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From the front line…
Roses are red, violets are blue. Royal Mail may leave you fuming, It’s true.
BY JACQUELINE CURZON
Now, if like myself you’re a person who likes to buy in bulk and appreciate savings, you may have been rather incensed to hear that the Royal Mail is going to introduce new barcoded stamps which will render any you may have collected over the years - displaying first or second class, or perhaps just some interesting stamps displaying a price - potentially worthless. I think it’s disingenuous for them to say that you may be allowed to exchange them on an unsecured basis before the regular stamps become invalid in January 2023.
As somebody recently commented, the purchase of a stamp is like any other civil contract, and both parties are bound by the terms and conditions as they were at the time of purchase. Should the Royal Mail want to make a new for old exchange, it should make it secure such as by allowing exchange at the post office. It should not be an arbitrary decision made by a third-party. On the same tag I would like to applaud one of our stalwart retailers, John Lewis plc, who in days of old used to issue paper gift vouchers. Now having amassed a fairly sizable collection of these via gifts and tokens of appreciation over the years, I'm delighted to see these will be recognised in any John Lewis store, a fact verified only just this week when I had cause to go in for a quick purchase. As I have found out, and potentially many of you also, if you have a collection of plastic gift cards with pre-programmed expiry dates, this is nothing more than a customer con, a rip-off and a way to alienate customers. All the more so in these times of Covid and lockdowns, so when your gift card may have ‘expired’ you may have been rendered unable to shop, having had to isolate or had a Covid yourself and then you discover - hey ho - the ‘time limit’ is up, which effectively means that the store keeps your money and breaks the contract. I’ve always been an advocate that a gift card is in reality no different from a cash transaction and as such should not have any expiry attached to it. The biggest defaulter on this is a centre close to Watford where I have a lost many hundreds of pounds by either having been given very small gifts in electronic cards {which of course one would choose to accrue, rather than rush off to a not-so-local store to spend your £5 or £10}. Only you then turn up with £50 worth of electronic vouchers only to be told, sorry you’re out of time. So kol hakavod and well done to John Lewis plc, for sticking to principles. Boo to the not-so-loyal, Royal Mail.
A mother saved her 3 year-old son after he fell through a manhole cover under their home, into a cesspit with 3000 gallons of sewage. Bertie Saul had fallen five feet into the pit, but turned on his back to stay afloat. His mother Christine (41) jumped into the pitch blackness after she heard Bertie screaming for help. The pair from Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire were rescued by passers-by. His mother said, ‘I go in the water with him at swimming and I think these (lessons) saved his life.’
Alexei Navalny could face another 10 years in prison on further charges whilst the world is distracted with the Ukrainian crisis. As Putins most vocal critic, he was jailed last February for 2 1/2 years on old fraud chargers, after surviving a near-fatal poisoning which he blamed on the Kremlin. In a hearing scheduled this week at the penal colony of Pokrov, 60 miles outside Moscow, the court plans to consider additional fraud and contempt of court charges. Navalny said his case was “so pathetic they’re afraid to hold it in Moscow.’ His wife Yulia wrote on Instagram, ‘.. you cowards and scoundrels, I demand I’m allowed to attend my husband‘s trial. He’s an honest man and you are keeping him in prison because he’s not afraid of the government.’ Navalny also faces a further 6 months in prison for contempt of court during one of the previous hearings. If Putin was not so much a coward himself he would permit fair, transparent and public hearings into these alleged offences. And enough of the tag-on sentencing. We all see it for what it is!
Boris Johnson has found time amongst dealing with his weary domestic woes and foreign gallivants to pay a visit to Scotland, where of course he is not particularly popular. There is no doubt that the majority of Scots do appreciate the financial benefits of being part of the union. The PM said he left behind a ‘golden opportunity’ for some of Scotland’s most depressed areas to stage revivals by becoming freeports, where more generous taxation and business rates regimens could encourage entrepreneurs creating much-needed employment. This is an opportunity now only available thanks to the UK being no longer subject to the rules of the EU, the very block which
FM Nicola Sturgeon wants Scotland to rejoin. However in return for sanctioning two freeports, Johnson forced her to choose between a chance of economic recovery or toadying up to the Scottish
Green Party who are not just increasingly Marxist in their outlook, but fiercely opposed to freeports and who may still be planning some sort of guerilla tactic to undermine the plan. In exchange for the £52 million in start-up funding to be provided by the UK government,
Sturgeon ignored the Greens, agreeing to then provide significant tax relief whilst the Treasury is expected to offer enhanced tax allowances. Behind the resolution of the freeport political wrangling was Kate Forbes, the SNP finance secretary, who UK negotiators found more pragmatic than her junior colleague Ivan McKee. Following a year long power play over the SNPs original plans to call them Greenports, the new ventures will be called Green Freeports, without any deference nor association to her ‘green’ allies, who have referred to this as ‘green washing.’ It’s possibly just as well then that the Greens were not called the Scottish Brains, or they would accuse her of
‘brain washing.’
Nicola Williams, director of Fair Play for Women, has said that the SNP proposals to allow people to legally change their gender under Nicola Sturgeons trans-reforms will open up a ‘clear loophole that will allow people from other parts of the UK to obtain legal change in gender under the Scottish system, before then demanding new birth certificates in their home countries.’ She said alarm bells should be ringing at Westminster and suggested the proposals might be unconstitutional as SNP ministers were ‘acting well beyond their devolved powers.’ The SNP is determined to drop the requirement for medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria in order to obtain a gender recognition certificate. Worse - the period in which someone must live in their ‘acquired gender’ would be cut from two years to only three months, additionally opening of the process for 16 and 17-year-olds.
A doctor sacked from his job for refusing to acknowledge a transgender woman is taking his case to the High Court claiming those with ‘gender critical beliefs’ are being coerced and threatened. Dr David Mackereth (58) was dismissed in 2018 as a disability assessor for the DWP after refusing to renounce his Christian belief, that gender is determined biologically at birth. He told a manager he would not refer to a transgender woman as ‘she,’ adding that his faith meant he could not reasonably describe any 6 foot tall, bearded man as ‘madam.’ The following year the Reformed Baptist went to an unemployment tribunal in Birmingham, claiming he had been unfairly dismissed because of his Christian beliefs. He claimed the DWP‘s refusal to allow them to address the client by their biological sex breached his right to freedom of thought, conscience and right to practice his religion. However the tribunal judges sitting in October 2019 concluded religious belief is not protected by the Equality Act 2010, but was instead ‘mere opinion.’ The Christian Legal Centre supporting his challenge believe a recently landmark ruling in favour of Maya Forstater, who was sacked from her job at a think tank for saying people cannot change their biological sex, will help them overturn the tribunal ruling in the High Court next month. Forstater lost her case at tribunal but won a High Court appeal in 2019 when a judge found ‘gender-critical beliefs’ fell under the Equality Act, in part because they did not seek to destroy the rights of any trans-person. Dr Mackereth said, ‘the employment tribunal judgement from two years ago said … you have to believe in transgender ideology,’ and that is totalitarianism. A DWP spokesman said, ‘we cannot comment on ongoing legal proceedings.’ An energy supplier has apologised to 74 of its customers after their homes were accidentally issued Storm Arwen compensation cheques of more than £2.3 trillion. Compensation is been paid to tens of thousands of customers who were left without power when severe winds swept across the UK last year. Northern Powergrid confirmed 74 customers were sent compensation cheques of incorrect amounts. Haha! Should you be in possession of such a generous payment, do let us know if you are then the lucky bidder on the ‘pop art’ Bentley shown on the page, being sold at Bonhams on March 3rd. The car's cute design was the brainchild of Sir Peter Blake, who also designed the artwork for the Beatles Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club album cover (1967). He was commissioned to design the artwork for Bentley in 2016 and decades further on Sir Peter still showed incredible savoir faire in contemporary design. The vehicle was snapped up at a cost of £250,000, but could be yours for a sporty and probably eye-catching £500,000!
Jacqueline Curzon
PHOTO: LARA MINSKY PHOTOGRAPHY
Bentley Continental designed by Peter Blake
Michael heads adult education from holy land
BY DAVID SAFFER
London School of Jewish Studies trains teachers across Jewish primary and secondary schools.
Courses are attended by people across the Jewish community who value lifelong learning.
Since Covid-19, LSJS have created a vibrant online learning community which consists of people across the world, including ex-pat Brits who live in America and Israel.
There are different access points into teaching whether it’s for graduates wanting to be teachers, candidates looking for a career change, older people getting into teaching, teachers in schools who haven’t qualified or people that want to be Jewish Studies teachers.
Michael Rainsbury is based in Israel as Head of Adult Education at LSJS and came through the training programme to be a teacher at King Solomon High School.
Hailing from South Woodford, Michael, 35, is married to Dana with two children.
Michael grew up with Bnei Akiva, thriving as a leader and Rosh of local branches and camps. His journey into teaching with LSJS and how his career has developed is illuminating.
“When I finished university, it seemed logical to apply to work for Bnei Akiva where I was Education Worker and then National Director,” he recalled. “When I finished my time at BA, I did have other potential careers in mind but when I thought about teaching, it just seemed more of a natural fit. I really wanted to teach in my local community so applied for a job as a teacher at King Solomon High School (now Kantor King Solomon High School) via the LSJS Graduate Training Programme, it has since changed name to Schools Direct.
“It was not a long process to join the year-long course, which I needed to pass in order to continue teaching, though there were also requirements in my second year. It involved teaching four days at school and one at LSJS where we studied teaching models, reflected on our teaching and learned theory.
“I went on a teaching placement to a non-Jewish school where I observed the Religious Studies department. I was observed many times and received a personal mentor both within and outside of school to help me through the year. I also visited schools and observed lessons at the Jewish schools where my course fellows were teaching.”
He added, “I was in a group of seven people, there was a real diversity amongst the teachers on the course, which allowed for many enriching discussions. We had teachers from Yesodei HaTorah, Menorah Girls, JFS and King Solomon. And we all went to each others' schools to observe lessons, which was quite the culture shock in both ways. The ensuing discussions, on topics such as how Israel and the creation story are taught in the different schools, were always polite and respectful. I think this made a deep impact on all of us.
“For me the most challenging part was the observations. Although I feel at home when I am educating, I felt that observations were like conducting an orchestra at a concert with an audience. Every part of the lesson had to run like clockwork, and I had to manage the room so that everyone was on top form!”
So how would Michael evaluate his experience with LSJS?
“I received a lot of personal attention from the staff at LSJS and this certainly impacted on my successfully completing the course, no doubt about it,” he observed.
Michael is Head of Adult Education at LSJS responsible for running courses, events and tours that LSJS is famous for.
He also works in the teacher training department, including running LSjS’ flagship Teach To Lead programme for outstanding teachers and the Jewish Studies conferences.
Based on the transformative Teach First model, Teach to Lead takes the highest calibre graduates with a track record in Jewish leadership and a passion for Jewish values and learning for this most fundamental of roles.
The programme is based around the School Direct fully paid training programme with students employed from day one in a Jewish school. In addition, it incorporates intensive leadership training and mentoring, giving opportunities to develop these skills at an accelerated rate. Participants will be exposed to examples of great leadership from our schools and from our wider community. They benefit from a variety of placements and exposure to teaching in Jewish schools abroad. They will have the option to fast track to a Masters’ degree as well as gaining their teaching qualification.
It is LSJS’ hope that Jewish studies teachers from primary through to secondary school education will inspire and challenge children showing them the relevance of their Jewish heritage to 21st century lives.
The National Jewish Education Conference for Jewish Studies teachers in the Primary sector has recently celebrated its 11th annual conference with the theme of Heart and Soul.
The third annual Secondary School conference is planned for May this year.
The conferences equip teachers with new skills and knowledge that they can use to increase the impact of JS/Kodesh lessons. The conference is also an annual opportunity for over 200 teachers across the Jewish schools to network with colleagues, sharing ideas and discussing classroom strategies.”
Michael works from Israel, which brings its challenges but also many opportunities.
“It's certainly a new way of working, but I definitely feel as welcomed into the office as if I was going into it in Hendon every day,” he said.
Looking back on his teaching journey to date, what tips does Michael have for anyone who wishes to go into teaching?
“If you have the passion, do it,” he said. “The first year of teaching is very hard, there's no sugarcoating that but if you believe in what you're doing, and you have the talent to think on your feet and the confidence that you can impact young people's lives, then go for it. The difference between my first and second years was huge. And every day I appreciated the work I had done to get to where I was.”
Michael Rainsbury, LSJS Head of Adult Education
LSJS offers a range of training courses to get your career in teaching started. To find out more and details on bursaries please visit www.lsjs.ac.uk or call 0208 203 6427.
17 FEBRUARY 2022
The news of the הריטפ of Mrs Tova Yodaiken ה’’ע (daughter of Reb Chaim Hillel and Mrs Estelle Gittleson ה’’ע ) on תבט ח’’י sent shockwaves around the Manchester הליהק and beyond, causing much pain and sadness to everyone who crossed paths with this unique individual. Although unassuming by nature, her influence went far beyond those close to her and she impacted tremendously on anyone who knew her. She was a “real” and genuine person who displayed a true םיקולא תבריק and authentic לארשי תבהא .
Mrs Yodaiken had a strong inner היטנ towards ם יינחור םירבד which expressed itself in many ways. She encouraged her husband to go back to learning after their chasuna although this meant moving to Gateshead without support from family and friends and having to compromise on living standards. She felt honoured to be able to host a weekly shiur from Horav Yisrael Rakow א’’טילש and often mentioned how much she loved the geshmaker הרות לוק which reverberated throughout the house. She showed much תובישח to her husband’s learning and would ensure that every siyum he made, was celebrated as a special occasion with its due importance and simcha. For a number of years, a minyan was held in the house on תבש ליל and תבש יאצומ (aptly called “יתיב יכ הליפת תיב ”). The numerous תוליפת davened in the minyan, making her home into a םוקמ השודק, brought her immense joy and satisfaction. From a side room, she would join in to the beautiful davening and listen intently to the הרות ירבד delivered there. Hearing duchening was the highlight of the year for her and she was so proud of the תוכז she had to have brought up her own minyan of םינהכ.
Mrs Yodaiken constantly pointed out the beauty of Hashem’s world and channelled her love for gardening, nature and areas of scenic beauty, into opportunities to bring out the ארובה תואלפנ. For her, every flower, tree, animal and bird was another expression of the Divine Plan. She was seen cutting a fruit for a 3-year-old einikel and excitedly describing to him the intricate detail of its colour and design! Seeing Hashem all around her, blessed her with the clarity of mind that carried her through the trauma of her husband’s stroke that left him paralysed on his right side –she was strengthened with the knowledge that if ה’’בקה gives a person a ןויסנ, He sends with it all the tools necessary to deal with it. It was this acute awareness of Hashem’s presence which was exemplified as she battled with her final illness. When she first received the dire diagnosis that she was stricken with advanced stages of the machla ע’’ל, and was told by doctors that she had only a short while to live, she accepted it with unbelievable הנומא and sat in her room singing with every fibre of her being, the song “Thank you Hashem”! This display of הנומא was apparent throughout the entire period of her illness where each time she heard the “brutal” prognosis of the doctors, she accepted it calmly as Hashem’s will. Whenever she came home with a bottle of chemotherapy treatment she would exclaim to her family “are you not coming to see my bottle of Nissim?!” Even when she was in pain or discomfort she was never heard to complain about her situation.
Mrs Yodaiken excelled in the הדמ of האדוה and would constantly thank those that did even the smallest things for her, expending much time and thought into sending appropriate presents and into the accompanying beautifully written cards.
She had a special passion for the הוצמ of םיחרוא תסנכה and if for whatever reason she hadn’t managed to invite guests by Thursday night, even so, she would lay an extra setting, saying “hopefully a guest will still come and if not, this will be for והילא איבנה”.
Anyone entering the threshold of her home was immediately enveloped by the inviting warmth from within. It’s no wonder that so many bochurim considered the Yodaiken household as their home-away-from-home! Whilst her guests would periodically send gifts thanking for her hospitality, she would send the guests presents thanking them for making the Shabbos table so special.
She was blessed with an unusual ability to live in the present (widely called “Mindfulness”) experiencing every moment to its fullest. This was especially noticeable on Shabbos or Yom Tov which she savoured and cherished throughout the full תעל תעמ. The Shabbos table was a time to connect with Hashem and she was particular that תורימז were sung from start to finish without interruption as “we are singing to ה’’בקה”. If the conversation at the table ever veered towards speaking about others, she immediately showed her displeasure. She often said over קוזיח ירבד which she had seen or heard, and at times referred to her meticulous Sem notes which she treasured and quoted from, even many years later, with gusto and enthusiasm. She encouraged everyone to bench from a bencher ensuring greater הנווכ. Besides for the gourmet meals she prepared, she would also prepare herself for the תוינחור of the Yomim Tovim by reading various books to appreciate the deeper meaning of every Yom Tov.
Her rare ability to truly listen to others and feel their pain or joy, made her the best choice for many to turn to as a sounding board or for practical advice and tips. During the shiva, lots of people expressed how they were touched by her warmth, care, and genuine interest in their welfare. This even included those who are usually ignored by the general public.
Mrs Yodaiken had the capability to relate to people of all ages and backgrounds, a skill which she put into good use over the years whilst attending the SEED seminars and events and again during her latter years when she tenderly and caringly taught ב א for over a decade in Yocheved Segal Kindergarten. Countless children said how much they loved going to read with “Miss Tova”, (as she was fondly known) and couldn’t wait to be called in to her room. Within her large family too, her gift of being able to bring out the particular strengths and תוחוכ of each individual child, made every son feel like a דיחי ןב!
She was a person with a rare combination - gebensht with תכל ענצה (discussion about herself or her achievements being non-existent) and shying away from the limelight, yet she exuded a magnetic aura which captivated all those she came into contact with. The non- Jewish nurse caring for her during her final illness summed this all up by saying- “when I come back down to this world again, I want to come back as a noble Jewish woman like Tova”- a true ,ה שודיק!
On תבט ח’’י, she returned her precious המשנ to its Maker and a lifetime of striving to greater heights ended abruptly after sixty short but well-used years.
May she be a רשוי תצילמ for ט’’חלבי, her dear husband, her sons and daughters-inlaw, her admiring grandchildren, her many friends and for all those in the Manchester הליהק who will sorely miss her and to whom she meant so much.
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