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Whoopsi Goldberg BY DAVID SAFFER
Jewish organisations have blasted Whoopi Goldberg after her outrageous comments on US ABC talk show ‘The View’ that the Holocaust was “not about race”. The Oscar winner argued that “two groups of white people” were involved in an astonishing debate. Following a wave of criticism that brought global reactions Goldberg has apologised but the furore continues. ABC News has suspended Goldberg for two weeks for “wrong and hurtful comments”. Kim Godwin, ABC president, said in a statement, “While Whoopi has apologised, I h av e
asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments. The entire ABC News organisation stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities.” “These decisions are never easy, but necessary,” she reportedly added in a memo according to the Hollywood Reporter. “Just last week I noted that the culture at ABC News is one that is driven, kind, inclusive, respectful, and transparent. Whoopi’s comments do not align with those values.” It is unclear if Goldberg will be paid her reported $96,000 a week salary during her suspension. Earlier
Tuesday, Goldberg issued a third apology about the show when she “misspoke”. “(The Holocaust) is indeed about race, because Hitler and the Nazis considered the Jews to be an inferior race,” Goldberg said, “Now, words matter and mine are no exception. I regret my comments and I stand corrected. I also stand with the Jewish people.” Following the latest development, Continued on page 2
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less than a week after International Holocaust Memorial Day, Campaign Against Antisemitism called for Goldberg to take a Holocaust education course. CAA’s comments followed Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan, in the initial aftermath, extending an invitation to Goldberg and other influencers to learn more about the causes, events and aftermath of the Holocaust at the world famous remembrance centre in Jerusalem. Dave Rich, CST, said that Goldberg’s comments about racism and the Holocaust were “ignorant and offensive” but people will have their own views whether public figures should lose their jobs for saying
TO ADVERTISE CALL 020 3906 8488 offensive things. Rich added, “It is more important that Goldberg and others learn why her comments were so wrong, and more broadly that they take the opportunity to learn about antisemitism, racism and the Holocaust.” Dayan noted that Goldberg’s apology and clarification days after the world marked the Holocaust were an “unfortunate indication” of a fundamental misunderstanding of the Holocaust and antisemitism. Dayan did not mince his words, stating, “People need to know what led to the Holocaust, the unprecedented murderous drive to annihilate the entire Jewish people, their religion, culture and values by the Nazis and their collaborators, primarily due to the unfounded belief that Jews were their foremost
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Dani Dayan, Yad Vashem Chairman
and extremely dangerous racial enemy.” TV personality Goldberg was co-host on a discussion about McMinn County, Tennesse, Board of Education’s decision for eighth grade pupils (13 to 14 years) to ban a Pulitzer prize-winning graphic novel about the experiences of a Holocaust survivor where Jews are shown as mice and Nazis as cats. Noting six million people were killed, Goldberg, born Caryn Elaine Johnson, said that “the Holocaust isn’t about race.” An astounding exchange followed as initially co-host Joy Behar told Goldberg that the Nazis said Jews were a “different race”. Goldberg responded, “But it’s not about race. It’s not. It’s about man’s inhumanity to man.” Co-host Ana Navarro countered, “But it’s about white supremacy. It’s about going after Jews and Gypsies and Roma.” “But these are two white groups of people,” Goldberg responded. Co-host Sara Haines said the Nazis “didn’t see them as white”. Goldberg answered, “But you’re missing the point! The minute you turn it into race, it goes down this alley. Let’s talk about it for what it is. It’s how people treat each other.” An advertisement break ended the discussion.
PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA
Anti-Defamation League chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt lambasted Goldberg. “The Holocaust was about the Nazis’ systemic annihilation of the Jewish people, who they deemed to be an inferior race,” he said. “They dehumanised them and used their racist propaganda to justify slaughtering six million Jews. Holocaust distortion is dangerous.” Stopantisemitism tweeted, “Six million of us were gassed, starved, and massacred because we were deemed an inferior race by the Nazis. How dare you minimise our trauma and suffering!” Goldberg apologised on Twitter, stating, “On today’s show I said the Holocaust ‘is not about race but about man’s inhumanity to man’. I should have said it is about both.” Referring to Greenblatt’s comments on the “Nazis’ systematic annihilation of the Jewish people”, she added, “I stand corrected. The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never waiver. I am sorry for the hurt I have caused.” Greenblatt welcomed Goldberg’s apology, noting, “As antisemitism surges to historic levels, I hope we can work together to combat ignorance of that horrific crime and the hate that threatens all.”
Gantz arrives in Bahrain Defence Minister Benny Gantz landed in Manama, Bahrain for an official visit to the Kingdom yesterday. A welcome ceremony was held at Bahrain International Airport, during which the Minister was greeted by his Bahraini Minister of Defence Affairs, Lieutenant-General Abdullah Bin Hassan Al Nuaimi. During the historic visit, Gantz is expected to conduct meetings with officials in
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the Bahraini defence establishment and Kingdom’s leadership. Gantz’ delegation includes his Chief of Staff, Maayan Israeli, Commander of the Israeli Navy, Admiral David Saar Salama, Military Secretary Brig. Gen. Yaki Dolf, and Director of the Defence Ministry Policy and Political-Military Bureau Zohar Palti. The aircraft carrying the delegation is the first IAF plane to land in Bahrain. WHAT’S INSIDE THIS WEEK 02 News 14 Letters 16 Opinion 18 Games 19 Community 30 Feature
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Met Police apologise over Auschwitz jokes BY ADAM MOSES
The Metropolitan Police has apologised after an investigation from the Independent Office for Police Conduct discovered officers shared jokes about Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. It was also reported there was an antisemitic joke made with reference to “killing flies”. The investigation uncovered evidence of bullying, misogyny and racist abuse amongst officers. Police were found to have made homophobic, Islamophobic and rape jokes. Fourteen officers were investigated with two dismissed for gross misconduct. Campaign Against Antisemitism said it was “deeply disturbing” those who are supposed to protect British Jews and other communities could be discriminating against us. “The Met’s statement that it has taken action against those responsible cannot be mere words to make the problem go away, but rather must represent the start of a fundamental change in workplace culture,” a spokesman said in a statement. A Met statement noted. “The conduct of a team of officers at Charing Cross police station in central London does not represent the values of the Metropolitan Police Service.
“We are deeply sorry to Londoners and everyone they have failed with their appalling conduct and acknowledge how this will damage the trust and confidence of many in the Met.” The statement continued, “Since this reprehensible behaviour was uncovered in 2017 we have taken a series of measures to hold those responsible to account and stamp out unacceptable behaviour.” IOPC Regional Director Sal Naseem said that while officers predominantly worked in teams in Westminster, which have been disbanded, they are aware issues are not isolated or historic. He added, “Our recommendations focus on the identified cultural issues and aim to ensure that those who work for the force feel safe with their colleagues and that communities feel safe with those whose job is to protect them. The MPS has to enjoy the trust and confidence of its own officers from diverse communities before it can hope to bridge the gap in trust and confidence with the communities it serves.” Home Secretary Priti Patel said that the public rightly expected the behaviour of the police to be “beyond reproach” and called for standards to be raised. “Being a police officer is a privilege which
has been abused by these sickening officers,” she explained. “It has been clear for some time that there are problems with the culture of the Metropolitan Police, which is why last year I tasked the Angiolini Inquiry and the police inspectorate with investigating these deeply concerning issues. I expect the Metropolitan Police and the Mayor of London to implement the recommendations of this report as soon as practically possible.” Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, called on the Home Office to take responsibility over standards across the force. “While the IOPC has made important and welcome recommendations and some action has been taken this does not go far enough,” she said. “There needs to be action by police forces to ensure that training and vetting are improved, that a strong culture of respect is always maintained, and that the use of social media is reviewed and, where necessary, overhauled. “Police officers across the country work incredibly hard every day to keep communities safe and that is why it is so important that high standards are always maintained. “The Home Office must not stand back and leave it to individual forces. Ministers need to take responsibility for ensuring the highest standards are always met across policing and must ensure the College of Policing and police forces work together on the action needed.” Mayor Sadiq Khan was “utterly disgusted” by the findings and called officers’ conduct “totally unacceptable”. “Anyone found to be responsible for sexism, racism, misogyny, Islamophobia,
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Priti Patel
PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA
antisemitism, bullying or harassment does not deserve to wear the Met uniform and must be rooted out,” he noted. “While I welcome the IOPC’s recommendations, more is required and I’ve been clear with the commissioner about the scale of change that’s needed to rebuild trust with Londoners.” Baroness Casey has been appointed to lead an independent review into the Met’s culture and standards. Operation Hotton began in March 2018, the damning report came 11 months after the murder of Sarah Everard by Met firearms officer Wayne Couzens.
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Lapid backed in slating Amnesty report BY DAVID SAFFER
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has blasted an Amnesty International UK report accusing the State of Israel of being an “apartheid state”. Amnesty’s report, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, denied Israel’s right to exist as the “nation state of the Jewish people”. Jewish organisations backed Israel’s strong response. “Its extremist language and distortion of historical context were designed to demonise Israel and pour fuel onto the fire of antisemitism,” the Ministry noted. Officials accused Amnesty UK of using “double standards” to delegitimise Israel in the report, titled ‘Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel system of domination and crime against humanity’. Lapid did not mince his words in condemning Amnesty. “I hate to use the argument that if Israel were not a Jewish state, nobody in Amnesty would dare argue against it, but in this case, there is no other possibility,” he said. “In the past, Amnesty was a respected organisation. Not anymore. Today it is precisely the opposite. It isn’t a human rights organisation, but just another radical organisation which echoes propaganda, without serious checking the facts. Instead of seeking the truth, Amnesty echoes the same lies shared by terrorist organisations.” “Israel isn’t perfect, but we are a democracy committed to international law, open to criticism, with a free press and a strong and independent judicial system,” he added. Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl and Jewish Leadership Chair Keith Black issued a statement on Monday expressing shock at AI UK’s “one-sided” positioning on Israel. “The report is completely biased and
Yair Lapid
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
applies standards to Israel that are not applied to any other country,” they said. “The emotive term “apartheid” against Israel is a preposterous slur. Israel is a vibrant democracy and a state for all its citizens, as exemplified by its diverse government and robust civil society.” Ms van de Zyl and Mr Black noted that West Bank and Gaza conflicts were not referenced in the report. Citing the Abraham Accords and calling for a resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, they concluded, “If Amnesty UK were serious about improving standards, it would find ways to strengthen existing efforts on the ground. Instead, it chooses to focus on
demonising the one Jewish state, holding it to clear double standards. This is a bad faith report hostile to the very concept of Israel, and we reject its very premise.” The European Jewish Congress attacked the report. “There is nothing new in Amnesty’s sudden discovery of the word ‘apartheid’, in relation to Israel,” EJC President Dr. Moshe Kantor said. “They are in lock step with anti-Israel and antisemitic activists in a coordinated diplomatic lynch against the Jewish State, and the mere concept of Jewish self-determination and collectivity.” He added, “It is clear from the tone and language used that they are seeking the end of Israel, and are using all of their supposed good name and diplomatic capital to launch a full-frontal attack against the Jewish State. That they use the terminology of ‘apartheid’ while Israel’s Arab citizens sit in the Knesset, are ministers in Israel’s current government and sit as judges on
the country’s Supreme Court, shows just how disingenuous and twisted this imagery is. These are extremist political activists disguised as human-rights advocates, and their obsessive focus on Israel should dispel any notion of objectivity, neutrality or accuracy.” Dr. Kantor noted that the report was a weapon against Jews around the world. He explained, “Every time there are high-profile attacks against Israel with these types of scurrilous lies, people think Jews everywhere should be made responsible for it.” Kantor added that attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions will increase. “None of the authors of the report will be able to ignore the direct line from their work with a rise in antisemitism,” he concluded. The EJC called on Amnesty International chapters to distance themselves from a “libellous report”. World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder described the report as “one-sided and blatantly politicised” as it ignores Palestinian acts of terrorism and Israel’s obligation to defend its citizens against terrorism. Lauder added that Amnesty UK had an ongoing insidious campaign to demonise the State of Israel. He explained, “The report does absolutely nothing to offer a constructive way forward and has no real interest in promoting the human rights of Palestinians or advancing peace and a lasting two-state solution. It will only serve, like previous similar prejudiced reports, to fuel the fires of antisemites under the guise of political correctness.” Bicom noted that the Amnesty report appears to be a twisted, one-sided account of a complex conflict that damages hope of building peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Teen arrested over Stamford Hill attack BY ADAM MOSES
A teenager accused of punching two Jewish men in Stamford Hill on the eve of International Holocaust Memorial Day has appeared in court. Malaki Thorpe, 18, of north London, has appeared in Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court charged with two counts of racially aggravated ABH and one count of possession of an offensive weapon. Haringey Police arrested Thorpe after CCTV footage showed a man striking the blows. Israel Grossman and Erwin Ginsberg were reportedly treated by Hatzola before treatment in hospital. It has also been reported that one victim had severe bruising, broken nose and fractured wrist, the other suffered bruising and injuries to a wrist and eye. The incident is believed to have taken place on Cadoxton Avenue and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim.
Thorpe has been remanded in custody by District judge Michael Oliver until March 3rd. He is due to stand trial at Wood Green Crown Court. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel condemned the attack as “despicable”. Johnson stated on Twitter, “I’m appalled by this despicable footage and I thank police for making a swift arrest.” He added: “This attack is a terrible reminder, on Holocaust Memorial Day, that such prejudice is not consigned to history, but remains a very real problem in society. We must stamp out antisemitism”. Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted that the attack was “absolutely despicable” and a “sickening reminder” of what happens when antisemitism takes root in the UK. She noted, “We won’t tolerate abuse towards our Jewish community”. Chair of the Conservative Party Oliver Dowden MP condemned the attack as
“absolutely disgusting behaviour”. He added, “No one deserves to be attacked like this. It is an awful reminder of the work we still need to do to weed out antisemitism. The perpetrator must face the full weight of the law”. In other incidents, youths reportedly smashed windows belonging to Jewish homes in north London last weekend. The incident is believed to have occurred on Gladesmore Road on Saturday and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim. (Reference number: CAD 6556 29/01/22). Gang members reportedly spat in the face of a five-year-old Jewish boy in Clapton Common, north London. The gang is believed to be associated with the nearby Webb Estate who have been are accused of harrassing Jewish residents. The incident was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim. (Reference number: CAD 4791 30/01/2022). It has also been reported that on Shabbat
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afternoon as shul congregants were leaving services a bus drove through Stamford Hill, “go home Yiddos” could be heard on speakers. The incident was reported by Shomrin. (Reference number: 4602717/22). Ensignbus in response to the news tweeted that it hired out the bus to who they believed was a church group. They added, “We had absolutely no idea that this would happen or was planned and we are now investigating the matter and will be speaking to the client. We are happy to assist the Police with any investigation.” Ensignbus later noted, “Our driver unfortunately did not hear anything due to the general amount of noise from the number of people upstairs. If anyone has audio (or video with audio) of what was said, we would like to hear it to help with our own investigation.” Anyone with information on any incident should contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123.
Herzog hails historic UAE visit 6 NEWS
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BY DAVID SAFFER
President Isaac Herzog has hailed a historic visit to the United Arab Emirates as one that offers “huge potential” between the two nations. Israel’s President, accompanied by First Lady Michal Herzog, met with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, politicians, business people and the local Jewish community in a packed schedule. “We can truly lead the Middle East to a new horizon of peace, prosperity, cooperation and joint investments and development,” he said. “There are only two alternatives for this region. One is peace, prosperity, cooperation and joint investments or alternatively, what Iran is doing, which is destabilising the region and using its proxies to employ terror.” Herzog added, “This visit symbolises hope, peace and a great future for our nations, the region and the world at large.” During the first state trip by an Israeli president to the UAE, local air defence systems intercepted a ballistic missile fired at Abu Dhabi by the Houthis in Yemen but it did not halt a packed itinerary. There were no injuries in the overnight missile attack on Sunday. Herzog’s office confirmed “no danger” was posed to the president or delegation. According to the UAE Ministry of Defence, the missile launcher in Yemen was destroyed in a joint operation with coalition forces. Bicom noted the timing of the third attack by the Houthis against the UAE in recent weeks appeared to coincide with Herzog’s visit. Hours after the strike Herzog spoke at Dubai’s Expo 2020 world fair. Launching Israel’s national day on Monday, Herzog said the Expo was a “remarkable celebration of each nation’s unique identity” and reminder of what can be achieved by “connecting minds and imagining a different future”. Explaining the virtues of Israel, Herzog commented, “Israel is a country in which obstacles become opportunities and where the impossible is a tantalising challenge. This pavilion has provided a phenomenal taste of what we have to offer, from water tech and sustainable agriculture to public health, smart cities and ground-breaking solutions for a circular economy. It has also been a stage for the beautiful mosaic of cultures, faiths, music and arts that make up Israel’s vibrant society. And it has been a practical display of cooperation between nations, of the future we can all imagine.” Turning his attention to the Abraham Accords, Herzog said, “This was a decision not only to normalise ties but to shape a
President Herzog at the Dubai Expo
President Isaac Herzog and Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
PHOTO: AMOS BEN-GERSHOM/GPO
“The State of Israel is eager to walk with the UAE and all the nations here at the Expo towards a brighter, more sustainable and more peaceful tomorrow, for our nations, our region and the entire world.” new tomorrow for the next generation of both our nations and of the entire region.” Trade has topped $1 billion, over 120 agreements have been signed and a $100 million bilateral R&D fund has now been established. Israelis and Emiratis are studying together whilst 250,000 Israelis have visited the Emirates. Herzog concluded, “The State of Israel is eager to walk with the UAE and all the nations here at the Expo towards a brighter, more sustainable and more peaceful tomorrow, for our nations, our region and the entire world.” Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, is also Commissioner-General of Expo 2020 Dubai. He said, “Israel has much to offer on our global platform. The participation of 192 countries is a testament to the UAE’s efforts to bring the world together into one unified platform in a bid to build bridges, engage in constructive dialogue and develop sustainable solutions to modern-day challenges.
We strongly believe that what unites humanity far outweighs what divides it.” Herzog went on to meet the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The leaders discussed collaboration in trade, innovation, tourism and investment. Herzog toured the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi to end the trip. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed Israel’s leader and First Lady when they arrived in Abu Dhabi. During a ceremony, delegations were presented to UAE leaders and Herzog reviewed the royal honour guard, which performed a 21-gun salute in his honour. Herzog travelled to the royal palace where he met with the Crown Prince and thanked him for his contribution to bilateral relations with Israel. “We are two successful nations who started with very little in our hands, developed our lands into a successful paradise and in many ways set an example to the world
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PHOTO: AMOS BEN-GERSHOM/GPO
of how to lead and develop a nation with a vision of the future,” he said. Herzog added that Israel supported the UAE’s security requirements and condemned any attack on its sovereignty by terrorist groups. The Crown Prince thanked Herzog for Israel’s position regarding recent terrorist attacks on civilian facilities in the UAE. “It is a stance that demonstrates our common view of the threats to regional stability and peace, particularly those posed by militias and terrorist forces,” he said. “Our relations are moving full steam ahead, there is a common and strong will to strengthen them for the benefit of our countries and peoples,” added the Crown Prince.” Herzog at a follow-up meeting at the palace surprised the Crown Prince by naming a paediatric medicine conference at the Schneider Medical Centre after the Abraham Accords. The First Lady held meetings with UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology, Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri and Sheikha Alyazia bint Saif Al Nahyan, wife of Sheikh Abdullah. The Herzogs met Jewish community representatives including Chabad-Lubavitch emissary Rabbi Levi Duchman, Rabbi Eli Abadi, community leader Daniel Seal and Jewish Agency representative Sarah Benchimol. Herzog recalled his work with the Jewish Agency Executive and commended the King of Bahrain, White House and Israeli officials who brought about the Abraham Accords. “We have relations with quite a few Islamic countries and there are plans for other countries, I hope this will bring about a new era in relations between Jews and Muslims in our region,” he said. Herzog concluded, “I hope to see all of you in Israel, may you continue to go from strength to strength in building the institutions of the community, the education system and of course synagogues and other institutions.” The Herzogs looked out at the Saudi landscape from the cockpit as the plane flew over Saudi Arabia on route to the UAE. “This is truly a very moving moment”, exclaimed Israel’s president. “We are making history!” added the pilot.
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Mizrachi Jews unrepresented in survey BY SIMCHA ABIR
The heritage and culture of Mizrachi Jews from the Middle East and North Africa is unrepresented in the Israeli education system. Israel’s Minister of Social Equality Meirav Cohen has received a survey of Israelis aged 18-30 detailing the findings. While 74% of respondents said history, heritage and culture of European Jewry was taught in the educational system to a large extent just 14% voiced the same about Mizrachi Jewry, 80% said it was taught to a small or no extent. Of those polled 75% could not recall a lesson that reinforced a positive perception of Mizrachi Jewry. Asked if the education system should teach the history and tradition of MENA Jews to a greater extent, 57% of respondents said that it should. And 55% said more hours should be dedicated to teaching these subjects in school curriculums. Regarding MENA Jewish history, only 7% of respondents could identify the Farhud, a pogrom against Jews of Iraq in 1941 but 58% could identify Kristallnacht. The results saw 74% back the establishment of a government-funded museum dedicated to the history, heritage and culture of MENA Jews. Since 2014, November 30th is a Day of Commemoration for Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries and Iran, but only 11% of
Meirav Cohen
PHOTO: ELAD GUTMAN
those polled was aware of it. The poll carried out by Smith Consulting was commissioned by Iraqi-British Jewish businessman and philanthropist David A. Dangoor, of Dangoor Education, a charity supporting educational initiatives, including Sephardi-Mizrachi heritage, culture and education.
Dangoor has been Vice-President of the World Organisation of Jews from Iraq for a decade. “The results are both disappointing and heartening,” said Dangoor. “Disappointing that so little has been done to educate about the history, culture and heritage of MENA Jews in Israeli schools, but heartening that so many from different backgrounds seek to change that. I hope that these results serve as a wake-up call to the Israeli Government and those involved in education that the history and heritage of the majority of Jews in Israel is largely ignored.” He added, “I decided to initiate this poll in Israel because it is the place where much of the global Jewish agenda is set, and in changing its educational policies towards greater understanding and awareness of Mizrachi and Sephardi Jewish history, heritage and culture, it would send a message to the larger Jewish world that it too must reassess its pedagogical priorities.” Reacting to the survey, Cohen, lamented that aside from the Farhud, Operation Magic Carpet, which brought 50,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel during 1949-50, and Rabbi Shalom Shabazi, are unknown in the Israeli education system. “Through research, documentation and commemoration, we can change this trend and ensure that the history of the Mizrachi Jews is never forgotten and commemorated for eternity,” he said.
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Esther was a “symbol of strength” Esther Pollard, the wife of convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, passed away at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, Jerusalem after complications from COVID-19 on Monday. Jonathan spoke movingly during the funeral at Har HaMenuchot Cemetery. “The land will embrace you and you will truly become part of the land you loved so much,” Pollard said. “This is a sad day for the entire Jewish people, who mourn this historic and exemplar person,” said Shomron Regional Council head Yosi Dagan. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett offered condolences, stating that Esther was a woman whose devotion to her husband was a “symbol of strength, determination and faith”. Pollard was arrested and pleaded guilty in 1985 after failing to gain asylum at the Israeli embassy in Washington. Serving 30 years of a life sentence at a North Carolina prison, following his release in November 2015, parole sanctions included wearing an electronic bracelet and curfew. Israeli leaders welcomed the US ending parole restrictions in December 2020. Pollard praised Esther when he was languishing in cell for restoring his hopes. The couple were married during the prison sentence. Israel’s relations with US were damaged for a number of years over the espionage incident.
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CAM details spike in Holocaust trivialisation Salzborn slams BY ADAM MOSES
Combat Antisemitism Movement has released a report detailing a rising trend of Holocaust ‘trivialisation’ including comparisons to the Covid-19 pandemic. The CAM study, conducted by Buzzilla, an online and social media monitoring agency, scanned online content over a two-year period, January 2020 to December 2021, from platforms including Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, news websites, forums, blogs and media portals in six languages. Isolating word combinations, scans identified over 60 million online engagements of the Holocaust and pandemic together. There were 57 million in English, 2.6 million in Hebrew and 2.1 in Spanish. Data was compiled as part of CAM’s global Holocaust campaign in partnership with March of the Living. The report was released before the UN General Assembly backed a resolution against Holocaust denial. Holocaust trivialisation has increased in politics, grassroots movements, media and online. CAM noted politicians inflaming the issue, yellow-star protesters have making Nazi salutes and shouting “Heil Hitler”. “The trivialisation of Nazi Germany’s crimes against humanity fuels Holocaust deniers who seek to downplay Nazi transgressions, allowing it to flourish unchecked has created safe spaces for antisemitic
conspiracies, outright Holocaust denial and extremist ideologies to spread,” said CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa. “These comparisons have opened a gateway for the revival of age-old antisemitic conspiracies including blaming Jews for the pandemic as purveyors of disease and accusing Jews of a vast conspiracy for global control through mandates. This trend minimises Holocaust remembrance and Jewish concerns for safety during an already-resurgent wave of global antisemitism.” Dratwa added that the memory of the Holocaust was a cornerstone in the fight
against antisemitism and called on decision makers and internet giants to take an alarming trend seriously. Holocaust survivors have spoken out after comparisons of infamous Nazi, Dr Josef Mengele to Dr Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the US President Joe Biden, and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, a son of survivors. Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, international MOTL founder and Yad Vashem President said, “Respect the Holocaust, respect the truth. Comparing the Covid pandemic to the Holocaust is utter contempt for the
Holocaust and truth itself.” Vera Grossman Kriegel, who survived Mengele’s medical experiments at Auschwitz, was disturbed by comparisons. “Those who compare the two do not understand deep enough, they do not know enough about the Holocaust because there is nothing to compare,” she said. “These were atrocities for which there are no words. Mengele gave us injections for experiments that did not value human life. We receive shots today to live, in the Holocaust we received them to die.” Another survivor, Dita Kraus, added, “In the Holocaust, they wanted to exterminate the Jews. The ‘Green Pass’ exterminates Jews? That’s simply ridiculous. The comparison is absurd. It is impossible to compare the Holocaust to anything. The Holocaust was unique, nothing is like the industrial-scale extermination of people in gas chambers. Nothing compares to this, nothing ever will.” MOTL President Phyllis Heideman added, “Holocaust trivialisation is a gateway to outright Holocaust denial and we must act decisively against it. The fact that Holocaust survivors who are still with us must witness this is outrageous. With historical truth under attack, International MOTL will continue to promote Holocaust education and pass on the memory of the Holocaust to future generations.”
Bennett leads tributes to “Queen of Justice” Naor Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar described Naor as an “excellent, analytic, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has thorough, industrious, detail-oriented led tributes to former Supreme Court judge and litigator”. Chief Justice Miriam Naor who died Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit last week. said that Naor was “a beacon of justice, Naor, 74, who was born in Jerusalem, wisdom and values”. was hearing testimony from witnesses He added, “Her impressive legacy in into the Mount Meron tragedy last La promoting dialogue and maintaining B’Omer. separation of powers, in her commit“She devoted herself to the work of ment to a just, equal society in Israel the committee and to the investigation and advancing values of truth and jusof the devastating disaster and saw it as tice will stay with us forever.” a foremost mission in her work for the Former Prime Minister Benjamin public as she has acted all her life,” a Netanyahu said Naor had a deep comstatement from the commission noted mitment to Israel and world of law. in announcing her death. “She was a Naor embarked on a legal career at judge with every fibre of her being until the State Attorney’s Office in the Suher last day. The members and staff of preme Court Department a year after graduating at the Hebrew University of the committee are shocked and share Jerusalem in 1971. in the family’s grief.” Supreme Court President Esther In 1980, she was appointed as IsraPHOTO: MFA.GOV.IL el’s youngest judge at the time to the Hayut appointed Naor chair of the Miriam Naor A”h Meron state inquiry in June 2021. Hayut President Isaac Herzog added that Naor Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court. She started will name a replacement. would go down in Israeli history as the serving as a Supreme Court Justice in 2003 Bennett noted Justice Naor carefully “Queen of Justice and one of the titans of and president from 2015, retiring in Octomaintained the “required balance between Israeli jurisprudence”. ber 2017. the various values of Israeli society”. She “Justice Naor was a wise, knowledgeaNaor is survived by her husband, Aryeh, strengthened the “national and Zionist ble and sensitive, strong and independent who served as Prime Minister Menachem character of the State of Israel” during her woman who remained modest even as she Begin’s cabinet Secretary, and sons, Misat in the highest courts in the land,” he said. chael and Naftali. tenure,” he said. BY ADAM MOSES
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Berlin study
The commissioner for combating antisemitism in Berlin, Samuel Salzborn, has defended proposals to rename streets and squares with antisemitic references. A study commissioned by Salzborn was criticised in December 2021 due to antisemitic references in 290 street and square Samuel Salzborn PHOTO: FLIKR names in Berlin. “I do not share the impression that historical memories are lost through renaming,” Salzborn reportedly said. “A city map is not a museum.” Salzborn pointed out that in the spring of 2021, the German Association of Cities stated that street names were a form of praise so must not be critically reviewed in the present. Author of the study, Felix Sassmannshausen, recommended a public debate to rename places. Street names under discussion included Treitschke Street in Berlin-Steglitz, named after a Prussian historian who questioned the “cultural affiliation of the Jews to the German nation” and Pacelliallee in Berlin-Dahlem, named after a World War Twoera Pope, whose actions in the Holocaust are controversial. Sassmannshausen reviewed street names between May and October last year.
Gantz praise for Greek minister Defence Minister Benny Gantz has described Greece as a strong regional partner of Israel. Gantz met with Minister of Defence Nikos Panagiotopoulos and welcomed cooperation in security and stability in the region. He also valued bilateral defence relations and trilateral relations with Cyprus. “This relationship is an asset, I am committed to expanding our cooperation in any scenario and regional developments,” he said. Noting the nuclear threat of Iran, he added, “While Iranian officials deliver educated remarks in Vienna their proxies continue aggressive attacks. Iran’s double-dealing must be brought to the negotiation table. Any international effort must address both the nuclear issue and Iranian aggression.” Gantz said there was a bond between the countries after summer fires in Greece and when a tragedy struck the Israeli Air Force. He added, “This is a time of great opportunities but also of great challenges. I see great potential to expand cooperation with old and new friends in the region over shared interests in energy, innovation and security.”
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Sarah’s Auschwitz documentary receives praise BY DAVID SAFFER
Filmmaker Sarah Gharib, 24, has produced a documentary titled Why We Work At Auschwitz. The film was released on YouTube channel ‘Why We Work At Auschwitz’ on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and focuses on people who work at Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum today and the reasons behind their chosen career path. It includes an interview with the late Leslie Klein- A screen grab from the film man, who was a survivor of Auschwitz con- visiting Auschwitz for the first time was the centration camp and the only one of his 60 most challenging part. “When I saw the infamous gates, which family members to survive the Holocaust. “The documentary has received many translate to ‘work will set you free’, I got heart-warming comments from those who goosebumps and felt very emotional,” she watched it,” commented Sarah, who lives in recalled. “It was very difficult standing in Hertfordshire. “I was looking on Twitter and the same place where so many people exthere has been so many tweets regarding perienced one of the most horrifying and the documentary. I felt so proud that it is dark parts of history.” being watched and spoken about. I hope The backdrop to the documentary bethe documentary encourages people to visit gan five years ago when the director, AarAuschwitz for themselves.” on Compton, and Sarah decided to make Sarah has experience working in TV a documentary about the Holocaust but but this is the first documentary she has wanted to approach it with a new and difproduced. ferent angle. Looking back on the overall experience Compton had visited Auschwitz in 2011
and had a tour with Lukasz Kleinman who told him that his great-grandfather was a prisoner of Auschwitz. The filmmaker was moved that Lukasz works at Auschwitz to keep history alive by educating people to help prevent future atrocities from happening. “We both thought that this was a very interesting angle for a documentary,” Sarah explained. “I started working on producing the documentary by speaking with and organising contributors, filming permissions, raising funds, arranging flights, accommodation, crew, researching the subject and sourcing archive footage.” She added, “It’s very important for
everyone to be educated on the Holocaust. There are still some misconceptions out there and I think that by visiting Auschwitz and seeing with your own eyes the list of names, tonnes of hair, personal belongings of prisoners etc it opens your eyes to the scale of the Holocaust. I strongly believe through education we can help prevent future atrocities from happening. “I’m aware that there are conspiracy theorists and deniers out there, PHOTO: YOUTUBE but I think most people do have at least a basic understanding of what happened. Something that has really stuck with me is from our interview with Leslie who told us there a lot of deniers who say the Holocaust never existed and that he wishes they were right because it would mean he would still have his family. “Visiting Auschwitz is very emotionally difficult but necessary. We can’t close our eyes to what happened. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to visit Auschwitz and to take part in a guided tour with an educator.” Sarah is currently trying to organise a screening in London where people can watch the full documentary.
Zahawi holds antisemitism summit BY SIMCHA ABIR
Secretary of State for Education Nadhim Zahawi has held an Antisemitism Summit looking into antisemitism on university campuses. Board of Deputies Vice President Amanda Bowman and Director of Education and Community Engagement Dawn Waterman attended the event. University Vice Chancellors were joined by the Nadhim Zahawi Union of Jewish Students, Community Security Trust, University Jewish Chaplaincy and other Jewish organisations to explore steps institutions were taking to counter antisemitism. Ms Bowman highlighted the work of the Board in supporting Jewish staff and students on campus to ensure they can enjoy university life without fear of antisemitism or restrictions to religious freedoms. She thanked Higher Education Minister Michelle Donelan for her support in tackling antisemitism. “Tackling antisemitism and protecting Jewish students and Jewish staff on campus has been highlighted as a priority by our 300 Deputies,” Bowman said. The Board has been working with UJS and Chaplaincy in tackling antisemitic abuse. “The summit provided a great opportunity
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to hear more about some of the great work that is going on in this area and the recognition and understanding of the pain and damage that antisemitism is doing to Jewish students and Jewish staff on campuses around the UK,” Bowman added. Zahawi called for antisemitism on university campuses to be tackled, his comments coming in the aftermath of protestors PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA chanting “from the river to the sea”, a slogan that could be referred to police. Conservative Friends of Israel noted the chant is frequently heard at anti-Israel rallies and widely understood as a call for the destruction of Israel. Zahawi told vice chancellors and university representatives that adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism was “essential”, not optional. He also welcomed the number of universities agreeing to adopt the definition in the past year. It has risen from 28 to 95. Zahawi warned the 10 universities yet to sign up that the Office for Students regulator is considering possible sanctions. Tees Valley Combined Authority has formally adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
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12 NEWS
JPR publishes European Jewish identity report
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TAU’s Kantor Centre release antisemitism report
BY SIMCHA ABIR
The Institute for Jewish Policy Research has published a new study of European Jewish identity offering an updated profile of over one million Jews living in the EU and UK. JPR will release mini-reports, animated videos, articles and events highlighting different aspects to community leaders, educators and policy makers throughout 2022. Professor Sergio Della Pergola, Chairman of JPR’s European Jewish Demography Unit, explained that the goal was to create a “thorough description” of Jewish identity of European Jews by exploring what Jews across Europe think about their Jewishness in multiple ways. “Our study brings fresh knowledge that we hope will be translated into a better understanding of the Jewish community by the non-Jewish majority, as well as greater mutual understanding and respect between Jews, and more interaction and collaboration in the effort to pass Jewish identity down to future generations,” he noted. Findings show that European Jews are more likely to see themselves as a religious minority rather than an ethnic one, yet fewer than half of Jewish adults across Europe light candles on a Friday night. Jewish identity is strongest in Belgium, the UK, France, Austria, Spain and Italy. The weakest is in Hungary and Poland. The memory of the Holocaust and combating antisemitism is important for Jewish identity rather than supporting Israel, belief in G-d or charitable giving. Rising perceptions of antisemitism may have stimulated a stronger bond with Jewish peoplehood. Around half of Jews in Europe identify with a particular denomination, higher proportions of younger Jews are religiously observant than older Jews. Belgium has the largest proportion of Orthodox Jews in its population followed by the UK, Italy, France and Austria. Other findings show that Orthodox/ Charedi forms of Judaism and Reform/ Progressive are growing across Europe whereas and traditional modern Orthodoxy is losing ground. Dr Jonathan Boyd, JPR’s Executive Director said the report will serve as a key reference in the coming years but policy implications to community leaders, policy makers and educators need to be discussed. The report was based on 12 European Union Member States in 2018, home to around 80% of the Jewish population of Europe, and includes experiences of over 16,000 respondents. Analysis was conducted by researchers at JPR’s European Jewish Demography Unit, Professor Pergola and Dr Daniel Staetsky.
Prof. Uriya Shavit
PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA
BY ADAM MOSES
Tel Aviv University Kantor Centre’s annual review to fight antisemitism and radicalisation around the world has been published. President Isaac Herzog received the report reviewing legal, political, legislative and cultural arenas including in the Middle East was Day. Encouraging standards were set last year particularly around the unrestricted spread of hate propaganda. Governments increased resources to protect Jewish communities, appointed envoys to fight antisemitism and adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition.
The Holocaust was also addressed for the first time by a public museum in an Arab country, the UAE. Other steps were introduced by the governments of the UAE and Bahrain. A trend to restore Jewish cemeteries took place in eastern Europe while in western Europe and north America leading sports associations and teams fought antisemitism. “It is important to continue pushing for enforcement, education, prevention and public diplomacy everywhere possible, and also to encourage positive steps to strengthen the forces who want to promote the fight against antisemitism,” commented Herzog.
He added, “You can see the Office of the President as a partner in these campaigns. This is an excellent report that must be taken and incorporated in every institution. I think that it is a first-order tool, because the social order includes, among other things I mentioned, also setting boundaries of what is allowed and forbidden on this matter.” Prof. Uriya Shavit, head of the Kantor Centre, noted, “Discourse on antisemitism and radicalisation usually focuses on troubling negative trends.” Shavit added that the report prompted governments and organisations worldwide to initiate activities and promote discussion. Each chapter ends with recommendations to fight antisemitism. Recommendations include establishing a website with guidance on restoration of Jewish cemeteries in Europe, Holocaust education in the Arab world, mechanisms to monitor government pledges to fight antisemitism and encouragement to sports clubs to join programmes that combat religious intolerance. The document launched ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day was produced by the Kantor Centre for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at TAU. The report was authored by TAU experts from various fields including Dr Inna Shtasker, (Jewish cemeteries in eastern Europe), Dr Ofir Winter and Dr Giovanni Quer (Gulf developments), Prof Dina Porat (political and legislative developments) Dr Tomer Fadlon (sports), Talia Naamat (legal issues).
WJC & UNESCO partner with TikTok CAA slams BY LEAH WAXLER
World Jewish Congress and UNESCO have partnered to offer TikTok users access to accurate Holocaust information. The announcement coincided with International Holocaust Remembrance Day and WJC’s ongoing WeRemember campaign. TikTok members will be directed to an online WJC-UNESCO resource. WJC President Ronald S. Lauder welcomed making factual information available to the TikTok community. “TikTok allows us to reach a new audience, some of whom may be uninformed about the horrors of the Holocaust and therefore be potentially susceptible to misinformation,” he said. “We welcome the platform taking responsibility and leveraging its reach to stop the spread of antisemitism and Holocaust denial.” Elizabeth Kanter, Government Relations at TikTok, commented, “We believe education plays a critical role in striking out hate. Hateful behaviour is incompatible with TikTok’s
inclusive environment. We’ll continue to put our full strength behind keeping our platform a place that is free of hate, while harnessing the power of TikTok to educate our community.” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay added, “Denying, distorting or trivialising the true facts of the Holocaust is a pernicious form of contemporary antisemitism. All online platforms must take responsibility for the spread of hate speech by promoting reliable sources of information.” When TikTok members search for Holocaust related terms they will be prompted to www.aboutholocaust.org. Holocaust-related terms in violation of the platform’s community guidelines will also be routed to WJC and UNESCO resources. TikTok is to introduce a permanent banner when a community member posts a video with Holocaust-related hashtags. Other online platforms, including Facebook, have engaged in partnerships with WJC and UNESCO through www.aboutholocaust.org.
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Piers Corbyn
Piers Corbyn has posted a swastika on Facebook days after speaking at an anti-vaccination event where Holocaust comparisons were reportedly made. The image displays a swastika above a photograph of the Royal Albert Hall with the words, “The Royal Albert Hall is forcing medical apartheid.” Campaign Against Antisemitism note that Corbyn claims in a recent video that antisemitism allegations against him and brother, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, are a “pack of lies”. Corbyn has previously compared vaccinations to Nazi policy. A CAA spokesperson said Corbyn’s latest Facebook post comparing the pandemic and Holocaust, and past equation of the lockdown with Auschwitz death camp, are tropes he has promoted. They added, “An obsession with Jews appears to run in the Corbyn family, whose prominence in British public life is a national tragedy. It is a sad reflection on our times that Piers Corbyn’s demented conspiracism has currency beyond the lunatic fringe.”
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Bennett announces “Laser-Wall” defensive system BY DAVID SAFFER
Israel is to build a “Laser-Wall” defensive system Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the INSS 15th Annual International Conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. The IDF will experimentally launch the laser interception system in around a year initially in the south then elsewhere in the country. No date was given for the system to be operational. Bennett’s comments came in an address on what he wished for Israel’s 80th birthday in 2028. There is a duty, he said, to make Israel “more prosperous, peaceful and self-assured” as the face of the Middle East is constantly changing. “New alliances are forged and old alliances lose their relevance,” he explained. “We must make friends and neutralise enemies. The United States has been, and will always be, our best friend, but Washington has its own set of interests, which we must honestly admit do not always overlap with ours. The United States is currently focused Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the INSS Conference on the Russian-Ukrainian border and it is contend with the challenges posed by exin a strategic conflict with China. This new tremists that seek to destabilise the Middle reality presents us with challenges but also East.” creates opportunities. Regarding the Iranian regime, he noted, “The foundation of friendship that we “The campaign to weaken Iran has begun. have formed with our neighbours can be This campaign is being conducted in multhe beginning of a multidimensional re- tiple fields, nuclear, economic, cyber, overt gional alliance. Together, we can better and16:04 covert operations, both by ourselves HALF PAGE ADVERT JAN 2020:Layout 1 09/01/2020 Page 1
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and in collaboration with others. The missile may have been launched from Beirut or from Gaza but the address is Tehran. The weaker Tehran is, the weaker its affiliates are.” Israel is following nuclear talks in Vienna. And Bennett was adamant that even with an agreement, Israel’s assessment is that”
the Iranians will continue to be Iranians”. He explained, “The removal of sanctions would mean more rockets, UAVs, terrorist cells and cyberattacks against American and other allies in the region. We in Israel are ready. We will continue to stand against them. No agreement will prevent us from protecting the citizens of Israel.” Looking ahead, Bennett said that economic and military growth would ultimately bring stability. Evaluating self-made rockets costing a few hundred dollars versus the Iron Dome intercept system, Israel’s leader said it was an “illogical equation and not sustainable”. To this end, the IDF would launch a laser interception system. “This will allow us, in the medium to long term, to surround Israel with a laser wall that protects us from missiles, rockets, UAVs and other threats,” explained Bennett. He added, “This new generation of Israeli air defence could also serve our friends in the region who are also exposed to severe threats from Iran and its proxies.” Bennett concluded, “We are currently laying the groundwork for another economic leap by removing regulations, encouraging competition and introducing the ultra-Orthodox in the workforce, something no government had the courage to do until now.” He added, “Our enemies are in the business of destruction while we are in the business of building the State of Israel.”
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Tel Aviv Marathon joins elite world list BY SIMCHA ABIR
The Samsung Tel Aviv Marathon is the first in Israel to be licensed by the World Athletics Association. Over 40 different countries have signed up for the history making event ratified by the International Federation on Friday, February 25th. Registration for all runners is in progress and available for various tracks until February 19th. The event is expected to attract thousands of runners who will be taking part in five urban marathons. They include the full marathon, half marathon, 10km race and 5km race. A mini marathon takes place on February 23rd at Ganei Yehoshua park. It will include an end track for children with disabilities and their families (500m and 1km). The Israel Athletics Association will ensure all distances are certified and medical specifications include monitoring prohibited stimulants. Distribution of runners’ kits takes place at the Ofer Mall in Ramat Aviv and Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv. The event will respect regulations by the Ministry of Health and follow Green Pass measures. Last year’s digital marathon, supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Kapaim, was won by Jervis Johns Salvador from the Philippines. Jervis returns and will be joined
by elite athletes. Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, said, “Everyone is welcome and invited to register for any of the tracks and take part in such a unique urban running experience.” The starting point of the marathon is Rokach Boulevard. Along the route, runners will pass through scenic routes of Tel Aviv including Rothschild Boulevard, Tel Aviv port, Ganei Yehoshua Park, Dizengoff Street, Rabin Square, Hayarkon Street, Ibn Gabirol Street, Old Jaffa and Jaffa Port. This marathon is one of the only ones that includes racing along 10 kilometers of beaches. Along tracks, runners will enjoy music stages and have water stations. The marathon will end at the Ganei Yehoshua parking lot where a special finale includes music, a VIP area, massages and physiotherapy complexes. A sales area of sports and activewear includes ON shoes, the official running shoe of the event. As part of this year’s marathon toMix in collaboration with the “Fattal” hotel chain, is offering a “Run and get pampered” promotion combining a marathon ticket with accommodation at a special rate. Kapaim will produce the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality 2022 event. The marathon is accompanied by 5,000 production, security, medical personnel and stewards. Details: https://www.tlvmarathon.co.il/ MenuDefault_en.aspx?id=7820
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Please note: The views of the letters do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper. Letters may be edited and publication is at the discretion of the editor.
BRIGHTON & HOVE AJEX HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY Dear Editor I had the pleasure and the privilege of attending the Brighton & Hove AJEX annual Holocaust Memorial Service held at the Jewish cemetery at Meadow View on Sunday. I was one of more than 60 attendees including religious and lay leaders, and a variety of members representing the local Jewish Community. The AJEX standard was proudly on display. This demonstrates that AJEX remains strong, vibrant and active in Jewish provincial communities and acts as an important local bonding force. AJEX continues to be a significant institution within UK Jewry, and the organisation and its ethos are worthy of the Community’s continued support. The commitment of the Brighton & Hove Jewish Community to AJEX is to be commended. Yours sincerely Jonathan Metliss Chairman, Action Against Discrimination
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OPINION
Israel’s global coronavirus diplomacy efforts OPINION PIECE AMBASSADOR DANIEL MERON, COVID-19 PROJECT MANAGER, MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Two years into the pandemic, nations across the globe are still struggling to cope with the profound challenges that coronavirus poses. Israel is proud to be one of the countries on the front lines of responding to this unprecedented public health crisis. Israel’s unique ability to deal with emergency situations, improvise and respond quickly and flexibly have all factored into its success in coping with the pandemic. With its rapid vaccine rollout last year Israel was widely praised for delivering the world’s fastest vaccination campaign in the first half of 2021, and as the first country to give a booster shot to the general public, Israel has important lessons to share. It
Israel has been heavily involved in the international coronavirus diplomacy scene, collaborating and exchanging information with countries around the world in order to save lives. makes sense, therefore, that the world looks to Israel as a go-to expert on how to manage the pandemic. Moreover, there is a core Jewish value that teaches us that we must help the needy during difficult times, as well as those in need of medical care. It is therefore natural that Israel has gone to great lengths to support its friends in the international community. Israel has been heavily involved in the international coronavirus diplomacy scene,
collaborating and exchanging information with countries around the world in order to save lives and help its partners cope with the public health crisis. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been at the forefront of this effort, leading the push to donate masks, respirators and other essential medical equipment to countless countries. When India was being ravaged by a severe wave of coronavirus in April of last year Israel sent entire planeloads filled with respirators and medical aid. When Romania was grappling with a crisis in November we sent a team of five of our top medical experts to share Israel’s experience in coping with similar such crises it had experienced in its hospitals. In Ghana, the Israeli embassy mobilised to produce and distribute masks to local medical teams. At the initiative of Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Israel has also committed to donate over a million vaccine doses to African nations. Mashav, the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s agency for international cooperation, also has several aid and cooperation campaigns currently active around the world. It is currently in the midst of its “Better Together” initiative, which has seen assistance packages containing hundreds of kilos worth of PPE gear, syringes, medications and more sent to medical staff in 52 countries across the globe including Kenya, Peru, and Bulgaria. Mashav has also brought medical staff and administrators from Tanzania, Rwanda, Guatemala and many others to Israel for world-class seminars and lectures. Israel’s not-for-profit sector has similarly mobilised to assist the international community. IsraAID, one of Israel’s leading NGOs, just finished a six-month project in Eswatini, where an Israeli team set up and managed an operations centre for distributing vaccines, training medical staff, and more. Exchanging information is also key to managing the pandemic and the information that Israel has shared on its vaccine campaign and booster shots has undoubtedly saved lives. Dr Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the US government, praised Israel’s vaccine rollout and named
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Israel as the leading example of “where you should want to be” on coronavirus vaccines and often “refers people to how successful the Israelis have been in getting virtually every age group boostered”. Senior Israeli Health Ministry officials have played a key role in the effort to exchange information. To this end the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs have held joint discussions with Germany, South Korea and the United States, including with several state health commissioners, on Israel’s insights and best practices on the latest outbreak, including its experience with administering the vaccine boosters. Australia also shortened its waiting period for the booster shot, as well as its mandatory quarantine period, following information shared by Israel during a briefing with senior officials down under. Israel’s innovative digital healthcare and telehealth systems have also served as an example for others to look to. Israel has been widely credited with revolutionising the way the world thinks about health and has positioned itself at the forefront of the effort to create a data-centric system of medicine. In fact, the Israeli national healthcare system’s already-sophisticated level of digitisation was one aspect that helped make the country’s ambitious vaccination drive so successful. Moreover, the advent of COVID-19 brought the topic of telemedicine to the fore of the global tech discourse and Israel made it a priority to be a leader in this field. HealthIL, a joint venture of the Israeli Ministry of Economy, Digital Israel Bureau and the Israel Innovation Institute seeks to improve healthcare by supporting innovation in the field, bridging the gap between the tech community and the public health sector. By centralising Israel’s global healthcare innovation ecosystem, HealthIL is bringing Israeli health tech to the world by collaborating across organisations, connecting demand and supply, and streamlining innovation change management. Israel is eager to join hands with the international community in order to effectively address this current global challenge, as well as the ones to come. Ultimately, the world will only succeed in collectively overcoming this pandemic if we work together and cooperate. Moreover, health cooperation during the coronavirus crisis has also served as an important bridge between nations and for peace. It is Israel’s hope that Omicron will be the last of the pandemic and we are looking forward to continuing to share our insights and experiences with the world in all spheres of crisis management and public health.
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OPINION 17
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The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper
Where is the centre ground? OPINION PIECE BY ROBERT FESTENSTEIN
For some time now, there has been a shift in the structure of UK Jewry. When I was growing up in the 1970s people who were shomer Shabbat were seen as serious ‘frummers’. There were people who were even more frum, and these were limited to Gateshead and Stamford Hill and not regarded as part of the mainstream. Over the years, new religious groups have emerged. Their approach is more orthodox still and as a group within the community they are growing, both in numbers and as a proportion of UK Jewry as a whole. This has had the impact of moving the centre ground to the religious right so that the traditional United Synagogue shuls are now seen as occupying that centre, whereas when I was a teenager, they were more to the right. Much has been written about the growth of these more religious groups or ultra orthodox, about their lack of adherence to secular rules, particularly during the pandemic and whether or not
they have any interest in the wider world. What is missing though is any proper analysis of what constitutes someone who is on the religious right. There is no agreed list or guide. Does being ultra orthodox mean not sending children to university? Does it mean not having a smart phone or a television? Or none of these. In the absence of a consensus of what makes someone ultra orthodox it is surprising that some communal organisations have expressed interest in reaching out to them. In simple terms who should be approached? This may or may not be the right idea in terms of inclusivity, but there is a risk which is being missed.
At present there is an uneasy alliance between the various strands of UK Jewry from the Federation of Synagogues on one side and the Liberal and Progressive Communities on the other. Insert another group which is more religious than the Federation and there is a risk that this alliance could break down. That is not a reason to do nothing, it is though a reason to think carefully about the outcome. It might be that the attitude towards women of one group would mean that another would refuse to take part. Or the other way around, where one group accept women as counting towards a minyan would be a red line for another. Instead of rushing off to include the
Does being ultra orthodox mean not sending children to university? Does it mean not having a smart phone or a television? Or none of these.
ultra orthodox (still not sure of what this means), the sensible route should be for those seeking to do so is to understand themselves what their group represents, what can be sacrificed and what is a deal breaker. In other words, a Shul would not invite a group advocating the banning of shechita to an evening about Kosher food. As the Community evolves it is important that these changes are recognised and the organisations within it take notice and respond. It is just as important that thought and consideration is applied, since otherwise, in haste to include a group on one side of the religious spectrum a group on the other will walk away. Any move to extend the membership of groups needs to be a marathon, not a sprint if the enterprise has any chance of success. Robert Festenstein is a practising solicitor and has been the principal of his Salford based firm for over 20 years. He has fought BDS motions to the Court of Appeal and is President of the Zionist Central Council in Manchester which serves to protect and defend the democratic State of Israel.
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Leap of faith for Camp Simcha CEO
King David primary School pupils joined together with hundreds of other schools around the UK to take part in the Foundation Stones. Each child decorated a stone which will form part of the new UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre being built next to the Houses of Parliament.
Jasmine Levene with her Holocaust painted stone
Neville Goldschneider about to do his fundraising abseil
Camp Simcha CEO Neville Goldschneider has taken his role to new heights with a sponsored freefall abseil off the UK’s tallest sculpture, London’s ArcelorMittal Orbit. He was joined by his daughter Leah for the charity’s Dare to Drop challenge, as well as Ashira Hibbert and Joe Shefras who did their abseil late last year. Billed as the UK’s highest freefall abseil, the challenge involves descending 80m to the ground. Mr Goldschneider admitted to being ‘terrified’ as he stood at the top waiting to jump off. “The Isolation Challenge I took on for Camp Simcha in 2020 – growing my beard for three months – was a bit less daunting – but then again this was over faster! “When I arrived at the Olympic Park and turned the corner to be faced with the giant structure that I was about to jump off of,
it felt very, very scary. I was literally shaking when I got to the bottom – as was my daughter Leah - but we raised nearly £3,500 between all four abseilers and the buzz once it was done was amazing.” Joe Shefras, from North London, chose to take up the challenge shortly before his 18th birthday so asked friends and family to donate to his sponsorship page rather than give him presents. “I volunteered with a friend at the Camp Simcha family fun day last summer and I saw the amazing work they were doing with the children and their families. So when I saw an opportunity to raise money for them and do the abseil I took it. “The abseil itself was great fun; it was really surreal to be dangling 80m from the top of the ArcelorMittal Orbit but a great experience seeing all those amazing views all over London.”
Howzat! Rafi Rafi Quint, a Hasmonean High School Year 8 student, has just been selected to be a part of the Middlesex U13 cricket squad. He has also been asked to join the pre-season U14 cricket tour to Barbados this April. It is a very special and exciting opportunity for him to participate in an elite sporting tour- and well worth missing the last week of term! His school wishes Rafi good luck stating he has earned his place. They stated that not only will he be competing as a cricket player, he will also be an ambassador for the community.
PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL.
Paperweight – an ‘outstanding’ response to the pandemic The Paperweight Trust last week won “Outstanding Initiative in Response to the Covid 19 Pandemic” at the first ever London Borough of Barnet Faith and Belief Awards. The Jewish community’s citizen’s advice bureau supports people from across the entire religious spectrum, who come to Paperweight at very difficult times in their lives, frequently due to life-changing circumstances such as job loss, family breakdown, serious medical diagnosis and bereavement. In 2021 alone, Paperweight dealt with over three thousand separate case issues, accounting for more than 50,000 volunteering hours. Delivered by the Barnet Multi Faith Forum and Middlesex University, these Awards celebrate outstanding contributions of faith and belief groups that, through social action or community engagement, have had a positive impact on Barnet and improved the lives of its residents and communities. In making his acceptance speech, Paperweight Chairman Benjamin Conway
acknowledged the incredible work of the charity’s caseworkers, who had made the award possible: “We can only undertake this life-changing work through our 150 dedicated London caseworkers. During the past year, over 400 clients were lost and floundering in their benefits applications; more than 50 were mired in Family Law court proceedings; 30 needed to attend Benefits Appeals and 25 with restricted mobility needed our guidance to apply for a Blue Badge. We care for the soon-to-be homeless and the street-sleepers in the community – 85 including 5 already living in their car. And many others with nowhere else to turn. This is what Paperweight’s efforts do to our clients’ lives: It transforms them.” For further information, contact Communications Manager Michelle Rosenberg at michellerosenberg@paperweight.org.uk https://faithbeliefforum.org/event/ barnet-faith-belief-awards/
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Anoushka promises more Giving events
Anoushka Goldman has recently to service users; I am excited joined the GIFT team as Events’ to begin my GIFT journey and to bring amazing events to the Coordinator. She grew up in Manchester wider community.’ attending Yavneh School where Rabbi Sandor Milun, GIFT’s MD explained ‘We are delightshe was heavily involved in Bnei Akiva, holding the position of ed to have Anoushka on board; Rosh. She thrived in this envishe immediately demonstrated ronment which gave her a creaa real creative streak. We are so looking forward to seeing her tive outlet and a strong sense of community. She moved to Leeds ideas transformed into great for university, where she took events.’ the role of UJS warden of Hillel Anoushka Goldman In January, for Tu Bishvat, House. After taking the bold deAnoushka engaged the commucision to move to London, Anoushka was the nity organising a successful litter pick event in Meals on Wheels’ Coordinator at Jewish Care. Hendon Park partnered with Barnet Council. She really enjoyed working in the Jewish At the start of February Anoushka will be charity sector and has now moved to GIFT to launching GIFT’s Social Action Network for follow her passion for events’ management. Young Professionals (22 - 30 year olds). Her Anoushka is driven and energetic and aim is for this to be a new social scene engagenjoys rising to the challenge. She is full of ing young professionals, integrating giving innovative ideas and is excited to channel and social action into all its events. them into organising more great events at The first Social Network event will be a YP GIFT. She told us. ‘I’ve been so impressed by drinks and dinner event on Wednesday 9th GIFT’s work within the community, espe- Feb. cially its ability to touch the lives of so many, To sign up go to www.jgift.org/ypdrinks or from volunteers to partner organisations contact Anoushka on Anoushka@jgift.org
The first visitor to the Nicky Alliance Centre after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic was the Mayor of Bury, Councillor Tim Pickstone, who was taken on a tour by Michelle Wiseman, CEO Manchester Jewish Community Care.
Michelle Wiseman CEO MJCC welcomes Mayor of Bury Cllr Tim Pickstone
3 FEBRUARY 2022
Rabbi Benjy Simmonds with four boys of his ten grandchildren. They are holding a message to be sent to the Queen to mark the 70th anniversary of her succession to the throne on 6th February.
Rabbi Bemjy Simmonds with four of his grandsons
PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL.
Jnetics Give and Let Live Campaign exceeds all expectations
PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL.
Jnetics team celebrating their success
Jnetics Give and Let Live Campaign, smashed through its original target bringing in £662k in 36 hours Nicole Gordon, CEO said “We have been blown away by the generosity of the community” The funds we have raised over the campaign weekend will ensure that we can continue our screening programmes in schools, universities and through our Jnetics Clinic this coming year. But most importantly, nearly 3000 people donated to the campaign- ensuring that the wider community are aware of the life- saving work that we do within the community” “We couldn’t have done this without the
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support of our generous matchers and of course our Team Ambassadors, who worked tirelessly through the campaign to ensure they spread the message far and wide” Chairman Anthony Angel enthused “We are extremely grateful” “As a community, we should all feel very proud about the success of this campaign. Every young adult we screen takes us one step closer to fulfilling our mission of eradicating Jewish genetic disorders from the community” Nicole concluded For more information on Jnetics and its screening services please visit www.jnetics. org/screening Or email info @jnetics.org
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Jewish Care announces two new Trustees Jewish Care is committed to maintaining both a high performing Board of Trustees and expert committees and is therefore delighted to announce the appointment of two new Trustees who were unanimously ratified by the Board of Trustees last week. Dr Jonathan Shapiro and Amy Woolf will be joining Jewish Care’s Board of Trustees in March. Dr Jonathan Shapiro was recruited via the board level hiring platform Nurole and joins Jewish Care as both a Trustee and as the new Chair of Jewish Care’s Clinical Governance Group former Chair, Rachel Anticoni steps down from the position. Jonathan, who practiced medicine for many years, has been involved in senior leadership working alongside organisations throughout the care industry, both in the UK and overseas. He brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and understanding of healthcare organisations to his new role at Jewish Care. His experience includes non-executive leadership; consultancy in fields including organisational development and change management, policy development and service evaluations; University academia; and clinical medicine as a GP for many years. Jonathan was previously the founding Chair of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust. In addition to being the Chair of the training charity Education for Health for over ten years, Jonathan is currently a
Dr Jonathan Shapiro
Amy Woolf
Trustee and volunteer for the Samaritans in Birmingham, and a Trustee at both St Mary’s Hospice and John Taylor Hospice as they merge to form one of the largest hospice organisations in the UK. Amy Woolf joins Jewish Care as a Trustee in addition to continuing to serve as a
committee member on Jewish Care’s Residential Care Committee. Amy is the founder and Director of The Woolf Partnership, a firm focused on Technology, Transformation & Change. Prior to launching The Woolf Partnership, Amy spent many years working within
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the professional services world at KPMG. During her tenure she provided a bespoke direct search service to the partner group, worked alongside the UK Board to launch a firmwide social collaboration network, created sustainable inclusion practices and most recently was responsible for the design and content of the highly successful C-Suite Leadership Programme. A proud advocate for inclusion, Amy has been a member of women’s networks throughout her working life and was instrumental in the development of the City Mental Health Alliance. Having volunteered with Jewish Care since 2011, Amy has participated in Employee Volunteering schemes and took part in the pilot Lay Leadership Development programme. She has spent time with the Holocaust Survivors’ Centre Consultative Committee and now sits on the Residential Care Committee. In 2015 she launched and now Chairs the Jewish Care Families Programme. Daniel Carmel-Brown, Jewish Care Chief Executive said, “We are delighted to congratulate and welcome both Jonathan and Amy into their roles. We know that Jewish Care will benefit from their vast experience, knowledge and expertise. We also thank Rachel Anticoni for all of her incredible dedication and commitment over the last six years as she steps down as Chair of Jewish Care’s Clinical Governance Group.”
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HMD Tree Planted in Hyde Park
CFI appoints new Chairman
A special oak tree was planted in Hyde Park on Holocaust Memorial Day, Thurs day 27 January 2022 as part of a nationwide campaign to mark the 80th anniversary of the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR). ‘80 Trees for 80 Years’ is seeing AJR Tree Planting Hyde Park native oak trees planted around Britain in honour of people and places that symbolise the enormous contribution made to every walk of British life by refugees who escaped from Nazi Europe. Time capsules are also being planted by the roots of the trees with the story of a Jewish refugee who made their home in the UK. Half of the 80 trees were planted in the week of Holocaust Memorial Day, 25 of those on the day itself, including a very important tree in Hyde Park, sponsored by Michael Rosenstock, son of Werner Rosenstock, AJR’s founding secretary. Michael, who lives in Canada and was unable to attend the planting, said “My father, who was General Secretary of the Association of Jewish Refugees for the first 42 years of its existence, would be amazed and humbled if
Andrew Heller, Chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel, has announced he will be retiring after 13 years and will be succeeded by Stephen Massey from 1st April. During Andrew’s tenure, CFI has expanded its activities significantly and CFI’s Annual Business Lunches and Conservative Party Conference receptions have become some of the biggest events in the political calendar. The support from across the Conservative Party has been unwavering throughout, with hundreds of Conservative parliamentarians joining CFI delegations to Israel. The organisation has celebrated landmark moments in the UK-Israel relationship, including the centenary of the Balfour Declaration and the proscription of the Hezbollah and Hamas terror groups. CFI is delighted to confirm that Stephen Massey will become the next Chairman of CFI Ltd. Stephen is well-known within the CFI organisation and the Conservative Party having served as Treasurer of CFI since 2010 and having been a party member for over 40 years. He is a patron of the Hampstead and Kilburn Conservative Association and former constituency Chairman of Hampstead. He will become Chairman of CFI from 1st April ahead of CFI’s first parliamentary delegation to Israel since before the pandemic. Andrew has been central to the successful expansion of the organisation and its activities, as well as many landmark achievements in the UK-Israel relationship. CFI would like to thank him for everything he has achieved. Stephen brings an invaluable wealth of
he knew that the organisation was still going strong at the age of 80, with plenty to keep it occupied.” The location, The Dell in Hyde Park, was chosen as it is home to the first public Holocaust memorial in Great Britain. Guests included the Chief Rabbi, the Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire Robert Voss CBE, representatives of the German and Austrian Embassies, the Yom HaShoah committee, and students from Westminster Academy who were able to ask questions to Holocaust survivors Jacques Weisser and Sir Erich Reich. “As well as helping to mark the heritage of our members and a place of historic interest associated with them, the planting of this tree enables the AJR to give back to and create a living legacy within the country that became home to the Jewish refugees,” said AJR CEO, Michael Newman OBE. “Britain’s native oak trees are in decline and new trees are desperately needed. We hope these 80 special trees will be appreciated by future generations and provide natural habitats for other native species for many decades to come.”
experience to the position and we congratulate him on his appointment. Andrew Heller, CFI outgoing Chairman said: “After a memorable 13 years, I have decided to retire as Chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel. During my time as Chairman, Israel has changed beyond recognition and the support of the Conservative Party for Israel has grown ever stronger. There is so much of which I am proud and it has been a privilege to work with some extraordinarily talented people, both in Parliament and within the CFI offices. I know that I am leaving the organisation in the best position it has ever been and I very much look forward to watching Stephen and the team continuing its success”. Lord Polak CBE, CFI Honorary President said: “Andrew has made an enormous contribution to CFI in his 13 years as our Chairman. Steering the organisation through a memorable decade in British politics, Andrew leaves CFI in rude health and the UK-Israel relationship stronger than it has ever been. All of us at CFI would like to thank Andrew and congratulate Stephen on his appointment as Chairman as the organisation begins its next chapter”. Stephen Massey, CFI Treasurer and incoming Chairman said: “I am honoured to become CFI’s next Chairman and lead such a vital organisation. Israel and the Conservative Party are deeply important to me and I relish the opportunity to expand the fantastic relationship between these two great countries.”
2022 LSJS National Jewish Education Conference for Primary School teachers “Heart and soul” was the title of the 11th LSJS Primary Jewish Studies teachers’ conference, originally planned to be a great face to face celebration of returning to Jewish life in schools post-covid. Still in the midst of the pandemic, 165 participants zoomed in to an on line conference instead. The Chief Rabbi’s opening address talked about the symbol of continuity through the sedra of Mishpatim, the value of feeling the beauty of, and experiencing Jewish life, and not only learning about it. Following the keynote, participants chose from a range of 18 sessions, from sessions on wellbeing, to thinking about the inclusive classroom, to strategies from the Talmud to help us in our Jewish studies teaching. The day ended with an inspirational panel discussion on the challenges and The Chief Rabbi speaking at the conference opportunities facing teachers in a of heart and soul, which is exactly what post-covid era. Orah Soller, Deputy Head of Jewish is needed right now – thank you so much Studies at Morasha Jewish Primary school LSJS”. said, “Brilliant job today! All the lectures Joanne Greenaway, executive director thoroughly delivered on this year’s theme of LSJS, said “Jewish Studies teachers
hold such critical roles and their impact on our children cannot be estimated. We are thrilled that through this conference we continue to provide innovative ideas and strategies to support them and a much
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needed space to come together and reflect. Excellence in teaching ultimately transforms the community and we are wholly committed to that aim”. Conference co-chairs, Dr. Helena Miller and Esther Colman were delighted to see how many practical ideas for different areas of the Jewish Studies curriculum could be adapted for use in school the very next day. In addition, Dr. Miller said “Jewish education is not just what we teach, but how we teach it. Our teachers are role models for the children in their schools, and today’s conference showed how important that is for the heart and soul of every classroom”. LSJS also hosted the Head of Kodesh forum on Monday night which saw 20 senior leaders of Jewish Studies in schools come together to discuss challenges in schools pre and post covid. For more information on teacher training or degrees at LSJS please visit ww.lsjs. ac.uk or call 020 8203 6427.
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Chigwell & Hainault Synagogue smashes £1.2m target
3 FEBRUARY 2022
HMD tree planting at Heathlands
With the new tree in the gardens of Heathlands Village Chigwell & Hainault smashed its target
Chigwell & Hainault United Synagogue exceeded its £1.2m target to fund a vital renovation project. The 36-hour fundraiser totalled £1,265,588 to date and will now allow new areas to the shul to be built, repurpose others and brighten up the estate. Lord Alan Sugar, a member of the shul, donated half the amount, £600,000, to the campaign, and challenged the community to raise the remainder. Lord Sugar and community members created an Apprentice-style video on YouTube for the campaign where two teams from the community competed to come up with fundraising ideas for the shul. The
video amassed over 6,500 views. Rabbi Baruch Davis, Minister of Chigwell & Hainault, thanked dedicated workers, volunteers and team leaders who worked around the clock on the project. He said, “A huge thank you to more than 1,000 people who have given to this tremendous project. Above all, to Lord Sugar’s son Daniel, who has been with us every step of the way.” Former member and Trustee Fleurise Lewis commented, “I have never seen such an incredible campaign. From the video, from the messages that people are writing, you could just feel that everyone really wants this project to happen, really believing in the potential for the future.”
A new tree – one of 80 around the country– was planted at Heathlands Village last week to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2022, in the presence of Ike Alterman one of our community’s treasured Holocaust Survivors. ‘80 trees for 80 years’ was organised throughout 2021 and 2022 by the Association of Jewish Refugees to mark the 80th anniversary of the organisation’s founding. The Fed was chosen as a home for a tree due to the close links forged between the two charities in the field of Holocaust education – in terms of The Fed via its My Voice storytelling project. Raphi Bloom, The Fed’s Director of Marketing and Communications, welcomed the gathering to the Village, saying “We are very honoured that Heathlands Village was chosen as one of the 80 sites for this very
moving project, and that we will have a living memorial in the form of this oak tree to them for decades to come.” Fran Horwich, AJR’s Head of Volunteer Services, highlighted the crucial nature of Holocaust education and referred to the many Holocaust Survivors who have made a home during their later years at Heathlands Village. Thanks were offered to John Martins for sponsoring the Heathlands Village tree in memory of his late father who found refuge in the UK from Germany in 1934. Details of his life were shared by John, prior to the dedication of the tree. Adding to the significance of selecting Heathlands as a home for one of the trees was the fact that Mr Martins’ mother was a resident at the Village in the 1990s.
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From the front line…
Let’s put those ‘parties’ to bed and focus on the real stories. BY JACQUELINE CURZON Boris is prepared - it’s official! Aha! You were thinking about him preparing for the transparent {sorry, redacted} Sue Gray report into all the festive partying, but alas no. He’s getting prepared for sanctions, should ‘one Russian toecap’ cross the border with Ukraine. Put to one side the partying and outrageous hypocrisy shown at Downing Street during covid, he has done much during his tenure that most would applaud. When compared to his political predecessor Blair, who broke up the UK by devolution, took us into a war which then led to mass migration, home grown terrorism, who ruined public finances and private pensions, he gets the Order of the Garter, albeit belatedly. I think we should cut Boris some slack and let him concentrate on far more worthy matters - at home and abroad. Goodness knows there’s enough to keep him busy! Returning to Ukraine then, Boris was attending a military briefing in Kiev whilst Vladimir Putin was speaking in Moscow. Johnson made his comments shortly after Putin broke his many weeks-long silence over the crisis. The prime minister urged the Russian president to step back, saying it was ‘holding a gun to the head of Ukraine,’ with now more than 120,000 troops amassed at the border. It’s very obvious that Ukraine will fight fiercely and to the death, to avoid annexation and be subsumed into Greater Russia. Speaking beside him, the Ukrainian President, Volodymir Zelensky, said the West should consider imposing punitive measures in Russia now, not after an invasion, quoting ‘prevention is better than cure.’ Poland and Britain have joined the US in supplying Ukraine with weapons, and pushing for a sanctions package to deter any invasion. Perhaps Poland and the Baltic states have in fact most to lose, given their historic relationship with Russia. Around 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers have gone through a British run training programme called Operation Orbital and Mr Johnson has also pledged £88 million in aid to assist government reform. They are also preparing to double the number of troops deployed to Estonia, dispatch warships and jets to Nato’s eastern flank to “send a message” to Moscow. Other members of Europe - particularly Germany - have refused to provide any weaponry, calling instead for ‘caution on sanction packages,’ which obviously relates to the possible suspension of the Nord Stream II gas pipeline by Putin. This caution could end up as words of sheer bravado as similar pledges were waved around in 2014 when Crimea was annexed, but in reality those words made little difference. British civil servant Nisha De Silva, who joined the board of Amnesty International in 2020, has been called to step down and
Jacqueline Curzon PHOTO: LARA MINSKY PHOTOGRAPHY
resign as a trustee because of a publication of a report that may now encourage crimes against Jews. She is also in a senior role with the Ministry of Justice. Amnesty International released a 278 page document accusing Israel of being ‘an apartheid state’ with regard to its treatment of Palestinians, and it was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority which said it hoped it would open the way for Israel to be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court. However it has raised accusations of antisemitism with Yair Lapid, Israel’s Foreign Minister who said, “I hate to use the argument that if Israel were not a Jewish state, nobody in Amnesty would argue against it, but in this case there is no other possibility.’ Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel said, ‘… and this vitriolic propaganda is liable to encourage crimes against Jews in Britain and overseas. Those charged with these crimes may invoke the report in justification.’ He also called on the Charity Commission and HMRC to evaluate whether sponsorship of the report was compatible with its charitable status. The report alleges the Israeli state maintains ‘an institutionalised regime of oppression and domination of the Palestinian population for the benefit of Jewish Israelis.’ Agnès Calamar, Amnesty’s Secretary General, said she rejected these claims of anti semitism, citing Israel’s ‘cruel policies of segregation, dispossession and exclusion across all territories under its control’ clearly amounts to apartheit. The MoJ said their robust procedures to avoid any potential conflicts of interest have been followed. If you say so! India’s most famous snake handler Vava Suresh (47), who was once described by Prince Charles as a ‘living wonder’ is critically ill in hospital after being bitten by a Cobra during a rescue attempt. He has suffered more than 250 snakebites in his career and
gained cult status across India through a popular YouTube show Snake Master, in which he captures some of the country’s deadliest reptiles. Recently Mr Suresh estimated he’d caught and rescued more than 50,000 snakes, including 200 deadly King Cobras after they strayed into residential areas in Kerala. However earlier this week he responded to an emergency call, but was then bitten whilst putting a 10 foot Cobra into a secure gunny bag. He then became unconscious after a few minutes and was taken to a private hospital where antivenom was administered. Doctors have warned it will be a difficult recovery as previous snakebites have left him with long-term liver damage. The Prince of Wales paid homage to Mr Suresh during a visit to Kerala in 2013, saying ‘if even an elephant will die in an hour after the bite of a king cobra, how did you manage to save so many?’ ‘You’re a living wonder and I salute your love for you reptilian friends.’ Carrie Johnson and her charity Aspinall Foundation have come under fire in their initiative to rewild British elephants back to Africa. Professor Keith Somerville of the University of Kent says elephants ‘don’t see people as a threat but a source of food and water, which will impede any progress in the intended wilding.’ The elephants are currently housed at Howletts Wildlife Park in Kent, but are scheduled for transport to Kenya. A spokesman for Aspinall said, ‘the Foundation has a 30-year history of successful rewilding projects around the globe.’ Leading medical researchers from Kings College and Harvard, have warned that medicalised language designed to make the transgender community more included, risks alienating and dehumanising women. Who in their right mind would sign up being ‘a birthing person with a cervix/ parent who has given birth/ lactating parent/ chest feeding their baby.’ As opposed to being a woman, recently having given birth, lactating and breastfeeding her newborn. Professor Jenny Gamble, one of the authors of the paper, said that gender identity should not be confused with biological sex as it could lead to “health consequences and deeper and more insidious discrimination against women.“ It was telling that a u-turn on mandatory jabs for NHS workers would be on the cards. Warnings of crippling staff shortages were looming, with the cutoff date fast approaching. Whilst in the Royal Free I heard several staff share their anxieties that they would either have to resign or be sacked. Whilst I respect an individual having a choice, we as patients seemed to have less choice, were quizzed on our status, regarded disdainfully if the answer was negative, and subjected to covid testing every 48 hours. It feels a bit rough that staff were instructed to take lateral flow tests twice weekly, whilst dealing
with highly vulnerable people. Care home workers are now expected to sue their employers if they were forced out of jobs because they refused vaccination. I look forward to the day when covid is treated like flu, a mild illness, and students, employees and such like don’t down tools for 7-10 days at a time. The world needs to get back to business. An obituary of note is that of Niall Kirkpatrick (62), who has died in a road accident. Kirkpatrick was an award-winning craniofacial plastic surgeon, internationally recognised for his charitable work in Vietnam, where he changed the lives of many. His charity, Facing the World, was created in 2006, and he served as chairman from 2013-2018. They worked in Afghanistan and elsewhere, including Vietnam where high incidences of congenital birth defects were prevalent, largely due to the use of Agent Orange by US troops during the Vietnam War. Demand was such that the charity began training and equipping local surgeons to perform some of these complex operations to enable children with stigmatising disfigurements to try and lead a more normal life. His father was an obstetrician and gynaecologist and Colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and he and his two younger brothers were educated at Wellington College. He initially trained in dentistry at Guy’s London, but a short spell with a maxillofacial surgeon prompted a change of direction. On his first day he saw surgeons dealing with the fatalities and injuries patients had suffered in a major traffic accident just that morning. He then trained in plastic surgery with fellowships at GOSH and Chelsea and Westminster hospital, additionally training in head and neck surgery at the Royal Marsden and aesthetic surgery at the Wellington. He was highly regarded and cited by the Sunday Times as amongst the best Plastic Surgeons in the country. He loved outdoor life, and enjoyed pastimes such as skiing, walking and climbing the Alps. It was on one such recent expedition, on a cold, sunny day in Essex with his brother and a friend, that he was killed when his bicycle was involved in a collision with a car. He is survived by his wife and three sons. And lastly, a prisoner who escaped by dislocating his thumb and slipping out of his handcuffs has been sentenced to 9 months in jail. Ryan Searle (39) had been taken from HMP Bullingdon to hospital, and once in the lavatory he dislocated his thumb to slip the cuffs before wrapping the chain connecting his handcuffs to his guard. He gave himself up in the car park and was told at sentencing the prison has ‘shown him nothing but kindness.’ He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to attempted escape and assaulting an emergency worker. Love Jacqueline x
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32 COOKERY
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Udon Noodle Tofu Ramen Soup Ramen is an oriental noodle recipe that can be made into a hot soup or used as the base of a salad. Instead of a ‘takeaway’ by creating this at home you will make a ‘fakeaway’! Food presented in a bowl, it is on the ‘trendy’ scene at the moment!
Another delicious recipe from Denise Phillips For more recipes and inspiration visit my website: www.jewishcookery.com
Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients 25g dried shiitake mushrooms 1 litre vegetable/ chicken stock ( use your leftover chicken soup broth) 1 tablespoon mirin 1 tablespoon soya sauce 1 garlic clove 2cm fresh ginger – peeled and finely chopped 1 red chilli – deseeded and finely chopped ~ 300g Udon noodles 50g Kale – washed and chopped 160g marinated tofu – sliced 2 spring onions – trimmed and sliced Method 1) Pour the stock into a large saucepan. 2) Add the dried mushrooms, mirin, soya sauce, garlic, ginger, chilli. 3) Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes for the flavours to all diffuse. 4) Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain and transfer to large individual soup bowls. 5) Pour in the hot soup and top with kale, spring onions and tofu.
Transforming Your Chicken Soup BY DENISE PHILLIPS There is something very special about chicken soup, the soul satisfying and winter-warming broth. The wonderful element of traditional recipe is that it has numerous variations, but I like to use the chicken carcass or chicken wings with a saucepan jammed packed with vegetables. This includes, leeks, carrots, swede, turnip, onions with the skin on which gives extra flavour and colour to the soup, parsnip, bay leaves, one tomato, celery and a large bunch of fresh parsley. But this delicious broth can easily be transformed into a different type of soup entirely. Make it Mexican style with the addition of tin ‘creamed’ sweet corn, garlic, cumin, chilli, strips of chicken and garnished with strips of baked tortilla bread strips, sprigs of fresh coriander and chopped avocado. Add an Asian influence with a tin of coconut milk, spring onions, chopped ginger, lemongrass sticks, chopped red chilli, bok choy and some soya sauce. Garnish with sprigs of coriander and a slice of lime.
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Experiment and change the flavours to an Indian style with curry powder, chopped carrots, celery, rice, chickpeas, apples, coconut milk and fresh coriander, better known as Mulligatawny. This soup is richly flavoured and thickened with the rice. Let the chicken soup take an Italian twist and add pasta, cannellini beans, stale crusty bread, chopped tomatoes, kale and some crushed chilli flakes. This is a Tuscan speciality called Ribollita, a wholesome bowl of goodness. Comforting, vibrant and delicious use your chicken soup to make a Japanese style chicken ramen. Add soya sauce, shiitake mushrooms, mirin (Japanese rice wine), garlic, ginger, udon noodles, caramelised soya glazed chicken pieces, tofu or hardboiled eggs or fried egg and top with sesame oil, sesame seeds and spring onions. What is your favourite way to make chicken soup? Email me on denise@jewishcookery.com I will add the most popular recipe to the next cookery column.
3 FEBRUARY 2022
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ADVERTORIAL 33
22 Business tips for 2022 With New years resolutions long forgotten, 2022 already feels quite stall. From a Business angle, the bad news keeps on coming – higher energy costs, scarcity of resources, record inflation levels, difficult trading conditions post-covid - the gloomy list is endless. Yet, a New year heralds a time for innovation and already the ‘smog’ of Covid seems to be lifting, with the distant dawn of a brighter economic outlook. Ironically, the time to start or invest in a business, is often during a financial ‘downturn’, and is the reason why JCommerce are re-doubling their efforts this year to provide business support services for the community. One of the most effective forms of business assistance is mentoring; it allows ‘newbies’ to gain the inside track and vital knowledge from industry veterans. So here are 22 tips from business mentors we work with, to help your business this year. 1. BE PREPARED Take a good look at your business. How well are you handling the different strands? Operationally are things running as they should? Perhaps it is time to acknowledge that some tasks are best done with professional help. 2. NEW BEGINNINGS If you are starting a new business, your business plan is vital to strategise different aspects of the business and set goals. It’s that old saying about life “if you don’t know where you’re going how will you know when you get there.” 3. WORKING FROM HOME Hailed as the new way of working, it can certainly lead to increased productivity, but the biggest upside is that allows you to start almost anything from home, with minimum overheads. 4. BE CURIOUS If you are developing a new product, do your research, be prepared for plenty of experimentation and try to get hands on experience. Thomas Edison, the prolific inventor, most notably of the light bulb fame said “I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” 5. BE PRESENT Multi-tasking is so overrated! Practice mindfulness and be in the moment by prioritising tasks that need to be done; others can wait, or be delegated. 6. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY If you are looking at a new version of a current product, think seriously about what improvements you would make and how would you make it better. 7. TURN UNCERTAINTY INTO A SAFE BET Although we are still in unchartered waters in terms of post Covid economics, on your own ‘macro’ level, know what you are getting in to; identify the needs and then the solutions. 8. CUT COSTS spiralling costs are the nemesis of any business and can often catch people unawares. This is especially true against the current backdrop of raw material costs, production AND transportation
leading to increasing prices. So be lean in the areas you can without cutting important corners. 9. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS Networking is defined as “Exchange of information and ideas amongst those with a common interest, usually in an informal setting.” Follow up on leads, go to events and speak to people. You never know which connection will get you to the next step. 10. KNOW YOUR COMPETITORS… research and be familiar with their business model and what you would do differently. Conversely, you can also build bridges not walls by collaborating with someone else in the same field. Sometimes your expertise can complement or you will find opportunities to pass on business to each other. 11. … AS WELL AS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE trying to be all things to all people means you could spread yourself too thinly and end up not pleasing anyone. Know who your end user is and engage with them endlessly. 12. STAND OUT Find your unique angle that sets your business apart. Think Cokes secret ingredient or Amazons’ same day delivery. If you don’t have something unique - lets face it, you cant always re-invent the wheel - then make a [true] claim before your competitors do and you will ‘own’ it [Tesco: Every little helps] 13. LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMER The most fundamental question to any business
is, “Is this what customers really want?” Ask customers for their feedback and use this to your benefit. If you are starting out, look for opinions on similar products or organise a focus group or survey. 14. ASK QUESTIONS - AND ASK AGAIN Pitch yourself to professionals and carry out market research….and use your mentor! 15. FINANCE AND FUNDING Probably the toughest part for new businesses, however if you are committed, passionate and have a good business plan, don’t be afraid to approach family, the banks and numerous business loan providers to raise capital. 16. CREATE A BRAND Clever branding establishing who you are, allows you to create a unique and lasting image that molds customers’ perception to believing in your product. 17. MARKETING Build awareness through consistent messaging and constant promotion of your service or product to remind people that they need what you have. Use satisfied customer testimonials and recommendations as well as word of mouth to create traction. 18. PEOPLE ARE YOUR BEST ASSET As people re-adjust their prioritise for a post-covid work/life balance, many talented individuals are looking for new opportunities; use their well-honed skills to shore up any gaps in your knowledge and surround yourself with the right people 19. BE PREPARED FOR GROWTH Whilst things seem sluggish now, be well positioned
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to take advantage so that you don’t miss the boat when the market ticks upwards, which it will eventually. 20. GO DIGITAL Using technology in the various different business operations, can in the longer term provide better value to your customers and be more economic for you. 21. WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT Having an online presence is your calling card and provides credibility. It can also be a sales tool allowing you to ‘boast’ about what you do well, or even have an online selling facility. 22. CLEAR FINANCIAL RECORDS A must for any business start-up or small medium enterprise; failure to do so can quickly lead to disaster and unravel what otherwise would be a good going concern.
Jcommerce is a charitable organisation set up to support businesses in the North West Community to economic self-sufficiency and address business challenges. For more information about our business support services including, video soundbites from successful entrepreneurs, business advice and mentoring go to www. jcommerce.org
34 MOTORING
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Motoring: Kia Sorento Our travel writer Malcolm Ginsberg has added motoring to his portfolio over the last 21 months. He is a member of The Guild of Motoring Writers and many years ago was Lotus Public Relations Manager. This is his take on a versatile family car. If you are looking for a quality real people carrier in SUV mode the latest four wheel drive Kia Sorento might just fit the bill. Priced at around £40k it is comprehensively equipped and does not require any extras The Sorento was used for a trip to Norwich and Great Yarmouth carrying six people and all their luggage. Our destination featured off the road parking and self-catering. With 19” wheels the Kia was the right choice for the trip. Seven can be carried with limited kit. The A11 is now a much better road than in years gone by and the Kia was effortless in keeping up with the traffic. There were no complaints from the two youngsters in the very back plugged in with USB’s for powering their devices although the fuel consumption dropped into the high 30’s from the usual 45mpg. The middle seats are very spacious and also have USB points. The normal-sized threesome were very happy throughout the 130-mile 2hr 30min non-stop journey mostly asleep. It was a very quiet drive. The panoramic sunroof with tilt and slide functionality and automatic electric roller blind was tried but deemed not needed for the trip after a short while. The powerful 12-speaker BOSE surround-sound audio system was also closed down as it interfered with those using headsets. With the rear seats in place the rear boot space is only 179ltr. As a SUV the car sits much higher than a normal saloon. The rear door is electric which saves any embarrassment for those shorter people. As with all cars of its ilk you do have to climb up into it! A clever inovation that might make door mirrors redundant. The Sorento Hybrid is powered by a new ‘Smartstream’ electrified powertrain, pairing a 1.6-litre T-GDi (Turbocharged Gasoline Direct injection) four-cylinder engine with a 1.49kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack and 44.2kW (59bhp) electric motor. This output is sent to all four wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox with a neat twist control in a central location. Top speed is suggested at 120mph with a 0-60 of 8.7secs. The top of the range test car was fitted with a head-up display and parking cameras which seem to view the profile
It all fitted in. Just! Six people from eight years old upwards and no complaints on a long drive.
Kia Sorento. A fine large family car, and smart too!
A clever innovations that might make door mirrors redundant.
of the car from above with regard to the pavement, and also give front and rear views. Also a Blind-Spot View Monitor (BVM), a large circular display replicating the door mirrors which came on once the right or left hand turn indicator came into use. It is a very nice feature. There is no excuse for driving too fast. The legal speed limit was displayed no less than four times on the various displays in front of me. The Sorento also offers Kia’s innovative UVO Connect telematics system, connecting drivers by providing invaluable information via the in-car touchscreen and on their smartphone. The test car was the top of the range “4” version featuring Kia Live services and accessible through the 10.25-inch LCD widescreen the system displaying live traffic information, weather forecasts, points of interest, and details of potential on- and off-street parking (including price, location and parking availability). UVO Connect also enables drivers to send route
directions to their car before a journey and check the location of their vehicle at any time.
STAR RATINGS
(out of 10) Performance..........................8 Handling.................................7 Transmission.........................9 Noise......................................8 Economy................................7 Ride and Comfort..................7 Accommodation.....................9 Styling.....................................7 Brakes....................................8 Finish......................................8 TOTAL............................... 78%
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Plenty of room in the middle seats. Soft-touch materials and silver and glossy-black plastic trim finishing may not be quite of the Land Rover standard but with all Kia’s there is a quality feeling of the product have clearly been solidly assembled. In terms of handling the Sorento feels very safe and predictable although the roads of Norfolk are hardly a challenge in motoring terms. High up the driver can see what is happening and one feels very secure. But you absolutely won’t feel the need to hustle this car down a road for the pure thrill of it. If, for whatever reason, you give it a go, you’ll find that there’s a bit of a lean particularly on quick bends the traction control system in charge long before you really start testing the limits of grip. With a week’s loan it is impossible to learn all the features of the car. Acronyms are now the “in” features and the handbook lists Lane Follow Assist (LFA), Intelligent Speed Limit Assist (ISLA), Manual Speed Limit Assist (MSLA), Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) and Driver Attention Warning (DAW), along with Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Downhill Brake Control (DAC) and an electronic parking brake (EPB) with Auto Hold functionality. Drive Mode Select allows the driver to tailor the driving experience more to their tastes, with a choice of ‘Comfort’, ‘Eco’ and ‘Sport’ modes, while Terrain Mode Select incorporates three modes – mud, snow, and sand. Multi-Collision Brake Assist (MCBA) is a new innovation as is Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go functionality and Ecall, which automatically summons the emergency services in the event of an accident. An advanced anti-theft alarm system is provided with remote central door locking with foldaway key. The car comes with a seven-year, 100,000 mile warranty. One would be churlish to suggest that Kia expects ownership to last that long in order to find out what all the toys do, but it is a thought. www.kia.com/uk/new-cars/sorento
36 JUDAISM
3 FEBRUARY 2022
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ASK THE RABBI
Looking for answers? Send your question to Rabbi@RabbiSchochet.com IS LUXURY A LUXURY?
Dear Rabbi I live as a member in a particularly Orthodox Jewish community. I recently bought a nice luxury car and all I get now is funny looks from everyone as though to say, “Who do you think you are?” I suppose my question is, is there a Halachic position on spending money on a luxury car? Shmuli Dear Shmuli When the Torah (Vayikra 14:36) instructs that a house struck with leprosy be cleared out before a Cohen renders it impure, the commentator Rashi makes the point that “the Torah takes pity on a Jew’s resources.” Similarly, when the verse (Devarim 14:21) states that the carcass of a forbidden animal can be sold to a non-Jew, the Midrash notes, “the Torah takes pity on a Jew’s resources.” This is a recurring theme throughout Jewish literature. Thus begging the question, if the Torah encourages conservation, wherein would lie the justification to spend excess money on a luxury car? Even if it is well within the means of an individual, the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 27a) observes that the mouthpiece of the Shofar used on fast days was covered with silver rather than gold because “the Torah takes pity on Jewish resources.” The Temple could certainly have afforded the gold, yet still avoided unnecessary excess. To be sure, if it is somehow necessary for the purposes of work or whatever other reason, then so be it. Moreover, the Torah doesn’t forbid one from taking pleasure in what they
can afford. But generally, when it’s just about feeling like king of the road, a balance ought to be struck between driving in comfort and spending the extra 50K just to impress the morning minyan. Give the money to charity instead. You’re guaranteed a more luxurious place in G-d’s books.
TIME TO FORGIVE?
Dear Rabbi When someone has done time in prison and then seeks to come back to synagogue, should he be welcomed back in? What about when he has a yartzeit, in order to say kaddish? Gerald Dear Gerald It really very much depends on the nature of the crime. For example, if he was in for paedophilia, then there is a very real element of risk, especially when there are children around. Moreover, those with children would not be comfortable bringing their kids to shul in the circumstances. Perhaps, some leniency ought to be sought for the purposes of saying kaddish on a yartzeit, but safeguarding measures would have to be put into place before that could be allowed. For other crimes, well, again, it depends. If the individual concerned stole from members of the community, while there isn’t the same risk per se, one has to be mindful of the sensitivities of those other members who attend shul, that were his victims. We do believe in the principle of repentance and turning over a new leaf. But we are always
Pirkei Avot ָח ִביב ָא ָדם ֶׁשּנִ ְב ָרא,אֹומר ֵ הּוא ָהיָ ה נֹוד ַעת לֹו ֶׁשּנִ ְב ָרא ַ ִח ָּבה יְ ֵת ָרה.ְבצֶ ֶלם ... ֶׁשּנֶ ֱא ַמר (בראשית ט) ִּכי ְּבצֶ ֶלם,ְבצֶ ֶלם יבין יִ ְׂש ָר ֵאל ִ ֲח ִב.ָע ָׂשה ֶאת ָה ָא ָדם ִח ָּבה יְ ֵת ָרה.ֶׁשּנִ ְק ְראּו ָבנִ ים ַל ָּמקֹום ,נֹוד ַעת ָל ֶהם ֶׁשּנִ ְק ְראּו ָבנִ ים ַל ָּמקֹום ַ 'ֶׁשּנֶ ֱא ַמר (דברים יד) ָּבנִ ים ַא ֶּתם ַלה יבין יִ ְׂש ָר ֵאל ֶׁשּנִ ַּתן ָל ֶהם ְּכ ִלי ִ ֲח ִב.יכם ֶ ֱאל ֵֹק נֹוד ַעת ָל ֶהם ֶׁשּנִ ַּתן ַ ִח ָּבה יְ ֵת ָרה.ֶח ְמ ָּדה ,עֹולם ָ ָל ֶהם ְּכ ִלי ֶח ְמ ָּדה ֶׁשּבֹו נִ ְב ָרא ָה ֶׁשּנֶ ֱא ַמר (משלי ד) ִּכי ֶל ַקח טֹוב
mindful of the nature of the beast and have to take in the bigger picture.
LVING WITH REGRET
Dear Rabbi I spent a lot of my earlier life involved in all sorts of decadent behaviour. Even as I now lead a more virtuous life, I find myself often thinking back with regret and it always drags me down. In fact only recently I was feeling so lousy about it all, that I found myself going down that same slippery slope. How do I snap out of it? Craig Dear Craig Foremost, you ought to pursue some professional help that can guide you through this process. But in the meantime, here is some food for thought: A Jew ends up sleeping in the same cabin as a Russian General of the Czar’s army. He tells the conductor to wake him up at 4:00 a.m. so he can get off at his stop. He is awakened at the proper time, yet due to the darkness he mistakenly puts on the clothes of the general instead of his own. When he arrives home, his wife asks him if everything is all right with him. When he takes a look in the mirror and sees that he is wearing the general’s uniform, he tells his wife, “It seems like the conductor woke up the general instead of me.” Though we may feel our personalities to be torn inside and harbouring within them dark and gloomy demons, we ought never allow ourselves to succumb to these forces and grant them permission to dictate our
behaviour. We need to remember always that even while our conscious moods may gravitate toward decadence, our essence remains pure. This is Judaism’s fundamental code of human behaviour. Even while you feel selfish, unholy and obnoxious inside, your behaviour - what you do, how you talk and how you think - ought to reflect the beauty and splendour of your
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Dedicated in memory of Tova bas Chayim Hillel Monis and Meir Shimon ben Avrohom Yakov He used to say: Beloved is man for he was created in the image [of G-d]. Especially beloved is he for it was made known to him that he had been created in the image [of G-d], as it is said: “for in the image of G-d He made man” (Genesis 9:6). Beloved are Israel in that they were called children to the All-Present. Especially beloved are they for it was made known to them that they are called children of the All-Present, as it is said: “you are children to the Lord your G-d” (Deuteronomy 14:1). Beloved are Israel in that a precious vessel was given to
Perek 3: Mishna 14
them. Especially beloved are they for it was made known to them that the desirable instrument, with which the world had been created, was given to them, as it is said: “for I give you good instruction; forsake not my teaching” (Proverbs 4:2). We should be exceedingly grateful that we are beloved by Hashem. It is not for nothing that the Torah, which doesn’t waste words, chose explicitly at the be-
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innate holiness. Remember, G-d does not desire holy people doing holy things; He desires unholy people doing holy things. Do not make the error of the Jew sleeping on the train. Do not confuse who you are with what you are wearing. It is a sad error to allow yourself to be defined by your external rotten mood in lieu of your inner pristine self.
ginning of Bereshit to state that we are created in the image of G-d. In the same way people will do anything for their beloved, Hashem will do anything for us. Although it can often not seem that way, especially when people are suffering in one form or another, we must strive mightily to remember that Hashem always has our absolute best in mind even if we can’t directly see it.
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Torah from Israel Terumah: Daf Yomi on Tik Tok BY RABBI MOSHE TARAGIN
Every component of the mishkan is iconic. Each article symbolizes a different aspect of religious experience. From the materials to the fabrics, from the dimensions to the ritual ceremonies, each detail of the mishkan contains profound religious symbolism. Though every part of the mishkan is symbolic, the aron is the most evocative. As it houses the luchot and a sefer Torah, it reflects our approach to Torah study. Moshe supervised the construction of the mishkan by delegating projects to the chief engineer, Bezalel, and his team of artisans and craftsmen. Though numerous workers were involved, Hashem personally directed each command to Moshe. Each instruction is conveyed to Moshe with the term “v’asita” which translates into “You should build.” Oddly, the instruction to fashion an aron was conveyed to Moshe with a plural-tensed term: “v’asu” which translates into “They should build an aron”. Unlike all the other vessels, the aron is presented as a communal and collaborative project. According to the midrash, this collective language empowers each individual Jew to take personal ownership of Torah. Torah should not be the private or exclusive possession of an elite or the protected trust of the educated, but should be democratic and should be easily available to all. Often, Torah is compared to water because it is freely and effortlessly available to all, regardless of education, social position or religious rank. Torah must be collectivized, popularized and extended to every Jew. In reality, though, the aron was not universally accessible. Astonishingly, the aron didn’t occupy any actual space in the mishkan. Containing the celestial word of G-d, it lies beyond the human realm and existed in a “void” or a black hole in the mishkan. Additionally, the aron was sequestered in the inner sanctum, which was rarely entered by humans. Tragedy struck when the aron was mishandled while being transported by Dovid to Yerushalayim. A Levi named Uzza tried to reposition the aron as it fell off the wagon and tragically he died, since he had laid a bare human hand upon the casing of G-d’s word. As the word of Hashem, Torah must inspire awe and transcendence. Torah must be austere and otherworldly. Our relationship with Torah is built upon this irreconcilable paradox. We want it to be familiar and accessible, but we also must preserve its gravitas. Torah must be friendly but spiritual. It must be human but divine. It must be natural but also heavenly. Throughout our history, this balance was
always very carefully calibrated. During Raban Gamliel’s reign as Nasi, entry into the Torah study hall was restricted to people of high moral standards. How can Torah be cheapened by teaching it to frauds? Upon assuming the title of Nasi, Rebbi Eliezer ben Azarya suspended these restrictions, exposing thousands of newcomers to the beauty of Torah. Ezra the Prophet banned Torah study for men after marital relations. Only by immersing in a mikvah can a man achieve the purity and solemnness necessary to resume Torah study. This regulation as well, severely limited Torah study, and was eventually repealed. Until the end of the first century, Torah could only be studied while standing. How can the word of G-d be read while casually reclining? This cavalier posture would mar the grandeur of Torah. Again, this policy boomeranged and was eventually relaxed. This balancing act is perennial. We always face the challenge of popularizing Torah while maintaining its integrity and preserving our reverence for Torah. The solemnity of Torah and the austerity of Torah study have always been flexed to enable broader popular commitment to Torah. Recently, a woman began reformulating the daf yomi in a humorous fashion, on a social media platform named Tik Tok. These popular videos summarize the daf with a mixture of sarcasm, sincerity and even sexual innuendo. Many are disturbed by the disgrace of profanity-laden descriptions of the Talmud. Others believe that these videos have captured a broad audience and exposed them to Torah knowledge. This reminds me of a similar question which arose several years ago in Israel. A reputable publishing house printed a Tanach covered with a material resembling blue jeans. This more user-friendly and less formal Tanach, undoubtedly, was more attractive to a broader audience who weren’t naturally drawn to a more classic version of Tanach. For others, wrapping a Tanach in clothing which many associate with leisure rather than serious study, reduced the honor of Torah. These two dilemmas- a Tanach with a jeans cover and irreverent daf yomi summaries- though very different, both reflect the enduring challenge of balancing between popularizing Torah and retaining its honor. Too much familiarity and we dilute Torah’s intensity. Too much intensity and Torah feels distant and unreachable. There is obviously no clear-cut solution but here are a few guidelines toward a healthy balance. I haven’t watched the Tik Tok Daf Yomis (aside from one video which I quickly glanced at) so my comments are more “generalized “about how
Torah must be friendly but spiritual. It must be human but divine. It must be natural but also heavenly. to popularize Torah without cheapening it.
1.INTENT
Obviously, the foremost issue is assessing intent. Is Torah being recast or reframed for its greater glory? Is the reformulation of Torah conducted in the service or Torah or in the service of an alternate agenda? Torah should never serve any other agenda. It is the perfect, stand-alone, and eternal word of Hashem and cannot be subjugated to any other purpose. Is Torah being repackaged for the sake of Torah and to serve its interests, or for other reasons and for alternative purposes? Intent is always our first yardstick when judging repackaging of Torah.
2. REVERENCE
Does the unorthodox presentation of Torah, ultimately, generate respect for Torah or belittlement? It is legitimate to soften Torah even if changes the tone of our reverence. It is legitimate to create greater access even at the cost of reduced “veneration”. If Torah is too austere and solemn it can feel distant and, for some, irrelevant. If Torah is held too high, it become unreachable. Humor and cultural associations can make Torah more friendly, less formal, and more accessible. However, any strategy which reduces respect for Torah authority or creates scorn and ridicule is intolerable and dangerous. Respect doesn’t have to be solemn, but it must be solid. Off-color humor and sarcasm lead to cynicism and derision. This is the second yardstick. Even if the intent is sincere, is the outcome one of greater respect or less respect for Torah and religion? For many, religious passion is driven by intensity, reverence and religious tension. For others, these emotions are too heavy
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and suffocating. It is legitimate to create a softer and more relaxed inner religious landscape. As long as respect is solidified, and authority is reinforced. This concern is especially true in our treatment of Chazal. As they were human beings, it is easier for people to belittle them, or worse, ridicule them G-d forbid. Too much comedy and parody can undermine the immense respect due to people who possessed an almost unimaginable mastery over Torah and created our traditions of the Oral law.
3. DIGNITY
Are the terms and words which are employed comical and “light” or crass and vulgar? In general, it is important to speak and write with dignity and to avoid crude and raunchy language. This is even more important when referring to the word of Hashem. Employing risqué language or curse words when discussing Torah content is appalling. We live in a sordid world and Torah provides an escape to a purer world and to the divine source of nobility. Torah must be guarded from the ugliness of humans. Torah is both eternal and timeless. Though it must be reformulated to “speak” to each generation its sanctity and holiness must be vigilantly protected. If we are uncertain about the proper balance to strike, it is preferable to err on the side of preserving Torah’s splendor and gravitas. 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.
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Weekly Dvar Torah F R O M E R E TZ Y I S R A E L
For Heaven’s Sake BY RABBI REUVEN TARAGIN
“Bring gifts for Me… Let them make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell amongst them.” (Shemot 25:2,8) “For me”; this is what Hashem emphasizes by using the word li. In the first pesukim of the parasha, Hashem uses the term in reference to the collection of funds for and the building of the Mishkan. Rashi explains the significance of li by adding the word shem (name) between the lamed and the yud of the word. The Mishkan needs to be built for Hashem’s name, for His sake. Our ability to create a sanctuary for the shechina and to develop a meaningful relationship with Hashem hinges not only on what we do, but also on why we do it. Action meant to further our own interests or for other ulterior motives does not bring us close to Hashem or Him closer to us.
Terumah
AVODAH, NOT MELACHAH
The Ramban uses this idea to explain why the work done in building the Mishkan is called avodah (rather than just melachah). Avoda signifies effort intended l’shem shamayim. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains through this the abundance of commandments regarding the korbanot and the Mishkan. Acting in accordance with Hashem’s commands ensures that our building and sacrifices will be done for the sake of fulfilling Hashem’s Will.
ATONEMENT FOR THE EIGEL
The Midrash sees this as the way the building of the Mishkan atoned for the sin of the Eigel. When the Jews asked Aharon to build the golden calf, they said: “Make an Eigel for us.” As we saw, Hashem formulated the commandment for building the Mishkan as: “Make a Mishkan for Me.” Sin is committed for self-interests; avodat
Sidra Summary
Hashem, for Heaven’s sake. Rav Mordechai Mi’Kazmir saw this idea in the difference between the way Hashem told Moshe to fashion the luchot versus how He formulated the prohibition against idol worship. When Hashem told Moshe to chisel the luchot, He said: “P’sal (carve) for yourself.” When He warned against idol worship, He said: “Do not make for yourself a pesel (image).” When speaking about Torah and avodat Hashem, the action comes before the person. Idol worship, though, begins with people putting themselves first.
COMMITTING OURSELVES
Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner captured this idea beautifully with his famous song, Bilvavi. The song links our ability to build a Mishkan within our hearts to our ability to focus on Hashem’s honor. The last part of the song – “u’l’korban akriv lo et nafshi hayechida” – describes committing our unique souls to Hashem. Our focus on avodat Hashem helps us reach the level where this kind of commitment is possible. A powerful story about the Lubavitcher Rebbe highlights this level. A woman asked the Rebbe to pray for her only son, who was
desperately ill with leukemia. The mother, trembling with fear, spoke to the Rebbe while tears rolled down her cheeks. The Rebbe looked into the mother’s eyes and said, “If you knew that it was Hashem’s Will, would you be willing to let him die? Could you give him up if you knew that Hashem wanted him?” The poor mother just sat there looking back at the Rebbe. After a long struggle with her emotions, she finally replied, “Yes. If I knew for certain that it was Hashem’s Will, I would be willing to give up the boy.” The Rebbe nodded and said, “Now we can pray for him.” He then offered a prayer for the boy, surrendering him completely to the wisdom and mercy of Hashem. Three days later, the boy was released from the hospital. May we use the Mishkan as the model of commitment to Hashem that we extend that to all aspects of our lives.
Rabbi Reuven Taragin is Educational Director of Mizrachi and Dean of the Yeshivat Hakotel Overseas Program. He is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (www. mizrachi.org/speakers).
“They shall make for Me a Sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them” (Shemot 25:8)
permanently between each pair of rings, in order to carry the aron. The Tablets of the Ten Commandments were placed in the aron. Point to Consider: What is the deeper message of the aron being plated with gold not just on the outside, but also the inside, even though the inside was not visible? (25:11)
1ST ALIYA (KOHEN) – SHEMOT 25:1-16
G-d tells Moshe to ask the Jews for voluntary offerings towards the construction and functioning of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The materials needed are gold, silver and copper; turquoise, purple and scarlet wool; linen, goat hair, dyed ram skins, skins of the tachash animal, acacia wood, oil, specific spices and particular precious stones (for placing in the Kohen Gadol’s garments). G-d then instructs Moshe about how to make different features of the Mishkan: The aron (ark) was made from acacia wood, plated with gold on both the inside and outside, and with a gold zer (crown) around the top. It had four gold rings attached to it, two on each side, with a gold-plated wooden stave left
2ND ALIYA (LEVI) – 25:17-30
The kaporet (cover) of the aron was made of pure gold, with two cherubs moulded on top, facing one another and with their wings touching. The shulchan (table) was made from gold-plated acacia wood, with a gold zer (crown) on its misgeret (lid). It had rings and staves to carry it, like the aron. The lechem hapanim (show bread ) was placed on it.
3RD ALIYA (SHLISHI) – 25:31-26:14
The menorah was hammered from one piece of pure gold, with seven lamps. The Mishkan had ten yiriyot (curtains), made of linen and patterned wool, with golden hooks joining them together. The ohel (tent), draped over the Mishkan, was made of 11 curtains of goat hair,
Artistic impression of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), credit: Aleksig6/Wikimedia Commons
with a further double michseh (cover) on top, one made from dyed ram skins, the other from tachash skins.
4TH ALIYA (REVI’I) – 26:15-30
The kerashim (planks) and their enjoining bars were made from gold-plated acacia wood.
5TH ALIYA (CHAMISHI) – 26:31-37
The parochet (partition) was made of wool and linen. It was placed on the southern side of the Mishkan, to cordon off the Kodesh HaKodashim (Holy of Holies) area, which housed the aron.
6TH ALIYA (SHISHI) – 27:1-8
The mizbeach (altar) was made of copper-plated wood, with four corner pieces
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and staves attached to rings to carry it.
7TH ALIYA (SHEVI’I) – 27:9-19
The chatzer (courtyard) surrounded the Mishkan; its outer ‘fence’ was made of linen yiriyot (curtains), attached to wooden pillars.
HAFTARAH
The reading, from the Book of Kings, records King Shlomo’s (Solomon) construction of the Beit Hamikdash (Temple) in Jerusalem, which was completed 480 years after the Exodus from Egypt. The construction involved mobilising close to 200,000 workers. G-d told Shlomo that He would “dwell among the Children of Israel” if they would be loyal in their Divine service.
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Terumah: A House for G-d?! BY GAVRIEL COHN
Many have puzzled over the purpose of the Mishkan. Why does G-d need a house to dwell in, a peculiar tent-like structure furnished with ornate objects? King Solomon himself, charged with building the First Temple in Jerusalem, wondered aloud, “Will G-d indeed dwell on the earth? Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You; much less this Temple that I have erected” (1 Melachim 8:27). The great medieval scholars advance several theories to explain the purpose of the Mishkan (and, by extension, the Beit Hamikdash). For the Ramban, the Mishkan was intended as a permanent reconstruction of the people’s Divine encounter at Mount Sinai, its dazzling gold ornaments reflected the fires upon the Mount Sinai. The Mishkan was a mobile, permanent, model-version of G-d’s epic Revelation, traveling with the people and lying at the heart of their encampment. For the Seforno, a later, Italian commentator, on the other hand, the Mishkan was a necessary response to the People’s grievous sin of the Golden Calf. They had proved themselves religiously reckless,
Terumah RABBI DR RAYMOND APPLE
GOD’S SANCTUARY
Israel are commanded to create a mishkan, a sanctuary for G-d. It had to be a building where worship took place and people would encounter the presence of G-d in their midst. The people needed the mishkan, but did God? The Torah says He did; it says v’asu li mikdash, “they shall make Me a sanctuary” (Ex. 25:8). Difficult to understand when you look at the 66th chapter of Isaiah which says that God’s dwelling place is everywhere. Surely G-d cannot be pinned down to any one place or territory. But it is not in the edifice that G-d is located but in the people who enter and use it. It is in the people themselves that the Divine spirit rests. Each person is equal in the sight of G-d. Each has the capacity to sense that they matter to the Almighty. Each has eyes to see the majesty of the world, ears to hear the Divine Word of justice, peace and truth, a mouth to acclaim the greatness of the Creator. Outside the sanctuary people tend to get up to mischief; inside the edifice they are changed forever and become, in
even idolatrous. So, G-d withdrew His initial offer that “in every place where I cause my name to be mentioned I will come to you” (Shemos, 24:18). The Mishkan instead was to be the sole place of worship, a restricted and controlled enough form of religious expression preventing such sinful antics from occurring in the future. The Rambam, in his Guide for the Perplexed, presents a third reason for the Temple. He writes that the Sanctuary, with its priests and animal offerings, merely reflects the trappings of Near Eastern pagan rites (although an eternally binding institution nonetheless). It was a sophisticated “divine ruse,” serving to incorporate some pagan practices into Judaism in order to ensure that the Jewish People at the time would find familiarity in the Torah and thus accept it. Fourthly, for Rabbi Yehuda haLevi, the great Spanish poet, in stark contrast to the Rambam’s historical proposition, the Temple stood as the ‘power-plant’ of the nation, its sacrificial rites almost mystically facilitating and
allowing G-d’s Presence to rest amongst us. (As an aside, this perhaps is why the Rambam, one hundred years later, uses Temple Sacrifices as his centre-piece example in advancing his historical and contextual approach to understanding the mitzvot; namely, in order to directly counter HaLevi’s claim). Such is an overview of some of the most famous answers given to the question as to why we have a Temple. However, the introduction that the Torah presents us with may perhaps provide us with an idea, at least in the most broadest sense, as to the purpose of building a “house for G-d” and, shedding light on Judaism’s unique perspective as a whole: “The L-rd spoke to Moshe saying, speak to the People of Israel, and have them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity, you shall take My offering. This is the offering that you shall take from them: gold, silver, and copper... And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst…” Perhaps one of the radical differences between Judaism and idolatry is its focus. In essence, Pagan religions were
For the Ramban, the Mishkan was intended as a permanent reconstruction of the people’s Divine encounter at Mount Sinai… the words of Psalm 8, “little lower than angels”.
CHOOSE ONE
A rabbinic rule says that whoever carries out the command of tzitzit is as if he has fulfilled the whole Torah (Sifrei Bamidbar 16:39). Tzitzit is very important, but what about the other 612 mitzvot? A person ought to keep the whole of the 613 commandments but they need a lead-in that will bring them to the entire mitzvah-life. Become an expert in one mitzvah and gradually expand to a second, a third, a fourth one, and eventually the total mitzvah-life. The Talmud hints at this when it tells us (Kidd. 39b) that Rabbi Yehudah concentrated on devotion in prayer and Rabbi Nachman emphasised having three special meals on Shabbat. When you look at this week’s sidra you see that the opening verses place importance on offerings. Many people focus on the donations they give to Jewish causes. Wonderful, but they could expand their commitment – if they give money for education the next thing is doing some study themselves. If they give to Israel the next stage is to contemplate Aliyah. The mitzvah that leads them into Judaism should eventually bring them to the full mitzvah-life…
THE WISE KING
The haftarah begins (I Kings 5:26) by telling us that the Almighty gave Solomon wisdom.
In what way does this statement link up with the sidra with all its multifarious architectural details? According to Kimchi, it was in the great building projects which Solomon undertook that his wisdom was shown. Wisdom is not the same as learning. It is practical planning and implementation. What you build, the way you build, the overall vision for the series of buildings that you undertake, all are evidence of your practical capacity.
SHULS & RULES
One of the first tasks of the people of Israel after the Exodus and the Revelation at Mount Sinai was to build a Tabernacle: “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Ex. 25:8). Some of the sages thought the command to construct the sanctuary in fact came after the episode of the golden calf. The Midrash suggests that after committing such a grievous sin the people felt ashamed and thought G-d would never take therm back into His favour, so G-d told them to create a physical meeting place where they would gather and His presence would be with them. Nachmanides, however, says the Tabernacle had nothing to do with the golden calf but enabled the people to maintain the closeness to G-d that had exhilarated them at Mount Sinai. Many centuries have passed, and the first thing that Jews do in a new locale is still to establish a synagogue. They want a place of meeting, a physical focus for community and a centre for spiritual and
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3 FEBRUARY 2022 often self-directed. Man worshipped the stars or the moon purely for himself, to achieve his own needs. He served the G-ds or the constellations in order, for example, to be bestowed with agricultural plenty, health, or military success (see Guide for the Perplexed, 3:30). Judaism, however, was to be the exact opposite; it is entirely other-focused. That is the key message of the Temple, to donate and give to G-d, to “take for Me an offering… and to make Me a sanctuary.” It was to be a religion, a set of values and rules, focused entirely on reaching out, on helping man and on helping G-d, so-tospeak. Judaism’s focus is not so much that we should be the centre of G-d’s life, so to speak, but that G-d should be the centre of our lives. That is the idea of the Temple, to build a house for G-d in the middle of our camp, and to invest ourselves in it, giving of our wealth and time. Judaism’s entire purpose is to step out of ourselves and to give – to help man, and even, radically, to provide G-d a dwelling within this world. It is not about self-service, but service of the other and of G-d, for His Own Sake. That, at least in its broadest sense, is the purpose of the Temple, to donate and maintain a House for G-d in the middle of our camp; to make G-d and other people the centre of our lives, and not the other way around. Gav works as an Account Executive in Public Relations. The views expressed here are entirely his own. Questions? gavcohn@ gmail.com
educational inspiration. Many of the synagogues built over the course of history were grand, impressive edifices that were triumphs of architectural design. But because of persecution and migration, many of the great synagogue buildings lost their congregations and some were physically attacked and destroyed. So how sensible is it to put up great, solid edifices when there is no guarantee as to their future? The obvious answer is that you must always hope for the best and have faith that the synagogue will survive and be needed. But unfortunately those who work so hard to put up the building are sometimes such optimists that they lay down their tools and think that some magic will ensure that the synagogue is a success. The Mi Sheberach for the congregation praises both “those who establish synagogues for prayer” and “those who enter them to pray”, and ideally the two groups should be synonymous. Rabbi Raymond Apple was for many years Australia’s highest profile rabbi and the leading spokesman on Judaism. After serving congregations in London, Rabbi Apple was chief minister of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, for 32 years. He also held many public roles, particularly in the fields of chaplaincy, interfaith dialogue and Freemasonry, and is the recipient of several national and civic honours. Now retired, he lives in Jerusalem and blogs at http://www.oztorah.com
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Terumah
Terumah Word Search
The Jewish people were now offered an opportunity to create a type of home for Hashem to rest His Shechina in! Hashem teaches Moshe about all the materials that would be needed such as wood, gold, silver, copper, wool, dyed wool, flax, oils and spices. Everyone could contribute as much as they wanted and who would not want to be part of so great a project?! All the fine details were shown to Moshe, the three boxes for the Aron, the way to make the Menorah, the Shulchan and the outer Mizbeach. All this was to be covered by beautiful coverings made from a special animal, the Tachash. Miracles would be seen constantly at the Mishkan, with the bread staying fresh all week being one such miracle. The Mishkan was comprised of three sections, the Kodesh Kadashim that only the Kohen Gadol could enter, the Kodesh, and the Courtyard. It must have been a beautiful sight to see and we dream of the day that we will see its successor the Beit Hamikdash, built once again. The Mishkan was like a home to Hashem, and each of our homes can also act as a place for Hashem to rest His Shechina.
Tangram Challenge! Using all the shapes on the left can you make the man with umbrella walking shape on the right?
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COPPER • GOLD • KAPPORET • MENORAH • MISHKAN • SILVER
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“T
zedaka competition!” crowed Chaim as he burst through his front door. “Rabbi Friedman at Cheder today said we have just until the end of today to raise the most money for tzedaka. It is for a charity that gives food to poor people and they need the money urgently. The top three boys who earn the most tzedaka get to go for ice cream after Cheder next Sunday with Rabbi Freidman!” Chaim garbled out to Ima in the kitchen. After pausing to catch his breath, he grabbed a sandwich for lunch and a paper and pen to start planning. For the rest of the day Chaim and all the boys of Rabbi Friedman’s class raced around town doing different activities to raise tzedaka. Ari offered to wash his neighbours’ cars. Elazar stood outside the local kosher stores asking for donations. David called his relatives and asked for their help in raising money. Chaim offered to help his neighbours’ children with their homework. The next Monday in school, Rabbi Freidman wrote down how much tzedaka each boy had collected and calculated the top three boys. “In third place, we have Uri!” called out Rabbi Friedman. All the boys cheered. “In second place, we have Chaim!” The boys cheered even louder. “And finally, in first place, the winner is
Tzedaka Competition
David!” Everyone jumped up and cheered and clapped. “Well done boys, you three are in for a treat next week. And well done to all of you for raising money for such an important cause. It is all important and it all counts and it leads nicely to a dvar torah on this week’s
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parsha.” Rabbi Friedman rubbed his beard and continued. “In the beginning of this week’s Sedrah, the Torah lists all the materials that were to be donated for the building of the Mishkan. The avnei shoham, the precious stones used for the Kohen Gadol’s
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choshen and efod are listed last. Why is this? Surely the most precious materials should come first in the list? The Gemara Yoma says that these precious jewels were miraculously given to the Bnei Yisroel by Hashem. The Ohr HaChaim points out that these jewels were given specifically for this purpose, without requiring any effort. They didn’t cost the donors anything compared to the hard work and money that the other, cheaper, materials cost them. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz says in his Sichos Mussar that this is an example of how Hashem looks at our mitzos in Shamayim. It is not the result of what we do, for example how much tzedaka we give or how much Torah we can memorise, but rather how much sacrifice and meaning has gone into the mitzva. So boys, I am proud of each and every one of you, because even if you did not raise the most money or win the prize, what is most important is the meaning and effort you put into raising this money. Hashem is proud of you all.” And everyone, even the boys who had been sad that they hadn’t won the prize, cheered loudly. With many thanks to Rabbi Yitzchok Aryeh Strimber’s article https:// torahmates.org/jewish-resources/ terumah-its-the-heart-that-counts/
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Ter umah
In a nutshell It was time to give the Divine Presence, the Shechina somewhere to gain footing as it were in this world, so Moshe is taught how to build and how to furnish the Mishkan There were thirteen types of materials that were needed including gold, silver, wool, flax, oil, spices and precious stones. The Jews are first taught in this week’s sidra that giving ito a worthy cause is a privilege. To begin with, Moshe is about the vessels that would go inside it. So, we have the Aron, the holy ark in which the Luchos would be placed, complete with a crown, a lid and two cherubim on top. These cherubim had the face of children, which miraculously would turn to face each other when Hashem was pleased with them and away from each other when not so. The ark itself was comprised of three boxes, the outer and innermost of gold and the middle one of wood. We then have the Shulchan, the table with two lots of twelve rows, onto which the Lechem Hapanim,
the bread that remained fresh from week to week, were placed. The Shulchan was also made of wood but covered with gold. This wood was brought out of Egypt by the Jewish people, following the foresight of our ancestor, Yaakov, who planted these trees in Egypt hundreds of years prior. There’s the menorah, a candelabra which had seven candles all facing the centre. The Kohen would light the Menorah each day. The menorah was decorated with cups, buttons and flowers. Numerous covers were placed atop the Mishkan, the first layer was a tapestry of wool and linen, the second from the hair of a goat and the third was created from Tachash Skin. The Tachash was a unique multi coloured creature. The Mishkan itself was set up with beams of the same wood and covered in gold. It faced from east to west and the front wall to the east wall had a curtain through which one would enter.
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In the courtyard there was a Mizbeach – a copper coated altar upon which the sacrifices were brought. There were three sections to the Mishkan, the basis of which the future Beit Hamikdash was formed. There was the Kodesh Kadashim where the Aron was brought into and only the Kohen Gadol was allowed in it. The Kodesh section held the Menorah, Shulchan and the Gold Mizbeach. The courtyard hosted the copper Mizbeach mentioned above. The purpose of all this was to invite Hashem not only into this Mishkan, but into the hearts of each and every Jew. As a famous Rabbi once asked, “Where is G-d?” and answered, “Wherever you allow Him in!” It’s a shame that the Temple was taken away from us but it is even more of a shame when a Jew distances themselves from Hashem. Enjoy the month of Adar and remember that our bright future will hopefully bring us the 3rd and final Beit Hamikdash speedily!
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Newcastle spend £85m to top Sixteen-goal Lions £274.5m January window
rout Scrabble in Cup BY DAVID SAFFER
Relegation threatened Newcastle United have topped the Premier League ‘January transfer window’ table by splashing out £85m in a desperate bid to avoid the drop intoDAVID the Championship. BY SAFFER With new owners at the helm the club showed their intent to stay in theas bigMaccabi league Reiss Mogilner scored six goals at all costs. Newcastle, Watford and A Burnley London Lions thumped Scrabble in the occupy round the bottom spots withCup. Norsecond of the three Cyril Anekstein wich a point ahead and Everton furTheCity Premier League side racked up a 16-0 therwith threeDaniel pointsGreen betterand off.Michael The relegation win Kenley scrapbagging will go toathe wire with both hat-trick. Ed Southampton Brafman, Da10 points ahead of Newcastle. Crystal Palvid Dinkin, and Adam Hassanali completace,the Brentford LeedsofUnited ed rout in a and mismatch a tie. are also above but will be determined not LionsEverton could have scored in the opening end up in minute of the therelegation clash but fight. soon opened the The most heart-warming signing of the scoring and led 9-0 by half time. window has beenOne the return footballoutof The Division team, to though former Juventus and Tottenham classed, battled away to the end. star Christian Eriksen the for endwords of theatseason at Lions boss until was lost full time Brentford his heart scare the Eurosuch was after the display from hisatteam who peanevery Champions last summer. Everyone gave respect to the opposition. in“I’m the game is wishing the Danish internanot really sure there’s anything to tional in resurrecting careertowith say, wewell are happy to make ithis through the the World later this year a clear target. next roundCup of the cup, ” he commented. Another eye-catching hasvictors been Hendon United Sportssignature ran out 3-1 PhilippeLeague Coutinho Aston Villa, initially against Oneatoutfi t North London on loan with an option of a £33m deal in the Raiders. summer. Villa boss Gerrard deterThe Premier sideSteven led early in theissecond mined to succeed andto the Brazilian’s half only for Raiders equalise butarrival struck two late goals to book a place in round three of the competition. Hendon now turn their attentions to the league as they travel to Oakwood A for a crucial top of the table clash on Sunday (10am). Daniel Kristall’s team stunned the league leaders last month when they won 2-0, a BY DAVID SAFFER victory would move them to within a point Premier League of Hendon with afavourites match in Hendon hand. United Sports came from to defeat de Elsewhere in thebehind latest round of Club fixtures, Chigwell.North London Galaxy made it a 10-man Gav Lewis scored a brace in aDivision 6-2 win over three-way title race in the only One the struggling Essex to move 10 points clash of the day afterside defeating Oakwood B. clear of Oakwood, bottom of Jamie Murray sawwho reddefeated early on but Galaxy the table Faithfold 5-3 in an eight-goal rallied with goals White from Josh Cohen and Jathriller. cob Leigh to record an important 2-1 away Dovi Fehler and Chaim Korman also win. scored. benefitedJewish from Care two own GalaxyHendon head Redbridge A in goals. the table by just one point after 10 matches, Hendon’s Garbacz third place David Fairlop FC arecommented, five points“We bewere 2-1 at half time to a tricky team on hind withdown two games in hand. a tricky pitch but turned it on in the second Rafi Bloom scored for Oakwood. half showawe are potential champions. “Ittowas fantastic performance in” a The O’s have played two more games than
Tottenham’s Dele Alli has boosted Everton’s squad
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
is a statement that he means business. Title favourites Manchester City are nine points clear of Liverpool and both clubs have brought in intriguing players with an eye on the future. Pep Guardiola picked up the signing of Julian Alvarez (River Plate) for £14.1m. Alvarez will not be a part of City’s treble bid this season as he returns on loan to River Plate until July. Jurgen Klopp never rests on his laurels and struck late in the window with a £37m deal for Porto winger Luis Díaz to deny Tottenham who thought they had landed the 16-goal Maccabi London Lionsinternational. It will talented Columbian be interesting to see how matters transpire with Mo Salah, on African of must-win game,currently ” commented GalaxyCup player-manager Luke Lewis. “We sat back and allowed Oakwood the ball, given the one-man advantage and looked to hit them on the counter attack with pace. “Both goals came down the right-hand side. Leigh crossed the first one into Cohen Hendon. HMH are ahimself. point back to finish, Third-place before slotting home Up with three games to first we go. ” in hand. But it will take an almighty collapseTwo for Hendon not to reclaim The Division title race also took championship. athetwist with league leaders Herstwood Maccabi eased any relegation Vale going London down toFC a 2-1 defeat at Temple fears with a 3-0 victory over London Bears Fortune. who are nowB inhave a scrap withaChigwell and Faithfold played game more Faithfold. than Vale but moved level with a 5-3 win at In Division league Masters. leaders Stoke SalmNorth London1,Raiders onJacob moved seven points clear of Borussia Kalms struck twice for Fortune who Jewdinese. scored through leading scorer James MilAlex Bleetman andof Jamie Smaje bagged a letwith his 17th goal the season. brace a 7-0 East LonThe apiece result in was all win the over moreFC remarkable donTemple Bees. were down to 11 players with as Ben Ingram, Jonny Halmer and aJames Bar‘keeper Ben Rebuck dislocating shoulder nett also hit the in the warm up.target. Stoke’s Jamiea Weiner waswin delighted “Th is was fantastic given with the the result.
Midfielder Cristian Eriksen has joined Brentford
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
Nations duty for Egypt. Newcastle’s Eddie Howe has brought in five players in the battle to stay up. England regular Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Chris Wood (Burnley), Bruno Guimaraes (Lyon), Matt Targett (Aston Villa, loan) and £13m late addition Dan Burn (Brighton) will surely all play a part in the coming months. New Everton boss Frank Lampard has also bolstered his beleaguered squad with five players arriving at Goodison Park. Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) is the key transfer at a possible £40m but the loan signing of Donny van de Beek (Manchester United) is also significant. Vitalii Mykolenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Nathan Patterson (Rangers) and Anwar El Ghazi (Aston Villa, loan) have
also joined the Merserysiders. Bottom of the table Burnley take on Watford this weekend and the Clarets will have £12m striker Wout Weghorst (Wolfsburg) leading the line with Wood’s departure to Newcastle. Burnley’s Sean Dysche has only brought in Weghorst but new Watford boss, Roy Hodgson, has returned to the hot seat of a Premier club. And the former England boss has Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam), Hassane Kamara (Nice), Samir (Udinese), Edo Kayembe (Eupen) and Samuel Kalu (Bordeaux) to select from after a successful window. If anyone can get Watford out of the relegation mire Hodgson can with his vast experience. The only side of the bottom four teams not to invest is Norwich. Only time will tell if this strategy works, but the Canaries have enjoyed the best form of the strugglers with successive wins in recent weeks. Away from transfers there were a number of notable departures that included Arsenal sharpshooter Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona. Aubameyang had been out of the picture for some time so his move was no surprise to Gunners fans but he made his mark at the club. PHOTO: DAVID SAFFER Time will tell how the deals transpire but it is clear how essential staying at the top table is for all clubs.
“It was a proper old school performance, we battled and defended for the 90 minutes and took our chances. Experience proved “After football in the”last few hand over Athletico. to beminimal the winner. weeks our rustiness was clear from the start, Camden City defeated Brady FC 2-1, Ha-
Lewis double sends Hendon 10 points clear however the goals soon came,” he said. “It was another dominant the circumstances, ” said performance delighted from Fortune boys,Simon an important boss Linden.win for confidence and team Sunday’s game “Wemorale had a heading number into of players out, Reagainst buck gotJewdinese. injured, ”so I couldn’t have asked Second placethe Jewdinese down to a any more from players.went We wish Ben surpriserecovery. 3-1 defeat at mid-table NWL Azzurri. speedy Brook Rovers Scrabble 7-1. “It wasFarm a proper oldthumped school performance, Phillipe Auret Jonah for Gordon Oli we battled and(2), defended the 90Boyd, minutes Assor, Danour Cohen, Simon Zeffertt and Sam and took chances. Experience proved Georgevic scored It’s for Rovers. to be the winner. a big win, one we will In Division Two, to Geez Park and enjoy and we hope build onRangers it in 2019. ” London Athletico the spoils in aas topa He added, “Thisshared win marks 50 years of the table football clubclash. and will be one Nigel Kyte and Rangersassociated remain three points ahead after a everyone with the club from day hard fought 1-1 draw and have two games in
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poel Hampstead and Boca Chillers drew 1-1. Away from league action, Oakwood Old one will enjoy. ” Boys past Oakwood 2-1 and Valeedged boss Jacob EmanuelTown was quick to Maccabi London FC Vets defeated Mill Hill wish Rebuck well following his injury. Dons 3-1 in the Peter Morrison Trophy. “First and most importantly, everyone at In would the second O’sFortune Old Boys host Vale like toround, wish the ‘keeper Jewishwe Care B ortoLondon aRedbridge quick recovery, hope see himBears, back Maccabi Vets pitch face as a tough at Stoke on the football soon astask possible, ” he Salmon. In other ties the highlight sees said. HMH Oakwood in an commented, all-Premier As forplay the defeat, Emanuel clash, Hendon are clear against “It doesn’t matter how favourites big a squad you Chigwell. Maccabi Boca have, you Manchester can never account forand unavailChillers Geesfive Park and ability orwelcome injury. Only of Rangers today’s team Leeds Maccabi respectively. Faithfold Whitea played in our recent win over FC Team, host of NWL Azzuri, London Athletico play lack togetherness and poor individual Reich Insurance.
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