The Jewish Weekly Issue 265 - January 26th

Global events mark IHMD

BY DAVID SAFFER

Global events mark International Holocaust Memorial Day tomorrow.

The United Nations will call on member states to honour the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, other victims of genocide and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.

HMD takes place on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

President Isaac Herzog delivers the main IHMD address at the European Parliament today during a two-day visit to Belgium.

Regarding his keynote address, Herzog prior to departure said: We must never forget that the Holocaust, the darkest abyss in human history, grew out of the fertile soil of the antisemitism that had spread through Europe for generations and tragically is rearing its head in many forms in the present day. The historical responsibility borne by the whole family of nations, and the nations of Europe in particular, requires us to not only deepen our remembrance and commemoration but also to draw lessons, to educate, and to wage a persistent, determined, and most importantly

common battle against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia.”

Herzog began his visit at the Royal Palace of Brussels where he was received by King Philippe of the Belgians. He also met with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Israel’s leader visited the Athenee Ganenou Jewish School and Great Synagogue of Europe where he met members of the Jewish communities of Brussels and Antwerp.

He noted: “This is an important visit to the institutions of the

European Union. I am sure that my meetings with the King and government officials will act as a catalyst for many collaborations. The rest of the visit, to the European Union, has special significance. Israel’s relationship with the nations of Europe and institutions of the European Union have an impact on almost every area of our lives as a people and as a state. My visit and meetings bring

together the lessons of the past and vision of a promising future between Israel and the nations of Europe.”

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust organises the UK event. The theme for HMD 2023 is ‘ordinary people’.

Commemoration events have taken place this week at local

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

authorities, schools, universities, museums, workplaces and other settings.

Civic, faith and political leaders join survivors of the Holocaust and recent genocides.

People across the UK will join a national moment on Friday when they light candles and put them in their windows to remember those who were murdered.

Iconic landmarks will light up in purple during a national moment of commemoration and solidarity.

Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, leads an event where survivors of genocide and the Holocaust will share experiences with parliamentarians. Debates will mark the day in both Houses.

The annual London HMD ceremony took place at the new City Hall at Docklands on Monday.

London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, told a packed audience that for victims, events ensure the suffering they endured is not forgotten and will never be repeated.

“For the survivors we cannot understand what they went through but we can show that we care, recognise their pain and stand with them,” he said.

“Antisemitism has been described as the oldest form of hatred. It did not begin with the Holocaust nor did it end. And with anti-Jewish hate incidents hitting a record high here in the UK there can be no doubt that the poisonous tide of antisemitism is rising once again.”

Regarding the ‘ordinary’ theme, Khan said that it falls on everybody to drive antisemtism back.

“For as long as I’m Mayor, City Hall will always be at the vanguard of the struggle against antisemitism, racism and prejudice in all its ugly forms,” he observed.

“The Holocaust was a depraved crime without parallel and millions have also suffered in the sickening genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and elsewhere.

“In every case words were a precursor to violence. We have a collective moral duty to challenge those who would scapegoat and stigmatise whole communities. Politicians and public figures must set an example by not using inflammatory or inciteful language. And we must all be on our guard against those who seek to blame the other.”

Regarding freedom of expression, Khan said that with rights come responsibilities.

“The growing use of dehumaninsing and dangerous language must be resisted,” he noted.

Khan concluded: “Every day we stand with our Jewish community. We remember the victims, survivors of the Holocaust and genocides. We recommit ourselves to ensuring every human being has a fundamental right to safety dignity, equality and respect.”

Holocaust survivor Joan Salter gave a moving account of her life that took her from Brussels to Paris, Spain, America and the UK where she settled.

“I was an ordinary person whose life was forever impacted by the Holocaust,” she

said in a moving testament. “While the Holocaust is part of me, it does not define me.”

Joan gives talks to schools and universities and told the HMD audience that we must continue to educate future generations.

HMD Trust CEO, Olivia Marks-Woldman, said: “Despite us all being born ordinary some of us become victims of ideologies that say that our lives are worth less

than others.

“No one is born an evil monster, some people make choices that lead them to become perpetrators of genocide or bystanders to it.”

She added: “We can all make choices to challenge prejudice. Stand up to hatred, speak out against identity-based persecution to show responsibility. Let’s aspire to be ordinary people that do extraordinary things.”

HMD Trust CEO, Karen Pollock, said that survivors relive their trauma to let the world know what happened.

She commented: “Survivors travel the length and breadth of the country sharing their testimony so the next generation can bear witness. Everyone of their stories is unique.”

Dr Onkar Sahota, Chair of the London Assembly, welcomed guests.

“HMD provides a moment to remember the victims and survivors of the worst crimes of humanity,” he said. “We can choose to speak up when we see discrimination, choose to challenge hatred and choose to ensure genocide never happens again.”

London’s HMD ceremony 2023 was livestreamed.

The annual ceremony included music, a testimonial from Rwanda survivor Antoinette Mutabazi and statement of commitment by HET Ambassadors.

Rabbi Daniel and Rebbetzin Ilana Epstein, Western Marble Arch Synagogue offered a reflection before the Kel Malei Rachamim memorial prayer and lighting of a memorial candle.

President Isaac Herzog

PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA

EDUCATORS

BY HARRY SIMONS

Bar-Ilan University is to establish an institute honouring the legacy of the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.

The Jonathan Sacks Institute of Bar-Ilan University will ensure his ideas receive the recognition they deserve within academia through programs and research as they relate to contemporary moral, social and political challenges.

The Institute will also develop a net

Lord Sacks zt”l

messages and values on our campus.

“We are committed to protecting and nurturing the universal values of political liberty, social responsibility and reasoned debate, while simultaneously preserving and appreciating the particularism of Jewish identity.”

The Jonathan Sacks Institute will be housed in Bar Ilan’s Political Studies department.

“This ensures the multifaceted nature of Rabbi Sacks’ legacy as a Jewish leader and philosopher,” said Zaban. Political Studies head Prof. Jonathan Rynhold will serve as academic director of the

“Rabbi Sacks developed a body of thought grounded in the Jewish religious tradition that speaks to the most important contemporary social, political and moral issues for Jews and non-Jews alike," said Rynhold. "Rabbi Sacks was deeply concerned with the threat to a free democratic society posed by rampant individualism on the one hand and religious extremism on

the other. He argued that our ability to overcome these challenges depends on a civic culture that engages in debate with mutual respect and a moral ecology that provides hope, and builds connections and trust between different communities. This message is both timely and timeless, and, as such, serves to underline the importance of ensuring his legacy in the canon of great Jewish and Western thinkers.”

Lady Elaine Sacks said she was deeply moved that Bar-Ilan was establishing an institute.

She said: “He was passionate about bridging the gap between traditional Jewish thought and contemporary societal issues, and this institute will continue that legacy. I am grateful to Bar-Ilan University for providing a platform for Rabbi Sacks’ teachings in Israel, which will continue to inspire future generations.”

The Jonathan Sacks Institute was announced ahead of a three-day international gathering last week to further the intellectual legacy of the late international religious leader.

Bar-Ilan University's Departments of Jewish Philosophy and Political Studies organised the event in partnership with The Rabbi Sacks Legacy.

Some 40 lectures included religious extremism, Bible and commentary, Jewish philosophy, interreligious theology, political thought, ethics and sustainability by scholars from around the world.

JLEE opens in Blackburn Cathedral

The Jewish Living Experience Exhibition opened at Blackburn Cathedral for the first time since the start of the pandemic this week.

The interfaith event was hosted by the Dean of Blackburn, Peter Howell-Jones.

The JLEE runs to February 3 and will be visited by school groups, local dignitaries and members of the public. Volunteer Jewish guides from Greater Manchester will talk visitors through exhibits.

The display covers topics including the Jewish calendar and festivals, life cycle events, Shabbat and diversity within the community. It includes new panels on religious and cultural dress and Israel.

There will be copies in Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester, London and the North-East gifted to Jewish representative councils in the areas.

Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl said: “The new exhibition is a wonderful way to demonstrate and explain Jewish festivals, culture and traditions to children and adults alike.”

Deputy Sheila Gewolb described the exhibition as the “Jewel in the Crown” of outreach education work.

Running concurrently at Blackburn Cathedral is ‘They’re Only Pictures’ an exhibition of photographs of Auschwitz to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.

The JLEE will be held in Bournemouth, Sefton, Brighton, Hounslow and Finchley. Other destinations to be announced.

Herzog warns about judicial reform

BY SIMCHA ABIR

Controversial judicial reforms backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s could threaten Israeli democracy.

President Isaac Herzog offered the stark warning this week.

The comments come after public demonstrations against legal judicial reforms by the government took place in Tel Aviv after Shabbat.

Over 100,000 people demonstrated. Key note speaker David Grossman said there was an “hour of darkness” in Israel’s 75th year of independence.

Smaller demonstrations were in Jerusalem, Haifa, Beer Sheva and Herzliya.

“This charged issue is on the verge of exploding,” he confirmed. “This is a time of emergency and the responsibility is ours.”

“We must strive for broad agreements and not for forced submission,” he added. “Playing a zero-sum game threatens us all. Whoever demands surrender today will be forced to surrender tomorrow.”

Herzog pointed out divisions in Israeli society in a sobering address on Tuesday.

He observed: “Different groups are preparing for an all-out confrontation over the identity of the State of Israel.”

Herzog called on Israelis to manage disagreements.

He noted: “My firm position, which I have already expressed, is that the foundations of the Israeli democracy including

the judicial system, human rights and freedoms are sacred. We must protect them as well as the values expressed in our Declaration of Independence.”

Herzog described the government’s proposed judicial overhaul as “dramatic” resulting in “severe anxiety for the future of our democracy”.

He added that the accelerating issues could result in a dangerous situation.

“It is permissible and appropriate to criticise each of the state’s authorities, and it is important to understand the depth of the frustration, anger and pain that is behind the criticism of the judiciary,” Herzog observed. “It is legitimate to discuss the boundaries and relationships between the authorities, just as democracies around the world do. But through dialogue and by listening.”

Herzog has attempted to mediate in recent weeks with opposing sides. He has been criticised for not taking a clear position on the dispute between government backers and opponents of planned legislation.

But Herzog insists that he stands by maintaining trust through neutrality.

“The President’s Residence is perhaps the only place today that can maintain the trust of the sides and can serve as a safe space for substantive dialogue,” he explained.

Herzog has offered some hope with reported comments of goodwill. While unsure if mediation efforts will succeed, he hopes opposing sides will reach a compromise.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l

PHOTO: BLAKE EZRA

Bringing Back Tourism from Bulgaria

Over 1,100 global entities adopt IHRA

BY LEAH WAXLER

The Combat Antisemitism Movement released a report ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day stated that over 1,100 countries, institutions and organisations around the world have adopted the IHRA Definition of antisemitism.

alarming, the tidal wave of global support for the Jewish people is undeniable and greatly encouraging.”

Tourism Ministers Haim Katz and Ilin Dimitrov

Israel’s Minister of Tourism Haim Katz and Bulgarian Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov signed an agreement to tighten bilateral cooperation in tourism investment.

Business, wellness and religious tourism will be boosted by the deal. The agreement will encourage more direct flights between the countries and the field of travel-tech.

Israel marked Bulgaria as a potential target following the decline in incoming tourism from Russia.

At the signing ceremony, Katz welcomed the relationship between the countries and called on Bulgarians to visit Israel. He said: “This year, we mark 80 years of courage and humanity displayed by the people of Bulgaria in saving Jews during the Holocaust. The agreement is another milestone in our relationship. I am sure that the agreement will contribute to increased cooperation and strengthen our partnership.”

Dimitrov added: “Israel is a key tourism market for Bulgaria. We will cooperate to increase the number of flights in both directions.”

This includes 18 US states in 2022 taking the tally to 30 states. Seven of 10 Canadian provinces have also adopted the definition.

Since the working definition was adopted in 2016, it has become the most widely-recognised barometer of Jew-hatred. National and local governments, NGOs, universities, sports clubs and corporations use the framework for recognising modern-day antisemitism. They offer educational programs and policymaking initiatives.

With antisemitism on the rise including in the US, more cities and states have adopted the IHRA definition.

“Support for the IHRA definition of antisemitism transcends the political and ideological spectrum and unites entities and individuals of a broad swathe of religious, national, and cultural backgrounds,” said Sacha Roytman Dratwa, CAM CEO. “The surpassing of the 1,000 milestone from a previous report compiled by CAM is a telling indicator of the far-reaching impact and influence of the definition. While the rise in antisemitic incidents has been

“This significant adoption phenomenon, which has gained momentum in recent years, pinpoints the working definition of antisemitism as a major tool in the contemporary struggle against antisemitism,” added Professor Dina Porat, CAM Advisory Board member and Alfred P. Slaner, Chair for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism at Tel Aviv University.

“Its adoption by a host of varied entities reflects a wish to stand up against an old evil and newer ones, as part of a global effort to improve the international arena.”

CAM assembled a ‘Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism’ conference in Athens last month.

Delegates discussed ways to deal with antisemitic bigotry and violence.

The largest category for new adoptions in the US were non-federal government entities including municipalities, counties, state and provincial governments.

“Local authorities and law enforcement agencies under their jurisdiction have a crucial role to play in confronting antisemitism where it is most directly felt, on the streets of the communities where Jews live their day-to-day lives,” Dratwa noted.

The business sector is an important area with “room for growth” in utilising the IHRA definition.

“The fallout from scandals involving celebrities such as Kanye West and Kyrie Irving underscored why companies must have the means to properly identify and react to expressions of antisemitism,” said Dratwa.

“West and Irving lost lucrative endorsement deals with the likes of Adidas and Nike over their antisemitic rhetoric and behavior. Meanwhile, the ongoing explosion of online antisemitism, particularly on social media, highlights the need for major platforms to enact stricter policies for the detection, monitoring, and removal of hateful content, as well as the banning of purveyors of bigotry, like West.”

The growing list of IHRA adoptions are nations, cities, universities, NGOs, and corporations includes The Philippines, Colombia, Vancouver, Tuscany, City University of New York, University of Pittsburgh, The Florida Democratic Party and Lufthansa Airlines.

President Biden’s administration announced in December the creation of an inter-agency task force to develop a “national strategy to counter antisemitism.”

All entities that adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism are invited to report the adoptions to the CAM which is a global coalition of over 600 partner organisations and two million people from religious, political and cultural backgrounds.

CAM acts collaboratively to build a future free of bigotry for Jews and humanity.

Munich Olympic massacre to be revisited

BY DAVID SAFFER

Germany is relaunching its investigation into the murder of 11 Israelis by Palestinian Black September terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

Israeli and German historians are to revisit the archives of the investigation into the atrocity.

The move comes five months after Germany accepted responsibility for not securing the hostages release.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier asked for “forgiveness” from bereaved families at an official memorial attended by a number of victims’ families at Fuerstenfeldbruck Air Base last year.

German Deputy Interior Minister Juliane Seifert and Vice Chief of Staff for the President’s Office Dr. Oliver Schmolke met with Israeli families of the victims in Tel Aviv earlier this week.

The meeting followed an appeal by Ilana Romano and Anki Schpitzer, whose husbands Yosef and Andrei died in the massacre.

Romano and Schpitzer have long called for justice from the German government.

Romano said the battle was now over. Schpitzer welcomed news of the archives being re-examined.

Seifert reportedly said: “Our attitude toward the families is different now. We believe that our previous treatment of them was wrong. We’ve reached an agreement, acknowledged their pain and wish to look into memorialising it. The German president took full responsibility for the incident because we want to recognise the families’ grief.”

Schmolke reportedly noted: “Fifty years after the massacre, it’s time to figure out what really happened. We want to look into

it with a committee of historians to see what happened before, during and after the event. Making things clear is part of Germany’s honour.”

He added: “We want to allow the committee access to all of the information. To that extent, we have founded a team, with the Interior Ministry in charge of this matter.”

Romano reportedly added: “Keeping the memory of the families alive was important to us, and so was Germany taking responsibility and apologising. They assisted our fight and I believe the truth will be revealed thanks to them.”

Yael Arad, Olympic Committee of Israel

head, said that closure for families was now possible.

“I want to thank the German government for their assistance to the families,” she reportedly said. “After unveiling a cenotaph in Munich, issuing an apology and compensating the families, reopening the archives and relaunching the investigation mark another step in exposing the truth and bringing justice.”

The ceremony last September took place after agreement to a compensation dispute with the German government. Eligible families will receive 28 million euros (1.2 million per family) after derisory offers.

Black September militants broke into the Israeli quarters in the Olympic village on September 5 1972. The subsequent massacre after German police intervened resulted in global headlines.

The Israelis included nine athletes. Five Palestinian kidnappers and a German policeman also died in a botched rescue attempt. After the bungled rescue attempt by German police at the airfield the games controversially continued within 36 hours. The decision was heavily criticised at the time.

PHOTO: LADISLAV TSVETKOV

THE 11 ISRAELI VICTIMS OF THE MASACRE

Dayan opens Holocaust exhibition

BY ADAM MOSES

Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan opens a special Holocaust exhibition of everyday items Jews fled with from the Nazi regime at the Bundestag this week.

The ‘Sixteen Objects’ initiative marks the 70th anniversary of Yad Vashem and 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau on 27 January 1945.

The objects chosen out of over 50,000 items at Yad Vashem’s archive come from the 16 German states They include a diary, stethoscope, evening purse, doll, Maccabi flag remnants, letter, Matzah cover and menorah and diary. All will be on display for the first time in the German parliament.

Bundestag President Barbel Bas joins Dayan at the opening of the exhibition initiated by the German Society for Yad Vashem.

Dayan is traveling to Germany for the first time.

“I’m well aware of my deep responsibility to the past as well as my commitment, more than ever before, to ensuring a better future,” he explained. “The weight of the memory of the six million mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, murdered less then eighty years ago simply because they were Jewish, is at the forefront of my responsibilities.

“At the same time, we are acutely aware of

divisive antisemitic and xenophobic social elements currently at play in Germany and around the world.”

Dayan is aware the exhibition features objects whose owners were persecuted and murdered by their own countrymen. Survivors settled in Israel.

“Through these personal stories, we will ensure that the last wishes of the victims of the Holocaust are fulfilled, that the world will know who they were and why they were murdered,” he said.

“These are all absolutely familiar German objects, and they would have stayed that way had the Holocaust not happened,” said Ruth Ur, exhibition curator and Yad Vashem’s Germany delegate.

“The idea of this exhibition is to return these objects back to Germany for a short while, to bring a new energy to the objects themselves, and also to the gaps they have left behind.”

Lore Mayerfeld is one of the exhibitors. Lore was four years old when she escaped in 1941. She settled in the United States then immigrated to Israel.

Lore, 85, has provided a doll called Inge given by her grandparents which she named as a child.

Lore explained: “At home Inge can only serve to remind me and my family of the atrocities we witnessed and endured, but at Yad Vashem, Inge can tell our story to the world. Through this exhibition, and the work of Yad Vashem, we bring the memory out of the past and into the present.”

Lore recalled hiding with the doll with her mother during Kristallnacht.

Returning to Germany is important to educate visitors about the history of the doll and what she experienced during the Holocaust.

“The world hasn’t learned anything from this past war,” Lore said. “There’s so many people who say it never even happened.

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They can’t tell me that. I was there. I lived it.”

Anneliese Borinski was in a Jewish youth group in Ahrensdorf outside Berlin.

When the Nazis issued deportation orders, 12 members of the group cut up the Maccabi Hatzair youth group flag and vowed to meet after the war in Israel to reassemble the flag.

Only three survived. Borinski was the only member to take her piece of the flag to Israel. In 2007, her son donated it to Yad Vashem.

Life-size photos of buildings and street corners where items’ owners lived are on display.

Modern-day images show a contrast to the life under Nazism.

Ur said: “By connecting the personal stories of these objects with the current modern locations in Germany, the exhibition creates a bridge between the memory of the past to present and future societies. The items presented are a reminder of the countless lives and communities destroyed by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.”

“We hope that the objects and their local histories will spark interest and a new way of engaging with the past,” Ur added.

The exhibition is on display in the Bundestag for four weeks. It then goes to be exhibited at the Ruhr Museum in Essen before returning to Israel.

Dani Dayan

PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA

UK and Israel commemorate HMD

BY DAVID SAFFER

The UK and Israel commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Tuesday.

The event, co-hosted by the FCDO and the Israeli Embassy in the UK, was part of a long-standing collaboration between the UK and Israel to mark HMD.

Stutthof concentration camp survivor Manfred Goldberg shared his testimony at the ceremony.

Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Lord Eric Pickles and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon joined representatives from the Jewish and diplomatic community, civil society, Parliamentarians and communal leaders.

Cleverly spoke of the importance of learning from the Holocaust and grieving for those who died.

The Foreign Secretary reflected on his visit, last year, to Radegast station in Lodz in Poland where 200,000 Jewish men, women and children were transported to Nazi death camps.

He said: “Every one of us shares a solemn duty to remember that six million men, women and children were killed during the Holocaust.

“When we say the words ‘never again’, we must mean it, heart and soul. We owe it to all who were not saved to reflect, to learn, to grieve, and above all, to remember.”

Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, said: “Today,

we remember the six million Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust, as well as the millions of other lives who perished at the hands of Nazism. We reflect on the systematic murder of ordinary people and the immense pain and suffering needlessly inflicted on so many.

“We also consider the terrible consequences of when other ordinary people stand idly by and allow the initial roots of hatred to take hold. We, therefore, renew our promise to forever challenge prejudice in all its forms wherever it occurs, so that the horrors of the Holocaust are never repeated.”

Lord Pickles added: “Sadly, the number of direct witnesses to the Holocaust are dwindling and that is why we must ensure that what they endured, what they witnessed is never forgotten. We should make it our mission to ensure that no one questions the basic facts of the Holocaust.

“The Holocaust was the systematic,

Prayers for rain

With Israel in the midst of its driest winter in 59 years the Moetzet HaRabbanut HaRashit has appealed to the public to recite V’Aneinu.

The decision came after a meeting of the Moetzet on Monday.

According to data from the Israel Meteorological Service rainfall this winter has raised the Kinneret by 2 cm compared to dozens of centimeters in recent years.

A letter issued by the Moetzet read: ‘Sephardim should say the tefillah of ‘Kal Chai Yiftach’ at the opening of the heichel on Shabbat, and if possible also on Monday and Thursday if the matter doesn’t border on tircha of the tzibur. Ashkenazim should say tefillas ‘V’Aneninu Borei Olam’ in ‘Shomeiya Tefillah’ and Perek 130 in Tehillim at the end of davening.’

state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million European Jews by the Nazi German regime and its allies and collaborators. We owe it to the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered during the Holocaust, survivors, and refugees to reclaim their rights, their history, their cultural heritage and traditions, and their dignity.”

The Israeli Embassy and FCDO will mark HMD tomorrow by lighting up their buildings in purple in honour of all victims of genocide.

Bibi backs dismissed Deri

BY ADAM MOSES

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will continue using the “services” of Shas leader Arye Deri despite dismissing him from the Cabinet last week following a High Court ruling.

Deri was banned from serving as a minister due to a plea-bargain conviction for tax fraud last year.

Netanyahu however has stressed the importance of Deri returning in Israel’s national interest. And he is determined to back controversial judicial reforms.

“I do not intend, like anybody here, to give up on his services, we will fix it,” Netanyahu told an ultra-Orthodox faction meeting. He added: “We are flooded by propaganda whose guiding line is the socalled end of democracy. We’ve come to fix democracy.”

Netanyahu continued: “What is democracy? Majority rule and respect individual rights. There are basic rights. How do you guarantee majority rule? That there’ll be no minority that dominates the majority? We are coming to bring it back. This imbalance is reflected in the erroneous decision to prevent Arye Deri from serving as minister.”

Religious Services Minister Michoel Malchieli will serve as Acting Minister in the Interior Ministry and Yoav Ben Tzur, who serves as a Minister Without Portfolio in the Welfare Ministry, will take up the post

as Acting Minister in the Health Minister.

Netanyahu fired Deri “with a heavy heart, great regret and a very grim feeling”.

But he viewed Deri as an “anchor of experience, wisdom and responsibility”. And Netanyahu hopes to allow him to attend cabinet meetings and possibly the security cabinet as an observer.

Deri is looking to sidestep the ruling. A reported option for the coalition is to pass legislation to prevent legal intervention into cabinet appointments.

As for Deri, he blasted the High Court ruling.

The former minister fumed: “The Knesset appointed me. Where are 64 members of the Knesset? Do 11 unelected judges have more reasonableness than Knesset members who were elected by the people? How can you say that the Prime Minister is acting unreasonably? Is someone trying to sabotage him on purpose? No one warned him. We will not be silent. We will make sure that the power returns to the public.”

Deri spoke of an “iron commitment” to 400,000 people who elected him and the Shas Party.

“No judicial decision will prevent me from serving them and representing them,” he insisted.

Judges recognised Shas voters but ruled his right to represent them in the Knesset did not include a right to sit on the cabinet.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised

The Badatz Eidah HaChareidis last Sunday issued a call to say Aneinu Borei Olam in Shemonah Esrei over the rain troubles.

The lack of rain saw the Badatz and Rabbanim including HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein appeal for Aneinu to be recited in December to no avail.

The Badatz notice read. ‘We’ve heard the call of the Shomrei Torah farmers. Half of Kislev has already passed and this year is Motzei Shiviis and rain still hasn’t fallen.’

Kosher Travel News

BA CityFlyer British Airways offers Hermolis kosher meals in Club Europe on flights to and from London City Airport.

Kosher food is available on long haul flights, including World Traveller (Economy) on what is termed ‘mainline’ from Gatwick and Heathrow. A four-day advance booking is required.

CityFlyer, a 100% owned subsidiary of British Airways, flies to more European destinations from the East London airport than Heathrow and Gatwick. It is undergoing a £12m refurbishment but still the easiest London terminal to use with BA closing its check-in 20 minutes before flight departure. Over 50% of passengers arrive via the DLR.

At Berlin’s Willie Brandt International Airport the Tempelhof executive lounge has a kosher option. There is no need to order in advance. It takes about five minutes to arrive. The supplier is Kragtwijk of Amsterdam

On the cruising front the new Saga Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Discovery offers kosher food, also from Hermolis. This should be ordered when booking and will be served in the restaurant of choice, or even in the cabin.

Saga specialises in the over 50s and says that over 50% of passengers are returnees. The package is all inclusive from the time your chauffer picks you up from home.

Lord Eric Pickles

Ambassador Hotovely addresses guests

Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg PHOTO: FCDO

PHOTO: FCDO

PHOTO: FCDO

Deri and Netanyahu for considering “everyone guilty but those who broke the law”.

Arye Deri

PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA

Board delivers 150 Legacy Boards Margot awarded top honour

Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer has been awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, First class.

Governing Mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey presented the accolade to Friedlaander, an honorary citizen of Berlin, at Red City Hall in Berlin.

“In an admirable way, Friedländer bears witness to her life, to the persecution in National Socialist Berlin, to the fate of her family and to the Holocaust,” Giffey reportedly noted. “Up until her unique age of 101, she continued her work, which is very important to her.”

Giffey added that the award showed recognition from the “highest authority” in our state.

A sculpture of Friedländer by artist Stephanie von Dallwitz was unveiled at the ceremony. It will be placed in the Coat of Arms Hall in the Red Town Hall.

Boards have been delivered to synagogues, Jewish secondary schools, youth groups and communal organisations all over the UK.

Harrogate Hebrew Congregation recently received its Legacy Board.

Holocaust survivor and shul synagogue Arek Hersh said: “It is important that all members and visitors see it clearly so the Holocaust is never forgotten.”

Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl added: “The Holocaust is our greatest

In conjunction with Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis together with major synagogue and communal organisations, the Board, through its Yom HaShoah UK Legacy committee, launched the UK Jewish Community's ‘Legacy from the Holocaust’ project in 2022.

The Boards are a symbolic reminder of a responsibility to pass on the legacy of the Holocaust from generation to generation and observe Yom Hashoah every year.

Regarding the sculpture, Giffey reportedly said: “We are showing it in a prominent place so that all the Berlin Jews who were expelled, deported or murdered by the unhuman Nazi regime also have their place in the City Hall.

“In view of the suffering that has been inflicted on her and her family here, it is by no means a matter of course that she took this step. The sculpture should symbolise that Friedländer has a place of honour in our hearts and in our city.

“We know that we owe her much and that she will continue to serve future

generations. Friedländer speaks for those who can no longer speak and she warns, ‘Be human, never let it happen again.’

Friedländer, 101, was awarded the Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2011 and the Order of Merit of the State of Berlin in 2016 according to the State Chancellery.

The Board of Deputies has delivered over 150 Legacy Boards to ensure the memory of the Holocaust is observed.

tragedy. The Legacy Board project is crucial to ensure that the memory of the Holocaust is observed in every synagogue and communal organisation throughout the country.”

Alan Sanders, Arek Hersh with his wife Jean, Roma Cohen and Bernard Cohen

Margot Friedländer

Safety is subjective

OPINION PIECE

BY ROBERT FESTENSTEIN

Over the last few years and particularly following the demise of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party, more and more politicians and organisations have declared their opposition to anti-semitism and their determination to fight it. What has become increasingly clear is that these declarations are often nothing more than just that, words designed to placate the Jewish community whilst actually doing nothing or very little.

In July of last year the London Mayor Sadiq Khan met with a Congresswoman from the USA - Ms Illhan Omar. Ms Omar had a reputation as a divisive individual who has been described as “a virulent antisemite”. Despite this background Mr Khan in his press release saw fit to describe Ms Omar as “a heroine of equality and inclusion”. Her combined antisemitism and extreme anti-Israel views and comments hardly qualify her to be praised for being a heroine of equality and inclusion, in fact the opposite was the case. I wrote to Mr Khan on behalf of the Zionist Central Council

complaining about the positive attention being given to this individual.

The response I received was most disappointing. The e-mail from his office stated “The Mayor meeting someone does not imply that he endorses their views”. This clearly was wholly at odds with the reality since the Mayor had gone way beyond just meeting Ms Omar, he publicly praised her. The e-mail went on to say “…the Mayor has always been clear that anti-Semitism has absolutely no place in our city. He will continue to condemn any instance of antisemitism in the strongest possible terms, and continue to promote equality, understanding and tolerance in London and the UK as a whole”.

In November 2022 Mr Khan was a speaker at the annual dinner of the Muslim Council of Britain. Under a code drawn up by the Labour government in 2009, the government implemented a policy of not engaging with the MCB after its deputy secretary general Daud Abdullah signed the Istanbul Declaration that called for violence against Israel and condoned attacks on British forces. “We have said before the UK government has a long-standing policy since 2009 of not engaging the Muslim Council of Britain and that policy hasn’t changed,”

a spokesman for the prime minister said stated in July of last year.

A review of the MCB website reveals sadly, support for the usual attacks against Israel, including allegations of apartheid, calls to cease arms sales to Israel and making no mention of rocket attacks from Hamas into Israeli civilian areas. Support by Mr Khan for this organisation which is blacklisted by the UK government and which despises the Jewish State seems to be very much at odds with his claim that he supports understanding and tolerance in London and the UK.

Yet, as the Jewish Chronicle reported, Mr Khan still felt able to say, at the lighting of the Trafalgar Square menorah on the second night of Chanukah that both City Hall and the Metropolitan police continue to have “zero tolerance” despite a spate of antisemitic incidents in London this month.

In relation to the two failed prosecutions over the north London hate convoy in May 2021 and the antisemitic attack on Oxford Street last Chanukah he said: “I’m disappointed. Unfortunately, there were no successful prosecutions but it’s not for want of trying from the police service”.

Call me cynical, but I am sure that if a group of white men drove from London to Bradford and upon arrival yelled through

loudspeakers that they were going to rape and murder Muslim women, not only would they have been charged within days, but the trial would have been concluded within weeks and they would now be serving a custodial sentence.

As for “zero tolerance” I don’t see how supporting an organisation which is so clearly antagonistic towards Israel helps British Jews, particularly one which continues to be blacklisted by the UK government. The association between attacks on Israel and attacks on Jews are well documented which rather runs against the Mayor’s claim to be promoting understanding and tolerance.

All of which brings us back to the beginning, which is despite the rhetoric, in London at least, the headlines supporting us might be reassuring, but the lack of real commitment to protecting our community is there for all to see.

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.

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

West led the nine of clubs won by dummy’s ace. Declarer could count 11winners and the twelfth would come if West held the spade king. Consequently, declarer turned his attention to overcoming some cases where East began with the king of spades. At trick two, he ruffed a club with the nine of trumps. Next he cashed the ace of trumps and played a trump to dummy’s queen, finding the trumps to be 2-2. After ruffing dummy’s remaining club, declarer cashed the three top diamonds, discarding a spade from hand. Declarer continued with the ace of spades and a spade to dummy’s queen. When East took the queen of spades with the king he found himself endplayed with a hand that only had clubs left; the forced club return allowed declarer to discard his last spade and ruff in dummy. He eventually made 1 Club, 3 Diamonds, 6 Hearts 1 Spade and 1 Spade ruffed.

With Harold Schogger

Community unites for Jami Mental Health Awareness Shabbat

Hundreds of synagogues, schools, youth groups, universities, organisations, individuals and families throughout the community came together last weekend to mark the Jami Mental Health Awareness Shabbat (MHAS) – an initiative set up by the charity to raise awareness of mental health within the Jewish community.

Now in its 7th year, the event provides an opportunity for people of all ages to focus on their own mental health and wellbeing, as well as on the mental health and wellbeing of others in their community. Laurie Rackind, chief executive of Jami, said: “I have reflected on how our community has taken huge strides in recent years to raise the profile of mental health. Community is the theme this year, and there is no doubt that by coming together to talk and learn about mental health, we gain more power as individuals and as groups to support all those around us. Feeling comfortable to openly talk about the problems we are having, in the same way we may talk about physical illness, brings us closer to creating a more accepting and inclusive community where no one has to feel alone in their struggles.”

Leading up to the weekend, Jami ran a series of events, including a Zoom webinar in conversation with Rabbi Yoni Rosensweig on The Intersection of Mental Health and Judaism, and a United Synagogue’s MHAS Kabbalat Shabbat with Rabbi Daniel Epstein of Western Marble Arch Synagogue. Jami’s online Night School explored Jewish identity and mental health and the charity hosted a community gathering at its newly expanded and renovated Head Room café in Golders Green last Sunday. A number of Jami staff delivered age-appropriate sessions around mental health at Immanuel College, Hasmonean High School for Girls, and Hasmonean High School for Boys, and gave talks at various synagogues. And

Scouts mark Holocaust Memorial Day

In advance of Holocaust Memorial Day a Memorial to the Holocaust was dedicated at Woodside Park Synagogue and a service took place last Sunday.

members of Jami’s Clinical Governance & Professional Advisory Group, including Dr Abigail Swerdlow, Dr Daniel Gordon and Dr Jonathan Ornstein, spoke at Bushey United Synagogue and Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue, Finchley United Synagogue and Mill Hill United synagogue, respectively.

Other activities held, inspired by the Jami Mental Health Awareness Shabbat, were Maccabi GB’s One Minute for Mental Health, where all league games were paused for one minute to allow football players, managers and supporters to think about their own mental wellbeing and that of those around them. Joey Kolirin, a mental health awareness campaigner, who overcame various mental health problems to become a certified NLP coach and mental health coach, shared his story at Stanmore and Cannons Park Synagogue, and Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue. At the Jewish Life Centre and at Hendon United Synagogue, Rabbi Shalom Hammer gave a poignant account of what led to the tragic end of his daughter’s life and highlighted the many issues surrounding mental health challenges. And at the Saatchi Shul, a Milkshakes and Mindfulness session was organised, while members of South London Liberal Synagogue created mosaic coasters for mental health. Loughton Synagogue and Woodford Forest United Synagogue hosted a presentation and Q&A on Working Together as a Community to Understand Mental Health, and Jewish Care’s Ronson Family Community Centre held a three-day mental health awareness event, featuring awareness workshops, practical advice, yoga and mindfulness sessions.

The charity is now gearing up for the next Jami Mental Health Awareness Shabbat, which will be taking place from 19–20 January 2024.

Scouts from the 20th Finchley scout group and guides from 5th North Finchley Guides took part in the ceremony and lit memorial candles in memory of the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

All the children’s groups (Cheder, Woodside Gan Nursery, 20th Finchley Scout Group, 5th North Finchley Guides and Brownies) at Woodside Park Synagogue contributed artwork which were made into a living flame which was displayed on the wall of the synagogue hall.

If you had to leave your home in just five minutes what items would you take with you? This was the question put to these Manchester King David Primary School year 5 Children by Mrs Rayna Glickman, head of Jewish Studies at the Primary School.

PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL

King David Primary Year 5 Sadie Fox, 9 with her Teddy she would take with her.

20th Finchley Scouts lighting candles for HMD

Arts and crafts, board games and peer support were among the activities at Jami’s Community Gathering

Chinese noodles were enjoyed by Mati Niman, Dan Yair Silver, Yitzi Danziger and Micah Grosskopk, at Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Kindergarten, who celebrated the Chinese New Year munching into Kosher Israeli Noodles.

PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL

Chinese Kosher Noodles at Broughton Jewish Kindergarten

Jewish Care receives lead pledges for a state-of-the-art Care & Community Campus

Lord Alan Sugar and his family, together with the Ronson family via The Gerald and Gail Ronson Family Foundation, have each made game changing pledges to Jewish Care to help fund its exciting new Redbridge Care and Community Campus development. Alongside these new commitments and funds already raised by the Redbridge Aid Golf Society, Jewish Care is now launching a campaign to raise the remaining £5million from the local community which is expected to be needed to complete the project.

As with all Jewish Care’s capital projects, Jewish Care receive no contribution from government and are completely reliant on the generosity of the Community to make them happen. These two outstanding displays of generosity will be the cornerstone donations for the project. Thanks to these incredible commitments, this much needed care and community campus is a step closer to becoming a reality for the local community, which will now need to play its part in funding the scheme.

Due to open in the summer of 2025 and subject to planning permission, the Jewish Care campus will be situated on the current Redbridge Jewish Community Centre site (formerly known as Sinclair House). This will be the only Jewish care and community hub servicing the Essex and East London Jewish community and will be comprised of a community centre space which will house a centre for people living with dementia along with a 66-bed care home, replacing Jewish Care’s Vi & John Rubens House in Gants Hill. Additionally, Jewish Care’s local Social Work and Meals on Wheels teams will be based on site.

The Sugar family have been long standing supporters of Jewish Care, showing unwavering commitment to the organisation over many decades by generously supporting Jewish Care’s services in Essex and East London, in addition to their ongoing support for the wider organisation. The Sugar family’s support for local services has included the substantial and generous donation of a Sugar Wing at both Vi and John Rubens House and the Redbridge Jewish Community Centre.

Gerald Ronson CBE and Dame Gail Ronson DBE too have been avid and incredibly generous supporters of Jewish Care showing exceptional commitment over many years. Dame Gail first became involved in the organisation in 1983 before it formally merged to form Jewish Care in 1990. Dame Gail went on to become a long-standing Trustee for many years, and now proudly holds the prestigious title of Honorary President. More recently the Ronson family

very generously funded the thriving Ronson Family Community Centre at Jewish Care’s Sandringham campus in Harrow. Prior to this, the family also supported the construction of Jewish Care’s flagship campus in Golders Green, the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus.

Lord Sugar commented: “We are proud to be supporting the exciting development of a new care and community campus in Redbridge. Our family have had a long and deep association with Jewish Care’s services in Redbridge, where my late mother was a resident at Vi & John Rubens House. We are absolutely delighted to be helping our older community live with dignity and compassion in facilities that deliver high quality care on a state-of-the-art campus.”

Dame Gail Ronson DBE commented: “I have had the privilege of being involved with Jewish Care for over thirty years as a Trustee and now as an Honorary President and our family are delighted to be involved

with this vital project to support the community in Essex and East London. Our connection with the Redbridge community goes back many decades now from when I first became involved in the organisation in 1983 where the Sinclair House site was then an independent community centre that was on the brink of closure.”

Lord Levy, Life President of Jewish Care commented: “I’d like to thank both Lord Sugar and his family and the Ronson family for their incredibly generous commitments. Their exceptional gifts will have a far-reaching impact on the older Jewish community in Redbridge and Essex and will offer the highest quality of care to the most vulnerable whilst bringing our community together into a single space. ”

Gayle Klein, Vice Chair of Jewish Care’s Board of Trustees commented: “Having grown up in Essex and spent much of my youth at RJCC, together with being the only North East London Trustee at Jewish Care, I am thrilled and delighted to see the Redbridge Community Campus gain traction and secure these game-changing pledges from both the Sugar and Ronson families. Jewish Care can only be ambitious in providing the best care and services for our community with the commitment and generosity of our supporters. These incredible lead gifts allow Jewish Care here in Essex and East London to continue to support the many people who rely on our services with confidence and in an exceptional newly built campus that we have longed for. As a local and Jewish Care’s Co-Vice Chair my gratitude and appreciation to both families is immeasurable.”

exercise class twice a week, added, “It’s been wonderful. It’s great for the kids and the members to get together to have fun.”

People of all ages from across the community took part in purple-themed activities for Jewish Care’s Go Purple week, a positive way to do something purple to chase away the January blues, whilst raising awareness and showing appreciation of Jewish Care’s vital work supporting older people in the community.

Local school and nursery children, residents, volunteers, staff, community centre members and shops all got involved visiting care homes and community centres.

Jewish Care’s mascot, Chava Heart, made friends with children at Alonim Nursery, Keren’s Nursery and Yeladenu nursery, enjoying a Hava Nagila on the visit.

At Alonim Nursery, the children welcomed Chava Heart and made purple heart posters of the mascot to send to care home residents. The residents at Jewish Care’s Otto Schiff care home, were delighted to

receive them. Dorothea, who is approaching her 100th birthday was delighted to receive a Go Purple card from the children, she said, “Thank you so much to the children, these are beautiful.”

Patsy Maltz, Headteacher at Alonim Nursery, said, “It’s such a pleasure to take

part in ‘Go Purple week’, to raise awareness and funds for Jewish Care,” and one of the children from Alonim Nursery said, ‘It is nice to care for someone, it feels good. My favourite part was tickling the heart.”

Keren’s Nursery embraced Go Purple week from all perspectives, encouraging children to bring a coin to put in their charity box or parents could donate by text if they wanted to. The nursery children took part in different activities, arts and crafts using purple paint, cards, sensory trays, and even purple playdoh. Meanwhile, children from Clore Tikva Primary School visited Jewish Care’s Redbridge Jewish Community Centre for a purple-themed circuit training sessions for mind, body and soul with members, volunteers and staff. After the activities, 10 year old Renée, said, “I really liked it, it was good fun and nice being with everyone at the centre.”

Volunteer, Iris Taylor, who runs the

JCOSS students and members of Jewish Care’s Sam Beckman’s Centre for people living with dementia took part in purple-themed baking activities and a mini-purple Olympics.

Volunteers delivered Go Purple biscuits to Jewish Care’s Meals on Wheels clients last week with their meals and shops, Hadar and Daniel’s Bakery also showed their support with stalls and heart-shaped biscuits for #Go Purple week and a visit from Chava Heart.

Adam Overlander-Kaye, Jewish Care’s Director of Fundraising & Community Engagement, says, “We all need a little bit of fun, so it’s been great to see the community of all ages taking part in Go Purple week for Jewish Care. Our giant heart mascot, Chava Heart, had a wonderful time meeting everyone and I’d like to thank all the schools, nurseries, shops, supporters, care homes and community centres residents, staff and members for getting involved in purple-themed activities. It is wonderful way to connect and engage with Jewish Care’s vital work supporting older people in the community”.

Opening of Sugar Wing at Sinclair House in 1994

Chava Heart meets Tamar and Natan outside Hadar

GIFT Manchester partners with Feast by Ed Shaerf

GIFT Manchester has partnered with Feast by Ed Shaerf, a prime kosher caterer to step up support for Jewish families over Shabbat. bat.

Ed and regular GIFT volunteer Jane Braslavsky, got talking about the cost-ofliving crisis and the effect it has had on the Manchester community.

Jane says: “The project started with a casual conversation six months ago between myself and Ed about how we could make a difference for people truly struggling to make ends meet. Together with our wonderful team of 25 volunteers, we have made and distributed over 70 Shabbat dinners each week over the past 20 weeks. It feels so great to make such a difference in people’s lives!”

The Feast by Ed team donates their time in the kitchen preparing meals, whilst GIFT covers the cost of food through donations. For every £6.50 donated, each person is provided with £35 worth of food.

Sophie Woolfstein, GIFT’s Manchester Coordinator says: “When we first started this initiative, I didn’t expect such a major impact, not only on the families; but on the volunteer packers, drivers and GIFT team, working to make this happen. It is amazing to be part of this initiative and watch it grow, we hope to reach all those who may need it. “

Feast by Ed meal recipients will receive 3-course freshly cooked meals. Challahs are donated by Brackman’s bakery in Manchester. GIFT ensures meals fit families’ dietary requirements.

Among Feast by Ed meal recipients are

a single mother who struggles to cook and feed her children properly due to ill health. Another recipient, a single father with four children said the Feast by Ed initiative has taken a huge burden off him and enables him to provide his family with fresh nutritious meals. One family, struggling to afford kosher food, mentioned that this initiative has allowed them to gather around a table for a kosher meal for the first time.

Ed Shaerf, Feast by Ed Founder says: “Financial troubles and hard situations can happen to anyone at any time. It is beyond important as a community to know that we

Broughton Jewish Primary School’s Ofsted success

7 years since the last Ofsted inspection, Broughton Jewish Primary School in Salford, Manchester, has received their latest inspection following an Ofsted visit in December. After two days of a full inspection, the Governors reported that a great Kiddush Hashem was made. The inspection was rated Good with some of the following comments “Children feel safe & Happy”, “Pupils are Polite and Sensible in lessons and around the School”, “Pupils are well prepared to become active, contributing, thoughtful adult members of Society”, ‘Pupils achieve well due to the high expectations of leaders and staff”.

are never alone. This project means that every Shabbat I know there are families in my community that won’t have to go without food.”

The community can visit GIFT Manchester to get a broader scope of GIFT’s work. To volunteer to be a driver to deliver meals, please be in touch with Abbie at north@ jgift.org.

To sponsor Shabbat meals for 3 families, the community is invited to donate £100 to jgift.org/feastbyed or a donation of your choice.

Mizrachi UK’s launch of its new programme ‘Yehudi’

shul and home together. It provides mentoring from other older children, and we know that the most successful influences can be one’s contemporaries, and that is what the Yehudi programme is striving to achieve.”

The launch concluded with over 800 people present to hear an address from the Chief Rabbi, sing the Yehudi anthem and celebrate together. It was a truly magical end to a wonderful launch of Yehudi, which will be beginning the monthly challenges in schools very shortly!

Everyone had a truly amazing time, with Kyla from MMK saying that she “loved the Yehudi event, especially the dancing!”, and that she is “really excited for the next one and the idea of having an older mentor to get to know and share memories with.”

Hakroas Hatov goes to R’ Yehuda Pearlman and his excellent team of dedicated Kodesh and Secular staff, who have made this possible. May they continue to inspire and help the children thrive in Yidishkeit and Torah values.

Hasmonean students talk the talk

On Monday, Mizrachi launched Yehudi, a ground-breaking initiative by Mizrachi UK. Just under 500 year 6 students came to JFS to start the Yehudi year in spectacular fashion. They were joined by over 100 year 12 students and their university-student Mentors for an action-packed afternoon.

A lively concert from Eli Tamir kicked off the proceedings with an immense amount of excitement, which saw everyone singing and dancing. 11 primary schools from across London were welcomed to the launch, with a further four still due to have their own launch events in Manchester and Leeds.

The year 6 students were grouped into

their designated teams and then introduced to their leaders before getting stuck into their first challenge of the year: an escape room. The children had 45 minutes to solve all the clues that gave them the secret code to unlock the prize! Team 1 from Yavneh finished first, completing the escape room in a remarkable 23 minutes and 45 seconds!

Over 200 parents came to hear Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and Rabbi Andrew Shaw, CEO Mizrachi UK, explain more about Yehudi and what it entails.

The Chief Rabbi addressed all the parents and said: “One of the great elements of the Yehudi programme is that it brings school,

One of our amazing leaders, Liat, said that “Yehudi is very inspiring for me, it was my first time being a Madricha, and by singing and dancing with hundreds of kids from all different primary schools, it provided me and my peers with a sense of unity and community.”

Rabbi Shaw said that “this ground-breaking initiative has the potential to change the face of Anglo-Jewry, engaging our children, youth and young adults alike.”

This is just the beginning of their journey in Yehudi, and we can’t wait to see what lies ahead!

For more information about Yehudi, please feel free to reach out to Mizrachi UK – uk@ mizrachi.org.

The Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge, featuring students from all over Barnet, was recently held in Whitefield School. The highlight of the Year 10 Hasmonean calendar was judged by a panel of experts including local government and BAFTA representatives.

Rafi Sandford demonstrated great skill and flair for public speaking, leaving the audience and judges impressed with his presentation. His inspirational and uplifting speech about the universal language of music, enthralled the audience. He even managed to put his busking skills to the test!

Sara Benaim emerged as the winner with her thought-provoking speech on phone addiction.

“I am so proud of Sara and her incredible accomplishment,” a member of the Boys’ English Department told The Jewish Weekly. “It was amazing to watch her deliver her speech with confidence and poise, and her win was well-deserved.”

Sara was presented with a prize and a certificate of recognition for her win and will now go through for a possible place in the Grand Final as the regional representative.

GIFT team and volunteers preparing Shabbat meals

Sara Benaim receiving her award

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis speaking at the launch

ASK THE RABBI

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

BLUE MONDAY (PART 2)

Dear Rabbi

I always find myself feeling especially down this time of year. I know the same can be said for many others as well. I speak to work colleagues and family members, many who share a similar sentiment. What is the Jewish solution to the blues?

Harriot

Dear Harriot

Let’s start with a fundamental teaching of Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov: In Psalms there is a verse which says “He who trusts in G-d shall be encompassed by Divine Grace.” He explains this to mean the following: “There where your mind is at that is where you take yourself.”

If you put your faith in G-d then G-d puts His faith in you. If you believe that G-d got you to it, He will get you through it, then that’s exactly how it can happen for you. So much so, says the Baal Shem Tov that things which were not meant to happen to you, Divine blessings which were not necessarily written in the cards to happen to you, will come to pass simply because you thought in those positive ways.

But here’s the kicker: If it works like that in the positive it can work like that in the negative as well. As per the verse in Isaiah, “That which they are afraid of, that I shall bring upon them.” If a person spends a lifetime thinking only negative “Oy vey this is going to happen,” then these thoughts can bring about the very things that you are afraid of. Again,

they were not necessarily meant to happen, but the fact that you put your mind into it, you create a negative aura that can cause things G-d forbid to go awry.

There are people who wake up in the morning and say, “Good morning G-d!” They’ve got a positive mind set and they will likely have a great day. Then there are others who wake up and say “Good G-d morning.” They’re day is not likely to pan out so well. We impact our reality we create our own destiny.

There is a mystical concept from the Raishis Chachma which stresses that the most important thing in a human being’s life is one thing and one thing only: “simcha” – happiness.

Why is happiness the essential ingredient for life? Because it means you are at peace with yourself, and you cannot be at peace with yourself unless things are going right, unless you’re doing things right. If not, your conscience will get the better of you and you cannot then be truly happy.

Happiness is the test of how sincere you are, not just with G-d, but also with your fellow human beings. The way we relate to other people, the way we relate to our jobs, when we do so with joy, then we are at peace with ourselves and know we are doing the right thing.

There was a pious Chasid known as Rabbi Zalman Aharon. He was also a successful businessman. On one occasion a deal went very bad and he lost a fortune. Many colleagues heard about this and immediately went to console him. Imagine their utter dismay when they see him sitting in the study

hall immersed contentedly in a Talmudic passage. “How can you sit here so relaxed after something like this happened to you?” He looked to them: “What would you do if you were in my situation?” One chimed in, “I would have had a nervous breakdown!” Another piped up: “I would have cried my eyes out!” Rabbi Zalman Aharon looked to them: “And in ten years from now, how would you be feeling about it? Would you still be crying, would you still be having a breakdown?”

“Of course not,” they replied.

“It’ll be a bitter memory but we will have moved on!” “Exactly,” replies the saintly Rabbi. “I’m like you! Just a little faster. I have simply already fast-forwarded ten years!”

We all have issues or concerns of sorts against which we have also have goodness and things to be grateful for. Yes, stuff happens, life doesn’t always go to plan. But to worry has never helped anyone and will not do anything except for digging a deeper hole. Hence the tactic of looking to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. It is so easy to surrender and mope around in self-pity. Diversion of mind may not be easy at first, people love to wallow in self-pity, not realizing that they are only harming themselves and causing harm to others as well. Thus you owe it to yourself – and to those affected by you – “what can I do to get out of this rut?” The past is past, now it’s time to fast forward for the future is completely in our own hands. It is what we make of it. I know its high ground but each of us can get there.

To be continued…

Shmuel Hakatan said: “If your enemy falls, do not exult; if he trips, let your heart not rejoice, lest the L-rd see it and be displeased, and avert His wrath from…” (Proverbs 24:17).

The Bartenura makes it clear that although : this is clearly from a verse in Proverbs, since Shmuel Hakatan was accustomed to rebuking people with this attribute, these words were reworked into Pirkey Avot. He goes on further to say that ‘Lest G-d see and it be

bad in His eyes,’ means that if you get to a stage where have made Hashem in your heart your agent to fulfill your desire to eradicate the enemy, Hashem will not be happy.

Many people would dearly love to see their enemies destroyed. In terms of mortal enemy’s like haters of Israel and the like, of course we daven to Hashem every day to protect us from harm and we say plenty of prayers asking G-d to conduct revenge on our enemies such as in the Av Harachim prayer on Shabbat.

However with regards to personal enemies it’s differ-

ent. Yes, unfortunately there are bad people out there within our own religion who sometimes do nasty things to hurt people, whether with words, money or through other methods. But Hashem is perfectly capable of dealing with them and doesn’t need us to hope for their destruction. Rather as the famous verse says, He waits for therm to repent even until their dying day. Meanwhile we should also hope they do teshuva rather then daven for their destruction. If we do Hashem is displeased with us and can chas vesholom turn it back towards us.

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

Weekly Dvar Torah

FROM ERETZ YISRAEL

At About Midnight

BY RABBI DANNY MIRVIS

“And Moshe said, so says Hashem, ‘At about midnight (k’chatzot) I shall go out in the midst of Egypt. Every firstborn in Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the maidservant who is behind the millstone and all the firstborn of the beast...’” (Shemot 11:4–5).

As we approach the tenth and final plague, Moshe’s lack of precision in declaring that the plague will occur “at about midnight” is difficult to understand. If Moshe was just repeating what he had been told by Hashem, it could be dangerously understood that Hashem did not know when exactly the plague would occur. Alternatively, if Hashem said the plague would be at midnight, but Moshe changed it to “at about midnight”, it seems as if Moshe doubted Hashem’s ability to keep to His exact word. Either way we look at it, it is difficult to understand.

Rashi (based on the Gemara, Berachot 4a) explains:

“And they (our Sages) said that Moshe said “at about midnight” which means close to it, either before or after, and he did not say “at midnight” in case Pharaoh’s astrologers would err and claim that Moshe is a liar” (Rashi, Shemot 11:4).

Indeed, Moshe changed Hashem’s words from “at midnight” to “at about midnight”, but not for a lack of faith. Rather, he was concerned that the Egyptian astrologers would erroneously make a slightly different calculation as to when exactly midnight is and would claim that

Bo Sidra Summary

Moshe is a liar.

Whilst solving the difficulty in the wording of the verse, this remains troubling. After all, even if the astrologers made a slightly inaccurate calculation, only a moment later, Egypt was struck with the ultimate plague that affected every firstborn and family in the land. Surely that would have given Moshe the last word on the matter – why was he so concerned about the astrologers’ momentary smirk?

Reb Elya Meir Bloch zt”l (of the Telshe Yeshiva) explains that Moshe was not concerned about what cynics would

say about him personally, but about what he represented and the potential chillul Hashem. If Hashem said He would strike at midnight, and people are sitting around looking at their clocks thinking that He is late, that is a chillul Hashem. Though it may only have lasted a few moments before the arrival of the devastating plague, every effort must be made to prevent chillul Hashem, even for a moment.

From Moshe Rabbeinu we learn to do everything in our power to avoid even the slightest chillul Hashem. The damage inappropriate actions can cause should never be underestimated. May we succeed, not only in avoiding chillul Hashem, but in making a tremendous kiddush Hashem whenever possible.

Rabbi Danny Mirvis is the Deputy CEO of World Mizrachi, and the Rabbi of Ohel Moshe Synagogue in Herzliya Pituach. He is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (www.mizrachi.org/speakers).

locust-swarm] covered the surface of the land and the land was darkened; it ate all the grass of the land and all the fruit of the tree that the hail had left over” (Shemot 10:15)

asks Moshe and Aharon to pray for an end to the plague. G-d sends a westerly wind (see Rashi’s commentary) which carries away the locusts. G-d hardens Pharaoh’s heart and he refuses to let the people go. The 9th plague: Moshe raises his hand towards the heavens. For three days, a thick darkness descends over all of Egypt, except for where the Israelites live.

3RD ALIYA (SHLISHI) –

10:24-11:3

of the ‘year of months’. They are also told to instruct the nation about the Pesach offering: the lamb must be designated on 10 Nissan and slaughtered on the afternoon of 14 Nissan. Its blood is to be placed on the door frame and the meat eaten, together with matza and maror, on the night of 15 Nissan. This will be commemorated every year with the seven day Pesach festival.

5TH ALIYA (CHAMISHI) – 12:21-28

1ST ALIYA (KOHEN) – SHEMOT 10:1-10:11

After the first seven plagues, Moshe and Aharon again warn Pharaoh to let the nation go, lest Egypt suffer an eighth plague. Pharaoh’s advisors encourage him to agree. However, he only agrees to let the men leave temporarily, but not the women or children.

2ND ALIYA (LEVI) – 10:12-23

The 8th plague: Moshe stretches his staff “over Egypt”. An easterly wind brings a swarm of locusts over the whole of Egypt, eating any grass and foliage still left over from the plague of hail. Pharaoh admits his sin of not letting the people go and

Moshe once again asks Pharaoh to allow the entire nation to leave so that they can bring offerings in the desert. He adds that they should be allowed to take livestock with them. G-d hardens Pharaoh’s heart and he refuses. G-d requests that Moshe ask the Israelites to ask for gold and silver vessels from the Egyptians.

Point to Consider: Why did G-d insist on the Israelites taking these vessels? (see Rashi to 11:2)

4TH ALIYA (REVI’I) – 11:4-12:20

Moshe warns Pharaoh about the plague of the first born (Rashi), which will only affect the Egyptians. G-d tells Moshe and Aharon the laws of Rosh Chodesh and that Nissan is to be the first month

Moshe relates the laws of the Pesach offering to the elders. The blood on the door frame will ‘indicate’ to G-d to ‘pass over’ the Israelite houses and only smite the Egyptians.

6TH ALIYA (SHISHI) – 12:29-51

The 10th plague: The plague strikes Egypt at midnight, leaving no house without a death. Pharaoh searches frantically for Moshe and Aharon (Rashi) and tells them to leave. The Egyptian people also urge the Israelites to leave. They take their dough with them before it has time to rise. The Egyptians agree to let them take gold and silver items. The nation travels from Ra’amses to Succot. They bake the unleavened dough, making matzot.

Additional laws of the Pesach offering are given.

7TH ALIYA (SHEVI’I) – 13:1-16

G-d relates to Moshe the mitzvah of redeeming firstborn male children (pidyon ha’ben). Firstborn animals also have a special sanctity. The mitzvah of tefilin is stated twice.

HAFTARAH

Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) is told by G-d that Egypt will be destroyed by the Babylonian invader Nebuchadnezzar. The nation of Israel, referred to as “His servant Yaakov”, should not be afraid. Even if they are punished for wrongdoings, they will eventually be redeemed from their lands of captivity.

“[The

Moshe said “at about midnight” which means close to it, either before or after, and he did not say “at midnight” in case Pharaoh’s astrologers would err and claim that Moshe is a liar.

Torah from Israel Bo: Ask , Don’t Tell

BY RABBI MOSHE TARAGIN

The night had finally arrived. After centuries of persecution and brutal tyranny the night of our liberation was finally here. Moshe hastily delivered divine instructions for this dramatic evening of independence. To transform this evening into the anniversary of Jewish identity, ceremonies and rituals were necessary. That night in Egypt, the first seder was conducted, and since then, every annual Pesach seder across the globe and across time has recreated that epic night of Jewish nationhood.

In addition to observing rituals such as the Pesach sacrifice, and the unleavened matzo bread, we were also instructed to solicit gold, silver and linens from our Egyptian “friends” and neighbors. Oddly, these essential materials were supplied by our former Egyptian nemeses rather than directly by Hashem Himself. In a mere few days, Hashem would deliver daily bread from Heaven and would draw sweet drinking water from desert boulders. He could have easily supplied us with gold and silver from supernatural desert quarries or furnished linens from passing desert caravans. Yet, for some reason, on the eve of the great Exodus, despite all the frantic activity, we were expected to solicit these gifts from our Egyptian “friends”.

ENEMIES BECOME AUDIENCES

Our relationship with the rank-and-file Egyptian citizenry was undergoing a remarkable transformation. For two centuries we had been persecuted, dehumanized, and depicted as a sub-race of slaves, unworthy of freedom or dignity. After a yearlong cycle of supernatural plagues, punishing Egypt but completely bypassing the Jewish population, it became clear that we were favored by a Higher being. Moshe was fast evolving into a national celebrity and Jewish popularity surged. By the night of the actual Exodus, most of the Egyptian population was strongly in favor of releasing the Jewish slaves. Egypt wasn’t being defeated, it was being slowly persuaded.

EDUCATION, NOT DEFEAT

Our Exodus from Egypt was more than just a political revolution or an emancipation of slaves. The Exodus was a religious revolution introducing Hashem to the ancient pagan imagination. This night was the grand debut of monotheism in a world darkened by pagan superstition and persecuted by human brutality.

Knowledge of Hashem would first spread through Egypt, the cradle of ancient civilization, and, eventually, would circulate throughout the Mediterranean basin. For two centuries the average Egyptian was a

willing accomplice in the heinous crimes of human slavery, but, at this point, they began to appreciate Hashem and respect His chosen people. They weren’t defeated as much as they were converted.

Requesting gold and clothing from the Egyptians assured that they would be psychologically invested in our journey and in our welfare. By donating these necessities, the Egyptians would view themselves as sponsors of our trip to Israel and as underwriters of our national project. In their minds, our journey would become their journey, allowing our discovery of Hashem to influence their cultural evolution.

Evidently, this tactic was successful as, over the next 900 years, Egypt remained a staunch ally of the Jewish state formed by their former slaves. Shlomo Hamelech married an Egyptian princess, and although his marriage was sharply criticized, it reflected the overall warm diplomatic relations between the two empires. One of the Egyptian Pharos donated large tracts of land he had conquered in Israel, to what would become an immense Jewish palace complex. In the end of the First mikdash era, Jews fled to Egypt for safe haven from the raiding Babylonian mercenaries. Beginning with its founding in the 3rd century BCE, Alexandria became a leading Jewish population center, as Egypt, in general, hosted Jewish communities for over 2300 years.

On this night we didn’t extinguish our enemies but inspired them to collaborate with us in our great project of human history and religion.

REVENGE IS DARK

Soliciting these materials from the Egyptians also assured that the newly freed slaves wouldn’t commit spiteful crimes of retribution toward their former oppressors. Typically, the overthrow of political systems are violent events as years of pain and suffering lead to vicious revenge attacks against the previous oppressors. There was a real danger that the night of the Exodus would turn into a bloodbath, as angry slaves rampaged throughout Egypt, butchering lives and looting homes. To preempt retaliatory violence, we were directed to kindly request provisions rather than violently seizing them. Soliciting gifts prevented darker and more violent forces from emerging.

In fact, Hashem never actually commanded us to solicit these materials, but rather, requested of us to procure these materials. By not imposing His authority upon us, He set an example that we shouldn’t unilaterally impose our newly attained authority upon the Egyptians. From a legal standpoint, we were owed substantial wages for two centuries of manual labor, yet these reparations were

voluntarily handed over, rather than forcefully confiscated.

It is always preferable to achieve results through joint measures rather than through unilateral imposition. Furthermore, acting with brute force and without agreement, cultivates aggressive tendencies in our own personalities and corrodes our relationships. It is always tempting to wield power to quickly and effortlessly achieve our goals, but this approach rarely ends well for either party. Agreement is always preferable to force, both in politics and in our personal lives.

POLITICS OF EXTINCTION

Many modern democracies have degenerated into the politics of retaliation. Severe political polarization has eroded the spirit of collaboration, creating a culture of victimhood in which the minority feels aggrieved by the policies of the majority. When the victimized minority ultimately regains power, it quickly abolishes previous policies and unilaterally imposes its own agendas, without securing larger social consensus. Each camp looks to “extinguish” their political enemies rather than to build unity and accord.

In Israel, we are currently experiencing a wave of retaliatory politics, as a new government, which had felt victimized by the previous one, looks to rapidly reform the judicial system and to overhaul the policies of law enforcement. The current government feels aggrieved by the policies of the past administration, and feels morally justified in unilaterally correcting those injustices and unfair policies.

Without debating the merits or demerits of these new policies, one thing is clear: this form of unilateral imposition erodes social unity. In the short term, it may appear advantageous to the current majority, but in the long term, it is counterproductive, as large sectors of the population feel dispossessed of a sense of shared national enterprise. Sidelining sectors of the population incites anger and invites future cycles of political retaliation. Additionally, people who feel deprived of their voice are unlikely to contribute to the common good of society. In the long term no one benefits, not even those currently in power.

A CULTURE OF TRIUMPH

Not only do these tactics create social division, but they also set unhealthy examples for individual behavior. What happens in the political arena trickles down to personal behavior. Verbal aggression by politicians will always lead to a more hostile and violent social interactions. Similarly, triumphalism in the political sphere will inspire copycat behavior and the unhealthy use of authority and force in our relationships.

Tactics which celebrate the use of power, rather than aiming for consensus will yield a society which respects power rather than honoring cooperation. Societies and communities built upon power are not healthy.

A BAD IMAGE FOR RELIGION

Imposing religious policies is particularly corrosive to religion itself. Religious Jews desperately seek a religious society, but legislation of religion can be counterproductive in the long term. There may be certain national “spaces” such as Shabbat, kashrut or marriage which require legislation to preserve the Jewish nature or identity of our public state. However, widespread imposition of religion can boomerang.

While religious Jews appreciate that serving Hashem enhances the human experience, secular Jews don’t always see it that way. Sadly, religion is widely viewed as restrictive of human freedom and obstructive of individual expression. Religious Jews must demonstrate the beauty and dignity of a life of divine commandment and moral commitment. Imposing religion exacerbates negative associations with religion and poisons public attitudes about religion. Legislation can secure and enrich our own religious experience, but it will not inspire a broad spectrum of the Jewish population toward the beauty of religion.

Ask don’t tell. It usually is more successful in the long term. So it was in Egypt and so it has been throughout history.

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.

Why Strive for Greatness?

BY RABBI SHMUEL REICHMAN

In our previous article, we began exploring the question of why Hashem created the world. The Maharal, Ramchal, and other key Jewish thinkers explain as follows: Hashem is absolute and ultimate goodness. However, there are two aspects of goodness. Hashem is good, but He also has the ability to do good unto others. Before Hashem created the world, there was only Hashem Himself. Therefore, Hashem was internally good, but He was not actively expressing this goodness by giving or doing good unto others. Hashem chose to express His capacity for doing good unto others by creating man, upon whom Hashem would bestow the ultimate goodness.

WE ENDED OFF OUR PREVIOUS ARTICLE, HOWEVER, WITH A VERY POWERFUL QUESTION:

If Hashem’s goal was to give us the ultimate goodness, defined as connection with Him, and Olam Haba is the place of this ultimate connection, then what is the purpose of this world? Why did Hashem create us in this world where we have to earn our share in the World to Come? If Hashem really wanted to give us the ultimate good, then why not give it to us to begin with for free? Why do we have to go through the difficult process of earning it in this world?

WE ONLY ENJOY WHAT WE EARN

The Ramchal explains, based on the Talmud Yerushalmi (Orlah 1:3), that human beings are created in such a way that we don’t enjoy free handouts. A poor person is embarrassed to receive money from people, as there is shame in receiving something you did not work for. This concept is referred to as “nahama d’kisufa” (the bread of shame). There is an inherent embarrassment in receiving that which we did not earn (See beginning of Mesilas Yesharim, chap. 1. See also Daas Tevunos and Derech Hashem. See also Rav Yosef Karo, Maggid Meisharim, Bereishis, and Zohar 2:87a). Psychologically, we feel so much more connected to the achievements and rewards that we have earned than to those that we received for free. Just think about a child who works for a week to earn twenty dollars compared to that same child who gets twenty dollars for free. He would feel very differently toward that money. This is why, according to halachah, it is better to give a loan to someone in need than to give a free handout. A loan will be paid back, granting the borrower a feeling of independence instead of shame. Even better than a loan, the ideal is to find him a job, because this gives him a more permanent sense of independence and dignity.

Had Hashem created us in Olam Haba, the goodness we would have received would have been free, unearned. This is the type of perfection that malachim (angels) enjoy. However, this is not the ultimate enjoyment. The ultimate enjoyment is perfection that is earned, that is chosen, that is an expression of all the hard work you have invested. However, while this appears to answer our question, there is still a very obvious problem with this explanation.

WHY NOT CREATE US DIFFERENTLY?

We understand that human beings appreciate and enjoy that which we earn to an entirely different degree than that which we are given for free. This is why Hashem created us in this world — in order to give us the opportunity to earn our reward. Yet, if Hashem created the world, including humanity and our psychology, why couldn’t He simply create us in such a way that we do enjoy gifts and free handouts as much as we enjoy things that we have earned through hard work? Understanding our current psychology and our need to earn our reward does not answer why our psychology is wired this way in the first place. Why did Hashem create us in this way?

MARRIAGE: TRUE ONENESS

It’s crucial to understand that the pleasure of connection with Hashem is not a simple, artificial, or external pleasure. It is not a gift that can be given from one person to another. This pleasure stems from an existential relationship, a connection of true oneness. It is impossible for a human being to have any kind of meaningful relationship with a rock. A rock is fundamentally different from a human being, and as such, there cannot be true connection between the two. A true relationship and deep connection is only possible between two beings that are similar. This is why human beings are able to build such deep relationships with one another.

Had Hashem created us in Olam Haba in such a way that we enjoyed free handouts, we would have been diametrically opposed to Hashem’s essence. Hashem is the ultimate giver, and we would be the takers; Hashem acts out of complete

free will, and we would have no choice. Hashem is the creator, and we would be the created with no power of creating; Hashem’s perfection is intrinsic (no one gave it to Him), while ours would be granted by Hashem. As fundamentally different “beings,” we would be incapable of forging a true connection with Hashem, and thus, Hashem would not be able to reveal the ultimate expression of His goodness, i.e., His ability to give of His goodness to another.

CREATED IMPERFECT

This is why Hashem created us imperfect. We get to choose and earn our perfection, our G-dliness. Hashem is perfect; we get to become perfect. Hashem is good; we get to choose to become good. We are born imperfect with the goal of becoming G-dly, to become perfect, all-knowing, all-good, all-kind, and to have complete self-control. However, this is the goal, not the starting point. We start out as animalistic beings. We are born with limited intellectual abilities and undeveloped character traits. We are selfish; we think that we are the only person who exists; we perceive ourselves as the center of our own universe — the exact opposite of G-dliness. The goal of life is to then become G-dly, to actualize our potential, and to become a perfected tzelem Elokim. As we have previously explained, the fetus learns kol haTorah kulah in the womb and then loses access to it upon being born into this world. We are born imperfect so that we can take the journey through this world of becoming perfect with the goal of recreating and earning what we originally received as a gift.

FREE WILL

This is why we are given free will. We are tasked with the mission of choosing good, choosing perfection. Our mission in this world is to become great, to become G-dly. We live in a world of time and movement, of process and change, as our job in this world is to evolve and grow. Perfection lies in a transcendent realm, beyond process, beyond time. Becoming perfect requires time, movement, and process. We need to learn to ride the waves of time, utilizing it to the best of our ability. (In simpler terms, all

growth requires process and the linear progression of time. We inhabit the physical world of time and space, the perfect environment for our journey of growth and ascension through the use of our free will.)

OUR CHALLENGES

Along with the gift of free will, we are given obstacles and challenges that we face throughout our life. These challenges we face are not meant to stop us from achieving our greatness; rather the opposite. The Ramban explains that the purpose of challenges is to push us out of our comfort zone, to help us achieve our true potential (Ramban, Bereishis 22:1. See also Maharal, Gevuros Hashem, perek 22). Only when we are pushed to our limits do we begin to realize what we are truly capable of.

OUR OLAM HABA EXPERIENCE

Olam Haba is the experience of enjoying everything we have built during our lifetime. Some people mistakenly think that the World to Come is a place where you receive an enjoyable reward, some kind of external prize. In reality, as the Ramchal, Nefesh Hachaim, and others explain, Olam Haba is where you experience you. It is where you enjoy the ecstatic experience of the person and consciousness you’ve created — everything you’ve built and become during your lifetime. The problem is that many people think that they’ll live forever. In truth, time is dying. Every second fades away. But the question is not “how much time do we have left?” The question is “what will we do with the time we have left?” May we be inspired to utilize as many of the 86,400 seconds of each and every day on our paths to achieving our true greatness.

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

We are born imperfect so that we can take the journey through this world of becoming perfect with the goal of recreating and earning what we originally received as a gift.

Another delicious recipe for from Denise Phillips

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

Tuscan Grape Harvest Cake

Originating from Florence during the harvest, this biblical species this cake is perfect at Tu B’shvat.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 50 minutes – 1 hour Serves: 8–10

Ingredients

4 eggs

200g caster sugar

300ml light olive oil

80ml sweet wine/ Kiddush wine

75ml almond milk/ soya milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of one orange

Zest of one lemon

400g plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

600g red/ black seedless grapes

2 tablespoons demerara sugar

Method

1) Grease and line a 23cm cake tin with baking parchment paper.

2) Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas mark 4.

3) In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar until thick and creamy.

4) Stir in the olive oil, wine, milk, zest of orange and lemon and vanilla extract.

5) Add the baking powder to the flour and sift into a separate bowl to make sure it is light and airy.

6) Spoon a little flour into the egg mixture and gently fold in. Gently fold in the rest of the flour until well combined.

7) Stir 2/3rd of the grapes into the cake mixture. Transfer to the prepared tin.

8) Place in the oven for 10 minutes.

9) Remove the cake from the oven and push the remaining grapes onto the top of the cake. Return to the oven for a further 30 – 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cake.

10) Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Serve the cake with a glass of sweet wine.

We are nearing the end of the plague season in Egypt! The last three were locusts, intense darkness and finally, the killing of the firstborns. At that point the Jews were finally sent out of Egypt but not before they had a special meal, which we in some ways copy today! Matza and Maror (bitter herbs) in particular! They also had

a special Korban – a lamb prepared by roasting and they enjoyed it all with their shoes on and walking stick in hand…

Off they go in the morning, straight into a desert, fully trusting Hashem to lead them and take care of them, which he does for forty years.

Towards the end of the sidra,

Hashem gives the Jews two special Mitzvot – Tefillin and Pidyon Haben. The first is a Mitzva men and grown up boys do daily, whereas the second one is not a common Mitzva but a beautiful one to witness if you ever can! All of these remind us of the miracles Hashem did for us and the love the Jews showed Him and He showed them!

Peanuts aren’t technically nuts

They’re legumes. A nut is only a nut if it’s “a hard-shelled dry fruit or seed with a separable rind or shell and interior kernel.” That means walnuts, almonds, cashews, and pistachios aren’t nuts either. They’re seeds.

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

Tangram Challenge! Word Wheel

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

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

E W L Y D E W S

N

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

alp ape apt lap lop opt pad pal pap

pat pea pep pet pod pop pot pup put

tap top aped atop dopa dope dupe leap lope

opal pale pate peal peat pelt plat plea plod

plop plot poet pole pope pout pule pulp pupa

tape adept adopt apple depot duple leapt lepta letup

loped loupe opted paled pedal petal plate plead pleat

poled pupae pupal taped taupe upped applet dapple lapped

Jokes Riddles

Q. Q: Why can’t you trust the law of gravity?

A: Because it always lets you down!

Q: Q: Did you hear the one about the little mountain? A: It’s hill-arious!

Q: Q: Where do polar bears keep their money?

A: A snowbank!

Q: Why was the broom late for school?

A: Because it overswept!

lappet laptop lopped plated pouted pulped pupate tapped topped

topple update upload pupated tadpole toppled populate populated

1. What has many ears but cannot hear? 2. I know a word of letters three. Add two and fewer there will be. What is the word? 3. What question can you never honestly say yes to?

Are you asleep?

Few(er)

cornfield

EXPERT ADVICE

Dear Martin

I am struggling with my bills due to the cost of living can you help? Moshe

Dear Moshe

I’m sorry to hear about your predicament!

We’re living in uncertain times, and many people feel financially restricted.

Just like gas & electricity, staying in contact with people is no longer a luxury. It’s a necessity.

As a communications provider, we don’t want our clients to feel restricted. Hence, most of our clients have unlimited data on their mobile plan, and those who travel overseas have an all-inclusive package. The same goes for calling international. We don’t want our clients to receive large bills over and above their line rental. So we’ve chosen to be a premium provider offering extra value to people who need it.

However, some providers offer very basic services at a lower cost.

Our primary focus is on businesses & organisations that can’t afford NOT to be connected.

They need to use their mobiles wherever they are, have extra functionality on their office phone system, their broadband needs to stay connected, and require call centre services to handle additional calls 24 hours a day.

I hope you find a suitable plan that works well for you & I wish you the financial freedom to help other people.

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

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

Over

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

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

MARTIN HEIMAN

LSJS Education Page

BY ESTHER COLMAN

The iconic World War 1 poster that depicts a commanding Uncle Sam pointing his finger at the viewer and urging young men to enlist into the war effort was later adapted for the British war effort using Lord Kitchener’s famous image.

I believe that the situation in our Jewish schools today is an absolute emergency, and WE NEED YOU! If you are passionate about Jewish education and care about the future of the Jewish community then I urge you to become a Jewish studies teacher. As an Educational Consultant, working with schools in London and across the United Kingdom and Ireland, I am constantly asked if I know anyone looking for a job to be a Jewish studies teacher. Sadly, I cannot help as there is a real shortage of Jewish studies teachers, and according to the Guardian (11 April 2022), this is not just the case with JS

teachers. “Teachers said schools were finding it difficult to fill vacancies, leading to a doubling up of roles, with 73% reporting the issue had got worse since the start of the pandemic.”

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l writes in his book ‘From Optimism to Hope’: “Teachers open our eyes to the world. They give us curiosity and confidence. They teach us to ask questions. They connect us to our past and future. They’re the guardians of our social heritage. We have lots of heroes today – sportsmen, supermodels, media personalities. They come, they have their fifteen minutes of fame, and they go. But the influence of good teachers stays with us. They are the people who really shape our life.”

Teacher of the week

Justin Kett

Sacks Morasha Jewish Primary School

We see that Moshe, the greatest leader of all time, is called, simply, “Rabeinu”, our teacher, as if this is the highest accolade one can bestow on him. Indeed, this is the truth. To be a Jewish Studies teacher is the greatest privilege there is. This is a profession where one can make a real difference every single day. Teaching Jewish Studies is unlike any other subject as this is about touching a child’s soul, lighting the spark that will grow and develop into an everlasting flame.

For the past 12 years, I have had the honour and the privilege to help organise the LSJS Primary School Jewish Studies Teachers’ conference, together with key members of the LSJS Faculty and a group of dedicated educators from within

schools and educational organisations. This conference is an opportunity for our talented Jewish Studies teachers to hone their skills, learn new strategies and feel re-energised to continue their ‘avodat hakodesh’ (holy task) with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. This year, once again, JS teachers enjoyed a variety of workshops facilitated by homegrown talent, as well as experts from abroad on the theme of ‘Create – Innovate – Celebrate’. The conference was, as always, a huge celebration of the best in teaching with lots of opportunities for networking and sharing good practice.

Who knows – maybe this time next year you will have joined this unique profession and will be attending our 13th conference! We look forward to welcoming you!

Esther Colman is an Educational Consultant. To find out more about how to start your career as a teacher, please visit www. lsjs.ac.uk

When ignorance is not bliss Paperweight Perspective

BY YONI KLAJN, LEAD COORDINATOR, GATESHEAD

Ignorance is bliss, the saying goes. During the pandemic, for example, some people found the relentless media hype and daily onslaught of negative news reports too much to bear, opting to just switch off the stream and wait for the storm to pass. Fair dos. What you don’t know about can’t hurt you, the thinking goes.

But when it comes to personal finances, ignorance is certainly not bliss. Not having a handle on incomings and outgoings, mortgages and credit cards, bills and debts is not an enviable place to be. You can put things off for a week, two, maybe a couple of months – but eventually it all comes a head.

Early on in my role running Paperweight’s North East outpost we discovered a pattern among some people looking to get onto the housing ladder.

One of our caseworkers, a mortgage broker by profession, reported that many

people were lacking knowledge around credit ratings, that all-important number used by everyone from banks and lenders to energy and mobile phone companies to determine the health of your finances – and by extension their willingness to do business with you.

Credit rating agencies look at each person’s financial health based on a wide range of factors, including how long you’ve lived at your current address, how much debt you have, and the length of time you’ve held current accounts. The result is a score, usually out of 1000. The higher your score, the more likely you are to be accepted for the financial product you’re applying for. The lower your score

– well, it’s not much fun. Because when you apply for a mobile phone contract, for example, the company carry out a check on your credit file to determine if they want you as a costumer. Ditto for energy companies, car insurance, credit cards and mortgage firms.

A healthy credit rating reflects a healthy financial picture, which means a good costumer who’ll pay his/her bills. A bad credit rating tells the company that you’re not someone worth working with, and you’ll likely be declined from accessing financial products. Some things really negatively impact your credit rating, such as missing a payment on your mortgage or credit card, so avoid that at all costs.

Our caseworker met some people, who, looking to purchase their first home, had been blissfully unaware of the importance of building up and maintaining a healthy credit rating, and now faced a long and arduous journey. They were extremely limited in their choice of lenders and stood to lose the chance to purchase their first home.

Recognising the need, we wrote and Paperweight published a 6-part informational series of top tips, each week sharing a nugget of information in the community Advertiser on how to build and maintain a healthy credit rating and responsibly manage this crucial and non-negotiable aspect of personal finance. Because it’s simply not something to be ignorant about!

For more information on credit ratings search moneysavingexpert.com’s Credit Club.

Paperweight’s Gateshead branch is run in conjunction with the Jewish Community Council of Gateshead.

Helpline – 0330 174 4300

Email – info@paperweight.org.uk Website - paperweight.org.uk

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After a bereavement, whatever your administrative, legal or financial problems, our caseworkers, based in London, Manchester and Gateshead, have the expertise to help. And it’s all free of charge.

To access our services, or to make a donation to support our work, call 0330 174 4300 or visit paperweight.org.uk instagram.com/paperweighttrustlondon facebook.com/WeArePaperweight

We can’t take away the grief, but we can help with some of the chaos that comes with it.

A healthy credit rating reflects a healthy financial picture, which means a good costumer who’ll pay his/her bills. A bad credit rating tells the company that you’re not someone worth working with…