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27 July 2017/ 4 AV 5777

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WAVE OF ANGER CONTINUES 27 July 2017/ 4 AV 5777

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SMARTPHONE AWARENESS EVENING DRAWS LARGE CROWD

BY JAMES MARLOW

Despite Israeli authorities dismantling the metal detectors at the entrance to Temple Mount, the wave of anger from the Arab world has continued, with Terror groups Hamas and Fatah both calling for this Friday to be another ‘day of rage.’

Fatah youth group Shabiba called on Palestinians to remain “steadfast” in the defence of Jerusalem, and The Tanzim, an armed militia affiliated with Fatah, have been organising mass demonstrations throughout Jerusalem and the West Bank.

This is in addition to widespread riots amongst many radical Palestinians, who claim Israel have violated the status quo in the holy site. However some Palestinians were not bothered by the new security procedures until they were threatened by the Muslim Waqf and told not to enter the holy site.

The security cabinet says the detectors and cameras will be replaced with smart, less

BY MELANIE SINCLAIR

The metal detectors at Temple Mount before they were removed

obtrusive, surveillance methods which could mean they will simply be removed to just outside the Lions’ Gate rather than around the Temple Mount area.

Israel installed metal detectors at entry points to the Al-Aksa Mosque compound after two

Wishing all our readers a relaxing summer holiday.

Our next issue will be out on Thursday 31 August.

PHOTO CREDIT:BICOM

police officers were fatally shot on 14 July.

Journalists from the Reuters news agency said they saw municipal workers installing metal beams above some of the narrow stone paved streets in the old city for closed circuit TV

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cameras. Israeli media said there were plans to invest in advanced camera systems whilst the cabinet statement said it had allocated 100 million shekels (about £20 million) for the equipment CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: FORMER US PRESIDENT STEPHEN PACK P4

Over 400 people attended Ner Yisrael Synagogue on Tuesday to hear a fantastic set of speakers on the subject of technology and teens organised by JPEN. The meeting was honoured with the presence of Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu who came to show his support.

Dr Andrea Whyte, presenting the speakers on behalf of JPEN, opened proceedings by speaking to parents and educators.

She remarked that we have to “understand the technology that children have in their pocket” and that we are collectively “taking responsibility to move forward.”

Following this, Rabbi Kimche, Shul Rabbi and a well-respected authority in the NW London community, gave a note of welcome and introduced the evening by talking about the challenges which we face and the influence that phones are having on us and our children. He stated that technology is “equally a problem for adults,” however it is much more acute for youngsters and “the dangers are massive.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PARSHAT DEVARIM STARTS LONDON 20:39 MANCHESTER 20:53 LEEDS 19:35 LIVERPOOL 20:56 BOURNEMOUTH 20:40 SHABBAT CHAZON

32 HATTON GARDEN, LONDON, EC1N 8DL

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2 NEWS

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Turkish Muslims attack synagogue

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wasted no time in rallying his hard-line support, telling the people that Israel is preventing Muslims from praying at the Al Aqsa mosque and that it must be punished.

Dozens of supporters of Erdogan then headed to the Neve Shalom synagogue in Istanbul last week, throwing rocks at its outside whilst kicking its large wooden doors. Two demonstrators climbed up the building and hung signs which contained pictures of the Dome of the Rock.

Outside, a local leader of the Great Union Party, Korsat Michan, accused Israel of “harassing our Palestinian brothers and damaging their freedom of worship.”

After the protesters shouted: “If you do not let us enter our holy place, we will not let you enter your holy place,” Michan said: “Either the Zionists get a grip, or we will come back here again.”

The Jewish community was stunned that the police patrol car—which regularly protected the synagogue as it is a target for terror attacks—had left the area

shortly before the demonstration started.

On Shabbat, the ancient 15th century Ahrida synagogue in Balat, Istanbul was also attacked.

As in the first case, the police car also left before the demonstration began, and the demonstrators charged the synagogue, blocking entry and chanting anti-Israel slogans.

The fact that the police left the area in both cases may indicate that the demonstrations were held with the quiet consent of the authorities.

Members of the Jewish community called upon the Turkish Prime Minister and Interior Minister to put an end to the phenomenon.

The community then issued an official statement demanding that the authorities stop the attacks against it.

Those behind the attacks are religious nationalists linked to the Great Union Party (BBP), an extreme right-wing party which is not officially affiliated with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party but is ideologically linked to it.

BBP leader Mustafa Tsesti referred to the “persecution,” the “attacks,” the “occupation” and the “massacre,” carried out by the State of Israel and saying that its government should be condemned. But he added that the citizens of Turkey “must avoid harming our Jewish citizens and their holy places, as they are the descendants of Muhammad the Conqueror, who promised the freedom of worship to all.”

Jewish journalists who write in the community newspaper, Shalom, tweeted that it is permissible to criticize the policies of any country, but the expression of the protest cannot be against prayer houses but against embassies and consulates.

This is the first time that the authorities have apparently allowed demonstrations against synagogues in Turkey and the community sees this as a dangerous precedent.

Commentators have suggested the protests take place against synagogues because they are seen as a branch of Israel in the eyes of Turkish Islamists.

ISIS call to attack UK shuls and kosher stores

BY JW REPORTER Radical Jihadists who support the terror group ISIS have called upon fellow terrorists to immediately attack British synagogues on Shabbat, as well as any kosher shop, deli or restaurant.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which has its think tank headquarters in Washington, uncovered extreme anti-Semitic posts when they infiltrated a telegram messaging system. The disturbing posts described Jews as “apes” and “monkeys” who had to be prevented from attending their places of worship just like “the Jews in Israel are preventing Muslims from praying at their holy sites.”

One disturbing post even boasted how Israeli girls would become “slaves,” whilst another printed a list of British synagogues. The proISIS channel even took a screenshot of the West London Reform Synagogue from the synagogue’s own website.

Further on in the conversation a blood spattered Israeli flag was posted, along with a poem which is too graphic to print.

The Sun newspaper also picked up on the information gathered

by MEMRI, pointing out that a list of kosher shops and delis was displayed on the page, including those in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Gateshead, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

In February, ISIS terrorists used

telegrams to call on their supporters to terrorise Jewish communities in the West, singling out the UK.

Ahrida synagogue

The news media in Turkey is extremely hostile towards Israel and in particular when it discusses the Temple Mount. It has even been suggested by news networks in Turkey that the attack in which two Israeli policemen were murdered is a conspiracy theory presented in order to suppress the freedom of worship of the Palestinians.

Earlier this week, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim condemned the attacks against the synagogues and said it was not the behaviour of true Muslims.

He called on the citizens of Turkey to show self-control, to show responsibility and not to violate the right of worship of fellow citizens of the Jewish minority with

Board of Deputies condemns ‘depraved’ murders

BY JAMES MARLOW Board of Deputies of British Jews President Jonathan Arkush has reacted to the brutal terrorist of an Israeli family on Friday night.

Mr Arkush said: “The Board of Deputies utterly condemns the depraved murders of Yosef, Chaya and Elad Salomon, as they celebrated the Sabbath and the birth of a new grandchild in Halamish.

Such a terrorist attack must be universally abhorred and the Palestinian leadership should be leading the chorus of condemnation, not inciting violence with ‘days of rage’.

“We have watched with grave concern the growing violence which began with the terrorist murders of two Israeli Druze police officers at the Temple Mount

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whom they have coexisted for hundreds of years.

Earlier Erdogan condemned Israel’s “excessive force” in suppressing the demonstrations in protest against the placement of the metal detectors, calling the four Palestinians killed in the riots “martyrs.”

But the Turkish President refused to condemn the murder of the policemen on the Temple Mount, calling the attack “an incident.”

Reports say members of the Jewish community are extremely concerned and many have said they plan to stay away from the synagogues until the tension has died down.

just over a week ago on Friday 14 July.

“Since then, violent clashes have claimed a number of lives.

The leadership of the Palestinian Authority must demand that Palestinians step back from the brink of worse violence, which will hurt many and help none.

“The question of managing security and access at Jerusalem’s holy places needs to be dealt with using great sensitivity and pragmatic dialogue. Israel, Jordan and the Muslim world need to consider ways of making visiting the Temple Mount safe but simple, in a similar way to the security measures around the Western Wall. We urge all parties to negotiate these issues in good faith and to ensure that harmful rhetoric is avoided.”

WHAT’S INSIDE THIS WEEK 01 Home News 04 Interview 06 Israel News 08 News 14 Judaism 19 Charity Supplement 35 Business 36 Kids

40 Youth 44 Women 46 Parenting 47 Music 48 Food 49 Travel 50 Comedy 51 Sports

27 JULY 2017

Labour councillors attacked and abused by their own people Extreme hard left mostly Labour activists, some of whom are from the Momentum group which is loyal to party leader Jeremy Corbyn, verbally abused Haringey Labour councillors this week during a debate and vote.

The motion being discussed was whether to support and adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism which is now recognised by the government.

Video taken from the Monday night debate and now available online showed a large group of radicals in the gallery threatening councillors if they supported the motion.

One Labour councillor who stood up to speak said this was a motion on antisemitism, as she was shouted down by thugs in the gallery.

The gallery group had gathered at the council meeting after receiving a Facebook invitation to shout down any debate or vote on the matter unless it refused to adopt the motion.

It was later revealed that Haringey Momentum joined

NEWS 3

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with Haringey Justice for Palestinians to do what they could to oppose the adoption of the guidelines on antisemitism.

The Momentum group was approached and asked to comment on the behaviour of some of its members ,but a spokesperson said that the protest was not backed by the main office and may have been just a local decision to oppose the guidelines.

Despite the protests, councillors voted to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, although some Labour councillors were opposed to it.

Haringey Council is made up of forty-nine Labour councillors and eight Liberal Democrats.

It is likely that Momentum and other hard left activists will target other councils in London and across the country in the coming months, raising the question again about how much antisemitism is within the Labour party and its members.

JPEN Launches its parental empowerment campaign with a bang CONTNUED FROM PAGE 1 Following on from his words of wisdom, Rabbi Howard Cohen, Assistant Headteacher at Hasmonean, gave an impassioned talk about the impact that smartphones can have on students and their peers. He noted how over the years things have really developed and that children “don’t hold conversations anymore” and that “mobile phones is one of the biggest things of social exclusion.” He spoke about the facelessness of sending harsh messages via social media, which have an enormous negative impact on others. The perpetrator may not even realise the harm being

Rabbi Yakov Horowitz

done, but that is the reality he faces each day in school. He said “I am not convinced that having a phone makes people safer, but makes them more of a target.” He encouraged parents not to buy a smartphone for their child, nevertheless he understands their predicament.

Child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Olivia Fiertag was the next orator, telling the audience of the effect that technology can have on the minds and well-being of teenagers and the things to look out for if you think that your child is in danger.

Mr Zalman Roth of TAG gave a superb synopsis of safety, filtering, monitoring and available resources, giving a very humorous, yet powerful message on how to combat or work with the combined talents of NW London’s finest teenage whizz-kids.

He stated: “We must keep in mind that filters are very much necessary but not enough of a protection,” and that parents must do all they can to guide and protect their children.

Enter the keynote speaker, Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, a world-renowned educator and author from the USA. As founder of the CJFL and Project Yes, he spoke on the subject of ‘Postpone, Prepare and Protect’. He expressed it with wit, understanding, passion and, above all, empathy for the parents and empathy

for the children. He said that parents “should encourage children to turn their phones off at dinner time” and he insisted that parents should know how to interact with their child and create a relationship based on love and trust and not just on fear. He gave the theory, the practical advice and the anecdotes to back up all that he told the enthralled audience.

The evening ended with a Q & A session which would have threatened to go on all through the night, if not for the time constraints upon the assembly.

Look out for more ideas, events and information from JPEN in the very near future.

The large crowd PHOTO CREDITS: MERON PERSEY

Anti-Israel mob attack pro-Israel supporters

BY JAMES MARLOW There was outrage as some 500 pro-Palestinian demonstrators, some with Hezbollah flags, attacked just ten Israel supporters outside the Israeli Embassy in London’s Kensington High Street last Saturday. Whilst their Israel flags were snatched and burnt on the street in front of the frenzied crowd, the few police officers assigned to protect the peace frantically ushered the small group behind the large black gates of the Israeli Embassy for their own protection.

Video taken at the scene showed a handful of police officers were struggling to contain the situation.

There were no other police officers available to assist their colleagues, which raises the question, how is it possible that this type of violent demonstration can be allowed to go ahead without the necessary security procedures in place? In fact,

it was such a success that a known Hamas figure in Gaza tweeted his support for the London demonstration, thanking them for their support.

The hastily arranged “Emergency Protest” was organized by the Association of the Palestinian Community in the UK. In its flyer it claimed: “Israel has closed the Al Aqsa mosque and imposed tight security checks on worshippers in the old city of Jerusalem as part of its plans to seize Muslim and Christian holy places.”

The reality is that the mosque was never closed by Israel. Rather the Muslim Waqf had bullied mainstream Palestinian Muslim worshippers not to enter the holy area because Israel had set up metal detectors after an attack a few days earlier in which two Israeli policemen were killed. Video clearly showed that three Palestinians and an accomplice smuggled a bag of firearms and knives into

the Al Aqsa mosque, which were used a short time later in the terror attack.

Shadman Zaman, who was at the demonstration last Saturday, was quick to point out that he is the first Bangladeshi national to have travelled to Israel and received a visa stamp in his passport. In doing so, he was refused entry back into Bangladesh where his family is based and now resides in London as an NHS doctor.

“I believe we have a duty to stand up for the only democracy in the Middle East, which is being blamed for almost everything that happens,” he told The Jewish Weekly.

As the rain fell, anti-Israel protesters moved in and began shouting and pushing Shadman and others around him. The police tried in vain to push back the crowds as one protestor snatched an Israeli flag, ran up the road and set it on fire in front of cheering crowds.

THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

Other Israeli flags were then taken and trampled on to the cries of “Allahu Akbar.”

Mr Zaman said: “We were there to make a vigil in memory of those family members murdered the night before whilst eating Shabbat Friday night dinner at their home in Halamish. If we don’t do it, no one else will.” Referring to why he chose to come out onto the streets with Israeli flags he said: “I will also stand up for what is right and what I believe in.”

The shocking scenes on Kensington High Street saw shoppers and tourists running for safety as Hezbollah, Palestinian and Turkish flags were all flying high on poles.

The Jewish Weekly contacted the Home Office and the Mayor’s Office several times for comment, listing some questions, but in both cases there was no response.

Hendon MP Mathew Offord offered his support by saying he was

appalled by the scenes he viewed from video taken outside the Israeli Embassy on Saturday.

He commented on the Hezbollah flags that were once again being allowed to be flown in public and said: “I have consistently pressed the Government to proscribe Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, but regret I have not received a promising response.”

Mr Offord called upon the Government to allow the police to take criminal action against those who publicly display the Hezbollah flag that “emboldens some individuals to push the letter of the law as far as they can and this sometimes results in unacceptable violence.”

Embassy staff were not present since it was Shabbat, but spokesman Yiftach Curiel said: “The protest was a sickening display of support for terror.” When asked further questions he replied that he was not able to comment any further at this stage.

4 INTERVIEW

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Stephen Pack - an exclusive interview Isaac Sherman speaks with former United Synagogue President Stephen Pack, to look back on six years at the helm of one of the biggest shul bodies in the world, to get his perspective on current events, and to find out what his future plans are.

The bakery is packed on a busy Friday morning, with everyone carefully selecting the freshest looking challahs for Shabbat. However, for once on a Friday, I have a different agenda in mind.

I sip my coffee, sitting opposite former US president Stephen Pack.

I am relishing the chance to gain a small insight into the mindset of a truly remarkable individual. After exchanging pleasantries with Stephen, and of course with half the shop who all seem to know him, he’s ready and we dive right in.

Stephen headed the committee that appointed Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and I start by asking him what it’s like to appoint a Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, as there have only been ten people who have been tasked with the job previously.

“We interviewed many candidates,” he tells me. “We had people

from far and wide, not just British Rabbis. But we found the best man for the job and that was simply what we were looking for. He has clearly proven in the last few years that he is the undisputed leader of Anglo Jewry.

“He has made the effort to visit synagogues across the commonwealth, with shuls across the globe featuring in his well-stamped passport.”

Stephen tells me that “the way the Chief Rabbi handled the recent Rabbi Dweck affair was amazing.

At first, when trouble began to brew, we decided to leave it to the S&P to deal with, as we felt it was under their banner and not ours.

However, as the furore grew each day, it quickly became very clear that there was only one man in the entire world that could sort it out and that was Rabbi Mirvis.

The most important thing is peace, and after the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel wrote to him on 29th June asking him to resolve the issues in a manner he deems appropriate, that was exactly what unfolded. It took a few weeks and the press enjoyed all the hype surrounding the difficult situation, but he got it right and allowed all parties to save face and move on.”

Not many people can claim to have worked closely with two Chief Rabbis, and President of the US is a unique position. I enquire what his current relationships with Rabbi Sacks is like and he replies that he is still on “hugging terms.”

Stephen tells me that the more Rabbi Sacks travels, the more he sees just how much the United Synagogue model is envied around the world.

“Our model is uniquely special.

Because all the shuls are tied together under one influence, a central body of trustees that supports all the Rabbis, Cantors and various other professionals, everyone buys in to the same system and follows the lead coming out of head office and the Court of the Chief Rabbi.

Our London Beth Din Dayanim are amazing individuals, who are extremely well grounded and conduct Halacha in the most applicable way possible to appeal to the masses.

Of course they cannot ignore Torah law and certain occasions demand stringency, yet wherever they can be flexible, or push the boundary out within the letter of Jewish law, they do.

“An excellent example of this is the recent news that Warburtons has become kosher, joining the

THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

likes of Hovis and Kingsmill, in allowing Jews the widest possible range of kosher food. In fact, KLBD do road shows to show their products and any interested synagogue, organisation or individual can enquire by filling out a form on their website www.kosher.org.uk” Talking about the Beth Din and boundaries leads me on to my next question. People sometimes claim that the United Synagogue leans too far to the left regarding Halachic boundaries and I ask Stephen what his response would be to this claim.

“The US has always held by its core values, namely authentic Orthodox Judaism, being inclusive and providing a popular environment for all ages. Our authenticity is the fact the we provide synagogues where people feel comfortable to join and attend. Most of our members would classify themselves as traditional Jews, who wouldn’t feel comfortable anywhere else.

So in answer to the question, we welcome everyone because it is the right thing to do. We don’t turn Jews away. Of course, we have to be more accepting than “frummer” shuls, or we will lose many Jews to assimilation, like we have sadly seen in America, where an estimated 20 million Jews have been lost to assimilation since the Holocaust. The Chief Rabbi has his red line which we will never cross, but within that line all are welcome.”

I wonder aloud if the United Synagogue is perhaps a victim of its own success, with people growing religiously due to the influence of the US programmes and then becoming more affiliated with “the right” and ultimately moving on from the United Synagogue.

Stephen reassures me this is not a problem.

“We have recently welcomed shuls such as Magen Avot and Ahavas Yisrael, so clearly we are providing for the right as well.

Every Jew and shul can potentially become a part of the US if they want, no matter where they place themselves. Even within each individual synagogue, we have different options for different people, with some preferring the quicker, happy-clappy services, others opting for the earlier Haskamah services and many still loyal to the traditional 9.15 main shul service, so as you can see, we provide for everyone.”

The rest of our time sees us discuss various issues, such as the recent strategic review. Stephen says that despite the numbers showing a

Stephen Pack

drop in shul attendance, the “real” numbers show an improvement under his leadership. In his opinion, the JPR report painted a great picture for the media, but in actual fact the US is not haemorrhaging at all; on the contrary, it is extremely healthy. The total number of Jewish households has dropped 20% in the last thirty years, down from 340,000 to 270,000. Therefore, as a percentage of total households, we have only dropped 7% in the last ten years, a very great achievement given the 13% growth of the strictly Orthodox community.

Several new communities joined the US under Stephen’s leadership, in addition to the two which have already been mentioned. They are Sheffield, Birmingham, Boundry Road and are shortly to be joined

by Mill Hill East and Hatfield. This clearly shows how strong the US is, and how much has been achieved in his term in office.

We cannot end without mention of the fact that behind every great man is an even greater woman, and Stephen glows as he recalls the dedication of his wife Cheryl, who has accompanied him to virtually every single event. In his own words: “I couldn’t have done it without her help and she really deserves a medal! Perhaps a well-deserved slot in the Jewish Weekly’s famed ‘Woman of Worth’ section!”

Before we depart, I felt that I must ask Stephen what his future plans are. After wishing his successor Michael Goldstein the very best of luck in his new role, he tells me that he will enjoy spending more time with his grandchildren, but I am not surprised when he tells me that his intention is to work with several charities, using his experience to help them reach other communities.

So no rest then! Perhaps a nice holiday abroad Stephen? I think you and Cheryl certainly deserve one.

6 ISRAEL NEWS

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

NEWS IN ISRAEL BY JAMES J. MARLOW

FOLLOW JAMES AT TWITTER: @JAMES_J_MARLOW

Tension lowered between Israel and Jordan A day after securing the release of the Israeli guard who was stabbed in Amman, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu met with Embassy staff and Ambassador Einat Schlein in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

The Israeli guard, known simply as “Ziv”, killed two Jordanians after being attacked and stabbed at the embassy in Amman. Immediately following the attack the embassy went on lockdown as Jordanian security officials demanded diplomatic staff hand over the guard for questioning.

“I am happy to see you here and that things ended the way they did. You acted well, calmly, and we also had an obligation to get you out. This was not even a question. It was only a question of time and I am pleased that it was short,” said Netanyahu.

Ziv thanked the Prime Minister for making every effort possible to get him and the other diplomatic staff out of the country in what became a volatile situation.

Ambassador to Jordan, Einat Schlein echoed Ziv's sentiments and said: “It's good to be home.”

Ziv was stabbed in the chest and back by a screwdriver-wielding terrorist near the embassy's residential compound in Amman.

Despite originally demanding to

question Ziv, the Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate (GID) announced that it had completed all investigations into the incident.

According to the GID, an argument ensued between Ziv and Mohammed Zakariya al-Jawawdeh over furniture work that was not completed on time. The 17-yearold Jordanian then stabbed Ziv twice before the Israeli guard managed to shoot him.

In the struggle, the building landlord, a Jordanian physician, was struck with a stray bullet and later succumbed to his wounds.

Sources in both Jordan and Israel suggested the return of the security guard and the delegation to Israel was part of a deal between Netanyahu and King Abdullah, which included the removal of the metal detectors and cameras from the Temple Mount.

Following the release of the guard, members of the Jordanian parliament angrily chided the government and demanded a detailed account of the GID's investigation into the incident. Several thousand Jordanians urged their government to close the Israeli embassy in Amman and scrap the unpopular peace treaty during the funeral of the young Jordanian shot dead by the Israeli security guard.

Five members of an interfaith delegation to Israel, including a reform female rabbi, were prevented from boarding their Lufthansa flight from Washington, DC, because of their activism on behalf of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Last March the Knesset amended the Law of Entry to prevent leaders of the BDS movement from being allowed into Israel. The amendment applies to organizations that take consistent and significant action against Israel through BDS, as well as the leadership and senior activists of those groups.

Lufthansa spokesman Tal Muscal confirmed that the Israeli government would not allow the delegation members to fly to Tel Aviv and pointed out that the airline must obey government requests like these to block passengers from boarding flights.

“We have no information as to why the Israeli government does

not want them to enter. We simply have to abide by the rules and regulations of every country in which we operate,” Muscal said.

Three of the activists were from the JVP, where it states on its website that they support boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Reform rabbi Alissa Wise who was one of the three said in a JVP statement that she was heartbroken and outraged. “Israel denied me the ability to travel there because of my work for justice for Palestinians, even though I’m Jewish and a rabbi.” The statement then went into a tirade against Israel. “This is yet another demonstration that democracy and tolerance in Israel only extends to those who fall in line with its increasingly repressive policies against Palestinians.”

The other two delegation members prevented from boarding the flight were Rick Ufford Chase of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship in Rockland County, New York,

Netanyahu meeting with Ziv and Ambassador Einat Schlein

Dozens of demonstrators chanted: “No to an Israeli embassy or ambassador on Jordanian land,” and called for a jihad or holy struggle as they carried the coffin to his burial place in a cemetery in the capital. The family of the assailant demanded that the security guard stand trial and receive the death penalty.

Jawawdeh worked at his father’s furniture company and was delivering an order to the embassy last Sunday.

Israel worked throughout the day on various different channels to ensure that the stabbing attack of the Israeli security guard at the embassy and the death of the assailant and another man would not spiral out of control and poison

Israel enforces new BDS law

and Shakeel Syed, a national board member with American Muslims for Palestine in Los Angeles.

Another eighteen participants with the Interfaith Network for Justice in Palestine delegation were allowed to travel to Israel arriving earlier this week, but according to the JVP statement they were detained and questioned for several hours before being allowed to leave the airport.

JVP said it is believed to be the first time that the amendment has been enforced before passengers boarded their flights to Israel and the first time that Israel has denied entry to Jews, including a woman who says she is a rabbi, for their support of BDS. Following the passage of the Entry Law amendment, several groups that promote BDS planned to organize delegations to come to Israel and test the boundaries of the amendment.

THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

relations. Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Nadav Argaman travelled to Amman early Monday to hold talks with the Jordanians and returned in the afternoon to brief Netanyahu on the discussions. In addition, Jordan's ambassador Walid Obeidat met with Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem who asked for his assistance in ending the crisis.

After hours of negotiations, during which the story was under censorship in Israel, the Jordanians refused to let the guard be transferred back to Israel. The Foreign Ministry said that according to the Vienna Convention that covers diplomatic relations, the guard has immunity from investigation and arrest. He, and the

PHOTO CREDIT: Haim Tzach/GPO

rest of the delegation were locked down in the compound and Israel would not let the Jordanians investigate the guard.

Jordanian police kept an angry crowd from approaching the heavily protected embassy in the affluent part of the capital and deployed dozens of anti-terrorism gendarmerie forces.

The attack at the embassy came just two days after thousands of demonstrators in Amman protested against Israel, chanting slogans such as “How beautiful it is to kill soldiers from Jerusalem.”

Netanyahu said that contacts are also being conducted on other tracks in order to bring the whole delegation home. He did not elaborate.

Palestinian stabs Arab-Israeli in mistaken identity An Israeli Arab man was stabbed in the neck by a Palestinian assailant in the Tel Aviv suburb of Petah Tikva this week in what police described as a terror attack.

Police said the victim, a 32-year-old Egged bus driver, was attacked at a shawarma stand in the city centre whilst on a break and was rushed to hospital with moderate-to-severe injuries.

The 21-year-old assailant from Qalqilya in the West Bank who was in Israel illegally then tried to escape on foot, but was wrestled to the ground by civilian bystanders and handed over to police. Some reports said a driver who was passing by helped stop the attacker by ramming him with his car as he tried to escape.

The Palestinian was arrested and taken for questioning by police who later said he claimed

he did it for Al Aqsa. The Shin Bet internal security agency said the the man had previously been jailed by Israel between 20152016 for violent activity against the state.

An employee at the shawarma shop told the Ynet news website: “A man came in and ordered shawarma. There was nothing out of the ordinary about his behaviour. Afterwards an Egged driver came in who eats with us regularly. He placed his order and went over to the refrigerator to take a soft drink. As I was preparing his order another driver came in and I suddenly heard him shout, ‘Terror attack, terror attack!'”

Israel has been on edge amid the spiralling tensions at the Temple Mount and after a week of deadly violence.

27 JULY 2017

ISRAEL NEWS 7

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Hamas to remain on blacklist The European Court of Justice has recently ruled that Hamas should remain on the terrorism blacklist.

Commenting on the ruling, Simon Johnson, chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC), said: “Hamas’s track record as a terrorist organisation is without question and the European Court of Justice’s decision is welcome and proper. As a society, we should not tolerate any organisation who has within its Charter a pledge to wipe out Jews or any other race.

“We hope that this decision will make a practical difference, that relevant authorities will now clamp down on any displays of support for Hamas and that those apologists for Hamas take careful note of this

decision. When we exit the European Union, it is important that the EU’s full proscription of Hamas is adopted by the UK.” Chief Rabbi Goldschmidt has also made the following comment: “Islamic radicalism is the main threat to peace and security in Europe. Hamas’s ideology is devoted to terrorism and it is important that they remain officially designated as terrorists within the European Union. What Hamas has done in areas under its control has had far reaching consequences and their aspiration to murder "Infidels" is horrific and shocking. We hope that the European Union will continue to hold Hamas to account and to stop their ideology from spreading to European youth.”

n a z a Ch

Tensions high in Jerusalem CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

and for additional police officers.

Until the new measures are put in place, the police presence at the site will be enhanced in order to ensure security for the worshipers and visitors to the site.

Despite the about turn by the Netanyahu government,

the Muslim Waqf on Tuesday was still refusing to allow Muslims to return to the Al Aqsa mosque and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas suspended official contacts with Israel in a bid to place further international pressure on the Jewish state.

Thousands attend funeral in Halamish attack Yosef Salomon and his children Chaya and Elad, who were murdered by a Palestinian terrorist in their home in the West Bank settlement of Halamish whilst they were eating Friday night dinner, were laid to rest on Sunday afternoon at a funeral attended by thousands in Modi'in.

Jewish communities from across Judah and Samaria formed a human chain along the funeral procession route, accompanying the victims on their last journey and waving Israeli flags.

Tovah Salomon, Yosef's wife and the mother of Chaya, 46 and Elad, 36 is still in hospital in stable condition. It was there that she learned what had happened to her husband and children.

The terrorist, who was identified as 19-year-old Omar al-Abed from the Palestinian village of Kobar, was shot by a family member and taken to hospital when police arrived, where he is likely to make a full recovery. Israel Ambassador to the UN, Danny Dannon, says he is already receiving a monthly salary of $3000 per month from the Palestinian Authority for the murder and will receive it for the rest of his life.

Elad city Rabbi Yisrael Porush eulogized the dead and asked,

“What can you say to a mother who protects her children from the angel of death dancing a floor below her? How can you console five orphaned children?” One of those children is a new born male and the remaining family will try and celebrate the Brit Milah circumcision this week.

Last Saturday night a new outpost was established in the slain family members' name. That same evening the residents of Halamish, also known as Neve Tsuf, held a meeting demanding the government do what it can to improve the security situation in the area.

The residents also demanded that permits be given to build additional houses in the village in order to geographically connect Halamish and the outlying neighbourhood of Tsofit.

Prime Minister Netanyahu of course condemned Friday's terrorist attack and expressed his deep sorrow over the murders of the father and his two children. “This is an act of terror that was carried out by an animal of a human, incited by profound hatred. Security forces are doing the best they can in order to maintain security and will take all the steps necessary to do so,” the Premier stated.

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Ben did the triathalon and this is why Ben Lewis recently took part in the London Olympic Triathlon which consists of: 1500m swim (in open water) /40km bike / 10km run and he has spent the past year training for it! In this article Ben explains what motivated him to push himself in this way and why he has raised more than £8000 As many of my friends know, I had a tough time a few years ago, spending a combined total of 5 months in hospital. After fourteen operations, two organs removed, twenty procedures and hundreds of pills later, I feel fighting fit again, thank G-d.

However, all of my personal health struggles don’t even come close to what my brother-in-law Sam endured for over 7 years.

He was by far one of the bravest people I have ever known whilst he fought malignant melanoma for seven years. He had dignity, great courage and a total lack of selfpity and he was such an inspiration to all who knew him.

The family set up the Sam Keen Foundation to enhance research into a trial medication Sam was undergoing at the Royal Marsden Hospital. So far, the charity

has raised over £460,000 and this money currently funds two Research Fellows at the hospital. The Fellows recently published a paper revealing a significant breakthrough with more, hopefully, to come.

Sam is missed more than I could ever put across in writing and is thought of countless times every single day. There isn’t anything we can do to change what has happened but there is something we can do to try and find a way to make cancer a thing of the past.

As well as raising funds for this cause, a quarter of the money raised will be going to the Jewish Volunteering Network (JVN). This charity is run by my Mum (Leonie Lewis) and is one of the biggest volunteering platforms in the UK. It’s now considered a standard for other faiths to offer a similar volunteer placement service. Their work is integral for continued volunteering in the Jewish community and beyond. And what’s more JVN helps save the community close to £3 million per annum through its volunteering recruitment and matching services.

Thank G-d my last operation

was around nine months ago and since then I have felt great. My wife Ruth and I were out with our children in Manhattan during the summer and we randomly came across the NY Triathlon. I decided

at that point that completing a triathlon would be my goal for 2017 to help raise funds for these causes, not wishing to look back at my medical past but only to the future.

Ben is grateful to everyone who

has supported him to date and is still trying to reach his target of £10000. Donations can still be made by visiting www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BenLewis1

Paperweight celebrates unsung heroes The Trustees of the Paperweight Trust hosted a summer buffet of cocktails and dinner in Maida Vale to celebrate the unsung heroes of the organisation, the volunteers who, as Benjamin Conway, a founder trustee described, “are the beating heart of our organisation.” The function was a show of gratitude to the volunteer force who have enabled the Paperweight Trust to grow such that it is in demand daily across London.

Paperweight provides a free-of-charge service across the entire London community, providing assistance with bureaucracy, debt management, family law, housing issues and much more. Their focus is on those in crisis caused by such life-changing episodes as bereavement, divorce and separation, the effects of aging and dementia.

Praising the work of the Paperweight Trust and directing his words at the hundred or so volunteers present, Patron Chief Rabbi Mirvis explained that the mitzvah of setting out to help others with no expectation of reward or recognition was acknowledged to be of the highest calibre and he cited Biblical examples.

Bayla Perrin, also a founder Trustee, introduced

guest of honour Baroness Ros Altmann, former Minister of State for Pensions, whose own activities at state level mirror those of Paperweight, latterly including care funding for the elderly and the ongoing issues of pension misappropriation.

The Baroness, who met and exchanged views with many of the guests, described her work in the House of Lords and gave encouragement to the charity’s volunteers.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis and Paperweight trustees

Celebrating summer Fiver fever surrounds Sinai at Wohl Lodge A summer celebration tea party was held this week at jLiving property Wohl Lodge in Golders Green, which brought together tenants and members of their Housing Committee, including Mrs Marion Posen, widow of Frank Posen who was the driving force behind the creation of Wohl Lodge back in 1988.

Wohl Lodge is the only property in the jLiving portfolio which has a Shabbat lift and time clocks

Residents at Wohl Lodge

in each of its twenty flats to accommodate the most orthodox of the community.

Established in 1966, jLiving is one of the largest housing associations in the UK, providing sheltered and supported housing, primarily to Jewish people. It operates in London and the South East and also has shared accommodation in Golders Green for students and young people.

In the last month, the Year 6 pupils of Sinai Jewish Primary School have taken part in the Fiver Challenge, where they raised £1482 for various different charities. The Fiver Challenge involves being pledged a five pound note to set up a business.

This was held in Sinai’s infant playground and took place on the 11th, 12th and 14th July.

Students Taylor Glassar and Naor Berke explained: “We thought of many wonderful ideas for this challenge. We made home-made lem-

Lemonade stall

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Drinks stall

onade and brownies, ran games, popcorn stands, a carwash and many more. The skills we learnt included teamwork, how to promote a business, planning a budget and

Fun at the fete

advertising a business in order to make maximum profit.”

The students persuaded the buyers to purchase their products and developed special deals to attract customers. They had to trust their teammates to buy the ingredients and bring it to school ready to prepare. All of the money raised will go to a charity of their choice. The teachers of Year 6 said: “We are so proud of the children’s creativity and work ethic and were amazed at the amount of money they were able to raise.” Some of the charities they chose included: Crones and Colitis, WaterAid, Gift, WWF and Chai Cancer Care.

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27 JULY 2017

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Beis Chinuch school celebrates 10th anniversary

BY BRIAN GORDON

A memorable milestone was marked by the Edgware Beis Chinuch Girl’s Primary School last Thursday evening when the school’s tenth anniversary fund raising dinner was held in the banqueting suite of the Allianz Stadium, Mill Hill.

Beis Chinuch was established with just nine pupils in the Spring of 2007. Since then its numbers

Rebbetzen Ehrentreu PHOTO CREDIT: AVI YODAKIN

have increased steadily year on year to its current roll of almost 250. This coming September there will be a double-form entry to the nursery and a total of eight full year groups from kindergarten through to Year 6.

The Guest Speaker was the Gateshead Rav, Rabbi Shraga Feivel Zimmerman. He referred to the immense challenges faced today by those involved in Jewish education and said that the key to keeping today’s young generation on the right path was to “enthuse children with an inner love for Yiddishkeit”.

The Guests of Honour were Dayan Chanoch and Rebbetzen Ehrentreu. A special presentation was made to the Dayan in recognition of his outstanding service to the community as a whole for so

many years, and in particular for his achievements for the Edgware community and the Beis Chinuch school.

Dayan Ehrentreu spoke of his long association with Edgware and his original vision for a kollel in the area. Beis Chinuch was very much a product of this development, since so many of the school’s pupils were daughters of rabbis and students associated with the kollel.

Paying tribute to the school’s governors, Dayan Ehrentreu praised the boundless energy they had invested into nurturing and building up the school on a day-to-day basis.

He further stressed the importance of purchasing a dedicated home for the school, to replace the split-site improvised accommodation it currently occupies.

Welwyn set to join US On Sunday 23 July, members of Welwyn Garden City Hebrew Congregation voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining the United Synagogue as a full member community.

With 86% of those in attendance approving the move, this news comes immediately after both

Kingston, Surbiton & District and Magen Avot similarly joined The US as full members.

Located in Hertfordshire, Welwyn Garden City Hebrew Congregation was a US affiliated community and has just under 200 members.

Commenting on the news, Tim

Cole, Chair of Welwyn Garden City Hebrew Congregation, said: “After holding productive discussions, the Welwyn Garden City Hebrew Congregation is delighted to join the United Synagogue as full members. Our fantastic community is in a wonderful position and it is now the perfect time to

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Enjoying the dinner

Making a presentation

further our development, working closely with the US, enjoying the many benefits that come with being a full member community.”

Jo Grose, Community Development Manager, added: “We are thrilled that Welwyn Garden City Hebrew Congregation is joining the United Synagogue as a full member community. This is a very positive step and we look forward to working together to develop the

existing community as well as the huge potential for growth in both the Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield areas, promoting regional development and progressing many of the initiatives that are already underway.”

The vote is to be ratified by US Council at their next meeting in September and a similarly positive outcome will result in just six US affiliated communities remaining.

New initiative launched

Monday 24th July saw the launch of a new initiative aimed at girls who have recently returned from a year in seminary. Organiser Zehava Handler explained: “The purpose of the event was to show our returning young adults that they belong to the very fabric of our society. That our community is here to support them and wants them to support the community too.”

The event was held at the Jewish Care facility in Golders Green and was hailed as a great success and more than sixty girls heard presentations from eleven different organisations. The presentations focussed on the opportunities available for the girls to participate in shiurim, advance their careers and volunteer in the community.

Zehava said that this programme was important because “I hear that many girls are uncertain of what to do this coming September. I felt that there is so much opportunity out there but one has to know where to look for it. Furthermore, I think that this new stage in their lives – being adult and independent – is a major adjustment and can also feel lonely sometimes, without the so-

cial certainty of formal education.

So I wanted the girls to realise that they have a large peer group who are all experiencing similar things so can lean on each other and have a social connection. I wanted the girls to be able to fill their days and evenings and be able to feel accomplished. Lastly, I wanted them to connect and belong to the community and to see how important each person is and that each one can impact another’s life in their own way.”

Feedback about the event has been extremely positive. Many of the attendees said that they were inspired and so grateful to see how much is available to them within the community. The participating organisations have also said that this was a wonderful chance for them to showcase the opportunities that they can provide and that it was a great forum in which to recruit the next round of communal volunteers.

“I hope that the relationships between organisers and participants will flourish from this point on,” said Zehavah, “and that I will be able to repeat this event next year too.”

27 JULY 2017

NEWS 11

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Barnet approves lighting for Brookside Walk

On Monday evening the Hendon Area Committee of Barnet Council unanimously approved funding for the installation of lighting along Brookside Walk, Golders Green. This is a 125 -metre long pedestrian pathway between Hendon and Golders Green, running between the lit Capital Ring path and the lit Transport for London path, adjacent to the North Circular Road The decision has been welcomed by numerous local residents who have been campaigning for lighting for a considerable time. The pathway is a much quicker and direct pedestrian route than walking along the alternative main roads, namely the North Circular Road and Bridge Lane.

The Area Committee agreed funding to the tune of £25,000 from the designated Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which it has authority to administer. Any balance of costs will be made available from the Network Recovery budget by the Environment Committee, chaired by Golders Green Councillor Dean Cohen, who played a major role throughout.

Mr Pini Strom, who addressed the Committee on behalf of residents, said that Brookside Walk was used by hun-

dreds of residents every day, in particular parents and children commuting in foot between their homes and the many local schools. It was also heavily used on Sabbaths and Festivals. He said: “Safety is a continuing concern in the dark and proper lighting, which has always been missing along this section, would certainly alleviate the situation” Committee Chairman Cllr Brian Gordon explained that £25,000 was part of a much larger budget available to the committee to allocate prudently during the course of each year for environmental and community needs. He said: “Funding the lighting of this pathway is undoubtedly a worthwhile public investment for the benefit of local residents.”

Polish envoy warms to Jewish community The recently appointed Polish Ambassador to the UK, Arkady Rzegocki, has declared that he considers it an integral part of his diplomatic role to “engage with UK residents who are members of the Polish or Jewish diaspora”.

The ambassador was speaking at a welcoming event in his honour at the New Barnet home of Polish-Jewish relations activist Filip Slipaczek. Among the guests were many Jewish and non-Jewish well-wishers with previous or current connections with Poland, including Chipping

Arkady Rzegocki

Brookside Walk

Barnet MP Teresa Villiers and a number of Councillors from Barnet and Hackney.

Mr Rzegogki said: “Since full democracy returned to my country warm relations with the Jewish community has been extremely high on our agenda, especially in view of the terrible tragedies of the past.

I am proud to say that Poland today is the most pro- British, pro-Europe and pro-Israel of all the former communist countries and that is the way it should stay” Mrs Villiers referred to the exceptionally valuable contribution to the multi-cultural life of London made by both the Polish and Jewish communities. She said: “Events such as this really help to increase goodwill and understanding between people of different backgrounds”. Barnet Councillor Brian Gordon thanked the Ambassador for the various visits to Poland

by Jewish religious and political groups that had been sponsored by the Polish Foreign Ministry, expressing the hope that these would continue in the future.

Mr Rzegocki, a former Professor of Political Science and Krakow City Councillor, has for several years been actively promoting knowledge of Poland abroad.

His post in Britain is for four years.

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Ahavas Torah car raffle Alei Tzion scholar-in-residence outside MH Shul Kehillat Alei Tzion in Hendon recently hosted Rabbi Dr Kenneth Brander as a scholar-in-residence.

Rabbi Brander is Vice-President for University and Community Life at Yeshiva University in New York and served as a personal assistant to the late Rabbi Joseph B Soloveitchik (“The Rav”) in the 1980s.

Rabbi Brander gave several shiurim and lectures over the course of the weekend, including a keynote address on models of collaborative leadership for Modern-Orthodox communities.

Over seudah shlishit he addressed a packed hall on the subject of

Boys helping to raise money for Ahavas Torah Yeshivah

Chai Cancer Care cake sale at Broughton Jewish Primary School

Broughton Jewish Primary School Year 6 boys and girls held a cake sale all made by the pupils,

Jewish Medical Ethics, with a focus on issues of fertility treatment and the attendant halachic concerns and solutions. He also shared insights from Rav Soloveitchik on the Shabbat services.

Commenting on the success of the programme, Rabbi Daniel Roselaar, Rabbi of Alei Tzion, said: “Rabbi Brander was a fascinating scholar who brought a wide range of material and ideas to our community. The feedback has been extremely positive and his visit gave our community a wonderful boost. We look forward to repeating similar programmes to this again in the future.”

Ravvi Brander in action

Students of Manchester Mesivta are congratulated on prize giving day

with a little help from the ladies in the school canteen.

Cake sale at BJCFP School in aid of Chai Cancer care

A boom of cake sales for Chai Cancer care at BJCFP School Wednesday after school

Tehillim held for Rabbi Schneebalg

MH Shul overflowing on Sunday evening for the reciting of Tehillim for Rabbi Schneebalg, who is very poorly in hospital and also for other troubles in Manchester.

PHOTO CREDIT: LAWRENCE PURCELL

Mesivta prize day group with Rabbi Binyomin Sulzbacher.

Pupils of Mesivta prize day on Thursday afternoon

UHC whisky tasting returns to Leeds

Whisky tasting will be returning and nibbles will be supplemented available. There are also numerous to the UHC in Leeds on Thursday by seasonal hot latkes. sponsorship opportunities for indi14th December 2017. This will be The whisky tastings are always viduals or businesses who want to the fifth time that the various shuls well organised, easy-going and en- support the event. in the city have joined together for joyable events for the whole coman event of this nature and it is al- munity and the lively auctions on For further information contact ways an unforgettable evening. the night provide an opportunity office@uhcleeds.com.

The whiskies under considera- to buy whiskies that are not easily tion will be rather different to what is provided at a regular Shabbat kiddush.

This year there will be five Join us for an unforgettable cask-strength evening tasting five exclusive exclusive cask-strength malts malts, cover£30 per ticket ing a range (includes souvenir tasting glass) of different regions and Thursday 14th December 2017 at 7.45pm following Maariv types. Since the event Sponsorship packages available: To buy tickets please go to: will be taking ■£100 to sponsor a table https://chanukah-whisky-tasting.eventbrite.co.uk place over or call Leeds 0113 269 6141 (does not include tickets) or email: office@uhcleeds.com Chanukah the ■£150 to sponsor a bottle LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE usual selec(up to five available) Please book no later than tion of chees■£500 to be main event sponsor Sunday 5th November 2017 es, crackers

Chanukah Whisky Tasting

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27 JULY 2017

End of year student success siyum Lubavitch students were asked about their best moments in the year. They didn’t mention all the fun, prizes, outings, camping, PE, computing, pizzas and parties. Instead the students defined success and felt the most satisfaction with how much they had developed in learning, good character traits and fear of Heaven.

This reflects the school’s shift from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation and self-responsibility.

A new mesivtah, with a four year study programme - integrated with the Yeshivah, was formally launched.

One parent was so moved by the events that he stood up and gave an impromptu speech to thank the leadership on behalf of the parents.

NEWS 13

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Letters to the Editor

Acknowledging sensitivity Dear Editor,

I would like to praise your opinion piece last week regarding the Dweck affair and how you handled the saga.

It was truly remarkable to see how you approached the situation, considering the sensitivity of the topic and you should be congratulated.

Kindest regards, Rachel Zimmerman North West London

Women for the Wall Dear Editor,

4000 women, part of ‘Women for the Wall,” came to pray at the Kotel on Rosh Chodesh this past Sunday, to show the Jewish world that there are indeed many woman who also enjoy the Kotel, but from the woman’s section.

We came to show that we are absolutely fine with our section, which is full of woman on a daily basis, and we are proud to affirm the tradition at the holy site that dates back thousands of years.

Leah Aharoni Women For the Wall

Lubavitch boys school student success Siyum

Please note: The views of the letters do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper. Letters may be edited and publication is at the discretion of the editor. Send in your comments to

letters@thejewishweekly.com

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Women for the Wall

14 JUDAISM

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

ASK THE RABBI Looking for answers? Send your question to asktherabbi@thejewishweekly.com Anti-Israel Bias Dear Rabbi, Why does Israel always provoke violence? As a Jew, I find myself embarrassed by the way we are portrayed in the media time and again because of an intolerant, apartheid government. Don’t you think as a Rabbi you and your ilk should be condemning the current Israeli administration and calling for peace and a level-headed government?

Isaiah Dear Isaiah, Like you, I too find myself embarrassed by the way Israel is portrayed in the media. I am embarrassed at the fact that even with facts staring them in the face, somehow Israel is always guilty.

I am embarrassed at the fact that as a democracy we can have such an imbalanced media that is so skewed against Israel, bordering on anti-Semitism.

Here’s a reality check: Why does Israel get such special attention when it is in fact the only democracy in the region, constantly attacked in an arbitrary manner when its Arab neighbours massacre their own without any protest, boycott or condemnation at the UN? Apartheid? Really? Israel has a population of approximately 7.4 million people. It has a free press, a democratically elected government, a proper judicial system which doesn’t hesitate to rule against the government when so required and is home to more than eighty human rights organisations.

It also has Arabs in the Knesset and working freely throughout the country.

Other regimes in the Middle East rule over 350 million people, are closed societies and woe betide anyone who dares to challenge the government. The treatment of women, the punishment for would-be offenders etc., are all well documented. And the presence of any human rights organisations within is non-existent.

193 member states might come together as a United Nations to ensure peace and stability in the world; but it will still single out Israel as a leading violator of health rights as it did last year; it

will single out Israel as violator of women’s rights as it did last year.

Despite being the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel routinely faces more criticism and condemnation at the United Nations than any other country, including those that systematically kill their citizens or deny them the most basic of human rights.

Most of all Isaiah, I am embarrassed by fellow Jews like you who are so bent out of shape that you feed the crocodile hoping to get eaten last. But eaten you will be, make no mistake about it. You can sell your soul to the devil, but anti-Semites don’t discriminate and for all your Israel bating, when they’re done with those of us who stick up for our homeland, they’ll come after you too.

Chauvinistic Wedding Customs?

Dear Rabbi, I am getting married in three months and I am hoping you can help me. Why do I need to cover myself with a veil and why do I need to walk around my groom seven times? Both these rituals seem rather chauvinistic. Also, why do we break a glass at the end?

Sinead

Dear Sinead, The unofficial version: You walk around seven times just to keep you dizzy enough so that you don’t change your mind. Hey, it’s been known to happen! He puts his foot down on the glass in order to symbolise the last time he is going to be able to put his foot down. Hey, that almost always happens!

The official version: Just as he puts a ring on you to “acquire you” as his bride, you encircle him to take him in and acquire him as your husband. A reference to this is the way Joshua and the Jewish nation walked around the walls of Jericho seven times before taking in the land of Israel. Also, and more particularly, seven corresponds to the seven heavenly spheres from which you draw Divine blessing onto your special union together.

You, as a Jewish woman, have a unique ability to draw blessings each time you proceed to walk around.

The veil covering is an interesting one. There is the famous story of how our patriarch Jacob was duped into marrying the wrong girl, as they were switched just before the wedding ceremony. Ever since, just to be sure, the groom goes out to determine that it is indeed his rightful bride waiting there.

Of course you’ll wonder, why

then does he cover her with the veil, rather than uncover her? There is a two-fold reason for this. The first reference we have to this as when the Matriarch Rebecca covered herself with a veil as an act of modesty, when first greeting Isaac. In addition, the idea of covering her is to demonstrate that he is not marrying you just for your external beauty, but every bit, and even more so, for your internal beauty; all your wonderful innate virtues and characteristics as well.

So far from these being chauvinistic ideas, they reflect the true beauty and uniqueness of the Jewish woman.

Finally, we break a glass because we are a selfless people and even as we are rejoicing the great merriment of a wedding, we also pause to reflect on the trials and tribulations of the past, in particular the destruction of our sacred Temples which resulted in the exile of our people – in the hope and yearning for a better more peaceful tomorrow. There is also the implicit blessing that just as the glass

shatters into a multitude of pieces, so the lives of bride and groom should be filled with an abundance of blessing.

There is an added twist to this concluding ritual. As soon as the glass is broken everyone yells out ‘Mazal Tov.’ This conveys a powerful message to every new couple that sometimes life won’t go perfectly to your expectations. It’s not the end of the world. You can get past it. Even as the glass breaks we cry out in jubilation ‘Mazal Tov.’ Move on and continue to discover and nurture the love that brought you together in the first place. Wishing you much Mazal on your marriage and in your future life together.

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

For all enquiries please contact Deborah on 020 8349 5268 Finchley Synagogue Kinloss Gardens London N3 3DU banqueting@kinloss.org.uk www.kinlossevents.co.uk

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29 July 2017 Shabbat ends

27 JULY 2017 Volume 29 No. 44

6 Av 5777 London 9.51pm JerusalemTHE8.18pm JEWISH

Devarim

JUDAISM 15

WEEKLY

Devarim

Shabbat Chazon The Fast of 9 Av commences on Monday night at 8.50pm and ends on Tuesday night at 9.39pm Artscroll p.938 | Hertz p.735 | Soncino p.989

In memory of Frida Mirel bat Chaim Simcha

In memory of Frida Mirel bat Chaim Simcha “Only the land of the children of Ammon did you not draw near, everywhere near Jabbok Brook and the cities of the mountines, and everywhere that Hashem, our G-d, commanded us” (Devarim 2:37).

Learning from the Dallas Police Chief

by Rabbi Yoni Birnbaum, Hadley Wood Jewish Community The horrific shooting in Dallas, Texas on 7 July 2016 of five white police officers by a black man was the largest single killing of police officers on American soil since 9/11.

The Conquest of the Emorites (Watercolour circa 1896-1902 by James Tissot)

Sidrah SidrahSummary: Summary: Devarim Devarim “Only the land of the– children Ammon did you not draw near,(Chamishi) everywhere– near Jabbok Brook and the 1st Aliya (Kohen) Devarimof1:1-10 5th Aliya 2:2-30 cities of the everywhere Hashem, G-d, later, commanded us” (Devarim 38our years the Israelites turned 2:37). northwards In the 40thmountines, year afterand leaving Egypt,that Moshe

gathers the nation together and rebukes them, alluding to the many places where they made mistakes since leaving Egypt (Rashi). Moshe recalls the time spent at Mount Sinai after receiving the Torah, and that the nation could have gone straight into the Land of Cana’an from there. Moshe realised then that he needed assistance to lead such a big nation.

and passed by the descendants of Esav in Seir, making sure not to start a war with them, nor to take any provisions without payment. The nation then headed towards the Moabite desert. G-d instructed Moshe not to start a conflict with Moab. On their march towards the Land, G-d instructed them to provoke Sichon, the king of Cheshbon, into battle.

2nd Aliya (Levi) – 1:11-21 Therefore Moshe told the people to appoint judges over sub-groups of 1000, 100, 50 and 10 men. He told those judges to be fair and brave in their work, and that any dispute too difficult to resolve should be brought to Moshe himself.

6th Aliya (Shishi) – 2:31-3:14 Sichon came out to fight. The Israelites destroyed him and his nation, taking his entire land, with the exception of Ammon. The nation then successfully defeated the other Emorite king, the mighty Og, king of Bashan, conquering his territory.

3rd Aliya (Shlishi) – 1:22-38 Moshe recalls the sin of the spies. The people approached Moshe, wanting to send a mission to reconnoitre the Land. Moshe agreed and selected 12 leading men, one from each tribe. Upon their return, only Yehoshua and Calev spoke positively, yet the other spies successfully discouraged the people (Rashi). Moshe’s attempts to reassure the people of G-d's protection when they would enter the Land were rejected. G-d then decreed that the generation who had complained would die in the wilderness and not enter the Land.

7th Aliya (Shevi’i) – 3:15-322 Moshe apportioned the land taken from Sichon and Og to the tribes of Gad and Reuven, and half of the tribe of Menashe (as detailed in parashat Matot – see Bemidbar 32). However, the men of these tribes were still required to enter the Land of Cana’an to fight with the rest of the nation. Moshe told his successor Yehoshua that just as G-d had helped them to defeat Sichon and Og, so too He would help them in their conquest of the Land.

Point to Consider: why did Moshe agree to the spies’ mission yet later rebuke them? (see Rashi to 1:23) 4th Aliya (Revi’i) – 1:39-2:1 Those aged under 20 at the time of the sin of the spies would be allowed to enter the Land. Despite Moshe’s discouragement, some of the people attempted to enter the Land but were brutally thwarted by the Emorites. Those who survived the failed mission wept. The nation then turned back towards the Sea of Reeds.

Question: the dimensions of which piece of Og’s home furniture are described in the verse?

(3:11) Answer on bottom of next page .

Haftarah This haftarah, taken from the beginning of Yeshaya (Isaiah) is the third of the three ‘haftarot of affliction’ and is always read the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av. The prophet relates G-d's rebuke of the nation for rebelling against Him and bringing animal offerings without actually addressing their sinful ways. Yet the haftarah ends with the hopeful message that Zion “will be redeemed with justice”.

United Synagogue Daf Hashavua Produced by US Living & Learning together with the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue Editor: Rabbi Chaim Gross Editor-in-Chief: Rabbi Baruch Davis Editorial Team: Ilana Epstein, Michael Laitner, Sharon Radley Available also via email US website www.theus.org.uk ©United Synagogue To sponsor Daf Hashavua please contact Loraine Young on 020 8343 5653, or lyoung@theus.org.uk If you have any comments or questions regarding Daf Hashavua please email rabbigross@theus.org.uk

tribes, and I will set them at your head”. He required a system of judges to help him with his work. Yet with these words, as noted by Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (d. 1888), Moshe placed the onus of responsibility upon the people themselves to find those most suited to this task.

Whilst he could test their legal competence The police chief of Dallas at himself, only the people would be able to identify the time wasSummary: David O’Neal Brown, an African those with a suitable moral character, able to set Sidrah Tazria-Metzorah American whose own son had been killed after an example for others. Effectively, his response he shot dead a police officer several years to crisis, like that of the Dallas Police Chief, was empower the people themselves to playofferings a part would also bring three animal previously.

In the –immediate aftermath of the tometzora 1st Aliya (Kohen) Vayikra 12:1-23 threea meal offerings. finding solution for the problem at hand. shooting that aday July,wait Brown faced a inand After childbirth, ladyinwould several weeks significant test an ofelevation leadership, and (olah) the world before bringing offering and a Point to Consider: what is the significance of the of crimson David Brown’s that day (see in waited to see how he would react. her post-birth Within cedarhours wood, threadappeal and hyssop? sin offering (chatat).

This completed Rashi the to 14:4) Dallas, police department was inundated with purification process. from people– who wanted to join the God Moshe and Aharon someone Whentold Brown stepped in front that of the cameras,who he messages 5th Aliya (Chamishi) 14:21-32 They had heard thenot police chief’s message had appearance of a particular type skin force. knewthe that the deep societal divisions in of Dallas A metzora who could afford three animal decided to be part ofbring the solution rather than disease (tzara’at) wouldkeenly have to show thebefore. white and were being felt more than ever offerings could instead one animal offering, blemish to adisaffection Kohen. Theand Kohen He felt the painwould of theevaluate African the oneproblem. meal offering and two birds. and decide community if the affliction clearly tzara’at, American at was perceived police 6th Aliya (Shishi) – 14:33-15:15 1 thus rendering impure If the brutality on the the oneperson hand, and the (tameh). trauma of his “It's just something I feel strongly about today”, Tzara’at also affected houses.

The house owner case was unclear, one of those who signed up,to“I've always own police force onthe theKohen other. would quarantine said would report the suspicious signs a Kohen.

The the person in a house for seven days, after which been prepared to be the one to be in a position of house would be evacuated before the Kohen’s the Kohen would re-inspect the afflicted area and thatKohen otherssaw don't havegreen to be”.

Then, Brown did something remarkable.

He danger arrival.so If the a deep or deep red declare whether the person wastotameh tahor addressed himself directly the or angry ‘affliction’, he would order the house to be (pure). protesters on the street: quarantined for a week. He would then re-inspect Question: what were the three types of blemish the house. If the affliction had spread, the infected called?

(13:2) Answer on“Get bottom of page 6. line stones would be removed and replaced. If the “We’re hiring,” he said, off that protest and Aliya put an(Levi) application in. And we’ll put you in affliction nevertheless returned, the house would 2nd – 13:24-39 your and we willtohelp you resolve It wasneighbourhood, also possible for tzara’at develop from a be demolished. However, if replacing the stones some Tzara’at of the problems you’re about”. burn. could erupt on protesting the scalp or on the solved the problem, the Kohen would declare the house tahor (pure). beard area, causing a loss of hair.

At the beginning this week’s sidrah, Moshe The Torah lists specific discharges that would 3rd Aliya (Shlishi)of – 13:40-54 recounts of the more of cause a man to be considered tameh, and details A slightlysome different form of difficult tzara’at episodes is detailed, the long journey of the Israelitesloss through which caused a more substantial of hair.the A the purification procedure. desert. In(one particular, hebeen referscontaminated to the significant metzora who has with 7th Aliya (Shevi’i) – 15:16-33 problemswas thatsent interpersonal disputes tzara’at) outside of the camp had and led hadto: to A similar set of laws is listed for a lady who has “Howhis/her am I togarments carry your(see trouble, your burden and specific discharges, as well as the laws of niddah tear p4 article).

Tzara’at your strife myself?”

(Devarim 1:12) garment (menstruation), which form the basis of the laws could also by infect clothing.

A suspected was quarantined before the Kohen made a of family purity.

David O'Neal Brown, 2016 However, about in the whether very nextit verse, he details decision was tameh.

If it how was his response to the to instruct the Haftarah declared tameh, the situation garment was burnt. people to: “Provide for yourselves From the Book of Melachim (Kings II), the haftarah 4th Aliyathemselves (Revi’i) – 13:55-14:20 men, wise and discerning and through known to youra takes places upon the background of the long The Torah details the process which siege and ensuing famine of the Shomron area metzora purified himself/herself after the period (Samria) by the King of Aram. Four metzora’im of isolation and the healing of the affliction. This were put outside the city gates because of their involved a Kohen taking two birds, cedar wood, In memory of David Yochanan ben Moshe affliction. They discovered and reported that the 3 a crimson thread and hyssop. The Kohen would Arameans had actually left their camp, which In memory of David Yochanan ben Moshe slaughter one of the birds and – using the wood, thread and hyssop together in a bundle – sprinkle allowed the Jews to plunder the camp and thus its blood seven times on the metzora. The end their famine.

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a wicked way, there is no mitzvah to judge them However, when it comes to someone who acts in as positive or negative - it is ‘50-50’, so to speak. poised; a situation that can be equally construed favourably. There is no reason to suspend reality a wicked way, there is no mitzvah to judge them The next situation is weighted to ‘the good’; it is as negative -has it isacted ‘50-50’, so to speak. to positive pretend or somebody completely out a situation which looks like the person has The next situation is weighted to ‘the good’; it is favourably. There is no reason to suspend reality of character.

In last week’s example, certainly 16 JUDAISM 27 completely JULY 2017 THE JEWISH WEEKLY done something positive, though there is still to pretend somebody has acted out athere situation whichbeen looks like theforperson has would have no mitzvah Joel Brand a possibility of it being construed negatively – of character.

In last week’s example, certainly in 1944 to have judgedthough the wicked done something positive, there isAdolf still ‘70-30’. third case is Favourably: more like ‘30-70’; there would have been no mitzvah for Joel Brand Bein The Adam Lechaveiro Part the 7: Judging People Favourably: Bein Adam Lechaveiro Part 7: Judging People Eichmann and his Nazis favourably in any way. a possibility of it being construed negatively – circumstances suggest a negative action was in 1944 to have judged the wicked Adolf A Definition A Definition done, with a slim chance of it being interpreted ‘70-30’. The third case is more like ‘30-70’; the When it comes to a middle-range person, in a as SeeingFine, one’s friend taking money circumstances suggest negative action was Eichmann and his Nazis favourably in any way. bypositive.

Rabbi Daniel Community Rabbi, Stanmore & Canons ParkaUnited Synagogue

by Rabbi Daniel Fine, Community Rabbi, Stanmore & Canons Park United Synagogue ‘50-50’with or a‘70-30’ case, of theit mitzvah to judge from a poor person could be an example of the done, slim chance being interpreted favourably but innor a friend ‘30-70’ case there is When it comes to a middle-range person, in a the flight, did he make any Last week we asked several latter; it looks likeflight, a bad action, it could the nor didthough he make anythroughout Last week we asked several throughout as positive.applies, Seeing one’s taking money no obligation to judge such a person favourably; be put down to missing information, unlikely as blessings on the food he ate; he seemed to be questions about the nature questions about the nature blessings on the food he ate; he seemed to befrom a poor person could be an example of the ‘50-50’ or ‘70-30’ case, the mitzvah to judge however it is praiseworthy if one it is.wasting Perhaps poor hadmitzvah stolen of theoffidly and scope the wasting his considered time. As they were stepping off and scope of the mitzvah of idly histhe time.

Asperson theyofwere stepping latter; it looksdoes like aso.bad action, though it could favourably applies, but in a ‘30-70’ case there is nevertheless judging others favourably. the plane at Ben Gurion, a concerned onlooker money and your friend was trying to retrieve it! judging others favourably. the plane at Ben Gurion, a concerned onlookerbe put down to missing information, unlikely as no obligation to judge such a person favourably; Specifically, we questioned Specifically, we questioned was about to approach the Rabbi and questionwas about to approach the Rabbi and question however it is considered praiseworthy if one it is. Perhaps the poor person had stolen the whether theHe mitzvah really whether the mitzvah really him The about Rambam describes three hisalso behaviour. thendifferent spottedhim about his behaviour. He then spotted nevertheless does so. money and looking your friend tryingbeing to retrieve it! the Rabbi at was a coffin unloaded demands us to be naive! types of people whombeing you know is the Rabbi looking –atone a coffin unloaded demands us to be naive! from the plane and making his way towards it. righteous, one whom you know a wickedit. from the plane and making hisacts wayintowards Sadly, the Rabbi's father had died.

The halacha wayChafetz and who isfather in between.

The mitzvah of The Rambam also describes three different The Chaim (Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan Sadly, theone Rabbi's had died.

The halacha The Chafetz Chaim (Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan that a person who has lost a close relative judging people favourably depends on both the is d.

1933) cites the Rambam’s approach torelative this is that a person who has lost a close typesnot of people any – one whom you know is d. 1933) cites the Rambam’s approach to this does mitzvot between the death situationHe and the type of person in question. mitzvah. distinguishes between three types righteous,perform one whom you know actssituation in a wicked mitzvah. He distinguishes between three types does not perform any mitzvot between the deathand the burial. This was a ‘30-70’ yet of situations or cases, and matches them to way and is in between.

The the mitzvah of of situations or cases, and matches them to and the burial. This was a ‘30-70’ situation yetthere wasone stillwho a mitzvah to judge person three types of people: there was still a mitzvah to judge the person When viewing someone who is righteous, even favourably. judging people favourably depends on both the three types of people: favourably. if you see them doing something that looks like it situation and the type of person in question. is bad (a ‘30-70’ case) isyou obligated to The first type of situation oneare which is evenly However, when it comes to someone who acts in The first type of situation is one which is evenly poised; judge them favourably (until proven a situation that can equally otherwise). construed However, when it comes tobe someone who acts ina wicked way, there is no mitzvah to judge them poised; a situation that can be equally construed as There was a recent case of a prominent Rabbi When viewing someone who is righteous, even positive or negative it is ‘50-50’, so to speak. a wicked way, there is no mitzvah to judge themfavourably.

There is no reason to suspend reality as positive or negative - it is ‘50-50’, so to speak. The acting of character on a flight from England nextout situation is weighted toto‘the good’; it is if you see them doing something that looks like it favourably.

There is no reason suspend reality to pretend somebody has acted completely out The next situation is weighted to ‘the good’; it is atosituation Israel – the Rabbi did like not study any Torah which looks the person has is character. bad (a ‘30-70’ case) you are obligated to to pretend somebody has acted completely outof In last week’s example, certainly a situation which looks like the person has done something positive, though there is still judgewould them have favourably (until proven of character. In last week’s example, certainlythere been no mitzvah for otherwise).

Joel Brand done something positive, though there is still a possibility of it being construed negatively – In memory Chayabeen Rachel Moshefor Ben-Tzion there wouldofhave nobat mitzvah Joel Brandin There was a recent case of a prominent 1944 to have judged the wicked Rabbi Adolf 4 a possibility of it being construed negatively – ‘70-30’. The third case is more like ‘30-70’; the in 1944 to have judged the wicked AdolfEichmann acting out of character on a flight from England and his Nazis favourably in any way.

‘70-30’. The third case is more like ‘30-70’; the circumstances suggest a negative action was Eichmann and his Nazis favourably in any way. to Israel – the Rabbi did not study any Torah circumstances suggest a negative action was done, with a slim chance of it being interpreted done, with a slim chance of it being interpreted as positive. Seeing one’s friend taking money When it comes to a middle-range person, in a Whena it comes to could a middle-range person, in a‘50-50’ or ‘70-30’ case, the mitzvah to judge as positive. Seeing one’s friend taking money from poor person be an example of the 4 In memory of Chaya Rachel bat Moshe Ben-Tzion ‘50-50’ or ‘70-30’ case,action, the mitzvah judgefavourably but Rachel in a ‘30-70’ case there is from a poor person could be an example of the latter; it looks like a bad though ittocould In memoryapplies, of Chaya bat Moshe Ben-Tzion favourably applies, but in a ‘30-70’ case there latter; it looks like a bad action, though it could be put down to missing information, unlikely as isno obligation to judge such a person favourably; a person favourably; Perhaps to thejudge poorsuch person had stolen the however it is considered praiseworthy if one be put down to missing information, unlikely as itnois.obligation The 100th of the Death of Lt Michael Allenby Part II doesAnniversary so. however is considered praiseworthy B’Av: andhad Stones andityour friend was trying to retrieve ifit! onenevertheless itTisha is. Perhaps theWood poor person stolen the money nevertheless does so.

by Rabbi Z M Salasnik, Former Rabbi of Bushey and District United Synagogue money andChaim your friend was tryingDaf to retrieve it!

by Rabbi Gross, Editor, Hashavua

Bein Adam Lechaveiro Part 7: Judging People Favourably:A Definition

by Rabbi Daniel Fine, Community Rabbi, Stanmore & Canons Park United Synagogue

The Rambam also describes three different The Rambam also describes three different types of people – one whom you know is righteous, one whom know the actsbody in a will wicked the destruction of the soul becomes too you powerful, types of people Shortly – oneafter whom you know is way and one who is in between. The mitzvah of break. of the First acts Temple righteous, one whom you know in a(586 wicked YirmiyahuThe (Jeremiah), way and one who BCE), is in between. mitzvah of judging people favourably depends on both the Onsituation similar lines, (Pirkei Avot 3:12 – and the the Mishnah type of person in question. who had prophesied its the judging people favourably depends on both see green siddur p.

540) says that if a person’s destruction, to situation and the type of personreturned in question. outer good deeds outweigh their inner Jerusalem. Upon seeing the physical, When viewing someone who isYet righteous, wisdom, their wisdom endures. a personeven terrible destruction, if youwisdom see them doing something that looks like it whose outweighs their good deeds will When viewing someone who is righteous, even Yirmiyahu fell on the is bad (a ‘30-70’ case) you are obligated to if you see‘wood them doing something looks like not it be able to maintain the imbalance. destroyed and stones’ of thethat Temple and judge them favourably (until proven otherwise). is bad (a ‘30-70’ case) you are obligated wept.

A leading non-Jewish philosopher asked to was aentity’ recentof case of a prominent Rabbi ForThere the ‘living the Jewish people, the judge them (untilover proven Yirmiyahu whyfavourably he was crying mereotherwise). ‘wood Temple acting out of character onlight, a flight fromwhere England provided the spiritual a place There was aYirmiyahu recent case a prominent and stones’. then of invited the man Rabbi to G-d's to Israel – thedwelt Rabbi didwhere not study any Torah presence and one gleaned acting of his character on a flight from England ask him out all of philosophical questions.

The wisdom and inspiration. This light was supposed to Israel – was the in Rabbi didthe not study any Torah philosopher awe of prophet’s brilliant to be housed in the Jewish people and their In memory of Chaya Rachel bat Moshe Ben-Tzion answers. Yirmiyahu then addressed the original physical deeds. Yet those deeds became unfitting question: “All of my wisdom comes from these In memory of Chaya Rachel bat Moshe Ben-Tzion to contain such light, as the people strayed ‘wood and stones’”. towards idolatry, immorality and murder. G-d These same ‘wood and stones’ are cited had, so to speak, a dilemma. He could retain the elsewhere, with a seemingly opposite message. strength of the inner light, yet that would mean On the morning of Tisha B’Av, we refrain from the outer bulb, the Jewish people, suffering total sitting on chairs and do not wear tefilin. However, destruction. Or He could dim the light, thus after midday these restrictions are lifted; the allowing the Jewish people as a whole to survive.

mourning is slightly lightened. One explanation is that at midday on 9 Av, the Temple went up in flames. Why would this be a reason to lessen our mourning? The Midrash sheds light on this: ‘G-d chose to spill His anger on the ‘wood and stones’ and not on [destroying the people of] Israel]’.

How is this Midrash to be understood and how do we resolve the apparent contradiction between Yirmiyahu’s weeping and the reduction in sombreness after midday of 9 Av? Rabbi Shimshon Pinkus (d. 2001) answers that every living being is made up of an inner soul and an outer, physical body. The relationship between soul and body can be compared to a light and its outer casing, a filament and its glass bulb. If the filament is weakened, the bulb remains intact, but will not realise its potential effect. Yet if the filament becomes too strong for casing, the bulb will shatter. So too a living being – if the soul’s lights are dimmed, the body will survive, just without reaching its potential. Yet if the inner light

In His mercy, He chose the latter, taking out His anger on the ‘wood and stones’, rather than totally annihilating His people. For this reason, at the very point that the Temple went up in flames, the mourning is reduced. And yet Yirmiyahu realised the price that had been paid, that the ‘wood and stones’ were no longer; we lived on, but now deprived of the full inner spiritual light of G-d's presence amongst us.

Allenby was not known for his strong intellect. His initial ambition has been to join the Indian Civil Service. Yet after failing the entrance examination, he joined the army. Yet what he lacked in brilliance, he made up for in hard work, thinking of the needs of his soldiers, listening to others, and perceiving the overall picture.

It might be hard to find many other people who are honoured with a square named after them in Jerusalem, a street named after them in Tel Aviv and a statue of themselves in Beersheva.

General Sir Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby (1861-1936) holds that honour.

Last week’s article described how 1917 was a year of contrast for Allenby. On the one hand, he enjoyed professional success in the capture of Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks. Yet on the other hand he suffered personal grief in the loss of his only child, a soldier in the British Army.

Whereas Murray’s headquarters had been in Cairo, Allenby moved his to Rafah, nearer the troops based in Sinai, and he regularly visited them. He was concerned for their health and gave his medical officers support in dealing with the diseases prevalent in the Middle East.

4

4

Allenby took command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in mid-1917. His predecessor, Sir Archibald Murray, had built up an impressive infrastructure, laying hundreds of miles of railway, roads and pipes; pumping drinking water from the Sweet Water Canal in the Nile Delta underneath the Suez Canal into the Sinai Desert. However, the Force had not been very successful; on the two occasions that the British and Allied forces had tried to take Gaza, as the gateway to Palestine, from the Ottoman Turks and their German allies, they had failed.

British Prime Minister Lloyd George was an ‘Easterner’. The ‘Easterners’ were politicians who, in response to the stalemate on the Western Front, wanted to attack from the Middle East. By defeating the Ottoman Turks, they could break the stalemate and win the War. Their main opponents were the leading Generals, Haig and Robertson, who were ‘Westerners’ and concentrated on the campaign in the trenches.

May we have a meaningful Tisha B’Av and merit to see G-d's Presence fully return.

Lloyd George had wanted Jan Smuts, the South African soldier and politician, and a member of the British War Cabinet, to succeed Murray. Smuts declined, unless he was given extensive resources.

So Lloyd George, looking for an experienced cavalry officer, chose Allenby, a former Inspector-General of Cavalry, who had some success as a commander in the war in France. Allenby was recalled, as the overall commander on the Western Front.

Allenby was keen to learn from officers who had been in the Middle East longer than he had. He valued the opinion of General Sir Philip Chetwode, himself later a Field Marshal, one of his main supporting commanders. Chetwode advised entering Palestine via Bethlehem rather than via Gaza, where the enemy expected them to attack.

Therefore some forces led by Sir Edward Bulfin advanced against Gaza, while the larger section of the army took the less fortified Bethlehem. Part of the plan for this operation was the ‘Haversack ruse’, credited to the then Major Richard Meinertzhagen, whereby a haversack with misleading ‘plans’ for a British attack on Gaza deliberately ‘fell’ into Turkish hands.

Next week we will detail Allenby’s eventual taking of Jerusalem.

The author is indebted to former United Synagogue President Elkan Levy who has recently given lectures on 'Allenby in Palestine'.

4th Sussex Regiment marching through Bethlehem, 9 December 1917

Answer: his iron bed

memory of Yehuda ben Yaakov HaCohen InInmemory of Yehuda ben Yaakov HaCohen

5

In of memory of Shmuel Yisrael Shmuel ben Yirmaya In memory Yisrael ben Yirmaya Yehoshuah

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18 JUDAISM

Tisha B’Av It is forbidden to study Torah. This is one of the surprising Halachot of the fast day of Tisha B’Av, which we will be marking during the coming week.

And the reason why it’s forbidden to study Torah, is because Torah gladdens the heart.

Tehillim

That’s what we learn from the Passuk in Tehillim 19, Psalm 19, ‘Pekudei Hashem Yesharim Mesamchei Lev’, ‘the laws of the Lord are upright, they bring gladness to our hearts’.

You see, when you study Torah, you have

Psalm 19

This week’s Tehillim is in memory of Miriam bas Shoshana This week’s psalm is one of the most familiar in the entire book of Tehillim, as it’s the first of the extra ones we say every Shabbat morning in Pesukei Dezimrah.

King David shows us how the beauty of nature can be properly appreciated through the lens of Torah. He starts by telling us how “the heavens declare the glory of G-d,” and how “His handiwork is proclaimed by the firmament.” A simple glance up at the skies should leave even the most arrogant of men humbled by the sheer splendour and grandeur of Hashem’s work. For all of man’s great achievements on this earth, no one has ever created air or even a simple looking cloud.

The tremendous ingenuity of nature is clearly evident if we simply look through a Torah inspired lens. Many people will claim that everyday occurrences such as rain are natural and that is that. But nature is simply Hashem’s guise for his constant involvement in everyday matters and the fact that it is constant should not take away from the miraculous nature of nature.

To me, the third verse of this psalm is one of the most beautiful verses in the whole of Tehillim and it displays striking elegance through its simplicity.

“Day following day utters speech, and night following night conveys knowledge.”

Each and every single person in

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY Simcha at a number of levels. First of all, the actual engagement of study, the Talmud Torah, the excitement of grappling with a Sugyah in Shas, of learning Pesukim, verses, from Chumash, either by oneself or in a Chavruta or through attending a Shuir – it brings real Simcha to one.

And then, at a deeper level, we internalise the values and the information that we receive through our study, it transforms our characters and it brings us a huge amount of meaning and happiness in our lives.

I went to Israel to attend the Levaya of my teacher Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, zt’l, and in one of the Hespeidim given by one of his children, they said how Tisha B’Av was the most difficult day for Rav Aharon. That was because he loved to learn and he was denied that opportunity on the fast day. And when it came to the end of Tisha B’Av, whereas everybody else just raced to the dining room table to have something to eat or to drink, Rav Aharon raced to the bookshelf and at the end of the fast, he would always take out a Gemarah and he would start to study, because he had been thirsting for that Talmud Torah, throughout the fast day.

That’s what Torah really does for us. Rav

Aharon’s father in-law, Rav Soloveitchik, zt’l, would commute every week from Boston to New York, but during the last few years of his life, they enabled him to stay in the Penimiah, the dormitory, of Yeshivah University. And it so happened, that one night, some of the boys threw a party and they had friends over - they were making a lot of noise. At 2am in the morning, there was a knock on the door. They opened the door and there was the Rav, in his dressing gown - and there was hushed silence. And then the Rav said, ‘what’s going on here, its 2 o’clock in the morning - do you not realise that some of us are trying to learn?’

That’s the beauty of Torah, ‘Ve’hagita Bo Yomam Va’layla’, ‘study in it, transform your lives through it, day and night’. The beauty of Torah is just so magnificent for us and as a result we have one day in the year on which it is Assur, it is forbidden, to study Torah, as a reminder of our privilege throughout every other day of the year, to have our lives enhanced and to provide us with an opportunity of genuine Simcha, of wonderful happiness, through studying of the Torah.

Shabbat Shalom

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the entire universe craves normality, stability, structure and peace. (Although certain people have different ideas of how to achieve peace, but that is not the subject of this article!) The simplicity of continuous cycles of day and night provide comfort to King David, happy in the knowledge the Creator of the world is always watching us and providing for us. Nature does not speak, it has no voice; yet its message reverberates around the world daily and if we are just willing to listen, we can hear it louder than anything else in creation.

The former king of the Jews likens nature to a surveyor’s tape: “The precision goes out to the ends of the earth, to the end of the inhabited world.”

I was recently at a Shabbaton Choir concert in aid of Hadassah medical centre and cantors Johnny Turgel and Danny Bergson sang a beautiful duet, composed by Stephen Levy, of these very words. It was soft and gentle, just the very message the Psalmist want to convey. Nature is indeed soft and gentle, but if we analyse it properly, it can show us loud and clear the almighty strength of Hashem.

To sponsor a Tehillim for £90 call 0203 906 8488 or email office@ thejewishweekly.com

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27 JULY 2017

Record number of anti-Semtic hate incidents in first six months of 2017 10

Antisemitic Incidents Report, January–June 2017

• • EMBARGO UNTIL THURSDAY 27 JULY 2017 AT 00.01 • • • • EMBARGO UNTIL Antisemitic THURSDAY 27 JULY 2017 Incidents Report, January–June 2017

INCIDENT AND records 30% increase in OFFENDERS antisemitic January compared same period 2016 2017 AT 00.0 • •CST EMBARGO UNTIL THURSDAY 27 JULYincidents 2017 MOTIVES ATfor00.01 • •to •June • 2017 EMBARGO UNTILto THURSDAY 27in JULY Identifying the ethnicity, gender and age of

is a contributed difficult and The first six months of 2017 saw a antisemitic the UKincident may offenders also have cent from the 387 incidents record23% OF INCIDENTS WERE task. Many antisemitic incidents record number of anti-Semitic hate imprecise to higher totals in some limited ed were in London inthat the first Jewish half of There 66 incidents targeted POLITICALLY MOTIVATED brief public encounters in which organisations, events or Jewish-owned incidents in the UK, according to involve cases.

However, these factors do 2017. In Jewish Greater Manchester CST the offenders may not be fully visible, and businesses (where there was clear evidence figures released by the Community thenot, alone, explain the scale and recorded 145 antisemitic incidents, evidence of victims of, or witnesses to, of antisemitism), compared to 40 incidents of Antisemitic Incidents Report, January–June 2017 Security Trust (CST). breadthincidents of the increase: an increase of 84 per cent from the antisemitic may be vague and rather, this type in the first half of 2016. There were 16 In addition, do totals CST, a charity that monitors an- disjointed. it is likely thatmany the incidents incident 79 incidents there incidents in the first recorded half of 2017 in which in the the involve face-to-face contact between tisemitism and provides security notrecorded

by CST reflect a general, fi rst six months of 2016.

Beyond victim was a prominent Jewish individual or offender and victim, so it is not always public figure, compared to 29CST such incidents for the Jewish community in Brit- incident sustained rise in the baseline numthese two centres, recorded possible to obtain a physical description of the in 197 the firstanti-Semitic half of 2016. There were four in 66 ain, recorded 767 anti-Semitic in- perpetrator. ber of This antisemitic incidents in an incidents section of the report should incidents involving the antisemitic desecration cidents nationwide from January to be average month. locations around the UK, including read with these caveats in mind. of a Jewish cemetery in the first half of 2017, June 2017, a 30 per cent increase The most common single type 22 in to Hertfordshire, in Gates115 FAR RIGHT compared one in the first half22 of 2016.

3 CST received a description of the ethnic from the 589 incidents recorded of incident recorded by CST in the head, 10 in Brighton & Hove, 9 in CST recorded 80 antisemitic assaults in the the first six months of 2015 and 27 in the first appearance of the offender or offenders verbal in CST received a description of the gender during the fi rst six months of 2016. fi rst half of 2017 involved Leeds and 7 in Birmingham. first six months of 2017, a 78 per208cent increase six months of 2014. 49 of the 767 antisemitic incidents reported ANTI-ZIONIST of theCST victim or victims for 385 of the 767David This is the highest total CST has abuse randomly directed at visibly Chief Executive during first six months of 2017. Of these, from the 45 assaults recorded in thethe first half antisemitic incidents recorded in the first half ever recorded for the January to 106,Jewish people in public.

In 184 Delew said: or 51 per cent, were described as white of 2017. Of these, 236, or 61 per cent, were of 2016.

None the 80 antisemitic assaults CST recorded ISLAMIST threats June period.

Theofprevious record – north incidents (almost a per quarter of the 56 direct “CST has again recorded an European; five, or two cent, were 12 antisemitic male; 121, or 31 per cent, were female; and in described as white – south European; 36 (17 high was in the fi rst half of 2009, overall total), the victims were unprecedented of antiserecorded in the first six months of 2017 were (categorised as Threats) during the first half 28 incidents (seven per number cent) the victims were perJewish cent) werepeople, described as black; or 50 (24 per when CST recorded 629 antisemale female, campaigns directed at individual mitic incidents, with fi gures now mixed groups of males and females. serious enough to be classifiedcent) as Extreme of 2017, an increase of 27 per cent from the 44 were described as south Asian; one (one mitic incidents. The record total attacked or abused while going victims often involve dozens of so- almost twice as bad as five years per incident cent) as east or south-east Asian; and 10 of this (fivetype per cent) as Arab or north African.the These Violence, would incidents recorded firstCST received a description of the approximate for a full which calendar year involve is 1,346 an about their daily business in public cial media accountsduring sending hunago.

Some of this may be down to proportions are broadly typical for a period age of the victim or victims in 333 of the that constituted months 2016.

There were 39 incidents incidents, recordedgrievous in 2016. bodily CST harm places.(GBH) In at least 203 six incidents, theof when dreds or even thousands of tweets, improved reporting, but it is sadly there is no trigger event from the antisemitic incidents reported during the first Far right motivated antisemitic has recorded antisemitic incidents victims were visibly Jewish, usualimages or posts within a concenclear that the situation Middle East. or posed a threat to life. There were 45 recorded in this category in the first half of six months of 2017. Ofoverall these, 256, or 77 per has tweet, June 2017 since 1984. ly due to their religious or tradi- trated timespan. deteriorated.

Antisemitism iscent, havcent, involved adult victims; 58, or 17 per antisemitic assaults recorded by CST in the 2015 and 19 in thereceived first half of 2014. a description of theTwentygender of victims who were minors; and in A further 483 reports were re- tional clothing, school uniform or CSTIncidents involving the use of involved ing an increasing impact on19 the the offender orthe offenders insix 352months of the 767 of incidents the victims were mixed groups of first six by months no incidents five symbols. of the threats from first ceived CST of in 2016, the fiwith rst six jewellery bearing Jewish social media are only recorded by lives of British Jews and the haantisemitic incidents recorded in the first half adults and minors (six per cent). being Extreme Violence. involved face-to-face verbal abuse monthsclassified of 2017,asbut were not CSTThere recorded 802017 violent an- ofdirect, CST if they have been reported by tred and anger that lies behind it is 2017. Of these, 294, or 84 per cent, were deemed to be antisemitic and are tisemitic assaults in the fi rst six a member of the public who is a spreading.”

51, or 14 per were female; and in were 45 antisemitic assaults recorded in the from offendermale; to victim, 10cent, involved being seven incidents (two per cent) the offenders not included in this4.total. months of 2017, a 78 per cent invictim or witness; if the comment Home Secretary Amber Rudd CST uses the first half of 2015, ‘IC1–6’ andsystem, two incidents classified threatened with knives, bats, sticks vehicles, mixed groups of of males and or females. the UK The record total used in bythe first half crease from the 45 assaults record- were shows evidence antisemitic con- MP said: Police services, for as The 80 antisemitic and two were recorded on social media.and The the of Extreme 2017 saw Violence. over categorising 100 antisemitic ed during the same period in 2016 tent, motivation or targeting; if “Anti-Semitism has no place in ethnic appearance CST received a description of the approximate of incident incidents recorded for every month and the highest number CST has the off ender is based in the United this country, which prides itself assaults recorded during the first half of 2017 56 antisemiticage threats recorded

by CST the of the offender or offenders in 275 in of the perpetrators. This uses the codes so far this year.

This continues an ever recorded for the January to Kingdom or has directly targeted a on openness, diversity and tolantisemitic incidents during the first IC2, IC3, etc, comprised 10 perIC1,cent of the overall total, first six months of 2017 is thereported highest total for for white – north six months of 2017.

Of these, 213, or 77 per unprecedented pattern of monthly June period.

There is no single, obUK-based victim. erance.

This Government’s Hate European; white – compared to eight per cent in the first half of this period since 2004, when CST recorded European; cent, involved were adult offenders; 60, or 22 per of totals higher thansouth 100 incidents vious explanation for this high toThere 51 incidents Crime Action Plan has improved black; south Asian; east or south-east who were minors; 2016 and month nine per cent in the firsttal. sixNone months 77 incidents theinvolved category; and is higher for every since April of these violent incidents incent, Damage &offenders Desecration of Jewish the response of law enforcement Asian; and Arab or 2016: and in two incidents the offenders were mixed north African. This average monthly incident totals were classifi ed by CST as ‘Extreme property in the fi rst six months of to these deplorable crimes, includis obviously not a of 2015. The 80 antisemitic assaults recorded than the number ofofincidents recorded in this groups adults and minors (one per cent). foolproof system and can only beroughly recorded by CST are now Violence’, which would mean they 2017; 568 incidents of Abusive during January tousedJune category for each of the entire calendar years ing encouraging more victims to as a rough2017 is the highest guide. were at five double the level they involved potential grievous bodily Behaviour, including verbal abuse, report incidents directly to police number foror threat2013, and 2010.graffiti, anti-Semitic or via trusted organisations such years ago.of assaults that CST has recorded harm (GBH) to life.2012, 2011 antisemitic this time This riseperiod. in recorded incident toCST recorded 142 antisemitic abuse via social media and one- as CST. This may partly explain tals may partly reflect the growth incidents that involved social me- 568 offantisemitic cases of hate mail; 56reported direct the increase in reported incidents.

There were incidents in Jewish communal concern about dia in the first six months of 2017, antisemitic threats; and 12 cases of But I am clear that one such inciThere were 51 incidents of Damage & to CST in the category of Abusive Behaviour antisemitism, which could lead to comprising 19 per cent of the over- mass-mailed antisemitic leaflets or dent is one too many and we will Desecration of of Jewish property in the first of 2017, an increase of 24 better reporting incidents from recorded all total ofby767 incidents.

This washalfemails. continue to do everything we can CST in the six months 2017,ananincrease increaseon the 135 per incidents cent from the 458 incidents of this type victims andfirst witnesses.

It of may Almost three-quarters of the 767 to stamp out the hatred and divialso be from a consequence of involving that CST anti-Semitic wereofrecord- sion that blights our communities. of 59 partly per cent the 32 incidents of this social media recorded during the first incidents six months increased reporting from com- recorded in the first half of 2016 ed in Greater London and Greater That is why are providing £13.4m type recorded in the first half of 2016. There 2016. This category includes a wide range mercial security guards protecting (23 per cent of the total for that Manchester, the two largest Jewish to protect Jewish sites and made were incidents locations; recorded and in thisyear). category of only antisemitic types, including Jewish36communal Theseintotals are indic- incident communities in the UK. CST re- available £900,000 for innovative CST’s information sharing agree- ative and in some ways understate corded 425 anti-Semitic incidents schemes to tackle various types ments with Police forces around the scale of the problem: targeted in Greater London, a rise of 10 per of hate crime. We will continue to drive forward action and develop new ways to rid the country of antisemitism and hate crime in all its forms.”

Shadow Minister for Diverse Communities Dawn Butler MP said: “The continued rise in anti-Seincidents of incidents mitic incidents is appalling and is beginning to display a very worincluded were abusive rying trend. These crimes have verbal abuse behaviour no place in our society. We must combat and tackle the root cause of this criminality and seek to build a society that is fair, tolerant and free of all forms of racism and

16 incidents targeted Jewish public figures

MBARGO UNTIL THURSDAY 27 JULY 2017 AT 00.01 • • • • EMBARGO UNTIL THURSD

INCIDENT CATEGORIES

22 incidents targeted Jewish schools

4

74%

351

THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

35 incidents targeted synagogues

51 incidents took place at people’s homes

4 incidents targeted Jewish cemeteries

discrimination.”

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid MP said: “This rise in reported antisemitic incidents is completely unacceptable. Everyone in this country has a right to live without fear of abuse or attack and we must as a nation firmly condemn this hatred and all other forms of bigotry. Crimes must always be reported and it is encouraging that Jewish communities are more confident in coming forward. We will continue to work with the Community Security Trust to ensure that those who perpetuate hate against the Jewish community are subject to the full force of the law.”

All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism Chair John Mann MP said: “This report should be of serious concern to people up and down Britain. If we are to pride ourselves on being a diverse, equal and welcoming country we have to reverse this worrying trend.”

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C22 CHARITY SUPPLEMENT

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

GIFT - Give It Forward Today What does GIFT do?

GIFT stands for ‘Give It Forward Today’ and was launched with the purpose of creating a new generation of ‘givers’ in addition to helping those in need in a real and practical way. Through GIFT thousands of young volunteers are being inspired to make a difference. GIFT is providing weekly food parcels and practical help to over 2,000 people.

Who does GIFT help out?

GIFT receives regular referrals from Jewish Care, Norwood, Jewish Women’s Aid, JAMI etc. Many of our recipients have lost their jobs, been through divorce or bereavement, are elderly, disabled or unable to work because of illness. GIFT are currently helping families across London i.e. Hendon, Golders Green, Edgware, Borehamwood, Essex, Potters Bar, Shenley and also across North and South Manchester.

GIFT Shabbat Walk is the newest and most impactful GIFT initiative.

This past year over 500 volunteers have been involved in over 13,000 different volunteering opportunities. The volunteers visit families, care homes and hospitals weekly on Shabbat and this has now expanded to mid-week volunteering, helping families with new-born babies, children with special needs and families struggling financially.

A quote from a recipient family….

“Dear all at GIFT A few months back we found ourselves in a situation everyone dreads, standing at the supermarket, watching our card processing, waiting and hoping that the card would go through.

Receiving help from GIFT was something we thought we would never have to do, but it was with a heavy heart that I made the call.

The realisation had hit that however hard we tried, however we tried to cut back, not spend on everyday items, we could not make ends meet, our debts were building up, credit cards were maxed, and bailiff letters had started to arrive.

The team at GIFT made an uncomfortable phone call, and for me an embarrassing phone call, so easy.

Receiving the food parcels has helped in a way that we could not have dreamed of. To know that we don’t need to panic about going shopping, to know that there is food in the cupboard for our children is like someone has given us the chance to sigh with relief, to stop the constant stress the shame and the anxiety.

When on Chanukah I came home to find a package containing wonderful toys for my children my joy was endless, and the look on their faces as we unwrapped the beautiful doll was one to behold.

The GIFT tutoring club on a Sunday morning has helped my children when they fell behind with school work – I could never have afforded to pay for the extra help.

Thank you GIFT, thank you for letting me wake up without starting the day with a tear, thank you for making me feel like you want to help not that you have to.

What you do makes me feel privileged to belong to a community like ours.

I hope one day we too will be able to fill the boxes of GIFT”

Ways to help!

1. Join a team of young volunteers walking to hospitals and care homes across London and Manchester on a Shabbat afternoon.

2. Help out a family after school or over the weekend with their children.

3. Homework help in a subject of your choice/GCSE/A Level support.

4. Help with food deliveries and collections – can be on a regular basis or as a one off.

5. Be part of GIFT’s meaningful B’nei Mitzvah Project – various opportunities available.

6. Arrange for a private group to come to our warehouse to volunteer eg. Community events and parties.

7. Bread Packing & delivieres on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday morning.

8. Joining our Food Packathon on a Thursday at 6pm in Hendon.

9. Be a GIFT ambassador by standing outside shops to encourage shoppers to donate food items 10. GIFT distributes over £3000 worth of food each week. We need your help to put food in the GIFT Boxes and your help to sponsor food / fruit and veg orders.

11. Financial support – GIFT needs your donations! Please contact us to make a financial donation.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MISSION TO CREATE A GENERATION OF GIVERS & HELP THOSE IN NEED. Contact GIFT on www.jgift.org / 0208 457 4429 / info@jgift.org / Charity Number - 1153393

THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

Prince Charles at a recent event

GIFT

GIFT - making a difference

GIFT touches the lives of over 5,000 people each week with our volunteering, food distribution & education programmes.

GIFT activities: • Helping Hand & Tutoring Help • Schools’ Initiatives • Shabbat Walk - Hospital & Care Home Visits • GIFT It Forward/ GIFT your Simcha • B’nei Mitzvah Parties • Food Collections, Packathons & Deliveries

For more information, to volunteer or donate please call GIFT on (020) 8457 4429 email info@jgift.org or visit www.jgift.org

C24 CHARITY SUPPLEMENT

Ahead of the curve Back in the 1970s and for much of the 80s too, the idea that a person would need help and support to get their life back on track after cancer treatment wasn’t commonplace. Little attention was paid to long-term quality of life issues for the person who survived. It was enough just to have got through it, never mind the continuing impact on the patient or their family.

Last year, Macmillan published Cancer: then and now, a report on diagnosis, treatment and aftercare from1970-2016. There was positive news within: people are now twice as likely to survive at least 10 years after being diagnosed with cancer as they were at the start of the 1970s. More than 170,000 people diagnosed with cancer in the 70s and 80s are alive today. Currently, 2.5 million people are living with cancer in the UK and by 2030, that figure will be at least 4 million.

These ‘good’ statistics and the implications for the future of cancer care detailed in Macmillan’s report, are not news to Chai. We have long been aware that the combination of medical and wellbeing advances, as well as an ageing population,

mean that today cancer is often a chronic rather than a terminal condition. But like Macmillan, we also frequently hear people talk of having ‘fallen off a cliff’ as they try to adjust to the complex emotional and physical after effects of cancer treatment. For example, a person living with or beyond cancer may suffer other illnesses, such as diabetes, heart problems or kidney disease. They may experience nerve pain (neuropathy), fatigue, and eating and bowel problems, which result in enduring day-to-day life changes. Even when cancer leaves no permanent physical changes, a person may feel differently about their body. Chai helps clients deal with the impact of the many physical and psychological changes with therapeutic treatments, nutritional advice, physiotherapy, fitness and body image support as well as through our Medical Outpatient Rehabilitation and Palliative Care and Clinic, which opened in 2011.

The shift towards cancer survival does not however mean we are any less focused on supporting those who are facing a less positive outcome, nor less aware of

THE JEWISH WEEKLY the family members whose lives are also deeply affected – in fact 40% of our clients are not the patient. Cancer changes relationship dynamics as roles are reversed, familiar activities are put on hold and economic pressures build. Our services address each of these aspects.

Our counsellors provide individual, couples and family therapy, as well as art and music therapy for those who find it difficult to articulate in a usual counselling setting. A specialist advisor can help clients with form-filling in order to claim benefits, including those that are nonmeans tested. Chai can also refer clients to agencies that offer practical support or provide volunteers to help ease everyday pressures: cooking, keeping on top of bills, shopping and picking the children up from school. And when there is a bereavement, Chai continues to provide services for as long as they are needed.

In the twenty-seven years since Chai began operating as a telephone information and helpline, it has pioneered innovative responses. Just one example is our Chai in Schools programme, which bringing counsellors and therapists into the school environment to support pupils who are affected by a diagnosis in the family, and gives

THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

27 JULY 2017 teachers essential training in how best deal with and respond to the challenges these youngsters are experiencing. We predict pressure on this service will only increase as, sadly, more young parents are diagnosed.

Just one day recently saw Proudly showing support for Chai Cancer Care 10 children from three families diagnosis has on the patient and register with us. their family. We need to reach more The expansion to our premises people and let them know about in Manchester could not be more Chai’s services. We need to overtimely and enables us to signifi- come any remaining taboos about cantly add to the range and number seeking support – it takes just one of services that will be of benefit phone call to access our multi-levto clients across the northwest re- elled support. Today, as we enter gion. At the same time our Home this new era of survivorship, Chai Support Service continues to bring provides 52 different services, vital services to those who are too across a nationwide network of unwell to come to us. care hubs and satellites. We are Predicting the need blessed to have exceptional teams Chai strives to stay ahead of the of counsellors and therapists, clicurve and Macmillan highlights the ent services managers, volunteers services we already provide as vital and medical advisors who are to address the challenges of the fu- dedicated to delivering these serture. For though the future contains vices with great empathy, care and many positive predictions, the need professionalism. for Chai’s expertise and care will continue to rise and by 2020, we For more information on are looking at upwards of 20,000 Chai’s services nationwide, please client appointments. call our Freephone Helpline on Whatever the developments in 0808 808 4567 cancer care, the one constant that does not change is the impact a

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for our Jewish community

HELP CST TO FIGHT TERRORISM AND ANTISEMITISM CST is proud of our Jewish community and is determined to protect it from terrorism and antisemitism.

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Join CST. Become a fully trained security volunteer and join one of our teams. We need your help and we need it now.

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In an emergency contact the Police on 999, then contact CST: Head Office 020 8457 9999 Emergency (24-hour) 0800 032 3263 www.cst.org.uk

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27 JULY 2017

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C27

JVN Celebrates a Decade of Volunteering with Royal Honour The Jewish Volunteering Network (JVN) this year celebrates its 10th Anniversary. The brainchild of Susan Winton and the late Dr Judy Citron z”l, the dream was to create an organisation that facilitated volunteering in the Jewish community, making it easy for people to give their time in a meaningful and fulfilling way while enabling charities to recruit those individuals with the skills and experience they need.

Since its inception, JVN has gone from strength to strength and become one of the leading voluntary organisations around.

Aside from reaching the milestone of ten years, JVN also has another reason to celebrate, having been awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The equivalent of an MBE and the highest honour charities can receive, the award is given to voluntary organisations deemed to be outstanding in their field. JVN is the first London-based Jewish charity to be given this award and, according to Director Leonie Lewis, “it represents our desire to provide the opportunity for everyone to give back, regardless of their age or ability.”

Receiving this award has been no accident, however. JVN has been working behind the scenes, often as the silent partner, helping organisations meet their objectives. It is no secret that charities are arguably the strongest pillar on which the community stands, and this is why JVN is the heartbeat of the

community. It breathes life into the charity sector and helps people see the true value of giving their time.

JVN’s core mission is to connect volunteers to volunteering opportunities. Leonie explains: “Just as with a professional job, volunteers are more productive if they are motivated by a role which is interesting to them and suited to their skills set. Our state-of-the-art website is a portal to volunteering opportunities that match the volunteer’s skills, interests and availability, which will benefit the volunteer, the charity and their beneficiaries alike. We connect the ‘right’ volunteer to the ‘right’ role.” For those struggling with the internet or finding it hard to find a suitable role, a one-to-one surgery session is also available with a member of JVN staff.

Expansion in recent years has led JVN into other related areas.

They are at the

festive period. And JVN will soon be formally celebrating its 10th Anniversary with a Gala Dinner in September and recognising outstanding volunteers with the annual Wohl JVN Volunteering Awards Ceremony.

Increasing pressure is now put on charities and community organisations to provide for society’s most vulnerable groups. The role of JVN will therefore become ever more important as it continues to engage volunteers who are prepared to commit to uphold these vital services. It is a lot for a small charity to take on, but JVN is ready for the challenge!

If you have time to volunteer or you work for a charity that could use JVN’s help, you can take a look at their website at www.jvn.org.uk and get in touch by emailing getinvolved@jvn. org.uk, by calling 020 8203 6427, or on Twitter @JVN_org_uk.

MEANINGFUL, FAMILY-FRIENDLY

Anne Godfrey hands up to volunteering!

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES

Busy term at Chaverim youth organisation Chaverim youth organisation has had a busy term. As well as its busy weekday Achim programme where boys get together for a short shiur, refreshments and some games, we also had our weekly Vaad programme on Thursday nights, aimed at boys from the upper school.

This enables them to get together, have some kugel and cholent and hear Divrei Torah from various Rabbanim who included Rabbi Greenberg, Rabbi Danny Kirsh, Rabbi Yitzy David, Rabbi Reuven Stepsky, Rav Yitzchok weitz and Reb Menachem Junick.

These programmes have proved to be a great success for the boys, with many participating. As well as our regular programmes, Chaverim held a special Shabbaton for boys from years 10,11 and 12 after their GCSEs and A-levels. To finish of the term, Chaverim held a special barbecue for the Year 12 boys who are

forefront of maintaining standards within the charity sector, advising and training charity professionals and trustees in how to uphold good practice in volunteer management and charity governance respectively. To meet new demands, projects have been created: the Supported Volunteering Project, to provide mentors to assist those with extra support needs to volunteer; and the Bnei Mitzvah Programme, to develop accessible, youth and family-friendly opportunities to volunteer for 11-14s. JVN recruits and manages volunteers from its Ad Hoc Volunteering Squad for some of the community’s most high-profile events – they were recently a partner for the Maccabi GB Community Fun Run and will soon be assisting with Shabbat UK and the Jewish Child’s Day Chanukah Party. Specific family-oriented seasonal opportunities at home and in Israel are also made available around key times such as Pesach, the summer holidays and the winter

moving onto Yeshiva.

Over the year Chaverim have had a number of Shabbatons and activities, including a winter camp which enabled older boys to join in as helpers whilst at the same time gaining leadership skills.

IN THE UK AND ISRAEL

ARE AVAILABLE NOW DIVE INTO YOUR COMMUNITY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE! VISIT

WWW.JVN.ORG.UK/FAMILY

TO GET STARTED www.jvn.org.uk @JVN_org_uk JVNofficial JewishVolunteeringNetwork Registered Charity Number 1130719

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THE JEWISH WEEKLY

27 JULY 2017

About Jewish Blind & Disabled It is a worrying fact that one out of every five people in the UK is affected by physical disability or impaired vision. The majority of these are not born with the disability. Instead, at some point in their lives, they face a diagnosis that will have a significant impact on their life

Disability, not dependency.

Michael worried that going blind at just 40 years old would signal the loss of his much prized independence. However, in his specially designed Jewish Blind & Disabled apartment he can continue to live life as he chooses, and not as his disability might otherwise dictate.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW WE GIVE THE GIFT OF INDEPENDENCE OR TO MAKE A DONATION VISIT WWW.JBD.ORG OR CALL 020 8371 6611

ENABLED

from that time forward.

Suddenly, simply making a cup of tea can become a momentous undertaking, whilst other everyday tasks, which had previously been done without thought, now depend on having to ask someone else to help.

Most of us know someone in this position -whether an accident victim or someone with a condition like multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease or Huntington’s disease among many others, or a parent or loved one whose body is giving out on them while their mind and spirit are still young and agile. And we know how their condition affects not just them but their families and friends too, who also live with their suffering.

Jewish Blind & Disabled is the only Jewish charity dedicated to ensuring that neither physical disability nor impaired vision is allowed to become a barrier to maintaining one’s independence and dignity. We alone provide developments of mobility apartments specially designed to enable people from the age of eighteen upwards to do the everyday tasks that are key to living independently. We also provide round-the-clock support from our own resident house managers, 365 days a year. This allows both tenants and their families to enjoy their independence safe in the knowledge that there is always a friendly face on hand in case

Registered Charity No. 259480

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of an emergency.

Our tenants range from those in their twenties to over 100-years-old and between them they encompass a wide spectrum of disabilities. The one thing they all have in common is that, thanks to our unique facilities, they can live life as they choose and not as their disability may otherwise dictate. Living behind their own front door means that they can enjoy the best of both worlds - the privacy of living in their own mobility apartment, combined with the opportunity to benefit from the wide range of activities and warm community atmosphere that prevails in the attractive communal lounges and beautiful, well-maintained gardens. In the next few weeks building work will start on our next development in Bushey Heath, adjacent to Cecil Rosen Court and although our waiting lists are always growing, we do prioritise according to need, so do please get in touch if you think we could be of help.

For those on our waiting lists, or who are unable to move into our buildings for some other reason, we also have a free online resource (called Guide to Empowering Ability) on our website which provides personally tailored reports describing the products and ideas that can help someone maintain their much prized independence wherever they may live.

Independence - JBD making it easier

For more information either about this resource or about our facilities please visit www. jbd.org or call 020 8371 6611.

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

CHARITY SUPPLEMENT

About the Hatzola Northwest Trust Hatzola Northwest Trust is a registered charity whose objects are the protection and preservation of health and the relief of sickness.

Hatzola North West was started in 1982 by a handful of volunteers who realised the need for a neighbourhood swift response to medical emergencies.

Hatzola North West is a 24/7 community service, operating 365 days a year to provide a swift response to medical emergencies in the immediate area.

The service is provided entirely free of charge and currently provided by approximately 45 active volunteer responders, all of whom have undergone intensive training, carry radios and respond in their own vehicles.

The volunteers all carry trauma kits and BLS (Basic Life Support) bags, complete with resuscitation equipment, oxygen and defibrillators. Hatzola North West presently has a fleet of three active ambulances, which are used for responding

to more serious calls and for urgent patient transport as required. Due to the proximity of its members to the operational area, Hatzola North West has a response to scene time within a few minutes.

All Hatzola Northwest volunteers undergo an intensive initial one year training programme. Beyond the initial training, is an ongoing training programme which includes monthly training sessions delivered by IHCD and Advanced Life Support qualified trainers with specialist lectures given by doctors, A & E Consultants at the Royal Free Hospital, Hospital Medical Team and Police and LAS trainers.

As part of their training, Hatzola Northwest volunteers have in the past been invited to join London Ambulance Service Fast Response Units as observers on calls. Hatzola Northwest has regular liaison with The Metropolitan Police at local and national level and enjoys an excellent relationship with the Primary Care Trust.

Thanks to you I have my confidence back

Elaine had been out of the workplace for 20 years after bringing up her three children. Work Avenue provided her with a range of training sessions, a mock interview and ultimately guided her back to work.

If you need help looking for work or with a change of career then contact us today: Call - 020 8371 3280 Visit - theworkavenue.org.uk Mock interviews - Job placements CVs - Career guidance - Workshops All services listed are FREE of charge Registered with Charity Commission 1164762

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C30 CHARITY SUPPLEMENT

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THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Therapy can be fun at Emunah Therapy can be fun at Emunah Keeping children occupied in the summer holidays is a challenge in itself, especially in the sweltering Israeli sun. So imagine what it’s like for children who are orphaned or can no longer live with their own families. That’s one of the challenges facing Emunah, which supports 12,000 children and their families through its network of

Take on Emunah’s Great Wall of China Challenge

includes movies, arts, crafts, paintballing, swimming and visits to adventure playgrounds. Some children also took part in a three-day camp organised by the Mitzpe Netufa community, where activities included horse riding, cooking, a chocolate workshop, kayaking and sailing on the Sea of Galilee.

Meanwhile, the older boys did a three-day hike alongside the rivers and mountains and visited Druze

You’re never too old (or young) to take on a challenge, as 82-yearold grandmother Gitta Zarum proved when she did an 80-metre freefall abseil for Emunah earlier this month. The youngest abseil

year six and above and participants will visit our projects and see the wonderful work that Emunah does, as well as touring Israel,” says Alison. A non-refundable booking fee applies to trips and challenges. For details, email alison@emunah.org. uk or call 020 8203 6066.

Fancy trekking the Great Wall of China

centres and services.

British Emunah director Deborah Nathan explained that “This summer, our UK supporters have come up trumps and have funded a programme of activities and therapies at the Sarah Herzog Children’s Centre in Afula, a residential home and after-school centre for up to 160 children aged between five and eighteen.

“This is just one of the thirty-seven projects that are being funded by the British Emunah, with hundreds of other projects being supported by federations such as Australia, Canada and the USA. “We look after some of Israel’s most vulnerable children so that first we have to gain their trust, then work on their self-esteem, while helping them to cope with anger or feelings of rejection. That’s why Emunah’s work is so important – what we do is a mitzvah.”

The summer care programme

villages, while cooking over the camp fire and sleeping under the stars.

Ms Nathan adds: “This may sound idyllic, but life is far from perfect for children who have come into Emunah’s care because they have been orphaned, neglected or abused. Others need support because they come from disadvantaged backgrounds, as despite the perception of Israel as a rich country, there are many, many poor families.”

Ms Nathan said that central to the charity’s work “are our professional staff who not only provide the physical care but also the counselling and ongoing support that the young people need in order to recover from the trauma they have experienced, and to rebuild their lives.

“Everything is provided to the young people who make Emunah Afula their home, from a roof

over their heads and home cooked meals, to clothes, use of the computer room, stationery, books and pocket money. The same help is given to children who attend after-school or on a daily basis.

“Most importantly, Emunah provides stability and hope for the future, in a warm and caring Jewish environment.”

As one boy said: “I was very angry when I came here and I’d almost got used to being hungry.

Why didn’t my parents love me? I still don’t know.. It took me a long time to settle down. Emunah [Afula] means everything to me. They have given me a home, and they care for me.”

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participant was Hasmonean student Avi Benarroch, aged sixteen.

Even younger fundraisers were out in force a few weeks earlier when two-year-old children did a pedal push for Emunah at Gan Yachad nursery.

“Whatever the challenge, you’ll need a good level of fitness and be able to reach a sponsorship target,” explains Alison Cohen, events executive. As well as Mrs Cohen’s professional role she’s done many a challenge for Emunah including the London Marathon (2015) and the Three Peaks Challenge.

When in training, she often walks seven miles home after a day in the office, much to colleagues’ admiration. Alison is excited about next year’s Great Wall Challenge from Monday 26 April to Sunday 4 May. Participants will walk for up to seven hours a day, taking in China’s most historic landmark, with steep staircases and crumbling watch towers. Kosher food, accommodation and transport will be provided.

For the ladies, there’s Emunah’s Mother and Daughter Israel trip from Sunday 11 to Thursday 15 February, 2018. “The mother and daughter trip is for girls in school

Get involved with Emunah If you’ve spare time and want to help, then British Emunah would like to hear from you. “Volunteer roles range from helping with mailouts and delivering leaflets and posters, to packing or photographing goods for our Emunah-on-eBay online charity shop,” explains Deborah Nathan. “We need people to source designer clothes, bags, quality furniture – even kitchens (in good condition), antiques and collectables that we can turn into profits, helping to secure a better future for disadvantaged children in Israel.”

Theatre-goers can sign up for the ‘Emunah Entertains’ ticket agency to receive email offers of seats to top shows and concerts – and profits will help to transform a child’s life. There are many ways to get involved with Emunah, such as supporting or attending British Emunah’s Gala Dinner on Monday 6 November in central London.

There’s a men’s lunch club that meets at in Golders Green and in Edgware there’s a weekly ladies’ shiur with Rabbi Yisroel Fine.

Parents can arrange to twin their child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah with Emunah, helping young people to understand the importance of tzedakah and helping less fortunate children. Those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries can sign up for the Share-a-Simcha scheme and ask friends or family for donations instead of presents. Plans are afoot for setting up Young Emunah events in London and Manchester – or you can devise your own event to raise funds for Emunah. Please get in touch by emailing info@emunah.org.uk or call 020 8203 6066.

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

CHARITY SUPPLEMENT C31

Work Avenue - the one-stop-shop for all your employment and business needs

BY DEBBIE SHELDON CEO AT WORK AVENUE Work Avenue, the employment and business specialist, works across the entire spectrum of the Jewish community helping people earn a living by securing gainful employment and building businesses.

Work Avenue creates opportunities for everyone, at any life stage, in any situation.

Work Avenue aims to provide people with essential lifelong skills to support themselves and their families by: • Providing advice and guidance to support people into or back into work • Assisting job seekers find work • Training people with contemporary skills for the workplace • Enabling people to make informed career choices • Increasing the success rate and long term sustainability of new and existing businesses

How can Work Avenue help you, your family member, or your friend?

University Graduates Michael, 22 Whilst studying International Relations at university, Michael was unsure about his future career. He attended Work Avenue’s annual Student Career Networking Event, which gave him a fantastic insight into possible careers. He found it so beneficial that he returned again the following year with a clear objective – to speak to anyone who specialised in marketing. He sat with a Head of Marketing of a company, followed up with him after the event and 6 months later secured a job with him.

Since starting his job, Michael has kept in touch with Work Avenue, attending workshops which continue to help him, on topics such as “conflict at work”.

Women Returners Claire, 45 Claire had reached a point where

Hundreds of shoppers support GIFT’s shopping Day Hundreds of shoppers came out to support GIFT’s Shopping Day on Sunday, purchasing food for the Charity.

Amongst many other initiatives, GIFT, through its army of volunteers distributes food to over 2000 individuals and organisations across London and Manchester, referred to them by welfare organisations such as Jewish Care, Norwood, Jami and Jewish Women’s Aid.

GIFT are always in need of more food to distribute to those in need. Their young volunteers who pack up the food come to appreciate what they themselves have, whilst experiencing the joy of giving to others. Food packing sessions are Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9am and Thursday evenings from 6-6.45pm in the GIFT Warehouse, Hendon.

all her four children had started school and for the first time in nearly sixteen years she had lots of spare time and did not know how to approach finding employment. A friend told her to contact Work Avenue as a starting point to guide her in the right direction. She met with a Careers Adviser who worked with her to build her confidence and update her skillset on her CV. She attended Work Avenue’s Job Readiness workshop and once ready, they put her forward for a voluntary role at a Jewish charity, which then led to a paid role managing their social media and assisting with marketing.

Mid-Life Career Change Elliot, 51 Elliot had been running his own print company for over twenty years. Unfortunately, with the competitive prices of online companies, the business demand diminished. He contacted Work Avenue after hearing about a senior job at a Jewish charity, which he felt he needed coaching for.

Work Avenue helped Elliot compile a CV and carried out a mock interview with him. They ensured he was completely prepared for this interview, which ultimately proved successful and he was offered a fantastic senior role which he has been doing for over two years now.

Career Developer Daniel, 40 After graduating from university, Joel went into his family’s business. After nearly twenty years in the same job, he approached Work Avenue for careers guidance. A very senior role came up at a large Jewish charity that Work Avenue felt Joel had the skills for, but was not confident enough to apply for.

Work Avenue assisted Joel with his CV and interview technique and he secured this Chief Operating Officer role. Joel is a clear example of someone who was ambitious to develop his career but benefitted from the assistance of Work Avenue to achieve this.

Business Start-Up Jeremy and Gavin 36 and 45 Jeremy and Gavin were both separately exhausted from their roles in banking and insurance. Both seeking something new and fresh, Work Avenue introduced them and helped them launch a professional services consultancy. With completely different skillsets that complimented each other, Jeremy and Gavin worked with Work Avenue to really put solid foundations into their business, assisting them with a comprehensive business plan, cash flow projection and introduced them to prospective customers. Six years on, their business is growing from strength to strength.

Work Avenue is here to help YOU! For more information about the services Work Avenue provides, visit www.theworkavenue.org.uk or 020 8371 3280

I had no qualifications, now I run a business

When Issac came to Work Avenue he had no formal qualifications.

Following the support and business advice given to him at Work Avenue, he is now running a successful business and is providing for him and his family.

If you need help or advice about your business then contact us today: Call - 020 8371 3280 Visit - theworkavenue.org.uk Business advice - Start-up loans - Mentoring Networking - Collaborative workspace All services listed are FREE of charge Registered with Charity Commission 1164762

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C32 CHARITY SUPPLEMENT

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Camp Simcha - bringing families together When a child is diagnosed with a serious or life-threatening illness the whole family’s world is shattered.

It is not just the child and their parents who are impacted, but also siblings, grandparents and extended family, as overnight their world changes and ‘normal’ family life is wiped out. All the hopes they had for that child’s future have a question mark over them. Yet this is the time when that child needs the strength of his or her family more than ever.

This is where Camp Simcha steps in, basing its support on one simple philosophy – that the most effective way to help a seriously ill child is to focus on the whole family. Its wide range of practical, emotional and therapeutic support services are specifically designed to help put families back together again.

The charity now has thirteen part-time family liaison officers, who help deliver more than twenty different services and 8,500 hours of care per year to some 1,000 family members they directly support.

Together with the charity’s hospital programmes – delivering balloons, cuddly monkeys and seasonal gifts to children of all denominations in hospital – Camp Simcha’s services impact the lives of over 8,000 children throughout the

All smiles

UK. In the past twelve months, the charity’s services team has made over 7,000 support calls throughout the UK, provided 2,500 hospital transport journeys, over 1,000 sessions of home-based art therapies, 500 counselling sessions and set up 80 packages of respite care.

Equally important is Camp Simcha’s fantastic programme of retreats, parties and outings for all the family. It runs on average twenty-five events for families each year, as well as four annual retreats catering for over 600 people. These powerful positive experiences provide brief periods of joy and normality that help keep families together during a time of extreme stress and turmoil.

Mum Sarah Babad, whose son suffers from a complex medical condition which affects his heart

spoilt and feel special, it is also a rare time for us to be together as a family. Our son’s procedures and hospital admissions are all over the country so we are frequently away.

The other children hate that we are always away and they miss out on that time with us, which I find really hard.”

Arguably, one of the unique aspects of Camp Simcha is the bespoke services it provides to families. From dropping in a meal when parents have spent several long days and nights in hospital with their ill child, to arranging for a volunteer to spend time with siblings or provide hospital respite, to just being there to listen and provide emotional support to parents, each Family Liaison Officer is trained to make a difference where it counts.

Camp Simcha’s support is there

day scheme kicks into action. With a wide range of outings and activities for children of all ages, Keshet enables Camp Simcha children to have as much summer fun as any other kids, but with full medical support. This year Keshet has a packed schedule in store, includ-

Fun times for all

and other areas of his health, says: “We have been to several Camp Simcha retreats and each one is just incredible – all the amazing activities for the kids. Just when you think it cannot get better they pull something fantastic out the bag that the kids are talking about for weeks after.

“More importantly though, for our other children it’s not only an opportunity f o r them to get

for every member of the family, particularly siblings, who are often the forgotten sufferers when a child is ill. The charity’s Big Brother and Sister volunteers (aged between 18-25) are often allocated specifically to siblings – as well as for the child who is ill.

Camp Simcha Head of Services Daniel Gillis explains: “These volunteers become special friends to the children, spending time with them on weekly visits, as well as on Camp Simcha outings and retreats.

Their presence in the children’s lives can go a long way towards alleviating some of the emotional impact a child’s illness has on both the child who is ill and the siblings.”

As we approach the summer, Camp Simcha’s Keshet summer

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ing go-karting, trips to Kidzania and various wildlife and adventure parks, crazy golf and pottery painting. Daniel Gillis explains: “For some of the children Camp

Simcha supports, who cannot attend regular holiday schemes for medical reasons, the summer can be long and boring – and stressful for their mothers and fathers. The Keshet days are a massive boost to the children and to their parents.”

As the need for Camp Simcha’s services sadly continues to grow, so does the charity’s reach and provision. This year, partnerships with organisations like Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice; Bliss - the premature baby charity; Jewish Digest – the Crohn’s and Colitis charity; Diabetes UK and JDRF UK are enabling Camp Simcha to reach more families and expand the services on offer.

Chief Executive of Camp Simcha Neville Goldschneider said: “Without any Government funding we are entirely reliant on donations to support the vital work we do. We have welcomed these partnerships so that we can combine our resources in an efficient way, making every penny we receive count for the families we support.”

For more information about Camp Simcha services visit www.campsimcha.org.uk, or if you know a family who could benefit from their support call 020 8202 9297.

Jodie Rubenstien proudly volunteering to bring joy to others

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

CHARITY SUPPLEMENT C33

Resource Celebrates 25 Years of Employment Help Resource, the non-profit organisation that offers free professional advice and support to help members of the community get back into the workplace, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Resource helps anyone over the age of 18, including those who have been made redundant, people returning to work after a prolonged career break, those looking to make career changes, others aiming to start a business as well as school leavers and graduates to navigate the job market and get into work quickly. The team of over 50 professional Human Resource and business experts provide one-to-one practical and effective advice to help clients find their feet in today’s job market. Resource also provides a wide breadth of workshops and training including CV writing, interview skills, IT training, mock interviews and networking. And all at no cost!

Resource prides itself on working one to one with clients to meet the challenges of returning to work and unlocking individual strengths to find a job that suits. As one client put it, “Resource is just what people need when they are looking for their next career move and to get the support they need. Everyone in our community should know about Resource.”

Its 25th anniversary marks the remarkable fact that in that time

Resource has helped over 10,000 people back into employment.

Chief Executive Victoria Sterman says, “Every year we help around 400 people and more than 60 per cent find jobs within the first six months.”

In September Resource is holding its biggest event yet at Facebook London. ‘How to Stand out in the Jobs Market’ will consist of workshops and seminars packed with useful information and advice for people looking for a job or a career change. Julia Hobsbawm, the

Spaces filling up fast for our:

Rosh Hashanah Supplement on 14/09/2017

The biggest edition of the year!!!

To advertise contact us on:

0203 906 8488 advertising@thejewishweekly.com world’s first Professor in Networking will be giving a keynote speech and attendees will be able to have their CV reviewed by experts at the CV drop in clinics.

Resource is based in Finchley Central and is open Monday to Thursday, 9am – 5pm and Friday 9am – 1pm for appointments.

Membership is free and confidential and is available to people from every occupational background, experience and level of religious observance. To find out more on how to become a client or about attending their ‘How To Stand Out In The Jobs Market’ event, call them on 020 8346 4000 or visit www.resource-centre.org

Not just co-working but grow working Jeremy, an insurance broker, signed up to WE Hub to build his network. “I was looking for shared workspace in NW London and couldn’t find anything suitable. I found WE Hub and joined straight after my tour.

It was exactly what I was looking for”.

Contact us for Hot Desking, Fixed Desking and Individual offices 020 8349 4048 - wehub.org.uk Registered with Charity Commission 1164762

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How to stand out in the jobs market Facebook HQ London 12 September, 6pm - 9pm Tickets £5 Keynote speaker Julia Hobsbawm, world’s first Professor in Networking Resource’s top tips on how to get a job • Interview skills Social media for job search • CV review drop-in clinics How to network effectively in your job search Make your application forms stand out Book your place at www.resource-centre.org/standoutinjobsmarket Registered in England Number 5211299 Charity Registration Number 1106331

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Transfer Values for Defined Benefit/Final Salary pensions: A once in a lifetime opportunity ?

BY MARC OVITS

BA (HONS) APFS CERT PFS (DM)

PART 3 OF 3 Part one of this series focussed on the reasons why those people who are fortunate enough to have a defined benefit pension (final salary) are currently choosing to review these pensions. Three primary factors were identified as driving the market.

1. Pension Freedoms 2. The demise of private sector defined benefit provision 3. Current high transfer values offered by defined benefit schemes.

It is estimated transfer values have typically increased by more than 80% since the end of 2013 on the back of falling gilt yields, improved longevity, and scheme investment derisking.

Last week we looked at the advantages of transferring out of a defined benefit scheme and into a defined contribution scheme. This week we will look at the disadvantages of transferring out of a defined benefit scheme. However, prior to doing this, let’s review what the two schemes offer.

A defined benefit pension scheme is where the benefits paid out usually in retirement are essentially known up front and guaranteed by the employer. The benefits will be inflation proofed and paid out in a fixed way.

A defined contribution scheme is where the ultimate benefits are unknown and not guaranteed. However they can be taken flexibly.

The idea is to maximise the contributions during the pre-retirement phase in order to create the largest possible pot from which income can be taken during retirement.

The pot will usually be invested in financial instruments which are quoted on markets or in property

– both of which are volatile resulting in the value of the pot or the benefits not being guaranteed.

What are the disadvantages of transferring?

1. Investment risk Defined benefit pension schemes in theory put all the financial risk on the employer, giving the individual certainty of the benefits, they will receive at retirement.

By transferring to a defined contribution scheme, the individual will be taking on this risk and will lose all the certainty they had in the defined benefit scheme. For those who have only ever been a member of a defined benefit scheme this could be a real shock, and expectations need to be clearly managed. An individual who sees their fund drop in value due to short-term fluctuations in the underlying investments may come back to complain if the risks have not been clearly explained.

2. Inflation proofing Defined benefit pension is generally have guaranteed increases in deferment and in payment. This gives at least some protection against inflation eroding the true value of the benefits. Guarantees like this are very expensive to purchase with an annuity and difficult to manage in drawdown. With drawdown, as there is no guaranteed income level, benefits could easily reduce in actual terms if not carefully managed.

3. Simplicity The guaranteed nature of the benefits from a defined benefit scheme mean that ongoing engagement with a pension after retirement and into old age is not necessary.

However, if a transfer to a defined contribution scheme is made, the funds need to be monitored and investment choices made up to and, more importantly, into retirement.

An individual will need to be engaged with the scheme and/ or advisor up until the point of annuitisation, or age 75, or death.

This may not be possible for some and advance safeguards will need to be put into place. An issue is to ensure that funds are not left in a drawdown fund without direction at a key point in time.

4. Lifetime allowance The large Cash Equivalent Transfer Values (CETV) we are seeing at present are providing additional issues with regards to the lifetime allowance. Benefits in a defined benefit scheme are tested against the lifetime allowance by multiplying them by 20 to get the capital value. This often bears no relation to the CETV, which takes into account many different issues as discussed above. This means that a CETV can vary each time it is requested, due to different market conditions and assumptions.

Currently, many are in excess of the lifetime allowance but the individual could not apply for a higher lifetime allowance under individual protection because the capital value of the pension rights in the defined benefit scheme does not take them over the £1 million needed for such an election.

In addition to those cases where the individual has not been able to apply for lifetime allowance enhancements, it may be the case that a transfer could invalidate protection already held. This could happen under different circumstances and depends on the type of protection they hold. Firstly, looking at fixed protection (2012, 2014 and 2016) : Where an individual holds one of these enhancements, they will only lose it on transfer if the CETV is not actuarially equivalent to the benefits they are giving up in the scheme. This was a big issue some years ago when enhanced transfer values were common because the enhancement

To contact last week’s business feature, The IT Doctor, call Zevi Silber on 07873 564 565 THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

would mean The CETVs were not actuarially equivalent to the benefits given up, so the protection would be lost on transfer.

Enhanced protection is more of an issue when looking at transfers mainly because enhanced protection protects the individual from all lifetime allowance charges, so losing it could cause significant tax charges when the benefits are crystallised. In addition, the test to see if ‘relevant benefit accrual’ has occurred can be more complicated.

This is also impacted by the higher CETVs we are seeing at present.

The test compares capital value of the pension at a day with the CETV at the point of transfer, to see if the increase has exceeded the relevant percentage. The relevant percentage can be as simple as 5% compound but can also take into account statutory pension increases or scheme specific increases if higher. Doing the test before it is too late is key, because the impact can be enormous on the end result and in some cases, if it is borderline, by just waiting another year or two it can be avoided.

The regulators view The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has strong views on pension transfers. On 24 January 2017, it issued a news release titled ‘advising on pension transfers-our expectations’. This goes into some detail on what the FCA expects those giving advice in this area to consider.

Particular attention is given to the issue of investment advice and how it forms part of the whole advice process cannot be excluded and dealt with separately this makes sense because transferring out of a scheme with inflation proofing into a cash fund would be significantly different to transferring into a portfolio of funds specifically chosen to meet the individuals desired outcomes, or a commercial property. Not only with the outcomes

The Writer is the owner and Managing Director of Alpha Wealth Management Limited. Drawing on over twenty years’ experience in financial services, Marc helps private clients, businesses, charities, and trusts optimize their finances. He is a Chartered Financial Planner providing ‘Independent’ financial advice. Prior to being a financial adviser, Marc was a Director at several global investment banks, providing investment advice to Europe’s leading institutional investment and pension fund managers. For advice on inheritance, investment, protection, or retirement planning, please contact Marc on 020 8203 6920 or 07866 503 898 or marc@alphawm.co.uk.

and risks differ significantly but the associated costs would too, which would impact on the overall recommendation.

The FCA also makes it very clear that advising on a pension transfer by solely looking at the critical yield is not sufficient. The regulator does not want firms using an arbitrary value to determine if the transfer is viable. This comes back to the bigger issues that need considering, especially in relation to the pension freedom changes, such as death benefits and the increased options available.

Defined benefit pensions can be complex in their nature. A sensible option is to seek advice in this area from a competent financial adviser who can guide you through the issues and options.

36 KIDS

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Parshat Devarim In this week’s Parshah we begin the last book of the Chumash, the book of Devarim. Moshe starts to review the Torah before the Jewish people. He tells them about how Hashem took us out of Egypt and how we stayed for forty years in the desert after that. He encourages all the Jews to keep Torah and Mitzvot once they enter the land of Israel.

Moshe goes over all of the history of the Jews since the exodus from Egypt and reminds all the Jewish people of their time in the desert, the spies that were sent to the Holy Land and the lashon hara that was spoken about it, and that because of all this Hashem wanted the entire generation to pass away and not go into the Holy Land.

Moshe then reminds the people of other recent events, such as the wars they had to fight against their enemies to pass through their countries. This Torah portion ends with Moshe’s message to Yehoshua, telling him that he will be the one to take the Jewish people into the Holy Land as he is the next leader. He also tells Yehoshua not to be afraid of his enemies because Hashem will fight for him.

This Tuesday is the fast of Tisha B’Av. It is the saddest day of the Jewish year where we rembmeber the two Temples that were destroyed. Most of you are not bar or bat mitzva yet, so you don’t need to fast. but it might be a praiseworthy idea to not eat any treats such as chocolate and sweets to acknowledge this sad day.

Quill Pen This old-fashioned quill pen is fun to make and it really works! Here’s a list of what you need:

Animal Alphabet Challenge

Can you come up with an animal for each letter of the alphabet?

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Arts and Crafts

You will need

• A few strips of paper • Thick cardstock paper • Paint • Water • An old toothbrush • Bamboo skewers • Scissors • Tape

Method 1. Put the strips of paper down on the cardstock, dip your toothbrush in paint and brush in downward, angled strokes.

The strips of paper are there to help create the perfect edge.

2. Once the feathers are painted leave them to dry.

3. Cut the feathers and tape the bamboo skewers onto the back of them. Snip the feathers in the same downward angle as the strokes of paint to make it more effective.

4. Water down some paint so it’s easier to dip and spread and then get creative!

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27 JULY 2017

CUT OUT & KEEP

KIDS 37

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

TO CREATE YOUR VERY OWN JEWISH WEEKLY RECIPE BOOK

Traffic Light Ice Lollies Ingredients: • 1 cup strawberries • 4 ½ tbsp honey • 3 large ripe juicy peaches, peeled, stoned and sliced • 5 large ripe kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced

Method: 1. Blend strawberries and then sieve the puree to get rid of the seeds. Mix in one-and-a- half tablespoons of honey into the puree.

2. Pour the strawberry mixture into the ice lolly moulds (or you can use small empty containers such as yoghurt pots). Each mould should be one- third full and freeze until firm.

3. Do the same process with peach and honey mixture, (no need to sieve peaches), freeze until firm and lastly add the kiwi and honey mixture and insert the sticks. Freeze for the last time and once they are frozen they are ready to enjoy!

Did you know?

Fun facts Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

It is impossible for most people to lick their own elbow.

(Try it!)

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.

A shrimp’s heart is in its head.

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38 KIDS

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

27 JULY 2017

Truth if you dare

By Chaya Sandler The sun caught the edges of the diamond, splitting its rays into many rays, all cascading in a halo around the stone. My sister Ayelet held it up to the light and the radiance of her smile matched the glow in my brother-in-law-to-be’s eyes.

Ayelet was getting married and it was time to pick the ring. Stone or circle?

Single band or double band? Single stone or cluster?

I really wanted to have a look but my sister wouldn’t let me. Huh! As if I’m some little baby, I’m ten for goodness sake, what’s wrong with just looking?! Instead she snapped the box shut and told me that these were very expensive and very delicate. All I wanted was a peek.

Of course I wasn’t interested in jewellery as such, but they were pretty, really pretty, beautiful in fact. So beautiful that later that night I crept down to the kitchen and climbed onto the milky worktop. I have done it so many times before, I know exactly how to wipe off my footprints so Mammy never knows I was even there. It’s actually ridiculous how simple it is for me to sneak things out of the top cupboard, but sweets are not on the agenda tonight. I want what is on the top shelf.

The box was plain and simple. A little black square. Inside was also something simple, it was only two lumps of compressed carbon after all.

Not that different to what we burn on our BBQ really. But boy was did they shine. I don’t know what possessed me.

It was like something out of a fairy tale, I held one of the rings up to the moonlight, silver against silver. A creak slammed me back into reality and I leaned over to put the ring back into the box. Another creak startled me so much that I jerked.

The world stilled. My hand whipped backwards and my fingers flew open. The ring went spinning out of them, weaving and dancing beyond my fingers’ reach as it sailed high and then sank lower and lower and lower.

I swiped at it but my fingers closed on cold air and my knuckles hit the edge of the ring. It fell straight out of the open window and I stared in horror as its slow descent ended in the back of the rubbish truck, the beeping drowning out my muffled anguished cries.

The sun takes eight minutes to rise. It felt like an eternity. My father got up for shul and my insides churned. In an hour he would be back, my future brother in law with him. Ayelet would take down the box to show her chatan her choice. One ring would glimmer i n all its glory. The other space would stand empty, a deep gaping chasm, evidence to my crime.

I must tell my mother and Ayelet.

I can’t tell them.

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How can I tell them?

That ring was worth thousands! Ayelet had warned me and I had stolen away a glance, like a thief in the night, and now the ring was gone.

There is no way I can tell them.

I was heading out of the door on the way to school, when I heard Ayelet shriek. I quickened my pace and let it slam behind me.

Coward! Liar!

I’m not a liar! Omission isn’t a lie, is it? The guilt keeps eating me up. It’s like something is gnawing away at my insides. Have you ever done something wrong and you know your parents are going to be really upset? You know the feeling as you wait for them to find out? This was so much worse. The butterflies were doing a ballet in my stomach! How could I go home?! How could I look my parents in the eye?! How could I ever face Ayelet again?!

I have to tell them. I can’t tell them. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, I must.

I’m standing outside the house now. My shoulders are shaking. I’m trembling as if I’m cold, but it’s not the breeze that chills my heart.

My throat is dry and I don’t know how I can ever speak. Fear paralyses me. I have to tell, I must tell, I’m going to tell.

No matter how hard it is, I have to do this.

Hashem help me.

“Mummy, I have something to tell you …”

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

KIDS 39

40 YOUTH

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Parasha Devarim In a Nutshell Thirty-seven days before Moshe passes away we start the repetition of the Torah.

Moshe reviews all the events that have taken place and the laws that were given over during the forty year journey from Tisha B’Av This Tuesday is the fast of Tisha B’Av (The 9th of Av).

The fast commemorates the destruction of the Temples.

1

Egypt to Sinai to the Promised Land. He rebukes the Jewish people for their misdeeds and encourages them to observe Torah commandments in the land G-d has given them.

Moshe also recalls sending

the spies to the Holy Land and having them come back and talk so negatively about it, so that G-d decreed that the entire generation of the Exodus would die out in the desert. G-d was also angry at Moshe, saying:

‘You too shall not go in there’.

Moshe also looks over the more recent events such as Moav and Amnon not allowing the Israelites to pass through their countries, waging war against Sichon and Og (the

Tisha B’Av is regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar and it is therefore believed to be a day which is destined for tragedy.

The Book of Lamentations,

which mourns the destruction of Jerusalem is read in the synagogue, followed by the recitation of kinnot, liturgical dirges that lament the loss of the Temples and Jerusalem.

On Tisha’B’Av , not only do we fast but we also refrain from wearing leather shoes, showering and anointing with creams and oil.

Our sages explain that the

Temples were destoyed because of baseless hatred and therefore we should try our hardest to refrain from bad speech against others and make peace amongst us.

7 Summer Superfoods You Should Be Eating 2

CHERRIES

Portable, bite-sized, and fun to eat, cherries pack a potent nutritional punch. Rich in the antioxidant anthocyanin, these deliciously sweet gems are a tasty healthy treat.

4

Amorite Kings) who refuse to allow the Israelites to pass through their countries. Moshe leaves a message for Yehoshua, who is taking over Moshe’s lead, ‘The Lord your G-d, He shall fight for you.’

PEACHES Nothing says “summer” like a deliciously, juicy peach.

Succulent and sweet, this fuzzy stone fruit is loaded with bloat-fighting potassium, skin-enhancing vitamin C, and weight-controlling fiber.

5

3

AVOCADO

Avocado is best known for its huge load of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, it should also be recognised for packing an amazing 14 grams of fiber in each pearshaped fruit!

BLUEBERRIES

They may be little in size, but blueberries are big on disease-fighting antioxidants and have plenty of research to back up their brain-boosting capabilities.

6

CORN

Fresh corn is a true summer classic — but is it a grain or a vegetable? This all-American favorite is typically classified as a starchy vegetable when eaten fresh, but considered to be a grain when dried (like popcorn).

Either way, these versatile yellow pellets are packed with health boosting nutrients and are sure to please even the pickiest palates.

ALMONDS

Almonds are a great tasty treat and it’s perfect that they are the most nutritionally dense nut! So get nibbling.

THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

7

PINEAPPLE

The sweet and tart tropical fruit contain bromelain, an enzyme that improves digestion as well as helps to fight blood clots from forming. Pineapples can also help prevent swelling, a common ailment during the summer months.

27 JULY 2017

YOUTH 41

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

News Bites OBNOXIOUS YORKSHIRE DALES BOOKSELLER QUITS HIS SHOP

MORE THAN 2,500 PRODUCTS SUBJECT TO SHRINKFLATION

As many as 2,529 products have shrunk in size over the past five years, but are being sold for the same price, official figures show.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said it was

not just chocolate bars that have been subject to so-called “shrinkflation”.

It said toilet rolls, coffee and fruit juice were also being sold in smaller packet sizes!

MOON DUST BAG SOLD FOR $1.8M AT NEW YORK AUCTION

A bag used by US astronaut Neil Armstrong to collect the first ever samples of the Moon has sold at auction in New York for $1.8m (£1.4m).

The outer decontamination bag from the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 was bought at Sotheby’s by an anonymous bidder.

The white bag still carries

traces of Moon dust and small rocks.

The auction comes after a legal battle over the ownership of the only artefact from the Apollo 11 mission which was in private hands.

A man who earned a reputation as Britain’s rudest bookseller is to quit and “not a moment too soon”, according to relieved residents fed up with him driving tourists away from their Yorkshire Dales village.

Hawes, the home of Wensleydale cheese, is saying goodbye to Steve Bloom, who admits

he is a man who “doesn’t butter his parsnips” when dealing with members of the public.

The 63-year-old hit the headlines earlier this year when the was criticised for asking visitors for a 50p entry fee to Bloomindales, his secondhand book shop in Hawes.

Bloom, who has said he is

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE AS LARRY CONQUERORS WORLD SNAIL RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

This year’s World Snail Racing Championship, held in the village of Congham, near King’s Lynn, attracted 135 molluscs who leisurely battled it out to be crowned champion.

No records were set but as always it was a fierce and exciting competition.

Larry the snail was quicker than his competitors and covered the 13inch course in two minutes and forty seven seconds - the record being two minutes.

Larry’s owner Tara Beasley, 41, found him in her garden in

Castle Acre, near Swaffham, the night before the big event.

Hilary Scase, who is involved with the championship, said: “It was quite a slow time. It

Dear Mia,

KEEP CALM AND ASK

AGONY AUNT MIA AND AGONY UNCLE JOEY

The Jewish Weekly’s Teen Agony Aunt and Agony Uncle are here to help with all your questions, problems and difficulties. Just write your letter to agonyaunt@thejewishweekly.com or agonyuncle@thejewishweekly.com Disclaimer: All letters that are published may be edited. All letters are kept confidential and names can be changed for confidentiality upon request.

“not really a people person”, is selling up – partly to escape complaining customers.

His policy of charging 50p entry – designed to stop browsers from wasting his time – caused rows with his customers, but he refused to back down.

I love junk food! It seems that I’ve got an endless appetite for sweets, chocolates, cakes and toffees. Obviously, the results of this are not great! I keep needing to buy new clothes, I’ve got very bad acne (which the doctor says is my fault), my mum’s annoyed and the dentist makes a living off me!

Please help me!

P.S. Don’t forget I love junk food!

Sophie Dear Sophie, Obviously, it’s not going to help for me to tell you to stay off junk food. I’m sure your mum, the doctor and the dentist have all tried that.

Rather than trying to stay off junk what about introducing extra, healthy food into your life, e.g. before eating a bar of chocolate, how about trying to eat a fruit or veg first (you never know you might actually like it).

This has two benefits. Firstly, you are introducing new

THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

was a bit windy and snails don’t like wind, so all times were quite slow.

better food into your life that you may get used to eating and enjoying and secondly you will be filling up on the healthy food leaving less space for junk food which will automatically help you cut down. Don’t forget that eating healthy food can be exciting too.

Don’t make the mistake of boring yourself with the same granola bars, apples etc. In order to stop yourself falling back on junk food all the time you’ve got to make sure the healthy food is appealing to you. Try to ensure that you always have a variety of fresh fruit and veg cut up and ready to eat.

Often what stops people from making a healthy choice is the drawback that fruit and veg often needs to be peeled, cut, etc., whereas a candy packet can be ripped open in a second.

Preparing healthy food in advance before hunger pangs hit can solve this problem.

You can also try making an appointment with a dietician who can make up a healthy food plan, and you can reward yourself with a treat if you stick to it.

Don’t forget that if your mum’s concerned I’m sure she’ll be a helpful partner in this. Ask for her help and accept her advice. Your problem is a tough one, but don’t worry as there are many people who are in the same boat.

Wishing you lots of luck!

Mia.

42 YOUTH

GMADEB ACRIML

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

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Mail Male

Q)Why did Cinderella get kicked off the football team?

A) Because she ran away from the ball.

Q) What’s the most musical part of the chicken?

A) The drumstick.

Q) What did the mushroom say to the fungus?

(Answers at the bottom of page upside down)

A) You’re a fun guy [fungi].

1. What does an island and the letter T have in common?

After many years, a prisoner is finally released.

He runs around yelling, “I’m free! I’m free!”

A little kid walks up to him and says, “So what? I’m 4.”

They are both in the middle of water.

1.

3.

Five, one from the couch and four from the men.

1.Made in Great Britain 2.Foreign language 3.Right between the eyes 4. Criminal 5. Potatoes 6.Post man

Dingbats Answers THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

2.

The postman did it because the post does not come on a Sunday.

3. There are 8 men on a couch, three legs break and 6 men leave.

How many legs are there?

2.It is a Sunday morning and a man comes to find his wife dead. The maid said she was cleaning the kitchen, the postman said he was delivering post, the nanny said he was teaching the kids, and the farmer said he was harvesting his crops.

Who done it?

27 JULY 2017

YOUTH 43

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Thunderstruck!

part 2 of 3

BY CHAYA SANDLER Yonatan is a great storyteller. Whilst running home during lunch to fetch some homework, he is struck by a lightning bolt.

It had all lasted less than ten seconds. Yonatan rose from the ground in a daze. Don’t people die from lightning bolts? Well he felt fine. Shrugging, he continued his dash to school and made it just before the lesson-bell rang.

“Hey what’s going on with your hair?” said Avi, “You look like you were hit by lightning!” Yonatan stared back at him. “No way!” Shimon cried. Yonatan nodded.

“I thought lightening would kill a person?” said Avi. “Not usually,” Yosef piped up.

“Ah, the science whiz will now enlighten us, all rise for the sage,” responded Avi. “Very funny Avi, a lightning strike hits so fast, it usually doesn’t kill. You probably have a mark where it hit though,” Yosef explained. Yonatan pulled down his collar and just under his shoulder, was a faint, wild zigzag mark- the shape of a real lightning bolt.

Avi whistled, “Whoa, we have a real Harry Potter here.”

“Shame I never inherited his powers as well,” said Yonatan.

“Don’t speak too soon!” Shimon cautioned. The boys all laughed at his joke but little did they know how right Shimon was going to be.

After school, Avi, Yosef and Shimon clamoured for Yonatan to continue his story, and he agreed.

The thief stole into the school and crept into the computer room. With deft

fingers he skilfully picked the measly padlock that was all the cupboard had in terms of protection. Extracting a computer, he booted it up and ran a programme. Strange symbols ran across the screen and an eerie glow lit the room. The green light contrasted with the intruder’s blue skin and his alien eyes narrowed. The programme was complete. Waving up at the camera, he swiftly disappeared.

----------------------------------------------------“Yonatan get up!” called a voice.

A few minutes later, puffing and panting, Yonatan made it to the corner where Yosef and Avi were waiting impatiently. Picking up Shimon, they ran to school but were rewarded only by the sight of shut gates.

“Suppose we’ll have to go around to the office and get detention.” Yosef’s glum proclamation was suddenly offset when reached the office. Five policemen were there along with a very puzzled looking Rabbi Goldberg who told them: “Boys go to class.” It’s not that they had wanted a detention, but they had certainly been expecting one and the absence of it only piqued their curiosity further.

Later on, Mr Davidson explained to the class that there had been a break-in the night before. “It appears he was wearing some sort of unusual glowing mask and he only tampered with one of the laptops. He didn’t take anything, he simply installed a strange program. Bomb-disposal concluded it was not a bomb, but the police are still treating this very seriously.”

“Do they know what the mask looked like?” asked Shimon curiously.

“As a matter of fact yes, he turned around and waved at the camera, most

unusual but that’s enough for now boys, the wonders of osmosis are what we shall be delving into today.”

Avi frowned at Yosef and they turned to stare at Yonatan who simply shrugged with a perplexed expression. Yosef raised his hand.

“Just one more question,” he said, “How did he get in?”

“Through the skylight, now please turn to page 53.” Mr Davidson continued, but Yonatan wasn’t listening. Neither were Yosef, Avi or Shimon. The robbery was exactly the story Yonatan had made up that very night.

After lessons, Yosef, Avi and Shimon turned on Yonatan. “Hey, hey, I have no idea how it happened it’s so weird, but…it can’t be,” he said.

“It must be,” Avi stated simply. “Too much of a coincidence,” added Shimon. As one they turned to Yosef.

“What?”

“You’re the brainy one.”

“So what! Truthfully, I have no idea, but it is strange.”

“It all started once you got hit by the lightening!”

“Don’t be crazy Avi, that’s not possible, you watch too much.”

“Oh, so do you have a better explanation? No, Shimon? I didn’t think so.”

Yonatan sank to the ground in a daze, it couldn’t be, could it?

But it was his story, down to the last detail and there is no such thing as coincidence. Yosef decided to do some research and for now they would wait to see what he found. Yosef went off to the library with Shimon and Avi took Yonatan home.

“Y’know Yonatan, we could have some real fun with this new talent of yours….”

THEJEWISHWEEKLY.COM

“No. We have to be careful.”

“Oh come on, it would be so cool, imagine what we could do with it!” Yonatan’s heart began to pound. Truth be told he was excited, it was really cool to have powers. He felt like a super-hero. This would make a great story. His mind began to race, he could make them all rich and famous and really popular and he could invent ways for them to get all the latest gadgets and make everything they ever did succeed! Nothing would ever have to go wrong again, he would never have to be sad again, he wouldnever lack anything that he could ever dream of!

“We could go on cool adventures if you made us the protagonists and you would just write us a happy ending! And we could play some totally wicked tricks in school….”

Yonatan began to grin greedily, the whole world was his! But then his conscience coughed really loudly. Was he really allowed to do all this? What about helping the world?

He could end all wars, bring world peace, the possibilities were endless! Maybe it would be wrong to use his new powers for himself? If Hashem gave them to him, surely it was for all mankind?

Avi read the conflict in his friend’s eyes, “Of course we would help everyone we could. Look Yonatan, we can do anything you can dream of!”

Yonatan laughed crazily, the world was theirs!

TO BE CONTINUED ...

To read the final part before our next publication visit the youth secion of our website.

44 WOMEN

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

W oman of W orth SAM ‫ ֵֽא ׁ ֶשת ַֽחיִ ל ִמי יִ ְמ ָצא‬LETHBRIDGE S am Lethbridge is a mother of two from Borehamwood who is an active campaigner for mental health issues. Her daughter, whom she doesn’t want to be named in this article, was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at the age of five.

Once diagnosed, she was referred to CAMHS (the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) in Hertfordshire for treatment. After just a few sessions with only minimal improvement, Sam’s daughter was discharged with a surprising recommendation by the nurse to ‘read a book’ without any further support.

ADHD is a neuro-behavioural condition that affects a person’s ability to pay attention as well as to control impulsive behaviour and hyperactivity. For Sam’s daughter it can manifest itself in violent behaviour and suicidal tendencies amongst other symptoms.

Sam said: “Lots of people don’t believe that ADHD is an actual condition and they think that children with it are just naughty. In the case of my daughter, hers can be all-consuming and it makes it difficult to manage things and be organised.

Sometimes she will have a meltdown over quite simple things just because she finds it difficult to process how to do things.”

Sam and her husband, Jonathon, also have an eight-year-old son who has been affected by his sister’s condition at times. “He adores his sister” they said, “but sometimes her behaviour can scare him and it is difficult to explain that it is not her, but her condition, that makes her act like this”.

After being discharged, her behaviour began to deteriorate again

and she was referred back to CAMHS for further treatment. They were told that they would have to wait eighteen weeks in order to see anyone and so they ended up obtaining private treatment in order to help their daughter more quickly. Due to the financial and emotional strain of dealing with and paying for treatment, the couple ended up losing their home and now live in rented accommodation to allow them to continue to fund their daughter’s treatment.

Being able to function within the boundaries of mainstream school can be difficult for those with ADHD and in the case of Sam’s daughter, her behaviour led to violent outbursts at the Jewish primary school she attended. As a result of this, she was locked in a room alone by teachers because the school did not know how to deal with her condition. Sam said: “It was like they were punishing her, and this just made it worse. They took away her tights or socks for fear that she would try and hurt herself with them. I was outraged that this was how they thought a girl with this condition should be treated”.

Sam took her out of that school and managed to place her into another Jewish school in the area, which had a much better way of dealing with her behaviour. Unfortunately, the effect from her previous school experiences led her daughter to have a breakdown, almost like post-traumatic stress, and she ended up being hospitalised in a residential children’s hospital for seven months. Sam feels that if an intervention would have happened earlier, then they may have been able to avoid this situation. Whilst

in hospital, Sam’s daughter was lucky enough to meet the Duchess of Cambridge who has been very much involved in helping to raise awareness about mental health and the need for treatment in young people.

When Sam’s daughter was discharged from hospital it was suggested that she should receive ongoing care from CAMHS, but this was never given and no one from CAMHS even contacted Sam. As a result, her daughter unfortunately had a relapse.

Last year, in desperation at the situation and lack of help, Sam sent an open letter to then Prime Minister, David Cameron, accusing him of failing her daughter and others like her. “The main issue is funding for these services,” Sam explains.

“Money that is meant to be spent on CAMHS is not properly ringfenced for this purpose and is spent elsewhere instead, which means CAMHS cannot offer the right facilities or support for children like my daughter”.

The letter, which she posted on Facebook, attracted a large amount of interest from the media and led to articles in The Independent, as well as being featured on Sky News and BBC, which helped raise awareness of mental health issues. The Daily Mirror even commissioned Sam to carry out a national online survey of around 1,000 families in similar situations. It showed that 78% of them felt let down by CAMHS and, due to cuts in the service, many have had to seek private, often expensive, professional help.

Sam’s daughter has now been placed in a school in Kingsbury which specialises in full-time

education for children with social, emotional and mental health needs.

Sam is extremely impressed with the improvement her daughter has made since starting the school and she is now able to cope much better within this school environment. She said: “The school has been incredible and has helped my daughter improve so much. They have created a programme of learning which is right for her and she has made amazing progress in the time she has been there.”

Around five years ago, Sam set up a Facebook support group called ‘Its Not Just You’ (sic). It now has over 1,500 members from all over the world and offers help, advice, love and support for parents of children with similar conditions. The Facebook group is now so busy that Sam has had to take on two other people to help with responding and helping people who contact her through the site. She explained: “When your child has ADHD, as well as being a parent you have to be a carer, a legal expert and a doctor, as no one gives you the information you need.

Many people just want some advice or help that is not always easy to find online or from their local authority. Some people have said that the group has helped save their sanity. For me personally, I have made some really good friends from this group and it is great to be able to share experiences with people who understand what you are going through”.

As well as running the Facebook

group, she has also been involved with events to help raise awareness of mental health issues. Recently she was on the panel for the Mental Health Awareness Panel Discussions organised in conjunction with JAMI which was held at Cockfosters and North Southgate United synagogue. In May she was invited, along with her husband, to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace as a result of her campaigning and hard work. She enthused that: “It was a great honour to be invited and it was lovely to be able to share it with Jonathon. He has been a great support throughout and we are both very determined to continue doing the best for our daughter”.

Sam continues to campaign for mental health issues, not only for her daughter, but also for other children and families in similar situations. Her daughter, who is now eleven, can have good days and bad days and it can be difficult for the family as a whole, but Sam tries to stay positive. They are all looking forward to celebrating their daughter’s Bat Mitzvah in October, which is something that a few months ago they never dreamt would happen.

Sam said: “When things were really bad we didn’t think that this would be possible, but this shows how far she has come. She is really excited about the whole thing, and we can’t wait to celebrate this occasion with her.”

If you would like to nominate a ‘Woman Of Worth’ to be featured on this page then please email micaela@thejewishweekly.com

Tips and Tricks - Packing your suitcase

Jewish Weekly aims to source the most genius, time saving and useful hacks for you every week, so watch this space!

Love going on holiday, but hate packing? Here are some top tips to help make it a little easier.

• Always roll your clothes as they take up less room and won’t wrinkle.

• To avoid bottles from leaking, unscrew the lid and put a large piece of clingfilm over the top. Put the lid back on extra tight and it should now be leak-proof!

• Put shoes in a shower cap to avoid the bottoms of the shoes marking things.

• Put anything fragile, like perfume bottles, into socks to avoid any breakages.

• Maximise space in your case by stuffing shoes with socks or aerosols.

• Pack heavy stuff at the bottom of the case and lighter things at the top to ensure that the weight is distributed evenly when you are wheeling it.

Correction: Last week’s ‘Tips and Tricks’ was titled ‘Travel’ when it should have been titled ‘Ice Cube Trays’. Please note that according to KLBD, strawberries must be cut with the leaves off, soacked in salty water for a few minutes and checked thoroughly for insects.

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46 PARENTING

27 JULY 2017

The Power of Appreciation

BY RABBI MALCOLM HERMAN In the final part of this particular series we look at three more strategies to nourish our children without spoiling them.

In the previous articles we looked at the problem that we all face as contemporary parents, living thankfully in a “land of plenty”.

Many children are over-indulged and we as parents recognise that this can even be a curse, although it masquerades as a blessing. Our children exhibit a lower capacity to enjoy life’s true gifts and a reduced ability to delay gratification. And yet, we are caught in a never ending spiral of pseudo-giving..

There are no simple answers.

If we want to restore a healthy balance we are going to need to make some difficult choices with the sophistication to understand that in the long term our children will reap the benefits. Today’s “deprivation” will be tomorrow’s “gift”.

In the last article we identified three out of six strategies.

1.

The development of what we termed “inner gifts” of wholesome self-esteem. This reduces the aching yearn to find value in possessions as a compensation for the emptiness within.

2.

Delayed gratification.

This skill is vital to achieve success in any endeavour and of course increases the actual pleasure or experience when it arrives.

3.

Managing expectations.

Children have come to expect or even demand various treats as their G-d-given-inalienable-right. This is particularly true across a summer break. This does not make for nice children – or pleasant adults either.

This needs to be tackled boldly.

Our fourth strategy is “appreciation”.

The term “appreciate” in a financial framework means “to increase the value of an asset”. Similarly when we express appreciation we focus for a few minutes on the item received. We take it in and we allow ourselves to relish it. We raise its value. Pick your favourite indulgence – maybe it’s a really good whisky, a fabulous perfume or a piece of sushi. If you could measure enjoyment on a scale, consider the difference between the instant finish and the opportunity to savour it. You take a pause, (using whisky as an example), sniff it gently, allow it to buffer the palate and then swallow.

but for every-day. To my mind this is the single most important factor in restoring balance. We can introduce a culture of appreciation into our homes and our lives. It is transformational.

Take the very simple prayer of “Modeh Ani – I give thanks” that we are supposed to say before we get out of bed. Anyone can say it – religious or not. It is a simple statement of gratitude to G-d that He has given me another day! We start the day by acknowledging our privileges rather than listing our demands.

There are a number of practical ways to teach appreciation. For example we can recycle toys within the home. In other words,

Now when was the last time we relished the people with whom we share life, expressing appreciation for the everyday tasks or chores that they do? It doesn’t matter if it is supper on the table or petrol in the car, shirts in the cupboard, money in the account, or children well looked after, the list is endless. We are all guilty of “depreciating” them and what they do. In so doing we cultivate an environment of “expectation” rather than appreciation and everyone suffers.

Judaism has a unique mechanism of restoring the pause-button in life’s rush. It is called the “beracha”- blessings before and after food. Acknowledge before we indulge, savour before you flavour. In a household where this is for real – appreciation is not just for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day,

instead letting every toy languish within the cupboard, remove some for a while to reappear during halfterm or summer holidays. There is a real pleasure in rediscovering a toy that was once enjoyed.

You can also have a box of Shabbat-playable games which can only be used on Shabbat or Chagim.

Older children that earn pocket money can genuinely be asked to contribute or pay for items that they want. This teaches them the real value. “Mummy I want to get a fidget spinner”. “Sure, how much money do you have in your money box?” It is surprising how many times the object suddenly becomes less critical after all!

This brings us to the fifth category which is “living by example”. Children replicate what they see at home. Often it is very

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subtle. It has nothing to do with what we say – and everything to do with who we are. Ok, let’s risk some popularity points by asking some uncomfortable questions.

How often do we as parents “eat out” in a month? Is it a treat or has it become an expectation?

How often do we order a takeaway because we don’t fancy supper?

When we order from the internet how often do we select “express delivery” and how often is it that urgent?

When we send a text/WhatsApp how many seconds do we wait before we are puzzled by the lack of response?

There is a new model of my phone on the market, but my old one is doing just fine (In fact I have only just got the hang of it!). How long do we wait before we succumb to the new model?

What are the subliminal messages that we are teaching our children?

In a similar vein, let’s graduate life’s pleasures for our children. If they have been half way around the world before they are fifteen and own a car at seventeen, what do they have to anticipate or work towards? Have we given to them or taken from them?

This brings us to our final strategy which is simply “sharing”.

As a community we are famously charitable, punching well above our weight in terms of national averages. It is so important that we “share the sharing” and our children see that in action. Every winter there is an appeal for blankets and coats for children in Israel. This is an appeal that every child can understand and (as an example) in our home we encourage them to contribute towards this. They can relate to it with ease. “Imagine going to bed without a duvet – let alone your ten favourite-no-roomin-the bed-teddies”. It reminds them for a few minutes at least, that they are fortunate and there are many others who don’t have what we take for granted.

But sharing is not just about money. These days, every time we shop there are opportunities to

shop for others that cannot afford that which we place in our baskets with ease. When we take those opportunities and explain them to the little eyes that follow us we are teaching life lessons.

How about introducing one day in the summer holiday where the children sort their toys and find good homes or a charity shop for the redundant games? Here it is important to consider the age of the child and not to set one bar for all.

The idea is to turn everyone into a giver and it is not a competition.

Introduce the idea as part of the holiday plan about a week ahead of time so that the children can assimilate it, then find time to discuss it with each relevant child individually. “Have you thought of something that you no longer play with that we can take to the charity shop?” “Yes Mummy, my sister.” “Ok, but that wasn’t what we were thinking of. How about a toy?” You get the idea!

There are endless opportunities for sharing. Are you away for a fortnight with a large car in your drive? Maybe there is someone you know that can’t afford that holiday to whom you could lend your car? What a powerful lesson to our children that would be.

To summarise three articles, I worry that we have become “gadget-rich and relationshippoor”. We have suggested six ways to redress the balance and to give them one of life’s most precious gifts – the power of appreciation.

It is honestly a gift for life – if not the gift of life itself.

Rabbi Malcolm Herman Associate National Director seed uk For questions or comments email mherman@seed.uk.net He is the co-author of Everyday Parenting for Everyday Parents together with Professor Irvine Gersch. To find out more about classes and courses see www.seed.uk.net Rabbi Herman’s parenting column features every fortnight in The Jewish Weekly and his book can be purchased on Amazon.

27 JULY 2017

MUSIC 47

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Chazzan Moishe Dubiner Hannah Harnest was born in New York in 1985 and grew up in Munich and Paris. She is a professionally trained pianist, having played internationally as a soloist and chamber music partner, and holds Masters degrees from the London School of Economics and the Royal Academy of Music, London. She currently works as a principal instrumental and vocal coach within the music department of the University of Edinburgh, and starting from the summer of 2017, she will take up studies at the prestigious School of Journalism at Columbia University New York.

BY HANNAH HARNEST From the time he was nine years old, Moishe Dubiner always wanted to become a world famous Chazzan. His parents had escaped from the Nazis in Vienna in 1938 and he grew up in England with the awareness of a great Jewish cultural heritage and the wish to contribute to it in some way. Throughout his

life, he has equally been intrigued by the buzz of sourcing items from all around the world and selling them at a profit. Now, looking back, he can proudly say that he has lead two parallel and extremely successful careers; one as a highly respected Chazzan in the UK, USA, Israel, and Europe; and one as an antique and modern silver dealer in London.

Growing up, his father and grandfather took Moishe to a little shtible in London, where the Chassidic rabbi, who was ‘the most wonderful baal tefillah’, left a great impression on him. “My father also took me to hear all the well-known Chazzanim, and I made sure they came to our house, so that I could accompany them on the piano,” he said.

Dubiner was so eager to become a Chazzan that he enquired about classes at Jews’ College at the age of fifteen. He was too young for them then, but got accepted at sixteen and subsequently learned the art of Chazzanut with the eminent Rev Leo Bryll, who also became his mentor in discussions about the interpretation of music in general. In addition, Dubiner received vocal lessons from the well-known Italian tenor Dino Borgiolo. He said that “Borgiolo smoked heavy cigars, and made me do a lot of breathing exercises.

He especially used Donizetti’s aria

‘Una furtiva lagrima’ from L’elisir d’amore’, and other Italian songs to illustrate his lessons.”

At seventeen Dubiner became the youngest professional Chazzan in England at the Great Synagogue in Commercial Road in the East End and two years later, in 1959, he started work at the prestigious Federation Synagogue at Great Garden Street for fourteen pounds a week.

Talking about the preferences in music, melodies and style that he developed over time, he said that he used a lot of Lewandowski, Mombach, and Sulzer. The latter one was a cantor and contemporary of the early 19th century Austrian composer Franz Schubert and they both influenced each other. In 1828 Schubert composed a psalm for Sulzer for baritone and small male chorus (92nd psalm, D 953).

“In choral music, such as ‘Hashkiveinu’, you can see the influence of classical music in Chazzanut”, said Dubiner. Both genres require a great knowledge of the inherent harmonies and structures, and improvisation is essential, too. “Personally, I like to improvise a lot, especially when there is a pause in the text”, he continued. “My style in Chazzanut is very unique, since it aims to emphasize the prayer and move the people, even when I happen to have a sore throat”. Dubiner also

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Moishe Dubiner

emphasized that the understanding of the text is crucial. He noted that “If you don’t know exactly the content of your prayer, you might use a cheerful tune for something that is sad and vice versa”.

Those are the tales of past times. The downside of Chazzanut nowadays is its looming decline.

This is partly due to the positive side effect that men who are knowledgeable enough like to take over services in their communities.

The problem though is that the office of the United Synagogue in the UK very often cannot afford to pay a Chazzan in every small congregation. Dubiner said that communal singing is very important because it engages the community, but most Chazzanim rely too much on solo singing.

They often also pitch melodies at a key (too high or too low), where congregations can’t join in.

“In 1963 I was a full-time Chazzan at Bayswater Synagogue in London, one of the most prestigious Shuls here, and my duties included the davening at Shul, visiting people in hospitals, and the occasional Bar Mitzvah, wedding, or funeral and I had thus very little to do during the week”, Dubiner explained. He continued saying that “In school, I’ve always had a flair for business.

As a professional cantor, I could not make a living out of it, and had quite a lot of spare time, which is why I decided to go into the silver business to make ends meet. In 1963, I heard about an antique market in London that always happened on Friday early mornings. The problem was that my job as a cantor required me to be in Shul at 7.30am. So, the first time I went to that market, I decided to pay the new Israeli secretary of my Shul three pounds, so that he would replace me. I came with a travel bag, some silver scales, twentyseven pounds in my pocket, and the

knowledge that the price for silver these days was at five shillings an ounce. Someone sold me a little pot of silver for seven pounds, and thanks to my aptitude for the business, I had re-sold the item to someone else for thirty-seven pounds a couple of hours later that same day. This amount equalled two weeks of wages for me as main Chazzan at my synagogue”.

In those times, the United Synagogue didn’t allow Chazzanim to have another employment, which is why Moishe Dubiner decided to become a wellrespected and widely travelled part-time Chazzan, as well as a successful businessman, and has never regretted his decision to this day. He is totally self-taught as an antique silver dealer, and opened his own shop on George Street in Marylebone in 1965 (www. paulbennettonline.com).

“London is a leading place in the silver business, as it is pretty much one of the largest worldwide markets in all types of antiques.

We also do a lot of business with America”, Dubiner said. “I have many Jewish colleagues in the antique silver commerce, but I don’t know anyone who is also a cantor”, he concluded.

Dubiner still keeps fit vocally with plenty of practice in his studio at home. On the 5th August 2017, it will be 60 years since he first got a job as professional Chazzan. On this occasion (Shabbat Nachamu), he will sponsor a Kiddush and luncheon at Chabad West Hampstead at 47 Fairfax Road, NW6 4EL, London, where he acts as main Chazzan. Everyone is welcome to honour Moishe Dubiner and his inspirational achievements in life, by joining Rabbi David Katz and his growing community on 5th August.

48 FOOD

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

27 JULY 2017 40 min Duration 20 min Cook Time 20 min Prep Time 6 Servings

joyofkosher.com Simple ingredients come together to create a healthy, gorgeous Asian-inspired soup. This meal in a bowl is picture perfect and making the perfect hard boiled eggs and fried garlic is essential.

INGREDIENTS • 8 cups vegetable broth • 1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, stems removed • 1 - 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger • 3 garlic cloves, grated, or 6 frozen cubes • 1 pound buckwheat soba noodles or whole wheat spaghetti, cooked according to package directions • 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms, stems removed • 3 cups frozen, cubed butternut squash, thawed

• • • • •

3 cups torn kale 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced 8 ounces firm tofu, diced Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper • Garnishes: sliced creamy hard-boiled eggs, mung bean sprouts, crispy garlic chips, sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil

PREPARATION 1. In a large pot, simmer broth, dried mushrooms, ginger, and garlic, covered, for about 20 minutes until mushrooms are soft.

2. Remove mushrooms and allow to cool briefly. Slice mushrooms.

3. Arrange noodles, shiitake mushrooms, squash, kale, jalapeño, and tofu into individual serving bowls or 1 giant bowl. Pour hot broth over soup ingredients.

4. Garnish with eggs, sprouts, garlic chips, sesame seeds, and a drizzle of sesame oil.

SOBA NOODLE SOUP DINNER

QUICK AND EASY PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM PIE I had kids in mind when I came up with this dessert, but as with many things targeted to little ones, grown-ups wound up loving it, too. I found myself watching that the kids only had one slice because I didn’t want their tummies to hurt. Then, I’d sneak a second slice for myself when they weren’t looking. Hey, I have a bigger mouth; I need more ice cream, right?

A combo of chocolate and vanilla ice cream makes a “black-andwhite” ice cream pie. Of course, you can also make this recipe with non-dairy ice cream.

Plan ahead: this pie needs some freezer time, so make it the day before and freeze. Take it out an hour before serving to make it easy to slice.

INGREDIENTS • • • • •

1 pint vanilla ice cream, slightly thawed, divided 1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker pie crust ¾ cup peanut butter ½ cup chocolate chips ¾ cup peanut butter or butterscotch chips, divided

PREPARATION 1.

2.

3.

Spread half of ice cream in pie crust. Dot peanut butter all over ice cream.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips and half peanut butter chips, dispersing evenly. Spread remaining ice cream over top.

Cover top with remaining peanut butter chips. Freeze overnight, or at least 8 hours. Soften for 1 hour in refrigerator before serving to make it easier to cut and to soften chips.

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6 min Duration 6 min Prep Time 8 Servings

27 JULY 2017

TRAVEL 49

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Travel News Roundup

Travel News Roundup is brought to you by Malcolm Ginsberg, Editor in Chief of Business Travel News (www.btnews.co.uk). He is a member of the International Travel Writers Alliance, a noted analyst on aviation matters and is seen from time to time on TV and heard on the radio. He would be pleased to hear from tour operators and travel agents who have future packages of a general nature that might interest Jewish Weekly readers. info@btnews.co.uk New Tiberias Hotel Now just open is the U Boutique Kinneret hotel from Fattal, Israel’s largest chain and perhaps best known for the Herod’s Palace in Eilat. Fattal also owns the Leonardo hotel group with three further properties in Tiberias.

Sitting on the water’s edge of the Sea of Galilee, the hotel, with its own private beach, is a short walk from the centre of the historic town of Tiberias.

Described as boutique, the new property has sixty guest rooms and suites and a gourmet culinary experience is promised. There is a large fresh water swimming pool in the grounds overlooking Lake Kinneret and also a spa.

Tiberias is about ninety miles from Ben Gurion airport and is very much the gateway to the Golan with many historical sites. A circular trip around the Sea of Galilee is a must.

The hotel caters for young guests, with food suitable for babies and baby accessories including sterilizers, bottle warmers, cots, bed sides and Gerber purees. Visit www.fattal-hotels. com for further information.

Monarch to Eliat Luton-based Monarch Airlines will again this coming winter be running a weekly service to Eilat’s Ovda airport from 2 November until 15 March.

The flights operate on a Thursday, departing at 09:45 arriving at 16:55 local time, with the return schedule 18:05/21:45 and a planned flight time of 5hrs 10mins each way. Fully inclusive prices start at £140 return.

Ovda is about forty miles from the city of Eilat and is served by buses and taxis, and you can pre-book a hire car.

The airline says that it plans to transfer to the new Ramon International Airport when it opens, expected to be in time for Passover next year. This futuristic airport is less than twenty miles from the city centre.

Monarch also flies to Tel Aviv three times a week from Luton and twice weekly out of Manchester, with prices starting at £174 return.

The airline told Jewish Weekly that passengers wanting a two-venue holiday in Israel can fly Monarch both ways and use the frequent domestic flights to the soon-to-close Eilat city centre airport. There are services from both Sde Dov just north of Tel Aviv and also Ben Gurion International, but here the services operate from the quiet domestic terminal. A free bus service connects the two terminals, the international building hosting the railway to Tel Aviv. More information is available at www.monarch.co.uk Titanic prepares to sail Set in the former headquarters and drawing offices of shipbuilder Harland & Wolff, Belfast’s much-anticipated Titanic Hotel has named its opening day as 10 September. Once the

world’s largest shipbuilder and still an industrial giant in Northern Ireland, Harland & Wolff’s heritage goes back to Gustav Wilhelm Wolff, a Jew from Hamburg who, together with Edward Harland, created the company in 1860.

The hotel will have 119 rooms, all with views of Belfast’s rich shipbuilding history, from the Harland & Wolff cranes in the east, to the slipways and Belfast City Airport, once the private airport of the shipbuilder.

The hotel will have seven event spaces using the offices of Thomas Andrews, Lord Pirrie and Charles Payne, influential figures of Harland & Wolff and the design of Titanic. Other special features include the tiles surrounding the main bar, identical to those used for Titanic’s swimming pool. Find out more at www.titanichotelbelfast.com Kosher cruising from Tilbury One of the world’s greatest cruise liners is offering a special kosher cruise out of Tilbury next year. The six-star Crystal Serenity departs the London Cruise Terminal on Thursday 7 June 2018. Ports of call on the 12-day trip are Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Helsinki, St Petersburg (two full days of sightseeing) and the historical city of Tallinn.

On all Crystal cruise ships guests

enjoy a complimentary enrichment programme with outstanding guest speakers including destination specialists, world affairs experts, renowned writers and fascinating celebrities to talk about their experiences and share their insights. The theatre shows are amongst the finest at sea.

Organised by Ophir Tours, the exclusive kosher section will be for a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 50 guests. The six-star kosher team is led by two outstanding chefs. Ariel Porat, former Executive Chef of the Dan Accadia Hotel in Herzliya and now CEO of Schalom Catering AG in Switzerland, has years of experience in producing the highest level cuisine at luxury kosher programmes worldwide.

The other chef, Avi Steinitz, has served as Executive Chef at the King David Hotel Jerusalem, the Dan Tel Aviv and the Dan Eilat. From 2006 until 2012 he led the team at The Avenue, the largest convention and events centre in Israel. He now serves as consultant to organisers of exclusive kosher events worldwide. There is a dedicated pastry chef on board. The chefs will provide guests with modern, upscale kosher menus using only the finest ingredients combined with excellent kosher wines.

The cruise will be hosted by Rabbi

Stewart and Mrs Susie Weiss of the Jewish Outreach Centre, Raanana, who have organised over 40 kosher cruises.

The voyage is all-inclusive, meaning all drinks on board including fine wines (kosher), premium brand spirits and soft drinks are complimentary throughout the cruise. All gratuities are included for housekeeping, dining room and bar staff. For penthouse guests, butler service including tips is part of the package.

There will be a cultural programme of Jewish interest on board under the direction of Rabbi Stewart Weiss.

Ophir says it will also organise where applicable tours of Jewish interest in addition to those prearranged by Crystal Cruises in the ports of call.

There are a number of operators who offer kosher cruises on a variety of lines and most ships will carry kosher (frozen) main courses. Crystal is the very top cruise line and the biennial trip is unique. Two years ago, the Crystal Serenity passage from Rome to London Tower sold out, including eight couples who booked Penthouse accommodation at around $29,000 per cabin. This included four couples from the UK. Further information is available at www.whollykosher.com

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50 COMEDY

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

Fun, fun, fun, we’re all going on a summer holiday COMEDY BY ED MOSS Well, we’re either off to Israel, actually there, or have returned, depending upon when you are reading this.

There is no doubt that airports can be quite amusing places. All manner of culinary delights that are passed off as food, duty-free prices that are actually higher than the high street, people parting with £10 for a no-hope chance of winning an expensive car they can ill-afford to tax or insure, and general goods at prices throughout the terminal that sit well in any editorial written about RipOff Britain. Of course airports are only amusing until you’re told by a burly security supervisor at the x-ray gate, whose neck seems to have morphed into his shoulders, that thanks to the only contribution Yasser Arafat ever made to society, you have to remove your belt, shoes, watch and place your AK-47 in the tray provided. And heaven forfend you attempt to take a bottle of spring water with you!

Watching people going around their travel activities in airports and on board the aircraft is beyond hilarious. There are those who are plainly not very good at it, continually checking all manner of minutiae with other members of their party. “Do we go to the gate?”, “Have we time for a pizza?”, “I MUST get a beer”. And talking of beer, how do people manage to sup it at 8am in the morning?

There are those who have plainly not done much airport waiting thus far, and want, nay demand, that fellow travellers are made fully aware

of their presence as they point and gesture to the departure monitor, shouting out their destination and boarding gate at every passing opportunity to one-and-all around them. Some even grab passing airport cleaners to proudly announce, with a perfunctory fist-in-the-air gesture, “I’m off to Mar-Bella, me!

Eh! Fantastic! Get in there!” No doubt, said airport cleaner is very impressed. And has got in there!

Then there are those who think they are something special – despite the fact they are travelling via a budget carrier – all shouty, pointy and with ‘the stance’. Yes, they have ‘the stance’, that certain aura about them. They deport themselves in a totally different and needing-a-firm-smack-in-themouth sort of manner to anyone else. In short, rather painful to observe.

Then it comes to boarding the plane. The gate is announced and immediately there is a huge bleat as people rush to queue and stand in line or be first on the aircraft so they can sit in a cramped seat for forty minutes rather than remain seated in the comparative comfort of the departure area until it would otherwise be a case of sailing through on to the plane for a mere ten-minute wait to departure instead.

Then on the aircraft itself, you have the ones who, the moment the seatbelt light is turned off, immediately stand up to go and chat with their friends. You know, the self-same ones who are always seen standing in a coach when it passes you on the motorway.

Yes, it doesn’t just happen on El

Al, EasyJet and Monarch flights to Ben Gurion! They stand in the aisles, blocking the way for the air hostesses (or salespeople if it’s a RyanAir flight), with silly smiles on their faces, pretending to be listening to every syllable being spoken, while in fact they’re just looking at someone five rows behind. They gesticulate emphatically to their other friends further down the plane, mouthing every word with added exaggeration, adding a silent guffaw at the end of every statement and gesture.

The things these aisle-blockers all have in common, aside from stupid grins on their faces, are arm-filled tattoos, silly haircuts, rude T-shirts and the inevitable charity wrist band from a TV charity marathon aired six months previously.

And if it’s a budget flight, when the Trolley-Dolly or Trolley-Desmond comes along touting the airline’s completely over-priced and totally-unhealthy fast-food, they will stock up like there is no tomorrow. Sandwiches, crisps, muffins, beer, G&Ts etc. Helping to transform the originally-advertised £9.99 flight that they have actually paid £89 for after extras (luggage, check-in, life vest, oxygen mask, toilet token, etc.) to way over the £110 mark. Meaning they could have travelled by a national carrier with baggage and a cup of tea and a biscuit included in the price.

Yes. Air travel. Great fun.

And talking of airline travel, don’t we all love booking fees?

Or at least I certainly do. Those hidden extras which totally negate the "from £9.99" ticket price that is written extremely large, while

the "plus booking fee" needs a microscope to be seen. The instant translucent coating, painted over the so-called transparently-priced ticket.

There is the straightforward daylight robbery fee that the wonderful concert ticket agencies place on their tickets, as if the profit from exclusively filling an arena with 15,000 ticket-payers nine-months prior to the event is not enough.

One single event from a nationwide series of concerts produces in excess of £100,000 in fees. That’s £1 million in profit from fees for a series of just ten major venues.

And that's before their profit from the tickets themselves. Yet in the days before the internet, the venues had to put in a much greater effort to sell their tickets, all without booking fees, and you received personal attention and not an “unrecognised item in bagging area” type acknowledgement from a computer.

Of course, sheer greed and the ability to get away with it legally is the real explanation.

Then there's most of the budget, and even the not-so-budget, airlines. They find all manner of ways to ensure they charge you at least £8, or even a percentage of the full ticket price, for the mere less-than £1 the bank charges them for the privilege of you using their credit card.

And Megabus with their "From £1 + 50p booking fee" accompanying the smiling oik in the yellow peaked-cap plastered all over the back of their coaches. Don't the marketing dimwits running the company’s marketing department

realise that "From £1.50 including fees" is a far better and more honest proposition for the public?

Don’t they realise that after traffic wardens, the booking fee is the most despised thing in retail society?

A wheeze over the past few years, courtesy of those wonderful people we all know and love, property rental agents, has finally been knocked on the head by the government – the £60 (or more) for a new annual contract for a property rental agreement. Yes, £60 (or more) to print out an identical contract to that of the previous year, often with the new contract year simply copied and pasted over.

And I’ve seen contracts where the agent didn’t even bother changing the date! Takes about two minutes?

That's £1,200 an hour. It was immoral, daylight robbery and nothing short of a legalised crime racket. I, for one, think it's not before time that this has at last ended.

I'm not too sure what you think.

But I'm fairly confident you might be as jealous as I am that you can't make a living as easily as that.

Ed Moss

Easy Sudoko

Puzzles Visual Puzzle

Spot the two identical images.

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SPORTS

27 JULY 2017

TRAVEL 51

THE JEWISH WEEKLY

ONE NATION... ...MANY TEAMS

W EEKLY

Israeli sports branching out to rugby and beyond

BY DAVID SAFFER

Israel takes sport seriously in terms of leisure activities, both in domestic competitions and on the international stage. Football edges basketball in terms of popularity, though the latter has enjoyed more global success. Indeed, Maccabi Tel Aviv is a six-time winner of the European Championships, most recently in 2014, whilst Hapoel Jerusalem claimed the Eurocup a decade earlier.

Israel has also enjoyed fleeting success at the Olympic Games, winning nine medals, including gold for Gal Fridman in sailing and five judo bronzes. And Soviet-born pole vault Aleksandr Averbukh has won European Championship gold and World Athletics championships medals.

Two-time Australian Grand Slam winners, Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich, made the headlines for Israel some years ago, whilst rowing is the latest sport to receive greater recognition. Minority sports also have a place in Israeli culture, with a number of them enjoying varying degrees of popularity, from American football to baseball, handball, lacrosse, martial arts, netball, softball and wrestling, to name but a few.

Rugby union is another sport that has a small but loyal following and though Israel may never compete at the top level against the mighty New Zealand ‘All Blacks’ or second ranked England, the game is developing with around 1,000 players competing in domestic club leagues.

On the international front, Israel’s stock is rising, albeit slowly, and especially in the ‘sevens’ format. The birth of rugby union in Israel goes back to the influence of British Commonwealth

immigrants, especially those from South Africa and Britain, in the early 1950s.

Leo Camron, who played for South African club side Natal and served in the War of Independence in 1948, organised Israel’s first rugby match when a South African side defeated a team made up of IDF parachutists 18-6, but the game was slow to gain momentum for two decades.

The 1970s brought new immigrants from rugby-playing nations, resulting in a national league in 1972 and establishment of the Israel Rugby Union three years later.

Just over a handful of men’s teams compete in 15-a-side domestic rugby, whilst ‘sevens’ has developed further since the Israel Olympic Committee invested resources when this mode of rugby debuted at the 2016 Rio Games.

Israel drew 9-9 with Switzerland in its first official 15-a-side international match in 1981, the same year rugby was a part of the Maccabiah Games, prior to joining the International Rugby Board in 1988.

Based at the Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel’s national team is part of the European (FIRA-AER) Union, not Asian Rugby Football Union, due to politics and plays in the European Nations Cup. Israel enjoyed its finest hour when it routed Hungary 67-8 during the qualifying stages of the 1995 World Cup prior to exiting in the round 1 group stage.

Slow progress ensued before Israel defeated Slovenia in its 2011 qualifying campaign before losing to Lithuania. Both playoff games were the first to be televised live in Israel. Israel participated in the 2015 European Zone qualifying campaign, with 31 counties

Battling for the ball

Israel Sevens Rugby Squad

seeking two spots for the World Cup finals in England. Israel won Division 2B of Europe prior to exiting in the playoff round.

The men’s 15-a-side team currently sit in the mid-50s of the IRB world rankings. Menachem ben Menachem is President of the Israel Rugby Union Association and has high hopes for the sport in both formats of the game but especially ‘sevens’. The Israel’s men’s team compete in Europe Division Two, the second of four leagues, and

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recently finished seventh out of 12 nations. “Sevens globally is massively popular and it is growing all the time,” he said.

“We went from a ranking of 92 all the way to 46 a few years ago, which was the biggest rise at the time. We enjoyed a world record number of wins at this level but have reached a ceiling and to break from that we need a grass roots programme.

“We need more players so are working hard to get into schools

to develop. The government is putting in funds, mostly for high performance athletes, and are aiming for the 2024 Olympics. We do development work from our own resources but also have a grant from World Rugby. Twelve teams from 110 qualify for the Olympics so it is very competitive, but you have to aim high and the primaries are an achievable target.”

Raanan Penn is head coach of CONTINUED ON PAGE 52

52 SPORTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 51

the men’s sevens squad. “We have improved in recent years, but had a disappointing European season because we thought we would do much better.” Raanan said. “Our Maccabiah squad was very young with an average age of 21 because you must give players a chance.

“We will develop, we are working hard and have a good programme with our Olympic committee. The Sports Ministry of Israel is working with 12-year-old kids around the country and we train at Wingate from September so the U16 guys will be full time.

They will live and train in Netanya so will develop.

“The dream is the 2024 Olympics, if we dream far and dream big then we will move forward.

Look at Iceland, they beat England at the European Championships last year, no one thought that would be possible, so it can happen.” Raanan added that “Rugby is a minor sport but is slowly growing. ‘Sevens’ can be a real Israeli game because we have the weather and the game corresponds to Israeli athletes who are really versatile. We are suited to ‘sevens’, we don’t have many guys 1.95m and 110kg, these guys go to basketball or volleyball. We look for speed and have decent strength but we need more players with natural speed.”

In terms of the sport, Israel is looking to the future, and has a coach to match those aspirations.

27 JULY 2017

THE JEWISH WEEKLY Nimi Caplin, whose parents hail from Australia and South Africa, is head coach of the men’s and women’s development sevens squads.

“Like a number of Zionists of their generation, my parents came to Israel in the 1970s,” recalled Nimi. “Rugby union has always been big in both countries, so together with other Aussies, South Africans, Brits and New Zealanders, they started rugby teams at Yizre’el Kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley. When I came into the world, there was a rugby union club. It was a bit of history and I grew up in a family when rugby was a big thing.”

Nimi duly played for his local club, captained the national U16 team, then after high school played U18s in Lyon, France, and after delaying his army service, U20s level in Sydney, Australia.

“Through army service, I was able to continue with my rugby for the national side,” he said.

The team was ranked around 90 but we then selected players who took rugby seriously and got up to around 50 playing teams such as Slovenia, Bosnia, Luxemboung, Hungary and Bulgaria.”

Nimi began coaching towards the end of his playing days after picking up a few injuries and eventually led the U19s when the coach was unavailable for a European sevens tournament in 2014.

“We did well so I was asked to coach the women’s national

side, continued this season and then the U16 ‘sevens’ team,” he explained. “We recently came back from Heidelberg in Germany where we finished 11th out of 16 teams.

“Our U16s were in an U18 competition and a couple of nations were really good, which had an impact. The top nations have resources we don’t so it’s hard for our squad. We do lack players and it’s not highly competitive domestically, so it’s hard to create really good players to compete at international level. But we put in a lot Israel defeated Argentina at the Maccabiah Games of effort, even though it’s amateur.” professional South African coach, afternoon and evening.

Nimi added that “Sevens is an we are trying to invest, so we “Coaching asks a lot of quesOlympic sport so the government should see results. At national lev- tions about who you are as a is investing. Players now train el, the U18 sevens women have person,” he said. “It’s made me more and it’s becoming semi-pro- under a 100 players at a handful of a better person, more in control, fessional, but the level they are clubs, but we are in Division One forward thinking, I push people performing at is not good enough. out of three European divisions. to their best and try not to put The sport can get stronger but “We are doing well for so few anyone down. I’m trying to be a it depends how people pulling players and must aim for the Pre- good example by creating a comthe strings invest money. If it’s mier Division, but we are fighting petitive national side level with a all about the top players rather to stay in Division One. Hopeful- good atmosphere and friendships, than building a structure through ly, with a wave of new players which hopefully will have a domschools, it’s a problem, because coming in at U16 level, we can ino effect.” it takes time to see results and the build for the next U18 European From the atmosphere and exugovernment wants to see results. championships.” berant crowds at the recent Mac“You have to develop. We have Away from his chosen sport cabiah ‘sevens’ competition at U14, U16 and U18 sevens teams Nimi opened a coffee house in Wingate it does seem rugby is on training every week in good fa- Jaffa four years ago. He runs it on the up, but only time will tell. cilities at Wingate. We have a a daily basis then coaches of an

Maccabiah Games - an inside view

BY DAVID SAFFER

Tennis was one of the most popular sports at the Maccabiah Games in Israel earlier this month. Eyal Weisman was one of the officials charged with the Senior tennis competition. With a few hundred competitors in Junior, Open, Masters and ? Senior tournaments, a huge amount of organisation is required behind the scenes at the Kfar Maccabiah complex in Tel Aviv.

Eyal Weisman

“We have spent many months organising the different tournaments,” he explained. “There are players representing over twenty countries across singles, doubles and mixed- doubles events throughout the games and heat is a big factor, so we have to schedule a proper break during the day. It’s very difficult for players, especially those not used to it, so that is why we start early and then play into the evening to keep everyone in good shape.”

He also said that: “There are more people taking part in tennis at this Maccabiah than previous

ones because it is such a popular sport. People play tennis every day at clubs around the world, whether indoors or outdoors. Tennis is a very elegant sport, it’s also a lifestyle choice to keep fit and socialise.”

So how important is this event for competitors?

“Playing at a Maccabiah is a highlight for lots of players,” said Eyal. “A number of players might play at a low level, but they come here just to play at a Maccabiah and to experience what is a special tournament every four years.

“They play and meet players from around the world and are still smiling even if they lose. It really is an amazing competition to be a part of each time.”

Away from his four-yearly Maccabiah commitments, Eyal is an international umpire of some standing having officiated at events in Israel and around Europe. Aside from umpiring junior

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and senior tournaments for around a decade, he is a line umpire at the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and Challenger events. The next level for Eyal is to referee Challenger events, but his big ambition is to officiate on the Grand Slam circuit.

“People don’t realise, but it can take up to fifteen years to get to Grand Slam level and I’d really like to umpire one day at Wimbledon,” Eyal said. “I’ve worked on grass courts for a few years and the smell, the atmosphere on court and playing tennis on grass is amazing.”

So how does Eyal approach being a professional tennis umpire?

He explained: “The key to being a successful umpire is to be able to concentrate and know the rules one hundred per cent, but it’s obviously really important to get the correct decision in ‘zero’ time. Of course, umpires can

make a mistake, you can make a wrong decision, but you need to understand it and know what to do if that happens.”

Hawk-eye technology has been a part of the tennis for many years to aid umpiring decisions.

Though not absolutely accurate, it is to within 5mm (0.19 inch) and since March 2008, Hawk-eye is accepted as a unified system by the International Tennis Federation, ATP, WTA and Grand Slam committee.

“I approve of Hawk-eye, but when there is no TV monitor, you must be sure of your decision all the time,” said Eyal. “You see the ball and must get to a decision if it is in or out. You cannot start to think, is the ball in or out, you see the ball and call the call.”

Whatever the future holds for this top Israeli umpire, he has a clear vision of his journey in the game.

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HBFS is the trading name of HBFS Financial Services Ltd., which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA number; 463752. Registered address: 52 High Street, Pinner, Middlesex HA5 5PW. Registered in England, Reg. no. 5273179. Trading address: 3 Theobald Court, Theobald Street, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 4RN. © 2017 HBFS Financial Services Limited. All rights reserved.

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