CONTINUED FROM

020 8203 2111

mail@theroundtree.com www.theroundtree.com 1 Sentinel Square, Brent Street NW4 2EL

16 DECEMBER 2021/12 TEVET 5782

FREE

020 8203 2111

mail@theroundtree.com www.theroundtree.com 1 Sentinel Square, Brent Street NW4 2EL

CONTACT ROUNDTREE REAL ESTATE TODAY

LETTINGS

INVESTMENTS

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

@TheJewishWeekly 216

JEWISH FAMILIES ON ‘RED ALERT’ AFTER ABDUCTION

BY DAVID SAFFER

CST has warned youngsters in Jewish communities to be aware of their surroundings after a gang abducted a Jewish boy on his way home from school in Stamford Hill last week

Families have expressed their anger and concern after the 10-year-old was released shortly after the incident last Thursday. The youngster suffered no physical injuries but was shaken.

The abduction is the latest in a spate of hate crimes against the Jewish community in recent months.

“This was a shocking incident which could have ended up far worse than it actually did,” Mark Gardner, CST CEO, told The Jewish Weekly. “Members of our community especially our young boys and girls need to be very aware of their surroundings and know what might have happened.”

Stamford Hill Police have

The screen grab shows the boy being carried away.

PHOTO: SHOMRIM

UK ON ISRAEL’S ‘RED’ LIST

SEE PAGE 2

GIFT RAISES OVER £1.1 MILLION

identified four of the suspects and passed details to Hackney Police.

The suspects have reportedly been issued with Anti-Social Behaviour and Community Protection warnings. Their parents have been warned they face eviction by the council if their children commit further attacks.

A local mum of five, who did not wish to be named, told The Jewish Weekly she was scared when her children went out. “It’s terrible, police have to do more,” she said. “Our children are finding it hard

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

SHABBAT: London Manchester Leeds Liverpool Bournemouth Antwerp Birmingham Gateshead SEE PAGE 18

PARASHAT VAYECHI BEGINS ENDS 15:37 16:47 15:34 16:49 15:27 16:49 15:35 16:56 15:44 17:01 16:17 17:34 15:36 16:55 15:20 16:45

We go to Chai for the big

*Care is at the heart of everything we do.

During this uncertain time our experienced team is continuing to provide Chai’s big C of Care through phone and web, bringing much needed support to all those who turn to us.

to sleep and so am I, it’s terrifying.”

Disturbing CCTV footage shows the gang approach the boy, one of the gang picks him up and carries him off across the road. The gang is believed to be associated with the nearby Webb Estate and accused of harassing Jewish residents for years.

The incident was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim to police, they have called for the constabulary to “hold this gang to account for hundreds of racist attacks”.

Metropolitan Police said in a statement officers attended after a report of a group of teenagers approaching a boy as he walked down Osbaldeston Road, N16.

“It was reported that one of the group picked up the boy and carried him to a nearby front garden where they let him go”, a spokesman said, adding, “Officers attended and spoke to the victim’s mother. She did not wish to take any further action, the incident is not being treated as a hate crime.”

Information should be passed to the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123 (Ref: CAD 6066 9/12/21.

UK on Israel’s ‘red’ list

BY SIMCHA ABIR

The United Kingdom will officially join Israel’s ‘red list’ at midnight on Thursday.

UK citiznes cannot visit Israel while Israelis are banned from travelling the UK due to the speed the Omicron variant is spreading.

Travel restrictions also relate to Belgium and Denmark, Sharon Alroy-Preis, Israel’s director of Public Health, told a news conference last Sunday.

Fifty countries, mainly in Africa, are on Israel’s ‘red’ list.

Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, of the Health Ministry, said the spread of Omicron was “very significant” at a press briefing.

The ministry’s Nitzan Horowitz added that additional countries would be added to the ‘red’ list this week. Horovitz called on Israelis not to travel overseas unless it was essential.

“Whoever is planning to travel abroad at this time needs to know that, upon their return, they are likely to go into full quarantine because the country will be declared a red country,” Nachman Ash, Health Ministry director-general noted.

And Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is in quarantine, after being in contact with someone on his historic flight back from the UAE who tested positive, said that his aim was to keep the Israeli economy as open as possible without a lockdown and without reaching hospital limits.

Bennett added that Israel was preparing for fourth vaccinations in the new year. And he was convinced that latest measures would overcome the Omicron variant as it had done the Delta variant.

Johnson announces record Covid cases

Boris Johnson

PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB

BY DAVID SAFFER

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK’s highest number of daily Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic at a Downing Street briefing last night.

With people again working from home and hospitality events being cancelled due to the Omicron variant, news of 78,610 cases eclipsing the previous record of 68,053 last January was sobering for TV audiences.

Commentators are talking of further measures being inevitable and even talk of a lockdown in the New Year.

England’s chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty warned during the briefing that records “will be broken” in the coming weeks and that people should “prioritise what matters” in terms of social mixing.

Johnson commented, “I’m afraid we’re also seeing the inevitable increase in hospitalisations up by 10% nationally, week-onweek, and up by almost a third in London.”

Whitty noted, “I’m afraid we have to be realistic that records will be broken a lot over the next few weeks as the rates continue to go up.” He added, “Don’t mix with people you don’t have to.

“(You) don’t need a medical degree to realise that is a sensible thing to do with an incredibly infectious virus.”

Witty advised taking a Covid-19 test before visiting vulnerable people and to meet in areas of good ventilation or preferably outdoors.

Johnson cautioned people to think carefully about what socialising they did.

The past days has been awash with stories regarding the new variant. Over half a million people booked booster jabs on Monday and long queues formed at vaccination centres.

The surge in cases globally is clear though there are reports that South Africa has experienced “mild disease” amongst patients. However, concern has grown across the world.

The Board of Deputies called on members of the Jewish community earlier this week to book a booster jab if they can.

President Marie van der Zyl said, “It is now clear that the Omicron variant is highly transmissible and all those who can book a jab must do so. To protect lives and to protect our way of life, we all need to get the vaccinations for which we are eligible.”

The Jewish UK community has now lost 955 people to Covid-19.

The Board works with burial boards, regional Jewish communities and the Jewish Small Communities Network for accurate figures regarding COVID-19 deaths.

The Board liaises with seven of the largest denominational burial boards to collate an indicator of deaths where Covid-19 was a factor. Burial boards include The Adath Yisroel Burial Society, Federation of Synagogues Burial Society, Joint Jewish Burial Board, Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi Community together with the United Synagogue Burial Society.

The Board receives reports about large and small Jewish communities across the UK.

Data on how many funerals were carried out by burial societies and communities where COVID-19 appeared on the death certificate of the deceased is from hospitals and the wider community.

When comparing figures, data separate to this indicator may not have similar parameters.

Successive figures are not indicative of a trend.

The Jewish Weekly www.thejewishweekly.com

office@thejewishweekly.com editorial@thejewishweekly.com letters@thejewishweekly.com advertising@thejewishweekly.com London tel. 0203 906 8488

Manchester tel. 0161 804 1321 WHAT’S INSIDE THIS WEEK

04 News 15 Opinion 16 Games 17 Community 21 Feature 24 Cookery 26 Judaism 34 Kids 35 Youth 38 Sport

DISTRIBUTED IN: UNITED KINGDOM: LONDON, MANCHESTER, LEEDS, BOURNEMOUTH, GATESHEAD, BIRMINGHAM, LIVERPOOL BELGIUM: ANTWERP