The Jewish Weekly Issue 262 - December 22nd

Pope to aid return of Israelis held in Gaza

BY DAVID SAFFER

Pope Francis has vowed to help bring back two Israeli civilians held prisoner by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the bodies of two IDF soldiers.

The Pope held an emotional 45 minute meeting with the Goldin, Shaul, Mengistu and El Said families at the Vatican yesterday.

The bodies of Lt. Hadar Goldin and Lt. Oron Shaul, and Israelis Avera Mengistu and Hisham alSayed, have been held captive by the terror group for a number of years.

The Pope addressed each of the four families expressing “deep solidarity with them”, a statement by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who initiated the meeting with the Ministry of Defence, noted.

“The Pope promised to work with governments and key religious leaders, seeking their return,” the statement added.

The families, accompanied by Israel’s emissary to the Vatican, Rafi Mert, as well as head of the Diaspora and Aid Division at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Shuli Davidovitch, asked for assistance from the Pope and Catholic Church.

The visit is the latest ongoing effort to raise international

awareness of soldiers and civilians held by Hamas.

Family members are expected to meet with the Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Salvini, European Parliament Vice President, Pina Picierno, Italian Parliament President, Lorenzo Fontana, and communal leaders of

the Jewish community of Rome.

Last night family members participated in a Chanukah candle lighting event at the home of Israeli Ambassador to Italy, Alon Bar with Chief of Staff of the Italian Army, Admiral Giuseppe Cabo Dragona and IDF attache, Col. Liad Zek.

BY DAVID SAFFER

King Charles III visited the Community Security Trust headquarters in north London last Friday.

CST’s Chairman Gerald Ronson and Deputy Chairman Sir Lloyd Dorfman welcomed The King who met many of the charity’s volunteers, staff and trustees.

During a packed visit The King viewed a self-defence training session, visited CST’s 24/7 security control centre and was briefed on CST's many activities including support for victims of antisemitism, expert online investigative research against terrorism and sharing of security advice with faith and minority communities.

Mark Gardener, CST chief executive said that The King was engaging and enjoyed meeting everyone.

“The visit meant a lot to our volunteers, staff and trustees,” he noted. “We thank The King for demonstrating his support for our work and the wider Jewish community.”

Ronson said the visit was a tribute to everything CST does in protection of Jewish communities. Dorfman added that it was a privilege to explain CST’s work to protect British Jews.

Gardener is at the centre of operations at CST and tasks faced to protect Jewish communities.

Far-right terrorism is a growing threat that is being monitored and communities should be vigilant.

“People are not aware of the amount of far-right terrorism, incitement to terrorism and actual people looking as if they might carry out a terrorist attack,” he told The Jewish Weekly. “The situation in Britain is not as bad as in America, perhaps Europe is worse, but there is more than people realise and we have to take it very seriously. People may have a stereotypical image of what terrorism looks like but the danger of neo-Nazis as well as the continuing threat of Islamist terrorism is very real.”

When it comes to street antisemitism CST is recording over 100 incidents a month.

“This is the situation we have unfortunately been in for a few years and it shows no signs of changing,” noted Gardener. “When something flares up, such as in the Middle East, then immediately we get propelled with incidents. It’s a very difficult situation. Most of the time most of us get on with our daily lives but at times like this it becomes much harder to do so.”

As for online antisemitism, Gardener offered a stark viewpoint.

“The amount of antisemitism on social media and Internet is best classified as nearly infinite,” he said. “The amount we find is only restricted by how long you spend looking for it. It’s like giving you a window into people’s souls. The number of people on social media expressing antisemitism is so high it’s almost impossible to measure.”

Gardener added: “Again, when there is a flash point such as in the Middle East, you see trends, phrases and certain activities. It becomes harder for Jews to avoid. There is so much material on social media, internet, websites and channels that exist primarily to spread hard. It’s a really serious issue.

“The Online Harms Bill is going through Parliament and cannot come soon enough. I’m glad we have got something on the statute book. We have broken the paradigm, we’ve got legislation against it, it’s very

important and we will build on it.”

Should Jewish communities be worried about everyday antisemitism on the streets?

“It’s not for CST to tell individual Jews or Jewish communities how to react to verbal abuse or physical abuse. No two people will react the same way. Some people shrug it off, other people will be emotionally scarred for a long time. Our job at CST is to facilitate Jewish life. We want people to lead their Jewish lives as they see fit.

“Antisemitism is not going to magically disappear. The Holocaust did not magically burn out antisemitism. It may have made it publicly unacceptable for a while but it has not burnt out. The existence of the State of Israel also did not magically make antisemitism disappear. It’s been there well over 2,000 years. It’s going to persist. We recognise the same themes again and again even if the modes of expression and detail of expression change over times. We know antisemitism for what it is and it won’t magically disappear.”

Has far-right hatred changed since the violent scenes of the 1970s and 1980s?

Gardener commented: “At the moment we don’t have a situation like we did in the 70s and 80s when there were thousands of National Front or British National Party members marching down the streets. It’s not what far-right activism looks like

anymore. By and large when we discuss the threat from the far-right these days we mean individuals, overwhelmingly male, sat in their bedrooms watching footage of terrorist attacks from people before them inciting each other to do something. They may be individuals but it’s a global network.”

What message does CST have for Jewish communities?

“We need people to support our security efforts,” said Gardener. “We need people to report antisemitism and report suspicious activity. And when people go to a shul, schools or Jewish shops give a thought to G-d forbid if something was to happen how would they get out of the situation. How would they shut down a premises and alert other people? Have in your minds the way Israelis have an awareness of what terrorism means. It doesn’t stop them doing anything, but it’s there and if something happens you know how to react.”

CST offers training for fully fledged security volunteers and people who work at communal locations. They are aware of the continued importance to spread security learning across communities.

Gardener said: “It’s about community awareness, in the same way Israelis know there is a threat, unfortunately Jews need to think about what they would do if they found themselves in that situation.”

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Israel a ‘modern miracle’ Tzipi tells MPs

BY DAVID SAFFER

Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely told parliamentarians that Israel is a “modern miracle” at a Board of Deputies Chanukah reception at the Houses of Parliament on Monday night.

MPs across the political spectrum were among 100 people, including representatives from the Jewish community, to celebrate the festival at the event hosted by Baroness Merron.

Hotovely said that Chanukah was a special holiday for Jews around the world. In Israel, 72 percent celebrate the festival every night.

The State of Israel is a “modern miracle”,” she noted. Praising the impact of the Abraham Accords, Hotovely noted that bilateral relations were flourishing. “We are working on a new trade deal, we cooperate on health and so many things on a daily basis,” she said.

Minister of State for Immigration Robert Jenrick paid tribute to the Jewish community.

“In every walk of life, in every field of endeavour, our nation could have no more

generous citizens and no more faithful friends than the Jewish community,” he said.

Jenrick noted that Benjamin Disraeli was the first “minority” Prime Minister, not PM Rishi Sunak as some commentators had pointed out. “Disraeli was proud to be Jewish,” he said.

Jenrick pledged that the Government would press ahead with legislation on online hate and to prohibit boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel.

“British Jews continue to face challenges,” he said. “The continued presence of the cancer of antisemitism is something that we as a government and cross party are absolutely determined to root out online through the new online safety bill.”

Jenrick added: “We've made the first steps this year as a Government and are committed to bring forward a broader bill next year, to make sure that that BDS is consigned to history in this country.”

Labour Party Chair Anneliese Dodds said the most ethnically diverse group of MPs

in the history of parliament strengthened democracy.

“Like Chanukah, this parliament is a celebration of difference,” noted Dodds. “Different ideas, backgrounds and faiths. That difference is a strength and diversity is a virtue.”

Dodds praised the Jewish community and Board for countering antisemitism.

She said: “We've seen the strong, powerful response of the Board of Deputies to appallingly intolerant and hateful behaviour, and we must all do more, especially at a time when, disturbingly, much of that behaviour seems to be increasing and emboldened, including online.”

Dodds added: “We have to stand up for the marginalised and ensure those in a minority have a voice. The story of Chanukah teaches us why this is so important.”

Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl welcomed political and diplomatic representatives alongside interfaith partners and Jewish community colleagues.

The Board’s leader overviewed a “significant” year that included a Chanukah attack on young Jewish people in London’s Oxford Street 12 months ago. “Ofcom validated the concerns the Jewish community raised following the BBC’s reporting of the incident,” she said.

“We continue with our work educating, representing and advocating interest for the

entire Jewish community. There are many difficult issues to overcome particularly the cost of living crisis which is affecting so many people around the country and across the world. We look forward to working to build even stronger relationships and to tackle these difficult times together.”

Rabbi Lawrence lit the Chanukah candles and led the singing of Maoz Tzur on a menorah loaned by House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Liberal Democrats Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper, Dame Margaret Hodge, Baroness Merron and BoD CEO Michael Wegier also spoke.

Israel Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely

Marie van der Zyl and Foreign Minister James Cleverly

Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence lighting the Chanukiah

Labour Party Chair Anneliese Dodds

PHOTO: GARY PERLMUTTER

PHOTO: GARY PERLMUTTER

PHOTO: GARY PERLMUTTER

PHOTO: GARY PERLMUTTER

Meet the President of Israel, The British Ambassador to Israel at his residence and the Mayor of Haifa Visit incredible start-ups and meet the people behind them Briefings by top speakers and journalists Meet the former head of Mossad and a former Mossad agent

Dialogue in the dark, an immersive experience by blind guides and then visit a start-up which helps blind people navigate their world Join us for lunch at the King David Hotel and a wine tasting in Herzliya Visit the Temple Mount and recently opened museums

Bibi announces coalition

BY DAVID SAFFER

Prime Minister elect Benjamin Netanyahu has officially informed President Issac Herzog he has a working coalition.

Likud’s leader completed negotiations with political partners shortly before the midnight deadline last night and will extend his record tenure as Israel’s PM.

Netanyahu will formally inform Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin before the Knesset sits on Monday. The swearing in ceremony for the 37th Knesset must then occur within a week.

Netanyahu’s government includes rightwing parties Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit who ran with Noam. The faction won 64 seats in the 120-seat Knesset at the recent election.

“Thanks to the enormous public support we received in the last elections, I am informing you that I have been able to establish a government that will act in the interest of all the citizens of Israel,” Netanyahu told Herzog.

Recent days had seen legislation debated that will impact posts in the Knesset.

Incoming National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir wanted increased powers over police operations, amended legislation will allow Shas leader Aryeh Deri to serve as a government minister despite tax

convictions and will also benefit Religious Zionist leader Bezalel Smotrich’s post.

A fourth anti-defection bill making it tougher for MKs to leave an existing faction passed on Monday. MKs must have support of a third of Party members. This offers Netanyahu protection as Likud are the largest faction with 32 seats.

Outgoing PM Yair Lapid slammed the vote. He said: “Politics functions like a wheel. One second you’re up in the coa lition and before you know it you’re down with the opposition.” Lapid added: You tell the citizens of Israel ‘bite me’, and then the elections come along, and then they’ll be saying the same thing to you.”

Netanyahu’s protracted discussions with coalition partners has been heavily criti cised by political opponents and members of his own Likud Party concerned over giv ing up too many concessions.

It was reported that controversial propos als including a military draft bill, judicial reform and ‘override clause’ will not be ne gotiated until after a government is formed.

Netanyahu hopes to have legislative mat ters completed next week then will finalise posts.

Netanyahu has to decide a Foreign Minister. The post is expected to be be tween former Israeli Ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer and former ministers Amir Ohana and Israel

Katz.

Netanyahu has vowed to balance religious and secular interests in his coalition government.

The Biden administration have stated they will wait to see government policies before

commenting on Netanyahu’s coalition.

Netanyahu, meantime, has blasted an op-ed in the New York Times last Saturday titled ‘The Ideal of Democracy in a Jewish State is in Jeopardy’ criticising his proposed coalition.

Citing ‘ultra-religious and ultra-nationalist’ parties in a proposed coalition, the oped editorial reportedly noted: ‘Netanyahu’s government poses a significant threat to the future of Israel’.

Netanyahu tweeted: “After burying the Holocaust for years on its back pages and demonising Israel for decades on its front pages, the New York Times now shamefully calls for undermining Israel’s elected incoming government.” He added: “While the NYT continues to delegitimise the one true democracy in the Middle East and America’s best ally in the region, I will continue to ignore its ill-founded advice and instead focus on building a stronger and more prosperous country, strengthening ties with America, expanding peace with our neighbours, and securing the future of the one and only Jewish state.”

Netanyahu faces proceedings for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denies all allegations.

Gantz addresses Jewish media NJA Inaugural Chanukah Tea Party at the House of Lords

BY HARRY SIMONS

Defence Minister Benny Gantz addressed the Jewish Media Summit in Jerusalem on Monday.

Speaking at the opening gala night and Chanukah lighting ceremony Gantz commented on Israel's ties to the diaspora, recent elections and Iran.

“The ties that were forged between us over 3,000 years ago are stronger than any single leader, government or event,” he told over 100 journalists.” It is the responsibility of both the government of Israel and Jewish leaders around the world to recognise and integrate all the streams of Judaism. Only united, can we ensure our continuity and our resilience in Israel and around world.”

Gantz added: “I respect the democratic process and the results of this process in Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East region. Our partners and friends, however entitled to their opinions, should not interfere in Israel’s internal politics.”

Regarding Iran, Minister Gantz said: “Iran is first a global and regional threat, and then it is a threat to the State of Israel. I believe this order to be true because Iran harms its own people, including violent attacks against innocent women protesting

peacefully, it is a threat to the stability of the region, and to global peace and order as we know it. Just as NATO has rallied around Ukraine, we must push our international partners to face the biggest global tyrant, before it gains the power of deterrence, a nuclear umbrella.”

He added: “The timing is critical, now that Iran faces internal social and economic difficulties, when Iran faces pushback for its role in providing weapons to attack Ukraine, when it hasn’t yet reached the point of no return in its nuclear progress. We must deepen military, intelligence and diplomatic cooperation with partners, we must involve Jewish organisations, and increase dialogue around this challenge. The nuclear threat cannot fall from the global agenda. The time has come to place serious pressure on the Iranians in order to achieve a new and improved agreement. And if this should fail, the time has come for a combination of power projection and powerful reaction to Iranian aggression. Our action must be pre-emptive. Before it’s too late.”

Jewish media platforms from around the world attended the summit hosted by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, Government Press Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

NJA’s Steven Winston, Gary Mond and Keith Rowe

The National Jewish Assembly welcomed 90 people to its inaugural Chanukah Tea Party.

MPs, NJA members and supporters from the wider community attended.

The celebration was hosted at the House of Lords by Baroness Deech of Cumnor who congratulated the assembly in her opening remarks.

She said: “Look at the number of people here this afternoon, it’s only been going for seven months and has quite a few achievements. It’s opened up the debate.”

Baroness Deech noted NJA’s Holocaust Memorial debate aside from meetings with politicians including former UK Ambassador Mark Regev.

She added: “Speaking to people I see there might be a demand for the NJA to have a debate about the BBC and its coverage of Israel.”

NJA chairman Gary Mond said: "The NJA has some 270 paying members. We are confident that our membership, and consequently our political influence, will grow substantially in 2023."

Benny Gantz

Prime Minister elect Benjamin Netanyahu

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Eruv plans for UK’s oldest synagogue

BY ADAM MOSES

Bevis Marks Synagogue has taken steps to establishing an eruv in the City of London.

Three planning applications have been submitted to City of London, Islington and Hackney Councils for London’s first ever eruv in Central London.

The eruv will cover parts of Southwark and Tower Hamlets including areas along the Thames.

The move comes after several years of detailed exploration and expert consultation.

The intended eruv route will utilise pre-existing structures with minimal intervention, relying on pre-existing walls and lamp posts.

The proposed eruv is being established under the auspices of the Sephardi Beth Din of the S&P Sephardi community. The historic shul’s eruv would be a first in its 350-year history.

Planning proposals come as Bevis Marks anticipates completion of its National Lottery Heritage Fund supported visitor centre under the patronage of King Charles III in 2023.

Together with new facilities for catered Shabbat meals, the synagogue is poised to become a go to Shabbat destination for Jewish visitors to London.

Shalom Morris, Bevis Marks Rabbi, added: “After what’s been several trying years, of Covid-19, threats from neighbouring developments and our restoration project the year ahead is poised, please G-d, to be

one of achievement, hope, and growth.

“With this eruv Bevis Marks is taking an important step to help Central London with its economic recovery, while also ensuring its own vitality with a project that will serve

the Jewish community, both those living locally and those from further afield.”

Joseph Dweck, S&P senior rabbi, added: “Establishing an eruv in the City greatly broadens the possibilities for observant Jews to enjoy the rich experience of Bevis Marks and the City of London over a Shabbat. It signals a warm welcome for singles and young families to live in the area. It is a wonderful development.”

Frank Martin, Eruv chair, said: “We will help make the area around the synagogue more hospitable for those wishing to come to the area to live, visit, study or benefit from its high quality medical care. We sincerely hope that planning departments look favourably at these relatively minor applications and approve them without any undue delay.

“We ask members of the public to visit the planning portals to register their support.”

Known as the “cathedral synagogue” of British Jewry, Bevis Marks was built when Jews were allowed into England in 1656. It is the oldest synagogue in Europe in continuous use.

Initially for local residents, today it is a centre of worship for people from all over the world.

Built in 1701 in the Ward of Aldgate after the Jews banished from England by Edward 1 in 1290 were allowed back by Oliver Cromwell, the synagogue has survived the Blitz in World War Two and two IRA bomb attacks in the 1990s.

Dr. Einat Wilf antizionism talk

StandWithUs UK hosted Dr. Einat Wilf at South Hampstead Synagogue.

A menorah lighting ceremony honoured students across the UK. Einat, who lit the second candle, spoke about antizionism.

“Now you're seeing students take up Zionism, Club Z, Zioness, New Zionist Congress, not because we need an Israel, we have an Israel,” she said. “They understand that Zionism has become a short way of saying, ‘I’m a confident Jew, you can't bully me’. Go away.”

Following Einat’s talk, British media presenter Jonny Gould chaired a Q&A with Einat with topics covering current affairs and Israel’s election.

Guests could buy signed copies of Einat's acclaimed book ‘Telling Our Story’.

StandWithUs UK is a non-partisan educational charity that challenges misinformation and fights antisemitism.

Dr. Einat Wilf

Bevis Marks Synagogue PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

PHOTO: STAND WITH US

Tova,

Nazi ‘Secretary of Evil’ guilty of complicity

BY ADAM MOSES

Nazi concentration camp secretary Irmgard Furchner, 97, has been found guilty of complicity to the murders of over 10,500 people at a court in Itzehoe, northern Germany.

Historians believe 60,000 people were murdered at Stutthof in Danzig, now Gdansk in Poland.

Furchner, dubbed the “Secretary of Evil” by media at the trial, was sentenced under juvenile law as she was 18 years old. She is the first woman to be prosecuted for Nazi-era crimes in decades.

Furchner worked as a typist under SS commandant Paul-Werner Hoppe from June 1943 to April 1945.

Judge Dominik Gross handed her a twoyear suspended jail term stating it was “beyond imagination” she could not have noticed the “stench of mass killing”.

Public prosecutor Maxi Wantzen described the trial as one of “outstanding historical importance”. This could be the last trial for Nazi war crimes to take place in Germany.

Wantzen added: “In German law, there's

a rule that there's no statute of limitation for murder.”

“I’m sorry for everything that happened and I regret that I was in Stutthof at the time. That’s all I can say,” Furchner said on the last day of the trial.

Furchner denied knowledge of the Stutthof war crimes. But the court was given testimony in 1954 by her husband, SS officer Heinz Furchstam, stating she was aware people were gassed. “The staff at the commandant's HQ talked about it,” he said.

Historian Stefan Hordler accompanied two judges to the death camp. It was clear Furchner could view camp conditions from the typist office. Hordler described

it as the “nerve centre” of operations.

Hordler told the trial 27 transports took 48,000 people to Stutthof between June and October 1944.

Camp survivor Manfred Goldberg, told reporters it was a “symbolic sentence”. He reportedly said: “It is my belief that it would have been impossible for Furchner not to have known what was going on there, as she claims.

her function as a stenographer and typist in the camp commandant’s office.”

Police arrested Furchner after she failed to appear at a trial in September 2021 having fled a nursing home in Quickborn to Hamburg.

Historians note that Stutthof was a civilian internment camp under Danzig police then a ‘labor’ camp under German Security Police before a death camp in January 1942. The camp was enlarged over the next year. It is believed 100,000 people were deported to Stutthof.

Prisoners died of typhus, in gas chambers and by lethal injections.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Everything was documented and progress reports, including how much human hair had been harvested, sent to her office.”

Goldberg said the should “reflect the severity of the crimes”.

Karen Pollock, Holocaust Educational Trust, reportedly said that the passage of time was no barrier to justice.

“Testimony shared by survivors during this trial has been harrowing and their bravery in reliving such horrific memories must be commended,” she said.

Furchner was alleged to have “aided and abetted those in charge of the camp in the systematic killing of those imprisoned there between June 1943 and April 1945 in

As Allied armies closed in on Nazi concentration camps prisoners were forced on ‘death marches’

The evacuation of Stutthof, mostly Jews, took place January 25, 1945. Over 25,000 died.

Soviet forces liberated around 100 prisoners Stutthof on May 9, 1945.

Stutthof commandant Hoppe was captured by the British Army in April 1946 in Holstein. He was sent to Camp 165 in Scotland until January 1948 then was sent to an internment camp awaiting extradition to Poland but he escaped to Switzerland. He was arrested by West German authorities in 1953 in Witten. Convicted as an accessory to murder in 1955, Hoppe was sentenced to nine years and released in 1966. He died in 1974.

Stutthof concentration camp

PHOTO:

party

Adults across Norwood’s services and dedicated support workers enjoyed a Chanukah party for the first time together since the pandemic on Tuesday night.

Partygoers enjoyed candle lighting and blessings led by Norwood’s Jewish cultural advisor Dov Richman and Rabbi Stanley Coten. Entertainment included dancing.

Norwood’s Liz Jessel said: “Celebrating festivals in this way is integral to achieving true inclusion in the community. It’s a much-loved fixture in the Norwood calendar.”

Enabling independent living.

The Association of Jewish Refugees begins 2023 with the launch of The Hyphen.

AJR’S online event for the 18 to 40 age group takes place on Tuesday, 10 January.

Participants will hear about new activities and from stand-up comedian Philip Simon, a grandson of a Jewish refugee.

The group is targeted at descendants of Holocaust survivors and refugees. The offer includes social, cultural, and educational activities.

The Hyphen manager Debra Barnes was inspired by American 3G groups at the World Federation of Holocaust Survivors and Descendants in St Louis who enjoyed success engaging with young professionals and families.

AJR CEO, Michael Newman, said: “The Hyphen was originally established in 1949 as a way of linking the German-speaking and British identities of the then younger AJR members, our re-imagining reflects the links to the generations.”

Two surviving members of the original

group were surprised to re-purpose the name but back it.

Debra said: “Barbara met her husband through the group and Marion, 98, told me of their rambles when they would end up in the pub! When I explained that The Hyphen of 2023 will offer members the opportunity to meet others from similar backgrounds and celebrate our heritage and culture while making new friends and honouring the memory of our ancestors, they gave their blessing.”

AJR anticipates a high level of interest in The Hyphen.

Next Generations committee chair, Danny Kalman, said: “To apply the analogy of the reign of King Charles to the role of those ready to carry the torch of the Holocaust survivors, we acknowledge that the tenure of the 2Gs will be relatively short as the grandchildren are ready to take over.”

Registration: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ online-launch-of-the-hyphen-tickets-483711573337

Norwood Chanukah

World record menorah in Big Apple

BY DAVID SAFFER

The world’s record breaking menorah in New York City is brightening up the Big Apple again for Chanukah.

Mayor Eric Adams addressed a packed crowd on the first night followed by Israel’s United Nations Ambassador Gilad Erdan who recited the blessings and lit the first candle. They were hosted by Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman, director of Lubavitch Youth Organisation and joined by property developer Rotem Rosen.

The menorah is on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street at Grand Army Plaza near Central Park outside of the Plaza Hotel.

Nightly lightings will take place at the towering 36-foot menorah, ratified by the Guinness World Records, with live music with Chassidic dancing.

Following a recent surge of antisemitic incidents in the city organisers are hopeful New Yorkers will embrace Chanukah’s message of light and hope and ensure hate never prevails.

“Chanukah is a holiday that celebrates the Jewish people’s remarkable deliverance from those who wished them harm,” said Rabbi Butman. “When faced with darkness, this menorah serves as a symbol of the city's dedication to persevering and celebrating all its citizens. This year, we’re shining that great symbol ever so bright.”

This year’s festivities include a ‘Full Light

on Chanukah’s Last Night’ on Sunday.

“Our celebration will be even bigger and more comprehensive than we’ve done before,” noted Butman. “We are excited to be celebrating Chanukah and show the world even a little light can overcome much darkness.”

Celebrations carry added significance as Jewish communities worldwide marked Hakhel this year.

A central theme of the festival is to publicise the Chanukah miracle. The festival has become a mainstay of Jewish cultural and religious life in New York City and around the world.

Chabad-Lubavitch this year will set up some 15,000 large public menorahs in over 100 countries including Trafalgar Square. the White House in Washington and Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Chabad have also distributed 700,000 menorah kits along with 2.5 million Chanukah holiday guides in 17 languages to homes, schools and businesses globally.

And some 5,000 menorah-topped cars will be driven around cities, towns and rural areas.

Chabad’s online presence is continually growing with a vast amount of material. Over 10 million visitors are expected to view

a plethora of guides.

New York City Mayors Ed Koch, Rudolph Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio, US Senator Charles Schumer and governors Mario Cuomo, George Pataki and David Paterson are among dignitaries to light the menorah at the landmark site.

The menorah was designed in 1986 by Israeli artist Yaacov Agam and inspired by a hand drawing by Maimonides of the original menorah in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem.

The annual New York City tradition is part of a worldwide campaign to promote

observance of Chanukah, an initiative launched in 1973 by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.

“There is a pre-eminence in the mitzvot connected with lighting candles, in that the effect of the action, the appearance of light, is immediately visible,” the Rebbe explained in a famous 1973 letter.

“The mitzvah of kindling the Chanukah light is unique in that it is required to be displayed to the outside. Thus, every by-passer, including non-Jews, immediately notices the effect of the light, which illuminates the outside and the environment.”

Twelve months after his letter, the first public menorah was seen outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia. A 25-foot menorah was set up in Union Square, San Franciso in 1975. A menorah lighting has taken place at Grand Army Plaza since 1977.

Almost 50 years on from the Rebbe’s Chanukah wishes Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries are continuing his call to light up the world. The Rebbe concluded in his famed letter, “May G d grant that everyone of us be truly inspired by the teachings of Chanukah and of the Chanukah Lights, and translate this inspiration into actual deeds, in our everyday life and conduct.”

Chabad's record breaking 36-foot menorah in New York City

PHOTO: CHABAD

OPINION

OPINION PIECE

BY ANDREW M ROSEMARINE, MOROCCO

Morocco's sensational success in coming 4th at the World Cup has been welcomed worldwide by Jews, Africans, Arabs, Muslims, and Third World citizens, rich and poor alike. Why? With what consequences?

Movie mogul Sam Goldwyn used to say "I want a story that begins with an earthquake, and moves its way up to a climax." That is Morocco's story. Come here today, and that's what you'll see!

For a Moroccan earthquake has shaken up World Soccer. Morocco is the 1st ever Muslim and Arab State, and the 1st ever African Country, to reach the Semi-Finals of the World Cup. In this, the first ever World Cup staged in a Middle Eastern State, Qatar, at enormous cost in stadium-builders lives and petrodollars, Jews, Muslims, Arabs and Africans, have rightly seen Morocco as their Heroes. They have exultantly cheered them on. Even Algerians, often Morocco's rivals, have been praising them volubly This Moroccan success is of major significance in the non-soccer world too, because it has boosted Moroccan Jewish pride worldwide, and Muslim and Arab pride among the masses. This also gives Morocco extra clout

internationally. Just how high will Morocco rise?

Morocco deserves its success. Not just because its plucky players have killed football giants and former empires, in the form of Spain, Portugal and Belgium. But because Morocco has pushed pluralism forwards in its international relations, led regional progress in human rights and green energy, and successfully reached out to West and East, Progressives and Reactionaries, Democracies and Despots.

Like a good genie, Morocco appears in many different forms. To Israel, Morocco is a shining example of relations with an Arab State at their best ever. The two countries have developed a deep and cordial co-operation in all fields at a breath-taking speed. To Americans, she is moderate and peaceful, the first country to recognize the USA, and a strategic ally today, a bulwark against extremism. To the Chinese, she is an ambitious economy and trading partner, offering new markets in Africa. To Russia, she is a source of agricultural products and fish, careful not to condemn Russia at the UN. To Britain, she is a centuries old ally, with shared Monarchies, aspirations to increase its English language facilities, and a much valued agricultural and energy partner, following Brexit. To France, she is a former colony, still largely francophone, a captive market. In short, under her popular king, Mohamed VI, and

her sophisticated career-diplomat Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, she is versatile and protean.

These diplomatic gifts also enabled her to win US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara, benefit from booming ties with Israel, while retaining cordial relations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. This was a major coup to bring about in the first place, and a difficult act to sustain. But Morocco's diplomatic wizardry manages to keep all three sides on good terms.

Morocco's gifts include soft powers. Her sun, sea, colourful folklore and cuisine, make her a popular tourist haven. Her success on the soccer field is now bringing her unprecedented popularity throughout Africa and the Third World, whose favourite sport is Soccer.

Governmental and private sectors have seen immediate benefits from all this international close cooperation. Many poor Moroccans however often feel detached from the economic growth and disenfranchised.

in our Western democracies too.)

The great opportunity that all of this popularity gives Morocco is progress in solving her major domestic and foreign problem: many States' unwillingness to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara. The US has led the way among Western Democracies, and can play a leading role in nudging her leading allies in the same direction, including my own country Britain, Germany, Italy and Canada.

Morocco's enemy, the Marxist Polisario Front, is at a low, because of corruption and failing to help most Sahraouis in any concrete form. Its chief funder and armer, the current Algerian government, will be replaced by other administrations, with different priorities. One of them, will realize the terrible waste of Algerian ressources spent on the Polisario's ever-decreasing influence on Morocco-controlled land, and abandon the Polisario. For me, the writing is on the wall. History is moving with Morocco.

The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper

Promoting gifts in wills to our charity partners

New Sefer Torah given by Mr Anthony Geller to Ohel Sholom

Ohel Sholom shul, Manchester held a Hachnosas Sefer Torah on the first night of Chanukah. The Sefer Torah, commissioned by Mr and Mrs Elchonon (Anthony) and Leah Geller in memory of their grandparents, was written by Reb Yehuda Weisz.

On Motzaei Shabbos, numerous Rabbonim and dignitaries attended the Geller home on Cavendish Road, Salford, to inscribe some of the final letters. On Sunday morning, the Sefer Torah was taken to the Yesoiday HaTorah School where the Rebbeim of some of the older classes were honoured with inscribing some further letters. The joyous procession which began at Cavendish Road, was accompanied by hundreds of enthusiastic Kehilla members to the shul’s new premises on Broom

Lane where lively Rekidos were held and hundreds of pekelech distributed to the children of the community.

Founded only four years ago, Ohel Sholom has justly earned its reputation as a serious Beis HaMedrash for Baalei Batim, drawing mispallelim from across the community. Led by its dynamic Rav, Harav Yechiel Emanuel shlita, the shul holds daily Tefillos, as well as a Gemara Shiur and a Mishna Berura shiur.

With Harold Schogger

Lead 3h

Both North/South pairs in a team game reached 4s via a transfer auction where the bid of 2s, being a freebid over the Double now promised at least three-card support.

Incidentally, both South players did well not to redouble 2h even though there are eight defensive tricks available there. West would surely have made a rescue move and East/West can make nine tricks in clubs simply by playing North for the queen of clubs.

The defence at both tables began with a heart lead from West. East cashed the queen and king of hearts, then continued with the 8h. Declarer played the 9h from hand and West ruffed with his nine of trumps.

At the first table, declarer overruffed with the ten of trumps and drew two rounds of trumps with the queen and ace, discovering that the suit was originally 4:1. Declarer knew there were nine major-suit cards on his right to two on his left. So, on a vacant-places argument, he knew that the odds were very much in favour of the king of clubs being on his left.

Accordingly, declarer drew East’s trumps with the king and jack, cleverly jettisoning his ace of clubs in the hope that the queen of clubs would provide the entry to dummy’s jack of diamonds. Declarer continued by cashing his three top diamonds and then led the 3c. Unfortunately, it was East who had the king of clubs and now declarer finished with only eight tricks.

At the second table, declarer played as safely as possible. Accordingly, he discarded a club from dummy on the third round of hearts. West shifted to a diamond in the hope of giving his partner a ruff. Declarer won with the queen of diamonds and drew East’s trumps in four rounds. Next, he cashed the ace and king of diamonds and the ace of clubs before ruffing a club in dummy to take his tenth trick with the jack of diamonds.

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The Place for a Simcha

Lighting up the day before the sun rises

BY MORDECHAI ULLMAN

“Are you in Kollel or do you work full-time”?

Thanks to an impressive initiative recently imported to Manchester from Lakewood, the answer to the above question may be, “Both!”. On Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Vayeshev, a festive Melava Malka was held, to celebrate the dozens of devoted members of a unique addition to Manchester’s growing list of Kollelim.

Kollel Ohr Shmuel, currently hosted by Ohr Yershalayim, brings together some 30 Ba’alei Batim from shuls across North Manchester, each weekday morning before Shacharis, for a vibrant learning seder.

Founded by the Gellis family of Lakewood, in memory of their young child Shmuel z”l, the Ohr Shmuel international network today has an estimated 1500 participants, with a dozen branches in Lakewood and more than a dozen beyond. Brought to these

shores in April 2022, the Kollel has already become a noticeable force in Manchester. At 6:30am, no matter what the weather, these devoted aspiring Bnei Torah are welcomed in and encouraged to learn whatever topic they choose. Groups of Chavusos learning Daf Yomi, Dirshu Halacha, Kinyan Masechta or Oraysa, together form a significant Kol Torah. After Shacharis, the learners take home some delectable refreshments - with extra for their family too, in recognition of their part in facilitating this daily Kiddush Hashem.

“We launched the programme following a trip to the USA for a Chasuna, at which someone spontaneously invited us to take a look at a most remarkable scene in Lakewood”, explains Noach Fletcher. “Close to 300 businessmen were learning with enthusiasm before Shacharis”. That visit would prove fateful. It was a scene Mr Fletcher was keen to recreate in the UK and, together with his chavrusa Mr

Mr Rubin explained the benefit of the early morning commitment. “Many people would choose to learn at night, after working a full day. Practically, however, numerous - often worthy - distractions compete for one’s evening hours, such as Simchos or family needs, and the evening seder is often sacrificed as a result.” The early morning hours, on the other hand, lend themselves to less distractions and practically no urgent matters to be attended to, thereby creating an undisturbed time for real growth in Torah.

This daily commitment has a significant impact on the daily life of all its participants.

As Harrison Kauffman, Avrumie Treuhaft and other Kollel members expressed at the Melava Malka, starting the day with a learning seder positively impacts one’s entire day and gives a positive focus to carry one through the day’s challenges. The Melava Malka also heard words of encouragement from Rabbi Yisroel Meir Brandeis.

“No longer does the concept of, “being in Kollel” belong exclusively to the traditional ‘avreich’ with Baalei Batim often limited to passive participation in a Shiur”, explains Mr Fletcher. “Everyone can now be part of a Kollel and a branch in Gateshead has already opened. We hope to open in London too”.

Ashi Rubin, (with whom he had travelled to the USA to keep up their commitment to the Kinyan Masechta programme) the UK’s first branch of Kollel Ohr Shmuel was founded.

Kollel Ohr Shmuel Melava Malka at Ohr Yerushalyim

The Sameach Choir directed by Buchy Gluck

PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL

PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL

AJEX attends Hackney Chanukah lighting

Kisharon celebrates Chanukah

Tuffkid Nursery used its olive press so children could help make shemen zayit. Youngsters tasted black olives before putting them into the press where they watched the olive juice flow.

The most exciting part was when the oil was poured into the menorah and candles lit.

Pupils also had fun making doughnuts whilst listening to Chanukah stories.

At Day Opportunities and Supported Living, a Tzivos HaShem Chanukah workshop was run by Rabbi Yossi Simon from Chabad of Golders Green.

Rabbi Simon explained how olive oil is

GIFT launches Sunday programme

GIFT is encouraging individuals of all age groups to engage in giving activities.

Young families have joined in from packing food parcels for GIFT recipients to assembling teddy bears for children in the care system.

Future TGIS sessions will involve crafts with the elderly in Sage care home and making sandwiches for the homeless this winter.

The family volunteering initiative is a “meaningful opportunity” for parents and children, say organisers.

Keren Heller, GIFT’s Volunteer Coordinator commented: “It was amazing to see families come together and

do good during their spare time on a Sunday. The atmosphere was very special. Children were excited to donate teddy bears they made themselves, to less fortunate children in the care system. We look forward to many more TGIS events in the future.”

Parent volunteer, Gideon said: “I brought my 9-year-old daughter and 8-year-old niece to the last two TGIS events and was hugely impressed. It was a perfect way to spend an hour on a Sunday, doing something meaningful for a special charity.”

TGIS programmes: volunteer@gift.org

Winter Warmer

Over 200 members of the community joined Chabad Buckhurst Hill for the first night of Chanukah celebrations.

Rabbi Odom Brandman lit the public menorah while Sam the Fire Eater entertained crowds.

The menorah of warmth was made up from donations of winter clothes. These will be donated to charity. The community came to party and warmed up with hot drinks, live entertainment, Chanukah themed crafts and biscuit decorating. Over 700 latkes were eaten along with salt beef and 150 doughnuts for dessert. “A good time was had by all ages,” said Rabbi Brandman.

made and everyone had a turn to help in the process. People also enjoyed making latkes and singing festive songs at candle lighting.

Kisharon Noé School pupils enjoyed Chanukah activities including making Chanukah decorations, chanukiahs, taking part in a treasure hunt around school and tasting latkes and doughnuts.

Musical and interactive candle lighting took place and pupils were joined by Chief Executive Richard Franklin, Rabbi Mason, Philip Goldberg and Ian Pearl. Each pupil received a gift from Camp Simcha.

At Head Office, staff enjoyed doughnuts and Chanukah lighting.

Silvia book launch at Emunah

Top chef Silvia Nacamulli helped raise money for the British Emunah Food Fund by hosting a cookery session and book launch for supporters.

Silvia made a butternut squash risotto and baked a sefra (semolina, raisin and orange cake) with British Emunah supporter Regina Rubin lending a hand.

She also signed copies of her new book, Jewish Flavours of Italy, which provides a daily meal for at-risk and vulnerable children in Israel.

British Emunah’s Sharon Dewinter thanked Roxy Blumgart for hosting the event.

She said: “It was a lovely evening for a great cause. Emunah’s Food Fund provides a meal for every child at our special schools and if necessary a food parcel to take home to their families.”

AJEX’s Stanley Kaye attended the menorah lighting at Hackney Town Hall with Rabbi Hershel Gluck.

After the event they went to Stoke Newington Fire Station and gave out donuts supplied by Goldstein & Sons Bakers.

Kisharon have enjoyed celebrating Chanukah across all services.

David and Srulik make latkes at Kisharon Day Opportunities

AJEX’s Stanley Kaye and Rabbi Hershel Gluck give out donuts at Stoke Newington Fire Brigade

Roxy Blumgart and Sharon Dewinter

Menorah of warmth at Chabad Buckhurst Hill

GIFT’s TGIS packing session

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

Charity No. 1099659

Phone: 020 8187 9881 Email: office@yadvashem.org.uk www.yadvashem.org.uk www.guardianofthememory.org

@yadvashemukfoundation @yadvashemUK @yadvashemukfoundation

School scoops ADHD award

Colin Foley, ADHD Foundation training director, said: “Staff have gone above and beyond to make lessons and school environment enjoyable, supportive and safe spaces for students with ADHD.”

Danielle Stone, NWLJDS Inclusion Lead, said: “Our staff team who work tirelessly to ensure an inclusive educational setting for all children, making necessary adjustments as well as celebrating children’s individuality and strengths. Achieving this award has been a real team effort. I am so grateful to have the support from the teaching team, parents and ADHD Foundation.”

Giving children with ADHD ample opportunity for movement and physical activity is a key feature of the Jewish day school’s programme.

Last year’s inaugural whole-school ‘Neurodiversity Day’ saw pupils learn about positive traits of neurodevelopmental conditions, showcasing famous people with ND as positive role models.

The prestigious award acknowledges North West’s work in incorporating everyday tools to redress barriers pupils with ADHD face over the past academic year.

Tools include tactile resources such as fidget toys to regulate a child’s attention, pupils are also equipped with a range of self-soothing strategies such as deep-breathing exercises and mindfulness. This is due to the school’s training programmes to empower staff to deliver sessions to pupils.

The accolade goes to schools ‘committed to making their school a safe, nurturing, welcoming and exciting place, in which all learners with ADHD can achieve their academic potential’.

One Year 4 parent, said of the initiative: “My son came out of school with a huge grin on his face and proudly told me that ‘Justin Bieber has ADHD’. The best part about this day is it made him feel incredibly good about himself.”

The school has incorporated ‘Take 10’ sessions that allow children additional time for physical exercise, supporting emotional and attentional regulation of all pupils.

Extra coaching sessions are available in a sports including swimming in the school’s on-site pool.

This work forms part of North West’s broader work to destigmatise neurodiversity and neurodiverse conditions.

Tribe scavenger hunt

Tribe ran a sixth form Chanukah Scavenger Hunt around London’s West End on Monday night.

Sixth Formers participated in the funfilled event making it to checkpoints, sending selfies and answering questions. The evening concluded with a group dinner and candle lighting.

Chanukah fun at Norwood

The Aspiring Chefs programme enjoyed a Chanukah party at Norwood’s Kennedy Leigh Centre.

Participants made latkes before celebrating with games and singing. The chefs course teaches 16 to 25 year-olds with mild to moderate learning difficulties, and those managing mental health issues, fundamental cooking skills and to eat healthily in a safe forum.

JFS pupils visited Norwood’s adult services to make Chanukah decorations.

Norwood staff at Leigh Centre gave out Chanukah gifts donated by the United Synagogue children who attend the Rainbow Group.

Rainbow offers support to parents and carers of primary school-aged children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Jewish whisky company strikes gold

DS Tayman has won four top industry awards at this year’s World Whiskies Awards.

The whisky brand founded by Londoners Danny Saltman and Saul Taylor took home gold for the first time for a 12-year-old Caol Ila single malt scotch whisky.

After spending 12 years in a single cask the whisky was finished in a Syrah wine barrel from Tulip, the boutique Israeli winery in Kfar Tikva, near Haifa.

The Caol Ila Tulip Edition was named overall category winner.

DS Tayman picked up silver for its 12-yearold Linkwood single malt and bronze for its 12-year-old Blair Athol. Both are finished in Tulip Syrah wine barrels.

The Tulip range scooped the New Product Award at Kosherfest in New Jersey last month, the largest international kosher food conference.

Danny said: “Our whiskies are highly unusual because they are finished in specially paired wine barrels to craft special finishes that have never been available to enjoy before. We were particularly pleased to partner with Tulip whose extraordinary

social enterprise enables local people to reach their full potential, regardless of their challenges, at every stage of their life.”

He added: “This award is the result of many years’ hard work and after winning silver awards previously we are delighted that the improvements we have made in our newest whiskies have been recognised in this way by industry experts. We are excited to be working on some new whiskies to be enjoyed with the people you love, value and appreciate the most.”

Jolyon Dunn, Milroys of Soho, which runs whisky bars in London, said: “DS Tayman has continued to impress with their innovative approach and quality of their whisky. Their products have become increasingly popular in our bars. We look forward to seeing what they come out with next.”

DS Tayman’s whiskies are kosher and carry hechshers from the OU (Orthodox Union), KLBD (Kosher London Beth Din) and Rav Akiva Osher Padwa of London.

Dalkeith Brokerage, DS Tayman’s parent company, was recently named Start-Up of the Year at the Work Avenue Business Awards.

At King David Primary School, the whole school sung and watched the lighting of the School Menorah on Tuesday afternoon. Jessie Barsky a Yr 6 pupil followed by Sari Kind a Yr 5 pupil, and James Ross lit the third candle.

PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL

Sari Kind a Yr 5 King David Primary School pupil lights the Menorah

North West London Jewish Day School is the first Jewish school to be awarded the ADHD Friendly School award by the ADHD Foundation.

North West London Jewish Day School scoops ADHD award

Danny Saltman with a cask of DS Tayman whisky

Tribe scavenger hunt

Norwood aspiring Chefs Chanukah

AJEX veteran Stan visits JFS Chabad lights up Worthing

AJEX member Stan Kaye visited JFS’ sixth form history class.

Head Boy and JFS Cadet Edger Santos organised the talk about life in the trenches in World War 1.

Stan showed a selection of his Trench Art, which gets its name from used shells ornately inscribed.

Pupils had a chance to look at artistic shells created after the war. Local villagers found thousands lying around so decorating them. Students asked questions and were interested in the showcased art.

“Stan was fascinating with his explanations of trench art, I loved hearing stories of the shell cases during the war,” said Sam Field, Year 12. “What really compelled me was his passion for bringing justice to Jewish soldiers.”

Stan commented: “It is not every day pupils will get to hold something used in war to kill and maim and then decorated. The art was sometimes decorated with a sharp instrument like a bayonet or nail.”

AJEX Education talks: headoffice@ajex.org.uk or 0208 202 2323

Central shul celebrate

Chabad of Worthing held its first Chanukah lighting outside the Town Hall on Tuesday.

Shaliach Rabbi Shaya Gourarie led the event supported by Rabbi Pesach Efune of Chabad Brighton and Rabbi Zalman Lewis,

Chabad South East Coast Universities. Over 100 people attended including Mayor of Worthing, Cllr Henna Choudhury. Rabbi Gourarie said: “Interest shown in the new Chabad augurs well for the future.

Leytonstone menorah stands tall

Over 300 people attended East London’s premier public menorah lighting.

Mayor of Waltham Forest, Karen Bellamy lit the first candle of the ‘Leytonstone menorah’ at Fillebrook Road opposite the local tube station. The large crowd enjoyed doughnuts and latkes.

The London Klezmer Band led by Yossi Davidovich (clarinet) with Josh Middleton (accordion), Piotr Jordan (violin) and Noam Barkani (guitar) entertained.

They were joined by vocals from Chazzan Itzik Kohn and Rev Menasche Scharf, who sang the Chanukah blessings.

Central Synagogue celebrated the third night of Chanukah at the British Library.

The candle lighting was the first Jewish interfaith event to take place at the Library.

Speakers included Rabbi Barry Lerer of Central Synagogue, Mayor of Camden Councillor Nasim Ali and Esther Caplin from the Library’s Community engagement team.

Rabbi Ari Cohen of Central Synagogue lit the candles and led the singing.

Over 70 people were present, doughnuts and refreshments were served.

Rabbi Barry Lerer of Central said: “This

was a momentous event and enjoyed by those from the Central Synagogue, Jewish communites and the wider community.”

Central is embarking on an active programme of cultural events in its ‘Talks of Interest’ and ‘Kiddish Talks’ series, the latter being on a Shabbat morning after the service.

The next Kiddish talk will be given by Teresa Villiers MP on January 14.

Other talks of interest are being arranged including Holocaust Survivor Mala Tribich as part of Holocaust Memorial Day.

Leytonstone and Wanstead Synagogue’s Rabbi Yitzchok Austin, whose family also attended, gave a talk about Hakhel to Shul members, visitors from neighbouring areas including Walthamstow, Stratford and Forest Gate, and various dignitaries including Councillors and Waltham Forest Council representatives.

Despite relentless rain, and a freezing week of snow and ice, high spirits were sustained throughout the event with singing, socialising and dancing.

The Leytonstone Menorah was made using funds granted by Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019.

Leytonstone and Wanstead Shul

organised the event.

A second menorah has also been placed at the entrance of Tesco in Leytonstone.

Stan Kaye showcased WW1 Trench Art at JFS

The Jewish Weekly Chairman, Jonathan Metliss with the Mayor of Worthing, Councillor Henna Chowdhury

Rev Menasche Scharf saying the Berachot

Central Shul’s Chanukah lighting

Lamp lighting celebration

Jewish Care’s intergenerational, multifaith Chanukah lantern celebration took place at the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus in Golders Green on Tuesday.

Deputy Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Nagus Narenthira, joined the local community to light paper lanterns decorated as part of the project uniting the charity’s care homes, retirement living apartments and community centres.

Teenagers from Maccabi Tzair Youth Movement from Israel joined tenants, members, volunteers, staff and families singing and dancing on the first night of Chanukah.

Four generations of Bernice Kritz’s family lit the menorah with Bernice, a 90 year old tenant at Wohl Court.

Bernice lit with her daughter, grandson Rabbi Birnbaum and some of her 28 grandchildren to whom she is known as Bubby, Bernie, Safta, great-Safta.

She said, “I’m very happy to join in. To have four generations of my family with me to celebrate Chanukah here is wonderful.”

Lanterns were carried to Jewish Care’s Sunridge Court care home in Golders Green to continue the party led by pastoral lead Rabbi Junik.

Jewish Care’s Director of Fundraising,

Adam Overlander-Kaye, said, “This was an inspiring community celebration, lit up by the beautiful lanterns project bringing light and joy into our lives. The lanterns, music

Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox

Primary School year 3 Boys sang Chanukah songs for children in the Kindergarten on Tuesday morning.

and joyful atmosphere embody the warmth and creativity that radiates from everyone at Jewish Care to those we support and to the whole community on Chanukah, and

throughout the year.”

Deputy Mayor Narenthira, said, “Taking light from the light of the residents is a noble idea, lighting up people’s lives. All religions celebrate festivals of light during the winter months as light is needed in everyone’s life, literally or otherwise. People’s lives need extra light, especially this year when they are hit with the cost of living and energy crisis. I hope light will shine on everyone and guide us through these hard times.”

Chanukah lantern celebrations and parties are taking place across Jewish Care’s homes and community centres this week.

Sheree Charalampous, Jewish Care Creative Arts Development Coordinator and Ilana Greenblatt, Jewish Care Jewish Cultural and Faith Manager, said: “We were overjoyed to see the culmination of the lamplighters project, uniting the whole Jewish Care family and the community and to see the positive effect it’s had on everyone involved.”

Students from JCOSS choir sang for members at Jewish Care’s Sam Beckman Centre for People Living with Dementia. Year 3 pupils from Alma school children joined residents at Jewish Care’s Kun Mor & George Kiss care home in Friern Barnet.

Jewish Museum family day

celebrated Chanukah

partners Jewish Book Week in a family day on Sunday.

A packed day attracted visitors to the Museum for talks, activities and doughnut baking sessions.

Museum staff ran three sessions for families, allowing all generations in each family to join in and celebrate the festival together.

Staff also took visitors on a family tour around the Museum to explore Jewish

heritage and Chanukah collections.

Jewish Book Week invited popular authors to speak including Ivor Baddiel, Iona Rangeley, Jodie Lancet-Grant and Debra Barnes, who introduced audiences to their books.

Ben M Freeman and Adam Taub presented their take on the Chanukah miracle to adult audiences.

The event ended with lighting of a special Menorah from the collections donated to the Museum by the Gruss Family.

PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL

Broughton Jewish Kindergarten Menorah lighting

Jewish Museum London

with

Sheree Charalampous, Jewish Care Creative Arts Development Coordinator, Rabbi Junik, Jewish Care Pastoral and Spiritual Lead, Rabbi Birnbaum, Bernice’s grandson, Bernice Kritz, Jewish Care Wohl Court Retirement Living apartments tenant in the Centre with daughter and grandchildren, Deputy Mayor, Councillor Nagus Narenthira, Jewish Care Director of Fundraising & Community Engagement, Adam Overlander-Kaye, Ilana Greenblatt, Jewish Care Jewish Cultural and Faith Manager and Bernice’s greatgrandchildren.

Learning to spin the dreidel

JNF UK spreads Chanukah joy

JNF UK have announced winners of the ‘Design your Dreidel’ 2022 competition.

Sophie Reuben, from Bury and Whitefield Primary School in Manchester, won the 3–5 year old age category and was crowned the overall winner of the competition.

Four-year-old Sophie’s dreidel design made of biscuits caught the eye of the judging panel.

Sophie won a £50 Amazon voucher, £10 doughnut voucher, framed photograph of her dreidel design and £250 for her school for Israel education purposes.

Congratulations also go to the first-place winners Elleni Shane from the 6-8 age group and Summer Wise from the 9-11 age group category.

Worthy runners include Jonah Levene from the 3-5 category, Netta Tzion Goodman from the 6-8 age group category and Ella Cohen from the 9-11 age group category.

JNF UK spokesperson commented, “We have been blown away by the number of children who entered our competition.

“Chanukah for JNF UK means shining a light on the children we support across Israel’s periphery, to ensure no one is left behind.”

JNF’s initiative was launched before Chanukah for children aged 3–11 years old.

Nineteen Jewish Primary Schools across

the UK took part. Each child was provided with a Dreidel template to personalise. They also had to write a sentence on what Chanukah means to them.

Entries flooded in with children

providing a picture of their template and holding their 3D design.

Chanukah fun is available on JNf’s website: www.jnf.co.Uk/Chanukah-2022

Just some of the wonderful entrants in the dreidel competition

PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL

PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL

Rabbi Arnold Saunders lighting the 4th candle at the Nicky

Rabbi Dovid Weisfish teaching one of his students

MDA UK mission is to save lives

BY DAVID SAFFER

Magen David Adom UK helps to save lives in Israel and around the world.

The organisation assists MDA in Israel and gives aid to equivalent global organisations by providing urgent medical care to civilians irrespective of nationality, religion, disability, gender or political affiliation.

A dedicated team under the leadership of Daniel Burger plays an important part in supporting Israel’s medical emergency ambulance and blood service. The organisation showcases Israel around the world and shares MDA’s innovation and expertise beyond Israel’s borders.

What is MDA UK working on at the moment?

“We have many initiatives,” said Burger. “We have the ability to advocate all that is great about Israel through the lens of MDA. There is nothing better than the ability to save lives. There is no politics involved. We are an apolitical Red Cross organisation. As the second most trusted brand in Israel we can portray Israel as a brilliant beacon through the lens of MDA.” He added: “It’s about raising money for vehicles, capital blood centers and ambulance centers for our work in Israel.

But because we are an autonomous UK charity we can work outside the realms of Israel and do this by looking further afield.”

Burger was a keynote speaker at a conference in Lagos this year spreading the word of MDA.

He recalled: “I was talking to a million people. They wanted to hear about their support through ambulances donated to Israel. It was a fantastic honour to do that.

There is something magical about hearing Christian support and a love for Israel. It was remarkable and we have the ability to make that connection.

“Our Christian friends in the UK have raised £1.5m for Israel. They are dedicated to Israel.”

MDA UK was recently involved with

saving children in the Ukraine-Russia war. He explained: “Through the power of the MDA brand, I was to able to call the CEO of Virgin Atlantic and help bring 54 Ukrainians to the UK for safety. We made that difference. We worked with our government, the Ukrainian and Polish governments to ensure these children got to safety.”

Burger will soon deliver iPhones donated by a company. “It’s an amazing opportunity,” he said.

Regarding challenges fundraising for Israel, Burger noted they were two-fold.

“We are living in an economic downturn and there is the question of why Israel,” he explained. “It’s challenging because everything we hear is that Israel is a wealthy nation and charity begins at home. There is Langdon, Kisharon, Chai and non-Jewish charities that are all remarkable causes so why choose MDA?

“If you want to literally save lives in Israel and around the world then the MDA brand is a remarkable organisation to choose. It’s also a service where any of us could be a beneficiary or we will know someone who has called an MDA ambulance over time.”

Future opportunities include the Abraham Accords and cross border initiatives.

Burger said: “We were immensely proud to take our trekkers to Jordan and Israel this year. We showed them a Red Cross hospital operating theatre in Jordan. An original theatre was funded by the Israeli government so we have continued that support. We also went to an MDA station in Eilat to see our work.

“The future is cross border collaboration and technology. MDA has some of the most advanced technology in the world. The British and Israeli government want to import this technology into the UK and around the world. A huge amount of people think we are an Israel charity but as we look at the next generation for support it transcends far more than we think.”

MDA is Israel’s only national blood and medical emergency service saving lives of Israel’s citizens regardless of religion.

MDA Israel since 2006 has been officially recognised by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The organisation leads Israel’s first aid training, ambulances and distribution of units of blood around Israel.

MDA CEO, Daniel Burger

MDA ambuleances donted by MDA UK

MDA is Israel’s only national blood and medical emergency service saving lives of Israel’s citizens regardless of religion.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Project

BY ANNIE ABRAHAMS

A €10m European Research Council grant will develop cutting edge analysis of medieval Hebrew manuscripts housed at the National Library of Israel.

The six-year MIDRASH project is a landmark moment in Jewish Studies and groundbreaking opportunity to study Hebrew paleography combining traditional, digital and computational methods.

The project will analyse tens of thousands of medieval Hebrew manuscripts and fragments from the world's collections by using their digital images curated in the NLI's KTIV collection.

It will be led jointly by Daniel Stokl Ben Ezra and Judith OlszowySchlanger (Paris Sciences-Lettres University), Nachum Dershowitz (Tel Aviv University) and Avi Shmidman (Bar-Ilan University).

Optical recognition is commonplace but transcribing medieval handwritings has been a major challenge for researchers and especially for alphabets including Hebrew. ERC's grant will enable the deciphering of handwritten works and conversion into machine-readable text.

The award has been made to Paris Sciences-Lettres University, Tel Aviv University

and Bar-Ilan University with participation of Haifa University and the NLI.

Oren Weinberg, NLI CEO, noted an “extraordinary” opportunity. He said: “This is an unprecedented technological achievement. Results will open new horizons for research in Jewish Studies.”

Professor Nachum Dershowitz, Tel Aviv

University, added: “This daring project will allow anyone from any background to wander through this trove of millions of manuscript pages that, as part of the culture and heritage of the Jewish people, were hand-written and copied, even tracing the notes added in the margins of these writings, and handed down from

generation to generation.”

Shmidman, Hebrew Literature senior lecturer stated: “This project is poised to be a game changer, deeply transforming our historical knowledge and advancing our understanding of the Jewish literary heritage. It will set a new bar in the field of computational humanities, providing a state-of-the-art foundation of algorithms and models for the continued study of many additional manuscript cultures.”

Dr Moshe Lavee, Head of Digital Humanities at the University of Haifa, said, “This project is the fulfillment of a great dream. We are translating Ben-Gurion's vision from the 1950s into the language of the 21st century, gathering together the images of all Hebrew manuscripts in Jerusalem. The project is a wonderful opportunity to bring to light the experience we have gained at the Eliyahu Laboratory in manuscript accessibility and geospatial analysis of Jewish history.”

The MIDRASH (Migrations of Textual and Scribal Traditions via Large-Scale Computational Analysis of Medieval Manuscripts in Hebrew Script) project is a first in Jewish studies for computational manuscript studies.

Analysis will map migration of textual and paleographical features.

The AI-powered analysis will be available to the public.

Damascus Crowns Torah. Ashkenazi, 14th century

Rambam Mishneh Torah 1460

14th century Sephardic Torah, Russian State Library

1738 Bavaria prayer book

BY ZARA NEWMAN, LEAD FOR DEVELOPMENT AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, JCOMMERCE. .

When providing business advice, the focus is often – understandably – on key concerns such as budgeting, productivity, sales, marketing and similar growth areas. Sometimes less seemingly important issues such as talking about work life balance in business will be discussed, but not with the same gravitas. Yet recently, there is a growing clamour to focus on health and wellbeing in the workplace, not only for the benefit of staff, but because it also makes good business sense - and the accompanying research is extremely compelling:

- According to a Report by the CIPD (Chartered Institute for personal Development) in November 2022, investing in employee wellbeing can lead to increased resilience, reduced absence and higher performance and productivity

- A recent poll by Mind, The UK mental health charity, found that the most stressful thoughts in people’s minds relate to work, and Champion Health ‘Workplace Health Report 2022’ found that almost 35% of employees say that the stress they experience in work has a negative impact on them.

- An extensive study in into happiness and productivity of employees by Oxford Universitys’ Said Business School in 2019, found that happy workers do not necessarily work more hours than their discontented colleagues, they are however 13% more productive and profitable. [This same study also showed a clear negative relationship between adverse weather and the happiness of workers; reason enough for us all to make a move down south!]

With this in mind, here are some ideas for implementing initiatives to help create a positive business working environment where people thrive and employees are encouraged and supported to be motived and driven.

APPRECIATION AND RECOGNITION

What? I hear you say. I pay people to do their job, why do they need anything extra? Whether you realise it or not, people are an organisation’s greatest asset so it makes good business sense to create a positive work environment. In fact, nowadays prospective candidates are looking beyond salary to the full package of incentives. So, if you are looking to attract talent, even if you are not yet on the page of promoting an all-round good experience, employees

Employee Wellbeing is good for Business

already are. Manual workers also benefit from a positive work environment, as it will lead to less turnover of staff, which can be a large cost to business in the form of recruitment and training. And if you need any more convincing, research shows that employees who receive clear recognition are 33 times more likely to be creative and innovative.

A culture of wellness can be achieved without spending a fortune, and reward schemes do not have to be sophisticated as long as they are structured and thought through. Start with the simplest form of recognition, verbal praise; one of the most effective rewards you can offer is positive feedback. Another easy and uncomplicated reward is time off, either finishing early on occasion or just giving unpaid days off. It makes staff feel that you are considering them as a person with all their responsibilities.

The step up would be to put in place some sort of incentive or reward scheme to demonstrate recognition of staff performance, whether in the form of an award, or some sort of gift, right through to a sophisticated bonus scheme. Employee discounts are a big-y, where companies can buy into professional discount schemes for everything from clothes to rail fare, theatre tickets to gym club membership. For a small business, the same can be achieved by providing gift vouchers for larger shops or a credit in a local store.

Lastly car benefit packages have for many years been seen to be a ‘perk’ of the job, especially where extensive travel is involved. However, the attraction of these has lessened over time due to the erosion of tax breaks associated with this.

PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH

It stands to reason that successful wellness initiatives carried out by businesses can lead to cost-savings – absenteeism is said to cost UK business an eye watering £29 billion in lost revenue per year. Putting in place pro-active measures to improve your staff’s health means they are likely to be healthier and therefore miss work far less. There is also an ethical argument to look after staff to ensure work place stress stays at minimum levels.

Again, any schemes implemented should be done in a systematic way as part of an overall wellbeing programme. Supporting good life style choices can be simple and inexpensive. Ideas such as providing fresh fruit or healthy snacks for the office to enjoy during the day, encouraging employees to spend their lunch outside or as part of a ‘walking’ club; even some boardroom meetings can be changed to walking ones! Often

businesses supply furnishings that encourage good physical health such as ergonomic chairs and standing tables; this is in addition to any legal requirements that support employee health, such as making adjustments for medical purposes, ranging from back problems to clear disabilities.

It goes without saying that gym membership and training for staff on emotional wellbeing – specifically for senior managers – are key ways to support physical and emotional health.

The flexibility of working from home that was an imperative in the pandemic, has paid dividends in supporting employee wellbeing and has the added bonus of increasing production – most people say they work more intensively from home.

It is worthwhile remembering that no business operates in a vacuum, rather as part of a ‘community’ – be it geographical or social. It will therefore serve your

reputation well to look after your staff, and conversely if you are perceived by staff to be ungenerous or uncaring, it doesn’t bode well. So, whilst it is clearly good for business from all angles, it all comes down to the fact that taking care of employees clearly shows you care.

Jcommerce is a charitable organisation set up to support businesses to economic self-sufficiency and address business challenges that arisen from COVID-19 and beyond.

For more information about our business support services including, video soundbites from successful entrepreneurs, business advice and mentoring go to www.jcommerce.org

Chanukah Sale

NEW!

Thousands of children learned all about Shabbos and the Jewish holidays from Yaffa Ganz’s classic ArtScroll Children’s Holiday Series. Now, a new generation can discover the delights of Shabbos and the Yamim Tovim, as they enjoy the kid-friendly text and engaging illustrations of The Big Book of Jewish Holidays. Take your children (grandchildren too!) on a wonderful journey through the Jewish calendar. They’ll never forget it!

by Rabbi David Ashear

Jewish children the world over have joined the hundreds of thousands of adults who have taken the joyous journey of serenity through emunah with Rabbi David Ashear’s Living Emunah series. Living Emunah for Children 3 brings young readers more fun, exciting and emunah-packed stories, perfect for children of all ages.

Chazal have told us that “bentching” — saying Bircas Hamazon — is so important that it brings wonderful things to our lives, especially if we say the words carefully from a bentcher.

In this engaging book by bestselling author Tamar Ansh, your children will read stories and fascinating facts about Bircas Hamazon, making bentching an exciting experience. This is a book that is super-fun … and super-important!

by

Naomi and Moshie Horn Family Edition

by Yaffa Ganz

The final book written by the Rebbetzin before her passing, Be a Blessing sings out with emunah and hope, even in difficult times. From the Rebbetzin we will gain guidance into making our marriages better, and making ourselves into better parents. We will learn how to find the mission our Creator has chosen for each individual, and how to make room for Hashem in our hearts. And we will discover how to take our personal mission and use it to “be a blessing” to everyone around us.

Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis was one of the twentieth century’s most fascinating, charismatic and spiritually inspiring Jewish personalities.

Penson Family Edition

ASK THE RABBI

Looking for answers? Send your question to Rabbi@RabbiSchochet.com

HEALTHY CHANUKAH?

Dear Rabbi

I loved your reply last week explaining the idea of gift giving on Chanukah. So much so, that I also thought it was a pagan idea and never bought gifts. This year, thanks to your column, I did. As you said, it really was a miracle.

I was wondering whether you could explain however the reason for the cholesterol churning, gastro ordeal of latkes and doughnuts. Whatever happened to looking after our health? And if I could be cheeky I’d like to slip in the dreidel as well. Does that have a real Jewish basis or is it just kosher gambling?

Richard

Dear Richard

I know someone who had a reverse Chanukah miracle. He had enough doughnuts to last him eight days and ate them all in one day.

Doughnuts are deep fried in oil and so base themselves on the same theme as the latke which is the most famous delicacy associated with Chanukah. To be sure it is more of a relatively modern day innovation. After all, potatoes were not readily available on the continent for a long time. But the issue here isn’t the Latke per se. It’s the ingredient – the oil – which of course cannot be consumed on its own. We eat the Latka precisely because it requires deep frying in oil which reminds us of the miracle of the oil that lasted in the Temple Menorah for eight days, even as there was only enough for one day.

Let’s think about oil. Oil is integral to Jewish ritual, both in

its content and its symbolism.

Oil was used on the Altar. Oil was used to anoint kings and priests. Oil of course was used in the Menorah. We can talk about oil as fattening or a waste of world resources but where would Judaism be without oil?

Oil is distilled essence. It is separate, hence it rises to the top. At the same time it spreads about, thus permeating throughout. That is the story of the Jew; that is the uniqueness of the Jew; rising to the top while spreading throughout – being a light onto the nations.

In that sense the Latke reminds us of our uniqueness as Jews and our special mission in this world. Chanukah is about the spiritual victory. The Greeks had one primary objective – to assimilate the Jew into one hotchpotch of multicultural idealism. So I eat the Latke because there are so many assaults on basic Jewish mores and principles today. Barriers are coming down and more and more people are scrambling over. We need the Latke as a critical reminder of our paramount responsibility as Jews.

Latkes are filled with oil –which connotes anointing, royalty, priesthood, majesty; oil – it’s about light, it’s all about permeation – it’s about maintaining our regal bearing of Jewish pride.

You make a Latke by taking a potato and grating it thus reminding us, how the life of the Jew through the ages may have been grated, shredded, torn apart. But did that get us down? No! If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. If life shreds your potato, make Latkes.

But you’re right. Latkes like doughnuts are not antibiotics where you have to take two a day for eight days.

The origin of the dreidel, it is said, dates back to the very time of the Greek-Syrian rule over the Holy Land - which set off the Maccabean revolt that culminated in the Chanukah miracle. Learning Torah was outlawed by the Greeks, a “crime” punishable by death. So the Jewish children resorted to hiding in caves in order to study. If a Greek patrol would approach, the children would pull out their tops and pretend to be playing a game. By playing dreidel during the festival of Chanukah we are reminded of the courage of those brave children.

What are the rules of the game? Well, there are four Hebrew letters on each of the sides of the dreidel. Nun – Gimel – Hay – Shin. This is intended as an acronym for “Nes Godol Haya Sham” – “A great miracle happened there,” in reference to the Chanukah miracle. Everyone contributes something to the pot and each takes a turn spinning the dreidel. If it lands on a Nun you get nothing. On a shin – you have to pay into the pot. On the hay you get half the pot and if it lands on gimel you’ve hit the jackpot and you take all. Then you repeat the process again.

Everything in life contains a lesson and the dreidel would be no exception. So what lessons can we learn from a spinning top? Consider the varied letters reflect the kaleidoscope of life. Sometimes we have “gimmel days.” Everything is on an even keel - going our way. Life is good! We feel as if we’ve hit the

jackpot!

To the opposite end of the spectrum we have “shin days” where we feel we are paying in –expending so much energy. We feel as if the world has turned against us – we’re physically and emotionally depleted.

There may be “nun days” – where everything is simple though hardly productive and “hay days” which for the most part are good with its occasional hiccups.

The important thing to remember is: All the letters make

up nes godol haya sham – “a big miracle happened there.” In good times and in more challenging times – on average days or even not so average days – G-d is with us every step of the way. Don’t attribute your successful days to your own prowess, and don’t despair in the face of whatever challenges. Acknowledge the reality of G-d in every part of your daily experience and always strive to be continuously productive throughout.

Happy Chanukah

Follow Rabbi Schochet at: RabbiSchochet.com Twitter: @RabbiYYS Facebook: facebook.com/Rabbiyys.

Torah from Israel

Chanukah and the Battle for Higher Meaning

BY RABBI MOSHE TARAGIN

The heroic Maccabee warriors defended our country, restored our national pride, and renovated our vandalized mikdash. Additionally, they defended us against a subversive Hellenist culture which contested core Jewish values and opposed the religious rituals which embodied those values.

The battle lines with Hellenism were drawn around three seminal mitzvot: shabbat, rosh chodesh and milah, rituals which shape our perspective of time, history, creation, and Jewish selection. Shabbat memorializes divine creation and, as the Greeks did not acknowledge a purposeful and organized creation of our world, Shabbat was illegalized.

Milah, a physical mark on our bodies, signifies our selection as G-d’s chosen, a notion which Athens had great distaste for. Athens sought to relandscape a world without borders, in which all local identities merged into one pan-Greek global culture. National identities were an outdated vestige of an ancient tribal past in which ignorant humans formed clans solely for protection and survival. The new civil society centered in Athens would unify man in pursuit of a higher and more elegant style of living. The only people who could be considered “chosen” were the citizens of Greece whose culture would educate the barbarians and redeem them from a life of darkness and violence. For the Greeks, milah mutilated the perfect form of the human body and was therefore banned. The mitzvah of shabbat which recalls creation and the mitzvah of milah which embodies Jewish selection were each offensive to the Hellenists.

Rosh chodesh emphasizes that Jews don’t just inhabit static “time” but participate in a dynamic process called “history”. The process of history has a beginning called “creation” and an endpoint called “redemption”, and we drive humanity to that historical terminus. A “fluid” lunar calendar centered around a constantly regenerating moon reflects the Jewish dynamic view of history.

By contrast, Plato and his fellow Greek philosophers searched for universal truths which superseded time and place. They weren’t engaged in a larger historical process but attempted to uncover truths and principles of life which were valid in every time and place. Possessing a completely different view of time, the Greeks prohibited Rosh chodesh celebrations. Hellenist opposition to these particular mitzvot wasn’t arbitrary.

THE HUMAN SPIRIT

Beyond defending specific religious beliefs and particular miztvot which symbolize them, we also clashed with ancient Greece about the human spirit and its search for higher meaning. Conceivably, the Chashmona’im warriors may not have been aware of this larger struggle, yet, it was still part of the Chanukah battle.

The Maharal, a 16th century philosopher and mystic, claimed that the four notorious empires which visited our planet weren’t just mighty kingdoms which persecuted the Jews and banned our religious freedom. Each empire posed a religious threat to humanity and each of these four dominant cultures introduced hazardous religious ideas, which, if left unchecked, would have infiltrated the human imagination and corrupted moral and religious experience. As the religious guardians of humanity, we battled these four empires and defended humanity from moral and religious collapse. Greece was the third of the four empires and much was at stake for humanity in this epic battle between Athens and Yerushalayim.

HIGHER MEANING

Like the Jews, the Greeks searched for higher meaning. There was more to life than violence and survival, if Man could escape the futility of his dreary and vulnerable existence and reach a “higher plane”. Greece was the first non-Jewish culture to ascend to that higher plane.

Religiously, Greece re-imagined ancient religious theories, breaking with archaic notions of paganism. No longer were gods physical statues, stars, or human-crafted images. The Greeks abstracted their gods into larger-than-life beings who inhabited a distant mountain and possessed superior powers. They failed to imagine a one G-d responsible for the variety and dichotomy of this booming and buzzing world, but they did make great strides in revolutionizing religion by extinguishing the dark world of classic paganism.

CLARITY, INTELLIGENCE AND BEAUTY

More dramatic than their religious revolution was their scientific and cultural revolution. Ancient Greece advanced dramatic developments in science, math, art philosophy, culture, and politics. There is hardly a sphere of modern experience which Greece, the first civilization, didn’t deeply impact.

The Greek term for the universe is “cosmos” which means order. By employing the tools of science and mathematics to organize and order our world, the Greeks eliminated much of the uncertainty and

anxiety which had plagued ancient Man who faced a random and unpredictable universe.

If Greek logic could organize our world, Greek art could duplicate it and reflect it. The Greeks developed the cognitive tools to organize their world and the aesthetic imagination to reproduce their world in works of art. Ancient Greece, literally held the universe in their two hands. One hand of logic and one hand of art.

For the first time in history the muddy veil of our world was lifted, and clarity replaced confusion. This orderly and predictable world was more pleasant and more beautiful than a haphazard and un systematic world. Freed from the struggle for survival, Man could ponder the larger questions about life and meaning. In his landmark essay about the differences between Greek and Hebrew culture, Matthew Arnold, a 19th century author, described the Greeks as transforming a dark and ugly ancient world into a radiant and sweet world of beauty. They were the first to rid civilization of the ignorance and confusion which had handicapped the human condition for three and a half thousand years. Intelligence, knowledge, clarity, beauty and civility, Athens had it all.

AWE OF G-D

What they didn’t possess was awe or fear. The gods of Greece were not fundamentally different from humans but merely stronger, wiser or wealthier. They were powerful beings which humans aspired to become like rather than fearing or submitting to. To many Greek philosophers, gods didn’t actually exist but were merely ideas or abstractions of noble and moral values which humans could model their lives upon. Greek culture, with its pleasantly organized world, eliminated fear and awe and did irreparable harm to the concept of holiness.

PIETY NOT INTELLIGENCE

Our own search for meaning and higher purpose is centered upon our submission to a Higher being. We don’t just look at Hashem as the source of wisdom or morality but as a different Being whose wisdom we cannot fully decipher but whose will we obey.

Admittedly, as Hashem created us intelligent and with artistic appreciation, we explore our world for deeper knowledge and enrich our imagination with beauty. However, we cultivate these faculties to more deeply appreciate divine majesty and to more completely obey His Will. For Greece, intelligence and beauty were the goals, for us they are “means” to an end, or enhancers of piety.

NO COMMANDMENTS

Because the gods of Greece weren’t higher authorities, merely stronger beings, the concept of commandments or mitzvot is completely absent from Greek philosophy. Once obedience was eliminated from religious experience it was easy to fall into moral decadence. Hashem created us noble and elegant, but we also possess dark desires and human weaknesses which must be regulated. Based upon Hashem’s instructions we learn to regulate these powerful forces and to avoid sinful and self-destructive behavior. For all its moral thought and higher meaning, Greece had no fear of sin and no divinely delivered regulatory system to fortify human intelligence against human desires. Ultimately, a system without divine restraints quickly degenerates into moral delinquency. Greek culture was adopted by the Roman empire which conquered Greece in the second century BCE. A few centuries later Rome quickly descended into moral degeneracy and collapsed under its own weight. Higher intelligence and appreciation of beauty unanchored by piety and fear of sin is not a religious system built to last.

During the Chanukah wars a historic battle was waged between two cultures asserting two different models of spirituality and the search for higher meaning. Our victory assured that piety, and not intelligence would shape the future of religious experience.

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.

by Rabbi A. Leib Scheinbaum

Reb Shloime Yeshaya Lipschitz Edition

A Road Map for Life Drawing upon the Wisdom of the Steipler Gaon

by Rabbi Yaakov Mordechai Greenwald

Rabbi Yaakov Mordechai Greenwald was a widely respected therapist, with strong personal relationships with many gedolei Yisrael. He was particularly close to the Steipler Gaon, Maran HaRav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky zt”l, whose guidance strongly influenced his therapeutic approach to healing. Guiding With Wisdom offers us a powerful Torah-based perspective on healing and emotional and mental health, with many priceless insights from the Steipler.

by Rabbi Moshe Bamberger

This addition to the much-hailed “ Jewish….” series brings us powerful quotes on bitachon, with a brief explanatory com mentary, accompanied by spectacular photo graphs and images that bring these concepts to vivid life.

Yosef and the Battle for True Beauty

BY RABBI SHMUEL REICHMAN

The day had finally come. For months, I had been trying to meet this famous sage, renowned not only for his wisdom, but for his beautiful, majestic physical appearance. I had heard the stories, but I wanted to experience it for myself. After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally able to get an appointment.

Upon arriving at the sage’s house, I could barely contain my excitement. This was it; I was finally here. I knocked and patiently waited for someone to answer. A moment later, the door opened, and standing in front of me was the most hideous individual I had ever seen.

Not to worry, I thought to myself. This must be his attendant. But after the man introduced himself as the sage, my heart sank. Oh well, I thought. I should have known that he could never live up to the stories. This is what happens when you have unrealistic expectations. I considered leaving, but after coming all this way, I decided to continue as planned, spending the day with this sage.

As the day went on, it became clear that while the sage may not have been physically beautiful, he sure was a wonderful human being. He spoke with such compassion, and his kind eyes revealed tremendous depth. He treated me like a treasured friend, despite having just met me. He showed genuine interest in me; he wanted to learn my story and hear my questions. We discussed ideas, shared our experiences, and enjoyed a meaningful afternoon together. As we walked through his garden, I saw the reverence and care that he showed all forms of life, even the animals and insects. He shared his philosophy with me, but never judged me or made me feel uncomfortable.

After a long day together, he brought me back inside, and excused himself for a moment. As I sat there thinking, I finally realized the lesson I was supposed to learn. Beauty is not about the physical; it’s about how we live our lives, how we choose to see the world. It’s the values we embody, the character traits we develop. I was still reflecting on this when I heard the sage reenter the room. I turned my head to face him and almost passed out. There, at the entrance of the room, stood the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I was overwhelmed with shock and confusion. The sage sat down beside me and smiled. “You probably want an explanation. Every day, people come from near and far to witness my physical beauty. After several years of teaching, I found that when someone sees my face when first encountering me, they are not able to experience all the other dimensions of my persona and character. Physical beauty can be wonderful, but without emotional, intellectual, and spiritual beauty, it is merely a distraction. I therefore decided to take a new approach. Every morning, when I greet

a new guest, I disguise myself as a hideous, grotesque individual. After disregarding my physical casing, they are able to spend the day focusing on all of my other characteristics, learning, growing, and enjoying themselves. At the end of the day, I take off the disguise and reveal my physical beauty as well. But now, the physical beauty no longer hides everything that lies within me, it reflects it.

YOSEF AND CHANUKAH

Parashas Mikeitz and the story of Yosef always fall out around Chanukah. This is not coincidental; the commentators discuss Yosef’s connection to Chanukah at great length. An obvious connection between Yosef and the Greeks is their association with beauty. Yosef is the only male in the Torah who is referred to as “beautiful” (Bereishis 39:6), and the Greeks originate from Yefes, whose name literally means “beauty.” In a similar vein, the Gemara states that despite the general prohibition of translating the Torah into other languages, it is permissible to translate the Torah into Greek due to the beauty of the language (Megillah 9b).

Additionally, in Parashas Noach, Noach blesses his two sons as follows: “Yaft Elokim l’Yefes, v’yishkon b’ohalei Shem — Hashem will grant beauty to Yefes, and he will dwell within the tents of Shem” (Bereishis 9:27). Yefes is the ancestor of the Greeks, and Shem is the ancestor of the Jews. This seemingly paints the Greeks as a positive force, as a beautiful nation, fitting to dwell within the framework and boundaries of Judaism. However, the Chanukah story and other incidents throughout Jewish history reveal a very negative and harmful relationship between the Jews and the Greeks. What then is the meaning behind the Torah’s positive portrayal of the Greeks, and what is the meaning behind their beauty?

In order to understand why both Yosef and the Greeks are referred to as beautiful, and the powerful connection between them, we must understand the spiritual concept of beauty in all of its depth. To do so, let us trace the spiritual concept of beauty back to the creation of man, before Adam HaRishon’s sin.

ADAM HARISHON

Before Adam sinned, he looked nothing like you or I do today. When we look at one another, all we see is flesh and bone, but if you looked at Adam before he sinned, his appearance was angelic, transcendent, luminescent. The Midrash says that he wore kosnos ohr (skin of light). When you looked at Adam, you didn’t see his body but saw Adam himself, i.e., his neshamah. When you look at a light bulb, all you see is radiant luminescence; only if you look very closely can you just make out the surface of the bulb. The same was true regarding Adam; he was luminescent. Only if you looked very closely could you just make out his physical body. His body was transparent, with the outside loyally and fully reflecting his inner self. This is true beauty, where the inner and outer melt into a oneness, where the physical perfectly reflects the inner spirituality; where the physical projects

something much deeper than itself. Beauty is the harmony and synthesis of different components, resulting in something infinitely greater than the sum of its parts.

When Adam sinned, however, the world fell, and Adam’s body fell as well. The physical no longer revealed the spiritual; it now hid it instead. Now, when we look at each other, we don’t see our true selves; all we see is a physical body. What was once light is now darkness. People can’t see your inner world, your thoughts, your consciousness, your emotions, or your soul; all they see is your external body. Now, in order to reveal yourself to other people, you must actively use the physical to reveal the spiritual. Only through your words, actions, facial expressions, and body language can people gain a glimpse into who you truly are. The body used to be incandescent and reveal, but now it only hides. It is up to us to reveal what lies inside.

THE CHANUKAH BATTLE

The conception of beauty was a fundamental point of contention in the battle between the Jewish People and the Greeks. The Greeks did not believe in using the physical to reflect anything higher; they viewed physical beauty as an end unto itself. Their focus was solely on the external; to them, beauty was physical perfection, detached from anything deeper. The Greeks introduced the Olympic Games, competition that idolizes the physical body. For the Greeks, true godliness was physical and intellectual perfection, albeit completely detached from each other. The physical and intellectual were completely independent; mind and soul did not permeate the physical but remained distinct and separate. This is why the Greeks come from Yefes, which means “beauty,” and why their language is referred to as beautiful. Ideally, the Greeks could have reflected true beauty, a perfect harmony and oneness between physical and spiritual beauty. This is the ideal that Noach hoped for when he said, “Yaft Elokim l’Yefes, v’yishkon b’ohalei Shem — Hashem will grant beauty to Yefes, and he will dwell within the tents of Shem” (Bereishis 9:27). Ideally, the Greeks would have harmonized with the Jews, joining the physical with the spiritual. Instead, they chose to corrupt true beauty, disconnecting the spiritual from the physical and projecting the physical as an independent end in itself.

YOSEF AND BEAUTY

Yosef is connected to Chanukah because he represents the harmony between the physical and the spiritual; he successfully utilized the physical to reflect something higher. The Torah calls him “beautiful” because his physical body projected something infinitely deeper than itself. This is the profound meaning behind the name that Pharaoh gives Yosef, Tzafnas Paaneiach, which means to “reveal the hidden” (Bereishis 41:43). A name reflects inner essence, and Yosef’s middah was true beauty — the ability to harmonize the physical with the spiritual, the hidden with the revealed. Yosef represents our victory over Greek

ideology, the ability to hold on and stay true to a life of Torah, to see the physical as a reflection of something infinitely deeper than itself.

YOSEF, TZION, AND TRUE BEAUTY

The Greeks attacked Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), trying to disconnect us from the Beis Hamikdash (Temple), the place where Hashem connects most intimately and deeply with our physical world. The place of the Beis Hamikdash is referred to as Tzion, a unique, beautiful and distinguished place. The pasuk in Tehillim refers to Tzion as the place of ultimate beauty: “MiTzion michlal yofi — From Tzion comes the embodiment of beauty” (Tehillim 50:2). The Gemara explains that all of the world’s beauty was given to Tzion, and it gave a tenth of its portion (maaser) to the rest of the world (Kiddushin 49b).

Yavan represents external, surface beauty, while Tzion represents true beauty. Yavan is comprised of the letters yud, vav, nun, while Tzion is comprised of those same three letters, along with a tzadi in front, the same root and shoresh of the word tzaddik. Yosef is referred to as “Yosef HaTzaddik,” because he places the tzaddi in front of Yavan, turning surface beauty into Tzion, true beauty. (While the common spelling of the letter צ’ is tzaddi, there is a very old tradition of referring to the letter צ’ as “tzaddik” as well; see Shabbos 104a. See also Magen David, letter tzaddik. See also Osiyos d’Rabi Akiva and Sefer HaBahir for more examples of the –צ’tzaddik connection.) Yosef represents the ability to shine inner, higher beauty through a physical medium. It is no coincidence that the gematria of Tzion is 156, the same gematria as Yosef. This is the hidden light of Chanukah, the light that illuminates the truth, helping us see that which lies beneath the surface. Beauty is much deeper than a description of how a person looks; it’s a way of life. A beautiful life is a life of oneness where we synthesize all the aspects of who we are; where our thoughts, words, and actions all reflect a higher purpose, a higher source, a higher reality. This is the beauty of Yosef; this is the light of Chanukah.

Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is a bestselling author, international speaker, and the CEO of Self-Mastery Academy. He has lectured internationally on topics of Torah thought, Jewish medical ethics, psychology, and leadership. 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, with a unique approach based on Torah values. After obtaining his BA from Yeshiva University, he received Semicha from Yeshiva University’s RIETS, a master’s degree in education from Azrieli Graduate School, and a master’s degree in Jewish Thought from Bernard Revel Graduate School. He then spent a year studying at Harvard as an Ivy Plus Scholar. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and son where he is pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago. To enjoy more of Rabbi Reichman’s content, to contact him, or to learn more about his services, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com

Weekly Dvar Torah

FROM ERETZ YISRAEL

The impact of so few on so many

BY RABBI DORON PEREZ

A few years ago, I read that an acceptable rounding error of a Chinese population census is 30 million – double the number of Jews in the world!

Despite this, the remarkable fact remains that this tiny people, of less than one-fifth of one percent of the world’s population, has impacted the course of humanity’s moral and spiritual history significantly more than China and arguably more than any other nation in history.

For me, one of the most profound lessons of Jewish history is this – so few can so deeply have an impact on so many. That strength lies not in numerical quantity but rather in the quality of the spirit.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the Chanukah story. One man, Matityahu, and his five sons, changed the course of Jewish history forever.

It was a time of Greek world domination, systematic global acculturation and the assimilation of the inhabitants

of the conquered nations and minorities throughout the Empire. Judea, the Jewish country at the time, was heavily influenced by the lure of Hellenistic culture. The Jewish people were in grave danger of losing their national and spiritual identity and vanishing as a distinct culture from the platform of human history, the fate of so many ancient nations. Had this small Hasmonean family not placed its finger into the rupturing dike, and not cemented the breach of the tumultuous and raging waters of cultural assimilation, the flame of Torah and Jewish destiny may very well have been snuffed out forever.

This one family stood up against the harsh decrees of the Syrian Greek King Antiochus Epiphanes, who threatened to uproot every last vestige of authentic Jewish life. They attracted supporters and grew in number, sparked a revolution, rebuilt a Jewish sovereign state, brought

cultural independence to Judea and rededicated the Temple in Yerushalayim. They succeeded in not only stemming the tide but in reinvigorating the Jewish people’s belief in themselves and G-d, enabling them to survive and push back the military, political and cultural onslaught of the dominant superpower at the time.

Outnumbered by 20-1, Judah made the following remarkable speech, recorded in the Book of Maccabees, before facing one of his many battles: “Victory in battle emanates not from the multitude of numbers but rather in the strength given from Heaven… Whatever the will of Heaven be, so shall it transpire.”

Today, over two millennia later, as a testament to the Maccabees’ display of incredible courage and faith, and their belief in the justice of the cause of Jewish destiny, we still observe Chanukah.

We live in a privileged generation that has seen a remarkable revival of the Hasmonean spirit. After the devastation of the Shoah – the horrific murder of onethird of our people and the destruction of almost the entire Yeshiva world – we have witnessed two miraculous rebirths, of Torah and of Israel.

A handful of surviving leaders rebuilt the world of Torah study over the course of a few short decades into arguably the largest cadre of Torah learners our people has ever had. And out of the desolate backwater of the Ottoman Empire, a small band of Zionist pioneers created the miracle of modern-day Israel. Reviving a nation, rebuilding a country, revitalizing a language and reigniting our spirit.

Two powerful examples of the essence of Jewish history and Divinely-directed destiny. Of how so few can have such a deep impact on so many.

Rabbi Doron Perez is Executive Chairman of World Mizrachi.

Mikeitz Sidra Summary

1ST ALIYA (KOHEN) – BEREISHIT 41:1-14

Pharaoh dreams that he is by the River Nile, from which seven healthy cows emerge. Seven lean cows follow them out of the river and consume them. Pharaoh then dreams about seven good ears of grain on a stalk, which are swallowed up by seven thin ears growing after them. Pharaoh’s magicians cannot interpret the dreams satisfactorily. The cupbearer, who had been imprisoned with Yosef, tells Pharaoh that Yosef interprets dreams. Pharaoh summons Yosef from prison.

2ND ALIYA (LEVI) – 41:15-38

Pharaoh relates both dreams to Yosef,

“Then Pharaoh said to Yosef, ‘In my dream, behold! – I was standing on the bank of the River. And out of the River there emerged seven cows’” (Bereishit 41:17-18)

who explains that there will be seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. He advises Pharaoh to appoint someone to oversee grain storage during the years of plenty.

3RD

ALIYA

(SHLISHI) – 41:39-52

Pharaoh appoints Yosef as viceroy of Egypt to implement his economic plan. Pharaoh gives Yosef his ring, dresses him in regal clothes, changes his name and gives him a lady called Asenat to marry. They have two sons, Menashe and Ephraim. Yosef organises mass grain storage during the seven years of plenty.

4TH ALIYA (REVI’I) – 41:53-42:1

The famine begins and the Egyptians are starving. Yosef sells them spare provisions. There is also a famine in Cana’an. Yaakov tells his sons, apart from Binyamin, to go to buy food in Egypt. The sons arrive in Egypt. Yosef recognises them but they do not recognise him. Yosef accuses them of spying and imprisons them; they will only be released after one of them goes to fetch Binyamin.

5TH ALIYA (CHAMISHI) – 42:19-43:15

Three days later, Yosef changes the

conditions. One of the brothers must stay in prison; the others must go to Cana’an to bring Binyamin. Yosef imprisons Shimon and sends back the brothers with grain in their bags. Yosef also plants money in the bags. During their journey, Levi discovers the money in his bag and fears that Yosef will accuse them of theft (Rashi). The brothers arrive home and tell Yaakov their story. They discover that in fact each one of them has money ‘planted’ in his bag. Yaakov refuses to let Binyamin go. Yehuda persists, guaranteeing Binyamin’s safety. Yaakov finally agrees, telling them to take a tribute for Yosef, in addition to the original ‘planted money’ and payment for the new grain.

Point to Consider: Why did Yosef specifically choose to imprison Shimon? (see Rashi to 42:24)

6TH ALIYA (SHISHI) – 43:16-44:17

The brothers arrive in Egypt. Yosef instructs his chamberlain to invite his brothers to come in and eat a meal. Shimon is released. Yosef asks them if Yaakov is still alive. He identifies and blesses Binyamin. Overcome with emotion, Yosef rushes to his room, cries, composes himself, then

returns and gives them all food. Yosef orders them to be sent home, but has his own silver goblet ‘planted’ in Binyamin’s sack. Yosef’s chamberlain chases after them, accusing them of stealing the goblet. After denying the charge, they find the cup in Binyamin’s sack. They return to the palace. Yosef demands that Binyamin remain as his slave, allowing the others to leave. Yehuda says that they will all stay as slaves, not just Binyamin.

7TH ALIYA (SHEVI’I) – (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.

MAFTIR (BEMIDBAR 7:42-47)

The special Maftir reading for Chanukah is taken from parashat Naso, which details the offerings brought by the tribal heads to celebrate the inauguration of the Mishkan.

HAFTARAH FOR SHABBAT CHANUKAH (ZECHARIA 2:14-4:7)

Yehoshua was the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) at the time of the inauguration of the second Temple. The prophet Zecharia describes an angel warning Yehoshua to listen to G-d’s laws and perform the Temple services properly. The angel shows Yehoshua a Menorah with olive trees on either side of it, symbolising prosperity and spirituality.

We live in a privileged generation that has seen a remarkable revival of the Hasmonean spirit.

Eight Miracles, Not One

BY GAV COHN

We do not just thank G-d for the miracle of the oil on the first day of Chanukah, when the Maccabees found that sealed jar of oil. Rather, as the Talmud rules, we recite the blessing of “she’asa nissim”, that G-d performed miracles for us, on all eight days of Chanukah.

This must mean that each and every day that the oil continued to burn was a miracle.

The Maccabees didn’t stumble upon some miraculous, wonder-oil –a supernatural, solve-all substance that magically burnt for eight days straight. Rather, they found a small amount of very natural olive oil and an extended miracle occurred, the burning oil lasted for eight days. Thus, we thank G-d for the miracle of the oil each day of Chanukah. We often don’t just stumble upon some

miraculous person or job or hit upon a supernatural formula that makes a certain situation the perfect one for us. Like the jar of oil, the successful endeavours that we have in our lives, that miraculous spark, isn’t always inherent, a one-off miracle. Rather, each and every day that we work on these normal, natural relationships or tasks, persistently filling them with positivity, is where the magic lies.

The miracle of this natural olive oil burning for eight days teaches us that it’s the longevity and endurance of the most normal things that is what’s truly wondrous.

In our Shemoneh Esreh, we thank G-d for this as well, celebrating when our days are going well and showing recognition for how the normal passing of our lives is in fact a Divine gift. We praise G-d “for your miracles that are with us every day, and for your wonders and good deeds that are with us at all times, evening, morning, and midday.”

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Make your dreams come true this year with a stunning Pesach holiday of a lifetime in the Greek Island. of Rhodes. Based at the luxury Elysium Resort and Spa from April 4-16. The five-star hotel is set on the waterfront at Kallithea beach, just a 15-minute drive from the city centre, and boasts facilities including indoor and outdoor heated pools, a Turkish steam bath, gym, sauna, and spa with 13 treatment rooms. Pesach packages are Glatt Mehadrin, under the strict supervision of Rabbi Berel Simpser as recognised by KLBD.

Star attractions include world famous singer ‘Ohad,’ Rabbi Hadar, Rabbi Dr. Laibl Wolf and popular London Rabbi Yossi Fachler, The Solomon Brothers band and the exciting menus will be headed up by Executive world-famous Chef Arik Porat, the head chef at the Dan Accadia Hotel for many years and Avi Steinitz who has impressively been head chef in many leading hotels across Israel including The King David, the Dan Tel Aviv and the Dan Eilat! See the exciting advert on page 3 this week and quote ‘Jewish Weekly’ for family and group discounts. They are also offering £250 off your flights!

You can also take your next vacation in several the world’s hottest spots such as Japan, Cuba, Iceland, Morocco, Havana, Hawaii or India with Kosher Travelers exotic group tours providing the perfect solution. Alternately, consider a relaxing fully Kosher Ocean or River cruise in July/August 2023.

All Kosher Travelers destinations are augmented with Jewish heritage Sites, beautiful Shabbat atmosphere and esteemed Guest speakers.

In 2008 Melbourne power couple David & Chana Walles and their family made Aliyah and purchased Eddie’s Travel & Tourism Ltd, established by Eddie Freudmann z”l in London in 1979. With the company rebranded as Kosher Travelers, the business expanded rapidly to cater for English-speaking Jewish travellers from around the world.

“Our clients come from USA, Canada, Britain, Europe, South Africa and, of course, Australia,” David told The Jewish Weekly live from Dubai.

“People who join our tours do not have to be strictly Orthodox – the common denominator is that all the tours are fully kosher. “There are no religious level criteria to join our tours, cruises or hotel

programs and we don’t ask any questions about your religious observance.

“We design tours to destinations that are hard to navigate, and we bring our own team of chefs to prepare kosher meals wherever we go and visit Jewish heritage sites where relevant. We recently took more than 100 people to Iceland, which has become one of the world’s hottest travel destinations, and the feedback was excellent. A quick look at our website testimonial page will testify to this”

Kosher Travelers has four 10-day Iceland tours scheduled in 2023 between June and October. The tours start in Reykjavik, the capital, and include natural wonders such as glaciers, hot springs, volcanoes and lava fields, snow-capped mountains, waterfalls and the aurora borealis (Northern Lights). As well they visit Reykjavik’s high-tech attraction, Fly Over where special effects enable visitors to simulate an exhilarating flight across the country.

Among the range of popular Kosher Travelers tours are those held in Cuba, India, Tuscany, Japan, Morocco. Each tour is accompanied by an expert English-speaking local guide.

David says “It is the tour guide that makes or breaks the tour and David takes painstaking efforts to ensure they are the best available by personally interviewing and checking their credentials and spoken English skills”

Following the signing of the Abraham Accords in September 2020 which normalised relations between Israel and the UAE, there has been tremendous growth in the number of Jewish travellers visiting Dubai and Abu Dhabi, including tours organised by Kosher Travelers.

“We call our tours to UAE ‘missions’ as they include special speakers such as David M. Weinberg, who is a brilliant

geo-political analyst and Jerusalem Post columnist. We have already organised four tours to the UAE since Dec 2021 with the latest sell out tours including a November and a Chanuka tour that featured a special family track to visit and enjoy the fantastic world class attractions.”

Dubai is home to the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building; Palm Jumeirah, a man-made island shaped like a palm; an indoor ski field and theme parks as well as markets and historical sites. Abu Dhabi is billed as the world’s richest city with attractions including the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum and the Presidential Palace.

Activities include a 4 x 4 sand dune desert safari followed by a kosher BBQ dinner in the desert with camel rides, music and dance.

Morocco’s fusion of French, African, Arab and Islamic cultures, along with its rich Jewish history, makes it a fascinating destination. Kosher Travelers tours will take you to the famous cities of Fez, Marrakech and Casablanca and include

overnight glamping in the Sahara.

In December David and Chana head to Hawaii to host a tour, it’s a first for Kosher Travelers being a four-island tour with 70 people over the 10 days visiting Maui, Ohau, Kauai and the Big Island. Everyone who is joining has told us that such a tour has been in their bucket list for decades, but have never been able to do it,” said David.

“Our motto at Kosher Travelers is Discover, Connect and Enrich and they are the objectives for all our tours. Guests on all our Tourism projects get to discover the culture of the destination, make family and friendly connections and leave entirely enriched by the experience. If we can’t deliver these elements on every tour, we won’t even start the process”

For more information and to receive a free brochure and newsletter, visit koshertravelers.com

Take the hassle out of Travel by joining a unique group tour to idyllic and exotic holiday destinations around the world with Kosher Travelers…

Jewish Weekly Editor Yossi Saunders caught up with David Walles to hear more.

Pool and beach at the Elysium Resort and Spa

PHOTO: ELYSIUM RESORT AND SPA

PHOTO: ELYSIUM RESORT AND SPA

One of the rooms on offer

Mikeitz

The dream theme continues and this week we have Pharaoh having two dreams. The first talks of cows, the second of ears of corn. He doesnt understand his dreams so the Butler remembers that there’s a Jewish lad in jail. They rush Yosef from the pit and bring him to Pharaoh. Yosef informs Pharaoh that there’ll be seven years of loads of food followed by seven years of famine. In the meantime they should store loads of food for the years of hunger. Pharaoh is amazed at Yosef’s brilliant ideas and then appoints him as second in command! The years pass and the famine strikes Egypt and the Holy Land and Yosef’s brothers come down to Egypt and bow down to Yosef. Yosef wanted to check that they’ll never repeat their harsh behaviour to a brother so he tests them. He pretends he doesn’t know who they are (and they actually did not know who he was either). He instructed his son to hide his goblet in Binyomin’s sack and when it was found there, he threatened to keep Binyomin as a slave. The brothers were completely shaken by this and, next week, Yehuda will tell Yosef exactly why it is impossible for him to return home without Binyomin!

in association with

Messi joins Pele and Maradona at summit

struck two late goals to send the match into extra time. Messi bagged his second only for Mbappe to hit his hat-trick, the first player to do so since Sir Geoff Hurst back in 1966.

Argentine Emiliano Martinez saved from Kingsley Coman, Aurelian Tchouameni missed, leaving Gonzalo Montiel to fire home the spot kick to signal wild celebrations back home.

A national holiday was declared on Tuesday for the conquering heroes. But an open-top bus parade was abandoned due to safety grounds as millions packed the streets of Buenos Aires. The squad showed off the trophy from the skies by helicopter.

This is Argentina’s third World Cup triumph after Maradona’s team in 1986 and the first in 1978.

Messi has grabbed the global headlines and rightly so. His Instagram message celebrating the World Cup win is the most-liked post ever.

goals, his World Cup 26 appearances are also a record. Having led Argentina to the World Cup, Copa America, Finalissima, Olympic Games Gold and U20 World Cup there is nothing else to win for his nation.

In European football Messi has won every honour with Barcelona including 4 Champions League titles, 10 La Liga, 7 Copa del Rey, 3 Club World Cup, 3 European Super Cup and 8 Supercopa de Espana. Messi has also won the French Ligue 1 with

Individual accolades are too numerous to mention but amongst his honours are an MVP Copa America, 2022 and 2014 World Cup Golden Ball, FIFA World Player, 7 Ballon d’Or, 6 European Golden Shoe, 7 Pichichi La Liga, 9 MVP La Liga and 6 Champions of Soccer titles.

BY DAVID SAFFER

Lionel Messi has joined the pantheon of all-time football greats after leading Argentina to victory against France in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

This was his last tilt at the ultimate international prize and now the footballing maestro has won everything the game has to offer. The coming months will bring more individual honours to add to his collection but a World Cup winners medal was the one he most craved. And he claimed it in the most extraordinary game against France last Sunday at the Lusail Stadium that will stand the test of time.

Messi scored twice in a 3-3 draw before

slotting home the opening penalty in a 4-2 shoot out triumph.

Argentina had led 2-0 through Messi and Angel Di Maria before Kylian Mbappe

Messi wrote: “WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!!! I dreamed it so many times, I wanted it so much that I still haven’t fallen, I can’t believe it...... Thank you very much to my family, to all who sup port me and also to all who believed in us. We demonstrate once again that Argentines when we fight to gether and united we are capable of achieving what we set out to do. The merit belongs to this group, which is above individualities, it is the strength of all fighting for the same dream that was also the dream of all Argentines... We did it!!!

LET’S GO ARGENTINA”.

Messi’s official foot ball records are simply astonishing.

Argentina’s all-time re cord goalscorer with 98 goals in 172 games in cluding 13 World Cup

His goal scoring exploits for Barcelona are too numerous to mention but include an alltime tally of 671 goals, a Guinness World Record calendar year 91 goals (2012), 40+ club goals in 10 consecutive seasons (2009/10 - 2018/19) and six club competitions (2011/12 & 2015/16).

The Pele-Maradona-Messi debate will continue as long as football is

I’m told I saw the ‘66 final but my first World Cup memory was the legendary 1970 Brazilian team. I was delighted to meet six of them at a sporting event a few years back. I’m as thrilled to have seen live one of Messi’s 36 La Liga hat-tricks for Barcelona live at the Nou Camp back in 2020!

Messi has grabbed the global headlines and rightly so. His Instagram message celebrating the World Cup win is the mostliked post ever.

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There is no definitive answer to this question as both routes have their pros and cons which depend on a variety of factors, but mainly your personal circumstances.

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An additional consideration is that you are likely to benefit from the human element of using a broker rather than an “online tool” as the broker should understand the intricacies of each provider, which is likely to save you significant time and potential aggravation in the long run.

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Jacob

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This seems to be a running theme with Jewish holidays and each one has it’s traditional dish. Chanukah is all about the fried food. We always have a family get together on the first night of Chanukah where we open presents around the fire place and have an excellent meal of roasted goose (when it’s available), my mum’s amazing potato latkes with apple sauce and hot dogs for the kids. With Kosher Deli’s special offer of a pack of latkes when you spend over £30 (see ts and cs online) at least you don’t have to slave over a hot stove to get your fried goods in. But if you do want to go that extra mile and make your own, why not add some of our pulled brisket to your latke batter for an easy all in one snack? Just leave out the gravy and reduce a little to use as a dipping sauce.

When we go to my uncle for his Chanukah party he makes Moroccan binuelos which are basically fried dough rings and you can choose to have them rolled in sugar for dessert or with a fried egg inside and some pulled beef and gravy for a real artery blocker.

Shabbat Chanukah is always a special one, we have lots of people over and make all the extra special foods that come out when we go a bit over the top like my gradmother’s roast beef with caramelised onions. We’ll also be serving a Deluxe Meat Board at our get together and you could win one of four that we are giving away over Chanukah. Check out our instagram for details of the giveaway.

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True cultural lesson of Chanukah

BY DR DANIEL RYNHOLD

As we approach Chanukah, we likely think first of the miracle of the oil that we commemorate each night as we light the hanukkiah. But the battle that the Maccabees fought was about much more than fuel for the Menorah. So, on second thought we turn to the military battle, the victory of a group of Maccabean rebels over the might and power of the Greeks, potentially a greater miracle than the apparently more supernatural oil trick. And yet, as we are taught, the ultimate victory on Chanukah was not physical. So, on third thought (if that’s even a phrase), Chanukah was a battle for the very soul of early Judaism, through the ability of a group of Jews to repel the cultural forces of Hellenism in their attempt to remain loyal to Jewish particularism.

It strikes many of us, however, that even this third iteration of the Chanukah lesson is too simplistic. When Maimonides writes

his Guide of the Perplexed, he begins by telling us that his ideal reader is “a religious man for whom the validity of our Law has become established in his soul and has become actual in his belief.” But he immediately adds that this putative reader has also “studied the sciences of the philosophers and come to know what they signify.” So much for the defeat of Hellenism…

The true cultural lesson of Chanukah, therefore, as it extends down to us today, seems rather more nuanced. It goes without saying that Judaism is a particular religion that resists complete translation into universal terms. But as an “ohr la-goyim,” a light unto the nations, it cannot be hermetically sealed off from the world around it. Maintaining difference is central, but it was Maimonides once again who wrote in his Commentary to The Mishnah that “one should accept the truth from whatever source it proceeds.” It is, then, in our ability to be fully ensconced in our own heritage while yet maintaining that there can be value in the best the world around

us has to offer that the Chanukah story ultimately wends its way into our lives.

This, of course, is the ideal of Torah Umadda, the watchword of New York’s Yeshiva University almost from its inception. The minimal understanding of this ideal is the pursuit of the study of Torah along with secular disciplines, but its highest form is in their interaction, whereby each pursuit enriches the other.

There is no area where this interaction is as intimate and potentially rewarding as in the use of the tools of the academy to enhance one's understanding of Judaism.

The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies is the locus at Yeshiva University for precisely this interaction. While the academic study of Judaism presents both extensive benefits and some challenges, the men and women who study at Revel experience an environment suffused with a commitment to the authentic letter and spirit of historic Judaism, while at the same time finding themselves in a school with an extraordinary faculty who teach and publish at the highest academic level.

Born and bred in London myself, and a one-time lecturer at the London School of Jewish Studies, I am delighted that Revel now, through a partnership with LSJS, offers master’s degrees to students in the UK. But it is to another one-time faculty member at Yeshiva University born and bred in London to whom I grant the final word.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l, was an exemplar of the worldview presented above, and wrote movingly of faith as “like being secure in one’s home, yet moved by the beauty of foreign places, knowing that they are someone else’s home, not mine, but still part of the glory of the world that is ours.” I would only add that sometimes, we may even want to come home with some souvenirs. With Chanukah, in the long term, that’s exactly what we did.

Dr Mordecai D. Katz Dean, Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Yeshiva University

To find out more about how to join the MA Jewish Studies please visit www.lsjs.ac.uk