The Jewish Weekly Issue 268 - February 16th

Starmer axes Corbyn

BY DAVID SAFFER

Former Labour leader Jeremy Cor byn will not stand as a candidate for the party at the next general election.

Keir Starmer confirmed the news during a speech at a press conference yesterday morning following an announcement by the Equality and Human Rights Commission that it would be lift ing the party out of special meas ures regarding antisemitism.

Asked by reporters about Cor byn standing, Starmer ended speculation.

“What I said about the party changing, I meant, we are not going back, that is why Jere my Corbyn will not stand as a Labour can didate at the next general election.”

The ques tioning fol lowed an article where Starmer told The Times newspaper that his party was “unrecognisable” from 2019. He wrote: “There

candour: we are never going back. If you don’t like it, nobody is forcing you to stay.”

Corbyn was suspended as a Labour MP in 2020 following the furore over antisemitism in the

At the time he said that the scale of the problem was “dramatically overstated for political reasons” by opponents inside and outside the party and media. Though readmitted to the party, he sits as an independent. Corbyn has not commented whether he will stand as an independent candidate against Labour in his Islington

Regarding the EHRC report, Starmer welcomed the news as “an important moment” but vowed to continue “zero tolerance of racism and discrimination of any kind”.

He observed: “Antisemitism is an evil and any political party that cultivates it does not deserve power.”

Starmer added: “It’s meant rebuilding trust, not just with

give it back to the British people and the most important and urgent part of that was tearing out antisemitism by its roots.”

Jewish organisations applauded the equality watchdog’s ruling but lobbying will continue to ensure antisemitism does not surge again in Labour.

Ms van der Zyl recalled how Starmer had described antisemitism as a stain on the party, vowed to “tear out this poison by its roots” and removed the whip from Corbyn.

Despite being targeted by vile abuse, he had not wavered in his actions. But Ms van der Zyl added a note of caution.

She told reporters: “The lifting of these special measures must not be construed as implying

continued on page 2

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Sir Keir tarmer

that the problems within Labour are over. We still see issues with antisemitism, particularly among the grassroots. And there are still Labour MPs and councillors who openly denied or downplayed antisemitism in the Party, because of political expediency. They know who they are and we will not forget them in a hurry. Similarly, the hatred directed at those who stood against antisemitism within Labour, particularly the misogyny aimed at many women, such as Dame Margaret Hodge and which I can also personally attest to, will live long in the memory.”

Regarding the next election, she said: “I believe all British Jews will once again be free to vote according to their political

persuasion, rather than out of fear for their future here.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism are awaiting action over past complaints, including against Corbyn and Angela Rayner, and remain unconvinced issues have been rectified.

Gideon Falter, CAA Chief Executive, said: “It is hard for us to feel that a corner has been turned.”

Falter called for more to happen. “Justice is yet to be done in too many cases for anyone to conclude that the problem has been rectified,” he said. “We will continue to press Labour on these complaints and its other failings, just as we do with all political parties. The Labour Party under Corbyn plunged the Jewish community into a state

of fear that could all too easily return unless antisemitism is firmly rooted out.”

CST and JLC issued a joint statement following the EHRC and Starmer landmark announcements.

They noted: “We always maintained that we would judge the Labour leadership on its actions rather than its words.”

Both organisations said that Labour under Starmer had gone a “significant way” towards making the party an unwelcome home for anti-Jewish racists.

CST and JLC added: “Labour and Sir Keir have engaged us honestly and transparently about the scale of the challenge throughout the EHRC monitoring period and we have welcomed this radically different approach. There is still much work to do. Cultural change is always slow and whilst there are visible green shoots, there remains a clear issue, as demonstrated so clearly by the quarterly complaints’ figures released by the party.

“We will continue to work with the Labour Party leadership, as we do with the leadership of all political parties, to represent the interests of the Jewish community and ensure that antisemitism is never again allowed to pollute mainstream politics.”

Dave Rich, CST director of policy, told LBC radio that progress had been made and that Labour accepted much work still needs to be done.

He added: “We will make sure they do not take their eye off the ball in the future. It was important the EHRC made an investigation and set a series of tasks about interval rules and processes.”

Dame Margaret Hodge told the radio station there was a sense of relief from Jewish members in the party and that progress had been quicker than she anticipated.

CAA acted against anti-Semitism in the

party in 2015, calling Labour institutionally anti-Semitic after the Chakrabarti whitewash. In 2018, CAA labelled Corbyn an anti-Semite. Thousands attended CAA rallies demanding justice, but Labour refused to reform. CAA referred the Party to the EHRC.

The watchdog noted that there were “serious failings” in leadership, specific examples of unlawful harassment and unlawful indirect discrimination, political interference from the leaders’ office in anti-Semitism cases aside from an inadequate process for handling anti-Semitism complaints.

Starmer accepted the report in full when published, describing it as “a day of shame” for the Labour Party.

And he promised to act. “Never again will we fail to tackle anti-Semitism and never again will we lose your trust,” Starmer noted. And he had a stark warning for anti-Semites. “If you’re anti-Semitic, you should be nowhere near this Party,” Starmer said.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Jeremy Corbyn Gideon Falter Marie van der Zyl continued from page 1

Campaign Against Antisemitism are awaiting action over past complaints, including against Corbyn and Angela Rayner, and remain unconvinced issues have been rectified.

PRESENTS Hotels

PESSAH 2023

MONTECASTILLO GOLF & SPORTS RESORT

Jerez / Cádiz (Spain)

From April 05 to April 14 (from 9 to 12 nights)

A HEAVEN OF PEACE AND EXCLUSIVITY IN THE VICINITY OF

THE BEAUTIFUL JEREZ

The Barceló Montecastillo Golf & Sport Resort ***** is a spectacular hotel, recently renovated, surrounded by a fantastic natural environment and a 19th century castle on the outskirts of Jerez de la Frontera. This resort has a privileged location next to the famous Speed Circuit, half an hour from the beach and only 10 min. from the city airport.

Thousands attend funerals of terror victims

BY ADAM MOSES

Israel remains on high alert after thousands of mourners attended the funerals of four Israelis murdered in terror attacks over the past week.

Staff Sgt. Asil Sawaed, 22, brothers Yaakov Yisroel, 6, and Asher Menachem Paley, 8, and rabbinical student Alter Shlomo Lederman, 20, died in a spate of attacks in the past week.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara visited the Paley shiva on Tuesday where they spoke to the boys’ mother, Devorah Paley, who told them about the heartfelt support they had received across the country.

Netanyahu asked permission to put a picture of Devorah’s sons in his office. “This tragic story will help me explain to world leaders the difference between Am Yisrael and our enemies,” he said.

“I feel that our tragedy is shared by all the people of Israel,” Devorah told reporters on Sunday. “I sense the identification and the outpouring of concern from everyone. It is like the two children taken from us belonged to all the nation and that helps me cope.”

Devorah added: “They were killed because they were Jews by a terrorist and died in the name of G-d. We only hope that they will not have died in vain”.

Devorah asked for prayers for her husband, Abraham Paley (Avraham Noach Chaim ben Yehudit), who was seriously injured. The couple had nine children with a 10th on the way.

The number of attacks have shocked Israelis and the government. Netanyahu’s cabinet have discussed launching a widescale operation in East Jerusalem to fight terrorism.

Political ramifications followed the Security Cabinet announcing nine new settlements in Judea and Samaria in response to the attacks in Jerusalem. The communities

are Avigil, Bet Hogla, Givat Harel/Haroeh, Givat Arnon, Mitzpe Yehuda, Malachei Hashalom, Ashael, Sde Boaz and Shaharit.

Netanyahu and his security ministers are determined to make a stance.

Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting: “We have once again seen the immense difference between the brutality of our enemies and the humanity of our people. Our enemies murder young children in Jerusalem and celebrate their murder while we are rescuing young children in Turkey and praising their rescue.”

He added: “The answer to terrorism is to hit it hard. To further strengthen the settlement enterprise in our country, which the terrorists seek to displace.”

Sawaed was killed by friendly fire by a security guard after being stabbed by teenager Muhammad Bassel Fathi Zalbani at a military checkpoint in East Jerusalem on Monday.

The border officer passed away at Hadassah Mt. Scopus Medical Center. He was due

to be promoted on Israel’s Independence Day in May. He is survived by his parents and six siblings.

Security forces made arrests in Shu’afat, where Zalbanu, 13, lives including his parents.

Yaakov Yisroel and Asher Menachem died in a car ramming attack at a bus stop in the Ramot neighbourhood of Jerusalem last Friday.

Lederman, 20, had been married only two months. He was travelling with his wife to his parents’ home for Shabbat. Lederman died at Shaare Zedek Medical Center from his wounds.

The terrorist, Hussein Karakah, 31 of Issawiya, was shot dead by an off-duty policeman.

Netanyahu has called for police to pinpoint targets and commended police officers eliminating the terrorist at the scene as it prevented further murders.

Police sealed off Karakah’s family home and arrested family members for questioning.

National Security Minister Itamar BenGvir spoke about a counterterror operation in East Jerusalem after visiting the car ramming site on Friday. “The police have already begun this operation with low intensity, but it will grow more and more,” he said.

The Security Cabinet have reinforced Police and Border Police units in Jerusalem and expanded Police operations against backers of terrorism.

In related news, a 17-year-old Israeli was wounded in another terrorist stabbing in Jerusalem’s Old City on Monday.

Security forces arrested a 14-year-old Palestinian suspect from Shu’afat who was detained.

Israel’s military struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in retaliation to a rocket fired at Israel over the weekend.

Palestinians celebrated the attacks.

For more information call Joshua Diamond 020 8201 5900 or email joshuadiamond@mdauk.org

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM

PHOTO: FACEBOOK

PHOTO: GPO

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM

Staff Sgt. Asil Sawaed Alter Shlomo Lederman z”l

Bibi and Sara Netanyahu visiting the Paley family sitting shiva

Yaakov 6, and Asher Paley 8

Bibi’s judicial reforms make headline news

BY DAVID SAFFER

Proposals from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for judicial reform have made headline news around the world.

A reported 100,000 protestors rallied outside the Knesset on Monday over coalition plans for the judicial system. Protestors chanted “democracy” and “no to dictatorship” in one of the largest protests outside the Knesset for many years.

The furore has seen a bitter war of words between coalition and opposition leaders this week.

President Isaac Herzog addressed the nation on Sunday night and met with opposition leaders as a follow up at his home in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night. He also met with a backer of the coalition’s proposed reforms.

Former PM Yair Lapid thanked Herzog and stressed the importance of reaching a “broad consensus”,

Simcha Rothman, Chair of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee welcomed Herzog’s “willingness” to reach a consensus to repair the justice system.

National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz told reporters: “First, the legislation must stop, the justice system must not be politicised, we must promote a comprehensive step that includes passing (the constitutional) Basic Laws.”

Herzog called for proposals to be postponed until a compromise is reached during his address and warned that Israel was on the brink of a “judicial and social crisis”.

“This is not a political dispute,” Herzog said. “We are on the verge of a constitutional and social collapse.” He added: “Change can be legitimate. The courts can better represent the spectrum of Israeli society.”

Herzog presented five principles for dialogue for a “broad agreement” including for the government to show restraint over passing new legislation at a first reading, discussions over the court’s workload and a lack of diversity among the judiciary.

A number of Netanyahu supporters back compromise based on Herzog’s presentation.

Yuli Edelstein tweeted: “We must come together for the people of Israel.” Knesset Finance Committee Chairman David Bitan added: “There’s no doubt that a compromise is necessary,” adding that everyone must abandon an “all-or-nothing approach”. “We’re on the right path but there’s always room for compromise,” Bitan also noted.

Justice Minister Levin responded, “The president’s proposal contains positive elements, and it has elements that perpetuate the improper existing situation.”

Levin and Rothman invited opposition

leaders Lapid and Gantz to discuss the proposals on Monday.

Lapid accepted but only if the legislative process is stopped.

He reportedly observed: “The necessary condition for the beginning of a national dialogue is the immediate cessation of all legislative processes for a period of time in which the talks will be brokered by the president.” Lapid added: “If MK Levin and MK Rothman agree to this, we will be happy to deliberate at the president’s official residence tomorrow morning.”

Levin and Rothman called for responsible Knesset members in the opposition to act differently.

“We will be happy to meet with any opposition party that is interested in real dialog,” they stated.

Lapid hit back: “If Levin and Rothman had taken their proposal seriously, they would have agreed to stop the legislation until the end of talks and maybe even bothered to update the president and me in advance of their proposal, rather than letting us hear about it from the media.”

A number of legislative changes passed during a heated session on Tuesday to chants of “shame!” outside the Knesset.

The full parliament will vote on various issues that could be debated for a number of weeks.

In an ever-changing narrative the political battle is being followed by the world’s media.

The New York Times ran a page one

article over the divisions.

“The scale of the protest reflected a deep disagreement in Israeli society over the ideal structure and future of the country’s democratic institutions,” the paper wrote, adding that proposed legislation raised fears of a ‘civil war’.

President Joe Biden told the paper on Sunday that it was rare for a U.S. leader to express an opinion on “constitutional matters” in Israel.

“The genius of American democracy and Israeli democracy is that they are both built on strong institutions, on checks and balances, on an independent judiciary,” Biden said in a statement. “Building consensus for fundamental changes is really important to ensure that the people buy into them so they can be sustained.”

CNN reported on Netanyahu’s plan plunging the country into a ‘social collapse’.

They stated: “The most significant of the changes would allow a simple majority in the Knesset to overturn Supreme Court rulings.”

Among many news agencies, Reuters reported on an “uproar in the Knesset” as “Israeli lawmakers traded insults” whilst the plans had triggered “angry protests across Israel for weeks”.

Netanyahu, during his weekly cabinet session, criticised calls for civil rebellion by those who oppose government policy and called on the opposition to act responsibly.

“It is possible to argue and to have dialogue,” he noted. “It is possible to suggest

alternatives, this is necessary, but red lines cannot be crossed. Red lines have been crossed in recent days by extremist elements that have one goal, to intentionally bring about anarchy.

“I am certain that the vast majority of the citizens of Israel, whether they support the reform or not, oppose this extremism and will not allow the country to fall into anarchy. I call on everyone to lower the tone and begin a substantive dialogue. We have one country and together we will safeguard it.”

During the political furore, former National Security Council heads reportedly warned the Knesset Speaker that societal and political clashes were “endangering Israel’s social resilience” and called for coalition and opposition leaders to enter “serious talks without preconditions”.

And eight retired Supreme Court judges described proposed changes as “a serious threat” to the justice system and “our way of life”. Changes could bring “disaster on Israel”, they noted.

Meantime, seven Nobel Prize winners noted the the proposals would have “negative impacts” on research at institutions of higher education.

There were mass prayers “to save democracy” at the Western Wall.

Amidst the furore a bill passed for Shas leader Aryeh Deri to return to government despite a Supreme Court ruling halting him from his post as Health and Interior minister over past corruption convictions.

Mass demonstration in Jerusalem of protest against government reforms

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Record numbers attend Chabad Conference

BY LEAH WAXLER

A record number of delegates attended the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Women Emissaries in New York last weekend.

The annual event is the largest Jewish woman’s conference in the world. Some 4,000 women from 50 US states and 100 countries attended. Participants posed for a first outdoor group photo in many years in front of ChabadLubavitch World Headquarters.

The conference culminated in a gala banquet last Sunday where a closing tradition is a roll call of Chabad emissaries.

Seven women from six continents, read aloud countries from Angola through Zambia.

Rebbetzen Miriam Moskovitz spoke movingly in a keynote address about her life in Kharkov, Ukraine with her husband, Rabbi Moshe Moskovitz, since 1990 when it was part of the Soviet Union.

They were sent by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, to restore Judaism to the region.

For over 30 years they built a Jewish community until the illegal invasion of Russia.

The Moskovitzs transformed the Chabad

Need cash fast?

centre into a shelter as missiles fell around them.

“There is no handbook with instructions of what you are supposed to do if a war breaks out,” said Miriam. “It felt as if our ship was shaking, we were the captains navigating in a storm of missiles, rockets and bombs. But we were not alone. We knew we had the Rebbe’s blessings, and we felt a global virtual hug. People all over the world were praying for us, doing one more mitzvah, lighting Shabbat candles, saying tehillim for us in the war zone.”

Moskovitz highlighted the humanitarian work of Chabad in Ukraine where 192

Chabad emissary families across 32 cities have led relief efforts.

“Throughout Ukraine,” she said, “my sister shluchot are bravely leading their communities, and are also seeing daily more and more Jewish souls lighting up despite the darkness.”

Observers noticed Chabad ‘Gen Z’ leaders. There are 404 of 5,735 female leaders born after 1997.

The Rebbe understood the potential of American youth to be leaders.

“American youth is like unsown land waiting to be worked,” the Rebbe said in 1950. “The youth can be compared to a

blank piece of paper.”

Chaya Citron, 24, Chabad Campus SW Portland, Ore., is a director of a Chabad preschool in Portland. “From a young age we are always involved in outreach, volunteering, running camps, we are educated this way,” she said.

Chaya Sasonkin, 25, co-director Chabad Casa Grande, between Phoenix and Tucson, added: “The Rebbe gave us a passion to grow Jewish life.”

The event took place on the eve of the 22nd of Shevat, the anniversary of the passing of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, wife of the Rebbe.

Many Chabad women, girls and institutions honour her name and legacy.

A moment was taken to remember women emissaries who had passed away last year, including Henya Federman of Chabad Virgin Islands who was laid to rest just before conference.

Henya battled for two months after a water accident claimed the life of her 4-month-old daughter, Shterna.

Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, chairman of the Kinus and vice chairman of the educational arm of Chabad-Lubavitch, spoke about the Rebbe’s expectation that followers make every effort to succeed.

We wish to purchase any Diamond

Personal & confidential Customer Service Price Offered Instantly Same Day payment

size, clarity or colour. WE PAY MORE than all our competitors. Try us, and you will not be disappointed!

Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Women Emissaries

WJC provides Holocaust training for UN and UNESCO

BY HARRY SIMONS

UNESCO and UN Geneva emissaries have attended training sessions to combat antisemitism and safeguard the memory of the Holocaust.

Workshops were organised by World Jewish Congress with cooperation from UN Missions in Geneva of France, Germany, Israel and the European Union.

The most recent seminar took place at the Maison d’Izieu last week at a house honouring 44 Jewish children and seven adults deported to Auschwitz in 1944. Some 40 ambassadors and diplomats from 26 delegations participated in a tour of the house and permanent exhibit.

Delegates heard from Holocaust survivor Samuel Pintel who lived at the house between 1943 and 1944.

Around 40 people attended the first session at the Memorial de la Shoah in Paris after International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Ambassadors and diplomats took part from 15 delegations. UNESCO experts and Jewish community leaders in Paris also attended. The event included a lecture on

Holocaust denial and a panel discussion on countering antisemitism. Experts from UNESCO, French Interministerial Agency, Council of Jews of France and Memorial de la Shoah participated.

During the panel section there was a presentation of the French national plan to combat racism, antisemitism and discrimination. The meeting concluded with a tour of the memorial.

Meantime, the Jewish community of Bosnia and Herzegovina is establishing a Jewish history museum.

An archive of Balkan Jewish history including photographs, artefacts and genealogies is being collated to preserve the story of Bosnian Jews.

Some 900 Jews live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 500 in Sarajevo. Before the Holocaust, Sarajevo was 20% Jewish and dubbed little ‘Jerusalem’ due to its many synagogues, mosques and churches.

Sephardic Jews arrived during the Ottoman Empire. Ashkenazi Jews came under the Austro-Hungarian rule of the 1870s.

The Holocaust devastated Bosnia’s Jewish community. Four decades later the Bosnian War split Yugoslavia. Many Jews emigrated to Israel and other countries.

Antisemitic Polish priest given landmark sentence

BY LEAH WAXLER

An antisemitic Polish priest must serve 30 hours community service for six months after being convicted of inciting hatred against Jews.

The landmark case against Father Michał Woźnicki, a Catholic priest from Poznan, centred on comments made during a sermon in October 2021.

According to Polish media the disgraced Priest said that Jews in the world had assumed the role of a “leech”. He also claimed Jews were responsible for the spread of sexual impropriety in Poland.

As an ordained priest the ruling is groundbreaking, according to the civil society group who called for Woźnicki to face charges.

Otwarta Rzeczpospolita or Open Republic, fights antisemitism and xenophobia in Poland.

Want To Look After Your Mental

“This is a precedent case,” it reportedly said in a statement. “It was not Woźnicki’s first hateful sermon, but the first one that the prosecutor’s office dealt with.”

Jewish leaders in Poland welcomed the verdict.

“Woźnicki is well known for his antisemitic diatribes and anti-church tirades (he has called Pope Francis a heretic),” Poland’s Chief Rabbi, Michael Schudrich, reportedly said. “The Polish court has handed down a clear verdict that antisemitic hate speech is illegal in Poland. We are hopeful that the Polish courts will continue to find others guilty of this crime.”

Woźnicki criticised the ruling but faces sanctions from the church due to past controversies. He made the sermon online as he is suspended from the pulpit.

Course Dates

March

We’re on a mission to get members of the Jewish Community to protect their wellbeing, equipping them to respond to their own and other’s mental health issues before they escalate.

Hundreds of people of all ages have joined one of our professional 90 minute or 3-hour Zoom training sessions. Book now and learn the vital skills we all need.

Father Michał Woźnicki PHOTO: YOUTUBE

Was he Israel’s greatest king or a misguided m onar ch who fool i s hly misused hi s G -dgiven wisdom?

With eloquence, insight and wit, these great legal minds will draw on arguments culled from traditional sources and contemporary cases. This courtroom drama will deepen our understanding of one of our most memorable biblical kings.

What

Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski Golders Green Synagogue;

Rachel Marcus Barrister, 1 Crown Office Row, London

Adam Gersch Barrister, Goldsmiths Chambers London

Adam Taub Lawyer and co-founder of Etgar

Caroline Stone Public Law Barrister, 3PB Barristers

StandWithUs UK blast intimidation on speaker tour

BY ADAM MOSES

StandWithUs UK have blasted intimidation and incitement of violence during a campus tour with Israeli-Arab activist Yoseph Haddad earlier this month.

The non-partisan charity has called on UCL and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to condemn the hate speech.

Haddad visited UCL as part of his speaking tour across the country showcasing what life as an Arab Israeli is like. He was due to speak about growing up in Nazareth and work promoting authentic dialogue between Arabs and Jews in Israel. But days before the event students received information that protestors were going to be “violent” and try stop Haddad speaking.

StandWithUs contacted Campus Security and the Community Security Trust to mitigate risks.

Protestors packed UCL’s Main Quad, covering their faces with masks and keffiyehs, when the event was due to start last Wednesday. Shouts of “from the river to the sea” and “intifada intifada” were heard.

StandWithUs kept the location of the room secret for fear of drawing the crowds.

Over 50 students heard the address on Haddad’s vision for peace and partnerships. He elaborated on what needs to be done to ensure Arabs and Jews have a long-lasting future together.

The campus tour continued at Exeter,

Salford and Nottingham. Walk-outs were staged at Exeter and Nottingham. Students refused to engage with Haddad as they labelled him an ‘apartheid-denier’.

A StandWithUs UK spokesman said: “We would like to thank CST, universities we visited, and above all, our brave students on the ground who refused to cower to any threats. They worked hard to ensure everyone deserves the right to voice their ideas

and beliefs, and that true dialogue is vital to the peace we all yearn for in the region.

“We are deeply concerned by the language and imagery used by the protestors. Signs and chants supporting the intifada, which caused the deaths of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians, should not be allowed to happen. We deplore the use of such violent rhetoric against any peoples, and call on UCL, as well as the Mayor

of London, to condemn the hate speech chanted on the streets of the capital. What we found most worrying were imagery of Iran’s Khomeini, who is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Iranian citizens, whose regime routinely kidnaps and tortures its people.”

They added: “We must reflect on what this means for the state of affairs for Jewish and Zionist students on UK campuses, that to organise for an Israeli to speak on campus was met with such a reaction. The level of security we had to arrange, alongside the student societies involved, goes beyond the normal remits of precautionary measures.

“Our principal aim for the day was for the event to take place, and to ensure that the tenants of free speech were protected, and they were. Unfortunately, freedom of speech for Jews comes with a hefty price.”

UCL adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism in 2019 but in 2021, its Academic Board passed an advisory resolution calling on the University to “retract and replace” the Definition.

The Students’ Union voted down a similar resolution.

StandWithUs UK is a non-partisan educational charity that educates people of all ages and backgrounds, challenges misinformation and fights antisemitism.

They run leadership training and educational programmes on school and university campuses.

Yoseph Haddad with StandWithUs UK members

PHOTO: STANDWITHUS UK

In front of the sea,

meters from a splendid sandy beach – Classic rooms, Junior Suites and Suites – Beit Knesset with Sefer Torah –Two outdoor swimming-pools and modern Beauty Farm

Interfaith needs to be honest

OPINION PIECE

BY ROBERT FESTENSTEIN

It is said that whenever a conflict occurs and attempts are made to resolve it, that the parties are urged to concentrate on those issues where there is already agreement or at least no disagreement. It is also said that a true friend will tell you when you are in the wrong.

There is much publicity about the importance of interfaith cooperation when it comes to our community. We are urged to reach out to other religious communities and put simply, make friends with them. Social media and the Jewish press often report on meetings between representatives of the Jewish and Muslim communities. The reports are often vague but usually make reference to anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and how efforts are being made to combat these.

What is not reported is whether or not our representatives have said anything about Muslim organisations who are not friendly to us, who treat us with disdain and occasionally threaten physical

violence against us. It is not enough just to agree on the commonality of prejudice and racism, or celebrate respective culinary delights. For interfaith to work properly there needs to be a concentrated effort to talk about the issues which are so important to us.

When the hate convoy drove from Bradford to North West London with loudspeakers calling for rape and murder, I do not remember any statement of condemnation from any interfaith group. Similarly when the bus carrying Jewish children on their way to a Chanukah event was attacked. And there lies the problem. When the time comes for demands for solidarity across religious divides there is a deafening silence. We are a lone voice.

The Board of Deputies or the United

Synagogue cannot be held responsible for the actions of individual Jews who misbehave, and the same applies to leaders of other religious groups. I have seen many Jewish organisations calling on Government to act on one issue or another. What I have not seen (and I may have missed it though probably not) is a demand from a Jewish leader to the leader of another faith group asking them to condemn the actions of one of their co-religionists. It is for these Jewish leaders a step too far, probably because they don’t want to upset anyone from those religious groups.

In my experience, the more someone tries not to upset other people, the more they upset themselves. The community was not backward in approaching the Church of England about Stephen Sizer,

the Anglican priest who has been recently de-frocked until 2030. So why not do the same with the Muslim community? The answer is simple, no-one has the spine to do so. And for as long as that is the case, without any pressure on that community, those people who called for rape and murder will feel empowered because there is no local social pressure declaring that this conduct is unacceptable.

Sometimes the lack of a statement condemning an activity carries the same weight as open support. The Campaign Against Antisemitism recognise this and have done for years. It is time now for the rest of the Jewish leadership to open their eyes, take a deep breath and have the uncomfortable conversations with other faith groups which are so desperately needed. The time for being nice and tip-toeing around these issues has long passed.

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.

Letters to the Editor

TURKEY EARTHQUAKE

Dear Editor

The terrible earthquake in Turkey and nearby Syria, has seen over 50,000 deaths with many more injured.

The response from many countries has been good, however who was one of the first countries to arrive in Turkey? A small country ISRAEL, with a 250 strong team of experts from IDF home front command, Magen David Adom, Hatzola and IsraAID,as well as doctors ,nurses and paramedics. They managed to save at least 16 lives young and old.

Yet, this small nation with only one thought of saving lives, is in constant danger themselves due to security concerns with our enemies. Why then, when we are not wanted, do they wish to kill us, no matter how good we are in helping our fellow humans?

Yours Sincerely

Eric Silver

It is time now for the rest of the Jewish leadership to open their eyes, take a deep breath and have the uncomfortable conversations with other faith groups…

With Harold Schogger

Lead 8h

West led the eight of hearts. East took this with the jack of hearts, cashed the queen of hearts and led the king of hearts at trick three. Declarer ruffed this with the king of trumps and then ran the jack of trumps. A trump to the eight revealed that declarer had a trump loser and, as there was no way of avoiding a club loser too, declarer finished one down

Dummy was unsympathetic. “As you planned to play West for the queen of trumps and East for the king of clubs, then the correct play at trick three was to discard your seven of clubs. If East continues with a fourth heart you ruff in hand and, presuming West discards (it will do no good to over-ruff), you will run the jack of trumps next. A trump to the eight is followed by the ace of trumps and a club to the queen. The king of trumps fells West’s queen; and now you will make 5 trumps, 3 diamonds and 2 clubs”.

This Tu B’Shvat, GIFT gave hundreds of students in London, Manchester and Jerusalem the incredible opportunity to participate in giving activities such as planting vibrant hyacinth flower pots for Norwood Care Homes and decorating Tu B’Shevat themed cards for the elderly. Fruit baskets were assembled by primary students for GIFT recipients.

As Tu B’Shvat represents a day of growth and renewal, GIFT Educators coordinated their efforts across schools, youth groups

Beis Yisroel trip to Hungary

BY SARA BENBASSAT

Sage Nursing Home had the honour of celebrating a very special 100th Birthday for Hannah Shearer. Hannah was born in Southern Germany, in a small town called Karlsruhe. Hannah had a happy childhood with her one brother and sister.

Hannah and her siblings attended a school with other Jewish Students and attended Jewish classes in the school. They were happy in the school until things started to happen to the Jewish students. They were excluded from certain activities and Hannah’s brother suffered terrible Antisemitism from his classmates, Hannah and her sister were also bullied.

In the apartment block where Hannah and her family lived there was a man who was a member of the Gestapo. Amazingly it was him who encouraged Hannah’s family to escape Germany whilst they could, even going to the lengths of helping them obtain papers and leaving Germany. Hannah and her family left all their belongings and escaped the country to live in Coventry.

As a child and teenager Hannah was very athletic, and had dreams of competing in the Olympics. She was also a talented seamstress.

After the war ended her family moved to Hendon in London, but Hannah decided that she needed to go back to Germany to help with the after war effort. It was there that she met her husband.

Hannah and her husband moved to Edgware where they lived for a while, then later,

and shuls across the three cities, educating and inspiring our youth to give back. Senior Gift Educator Rabbi Zeidman said “Festivals such as Tu B’Shvat are a wonderful opportunity to engage students in learning about those less fortunate in the community.

A simple activity such as fruit basket making is a powerful way to encourage students to give their time and energy to help others, knowing their contribution is most gratefully received.”

Gift celebrates Tu B’shvat the giving way Hannah’s 100th birthday

moving to Birmingham for her husband’s work. Sadly, Hannah’s husband suffered from a stroke and Hannah looked after him for 17 years.

After her husband passed away, Hannah became a volunteer for Birmingham social services, she was a beloved member of the team. Hannah’s role and dream was to give carers a voice and rights. She made such an impact that she was nominated by her colleagues to receive a MBE from the queen. Hannah attended the Palace to receive her MBE. There is also a suite named after Hannah in the Birmingham Social Services Office named “The Hannah Shearer Suite”.

Hannah was always very active in the Jewish Care Home in Birmingham, volunteering and helping with the management side of things.

Hannah is the sister of the late Mrs Edith Rothchild, the founding head teacher at the Beis Yaakov School in Golders Green. She would often say to her sister “I have the looks; you have the books”.

Hannah’s advice for the younger generation “Always mix with the older generation and accept them”

Over twenty five members of the Beis Yisroel Shul in Manchester went on trip to Kivrei Tzaddikim in Hungary together with the Shul Rov, Rabbi Yehoshua Ahron Sofer shlita. The trip started very early Sunday morning, first going to the Kever of Rav Yitzchok Eizek of Kalev zt’’l who was the mara d’asara of Kalev and the surrounding outlying villages. Rabbi Sofer gave a shiur on the halachos and Hashkofa of davening at graves of Tzaddikim. Before every Kever, the Rov spoke about the accomplishments of the Tzaddik with many stories and lessons to be learnt from the Tzaddikim.

After Kaliv, they went to Mad and visited the magnificent and beautiful shul of Mad where they davened Mincha. The Rov gave a drosho in the Mad shul, saying over a drosho from the Kol Aryeh, Rav Avrohom Yehuda Schwartz zt’’l who was the Rov of Mad in 1881.

Sunday evening, supper was served at the Shul of Reb Shayele Kerestir with a lot of singing in preparation of going to the Kever.

Shacharis and breakfast on Monday morning was at Reb Shayele’s shul. After davening at the Kever of Reb Shayele, they travelled to Rav Hershele Lisker zt’’l. First they visited Reb Lisker’s Shul and then davened at his Kever and at the Kever of his son in law and successor, the Tal Chaim, Rav Chaim Friedlander zt’’l. The next stop

was to the Yismach Moshe, Rav Moshe Teiltelbaum zt’’l, who was the rebbe of Rav Hershele Lisker. The Rov went through a Teshuva written by the Yismach Moshe concerning the stringency of not allowing anyone wearing a woollen garment to daven for the Amud because it might contain a linen thread and thus being shatnez.

Afterwards, they travelled back to Budapest where they davened at the Kever of Rav Shimon Oppenheim zt’’l who was the Rov of Budapest in 1801 and served as a Rov for 50 years, he was nifter at the age of 100 years old.

The last stop was at the shoes along the Danube River, where the Rov asked everyone to take their shoes off and feel the freezing cold ground, imagining they were standing along the river facing the Arrow – Cross Hungarian thugs. There are men’s shoes, women’s shoes, adult shoes with children’s shoes, fancy dress shoes and workerman’s boots all along the river, symbolising there was no differentiation amongst the victims. The Danube River is a mass grave of thousands of Yidden. The Rov said a special keil molei rachamim with Kaddish in memory of the Kedoshim killed in the river.

The trip was successfully arranged by Yehuda Fagleman and very much enjoyed by all the participants.

Children enjoying Tu B’Shvat with Gift

At the old remains of the shul in Liska

The Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Donna Ludford visited the Nicky Alliance Centre on Monday. After lunch a bush was planted for Tu B’Shvat.

PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL

Lord Mayor of Manchester Cllr Donna Ludford, Tu B'Shvat planting at the 'Nicky' Monday afternoon

Hannah with a message from the King and Queen Consort

Name of victim to remember: Avraham Sabovitz

Place of Birth: Crisana-Maramures, Romania

Date of Birth: 1932

Place of Death: Auschwitz

Date of Death: 24/04/1945

www.yadvashem.org.uk

JAMH’s free leadership

during half-term break

Next week will see a new leadership course for young people during the February half-term break. JAMH, a leading mental health charity, has designed the course to equip young people with valuable skills and knowledge needed to become effective leaders in their communities.

JAMH’s new dedicated youth worker, Nadav Woolfson, will lead the programme, and offer mentorship and guidance to the participants. He will be supported by experienced youth worker, and JAMH trustee, Jonny Wineberg. The leadership course will include a range of activities and workshops that promote teamwork, communication, creative programming skills and a chance to hear about preventative mental health from leading professionals.

Nadav said, “The course is an opportunity for young people to become effective youth leaders delivering high quality, diverse and creative programmes to other teenagers. We want to see all young people having the chance to develop and be part of activities that they both enjoy as well as strengthen their resilience to the challenges of today’s world.”

Jonny said, “We are excited for what JAMH can achieve with Nadav and young people who get involved with our work. Support for young people is crucial for the future of our community and we are proud to be part of their journey.”

Nadav Woolfson

The leadership course will run from the 21st to the 23rd of February and is open to all those aged 15-18. Spaces are limited, so interested individuals are encouraged to register early.

For more information and to register for the course, please contact Nadav at nadav@jamh.org.uk

Rabbi Danny is determined to develop Jewish Studies teaching role

BY DAVID SAFFER

Rabbi Danny Baigel is Secondary Programmes Manager and Jewish Career Pathways Director at London School of Jewish Studies.

A qualified teacher since 2006, Rabbi Danny began his role at LSJS, renowned as a centre of teaching and learning serving the UK Jewish community, last September.

LSJS has various access points for graduates, candidates evaluating a career change, school teachers who haven’t qualified or people wanting to be Jewish Studies teachers.

Rabbi Danny was most recently Assistant Head: Jewish Life and Learning at Immanuel College. He studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion, has a BA in History from UCL and MA in Jewish Education from LSJS.

Taking time out in his busy schedule, Rabbi Danny, who has won a National Teachers award for excellence in Jewish Studies, spoke to The Jewish Weekly about his role at LSJS.

After a successful career at Immanuel, why did he decide to take up this opening.

“LSJS is a very exciting organisation to be a part of in terms of its vision, growth and what it hopes to achieve within the landscape of Jewish education in this country,” Rabbi Danny observed.

“I’ve always known LSJS as being part of the education landscape and I had a really good learning experience as a graduate of their MA programme. Their CEO, Joanne Greenway, has a real vision of how we can develop and further support the educators in our schools. From having an impact at one school the post allows me a greater impact on a communal scale.”

What opportunities and challenges does Rabbi Danny foresee?

“There is a real opportunity to provide our educators with the time, space and value they deserve,” he said. “Bringing together people, to collaborate with one another, to utilise people’s experiences and develop their ideas is a wonderful prospect. Another opportunity is to have a renewed effort and focus on how we can strategically encourage people to have Jewish Studies as a career. Its important to take a step back, to work on a proactive approach to Jewish Studies recruitment and retention.

“Funding and time are the biggest challenges. People are struggling with budgets to invest in special opportunities for teachers to retain them, to bring new people on board, particularly as the government no longer provides bursaries to train in Jewish Studies and Religious Education.”

How would you like to see the role develop?

“Firstly, we have our Teach to Lead pathway for Jewish Studies teachers,” Rabbi Danny noted. “This is a twoyear enhanced programme to give our teachers qualified teacher status and also to make them as effective as possible going forward. I want our teachers to be equipped as senior leaders and to think carefully about their responsibilities and opportunities when it comes to Jewish education.

“When people decide to go into Jewish Studies it must be valued as a prestigious opportunity, something where people can give back to the community, develop their teaching and ability to make change.

“Another area I’m keen to work towards is raising the profile of Jewish Studies teachers. Give them further expertise so they can showcase to the community, demonstrate how they rise to the challenges of the classroom and innovatively deal with the most precious part of what our community holds dear in terms of the Jewish learning of our children. It’s also important to review and develop what we are doing, and make sure it is relevant and pragmatic in equal measure.”

Away from his LSJS aspirations, what does Rabbi Danny enjoy about teaching?

“Relationships ultimately are key, the opportunity to develop a forum where students feel safe, secure and are able to ask questions,” he said. “I enjoy being with my students, having the opportunity day to day see them grow, helping them on their journey, answering their questions and being there for them.”

And what about his MA experience at LSJS, Rabbi Danny reflected: “An area I am keen to move towards is recognition of professional development within the realm of Jewish Studies and Jewish education. Doing my MA was that opportunity. I wanted to be recognised as somebody who took their learning journey seriously, developed their skills within the realms they were responsible for without going through generic teaching qualifications people need when they leave school.”

Rabbi Danny noted that there are many Jewish Studies teachers doing a fantastic job, but he added: “Teaching Jewish Studies is extremely challenging,” he observed. “It’s about knowledge, skills and a curriculum that we follow then it has to be relevant. It’s about inspiration and life.

“It’s about finding people able to juggle the ability to inspire and make things relevant, engage and empower our students. But it’s also about being professional, organised and collegiate in terms of school responsibilities. I’m passionate about

making sure our Jewish Studies teachers are all these things.”

He added: “I don't want to compromise. I want to make sure our students are as well educated as possible, have the best knowledge and skills, and life skills, but at the same time are engaged and are critical thinkers, are independent and love their Jewish identity.”

LSJS runs its Secondary School Jewish Studies conference in May. What are Rabbi Danny’s views on this annual event?

“It’s a chance for the community to give our teachers time to learn from one another, listen to each other and time to reflect on what they are currently doing,” he said.

“I’d like to move the model towards one where it launches to more of an ongoing learning opportunity.

“The theme this year is ‘innovate’. It’s

about getting our teachers to take a step back, see what we are doing, think about shared challenges and then commit to focus on ways to develop areas further.”

Rabbi Danny added: “Conference is a chance to re-instill, reinvigorate and engage in a few areas then it’s about implementing things the rest of the year. It’s about taking your inspiration forward and turning it into something real.”

The role of a Jewish Studies teacher is essential and complex. Rabbi Danny is helping to ensure the best candidates have the opportunities to thrive for the benefit of Jewish communities.

LSJS offers a range of training courses for a career in teaching. To find out more and details on bursaries visit www.lsjs.ac.uk or call 0208 203 6427.

Rabbi Danny Baigel with his wife Rachel, when he graduated from his MA at LSJS

In a life of constant growth and remarkable hasmadah with “blood, sweat and tears,” as he would often say, Rav Elya Meir Sorotzkin built Yeshiva Tiferes Boruch of Springfield, into one of America’s premier institutions. More: He built individual talmidim, with extraordinary love and caring.

Written by Avrohom Birnbaum, author of At Any Hour and The Pnei Menachem, this book will show you what a lifelong impact a rebbi can have, and it will give you a deeper appreciation for the beauty of Torah-filled life.

Be inspired by a life of ratzon, of willpower, of never letting anything get in the way of Torah growth.

GITTIN / KIDDUSHIN BAVA KAMMA / BAVA METZIA

ALSO AVAILABLE: Berachos vol. 1 & 2 • Eruvin / Pesachim • Yoma / Succah

Beitzah / Rosh Hashanah / Megillah • Taanis / Shekalim • Moed Katan / Chagigah

Yevamos / Kesubos / Nedarim • Nazir / Sotah

Powerful Stories to Open Your Eyes to Everyday Chessed!

In Living Chessed, Rabbi Avrohom Asher Makovsky shows us how we “ordinary” people can also be “gedolim in chessed”— by grabbing the countless opportunities to help our fellow Jews. Living Chessed includes inspirational insights and guidance about doing chessed and, above all, incredible stories of how chessed – even something as small as a compliment or a smile – can transform the lives of both the giver and receiver.

No one tells a story quite like Rabbi Fishel Schachter, and in Did This Happen To You? he uses stories as an incredibly effective means of guiding us through whatever challenges we are facing.

A popular speaker, columnist and storyteller, Rabbi Schachter combines practical advice in chinuch and middos development with anecdotes and stories that are always engaging and often laugh-out-loud funny. So open this book and be prepared to laugh ... and to learn.

Orlofsky Family Edition of Seder Nashim

Tiferet Rivka Edition of Seder Nezikin

• Finest quality suits all now ½ price

• Raincoats from £49.50

• Overcoats huge selection all ½ price

• Knitwear Bargains £15 each 2 for £25

• Shirts £25 any 2 for £45

• Trousers up to 58 waist £29.50 2 pairs for £55

• Warm winter casual jackets from £29.50

• Sports Jackets and Blazers all 50% off marked prices

• Big sizes no problem up to 60 inch chest and 21 inch shirts.

10 Golders Green Road London, NW11 8LL

Open weekdays until 6pm & Sundays til 5pm

ASK THE RABBI

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

IS PRESENTATION EVERYTHING?

Dear Rabbi

I attend a Synagogue where the Rabbi, not originally English, struggles to express himself properly. We all understand what he’s saying but it is sometimes a little painful to listen to. He’s very sincere and many people like him, but I think presentation is half the job of every Rabbi. What do you think?

Henny

Dear Henny

Life is very much in the marketing. Take for example wine. The more unique and attractive a wine label is, the more likely the bottle will be purchased and tasted by consumers. It is widely believed that wine label art is reflective of the quality of the wine inside. The aesthetic appeal of a wine label initiates the first purchase, while the quality of the wine initiates a second purchase. As someone once eloquently noted: “Wine is fashion, and beverage isles are the runways. Wines, like fashion, have reached a point where marketing and merchandising play as important a role as making the product itself.”

In other words, wine labels are no longer used to simply relay information about variety or producer, but are now used as a marketing tactic to draw in potential buyers. The wine label is a billboard, which makes it all the more crucial within the highly competitive wine market that companies differentiate themselves among other brands by designing their label

appropriately for their target market.

The same reality is true with speakers. There are very eloquent speakers who can wax lyric, be profoundly poetic – they’re such gifted orators that they can turn people’s emotions on and off like a tap. They have silver tongues and a strong command of the spoken language such that they can deliver their talk brilliantly. But sometimes one walks away from a really eloquent talk: “Wow that was amazing! You should have heard the Rabbi today!” “Really? What did he say? What was his message?” And that will be followed with silence. Stirring and expressive noise but no substance.

To be sure, presentation matters! We must always be aware of our target audience and the best possible way to draw them in. But key in all this remains eminently the message. And the message must be real and consistent. Otherwise, to be frank, whether you are “selling religion” or selling a product, you are little more than a snakeoil salesman.

Sometimes, the lack of silver tongue makes you appreciate that there is nothing glitzy and glamorous about the presentation. It is truth spoken from the heart which ultimately makes its necessary impact.

The ancient Sages put it succinctly when they said: “Don’t look at the barrel rather what is within. For you can have a new barrel but with old wine or an old barrel without even new wine within.” Image is powerful but image can also be

ַעיִדוֹהְל ויָנָפְל ןיֵאֶשׁ ,אוּה ךְוּרָבּ .ןוּדָל דיִתָע אוּהְו ,ןיִדּ לַעַב אוּה ,דֵע אוּה ,ןָיַּדַּה .וֹלֶּשׁ לֹכַּהֶשׁ ,דַחֹשׁ חַקִּמ אלְֹו ,םיִנָפ אוֹשַּׂמ אלְֹו ,הָחְכִשׁ אלְֹו ,הָלְוַע אלֹ ,ךְָל סוֹנָמ תיֵבּ לוֹאְשַּׁהֶשׁ ךְָרְצִי ךֲָחיִטְבַי לַאְו .ןוֹבְּשֶׁחַה יִפְל לֹכַּהֶשׁ עַדְו לַעְו ,יַח הָתַּא ךֲָחְרָכּ לַעְו ,דָלוֹנ הָתַּא ךֲָחְרָכּ לַעְו ,רָצוֹנ הָתַּא ךֲָחְרָכּ לַעֶשׁ ךְֶלֶמ יֵנְפִל ןוֹבְּשֶׁחְו ןיִדּ ןֵתִּל דיִתָע הָתַּא

He used to say: the ones who were born are to die, and the ones who have died are to be brought to life, and the ones brought to life are to be judged; So that one may know, make known and have the knowledge that He is G-d, He is the designer, He is the creator, He is the discerner, He is the judge, He the witness, He the complainant, and that He will summon to judgment. Blessed be He, before Whom there is

superficial. It is what is within that matters most.

We live in a superficial world where social media is triumphant, a public image is held with the highest of importance and competing against each other is the social norm. Know how to look past the superficial exterior and be clear-headed to recognise authenticity. Even when sometimes that truth may not be as flashy or as popular as one might prefer.

JEWISH UNITY – WHO ARE WE KIDDING?

Dear Rabbi

Why do Jewish people talk so much about unity when there is so much disparity?

Melisa

Dear Melisa

An Irishman walks into a bar in Dublin, orders three pints of Guinness and sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. The bartender says, “You know, a pint goes flat after I draw it; it would taste better if you bought one at a time.”

The Irishman replies, “Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in America, the other in Australia, and I’m here in Dublin. When we all left home, we promised that we’d each drink this way in our local pubs to remember the good ol’ days when we used to drink together.” The bartender smiles at the thought of this warm custom and the Irishman becomes a regular in the bar, always drinking the same way: He orders three pints and drinks them in turn. One day, he comes

in and orders only two pints. All the other regulars notice and fall silent. Before leaving, the bartender says, “Look, I don’t want to intrude on your grief, but I would like to offer my condolences on your sad loss.”

The Irishman is confused for a moment then a light flickers in his eyes and he laughs. “Oh, no,” he says, “Everyone’s fine. Those two pints were for my brothers. Me, I’ve quit drinking.”

Whenever there is terrible conflict in Israel, Jewish people band together is a most compelling demonstration of unity proving how we are essentially connected at the core. It’s not like we are Americans who are also Jewish, and Canadians who are also Jewish and British who are also Jewish. We are, first and foremost Jewish, and then, based on our

geographical locations – we are either British Jews or American Jews or Canadian Jews etc. The relevance of this is that when something happens in any one place we feel it someplace else. Like a family member – however far away – if something happens to my brother or sister – on the other side of the world, it doesn’t lessen the impact. I don’t believe there are a people so universally bound as the Jewish people. We could be sitting in a bar drinking alone, but my brother in Australia and the other in Israel – it is as though they are drinking with me. We are all interconnected. Each time a rocket is fired we feel the pain wherever we were. Each time a terrorist strikes, we shed a tear around the world. Are there a people like that anywhere in the world?

Follow Rabbi Schochet at: RabbiSchochet.com

Twitter: @RabbiYYS

Facebook: facebook.com/Rabbiyys.

no iniquity, nor forgetting, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes, for all is His. And know that all is according to the reckoning. And let not your impulse assure thee that the grave is a place of refuge for you; for against your will were you formed, against your will were you born, against your will you live, against your will you will die, and against your will you will give an account and reckoning before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed…

We have now reached the last Mishnah of Perek Daled! It is a pretty sombre read, reminding us of our mortality and wiping any smirk off our faces. Jewish music fans will recognise how the end of the Mishnah forms the basis for the famous Abie Rotenberg song ‘Neshomele,’ which was reused recently by Uri Davidi! All too often, people go through life feeling very proud of their achievements and confident that they have done and can

do no wrong. However, unfortunately for many they will be in for a sharp shock! Hashem doesn’t miss a trick; nothing is forgotten and the tiniest things we humans forget can often and sadly be of huge significance in the world of truth.

There is a story told of a terror attack victim who was a rebbe in a school. He appeared in a dream and told a family member he was not allowed into heaven as he had once promised a boy in his class a small financial prize of a few shekel and forgotten to pay it. When the family found the now grown up man and paid him, he was shocked as he confirmed that the story was true and that he had long forgotten about it. It made national headlines in Israeli newspapers.

We must try hard to improve ourselves so that we are in with a fighting chance when we come upstairs to be judged by Hashem Himself.

Weekly Dvar Torah FROM ERETZ YISRAEL

Drawing Near to the King

BY RABBANIT SHANI TARAGIN

In last week’s Parashat Yitro, the Torah recounts Am Yisrael’s response to what they saw and heard at Har Sinai: “And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the horn, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off… And the people stood afar off; but Moshe drew near unto the thick darkness where G-d was.” (Shemot 20:15, 18)

The description of Moshe “drawing near” while the nation (twice mentioned) “stood afar off” reminds us of another scene eighty years earlier – namely, the salvation of Moshe in his first months of life. Moshe was laid by the reeds of the river – “And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him” (Shemot 2:4). In addition to the textual similarities, the allusion is sharpened as the situations are quite similar: Both Miriam and Am Yisrael stood from afar motivated by fear; Miriam, apprehensive regarding Pharaoh’s decree,

and Am Yisrael fearful of Divine revelation. In both cases, Moshe remained alone to confront the source of fear, and in both cases, Moshe’s encounter with “higher authorities” edified his personality and prepared him for political and religious leadership.

Miriam witnessed the compassion displayed by Bat-Pharaoh who drew Moshe from the water and raised him as her son. The Torah immediately thereafter teaches us of Moshe’s adolescent years wherein he went to see the oppression of his brethren Hebrew slaves: “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together; and he said to him that

Mishpatim Sidra Summary

3RD ALIYA (SHLISHI) – 22:4-26

did the wrong: ‘Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?’” (2:11–13)

How strikingly similar this scene is to the initial mitzvot commanded in Parashat Mishpatim, following the description of Am Yisrael standing from afar as they watched Moshe enveloped by the cloud of G-d! The parasha of statutes begins with the laws of the Hebrew slave and female maidservant (21:1–11) immediately followed by “He who fatally strikes a man shall be put to death” (v. 12) and “When men quarrel and one strikes the other with stone or fist…” (v. 18).

Perhaps the Torah is teaching us how Moshe, already as a young man, was worthy of transmitting the Divine words of the Torah as he lived them in a microcosmic manner even prior to Har Sinai! He acted on the moral statutes commanded in Mishpatim – he smote the Egyptian who was fatally striking a Hebrew slave, and chastised his brethren for quarreling one with the other. But then Moshe had to flee for his subjective and personal

moral standards were contrary to the Egyptian rule and culture. In this week’s parasha, as those same moral statutes are commanded through Divine revelation to the entire nation of Yisrael, Moshe does not retreat. On the contrary, he “draws near” prepared to teach and lead us “to the place that I have made ready” (23:20).

This week’s parasha corroborates Moshe’s personal moral imperative as Divine law. Moreover, it ‘redeems’ Am Yisrael as “a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation”; a nation that witnessed revelation and is implored to display sensitivity to all human life, beginning with slaves, not based on ‘natural law’ but ‘Divine law’, is transformed from a nation of slaves to a nation of G-dly emissaries.

Rabbanit Shani Taragin is educational director of World Mizrachi and the Director of the Mizrachi-TVA Lapidot Educators’ Program. She is a member of Mizrachi’s Speakers Bureau (www.mizrachi.org/ speakers).

the idolatrous ways of those nations.

7TH ALIYA (SHEVI’I) – 23:26-24:18

1ST ALIYA (KOHEN) – SHEMOT 21:1-19

The sidra contains many mitzvot, of which a selection has been included here. It starts with the laws of a Jewish servant. He is to work for six years, after which he can go free. Alternatively, he can decide to stay on as a servant forever.

2ND ALIYA (LEVI) – 21:20-22:3

The penalties for physically injuring others are listed. An ox that gores a person to death is stoned. One may not dig pits in the public domain. Stealing an animal and then selling or slaughtering it incurs an extra penalty.

Point to Consider: Why is there no death penalty for a person who kills a thief in self-defence? (see Rashi to 22:1)

The laws governing guardians and borrowers of objects are listed – the level of responsibility for losing or damaging the object varies according to the nature of the contract. Special emphasis is placed on not mistreating a widow or an orphan. It is forbidden to take interest when lending money to the poor.

4TH ALIYA (REVI’I) – 22:26-23:5

The mitzvah of pidyon haben (redemption of the first born) is repeated. It is forbidden to eat an animal which died without shechita (kosher slaughter). One must not favour the destitute in court. A stray ox or donkey should be returned to its owner.

“The entire people saw the thunder and the flames, the sound of the shofar and the smoking mountain” (Shemot 20:15)

Succot – are listed. There is a mitzvah to bring one’s first fruits (bikurim) to the Temple. It is prohibited to cook meat and milk together.

5TH ALIYA (CHAMISHI) – 23:6-19

A judge has to avoid showing favour or taking bribes. For six years the land is worked; in the seventh year (shemittah) it is prohibited to work the land. The three pilgrim festivals – Pesach, Shavuot and

6TH ALIYA (SHISHI) – 23:20-25

G-d says that He will send an angel to guide the nation in their conquest of the Land, helping them to destroy the host nations. They are warned not to emulate

The narrative now switches back to three days before the giving of the Torah (Rashi). Moshe builds 12 altars at the foot of Mount Sinai, one for each tribe, on which offerings are brought. Moshe sprinkles the blood of the offerings on the people, who famously proclaim “we will do and we will listen” (na’aseh ve’nishma). Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and 70 elders see a very pure ‘vision’ of G-d. Moshe remains on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights.

MAFTIR (SHEMOT 30:11-16)

The special reading for Shekalim is from the beginning of parashat Ki Tisa, instructing the Israelites to bring a compulsory annual half shekel contribution for the offerings brought in the Mishkan. This also acted as the means of conducting the national census in the desert.

HAFTARAH (MELACHIM/KINGS II 12:1-17)

King Yehoash ascended the throne aged only seven. Guided by the Kohen Gadol Yehoyada, he successfully organised a national fundraising initiative to repair and maintain the Temple.

Torah from Israel Is There Secular Morality?

BY RABBI MOSHE TARAGIN

Can Morality exist outside of religion?

This question has been debated throughout history, addressed by ancient philosophers such as Plato and Socrates, as well as by modern thinkers such as Kant and Dostoyevsky.

Unquestionably, we possess the capacity for moral thought and decision making even without religion instruction. Prior to Matan Torah, criminal behavior in Man was severely punished. For his crime of murder, Kayin was condemned to nomadic wandering, while a morally dissolute world was washed away by a global flood. A ruthless Egyptian tyrant was punished for enslaving and torturing our people. Even without divine instructions, humans are expected to act upon basic moral instincts and their innate sense of right and wrong. Evidently, human beings enjoy an internal moral compass and are held accountable for immoral behavior. Hashem’s laws aren’t necessary for moral integrity.

For many secularists this moral impulse exists independent of Hashem. Immanuel Kant proposed the shared ability of humans to reason, as the basis for moral behavior. Modern, post-Darwinians highlight evolutionary foundations for unselfish behavior. Altruism to others elicits reciprocal generosity which greatly improves our common chances of survival. Similarly, selfless acts are necessary to form larger groups or herds, which in turns enjoy greater odds to survive the evolutionary process. Secular utilitarians believe that humans possess an internal tendency to act in a manner which effects the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. For all these secular moralists, a deeply lodged instinct drives moral behavior. Religion isn’t necessary for morality. As Albert Einstein wrote in 1930: “A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary.”

Religious people acknowledge these instincts, but trace them to a divine author. Hashem implanted us with Kant’s reason, with Darwinistic evolutionary instincts, and with a utilitarian desire to effect maximal good. What secular moralists define as moral intuition unrelated to Hashem, religious people trace to divine programming. Morality may exist without divine instruction, but it cannot exist without divine engineering.

Though Hashem created innate moral sensibility within the human heart, he also delivered His word and His system of halacha, and expects us to shape our moral experience to that system.

Our double tiered system of morality, one instinctive and one legal, is reflected the two very different passages which bracket the Torah’s account of Matan Torah. In parshat Yitro, in the section immediately preceding the delivery of Torah, Moshe erects a rudimentary judicial system to enforce law and order. He also counsels people “from morning till evening” about ethics and social virtues. Even prior to giluy Shechinah (divine revelation) and to the emergence of a legal system, moral instincts motivated us to improve our personal behavior and to assemble an ethical society.

The passage immediately after Har Sinai, contained in parshat Mishpatim once again details moral responsibilities and ethical consciousness. The very first section delivered after Matan Torah details the laws of slaves, damages, legal litigation, general law enforcement and social welfare for weaker members of society such as widows, orphans, converts, and financially disadvantaged. Moral behavior is the foundation of religious experience and is commanded prior to the laws governing festivals, sacrifices and religious rituals. Even though we had displayed moral sensibilities prior to Sinai, our moral system was now updated based on the divine will and Hashem’s revealed word. Even though humans possess an internal moral instinct, halacha alters and improves the texture of our moral experience.

How does the added divine layer of morality affect and enhance moral experience?

OBJECTIVE STANDARDS

Sustained moral behavior requires absolute standards, infinite reference points to guide our decision making. Moral challenges are complex, and we can easily justify selfish behavior by gauging them against social standards. Over time, social standards decline tempting us to calibrate our own moral code based upon these relaxed social expectations. Employing relative standards of morality, we can easily validate dishonest or unethical behavior. This leads to gradual moral erosion, the type of which we are witnessing in many modern Western societies. Hashem’s will provides immutable moral expectations which aren’t impacted by social or historical context, challenging us to surpassing and absolute moral behavior.

Worse than slowly eroding moral standards, secular moralism also encourages subjective morality, in which there is no absolute moral truth, only the truths that a particular individual or culture happen to believe in. Without absolute

“good” and “evil” even heinous crimes can be justified, and all sense of right and wrong becomes discarded.

Religious morality sets objective and fixed absolutes, yielding a more durable and stable moral experience.

DECENTRALIZING HUMAN EGO

When struggling with moral questions, human beings are often caught between two powerful internal forces. One is our innate desire for altruism, generosity, and selflessness. Alternatively, we are also powerfully driven by ego and self-interest, intensely preoccupied with serving our own needs. In this battle of wills sometimes our ego wins out diverting us from moral behavior in preservation of our own interests. Humans may possess an innate moral compass, but they also possess a strong and hungry ego.

Religious experience is predicated upon decentralizing our ego and our needs, while submitting human interest to a higher being. Once ego is decentralized moral behavior becomes more natural. Successfully submitting our needs to Hashem, promotes our ability to serve the needs of others. Once the self is decentralized moral behavior is more easily achieved.

DIVINE IMAGE

Hashem fashioned Man as the masterpiece of His creation. He created us in His likeness, vesting us with distinctive features which no other creatures enjoy. We refer to these qualities such as intelligence, creativity, speech and consciousness as Man’s divine image. Hardship and suffering depletes divine image and its potential and our moral behavior restores it. Moral acts are performed not just altruistically, but out of duty to repair Man’s divine gift. Moral acts are part of a divine mission and not just a social service. Through our charity and generosity, we partner with our creator in sculpting a more perfect world.

Morality motivated by the divine image extends moral interest beyond the individual, extending it to the social arena. For this reason, religious morality is responsible for social and political evolution. Belief in Man compels us to construct societies which preserve human dignity and freedom, allowing Man to express his talents without economic encumbrance or political repression. Religion forces us to think of the larger social calculus or morality.

DIVINE SURVEILLANCE

What happens when human moral spirit falters and our discipline weakens? Human beings are weak by nature and

when left to their own moral instincts will often come up short. Religion establishes accountability to an Omniscient God who observes all human behavior. Almost every moral imperative in the Torah is suffixed by the admonition that Hashem redeemed us from Egypt. Namely, He is part of history, punishes the wicked and surveils human behavior. This divine scrutiny establishes moral accountability and braces our behavior. Even when moral instincts fail, we still stand in the presence of Hashem and must behave in accordance with His expectations. In our moral journey we aren’t alone. Hashem delivers absolute standards and watches and registers our behavior.

MORAL ROLE MODELS

So, we believe in human morality, but also in divinely legislated moral law. We should build our moral consciousness upon each of these two pillars, both human instinct and divine law. Often, religious people smugly dismiss secular morality arguing, as Ivan Karamazov asserted in Dostoyevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov: Without God, everything is lawful. This is factually untrue and to assert such is condescending. We should be inspired by moral courage even when exhibited by non-religious individuals. Ironically, it is often easier to identify moral courage in those who express outside of religious practice. Just the same, our moral code is formatted by the will of Hashem and is unalterable. Religious people should be inspired to act morally based upon their inner voice as well as the divine command.

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

A Tzaddik Falls Seven Times and Rises

BY RABBI SHMUEL REICHMAN

In our previous article, we began exploring the nature of the cheit ha’egel. After all, if the Jewish People were elevated to such an angelic state that they could receive the Torah, how could they commit such a terrible sin at this moment? Even worse, they not only committed this sin immediately following Matan Torah but did so in the very same spot, Har Sinai, the very place where we “married” Hashem! Chazal compare this to a kallah (bride) betraying her husband under the chuppah! As the pasuk says, they strayed “quickly” (Shemos 32:8). How could Klal Yisrael fall so rapidly and drastically right after Matan Torah?

Some commentators, such as the Ramban and Rabbi Yehudah Halevi (Sefer HaKuzari), suggest that the Jewish People did not commit genuine idolatry. Rather, after Moshe Rabbeinu failed to descend from Har Sinai, the Jewish People believed that their leader, who served as the medium of connection between them and Hashem, was gone forever. In desperation, they attempted to create a new physical medium of connection, i.e., the golden calf. This idea itself is not inherently wrong, as we see that the Jewish People are told to build an Aron, a physical vessel, to serve as a connection between them and Hashem. The Aron (Holy Ark) had two Keruvim (cherubs) on top of them, and the Torah states explicitly that Hashem spoke to Moshe through the Keruvim (Shemos 25:22). The Ramban and Rabbi Yehudah Halevi therefore explain that the problem was not the motive but the method of achieving their goal. Because Hashem did not command them to create a physical medium of connection, it was inappropriate for them to do so.

However, many commentators, including Rashi, believe that the cheit ha’egel was genuine idolatry. This means that immediately following Matan Torah, the Jewish People fell prey to the worst sin imaginable, i.e., avodah zarah, failing to source themselves back to Hashem. According to this line of thinking, we are back to our original problem: how did the Jewish People, who had achieved such great spiritual heights, undergo such a rapid, astounding fall? Spiritual falls tend to occur slowly in small steps. In this case, however, the Jewish People went straight from the highest of heights to the lowest of lows; from angelic to broken. How did this happen?

NEKUDAS HA’BECHIRAH: THE NORMAL PROCESS OF LIFE

In Michtav Me’Eliyahu, Rav Eliyahu Dessler analyzes one of the foundational concepts of human experience. He explains that while human beings have free will, the locus of free will (the nekudas ha’bechirah) exists at a specific point,

unique to each of us. The average person does not struggle with the desire to push down an old lady on the street and steal her purse. Similarly, most of us do not feel an overwhelming compulsion to murder. We do not live at such a base level, and we have no desire to. At the same time, most of us are not yet at the level where we strive for complete control over every thought that enters our minds or to refrain from speaking even a single unnecessary word. We simply do not live on such a transcendent, angelic plane.

Most of humanity lies somewhere along the middle of the spectrum. Our point of free will is located in the decision sphere of whether or not to gossip, to hit snooze, to give charity, to smile, to eat right, etc. These are the battles of inches; sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose. Each time that we confront one of these challenges, we engage in this internal battle. On the outside, we may give nothing away, but within each of our minds exists a fierce battle for spiritual ground — a battle of will, a battle for eternity. If we push hard enough at one of these fronts, it will eventually become second nature, and what was once a struggle will become a sure victory. But if we lose the battle, we retreat a step or two.

This battle is constant — a series of tiny gains and losses. No single battle has a major impact on our spiritual level, but if we accumulate enough victories, we can maintain steady progress forward. And life is never static. We are either moving forward or being pushed backward. Essentially, life is like walking up a downwards escalator. If we stand still, we move downwards; if we walk at a steady pace, we tend to stay in the same general location — maybe a few steps up or a few steps down every now and again. Only when we push with all our inner will can we progress forward in a significant way.

This road is a slow one, but if we continue to push, we slowly grow. The same is true of spiritual falls; they are slow and steady, with inches slowly slipping away. However, there is one exception to this pattern.

THE EXCEPTION: LOSS OF SELF

When we lose our identity, our sense of self, we can go from great to nothing in an instant. Instead of climbing down the ladder one rung at a time, we plunge off

the ladder completely. This is because the battle of will is composed of two forces: our higher self, which raises us up, and our lower self, which drags us down. Normally, each of these two forces push at full force, leading to a constant battle for inches in the journey of growth. Sometimes our higher self gains ground with small achievements, and sometimes our lower self gains ground through minor slip-ups. However, in times of panic, moments of emotional or psychological instability, or instances of crippling self-doubt, we often completely fall apart. In these moments, it is possible to completely lose our sense of identity, and with it our entire foundation of self and sense of purpose. The positive force that propels us forward and lifts us upward disappears, and all that remains in its wake is the overwhelming drive of the lower self. In these rare instances, the lower self asserts its influence with nothing to push back against it. The results are cataclysmic: we will plummet faster than we imagined possible into the very lowest state of existence.

EXPLAINING THE EGEL

The Jewish People were indeed on the loftiest of levels — a state that we can hardly imagine. They had just witnessed earth-shattering miracles and received the Torah from Hashem Himself on Har Sinai. And yet, they lost their identity, their very sense of self, when they believed that Moshe, their leader, had died. Even after the transcendent experiences of yetzias Mitzrayim and Matan Torah, this was enough to cripple them. Moshe served as their teacher and leader, their link to these events, and when he failed to descend the mountain, they felt as though they had been cut off from what made them great. Upon experiencing this loss of identity, they felt a moment of sheer panic — of internal chaos — and lost all sense of self. With such a negative drive pushing them down, and no positive force to counter it, they fell straight from greatness to the lowest depths. It was there that they did the unthinkable: they served idolatry, a complete abandonment of their spiritual ideals.

THE SLIDING EFFECT

One of the hardest parts of a dramatic fall is that once it begins, it’s very hard — in fact, seemingly impossible — to halt its

progress. Even after a small failure, many people tend to give up. They fail but then make the mistake of branding themselves as a failure. They mistake their single act of failure as a new identity — a characterization of failure. Now, when they look in the mirror, they see failure. This is one of the yetzer hara’s brilliant strategies — to hit us when we’re already down. Once we slip up, he grabs the opportunity to convince us that we are a failure.

This is the explanation of the pasuk, “A tzaddik falls seven times and rises.” (Mishlei 24:16). We all fall. The key to greatness is not preventing the fall, since it’s all but guaranteed that we will fall at some point in our lives. The key to greatness is how we respond when we fall. A rasha is someone who falls once but then never picks himself up. One slip cascades into an eternal tumble, an increasingly darker state of existence, to the point that its almost unstoppable. A tzaddik, however, catches his fall. He stumbles, fights to find his footing, regains composure, redirects his consciousness, and then begins to climb again. Just like a cat always lands on its feet, a great person positions himself to always bounce back from a fall. A tzaddik is not great despite having fallen seven times, he is great because of his falls, because of how he rises from them. These falls help him learn more about who he is, train him to persevere, and bring out aspects of his potential that he never even knew existed.

May we all be inspired to push forward in life, to embrace the internal battle of will that exists within each of us, and to rise up every time we fall. We will fall; that is not the question. The question is whether we’ll get back up, whether we’ll learn from our mistakes, whether we’ll rebuild momentum, and how we’ll use our falls in order to rise even higher. Let’s choose greatness, let’s assert our willpower, and let’s endlessly strive for more.

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

May we all be inspired to push forward in life, to embrace the internal battle of will that exists within each of us, and to rise up every time we fall.

Our Bar and Bat Mitzvah Project ensures that young people, on their special day, can share it with a child Holocaust victim who was denied a future.

Over the past 10 years we have twinned over 1000 children. Complete the on-line Twinning Form and researchers at Yad Vashem will use the information to find a suitable twin.

Celebrants will receive a comprehensive Twinning Pack which contains:

• A Page of Testimony, with details of your chosen twin

• A Study Guide

• A Certificate

• A letter from a Holocaust survivor

• A Yad Vashem pin

• Memorial and Shabbat Candles

• An invitation to become a Guardian of the Memory

46 Albert Road London NW4 2SG

Charity No. 1099659

Phone: 020 8187 9881

Email: office@yadvashem.org.uk

www.yadvashem.org.uk

www.guardianofthememory.org

@yadvashemukfoundation

@yadvashemUK

@yadvashemukfoundation

YAD AVRAHAM

Family Fun Mishpatim

We now have been given the Torah and it’s time to learn how to keep it! This week Sidra contains no less than 53 FIFTY THREE Mitzvot! Many of them are about the laws of how to be careful with other people’s feelings and possessions. Also, in the olden days, many people owned animals that could cause damage to things, so the laws of this are taught too. How about if you dig a pit and a donkey falls in to it? Or start a garden fire which burns your neighbour’s haystack? When do you need to pay and when not? What about lending

Sidra Word Search Dingbats

money - can you lend someone 50p and ask for 55p back? No! That’s interest (very interesting!) And, if your friend asks you to look after her lawnmower, you need to make sure it stays safe and certainly if you borrow a man’s hairbrush (or private airplane) you need to make sure you are super careful with it... There is so much Torah to learn...and many thousands of Torah students spend years learning these Mitzvot all day long... We are told not to cook, (eat or benefit from) milk and meat together, and how best to keep the Mitzvot

around the Yamim Tovim. If someone stole in the olden days and had no money to pay back, we don’t send him to jail, we send him to a nice Jewish home as a slave where he is treated with respect and dignity and thereby recovers from his stealing habits... At the end of the Sidra, Moshe goes up the mountain where he stays for 40 days and nights and learns all the Torah the Jewish people will ever learn! And he prepares to come down the mountain to give it to them, but wait a few weeks for what happens in the end...

Fun Fact

The Microwave oven was invented by accident

The microwave oven was invented accidentally in 1945 by a self-taught engineer named Percy Spencer, who was leading a radar project for the defence giant, Raytheon. While testing a new vacuum tube called a magnetron, he discovered that a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted from the heat.

Tangram Challenge! Word Wheel

Using all the shapes on the left can you make the shape on the right?

Use the area below to write the words you have found.

The goal of a word wheel puzzle is to create as many words possible with the letters in the word wheel. Each word must contain at least three letters. You can only use each letter once and every word must have the letter in the centre of the wheel.

Last week’s words

Here are some words you may have found from last week – you may have found more!

Jokes Riddles

Q: What is a sheep’s favourite chocolate?

A: Mars Baaa

Q: Who do witches stop for on the highway?

A: Witch-hikers!

Q: What does a stone become when in the water? A: Wet!

Q: Why are opera singers good sailors?

A: Because they can handle the high seas!

1. I am as light as a feather, yet no one can hold it for long. What am I?

2. One way I’m loose, one way I’m tight; Out with left, in with right. What am I?

3. I can be short and sometimes hot. When displayed, I rarely impress. What am I?

3. Your temper

2. A screwdriver

1. Breath’

Answers

Another delicious recipe for from Denise Phillips

For more recipes and inspiration visit my website: www.jewishcookery.com

Mixed Mushroom Panzanella

Panzanella is the traditional Italian tomato and bread salad. It is a peasant dish born out of necessity to use up stale bread. Although there are numerous variations of the recipe, they all conform to using the country style dry Tuscan bread. Don’t waste your time using fresh bread as it will disintegrate. Other optional ingredients include roasted peppers, olives and anchovies.

In this version I have used a selection of wild mushrooms with basil. It makes a tasty starter and just omit the mozzarella for a parev or vegan option!

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

200g Italian bread eg ciabatta – cut into cubes or use left over challah cut into cubes

~

2 cloves garlic – peeled and finely chopped

1 red onion – peeled and finely chopped

650g mixed mushrooms – sliced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

100g heirloom / baby plum tomatoes- cut in half

125g buffalo mozzarella

~

4 tablespoons fresh basil – roughly chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F? Gas mark 6.

2) Drizzle the bread with 1 tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place in the oven for 8 minutes or until golden. Remove and set aside.

3) Heat the remaining oil in the pan and sauté the garlic and onion for 5 minutes or until soft. Remove and set aside.

4) Then sauté the mushrooms until golden. Cook until nearly all the juices have been absorbed. Add the cooked onion, garlic , lemon juice and season. Remove and set aside.

5) Tear the mozzarella into pieces and add the tomatoes.

6) Combine all the ingredients together and serve.

Garnish: Basil leaves and a dusting of freshly ground black pepper

EXPERT ADVICE

Dear Marc

We have a financial dilemma. My spouse and I are retired. We don’t want our children to have to pay 40% inheritance tax but we also might need care in the future and don’t want to have to be dependent on our children. We own a second property which is rented out and have various savings and investments. Is there a way to mitigate inheritance tax and keep control and access to our money for now ?

Mr

and Mrs Cohen

Dear Mr and Mrs Cohen

Your dilemma is a common one! A competent adviser will be able to direct you through all the important issues you should consider and decisions you need to make to reduce your estate’s inheritance tax liability. Gifting to your children is an option for mitigating inheritance tax. However, this option presents two problems. Firstly, it takes 7 years for the gift to fully exit your estate for tax purposes. You might not have that long before you pass away! Secondly once you gift, you lose access and control of that money/asset. Therefore, it’s not a viable option as you would have to be dependent on your children’s generosity to meet your potential care needs. An attractive alternative option you ought to consider is investing in assets that qualify for Business Relief. The benefits of this option are that it only takes ownership of two years for those assets to be deemed exempt from inheritance tax and you can retain access and control of your money indefinitely. No gifting is required. If you hold these investments at death and they have been held more than two years, these investments will be exempt from inheritance tax. You can also use these investments to pay for your prospective care costs. Investments that qualify for Business Relief come in various forms and with different advantages and disadvantages as well as risks to each investment. Seek advice for an appropriate investment.

Marc Ovtis

SHIPPING

STEPHEN MORRIS SHIPPING

With almost 40 years experience, our company has the ability to move household and personal effects and antiques and fine art with the professionalism and care that comes from that experience coupled with an attention to detail.

We construct our own Tri-Wall and wooden packing cases on site and employ full-time art installers and handymen for those ‘extra’ jobs that always need doing on a move or installation. And size is no limitation – we have moved trains, boats and planes across the world and even bridges and a 5,000 seater tent!

Contact: 020 8832 2222 info@shipsms.co.uk www.shipsms.co.uk

WEALTH MANAGMENT

MARC OVITS – BA (HONS) APFS CERT PFS (DM)

Over 25 years of successful experience in financial services including 11 years of investment banking experience.

Offering expert independent financial advice to individuals, businesses, charities and trusts.

Individual services:- Wealth Management, Investment, Retirement, Estate/IHT, protection planning, Tax Mitigation and Cash Management Solutions

Business & Charity services:- Investment Planning, Business Succession & Business Exit Planning, Business Protection, Corporate Pensions, Employee Benefits, Cash Management Solutions, Profit extraction strategies

Alpha Wealth Management Contact: 020 8203 6920

info@alphawm.co.uk www.alphawm.co.uk

FINANCIAL SERVICES (FCA) COMPLIANCE

JACOB BERNSTEIN

A member of the APCC, specialising in financial services compliance for: Mortgage, Protection and General Insurance Intermediaries; Lenders, Credit Brokers, Debt Counsellors and Debt Managers; Alternative Investment Fund Managers;

• E-Money, Payment Services, PISP, AISP and Grant-making Charities.

Contact: 020 7781 8019 info@www.richdale.co.uk www.richdale.co.uk

CHARITY

JEWISH CARE

Jewish Care is the largest health and social care organisation serving the Jewish community in London and the South East. Our vital services touch the lives of 10,000 people every week. We provide services and offer a wide range of support groups to older people, people with mental health needs, Holocaust survivors, people living with dementia, people with a variety of needs and carers support.

Contact: 020 8922 2222 helpline@jcare.org www.jewishcare.org

BUTCHERS

KOSHER DELI

Kosher Deli was established with the intention of making kosher meat and poultry affordable for all with the convenience of multiple locations and a comprehensive delivery service. All this without compromising on kashrus or quality. Locations in: Golders Green, Hendon, Temple Fortune, Edgware, Borehamwood & Manchester

Contact: 020 8381 4450 info@kosherdeliuk.co.uk www.kosherdeli.co.uk

ESTATE AGENT

MARTIN FRYDENSON - ROUNDTREE REAL ESTATE

Roundtree Real Estate are your local experienced Estate Agent having been established on the High Street since 2009. We are both ARLA and NAEA Propertymark regulated and we are here to offer you expert advice in Property Sales, Lettings, Commercial and Full Management Services, covering Hendon, Golders Green, Finchley, Colindale and surrounding areas. We have built long standing relationships with all our clients and should you have any property related queries please do contact us.

Contact: 020 8203 2111 mail@theroundtree.com www.theroundtree.com

YOUR FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPLIANCE EXPERTS

MARTIN HEIMAN – SMARTINET

We’ve been providing businesses with all of their communication needs since 2010. We specialise in supplying businesses with VoIP Packages, Mobile Plans, Broadband, Card Merchant Services, Leased Lines, On-Hold Marketing, and Call Centre Services. Smartinet, your reliable and efficient business communications provider.

Contact: 0333 613 0000 connect@smartinet.co.uk smartinet.co.uk

ENERGY PERFORMANCE

EPC NATIONAL

EPC NATIONAL are leading experts in providing EPC certificates for domestic & non-domestic properties nationwide.

Especially with the new regulations coming, we provide guidance to all of our clients. Call the team to discuss any requirements.

Contact: 03300 881141 info@epcnational.co.uk www.epcnational.co.uk

richdale

UK ALIYAH ADVISORS

UK ALIYAH ADVISORS – MORTAGE BROKER ISRAEL – ANGLO MORTGAGES

At Anglo Mortgages, our mission is to help find the right loan for you pre or post Aliyah, as well as getting you the best rates. We work exclusively with English-speaking clients to help them secure financing from Israeli banks and secondary lenders, be it for residential or commercial mortgages.

Contact: +972 (0)54 682 2174 aaron@anglomortgages.com www.anglomortgages.com/about-us

FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS

STEPHEN COLMAN – INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS

An independent mortgage broker directly authorised by FCA specialising – for over 25 years - in the more ‘challenging’ situations. We take care of the whole mortgage process on your behalf, handling all aspects of buying your residential or investment property. In addition over the past 5 years we have been at the forefront in arranging Equity Release mortgages for the over 55’s

LOCALAND NATIONAL COVERAGE... THE ENTIRE PICTURE

Clinical City dent Arsenal title hopes

Sixteen-goal Lions rout Scrabble in Cup

BY DAVID SAFFER

BY DAVID SAFFER

be seen as a big test.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have been off the pace and currently sit nine points adrift of the Geordies but a win on Tyneside will mean they are not out of the top four equation, especially as they have a game in hand on Newcastle. A win for Howe’s side though will put them in a terrific position to seal a lucrative spot alongside the top table of European teams next season.

Tottenham Hotspur, who refused to comment on reports of a potential £3.bn takeover bid yesterday, are two points adrift of the top four. They will want to bounce back from a 4-1 loss at Leicester City last time out. Spurs host West Ham who are desperate for points in what will be a feisty London derby.

Reiss Mogilner scored six goals as Maccabi London Lions thumped Scrabble A in the second round of the Cyril Anekstein Cup.

Manchester City signalled their intent for a fifth crown in six seasons with a stunning 3-1 win against pre-match league leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last night.

The Premier League side racked up a 16-0 win with Daniel Green and Michael Kenley both bagging a hat-trick. Ed Brafman, David Dinkin, and Adam Hassanali completed the rout in a mismatch of a tie.

Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish scored the goals to take Pep Guardiola’s side level on points with Mikel Arteta’s Gunners having played a game more.

Lions could have scored in the opening minute of the clash but soon opened the scoring and led 9-0 by half time.

Third place Manchester United have returned to consistent form under manager Erik ten Hag and should have enough quality against Leicester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Brighton take on Fulham in a battle for Europa League places. Brentford are in with a shout for Euro spots. The Bees face Crystal Palace at home.

Away from title and European discussions the battle to stay in the league could go down to the wire with 10 points separating 12th place Crystal Palace and bottom club Southampton.

The Division One team, though outclassed, battled away to the end.

Lions boss was lost for words at full time such was the display from his team who gave every respect to the opposition.

Defeat for City would have handed the initiative to Arsenal who have picked up one point in the last three league games. They will be desperate to bounce back in the next round of fixtures.

“I’m not really sure there’s anything to say, we are happy to make it through to the next round of the cup,” he commented.

Striker Marcus Rashford is in scintillating form with 21 goals so far in all competitions. His return to form is marked after hitting the target five times last season. Rashford will hope to add to his tally tonight when United play Barcelona in the Europa League at the Camp Nou stadium.

Newcastle United are fourth in the table and have a huge match at home to Liverpool, who got back to winning ways with a Merseyside triumph over Everton on Monday night.

Saints are four points adrift from Leeds United with the 17th place side just a point back from the Hammers and one ahead of Everton and Bournemouth. United’s caretaker boss Michael Skubala takes his side to Sean Dyche’s Everton which should be a fascinating clash given so much at stake.

City looked lethal and are back on track. They travel to Nottingham Forest this weekend whilst Arsenal take the tricky trip to Aston Villa.

Hendon United Sports ran out 3-1 victors against League One outfit North London Raiders.

The Premier side led early in the second half only for Raiders to equalise but 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 victory would move them to within a point of Hendon with a match in hand.

Elsewhere in the latest round of fixtures, 10-man North London Galaxy made it a three-way title race in the only Division One clash of the day after defeating Oakwood B.

Jamie Murray saw red early on but Galaxy rallied with goals from Josh Cohen and Jacob Leigh to record an important 2-1 away win.

Eddie Howe’s team have been the surprise team this term with a sustained bid for a Champions League spot and this will

must-win game,” commented Galaxy 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.

Wolves, five points clear of the relegation zone after recent results that included a fine win over Liverpool, host Bournemouth. Chelsea will be favourites against Southampton at Stamford Bridge.

“Both goals came down the right-hand side. Leigh crossed the first one into Cohen to finish, before slotting home himself. Up to first we go.”

The Division Two title race also took a twist with league leaders Herstwood Vale going down to a 2-1 defeat at Temple Fortune.

Faithfold B have played a game more than Vale but moved level with a 5-3 win at North London Raiders Masters.

YOUR WISHES, GUARDING YOUR TRADITIONS

Galaxy head Redbridge Jewish Care A in the table by just one point after 10 matches, third place Fairlop FC are five points behind with two games in hand.

Rafi Bloom scored for Oakwood.

“It was a fantastic performance in a

Jacob Kalms struck twice for Fortune who scored through leading scorer James Milletwith his 17th goal of the season.

The result was all the more remarkable as Temple were down to 11 players with ‘keeper Ben Rebuck dislocating a shoulder in the warm up.

“This was a fantastic win given the

circumstances,” said delighted Fortune boss Simon Linden.

“We had a number of players out, Rebuck got injured, so I couldn’t have asked any more from the players. We wish Ben a speedy recovery.

“It was a proper old school performance, we battled and defended for the 90 minutes and took our chances. Experience proved to be the winner. It’s a big win, one we will enjoy and we hope to build on it in 2019.”

He added, “This win marks 50 years as a football club and will be one Nigel Kyte and everyone associated with the club from day

one will enjoy.”

Vale boss Jacob Emanuel was quick to wish Rebuck well following his injury.

“First and most importantly, everyone at Vale would like to wish the Fortune ‘keeper a quick recovery, we hope to see him back on the football pitch as soon as possible,” he said. As for the defeat, Emanuel commented, “It doesn’t matter how big a squad you have, you can never account for unavailability or injury. Only five of today’s team played in our recent win over FC Team, a lack of togetherness and poor individual

“It was a proper old school performance, we battled and defended for the 90 minutes and took our chances. Experience proved to be the winner.”

16-goal Maccabi London Lions

LSJS Education Page

The role of an educator in times of crisis

BY MICHAEL RAINSBURY

Leading a Jewish heritage trip to Poland in March last year, I led my group into the Lodz Jewish community centre and guesthouse.

Looking for the shul, I walked past rooms with laundry hanging in the corridors outside. My first thought was that the room service was not very professional. My second thought was that these were no ordinary guests – they were refugees.

On numerous occasions during this trip, I was struck by the normalcy of Polish life interspersed with surreal scenes of welcoming Ukrainian refugees. In hotels, petrol stations and in Jewish community centres, there were market stalls, shelters and lodgings for those fleeing the Russian invasion.

As part of the Adult Education programme at LSJS, I interviewed Rabbi

Michael Schudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Poland, highlighting to the UK community the immense efforts of the Polish Jewish community in welcoming and caring for Ukrainian Jews. Chief Rabbi Schudrich explained how the Polish Jewish community pooled resources, utilised existing communal infrastructure and served as a conduit for international Jewish charities in order to meet the needs of the hour.

One of the key purposes of the interview was to discuss what happens next. What would be the lasting impact on the

Polish Jewish community? I had expected Chief Rabbi Schudrich’s answer to be simple: numbers. Although it is unclear how many of the 1.5 million Ukrainians who have stayed in Poland are Jewish, it is assumed that the number is in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. Given the small size of the existing community, this could have a huge impact on Jewish life.

However, his answer took me by surprise. The biggest change, he said, was the transformation of the community from seeing themselves as ‘receivers of

help’ to become ‘help givers’. The community has, over the years, benefited from the generosity of the international Jewish community as they have rebuilt following decades of communist rule. But now, for the first time, they were in a position not just to help refugees, but to provide vital local knowledge and logistics to those who wanted to help from afar. And Chief Rabbi Schudrich felt that his role going forward would be to encourage and nurture this sea change in perspective. This astute observation highlighted the subtle but critical role educators play in times of crisis. In the immediate aftermath of the invasion, there were immediate needs: money, food, clothes, shelter. But as the headlines move elsewhere, the educator’s role comes into focus: Developing the community, empowering people to take new roles and maximising their potential for transformation.

Michael Rainsbury is Head of Adult Education at LSJS

Rabbi Michael Schudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Poland said the biggest change was the transformation of the

from seeing themselves as ‘receivers

become

Rabbi Daniel Hadar Rabbi Dr. Laibl Wolf

Rabbi Yossi Fachler Ohad The Solomon Brothers

Rabbi Doron Perez