Life Magazine - June 2023

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REEL GAL AND HER GUY

WHEN HUBBELL MET KATIE 71

SPORTING LIFE

OF

CHAOS

PAWS HERE! 33

COSTA RICA REVELATIONS

Editor’s letter

This issue of Life magazine was a joy to compile, and the proof is in the content.

Israel continues to provide inspirational stories and the work done in disaster zones by IsraAid is a moving example.

The success of Papa Party founder and LGBTQ+ campaigner Eliad Cohen and Gal Gadot are reasons to feel proud. This

issue is full of ideas for fashion, food, books and more, and read on for features to ease your concerns about AI and meet the UAE’s chief rabbi. Sex and The City has its 25th anniversary this week and, within the series, Carrie & co devoted an entire episode to The Way We Were. Katie and Hubbell grace our cover to mark the film’s 50th anniversary and to recognise that its stars Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford are now 81 and 86 respectively. Often it feels as though time is being

driven by a Ferrari and no more so than when you lose a beloved pet too quickly. Our dog died in January, and I hope the words on our pets page resonate with readers facing the same.

With long-haul destinations in the travel section, we think ahead to inspire winter hols. Life is the measure of all things and we hope this magazine reflects that.

Brigit

Editor Brigit Grant brigit@jewishnews.co.uk

Art Director Diane Spender

Jewish News Editor

Richard Ferrer

Features Editor Louisa Walters

Contributors

IT’S ALL NEW COMING TO YOU

A SNAPSHOT OF THE EXCITING TV, THEATRE, BOOKS AND FASHION PIECES YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO THIS SPRING

Back to Amy

She was only 27 when she died, which makes it all the more heart-breaking that on 14 September, Amy Winehouse would have celebrated her 40th birthday. As the tenth anniversary of Amy’s untimely death coincided with the slow li ing of Covid restrictions, plans to mark the date were put on hold, which wasn’t easy for her parents Janis and Mitch.

Acknowledging what should have been their daughter’s fourth decade is a sorrowful experience, but a new book and the upcoming biopic will be significant for fans. Published on 31 August, Amy Winehouse: In Her Words (Harper Collins) is a collection of the singer’s unseen journal entries, handwritten lyrics and personal photos, with her parents providing the foreword. Together they describe the book as a “beautiful new collection of Amy’s notes and musings which show another side of Amy – her fun and witty side”. All of the book’s royalties will be donated to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which was established by Mitch in 2011 to support vulnerable or disadvantaged young people through the provision of recovery housing, resilience training and music therapy workshops. The new film biopic of Amy’s life, Back to Black, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and starring Marisa Abela (pictured right) as Amy, is in post-production. Like Amy herself it will be a must-see.

BEADING THE WAY

Wonder Full

To mark the 20th anniversary of Paul Morrison’s classic Wondrous Oblivion, UK Jewish Film has partnered with Toronto Jewish Film Festival to showcase some of the many gems in the beloved British-Jewish film-maker’s back catalogue.

Wondrous Oblivion (showing on June 22) starring Sam Smith and Delroy Lindo is about the friendship between the young son of European Jewish immigrants and his new neighbours, who are Jamaican. Their mutual love of cricket unites them, but there is more to their story.

For tickets: ukjewishfilm.org

For journalist-turned-jewellery-designer Dana Levy, a love a air with accessories dates to summers spent with her Iranian-born grandfather at his Jerusalem home. A diamond and gemstone dealer, he would lay out the precious stones, then ask the former JFS student to sort them into colours and sizes. Now in her 40s, Dana’s handmade colourful beaded necklaces and bracelets with Hamsa hands and evil eyes are a nod to her Persian/Israeli heritage. “My a ection for amulets grew when I lived in Jerusalem and scoured the Old City markets,” says Dana, who studied at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design while working part-time as a BBC Middle East bureau translator. Back in London, she produced documentaries and breakfast TV shows and designing jewellery was a side hustle. “But it got so busy I couldn’t handle doing the crazy hours at the BBC, and then coming home to fulfil orders. So I took the plunge in 2012 and went full-time with my business.” Dana’s designs are now stocked in Liberty’s and are featured in Vogue. She has always followed fashion, but her own style remains key to her collections, which now appear on her celeb coterie of fans, among them Heidi Klum, Bar Refaeli, Russell Brand and Fearne Cotton. The amulets have they are meant to.

Dana Levy

Russell Brand Heidi Klum

ARTS

Party with Pride

You name it, Eliad Cohen has likely done it. Aged 35, the Israeli businessman has modelled, launched a menswear collection, carved out a role in the international property market and hosted parties worldwide.

But Eliad, who has more than 1.4 million Instagram followers (@eliad_cohen) has also been recognised as a pro-Israel campaigner for LGBTQ+. Currently in London to co-host the one-night Papa Party event to celebrate Israel’s 75th, he is bringing together DJs and dancers to “celebrate 75 years of freedom to love who you want to love and be who you want to be”. For Eliad, who is gay, there is no greater freedom.

“Israel is the only country in the Middle East where it is okay to be gay,” he says. “Tel Aviv is one of the most open-minded cities in the world; people accept you for who you are and it feels fine and safe to kiss your partner in the street.” Cohen admits he is stumped when he finds LGBTQ+ groups condemning his home country. “I think people are misinformed. I first came across antiIsrael activism while living in Madrid a decade ago. I used to get emotional and take it personally, but then I’d turn on the news and only see one side of the story. That is why,

KEITEL MAKES HIS MARK

when I meet anti-Israel people, I take the time to talk to them.”

Cohen practises what he preaches, taking high-profile figures to see the lesser-told side of Israel’s story. Last month, he took Welsh actor Luke Evans on a trip across the country that was shared on social media.

“We went to Yad Vashem, had Shabbat dinner at a friend’s home and went to Jerusalem, which was very emotional and spiritual. Luke fell in love with the country and the culture, which made me so happy.” Eliad adds: “I want people to know about Israel through their own eyes, not the news.”

Born in Akko to parents of Egyptian and Tunisian heritage, Eliad served in an elite combat unit based on Mount Hermon on the Israel-Lebanon border and came out to his parents aged 21. Before that, he had a girlfriend and envisaged a life as a businessman with a wife and children. “You can have visions about how things will be, but life doesn’t always go as expected. It is important to go with the flow and embrace it.”

doesn’t always go as expected. It is important to go with

A er the army, Eliad worked as a barman and personal trainer, but now lives in Miami, where he runs his Eliad Cohen Group property company. “I don’t think I work that much, because I do everything with love and passion. Whatever I do, I do from my heart,” says Eliad, who set up Papa Party and has toured 33 countries since 2012. “ I do real estate, but I can’t be in an o ice all day, so I combine it with the parties and music. A ‘combined passion’ is the secret to staying happy and balanced.” Sandy Rashty

trainer, but now lives in Miami, where he runs his Eliad much, because I do everything with love and passion. Whatever I do, I do from my heart,” says Eliad, who set up real estate, but I can’t be in an o ice all day, so I combine it with the parties and music. A ‘combined passion’ is the

Portman’s Pitch

Harvey Keitel is set to star in Sky TV’s adaptation of Heather Morris’ globally bestselling novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz. The 84-year-old Jewish Hollywood veteran will play the modern-day Lale Sokolov in the six-part series directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer. While the novel is a work of fiction, it is inspired by the true-life story of Lale, who arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1942, and was made one of the tätowierer (tattooists) charged to ink identification numbers onto fellow prisoners’ arms. When he tattoos Gita (Anna Próchniak), they experience love at first sight, and so begins a courageous, unforgettable, human story of survival. The series moves 60 years forward to when Lale (played by Keitel) meets novice writer Heather Morris (Melanie Lynskey). Recently widowed, Lale finds the courage to tell his story to the world. Keitel is good casting because the Brooklynborn actor is of Polish/Romanian Jewish heritage and in 2001 he married actress/director Dafna Gesner in Jerusalem a er proposing to her at the Dan Carmel Hotel in Haifa. Interestingly Keitel’s Pulp Fiction director Quentin Tarantino also tied the knot in Israel, but he moved there!

FIFA Women’s World Cup starts on 20 July and, a er England won UEFA last year, we’re all more interested in female footie. Natalie Portman is so interested she got together with friends Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, Uzo Aduba and Jessica Chastain to start the soccer team Angel City FC. Until now, Los Angeles did not have a team, but when Natalie saw her son enthusiastic about US women players, “it made me realise that amplifying female athletes could rapidly shi culture,” says the Israel-born star of Todd Haynes’ upcoming film May December, in which she stars with Julianne Moore (pictured, le ).

So she raised the capital to build the team and pitched the likes of Mia Hamm, Serena Williams, James Corden and Christina Aguilera to be co-owners. The club team does more than kick balls – they plant school gardens, donate sports bras to young players and deliver meals to the homeless. All of this features in the HBO docuseries Angel City produced by Natalie, whose dream is “to make women’s soccer as valued as male soccer throughout the world”. Back of the net, Natalie!

Eliad Cohen

Harvey Keitel

Taste and feast

Food and wine go together like... well, food and wine! No one knows this better than the guys at Kedem, which is why they are bringing the Kosher Food and Wine Experience to the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane once again next month. Champagne and caviar are on the menu this year, together with 200 amazing wines from Israel, France, Italy and the USA. Enjoy a cocktail full of summer flavours from the cocktail bar and indulge in the best bu et ever to grace this annual event. This is first and foremost a wine-tasting to expand your drinks knowledge with expert advice from the wine makers and distillers on food pairings. Top wineries and distilleries will be bringing over their new vintages and styles and there will be an area dedicated to magnums, perfect for a bit of theatre at your dinner parties, and they make the perfect gi . Chef Luca Camboni of kosher caterers Arieh Wagner will be creating a stunning bu et of bowl and finger food. How does beef carpaccio with tru le, pistachio crumbs, balsamic vinaigrette; wild mushroom arancini; avocado with tuna ribbons, chilli oil, black caviar and radish sound? Plus churros for dessert! 11 July 6.30pm – 9.30pm. £100 for a single ticket/£180 for a pair to include all the food and drink you can manage.

IN A FLASH

As the star of We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) it is ironic that it’s tricky knowing how to talk about controversial Jewish actor Ezra Miller. There have been multiple allegations and legal charges about the genderfluid star, but an apology and announcing he has started treatment for “complex mental health issues” did not stop Warner Bros from releasing The Flash this month. It was in 2017’s Justice League that Ezra adlibbed, introducing The Flash aka Barry Allen as a “very attractive Jewish boy” to Batman.

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The Flash isn’t Jewish in the comics – and wasn’t going to be in the film, but director Zack Snyder kept it in. With Jewish superheroes in short supply, DC Comic fans of the faith were pleased about Ezra adding some chutzpah, as until then there was only Marvel’s Magneto, the X-Men anti-hero and a Holocaust survivor. Most of the writers behind the DC universe are Jewish, including Superman creator Jerry Siegel and Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger. With two Batmans (Michael Keaton and Ben A leck) in The Flash portrayed by Ezra, the arrival of yiddishkeit in the Marvel universe is welcome, albeit a bit awkward.

What a Carrie on!

The Blahniks are back. No, not the Jewish neighbours! We’re talking Carrie Bradshaw’s shoes and their inevitable appearance in the second series of Sky this month.

Where Luxury and Heritage Meet

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Jewish Darren Star’s spin-off show from City, explores how the women are coping with life in their 50s in the age of ‘woke’, with Carrie starting to live again after losing Big (Chris Noth) and Miranda(Cynthia Nixon) in a lesbian relationship. Jewish convert Charlotte (Kristin Davis) reflects on the ‘they mitzvah’ she made for her gender-neutral youngest child and we’ll never know how her machatanim felt as Harry Goldenblatt (Ethan Handler) has invisible Jewish parents.

Not a first in a series with so few folks and only Miranda’s ex, Steve with a mother who mattered, but with Carrie about to hook up with old flame Aidan Shaw (John Corbett), maybe we’ll meet his mum. Here’s hoping when Samantha (Kim Cattrall) returns, she’s still as sex-obsessed. Best news yet? SJP and her husband Matthew Broderick star in Neil Simon’s Suite in the West End from January.

Gotta Have Faith

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is not a title you see every day and, as Sammi Cohen’s family comedy is on Netflix, you don’t have to leave home to watch it. You will enjoy it because it’s all about BFFs Stacy and Lydia’s dream about having epic bat mitzvahs. Only things start to go comically awry when a popular boy and a school drama threaten their friendship and rite of passage. Starring Adam Sandler, his wife Jackie, daughters Sadie and Sunny, Idina Menzel and Sarah Sherman, the cast could not be any more Jewish and they’re available from 25 August.

Rocky relations

Seinfeld and Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as an author facing the ultimate betrayal in Nicole Holofcener’s You Hurt My Feelings, now in UK cinemas. When therapist Don (Tobias Menzies) tells a friend that he secretly hates the book his novelist wife has been working on, it “causes quite the rupture in their marriage”, as Louis-Dreyfus put it in a recent interview. “I immediately related to that as a creative person – it feels like a betrayal, almost worse than infidelity.”

Holofcener teamed up with Louis-Dreyfus in her 2013 film Enough Said and scored critical acclaim with her adaptation of Lee Israel’s memoir Can You Ever Forgive Me? As the step-daughter of Woody Allen’s producer, Charles H. Jo e, Holofcener started in the biz young as an extra in Take the Money and Run and Sleeper, before moving up to be apprentice editor for Hannah and Her Sisters. At New York’s Tisch School of the Arts, she was taught by Martin Scorsese, although her stepfather wondered aloud if she shouldn’t make a career change when he saw her films. Disappointed, she became a clerk at a video store , but went back to directing. Before he died, Jo e was one of his stepdaughter’s most ardent fans.

Once upon a time a new film starring Dustin Ho man was something to queue for. That the two-time Oscar winner now makes a movie that gets less attention than a mobile phone ringing in the cinema is ba ling, which is why you might not know about Sam & Kate. Chancing upon Darren Le Gallo’s life-a irming romance on Amazon Prime is a real find. Ho man Snr’s real son Jake, who is married to Israeli designer Amit Dishon and the image of his dad, plays his son. That is not the only familial joy of this film as its co-stars are Sissy Spacek and her real-life daughter Schuyler Fisk. It’s a tearjerker as Dustin, who is 86 in August, is now the old guy in the frame, not that age has withered his talent as he proves in the role of the needy dad with a directionless but adoring son. The reality of caring for an elderly parent and the need for love will resonate with those in a similar position, while raising a smile. We’re just glad we found it.

In the Pink

Grammy-winning rock pop star Pink lights Chanukah candles with her children. When she performed in Berlin in 2017, she took her daughter Willow to the Holocaust Memorial and told her: “This could have been us.” The singer, whose real name is Alecia Beth Moore Hart, has no doubts about her religion, even though she was raised faithless by her Bohemian/ Czech/Lithuanian/Russian Jewish mother Judith Kugel. Pink posts about antisemitism on Insta and has shared her mum’s kugel recipe, telling fans: “My dream Jewish meal is flu y matzah ball soup made from scratch, fried latkes, kugel and fresh warm challah.” Pink’s new album Trustfall debuted at number one in the UK and now she’s here for summer concerts, winding up on 24 June in Hyde Park. That other member of the faith, Billy Joel, is also doing British Summertime on 7 July, but the sold-out status means you’ll have to start looking if you want to go. bst-hydepark.com

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Nicole Holofcener

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

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Books Roundup

THREE EXCITING BOOKS ARE RELEASED JUST IN TIME FOR SUMMER THAT FEATURE THRILLING TALES, PACKED PLOT LINES AND COMPELLING JOURNEYS

TRIAL JUDGE

The barrister turned TV judge, journalist and presenter has penned his first novel, a legal thriller, and it doesn’t disappoint writesBeatriceSayers

Did he or didn’t he? Did the ex-con with the dead-eyed scowl poison the celebrity detective who dropped dead in the witness box at the Old Bailey? Career criminal Jimmy Knight certainly had a motive, and had been released from prison, where he was serving time for armed robbery, only 10 days earlier – but whether he administered the botulin, and whether the jury will think he did, are questions that keep readers of Rob Rinder’s novel gripped to its final pages. Rob, who has spent more than 20 years at the criminal bar, is writing what he knows. He draws a revoltingly believable picture of the fictional Stag Court Chambers, run by an iron-fisted chief clerk and inhabited by a KC who, assigned to defend Knight, feels the case is beneath him. Rob slightly less convincingly describes the life of the glamour-seeking detective accustomed to appearing on GoodMorningBritain, which Rob himself has hosted.

TheTrial– actually the story of two trials, as the

ROOTS RETURN

By Alex Galbinski

Most people, when consistently stared at, might feel annoyed.

Sara Braun, a black Jewish Haredi woman, takes it good-naturedly in her stride.

Sara, who lives in New York, is halachically Jewish. Her Jewish mother, Gita, is dark-skinned like her; Gita’s grandmother was Hasidic and her father was a member of the Belz community.

Growing up with her three older siblings in a village in De Beemster, a rural part of the Netherlands, was not an issue for Sara because Gita was not observant.

“My mother’s birth mother passed away when my mother was five, so [she] fell under the

poisoning case is interwoven with that of a hospital doctor accused of selling faulty prescription drugs to the NHS – is driven as much by character as by plot.

The young hero is pupil barrister Adam Green, assigned to assist in both defences. Adam solicits our sympathy early on: as well as getting roped into sending flowers to one of his pupil master’s many mistresses he must field anxious calls from his mother about whether “my little boy” has been eating properly or found a “nice young lady” yet. At first, Adam’s Jewish mother feels hammed up, to the point the reader almost wishes he would hang up on her, but when an unpalatable source of that anxiety is revealed, his vulnerability endears him to us further. Navigating a barristers’ chambers filled with bravado, the maverick Adam is determined to pursue truth and justice and brazens a client’s antisemitic taunt.

antisemitic taunt.

What he lacks is time for finding that nice Jewish girl. Perhaps the next book in what we are promised will be a series will a ord him that. His mother will hope so.

The Trial by Rob Rinder is published on 22 June by Century, £20 (hardback). Rob will appear as co-host of the BBC’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby in the autumn with Monica Galetti

custody of her [biological] grandmother, who was Hasidic,” explains Sara.

“But my mother is dark [and she] was very discriminated against by our own family. So my mother’s experience with Judaism, Hasidism in particular, is not so positive. So we were not raised with Judaism.”

Additionally, Sara, 37, reveals that bullying was rife, along with antisemitic comments. When she was 12, her family moved to a Jewish part of Amsterdam, where Anne Frank was from, and she saw other Jewish families and felt more at ease with the concept.

But it was when she moved to New York aged 18 that Sara, who has recently published That Black Hasidic Lady: A memoir of a Dark-

THE BONDS THAT UNITE

By Alex Galbinski

Taking books on holiday only to write one a er the trip is novel, but Amanda Weinberg felt compelled to do so a er visiting Pitigliano in 1998.

The name of the Tuscan village has been changed to Monterini in The Italian Bookshop Among the Vines, but what takes place in Amanda’s novel is inspired by truelife events that took place there during the Second World War.

Amanda, who is a copywriter, arrived in Pitigliano on the recommendation of a UK neighbour. “It is an incredibly beautiful place that pops out of this golden tufa rock,” she says. “It’s very magical.”

Her interest was piqued a er parking under a sign for the synagogue, which dates to 1598, and wandering the cobbled streets only to see that kosher wine and packets of matzah were sold in the shops.

“We realised we’d arrived somewhere special,” says Amanda. They discovered that, a er the Papal Bulls of 1555, the Jews fled Rome and many were welcomed by local rulers to Pitigliano, which is known as la piccola Gerusalemme or Little Jerusalem. “The people in the town were so open to us because we were Jewish.”

skinned Hasidic Woman, felt she had a need to really explore her Jewish roots.

So much so, in her inimitable warm and friendly way she laughingly tells journalist Andrew Gold on his On The Edge podcast that she followed a man on the subway who had been reading a Hebrew or Yiddish book to ask how she could learn more about the religion. She started attending lessons in a Modern Orthodox synagogue, where she got a job.

“Others who were discovering the faith had questions and I learned so much,” recalls Sara, who married her (now ex-) Dutch Jewish husband in a Hasidic ceremony and has three children at Hasidic schools. “This is how I slowly grew more religious. It was a very unconscious thing that

She and her husband bought a house there the following year. “I quickly realised there was a beautiful story there about the bonds between the Catholics and the Jewish sides of the village,” she explains. “My book is a love letter to the village.”

Set in Italy between 1921 and 1945 during the fascist era of Benito Mussolini, the novel centres around Bella, the daughter of Jewish bookshop owner Jacopo, who falls in love with Rico, the son of a Catholic farmer. On the day of her wedding, war is declared and life in the village is never the same again.

“Until 1943, Jews were relatively free in this area,” says the New North London Synagogue member. “People had to stop working in public places [because of the racial laws], but they were still able to practice their own businesses. So, Jacopo still has his bookshop. Because it was a contadini (farming) environment, the Catholics looked a er them. But a er the Germans came, they had to leave quickly.”

Wanting to leave readers with the sense there is good in the world, she adds: “I want to show how compassion and kindness are probably the most important things we can give.”

 The Italian Bookshop Among the Vines by Amanda Weinberg is published by Embla Books, priced £9.99 (paperback)

covers her head with a turban but doesn’t see the sense in shaving her hair. “It’s important that the rules work for us and it’s important my children are happy and that I am happy.

happened from within.”

A trained opera singer, Sara is confident in herself. While she follows the Hasidic lifestyle, she does it her way.

“My love of Hasidism is something really deep within and it doesn’t work for everybody. And it does not even always work for me,” she says, explaining that she

She feels accepted within the Charedi community and says that while she “had to learn at lot”, everyone was always helpful. Any negative feedback to her book has mostly been from the black community. “It’s like, ‘But you’re black, why would you join such a racist people?’ It’s unfortunate.”

One thing is certain: Sara is happy in herself and wants the same for others. What a mitzvah!

 That Black Hasidic Lady by Sara Braun is available now, £13.99. Watch her interview with Andrew Gold on https:// youtu.be/t7hg1i9Wmws

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Reel Gal and Her Guy

Among the streaming giants, Israel has proven herself over and over as small but mighty in churning out some of the most-watched shows on a global scale.

Fauda, Tehran, Homeland, Shtisel and recently-released Netflix hit Rough Diamonds have helped to escalate the country as a major player in the screen industries, but now Israel is set to soar to even greater heights thanks to a home-grown Hollywood star and her husband.

Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot and her businessman spouse, Jaron Varsano, 47, who wed in 2008, are already a powerhouse couple worth more than $30million.

Such is the demand for the 38-year-old screen siren and former Miss Israel that her recent appearance in Netflix action-comedy Red Notice opposite Dwayne Johnson, commanded a $20m fee, earning her third place on Forbes’ list of highest-paid Hollywood actresses in 2020.

The couple also cashed in a cool $26m a er selling their luxury boutique Varsano Hotel in Tel Aviv to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2015.

But financial security aside, it’s their latest joint venture that could put this talented husband-and-wife on a par with the biggest Hollywood players – and possibly even usurp married film-makers Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach as the ‘first couple’ of the silver screen.

For Gadot and Varsano have been busy branching out into making films with their own production company, Pilot Wave. The fruits of their labour will be seen with the release of Pilot Wave’s first film, Heart of

Stone, on Netflix in August. Much fanfare was made when the couple – who are parents to Alma, 11, Maya, six, and Daniella, nearly two –announced they were setting up the venture in 2019.

At the time, the pair said they “want to help bring stories that have inspired us to life”.

They added: “Pilot Wave will create content that promotes the perspectives and experiences of unique people and produce impactful stories aimed at igniting the imagination.”

Gadot and Varsano have certainly been doing that, quietly plugging away on a wide range of projects that are now starting to emerge. Aside from action thriller Heart of Stone, the couple have been working on historical drama Irena Sendler, based on the true-life story of a Polish heroine who saved the lives of thousands of Jewish children during the Holocaust; as well as an Apple TV+ limited series about actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr, which has been coming for some time.

Most recently, Pilot Wave snapped up the rights to Catriona Silvey’s stunning debut novel, Meet Me In Another Life, just days a er its publication in 2021. The intriguing fantasy sci-fi story, which is set to feature Gadot, revolves around a man and a woman who meet in one life, then cross paths with each other over di erent lives and realities.

Pilot Wave is also attached to the epic historical drama Cleopatra for Paramount and My Dearest Fidel for Warner Bros, which is about ABC journalist Lisa Howard’s pivotal role in helping to repair relations between the US and Cuba by befriending Fidel Castro.

Quite a list, but first up is Gadot’s kick-ass

role in Heart of Stone as secret agent Rachel Stone, a member of a group of elite spies. In the edge-of-your-seat trailer for the film, directed by Peaky Blinders’ Tom Harper, the elite spies are described as “the most highlytrained agents working together to keep peace in a turbulent world”.

It’s not unexpected that Gadot is the protagonist, with the fate of the world resting on her shoulders, but she still needs help from her MI6 counterpart, played by Fi y Shades actor Jamie Dornan.

“Heart of Stone is extremely epic,” Gadot understatedly reveals. “It’s a super-grounded, raw action thriller. We really wanted to make sure we keep it realistic, so people can feel the

she’s addicted to it.” O -screen, Gadot herself is no stranger to less sedate pastimes and likes to perform many of her own stunts –even to the point of enduring neck and back injuries while filming Wonder Woman 1984

For that role, the former IDF fitness trainer spent two hours per day in the gym and gained 17 pounds of muscle while learning the art of swordsmanship, kung fu, kickboxing, capoeira and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Such a self-defence arsenal makes her the obvious choice when the movie world needs saving and must make networks think twice before saying no. Expect to see a lot of Gal Gadot – she’s a wonder.

• Heart of Stone is released on Netflix on

WILL GAL GADOT AND JARON VARSANO BECOME HOLLYWOOD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL COUPLE, ASKS SARAH MILLER

pain. Rachel Stone lives o the adrenaline –

Clockwise from top: Gal Gadot and husband Jaron Varsano; a scene from spy thriller Heart of Stone that also stars Jamie Dornan; Gadot as secret agent Rachel Stone in Heart of Stone

Photography

James Shaw

Taking Position

When the camera focused on Jodie Comer as the Best Actress winner at this year’s Olivier Awards, in the corner of the frame James Bierman could be seen clapping wildly. This was to be expected, as the independent film and theatre producer was responsible for bringing Suzie Miller’s lauded play Prima Facie to the London stage and now to Broadway. Fighting back the tears as she grasped her Olivier trophy, Jodie said that the one-woman play about the sexual assault of a defence barrister had changed her life, and that she had many people to thank for making the play what it is. James Bierman didn’t have to wait long for his name, as The Killing Eve star expressed her gratitude to the “amazing producer”, then added: “There’s no one like you.”

Bowing his head in the face of so much

praise, Bierman has always been shy and his early interest in drama, honed by theatreliking parents, meant he was happiest playing someone else.

“The point where it all felt like a possibility was the arrival of our new headteacher at school who had taught Kenneth Branagh,” says Bierman, who was raised in Reading. “We were given the opportunity to see Ken in his earliest RSC shows, which encouraged me to study at Central School of Speech and Drama.”

Bierman, who now runs Empire Street Productions, credits Sir Michael Codron (who runs the Aldwych Theatre) for the career switch from performance to producing.

“While studying, I worked as an usher at the Aldwych and everyone was terrified of Michael,” recalls Bierman. “When I worked full-time at the box office, I saw it as temporary, that I’d eventually go back to acting, but I wasn’t trying to build a career at that point, so I was more relaxed about talking to Michael. He gave me opportunities to learn by sitting in on budget meetings, seeing how he handled agents and I worked my way up to general manager, but I was hungry for more.”

Unable to identify a space to progress at the Aldwych, Bierman went for interviews, eventually landing his dream job as general manager at the Donmar, though Codoron’s sage advice stayed with him.

“He said: ‘If you do become a producer, you’ll sit across your table from somebody whose money you lost more often than not. It’s a very hard business. So don’t sit there if you didn’t love the play yourself.’”

When his friend, the playwright Suzie Miller, sent him Prima Facie, Bierman fell

in love with it within the first few pages. “It was extraordinarily brilliant and I wanted to do it, but understood if Suzie wanted a female producer. But she said: ‘If I only have women work on this, then it will just be written off as a group of hysterical women. If you do it in your male power, that will open doors for this play and it’s then your responsibility to deliver it.’”

A sit-down with director Justin Martin to brainstorm the casting led to the actress who topped Bierman’s list and he duly sent the script to Comer’s agent.

“We got an immediate ‘yes’ from Jodie, who asked: ‘Are you sure you don’t want me to audition?’” That wasn’t necessary and the subsequent acclaim for her performance has been sealed with a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut and three more for the play.

“Having someone like Jodie, who is so unique, so brilliant, with such incredible stamina – it’s more than just her performance. She’s also pushing the message about sexual assault forward.”

Plays with a message matter to Bierman and bring about thoughtful partnerships with charities, such as Schools Consent Project, a UK charity that delivers sexual education workshops on consent.

“I’m attracted to work that says something, so with 800 people about to come and watch a show like Prima, it feels a wasted opportunity if they leave without information about how to find out more. One in three women are sexually assaulted in Britain. In the US, it’s one in two. ‘Something has to change’ is the last line of the play and I sincerely believe we can change by educating young kids in the UK about consent.”

Bierman’s current London production is Martin McDonagh’s black comedy The Pillowman, which is about the role of the artist in society and the price we pay for freedom of expression. Starring Lily

Allen as a writer under interrogation in a police state, The Pillowman has partnered with PEN International, which has defended freedom of expression since 1921.

“With the growing number of writers under attack, PEN’s mission is more vital than ever,” says Bierman.” It’s important we use the play as a platform to campaign for it [PEN].”

While a show’s cast is key, Bierman believes in ‘total theatre’, and says: “Audiences come to the front door, and if the toilets don’t work or you can’t get a drink at the bar, we’re two-nil down before the show even starts. If the whole building isn’t invited to be part of it, it doesn’t work. On Broadway, we have a billing board front of house and I put everybody’s name up there – ushers, cleaners, bar staff. In 30 years, no one had ever done this for them.”

With various projects on the horizon, there’s no downtime for Bierman, who says: “Producing in all its shapes is a very lonely and hard job. You have to have a very strong resolve and sense of yourself.”

In New York for Prima Facie, he was at a midtown Airbnb, zooming home between rehearsals and grabbing a bagel and coffee. “I’ve promised the team I’ll take them to Katz’s,” he says, “as Jodie’s desperate to try a salt beef sandwich.” Maybe to celebrate this week’s Tony win!

Prima Facie The Golden Theatre NYC until 2 July. The Pillowman runs until 2 September. pillowmanplay.com

Lily Allen is starring in The Pillowman with Steve Pemberton

Jodie Comer in Prima Facie

Debbie Collins catches time with “amazing producer” James Bierman

Head For New Heights

DR MELANIE LEE IS THE NEW HEADTEACHER AT JCOSS. THIS IS HER FIRST INTERVIEW

Change is in the air at JCoSS and the forward-facing desk in the headteacher’s office is the clue. “I like to see who is coming through the door,” explains Dr Melanie Lee. “It’s friendly and approachable and I rather like it this way.”

A new position for the headteacher’s desk may not be a seismic shift in the grand scheme of things, but moving furniture and hanging artwork is a clear sign that someone else is now in charge, following the departure of Patrick Moriarty.

Perhaps more interestingly and impressively, new head Dr Lee was not just appointed by the school’s governors as a fait accompli but, in keeping with the JCoSS democratic ethos, also involved

the school’s pupils and the staff.

“Being interviewed by students was part of the interview process and I absolutely loved it,” admits Dr Lee, while noting that “the students are probably the best judges”. She adds: “I also gave a presentation to the staff, who were able to vote for their preferred candidate.

I thought this was a wonderful, if not rather daunting, process and showed the inclusivity that JCoSS stands for.”

Dr Lee is first and foremost a passionate educator who loves teaching and, up until last December, was deputy headteacher at Yavneh College in Borehamwood.

“My children, who are 13 months apart, were just starting primary when I was offered my teaching post at Yavneh 14 years ago. I learned a great deal during my time there and enjoyed every minute,” she reminisces. “I would never have left there for anywhere but JCoSS. The fit of JCoSS is perfect for me; the pluralist ethos really resonates with my own personal ethos.”

Dr Lee, who is Jewish and proud of it, was brought up in Kingston, which she says was very different to the thriving communities of north-west London. Her grandparents were founder members of Kingston Synagogue and her father chaired the cheder and served as a shul warden. “Growing up in Kingston was very special. It was a small community and my family were very involved,” adds Dr Lee. “Jewish Youth Study Groups were a big part of my life as a teenager but, sadly, I wasn’t able to go on Israel tour at 16 because of my brother’s barmitzvah. I never got that rite of passage, which is certainly a regret I carry with me, but my Jewish identity has remained strong all my life.”

She is no longer a south Londoner. Having left home at 19 to study biology at London’s Imperial College, she stayed for her PhD in circadian biology

and then moved to UCL to be a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Ophthalmology. Dr Lee pursued further education beyond her degree because, she says: “I have a huge appetite for learning and was fascinated with biology and all the complexities of understanding how living things survive.”

In her first JCoSS assembly, Dr Lee told the students she “really fell in love with learning at university” and, while she always knew she wanted to be a teacher, explains: “It was important for me to have some life experience first”. As a result, Dr Lee walked into a classroom for the first time at the age of 37 and knew she was ready. “I had a different persona in the classroom – I was married, I was a mum and I had an inner confidence as a person and an educator. All of this stood me in good stead in terms of being a relatable, knowledgeable teacher.”

While Dr Lee is now a headteacher, she is still a classroom practitioner at heart; sadly, she understands how undervalued the profession is and that is misrepresented by a fake notion that it’s a 9-5 gig with extended holidays.

“I think it’s true that teachers are the only professionals who make more decisions per day than air traffic controllers! The job never stops and the role of headteacher is huge and disparate. The number and types of decision that I have to make every day is fairly mind-blowing – one minute you will be thinking about staffing and timetables, the next preparing a speech for prospective parents and, importantly, we also have to consider what is happening in classrooms too.

“One thing is for certain, boredom is never an occupational hazard. However, the job is relentless, so it is vital to maintain what I like to call a ‘work-home balance’. I refuse to say work-life balance because my work is very much part of my

life and I am extremely happy about that because I absolutely love my job.”

Although Dr Lee definitely adores her work, she maligns the defined targets that have been forced on schools.

“Unfortunately, in today’s society, schools are still judged on exam performance and that performance is based on how children do in a two-hour test on a Wednesday morning.

“I tell our students school is about so much more than academic success. While it is our objective at JCoSS to have a brilliant teacher in every classroom, we know the children are with us to learn much more than simply how to pass exams. We truly believe it is our responsibility to nurture our students’ talents and aptitudes because education extends far beyond the classroom.

“GCSEs are a stepping stone. They don’t define you. Hopefully, our young people will be proud of what they achieve but, if not, there is always a way back or a different path. I often wonder if there will be someone brave enough in government to throw the current system up in the air and say, ‘No, we could do this better.’”

Dr Lee believes the government makes decisions about education without understanding what it’s like to run a school. “Until that communication improves, I’m not sure what’s going to change.”

With no change afoot, JCoSS’ new head of school confines herself to only worrying about what she can control.

“That is an important philosophy,” she says. “I’m extremely proud of what I’ve achieved as a teacher and now I’ve been given this amazing opportunity to lead our wonderful school for the rest of my career and I feel like the luckiest person in the world. Teaching is a brilliant job and I am privileged to be the new leader of JCoSS.”

HELPFUL CHANGES ARE HAPPENING FOR MANCHESTER JEWRY, ITS NEW LEADER TELLS STEPHEN ORYSZCZUK

For an autocrat, Mark Adlestone is very consultative. The new head of Manchester Jewry, having shorn himself of bureaucratic limpets, still seeks buy-in. Were he a raiding 13th century Mongol emperor, you get the impression he’d have got all the clansmen and tribal leaders round a table before the o . “Right, lads, what say you we just stick to pillaging – thoughts?”

The chairman of Beaverbrooks jewellery company spends three days a week at the jewellers and two days a week on charity/ communal work, such as chairing the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester (JCR), which he agreed to do on the proviso that big structural and constitutional changes were made. In January 2022, a er a 71-5 vote in favour, they were.

“It was a lot of hard work, a lot of communicating, and took us from a very democratic situation to a totally autocratic one,” says Adlestone, speaking via Zoom with Marc Levy, the chief executive with which the JRC has been newly endowed (Levy is actually employed by the Jewish Leadership Council, of which Adlestone, 64, is the lone nonLondon-based trustee).

“I really appreciated the support of many people who, philosophically, didn’t like that change, but went with it because they recognised it was needed,” says Adlestone. “It allowed me to create a management board of people I wanted to work with, not just those who were elected. By 2025, it’ll go back to a vote and the new chair will get half the picks, the other half will be voted in, so it’ll be more of a mix.”

What were the problems? No vision, no money, no CEO, no focus, no real representation of its people, he says. “We now have management board and advisory board meetings, a er which people go o and do the work. Before that, meetings were just echo chambers without making a di erence.”

The di erence he and Levy are making is subtle and under-the-radar, he says. It has a lot to do with Greater Manchester’s Charedi population, the fastest-growing Jewish Orthodox population in Europe, a er an influx of large, young families moved to Manchester,

o en with no local family support. Although the census records 12,000 Charedim in Greater Manchester, provisional estimates now put the city’s strictly-Orthodox community anywhere between 15,000 and 23,000.

For this Jewish representative council, however, there’s a problem. “From the beginning, we reached out,” says Adlestone.

“If we’re going to be a representative body, it’d be crazy not to talk to 40 percent of our constituent members. We developed a fantastic relationship with the Charedi community. We created an Alliance of Charedi Representatives (ACR) that meets quarterly. And what became clear is: the Charedim do not want to be represented by us.” Oh.

“They’re very happy to engage with us, but they can’t be represented by us, partly for halachic reasons. Whereas we secular Jews make decisions as we see fit, they’ll always refer to their rabbis. It’s a challenge.”

Levy chips in. “We keep saying it’s about ‘integration, not assimilation’. Also, when we talk of ‘the Charedi community’, it’s not a homogenous group itself.” But back to Adlestone. “We’ve been on a real journey with the Charedi community,” he says. “They feel that, because of their cultural needs, they’re better placed to service their own people than we are, but there are many examples

of Charedi organisations that spill over into the secular world, like Hatzola, Ezra Care, Misaskim, and L’Chaim Food Bank.

“It makes sense to have strong relationships with them. Mark has done a great job of getting Charedi organisations in front of local authorities, whether it’s to smooth the way for planning permissions, to get financial support or to open avenues of discussion they didn’t previously have, so the Charedi community values us.

“We have a Jewish Strategic Group that grew out of Covid, with secular Jews, Charedim, councils, police and clinical commissioning groups – a good mix. The benefit to the Charedi community to have that access – which they haven’t had before – is hugely impactful. Ultimately, we’re one people. We’re navigating our way to find the most expedient way to develop that relationship.”

Can they give examples? There’s a sharp intake of breath. “There’s a nervousness in the Charedi community about being misrepresented,” says Adlestone. “When we reached out to a couple of rabbis in Greater Manchester, they gave us tacit approval. It’s o en more about what’s not said than what is. We’re learning how to read the signs. It’s definitely a journey!” Levy concurs. “They’re very happy for us to arrange for them to meet senior people, like the mayor

Andy Burnham, the new chief executive of Bury Council or the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police. We had an event with Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, and we had Charedi representatives there.”

A er all, says Adlestone, “why would they want to engage [with the JRC]? There’s a benefit to them. Why do we want to engage? Because we want a combined community with good working practices. We’re trying to break down the hesitation, uncertainty, even suspicion between the Charedi/ non-Charedi world. You do that through communication. The more we communicate, the more we understand. And they appreciate our e orts”. On communication, Levy says there have been times where the meetings they’ve facilitated have resulted in Charedi organisations agreeing to work together and forming collaborations. “We see ourselves as a connector,” he says. “We help the Charedi community communicate within itself.”

practices. We’re trying hesitation, uncertainty, communicate, the more appreciate our e orts”.

It’s interesting, says Adlestone. “As a consequence of the ACR meetings, they’re engaging better with each other... They discuss things in the room, go o -site and that’s where the magic happens. It’s great to be part of that.”

“Our perceptions have changed too,” he adds. “Just three to four years ago, I was unaware of the amazing selflessness of so many incredible [Charedi] people supporting one another. It’s very humbling to see.

unaware of the amazing selflessness of so detriment.

They work incredibly hard, almost to their

‘It’s to engage – no one asked

bumps and I’m

“One woman told me: ‘It’s not fair to say nobody from the Charedi world wants to engage – no one asked us!’ So, when we went to address them for the first time, I said: ‘Now I’m asking for you and us to work together’. There have been bumps and I’m sure there’ll be more, but we’re making progress.”

Above: Manchester. Right: Mark Adlestone

You can be there for them every step of the way with a gift in your Will.

To find out about how to leave a gift and our FreeWill service please contact Richard Budden, Head of Individual Giving and Legacies.

T: 0208 7361250 or go to www.worldjewishrelief.org/will

TOOTING

As Mrs Doubtfire opens on the London stage, Brigit Grant chats to the musical’s director

The Farmers Market in Amagansett, East Hampton, is the place to shop on weekends. It’s where Gwyneth Paltrow buys her lavender-infused honey and, when he’s in town, Sir Paul McCartney picks up jars of the crunchy unrefined sea salt. It’s a local speciality in an area where the truly famous have second or third homes, and the dress code for market day is smart casual. So who was the man in the baseball cap with ‘Death is just around the corner’ written on the back? This message of doom on such a sunny chi-chi day piqued my interest.

“What does it say on the front?” I asked the stranger presumptuously. “Addams Family Musical,” he said, turning. “I directed it.”

Mention ‘musical’ to someone raised on them, and there’s no escaping, not that Jerry Zaks seemed to mind. He just kept smiling – that standout smile for which he’s known on Broadway, where they call him the King. Name a musical, and the chances are that Jerry has either directed, conceived or starred in it at some point in his career, which began in 1972 when he was cast as Kenickie in Grease on Broadway.

In 1975, he played Motel the Tailor alongside Zero Mostel as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. “My father was a fan of Mostel and talked to him backstage in Yiddish for about 20 minutes.” To have discovered one of musical theatre’s greatest assets among the bijou stalls of organic jams in the Hamptons was thrilling, but when I told him we had tickets for Bette Midler’s Hello, Dolly! and he said “Enjoy, I directed it.” Well, you can imagine. He went on to tell me he was working on a musical adaptation of the Robin Williams’ film Mrs Doubtfire and now, more than three years later, the show is opening in London next week.

That a lot has happened in between is an understatement and, during Covid, Jerry and I exchanged emails about the closure of the world’s theatres. Some never opened again, but Jerry emerged from the darkness with a production of The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman.

Staying in touch by email, our first Zoom

was a celebration, as he had just become a grandfather. Then he talked about his life, which began in Stuttgart, the city in which his parents met after the war. His mother Lily had been in Auschwitz and his father Sy escaped capture, but when the family moved to America when Jerry was two, they took their demons with them.“My parents were terrified of everything and anyone who was different to us, a fear they instilled in me. It was theatre that saved me –where I connected and found a community.”

Jerry’s head was turned by the stage when he saw his first musical, Wonderful Town, in 1965, but his parents were devastated as they wanted him to be a doctor. “At 16 I had no idea what I wanted to do, and ‘doctor’ sounded like a good thing to say. But then I dropped pre-med for English and theatre classes, and eventually my parents came around.” Zero Mostel played a part in that acceptance as, when he was asked by Jerry’s father: “Is my son going to be all right in this fakakta business?” he told the kosher butcher: “He’ll be more than alright.”

At the Ensemble Studio Theatre off-Broadway Jerry got his first chance to direct. “I loved acting, but it’s terrifying. When you direct, it’s like shaping a sculpture.”

There have been many hit shows since, but his 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls still makes him kvell, with its eight Tony nominations and a win of four, including best director for him. Our Zoom was long, but we barely discussed his experience of co-directing the musical A Bronx Tale Robert De Niro. In their picture, Jerry is smiling and, as Robert sort of is, we assume it went well.

, will succeed at the Shaftesbury divorced dad disguising himself as a nanny to be with his wants

with

Hopefully Mrs Doubtfire will succeed at the Shaftesbury Theatre as the songs are great and Gabriel Vick is a fearless Euphegenia Doubtfire. He needs to be, because the trans community and their vocal allies have views on the show’s premise. What was funny and endearing in 1993 is now questionable. Causing offence with a musical about a divorced dad disguising himself as a nanny to be with his kids is the last thing Jerry wants to do, and he has shifted the focus to its universal story; that of a parent who will do anything to stay close to his children. “Given all that’s happened in the world, we would be crazy to not be as sensitive as we can to avoid hurting people,”he said in a statement.”We’re certainly not making fun of a man who gets into a dress.”

do anything to stay close to his children. “Given

He’s right, as the show is about having

He’s right, as the show is about having fun and making an audience smile. And no one does smiles better than the King of Broadway.

All smiles co-directing a musical with Robert De Niro

Fearless Gabriel Vick as Mrs Doubtfire Jerry and Bette in Hello, Dolly! rehearsals

Tony-winning King of Broadway Jerry Zaks

Above: Hugh Jackman in Zaks’ The Music Man

IsraAID Sierra Leone

IsraAID Dominica donor visit in January 2023

Photo: Manuel Olmos

IsraAID HQ Sierra Leone president

Photo: Mickey Noam-Alon

IsraAID Nepal

Photo: Elise Sarah

IsraAID

Photo: Mickey Noam-Alon

IsraAID

Photo: Martin Divisek

IsraAID Moldova

Photo: Maxim Chumash

IsraAID Greece

Photo: Lior Sperandeo

LORD OF CHAOS

YOTAM POLIZER is unfazed by crisis. Since joining IsraAID as a volunteer in 2011, working in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, which killed 20,000 people, he has been in Sierra Leone at the height of the 2014 Ebola crisis – waking up in a sweat thinking he had caught the virus that has a 50 per cent death rate – and, in 2021, he led the complex evacuation of 205 refugees from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.

The 40-year-old, who has been global CEO of the largest aid organisation in Israel since 2019, describes IsraAID as “the social humanitarian wing of the start-up nation”. He says of his compatriots: “We thrive in chaos. We don’t know how to deal when things are very organised. Bureaucracy is terrible in Israel – we’re not very process-oriented.

“But when we need to improvise, when we need to innovate… I have so many stories of how we arrive in a disaster area, and big, big organisations, like the UN or the Red Cross, are stuck dealing with customs. And we, with a team that’s a tenth of the size, are passing them from behind and getting there first.

“It’s about building connections with local communities, with Jewish communities, with partners on the ground. We’ll always find creative solutions – how to use very limited resources to bring results quickly.”

Polizer is talking to me from New York, where he has just arrived to collect the $100,000 (£81,000) Charles Bronfman Prize, presented annually to a humanitarian whose work, informed by Jewish values, has significantly impacted the world.

This month he will receive the Avicenna International Award for Intercultural Cooperation for Peace from the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies in the UK for IsraAID’s work in Kabul.

Polizer – the grandson of Holocaust survivors from Hungary – grew up in Mitzpe Harashim, a small moshav in the Galilee, and quickly followed in the public-spirited footsteps of his school counsellor mother and social worker father. A gap year working with recently-arrived Ethiopian children was followed by army service, which included a stint supporting Bedouin youngsters in the Negev, and three years in the Himalayas, where he learnt Nepali. “Not the

most useful language in the world,” he says, before correcting himself. “Actually, it proved to be really useful when I went back with IsraAID after the 2015 earthquake.”

Polizer, who started as the organisation’s only second full-time employee, also speaks some Hindi and Arabic and fluent Japanese.

Since the charity was founded in 2001, it has worked in 62 countries. Currently in 16, it has 350 full-time staff and a rolling roster of thousands of volunteers, who focus on the five areas of expertise that Polizer says Israel is best-placed to offer the world’s most vulnerable communities. They are: disaster response, “everything related to water”, psychological support, public health and advancing entrepreneurship.

Polizer is proudest not of how quickly his workers arrive in a disaster zone, but of how long they stay. “Turkey is a good example – 50,000 people lost their lives in the terrible earthquake. Everyone was there and then everyone sent their grandmother’s socks as a donation, which is very nice, but not super-helpful. And then, after a week or two, 90 per cent of the aid is gone. The cameras move on.

“We will respond quickly because it’s important to provide immediate relief. But, more importantly, we’re

staying – an average of five years. Just now in Ukraine, we’re using a small-scale desalination system that provides access to clean water for 40,000 people.”

As part of its largest operation to date, IsraAID is also sending teams of Israeli trauma specialists for several weeks at a time, partnering with First Lady Olena Zelenska, who recently name-checked the organisation in an interview with Vogue Ukraine The initiative began in July last year, when Polizer visited Bucha, the city where Russian soldiers had massacred civilians four months earlier. Ukrainian officials were so keen that they had IsraAID running post-traumatic stress workshops for social workers and soldiers within 24 hours.

From missile strikes in Dnipro to civil war in South Sudan, the likes of IsraAID are more needed now than ever. “There are many more climaterelated events than before. Conflict displacement, unfortunately, is not stopping. Large-scale, long-term war in Europe in 2023 is not something any of us envisioned. And then, of course, the pandemic, which we still feel. So, yes, there’s much more than before. And all of it is human-related, whether it is climate or conflict.”

Does his organisation ever face any hostility from those who are less-than-friendly towards Israel? Many people are surprised to come across the IsraAID workers, Polizer concedes, but “the honest truth is almost never with any negativity”. He points out that there are Syrians, Iraqis and Palestinians working for the organisation, and says with a smile: “I have a lot of stories of Afghans now sending me ‘Shabbat Shalom’ messages.”

After Polizor helped a Syrian girl out of the water in Greece, her father turned to the CEO. “He told me, ‘My worst enemy became my biggest supporter.’ He said it kind of casually. But it was so powerful – that was the first time I realised the opportunity that we have.”

He sums up the essence of his work as “posttraumatic growth” – seizing development from the jaws of disaster. “We never did it for that reason,” he adds. “We did it because it was one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time.

“But, for me, it was a very powerful opportunity not only to save lives but also to build bridges.”

Finding solutions fast in order to save lives is how the CEO of IsraAid operates in disasters. Yotam Polizer shares his brave story with Etan Smallman

Yotam Polizer started as IsraAid’s second full-time employee

PRESS RELEASE - June 2023 - SABABA / BALAGAN - Borehamwood

We are delighted to announce the appointment of our new partner, Zev Young*, as the Catering Manager and owner for both Sababa Cafe** (milky) and Balagan Restaurant **(meaty) in Borehamwood.

Join us in giving a warm welcome to Zev, who brings outstanding culinary expertise and management skills to our team.

As a top-class chef with exceptional catering and event planning experience both in the UK and internationally, Zev is dedicated to providing personalised service and ensuring every event is a success.

Zev's passion for food and extensive background in the catering industry, makes him the perfect fit to elevate our establishments to new heights.

Thanks to our growing popularity among locals and visitors, we've seen a surge in demand for our events catering, both on weekdays and Shabbos.

Zev will not only enhance our day-to-day operations (including introducing exciting new menu options), but also oversee our catering division for both Sababa Cafe and Balagan Restaurant. (He will be primarily based at Balagan)

(Discover the 'NW London Secret' at Borehamwood: whether you're craving one of our signature coffees, delectable meals, platters, or fully catered events. You're no longer limited to Hendon or Golders Green. Visit us soon, (just a short drive) and experience the difference!)

Finally, Zev's passion for food and extensive background in the catering industry makes him ideally suited to elevate our establishments to new heights.

We wish Zev well!

*As prominent members of the Borehamwood community, Zev and his wife, Cat, are actively involved in Hatzola and various other initiatives. In appreciation of their service, we are currently offering a 10% discount for Hatzola members, NHS members, and more.

**Under KLBD Mehadrin Supervision. As a strictly kosher** (mehadrin) cafe and restaurant, we uphold the highest standards of Kashrus

CONTACT DETAILS: Zev Young - Tel: 07717-726556 / 020-8191 0308 email: zevyoungevents@gmail.com

Rabbi Yehuda Sarna is waiting for the winter months because then the mikveh in the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue in Abu Dhabi will be able to operate.

As the Chief Rabbi of the newly-opened synagogue – part of the Abrahamic Family House complex – the softly-spoken Sarna explains: “Typically, the way it’s done is by bringing a large piece of ice or snow that has fallen naturally in a nearby climate and placing it so that it melts”.

Ensuring a working mikveh in a desert country is one of the many challenges facing the 45-year-old, who has also been chief rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates since it was established in 2019.

But the clear sense is that the Montrealborn rabbi, who also teaches at New York University (NYU), both in New York and its offshoot centre in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is relishing the challenges.

Since the Abraham Accords were signed in 2020, there has been a stratospheric growth in the Jewish presence in the Emirates. It has soared from an “underthe-radar” community in Dubai, whose activities were originally kept secret, to today’s extremely public footprint in the Abrahamic Family House, where the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue shares a city centre complex with a mosque and a church. All is done with the blessing of the

Emirati government. Sarna has long been involved in interfaith work in New York – illustrated when Muslim students on the NYU campus asked him to help them confront creeping Islamophobia, based on his experience in combating antisemitism.

ln the anti-Muslim backlash that followed 9/11 in New York, the rabbi made a lasting friendship with Imam Khalid Latif, and the two served as NYU student chaplains before Sarna made his first visit to the Emirates in 2010.

“In 2016, I learned about the Jewish community that was meeting in Dubai, and I began to help them in any way I could.” Three years later, the Jewish Council of the Emirates was established “as a vehicle to bring the community from a private group meeting in villas to be part of the cultural landscape of the UAE.”

At that point, before the signing of the Abraham Accords, the Jews of the Emirates numbered about 1,000. Today, says Sarna, that number has tripled: about 75 percent live and work in Dubai, with the remainder in Abu Dhabi.

“Never could I have imagined what would follow so swiftly,” he says. His aim, he says, “was always to figure out the right path for establishing the community”, adding: “And then along came the Accords and an influx of Israeli tourists to the UAE. So we quickly discovered that so much of the Jewish community was going

to exist in a decentralised way – kosher restaurants, hotels that could easily go kosher and new residents from different backgrounds, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Chabad... if you like, there was a busting open of the community.”

Before the Accords, everything was “very private, very quiet”. Suddenly, everything changed and Sarna was asked to advise the architects of the Abrahamic Family House – the first interfaith centre in the Arab world and the first purposebuilt synagogue in the Gulf in almost a century. “This was not going to be quiet or tucked away; this was going to be in the middle of the city.”

He hopes the House will act as “a very powerful educational tool for people who are not Jewish, who would visit, and had never set foot in a synagogue or met a Jewish person”.

The year 2019 was designated as the Year of Tolerance by the UAE rulers. That year, the Jewish community made a significant act by commissioning a Sefer Torah in the name of Sheikh Zayid, the country’s founder, and presenting it as a gift to the then Crown Prince, now president, Mohammed bin Zayid. Two months later, the interfaith hub was announced as a

Zayid, the country’s founder, and presenting it as a gift to president, Mohammed bin formal project. as opened and, a few days later, the synagogue

On 16 February, the complex as a whole opened and, a few days later, the synagogue was consecrated.

“Three hundred and fifty people showed up in the sanctuary, which only has 200 seats. The first person who arrived was [the architect] Sir David Adjaye with his children. He told me he wanted to see how people acted when they walked in. As people turned up, he was watching [them] and I was watching him. He had put his heart and soul into what he knew would be a historic building. The source of inspiration was the succah, and the idea of travelling through the desert and finding a place to rest.”

Sarna now visits the UAE once a month. As well as his rabbinical duties, he teaches at NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus. Moving permanently to the Emirates is “always on the table”, he says with a smile, but notes that home is currently New York. Two of his daughters are in Israel and visit him whenever he is in Abu Dhabi or Dubai (he and his wife have six children).

Most of the weekly participants in the synagogue are Abu Dhabi residents. So far, there is a nascent Jewish cemetery administered by the Chabad movement; because there are few Jews who also hold UAE citizenship, deaths tend to be dealt with in the deceased’s country of origin.

Sarna is full of plans for “seizing this historic opportunity”, not least the unprecedented teaching of the Holocaust in the UAE school curriculum. Because his wife’s family was saved in Berlin by an Arab doctor – Egyptian medic Mohamed Helmy, named as a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem – Sarna has been sharing Dr Helmy’s story in the Emirates. “His story is important, not just for Jewish people, but for Arab audiences to hear.”

sharing Dr Helmy’s story in the Emirates. “His story is important, not just for Jewish people, but for Arab audiences to hear.”

Paying a heartfelt tribute to the

that in terms of wisdom, commitment and the road to building this remarkable new Jewish community. “Five years ago, if the same thing had happened, we would have

Paying a heartfelt tribute to the “boldness and courage” of the UAE leadership, he asks: “How do we match that in terms of wisdom, commitment and partnership?” With a smile, he notes that there have been occasional “brick walls” in the road to building this remarkable new Jewish community. “Five years ago, if the same thing had happened, we would have said, ‘That’s not a brick wall, that’s the biggest privilege.’”

An interfaith panel at the inaugural conference

Leading the first Jewish community to be established in an Arab country for more than a century may be challenging for Chief Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, but it is also his passion, he tells Jenni Frazer

Rabbi Yehuda Sarna outside the Abrahamic Family House

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When met Hubbell Katie

Released in 1973, The Way We Were is still the best love story about intermarriage, says Brigit Grant

Loudmouth Jewish girl from New York City comes to Malibu, California, and tells her gorgeous goyishe guy that she’s pregnant.”

This chutzpahdik dialogue between Katie Morosky and Hubbell Gardiner in one of many tender and unforgettable scenes in The Way We Were is a perfect synopsis for the finest movie ever made about a mixed marriage of the Jewish kind. Streaming platforms are now brimming with films and series about interracial relationships, but movies about Jews marrying out – think The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch – are mostly confined to the Hallmark channel, waiting to be found.

But in 1973, a triumvirate of Jewish producer, writer and

director created a film starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford that ticked all our boxes, but with a wide enough appeal to make $50 million at the box office. As The Way We Were approaches the 50th anniversary of its October release, it has 20 million views and counting on YouTube, holds sixth place in the top 100 of American cinema’s love stories and is worthy of producer,

two new books.

In The Way We Were: The Making of a Romantic Classic,Tom Santopietro explains every frame of the film’s creation with a fan’s enthusiasm, as the New York author saw it the week it opened, instantly appreciating its universal ‘loving the wrong person’ theme, as portrayed by Katie and Hubbell, first as students then as a couple.“We’ve all done that,” says Tom. “Except for maybe 10 people, and who wants to know them?”

For his book, a written exchange with Barbra revealed that she considers the film – the seventh she made in Hollywood – to be one of her career highlights. “It's up there with Funny Girl for her,” says Tom. “Along with The Broadway Album, these are the ones where everything clicked into place. So she's very protective of The Way We Were because it holds such a special relationship with her heart.” With all our hearts it seems, as it was hearing the film’s dialogue being quoted verbatim that compelled Tom to write the book, for which he also spoke to actor James Woods, who made his screen debut as Katie’s socialist friend Frankie McVeigh

and lyricist Alan Bergman who, together with his late wife Marilyn and the nowdeceased Marvin Hamlisch, composed the film’s music.

“Alan is still entirely sharp at age 97,” reveals Tom, who eagerly awaits the release of Barbra’s thousand-page autobiography in the autumn, as 17 years ago he studied the star for his book, The Importance of Being Barbra. “When Arthur Laurents wrote The Way We Were for Barbra, he said she was the first movie star to arrive in Hollywood announcing: ‘I am Jewish and I'm proud of it’.” Barbra Streisand’s journey to the Katie role, along with her co-stars, the crew and musicians is a very Jewish story ...

The Way it Began

Barbra signed a four-picture deal with Jewish producer Ray Stark, who formed Rastar Productions in 1966. Married to the daughter of Ziegfeld star Fanny Brice, Stark longed to make a film about her life and, after Eydie Gorme, Carol Burnett and Anne Bancroft declined the role, he cast unknown Barbra after hearing her sing in a Greenwich Village bar. Barbra won an Oscar for Funny Girl. Ray then asked Jewish screenwriter Laurents to write a movie for Barbra. Born Arthur Levine in Brooklyn, he wrote the books

for musicals West Side Story and Gypsy, and was hoping to pen something equally powerful for Barbra, who by then had an Emmy, a Grammy and the Oscar. Ray’s idea was a hybrid of The Sound of Music and The Miracle Worker, with Barbra cast as a music teacher for handicapped children. Wisely, Arthur dismissed it as a terrible concept. But in a meeting with Barbra to discuss other options, he was reminded of a student he knew at Cornell University.

Fanny Price was political, outspoken and a leader of the Young Communists league. That her name was so close to that of Fanny Brice had to be a sign. Arthur set about creating Katie Morosky who, like Barbra, was a self-identifying Jew. “Katie could only be a Jew,” wrote Arthur. “Because of her insistence on speaking out, her outrage at injustice, her passion, her values and because I was a Jew.”

In the 1930s, Arthur, who was gay, had also been politically active at Cornell, had written radio propaganda during the Second World War and, in the 1940s, was investigated and blacklisted in Hollywood for possibly being a Communist. “Katie Morosky, the campus political progressive played by Barbra Streisand, is mainly me,” wrote Arthur, laying rightful claim on his idea.

On set: Robert Redford, producer Ray Stark, Barbra Streisand and director Sydney Pollack

“I would’ve made pot roast if I’d known you were coming”... outside Katie’s apartment

Behind the scenes with Robert and Barbra

Crowds gathered outside New York’s Plaza as Pollack shot the final scene

Creator and writer Arthur Laurents Together the stars were magazine favourites

Born to Jewish immigrants in Indiana, Sydney Pollack came on board as director in 1971. Suggested by Arthur, who enjoyed his film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Sydney was also pals with Robert Redford, who was the popular choice for ‘gorgeous goyishe Hubbell Gardiner’. But Redford refused to be cast as campus eye candy and felt Hubbell was underwritten. While Ryan O’Neal and Warren Beatty were considered for the role, Sydney and Ray called Arthur to tell him he was being fired. Mortified by the mishegas, Arthur left, and 11 writers (among them Tootsie’s Larry Gelbart and Francis Ford Coppola) arrived to ‘polish’ his screenplay. Arthur later returned to fill holes in a garbled script.

When it came to the music, it was Jewish composers all the way, with the score and song by Hamlisch and lyrics by the Bergmans winning the only two Oscars out of five nominations the film received, including Best Actress for Barbra.

“He was like the country he lived in...”

The Way it is Jewish

As the only Jew, Katie feels like an outsider among Hubbell’s waspy friends, but we love her because she...

• Irons her unmanageable frizzy hair.

• Yells “Happy Rosh Hashanah” when gifting a typewriter to Hubbell.

• Uses Shavuos as the title for her made-up book about Chinese matzah-makers living kibbutz.

• Tells Hubbell her father likes Solomon David Gardiner as a name for their baby and “Rachel if it’s a girl”.

• Filming the Marx Brothers party scene, Groucho Marx, then 82, dropped by to hug Barbra.

The Way it Ends

Shot in Upstate New York, Massachusetts’ Lake Onota, Los Angeles’ Union Station and Burbank,the final scene takes place

“See you, Katie.” “See you, Hubbell.”

That last touch that Barbra came up with herself

One of many hair and make-up tests in front of New York’s Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue. This is where Katie, still preaching politics, sees Hubbell long after their divorce. She touches his hair, the film’s signature gesture that Barbra came up with herself, and that last touch is a heart-breaker. Plans to mark the film’s 25th anniversary with a sequel were mooted, with Barbra and Redford on board, but reuniting Katie and Hubbell on screen will remain a dream for the fans. And so we leave Katie now remarried to “the only David X. Cohen in the book”. A pertinent footnote for the finest film about marrying out.

The Way We Were: The Making of a Romantic Classic by Tom Santopietro is published by Applause and is available now

Robert and Barbra in a clip from the film

When Katie tells Hubbell her mother’s name is Rachel – said the Jewish way Groucho Marx’s surprise set visit

The (un)real world

Picture the scene. A movie made without humans, a music video where the artist doesn’t sing and an advert created completely by computers. Once a bit of futuristic fun seen on The Jetsons, artificial intelligence – or AI – is very much happening now.

Scary for some, mind-blowing for others, AI is transforming the way we live, interact, work and play. Generative AI (aka gen AI) in particular has been thrust into the limelight recently with the launch of tools such as ChatGPT.

Generative AI refers to machine learning algorithms that are able to take existing content to create new content such as text, images, music and code. It’s a kind of creative machine that can produce unique outputs a er understanding the patterns and relationships in the data on which it has been trained.

Tools like ChatGPT (an acronym of chat generative pre-trained transformer) have been around for a while, but increased accessibility and a rise in awareness has pushed generative AI into the mainstream. Launched last year by Open AI, ChatGPT is a free natural language chatbot; ask it any question and it will answer.

You could use it – and generative AI tools in general – to come up with a catchy headline, to create a piece of art or to write a scientific paper. One could even use it to pen an article on generative AI…

But what does it all mean? Few are better placed to ask than Eze Vidra, the co-founder and managing

partner of Remagine Ventures, which has been investing in generative AI since early 2019, before the term ‘generative AI’ was even around.

Vidra, a former general partner at Google Ventures, says: “If you listen carefully, you’ll hear several leaders in the tech and venture world calling generative AI the next major platform shi since the mobile phone. You could compare it to the early days of the internet or web 2.0 and the beginning of social media, when many ideas got funded and went bust, but that era also produced Google, Amazon, Facebook… and I believe we will see big outcomes in the generative AI space as well.”

While ChatGPT is the best-known product, it is just one of more than 800 generative AI companies out there, says Vidra.

The potential is staggering. According to the Financial Times, generative AI start-ups have attracted more than $21 billion (£17bn) in investment –$11bn of which were invested in the first quarter of 2023.

“We’re definitely at peak hype,” says

Vidra. PWC reports that generative AI will contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

Unsurprisingly, Israel is a key innovator. Vidra says: “Israel has long been a strong producer of AI startups. The talent pool in AI, and Israeli entrepreneurs’ high disregard for the impossible combined with an active investment ecosystem, gives Israel a great starting point to excel in the generative AI space.”

Remagine recently published the first Israeli generative AI landscape, mapping 68 start-ups active in this space. “We know there are many more start-ups in this space that choose to remain in stealth, as well as incumbents like Wix, which is o ering AI to help write the text for your website.”

Dr Eli Brosh, head of AI research at Wix, says: “The development of generative AI has created opportunities for content creation that are changing the ways we work. By incorporating recent AI technologies into Wix products, we’re helping our users remove the barriers that generally complicate

Is artificial intelligence going to render humans redundant in the workplace? Not quite, says Candice Krieger

website-building and enable users to keep their site updated and on-brand using the latest web technology.

“We want users to have the experience of a professional web designer or content writer supporting them during their creation process. Over the years, we’ve developed and integrated AI into the Wix Editor to help our users at di erent steps of their creation process.”

Other Israeli companies innovating in the space include AI 21 Labs, developer of the Jurassic LLM (large language model) – an alternative to ChatGPT –Wordtune, a product that helps users rewrite, summarise and enrich text, and D-ID, which enables talking avatars.

Earlier this year, McKinsey & Co acquired Tel Aviv-based AI company Iguazio to help bolster its AI business o ering. Ben Ellencweig, senior partner and global leader of McKinsey & Company Analytics Alliances and Acquisitions, says: “It’s absolutely the case that companies are trying to incorporate generative AI into their business. We have been having hundreds of client conversations about how they can use ChatGPT and gen AI to create value for business, all the way to thinking about the risks and mitigating them (responsible AI) and how do they change the way of working.

“Gen AI will change the way we all work, change roles and create roles and, while it will make some jobs obsolete, it’s more about the tasks and redirecting people to focus on the high-value tasks.”

Iguazio co-founder Asaf Somekh says: “The whole point is how you take all this gen AI, leveraging it to make it useful for clients. We are working with enterprises to piggyback on large AI models that were created and fine tune them for their uses, such as more sophisticated chat bots for supporting their clients.”

Media and entertainment are particularly susceptible to tech disruption. Vidra explains: “They are based on creating content. Generative AI automates this process. Suddenly, anyone with access to the internet can start creating content at scale and social media networks enable that content to spread rapidly.”

But generative AI has its limitations. It’s not always accurate and it runs the risk of containing factual flaws, biases and misinformation. “You can’t blindly depend on the quality,” says Vidra. “It’s important to remember that generative AI, while very powerful, is still in relatively early stages of development.”

He adds: “I do worry about the pace [of gen AI development] and

about people taking advantage of this technology to spread disinformation and to use these powerful tools with malicious intent.

“Regulators have started working on how to curb these risks but, ultimately, it’s up to the companies to make sure they impose rules and ethical codes to minimise the negative impact.”

As generative AI advances week on week, what does this mean for our jobs?

According to reports, around 80 per cent of the workforce could have at least 10 per cent of their work tasks a ected, and AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs and a quarter of work tasks in the US and Europe. The most a ected are likely to be interpreters, poets, writers and journalists (gulp). The least a ected are food services, manufacturing and construction.

Should we be worried? “You don’t need to worry about your job,” reassures Somekh. “Gen AI has been around for a while and you should look at it as a way of getting help for your articles, enabling you to write in a faster and more e icient way. It can make things better rather than obsolete, enabling us to be more productive.”

And Vidra says: “Generative AI can automate the process of content creation, but not replace the journalist/ writer outright. I believe that in the future, generative AI tools will enter every role in companies across industries and that we will all be using AI agents for our jobs. There’s a potential that some jobs will be lost, but equally, that new opportunities will be created.”

Shaul Olmert is the co-founder of Tel Aviv-based Piggy, which enables smartphone users to generate fullydesigned colourful documents from their phone using simple text prompts.

He says: “The internet has created a wave of very shallow content that can be used for marketing and promotional articles, but I don’t see The Economist, for example, firing its Pulitzer Prizewinning writer. When it comes to more in-depth analytical pieces, you can’t replace people.”

He adds: “For everyone concerned

about AI replacing humans, I remember the same concerns over the invention of personal computers. People thought we were going to be replaced by robots. Actually, because of technology, we have more people employed, but things will have to change. It’s good because the computers can do a lot of the legwork, which helps people to develop skills that machines can’t. There’s always a suspicion when new tech emerges, but we need to see it as an opportunity.”

Gen AI may also mean new jobs and a productivity boom, says the Goldmans report, and could eventually increase the total annual value of goods and services produced globally by seven percent.

The UK government is promoting investment in AI, which it says will “ultimately drive productivity across the economy”, and has tried to reassure the public about its impact. The prime minister and tech secretary announced an AI taskforce backed by £100 million in government funding to “accelerate” the UK’s generative AI sector and keep pace with technological advances such as ChatGPT.

David Benigson is the co-founder and CEO of Signal AI, which uses AI to sort through the exploding deluge of information available, such as news, blogs and broadcasts, to help businesses make more informed commercial decisions. He says: “Generative AI is transforming knowledge work, and Signal AI has been at the forefront of the AI and ML [machine learning] revolution for nearly a decade. We envision AI’s impact across the entire content life cycle, from aggregation to enrichment and advanced analytics for decision-making.”

There is no doubt that gen AI is already transforming the world of work. “I’m excited about its potential to unlock creativity and increase productivity,” says Vidra. “Suddenly, everyone with a smartphone can become a content creator, and, while it comes with its own set of risks, it has the potential to become a major platform shi , like the introduction of the smartphone. I’m excited about the opportunities this technology creates.”

BenEllencweig

Eze Vidra

Asaf Somekh

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Then my oncologist told me about Chai.

They have been amazing – I truly believe there is nothing like it in the world.

Being able to rely on Chai’s all-encompassing support gave me the confidence to come home to my husband and girls.

Thanks to Chai, we’re together as a family again”

Away go the football shorts and on go the silks, whites and boxes.

Neil Silver looks at the Jewish side of ‘The Season’

AND THEY’RE OFF

BARNABY ADLER’S DREAM of racing at Royal Ascot has been dashed –by the small matter of five inches.

The 16-year-old jockey was on course to turn professional, a er starring on the pony racing circuit.

That was until a growth spurt in the past year saw him jump in height from 5 5in to 5 10in, leaving him too big to compete.

But Barnaby will not rein in his riding dreams and is weighing up his alternatives.

“I had an incredible run in the Arc Winter Series as I was unbeaten in four of the five races,” says the Essex rider. “It made total sense that I was going to become a full-time jockey, then suddenly my dreams of flat racing were washed away. I went out in style though, coming third in my final race at Lingfield to the two best young jockeys in England.

“[My trainer] knows my passion for horses, so he has recommended I become a jump jockey, which I can do at the heavier weight. I’m thinking about it, but have to consider the dangers of that sport.”

In the meantime, Barnaby, a member of Loughton Synagogue, is taking up eventing. “It’s a great summer sport and I believe I already have the required skill set, so I’ll see how I get on.”

He first climbed onto a pony when he was two and was hooked. “Barnaby was slow to walk, and got on a horse before he was stable on his feet,” explains his mum, Helen. “He never looked back. His grandmother, Susan Rose, is a distinguished Arabian horse breeder and she had two Shetland ponies, which gave him a taste of things to come.”

Barnaby raced his own horse, Bugatti Boy, under the direction of trainer Jo Quinlan at

THE

Newmarket, where he trained three times a week and maintained a tough exercise regime of daily cardio sessions and training on a racing simulator. “My mum is a yoga teacher, so she teaches me breathing techniques,” says Barnaby. “I feel extremely lucky to be riding as not everyone gets the opportunity.

“My friends came to watch regularly and found it very interesting as it’s di erent to football. They really enjoyed the atmosphere at the races.”

Jewish jockeys are scarce, although Sam Waley-Cohen flew the flag when he won last year’s Grand National. Many prominent horses are owned by Arabs, although Michael Tabor is a highly successful Jewish owner, dividing his time between Monte Carlo and Barbados.

Barnaby, who had the first Zoom barmitzvah during lockdown, had hoped to fly the flag for Jewish sportsmen and women at Royal Ascot, but he’ll now have to watch the showpiece event from the sidelines. Well-attended since Queen Anne founded it in 1711, the Royal race, with its strict style rules about modest dress, is reminiscent of synagogue. A glimpse of bare midri , too much cleavage or flash of shoulder will get you ushered out within seconds of arriving.

Considered by many to be the start of summer’s social calendar, Royal Ascot is about sipping champagne and noshing on tru le dumpling canapés while cheering on your chosen nag. But a visit can set you back hundreds of pounds if you’re buying or hiring a morning suit and a new frock.

Then there are the hats – the more outrageous the better, which was the case for Jewish milliner David Shilling, who earned the sobriquet ‘mad hatter’ because of the outlandish creations he made for his late mother Gertrude. Hospitality doesn’t come cheap at Royal Ascot either, but economic

challenges were not an issue this year, as three out of the five days of the week immediately sold out.

The place to wine and dine is On 5, where you can take in the grandstand’s spectacular views from the fi h-floor glassfronted restaurant with a roo op terrace. Lunch here is £1,500, excluding VAT, and includes smoked Scottish salmon to start, followed by Belted Galloway Lakeland beef or West Coast turbot. There is no kosher option for this particular menu, so you may have to bring your own sandwiches. Keep that under your hat.

SPORTING LIFE

An outlandish creation by David Shilling

Gertrude Shilling and her son David at Royal Ascot Ladies Day 1993

Teenage jockey Barnaby Adler (inset) and during a race

ANYONE JEWISH FOR TENNIS?

IT’S BEEN 72 YEARS OF HURT since the only Jewish winner of the All England Men’s Championship raised the coveted Wimbledon trophy.

This year, if tennis fans can drag themselves away from the strawberries and parev cream, they may have two Jews to cheer for on the hallowed turf.

Richard ‘Dick’ Savitt (inset, above) is the only Jew to have won the Wimbledon crown and is widely regarded as the best Jewish male player to grace a tennis court.

the the this

American Savitt, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1976 and the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame when it was founded in 1979, died earlier this year aged 95, but from the centre court in the sky, he’ll be rooting for Diego Schwartzman and Denis Shapovalov.

Supporting Argentine Schwartzman puts you in the illustrious company of his biggest fan, Hollywood star Ben Stiller.

The 30-year-old grandson of a Holocaust survivor is known as El Peque, or Shorty, owing to him being one of the shortest men in the sport at 5 7ins.

Schwartzman is grateful for the sacrifices his family made, with his mother selling rubber bracelets at tournaments so he could live his tennis dream.

The world number 48 is a clay court specialist, but any dramas he may face on the grass at the All England Club will be nothing compared to what his Polish maternal grandfather endured.

Schwartzman explains: “I have Jewish roots and my great-grandfather on my mum’s side, who lived in Poland, was put on a train to a concentration camp during the Holocaust.

“The coupling that connected two of the train’s cars somehow broke. Part of the train kept going and the other stayed behind.

“That allowed everyone trapped inside,

including my great-grandfather, to run for their lives.

“Luckily, he made it without being caught. Just thinking about it makes me realise how lives can change in a heartbeat.

“So from my ancestor escaping a train on its way to a concentration camp to staying in tiny hotel rooms and my mum selling bracelets, I consider myself lucky.”

While the crowd should surely warm to Schwartzman, there may be less love from home fans for Denis Shapovalov.

The Israeli-born rising star from Canada made himself unpopular when he swatted aside the darling of SW19, Andy Murray, in 2021, before losing in the semi-finals to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Shapovalov, 24, ranked 28th in the world, is the son of a Greek Orthodox father, Viktor, and Israeli-Ukrainian mother, the Lviv-born former Soviet tennis player Tessa Shapovalova, who opened her own academy so she could give her son his chance of glory.

“It was very risky for her financially, but she wanted to build a place where I could develop my game,” explains Denis. “She invited the best players she knew in the area and started coaching us.

“All the money the academy made paid

my expenses. This is my mother. She is so strong and smart and caring. Without her, my chances of turning professional would have been zero.”

While the men’s game has strands of glory in its history and hopefully in its future, there has been less to celebrate in the women’s game.

Perhaps the best hope is Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, who is on the comeback trail a er becoming a mother.

The former world number 3 may not have confirmed her Jewish identity in the past, but her parents, Mykhaylo Svitolin and Olena Svitolina, are known to be of Jewish descent.

Someone who has confirmed her Jewish identity is Camila Giorgi, who at 29 became the first Jewish player to win the National Bank Open in 56 years.

The event, which she won two years ago, was founded in 1881 and is the second-oldest tennis tournament behind Wimbledon.

Reports swirled for years that Giorgi might be Jewish and that she was considering obtaining Israeli citizenship to play for the country’s team in the Fed Cup.

A er her win she confirmed that her parents, Argentines who immigrated to Italy, were Jewish. She also claimed her favourite book was The Diary of Anne Frank.

“The book moved me because I am Jewish but also because she was such a good person who saw the good in people,” says Giorgi.

History tells us that Shahar Pe’er is regarded as the most successful Israeli female tennis player in history, having twice reached a Grand Slam quarter-final in singles and appeared in the doubles final of the 2008 Australian Open, with Victoria Azarenka.

She was unable to shine at Wimbledon, never going beyond the fourth round, and retired in retired in 2017. In terms of female Jewish success stories, the hurt goes on.

year aged 95, but from the centre Schwartzman and Denis Shapovalov.

maternal grandfather endured.

the Holocaust.

train’s cars somehow broke. Part of the train

Pictured from top: Diego Schwartzman of Argentina, Israel-born Denis Shapovalov is from Canada, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, Italy’s Camila Giorgi and Shahar Pe’er of Israel

Denis Shapovalov with his mother Tessa

BOWLED OVER SHOWCASE

WHO ELSE BUT A CARING JEWISH MOTHER could have started one of English cricket’s most beloved traditions?

No, it has nothing to do with national team captain Ben Stokes smashing records or the third umpire getting the tight decisions right. This is about cake!

Anyone who has ever listened to Test Match Special (TMS) on BBC radio will know the commentary team make a great deal of fuss about their a ernoon tea. This stems from legendary commentator Brian Johnston bemoaning the fact the players were being served tea and cake at Lord’s while there were no such delights in the commentary box.

Well, according to the Cricket and the Jewish Community exhibition at the newly-opened Community Gallery at Lord’s Museum, Aileen Cohen was at home in St John’s Wood in the 1980s when she heard about this travesty of justice and decided to act. Aileen fired up her oven and walked the short distance to the Grace Gates to deliver the first home-baked cake sent to the TMS team. The rest, as they say, is history.

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) members Zaki Cooper and Daniel Lightman came up with the initial idea for the exhibition and it is certainly within their remit as the co-authors of Cricket Grounds from the Air.

With the help of fellow curators Neil Robinson, Robert Curphey and Heather Lomas, they have put together four eyeopening showcases that reveal many tales, including those about prominent Jewish MCC member Victor Rothschild, who ensured Winston Churchill’s Cuban cigars were not booby-trapped by the Nazis and why iconic fast bowler Freddie Trueman embraced a Jewish heritage that did not exist.

The tzitzit of South African cricketer Mandy Yachad are on show and there are personal video messages from Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and MCC president Stephen Fry, who are guest speakers at the exhibition launch on 21 June. So while there won’t be a Jewish cricketer on the pitch when the Ashes Test

series between Australia and England takes place this summer, visitors to Lord’s will gain some understanding as to why this is the case and how continuing support for the game within the community might change that.

“The exhibition not only covers grassroots cricket, but also how Jewish individuals and groups have interacted with cricket at all levels,” said MCC head of heritage and collections Neil Robinson.

“You have Dr Ali Bacher, the South African captain and then senior administrator, so there are people at the very highest level of the game right down to people playing at Jewish clubs. We also explore how Jewish people as fans and enthusiasts have got involved in the game. One of the four dedicated showcases looks at the issues of antisemitism, identity and prejudice.

“A few myths are exposed, too,” adds Robinson. “But we don’t hide the awkward truths that prejudice in cricket has gone back a long way and the Jewish community and even those who were perceived to be Jewish have su ered from this in the past.”

Another of the showcases charts the rise and fall in the number of Jewish cricket clubs.

London Maccabi Vale Cricket Club (LMVCC), one of four clubs contributing to the exhibition alongside Belmont & Edgware, New Rover (Leeds) and Carlisle CC from Dublin, continues to flourish thanks to the e orts of men such as club president Terry Hyman, whose lifetime award for services to grassroots cricket features in the exhibition. While Robinson points to a decrease in available playing spaces in the big cities as a reason for clubs disappearing, Hyman has his own views on the challenges grassroots cricket faces. “There were teams in Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester. Mowbray and Maccabi Association London were the strongest teams in the capital, but I can’t answer why all these clubs have fallen apart. Perhaps they were struggling along with 12 or 13 people. In the end, people drop out.”

Robinson cites engagements, marriages

players. “I

and babies as the main reasons for lost players. “I used to worry when I looked in the Jewish papers and saw players had got engaged. I used to think it was the end of their cricketing days.”

A large source of pride for Hyman is being the only Jewish club with junior teams at U11, U13 and U15 level, playing at Mill Hill in the Middlesex Junior Association Leagues.

“We’re getting juniors whose parents played 15 years ago, stopped playing and now their children are coming through,” he notes. “We found there was a need for it as cricket is not played in many of the Jewish schools now. Unfortunately, we don’t get many girls joining our junior teams. I would love it if we could have a ladies team to play in the county competitions.”

The introduction of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s development pathways is opening up opportunities for players from all backgrounds, which gives Hyman hope of seeing an openly Jewish player star for England, even if it means LMVCC loses a player because of it.

“We are asked by the counties if we have any young players we would want to put forward for their trials,” he adds.

“The downside is if they do really well, we won’t see them this season because they’ll play for the County Academy teams.” According to Hyman, such players would need to be outstanding – “and anyone that good won’t be playing for London Maccabi Vale on a Sunday a ernoon”.

That said, there are nine men who have turned out for LMVCC on a Sunday a ernoon and enjoyed great international success only last year. Danny Caro, Adam Branch, Steve Allweis, Benjamin Lederman, Neil Lederman and Raif Saville were joined by past players Mark Bott, Simeon Cohen, Jonathan Gould, Ben Kohler and Steven Reingold in the GB team that won gold at the 2022 Maccabiah Games. We can only hope a Jewish version of Ben Stokes is not too far from the crease. Then we can have our cake and eat it.

• Cricket and the Jewish Community exhibition can be accessed by match ticket holders or as part of the Lord’s Tour

BBC commentators Fred Trueman, Brian Johnston

Maccabi Vale CC: Gary Solomons (scorer) Colin Davis, Cyril Hooker, Harvey Davis, Terry Hyman, Bernard Altschuler, Jonathan Barnett, Jack Reuben (chairman), Simon Barnett, Lawrence Bensusan, Adam Solomons, Adam Brand and Roy Solomons

Zaki Cooper and Daniel Lightman’s book, Cricket Grounds from the air

Dr Ali Bacher playing for South Africa

used to worry when I looked in the

it's fantastic… and she’s Jewish

Nicole Lampert never had a Barbie, but that won’t stop her seeing the technicolour pink movie about the perfect doll

BARBIE was always everything I was not: tall, with pokerstraight blonde hair and enormous boobs. She also had a gorgeous boyfriend called Ken, myriad fantastic careers and gorgeous pink, sparkly clothes.

Not only was she the antithesis of a small, dark, frizzy-haired, flat-chested Jewish pre-teen, but she was elusive in other ways. Instead of the Barbie I dreamed of, my parents got me a Sindy – the cheap British imitation

autobiographical works such as Marriage Story and The Meyerowitz Stories – and his partner Greta Gerwig (who also directs it), it will be pink and sparkly but also funny, clever and socio-politically current.

Baumbach feels like a good fit to be telling this story because, like so many legends of the American dream – from the White Christmas to the Hollywood ending –Barbie is a Jewish story with a big amount of goyishe wish-fulfilment. She was also, rather amusingly, inspired by a sex toy.

The plastic doll that has also weathered childhood trends, outlived Sindy and saw o competition from the Bratz, was invented by Ruth Handler, born Ruth Moskowicz, the daughter of Jewish Polish immigrants, in Colorado in 1916. Ruth, the youngest of 10 children, knew poverty and was inspired by the example of her big sister, who had gone into business and also helped to raise her.

children, knew poverty and was inspired by however, who was to that was to make the

Ruth moved to Los Angeles to explore the new world of Hollywood and was followed there by Elliot Handler, an aspiring artist she’d met at a B’nai Brith dance when they were both 16. The pair married in 1938 and founded a plastic and wood business making props and toys for Hollywood studios. With another prop-maker, Matt Mason, they founded Mattel – a combination of the men’s names. It was Ruth, however, who was to come up with the toy that was to make the company’s fortune.

friends always insisted on playing with adult female paper dolls; they were simply not interested in baby paper dolls or even those representing 10-year-olds,” Ruth wrote in her autobiography, Dream Doll. “I discovered something very important: they were using these dolls to project their dreams of their own futures as adult women.”

Ruth decided she needed a doll with breasts and hips that could be used in play for girls with aspirations like she had; a doll that was a working woman who could be an astronaut or a ballerina, a movie star or a scientist. And that’s where the sex doll came in.

marketing guru Ernst Dichter. There was surprisingly little di erence between Lilli and Barbie, although the latter sported less makeup and had feet (Lilli only had stilettos). She came with the slogan ‘You Can Be Anything’. Barbie was an immediate hit, selling 350,000 units in her first year. Three years later, Ken – named a er Ruth’s son – arrived. Today, more than a billion Barbie dolls have been sold. But there have always been detractors.

of Barbie - and expected me to be grateful. I quickly pulled o her leg and was then stuck playing with a one-legged doll.

My little sister – with her second child advantage – did get a Barbie and, to be honest, it still rankles.

So, I will be watching Barbie the film with a mixture of emotions when it comes out in July. Penned by Jewish award-winner Noah Baumbach – best known for his quirky and

Ruth and Elliot had two children, Barbara and Ken. At the time the fashionable dolls were o en made of paper and Ruth noticed that Barbara and her friends gravitated towards dolls with womanly shapes.

“Barbara and her

cartoon about a buxom blonde seductress, dolls men to give to their girlfriends and mistresses

The Handlers were on a family holiday to Switzerland in 1956 when Ruth came across a German doll called Bild Lilli. Modelled on a cartoon about a buxom blonde seductress, the dolls were designed for amorous German men to give to their girlfriends and mistresses when they were in the mood.

Lilli had her own tagline: ‘Gentlemen prefer Lilli. Whether more or less naked, Lilli is always discreet.’

Lilli is always discreet.’ home Handlers and was remade and named a er Ruth’s daughter psychologist-

Lilli came home with the Handlers and was remade and repackaged in 1959 as Barbie –named a er Ruth’s daughter – with the help of another Jewish immigrant, psychologistturned

From the o , there was much criticism of Barbie’s unattainable stereotypical figure and lack of ambition. Speaking in the documentary film Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie, feminist Gloria Steinem said: “Barbie was pretty much everything the feminist movement was trying to escape from.”

In 1995, fundamentalists in Kuwait issued a fatwa against Barbie because of her ‘mature’ figure, while in 2003, Saudi Arabia outlawed Barbie sales claiming that the ‘Jewish Barbie’ was a symbol of decadence and perversion. But that hasn’t put a dent in Barbie’s staying power. She has held more than 200 jobs and even ran for president in the 1990s. Barbie also now comes in four body shapes; original, tall, petite and curvy, and is available in 20 skin tones. There’s even one with enough dark curls you could almost say she has a Jewfro.

Mattel has been trying to make a Barbie film since 2009 and, in 2016, blonde Jewish comic actress Amy Schumer was cast to both play the titular role and co-write the script. But there was immediate criticism – with trolls saying she was too “fat” to play the doll. She responded with an impassioned Instagram post saying she had sympathy for the trolls “who are in more pain than we will ever understand” adding: “I want to thank them for making it so evident that I am a great choice.”

But, four months later, she backed out of the project.

Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, writers of Barbie

Ruth Handler invented the Barbie doll

Bild Lilli

The idea was kicked o again by Margot Robbie, whose production company bought the rights and she approached writer, director and actress Gerwig to write the script.

“She came to me and said: ‘Would you be interested in writing this?’ Gerwig later recalled. “And I said ‘Yes!’ and then

I said: ‘And Noah would like to write it too.’ And I had not really talked to Noah about this. A few months later, Noah said: ‘Are we meant to be writing a Barbie movie?’ And I said ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘I don’t have any ideas for that!’” But once they started thinking about it, they came up with an idea that is already generating a huge amount of buzz.

Details of the story are still mainly under wraps, but it’s based on Barbie and Ken travelling to the human world. The film’s o icial synopsis says: “To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential

crisis. Or you’re a Ken.”

Barbie and Ken – with Margot playing the famous doll and Ryan Gosling as her paramour – are once again blonde, blue-eyed and not very typically Jewish but, as well as behind the scenes, there is Jewish talent in front of it.

British Jewish rising star Kingsley Ben-Adir – who first found fame in Peaky Blinders and has also starred as Barack Obama in The Comey Rule – will play one of the Ken dolls in the film.

Born in 1986, he, his Trinidadian mother, and his brother all converted to Judaism. His next project is due to be just as big as Barbie – he’s signed to play reggae legend Bob Marley (whose father was said to have Jewish ancestry) – in a

to new film.

Meanwhile, child star Ariana Greenblatt, whose mother is Jewish and father Puerto Rican, is set to play a human called Sasha in the film. Despite being just 15, the American has a string of films, Avengers: Infinity and new film 65, to her name.

is called Sasha in the film. Despite including War to her name. actress Ana Cruz as Barbie Supreme Court Justice, while American

Jewish Filipina actress Ana Cruz Kayne will appear as Barbie Supreme Court Justice, while American model Hari Nef is playing Barbie Doctor. In April, the trans star revealed

April, the trans and Ryan Gosling

the moving letter she wrote to Gerwig when it appeared a scheduling conflict meant she would be unable to take the role. Nef’s letter said: “The name Barbie looms large over every American woman. Barbie’s the standard, she’s The Girl, she’s certainly THE doll. Me and my transgender girlfriends started calling ourselves ‘the dolls’ a couple of years ago. Maybe it’s a bid to ratify our femininity, to smile and sneer at the standards we’re held to as women. Underneath the word ‘doll’ is the shape of a woman who is not quite a woman – recognisable as such but still a fake. We call ourselves ‘the dolls’ in the face of everything we know we are, never will be, hope to be. We yell the word because the word matter. And no doll matters more than Barbie.”

And, finally, Cheers legend Rhea Perlman is playing a character who has not yet been named. She says of the film: “We’re not allowed to talk about anything specific in it, but it was fantastic. I can tell you, it’s going to be a really great film. It’s not just some ditzy movie about a doll. It’s very di erent and quite beautiful and really fun.”

I’m now several decades too old to play with Barbie but have to admit – despite that lingering resentment (none of which is Barbie’s fault) – I can’t wait to see the film of this very special Jewish doll.

Barbie is set for release on 21 July

Rhea Perlman

AS SEEN ON SCREEN

THAT’S THE WAY TO DRESS THIS SUMMER, SUGGESTS BRIE BAILEY

IN THE AGE OF ANYTHING GOES, enforcing fashion rules about skirt lengths and jacket sizes is tricky. The young, who crave trends and have the disposable income to spend on them, will listen when Bottega Veneta insists they put away their skinny jeans and only wear baggy. Those of us who wore bubble skirts the first time round will chuckle as they emerge this summer, but just because being at the height of fashion now makes you dizzy, it doesn’t mean you should abandon it completely. To ease the burden of choice – and there is a lot – we have come up with a theme to make new season clothing entertaining. With summer blockbusters Barbie, The Little Mermaid and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opening nationwide, adopting the looks of the films’ leads and co-stars will bring light and action to your wardrobe. Now where’s the camera?

AND

We engage children in real-life challenges in a fun and educational manner with a distinctive focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) subjects.

EDITOR’S BEAUTY LIST

IF YOUR HAIR RESEMBLES THE TOUSLED mane of the woman in the photo, lucky you! For the rest of us, such a lustrous look requires 60 minutes of round brush rotation, WOW volumizer (colorwowhair.com) and a Dyson hair dryer.

Hairdressers create styles of this ilk for clients en route to simchas but, unless your coi euse fits in your case, your holiday hair is down to you. For anyone with a Jewfro, summer is the purple patch when you’re beach ready without the aid of Bumble & Bumble Surf spray

This is not the case for women who have reached that stage in life when there are more new hairs on their face than their head. Men don’t uniformly embrace hair loss either, as even the young ones with cool shaved scalps look like their zaidehs in time. The most common causes for hair loss are sensitivity to androgens, medical conditions such as alopecia, stress and anxiety or damage because of styling practices. Chemotherapy sadly brings hair loss, too, and there are salons that specialise in helpful treatments, such as Hair Solved (hair-solved.com) in Barnet, which does bespoke cranial prosthesis; a system of matching hair to the client’s own to use through treatment and as the hair recovers. Also in Barnet Daniel Field Organic and Mineral Hairdressing has safe and e ective alternatives to harmful hairdressing products and practices so, for severely damaged hair, there is hope. But home is where we mostly wash, condition, iron and curl our hair, and there are some excellent DIY products.

LOCKS STOCK

“I’m washing my hair,” has its uses, but not with Hairstory, the sustainable beauty brand with an anti-shampoo message. Hairstory believes shampoo is the worst thing to use on hair, considering it too harsh. The company’s solution is New Wash (£44), a detergent-free cleansing cream that is gentle, makes hair healthier and simplifies your routine as a replacement for oil-stripping shampoo and conditioner. There’s not much lather, but you get more time between washes, less colour fading and, though it’s pricey, it lasts. uk.hairstory.com

Some products are for specific problems, so if your hair stops growing in summer, the anti-dandru Brown Sugar Shampoo (£7.36, biggreensmile. com) brings balance to your scalp. It contains golden cane sugar crystals and aloe vera that increases circulation and stretches the cells of hair follicles, ultimately encouraging growth. If the sun dries out your hair, Spicy Orange Blossom Shampoo & Conditioner (thefragranceshop.co.uk, £7.25) with shea butter, jojoba oil and orange blossom puts back strength, so ness and repairs a er being in a chlorine pool.

LET IT GROW

To address the loss and bring about some regrowth, supplements can help. Founded by supermodel Elle Macpherson in 2014, WelleCo’s The Hair Elixir (£42) promises to nourish, thicken and strengthen hair, as well as boosting it with an adaptogen to fast-track growth. Two capsules daily for a month gets results, according to positive reviews and I’m two weeks in to minimising hair loss. It also contains the adaptogen Rhodiola to help the body adapt to stress, a root cause of hair loss. www.welleco.co.uk

It’s helpful when a supplement works on more than one body part, so Dr Seaweed’s Weed and Wonderful Pure Organic Seaweed (£12.95) is a natural source of iodine supporting thyroid health, cognitive function, energy metabolism as well as thinning hair. Natural nutrition at its best. doctorseaweed.com

Stimulating inactive hair follicles is a key function of Pharmaceris - H-Stimuforten (£12.60) which I’ve also been using for a while. Improving microcirculation and cellular oxygenation, it slows down the ageing of hairs, augments hair volume and reduces scalp visibility, which I hate. You leave the spray in once applied, but it doesn’t make your hair greasy and, as with all products, you have to stick with the regime for results. facethefuture.co.uk

If you need help to conceal the gaps, Nanogen, the company that makes great shampoos also makes Hair Fibres (£18.95), which add volume and thickness to fine or thinning hair. Easy to apply, they bulk and conceal scalp show and are available in 10 shades. Impressively water resistant, the Hair Fibre Locking Spray reassures. Boots/Nanogen.com

Any leave-in product must smell good and I would wear Hair and Scalp Elixir (£53) by GF Fabulosity as a body lotion. That’s how fresh the scent is radiating from your head as it works on the scalp with Amla, a vitamin-packed ingredient promoting growth with the rice amino acid protein that bonds to hair fibres to hold moisture and prevent breakage. It tames frizz too. Available from g abulosity.com as well as the Gustav Fouche salon in Notting Hill.

SOLOMON HAIR WISE

Stacey Solomon is the mascot for small businesses. When she shared her love for the REHAB Vital Hairbrush (£14) and the Hair Oil Capsules (£26 for a 30-day course), the little company sold out within hours. First known for its Silk Heatless Curler (£35), the brush is made from wheat-based straw and is 100% plastic-free and biodegradable with innovative flexible bristles that gently remove knots without breakage. The anti-static bristles distribute the scalp’s natural oils and the capsules contain 10 times more vitamins than standard hair oil. Joe Walsh, Stacey’s husband, will no doubt confirm the silkiness of her hair. rehabyourhair. com,

PICK A FRUIT Plums, strawberries and blackberries are the season’s new scents

6.

A

I NEVER INVESTED IN A SINGLE BRAND’S skincare until discovering TULA. Maybe because the founder is a gastroenterologist, but Dr Roshini Raj’s inclusion of probiotic extracts and superfoods is why they’re working. The purifying face cleanser, hydrating night and day cream and triple vitamin C serum are a few of the hard workers and, for £43, a travel-size kit is a holiday must. tulaskincare.co.uk

The Green People’s natural and organic Deodorising Prebiotic Foot Cream is sure to be a crowd-pleasing product. Cooling peppermint and the fresh scent of eucalyptus will neutralise the unavoidable. greenpeople.co.uk

An Opatra clinic has opened in Borehamwood! This is big news as the Israeli company, which makes some of the most innovative skincare devices and products, is o ering treatments for a range of pre-summer improvements – think fat-freezing and anti-ageing facials –and you can also stock up on its results-assured products. 020 7998 5708

Vegan direct-selling beauty brand MONAT has come up with some splendid Exfoliating Peel Pads (£60) that reduce the intensity of dark spots and fine lines. With a blend of glycolic acid, amino acids, witch hazel and cucumber water, you will want them with you on your travels. monatglobal.com

1. Burberry Her Elixir Eau De Parfum (£94 for 50ml) Fruity notes of dark red berries

2. Issey Miyake L’eau D’issey Pivoine Pour Femme Eau De Toilette Intense (£70) Pear and white raspberry with peonies

3. Paco Rabanne Olympea Flora Eau De Parfum (£86) Pink roses in full bloom with blackcurrant sorbet

4. Jimmy Choo I Want Choo Forever Eau De Parfum (£50 for 40ml) The heart is a potent black cherry liquor

5. Ormonde Jayne’s Indus (£135 for 50ml) Blackcurrant buds, lychee, nutmeg, a heart of Egyptian geranium and a soul of patchouli and plum

AOURA London Ruby Kiss (£9.99 for 220ml)

body spray gem of bergamot and peach

If anyone mentions St Albans, my mind’s eye is drawn to two images. The first is of an a ernoon out in Verulamium Park circa 1998, my mum pushing her precious granddaughter’s pushchair and my dad walking authoritatively alongside, making sure she doesn’t fall into the lake or get eaten by a duck. The second is of the famous Wa le House. Both are very lovely memories.

There’s a lot more to St Albans than parks and pancakes though. It’s well worth a day trip and is becoming increasingly popular as a place to ‘move out’ to. It’s only a 20-minute drive from Radlett and just over half an hour from Golders Green. Trains from St Albans City Station run frequently and directly to central London, taking under half an hour.

There have been Jewish families living and working in the city from the early 1900s and St Albans is home to two synagogues. The United Synagogue in Oswald Road was consecrated in 1951 and houses the stunning David Hillman stained glass windows. Members wax lyrical about its friendliness and it has community care and social committees, along with a full calendar of events.

St Albans Masorti Synagogue (SAMS) opened in 1990 and describes itself as a “welcoming, open-minded and egalitarian community”. Indeed, its funding model ‘Membershare’ is fabulously inclusive: “We’ll tell you what it costs to run the community per member, per month – you tell us what amount is right for you”.

The market is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays and, when I visited last month, the sun was out along with the punters, the latter contentedly mooching around the stalls and enjoying the variety and quality of their wares. I was instantly drawn to the intoxicating smells of the street food vendors’ produce –would I be taking home a Taste of Brasil (sic), Rolling Burritos or authentic Nepalese cuisine from The Momo Hut? I’d have a walk around and get something on my way home.

The shops and businesses in the town are as eclectic and interesting as the market stalls. At the newly-refurbished Ginger Natural Health on London Road, an air of calm and a faint hint of the eponymous spice gently embraced me as I stepped in o the street. This serene environment feels like sitting in someone’s house and customers are looked a er by experienced therapists who really listen to their clients. The therapies range from osteopathy, pranic healing, massage, reflexology, acupuncture, ear wax microsuction and treatments supporting pregnancy and fertility to aesthetics, such as botox, facials, manicures, pedicures and waxing. There are treatments specifically

designed for men as well as a menopause clinic for women and taster days where clients can come and have a few short sessions. One can buy gi vouchers from Ginger which, incidentally, make a lovely birthday present. (Mine is coming up very soon.)

Italian-born Annalisa Monti met her husband Cristopher at school; they studied at and graduated from Istituto di Moda Burgo in Milan together, moved to England and opened their dressmaking outlet Atelier Ferrari Monti on George Street 10 years ago. Their business, which caters specifically for

women, is a lovingly-managed emporium where one can either choose from the beautiful range of Italian fabrics or bring one’s own material to start the bespoke design process. Annalisa explained that some customers bring their own favourite garment so the shape can be copied. Their creations range from wedding outfits to businesswear and they will even make a pair of classic black trousers for you. Consultations can be made by appointment and, if anyone ever decides to marry either of my two o spring, I will be paying Annalisa a visit. I hope she has strong nerves.

Another very special service in the heart of St Albans is The Bride at 18 George Street. This intimate boutique prides itself on its friendliness, attention to detail and its support of the British bridal industry. It o ers dresses by a range of British bridal designers, including Andrea Hawkes, Sassi Holford, Stephanie Allin, Suzanne Neville and Temperley and the sta spend time with each bride to make sure she has the most memorable, personal and satisfying experience. Since taking over in 2017, Lynsey

ANGIE JACOBS DISCOVERS A HOST OF THINGS TO DO, SEE, BUY AND EAT IN THE BEAUTIFUL CITY JUST OUTSIDE LONDON

St Albans Cathedral

Atelier Ferrari Monti

St Albans city centre

Ginger Natural Health

Photo: KL Creative Photography

Photo: KL Creative Photography

experience. Since taking over in 2017, Lynsey White has made strong connections with the designers so that this relationship can ensure the brides end up with their perfect dress and enjoy the warmth, sincerity and fun of the whole experience.

Also on George street is Wharton Goldsmith, a jewellery shop established in 1947. Following in his father’s footsteps, Christopher Wharton achieved his dream of having his own workshop and thriving business. He and his team are on hand to give advice, show their collections and design bespoke pieces from scratch. Consultations are available over the phone, video or

in person. He o ers a lifetime jewellery cleaning and checking service at no extra cost. Customer service and satisfaction are paramount.

St Albans is a foodie’s paradise. From the award-winning L’Italiana, which has been serving mouthwatering fare since 2007, to Lussmanns, which has been listed in The Sunday Times’ 100 Best Places to Eat, to the refined Thompson, with its outdoor courtyard, you won’t go hungry. Did someone say Lussmans? Giles Coren said that this well-loved restaurant, with branches in Hertford, Harpenden, Hitchin and Berkhamsted, is “everything a modern local restaurant should be” –

and he would tell you if it wasn’t up to scratch. There’s lots of delicious-sounding fish and vegetarian options on their menu and, guess what, they also do vouchers. My husband can’t say that I haven’t given him enough clues this year.

As well as classic, St Albans does quirky. The long queue outside Turkish ice cream shop Darlish (we’re talking chocolate and halva crumble and orange blossom and pistachio flavours) saved me from unneeded calories, but I really would like to go back and do some research there. The co ee Nkora sells eggs, organic chocolate and biodynamic wine. And if that’s not quirky enough for you, have your co ee in St Albans Museum’s courtroom, which

has been lovingly restored into a cafe. If you fancy a film, there’s the art deco Odyssey Cinema, or maybe you want to see a show at The Alban Arena or The Maltings Theatre Drinkers might like a beverage at the town centre’s The Boot or a seriously historic sup at Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, which began as a pigeon coop used by monks; the original structure dates as far back as 793 AD.

St Albans is steeped in history and you only need to walk a few steps away from the shops to find the stunning St Albans Cathedral in Sumpter Yard. A guided tour, of which there are many, will take you around the museum, the art gallery and the clock tower, plus many other fascinating places. If you’re bringing kids, they will love the splash park at Verulamium Park – there’s just so much to do.

All these attractions are within walking distance of the city centre, but my feet were sore and it was time to go home. I popped back to the street food stalls for one last cogitation on what to take back for my supper. Alas, they had sold out and gone home. I’ll just have to come back another time.

gingernaturalhealth.co.uk

ferrarimonti.com

the-bride.co.uk

whartongoldsmith.com

lussmanns.com

St Albans Museum

The Bride

Wharton Goldsmith

Verulamium Park

Lussmanns

Photo: Elyse Marks

Photo by KL Creative Photography

INTERVIEW :: TALKING TO ANDREI LUSSMANN

Please introduce yourself.

I’m Andrei Lussmann, the founder of Lussmanns Sustainable Kitchen restaurant group, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Lussmanns originally started o as a café to the stars, just o Ladbroke Grove in London and we now have five restaurants in Hertfordshire: in St Albans, Harpenden, Hitchin, Hertford and Berkhamsted.

How long has the St Albans restaurant been open, what makes St Albans special?

St Albans was our second restaurant. We opened it in 2005, continuing in the founding belief that we can all enjoy eating sustainably without it costing the earth. St Albans is our blue ribbon restaurant and sits in the ancient and historic Waxhouse Gate –which is a small and beautiful path to St Albans Cathedral in the old quarter of the city centre. Every Lussmanns is unique and St Albans, unlike its siblings, is housed in a modern, light-filled building, which pays homage to the wonders of glass & steel.

What makes the brand sustainable?

Lussmanns is founded on the fundamental belief that it’s possible to be both ethical and profitable. We believe that eating out can have a restorative impact on the planet. Since 2002, we have pioneered sustainable dining – championing local sourcing, promoting organic, high-welfare farming and serving MSC – certified fish. Our restaurants run on green energy, we recycle 100% of all waste and support a wide range of charities. By eating at Lussmanns you are helping us to achieve our next goal of becoming certified carbon neutral and in the words of the Independent on Sunday, to be ‘ethical, delicious and preach-free’. What are your favourite dishes and drinks on the menu?

Personally, I enjoy a Campari Spritz, the freerange chicken schnitzel and the chilli linguine. Are there any particular local businesses you would recommend?

We are spoilt in St Albans, I would recommend Hatch for brunch and Per Tutti for lovely pasta. The gift shop, Raindrops on Roses is just a few doors away from us and donates all profits to ‘Action against Cancer’, definitely worth a visit.

WHERE TO FIND LUSSMANNS

Waxhouse Gate, St Albans, AL3 4EW 01727 648500 or book online at lussmanns.com

LIVE JAZZ

Enjoy live jazz every Wednesday evening in the St Albans restaurant while you dine. Places are limited.

GILES COREN, THE TIMES

LUXURY FOR EVERY CELEBRATION

Warm, friendly and intimate atmosphere | In 12 acres of beautiful grounds just outside London

Selection of premium Kosher caterers | Large and flexible function suites for up to 380 guests

Ideal for family milestones, bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings, birthdays and anniversaries

+44 (0) 1727 750466

TO BOOK A PRIVATE TOUR

www.sopwellhouse.co.uk events@sopwellhouse.co.uk

Cottonmill Lane St. Albans Hertfordshire AL1 2HQ

PLANNING A FUNCTION? WHERE DO YOU START?

HERE ARE A FEW IDEAS TO ENSURE A SMOOTH WALK DOWN THE AISLE

He asks, she says yes, Mum and Dad start panicking. There’s a good chance that when your adult children get engaged you haven’t made a largescale event since their bar or batmitzvah – and now there’s a whole other family to contend with, not to mention the wishes of the young couple, writes Louisa Walters.

The very best place to start is by hiring an event planner. Events by Knight has bags of experience in organising and managing events from concept to completion, specialising in lavish design, production and entertainment.

Founder Kwame Knight works alongside you to bring to life your dreams and ideas, and those of the newly-engaged couple. The aim is to remove the stress and deliver the ‘wow’ factor with every

element chosen specifically to your brief.

One of Kwame’s specialities is the transformation of spaces, so if you’re going with a blank canvas venue, such as Avenue at Henlys Corner, this could be the perfect marriage before the kids have even said ‘I do’. Situated at the heart of north London, Avenue is perfectly placed to cater for the Jewish community. Standing behind a bank of olive trees, which are a statement of Avenue’s

modus operandi of promoting peace and cementing families and friendships, it o ers a highly flexible function space, seating 250 people with parking on-site and state-ofthe-art lighting and technology. Avenue has developed great working relationships with kosher caterers and many well-known event suppliers. The venue is in the process of applying for a wedding licence, so you’ll soon be able to have a chuppah on-site too.

If you envisage the special day playing out away from London but not too far, South Farm in Royston is on the Cambridgeshire/ Hertfordshire borders. Expansive grounds and idyllic gardens encircle a fine collection of historic timber-framed barns and a beautiful Grade II-listed farmhouse. Exclusively yours for the duration of your special day, South Farm has a choice of reception and ceremony options and the house leads onto the lawns and sunset terrace with views over the orchards, wild flower meadows and paddocks beyond. Using South Farm’s own home-grown organic produce, a talented team of chefs cater in-house to a very high standard, o ering non-o ensive or kosher-friendly menus under rabbinic guidance.

South Farm in Royston

Avenue at Henlys Corner

Fairmont Windsor Park

Events by Knight

WEDDINGS

Fairmont Windsor Park is a grand country estate hotel set in 40 acres of open green space featuring a tranquil lake – a stunning environment in which to be and to be photographed. There is a range of sumptuous reception rooms and a beautiful lawn, which is the perfect setting for a chuppah if the weather is kind. More than 250 stunning bedrooms and lavish suites are available to any wedding guests who choose to stay and you can really make a weekend of it, with a world-class spa, indoor and outdoor pools and health and beauty experiences.

Pendley Manor in Tring is a newly-refurbished 84-bedroom country manor, steeped in history, surrounded by 35 acres of beautiful landscape and wooded parkland where peacocks roam freely. Within this delightful

Metropolitan in Bushey has a range of event spaces, including a newly-refurbished ballroom that caters for 250 guests and has a separate room for drinks receptions. All rooms have built-in sound and lighting, so your DJs can turn up with their decks and plug straight

its location adjacent to – and views of – the property’s rose garden. One of the largest function venues in the UK, this luxurious space can accommodate from 150 up to 600 guests. It has wooden floors, high ceilings, crystal chandeliers and plenty of natural light – all in all, it is a dream setting for a dreamy wedding.

A little closer to home,

stylish alternative to a boxy white

to be dressed to impress, but

also hire furniture, a dance floor

36 acres of open outdoor space allowing for an al fresco drinks reception and beautiful photo opportunities and you can also put up a marquee if you prefer. Stretch tents are the on-trend stylish alternative to a boxy white marquee and, although they have sexy curves, they can be joined to a building. Don’t worry about small trees, ponds, flower beds and even the odd swimming pool Alternative Stretch Tents will always find a way to rig a tent (although there are, of course, some limitations). A stretch tent speaks for itself and does not necessarily need

to be dressed to impress, but heating, sides and doors can be added and the company can also hire furniture, a dance floor and even lighting. However, as lighting is a key element of any function, creating a warm, romantic ambience when needed, a fun party atmosphere later on and overall special e ects, you need to choose carefully.

and even the odd swimming pool –will always find a way to rig course, some limitations).

company that provides stages,

Just Smile is an independent production company that provides stages, lighting, backdrops, dance floors, special e ects, aisle runners and sound systems. Just Smile can also provide video for big functions, with the option of a video DJ booth or video wall.

And now for the fun stu . GO 360 has a range of high-end 360 video booths that are a great way to add interactive fun to any event. This dedicated team has years of insight in the events industry and loves bringing the ‘wow’ factor to parties as they create one-of-akind moments, drawing people in and producing special memories instantly available to keep on devices. The video booths create and capture

GO 360

This dedicated team has events industry bringing the parties as they drawing people special memories to keep on video booths

crisp, vibrant films that provide guests with a lovely keepsake. A er all the time and energy spent creating a dream event, what a great way to capture the fun forever.

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Pendley Manor in Tring

Metropolitan in Bushey

haven is the new Rose Garden

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in. There are

Stretch Tents

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– but not any more CHEAP AS CHIPS

Louisa Walters, founder of The Restaurant Club, finds that it’s not only diners having to tighten their belts

LET’S BE HONEST –eating out is a luxury. But the same inflation that has made your food and energy bills increase dramatically has sent menu prices soaring, making even meeting a friend for co ee something many of us now have to think carefully about. And yet recent research shows that 40 per cent of us eat out every week, while many members of my Facebook group The Restaurant Club eat out even more frequently than that.

Simon Wood, the MasterChef winner who pipped our very own Emma Spitzer to the post in 2015, runs WOOD restaurant in Manchester. He told The Times recently that “the oil in my fryer is more expensive than unleaded Shell”.

Recently, a member of The Restaurant Club posted on the group to say a café in Mill Hill charged her for butter and jam to accompany her toast. Another said that a local café charged for hot water refills when serving a pot of tea. Yet another was appalled to see a charge on her bill of £2 for parmesan grated over her pasta dish. A few weeks ago a customer at WOOD was charged £2.50 for butter and her complaint on social media went viral. However, Simon vehemently defends his stance:

“Food is not free, labour is not free, dishwashers are not free, butter is not free.” Indeed, at the beginning of this year he was buying 25 packs of butter for £36 – now he pays £84. There are restaurants where you can still have a treat night out and sometimes you find the rarest of gems in the unlikeliest of places.

Family-run Rara’s Corner in Edgware ticks all the boxes of what I call a ‘good local Italian’, with fresh

summer is a superfood salad with chicken/salmon or grilled halloumi for just £14.50, while desserts are around the £7 mark and include a deliciously sweet-and-sharp passion fruit mousse and an authentic tiramisu.

Also in Edgware is the wellestablished Turkish restaurant Izgara, and with starters from around £7 and mains from around £18, this is another keenly-

pasta with creamy mushrooms (£11), and excellent co ee. It’s open on Sunday evenings too. With bifold front doors, this is a great summer option and you’ll be supporting a superb social enterprise initiative at the same time.

pasta, pizza cooked in a proper pizza oven, a range of non-carb dishes, decent wines and a cosy, rustic interior.

I started with arancini at £4.50, and then had poussin marinated in lemon, garlic and herbs at £16.50 (cue memories of the long-gone and much-missed La Sorpresa in Hampstead, whose signature dish this was). Slightly crispy, wonderfully tasty skin, under which lay beautifully tender and succulent chicken, and it comes with piping hot fries. New for

priced option.

The muchloved awardwinning Melissa in Canon’s Park has always been tremendous value for money for really fresh, tasty grilled food and it has opened a second branch in Harrow.

In Golders Green, Head Room café by Jami has expanded into the unit next door, doubling the chances of getting a table for all-day brunch, with dishes from £5, superb

At The Plough in Sleapshyde, owner Rob Laub has invested hugely in a refurb and a spectacular garden, plus some seriously highlevel expertise in the kitchen. These things don’t come cheap, but Rob is doing his best to mitigate the increases. Summer Sundays in the garden come with live music and food cooked in the outdoor kitchen. If you want to keep costs down, go for the burger at £18 or share the spatchcock chicken, which is £40 but for two people. “One of the biggest challenges we have faced is the uncertainty – not just of price but of availability,” says Rob. “We have seen the price of ingredients rise by over four times at points in the past year. Luckily, ours is a business that can change dishes and items at will but, for nonindependents that are locked into menus, the challenge must be enormous.”

Shiri Kraus and Amir Battito, who own the popular Middle Eastern steakhouse restaurant The Black Cow in Hawley Wharf, Camden, have just opened a second restaurant, Epicurus, in The Stables. This is a Middle Eastern twist on the American diner, where you can feast on food with oodles of flavour at

reasonably low prices. The signature burger, a meal in itself, is just £11.50 while Sloppy Yosef – a Tel Aviv-style sloppy Joe with burek pastry and beef – will set you back £13. Chicken shawarma pancakes with harissa jam and spiced quince are £12 and wings with amba mango and Scotch bonnet are £10. Finish with Messy-bamba, an ice cream, praline brownie, chocolate caramel sauce and peanut bamba concoction (£8) and you’ll have a terrific meal for just over £50.

Shiri says it’s becoming more of a challenge to keep prices low. “Vegetable prices have increased by at least one and half times, oil has more than doubled, meat has gone up by 75 percent. We do everything we can to not let that a ect our clientele – we cut back on wastage and shop around for the best suppliers, but because the price rises are so high, we are le with little option but to pass on a small part of that increase.”

You could be forgiven for staying in and not spending the money. But if we don’t support our local restaurants then they won’t be there when we do want to treat ourselves.

To join The Restaurant Club, go to facebook.com/therestclub

loved award- locked into

and Amir Battito, own

Middle Eastern steakhouse

Epicurus’ shawarma pancakes

Arancini at Rara’s Corner in Edgware

Rara’s Corner o ers Italian meals at reasonable prices

Head Room serves an all-day brunch

THE ISRAELI

LAMB AND BEEF MINCE KEBABS WITH BURNT AUBERGINE

Here I’m using a mix of lamb and beef for a more subtly flavoured kebab, allowing the other flavours that are present to shine through. The burnt aubergine is completely incorporated into the meat mixture – you might not even be able to see it – but the smoky flavours are there. Because the kebabs can be fragile, letting them rest in the refrigerator before cooking will help them firm up and hold together. You might be surprised by the di erence the aubergine makes here – it adds an incredible flavour.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium aubergine

350 g (12 oz) coarsely minced beef

150 g (5½ oz) coarsely minced lamb

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

¾ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To serve

Classic tahini or shop-bought Chopped salad

ISRAELI CHEF Oded Oren has always been influenced by the food culture of his home city of Tel Aviv. A er attending culinary school in Israel and working in restaurants there, in Paris and in London, he opened Oren, a restaurant-bar in Dalston in 2019, from where he has been serving Mediterranean-inspired sharing plates from a charcoal grill and low-intervention wines from small growers. Earlier this year, he and his team opened a delicatessen in London Fields.

Oded’s debut cookbook, Oren, was published last year and celebrates Tel Aviv through straightforward recipes that prioritise simple and seasonal ingredients. “I hope these recipes will inspire you and that you too will find a way to connect with others through sharing the joy of simple, fresh, delicious food,” he writes.

GRILLED HISPI CABBAGE AND ROMESCO

This is one of the most popular dishes in the restaurant, and we’ve been serving it from day one, whenever hispi cabbages are in season. People favour it over meat and fish dishes as it’s got so much interest and flavour. Hispi has a sweeter taste, and it doesn’t take long to cook. We cook this over a charcoal grill, and it’s important to go to this e ort in order to get the best results.

INGREDIENTS

1 hispi cabbage

Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

500ml (17 fl oz/generous 2 cups) vegetable stock

For the romesco

300g (10½ oz) romano peppers

35g (1¼ oz) confit garlic

30g (1 oz) toasted blanched almonds

25ml (3/4 fl oz) olive oil

5g (1/4 fl oz) salt

Pinch of sweet and smoked paprika

Pinch of crushed black pepper

2 teaspoons Jerez (sherry) vinegar

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas 6) and prepare a charcoal grill. To make the romesco, start by roasting the peppers over an open flame (either on the hob or barbecue) until they are burnt all over. Leave them to cool slightly, before peeling them by hand and deseeding them. Then place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to a semi-coarse consistency. Set aside. Cut the hispi in half lengthwise. Season with salt and pepper and place cut-side down in a roasting tray. Pour in the vegetable stock and roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes, until just so . Remove from the stock, which can now be discarded, and let drain. Grill over charcoal for 5–7 minutes until blackened all over. Serve with a dollop of romesco on top.

Burn the aubergine over an open flame (either directly on the hob or on a barbecue) on all sides until it is completely scorched on the outside and so on the inside. This process takes about 10 minutes. Transfer the aubergines to a tray to cool slightly until you can handle them (the aubergines shouldn’t cool down completely as then they’ll be harder to peel). Peel o the charred skin, cut o the stems and place into a sieve until most of the liquid has drained away. Then chop into large chunks. Place the aubergine in a bowl with the minced beef and lamb, and the garlic, season with salt and pepper and mix until combined, then form cylinder-shaped kebabs (about 50–60g/1¾–2¼ oz each). Place the kebabs on a tray and store in the refrigerator for at least three hours until they become firm. Remove the kebabs from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking. They are best cooked over a hot charcoal grill but can also be cooked in a hot griddle pan. Cook for four to five minutes, turning a couple of times, until they are browned on the outside and hot through, but still pink in the middle. Serve with tahini, chopped salad and steamed basmati rice.

RAW COURGETTE SALAD WITH MINT, BASIL AND TOASTED ALMONDS

I actually prefer courgette raw rather than cooked and this salad is a great way to try it this way if you haven’t before. Choose a lighter green courgette rather than one of the very dark ones: it will macerate beautifully in the dressing. Slicing the courgette thinly is important here, but don’t go too thin, as you want to retain a bit of bite. Herby, fresh flavours are exactly what courgette needs, so the mint and basil make the perfect pairing, while the toasted almonds add a delicious crunch.

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

1 large yellow courgette, trimmed

1 large green courgette, trimmed

30g (1 oz) basil leaves, chopped and stems discarded

30g (1 oz) mint leaves, chopped and stems discarded

20ml (¾ fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

50g (1¾ oz) flaked almonds, toasted

Slice the courgettes into 1 mm-thick strips using a mandoline. Place in a bowl with the herbs, olive oil, lemon juice and almonds, and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently with your hands so that you don’t break the courgette strips. Serve immediately.

SERVES 4 as a side or starter

MAKES ABOUT 10

Oren by Oded Oren is published by Hardie Grant, £26. Photography © Issy Croker

An Israeli chef is making his mark on the east London culinary scene through food that is simple, bold, ingredients-focused and fresh.

Stay Calm and Drink Kosher Wine

AMANDA SHELBY EXPLAINS HOW TO NAVIGATE A WINE LIST

We’ve all been there – in a restaurant, in a pub or out with clients. You are all settled, relaxed and then someone hands you the wine list. Don’t panic! Understanding a few key terms will help to make navigating it a bit easier.

VINTAGE

This is the year printed on the bottle of wine. Quite simply, this is the year the grapes for the wine were picked or harvested. The majority of wines are made to be drunk young, within one to two years of production. If you’re looking for a wine with a bit of age and more developed flavours, try the 2018 Tura Shiraz from the Judean Hills. Aged for 22 months in new French oak barrels, this is a really well-balanced wine with notes of stewed plums, blackberries, vanilla and a hint of pepper. Available from The Grapevine for £39.99 and worth every penny.

TANNINS

In red wines, tannins are the drying sensations you will feel on your tongue when drinking them. They are bitter chemical compounds that come from the skin, seeds and stems of the grapes. You need tannins in red wines because they help to balance the overall wine and give ageing potential. Wines high in tannins pair well with rich, fatty foods, so think salt beef paired with a Black Tulip wine from the Galilee. A fusion of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this Bordeaux blend is full-bodied and high in tannins, which goes hand in hand with the rich flavours of black cherries and dark chocolate. Available from a range of stockists, including Hedonism and kosherwine. co.uk, RRP £55.

Think about whether you like your wines bold or more subtle; a lot of this can be attributed to the body of the wine. Plainly speaking, the body of the wine is how heavy it feels in your mouth. So a white wine like a Chablis would be described as a lightbodied wine, whereas a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is considered full-bodied. Body is directly related to alcohol, so if you want a lighter-alcohol wine, go for a lighter-bodied version and vice versa.

If you are having sushi this evening, my suggestion would be to pair it with Rambam Prosecco, £16.99 from The Grapevine. The fresh flavours of stone fruit with a lighter body makes the perfect pairing for the salty flavours of the fish.

You know when you have salt and vinegar crisps and your mouth goes wild? That’s acidity. The same sensation occurs with wines with high acidity. Acid in wine helps to balance it and makes it ideal to complement strong-flavoured 2021 O’Dwyers Creek Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with falafel and humous. The tropical fruit and grassy notes in the wine balance out the searing acidity you would expect from a wine from this region and this will go perfectly with the garlic and spices of the dish. Available for £19.99 from Kosher Kingdom and The Grapevine. For milder acidity, try Roubine la Vie en Rose from Provence, which tastes of summer cherries, strawberries and peaches with a touch of orange. And the bottle design is beautiful. £19.99 from B Kosher.

If you like your wines to have nuances of vanilla and caramel, look for wines that are oaky. This means they have been aged for some time in oak barrels and the aromas from the wood impart into the wine, adding to its flavour and colour. A

great one to try is Cantina Giuliano Costa Toscana IGT. A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot grapes and made in Tuscany, Italy, it has been aged for 18 months in new French oak. As well as the delicious cherry and spice flavours, it also has elegant caramel and vanilla aromas from the barrels. Available from a range of stockists, including kosherwinecellar. co.uk and Amazon, RRP £22.99.

GRAPE VARIETIES/REGIONS

We’ve all heard of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and you might have heard of Rioja or Burgundy so, if in doubt, look for these names. Love a good Champagne but don’t want to break the bank each time? Try a Cava or a Crémant wine, which are made using the same method as Champagne but at a fraction of the price. Or even try No 7 Baglietti Brut Rosé, available for £18.99 from Hadar Edgware. With creamy notes of peach and apples, balanced by a fine acidity, this is a sparkling wine that is likely to please everyone around the table.

• For more wine tips and advice, follow Amanda on Instagram: @drinkwithmeuk

• Taste a wide range of kosher wines at the Kosher Food and Wine Experience at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane on 11 July. Tickets from kfwelondon.com

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UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

The collective craving for dogs during the pandemic means many in the community are now parents of furry two-tothree-year-olds. Adorable still, these four-legged toddlers are really 24 years of age, as the first year of a dog’s life is roughly equal to 15 years of a human’s life. Ageing nine years in their second year, then four to five every human year a er that, a dog moves faster towards mid-life, then senior citizenship, than we would want.

In those passing years, our love for pets grows in a way it rarely does for people and, for the dog, it’s mutual. Who else runs to the door as you walk through it or comes whenever you call? Certainly not your children, who stop answering to their names once they hit double digits and then resist cuddles or staying in the same room. Dumbledore never le the room if we were in it. Our Tibetan Terrier named by the Harry Potter fan husband, liked to stay close and, preferably, on the sofa. A good-natured gentleman who only barked at the doorbell, he visibly regretted the holes he dug in the lawn. Frequently the mutt mascot for Jewish News, he appeared in a kippah, on the travel pages and modelled knitwear even if the fit was tight.

Terrier named by the Frequently fit was tight.

Coping without your bestie

We’re better at understanding mental health and grief, yet the devastating pain of losing pets has only recently been acknowledged. “A bereaved pet owner may feel broken and numb, mourning the loss of a companion, a regular routine and missing their sheer physical presence,” explains pet bereavement counsellor Jackie Forrest. “If they have euthanised their pet, they may also feel terrible guilt and I’ve seen owners su ering with insomnia, fatigue, nausea and aching muscles or turn to alcohol or drugs to numb the pain.”

A pet bereavement counsellor can fill the gap between a psychotherapist and simply talking to friends or family. “The counsellor guides you on the road to fixing yourself,” says Jackie, who has created mypetgriefcounsellor.co.uk, a space for grieving pet lovers to voice and explore their feelings without judgement and work towards recovery. (Louisa Walters)

Whisper Woof

soup,

he was reluctant to check out. “Let him stay one more night,” she wished and sensed she was gone, reacting to any mention of her name. On

with Albus, the dog we bought in 2021. We worried Dumble would but, playing

To my mother, Dumble was another grandchild, awarded the five-star treatment whenever he stayed. Chicken soup, with his own spot beside her on the couch, when collection time came, he was reluctant to check out. “Let him stay one more night,” she would say, and he o en did, but when my mother died in June 2021, I wished I’d let him stay more. He loved her as he loved us and sensed she was gone, reacting to any mention of her name. On 3 January we lost him too. Almost 13, he had spent the past two years with Albus, the dog we bought in 2021. We worried Dumble would be bothered by and jealous of the junior Tibetan but, instead, he became a pup again, playing with a little bro who never le his side.

So my advice to anyone planning to get a second dog is to leave a gap, as the pup’s lively presence will invigorate the elder and, rather than replace, will ease the anguish of inevitable departure. The death of a pet may not equate with the loss of a human, but try telling that to your heart. (Brigit

Grant)

Pets & Prizes

Feeling competitive on behalf of your canine? Then head to Windsor Championship Dog Show (29 June – 2 July) when dogs from all over the UK and from overseas will take part in the largest event of its kind in the south of England.

With Windsor Castle as a backdrop and a ‘garden party’ atmosphere, there is a special category for terriers and toys, as it’s unlikely you’ll be entering the Gundog Group.

It’s £7 to enter (for your ‘spectator’ dog – owners go free) windsor.gov.uk

The Sunday Times recently went to the dogs – to learn about trainers who earn up to £1,000 per session because British pet owners now spend millions on their animals. Yoga animal instructors such as Aysha Bell, who also hosts fancy dress discos for dogs, has clients willing to spend as much as £20,000 on a single event. Closer to home, Mill Hill’s dog whisperer, Tracie Elmaleh of Waggingtons, has a growing clientele of pop stars, DJs and comedians (she won’t name names), who love the cosy home environment that makes their dog feel at ease. Caring for London’s dogs for more than 18 years, once Tracie gets to know yours, she will highlight any issues and work on correcting and guiding behaviour using positive methods. With boarding and day care also available, it’s best to book well in advance as clients tend to shout about this whisperer once they find her. waggingtons.co.uk/ 020 8906 4905

Bark Up & Eat

Archie (pictured below with his face in cup) hosts fourleggedfoodies.com and his recommendations for London hound haunts are reliable. So visit Nika café on Barnet’s Hadley High Street as there’s a pet store and it’s air-conditioned, which helps if you’re always in a coat. Archie also mentions Megan’s in Islington – it used to be London’s main sorting o ice – that has a great outdoor area and dogs get their own beds, water and treats. We like Romeo & Juliet’s, in the heart of Hampstead Garden Suburb, because it’s at the luxury end of dog friendly cafés... for owners!

(Louisa Walters)

Romeo & Juliet’s cafe

Megan’s

No matter where you go in Costa Rica, pura vida is the motto. It’s a celebration of optimism, happiness and living life to the full. Origins Lodge epitomises this joyful phrase.

Tucked away in 111 acres of jungle, just two hours from both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, it has stunning 180-degree views over to Lake Nicaragua. Origins is the perfect place to take a beat and marvel at nature, while relaxing in one of just seven luxurious private lodges. A er a wild wedding, you will welcome waking up in a stunning round wooden

REVELATIONS

lodge to the sounds of exotic birds, before stepping in to a private wood-fired hot tub overlooking the jungle and listening to the guttural calls of howler monkeys in the valley below. How about walking to breakfast past the hummingbirds to be

met with an exhibition of mouth-watering fruits, many of which are whipped into delectable jams and coulis served with granola?

Origins grows its organic produce onsite, and with 60 percent of its menu harvested from its own back yard, chefs combine the flavours of Costa Rica with French gastronomy for a truly unique and delicious experience. To wander through the evocative scent of the ylang ylang trees a er sunset and then sit down for a fivecourse fine dining experience was a real ‘wow’, and we were continually delighted by the creativity of the Michelin-trained chefs, who will create kosher, vegan and gluten-free menus on request. Anglers can even pluck their dinner directly from the estate’s lagoon and the culinary experts will transform the catch into exquisite ceviche.

Being situated above the canopy of the rainforest, the climate at Origins is the perfect combination of tropical and fresh. I recommend a hike to a waterfall with one of the hotel’s wonderful guides, as the expertise on local flora and fauna allows for fruit-tasting straight from the tree. Returning on horseback, we took in the scenery feeling like we were in a Western, although another highlight was a night tour with a skilled guide, who revealed

countless species of frogs, including the picture-perfect red-eye tree frog.

For those looking for more adventure, Origins is conveniently close to the stunning turquoise waters of Rio Celeste where private kayaking, paddle boarding and white water ra ing can be arranged.

A sanctuary of wellness, with its holistic spa and yoga studio overlooking the rainforest, Origins has won sustainability awards: the showers are powered by solar energy, sta plant roughly 500 trees and the furniture is built using trees that have

Rachael Horner & Michael Gold road test a Central American honeymoon and the potential for family fun in the future

Origins hotel o ers luxury living in nature

The lodges provide 180° views over the estate, the volcanoes and Nicaragua Lake Rachael and Michael on a nature hike

Origins showcases French gastronomy

naturally fallen. Our lodge even came with a tiny beehive of Melipona, the cutest and tiniest bees you could imagine – the owners not wanting to disturb the nest. But we had no need for a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign at Origins because you never are. It’s perfect ‘pura vida’.

and a luxury spa. The whole family will feel like A-listers from the second they walk the hotel’s red carpet (yes, literally) on arrival.

as it's all inclusive. Need a lie down after lying down? A massage at the idyllic spa left us almost hovering above the ground, which was all the prep required before the pool party madness began, with a parade of characters from Deadpool, Black Widow and Indiana Jones and most of the staff doing an energetic dance routine.

THIS JAW-DROPPINGLY BEAUTIFUL little Latin American country couldn't be a more perfect destination for family holidays. It’s safe to travel with children, incredibly friendly and every kind of activity imaginable is on offer. There’s snorkelling, surfing and scuba diving for water babies; zip-wires, volcano hikes and white water rafting for thrill-seekers; and enough sloths, spider monkeys and crocodiles to excite your little Attenboroughs. That all of this is available while staying at a stunning all-inclusive resort is the big attraction of Planet Hollywood, which has cabana-lined pools, evening entertainment, kids' clubs

Greeted, Martini glasses in hand, by possibly the jolliest staff you’ll ever encounter, we were led to a beautiful suite overlooking the bay with a chocolate sculpture of the resort in edible typography for a gift. We were soon bobbing about with piña coladas at the swim-up bar, before being served an actual 'ship' of sushi alongside bespoke cocktails in the sublime Japanese restaurant later that evening. This is just one of eight movie-themed restaurants on site and you should try them all while enjoying a feast of entertainment, as we did.

Singing, dancing, acrobatics and fire – it’s all going on, and if show tunes and movie soundtracks don’t float your boat, there’s live jazz, film screenings, themed nights and even karaoke. Let’s just say you won’t be stuck for something to do, not that we did as day two was spent lazing in a private cabana with Bloody Marys on tap

Meanwhile, foam, inflatable toys and excited children and adults filled the pool. A brief moment of bewilderment, then we gave in to the chaos of it all and joined the other guests volleying giant inflatable balls. Our inner children were very much out. Planet Hollywood really is the dream family spot with movie-themed kids clubs, pools, tournaments and a plethora of day trips, be it seeking out sloths in a nearby national park or kayak waterfalls. Hanging out with the cheeky capuchin monkeys at the beach is a must and guests who require kosher meals can be accommodated. No obvious link to the monkeys there, as they have no dietary requirements.

Costa Rica Planet Hollywood where you can – in their words – vacation like a star. Resort stays start from £215 per person per night in a luxury suite on an all-inclusive basis. Planethollywoodhotels.com/resorts/ costarica

Water sports are available for the thrill-seeker

Origins Lodges from £731 per night (based on double occupancy). Breakfast and on-site activities included, two-night minimum stay (not suitable for children aged under six). originslodge.com

Capuchin monkeys hang out at the beach

The Producer Suite at Planet Hollywood

Planet Hollywood Costa Rica

The terrace at Planet Hollywood

How Jews made BARBADOS

sweet

Here all is serene e iciency, a top-to-toe colour scheme of sugared-almond pink and white, suites rather than rooms, and the prettiest of gardens. Lit by torches in the evening, winding paths weave their way through dense foliage. And then you make your way to the dining area, where calm and smiling sta (also in pink and white uniforms) seat you for breakfast and approve of your utter joy as you take in the view.

There’s no denying that it’s a long old flight from London to the Caribbean island of Barbados. But the travel woes – if you have any – are instantly forgotten if you have the good fortune to unwind in the understated luxury of Cobbler’s Cove, a boutique hotel on the west side of the island.

And wow, what a view: just nothing, except miles of placid sea, occasionally broken by an early morning swimmer making their way out to a moored pontoon, or a fishing vessel bumping gently in the distance. Even writing about it sends me into a palm-fronded reverie, imagining myself once more under the umbrellas, or taking a soothing dip in the small but perfectly-formed pool.

But I digress. The truth is that I could easily have spent days and days at Cobbler’s

Cove, drinking in the sunsets and enjoying the oh-so- English a ernoon teas, but there was another reason I had come to Barbados, other than to loll about. The island has a tale to tell, and it’s a remarkable one: the story of how 17th century Jewish settlers transformed the fortunes of the island, making the existing sugar plantation owners rich and prosperous, meaning that today many of the current population can point to a descent from Sephardi Jews.

The first Westerners to take over the island were the Portuguese, who dropped in, en route to Brazil, in the early 17th century. The fig trees, which grew all over the island, led to explorer Pedro à Campos naming the place Los Barbados, or ‘bearded ones’, which is what he thought the fig trees looked like. In view of the future Jewish settlers, however, perhaps ‘bearded ones’ had a di erent significance.

The first English ship reached the island on 14 May 1625, under the command of Captain John Powell, and so Barbados was claimed on behalf of King James I. Two years later, on 17 February 1627, Captain Henry Powell (yes, a di erent captain) landed with a party of 80 settlers and 10 slaves to occupy and settle the island.

And, only a year a er Henry Powell’s appearance, the Jews arrived. Around 300 of them came from Recife, in Brazil, where they had escaped from the Portuguese Inquisition – and, of course, many of those Jews had fled Spain, which had begun its own Inquisition in the previous century.

At the time of this first arrival, Recife was under Dutch rule and the Jews were granted permission by the Dutch to settle in Barbados. Nearly 30 years later, however, the Portuguese were back in Brazil.

The Inquisition was by no means over and so more Recife Jews le again, first to Amsterdam and then to London, where they sought – and were successful in getting

a green light from none other than Oliver Cromwell to settle in Barbados.

The attraction was easy to explain: there was already a small community of Jews on the island, and Cromwell, who had his own quarrels with the Portuguese, was happy to allow in the Jews to bolster the economic profile of Barbados.

But as present-day Barbados resident Neal Rechtman explained, at a time when everyone wanted a piece of the action, the Recife Jews were making plans to leave. Among them was Abraham de Mercado, who arrived in Barbados in 1654, with a letter of safe passage from Cromwell — obtained through the Amsterdam Jewish community, which had been lending money to Cromwell when he was pursuing wars against the Portuguese and the Spanish.

It was Abraham’s son, David Rafael de Mercado – who is buried in the Barbados Jewish community’s cemetery – who transformed the fortunes of the Jews and the island, says Rechtman.

“He invented a mechanism to be placed inside a Dutch windmill, which turned it into a sugar factory.”

Sugar cane was grown all over the island, but crushing it was a laborious process – until the Jews arrived with the 17th century equivalent of a souped-up racing car. Cromwell was aware they could have taken their sugar windmills to other Dutch colonies such as Surinam or Curaçao – but

WHILE DISCOVERING THE BEAUTY OF THE CARIBBEAN ISLAND, JENNI FRAZER ALSO LEARNT ABOUT OUR INTEGRAL ROLE IN ITS SUCCESS

Cobblers Cove

Mount Gay distillery

TRAVEL

he wanted to compete in the sugar trade and encouraged the Jews to go to the British-ruled island.

The Jews had also invented new ways of planting sugar cane so that it grew quicker. Soon, every plantation in Barbados had its own windmill. The by-product, molasses, became the foundation of the rum industry, spearheaded today by the Mount Gay distillery and the product for which Barbados is known internationally. Rum fans should visit Mount Gay, where lavish sampling takes place – but get someone else to drive.

You might think, given their superiority in the sugar trade, that Jews would have become powerful plantation owners, too. But a law passed in 1688 prohibited Jews from owning more than three acres of land and, crucially, from having more than three slaves. So while such a law may have been restrictive for the 17th century Jews, today we can relax, because they were not slave owners in the same way as the British settlers.

At one point, according to Dawn Lisa, one of the delightful Characters of Town tour guides on the island – complete with 17th century costume – Jews had to present “an annual Jewish Pie – filled with gold and covered in pastry” to the island’s governing authorities. This was a kind of local tax for Jews, she tells me, adding that Barbadian Jews, whose population reached a maximum of around 800 in the 18th and 19th century, had an odd relationship with the rest of the society. They looked

different, but at the same time they were marrying into the local population, in order to assimilate rather than integrate.

Just the same, it is fascinating to walk through the rumbustious Swan Street in Bridgetown, which from the 17th century was known as ‘Jew Street’ as 90 per cent of the businesses were Jewish-owned. Today, in contrast, most are Muslim. (If you are looking for Barbados souvenirs, scoop up a few packets of fresh spices at one of the stalls.)

Glimpses of the rich life of Jews in Barbados can be seen mainly in two places today – the island’s state archives, housed in a former leper hospital, and the beautiful Jewish museum in the Synagogue Historic District in the capital, Bridgetown. The state archives, as the staff are the first to admit, are not in the best condition. Urgent work is taking place to digitise the

ancient, crumbling documents, but it’s an uphill task.

The Jewish museum opened in 2020, funded by five wealthy families with links to Barbados. Next door is the oldest working synagogue in the Caribbean, the Nidhe Israel, now affiliated to the American Conservative movement, and offering regular Friday night services. Its community is about 50 people, without a rabbi. King Charles saw it for himself when he visited in 2019.

Near the cemetery with its tumbledown headstones, there is a mikveh – only discovered during an archaeological search for the rabbi’s house, Rechtman reports. It is kosher and due to be used for a conversion taking place in June. There is, inevitably, Chabad on Barbados, headed by Eli Chaikin, but it and Nidhe Israel don’t have much to do with each other.

Once Sephardi, today’s community is primarily Ashkenazi and descendants of the Jews who fled for sanctuary when the Second World War broke out. That this community thrives on destination weddings and barmitzvahs is no surprise. It’s possible to eat your own weight in the island’s best- known fish, mahi-mahi, which is kosher and widely available. There are

some stunning restaurants, including the gorgeous Death In Paradise-style beach diner, La Cabane, where you can walk straight from your table into the sea –perhaps sipping on a custom-made cocktail or even a rum special like the Barbadians do. Everywhere, incidentally, now does vegetarian food and some places even have vegan menus.

And finally, no trip to any Caribbean island would be complete without getting on a boat. Cool Runnings Catamarans in Bridgetown has big catamarans that zip out into the bay and moor in the truly turquoise waters so you can snorkel and catch a glimpse of the turtles. This being Barbados, there is plenty to eat and drink on board. Stick to rum, mahi-mahi and lashings of sun cream and you’ll wonder why you didn’t come here sooner.

FACTBOX

Barbados Synagogue and Historic District www.synagoguehistoricdistrict.com/synagogue-history

Tel: +1-246-435-8146, email: bjc@jewishbarbados.org

High season for visiting Barbados – the sunniest and driest part of the year is from December to April, which is Barbados’ high season. During this time, temperatures reach a maximum of 29-30°C on average.

Cobblers Cove

Rates at Cobblers Cove start from $420 (currently £307) per room per night on a B&B basis. www.cobblerscove.com

Cool Runnings www.coolrunningsbarbados.com

Mount Gay rum tour www.mountgayrum.com/tour-mount-gay

Dawn Lisa is one of the historic tour guides in Bridgetown Swan Street in Bridgetown was once known as Jew Street

King Charles at the Nidhe

Nidhe Israel Synagogue

A Cool Runnings catamaran

Congregation at Nidhe Israel Synagogue

Israel Synagogue, Bridgetown

I’ve o en wondered whether people with holiday homes ever go to hotels as well. Liz and Phil Biden took this one stage further – they turned their holiday homes in South Africa into hotels. Many boutique hotels market themselves as ‘a home away from home’, but these ones actually are. From the cut-glass decanters of whisky and sherry on the sideboard in the lounge from which to help yourself, to the doors of unused rooms being le open so you can wander in, to the dining room only being available to residents, you very much get the sense of being hosted by the Bidens.

Birkenhead House is their 11-bedroom beach house in Hermanus, a seaside town just over an hour’s drive from Cape Town. Famous as a destination for whale watching, it’s a bijou town with pretty shops and casual restaurants, but arguably its most notable attraction is the spectacular cli op walk along the coastline. There are just under 50 Jewish residents, but when the holiday homeowners are in town for the chagim, the numbers swell to 350. There has been a synagogue in the town since 1930, but it fell into disrepair and a new building was consecrated in 2008.

A er touring Johannesburg and doing safari, we were ready to sink onto a sun lounger and do nothing. The supreme levels of comfort, the ‘can’t do enough for you’ sta and the ever-present possibility of seeing a whale meant that our needs were catered for with no chance of getting bored. Liz styles

HOUSE

her hotels herself and minimalism does not factor in her vocabulary. Silk chairs and velvet headboards, gilt mirrors and crystal chandeliers, antique furniture and colourful paintings may not be the obvious choice for a beach house, but they absolutely work here. Practicality is not a feature either. Lounge couches are white, sta are dressed head to toe in white, monogrammed bedding is linen, which is, of course as cool as you can go, in both meanings of the word. “I don’t work to any rules and I never chase trends; my style is my own,” she says.

All meals are included and drinks are available all day, as much as you like. On warmer days, breakfast is served on the terrace looking out to sea. Lunch is by the pool and dinner is in the dining room. This is a very special place; indeed leaving was only made bearable by checking in to another Biden home, La Residence in Franschhoek. Where Birkenhead House was all fresh, natural beach house vibes, this features rich sumptuousness like a smooth, full-bodied wine. Where Birkenhead has whales, La Residence has peacocks. They strut about the property and regularly show their feathers, adding yet more colour and glamour to this opulent hotel, which CN Traveller once named the best in the world. It is certainly the most lavish and beautiful I have ever stayed at.

The cathedral-like Great Hall, with its grand fireplaces, gleaming chandeliers and blackand-white tiled floor leads out to the Persian

Alley, which runs the length of the main building and it is here where you sit for breakfast, a rustic yet extravagant bu et, looking onto the infinity pool and the estate beyond. The bedrooms are large and sumptuous – bathrooms even more so, and ours had a freestanding bath positioned in front of French doors so I could gaze at the stunning views. And yet among all this opulence, it was the simple o er of a cup of tea and a just-baked cupcake on returning from a day out that made me fall deeply in love with this place.

Franschoek is not only the heart of the winelands, but is also considered the culinary capital of South Africa. La Petite Colombe, sister restaurant to La Colombe in Cape Town and one of seven owned by chef-of-the moment Scot Kirton, is a large, airy Scandistyle restaurant with spectacular views from its floor-to-ceiling windows. The seven-course tasting menu is around a quarter of the cost of the equivalent excellence here in the UK. The prettiest canapés ever, including a beef and chipotle tartare, was followed by bagels, but not as you know them, with a ‘smoked snoek’ take on salmon pate, duck liver with quince and chestnut on toast, poussin with a tom yum velouté and a hint of tandoori, lamb with celeriac purée and pickled Jerusalem artichoke. Each element was explained in detail, including the provenance of the ingredients and the story behind the dish’s concept. Pear with roiboos (tea) and dulce de leche was the finale and then a trolley was wheeled over, from which we could choose from a range of mousse-topped cones.

And so to another home, this one a hotel in Bantry Bay, Cape Town, owned by Paul Harris, who ostensibly bought it to house his private art collection. Built in 1906, Ellerman House is a colonial-style property with a deep

verandah running the length of it, overlooking manicured gardens with a pool and possibly the most spectacular sea views I’ve seen. Our bright, spacious bedroom, decorated in muted shades of cream and palest pink was luxurious, with deep-pile carpet, incredibly tasteful antique furniture, a pretty terrace, a huge bathroom and the most enormous picture window. There is an art gallery on-site, and sculptures in the gardens, but it is the art within the house that is the most impressive, lining the walls of the halls and corridors, the lounges and in the bedrooms. Local art specialists come in to take guests round the collection; my tour took nearly two hours –there is so much to see.

Ellerman House is widely reported to be the best hotel in Cape Town. Could that could be due to the walk-in ‘pantry’, stocked with treats, snacks and home-made cakes? Or the wine gallery, a work of art itself with temperaturecontrolled storage for 7,500 bottles, a terroir wall depicting the di erent types of soil from all over South Africa and the opportunity for wine tastings? Or the gin trolley by the pool with a daily cocktail recipe and all the accoutrements to make it? For me it’s because of the sense of being at home. theroyalportfolio.com/birkenhead-house rooms from R10,800 (approx £450); theroyalportfolio.com/la-residence rooms from R15,800 (approx £665); ellerman.co.za rooms from R16,000 (approx £675); lapetitecolombe.restaurant lunch menu from R1,065 (approx £45)

Louisa Walters finds some very special places to eat and to stay in South Africa

The pool and garden at Ellerman House

La Residence pool

Sun loungers at Birkenhead House

The lounge at Birkenhead House

La Residence entrance

“My

Neil, Jewish Blind & Disabled tenant

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‘Now that , Mizzy, is how to prank’

Without interruption or political banners, Israel seamlessly took third place at the Eurovision Song Contest last month because of NOA KIREL. Even seasoned host Graham Norton saw fit to comment more than once on the spellbinding 22-year-old pop star’s performance of her song, Unicorn. Singing for her family as a child,

Noa was 13 when an agent scooped her up, and she has since appeared in several TV series, including Israel’s Got Talent as a judge. At home, her music has sometimes been criticised for being provocative and boundary-redefining, but she pushes on. “People have so many things to say about you, about what you’re

wearing, what you’re singing… so I needed to believe in myself, no matter what anyone else says about me.” It’s been only good things since Eurovision, which Noa regards as “an experience I’m going to remember for the rest of my life”.

AS WILL WE!

“I’m gonna stand here like a unicorn Out here on my own I got the power of a unicorn Don’t you ever learn?”

Your Biggest Day, The Smallest Details

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