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From the front line…

May our next year be sweeter than the last. Please!

BY JACQUELINE CURZON

You know what it's like: you're finally going out. You've booked a babysitter, found a long forgotten dress that still fits, you dash to the mirror for 2 minutes to put on an improved face and straighten your wonky sheitel. Okay, I'm talking here about the average Jewish housewife, with 5 kids and no free time. (Any gentlemen who would like to self-identify with me, just pop on your pearls.) Done! Then you go out to a much awaited simcha, reach for your main course at the famed Yoni Rothan's Diner [yup, you missed the entrees because of your toddler's tantrums as you tried to leave] when your phone trills and buzzes loudly at 11pm (I forgot to put it on silent. So, go on then - show me someone who's perfect?) to say the 'kids are still up,' 'the washing machine is flooding the kitchen,' 'the dog has escaped,' or 'the babysitter left' (....two hours ago)! but mercifully not all on the same night. We've added 'the paintpot through glass door,' 'chair versus oven door,' 'microwave fire, defrosting bread,' 'lost child,' 'newly found free kitten' and so forth. All perfectly normal of course, but the hijinks don't end here. Our Thursday night invariably includes the making of the renowned [insert your name here] delicious chicken soup. Like all busy mums under pressure to keep up, she uses the pressure cooker to take the pressure off. Ours is a rather gargantuan steel version - a busy mum's best f(r)i(e)nd:- an impressive 18 litre industrial construction, and we'd never had a problem with it. The resultant chicken soup is quickly rendered fantastic, served and enjoyed, regardless of whether partaken in the kitchen, the dining room, the library or the doghouse. But it really is not ideal when served directly across the kitchen floor. There was about an inch of boiling hot soup lying innocently over the floor, with steam wafting around the house, altogether making it an onerous - if olfactory pleasant - task to remove it. (If you think cleaning up a broken egg is a nightmare, try a pot of jewish penicillin). Anyway I dithered as to whether I should run back to do the job myself, or stay at my friend's 60th birthday tea. It was a tough call, but the barbecued salmon and glittery party hats won the day, and I returned home later to find the mess pretty much cleared up. (I gather it was a really dreadful job!!) How had it gone so wrong? When the pressure valve had popped up, screaming with all its strength, nobody came to the rescue, and so the pot finally blew its top.

Now, my interest in 'News from the North' has flagged up quite a few stories. Nicola Sturgeon is back in the news, or rather her younger sister is. Gillian Sturgeon (46) was arrested recently over a domestic incident, although the mother of two has since been released with an undertaking to appear at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court. This followed on from a previous incident only a few weeks earlier, where she was challenged for not wearing a mask on a Glasgow to London train. She claimed she was only unmasked whilst eating, but there must have been more to the story. Quite the story teller, I think.

A man of 27 has been charged over the death of 31-year old Fawziyah Javed, a young woman who fell 800 feet off a Scottish hill to her death. Ms Javed, who was married only last December and was believed to be pregnant, had belatedly celebrated her wedding with a party just days before. She fell from the top of Arthur's Seat, in Edinburgh, and sadly could not be saved. Anwar Kashif (27), her husband, is helping police with their enquiries.

DialaDeal Scotland Ltd has been fined £150,000 for making nuisance calls in a green energy scam. The Glasgow based company made calls marketing funds for schemes that did not exist, including boiler replacement and loft insulation. More than 550,000 unsolicited calls were made over a 7-month period, with 500 complaints.

Dawn Swift (41) a pub landlady, was assaulted in a car park by a 13-strong mob before pulling out a taser to scare them off. She didn’t discharge the weapon but was still charged over the incident in August last year. She admitted to having a taser, brandishing it and then putting it in the car's glove compartment. Swift has been warned that she could be jailed, as guidelines suggest a starting point for the court's consideration is a custodial sentence. This reaction by the CPS is surely disproportionate, as she could hardly fight off the equivalent of a football team with her fists or her handbag, and whilst the taser was an unexpected - if illegal - choice of defensive weapon, in the circumstances it was likely both fortuitous she had it, and was effective. If the punishment is indeed to fit the crime, what about the crime committed by the 13 youths attacking her, some of whom may have had previous convictions? They too were guilty of offences, but sadly their predatory behaviour has obviously paid off in this case.

Jobs advertised on a government website are promising nearly 10% in salary increases for those living within the M25 and working in London, regardless of whether office based or home based. So, you'll be offered an uplift if you work in London, but if you live in London and work outside the M25, you won't get it, even though you're on much lower pay, travelling for hours to be a good egg and getting to your office. There is already a huge disparity between salaries in the capital and the surrounding environs where those out of district are struggling constantly. Why are so many choosing the home-working option? Could be several reasons; lack of professional oversight means some can stay at home and do 'less than' a day's work; some may enjoy the flexibility of start times and attendant travel savings; others may truly be anxious about covid transmission. Dr James Hiddleston wrote [Telegraph, 5th September] 'Zero Covid is an illusion, as New Zealand is finding out.' We know since Delta that we may just have to live with covid and develop a strategy for dealing with it. Double vaccinations will help prevent serious illnesses and reduce morbidity, but essentially everyone is likely to catch it. However mitigating measures should include: throwing masks away, except in hospitals and extremely crowded places; lifting travel bans for fully vaccinated people; aiming to bring hospital backlogs under control within 2 years; reinstating f2f GP consultations and finally, making civil servants go back to work and offices. We need to reclaim our lives. Well said, Doc!

From docs to dames now. Dame Jenni Murray, the former presenter of Woman's Hour, has spoken out about the salary excess of presenters in the BBC. Dame Jenni, who was paid £100,000 per year has been slamming other presenters earning variously between £245,000 (Sarah Montague), up to £425,000 (Huw Edwards). Graham Norton is on a staggering £4 million, whilst her successor, Emma Barnett, is on £245k. One has to ask if in such times of financial hardship, it's absolutely necessary to pay so much to presenters on the tv and radio for doing what is essentially a regular day job, albeit generally quite fun and delivered in a lilting Welsh accent, or with quirky humour. {Bet I could do it.} Murray was apparently paid pro rata for 2 ½ days a week, although one wonders if that was 200k down to 100k for pro rata? Barnett's salary is based on 0.8 fte on Woman's Hour, plus Newsnight and other BBC work. Nice work if you can get it. Indeed - are you still wondering why they are chasing you for your licence fee?

Now finally. In case you're wondering what a bashed (only slightly!) and trashed (nu, seriously?) oven door looks like? Beautiful, definitely- - for a few hours, then slowly it unwinds like a DNA helix, crashing out in a glittery glassworks display before reluctantly resting on the floor. So: yes, it IS absolutely trashed, (not to mention dangerous, irresponsible, unbelievable, anti-social, manufacturer sue-able or even clockwatching ticktocking. Whoa - stop there. There are much worse problems in sight….. it's almost yomtov, the whole family is coming [let's pretend] and you forgot some of the shopping, including getting a cake and the mandatory fish head) but look on the bright side. Firstly, Uncle Dov is vegetarian and watching his weight. Secondly, it was an accident and t'G no-one got hurt. Thirdly and seriously, if your oven were actually on, and happily running at a steady 220°Celsius ……, well I take no liability for having said 'oven doors were beautiful and safe.' I can only speak for smashing cold ovens though, 'coz I'm from up north - we wear gloves and scarves at home. We need them when the generator fails.

And finally, I'd like to have a little word in your ear now about eggs. On motzei shabbat it's my favourite treat to have well done cheesy scrambled eggs on toasted cholla. Absolutely divine! So when eggs appeared in the media menu, I was all ears and eyes. However the story was not about cracking eggs, but preserving eggs - biological eggs. Women will now be able to freeze their eggs for up to 55 years, under new government plans to give people greater choice on when to start a family. The current DHEA legislation states such genetic material can only be stored for a maximum of 10 years; and could be stored for 55 years if there is a specific requirement, such as the woman being at risk of infertility or premature menopause. Ministers have proposed that storage limits should no longer be governed by medical need. Well, I just wonder why any woman, let's say in their twenties and thirties (when quality is at its best), would want to freeze her eggs with a mindset that she might come back 30, 40 or 50 years later to take them on an antenatal journey.

To the best of my knowledge there aren't many 75-year-old new mums in the world, and if there were, they'd need to live to 120 to see the child grow up. However, as I always do my homework, I read Daljinder Kaur, from India, was believed to be over 70 years old, when she gave birth in 2016. The baby was the first for Kaur and her 79-year-old husband, Mohinder Singh Gill, after nearly 50 years of marriage. Well, there you go. It's possible

Jacqueline Curzon

PHOTO: LARA MINSKY PHOTOGRAPHY

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Trailblazer Tzipi to complete her historic appointment

Jewish Weekly journalist David Saffer caught up with Israel’s Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely to overview her first 12 months in the post. In a wide-ranging interview, Israel’s emissary discussed her historic posting, COVID-19 travel frustrations, global and domestic issues and Rosh Hashanah.

Jewish Weekly journalist David Saffer discusses all things Israel with Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely

Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely is a political trailblazer determined to make a lasting impact in her three-year posting at the Israeli Embassy.

Taking time out of a hectic schedule, Israel’s UK emissary has quashed media rumours that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett would recall her as she was a political ally of former leader Benjamin Netanyahu. Indeed, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has advised her to ignore the media “spin”.

“It’s official, the Foreign Minister told me he did not like the spin in the news about changing the ambassador in Israel,” she said. “He has trust in the work we are doing.”

Lapid’s backing shows the strength of Israeli democracy that a Netanyahu ‘ally’ is in such a highly held post.

“Since Israel has been established in 1948, because of our vibrant democracy different governments have appointed dozens of diplomats,” Ambassador Hotovely explained. “We are civil servants once we take a position. When I agreed to be ambassador I took my politician’s suit off to wear a diplomatic one. I represent my country, the State of Israel and the Israeli government.”

She added, “Many times in our history where a political appointee was doing their job the government has changed. People who made the appointment are no longer in government. The Israeli system is very clear, once you become an ambassador, you are ambassador for the term. Mine is three years, I have two more years to be here.”

Hotovely is Israel’s first female ambassador to the UK and savvy enough to handle political pressures the post demands. But how notable is it historically?

“It’s important to see the diverse face of Israel,” Ambassador Hotovely replied. “If you only have male ambassadors half the population in Israel are not being represented for such an important position to the Court of St James’s. It is important women get these positions in the Foreign Ministry. Former Prime Minister Golda Meir was Ambassador to the Soviet Union, Aliza Bib-Noun is Ambassador in Paris and now London has changed. I’m the first here but don’t want to be the last. I hope many women follow and represent Israel.”

The biggest challenge of the past 12 months has been the coronavirus pandemic.

Whilst global restrictions have eased in terms of movement, travel to Israel has been severely impacted. Hopes were high the summer months would see a return to tourism, alas that has not been the case.

Presently, each country determines its own rules, but travel is possible.

UK citizens wishing to travel should check the Israel embassy and UK government websites.

“I can only tell Jewish Weekly readers how sorry I am for the last year,” Ambassador Hotovely said. “Our motivations were health, we want everyone to be safe. Nobody wanted to not allow Jews into Israel. I share the pain of Jewish communities that wanted to visit and am very sympathetic. We are still dealing with rising numbers of COVID-19 and people getting the virus. I can’t give a date but there will be good news from Israel. The State of Israel wants Jewish communities to travel back and forth because Israel is a second home for many people here in UK.”

A main talking point internationally this past year has been Israel’s progress in relations with Arab nations and the landmark US-brokered Abraham Accords with the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Sudan and Oman. The UK will officially acknowledge this at a ceremony in Parliament. How beneficial has this been for Israel’s standing?

“It’s a new chapter between Israel and the Arab world, I’m very excited about this,” said Ambassador Hotovely. “This historic agreement is not just a political declaration between leaders, it’s about war and peace between people. It will be beneficial in business, tourism and other areas for us all.”

She added, “There is a new trend in the region, which says Israel is an asset. Israel is here to stay and can cooperate in many fields. Countries that signed the accords realise this is just the beginning. The accords will inspire more people in the region, they want to see prosperity and not go back to the dark ages.”

There is growing positivity in Middle East but the specter of Iran still looms large.

“Iran is not interested in prosperity or peace and is a main issue on my agenda,” explained Ambassador Hotovely. “We have to fight the idea that Iran will accomplish its dreams about nuclear weapons. “The Raissi regime is not willing to compromise on anything. Iran continues to work on its program to destabilse the region. We see international reports where Iran stands and at the moment the western leadership is not stopping it. We need to be proactive to stop Iran.” Regarding the new reality of dealing with the Taliban in Afghanistan, Ambassador Hotovely spoke about the human tragedy, especially for women.

“We have to raise our voice,” she said.

The State of Israel wants Jewish communities to travel back and forth because Israel is a second home for many people here in UK.

“Our representative in Geneva has said very clearly that the international community must do everything to make sure women don’t go back to the dark ages, but to be comfortable and independent. Women everywhere deserve this. Our main concern is on a human rights level. Israel is part of international efforts to make sure people can leave safely. Israel backs the United Nations on this.”

Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians is ongoing and last May saw the IDF’s Operation Guardian of the Walls in response to rocket attacks. Peace in the Middle East remains on the agenda, but sadly it seems that Israeli stateswoman Golda Meir’s longstanding quote still rings true.

She famous said, “When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons. Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.”

Tragically Border Police Staff Sergeant Barel Hadaria Shmueli lost his life at the Gaza border last month. How difficult is it for IDF soldiers to make split second decisions regarding safety and security?

“The personal tragedy of the solider we lost is something all of Israel has been mourning,” said Ambassador Hotovely. “Every Israeli, their heart is broken, we are very sensitive to the loss of life, but also because he was shot at point blank range by a terrorist. This is what has made everyone so shocked.”

She added, “I trust our soldiers, this is what the IDF has dealt with for years. We are dealing with people who do not have our values, a terror organisation that is not interested in peace or co-existence. They only want to eliminate Israel from the Middle East map. We care about the people, but we are fighting terrorism.

“We are trying to do our best to prevent a military operation but whenever terrorists attack our people, soldiers and communities, Israel has to act. It’s very clear with Hamas. The only way we can operate is to get to a point where it feels like it does not pay off to attack Israel. And in order to do that we need to fight. At the moment I can’t be too optimistic about the Israel-Gaza border.”

For all the challenges of Hamas and other terror groups there are examples of coexistence projects that take place in Israel

“This is one of the glorious achievements of the State of Israel,” Ambassador Hotovely said. “Since Israel was established in 1948, we called on our neighbours to have peace with us and it was clear Israeli-Arabs would be part of the way the country works. Look at our government, it has an Arab party as part of the coalition. This is something new for many Israelis. To have a better future we must continue work on this area. It’s a matter of education, projects on democratic values and where we stand as a society.”

Domestically, with COVID-19 measures relenting Ambassador Hotovely has been visiting communities across all Jewish affiliations. Aside from meeting schools, various groups and bodies around London, Israel’s emissary has been to Scotland and plans are afoot to visit other cities around the UK.

“I have met ultra-orthodox Jews, liberal and people that see themselves affiliated with the United Synagogue but for me the most important thing is every Jew is connected to Israel,” she explained. “My job is to build a bridge. I want all Jews to feel welcome in their homeland.”

Ambassador Hotovely witnessed a surge in antisemitism here in the UK during the escalation of violence in Gaza a few months ago. Her own family was shocked at vehement racist abuse shouted from cars draped with Palestinian flags through Jewish neighborhoods including where she resides.

Boris Johnson described video footage as “shameful racism”, but the conflict resulted in outrage from sections of the British media including BBC’s Newsnight. Ambassador Hotovely stood firm under a barrage of critical questions from presenter Emily Maitlis ensuring the TV audience heard Israel’s side of the story. And that Hamas had one narrative, to “erase the State of Israel the map of the Middle East”.

Israel’s emissary has not changed her viewpoint on a two-state solution. “I believe in peace, I don’t believe in failed solutions, I believe in practical, pragmatic solutions,” she said. Ambassador Hotovely met The Lord Mann, who serves as an advisor to the government on antisemitism and welcomed his standing. “One of the smart things I heard is that we need to address modern problems,” she said. “The most important thing is to teach modern antisemitism. Some people think antisemitism is something that belongs to the past. This is not a correct perception. Antisemitism is a global issue that has to be fought.” To conclude, Israel’s emissary wished Jewish communities a Chag Sameach. But how would she celebrate Rosh Hashanah. “We are following a nice tradition where I’ll be hosting people here at the embassy,” Ambassador Hotovely said. “Last year was not possible with COVID-19 but we will be doing the traditional things including dipping apple in the honey and singing Rosh Hashonah songs. It will be lovely. I’m really looking forward to it.” The Hotovely’s were set to attend services at the nearest synagogue before performing tashlich. “We are going to a proper river not next to a small pool as we do in Israel,” she quipped. “I love tashlich, it’s a beautiful symbolic minhag.” When it comes to the Jewish new year, Israel’s emissary recalled one of her favourite Israeli musicians and poets, Naomi Shemer, famed for Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold) and especially her B’Rosh Hashanah song. “Naomi said we should pray that the new year will be beautiful and different, and after everything we have been through, we want next year to be different,” Ambassador Hotovely said. “In the spirit of the holiday we want to bring peace, freedom and health both in Israel and the UK. I also pray the doors of Israel will be open to our friends who wish to visit and every Jew that wants to return to different parts of the country.” Ambassador Hotovely Israel’s emissary is beginning to make a hosts HaTanach finalists mark during a three-year stay. No journalat the embassy ist will underestimate her as an advocate for the State of Israel. Above all though, she is looking forward to a return to travel and welcoming delegations which is a major part of her work.

Ambassador Hotovely attends a JNF children’s festival

Israel’s emissary does a Q&A with school pupils Ambassador Hotovely congratulates Tel Aviv design students

(Since this interview the Israel Ministry of Tourism has announced it is to resume a tourist pilot program from September 19th for groups of five to thirty people from “green, yellow and orange” countries. Tourists must have proof of a second Israel Ministry of Health-recognised vaccination in the last six months or receipt of a third vaccination to qualify. Tourists must present a negative PCR test up to 72 hours before arrival and undergo PCR and serological tests at Ben Gurion Airport. It is hoped individual tourists will be allowed into Israel soon but it depends on morbidity rates in Israel and globally.)