Scattered remnants – a sur oard leaning against a wall, a key left in a front door, a lone tricycle sitting in a yard – hinted at lives suddenly upended by the threat of war.

Emptied homes in Metsuva reﬂect a broader reality for Israelis accustomed to living on the edge between tranquillity and danger. As one doctor put it, the country is “like a nice villa in a jungle”. Gesturing toward Israel’s borders, he described the constant threats to a nation that, since its founding, has been built to be a “fortress”.

Over the summer, my colleague Alex and I travelled across Israel to meet the men and women who man the ramparts of that fortress. Soldiers, doctors, politicians and terror survivors shared their stories with us while we ﬁlmed whatever we could.

These vignettes became the foundation for Guardians of Israel, a documentary exploring the current conﬂict through the eyes of those living it.

We began ﬁlming as tensions with Hezbollah began to escalate. “We will send Lebanon back to the Stone Age,” one Israeli o cial told me when I asked what might come next. As Gaza lay in ruins, this did not feel like idle talk. It became clear that the fate of Israelis displaced from the north would shape the course of the war.

In Metsuva, Ishai, head of security for an area that once housed 35,000 people, gave us a tour of the emptied kibbutz. It felt like an abandoned army barracks.

Outside one home, a dog sat patiently, staring down the entrance path. “We look after the dogs and cats that have been left behind,” Ishai explained as the dog watched us. “He’s waiting for the people to come back.”

Small, poignant moments like the dog’s silent vigil encapsulate a human dimension of the conﬂict that is often overshadowed.

While 7 October and the devastation in Gaza have dominated headlines, the ongoing displacement and uncertainty facing Israelis in towns like Metsuva remains largely untold. Guardians of Israel sought to bring these lesser-known aspects of the war to light.

Elsewhere, life carried on - soldiers drilled on Tel Aviv’s beaches as joggers and paddle players basked in the sun. People checked in on one another, and spontaneous acts of kindness greeted terror survivors. We hope the ﬁlm conveys something of this sense of resilience and unity, which at times felt infectious.

Our ﬁlm sought to shine a light on under-

reported aspects of the conﬂict

Since 7 October, a mindset has taken hold: losing this war could mean the end of Israel itself. “There are only two options: win or lose, exist or disappear. It’s easy,” Boaz Bismuth of the Likud party told me when I asked about Israel’s loosely-deﬁned war aims.

This binary thinking has galvanised Israelis to rise to a contest many believe leaves no middle ground – and room for only one victor.

Now, as Hezbollah reels from heavy losses and the battered remnants of its leadership agree to a ceaseﬁre, the question is whether the displaced residents of places like Metsuva will return.

Towns sit in limbo and residents are reluctant to come back without a guarantee of lasting safety. For them, the ceaseﬁre is not a resolution – it is a fragile hope.

Guardians of Israel captures the personal stories of a nation fighting for what it believes are the highest stakes. The film reveals the human cost and courage behind the conflict.

• Watch Guardians of Israel at outpoststudios. net/p/guardians-of-israel-an-outpost-original

Turning pages, building new Jewish connections

LIBBY DANGOOR

ADVISORY

BOARD CHAIR, PJ LIBRARY

It’s a scene familiar from ﬁlms and books – a hero goes that extra mile and reaches out a hand to help another person. I see this scenario playing out daily in my job where our company identiﬁes, closes and prevents skills gaps.

Core to our model is matching apprentices with a coach and delivering personalised, on-the-job learning through deeply impactful one-on-one interactions. But where I also see the power of a more personalised approach is in my volunteer role as chair of the UK advisory board for PJ Library.

Here in the UK, PJ Library distributes monthly books to 8,000 Jewish children. We recently surveyed our subscribers and found that over three quarters of families who responded are interested in becoming more connected to a local Jewish community. Interestingly, only around 58 percent are actively involved in Jewish educational

experiences, be that Jewish schools, camps, or synagogue.

These figures highlight both the lack of traditional involvement and the thirst for connection from this key demographic who are raising the next generation of Jewish children.

Since 7 October 2023, families are beginning to show a stronger Jewish affiliation through an increase in attendance at synagogues and registration for a Jewish school. However, there are still many families who are looking for Jewish community and are not sure how to find it. How can we help make that happen? The key may come from the simple act of reaching out and making a personal connection – like a family receiving a book.

It is a common refrain that parenting

should come with an instruction manual, but there are so many variables and factors; one size can’t ﬁt all. PJ Library has over 650 PJ Library books that it sends to families’ homes, ensuring each age group receive an appropriate title. They recognise that family needs are as varied as the stories themselves.

Whereas one month, a title may land with a comedic twist like Hannukah Bear , the following month’s book may result in the parent holding back a tear while reading My Grandfather’s Coat.

Books di er from parent to parent, household to household, yet the underlying focus on igniting Jewish pride and joy is the foundation of the programme.

How can we help parents amplify this positive Jewish experience? By taking it outside the home. Here at PJ UK, we work

THE BOOKS DIFFER, BUT THE FOCUS IS ON IGNITING JEWISH PRIDE AND JOY

to match families to one another and to the greater Jewish community so that they can find that connection to a vibrant Jewish life that many so curiously seek.

Responding to the call from families to be more connected with the community requires partnership, matching up families with experiences that resonate with them be they religious, educational, cultural, spiritual or a little of everything.

‘Postcode events’, inviting families to leave their home and step into their local synagogue with storytelling and childrenfriendly activities, is one tactic the book charity is trying as we reach those families who are asking for more.

With a creative outlook and a willingness to forge fresh partnerships, Jewish community leaders and organisations can o er a meaningful, outstretched arm to young parents and help guide them into the next chapter of the Jewish story.

 If you or someone you know would like more information visit pjlibrary.org.uk

Let’s build our identity on joy, not victimhood

RABBI MIRIAM LORIE

EDUCATOR, KEHILLAT NASHIRA & JOFA UK RABBINIC SCHOLAR

The deeply loved Jewish educator

Maureen Kendler of blessed memory once wrote the words “Epoch-making event” on the board in a classroom. She deﬁned the term for us: “An epoch-making event is a momentous occasion that opens a new era in human history.” And she went on to ask us, her students, what the greatest epochmaking events in Jewish history were. The answers varied from the destruction of the Temple to the Enlightenment. My own suggestion, somewhat depressingly, was the Holocaust. What else did I hear our newspapers, rabbis and families talk about more than anything else in Jewish history?

Maureen’s answer, however, was the Exodus from Egypt, an event that our siddur refers to multiple times each day. This, she said, was the epoch-making event of Judaism – our experience of liberation from slavery, becoming a free people bolstered with the lessons of oppression.

She also challenged me robustly: “What

kind of identity do you want our religion to have? One which deﬁnes itself by victimhood and death, or one which deﬁnes itself with positivity and life?”

I felt thoroughly schooled, and the reverberations of that lesson echo deeply today. Asked in the past year what our epoch-making event is, and I expect many of us would answer 7 October. But I think Maureen’s challenge stands ﬁrm. Yes, the threats may be all around, and the Jewish world may feel darker than before, but is self-deﬁnition by antisemitism really who we want to be?

I get it, I really do. One of our most core instincts as human beings is to detect threats and move away from them. And our people’s history has left us with epigenetic hypervigilance. And yet, I think we need to separate out the very rational fear from the process of identity formation.

We are not Jews because “they tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat”, even if this genius line sums up most of our festivals. But rather the Jews of Pesach were a people following God through the desert to a promised land of freedom and religious observance.

The Jews of Shavuot were receiving the Torah, the Jews of Chanukah were ﬁghting for their Temple and unique Jewish practices. You get the idea. We’re Jews not just because of who we run from, but what we cling to.

Nevertheless, I remain in love with this rotating sign from Boston’s Lehrhaus (From Instagram).

I frequently hear victimhood deeply ingrained as an identity. Whether it was the

family Pesach event a few years where such graphic Holocaust stories were being told that I needed to slip out with my small son, or a recent sermon I heard which declared that “most of the nations of the world despise us”, this narrative is either overblown (most of the nations of the world have not heard of Jews, let alone despise us) or simply bad for the soul. Yes, victimhood is bad for the soul.

So what do I suggest? Well, I suggest that we make Judaism a positive a rmation each day of our lives. Pray more, pick up a new mitzvah, wear a kippah or Magen David. With

I SUGGEST WE MAKE JUDAISM A POSITIVE AFFIRMATION EACH DAY OF OUR LIVES

Chanukah approaching, this is the time to plan gatherings of family and friends. Block out time in the diary to light the Chanukiah each night. Head online to a Jewish class about Chanukah (JW3, the London School of Jewish Studies and Melton are all great places). Educate the next generation with Chanukah stories and traditions.

Prepare educational content as if this was Seder night. (And as an Orthodox feminist it’s an opportunity to mention that women are equally obligated in chanukah candle lighting and brachot so make sure as many women and girls are involved as men and boys.)

In these painful times, let’s focus our time, energy and identity-building on what it really means to be a Jew – the stories, practices and beliefs which make us who we are. Not out of deﬁance, but out of joy.

Kaifeng is open over the public holidays

As usual, we are open for all of the bank holidays. Full Restaurant and Take Away service on the 24th, 25th, 26th, 31st December and 1st January.

25th December

We have such high demand on this day, that we will be having two lunch sittings to avoid disappointment. First sitting 12- 2pm, second sitting 2.30 - 4.30pm. Dinner will commence at 5.30pm.

31st December

We are operating our full Take Away service (please book ahead of the day) and creating a major banquet and party in the restaurant from 9.15pm to welcome in 2025, with live music from the wonderful L A Webber Trio.

Kaifeng Gift Vouchers

Our vouchers can be ordered for any value and are the gift of taste.

The exclusive, limited edition Kaifeng baseball cap makes a headline Chanukah present.

Take Away

Just call us on 020 8203 7888 to arrange your collection or delivery. Please book your orders for 31st December before the day to avoid disappointment.

Our full Take Away menu is at www.kaifeng.co.uk

Glatt Kosher Le Mahadrin under the strict supervision of the London Beth Din and Rabbi Akiva Osher Padwa

1 ‘SHABBAT B’YACHAD’ IS TEN YEARS OLD

Last Shabbat marked 10 years of Finchley Reform’s ‘Shabbat B’yachad’ monthly inclusive service for those people of all ages with special needs. It provides multi-sensory experiences and physical engagement, ensuring that everyone can connect with their Judaism in a way that is meaningful to them. Cantor Zoe Jacobs said: “B’yachad is more than just a service. It is a vibrant expression of faith and community, where every individual is valued and included.”

2JAMI JEWISH CARE IN THE HOUSE

Young Jami Jewish Care’s property networking event brought together more than 40 industry leaders and 200 young professionals for a networking reception and panel discussion featuring insights from leading property professionals at Nobu.

Committee chair Holly Nineberg said: “We are so pleased to have raised funds to help support those who rely on the mental health service for the Jewish community, Jami, which is now part of Jewish Care.”

3FLAGSHIP EVENT FOR JEWISH ENTREPRENEURS

A series of successful Jewish businesspeople shared their strategies for success at Work Avenue’s flagship Enterprise Expo. Held at The Wohl Enterprise Hub, more than 50 entrepreneurs, freelancers and small business owners enjoyed a day of inspiration, learning and networking. Speakers included Bourne Leisure chief executive Paul Flaum, Slip Receipts founder and chief executive Tash Grossman, Craig Hartzel of Hartz AI, Social Misfits chief executive Rebecca Martin and Nick Rabin, the founder of Possibility Consulting. The event was organised and hosted by Work Avenue head of business Joanna Sadie and business adviser Kim Davidson.

4OLIVER DOWDEN AWARDS PRIZES AT IMMANUEL

Hertsmere MP Sir Oliver Dowden was guest of honour at Immanuel College’s prize giving evening in Bushey. After awarding prizes to pupils for their academic and extra-curricular successes, he delivered a speech centred on some of Immanuel’s core values: curiosity, aspiration, responsibility, and kindness. The evening also included speeches from teachers and students, as well as musical performances. Sir Oliver said: “I greatly enjoyed the inspiring speeches from head boy, Eliav Stafler, and head girl, Olivia Myeroff, on their time at Immanuel.”

5BIRMINGHAM JSOC TRIUMPHS AT NETBALL

Teams from Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, UCL and a UJS alumni group came together for tournament in partnership with Maccabi GB as part of the wider UJS Student Sport Project which supports Jewish student sports team year-round. 100 players and spectators from Jewish Societies (JSocs) across the country arrived in Nottingham for the annual tournament hosted by Nottingham JSoc Netball team. Birmingham JSoc netball team won the tournament for the second year running.

Jackie Marks

Israeli art and wine Help finding work

The real housewives (...and husbands) of Ottolenghi

Real people making real food in real life – a Londonbased Israeli launches a cooking club inspired by Facebook group. By Louisa Walters

Yotam Ottolenghi is on currently on tour in the UK, regaling thousands of fans at venues across the country with stories of his childhood and his travels, and talking about the inspiration for his latest recipe book, Comfort. But recently, in a quiet corner of north London, there was a celebration of Ottolenghi on a much smaller scale with the launch of the London Ottolenghi Cooking Club.

As any fan of the chef will know, there has long been a Facebook group dedicated to him, his restaurants and, most of all, his recipes. The ‘Yotam Ottolenghi-inspired Cooking Housewives’ is a group of 45,000 people eager to share their makes and bakes, to swap recipe tips and to play the books off against each other.

Doron Bar-Gil, an Israeli based in London, decided to take things one step further: he set up a local cooking club.

Doron, 42, who lives in Whetstone with his Israeli husband Yam, 36, and their children, Ariel, five, and Nathan, one, came to London 15 years ago to do a master’s degree. To help finance his studies he worked at Carmelli bakery in Golders Green. “This is where I got to start on a journey of passion and love for cooking and baking and creating things that are meaningful for people, and using that as a way to bring people together,” he says. To this day Doron is a master challah baker.

He soon realised that as much

as he enjoyed the cooking, he needed an extra layer to it. “I need to understand the story behind what I cook. I need to understand the experiences people have shared which led them to cook whatever they cook. Those stories and connections are what I enjoy most, even more than the actual cooking itself. And I think Ottolenghi, through his books and the community that has emerged, allows that to happen. It goes way beyond the food itself, into the connections, into the stories, into the life experiences, which I really enjoy.”

When Doron discovered a Facebook group of people sharing and posting about Ottolenghi recipes he felt encouraged to jump on and ask questions and share the recipes that he’s made. “And then when I started going back and forth on to that Facebook group and seeing what other people are cooking and getting so much inspiration, I thought why don’t we take it one step further and leverage this connection to meet in person, to share our passion and our excitement?”

A few months ago he posted on the group to ask if anyone would be interested in a meetup and people from all over the world commented, “and I started seeing people arranging gettogethers in Australia, in the States, in Canada. This got me more excited and I felt I needed to get this going in London”.

Doron set up a WhatsApp group, posted the link on the Facebook group, and invited north Londoners to join. I was one of them. He shared

a few date options, and once we all settled on one, he assigned food categories (mains, sides, veggies, desserts). Everyone picked a category and shared the dishes they planned to make. To keep it simple, we didn’t stick to one cookbook for this first meetup and agreed on mostly veggie-only dishes. I proffered two desserts: a rolled pavlova and tahini and halva chocolate brownies, both from Sweet

“As an immigrant I felt that this was an opportunity for me to create meaningful get-togethers and socialise in other ways,” says Doron.

“I was very excited to be able to find commonalities and common passions, to feel as if I’m in a family. It’s one more step towards making me feel more inclusive, and to call this place my home.”

Odile Wittemans, who was born in Belgium and now lives in London, made toasted cauliflower and hazelnut salad from Jerusalem and spice nuts from Flavour. “I

loved the initiative. It’s amazing how food can bring a very diverse group of people together and create an instant bond. I have a stressful job and in general cooking is how I relax. I love all the Yotam Ottolenghi flavours,” she says.

Doron, who made two different types of challah, a butternut, orange and sage galette from Plenty, and a butternut, tamarind and coconut stew from Comfort, says cooking Israeli food is a way of bringing some of his family memories and his background into his life here in London. “I also give things a twist – I change stuff, I explore different ingredients. I experiment with combinations of different flavours. And I think this is essentially the uniqueness of living in London, where I am surrounded by lots of Israeli and Jewish friends, but I’m also exposed to the wider society. I’m taking the flavours that I grew up with and adding different spices from different parts of the world, and seeing what happens. And that blend is what I enjoy the most.”

Most attendees and those showing interest in the London Ottolenghi Cooking Club are Jewish. “I wasn’t necessarily expecting that,” says Doron. “On the Facebook group there are many people who have no connection to Judaism or to Israel whatsoever.

But as we started building the London Cooking Club, it became very clear that on top of our love for cooking and for sharing recipes there is the Jewish connection. I actually really like that. I think it gives it another perspective. Maybe this is a time when we all feel like we need to come together.”

Anthea Monod, who was born in Vietnam, attended with her Israeli husband Omer and their two young children. She made a slow-cooked chicken from Simple and roasted baby potatoes with aioli (a garlic mayonnaise) and buttered pine nuts from Shelf Love. “It was such a great event – all the food ensured that – but it was also so great to meet such lovely people. It’s just a reminder that connecting in person and over food is a gift and it’s so much better than over text and the internet.”

Nadia Benaim, from Hampstead, who made green pancakes with lime butter from Plenty, said: “What a special group of foodies of different ages and stages of life, uniting through a common thread – love of cooking and eating with Ottolenghi as our inspiration. A really wonderful afternoon spent. Doron’s organisation and dedication to the success of the lunch was awe-inspiring. And the fact that we each got one of his challot to take home was the icing on the cake.”

Members of the Ottolenghi Cooking Club share dishes they have made

Doron still loves to bake challah

Doron Bar-Gil

ON YOUR MARKS!

From Dorothy to Fantine, Jackie Marks has played some of the most coveted roles during a remarkable career, writes Barry Borman

t started with an advert that o ered

I“a sumptuous dinner with exquisite wines while enjoying an enchanting performance by the star of the West End stage, Jackie Marks”.

The ad in Jewish News was for a charity event organised by Friends of Yad Sarah, which is dedicated to helping displaced and evacuated people who are injured, elderly or inﬁrm during times of conﬂict in Israel. Its round-the-clock service provides an emergency call centre, a home care service and equipment lending, assisting more than 700,000 Israelis each year. Since the event coincided with my wife’s birthday and since we both like food, wine and musicals, the idea dawned that it would be an ideal celebration, coupled with the not inconsequential bonus of contributing to tzedakah.

Having made contact with Jackie at the restaurant that evening, I arranged to meet her in the beautiful cafe at Kenwood House so I could ﬁnd out more about her remarkable career in musical theatre.

London born and with music in the blood (her great uncle played ﬁrst violin in a symphony orchestra), as a child Jackie wasn’t one of those outgoing kids who perked up with their ‘party piece’ at the drop of a hat. In fact, her ﬁrst taste of tinsel and greasepaint wasn’t until the age of 11 when she was handed the role of Dorothy in her school’s production of The Wizard of Oz. It’s no wonder that, after mirroring Judy Garland in her rendition of the wonderful Over the Rainbow, her dream to sing was crystallised. Thereafter, following a call from an agent, she undertook several cameo TV appearances and theatre tours, while also paying her dues in the hard grind of working mens’ clubs around the country. At 14 she entered the Italia Conti Theatre School, travelling each day from Essex to Clapham with another local starlet, Frances Ru elle – many years later they were to work together in the original London production of Les Misérables

In the meantime, she was absorbing inﬂuences from all around, including the

blues of Fats Waller, the jazz stylings of Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, and the treasures of the Great American Songbook. While on tour in Canada, Meg Johnson (star of Coronation Street and Emmerdale) obtained a ticket for Jackie to see Barry Manilow live in Toronto. On the same day, she was also o ered the chance to see Ella Fitzgerald; she would have preferred the latter, but couldn’t renege on the former. In the event, she loved the Manilow concert, and from watching him learnt much about the art of live performance. Indeed, there’s something of a parallel here between Jackie’s youthful introduction to this musical genre and my own childhood – my father weaned me on Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, the 33rpm vinyl LPs being worn out on our Pye ‘radiogram’.

Incidentally, while chatting we also discover that we both have an abiding love of Charlie Chaplin – not the ‘kick in the pants’ early ﬁlms, but the pathos-laden masterpieces he later went on to make. Jackie’s set list, perfectly insinuated throughout the evening’s culinary delights, provided a roadmap of her varied and fascinating career. Thoughtfully constructed, it was neatly topped and tailed with Bette Midler’s You Gotta Have Friends to

the part, similar to the way

get us all into the right frame of mind and the 1979 Eurovision winner Hallelujah, to reinforce our togetherness with Israel in these di cult times. Embedded in the middle was the Carpenters’ Close to You, again drawing the audience in by embracing similar sentiments. Her big break came at 17 when Andrew Lloyd Webber personally informed her that there was a role for Narrator in the ﬁrst production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. More than just grabbing this opportunity with both hands, the latitude and blank canvas o ered to Jackie by producer Bill Kenright enabled her to ‘create’ rather than just interpret the part, similar to the way the great Maria Callas had created the role of Tosca in Puccini’s tear-jerker. As a result, the part of the Narrator has ever since been portrayed by a female singer. The show played at Sadler’s Wells and to packed houses all over the country. So Any Dream Will Do, the go-to song from Joseph, obviously featured early on in her set. Next, she was approached by Cameron Mackintosh and, pitched against strong opposition, procured the lead role of Nancy in his production of Oliver! From that, she treated us to the love song As Long as He Needs Me

couple, the Thenardiers, to look after Cosette while she seeks to provide for her child’s keep. They extort money from her, Fantine overworks, becomes sick, falls into prostitution and eventually dies of consumption. Fantine is a symbol for devoted motherhood, inﬁnite love and, in the end, destitution. To portray all these variegated nuances of character in a single performance requires acting, as well as singing, of great empathy and intuition, which Jackie achieved with consummate skill at the highest level.

Master of the House

It was Les Misérables in 1985 that really cemented her position. Starting o as the Factory Girl, she was then o ered to understudy Eponine. With the conﬁdence of a true star, she didn’t feel that this part was right for her talents and instead preferred to hold out for Fantine. Her instincts were justiﬁed and in due course, under the wing of the inestimable Cameron Mackintosh, she secured the prime heart-wrenching role of Fantine in the original London cast at the Palace Theatre. An absconding father had left the beautiful Fantine with an illegitimate daughter, Cosette. Penniless, she asks the innkeeping

disco as well (one of her other great loves), towards

restaurant (and the presence of of

Nothing if not versatile, she’s also played the innkeeper’s wife (and Fantine’s tormentor) Madame Thenardier, delighting the audience in the production’s hilarious and rumbustious showstopper Master of the House Just to prove she can do disco as well (one of her other great loves), towards the end of the evening we had a rousing version of Abba’s Dancing Queen, during which, she confided to me afterwards with a chuckle, were it not for the confined surroundings of the restaurant (and the presence of glasses of fine wine), “I would have had you all dancing on the tables.”

As a performer, Jackie’s voice distils a warmth and sweetness that reinforces the emotions stirred up by the melodies and lyrics. She’s also taken a leaf out of Frank Sinatra’s book. Ol’ Blue Eyes could hold an audience in the palm of his hand as if they were in his own living room and here, the intimacy of the surroundings enabled Jackie, with smooth between-numbers patter and a dash of dry humour, to build an easy rapport with the diners, further enhancing the evening’s relaxed ambience. It’s easy to see how she can charm the room in her one-woman shows at the Ritz and the Savoy.

Jackie Marks is a great entertainer who just happens to be a singer. Or, in the words of Irving Berlin, “That’s entertainment!”

 yadsarah.org.uk

Jackie Marks got her big break at the age of 17

Jackie (front right) in the 2012 film of Les Misérables

Jackie as Fantine

Israel’s artist haven and vineyard

with a

Charlotte Henry finds creativity in Ein Hod before tiptoeing through Tulip Winery to the village of hope

Despite being such a small country, each region of Israel has a distinct identity. The north is no exception. It is fantastically diverse, home to a wonderful selection of art, culture and food. Given the range of things on offer there, every visit comes with the prospect of making a new discovery.

Over the last year or so many in this region have suffered terribly. This includes both those displaced and those who were able to stay in their homes. The area is then worthy of our time and support. This is not an act of charity though, as there is so much to enjoy. And it’s all of that which we explore in this latest part of a series from Jewish News with the Israeli Government Tourist Office.

Israelis are, by nature, creative and innovative people. These tendencies are certainly on display in the stunning artists village of Ein Hod. Sitting there under the cool offered by the trees, having a drink from the rather hipster looking coffee van, it feels very peaceful.

Yet this is also a vibrant place. It is brim-

ming with fascinating boutiques, ancient stories and modern art, much of which is inspired by the stunning Carmel landscapes that surround the village. The green hills seem almost endless. Quite understandably, the village is campaigning to receive special status.

The museums and galleries there boast a wide range of exhibits – from traditional paintings to more interactive works. I walked around one gallery wearing a cardboard black sheep’s head! In case you’re worrying that I’d taken leave of my senses, or perhaps enjoyed a bit too much of the region’s wine, (more of which in a minute…) I should point out that this construction contained an iPhone that produced animated video over the work I was looking at. It completed the exhibitions storytelling. Some of what is discussed is difficult to hear.

Ein Hod itself has a complex history as Palestinian communities previously lived there but fled decades ago. This was though a very engaging exhibition highlighting things that are worth being aware of.

While for visitors Ein Hod is a collection of galleries and works, for the artists it mostly home. Some are part of families who have lived there for generations and one of the museums lets certain families have a room.

The quantity and quality of the work on show is something to behold. Sometimes, select families open their front doors and show of their work so tourists can get an even better sense of life in the village.

As with most places in Israel, food is a hugely significant part of life in the north. And, like most places in Israel, it is very, very good! While there are a host of fantastic restaurants in cities like Haifa where you can enjoy dinner, for example the Vania Bistro, near the port.

However, it is also great fun to make your own – at least when it is part of a private cookery class. The one I attended took place at the Vered Fern studio in Haifa and began with a refreshing frozen cocktail, which is always a good start. Chef Vern Fern then took us through producing a number of delicious (and kosher) courses. The studio is in Talpiot Market and is s something of a dream modern kitchen built inside incredible older architecture. A really enjoyable way to spend an evening. I even learnt an extra-fast way to make ice cream.

What is food without wine though? Luckily, there is the Tulip Winery to visit. Such places have become very popular since the Covid-19 pandemic. They are chilled out and often offer covered outdoor places to sit or walk.

Founded in 2003 and still run by members of the Itzhaki family who created it, the Tulip Winery is in Kfar Tikva – the Village of Hope. That has been around since the 1960s, when it was founded by German Jewish agronomist Dr Siegfried Hirsch. It operates in a similar manner to a kibbutz.

bright, spacious visitor centre I was plotting the various ways I could bring some home. Alongside the Tulip wines, the winery has the Maia brand, which was launched in 2012. Those wines are more Mediterranean in style. Israeli wines are traditionally quite heavy, sitting in the barrel for a long time. These are not really designed for consumption in 34-degree heat! “We thought about how are we making wines that are more appropriate to the temperatures and the Mediterranean style of living,” explains out host. After some research, the company now has links with various cities in the Mediterranean and another set of delicious wines to offer.

Residents have special educational needs and it offers them social activities and a communal dining room

The idea of Tulip is to have “a winery with social impact,” explains our winemaker host and many Kfar Tikva residents contribute to the running of this successful business. There are others, also with special needs, who are “very independent” and live nearby who also work there. It makes for a distinct, rather welcoming atmosphere.

Furthermore, the eye-catching label of the company’s flagship brand was created by someone with Downs Syndrome, following a competition.

The winery produces somewhere in the region of 300,000 - 400,000 bottles a year, 25 percent of which is exported. After a quick taste of the produce in the winery’s

My visit took place during harvest season and the winery was buzzing with activity as workers went through the various parts of the winemaking process. However, as with elsewhere, Tulip has not been untouched by the war, which limited some of their harvest. Indeed, I was shown a missile fragment that staff found in one of vineyards. While it’s not clear which side fired the missile, the impact on the business is indisputable. “You can call it war wine,” the winemaker says. It demonstrates “the complexity that we live in.”

At points, before the ceasefire came into force, Tulip workers were able to see Hezbollah fighters at their posts as they went about their business. No surprise, as some of the vineyards are just five metres from the Lebanese border. The harvest has been disrupted but, appropriately for a Village of Hope, the winery has been determined to carry on, despite the challenges of the war, and was hosting lots of visitors who were enjoying a lovely food selection along with the wine. That the north of Israel contains both big cities like Haifa and villages like Ein Hod and Kfar Tikva contributes to the distinct feel of the region. These features made it a special place to visit.

Ein Hod is campaigning to receive special status for its natural beauty

Images from Lea Ben Arye, who runs Guided Tour and Art Workshops in Ein Hod

A silkscreen print on display in Ein Hod

Ein Hod is a haven for artists Tulip Reserve cabernet sauvignon

Vania Bistro, Haifa

Vered Fern prepares to make cocktails in Haifa

A MEASURE OF RESOURCEFULNESS

Unemployment is rising among Jewish professionals over 50 but there are jobs if you know how to access them, says charity chief Victoria Sterman

ith economic pressures mounting, a growing number of Jewish people, particularly those over 50, are finding themselves out of work, says Victoria Sterman, chief executive of Resource, the community charity that has been helping people into work for more than 30 years.

The organisation has seen a 100 percent increase in clients over the past three years. Thirty percent of Resource clients are over 50 – a demographic that is facing unique obstacles in re-entering the workforce.

Sterman tells Jewish News : “Unemployment was low for a while but is definitely on the rise again and we are seeing a lot more people who are at a later stage in their

Hall Hire

l Birthday parties

l Upsherens

l Sheva Brochos

l Shabbos

careers, who have been made redundant or whose businesses have failed.

“This is what’s worrying me the most.

“These are extremely qualified candidates, high flyers who held very senior roles. Some may have planned to retire but are now struggling to make ends meet and have large financial commitments to uphold. They can’t cover costs as the cost of living has gone up. This is a huge driver in people coming to us.”

Sterman says there is a lot of age discrimination in the workplace today. “It may just be down to the hiring manager; often, the younger the hiring manager, the greater the discrimination, which has become a particular problem for those aged 55 and over. We are seeing people with

amazing qualifications being told they are over-qualified, which is basically a euphemism for ‘you’re too old’.”

”It was perfect. Thank you so much! Everyone had a fabulous time, children and adults.

”We had a great experience using the JFC for our daughter’s birthday party. The ease of booking and communicating with the team was excellent. They answered all my questions and made everything perfect and exactly as we wanted on the day. The space was clean and organized for our party and everyone had a fabulous time.

”Hiring the Centre was a pleasure from beginning to end!! Many thanks to Tamara for being so helpful all along.”

”It was such a fun place to make a family get together. Plenty of toys and place for the kids to play while the adults could relax and enjoy each others company.”

Sterman, who was appointed chief executive of Resource in 2013 after a career in the pharmaceutical industry, says recent graduates are also struggling to find work. “It’s not how it used to be. Lots of companies have recruitment freezes, and graduate recruitment from big firms has either been massively cut or slowed down.” Twenty-five percent of Resource clients are recent grads.

Demand is now so high for the charity’s services that Resource has recently moved into new and larger premises in north Finchley. The office was opened officially last week by Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who affixed the mezuzah.

The ceremony was followed by a Q & A session with PR guru Andrew Bloch, Lord Sugar’s long-term adviser, about hit TV show The Apprentice , which will soon return to our screens for its 19th series. The audience also heard from three Resource clients who have used the charity’s services to re-enter the workplace.

Originally founded as part of Jewish Care, Resource has operated independently for over 20 years, providing job support to roughly 1,000 individuals annually. Services range from in-depth one-on-one advising sessions to a variety of skills workshops including how to create an ‘elevator pitch’ and use LinkedIn strategically.

The organisation has a network of professional volunteers and experts from diverse industries such as law, accounting

and management consulting, who offer personalised guidance.

Today’s job seekers face a growing array of challenges in an increasingly competitive and technology-driven hiring landscape. One major hurdle, says Sterman, is the lengthy interview process: “Candidates often undergo seven or eight rounds of interviews for a single position, making it difficult to maintain motivation and enthusiasm.” Additionally, with a high volume of applicants for each job, standing out becomes crucial. Digital tools and AI have made it easy for candidates to send out CVs rapidly, but this convenience also means employers are inundated with applications, raising the stakes for each applicant to stand out from the crowd.

“AI-driven recruitment adds another layer of complexity,” Sterman says. “In some fields, candidates may never interact with a human during the entire hiring process. This automated approach can

Resource chief executive Victoria Sterman

Lord Sugar’s adviser Andrew Bloch in the Q&A with Resource’s Lynne Gayer

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis affixes a mezuzah accompanied by Victoria Sterman

impersonal and dehumanising, leaving job seekers struggling to make genuine connections with prospective employers.”

That said, she advises candidates to embrace AI: “With platforms like ChatGPT, job seekers can draft or polish their CVs and cover letters, making them more compelling and concise.

“AI can also assist with interview preparation by generating potential questions based on the job description.”

What makes a great CV? “It needs to capture attention within seconds. Clear formatting, ample white space, and a concise yet powerful summary of your experience can make a lasting impact.”

But standing out in today’s competitive market requires more than just a well-crafted CV – it demands effective networking, Sterman notes, adding that people should not underestimate the value of LinkedIn, something that she says “has proven indispensable in connecting job seekers with opportunities”.

Networking, above all, she says, is in fact often the deciding factor in finding job opportunities: “While some job seekers may feel hesitant or embarrassed to reach out, networking can open doors that formal applications cannot.”

According to recent estimates, around 70 per cent of jobs are never publicly advertised but filled through connections, refer-

rals and word of mouth. “Rather than firing off hundreds of applications, job seekers are often better off investing their time in a few face-to-face meetings. Go and meet five people for coffee. It’s likely to be far more productive.” See: resource-centre.org

CASE STUDIES

Insurance risk manager, aged 60

The client lost his job after finding work too pressured, leading to performance concerns and missed targets. His career was almost entirely in insurance risk management. He is a very quiet, thoughtful person, who found the loss of employment devastating.

The client’s adviser worked hard with him to update his CV and help him work out what he would like from a role, which took several meetings. He also had three

one-to-one IT training sessions and a mock interview. At Resource, he attended seven seminars (Job Search & CV, Networking, Interview Skills, Social Media Skills, Career Review & Planning, Introduction to LinkedIn, LinkedIn Beyond The Profile).

After four months’ hard work, the client was delighted find a role in the exact part of the insurance industry he wanted.

He says: “I cannot express how invaluable and supportive the whole Resource service/facility has been, at a time of great anxiety/stress, not least the sheer calibre, dedication and professionalism of all the staff/volunteers.”

Marketeer, aged 49

The client, an experienced marketeer who has held senior roles in large organisations, was made redundant out of the blue and when he approached Resource was feeling fairly desperate, with severe financial concerns, having not been able to pay his mortgage for several months and relying on food banks to feed his family.

The client has since secured a new marketing role. “The biggest thing for me is that I never called Resource and had to talk to an answerphone; I never came in on spec to be told there was nobody I could talk to,” he says.

“Being unemployed for several months is a dangerously dehumanising experience.

It makes one feel unimportant and without value. To feel part of a community, to feel supported and listened to, taken seriously and encouraged, was massive. I have no doubt that for some users it’s a lifesaver.”

Graduate, aged 24, with a degree in animation

The client had limited work experience, and described himself as nervous and socially awkward but with strong technical skills. His adviser felt he would benefit from introductions to network contacts which the relationship manager facilitated via Resource’s network of connections in a variety of industries and she made introductions.

With help from the Relationship Manager the client made written contact using a CV and cover letter, and she also gave him advice on how to prepare for interviews.

One of the contacts, the head of an animation studio, was very impressed by the client’s experience and he offered him an internship.

Today, the client is flourishing in the role, and very hopeful that it will lead to a permanent position.

His confidence and ability to network has increased significantly and, having had support from Resource, he now has the potential for a thriving career.

With Candice Krieger candicekrieger@googlemail.com

“A nation is strong when it cares for the weak. It becomes rich when it cares for the poor. It becomes invulnerable when it cares for the vulnerable.”

- Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks ZT”l

YAD SARAH’S SERVICES CHANGE LIVES Some of Yad Sarah’s Annual Figures - 750000 people helped - 7000 volunteers - 424000 medical equipment loans

- 63000 visits to homebound

scan

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 SARAH BERNSTEIN

PARTICIPANT ON THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE’S MA’ALEH HIGHER

The future can be daunting

In this week’s parsha, Vayetze, we begin with Yaakov ﬂeeing from Cana’an in semi refugee status followed by his marriage to Rachel and Leah, and his eventual return to the land of Israel with his wives and children.

The parsha starts by telling us: “Yaakov left Be’er Sheva and went to Charan” (Genesis 28:10). We know that Yaakov left Be’er Sheva; why is the Torah repeating itself? And later on we are told: “Yaakov resumed his journey and went to the land of the Easterners” (Genesis 29:1). Why is the Torah once again repeating itself? What is therefore happening

LEARNING PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN

between these two verses that is signiﬁcant?

On the surface, the key di erence between these two verses is that in the second, no mention is made of where Yaakov departed from. Our rabbis emphasise how the Torah includes, seemingly unnecessarily, the fact that Yaakov was leaving Be’er Sheva in the ﬁrst place. They very reasonably say that we know that piece of information already from last week’s parsha. Rashi’s question on the pasuk (verse) is on the superﬂuous nature of this phrase; his answer is that the departure of a tzaddik (righteous man) from his city makes an impression; as long as a tzaddik is in his city, he is its glory, splendour and beauty. When he leaves it, there departs also its glory, splendour and beauty.

Aviva Zornberg, a contemporary

scholar of Torah, expands on Rashi’s understanding of Yaakov’s ‘imprint’ on a place, saying that perhaps the void and imprint are in Yaakov instead. If Yaakov is to ﬁnd a wife and fulﬁl one of his main tasks in Charan, he needs to fully detach from whence he came. He needs to discover himself outside of a person who “dwells in tents” (Genesis 25:27). He needs to go not only on a physical journey, but on an emotional one.

Rabbi Tzvi Grumet, another contemporary Torah scholar, agrees with Zornberg, but says Yaakov’s state of mind is one of struggle with himself. How could he have violated his father’s trust and own dignity by pretending to be Esau? Yaakov needs this time alone to ﬁgure himself out. Grumet sees Yaakov’s regret in his actions as he wakes up from his

dream and says: “Surely Hashem is present in this place, and I did not know” (Genesis 28:16). Traditionally, this has been interpreted as Yaakov not knowing of Hashem’s presence in such a special place. But Grumet interprets the pasuk by suggesting that Yaakov is so shocked by himself and his actions, that he is lamenting the realisation that he no longer knows who he really is.

Yaakov needs this time alone to provide him with the perspective and the clarity needed to become who he needs to be. His personal transformation is not instantaneous; it is fraught with pitfalls and challenges that he could never have imagined. So too in our lives, when coming to a personal transition or transformation during which we might not fully know what the future holds, we can feel daunted. Yaakov comes through his transitional moment and ﬁnds Hashem; so too in our own moments of transition and hardship, we must seek out Hashem and ﬁnd security in him.

Board and Sub Committee Recruitment

We are the largest provider of sheltered housing to the Jewish community in the UK. We deliver services to around 550 properties; primarily sheltered housing with some other supported housing and general needs homes.

As we look to the future and in line with our commitment to strong governance, we are now seeking to recruit additional nonexecutive members for our various Subcommittees and the main Board. These are voluntary roles and require a commitment to attend quarterly meetings throughout the year. Meetings are held in the early evening.

Many of our Subcommittee members have progressed to become duly elected members of the main Board. All non-executive members receive the support of the established senior executive team, and we are proud that our non-executive and executive members enjoy strong and positive working relationships. We are looking for individuals who want to make a difference, understand our business and our regulatory framework, and share our commitment to providing quality accommodation and associated services to our community. We need individuals who want to make an impact, understand the contribution that they can make but also have a strong understanding of risk. We are interested to hear from individuals who work or have expertise in any of the following fields:

l Social Housing Finance

l Social Housing Property and Development

l HR

l IT

l Social Housing Management

To find out more or for an informal conversation about the role please contact the Chief Executive –jgoodman@jliving.org.uk

Applicants will be required to submit a full CV, Supporting Statement and will be required to participate in an interview.

Yaakov used time alone to gain perspective on who he needed to be

Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI JORDAN HELFMAN OAKS LANE REFORM SYNAGOGUE

Each individual is of inﬁnite worth

Whilst kiruv – bringing closer – isn’t a term most people associate with Progressive Judaism, it is something our synagogues are serious about.

The word is most commonly used within Orthodox Judaism – referring to the practice of reaching out to other Jews to encourage them to become more observant. In Progressive Judaism, our understanding of kiruv is also about reaching out and bringing people closer, but in this case all those who might previously have felt excluded.

Just as the blind dancer Chris McCausland on Strictly Come Dancing has shown us that a di erence need not be a hindrance to participation – so it is in our congregations.

One of the ways our communities demonstrate kiruv is for individuals of diverse abilities and needs. Let me be clear, this is not

‘inclusion’ where a group of people compromises their practice to make someone else feel included, but rather a sacred commitment to revel in the diversity of human experience.

We do our best to live out the words of the psalmist: “I have learned from all my teachers.”

We know that none of us like being categorised, stereotyped and ‘boxed away’ – labelled only by what we cannot bring to the community. Each individual is of inﬁnite worth and is owed their place inside the Jewish community. That is why, all over the country, our Liberal and Reform communities are expert in learning from those who experience life uniquely and using their experiences to bring us all closer together.

To list everything happening across 80-plus Progressive congregations would ﬁll the whole newspaper… but I wanted to highlight a few.

This week, Finchley Reform Synagogue celebrated 10 years of Shabbat B’yachad, its monthly inclusive Shabbat aimed particularly at people of all ages with special needs. Similar services are held regularly at many other communities including East London and Essex Liberal,

The series where progressive rabbis consider Judaism in the light of 21st-century issues

Finchley Progressive and Menorah Synagogues.

There are services using British Sign Language at both Manchester Reform and Radlett Reform Synagogues. Many of our communities broadcast via the internet. Plus there’s an online o ering from Abraham and Sarah’s Tent, led by rabbis with lived experience of di erence.

These allow as many people as possible to participate in communal life – including those who are elderly, unwell or disabled and those who don’t feel comfortable in the synagogue environment.

I want to end with a story of kiruv from my own Oaks Lane community’s B’nei Mitzvah programme, which recently included a cohort of teens with autism.

Instead of allowing the sensory experience of synagogue – with its loud noises and bright lights – to push them away, Rabbi Lev Taylor worked with their parents to shape a unique journey to up to the Torah. He focused on the sensory experience of Havdalah. Everyone experienced the cloves pressed into the orange and smelled their mingled sweetness, saw the twisted candle’s ﬂame, tasted the fruit of the vine, and ﬁnally heard the hiss. As the candle sputtered away, the joy increased, bringing all present closer to a rich and varied experience of Jewish life. Soon after, each stood at Torah, surrounded by family and community. Each one is now counted among my teachers.

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Please note rather than acting as agents for other organisations and charging you commission. Please be assured that in dealing with Antiques Buyers we deal directly with our clients and pay in full at the time of the transaction.

Shabbat B’yachad at Finchley Reform

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HUMAN RESOURCES / EMPLOYMENT LAW

DONNA OBSTFELD

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

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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

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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

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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

HOUSE CLEARANCE

Antique – Reproduction – Retro Furniture (any condition)

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YOU CONTACT US BEFORE SELLING

ARTICLES WANTED

CHARITY & WELFARE

Dave & Eve House Clearance

Friendly Family Company established for 30 years

Sell your gold Jewellery for cash BEST

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

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

ARE YOU BEREAVED?

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

07438 954144 LAW MENTOR LAW MENTOR

Former “Magic Circle” solicitor offers help with:

• CVs and personal statements

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

Sheltered Accommodation

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

patio and garden. For further details and application forms, please contact Westlon Housing Association on