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COMMUNITIES BRACED FOR CHANUKAH ‘COVIDTIER’ ANNOUNCEMENT

BY DAVID SAFFER Jewish communities around the UK are braced to discover which of three post-lockdown toughened ‘Covid-tiers’ Prime Minister Boris Johnson places them in today.

A trio of regional measures come into force on Thursday (December 3) and will be applicable throughout the festival of Chanukah which begins on December 12.

A positive element of the present lockdown that soon ends is that synagogues can reopen for services once more. This is a huge step forward for many people who have missed having the

opportunity to pray, especially on a Shabbat.

The allocation of the new tiers will remain in place until the end of March 2021 when it is hoped vaccines will be taking effect.

The tier system is dependent on the reproduction rate (R number) alongside current and projected pressure on the NHS locally. Tier allocations will be reviewed every 14 days.

The news has been welcomed by the United Synagogue and Board of Deputies.

“We’re delighted that the government has now confirmed that places of worship will be permitted once again to hold services when the latest lockdown is

lifted,” said Jo Grose, United Synagogue’s Communities Director.

“We expect that services will be able to resume following the same careful restrictions we have had in place for some months, including masks and social distancing. We also look forward to resuming other aspects of community life in a Covid-compliant manner and, in particular, we are exploring creative ways in which communities can come together outdoors.”

She added, “Of course, much of the detail depends on the tier level in each area. We look forward to hearing what the government will announce and will be sharing updated United Synagogue

guidance in the coming days.”

A BoD spokesperson noted, “We have worked hard to ensure the government understands our community’s principal needs in balancing the need to preserve life in the face of this deadly virus with maintaining our Jewish laws and customs, and appreciate that it has allowed for many of our key practices to continue in some form through the tier system.”

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Jewish leaders welcome reopening of shuls

BY HARRY LEVY Jewish leaders have welcomed the government’s decision to allow places of worship to reopen after the current lockdown period ends on Wednesday (December 2nd).

The United Synagogue at the time of going to press had yet to receive exact details so will issue guidance to communities when they understand what is permitted.

“We will be communicating with our shuls as usual to ensure they are able to plan accordingly, but this is good news and we look forward to re-opening again safely when the time is right,” said Jo Grose, US communities director.

The Board of Deputies has been in dialogue with the government and Public Health England about data regarding places of worship since the announcement of this lockdown.

“Our understanding is that where faith premises have made sure to meticulously observe social distancing regulations, there has been a minimal number of outbreaks associated with communal worship,” said Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl. She added, “While this is positive news,

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we continue to remind people to take great care in observing health guidelines, so we can all play our part to stop the spread and save lives.”

Dayan Yehudah Osher Steiner, Manchester Beth Din, said that the lack of thrice-daily communal prayer had been extremely hard.

“Communal prayer is our lifeline and is pivotal for our wellbeing, in which we not only pray on a personal level but also pray for our communities and the wellbeing of all society,” he explained in a statement.

“Having to arrange our places of worship to adhere to Covid-safe guidelines has taken much expense and much organisation. Our local synagogues have made tremendous efforts to ensure that they are safe for prayer during the pandemic.

We are delighted that the government has decided that places of worship can reopen and we are grateful to all those involved in reaching this decision.”

He added, “Within our services it is customary to pray on behalf of all for the wellbeing of The Queen, the Royal Family and the government, and we look forward to once again beseeching the Almighty communally that our country returns to normality in the near future.”

Pollard’s parole ends

Jonathan Pollard

PHOTO: FACEBOOK

BY ADAM MOSES Israeli leaders have welcomed the United States ending strict parole restrictions surrounding convicted US spy Jonathan Pollard.

The Navy analyst received a life sentence over spying for Israel when he worked at the Pentagon in the 1980s. Pollard is expected to move to Israel with his family.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on hearing the news said he had worked tirelessly to secure Pollard’s release.

Netanyahu’s office later released parts of a telephone conversation between Israel’s leader with Pollard, promising top medical care for Esther who is receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer. “Your nightmare is over and you can come home to Israel,” Netanyahu reportedly said.

“We’re waiting for you,” he added. “You should have now a comfortable life where

both of you can pursue your interests.

President Reuven Rivlin noted that Israel had felt a “responsibility and commitment” over the years to bring about Pollard’s release with a “new life of health and peace” for his family.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz said it was “good news” as it had ended an “important circle” for Israel.

Pollard praised his wife, Esther, an Israeli citizen, when he was languishing in cell for restoring his hopes in a statement to the press.

“That is when the fight for my freedom began in earnest,” he recalled. “Fast forward 35 years. Today, Esther, fearlessly cut the GPS device off of my wrist, restoring me to almost complete freedom.”

One of Pollard’s lawyers, Eliot Lauer, reportedly told Israel’s Kan News, “The decision to end Pollard’s parole was made in accordance with the law and the efforts of my colleagues and myself.

“We appreciate the assistance of both the U.S. and Israeli governments over the years and thank all those who supported and prayed for Pollard.”

Pollard was arrested and pleaded guilty in 1985 after failing to gain asylum at the Israeli embassy in Washington. Serving 30 years of a life sentence at a North Carolina prison, following his release in November 2015, parole sanctions included wearing an electronic bracelet and curfew. Restrictions ended last Friday.

Israel’s relations with US at the time were damaged for a number of years over an embarrassing espionage incident for the state.

El Al bounces back Israel’s national carrier will operate 14 weekly flights to Dubai from December 13th.

The announcement comes three months after a historic commercial flight between Israel and the UAE and the first Israeli flight over Saudi Arabia airspace.

Boeing 737-900 aircraft and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will facilitate the routes.

Until the mutual visa entry agreement becomes applicable between the countries, or a bilateral solution, Israeli travellers can enter the UAE with a passport that allows entry to the destination.

El AL resumes operations to Brussels and

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Moscow and introduces Berlin International.

New York Newark Airport and New Jersey will be added to Kennedy (JFK) Airport.

Brussels will operate with a short stopover via Frankfurt. The destinations join flights to Amsterdam, Athens, Frankfurt, Heathrow, Kiev, Los Angeles, Miami , Paris and Zurich.

Entry into Israel is limited to Israeli passport holders with exceptions. Passengers must isolate and if leaving before 14 days must notify authorities or entry may be refused.

Details: https://govextra.gov.il/ ministry-of-health/corona/corona-virus/

WHAT’S INSIDE THIS WEEK 02 News 14 Opinion 16 Community 20 Feature 22 Health

24 Travel 26 Judaism 34 Kids 36 Youth 40 Sport

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The UK government deficit is on course to hit a peacetime record in 2020-21. The total public sector net debt stands at over £2 trillion at the end of October 2020, larger than the estimated size of the UK economy! The government needed to borrow £260.8bn to cover the gap between its spending and revenues from April to October. In the same period of 2019-20 the government borrowed £33.4bn. The consequence of this pandemic is clear. The Government will need to repay it’s borrowings and put a plan in place to balance its finances. Public sector pay freezes made the headlines this week. But the inevitable tax hikes are the measures that will have the widest impact. The Prime Minister has made it clear he is against raising income tax or national insurance. So other taxes will bare the burden. How might this impact you?

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INCOME TAX RELIEF ON PENSIONS

Back in July 2020, a Parliamentary Select Committee - the public accounts committee (PAC), which scrutinises whether taxpayers are getting value for money - said authorities did not understand the impact of pension tax breaks, which were the “most expensive” relief, with a cost of £38bn in 2018-19. Their report stated “The government has not made any assessment of whether that huge cost actually encourages saving for retirement or reduces dependence on state retirement benefits, or whether it just enables those already saving comfortably to save more.”

It added that it was concerned that some workers were not benefiting from pensions tax relief when they should.

“Around 1.75 million low-paid and parttime workers earning less than the personal allowance, of whom three-quarters are women, will not be getting tax relief on their pension contributions after being automatically enrolled into employer pensions,” the report said. Baroness Ros Altmann, former pensions minister, said: “The injustice for the lowest earners — mostly women — in net pay pension schemes [where relief on contributions is received in the pay packet], has taken far too long to address.”

Most of the talk in this area is to move to a flat rate system tax relief system rather

than the current marginal tax rate system which benefits those earning in excess of £50000. Nonetheless this kind of proposal is not as straight forward as one might think and it would certainly present problems for employers offering and members of defined benefit schemes for reasons which this article doesn’t have the space to expand on.

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WEALTH TAX

Another fund raising option the Government is considering is a wealth tax. This could be one off or ongoing. However I expect an ongoing annual levy would lead many wealthy people to avoid it by leaving the country. A one-off tax would be harder to escape.

Such a tax would need to be broad based and include all assets, including pensions and the value of the main home, to prevent people shifting assets into exempt areas.

It may be harder for the Government to tax offshore assets in this way and therefore this is something investors may wish to review with their financial advisers in anticipation of any wealth tax.

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Chanukah under lockdown CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 of both the US and Board, Johnson’s announcement on Tuesday that 12 rules will govern three households forming five-day ‘festive’ bubbles from December 23 to 27 has received a mixed reception from Jewish communities.

In a video message, Johnson overviewed a “special, time-limited dispensation”.

“Many of us are longing to spend time with family and friends,” he said. “And yet we can’t afford to throw caution to the wind.”

Johnson added: “’Tis the season to be

jolly but ‘tis also the season to be jolly careful.”

Johnson has also called for the use of “personal judgement” but the Tory leaders’ declaration is a chasm away from what Jewish families will experience in terms of festivities for Chanukah.

Within five days of the festival of light ending, three households will be able to meet at each others home, at a place of worship, in an outdoor public space or garden.

Bubbles will be fixed and there is no limit to the number of people in a household joining a bubble.

Those self-isolating must not join a ‘festive’ bubble.

And if someone tests positive, or develops coronavirus symptoms up to 48 hours after the bubble meets, everyone has to self-isolate.

Another aspect of the 12 ‘festive’ rules is travel restrictions have been lifted to allow people to visit families around the UK. Boris Johnson

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But no extra public transport has been organised for this period.

Johnson’s ‘festive’ announcement is well-intentioned but many families contemplating ‘Zoom’ lightings of the menorah are irked by his latest ‘festive’ regulations.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

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NEWS 5

Domestic violence up 300% during pandemic in Israel

BY DAVID SAFFER Domestic violence in Israel has increased 300% since the coronavirus pandemic began according to a report by the Women’s International Zionist Organisation.

The horrific figures have seen 18 of 20 women murdered since March were killedby their partner.

Help centres have seen a 350% increase during the period.

“The monstrous breadth of domestic violence cases during the coronavirus crisis should serve as a wake-up call for society as a whole and for the government in particular,” WIZO chairwoman Anita Friedman reportedly said.

“The data reveals the (state’s) lack of resources and strategy in dealing with the enormous damage the isolation and closures caused to tens of thousands of women who found themselves imprisoned between the coronavirus pandemic and the domestic violence pandemic.”

Ms Friedman added, “Data from the Ministry of Welfare also showed that from March to October, there was an increase of 240% in calls to social services departments throughout the country due to domestic violence.”

Around 40 cases of domestic violence are opened in Israel daily including physical violence, trespassing, damage to property and court violations.

Every area of society has been affected by the pandemic but a chink of light is emerging.

All schools in Israeli communities with low coronavirus rates are set to reopen by early December.

Israel’s coronavirus cabinet unanimously backed a move for ‘green’ and ‘yellow’ rated zones on Monday. Students in ‘red’ zones will remain working online from home.

Education Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed fifth and sixth grade youngsters would return on Tuesday. High school (10th-12th grade) students will return on Sunday, junior high school students (7th9th graders) on December 6.

Students and teachers will be tested for the deadly virus to help avert a third wave of cases.

Galant convinced Netanyahu to accept his proposal though Israel’s leader was cautious about the prospect.

“The government did the right thing and put education as first priority,” Galant reportedly said. “Principals (headteachers) and teachers are prepared to reopen the educational institutions and along with health authorities, we will increase the scope of testing for students and teaching staff, to maintain their health.”

Ministers also backed a pilot programmeme to reopen 15 shopping centres for a week before all centres in Israel subject to

the national morbidity rate. And the cabinet backed Transportation Ministry calls to increase bus occupancy from 50% to 75%. A debate regarding a contact tracing app was set aside for a future date due to its present unreliability.

Covid cases are being monitored closely and a five-day lockdown for northern Arab towns Kafr Manda, Majd al-Krum and Araba was announced until Sunday.

Health Ministry data illustrates 8,791 active virus patients, 275 in serious condition and 120 on ventilators. The death toll stands at 2,811 according to latest data.

The Knesset, meantime, approved a oneoff grant for around 1,000 ultra-Orthodox teens (over the age of 18) in alternative IDF voluntary service (sherut leumi) made redundant or furloughed.

The size of the grant depends on the number of months a volunteer has worked before or during the pandemic going back to December 2019 and their marital status.

Committee chairman Likud MK Haim Katz reportedly explained, “We’ve been promoting and following the issue for a long time now, we’ve demanded grants for ultra-Orthodox volunteers and soldiers with work permits who have been pulling through for months without income or government assistance.

“We have decided today to not stall one for the other, but we’ll keep fighting for a solution for the soldiers.”

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Whilst government measures have largely been adhered to in Israel there are still issues in ultra-Orthodox communities.

There have also been reports of Ashkenazi yeshivot reopening and Beit Yaakov Teachers’ Institute in the Romema neighbourhood, one of Jerusalem’s largest girls’ high schools, remaining open, violating Covid measures. And Sephardic communities have been flouting government measures.

Notwithstanding these issues, news on vaccines has boosted morale and a post-Covid life.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu updated the vaccine situation earlier this week.

“We (have) reached an understanding with AstraZeneca for the acquisition of millions of vaccines for the citizens of Israel,” he reportedly said. “I note that this joins the agreements that we have reached with Pfizer and Moderna for the supply of millions of other vaccines for the State of Israel.

Netanyahu added, “Our policy is to bring as many vaccines as possible from as many sources as possible, for as many citizens as possible as quickly as possible.

Every Israeli citizen who so desires will be able to be vaccinated. The rule that we have determined is being over-prepared is better than being under-prepared.”

6 NEWS

IFFSE and CER battle religious extremism and terrorism

BY ADAM MOSES The Institute for Freedom of Faith and Security in Europe kicked off a series of meetings to combat religious extremism and terrorism.

The Conference of European Rabbis organised the virtual meeting for Europe’s top academics and policymakers.

Discussions took place following recent attacks in Paris, Nice, Vienna and Dresden.

King’s College London security expert Peter Neumann moderated the meeting.

CER president, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, called for a renewal of training of religious leaders in Europe.

All should also be certified around specific criteria, including an obligation to show loyalty to the laws of countries, back peace and tolerance and communicate it to communities.

Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, Rehman Chishti, backed Rabbi Goldschmidt and urged for financial transparency in mosque communities.

The UK has experience in this area but further discussions throughout Europe was required.

Chishti added that every religious leader should expose attempts to abuse G-d for crimes.

In other addresses, former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls backed a notion of a “European Islam”. “The idea is to sever ties with the countries of origin,” he reportedly said.

Valls accepted the proposal whilst not easy and would take decades was “unavoidable”.

Valls supported Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron’s plan to certify the training of imams only in Europe. He also described financing Islamic communities from Qatar “a danger” and noted Turkish President Recep

Tayyip Erdogan wanted to exercise control over Islam.

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister President Armin Laschet explained that in French traditions there was a strict separation between church and state.

And prior to Erdogan, Turkey had been a secular state.

During the debate, Armin called for further European assistance to restrict Islamist extremism. “This is a struggle that we can only fight together as Europeans. It is not a national issue”, he reportedly said.

Austrian Minister for Integration and Women, Susanne Raab, said Europeans must tackle terrorism and religious extremism together. Religious extremism divides society, she noted, and attacks were on “democratic principles and values”.

“Those who only fight extremists when they become terrorists have lost,” warned German Islamic expert, Ahmed Mansour, who added that Jihadists were the tip of the iceberg.

Europe understands more about security concepts, deradicalisation and prevention but European and global cooperation was lacking between authorities. “The flow of communication must be improved,” he said.

Mansour called for more education about democracy regarding freedom of opinion, victim roles and images of the enemy.

“This is “a huge task for Muslims”, Mansour noted, adding that government support was required.

Extremism expert Julia Ebner of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue said the Vienna attack illustrated that prison terms did not help and the influence of online radicalisation had grown exponentially.

“The identity crisis is the lowest common denominator of radicalised jihadists and also of right-wingers,” explained Ebner.

HARIF and jLiving join Board

BY NATALIE ASH The Board of Deputies has voted to accept two new organisations as members.

HARIF and jLiving were both admitted as members with an overwhelming majority of votes. A total of 184 synagogues and organisations are now represented by the Board.

HARIF represents Jews from North Africa and the Middle East in the UK. jLiving is the largest provider of sheltered housing in the UK working primarily within the Jewish community. It provides specialist accommodation for people with support needs alongside provision for Jewish students and young adults.

Harif President Lyn Julius welcomed joining the BoD. “We look forward to working together with the Board and its constituent organisations to raise awareness of the history and culture of Sephardim/Mizrahim in line with the Board’s policy of diversity and inclusivity,” she said.

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jLiving chief executive Jane Goodman noted, “Access to quality housing for the community has never been more important than it is now in light of the challenges of the past few months.

“We welcome and embrace the opportunity to raise the profile of our sector within the wider community and look forward to working with the Board in the coming years.” jLiving works with Kisharon, Jewish Care, Norwood, JWA and local authorities.

The association has properties in numerous London Boroughs, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire and Margate.

BoD President Marie van der Zyl commented, “I am sure in their different ways they will both contribute to Board of Deputies and our organisation will be enhanced by their presence.”

The meeting also featured a talk by historian Daniel Tilles on the work done by the Board in the 1930s to combat Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists by infiltrating the movement.

Pompeo defends Gulf tour and Iran stance

BY LOUIS LANDSMAN US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has defended his recent tour of Gulf Arab states and backed the outgoing administration’s tough stance against Iran.

US President Donald Trump is still contesting President-elect Joe Biden’s victory but has accepted the transition process can begin.

“Our policies don’t change, our duty doesn’t change, my responsibilities don’t change,” he reportedly told broadcaster Al-Arabiya in Dubai said. “I still have an obligation, every hour, every minute, to defend the American people and to keep them foremost in our efforts, and we’ll do that. We’ll do that to the very last minute.”

Pompeo was forthright that Iran was the “central threat” in the region.

“It’ll be our policy until our time is complete,” he said.

Pompeo’s trip began in Abu Dhabi where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, before stops in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel, including a West Bank settlement where he was clear that imports should be labelled as being “Made in Israel” or “Product of Israel”.

Pompeo is the first Secretary of State to visit an Israeli West Bank settlement where he toured the Psagot winery.

Pompeo received a briefing from Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi on security and the political challenges with Syria and Lebanon at the border.

He also heard about the Battle of the Valley of Tears during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Ashkenazi thanked the US government for continuous support to Israel’s security.

Regarding visiting the Golan Heights, Pompeo noted, “The simple recognition of this as part of Israel, too, was a decision President Trump made that is historically important and simply a recognition of reality,” he said.

“I very much wanted to come here on this trip to tell the world that we have it right. That we, the United States has it right. That Israel has it right,” he added.

“Each nation has the right to defend itself in its own sovereignty.”

Prior to the landmark visit, Pompeo met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Noting the four years they had worked together during the Trump administration, Israel’s leader reiterated the special relationship between the US and State of Israel, recalling the US’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the Golan Heights and pulling out of the nuclear deal with Iran.

The US, Netanyahu said, had also proposed the first truly realistic plan for peace between Israelis and Palestinians and helped forge peace with three Arab countries, the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan.

He added, “Under your leadership at the State Department, US representatives at the UN and other international forums

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Mike Pompeo

PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA

have unabashedly defended Israel with no apologetics and no artificial correctives.

Just defended Israel. Defended what is right. Defended what is true.”

The US government, meantime, will take action against the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement and groups that support it, Pompeo confirmed at a press conference in Jerusalem.

“We will regard the global anti-Israel BDS campaign as anti-Semitic,’ Pompeo said.

Noting the US’ “ironclad” viewpoint to Israel’s security, he added, “During the Trump administration, America stands with Israel like never before.”

Netanyahu and Pompeo also met Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani during a visit official ministerial visit to Israel.

Peace between Israel and Bahrain is built on solid foundations of mutual appreciation and shared interest,” noted Netanyanu, adding there would be a “free flow of ideas” with innovators and entrepreneurs to unleash a potent economic force and a force for peace for both peoples.

Netanyahu concluded that the nations were building a “bridge of peace” that many others will cross.

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Nazi guard Berger loses US deportation appeal

BY LOUIS LANDSMANN Nazi SS concentration camp guard Friedrich Karl Berger has lost a deportation appeal in a US court.

Seventy-five years on from the Nuremberg trials of Nazi regime survivors the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed Tennessee resident Berger’s appeal.

Berger, who lives in Tennessee, is a German resident and benefits from a pension ‘for wartime service’, as a guard at Neuengamme Concentration Camp in 1945.

Immigration Court Judge Rebecca Holt dismissed Berger’s attempts to overturn a February ruling on the case due to the 1978 Holtzman Amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act. “Berger’s willing service as an armed guard at a Nazi concentration camp cannot be erased and will not be ignored,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division reportedly said.

“This case shows that the passage of time will not deter the department from fulfilling the moral imperative of seeking justice for the victims of their heinous crimes.”

“Berger was an active participant in one of the darkest chapters in human history,” Deputy Assistant Director Louis A. Rodi of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations reportedly added. “He attempted to shed his nefarious past to come to America and start anew, but thanks to the dedication of those at the Department of Justice and Homeland Security Investigations, the truth was revealed. War criminals and

Friedrich Karl Berger

PHOTO: FACEBOOK

violators of human rights will not be allowed to evade justice and find safe haven here.”

Assistant lawyer General Benczkowski reportedly said in a statement, “This ruling shows the Department’s continued commitment to obtaining a measure of justice, however late, for the victims of wartime Nazi persecution.’

Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant director David C. Shaw reportedly added, “The United States will not serve as a safe haven for human rights violators and war criminals. We will continue to pursue these types of cases so that justice may be served.”

Berger, who claims his time as a teenager

at the camp was short and did not carry a weapon, came to the US with his late wife and daughter in 1959.

He reportedly told the Washington Post in March, “After 75 years, this is ridiculous.

I cannot believe it. I cannot understand how this can happen in a country like this.

You’re forcing me out of my home. I was 19 years old. I was ordered to go there.”

It is not clear whether German authorities will prosecute Berger on his return.

The BIA upheld a Memphis court ruling that Berger served at the sub-camp near Meppen, Germany.

Prisoners included Jews, Poles, Russians, Danes, Dutch, Latvians, French, Italians, and political opponents of the

Nazis. The largest groups were Russian, Dutch and Polish civilians.

The judge found that prisoners were held in “atrocious” conditions and exploited “to the point of exhaustion and death.”

The Nazis abandoned Meppen in March 1945 as allied British and Canadian forces advanced.

Berger, who admitted that he never requested a transfer, guarded prisoners to prevent them escaping and during the evacuation to the Neuengamme main camp, which claimed the lives of 70 prisoners.

British occupation authorities in Germany charged SS Obersturmführer Hans Griem, who headed the Meppen subcamps, and other Meppen staff with war crimes for “ill-treatment and murder of Allied nationals” in 1946.

Griem escaped before trial, the British court convicted other defendants of war crimes in 1947.

Eli Rosenbaum, Director of Human Rights Enforcement and Policy in the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, led the trial and appeal with assistance from historian Jeffrey S. Richter and the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center.

The Human Rights and Special Prosecutions initiated the investigation with the Nashville ICE HSI office.

HRSP’s case against Berger is part of efforts to identify, investigate and prosecute individuals engaged in serious human rights violations.

Since 1979, the Justice Department’s programme has won 109 cases against Nazi persecutors.

Rivlin awarded Middle East accolade

BY ADAM MOSES President Reuven Rivlin has been awarded the Scholar-Statesman medal by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The award celebrates leaders who through public service and professional achievements advance peace and security in the Middle East. The Institute’s executive director Dr. Robert Satloff recognised Rivlin’s commitment to “integrity, commitment to tolerance, unity and hope” in the region.

Thirteen previous recipients include US President Bill Clinton, Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Condoleezza Rice, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and King Abdallah II of Jordan last year.

Dr Satloff addressed Rivlin by Zoom. Rivlin spoke about the resilience of Israel’s democracy, recent changes in the region and hopes to end the conflict with the Palestinians.

“When we talk about a Jewish democracy, the Talmud Rabbis, the Talmud philosophers had a lot of differences of opinion to say the least, and the decision was the decision of the majority,” he said.

Rivlin added, “Israel is a Jewish democratic state. Not less Jewish and not less of a democracy. Even 120 members of the Knesset, the whole Knesset, cannot change the nature of Israel as a Jewish state, and cannot change the nature of Israel as a democracy.”

Regarding recent normalisation agreements and building trust with the Palestinians, Rivlin commented, “Without confidence, we cannot get to any kind of agreements and understanding to bring to an end the tragedy that we are living in, and sign a real peace.”

He added, “We have to find a way in order to understand. We are not doomed to live together, we are destined to live together. We have peace with the Egyptians for more than 40 years, we have peace with the Jordanians for the last 27 years, we have peace with the King, with the president, with the administrations, sometimes we have peace with the armies when we need to uphold the security of the whole region. But we don’t have peace between the peoples, and as long as we don’t have peace between the people, it is really something that cannot bring us to

real peace, to real understanding.”

Regarding the Palestinians, Rivlin noted “We can talk about ‘two states for two people’, ‘one state for all the people’, federation, confederation, but first of all we have to build confidence.

“I tried to say so to every American president that we need to find the way in order to build confidence. I tried to convince President Trump that confidence, building confidence, you cannot get it by making a deal. You have to have confidence with somebody. He understood, but we have no one who understands it in the region.”

Rivlin called on the Israeli-Arab population to build a bridge to Israel’s Arab neighbours.

“We had war, unfortunately, with the Arab states who rejected the very idea of creating a Jewish state. But I really believe that the Israeli Arabs will go to Abu Dhabi and they will be asked where they are from, and they will say “we are Israelis”, then we will have found the right way to create real confidence between everyone in the region.”

Rivlin spoke warmly of Trump,

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congratulated President-elect Biden and noted a deep bipartisan friendship with the United States as Israel are not Republicans nor Democrats.

“The friendship between the Americans and the Israelis goes beyond politics,” he explained. “Everyone who will be elected or was elected to become the president, we would like him to hear us, because we know that first of all he not only respects us because of our values, and our way of thinking, and our behaviour, but also because we know we have a real strategic partnership in many fields.”

Following the presentation former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, praised Israel’s president.

“You are a man of ideas and a man of the people,” he said. “A scholar whose knowledge of where your people have come from guides you in asserting a path for their future.

A statesman whose honesty and integrity are above reproach.”

Eisenkot added, “At a time of anger, division, and intolerance, you are a powerful voice of tolerance, unity and hope.”

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Three universities adopt IHRA definition

BY ADAM MOSES Three universities have adopted the International Definition of Anti-Semitism.

Buckingham New University, Lancaster University and Manchester Metropolitan University join a slowly growing list. But that does not include the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge.

The government has adopted the IHRA definition and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson called for universities to follow suit last month as the number was “shamefully low”.

Lancaster adopted the definition last Friday.

University vice chancellor, Professor Andy Schofield described the decision as an “important element” of the university’s wider commitment to ensure the university is fair and inclusive.

“We will be continuing to work with our partners in both Israel and Palestine to increase our awareness and understanding of the major issues that affect our diverse community,” he reportedly said.

Jewish students at Lancaster called on the university to follow Williamson’s appeal.

The Jewish Society’s President noted, “We will not stop working until this Definition is adopted.”

Buckingham New University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Nick Braisby reportedly described anti-Semitism as “repugnant”. Racism would not be tolerated at the university.

The decision, Braisby noted, demonstrated a commitment to be an “inclusive community” that welcomed and celebrated all members irrespective of background or ethnicity.

“Adopting the definition is an important step in our ongoing work towards eradicating racism, harassment, discrimination and prejudice,” he said.

“They will rightly feel that this is the correct thing to do and that it shows how the university will take a strong stand against discrimination,” she noted.

Board of Deputies vice president Amanda Bowman congratulated Buckinghamshire on adopting the full IHRA definition of antisemitism and taking an “important step” towards protecting Jewish academics and students.

“They will rightly feel that this is the correct thing to do and that it shows how the university will take a strong stand against discrimination,” she noted.

Only last month, Williamson registered

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his disappointment and surprise that some universities had “actively chosen” not to demonstrate they did not tolerate anti-Semitism.

They were letting down “staff, students and Jewish students in particular”, he noted, despite over the summer demonstrating a readiness to take action against other forms of racism.

“Universities must play their part in rooting out this attitude and demonstrating that anti-Semitism is abhorrent,” he wrote.

“Adopting the IHRA definition is morally the right thing to do. Without it, Jewish students say they simply do not feel protected, should they be subject to an anti-Semitic attack.”

Williamson concluded, “If I have not seen the overwhelming majority of institutions adopting the Definition by Christmas then I will act.”

Williamson’s letter followed an appeal by Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick in 2019.

Any students concerned about anti-Semitism on campus should call Campaign Against AntiSemitism 0330 822 0321 or e-mail campus@antisemitism.org for support.

In other CAA news, Shehroz Iqbal, 29, has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years over a video inciting terrorism.

Iqbal has a history of anti-Semitic

harassment, including Gants Hill synagogue members, prompting protests from CAA. Judge Philip Katz QC reportedly said, “You have a long history of unpleasant, anti-Semitic threats and harassment.”

Meantime, The Court of Appeal has halved an 18-month sentence of Connor Scothern who was among five neo-Nazis convicted earlier this year of membership of terrorist group National Action.

Scothern will serve nine months in a Young Offenders’ Institution.

As the neo-Nazi was aged 15 then 16 during membership of National Action and 19 when sentenced, lawyers argued Scothern would have served two-thirds of the sentence before eligible for parole.

The Court of Appeal dismissed other arguments regarding the original sentencing.

National Action was founded in 2013 and banned after celebrating the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in June 2016.

CAA pressed the government to ban the terror group and welcomed the sentences but called for more action.

“They send a clear signal that those promoting far-right antisemitism will face the full force of the law, but these prosecutions are not enough.” said a CAA spokesman.

The horrifying case saw Alice Cutter, 23, who used the name “Buchenwald Princess” in a “Miss Hitler” beauty pageant, receive a three-year prison sentence. Garry Jack, 24, of Birmingham, received a four-and-a-half year term.

Daniel Ward, 28, of Birmingham, pleaded guilty and was jailed for three years.

Cutter’s former partner, Mark Jones, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years.

The court heard that Jones had “feelings of admiration” for Adolf Hitler and had a wedding edition of Mein Kampf. A former member of British National Party’s youth wing, Jones visited Buchenwald concentration before the pageant where he gave a Nazi salute in the execution chamber.

Max Hill QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, said the group were “diehards” in their thinking.

In other cases, Matthew Henegan, 35, faces multiple charges of publishing, distributing and possessing material likely to stir up racial hatred earlier this year.

Henegan reportedly wore an armband with a red swastika in court. The judge ordered Henegan to leave the courtroom, returning with the armband not visible. The defendant remains on bail.

THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

Lauder backs Biden’s top diplomat selection

Antony J. Blinken

PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA

BY BELLA WAXLER World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder has welcomed news that US President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. is to select diplomat Antony J. Blinken as Secretary of State.

Regarding issues the US faces on the global stage, Lauder said Blinken was a man of “profound integrity, unflinching moral clarity and deep command” of challenges required as America’s chief diplomat.

He added, “He particularly understands the poison of anti-Semitism and will fight it with determination and focus. On behalf of world Jewry, I congratulate Tony on his nomination and look forward to partnering with him on all issues of importance to the Jewish community.”

In other WJC news, NAACP President Derrick Johnson called on Jews and African Americans not to allow outside influences or disagreements break us apart.

“As easy as one of our communities have been subject to attack in the past, we can find ourselves in that same place,” he told WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps members.

Johnson was speaking at the opening of the United Against Racism Global Conference 10-day virtual training conference.

The event fights racism and anti-Semitism alongside faith and minority communities.

“The beautiful thing” about the diversity of Jewish and African American communities, Johnson said, is we can “disagree agreeably”.

Lauder thanked members for their contribution to the recent Theodor Herzl Award virtual gala that honoured UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Lauder referred to former US Ambassador to UN, Nikki Haley, Herzl Award winner 12 months ago. “The more we talk about anti-Semitism as another form of racism, the stronger, we are,” Lauder noted.

In a letter to delegates, Lauder stressed the importance of combating racism.

“We must counter hatred together,” he wrote. “Racism is unacceptable, we must eradicate it. Anti-Semitism is absolutely unacceptable. We must eliminate it. Islamophobia is absolutely unacceptable. We must erase it. Attacks on Christian communities are unacceptable.”

Lauder concluded, “Any form of hatred and bigotry left unchecked will ultimately poison society as a whole, and lead to acts of discrimination and violence.”

The conference includes sessions with speakers from faith and minority communities worldwide.

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Bibi ‘secret talks’ with Saudi’s Crown Prince

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA

BY ADAM MOSES Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli and Saudi officials confirmed escalating rumours on Monday.

The meeting was a sign of solidarity against Iran before US President-elect Joe Biden begins his tenure at the White House in January.

Secret talks did not result in an accord, as Israel has achieved with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, but confidence is growing of a future deal, which would be hugely significant in the region.

US President Donald Trump may soon not be in power but his administration will be credited by Israel for this development due to his standpoint regarding the Iranian

regime.

There were denials for a period about the latest talks but Education Minister Yoav Galant described then an “amazing achievement.”

“The very fact the meeting happened, and was announced publicly, even if semi-officially for now, is a matter of great importance,” Galant reportedly said.

Netanyahu was accompanied by Mossad Director Yossi Cohen and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

It has been reported that Netanyahu and Cohen departed Ben-Gurion International Airport on a private jet, landed in Saudi Arabia early evening and returned to Israel after around four hours.

Controversially, it appears Defence Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi were unaware of the meeting.

News of the meeting gathered pace after Haaretz newspaper published tracking data between Tel Aviv and Neom in Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu used the private plane for trips to Russia.

Pompeo was due to meet in Neom on Sunday. He tweeted, “Pleasure to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Our security and economic

partnership is strong and we’ll continue to harness it to advance efforts to counter malign Iranian influence in the Gulf, economic goals under the Vision 2030 plan, and human rights reform.”

Bicom believes an accord with Saudi Arabia would be the most significant development towards a Palestinian state.

It has been reported that Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has supported a deal with Israel for some time, but there must be a deal with the Palestinians.

Israel has permission to use Saudi Arabia airspace for commercial travel.

In related news, Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed have been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by Lord David Trimble.

Lord Trimble, a former First Minister of Northern Ireland, won the accolade in 1998 for his efforts finding a solution to the Northern Ireland conflict.

Meantime, Netanyahu has spoken with the Bahrain Crown Prince Prince Salman bin Hamad about a potential visit just weeks after the nations formalised relations.

And Bahrain’s foreign minister visited Israel last week.

“Sorry” seems to be the hardest word for Corbyn

BY DAVID SAFFER Jeremy Corbyn refuses to apologise for downplaying the extent of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party during his tenure as leader.

Labour’s Chief Whip, Nick Brown, has called on Corbyn to “unequivocally, unambiguously and without reservation” apologise for inflammatory comments and commit to cooperate with the Party regarding Equality and Human Rights Commission recommendations.

Brown’s intervention appears to have failed resulting in Campaign Against Antisemitism calling for “justice, not an apology”, and for Corbyn to be expelled from the Party.

CAA chief executive Gideon Falter commented, “Labour must investigate the entirety of our complaint against him under the independent disciplinary process. Reinstating Mr Corbyn now would only show that Labour is not serious about tackling anti-Semitism, or is incapable of doing so.”

CAA added, “The Jewish community and the British public deserve justice from Labour, not more excuses. Labour’s offer to Mr Corbyn to apologise in return for a restoration of the whip is decidedly a step in the wrong direction.”

Board of Deputies President, Marie van de Zyl, backed Corbyn’s suspension but could not understand any justification for

Jeremy Corbyn

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

his readmission to membership.

Starmer, however, had been “absolutely correct” to withhold the whip, she noted.

“It is hard to envisage any circumstances in which it would be suitable for (Jeremy) Corbyn to regain the Labour whip and we have been very clear about this to the Labour Party,” Ms van de Zyl explained. “It is clear he (Corbyn) has already failed even the tests set out by the Chief Whip, which many in our community will have regarded as lenient, which included the “immediate” deletion or emendation of the offending post on Facebook, which remains up and unchanged a day later.”

She added, “Corbyn remains an obstacle

to Labour’s ability to tackle the problem of anti-Semitism that was incubated under his leadership and the removal of the whip should therefore be permanent.”

Suspended pending an investigation after stating the scale of anti-Semitism was “dramatically overstated for political reasons” in the EHRC report, Corbyn received a “warning of conduct” only to be readmitted by Labour’s National Executive Committee panel after 19 days.

A media storm among Jewish leaders and politicians alike ensued.

CAA said the Jewish community had been “conned” over “opaque, arbitrary decisions” unfit for purpose by the NEC. The Board looked to Labour leader Keir Starmer to show leadership. Starmer, under pressure and in a mission to root out anti-Semitism from the Party, refused to restore the whip to Corbyn.

CAA has lodged a complaint against Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as leader during the period of the EHRC’s findings.

On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, CAA submitted a complaint against Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party.

Labour was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination against and harassment of Jews.

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26 NOVEMBER 2020

Israeli hospital’s programmeme to keep schools open in pandemic

Regev Kish Tel Aviv School

SHARON GELBACH Sheba Medical Center, the largest hospital in Israel, which has created numerous technological innovations to combat COVID-19, has launched a novel pilot ‘rapid corona’ testing programmeme designed to keep schools open amidst the challenges of the pandemic The director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Sheba, Dr. Gili Regev-Yochay, launched Live Safe – Studying Alongside the Coronavirus, at the Herzliya Gymnasia high school in Tel Aviv on Sunday, Nov. 8.

According to Regev-Yochay, the pilot is intended to keep schools open by making them into COVID-free “protective bubbles,” thereby easing the toll the pandemic has had on the student population and their parents, as well as the teaching staff.

The first step of the programme involves screening students and staff with a serological test, which will show if they have ever had the coronavirus and are immune to contracting the disease, at least temporarily, explained Dr. Regev-Yochay. Those who are not immune, will undergo rapid antigen testing at their school once every two days to identify those who are asymptomatic, but in the early stages of the disease.

The rapid antigen testing provides results within 15 minutes. Testing will be carried out by the school nurse, other school staff as well as Magen David Adom volunteers and senior students at the school, under the supervision of Dr. Regev-Yochay and her team.

Anyone who tests positive will undergo a regular PCR test as well. Students or teachers who test positive will need to enter isolation, and the other members of their capsule will likewise need to be quarantined. All quarantined and isolated individuals will undergo a daily drive-in covid test at the school.

The project will be implemented later this week at the Bikurim Youth village in the Eshkol region. “We must think out of the box and come up with creative, innovative solutions to enable us to maintain our routines, especially when it comes to education of our children,” said Dr. Itai Pessach, director of the Safra Children’s Hospital at Sheba Medical Center. “We hope that this pilot will prove itself so that we can take it to all other schools and sectors.”

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Saudi, Biden, Iran and Israeli Politics

BY JAMES J MARLOW This week’s meeting in the Saudi red sea resort of Neom was a clear indication that Riyadh has now accepted Joe Biden will become the next US President on 20 January, and Saudi Arabia is concerned what that may mean.

There is a very negative attitude in Congress towards the Saudi Kingdom and a great deal of that dislike comes from the Democrats.

Congressmen and women on all sides of the House and Senate recall the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on 2 October 2018. They are aware of the huge loss of human life in the war in Yemen, including hundreds of children. And they cannot ignore the many years of Saudi human rights abuses.

Democrats have been saying for a long time that these “difficulties” are a major concern for America, and therefore Crown

Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) this week took action, by signalling that he is looking for a new relationship with a Democrat President in the next 4 years.

Even though Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, under the leadership of Donald Trump initiated the meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, MDS clearly had a focus of convincing Biden and his new administration, that Saudi is willing to change its image. This comes after Joe Biden has spoken about reassessing the relationship with Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom therefore sent signals that they wish to continue the positive momentum of normalisation with Israel, and that they are willing to play a constructive role in the region. Saudi will even change its foreign policy, political strategy and introduce more human rights reform, if America is willing to become “a more-friendly America” towards the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia will even delay any signing of agreements with Israel until Biden takes office, if that’s what it takes.

King Salman is still very much in charge of Saudi. But it is his son that has been instrumental in closer ties with Israel. The King would have preferred to move slower and is not in favour of the current close relationship with Israel, but his son, MBS insists the matter is urgent.

With a new Democrat administration, Saudi knows that Israel is still very

influential in Washington. They are looking to Israel to blunt some of the anti-Saudi steps that Washington may have lined up.

Israel therefore has to think very carefully about how far it can go with Saudi, as the Kingdom is not very popular in the western world, because of its human rights record.

But the meeting took place under the influence of Mike Pompeo to complete some important matters on the ground before Trump leaves office. Iran has been flying under the radar for a long time, violating the JCPOA agreement signed in July 2015, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Several experts across the Middle East now believe Iran is just months away from attaining a nuclear weapon.

The security and economic partnership between America and Saudi Arabia has been strong under the Trump administration. But Biden has hinted he would re-join the Iran Accords. On this issue, Israel, Saudi, UAE, Bahrain, Omar, Qatar and others agree wholeheartedly that Iran’s missile programme and becoming a nuclear power must be stopped at all costs.

In the last week, American B52 bombers have arrived in the region and the meeting between Pompeo, Netanyahu and the Crown Prince may have been a discussion, about a military strike on Iran.

The Saudis would welcome this to counter malign Iranian influence in the Gulf. But

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they certainly don’t want a full scale war, because Saudi are in the line of fire and Iran would definitely retaliate.

News of the secret talks were leaked to the Israeli media last Monday morning. A top senior Israeli government official noted that while Riyadh initially agreed that a leak should be made to the media, it broke in Israel much earlier than planned.

Netanyahu refused to confirm the meeting even though a Minister described the summit as “an amazing achievement.”

But the Prime Minister kept the secret talks from his Foreign and Defence Ministers, both from the Blue and White party, as there will almost certainly be a general election in early 2021 and these close ties with Arab states will likely benefit Netanyahu.

Netanyahu has delivered more peace deals and “understandings” with Arab states than any other Israeli leader. But even though Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lord David Trimble nominated Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, for the prize, they and Donald Trump will be passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize when Obama and Arafat were honoured for much less.

James Marlow is a news broadcast commentator and communications trainer Email: James@TheCommunicationBureau. com Twitter: @James_J_Marlow

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OPINION 15

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Can outcomes-based philanthropy save lives?

BY KEREN MORAG AND YARIV SULTAN When the COVID-19 lockdown was at its most severe in Israel at the end of April, I was scrolling through headlines and came across a deeply troubling article detailing the discovery of a dead body in a small apartment in Beer Sheba.

The body was that of Dr. Magda Graif, an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor, who apparently died from natural causes but whose body was found two weeks later after neighbours complained of a stench coming from her flat. Though Dr. Graif was a lecturer and member of the faculty at the Ben Gurion Medical School, as well a pathologist at the Soroka Medical Center, the main hospital in the South, she lived alone and died with no one close to check in on her.

Loneliness is one of the less spoken diseases of the 21st century. Here in Israel, the number of elderly citizens characterized as lonely stands at approximately 300,000 (Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, 2016 figures), or one third of the country’s elderly population. Loneliness affects both physical and mental wellbeing. According to research by Age UK, It can double the likelihood an elderly person develops dementia, the frequency with which they visit the doctor. It has the potential to triple the likelihood of requiring ongoing hospitalization and nursing care and increases by a factor of six the chances an elderly person

might develop depression.

Naturally, besides its toll on health, these impacts also impose a hefty economic toll.

In Israel, direct and indirect costs stemming from health and welfare services for lone elderly amounts to 4.4 billion NIS ($1.3 billion USD) per year. (Based on data from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics 2018, calculations by Social Finance Israel Ltd. (CC)).

As an issue of increasing public concern with quantifiable social and economic costs, Social Finance Israel (SFI), the organization where I work, intuitively identified the goal of reducing loneliness among the elderly as a fitting topic for a social impact bond. That is why our 5th social impact bond, recently launched, will tackle this very issue.

A social impact bond is an innovative social impact financing model whereby funding for a social intervention is raised upfront from investors who are then paid back by government, other public sector entities, or philanthropic donors, according to the level of social impact generated and/ or public costs saved. Such a model allows for evidence-based interventions, with adjustments (integration of social-tech apps, close follow up and case management, etc.) to be tested in a pilot setting with no upfront risk to public stakeholders or philanthropic donors (the actors typically financing such programmes often at a high cost and

without proven success), and for stakeholders to join together strategically to reduce public expenditure in favour of effective, results-based interventions.

Contrary to most forms of charitable grantmaking or public commissioning, social impact bonds employ a revolutionary concept of identifying the intended impact at the outset (hence the alternate monikers, outcomes-based-philanthropy or pay-forsuccess financing). Service providers and their specific activities are then recruited at a later stage. The programme also employs rigorous performance management to ensure the project achieves the intended outcomes.

The project, the first in Israel to involve a municipal body, blends public and philanthropic sources of outcomes funding from Eli and Dalia Horovitz Foundation, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality, and the Tel Aviv Foundation, another philanthropic entity.

It is also the first time a social impact bond will enable non accredited private investors from Israel and abroad to invest -- via crowdfunding. The project aims not only to reduce loneliness, but also to keep it at bay by fostering opportunities for isolated elderly to re-engage in their communities through empowerment and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) support.

Impact investing and pay for success projects are already a fixture of social change work in the US, UK, the Netherlands

and India. Thanks in no small part to the visionary work of our sister Social Finance organizations in these jurisdictions, we are among just a handful of organizations pioneering social impact bond models, and the only ones in Israel to be championing this model. Through our unique approach and expertise at the intersection of social sciences research, economic analysis, and innovation, we see a myriad of instances where philanthropic, public, and private capital can be harnessed more effectively to tackle emerging challenges and pave the way for breakthroughs in service delivery and lasting social impact.

The project holds much promise – a reduction in health spending and, more importantly, tangible improvements in the quality of life of our parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and neighbours. If we are successful, the intervention can be scaled to other jurisdictions, not just in Israel, but also abroad. We invite you to join us.

Keren Morag and Yariv Sultan are Social Impact Bonds Manager and Head of Philanthropy & Partnerships respectively at Social Finance Israel in Tel Aviv. Morag previously co-directed Collective Impact, a partnership promoting employment among Arab citizens of Israel. Sultan is former VicePresident of the University of Haifa, both earned their Master in Public Administration at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

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Art, stories and cake keep Camp Simcha families feeling connected

Jake Cohen with his artwork

Art, interactive story-time, baking and coffee mornings have been among the latest virtual activities provided by Camp Simcha to support families during the second lockdown.

With boxes full of supplies for the different activities sent to families in advance, Head of Services Daniel Gillis explains that the charity, which supports seriously ill children and their families, has tried to ensure there is something for everyone.

“The art caters to two different age groups and we also have one for the mums; baking is for teenagers and, although story-time was designed the younger groups, most of the family joins in,” explains Daniel.

“For the story-time, we sent in the books so that the children can read them again afterwards; arts and crafts themed around the stories and hot chocolate – because what would story-time be without hot chocolate?”

Prior to the virtual coffee morning, Family Liaison Officers Sam Charles and Mandy Isaacs sent in goodie bags to the participating mums with tea, coffee and pastries.

Sam explains: “With children at school in this second lockdown, we felt a virtual coffee morning would work well so we set it up and it was fabulous.

“We used to run these in person prior to Covid, so the mums really enjoyed seeing

each other again. It felt like a real treat.

More importantly though, it was good to reinstate that time and space for them to talk to other people who understand what they are going through.”

The weekly children’s art groups have more than 100 children attending with two different teachers and break-out rooms.

Camp Simcha parent Hannah Cohen, from Borehamwood, who son Jake, six, was diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma in 2017, says he has loved the sessions and she has enjoyed seeing other families, who she would normally meet-up with on outings and retreats.

“Jake finished treatment in October 2019 but because he missed nursery, preschool and most of reception while he was ill, his motor skills have really needed support. The art sessions he had with Camp Simcha throughout have been so important for this and we are so grateful that these have continued despite the pandemic.

“Jake doesn’t really think about it being therapeutic; he just loves the sessions with his Camp Simcha art teacher. Having the group art activities has been a great source of excitement, with that typical Camp Simcha magic. A box appeared on the doorstep, full of interesting stuff that he is so excited to use each week.

“This was supposed to be Jake’s year of finally going back to school after all he had been through, getting back to friends and education. Then lockdown came. Having the art there for him each week and the sense of connection with Camp Simcha has really helped him and us.”

26 NOVEMBER 2020

Pink Shabbat Candles for Sadie

The Hertsmere Jewish community has been reeling from the tragic death of a twoyear-old who choked while eating lunch at nursery.

Following the tragedy, a striking image of a pink candle was shared by hundreds of people on social media. An initiative was then launched by Connect Borehamwood following discussions with the family to distribute 200 sets of pink Shabbat candles in memory of Sadie Salt.

As demand grew and more and more people signed up online to request candles, volunteers have been scurrying to obtain and package hundreds of additional sets of pink candles. An incredible 10,000 packs are being distributed in time for Shabbat, reflecting the widely felt sentiment that something meaningful should be done for Sadie - the little girl who brought so much light to the world in her short life.

In a seemingly timely coincidence, the Friday when thousands of pink Shabbat candles are to be lit throughout Hertsmere and beyond, would have been Sadie’s third birthday.

Rabbi Peretz Goldstein of Connect Borehamwood said: “We have been overwhelmed by the response to this initiative. It is an incredible credit to the community that so many have come together to share a little bit of light through this sad time.” Rebbetzen Sorele Goldstein added: “I am truly humbled and privileged to have played a part in this project.”

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Magen David Adom UK’s National Lifesaving Day For Magen David community of Adom (MDA), Is23,800 volunteers EVERY SECOND COUNTS rael’s only National and 2,000 staff National Lifesaving Day Medical and Blood have been true Sunday 29th – Monday 30th November Live Stream Event – Monday 30th November, 7pm Emergency Serheroes. As cited by vice, the impact of President Rivlin, Covid-19 has been MDA is second enormous. As the only to the IDF country went in in its importance and out of lockto the people of down, MDA teams Israel. were on the frontMDA is a line, working night non-governmenand day to keep tal, not-for-profit the country safe organisation that and providing the depends upon the www.mdauk.org/NLD highest standards generosity of its of medical care to supporters from those in need. friends organisations around the world to Call centres and drive-through testing fa- save lives. cilities were built in hours to accommodate National Lifesaving Day will be a 36-hour the need. At the height of the virus, MDA fundraising initiative for Magen David call centres received over 200,000 calls in Adom UK from Sunday 29th – Monday one day, compared to an average of 6,000 30th November, to raise £2,000,000. At 7pm during ‘normal’ times. To date, MDA teams on Monday 30th November, there will be have performed over 2,600,000 tests. live streamed event hosted by Rob Rinder, This is all in addition to the day-to-day which will feature celebrity guests includemergencies; births, accidents, heart-at- ing Gal Gadot, Fauda’s Lior Raz, Idan Ratacks and the constant terror threat ichel and many more. from Israel’s neighbours. MDA has been Every donation MDA UK receives helps stretched like never before; the incredible save more lives.

Kisharon Equal online Chanukah Creative Gift Set, £10.00

Kisharon lights up lives for chanukah During the month of November the Kisharon Further Education College have focused on mitzvahs and doing acts of kindness. Students have been discussing what it means to do a mitzvah for someone else and how it makes people feel.

Students thanked staff working in Kisharon Supported Living sites by baking and delivering home-made treats, baking chala for food banks, packaging besomim sets to be used for Kisharon’s weekly communal online Havdalah or for personal use at home and writing cards for the elderly in care homes.

The College have also focused on a joint initiative for Chanukah with the Kisharon Print & Design team as a social enterprise initiative. Synagogues were able to place Chanukah gift set orders for members of their community and Kisharon were thrilled so many orders were placed.

Students helped label over 4,000 individual items for adults and children all with different labels which will result in over 1,000 children receiving a craft kit to paint their own Chanukiah for the festival.

Community members who receive it will be able to celebrate Chanukah with candles, matches and a Bracha card with all

the blessings on - an astonishing 80,000 candles will be distributed in time for Chanukah.

Aviva Braunold, Manager of Kisharon Further Education College says, “It has been absolutely wonderful to see the students so engaged in this meaningful task, see them follow the sequenced instructions and complete these large orders and have a sense of achievement once completed. When people place orders it’s not just about someone receiving a nice package, it helps Kisharon develop additional opportunities for vocational training which you cannot put a price on.”

The students at the College in their Covid secure bubble with their support workers were thrilled to be able to help, commenting it made them feel happy and good and even when they had completed the vast amount of orders, they wanted to continue! Each student wrote their name on a note that was included in the packs requesting recipients to share a photo of the Chanukiah they paint via social media.

If you would like to support Kisharon for Chanukah you can see what gifts are available on the website: equal.kisharon. org.uk

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Cards of Care At the beginning of 2020, a sense of global psychological distress related to social isolation and fears of illness, death, and countless uncertainties about the future loomed in the atmosphere.

Each one of us did not know exactly what was unfolding from day to day, but what we did know was that we were all going through the same coronavirus pandemic together, we were all feeling equally affected (directly or indirectly) by it, and we were all equally being forced to adjust to this new way of living our lives.

Fortunately so many of us chose to spend our lockdown days working together in spirit, even if, in order to do that work together, we needed to stay apart.

On the 17th of March GIFT COVID-19 WhatsApp groups were set up and countless requests for communal assistance were posted on those groups.

One of those posts requested someone to write letters to a sweet elderly lady who was living at home and we immediately volunteered to help.

We felt that this was definitely going to get bigger and would need a caring team so we messaged some of our friends who were mothers with young children at home and asked if they wanted to help together with their children.

It was in the midst of all that fear, uncertainty and isolation, that we established a new type of business for our world.

A kind of business that didn’t need to raise any money to keep it afloat.

A business that traded using the currency of kindness where its greatest asset was another human being’s precious time.

From March 2020, Cards of Care has safely been connecting members of the public with residents in care homes.

Cards of Care was created because we chose to spend our time in lockdown productively. The more the darkness threatened to envelop us, the more cards we wrote and the more cards we wrote the more connections we formed and the more resilient we all became.

We found another way to connect to people and by connecting through the same fears and feelings, we all learned that that profound, positive change was possible under the most difficult of circumstances.

Many of us felt the need to come together to strengthen our respective communities but by doing that, we actually strengthened ourselves as well. The connection was both ways so whilst we intended to show anyone who was feeling scared and alone that we cared about them, we poured all our love and care into our cards and it felt therapeutic and effortless Best of all, in a world of hashtags, algorithms and followers, it was heartwarming to see how special some of the messages of love and care from our children were- all with the singular mission of making a stranger smile.

We are not meant to be alone. Togetherness is a basic human need, and Cards

26 NOVEMBER 2020

GIFT Spreads the light in memory of Yoni

The joy of receving a card

of Care plays a crucial role in connecting many of its givers and recipients.

From the day Cards of Care was born it’s been nourished by an ever-growing group of caring volunteers who are feeding it their precious time and creating a business that seems to be trading using the currency of kindness!

Over lockdown our team of volunteers created, decorated and poured love into hundreds of personal cards and by doing so, effortlessly connected thousands of human beings.

We sent hundreds of Rosh Hashanah cards to the homes over the new year and many residents said that this care made them feel so special over what could have been such a lonely time.

The word about the love and care that we are offering elderly and vulnerable residents through our cards has grown and now the initiative has gone viral (in a good way!)

We have recently launched a project for the coming festive season to connect the schools, other organisations as well as individual members of the public with the residents across all the care homes in London.

What has been particularly exciting is that so many schools and so many care homes across London have chosen to join our initiative.

Thousands of students will be writing to thousands of named residents across London. The initiative is deeply personal.

The Covid restrictions imposed on the world have threatened to weaken humanity by separating us, but we are determined to respond in a respectful way, with actions of positivity and love and a mind of deep faith that such events will NEVER prevent us from finding a way to connect meaningfully with each other.

This initiative seems to be about re-establishing connections between humanity and creating a more meaningful story out of the 2020 COVID-19 nightmare!

Noam Field Year 9 JFS student making and decorating one of GIFT’s 600 electric menorahs for care homes and hospitals.

Hundreds of students from JFS, Hasmonean, Immanuel and Yavneh College were involved in a partnership initiative run by GIFT and sponsored by The Yoni Jesner Foundation, in the run up to Chanukah, making 600 electric menorahs for patients and staff in hospitals, residents in care homes and welfare charity service users.

Sarah David from the Yoni Jesner Foundation told us “It is so great partnering with GIFT on a project that will engage so many teenagers and benefit so many recipients..a true way to keep Yoni’s light shining.”

Daniel Sinclair from Langdon, gratefully asserted “Thanks so much for the Menorahs, you’ll be bringing so much light & happiness into our members’ lives.”

13 year Noam Field from JFS explained “Chanukah is my favourite time of year and I thought the idea of making chanukiahs with GIFT for those in need would really help light up these peoples’ lives, especially as this year has not been so great.

It was a lot of fun too!

I love going along to the GIFT sessions at school - it feels good knowing that I am helping those who need it most.”

Manchester Beis Yaakov crowdfunding

BY ETHER ULLMANN MBY (Manchester Beis Yaakov), an independent sixth form headed by Mrs Shana Guttentag, provides mature students graduating high school with an opportunity to study for A-Levels, thereby completing their high school education.

Although the school is only in its second year, its 19 students and parent body are exceptionally proud of what it has achieved.

Last week, parents, grandparents and friends of the school sprung into action in a crowdfunding effort to raise £100,000 matched.

Their enthusiasm and hard work paid off and a couple of days later, the school had reached an amazing £125,000!

One of the school’s governors Mrs Rochel Lea Rose said, “Five years from now we would like to have a very strong sixth form, offering a wide variety of subjects. We want

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girls to be able to finish their high school education in an environment matching the one they have grown up in. Before this programmeme was started, girls were having to travel out of town to complete their studies; Manchester is now big enough to offer it in town and we would like every girl to be given a chance.”

“At MBY, we are able to study for A-levels in a Beis Yaakov environment. This means, that for girls in Manchester we can now get an amazing education in both kodesh and chol subjects.

One student said, “The teachers at 6th form are all very supportive and encourage us to do as well as we can in all areas of life, not just in the classroom and I am really grateful for all the hard work put into MBY by the amazing governers!”

For more information, please contact the school by email at: admin@mby.education

26 NOVEMBER 2020

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Chai’s big campaign hits a big total The Big Campaign, Chai Cancer Care’s online crowd-funding effort, has broken records as it reached over £3m in just 36 hours. £1.5m was raised in the first 6 hours alone.

Over 13,000 donors supported the campaign internationally with donations received from Australia to Hong Kong. The age of donors ranging from the age of 6 to 105.

At its peak, the website was taking 35 donations a minute with an astonishing £310,000 coming in, in one hour alone.

In lieu of other fundraising events this year, the funds raised will be used towards the organisation’s £3.5m annual running costs.

Louise Hager, Chairman of Chai Cancer Care, was over- Chai’s big £3m total! whelmed by the community’s response, “To raise £3m is outstanding response, The Big Campaign, will enable us in every way. To watch the donations come to support and care for those who in many in was like being at the centre of a huge cases have been forgotten during the Covcommunal hug. The past eight months id-19 pandemic.” have been particularly difficult for canYitz Bude, from online fundraising platcer patients and their loved ones. Chai’s form Charity Extra, commented, “Charity

King David Primary school students made a quilt titles ‘Land of Quilt And Honey’ about Irael. Mrs Rayna Glickman head of Jewish Studies commented, “The children made quilts to focus on different aspects of Israel. The title was a play on words so land of milk and honey became Land of quilt and honey.’’

Extra has run over 100 crowdfunding campaigns in the last 12 months, raising over £37million for good causes, and we have never seen anything like this before. The generosity on display was unparalleled and shows how central Chai is to so many

in the community” The enormity of the coronavirus on cancer patients and their loved ones is undeniable. A direct consequence of the pandemic has meant that people are being diagnosed later, sadly resulting in the need for more invasive radical surgery and treatment.

It has been widely reported that cancer has become ‘the Forgotten C’ as critical cancer services have been downgraded due to rising virus cases in our hospitals. This has resulted in a backlog of three million people waiting for screenings (according to Cancer Research UK.) Chai continues to provide many of its specialised services through telephone, Skype and Zoom including all counselling services, support groups, the Chai in Schools programmeme which operates in 23 schools across the UK and the Medical Outpatient Rehabilitation and Palliative Care Service. The demand for counselling has increased by 37% since the first lockdown began.

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26 NOVEMBER 2020

From the front line…

BY JACQUELINE CURZON At home we were lulled into a state of false security, when Jeremy Corbyn had the whip withdrawn by Sir Keir Starmer. If ever there was a politician who was a wolf hiding in sheep‘s clothing, it was Corbyn, who has shown he can be friends with Uncle Tom Cobbly and all; ‘all’ including Trotskyite, communist and Hezbollah {terrorist} friends, except many of those 'friends' were of rather disreputable persuasion. To blame the Jewish community for his denouement a few weeks back, says much about his feeble grasp of reality, and society has a moral obligation to snap racism off at its roots. It Jacqueline Curzon looked as if Corbyn had come to the end of his ‘long and winding road,’ PHOTO: LARA MINSKY PHOTOGRAPHY and we were celebrating that now ’the end was near, and he would face the final curtain!’ However, he was welcomed back to the fold by his successor, Keir Starmer, which looks awfully like a political reconciliation and will ultimately bode badly for the Labour Party, who I'm sure heavily rely on the Jewish vote.

Nick Brown, Labour’s chief whip, wrote to Corbyn this week, asking him to ‘unequivocally, unambiguously and without reservation to the UK at a profit. Further embarrassapologise for claiming the scale of anti-Semitism in the party was dramatical- ment reveals Anderson claims to not have received any payment as the 'fixer,' even ly overstated’ for political reasons. Starmer though boxes of goods were delivered to said he would keep the decision not to UK hospitals. The pair jointly made anothrestore the whip ‘under review.’ er NHS contract bid in June, which could Following my mink mention last week, have bumped Anderson up another £15 I am pleased (?) to report a new task force has been set up to scan emerging strains of million, but the relationship broke down at coronavirus, to check specifically for a par- this point. These revelations have come to light from papers filed in Florida in a disticularly virulent strain, which the Danish pute over the second bid. Jolyon Maughan, health teams indicate has currently been an activist barrister, is challenging our found in 12 people. This strain is of congovernment over such huge and highly lucern as it may not respond to the recently developed vaccines. We've invested now in crative profits. Separately the government gets a rollicking for signing PPE deals with 650 million doses, and someone out there the companies recommended by MPs durwill still likely get the deadlier strain…

Overseas, I noticed a little tale of enforce- ing the pandemic. A report by the National Audit Office shows contracts were handed ment stupidity. Two young runners were to companies with little experience in the out in Lombardy, when Simone Massetti procurement sector. If you remember the (34) fell from a ridge into a ravine. His fiascos of materials being held at airports, friend ran for help, and although emeror ultimately deemed unfit for purpose, it gency services airlifted Simone from the should come as no surprise. One deal for ravine, he did not survive. Good samaritans take note…. the helpful friend has now £253 million for face masks, brought no usable equipment, whilst other contracts been issued with a hefty €500 fine, for exworth £1.5 million and £550k were awardercising 'out of district.' Two wrongs don't ed to companies Topham Guerin and make a right, and the authorities should Public First, both linked to the government. have instead 'exercised' discretion. Who'll Rachel Wolf, with husband James Frayne, go help the stranger (or friend) in future, if run Public First; together they wrote the they are then subject to such stringencies?

2019 Conservative Manifesto, and Frayne In a shocking revelation, it has come to light that a US jeweller, Michael Saiger, was is reportedly close to Michael Gove. The given £200 million of UK taxpayers money, report by NAO criticises the lack of transparency, raising concerns about a 'VIP from the Department of Health back in lane' of contracts. No surprises here, there March, for PPE procurement, despite the is doubtless much back scratching, and company tendering having no equipment. always impressive kickbacks waiting to be Saiger then paid a colleague, Gabriel made.

Anderson, £21 million to source materials Elsewhere in the world a Siberian from China, these materials were then sold

student has been offered a job advising the local government on how to bring the area into the digital age.

Alexei Dudoladov (21), who studies at the Omsk Institute of Maritime Transport, told how he managed to get pneumonia by climbing a tree to get internet signal, but was subsequently invited to meet governor Alexander Burkov, who has vowed to expand the region’s plan to bring broadband to rural areas.

At home our university students and staff are to be given anti racist training on ‘white privilege.’ New guidance states institutions must now go ‘beyond unconscious bias training’ tackling racial harassment on campus, which follows a report by the Quality and Human Rights Commission in 2019 which found an alarmingly high rate of racial harassment on university campuses. I think we’re running the risk of going full circle so that we don’t end up with ‘balance,’ we will likely end up with ‘monopoly’ on the other side of the political coin. An example to my mind of such ‘mixed up’ priorities is embedded in the following news: a transgender 14-year-old has this week launched legal proceedings against the NHS for being tardy in offering gender dysphoria services, where he was to be seen within an 18 week window. I’m not too sure of the motivation for the legal challenge, but many young adults have not come to terms with their identities, and often young {and older} individuals chew over - at their leisure - decisions they have expeditiously fought on such reassignment. Nonetheless I feel healthcare decisions in these extraordinary times must be better directed towards life and death treatments, eg A&E services, covidology, cardiology, orthopaedics and oncology sectors. Decisions about non life threatening treatments can surely wait…? And for the cancer patients who were waiting more than a year?? Who do they complain to, not being seen within normal referral windows, whilst their tumours grow and their survival chances fall under the bus… Sir Mick Davis, former chief executive of the Conservative party, sums up the current state of the NHS beautifully: "We have lost perspective here; heart attack A&E attendances have dropped 50%; the number of men dying from cancer in private homes through the pandemic is 50% higher than the five year average; 3 million people in the UK missed essential cancer screening; mental health patients are waiting up to 6 months for help." We see first hand that covidology is taking over. The average age of people dying from the virus is 82, [slightly above UK life expectancy], many had comorbidities, with 25% of these elderly patients having advanced dementia and 50% of patients in ICU were obese. Meanwhile we know most people will get sick with covid, but are unlikely to perish from it. The public

Any season of content will be an illusion. Wait and see!

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are increasingly aware that the awaited tier system is economically and socially unsustainable, for a flip choice between health and economics is false. Neither can function without the underlying strength of the other. Our high streets are deserted, the season of goodwill is all but an illusion and hopes for a winter escape are probably futile. Not much of a seasonal Ho-Ho-Ho from BoJo. For those like my beloved father, who suffered so terribly from the fatal neurological condition Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (the accelerated version of MND), it would have been impossible to cope with the isolation and confusion of all our lockdown stringencies. Think for a moment of Patrick Quinn, an ALS sufferer who came up with the Ice Bucket Challenge when he was diagnosed after his 30th birthday. Instead of living a projected 3 years he lived for 7, raising awareness of this truly awful disease, before finally losing his battle this week.

The saga of the cancer crisis still looms over us, with reports of cancer sufferers like myself being delayed or missed totally off the covid express. Who can say what impact such delays will bring? Prof Patricia Price, academic clinical oncologist at Imperial College London, says it’s the worst cancer crisis ‘in her professional lifetime.’

Everyone knew that earlier diagnosis brought better outcomes, but we were all instructed to put the NHS first - rather than ourselves - which was antithetical to good practice. Macmillan the cancer charity have said it could be years before waiting lists and referrals have returned to pre-covid levels. Am I the only one wondering if some new strain of covid or flu will effectively wipe out 2021, and see us maintaining the same precarious position we found ourselves in 9 months ago? The 2ww referral rules for cancer diagnosis are likely being met, but only because the numbers being referred are now significantly lower, not because the NHS is running on full batteries. Which brings me to this week's obituaries, and Frederick Baker (55), who has died from kidney cancer. Baker was an Anglo-Austrian film-director, artist and archaeologist, best known for his documentary Shadowing the Third Man {2004}, one of several works commissioned by Anthony Wall, editor of the BBC arts forum Arena. One of his last projects was Klimt’s: Magic Garden {2018} - a virtual reality experience for the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, now part of the permanent exhibition. How can we accept such young people dying like this.

In the interim I think December 2nd will roll into extended tiers and another house arrest.

Good luck, one and all!

Love Jacqueline x To follow Jacqueline’s journey blog {Yocheved bas Sara} please go to https://whenallissaidanddone.home.blog

26 NOVEMBER 2020

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26 NOVEMBER 2020

Conquering Depression part 1 This article is part of a serialisation of the book ‘Go to Youself’ transformation through Jewish wisdom and Psychology’. The author Aryeh Sampson is a psychotherapist based in North London and counsel’s online. It combines approaches from psychotherapy and Jewish wisdom to address many psychological issues that modern man is faced. This includes overcoming anxiety, low self esteem, improving relationships and creating a greater sense of meaning and spirituality.

BY ARYEH SAMPSON

DEPRESSION is the number one psychological disorder affecting Western society, and its prevalence is growing at an alarming rate. Statistics show that a person born after 1945 is ten times more likely to become depressed than someone born before 1945.

When people are depressed, they often experience a loss of energy, poor concentration, withdrawal from social activity, difficulty sleeping, and feelings of worthlessness. Fortunately, there are effective approaches to overcoming depression using the ACTive method, which we will explore in this section.

Johnny became depressed when he lost his job. Initially he blamed his boss, but in therapy he discovered that the reason he was fired was rooted in his own behavior. He had grown up in a family where there was a lack of direction and boundaries provided by his parents. As a result, he lacked self-discipline and struggled academically at school.

His lack of discipline followed him into later life as he could not dedicate himself to anything that demanded sustained effort. This resulted in his constant underachievement at work and eventually led to his dismissal.

STAGE 1: AWARENESS

STAGE 2: CONTROL

Even if a sharp sword rests upon your neck do not give up hope. (Talmud, Berachos 10a)

An important first step in overcoming depression is to become aware of one’s negative thoughts, as depressed people are often caught up in a cycle of negative thinking. Cognitive therapy describes three elements of this thinking, known as the “depressive cognition triad.”46 These are negative thoughts about (1) oneself, (2) past and present experiences, and (3) the future.

Tania was thirty-four years old when her fiancée broke off their engagement. She was heartbroken and she became depressed. She started: 1. thinking of herself as a failure and unlovable, 2. dwelling on how unfair life seemed, 3. believing that she would never meet the right person in the future.

It is also important to understand the source of depression, even though it can have many causes, including hereditary and biological factors. Depression is frequently triggered by difficult life events such as bereavement and redundancy, or a lack of fulfillment in life. A person might also discover that his own self-destructive behavior or counterproductive traits are playing a part in creating depression. Let’s look at the following case.

In the control stage, we move from awareness of our negative thoughts and their cause to gaining control over depression.

2(a): Thought Negative thinking in depression often occurs due to “selective attention,” wherein people dwell on the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positive side.

One approach used in cognitive psychology to achieve a more balanced view is to record one’s thoughts in a thought diary, and then to weigh the evidence for these thoughts as being true or false. This can assist a person in creating a new and more realistic perspective.

Using the diary helped Tania to view her situation from a more positive perspective, rather than a hopeless one, and thus lifted her spirits.

There are many other ways to challenge negative thinking. One is to focus on appreciating that which we do have. There is an old Yiddish story that illustrates this approach.

Feivel was depressed about the cramped living conditions of his family of seven children. He went to his rabbi for advice on how to improve his situation. The rabbi said, “I have a solution. Bring a

chicken into your house.” The next day Feivel returned to the rabbi and said, “I did what you said, but it hasn’t helped.”

The rabbi said, “Then bring a donkey into your house.” Every day for a week, Feivel returned to his rabbi and told him that things were not improving. The rabbi then requested Feivel to bring another animal into his house. At the end of the week, Feivel exclaimed to his rabbi, “My situation hasn’t improved, in fact it’s gotten worse.”

The rabbi smiled and said, “Okay, now take all the animals out of your house.”

Feivel followed the rabbi’s instruction, and then looked at his house and said to his wife happily, “Our rabbi is so wise!

Look how much room we now have in our house!”

Another way to deal with negative thoughts is to challenge one’s thinking about the future. There is a legend

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regarding King Solomon that illustrates this approach.

King Solomon had a problem that sometimes he became so happy he would forget himself, and at other times, he would be very sad. One day, King Solomon challenged a jeweler who boasted that he was the greatest jeweler in the land.

He said to him, “Make me a ring that if I am too happy I will look at it and become calm, and if I am too sad it will lift my spirits.” King Solomon knew that no such ring existed.

The jeweler replied, “How can any man create such a thing?” The jeweler then had an idea.

The next day he rushed to the king with a ring. The king looked at it and said, “Indeed you have fulfilled my request.” On the ring, it was written, “This too shall pass.” Every time King Solomon looked at the ring he would reflect that both his happiness and sadness were only temporary states. This helped him to control his mood.

It is valuable to note that this is not just a helpful attitude, but that in reality the vast majority of cases of depression actually improve by themselves, without treatment, within three to six months.

To receive a free download copy and newsletter, email aryeh.sampson@gmail. com. To purchase a hard copy go to www aryeh.sampson.com Jewish bookshops or amazon He also has a YouTube channel,’ Aryeh Sampson’ where he shares insights on a range of psychological issues. Aryeh can be contacted at aryeh.sampson@ gmail.com. For more information about counseling view www.ascounsellinginnorthlondon.co.uk

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Skiing in school holidays without breaking the bank

BY CARON BLUESTONE My next recommendation for family skiing is the Post Family Resort in Unken.

If I tell you that you can take your entire family skiing, during the most expensive week of the year, for a third of the cost of the usual, family skiing suspects - you know the ones - then perhaps you might believe me.

If I tell you that for the price, you will get a luxurious, all-inclusive hotel, not some mass-market, miserable, mediocre formula that leaves you cold and complaining during peak holiday season, perhaps you will keep on reading. Plenty of places in Austria marry family and skiing and a level of service and hospitality that us Brits hardly ever expect anymore. That we never knew existed.

In fact, Austria has a plethora of smaller ski resorts that keep the continental skiers returning year after year. Competition leads to very high standards. There’s no need to pay top dollar for the better-known, international resorts. Skiing is in the blood here, wherever you go.

I first visited the Post Family Resort in Unken in 2018 when my children were very little. I knew before arriving that I’d found a hidden gem. The facilities and reviews spoke for themselves. Few English guests then, but now, try to keep those in-the-know away!

Two families from within walking distance north London this visit. With only a thirty-minute, free hotel shuttle from Salzburg airport, the transfer is family-friendly too.

You can leave London at a reasonable hour and be at the hotel just in good time for lunch.

My biggest criticism; you need to book early to avoid disappointment! The Post is a wonderful, independent, family hotel that delivers on every level come summer or winter if you are holidaying with kids.

There’s all-day childcare included, of the standard that you’d expect in only ‘excellent’ OFSTED-rated establishments, for small babies upwards. Leave your children in safe hands where they will be kept busy, stimulated or rested depending on their age-appropriate needs and ski to your heart’s content. A horse riding ranch and nursery ski run on site, where my now competent four-year-old skier did his first downhill run on proper skis at age 2. The wonderful childminders from kids club do a spectacular job, changing nappies, feeding, entertaining and making sure that children get out in the fresh air - appropriately dressed of course. Many have been at the Hotel season after season, a testament to what a place it is, for staff, as well as guests and they all speak English just in case you were worried.

Babies get taken on snowy walks, bundled up and cosy in their snow suits, the older ones build snowmen or play in the huge onsite park. In the summer they have their very own swimming lake. Jaws drop and

Views onto the Outdoor Thermal Pool

Ski School Herbst

PHOTO: POST FAMILY RESORT

Hotel Suite

PHOTO: POST FAMILY RESORT

Winter Horse-riding

PHOTO: POST FAMILY RESORT

PHOTO: CARON BLUESTONE

excitement is high, when the huge water slide, sympathetically built into the hill, blending into the outdoors, comes into view.

The climbing wall, worthy of any sports centre, beside it. Pedalos, cordoned off baby beach and slide, floating trampoline at the centre of the lake. That’s for another holiday entirely. One that I have had the privilege to experience at first hand. Summer in the mountains is a summer so very well spent.

What makes the Hotel Post so special?

It’s the facilities coupled with the service without a doubt and how the hotel is such a relaxing place despite it being a heaven for children. Separation of space is key. It’s small enough to be safe for even younger children to go off unaccompanied, if allowed of course, but large enough to accommodate a proper theatre - complete with fluffy blankets for snuggling under, to watch the evening movie. There’s an enormous (and spotless) soft play to which I lost my children for most of our non-skiing holiday, with a ball pond and access by slide from beside reception and a dedicated, purpose built games room filled

with numerous Xbox terminals, bean bags, table football and traditional games. Slides hidden in unusual places around the hotel add to the fun factor and the hub downstairs provides a great area for children to make friends. There’s also a snooker table for young and old alike.

Everything apart from kids club proper is downstairs, leaving the elegant, cosy, yet contemporary lounges and bar upstairs.

The Post Family Resort in Unken offers an exceptional holiday experience that’s truly unbeatable. It’s everything an adult or a child would wish for.

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My thirty-minute, sublime, foot reflexology left me blissed out, the spa, sauna and thermal state-of-the-art, indoor to outdoor swimming pool are experiences in themselves. Swimming outdoors, in the snow, in a steaming pool, is a truly exhilarating and therapeutic experience.

The rooms, suites and apartments here are built with every size family in mind.

The configuration has been maximised for comfort, practicality with the added bonus of gorgeous valley views and balconies.

Emphasis is placed on child-appropriate abc state of the art furnishings. Separate seating areas, changing facilities and all the paraphernalia needed for babies already waiting in your room if you are travelling with very young children. The rooms are truly somewhere to come home to and feel at home in after a long day in the snow.

The skiing here is perfect for beginners but also offers something for experts too. The hotel sits between two ski areas.

Reached within minutes by the ski bus that stops directly at the hotel. Heutal is the smaller of the two whilst Almenwelt Lofer, has the more comprehensive offering with numerous state of the art lifts. Kids in ski school can be met and returned directly to the hotel for parents who wish to relax and take advantage of the numerous leisure activities organised by the hotel daily.

One joy of these smaller resorts means much smaller queues, so less time wasted!

Lofer itself is a lovely village, with quaint shops and tea rooms, perfect for a lazy afternoon or après ski wander and some shopping. With Salzburg just thirty minutes away, you are near enough to take advantage of all that this enchanting city has to offer.

Time flies at the Post Family Resort. My one other little bit of advice is that when it’s time to come home, you’d better book for the next year or prepare to be miss out!

From £2350 for 7 nights, full board for 2 adults and 1 child, all inclusive, during school winter holidays. www.post-familyresort.com/ For kosher food, please contact the hotel.

For ski school and all things ski hire and ski shopping, Herbst is fantastic. Friendly, professional yet knowledgeable teachers, it’s a family-owned and run business and their teamwork, dedication and enthusiasm shines through in everything they offer. Plus they rent bikes for the summer too. www. skischule-lofer.at/ For shopping before you leave, good value ski kit, including thermals, gloves and goggles for kids can be be found at www. muddypuddles.com - at last a British company offering high quality, practical ski gear!

To read about all the covid safety precautions in the ski area, please check out www.skialm-lofer.com/news/ covid-19-safety-precautions

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ASK THE RABBI

26 NOVEMBER 2020

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

Dear Rabbi On my way to work each morning I pass this panhandler who knows me already by sight because I drop a coin in, each day. This morning I walked past with a colleague who said to me, “you know you are not doing him any favours and there is no mitzvah in what you are doing.

Chances are he is using the money for drugs.” It left me wondering and I am asking whether it is considered charity when helping a random collector on the street, not knowing where the money is going, and indeed quite possibly to help feed a drug addiction?

Jonathan Dear Jonathan There are a couple of points to consider here. First and foremost, the nature of the mitzvah of charity is such that it doesn’t require intent. Namely, if one drops a £5 note in the street and a poor man retrieves it, one has fulfilled the mitzvah of tzedaka, even though oblivious to the fact. To that end it may be argued, giving money to a panhandler, without necessarily knowing what they might do with the money, doesn’t become your problem. The mitzvah is fulfilled all the same.

Second, inasmuch as an addict will often commit immoral acts of varied sorts in order to feed their addiction, giving them money might help prevent them from such behaviour.

Finally, Code of Jewish Law ultimately rules that when one is asking for money, the wouldbe donor is obligated to check the veracity of the need before

making a contribution. The exception is when they say they are hungry or express another immediate need whereby you are then responsible to immediately help without verification.

On that basis, inasmuch as they may not be telling the truth, you have still fulfilled the mitzvah.

There is an obvious solution to your problem. Rather than giving the individual money why not consider giving them actual food, clothes or other necessities. Buy or bring a cup of coffee with you and hand it to the person, maybe with some food. Your mitzvah is the same and you have alleviated any concerns. Indeed, the Talmud brings the assertion of the wife of Mar Ukva, that a woman’s charity is greater than that of her husband. While he might typically give money, she will provide the ready-made meal which can be enjoyed immediately.

CORONA SHMORONA

Dear Rabbi I know this is going to sound controversial, but having spent the past few weeks back in lockdown I am thinking that this is totalitarianism and that those who continue to hold their secretive prayer groups are no worse than the Jews in the former Soviet Union who would also take risks in order to pray. This whole corona-shmorona is getting absurd and being abused by government. Holding services is no Chilul Hashem – it’s a mitzvah of the highest order. People appeasing the government are part of the problem. Carrying on life as normal is the only solution.

Gerard

Pirkei Avot We have arrived at the final mishnah in the first perek. Mazeltov! “Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says; the world endures on three things; on justice, on truth and on peace. As it states in Zecharia, ‘truth and the verdict of peace you must adjudicate in your gates.’”

These three elements clearly go hand in hand. Sadly, in today’s world, we see top dayanim/judges who pretend to be righteous but are corrupt; they lie to their community and instead of making peace they create

Dear Gerard Two teachers go to a wedding.

The next day they are back at school. Gathering in the staff room with other teachers, a third teacher picks up the virus from them. She in turn passes it on to some kids in her class.

One of those kids transmits it over to all the members of their household. Within a week every member of that household is sick in bed, no school, no shul, no work. This is not a made up story – it actually happened. The only good news is that no one in that family had an underlying vulnerability and that no one in that family in the interim went to hug an elderly grandparent and kill them in the process. So you can say corona shmorona all you want. But the virus is a killer, I have seen first-hand evidence time and time again of the way it ravages through a community and the only reason our death rate right now, THANK G-D, is much lower than before is because there are a lot more people out there with more common sense than yourself who are alert to the reality and taking the extra precautions. Gerard, you are part of the problem. Enough said.

THANK YOU FOR THE FAITH

Dear Rabbi I just want to thank you for your piece on Divine Providence and Free Choice the other week. I have grappled with the issue myself for a long time, had many discussions with Rabbis and others and it was the one chink in the armour of my faith. But your explanation made more sense than anything I had ever heard

and I cannot thank you enough.

In case you wonder sometimes whether this column (which I know is very popular) makes a practical difference in people’s lives, it has made a difference in mine. Thank you.

Gary Dear Gary Thank you for your kind letter.

Just remember, notwithstanding my column, faith is a muscle you

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

In the zechus of a refuah shalema for Hayeled Yitzchak Rafael Chaim ben Rifka

utter devastation and wreak havoc.

This misconduct is as opposed to what the Talmud says in Shabbat (10a) ‘Every judge who judges righteously becomes a partner with G-d in creation.’

At the end of each perek, we say the famous mishnah of ‘Rebbi Chananya ben Akashya omer..’ This is also famous as a mishnah recited after learning to gain an extra Kaddish for mourners in shul or shiva houses.

He tells us that Hashem wants to bestow merit upon the Jewish people,

therefore He gave them Torah and Mitzvot, which he backs up with a verse from Yeshaya.

We must realize the precious gift of Torah and Mitzvot and utilise the tremendous opportunity Hashem has given us. May we all be blessed not to waste our time, but rather to use each and every moment to the fullest, Amen.

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flex not a pill you swallow. By definition, it is not something external to oneself that we sometimes reach for when required.

Sure, we can look to others for clarification to fortify our faith at times, but ultimately it is, like a muscle, within you, and when the need arises, you always have the ability, regardless of the doubts that linger, to flex and rise to whatever the challenge at hand.

Mishna 18

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Torah from Israel

26 NOVEMBER 2020

Serving religion for Thanksgiving

BY RABBI MOSHE TARAGIN Modern-day democracies have transformed civilization by introducing innovative and powerful ideas, both about our personal lives as well as about the type of society we aim to establish. Overwhelmingly, the values of democracy harmonize with traditional Jewish religious values.

Without question, the most indispensable value of democracy for Jews, is the principle of freedom of religion. For the first time in two millennia, Jews have been allowed – under the protective eye of modern democracy- to freely worship our G-d and practice our rituals without fear of persecution or reprisal. Additionally, by guarding basic human rights, democracy preserves the dignity of human life in general – a sacred value within Judaism.

Man is G-d’s masterpiece and the dignity of the human condition must be upheld as a tribute to G-d’s “investment”. Democracy also delivers a bold social vision: by allocating political authority through popular elections, democracy hopes to craft a more equal and fair society. This vision of a “level society of equal citizens” reflects the Torah’s mandate to craft a society of justice and ethical behaviour. The many overlaps between democratic values and religious values has inspired Jews to overwhelmingly embrace the concept of democracy, actively participate in the democratic process, and deeply engage in the general culture of democracy.

This week Americans will celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. This holiday enshrines numerous principles of democracy and morality. The values of Thanksgiving feel almost religious or sacred and Jews across the religious spectrum deeply identify with this holiday and its cultural practices. At its root, Thanksgiving is founded upon the value of gratitude and of acknowledging the assistance we received on the road to our triumphs and successes. Famously, the Rabenu Bachye an 11th century Spanish thinker, identified gratitude as the gateway to all religious thought and experience. Entitled people view their good fortunes as deserved and rarely sense their dependency on outside factors or the generosity of others; it is difficult for them to express gratitude to others. Their success is merely a “cashing in” on their natural license. Stalin once wrote that “gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs”; certainly a moral degenerate and mass murderer such as Stalin would disdain the trait of gratitude. By contrast, humble and modest individuals

appreciate the fragility of the human condition and the underlying state of dependency under which we all operate.

Admitting our dependency heightens our reliance upon G-d and intensifies our faith in G-d. Additionally, on an interpersonal plain, gratitude helps us better treasure our success and hopefully more freely share them with others. Entitlement often leads to greediness while gratitude pries open the doors of selfishness and egocentrism.

On Thanksgiving people aren’t just grateful for personal prosperity; many also express gratitude for modern democracies in general. From its inception, the United States was a modern experiment in building a “city on the hill”. Consequently, the success of this experiment has ripple effects across the globe, validating the value of democracy. Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to be thankful that we live in our world of relatively enlightened forms of government.

Beyond the trait of gratitude, Thanksgiving is pivoted upon the value of family; traditionally families convene to celebrate this holiday. Sadly, the professional and cultural stressors of the modern world often afflict healthy family life. Life in our pressure-cooker known as the modern “city” tense and frazzled and the reassertion of family value on Thanksgiving is crucial. This “Thanksgiving” message about family also resonates deeply for Jews who have perennially consecrated the family setting as site of sanctity and service of G-d.

By highlighting these numerous quasi-religious values, Thanksgiving and its life-affirming values, reminds us of the enduring power of Judaism to enrich the human condition and ennoble our lives.

Thanksgiving can help us better appreciate the manner in which our religion improves our station in life.

Is that all? Do we embrace religion solely because of the “human value” it offers?

Do we only embrace the service of G-d because it improves the human condition?

In addition to improving our lives, religion is meant to be transcendent – an encounter with a higher being on His terms.

Judaism is a thrust into a higher realm- a leap into Heaven in ways which can’t be articulated or justified solely for their human value. Perhaps the most iconic image of the entire book of Bereishit appears in this week’s parsha: a ladder, anchored to earth but scaling the Heavens while angels ascend and descend. Have we pruned this ladder, retaining the lower rungs which are riveted to earth but cropping the upper

Do we only embrace the service of G-d because it improves the human condition? tiers which penetrate the Heavens? Have we succeeded too well in anchoring religion to earth while amputating the steps of the ladder which are meant to catapult us to Heaven? Have we lost the transcendence of Judaism?

In many ways our generation has been guilty of levelling or grounding religion.

In the wake of the Holocaust G-d seemed distant and fearsome. Additionally, the rapid technological changes of the post WWII world cast religion as ossified and irrelevant in a bristling new world of transportation, communication, science and space travel. Responding to these dual challenges- a G-d who felt distant and religion which seemed detached from our world– we reformed the way people viewed Judaism by redefining religion as beneficial to our lives and enriching to human interest. After all, Judaism could provide meaning, values, nobility, moral behaviour community, purpose, vision and family life. Judaism and Torah study were showcased as a manner to fill the void in our modern lives, to reinforce family bonds, and to catalyse robust communal life. Judaism would heighten our moral conduct and improve our married life.

In short, we dragged Judaism down from the Heaven and firmly fastened it to this world and to our human lives. Thankfully, we were highly successful and Judaism became popular and religious ambition

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more widespread. However, we paid a steep price as religion became an endless Thanksgiving meal!

What have we lost in this process? Have we lost the moments of transcendencewhen we take leave of this world and search for something higher and something beyond? Has our entire language of Judaism been converted into mundane human terms? Does the term ‘avodas Hashem’- literally serving G-d without personal human resonate as loudly as the agenda of tikkun ha’olam– the prospect of employing Judaism to redeem the world at large? Do we think of Heaven and dream of angels, or are we trapped in the human sphere? Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to ponder the “human value” of Judaism and the supplementary values of modernity – each of which advances human progress. Parshat Vayetze reminds us not to flatten Judaism and to walk up the entire ladder until we reach the Heavens and encounter G-d in His sphere.

Shabbat Shalom Happy Thanksgiving Rabbi Moshe Taragin is a rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion/Gush, a hesder yeshiva. He has smicha and a BA in computer science from Yeshiva University as well as a masters degree in English literature from the City University of New York.

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Weekly Dvar Torah F RO M ERETZ Y I S R A E L

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BY RABBI YEHOSHUA FASS Understanding Yaakov Avinu’s frame of mind in Parshat Vayetzei offers an enlightening insight as to how to best navigate in a time of ambiguity and grave uncertainty.

The last two pesukim of the parsha state: “And Yaakov went on his way, and angels of G-d encountered him. And Yaakov said when he saw them, “This is a G-dly camp [Machaneh].” And he called the name of that place Machanayim (32:2-3).”

An obvious, linguistic problem in the second pasuk is pointed out by Rashi: Why would Yaakov call the place “Machanayim” (“Camps”) in the plural tense, rather than “Machaneh” in the singular tense? The single tense is used by Yaakov in the first pasuk when he says, “This is a G-dly camp [Machaneh].” Why the discrepancy?

Rashi suggests that the use of the plural “Machanayim” actually refers to two sets of angels, one set that accompanied Yaakov in the Diaspora and the second set that came to escort him into Eretz Yisrael.

However, the Ramban objects to Rashi’s

explanation. He points out that Yaakov was, at this point in his journey, far away from Eretz Yisrael; and it isn’t logical that the angels of Eretz Yisrael would greet him at this particular location. Ramban offers an alternative suggestion and explains simply that the use of the plural “Machanayim” refers to Yaakov’s own entourage which, combined with the camp of angels that he encountered, is deserving of the plural tense description “Machanayim.”

Combining both of these thoughts, I’d like to suggest that Rashi and Ramban – while coming from different directions – are each focusing on a similar, core personality trait of Yaakov.

Rashi believed that while Yaakov was far from Eretz Yisrael, he was so confident and inspired that he felt he was on the cusp of entering the Land. His faith was so complete that he believed his very next step would be on Israeli soil.

The Ramban felt that Yaakov – who was traveling with his family, in danger and peril, exposed to enemies lying in ambush

– never felt alone. His complete faith in Hashem allowed him to feel that he was constantly walking in the presence of G-d; and that his camp and G-d’s camp were intertwined.

Interestingly, the language of these two pesukim lends itself to this very idea.

The pasuk describes how Yaakov actually encountered the angels, before even seeing them: “… And angels of G-d encountered him. And Yaakov said when he saw them…” Yaakov felt close to Hashem and to Eretz Yisrael and experienced the encounter before the actual sighting.

This particular kind of faith was Yaakov’s unique strength. Chazal tell us that Avraham referred to the location of the Bet Hamikdash as a mountain, Yitzchak referred to it as a field, while Yaakov referred to it as a house. The fundamental difference between them is that Avraham felt that G-d’s presence was far from reach (perhaps reserved for the spiritual elite); Yitzchak felt that the Shechina was a little closer but still a place requiring travel; while Yaakov, in contrast, was unusual

A Torah bite for the Shabbat table

The mechanism of prayer RABBI GOODMAN One of the many controversial topics in today’s Jewish world is the concept of “Full Time Learning”. The condemnation and accusations leveled against the Kollel system know no bounds. Although we declare each morning, “Talmud Torah k’neged kulam” - that the Mitzvah of learning Torah is equal in value to all the other Mitzvos put together - few people seem to be happy with those who choose to spend their lives learning Torah instead of going out into the “real word” and building a career.

Sadly, defending the system of full-time learning against its critics is a lost cause.

Their righteous indignation and criticism usually stem from an emotional frustration which logical arguments and spiritual truths cannot penetrate. However, due to the flak that Judaism’s most valuable Mitzvah receives, it is extremely important for us to continuously deepen our appreciation and admiration for full-time learning. Unfortunately, even the splendid “foot-soldiers” who have sacrificed so much to sit and learn are influenced by the

outside world’s disapproval, leading them to question their own choices and weaken their resolve.

The opening Pasuk in this week’s Parsha relates how “Yaakov departed (Vayeitzei) from Beer-Sheba and went toward Haran.” Rashi asks why it is necessary for the Torah to inform us that Yaakov departed from Beer-Sheba; if he travelled toward Haran then by definition, he left Beer-Sheba. Rashi answers that by emphasizing Yaakov’s departure, the Torah is teaching us that when a righteous person leaves a place, the beauty, majesty, and radiance he brought to that place leave with him.

His exit is not merely a change of location, rather a spiritual earthquake shattering the spiritual energy generated by his presence.

The late Rosh Yeshiva of the Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Yerushalayim, Rabbi Yehuda Yehoshua Tzadka zt”l, asks why the Torah waited until Yaakov to convey this principle. Both Avraham Avinu and Yitzchak Avinu embarked on many journeys. Indeed, Avraham Avinu is renowned for fulfilling Hashem’s directive of “Lech Lecha,” to leave his birthplace and homeland which was riddled with idolatry. His departure

likewise would have undoubtedly made a significant impression.

Rabbi Tzadka explains that both Avraham and Yitzchak were established people in the business world. They employed hundreds of workers and had amassed tremendous wealth. Avraham Avinu was also the proprietor of the Eshel Hotel, a guest house which drew a constant flow of visitors. If the Torah had alluded to the fact that Avraham or Yitzchak’s departure left a noticeable impact, we would have assumed it was a result of their “Forbes” status and nothing to do with their spiritual stature.

However, Yaakov Avinu was an “Ish tam, yoshev ohalim,” – ‘A wholesome man, abiding in tents.’ Our Sages explain that Yaakov was not a businessman nor a public figure. He was a private individual who dedicated his life to constant Torah learning and service of Hashem. Therefore, explains Rabbi Tzadka, the Torah tells us that even though Yaakov was virtually unknown within society, his departure from Beer-Sheba rocked its very foundations, nonetheless.

He was a spiritual giant whose effect on his surroundings was immeasurable.

In truth, we don’t need to go as far back

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in the extent to which he felt Hashem’s presence in his midst.

Especially now, as many of us are feeling pulled in so many different directions, emotionally and spiritually; striving to be virtually present in our professional or communal activities and simultaneously stuck in our homebound routines. The resulting disruption leads to a state of distraction and even distancing from our idealized personal goals.

Perhaps, this is Yaakov’s gift to us: The lesson of striving to reach a level of spirituality that enables us to perceive the Machaneh Elokim, the G-dly camp, which surrounds each of us and thereby gives us the security and confidence to face the array of challenges that life brings in the unknown future.

Rabbi Yehoshua Fass is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh. He is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (www.mizrachi.org/speakers).

as Yaakov Avinu to see the truth of this principle. As long as the Jewish people live in Eretz Yisroel and remain faithful to the Torah, the land flourishes. As soon as they forsake Hashem and are exiled to the Diaspora, the land withers. Over the last seventy years we have been privileged to watch Eretz Yisroel blossom and prosper by leaps and bounds.

We must never underestimate the powerful impact of Torah learning. The Bnei Torah who spend their days immersed in Torah analysis and debate afford us the spiritual protection we so desperately need. To end with a heartfelt Tefillah: May Hashem grant us the Heavenly assistance to embrace and respect Torah learning and those who devote their heart and soul to its pursuit. Good Shabbos.

A project of My Dvar Torah, Torah Bite is your resource for a short, dynamic, and meaningful Dvar Torah to share at the Shabbos table. Originally from London, Rabbi Ben Goodman has spent 20 years in Jerusalem, teaching and inspiring students from all backgrounds and from all over the world. He is the director of My Dvar Torah, providing tailor-made Divrei Torah for all occasions. www.mydvartorah.com.

He encourages feedback & ideas: ben@mydvartorah.com

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Vayeitzei RABBI DR RAYMOND APPLE

PRAYER & REVELATION

One of the great features of the sidra is Jacob’s dream about angels ascending and descending a ladder that joined earth and heaven (Gen. 28:12).

The Ba’al HaTurim says that the numerical value of sulam, a ladder (if you leave out the vav), is the same as the word Sinai.

Possibly the analogy delineates two central features of Judaism: prayer and Revelation. In both cases there is a link that joins earth and heaven.

In prayer the message proceeds from the earth; in Revelation it comes from the heavens.

In prayer, man seeks G-d’s downward concern for human problems; in Revelation, G-d seeks to raise man’s sights upwards to heavenly thoughts.

HOW MANY CHILDREN IS ENOUGH?

Jacob had an impressive entourage of wives, concubines and a large number of children.

One of the concubines was Leah’s maid Zilpah. We cannot say that she gave Zilpah to Jacob (Gen. 30:9) in order for him to have children, since Leah had already produced a number of sons. It seems to have been a matter of family

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According to Ramban, Leah saw prophetically that Jacob would have twelve sons, from whom would eventually emerge the twelve tribes of Israel. Leah wanted to be the matriarch of the majority of the tribes, either through her maidservant or in her own right. Eventually Leah herself had a daughter, Dinah (Gen. 30:21).

Apart from the question of how many children there would be in the family there is a broader issue – relevant even in our much later age – of why people somehow tend to think that having boys is more significant than having girls. After all, if one is allowed to be cynical, without girls being born there wouldn’t be any boys either.

But cynicism is not the only consideration. Since children are a gift from G-d (Psalm 127), it is the A-lmighty who decides which parents will have a boy and which will have a girl.

A child has in a sense three parents – father, mother and G-d.

STONES BECOMING ONE

If Shakespeare is right that there are sermons in stones, the Jacob narrative in today’s portion offers an example.

After leaving home, Jacob made a pillow out of stones and lay down to sleep.

How many stones did he take to make up his pillow?

The text doesn’t specify but merely informs us, “He took some of the stones of the place” (Gen. 28:11). But another verse uses the singular: “He took the stone” (verse 18): one stone.

Rabbinic ingenuity resolves the contradiction by means of a story.

What happened? There were a number of stones, and they began to argue with each other. Each wanted Jacob to rest his head on it. “Let the tzaddik put his head on me,” said one stone. “No, let him put his head on me,” said another.

In the end G-d had to step in. He turned them all into one stone, and that was the end of the quarrel.

This is the way Rashi explains the situation, basing himself on an idea found in the Talmud.

Ibn Ezra and other commentators disagree and say that there was only one stone all the way through, and when the verse said, translating it literally, “He took of the stones”, it really meant “He took one of the stones”.

The debate will probably never be finally resolved, but the

Since children are a gift from God (Psalm 127), it is the Almighty who decides which parents will have a boy and which will have a girl.

26 NOVEMBER 2020

Rashi approach enshrines a fascinating idea.

When there is a quarrel between people and katuv sh’lishi yachri’a beineihem, a third party is able to settle it, the parties often end up as such good friends that they wonder how they could have been so far apart for so long. Two stones are now one!

The moral of the story: we should never imagine that gaps cannot be narrowed; we should never lose hope that divergent viewpoints can be reconciled. Stones can really become one.

Enemies can really become friends.

Rabbi Apple served for 32 years as the chief minister of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, Australia’s oldest congregation. He is now retired and lives in Jerusalem. Rabbi Apple blogs at http://www.oztorah.com

Chovot Halevavot Hilchot Shabbat Chovot Halevavot now contrasts a person whose income is very reliable to one who has trust in Hashem.

The book introduces us to a fascinating occupation, that of the alchemist.

There is a vast discussion of what the agenda of the alchemist was and the activity may well have had philosophical underpinnings, but either way, the product the alchemist offered had the consumer imagine they were receiving a precious metal instead of what it really was, a base metal.

This was a lucrative (if not questionable) way of making a living - think of all the metal one can convert to gold and subsequently convert to cash...

Chovot Halevavot lists ten ways in which one who has Bitachon is better off than the alchemist.

Firstly, the alchemist requires unique materials for his work which he cannot manage without. One who trusts in G-d on the other hand, is assured that they will be provided for and that their sustenance will arrive from whatever source G-d wants.

This is stated in Moshe’s parting speech

to the Jewish people after their 40 year travel in the wilderness – [“this journey with its Manna taught you] that it is not on bread that man does live, it is on that which G-d decrees that man lives”.

No options are withheld from G-d. Chovot Halevavot proves this from stories in Tanach, but we in the 21st -century are also aware of totally unexpected job opportunities or gifts that sometimes land on our lap.

The second advantage is that the activities in which the alchemist engaged in, in order to effect the “transmutation” of the materials with which he worked, could possibly put his life in danger, both due to the smoke-filled environment in which he worked and due to the length of time which he committed to his work. One who trusts in G-d can instead be assured that they will be free of mishaps and that whatever comes from G-d is for their best and will be accepted with happiness and tranquillity as King David so famously expressed, “He lies me down on green pastures, leading me by still waters”.

There are another two sets of laws relating to food preparation on Shabbat which will now be addressed.

The first is Memareiach – smoothing out a substance. The laws of Memareiach apply to other activities besides food preparation (such as when using creams, soaps and oils), but in the context of food preparation, it means that one may only spread foods that could theoretically have been eaten without spreading (such as margarine), but it is preferable to only do so for what is needed for the eating activity and not for enhancing the food presentation.

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Using toothpaste on Shabbat is likely prohibited as this also involves Memareiach. Generally speaking, one should avoid brushing teeth on Shabbat and use mouthwash instead.

Another important food-preparation law is that of pickling. The sages forbade this on Shabbat as the salting activity fundamentally changes the taste of the vegetables. One may therefore not salt foods that are typically pickled. A common example of this is cucumbers, which one cannot pour salt on.

The exceptions to this prohibition are: (1) One may salt one slice at a time and eat it. Even then, one may not place salt on it or dip it into salt in order to let it sit, but only to consume it immediately. (2) If one also pours oil or vinegar onto the cucumbers. (3) If the cucumbers are outnumbered in a salad, it is permissible to pour salt on the entire salad – especially if oil is anyway being used.

Other examples of food typically pickled are radish, onion or garlic.

Tomatoes and peppers may have salt poured on them. Even though tomatoes are sometimes pickled, this is usually done prior to their ripening.

Marinating with sugar may involve a similar prohibition; for final rulings consult a competent Rabbi.

FR EE

Last remaining spaces available in our upcoming supplements and special editions over the next few weeks: 3 December: Medical Supplement & Finance Supplement 10 December:

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Vayeitzei

Vayeitzei Word Search

Its time for Yaakov to leave home and get married as his parents have told him and he sets off for Charan. On his way he passes the site of the future Beit Hamikdash and stops to rest. He has a dream about a ladder with angels going up and down. G-d talks to him and tells him amongst other things “I am with you” reassuring him on what is going to be a fraught few decades ahead. Yaakov awakens and pledges to give tithes to G-d and continues to Charan where he meets Rochel who was his cousin. She takes her home to her father Lavan and Yaakov offers to work for Lavan in exchange for getting Rochel as his wife. Lavan tricks Yaakov and gives him Leah instead. Eventually Yaakov also marries Rochel and the 2 maidservants Bilhah and Zilpah. There are eleven boys and one girl born in this week’s Sidra with the youngest boy in next week’s. Yaakov and Lavan discuss what wage Yaakov should receive for his efforts in looking after Lavan’s flock, and Lavan cheats many times so Yaakov performs some wonderful methods to ensure he receives his due earnings. Yaakov takes his family and leaves Lavan’s house on his return journey to the Promised land. Further ups and downs to follow.

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CHARAN • DREAM • LADDER • LAVAN • LEAH • RACHEL • WEDDING • WELL •

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

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Vayeitzei

In a nutshell Parshat Vayeitei opens with Yaakov embarking on a very long journey. He was travelling to Charan at the command of his parents. On his way, he passed the Mount Moriah, the place of the future Beit Hamikdash and he felt that this was no place to pass over. He prayed Maariv, lay down, placed stones around him and rested. He dreamt of a ladder, with angels climbing and going down. He hears Hashem talk to him and telling him that He will protect him and be with him, Yaakov awakens, is surprised to discover how awesome the place is and pledges to give of his bounty to Hashem.

He continues on to Charan, with his journey miraculously cut short. He lands at a well and asks the locals if they have heard of Lavan. “Well, of course we have”, is their reply, “And here is Rochel, his daughter arriving with the cattle.”

He is overwhelmed with happiness to meet his future wife and rolls the large stone off the well. He accompanies Rochel home to Lavan’s house and is

“warmly” welcomed by his uncle. After staying in his uncles house for a while, he is offered to work for pay. He agrees, if the payment is Rochel in marriage.

Lavan agrees, Yaakov then gets to work - for SEVEN YEARS. After seven years there is a grand wedding but Lavan tricked Yaakov and gave him Leah instead!

When Yaakov raised an objection, Lavan said, “In our place we don’t give the younger sister (Rochel) before the older (Leah).” (Well, Lavan, it would have been perhaps more honest had you told us that earlier…)

Lavan then gives Rochel in marriage to Yaakov - in exchange for another seven years of working. He works hard - in all weather conditions. One by one, the members of the first real Jewish “Family” are born at first only to Leah. The first one is named Reuven - Leah explains this is because Hashem saw she was “hated” (i.e. loved less than Rochel). Then she has Shimon, then Levi and then Yehuda. Rochel is pained that she has not been blessed with children and gives

Word Wheel

Use this area to write the words you have found.

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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.

her maidservant Bilhah, in marriage to Yaakov. She gives birth to Dan and then Naftali. Leah then gives her maidservant Zilpah, who gives birth to Gad and Asher. After that, Leah gives birth to two more boys, Yissachar and Zevulun and a girl, Dinah.

Yaakov then works more for Lavan, intending to be paid. Lavan tricks him again and avoid paying him.

Lavan and Yaakov agree that a certain type and stripe of sheep will belong to Yaakov, and, Yaakov carries out methods to achieve many of those being born.

(Lavan deserved to be treated like this as he was very cunning) This success naturally led to the other children of Lavan resenting Yaakov and it was time for Yaakov to leave Yaakov then takes his wife and family and heads back to the Land of Cana’an. More surprises await him in the next Sidra, when big brother Esav comes out to greet him...

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Last week’s words: Here are some words you may have found from last week - you may have found more! age ale are ate ear eat era gel get hen

her leg let lie net tea ten the tie earn

gate gear glen hale hare hate heal hear heat heir

hire lane late lean lent lien line lire near neat

rage rate real rein rent rile tale tare teal tear

then tier tile tire agent agile alert alien alter angel

anger angle earth eight glare glean grate great hater heart

hinge inert inlet irate large later lathe leant learn legit

liner lithe litre neigh nitre range regal reign relit renal

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their thine tiger tiler tinge angler anther antler argent earing

eating entail gainer gaiter garnet gather genial hailer halite hanger

inhale lather learnt length linage linear linger regain rental retail

retain retial retina tangle tingle granite hairnet healing hearing heating

ingrate inhaler lighten lighter realign reliant relight retinal ringlet tagline

tearing alerting altering ingather integral relating triangle earthling haltering lathering

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Q: What time is it when the clock strikes 13?

A: Time to get a new clock!

Q: Why did the kid bring a ladder to school?

A: Because she wanted to go to high school!

(Answers at the bottom of page upside down)

1. Imagine you’re in a room that is filling with water. There are no windows or doors. How do you get out?

3. There is a rooster sitting on top of a barn.

If it laid an egg, which way would it roll?

Q: Why are false teeth like stars?

A: They come out at night!

Q: How do you know when there’s an elephant in your fridge?

A: Footprints in the butter.

2. You walk into a room which contains a match, a kerosene lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. What would you light first??

3) Roosters don’t lay eggs.

1. Stop imagining!

2) The match.

1. Big fish in a small pond 4. Tennis shoes 2. Back rub 5. Long time no see 3. Two left feet 6. Red in the face

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Lampard vs Mourinho in Sixteen-goal Lions Premier ‘match of the weekend’

rout Scrabble in Cup

BY DAVID SAFFER

Premier League co-leaders Tottenham Hotspur face Chelsea in the ‘match of the weekend’ on Sunday at Stamford Bridge (4.30pm).

Jose Mourinho returns to his former club where Blues boss Frank Lampard was among

BY DAVID SAFFER a host of star players. Lampard has enormous respect for his former that will Reiss Mogilner scoredmanager six goalsbut as Maccabi mean nothing when his side takes on London Lions thumped Scrabble A Mourin the inho’s talented team. second round of the Cyril Anekstein Cup. Tottenham developing into up a atough Th e Premierare League side racked 16-0 outfit to crack as they demonstrated with win with Daniel Green and Michael Kenley a 2-0 bagging triumphaagainst Manchester City Dalast both hat-trick.

Ed Brafman, weekend, a fourth successive leaguecompletwin. vid Dinkin, and Adam Hassanali over willofbea tie. a huge stateedVictory the rout in aChelsea mismatch ment in this season’s title race.

Lions could have scored in the opening Mourinho his opened teams’ the top minute of theplayed clash down but soon spot status alongside defending champions scoring and led 9-0 by half time.

Liverpool in post-match interviews but outthat The Division One team, though will not stop fansaway dreaming a first domestic classed, battled to theofend. crown famous double Lionssince bossBill wasNicholson’s lost for words at full time team of the 1960/61. such was the display from his team who Mourinho told BBC “We are not gave every respect to theSport, opposition. fighting for the title, we are just fighting to win “I’m not really sure there’s anything to everywe match. ” say, are happy to make it through to the A Mourinho tactical accountnext round of the cup,”masterclass he commented. edHendon for Pep Guardiol’s City.

United Sports ran out 3-1 victors After Tanguy susagainst League Ndombeles One outfit split NorthCity’s London pect defence open for Son Heung-min to fire Raiders. home inside five minutes, City enjoyed posThe Premier side led early in the second session and to have equalised half only forlooked Raiders to equalise butthrough struck Aymeric to be deniedinby VAR two late Laporte goals toonly book a place round for a handball by Gabriel Jesus.

Mourinho three of the competition. switched Giovani lo Celso Ndombele Hendon now turn theirfor attentions to and the his 65th-minute substitute immediately dou-a league as they travel to Oakwood A for bled thetop leadofwith fine finish a Kane crucial theatable clashfrom on Sunday pass.

(10am).

City have slippedteam to midtable points Daniel Kristall’s stunnedeight the league adrift of the top, which is a mighty chasm, buta leaders last month when they won 2-0, do have a match in hand although these are victory would move them to within a point worrying times. of Hendon with a match in hand.

Injury-hit Liverpool dashed Leicester City’s Elsewhere in the latest round of fixtures, hopes of going top with a stellar display 10-man North London Galaxy made it ata Anfield. Klopp’s sideinare key players three-way title race theshorn only of Division One but proved too strong for former Reds boss clash of the day after defeating Oakwood B. Brendon Rogers’saw team.

Jamie Murray red early on but Galaxy Liverpool the Josh scoring withand a Jonrallied with opened goals from Cohen Jany Evans own goal, Diogo Jota doubled the cob Leigh to record an important 2-1 away lead from an Andrew Robertson’s cross for win. a Galaxy 2-0 interval lead. The hosts head Redbridge Jewishdominated Care A in the second half, Roberto Firmino Sadio the table by just one point after 10and matches, Mane hit the woodwork and Foxes’ ‘keeper third place Fairlop FC are five points beKasper Schmeichel kept the score down but hind with two games in hand. heRafi couldn’t stop Firmino four minutes from Bloom scored for Oakwood. time.

“It was a fantastic performance in a

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho takes his co-leaders to Frank Lampard’s Chelsea on Sunday

The Reds win established a club record 64 league home games unbeaten, breaking Dalglish et al’s marker (February 1978 - January 1981) set when legendary keeper Ray Clemence, who passed away earlier this month, was in his pomp. Clemence’s final game for Liverpool was the 1981 European Cup final triumph against Real Madrid before becoming a legend for Tottenham.

Chelsea enjoyed a comfortable win on Tyneside against Steve Bruce’s side.

Ben Chilwell pressured Federico Fernandez into an own goal before Tammy Abraham struck clinical finish but more 16-goal Maccabiwith LondonaLions impressively this was six clean sheets in seven matches forgame, Lampard’s team. Chelsea’s must-win ” commented Galaxy solidplayity has been the most impressive side to their er-manager Luke Lewis. game weeks after shipping “We in satrecent back and allowed Oakwoodgoals the early in the campaign.

The win would have ball, given the one-man advantage and been more decisive hadthe Newcastle looked to hit them on counter keeper attack Karl Darlow not denied Timo Werner and an with pace.

Abraham header.

Mount alsothe wentright-hand close and “Both goals came down Werner hadcrossed a goal disallowed for offside. side.

Leigh the first one into Cohen is moving in the right direction. toLampard finish, before slotting home himself.

Up He is a winner and building a team that could to first we go.” soon the top Thechallenge DivisionforTwo titleprizes. race also took Southampton blew an opportunity to move a twist with league leaders Herstwood into third place following a share of the spoils Vale going down to a 2-1 defeat at Temple with Wolves at Molineux in the Monday night Fortune. clash.

Faithfold B have played a game more Theo Walcott appeared have struck than Vale but moved leveltowith a 5-3 winthe at winner only for Pedro Neto to slot home a North London Raiders Masters. second half effort.

Saints have been the surJacob Kalms struck twice for Fortune who prise team this season are just outside scored through leadingand scorer James Milthe top his four17th so they willthe rue not seeing out letwith goal of season. theThgame.

Wolves Nuno Espirito Santos e result was boss all the more remarkable though will be delighted how his team battled as Temple were down to 11 players with back. Ben Rebuck dislocating a shoulder ‘keeper Villaup. went down to a costly third sucinAston the warm cessive home againstwin lowlygiven Brighton “This was defeat a fantastic the

PHOTOS: WIKIMEDIA

in a game that had a dramatic conclusion.

Danny Welbeck’s solo effort had given the visitors a first half lead only for Dean Smith’s team to hit back straight after the resumption through Ezri Konsa. The visitors edged ahead when Solly March curled home a wonderful goal in stoppage time but Brighton celebrations were cut short when Tariq Lamptey was sent off for a second bookable offence. And then they looked to be dashed when referee Michael Oliver awarded a penalty for a foul by March on Trezeguet. But Oliver changed his mind after viewing the pitchside monitor.

Brighton’s first victory in two months was soon confirmed but Smith could not believe the spot kick was turned down. He might feel hard done by, but managers, players, fans and pundits have been calling for referee’s to take ownership of critical decisions, which they were not doing last season, instead relying on VAR operators elsewhere. Now referees are and should be applauded for it.

VAR was at the centre of a twice-taken spot kick that proved the crucial moment as Manchester United secured a first home Premier League” victory the season at Old circumstances, said of delighted Fortune Trafford. boss Simon Linden.

West Brom SamofJohnstone had kept “We had akeeper number players out, Rehis former club at bay, and saved Fernandes’ buck got injured, so I couldn’t have asked first more effort, from but he could not stop Bruno Ferany the players.

We wish Ben a nandes’ second attempt to ultimately claim speedy recovery. the“Itspoils. was a proper old school performance, got the correct and despite a resoweVAR battled andcall defended for the 90 minutes lute performance, the Baggies are still searchand took our chances.

Experience proved ingbe forthe a first league remain in will the to winner.

It’s win a bigand win, one we relegation spots courtesy of three draws. enjoy and we hope to build on it in 2019.”

Ole added, Gunnar“Th Solskjaer’s team are City He is win marks 50 above years as a in the table. football club and will be one Nigel Kyte and Dominic Calvert-Lewin bagged a brace everyone associated with the club from day

as Everton bounced back to winning ways against fourth-bottom Fulham.

Richarlison set up Calvert-Lewin to poach a goal from close range on 42 seconds then notched his 10th of the season from Lucas Digne’s cross just before the half hour after Bobby Decordova-Reid had equalised for the hosts.

Abdoulaye Doucoure nodded in Everton’s third, his first for the club soon after to restore a two-goal cushion, which proved enough in spite of substitute Loftus-Cheek’s deflected effort on 70 minutes.

The result was important for Carlo Ancelloti whose team had lost three successive games since a 2-2 draw in the Merseyside derby last month.

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds wasted a great opportunity to move up the table against Arsenal at Elland Road.

After consecutive 4-1 defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester, Leeds bossed the first half against Gunners but failed to provide a cutting edge in front of goal. They also faced 10 men after referee Anthony Taylor dismissed Arsenal striker Nicolas Pepe for a 51st minute headbutt on Ezgjan Alioski.

Despite the numerical advantage Leeds were unable to breach a packed Arsenal defence although Rodrigo, Patrick PHOTO:Bamford DAVID SAFFER and Raphinha all hit the woodwork.

It took the visitors an hour to hit a shot on target through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Leeds were indebted to ‘keeper Illan Meslier for a smart save late on from Bukayo Saka but an Arsenal win would have been unjust on the hosts whose only draws have been at home to Manchester City and Arsenal, which shows how far Bielsa has actually taken this team since their lockdown promotion.

Burnley are out of the relegation zone with aone 1-0will over Crystal Palace. The Clarets won enjoy. ” courtesy of Chris Wood’s eighth-minute Vale boss Jacob Emanuel was quick to strike.Rebuck well following his injury. wish Johannand Gudmundsson hit the crossbar “First most importantly, everyonebut at the hosts deserved the win to move above Vale would like to wish the Fortune ‘keeper West Brom United, aFulham, quick recovery, we and hopeSheffield to see him back who lost for an eighth time in nine encounon the football pitch as soon as possible,” he ters, six defeats have been by one goal, this said. time won throughcommented, a wonderful As to forWest the Ham defeat, Emanuel Sebastien Haller’s second half strike.

“It doesn’t matter how big a squad you Brighton arenever five account points clear of the have, you can for unavailbottom four clubs, the Blades have the ability or injury. Only five of today’s team joint-lowest points total at this stage of played in our recent win over FC Team, aa Premier season. lack of togetherness and poor individual

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

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Playing their part in the beautiful game At a time when there is a huge media spotlight on the football experiences of black players, coaches and officials and the emergence of Black Lives Matter, the active involvement of the Jewish community in UK football is often overlooked.

Leading lawyer and life-long Chelsea fan, Jonathan Metliss, chairman of Action Against Discrimination (AAD), lists the massive Jewish contribution to the game.

The Jewish Weekly is going to highlight this contribution over the coming weeks and especially the lack of action when it comes to anti-Semitism in the sport.

Part 2: Players, leagues, administrators and professionals Jewish involvement in football goes far deeper than owning and running football clubs.

On the playing front, early Jewish footballers included Louis Bookman (Bradford City, West Brom, Luton and Port Vale) and Harry (Abe) Morris (Fulham, Brentford, Millwall, Swansea and Swindon). Mark Lazarus was a well-known winger in the 1960’s at Leyton Orient and QPR, where he won the Football League Cup, Bobby Fisher (nephew of Mark Lazarus), Leyton Orient, Cambridge United and Brentford), Dave Metchick played for Fulham, Leyton Orient and QPR, Les Goldberg (Gaunt) played for Leeds United and Reading, Vinny Samways (An FA Cup winner with Tottenham Hotspur before spells with Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers), Len Julians (possibly) Leyton Orient, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Millwall, Mike Edelson (Oldham Athletic, Stoke City), David Pleat was a winger with Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, Shrewsbury Town, Exeter City and Peterborough United, then manager at Luton and Spurs and, more recently, a BBC commentator and, in the non-league, David and Arthur Bloom (Worthing).

Alf Ackerman played for Clyde, Hull City, Norwich City, Derby County, Carlisle United and Millwall in the 1950’s, Ron Heckman (possibly) Leyton Orient, Millwall and Crystal Palace (1950’s) and Micky Dulin, Spurs (1950’s).

Miles Spector, played for Hendon and Chelsea, Micky Block at Chelsea, Barry Silkman at Manchester City and Crystal Palace, Edgar Davids (Spurs, Crystal

Palace and Barnet) and Itay Cohen (Bolton). Dean Furman plays for Carlisle, having started his career at Chelsea, and our good friend Rabbi Jonny Hughes, of Radlett Synagogue, played for Swindon Town and Reading. It was surprising to discover that Tottenham legend Steve Perryman, who also played for Exeter City, was a non-practising Jew and David Beckham’s paternal grandfather was Jewish. It is rumoured Peter Lorimer, the famous Leeds United and Scotland player, converted to Judaism to enable him to play for Hapoel Haifa in Israel in the mid-1980’s. Interestingly, George Cohen of Fulham is not Jewish despite his name.

In addition, there have been numer-

Luzon (Charlton), whilst Avram Grant was a distinguished manager in the 2008 period with Chelsea, West Ham and Portsmouth.

Portsmouth was, for some time, under the ownership of the Israeli Gaydamak family.

Joe Jacobson was on the AAD panel at its very successful event held at the JW3 Centre in the Finchley Road, NW3 in October 2016.

Ironically, and sadly, hard core Chelsea supporters were always quick to shout “Yid” or “Yiddo” at any player in the opposing team that had previously played for Tottenham.

Of particular note is the formation of Jewish football club Wingate (named after heroic World War II army commander Orde Wingate), which merged with Finchley FC in 1991 and today plays at the Harry Abrahams Stadium as Wingate & Finchley in the Isthmian League Premier Division.

There are active Jewish football leagues, including the Maccabi GB Southern Football League (for men), Maccabi Primary League (for youth) and Maccabi Masters League (35+).

There is also London Maccabi Lions, a club which comprises of more than 40 sides, from youth to seniors, the men’s team of which competes in the preliminary qualifying rounds of the FA Cup, together with prestigious non-league trophies, including the FA Vase and FA Trophy. The Manchester Jewish Soccer League has been well supported for many years.

And there have been numerous Jewish administrators and officials in the game.

Lord Triesman and David Bernstein were chairman of the FA, Peter Leaver, Premier League CEO (1997-99), David Dein, Arsenal and the FA, Simon Johnson, at the Premier League and the FA, who was the COO of England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup, Jack Dunnett, chairman of Brentford and Notts County and Football League chairman, Clifford Barclay, chairman of the Football Foundation, Keith Wiseman (FA

It is rumoured Peter Lorimer, the famous Leeds United and Scotland player, converted to Judaism to enable him to play for Hapoel Haifa in Israel in the mid-1980’s. ous Israeli footballers floating around: Ronny Rosenthal, (Liverpool, Spurs and Watford), Eyal Berkovic (West Ham, Manchester City and Celtic), Avi Cohen (Liverpool), his son Itay (Bolton Wanderers) and, most recently, Yossi Benayoun (West Ham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool), Tal Ben Haim (Chelsea, Man City, West Ham, Bolton and Portsmouth), Ben Sahar (Chelsea and Portsmouth), Tomer Hemed (Brighton, QPR and Charlton), Nir Bitton (Celtic), while Mordechai Spiegler played two friendlies for West Ham (1970). Ofir Meir Marciano is the current Hibernian goalkeeper. On the managerial front, Guy

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chairman), Gary Linke (Football League), Brian Wolfson and Jarvis Astaire (Wembley PLC). Irving Scholar (Spurs), David Dein (Arsenal), David Kohler (Luton Town) and Alex Fynn were actively involved in the formation of the Premier League in May 1992.

David Dein was also involved in the formation of Kick Racism Out Of Football (Kick It Out) in 1993. Philip Lewis is a former chairman of Sport England and Brian Winston (Leyton Orient) and Dr Clifford Grossmark (Gillingham) were both FA and Football League officials.

The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, who is Jewish, and who produced the Taylor Report, the blueprint for all-seater stadiums in the future.

The Jewish medical contribution to the game has been strong – for example, Dr David Eppel (Millwall), Alan Harris, Liverpool FC dentist, and Dr Gerald Dymond, Chelsea’s first club doctor and the first for any English football club, and his nephew, Dr Duncan Dymond, who is consultant cardiologist to Chelsea.

Then, there are the leading agents: Jonathan Barnett (Stellar), John and Phil Smith (First Artist), the Israeli Pini Zahavi, the late Eric Hall (of Bubula fame), Leon Angel (Base Soccer) and Jerome Anderson (Sport Entertainment and Media Group), Ronny Rosenthal as well as Darren Dein, son of David.

Jonathan Metliss is Chairman at Axiom Stone Solicitors.

One of the City’s most distinguished corporate finance lawyers, being a founder partner of SJ Berwin, he was involved in two takeovers of Tottenham Hotspur FC, the acquisition of Adidas and other major sports-related transactions. A life-long Chelsea fan, Jonathan was on the advisory group to Kick it Out before establishing Action Against Discrimination which focuses on racism in football including anti-Semitism.

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