Rosh Hashanah 5770 / 2009 - Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue

Transcription

Link
The magazine of the Borehamwood
& Elstree United Synagogue Community
Rosh Hashanah 2009 - 5770
Travel - Yosemite National Park
50
44
100 Years of
Jewish
Scouting
Sports Maccabiah
Games
106
53
Taste Test: the best apple and
honey combinations
2 Link Rosh Hashanah 2009
,
editor s note
David Onnie
Regulars
Editor’s note
David Onnie
From the Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chairman’s Report
Anthony Arnold
Junior Editor
Felicity Ginsburg
Vice Chairman’s Report
Judy Woolf
Letter from Jerusalem
Raymond Jayson
Features
3
7
9
10
12
From Rollercoaster
to Reflection.
13
14
Normandy Landings
16
Daniel Levy’s D-Day on Normandy’s
beaches
Reading Hebrew the
18
Right Way
Paul Kutner looks at reading
Hebrew the right way
Gluckel of Hameln
19
Rebbetzin Dina Brawer reviews a
Jewish mother par excellence
Faith Matters
20
Fiyaz Mughal considers whether
faith actually matters between
Muslims and Jews
Rosh Hashanah Duet
23
Maureen Kendler investigates keys
moments during Rosh Hashanah
Health - Gastroenterology 24
and the Talmud
Clive Onnie examines what theTalmud has to say about our “insides”
Health - Fertility and 26
Judaism
Colin Davis looks at the Jewish
perspective on fertility
Health - Homeopathy 28
and the Treatment of Flu
Karin Hirsch takes an alternative
look at treating flu
Health - Physiotherapy 30
for You
Julie Sterling advises on incorrect
posture and backcare
Health - Tips for a Healthy 31
Lifestyle
Dr Jane Rose lists her top tips
School Days
32
Lionel Leventhal reminiscences about
his school days during World War II
Who Would God Vote For ? 34
David Miller looks at the available choice
in the current political landscape
A Hat-ful of Designs
37
Lauren Krotosky interviews Milliner
Anna Goldberg
Fashion - Dressing it up 38
for Yom Tov
Self styled “Jewish Princesses”
Tracey Fine and Georgie Tarn look
at the annual fashion parade
Some people actively seek out a stomach churning thrill, a sense
of losing control (or being out of control even) and achieving the
resulting huge rush of adrenalin. Whether you’re throwing
yourself out of an airplane several thousand feet above the
ground (having trusted someone you’ve never met before to pack
your parachute properly and not to have missed that final, crucial
fold in the ‘chute), jumping off a cliff whilst being strapped to the
equivalent of an oversized kite, or mimicking a human yo-yo as
you bounce up and down over a deep abyss attached to a big
elastic band, the effect is the same – you are about to experience
something you have very little control over beyond, for example,
tugging at the rip cord or adopting that ridiculous, crab like
stance as you sky-dive.
But normally (I have omitted the comma after “normally” on
purpose!) responsible adults are not alone in pursuing their
daredevil exploits. In fact they’re merely continuing a human
trait which exists from an early age. Yes, children also appear to
enjoy the rush from losing control. Take the children’s play area
in your average park and try and work out why kids enjoy the
near vertical sensation of the upwards journey of a swing,
hurtling down a steep incline called a slide, being twirled around
a vomit- inducing centrifugal piece of equipment called a roundabout, or twisting like a corkscrew down the frighteningly named
“helter skelter”. And that’s before even considering a trip to an
amusement (surely the use of the word “amusement” is a bit of
an understatement for real thrill seekers ?) park – hanging upside
down like a bat from a rollercoasting “train” as it dips, lurches
forward, breaks right and then left, on a high metal structure
which looks like it’s been bolted together from a meccano set (any
child who has managed to reach this point in the article will
probably have to be patiently informed, with a power point
presentation, as to what a meccano set actually is).
And then so what? Well, in a variety of ways the rollercoaster of
life exhibits many of the same characteristics as the thrills which
Link Rosh Hashanah 2009 3
editor’s note
David Onnie
Travel - A Foreign Affair
41
David Onnie muses over a family
Pesach in Italy
Travel - Barbados, 42
A Caribbean Community
Caron Dias reports on the
synagogues of Barbados
Travel - Yosemite, A 44
Photographer’s View
Howard Green enjoys the Yosemite
National Park
Travel - Improve Your 45
Holiday Snaps
Howard Green
The Arts - Banksy versus 46
Bristol
David Miller reviews the Banksy
exhibition
The Arts - Stage Door 49
Theatre Review : Grease!
David Onnie reviews the latest
Grease stage production
Sport
50
Round-up of the Community’s
sporting activities
Food - Restaurant Review 52
Let’s Meat in Elstree & Borehamwood
Food - Taste Test : Apple 53
and Honey
The best apple and honey combinations
Food - Yom Tov Recipes
54
Denise Phillips
Rayder : A Year in the 57
Life of Cheder
Headteacher Leah Silverman looks
back over the year
Politics - Zionism Vs Rights 58
Jeremy Newmark Politics - The Cukier 60 Report
David Cukier writes about the
boycott of Israeli goods
Gardeners’ Corner
63
Gardening tips for the forthcoming
months
When actions speak 64
louder than words
Hannah Minsky searches for sincerity
Dance - Shall We Dance ? 66
Deborah Clayden takes a strictly
fun look at learning to dance
Dance - Israeli Dancing
67
Israeli Dance Institute
Puzzles and Games
68
Howard Green
Two Rabbis walk into a Bar 70
Marc Shoffman does stand-up comedy
Working Mum
73
Deborah Clayden tries to find the
correct work-life balance
Birth of Little Bicks Nursery76
The birth of a new nursery school
in the area
Ethics of the Banking Crisis78
Jimmy Larholt looks at who is to
blame for the economic troubles
so many actively seek – the twists and turns, the fast pace, the unexpected changes of
direction, the release of adrenalin. And we often wonder during the humdrum of
every day existence, the white knuckle ride of lift rotas, deadlines at work, rushing
for the train, traffic jams, jostling at supermarket check-out queues, when things will
actually slow down and become more of a gentle meander. Even during Shabbat,
when we dismount from our rollercoaster for a day, we may relax but do we actually
really stop, reflect and think? Probably not. A year can rush past in what appears to
be an instant and the oft heard and thoroughly illogical words “Where did all the
time go?” are uttered. Perhaps apt then for Rosh Hashanah to arrive at the end of
one year and beginning of another – a time for keeping feet on terra firma, avoiding
thrill seeking, and quietly focussing on trying to catch a slower train for the journey
in the year ahead.
And now for another thought. Whilst two is generally thought to be better than one,
(I assume this mantra was carefully considered, adopted and implemented by the
thieves who recently stole BOTH of our cars recently instead of the usual one), we are
living in unusual and difficult economic times. We therefore bade au revoir to Link
being a twice yearly magazine and until further notice Link will only be published
once a year, at Rosh Hashanah. Don’t be sad – you just have more time to write your
articles for Rosh Hashanah 2010!
Now, we’ve split this edition (well we had a good go at it anyway) into different
sections – health brings together articles on fertility issues, Talmud and gastroenterology (we Jews have an amazing preoccupation with this – read it and see), back
problems and physiotherapy, alternative medicine, and GP health tips. Fashion looks
at hats and takes a tongue in cheek look at dressing up for Rosh Hashanah. Foodies
can try out the featured recipes, lick their lips at the review of Let’s Meat and check
out what the Link team thought were the best brand combinations of apple and
honey. Grab your passport and fly through the travel section and, if you have any
energy left over, we’ve also thrown in some sport by way of a little exercise. Howard
Green’s puzzle corner is a little testing and all the right dance moves are strictly judged
by Deborah Clayden and the Israeli Dance Institute. Add a healthy slice of what’s
been going on in the community and we have a magazine. Actually, that’s not all.
Amongst others, regular contributors Hannah Minsky, David Miller, David Cukier,
Paul Finn and the Link team have also put pen to paper together with Lionel
Leventhal and Junior Editor, Felicity Ginsburg. I am delighted also that Howard Green
has actually decided to take the plunge by joining the Link team after many years of
contributing to the magazine. While no initiation ceremony was necessary Howard
has written a short blog about himself on page 12. Above all thanks are due to each
and every contributor for the time and effort incurred.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy new year from myself, Lisa, Jared and Taryn.
David Onnie
from the rabbi
Naftali Brawer
Keeping it in the Family
80
Marc Duke’s tuneful journey of discovery
FSNB : Friday Night Shmooze 82
and Booze
Joel Sager reveals what happens on a Friday
night with his pals
A New Year ?
83
Jewish Women’s Aid
Board of Deputies
84
Jonathan Arkush highlights the Board’s work
Book Review : Torah for Teens
86
Clive Boxer takes a look at Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen’s book
When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking
88
Amanda Pollock pays tribute to her late
grandmother
Bearing Witness 90
Danny Olmer returns to Poland to witness the
place of his grandfather’s suffering
Shoah Trip to Poland – Part 1
92
Joel Sager’s thoughts on his Shoah trip
Shoah Trip to Poland – Part 2
94
Suzanne Yantin‘s thoughts on her Shoah trip
Community Watch
The Chief Rabbi’s visit to
96
the Community
Five Generations of the Newton Family 97
Note from the Office
98
Community Care
99
Jewish Helpline
100
Interview with Bernie Bray
100
Dead Sea Walk
102
The Community’s Yom Hashoah Event102
Senior Member’s Tea Party
104
Ladies Committee
105
One Hundred Years of Jewish 106
Scouting JSAC Camp
107
JLGB
108
Rainbows/Brownies
108
Listings – every number you need
110
THE
ADVERT
INDEX
Novelties Direct 2
Party Novelties
Weston Kay
4
Chartered Accountants
Parker Cavendish 6
Chartered Accountants
Jason Millan
8
Catering
Orli
11
Bakery
Kellmatt
15
Printers & Designers
Yavneh College 19
Simcha Venue
Sheila Miller
19
Family Consultants
Cedar House
36
Financial Services
Rocks
39
Jewellery
Sovereign
40
Photographers
English Garden 62
Gardening
Chai Cancer Care65
All Aboard
72
Charity Donations
Bizzi Lizzi
75
Gifts
Azizoff
75
Personalised
Promotional Gifts
Let’s Meat
112
Restaurant
A
sk any boy or girl who has been
Bar or Bat mitzvah in our synagogue and they will tell you that
before their big day I proposed a challenge to them. The challenge is that they
must think carefully about their level of
religious observance and choose one Mitzvah that they do not currently observe
and resolve to start keeping that Mitzvah
in honour of their coming of age.
I encourage them to be realistic when
choosing their special Mitzvah. There is
no point in choosing something that they
will not keep in the long term. By the
same token I want them to push themselves just beyond their comfort zone.
Once they have chosen a Mitzvah I
reveal the second part of the challenge;
that is for them to choose at least one new
Mitzvah each year on their Hebrew birthday (the day they became Bar or Bat Mitzvah.) This, I believe will ensure that the
essence of their Bar or Bat Mitzvah will
remain with them throughout life and at
the very least, they will grow in Jewish
commitment by one step each year.
I am pleased to say that to date no one
has ever turned down the challenge. This
may have to do with the fact that it is difficult to say no to a rabbi. But I believe it is
because most kids understand the importance of becoming a Jewish adult and they
relish the challenge.
One does not have to be a pre Bar/Bat
mitzvah boy/girl to take on this challenge.
Nor does one have to wait for their
Hebrew birthday. Rosh Hashanah is the
start of the Jewish year and it is a perfect
time for each of us to reflect on how we
can grow in Jewish commitment and
observance.
Judaism does not define a good Jew as
one who observes the most Mitzvot but
rather as one who constantly seeks to
grow in observance and commitment. It is
not where you are that matters as much
as where you are going.
So let us all resolve this Rosh Hashanah
to adopt one new Mitzvah setting us on a
new journey of Jewish self discovery.
I take this opportunity on behalf of
Dina and myself to wish you and your
families a happy, healthy and sweet New
Year.
With blessing and affection,
Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer
office of the chief rabbi
Sir Jonathan Sacks
At times like the current recession we need more than ever to reflect
on the questions Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur pose to us. What
do we live for? What are our values and how do we translate them
into life? What will we give our children and those who will live on
after us? For what do we wish to be remembered? What chapter will
we write in the Book of Life?
It is easy to be lured by the siren song of a
consumer society and come to believe that
what matters is how much we earn and what
we can afford. All around us are promises of
happiness if we buy this, acquire that.
Yet the overwhelming consensus of psychological research is that, beyond the basic minimum we need, there is little correlation
between wealth and happiness, between what
we own and the way we feel. Even those who
have won great sums in a lottery are, on average, no happier a year later than they were
before they won. The excitement and delight
of material things is very short-lived.
All the more so does this apply within the
family. I once sat with one of Britain’s most
successful businessmen while he told me how
unfair it was that his marriage had failed. He
had, he said, given his wife everything; yet it
was clear that what he had given her was possessions. What he hadn’t given her was time.
He was so obsessed with work that he failed
to understand how neglected she felt.
I lose count of the number of parents who
have told me a similar story about their children. ‘I gave them so much,’ they say. ‘How
could they be so ungrateful?’ But you cannot
buy a child’s affection. That needs something
else altogether: care, attention, recognition,
time spent talking together, doing things
together, and yes, studying together.
Judaism is an extraordinary set of disci-
plines for living a meaningful life – and it is
meaning, not fame or success, that lies at the
heart of happiness. It invites us through the
blessings we say every morning to give thanks
for simply being alive in a universe full of
beauty and wonder. It forces us, one day in
seven, to rest and enjoy what we have rather
than worry about the things we do not yet
have. On Shabbat we renew the love within
the family. We celebrate being part of a community – the place where our joys are doubled and our grief halved by being shared
with others.
On the festivals we relive our people’s history, the most remarkable history of any nation
on earth. Through kashrut we sanctify the act
of eating. Through mikveh and the laws of
family purity we etch our most intimate relationship with the charisma of holiness.
Spending time studying the texts of our tradition, we endow with religious significance the
life of the mind. In prayer we converse with
G-d, aligning ourselves with the moral energy
of the universe, becoming part of the fourthousand-year-old symphony of the Jewish
soul.
We can lose material possessions, but spiritual possessions – the good we do, the love we
inspire – we never lose, and that is why they
are the greatest investments we can make.
May we, in this coming year, spend more time
on the things that matter, the things Judaism
teaches us to value, and may G-d write all of
us in the Book of Life.
Bebirkat ketivah vechatimah tovah.
,
chairman s report
Anthony Arnold
Following our AGM on the 18th
May we have three new
Honorary Officers. Ben
Ginsburg and Paul Finn have
returned to the box and they
are joined by our new Financial
Representative Mark Tenzer.
We agreed to co-opt 2 of those
ladies who came forward and we
now have a Board of Management
numbering 17 half of whom are
new and who will hopefully add
fresh enthusiasm to the experience of the longer serving
members. My thanks go to the
outgoing Honorary Officers, Ian
Skolnick and Ken Keller and also
particularly to David Newman who
had to stand down through ill
health. Thanks go to the Board
members who stood down but
who have in almost all cases
expressed their desire to continue
working with the Board.
In his financial report our FR
reported on his concerns for the
problems that members are
having in meeting their Shul bills
as a result of the current economic crisis and I make no apology for
reiterating what he said when he
asked that those who are able to
should consider gifting the tax
relief that they receive on Gift
Aided payments. For our part we
will continue to monitor expenditure and cut our costs where we
feel able to. The other way to
improve the bottom line is of
course to increase membership
and to this end we organised
another new members’ evening in
June. However, it is up to you our
existing members to encourage
your friends and neighbours who
move into the area to join our
Shul.
We were very pleased to
welcome former member Daniel
Rynhold as our scholar in
residence for Shavuoth this year.
Daniel is now an Assistant
Professor of Modern Jewish
Philosophy at Yeshiva University
in New York. Around 100 people
attended the sessions and in
addition we had some 60 of our
younger members participating in
their own programme. Once again
we invited all our children to
stand in front of the Aron Kodesh
for the Atseret HaDibrot during
leining on the first day of Yom Tov.
Perhaps it was the enticement of
chocolate bars but there were so
many children that they filled the
space all the way to the Bimah.
Rabbi Brawer took the opportunity to explain to the children the
important connection that they
the children have with the Ten
Commandments. During the
afternoon of the first day our
Rebbetzen Dina organised a Tea
and Torah event and some 30
ladies took advantage of this
learning opportunity.
The visit by the Chief Rabbi and
Lady Sacks mentioned in my last
report was extremely successful
starting with a Friday night in the
beautiful new Shul at Yavneh
College and followed by a dinner
attended by almost 200 members
with few speeches but much
singing led by Stephen Levy. The
Chief Rabbi then addressed a
packed shul on Shabbat morning
and hosted a Question & Answer
Seudah for 250 people in the
afternoon.
A full Shabbat morning Shul
also heard our visitor Fiyaz Mughal
speak of his efforts to try and
improve relations between the
Moslem and Jewish Communities.
Following Kiddush our visitor took
questions from the large number
of members who returned for the
informal session.
Our pre-Pesach education
programme was run in conjunction with HLX at Yavneh College
and was well supported. We also
co-operated with Hampstead
Synagogue and arranged a 3
course series on Modern
Orthodoxy with the final session
attended by over 100 people for a
panel Chaired by Dr Simon
Hochhauser in Borehamwood. We
will look to arrange more
meetings with Rabbi Harris and
Hampstead Synagogue.
Meanwhile, by the time that you
read this you will have had the
opportunity of participating in our
ambitious Summer Term
programme arranged jointly with
HLX at Yavneh College consisting
of 15 sessions on a wide range of
subjects over 3 weeks.
Despite significant improvements, decorum continues to be
a problem particularly when there
is a simcha in Shul and in addition
the use of phones and electronic
toys has become an embarrassment. Reluctantly, and in line with
the procedure operated by other
nearby orthodox Shuls, we have
introduced a number of changes
in order to try and reverse the
trend. When there is a simcha in
Shul we ask anyone who has any
electronic device to leave it at the
gate where it is identified and
stored until the owner leaves the
Shul premises at the end of the
morning. Rabbi Brawer is providing more explanation of the
service along with announcing
the page numbers and we put
notices on seats asking for
cooperation.
Our Community Care
Coordinator, Rebecca Brummer
has now been with us a year and
she, along with Rabbi Brawer, our
Care Executive Team and
voluntary helpers, has made a real
difference to the services we offer
to members. I believe that particularly in these difficult financial
times we are offering much
needed support and advice. For
our members who are not so
young and those who are unwell
contact from the team has been
much welcomed and I believe
that our initiative is being used as
a model for other United
Synagogues. For those members
in good health and with some
time on their hands this is
another opportunity for you to
volunteer your help.
Doron Luder has been heading
up our Youth activities for the last
year and I want to express my
appreciation to him for the
sterling work he has done and the
programmes he has initiated. He,
however, decided to develop his
career in a new direction and left
us in July and we wish him and
Dina the very best of luck. Our
children and our youth are very
important parts of our community
and the appointment of a replacement Youth Director was matter
to which we attached great
importance. I am, therefore very
excited that Joseph Machta and
Dovid Benmayer have joined the
team to share this position. Both
Joseph and Dovid have extensive
youth work experience with a
number of organisations including
Bnei Akiva and they have
,
chairman s report
Anthony Arnold
impressed the Youth Team with
their passion, energy and charisma.
After a lapse of a number of
years I am very pleased to report
that we have reconstituted a
Functions Committee. Whilst we
do have a nucleus who is meeting
to exchange ideas we very much
need more volunteers from
across the spectrum of our
membership to ensure that this
group succeeds. Any ideas which
you have for events will be
welcomed and the directory at
the back of this magazine gives
the contact number. Over the
coming months they will be
planning fund raising and social
events and I do hope that with
our large community these will be
well supported.
Since last September we have
been running weekly services on
Friday night at Yavneh College but
by the time you read this the
South Side Minyan will have
organised their first Shabbat
morning service. Whilst there is
no intention of setting up a
satellite community there, we do
see the provision of services on
the South Side as providing an
opportunity to increase our
membership from the large
number of Jewish families moving
into the new properties being
built there. Yomim Noraim services are again being held at Yavneh
on an even larger scale with the
addition of an Explanatory service.
The logistics of running services
on another site are very complex
and my thanks go to everyone
involved in ensuring that things
run smoothly.
Our Chatanim for this year will
be Barry Rose and David
Freedman and we wish them and
their families Mazeltov.
All the Honorary Officers and
their families wish you and your
families a Happy and Peaceful
New Year.
Anthony Arnold
Shana Tova
from
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(under kashrut supervision of the Federation)
Delicious platters - ideal for every occasion
Bagels, sandwiches, speciality breads,
pizzas, pastas, salads, cakes & biscuits
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tel : 020 8207 6203
from the junior editor
Felicity Ginsburg
Heartbroken – A story by
Felicity Ginsburg
It is too late. One breezy
afternoon, I was relaxing in my
leather chair, in my small office
when the phone rang. I
hurriedly picked it up. It was the
manager of the Senior Citizens
Groups, asking if I would like to
come to the park and play tennis. I
hadn’t played tennis in ages, so as
you can imagine, I felt over the
moon. I literally sprinted up the
creaky stairs to the attic, to find my
trusty old racket.
I opened box after box, searching
for my racket, looking in every nook
and cranny. Finally, I opened the last
box, convinced it was in there. It
was. I snatched it up and held it
close to my chest. Out of the
corner of my eye, I saw a piece of
paper fluttering to the ground.
Without knowing what it was, I
picked it up and stared at it. It was
covered in small, neat handwriting,
belonging to an old friend of mine.
As I read the letter, a lump formed
in my throat. It was from Will: my
old primary school friend. I must
see him, I thought. As I lifted my
eyes, I noticed a telephone number.
Whooping with joy, I walked excitedly into my office. I picked up my
old-fashioned phone and dialled the
number as carefully as I could.
As I waited, I thought back to the
days when we were good friends.
We were inseparable. Then, I
thought about all our devious tricks
and cunning plans. I remember
sharing a lunch once, because he
forgot his. I remember the trousers
escapade, when we swapped
trousers and I wandered around
with trousers just below my knee.
Just then, I heard a female voice so I
switched back to reality. We had a
quick conversation then I put down
the phone glumly. My good friend
was severely ill and the lady
informed me that she could not
give out any further information.
I sat back in my chair, all optimism
gone. Nothing looked good.
Suddenly I remembered the Post
Office, next door. They could track
down the number! My high hopes
returned as I walked as quickly as I
could.
“The Mansion, 38 Pentonville Road,
D74 WXF2,” came the reply. I
quickly scribbled it down in my
jotter pad. I went to my house,
grabbed my coat and hat, then set
out for the Mansion.
As I walked down the unused,
muddy path, leading to the forest, I
remembered when Will and I used
to walk this way to school. We
would climb from tree to tree. It
was such fun. As I neared the big
house, I thought back to how Will
had wished he could live in the
Mansion. Lucky him, I thought.
I grew quite tired and exhausted, so
I settled down for a nap. A few
hours later, I woke, rising quickly to
continue my journey. I arrived at tea
time and was welcomed by the
housekeeper. She gave me a wry
grin and then set about her jobs. As
I entered the next room, I saw a lot
of people dressed in black. How
odd, I thought.
Then it struck me. He was dead. I
felt weak at the knees, so fell into a
chair. Will was gone. The lump
returned to my throat. My eyes
smarted with tears. I also felt ill. I
had missed him. I was too late.
I slowly roused from my seat and
headed home. My life felt bleak. I
was just too late.
The Link Team
Introduces Howard
Green
I am delighted to have been
invited to join the editorial
board of Link magazine.
I have been a regular contributor to the magazine for many
years and feel that I can assist
the team in the development of
future issues.
Having lived in Elstree and
been involved with the Shul for
over 35 years, you may be forgiven for thinking that I should be
put out to pasture! However I
think that I may still have something to offer.
Howard Green
,
vice chairman s report
Judy Woolf
A whole year in my life of the
Vice Chair of the community
has flown by with alarming
speed, with a calendar packed
full of activities, old and new,
and for those of you who
missed the report at the AGM
in May, these are just a few of the
newer events which have been
enjoyed by you, our members.
The Tu B’Shvat Seder - food and
wine, music and a spiritual journey
through the seasons - was again
supported by almost 100 members,
and the second year of Simchat Bet
Ha’shoeva saw 250 members and
their children being entertained
outdoors by fire eaters and jugglers,
whilst also enjoying hot dogs and
latkes, and lashings of ice cream.
Whilst new, but an event which
will not be repeated for another 28
years - Birkat Hachama - the
blessing of the sun. On the
morning of 8th April every 28 years
(which this year was 14 Nissan/Erev
Pesach), in accordance with
halachic teachings (possibly aided
by scientific knowledge!), the sun is
in the exact position in its orbit as it
was at the Creation, and in spite of
it being 7.40 am, over 150
members gathered in the car park
eagerly awaiting a break in the
clouds, which came just before
8am.
One other event, which can’t be
repeated every 28 years, was the
‘barmitzvah year’ of our caretaker
Bernie, who was honoured in shul
and with a special Kiddush – shame
we couldn’t sing Shema Bernie !!!
A special Shabbat in honour of the
Ladies of the community, saw the
Rabbi and gentlemen of the Board,
suitably attired in chef apron and
hats, serving a cholent Kiddush.
For Pesach this year, the youth
undertook Bedikat Chametz in the
form of a Treasure Hunt, and a
second ‘Farewell to Pesach’ seuda
enabled many of you to consume
the remnants of the macaroons
and cinnamon balls. Second day
yomtov was even more special with
the whole community being invited
to a brit conducted in shul at the
conclusion of the service.
The whole community have
been encouraged to participate in
ongoing Chessed projects,
organised by Community Care in
conjunction with the US, with
information being available on the
website and weekly newsletters.
Children’s services have
undergone a complete re-organisation of content, each service
building on their knowledge and
understanding of the Shabbat
morning service. A fortnightly adult
explanatory service was introduced
for a trial period. Further plans are
in the pipeline.
Community Care, with an ever
increasing core of volunteers, are
providing help and assistance to
members of this community over a
wide spectrum of areas including
bereavement, health, children’s
issues, finance, and isolation.
Whilst the youth and young(er)
members are the future of the
community, we acknowledge that
our ‘mid-range’ and more senior
members have been its foundation.
A large number of our members
over the age of 75 (of which we
currently have 176 – with 24 of
those over 90!) enjoyed a Chanukah
tea organised by Community Care
and hosted by their volunteers and
the Ladies Committee. A similar
event was held on 21 June and on
both occasions, Rabbi Plancey,
Rabbi Brawer and Dina spent time
chatting to the members.
The Chief Rabbi’s Yom Hashoah
event was outstanding and
emotional and left most of us
speechless at its conclusion. The
inaugural HMD programme for over
100 local schoolchildren was
outstanding and articles on both
these events appear elsewhere in
this magazine. Planning is already
in hand to expand the HMD
programme for the next and
subsequent years.
The HO’s, together with the
Rabbi, have re-drafted a booklet to
help mourners through the first
difficult weeks after a bereavement,
and this is available to members
when collecting the shiva chairs
and prayer books.
Almost every activity in this
community is organised by
volunteers. I am taking advantage
of this opportunity to appeal
especially to those of you who have
children between the ages of 5 and
11 to consider the future of the
Uniform Groups. In any one week,
over 250 children of this communi-
ty attend either Beavers, Cubs,
Scouts, Explorers, Rainbows,
Brownies (2 packs) and Guides.
Most of the current leaders have
done so for many, many years and
feel that it is time to hand over to
the younger generation. Many of
you will have spent part of your
own youth in the scouting/guiding
movements – remember how
much you enjoyed yourselves and
what an advantage it gave you in
understanding the importance of
teamwork, the giving of your time
and energy to others – not to
mention the social networking. If
you can, please come forward to
volunteer your help, a commitment
to 2 hours a week during term time
– all groups need new blood – give
yours!!!!
Despite the difficult economic
climate, we are fortunate that there
are many members who are still
quietly and anonymously sponsoring and contributing to many of the
above activities, and Rabbi Brawer
and the Board of Management take
this opportunity to publicly express
our appreciation. To all those
volunteers involved in activities
mentioned above, elsewhere in this
magazine – and especially those
not mentioned at all, we do know
who you are...... thank you, we
cannot do it without you.
It goes without saying that every
volunteer is so much appreciated,
all of you contribute to the continuing success of this wonderful
community. We are able each year
to publically ‘reward’ three individuals for their ongoing services – two
gentlemen as Chatanim and
(re-introduced from this year) a lady
as ‘Woman of the Year’. This year
Susie Winters was honoured and
David Freeman and Barry Rose as
Chatanim.
Since most communal activities
involve food, I have to say a special
thank you to our Ladies Committee
for their tireless work in organising
not only the kiddushim week after
week, Shabbat seudas, and
‘catering’ all the chagim, but
ensuring that none of you go
hungry whilst on the shul premises!
May I wish Rabbi and Miriam,
Rabbi and Dina and the whole
community a Shana Tova, and may
you all be granted a year of good
health and simcha.
Judy Woolf
Raymond Jayson
Pushing for a Final Status Agreement
T
here has been renewed discussion recently regarding the parameters of a possible Final Status Agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority
following the appointments of Barak Obama as the
new President of the USA and Benjamin Netanyahu
as the new Prime Minister of Israel.
How we are hoping to reach this stage was laid out in the
recent speeches of Obama in Cairo and Netanyahu at Bar Ilan
University.
Obama and Netanyahu agreed on the steps that need to be
taken with the exception of the primacy of Iran or of the Israel/
Palestinian dispute and building in those settlements everyone
agrees Israel will keep in any final settlement including for natural growth, the so-called “settlement blocs”.
Israel agreed with the USA some time ago that there will be no
new settlements and any growth will be inside the existing construction boundaries in these settlement blocs. These settlements were generally established for security reasons and are
now really towns.
This understanding had long been accepted by American
leaders and quietly by the Arab leaders so that, for example, the
absence of any reference to settlements in the Oslo Agreements
did not prevent Arafat from signing them. Indeed there is now
overwhelming evidence that this arrangement was verbally
agreed at the Aqaba meeting on 4 June 2003 between President
Bush, Prime Minister Sharon, King Abdullah of Jordan and the
then Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Abbas. This has
been confirmed by Elliot Abrams who negotiated on behalf of
the American Government and by other Americans who were
involved in the negotiations, as well as the Israeli negotiator Dov
Weissglas. Abrams recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal that
these arrangements were clearly recorded in the notes to that
meeting.
Subsequently President Bush wrote to Sharon on 14 April
2004 confirming that in any Final Status Agreement, the Palestinian refugee issue will have to be solved outside Israel in the
new Palestinian State and that in light of the new realities on the
ground the existing major Israeli population centres in the West
Bank will become part of Israel so that there will be no return to
the 1949 Armistice Lines (the previous boundaries between Israel and the West Bank).
As requested by America and on the basis of these agreements
Sharon agreed to pull Israel completely out of Gaza, which he
did.
The settlements occupy less than 3% of the area of the West
Bank and even if communication needs are included it is probably less thank 6 or 7%. In no way can this jeopardize a future
Palestinian State or its contiguity.
It is quite impossible to stop natural growth. Women have
been having babies since mankind first populated the earth. I
don’t think we can stop that! Is it really being suggested that
when a family living in a typical 45 square meter apartment (450
square feet) have a baby, they will not be allowed to build another room for the baby! Is it really being suggested that if a Mother
and Child Clinic or a new kindergarten need to be enlarged to
accommodate these children it will not be permitted! Does anyone really believe that this is a greater global threat to world
“It is quite
impossible to
stop natural
growth.
Women have
been having
babies since
mankind first
populated the
earth.”
peace than a Holocaust denying Islamic extremist with nuclear
aspirations.
This questions how much reliability can be given to understandings agreed with the President of the USA. As Abrams
wrote recently in his Wall Street Journal article, it is bad enough
an American president going back on a previous understanding
“but he cannot rewrite history and make believe it did not exist”.
Obama’s demand for a total freeze of settlement growth
including for natural growth is therefore rather surprising.
This demand on Israel has led the Palestinian leadership to
expect that Israel will “fall into their lap” without any concessions by them and they are refusing to even enter into discussions until Israel agrees to the impossible and stops “natural
growth”. This doesn’t seem to be what Obama intended.
In his Bar Ilan speech Netanyahu again stressed the impossibility of restricting natural growth, that no Palestinian refugees
will return to Israel, that any Palestinian State be demilitarized
in view of their recent history and so that there will no security
threat to Israel and he made it clear that if there is to be a Palestinian state, the Palestinians will have to recognize the rights of
the Jewish people to have a Jewish state in a significant part of
the Jews' historic homeland, namely, the State of Israel.
The Palestinian leadership has totally rejected all these
requirements.
The solution to the Palestinian refugee issue outside Israel has
long been accepted by almost everyone except the Arabs and was
again articulated in President Bush’s letter of 14 April 2004.
There can be no other solution if Israel is to survive.
The demilitarization suggestion is also not new - it has also
been on the table for some time and was included in the Road
Map of May 2003.
The recognition of the historic right of the Jewish people to
have a Jewish State in Israel has been accepted by everyone
except the Arabs. The historic right of the Jewish people to have
a state here goes back to the time when King David unified the
Israelite Kingdom 3,000 years ago. Moreover there has been a
continuous Jewish presence here ever since.
Indeed this is the central issue to the conflict and the Road
Map accepts this and conditions the establishment of a Palestine
state on this recognition.
The League of Nations (the predecessor of the UN) at its San
Remo Conference in 1920 resolved that there should be a Jewish
state here. The UN also accepted this in its Partition Plan of 29
November 1947.
Israel is indeed a Jewish and democratic state and its nonJewish citizens enjoy the same democratic rights as do its Jewish
citizens. In fact they have more freedoms and social benefits
than any other Arabs in this region, which is why very few Arabs
in Israel seem to want to be part of any future Palestinian state
even though their emotions lie there.
So if there is to be a Final Status Agreement why is it necessary
for the Palestinians to accept that Israel is the Jewish state
reflecting the historic rights of the Jewish people?
Because the Palestinians claim that the Jews have no historic
rights in Israel or in Jerusalem, they deny the existence of the
Temple and claim that Israel was created to erase the European
guilt for the Holocaust and other Jewish suffering and ask why
Raymond Jayson
the Arabs should pay for European crimes. But that is not true.
The proposal for a Jewish state long predated the Holocaust. For
centuries since the Jews were forcibly expelled from the Land of
Israel they were persecuted not only by Christians but also by
Muslims. They frequently tried to exercise their right to return
to their historic homeland here but were always prevented by
the resistance of the Imperial Power.
The Palestinians use these arguments to claim that Israel was
“born in sin” and bears full responsibility for the Palestinian
refugee problem even though the refugee problem was the
result of the war initiated by the Arabs. They use this to justify
any attacks against Israel and Jews anywhere, any time and in
any way.
Furthermore Abbas claims that the “Right of Return” for the
refugees to their old homes in Israel is “holy”.
Only when the Palestinians formally recognize the Jews’ historic rights to have their state here, will those arguments be nullified and only then will a Final Status Agreement be possible.
Why is it that Israel is the only country whose existence is
constantly questioned? Go into Google and you will find this
question has been asked about 5,000 times. Try other countries
– Britain, France, Iran, North Korea – you won’t be surprised at
“Why is it that
Israel is the
only country
whose
existence is
constantly
questioned?”
KELLMATT
the difference. Only when the Palestinians accept the right of
the Jewish people to have their state here will that question
cease to be asked.
If Obama truly wants to establish negotiations to move
towards a Final Status Agreement then he should be pushing for
the Palestinians to accept Israel as the embodiment of the Jews’
historic rights here and not pushing for the irrelevant and
unachievable freeze on natural growth in the settlement blocs
which will not be part of any future Palestinian state, because
this is making the Palestinians even more intransigent and is
preventing such negotiations.
Let’s hope he does, so that we can move forward to ending
this long, costly and unnecessary conflict.
Shana Tova – may you all have a healthy, happy and fulfilling
year.
Raymond Jayson lived in Elstree for eighteen years during which time
he served for sixteen years on the synagogue Board of Management
including seven years as its Chairman
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Design�•�Litho�&�Digital�Print�•�Label�Manufacturers
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D-Day for Daniel
Levy as he hits
the Normandy
beaches
Daniel Levy
I recently visited the sites of the D-Day landings in
Normandy and was particularly moved to think how the battle had turned on the actions of a few soldiers, at different
times and places, who were prepared to die for their country.
As I walked through the British cemetery at Ranville I was
surrounded by the white headstones of 2,240
Allied servicemen killed in the invasion of
Normandy. Men from the Army, Navy and Air
Force are buried under the white headstones
which seem to go on forever and ever.
Amongst the mass of headstones I found seventeen Jewish graves nestling in the manicured lawns. Earlier I had been to the
American cemetery at St Laurent, where one
hundred and forty nine Jews are buried, and
photographed all those headstones displaying
the star of David which I passed. It should
not be forgotten that the Jewish soldiers also
played their part in this amazing victory.
On entering the cemetery I saw many headstones engraved with the emblem of the
Parachute Regiment. It was soldiers from this
regiment who were dropped into the area on
the eve of D-Day. As the elite of the British
Army their task was to take some of the most
heavily defended areas just inland of the
beaches; particularly the bridges crossing the
Orne river and canal and Merville artillery battery (a massive gun emplacement which
would rain destructive shells onto the landing
beaches at the time of the invasion).
At the Orne canal bridge a few minutes
after midnight six gliders carrying a company
of paratroopers lead by Major John Howard
landed. The men dashed out, hosing the
German defenders with sub-machine gun fire,
successfully taking the bridges within half an
hour. In total, only two men were killed and
American Cemetary at St Laurent
American Jewish Headstone
fourteen wounded.
At Merville, French commandos with a battalion of paratroopers were to take the gun
battery before the Allied troops could begin
landing. Only 25% of the expected troops
actually arrived at the battery with one heavy
machine gun and very few barbed-wire shredding “Bangalore” torpedoes. Nevertheless,
the commanding Colonel, John Otway
ordered the attack to go ahead. The troops
crossed two strips of barbed wire and a minefield, blasting their way through the German
garrison of 130 troops with Sten guns to
overcome the defending coastal artillery
(these were actually more powerful than the
aerial photographs had predicted). These acts
of heroism helped to secure the success of
the beach landings hours later.
Further along the coast, the weather was
appalling with large waves and strong currents making the landings seem impossible
to the American troops who were to be landing at the most heavily fortified beach:
Omaha.
At Point Du Hoc, a few miles down the
coast from Omaha Beach, a heavy gun battery was located which could easily have
shattered the attempts to land on both
Omaha and Utah beaches (the Americans had
two beaches to secure).
A battalion of American Rangers (an elite
formation of troops in the U.S Army) were
assigned to neutralise the defending guns.
These were situated on the top of an
extremely tall and steep cliff and for this, the
Rangers had been training intensively in
England for year. Just after the main landings had started, they sailed to the small
Gun battery at Longues-Sur-Mere
beach at the bottom of the cliff in landing
craft and disembarked, laden with ropes,
mortars, explosives, weapons and ammunition.
The ropes had grappling hooks attached at
one end and were fired into barbed wire
with specially modified rocket launchers. The
German defenders had been unaffected by
the bombing raids from the previous two
nights, having sheltered in the concrete bunkers which still exist today. As soon as the
Rangers started climbing up the cliff the
German soldiers started shooting downwards, dropping grenades and cutting the
grappling hooks out of the wire. The
Rangers still managed to get to the cliff top,
sustaining heavy losses. Running from bomb
crater to bomb crater for shelter from the
snipers and machine-gun fire, they found the
guns had been removed from Point Du Hoc
to a location just behind and were ready to
fire. The Rangers destroyed the guns and
stayed there under continuous enemy fire
until two days later when they were relieved
by supporting forces.
Only one Victoria Cross was awarded for
bravery on D-Day itself. The recipient was
Sergeant-Major Stan Hollis. After landing on
Gold Beach (one of the British beaches)
Hollis’ unit was assigned to clear out pillboxes containing German snipers. As they
advanced, Hollis' Captain noticed that one
had been overlooked and Hollis was assigned
to investigate. When he was twenty metres
away, a German MG42 (machine-gun capable
of firing thousands of bullets a minute)
opened fire on Hollis and his unit. Hollis ran
forward, threw a grenade through the hole
from which the gun was firing and sprayed
the inside of the pillbox until he had to
change the magazine in his weapon. He then
took the survivors prisoner and cleared a
trench of Germans without any support.
Later, his unit was assigned the task of neutralising a field gun. Hollis charged it with an
anti-tank missile and was shot at repeatedly
by a sniper but only his cheek was grazed. He
then destroyed the gun and returned to his
lines. A few hours later some of his men were
under heavy fire from a German machine-gun
nest, pinned down in a foxhole. Hollis
charged it with a Bren machine gun, firing it
as a diversion. Because of that diversion, his
men were able to escape, as did Hollis who
remained unharmed.
For me, these are the most stirring accounts
of bravery on D-Day. They show the determination of the men involved to overthrow the
Nazi tyranny in Europe and restore freedom
to the world. Stan Hollis twice charged a type
of gun which fired so many bullets in such a
short time that he should have been vaporised. He knew the risk he was taking and willingly stepped forward.
At Point Du Hoc, the Rangers were having
grenades thrown at them down a cliff face
when they were in a vulnerable position but
they continued to climb up. Even though at
the top of the cliffs there were machine-guns
aimed at and firing at them, they carried on
running forward and took the gun batteries.
The paratroopers at Merville sprinted
through a minefield without thinking about
what would happen to themselves even as the
bullets whizzed around them and mines went
off under their comrades.
At the Orne Canal, Major Howard’s troops
held off German counter-attacks for over
twelve hours despite being exhausted, hungry
and running low on ammunition.
Such heroism still continues today. A few
years ago in Iraq, a British soldier, Private
Johnson Beharry was driving a vehicle which
was hit by a rocket propelled grenade. Despite
having massive facial injuries and being unable to see, he carried on driving forward so
that his comrades could be in a safe area. He
was awarded a Victoria Cross for his actions
and like all the people mentioned in this article, he risked everything for a cause he
believed in and went beyond what could be
expected.
As I continued my walk through the British
cemetery, looking at the rows and rows of
headstones, I considered all of these things
and the resulting massive losses in the
Normandy campaign.
To end our trip, we visited Longues Sur-Mer,
above which stands an abandoned 150mm
naval gun emplacement. The huge cannons
are still inside the concrete casemates and
their vast size gives a rough idea of how enormously powerful they were and we could only
think how much damage one shell would
have caused. Today, they stand as a silent
reminder of how terrible the Second, and
hopefully last, World War really was.
Daniel Levy
Paul Kutner looks at reading Hebrew the right way.
One sound makes
all the difference!
Particularly when compared with a complicated language like
English, reading Hebrew is relatively easy to learn. Certainly, a new
student has first to grasp a new set of letter shapes, become familiar with the vowel signs and get to grips with reading ‘backwards’
from right to left. Once the basics have been mastered, it is
a
B
g
possible to start reading Hebrew with a
high degree of accuracy. This is because
there are very few deviations from the basic
rules. So, for example, nearly all Hebrew
letters and vowels can only be pronounced
in one way, compared with English where
many letters can be read in completely different ways depending on the context. We only
have to think of common words like ‘women’
and ‘graph’ to scratch the surface of innumerable rule exceptions in the English language.
Yet, even in Hebrew there are some exceptions. Many of these exceptions are taught
(that’s a good word to demonstrate the problems an English student encounters) to children and are instantly grasped. But there is
one, in particular, which seems to be constantly wrongly taught and learnt and because
it appears regularly in our davenning, it has
for many years caused a quick stab of concern
to run through me whenever I hear it! In
fact, as more and more Chazanim read the
word incorrectly, I was beginning to come to
the conclusion that I had actually got the
wrong end of the stick and was reading it
incorrectly myself, despite my vivid recollections of the relevant page in my Cheder reading book!
So I was pleased to read last year an interesting article in Torah Tidbits, an excellent little booklet produced in Jerusalem each week
by the Orthodox Union, and delivered to
many Shuls in Israel. I’d like to paraphrase
that article here, with the hope that one or
two members may be tempted to correct a
common error!
The article says that it’s not enough just for
us to do things right when it comes to reading Hebrew, but we need to convince others
(in a pleasant way!) to get it right as well.
The word is ALEPH-LAMED-VAV-HEI and is
one of God’s names. It occurs in Hallel, (you
can find it on page 587 line 5 in the red
Singer’s siddur, or page 620 line 4 in the
green) in Vidui on Yom Kippur, in Nishmat
and a few other places in davenning, appearing 54 times in the Tenach. Whilst not been
one of the most common Names, it’s certainly
the most mis-pronounced!
The rule under discussion applies equally to
ALL words (there aren’t many!) that end with a
HEI with a dot (called a ‘mapik’ in it) with a
vowel looking like a line (called a ‘patach’ and
pronounced ‘uh’) beneath it. By the way, a
mapik only appears in a final Hei, and all
final Hei’s with a patach have a mapik! That
mapik, the dot in the Hei, is marked when
reading by a short exhalation of breath at the
end of the word.
The easiest way to explain the correct way
to read this word is to say that it works in
exactly the same way as a final CHET with a
patach. This patach is called a ‘patach genuva’ because it is ‘stolen’ by being pronounced
BEFORE the HEI or CHET, not with it as you
“Even if that’s the
way you’ve always
said it, and your
parents,
grandparents and
teachers, it’s plain
wrong!”
might expect. Like the Hebrew word for an
apple ‘tapuach’ and NOT ‘tapucha’ as the normal reading rules would indicate.
So too, God’s name is pronounced ELOAHHH not ELOHA. To be clear, ELOHA is NOT
one of God’s names: it is a mispronunciation.
Even if that’s the way you’ve always said it,
and your parents, grandparents and teachers,
it’s plain wrong! It may seem like a big fuss
for a small error, but believe me, when I hear
(and hopefully from now on when you hear) a
crowd of people on Yom Kippur singing the
Al-Chets and asking God for forgiveness calling Him ELOHA SELICHOT, which is not His
name, you’ll understand why.
Paul Kutner
Rebbetzin Dina Brawer reviews a Jewish mother par excellence.
Gluckel of Hameln
(1646-1724)
Born in Hamburg in 1646, Gluckel was twelve when betrothed to Reb
Chaim Hameln and married at fourteen. She spent the first year of
her married life in Hamelin, home to only one other Jewish family
besides that of her husband. Gluckel really missed the social
opportunities of community life she was
accustomed to. A year later she returned to
Hamburg with her husband and became his
partner in business. She drafted the business
agreements and kept the books. Chaim consulted her in all business transactions and
highly regarded her opinion. Not surprisingly,
before his death, Reb Chaim made it clear he
wanted no-one but his wife, Gluckel, to execute his will, and continue managing the business. Widowed after thirty years of marriage,
Gluckel resolved to begin writing a history of
her life to while away the long and lonely
nights. She hoped that one day her children
would draw comfort and inspiration from the
tales and thoughts she left them.
Gluckel's diary is a window into her soul. It
reflects the relevant paragraphs of her life, at
times sad and at times joyous, but always
accompanied by her reflections and the morals she derived from everything that occurs.
Her pages reveal a world that was very different from our own. Every day, life was
fraught with difficulties; travel was hazardous,
food was scarce and medical assistance an
expensive privilege. The status of the Jews was
always unstable. The prospect of war and mortal plagues were an every day reality. She
makes reference to the Messianic hopes that
blew over the Jewish world in 1665, influenced by the rise of Shabbetai Zevi.
Indeed, suffering Jews all over Europe prepared for the imminent arrival of the Messiah
and for their trip to the holy land. Gluckel
recounts how her in-laws sent two large casks
filled with food, clothing and linen to
Hamburg, ready for the journey to Jerusalem.
Living in an era when child mortality rates
were very high, Gluckel was blessed in that all
of her children, but one, survived. More than
anything else, she desired a good shidduch for
each of her offspring. Dowries were relevant
criteria, together with in-laws able to provide
the young couple with guidance and support
in the beginning of their independent life.
After all save the youngest of her children are
settled, Gluckel reluctantly re-marries to avoid
becoming a burden in her old age. Gluckel
was the Jewish mother par excellence. Her
life, like her diary, was dedicated entirely to
raising her thirteen children to be G-d fearing,
charitable and upright Jews. I found it moving
and inspiring and recommend you read it.
Rebbetzin Dina Brawer
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Fiyaz Mughal considers whether faith does actually matter and wonders whether Muslims and
Jews should be making every conceivable to bring both faith communities together.
Natural
Alliances
I felt compelled to write after my recent talk at the
Borehamwood Synagogue and where I had the honour of
delivering the following points to a large audience. Not only
did I feel comfortable at the Synagogue, I also felt that as
though I was with a community that is so close to Islamic
heritage and thereby to myself.
Unfortunately many blogs, articles and ‘specialist’ pieces make the case that Jews and
Muslims are increasingly becoming suspicious
and fearful of each other. Polar stories make
out that both communities just see each other
through the prism and lens of the Middle East
and when Gaza’s and Jenin’s take place, both
communities increasingly caricature each
other. To some members of British Jewry,
Muslims are seen as an ‘insular community,’
with extremist voices and messages. ‘The
other,’ the narrative goes, promote AntiSemitism and have taken on the mantle of
Christian Anti-Semitism, swallowing it whole
and giving life to Muslim Anti-Semitism.
Counter to this are the narratives within some
Muslim communities, that there is a growing
influence politically and socially by members
of British Jewry who use extremism to keep
Muslim communities under pressure. The narrative goes on suggesting that some anti-Muslim activities come from members of British
Jewry and that Israel and the protection of
Israel at all costs, is the over-riding agenda for
these individuals. Further narratives also suggest that web-sites are being set up that twist
core Islamic text and media from Muslim
countries so as to promote half truths and to
further caricature Muslims.
These narratives are not only dangerous,
they perpetuate conflict, are emotional and
have little basis apart from basal irrational
Above: Muslims and Jews
Below: Synagogue and Mosque side by side - Fieldgate Street
fears that run counter to the history of
Jewish / Muslim relations. Since the issue of
Israel / Palestine has come into the discussion
space between Muslims and Jews, both communities have attempted to bestialise each
other and to create new mental ‘security barriers’ when there should not be any. I for one
will not accept these twisted and destructive
narratives and I will not have my narrative
and my future written by others. My fellow
brothers and sisters are not only Muslim
ones, but Jewish ones whose rights to life,
security and freedom to worship I will
defend to the hilt.
Muslims and Jews are far closer in many
arenas than they are with other faith communities. The unity of God and the oneness
of God is a fundamental principle of both
faiths. This is a central point and should not
be overlooked. It is powerful and the indivisibility of God is at the core of both faiths.
That is why one reason why Muslims can eat
Kosher food if Halal is not available since the
sacrifice is to a single and all powerful eternal power. Also, our faiths are based on
Prophets. Samson, Noah, Isaac, Moses,
Abraham and many, many others all play a
central role in our faiths. They were the link
between God and man, a link which stayed
eternal because of their sacrifices. Both faiths
also believe that the wisdom and light of God
came through the Prophets and each carried
messages and the desire to spread these messages from the Almighty. Where Islam differs, is that it places onto Jesus the mantle of
a Prophet of God and to Muhammad (peace
be upon Him), the mantle of being the last
Prophet of God.
When I have visited synagogues, I have
found their structures very similar to those of
mosques. The lack of stylized images, the rejection of any form of idolatry, the leading of the
prayers by the Rabbi or Imam and the pointers
towards Jerusalem and Mecca all show a similarity in the structure of worship. There are
obviously differences in the number of men
that can conduct a service within Judaism, yet
even with the prostration elements within the
faiths, there are similarities. Prostration had a
role within Judaism and continues to do so
within Islam to this day. It must also be said
that Jerusalem holds a very special place within the hearts of Muslims. Whilst Muslims pray
towards Mecca, the fact is that one of the two
Qiblas and prayer points is Jerusalem and it
will always have a special place within the
hearts of Muslims. It is fact that both faith
communities and their prayers and thoughts
move towards Jerusalem at points in their
prayers. Therefore, the beauty of Jerusalem is
that it will and should always remain a place
where all of the three Abrahamic faiths can
find solace, religious rejuvenation and a link
with God.
You see, it is not just the faith elements
that bind us; it is also our shared histories.
Islam in its purest sense means a relationship
and submission to God. In essence, this means
that Judaism and Christianity fit within the
faith. Yet, if I look at the history of when
Islam came into being within the Arabian
Peninsula around the 6th Century, the fact is
that there were Jewish tribes that were
present in those regions. Islam and Muslims
grew and they came across and shared their
futures with these Jewish tribes. Some of these
Jewish tribes sided with the Quraysh who
were polytheists, yet there were those who
worked with and interacted with Muslims.
Some tribes made pacts with Muslims and the
Prophet himself entered into strategic alliances with some Jewish tribes. Yet, the closeness
of our two faiths came into being when
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) married a Jewess
called Saffiyah who was with him when he
died. She converted to Islam and theirs was a
marriage based on tenderness and the Prophet
(pbuh) confronting some of the xenophobia
that was directed against her. On numerous
occasions, Prophet Muhammad stood up
against the xenophobia of those who attacked
Saffiyah because of her heritage and the
Prophet time and time again made it clear
that those who were closest to God were those
whose hearts were clean and without the
scourge of hate.
So why have both communities become so
fearful of one another? Even in terms of our
histories as minority communities in Europe,
there seem to be some strong similarities. In
fact, one of the events that socially activated
me was the genocide in Bosnia against
250,000 Muslims. In the early 1990’s the continuing pictures of attacks on innocent
Muslims in Sarajevo, Gorazde, Tuzla and many
other villages and cities made it clear that
minority communities were not even safe on
the borders of Europe. It brought home the
fact that two hours away from London,
Muslims were being killed because of who
they were and because of the faith that they
“You see, it is not
just the faith
elements that bind
us; it is also our
shared histories. ”
believed in. That for me made me think about
what took place over 60 years ago in Europe.
For me, this is why it was exceptionally important for me to understand the pain and sense
of deep cultural, religious and human loss
that Jews felt. This single event activated me
to ensure that I came out of my comfort zone
and came out to listen to the narratives, feelings and thoughts of others. The pain of other
communities should the pain of all of us and
if anything, this helps us each to put ourselves
in the shoes of those who may be suffering
and helping them when they need that support. The mass killings and butchery of
Muslims in camps like Manjaca and Omarksa
should not be forgotten; so we should
also not forget the camps of


Auschwitz, Bergen Belsen and the
many many others that traversed
across Poland and the Balkan States, put there
by the Nazi war machine.
It is also exceptionally important for both
communities to see the diversity of opinions
and communities within both faiths in the
UK. The singular ‘Muslim’ community concept
does not exist and I would also argue the
same around the concept of a singular Jewish
community. Within Islam, its history is one of
diversity. The first convert to Islam was a
woman called Khadija who was the first wife
of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). In fact, it
was her who informed him that the visitation
from the Angel Gabriel (Jibril) was a sign of
his Prophethood and she was therefore the
key driver to the Prophet understanding that
he had a mission. Additionally, the first man
to make the call to prayer (the ‘Adhan’) was a
Black man in Islam, called Bilal. There are
numerous instances in Islam where women
led in many areas and today the range of
diversity and languages that make up Muslim
communities are higher than other faiths. The
history of Judaism is also one which has
crossed Europe, Asia, Africa and even as far
afield as India. Today, one of the few remaining examples of that diversity are the
Ethiopian Jews. So our histories and faiths are
not monolithic. They are changing, fluid,
dynamic and consistently adapting and shifting in order to survive within the different
geographical locations of the world.
Moving onto the issue of the threats on the
horizon affecting both faith communities, the
threat of the Far Right is obvious. No longer
can this be regarded as a threat that is nonexistent. Who would have thought that today,
we would have a London Assembly being represented by the British National Party? Who
would have thought that in areas of our country there is a growing tide of disaffection with
the mainstream political parties which means
that more and more people are regarding the
Far Right as an option? Yet, today, there are
areas in the North of England where the Far
Right is becoming entrenched and playing off
one community against the other whilst promoting themselves as ‘mainstream’ politicians. Mainstream they are not, threats to our
cohesion and the future stability in our country, they are. We must therefore come together and work towards reclaiming the political
landscape. Without that, we are on a slow but
slippery slope that will come to haunt us in
the future.
Furthermore, our communities should not
be brushing against each other and especially
so when the Israel and Palestine is thrown in
the mire. Both Muslims and Jews are driven
within their faiths by a sense of social justice.
That social justice is based on the respect of
human and civil rights and the protection of
life. It is in the core of both faiths. There are
many within both faiths in the UK who strive
for this within the context of the Israel and
Palestine question. There are also those within
Palestine (West Bank and Gaza) and Israel. (I
have mentioned those within Gaza since there
are families that want this peace, if at least to
be left alone after the immense social and economic pressures that have been placed on
them. Lumping all within Gaza as ‘potential
threats’ is counter-productive and simply plays
into the hands of those who want to perpetuate a continuing war and heightened tensions.) Yet, the Israel / Palestine question is the
only narrative that seems to over-ride our relationships, as if it is all encompassing and all
enveloping and it should not be! What happens 2,000 miles away does have impacts,
though it should not be the over-riding element that blurs logic and reason. Nor should
it be the only lens through which we see each
other. If we do that, we build a future of conflict and a future that plays into the hands of
the Far Right and others who seek to drive a
wedge between us.
Saying that, it is essential that British
Muslims engage in a transparent and open
manner with the State of Israel and its civil
society structures. These relationships need to
be built before we attempt to take on the differences on the Israel and Palestine question
and we must not shy away from discussing
this though for anything to change, the State
structures and some within Israel should not
lump British Muslims as a threat or a potential fifth column. This will be risky for Israeli
politicians but we have to be courageous. For
British Muslims interested in playing a role in
constructive discussions and for those who
want to help, (even if that help is for the
Palestinians), personal courage to engage and
to listen to narratives within Israel will be
required. This will lead to ideas that can generate positive activities or it may lead to disengagement. Whatever the outcome, this
engagement must take place since the policy
of disengagement with Israel has failed. It is
also a fact that disengagement means no
chance to play a role in the future of an area
that is holy to both Muslims and Jews.
Disengagement also helps no-one, least so the
Palestinians and it does nothing to better relations between Muslims and Jews.
Now, I know that none of the proposals
around engagement are easy, but there has to
be another way. We have reached stalemate
on the Israel / Palestine question. Pro-Israel
social activism merely encourages pro-Palestinian social activism. Demonstrations merely
produce counter-demonstrations. Caricatures
and racist statements around Palestinians
merely produce more grotesque caricatures
and racist statements Jews. The ‘middle’ voices
simply get drowned out. If we do not see the
logic of alliance building, then our tomorrows
will not be safer than our today’s. Is that a
future that you and I will want for our children? I am also fed up of the voices of division
and yearn for those voices that re-enforce the
strong links between our communities. Let us
together, isolate and alienate those voices of
separationism whose only role is to drive that
wedge between us. Shine a light on their shadowy resting places we must; for in doing so
we sew the seeds of bridge building and therein lies our safety and security.
Best Wishes,
Fiyaz Mughal MCMI (UK), Director - Faith Matters,
This page has been
sponsored in memory of
Louise
Gergel
Rosh Hashanah Bite 1.
Left Overs from Pesach
Rosh Hashanah, literally the Head of the
Year, is celebrated surprisingly on the
first and second days of the Seventh
Month in the Hebrew calendar
The first month in the Hebew calendar
Nissan, in spring time, forever commemorates the first time the Jewish people
were commanded to count the months
just before being liberated from Egypt
3721 years ago.
Next Bite on pg 27
sounding of the shofar on Mount Sinai surely
contributed to that decision. Also, the shofar
is associated with a submissive demeanour,
whereas the trumpet has more triumphant,
military connotations. The Rabbis of the
Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 26b) chose a twisted
ram’s horn over the long, straight horn of the
wild goat because the lowly, contorted ram’s
horn suits our Avinu Malkeinu mood.
But the spirit of the assertive, confident
“We must have the
belief and self
confidence that we
can be an agent for
good, to stand up
straight as well as
bow in humility.”
Maureen Kendler investigates key moments during
Rosh Hashanah.
The Rosh
Hashanah Duet
The cathhrtic Avinu Malkeinu prayer which we recite on Rosh
Hashanah asking “Our Father Our King” for forgiveness ends on a
note of despair, saying “we are empty of good deeds.” It is a moment
of supreme humility, where our self-esteem momentarily shrivels. If
the
last line of the Avinu Malkeinu was a sound it
would be the cry of the shofar, a painful,
pleading wail.
Why is the shohar the key iconic sound of
Rosh Hashanah? The two source texts in the
Torah for Rosh Hashanah (Vayikra 23:24 and
Bamidbar 29:1) refer to this day as Yom
Teruah, a day of “blasting” or a day to “commemorate a blast.” But it does not specify
which “blaster” of the Jewish orchestra should
make this noise: the shofar is not mentioned.
And there are two Biblical instrumental candidates for the job. In the Torah and the
Temple, a silver trumpet - a chatzotzrah makes the teruah and tekiah sounds just as
loudly as a shofar.
After a debate in the Mishnah (Rosh
Hashanah 3:3) the shofar won over the trumpet for being blown on the New Year. The link
with the Akeida, the sacrifice of Isaac, and the
chatzotzrah is also part of the Musaf service
which closes by proclaiming to God: Hayom
Te’amtzainu, “You will strengthen us today”,
with six verses repeating that message in different ways, to which we all say Amen.
Rabbi Simhah Bunim of Przysucha (1765–
1827) wrote: “A person should have two pieces
of paper, one in each pocket, to be used as
necessary. On one of them is written, ‘The
world was created for me,’ and on the other, ‘I
am dust and ashes.’ The Kotzker Rebbe (17871859) added that the trick is to know which
piece of paper to take out and when.
A friend once told me when he was in high
school, the head teacher called him and a
classmate into his office. They were threatened with a good hiding. My friend was silent.
His classmate talked and talked. When they
left the office the classmate challenged my
friend: “Why were you so quiet?” He replied:
“Look, we got caught, didn’t we?” His classmate said, “Yes, we got caught, but you’ve got
to talk back, keep talking, give yourself a
chance to influence the outcome.”
Surely that should be us on Rosh Hashanah
– our prayers give us that chance to keep talking, keep trying to do all we can to “influence the outcome.” Maybe we need to fold up
the “dust and ashes” paper a little and smooth
out the other one that reminds each of us
“that the world was created for me.” We must
have the belief and self confidence that we
can be an agent for good, to stand up straight
as well as bow in humility. We have to create
and orchestrate for ourselves a shofar-chatzotzrah duet in which we are both proud and
humble at the same time. May we all be given
the guidance to know how and when to blow
our own trumpet, and to cry with compassion
at the sound of the ram’s horn.
Learn more at www.lsjs.ac.uk
Maureen Kendler is Head of Educational Programming at the London School of Jewish Studies.
HE
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Gastroenterologist, Clive Onnie, examines our preoccupation with our "insides" and what
the Talmud and Gemara have to say on it.
Gastroenterology
and the Talmud
When my brother first asked me to write an article for the
Link about Jewish aspects of gastroenterology I did initially
express my doubts. After all, it does not make the best table
talk (apart from in certain Onnie households) and not the
best reading when debating the intricacies of one’s bowel
frequency and symptoms. However there has
always been a longstanding and probable stereotypical infatuation of Jews and food, and
with this, a natural extension are their bowels. Added to this, there are some gastrointestinal disorders which are much more common
in the Jewish community and are only starting to be much more spoken about and recognised over the last 20 years.
Whilst the Talmud should not be considered a medical text, it yields an abundance of
information regarding the structure of the
human body, diseases, injuries and above all
preventative and sanitary procedures. The
Talmudic Rabbonim considered illnesses of
the gastrointestinal tract to be very serious.
Diarrhoea is described frequently in the
Gemara with numerous terms used for
describing frequent loose bowel movements.
The illness of King Jehoram was said to have
been from diarrhoea or bowel cancer.
Diarrhoea and intestinal illnesses were common amongst the Cohanim who served in the
Beis Hamikdash because they ‘walked barefoot, ate meat and drank water.’ Indeed the
Gemara refers to perhaps one of the first gastroenterologists, a physician named Ben
Achiya who specialised in treating intestinal
disorders – he knew which wine was beneficial and which was harmful to Cohanim in
the Temple (Yerushalmi Shekalim 5:1). The
Gemara also describes a variety of dietetic
regimes, some of which are still very applica-
“Not only did the
Rabbis recommend
treatments but they
were also the first to
suggest dietary
measures to prevent
intestinal disorders...
.........They also
recognised the
laxative effects of
some foods such as
dates, spinach and
beer!”
ble today – ‘the quantity of food consumed
should be controlled, and one should not eat
large portions (Shabbat 33a, Gittin 70a); it is
better to eat simple foods; eat slowly and
chew the food well; eat regularly at set times
(Shabbat 119a). Not only did the Rabbis recommend treatments but they were also the
first to suggest dietary measures to prevent
intestinal disorders – ‘if one eats without
drinking, one causes bowel disorders
(Shabbat 42a); consumption of small fish prevents bowel disease (Berakhot 40a); walking
four cubits after the evening meal prevents
intestinal disorders (enumerated further by
the Rambam). They also recognised the laxative effects of some foods such as dates, spin-
ach and beer!
There are several gastrointestinal conditions which affect the Jewish community
more than the general population. Irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common 'functional' disorder of the bowel with one unpublished study suggesting that it is up to 50%
more common in the Jewish community. A
functional bowel disorder refers to chronic
abdominal symptoms without a structural or
biochemical cause. The cause of IBS is not
known. Symptoms can be quite variable tending to ‘come and go’ and include abdominal
pain, bloating, together with a fluctuating
bowel habit. There is no cure for IBS, but
symptoms can often be eased with medical
treatment. There is also increasing interest in
treating irritable bowel symptoms with more
alternative approaches such as probiotics as
well as hypnotherapy for which there is now
some evidence. The diagnosis of IBS is sometimes frustrating for some patients in that
investigations are normal. However, patients
should be investigated for ongoing symptoms
with a combination of blood and endoscopic
investigations (using a flexible tube inserted
through the back passage into the bowel) as
the symptoms of IBS can sometimes mimic
other potentially more serious bowel disorders.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) should
not be confused with IBS. This is an inflammatory condition of the bowel and there are
two main types – ulcerative colitis and
Crohn’s disease. IBD affects approximately 1
in 400 people in the UK but again is particularly frequent in the Ashkenazi Jewish population affecting young men and women. The
cause of IBD is thought to be a combination of
both genetic and enviromental triggers such
as smoking and gastrointestinal infections.
The genetic factors may also help to explain
why the disease is more common in the
Ashkenazi Jewish community, due to the long
tradition of marriage within the Jewish community therefore keeping genes which may
contribute towards developing the disease
within subsequent Jewish generations. Most
patients will be treated with drugs to control
or reduce the inflammation including medicines to suppress the immune system.
Diagnosing IBD in patients with symptoms is
with a combination of blood tests, endoscopic
investigations and scans.
Cancer of the colon (large bowel) is one of
the commonest forms of cancer in the world
and again there is a 2-3 fold increased risk in
the Jewish (primarily Ashkenazi) population.
The reasons for this are again probably genetic
and work is ongoing to try and identify genetic variants occurring more commonly within
the Jewish community which increase the risk
of developing bowel cancer. When genes
behave in a faulty manner, this can cause the
cells to grow too quickly which eventually
leads to the formation of a growth that is
known as a polyp. Although polyps start off
benign this is the first step on the road
towards cancer. The development of a bowel
cancer from a polyp may take between five
and ten years and early on there may be no
symptoms at all. The most common symptoms
are bleeding from the back passage, a change
in bowel habit such as unusual episodes of
diarrhoea or constipation, or an increase in
the amount of mucus in the stool. The most
common way to diagnose and remove polyps
thereby preventing cancers from developing
later, is with a colonoscopy – this is a flexible
telescope passed through the back passage
around the whole of the large bowel. Over the
last two years a national screening programme has been introduced across the country screening all men and women between the
ages of 60 to 70 using a test to detect microscopic amounts of blood in the bowel motion.
A diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruit and
low in red meat (chicken soup therefore
appears to be okay!) seems to help protect
against bowel cancer.
Dr Clive Onnie is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at
the Whittington Hospital NHS Trust, The Wellington
Hospital and is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the
University College London Medical School
HE
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Gynaecologist and fertility expert, Colin Davis, looks at the Jewish perspective on infertility.
Fertility and
the Jewish
Religion
Having a child is an important part of every marriage. Often problems of infertility do not arise until
later on. There is much pressure for a Jewish couple
to have children and when this does not happen
quickly it leads to a great deal of tension and
anxiety. Very often couples feel isolated and
believe they are the only ones. Infertility is
defined as difficulty in conceiving after 12
months of unprotected intercourse. Primary
infertility is where the couple have never
achieved a pregnancy in this relationship,
whilst secondary infertility occurs after the
couple have had at least one previous preg-
nancy even if this resulted in a miscarriage.
Infertility affects 1 in 6 couples and has
many consequences including physical, emotional, social and psychological. Eighty per
cent of couples will achieve a pregnancy
within 12 months with the figure rising to
90% within 24 months. The department of
health has recently acknowledged the impact
of infertility and with this recognition has
come NHS funding for investigations and
treatment.
The commonest causes of infertility
include; male factor 30%, unexplained 20%,
tubal factor 20%, ovulatory 15%, endometriosis 10% and uterine factors 5%. When a couple are seen with infertility a detailed history
is the first key stage and it is always very
helpful for the male partner to be present. It
is imperative that regular ovulation is confirmed and timed intercourse takes place on
a regular basis. On careful enquiry, timing is
often an important factor. The key initial
investigations include a hormonal analysis
on day 2 or 3 of the menstrual cycle, a pelvic
ultrasound scan and a semen analysis.
Assessment of the fallopian tubes can take
place by one of 3 ways. The simplest is a hycosy ultrasound scan where dye is injected in
to the neck of the womb (cervix) and an
ultrasound scan is performed to see if the
dye flows through the fallopian tubes. The
same procedure can be done using radioopaque due and a digital X-Ray is performed,
hysterosalpingiogram (HSG). Both these 2 procedures are undertaken in the first 10 days of
the menstrual cycle. The third and most invasive way is a laparoscopy. This is done under
general anaesthetic. The procedure involves
filling the tummy with carbon dioxide gas to
safely insert a small telescope (laparoscope)
through the belly button to allow inspection
of the abdomen and pelvic organs. This has
the advantage of allowing treatment to pelvic conditions such as ovarian cysts, fibroids
and endometriosis at the same. It is my preference to recommend this approach when
pelvic pathology is expected following investigations such as pelvic ultrasound.
Once a cause for infertility is established
then appropriate treatment can be started. At
all times it is important to treat the couple
and not simply the cause of infertility.
Supportive therapies include counselling.
Acupuncture, homeopathy and reflexology
have a secondary role in management and
have no major downside. They can help with
relaxation and preparation for medical treatment.
The mainstays of fertility treatment
include ovulation induction with clomid or
gonadotrophins (FSH) injections, intrauterine
insemination (IUI) and in-vitro fertilisation.
Conditions such as polycystic ovaries (PCOS)
are treated with ovulation induction alone.
Often clomid 50mg taken between day 2 and
day 6 of the menstrual cycle is sufficient to
induce ovulation and achieve a pregnancy.
Each treatment varies in intensity with ovulation induction being the least involved and
IVF the most demanding. Success rates vary
according to the cause of infertility. In general, female age is a major factor with younger
women having a better fertility rate.
Pregnancy rates with IVF treatment can be as
high as 50% per cycle for women under the
age of 35 years compared to 15% per cycle for
women over 40 years of age. There are however greater risks with IVF compared to other
treatments. These include over stimulation of
the ovaries leading to the potentially dangerous condition of ovarian hyperstimulation
syndrome (OHSS). Also, the risk of multiple is
much higher with a twin pregnancy rate of
25-30%. Multiple pregnancies carry a higher
rate of miscarriage and premature delivery.
The Jewish perspective on infertility is that
treatment should always enhance the chance
of increasing the family. There are three halachic principles that govern assisted conception. First, the commandments say ‘be fruitful and multiply’, second, the mitzvah of loving kindness, G’miluth hassadim, and third,
family integrity.
Be fruitful and multiply refers to populating the earth but there are restrictions. These
are determined by the laws of marital restrictions in particular the laws of incest. Halacha
does not permit indiscriminate multiplication of genetic offspring to enhance the
increase in population. The law in this country focuses on the welfare of the unborn
child and all treatments are governed by the
Human Fertilisation and Embryology
Authority (HFEA) which issues a license to
each fertility centre. Fertility treatment in
the UK is determined by the parliamentary
HFEA act of 1990 and therefore subject to
English Law.
In cases of personal suffering we are duty
bound to practice the mitzvah of G’miluth
hassadim, which originates in the verse ‘love
thy neighbour as thyself’. We must always
try and help a childless couple as long as noone else is harmed by the treatment. In
Jewish law domestic peace and the integrity
of the family unit is very important. In the
event of marital strife and for the sake of
family harmony most fertility treatments are
supported.
Jewish law places great emphasis on the
trustworthiness and reliability of the medical
establishment. The HFEA licensing of fertility
centres and measures taken to avoid mistakes are critical to achieving the level of
confidence required.
In conclusion, infertility is a common
problem amongst most communities affecting one in six couples. Management involves
taking a careful history followed by examination and detailed investigations to determine
the cause or causes. It is important to treat
the couple and offer appropriate support and
counselling. Jewish law is supportive of most
fertility treatments with three halachic principles governing whether treatment is
allowed. Where possible, treatment should be
supervised by fertility accredited specialists
and in licensed fertility centres. Furthermore
it is necessary to consult with a Rabbi beforehand to determine the halachic guidelines.
Mr Colin Davis MBBS MD FRCOG Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. Specialist in Reproductive
Medicine and Minimal Access Surgery
This page has been
sponsored on behalf of
James and
Sam Tenzer
Whose Rosh Hashanah is it
anyway?
Though celebrated by Jews the world
over, Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary
of the creation of Man at the end of the
six days of creation. You can’t get much
more universal than that!
Our own hopes and aspirations for the
year ahead are not just confined to us as
individuals or family units. We seek the
welfare of the whole family of mankind
who pass before G-d like a flock of
sheep, whose portion is allotted and
inscribed for the year to come.
Next Bite on pg 43
HE
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Aconitum Napellus
Homoeopath Karin Hirsch takes an alternative look at treating flu.
Homoeopathy
and the
Treatment of ‘Flu
I would first like to explain a little about the history
of homoeopathy. Homoeopathy comes from the
Greek “homoios pathos” meaning similar suffering/
disease. This refers to the principle of like cures
like. It uses the natural Law of Similars – similia
similibus curentur, the principle any substance that
is capable of producing symptoms in a healthy
person can cure those symptoms in a sick person.
Just over 200 years ago, a German physician
and chemist called Samuel Hahnemann discovered homoeopathy and formulated its laws
and philosophy in a book called the Organon.
Eupatorium perfoliatum covers pains “as if
the bones are broken”. Muscles ache and feel
bruised as well. There is a bursting headache
and aching eyeballs. The nose runs with much
sneezing, the chest feels raw and sore and
coughing makes the head hurt. They want ice
cold water even though it brings on chills.
Gelsemium is for ‘flus that come on when
the weather changes from cold to warm. It
comes on slowly with weak aching muscles.
There is a dull headache and the head, limbs
and eyelids feel heavy. They are thirstless even
with the fever, which alternates with chills
that run up and down the spine. They feel
dull and drowsy and need to urinate frequently.
Mercurius solubilis covers ‘flus with copious, extremely offensive perspiration. Their
breath smells bad and they produce more saliva than usual. Their throat may be extremely
sore.
Nux vomica is for gastric ‘flus with vomiting and diarrhoea. Limbs and back ache a lot.
The nose runs during the day and is blocked
at night. Their fevers are accompanied by
chills and shivering and they can’t get warm.
They are sensitive to the slightest draught or
to uncovering and part of their body. They are
extremely irritable and impatient.
Rhus tox is for ‘flus that come on in cold
damp weather with aching stiff joints which
is worse on first movement and better for
warmth. They stiffen up with rest. They can be
anxious and weepy without knowing why
they are crying.
Gelsemium Sempervirens
He trained as an orthodox doctor but soon
became disillusioned and appalled by the
medical practices of the day. Back then they
used bloodletting (leeches) and large doses of
very poisonous chemicals such as mercury.
He gave up medicine and became a translator. One day he was translating an English
article on the use of Peruvian Bark from
which Quinine is obtained to cure malaria.
He started experimenting and testing small
doses of the bark on himself. He noticed that
he developed palpitations, became drowsy,
his fingers and feet became cold, he was anxious, trembling, very thirsty and very weak.
His whole body felt numb. The symptoms
occurred suddenly and regularly and lasted
2-3 hours. When he repeated the dose, they
recurred. When he stopped taking it, the
symptoms vanished. He had produced in
himself the symptoms of malaria, the very
disease that the bark was supposed to cure.
This is how he started on the road to discovery that like cures like, otherwise known as
the Law of Similars. He called this process of
testing substances on healthy persons a
“proving”. It demonstrated that every remedy
has imprinted in it a symptom picture. He
was still dissatisfied with the side effects of
his diluted medicines and so experimented
with smaller and smaller doses of these remedies in order to minimise the side effects.
He found that when a substance is diluted
and shaken or “succussed” there were no
side effects and it cured more effectively.
We now have upwards of 3000 remedies
that have been proved, derived from plants,
animal or mineral sources.
Homoeopathy is a holistic treatment. We
treat the whole person – mental, emotional
and physical. Therefore the treatment is individualised for the patient. That is why 50 different people with headaches could need 50
different remedies.
I have decided to give some indications for
use of some of the ‘flu remedies as winter is
approaching.
For the first signs of ‘flu:
Aconite will help if taken in the first few
hours of a fast developing flu that comes on
after being chilled in a cold wind. You can
take aconite when you know you are getting
sick, have started to sneeze and develop a
fever, but before there is a clear symptom
picture. If aconite does not help, ferrum phos
is the next remedy to try if there is a fever
with no other symptoms.
For the ‘flu itself:
Arsenicum album is for ‘flus with great
weakness in chilly irritable anxious and fussy
people. The eyes and nose stream with
watery, acrid discharges. Fevers are accompanied by extreme chilliness and a desire to sip
warm drinks. They feel better for warmth.
Baptisia is for gastric ‘flus that come on
suddenly and are accompanied by vomiting
and diarrhoea. People feel sore and bruised
all over. There is profuse sweating with a
high fever and intense thirst. The face is a
dull red colour and they look dazed.
Bryonia is for ‘flus that come on slowly.
They ache all over, especially in the joints,
and the aching is worse for the slightest
movement. They are thirsty for large quantities of cold drinks. They may have a dry
cough.
“Muscles ache and
feel bruised as well.
There is a bursting
headache and
aching eyeballs.”
The indicated remedy should be taken in a
30C potency according to the severity of the
symptoms: one very 1 to 2 hours if the symptoms are severe or every 3 to 4 hours if they
are not so bad. Stop the remedy if feeling better. If you are no better after 6 doses, it is the
wrong remedy or a stronger potency may be
needed so check the symptoms to find another remedy or contact your homoeopath.
Karin Hirsch practises in Elstree and can be
contacted on 020 89534883 or by email at
karin@hirsch99.com
Karin Hirsch MRPharmS, RSHom.
HE
AL
TH
Physio, Julie Sterling, advises on incorrect posture and backcare.
Physiotherapy
for You
POSTURE and BACKCARE
Each occupational and recreational activity involves multiple
postures which can often be prolonged or repetitive.
Muscles are constantly at work to control these postures to
ensure that no injury occurs to the spine.
However, if these muscles are weak, or the stress
from the adopted posture is too great (i.e. too
repetitive or prolonged), injury can occur. For
example, sitting at a computer all day; a manual
labourer who is constantly
bending and lifting; a tennis player who repetitively twists and arches backwards. Due to lifestyle changes over years – more sedentary and an
increase in computer and mouse work – injuries
to the neck and back are increasingly common.
Below are some useful hints in daily activities to
help maintain a correct posture and healthy spine.
Sitting
The small of the back should be supported at all
times, either by the shape of the chair, a small
cushion, or a lumbar roll. This applies regardless
of whether you are sitting in the office, car, or
just relaxing at home. Try to avoid slouching!!
Hips and knees should be at right angles, with
the feet on the floor. Most office chairs adjust to
allow for this.
If necessary, a small footrest may help.
If working at a computer, make sure the screen
and keyboard are directly in front of you to avoid
repetitive twisting, and close enough to avoid
leaning forward to view the screen. The top of the
screen should be at eye level to avoid tipping the
head up or down to see it properly.
Avoid prolonged sitting. Frequent short breaks are
advisable to prevent straining of the spinal structures.
For example, get up to get a drink, use the pho-
TOP TIPS FOR A HEALTHY
LIFESTYLE
EATING FOR PLEASURE AND
HEALTH
Increasing numbers of us are becoming overweight. This can increase your risks of developing various conditions including high
blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and certain cancers.
Simple changes can make a differencereduce calories by cutting down on fried and
fatty foods, have smaller portions and substitute chocolate and biscuits for healthy
snacks such as fruit. This is also important
for children, who can be given raisins instead
of sweets as a treat or reward. Aim for at
least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables daily.
Try cutting down on salt with your food.
You’ll be surprised how little you need after
getting used to less, and reduce the risk of
high blood pressure.
Increase fibre by substituting white bread,
pasta and rice for wholemeal varieties
which are often more tasty too.
Eat regular meals with a balance of carbohydrate, protein and some fat, and drink
plenty of water. This is very important during warm weather to avoid dehydration.
KEEP ACTIVE
tocopier, do another task at home, or even just
to stretch.
When using the phone, avoid holding it
between ear and shoulder whilst freeing up your
hands for other tasks!! Either use your hand to
hold the receiver or use a headset. The same
advice applies to use of mobiles when out or at
home – use a Bluetooth headset if necessary.
In a car, the whole spine should be supported
by the seat, which is completely adjustable.
Some also have
adjustable lumbar supports – use them!! The
head should be on the head-rest. Avoid leaning
forward – if you are unable to see where you are
going without leaning forward, the seat is not
adjusted correctly.
Bending, Lifting, Carrying
Where possible, avoid repetitive or prolonged stooping or bending over – bend your knees instead.
When lifting, face the object, and stand close
to it with your feet wide apart for balance. Bend
your knees, keeping your back straight. Hold the
object in front of you, close to the body. Lift by
straightening your knees. Put the object down in
the reverse way.
Do not twist whilst lifting – move your feet
round instead.
When carrying, distribute the load evenly.
Hold the object in front of you but close to the
body.
A rucksack has 2 shoulder straps – use them!!
Avoid slinging the rucksack over 1 shoulder.
Handbags can be worn diagonally across the
front of the body. This is also a safer way of carrying them with regards to crime prevention.
In the Home
Tasks such as (un)loading the dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer should be done
on the knees or squatting.
Making the beds and cleaning the bath/toilet
can be done in a similar way.
Ironing – avoid stooping. Stand straight – put
the ironing board on books to raise it to your
height if necessary. Alternatively, sit to iron.
Take regular breaks.
Shopping – use more bags with less in each to
reduce the load you carry. This does mean more
journeys from the car to the house. Do not think
that because each bag is lighter that you can
carry more in one go!!
Telephone – avoid holding the phone between
your ear and shoulder in order to free your
hands for another activity at the same time. If
you are a frequent telephone user at work, try a
headset.
Sleeping
Ensure your head and neck are well supported
by enough pillows to maintain a posture where
your head is equidistant between your shoulders.
The correct posture to maintain is the chin
tucked in and shoulders relaxed and down. If this
happens, the low back posture should follow.
Excellent methods to improve and maintain
good posture are Pilates, yoga, and the Alexander
Technique. Local instructors can be found
through their respective websites.
By adopting a good posture and taking time to
think about how you undertake certain activities,
you can maintain a healthy, injury-free spine.
Julie Sterling MSc MCSP MMACP Dip AP Phys Sport.
Peak Physio 01923 852852/07930 483059
Most people think they are more active than
they actually are. Even a small amount of
regular exercise will help protect against
heart disease, as well as improving weight
loss, depression, tiredness and joint pains.
You don’t need to buy expensive machines
or gym memberships. Walking, swimming
or cycling can be enjoyable as well as sociable activities. Aim for 30 minutes of sustained exercise, enough to increase your
heart rate, at least 3 times each week. If you
cycle remember to wear a helmet, and if
you’re outdoors during sunny weather protect yourself with sun cream so reducing
risks of skin cancers.
SMOKING
Cigarettes are the single greatest killer in our
society. Smoking 25 cigarettes daily increases
your risks of lung cancer by a staggering 25
times, and also significantly increases your
chances of heart disease and chronic lung
problems so PLEASE STOP!
Assistance is available from stop smoking
clinics run by local GP surgeries, who can
help with providing nicotine replacements
which can ease the cravings, These are also
available from pharmacists and other NHS
run clinics.
ALCOHOL
The occasional beer, glass of wine or whisky
is fine, just don’t overdo it! Simple things can
make a big difference! Life is to be enjoyed
and a few small changes can help you to stay
healthy and live longer! It’s never too late to
change-establish good habits now and you’ll
continue to reap the benefits!
Dr Jane Rose, Local GP
Lionel Leventhal, former editor of LINK, reminiscences about World War II and his school.
School
Days
One of my earliest memories is of the red sky by night over London.
It was the Blitz and the city was ablaze. My family lived at that time
just off Ladbroke Grove in West London, and slept by night in the
communal shelter that had been built in the
street, and by day school for me was frequently interrupted as we all had to go down to the
basement shelter.
For my seventh birthday in 1944 the flying
bombs, the V1, started hitting London. We
would hear the splutter and cough of the
engine pop popping, bring the buzz bomb and
then take it away from us. If it stopped it
meant that the doodlebug was coming down.
When one did, it hit a house about 300 yards
away. The next day we went around to view
the utter devastation. And shortly thereafter
my parents fled, seeking safety in Manchester.
We had a long, long day. My parents knew
no-one there, and we had nowhere to live. We
were, literally, refugees. We hired a taxi at
the train station, and went around the hotels
and boarding houses seeking somewhere that
we could stay. Eventually, after hours and
hours, late at night, we found a small place in
an insalubrious area in South Manchester. I
only have a hazy memory of a near-slum area
off the Palatine Road. My brother and I were
put into the local school and were obvious
misfits and my parents planned to get out of
where they had to be, and get us out of that
school, with all speed. My brother and I were
in fact boarded out with two spinsters in
Bowden, North Cheshire, and were there
when VE Day occurred and we had the day off
school. Whenever we saw our parents and we
got pocket money it was spent on buying
loaves of bread, for we were permanently hungry.
Shortly thereafter my brother and I were
sent to a Jewish boarding school preparatory
school in Sussex called Beaconsfield School. I
was eight years old and stayed there, except
for school holiday of course, whilst my parents re-established themselves. I was there
until I was twelve (and in fact the school
closed down when I was about fourteen). I had
heard that it had 'gone to the dogs' and
thought that this meant that its standards
had slipped, but it turned out that its principal and owner had literally gambled away
school funds on dog racing.
I don't know how they traced me, but last
year I was invited to attend the first ever reunion of the school. I went, but felt somewhat
out of place and recognised no-one at all.
Many lifelong friendships had been forged at
the school, but not for me. There may have
been a contributing reason for not forming
lifelong friendships because virtually everyone
came from the London area, and met in the
school holidays and at half term. I however
used to transit through London and straight
onto a train to Manchester, even though at
half term you were not supposed to. Those
were the days of steam trains, and a three and
a half to four hour journey. Everyone attending the reunion (which was of course a self
selecting group) had excellent recollections to
retell, seeming to have total recall, but perhaps as my days were not happy at the school
I found that nearly everything had been wiped
from my memory. But I was surprised to find
how my former school colleagues had aged,
and looked old. Interestingly, amongst the
happy memories were also memories of spanking by the headmaster which would be taken
as abuse nowadays, and I can recall him visiting the dormitories to tickle pupils until they
laughed until it hurt. And nurses perched on
the edge of pupils' baths.
One recollection is however of the winter of
1946-1947, which goes down in history as one
of the coldest and snowiest on record. I set
out to walk across the football field to see if a
trench had been filled in by show. And, yes
you are right: I found it the hard way, by falling in.
I did however turn up in my personal files
some old photographs, papers and school
reports. I was not the best of pupils. Early
trends proved to be correct, judging by my
school reports. At age ten I received an A in
history and the comment 'Good work. Very
keen.'. This progressed to become 'He is keen
and works well' and 'Very interested and
receptive.' and I received glowing comments
all the subsequent school reports. Languages
were however another matter, and I consistently was given a D and for Latin comments
such as 'He has made a great effort but
remains weak.' and for French 'Weak but
works hard but should make progress.' and
such subsequent comments as 'Very inaccurate, lacks foundation.' and 'Extremely weak.
Lacks concentration.'. For Physical Exercises
and Games I also got a D and 'Definitely
weak.'. So trends show up at a very early age.
Also in my private papers was a bill for a
term. The cost of the school, with full board,
was an extraordinary £54.5s.9d. (and this
includes extras).
They had a rule at meals that plates had to
be cleared (well, food was rationed in those
days) and I hated lemon curd. Most times I
smuggled it out in my right-hand jacket pocket, which got awfully sticky and I could never
use. But I remember one lunchtime that a
master got suspicious and watched me try and
play with and hide the lemon curd. 'You have
to stay at the table until you finish it', he said.
I sat there. The room gradually emptied after
lunch, and I sat there all afternoon...
Some years later, at the end of the 1970s,
my wife and I were on holiday on the coast of
Sussex and set off to visit Tunbridge Wells and
explore the nearby countryside. I recalled
where the school was, in a little village called
Frant, and endeavoured to locate it. 'Yes, I
remember that...' I exclaimed as I drove along,
and turned a corner and there were the pillars
for the school gates. I approached the location, with everything seeming much smaller
than it did yesteryear. But then things sharply differed. Where the school had stood, a
large Victorian building, with a central portion and wings which stretched out on either
side, there was a small Victorian building and
a number of houses. I didn't understand it. It
was in fact rather surreal, rather like a time
warp. A lady came from one of the houses
and she knew straight away that I was a revisiting pupil, for a number had revisited over
the years, and she explained that the Victorian
building had been cut down, had had its two
wings taken away, and a new building had
been constructed from just the central portion, and where the wings had stood were the
newly built houses. I explored the grounds,
and saw the somewhat murky swimming
The school that Lionel writes about, deep in the Sussex
countryside.
pool, in which I had been ducked and have
always disliked swimming and water ever
since.
The reunion was at the Athenaeum, in Pall
Mall, in the heart of London's club land.
Some sixty people attended, out of a total roll
of about three hundred. The person who sat
with me during the lunch claimed he had
been my best friend at school. I had to confess that I didn't recall him at all, and it
turned out that he was not one of the successful former pupils, and had suffered for many
years with a mental breakdown. I wasn't sure
from our conversation if I had further affected
his confidence. But several of those that were
there had gone on to distinction, and a Lord
was there and a person at least who appears
on the Sunday Times 'Rich List', and a variety
of people from the accounting and medical
professions. Alas, I knew no-one.
Lionel Leventhal
A ten-year old Lionel, in 1947, in a school photograph. 4th row,
2nd on the left.
Lionel today.
“They had a rule at
meals that plates
had to be cleared
(well, food was
rationed in those
days) and I hated
lemon curd. ”
David Miller asks :
Who Would
God Vote
For?
In the old days, you knew when you were being
robbed. A man would stick a gun in your back and
say “stick ‘em up”. Now, however, the crooks have
found a more efficient method to systematically
steal our hard earned cash, and with far fewer risks
attached. First they stand for Parliament. Then they
get us to buy their furniture, do the gardening, clean their moats and pay their non existent mortgages. And when there is just one
squeeze of the lemon remaining, they sting us
for a gold plated index linked pension.
Similarly, in the old days, when the villains
were caught red handed, their response was
more usually “it’s a fair cop guv” rather than
“this was approved by the fees office”.
Listening to the shameful cabal of dishonourable MPs repeating the mantra “it was all
within the rules” is somewhat reminiscent of
Nazi officers at Nuremburg protesting “we
were only obeying orders”, not because anybody is suggesting that the crimes perpetrated by some MPs are even remotely comparable to the atrocities carried out by the Nazis,
but because they exude a similar arrogance
and show neither the slightest contrition nor
the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
The damage to democracy and our political institutions will take many years to repair
because there are similar problems of
accountability and transparency at local level
where the antipathy between electors and
elected is rising.
Prior to 2002, councillors would receive an
allowance of a few hundred pounds a year.
People stood for election out of a sense of
civic duty because they had skills and experience of benefit to the community. Money
was not the motivation. Today, a back bench
councillor can receive £10,000 for attending
just two meetings a year. Cabinet members
receive £30,000 - £40,000 and many Council
leaders receive £70,000+ because they also sit
on highly paid quangos without any democratic mandate.
Allowances have increased thirty fold in
the last few years but you would be hard
pressed to find many people who would
agree that there has been a corresponding
improvement in front line services. The public are justifiably angry because they have
been forced to tighten their belts due to the
economic climate, whereas politicians have
their snouts in the trough and appear totally
oblivious to our pain.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown (or former
Prime Minister Brown depending on when
you are reading this) told us that he was
guided by a moral compass, but he must
have acquired it from the bargain bucket at
Woolies because the current political crisis is
entirely due to the collective moral failure of
the ruling classes. At the next General
Election, policies will be of secondary importance to large swathes of the electorate who
will instead be more concerned as to the
honesty and integrity of the candidates.
In 1997, the Catholic Church published a
document entitled “The Common Good”
which was widely considered as a call by
Bishops for the public to vote Labour. Many
Christians believe that Jesus would have been
a Socialist whereas the late former Chief
Rabbi Lord Jakobovitz was ennobled by
Conservative Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher, of whom he was a great admirer. It
begs the question as to who God would vote
for to restore public confidence in the political establishment.
In an attempt to answer this I have looked
at the manifesto pledges of some of the political parties contesting the next election. One
party had a range of policies which might
possibly meet with God's approval.
On political sleaze, this party believes that
an MP’s salary is quite sufficient for the average person to survive on and that their
expenses are too high. These expenses would
instead be distributed to the poor and needy.
On electoral reform, the age at which people can stand for election would be reduced
to 18. At this age you can vote, drink, and do
almost anything else, except run for
Parliament. Elections would be held on weekends to increase voter turnout.
This party proposes help for parents to combat child obesity. On the environment, it has a
clear policy to deal with global warming,
including the planting of more trees, and also
proposes severe penalties for littering.
On education they propose to reduce class
sizes and to reintroduce student grants. On
transport, speed cameras would be abolished
in favour of automatic speed limiters operating in built up areas. Its answer to the fuel crisis is that we should walk more. Politicians in
future would be required to use public transport.
They also propose that everyone should
have free connection to the internet to
improve education and help British business
compete in the global market.
Many voters would look at this list and conclude that they are all eminently sensible policy ideas. But they are not taken from the manifesto of any mainstream party. Rather, they
have been selectively edited from the manifesto of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party.
Perhaps I should have stated that they aim to
achieve a reduction in class sizes by moving
the desks closer together! To combat global
warming, the Raving Loonies propose to put
air conditioning units on the outside of buildings!
But not all of their ideas are daft. The
Raving Loony pledge to reduce childhood obesity by telling parents to feed their children
less junk food is not loony at all and, indeed,
many of their other proposals over the years
have found their way into law.
It is simply a matter of presentation and
the serious concern is that fringe parties such
as the BNP will now profit from the moral
decline of our political lords and masters.
Unlike the National Front, whose ideological
hatred was tattooed on the forehead of its
members, the BNP presents itself as a moderate respectable party whose members dress in
smart suits and have the appearance of typical
middle class citizens.
Politicians are all now running around like
headless chickens talking about the need for
systemic reform to restore public confidence,
but it is not the system that is at fault but
rather the people in it. Religious leaders of all
denominations undoubtedly have a very
important role to play at the next general
election, not by campaigning for a particular
candidate or party, but by helping to recalibrate the moral compass of all candidates of
all parties.
Of course God doesn’t have a vote, but if he
was inclined to get involved in politics, he
would surely tell those wishing to hold public
office that they must observe his laws above
all others. Perhaps he would also remind candidates that they should always honour their
manifesto pledges and that they cannot claim
for a Mezuzah on expenses!
David Miller
FA
SH
IO
N
Lauren Krotosky interviews milliner Anna Goldberg to find out what inspires her
designs.
A Hat-ful of Designs
An amazing accessory can turn an outfit from drab to fab. As well as
adding some va-va-voom to your look, it can instantly update what
you’re wearing and be a trigger for endless compliments. So it’s hats
off to Manchester-born milliner Anna Goldberg, who recently set up
her own business.
“I have always been interested in fashion
and design,” she says of her desire to pursue a
career in millinery. “After leaving university I
moved to London but felt unfulfilled with my
job so decided to apply for a course at the
London School of Fashion. The purpose of the
course initially was to give me an outlet for
my creativity, but as my skills improved – I
completed a few courses and a BTEC – and
through talking to people, I realised that people really struggle to find a unique hat or fascinator to complement an outfit or to fit a
large/small head. I soon decided to set up my
own company and turn my interest in millinery into a career.”
Anna, who says she can be inspired by current fashions and trends, loves leafing
through old Vogue and hat magazines from
the 1930s to get design ideas. “A lot of ideas
have come through discussing options with
my clients; it’s quite an organic process,” she
reflects. “Sometimes people want a piece to
complement an outfit, other times they want
the hat to be the focal piece and really stand
out.”
When she begins working on a new design,
the first stage is to meet the client to discuss
their needs; what size, shape and other specifications they require. She also finds it useful to
look at the outfit they want to match their
hat to.
“Most of the time clients don’t come with a
set idea of what they want so it can be fun
playing with different materials, trying on different shapes and working out what will be
the best hat for them,” she explains. “I need
to take into consideration the season, people’s
face shapes, and the material and design of
the outfit they want to match. If necessary I
can sketch out the design and produce a
mock-up of the piece to help envisage the
final product. I hand-make all the hats which
is quite a laborious process but the client
knows their hat is a unique piece specially
made for them.”
While she is not able to copy exactly a
design seen on a celebrity, what she can do is
use others’ designs as inspiration. “I am
happy to use it as a stepping stone to create a
different, bespoke hat which will be perfectly
suited to each individual,” she says.
Although her business is relatively new,
Anna says it’s growing quickly and already
generating a lot of positive feedback. Much of
her work presently comes from personal recommendation and word of mouth, and the
next step is to start advertising to reach a
wider audience.
“The more I talk to people the more I realise what people’s needs are, and I really feel I
can fill the gaps in the market with something special and unique,” she enthuses.
“After graduating from London School of
Fashion, I worked for a milliner in Luton making hats for high street stores, but it is much
more rewarding working for myself. I enjoy
having more interaction with clients and creating individually tailored pieces. I feel privileged to be able to pursue a career I love so
much.”
For more information or to book your consultation call Anna on 07551 665 898 or visit
www.hatsbyanna.com
Lauren Krotosky
Anna Goldberg
FA
SH
IO
N
Jewish Princesses Tracey Fine & Georgie Tarn take a light hearted look at the annual
fashion parade.
Dressing it up for
Yom Tov
I am always shocked by how quickly Rosh Hashanah comes around
“It can’t be New Year again?” But the sad fact is that the older you
get, time seems to speed up, and before you know it, the summer
holidays are over and once again you are thinking about Yom Tov.
Jewish Princesses - Tracey and Georgie
There are certain traditions that accompany
Rosh Hashanah. Firstly, ‘who is going to do
what, when?’ and then the second tradition,
picking up the phone, (well you may as well
make the first move) to decide, ‘who is going
to do what, when?’ After you eventually get
off the phone, you realise what? Yup, you’ve
got it, as tradition dictates, IT'S YOU who will
be doing it ALL again
Evenings are spent menu planning, trying
to find a waitress (my advice book early, but if
you are reading this and you still don’t have
your help in place it is probably too late,) and
Princess Panicking that your table simply
won’t stretch to twenty two, even with the
flip out sides, pull out ends and the dodgy
card table that possibly won’t make it through
another year (but it always does.) Let’s not go
there with the mismatching chairs.
Along with entertaining, is entertaining the
fact that New Year is the traditional time for a
‘new you,’ well at least a new outfit or maybe
two, (why do you think Rosh Hashanah lasts
two days?). Doesn’t it feel like yesterday you
were joining the shoe queue for that requisite
first pair of black patents, (I am still buying
them). Then being smocked and frocked for
‘Grandparent synagogue shlepping naches’, I
was my Grandmother’s perfect accessory.
Once you had found your fashion feet, it
was then time to stand at the back of an overcrowded children’s store, along with all the
other Junior JPs, who were madly negotiating
with their Queen Mum’s to purchase that
desired dress. Those years were quickly followed by the trials and tribulations of the
teenage clothes crisis, where shoes, skirts and
synagogue just didn’t seem to go together, as
the High Holy Days did not mean high heels
and mini skirts, however high fashion they
were. I admit it I was “guilty” of a few fashion
faux pas.
However, nowadays I think it is fabulous
fun suiting and booting the family for the
forthcoming festivities; Princess Primark
works wonders yes even for the teenagers and
thank G-d ballet pumps are “in”. I just love
the glamour of seeing everyone dressed in
their shul best, and the feeling that whatever
happens, nothing is going to stop us from getting dressed up and going to find a seat
(another yom tov tradition!) Of course, I know
that going to synagogue isn’t about what you
are wearing, (ok I did sometimes have trouble
with this concept), but truth be told, fashion
does add a certain sense of style and excitement to the whole occasion. Little girls looking gorgeous in brightly coloured tights and
tiny dolly dresses, (were mine ever that small?)
Boisterous boys managing to un-tuck their
shirts at lightening speed. Groups of tweenies
parading around in the dress of their desires,
(Junior JPs are masters of negotiation) and
even teenagers, who have managed to get up
and get dressed, and lets be fair look great in
most things, even your clothes – yes, watch
out for missing items. Then finally of course,
Jewish Princesses who look resplendent (well
we are JPs!)
As for myself, I have been thinking that this
New Year, new you, or will last years outfit
do? The fact is that buying for simchas, (well
I am at the age where I am going to a lot of
Bar/Batmitzvahs,) has produced a wardrobe
filled with suits, skirts, shirts and an odd hat
or few. However, when all the new season’s
fabulous clothes suddenly hit the shops, it is
so tempting. After all, I don’t need a whole
new wardrobe (even though I would love one),
and ‘credit crunch vintage’ is ‘in’, but a terrific top or a perfect pair of shoes (high and
comfortable) breathes new life into an old outfit making a sweet new year. After all buying
something new for Rosh Hashanah, well it’s,
‘TRADITION’. Shona Tovah x
Tracey Fine & Georgie Tarn
Creators of www.thejewishprincess.com and authors
of The Jewish Princess Cookbook, The Jewish Princess
Feasts and Festivals and now The Jewish Princess
Guide to Fabulosity.
TR
AV
EL
David Onnie muses over a family Pesach in Italy
A Foreign Affair
As we journey through life there are occasionally things which we’d
like to do, places to visit or even, dare I say, people who we’d like to
see. Over the past few years my father has often mentioned a
desire for the whole family to go away for Pesach together – this
A room with a view
Ariel and Aryeh
year it also coincided with my mother’s 70th
birthday so the occasion was ripe for a gathering of the Onnie clan. After a period of coordinated and intense phone calls, all three Onnie siblings with spouses and children, plus parents (a
party of fourteen in total), had agreed on a country,
selected the hotel and also the departure date. Even
with a little background lobbying of the type which
normally precludes a UN resolution I was still suitably impressed that we’d reached a consensus relatively quickly and without too much arm twisting.
Pesach in the seaside resort of Jesolo, Italy (just outside Venice) awaited us and we readied ourselves for
twelve days of Italian cuisine, language and lots of
gelati (or so we hoped), in the middle of which
were eight days of Pesach.
Now, Jesolo doesn’t exactly fill up too many
pages in a typical guidebook – its principal industry
is to serve tourists and it serves them well – miles of
sandy beaches and a strip of beachfront hotels, all
matched by a promenade and parallel street teeming with restaurants and shops. Very continental.
Checking into the Hotel Augustus Cesare the day
before Pesach we marvelled at the view of the sea
from the hotel and that the beach was so close you
almost fell onto it as you walked out of the hotel –
a smashing location. But a few things had been
plaguing (excuse the Pesach pun) me for a while
(and I do worry about such things) – who would
our fellow guests be and what would the food be
like ? We settled into the hotel and I waited (anxiously). Within twenty four hours I had an answer
to my first question.
They swarmed through the lobby towards us a
like the modern equivalent of the charge of the
heavily armoured knights at the battle of Agincourt.
We Brits, hiding behind our suitcases, might as well
have imagined ourselves drawing on sturdy longbows just like our fellow countrymen centuries
before us. The proud propagators of liberty, egality
and fraternity were to be our sun bedfellows for the
next twelve days. Mum, being fluent in French, was
delighted and I looked forward to brushing up on
my creaky knowledge of the language of such an
expressive nation. A sprinkling of Britons, Belgians
and Israelis completed the melting pot of nationalities. Now I know that the British, an allegedly proud
island race, are part of the European Union albeit
somewhat reluctantly. And yes there is meant to be
some uniformity between the countries belonging
to the European Union, and also European laws
which bind us together in a common objective, a
blurring of borders and national identities. But, as I
observed, people are different, they have different
customs, varying peculiarities and traditions - the
Anglo-Saxon contingent, a little stiff, reserved, perhaps even stoic, intent on preserving the principle
of the queue during buffets ; our continental cousins, more relaxed about the time their kids went to
bed, substantially more melodious tunes during
davenning, and so very expressive with a shrug of
the shoulder or motion of the hand. And so, whilst
the odd confrontation (and raised plastic Coca Cola
bottle in anger) between guests of different nationalities didn’t cause a major diplomatic incident,
they did highlight cultural divisions (sadly, a chess
board in a shop in the Venice Ghetto, set up and
labelled as Ashkenazim against Sephardim, said it
all).
The Sedurim were enjoyably noisy but individual
affairs (each family group singing and learning, the
children fully engaged ). But they also marked the
start of the hearty four course feasts which would
challenge us and stretch our stomachs every lunch
and dinner. And on Shabbat and Yom Tov, the
superb leisurely outdoor Kiddush which preceded
lunch was accompanied by more alcoholic beverages than I care to list. The days started to merge in a
singularly alcoholic haze especially when lunch and
dinner also featured several varieties of white, red
and rosé (and I’m not talking about the colours on
an artist’s palette). Yes, it certainly was fertile
ground for an Alcoholics Anonymous recruitment
campaign. But seriously the catering was solid and
hearty, especially bearing in mind everything from
cooking utensils to ingredients had been brought
over to Jesolo from Paris. And with the catering
management team of Aryeh, Ariel and the ever so
cool, strutting Uriah (the absolute epitomy of
French style) calmly keeping the baying (literally)
masses satisfied, it was definitely a winning package.
Add in bustling trips to Verona, Venice and other
towns, an international game of beach football and
we enjoyed a Pesach with a difference – yes, lots of
eating and drinking but in a different country it
certainly was a diverse experience, a truly foreign
affair.
David Onnie
TR
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Caron Dias enjoys the sunshine and synagogues of Barbados.
Barbados - A
Caribbean
Community
Sitting pretty just behind the luminous invitations to sample coconuts, rum and other such delights that Barbados is famous for,
dressed in a characterful if not slightly unique shade of pastel pink, is
the focal point of this Caribbean island's Jewish community.
Based at the end of the aptly named
Synagogue Lane, the Bridgetown shul stands as a
memory to the once flourishing congregation
which began life in 1627. The synagogue, known
as Nidhe Israel, or the scattered of Israel, was
borne during the exodus of Jews from Recife in
Brazil. Upon learning that Oliver Cromwell had
opened British domains for Jews, a group who
originally fled to Amsterdam secured permission
to settle in Barbados. From there the community
grew and in 1654 the synagogue building was
consecrated, making it the earliest constructed
temple in the western hemisphere.
Unfortunately the shul, with it's trademark
ornate bimah and decadent yet sophisticated ark,
now stands as more of a museum than a place of
regular worship. Every Rosh Hashanah the Jews of
Barbados flock there to do their annual duties but
their numbers now amass around 150 at best,
compared with some 800 in the community's heyday.
Despite Nidhe Israel being a little-used gem,
there is in fact a second synagogue on this small
and beautiful island. Having spotted the mezuzah
on the door of the diamond shop in our hotel,
further investigation led my father (along with
the shop's owner) to the smaller yet more frequently used shul in Christchurch. (Yes, really, you
couldn't make it up.) Every week this small prayer
house (which I am assured is not painted pink or
any similar garish colour) plays host to the
Kabbalat Shabbat service.
Expecting the Caribbean Jews to pour into
every crevice of these four walls my father arrived
filled with intrigue. But what greeted him was a
This page has been
Zachary
and Micah
Kaye
“Conducted by Mr
Montreal, the group
garbled their way
through the service,
pausing only to mull
over the tune for
Shalom Aleichem which
rang in my father's ears
for the rest of the
evening. ”
rather more modest group of some five other
people which included two men from Montreal
and a lady from New York and two authentic
Barbadians. Conducted by Mr Montreal, the
group garbled their way through the service,
pausing only to mull over the tune for Shalom
Aleichem which rang in my father's ears for the
rest of the evening.
It would be easy to mock the way the service
was conducted, the lack of involved community
members or the once-a-year Jews. But what was
so fascinating – from this experience to our visit
to Nidhe Israel – is that there is a community in
existence in Barbados at all.
In every community there is a degree of apathy and complacency but rather than let this be
the death of the Barbadian Jews, something,
someone, has kept this community going.
Not only that but in April 2007 the history of
the Jewish people in Barbados was truly put into
the public domain with the opening of the
Nidhe Israel museum, which sits adjacent to the
synagogue and cemetery. The museum, reminiscent in external appearance of the Jerusalem
stone houses of Israel's capital, stands tall as a
testament to the rich and diverse history of our
people who have developed and upheld a community in the Caribbean Sea. Walking visitors
through the timeline which began centuries ago
and continues, albeit modestly, today, is a site
definitely worth seeing. Showcasing artefacts
including Torah scrolls and Channukiahs from
days gone by it proves that however hidden,
however unknown, there are these communities
around the world, little gems, that in their own
sometimes unique ways, are keeping our history
and our future alive.
Another two day Yomtov!
Rosh Hashanah is unique amongst our
festivals in that it is celebrated for two
days in Israel even though the biblical
command calls for a festival on the first
day of the seventh month.
Until the 4th century, when the Hebrew
calendar was fixed, the first day of a
new month was very much dependent
on the arrival of witnesses who had just
seen the new moon, at the Sanhedrin,
the highest religious and civil court in
the Land of Israel.
Due to the haphazard nature of witnesses arriving in time, countless
Sanhedrins before the 4th century used
the practice of celebrating Rosh
Hashanah on the day that witnesses
could have been able to come and, also
on the following day when witnesses
should have by rights, then come to
have testified on the sighting of the new
moon. This practice of celebrating two
days Yomtov was carried over to the
fixed calendar.
Next Bite on pg 62
Caron Dias
TR
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Fresh from joining the Link team Howard Green enjoys the wow factor of the Yosemite
National Park.
Yosemite - A
Photographer's
View
Nothing can prepare you for your first sight of Yosemite.
The National Park is roughly 200 miles inland from San
Francisco. After driving though the pleasant but somewhat
bland Californian hinterland, you gently climb to about 4000
feet. Approaching from Route I140 (as we did) you enter a
tunnel hewn from solid rock, almost one mile
long. As you emerge from the tunnel, there it
is – the entire valley spread out before you, a
magnificent panorama with many of the main
features visible. On your left, the almost perpendicular El Capitan rising sheer and majestically to 4000 feet above the valley floor, often
used by climbers as practice for the ascent of
Everest. To the right, the lofty Bridalveil Falls,
its spray visible from afar, crowned by
Cathedral Rocks. In the distance the unmistakable shape of Half Dome, at 5000 feet above the
valley floor the highest point in the valley.
The valley is about seven miles long and one
mile wide and our destination for our three day
break, The Ahwahnee Hotel, is approximately
half way through the valley. You may be forgiven for not seeing the hotel until you are really close - it is so well hidden. It is set in an
idyllic location and blends beautifully into the
landscape, surrounded by maple, pine and
aspen trees. It is the perfect base for a visit to
the National Park.
With only three days in Yosemite, we took an
orientation tour organised by the valley visitor
centre. We were escorted by our ranger, a pretty and well informed young lady named YenYen. She pointed out the outstanding features
and related many local anecdotes.
An early start is desirable as the light is at its
best between the hours of 7 and 10 in the
morning and 2 and 6 in the afternoon. After a
hearty breakfast we set out to see the sights in
Improve Your
Holiday Snaps
1)Ensure that your camera
is set to optimum
resolution and
maximum Jpeg
compression. You’ll get
fewer pictures, but they
will be better quality.
(memory cards are
cheap).
2)Always carry spare
batteries and memory
card.
3)For better landscape
pictures try to include
some foreground
interest, and try to frame
your subject e.g. with
tree branches, archways
etc.
more detail. We drove to the Merced River to
see the view of El Capitan reflected in the
water, a stunning and memorable spectacle.
Climbers can be seen, flea-like in the distance,
scaling its sheer and craggy face. The ascent
normally takes two days, necessitating an overnight stay on the cliff face – rather them than
me! After lunch we visited the Ansel Adams
gallery in the village. Ansel Adams was arguably America’s most famous landscape photographer and his pictures of Yosemite are world
famous. Many photographers visit the valley,
trying to emulate his iconic work; indeed it is
hard not to trip over the countless tripods at
the well known locations!
The ideal time to visit Bridalveil Falls is
between 4pm and sunset for the best lighting
conditions. After parking the car you ascend
about half a mile on a way-marked trail, noting the sign which warns of steep, wet and
slippery conditions – they weren’t kidding!
However the trek was well worth it. The 620
feet waterfalls descend into a chasm, sending
up an enormous cloud of spray, reflecting the
sun’s rays in a magnificent rainbow. The
water then cascades into a raging torrent
drenching everything in its path.
A short walk from The Ahwahnee are the
Yosemite Falls. As they face east, the best time
to photograph them is in the morning. The
sun strikes the falls as they tumble down the
sheer rock face, making them stand out in
sharp contrast. Of the thirteen falls in the valley, Yosemite Falls are by far the highest, dropping in two stages some 2425 feet to the valley
floor; indeed, it is the highest waterfall in
North America. The falls are best viewed from
Cook’s Meadow, a tranquil and alpine-like pasture, dotted with native Californian poppies
and Pacific dogwood.
Half Dome Rock dominates the valley and
can be seen from almost anywhere. One of
the best views is at Mirror Lake which reflects
its unmistakeable shape.
An excursion to Mariposa Grove to see the
giant sequoias is another highlight of a visit to
Yosemite. Mariposa is thirty-six miles from
Yosemite Valley but still in the National Park.
These trees are the oldest living organisms on
earth and also the largest. The Grove has
around five hundred mature specimens. There
is a two mile trail which takes you through
the Grove with signs on the most interesting
specimens. One particular tree, named
Grizzly Giant, is a massive 29 feet in diameter
and is over 200 feet high.
These few short paragraphs reflect some of
the most memorable experiences of our recent
trip. It covers only a fraction of what Yosemite
has to offer. If your wanderings take you to
Western USA, I strongly urge you to visit this
wonderful and magical place.
4)For group photos,
remember to remove
plastic carriers and other
objects (very
distracting). Set
camera focusing mode
to “face detect”,
otherwise camera may
focus on background.
5)In backlit situations,
when photographing
people, try using
camera’s flash, it will
help to reduce facial
shadows.
6)Watch background when
shooting portraits,
nothing worse than
seeing strange things
growing from your
subject’s head! Try
shifting your position.
Howard Green
Howard Green
AR
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David Miller visits the Banksy exhibition at the Bristol Museum and asks what the hype is all
about.
Banksy
Versus
Bristol
The irony will not be lost on six Australian graffiti artists who
were jailed in June for terms of between eight and sixteen
months for causing £70,000 worth of damage to tube and
overground trains, that their sentences were imposed five
days after Bristol Museum announced that they were
turning over their building to the renowned
and elusive graffiti artist Banksy, thereby
reigniting the debate as to whether graffiti is
art or merely criminal damage.
Graffiti is the bane of householders and
businesses, costing local authorities - and by
definition taxpayers - tens of thousands of
pounds each year to remove; yet despite our
general respect for law and order, many people undoubtedly have a secret admiration for
Banksy and his imprisoned impostors. With
public confidence in our political lords and
masters at an all time low, perhaps we are
simply envious of their skilful way of sticking
two fingers up at the establishment.
As the saying goes, “I don’t know much
about art, but I know what I like.” I loathe the
pomposity of art critics who talk down to us,
the great unwashed, in their patronising and
condescending manner about the subtle
nuances of the artist’s use of colour and texture when, frankly, all I care about is whether
it will look nice on the wall or mantle piece.
So the idea of an anarchic exhibition by a
graffiti artist appealed to my rebellious streak
and, with an open mind, I took myself off to
Bristol.
The first disappointment, however, was the
queue to get into the museum. It did not feel
right having to form an orderly queue to view
graffiti. Surely someone would have the sense
to jump over the barrier and enter through
the unguarded exit? Sadly no, because we
British are far too polite! We were given a
leaflet to read whilst queuing which had a
disclaimer: “The museum wishes to make
clear that everything on display has been produced legitimately for the purposes of exhibition.” In other words, the graffiti was faked.
The first exhibit room was entitled ‘Art of
Banksy’. A large crowd were peering through
a mocked up wire fence, behind which was
what appeared to be a pile of junk including
artists materials and a shopping trolley. No
doubt a metaphor for something which I am
not clever enough to understand. There was
the obligatory pile of bricks (more on that
later) and a painted line which ran across the
floor beneath a sign saying “This is where I
draw the line.” The sign itself was a defaced
painting of a vase of flowers, which had been
dumped in a dustbin. Even I could figure out
the meaning of that one!
Of far more interest to me was a collection
of rather unusual pictures and paintings,
which is what I had come to see. I won’t bore
you with details of every piece, but I was particularly impressed by a graph entitled
“Graffiti related activity recorded by Police”
which was daubed in red paint in place of
the usual neatly drawn straight lines. A very
simple yet highly effective idea. Perhaps I
would enjoy the exhibition after all?
The whole of one wall was taken up by a
single painting which, from a distance,
looked like a debate in the House of
Commons. Stand a bit closer and you realise
that the MPs are, in fact, monkeys. Or were
they chimps? I can’t tell them apart, but that
isn’t important. This was a highly topical
piece of art drawn in exquisite detail. It only
failed the “would it look nice on my wall?”
test by virtue of the fact that I don’t have a
wall big enough to hang it.
A painting of a traditional rural idyll over
the top of which had been sprayed in purple
letters “Exit through gift shop” with an
arrow pointing right caught my eye. I assume
that the ‘painting’ was a print of a well
known piece of work but sadly, as you will
have by now realised, I do not possess the
knowledge to say. But the meaning rang
home loud and clear. Banksy had just told us
that art is rubbish. Now he was saying that it
has become a commercial rip off. I agree. Can
we not just appreciate a piece of work for its
aesthetic beauty without having to analyse
every detail?
The not-so-subtle irony of Banksy’s work
appeals to me. The final exhibit in this room
was a large picture of two very badly drawn
matchstick people with one saying “Does anyone take this kind of art seriously?” and the
other replying “Never underestimate the
power of a big gold frame.” Quite.
The next room was called “Unnatural
History” and comprised of a number of caged
exhibits which were clever and witty but sadly
the concept was not original. That said, I particularly liked the mother bird feeding her offspring - except the birds were miniature CCTV
cameras. It was a vivid reminder that we now
live in the surveillance society foreseen by
George Orwell.
The cooped up chicken with deep fried nuggets for chicks feeding from a container of
tomato ketchup sent out a powerful animal
welfare message as did the large fish finger
swimming in its bowl, and the caged hot
dogs. A similarly powerful message, albeit not
a new one, was provided by a rabbit sitting at
a mirror applying make up.
I decided to check out the rest of the museum where most of the original exhibits were
still on display, although some had been
replaced with Banksy’s pieces. Whilst I could
appreciate the thinking behind the idea, the
problem was that the majority of visitors just
wanted to see Banksy’s work, and great hordes
of people were simply walking through the
various exhibit rooms giving valuable works of
art nothing more than a cursory glance as
they played this rather bizarre game of hide
and seek.
It became somewhat tedious, notwithstanding that many of the pictures, when you
found them, were rather good. The painting
of a couple boating on a lake, with the frame
tilted at an angle so that the water and boat
were slipping off the canvass clearly passed
the Miller art test, as did the worker in the
field who had stepped off the canvass to have
a cigarette break.
Damien Hirst’s Spot Painting which Banksy
had “improved” by means of a rat on a ladder
“It became
somewhat tedious,
notwithstanding
that many of the
pictures, when you
found them, were
rather good.”
with a roller brush and tin of grey paint was a
revelation. I wanted to shout with joy at the
realisation that I was not the only person to
rail at the pretentious nonsense that passes
for modern art. Beneath this painting was
another pile of bricks on the floor. It was not
Banksy’s work but that of a local artist,
Richard Long, who had created a circle using
Bristol slate. Whoopdedoo! I have nothing
against bricks. Indeed, I have my very own collection which I store in the form of a
house, but when will art galleries

AR
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
realise that they have been conned by
paying substantial sums for what is,
essentially, builders rubble?
I completely missed the Banksy fakes in the
porcelain room until a member of staff pointed them out to me and, as time was pressing
on, I too found myself rushing through the
various rooms until I was stopped dead in my
tracks by a striking oil painting by the artist
William West entitled “The Israelites passing
through the Wilderness, preceded by the Pillar
of Light”, painted in 1845. This is what art is
all about. A powerful picture, painted in
breathtaking detail which told the story of
Moses leading the departure of the Israelites
from Egypt. This was a painting which I could
simply sit and admire for hours on end without trying to fathom any subliminal message
the artist may have hidden within the gilt
edged frame.
As I prepared to depart, I read again the
words of warning printed on the back of the
leaflet given to me on the way in: “Contains
scenes of a childish nature some adults may
find disappointing.” And so it proved to be.
Much as there is to admire about Banksy’s creativity, his reputation has been built on an
anti-establishment platform. By exhibiting in a
respectable gallery, he has sold his soul to the
devil. Poacher turned game keeper if you like.
On leaving the museum, a member of staff
asked me if I had enjoyed the exhibition. I
replied honestly that whilst I appreciated
many of Banksy’s pieces, my favourite exhibit
none-the-less was a “real” painting. Her eyebrows raised despairingly at my words. Oh
dear!
David Miller
“It’s got groove, it's got meaning, Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion, Grease is the
way we are feeling”. David Onnie reports on whether Grease really is “the word”.
Stage Door Review of: Grease!
Rock ‘n’ roll ushered in an era of drainpipes, sneakers, ponytails,
bobbed hair, party skirts with lots of flounce and blue suede shoes.
It also takes centre stage in one of the greatest musicals of all time
which in turn became the highest grossing film musical of all time.
Grease is the word ! This of course conjures up
images of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
prancing about in ridiculously tight trousers, acting cool and like, er, um, well, like any High
School American teenager from the 1950’s, but it
is also responsible for a lot of spontaneous foot
tapping and breaking out into song.
I don’t believe anyone needs an introduction to
the loose plot, characters or music – they are so
familiar and, as for the memorable songs, everyone can do the pointing bit from Greased
Lightnin’ at a Bar Mitzvah or Wedding (well most
anyway) even if you get the words wrong, warble
Summer Nights, and attempt We Go Together
and You’re The One That I Want et al.
One fine evening in July masquerading as a
summer night(s) (just like the Grease song of that
name really), we descended en famille to London’s
Piccadilly Theatre to see whether Grease, starring
the diminutive, chirpy scouser, Ray Quinn (he of
the X-Factor “fame” – “I jus’ wanna thank everyone who voted for me and gave me a lorra support” ), really was the word and a worthy successor to the film musical version. Now, we know
that John Travolta was a tough act to follow but
Ray Quinn misses the required mark completely.
Yes, he may have bulked up his biceps but he
remains small of thespian and musical stature
(regardless of his substantially enhanced boot
heels) and is reduced to mimicking his more illustrious predecessor (or rather, trying unsuccessfully
to do so). Appearing neither cool nor carefree his
performance doesn’t even merit an A, B or C let
alone any of the so called X-Factor (whatever that
is). But to be fair to him, the role of Danny isn’t
exactly a strong character role, even in the original film version – that award goes to Kenickie and
to his on/off girlfriend, Rizzo. These parts have
more depth and are given more expression in the
athletically energetic Greased Lightnin’ (Kinickie
and the rest of the T-Birds) and of course the powerful ballad, There Are Worse Things I Could Do
(Rizzo). The role of Danny facilitates the storyline
from which spring the rest of the characters and
sub-plots. A closer examination of the scenes actually reveals that apart from the beginning of the
film, the High School Hop and Drive-in movie,
Danny doesn’t have a dominant part, and
Kenickie runs him very close at times. So let’s lay
off Ray (for a bit anyway).
The sets are simple, nothing extravagant or
complicated and they do the job. The job, of
course, is window framing the songs and, at
times, the show does move a little jerkily from
one scene to the next, almost as if the producers
had run out of stage time and needed to squeeze
in the next song before the end. There is no
orchestra pit and the band is located on a retracting mezzanine floor at the rear of the stage (like a
drawer opening and closing). I’m not sure whether, because of this, the theatre owners felt the
need to pump up the volume on the amplifiers
but the music was far too loud, positively thumping out of the speakers dotted around the theatre.
As my children also had their fingers firmly
plugged into ears at times I know that my advancing age had nothing to do with my disapproval of
the sound levels.
The supporting cast perform the songs with vigour and enthusiasm and in particular, Kenickie,
Rizzo, together with the T-Birds and the Pink
Ladies, retain the connection with the original
film version especially bearing in mind Ray
Quinn’s abject failure to do so. Sandy is well,
Sandy – a bland, blank canvass of sweetness and
innocence on which will eventually be superimposed a more “colourful”, knowing and casual
character. It’s not a particularly difficult role to
play but the solo songs were handled confidently
and competently.
Unfortunately we didn’t stay to watch the
transformation from good old Sandra Dee to
vampish, “bad” Sandy together with the resulting
denouement – actually nobody did as, due to a
technical hitch, the safety curtain didn’t work and
the second half of the show was aborted. Whilst
the children were disappointed with the abrupt
end to the show I was palpably relieved at not
having to endure another wretched hour of
watching Ray Quinn’s Danny bob up down like a
maimed Thunderbird puppet whilst attempting
to portray coolness.
The kids would like to return to the theatre but
only to watch the second half of the show and I
tend to agree with them. Grease is visually average with a few exceptions and only the songs save
the day. Then again, Grease is only about the
songs and Grease will always be “the word.”
David Onnie
SP
OR
TS
Link takes a look at some of the sporting activities enjoyed by members of the Community.
Sports
Maccabiah Games
Daniel Cohen
Joseph Davis and Daniel Cohen
(above and right), amongst
others, represented Team GB at
the Maccabiah Games this
summer
Joseph Davis and his 3 friends John Begner,
Joe Doer and Joel Barnett all aged 17, entered
the under 18 beach volley ball competition.
They missed the day for the football trials and
found a gap in the market. No one in GB had
ever entered Beach volleyball before!
Rochelle Davis
Daniel Cohen in action at the Maccabiah Games
Maccabiah Games Opening Ceremony
Sporting activities in the Community
BESCC – Borehamwood & Elstree
Synagogue Cricket Club
Team “Stanmore” Lining up for Excel
Swimming
WINNING – that’s what matters really. In
fact, the NFLs most famous coach Vince
Lombardi once famously said “if winning
isn’t that important, why do they keep the
score?” He was right, to a point.
For our Shul team, it is about winning
and yet having fun and enjoying playing
cricket with each other. The fact that we are
a tight unit and pretty much all know each
other from Shul helped to quickly create a
bond in the team. Playing Barnet Synagogue,
at times we dominated, at times it was tight
but in the end we pulled through to win by
an excellent 58 runs.
Highlights of the game included top batting scores of 33 from Joel Sager and Jeremy
Turek followed by a devastating few overs
from Daniel Cohen (he of Maccabiah fame)
who took 5 super wickets. Everyone participated well in the field and special mention
must also be given to Jacob Freedman for an
absolutely blinding one-handed catch; flying
through the air he was!
With support on the sidelines coming
from parents and wives, everyone left the
field satisfied and looking forward to the
next match in June.
As you read this, the season has ended but
if you are interested in joining the team
next season, why don’t you drop me a line:
joelsager@yahoo.co.uk.
Nathan and Etienne Dean together with Rafi Galkoff
swam one mile for charity on 23 April.
The money they raised went to two good causes the Alzheimer’s Society and Myeloma. These charities were chosen as Nathan's grandpa Tony from
Leeds has been suffering from Alzheimer’s for nearly
10 years and Rafi's aunt has Myeloma. The amount
raised reached a massive total of £500 which was
split into two equal amounts for each charity.
“This was the hardest thing I've ever done!” reported Rafi. “I can't believe I've made it!”, said Etienne.
Our friends and family were so generous giving us
money and trusting us to swim that I had to reach
my objective!” added Nathan.
The boys (and their families) felt extremely proud
of their achievement. It was on a rainy day, as they
were a bit bored that they decided on this challenge.
Who knows what could be their next challenge on a Joel Sager BESCC Team Captain
future rainy day.
Nathan Dean
FO
OD
restaurant review
Matt Dias
LET’S MEAT
For too many a year, Elstree &Borehamwood’s plethora of Jewish
commuters have alighted from a packed train, tummies rumbling, in
the knowledge that their evening meal is not going to live up to the
feast a Friday night dinner offers. What has made this worse is the
waft of grilled meat from the Divan, but leaving us in a Kashrut
quandary. Do we a) settle for the salad our
health conscious beloved ones have prepared
for us, or b) pick ourselves up off our touchases and schlep to Hendon or Golders Green?
What made this situation worse is that Levi
Luca had a crack at filling this gaping hole in
our bellies and our community, but unfortunately it came and went quicker than the
time it takes me to say “Schwarma in Laffa
with all the trimmings”. Fortunately, the
space left by Levi Luca has now been filled by
‘Let’s Meat’.
You certainly can’t miss the place. Decked
out in the most vibrant of colours, ‘Let’s Meat’
is as tasty to look at as it is to eat there.
Sensibly laid out, you have loads of space to
wait for your take away and enough room to
sit in and eat if that is your preference. You
even have the ability to rent out a room for a
small party, but I’d hold off from any ideas of
holding a Wedding or a Bar Mitzvah there for
now.
Like all good Jewish boys, David and I started off with chicken soup. Whilst this was not
the highlight of the meal, the soup was piping
hot, filled with kneidlich and lockshen. And
whilst Matt’s Grandma will tell you that chicken soup should be prepared at home, with
love, not necessarily at a Schwarma bar it was
a hefty portion and left us licking our lips
with anticipation of the next offering.
Once our chicken soup was cleared we were
greeted by a mountain of mixed salad with a
selection of toasty warm bread. If you are
looking for a healthy meal this is definitely an
option. The humus was fantastic and as David
pointed out, not only was it smooth, you
could really taste the chick pea and there was
a definite flavour of sesame that you normally
associated with tahini. Both the coleslaw and
the red cabbage were terrific and the highly
seasoned mushrooms were a real treat.
We had to be careful though, we could have
got very carried away, but there was a meat
feast slowly heading towards us and I for one
was not about to fill up on salad!
When you know it’s being cooked on a grill,
you cannot ignore a staple of every meat
lover.... the burger. But at ‘Let’s Meat’ it’s not
just a burger, it’s a monster burger. Half a
pound of beef sandwiched between two gently
toasted buns, a nice, but not over the top bit
of salad and a ‘special sauce’. Meat lover heaven... cooked to perfection, not overdone as
many burgers often are with a choice of side,
all at a very reasonable price, just £6.50 if you
are taking it away.
Then for me came a revelation. If ‘Let’s
Meat’ has a lasting legacy, it should be for its
fish burger. Now, being the meat fiend I am,
this is a surprising thing for me to say, but
head chef and co manager Josh, has managed
to perfect a kosher batter. Whilst, fish fried
in Matzo meal is nice, this is in a different
league and with salad and toasted bun, it’s a
bit of a revelation. In fairness we didn’t try
the fish and chips, but I did see a big piece of
battered cod pass our table and I was in awe!
Josh told us he worked for the Sephardi
Kashrut Authority and it had been his mission
to create a batter; Mission Complete.
The old tummy was starting to stretch and
the point of comfort had been reached, but
this wouldn’t be a proper food tasting unless
we came out feeling really rather full.
This was not going to be a problem.
Kristina, the lovely and always professional
waitress headed towards us with the “Let’s
Meat” Feast and a feast it was – Chicken
Tandoori, Chicken Shishilick, Schwarma and
Steak. Does it get any better, in a word, NO!
The steak was perfectly cooked, the
Tandoori chicken on the grill was exceptional
and the schwarma was perfectly seasoned, a
million miles away from bland. I was really,
really impressed. Served with a massive portion of chips and onion rings, both of which
were exceptionally tasty, though they did beat
us both in the end.
Aron, the front of house manager, was
quick to heap praise on head chef Josh and
rightly so. Between them, in the short time
they have been around, they have managed to
turn this start up into a slick, quick and tasty
eatery. They seem to work together in harmony and are quite clearly very good friends.
And that really comes across when you are sitting in the restaurant.
Both David and I left very happy (and very
full) customers. Being local residents the restaurant will very quickly get to know our
faces and just better not run out of burgers!
For the commuters and residents of
Borehamwood, a problem has been resolved.
Matt Dias
Sweets for my sweet, apple for my honey. The Link team tests
for the best apple and honey combinations for Yom Tov.
On Test: Apple
and Honey
The Link team met in early “Summer” for the now traditional Link
tasting. Bearing in mind the approach of Rosh Hashanah we therefore
decided that it would be apt to test (or rather taste) various apple
and honey combinations – just which apple would go with which
brand of honey?
But first a brief history. The apple fruit has been
around for a long time, since Adam and Eve to be
precise (remember what Adam was persuaded to
eat ?). Historians who ignore this cite the origin of
the apple being about 4000 years ago in the
Middle East and also that it has been grown as a
cultivated crop in the UK since the Romans. And
honey ? Well, without actually delving into the
history of this sweet, golden, sticky substance
there’s the obvious biblical references and, somewhat more glibly, that most philosophical of
bears, Pooh, was rather partial to it !
The team sampled a range of apples from the
supermarket shelf – Pink Lady (“the queen of
apples, with a sparkling flavour”), Golden
Delicious (“an apple selected for its delicate sweetness”), and Granny Smith (“the classically crunchy,
refreshing apple”). These supermarket descriptions
of the apples screamed out from the shelves but
what would they be like when dunked in to a
selection of honeys ?
On to the honey then. Four types were chosen
– the traditional Gales wild blossom honey (“rich
and aromatic”) based on it being a very much a
household cupboard stalwart. Pitched against it
was Tesco’s “finest squeezing orange blossom
honey” described as “a smooth clear honey with a
citrus tang collected by bees foraging in the
orange groves of Spain and South America, ideally
used as a glaze for meats”. That was a pretty
impressive description but would the taste match
it? And those bees were busy again in creating
Tesco’s “new finest Eucalyptus honey - a rich
brown honey with a wonderful toffee taste, collected by bees foraging from Eucalyptus trees,
ideal to use in desserts or drizzle over ice cream”.
An interesting and not particularly modest narrative. Rowse’s smooth set honey batted for the
non-runny honeys and had an altogether more
sensible description being “perfect for spreading
on toast, croissants and fresh crusty bread, it is
also ideal for use in cooking, baking and desserts”.
And so onto the combinations of apple and
honey.
The Golden Delicious apple lived up to its name
and was indeed sweet but for us without much
substance and too soft. Dipping it into the Gales
honey just increased the sweetness to almost saccharine like levels. The taste of the apple was then
drowned out in the orange blossom honey, tasting more like lemon than orange and an incredibly artificial flavour at that. Similarly the Golden
Delicious was also overpowered by the eucalyptus
honey. So no success there either no matter how
busy the bees were in their foraging ! But what
about the eucalyptus honey itself ? Well, the taste
of what we thought tree bark would taste like
came to mind. Heavy on the palate, harsh and
belonging in a throat lozenge were some of our
none to complimentary comments.
We also tried the Pink Lady with the Rowse
smooth set honey. Now, this honey is a bit of a
revelation and, just like its label, seemed a good
fit with the Pink Lady. The Rowse set honey gently
glides along the palate, it’s smooth, suavely sophisticated and almost, dare we say, creamy.
Accompanying it, the Pink Lady apple had a
decent flavour but it really didn’t live up to its billing as the “queen of apples with a sparkling flavour”. Some flavour yes, sparkling no. It also
struggled to stand up and be counted against the
orange blossom and eucalyptus honeys. So, a bit
of a disappointment.
Our money was on the classic Granny Smith.
Although it can be occasionally a bit sharp for the
palate it nevertheless has a resounding crunch
and a punchy taste. Straight out of the fridge, and
with a healthy, zippy tang, it was indeed refreshing. It even managed to hold its taste when paired
with the Gales honey, beating back the waves of
sweetness which attempted to overpower it. We
had by this time rejected the awful orange blossom and eucalyptus honeys, and with the overly
sweet Gales honey also being jettisoned, all eyes
alighted on the Rowse smooth set honey. The
Granny Smith was gently, carefully dipped in to
the honey and, as a hush enveloped the room,
slowly eaten. We all nodded sagely to each other
as professional tasters invariably do when in
agreement. We had found the perfect combination of apple and honey.
David Onnie
FO
OD
Cookery expert Denise Phillips creates a feast for Yom Tov.
Yom Tov
Recipes
Roast Chicken With Apricots
Ashkenazis Jews for decades have been eating chicken on
Yom Tov and Friday nights. There is no Halachic reason for
this; it is simply the age-old cuisine that European Jewry
have adopted. It is for many families the only
time everyone sits down together and extended family is present. Friday night dinner is the
best meal of the week with a three-course meal
and more effort with the cooking is expected
and certainly appreciated by the family.
My children take it in turn to choose the
menu and this is one of their all time favourites. I tend to prepare the chicken in the
morning, cover it and leave it in the fridge
until just before placing it in the oven. This
gives the red wine and rosemary time to permeate their flavours into the flesh of the
chicken. The dried apricots swell up and
become melt- in- the -mouth pieces of fruit as
they soak up the red wine and chicken juices.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients
• 2
.3 kg / 5 pound roasting chicken – giblets
removed (keep for chicken soup)
• 6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 475ml red wine
• 1 onion – peeled and roughly chopped
• 250g dried apricots
• 200ml water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1)Pre-heat the oven to 190 C/ 375 F/ Gas 5 mark.
2)Place the sprigs of rosemary underneath
the skin of the breast.
3)Put the chicken in a large roasting tin
breast side down. Pour over the red wine,
water and chopped onion.
4) Add the apricots and season well.
5)Cover with aluminium foil and roast for
approximately 2 hours.
6)Remove from the oven and leave for 10
minutes to rest before carving.
Serve with roast potatoes, kugel or rice and a
selection of green vegetables.
Wholesome Beetroot and Carrot Soup
Rosh Hashanah celebrations is a time for
renewal and repentant – so why not continue this ideology with renewing one’s eating
habits and start the year with a nutritious
soup. Carrots and beetroot are also symbolic
at this time of year as the omens present us
with the thoughts of prosperity and a life of
good fortune.
This colourful nutritious soup is perfect
for family style eating whether it is a Yom
Tov or for a change a different soup for
Friday night. Soup is easy to serve and can
be made in advance which makes the cook’s
task straightforward. I like to boost the
intake of vegetables with a healthy content
as much as possible at any opportunity.
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Parev
Will Freeze
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 7 raw beetroots – peeled and roughly
chopped
• 900g carrots – peeled and sliced
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves garlic – peeled and sliced
• 2 sweet potatoes – peeled and roughly
chopped
• 2 litres vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper – to taste
Garnish: Sprigs of parsley
6 whole coriander seeds
Method
1)Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan. Fry
the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes until soft.
2)Add the carrots, beetroot, sweet potatoes,
and vegetable stock.
3)Bring to the boil and simmer for about
30 minutes or until the vegetables are
soft.
4)Pour into a blender and whiz until
smooth. Return to the saucepan and
reheat. Season to taste.
5)Fry the whole coriander seeds in a dry
frying pan for 2 minutes until slightly
golden. Remove and crush with a rolling
pin or pestle and mortar.
To serve the stylish way: Garnish with sprigs
of parsley and crushed coriander seeds.
Apple Pomegranate Cake
Every Rosh Hashonah we repent for our sins
and wish for a happy and healthy New Year.
Pomegranates have a symbolic connection as
they are supposed to have 613 seeds which
correspond to the number of mitzvot, and
they are also a cleansing healthy fruit.
Pomegranates have beneficial effects on heart
disease, haemorrhoids, fertility and blood
pressure.A single pomegranate provides 40
per cent of an adult's recommended daily
allowance of vitamin C, and is a rich source
of folic acid and vitamins A and E. One
pomegranate also contains three times the
antioxidant properties of red wine or green
tea.
This cake is perfect for Yom Tov dessert
served with ice cream, cream or custard or
use at tea time when extra family / friends
guests descend!
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 8 people
Ingredients
• 4
50g eating apples, peeled, cored and
chopped
• 1 pomegranate – remove outer skin
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil – to grease tin
• 225g Self –raising flour
• 150g dark soft brown sugar
• 110g Unsalted butter or margarine
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 100ml soya milk / single soya cream
(Alpro)/ milk
• 2 tablespoons clear honey, warmed slightly
• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
Method
1)Pre-heat oven to 180°C: 350°F: Gas 4. Line
and lightly oil a deep 18 cm (7 inch)
round cake tin with non- stick baking
parchment paper.
2)Cream together the butter, sugar, until
light and fluffy.
3)Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating
constantly. Stir in the flour, cinnamon,
spice, milk /soya milk / cream, baking
powder and honey.
4)Add to the mixture, mixing thoroughly.
Fold in the apples and pomegranate seeds
so that the mixture is a soft dropping consistency.
5) Pour into the prepared cake tin.
6)Bake for 50 minutes until well risen and
firm to the touch.
Turn out on to a wire rack to cool.
To serve the stylish way: Dust with icing sugar
and ground cinnamon.
Denise Phillips 01293 836 456 www.jewishcookery.com
Garnish: Icing sugar and ground cinnamon
Leah Silverman, Headteacher, takes a look at what’s been going on this year at
Rayder - A Year In
The Life Of Cheder
It’s hard to know where to begin! Rayder has continued to go from
strength to strength thanks to the continued hard work of our
teachers, committee and helpers. We have held a number of exciting events and activities and, at the time of writing are even
Rayder is always looking for volunteers to help
out on the committee or to help children with
their Hebrew reading on Sunday mornings. If
you would like to help, please call Adam Tarsh
on 07983 431696 or e-mail him at rayderadmissions@googlemail.com. For information on
registering for this academic year, please email
the same address.
preparing for a special end-of-year trip to the zoo,
an exciting opportunity for the children to learn
about Kashrut and the importance of animals in
Judaism in a very practical way!
Rosh Hashanah is a perfect opportunity to
reflect on the past year, so here is a quick roundup of what’s been going on…
Back in September, to celebrate Rosh Hashanah,
the children all tasted apple and honey and learnt
about the Shofar. Years 2 & 3 spent a whole morning at Radlett United Synagogue helping to decorate their Succah. We celebrated Succot together
the following week with music, dancing and food,
and all the children decorated biscuits, had a festival quiz and played some fantastic games.
For Chanukah, amongst other activities, Year 3
took part in a special workshop all about oil! They
learnt how oil is made from pressing olives, and
each child had the opportunity to help make real
olive oil that can be used to light a Chanukiah.
Year 4 was lucky enough to professionally paint
their own chanukiah which were properly fired so
that each child could use their very own chanukiah.
Year 1, after some lessons learning about
Shabbat took part in a fantastic morning with parents creating challah cloths, kiddush cups, challot
and candlesticks. The children also re-enacted
their own Friday night, practising making Kiddush
and lighting candles with the bracha. Year 2, after
studying the ‘Shul’ and learning all about what
happens inside, had a special visit to Radlett Shul
and enjoyed a delicious kiddush there too!
Year 4 learnt about Jewish articles in the
autumn term, which culminated in 2 fantastic
activities: the boys made their own tzitizit together
with their dads, and the girls made challot with
the teachers. Year 5 attended a special Sefer Torah
workshop where they learned all about how a
Torah is made, how to use a quill and write their
names in Hebrew with it!
To celebrate Tu B’Shvat, the children in Cheder
planted a variety of different things, from cress to
grassheads! All the children ate a selection of different fruits and learnt about the customs of the
festival. Pre-Cheder had a special activity with
their parents, where they made fruit kebabs and
plant pots.
For Purim the whole Cheder got in to the spirit
of the festival and dressed up! Even the teachers
got involved as they acted out the story of the
Megillah to the whole Cheder. Rabbi Abel spoke to
the children, everyone had hamantaschen and
made gregers. As a new initiative, we offered parents the opportunity to order Mishloach Manot
baskets through RAYDER. Children in Years 5 & 6
made the beautiful food packages, and we raised
£50 for tzedakah!
The Tzivos Hashem Matzah bakery paid a visit
to Rayder in preparation for Pesach and we also
held special singing lessons for all the children in
RAYDER to perfect their Mah Nishtanah, and also
learn some new songs to bring to their Seder
night.
The Summer term has included events such as
Israeli Dancing lessons to celebrate Yom
Ha’atzmaut, a Lag B’Omer barbeque and a special
Chagigat Siddur for Year 3, who after preparing for
this special morning will receive their very own
Siddur.
One of the highlights of the year included a
Rayder Friday Night; in February over 120 people
had a wonderful dinner at Radlett Shul together
with Rabbi Abel and the Radlett Youth workers! It
was a wonderful evening and thanks must go to
Yaakov Finn, Elaine Tarsh and Debbie Myers for all
their hard work and preparation. If you missed it,
look out for information next year – you’ll need to
book early to avoid disappointment!
Over the past year, RAYDER has worked with
Keren Malki, an organisation dedicated to easing
the burden on the families of special-needs children in Israel. They currently support 1,600 families and funds are needed to allow them to participate in therapies and aids for their children. We
held a Chanukah sweet fair and sold Mishloach
Manot to help raise money for this important charity.
The academic year ahead promises to be better
than ever. Although we have said goodbye to some
of our teachers, we welcome some new teachers
on to our team, who we hope will bring new ideas
and inspiration to RAYDER. Our new extended
morning is testament to the success and continued enthusiasm that Rayder encourages and I look
forward to another year of fun, education and
inspiration.
Wishing you all a Shana Tova!
Leah Silverman Headteacher.
PO
LI
TI
CS
Jeremy Newmark looks at Jewish identity, Zionism and Israel in an age of Human Rights
Zionism vs
Human
Rights
The age of human rights is here. The post-cold war years could be
described as the golden age of the universal human rights regime.
Today its agenda influences media, foreign and domestic policy, law,
business, economics and civil society. The appeal is that in a world
divided by differences, whether faith, class,
culture or language, human rights are universal. Through the discourse of human rights,
we can speak a common language with our
neighbours and with strangers. Human rights
bond us all to humanity.
Member states of the United Nations (UN)
adopted the UN Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR) in 1948 with the promise of upholding
it. The reality, set in by political, realist constraints meant that for much of the Cold War
years, upholding these rights became in many
ways an abstract idea. What we saw was that
instead of governments, civil society took up
the role as protector and champions of
human rights. The worst abusing governments
were their enemies and the rest of the international community of nations the target
audience of their calls for action and change.
A combination of the effects of globalisation
and the instrumental role of civil society in
the success of the anti-apartheid movement in
South Africa saw the formation of a powerful
Global Civil Society. Key players became international human rights and humanitarian
Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) such
as Amnesty International, Oxfam and Human
Rights Watch. They have been catapulted front
row and centre stage into the world of international relations and politics. They have harnessed the power of the global media to influence opinion formers and mass public opinion
alike. In doing so, their reach and influence
grew at an unprecedented rate and with massive successes in recent years. For example,
they formed a coalition that was instrumental
in the campaign which led to the creation of
the International Criminal Court. As a result
of the corporate social responsibility agenda,
it is now widely accepted that business practice and human rights are inextricably linked.
Exposing bad business practices, they forced
massive multinational corporations such as
Nike to change the way they operate abroad.
Moreover, we must not underestimate their
role in causing massive investment by governments in tackling poverty and HIV/aids in the
developing world.
These human rights NGOs and the personalities who lead them have rapidly become
politically influential and highly respected by
government and ordinary people alike. NGO
leaders are receiving political appointments in
government, are becoming prominent stakeholders in policy-making and are seen by
media as reliable sources. Closer to home, the
domestic UK agenda has placed human rights
as a central pillar of government policy making and UK law. This was solidified in 1998
with the introduction of the UK Human
Rights act.
So what does all this mean for Israel,
Zionists and the Jewish community?
Traditionally, human rights have been
championed by liberals, particularly the liberal left. However, the issue of Israel/Palestine is
now dominated by extreme left discourse.
Being critical of Israeli government policy is a
given and in itself is not always problematic.
However, it is often expressed or rooted in
extreme anti-Zionism and in some cases
antisemitism. This is not a unique trend. It
reflects the same phenomenon that we have
seen in other areas of civil society such as the
Trade Union Movement and academia.
However in the world of human rights NGOs
this discourse has become both fashionable
and largely unchallenged from within.
NGOs increasingly and disproportionately
focus their work on Israel’s human rights
record. Moreover, some NGOs have been
unwilling to contextualise their analysis of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They often exclude
or merely pay lip-service to abuses of
Palestinian attacks on Israel and Palestinian
on Palestinian from their human rights agenda. What is most striking is their apparent
lack of serious focus on using their power and
influence to support those striving for workable solutions to the conflict. Surely this is
more likely to improve the lives of those on
both sides as opposed to perpetuating a blame
game under the rubric of human rights?
One could point to the disastrous Durban
2001 UN World Conference against Racism as
a turning point. In Durban the NGO forum of
the conference was hijacked by anti-Israel and
anti-Zionist groups who led a very well organised, funded and high level campaign, to
exclude antisemitism from the anti-racism
agenda and to label Israel as an apartheid
state and equate Zionism with racism.
Mainstream NGOs largely and shamefully
remained silent. Previously extreme discourse
was suddenly transformed into legitimate
mainstream human rights language. Since
then the effect and arguably antisemitic
impact has been felt at first hand by Jews
around the world, including at home in the
UK. For example on campus it is manifested
in ‘Apartheid weeks’ and ‘Zionism is Racism’
motions. More widely we have seen the use of
the apartheid analogy to galvanise civil society
support for academic and goods boycotts of
Israel – commonly known as the Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) agenda.
The striking difference between other areas
of civil society and NGOs is that in the former
the pro-Israel community has found a way to
isolate the far left to some extent and found
important supporters and non-Jewish voices
from the mainstream left to champion their
cause. However, this is not the case in the
world of human rights NGOs. We are left to
believe that Jewish issues are no longer
regarded as human rights issues. It is unsurprising therefore that a gulf has emerged
between mainstream Jewish community
organisations and activists and mainstream
human rights and humanitarian NGOs. There
is great mistrust. In the past, Jewish people
have been prominently involved in all sorts of
human rights work - from the anti-apartheid
movement in South Africa to civil rights in
the USA, from Raphael Lemkin's work on genocide to Rene Cassin’s role in drafting the
UDHR. The Board of Deputies has a history of
involvement - in the early 20th century it used
to help rescue and rehabilitate trafficked
women from Eastern Europe. British Jewish
personalites such as the late Ansel Harris
played roles in the senior leadership of organisations like Oxfam.
However, today being an Israel supporter,
Zionist or not, and a human rights activist is
increasingly incompatible. Being an anti-Zionist Jew from Neturei Karta or Jews for Justice
Jeremy Newmark
for Palestinians gives you an automatic ticket
through the door, but Zionists are not extended the same welcome. Often, Zionism seems
to be a dirty word. There seems to be little
acknowledgement that Zionism in essence is
merely an expression of the Jewish nation’s
right to self determination like any other people, including the Palestinians. There seems to
be a double standard considering this right is
supposedly so sacred to the human rights
movement. Feeling excluded from the human
rights agenda, less and less mainstream Jewish
activists or Israel supporters are inclined to
involve themselves in the work of these NGOs
- on the Israeli/Palestinian issue or wider
human rights campaigns. But human rights
are for everyone. Being a Zionist doesn’t mean
that you can’t speak out against Israeli policy
should it ever happen to breach human rights
norms. On the other hand, it also shouldn’t
mean that you have to speak out about Israeli
policy at all. In fact, it is quite possible that
your passions lay elsewhere and that as a Jew
you are closely wedded to such issues as genocide prevention or religious freedom and tolerance.
There is no doubt the problem is massive,
but as our community has disengaged from
this world, the problem continues to grow.
Barely a week goes by without another initative from one or another of Oxfam, Christian
Aid, War on Want, Human Rights Watch et al
to promote full or partial boycotts against
Israel or the broader agenda of demonisation
of the State. These organisations are powerful,
respected and motivated. However, this status
has become possible due to their ability to
harness mass popular support and media
interest. Amnesty International’s membership
led structure is a case in point. Moreover,
human rights are important. They are here to
stay and thankfully they influence policy making both domestically and internationally. A
Jewish contribution to this agenda is essential.
It is our duty and responsibility. You can
make a difference on the issue of the Middle
East and other important human rights causes. So what are you waiting for? Get involved.
Go out and become active in your local NGO
branch. Human rights issues are Jewish issues
just as Jewish issues are human rights issues.
Only if we contribute to this common cause
then we can expect others to reciprocate.
Jeremy Newmark is Chief Executive of the Jewish
Leadership Council. He played a leading role in successful communal efforts to oppose anti-Zionist activity at the recent United Nations 'Durban 2' conference
in Geneva. In this article he explores one of the issues
at the heart of the UN Durban process, namely the
increasingly difficult relationship between the Jewish
community and the major Human Rights NGOs.
PO
LI
TI
CS
David Cukier looks at the proliferation of boycotts of Israeli goods and nationals.
The Cukier
Report
One of the subjects that keeps on cropping up in the news which I feel
particularly sensitive about is the issue of the boycott of Israeli goods
and nationals. So much so that I thought it was time to write the
Cukier Report on it.
If you think the accompanying pictures are unrealistic or unlikely, I refer you to an article that
appeared in the Times newspaper in January
2009 about the city of Rome no less:.
Outrage over proposal to boycott
Jewish-owned shops - January
2009, Rome
Jewish leaders in Rome today expressed outrage
over a trades union proposal to "identify and
boycott" Jewish-owned shops in the Italian capital amid fears of a resurgence of anti-semitism
linked to Israeli actions in Gaza.
Jewish leaders said the proposal, put forward
by Giancarlo Desiderati, leader of the FlaicaUniti-Cub union, which represents 8,000 shop
assistants in Rome, was reminiscent of the antisemitic racial laws adopted 70 years ago by the
Fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini imitating
Nazi Germany, under which only "Aryan" shops
were allowed to trade.
Asked if he was aware of the comparison, Mr
Desiderati said: "We know we will have everyone
against us, but we cannot pass over in silence
what is happening in Gaza".
He said his union had already urged its members to boycott Israeli products, and boycotting
Jewish-owned or Jewish-run stores was a logical
next step.
Have you ever heard of BIG ( Boycott of Israel
Goods) campaign run by the Palestine solidarity
campaign and other linked fringe groups ?
Maybe you have heard of the Palestine solidarity
campaign. If you haven’t then you may not be
aware or surprised at their activities or the fact
that they have been undertaking boycotts of
Israel across the UK for a number of years:
If you think the anti - Israel boycott doesn’t
affect you in the UK, not to mention Israeli trade
particularly, even if only in the realms of culture and academia then think again. Anti Israel
boycott campaigns are being waged daily against
all UK supermarkets over the sale and stocking
of Israeli foods and goods.
Companies currently on the Anti- Israel boycott list include AOL Time Warner, Coca Cola,
Estee Lauder, Johnson and Johnson, Lewis Trust
Group, Marks and Spencer, News Corporation,
Revlon, Selfridges, Home Depot, Starbucks, Apax
Partners, Disney, Danone, Kimberly Clark,
Loreal Nestle, Nokia, Sara Lee, Intel, Timberland
and even Arsenal FC ( I suppose that is at least
one good reason to support them), and the list is
not exhaustive.
The boycott affects all areas of commercial
and non commercial activity including culture,
academia, sport, divestment campaigns, sanctions campaign, arms trade campaign, trade
unions, students and faith groups.
A piece of interesting information is that the
boycott of Israel was originally started at Israel’s
inception after the war of independence in 1948
and reactivated by the Arab states in the early
1970s. Today there are a number of Arab countries which do not participate in boycotts of
Israeli goods due to international trading agreement membership, particularly the world trade
organisation (WTO), and in some cases peace
agreements signed with Israel, not withstanding
the US legislation fining companies found to be
complying with boycott activities. Nevertheless
at a March 2001 meeting, some Arab states
revived the Arab League boycott, and this was
reaffirmed in subsequent summit meetings of
the Arab League which re-established the Arab
League boycott office. Alongside the boycott by
Arab states, which is illegal under US law, there
are presently two major initiatives, begun since
2000 and advanced by various groups, for the
academic boycott of and divestment of Israel.
Below I have set out a few significant examples of anti-Israel boycott activity which have
arisen recently in the news.
tournament in February. Peer, ranked 48th, had
been scheduled to play in the joint ATP and
WTA event that includes all the top 10 women's
FreedomCall - December 2008
British telecommunications firm FreedomCall
has terminated its cooperation with Israel's
MobileMax due to the IDF operation in Gaza.
"We received an email from the British company informing us that it is severing all ties with
us and any other Israeli company following
Israel's strike in Gaza," said CEO Raanan Cohen.
"We weren't expecting this from them and
there was no prior warning. I don't intend to
appeal to them or answer the letter."
The email from FreedomCall said, "As a result
of the Israeli government action in the last few
days we will no longer be in a position to consider doing business with yourself or any other
Israeli company."
University and College Union May 2009
A resolution by British lecturers to boycott Israeli
universities was overturned on legal grounds.
Jewish leaders condemned the vote, citing what
they called "anti-semitic" and "racist" overtones at
a meeting held beforehand.
The balloting was held at the University and
College Union congress in Bournemouth where
delegates accused Israeli academics of complicity
in Israel's acts against Palestinians.
This marked the fourth consecutive year that
the Union voted in favor of boycotting Israel; the
previous calls were never acted upon.
Especially disconcerting to Zionist Britons was
a statement by Sean Wallis, secretary for the
Union's branch at University College London,
who reportedly said the position that a boycott
was illegal was attributable to lawyers backed by
people with "bank balances from Lehman
Brothers that can't be tracked down."
Church of England - February
2009
The Church of England divested from the
American company Caterpillar. The Church
said the divestment was for purely economic
reasons, though it had been urged previously
to divest due to the company’s involvement in
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It came just
before the publication of a letter to the British
Guardian newspaper in which some Church
clergy condemned the Church’s “unethical”
investment policy.
Unison (Britain’s biggest Public
Sector Trade Union) - June 2009
The trade union Unison rejected a request by
Trade Union Friends of Israel (Tufi) to run a stall
during its annual conference in Brighton.
However, the union gave different reasons for
the ban. Tufi was told that the rejection was
because of Israel’s action in Gaza and complaints
by regional members. But a Unison member
who spoke to deputy general secretary Keith
Sonnet was told that as the union was having
three Palestinian-run stalls, there was no room
for Tufi.
What can and should we be doing?
Edinburgh Film Festival - May
2009
The Edinburgh International Film Festival
returned a £300 grant from the Israeli embassy,
after bowing to pressure from director Ken
Loach.
The grant was intended to enable Tel Aviv
University graduate Tali Shalom Ezer to travel to
Scotland for a screening of her film, Surrogate.
Leith Festival – June 2009
The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
warned the Leith Festival board that there would
be leafleting and boycotting and more moaning
due to Veolia's £3,000 grant. Veolia are involved
in the Jerusalem light-rail project, much to the
SPSC's ( Scottish Palestine solidarity campaign)
displeasure.
Dubai Tennis ATP Tennis
Campionships - February 2009
The refusal to grant a visa to an Israeli tennis
player has cost the Dubai Tennis Championships
a record $300,000 fine.
Shahar Peer, an Israeli women's tennis player,
had her visa request denied by the United Arab
Emirates just before her planned arrival for the
Boycott battles in Nazi Germany 1930’s (“Defend yourself. Don’t
buy from Jews “), and on today’s London streets, ( caption on
man’s sweatshirt in Hebrew, “I only buy from Jews”).
There are however pro Israel groups which are
taking actions to oppose the boycott. For
instance the Academic Friends of Israel is one of
only three groups in the world whose sole purpose is to fight academic boycotts of Israel. The
other two organizations are Scholars for Peace in
the Middle East and the International Academic
Friends of Israel, both of which are based in
America. Future boycott attempts will require
that academics and Jewish communities
throughout the world, including Israel, organize
and work together to counter the anti-Israeli
atmosphere on campuses. This is in fact a message for all of us. Concerned members of the
community should be writing to their MPs and
retail and multinational companies stating their
opposition to this discrimination against Israeli
nationals and goods, and companies or companies trading with Israel. In the US the boycott of
Israel is illegal. Why is it not the same in the
UK?
The levels of anti-semitism toward Jewish students and academics at Britain's universities, as
well as future boycott and divestment activity,
depend on whether the Israeli-Palestinian conflict arrives at a breakthrough or a breakdown.
This issue should concern each one of us because
it affects our freedoms to purchase Israeli goods
in our shops, or the rights of our children and
academics to study in freedom. The outlook is
therefore uncertain and not necessarily optimistic. Since last year Britain experienced record
numbers of anti-semitic incidents while generally accepting without protest the use of antisemitic motifs and methods.
David Cukier
This page has been sponsored by
John and Barbara Cassell
Meanwhile Upstairs in Heaven…
G-d arranges His Heavenly Court with angels acting as counsel for the prosecution and counsel for the defence setting up their positions,
all awaiting the proclamation of the Sanhedrin in the Land of Israel, and its succeeding Jewish Courts of Law worldwide, that Rosh
Hashanah has arrived.
Ever since the Torah was given to the Jewish people, their leaders in the courts were given the power to declare the new month. If it had
not been declared Rosh Hashanah yet, down on earth, the Heavenly Court would then disperse and reconvene the next day.
Next Bite on pg 74
The English Garden Company gives its top gardening tips for the forthcoming months.
Gardeners’ Corner
The summer season is drawing to an end and now is the time, whilst
the weather is still amenable, to get cracking on the following jobs
to ensure your garden is ready for the winter onslaught, with only
minimal works thereafter.
These are The English Garden Company suggestions to get you on your way.
1.Clean up all leaves and debris and either
compost or dispose to prevent pests hibernating and lying in wait to cause further
damage next year.
2.Check all tree stakes and other plant supports are in good order and secure to support the winter gales.
3.Remove all summer bedding displays, prepare areas to be replanted with winter
bedding, using a bone meal fertiliser
forked in with some compost.
4.Plant out your winter bedding display to
brighten up the dark winter days and
thoroughly water in.
5.Lightly fork over all beds and borders,
weeding as you go and sharpen lawn
edges with a spade.
6.Give your hedges a final trim to leave
sharp and tidy.
7.Cut down all finished herbaceous plants,
leaving ornamental grasses until the
spring to enjoy their frosted seed heads on
cold winter mornings.
8.You may apply a good quality compost/
manure mulch to all beds to a depth of
8cm to condition the soil. You don’t have
to dig it in as the worms will do all the
hard work incorporating the mulch to the
root systems depth.
9.Position sticky grease bands on the trunk
of your fruit trees approximately 1m from
the base to protect from winter moths and
other insect infestations.
10.Check your tree stock looks healthy and
safe, note any rot/cavities/deadwood and if
you are unable to ensure the trees are in
safe order, call in The ENGLISH
TREEWORK Company for advice and quote
to do for you.
11.Do not neglect your hanging baskets and
pots. Continue to dead head, water and
feed, replant with winter bedding and
heathers to provide further colour.
12.September is your last chance to re-seed
any bare patches on your lawns. A seed
and lawn sand/soil mix should be spread
over the relevant areas and rake in using
the back of a standard metal rake. Allow
to germinate for a minimum of 4 weeks
before mowing. If the seed has not germinated within two weeks, repeat the same
procedure.
13.Leave pruning your roses until late
December, early January. Roses are tough
as nails and bush roses can be pruned very
hard, removing older, weaker and dead
growth to the base. The same applies to
climbers although ensure you do not
remove any leader/main stems.
14.Plant your bulb displays in September/
October, I find a selection of daffodils and
tulips works really well, adding feature
bulbs like Alliums to provide striking features. It is essential that you plant the
bulbs to the depths as stated in the
instructions and use compost under the
bulbs when planting.
15.Put out bird food to encourage winter
birds into the garden, this is always a winner if you have children or grandchildren.
16.January is a good time to plant new deciduous trees and shrubs to fill any gaps in
your beds and borders. You may also wish
to transplant existing shrubs and move
them to a better position or location. Just
ensure you dig generous sized root balls
to capture as much of the structural root
system as possible to give the shrubs the
best chance of survival.
The above tips will provide you with enough
information to get your hands dirty and be
constructive in your gardens this winter.
However, if you feel that the winter chores are
a little too much for you to handle, feel free
to call Rob on 01707 645 069 for free professional advice and guidance.
Wishing the congregation a happy and
healthy New Year and well over the fast.
Rob and The English Garden Company Team.
office@englishgc.co.uk Freephone: 0800 7836117
Hannah Minsky searches for sincerity to back up what we say.
When actions
speak louder
than words
There was once a severe water drought in Israel,
and the Rabbis called for a day of tefilla (prayer) at
the Kotel (Western Wall). Thousands of people
swarmed towards the old city of Jerusalem on that
day, in order to storm the gates of heaven with
their prayers. A young boy saw the commotion and
asked a man standing nearby what was going
on. The man explained to him that they were
begging G-d to make the rains to fall, as the
country was in desperate need of water. The
boy took the information in, looked around
and innocently asked, ‘well if you’re praying
for rain, how comes no one brought their
umbrellas with them?!’
Whilst this is a cute story, its message is
one that is very real, especially as we enter
the Yomim Noraim, the High Holy Days,
when we spend a large amount of time
inside Shul praying whilst standing before
H-shem in judgment. Praying is not simply
saying the words that are written before us,
but, like all other mitzvos (commandments),
praying is also about our thoughts and our
intentions as we utter the words.
On the first day of Rosh Hashanah during
the Torah readings, we read the story
Avraham and Sarah who could not have children for many years. After years of praying,
they were blessed with children.
When the Torah first tells us that Sarah
fell pregnant, it says that ‘H-shem had
remembered Sarah.’ The Hebrew word the
Torah uses for the word ‘remembered’ is,
‘Pakad’. This is related to the word ‘lehafkid’
which means to deposit. I once heard a beautiful explanation that H-shem ‘deposited’ so
to speak all the prayers and good deeds of
Sarah and her husband Avraham, and in the
merit of them, He blessed them with a child.
It is interesting to note, that on Rosh
Hashanah when we are being judged, we do
not make any personal requests or admissions before G-d. If one looks through the set
prayers, they will find that the running
theme is us proclaiming that H-shem is our
King. It is only during the days that follow
Rosh Hashanah until the end of Yom Kippur
ten days later, that we see the text includes
confessions of errors and becomes more personal. This is because Rosh Hashanah is a day
where we crown H-shem as our king. Only
once we make Him our King and form a relationship with Him, can we then seek
requests from, and admit our errors to Him.
The idea of our prayers on Rosh Hashanah is
in order for us to connect to H-shem.
During the Torah reading mentioned
above, after having given birth to Yitzchak,
we read how Avraham and Sarah had to send
out Avraham’s other son (whom he had with
Hagar his maidservant,) Yishmael, in fear of
him being a bad influence on the newly born
Yitzchak. The Torah recalls how Yishmael
and Hagar ran out of food and water supplies
whilst in the dessert and that due to their
prayers, a well was revealed to them containing water. The Torah tells us that G-d ‘heeded
the cry of the youth in his present state.’
Rashi gives a fascinating commentary on
this: He explains that Yishmael repented and
at that moment when H-shem was judging
him there was an argument in heaven with
regard what should happen. The angels
argued that he should not be saved, because
in the future his descendants would spill
much Jewish blood. However G-d’s argument
was that a person is judged according to
their current state. H-shem therefore saved
Yishmael as his present state, was one of sincere repentance.
The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom
Kippur are known as the ‘Ten Days of
Repentance.’ It is a time in which we try to
be extra careful in all our actions, as we
know that our judgment in heaven is pending, to be sealed on Yom Kippur. Being careful and extra scrupulous in our actions dur-
ing those days also serves to seal the bond we
began to create on Rosh Hashanah.
To the outsider, it may seem hypocritical
to be more particular about ones conduct
whilst awaiting judgment than on a regular
basis. However based on the above we see
that H-shem will judge us according to how
we sincerely want to try to be, in our current
state as we stand before Him. During the
High Holy Days we therefore decide in our
minds that we want to be better, and we
demonstrate our sincerity through our
actions.
There is a concept in Judaism where the
first of our produce is offered up to H-shem.
For example, in the times of the temple,
when the first fruits came to fruition, the
farmers would bring them to the temple and
not keep them for themselves. However, it
would seem more logical for them to wait,
and to offer up the best produce! Why offer
up the first?
Rabbi Frand explains that the first sets the
tone for what is to follow. It is the laying of
the foundations. A house built on shaky
foundations will not remain standing, however if there is a crack in the wall a few
floors up, there is no major damage incurred.
By offering up the first fruits, the farmer is
establishing a mindset, and demonstrating
his belief that everything he has comes from
H-shem.
Rosh Hashanah is the DNA for the coming
year ahead. How we behave between Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur will set the tone
for the rest of the year. Last year on Rosh
Hashanah a seed was sown. Within that seed
many things were planted, who would be the
new president of the United States, how the
world financial situation would change, which
countries would fight in wars, which babies
that would be brought into the world, and
sadly who would be taken from the world and
in what circumstances.
It is hard to focus on our prayers, especially
when they are ones said only once a year and
so are less familiar to us. However, what we
need to do on Rosh Hashanah and the days
following it is not simply to read the words of
prayer out of a book, but to create a relationship with H-shem, King of the world in the
process. The way to do this is to demonstrate
through our actions that we mean and believe
in what we are saying when we pray.
This year, when praying on the High Holy
Days, we should try to remember that H-shem
is not only searching for merits to deposit in
our favor, but He is also looking at us to see
how we are at this moment in time, and will
judge us accordingly. Let us approach the
prayers sincerely and confidently, and of
course let us not leave our umbrellas behind…
Wishing you a year of health, happiness
and success.
Hannah Minsky
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Deborah Clayden takes a strictly fun look at learning to dance.
Shall We Dance?
Late every Thursday evening, from a dark and uninhabited corner of
Borehamwood, strange sounds can be heard. A faint beat of music,
the same tune over and over, intertwined with the occasional cry of,
“Ouch!” On closer inspection, the noise comes from a hall, and 9 or
10 cars are parked outside. If you listen at the
door, other sounds add to the mix, “slow,
slow, quick, quick” or sometimes, “cha cha
cha 1,2”. And on occasion, peals of laughter.
When you enter the hall, a shocking sight
greets you. Nine couples, under the instruction of the rather wonderfully charismatic
John and his partner Betty, are learning to
dance. Foxtrot, Waltz, Cha Cha Cha, Jive,
Rumba, Salsa – all of these and more will soon
be gracing the Elstree and Borehamwood barmitzvah scene. Each lesson follows a similar
pattern. The teacher reminds us that we
should all be practising for about 5 hours a
week. We all hang our heads low to avoid eye
contact. We watch Betty and John demonstrate the chosen dance. The men then go to
one end of the hall with John and the ladies
go off with Betty and we each learn the steps
for that evening’s chosen dance. It all seems
very simple to us ladies and then we look over
at the men, clutching their imaginary partners rather too tightly and following John’s
excellent instructions. The ladies then try to
contain themselves from exploding into laughter. Then we watch Betty and John dance
again. Time for the moment of truth. We
take our partners and put the new steps into
a routine with music. We all dance around
the room with varying degrees of poise, success, treading on toes, bashing into other couples. Most of us are counting steps and star-
ing at our feet but John assures us that if we
practise, we will dance these steps naturally.
We scoff in disbelief. However, slowly but
surely, it feels more natural.
As a child, I always looked at couples who
could dance properly at weddings and barmitzvahs. I admired them so much. I ignorantly assumed that when you got married,
you automatically inherited the skills of
dance. I used to imitate them with my brother, making that, “chop off someone’s head”
motion with our arms. However, when I got
married, for some odd reason, I didn’t magically know how to dance. Daniel and I did
not take dance lessons prior to our wedding,
and so, when we took to the dance floor, we
just swayed in time to the music and occasionally moved our feet, hopefully not onto
each others’. I remember wishing that the
toastmaster would tell the other guests to join
us on the dance floor so that no one would be
watching us.
Fast forward seven years and we decided
that it would be a fun to learn something new
as a couple. When we first got together, we
had always discussed learning to salsa, but for
whatever reason, and like so many other
things, we never got around to it. So we went
online and found some lessons for absolute
beginners in St Albans. We didn’t tell a soul.
We were so worried that everyone would
laugh at us. I remember coming out about it
to my parents after breaking the fast that Yom
Kippur as we rushed them out of our house so
we could attend lesson three. Their reaction
was encouraging so we eventually told all of
our friends, even the ones we knew would
laugh. I also remember the anticipation we
felt as we drove to the first class. What would
the others be like? Would we bring down the
average age by 40 years? As it happens, we
were all very similar in age and in outlook
and bonded very well as a group. We really
looked forward to our Thursday evenings.
I think the TV show Strictly Come Dancing
became popular that year. So ballroom dancing was suddenly this popular and fashionable
craze. We were clearly just ahead of our time.
We stopped dancing when I became pregnant
with Jemima but had mastered the basics and
were hooked. We’d managed to dance Rumba
and Jive at a couple of Balls and a couple of
Barmitzvahs. We even went to the Ritz for
our anniversary and Foxtrotted around the
dancefloor! Then Daniel broke his knee (playing football, not dancing) and couldn’t even
stand up, let alone do the rumba. So everything went on hold.
Fast forward another year, Daniel can now
walk, and so we decided to start dancing
again. By April we’d got some friends together to make Thursday evenings fun again,
found Betty and John, and booked a hall. And
off we went.
Thankfully, we have 6 years before making
a barmitzvah, so maybe by that time we wont
be staring at our feet anymore.
Deborah Clayden
Leo Peters explains how Israeli dancing is much more than just dancing.
Israeli Dance
Institute
Nurturing the Flame of Judaism: how the Israeli Dance Institute will
enhance the lives of 10,000 Jewish children this year.
When synagogue member Nikki Millan won the Strictly Limmud
Dancing competition in Warwick last December she was rejoining a
circle which she had helped create years
before when she worked as administrator for
the Israeli Dance Institute.
Most people are aware of the Israeli Dance
Institute (IDI) through its provision or support for
adult dance classes or through its performing
groups, especially ORANIM which has provided
Israeli entertainment at Simchas for the last 30
years. However the IDI’s mission is much broader –
it is to keep the flame of Judaism alive through
Israeli music and dance. If your children have
danced at the annual Children’s Dance Festival,
you will understand that there is a special feeling
of connection to Israel which is engendered.
IDI also reaches out to small Jewish communities worldwide which need help rediscovering
and celebrating their heritage and Jewish identity. Dance is a building block to the soul.
There are many uplifting stories involving IDI
programmes and projects. An example is that of
Yulia, a doctor of ophthalmology who also loves to
dance. At a seminar in Vilnius, capital of
Lithuania, organised by IDI in 1991, she was astonished to discover that Israeli dance could be utilised for Jewish education. IDI gave Yulia for her
community a set of dance materials for the
Chagim and Shabbat.
With these materials Yulia helped to establish
the first Jewish Sunday School in Saratov, which
is about 3 hours flying time south east of
Moscow. Even though many of the children only
had a very vague idea about Jewish practice and
belief, all of them enjoyed the dancing and singing. Each dance and song taught to them was
linked to a Jewish Festival; they were taught
about the Festival and became familiar with the
Hebrew words of the songs.
Yulia went on to organise Israeli Dance
Seminars in nearby towns in the Volga Region
and by training other teachers to use the IDI
materials she helped to establish Jewish Sunday
Schools in these towns. She was invited to participate in the annual IDI summer seminar in
the UK for in-depth Israeli dance training and
Jewish education courses.
To her surprise, the parents of the children who
she was teaching asked if she could teach them to
dance and learn Hebrew. She then organised adult
dance classes based on IDI materials and this led to
the development of Family Learning Programmes.
Yulia is now Education Director for the
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in
Moscow, involved in the development of Jewish
education programmes throughout Russia, many
of them based on Israeli Dance.
IDI has extended its role to help the Jewish community of Turkey, before and after the synagogue
attacks, and South America where the community
was isolated after the economic collapse.
IDI also provides a connection to Judaism for
people of all ages who have lost sight of their
Jewish identity in the UK. Dancing is an exciting
and wonderful way to reconnect to one’s roots.
The dance classes include jazz dance to contemporary Israeli music and also traditional dances
to age old Yemenite tunes.
How you can become involved
You can “join the circle” by attending Israeli dance
classes. If you want you can even (from the age of
15) join a special monthly training course in how
to teach Israeli dance. At the end, you can obtain a
certificate.
For people aged 12 to 50 there are opportunities
to perform with Nitzanim, Oranim or Alonim
dance troupes which have performed at the
‘Simcha on the Square ‘ and “Salute to Israel” and
a number of inter-faith events.
Finally, like all small charities, the IDI needs
sponsorship and donations to enable its educational programmes to go ahead. So the charity is looking to connect with those who used to dance to
encourage them to be ambassadors to the rest of
the community on behalf of the Institute. The aim
is to raise sufficient funds this summer to enable
more than 10,000 Jewish children to benefit from
IDI programmes in the coming year.
If you would like to be involved as a dancer, a
volunteer, helper or donor please telephone 020
8446 6427 (number will change from mid-June) or
email info@idi.org.uk for more information.
Leo Peters
CAN YOU SPOT THE 10 SUBTLE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THE ORIGINAL PICTURE ON THE LEFT
AND THE OTHER PICTURE?
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LEAD THE APPLE TO THE HONEY
Budding comedian Marc Shoffman stands up.
Two Rabbis
walk into a Bar
I have been able to stand up since I was a toddler.
But it turns out performing stand up is a whole new
ball game (I’m quite poor at ball games but that is a
different story. ) Earlier this year I decided to
embark on the world of musical stand up comedy,
after all a recession is often regarded as the best
time to expand one’s skillset and think of all
the comedians being closed down because of
the economic downturn!?
Being a Jew I obviously have quite a good
comedy heritage behind me. Back in biblical
times Abraham must have been seen as a bit
of a joker after explaining the benefits of circumcision to the Jewish people. And Moses
must have put on some good entertainment
for the Jews as they wondered the dessert for
40 days and 40 nights, perhaps a Rabbi
Brawer style sermon or two?
The Talmud even extols the benefits of a
good chuckle. The great Sage, Rabbah,
always began his lectures with a humorous
statement to uplift his students while according to the Baal Shem Tov, humour and joy
helps expand a person’s consciousness which
helps bring them closer to God.
The key to comedy is leading the audience
down one path of assumptions and hitting
them with the unexpected. The Torah is full
of these types of what the industry describes
as “setups”.
“The Hebrew word
for laughter is
Yitzhak, after the
patriarch whose own
life is a tale of the
unexpected.”
In the book of Jonah, the prophet refuses
to do God’s work and tries to hide away at
sea only to get caught in a vicious storm. He
volunteers to be thrown overboard and faces
a likely death, only to be swallowed by a big
whale! Jonah must have chuckled to himself
as he started to repent inside the whale’s
belly, knowing he had swapped the grave for
fish guts.
Or think of the Jews escaping slavery in
Egypt only to get given 613 new rules to
abide by.
The Hebrew word for laughter is Yitzhak,
after the patriarch whose own life is a tale of
the unexpected. First he was almost sacrificed by his father only to be replaced at the
last minute by a ram, then his own son
Jacob duped him into becoming his heir.
What a joker God can be!
And although God’s punch lines are often
hard to understand and sometimes only
become clear in retrospect, according to
Psalm 126, in the Messianic era, “our mouths
will be filled with laughter.” That will be one
busy gig so it is probably best to start queuing for tickets now.
Nowadays Jewish comics such as Woody
Allen, Jackie Mason, Adam Sandler, Sarah
Silverman, Matt Lucas and Sacha Baron
Cohen to name a few, are as synonymous
with ours and mainstream culture as salt
beef and rye.
My favourite Jewish related joke comes
from a Woody Allen sketch about a moose,
he says, “I shot a moose, once. I was hunting
up-state New York, and I shot a moose, and I
strap him on to the fender of my car, and I'm
driving home along the west side highway,
but what I didn't realise was, that the bullet
did not penetrate the moose. It just creased
the scalp, knocking him unconscious. And
I'm driving through the Holland tunnel - the
moose woke up. So I'm driving with a live
moose on my fender. The moose is signalling
for a turn. There's a law in New York state
against driving with a conscious moose on
your fender, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
And I'm very panicky, and then it hits me:
some friend of mine is having a costume
party. I'll go, I'll take the moose, I'll ditch him
at the party. It wouldn't be my responsibility.
“So I drive up to the party and I knock on
the door. The moose is next to me. My host
comes to the door. I say ‘Hello. You know the
Solomons‘. We enter. The moose mingles. Did
very well. Scored. Two guys were trying to sell
him insurance for an hour and a half. Twelve
o'clock comes - they give out prizes for the
best costume of the night. First prize goes to
the Berkowitzs, a married couple dressed as a
moose. The moose comes in second. The
moose is furious. He and the Berkowitzs lock
antlers in the living room. They knock each
other unconscious. Now, I figured, is my
chance. I grab the moose, strap him onto my
fender, and shoot back to the roads, but - I got
the Berkowitzs. So I'm driving along with two
Jewish people on my fender, and there's a law
in New York State... Tuesdays, Thursdays and
especially Saturday.
“The following morning the Berkowitzs
wake up in the woods, in a moose suit. Mr
Berkowitz is shot, stuffed and mounted - at
the New York Athletic Club, and the joke is on
them, because it's restricted.”
I can’t say too much about my act so far,
although I have received a good few laughs
and am hopeful for a headline spot in the
Messianic age. One talent not so widely recognised is our very own Rabbi Naftali Brawer.
Many a sermon has left me and the congregation in stitches, luckily not too literally for
some of the older folk.
I did mention my own musical comedy act
to him at one Kiddush, and he replied, “you
could be like Jackie Mason, he was a rabbi and
then became a comic, you could do it the
other way around.”
What a funny man our rabbi is indeed!
To view some of Marc Shoffman’s performances visit http://marcshoffman.blogspot.com
Marc Shoffman
Wishing your community a Happy & Kosher Passover
that being a teacher is the most rewarding
(not financially!), interesting and amusing job
in the world. I love it. No two days are the
same. Every lesson taught is unique. Even if
you have taught the weather in Spanish 50
times, the pupils you are teaching will react
in a different way. When a pupil comes to
you distraught about a problem and you can
help in some little way, your heart lifts.
When you bump into someone you taught
“On my “free” days, I
seem to spend a
ridiculous amount of
time worrying about
seemingly petty
things”
Deborah Clayden tries to find the correct work - life
balance.
Working Mum
When I came into the world on 21st October 1973, the only roles I had
to fulfil were that of daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, greatniece and cousin. Over the next few years, I became a friend and a
school pupil. Fast-forward to my early twenties and I traded pupil for
teacher. A few years later, I became a sister-in
law and then a wife, (and therefore daughter
in law) and soon after, an auntie. And then it
happened, aside from my own birth, the single most important change in my life – I
became a mother. The only position I have
since relinquished is that of granddaughter.
Thankfully, I have not yet had to take on the
role of carer to my parents, (still young and
sprightly and very recently retired and seemingly touring the world). Apologies to Daniel,
but the two most time-consuming roles I have
today are that of mother and teacher.
Many mothers now work outside of the
home, some in part-time jobs. I am extremely
fortunate in that I knew from a very early age
that I wanted to be a teacher. I did my PGCE
straight after leaving university and quickly
began work in a truly wonderful profession.
Although I have no knowledge of any other
job,(especially not my husband’s!), I believe
years previously and they fondly remember
one of your lessons, you burst with pride. You
celebrate their achievements with them and
you help them when things fail to go their
way. You watch their fantastic shows and
have an insight into the life of a teenager. As
I said, it is never dull.
In fact, it’s a lot like parenting, only so
much easier because, however much you care
about the children you teach, they are not
yours to keep. They simply pass your station
on a conveyer belt until the next step takes
them away for further development.
Something that has been preying on my
mind lately is that unanswered question; “
What is the correct work-life balance?” Ever
since my return to work 9 months after the
birth of my first child, I have worked a two
day week. Sounds perfect; two day week, five
day weekend. In many ways it is perfect. The
advantages are clear. I get to do a job I love
and I get to be around for my children for the
majority of the week. I absolutely love my
work days. Also, because the job is so
involved and intense, when I am at work, I
have no time at all to worry about any other
aspect of my life. On my “free” days, I seem
to spend a ridiculous amount of time worrying about seemingly petty things – Have I
arranged enough play dates for each child? Is
the airport parking for our holiday sorted out?
Has each child had their five portions of fruit
and veg? Have I defrosted enough chicken for
dinner? Which shoe shop should I drag three
children to at the weekend? Have I bought all
the correct presents for the birthday parties
each child is invited to this weekend? Have I
made nice social arrangements for Daniel and
I this Saturday night? When should I book a
hall for Zara’s next birthday party and what
will she want in 9 months time? How should
we decorate the lounge to make it homely yet
smart? So you see, in many ways, going to
work is the ultimate stress release for a busy
mum. I don’t think I could function without
going to work. It puts life into perspective.
For two days every week, I am only a teacher –
that is until I arrive home at 6 to be greeted
by Benjy and Zara needing to tell me about
their day and Jemima screaming
because she realises that I have not


been there for the last 11 hours. Then,
it’s bath, stories, any remaining homework, cooking supper for the grown-ups, and
answering phone and email messages from
the day.. Oh yes..and a little time left over for
worrying! If I worked full time, would I not
worry about anything ever again? I doubt it, I
would just have to contain my worries into a
smaller time frame and add to my list of worries….am I spending enough time with my
children?
The down side of being a working mother is
that ultimately you are not ALWAYS there for
your kids. Two mornings each week,( three from
September – I have spent plenty of time debating
the pros and cons of increasing my hours), I
leave the house before the children, leaving the
au pair to ensure that they get on the coach and
go off to school equipped for the day. Of course,
they want me to do everything for them before I
go at 7.30; hair, snacks, breakfast even though
somebody else is standing there with all the time
in the world. But of course, the guilt kicks in
and I do whatever they ask of me. However,
once in the car, the radio goes on and usually, by
the time I reach the crossroads at Elstree Hill, my
whole body relaxes into work mode. Then there
is the pressure of after school activities and clubs
which must all be fitted into non-work days.
There are two options here; 1) (my preferred
option) Don’t let the kids do any; 2) Have fantastic parents and friends who are happy to take/
collect or do a rota.
As my children grow older and spend more
and more time at school, I imagine that I will
further increase my working week. Quite frankly, I have no idea what I would do with my time
if I wasn’t working and had no children at home
in the day. One or two mornings at the gym
and the occasional coffee with a friend is lovely,
any more hours to myself and I would probably
have to find another part time job to fill the
time productively.
Deborah Clayden
the Garcia family
Could Have & Should Have a Motif for the Great and Awesome Day
“The day the world was created – the day it stands in judgement”. Anniversaries have always been a time to review how we have fared but
more importantly looking forward to what we want to achieve. Only after trying to map out the future, as we do on Rosh Hashanah, can
we revisit the mistakes of the past as we do on Yom Kippur. Only after looking what we as part of humanity in its entirety is trying to
achieve on Rosh Hashanah can we as individuals on Yom Kippur look in introspection what we could have done or should have done in
the past year.
Next Bite on pg 85
Bizzi Lizzi Gifts
22, Nicholas Road, Elstree Herts, WD6 3JY
Telephone 020 8207 4226 Mobile 07931 556844
Wishing the Community a
Happy & Healthy New Year
PERSONALISED PROMOTIONAL GIFT ITEMS
Wishing the Community a
Happy & Healthy New Year
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Tel 020 8809 6902 Fax 020 8800 5795
Going Full-Term with Little Bicks Nursery School. By Matt Bick
Giving Birth
to Little Bicks
Nursery
When moving to an area and realising there is currently no
kosher-full day care available for your child, the obvious first
thought is to start your own nursery! With the founders
including a qualified Early Years Teacher, an experienced
fully qualified musical - theatrical performer, they were
ready to perform the first step – compiling the
lists! The search for the location of the nursery had begun…
Morning Sickness
The realisation of opening a nursery had
arrived and consequently the morning sickness kicked in. With so much planning ahead,
the next point of call was registering for an
Ofsted inspection and the foundations of the
nursery were laid.
The concept of the nursery had been decided – full-day/sessional kosher day care catering
for the needs of working parents in the community. Once established, the nursery would
run a breakfast and lunch club providing the
parents additional hours of childcare for their
child. The nursery would promote the Early
Years Foundation Stage with learning through
play. Children would learn the fundamental
tools needed to prepare them for school and
social life. Qualified and dedicated staff were
employed to ensure the high values and standards at the nursery are kept. Additional features included Morning Tefilla, a Shabbat
Party, Music and Dance together with learning
modern Ivrit.
Sleepless Nights
Choosing the perfect location for the nursery
seemed easier in planning than in reality. The
local council provided little support for various venues which the locals deemed ‘unsuita-
Since the birth, Little Bicks Nursery has grown
from strength to strength with the nursery
employing further staff to cater for the ever
increasing family of children.
The Announcement
Following the traditional path as with many
Jewish announcements, news spread quickly
of the new arrival. Details were soon published in the local papers, flyers were sent out
accordingly, announcing the name and arrival
date. A website was also set up to follow the
progress of Little Bicks.
Baby Diary
With all our ‘Little Bicks’ developing every
day, we carefully monitor each child’s
progress (through observations). The interesting and rich curriculum explores both Jewish
life and the world around us. The children are
taken on day trips within the community
such as Orli’s Bakery, the train station and the
Doctors Surgery, enabling the children to fully
participate in and understand the world
around them.
Festivals
Little Bicks celebrated the Jewish Festivals in
style with a fancy dress party at Purim and a
Seder at Pesach. Yom Ha’atzmaut was delightful with children dressed in blue and white
and enjoying a feast of Israeli foods including
Houmous and Falafel.
Olymbicks 2009
ping in order to collect ideal accessories,
including toys for all the Jewish festivals.
Selective Eating
ble for yet another Jewish nursery’. After
trawling through every imaginable building
in the area, the birth place of the nursery
was confirmed, Ohr Yisrael Synagogue on
Theobald Street.
A little decoration to the existing, beautiful Synagogue was needed in order to make
it child friendly (in accordance to Ofsted
Regulations). Building a suitable outdoor play
area was agreed, built and regulated by
means of an Ofsted inspection meanwhile all
it awaited were the toys and children to play
in it.
As with an expectant mother, the nursery
needed strict food regimes. First and foremost, all food is Kosher Chalav Yisrael.
Children are allowed fresh fruit each day
with Challah and Grape Juice to celebrate
Shabbat. To celebrate Rosh Chodesh or a
child’s birthday, a biscuit or cake is offered
with not many refusals to date!
The breakfast and lunch club provide
nutritious and varied food such as toast, cereal, pasta, jacket potatoes and falafel.
In order to keep Little Bicks fit and healthy, a
fun and exciting Olymbicks Sports Day was
completed with ALL the children winning
every race!
We would like to thank all the parents of
Little Bicks Nursery and the entire community
for their astonishing support and help in
establishing Little Bicks Nursery. Starting
Little Bicks has been an incredible journey,
even after the sleepless nights and pain of
pregnancy; it has been more than worth it. As
with every parent we eagerly await the growth
of our baby.
Matt Bick
Scans and Regular Check Ups
With an Ofsted registered nursery, there are
numerous mandatory check-ups in order to
monitor the progress of the birth, both from
health and safety and educational view
points. Young in Herts also played a pivotal
role in helping establish the nursery, and
offering priceless information together with
guidance.
Cravings
Deciding on the name
Just like with your first child, obvious cravings included incredibly interactive toys and
furniture. Of course, no expense was too
great. Animal chairs and tables matched the
colourful workmen partitions needed to separate the children’s disparate activity areas.
Endless amounts of toy cars, puzzles and not
forgetting the sand and water trays – it was
literally a mother’s dream shopping for toys
for 30+ children! Even on a family holiday to
Israel, time was set aside for nursery shop-
With both birth parents sharing the same
married name – the name of the nursery was
decided without much hassle and arguing –
thus Little Bicks Nursery School was fully
named whilst awaiting its birth on 12th
January 2009.
Labour
The birth day arrived and thankfully after
the sweat, tears and screaming, we can
report none of the staff needed an epidural!
Jimmy Larholt looks at who is to blame for our economic troubles.
The Ethics of
the Banking
Crisis
Although many of us seem to be managing to maintain our living
standards visibly, we have all been affected by the economic downturn in one way or another. What seemed to be completely safe
investments two years ago – such as British bank bonds – are now
considered to be highly risky, and the knowledge in the back of our minds that our savings and pensions, whether managed by ourselves or by “experts”, are no longer worth as
much as they were must be making us control
our spending more carefully than usually,
even if only subconsciously.
Who is to blame for all this? The bankers,
you answer. Yes, but which bankers? In the
US, the Federal Reserve has branches in nearly
every state, and, much earlier in this decade,
they spotted the ease with which consumers
were able to borrow money to buy properties
that were far too expensive in relation to their
incomes, but, instead of calling a halt before
it got out of hand, they allowed the commercial banks (which were lending both directly
to people taking out mortgages and also to
non-bank financial institutions that were also
lending to home-buyers) to continue to expose
a far-too-high proportion of their balance
sheets to the housing market. Worse, when
certain Congressmen asked the Federal
Reserve to start regulating these non-banks (in
addition to the authorised banks), the US central bank replied that “it would be too expensive to provide oversight” (quotation from the
Financial Times). There is little doubt that
this was where the current recession started.
Then take the banks; the US central bank
was certainly far too lax with its controls on
mortgages, but the directors and senior managers of commercial banks should have looked
more carefully at the quality of the assets that
were being purchased in vast amounts by
their traders, and should have placed far
stricter limits on how much they were
allowed to hold. Further, what about the
accountants who audited the banks’ accounts
annually: why did they not question their valuations, and how could a partner of an
accountancy firm sign off an audit of a bank
which held hundreds of millions (or in many
cases billions) of dollars/pounds/euro worth of
mortgages that could not be valued against
the market prices because there were no liquid markets against which to price them?
“Because others are making money out of
it, we must do the same” has been the cause
of many banking crises in the past; by the
way, there have been plenty of unreported
ones as well as the ones we know about.
Earlier this year a financial journalist reported
on an incident in a Dutch bank about three
years ago in which a member of the bank’s
accounts department expressed his fears about
the true value of mortgage packages held by
the bank, and was told by his manager that,
because the bank was (apparently) making
profits from these mortgages, he should keep
quiet or lose his job. Many bank chief executives had been allowing their traders to take
positions in products that they did not understand, and were thus certainly unable to put
any sort of accurate valuation on, and, in
many cases, they turned a blind eye to the
risks that were incurred simply because “other
banks are doing it”. Remember one of the last
statements made by the former CE of
Citigroup, one of the largest banks in the
world, a few months before his removal from
office: “we are still dancing in that (the subprime mortgage) market”.
Historically, many banks have failed
because their assets (loans and investments)
were made for much longer periods than their
liabilities (borrowings to finance these loans
and investments). This is exactly what happened with Northern Rock: they were giving
out mortgages with repayments periods as
long as 25 years, and were borrowing too
much of this money with repayment periods
as short as three months. The (forerunner of
the) Financial Services Authority “stole” the
job of bank supervision from the Bank of
England after the BCCI failure* in the early
1990’s, and this organisation is directly
responsible for allowing Northern Rock to get
into such a bad situation. All banks and
building societies have to make regular
reports to the FSA, and Northern Rock should
have been prevented from getting into such a
vulnerable position long before the crisis
broke in 2007. Bank of England personnel are
bankers, while the FSA is staffed by lawyers
and accountants, and it is very unlikely that
the failure would have occurred if the Bank,
and not the FSA, had been responsible for
supervising Northern Rock.
Asked by the editor to include some points
of Halacha in this article, I turned to Rabbi
Brawer who pointed me in the direction of
Rabbi Meir Tamari, an Israeli expert of Jewish
business ethics. After studying only a very
small portion of his work, I came across two
points that relate to the current economic situation: “a society where people believe that
wealth is the sole purpose of human existence
will find it almost impossible to maintain any
form of economic morality; their obsession
with wealth is so great that it will ride roughshod over any ethical system” which could be
taken as a reason why – but not as an excuse
for – senior bankers allowed their balance
sheets to get into such a mess, together with
another: “sometimes, we forget basic principles in the heat of the moment and reason to
ourselves that ‘everyone does it’ or ‘it's really
ok.’"
What signs will tell us when the economy is
about to make a sustainable recovery? The
most intelligent comment I have seen during
this entire crisis was from an economist who
said that it is impossible to make any sort of
accurate forecast because the current situation is completely without precedent. In
other words, no one can possibly have a clue
what will happen next. There are almost certainly more disastrous announcements to
come from the banks which still have plenty
of the poisonous mortgages on their books, on
top of which the weak economy means that
banks will suffer a larger number of bad debts
than under normal circumstances as more
companies fail and a greater number of individuals declare themselves bankrupt. It is
hard to see share prices making any sort of
lasting recovery until there are real and credible signs that the world economy is about to
pick itself up, after all, why buy shares in
companies that are likely to be making lower
profits or even losses, and which will be paying smaller dividends? At some point there
will be a shortage of housing, which will support the real estate market, but in the meantime there are huge numbers of empty houses
and flats, as well as plenty of unfinished
“a society where
people believe that
wealth is the sole
purpose of human
existence will find it
almost impossible
to maintain any
form of economic
morality; their
obsession with
wealth is so great
that it will ride
roughshod over any
ethical system”
buildings to take up the slack. With interest
rates close to zero and plenty of discounts in
the shops it is tempting to take the money
out of the bank and spend it, but with unemployment high and still rising, people are worried about their job prospects, and prefer to
hang on to their savings; I recently joked that
shares in bedding companies might be a good
bet, as people stash their savings under the
mattress….The only possible safe indicator that
things are about to improve might be when
unemployment starts to fall and continues to
do so, although it will be from a very high
level, and, by the time we eventually get to
that point, share prices will probably already
have risen sharply in anticipation of a recovery.
I am trying hard to end with an optimistic
forecast. Life does carry on, and if we have to
do without some of the luxuries that we used
to enjoy, at least most of us are managing to
put three meals a day on to our tables. A lot
of the current malaise is due to over-pessimistic articles in the press, which tend to stoke
up nervousness and to destroy confidence,
and many of the consumer and business surveys that do impact financial markets when
they are published are made just after some
bad news has been announced, or following
particularly gloomy comments in the newspapers. There is a wall of money out there waiting to be spent in the shops and to be invested in shares and property, and one day this
will be all behind us; the question that none
of us can answer is: when? A final comment;
it may not be for another fifty or even a hundred years, but there can be little doubt that
the irresponsibility in financial markets of the
first three quarters of this decade will happen
again.
Jimmy Larholt,
*The Bank of Credit and Commerce
International was managed by bankers of
Pakistani parentage who were domiciled in
the UK, and, when it closed its doors, evidence
appeared that it had been laundering money
and financing terrorism. Shortly after its closure, the Governor of the Bank of England
resigned.
FTSE 100 Performance
Marc Duke embarks on a tuneful journey of discovery about his family's history.
Keeping it in
the Family
I have always liked to sing, I will often hum a tune
without even realising it. As one gets older the
quest to find out more about one’s family history
seems to get stronger. For some it takes the form
of a drawing up a family tree for others it may be
visiting the places where their ancestors lived, for
me it’s been about recording all of the tunes
that used to be sung in my family. It’s part of
my heritage but it also defines who I am and
also provides a legacy to my family. This is the
story of how my journey began.
My Mother is one of six and so is my Father
so I have been blessed with a big family and
have Uncles and Aunts in the US, Israel and
an anthology of songs sang at home such as
Zemirot and Seder melodies. The initiative
explores the origin and journey of these songs
through the generations, building a social history and geography of the Jewish community
through its music.
Emma spotted an advert in the JC about it
and suggested I give them a call. I was then
interviewed about my family history and all of
the songs that I sing were recorded. My story
and some of the songs can be found under the
‘contributors’ part of the web site.
In effect this is where my journey of discovery
ends but every Shabbat and Yom Tov I make
sure that the songs and tunes are sung in our
home and hopefully our son Adam will carry
them on. To conclude on a Torah thought: on
Friday night in the zemer of Kol Medadaish
Shevi there is the phrase Ish al machanayhu
even Golders Green! Around six years ago one
of my Father’s brothers was visiting the UK
from Israel and popped in for tea. It wasn’t
long before my Uncle and I were singing tunes
that my grandfather had sung some which I
remembered as a child others of which I didn’t
this sparked a quest to capture my family
tunes. My Uncle promised to send me a tape
with the Zemirot (table songs) that he used to
sing on Friday night, Shabbat day and a special
tune sung on the Shabbat of Chanukah. The
tape arrived and the journey was well under
way.
My father lives in America and moved there
when I was 11, as a child whenever I would
spend Shabbat with my Father (my parents separated when I was five) no meal would pass
without all of the Zemirot being sung.
Following my Uncle’s visit I asked my Father
about what songs my grandfather would sing
and he promised the next time we got together
he would sit down with me a run through all
of the family tunes.
My Father’s family are Yekkes (German Jews)
originally from Wazburg (paternal grandmother) and Hamburg (paternal grandfather). My
grandparents escaped Germany and were
interned in the Isle of Wight during the war
and eventually after the war made their way to
Golders Green via Hillingdon. On arriving they
became active members of Munks also known
as the Golders Green Beth Hamidrash, a shul
set up by Rav Eliyahu Munk to cater for
German Jews who had escaped the terror of the
Nazi regime to start life again in the UK. The
nusach of the shul is from Frankfurt and the
shul is punctilious in maintaining the Yekkish
Traditions. My father used to be a Ba’al Tefilah
(leader of services) there and I remember going
along with him to shul as he led services.
When Emma and I visited America for my
half sister’s wedding, just before the cab arrived
to take us to the airport I managed to sit down
with my Father with a tape and recorded all of
the different tunes for Shiur Hamalot (the song
sung before Birchat Hamazon) - we have specific tunes for each of the different chagim - the
tunes for Kiddush for both Shabbat and Yom
Tov and specific tunes for the Seder. Putting
the recordings of my Uncle and Father together
I then had the complete collection. The next
step – spreading the word or the songs!
My family has a tradition that to celebrate
the Yartzeit of a person we get together to
study in their zechut (merit). My paternal
grandfathers Yartzeit is Zom Gedaliah (the day
after Rosh Hashannah) so after Yom Tov is
over we dash round to my Aunt’s flat in
Hendon. It’s a chance for all of the family to
get together and to study in the merit of my
Opa.
Invariably one member of the family will
prepare a shiur and topics tend to be quite varied from reflections on Teshuvah, insights into
the book of Jonah, to the laws of building a
succah, but following my visit to the US I asked
to give the shiur on the topic of the importance
of nusach (tunes). Quickly the shiur turned into
a family sing along. As most of my cousins are
girls they tend to let their husbands do the
singing so to ensure that the tunes are not forgotten everyone received a tape with all of the
tunes from my Father and Uncle.
The final part of the story is a brilliant
project called Reflections ( http://www.jewishreflections.org/) the aim of which is to is create
“I interpret this as a
call to maintain
family traditions be
they songs, stories,
phrases or recipes
as this enables us to
know where we have
come from and give
us confidence to plot
our spiritual path for
the future.”
v’ish a diglo which translates as – each man in
his camp and each man by his flag. This refers
to the Jewish people as they would set up camp
in the desert. For me I interpret this as a call to
maintain family traditions be they songs, stories,
phrases or recipes as this enables us to know
where we have come from and give us confidence to plot our spiritual path for the future.
Marc Duke
and square we say.
Of course there are rules to FNSB and we
even have a constitution (have a look for us
on Facebook!). Barnold clearly has too much
time on his hands! Among the rules and regulations for members are:
• B
eing actively involved means hosting at
least one Friday night group themselves
per year.
• Consumption of whisky that isn't Single
“Of course there are
rules to FNSB and
we even have a
constitution”
Joel Sager reveals what he and his pals get up to on a Friday night.
FNSB: Friday
Night Shmooze
and Booze
Come on then, I can already hear you saying it. Clique! Only for the
chosen few. Well, nothing of the sort I can honestly say.
‘Friday Night Shmooze and Booze’ (FNSB), a unique institution in
Borehamwood was set up by a group of 7 like-minded friends back in
2004. The ‘founding fathers’ (as they are
known in the FNSB constitution – don’t ask!)
include Benjy Arnold (our Honorary President),
Joel Sager, Paul Simon (now our international
member living in Israel), Danny Bradley, Jonny
Jackson, Phil Cohen and Richard Lipman.
The concept is a simple one. Starting in
early September and soon followed by the official season-opener - the now infamous
‘Shikkah Crawl’ on the second night of Succot
(more on that soon), FNSB meets every 2
weeks on Friday night at different members
houses to drink malt whisky, eat fine homemade cake and of course have a good old-fashioned shmooze. It’s relaxing, it’s fun and it’s
nothing more harmless that a bunch of guys
getting together for an hour or two on Friday
night after dinner for a laugh and a few
drinks.
Despite its humble beginnings, FNSB was
never intended as a closed shop and over the
last few years, more guys have been welcomed
into the fold and into the haze of malt whisky. Our membership actually currently stands
at about 16 with a regular attendance of
between 10 and 12 people. So, hardly a closed
shop then!
The FNSB season lasts until around mid
March and is sorely missed over the summer.
Go on, tell us we are selfish! Ask us where our
wives are in all this. Well, hold up there a
minute I say. Three years ago, our girls took
over during the summer season, having
Seudah for themselves at different houses, this
time leaving the husbands with the kids. Fair
Malt is allowed only in a Shul Kiddush, as
there is no alternative.
• Attendance at the Shikka Crawl, for at
least part of the evening, is mandatory for
all Founder and Ordinary members.
• Taking prescription medicine before the
Shikka Crawl is not allowed!
And that brings us on to the ‘Shikkah Crawl’.
The highlight of the year and now in its
fourth year, the Shikkah Crawl (a remnant of
Joel’s days as a teenager in Bushey), starting at
about 9.00pm on the second night of Succot
involves wandering through Borehamwood for
a couple of hours and drinking only the finest
Malts in approx. 6 – 8 Succahs. We roam the
`Wood (in a calm and peaceful manner of
course) and have a cracking time drinking,
eating and generally having a laugh in the different Succahs.
Two years ago, we attracted a record 26
guys for the Shikkah Crawl. Some had never
attended FNSB before but a cracking time was
had by all and everyone was made to feel welcome. As for that rule re. prescription medicine, you have to be a member to find out
where that rule came from!
Finally, in a new addition this year, we had
the inaugural FNSB pre-Tikun Leil feast. A perfect start to the long night ahead and again a
great experience for all who attended.
Interested in finding out more? Interested
in joining this unique group? ‘FNSB Season 6’
kicked off in early September. For more information, contact Joel Sager (joelsager@fnsb.co.
uk) or Benjy Arnold (benjy@fnsb.com).
See you on Friday night!
Joel Sager
Jewish Women’s Aid tells how it can help.
New Hope For A
New Year?
A New Year – new plans and new hopes that this year will be better
and more fulfilling than the year that is ending. For most of us this is
a realistic prospect, but what of the woman who is trapped in a violent domestic situation from which she sees no escape?
For her the start of the New Year may merely
be another difficult situation to be endured, a
time when she suffers another cutting verbal
onslaught about her inability to provide for
her family on the money available or, even
worse, a time when she experiences a brutal
blow when the frustrations of a traditional
Yom Tov become too much for her partner.
For such women the prayers offered in the
synagogue are a hollow reminder of how
alone she feels. The traditional image of a
family gathering to enjoy the New Year celebration is for her an unreal external image,
rendered impossible for her by the abuse and
violence she will face in her own home over
what is meant to be a festive period.
One in four women will experience some
form of domestic abuse in their lifetime.
Domestic violence knows no economic, racial,
geographic, educational or religious boundaries. The Jewish community is no different to
any other community.
It is hard to accept that the home, the very
centre of so many Jewish rituals and practices,
can be the one place where a woman can feel
least safe. For those women who suffer domestic abuse it may not just be a physical blow. It
can be verbal, financial, constant emotional or
psychological pressure, or being forcefully isolated from their friends and family
Jewish Women’s Aid is a specialist charity
offering a voice for those Jewish women who
experience abuse in their own home. For over
twenty five years JWA has been striving to
raise awareness not only of the existence of
the problem but also the help and support
available for women suffering such abuse
A call to the confidential JWA Helpline
(0800 59 12 03) can be the first vital link to
someone who can reassure a woman that she
is not alone, that the abuse is not her fault
and that there is help and advice available.
For those who may hesitate to pick up the
phone the JWA advice email service (advice@
jwa.org.uk) offers an anonymous link to muchneeded advice and to the other services JWA
can offer. Making contact with JWA can open
the way to receiving ongoing support in the
community for those women who are unable
or unwilling to leave their home. They can
also be referred to counselling (if needed). All
these services are provided free.
In cases of severe danger, the JWA Refuge,
the only Kashrut, Festival and Shabbat observant refuge in Europe, offers a safe haven to
those women and their children who have to
flee their homes for their own safety. Offering
immediate emotional and practical help JWA
is able to help women to help rebuild not only
their self-confidence, but also their lives.
On a practical level the Jewish Women’s Aid
Legal Service is able to help women to find an
appropriate legal representative to ensure that
they are well represented when they have to
face the rigours of the legal system.
While acknowledging the necessity of offering emotional, financial and practical help to
women suffering domestic abuse JWA is constantly aware of the need to educate the next
generation to help them make safe and
healthy relationships. A team of trained volunteers provide a comprehensive programme to
students of all ages.
Experiencing abuse in your own home is a
shattering experience. JWA is there to help
any Jewish woman who has suffered or is suffering domestic abuse. In these hard economic
times the pressures on everyone are increased.
As we celebrate the New Year, there will be at
least one man who finds the latest financial
worries unbearable; who seeks to relieve the
strain of modern life by not only blaming his
wife and children for the worries besetting
him, but also seeks to relieve those pressures
by inflicting physical or emotional pain onto
those he professes to love.
Jewish Women’s Aid is there to help, advise,
support and counsel those women who feel
trapped isolated and undermined by the happenings in their own home. Let us hope that
5770 is the year when any Jewish woman in
an abusive situation becomes aware of Jewish
Women’s Aid, summons the courage to make
contact and that this year bring her the assistance and support she needs to enable her to
take control of her life and find peace and
happiness.
advice@jwa.org.uk Helpline:0800 59 12 03
Jonathan Arkush highlights the work of the Board of Deputies.
Board of
Deputies
Earlier this year the community hosted the President of the Board,
Henry Grunwald Q.C. and his wife Alison over Shabbat. He spoke in
shul on Shabbat morning, was the guest speaker at a seudah shlishit
and met younger members of the community at a lively session on
Friday night, always with his customary eloquence, reasoned arguments and good
humour. Throughout his six years as lay leader of British Jewry Henry has been a fine
ambassador for the community and the Board.
His award of the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday
Honours is widely regarded as just recognition
of the quality of his leadership, his commitment to improving interfaith relations and his
enhancement of the status of the Board within the wider and Jewish community.
At the Board’s elections in May Vivian
Wineman was chosen to succeed Henry as
President of the Board. A commercial lawyer
aged 59, Vivian was a contemporary of the
Chief Rabbi at Cambridge and conceals his
clear views on community issues under a disarmingly modest manner. We will invite him
to Borehamwood & Elstree as soon as his diary
allows.
As the representative body for Jews in
Britain the Board works round the clock to
protect and defend our rights and interests.
Among the many issues in which it has been
particularly active over the past few months:
• The European and local elections in
May saw the far-right BNP field candidates
across the country. The Board led a highly visible campaign to highlight the BNP’s extremist policies and racism and to energise people
to vote for any other party. In the event the
BNP’s success was limited. Its candidate in
Borehamwood failed to be elected – although
it did succeed in having a local councillor
elected in nearby South Oxhey. It received
fewer votes than in 2004, but the
Parliamentary expenses scandal and widespread disenchantment with politics unfortunately allowed it to take two European
Parliament seats. Addressing the BNP is
clearly going to be at the forefront of the
Board’s agenda in the coming months.
• Defending Israel’s standing during and
in the aftermath of the Gaza conflict.
Working with the Israel Embassy and bodies
such as BICOM, the Board kept up a determined campaign to inform the media of
Israel’s position at a difficult time and in an
unpromising climate of anti-Israel sentiment.
Nevertheless Henry Grunwald and other
Board spokesmen were constantly available
for interview and were strong advocates for
Israel in a number of television and press
pieces.
• Leading the Yes to Peace Rally in
Trafalgar Square following the Gaza campaign. 15,000 Jewish and other supporters of
Israel demonstrated peacefully, in stark contrast with the violent pro-Hamas demonstrations in the same week, and creating a
strongly positive view in the media of Israel’s
predicament in the face of rockets from
Gaza.
• Defending the right of faith schools to
give priority to members of their own faith
and prevent outside interference with setting
their own admissions requirements most
suitable for their needs.
• Interfaith relations – an expanding
part of the Board’s agenda. Creating understanding and trust with other faith groups
wins our community key allies on a range of
matters including the protection of shechita,
defending faith schools and defeating antiIsrael boycotts. Jewish-Muslim relations are
especially sensitive and it is vital for our community to build bridges with the majority of
Muslims in the UK who (it is often forgotten
because their voice is less heard) are moderate and tolerant and find extremist views
and hatred just as offensive as we do.
• Anti-Israel boycotts attempted by the
University and College Union (UCU) of lecturers and elsewhere. The Board has been at
the forefront of the efforts to confront and
defeat such moves. In the case of those at
the UCU, the union’s own legal advisers have
condemned them as unlawful following representations from the anti-boycott coalition
led by the Board.
• Defending our students on campus –
in the aftermath of Gaza pro-Hamas sit-ins
took place at many universities accompanied
by virulent anti-Israel propaganda which left
Jewish students feeling intimidated and harassed. The Board intervened decisively when
academics’ nerves appeared to be failing
them. Following meetings with the
Committee of Vice-Chancellors and individu-
al university heads, such as Leeds University,
the sit-ins were brought to an end when a
firm line was taken and disciplinary action
was threatened against those leading them.
The Board will not hesitate to intervene again.
Its voice is respected and listened to.
Underlying most of these issues is the
increasing perception that extremist and antiSemitic views are migrating closer to the
mainstream of society. It is important not to
exaggerate this – but equally important to
address any expression of such views clearly,
firmly and effectively.
This is the Board’s role. As ever, it needs
your continued support. The item in your
shul bills entitled BoD and for the grand sum
of £25 – less than the cost of a meal out –
makes up the Board’s core income and without it the Board could not function. Our community has a good record of payment, so
thank you to our members and please keep
with it.
Finally, my own election as the Board’s
Senior Vice-President will ensure that Board
issues will quickly reach our community –
and vice versa. If there’s something you need
to raise, do get in touch. My contact details
are on the shul calendar and the office will
forward any emails.
Jonathan Arkush Deputy for Borehamwood & Elstree
Synagogue
by the Azizoff family
Returning to our source and moving forward
As the earth returns in its seasons to the part of the heavens from which it was created, we appreciate the gift of being able to return to
our true Source of Life and once again move forward.
Rabbi Levi of Berditchev (18th/19th century Chassidic master) used to remark as he saw fellow Jews from the outlying villages coming
into his town to spend Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and heading off for shul, “G-d, look at this wonderful people – all year they are
busy in their pursuits but right now they have returned to You ”.
Though not from a Chassidic background, this very sentence was repeated each year by my great grandfather from Galicia (SE. Poland /W.
Ukraine) to my father, who was growing up in Manchester, shortly before the Yom Kippur Kol Nidre service while the mass of humanity
was flocking to its shuls. My father carried on this tradition with me and my siblings in Manchester, and I still carry on this tradition with
my children in Borehamwood. Who knows if and where this custom will be carried on by my grown up children and children’s children
in future generations.
Next Bite on pg 87
Clive Boxer reviews Jeffrey Cohen’s Torah for Teens.
A Book for all
Seasons
Have you ever been stuck, wondering what you should buy for a Bar
or Bat Mitzvah present? Well, Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen – father of our
very own Harvey Cohen – has solved all your problems! His book
Torah for Teens is unimpeachably Orthodox, but it makes
inspirational reading for Jews of all persuasions.
You might say to yourself, ‘well, Rabbi
Cohen, I know he is a hugely scholarly and erudite man, but surely that would make him less
likely to appeal to teens. All that learning and
tradition bearing down on them like a runaway freight train. They are bound to be put off
after reading the first sentence.’ You might say
it, but you’d be wrong. With four children and
twelve grandchildren to keep him young at
heart and in touch with what really interests
teens, not what we think they should be interested in, Jeffrey Cohen has written a book that
treads the tightrope between erudition and wisdom on the one hand and lightness of touch
and interesting themes on the other as if it was
a broad highway. Hanging each essay on the
weekly sidrah, these bite sized chapters are
engaging, interesting, and above all, short. An
important consideration when writing for children.
Aimed at the teen market, it is really a book
for all ages, a book to treasure and revisit time
and again, with each re-reading adding a new
layer of understanding.
The last year has brought many worries to us
all. From the credit crunch to swine flu by way
of H1N1 and the volatile situations in the
Middle East and North Korea there has been
much to think about, and what better time to
do that that during the Jewish New Year, a
time for introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year. However, what
Jeffrey Cohen reminds us in his chapter on
Rosh Hashanah is that the ‘good year’ referred
to in the blessing leshana tovah tiktev is not a
year of financial success, or even one where we
are happy and healthy. A ‘good’ year is a year
of doing good to others. Sadly, when economic
conditions are tough, when we worry about
our health and what the future might bring,
often the first things to fall by the wayside are
charitable works, good deeds and even manners! Below is his chapter on Rosh Hashanah to
remind us of its true meaning, and to give you
a flavour of what the rest of the book is like.
The run up to Rosh Hashanah:
A truly ‘good year’
The run up to Rosh Hashanah is truly special.
Already for a few weeks before the festival, people will have been exchanging wishes for the
new year, and there is an important message to
be derived from that traditional blessing that
we exchange. Most people say something like,
‘Have a happy and healthy year ahead’. In
Yiddish-speaking communities they used to say
‘Have a gebentchter yahr’, ‘a blessed year’. But
that is not, in fact, the prescribed, official
Hebrew formula. It reads, leshanah tovah tikatev, ‘May you be inscribed for a good year’.
But what do we mean by a ‘good’
year? Many people will define that as a year of
pleasure and success, of great holidays, enjoyable parties, of travelling all over to watch their
favourite football team. Now all that may make
for a ‘great’ year, but it is not a ‘good’ year. All
that may suggest a year of quantity, of filling
one’s time with every activity, but it is not necessarily a year of quality. It is not a shanah
tovah, a ‘good’ year, a year of ‘goodness’, a year
of doing good to others, a year where the
amount of support we give to worthy causes is
increased, a year wherein our connection to
our community and to Israel is strengthened.
‘Having a good year’ suggests a year when we
work on our own ‘goodness’, finely honing our
manners, the way we speak to parents and
teachers, the way we live our lives as Jews and
human beings. That is the real meaning of
shanah tovah – ‘a good year’.
Each year, as Rosh Hashanah comes
around, we should rethink the real meaning of
this seasonal greeting, leshanah tovah tikatev,
‘May you be inscribed for a good year.’ We
should then ask ourselves what extra ‘goodness’ we might yet be able to take on board,
what vacuum might still exist in our way of
life that awaits some ‘goodness’ to fill. In that
way, every year will truly be a shanah tovah, a
really ‘good year’.
Available at a special price of £13.95 post free
for Borehamwood members during September.
Call 020 8952 9526 ext 22, or post a cheque to
Vallentine Mitchell Publishers, Suite 314
Premier House, 112-114 Station Road, Edgware,
Middlesex, HA8 7BJ
Clive Boxer (Clive is Father of member Sharon Lewis)
Shiurim For You
Rabbi Brawer’s Weekly Shiur
Rabbi Brawer's weekly shiur between Minchah
and Ma'ariv on Shabbat afternoons, looking at
various topics that have been discussed by our
Rabbis over the years.
The shiur takes place in the Main Shul,
about 35 minutes before the end of Shabbat.
All are welcome.
This page has been
Gabriella,
Oliver and
Raphael Ziff
Men's General Shiur
A weekly general shiur for men, given by
Rabbi Bamberger, covering a wide range of
topics, takes place at 8.30pm every Monday
evening.
Contact Stephen Davis via the Shul Office
for more information.
Men's Gemara Shiur with Rabbi
Sufrin
weeks this is on, please contact Freddy
David on 07970 782 850.
The City
Meanwhile, every Thursday lunchtime, City
workers (men and women) are invited to
"Lunch and Learn in the City" to eat, chat and
listen to a short shiur based on the week's parsha or an upcoming festival.
Lunch is from 12.45pm onwards at Denton
Wilde Sapte, 1 Fleet Place, EC4, with the shiur
taking place between 1.00 – 1.45pm, led by
either Rabbi Brawer, Rabbi Abel, Rabbi Garson
or Rabbi Mason.
For further information contact Johnny
Arkush : arkush@11sb.com
A weekly Gemara shiur for men given by
Rabbi Y Sufrin.
This takes place on Tuesday evenings and is
held in the Bet Hamedrash. Contact Godfrey
Minsky via the Shul Office for more details.
Men's Advanced Gemara Shiur
with Rabbi Brawer
Symbols of Return
The year returns in its seasons – we celebrate this by traditionally having round
challot over this and other festivals.The
earth returns in its orbit – we traditionally eat an earth shaped apple. Both
challa and apple are dipped in honey for
a sweet new year.
The other potent symbol of return is
the Shofar, the ultimate wake up call, a
call to arms to improve our ways. All
year long we rush around hither and
thither but Rosh Hashanah morning we
are all Shofar-driven, propelled into the
new year.
Next Bite on pg 89
A weekly Gemara shiur with Tosafot for men
given by Rabbi Brawer.
This is a shiur on Masechet Kiddushin and
takes place on Wednesday evenings at 8.15pm
in the Bet Hamedrash. For more information
contact Danny Jacobs at danny.jacobs@icaew.
com.
Ladies Parasha and Halacha
A weekly shiur for women, given by both
Rabbi and Dina Brawer.
This takes place at 9.15am on Wednesday
mornings and is held in the Kol Rinah hall.
Contact the Shul Office for more details.
Lunch and Learn
Borehamwood
People working in or locally to
Borehamwood and Elstree, can join the
Borehamwood "Lunch and Learn" every
other Wednesday at 12.30pm, for a Parashat
HaShavuah shiur by Rabbi Brawer, at the
Ohr Yisrael synagogue. It is followed by
lunch sponsored by HBFS.
For further information, including which
Amanda Pollock pays tribute to her late Grandmother.
When You
Thought
I
,
Wasn t Looking
My sister and I have just returned from a really hard weekend in
Israel. We said goodbye to our grandmother, Nina Lipman – a woman
who brought us up after our mother died when we were young. She
kept the family together at the worst of times with grace and dignity,
and courage. And she kept the family together at the best of times – sparkling at our weddings and clucking over new babies with the
practice of a well-loved mother, grandmother
and great-grandmother. She was our Booba –
and the term fitted her so well. She was short
and smiley and her chicken soup was legendary.
Booba was 14 when the second world war
broke out. She was evacuated on her birthday
in September 1939, with most of the children
from JFS, and her 9 year old brother. But her
brother was upset and confused when the people they stayed with insisted that he remove
his cap when he ate, and within 2 days, my
grandmother was back on a train to London.
Her parents decided that there was no point
in her going back to school, and so she started
work in the family hairdressing business.
During the war she also learnt basic nursing
skills, and while I have no idea if she ever
treated anyone with a war wound, I do know
that she was very handy with a plaster on a
scraped knee, and her common sense medicine is still being practiced on young children
in England and Israel.
She married Sidney Lipman in 1949, and
they had three daughters. They lived in
Stamford Hill, and my grandfather was a well
respected builder. My father was brought up
in Stamford Hill as well, and my grandmother
quickly adopted his family as her own – taking in his brothers and sisters and feeding
them all over Yom Tovim. When my parents
moved to Newbury Park, there was no ques-
tion that they would regularly go back
“home” and as a child I remember we were
regularly with them for Shabbat and every
Bank Holiday was a family outing with all 6 of
us fitting into my Dad’s green Datsun and
finding a Pick Your Own Farm or a Stately
Home.
My two aunts, both younger than my mum,
made aliyah in the early 80’s, and my grandparents spent a good few years flying back
and forth as another 5 grandchildren were
born in Israel. But their lives were here, with
us, and with the building business that my
grandfather ran until he was well into his seventies. And once my mum died, there was no
question that they would go anywhere else.
Booba came to every school play, to every leaving or graduation ceremony, and supported us
to the hilt in every decision we made. I didn’t
appreciate what a blessing that was, or how
hard things would have been without them in
our lives.
Once Fiona and I were settled, my grandparents did decide to make aliyah and spend
their retirement in Netanya. They had a wonderful few years together, living very close to
Netanya beach and strolling like newlyweds
through the square holding hands. But all too
soon Zaida got ill and he died just over 10
years ago. Booba found it tough to live alone.
She missed him terribly. But her work as our
surrogate mum wasn’t over, and as our children were born, we needed her to come and
support us with love and encouragement
through the first few weeks of each baby’s life.
At the age of 82, she flew to England within
hours when our Dad died, and was with us for
the levayah. She adored our Dad, had looked
on him as a son, but for the shiva week, she
This page has been
Ariella and Rafi
Yantin
busied herself in our kitchens and looking
after our kids with an energy I couldn’t fathom.
My aunt read the following poem at my
grandmother’s stonesetting. It’s anonymous –
“written by a former child” is the only
acknowledgement, and I’ve since found out
that there are quite a few similar versions.
But this one suited the occasion, and it perfectly summed up a lady who gave everything to her family, and wouldn’t have had it
any other way.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I felt you kiss
me good night and I felt loved and safe.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take
care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned
we have to take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you handle your responsibilities even when you didn’t feel
good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang
my first painting on the fridge and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears
come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes
things hurt, but it’s all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed
a stray cat, and learned that it was good to be kind
to animals.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to become everything that I
could be.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make
my favourite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you
and wanted to say “Thanks for all the things I saw
when you thought I wasn’t looking.”
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make
Amanda Pollock
“At the age of 82,
she flew to England
within hours when
our Dad died, and
was with us for the
levayah.”
a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned we all have to help take care of each other.
Another Chasidic Tale – from
“Days of Awe” by SY Agnon
Once, Rabbi Aaron of Karlin (18th
Century) who always led the main part
of the morning service in his shul, sang
the opening word of the prayers, “Ha
Melech”, "The King!" and, could not continue any further as he had burst out
crying. He later explained to his disciples that he had at that point been
reminded of the following piece of
Talmudic learning (Gittin 56a):
When Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, leader of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem shortly
before the destruction of the Second
Temple, was smuggled out of the city
and appeared before the Roman general,
soon to be emperor, Vespasian, he said,
“Peace be to you o king, peace be to you
o king”. Vespasian replied, “If I am king
why had you not come until now”.
..…to which the Chassidic Master added
“when I sang the word HaMelech
addressing the King of Kings, G-d could
also ask of me, “If I am The King why
had you not come until now”. I realised
I had not come to Him before now to
return in Teshuva”.
So ends the Chassidic story …But, tellingly, in the musaph prayer we read, “G-d
does not require death to those deserving death but that he repent from his
way and live. Until the day of his death
G-d awaits him, if he repents He will
accept him immediately.”
Next Bite on pg 97
Bearing Witness; my visit to Poland. By Danny Olmer
A Return to
Poland
In March 2005, I had the privilege of both sharing my
Barmitzvah and receiving the traditional Barmitzvah Boy
blessing, with my grandfather, Harry (Chaim), during an
amazing emotional address to both of us from Rabbi
Plancey. This was particularly moving because my Papa was
never able to have a Barmitzvah as he was a
prisoner in Plaszow Concentration Camp near
Krakow, Poland.
I had always wished to return with him to
Poland, to his grass roots and particularly to
bear witness to the suffering he endured as a
teenager under the Nazis in Poland. I needed
to hear from him and understand his extraordinary tale of survival in the camps of
Plaszow, Skrzysko, Buchenwald and his final
liberation when he was near death from
Typhus in Teresienstadt.
We persuaded my Papa to go back with my
sister Charley, my father, two aunts and my
cousin and me in the middle of July. My
mother decided not to come as she had been
with my father and Papa 18 years ago and
wanted us to have a close personal experience
with my Papa.
We flew to Warsaw and arrived at, to my
surprise, a modern international airport,
much like Heathrow or Ben Gurion, giving no
hint of the country's horrific history. As I left
the airport, I was immediately struck by the
irony of the sign, 'Enjoy your vacation'. To
me, Poland was just a mass graveyard with an
unenviable history.
The first stop was the Warsaw Ghetto
memorial,a communist era monument, set in
a square of 1950’s utilitarian Soviet era housing. I reflected on how I felt no emotional
attachment to such a cold and sterile environment which gave no sensory link to the hor-
Childrens toys found in the liberated childrens camp at Majdanek
Memorial at Belzec; this is the route to walk under the mass graves to the
memorial.
rors of the liquidation of, and the transports
from, the Warsaw Ghetto.
From there, we travelled 150km through
the Polish country-side to what I thought
would be the highlight and most moving part
of our trip, Majdanek Concentration Camp.
Reflecting on the trip afterwards, this proved
to be the most complete and true representation of what a camp must have looked like.
From the intact gas chamber to hundreds of
crows just sitting in the fields, it gave a sense
of truth and unease walking through what
was and felt like a mass graveyard with its
shameful buried past.
I stood at the top of the steps of the open
round mausoleum which housed the ashes of
18,000 Jews. Before me wasn’t just ash, here
was a tangible representation of 6 million
Jewish men, women and children, lost heritages, entire families annihilated who would
never live to enrich and see the world again.
One of the barracks housed a sea of shoes. I
was able to reach out, feel and smell the rotting leather. When I told my Papa that this
felt real, he said that what was impossible to
imagine was the constant smell of fear, death,
decay and raw sewage. There are no words.
After spending the night in Lublin, we
moved on to the site of the former extermination camp at Belzec, approximately 20km
from the Ukranian border. Belzec tends not
to be on the established Jewish Poland tours.
This is despite the fact that 600,000 Jewish
people were murdered there in 9 months
between 1942 and 1943. We later learned
each train arriving at the camp contained
1,000 people and that in true Nazi ‘efficiency’
they would have been killed and cremated
Charley and my Grandfather lighting the Jarzeit candle just
before Kaddish and Yizkor at Majdanek
within 2 hours of arrival at the camp. Unlike
Auchwitz and Majdanek, people were only
brought here to die.
This was an essential visit for us as my
Papa's mother, three sisters, aunts, uncles and
cousins had all been taken there in September
1942. We knew it would be very hard for him
as he would recite Yizkor and Kaddish.
Before we arrived at the camp, both my
Papa and father had said that when they visited 18 years before, apart from a small Soviet
Era memorial, there was no real evidence, in
what was an overgrown wooded area, of the
horrors that had taken place there. As we
arrived at Belzec, we were shocked yet comforted to find that the most enormous,
impressive memorial, dwarfing even Yad
Vashem, had been built by the American
Jewish Committee and the Polish Government
in 2004. We later discovered the moving
opening ceremony had been recorded and
uploaded onto You Tube. It’s definitely worth
viewing.
A sea of rocks covered the entire site of the
former camp with darker rocks used to mark
the location of the mass graves. The museum
at the entrance to the camp was built on the
site of the train tracks and platform, with a
monument of old tracks on the site of the
funeral pyres. Belzec was deserted apart from
a small group of Israelis who had just come
from the Ukraine, and the Museum Curator
and guide who led us around the Camp.
When we reached the imposing memorial
wall at the end of a long tunnel beneath the
graves, one of the Israelis handed out memorial candles. After lighting the candles, our
small group stood silently whilst my Papa
stood in front of the memorial and in floods
of tears recited Yizkor and Kaddish. At this
point we all broke down crying. Our visit to
Belzec was to be the most highly charged and
emotional part of our trip.It is something I
know that Charley and I will never forget.
The next stop on the journey was one I
couldn’t have prepared for. It wasn’t a visit to
another bomb making factory or even a
slaughter house. This time we went back to
my Papa’s childhood village of Charshniza to
see what,and even who, was left. As we stood
opposite the site where my Great
Grandmother's house had once stood, we
encountered an old man. My Papa began
speaking to him in Polish. Within minutes, I
saw my Papa’s eyes widen in complete surprise as the old man reeled off the names of
each of my Papa's family members who lived
in the village.
However, what surprised me most was that
after talking to the old man for almost half
an hour with no bitterness or anger, my Papa
understatedly said, "Terrible times". The old
man shrugged his shoulders and indifferently
replied, "History". This was, for me, first hand
evidence of the older Polish generation’s attitude to the suffering inflicted on the Jews;
that this old man couldn’t even bring himself
to acknowledge, sympathise or express sorrow
for my Papa's suffering. I was shocked and
felt raw bitterness towards him. Worse was to
come. As we walked past an old age home,
we saw 5 old women in wheel chairs sitting
outside. They glared at us and smirked, their
looks like daggers. I could feel the sheer disgust in their eyes that ‘the Jews had returned’.
It suddenly struck me that the perpetrators of
these acts against humanity were ordinary
people. I put on my kippah as a mark of protest and defiance to show them that we are
still here despite what they had done to us.
Our final destination was the iconic camp,
Auschwitz-Birkenau. Although Auschwitz is
the most famous of the factories of death, having visited and had the experiences that we
did at Majdanek and Belzec, I felt that
Auschwitz was little more than a museum.
Having said that, it was a place that I knew I
had to visit, to pay respect to the 1.2 million
people who died there. It is also a place
which everyone, whatever their faith and ethnicity, should visit.
Our visit to Poland will rank as one of the
most important and defining experiences of
my life and that of my sister Charley. To be
able to have had our Papa as our guide and
borne witness to his and millions of our people’s suffering and to see anti-semitism in
action means that we can and must take our
place as part of the Third Generation. Now I
understand the need to educate and warn people about the horrors of the Holocaust, of antisemitism and the evils of prejudice.
Danny Olmer
Joel Sager reveals his thoughts following an emotional visit to Poland
Shoah Trip
to Poland Part 1
One of my biggest and deepest regrets in life was having
never taken part in a Shoah trip to Poland during my younger days and especially when I was at university in the early
1990s. I knew about ‘The March of the Living’ but for some
reason that I cannot really explain, I never gave much con
Joel Sager and Danny Bradley at the Warsaw Ghetto memorial stone.
sideration at the time to partaking in such a
trip. The only thing I can think of is that, with
thanks to Hashem, my family had not really
been touched personally by the events of the
Shoah. My family (on both sides) emigrated to
the north-east of England (that explains my
Newcastle United affiliation!) in the latter part
of the 19th century from Eastern Europe –
mainly Russia and have been here ever since.
What changed it for me then? Why in
recent years have I wanted to take part in
such an emotionally charged and what must
be an unpleasant and quite horrifying experience? There are several possibilities I bring forward here: writing an essay on the Shoah for
my Masters degree, teaching the Shoah to primary school children, listening to Shoah survivors speak, reading more and more books on
the Shoah or perhaps the biggest factor in my
recent desire to attend such a trip: having a
family.
So many people will agree that having a
child changes your whole perspective on life. I
certainly couldn’t believe the transformation
in how I viewed so many different things after
Zachy was born in 2003. Some things mattered so much more while other things
became almost trivial in their importance.
That is what having a child does for you.
Certainly in the last 6 years, when reading
further books about the Shoah, it felt different
and it suddenly left me with more to think
about. I love history. I studied it at A` Level
else. What do you expect me to say next? The
gas chambers at Auschwitz? The crematoria at
Birkenau Extermination Camp? Actually no; it
was the old Jewish cemetery in Lodz.
I couldn’t help but feel distraught to see the
cemetery as it now stands. Thousands and
“This was truly
history but that is all
it was. A time and a
life of bustling, living,
joyous Yiddishkeit
that had been
snuffed out in the
blink of an eye by
the Nazis. This, I
certainly will not
forget.”
Some of the worn and ancient gravestones in the Lodz Cemet e ry - itself dating back hundreds of years; recording the life of the lost and vibrant Lodz community
and as the specialist subject for my teaching
degree. Empathising with the past, imagining
myself in a historical situation is something I
enjoy doing. I try and truly draw myself in to
what I am reading. Here I felt I had to do the
same but having a family made it a completely different experience than previously.
Reading the traumatic, horrifying, distressing events that happened to so many people;
adults, the elderly and of course children had
a greater affect on me than reading about
the Shoah when I was younger. Suddenly
there were more questions I could ask of
myself as a person, as a husband, as a father
and as an educator. Suddenly, engaging with
the Shoah just felt very different and more
meaningful and personal than before and
having a family of my own made me feel the
need to engage with the Shoah at another
level; perhaps subconsciously to remind me
just how lucky, fortunate and blessed I am
with my own life.
In recent years, I have also found the
opportunity to listen to more survivors speaking about their wartime experiences. Despite
the upsetting and horrifying nature of his
story as a survivor of two ghettos, three slave
labour camps and two concentration camps,
I have sat with and listened to our own Alec
Ward many times. Having Alec and his lovely
wife Hettie join us for Shabbos lunch in our
home last summer was a wonderful and yet
very moving experience. His recollection of
pre-war life in Poland and the Zemiros he
sang for us was fabulous. Indeed, one of the
most recent Shoah books I have read (and
thoroughly recommend) is Sir Martin
Gilbert’s ‘The Boys’. Alec, among others fill
the first part of the book with their recollections of pre-war life; a wonderful vision to
behold. This in fact led to the most upsetting
part of the trip for me personally.
There were many unpleasant and appalling aspects of our trip, made all the more difficult to deal with by having a 4-day trip
crammed into 2 (very, very long) days. Yet
despite preparing myself for what I was
about to see and hear (and much stands out
and sticks in my mind) there was one aspect
of the trip that I had not been expecting and
which made me more upset than anything
thousands of graves, some hundreds of years
old, representing a community and a life that
no longer exists; representing a time that had
gone up in the fires of the crematoria, like in
just so many other towns and villages across
Europe. Worn graves, overgrown and
unkempt. Some falling apart. Others with
holes and cracks in the rock. This was truly
history but that is all it was. A time and a life
of bustling, living, joyous Yiddishkeit that had
been snuffed out in the blink of an eye by the
Nazis. This, I certainly will not forget.
I said earlier that I believed that attending a
Shoah trip would perhaps remind me just
how lucky, fortunate and blessed I am with
my own life and you know, it did. With the
help of a private and personal memento our
guide Zvi suggested we take with us from
Birkenau, I also certainly won’t forget.
Joel Sager. Joel has lived in Borehamwood for 11
years and is the Headteacher of Torah Vodaas Primary School in Golders Green. He recently took part
in a joint trip to Poland with our Shul and the Federation’s Ohr Yisroel.
Auschwitz
Suzanne Yantin reveals her thoughts on the community's trip to Poland.
Shoah Trip
to Poland Part 2
May 3rd 2009, Bank Holiday weekend, and at 4am
together with a group of 45 members of the
Borehamwood & Elstree United Shul and Ohr
Yisrael Shul including Rabbi and Mrs Garson my
mother and I set off on a 45 hour intense holocaust
seminar to Poland.
There are those who are sceptical about the
value of such a short trip: should we be doing
a tourist trip to Poland? Why do we as Jews
feel the need to go and see the key sites of the
destruction of Jewish communities in the holocaust? During the trip everyone had questions to ask and everyone found some of their
answers.
Wall in Krakow Cemetery
Yahrzeit in Auschwitz
We all had our own personal reason for
wanting to make this trip. As our tour guide
Zvi Sperber of JRoots said when he met us in
Krakow in the early hours of Sunday morning, “not one of you will leave Poland as the
same person”.
The trip covered Krakow, Auschwitz, Lodz
and Warsaw and the key focus was the journey of Holocaust Survivor Mrs Sala Newton.
Sala is an inspirational lady who now lives in
Netanya, Israel and has a large family some
of whom live locally in Elstree. We were honoured to be on this journey back to Poland
with her, to hear her story and to also
remember other members of her family.
Starting in Krakow, our tour guide deemed
it imperative that we understood the sheer
size of the community that lived in Krakow
pre-war to really appreciate what was
destroyed and how many thousands of people went to their deaths in the Shoah. Only
a tiny Jewish community remains in Krakow
today.
Having tried to understand how vast a
community Krakow was pre-war it was with
some trepidation that we headed to
Auschwitz. We visited the museum first and
the whole group was taken aback upon
entering to see the “Arbeit Macht Frei” gates
situated there. Those famous gates symbolise
so much of the Shoah and up close seemed
smaller than the way they are immortalised
in films.
In the museum our guide picked out the
key areas for us to see and the rooms of
shoes, suitcases, hair, baby clothes and the
sheer quantities shocked me. In the corridor
lined on both sides with shoesour survivor,
Sala and her Grandson
Sala, talked with such vivid memory of the
uncomfortable wooden clogs that she was
forced to wear and the thin Auschwitz uniform. She actually told how the wooden clogs
saved her life as she arrived at Auschwitz
with an open wound on her foot which was
hidden by the shoes and although she was in
constant pain they saved her from selection.
One alarming sight was not the rooms full
of belongings, but the number of people who
were clearly coming to Auschwitz on a family day out. How can it be appropriate to
have children on bikes and scooters as if it
was a day at a park or the science museum?
After an intense couple of hours in the
museum we headed to Auchwitz Birkenau.
It was a strange moment being in a place
that we have seen pictured in books and seen
on footage, yet we weren’t prepared for the
sheer vastness of the place. The walk from
the start of the railway line to the very back
of Auschwitz where we lit yahrzeit candles
by a gas chamber, is about a mile and a half
and walking it feels considerably longer.
Looking around the vast expanse of eerily
quiet, half destroyed bunks it seemed unbelievable to imagine how it must have been
with thousands of people crammed in there
throughout the war. Looking at Sala and the
life she has since created for herself and then
looking at the conditions that she had to survive made me feel extremely humbled. I
realised that Sala and all the survivors are
amazingly tough people. We felt drained
and tired on this trip through lack of sleep,
yet this remarkable well groomed lady didn’t
seem as exhausted as the rest of us.
Since Sala had arrived on a train to
Auschwitz with her mother and brother, our
guide literally took her through the steps and
at various points she shared her memories
with us; where the train stopped and she was
taken to be examined by the famous Dr
Mengele and directed to the showers; the transit hut full of toilets; and then into a bunk
where she felt extremely uncomfortable. By
the time we entered one of the bunks it was
about 7.30pm and it was dark and eerie
inside. Sala tried to remember where she
might have slept and how she felt and it was
clear that these were memories she had tried
to forget. The mood changed however when
Rabbi Raphy Garson brought out a sefer torah
and all the men danced around the bunk and
the whole group joined in by singing “Am
Yisrael Chai”.
It would be remiss not to mention how
after 18 hours on the go we headed towards
the exit of Auschwitz only to find when we
got there the gate was locked. This did not
amuse the group but eventually the guards
came round having checked the site and
unlocked the gate for us!
Day 2 saw us go back in time in Sala’s life
as we visited the Lodz ghetto where she grew
up. We then went to the Lodz cemetery. Sala’s
father died at the start of the war and was
buried there but he never had a stone over
the grave. In recent years the family discovered which grave was his, and we were privileged to be part of the stone-setting ceremony.
Sala and her family also remembered her
mother and brother who unfortunately were
ushered in the opposite direction from her at
Auschwitz Birkenau.
When I was a student I studied the
Holocaust in detail over 2 years and yet never
felt the need to go to Poland and see the sites
of the atrocities. Now 12 years on, I am so
pleased that my Mum and I took this journey.
Although this was an extremely quick visit we
witnessed so much and I personally feel so
indebted to Mrs Sala Newton for allowing us
to hear her story. Fortunately in my immediate family we had no relatives who perished
in the Shoah. However, my husband’s maternal grandfather escaped the atrocities
although many did not and this is a very
important part of my children’s history. The
great shame is that our children will not be
able to take this journey with a survivor, and
it will be up to us now to pass on the history
and the stories of our amazing ancestors to
the next generations.
I understand that there are those who don’t
wish to go back to Poland but for any of you
who are undecided, I would urge you to take
a trip with JRoots. Our tour guide had been on
so many trips with so many survivors that he
has so many amazing first hand stories. His
was of delivery was completely engaging and
made this rather sombre trip completely
unforgettable.
Suzanne Yantin
link community
what’s been happening?
BIRTHS
MAZELTOV
ON THE
BIRTH OF
Rabbi and Miriam
Plancey on the birth
of a great grandson
Suzi and Andrew
Waterman on the
birth of a daughter
Jennifer and Tevy
Corman on the birth
of a son
Adrienne and James
Clayton on the birth
of a son
Joceyln Grant on the
birth of a grandson
Helen and Ken
Freedman on the
birth of a grandson
Beverley and
Darren Levy on the
birth of a daughter
Louise and Ben
Forman on the birth
of a daughter
Barbara and
Stephen Forman on
the birth of a
granddaughter
Lena Jayson on the
birth of a greatgranddaughter
Tilly Glass on the birth
of a great-granddaughter
Simon and Deborah
Mitchell on the birth
of a daughter
Michelle and Ura
Bazak on the birth of
a granddaughter
Ruth and Andrew
Mellish on the birth
of a son
Tamar and Joshua
Cohen on the birth of
a son
Jonathan and
Joanna Pell on the
birth of a daughter
Eddie and Jill Cohen on
the birth of a grandson
Susan and Robert
Harris on the birth of
a grandson
Heather and Mark
Sher on the birth of a
grandson
Alice and Norman
Lapp on the birth of a
great granddaughter
Sharon and Oliver
Ralph on the birth of
a son
Joelle and Daniel
Goldring on the birth
of a daughter
Sharon and Howard
Osper on the birth of
a granddaughter
Amanda and
Matthew Jaffa on
the birth of a son
Alan Friend on the
birth of a granddaughter
BEREAVEMENTS
WE WISH
"LONGLIFE" TO
Penny Low on the
loss of her father
Irving Buckman
Pamela Permutt on
the loss of her mother
Miriam Jacobs
Anna Sinclair,
Philippa Ford,
Michael Bass and
Caroline Dembovsky
on the loss of their
mother Muriel Bass
Helen Minn and
Wendi Jacobs on the
loss of their mother
Lilian Berman
Nicky Nathan on the
loss of her father
Gerald Briski
Richard Gross on
the loss of his mother
Esther Gross
David Harris on the
loss of his mother
Yetta Harris
David Newman on
Rachel Newman
Lauretta Bernstein
on the loss of her father
Seymour Springer
Henry Finch on the
loss of his wife Irene
Finch
Gillian Burns on the
loss of her mother
Irene Finch
COMMUNITY
Chief Rabbi's Visit
Gary Yantin & Dianne Steene
Our community has been honoured four times in
the last two years by visits from the Chief Rabbi Sir
Jonathan Sacks. The Chief Rabbi officiated at Rabbi
Plancey’s retirement service, at Rabbi Brawer’s
induction and he also launched the extremely moving Yom Hashoah service at our shul in May.
We were particularly delighted to have hosted
the Chief Rabbi and Lady Sacks for a Shabbat visit in
March this year. The Chief Rabbi had requested
that on the Friday night of his visit he would like to
daven at the beautiful synagogue in Yavneh College. The community has been using the Yavneh
shul for Friday night services for over a year and it
was incredibly special to see the shul full to capacity and bursting with atmosphere. 200 people
including many Southside regulars attended the
service which was followed by dinner and a tisch.
Between Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv, the Chief
Rabbi delivered a sermon on the gift of Shabbat in
his usual eloquent style whilst the children were
kept entertained with stories and treats.
Following the service, Friday night dinner was
served with Kiddush led by The Chief Rabbi and
Rabbi Brawer. It was a truly family affair with many
tables seating three generations all enjoying Friday
night dinner together. Although the Yavneh dining
room was full the mood was intimate and the meal
was interspersed with singing and stories led by
our guest of honour. Again, the children were well
catered for with Shabbat puzzles to solve and a
goody bag each. The Chief Rabbi dealt professionally with the minimum amount of heckling from
the most junior members of the crowd who by this
point were well past their bedtime. Post dessert and
bensching, and with most of the youngsters dispatched home, the evening took on a new twist.
Tables were cleared to one side and the hundred
or so people who remained for the Tisch were treated to a selection of anecdotes by the Chief Rabbi. He
recalled his trip to India and the Amritsar Temple
with Rabbi Brawer as well as visits made to Windsor Castle (just before the fire) for a state event and
his audiences with other religious leaders. He spoke
enthusiastically of an occasion where he taught a
group of bishops the words to Am Yisrael Chai. He
also recounted events with Anglo Jewish Youth in
Israel on their gap years. Many of his stories introduced songs that he led and which the audience
readily joined in with. The highlight of this part of
the evening was his retelling of the recording of
Oseh Shalom Bimramov with the Shabbaton Choir
led by Stephen Levey who also attended the
evening. A rousing rendition of the new tune followed which was led by members of the choir who
were present and culminated with everybody,
including Rabbi Brawer and the Chief, standing on
their chairs and singing and clapping along.
It was a great privilege for all present to spend a
Friday evening in the presence of the Chief Rabbi
Dianne Steene
Gary Yantin
and Lady Sacks and we hope to be able to repeat the
evening at some future date.
Thanks must go to all those who helped to organise and facilitate this rare and special event. The
feedback received certainly showed that it was
worth all the effort.
The tone for the rest of Shabbat had now certainly been set.
On Shabbat morning, the Chief Rabbi and Lady
Sacks davened in the main Shul. Everyone had
been asked to arrive at 9:45 at the latest, so there
was a packed congregation from the very start
when the Chief Rabbi led pskuei d’zimra. Before
Musaf, the Chief Rabbi addressed us, starting off
with a reminder that we must continue to strive
and build our community and never to sit back and
be complacent. As the Chief’s visit coincided with
Rabbi Plancey and Miriam’s first Shabbat in the
community after their time at Northwood, this
message was particularly appropriate. The shul
was packed and no one could remember having
taken part in a more inspiring and uplifting service. At the Kiddush afterwards which was held outside, everyone had the opportunity to speak to the
Chief Rabbi and Lady Sacks.
After mincha the hall was packed for a Seuda for
the whole community which began with songs and
then Rabbi Brawer facilitated a question and
answer session. The Chief Rabbi answered all the
questions with amazing stories, humour and wisdom as always. Much credit goes to the Ladies Committee for putting on a wonderful spread.
Many thanks go to the Ford family for hosting
our special guests over Shabbat.
Shabbat ended on a high note and everyone
agreed that it had been a most successful visit
which we hope to repeat in the near future.
Gary Yantin & Dianne Steene
COMMUNITY
Five Generations of the
Newton Family
A unparalleled event within our family took place
this year just after Pesach, when the newest member of our family met up with other family members to celebrate a wonderful occasion. Ezra
Newton, together with his parents Adam and
Rachel, celebrated the 96th birthday of Ezra’s greatgreat-grandmother, Celia Rogansky, at the Stapely
Nursing Home in Liverpool. Six-month-old Ezra and
his parents live in Jerusalem where he has previously met his great-grandmother Anita Haft and
grandmother Debbie Jacobson, but this was the
first time all five generations had been together
and the day was captured for posterity in this wonderful photo.
This page has been
sponsored by
the Steene
family
Geraldine Lander on
the loss of her mother
Cynthia Hanison
Ruth Cohen on the
loss of her mother Rita
Lightman
Nadia Reuben on the
loss of her husband
Sidney Reuben
Perry Livingston
and Rochelle Davis on
the loss of their father
Martin Burns
Ruth Cohen on the
loss of her mother Rita
Lightman
Nadia Reuben on the
loss of her husband
Sidney
Paul Woolfson on
Lila Woolfson
Ruth Kingsley on
the loss of her sister
Gila Sulman
MAZEL TOV
BAT MITZVAH
In Remembrance of the
Shofar
The blowing of the shofar is a plea for
Divine mercy as we ask G-d to remember
the Covenant of Abraham and the
Binding of Isaac. The Covenant is the
everlasting promise of our People in its
Land, whereas the Binding of Isaac
reminds us of the far too many times
where we have been called upon to
make the ultimate sacrifice in sanctification of G-d’s Name for our Torah.
According to Midrashic tradition, all the
parts of the ram that were offered up in
substitution after the Binding of Isaac
were used in times gone by and times to
come. One horn was used to sound the
shofar blast at the Divine Revelation on
Mount Sinai at the giving of the Torah.
The other horn will be used at the next
Divine Revelation at the time of our people’s Final Redemption. On that day the
Great Shofar will be sounded and the
Ten Tribes lost in the lands of the
Assyrian Exile together with the
Children of Israel left behind, for dead,
in the Land of Egypt, will bow down to
G-d in His holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Shabbat Rosh Hashanah, when we do
not blow Shofar, is referred to in our
prayers as the Day of Remembrance of
the Shofar, because the era of the Final
Redemption is likened to the Day that is
All Shabbat. Shabbat is enough of a
reminder of things to come that we do
not need the blast of a Shofar to remind
us of the era that will one day soon be
heralded by the Great Shofar.
Next Bite on pg 101
Beverley and Steve
Morris on the
Batmitzvah of their
daughter Georgina
Adele and Gary
Morris on the
Batmitzvah of their
daughter Emma
Jane and Barry Rose
on the Batmitzvah of
their daughter Abigail
MAZEL TOV
BAR MITZVAH
Helen and Michael
Collins on the
Barmitzvah of their
son Mark
AmandaandJeffrey
Kaliski on the Barmitzvah
of their son Joshua
Alison and Harley
Van Straten on the
Barmitzvah of their
son James
Linda Marks on the
Barmitzvah of her son
Harry
Lisa and Mark Lee
on the Barmitzvah of
their son William
Alex and Clive Jacobs
on the Barmitzvah of
her son Matthew
Sharon and Daniel
Rynhold on the
Barmitzvah of their
son Zack
Stephanie and Nick
Stern on the Barmitzvah
of their son Samuel
Louisa and David
Brickman on the
Barmitzvah of their
son Joshua
MAZEL TOV
SPECIAL
ANNIVERSARIES
Elizabeth and Lionel
Leventhal on their
Ruby Wedding
anniversary
Alex and Paul
Grossman on their
Silver Wedding
anniversary
Alf Schultz on his
second Barmitzvah
Rene Stone on her
80th birthday
Fay and Leslie Roth
on their 74th Wedding
anniversary
AUFRUFS,
WEDDINGS &
ENGAGEMENTS
Valerie and Jeffrey
Golding on the Aufruf
of their son Michael
Elaine and Simon
Hakim on the
engagement of Paul
to Louise Garber
Pamela and Jeffrey
Permutt on the
marriage of their
daughter Melanie
Rochelle and Stephen
Davis on the marriage of
their daughter and Betty
and Michael Davis and
Sylvia and Martin Burns
on the marriage of their
grand daughter Alisa to
Edward Fleischmann
Caroline and Keith
Gordon on the
engagement of their
daughter Joanna to
Jeremy Bensen
link community
COMMUNITY
A Note from the Office
Amanda Finn
5769 has certainly been a busy and changing year
for those of us working in the office. We were
privileged to be chosen by the Chief Rabbi as the
first community to host a religious service for Yom
Hashoah. Occurring immediately after Pesach, it
certainly presented a unique challenge for the
office to ensure that everything was prepared in
good time. The evening was truly memorable and
momentous, commemorating and honouring
Holocaust martyrs and survivors, whilst providing
a spectacular musical and visual performance
inspiring hope and optimism for the future.
This year we have said a fond farewell to our
Synagogue Manager, Esmond Rosen, who has left
to pursue a career in Community Development
and to our Youth Director, Doron Luder, together
with his wife Dina. We wish them all well in their
future careers.
We also welcome to our new Youth Directors,
Joseph Machta and Dovid Benmayer and wish
them both success in their new posts.
The office continues to be extremely busy working on various communal initiatives, and as we
approach the Yomim Noraim the activity intensifies within the office as we endeavour to ensure
that the site is readied to accept the influx of members attending our services.
On behalf of all my colleagues in the office, I
would like to wish you a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year
Amanda Finn, Senior Administrator
Susan Gray (Head
Teacher of Gilah) on
the marriage of her
AUFRUFS,
WEDDINGS &
daughter Emma
ENGAGEMENTS
Lorraine and David
CONT'D
Rose on the aufruf of
their son Jonathan
Marilyn and David
Norman Yantin on
Jackson on the
the marriage of her
marriage of their
daughter Denise to
daughter Natalie
Sasha Rafailov
Claire Fisher and
Philippa and Mark
Marcus Fletcher on
Ford on the engagetheir marriage
ment of their son Zach Carol Blenford on
to Shoshi Cohen
the marriage of her
Carol Blenford on
son Adam to Caroline
the engagement of
Gordon
her son Adam to
Dorris Goldman on
Caroline Gordon
the marriage of her
Doris Goldman on
grandson Adam Blenford
the engagement of
to Caroline Gordon
her grandson Adam
Howard and Jean
Blenford
Weiss on the Aufruf
Rona and Jeremy
of Paul Mitchell who
Doltis on the aufruf
will be marrying their
of their son Benjamin daughter Joanne
COMMUNITY
Barry Hits 60!
Barry Winterman, our Financial Administrator, but who has run the shul office for the last 19 years and the font of all
its knowledge and know-how, celebrated his 60th birthday in April. Born on St George’s day (23rd), he spent his
birthday at the annual International Kite festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France.
Barry was brought up in Willesden and attended the Ohel Shem (Federation!) Shul. He lived next door to a very noisy
family with three children, who turned out to be his wife, Vivienne’s, aunt and uncle who now live in Borehamwood!
During his twenties he went to live in the Lake District for two years, having spent a weeks holiday there and finding
it so idyllic being out of London. He bought a ‘two-up two-down’, found a job managing the accounts of a local stationers, was befriended by a family of local farmers, often milked (or tried to!) the cows, picked fruit and made bread on the
Aga cooker. Barry also spent seven months in South Africa, (his father’s brother had emigrated there when Barry was
six months old), sailing out there and back, on the Union Castle line.
Barry started work for the United Synagogue (US) at their head office on 1st April 1982, following a spell at the ‘Old
Bailey’, - he assures me it was on jury service and was not sentenced to work at the US for the rest of his working life! He
worked there for five years and then went to Edgware as the Administrator for three years before joining Borehamwood.
Football has been his passion since a young teenager, and as an avid supporter of Fulham, (he can be heard shouting on the terraces), Barry hopes to see the team go into Europe next season. He has an amazing ability for mental
arithmetic, often faster than the calculator.
Barry and Vivienne have a son Simon, an equally avid football supporter of Chelsea, which leads to some interesting
moments, so I am told!
link community
SPECIAL
ANNOUNCEMENTS
COMMUNITY
Community Care
Rebecca
Brummer
Rebecca Brummer
The year 2009 started with a lovely tea party for
the senior members of the community. Whilst
the rain was pouring outside, nearly 50 people
got together at the shul to enjoy live music and
a delicious tea. The Ladies Committee very kindly organised all the food and made the hall look
beautiful for the occasion. The Community Care
volunteers were busy driving around NW London to transport members who otherwise could
not attend the party and also ensured that everyone received a warm welcome. The members all
agreed that it was lovely to meet new and old
friends, and they also very much appreciated
being ‘remembered’ by the shul. The next Tea
Party took place in June and successful successful.
For Purim, Community Care Volunteers,
together with the youth delivered Mishloach
Manot (Purim gifts) to the senior members in
the community. Just before Pesach, 10 volunteers participated in the Telephone Networking
Project, which involves calling all senior members over 80 years to wish them Chag Sameach
and to enquire about their welfare. As usual
these calls were gratefully received by the members, and all senior members can expect another
call before Rosh Hashanah.
Together with Project Chesed, a United Synagogue social action initiative, Community Care
has organised several projects in the last few
months. The spectacles collection, whereby
members donated their old glasses, was a great
success. The glasses were given to Vision Aid
Overseas, who in turn distributed them to developing countries. Just before Pesach, the project
‘Chametz for the Homeless’ involved members
donating their unwanted Chametz to the shul.
These items were then taken to a local homeless
shelter. Community Care, together with Project
Chesed, also organised Pesach hampers containing essential Pesach food as well as some extra
treats for members of the community who are
experiencing financial hardship.
The Mother and Baby Project has now taken
off, so if you have just had a baby or are about to
have one you can expect a telephone call from
Community Care wishing you Mazal Tov and
enquiring whether you would like any support.
Not everyone who has a baby informs the shul,
so if you know of anyone having a baby, please
let me know!
The Befriender Group is currently very busy,
with several volunteers visiting isolated people
regularly. For some of these members, these visits are the highlight of their week. As one member said to me ‘after a long lonely weekend, I feel
happier on Monday as I know it is only two more
days until X comes here for a chat. I so look forward to her visits.’
The Bereavement Group is continuing to offer
Danny Feuer on
becoming Head Boy at
JFS
David Gee on
becoming Head Boy at
Immanuel College
Natasha Rosenfeld
on becoming Deputy
Head Girl at Immanuel
College
Bernie’s “Barmitzvah”
year as our caretaker
Johnny Arkush on
being elected Senior
Vice President of the
Board of Deputies
FAMILY
GREETINGS
support to any members of the community who
have been bereaved. When someone in the community loses a family member, I will call them
to offer them the opportunity to meet with one
of our trained Bereavement Visitor. Any such
meetings usually takes place in the client’s
home and is dealt with in the strictest of confidence. Being bereaved has long lasting effects
and no matter when the bereavement happened
this service is available.
The Confidential Care Line (020 8207 5741) is
being used more and more by the community
and on some days the phone does not stop ringing! Whatever your concerns are, no matter how
small or big, you will receive a non judgemental
and strictly confidential service. If I cannot help
you directly I will try to put you in contact with
another service or organisation that can assist
you. If you know of someone in the community
who could benefit from a listening ear and some
extra support, please do call the Care Line to let
me know.
During these last few months, several new volunteers have joined the BES Community Care
Network. I would like to say a big thank you to
all the volunteers, as without them, the crucial
work that Community Care does could not happen. The team is growing stronger and all volunteers are receiving training, supervision and are
CRB (police checked) where appropriate. If you
have some time to spare and would like to give
something back to the community, please contact me on 020 8207 5741 or email care@borehamwoodshul.org. Your help will be most
appreciated!
Wishing you all a Shana Tova
Rebecca Brummer. Community Care Coordinator
We wish our
community a year of
health, happiness and
prosperity, Rabbi
Naftali, Dina, Aryeh,
Mendel, Asher and
Yakir
Rabbi Alan and Miriam
Plancey and family
wish all their friends in
the community a
happy & healthy new
year
Karen, Simon, Jessica
& Jonathan Ainley
Efrat, Nicholas, Aviel &
Adi Arnold
Kate, Benjamin, Natan
& Tova Arnold
Susan & Anthony
Arnold
Liz, Jeff & Avi Azizoff
Amanda, Gary, Rachel,
Ashleigh & Gideon
Bernstein
Louisa, David, Joshua &
Ella Brickman
Howard, Avi & Ben
Brown
Deborah, Daniel,
Benjamin, Zara &
Jemima Clayden
Adrienne, James,
Rebecca, Zoe & Harley
Clayton
Emma, Elliot, Daniel,
Harry, James & Joshua
Cohen
Ruth and Laurence
Cohen, Sam, Emma
and Marc
Claire, Anthony, Adam
& Jamie Cooper
Rochelle & Stephen
Davis and family
Emma, Marc & Adam
Duke
Tania, Howard, Sam &
Alex Falk
Jackie, Mark & Daniella
Faerber
Amanda, Paul, Yaacov,
Daniel & Shoshi Finn
Barbara and Stephen
Forman
Helena and Ken
Freedman & Ali; Danny,
Ilana, Sheindy & Zvi;
Tamara, Jonny, Ruben,
Jenni & Oren
Charis, Jonathan, Adam
& Nina Freedman
Suzanne, Simon,
Natalia, Rafi & Ilan
Galkoff
Victoria, Ben, Harry,
Felicity, Beatrice & Alec
Ginsburg
Anne, Malcolm,
Alexander, Benjamin,
Samuel & Gila Gordon
Allan and Vicki Gradus;
Lisa and Paul Rosen,
Joshua & Harley;
Andrew and Denise
Gradus, Noah & Sadie
Antonia and Stephen
Grant, Zoe, Emma &
Oliver
Norma and David
Green
Ruth and Howard
Green
Valerie Green & family
Alex, Paul, Adam,
Charles & Elliott
Grossman
Jonathan, Lisa, Joshua
& Benjamin Gruneberg
Lynne, Jonathan,
Brandon & Kyle
Hamme
Marilyn and David
Jackson & family
Bev, Alan, Talya, Dani,
Harry & Gemma
Jacobson
Lena Jayson & family
Delysia and Raymond
Jayson and family
Karen, Allan, Jamie,
Marcus & Gemma Kay
Ira, Ashley & Elliott
Kaye
Miriam & Kenneth
Keller & family
Shani & David Keen &
family
Diane & Paul Kutner
link community
COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
Jewish Helpline - Miyad Interview with Bernie
Bray
There are times in everyone’s life when you
need to be able to talk to someone. It could
be a major life crisis or a niggling worry. It
could be that you’re feeling sad, lonely or
depressed.
Who can you turn to?
Perhaps you have family or friends who will
listen, but often these are not the right people. It could be that your problem relates to
them or maybe you feel you’ve exhausted
their patience. Maybe your problem is too
personal to speak about to those you know
well, or perhaps it’s late at night and you
don’t want to bother them. Sometimes we
worry that we will be judged or plagued with
unwanted advice or maybe we don’t want to
hurt the ones we love.
These are some of the reasons so many
people call the JEWISH HELPLINE.
The helpline was set up 25 years ago. In
2003, it became a charity in its own right.
The line is manned by professionally trained
volunteers, both men and women of all ages
and from all parts of the community.
Jewish Helpline volunteers are trained to
listen to you. They do not judge or try to give
advice, but help you offload your worries
and talk things through. It could be that in
talking about your problem you will find
your answers or perhaps by letting off steam
you’ll be able to sleep for a few hours. Maybe
you haven’t spoken to anyone for days and
you can alleviate your loneliness for a while.
Whatever your age, gender or problem, we
are here for you.
Our opening hours are 12 noon until 12
midnight every day except Shabbat and Yom
Tovim.
The phone numbers to call are as follows:
Freephone 0800 652 9249
0208 457 5811
New volunteers are always welcome for
training. If you are interested, please call
0208 457 5810 or email us at jewishhl@googlemail.com.
In addition, Borehamwood and Elstree
Synagogue’s Community Care Co-ordinator
Rebecca Brummer is available to talk to you,
in strict confidence, about any concerns that
you may have. Rebecca can be contacted on
020 8207 5741 (Confidential Care Line) or by
email at care@borehamwoodshul.org. Her
office hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9.30-1.30pm.
By Lauren Krotosky
As everyone knows, Bernie Bray is our shul’s
much loved caretaker. Undertaking all aspects
of the shul’s maintenance and caretaking, he
can often be found ordering supplies, setting
up the shul and other rooms for services, doing
security and meeting suppliers. He also sets up
Gilah Nursery every morning. After all his time
spent working in the community, he has
become a bit of an expert on all things Jewish
and is always incredibly accommodating to the
community’s needs and wants. Quite simply,
without Bernie, our shul would not be the shul
as we know it. Having recently celebrated his
‘barmitzvah’ year in the shul and been honoured in front of the entire congregation, Lauren Krotosky felt it was an apt time to quiz
Bernie about his role in the shul and discovers
that this really is a man who puts the care into
caretaker.
Q. So what is it like being a shul caretaker?
A. Hard work!
Q. When did you first start working here?
A.I live in Borehamwood, and started working here just over thirteen years ago.
Q. What does your day to day role involve?
A.I work at the shul full-time and start work
every day at 7am. I begin by checking the
whole site out for any health and safety
issues that may have arisen, and I have a
checklist to sign off. I also check the fire
system when no one is about. I fix anything that gets broken. I prepare the place
for the Guides, Cubs and Brownies. I also
do the ordering of cleaning products, cutlery and paperware. No one day is the same
and I am certainly kept busy! Last night I
was there until 11.30pm as there was a
quiz supper, so I was on security and
cleared up afterwards.
Q.What do you enjoy most about your job?
And what is the most difficult part?
A.Definitely being around all of the lovely
people I meet and work with. I don’t really
have any gripes with my job – I enjoy it all.
Probably only when I have got everyone on
my back!
Q.Tell me about some particularly memorable moments you have had.
A.I can’t think of any offhand, but people
always think that I am Jewish!
Bernie Bray
Q.What changes have you seen in the community over the years?
A.I have seen a lot of people come and go. We
are growing all the time, and there are a
lot of younger families here now as well.
Q.You must have learned a fair bit about
Judaism in your time here. What have you
found the most interesting?
A.It took me a while to get used to it all. At
first, I couldn’t understand why there
needed to be a milky section and a meaty
section but soon it became second nature.
Q. Can you see yourself staying here a while?
A. I hope so – if they will have me!
Q. What do you get up to in your spare time?
A.I used to keep and breed reptiles and now I
keep marine fish so that, along with my
work, keeps me busy.
Q. Anything else you would like to add?
A.I would like to say thank you to everyone
for all of their support over the years.
Lauren Krotosky
FAMILY
GREETINGS
CONT'D
Susan & Greg Lander;
Stuart, Melissa, Reuben
& Sadi Lander; Martin
& Natan Segal
Spencer, Danielle, Ben,
Joe & Amy Leslie
Daniella, Stephen, Yael
and Benjy Levey
Ivana, Andrew, Joshua,
Gideon & Chana Levy
Perry, Steven, Jeremy
and Benjamin
Livingston
Anne & Simon Serota,
Claire, Amy and Josh
Penny, Julian, Nadiva,
Talya & Yoav Low
Debbie, Peter, Joshua,
Joel & Simon Marks
Helen, Eliot, Hayley &
David Minn
Gloria, Amanda &
Jonathan Mitchell
Karen, Martin, Sam &
Robin Morgan
Karen, Joel, Suzanne &
Oliver Nathan
Judy & David Newman;
Danny, Talia & Shira;
Zippy, Aryeh, Tehilla,
Calanit & Itai; Debbie,
Ben & Sofia
Ellie, Philip, Danny &
Charley Olmer
Charlotte, Stuart,
Natasha & Daniel
Polak
Helena, Richard, Elliot
& Lucinda Perkoff
Neil, Alison, Ben &
Gemma Rodol
Jane, Barry, Sammy,
Hannah & Abigail Rose
Angela and Barry Ries
and family
Stacey, Adam,
Benjamin, Jessica &
Amelia Rubens
Karen, Charlie, Gideon,
Gabriella & Adina
Sacofsky
Angela, Alan, Gabriel &
Oliver Segall
Anne and Simon Serota,
Claire, Amy & Josh
Danielle, Jason, Ilana,
Mikayla Shane
Emma, Barry, Naomi,
David and Zara Shaw
June and Norman
Silver
Jo, Jonny, Lottie and
Ben Stankler
Richard, Sharon, Zoe &
Ellen Steel
Dianne, David, Adam,
Asher & Leah Steene
& Margaret Montrose
Stephanie, Nicholas,
Jack, Sam & Matthew
Stern
Louise, Mark, James
and Sam Tenzer
Frankie, Ian, Avi & Eli
Weinberg
Sue, Howard, James &
Matthew Wilder
Judith, Mark and
Benjamin Wilson,
together with Benjy,
Caroline & Joey
Sanford
Vivienne, Barry, Simon
& Evelyn Winterman
Linda and John Wolffe
and all the family
Judy, Jenni and Amy
Woolf
Joanna, Peter, Stephen,
Benjamin and Philippa
Wulwik
Carol and Merton
Zatman
Elisa, Stephen,
Gabriella, Oliver &
Raphael Ziff
Until the time of the Final Redemption
Every year we use the opportunity of Rosh Hashanah to look to the future and on Yom
Kippur to improve our ways. G-d uses this time to inscribe us in the Book of Life – to
some it is life in this world to others it is everlasting life in the next.
This page has been
The image of G-d busily inscribing away on Rosh Hashanah night does rather prompt the
following question and answer, as related by Rabbi Plancey. “G-d measures us by our performance of His commandments, He too is also bound by them. As writing is forbidden
on Shabbat and Yomtov, how is He able to busily inscribe on Rosh Hashanah?
Natan and
Tova Arnold
According to tradition, there are three categories of people, the virtuous who are
inscribed in the Book of Life on Rosh Hashanah night, the next category of “middle -ish”
people whose judgement is deferred to the 10 days of Repentance –so that they can
prove themselves virtuous, and the final category of un-virtuous people whose judgement
is deferred till as late as possible until Yom Kippur- so as to give them maximum time to
repent and return to G-d.
It is a well known principle of Jewish law that the saving of life takes precedence over
the keeping of Shabbat and Yomtov laws. Being inscribed in the Book of Life is a life saving measure, therefore G-d is allowed to set aside the laws of Shabbat and Yomtov !”……
Clever in’it.
May we and our families all be inscribed in the Book of Life for a happy, healthy and
peaceful New Year wherever we are. May we also be granted success in whatever we do
(provided it’s allowable by Jewish law to do so)! Shana Tova.
If you would like to sponsor a page of Link please
will you email david.onnie@ntlworld.com for
further details
link community
COMMUNITY
Karin Hirsch
Dead Sea Walk
Michael Hirsch
After my wife Karin had completed two previous
walks in the Negev and Donna my daughter had
been with her on one of them, I decided that I
needed to undertake a walk myself, as the reports
from their experiences sounded amazing.
I normally undertake a charity bike ride each
year and have completed 8 of these over the past
years for Norwood in the main and also once for
Alyn Hospital in Jerusalem. So last year I decided
to go with Karin for the walk around Judean Hills
and Dead Sea and forego the bike ride. I decided
that it would not be such a big deal if this was not
as physically challenging as the bike ride, but I
was happy to go for the experience. As it turned
out I found it to be a good physical workout, albeit
with different muscle groups, but at the end of
each day I was happy to be resting. The walk was
more of a hike and a climb and, the heat of the
desert, rugged and at times extremely mountainous terrain, and distance covered each day,
ensured that not one of us out of the 50 or so people in the group felt like we needed to do any
more. I met some new people and made some new
friends. Everyone on the walk was very friendly
and we all helped each other on our way.
The scenery and terrain was beautiful, the
weather was fantastic. When you are walking you
see a lot more detail and are able to take in a lot
more than if you are cycling. Our guides were also
extremely knowledgeable and gave us a lot of
information about the history of the area.
Overall the experience was a great one. I am certainly pleased to have done it and hope that in
future years I will have the time and energy to
walk in other parts of our wonderful Eretz Yisrael.
Michael Hirsch
COMMUNITY
Yom Hashoah Event
Ariel Cohen
On Tuesday the 21st of April this year the atmosphere in Shul was sombre. At 7.15 the crowds
started flocking in for the prototype of a series of
Yom Hashoah events to take place every year at a
different Shuls in the UK. The fact that the Chief
Rabbi and many other Rabbonim were there
added something special to the occasion.
After Mincha and Maariv Rabbi Brawer gave a
short welcoming speech.
Act 1 was entitled Our Lost World, when Miriam Kramer the violinist played a piece entitled
Beltz. This composition started off as a slow,
calm piece and gradually became faster and
more staccato and jumpy. It then slowed down
and abruptly came to an end, I wondered if I
understood what it meant?
Act 2 entitled The Shoah, consisted of TracyAnne Oberman, the television, theatre and radio
actress reading part one of Dear Mirele in a very
emotional voice.
Dear Mirele, is a moving letter written by
Mirele’s mother. Mirele is a little girl who is
going to be put in hiding to secure her safety
during the Shoah. Mirele’s mother writes this
letter and sews it into Mirele’s clothes in the
hope that Mirele will still have it when she is old
enough to read. In the letter Mirele’s mother
explains how she and her husband did not want
to separate themselves from Mirele but had to,
to secure Mirele’s future, and I thought how terrible it would be if my parents had to write a
note to me knowing they would never see me
again.
Next Jonny Turgel, who has a wonderful
voice, sung V’hi Sh’Amda accompanied by our
own Stephen Levey on the piano. Miriam Kramer then played a moving rendition of Shindler’s
List on the violin.
Alec Ward then sung his Ghetto Song, the
song he sang when selling cigarettes and matches, which he had illegally smuggled from outside the Ghetto to sell inside, to earn some
money for himself and his family.
Act 3 was entitled Grief. It started with Rabbi
Lionel Rosenfeld singing Eichah, a very moving
song from Tisha B’Av. The Chief Rabbi then gave
a reading, which was followed by a minute’s
silence. Rabbi Barry Marcus of Central Synagogue then blew the shofar.
Act 4 was entitled Remembrance and Handing on of Memory. It started with Rabbi Lionel
Rosenfeld and Jonny Turgel singing Keili Keili. It
was followed by several Holocaust survivors,
their children and grandchildren who came up
SYNAGOGUE
BULLETIN
BLOOPERS
The shul office strives to meet
the demands of an ever
increasing community. Communication is by email,
phone or letter and somehow,
the shul office will get in touch
with you. Here are a few
examples of where other shul
offices did not quite get the
intended message out to their
community.
1.Don't let worry kill you. Let
your synagogue help. Join us
for our Oneg after services.
Prayer and medication to
follow. Remember in prayer
the many who are sick of
our congregation. Ariel Cohen
2. For those of you who have
children and don't know it,
we have a nursery
downstairs.
for a very moving candle lighting ceremony. At
this point a single flame from one of the Yahrzeit
candles was seen flickering against the night sky
through the glass ceiling in the Shul. While the
many hundreds of names of dead people
scrolled down the walls, we heard a very heart
rending recording of Hatikvah by survivors of
Bergen-Belsen after the liberation.
Eli Baigel and the Shabbaton Choir sang a stirring rendition of Hamalach Hagoel, which was
overpowering due to Eli’s fantastic voice.
Following this, there was an address by the
Chief Rabbi. To end the service there was a rousing Oseh Shalom.
Overall, I feel that it was a very moving
evening. The music performed by Rabbi Lionel
Rosenfeld, Jonny Turgel, Eli Baigel and the Shabbaton Choir all helped make this evening a very
memorable event.
Ariel Cohen
This page has been
sponsored by
the Genn
family
3. The ladies of Hadassah have
cast off clothing of every
kind and they may be seen
in the basement on
Tuesdays. 4. Weight Watchers will meet at
7 PM at the JCC. Please use
the large double door at the
side entrance. 5.We are taking up a collection
to defray the cost of the new
carpet in the sanctuary. All
those wishing to do
something on the carpet will
come forward and get a
piece of paper. 6. If you enjoy sinning, the
choir is looking for you!
7. The Associate Rabbi
unveiled the synagogue's
new fundraising campaign
slogan this week: "I Upped
My Pledge. Up Yours."
link community
COMMUNITY
Apologies
the first claim on Jewish resources was to help the
Jewish communities of Palestine (soon to become the
State of Israel).
Finally in 1948, Barbara (mother of former Kerem
pupil and local member Andrew Zucker) and I, together with three of our cousins and a group of other children became founder pupils of Kerem House.
The name Kerem, meaning “vineyard”, was chosen
because of an incident that occurred during the
Roman siege of Jerusalem, which led up to the
destruction of the second temple.
The great Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai had himself
smuggled out of the city in a coffin by some of his students.
He realised that even without a temple, Judaism
would survive if there were places of learning. He created a situation where Vespasian, the Roman
Commander, owed him a favour and he requested
that he be given the town of Yavneh. There he assembled many teachers and students in schools that
became known as Kerem b’Yavneh, which is translated
into “the vineyards of Yavneh,” and where, it is suggested, the pupils sat in rows ‘like vines in a vineyard.’
By 1950, Kerem House had outgrown the premises
allocated in the Shul. A local school building came on
the market in Kingsley Way, which was purchased for
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Chief Rabbi Jacobowitz and Stanley Frankfort
£7,500, after much fund raising.
Kerem House remains at this site today.
But a kindergarten was not enough and my father’s
next challenge was to establish a primary school in the
area, which again involved much campaigning and
fund raising. In the fullness of time this, too, was
achieved and Kerem School was launched in Norrice
Lea Shul hall, where it remains, today, following a
number of disappointments in trying to find and
finance suitable premises elsewhere in the locality.
Both the kindergarten and the primary school continue to flourish and have high religious and secular
standards; they are well respected by the authorities.
There are an increasing number of Jewish schools in North West
It's a safe bet that a fair number of our own Shul
London, Hertfordshire and elsewhere in the country. Most are well
members are former pupils of Kerem House or Kerem
supported.
School.
The recent establishment and obvious success of Yavneh College,
My mother is regularly invited to be guest of honwhich is close to my home, makes me think of a time,
shortly after the Second World War, when the idea of a our at many Kerem functions and over the years has
become a dab hand at presenting awards at their
Jewish school was not so fashionable and was viewed
annual prize giving events.
with contempt by some members of the Jewish
Currently, one of her great grand children is a pupil
Community who thought it would lead to segregation.
of the school, and another will be joining when he is
My parents, Sybil and Stanley, were brought up in
old enough.
London's East End, where their fathers were founder
Sadly, my father passed away five months before the
members of the Dzikover Shtiebel. They moved to
Kerem Schools celebrated their fiftieth anniversary, but
Hampstead Garden Suburb in 1942, when they marhe has left a wonderful legacy for the Community. He
ried. My father was in the army at that time where, in
addition to his military duties, he acted as an Honorary was Life President of the schools which he visited regularly and was always warmly welcomed by staff and
Chaplain and was able to organize religious services
pupils.
whenever possible for his fellow Jewish soldiers.
Both schools are still going strong and last year
He was demobilised in 1946 and went into business.
another milestone was reached with their sixtieth
Even before the war, both my parents were well
anniversary.
involved in various ongoing communal activities, but
So, they are half way there – ad me’ah ve’esrim
my father’s vision lay in the direction of Jewish educashana!
tion.
By this time my sister Barbara and I were approaching school age and our parents wanted us to go to a
HowardFrankfort
Jewish school. As there were none nearby, there was
only one thing to do.
The very Anglicized members of Norrice Lea Shul, at
that time, expressed their horror at the thought of
such a school in their midst with kids running around
with peyot and tzitzit blowing in the wind. It was OK
in Stamford Hill, but not in the Suburb!
Nevertheless, supported by the right team he was
able to collect enough money to establish a kindergarten, in the Shul hall. This was in 1947, soon after
the war, when money was scarce (even in HGS) and
The article on the Kerem Schools was by
Howard Frankfort, not Michael Frankfurt, and
we apologise for the inaccuracy and for part of a
photograph being trimmed.
Oliva Bradley (see below) was also Eyshet
Chayil last year. We apologise for her omission
in the portfolio of honours.
Howard Frankfort’s parents were instrumental in establishing the Kerem schools in Hampstead. Here he tells their story.
Olivia Bradley
The Kerem
Schools
Link Pesach 2009 77
My name is Olivia and I was Eshet Chayil last
year for my children's service. I loved being
Eshet Chayil because it made my mummy and
daddy proud and afterwards we had a tea at my
house for me and my friends and family. I
thought that it was really special too!
My favourite things to do are going to theme
parks and going on rollercoasters and going to
water parks and sliding down the really big and
fast and sometimes dark slides! My favourite
holiday is going to Israel because I like to pray at
the Kotel and like going to visit lots of places and
see some friends who live there.
My favourite music is pop music and I particularly like Lady Gaga, Kaiser Chiefs and The Killers. In my spare time I love to play in my garden
and go on the computer onto Club Penguin or
Mini Clip.
I have a pet guinea pig called Snowy and my
brother Sefi has one called Fluffy. Snowy is white
with dark brown eyes and a light brown patch
on her nose. In the Summer she lives in the garden and in the Winter she lives in my bedroom.
My favourite subject at school is art and
going on school trips!
Love Olivia
MUSIC
Senior Members Tea Party
Rebecca Brummer
On Sunday the 21st of June, senior members from our community attended a tea party
organised by the Ladies Committee together with Community Care. This event takes place twice
a year; the guests were treated to tasty afternoon cream tea. Entertainment was provided by Jeff
Kalisky with an ensemble of music on the piano, where after a lovely youngster, from within our
community; Rafi Galkoff sang a variety of both English and Hebrew songs. A good time was had
by all.
Rebecca Brummer
link community
COMMUNITY
Ladies Committee
Deborah Fisher
The Ladies Committee’s 5769 was preceded with
what has become our Annual Rosh Hashanah
Hat Sale & Craft Fair. Over the years we have
welcomed many ladies who have bought their
Yomtov hats from “the Hat Lady” and this year
was no exception. In addition, there were over
30 other stalls providing gift ideas for all ages
and there were not many attendees who left
without a purchase or two!! Stallholders and
shoppers alike enjoyed the evening and it was a
great success. As a result, we were pleased to be
able to give a donation of £500 to both Kisharon
and Zichron Menachem with a proportion of
the money raised kept to be used within our
community for when the need arises.
Our Kiddush Rota continues to develop and
we have a number of new volunteers who have
joined our happy band in setting up the Kiddush each week. There is always a Kiddush
after the Shabbat morning service, whether
sponsored by the family of the Simcha celebrant
or just a glass of wine and a biscuit, and in
either case a number of ladies (men and children are most welcome) are needed to set it up.
We are very lucky in our community to have a
large number of ladies that have helped in this
way for a long time and we are continuing to
increase our pool of volunteers by welcoming
new and existing members of the community
who have offered their assistance. Helping on a
Shabbat morning to set up the Kiddush is a lovely way of getting to know other people in the
community, of all ages, and we look forward to
welcoming anyone who wishes to offer their
help.
However hard we try to think of other reasons
for our existence, the Ladies Committee is predominantly food-based and we often get a call
from other groups within the community asking for our help. We have continued to provide
refreshments for the Hertfordshiurim held
within the shul and also provided lunch for over
250 children on Yom Kippur at both the Shul
and Yavneh College.
As those of you who have had a Barmitzvah or
Batmitzvah in your family will know, the Ladies
Committee have been making a donation to charity and presented a certificate on the occasion of a
Simcha for many years. We continue to do this,
but from January 2009 our chosen charity is Emunah and each child celebrating receives a Mazaltov Certificate in their name. The money donated
contributes to helping children in Israel celebrating their “coming of age” and we feel that this
will have some significance to the young people
in our community during their celebration. We
are looking forward to hearing from a representative from Emunah in the coming weeks about
their work and if you would like to know more
please call Debra Fisher.
Ladies committee
At the end of January we joined with Rebecca
Brummer, our Care Co-ordinator, and her committee to put on a Senior Members Tea Party.
We were pleased to be able to help with this
event and it was very jolly on the Sunday morning while several of us made up the sandwiches!!
The afternoon was very successful and it was
lovely to be able to be part of providing an entertaining afternoon to some older members of
our community.
In March, a number of ladies represented
Borehamwood at the United Synagogue Ladies
Quiz and unlike in previous years did the community proud by coming 3rd rather than finding themselves way down the list. Well done to
all those that participated and thank you for
raising the profile of Borehamwood at this
annual event.
We were delighted to be part of a very special
occasion on Shabbat 16 May, when the shul honoured Bernie by recognising his 13 years with us
and celebrating his “Barmitzvah” working for
the Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue. Bernie
is an integral part of the shul and is most definitely an “Honorary Lady”. As anyone who has
helped with Kiddush will know, he has often
put out a large proportion of the Kiddush prior
to anyone else arriving. A lovely Kiddush was
given in his honour by the Shul and Bernie was
under strict instructions not to put anything
out himself!! Just as with all Barmitzvah and
Batmitzvah celebrants, the Ladies Committee
recognised this special occasion by donating to
a charity close to Bernie’s heart and he received
a special Certificate.
At the beginning of June we held the AGM
and all Officers of the Ladies Committee volunteered to continue with the positions they have
held this current year. Having now served my
first year as Chairwoman, I would like to thank
all those on the Ladies Committee for always
being willing to offer their support to the community when they are called upon and I hope
the forthcoming year will be as enjoyable as the
last one.
Having written this report in June, I can hardly talk about events due to happen in the coming months as though they have already
happened but it would be a shame not to
include the events coming up. On 21st June, in
conjunction with the Welfare Committee, we
will be entertaining the Senior Members of the
Community once again. I am certain that this
will be an enjoyable afternoon for all concerned
and look forward to this becoming a regular
event.
The Rosh Hashanah Hat Sale and Craft Fair
for 5770 is due to take place on Wednesday 2nd
September and it is likely that this magazine
will arrive on your doorstep after it has happened. However, if not, then we hope to see you
there!!!
All the ladies in the community are automatically members of the Ladies Committee and if
you wish to come along to one of our “very chatty” meetings you would be very welcome. If you
would like to know more about anything in this
article then please call Debra on 020 8207 6496
or send an e-mail to debrafisher@sky.com.
Finally, we wish Rabbi Brawer and Dina,
Rabbi Plancey and Miriam and all the members
of the community Shanah Tovah Umetukah.
Deborah Fisher
link community
SCOUTS
One Hundred Years of
Jewish Scouting
Alan Levy
This page has been
sponsored
by Susan
and
Anthony
Arnold
On the second Bank Holiday in May, 3rd Elstree &
Borehamwood Cubs and Scouts travelled to Walesby Forest, Notts to join other Jewish groups from
Edgware, Pinner, Manchester, Leeds and France
for a biennial camp. This was a special occasion for
Leeds as they were celebrating their 100th birthday making them the oldest Jewish Scout group in
the world. The camp was organised by the newly
formed National Jewish Scout Fellowship (NJSF)
formally know as JSAC (Jewish Scout Advisory
Committee).
The camp followed the usual well tried and tested format with the lively cubs and scouts arriving
late on Friday afternoon by which time all the tents
had been pitched courtesy of the leaders and parent helpers who had been on site since Thursday
evening or Friday morning.
Once the cubs, scouts and guides (who were
invited to join us) were allocated their tents they
were given a short time to settle in before camp
officially started with the traditional horseshoe.
This over we brought in Shabbat with Kiddush followed by a three course chicken meal. After benshing the cubs, armed with gas lanterns, went on a
night walk to explore the forest whilst the scouts
and guides had some free time before bed and the
leaders prepared for the following day.
After a quick breakfast on Shabbat morning all
the different groups joined together for an uplifting Shabbat morning service followed by a Kiddush
which sadly was not up to the normal Shul standard we are all used to. Then the groups returned to
their respective camps for their instruction packs
on the ‘challenges’ for the day. These included
Chairball- a form of netball with a bucket as the
goal held by someone standing on a chair; Filling
drainpipes with water whilst trying to stop the
water escaping from pre drilled holes; Nuclear
Reactor-a challenge where the scouts have to work
as a team to move an object from one place to
another using a series of ropes. These and many
other fun challenges like Mop Hockey, Water Trail
Challenge and Board Walking ensured that all the
scouts were entertained all day and had no time to
utter the dreaded phrase ‘I’m bored’!
‘Danger Bingo’ was the big event between dinner
and havdalla for all the scouts and guides. This is
Bingo with a difference as the winners have to try a
challenge or suffer a forfeit. Great fun was had by
all before everyone fell into bed exhausted.
Sunday started with a special Sunrise Camp to
celebrate Leeds’ 100th year. Although there were
mutterings about having to get up at 6.30 on a Sunday morning, Leeds excelled themselves and staged
a show charting the history of scouting and uniforms worn over the years which was followed by a
procession of all the groups’ standards. Addresses
were given by the District Commissioner of Not-
tingham, two rabbanim from Leeds and Manchester and a letter from the Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan
Sacks was read out. Breakfast was supplied by
Leeds before everyone went off to partake in the
day’s activities.
The activities included quad biking, kayaking,
rock climbing, archery and others too numerous to
mention. During the day a BBC news team came on
site to film various activities and interview cubs
and scouts as part of an early evening news article
on 100 years of Jewish Scouting to be aired that
evening. The 3rd Elstree & Borehamwood Group
are proud that two of our cubs and scouts were chosen to be interviewed. With the activities over each
group then had the traditional early evening BBQ
followed by the campfire sing-song attended by all.
After breakfast on Monday the cubs had an activity which allowed the scouts to help the leaders
break camp, pack the tents and load the lorry with
all the kit and end the fun-packed, action-filled,
non-stop, lip-smacking,
thirst-quenching, exhausting camp enjoyed by
all. But the fun doesn’t stop here-it continues when
we return home to unload the lorry and pack everything back into the garages ready for the next
camp.
To conclude, the cubs, scouts and guides
returned home tired both mentally and physically,
dirty and ready for baths and bed knowing that
they had an exciting weekend making new friends
and being part of a tradition that has been around
for over 100 years.
The 3rd Elstree & Borehamwood Scout Group
has a thriving Beaver colony, Cub pack and Scout
group with a strong leadership which we are all
proud to be part of.
Alan Levy, Scout Leader
SCOUTS
My experience at JSAC
camp
Felicity Ginsburg
Above and left,
Scouts at Camp
In the May half term, the scouts, guides and cubs
from Elstree and Borehamwood, all set out on a
3-hour coach journey to Nottingham. We were
all attending a camp to celebrate a phenomenal
100 years of Jewish Scouting in Britain. There
would be all different units from all over the
country not to mention a French scout Group.
As we arrived, we were greeted by the happy
sound of children enjoying themselves.
We lagged our heavy bags all the way to the
far side of the camping field. As our eyes darted
here and there, we noticed an empty campsite.
This is it, I thought to myself, my weekend
home.
We settled in quickly, unpacking our sleeping
bags. I was in the last green tent on the left.
Luckily for me, there were only 3 of us in my
tent, so we each had just enough room. Unfortunately though, being a scout does mean you
have more responsibility, such as finishing
putting your tent pegs in! Those cubs have it
easy; their tents were ready to move into.
After a quick stroll around a neighbouring
field, we hurried in an orderly line, (well, an
orderly line for scouts) into the Mess Tent. We
ate a traditional Friday night meal, finishing of
with a rousing chorus of Birkat Hamazon. We
were allowed to wonder around for 2 hours
before bed, providing, we did not leave our field.
We were given glow sticks as Shabbat had
already come in.
2 hours later, my friends and I retired to our
freezing tent. After visiting the loos and having
a close encounter with a hornet, we changed
into our pyjamas.
The next two days were a whirlwind of activities including: kayaking, archery, rock climbing,
quad biking, mop hockey, crate stacking and
some crazy water rockets! We also had a sunrise
event to mark 100 years. We all woke up early
and sat in a big clearing to watch a very hilarious show. One evening, we had a magical campfire, with some very colourful fireworks, and
everyone received a candle and lit it.
On Monday afternoon, we said goodbye to our
new friends and headed back home for nice, hot
showers. All I can say is that I am definitely
going on camp again!
Felicity Ginsburg
link community
COMMUNITY
JLGB changes to meet
the needs of your local
community
2008/9 has been a fantastic time for the JLGB.
The JLGB has been going through some exciting
changes to help better meet the needs and support local Jewish communities. Announced on
YouTube in May, the JLGB has changed its
national structure and is now divided in to 8
regions across the UK.
Borehamwood falls into the new Hertfordshire Region which incorporates JLGB Junior
and Senior groups in Bushey, Borehamwood,
Radlett and the soon to open Hertsmere Band.
The JLGB is delighted to announce that the
new local Volunteer Regional Manager for Hertfordshire, is Borehamwood Synagogue’s very
own Trevor Globe. Trevor and his family have
been active members of the JLGB for many many
years and the JLGB is delighted he has agreed to
take on this vital role helping to ensure every
Jewish child and their parents in Hertfordshire
get the opportunity to take part in the many
exciting JLGB activities on offer each and every
week.
A new JLGB group due to open shortly, based
at Yavneh College, is JLGB Hertsmere Band and
we know there are many musical young people
out there who would love to join. Whether they
are already able to play an instrument or would
like to learn, Hertsmere Band will be the place to
be to play exciting music and to get to perform
at some amazing venues and community events.
We are delighted so many young people have
been joining their local JLGB group, but of
course, more young members means the need
for more adult leaders. We would like to hear
from interested adults who would like to
become a JLGB volunteer leader and share their
skills to help shape the leaders of the future.
All in all it’s a hugely exciting time to get
involved with the JLGB as the countdown begins
to 2010 when the JLGB will be celebrating its
115th Anniversary.
Borehamwood JLGB Juniors & Seniors meet at
Borehamwood Synagogue on Tuesdays
Bushey JLGB Juniors & Seniors meet at Bushey
Synagogue on Mondays
Radlett JLGB Seniors meet at Radlett Synagogue on Thursdays
Finally, The Jewish Lads’ & Girls’ Brigade
would like to wish the members of Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue a healthy and happy
5770.
For more information about JLGB, visit www.
jlgb.org, email getinvolved@jlgb.org or telephone 020 8989 8990.
We look forward to hearing from you.
COMMUNITY
Rainbows Report
Sharon, Michelle, Emma,
Caroline & Marcelle
6th Borehamwood Rainbows have been getting
very creative over the last 6 months! With activities including making cards for their Mums, cooking skills, popcorn art, making Purim crowns,
cheese cake for Shavuot, purses with bling accessories, paper windmills, stained glass bangles and
sequin heart pomades, these 6 year old girls are
having a fantastic time being the youngest members of the world-wide Guiding family.
Our Sports Day is a memorable highlight as it
marks the end of another successful year for Rainbows. And together with the Brownies, we enjoyed
a great Summer Barbecue.
6TH Borehamwood Rainbows goes from
strength to strength and the girls and leaders are
all looking forward to a special celebratory year
from September 2009 to September 2010 to mark
the Centenary of the Girl Guiding Movement.
We also introduced a favourite slot to our weekly meetings this year at Rainbows. Every week, one
lucky Rainbow gets to take home Olivia doll and
enjoy a full weeks of activities with her. In the photos on this page, you can see Amber enjoying her
regular weekday activities accompanied by Olivia
doll.
We hope all Mums and Dads of girls in the community will put their 4 and 5 year old daughters’
names down on our waiting list to join our happy
team! We look forward to meeting you all soon!
Sharon, Michelle, Emma, Caroline & Marcelle
INDUCTION OF TARYN ONNIE INTO BROWNIES
Rainbows having fun (above and below)
Hannah&FreddyDavid
withKaty,Joe&Josh
wishthecommunityayearof
health,success
&prosperity.
in Elstree & Borehamwood
!
W
NE
ER T
SH AN E
KO R IR
Y AU SH
NL ST D
O E R
E T R TFO
TH EA ER
M NH
I
in Elstree & Borehamwood
Hot Salt Beef Sandwiches
Shawarma
Fish n’ Chips
Chicken Caesar Salad
… Low price kids menu & much more!
Eat in, take away
& delivery
5 Shenley Road, Borehamwood WD6 1AA
For our menu and opening hours, please see our website
www.letsmeat.co.uk
020 8207 4007
All our dishes are cooked fresh to order… and are worth the wait!
Under the supervision of the Sephardi Kashrut Authority
Free
WiFi
Deli
very
t
Bore Elstree o… ,
Rad hamw ,
Barn lett, Bu ood
sh
e
Stan t, Shen ey,
le
m
Edg ore & y
war
e

Rosh Hashanah 5770 / 2009 - Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue

Transcription

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