Yom HaShoah UK held its national commemoration at Jewish Care. Thousands watched a live streaming.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis hailed the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
He said: “We recall the
extraordinary heroism of so many men, women and children, who at a time of hell on earth, were determined to do what they could with incredible bravery.”
Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely spoke of the legacy of the Yom HaShoah Holocaust educational initiative, where over 200 legacy boards have been placed around
the UK.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who introduced the Children’s Choir conducted by Stephen Melzack, described the Holocaust as “one of the darkest days of human history”.
He posted online: “As the years pass, it’s more important than ever to learn about the stories of victims
and survivors. This year’s theme ‘Never Again’ reinforces our resolve to tackle apathy in the face of growing divisions in society and to call out hatred, wherever and whenever it arises.”
Holocaust survivors including Janine Webber, Ivor Perl and Henny (Henriette) Frank were joined
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by communal figures, school children and youth movements. Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl, Jewish Care Life President Lord Levy and Jewish Leadership Council chair Keith Black attended.
Henry Grunwald KC co-hosted the ceremony with Game of Thrones German Jewish actress Laura Pradelska. Yiddish songs were performed by a Klezmer band in the courtyard of the centre.
Neil Martin OBE, Chair of Yom Hashoah UK said “It was an incredibly moving ceremony that was watched by thousands online and in the presence of our survivors and refugees, who are so central to our commemoration. Yom HaShoah is a true collaborative event that brings our whole community together, from old to young, from generation to generation.”
The organisation’s commemorative Yellow Candles initiative saw 35,000 purchased,
Global commemoration services took place for Yom HaShoah this week as events marked the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
US President Joe Biden announced the annual proclamation for Holocaust victims whilst Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led events in Israel.
President Isaac Herzog joined German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier alongside Poland President Andrzej Duda at a
ceremony at the POLIN Museum in the Square of the Ghetto Heroes of Warsaw yesterday.
Herzog addressed the event attended by Holocaust survivors and descendants of the ghetto fighters. World Jewish Congress president, Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder, gave a keynote address.
Herzog also visited the bunker used by Mordechai Anielewicz and fighters in the
uprising in an event at Noz´yk Synagogue.
Biden issued a statement to the American people. “Together with courageous survivors, descendants of victims and people around the world, we renew our solemn vow: ‘never again’,” he said. “The horrors of the Holocaust are painful to recount, the savage murder of innocent families and the systemic dehumanisation of entire populations. We remember the cries for help that went unanswered and the bright futures cut short. We must never look away from the truth of what happened. The rite of remembrance becomes more urgent with each passing year, as fewer survivors remain to share their stories and open our eyes to the harms of unchecked hatred.”
Biden noted present day antisemitic attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions, and Holocaust denial. The US President called on Americans to “pause to remember victims and survivors of the Holocaust.”
In Israel, national events were held at Yad Vashem and the Knesset, while on Tuesday, the country came to a standstill as sirens blared for two minutes.
Dignitaries attended March of the Living’s first march at Auschwitz-Birkenau for three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic including Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch, Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau and US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides.
Some 9,000 participants took part in MOTL’s 35th procession including Ahmed
Al Mansoori, a former member of the United Arab Emirates Federal National Council, who founded UAE’s first Holocaust exhibition in Dubai.
WJC has played an important role in ceremonies since they were first held in the ruins of war-torn Warsaw, and has partnered with the Mayor of Poland and POLIN Museum to bring the Daffodil Campaign to an international audience.
The Warsaw Ghetto was established in November 1940. Around 460,000 Jews were imprisoned in an area of 3.4 km. Jews were deported to Majdanek and Treblinka concentration camps.
The uprising was the largest single revolt by Jews during World War II. On April 19, 1943, after German troops surrounded the ghetto, Anielewicz, Pawel Frenkel and around700 members of the Jewish underground staged an uprising that lasted almost a month.
At least 7,000 Jews, including Anielewicz and most of his comrades, died.
When the ghetto refused to surrender to SS Commander Jurgen Stroop, he ordered its destruction. An estimated 13,000 Jews burnt alive, German casualties were under 150.
The ghetto was demolished in May 1943. The total death toll of the ghetto was 300,000.
The Warsaw Jewish community was the largest in Europe.
Lauders’ comments five years ago regarding the ghetto are still noteworthy.
“A handful of Polish Jews showed a courage that is hard for most people to understand,” he said at the 75th anniversary. “What these brave fighters did not know, what they could not know, is the effect their actions would have on future generations of young Jews and all free people throughout the world.”
“It was an incredibly moving ceremony that was watched by thousands online and in the presence of our survivors and refugees, who are so central to our commemoration.”
Sirens blared across Israel for two minutes to honour the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust on Tuesday morning.
Israelis stood in silence for the annual event. Memorial services took place at the Knesset.
President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid wreaths at Yad Vashem.
Herzog then spoke at the ‘Unto Every Person There Is a Name’ ceremony at the Knesset where he read the names of family members killed in the Holocaust and shared their individual stories.
The theme this year marked the 80th anniversary of the famous Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
He noted: “We do not remember numbers; we remember lives. Human beings. Because the name of every Jew who went up in flames and yet eighty years later is read out loud in Jerusalem, in the heart of the legislature of our Jewish and democratic nation-state, is the greatest victory.”
Netanyahu and Herzog led Israel's Yom Hashoah state ceremony at Yad Vashem’s Warsaw Ghetto square on Monday night.
Six survivors lit torches during the ceremony.“The victory over our enemies cannot erase the impact of our people's tragedy during the Holocaust," Netanyahu said in poignant speech.
“Entire communities were destroyed, millions of our brothers and sisters died in horrifying deaths, and in addition, millions of other people were killed. Moral values were shattered, human culture was
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decimated, and the dignity of human life was trampled to the ground. The scars of this pain will remain with us forever.”
Netanyahu spoke about a unique victory for the people of Israel following the Shoah. He observed: “This victory is evident in the families established by Holocaust survivors, in the upright stature of the participants in the March of the Living, and in the pinnacle of the victory itself, the independence of our 75-year-old state. Israel is a free, vibrant, democratic country full of achievements. It is a country that we are all building together from generation to generation.”
Joining Holocaust survivors and dignitaries was Crown Prince Reza Koresh Ali Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last Shah Reza Pahlavi.
Netanyahu warned the watching world of the current Iranian regime and its nuclear aspirations.
“The calls for our destruction have not stopped and today they come from the regime of terror in Tehran,” he noted. “We must prevent the forces of evil from gaining strength as soon as possible. The Jewish state must ensure that it has the power to defend itself against any enemy and threat. The victory of the past alone does not guarantee the victory of the future. The victory of the future requires constant determination and an uncompromising struggle against those who seek to harm us and any nuclear agreement with Iran that would pave the way for nuclear weapons.” Netanyahu added: “We are vigorously fighting against Iran's terrorist proxies around us. Whoever seeks to harm us will face a determined response. Our enemies will find us standing shoulder-to-shoulder, they will rediscover the tremendous strength that lies within our people.”
Netanyahu praised the Israeli people for being able to overcome threats despite divisions in society.
“Those who seek to harm us, our enemies, may think that we lack the determination and internal fortitude to stand up to them, but they are greatly mistaken,” he noted.
Netanyahu said that the Warsaw Ghetto revolt embodied the destiny of heroism and greatness of heroism that Israelis possess. He observed: “It obligates us to pass it on to the next generations; spirit, strength and inner unity. Only in this way will we defeat those who rise up against us to destroy us and only in this way will we continue to ensure the victory of Israel.”
Herzog told Holocaust survivors they were a source of “inspiration and hope” and appealed to Israelis to set aside political disputes during the upcoming sacred days that end on Independence Day. He also called on citizens to “never compare” their opponents to the Nazis.
Recalling the Holocaust, Herzog noted: “The miracle of our rebirth 75 years ago was the victory of light over darkness. We arose from dust and ashes. The yellow patch gave way to the flag of Israel. The furnaces gave way to the fires of creativity and construction. We founded an exemplary state.”
He added: “The eternal flame that flickers at Yad Vashem is constrained by neither time nor space. This pillar of fire is the light at the end of the tunnel of the horrors of the Holocaust; it leads us, sustains us and no
less importantly, tasks us with a momentous responsibility never to be dependent on the mercy of others.”
Herzog said Israel would continue building a democratic state as the national home of the Jewish people and stable home for all citizens of Israel.
In advance of the ceremony Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistic recorded 15.3 million Jews around the world. Seven million live in Israel followed by six million the United States.
“There are 147,199 Holocaust survivors and victims of anti-Semitic acts perpetrated during the Holocaust living in Israel,” the Bureau’s report said. Before World. War II, the global Jewish population was 16.6m.
Prior to the event Netanyahu met the torchlighters at his Jerusalem office where he heard moving stories from survivors Tova Gutstein, Ben-Zion Raisch, Judith Sohlberg, Robert Bonfil, Efim Gimelshtein and Malka Rendel.
Shoshana Weis and Efraim Mol spoke on behalf of survivors at the ceremony.
Netanyahu said: “As I listen to your stories, I ask myself, and I think everyone asks themselves, what would have happened
if I was there? Could I find the strength to save myself or others? Your stories are an outstanding example of the human spirit and the strength inherent in the soul of our people.”
He added: “Your personal stories are intertwined with the story of our national revival, there is no better way to put it. The desire to destroy us has not disappeared from the world, it merely takes on a different form as it does in every generation. What has changed is our collective ability to defend ourselves, to rebuff those who seek our lives. This is the great change that has occurred with our return here. I cannot tell you that there will not be additional attempts to destroy us because they exist all the time, but I see your stories, the stories of the Holocaust and our revival, as the greatest and best guarantee of our continued existence.”
Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan
participated in the meeting.
Yad Vashem invited the public for the first time to visit a new exhibit, Sefer Hashemot (Book of Names), showcasing the names of 4,800,000 Holocaust victim collected since its establishment by the renowned centre. Yom Hashoah was also commemorated by the IDF. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said that soldiers listen to survivors stories, remember their struggles and carry their legacy with them.
Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel hosted Crown Prince Pahlavi, the most senior Iranian visit Israel.
Pahlavi is determined to create a bridge between Israel and the Iranian people. The heir to the throne supports a democratic Iranian leadership. He also visited a desalination plant the Western Wall before meeting the Baha’i and Jewish-Iranian community in Israel in a packed schedule.
“The desire to destroy us has not disappeared from the world, it merely takes on a different form as it does in every generation.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Rabbi Leo Dee and his three children at their home in Efrat during shiva following the recent terror attack that shocked the nation and British Jews.
Lucy Dee and daughters Maya and Rina were killed when a terrorist opened fire at
their car on route to a Pesach family trip in the West Bank. Hundreds of mourners attended the funerals in Kfar Ezion.
During the high profile visit by Netanyahu, Rabbi Dee, who led the Radlett community, told Israel’s leader he had “no regrets” about his family’s aliyah to Israel nine years ago and his wife, Lucy would say the same.
Netanyahu told him: “Unfortunately, the
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land of Israel is acquired through trials and tribulations. Now, your wife and daughters will live within us.”
Tali Dee, asked Netanyahu how he deals with the loss of his brother Yonatan, killed during Operation Entebbe during a daring rescue operation in 1976 .
Netanyahu said that the pain of loss fades over time but the memory will be until your last days.
Rabbi Leo Dee has been praised for his strength of character in dealing with the world’s media since the atrocity.
He told Netanyahu: “We’re here, we’re going to move forward, we’ll remember them forever, but we’re resolute.”
Netanyahu was accompanied on the visit by his Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, his Military Secretary Maj.-Gen. Avi Gil and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs.
The manhunt continues for the terrorists who murdered Lucy, Rina and Maya Dee.
Netanyahu recalled the atrocity that has devastated the Dee family as he participated in a ceremony for a new memorial site for Victims of Terror at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem yesterday.
The Victims of Terror Memorial follows a Hall of Remembrance for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars built a few years ago.
Netanyahu in his address said: “One hundred and seventy-two years separate the first victim of terrorism, Rabbi Avraham Shlomo Zalman Tzoref, who was among those who revived the Jewish community in Jerusalem, and the most recent victim, Lucy Dee, whose life was cut short, along with the lives of her daughters, Maya and Rina, by heinous terrorists less than two weeks ago in the Jordan Valley.
“The hatred is the same hatred. The incitement is the same incitement. The love of bloodshed is the same vicious love of bloodshed, but there is still a huge difference between then and today. Thanks to our diplomatic strength, we settle accounts with every terrorist. We strike at the terrorists including those who are responsible for the horrible murder of the women of the Dee family. We will not relent.”
Addressing the Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, he welcomed another memorial site in the capital.
“Such sites reflect the spirit of the nation,” Netanyahu said. “We are realising this together, founded on the understanding that the deaths of the victims of terrorism has national significance. Our soldiers in uniform fell while guarding our homeland while civilians who were not in uniform fell at the hands of enemies that oppose our very existence in our homeland.”
He added: “The question of our existence was once in doubt; today it is not, even though the price is high. Your loved ones are torn from you, and then the pain and the longing do not relent. Family after family, each one, experiences the void at home. Family after family has its memories, but here we intend to gather all the memories in one hall.”
Noting the current unrest on judicial reforms, he noted: “Even if there are among us differences of opinion and outlook, before anything else, we are brothers and sisters. The terrorism that deliberately strikes at innocents does not distinguish between secular and religious, Jew and non-Jew, right-wing or left-wing. We are all bound to one fate. We remember all of them and we promise in their names to fight terrorism all-out.”
Netanyahu also recalled brothers Yigal and Hallel Yaniv, murdered earlier this year in Hawara.
He concluded: “Thousands of victims of terrorism in the years of our national revival are no longer with us but their presence, filled with light, will be preserved in this hall for generations to come.”
The ceremony was conducted by Rachel and Avraham Fraenkel, parents of Naftali Fraenkel murdered in 2014 along with his friends Gil-ad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach.
Joining bereaved families at the ceremony were Welfare and Social Affairs Minister Ya’akov Margi, Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur, Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Braverman and Victims of Terrorism Organisation Chairman Abie Moses.
Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely hosted a ‘Zikaron Basalon’ event at her official residence on Tuesday evening.
Zikaron Basalon is an Israeli initiative that aims to bridge the public’s emotional distance from the atrocities of the Holocaust.
The event connects people to survivors’ testimonies in smaller, more intimate settings.
As part of the evening, Warsaw Ghetto survivor Janine Webber shared her testimony with 25 of the Holocaust Education Trust’s young regional ambassadors.
The attendees shared their thoughts on the increasing responsibility of young people to bear witness and share survivors’ testimonies as there are fewer first-hand witnesses to Nazi atrocities still able to share their stories.
The event was also attended by Karen Pollock, CEO of the Trust.
Ambassador Hotovely said: “I am extremely grateful to Janine for sharing her story with the young Ambassadors in my home. We are at a critical moment in history. Young people are the future of effective Holocaust commemoration and we must ensure the lessons of the past are told frequently, through a variety of mediums, so that the next generation understands where antisemitism leads.”
She added: “It is reassuring to know that the young people in attendance tonight and the people who watched Monday’s Yom Hashoah UK ceremony, are committed to keeping the enduring promise of never again.”
Pollock noted: “Hearing a survivor share
their testimony is a unique opportunity and leaves a long lasting impression. It is particularly special when shared in this intimate setting and it is something our HET Ambassadors will never forget.”
Pollock thanked Ambassador Hotovely for hosting the event and to mark Yom Hashoah together.
The Zikaron Basalon initiative followed the Ambassador’s participation in the official Yom Hashoah UK ceremony at Jewish Care the previous evening.
Ambassador Hotovely joined the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the Board of Deputies President Marie van De Zyl to discuss the importance of remembering the legacy of the Holocaust.
Both the Ambassador and the Embassy of Israel also took part in Maccabi GB’s Yellow Candle project on social media.
BY ADAM MOSES125 cross-party British parliamentarians, including over 90 Conservatives, have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror organisation.
Parliamentary support for proscription comes from all major political parties, both Houses of Parliament and former Cabinet members.
The letter, sent by the All-Party Britain-Israel Parliamentary Group, backs Vahid Beheshti, a British-Iranian, on hunger strike outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for 56 days calling for the IRGC to be banned.
Cross-party parliamentarians yesterday presented Beheshti with the solidarity letter asserting his “dignity and strength” in his protest.
Parliamentarians share his urgency to proscribe the IRGC as a terror organisation.
Beheshti described the letter as “incredible” and will continue his hunger strike.
He said: “This is not just my cause, this is the demand of many millions of people. Anyone who’s heart beats for humanity. This shows that persistence and determination always pays off.”
The IRGC is condemned for “systematically destabilising the Middle East”. British
parliamentarians warn the IRGC is “openly operating on our own shores”.
The letter identifies a “growing list of activities” the IRGC has carried out in the UK “of grave concern to many across our country”.
In recent weeks, the UK’s MI5 security agency and Security Minister Tom Tugendhat revealed that the IRGC has been behind 15 foiled kidnap and assassination plots, intelligence on British-Jewish targets using UK-based criminal gangs, violent intimidation of journalists operating in the UK and radicalisation at British Islamic centres. Signatories argue that the Government must follow earlier decisions to proscribe Hamas and Hezbollah as terror groups by going “after the parent organisation” as the “primary financier, supplier, and trainer of these dangerous groups”.
The letter welcomes comments in December 2022 made by Sunak at Conservative Friends of Israel’s Annual business lunch that he and Home Secretary Suella Braverman would “utilise the full range of tools” at their disposal to combat the IRGC.
Earlier this year, British MPs endorsed a motion calling for proscription following a debate secured by CFI’s Bob Blackman.
Last week, 130 Democrat and Republican US Congress wrote to the European Union expressing “disappointment” at its “hesitation” to proscribe the IRGC.
Charedi Jews have been the main target for antisemitic assaults in the West.
Tel Aviv University published its 22nd annual worldwide report in collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday.
Last year saw a record recorded increase in incidents in the United States and Western countries.
The report examined dozens of assaults reported in New York and London. Both cities saw the most attacks. The study suggested physical attacks occurred on a street or public transportation rather than near synagogues or Jewish establishments.
According to the overview visibly Orthodox Jews experienced beatings, being spat on and having objects thrown at them. Most attacks did not appear to be premeditated.
Disturbingly authors of the report believe Charedi Jews were the main victims because they were easily identifiable as Jews and were un likely to fight back.
While attacks are defined as an tisemitic hate crimes, motivations could be pure antisemitism, ha tred for Israel, bullying or a combination.
Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO described the data as “very troubling”.
He noted: It is alarming to see the significant increase in antisemitic incidents and trends across the US and in several other countries. Equally concerning is that, unlike
in 2021, there were no specific events which can be linked to a rise in antisemitism, which speaks to the deeply-seated nature of ‘Jew Hatred’ around the world.”
Greenblatt added that the report would be used to educate governments and civil society, and fight antisemitic trends.
Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University observed: “Our research indicates that effective policing, indictments and educational campaigns in a small number of urban areas in various Western countries can lead to a significant reduction in the number of violent antisemitic attacks. The fight against antisemitism must include more practical, measurable and transparent objectives and fewer declarations and cries of ‘Gevald!’”
Dr. Carl Yonker led the research on the nature of the antisemitic attacks. He said: “It was very disturbing to discover during fieldwork in London that some Charedim regard antisemitism as the inescapable fate of Jews in the diaspora, sometimes even blaming members of their own communities for the situation.”
BY ADAM MOSES
Holocaust survivor and Nazi Hunter Josef Lewkowicz shared his story of survival and pursuit of justice to 200 guests at the British Academy of Film and Television Art on Yom HaShoah.
The event organised by JRoots in collaboration with Penguin Random House and the Blair Partnership marked the global release of Josef's autobiography.
The Survivor: How I Survived Six Concentration Camps And Became A Nazi Hunter has gained international acclaim and topped the Amazon book chart.
Josef, 96, discussed how JRoots founder Rabbi Naftali Schiff persuaded him to document his experiences to the world. And he
shared his thoughts as a survivor and value of educating younger generations on the Holocaust.
Following the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, Josef and his father were separated from their family and herded to the KrakówPlaszów concentration camp.
Josef was incarcerated in six of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, Mauthausen and Ebensee.
Josef was the sole survivor from an extended family of 150.
Alone in the world, whilst still in a Displaced Persons' camp, he volunteered to join the Jewish police and was recruited as an intelligence officer for the US Army who gave him a team to search for Nazis in hiding.
Josef played a critical role in bringing to
ADL recorded 3,697 antisemitic incidents in the US in 2022 compared to 2,717 in 2021, which was a record year in its own right.
The NYPD registered 261 hate crimes against Jews compared to 214 in 2021, the LAPD recorded 86 in 2022 compared to 79 in 2021, and the Chicago Police 38 in 2022 compared to 8 in 2021.
The authors of the report noted a disturbing trend of the ‘normalisation of crazy conspirators’ in America. Antisemitic propaganda by white supremacists almost tripled compared to 2021.
A rise in antisemitic incidents occurred in Western countries including Belgium, Hungary, Italy and Australia. In Belgium, 17 antisemitic attacks were recorded in 2022 compared to just three last year.
Although there was a decline in some European countries including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, the results confirmed a worrying trend. And the statistics were higher than recent years.
In Germany, 2,649 ‘political crimes with an antisemitic background’ were documented.
Prof. Shavit and Dr. Yonker surmised that the record numbers in 2021 were due to tensions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Israel’s military operation in Gaza, ‘Guardian of the Walls’ operation in Judai and Samaria.
The latest wave of antisemitism in the US centred on a mix of factors including heightened social and cultural tensions, a rise of radicalism, right- and left-wing, at the expense of the political centre and
‘echo chambers’ on social media where conspiracy theories spread undeniable truths.
“A reality in which big companies make big money by spreading big lies must be rectified,” said Prof. Shavit.
Reviewing the ongoing issues over Russia, the report pointed to antisemitic remarks by officials and intellectuals close to the Putin administration and a ‘cynical distortion’ of the memory of the Holocaust by the regime.
This raised concern that Russian Jews might become scapegoats for the regime’s military failures in the war with Ukraine.
“Fascists are never reliable allies for religious minorities or in the fight for human rights,” noted the report.
In-depth essays in the report discussed extreme antisemitic propaganda by the Houthis in Yemen and small antisemitic parties that won seats in the upper house of the Japanese Parliament.
“Antisemitism does not require any real Jewish presence or direct rivalry with Israel in order to find supporters,” observed the report.
Other essays described the failed coup of an antisemitic group in Germany, white Christian nationalist antisemitism and antisemitic tendencies in the Hebrew Israelite movement in the US.
There was legal controversies in America regarding hate speech and the First Amendment.
Prof Shavit said: “Soul-searching is required in Israel as well. In recent months, several Jewish members of Knesset have made chilling racist remarks that would have immediately terminated their careers in any other Western democracy. It is sad that this needs to be said on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, but Jewish racism is no better than any other kind of racism. It must be condemned, banned, and eradicated.”
At the event, Josef said: “For decades, I was very quiet, telling no one of my experiences and suffering during the War. I hid my story even from my own children, I was silent for most of my adult life. Then came Rabbi Schiff, who made me open my mouth. Really, without him I would not be speaking, writing, and telling over what I went through. Now I am doing my best to tell the world what happened. Remember and do not forget!"
Rabbi Schiff noted: “Josef’s resilience and courage in the face of unimaginable horrors alone, would make him a modern-day hero. He is an inspiration to us all, and we hope that this event and his book will help ensure that his story and the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten. JRoots is proud to have played a role in creating this lasting legacy.”
justice the Butcher of Plaszow, Amon Göth and searched to repatriate hundreds of orphaned Jewish children of the Holocaust, helping them to rebuild their life.
The interview between Josef and Rabbi Schiff was followed by a Q&A session.
“Having interviewed hundreds of survivors, Josef's story both during and after the Holocaust is a truly unique and remarkable one,” he added.
An exclusive preview of JRoots film, The Survivors Revenge, telling Josef's remarkable story was shown to the audience.
A Dorset man has been jailed for 12 months after being found guilty of stirring up racial hatred.
Bournemouth Crown Court heard that Gareth Anthony Brett, 35, from Poole, shared antisemitic messages online.
Brett reportedly became obsessed with COVID-19 conspiracy theories and posted antisemitic views used by neo-Nazis.
Prosecutor Amy Packham told the court that Brett shared Adolf Hitler quotes, extracts from Mein Kampf and white supremacy views.
She reportedly said: “The posts can effectively be categorised and summarised as generally anti-semitic posts being common throughout.” She added: “There are posts highlighting the physical traits of Jewish people, coupled with images and symbolism which is well known to be anti-semitic and anti-semitic views used by Neo Nazis.”
Packham also noted: “This was not simply Mr Brett finding material that he was attracted to and resharing it, he was creating images such as a white man wearing a swastika thumping on the back of a Jewish man with his mouth open against what is either a rail or a curb.”
Packham added that Brett had documented that he had taken a sample of his own DNA to determine his heritage.
“He implied that he would take his own life if the results showed that he was to be even 1 per cent Jewish,” she told the court.
Defending, Jonathan Underhill, said Brett wanted to plead guilty to the charges at the earliest opportunity.
Brett posted images containing sexist, racist and homophobic sentiments. His Twitter and Telegram accounts were suspended following his arrest in 2021.
Brett told police officers he “wanted to help people realise the truth about the world”.
Judge Robert Pawson, who criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for taking 18 months to charge Brett, described him as “a loner with no purpose”.
Whilst acknowledging Brett’s family and personal circumstances, Pawson said that a jail sentence was required for the charges.
He said, “You have in the course of previous hearings, it seems come to appreciate why what you were doing was criminal and why it’s so serious. Judging someone on the colour of the skin, their religion or their race or nationality is like you being judged on the basis of a Mancunian accent or having a beard. To judge someone on the basis of they’re a White European is, I hope you appreciate, mad.”
Pawson added: “The sadness Mr Brett is for quite a long time, I do not know yet and I am not going to ask you whether or not you agree in relation to this, but you just can’t judge people based on colour, religion and race and stir up racial hatred.”
Brett pleaded guilty to four counts of publishing written material to stir up racial hatred. He was sentenced to 12 months and two weeks in jail and ordered to pay a £156 victim surcharge.
BY ADAM MOSESIsrael security forces have made counter terrorism arrests following three terror attacks against Israeli citizens in recent days.
Two ultra-Orthodox men suffered moderate injuries when they were shot at close range whilst driving back from morning prayers in Sheikh Jarrah. The suspect reportedly fled the scene abandoning his Carlo gun. The attack was captured on CCTV identifying the attacker.
On Monday, an Israeli man was wounded in a stabbing attack at the Gush Etzion Junction. IDF troops at the scene shot the Palestinian terrorist. There was also a shooting towards Kibbutz Meirav in Judai and Samaria. No-one was injured.
The IDF operation was reportedly based on intelligence that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad cell was planning to imminently launch a terror attack.
Three PIJ operatives were arrested, two were experts in assembling explosives. During the arrests militants threw explosives at IDF forces, who responded with live fire.
Palestinian sources reported five people wounded, one in a serious condition.
Bicom noted that the attacks coincide with the end of Ramadan, a period that saw
two terror attacks against Israeli citizens, including the murder of three members of the British-Israeli Dee family.
Israeli police prevented eight terror attacks in recent days.
Earlier this month, the head of the Shin Bet,v Ronen Bar, revealed it had prevented over 200 “significant” terrorist attacks since the beginning of the year.
Bar said that attacks included “about 150 shooting attacks, 20 bomb attacks, car-rammings, suicide bombings and kidnappings.”
Shin Bet revealed this week Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps attempted to recruit two West Bank Palestinians to carry out terror attacks in Israel.
The men were reportedly approached on social media and agreed to smuggle weapons into Judai and Samaria. They also agreed, at the request of Hezbollah, to collect intelligence about IDF activities and recruit additional operatives for terror attack.
The IDF is on high alert ahead of Memorial and Independence Day next week with intelligence suggesting the possibility of more terror attacks.
The concern comes as demonstrations continue of the government’s controversial judicial reforms.
In the aftermath of the brutal murder of two Jewish sisters and their mother by Palestinian terrorists, the National Jewish Assembly (NJA) finds the response from the British government to have been woefully inadequate. The government’s statement expressing sadness about the deaths of “British-Israeli citizens” and calling on “all parties” to de-escalate tensions completely glosses over the reality of the situation. These innocent sisters were not just casualties of some vague conflict, they were the victims of a despicable act of terrorism carried out by a Palestinian gunman.
Contrast the tepid response from the British government with the words of Italian Prime Minister Meloni, who expressed deep sorrow and condolences for the death of one of her nationals, Alessandro Parini, who was murdered in a terror attack in Tel Aviv on the same day. Parini was visiting Israel as a tourist, and was enjoying an evening walk when the Palestinian terrorist rammed his car into the bystanders. Meloni was also unreserved in voicing her solidarity with Israel for the cowardly attack
that killed Parini. Such moral clarity and leadership were sorely lacking in the British government’s response.
The notable exception to the muted response by the British government came in the form of a heartfelt letter from Foreign Secretary James Cleverly sent to Rabbi Dee, the father and wife of the deceased, in which Cleverly rightly affirmed that “there can be no justification for such senseless and abhorrent violence.”
The Palestinian gunman who carried-out the deadly attack against the Dee family is a tragic example of the broader problem that is solely of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) own making. The PA actively
incentivises terrorist attacks through guaranteeing salaries to the perpetrators and their families. This major financial incentive represents easy money for Palestinian youth who are reared on a PA school curriculum riddled with incitement to attack Jews, and glorification of Palestinian terrorists.
Chairman and Founder of the NJA, Gary Mond, stated, “Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s fulsome condemnation of the terrorist murders of Lucy, Maya and Rina Dee is most welcome, but it does not go far enough. The time for words is over and the time for action has come. For the British government, that means stopping all funding for the Palestinian Authority until its “Pay for Slay” policies are abolished. It also means casting a spotlight on education in the areas under the PA’s control, where children are being groomed to become future terrorist murderers, and also on the corruption and torture methods deployed by its security forces.”
The NJA calls on the UK government to take decisive action to condemn this callous act of Palestinian terrorism and to
immediately suspend funding for Palestinian projects and organisations until a thorough audit has been conducted to confirm that UK taxpayer money is not going towards funding the so-called “Pay to Slay” program administered by the Palestinian Authority.
While the PA administers payments to terrorists through opaque and convoluted channels, it is critical that the UK government takes all necessary steps to ensure that its well-intended aid money is not misappropriated towards incentivising the murder and maiming of Israelis.
The NJA also unequivocally supports Israel’s right to take necessary measures to bring an end to Palestinian terrorism and violence and to work towards a future of peace and security in for Israel. The ongoing threats faced by Israeli citizens, tourists in Israel, and the wider Jewish community must be taken seriously and addressed meaningfully by the international community. It is time for leaders around the world to show decisive moral clarity in the wake of this tragedy and to be unequivocal and unambiguous in condemning Palestinian terrorism.
British Jewry and the NJA stand firmly with Israel in condemning this senseless act of terrorism that claimed the lives of Maya, Rina, and Lucy Dee, aged 20, 15 and 45 respectively, and the life of Alessandro Parini, aged 35. The NJA’s thoughts and prayers are with the Dee and Parini families and their loved ones during this time of unimaginable loss and sorrow.
The National Jewish Assembly (NJA) hosted a special event with its first government minister on April 18th featuring Sarah Dines MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Safeguarding), in conversation with Dr Alan Mendoza, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society. The event aimed to address the pressing issues of safeguarding the Jewish community and rising anti-Semitism in the UK.
During the event, Dines shared her insights on the necessity of safeguarding the Jewish community and discussed the unfortunate rise in anti-Semitic incidents in the UK. She highlighted the government's commitment to combating anti-Semitism and ensuring that Jewish people are protected from hate crimes and other forms of discrimination.
Dines further emphasised the importance of creating a safe and secure environment for the Jewish community in the UK. She also defended Suella Braverman MP against recent criticism levelled at Braverman for her astute observation that established Jewish organisations are becoming increasingly unrepresentative of the British community.
Attendees at the event had the opportunity to engage in a lively discussion with the MP and raise their concerns about the
rising incidents of anti-Semitic attacks in the UK. The discussion allowed for a constructive dialogue between the community and the government on the steps that can be taken to prevent and address instances
of anti-Semitism. Attendees were especially concerned about recurring incidents of antisemitic and anti-Israel bias in the BBC’s reporting.
During the event, Dines also highlighted the harms arising from online hate and the government's commitment to take legislative measures to curtail discrimination and the promotion of antisemitism on digital platforms. She discussed the need for social media platforms to take a proactive approach in removing hate speech and ensuring that online environments are safe and secure for all users.
Dines also emphasised the importance of education and awareness-raising to tackle antisemitism and discrimination, and highlighted the government's investment in training programs for law enforcement officers to better recognise and respond to hate crimes. The NJA commends the government's efforts to combat online hate and ensure that digital platforms are not used as tools for promoting hatred and intolerance.
NJA Vice Chairman Keith Rowe offered the vote of thanks and expressed the NJA’s appreciation to Dines for her valuable insights and her unwavering support for the Jewish community. The NJA looks
forward to continuing their work with the government to ensure that Jewish people are protected and can live without fear of discrimination or violence.
NJA Chairman Gary Mond commented: “It was fantastic for a large number of our members to have the opportunity to listen to a government minister whose role at the Home Office is of great relevance to the UK Jewish community. They were also able to ask her questions on pertinent subjects such as antisemitism at the BBC, the Online Safety Bill and the ethnicity question in our national census. At least one more government minister will speak to us later his year.”
The event was well-received by attendees, who appreciated the opportunity to engage with a government official on the important issue of safeguarding the Jewish community. The NJA hopes that events like these can help raise awareness about the prevalence of anti-Semitism in the UK and encourage the government to take stronger action to address this issue.
The NJA is committed to promoting the welfare of the Jewish community as a conduit to decision-makers at all levels. NJA Zoom Speaker Events routinely feature key decision-makers in the UK and Israel, and further information about upcoming events can be found here.
For further inquiries, please contact Heath Sloane – NJA Press and Marketing Manager (heath@nja.org.uk)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, Yesh Atid and National Unity parties held ‘focused’ discussions over proposed judicial reforms this week.
President Isaac Herzog arranged the gathering to encourage all sides to find a way forward to a broad consensus.
Ongoing demonstrations have taken place in recent months. Netanyahu’s proposal would give the Knesset power to overturn Supreme Court rulings. Critics demonstrating believe it will hinder Israel’s democracy.
Netanyahu has been under growing pressure to find a resolution and appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press last Sunday where he covered a wide range of issues.
Netanyahu has delayed the reform process for a few months to analyse all views though he is determined to limit judicial rulings.
He reportedly observed: “I don’t want the parliament overruling automatically every decision of the Supreme Court,” he told NBC host Chuck Todd. “I’ve decided to take time out, try to get a balance between the opposing views in both sides of our society and I hope to reach this by consensus.”
Netanyahu added: “When there’s an opportunity to avoid civil war through dialogue, I, as Prime Minister, am taking a timeout for dialogue.
“There are always these contentious polls. We just had a poll (election) three months ago. What has happened in the last three months is that overwhelmingly, not only the parties that won, but right now the broad base of the Israeli public believes that we have to have these corrections in the judicial system.”
Opponents of Netanyahu plan have stated his proposed changes undermine the State of Israel’s basic freedoms.
US President Joe Biden voiced “concern” to Netanyahu in a private call last month regarding the controversial reforms.
The White House described Biden’s discussion with Netanyahu as “candid and constructive.”
Reports noted that Biden spoke to Netanyahu “as a friend of Israel” and was hopeful there could be a “compromise formula”.
The White House in a statement added that Biden “underscored his belief that democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the US-Israel relationship, that democratic societies are strengthened by genuine checks and balances, and that fundamental changes should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support.”
“The President offered support for efforts underway to forge a compromise on proposed judicial reforms consistent with those core principles,” the statement added.
Netanyahu avoided Biden’s comments and spoke about their longstanding friendship.
He reportedly noted: “President Biden has been a great friend of Israel. I’ve known him for 40 years. I know his commitment to Israel’s security. Friends can have disagreements on occasion, but I share with them the view that we should act and not only share the view, I’m actually acting on it to try to reach a broad consensus.”
“I always say America is Israel’s indispensable and, by far, the best ally, “Netanyahu added. “I don’t think you have a better ally in the world than Israel because Israel has become a great technological power and a great asset to the United States. And our cooperation, mutual cooperation, saves a lot of American and Israeli lives.”
Netanyahu stressed Israel’s relationship with the US. And he responded to criticism that his coalition was the most “radical, extreme conservative government”.
Israel’s leader put corrected reports that Mossad backed members protesting against his government.
He said: “The Mossad legal adviser said that under Israeli law, junior members of Mossad can participate in demonstrations, not senior members. That’s, I think, what led to this misunderstanding.”
“There is so much misinformation about what is happening in Israel that is fed from Israel’s political opponents,” Netanyahu added. “It’s natural. They’re feeding the
political opponents abroad, and so the picture is set.”
Looking ahead, Netanyahu is optimistic about Israel’s future.
“Israel is a vibrant democracy, has been a vibrant democracy, and will remain a vibrant democracy,” he reportedly said. “And you know the one who’s most committed to that is me.”
Netanyahu added: “How many know that he was nominated by me? And how many know that he was overwhelmingly elected just a few months ago? Nobody knows that because it doesn’t fit the bill,”
Netanyahu criticised his political opponents including non investments in Arab sectors.
He reportedly said: “There is so much misinformation about what is happening in Israel that is fed from Israel political opponents. It’s natural. They’re feeding the political opponents abroad, and so the picture is set.”
During the interview, Netanyahu reportedly criticised Todd over his description of the proposed reforms and Israel’s current political environment and linking the reforms to his ongoing corruption case where he denies all allegations.
He said: “Here’s another fib, another lie. My own legal proceedings, which by the way are crumbling, all these charges against me have been crumbling,”
Netanyahu added: “My case is completely independent from this.”
On Monday evening, the Yom Hashoah Manchester Committee presented the annual commemoration at the prestigious Bridgewater Hall in Central Manchester. Over 1,000 people filled the auditorium from all sections of the community and were joined by local mayors, councillors and other invitees.
The theme this year was “Reunion” and 2nd, 3rd & 4th Generation told the stories of how their parents or grandparents were reunited with members of their families after the war.. Some reunions were happy whilst others were more difficult as people tried to rebuild their family lives.
Professor Rebecca Clifford spoke about the impact of the Shoah on younger children who had been separated from their families only to struggle when the war
was over and they were taken from the surroundings and way of life which had become familiar.
The Ruach Male Voice Choir provided a musical component and the powerful voice of Chazan Charlie Chait resonated round the auditorium. Robert Marks gave a moving rendition of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” as scenes of pre war Europe were shown on screen.
6 candles were lit by 6 survivors and Kaddishh was recited by survivor Ike Alterman as video footage was shown of his recent trip to Treblinka where most of his family had perished and he was seen reciting Kaddish at the memorial to his home town.
The evening ended with the National Anthem and Hatikvah as the AJEX standards left he Hall.
has been helping those in its care to reach for the sky and become fully independent contributing members of society.
Pesach might be behind us now but the words ‘…in every generation our enemies try to destroy us’ have stubbornly refused to leave. The brutal murders of Lucy, Maia and Rina Dee last week and earlier this week Yom Hashoah provided us with a stark reminder that although these events were 80 years apart the words continue to ring sadly true.
There is no doubt in my mind that the very existence of the State of Israel has acted as a demonstration that the Jews are no longer dependent on the good will of their host nations as had been the case for thousands of years. During the years that the Labour Party was led by Jeremy Corbyn, many of my friends started looking for property in Israel. I did the same thing.
The legacy of those dreadful years is not only that many Jews no longer trust the Labour Party but that attacks on us have become easier. These are not only physical attacks principally (though statistics show we are more likely to be attacked than any
other minority) but also social ones. One of the many criticisms levelled against the Labour Party was that they could not just say anti-Semitism, they had to add ‘and other forms of racism’.
That has now developed further so that the addition is often ‘Islamaphobia’. Whilst there are many in our community who see no problem with this, it is to me a fundamental betrayal of what Jews as a nation have suffered over the generations. It is said that there is no hierarchy of racism. I do not agree. Disliking someone because of their colour is not the same as discriminating against a person because it is believed they killed Jesus Christ. Or that they make unleavened bread from the blood of Christian babies, or that they rule the world money markets by way of some cabal.
Hatred towards Muslims is often based on
how they might look, or how they are perceived to behave. It is not (and I am open to correction) based upon centuries old prejudices which demonise them as the cause of every ill which has affected the general population. The death of Jesus Christ, the Black Death, the German loss of the First World War are all events placed at the doors of the Jews and to that extent anti-Semitism has a unique ghastly individuality which sets it apart from ‘other forms of racism’.
Israel now stands as an answer to those who wish to return to their biblical land as well as those who have been driven out from their host country. Those in our community who recently have delighted in openly criticising Israel have missed the point that Pesach drives home. Not only do we remind ourselves that our enemies try to destroy us but that we are obliged to
speak as if we had been brought from Egypt to the land of Israel. This requirement, from a text which goes back to the middle ages works to connect us all with our release from slavery and as reminder as to how far we have come.
For middle ages Jews who were at risk of slaughter at the hands of crusaders, they might not have felt particularly free. For us though, living in the UK, we are a long way from that prospect and sadly too far away from appreciating that Israel is still surrounded by enemies who wish to destroy it, or more particularly the Jews living there. Go to Israel and vote, demonstrate if you wish and make your voice heard. So much better to do that than to writing virtue signally articles and forget about those who seek to destroy us and fail to remember that we were all once brought out of slavery.
Robert Festenstein is a practising solicitor and has been the principal of his Salford based firm for over 20 years. He has fought BDS motions to the Court of Appeal and is President of the Zionist Central Council in Manchester which serves to protect and defend the democratic State of Israel.
There is no doubt in my mind that the very existence of the State of Israel has acted as a demonstration that the Jews are no longer dependent on the good will of their host nations…
Please note: The views of the letters do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper. Letters may be edited and publication is at the discretion of the editor.
Are Jews just prey to the antisemitic hunters of today? Are we just like the dust of the earth, common but unwanted? Do people want to sweep us away, like we did for chametz yesterday?
In WW2 were we like the 10 pieces of bread, hidden only to be found? Have faith because through our story, 3 things have stayed the same,
Each other
The Torah
And HASHEM
Through slavery and freedom we have had a nation, what a great congregation we are!
Written by Abigail FreemanAged 9
In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Israel in which Lucy, Maya and Rina Dee were brutally murdered, in my personal capacity, I attended the United Synagogue organised tehillim for the recovery of Lucy Dee at Hendon United Synagogue, Raleigh Close, on 9 April 2023. Raleigh Close was an appropriate venue as the husband and father Rabbi Leo Dee had been the assistant Rabbi there.
This was a gesture, not only for Lucy’s recovery, but also to show solidarity for the Dee family and the State of Israel and its citizens. For me personally, this was extremely significant following weeks of criticism of the State of Israel by the local Jewish community and its leaders, in my view totally unproductive.
Of equal importance to me was my return to my alma mater, Hendon United Synagogue, where I was brought up, had my bar mitzvah and was married, being the bedrock of my Judaism. I sat as near as possible to my late father’s seat, amongst the gathering of leading rabbis. I felt so much at home and at ease.
After mincha and ma’ariv, led by Rabbi Michael Laitner, the service was eloquently led and co-ordinated by Rabbi Mordechai Ginsbury, Senior Rabbi at Raleigh Close. The atmosphere was subdued, decorous, and respectful, as one would have expected.
In attendance were familiar and eminent London United Synagogue rabbis including Dayan Binstock (St John’s Wood), Jonathan Hughes (Radlett), Barry Lerer (Central), Mark Levene (Hampstead Garden Suburb), Nicky Liss (Highgate) David Lister (Edgware), Michael Harris (Hampstead), Alex Chapper (Borehamwood and Elstree), Jeremy Lawrence (Kinloss), Piny Hackenbroch (Woodside Park), David Mason (Muswell Hill), Zvi Portnoy (Raleigh Close) and Julian Schindler (formerly of Muswell Hill and the United Synagogue). (Rabbis Piny Hakenbroch and Barry Lerer are chairman and vice chairman respectively of the United Synagogue Rabbinical Council).
Most of the rabbis ascended the bimah and read one of tehillim, commencing with Dayan Binstock. All are good friends of mine, and truly good and worthy men.
The dignified service reminded me of the service at Raleigh Close at the beginning of the Six Day War in June 1967, when the synagogue was full to the brim in support of the State of Israel. Similar feelings, anxieties, concerns and support for the State of Israel and its population were on display at this special service.
In conclusion, this was a meaningful service that I am so pleased I attended. It was quite awesome and provided real comfort after the awful and shameful terrorist attack against the Dee family. Thank you to Hendon United Synagogue, Rabbi Mordechai Ginsbury and all the wonderful Rabbanim who made the event so special and meaningful. Am Yisrael Chai.
Jonathan Metliss Chairman of The Jewish Weekly1. Game-forcing inquiry
2. No 3-card spade support; no 4-card heart suit; no 5-card diamond suit
West led the jack of hearts. Declarer counted seven top tricks and the most likely way to generate the extra two tricks he needed, was by developing tricks from the spade suit. If spades were 33, any play would work. However, declarer saw that playing the ace, king and another spade would waste his nine. So, after winning the first trick with the ace of hearts, he led a low spade from the table. East followed with the two and declarer played the nine from hand. After that held, declarer cashed the ace of spades and then crossed to dummy with a low club to dummy’s ace. Next he played the king and another spade, throwing two low clubs from hand.
Upon winning the fourth round of spades with the queen, East shifted to the nine of diamonds. Declarer covered with the ten and West took the trick with the jack. As cashing the ace of diamonds was likely to give declarer an overtrick, West exited with a heart. At this point declarer claimed nine tricks: four spades, three hearts and two clubs.
Declarer’s play in spades was best. It picks up four tricks against all 3:3 breaks, queen-jack doubleton with West, East holding four spades with the queen and jack, plus a jack or queen doubleton with East. This offers slightly more than a 60% chance of making four tricks in spades – quite an improvement over the 39% offered by just banging out the ace, king and another spade. AS you see on the given layout, banging out the ace, king and another spade would have allowed East to lead diamonds through declarer’s hand twice.
The United Synagogue is to unveil a new Holocaust memorial and garden in Bushey New Cemetery on Sunday 23 April at 3pm.
A stone will be unveiled in the heart of the memorial over the grave where the charity buried the remains of a number of Holocaust victims during an unprecedented funeral led by the Chief Rabbi in 2019.
The victims – which DNA testing revealed to be five adults and one child – were murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Their remains had been collected from Birkenau by a Holocaust survivor who returned there some years ago and entrusted them to the Imperial War Museum.
The consecration of the new memorial and garden will be conducted by the Chief Rabbi in the presence of many Holocaust survivors.
The space will be called the Sam and Sonja Frieman Holocaust Memorial and Garden. Sam and Sonja were members of the 45 Aid Society and Richmond United Synagogue and left a generous legacy to the United Synagogue to enable the charity to design and build a fitting memorial during
the pandemic.
Richard Verber, the United Synagogue’s Communications Director, said: “There is a widespread custom for Jewish cemeteries to have a Holocaust memorial. On Sunday [April 23] we are unveiling a Holocaust memorial and garden to provide a permanent space for contemplation and reflection, to honour the six million and provide a place to mourn for so many of us who lost loved ones in the Shoah but do not know where they died or don’t have a grave to care for.
“We have only been able to build such a magnificent memorial and garden thanks to a very generous legacy donation by Holocaust survivor Sam Freiman and his wife Sonja and on behalf of the United Synagogue, we would like to place on record our thanks to the executors of Sam’s Will – Michael Helfgott, Robert Bieber and Paul Lawrence – who have worked closely with us during the pandemic on the design and execution of this important project.”
“The community is warmly invited to attend the matzeiva.”
This Pesach, GIFT has sent out over £20,000 worth of support - to an unprecedented number of households - including dry Pesach items, wine/grape juice, cooked meals, Seder plates and financial support.
GIFT’s pre-Pesach Chametz collections took place in venues across North West London & Manchester generating an incredible £10,000 of food which will be distributed after Pesach. A Thank GIFT It’s Sunday (TGIS) Pesach food parcel packing session took place getting young families to engage in giving before Pesach. GIFT would like to thank the hundreds of people who dropped off Chametz food donations, as well as the volunteers who helped sort and pack food parcels.
The organisation also launched a Chametz Truck initiative, with entertainment by a balloon modeler and by young GIFT volunteer, singer Rafi Sanford at every stop throughout Golders Green, Hendon and Edgware, where givers from the community showed up at specific times to donate their
unopened chametz. Attendees were also given tulips and Pesach greeting cards to pass onto vulnerable individuals.
GIFT’s education team has created educational resources for you; Pesach cards, colouring sheets and a Youtube playlist with a variety of entertaining Pesach videos, available online at jgift.org/pesach.
Secondary school students across London have packed bedikah chametz and crockery packs; NWLJDS organised a Pesach food collection for GIFT recipients.
In Manchester, GIFT sessions included making Kosher for Pesach soup packs for GIFT recipients with 65 Year 7 students and 50 Whitefield shul attendees. GIFT by Feast volunteers prepared extra fresh Shabbat meals to cover families’ needs until Pesach.
Last month, GIFT collected and sent out 24 tonnes of vital Pesach supplies as well as year-round items to Lviv. The charity was delighted to hear from an extremely grateful Rabbi & Rebbetzin Bald of Lviv, Ukraine, that the lorry had arrived with all the Pesach food just in time for Pesach.
King David Primary School, Manchester, held a Yom Hashoah Assembly, led by Mrs Rayna Glickman, Head of Jewish Studies.PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL King David Primary School Yom Hashoah assembly GIFT’s Pesach collection getting ready for distribution GIFT volunteers collecting chametz before Pesach
Stenecourt Shul members donated chametz to St James Parish Church in one of the poorest areas in Greater Manchester. The Shul regularly makes Pesach food donations to this local Church.PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL Rabbi Benjy Simmonds, Rabbi at Stenecourt Shul with chometz donations
As Israel celebrates its 75 years of Independence it is an appropriate time to reflect on the idea of independence. Yom Haatzmaut commemorates the establishment of the State of Israel but Independence has a broader meaning that applies in particular to the abused, traumatised, hungry and under privileged children and families in Emunah’s care.
Emunah teaches those in our care to take responsibility for their actions. Those in our care are taught that they have the power to control their lives and those choices will affect their future.
Emunah teaches new skills, whether it’s cooking, cleaning or managing finances. These life skills help those in our care to become self-sufficient.
Emunah builds an everlasting support system. While becoming independent means taking charge of your life, it doesn’t mean you are alone. We surround those in our care with encouragement and support. We encourage those in our care to pursue their passions, interests and goals.
Emunah teaches self-reliance, to take initiative and be proactive in finding solutions.
Independence means taking care of
yourself physically and mentally. With our counsellors and therapists teaching those in our care the tools to manage this. Being independent means that you are open to change, adapt to new situations and with the expert guidance and support those in our care step out of their comfort zones and try new things.
Becoming independent is a journey, it’s not always easy. But with the determination of those in our care together with every member of Emunah’s staff, Emunah children and families do achieve their goals and live a more fulfilling life and become contributing members of society. As Israel celebrates Yom Haatzmaut, let it serve as a reminder that independence is a universal value that every person, no matter what their age is entitled to.
For 90 years British Emunah has been there to support, teach, guide, counsel and help every individual flourish.
How can you support what we do? Visit www.emunah.org.uk/donate to make a donation, perhaps run a marathon, participate in our ongoing events or even leave a lasting legacy. For more information please contact info@emunah.org.uk or call 02082036066.
Kisharon is appealing to the community for support this weekend (23rd – 24th April) in a crowdfunding campaign aiming to raise £500,000 towards an annual 2.4million budget to ensure the charity has the ability to fund its essential services for the children and adults they support with learning disabilities and autism. Each donation will help people Kisharon support to thrive and grow.
Kisharon’s vision is to see people with learning disabilities and autistic people live in a world of equal rights and opportunities. The organisation plays an essential and critical role within the Jewish community - from nursery to school and independent living support as well as employment and vocational opportunities.
Kisharon places value on each person they support to maximise their talents and ability. Each individual has personalised programmes which allows them to make their own choices for daily activities. This takes a huge amount of planning to ensure people can thrive and play an active role in society.
Kisharon helps Shammai enhance his ability by his jobs at the home and giftware store Equal and Childs Hill Library. Shammai said: “Kisharon helps me balance my life with work and has helped me by giving me training. With Kisharon I thrive, I grow and learn. I learn to be the best version of myself”.
Kisharon need the community’s support to help overcome a continuing backdrop of
chronic Government under-funding exacerbated by rising costs and concerning levels of inflation and give it the ability to offer additional places at Kisharon Education sites and to plan the design process for a new development on the Finchley Road, that will provide one of the most ambitious supported living and lifelong learning schemes in the country.
Jessica Levy, Kisharon Fundraising Co-Director said: “At Kisharon we empower the people we support and their families, to feel that nothing should seem impossible to achieve. Years ago, living with a complex learning disability and contributing to society was unimaginable. The children and adults we support are at the forefront of everything we do and we want to ensure all our services can continue and go from strength to strength. Funding over the next twelve months is of significant concern to Kisharon – particularly given the recent £250m cut in Social Care funding - following the recent budget. We cannot keep up with fast growing demands of the cost of living and are determined that our essential services for people we support can continue so people with complex learning disabilities can thrive. We hope the community will support us this weekend”.
The crowdfunding campaign - themed on ability - illustrates the value Kisharon places on each individual.
Donate now at charityextra.com/kisharon
The Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Diane Hawkins, visited the Nicky Alliance Community Centre, in her capacity as His Majesty the King’s representative in the county, to unveil a memorial to Her Majesty, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The memorial comprised a Beacon, one of the official celebratory chain of beacons, lit in June last year on behalf of North Manchester’s Jewish Community, to commemorate the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The Nicky-led initiative was supported by Heaton Park and Hillock Synagogues, AJEX, The Focus Foundation, and Maccabi.
David Delew, Chief Executive at The Nicky, explained: “After the successful Platinum Jubilee celebration, we felt it would be a shame to destroy the decorative Beacon. We decided to refurbish it, with its distinctive crown and
ERII motif, and place it in the sensory garden at The Nicky as a lasting memorial to the late Queen, and as a tribute to her 70 years of service to the country.”
In welcoming the Lord Lieutenant, Ronnie Levene, chairman of The Nicky, said: “The Lord Lieutenant’s visit to us today is a true testament to her commitment to building communities and supporting local initiatives. We were thrilled to show her our facilities and the work undertaken here by our wonderful staff and volunteers.”
The new memorial was dedicated by Army chaplain, Rabbi Nir Nadav, and the Prayer for the Royal Family was recited by Rabbi Daniel Walker. The Lord Lieutenant responded to say how delighted she was to have visited The Nicky and expressed a wish to visit again in the near future.
As yeshivas worldwide empty in preparation for bein hazmanim, London fills up with bochurim and avreichim returning home. In search of a makom torah in chutz la’aretz many flooded into the Brampton Beis Medrash (BBM) to continue preparation for peasach In London.Having only started less than four years ago, it was a big z’chus for BBM to be able to fly in the world-renowned Reb Yoel Rabin shlita’ of Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim. Every morning Reb Yoel gave shiur on sugyos in pesachim while developing personal relationships with the bochurim. Reb Yoel was in awe of the makom torah created outside of Eretz yiroel, expressing his admiration for the highly ambitious individuals who pioneered the BBM’s inception, as well as the lomdei torah who attend. Reb Rabin’s shiur wasn’t the only active chabura, with the Rosh Beis Medrash Rabbi Kahlani giving shiur on the Haggadah and Rabbi Eliyahu Hye providing a comprehensive shiur on Hilchos Pesach. BBM was also honoured to have R’Avigdor Brazil Shlit”a give divrei chizuk on inyanei Pesach.
BBM is a thriving new Beis hamedrash in Hendon led by Rabbi Kahlani, who moved back to London four years ago to build this Mokom Torah after having spent 17 years in Yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel. He gives shiur multiple times a day both in iyun and b’kiyus, not to mention his shiurim on mussar and machshava. Among the great shiurim provided during bein hazmanim, many lomdei torah filled the
BBM for personally established chavrusas to enjoy their learning away from yeshiva. In support of these lomdei torah were various mashivim, namely, Reb Shaya Hecht who also learns in the BBM throughout the year. Being a mashiv in the morning and giving a bekiyus shiur in the evenings, Reb Shaya is also among the various individuals who constitute the BBM Rebeim. BBM are delighted to welcome to their Hanholo R’Shua Bitton who joins them this month to further provide high level Shiurim for the North West London Kehilla.
Our Bar and Bat Mitzvah Project ensures that young people, on their special day, can share it with a child Holocaust victim who was denied a future.
Over the past 10 years we have twinned over 1000 children. Complete the on-line Twinning Form and researchers at Yad Vashem will use the information to find a suitable twin.
Celebrants will receive a comprehensive Twinning Pack which contains:
• A Page of Testimony, with details of your chosen twin
• A Study Guide
• A Certificate
• A letter from a Holocaust survivor
• A Yad Vashem pin
• Memorial and Shabbat Candles
• An invitation to become a Guardian of the Memory
46 Albert Road London NW4 2SG
Charity No. 1099659
Phone: 020 8187 9881
Email: office@yadvashem.org.uk
www.yadvashem.org.uk
www.guardianofthememory.org
@yadvashemukfoundation
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For more recipes and inspiration visit my website: www.jewishcookery.com
‘Shakshuka’ means ‘all mixed up’ in Arabic. This versatile egg-based dish is eaten in Israel and throughout the Middle East in many forms. Its recent increase in popularity as a café or restaurant choice is notable – it’s not just a hearty breakfast! Alternative flavour additions include harissa, olives, chickpeas, chilies, aubergine, and feta cheese.
Serve it, with bread or pita to mop up the delicious sauce, in the cooking pan as a perfect sharing dish.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion – peeled and finely sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chilli powder
800g ripe tomatoes – skinned and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
6 eggs
Small bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large lidded frying pan over a medium heat and add the onion. Cook until golden, then add the peppers. Fry until both are soft, then stir in the garlic and spices and cook for another couple of minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and stir in the sugar and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer
for 30 minutes. Taste and season, adding more cayenne and chilli powder if you prefer it spicier.
3. Make 6 spaces in the sauce and break in the eggs. Season them lightly, turn the heat right down as low as possible, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until they’re just set. Sprinkle with coriander and serve.
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Dear Rabbi
With Yom Hashoah upon us once again and all the trauma in the world at present, are there modern-day lessons we can learn to take with us going forward? I would like to share some inspiration over the weekend with a youth movement that I lead. Thank you.
Sabrina
Dear Sabrina
I would like to answer you in two parts. The first is the broader take-away message insofar as the outside world is concerned: A survey by the Claims Conference of 2000 random students highlighted that less than half knew about six million Jews, only that “some Jews died.” Of that same group only a quarter knew the term kindertransport.
Translating that into Antisemitism, a 2016 study of 10,000 students in English secondary schools showed that they had only superficial knowledge about the Holocaust and 68% of pupils did not know what Antisemitism is. So something is getting lost in translation. Key opportunities for students to develop profound understanding are being missed.
The point is that Holocaust Education is paramount as a way of communicating the sacredness of humanity over to the next generation. But to my mind, in order for Holocaust education to effectively combat modern Antisemitism, students need to memorise more than just key facts. They have to be given to grasp how isolated
attacks can lead to systemic violence. Spray-painted swastikas or shouted slurs are warning signs for more horrific behaviour to come. The Holocaust did not begin with death chambers. It began with words.
The message insofar as the Jewish community is concerned is the following: Rabbi Yekutiel Halberstam, also known as the Tsanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, survived the extermination camps, having lost his wife, Chana, and all eleven of their children. During those horrific years, he made a commitment that if he survived he would dedicate his life to saving life.
Miraculously, Rabbi Halberstam survived. Committed to fulfilling his promise, he built the Laniado Hospital in Netanya, Israel, where people of all backgrounds are treated with utmost dignity. He also rebuilt his Chassidic community in America and in Israel and founded neighbourhoods in Jerusalem and Netanya. In 1947, he married his second wife, Chaya Nechama, and together, they were blessed with five daughters and two sons who continue to lead the Tsanz Chassidic community until this very day.
Rabbi Halberstam taught volumes on Divine faith and courage, humility and grace, meaning and purpose, and so much more. These are three key teachings of his:
1. “WHY” CAN’T BE ANSWERED, BUT WE MUST CHOOSE LIFE & REBUILD OUR WORLD: “If I wanted G-d to answer all of my questions about my personal tragedies,
I am sure He would invite me to the heavens and give me answers to all of the questions I have. But I prefer to remain here on earth with my questions, choose life, and rebuild this world with all my might, than die and go up to the heavens to receive the answers.”
2. ENOUGH WITH THE “LABELS”: A LESSON OF UNITY AT AUSCHWITZ: “There is one thing I miss about the Holocaust. When we went on the death march, we were all clean-shaven and our hair was shaved off too. We marched side by side, and no one knew the “label” of the person next to them. No one knew I was a Rebbe and no one knew if this person was “religious” or not. We all just held our arms around each other and tried to keep one another warm.”
3. WHAT MAKES US “CHOSEN”: When the Nazis invaded Klausenberg, Romania they taunted Rabbi Halberstam in front of the town’s Jews, and asked him: “So, tell us Rabbi, do you really believe that you are the Chosen People?” With a serene voice, Rabbi Halberstam answered: “Most certainly.” The officer in charge threw a fit. He lifted his rifle and sent it crashing onto Rabbi Halberstam’s head while yelling: “Do you still think you are the Chosen People?” Once again, the Rebbe nodded his head and said: “Yes, we are.” The officer continued to beat Rabbi Halberstam ferociously while repeating his question: “You stupid Jew, you lie here on the ground, beaten and humiliated, in a puddle of
blood. What makes you think that you are the Chosen People?” With conviction and determination, the Rebbe replied,
“As long as we are not the ones kicking, beating, and murdering innocent people, we are the chosen people.”
Follow Rabbi Schochet at: RabbiSchochet.com Twitter: @RabbiYYS Facebook: facebook.com/Rabbiyys.
Ten wonders were wrought on our forefathers in Egypt and ten at the (Red) Sea. Ten plagues Hashem brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt and ten at the (Red) Sea.
The Rambam and Vilna Gaon explain that the miracles performed on our ancestors’ behalf was that the ten plagues did not affect them (and besides for the plague of Lice it is almost stated explicitly so in the Torah). As for the miracles performed at the sea, the Vilna Gaon cites Avos D’Rebbi Nosson, who lists ten remarkable facts about the waters during K’riat Yam Suf which may not always be noticed by a casual read of the relevant verses. How it dried up, stood like a wall, crumbled, and was turned into rock like substance ALL at the same time as being a source of sweet waters for the Jewish People to partake of.
The theme of ten continues from the ten relating to Avraham Avinu, for the miracles the Jewish people enjoyed upon the Exodus, were, as explained by Rav Prizul (cited in Meorei Ohr) in the merit of Avraham Avinu.
As we prepare to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Jewish independence, we are consumed by a swirl of confusing emotions. We continue to suffer internal strife, as our country is badly split over the future shape of our democracy. In the wake of social unrest both our economy and our international standing have been destabilized. Believing that we are vulnerable, our numerous enemies have become emboldened to attack us. Worst of all, a recent wave of terror has taken dozens of lives. It hasn’t been an easy two months in the land of Israel, and this is certainly not how we envisioned the celebration of a major national milestone. Our 75th day of Independence was meant to be more joyous and less fraught. Life is never as neat as we imagine it to be.
History provides perspective. People of emuna take the long view of Jewish history and are less distressed by momentary lapses or setbacks. Jewish history is a long and protracted course requiring faith and patience. Taking the long view of Jewish history can help us navigate our current crisis and restore some of the luster of Yom Ha’atzmaut.
Throughout Jewish history, the sefirat ha’omer period of our calendar has undergone massive shifts, which themselves reflect the revolutions of Jewish fate. The bittersweet spring segment of our calendar has been repeatedly modified and is still under construction.
Initially, the months between Pesach and Shavuot were a festive period, as we recalled yetziat mitzra’im, and counted down the days to Shavuot and matan Torah. Twice, within a two-month period we pilgrimaged to Yerushalayim for aiyah la’regel and national celebration. The weather was mild, and the national mood was cheerful as we celebrated successful harvests by delivering tasty bikurim fruits to the mikdash. It was a period of national solidarity and historical pride.
Even during our seventy-year exile in Bavel, this period remained jubilant, as the dramatic Purim miracles unfolded during these months. The initial faceoff with Haman occurred during Pesach, while the ensuing Jewish recovery transpired in the weeks leading up to Shavuot. In the first stage of Jewish history this joyous period was punctuated by glorious milestones of Jewish triumph. Sefirat ha’omer counting was a tally of pride and of optimism. Tragically, things would quickly turn sour.
As Jewish exile commenced, these months changed their complexion. In the 2nd century, the Bar Kochba uprising offered a last-ditch effort to restore Jewish sovereignty, after the vicious Roman conquest of Israel. Rabbi Akiva, the supreme Torah scholar of his day, supported this insurrection, believing in its Messianic potential. Suddenly, during the interval between Pesach and Shavuot, 24,000 of his talmidim died from mysterious causes. Perhaps they were killed by a contagious pandemic or, alternatively, they may have been brutally massacred in battle by the Romans. Either way, their jarring deaths signaled that Jewish history was about to shift. The sudden death of these prominent scholars became a dreadful milestone, indicating that the long night of Jewish galus was about to begin.
These two months of spring, which had been designated for celebration, were now scarred by death and darkness. Jewish history was spiraling, and with it, these months became marred with Jewish blood.
For approximately the next 1000 years we were scattered in exile, but enjoyed relatively calm and stable conditions. By and large, we lived in peaceful co-existence with our hosts, first in Persia and,
ultimately, among various Moslem coun tries. We had been dislocated from our homeland and robbed of our sovereignty, but we didn’t face excessive cruelty or persecution. Institutionalized antisemitism had yet to rear its ugly face. Conditions were about to, once again change, as a bloody tragedy would launch a thousand years of hatred and persecution against our people.
In 1096 the first Christian Crusade was launched, aiming to recapture Jerusalem from Moslem occupation. Jewish communities, primarily in Germany and France, were savagely attacked by the rampaging crusaders. Jews were brutally murdered and forcibly baptized. 1096 was merely the opening bell. Over the next three centuries at least four additional Crusades subjected defenseless Jewish communities to further atrocities. Ultimately, various legal decrees were legislated against Jews leading to their eventual expulsion from Western Europe. Jews were expelled from France in 1181, from England in 1290, and most infamously, from the Iberian peninsula in 1492.
The spring-time Crusades of 1096 marked the emergence of institutionalized Christian antisemitism, a historical monstrosity which would hunt us and haunt us for the next millennia, culminating in the gruesome horrors of the Holocaust.
These two spring-time tragedies became grotesque milestones of Jewish exile. The death of Rabbi Akiva’s students announced the start of our long exile, while the Crusades launched 900 years of discrimination, hatred, and bloodshed.
These dual traumas converted a season of joy into two months of grief. The customs of mourning during the sefirat ha’omer are a sad reflection of the ironic and tragic transformation of this period. Thousands of years ago, spring was our happiest season, but the ravages of Jewish exile had smothered our happiness with sorrow and misery.
Jewish history is resurgent and so is its calendar. Over the past century a revitalized Jewish spring would restore the luster of these two months.
In 1948, on the 5th day of Iyar, Ben Gurion declared Jewish Independence and renewed Jewish sovereignty. The proximity of our modern Independence Day to Pesach, our ancient Independence Day, isn’t coincidence. Nothing in Jewish history is. Thousands of years ago, during this month, Jewish soldiers and scholars
perished, but now Israelis were dancing in the tree-lined streets of Israel. History wasn’t finished with this month, and nineteen years later Hashem provided even greater reason to celebrate this month. Hashem created His natural world in six days, and He recreated history in the six days of June 1967. After the six-day war we returned to Jerusalem and to the hinterland of Jewish history, restoring Jewish pride and reaffirming Jewish destiny. These miracles unfolded one week before Shavuot, again, an overlap which isn’t coincidental. A thousand years ago, during this pre-Shavuot week, Jews were being slaughtered in the Rhinelands of Germany, but in 1967, paratroopers were blowing the shofar standing under the Kotel, the last vestige of our mikdash. Joy and celebration had been restored to the Jewish spring after two thousand years of sadness and horror.
As we begin this month of renewed Jewish celebration don’t ignore the long and frustrating odyssey of Jewish history. Our journey hasn’t always comfortable, and these iconic months have been a microcosm of our convoluted journey. We have now returned and, as we renew our destiny we are also revamping our calendar. Short of supernatural divine intervention nothing historical happens immediately. This reconstruction project will take time and we may suffer setbacks. These months continue to be complicated and bittersweet. However, for so many years they were only bitter. Now they are bittersweet and are more sweet than bitter. Taste each flavor of the Jewish spring but maintain proper proportion between the two.
The writer is a rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion/Gush, a hesder yeshiva. He has smicha and a BA in computer science from Yeshiva University as well as a masters degree in English literature from the City University of New York.
Shalom, dear friends. My name is Yechezkel. I’m quite sure that you have heard of me; I’m a Prophet with my very own book in Tanach. But humility is a virtue, and I try not to show off or brag; believe it or not, my name is only mentioned one time in all of the 48 chapters of my book! I do, however, have some very vivid and dramatic prophecies that have become quite world famous.
Among the most spectacular is the merkava, the original Chariot of Fire. I can’t tell you exactly what it means – that’s a secret and, to be honest, even I am not 100% sure! But it’s clearly not like anything you’ve ever seen before, outside of a science fiction movie. And then there is the Valley of the Dry Bones; that’s also pretty downright remarkable, what with all the bodies rising out of their graves, coming back to life and then marching en masse to the Holy Land.
But I want to talk to you about another amazing prophecy that is quite near and
dear to me – and very topical for the here and now. You see, Pesach is behind us and we are now headed towards Shavuot and matan Torah. In classical terms, this is a day-to-day progression from our physical to our spiritual liberation. But between these two crucial events, there is another stop along the journey, and that is Yom HaAtzmaut, which is the subject of yet another of my proclamations, one that is equally, if not more stunning. In my 36th chapter, I speak of the day when a miracle of epic proportions will occur; when the Jewish people will return to Israel from all the far-flung places of their exile. They will re-inhabit the desolate land and rebuild their homes in place of the ruins they find there. And, with the greatest of agricultural skills and
creativity, they will make the land bloom again, so much so that people from all over will say, “This place, once desolate and sparse, is a veritable Garden of Eden! Its cities are amazingly built, teeming with new life!”
I said that so very long ago, but can you believe it’s now coming true right in front of your very own eyes?!
And so I’m reminded of what my teacher and mentor Yirmiyahu said in his 23rd chapter:
“The day will come when we will praise G-d not as the G-d who brought us out of Egypt, but rather as the G-d who returned us to our own Land.”
I am in awe of all the Jews who made this happen! Remember that when G-d took the Israelites out of Egypt, He led
2ND ALIYA (LEVI) – 13:24-39
It was also possible for tzara’at to develop from a burn. Tzara’at could erupt on the scalp or on the beard area, causing a loss of hair.
3RD ALIYA (SHLISHI) – 13:40-54
After childbirth, a lady would wait several weeks before bringing an elevation offering (olah) and a sin offering (chatat). This completed her post-birth purification process. G-d told Moshe and Aharon that someone who had the appearance of a particular type of skin disease (tzara’at) would have to show the white blemish to a Kohen. The Kohen would evaluate and decide if the affliction was clearly tzara’at, thus rendering the person impure (tameh). If the case was unclear, the Kohen would quarantine the person in a house for seven days, after which the Kohen would re-inspect the afflicted area and declare whether the person was tameh or tahor (pure).
A slightly different form of tzara’at is detailed, which caused a more substantial loss of hair. A metzora (one who has been contaminated with tzara’at) was sent outside of the camp and had to tear his/her garments. Tzara’at could also infect clothing. A suspected garment was quarantined before the Kohen made a decision about whether it was tameh. If it was declared tameh, the garment was burnt.
4TH ALIYA (REVI’I) – 13:55-14:20
The Torah details the process through which a metzora purified himself/herself after the period of isolation and the healing of the affliction. This involved a Kohen taking two birds, cedar wood, a crimson thread and hyssop. The Kohen would slaughter one of the birds and – using the wood, thread and hyssop together in a bundle – sprinkle its blood seven times
on the metzora. The metzora would also bring three animal offerings and three meal offerings.
Point to Consider: What is the significance of the cedar wood, crimson thread and hyssop? (see Rashi to 14:4)
5TH ALIYA (CHAMISHI) – 14:21-32
A metzora who could not afford three animal offerings could instead bring one animal offering, one meal offering and two birds.
6TH ALIYA (SHISHI) – 14:33-15:15
Tzara’at also affected houses. The house owner would report the suspicious signs to a Kohen. The house would be evacuated before the Kohen’s arrival. If the Kohen saw a deep green or deep red ‘affliction’, he would order the house to be quarantined for a week. He would then re-inspect the house. If the affliction had spread, the
them in a round-about way, avoiding the Plishtim, because we weren’t ready for war. But the Jews who came out of the Shoah went straight from the death camps to the battlefield! They faced Pharaoh’s very descendants – this time employing tanks rather than chariots – but they didn’t panic; they jumped right into the fight, like Nachshon’s memorable leap of faith into the Red Sea!
The merkava, the Dry Bones, the Splitting of the Sea, the Manna – they all were pretty impressive miracles, to be sure. But the return of Am Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael, Israel’s stunning victories in six wars, the flourishing of Medinat Yisrael – these are truly miracles that outshine them all. And that is why I will be proudly waving my blue and white flag on Yom HaAtzmaut; there’s no greater wonder than a prophecy fulfilled.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss is the director of the Ra’anana Jewish Outreach Center and a member of Mizrachi’s Speakers Bureau (mizrachi.org/speakers).
infected stones would be removed and replaced. If the affliction nevertheless returned, the house would be demolished. However, if replacing the stones solved the problem, the Kohen would declare the house tahor (pure).
The Torah lists specific discharges that would cause a man to be considered tameh, and details the purification procedure.
7TH ALIYA (SHEVI’I) – 15:16-33
A similar set of laws is listed for a lady who has specific discharges, as well as the laws of niddah (menstruation), which form the basis of the laws of family purity.
MAFTIR – (BEMIDBAR 28:9-15)
The reading for Shabbat Rosh Chodesh is taken from parashat Pinchas and details the additional Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh offerings in the Temple.
HAFTARAH
The special haftarah for Shabbat Rosh Chodesh is the last chapter of the Book of Yeshaya (Isaiah). The world is G-d’s “throne and footstool”. Trying to appease G-d with insincere offerings will be punished, yet one who is truly “zealous regarding G-d’s word” will be rewarded. Those who love and are loyal to Jerusalem will enjoy the messianic future, in which they will rejoice in the rebuilt city.
“[The Kohen] shall purify him, and he shall set the live bird free upon the open field” (Vayikra: 14:7)
This place, once desolate and sparse, is a veritable Garden of Eden! Its cities are amazingly built, teeming with new life!”
Picture the scene: a man is sitting in the kitchen eating dinner when his wife walks into the room, her face blank and emotionless. Her husband looks up, observes the situation, and kindly asks, “How was your day?”
In a flat monotone, she replies, “Great.” “Amazing, so glad to hear!” he says enthusiastically, and happily goes back to enjoying his dinner.
While this exact scenario might not have played out in your life, we can all think of numerous situations where people misunderstood us, where there was a complete miscommunication, or where we wished someone could see past the words, past the surface, and feel what we were truly feeling inside. Genuine connection is rare, beautiful, and often elusive.
The Mishkan accompanied the Jewish People throughout their travels in the midbar and was replaced by the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple) once they entered Eretz Yisrael. A central feature of the Mishkan and Beis Hamikdash was the korbanos. These sacrifices were offered daily, in addition to special ones that were offered on Shabbos and holidays, and were the focal point of much of the Jewish People’s religious observance.
The Second Beis Hamikdash was destroyed almost two thousand years ago, marking the end of korbanos and religious life as we knew it. We pray daily for the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash and a restoration of our close relationship with Hashem. Interestingly though, the Midrash explains that in the times of Mashiach, there will no longer be a need for korbanos. (Vayikra Rabbah 9:7. The Midrash does state one exception, namely, that we will still bring the korban Todah. However, it appears problematic to suggset that “all” the other korbanos will be eliminated, as we daven for the restoration of “temidim k’sidram u’mussafim ke’hilchasam.” One solution to this contradiction is that there will be several stages of Mashiach, and this Midrash is referring to one of these stages, likely a later stage. Another explanation is that this Midrash means that there will be no more sin offerings, because people will not sin in the times of Mashiach, as there will no longer be a yetzer hara. See Sukkah 52a.) This leaves us to wonder: Why were korbanos originally so fundamental, and what will have changed that will render them unnecessary?
Many of us living in the modern world struggle to relate to these archaic concepts of the Mikdash and korbanos, thinking of them as ancient and irrelevant. It can be easy to dismiss this segment of the Torah as the esoteric intermission placed between the more exciting parts of the Torah, but perhaps there is more beneath the surface that can be uncovered. Let us delve into the
topics of the Beis Hamikdash and korbanos in order to better understand the depth and beauty of these concepts.
Chazal explain that the Beis Hamikdash functions as the “mouth” of the world. In order to understand this cryptic comparison, we must analyze the nature of the mouth. On the most basic level, the mouth has three functions:
1. First, the mouth is the organ we use to eat and drink, which nourishes our bodies.
2. Second, the mouth is the organ we use in order to speak and communicate with others.
3. The third function, however, is the strangest of all. Across all continents, ethnicities, and cultures, the universal expression of love is kissing. We are all used to this concept, but if you were an alien from outer space visiting planet earth, and you were asked what the ideal form of affection would be, you might suggest rubbing cheeks or something of the sort. Kissing is simply strange, unsanitary, and illogical!
Fundamentally, though, we must ask a more significant question. While the three functions of the mouth seem to be three completely separate activities, the Maharal explains that whenever an organ performs multiple functions, those functions are all deeply related. If this is true, then how are the three functions of the mouth — eating, speaking, and kissing — connected?
The answer is that all three of these functions are mechanisms of connection. Eating, speaking, and kissing all serve to connect two disparate parts together.
What happens when you don’t eat? You become faint. What happens if you continue without food? You will pass out. And if you still don’t eat, your soul will leave your body and you will die. Eating maintains the connection between your soul and your body; it is what keeps you alive.
There is a paradoxical relationship between the body and soul.
• Your soul, which is your “self,” your consciousness, your inner being, is transcendent, spiritual, and infinite. You can’t see, touch, or smell your mind or consciousness. You will never see someone else’s inner world.
• Your body, however, is finite, limited, and physical. Your soul will never die, but your body ages, withers, and will eventually fall apart.
If the soul and body are diametrically opposed, how do they manage to stay connected? One would expect them to repel each other like two opposite sides of a magnet.
This is the deep secret of food. There needs to be something to keep your soul attached to your body, some kind of “glue.” Eating food generates the energy that keeps your neshamah connected to your body. No organism’s soul can remain in its body unless it eats.
This is the depth behind the phrase,
“U’mafli laasos — Who performs wonders,” that we recite in Asher Yatzar (the blessing we recite after using the bathroom). What “wonder” are we referring to? Many commentators (such as the Beis Yosef) suggest that it is the wondrous paradox that our soul, infinitely transcendent, remains connected to our bodies, a physical, finite vessel. We mention this specifically after using the bathroom because we have just filtered out the unneeded parts of what we ate or drank, the very means of forging the connection between body and soul.
We therefore thank Hashem specifically at this juncture in time.
We can now understand an aspect of kashrus, Jewish dietary laws. Eating is an incredibly holy act; it connects your neshamah to your body, the spiritual to the physical. It follows that we must eat foods that are spiritually pure!
This sheds light on the concept of fasting as well, especially on the day of Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, we attempt to be malachim that transcend the physical world. We therefore fast, allowing our soul to somewhat transcend our body, enabling us to experience one day of living in an angelic state.
In order to understand speech, we must first understand the nature of words themselves. Before we speak or even formulate concrete thoughts and words in our head, we begin with abstract thought that transcends words completely. In the process of speaking, you take this abstract thought and concretize it, bringing it down into the world of reality. Speech is the process of encasing your infinite thoughts within limited shells — finite words — that carry the meaning of your inner world and project them outwards for others to experience.
This understanding is fascinatingly expressed in the Hebrew words that are used for the word “word” itself. Davar means a “word,” but it also means a “thing,” because a word is nothing other than limiting your abstract thought into one particular thing. Milah means a word, but it also means to cut, to incise, because a word is cutting down your abstract and limitless thought into something finite and real. Teivah means a word, but it also means a box, because a word is our attempt to squeeze our infinite and transcendent thoughts into a finite box and casing.
We can now understand the nature of speaking. We are separate beings, each living in our own subjective world — our own inner universe. We will never be able to experience life through anyone else’s perspective, only through our own inner consciousness. This results in several difficulties. If I am trapped in my own inner world, how can I connect with other people? How can I know what’s going on inside their heads? How can I share my inner life with them? How can I overcome the infinite barrier between myself and everyone else?
This is the gift of speech. Speech allows us to connect with other people and to overcome the barrier between us. You start with
your inner thoughts and experience. You then take a deep breath and use your throat to project your words outwards. You then use your tongue, teeth, and lips to form the specific words that will encase your thoughts as you give them concrete form. In essence, you then throw your words out into the world around you in the form of vibrations. If another person is nearby, their ears can pick up these vibrations and translate them into sound. Those sounds form words, and those words sentences. If they speak your language, those words will take on meaning as well. They must then keep track of all the different words and sentences, hold on to them, and bring them back from memory as they work to recreate a complete picture of everything you said. Amazingly, this person can now experience your inner world inside their own mind. They now contain a piece of you within themselves. The barrier between your worlds has been diminished.
Of course, the most difficult task for the listener is to get past the words to understand what the speaker truly means to say. Words are only casings; the true content is what was originally in the speaker’s mind before they began speaking. The difficult job of the listener is to use the words that were spoken to get as close as possible to their intended meaning. For example, you yourself may use the word “wonderful” to refer to something very different from the person speaking. You mustn’t project yourself onto the words you hear; you must attempt to negate your ego, empathize, put yourself in their head, and attempt to understand what they actually meant to say.
We can now understand why kissing as well is done specifically with the mouth. The mouth is the organ of connection. Kissing reflects the way two people connect when they wish to show each other affection and love. It is only reasonable that kissing, the expression of connection, should be performed by the mouth, the organ of connection.
To summarize:
• Eating connects the physical body to the angelic soul.
• Speaking connects people’s inner worlds together.
• Kissing connects two physical bodies together, reflecting a deeper, internal form of connection and oneness.
In our next article, we will delve deeper into this fascinating topic and explain how all three of the mouth’s functions apply to the Mishkan and the Beis Ha’Mikdash.
Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is a bestselling author, international speaker, and the CEO of Self-Mastery Academy. His bestselling book, The Journey to Your Ultimate Self, serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Jewish thought. He is also a business, executive, and leadership coach. He received Semicha from Yeshiva University’s RIETS. To enjoy more of Rabbi Reichman’s content, to contact him, or to learn more about his services, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com
We now return to Sefer Vayikra and this week we are in for a double dose on the importance of watching our mouths!
Our Rabbis taught us that in a similar way to the creation of man following that of the creation of animals, the laws surrounding impurity of man also follows that of animals to remind us that we have a superiority over animals, so long as we behave in a manner that befits a human being.
Parshat Tazria opens with the laws surrounding the sacrifice a woman brings after childbirth. We are taught that a boy’s Bris is done on the eighth dayeven if it on Shabbat. Then, the Parsha gets into the detail of the fascinating laws of “Tzaraat” and the person who is afflicted with the disease, called the
“Metzora” (hence the name of the second of this week’s Parshiyot). Tzaraat was a type of growth that started on the house, then if the message is not received, it goes onto one’s clothes, and eventually, onto the body. When one needed to know what action was necessary as a Metzora, they would call the Kohen, and he would advise whether one needed to isolate oneself for a week (eerily echoing some of the instructions we are hearing in our day and some have suggested that we keep the laws of pure speech even stronger in these times so as to bring an end to our troubles).
Once one was a confirmed Metzora they had to warn people to stay away from them, decaring “Tamei! Tamei”. Their clothes also needed to be torn like
a mourner.
When it was time to begin the purification process, the Metzora would bring two birds as a sacrifice (to remind him not to “tweet” all day long) as well as cedar wood and a dyed thread along with a humble plant (to remind him not to be arrogant - humility being the greatest of all Middot as the Ramban taught us in his letter).
The blood of one of the birds is sprinkled on the Metzora 7 times, he is shaven and immerses himself in water - like he is born again and begins a life of watching his tongue anew. He then brings sheep as a sacrifice along with flour and oil, the oil being sprinkled on his large finger (thumb and toe) as well as his ear.
Interestingly, the Rabbis taught that at times, when Tzaraat would befall a person on their house, it was actually for their benefit. For, when the Cannanite nations heard that the Jews were on their way, they hid their gold in the walls of their homes. When a Jew noticed Tzaraat on their walls and eventually were told to demolish their home, they would find all of these valuables. (The process of purification for a home afflicted by Tzaraat also involved the blood of the birds being sprinkled on it.) Isn’t it fascinating that what appears to be a punishment or an inconvenience ends up being a gift? Didn’t a famous writer once write that behind every obstacle lies an opportunity? Well, now they have…
The Israeli Post Office has a special department for letters to G-d.
For all the letters arriving in Jerusalem from around the world addressed to G-d. They are opened and placed into the cracks of the Kotel.
The goal of a word wheel puzzle is to create as many words possible with the letters in the word wheel.
Each word must contain at least three letters. You can only use each letter once and every word must have the letter in the centre of the wheel.
Last week’s words
O
Use the area below to write the words you have found. R C C T E I R N
Here are some words you may have found from last week – you may have found more!
abs bad bar bas boa bod bow
bra bro cab cob dab orb rob
sob back bard bark bars bask bawd
boar boas bock bods bows brad bras
bros brow cabs carb cobs crab dabs
drab orbs robs scab swab backs bards
barks bawds board boars bocks brads broad
Q: Why was the picture sent to prison?
A: It was framed!
Q: What did the hat say to the scarf?
A: You hang around, I will go on ahead!
Q: Why can’t you trust atoms?
A: They makeup everything!
A: Why didn’t the skeleton go to the dance?
A: He had no body to dance with!
brows carob cobra crabs adsorb boards broads
carobs cobras backsword
1. What five letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
2. I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
3. What’s is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?
2. A piano 3. Silence!
Answers 1. Short (short+er)
How can business phone calls be made and received through an app, rather than through a physical phone?
Firstly, It’s important to know that ALL UK landlines are due to be switched off by the year 2025.
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Wherever you walk in Israel today, you see Israeli flags. On cars, from windows, in schools and lining the streets. Yom Ha’atzmaut is not just a day – the lead-up period is full of anticipation and recognition of the enormity of what it means to have a Jewish state.
And yet when teaching about the time between Pesach and Shavuot, known as the Omer, we often frame it as a time of mourning, commemorating the deaths of Rabbi Akiva’s students. I would like to propose that the way we educate about the Omer does not match with the current lived reality of being Jewish today.
Rabbi Akiva’s students died in the 2nd century CE. Yet the Mishna and Talmud, written around then and in the following centuries, do not mention any mourning practices associated with this event. Rav Natrunai Gaon in the 9th century was the
first to connect the death of Rabbi Akiva’s students to an old custom of not holding weddings between Pesach and Shavuot. Medieval sources are the first time we hear about not having haircuts, and the first source prohibiting dancing comes from the 17th century (Magen Avraham). Why do the Omer’s mourning practices become more severe over time, the further away time has passed since Rabbi Akiva’s students died?
The period between Pesach and Shavuot was intended to be one of eagerness, growth and positivity, as the Jewish people went from slavery to receiving the Torah. There is a mitzvah to count each day, itself a sign that this is a joyous and important period of time, and in Temple times, the Omer sacrifice would give thanks for the produce of the Land of Israel. The death of Rabbi Akiva’s students turned the joy to mourning, because it was the time when the Romans finally destroyed any last vestiges of a Jewish state, through the failed Bar Cochba Rebellion and Hadrianic persecutions. Later, in
Bethany Rentall Gesher School
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Ashkenazi Europe, many massacres of Jewish communities in the time of the Crusades and during the Chmielnicki Uprising took place in the months of Iyar and Sivan. A time that was meant to celebrate the journey from persecution to freedom, turned into a time of persecution. So this is our answer: The mourning practices today remember the tragedies felt by Ashkenazi Jews throughout the centuries, which is why the more severe restrictions are all mentioned by Ashkenazi rabbis, and omitted by Sephardi ones, such as Maimonides.
However, this is not the end of the story. In modern times, the establishment of the State of Israel took place on 5th Iyar, in the middle of the Omer. In Israel, this is not just a day of celebration; it defines the entire mood of the country in the weeks leading up to it. Yom Ha’atzmaut is not just a day of happiness marooned in a period of mourning. It is transforming a period of time, originally meant to be joyous, into what it should always have been. More poignantly, it is
the very existence of the State of Israel that ensures the various tragedies that have taken place during the Omer cannot happen again.
Whilst it is appropriate to preserve ancient traditions and remember historical persecutions, it is also crucial that we frame this period accurately. When we educate about the Omer, we can spend the time discussing the incredible opportunities afforded to Judaism and the Jewish people by statehood, rather than emphasising sadness and mourning for tragedies long ago.
Michael Rainsbury is Head of Adult Education at LSJS. Hear him on 27 April in conversation with Major (res.) Keren Hajioff, former advisor to Israel’s Prime Ministers, as they reflect on the remarkable transformations Israel is experiencing as it reaches 75 years. Visit www.lsjs.ac.uk for details.
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For more information on how you can be featured as the Teacher of the Week please contact Helena.miller@lsjs.ac.uk
Name of victim to remember: Elie Fixler
Place of Birth: Paris, France
Date of Birth: 02/09/1938
Place of Death: Auschwitz
Date of Death: 26/04/1945 www.yadvashem.org.uk
The Premier League title race has taken a new twist with Arsenal dropping crucial points in a 2-2 draw against West Ham last Sunday.
The Gunners let a 2-0 lead slip for the second time this month after also drawing 2-2 with Liverpool.
Manchester City are on a scintillating run of form having won their last six league games, the latest a comfortable 3-1 win over relegation-threatened Leicester City last time out.
With City in FA Cup semi-final action this weekend against Championship high flyers Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium, Arsenal must win their Premier clash against rock bottom Southampton tomorrow.
Mikel Arteta’s side will go seven points clear with a victory over Pep Guardiola’s side but City will have two games in hand and welcome Arsenal to the Etihad on April 26th in a match that is already being billed as a title decider. Victory for City will enable them to overall the Gunners who have led the league for a number of months.
City comfortably defeated Arsenal at the Emirates 3-1 in February after going behind with star striker Erland Haaland scoring the final goal.
Haaland is ripping up the record books in his first season with City, his latest brace against the Foxes taking his total to 47 goals in just 40 games this season.
In the race for Champions League spots, Manchester United, who face Brighton also at Wembley, moved back into third
place with a comfortable 2-0 win against lowly Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle United remain fourth after a surprising 3-0 loss at Aston Villa. The Midlanders have been in fine form but the manner of the victory was not anticipated.
Villa are only six points behind fourth place Newcastle but it would take a collapse in form for Unai Emery’s side to make the top four. A Europa League spot though is in reach and with Emery’s record in the competition Villa fans will be excited about the prospects next season.
Villa’s improvement since Emery arrived earlier this season has been impressive.
The Geordie outfit, meantime, host fifth place Tottenham Hotspur, who went down to a shock 3-2 home defeat against Bournemouth. Newcastle are three points clear of Spurs with a game in hand.
Victory for Eddie Howe’s side against Tottenham. who are looking for a new manager, would all but seal Champions League football.
Rumours are rife over England and Tottenham striker Harry Kane’s future next season. A host of clubs have been linked to the world class sharpshooter.
Seventh place Brighton remain in the shake up for European football next season as they have games in hand on opponents.
The relegation battle looks like being between five clubs who have seven games to keep their Premier League status.
Leeds United, thumped by Crystal Palace 5-1 and Liverpool 6-1 in the past week at home, a first for the club, are in deep trouble with Everton, Forest, Leicester and Southampton. Just four points separate the sides. It is a toss up who will be relegated.
Unlock the mysteries of Japan, a land of striking contrasts and ancient traditions. Fromthe bright lights of Tokyo to the tranquil onsen on the edge of a volcanic lake, this journey will immerse you in the essence of Japanese culture.
Shabbat in Kobe - home to Japan's oldest Jewish community.
Don't miss this opportunity to discover the enigmatic beauty of Japan for details
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