1314 - 11th May 2023

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‘A Shabbat like no other’

Yours faithfully: The Chief Rabbi, second right, lines up alongside fellow British faith leaders during Saturday’s ceremony in Westminster Abbey

Chief Rabbi on his royal sleepover and historic Coronation role

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis “was not prepared” for his emotional response to seeing the King and Queen after they had been crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, writes Jenni Frazer.

Sir Ephraim, who along with his wife, Lady Valerie, were hosted at St James’ Palace on Friday night and Saturday so they could observe Shabbat and attend the coronation service at the Abbey, told Jewish News: “Where I was sitting, the thrones of the King and Queen

were directly in my line of sight. I was in the eighth row from where that beautiful gold carpet was, that their thrones were on. The Talmud says that royalty of flesh and blood is a reminder of royalty of the heavens, meaning that when you see human royalty, it reminds us of

how great God is. Obviously, the King of Kings is of a far superior nature. But when I saw, literally in front of me, the King and Queen with their crowns on, at that moment it was something very, very special.”

Continued on pages 2 & 3

The crowd yelled ‘Shabb

Continued from page 1

“There was an aura about it, it was palpable, it was just there, and you could sense it. And that was something I wasn’t prepared for: it just came, and was very powerful. So it was an enormous privilege for me to be there at that moment, to represent our community.”

The Chief Rabbi was full of praise for his palace hosts, whose sta , he said, “had really done their homework” and had gone out of their way to make things comfortable for him and his wife. For example, he said, there were some rooms in which a light came on automatically when a person walked in. “The palace ensured that there was always someone to walk ahead of us so that we played no part in triggering the light.”

He said he had “a sense of deep privilege for the respect being shown to the British Jewish community. I felt enormous appreciation for our hosts.”

While Chief Rabbi Mirvis would not go into specific details about “a Shabbat like no other”, he did pay tribute to the church leaders who made clear to him their awareness of Shabbat. “Yes, it was a coronation — but it was also Shabbat.”

On Friday night, the Chief Rabbi attended a packed service at Central Synagogue, while on Shabbat morning he prayed at a 6am service at Western Marble Arch, with a similarly “enormous attendance”.

And then came the walk to Westminster Abbey. “The last time there was a coronation on Shabbat was 1902 [for King Edward VII] and Chief Rabbi Hermann Adler attended. The palace wanted me literally to walk in the footsteps of Chief Rabbi Adler”, so the route was planned accordingly, after Sir Ephraim had made kiddush at St James’ Palace.

All along the route Sir Ephraim could hear shouts of “Shalom!” and “Shabbat shalom!” — joking that the first cries came from non-Jews and the second from Jews.

The Chief Rabbi said he was not surprised at the heavy emphasis on Christian theology in the coronation service, and though “not that familiar” with Christian liturgy, he was also not surprised at the several references to Judaism — including a blessing made by the Archbishop of York, which is a direct repetition of the blessing of the Cohenim

— “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

At the end of the coronation, as the King and Queen were leaving the Abbey, there was one last acknowledgment of Shabbat as the Chief Rabbi and other faith leaders spoke a greeting to King Charles III that was deliberately without benefit of a microphone.

The religious leaders told the King: “Your

Majesty, as neighbours in faith we acknowledge the value of public service. We unite with people of all faiths and beliefs in thanksgiving, and give service with you for the common good.”

For the Chief Rabbi, it was back to the palace for “a wonderful Shabbat lunch and then a seudah shlishit ” before going to daven mincha and then return home.

For the Mirvises, it was a cause of wonder if so many Shabbat events – candle-lighting, kiddush, the seudah – had ever taken place

in a royal household. Each one was almost certainly a milestone and a first.

Finally, what – as the Chief Rabbi noted – do you buy for the man, and woman, who have everything? In keeping with King Charles’ well-documented passion for the environment – and Sir Ephraim’s own “deep concern for a safer and more protected planet” – the plan is to plant a grove of trees in the royal couple’s names, in the United Synagogue’s Dorot Forest in Norfolk. “We thought it would be appropriate.”

Board president unveiled as dancing queen

Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl was in full party mode as she joined the 20,000 revellers at Windsor Castle for a starstudded Coronation Concert.

Van der Zyl was in a celebratory mood throughout Sunday’s gig, where she was joined by other representatives from the communal organisation, including chief executive Michael Wegier and the Board’s communities and education division chair Edwin Shuker.

The Board, along with other worthy organisations from across the UK, including the Community Security Trust, had been o ered tickets to the spectacular concert, which took place in the grounds of the castle, and was attended by King Charles III and Queen Camilla

As the warm-up DJs, who included Scott Mills and Pete Tong, worked the crowd into a frenzy, the decision to play the Black-Eyed

Peas barmitzvah classic favourite I Gotta Feeling had the entire Board delegation up o their feet.

As the now famous “Mazeltov!” chorus line approached, it was the Board president herself who proved to be as impressive as a dancer as she is as communal leader.

Van der Zyl had been at the coronation ceremony herself the previous day in Westminster Abbey, where she later spoke of her “immense pride” at seeing both Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Baroness (Gillian) Merron play a leading part in the ceremony.

Even as she enjoyed some rock-n-roll time on Sunday, Van der Zyl still found time to engage in some positive discussions with representatives from other communities, including the journalist and communications expert Eva Simpson.

Newly-crowned King Charles III

Marie van der Zyl enjoys the concert at Windsor Castle. Right: Katy Perry

‘Shabbat shalom!’

Porky blinder! ‘Muppet highlight’ for Baddiel

The scriptwriter behind the Coronation Concert Muppets sketch has joked that he is “kvelling” for himself, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Ivor Baddiel told Jewish News the televised skit, featuring the iconic Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog, with Coronation compere Hugh Bonneville, was something only the production crew knew of.

The appearance of the Muppets at the show for King Charles III and Queen Camilla, watched by an average audience of ten million, was “a big secret”.

Members of the 20,000strong live audience laughed as Miss Piggy and Kermit

encountered Bonneville as they searched for their seats in the Royal Box. Baddiel wrote the script which saw the prima donna Piggy assume Bonneville was a lord because of his role in Downton Abbey

In true Piggy style, she wants to be the lady to his lord and flirts up a storm. “I always loved the Muppets,” says Baddiel. “I admire comedy that makes children and adults laugh. The Muppets have always been genuinely funny.”

Writing the script was “very collaborative” with ideas going back and forth across Zoom sessions, between the crew, producers, Baddiel, Bonneville and the ‘voice’ behind

Kermit since 2017, Matt Vogel. “The characters are very dear to them,” Baddiel continues. “You’ve got to get it right. At one point there was talk about the Archbishop of Canterbury presiding over Piggy’s and Hugh’s wedding.

“During the televised sketch, Eric Jacobson, the voice of Miss Piggy, puppeteered Miss Piggy’s left arm, while another puppeteer out of shot did her right arm. There were about six or seven Muppet-related people there.” Baddiel said he was delighted King Charles and the audience laughed. “I can now say I’ve written for the Muppets,” he noted.

He added: “It wasn’t us personally, it was the Jewish community that was being honoured. I feel very privileged that I had that role. What we experienced was on behalf of everyone” – though, with a smile, he agreed that his royal experience had its roots in the close relationship he had built with the King over many years.

Knowing that the Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade could not take an active role in the coronation like other uniformed youth groups, at the direct request of the King,

who became patron in 2020, the JLGB was provided with seats in the main grandstand directly outside Buckingham Palace so members could be part of this extraordinary special day in a Shabbat-friendly way.

Fifty JLGB members, leaders and staff were in attendance for this historic moment to see the processions, the flypast and the wave from the balcony of the new King and Queen — not just from the best seats in the house, but from the best seats in the world.

 Survivors celebrate, page 8

Zak shows he’s able at 48 hours’ notice

Jewish singer Zak Abel joined the lineup for last weekend’s the Coronation Concert with only two days to prepare, writes Brigit Grant.

Zak, born Zak David Zilesnick and raised in Hendon, was contacted last Friday when singer Freya Ridings pulled out due to poor health.

Zak went on to perform at the event for King Charles III alongside Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, with his family proudly watching the broadcast in Israel.

Speaking before the event, cousin Alison Zilesnick Levi, who lives in Eilat, said: “There was huge excitement when we were told that Zak will be in the concert. He has been given

four tickets, so his mother Rachel will be there to proudly support him.”

Zak’s musical career began when he wrote his first track, Haze, aged 14, but singing and songwriting were not his only talents as he was hooked on ping pong and good at it.

EXTRA-LONG SHABBAT FOR THE CHIEF RABBI

He started at the age of nine and by the time he was 11 was ranked number one in England in his age group and competed abroad, eventually winning the 2009 cadet boys’ national championships.

Moving schools twice for table tennis, he practised five hours a day, six days a week, but he kept writing songs and posting covers on YouTube.

“They got noticed by other Jewish kids in northwest London,” he told The Times last week. “Then someone knew someone who knew someone who knew a manager and they got in touch.”

Zak was o ered a record deal by Atlantic, the label of Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars.

BY DEREK TAYLOR JEWISH NEWS’ HISTORIAN

Now the coronation is over, all those concerns about security might seem exaggerated, but who knows what nutters want to hurt the King?

The 1351 Treason Act is designed to protect him. Admittedly, no one has fired at the monarch since Trooping the Colour in 1981 but Princess Anne was shot at in 1974, so it can happen.

The uniforms in Westminster Abbey were spectacular. Even the male choristers were in full evening dress, though I thought the long, black frocks of the female choristers were designed to be used for state funerals as well. Full evening dress is very elegant and morning dress is just as smart and traditional.

The Chief Rabbi had a very long day. First, he had to be at the early service specially arranged at the Marble Arch Synagogue for 6am. Walking from Clarence House to the synagogue must

take half an hour, so that meant getting up at about 5am. They did the same for Edward VII’s coronation in 1901, but at the Western Synagogue. Chief Rabbi Hermann Adler then had a police escort as he walked to the Abbey. When Chief Rabbi Mirvis arrived at the Abbey he did not appear to have security with him.

The coronation service goes back 3,000 years to the crowning of King Saul in the Old Testament. It is, appropriately, a Christian service today, but the archbishop’s blessing of the King was, word for word, the same as a Jewish father gives his children on Friday night. Jesus was a Jew, and the Last Supper was Seder night. We were there first.

It was a long service in the Abbey and the King is 73. It would have been embarrassing if he had stumbled and, with a big crown to carry on his head, many people must have been holding their breath. It was a fine e ort on his part.

With luck, we won’t have another coronation for many years. God save the King!

Zak Abel on stage

It’s time to raise the curtain: Ivor Baddiel with Miss Piggy and Kermit at Windsor

News / Local elections

‘Jewish voters in Herts have returned to Labour’ RUBINSTEIN THE EYE-CATCHER

Hertsmere Labour Group leader Jeremy Newmark has told Jewish News he is “working hard to deliver a partnership administration” for the borough after last week’s local election results saw the Tories lose control of the council, writes Lee Harpin.

Speaking on Wednesday, former Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Newmark said his party had made “encouraging progress over the past few days” at securing control of the council in what is expected to be a coalition agreement with the local Liberal Democrats.

After last Thursday’s local election results were confirmed it emerged the Tories had lost 13 seats in the borough, with its large Jewish community, leaving no single party in control.

Results showed the Tories won 16 seats, Labour 14 and

the Lib Dems, nine.

Newmark later described the results as a “huge vote of confidence in Keir Starmer’s success in forging a new relationship with the Jewish community.”

He added: “Hertsmere contains some of the most densely Jewish populated areas in the country. In those parts of the borough, not only have Jewish

Labour supporters come back, but we have gained many new Jewish supporters as well.”

Asked about the possibility of entering into a coalition with the Lib Dems, with Newmark becoming the likely leader of the council, he added: “We will be

working hard over the next few days to build an administration that reflects the political plurality of this area and the central planks of our manifesto, which set out an aspirational green new deal for Hertsmere.” It was the first time Hertsmere has held all-out elections since 2019. There was evidence of the Labour vote growing in many wards across the borough, including Borehamwood Brookmeadow, the location of the United Synagogue and Federation shuls, and Borehamwood Hillside, home to Yavneh college.

Elsewhere in areas like Elstree the Tory vote held firm, although there was evidence in the borough of Conservative voters staying at home rather than casting votes.

A Jewish Labour candidate who represents the Whitefield Hebrew Congregation, Manchester, on the Board of Deputies, secured one of the most eye-catching results in last Thursday’s local elections, writes Lee Harpin.

Michael Rubinstein recalled the “good values” both his refugee parents had taught him as he delivered his victory speech in Bury’s Pilkington Park seat after he triumphed over local former Conservative Group leader Nick Jones with a 380-vote majority.

Pilkington Park, where nearly 23 percent of the population is Jewish, had previously been a Conservative stronghold having elected only two Labour councillors since 2002.

Across Bury, where the local Tory Group has been dogged with issues around antisemitism among several candidates since the 2019 general election, Labour increased its number of seats from 29 to

31 in Thursday’s elections.

In the local towns of Whitefield and Prestwich, home to the largest Jewish communities outside London, Labour now has 17 out of 18 councillors.

In the Unsworth ward, where Jewish councillor Nathan Boroda was elected last time around, candidate Tahir Rafiq secured a 862vote majority.

After the Pilkington Park result was announced, Rubinstein said: “I would like to remember my parents who came to England as refugees in 1939 and 1945, who taught me good values, attitudes and to value all people equally. I know that they would be proud.”

Reflecting on the results, Bury Conservatives leader Cllr Russell Bernstein, who is himself Jewish and was not contesting a seat, said: “We set our ourselves five targets to defend five seats, we’ve done four of them.”

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Polling day, Hertsmere; inset, Jeremy Newmark

Mae aiming for German vote

The UK’s Eurovision Song Contest entrant Mae Muller has confirmed she in the middle of a process that will give her a German passport because her Jewish grandfather fled Germany to escape the Holocaust.

Muller, who grew up in a Jewish family in Kentish Town, north London, has previously mentioned in interviews how her grandfather Robert had fled Germany as a 12 yearold, eventually moving to Wales to escape the Nazis.

Now in an interview ahead of the Eurovision final in Liverpool, she has revealed that along with her two aunts, four brothers and father Matt, she has begun the application process for a German passport, thanks to the country’s reconciliatory process

of giving citizenship to descendants of those persecuted by the Nazis.

Muller, 25, told The Times the new passport would allow her to continue to perform in the EU with “minimal paperwork”, adding it would also mean the family “can live in Spain.”

Muller was first signed to record label Capitol when she was just 19 after uploading a song to an online music platform.

At Eurovision, she will perform the number I Wrote A Song, and is expected to be among the leading contenders at the event.

Eurovision this year is taking place in Liverpool because last year’s winning country, Ukraine, was unable to host because of the Russian invasion.

In July 2020, responding to anti-

semitism in the music industry, Muller said in an Instagram post: “To all my Jewish friends and followers, I love you. There is no place for antisemitism in this world. I’m very proud of my Jewish roots and so should you be.”

She went on: “My grandad fled from Nazi Germany to the UK when he was 12 years old on his own. I always find myself trying to imagine how scared he must have been.

“So f*** Wiley and f*** anyone who shares those views. I stand with all my Jewish friends, family, supporters and always will.”

She says she is “honoured” to be representing the UK this year at Eurovision and that it is “extra special” as it is taking place here.

...AS NOA RIDES UNICORN TO FINAL

Israel’s Noa Kirel qualified for the final of the 2023 Eurovision in Liverpool on Tuesday night.

Singing and dancing to her pop offering Unicorn, Kirel garnered enough votes to qualify to compete for the top prize tomorrow.

“There is no excitement quite like this!” Kirel said in a statement

after the results were announced. “I felt like every one of you was with me. I promise to do everything — and I mean everything — to keep making the people of Israel happy in the grand final.”

Kirel’s song, which she co-wrote alongside Doron Medalie, Yinon Yahel and May Sfadia, praises “the

power of the unicorn, out here on my own,” which the singer has said is a message of acceptance and selfempowerment.

“The electricity in the crowd provided us with so much energy to do the maximum to represent the country with pride,” Kirel said.

“We gave it our all and the

feeling was incredible. Thank you to everyone, I feel you’re with me.” Kirel took the stage just hours after Israel launched a military operation in Gaza, leading some to fear negative coverage of the incident might affect her chances given the contest’s history of politicised voting.

Noa Kirel performing her song Unicorn

Mae Muller on stage at a Eurovision rehearsal in Liverpool

Danny Rich named as new SPS rabbi

A former chief executive of Liberal Judaism has been appointed senior rabbi at Southgate Progressive Synagogue (SPS).Previously serving as the community’s interim rabbi, Rabbi Danny Rich will lead the SPS rabbinic team after a rigorous selection process. Chair Mark Shaw said: “Danny made an immediate positive impact when he joined us on an interim basis and put himself forward as a candidate when we advertised the vacancy at the beginning of February.”

Gershon Silins leads TLSE community

Rabbi Cantor Gershon Silins is the new rabbi of The Liberal Synagogue Elstree (TLSE), in Hertfordshire. Ordained by Leo Baeck College in 2019, he has led Progressive communities in Lincolnshire, Norwich, Stevenage and Manchester. In addition to leading TLSE’s Shabbat, festival and High Holy Days services, Rabbi Silins will undertake pastoral duties and education for both adults and young people.

El Al halts Saturday night flights from London to enforce Shabbat

Israel’s national airline El Al has cancelled Saturday night summer flights from London to Tel Aviv to avoid the need to break with observance of Shabbat, writes Jotam Confino.

Channel 12 first reported the story, saying the move was backed by the airline’s new owner, Kenny Rozenberg, an Orthodox Jew.

“Due to the change in the times when Shabbat ends with the transition to summer hours, and due to the restrictions on departures from Heathrow Airport, we have had to make adjustments to the flight schedule,” El Al said in a statement, according to Channel 12

“We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our customers as a result of this change.”

El Al’s flights from London to Tel Aviv on Saturday nights had previously seen customers checking in before Shabbat ends, something with which the airline and secular travellers had, until now, not had a difficulty. Thousands of passengers who booked tickets from London to Tel Aviv this summer will now have to either reschedule or apply for a refund.

One Jewish News reader emailed this newspaper to ask: “Will security question when checking in for future El Al flights if passengers have laid tefillin that morning or consumed dairy products within three hours of a meat meal?” Brits living in Israel were also upset about the news. “Another reason not to fly

El Al,” one said on Facebook, while another noted: “Taliban government. Soon, women and men won’t be able to sit together on the flight. I will never ever fly El Al again.”

Another claimed: “Afghanistan, here we come.”

Some Britons, however, were supportive of the move. “Please feel free not to fly El Al,” said one person. “I, for one, am proud to use an airline that respects Shabbat. I’m sure there are enough like me to make up the numbers.”

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El Al has a new, observant owner. Inset: Protesting in Israel against public transport on Saturdays

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All praise for the royals as survivors celebrate at Coronation get-together

A charity launched and funded by the government to support Holocaust Memorial Day hosted a Coronation tea party for survivors, with the Duke of Gloucester among the guests, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) event in north London was for survivors of the Shoah and more recent genocides, with tea, cakes and scones on fine china and silverware in keeping with British tradition.

The duke said of the Holocaust: “It isn’t just history that’s happened in the past, but something that has to be recorded, remembered, and we have to have the language to know how to stop people behaving in a way that deprives others of peace and justice.”

Survivor Helen Aronson has met King Charles four times and thanked him “for continuing to keep awareness of the atrocities of the Holocaust alive in people’s memories. His continued support and care for the survivors means a lot to all of us.”

HMDT chief executive Olivia MarksWoldman said: “His Majesty’s long-term support represents the warmth and welcome the UK has o ered survivors of the Holocaust and more recent genocides. I know their majesties will continue in their steadfast support, giving

leadership to the nation in learning from genocide, for a better future.”

Other survivors also shared their stories and memories. Educator Mala Tribich said the King was “absolutely marvellous – I know from what I read and see he’s not only friendly but genuinely interested.”

Recently returned from the 2023 March

of the Living educational trip to Poland, she praised the monarch for instigating the Krakow Jewish Community hub: “He made it happen. So we really have a friend there.”

Kindertransport survivors Ann Kirk and husband Bob described the royal family as the “saving grace”. Ann said: “I think they are wonderful. When people say things to me

about the royal family, I say it saves the government from ever being like Hitler. It is a definite safety valve. They do wonderful work.”

Bob added: “I hear people ask why do we need a royal family?’ Republicanism is growing. People are entitled to their opinions but for somebody who has been through a dictatorship, the monarchy is a wonderful thing.”

It was King Charles’ idea to commission leading artists to produce paintings of seven camp survivors for the Royal Collection; Manfred Goldberg, one of the seven, describes the monarch as “a remarkably kind and stimulating person. I spent generous time with him at the unveiling and was unbelievably honoured to be selected as one of the seven. It was really quite an extraordinary time meeting the then Prince of Wales and Camilla.”

He added: “Charles has a remarkably fertile mind and people underrate him because he is ahead of his time.”

Winners of HMDT’s [Extra]Ordinary Portraits Competition who created the paintings of Holocaust and genocide survivors were invited to meet the individuals they had depicted. The competition was to encourage participants to learn about people a ected by identity-based persecution.

Happy faces all round at the Coronation tea party attended by the Duke of Gloucester

Hate attack at local centre ‘distressing’

A community centre in Lancashire has been trashed and had its walls daubed with swastikas and antisemitic sketches.

Photos of Spring Hill Community Centre in Accrington showed broken doors and furniture, paint emptied on to the floor, and Islamic children’s books thrown to the floor.

One antisemitic sketch featured an image of a man with a big nose and a Star of David.

The Lancashire Telegraph reported that police were called on two occasions to break-ins at the community centre, which is managed by a group of volunteers who raise funds to keep it going.

Shamim Miah, who helps to run the centre alongside his wife, said the incidents had left people scared.

“We are speechless. It is so distressing and demoralising,” he said. “The racist gra ti is upsetting. We have Muslim children who attend the nursery. There is so much anger and hate that has gone into this.”

Lancashire Police said two 17-year-old boys were arrested after the break-in on Monday.

On Sunday, a 16-year-old boy, a 14-year-old boy and a 15-yearold girl were arrested on suspicion of burglary following an incident on Saturday evening.

Limmud Festival’s green goal

The new chair of the Limmud Festival wants to make it the first carbon-neutral Limmud event.

Hannah Gaventa, currently working at international development organisation Palladium, is uniquely placed to deliver on Limmud’s climate change goals; her work has taken her to, among others, Brazil, Kenya, Nigeria, Malaysia, Ghana, South Africa, Mexico, the Philippines, and Dominica.

Following on from Cop28 in November (the United Nations Climate Change Conference), Limmud Festival the next month will be the first to be aligned with the UK’s Net Zero Strategy.

Limmud said: “Hannah brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role, and will be leading a diverse team of talented, energetic, and creative volunteers to make Limmud Festival 2023 one to remember.”

Gaventa said: “As Jews, we have a responsibility to ensure we actively preserve our environment for future generations to come. A

single net-zero Limmud Festival is one thing. A future of sustainable and environmentally conscious Limmud Festivals is the goal.”

The Limmud Festival 2023 team will use a carbon calculator tool to examine all the ways in which the festival can achieve the Net Zero goal and begin the process of creating long-term strategies for future teams to develop the environmental sustainability of Limmud Festival.

STUDENT BRAINS SOUGHT

Mentoring charity ORT UK is head-hunting 10 British students to join a new ‘Apprentice-style’ employability skills challenge in Israel this July.

The programme, with Jewish News as media partner will take place at World ORT Kadima Mada’s Kfar Silver Youth Village.

It will bring the 10 Brits together with four Brazilians and 10 Israelis to collaborate on a challenge presented by Magen David Adom UK: to create a solution to the lack of mental health support for teen MDA volunteers in Israel.

Activities will explore entrepreneurship, market research, critical thinking and design thinking, through workshops led by industry experts, who will form the panel that selects the winning team.

The successful group will work with artificial intel-

ligence digital creative agency Synthesia and have their concept developed into an AI Avatar, showcased at the ORT UK annual dinner in October.

Dan Rickman, CEO, ORT UK said: “We are so excited to be taking British students to Israel for our brand new ORT JUMP initiative, to give them a taste of what an innovative ORT educational programme has to o er.”

MDA UK’s Daniel Burger said: “We can’t wait for the students to present their solutions.”

The festival and (inset) new chair Hannah Gaventa

Damage to the centre in Lancashire includes a red swastika

News / Halpern case / School fundraiser

Shul tensions mount over Halpern claims

A row has broken out at Golders Green Beth Hamedrash — the strictly-Orthodox synagogue better known by its nickname, Munk’s — highlighting the tension over allegations of sexual impropriety against Rabbi Chaim Halpern, who heads the neighbouring Divrei Chaim congregation, writes Jenni Frazer.

The row concerns a motion put forward for the congregation’s forthcoming AGM on 17 May. This has infuriated the Munk’s rabbi, Yisroel Meir Greenberg, who has threatened to resign unless it is withdrawn.

The motion asks the synagogue to clarify its position relating to the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (UOHC), in light of the time lag on the investigation into the allegations.

Reports say the resolution asked for an undertaking that the synagogue would not draw any closer to the

UOHC without endorsement from the members of Munk’s, which is not a formal member of the UOHC, but is a constituent of the Kedassia kashrut authority, the UOHC’s kashrut arm. Rabbi Greenberg is part of the UOHC senior rabbinate.

A member of Munk’s board

of management confirmed to Jewish News a motion had been put forward — “but it was then withdrawn”. Social media accounts, widely circulated in Golders Green and Stamford Hill, claim that the resolution

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was indeed withdrawn, only after a furious Rabbi Greenberg threatened to resign if it were discussed at next week’s AGM.

The board member refused to say who tabled the original resolution, insisting it had been submitted “as a way to open dialogue. It has been withdrawn and the matter has been resolved internally.”

The row is an illustration of the impasse over the allegations against Rabbi Halpern, which he has repeatedly denied.

Five months ago the UOHC announced an investigation into the claims but due to the wife of the judge appointed to lead that inquiry falling ill, it did not take place.

Police inquiries remain ongoing.

It is claimed many strictlyOrthodox people in Golders Green wanted the UOHC to suspend Rabbi Halpern. This has not happened.

A Jewish primary school in Mill Hill has raised over £25,000 at its gala dinner as it battles rising running costs.

The event for Etz Chaim, attended by the school president Lord Levy, was at Mill Hill Synagogue with Rob Rinder as an after-dinner speaker.

Rinder, who had returned from filming a documentary in Krakow and Auschwitz that day, talked about how the trip had highlighted the importance of giving young Jewish children hope for the future.

Of the evening, he said: “Seeing a hall filled with the ruach generated by a com-

munity of parents, grandparents, teachers and friends wanting to support their local Jewish school and the future of Judaism was just the tonic I needed after a trip that was so heavily focused on the tragedy of the past.”

Headteacher Hannah Martin, who joined the school in September, spoke about the funding challenges facing schools and urged parents to continue supporting the PTA’s fundraising, once viewed as “a nice additional income”, but now needed for buying the ‘must haves’ as well as the ‘would like to haves’.

Beth Hamedrash and, inset, Rabbi Chaim Halpern

Headteacher Hannah Martin, Rob Rinder, school president Lord Levy and co-chair of governors Elizabeth Bennet

Straight talker who has put antiJewish racism top of the agenda

It is three-and-a-half years since former prime minister Theresa May first appointed him as the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism. So it says much about the impact Lord Mann has made in the post that the first person to politely interrupt his interview with Jewish News is one of the current PM’s closest aides.

Craig Williams MP, parliamentary private secretary to Rishi Sunak, shakes Mann’s hand warmly after spotting him at Portcullis House, and both agree they have matters to discuss at a more convenient time. “If there are any issues a ecting your community, this man will let me know,” Williams confirms to Jewish News.

As the influential Conservative politician walks o , Mann is similarly complimentary about Williams’ own ability to carry out his role as one of Sunak’s advisers.

“All the senior politicians in the country are clear about the problems with antisemitism,” Mann says. “I say to every minister ‘My job is to give you advice that I believe will help you do your job better.’ I will also say ‘I don’t give advice that reflects my beliefs, or to keep you happy’.

“I will give any minister good advice that I think will help the Jewish community. I don’t take a value judgement on whether I like them …. some are easier to work with than others.”

As Labour MP for Bassetlaw, Mann was one of Jeremy Corbyn’s most outspoken critics from when Corbyn became party leader in 2015.

It wasn’t just Corbyn’s weakness over antisemitism that angered Mann, but it was speeches on the issue that solidified the 63-yearold Yorkshireman’s reputation for being one of the Jewish community’s staunchest defenders.

His confrontation with ex-mayor of London Ken Livingstone in 2016 when he branded Livingstone a “Nazi apologist” is a seminal moment in the antisemitism crisis on the left.

Respect for Mann increased even further when, three months before Corbyn’s catastrophic 2019 election defeat, he announced he was not standing in the Nottinghamshire seat he had represented since 2001 and instead took up the full-time antisemitism adviser role.

“It’s not my role to run after every antisemitic incident in the country, although some think it is,” Mann, nominated to become a life peer in ex-PM May’s resignation list, says today. “It is to try and get some permanent change for the better.”

With 18 months of his five-year tenure to go, Mann makes no secret of his admiration for the work of the Community Security Trust. He admits he decided to “prioritise” security for the community through his own role and reckons CST “have got stronger not weaker during this period”. His own message to the government has been “we have the best community operation in the world” and then stresses: “We need to recognise that, and ensure it remains the best.”

Choosing his words carefully, he then issues

a stern warning the community must guard itself against ever becoming too complacent.

He adds: “There’s a reason terrorist attacks on Jewish people have not succeeded in murdering people here in the way they have across Europe. We have to be careful about complacency, but the key reason is the CST has the respect of the security services and of the police.

“It has direct access. The biggest fear I have is if anybody attempts to create barriers to that, of any kind. Intermediaries… that would be catastrophic. It has to be direct access and it has to be the CST as an institution, not the good will of individuals within CST. It is critical. It would be disastrous for the Jewish community were anyone to try to undermine CST in any way. ”

At various points, Mann stresses his current job is “not to represent that Jewish community, my job is to advise”. He also refuses to o er his verdict on the strengths and weaknesses of communal organisations, in the same way he says he refuses to let his own political views interfere with his dealings with ministers.

“I have to keep in touch, I have to know where people are coming from,” he says of his interactions with communal bodies. “I don’t have to agree with them.”

He says it is “crucial” communal organisations have good access to government and he would not hesitate to “kick government if they are not getting access”, adding: “A CST that can’t have a relationship with the home secretary or prime minister is not much use to anyone. ”

Is he concerned about the government failing to meet the right communal leaders? He answers: “Whoever is in power should not be surrounding themselves with friends from the Jewish community, but with the communal bodies. That goes for the Conservatives, Labour, the SNP or any other party.”

Mann confirms he will be meeting with home secretary Suella Braverman in the near future. He says it would “be a big concern if she did not want to meet me” but “she is happy to”. He does not know whether Braverman will agree with his views about protecting the community: “There are a number of things the home secretary of the day might think are very obvious, but I will be raising them,” he says. “The Jewish community has the right to be protected, the same as others. No more, no less.”

On Braverman’s plan for a new Jewish Community Police, Crime and Security Taskforce, Mann says he hopes to learn more on the home secretary’s hopes for this body at their meeting.

Asked if he has ever had concerns about a particular minister since he was appointed antisemitism adviser, Mann says he has not.

“I would only go public with concerns about a minister if their actions were a concern to the Jewish community,” Mann says. “And I would be raising that first with Downing Street, and I haven’t had to do that. But I would if I thought that was the case.”

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We’re on track, says Lord Mann, but don’t undermine CST and watch out for complacency, writes Lee Harpin

Lord Mann was appointed by then-PM Theresa May as the government’s antisemitism adviser

NATURE

The of Israel

Originally from Manchester and now living in Tiberias, photographer Julian Alper gives Jewish News readers a seasonal sense of animal life in Israel.

THIS WEEK: African softshell turtles

As the weather gets warmer in Israel, softshell turtles emerge from hibernation. In comparison to hardback turtles, they are quite huge, reaching 3ft long and weighing up to 6st. I photographed this turtle emerging from the River Alexander near Netanya to join a couple of red-eared slider turtles on the riverbank.

FOLLOW JULIAN ALPER: julian.alper.7 @alperjulian

To Our Dear Friends in the London Kehilla.

On behalf of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters we want to thank you for your overwhelming kindness and generosity this winter. With your help we were able to ensure that everyone that needed had access to food, clothing and essentials.

A special thanks to Sandor Milun and the GIFT Team for their incredible coordination efforts and Rabbi Benzy Sudak and the Chabad Shluchim across the UK for enabling the collection and aggregation of thousands of articles of food and clothing. Thank you to the United Synagogue for all their assistance.

World News / Djerba shootings / Rocket attacks / Envoy quits

Jewish cousins among fi ve killed in Tunisia synagogue attack

Two Jewish cousins were among five people killed in an attack on a synagogue in Tunisia on Tuesday. Nine other people were injured, writes Jotam Confino.

According to Tunisian authorities, a naval o cer carried out a shooting rampage at the El Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday morning, saying two Jewish worshippers among the dead were cousins, one of whom was an Israeli citizen.

“The Ministry of Foreign A airs is in contact with the family members of the deceased and is prepared to assist additional Israelis as needed,” the ministry said.

The Tunisian Interior Ministry said that “investigations are continuing in order to shed light on the motives for this cowardly aggression.”

The attack came as more than 5,000 people, most of whom were Jewish worshippers from abroad, attended the annual pilgrimage to the synagogue, the oldest in Africa.

“Police presence was incredibly

heavy. A huge operation all around a radius of about a mile around the synagogue. Concrete anti-terrorist barriers at the approach to the synagogue,” a British Jew who visited

the synagogue for the first day of the pilgrimage on Monday told Jewish News.

“Twenty or 30 four-wheel-drive police vehicles lined the entrance

to the synagogue, and inside the packed open courtyard where the festival is celebrated uniformed o cers lined the walls. Armed police were also stationed all round the neighbourhood on the approach to El Ghriba including in the artists’ quarter known as Djerbahood,” the person added.

The synagogue has been targeted

ed previously, most notably in 2002 when al-Qaeda terrorists killed more than 20 people in a bomb attack. An Israeli eyewitness told Army Radio there was an atmosphere of “panic” in the synagogue. “Everyone was trying to find their children. I held my daughters hand and tried to get out,” the eyewitness said.  Editorial comment, page 16

270 ROCKETS FROM GAZA AFTER ISLAMIC JIHAD HIT

An estimated 270 rockets were fired from Gaza at southern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv, this week following another day of extensive IDF attacks against Islamic Jihad, writes Jotam Confino.

The barrage began at 1:30pm local time and continued in the afternoon, sending over a million of Israelis to bomb shelters. While Hamas said it had been “involved” in the attacks, a Israeli o cial disputed that, saying Islamic Jihad had been behind it, not Hamas.

Meanwhile, Israeli fighter jets struck over 53 Islamic Jihad targets, including rocket

and mortar shell launchers and military positions throughout the Gaza Strip.

Israeli airstrikes targeted an Islamic Jihad squad in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, killing two people. The squad was taking antitank guided missiles by car to a launch pad, the army said.

The flare-up came after Israel launched “Operation Shield and Arrow” overnight on Tuesday, killing 15 Palestinians, including three senior Islamic Jihad operatives. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said the other 10 victims were civilians, including women and children.

Tom Nides, the gregarious US ambassador to Israel, is resigning this summer, at a time of unresolved tensions in the US-Israel relationship he strove to uphold.

An administration o cial confirmed to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency Nides would be gone by this summer. The report first appeared on Tuesday morning with sources quoting US secretary of state Antony Blinken saying Nides wanted to spend more time with his family.

“Tom has worked with characteristic energy

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We are ready for the possibility of an expanded campaign and harsh strikes against Gaza.”

Shortly after Tuesday’s military operation was launched, Israeli authorities evacuated thousands of residents in the Gaza border areas in the early morning hours in anticipation of rocket and antitank missile attacks.

Roads adjacent to the border were also closed, while some Israeli 300,000 pupils stayed home from school.

Popular beaches in the nearby cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod were also closed.

and skill to further strengthen the special bond between the United States and Israel, and to advance US diplomatic, economic, and security interests,” Blinken said. “We will all miss having him represent us in Israel, but I know he is looking forward to some welldeserved time with his family.”

Nides, a former executive at Morgan Stanley, was a senior State Department o cial in the Obama administration and had deep ties with the US Democratic Party.

Ben and Aviel Haddad were among the dead at the El Ghriba synagogue

The inside of the historic synagogue targeted in the attack

Photo by Beatrice Sayers

Plea to stop Nazi-linked auction fails

Auction house Christie’s has dismissed a demand by the Wiesenthal Centre to halt its auction World of Heidi Horten: Magnificent Jewels despite the Horten family profiting from the Nazi takeover of Jewish stores, writes Jotam Confino.

Heidi Horten's husband Helmut worked in a department store during the rise of Hitler in 1933, profited from the “aryanisation" laws and in 1937 strengthened his relationship with the regime when he joined the Nazi party.

The Wiesenthal Centre demanded the sale being held in Geneva until 15 May be cancelled or else Christie's should "make exhaustive catalogues available to the greater public – through all media out-

lets – of the present Horten sale, as well as all upcoming sales of jewellery, musical instruments, books, silverware or other artwork that could be the fruit of ‘aryanisation’ or Nazi looting of Jewish property.”

Christie’s dismissed the allegations and demand, telling Jewish News “each object being auctioned is well documented with detailed purchase indications. As with any property consigned to Christie’s, the collection has undergone our standard and thorough due-diligence process.”

Company president Anthea Peers said: “Christie’s decision to take on the sale of jewellery from the estate of Heidi Horten was made after careful consideration and with the explicit understanding that 100

percent of the proceeds her estate receives will be directed to a foundation which supports philanthropic causes, including healthcare, children’s welfare and access to the arts.

She added: “Christie’s felt it important to donate a significant portion of its final proceeds to organisations that further advance Holocaust research and education. It is therefore incumbent upon Christie’s to make this auction a success."

The company saids it agreed to take on the auction with knowledge of the “welldocumented business practices of Mrs. Horten’s late first husband” in the Nazi era when he bought Jewish businesses that were sold under duress.

BDS PLEDGE SPARKS ROW Fruity TikTok fans caught out

An American state is refusing to pay a Jewish doctor for a talk because he declined to promise not to boycott Israel.

Dermatologist Dr Steve Feldman delivered a Zoom lecture to University of Arkansas medical students in February, for which he was entitled to a £400 honorarium.

But Feldman said Arkansas withheld payment because he refused to sign a pledge

required for public contractors that he would not boycott the Jewish state.

Feldman, a professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: “They have a law in place that makes contracts with Arkansas dependent on your agreement not to boycott Israel, which I think is wrong.

“To me, growing up Jewish, the strong lesson of the Holocaust I learned is it’s wrong to mistreat other people.”

Arkansas is one of dozens of states with laws aiming to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel.

In Arkansas' case this is done by mandating state contractors to promise not to take part in any boycott.

At least two American couples have been caught by Israeli customs trying to smuggle more than 650 pounds of Fruit Roll-Ups into the country in face of a dire shortage of the snack due to a craze on the video social network TikTok.

TikTok followers are shown wrapping the sticky confection round a scoop of ice cream, which freezes and becomes hard and crunchy.

Israeli news website Mako reported one of the smugglers was caught with at least three suitcases filled with hundreds of the colourful, sugary treats for his family in Israel.

Enterprising merchants are said to be selling

the sweets at $5 each against a US price of less than $3 for a box of 10.

One of the World Of Heidi Horten pieces up for auction

ISSUE

NO. 1314

Prayers not enough

Visitors entering the compound of La Ghriba walk past a large stone memorial – inscribed in Arabic, German and French – to the 19 people killed at the synagogue on Djerba in 2002. Like any such plaque, it is also a prayer: it symbolises the hopes and wishes of the local people and the Tunisian government for such terrorist attacks to be consigned to the past.

When Jewish News was at the synagogue this week, hours before the deadly attack on Tuesday, the heavy security presence was clear a mile from the site. Armed police carried out checks on vehicles leading to the village of Erriadh; others stood guard under the trees around its pretty main square.

Our reporter mixed with other pilgrims wandering the quiet streets to see the murals of Djerbahood and stopped to speak with the owner of one of the kosher cafes before joining the thousands who, protected by a concrete crash barrier and airport-style bag scanners, pray in front of the stone said to have come from the First Temple, destroyed in 587CE.

The 2002 bombing was targeted at Germans: 14 of the dead were German nationals. The attacker this week, reportedly a Naval officer, shot dead five people. His ability to carry out the attack is particularly shocking in a country which appears to be doing all it can to ensure the safety of La Ghriba’s visitors, who are mainly Jewish but also Muslim Djerbians.

Jews in Tunisia have lived peacefully alongside Muslims and Christians for centuries but the country will have to work harder, and find new strategies, if it is to succeed in keeping its visitors safe.

Board leadership is the problem, not members

Letter writer Michael Lever was stung by the use of the word “contempt” to describe the Board of Deputies, yet in quoting Douglas Murray, the philosemitic non-Jewish journalist, I should have clarified it isn’t the rank-and-file deputies to whom that applies, but the leadership.

Talented and committed friends of mine, who served as deputies, left the Board frustrated and disillusioned, unable to use their talents meaningfully to further the good of the community.

Mr Leaver may think that it “most represents the widest cross-section of Anglo Jewry”, but its much-vaunted “democratic” nature is an illusion. This is because the leadership, which holds disproportionate power, makes policy decisions and, latterly, controversial public statements often

THIS WEEKEND'S SHABBAT TIMES...

Shabbat comes in Friday night 8.27pm Shabbat goes out Saturday night 9.40pm Sedra: BeharBechukotai

without the knowledge or approval of deputies.

There have been good Board presidents and less effective ones, yet I cannot recall a time when a president has let down the position as has the current one (pictured).

The important aspects of Jewish practice are catered for by such organisations as Shechita UK, Milah UK, CAA, as well as the many proIsrael organisations, more effectively than the Board can.

Given that, surely it isn’t too much to ask of it not to antagonise our friends and not to add to the chorus of anti Israel “criticism”, given that Israel is close to the heart of Anglo Jewry and especially as it receives a large chunk of synagogual voluntary donations to represent us.

Warren S Grossman, Leytonstone

PUT TRUTH ON THE TABLE ROYAL LINKS

Fraser Michaelson’s letter (28 April) showed extraordinary ignorance. Historically there was never an Arab state called Palestine or Jordan (Arab Palestine in all but name).

What there is was illegally founded by default in August 1946 on 77 percent of Jewish land, territory which was set aside by the League of Nations in 1919 by legal Covenant of the Mandate to facilitate close settlement of Jews on the land and which Britain, when appointed as trustee government to implement, in fact sabotaged.

Peace would be achieved tomorrow if truth were on the table. Only warmongering fanatic racists continue this fraudulent narrative, ensuring these poor “Palestinian” people are kept as political pawns to Islamic extremist aims.

This is borne out by Hamas ambassador Hassassian who claimed (at a meeting with Jeremy Corbyn): “Peace talks are a smoke screen. Israel (meaning Jews) have fallen into a trap and settled for a very narrow strip of land. Palestine is our land. Keep going. We are getting there, never give up.”

Miri

Rose, By email

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The coronation was fascinating to watch in a way that would have been impossible without the wonders of technology.

Besides the Jewish ancestry of Queen Camilla’s twin grandsons, descendants of the Sephardic family of Lopes, there was yet another Jewish link.

Among the Queen’s pages of honour was Oliver, son of the Marquess of Cholmondeley, lord-in-waiting to the King, and a descendant of Sybil Sassoon’s marriage to George, fifth earl of Cholmondeley. Her mother was a member of the French house of Rothschild. Another Jewish connection in Camilla’s family can be found in Clio, niece of entrepreneur Sir James Goldsmith, who married Camilla’s brother, the late Mark Shand.

Doreen

Berger, Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain

THE JACOB FOUNDATION

Jewish News is owned by The Jacob Foundation, a registered UK charity promoting cohesion and common ground across the UK Jewish community and between British Jews and wider society. Jewish News promotes these aims by delivering dependable and balanced news reporting and analysis and celebrating the achievements of its vibrant and varied readership. Through the Jacob Foundation, Jewish News acts as a reliable and independent advocate for British Jews and a crucial communication vehicle for other communal charities.

SORRY FOR ‘SUPPORTING’ ISRAEL

In your coverage (20 April) of the Al Quds Day rally in London, you reported that police kept apart the thousand-strong demonstrators (an assortment of antisemites masquerading as anti-Zionists) calling for the destruction of the Jewish homeland from a small group of “pro-Israel” activists. The inverted commas were yours not mine and their use was curious.

Did your reporter or

editor suspect the counterprotesters were somehow not supporters of Israel at all, necessitating a caveat? Or did the punctuation indicate some journalistic distaste at the tactics of a few vulgar and noisy Jews with nothing better to do on a Sunday?

As one of the people caught by the inverted commas, I want to reassure you that the few us who attended are supporters of Israel, unhappy at the Jewish

homeland being vilely traduced on the streets of our city without challenge. Naturally we would have been delighted to have joined a more sophisticated counter-protest and rally organised by the Board of Deputies or perhaps even Jewish News, both as I understand it “supporters” of Israel. But there wasn’t one. Apologies for any embarrassment caused.

David Harold, By email

STRANGE LOGIC MORAL ATHEIST

Letter writer Fraser Michaelson thinks consistency requires accepting all the opinions or assertions of an individual, otherwise one is “cherry picking”. Strange logic.

Phillip Hitti, a respected Arab historian, testified to the Anglo-American committee of inquiry in 1946 that there is no such thing as Palestine in history. He knew better than to falsify history without supporting evidence.

More recently, Fathi Hamad, a senior Hamas official, said: “Everyone knows that half the Palestinians are Egyptians and the other half Saudis.” In other words, Palestine as a nation, state, country, ethnicity or race does not exist – a fact supported by a total lack of any archaeological or other evidence.

Of course, any individual or people can self-identify however they choose. What they cannot do is to use that identity as a means to appropriate someone else’s land.

Gerry Solomons, Highgate

In response to letter writer Ann Cohen’s claim that David Baddiel wants to “cancel God” in order to live without accountability (27 April), I respectfully disagree that this implies his desire for nihilism.

While I understand her argument, I firmly believe David Baddiel can be both an atheist and a moral person. I believe in a personal God but grapple with the problem of theodicy (vindication of God’s omnipotence, goodness and justice in face of the existence of evil, especially after the Shoah), I do not find atheism inherently nihilistic.

I suggest Mr Baddiel’s atheism stems from a commitment to honesty rather than a rejection of his moral responsibility. It is worth noting that Rabbi Shlomo ZalmanShelomi defined an atheist as someone who simply does not accept his or her neighbour’s idea of God.

David Frencel, Hackney

‘OK, it’s safe to go back in now’

Israel’s secular majority is now engaged – good

Projected on the front of the building, where non-governmental groups are clustered, are the words of Israel’s declaration of independence.

Standing among the enthusiastic and good-natured protesters on Rekov Kaplan in central Tel Aviv, it is inspiring to think the pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet of extremist political misfits has so far been sustained for 18 weeks.

Few protests on this industrial scale, tens if not hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, keep it up for so long. Working near London’s embassy row, I am very aware how such events are mostly one-o s and quickly disperse.

The Tel Aviv demonstrations are an odd mix of political action and festival. One protester, on coronation day in Britain, showed a sense of irony with a placard displaying a large goldencrusted crown above the words King Bibi.

Hawkers selling t-shirts, hats, water and popcorn mingle with the crowds. Small children, in Shabbat best, dance and jump among the assembled as the call to democracy rings out again and again from the main platform.

They remind those passing that the State of Israel “will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture”. Civil rights groups argue that the demonstrations have been highly e ective in pausing the judicial reforms which undermine democratic principles

But those protesting are drawn from an economically critical but largely comfortable Israel middle class. The Arab minority of two

million largely are missing even though the stakes for them are higher than for anyone.

Organisations representing Arab interests (such as the Abraham Initiatives) argue real democracy will not be achieved while Israel occupies the West Bank and Gaza. The reasons the Arab minority stay away are complex. The symbolism of the protests, the thousands of Israeli flags, does not represent them. A Palestinian flag might agitate other demonstrators.

There are two main schools of thought within Israel’s diverse Arab community. Followers of Ayman Odeh MK of Hadash and the ‘Arab List’ believe the moment is near when their presence would be welcome. Odeh would first seek to renew its alliance with Israel’s left such as Meretz to give it more political cover and resonance. It favours broadening the agenda of the protests to recognise how democracy is undermined by occupation.

In contrast, Mansour Abbas of the United Arab List, part of the previous left-to-right coalition government headed by Naftali Bennett, prefers a quiet, behind-the -scenes approach. He is part of a small group of politicians in talks under the auspices of President

Herzog on the future of Israel’s judiciary and assaults on democracy. The president has no formal political role but can act as an honest convenor and arbitrator.

Abbas argues that widening the demonstrators’ demands and asking Arabs to take to the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities would be bad tactics. His strategy, as during his years in the Knesset, is to build alliances. In a meeting in the Arab town Um Al Fahm, he circles around the issue of whether Arab citizens of Israel should join the protests, and the world ‘occupation’ never passes his lips.

What is true is that the protests, in all their glory, have reopened a window on Israeli democracy that has been gradually closing for years as the nation’s political right has cemented the levers of power and sought to redefine the country through measures like the Nation State Law.

The apolitical, secular majority, which delivers the country’s prosperity, is now engaged. Civil society groups see the moment as an opportunity to question what is happening in the West Bank and Gaza. And Israel’s Arabs are determined to reclaim their full rights as citizens.

high time we sorted out this memorial muddle

who hate Jews more than is strictly necessary”, as a former editor of mine once phrased it.

Walking around central London and admiring the beautiful buildings and architecture with which the capital is blessed, it’s sometimes possible to forget the presumably endless wrangling that preceded their completion and public unveiling.

Nelson’s Column, for example, was first thought of in 1838 and took three long years from 1840 to 1843 to build, and the lions at its foot with which we are all so familiar today didn’t arrive until 1867. Cleopatra’s Needle on the Embankment was given to Britain by Egypt in 1819 – but didn’t actually make it to London from Alexandria until 1877.

All of which is by way of saying that the row about Britain’s proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre – which has been on the table since 2014 – is nothing new. There has been fierce opposition almost from the o , with leading Jewish voices in the vanguard.

I dare say some imagined that the memorial would be an attractive bandwagon for “those

But it’s people like Baroness Deech, utterly comfortable in her Jewish identity, who have been the most outspoken and trenchant in their opposition, primarily in objection to the proposed site of Victoria Tower Gardens, just by the Houses of Parliament.

The baroness is not opposed to a memorial as such. It would be bizarre if she were: her late father, Josef Fraenkel, fled first Vienna and then Prague as the Nazis made their way across central Europe, before eventually finding a haven in the UK.

But, she says, the alleged “public benefit” of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Westminster is “in part guesswork and in part a political decision, unrelated to the benefit of the victims or their descendants”.

Other opponents don’t see the need for a new memorial at all, given there is already a wonderfully detailed permanent Holocaust exhibition at the Imperial War Museum. Or, they say, if the government has money to spend on a Holocaust memorial, why not give it to the National Holocaust Centre in Nottingham?

IF EVER THIS PROJECT COMES TO FRUITION

Despite a slew of arcane fights between the government, the courts and Westminster Council, at times like a bad Punch and Judy match, the weirdly named Department for Levelling Up, headed by Michael Gove, seems determined to get its way and forge ahead with building the centre.

Meanwhile, Helen Monger, director of the London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust charity, and architect Barbara Weiss now say the project should be split into two.

They propose a learning centre at parliament’s College Green, currently the site for every political TV interview, and a smaller memorial at Victoria Tower Gardens.

I don’t think the Weiss/Monger compromise is likely to happen. What is sadly evident is that if ever this project does comes to fruition, there will be no survivors there to witness it or open it. Not even the Kinder-

transport members are going to be around by the time bureaucracy gets its act together.

This week I had an interesting conversation with Sir Andrew Burns, once Britain’s ambassador to Israel. Sir Andrew was Britain’s special envoy for post-Holocaust issues from 2010 to 2015, and latterly has been involved in promoting the work of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

His is a pragmatic and objective voice, I think, and he understands the issues.

His suggestion is that rather than build a memorial, consideration is given perhaps to funding a chair in Holocaust studies. I think that’s an excellent idea and a much better way for the government to spend its money.

There is no reason, of course, for there not to be both, but an academic chair, in the first instance, is more likely to happen. And quicker, almost certainly, than Nelson or Cleopatra.

JENNI FRAZER

In good times and bad, faith groups are crucial

RABBI JOSH LEVY ON BEHALF OF PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM

In July 2020, I attended my first meeting of the government’s Covid ‘Places of Worship Taskforce’ on behalf of the Progressive synagogues around the UK.

In a series of meetings over the course of almost 18 months, this group of leaders from across the religious spectrum of our country discussed the challenges of the pandemic for faith communities.

There were the immediate challenges of reopening (and closing) places of worship, social distancing, attendance caps, ventilation, testing and whether it was possible to make singing safe.

Then, from 2021, our focus turned to how our faith communities could support and encourage take-up of the Covid vaccine. It was an extraordinary space – robust and respectful.

At times, we were among the first to hear the challenging news that our institutions would be asked to close their doors for communal worship, or that numbers for lifecycle events including funerals

would be reduced. From the perspective of interfaith cooperation and understanding, it was extraordinarily powerful, with a sense of shared purpose.

The civil servants, scientists and government ministers who attended were thoughtful. They listened and cared deeply in extraordinarily di cult circumstances. In parallel they held roundtables with faith groups to understand fully the needs of di erent communities.

And then the meetings stopped.

Once the immediate need had passed, the idea of regular, structured government engagement with religious leaders was no longer a priority.

This was a missed opportunity and a huge loss for faith relations in this country.

These meetings were initiated by independent faith engagement adviser Colin Bloom, whose review, Does Government ‘Do God’?, was published this week.

Among his recommendations is the return of this kind of e ective engagement programme as part of a broader strategy to engage with faith communities and with people of faith.

He states that government should work to increase religious literacy and better support faith communities to address

the challenges that they face. Progressive Judaism welcomes a report that puts these questions to the forefront.

We agree there is a need for better and broader religious literacy across the Civil Service, as well as a greater connection with and advocacy for faith groups.

We also support measures to ensure religion is a force for good in this country, addressing the challenges of harmful practices, extremism and exploitation.

It is vital that government better understands the di erences between faith communities in this country, and within them.

Alongside this is the need to recognise the importance of speaking with the spectrum of groups within communities, as it did so e ectively in the diverse and representative faith task forces and roundtables during the pandemic.

We encourage the government to take Colin Bloom’s report seriously, to understand the role that we play in the UK and as partners to government, and to recognise the importance of faith communities as one of the essential building blocks of civil society.

This is not the first time that the impor-

tance of engagement with faith has been discussed in this way. It was, for example, part of the ‘Big Society’ conversations of the early 2010s.

We cannot be recognised only in crisis, financial or social, seen only as service providers, plugging holes.

There must be a fundamental shift in attitude that recognises we are a crucial voice in the day-to-day and in the values that make up this country.

In short, that we are a voice that deserves a platform and established mechanisms for direct communication.

Enduring questions for the next quarter-century

MARCUS DYSCH

HEAD OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, WORLD ORT

As I strolled into the shiny conference venue hosting a celebration of Israel’s 75th anniversary, I had a flashback from days gone by.

My mind was filled with the vivid imagery from 26 April 1998, and the moment the coach that I and my fellow Jews from Hull were travelling on to London drove past crowds of screaming, placard-waving antiIsrael activists.

But there was a key di erence between the angry mob outside the Wembley Conference Centre protesting Israel’s 50th and the loud but peaceful group clustered around the gates of the Expo Tel Aviv Convention Centre.

The latter gathering represented a crosssection of Israelis, waving their own country’s flag and demonstrating against controversial proposals to alter the state’s judicial system.

Inside the venue, Israel’s president, Isaac

Herzog, spoke with equal passion about the need for dialogue and debate as the country charts a period of internal strife with the same determination and vigour it is accustomed to employing against the external threats it has continuously faced.

President Herzog was addressing thousands of delegates attending the general assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America.

This umbrella group of the local federations that criss-cross the United States and Canada is all about highlighting the views of Jews of just about every religious, political and sexual orientation and racial background demographic imaginable.

I was joining them in my role as head of external a airs at World ORT, the global network operating schools and educational programmes in Israel and 40 countries across the diaspora.

Rather than focusing on any divisions, my colleagues and I spent our time at the event instead taking part in the apolitical dialogue around education.

Having heard David Chinn, British expat

and managing partner of McKinsey Israel, eruditely dissect the economic, health and employment disadvantages facing so many Israelis, especially from the Charedi and Arab sectors, delegates went on to learn how nonprofit organisations are working tirelessly to make a di erence across the country.

Among those they met was Sivan, a graduate of a school a liated to ORT in the northern coastal town of Kiryat Yam.

She explained how her parents had made aliyah from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, before she was born.

They had gone on to raise their six children in a town where the minority communities have faced significant socio-economic challenges.

Softly-spoken Sivan described how she had become one of the first girls at her school to enrol on an electronics course provided by World ORT’s Israeli-arm, Kadima Mada

She told how it had changed her life, giving her the skills she needed to progress in her education, finish school with an electronics qualification, study at the Hebrew University, and look forward to a desired career in

software engineering.

Such is her desire to make a di erence in the Start-Up Nation, and to give something back to society, that she now works part-time teaching current ORT students in Jerusalem the same robotics skills she learnt at school.

The optimism she showed and her inspirational story will stay with me – as will the experience of the deeply moving Yom Hazikaron ceremony alongside 7,000 others under the stars at the Latrun military memorial in the Ayalon Valley.

The atmosphere in Israel was one that characterises the last 75 years of the country’s existence. It was one of passionate debate, collective remembrance and a sense of unity in the face of so many complex challenges. It seems sadly inevitable that wherever we celebrate Israel’s centenary it will remain necessary to bustle past protesters to mark the occasion.

But how Israel and Jews in the diaspora tackle the trials they will face, and what they both look and feel like in 2048, will be the enduring questions for us all over the next quarter of a century.

United: Rabbis Baginsky and Levy

WIN! Win tickets to see Aspects of Love in the West End!

LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING in this first major West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s celebrated musical Aspects of Love playing at the Lyric Theatre for a strictly limited season and starring Michael Ball.

Joining Michael Ball will be Olivier-nominated Laura Pitt-Pulford (SevenBridesforSevenBrothersand Sunset Boulevard), Jamie Bogyo (Moulin Rouge! The Musical) and Danielle de Niese (ManofLaMancha and English National Opera’s It’s a Wonderful Life).

Discover how love – in its many forms – truly does change everything. From the cobbled streets of Paris, through the French countryside to the splendours of Venice, AspectsofLoveis a sweeping romantic story of passion, love, betrayal and heartbreak across three generations.

With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart, based on the novel by David Garnett, AspectsofLoveis directed by Jonathan Kent.

AspectsofLovewill be at the Lyric Theatre from 13 May. To book your tickets – from £20 – visit aspectsoflove.com

Terms & Conditions

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For your chance to win one of three pairs of tickets visit www.jewishnews.co.uk/love

1 LOYAL TOAST TO THE KING FROM NETANYA

British ex-pats in Netanya got together to celebrate the coronation of King Charles with an English-style afternoon tea and a loyal toast on the lawn, by the sea. It was an afternoon of fun, and raised more than 3,000 shekels for the local Emunah Children’s Home wedding fund.

2 PUPILS MAKE CAKES AND CROWNS

Excitement was in the air at special needs school Side by Side in Hackney as students learnt about the coronation. The classes wrote decorative letters to the King, cooked special cupcakes and made crowns. Teachers planned these activities as hands-on, sensory, and exciting learning experiences, resulting in an enthusiastic response from students.

3 JBD HOLDS PARTY FOR TENANTS AND STAFF

Jewish Blind & Disabled’s coronation party was held by tenants and staff at the Hilary Dennis Court Development in Wanstead. There were freshly baked scones and cakes baked by tenants Barbara and Audrey, with thanks to volunteers Sonia, Marilyn, and Janet for helping to organise such a fun party, there was a lovely singalong and a long conga line.

4 CHARLES HIMSELF ATTENDS COLLEGE!

Immanuel College celebrated with a British-themed coronation lunch. The school was decorated with bunting and banners and pupils posed with a special (cutout) guest throughout the day.

5 ‘STREET PARTIES’ AT JEWISH CARE

Jewish Care celebrated with its big family of residents, tenants, community centre and dementia day centre members, staff and volunteers. Its care campuses looked like indoor street parties, and everyone has had a great time joining in with conga lines and cockney tunes, singing along with wartime favourites.

6 HANDS-ON LEARNING AT ETZ CHAIM

Etz Chaim pupils made cupcakes and decorated them for a party. The schoolchildren learned about the King, the royal family and how to turn themselves into royalty. Myla, in reception, said: “Coronation Day was fun, I liked making crowns!” Asher in Y1 said: “We made the King’s face out of tissue paper.”

Have you had a recent simcha?

Judy Blume’s film adaptation of AreyouThere God?It’sMe,Margaret is coming to cinemas and my middle-aged excitement is palpable. I’ve already planned my (overpriced) popcorn dinner. The book is about an inquisitive sixth-grader who grows up with a Christian mother and a Jewish father, raising her without religious a liation. Brought to the screen by Abby Ryder Fortson, the film stars Benny Safdie (who produced Indie smash Uncut Gems) playing Margaret’s supportive Jewish dad to cuddly perfection and the brilliantly cast Kathy Bates as Margaret’s grandmother.

Margaret was an extension of my friendship circle, all of us desperate to fit into our training bras and shamelessly performing the ‘bust mantra’ in the school playground.

Having seen snippets from the trailer, predictably I’m excited to see this bit played out on screen. As journalist and author Harriet Walker says: “Discovering Judy Blume felt like finding a whole new circle of friends. What Blume did for teenage girls was so clever and so kind, but so brilliantly camouflaged – adult learnings couched in words and ways we thought were our own.”

That’s not to say everyone felt the same way about AYTG “Whilst I have nothing but utter respect for Judy Blume’s work, Margaret sort of missed the mark for me as nothing really happens in the book,” says journalist Esther Walker. “Growing up an agnostic household, I didn’t find the battle for Margaret’s religious soul very interesting. Judy Blume was a bit earnest. My own daughter prefers to read books that carry more suspense like The Hunger Games.”

Encouraged (read: ‘forced’) by me, both of my daughters read the book and liked it, but when I pushed for discussion and was met

(via text, naturally) with “IDC. Why RU deeping it?” Translation: “I don’t care. Why are you making it into such a big deal?” Gen Z are of the mindset, ‘Why read it if I can watch it in 90 minutes, inhaling a Netflix show in one sitting, simultaneously ‘snapping’ my friends.’

So, if kids today bypass the book and go straight for the film, is there anything intrinsically wrong with that?

Times journalist and author Hadley Freeman says: “I think coming-of-age stories are more universal and timeless than a lot of people assume, because while external details change, internal emotions don’t. Yes, today’s teenagers have TikTok and social media and other things that didn’t exist when I was their age, but they also have anxiety, insecurity, crushes, and self-loathing – all things everyone who’s ever been a teenager will have experienced.”

Author Lorraine Candy says:

By

“That feeling of not being heard, of not being listened to is an age-old issue for adolescents and it is one of the great learnings for parents: that you don’t need to fix anything. When Margaret chats to God, she has a listening ear that is not interrupting or trying to make her feel better.

“I am excited about the film and I feel as if what we need right now is a warm, funny movie helping parents understand why listening is the biggest skill of all.”

The Jewish element somehow makes it all the more engaging.

Louis Sachar’s There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom could be about any school and in Fleishman Is In Trouble, Jesse Eisenberg is cast as the protagonist, alongside fellow Jew Adam Brody. Whether we read the book or watch the film, it’s all about relatability because everyone knows a Fleishman or a Margaret.

“Jewish characters and specifically Jewish girls in books was part of the reason Judy Blume’s books

jumped out to me and I was shocked and thrilled by how honest and messy Blume’s books were,” says author Lea Geller.

“Like my own, many of the characters’ parents were divorced, which was something I didn’t see a lot of — not only in books, but also around me in the early 1980s.”

While the film is likely to draw female over-45s, there will be pockets of men who remember listening at a sister’s bedroom door, taking any opportunity to find out what all the shrieking was about.

Russell Becker, a Londoner who runs a design and build company, says: “I had a younger brother who was no use in these matters so my best friend Rachel gave me the ‘essential information’ that a teenage boy really wanted to know and lent me her copy of Judy Blume’s Forever, even folding down the key reference pages!”

Seret’s winning female formula The barrister’s tale

Rachel Sheer, co-headteacher at The Orion Primary School in Edgware, says: “I remember going to WHSmith with my friends pretending to browse, but actually heading for the Judy Blume books to find the rude bits. We considered it educational!”

Celebrity stylist Gayle Rinko agrees. “My mum didn’t really talk to me about anything growing up so AYTG felt like I had just read the bible to my life!

“My relationship with my three daughters is very di erent from the one I had with my mum and they pretty much talk to me about everything. I am swiftly going to order the book for my 11-year-old and may just re-read it before I give it to her.”

Michelle Okin, of Rose Okin Tutoring & Mentoring, says: “I got my girls the box set of Blume’s work. The pre-tech generation had things drip fed more slowly via ‘age-appropriate’ media, whereas we fortysomething mums just want our girls to read something that’s more innocent.

“The fact that we read perhaps gives us a shared experience with our daughters when little else resembles our own childhoods.”

Whilst the film fell short at the US box o ce, Amazone Prime’s documentary Judy Blume Forever was a huge hit at Sundance, serving us insights into the author’s life, including comments from celebrity fans such as Molly Ringwald.

While I’d love to see the film with my daughters, the reality is that I’ll go with my girlfriends, where we can get over-emotional without being told that we’re ‘so embarrassing’.

The book beloved by millions of teenage girls in the Seventies has finally come of age on the big screen.

Debbie Collins

Judy Blume with Are You There God?

Margaret has fun with Grandma in the film adaptation

FEMALE Film Fest

Debbie Collins settles down

watch a host of Israeli films at the Seret Festival

It’s a girly party – but everyone is invited. Israeli Film and TV Festival Seret (‘film’ in Hebrew) is coming to London this month and as it’s the 12th year of the festival the organisers are claiming this as their ‘batmitzvah’ and have a female-focused, week-long agenda. Seret, which launched in 2012, is an independent, non-political, non-religious, all-inclusive charity and hosts festivals in Germany, Netherlands, Chile, and most recently Argentina in 2022.

My conversational Hebrew has improved over the past decade through watching films such as Oscarnominated Waltz with Bashir and notable TV series including Shtisel and Fauda. Israel is emerging as a frontrunner in the foreign film industry and the shows’ stars have become international household names. As the biggest Israeli film festival in the world, Seret brings Israel’s top actors, directors and filmmakers together to showcase their work and participate in Q&A sessions.

This increase in popularity for Israeli films has brought to the forefront a diversity of cultures, religions and social backgrounds and this raised awareness is encouraging a change in perception, plus an opportunity to open your mind to stories you may not have discovered through mainstream film.

With big plans to grow the festival and make it a firm fixture in other territories such as Greece, Seret is flourishing. However, Seret is a charity and its success relies on the support of generous donors and sponsors.

The driving force behind Seret has always been the fierce determination of its female co-founders Odelia Haroush, CEO, and Patty Hochmann, artistic director. They bring their individual skills to the partnership, with Odelia on the strategic side (such as raising funds, design, printing and client services) and Patty on the artistic side – her detailed knowledge of Israeli film and TV is unmatched. “We work well as a duo and always choose the films together,” says Odelia. “We also have an international team and a local producer

Film releases have different appeal in each territory. Odelia had this to say: “New films are always being released and because we understand our audiences really well, I would say about 70 percent of films shown are the same throughout the territories and the other 30 percent are those that are new to market based on the release dates throughout the year or possibly aimed at that specific demographic.”

The exclusive opening night gala features a private viewing of Asaf Kobrovsky’s comedy of errors, Hummus Full Trailer, a satirical crime story starring Michael Mochonov. The hilarious story involves three freight trailers that have been smuggled into Israel and following a mistake in the harbour – oya broch, these things happen – the story brings together an unlikely alliance of Arabs, Orthodox Jews and a gay couple who must all join forces to solve the mix-up. Showcased films are then screened at various cinemas including Everyman Muswell Hill and Belsize Park and the festival also branches out further afield to cinemas in Cambridge and Brighton. With a packed agenda of films, and only a week to see them all, it’s a tough decision to know which ones to go and see. Neighbourhood favourite Everyman Belsize Park is showing writer and director Shiri Nevo Fridental’s All I Can Do, featuring Ania Bukstein, one of Israel’s top actresses, who starred in Game of Thrones. The story follows a young prosecutor taking over a sexual assault case, giving us a glimpse into the world of female attorneys in Israel, highlighting the

Whilst Seret’s focus is very much on film, Odelia notes of the rise in interest for Israeli TV shows: “The TV content coming out of Israel is simply amazing and we really wanted to highlight that. Last year we held a one-off event in February to celebrate Israeli TV.”

With the main theme for the festival this year being ‘women in the film and TV industry’, many of the showcased films are directed by, played by or produced by women.

In what began as a seedling idea to run a competition for film schools, the idea flourished and the concept returns for a second year – and this time is all about girl power. Odelia says: “We invited the Israeli Film schools to submit their short films and received hundreds. The five winners were then shown at our festival.

“It proved so popular and was such a fantastic way for up-and-coming students to get involved with the festival, that we are repeating the open call and in line with our theme, the focus is naturally on women, so it’s a female-only selection this year.”

Hundreds of entrants were considered across a range of criteria by a discerning panel of respected industry professionals, this year’s winners including It’s a Matter of Hours or Days, a story about a girl by her father’s deathbed. Directed by Efrat Lipshitz from Minshar for Art, a school in the centre of Tel Aviv, judges selected this short for its “precise dialogue, understated style... and masterfully dealing with themes of loss and intimacy”.

Odelia says: “The students receive prize money and are given this huge platform and incredible exposure for their films by having their work shown at our festivals in the UK, Germany and The Netherlands. It’s really important for Seret to nurture this talent as they are the future of Israeli film and TV. This year it’s incredibly exciting that we are carrying our female theme throughout and all of the entries were from female talent.”

Whilst Seret’s theme is all about the ladies, everyone is welcome to join the celebrations and experience the best in Israeli cinema, and at this simcha, at least you can choose who to sit next to.

Seret opens on 18 May.

Book tickets at: www. seret-international.org

Enquiries, including information about sponsorship packages and donations: odelia@seret-international.org

to

Odelia Haroush (left) and Patty Hochmann

Scenes from HummusFullTrailerand (right) AllICanDo, featuringAnia Bukstein, who starred in GameofThrones

Filmgoers at a previous Seret Festival

In every Jewish community there are family stories — and gaps in those stories, often when the Holocaust intervenes. And sometimes the family stories bump up against key moments in the Holocaust, so that we can learn, through the apparently mundane moments of family lives and crises, about the almost unfathomable magnitude of years of sustained oppression, antisemitism and genocide.

London barrister David Joseph comes from such a family. In Burgenland, his newlypublished book, he succeeds in his ambition “to weave the story of a family into the ebb and flow of historic events, the pell-mell of history”. It took Joseph, a KC, seven years to complete this complex tapestry, and there is a sense for the reader that there are some threads still left dangling. But not every question about the Shoah will always have an answer.

Joseph, handsome and leonine in his o ce, surrounded by files and research documents, brings a forensic legal eye to bear on the fates of his family, who originate from a small village near the Austro-Hungarian border called Lackenbach, in a province called Burgenland. “If you went there, you would have the most beautiful drive from Vienna, through the most idyllic countryside, with gorgeous sunsets, and a lake shimmering in the distance. Think of the Cotswolds on steroids. And then Lackenbach appears from almost nowhere.”

It was the home of “the greatest of all European families, the Esterhazys”. And, says Joseph, by an extraordi-

they’re not rounded up by Nazi-helmeted German soldiers. Oh, no. They’re rounded up by the villagers themselves. So you have to think, what went wrong?”

And that is the focus of Burgenland, Joseph’s ambitious attempt to tell the story of the Holocaust through the prism of his family. He says that at the start he knew probably less than 10 percent about what had really happened to them. All the rest, as Hillel might have said, was research.

In several hundred closely argued pages, Joseph sweeps the reader along with his research, so the reader cheers for him when he makes an unexpected discovery in the never-ending files, and becomes disappointed when he reaches a historical dead end. We meet Joseph’s Uncle Max, whom he is able to interview towards the end of his life in an old age home in Israel, and understand the initial frustration when Joseph cannot find his uncle’s diary. Then he learns that, as so often with Holocaust archives, Max’s contemporary account is stored under a di erent name, so there is understandable triumph when Joseph finally finds it.

At one point there is real visceral horror, when Max is desperately trying to leave Austria and needs seemingly endless bureaucratic documents signing o before he can go. And the last person he has to see, in a long line of faceless clerks and bureaucrats, is Adolf Eichmann.

Who knew that one of the leading architects of the Final Solution did, literally, rubber-stamp the emigration papers mann, worrying about

with the kind of themes a rabbi might say about Chaya Sarah.” If the KC ever decides to leave the Bar for the rabbinate, this could be his calling card.

Besides Eichmann, to whom Joseph devotes an entire chapter, we also meet one of the largely unsung chancers and fixers of the Holocaust, in the person of Willy Perl.

Perl, a Viennese lawyer whose papers now reside in the US Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, was “chutzpah squared”, according to David Joseph. He did deals with many leading Nazis including Eichmann, commandeering ships to take groups of Austrian Jews out of the country. All too often Perl’s ship deals fell through and he was forced to find alternative, and usually more expensive, solutions.

David Joseph reckons that Perl was “an incredible character. He must have saved at least 10,000 people. He’d say whatever was necessary to get the job done.” Even further

in the shadows is another fixer called Berthold Storfer, whose negotiations on behalf of Jews eventually landed him in Auschwitz. Storfer, born Jewish, had been baptised as a child and was able to negotiate as a Christian with the Nazis, but in the end this did not save him.

bound for Palestine, the with hundreds of other

service and a sermon on the date of the sermon… was familiar

The lawyer admits that he did not know how Burgenland was going to conclude. But he records, in as much detail as he can, the fate of most members of his family, painful as this often was. He describes the book as fundamentally “a Zionist tale”, a triumph of hope over seemingly impossible odds.

of his family, painful as this

 Burgenland, by David Joseph, is published by Amberley Books on 15 May at £25. David Joseph will be in conversation with South Hampstead Rabbi Shlomo Levin at JW3 on Sunday 14 May

Jenni Frazer meets the barrister author of Burgenland, a family tale intricately woven with Holocaust horror

David Joseph brings his legal eye to bear on his family’s fate

The tale is a ‘triumph of hope’

THAT

In PR guru Graham Goodkind's illustrious career launching some of the nation’s most successful campaigns, there’s one thing in particular, he says, that gives him great nachas.

Goodkind is the founder and chairman of Frank PR which, as well as counting some of the nation’s most well-known brands among its clients, has been a springboard for the top careers of some of the PR world’s leading professionals.

He tells the Jewish News: “When I started Frank 23-plus years ago, I never thought about the impact it would have on the lives of the people working in it. You don’t think about all those who you will employ, who will get experience with you and then go o and shape the wider PR industry. Obviously, you don’t want people to leave, but when they go o and do well, it gives me so much pleasure. I’m lucky I fell in love with PR and to help people learn and

flourish and even go to greater heights gives you a lot of nachas.”

Goodkind, or GG as he is often known, is referring to the likes of Frank’s (Jewish) ‘alumni’. They include Frank co-founder Andrew Bloch, Lord Sugar’s longstanding PR adviser and founder of Andrew Bloch & Associates; David Fraser, the founder

IT OUT THE PARK

who was still a shareholder – as well as becoming pretty good at golf – found himself increasingly involved in Frank again. “I got myself o the golf course and back into work mode to get the business back on track.”

In 2021, he and Frank MD Alex Grier bought back the agency to own it 100 percent. They had bought back 25 percent in 2012 after the firm’s earnout had been renegotiated.

cent in 2012 after the firm’s earnout had London, Frank had its best financial year was back to growth against a tough

Based in Farringdon in central London, Frank had its best financial year in about eight years last year. “Revenue was back to growth against a tough market, so it was a really good sign. We are back on a good trajectory.”

of multi-award-winning consumer comms agency Ready10; Sophie Raine, MD for consumer brands at Ketchum; Frankie Cory, the joint CEO at W Communications; Vicky Baruch, senior fundraising consultant at Grief Encounter and formerly its head of PR; Lucy Hart, executive director of strategy and planning at Good Relations; Luke Strauss, senior campaign manager at the England and Wales Cricket Board; Nikki Horesh, senior communications manager for EMEA at Hilton; and Lisa Fox and Stacey Ja e, the founders of Espresso PR.

That’s quite a list. But aren’t they now competitors? “They are, and we will definitely compete for things, but there’s plenty of work out there for everyone. That’s why I like this business. I am competitive about everything. I don’t like to lose FIFA to my son!”

As for the PR game, the Arsenal season ticket holder has been in it for nearly four decades. He cut his teeth at Lynne Franks PR, working his way up to MD. He then found himself at the centre of the dotcom boom with another.com, a free web-based email service he started in 1998 and sold a couple of years later. Then came Frank in 2000.

Goodkind wanted to create “talkability” for clients. He liked the word so much he trademarked it.

Frank grew to become one of the UK’s most respected and award-winning consumer PR consultancies. It has represented some of the nation’s best-known brands including CocaCola, Innocent Drinks, Weetabix and Primark.

In 2007, Frank was sold to Australian communications companies Photon Group (renamed Enero) for a reported total of more than £20m. But a few years ago, Frank was going through a rough patch and Goodkind,

Quite. In 2021, Frank sent the internet into a frenzy with a tweet for Weetabix, suggesting adding baked beans to the cereal biscuit. The industry recognised the campaign with more than 30 awards. “It was a brilliant idea that went everywhere. It was even being debated in parliament. It’s amazing when you devise a campaign with so much talkability.”

Other “personal favourites” include the ‘rewild’ for Innocent drinks, which saw Trafalgar Square transformed into an overgrown garden. “I also love the work we have done with Greenflag to ‘rescue’ the old and used iconic Little Tikes Cozy Coupe red and yellow vehicles – as if they were real cars – so they could be reconditioned and given to disadvantaged children.”

GG, who lives in Radlett with wife Lisa and their 23-year-old twins, acknowledges that consumers are demanding more transparency from brands, which are facing di cult times amid economic uncertainty. “There’s a perceived wisdom that the companies that keep spending on PR for reputation during a recession are likely to come out of those recessionary times much stronger than those that don’t.”

Focusing on Frank’s future, he says: “We want to be consistently coming up with great ideas for clients and producing campaigns that knock it out the park.

“It’s not rocket science, but the secret to success in this business is doing great creative work. It keeps existing clients really happy with you and new clients are attracted to the agency that made it happen. After that, from a commercial perspective, the rest follows.”

Having steadied the Frank ship, GG is back on the golf course and, last summer, represented Team Maccabi GB in the Maccabiah Games. He is a member – and former captain – of Hartsbourne Golf Club, where he tries to play twice a week, perhaps teeing up Frank’s next knock-it-out-the-park-idea. www.welcometofrank.com

Graham Goodkind and the Weetabix post that sent Twitter into a frenzy

Alumnae Vicky Baruch (top) and Nikki Horesh

MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

BY BATSHEVA WOLF TRIBE’S SECONDARY & YOUTH EDUCATION MANAGER

Discipline is a sign of love

“So you call that God of yours merciful?” the student calls out to me, exasperated.

In front of me is a classroom of 17-year-olds. They are a fantastic and challenging bunch. One student in particular loves a good debate, hence his question, asked in outrage. I give him an answer that fits the setting. He seems satisfied. But as I leave, I find myself wishing I had had more time to tell him about the Jewish view on being a merciful parent and how our God, our Father (Avinu Malkeinu) practises what he preaches.

As a child, not getting what you want can be infuriating. King David

teaches us, however, that as a parent, setting boundaries is part of your responsibility. The midrash Raba in Shemot (1:1) shares a new insight into the story of David and his son Avshalom. The midrash tries to understand Avshalom’s life choices: he had plotted to kill his father and left a trail of destruction in the latter part of King David’s reign. A lack of rebuke, of direction from King David, was the source of Avshalom’s fate; not rebuke for the sake of it, not an expression of anger, but as a means of providing structure and direction, an expression of love.

The contemporary founder of the Gentle Parenting movement, Sarah Ockwell-Smith, says: “The top myth surrounding gentle parenting is that those who follow it don’t discipline their children,” and she goes on to

explain that discipline is a way to teach a child “more appropriate and socially acceptable behaviours”.

It is a painful topic: discipline has connotations of hell and damnation. This is a misconception of religion too. Looking at this week’s sedra, Behar-Bechukotai, however, the question becomes even more pressing: why does God seem to threaten us with torture if we don’t follow his ways? What type of parent is God?

The punishments described in Bechukotai give light to the causeand-e ect mechanism that God implemented in this world with the Torah. Perhaps it’s similar to a parent reminding children they will be grounded if they come home after curfew. It may look harsh, but this is the structure that a parent provides, with good reason. Judaism teaches us

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The COO will be key in developing and implementing the strategy with full responsibility and oversight of the entire organisation to ensure effective delivery of each charity’s mission.

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jobs.jfutures.org

‘No’ can be the sign of a responsible parent who understands boundaries

that a good parent is one who knows the child and knows when to provide that necessary structure.

God, in his infinite wisdom, designed the Torah and the causeand-e ect mechanism within it, as a means of providing us, his children, with structure. I like to tap into the higher wisdom, the adult self, of knowing that my understanding is limited and that this system is indeed a sign of love. As hackneyed as that

may sound, the Torah is proving to be ahead of its time. The myth gentle parenting is trying to bust is the other side of the coin that Judaism struggles with. Yes, parenting may seem cruel from the child’s perspective. However, as adults we understand a ‘no’ can be the sign of a merciful and kind parent. With that in mind, I answer a sincere ‘yes’ to the student’s question. Yes, that “God of mine” is merciful in my eyes, indeed.

Golders Green United Synagogue

An exceptional career opportunity for a

Senior Rabbi or Rabbinic Couple

Competitive salary including family house

After 20 years of Rabbi Dr Harvey and Rebetzen Vicki Belovski’s dedicated service, Golders Green United Synagogue (GGS) is looking to recruit an outstanding new Senior Rabbi/Rabbinic Couple. We are seeking a dynamic, charismatic and inspirational Senior Rabbi/ Rabbinic Couple with a passion to drive and implement a strategic vision for our community post-pandemic.

Applicants will be engaging, inspiring, non-judgmental and hardworking with a love of community. They will immerse themselves in GGS and engage all members with warmth enthusiasm and empathy and cater to their pastoral, spiritual and educational needs.

The past decade has seen an extraordinary regeneration of GGS, with the opening of Rimon Jewish Primary School. In 2015, GGS appointed Rabbi Sam and Rebbetzen Dr Hadassah Fromson with a specific responsibility for building a warm and welcoming environment for young families and young adults. Our beautiful and recently-renovated Grade II listed Shul building now has additional and much-needed spaces for our enhanced programming.

This is a role which will excite and challenge. It offers huge potential to grow GGS sustainably and to make a lasting contribution to a community which welcomes change and opens its arms to new ideas and initiatives. For an informal confidential conversation about the positions, please contact David Vaughan, GGS Chair at david@ggshul.org.uk Closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday, 31 May, 2023. To view the job description and apply, please visit: www.theus.org.uk/jobs

In our thought-provoking series, rabbis and educators relate the week’s parsha to the way we live today

Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI JORDAN HELFMAN SOUTH WEST ESSEX & SETTLEMENT REFORM

Reform, Liberal, Reconstructionist and Progressive Jews founded in London back in 1926 – highlighting what we can achieve when we unite.

As I joined rabbis, cantors and lay leaders from more than 50 countries at the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) Connections conference in Israel, I realised immediately what was missing from the movement’s last gathering: hugs.

Stepping down after eight years of service on the WUPJ’s executive board, and having co-chaired its first and (God willing) last online convention, it was deeply emotional to be back together at Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem after six years and a pandemic. The conference was a display of the potential of the WUPJ – our global community of almost two million

Connections showed how our Jewish world has been able to provide both Torah (learning) and kemach (sustenance) to those in need. The most moving moment for me was seeing members of our communities in Ukraine receive an aliyah to the Torah. While they stood receiving their blessing, I learned how the WUPJ’s Ukraine Crisis Fund – managed by a team including the WUPJ’s outgoing chair, Carole Sterling, and Rabbi Igor Zinkov of The Liberal Jewish Synagogue in St John’s Wood – has been saving lives while keeping Jewish life possible.

I got to spend time with Leo Baeck College-trained Rabbi Julia Gris and Rabbi Alexander Dukhovny, who were forced to flee Ukraine. They told

me financial support from around the world continues to help people and congregations in Ukraine, whom they still serve via video-conference, and refugees and refugee communities in many countries.

Another highlight was the WUPJ Torah Exchange organised by Andrew Keene, where established global congregations donate scrolls to developing and emerging communities. We often talk about Judaism being passed from one generation to the next, and this moment was a visual display of that mantra, as the seven sifrei Torah continued their journey across the world by being ceremonially handed, during the Shabbat service, from their current congregation to their new one.

Of course, any conference taking place in Israel must address our fears about the country’s extreme rightwing government. Led by WUPJ

issues

president Rabbi Sergio Bergman, and including visits to the Knesset and Supreme Court, our global Progressive Jewish community pledged itself to continue to fight for an Israel that is both Jewish and democratic. Many delegates, myself included, also joined the millions of Israelis taking part in the marches and protests against the planned judicial overhaul that would irreparably damage this ideal.

As the conference ended, with the torch being passed from one strong and deeply caring WUPJ chair, Carole Sterling (Canada), to the next, Phyllis Dorey (Australia), I know that my friends from the global Jewish family are just a Zoom call away. But there will be nothing like hugging them, walking hand in hand and joining them in prayer and song when we meet again at the next Connections.

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A stimulating series where our progressive rabbis consider how Biblical figures might act when faced with

Rabbis and cantors at WUPJ Connections in Jerusalem

Ask our

JDA is there for me, for all deaf children and our familiesand for everyone with a hearing loss

Our trusty team of advisers answers your questions about everything from law and finance to dating and dentistry. This week: Finding summer work before university, planning your estate and gifts and shipping to Israel

Dear Lesley

I’m in my final year at school and thinking about working this summer before university. Do you think this will help me find a job once I graduate?

Jonathan

Dear Jonathan

Short answer, yes! Even if you have strong academic credentials, having ‘real world’ work experience will put you ahead of the game, enhance your CV and make you more attractive to a potential employer. A placement will help you find out how the working world operates, including the importance of punctuality and reliability. You’ll learn new skills,

allowance of up to £175,000 if you pass your family home to children or grandchildren.

communicate with a variety of people and gain in confidence. You could also learn more about yourself such as a hidden talent for marketing or a preference for a smaller company. That said, do have a think about your priorities. Do you want to take this time to do something else, like travel? Is it important to earn money now or do something voluntary??

Finding a placement in your preferred field would be a great way to gain experience. If you’re not sure, this could be a chance to try something new. Start as soon as possible and as with all job hunting, the first step is talking to people – family, friends, neighbours, your community. Tell them the sort of things you’re good at and what you’d ideally like to do.

Be enthusiastic, creative, persistent and flexible and, hopefully, the right thing will turn up.

Do make an appointment with one of our experienced advisers at Resource if you’d like more advice.

individuals.

ADAM SHELLEY ACCOUNTANT SOBELL RHODES

Dear Adam I’m keen to understand further about planning your estate and gifts. Are you able to provide any guidance?

Anna

Dear Anna

Inheritance tax is usually charged at 40% on the value of your estate (your property, money, and possessions) over the £325,000 nil-rate band. There’s an additional

If you’re married, you can e ectively combine your thresholds and transfer assets between each other tax-free. When one dies, the surviving spouse can inherit without any inheritance tax liability, and you can utilise their unused thresholds on your death.

Writing a will is the most basic, but also one of the most neglected forms of estate planning. For some, there’s a misconception that there’s no point in making a will if you’re married as your surviving spouse will get everything anyway. That’s not necessarily the case, particularly if you have children and hold joint assets with other

Without a legally valid will, your estate could be distributed according to intestacy rules and a larger portion might be taxable.

Outside of having a legally valid will, one of the simplest ways to protect your estate can be to put assets into trusts. This can mean they fall outside of your estate when you die but there can be tax charges for gifts into trust. Placing insurance policies into trust is a tax-e cient estate planning strategy.

Gifting assets over time is an option such as using your annual exemption to give away £3,000 worth of gifts in 2022/23 without them being added to the value of your estate.

STEPHEN MORRIS REMOVALS MANAGING DIRECTOR STEPHEN MORRIS SHIPPING LTD.

Dear Stephen

You emailed to warn me of a possible inspection of my container just about to arrive in Ashdod. Why?

Sima

Dear Sima

Well, recently, Israeli customs has taken a closer look at what is in the containers and it would

appear that a large proportion of imports into Israel are being inspected for –wait for it – drugs! I have absolutely no idea what the reason is behind this. My company has never knowingly shipped any drugs anywhere and our containers have never previously been inspected for drugs.

This week I have had two containers stopped and searched (obviously with nothing in any way linked to drugs found). But the searches are aimed at all imported shipments not just us and we have only had 2 cartons opened in the first container and then sealed by Customs and replaced in the container. Other shippers have not been so lucky.

We as a company are

totally honest as to what is in a shipment that we take to Israel. We comply with all the laws and regulations and we have a clean 45+ years’ history. So, provided we handle all the packing then we know that there is no contraband included in your shipment and we know that the packing will withstand an extra lot of handling, then you can sleep easy.

The only bad news is that with these inspections, the port will charge for an inspection and for any storage of your shipment in the port whilst it awaits inspection. The charges vary according to the depth of inspection. Very often it is just an X-ray but it could be a full container for a few thousand shekels.

LESLEY TRENNER CAREER ADVISER RESOURCE

Ask

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIST

DR MONICA QUADIR

Qualifications:

Got

Got a question for a member of our team?

Email: editorial@jewishnews.co.uk

IT ENDED WITH A JOB AT BOOKING.COM

Invest in Israel with Israel Bonds

• Consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist with more than 12 years of experience in treating young people and their families, both in the NHS and privately

• Expertise in assessing neurodevelopmental conditions, such as ADHD and autism, and supporting families to manage these conditions

• Medical director at Psymplicity Healthcare, a private mental health clinic based in London, with a national online presence

PSYMPLICITY HEALTHCARE 020 3733 5277

www.psymplicity.com

enquiries@psymplicity.com

PRIVATE HEALTHCARE SPECIALIST

TREVOR GEE

Qualifications:

• Managing director, consultant specialists in affordable family health insurance

• Advising on maximising cover, lower premiums, pre-existing conditions

• Excellent knowledge of health insurers, cover levels and hospital lists

• LLB solicitors finals

• Member of Chartered Insurance Institute

PATIENT HEALTH 020 3146 3444/5/6 www.patienthealth.co.uk trevor.gee@patienthealth.co.uk

JONATHAN WILLIAMS

Qualifications:

JEWELLER

• Jewellery manufacturer since 1980s

• Expert in the manufacture and supply of diamond jewellery, wedding rings and general jewellery

• Specialist in supply of diamonds to the public at trade prices

JEWELLERY CAVE LTD 020 8446 8538 www.jewellerycave.co.uk jonathan@jewellerycave.co.uk

DIRECTOR OF LEGACIES

CAROLYN ADDLEMAN

Qualifications:

• Lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in will drafting and trust and estate administration. Last 14 years at KKL Executor and Trustee Company

• In close contact with clients to ensure all legal and pastoral needs are cared for

• Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners

KKL EXECUTOR AND TRUSTEE COMPANY 020 8732 6101 www.kkl.org.uk enquiries@kkl.org.uk

REMOVALS MANAGING DIRECTOR

STEPHEN MORRIS

Qualifications:

• Managing director of Stephen Morris Shipping Ltd

• 45 years’ experience in shipping household and personal effects

• Chosen mover for four royal families and three UK prime ministers

• Offering proven quality specialist advice for moving anyone across the world or round the corner

STEPHEN MORRIS SHIPPING LTD 020 8832 2222 www.shipsms.co.uk stephen@shipsms.co.uk

JOE OZER

Qualifications:

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Executive director for the United Kingdom at DCI (Intl) Ltd

• Worked in finance for more than 20 years

• Specialists in distribution and promotion of Israel Bonds

DEVELOPMENT COMPANY FOR ISRAEL 020 3936 2712

www.israelbondsintl.com

joe.ozer@israelbondsintl.com

GOAL ATTAINMENT SPECIALIST

DR BEN LEVY

Qualifications:

• Doctor of psychology with 15 years’ experience in education and corporate sectors

• Uses robust, evidence-based methods to help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be

• Works with clients individually to maximise success

MAKE IT HAPPEN 07779 619 597

www.makeit-happen.co.uk ben@makeit-happen.co.uk

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

SUE CIPIN

Qualifications:

• 20 years+ hands-on experience, leading JDA in significant growth and development.

• Understanding of the impact of deafness on people, including children, at all stages

• Extensive services for people affected by hearing loss/tinnitus

• Technology room with expert advice on and facilities to try out the latest equipment.

• Hearing aid advice, support and maintenance

JEWISH DEAF ASSOCIATION 020 8446 0502

www.jdeaf.org.uk mail@jdeaf.org.uk

PRINCIPAL, PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL

LOUISE LEACH

Qualifications:

• Professional choreographer qualified in dance, drama and Zumba (ZIN, ISTD & LAMDA), gaining an honours degree at Birmingham University

• Former contestant on ITV’s Popstars, reaching bootcamp with Myleene Klass, Suzanne Shaw and Kym Marsh

• Set up Dancing with Louise 19 years ago

DANCING WITH LOUISE 075 0621 7833

www.dancingwithlouise.co.uk

Info@dancingwithlouise.com

STARTED WITH A CALL TO RESOURCE

you are just starting out in the job market, looking for a change or have concerns about the

FINANCIAL SERVICES (FCA) COMPLIANCE

JACOB BERNSTEIN

Qualifications:

• A member of the APCC, specialising in financial services compliance for:

• Mortgage, protection and general insurance intermediaries;

• Lenders, credit brokers, debt counsellors and debt managers;

• Alternative Investment Fund managers;

• E-Money, payment services, PISP, AISP and grant-making charities.

RICHDALE CONSULTANTS LTD

020 7781 8019 www.richdale.co.uk jacob@richdale.co.uk

MENOPAUSE CHAMPION LABALANCE

ANGELA DAY-MOORE

Qualifications:

• Founder & CEO Sassy La Femme Women’s Wellness

• Passionate about women’s wellbeing

• Home to LaBalance

• Recommended by fellow women for period, perimenopause & menopause

MENOPAUSE CHAMPION LABALANCE 0333 188 6580 www.sassylafemme.com hello@sassylafemme.com

HUMAN RESOURCES / EMPLOYMENT LAW

DONNA OBSTFELD

Qualifications:

• FCIPD Chartered HR Professional

• 25 years in HR and business management.

• Mediator, business coach, trainer, author and speaker

• Supporting businesses and charities with the hiring, managing, inspiring and firing of their staff

DOHR LTD

020 8088 8958 www.dohr.co.uk donna@dohr.co.uk

Professional advice from our panel / Ask Our Experts

ACCOUNTANT

CHARITY EXECUTIVE

DOV NEWMARK

Qualifications:

ALIYAH ADVISER

• Director of UK Aliyah for Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organisation that helps facilitate aliyah from the UK

• Conducts monthly seminars and personal aliyah meetings in London

• An expert in working together with clients to help plan a successful aliyah

NEFESH B’NEFESH 0800 075 7200 www.nbn.org.il dov@nbn.org.il

DIVORCE & FAMILY SOLICITOR

VANESSA LLOYD PLATT

Qualifications:

• Qualification: 40 years’ experience as a matrimonial and divorce solicitor and mediator, specialising in all aspects of family matrimonial law, including:

• Divorce, pre/post-nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, domestic violence, children’s cases, grandparents’ rights to see grandchildren, pet disputes, family disputes

• Frequent broadcaster on national and International radio and television

LLOYD PLATT & COMPANY SOLICITORS 020 8343 2998

www.divorcesolicitors.com lloydplatt@divorcesolicitors.com

ADAM SHELLEY

Qualifications:

• FCCA chartered certified accountant

• Accounting, taxation and business advisory services

• Entrepreneurial business specialist including start-up businesses

• Specialises in charities; personal tax returns

• Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation Volunteer of the Year JVN award

SOBELL RHODES LLP 020 8429 8800 www.sobellrhodes.co.uk a.shelley@sobellrhodes.co.uk

IT SPECIALIST

LISA WIMBORNE

Qualifications:

Able to draw on the charity’s 50 years of experience in enabling people with physical disabilities or impaired vision to live independently, including:

• The provision of specialist accommodation with 24/7 on-site support

• Knowledge of the innovations that empower people and the benefits available

• Understanding of the impact of a disability diagnosis

JEWISH BLIND & DISABLED 020 8371 6611

www.jbd.org

Lisa@jbd.org If

IAN GREEN

Qualifications:

• Launched Man on a Bike IT consultancy 15 years ago to provide computer support for the home and small businesses

• Clients range from legal firms in the City to families, small business owners and synagogues

• More than 18 years’ experience

MAN ON A BIKE 020 8731 6171 www.manonabike.co.uk mail@manonabike.co.uk

INSURANCE CONSULTANCY

ASHLEY PRAGER

Qualifications:

• Professional insurance and reinsurance broker. Offering PI/D&O cover, marine and aviation, property owners, ATE insurance, home and contents, fine art, HNW

• Specialist in insurance and reinsurance disputes, utilising Insurance backed products. (Including non insurance business disputes)

• Ensuring clients do not pay more than required

RISK RESOLUTIONS 020 3411 4050 www.risk-resolutions.com ashley.prager@risk-resolutions.com

CAREER ADVISER

Email: sales@jewishnews.co.uk

LESLEY TRENNER

Qualifications:

• Provides free professional one-to-one advice at Resource to help unemployed into work

• Offers mock interviews and workshops to maximise job prospects

• Expert in corporate management holding director level marketing, commercial and general management roles

RESOURCE 020 8346 4000 www.resource-centre.org office@resource-centre.org

TELECOMS SPECIALIST

BENJAMIN ALBERT

Qualifications:

• Co-founder and technical director of ADWConnect – a specialist in business telecommunications, serving customers worldwide

• Independent consultant and supplier of telephone and internet services

• Client satisfaction is at the heart of everything my team and I do, always striving to find the most cost-effective solutions

ADWCONNECT 0208 089 1111

www.adwconnect.com hello@adwconnect.com

1 Cornhill London EC3V 3ND 0207 781 8019 info@richdale.co.uk

ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR PRIVATE HEALTH COVER?

ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR HEAALTH PLAN?

Get it checked, free of charge, by an FCA registered, leading health insurance consultant

Patient Health is this newspapers ‘Ask The Expert’

GET IT CHECCKED, FREE OF CHARGE, BY AN FCA REGISTERED, LEADING HEALTH INSURANCE CONSULTANT PATIENT HEALTH IS THIS NEWSPAPER’S ‘ASK THE EXPERT’

See how you could significantly reduce your premiums and possibly obtain a higher level of cover, and we will always explain whether pre-existing conditions would be covered. We’re also happy for you to call or pop-in.

SEE HOW YOU COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE PREMIUMS AND PERHAPS EVEN OBTAIN HIGHER COVER AND WE WILL ALWAYS EXPLAIN WHETHER PRE EXISTING CONDITIONS WOULD BE COVERED WE RE ALSO HAPPY FOR YOU TO CALL OR POP-IN

020 3146 3444 trevor gee@patienthealth co uk

020 3146 3444 trevor.gee@patienthealth.co.uk

Where service is all about helping the client, only the client and nothing but the client

Where service is all about helping the clieent, only the client and nothing but the client

WHERE FAMILY HEALTH COMES FIRST Tel: 0203 146 3444/3446: info@patienthealth.co.uk:

FCA Regulated 773729: Member of Chartered Insurance Institute

Business Services Directory

ANTIQUES

Top prices paid

Antique – Reproduction – Retro Furniture (any condition)

Epstein, Archie Shine, Hille, G Plan, etc. Dining Suites, Lounges Suites, Bookcases, Desks, Cabinets, Mirrors, Lights, etc.

House clearances

Single items to complete homes

MARYLEBONE ANTIQUES - 8 CHURCH STREET NW8 8ED 07866 614 744 (ANYTIME) 0207 723 7415 (SHOP)

closed Sunday & Monday

STUART SHUSTER - e-mail - info@maryleboneantiques.co.uk

MAKE SURE YOU CONTACT US BEFORE SELLING

WESTLON HOUSING ASSOCIATION

Sheltered Accommodation

We have an open waiting list in our friendly and comfortable warden assisted sheltered housing schemes in Ealing, East Finchley and Hendon. We provide 24-hour warden support, seven days a week; a residents’ lounge and kitchen, laundry, a sunny patio and garden. For further details and application forms, please contact Westlon Housing Association on 020 8201 8484 or email: johnsilverman@btconnect.com

Are

THE JEWISH NEWS CROSSWORD

9 Earning a monthly wage (8)

10 Centre of rotation (4)

11 Length of twine (6)

12 Moscow’s country (6)

15 Starts again (6)

18 African country, capital Lilongwe (6)

20 Perfume ingredient (4)

22 Unrepresentative (8)

23 Closed up (6)

24 Archimedes’ bath-time cry (6)

25 ___ Browne, military belt (3)

DOWN

1 ___ Little, mouse movie (6)

2 Disquisition (8)

3 Bending from the waist (6)

4 Chillier, frostier (6)

5 Ultra (4)

6 Castor and Pollux in the sky (6)

11 Baronet’s title (3)

13 Military men and women (8)

14 ___ Baba, panto character (3)

16 Avoids (6)

Fun, games and prizes

SUDOKU

Fill the grid with the numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and 3x3 block contains the numbers 1 to 9.

SUGURU

ACROSS

3 EastEnders’ TV channel (inits) (3)

7 Twin sound system (6)

8 Unlatched (6)

WORDSEARCH

The listed words related to dressing rooms can all be found in the grid. Words may run either forwards or backwards, in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal direction, but always in a straight, unbroken line.

FJ DR AOB EC IT ON

EM UT SO C EPA CM S

PU LI PS TI CK IT C

HE S NUN Y NURH LN

OJ NS AC TO RG ESE

TS EO ID IOI AE GC

OR SW HT RL NH MM A

G ESSEPBS TN EA L

RW EP FL EO DU SSK

AO RO AR LL WI SC C

PL DRNC EE EI AAE

HF TP IR CS RT GR N

DW A RDR O BEYEAY

ACTOR

CAPE

CELEBRITY

CLEANSER

CLOTHES

COSTUME

DIARY DRESS FLOWERS

JEWELLERY LIGHTS LIPSTICK

MASCARA

MESSAGE

MIRROR

NECKLACE

NOTICEBOARD

PHOTOGRAPH

Last issue’s solutions

Crossword

ACROSS: 1 Idol 4 Catapult 8 Psyche 9 Parade

10 Yeti 11 Puppy fat 13 Lady Bountiful 16 Headland

19 Play 20 Poncho 22 Zoom in 23 Dewy-eyed 24 Sons.

DOWN: 2 Desperate 3 Luckily 4 Cheap 5 Topspin

6 Perky 7 Lad 12 Adulation 14 Oratory 15 Impious

17 Decay 18 Dazed 21 One.

17 Tolerates (6)

18 Chaos, havoc (6)

19 Thumps (6)

21 To ___ a Mockingbird, Harper Lee novel (4)

HILARIOUS HEBREW Word of the Week

Learning Hebrew can be fun and sometimes hilarious! Join one of the WZO's Ulpan classes near you and find out for yourself! The subsidised Ulpanim are based in North West and East London, Manchester, Brighton, Borehamwood and Bushy. Contact- ulpanuk@wzo.org.il or call 020 83715336

Each cell in an outlined block must contain a digit: a two-cell block contains the digits 1 and 2, a three-cell block contains the digits 1, 2 and 3; and so on. The same digit must not appear in neighbouring cells, not even diagonally.

From the book Hilarious Hebrew- the Fun and Fast Way to Learn the Language, available on Amazon and in book and gift shops throughout London. www.hilarioushebrew.com

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

All puzzles © Puzzler Media Ltd - www.puzzler.com

Together we will build a mentally healthy community

1,737

36 hours to raise vital funds

people

received our treatment and support last year

saved their lives of the young people and adults we supported told us we

in 10 a 62% increase since 2020

What we’re striving for

We want to ensure that every young person, adult and family impacted by mental illness in our community gets the treatment and support they need, when they need it.

How you can support us

Please give as generously as you can to our Here for me. Here for mental health campaign on 14–15 May, so that we can raise as much as possible towards the £5 million needed each year to run our services.

Why we need your help now

The demand for mental health support is growing rapidly, but Jami doesn’t receive any government funding to deliver our free life-changing services. That’s why we’re counting on you.

You can donate online during the campaign on 14–15 May at