LINK by ivor final:Layout 1 - Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue

Transcription

Link
The magazine of the Borehamwood
& Elstree United Synagogue Community
Rosh Hashanah 2008 - 5768/5769
Prayer and Contemplation on
Rosh Hashanah
©Howard Sandler. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
7
Michael Freedland on dressing the part
42
Fun on Purim
18
34
The Jews of Istanbul
2 Link Rosh Hashanah 2008
editor’s note
David Onnie
“I will insist that the Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other
nation. If I were an atheist, and believed in blind eternal fate, I should still believe
that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing
the nations. If I were an atheist of the other sect, who believe or pretend to believe
that all is ordered by chance, I should believe that chance had ordered the Jews to
preserve and propagate to all mankind the doctrine of a supreme, intelligent,
wise, almighty sovereign of the universe, which I believe to be the great essential
principle of all morality, and consequently of all civilization.”
7
President John Adams (second President of America writing in 1809)
Regulars
Editor’s note
From the Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chairman’s report
Letter from Jerusalem
Letter from Canada
3
7
8
10
12
14
Features
Council Matters
16
Councillor Morris Bright of
Hertsmere Borough Council
Dressing the part
18
Michael Freedland on dressing for
Shul
Our man in Egypt
20
Dr Rob Ginsburg on a Jewish
Chaplain in Egypt
The next steps
22
James Larholt considers what next
for the community
A United Vision
25
Chief executive elect Jeremy Jacobs
on his vision for the United
Synagogue
Finding Uncle Nathan
26
Stephen Levey researches his
family tree
Rosh Hashanah vs revelry 28
Lauren Krotosky on the differences
between Rosh Hashana and 31st
December
The dignity of prayer
31
Rabbi Brawer on gossip in Shul
The message of Yom Kippur32
Daniel Skolnick asks why Yom
Kippur is like Purim
Yid Army?
33
Caron Dias gets offended at White
Hart Lane
Turkish Delight
34
Neville Levy takes a trip to Istanbul
The YMCA revs up in France38
The Yiddishe Motorcycle Club
heads off to France
Out and about in Antwerp 40
Paul Kutner takes an anniversary
trip to Belgium
Purim fun! Photos
42
The Jews of Cuba
45
Marc Shoffman visits the Jewish
community of Cuba
Cont. on P. 5
Although President Adams had ulterior and somewhat darker motives* behind
such positive and complimentary words about the Jewish people, the contributions (technical, scientific, artistic, medical, financial or political) of Jewish individuals and communities throughout the world, the desire to contribute towards the
wider local and national community, has indeed been huge. In the UK we recently marked 150 years since the first Jew became a Member of Parliament. Even
nearer to home the commitment and willingness of our Jewish community to be
part of the local Elstree and Borehamwood community was shown earlier this
year in the Council election results – please see Councillor Morris Bright’s article
on page 16. It is truly remarkable that our Jewish community involves itself so
readily and heavily with local secular communal affairs without a “quid pro quo”
approach, even more so without making any strident demand which manifests
itself so squalidly in some other religious and non-religious minorities.
Now, speaking of American Presidents, Rosh Hashanah occurs this year just a
few weeks before the rallies and razzmatazz which masquerade as the U.S
Presidential elections. We’ve all witnessed the emergence of Messrs Barack
Hussein Obama and John Sidney McCain III (why can’t our politicians have such,
er, interesting names as these chaps ! ) as Presidential candidates and whilst I
make no political judgment of either individual, it is hoped that the winner
demonstrates patience and a realism in his dealings with Israel and Jewish
communities generally. As we know only too well as Jews during our prayers at
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, or indeed at any time, mere rhetoric is not good
enough without being reinforced by actions. And let’s face it, if the U.S.A as the
world’s remaining super power can’t be bothered to act then who will ?
There’s a strong international flavour to this edition of Link with reviews of
trips to Antwerp, Berlin, Istanbul, Amiens and Cuba together with “letters” from
Israel and Canada. Other highlights (see index for full listing) include Rabbi
Brawer writing on page 31 and don’t miss Michael Freedland’s always entertaining and erudite style on page 18 as he shares his views on a variety of issues. After
an absence of many years from writing for Link we welcome back James (Jimmy)
Larholt who writes frankly on page 22 (James has always written with a refreshing
directness !). Caron Dias reviews the Link team’s veritable feast at The White
House (well, we can’t be expected to write on an empty stomach !) on page 52 and
describes just how good it was ! Lauren Krotosky compares thoughts on Rosh
Hashanah to the secular new year, and new addition to the Link team, Marc
Shoffman, reveals what it’s like to be a new kid on the block in the community
on page 60. Oliver Ralph adds literary style by reviewing Chaim Bermant’s book
“On the Other Hand”. In addition we have film and theatre reviews, together
with contributions from the “regulars” and those who have written for Link after
succumbing to weeks of lobbying, persuasion and cajoling !
Finally, a moan from the Editor. Whoever grossly misunderstood the point to
Rabbi Brawer’s sermon about the computer game Grand Theft Auto 4 and
intentionally applied it to my tallit in its named tallit bag together with other
personal items, please give it back ! It’s not yours and you know it’s not yours. It
would be a pleasant surprise if I celebrated the New Year with the return of the
tallit given to me by Lisa on our wedding day .
On behalf of Lisa, Jared and Taryn, I wish the Community a happy and healthy
New Year.
David Onnie
* Some gentile Zionists at the time believed that by sheltering Jews from persecution the aspersions and identity of
the Jews would be eroded and they would seek enlightenment by converting to “liberal” Christianity.
LinkRosh Hashanah 2008 3
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Rosh Hashanah
Hashanah 2008
2008
Joseph Weston, Melvin Kay, Kiran Patel,
Jill Springbett, Paul Rayner
Photo courtesy of Executive Shots
new additions to
the editorial team
Lauren Krotosky
Visiting Berlin
48
Lionel Leventhal on his visit to Berlin
Get carried away with Keshet50
Can Sex and the City be a force for good?
Book review
51
On The Other Hand by Chaim Bermant
Restaurant review
52
The White House in Hendon
Theatre review
54
The Sound of Music
Four More Tears
55
Daniella Lerner chats with David
Onnie about her life and struggles
CST and the Jewish community58
CST and its volunteers provide a
vital service
New Kids on the Block
60
Mark Shoffman’s first impressions of
the community
Oseh Shalom comes to life 61
Stephen Levey re-creates Band Aid
A British Taste of Israel
62
The Cukier report
Job losses are the tip of the 64
iceberg
With the economy in trouble and job
losses mounting, Diana Errington
explains how ERC can help
A visit to Odessa
65
Richard Kafton visits the Tikvah
Odessa project
Taste test: hummous
66
So you think that hummous is
hummous? Think again
Community watch
Bar and bat mitzvah
JLGB
Rainbows
Scouts
Ladies Guild
Bar Mitzvah teachers
Board of Deputies
Rayder
Book club
Community Care
Capital projects
Magic Moments
Cricket
Youth report
Sister strength
Shul office
Listings
– all the numbers you need
68
70
70
72
72
74
75
76
77
78
78
79
79
80
80
81
82
Hello! For those of you who don’t know me, I am the Features
Journalist at the Jewish News, and am probably best known for my
From the Herts column in which I tell all about my life, love and
anything else that takes my fancy really. Aside from all of that, I am
24 years old, married to Alex and originally from Manchester. After
getting hitched in May 2007, we were instantly welcomed into the
Borehamwood community and have never looked back. Since we
moved here, countless young marrieds have followed suit and we
have really enjoyed making so many new friends. Before I made the
move to the big smoke, I was very involved with Bnei Akiva. I even
went on the Torani gap year scheme based mainly on Kibbutz Ein
Hanatziv, in the northern Israeli town of Bet She’an. Then it was off
to Leeds University to study Linguistics. I was approached to write for
Link by David Onnie at a new members’ evening, and I hope you
enjoy reading my contributions.
Marc Shoffman
Those of you who are keen readers of Jewish journalism may
recognise my face or byline from a well known local paper within the
community. Having spent the last 18 months working for the Jewish
News, it is nice to now be able to step away and start working in “the
real world.” It also gives me the ability to look back at my faith with a
more critical and objective eye, without the influence of advertisers,
readers or editors. I guess this makes Link magazine my only connection with Jewish journalism and the ins and outs of the community
and it is great that I can maintain my attachments and still have
somewhere to rant.
As you will see later on in this edition, I have just moved to the area
after getting married to my now wife Danielle. My first impressions of
this shul are that it is a really vibrant and friendly atmosphere and I
am looking forward to getting stuck in and helping out where I can.
It is nice to see people still reading the Jewish News, even if it is at the
back of the synagogue on Shabbat. Could be worse, they could be
reading the JC!
Oh well, I guess you can take the boy out the Jewish News but you
can’t take the Jewish News out of the boy.
Link Rosh Hashanah 2008 5
I gave at Rosh Hashana
last year.
Is my help really
needed again?
There are many seemingly reasonable excuses for not
giving to Jewish Care this Rosh Hashana.
Trouble is, if all we get is excuses, sooner or later all we’ll
be able to offer is excuses. And no matter how nicely they’re
put, they won’t be much help when you or
someone you know can’t cope.
Right now we’re able to offer practical assistance,
emotional support, care and comfort to thousands of
people in our community, every year. But the cost of
providing this care is rising, so your contribution is even
more vital.
Please find it in your heart to give more than excuses to
Jewish Care this Rosh Hashana so we can continue to be there
for all those who really need us.
To make a donation please call 020 8922 2200 or visit
www.jewishcare.org/support-us
Charity Registration Number 802559 .
Jewish Care – a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England Number 2447900
from the rabbi
Naftali Brawer
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Kosher Food
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Museum
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Printers and designers
All Aboard
30
Charity Donations
UJIA
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Eruv
39
Chai Cancer Care 44
Mandorin
44
Connections
Language Services
Rocks
47
Jewellery
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53
Old peoples home
Cedar House
59
Financial Services
Parker Cavendish 67
Chartered Accountants
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Diet Counsellor
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Podiatrists
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here is a custom of not sleeping during the day on Rosh Hashanah. The
reason given for this is that if one is
asleep on this most auspicious of days then
their mazal - their spiritual energy – is not
at its sharpest.
While this rather mystical idea is not one
that most people can easily relate to I
believe that on a more basic level it has a
deep resonance with our community.
The idea, simply put, is to not sleep; to be
alert, awake, and alive on Rosh Hashanah.
The Jewish New Year is a microcosm of the
year to come and that is why it is so crucial
that we make the most of every waking
moment. If the coming year is to be one of
intensive growth and activity we must
begin by preparing ourselves on Rosh
Hashanah.
This past year our community has undergone intensive growth and activity. It began
with the excellent Ellul programme followed by a most uplifting festive season.
Sukkot was particularly lively with the various youth activities and the community
Simchat Bet Hashoeva. In October we hosted
a high level symposium on the plight of the
Agunah kicking off a year of community
learning in partnership with the London
School of Jewish Studies. The highlight was
no doubt the learning on Shavuot with over
150 people attending the all night Tikun, 60
women attending Dina’s Tea and Torah and
over 100 parents and children studying
together at the mini Tikun later that day.
On the social front there was the well
attended Friday night Tisches at our home,
the Shabbatonim and our very first Tu Bishvat Seder. Aryeh Richman has done spectacular work with the youth including
running a successful weekly pre bar Mitzvah program on Sunday mornings. He also
ensured that festivals were celebrated with
a cool and edgy twist such as a Chinese dinner on Simchat Torah, a Caribbean themed
Purim event and a Shavuot BBQ. We will all
T
miss Aryeh but wish him well in his new
career as a teacher at Yavneh College.
While it is extremely gratifying to look back
on the past year we must not become complacent. We have only just begun. There is
so much more to build on and so much
more to do. This Rosh Hashanah is not a
time to sleep but rather a time focus on our
goals and aspirations, both personal and
communal, for the coming year. Together,
with God’s help, we will continue to move
forward, building, developing, inspiring,
and just occasionally…. sleeping.
Dina, the boys and I wish you all a most
uplifting and inspiring Rosh Hashanah and
a blessed year to follow.
Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer
Magazine design by
Erica Morgan
office of the chief rabbi
Sir Jonathan Sacks
A Time to Rejoice
As I write these words, the world -- not just the Jewish world -- is facing a period of turbulence and uncertainty. The international political
situation is hard to read; the economic situation harder still. We face
recession; no one knows whether this will deepen into depression.
'These are the times', said Paine, 'that try men's [and women's] souls'.
Wrestling with this challenge, I found my mind going back to a Rosh
Hashanah long ago, in the mid fifth century
BCE. The Babylonian exile was over. Many Jews
had returned. The Second Temple had been
rebuilt. Yet there was no miraculous transformation in the situation of Jews. They continued to face enemies without and divisions
within. Outmarriage was high. A significant
part of the population was deeply assimilated.
Half could not even speak Hebrew (Neh. 13:
24).
That Israel survived at all at this time was
due to two remarkable leaders, the statesmandiplomat Nehemiah and the scholar-teacher
Ezra. They realised that something radical had
to be done to give the nation the strength to
endure: not military or political but spiritual.
The people needed a clear identity, a framework of values, a set of beliefs, a way of life.
The national imperative was, in short, a
return to Torah and a renewal of the covenant
between the Jewish people and God.
On Rosh Hashanah they gathered the people before the Water Gate in Jerusalem. Ezra
read the Torah to them. Educators were
placed throughout the crowd to explain what
was being said. The people, realising how far
they had drifted from their mission, began to
weep. It was then that Nehemiah said words
that, for me, contain one of the secrets of
Jewish survival. He said: "This day is sacred to
the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep . . .
Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks,
and send some to those who have nothing
prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do
not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your
strength" (Neh. 8: 9-10).
Let those words echo in the mind: "the joy
of the Lord is your strength".
Jews never lost the capacity to rejoice. At
times of poverty and oppression, they celebrated Shabbat and the festivals as if they were
royalty. They studied, like aristocrats of the
mind. They celebrated weddings as if they had
no care in the world. I sensed that same
resilience in Israel throughout the difficult
years of suicide bombings, Katyushas and
Kassams. The strength of the Jewish people is
that we never allowed our enemies to rob of
us of our ability to laugh, and celebrate, and
say Lechaim, and sing. Nehemiah, the shrewd
statesman, was right. "The joy of the Lord is
your strength".
It is not easy to rejoice in hard times. It
calls for real disciplines of body and mind. It
needs habits of gratitude, rituals of giving
thanks, sacred times when we stop thinking of
what we lack and instead focus on what we
have. It means celebrating family and home
and children, love and friends and community. That is what Judaism trains us to do. Half
its rituals are about celebrating and sanctifying life. Rosh Hashanah is a sustained prayer
for life.
There have been civilizations that worshipped power, wealth, art, science, victory in
war, dominance over others, privilege, hierarchy, superiority. Judaism found joy in life
itself: life in love, life in community, life in
the birth of a child, the life that flows through
the generations as we honour the past and
cherish the future. Jews knew that you could
lose all else and still celebrate life.
In life we find G-d. His is the breath we
breathe, the call we hear, the forgiveness we
feel, the strength we need. No other religion
has so focused on and sanctified the blessing
of being. This sustained our people in the past.
May it sustain us in the coming year. May G-d
bless us all with life, and health, and peace.
Bebirkat ketivah vechatimah tovah lekha
ulekhol Yisrael
Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, Rosh Hashanah 5769
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chairman’s report
Anthony Arnold
When I was approached to stand as Chairman I did not realise how many
ongoing matters I would have to keep track of ! I am not sure whether Email
makes management easier or duplicates effort. Nevertheless I am well
aware that my predecessor Stephen and his team not only dealt with a large
number of challenging issues during his tenure but also put in place a
structure to ensure the continued smooth running of our Shul.
Our AGM was held on the 14th May following which we have four new Honorary Officers. Ian Skolnick joins David Newman as Warden and I am delighted
to have Judy Woolf as my Vice Chairman. I am also very pleased that Ken Keller
has taken on the role of Financial Representative and as you may have
noticed from the plaque in the old
Shul Ken is no stranger to the Board of
Management. My thanks for all their
untiring work go to the outgoing Honorary Officers, Chairman Stephen Forman, Vice Chairman Barry Shaw,
Financial Representative Aron Sager,
and Warden Paul Finn. I would also like
to thank Ben Ginsburg for regularly
standing in when David was unwell.
We had a vigorous contest for the
Letter from the new
ten male positions on the Board of
Management with most of last year’s
Warden
Board offering themselves for re-elec(Ian Skolnick)
tion. I am very pleased to note that all
those who were not elected have,
Shammai tells us to fix a period
nevertheless, agreed to work on sub
for Torah study , receive all
committees with Board Members and
men with a cheerful
I encourage other members of the
countenance ,and say little and
community to volunteer to help in
do much --Pirkei Avot (1.15)
this way. As to the ladies on the Board
These things David and I
we are fortunate to have filled the ten
attempt to acheive each
places without any arm twisting!
Shabbat as Wardens of the
At Shavuoth, our services resumed
main Service.
in our redecorated Shul building with
Ultimately however the quality
the heating replaced and other repairs
of the service will depend upon
completed together with some
you, the members.
Unfortunately the accoustics
improvements. I would like particularly
in the shul seem to muffle
to thank Barry Rose for his hard work
sound, especially my
in overseeing the project and ensurannouncements and more
ing that we were able to return as
importantly the leining , whilst
scheduled. My thanks also go to our
also amplifying considerably
Office Manager, Es Rosen and his
any extraenious noise , ie
team, who were involved on a daily
talking.
basis in monitoring the progress and
We all love to talk in shul; in
also occasionally rolling up their
particular you may know that I
sleeves. With this major project out of
have an extensive catalogue of
the way, the Board of Management
jokes and a comprehensive
will be able to concentrate on the
summary of the latest goings
strategies for the development of the
on in the Premiership , but in
Community and I will of course keep
deference to R Shammai -also I
you informed of our thoughts.
am sure that R Hillel would
agree -and out of courtesy to
Once again our community hosted
Rabbi Brower and in
a group of young Israelis as part of the
consideration to my
Magic Moments initiative and as last
neighbours and the hard of
year they staged a ceremony for Yom
hearing , I do try to wait for
Hazikaron which was followed by the
Kiddush after the service.
Yom Ha’atzmauth celebration.
Please dear members, with a
In his last report Stephen menlittle restraint we could shed
tioned the number of educational
our image as a noisy
events which Rabbi Brawer had
congregation and acheive the
organised and this initiative has conlevel of quality and decorum as
tinued and even picked up pace. We
befits a community of this size.
have had the opportunity to hear a
number of renowned speakers talk on
a variety of subjects and I urge you all
to put the dates in your diary. My
thanks go to Anthony Rosenfeld for
helping to organise our Education
Programme that culminated on
Shavuoth when our invited guest
Adam Taub helped make the Tikun
Leil truly stimulating. This year, instead
of organising another ‘Baby Blessing’
following on just 7 weeks after the last
one, we invited all children below
bar/bat mitzvah age to stand in front
of the Aron Kodesh during the leining
of the Ten Commandments on the
first day of Yom Tov. Judging by the
number of children taking part I think
we can say that this innovation was
very successful.
As part of the June Borehamwood
Civic Festival we hosted an open day in
the Synagogue. We had over 70 visitors to whom Rabbi Brawer explained
the different aspects of the Synagogue and our services, following
which there was a lively question and
answer session which continued into
the bagel lunch that we prepared.
Our youth are a most important
part of our community and our thanks
go to Aryeh Richman and David and
Naomi Kaplan for their work. As you
will know, they have all stood down
and we are very pleased to welcome
Doron Luder as our new Youth Director. At the time of writing we also
believe that we are close to finding
someone who will help with the Youth
Service on Shabbat. We welcome
Rebecca Brummer who we recently
appointed as Community Care Coordinator. She has been very busy settling in and I know that she is looking
for more volunteers to help. I do urge
you all to consider contacting her with
a view to being part of a care team
assisting members of our community
in need.
Last year for the Yamim Nora’im,
the facility at Yavneh College was very
well received by those living close by
and we will, therefore, again be holding adult and children’s services there,
as well as all the services at Croxdale
Road.
In addition to the regular services
which are held at Croxdale Road we
also have a minyan on Friday night
and erev Yom Tov in Elstree for which
thanks must go to Helena and Ken
Freedman. We now have an agreement in place for the monthly Friday
night minyan in South Borehamwood
to be held weekly at Yavneh College;
many thanks to the Grose and Yantin
families for hosting the monthly minyan. We are also planning to start
Shabbat morning services at Yavneh,
which initially will be once every other
month. During the summer months
we have arranged a ‘Lunch and Learn’
minyan for mincha in co-operation
with Elstree Federation Synagogue
and this has been welcomed by those
who work locally.
Our new Board of Management has
a good mix of ages and I am indeed
fortunate to have such a professional
team with which to work. I am, however, anxious to involve more young
people both in the running of community and taking an increasingly
active part in services. I do, therefore,
hope that you will come forward to
volunteer but be warned I shall in any
event be on the look out to co-opt
help wherever I can!
Further progress has been made on
the Eruv with the Committee now
working hard to raise the necessary
funds. With this project coming near
to fruition and the new services in
South Borehamwood I am looking
forward to being a part of what I hope
and expect will be further substantial
growth of our community.
Our Chatanim for this year will be
Rabbi Brawer and Paul Finn and we
wish them and their families Mazel
Tov.
All the Honorary Officers and their
families wish you and your families a
Happy and Peaceful New Year.
Anthony Arnold, Chairman
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Letter from Jerusalem
Raymond Jayson
Israel's 60th Birthday
uring these last few months we have been
enthusiastically celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel
and the 41st Anniversary of the reunification
of Jerusalem.
Indeed we have very much to celebrate.
When the Jews were allowed to begin returning to their historic
homeland – the Land of Israel – about 100 years ago, they found a desolate, neglected, almost empty land, a considerable part of which was
desert and swamps. This was a result of the neglect of those foreign
countries who had occupied the Land of Israel since the dispersion of
the Jews by the Romans 2,000 years ago. For these foreign occupiers,
the Land of Israel was an uninteresting, distant country on the peripheral of their empire, which they rarely visited, largely ignored and
almost totally neglected economically, politically and in every other
way. As a result the land became desolate and suffered significant
emigration. In 1867 Mark Twain wrote in his book Innocents Abroad
about his visit to Palestine and his journey from Jerusalem to Jaffa on
his way home "It is a hopeless, dreary, heart-broken land" and "We
never saw a human being on the whole route".
Interestingly Rashi, the great commentator on the Torah, comments on Vayikra Chapter 26 verse 32 that the Torah's reference to the
desolation of the land following the expulsion of the Jewish population is in fact a kindly measure for the Jews, as the non-Jewish inhabitants of the Land will find no satisfaction in the Land and will leave,
thus making it easier for the Jews to return and retake possession of
the Land. Rashi's prediction turned out to be amazingly accurate!
This was the country the Jews began to return to as the 19th century ended. It was not too much better when the State of Israel was
declared in 1948.
In 1948 Israel was a socialist country with a highly centralized decision making process. In those very difficult days this enabled the Government, even while defending the Country, to plan and provide,
albeit with minimal resources, for the mass immigration of Jews from
Arab lands and Europe, so that the population of Israel doubled in
three years. Just think what that would mean today if 60 million
immigrants arrived in Britain. Moreover at that time Israel was a very
poor country indeed.
Over the next sixty years Israel was to change beyond recognition.
The swamps were cleared, much of the desert made green and the
land has been developed and made productive, so that Israeli agriculture is amongst the most innovative in the World with its agricultural technology being used in every Continent, especially by poor
countries.
Over three million immigrants have been absorbed with all the
stress that this initially placed on Israel's economy. Although many of
these immigrants came with a modern education such as those from
the Former Soviet Union, many did not, especially those who came
from backward parts of the Arab lands including Ethiopia.
In 1977, with the election of Menachem Begin and the Likud the
next stage of development began and Israel started to move from a
socialist to a modern capitalist economy, although this only really
took root with the election of Benjamin Netanyahu in 1996.
Israel is among the leading two or three countries in high tech and
in computer innovation. It is almost certain that any computer you
are using was developed at the Intel Laboratories in Haifa and may
even have been manufactured in the Intel factory at Kiryat Gat. Israel
D
12 LinkRosh Hashanah 2008
“Despite all
the efforts of
our enemies
and all the
pain and
suffering they
have caused
us, we are still
here”
is also a world leader in medical technological development and in
Biotech.
Israel has achieved all this and more in the face of continuous existential threats from its Arab neighbours, which have still not disappeared, and is still facing daily terrorist threats. This has had an awful
cost in human life from deaths, serious wounds and trauma. But
there has also been an enormous economic cost. A large part of Israel's
budget has had to be diverted to non-productive military needs. More
than that, every young man has to spend three years of his life in the
Army while his cousin in England of the same age is earning money
and developing his career. He then has to spend a month a year on
reserve duty until the age of forty.
Can you imagine what this would do to someone trying to set up
his own small business (the engine of all economies) if he has to take
off a month like this every year. It really does make it very difficult.
Despite all this Israel now has a first world economy with a standard of living that compares favourably with the top third of the great
European Community.
Moreover despite the permanent threats from without and the
growing identification of the Israeli Arabs with our enemies, including by some of the Arab members of Knesset, Israel has fully maintained its democratic values and independent legal system – that is
also quite something!
All this is a great tribute to the enormous efforts of the Israeli population, who are prepared to serve in the Army and pay much higher
taxes than elsewhere, which has enabled Israel to be the fantastic success that it is.
Ten years ago, during Israel's fiftieth Anniversary we were asked to
take a lady, Esther Rosen, from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to a wedding
because her husband was unwell. During the War of Independence
Esther had smuggled flour and bullets into the Old City at night to try
to relieve the siege. She is obviously no weakling! During the journey I
asked her what the Jews in those days believed the State of Israel
would be like after fifty years. She rounded on me and told me that I
did not understand anything. She then told me that at that time she
and her colleagues were not sure whether they as individuals, or even
the State of Israel itself, would live to see the first Yom Ha'Atzmaut.
Today we have no doubt at all that our grandchildren will celebrate
Israel's Centenary.
Sixty-five years ago no one was sure there would still be a Jewish
people let alone a Jewish State. Today that is no longer a question.
Let us just remember that the Jews are the only people in the World
today, who two thousand years after being driven from their homeland are still the same people as they were then, governing themselves
in their own same land, speaking their same language, worshipping
the same God and following their same culture. Despite all the efforts
of our enemies and all the pain and suffering they have caused us, we
are still here – they are not. Isn't that something to get excited about!
Israel's achievements in these sixty years have been just amazing
and it is a great privilege to have lived here and to have been a part.
Aren't we lucky to be here in Israel this year to celebrate her sixtieth
birthday!
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
Letter from Canada
Rochelle Miller
Letter from Canada - Should we
stay or should we go?
fter writing my last article for the previous edition of Link about Jewish life in Toronto I felt I
had done as I was asked and produced an article
as requested. Subsequently David requested a further instalment of life in Toronto. The problem is
that I said everything I wanted to say last time so what on
earth should I write about now? I have sat here wondering
about this for a few days with a deadline looming and only
today after being in England for a week to visit family and
friends do I realise the dilemma facing us, and hence the subject of this article. Should this move become permanent?
When we left for Toronto it was with the understanding
that is was for between 2-3 years with the potential for it to
become permanent if we wanted. I knew before I left that
England was my home and besides I knew I wouldn’t be able
to stomach the winters in Toronto forever.
However over the past year the winter has come and gone
and the sun has shone brighter and brighter leading up to
our return home in July to England for a visit. We arrived in
London to wet and cold and the news that there had been a
fatal stabbing in Islington, my old place of work and occasionally play. We have now been here a week, there have been
4 more stabbings, the newspapers are full of doom and
gloom, house prices are astronomic in comparison to Toronto and the rain hasn’t really stopped.
For the last 5 days I have spent time with my family and
friends, which has been fabulous, but I have been constantly
asking myself could I live without this? Could I really emigrate to another country?
On Shabbat I thought I had found my answer I walked into
Elstree and Borehamwood Shul and immediately felt at
home and realised absolutely no way could we leave this, the
sense of community, the shul, the people, everything. But as
the day wore on and I spoke to more people, more and more
people said to me “You’d be mad if you came back here? What
do you want to come back to England for? “ In fact I heard it
so much I began to start questioning whether my friends
actually wanted me to come back at all.
A number of people asked me about anti-semitism in
Toronto. As far as I can see there isn’t any and for my Torontonian friends it isn’t something they ever consider. People
have seriously made me think that the UK could become like
France in 10 years time.
Whilst in Toronto we have become friendly with a number
of South Africans who left South Africa because they felt they
had to. I always argued that in a way the decision was easier
for them because they couldn’t live safely in South Africa anymore whereas England was fine. But is it?
When I was a teenager and used to go out on a Saturday
night my parents were always worried but about whether
would I miss the last train home, or later on when I was driving, whether I would have a car crash. I don’t think they ever
seriously worried that I would be stabbed. I imagine living
here in 8 years time and my daughter wants to go out on a
Saturday night and there is no way I am going to let her go to
the West End on her own, or anywhere in fact that isn’t actually someone’s house. Is this really a good prospect for the
A
“..I walked into
Elstree and
Borehamwood
Shul and
immediately
felt at home
and realised
absolutely no
way could we
leave this..”
future? Do I want to send her to a secondary school where I
think there is a good chance of her being yelled at in the
street because she is Jewish or worse attacked on public transport because of the uniform she is wearing?
But why has England become like this? Was it always like
this and I was too young to notice? Being in has Canada
shown me that perhaps there is another way to live.
There are so many unanswered questions. Is anti semitism
just inherent in UK society? Has it become acceptable to voice
it due to the questionable politics of certain MP’s and a previous London mayor? Does Anglo Jewry not do enough to stand
proud and be counted?
I have missed my friends and my family so much while
being in Canada and coming back to visit this summer has
highlighted that even more so. Yes you do make new friends
and I know it has only been a year and these things take time
but I have missed everyone immensely and the thought of living in a different country forever scares me so much. I have
such admiration now to those within out Community who
have not grown up in the UK and have moved here from
abroad and those who have left and set up life elsewhere, it is
a very tough decision in peace time to make but I want my
children to live their lives and express their Judaism in a way
that they want to and I question whether English society will
allow them to do that in 20 years time.
On one hand I am so grateful to have had the opportunity
to live elsewhere for a time and experience Canada, but on
the other hand I wish I had never known because now I have
a much bigger decision to make that rests on something far
more important than the weather!
Rochelle Miller and Family
Hertsmere Borough Council leader Councillor Morris Bright explains what our representatives
get up to.
Council
Matters
My earliest memory of Rosh Hashanah in Borehamwood was shortly
after moving here in 1989. There had been a kosher butchers in the
area but it had recently closed down. Unbeknownst to me, British
Telecom had designated my home the old butcher’s phone number.
Morris Bright
As Yom Tov approached, I’d come back from
work and find my answer phone filled with
messages from elderly residents trying to
order chickens, chopped liver and so on. I
dreaded the thought of some lonely person
waiting for their meat order eruv Yom Tov
and nothing arriving, so I phoned each and
everyone back and explained the situation.
It’s been almost two decades since then and
a lot changed and evolved in our area. It’s
now estimated that at least 60% of the Jewish
population in the County of Hertfordshire live
in the Borough of Hertsmere. In old money
that’s around 7,000 people, of which more
than 3,000 live in Elstree and Borehamwood.
What does that actually mean other than
proving what we know… that our community
would rather live in Radlett than Ware
(…where?) or prefer shopping at the Galleria to
actually living in Hatfield.
When I was first elected to represent Elstree
on Hertsmere Borough Council back in 1999,
there were around five Jewish members out of
39 councillors – only two from the 13 wards
that make up Elstree and Borehamwood and
the other person, from an opposition party,
went to Shul even less than me. Now, following local elections in recent years, the number
of Jewish members has risen.
Yet does this actually mean anything and is
the focussing on particular groups in our
towns a tad invidious? Doesn’t it just prove
what we already know - that our community
is not backwards in coming forwards in matters of public service. We only need to look at
the strength of not only our community but
also, say, the Board of the Shul that oversees
it, our powerful and impressive Rabbi, the vast
numbers of groups and organisations that
comprise the community to help the young,
the old, the needy and so on. Helping others is
something that appears to come naturally. So
does having more Jewish councillors affect
anything?
Well for a start this October there are less
Council meetings than usual. Yom Tov falling
on weekdays has played absolute havoc with
the council schedules, which have been adjusted to take into account the increasing levels of
Jewish members. And you really wouldn’t
believe how much time has been spent trying
to explain to others that Succoth and Simchat
Torah REALLY ARE major festivals. I recently
had a stand up row with two opposition members who had heard of our Jewish New Year
and Day of Atonement but were not cognisant
of other festivals and couldn’t understand why
we couldn’t hold meetings on the nights of
say Shavuot, Pesach, Succoth (my words not
theirs) when he had meetings on “our”
Chanukah. It took some explaining and I’m
still not sure they are convinced. I don’t pretend to be the most observant of Jews but I
respect the rights of my colleagues to be able
to observe our religion while serving the
wider populous.
This local government, standing for Council
thing isn’t new in my family. My grandfather
was the first Jewish mayor of Hackney back in
1959. His name was Morris Blitz. I was born
on the 30th day of the Shloshim after he died
and so was given his name Morris. I never got
to meet my grandfather, though there is still a
picture in my parents home of him proudly
displaying his Mayoral chain and one of him
and my late grandmother escorting the Queen
Mother around Hackney. He represented the
Labour Party. My father Jack Bright, was a
Councillor on Hackney too, first representing
Labour and then the Liberals. He believed that
if a person was right for an area it didn’t matter which party they came from and he told
me that he was given permission by his party
hierarchy to canvass for a Conservative candidate in Stamford Hill in the 1970s.
I was a child of the 70s, watching the news
of the winter of discontent, sitting at home as
a nervous child when the lights would regularly go out during the “blackouts” of the
power strikes. I am a Conservative.
When I first moved into Hertsmere twenty
years ago there was no Jewish primary school,
no Jewish secondary school, the kosher butcher had closed down, there was no deli, no permission for an Eruv and no mikvah. Now
there are all these things.
It would be absurd and incorrect to assume
that many of the facilities that we now have
are down to the fact that there are increasing
numbers of Jewish members on the council.
Yet no one can deny that understanding the
needs of all our communities and the groups
in our towns can help move matters forward
by ensuring that an appreciation of the issues
are properly aired. Did we build Yavneh
College? Of course not. We know who did. Yet
some of us were part of a movement that persuaded a County Council intent on selling the
site for housing to change their minds. Yes we
played a part in that. Did we open a kosher
takeaway in our town? No. But we did assist
members to understand that another food
outlet in Borehamwood rather than just
adding to the masses of such establishments
couldn’t in fact threaten anyone else’s livelihood as the type of licence it required and the
rules under which it operated would not pose
a trading conflict with other businesses.
Would the community have seen an Eruv
granted a decade ago. I very much doubt it.
Visits to other Eruvs were organised and both
officers and councillors educated as to the
way they work, why some Jews appeared to
need one more than others, and what effect
they really have on the environment - not just
what the scaremongers would have you
believe about ugly and intrusive and unsightly
poles planted around our town.
I feel that all councillors can make a difference. I know that our local community councillors do make a difference. We bend no
rules, we seek no special treatment for our
community but we do put great effort into
looking after all residents and trying to understand things from everyone’s perspective.
We’re a fair bunch and I’m particularly proud
of my local Elstree and Borehamwood community colleagues, Hannah David, Harvey Cohen,
Darren Solomons, Sandra Parnell and our
most recent addition, Andrew Zucker. Please
note that we never ask for a vote because a
candidate is Jewish. There’s no blackmail here.
You vote for someone because you believe they
can do good for an area – helping to cut
crime, improving recycling and so on…these
are matters, which affect all residents. If you
know your councillor or the background of
your councillor there is even more accountability. If they don't deliver, you know where
they’re likely to be on a Shabbat morning to
bend their ear!
Thankfully next Pesach you’ll probably get
the month off from having us knocking on
your doors asking for votes when you're trying
to get the house rid of chametz. There are no
Borough elections next spring and it’s hoped
that the county elections and European parliamentary elections will be moved to the same
day in June ( - well if we can’t move Pesach,
we’ll just have to move the elections!). So do
expect a knock at some stage but please don’t
be strangers before then.
If you have any issues or matters you would
like to get in touch with your local councillors
about, our contact details can be found on the
Hertsmere website www.hertsmere.gov.uk or
you can phone Democratic Services at the
council offices on 020 8207 2277. Feel free to
email me on the address below and if I can’t
help you personally I’m pretty sure I can find
you a local councillor who can. We here to
serve all year round not just at election time.
Happy New Year.
Cllr Morris Bright, Leader – Hertsmere Borough Council, [email protected]
Andrew Zucker
“I feel that all
councillors can
make a difference.”
Hannah David
Michael Freedland asks what happened to dressing smartly in shul, and reflects on Vic Cannon’s contribution to our community.
Dressing
the Part
I’ve a question as you swarm into shul in the kind of numbers that might once have been reserved for a big wedding
or a popular funeral - as someone once said when 2000 people came to the burial of the Hollywood mogul Harry Cohn,
‘give the folks what they want and they’ll show up for it.”.
Yes,we show up for the biggest religious show of
the year but why when we celebrate our New
Year with enough prohibitions to make a traffic
cop dance with joy - and then delight in 25
hours of fasting as though we were going to a
barmitzvah - do we do it?
On their New Year, the Chinese let off fire
crackers. The Scots make love to a haggis and
(with the help of Rabbi Plancey) play the bagpipes. And we? We go to shul and have a wonderful time talking to friend we haven’t met for
sometimes as long as a week. Needless to say,
many of the people in the synagogue are regular
attenders – for two and sometimes as many as
three times a year. Why? If there’s an answer to
that, I’d like to hear about it.
But then there’s also another question I have
in mind: Why should the goyim have all the
best clothes? No, I’m not talking about the ladies
section. The array of big new hats covering
most of the faces of our female congregants are
matched only by their dresses and shoes – who
sees the shoes? – the ones they hope will make
their husbands’ hearts flutter. And the
men….well, that’s the point.
Time was when men would come to shul in
dark suits newly freed from either their nearest
M and S or from their collection of mothballs.
On their heads, a freshly-brushed bowler. Which,
of course, was considered to be terribly informal
by those who used to wear morning dress and a
shiny topper. Of course, apart from in some of
our more formal synagogues, the silk hat in the
US was the reserve of those occupying the wardens’ box – and of the shammes (don’t forget
the shammes) Never at Boreham Wood –
although when the previous synagogue was
consecrated in 1972, the topper was de regeur
among those rejoicing in that horrible United
Synagogue term ‘honorary officers’. I remember
being as frustrated by having left the box just
before the ceremony and so denied my top hat
as I was when I went to a royal garden party
and was the only one not in a morning coat.
I’m willing to accept that the day of the topper has been…well…topped. I long ago succumbed to wearing a kippar in the pews. What
I am not prepared to accept is the
summer/autumn practice of men going to shul
in their shirtsleeves. Male congregants –even
sometimes the wardens – look as though they
have just packed up the kids and are on their
way to the seaside (not on Shabbat, of course).
That is beyond the pale. It doesn’t make me
pale. On the contrary, my face turns a different
colour when I see this latest
phenomenon,which demeans not just the
wearers, but also the one to whom we are supposed to be worshipping.
I don’t exclude our rabbis from this criticism.
And this is where the comparison with our
non-Jewish neighbours comes in. On Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur we can be certain
that our ministers will be dressed in an elegant
white. Fine, good to see and very traditional.
But what about the rest of the year? The dignity of a rabbi in his so-called canonicals used to
be the cause of a great deal of pride. Rabbi
Plancey , for much of his incumbency in
Croxdale Road, used to look superb in his official robes – which , of course, were specified in
the United Synagogue by-laws ( a pompous title
for a set of rules which frequently made a lot
of sense). But these days, you sometimes can’t
tell a rabbi from any other member of the congregation. Is it so important? Undoubtedly –
it adds that dignity to the proceedings, just as a
priest or vicar dressed for the part is always
seen as the leader of his services, which take on
a formal theatricality that is as attractive as it is
spiritual.
Some say Jewish canonicals only ape those
gentiles. On the contrary, we got there first –
with the garb of the High Priests in the Temple.
I remember the late Rabbi Unterman telling
me that his greatly respected father, who was
Chief Rabbi of Israel , always wore them. They
have been worn by British Chief Rabbis – to say
nothing of communal ministers – for centuries,
although Our Leader, Sir Jonathan sometimes
leaves them behind. Black gowns, white tabs
(sometimes even a dog collar, which probably
was going too far) and a finely sculpted hat
were not just usual, but expected.
And the women? They always looked their
best. Which is not what happened when the
old synagogue hall was in use during the time
of the recent reconstruction work. Who was it
who ordered a curtain separating the women
from the men? We don’t have one in the permanent synagogue building, why on earth – or
in the other place – did we have to have one
then? Did someone think God (note, not
Hashem, which is a term that ought to be
struck from our communal vocabulary) objected to us enjoying the sight of those female
faces (and hats)? Or was someone afraid that
some of those faces (and hats) were better not
seen, just as their owners are supposed not to
be heard? And , if that was so, why was that
terrible curtain removed for the rabbi’s sermon? Are faces (and hats) kosher for a spiritual
talk but not for a spiritual prayer (if that is
what the congregants are supposed to be offering)?
To quote the wise words of our wise Rabbi
Brawer on a similar matter (the division
between men and women on some Israeli
buses ): it not only demeaned (that word again)
the women, it demeaned the men who are , by
implication, considered to have impure
thoughts that they can’t control.
For all that, going to shul here in Elstree and
Boreham Wood can be a pleasure. The rabbi’s
talks are always worth listening to. As were
those of his predecessor. Rabbi Plancey’s visit to
his old shul a few months ago was – sadly – an
unexpected pleasure. The position of emeritus
rabbi is no sinecure and he should be honoured by his previous congregants as he was
during his 31-year-long term of office in the
pulpit. Yes, he has another position these days,
but he still lives in our area and there are times
when we could hope he would come back and
be welcomed as the years of service to our synagogue justify. Is it too much to think that the
time will come when he is asked to preach
here again? Rabbi Brawer is an exceptionally
brilliant speaker. Rabbi Plancey has a different
style. But no less stimulating. What a joy it
would be to occasionally hear him again.
PS: I was saddened earlier this year to hear of
the passing of Vic Cannon.
He was best known by the older members of
the community - and those even older, the ones
who remember when Vic was the one who was
called in whenever there was carpentry to do.
When a surround was needed for the Ark in
the very first synagogue, it was Vic who said he
would make it. When 36 years ago and a new
shul was consecrated, someone said that lockers were needed for tallesim. We didn’t buy
them. Vic made them. You could say they were
the true ‘fringe benefits’ of having someone
like him around - a gentleman who represented the old-timers who, to the shame of some of
those snobs arriving later, were thought to
have come from the wrong side of the ElstreeBorehamwood tracks.
He was a carpenter at Elstree studios, a great
craftsmen whose work was intended to last for
no longer than the time it took for a film to be
made. So, what if these things sometimes didn’t last much longer at Croxdale Road? His
contribution to our worship was as valuable as
the more traditional prayers offered up from
here. He used to act as shammes ,too. His call
on Rosh Hashanah to ‘all gentlemen what’ve
got aliahs tomorrow’ was one of the delights of
having such a gentleman as he among us.
I can remember one board meeting when he
announced :”Something has to be done about
the ladies’toilets. They stink to high heaven.’ I
commented that we have to thank God that at
least something gets there from our shul.
Surely, Vic and his work did. May he rest in
peace.
Michael Freedland
Missed the latest Shabbat sermon?
Download Rabbi Brawer’s latest
thoughts at:
www.borehamwoodshul.org
Captain Alec Ginsburg, father of ex-warden Ben Ginsburg, served for four years as the British
army’s Jewish Chaplain in Egypt. Dr Rob Ginsburg tells his story.
Our Man in
Egypt
In late 1946, my father, Captain Alec Ginsburg – then a freshly minted British Army Chaplain - disembarked from a troop
ship in Port Said, Egypt. He was to spend the next four years
of his life stationed in Egypt and had been ordered to report
to the Chaplains’ Department at General Headquarters MELF
(Middle East Land Forces) in Cairo. His orders
were clear: he was to tend to the spiritual and
moral welfare of the Jewish service personnel,
mostly conscripts, then serving in Egypt and
in North Africa.
Perhaps then or maybe earlier, the magnitude of this task began to sink in. Only four
years had passed since Montgomery’s
Commonwealth troops had won a famous victory over Rommel’s Afrika Korps at El Alamein
– barely 50 miles west of Alexandria. British
troops remained stationed in Tripoli and in
Benghazi and at numerous points in between
and were continuing to clear the detritus of
the war that had raged back and forth across
the desert during the North Africa campaign.
Their presence was a stopgap until the international community could agree the future of
the regions then known as Tripolitania and
Cyrenaica in what was later to become Libya.
However in Egypt, Britain’s strategic focus was
fixed firmly upon the Suez Canal Zone, a
focus that was intended to guarantee the
uninterrupted supply of the raw materials
from the Commonwealth needed to re-build a
war-shattered infrastructure and economy
back home.
Egypt in 1946 was still a monarchy with
King Farouk on the throne. There were large
vibrant Jewish communities in Cairo,
Alexandria and Ismailia. However, complex
political undercurrents were at work, some
working against the Monarchy, some trying to
remove the British and some closely focused
on post-Mandate Palestine.
Into this turmoil, stepped my father who
had immediately to take over the pastoral
care of all Jewish army and air force personnel in the region. Using lists supplied by the
Chief Rabbi’s Office, Woburn House and welfare organisations, my father set about identifying Jewish personnel and building up a
network of Jewish contacts throughout the
region. Personnel were not formally given
time off to observe Pesach or the High
Holydays, but could be released to attend
‘Moral Leadership Courses’, which, of course,
were timed to coincide with major festivals.
The administrative hurdles to be faced were
daunting. Not only had food to be bought,
kosher meals to be prepared, venues booked
and billets for those attending organised, but
release papers, travel dockets and passes
needed to be dispatched in good time. Kosher
wine was a problem as it was not allowed to
cross the border from vineyards in Mandate
Palestine. Instead, my father organised shipments via an intermediary in Cyprus.
Dr John Marks, who was later to become
Chairman of the British Medical Association,
wrote in his autobiography:
“On the other hand, the Army provided
regular transport for Jewish Officers and men
to attend religious services on Friday nights
which could be held in Ismailia, Port Said,
Suez, or even Tel-el-Kabir. The Jewish chaplain Captain Alec Ginsberg (sic), for whom I
had the greatest admiration, conducted
them. He was followed everywhere by the
Egyptian secret police, but to us he was a
hero. I remember the supreme irony of hav-
ing a Passover service, which commemorates
the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in
Egypt, at which we were served by very
unhappy Egyptian servants.”
Food for many of these events was purchased from local Jewish suppliers. While the
Jewish Community in Egypt was still thriving
– it even donated a mobile Shul converted
from an Army Ambulance (picture) – an air
of unease pervaded the community. In 1945,
with the rise of Egyptian nationalism and the
cultivation of anti-Western and anti-Jewish
sentiment, riots erupted. In the violence, 10
Jews were killed, 350 injured, and a synagogue, a Jewish hospital, and an old-age
home were burned down. On July 29, 1947,
an amendment was introduced to the
Egyptian Companies Law which made it
mandatory for at least 75% of the administrative employees of a company to be Egyptian
nationals and 90% of employees in general.
This decree resulted in the loss of livelihood
for many Jews. Many recognised the signs
and started preparations to leave Egypt.
By late 1947, large numbers of Jewish
refugees were being interned by the British
authorities both in Cyprus and in Salonika,
having been caught as they attempted to
enter Mandate Palestine. As a serving British
Army Officer, there was little my father could
do formally to ease their plight. However, he
used his RAF contacts to arrange a ‘lift’ for
himself, strapped to a stretcher in the bomb
bay of a Mosquito Fighter Bomber, to
Salonika where he undertook a number of
circumcisions on the babies of internees. I
have a letter, written in French, from the
President of the Jewish Community in
Salonika addressed to my father enquiring
about the standard of the circumcisions performed by their own Mohel, witnessed by my
father during his visits.
British Army regulations forbade fraternisation with members of the local populace.
However, contact between Jewish personnel
and the local Jewish communities was
inevitable and indeed was actively sought as a
way for young marriageable women to leave
Egypt. Predictably, the paperwork around an
application to marry was prodigious and needed the approval of the serviceman’s commanding officer, who was supposed to vet the family of the intended spouse. The increasing
numbers of such applications, much encouraged by my father, eventually defeated Army
bureaucrats and the vetting process was duly
passed to the ‘Jewish Padre’ for approval. My
father took his duties seriously, if only for
Halakhic reasons, and always accompanied
Jewish personnel to the home of their intended before approving the marriage and signing
the necessary papers. It was during one such
visit in Alexandria accompanying a young RAF
NCO, William Hackenbroch, that my father
met my mother, Rose Naim. They married in
Ismailia in December 1949.
Suspicions around my father’s continued
peregrinations around Egypt culminated in
attempt on his life in 1950, when a grenade
was thrown into his billet. The Army gave my
father 24 hours notice and he was shipped
back to England, leaving my mother behind.
She followed six weeks later, only to find that
shortly before her arrival my father had been
posted to Germany to serve with the British
Army of the Rhine.
Dr. Robert Ginsburg FFARCS, is the older brother of our
past Warden Ben Ginsburg. Rob is a Consultant Anaesthetist at King’s College Hospital and Head of the London Academy of Anaesthesia.
Alec Ginsburg
While the number of members has increased fivefold over the past 40 years, many
members stay away from shul. James Larholt considers what can be done.
The Next Steps
advantage of encouraging them to visit the
country more frequently.
The editor has asked me to include a constructive criticism of our community in this
article. I had to search hard to find something
to criticize: services are well attended, davening, leining, sermons and study sessions are of
the highest standards, and it is a delight to see
so many children not only attending on a
Shabbat morning, but also to observe how
much they feel at home in what is, after all, a
very large congregation. If decorum is a sore
point, I remember going to Shabbat services in
synagogues in former countries of the USSR in
the 1990’s where there were no children at all,
and where a few young voices would have been
very welcome.
Racking my brains, I come up with this idea:
the majority of our members are “middle of
the road” Jews, who do not want to join
Reform synagogues because they are familiar
with, and enjoy, the traditional orthodox services, but who do not come to shul more than a
few times a year. They certainly cannot be
forced to attend services and study groups
more frequently (we are not in Saudi Arabia),
but perhaps the fact that these facilities are
available to them (and, after all, they are payOur community’s evolution during the 40 years that I have been a
member has been incredible. Not only has the total number of mem- ing for them) and are well advertised to them is
bers increased fivefold, but the high attendances at services – partic- not enough. Would it not be a good idea for
ularly at those other than on Shabbat mornings - and at educational Rabbi Brawer and the Honorary Officers to
and social functions are evidence of the ability felt his sermons should not have included his organize emissaries to visit those members who
come only rarely to services, to try to find from
political views are very healthy signs indeed:
and hard work of those who take and have
face-to-face meetings with them which prodtaken the trouble to organise them, particular- they mean that everyone was interested, and
that everyone digested all his points carefully. uct(s) of the community would benefit them
ly Rabbis Plancey and Brawer.
most, and then to make them aware of what is
A speaker cannot ask for more.
In a recent sermon, Rabbi Brawer made it
It is to the credit of those whose hard work available and to encourage them to at least try
clear that he is not in favour of the high level
one of them out? Further, as a former honorary
of police surveillance in this country, nor does has led to the opening of a good number of
officer, I know how difficult it can be to organJewish schools in the area that there is no
he approve of the recent extension to 42 days
ise aliyot especially as there are bar- and bat
longer a need for our community to have its
for which terrorist suspects can be detained
mitzvahs most weeks nowadays, but wouldn’t
own cheder. It must have been about twenty
before being charged. A number of congreit be encouraging if irregular or new members
gants felt it was wrong to bring politics into a years ago that one of our members, whose
could be given at least some sort of mitzvah
daughter was one of the few children who
sermon from the pulpit, and, although I
when they are in shul? The end result of all
then attended a Jewish school, told me that
enjoyed listening to him, I did not share his
this could be that two-thirds, rather than the
she only went to cheder “for social reasons”,
opinions. The rabbi linked his political points
current one-third, of all members will particiand I remember thinking how practical it
to the haftorah of the week, and in this way
would have been from both religious and edu- pate actively in communal activities, and if the
his address was no longer “purely secular” in
result is a shortage of seating in the synagogue
cational sides if my own sons had studied
nature. The point I am making is that, by
building on a regular Shabbat morning, what a
starting with topical events, he aroused every- Hebrew for GSCE, alongside French and
Spanish. Children visiting Israel for holidays or wonderful problem to have!
one’s interest, and the fact that I (and probato study must now have no problems with
bly several others) held different opinions to
“the local lingo,” and this has the particular
him plus the feelings aroused by those who
James Larholt
Jimmy Larholt with his wife
Lunch n’ Learn for Men in Borehamwood
Parshat ha-Shavu’a
By: Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer
Fortnightly on Wednesdays
To continue on
Sept 10
Sept 24
Oct 7 (Tuesday)
Oct 29
Nov 12
Nov 26
Dec 10
12:30 – 1:30pm
Followed by Mincha
At The Federation Shul (Theobald Street)
Kindly sponsored by HBFS
For info contact:
Freddy David on
07970 782 850
Admission free and lunch will be provided!
Men Only
LinkRosh
LinkRosh Hashanah
Hashanah 2008
2008 23
23
Yad Vashem holds the names and details
of more than 3 million of the
6 million victims of the Holocaust,
d over 1.5 million children
which included
EACH
victim
needs to be
REMEMBERED
by someone
Please become
THE GUARDIAN
of THE MEMORY
of ONE victim
ENSURE they will never be FORGOTTEN
nor DENIED
For details visit www.guardianofthememory.org
or telephone 020 7543 5402
Annual 1 day visit to Auschwitz and Krakow Wednesday 12th November.
For information phone as above or email [email protected]
24
24 LinkRosh
LinkRosh Hashanah
Hashanah 2008
2008
Jeremy Jacobs has been appointed chief executive of the United Synagogue. But
what exactly will he be doing?
A United Vision
As many of you will know, I have had the great honour to have been
offered the prestigious position as Chief Executive of the United
Synagogue, which I will be taking up around the Yom Tovim time.
What does the position involve? The job description gives some flavour of its scope. It requires:
The setting and implementation of strategy
Servicing communities
Jewish religious infrastructure provision
Management of internal relationships and personnel
Responsibility for communications and external
relationships
Reporting all of the above to the trustees and
ensuring proper governance mechanism is in
place
As you can see, the role is complex and comprehensive, but what is most interesting is the prominence of the strategy In brief, my vision is as follows:
That the United Synagogue enables all British
Jews, as defined by Halachah, to develop their
Jewish identity, through our united family of welcoming communities and quality central services
This is very similar to the existing vision of the
United Synagogue, but it perhaps has more empha-
people; of course we want there to be kosher food
available; of course we want to be buried in a Jewish
cemetery; of course we need a proper Religious
Court to settle certain matters; of course we need
world-class Jewish education; but these are all aspects
of the same goal – to develop Jewish identity. As a
father, and, Hashem willing, a future grandfather,
there is nothing more important to me than ensuring my family both retains their Jewish identity and
increases it as much as possible. That will include
their being involved in Jewish communal, social and
religious life and an up front and proud commitment to Israel. That is what the United Synagogue is
really all about.
United family of welcoming communities – But
how can we develop Jewish identity? Through our
communities, because that is where Jewish life really
exists. Notice some key words even here: we must be
a united community, working towards the same
goal, and sharing facilities, ideas, resources and personnel wherever possible. Different communities
within the United Synagogue may sometimes have
differences of opinions, but ultimately we must be
united, because we are a family sharing the same
goals. To do that, all our communities must work
tirelessly to be welcoming to all their members and
visitors alike. We must always realise that we are
serving our membership, and that service concept
applies at both central and local level. My goal is to
encourage and enable communities to increase
membership by providing the warm and welcoming
atmosphere people want, as well as providing a wide
range of facilities and services.
High quality central services – this was one of the
original goals of the United Synagogue, and nothing
has changed. Pooling of resources and strength in
numbers enables a community to provide facilities
that are impossible when there are too few members. I am determined to ensure the facilities we provide are efficient, relevant, and steeped in the concept of service to the community. We must never
forget, whether it be within the centre or at local
level, the needs of our members.
So, quite a task ahead of me! But I am passionate
about the United Synagogue and my vision, and I
hope I will play some small role in ensuring the
organisation delivers quality and relevant services to
our membership, enabling our community to grow
and to assist in the development of Jewish identity.
sis on action rather than reaction. There are a number of key words in the vision which I want to highlight:
All British Jews – the United Synagogue has always
tended to focus on the London area. With changing
demographics, and many young people moving into
the London area, TRIBE has found a need to start
focussing its efforts more widely, and we have found
willingness, indeed passion, amongst regional communities to participate in our vision. That is something I want to develop.
Defined by Halachah – let us be up front and
proud. We are a religious organisation, working
within the bounds of Orthodox Judaism, and we
should say so. Of course others will disagree, and we
must respect their views, but similarly they should
respect ours. Dialogue is vital, but as far as our
organisation is concerned, we have restrictions
which we must comply with.
Develop Jewish identity – here is the heart of the
vision. Why do we have the United Synagogue? Of
Jeremy Jacobs, Chief Executive Designate, United Synacourse we want to have communities of like minded gogue.
With interest in genealogy on the rise, Stephen Levey explains the story of his Great Uncle
Nathan, and reveals how he discovered it.
Finding Uncle
Nathan
“Nathan fought in the English army during WW1, he never married
and died in the influenza pandemic straight after the war”. So went
the story which my Dad (Dennis Levey) told me. Dad would never
meet his Uncle Nathan. Before I tell you Nathan’s story, here are
Uncle Nathan
some facts..
The First World War is thought to have
claimed over 40 million casualties, both military and civilian, including 9.7 million military deaths and 10 million civilian deaths.
Immediately following the war, the worst
influenza pandemic in history spread across
the world during 1918 and early 1919. The
global mortality rate is not known, but can be
estimated at between 2.5 to 5% of the world’s
population, with 20% or more of the world
population suffering from the disease to some
extent. Current estimates say 50 -100 million
people worldwide were killed. It was a global
catastrophe, during which Great Uncle Nathan
was said to have died.
My grandfather (Ted Levey) was born in
1891, the third son of Woolf and Rose Levey.
Woolf and Rose were both born in Kolo,
Poland, coming to England in the 1880s and
marrying in Nottingham in 1885. Woolf was a
tailor and with his family soon moved to
Leeds where their first three children, Hymie,
Nathan and Ted were born. From Leeds they
moved to Newcastle where their children
Sally, Rachel and Mina were born. It was striking that one child had been born every two
years except at two points where there were
four year gaps. The obvious question had to be
asked. Why was this? Searching the birth registers for these intervening years found two
other children born in there gaps; a daughter
Nellie who was born between Sally and Rachel
and a son Samson born between Rachel and
Mina, both of whom unfortunately died in
infancy. A simple search of the registers had
found an auntie and uncle of my father who
he never knew existed! This would not be the
last interesting family fact that I found out
had been kept from my father.
Genealogical research can take some
strange twists and turns. You never quite
know where you are going to end up. That is
exactly what happened when I went to visit a
first cousin of my Dad three years ago. He had
a wealth of information for me and in particular two albums filled with his mother’s photographs. Photographs are an invaluable source
of research and often reveal more than they
were ever intended to reveal! Amongst the
photographs were pictures of my Great Uncle
Nathan. This was really exciting as I had never
seen photographs of him before. They showed
Nathan in full WW1 military uniform.
There was also a wedding photograph of my
Great Auntie Rachel whose wedding took
place in December 1919. Amongst those featured were my great grandparents, Woolf and
Rose, my Grandfather Ted, my Grandmother
Belle, Sally and Mina. All were dressed in their
finery! That is, except for a man and a lady
who were dressed in their everyday clothes.
On closer examination I soon realised that the
man was my Great Uncle Nathan, the very
same Great Uncle Nathan that had (apparently) died in the Influenza pandemic a year earlier. How was he still alive at the end of 1919
and who was the lady standing next to him?
There was a potential gold mine of family
research ahead! I started by searching the marriage registers from 1909 onwards. Nathan
would have been 20 by then. In 1912 I found a
marriage entry for a “Nathan Levy” in
Newcastle. One of the problems in researching
my family is the variation in spellings of our
surname. In Poland it was “Lewin” (pronounced Levin). On arrival in this country it
became “Levi” or even “Lewi”. From there it
was changed to “Levey” or “Levy”. Could this
entry for Nathan Levy be Great Uncle Nathan?
The only way to find out was to obtain a copy
of the marriage certificate. After an anxious
few days waiting for the post, it eventually
arrived and there it was, the marriage certificate: “In Newcastle Registry Office on 8th
April 1912, Nathan Levy (son of Woolf Levy)
married Annie Crozier, daughter of Ralph
Crozier”
“Nathan fought in the English army during
WW1, he never married and died in the
influenza pandemic straight after the war” or
so the story went. But Nathan did marry and
clearly to a non-Jewish lady. Not only that,
unless Nathan’s appearance in the picture was
by supernatural means, he was well and truly
alive at least 10 months after the end of the
influenza pandemic! So it was back to the registers again but this time searching for any
children of Nathan and Annie. I discovered
that between 1912 and 1920 five children
were born to Nathan and Annie; Nora, Phyllis,
Rachel, Nathan and Alexander. Sadly, Rachel,
Nathan and Alexander died in infancy. Nora
and Phyllis survived, they both married and I
built a tree for each family right up to the
current day. I had found a whole new branch
of the family all from my “dead” Great Uncle
Nathan. But what was I to do next?
I did nothing! Well that was until about 6
months ago when curiosity got the better of
me. This coincided (thanks to my daughter)
with me being launched into the 21st century… I signed up to Facebook! I searched
Facebook for the youngest members of Great
Uncle Nathan’s branch of the family. I found
one, her name was Rachel, she was 20 and
lived in Newcastle. What was I to do now?
Should I send her an email? What should I
say? Had I actually found the right person? If I
had, what was she likely to do when she
received my email? Also, was I opening up a
proverbial can of worms? After much thought,
on 13th February 2008 I wrote an email to
Rachel giving her a potted family history. At
the end of the email I gave her two options
either:
She could reply; or
She could bin the email.
I kept the email on my computer all day without sending it. I eventually built up enough
courage and pressed “send”.
Well I waited and eventually I did receive a
reply. Yes, I had found the right person and
family. She had shown the email to her Nana,
Margaret, (my second cousin). They were very
excited if not a little nervous to hear from me.
Margaret told me that her mother Nora (my
Dad’s first cousin who my Dad would not
have known) knew that her father was Jewish
and her mother was non-Jewish. Not only that,
but she knew that there had been “other”
Levey family living in Newcastle. My grandparents were, after all, very well known teachers
of dancing in Newcastle, and Margaret knew
this as well. Nora and her sister Phyllis had
been told that there should be no contact
A Family Tradition?
Margaret, Karen, Rachael and Stephen - the Newcastle
branch of the family
Great Auntie Rachel’s wedding
with the “other Leveys”. Clearly an understanding had been reached many years ago
and Rachel, Margaret and I were now in
breach of that understanding! We continued
to correspond by email.
On Wednesday 28th May after nearly 90
years of separation our families were united
again in Newcastle, coincidentally in the same
street that my grandfather had lived 90 years
earlier! It was an incredible evening. I met my
cousin Margaret, her daughter Karen, Rachel
and her brother Stephen. We all got on
extremely well. There were plenty of stories to
tell. Margaret and Stephen had very strong
“Levey” features, but why not, they are Leveys
after all. At the end of the evening they drove
me back to Newcastle Central Station. It was
actually sad to say “goodbye” to my new
found cousins. Will we meet again? I am sure
we will.
Great Uncle Nathan died on 24th April 1920
of bronchial pneumonia. My own father was
born in March 1921 - Dad never met his Uncle
Nathan. I can only assume that my grandfather decided to tell Dad that Nathan had died
in the influenza pandemic without marrying
for reasons about which we can only now
speculate. Genealogical research can certainly
take some strange twists and turns. Great
Uncle Nathan has certainly proved this. So
why not try it yourself? But be warned. Not all
stories have happy endings and what you find
at the end of the branches of your own family
tree may not necessarily be what you expected
to find. With Great Uncle Nathan the story
has a happy ending. I am only sorry that my
Dad was not able to share in my happiness.
Jared’s Zaida, Len Myers
Jared’s Uncle, Laurence Myers
Jared winning his sprint
Many will remember the tribute to Lisa
Onnie’s Dad in the last issue of Link and
his ultra - marathon achievements. It
seems that Jared is following in his uncle
and Zaida’s footsteps although his sister,
Taryn, younger by 4 minutes, may have
something to say as to who is the quickest!
Stephen Levey
Lauren Krotosky looks at the similarities and differences between Rosh Hashana and the
events that take place on 31st December.
Rosh
Hashanah vs
revelry
With Rosh Hashanah now upon us, it’s interesting to think about the
way we feel at the moment compared to our emotions as we
approach New Year’s Day. When are we more likely to have a good old
think about our lives and how we want to live them? Which one
do we look forward to more? For me, Rosh
Hashanah is definitely more meaningful and
New Year’s Eve merely an excuse for a party.
But we’re not one and the same, so I decided
to ask a few of my friends in the community
if they shared my sentiments.
Jodi Gothold
Lauren Krotosky
The relationship between the Jew and Judaism
is very much a two-way relationship. Rosh
Hashanah gives us a chance to celebrate the
birthday of the world and in return we get the
chance to show our commitment to Hashem
through reflection on the past year and selfgrowth for the year ahead. This being said, it
seems that some secular holidays such as
Valentine’s Day are very one-dimensional and
commercial, often resulting in broken hearts
for those who receive nothing. However, New
Year differs to this and is in many ways similar to Rosh Hashanah. Even though there is a
commercial element, a new year is still being
celebrated and many people do tend to look at
the past year and make resolutions for the
year to come.
I look forward to both for different reasons.
In the working world, New Year is often a psychological wind-down and gives you the
chance to look forward to a fresh start. As we
all know Rosh Hashanah is a spiritual new
year and also a very important time for family. As I believe spirituality and family life go
hand in hand – I look forward to approaching
my relationships with family and friends in a
fresh and thoughtful way. I think it is significant to point out that we are very lucky to
have both these times of the year to look forward to and this teaches us that we should
try and achieve the actions of reflection,
introspection and self-growth in all areas of
our life all year round.
Naomi Kaplan
The New Year is an event that happens when
a culture celebrates the end of one year and
the beginning of the next year; Rosh
Hashanah literally translates as beginning of
the year. Therefore, by definition there is no
difference between the two terms.
Yet in my eyes the two are far between.
December 31st can pass by without my realisation or regret. When celebrated it is often
just an excuse to spend time with friends
and usually is accompanied by the unfortunate expense of price increase of any activity.
By the end of the evening the unanimous
opinion seems to be that it was a waste of
money to spend double the price doing something that could have been just as pleasant
the previous night or week before.
On the contrary Rosh Hashanah is something that I would detest to miss out on. An
opportunity to spend a meaningful few days
with friends and family; working on improving oneself and ones relations with others.
Rosh Hashanah is celebrated with the sounding of the shofar – waking us up to the reality of our mistakes. It marks the beginning of
the aseret yemei teshuva – offering us a
chance to apologise to those around us
whom we have offended and ends on Yom
Kippur when we have an intense day to con-
verse with Hashem and repent to Him for our
wrongdoings.
So whilst the two may appear on the outside to mark the same occasion, in essence
they have very little in common. One is merely a welcoming of a new year in the calendar
cycle, whereas the other marks the most
important part of the Jewish calendar and is a
time for a serious reflection on one’s relationship with God, religion and humankind.
Marc Shoffman
While Rosh Hashanah is a time for contemplation and reassessing the way I live and think,
the New Year often feels more like an obligation to go out and pay over the odds for entry
into a sweaty club and stale beer. Rosh
Hashanah is far more exciting for my sweet
tooth with the varieties of honey cake and
apple and honey, while the New Year is often
an anti-climax as I find myself back to work
after a long Bank Holiday. The Jewish festival
leaves me with more to look forward to and
consider after a day in synagogue and ten
days of repentance while the New Year leaves
me with a sore head and large credit card bill
after an overly expensive night out.
Lauren Krotosky
Left: Naomi Kaplan with Husband. Top Right: Jodi Gothold. Bottom Right: Marc Shoffman.
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We won’t tolerate gossip and interuptions in a theatre, so
why do we in Shul? Rabbi Brawer appeals for calm.
The Dignity of
Prayer
Imagine that you are sitting in a West End theatre enjoying a really
good play. You read the reviews some weeks earlier, booked tickets
and kept the evening free in your diary.
Now 20 minutes into the play the plot begins to thicken and you are
following the dialogue with eager anticipation.
Suddenly you hear a shuffling sound off to your
right. You try to ignore it but it gets louder. You
realize that the noise is the product of a latecomer
who is laboriously working his way to his seat. By a
stroke of misfortune it turns out that his seat is the
one next to yours. And it turns out you recognize
the latecomer as a work colleague. You secretly
hope that your neighbour would sit down already,
yet instead of taking his seat he is proffering his
hand in greeting to every person he passes. By now
you have lost your concentration and while you can
hear the actors reciting their lines you are too distracted to follow what it is they are saying. He finally collapses noisily into the seat next to yours and
extends his hand in greeting. Not wanting to seem
impolite you take it in your own and mumble a
greeting in return whilst keeping your eyes fixed on
the stage in front of you. A minute or two pass and
just as you begin to pick up the thread of the plot
again your neighbour shifts in his seat and asks you
about your family. You mumble something non
committal but he doesn’t seem to take the hint
and he starts telling you about something funny
that happened to him the other day. The odd thing
is that he does not make the slightest attempt to
keep his voice down. He is talking to you as he
would in a crowded café. All around people are
glancing in disapproval and making shushing noises yet he seems oblivious. He is so distractive that
eventually the theatre director has to stop the play
and appeal for silence. Silence ensues for about 5
minutes and when your verbose neighbour starts
all over again. The theatre director is forced to
interrupt the play several times more over the next
two hours. By the time the play is over you have
endured so many interruptions and distractions
that you can no longer remember what it was
about and you walk home frustrated over a wasted
evening.
Imagine this was not an isolated experience but
something that occurred every time to you visited
the theatre. Furthermore, imagine that it was not
just one fellow shaking hands and talking incessantly but that there were several such people in
each row!
How long would it be before you stopped going
to the theatre?
By now you may have figured out where I am
going with this. The Synagogue is a place where
one can connect with God through the experience
of communal prayer. This can be a most uplifting
and spiritual experience. That is until someone
walks in late and without the slightest bit of
embarrassment begins to conduct conversations
with anyone who will listen.
Enhancing the communal prayer experience has
been one of my goals since I arrived a year ago.
There have been some slight improvements but we
still have a long way to go before anyone would
describe our services as a spiritually uplifting experience. Yet, I do believe that together we can transform our synagogue culture for the better.
Many of our members genuinely want a more
dignified service yet they fail to understand that
small things like greeting people once the service
has begun generates considerable noise. No one
would consider the need to shake hands with
everyone they encounter on their way to a seat in
the theatre. They certainly would not consider
holding a conversation during the actual play. To
do so would be considered rude in the extreme
and beyond the pale of socially acceptable behaviour Yet, in the Synagogue no one bats an eye at
such behaviour.
It is time that we change the culture of what is
socially acceptable in a synagogue.
It will not be easy and it will require some
courage but together we can make a difference.
The next time someone comes over to greet you in
the middle of the service find the courage to politely but firmly indicate that you are in the midst of
prayer and that talking is inappropriate. I have
faith that most people will understand and even
respect such a stance provided it is consistent.
What we require now are a few good men and
women to take it. May the quality of our services
improve to such an extent that Borehamwood Shul
is held up as a model for what meaningful can be.
This is not an empty dream but rather something I
believe that we can realistically achieve, together.
Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer
Daniel Skolnick explains why Yom Kippur is like Purim.
The Message of
Yom Kippur
The Zohar refers to Yom Kippur as Yom K’Purim, a day like Purim. This
association is an intriguing one because, on the face of it, these two
festivals seem totally unconnected and perhaps even antithetical in
nature. By analysing the link between them it is possible for us to
gain a greater understanding of the time of year
for which we are preparing.
It is written (Yalkut Shimoni, Proverbs 9:1) that
in the Messianic era no festivals will be observed
except Purim and Yom Kippur. This is derived
from the way that these days are described when
we encounter them in Tanach. Regarding Yom
Kippur we see that “it shall be an eternal statute
for you” (Vayikra 16:29) and, similarly, regarding
Purim we are commanded that it “should be
remembered and kept throughout every generation” (Esther 9:28). It seems as though both festivals represent different messages that must be
indelibly etched into the national calendar.
However, it soon becomes clear that these are
actually two festivals with the same purpose.
The Maharal explains, at the beginning of his
work Ohr Chadash, that these days are two halves
of a whole. On Purim we celebrate our physical
survival, having been saved from Haman’s evil
plan. Therefore, our celebration of the day reflects
this nature and is also physical. The halacha is
codified (Shulchan Aruch, OC, 686) that one must
eat and drink well on Purim but enter the festival
having fasted. Conversely, on Yom Kippur we are
concerned with our spiritual survival. Therefore,
we fast on the day itself but the halacha states
that one must have a big meal the day before
(Shulchan Aruch, OC, 604).
This theme of survival, whether spiritual or
physical, seems to be the broad foundation of
both days. On a deeper level, though, there is
much more in common. Purim is all about
chance. God reflected the level of disinterest in a
relationship with Him at the time and ‘hid’
Himself from worldly proceedings in order to
allow the nations to deal with us as they pleased.
Not only did this result in leaving it to ‘chance’ to
determine the Jews’ fate but the very manner in
which this was to occur was also left up to luck.
Haman cast lots, the ultimate symbol of chance,
which was so central to the point of the story
that the entire festival was named ‘lots’.
Similarly, regarding Yom Kippur, we read
(Vayikra 16:8) “And Aaron shall cast lots upon two
goats: one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for
the wilderness.” What was the point of drawing
these lots? To help us understand that either we
bring God into our life or we are ignoring our
Creator, which is tantamount to a declaration
that we think we can take care of ourselves and
our journey through life will become as futile as
wandering in a desert.
It is also a theme that occurs in Jonah, which
we read on the afternoon of Yom Kippur, when
Jonah flees from his relationship with God and,
in so doing, creates for himself an environment
of chance. The sailors draw a lottery (1:7) to throw
him overboard until eventually he cries out for
his relationship with God (2:2-10) and is saved.
In all of these examples, God is always ready
and waiting to rekindle the relationship once the
individual has realised his error. Indeed, firmly
ingrained within the essence of these two festivals is the shunning of chance and the realisation
that everything comes from Above. Only when
the individual reaches this level is the solution
forthcoming (“venahafoch hu”). On Purim, the
future seemed so bleak until the Jewish people
began to value their relationship with God once
again. Similarly, on Yom Kippur we have the
potential to cry out and ask for our relationship
back.
This process, repentance, is not only a return
to God but also a return to oneself, to the potential within man before he made the wrong
choice. Yom Kippur is connected to a high level of
repentance, which flows naturally from a person’s recognition of a God who created life with a
purpose and judges our actions based on whether
or not we choose to fulfil it. When we realise that
everything is governed by God we should want to
connect with Him. The more we run away from a
genuine relationship with Him, the more we rely
on chance and the less of a connection we will
have with any real meaning in our life.
If we are searching for a message at this time
of year it is to embrace our relationship with God
and turn away from anything that distances us
from Him. Nothing we do in life has even a shade
of value or purpose unless we internalise this and
actually begin to live the message of Yom Kippur.
If we do so, we hit the jackpot precisely at the
moment we realise that there never was a lottery.
Daniel Skolnick
Yiddish is a wonderfully expressive language, but Caron
Dias takes exception to its use (and misuse) by Tottenham
Hotspur fans
Yid Army?
I have a make of clothes at home, in between my River Island and
Monsoon collections, by Rabbi’s Daughters. Not by my Rabbi nor his
daughters, but someone somewhere, Rabbi or otherwise, who
thought they’d cash in on the lucrative market of clothing with a
Jewish – or more accurately Yiddish – twist.
I have two tops; one adorning the slogan
“not just another shayne punim” on it and
one saying “frankly my bubbeleh I don’t give a
damn”. You get the gist? “Shayne punim”
means “pretty face” and “bubbeleh” – well it
means something like “dear”. They make all
sorts, even underwear with the word “mensch” written across the “tuchus”. That’s “good
person” written across the bottom to you and
me.
Yiddish is a language all of its own. By that
I mean unlike French or German, or other languages commonly learned in formal education, very few words seem to have a literal
translation and more often than not they are
interjected in English sentences as if they
were from the same dictionary.
But us Jews, we know what we mean when
we raise our arms in the air and declare that
the little boy is a lobus, his sister is
meshuggeneh, his mother has a chutzpah, his
father is a nebuch, the simcha was a haimishe
affair albeit very frum, but I didn’t enjoy
shlepping the present. Although I did shlepp
plenty of nachas.
Yiddish was once used as everyday language.
With Germanic routes the Jews of Central and
Eastern Europe conversed in Yiddish as their
first language for centuries, but the Holocaust
destroyed communities across this region and
people started using the language less and less.
But its use has seen a resurgence among the
less religious and even non-Jewish sections of
society; dispelling with the idea that it is just a
religious language. Even Ross from Friends,
Crusty the Clown from the Simpsons and Grace
from Will and Grace have been known to dabble in Yiddishe words. And this is a good thing
I’ve no doubt.
But there’s one Yiddish word that I don’t like
being widely used so much. And that’s Yid.
Unlike most Yiddish words, Yid has a clear and
direct meaning. It means Jew. So when Spurs
fans chant Yid Army it makes me feel uneasy.
Aside from the fact that I am a Jew and have
no interest in being associated with any Spurs
army, it’s just misguided and quite offensive. I
get that Tottenham adopted the phrase due to
its high volume of Jewish fans but it’s not just
(if at all) the Jews billowing Yiddo, Yiddo, from
the tiers at White Hart Lane. And my frustration isn’t really because – probably without any
conscious thought – most Spurs fans are
labelling themselves Jewish. It isn’t even entirely because the word Yid has taken on some
really negative connotations over the years.
My problem is that by making Spurs synonymous with Yid as if entirely acceptable it has
opened the floodgates to other football fans to
sing chants against the Jews. Well why not?
After all, Jews = Yid and Yid = Spurs right?
There are numerous football songs with
delightful lyrics. Examples include the one
about still having a foreskin, the one about the
stingy Yiddo who only buys himself a drink and
the piece de resistance – the hissing sound
made by Arsenal fans to mimic the gas chambers of the concentration camps.
No it’s not all football fans, and no, not all
Spurs fans are aware of the implications of the
Yid Army label. But ignorance is no excuse. And
one person doing this is one person too many.
The Kick Racism Out Of Football campaign
was launched in 1993 and aims to do what it
says on the tin. Except it’s missing a big problem here by allowing footballing scum to spout
their anti-Semitic beliefs to 30,000 plus people
at every clash with the Lilywhites. And it’s not
as though the connotations are little known.
Vendors outside White Hart Lane are selling
Spurs shirts with a Star of David on them.
So someone somewhere with some power
over this overtly racist and unacceptable trend,
do something. Be a mensch. Then you can wear
this label with pride on your tuchus.
Caron Dias
Neville Levy takes a trip to Istanbul to visit his grandmother’s house, and finds a lively Jewish
community in the heart of a Muslim country.
Turkish
Delight
In 1913 my grandparents left Istanbul for London. Nearly
100 years later, I returned on holiday with my son Max, to a
city very different yet somewhat the same. My objectives
were twofold - to spend a few days with just Max and also to
experience a little of Jewish Istanbul, past and present.
The boat - shaped bima at the Ahrida Shul
Because of the security situation for Jews in
secular but very much Muslim Turkey, we had
to send copies of our passports to the Istanbul
Chief Rabbinate, with details of each synagogue
we planned to visit, a few days before our trip.
On arrival, we checked into our hotel, the
Sari Konak in Sultanahmet, the heart of Old
Istanbul. It was a very warm and welcoming
family hotel. From there we went to Carne, the
city's premier kosher restaurant for a delicious
but not cheap dinner (you may wish to avoid
the chicken soup - it is not how Bobbe used to
make it!). After dinner, we visited a Hamam
(Turkish baths) for a midnight steam clean in
preparation for our visit the following day to
Ortakoy, the suburb of my grandfather’s birth.
Day 2 saw us up at 7am for the 30 minute
taxi ride to the Etz haHayim synagogue, located
in the shadow of the first bridge built across the
Bosphorus from Europe to Asia. Despite having
sent copies of our passports ahead of our visit,
the security checks were far more rigorous than
anything ElAl might have on offer at Heathrow.
We finally got into shul (Esnoga in Ladino, the
Judeo-Spanish language as spoken by the older
Istanbuli Jews) and I experienced a Shachrit that
was reminiscent of my childhood. Davening was
followed by a delicious breakfast, where we
were made most welcome.
After shul, thanks to the wonder of internet
and email, I met my fourth (or perhaps fifth
cousin), Suzan, who took me on a little tour of
the area where my grandfather was born. We
The Blue Mosque
The Neve Shalom Synagogue
saw the house where he grew up and from
where he left for England (now a near derelict
old property occupied by half a dozen gypsy
families living six or eight people to a room).
After a drive along the shore line of a surprisingly blue Bosphorus, we said goodbye to
our new relative and caught a tram back to
the Grand Bazaar - a massive and teeming hubbub of noise, colour and haggling. Having been
relieved of some Lira by some of our very
friendly Ishmaelite cousins, we headed back to
our hotel to check that our Shabbat meals had
arrived.
Unfortunately they hadn't and panic set in.
There had been some mix up with the Jewish
Old Age home from where our food was
ordered but all was resolved at the last minute
and some meals duly arrived 1 hour before
Shabbat.
Somewhat relieved (for we Jews do love to
eat, especially when on holiday), we then had
time before Shabbat to catch a tram over the
Bosphorus to the Galata Tower (tram tokens
bought before boarding) and walk the short
distance to the sole Ashkenazi shul in Istanbul
(again pre-booked and again, needing to go
through very tight security checks to gain
entry). Although we were in the Ashkenazi
shul, we enjoyed what to me seemed remarkably like a Sephardi Friday night Ma'ariv (or
Arvit as it is known locally). I loved hearing the
tunes of my childhood sung in their appropriate context, rather than simply hummed,
somewhat whimsically, at the wrong time and
in the wrong place.
We were warmly welcomed by the small
and aged congregation (especially as we made
up the bare minyan), and invited to return the
Topkapi Palace Entrance
following morning for a sit down kiddush.
Unfortunately, we had planned Shachrit at the
old synagogue tucked just behind the main
train station in Eminonu, near our hotel in
Sultanahmet, the final stop on the Orient
Express, and so declined their kind offer.
After shul, we took a leisurely stroll (about 2
miles) through historic Istanbul back to our
hotel. How differently we were regarded, without backpack or camera - no calls of "Excuse
me pliz" or somewhat bizarrely "Hola" every
time we passed a shop or Kebab house - maybe
we looked like natives? We arrived back at our
hotel and our waiting shabbat meal with a
sense of great achievement having enjoyed an
excellent day. Needless to say, we slept like
logs.
On Shabbat morning, we arrived at the Bet
Avraham synagogue in Sirkeci, a little before
8am giving us time to once again pass through
the security checks before Shachrit. Once we
entered the actual shul, and saw a yellow hard
hat under each chair, the reality of the security
situation in which the Jews of Istanbul live,
came much more into focus. The community
has suffered two lethal attacks on synagogues
in the past 20 years or so, one by machine gun
carrying Palestinians in 1986, the other in 1993
by an Al Qaeda truck bomb. With combined
fatalities in the region of some 30 Jews and
two or three times as many Muslims (who
were either guarding the shul or just living
nearby), one can much more understand the
need for such protection. As an aside, the
Community, though dwindling, has a very
strong sense of communal identity.
Not only does it continue to provide for the
families of those members who were killed or
injured, where necessary, but it also provides
assistance to the families of the non Jewish
casualties who were either working as security
guards on behalf of the community or simply in
the wrong place at the wrong time.
Again we were very warmly welcomed by
another ageing community and it was lovely to
hear authentic Istanbuli leining once again. A
delicious sit down kiddush was a great way to
finish the morning. Here we had more time to
chat. We discovered that this shul was built
some 100 years earlier in an area densely populated by Jewish traders, and probably attended
by my grandmother’s family.
Alas, demographic movement the world over
has its impact and almost no Jews live locally.
Attendance at Shabbat services are bolstered by
visiting tourists and such visits are welcomed,
appreciated and indeed needed. We also were
told that from July to September, many of
Istanbul's 20,000 Jews rent houses on Princes
Island, a small summer paradise in the
Bosphorus just an hour by ferry from Istanbul,
where there are no cars, beautiful beaches, and
a shul and a kosher restaurant. This also has a
significant impact on Shabbat minyanim at
shuls with declining attendances.
Again, we walked back to our hotel to have
our lunch before taking a stroll to the Spice
Bazaar (where a kindly stall holder gave us
some much appreciated cooled water to drink)
and then to the grand Mosque of Suleiman to
watch our cousins at afternoon prayer. It seems
that kids are alike the world over and as the
congregation as one knelt and then touched the
ground with their foreheads, we saw a four or
five year old child start a 20 metre series of
Olympic Gold Medal winning forward rolls just
behind a the back row of several hundred prostrate Muslims at prayer (to the consternation of
his mortified father who was vainly giving
chase). This reminded me of the story of the little Jewish boy in shul on Kol Nidrei who blew
his tin whistle with vigorous devotion - we all
pray in our own way!
With no Mincha within a reasonable walk,
we spent the remainder of Shabbat sitting by
the fountains in the park between the beautiful
500 year old Blue Mosque and the equally
impressive Byzantine Aya Sofia. After shabbat,
we bought some delicious corn on the cob from
one of the many street vendors and then
entered the tranquility of the Blue Mosque as
the Muezzin was calling the faithful to their
final prayer of the day. No acrobatics this time
and a very calm end to a day of rest.
Sunday started with more shul (but no breakfast on account of it being Shiva Asar B'Tamuz).
We were welcomed back like long lost relatives
(and perhaps we were) and I was reminded of
the gravity with which we Sephardim regard
death and mourning as full and individual
Hashkavot (memorial prayers) were said for
departed loved ones, rather than one blanket
prayer with all the particular names inserted.
After shul it was off to visit the Topkapi
palace, the home of the Ottoman sultans (and
indeed the former residence of the last Sultan
who kindly offered my grandfather the opportunity to serve in his army - an offer my
grandfather declined and caused him to come
to England).
Topkapi is a vast and impressive treasure
trove of history and artifacts, including the
famous Harem and must be one of the highlights of any visit to Istanbul. A full tour can
easily take up most of a day.
For me, the Room of Relics was one of the
most fascinating parts of our trip. There we
saw religious treasures from the three great
world religions including (allegedly) Avraham
Avinu's saucepan (it looked like something
from the 3rd Borehamwood and Elstree
Scouting troop's collection of broken pans),
Yosef's hat (a beautifully clean and freshly
laundered turban), Moshe's staff (a slightly
bent stick), King David's sword (the blade covered in Arabic), the forearm and cranium of St
Paul (not for the squeamish) and Mohammed's
footprint from when he ascended to heaven.
After this, we returned to the hotel and
then back to shul for mincha (an aliya had
been promised). Unfortunately, Sunday
evening traffic in Istanbul puts rush hour on
Allum Lane and Theobald St to shame and we
missed leining (but were fortunately in time
for a post fast feast of borekas, biscotchas,
pastella, kasa y azitunas (just like Nona used
to make!).
Monday was our guided day, and we were
met by our guide, Joseph, who first took us
back to the Ashkenazi shul (with the Ahron
Kodesh or Echal donated by Emperor Franz
Joseph to his exiled Austrian Jews). We then
visited the historic Ahrida shul in Balata
(again no local congregants) but with a
uniquely constructed Bimah (known as a
Tevah in Istanbul) in the shape of a boat. The
story was that this was to remind the congregation of Noah's Ark which finished its journey on Mt Ararat some 1500 miles east of
Istanbul in eastern Turkey. Alternatively, it
symbolises the flight of the Jews from Spain
by boat to Turkey where they were offered a
safe haven, and lived in peace with their
neighbours for over 500 years.
We then returned to the Galata area and to
Neve Shalom, the leading synagogue of Turkey
and the site of the two terrible attacks on
Turkey’s Jewish community. The main
entrance is no longer used (the lorry bomb in
1993 was only able to kill so many as it blew
up outside the front door and those standing
in the entrance died) and a non vehicular side
entrance must be used. Entry is through a
series of airlocks and solid metal doors, with
airline security scanning devices. Once inside,
we found a wonderful community centre and
beautiful shul. In the lobby we read the names
on the memorial board of those who died.
Included is Dr Moiz Shaul who smothered his
20 year old son, Gabriel, with his body when
the terrorists struck, saving his son's life.
We also heard from our guide how the community still follows the dowry system (which
leads to some girls from less affluent families
finding themselves unmarriageable to Jewish
boys due to his family's expectations, and also
bitter disputes in the event of marital break-
and Turkish Art, followed by another visit to
the Grand Bazaar filled our morning and then
it was off to the airport for an uneventful
flight back.
My overall impression? Istanbul is a fantastic city with an abundance historic buildings
and artifacts, sights and smells, with a huge
and diverse mix of people and cultures. It will
meet your needs for both a Jewish holiday
experience and a city break to somewhere
completely different. Whether you come back
having bought that oriental carpet you have
always hungered for or simply a box of
Turkish Delight, you will also bring back
memories of a city alive with sensations and
experiences that will stay with you for a very
long time.
Neville Levy
Ahrida Shul
down). We also learnt how the community
will not allow a member who falls on hard
times to struggle to survive. In some cases
Aliya grants are offered to help families start a
new life in Israel if that would be appropriate,
or if not, some economic support. We really
got the feeling that there is a sense of family
amongst the Jews of Istanbul and those who
are in a fortunate position give freely and happily of their time, energy and money to those
in need, who are grateful beneficiaries.
From Neve Shalom we went back to the
Spice Bazaar, but first we stopped for lunch at
Levi's diner, Istanbul's other kosher restaurant
(perhaps owned by another relative?) located
near the Spice Bazaar and overlooking the
square between Yeni Cami (The New Mosque
built in 1663) and the quayside. After a quick
purchase of some saffron from the man who
gave us water on Shabbat, we walked a short
distance to a store called Haci Bekir and
bought a box of Turkish Delight (known locally as Locum and approved by the Turkish
Rabbinate at the time of our visit).
We then returned to the quayside at
Ortakoy and took a short trip between the two
Bosphorus bridges joining Europe and Asia.
We were told that the British built bridge took
3 years to complete whilst the Japanese one
took only 9 months (Maggie had not yet been
elected at the time the British bridge was
built). Again, after another busy but fascinating day, we returned to our hotel, receiving
perhaps 20 offers for dinner on the way "pliz we have best kebab in town, come my friend,
come". As usual, we also were also invited into
several carpet shops on our short walk back
from the tram stop to our hotel. The briefest
of looks into a window will elicit a request
from an eagle eyed vendor "come, pliz - you
buy carpet, rug, kilim? Best price for you - my
last customer of day."
Strange it may seem but the shop owners
seem to spend much more time on the pavement outside their stores, drinking chai, than
in them!
Tuesday was our last day. A trip to see the
beautiful artifacts in the Museum of Islamic
Photography courtesy of Mr. Izzet Keribar and
Gozlem Gazetecilik Basin ve Yayin AS
(www.gozlemkitap.com). Several of these photographs will be appearing in a book titled
“The Synagogues of Turkey."
United Jewish Israel Appeal is a registered charity in England and Wales No. 1060078 And in Scotland No. Sc 039181. A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 3295115. Registered office: Balfour House, 741 High Road, London N12 0BQ
As we approach the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, forgiving is at
the forefront of our minds. This year we hope that you will take the opportunity for giving
one step further.
The Kol Nidre Appeal is the UK Jewish community’s opportunity to come together in
support of an array of projects and initiatives that will benefit local organisations,
Anglo-Jewry as a whole and, of course, the people of Israel.
Without your generous support, we cannot improve the lives of hundreds of
thousands of children and young adults both here and in Northern Israel.
Your gift could support
Training Jewish Youth
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£30
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Experience Bursary
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in Northern Israel
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Absorption Centre
£1000
£2000
The Yiddishe Motor Cycle Association heads off to France for history, culture and an eggthrowing riot. Mick Abrahams reports.
The YMCA Revs Up
in France
Top Left: Electric Car. Top Right: Grave. Bottom Left: Queen Victoria’s Carriage. Bottom Right: Train.
We are not YOBS (Yids on Bikes) or Hillel’s Angels, but the small and
beautifully formed YMCA (Yiddishe Motor Cycle Association) and
eleven of us went touring in France in July this year. We left from
Stirling Corner at 6.30am for the 9.20am Eurotunnel crossing. All
went unusually well this year, only one person
forgot his passport, but fortunately the
Passport Officer was on the phone and just
waved him through. We arrived at Le Carlton
Hotel, Amiens, which was a bit tired but in a
great position in the town centre, and we had
a fantastic meal in the hotel restaurant for
about 27 euro’s each.
The next day we drove to Peronne to the Museum
of the Great War, which is well worth a visit, and is a
great anti-war advert – you have to see it to appreciate
that war should be avoided at all costs. In the afternoon we drove to Froissy for an hour ride on a steam
railway. The line which was built by the British to
carry supplies up to the front during WWI winds
along the banks of the River Somme. On the way back
to the hotel we stopped at an allied cemetery and said
Kaddish for a 19 year old Jewish lad who perished in
the fighting right at the end of the Great War.
The third day found us driving to Compiegne
where we hoped to visit the Chateau de Compiegne,
the palace built by Louis XV and used by Napoleon I,
my interest having been aroused when I realised they
had a motor museum there. Unfortunately when we
enquired the motor museum was closed and we
thought we had had a wasted journey. As we were
leaving the curator approached me and offered to
give us a private tour of the museum as he had the
keys and a very good command of English. This was
one of the highlights of the holiday and he showed
us some great and rare cars, carriages and sleighs and
showed us round the palace with a great commentary. When we arrived back in Amiens we did some
shopping and visited the house which belonged to
Jules Verne. It was interesting to see the desk where
he wrote many of his famous novels. The evening
meal was organised by one of our gourmet members
and was terrific, and then we went to a son et
lumiere at the Cathedral, which they put on every
night at 10.30pm and is in English as well as French
and is free.
On the last morning as I was getting ready to
leave, someone rushed into my room and said there
was a bit of a demonstration going on outside our
hotel. As I opened the door to the balcony to look out,
someone chucked a rotten egg through it. It all
seemed very good natured and the crowd of about
fifty people seemed content to chuck most of their
eggs at the three riot police guarding the entrance to
the hotel. They were apparently demonstrating
against the working conditions at their tyre factory
and the owners were having a meeting in our hotel.
They eventually let us out of a side exit and we set off
for a museum at Cap Gris Nez called Batterie Todt.
The weather was beautiful, we sat outside for lunch
and then drove the 12 miles back to Calais to catch
the 3.20pm Eurotunnel back home. The chap who
had left his passport at home talked his way through
passport control so well, I think he was the quickest
one through out of all of us. It’s always nice to get
back home after a motorcycling holiday and we had
done about 600 miles, had a great time, some good
company and been grateful that the weather had
improved as the holiday progressed.
The YMCA usually ride out once a month on a
Sunday and arrange a short holiday once a year in
the summer. If anyone reading this would like to join
us, you can phone me on 020 8207 4141 for more
details.
Mick Abrahams
Thank you to all those who have donated so far
WE NEED YOUR
HELP NOW !!
For further information please visit:
www.eboreruv.org
connecting the community
Diane and Paul Kutner celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary with a trip to Jewish Antwerp.
Out and About
in Antwerp
Sunday 28th March 1978 was a decidedly wet day, the day we married
at Kenton Shul. Friday 28th March 2008 was also wet, with the rain
moving eastwards to arrive in Antwerp by mid-afternoon, thus justifying our choice of location to celebrate our 30th anniversary.
Paul Kutner
We had decided to have a ‘romantic’ weekend away, and wanted to experience a journey
by Eurostar via the newly opened St Pancras
International Station. We wanted to find
somewhere we hadn’t been to before, and
somewhere it would be relatively easy to keep
Shabbat and find kosher food. By a process of
elimination, we chose Antwerp, in Belgium,
this was to prove a most enjoyable and interesting weekend.
We caught a very early train from Elstree
station, and took some time to admire the
refurbished St Pancras station. If you haven’t
been yet, it really is worth a look. We then
‘checked in’ and boarded the Eurostar train,
which departed exactly on time and arrived
exactly on time two hours later in Brussels. A
short walk to the local train and forty minutes
later – midday - we were in the centre of
Jewish Antwerp. Centraal Station, constructed
in 1905, has also been recently refurbished
and is a massive edifice of interesting architecture, with many sweeping staircases.
The first thing we had to do was secure our
Shabbat meals. We’d found out that if there
was a simcha being catered for by the famous
restaurant Hoffy’s, then they would be happy
to provide us with three course meals for both
Friday night dinner and Saturday lunch. We
were in luck! We handed over our credit
card, and continued on our walk across
Antwerp to our lodgings.
Although there are several top quality
hotels in the town, the one which received the
most consistently glowing internet reviews
was an old building midway between the Old
Town and the Jewish area, which had been
recently converted into several apartments.
We were certainly not disappointed. The
English owners made us feel very welcome,
and had even ensured that their generous welcome pack was kosher. Our suite comprised a
large bedroom, luxuriously furnished living
room and an excellent kitchen area. Once
we’d sorted out the inevitable problems electric keys cause over Shabbat, we walked over
to the Old Town and had a look at the perfectly preserved Grote Markt, the main square,
and the Stadhuis, the City Hall.
As the rain got heavier, we returned to our
rooms, prepared for Shabbat, and walked
towards the Jewish area. We had read about
the Jewish history of Antwerp:
In the 13th and 14th centuries, Jews settled
in Belgium after having been expelled from
England and France, and in the 15th century
from Spain and Portugal. Marranos who settled in Antwerp at the end of the 15th and the
beginning of the 16th century played an
important economic and financial role there.
Between 1650 and 1694 a secret synagogue
conducted services in Antwerp.
The Jewish population in Belgium grew
slowly in the 18th and 19th centuries, coming
from France, Germany, Holland and, after
1880, from Eastern Europe. In fact Belgium,
and especially Antwerp, was seen as a stop to
the "Goldene Mediene." Sephardic Jews came
also from the Ottoman Empire before the turn
of the 19th century.
With the arrival of German refugees in the
1930s, the Jewish population in Belgium reached
its peak, and by 1939, around 65,000 Jews lived
in Belgium, of which 25,000 were in Antwerp.
By August 1942, the Nazis began transporting
Belgian Jews to Auschwitz. By the end of the
war approximately 40,000 Belgian Jews had
died. After World War II, rebuilding the Jewish
communities was the first and main goal of
those who survived the Holocaust. These communities consisted of those who hid successfully
during the war and the 1,207 who returned
from the camps. Other concentration camp survivors and displaced people, who never had lived
in Belgium before, joined them.
Today the majority of Belgian Jews belongs
to the middle class and is active in the fur,
textile, leather and diamond industries. The
total Jewish population in Belgium is approximately 42,000 with 15,000 in Antwerp.
Most live in the almost entirely Jewish
streets near the station, in the Diamond
District. It is a truly remarkable, even overwhelming, sight to see dozens and dozens of
diamond shops, nearly all owned by Chassidic
or modern Israeli Jews, streets full of food
shops and around 30 shuls catering respectively for the culinary and spiritual needs of a
vast range of Chasidic sects.
On that Friday night, we made our way on
the other side of the railway line to the splendid modern orthodox synagogue on Van den
Nestlei, built in 1928, renovated in 1954 and
known as the Romi Goldmuntz Synagogue.
The service was conducted by a truly inspirational traditional Chazzan, for which this shul
is renowned. We were made to feel most welcome by the congregants and were asked,
cajoled, persuaded, even forced to go to the
home of one particular young man called
Naphtali. He insisted we accompanied him to
his very beautiful flat so that his mother could
provide us with a splendid Friday night meal.
It was a quite surreal evening for us, as there
were several other visitors that night, covering
all ranges of Jewish observance and speaking a
combination of Yiddish, Ivrit, French, Flemish
and English. It transpired that Naphtali’s father,
who had died suddenly the previous year, was
an exceptional provider of hospitality, and his
son was carrying on the family tradition.
By the time we made our way back to our
apartment late that Friday night, the rain had
stopped, and next morning we awoke to glorious sunny skies. Naphtali had suggested that
we went to the Hollandse Synagogue in
Bouwmeesterstraat - built in 1893 in Ottoman
Empire style - which was the chief synagogue,
but now is situated some distance from the
main Jewish area. This was a splendid and
large building, yet contained no more than 30
worshippers. They again made us feel very
welcome, calling Paul up for an aliya, and asking him to make Kiddush at the end of the
service. When we expressed our concern at the
small number present, we were told that the
contrary was the case, for this shul had only
recently been re-opened for regular prayer,
having been mothballed (except for high holydays) for many years. A devoted band of young
men were walking quite long distances to
ensure a regular minyan was maintained each
week.
We made our way back to the Jewish area,
and to our lunch at Hoffy’s, which was indeed
waiting for us, a very tasty and ample traditional meal. For our Shabbat tiyul, we
explored an amazing part of town to the
south east called Zurenborg. This area was
inhabited by wealthy residents who all wanted
to build bigger and more unusual houses than
their neighbours. Their architects all used different architectural styles: Flemish
Renaissance, Byzantine, Gothic, Classical, and
Art Nouveau are just some of the many styles
making this area a quite extraordinary and
surreal sight.
We then walked to the other side of town
to the River Scheldt, which by 1450 had established Antwerp as the most important seaport
in Europe, though this golden age lasted little
more than 100 years before the Spanish took
control and closed the river. This previously
dilapidated area is now being redeveloped into
a tourist attraction.
So we came to our final day: we were able
to visit an enormous street market selling just
about everything; Rubens House where he produced his great works; the Diamond Museum
and the diamond district, in the middle of
which we came across a cute Sephardic
Synagogue built in 1913; Aquatopia – a quite
impressive aquarium.
As we made our way back to the station on
Sunday afternoon, we met the owner of
Hoffy’s who, remarkably, remembered us from
when we paid for our Shabbat meals. He said
he was really worried and upset we hadn’t
turned up for our Friday night meal – was
everything OK? When we explained what happened, he immediately understood and ‘forgave’ us for not eating his food! That sums up
Antwerp for us: an interesting, different and caring place, easy to get to and well worth a visit!
Diane and Paul Kutner
Photographs courtesy of the the Belgian
Tourist Office
Romi Goldmuntz Synagogue
“Today the majority
of Belgian Jews belongs to the middle
class and is active in
the fur, textile,
leather and diamond
industries.”
Puri
F
Photographs courtesy of
Executiveshots and Howard Green
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Cuba is famous for its classic cars, crumbling architecture and communist government.
Marc Shoffman discovers another side to the Caribbean island.
The Jews
of Cuba
Cuba’s Jews have helped revolutionise the country and despite a
dwindling population are making up in spirit what they lack in numbers, as Marc Shoffman discovers.
So here I am, the middle of boiling hot Havana, standing on a
bimah singing Odan Alam in a rather strange
melody. No, I had not overdosed on Cuban rum or
inhaled too many Monte Cristo cigars, I had found
religion, my religion slap bang in the middle of my
honeymoon tour of Cuba.
My new wife and I had been taxied around
Havana exploring the historical sites, the 1950s
Chevrolets and building styles, learning about the
British, Spanish and American influences on this
Latin American/Caribbean Communist island. We
were approaching our hotel when Danielle
enquired whether there were any synagogues near
by. It just so happened to be a Friday and there is
only so much Flamenco and salsa dancing one can
do. Rather surprisingly our taxi driver took us to
not just one, but two synagogues in the Cuban
capital. I am not sure if cabs in London would
have been so helpful or even if many of them
would have known where a synagogue was without a postcode and a satnav.
Our journey led us to a small community which
although insignificant nowadays in size, in influence Jews have helped make Cuba what it is today.
Both synagogues have Sephardi and Ashkenazi
roots. The small Centro Hebreo Sefaradi of La
Havana, built in the 1950s, is a memorial to dating
back to the 15th Century when many Jews fleeing
the Spanish Inquisition are believed to have sailed
with Christopher Columbus to Cuba for salvation.
Cuba’s national hero Jose Marti, a 19th Century
author was sympathetic to the Jewish plight, he
once wrote, “De su religion, los hebreos hacen
patria,” meaning, from their religion, the Jews
make their homeland.
The first official community dates back to 1898,
“The remnants of
those days still
flourish in Havana
with billboards
describing George
Bush as a terrorist...”
when after fighting in the Spanish-Cuba-American
Civil War, thousands of Jewish soldiers chose to
live on the island and later established the United
Hebrew Congregation, Cuba’s first synagogue in
1906. In the decades that followed hundreds of
Jews came from Europe en route to America and
the New World but chose to stay in Cuba.
Many later became involved in the sugar and
tobacco industries of which Cuba has become
synonymous.
The much larger, 300-seat Temple Beth Shalom,
not far from its Sephardic neighbour, in modern
Havana, holds a reminder of Jews that fled persecution throughout Europe in the early 20th
Century to a land with little anti-Semitism full of
fertile land and opportunity.
There is also a more orthodox synagogue Adath
Israel, backed by the Chabad movement.
Over the years the Jewish community built up
its own cemeteries, institutions and kosher shops
taking its population up to around 15,000 before
the Cuban Revolution in 1959 which saw businesses nationalised, religion banned and many
Jews flee to America, Europe or make Aliyah.
The remnants of those days still flourish in
Havana with billboards describing George Bush as
a terrorist, road signs proclaiming the importance
of supporting the revolution, and you would be
hard pressed to buy a bottle of Coke.
Much of the Jewish community which has
remained, now around 1,500 people, struggles
with the same issues as the rest of the population.
A low standard of living, food rations and poor
housing and employment opportunities. Things
have improved for the community over the last
two decades, the fall of the Soviet Union led the
then President Fidel Castro to implement new
laws on religion and allow the public expression
of faith. And although these days the Cuban
cause is seen to have more parallels with the
Palestinians than the early 20th Century homeless
Jews, the community feel no anti-semitism and
have not suffered from anti-Zionist sentiment.
The revolutions ideals of equality are still alive
and well amongst the population and in the community. There is no tax and free healthcare. Beth
Shalom has its own community centre called the
Patronato which has its own Jewish library, pharmacy and internet café. There is a meal served
every Shabbat on a Saturday afternoon and the
Friday night.
This is where we found ourselves after descending from the bimah. We had just sat through a
service led by a male and female member of the
community, Cuba has no rabbis, in both Hebrew
and Spanish.
The prayers sounded different in a Spanish
dialect and not always in tune. But there was clearly a lot of passion, the children and young people
sat at the front and often sung alone drowning out
the few elderly members. With so few Jews left in
the country, all the congregations in Havana often
join together to make up a minyan.
There are changes afoot with a new President,
Fidel’s brother Raul and new legislation aimed to
raise the standard of living and business opportunities. In a country full of sunshine and history but
also abject poverty, it is hard to understand why
one would stay, but these Jews are here because
they are proud to be both Jewish and Cuban. These
Jews in particular are clearly proud that whether it
comes to day to day living as a Cuban or praying as
a Jew, that they are still playing a part of the struggle. And Jews more than most people know what it
is like to struggle.
Marc Shoffman
A trip to Berlin is likely to arouse strong feelings, Lionel Leventhal went to visit with his wife and
son.
Visiting
Berlin
We stayed centrally, on the Potsdamer Platz. Until 1998, for
nearly thirty years, the large square of the Potsdamer Platz
was bisected by the Berlin Wall, and on the western side
growth was stultified, and on the eastern side there were
many yards of a 'death strip' onto which anyone ventured at
At the Reichstag Dome
At the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
their peril. It was a great gash through Berlin.
All that remains of the Berlin Wall nowadays is a double row of cobblestones in the
pavement, and a few 'show piece sections' of
the wall, covered with graffiti. In the area
where the wall stood obviously there has been
immense investment in new buildings. There
are high rise office buildings, several large
hotels, and the tourist trap Sony Centre. It is
impressive but all too new and rather soulless.
Today the Potsdamer Platz is in a very central position from which one can go and see,
within walking distance, all the main points
of interest, such as the Brandenburg Tor, the
Reichstag, the site of Hitler's bunker, the
Victory Column, the Soviet War Memorial
(known locally as the 'Memorial to the
Unknown Rapist') and so forth.
But, obviously, we were interested in Jewish
Berlin.
Closest to the hotel was the vast Memorial
to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It is a
remarkable memorial, best known for the
2,711 grey, concrete stelae (the posh word for
pillars) which can be walked through from all
sides, and leaves it up to visitors to explore. It
occupies a space the size of a football field.
The stelae are of uneven height, some of them
being at knee height and then you wander on
and find they some are above your head. It is
a new form of monument, or memorial, and
leaves much to your own thoughts and imagination. There is an underground information
centre directly beneath the memorial, part of
which comes from Yad Vashem.
We had been joined by a young Orthodox
American Jew who was to be our guide, and
after our visit to this Memorial, we caught a
taxi into what was formerly East Berlin, and
which today is flourishing and somewhat
funky in parts. It is of human scale, and the
streets are lined with trees, and low rise original buildings. Jonathan, our guide, a member of the resurgent Jewish community, and
to be married a week later, took us on a
walking tour. We started in an area which
had been predominantly Jewish, and he took
us into a little courtyard, which could have
been in London's East End, where there were
tenements with workshops. In World War II
one of the workshops specialised in making
brushes for the Wehrmacht and Otto Weidt,
the German owner, used to shelter blind and
deaf Jews. Weidt is remembered as a
Righteous Gentile in Yad Vashem.
We saw the large and ornate New (Neue)
Synagogue built in Moorish style, but did not
visit inside because we were told the reconstruction was mainly a facade only, and it
had only a small building behind. On
Kristallnacht, in November 1938, the District
Police Chief, Wilhelm Krutzfeld, managed to
stop the rampaging Nazi hoards from setting
fire to the Synagogue by declaring that it had
been placed under Landmark Protection Law
and calling the Fire Department. He thus
saved the Synagogue, but was punished for
his courage by being transferred. However,
ironically Allied bombing raids five years
later seriously damaged the building and the
ensuing fire gutted it.
“Whether or not to
visit the heart of
Nazi Germany is
probably a
generational thing.”
We saw where the 'Women's Protest' took
place in 1943, when several hundred wives
and mothers gathered in a remarkable act of
civil disobedience protesting at the removing
preparatory to be taken to Auschwitz of their
so-called 'mixed marriage' Jewish men folk.
And they won: their men folk were
returned, even the twenty-five who had
already been sent to Auschwitz.
The previous day we had visited the
Topography of Terror exhibit on the site of
the SS Reich leadership and where people
such as Himmler and Heydrich worked. The
photographic exhibit is in what was the basement, which has been excavated and where
there were torture chambers. The exhibit
showed what had happened to all the communities formerly involved.
We saw what remains of an extremely
large and old cemetery where there is just a
single tombstone today, that of the great
Moses Mendelssohn.
We also visited the Jewish Museum, which
is a remarkable structure with a remarkable,
indeed provocative, interior by Daniel
Liberskind. It certainly is a thought-provoking museum.
Of the 160,000 Jews who lived in Berlin in
1933, most fled, more than 55,000 were murdered by 1945 and all but a handful who had
gone 'underground' survived. 160,000 is
roughly the same as in London today; can
you imagine it happening here... The last
deportation train in fact left only a matter of
a few weeks, on 27th March 1945, before the
fall of Berlin to the Soviets.
My wife and I could not help but wonder
when we saw an older person whether they
were alive in World War II, and what might
have happened to them and what they had
experienced. My son, who is thirty-five years
old, did not have those thoughts running
through his head. But they, the older generation, were in a very strict minority, and as
far as we could see the modern German businessman, or person who is middle-aged, had
vigorously created a modern, in part avant
garde, thrusting, busy capital city.
Whether or not to visit the heart of Nazi
Germany is probably a generational thing. I
was born just before World War II, and
undoubtedly people of my parents' generation
would have looked upon visiting with repugnance. For me, and as my career has been
publishing military books, it was all somewhat
queasy but a fascinating opportunity to see
where history was made. Many of my peers
would not, I imagine, ever wish to visit the
city.
I should think that those of my children's
generation will visit Berlin with considerable
interest and to learn what happened in history. My son, who also works in military publishing, said he would not choose to make it a
holiday destination but valued the trip as an
important educational experience.
I hope, too, that my grandchildren will visit
to learn what happened in history and to see
a great modern city.
We did not ask any German about how they
felt about what happened in World War II,
but the 'visiting the sins of the fathers upon
the children, and upon the children's children,
unto the third and unto the fourth generation', from Exodus 34. 6-7, was in my mind.
That's about visiting. The evil tragedy of the
Holocaust will remembered 'until the thousandth generation'.
There was a moment when the days of the
Third Reich were brought back to me. On a
sunny afternoon as we were crossing the
Potsdamer Platz we saw - or, rather, heard - a
group of around twenty young buskers, playing a loud, fierce, drum rhythm. For me, the
sound was redolent of the Hitler Youth marching with Nazi soldiers. I shivered. More than
sixty years on, this is a city which cannot
escape its past.
Lionel Leventhal
To Advertise in the next issue of Link,
Please contact Matt Dias at
[email protected] or via the Shul Office
on 8386 5227
Can Sex and the City be a force for good? The Keshet committee think so.
Get Carried Away
with Keshet
The Keshet Committee - From left to right, Elisa, Emma, Melanie, Nicky, Lisa, Deborah & Gaby
If you enjoy watching a near 3 hour long fashion show taking place
in all of the most glamorous locations the US has to offer, then this
is the film for you. Personally, I loved it – not in an arty, intellectual
type of way, but in the I’m having a fun night out at the cinema with
my friends and can escape all my worries for a
few hours type of way.
The film had been slated by many of the
national newspapers, branding it overly materialistic, sentimental, sinful and full of product placement. It was guilty of all of these
things, but any true fan of the series would
have been disappointed by their absence!
Visually, it was extremely colourful and
would have worked fairly well with the sound
turned down – although then we would have
missed Samantha’s many hilarious one liners.
The film began with a quick recap of the
story so far; helpful for those who came to
support us despite never having watched the
TV series. The audience reactions were amusing - love scenes between key characters elicited hardly a murmur from my fellow cinema
goers whereas the appearance of a Vivienne
Westwood wedding dress and a Louis Vuitton
handbag led to coos of admiration.
Carrie Bradshaw looks to have her ideal set
up – engaged to a billionaire and about to
move into a penthouse with a closet big
enough for all her shoes. But Big’s unromantic proposal and her equally unromantic reaction together with her obsession with the
forthcoming wedding of the year mean that
her plans are doomed from the outset.
Samantha’s ego is ruining her relationship
with Smith and Miranda’s husband Steve has
had an affair which she is finding impossible
to forgive. The ever innocent Charlotte miraculously falls pregnant but is so scared by her
friends’ misfortunes that something major
will go wrong for her. In fact, that was the
only part of the film I found unpredictable as
I, (like Charlottte), couldn’t believe it was all
going to continue so smoothly for her.
Perhaps she will suffer in the sequel!
There were of course, countless references,
many overt, to the first word in the title and
although I am pleased that my mother came
to support the event, I am very glad not to
have been sitting next to her!!!
Highlights for me were; the aforementioned one liners; Carrie’s retro fashion show
as she prepared to move out of her apartment; the hilarious conversation in which the
girls were forced to substitute one of the key
words in the title for “colouring” to spare the
ears of a small child; Samantha’s fabulous
sushi scene; Charlotte’s unfortunate popsicle
incident and yes, the gooey, happy, predictable ending.
Every woman in the audience, (and yes, I
know that some men attended too and we are
of course most grateful for their support),
could relate in some way to one if not all of
the four protagonists. This has always been
the key draw of the series (as well as the
clothes, clothes, clothes) and was well carried
on through the film.
More importantly, our multi charity committee, Keshet, was able to raise almost £4000
for the Prostate Cancer charity and also raise
awareness of this potentially life-threatening
and widespread disease. I would like to take
this opportunity to thank the 180+ cinema
goers who supported us so willingly and hope
we can count on you to attend future events.
Deborah Clayden
book review
Oliver Ralph
On the Other Hand by Chaim Bermant
“Bermant had a keen
sense of right and
wrong, and was not
afraid to voice his
opinions in his column, no matter who
he might offend in
the process.”
In the age of 24 hour news channels, constantlyupdated news websites and updates to your
mobile, the columnist is king. Ask any editor
what they really want, and well informed comment will come top of this list. These days, news
is instant, commoditised and free. The wellinformed columnist, who can narrate, entertain
and challenge, is like gold dust, and newspaper
editors know it.
So it was with a mixture of anticipation and
concern that I approached this collection of
columns from the late Jewish Chronicle writer,
Chaim Bermant. Anticipation, because Bermant
was a fixture in the JC for over 30 years, winning
critical acclaim and an avid readership. And concern because, while columnists add context and
analysis to the bare bones of the news, they are
nothing without that news. I was never a reader
of Bermant in his prime, and I feared that,
starved of the news which provided immediacy
and urgency to his work, the columns might
lose their lustre. They might turn out to be a collection of mildly interesting historical pieces
with little relevance or meaning to today’s society.
Bermant started writing for the JC in the
1960s, initially sharing the Ben Azai column
with a number of other writers, and subsequently under his own name in the “On the other
hand” column from which this book takes its
title. Until his death in 1998 he dispensed wit
and wisdom in equal measure, and this book
contains a healthy serving of both together with
plenty of the controversy that defined his writing.
Bermant had a keen sense of right and wrong,
and was not afraid to voice his opinions in his
column, no matter who he might offend in the
process. And offend he did, but always with good
reason. Few people or groups were spared.
However, some groups were targets more than
others. The orthodox rabbinate was one such
group. He disliked what he saw as their intransigence, their insistence on sticking to the ancient
rules in the face of modern developments and
their tendency to say ‘no’ to everything. He saw
pedantry and pride overtaking Jewish ethics and
values. The Israeli rabbinate was frequently
berated. “In the war of attrition now being
waged in Israel between the powers of light and
the powers of darkness,” he wrote in 1984, “the
rabbis are largely on the side of darkness.”
The other end of the religious spectrum also
went under the Bermant microscope, and
emerged unfavourably. He had no truck with
conservative or reform Judaism, and even less
with particular members of those movements. “I
used to think that Julia Neuberger was the best
living argument against women rabbis,” he
wrote in a column that lambasted the reform
movement for considering same-sex marriage
ceremonies.
But perhaps his most controversial views concerned Israel, and especially its policy in the
occupied territories. He vehemently criticised
Israeli policy in the territories and its attitude
towards the Arab population. “The choice is no
longer between a so-called Greater Israel and a
small one, but between an oppressive society and
a free on,” he wrote in 1988.
But to characterise Bermant just as a controversial critic would be to ignore his vast range of
other interests. This well organised collection
also contains his thoughts on a wide variety of
people from Edwina Currie to Rambam. He also
writes at length about food, travel and the festivals. On the subject of Yom Kippur he writes:
“The most blameless elements in a community
apply themselves to the demands of Yom Kippur
with the greatest dedication….those who are
most in need on Yom Kippur will not be in synagogue at all.”
And there is no shortage of humour. His piece
on the perils of using a computer spellchecker
when writing Yiddish is worth the book’s price
alone: “You’ve got a lovely mishpoche”, for
example, becomes “You’ve got a lovely mishmash”.
And yet for all the humour and insight, the
collection is showing signs of ageing. Some
columns lack clarity without their historical context, especially those that concern events in
Israel. Without knowledge of what the events
were (and the columns generally do not go into
that), it’s difficult to really appreciate Bermant’s
point. A short note from the editor on the background to some of the columns might have been
helpful.
But despite that, this is a fascinating collection
of writing that can be digested whole or in piecemeal fashion. It stands head and shoulders above
much of what is published in the newspapers
today. In his introduction to the book, JC editor
David Rowan says that he doesn’t feel that he
has yet properly replaced Bermant. It’s just possible that he never will.
On the other hand is published by Vallentine
Mitchell.
Oliver Ralph
restaurant review
Caron Dias
The
White
House
The Link Magazine crew descended on a classic
Hendon restaurant for this edition’s restaurant
review. Caron Dias reports.
With new kosher eateries popping up all over
the Golders Green vicinity, the traditional
meat feast restaurant has had to provide
something a little special to keep ahead of the
game. And naming yourself The White House
brings with it a further set of expectations
about grandeur and power.
Hendon’s version of The White House might
not boast six stories and an impressive history
dating back centuries but over the years of its
existence it has established itself as a stalwart
of the Jewish dining out experience.
The problem with the ever-changing selection of kosher restaurants in Jewish London is
that sometimes the old-timers can get left
behind. Stuck in a rut of the way things have
always been done they actually end up getting
forgotten as thankfully the options available
widen.
But to the credit of the bosses at this
Hendon eaterie, both the menu and the décor
alike have stepped up to the challenge of
kosher diners’ expectations and when myself,
David, Matt and Lauren sat down to sample
the food we were not disappointed.
Despite the relatively small interior, there is
a good divide between the traditional takeaway section and the main restaurant which
is nice when you want to sit down for a relaxing meal. Clean and simple, the managers
have got the feel of this place spot on.
And the choice on offer is immense. With
all the usual suspects of any kosher restaurant
accompanied by a full selection of Thai cuisine it was some task just working out what
to order. But full credit to the menu’s creator
for deciding to branch out from the comfort
zone of “the traditional”.
We decided to try from both menus and
started with hoummus and falafel, memuleh
(pepper stuffed with rice and meat), Iraqi pita
bread, tod mun gai (lightly spiced chicken
cakes with a sweet peanut sauce) and The
White House mix (an arrangement of cold salads).
The portions were impressive and the
memuleh was so filling it could probably have
passed for a main course. David spent much of
the evening trying to guess the secret ingredients in the meat as he said it was “a great
combination of flavours with the meat that
made it a lovely eating experience.” And tastewise none of it disappointed. Jewish people
tend to think of themselves as connoisseurs of
the hoummous world and this large plate of
the spread lived up to expectations. Plus eaten
alongside the mammoth piece of Iraqi pita
bread it was genuinely delicious. To the credit
of our waitress, she advised us to try this
bread rather than the plain variety and she
did us proud.
The chicken cakes added a bit of variety to
the opening dishes and tasted authentic as
well as moist and flavoursome. We would definitely recommend giving them a go.
For the main course we ordered a Thai
green curry, crazy grill, steak in a wine sauce,
and tomtom vegetables (a low calorie option
of vegetables and boiled rice). Of course this
was all accompanied by a healthy portion of
chips and individual salads.
As a regular dabbler in Thai cuisine Matt
was ready to critique their version of a Thai
classic but he quickly gave the thumbs up to
this green curry. In his own words “it was
nicely spiced, the chicken was well cooked
and it tasted as good as any I’ve tried in a Thai
restaurant.”
And with enough meat on the crazy grill to
feed a small army, the dish could have been
written off as a case of quantity over quality,
but that wasn’t the case here. The meat –
including lamb and chicken shishlik, shwarma, steak, lamb chop and a hot dog – was
tasty, tender and full of flavour. Even four of
us couldn’t devour the full portion but for any
hungry carnivore this is a definite must.
The steak was cooked as asked and the
sauce elevated it from bland to really delicious
and the tomtom vegetables, while unable to
satisfy the meat hungry among the group,
really hit the spot for a light, healthy and
extremely tasty alternative.
Plus we all commented on how nice it was
to receive a small pot of salad each to have
with our meal. A real palette cleanser
amongst all the meat. As Lauren said “it’s a
really nice touch to have individual salads
to dip into during the meal.”
Suitably stuffed but unwilling to give up
just yet, we had a go at the chocolate cake
and deep fried bananas. It is hard for kosher
restaurants to really impress a sweet tooth
without the dairy element, but the cake
provided a good blend of rich and sweet
and the bananas were just the right side of
indulgent to be enjoyable without feeling
guilty.
The presentation throughout was
absolutely exemplary and the service was
attentive and caring.
And while none of it was exactly cheap
the price has to be forgiven to some extent
as the unfortunate side of kosher dining.
With starters ranging in price from £2.50 to
£7.50 and main courses costing anything up
to £22, you’ll need to be prepared to part
with the cash on a visit here. But the good
thing is, in our opinion, this really is money
well spent.
Caron Dias
inspiring
sharing
enjoying
respecting
giving
cherishing
caring
providing
staying at nightingale
Nightingale is the perfect place for a
short stay visit for older members of the
community, whether recovering from
surgery, giving a carer a break or just
wanting to enjoy a rest, Nightingale
welcomes guests for one week to one
month.
Its facilities include a caf, synagogue,
hair saloon and beautiful landscaped
gardens. It also boasts a wide range of
activities and an Arts & Crafts Centre.
The Home is able to offer the very best
in on-site medical and care services Ð
meaning that it is able to truly provide
peace of mind, excellent care and a
comforting break.
Call Cathy Buckingham on
020 8673 3495 for further information
and details of special offers.
105 Nightingale Lane, London SW12 8NB www.nightingalehouse.org.uk Registered Charity No. 207316
theatre review
David Onnie
“The hills are aloud with the sound of music” but what was the show really like and how does it
measure up to the film? David Onnie muses on an evening watching Maria and the Von Trapp
children perform on the stage at the London Palladium
The Sound of
Music
.Just in case anyone has still not seen the film version (or even read the book!) here’s a brief plot synopsis – Maria is failing in her attempts to become a
nun and is given the job of governess looking after
retired naval Captain Georg Von Trapp’s seven children. The household has been run with a strict,
discipline without laughter, love or music ever
since the Captain’s wife died. Maria’s kindness
and understanding, together with the re-introduction of music in to the house, captures the
love of the children and the Captain. The
Captain’s fiancée calls off their engagement
and he then marries Maria. The union of
“Uncle” Max is too smooth and whilst he is
perhaps meant to exude a slimy Nazi collaborating, appeasing character, he did have a certain warmth (towards the children) and
earnestness in the film which is missing on
stage. The Baroness Shraeder (the Captain’s
fiancée) is given one or two cutting one liners
from the film but is again bland – in the film
she is far more polished, slinky and glamorous
and her tone is positively glacial.
Unfortunately, she is reduced to a bit part
in the show whereas her film role is rather
more integral as she plays out a variety of
scenes with the Captain and Maria. Ah, the
Captain, played dashingly in the film by
Christopher Plummer – a complex character
whose heart is melted by Maria.
Unfortunately, the Captain fails to deliver
anything but a wooden performance on stage
which is actually more akin to a puppet. And
“..without Maria’s buoyant
performance this show would be
sinking quicker than the Bismarck
battleship..”
Austria and Nazi Germany takes place and
the Captain is ordered to report for active
duty in the German navy forcing the Von
Trapp family to escape over the mountains to
Switzerland.
So how do you review the stage version of a
film which has been dubbed the best ever?
Well, just as the song “Do Re Mi” recommends, let’s start at the very beginning (a very
good place to start) (I bet a fair number of you
are starting to hum the tune at this point!).
The sets on stage are superb from the outset, mixing the rather solemn, dark, greyish
walls of the convent where Maria finds life to
be restrictive and unfulfilling, compared to
the more joyful, unrestrictive open spaces of
the mountains represented by an enormous
tilting grassy mount (the hydraulics on that
set must be substantial !). The palatial Von
Trapp residence is also cleverly constructed
with different permutations for the
exterior/interior parts of the house and it is
of course in and about the house that most
of the story is set.
The similarities between Maria’s disciplined,
restrictive life in the convent, without singing
or laughter and the life which the seven
unhappy Von Trapp children live in the disciplined, joyless Von Trapp residence have translated seamlessly from the film to the stage
and are quickly highlighted by the initial
meeting between Maria and the Von Trapp
family. So far so good then in this production.
The show then launches into the familiar
and well loved songs – “Sixteen Going on
Seventeen”, “My Favourite Things”, “Do Re
Mi”, “The Lonely Goatherd”, “So Long
Farewell” and (ultimately) “Edelweiss”, inter-
spersed with a few other lesser known songs.
Summer Strallen as Maria, and the seven children, sing their songs with gusto and spirit
and the choreography is neat and well executed. In particular, Summer Strallen plays her
role with feeling and energy although occasionally the portrayal of Maria’s rough edges
(call it her goofiness for want of a better
word) was a little forced and unnatural.
Now, whilst Maria’s part is obviously central to the whole show (together with the
children) the supporting cast is er, um, the
supporting cast. To “support” is to aid, or to
keep from sinking and I’m not sure that they
do their job – without Maria’s buoyant performance this show would be sinking quicker
than the Bismarck battleship. Yes, it’s not
easy to introduce and grow the characters of
all the supporting cast within the confines of
a couple of hours (as opposed to three hours
in the film) but they all appear in a bit of a
rush and it’s a bit disjointed after the interval. It’s as if the show’s producers are merely
nodding deferentially to the fact that the
supporting cast in the show did exist (they
actually did more than that). Rolfe the post
boy is weedy and certainly not the sturdy,
Aryan type from the film (okay, he’s blondeish but that’s about it) – indeed, if Liesl,
whilst singing “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”,
really means she needs someone “older and
wiser” then they need to re-cast Rolfe or have
a word with the casting director. Rolfe and
Liesl’s charming dance in the film (on the
benches in the garden pavilion) is also cut to
a fairly graceless, skimpy performance – the
maxim “If in doubt leave it out” obviously
wasn’t applied here.
do you remember the scene half way through
the film where the Captain sings “Edelweiss”
with the children and you watch Maria fall in
love with him there and then ? Yes ? Well,
they cut it from the stage show. Unbelievable !
This is meant to be the Captain’s moment,
singing a very tender song to his children, the
moment where the transformation from harsh
Captain to loving father occurs. You have to
wait until the very end of the show to hear
the Von Trapp family sing “Edelweiss” at the
Saltzburg Festival scene ! And it was, well, horrible. Not only was it sung weakly, there is no
spark between the Captain and Maria (an
absence which runs through all of the scenes
these two play together).
So there you have it – did I enjoy the show?
Absolutely !! Forget about the supporting cast,
go and see for yourself and sing along with
Maria and the children. Yes, you can’t help
but compare it to the film version but the
songs are immortal, and let’s face it, if you
don’t like Maria and the children in the show
then, I give in, it’s really not for you. So long,
farewell, auf wiedersehen to you!
David Onnie
Daniella Lerner chats with Link’s editor, David Onnie, about her life and struggles which she has
written about in her soon-to-be published book, Four More Tears. It charts her journey from living in
Kenton to Bournemouth, Hove to Elstree, growing up from a teenager to mother, her first loves,
relationship with family, and husband Martin. Central to the book is their struggle to conceive, the
birth of quintuplets and loss of their baby sons, the joy of their daughters, and the question of faith.
Four More
Tears
I’ve met Daniella and Martin Lerner before, many times in
fact. I am also a friend of members of Martin’s family. And
yes, I knew about their loss of four out of five quintuplets
and I also knew that as husband and wife, they have had a
few difficulties. But when do you really know about
something ? I mean by “know”, understand.
Unless you have the misfortune to experience
these things yourself you never actually
“know”, you never understand or appreciate
no matter what you may think. The closest
you will come to “knowing”, without experiencing, is reading various passages of this, at
times, bitter-sweet but harrowing book. In fact
I challenge anyone not to pause, think and
learn a little lesson in life. This book is not
intended to be an erudite, suave exercise in
literature and has no intellectual objective – it
is raw, very raw, in parts and there is very little of Daniella’s pain and turmoil which is not
transferred on to the book’s pages.
I agreed to meet Daniella at her home. As I
drove up to the house one warm evening in
July, a particularly emotive paragraph from the
book churned over in my mind, the part where
Daniella says goodbye to baby Benjamin : “I left
him his teddy to take with him when they
came to take him to his brothers and after that
another prayer never passed my lips” . My concerns as to how I was going to ask questions
about her painful experiences were swiftly
allayed – Daniella, looking relaxed in a sun
dress, says she believes in being open and doesn’t believe in maintaining a stoic silence as may
have been expected a generation or two ago.
She doesn’t look 45 and when I tell her this she
smiles but takes the compliment seriously – she
responds that she doesn’t like giving in to anything, including the ageing process and when
you’ve read the book and listened to her talk,
you can understand why.
Q
There’s a persistent theme running
through the book of drive pitched against your
struggles. The feeling is that even without the
adversity and obstacles which you have faced,
you would have found a challenge on your
own to tackle and overcome. Would you therefore describe yourself as having a naturally
determined and pro-active streak?
A
I think that I was probably always
pro active and driven as a person, but had not
had reason to use my determination. It was
only as a result of all that happened to me
that I found the determination and resolve to
deal with those things.
Q
As a teenager you fought to have the
right to choose to go out with Martin (“Nobody
was going to tell me I couldn’t have something
unless I didn’t want it too, and at that
moment I wanted a relationship”). Looking
back do you think this was a typical teenage
response to parents or do you think that this
was your determined character revealing itself
at a relatively early age ?
A
Teenagers as a general rule do not
like to be told what to do, so there was an element of the naturally stroppy teenager syndrome, however I think that I probably was
more determined than most to prove my
point, revealing the strength of my character
even as a young girl.
Q
You make reference to your father
early in the book (“I adored my father in a
way that I could feel it in my chest when I
thought about him”) but not to your mother
until Chapter 9 where you mention a need
for her after suffering an ectopic pregnancy
in 1986. Was it the case that you shared
more with your sister, Stephanie, with whom
you were obviously extremely close to, than
your mother?
A
A mother daughter relationship
tends to strengthen with time. I had a lovely
relationship with my mum but it was “delightfully ordinary”. The relationship with my dad
was also a stereotypical father daughter rapport, and as for Stephanie (and of course
Joanne) , well they just completed the picture.
Q
In 1985 you decided to move away
from Hove to create a change . Why did you
choose to move to Elstree and Borehamwood ?
Indeed, you’ve moved houses a few times in
the area – how much of this process can be
ascribed to needing a change of scenery, perhaps to try and move on psychologically after
the various traumas ?
A
We met Rabbi Plancey at a wedding
and he persuaded us to look at Elstree and
Borehamwood. Life in Hove was not working
out so it seemed like a good idea. The community at the time was much smaller and we
loved both the area and the people. Yes we
have moved around the area several times, but
this was more to accommodate a growing family than any psychological reason.
Q
Your attempts to become pregnant
coincided in part with the surge in the growth
of the Elstree and Borehamwood Jewish
Community. Did you feel part of the
Community during this period or did you purposefully shut yourself away to avoid having to
deal with what must have been a succession of
announcements of births in the Community ?
A
I have never been a regular shul
goer but Rabbi and Miriam were amazing to
us during those times and Martin actually
found much comfort in going to shul. Socially
we established our closest friendships through
the shul and I never really felt as though I
were hiding away.
Q
On the issue of “faith” again, there
is clearly a conflict within you after the boys
had died – in the book you recount lighting
the Shabbat candles for the first time as a
mother but simultaneously searched your soul
to try and find a place for your belief. Since
that incredibly low point have you managed to
find an answer to your question, “Is it guilt
that keeps us believing in G-d, or is it blind
faith ?”, or are you still searching for an
answer which you are happy to accept and feel
comfortable with ?
A
I had been brought up in a traditional home and my mum as a Sephardi was
and still is quite spiritual, with very strong
beliefs. So I do think that I had always considered myself to be quite an intrinsically spiritual person. I don`t think my desire to become
pregnant had any bearing to that person
although I am sure I prayed more at the time!
Q
When your then Doctor Gayle first
prescribed a course of fertility drugs you say
your “faith was strong and so I believed that if
I prayed hard enough and continued to do all
things that made me a good person, then by
the grace of G-d I would finally become pregnant”. And in 1988 when you embarked upon
the GIFT fertility treatment you say “..whatever
happened next was in the hands of G-d”. At
that time would you have described yourself as
a “traditional modern secular Jew” (if there is
just such a definition) or did your desire to
become pregnant invoke a much more spiritual side to you ?
A
This is a difficult question for me to
answer because I suppose I am still searching, I
am sure though that this can be said of many
people. I really want to believe in a higher
power, but I have become quite a cynic. I do
believe that life is what you make it and every-
one has a choice, but I also believe in being in
the right or wrong place at the right or wrong
time, and who or what determines that! As you
can see I`m still searching!
Q
Another constant theme throughout
the book is one of “control”, whether it be the
control that success gives, controlling the fertility process, the giving of control to Martin when
organising a Bat Chayil in Israel, or to regain a
sense of normality by driving your convertible
Ford Escort (ie the control which driving gives).
You also mention that “control” was “one of
Martin’s spots”. Is it an accurate perception that
arguably perhaps both you and Martin are each
very determined, assertive people, driven to succeed ?
A
Yes we are both determined and driven, although control for me was directed at me.
I didn`t and still don`t like to be dependent on
others. I need to control my actions and feel as
though my destiny is controlled by the things
that I choose to do. Martin`s “spot” as I call it is
about the way he controls situations and people
around him, and there lies the difference.
Q
What lies ahead in terms of new challenges ? Do you think you’ll be able to achieve
new goals without being faced with adversity ?
A
Everyone should have a goal or a
challenge; I think it helps to better them. As for
my future, as my girls grow up I think it is my
turn to show the world what I am capable of
and I would like to use my experiences to help
other people reach their goals, by sharing some
of the strategies that I have used to help me
through the bad times, and hopefully be able to
motivate people to understand that “bad things
happen” but there is always an end to everything and that life continues no matter what.
The challenge for me and for everyone is how
you deal with the hand that you have been
dealt.
Q
What advice would you give to both
men and women who are striving to start a
family but are encountering fertility issues ?
Would you advise them to have “faith” and, if
so, in what ?
A
Faith is important of course, but
sometimes divine intervention is not enough
and we have to help it along a little. Hope is
something that should never be given up. If you
are getting to the point where you feel that you
have tried all the conventional methods stop at
nothing to get the help you need elsewhere.
There are so many more avenues now then
there were twenty years ago, but mother nature
always has the last say and this is something
that doctors and people can`t change. However
I do feel that not only should you have faith in
G-d but just as importantly you should have
faith in yourself.
Daniella Lerner
CST and its volunteers work tirelessly to protect our communities, buildings and students
from ever-present threats.
CST and the Jewish
Community
Government making an unprecedented commitment to work with CST and other communal
groups to combat antisemitic hatred.
Police co-operation with CST security teams is
excellent and we look forward to further co-operation and partnership in the coming year.
On Campus Unfortunately this year has seen a
continued increase in antisemitic rhetoric and
incidents on university and further education
campuses. This has happened in an atmosphere
of increasing anti-Israel hatred that has left many
Jewish students, and their parents, nervous about
physical safety and the preservation of basic
Jewish rights on campus.
CST is committed to ensuring that Jewish students are free from political intimidation and
that they are safe and secure as they go about
their daily life. We will continue working closely
with the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), local
Police, university authorities and campus security
to make sure that all incidents are investigated
fully, and that Jewish students can have pride in
their identity.
Streetwise
Security issues are sadly a feature of modern life, but this should
not prevent us from living our lives as we choose. This is why CST
works throughout the year, ensuring that our community can openly enjoy its Jewish way of life with pride and safety. Rosh Hashanah
is a high point in our Jewish calendar and CST
looks forward to being with our community at
this important time. Security Enhancement
CST’s work takes place at hundreds of communal buildings throughout the UK. Working in
partnership with local communities and organisations, CST has installed a range of physical
security measures such as shatterproof films on
windows across our buildings.
Combating Antisemitism
All of society is threatened by the recent escalation of antisemitic incidents and rhetoric.
Antisemitism warns us all of deep problems and
fears within society. CST is dedicated to building
partnerships within, and beyond, the Jewish
community to help reduce antisemitism, prejudice, division and extremism. CST is working
with politicians and Police to educate about
antisemitism and the dangers it poses.
Crucially, the 2006 All-Party arliamentary
Inquiry into Antisemitism resulted in the
CST joined forces with Maccabi GB in 2005 to create Streetwise. We work with Jewish schools and
community organisations, enhancing the personal safety and personal development of young
Jewish people to support their physical, and emotional wellbeing. Streetwise embraces all Jewish
youth regardless of their religious, political or
social outlook and has been warmly praised by
education authorities. Phone us on 020 8457 2331
to book a course. www.streetwisegb.org
Vote of Thanks
CST’s work would not be possible without our
personnel, the support of their families, and the
partnership of our community. Throughout the
year CST works alongside hundreds of communal
organisations and their volunteers. We sincerely
thank them for their support and partnership in
our work. CST would also like to warmly thank
our network of over three thousand trained volunteers across the UK who give their time to protecting our community in all circumstances. In
particular, CST also thanks the partners and
families of all our personnel, for supporting
them in this work.
What impression does Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue make on its new members? Marc Shoffman
describes his first few months in the community,
New Kids on the
Block
There a three main areas to address when getting married, the wedding day, the honeymoon and finally- and possibly most importantlywhere will you live.
Growing up in Edgware, Borehamwood and Elstree was always a
place up the road where my posher friends
lived, the entrance to the countryside with little to do except a bowling alley and cinema
where the seats were glued together with
pieces of popcorn.
However the area has improved remarkably
in the six years that I have been courting with
my now wife Danielle, an Elstree native. The
bowling alley is now a bingo hall and the cinema is now un-Reel (excuse the pun) and you
no longer have to walk two miles in the snow
to find kosher food.
But it is not just the local attractions and
amenities that make the area so attractive for
a young Jewish couple. Having moved into our
marital home in late May, Danielle and I have
been astounded by the welcome we have
received at Borehamwood and Elstree
Synagogue.
I was raised in a Reform community in
Edgware and often quaffed at the thought of
Orthodoxy, why would Judaism emphasise the
importance and sanctity of marriage and then
separate men and women in synagogue, what
is the point in conducting a service predominantly in Hebrew a language that not many
people can read let alone understand?
So it was with great trepidation that I
agreed with Danielle to purchase a flat in
Elstree and join the United Synagogue, where
she was born and bred.
My initial visits in the lead up to our wedding left me wondering if this is really the
right place for me. The constant chatter, the
children running around searching for the
sweetie man were all slightly off putting to
someone who was more used to the peace and
serenity of a reform congregation. But as my
father in law once pointed out, the only reason that reform synagogues are so quiet is
because the men sit next to their wives and
have nothing to talk about, but in the United
Synagogue you can catch up with your mates.
It was during our first visit to the shul as a
married couple that I began to understand
what he was talking about. Danielle and I
were warmly welcomed into the “young and
married” area and people were eager to welcome us to Elstree, although Danielle has in
fact been here all her life, and invites for
Shabbat lunch and dinner have come flying
in.
I used to go to my Reform synagogue and
be afraid to talk to other younger members,
happier with the comfort zone of sitting with
my family. But having to walk into
Borehamwood and Elstree synagogue without
my mum or dad holding my hand, I have found
the outstretched arm of a supportive and caring
community.
The best example of this that I have seen so
far is my wife’s grandfather who is also a member. He sits next to a gentleman who has trouble walking and as soon as her granddad sees
the man arrive he rushes up to him, tallit in
hand and shows him to his seat. While I am
sure this also happens in the Reform movement, it is nice to know how much you can rely
on the kindness of strangers here.
I am not saying there is anything wrong with
the Reform movement. In fact, there is a lot
both can learn from each other. I find the
United Synagogue service far more tuneful but
it would be nice to hear a page number occasionally for those not so acquainted with the
service and a bit of decorum would be at least
respectful for the bar mitzvah boy trembling on
the bimah or the proud father singing Aishet
Chayil.
But I have also come to realise that the noise
and atmosphere at the shul is part of the sense
of community that has been so well established
here. If you look at any row in the synagogue
on any festival or Shabbat there are journalists,
bankers, accountants, lawyers and community
activists, there is a lot to talk about!
It is often said that the wife is always right,
so hopefully Danielle wont read this, because
on this occasion I have to admit that she was
correct to want to live here. Just don’t tell her
I said that.
Marc Shoffman
Stephen Levey, the Shabbaton Choir and the Chief Rabbi re-create the Band-Aid recording of 1985
Oseh Shalom Comes
To Life
It was early one Sunday morning that my mobile phone began to
ring,
“Stephen!” said the Chief Rabbi, “I want to make a film to accompany my CD. What do you think? What if we were to make a film of
your new Oseh Shalom?”
“That sounds amazing!” I said
“Stephen, if we did this, how would you
envisage doing it?”
I needed to think quickly. A few weeks earlier, the Shabbaton Choir, Lionel Rosenfeld,
Shimon Craimer and Jonny Turgel had been in
the recording studio, recording two songs for
the Chief Rabbi’s Home of Hope CD - “When
You Believe” from the ‘Prince of Egypt’ and
‘Hatikva’. But this recording studio was no ordinary studio – it was the same studio in which
Bob Geldof & friends had recorded “Do They
Know Its Christmas” - the famous Bandaid
song; the same studio where Led Zeppelin had
recorded “Stairway to Heaven”, the studio that
has as a centre piece the piano played by
Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody”. It is
a veritable Aladdin’s cave of pop memorabilia,
owned by Trevor Horn, one of the great producers in the music industry today.
“Let’s make it like Bandaid,” I said, “Oseh
Shalom has a universal message of peace. If
everyone singing is passionate about what they
are doing then the message of peace will come
across.”
“And if we could get Trevor Horn to produce it in his studio, then this would be a
good idea?” he asked
“A good idea??” I said, somewhat dazed, “It
would be incredible.”
“Then leave it with me.”
Trevor Horn kindly agreed to produce the
song and allow us the use of his studio and
engineers. Adam Cohen (brother of Judith
Freedman) agreed to produce the movie. I had
to rearrange the music to take into account
that this was a film and not just an audio
recording. The film would feature Jonny
Turgel, Shimon Craimer, Lionel Rosenfeld, and
the Shabbaton Choir. In addition, I wanted a
children’s choir involved. I was invited to the
Moriah Jewish Day School to listen to their
school choir and can honestly say that I was
bowled over not only by the choir but also the
school. Clearly, this is a very musical school
thanks to their music department, their teachers and also to the talents of their headmaster
Alan Shaw. Alan said he would teach Oseh
Shalom to the school choir and I would come
into the school for some rehearsals.
We also needed to make a backing track for
the recording. Trevor Horn very kindly provided the session musicians and actually played
bass guitar himself. All was now prepared for
the big day. All we needed to do was to find a
suitable date. Eventually we settled on 30th
April. Shimon would fly in from New York for
24 hours and the whole day would rely upon
everyone being where they should be (and
being able to sing) on the day.
The session began at 1.30pm. We spent the
first part of the day recording the soloists. The
Moriah Choir then arrived and we recorded
their part of the song. They were absolutely
fantastic and sung beautifully. The Shabbaton
Choir and the Chief Rabbi then arrived. The
choir included a number of Borehamwoodies Simon Stone, Richard Steel, Neville Levy,
Maurice Black and Daniel Finn. Mark Sacofsky
was unfortunately unable to be there on the
night. We recorded until 9.30 when the session
ended. It was an amazing day if not a little tiring!
Now the work really began. The audio track
had to be properly mixed and thanks to
Trevor Horn and the sound engineer, a
remarkable audio track was produced. Adam
Cohen had to condense 8 hours of film recording into just under 4 minutes. He did an
incredible job and together with the sound
engineer, put the film and audio tracks
together to create Oseh Shalom – The Movie.
If you have not done so already, please visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVM6x4Bech
I
Keep a look out for Freddie Mercury’s piano!
I do hope you enjoy it!
Stephen Levey
The Cukier Report, by David Cukier
A British
Taste of
Israel
In today’s world of the internet, the global economy and the era of
low cost travel, there is neither reason nor lack of opportunity to
experience all the religious and cultural experiences that Israel has
offer.
David Cukier
For the many in the Borehamwood and
Elstree community and more widely in the
British Jewish community who actively follow
Israel, our primary encounter with Israel is
through the daily barrage of the world’s news
media. Whether such exposure is favourable or
unfavourable, the balance can often be distorted. It is all too easy to overlook the many ways
in which one can access Israel related activities
in a positive way, and which allows us to enjoy
a broader experience of Israel. This can go some
way to offset the negative portrayal that the
world’s media can give Israel, and allow reflection of a more balanced view of what Israel has
to offer.
With a multimedia pc, Israel is accessible
from the comfort of one’s armchair. One can
taste a wide diet of religious, cultural and political activities and enjoy an Israel landscape of
pastimes served up on the world wide web.
I have to admit that I tend to spend a considerable amount of time getting up to date with
Israeli political news from the three main
English internet edition Israeli newspapers,
Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, and Yedioth
(Ynetnews). It is not just a matter of news, but
events in sport and culture, including reading
the weekend supplements, which are always
interesting for their breadth of subject matter.
Such reading in my case inevitably leads to the
talk back or blog columns where the supporters
of Israel and its severest critics argue the rights
and wrongs of political developments. In these
columns it is important to be armed with the
facts of the case http://www.dailyalert.org/ and
http://www.beyondimages.info. Even the
Guardian newspaper online has a very active
and controversial column called Comment is
Free Middle East,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/middleeast.
If you enjoy listening to Israeli pop music as
I do, then the internet is a positive minefield
for a great variety of music and artists. “You
Tube” has an incredible selection of Israeli
artists both western and Eastern styles. One
can also pick up radio and TV broadcasts on
the net at http://www.iba.org.il/. My own personal favourite venture into the weekly pop
charts is www.Israehour.com with its downloadable podcasts . There are English language
TV news broadcasts and many light entertainment TV shows which anybody with a smattering of Hebrew can enjoy, An easy access point
for over 50 Israeli internet radio stations is by
down loading an Israeli radio toolbar from
http://israelradio.lihi.co.il /. Likewise you won’t
be surprised to learn that not only can you
learn Hebrew by attending one of the many ZF
and other evening classes around London, but
also online direct from Israel with an international class of students by video cam at
http://www.hebrewonline.com/default.asp . So
the web opportunities are endless.
Alternatively for those seeking a more active
participation in events, London has a lot to
offer for both youth and adults alike. One hardly need mention the different Israel centred
youth groups that exist from Bnei Akiva to
Habonim Dror to Hanoar Hatzioni, Zionist
Federation etc.
Likewise, there are any number of Israel
focussed charitable committees that exist in
the UK, from the more established ones like the
JNF, UJIA, WIZO, etc which all hold charity
functions or sports participation events e.g
“JNF walk for water, Norwood Israel challenge
cycle rides etc. Or there are the more specialised charities, e.g. Friends of the different
Israeli Universities, Hospitals, or Emergency
Services like Magen David Adom, ZAKA and
One Family, and then organisations to help
the poor, and deprived, such as Meir Panim
or,Yad Sarah, to name a few.
In July, our daughter took part in an exciting
“It’s a knockout” competition for kids organised by ‘One Family’. It rained incessantly, “par
for the course”, but the atmosphere was amazing which made up for the poor weather. Our
eldest son was also fortunate enough to go on a
two week trip to Israel over Shavout and Yom
Yerushalayim with JFS run in conjunction with
the UJIA, travelling all across the Gallil and
onto Jerusalem. He enjoyed a unique learning
experience visiting the development town of
Shlomi in the north, clearing a forest area
around the Kinneret, working in a soup kitches, an orphanage, and visiting the many religious and historical sites in and around
Jerusalem. They even managed a trip to
Massada followed by swimming in the Dead
Sea, which is a change from Eilat or the Tel
Aviv beach. See below for the Borehamwood
Israel experience 2008.
In my last article, I mentioned the high quality of the Israeli cinema today with many
Israeli films winning top awards. Esti and I
have seen two particularly diverse Israeli films
in the past few months. ‘Noodles’ told an
unusual tale of a small Chinese Boy who spoke
no Hebrew. He had been separated from his
mother who had been deported back to China
for working illegally as a cleaning lady in
Israel. A great story line with superb acting all
round. Another more sober film was ‘Beaufort’
which movingly portrayed a platoon of Israeli
soldiers outposted on one of the highest points
in Southern Lebanon, a crusader built castle
called Beaufort Castle. The seriously isolated
soldiers were subjected to a continuous stream
of deadly artillery and missile attacks from the
surrounding militant groups, prior to their
withdrawal from Lebanon in the year 2000. It
vividly portrays the terror engendered by such
random attacks and leads one to imagine what
it must be like for unprotected civilians in
Sderot today. Look out for this annual event
presented by the London Jewish Film Festival
and the Israeli Film Showcase, normally
screened November and spring.
My own sporting prowess never led me to
being part of a Maccabi team or attending the
Maccabiah games. However, since spending a
year in Israel , I have always enjoyed ‘Rikudei
Am’/Israeli Folk Dancing’. The days when it
was full of halutzniks dancing the hora in a
circle to pioneering folk songs have long since
disappeared, and today the music and dance
steps are very up to date, and more complex .
There are now more than half a dozen classes
in North London alone on most nights of the
week http://israelidancing.info/classuk.html . It
can be physically beneficial, mood lifting and
socially enjoyable. See if you can spot a familiar face (in the picture below) at one of the
open-air summer dance sessions in Hendon
Park on Sunday afternoons.
“It is all too easy to
overlook the many
ways in which one
can access Israel
related activities in
a positive way”
As keen followers of Israeli music, we have
enjoyed a number of Israeli pop artists who
have come over to London to give concerts.
The ZF and the JNF have all promoted and
staged concerts in London with some of the
biggest stars that Israel has to offer. This year at
the 60th anniversary celebrations, we were
lucky enough to see Sarit Hadad, Idan Raichel
Project, Achinoam Nini, all top musicians. For
followers of Rap, a big group Subliminal/Tact
were in town, organised by J-events, for the
younger crowd.
2008 has been a really special and eventful
year for celebration. In May there was a huge
Independence Day celebration at the Wembley
Arena, where the whole family participated in
a big party to commemorate Israel’s 60th birthday. That was followed in June by a “Salute to
Israel” marching parade, from Green Park to
Piccadilly followed by concert in Trafalgar
Square. The family took coach transport from
Meadow Park in Borehamwood, travelling into
the West End and celebrating in style and with
considerable pride as we marched through the
centre of London, flying our Israeli flags and
Union Jacks, whilst waving to all the assembled
crowds of supporters.
I am often surprised how Israel now plays
such a big part in our everyday lives as British
Jews, as if it has always been there, and been
such an influence. Yet the reality is different.
Whether it is pride in going to Tesco and seeing shelves full of a wide variety of Israeli foods
not just in the kosher aisle, or the wide variety
of Israeli fruits and vegetables or when buying
such commonplace items such as Keter Israeli
garden furniture, one cannot be amazed at
Israeli export achievements. A good source for
this is by reading at the Israeli 21c site,
http://www.israel21c.net, of the many ways in
which Israel has contributed to world groundbreaking technology and medicine, to name
just two fields of human endeavour.
Just in case you thought I had missed access
to torah learning, it will also come as no surprise that the internet once again has plenty to
offer if you wish to look outside our own community. It is difficult to recommend any one
particular place as there are so many options.
However, as a starting point for those new to
the internet resources, I would point you to a
directory of sites called
http://www.mavensearch.com , and two others,
mainly for beginners http://www.aish.edu , and
http://ohr.edu . If you feel a desire to see a live
webcam of the Kotel (western wall) and the
tunnels in Jerusalem, then go to: http://english.thekotel.org/cameras.asp for a really good
view!
To summarise, if this whistle stop tour has
whetted your appetite in any way and you feel
you could get more involved, or perhaps you
want to learn and experience more of Israel,
then I would recommend Borehamwood’s own
Shul Israel trip called “BES Israel Experience” ,
led by our own Rabbi Brawer. It takes place
between 23rd and 30th November 2008.
Details may be obtained from the shul office
or http://www.borehamwoodshul.org/savethedate . I’m sure its gonna be great !.
David Cukier
©Tom McVemar. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
With the economy heading downhill and job losses
mounting, Diana Errington explains how the Employment Resource Centre can help Jewish people get back
into work.
Job losses are the
tip of the iceberg!
“Job Market getting tougher”, “More competition than ever for jobs”,
and “Uncertainty in the economy affects job prospects” are just
some of the headlines in today’s media. Lately it’s become obvious
that jobs are no longer for life. This has meant that people have found
themselves looking for work in a job market they
don’t fully understand, requiring 21st century
skills they often don’t know how to access. What
a bewildering and stressful experience this can
be, not only for the unemployed individuals
themselves, but also for their families!
I am proud to be associated with a service providing support and guidance for anyone in this
predicament. The Employment Resource Centre,
(ERC), founded in 1992, and now an independent
registered charity, has helped over 7000 Jewish
people back into employment.
Initially I was an advisor, but for the past few
years I’ve been a trainer, running seminars on all
aspects of job search, including interview techniques. It’s been an ideal complement to my university personnel management teaching and
placement roles and I really enjoy being part of
such a dedicated team.
Based in East Finchley, the Centre is supported
by voluntary contributions and was established to
help unemployed, work-ready Jewish people get
back to work speedily, efficiently and effectively.
The ERC is not an employment agency; it is a
service giving clients skills to improve their
chances of finding work and to learn how to network. In the words of the ancient proverb “If you
give a man a fish you feed him for a day, if you
teach him how to fish then you feed him for life.”
At the ERC we literally teach people how to
fish….for jobs!
Clients come from a wide variety of backgrounds; including school leavers, university graduates, all levels of office and retail workers, those
in management and the professionally qualified.
The ERC also helps women and carers returning
to work after raising families or caring for relatives, or perhaps following separation or divorce,
as well as people newly arrived from abroad who
are eligible to work in the UK.
Skilled advisors and trainers ensure CVs are
presented in the best possible way to help ‘get a
foot in the door’ and be invited to attend those
elusive interviews. Then clients are prepared with
mock interview sessions which can be recorded
for constructive feedback to finely tune their
skills, so that they are guaranteed to give of their
best on the day. Recently the ERC responded to
the need to help with application forms and also
to improve telephone techniques by introducing
new seminars which I run regularly.
Those wishing to start their own business, need
basic computer skills, or don’t know what career
to follow can all be helped by other specialists at
the ERC. In addition there is a Networking
Department that builds strong relationships with
interested employers who wish to flag up internships, work experience and ultimately job opportunities.
None of this could be achieved without the
tremendous support the ERC receives from its volunteers. All the advisors, who come from a wide
range of professional and business backgrounds
which include management, sales and marketing,
administration in industry and commerce and
the voluntary sector, give their time voluntarily.
In fact, if you were to calculate the equivalent on
the open market, including the volunteer computer trainers, mentors and admin volunteers,
you would see that they save the ERC well over
£250,000 per year!
At a time of great stress and uncertainty, the
ERC’s confidential service provides a firm foundation for clients, offering an invaluable resource to
the Jewish community. The atmosphere at the
Centre is warm and friendly, and there’s a useful
library, as well as computer and telephone access,
not to mention tea and coffee on the go all day!
We take particular pride that the service is free
at the point of delivery when clients most need
our help. However, to ensure that clients receive
up-to-date advice and support for today’s job market and, despite our dedicated volunteers supporting our professional staff and trainers, it still costs
over £500 to help each client through the service.
So that the service continues, fundraising has to
take place on an on-going basis.
The ERC is always interested in hearing from
prospective skilled volunteers to assist the organisation’s growing number of clients in today’s turbulent economy, either helping on a regular basis
at the Centre, or by becoming volunteer mentors
or networkers. If you or someone you know is
unemployed, Jewish, aged from 16 and eligible to
work in the UK, contact the ERC. If you want to
help by volunteering, offering networking contacts or fundraising, call Marilyn Kanter, ERC
Centre Manager, 020 8883 1000, or email [email protected] or go to our website
www.ercentre.org.
I’ve always enjoyed my work at the ERC and
feel passionate about the good that the Centre
achieves for the community. However, occasionally it’s disappointing to hear clients say
“I’d never heard of you before”, and “I wish
someone had told me about the ERC earlier”!
Perhaps you can help spread the word?
Diana Errington
The Tikvah Odessa project helps young people in Odessa.
Richard Kafton went to visit.
A Visit to Odessa
Our first knowledge of the Tikva Odessa Project occurred in March
2007, when our youngest daughter Dalia, at that stage a deputy head
girl at JFS, went on a pilot trip to Odessa with two fellow JFS pupils
and three JFS teachers. The object of the pilot trip was for JFS to
investigate whether they should develop an
annual visit to the Tikva Odessa Project by
their year 12 pupils so that British Jewish children would be able to appreciate the predicament of many Jewish communities overseas,
and particularly in Odessa, and how we in the
UK can help them in the future.
The Tikva Odessa Project started in 1993
when Rabbi Shmuel Baksth from Israel went
to Odessa on a whim to investigate whether
there was still a Jewish community in the city.
Odessa had been a thriving Jewish centre
before the Second World War, was one of the
bastions of Zionism, being the birthplace of
Jabotinsky, and had a world renowned
Yeshiva. However, the Jewish community
effectively disappeared during the war and
subsequently under the Communist regime of
the Soviet Union.
Rabbi Baksth put up some lamppost stickers
advertising a meeting for Jewish people in the
city and, to his surprise, some 200 attended!
He started Shabbat and weekday services,
which began to mushroom.
However, it soon became apparent to him
that in addition to the fact that the Jewish
population in the city was large, a more seri-
ous problem was beginning to be identified.
In the Ukraine as a whole, there are thousands of children wandering the street, either
orphaned or abandoned by their parents. It
became apparent that many of these children
were Jewish.
There is a dearth of State social security
help in the Ukraine and a very limited and
ineffectual State orphanage system. Rabbi
Baksth therefore resolved that at the same
time as he was trying to regenerate the Jewish
community in Odessa, he would also develop
a system for attracting, nurturing and saving
the abandoned Jewish children.
His initial funding requirements was supported by Ohr Sameach. However, when the
magnitude of the project became clear, Ohr
Sameach were not able to continue with their
funding in view of their other priorities.
Fortunately, Rabbi Baksth met Seth Gerzberg,
Mark Ecko and Marcie Tepper, who had just
set up the 'Ecko Unlimited' Sport Clothing
Company based in New York City. At that
stage in 1998, Ecko was struggling financially,
but the directors made a pledge that if and
when they became profitable they would
underwrite any shortfall in the Tikva Odessa
budget. Ecko Unlimited very quickly became
profitable and the directors started to take a
very active and financial interest in Tikva
Odessa.
At the same time, Seth Gerzberg introduced
his in-laws Sydney and Rose Faber of Golders
Green to the project and, following the Faber's
first visit to Odessa in 2003, the experience
changed their life and they set up and spearheaded their UK fund raising project under
the auspices of UK Friends of Tikva Odessa. It
was under the guidance and encouragement
of the Fabers that JFS sent out their pilot
investigative team in 2007, following which,
in her inimitable way, Dalia 'encouraged' us to
visit Odessa ourselves, which we did with the
Fabers and three other people between
Thursday 22nd and Sunday 25th May, where
we spent four astonishing days in an environment which has to be seen to be believed by
anybody who comes from the comfort of our
community in Borehamwood and Elstree.
The Tikva Odessa Project has developed into
a multi-million dollar organisation with a
budget of $12m per annum. The organisation
is now spearheaded by its London-born Chief
Executive, Raphael Kruskal, with Rabbi Baksth
as the Chief Rabbi of Odessa, and now operates the following institutions:
1. The Jewish University of Odessa
2. The Girls High School
3. The Boys High School
4. The Elementary School
5. Tairova Boys Home
6. ‘Chevron’ – Kosher Meat Restaurant
7. ‘Netanya’ – Kosher Milk Restaurant
8. The Infants School / Shevet Achim Infants
Home
9. Two kindergartens
10.‘Leah’s home’ – the girls home
The aims of the British friends of Odessa
can be summarised as follows:
1.To continue to promote the Tikva Odessa
Project.
2. To educate people in the UK about the
project.
3. To take people there, as 'seeing is believing'
4. To encourage people to contribute financially to the project
5. To create the dynamics in the UK for the
support of the organisation
6. To make UK children aware of the project; thus far JFS, Menorah High School
and Hasmonean have sent students to
Tikva Odessa
As far as the children in Odessa are concerned, they will either go on Aliyah or continue to support the renaissance of Jewish life
in their own Odessa and the rest of the
Ukraine as a whole.
For more information about how we in
Borehamwood & Elstree can help with this
wonderful project, contact Richard & Sorelle
Kafton on 020 89531727
Richard Kafton
©Jay Waldron. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
crunchiness and spicyness of a falafel but will
leave you with a rather soggy and sour tasting
pita.
Taste **
Dipability **
Falafel ****
Pita *
Hummasia with Piquant Sauce
This style really suffers from some bad PR.
Hummusia with Piquant Sauce doesn’t look
very appetising but is a welcome surprise.
“Not quite a vindaloo” was one response, possibly referring to the dip’s spiciness and not a
desire to spend hours on the toilet afterwards.
Its “heavier” texture and “nice” taste, as some
Link staff so aptly put it, makes it ideal for
use with a falafel in pita and as a hefty dip.
Taste *****
Dipability ****
Falafel ****
Pita ****
Yarden Prestige with Zaatar and
olive oil
Hummous is hummous. Right? Wrong. With the chickpeabased snack taking an ever larger space in the chiller cabinet of your local deli, we decided to sort the real deals from
the pale imitations.
Taste Test:
Hummous
Hummous is the Jewish answer to ketchup. An ideal accompaniment or even the central aspect to a snack or meal. But which type
of Hummous is king of the chickpeas? Link’s editorial staff aimed
to find out.
The staff here at Link HQ became concerned
last month when it transpired that we would
be doing a Hamas taste test for the next issue.
Personally I have always found Islamic fundamentalists a bit tough and lacking in any real
substance. But it turns out we were actually
supposed to review different types of
Hummous and in the editor’s chickpea filled
excitement he had stained his notes with the
popular Yiddisha dip.
Mezze Lebanese
On sight Lebanese hummous looks very
attractive, a sprinkling of paprika and parsley
makes it a feast for the eyes and creates
excitement for the taste buds. But we were
left rather shocked once we began tasting, “a
bit of a tang” was one response, while other
tasters described it as “bland” and “vinegary.”
This dip is an ideal accompaniment to the
If you call yourself prestige then there is
surely an expectation that you are going to
have some sort of high quality taste. But Link
Staff refused any opportunity to double dip
with this one, “not a clean taste” was one
response, while another taster described it as
“detergent.”
Taste *
Dipability *
Falafel **
Pitta *
Hummasia with Tehina
Goldilocks and the Three Bears would highly approve of this one. According to Link staff
it was “not too light,” “not too heavy,” but
“just right.” Compliments were paid to its texture, taste, presentation and potential for use
with pita, falafel and as a dip.
Taste *****
Dipability *****
Falafel *****
Pita *****
Yarden Plain Hummus
The staple of a quick snack, a shabbas
starter or a university meal. Plain hummous
more often than not never disappoints and
can go well with bread, falafel or a dip for
vegetables. However, after the Link staff had
sampled more daring flavours, it appears that
this hummous is just “a bit too smooth” and
needed “more texture”
Taste ***
Dipability ****
Falafel ***
Pita ***
link community
whats been happening?
BAR/ BAT MITZVAH
FAMILY
GREETINGS
FOR ROSH
HASHANAH
Coming of Age
Lauren Krotosky
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 send their greetings to the community
Carol, Johnny, Leo
and Ruth Arkush,
together with
Harris and Miriam
Efrat, Nicholas,
Aviel and Adi
Arnold
Kate, Benjamin and
Natan Arnold
Susan and Anthony
Arnold
Gillian, David,
Benjamin, Oliver
and Isabel Assor
Liz, Jeff and Avi
Azizoff
Mandy, Russell,
Benji and Jemma
Barash
Amanda, Gary,
Rachel, Ashleigh
and Gideon
Bernstein
Louisa, David,
Joshua and Ella
Brickman
Leora, Simon and
Yael Cohen
Rochelle, Richard,
Benjamin, Natasha,
Danielle and Marc
Cohen
Sue, Steve, Eliana,
Dov and Zak
Colman
Claire, Anthony,
Adam and Jamie
Cooper
David, Esti, Elliot,
Shelley and Joel
Cukier
Emma, Marc and
Adam Duke
Linda, Richard,
Adina, Abigail and
Joel Felsenstein
Amanda, Paul,
Yaacov, Daniel and
Shoshana Finn
Eva, Ray, Adam and
Nadia Foley-Comer
and families
Sara Foley-Comer
and Richard
Summers and all
our children and
grandchildren
Philippa, Mark,
Zach, Raizel, Penina
and Caleb Ford
Amanda, Adam,
Sofia and Neve
Forman
Barbara and
Stephen Forman
Sandra and Michael
Frankfurt and
Family
Charis, Jonathan,
Adam and Nina
Freedman
Helena, Ken and
Alisa Freedman,
Danny, Ilana,
Tamara, Jonny and
families
Judith, David, Saul,
Jacob, and Dan
Freedman
Margaret and Peter
Freedman
Ravit, Jeremy,
Chantelle and
Eytan Freeman
Victoria, Ben Harry,
Felicity, Beatrice
and Alec Ginsburg
Lisa, Lionel,
Georgia, Elliot and
Sophie Goldberg
Anne, Malcolm,
Alexander,
Benjamin, Samuel
and Gila Gordon
Antonia, Stephen,
Zoe, Emma and
Oliver Grant
Norma and David
Green
Ruth and Howard
Green
Valerie Green and
family
Alex, Paul, Adam,
Charles and Elliott
Grossman
Lisa, Jonathan,
Joshua and
Benjamin
Gruneberg
Jill, Philip Charlotte,
Alexandra and
Olivia Hamilton
Lynne, Jonathan,
Brandon and Kyle
Hammé
David, Esther,
Phillip and
Jonathan
Harrisberg
Bev, Alan, Talya,
Dani, Harry and
Gemma Jacobson
Delysia and
Raymond Jayson
and family
Lena Jayson
Ora, Geoffrey,
Daniella and Neil
Joseph
Karen, Allan, Jamie,
Marcus and Gemma
Kay
Ashley, Ira and
Elliott Kaye
Miriam and
Kenneth Keller and
family
Diane and Paul
Kutner
Sue and Greg
Lander
Joy, Jimmy, Oliver,
Edward and Tanja
Larholt
Daniella, Martin,
Jodi, Sasha, Emma
and Tamara Lerner
Renee Lerner
Shirley and Stanley
Lerner
Michelle, Colin,
Dan, Sam, Charly
and Matthew
Levene
Sue, Ivor, Neil,
Marc, Lisa and
Rachel Levene
Daniella, Stephen,
Yael and Benjy
Levey
Sandra and Martin
Levine
Ivana, Andrew,
Joshua, Gideon and
Chana Levy
Natalie, Neville,
Max, Daniel, Eliana
and Emma Levy
Sharon, Stephen,
Joshua, Zachary
and Eve Lewis
Penny, Julian,
Nadiva, Talya and
Yoav Low
Debbie, Peter,
Joshua, Joel and
Simon Marks
Erica, David,
Benjamin, Sasha,
Eliana and Amber
Marks
Gabrielle, Adrian,
Jamie and Charlotte
Marks
Melissa, Mark, Sam,
Joe and Sophie
Massias
Michelle and
Michael Melzack
Maxine, Barry
Joanna, Emma,
Dean and Sophie
Mero
Sheila, David,
Rachel, Howard and
Rebecca Miller
Helen, Eliot, Hayley
and David Minn
Becoming bar or batmitzvah is a major milestone in a person’s life. I spoke to two people
who have recently celebrated their bar or batmitzvah and asked them to share their thoughts
and feelings about this special time.
Eliot Cohen
Becoming barmitzvah meant that my parents
gave me more responsibility. I am now responsible for my own actions in Judaism. In the lead-up
to my barmitzvah I have learnt more about Jewish
law and principles and I now understood more
about Judaism. I am now more active in the youth
service and I enjoy being on the leining rota. I also
occasionally sing musaf on Shabbat.
In the run up to my special day I felt very
excited yet also nervous. I didn’t know whether
I would be able to learn all of the parasha and
musaf. Luckily, I managed to learn both and I now
have a skill for life. It was also quite stressful as it
took up most of my free time and I had to spend
Eliot Cohen
nearly every night of the year practising.
On Friday night we had a supper at my house
with all of my close family where I gave a dvar
torah and that was very enjoyable. On Shabbat
after Kiddush, I had a lunch at the shul with
most of my friends and extended family. My
uncle gave a dvar torah and my aunts and
uncles sang to me. After that I had a tea at my
house with most of my friends and my parents’
friends. On the Sunday night I had a party at St.
Johns Wood Shul, and I entered on stilts, which
was great fun and enjoyable. It was a great weekend!
After my leining, Rabbi Brawer let my grandfather, who is also a rabbi, give the sermon. This
was very moving as it was very special to see my
grandfather addressing the congregation and
me. Then my father sang Shema Bni to me,
which was funny as well as good because my
father doesn’t have a very good voice.
I received a lot of very generous presents ranging from a radio pen to a video camera. I was
given a lot of Jewish books as I had a book list at
Divrei Kodesh. I love photography and making
my own films, so I was very happy when I was
given my own video camera. I was given my
tephillin by one set of grandparents and my
machzorim by the other.
One of the main ways that becoming barmitzvah has changed my life is that everyday I now
have to wear tephillin. Sometimes it is quite
hard, as I have to wake up a little earlier than I
used to, but I always manage to put them on. I
also have become more aware of Jewish principles and laws and have found how I can contribute to our community. Lastly, it has given
me more independence as becoming barmitzvah has made me more mature.
Katy David
Katy David
I have always gone to a Jewish school – first
Hertsmere JPS and now Immanuel College. I
have been brought up Shomer Shabbat, go to
shul every week, and we only eat kosher out. My
father has always taught me the importance of
keeping mitzvot and saying the Shema and
other important parts of prayer everyday. I spoke
in my dvar torah about doing mitvot with zerizut – zeal, and I really looked forward to being
an adult, sitting in the women’s section in shul
and being really included in our fantastic community. At the same time, I think the same zeal
can be put into my secular studies, sport and
other areas of my life and I really was excited to
be able to celebrate becoming an adult with all
my friends and family.
I think everyone feels nervous and me especially as I had my first day at secondary school
less than 9 hours later! My mum took me to
New York to buy my dress and that was really
fun – and I really enjoyed the tasting with the
caterer where we had all the courses of the actual meal including the children’s meal and I
could decide exactly what I liked and not have a
boring menu! Ice cream, popcorn and lashings
of chocolate featured heavily! I was actually very
calm on the day as I had practiced my dvar torah
and thank you speech so many times, even my
younger brothers knew it by heart!
We had a party in the Marriott Swiss Cottage,
where I did my dvar torah and received a presentation from Rabbi Alan Plancey, a few weeks
after he left Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue after more than 30 years. My grandparents have been in the community for longer
than that (!) and are close friends of his. As my
12th birthday fell on First Day Rosh Hashana, we
had a Yom Tov barbeque at home in beautiful
weather, where I received another presentation
from Rabbi Naftali Brawer, the new rabbi at
Borehamwood and Elstree.
I did my dvar torah at the function and whilst
I was quite nervous, it went really well and I felt
on a high the rest of the evening. I love popcorn
so we had a popcorn stall and candy store which
was brilliant. I chose most of the music including Eshet Chayil, which was played as I walked
in to the tune sung by Yaacov Shwekey, my
favourite Jewish singer. It’s such a beautiful
arrangement and I am really grateful to Danny
Shine and his band who had to learn it and who
sung it so beautifully.
I received lots of cheques for my batmitzvah!
We didn’t have a list but we let people know
what I wanted. I also got some beautiful sets of
Jewish books including the set of Artscroll
leather-bound siddurim in white engraved with
my Hebrew and English name from my parents.
From the money I received, I donated 10% to the
Children’s cancer charity, Camp Simcha, which
my parents are patrons. I also got a Nintendo Wii
which I think is great along with some fantastic
jewellery and handbags.
Since becoming batmitzvah, I feel much more
conscious of the mitzvot, especially Shabbat and
checking what’s on the kosher list! Other things
like making sure I light candles on Friday night
and saying Shema at least every day became
more important to me. I do miss sitting next to
my dad in shul and being in the women’s gallery
now takes a lot of getting used to as many of my
friends aren’t batmitzvah yet and sit in the
men’s section. I had my batmitzvah the night
before my first day at secondary school so I was
the first in my year – I was the only one who really had to fast on Yom Kippur!
Lauren Krotosky
Karen, Martin, Sam
and Robin Morgan
Judy and David
Newman, Danny
and Talia, Debbie
and Ben, Zippy,
Aryeh, Tehilla,
Calanit and Itai
Ellie, Philip, Danny
and Charley Olmer
Maxine, Garry,
Daniel and Elliott
Park
Charlotte, Stuart,
Natasha and Daniel
Polak
Melissa, Miles,
Joshua and Oliver
Redbart
Jane, Ellis, Alana and
Dominique
Richards
Shula and Len
Rickman
Alison, Neil, Ben and
Gemma Rodol
Stephanie and
Stuart Ronson
Anthony and Rita,
together with
Joanna and Rasmus,
Lucy, Daniel and
Katie Rose
Jane, Barry, Sammy,
Hannah and Abigail
Rose
Hilary, Esmond,
Naomi, Phil,
Benjamin and Vicky
Rosen
Myra and Jonathan
Rosen and family
Karen, Charlie,
Gideon, Gabi and
Adina Sacofsky
Sharon, Mark, Josh,
Sara and Alisa
Sacofsky
Angela, Alan,
Gabriel and Oliver
Segall
Shelley, Jeremy,
Alex and Olivia
Segall
Diane, Jeff, Lara and
Zoe Serlin
Anne, Simon, Claire
and Amy Serota
Emma, Barry,
Naomi, David and
Zara Shaw
Danielle, Jason,
Ilana, and Mikayla
Shane
Joelle, David,
Jonathan and
Jessica Shindler
June and Norman
Silver
Bella and Leon
Silverton
Ian, Mindy, Jonny
and Daniel Skolnick
Jonny, Jo, Lottie and
Ben Stankler
Sharon, Richard,
Zoe and Ellen Steel
Dianne, David,
Adam, Asher and
Leah Steene,
together with
Margaret Montrose
Stephanie, Nick,
Jack, Sam and
Matthew Stern
Simon, Vivienne,
Alexis and Marc,
Suzii and Emma
Stone
Estelle, Darren and
Amy Talberg
Louise, Mark, James
and Sam Tenzer
Alison, Harvey,
Josh, James and Max
Van Straten
Frankie, Ian, Avi and
Eli Weinberg
Sue, Howard, James
and Matthew Wilder
Judith, Mark and
Benjamin Wilson,
together with
Benjy, Caroline and
Joey Sanford
Vivienne, Barry and
Simon Winterman
Judy, Jenni and Amy
Woolf
Linda and John
Wolffe and all the
family
Joanna, Peter,
Stephen, Benjamin
and Philippa Wulwik
Elisa, Stephen,
Gabriella, Oliver and
Raphael Ziff
link community
5768 – A year in the life of
the Jewish Lads’ & Girls’ Brigade
The JLGB started 5768 on an upward trend following a good response to our regeneration meetings in
north west and east London, Manchester, Leeds and
Liverpool. JLGB Junior and Senior membership has
increased and we have also had a lot of interest
from adults who want to help. We have recently
opened three new units in London and are aiming
to open more units all over the country very soon.
JLGB have something for everyone and are ready to
welcome anyone aged from 8 to 80 who would like to
get involved. JLGB Junior Units for young people aged
8 – 11 and Senior Units for ages 11 – 18 meet weekly all
over the country and take part in lots of different and
fun activities. There are JLGB Bands in Redbridge and
Hendon and the newly re-opened Manchester Band is
thriving. 5769 will also see the launch of Hertsmere
Band at Yavneh College.
There have been many highlights of the JLGB year,
and here are just a few. Camps are always successful
and several took place during the year. The Mix Weekend Camp for members aged 14 – 16 took place in
October, while Winter Camp 2007/2008 saw 250 JLGB
members from around the UK united to Save the
World with random acts of kindness, including raising
awareness of global warming and the plight of the
homeless. In May, Juniors enjoyed their own Junior
Spring Camps in London and the provinces, and the
year finished with the ever-popular National Senior
Summer Camp, sandwiched between the popular
Adventure Israel Tour and Discover Europe Tour.
JLGB have also taken part in many communal
events, including the annual AJEX Remembrance
Parade in Whitehall, Yom Hashoah Ceremony at
Logan Hall and several smaller local remembrance
parades around the country. In May we took part in
Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations across the country and
played a major part in the recent Salute to Israel Parade
in celebration of Israel’s 60th Anniversary, in both
Manchester and London.
We are also excited that other aspects of JLGB’s work
are also on the up and up! The Duke of Edinburgh’s
Award has seen a fantastic surge in enrolments, with
hundreds of young people taking up the challenge this
year and many more coming through daily. Taking
part in the Award gives young people new experiences,
independence, a sense of achievement, self-confidence,
leadership and team work skills and the chance to
make new friends. The JLGB operates the Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award in almost every Jewish secondary
school across the UK.
Also this year, JLGB was awarded Approved National Open College Network Centre (NOCN) status in
accordance with their qualification and credit framework standards. By linking its training with NOCN,
the JLGB is the first Jewish National Voluntary Youth
Organisation to offer nationally-accredited training
qualifications to its members and leaders.
Volunteering is also an important part of the JLGB’s
ethos. In partnership with secondary and primary
schools all over the country, we have been successful in
promoting volunteer work to young people as young
as seven years of age! Collectively, JLGB members, secondary school students and primary school pupils
Reunited site so if you were ever a member of JLGB and
would like to get in touch with old friends, visit our
website on www.jlgb.org/reunited.
In conclusion, the Jewish Lads’ & Girls’ Brigade is in
very good health and growing not only in number, but
in stature too. If you would like more information visit
our website - www.jlgb.org - where pictures, videos,
news, information and history can be found, or call us
on 020 8989 8990 or email [email protected].
Jewish Lads & Girls Brigade
have put in over 5,000 hours of volunteering for the
Jewish and wider communities.
Shortly the JLGB will be re-launching its JLGB
Rainbows
ReportfortheElstree&4thBorehamwoodRainbows
Lisa, Marcelle & Rachel (4th Borehamwood Rainbows)
We are pleased to report on the end of a successful first year for the Elstree & Borehamwood 4th
Rainbows. Our activities over the past 6 months have included, Celebrations for Isreal's 60th
birthday, glitter mosaics, a sports day and a very successful barbecue attended by the 4th and
6th E&B Rainbows together with the E&B Brownies. All girls and leaders have had a tremendous
fun over the last 12 months and have gained from the experience of being a Rainbow.
Unfortunately as mentioned in the previous
newsletter, the leaders of the 4th Rainbows will
be moving on, sooner than expected and unless
new leaders can be found for January 2009, E&B
4th Rainbows will close. The E&B 6th Rainbows
are unaffected and will continue. if anyone is
interested in helping out please contact Emma
Hyman on [email protected]
Rainbows
link community
Doron Luder
and Dina
Welcome to the new Youth
Director
Hi Borehamwood & Elstree!
Dina and I are very excited to join your community! Let me tell you a little about myself. I
was brought up in Chigwell, Essex and went to
City of London School. Since secondary school I
have spent the last six years in yeshiva, the first
year in Yeshivat Hakotel in the Old City of
Jerusalem, and the following five years in Yeshivat Har Etzion, colloquially known as the Gush.
After completing my A-levels I was accepted into
Manchester University to study law. However I
decided to withdraw my place and instead decided to study for a degree in philosophy through
the University of London External System, alongside learning in yeshiva. In my spare time, I have
involved myself in the full gamut of youth
organisations, be it Bnei Akiva, FZY, Aish, Sinai,
Tribe, etc. Dina went to Hasmonean and then
studied in Sha’alvim for Women in Israel for a
year. She is now entering into her fourth year of
medicine at University College London.
I have many exciting ideas for the youth, like
BBQs, day outings, a youth leadership course,
themed kiddushes, and social events that will
hopefully attract youth who don’t regularly
attend the youth activities, as well as those very
active participants. My main objective is to
strengthen the youth community by building on
the fantastic work of Aryeh and Juliet. It is
important to me to attract youth who are less
involved in the youth community, and I hope to
address the needs of these people as well as the
more active members of the youth community,
incorporating suitable activities for everyone
into our schedule of events.
The youth community of Borehamwood &
Elstree has two advantages which stand it in
marked contrast to other youth communities.
Firstly its size and secondly its character. It is
clearly one of the largest – if not the largest –
youth community both with regards to its quantity and its members’ involvement in real terms.
As to its character, during my visit I spent most
of Shabbat with the mainstays of the youth community, and I was impressed by their religious
and communal drive, which surpassed all other
communities I have visited.
The youth
expressed their concerns and hopes for the
future of their youth community with great
maturity, and I am really looking forward to
working with such a motivated group of children.
As part of my role I hope to develop personal
friendships with every child, getting to know
them better and in doing so, be able to help
them respond to the challenges of teenage life,
by providing them with social and educational
solutions to the problems commonly faced by
teenagers nowadays on a one-to-one basis.
It is also important to me to involve not just
the youth, but the parents too. The best way for
this to be achieved is with open lines of communication between myself and all members of the
shul. If anyone has any concerns about their
children which they would like to discuss, they
should feel comfortable approaching me. It is
important that we work as a partnership in the
educational and social development of the
youth. Time permitting and assuming there
would be interest, I would like to run a course
which explores the parent-child relationship as
seen through the eyes of the rabbis. This would
be insightful for mature teenagers and their parents.
I am sure there are many challenges that I will
face as the youth director of a shul as large as
Borehamwood & Estree, but I am really looking
forward to the opportunity of building a very
active youth community, that will cater for a
wide range of people and engage teenagers
across the community. I hope to develop relationships not only with the youth, but also with
other members of the shul, enabling the development of a youth community that meets the
needs of all its members, and will be one that
everyone can be proud of.
Doron Luder & Dina
Recipe Idea by Denise Phillips
Wholesome Beetroot And Carrot Soup
Rosh Hashanah is a time for renewal and repenting – 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 oppotunity.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Parev
Will Freeze
Serves: 6 people
Method
Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan. Fry the onions and
garlic for about 5 minutes until soft.
Add the carrots, beetroot, sweet potatoes, and vegetable
stock.
Bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes or
until the vegetables are soft.
Pour into a blender and whiz until smooth. Return to
the saucepan and reheat. Season to taste.
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.
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
link community
SCOUTS
Busy year for the Scouts
Judith Gamse
We’ve been a very busy troop in the last 12 months.
The troop is now at it’s strongest as we have 30
boys on the books and on average approximately
22 come each week.
Last summer, for the first time in 6 years we ran
a camp for the patrol leaders. They camped for a
weekend on their own, with no leaders, and just
occasional visits from campsite staff to check how
they were doing. It was a very successful weekend
and the boys thoroughly enjoyed it.
In the summer Nathan Pomerance and
Matthew Rose had the wonderful opportunity of
going to the World Jamboree – with months of
training behind them, they were fully prepared for
a fantastic camp with over 40,000 people from all
around the world. I was fortunate enough to be
able to camp at Jamboree for the second weekend
and we managed to have a Friday night supper for
all the Jewish Scouts on site – we expected to feed
approximately 250, but somehow there were nearer 350 for that meal. The next Jamboree is in 2011
in Sweden and hopefully we’ll be able to send
scouts to that too – last year was the first time that
3rd Elstree have had boys attend World Jamboree.
As a troop, keeping with the international
theme, we spent our summer camp in Belgium –
we spent a week at De Kluis, it’s about half an hour
from Brussels in the Flemish part of the country.
We managed to get all of our kosher supplies delivered from Antwerp.
We took in a day at the World War 1 battlefields,
where we visited the trenches, the Langemark German Cemetery and at Tyne Cot military cemetery
the scouts all were given Magen David grave markers to lay at the gravestones of any Jewish soldiers
who they could find. In the evening, we lay a
wreath on behalf of AJEX as part of the Last Post
ceremony held at the Menin Gate. This was a very
memorable day for all those who participated, and
everyone learnt a lot.
We lightened the mood for the rest of camp,
Blankenberge beach the next day, followed by a
theme park and a day back at site doing backwoods cooking (i.e. cooking without utensils) over
open fires – somehow this degenerated into a
dough fight, but it did mean that everyone then
had to scrub up clean in time for Shabbat.
In the Autumn term, we missed a number of
meetings due to the Yom Tovim, but we carried on
with our military theme and participated in the
annual Remembrance Day parade in Borehamwood, we visited the Jewish Military Museum and
we also took part in the AJEX parade – for us it was
the third time we have done it, but it was the first
time that AJEX have officially made a Youth Contingent.
We spent most of the Spring term indoors – we
concentrated on the Creative Challenge and the
boys made Electronic Room Alarms, CD clocks and
decorated their own t-shirts. It was also at this time
the decision was taken to go back to the formal
uniform from the polo shirts that they boys have
been wearing for the last couple of years in the
hope that it would improve the discipline in the
troop. It seems to work some of the time.
We camped over the May Bank Holiday with the
cubs at Belchamps near to Southend and were able
to participate in the brand new High Ropes course
– we were the first ever group to do the “Leap of
Faith” and rather the boys than the leaders – it
looked very scary climbing up a 30 meter high telegraph pole and then just jumping off the top.
In the summer term we concentrate
on more
Caption
traditional scouting skills – tent pitching, hikes,
building giant catapaults, firelighting and even
going Dragon Boat Racing.
Scout Association rules state that we must offer
places to both sexes – and whilst we always support our guide company, as from September we
will be offering places at Scouts to boys and girls as
the natural follow on from Cubs and Brownies.
The girls will still have the choice of going to either
guides or scouts, but sorry boys, you won’t be able
to go to Guides.
After 15 years with 3rd Elstree, I think it’s now
time for me to step down and let someone else
have a chance at running the Scout Troop. I’d like
to hand in my notice for Scouts to take effect as at
February 2009. I’d like to thank Alan Levy, Mike
Liff and Michelle Levene for all their help throughout the last year – giving up their Wednesday
evenings and even annual leave to take the boys to
camp.
Judith Gamse, Scout Leader, 3rd Elstree & Borehamwood Scout Troop
BIRTHS
MAZELTOV
TO
LADIES GUILD
The Ladies Committee have recently had a “Changing of the Guard” and as such we would like to
thank Judy Woolf and Diane Kutner for all the sterling work they have done over the years. We appreciate greatly the hours they have put in and know
that they will still be part of our little band for a
while yet. We especially wish Judy good luck in her
new role as Vice-Chairman of the Shul.
Earlier in the year the shul hosted a Pre-Pesach
Gift Fair and proceeds of £500 was donated to Emunah to help with a counselling helpline in Sderot.
Other events were also held with the Herts Ladies
Forum to promote communication and social
events with other Hertfordshire communities. St
Albans hosted an entertaining talk from our very
own Marc Green about the work of the JNF. On
another occasion some of the very brave ladies ventured up the A1 to Welwyn Garden City for an
Israeli Sing-a-long where great fun was had by all.
At the beginning of July we hosted a cookery
demonstration by Denise Phillips who gave us
some ideas on eating “Alfresco”. We tasted various
dishes which had been made earlier in the day by
our Ladies Committee sous-chefs and are pleased
that we raised over £650 which will be donated to a
soup kitchen in Israel.
We continue to put on Kiddushim each Shabbat,
whether there is a Simcha or not, and we thank all
the ladies on the rota who volunteer to help. We
are very lucky to have an amazing number of volunteers but as we grow and see new families move
into the area, it would be wonderful if they would
also offer their services for this very important role
in the community. We welcome ladies, men,
teenagers and even children coming to help their
parents. In fact, the children are often absolutely
indispensable. If you are able to help with the Kiddush or if you would just like to make new friends
and join us, give Debra Fisher a call on 020 8207
6496 or send an e-mail to debrafi[email protected].
Wishing all members of the community Shana Tovah
Hayley and Robert
Greenspan on the
birth of a son
Lena Jayson on the
birth of a great
grandson in Israel
Joanne and Simon
Mott-Cowan on the
birth of a son
Frankie and
Norman Cowan on
the birth of a
granddaughter
Georgina and Adam
Forman on the birth
of a daughter
Aron and Debbie
Kaye on the birth of a
son
Michael and Gail
Garcia on the birth of
a son
Sam and Mark
Brattman on the
birth of daughter
David and Sandra
Peterman on the
birth of a grandson
Bettina and Marcus
Jacobs on the birth of
a son
Melissa and Andrew
Levy on the birth of a
daughter
Laura and Paul
Dobkin on the birth
of a daughter
Tanya and Justin
Bohm on the birth of
a daughter
Michelle and Philip
Lassman on the birth
of a daughter
Carol and Philip
Monjack on the birth
of a granddaughter
Louise and Aron
Sager on the birth of
a grandson
Debbie and Jared
Jesner on the birth of
a son
Shula and Len
Rickman on the birth
of a grandson
Loretta and Brian
Cohen on the birth of
a grandson
Carol and Merton
Zatman on the birth
of a granddaughter
Sue and Ivor Levene
on the birth of a
granddaughter
Howard and Jenny
Caplan on the birth of
a grandson
Joanna and David
Turschwell on the
birth of a daughter
Gloria and Leon
Turschwell on the
birth of a granddaughter
Lara and Jonathan
Ellis on the birth of a
daughter
Kim and David
Miller on the birth of
a daughter
Debbie and Martyn
Slyper on the birth of
a grandson
Yvonne and Michael
Brauer on the birth of
a granddaughter
Jane and Howard
Newman on the birth
of a daughter
Valerie and Kelvyn
Sheridan on the birth
of a granddaughter
BAR MITZVAH
MAZELTOV
TO
Jacqui Woyda and
Adam Cainer on the
Barmitzvah of their
son Joshua
Lorraine & Harvey
Cohen on the
Barmitzvah of their
son Eliot
Rebecca and
Michael Hilsenrath
on the Barmitzvah of
their son Benjamin
Julie and Neil Miron
on the Barmitzvah of
their son David
Helen and David
Goldwater on the
Barmitzvah of their
grandson
Emma and Ronnie
Phillips on the
Barmitzvah of their
son Eitan
Michelle and Paul on
the Barmitzvah of
their son Oliver
Alec and Hetty
Ward on the
Barmitzvah of their
grandson
Nicole and Michael
Potter on the
Barmitzvah of their
son Leo
BAT MITZVAH
MAZELTOV
TO
Shelley and Kelvyn
Peysner on the
Barmitzvah of their
son Jared
Shelley and Jeremy
Segall on the
Batmitzvah of their
daughter Alexandra
Jane MacGregor on
the Batmitzvah of her
daughter Kayla
Susan and Jeremy
Turek on the
Batmitzvah of their
daughter Rachel
Mandy and
Anthony Kent on
the Batmitzvah of
their daughter Leora
Emma and Barry
Shaw on the
Batmitzvah of their
daughter Zara
Beverley and Alan
Jacobson on the
Batmitzvah of their
daughter Daniella
Karen and Allan Kay
on the Batmitzvah of
their daughter
Gemma
Jill and Colin Peskin
on the Batmitzvah of
their daughter Sara
Lisa and Jonathan
Newman on the
Batmitzvah of their
daughter Danielle
link community
BAR MITZVAH
Preparing for the Big Day
Amanda Pollock
As I write the Big Brother silly season is just starting again. No doubt by the time you are reading
this, there will have been the controversy, the
front page headlines, and the triumphant winner.
What are our young people going to aspire to? As
our vulnerable, impressionable teenagers turn
into young adults, what are the images that will
stay with them? What are going to be the influencing factors in their lives?
For our boys, and increasingly for our girls too,
one of the biggest days in their formative years is
their Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Boys will stand before
their community and read from the Torah. Girls
will often work very hard to write and deliver
some insights into the week's parasha, often linking the age-old wisdom with their own families,
their own situation. For the first time, we involve
our kids in decisions about their future - where a
year earlier we may have decided the secondary
school that they go to, or certainly we will have
heavily influenced the final decision - we now talk
to them about how they feel about doing Maftir
and Haftarah, or perhaps the whole sedra. We talk
to our daughters about the type of ceremony that
they will feel comfortable with. We listen to their
ideas and work with them to build a project about
Israel and write a speech about family who can't
be there on the day.
But for many of us, the words "Bar Mitzvah" are
inextricably linked with young parents starting a
savings account. Often the thought of the seating
plan, some years before the event can be the cause
of many sleepless nights. Caterers fees seem to
have gone the way of petrol prices - as soon as they
hit £100 per head, they just kept monumentally
rising. Then there's the hall, and the photographer, and the videographer, and the balloons, and
the benchers. Oh and don't forget the table gifts.
So how do we find a balance between an event
that is obviously so good for our kids - teaching
them to be their own person, live up to their own
expectations of themselves - and the production
that leads parents to take out a second mortgage
to compete with or "go one better than" what
their friends have done. Never has the phrase "if
your friend jumped off the roof, would you do it
too?" seemed more ironic!!!
The practice of having a "Seudas Mitzvah",
stems from the time that the greatest Rabbonim
in history were compiling the Talmud. They had a
discussion about whether a blind man was obligated to keep the mitzvot, and when they finally
agreed that he was, a blind Rabbi, named as Rabbi
Yosef, made a Seudas Mitzvah to celebrate his confirmed status as a Jew with responsibilities.
Which begs the question: why are Jews so happy
to be given a whole load of responsiblility? What
are we doing celebrating that day when the buck
stops here?
I think it says a lot about why we, as a people,
are so often successful. At a young age, we are told
that from this day on, we are accountable for our
actions. Suddenly, the Torah and the Jewish world
we live in makes sense in a way that it didn't
before. We have the freedom to choose whether
we will continue the traditions of our parents, or
whether we will make our own path. Through
those first years as a son or daughter of the commandments, many teenagers are pushing the
boundaries, rebelling against an Orthodox
upbringing or rebelling against a more conservative upbringing, by learning more and becoming
more observant. The chances are, though, that by
the time they are out on their own in the world, at
the age of 18, many young Jewish boys and girls
have some experience in decision making. They
have quite a lot of experience in working within a
structured community where lots of different
types of people come together to do the same
thing. And every Yom Kippur, as they stand and
evaluate their behaviour over the previous year,
and make amends, they are shouldering that
responsibility and facing up to the Biggest Brother of them all!
The Big Brother evictees, as they come out and
are invariably shown their own weaknesses and
what others think about them, are heard to whine
"I've learnt a lot about myself. I know now what
I'm capable of, and how far I'm willing to go to get
what I want". Ok, they're not usually as articulate
as that, but you get the idea! We know what we're
doing when we give our children control of their
own religious identity so early on. We help them
to find out what they are capable of, to encourage
their talents and to help them to focus on their
strengths at the ages of 12 and 13. We give them a
sense of direction, a strong tradition of the right
way to behave, and a healthy confidence that they
are capable of making the right decisions about
their lives. Hopefully, that will mean we're not living with a future Big Brother 19 housemate!
AJE Approved and Registered Bar Mitzvah
Teachers in Borehamwood
Joel Sager 020 953 0735
Jolian Pollock 020 8207 3742
Mark Duke 020 8953 8302
Michael Cohen 020 8207 6175
Paul Finn 020 8207 3612
Stephen Levey 020 8207 0824
Amanda Pollock
BOARD OF DEPUTIES
Support our Supporters
Jonathan Arkush
The Board of Deputies of British Jews exists to protect and defend the rights and freedoms of British
Jewry. These same rights and freedoms have
evolved over many years and are enjoyed by Jews
in Great Britain today. But events are seldom static. Changes to legislation, campaigns by special
interest groups, outright attacks on Jews and
Israel–all require a concerted response.
As the community’s representative organisation, the Board of Deputies is able to engage with
government, the media and wider society, providing a vehicle through which British Jews have a
voice.
ENGAGEMENTS
WEDDINGS
MAZELTOV
TO
It is with pride that the Board of Deputies represents the rights and interests of British Jews in
every walk of life. Below are some of the core
things that the Board does every day.
In the area of defence and group relations the Board:
• combats antisemitism
• fosters relations with faith groups and
wider society
• monitors moves affecting shechita and brit
milah
• consults with Government on proposed legislation
• responds to racist activities
In the Jewish and wider community the Board:
• promotes Jewish schooling and education
and runs the ‘Pikuach’ inspection service
for Jewish Studies;
• creates long-term policy strategies through
the work of its Community Policy Research
Group think-tank;
• engages in interfaith and environmental
initiatives; and
• displays the pioneering Jewish Way of Life
Exhibition to non-Jewish children.
On the international stage the Board:
• represents the interests of British Jewry in
Europe and around the world;
• consults on areas affecting Diaspora Jewry
with the British government
• protested against the mass murder in Darfur, drawing on the lessons of the Holocaust;
• organised demonstrations and lobbied to
free captured Israeli soldiers;
• combating anti-Israel campaigns wherever
they emerge, most recently in the Church
and academia; the Board played a leading
role in forcing the UCU to drop its proposed
boycott of Israel and continues to oppose
fresh attempts to resurrect it;
• directed a voter registration drive against
extremism in the run up to the local London elections in May; this succeeded in limiting the BNP to a single seat in the Greater
London Assembly
• is spearheading with the CST the Jewish
Human Rights Coalition UK, a U.N. Durban
Review task-force
• played a leading role in organising the
superb Salute to Israel 60 event in Trafalgar
Square on 29th June
The Board of Deputies has constantly protected
and defended the rights and interests of British
Jews since 1760. With your help it will be doing
so for the next 248 years as well ! Please support
the Board’s work by paying the very minimal
sum of £25 that is included in your shul bill, as
this forms its core income.
The community has invited the President of
the Board of Deputies, Henry Grunwald Q.C. to
spend a Shabbat with us in the near future.
Please watch the newsletter for details.
and foreign embassies in the UK;
• monitors European legislation; and
• works to enhance the understanding of
Israel and its pursuit of peace and security;
It is important to remember that the Board of
Deputies does these things by protecting the
freedoms of British Jewry every day. In the last
18 months, for example the Board :• headed off government proposals to impose
quotas to Jewish schools that would have
forced our community’s popular and oversubscribed schools to take at least 10% of
other faiths or none; this caused a major
political controversy in which the Board
played a leading role;
• strongly defended the community’s position in another politically-inspired controversy which involved faith schools being
unfairly accused of breaking the rules over
pupil admissions – the accusations were
exaggerated and most involved technical
breaches at most (our own community’s
HJPS and Yavneh were not the subject of
any such allegations);
• launched the Big Green Jewish Website,
merging Jewish tradition and environmental
concerns: http://www.biggreenjewish.org/
Jonathan Arkush, Deputy for Borehamwood & Elstree
Synagogue
If there is any matter you feel should be brought
to the Board’s attention, please call me on 020
8953 8764 or email [email protected]
Rabbi and Miriam
Plancey on the
engagement of their
eldest grandson, Zvi
Gutterman to Gitty
Rebenwertzul
Norma Yantin on the
engagement of her
daughter Denise
Oliver Rolfe on his
engagement to Mia
Waitsman
Shani and David
Keen on the engagement of their son
Oliver Rolfe
Rochelle and
Stephen Davis on
the engagement of
their daughter Alisa
Betty and Michael
Davis on the engagement of their
granddaughter Alisa
Diane and Stephen
Miller on the engagement of their son
Jeremy
Rabbi and Miriam
Plancey on the
marriage of their
granddaughter Naomi
Gutterman to Naftali
Frickers
Jane and Peter
Galloway on the
marriage of their son
James to Gabby
Fleischer
Beverley Hoffman
on the marriage of her
daughter Lauren to
Daniel Cohen
Florence and Stuart
Asher on the
marriage of their son
Robert to Alexis Marco
Susan and Robert
Harris on the
marriage of their
daughter Victoria to
Jeremy Plaskow
Barbara and Ian
Thorne on the
marriage of their
daughter Louise
Rita and Anthony
Rose on the wedding
of their son Daniel
Janet and Ronnie
Bloom on the
engagement of their
son Andrew
AUFRUF:
MAZELTOV
TO
Jane and Peter
Galloway on the
aufruf of their son
James
Florence and Stuart
Asher on the aufruf
of their son Robert
Rita and Anthony
Rose on the aufruf of
their son Daniel
Susan and Stuart
Gerrard on the aufruf
of their son Anthony
Josh May on the
occasion of his aufruf
WEDDING
ANNIVERSARIES
Simon Horne on the
occasion of his aufruf
Elaine and Alan
Barnett on the aufruf
of their son Jeremy
Sheila and David
Miller on their 54th
wedding anniversary
Beryl and Stanley
Brickman on their
40th wedding anniversary
Diane and Paul
Kutner on their 30th
wedding anniversary
Myra and Jonathan
Rosen on their 40th
wedding anniversary
Paul and Gerald
Dickenson on their
50th wedding anniversary
Link Rosh Hashanah 2008 2008 75
link community
CONDOLENCES
WE WISH
LONG LIFE TO
The family of Lilian
Gordon
Kim Gordon on the
loss of her mother
Tina Fox
Sidney Nathan on
the loss of his wife
Lillian Nathan
David Cohen
(Theobald Street) on
the loss of his mother
Barry Chippeck on
the loss of Helen
Gluckstein
Peter Kingsley on
Ruth Davis
Lily Grant on the loss
of her daughter
Simone Katzenberg
Joshua, Gideon &
Ethan on the loss of
their mother Simone
Katzenberg
The family of Vic
Cannon
Robert Harris on the
loss of his mother
Rene Harris
Maurice Black on the
loss of his brother Simon
Emma Shaw on the
loss of her father Ivor
Markson
Ian Leveney on the
loss of his father Albert
Leveney
Paul Tendler on the
loss of his wife Peta
Aryeh Myers on the
loss of his mother
Gina
Barry Burns on the
loss of his father
Geoffrey Burns
Richard Kafton on
the loss of his father
Samuel Kafton
Ray Foley-Comer on
Roma Foley-Comer
Hilary Stone on the
loss of her mother
Phyllis Shindler
Michael Keisner on
the loss his father
Dennis Keisner
Jonathan Rosen on
the loss of his father
Jack Rosen
Ian Leveney on the
loss of his mother
Sheila Leveney
Linda Gold on the
loss of her mother
Sadie Serlin
Jocelyn Grant on the
loss of her husband
Harvey
Adrienne Clayton
on the loss of her
father Harvey Grant
RAYDER
Leah Silverman
Since my last article in LINK magazine, about
Bnei Akiva at Borehamwood and Elstree, a lot
seems to have happened. I spent a year in Israel,
studying and touring, then went to Manchester
University to complete my degree. I married,
and began working for the Mazkirut (Head
Office) of Bnei Akiva as Southern Fieldworker, in
charge of the local branches of BA in and around
London. This job saw me visit my home town on
many occasions, as the community are so helpful and welcoming to Bnei Akiva activities.
Finally, I began to train as a teacher and am currently teaching English in JFS. I now find myself
back in the LINK magazine as I have recently
taken up the post of Head Teacher of RAYDER,
Radlett Youth Cheder. Apparently, it’s in the
genes!
Teaching is an important responsibility in
Judaism. Both the first and second paragraphs
of the Shema mention teaching, albeit in slightly different ways. The first paragraph tells us to
“teach them (Torah) to your children and you
shall speak of them while you sit at home, while
you walk on the way, when you retire and when
you arise” (Devarim 6.7). The second paragraph
repeats “you shall teach them to your children
to discuss them while you sit in your home,
while you walk on the way, when you retire and
when you arise” (Devarim 11.19). So, not only
should we teach our children, but according to
the second verse we should teach them to be
able to discuss Torah themselves (it is generally
understood that children includes students).
The verse from the second paragraph also
teaches us a further, perhaps more valuable lesson. It is interesting that we are obligated to
teach our children to speak words of Torah
“when YOU are at home”, not “when THEY are at
home.” It implies that their learning has an
intrinsic link to their parents’ lives; the way we
teach them is by our own behaviour, at all times.
Unless we are learning at every opportunity,
how can we expect our children to do the same?
Children learn not only by what we say, but also
by what we do – we must teach by example.
Thus, we should educate in a way that unites
parents and children throughout their lives.
Parents should get involved in their children’s
education no matter how old their child is. They
should show an interest in their child’s learning;
listen to them read; ask them to teach you what
they learnt at school, Cheder, university, even in
their professional lives - the teaching and learning never has to end.
One of the impressive aspects of RAYDER is
the parental involvement, exemplifying this
ideal. This term we are looking forward to Succah decorating, Dads ‘N Lads Tzitzit making
workshop, Friday night event and Havdalah
activity all involving the children together with
their parents.
As Ellul starts, bringing with it the imminent
arrival of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we
analyse what we have done over the last year
and work on ways we can further improve ourselves. It is an important time to consider our
actions and think about how we can change for
the better.
This story, based on the thoughts of HaRav
Yechezkel Levenstein zt"l links both these values
beautifully.
There was a farmer who every winter went to
an agricultural convention. At the convention,
he explored new methods for improving his
crop output. He tried to discover new methods
for efficient irrigation, hew hybrids that produced better produce, and new farm machinery.
One year, while attending the convention, the
farmer became ill and needed to be hospitalised.
Months went by, and the farmer's health dramatically improved. He was finally discharged
from the hospital and returned home.
When he returned home he surveyed the
entire acreage of his farm. Here he was, halfway
into the growing season, and much of the land
remained bare. Apparently, his instructions on
when and where to plant had not been followed.
The farmer knew that he could do nothing by
that point in time. Starting to plant now would
not help. It was too late for that. All of the preparations he had made for this season were for
nothing.
Similarly, we can prepare ourselves mentally
for the New Year, however unless we actually act
on it we will miss our opportunity to assure a
successful year. It’s no good making excuses
half way through the year. We need to be firm
in our commitment and take advantage of every
opportunity. The same is true for our children’s
education. We must grab every opportunity to
Rayder prize giving
further their learning through leading by example and taking an interest in what they learn.
I am really looking forward to working once
again with this community and hope I can help
RAYDER go from strength to strength.
BOOK CLUB
Leah Silverman
Apologies : the photographs of Rabbi Brawer's
induction event featured in the last edition of Link
should have been credited to Joel Seshold of
Seshold Photography
Leah Silverman
The Book Worms book club is a get together of book lovers
from Elstree and Borehamwood. We meet one evening a
month in members’ homes and discuss the books we have
readduringthepreviousmonthovercoffeeandcake. Inaddition to reviewing a group book that we all read for discussion
at the meeting, we also bring along and swap other books
we’ve read or that have been recommended to us, so we all
leave every meeting clutching a handful of enticing books to
have on the pile on our bedside tables, or ready for our next
holiday.
There’s no typical genre of books for discussion – best sellers (who hasn’t read The Kite Runner or We Need To Talk
About Kevin?), old favourites, Jewish fiction and children’s
books(weevenadmittohavingfondrecollectionsofEnidBlyton) are all eagerly debated by the bookworms.
New members are always welcome – please contact
Anne at [email protected] for details of the next
meeting.
Recipe Idea by Denise Phillips
Sweet Potato, pomegranate
and pumpkin seed salad
This salad makes a lovely refreshing starter before a dairy main
course. I have mixed an unusual selection of vegetables to create a
dish strong with vibrant colour and full of varied interesting textures and flavours.
Pomegranates are quite seasonal but can be found out of season,
sometimes in ethnic supermarkets. The taste differs depending on
the variety of pomegranate and its state of ripeness; from very sweet
to very sour or tangy. Be careful when you remove the white outer
casing of the pomegrante to retrieve the red seeds, as the juice does
stain! When pomegranates are not available substitute the seeds of
passion fruit to make this salad.
On a healthy note pomegranates provide a substantial amount
of potassium, are high in fibre, and contain vitamin C and niacin.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6 people
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
900g (about 2 large) sweet potatoes – peeled and cut into cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
175g watercress
1 large pomegranate – halved and deseeded
75g pumpkin seeds
150g goat's cheese - crumbled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dressing
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon mustard – of any variety
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
Method
1) Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F/ Gas mark 6.
2) Put the sweet potatoes in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil,
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3) Roast for 20 -25 minutes turning once during cooking.
4) To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients together and
season to taste.
5) Put the sweet potato in a bowl with the watercress, pomegranate and goats cheese.
To serve the stylish way: Drizzle over the dressing and sprinkle over
the pumpkin seeds.
link community
Rebecca
Brummer
COMMUNITY
Community Care
Rebecca Brummer
I have been in the post of Community Care Coordinator at BES since the end of April and together
with a team of dedicated volunteers, we are here
to offer support and help if you need it. The Community Care Service at BES is strictly confidential,
impartial and non-judgemental; all our volunteers have undertaken suitable training and are
CRB checked where appropriate.
At present we offer the following volunteer led
services:
BES Bereavement Support - This service utilises
trained Bereavement Visitors who can arrange
meetings with you and provide support following
a bereavement. Being bereaved has long lasting
effects, and talking with someone in confidence
can make the loss easier to deal with. No matter
when your bereavement happened, you can
access this service.
Befriender Group - This service offers you a
chance to ‘make a friend’ if you are feeling lonely
or isolated. You may be recovering from an illness
and would like someone to visit you at home or
you may be new to the area and would like to
meet someone who will give you a helping hand
in integrating into the community.
Welfare Advice - If you are finding the Welfare
system difficult to understand, we have volunteers who can ensure that you obtain the correct
paperwork and assist in filling out forms.
Urgent Food Shopping Service - this service is
available for those who for a short period may
struggle with obtaining their food shopping
because they are recovering after an operation,
caring for someone who cannot be left unattended or are generally unwell.
Financial Advice - If you have financial worries,
you can talk through your situation with one of
our Financial Advisor Volunteers. They can help
you go through the issues and suggests ways on
how to proceed and tackle the problems.
Meal Hospitality - We have lots of members of
the community who would happily host you for a
Shabbat or a Yom Tov meal especially if you are
new to the community, have no family in the
area or simply would like to meet new people.
Immigration support - We recognise how difficult it can be moving to a new country and we are
fortunate enough to have volunteers who are able
to help you with issues surrounding immigration
and to offer you support.
There may of course be many other reasons
why you would like to contact Community Care.
Are you visually impaired and need help with
administrative tasks at home? Are you feeling
depressed, stressed and anxious? Talking through
your feelings with someone you can trust may
help. Are you caring for someone who is physically, mentally ill, disabled or suffers from dementia? Do you have a child with special needs? I can
give you support, put you in contact with other
agencies and people in similar situation. As a
Carer you are entitled to an assessment in your
own right. Are you struggling emotionally with
raising a young family? Are you worried about
your children in terms of drugs, alcohol or sexuality? Are you a single parent and finding it hard
to cope? Are you recently separated or divorced
and are struggling to come to terms with the situation? Sharing the situation can help.
The message that I want to get across to the
community is rather simple; you are not alone!
Whilst I do not have a magic wand that can solve
all the issues, I can promise you that I will listen
to your concerns and if I cannot help directly I
will try to put you in contact with another service
or organisation that can assist you. You can contact me on the confidential Community Care Line
on 020 82075741. Please do leave a message if I
am unable to answer your call.
During my time here, I have learnt to appreci-
ate that this is an amazing community! On a personal level, I would like to say thank you to everyone who have made me feel so welcome.
However, in order to be able to continue to reach
out to the people in the community, we need
more volunteers to join the BES Community Care
Network. Whether you want to work with children or the elderly, do shopping or driving people
to appointment, visit people in hospital or at
home, offer telephone support to isolated people,
or have an area of expertise that could benefit
others we need you. You will receive training, support and supervision, and be very much welcomed here at BES Community Care. If you have
some spare time and would like to volunteer,
please contact me [email protected].
Wishing you all a Shana Tova
Rebecca Brummer, Community Care Coordinator
CAPITAL PROJECTS
Building for the Future
Barry Rose
I am pleased to report that the works to replace the failed heating system in the main Shul were
completed on schedule and to budget in time for Shavuot. We are now in discussion with the
insurers, via the United Synagogue, to recover as much of the costs as we can
As reported previously the purpose of the exercise was to ensure that we had heating. Air conditioning (cooling) can be provided, and we have identified the necessary pipe routes and plant locations etc, but the cost will be in the region of £100,000 to install properly, and will increase our fuel
bills considerably
Now that the heating has been resolved, and subject to more disasters, I can turn my attention
to considering the potential of our site to meet the future needs of the community. Working closely with the community development sub committee a brief is being developed which can be
turned in to scheme drawings and possibly, if funds are available, into reality
Given that the sums involved to redevelop the site will run to 7 figures we will also be looking at
ways to improve and enhance what we have, as an interim solution, but there should be no doubt
that our tired old buildings will need major expenditure in the future
If anyone has any constructive ideas as to how to re-model things, or raise the necessary funds,
please do not hesitate to step forward.
Barry Rose
link community
Jordan Gilmore
ISRAELI VISITORS
Magic Moments
Jordan Gilmore
My family and I had just returned from Eretz Yisrael for Pesach, when on the following Sunday
we had to pick up two teenage girls named Shiran and Aviya. We had no idea what to expect
but I had hoped that the girls would give me an
idea of what living in Israel was all about.
We entered JFS and I immediately felt the
warmth of Israel touching me, the girls were
singing and dancing as if the worries of living
under constant threat from attacks were the furthest thing from their mind. Immediately the
Madrich, Sholom, introduced himself my father
instantly felt a bond with this man. There was an
instant empathy as if they were two souls locked in
a common bond of love of yiddishkeit and Israel.
It was an intensely rewarding experience as a
host family especially at the Yom Ha’atzmaut
celebration at Yavneh where I was proud to be a
part of the celebration. Shiran and Aviya and the
rest of the delegates performed with such feeling there was not a dry eye in the house. My
father felt enormous pride in the way the children conducted themselves during the week as
if they were his own children. They were a credit
to Israel and to every host family in Borehamwood.
This trip has reinforced my love and commitment to Israel and encouraged my mother to
join the UJIA Magic Moments committee to
ensure that the celebrations are even better for
next year.
If Israel is producing such wonderful kind
and giving children the future of Eretz Yisrael is
indeed in safe hands.
Jordan Gilmore
SPORT
Inter-Shul Cricket
Joel Sager
Fancy bowling a hard ball at someone at speed or maybe you fancy a leg-break or a spot of
medium pace? Fancy making other people chase a ball you just walloped? Fancy a fun, relaxed
afternoon in the sun playing cricket with fellow Shul members?
Ah, the sound of leather on willow.
We are exploring the possibility of setting up a Borehamwood shul cricket team to take on other
US shul teams. We would be playing a few games a season during the summer months (June to
August), 20/25 overs a side, starting at about 2.00pm and finishing absolutely no later than 6pm.
From experience with other shul teams, these games are always great fun and played in a friendly
atmosphere, with a fine Kosher tea thrown in!
We will welcome players of all ages and skill. Got Maccabi League experience? Great! If not but you
want to play, also great. We will even organise a net session or two before the season starts. Now it’s
up to you…Interested?
Give Joel Sager a call on 8953-0735 or e-mail [email protected].
Joel Sager
link community
Aryeh Richman
YOUTH
Youth Report
Aryeh Richman
As I sit here writing my final youth report in my last
few days working as Youth Director, it is amazing to
think that just 4 LINK magazines ago I was introducing myself to you and now, 2 years on, I am leaving my post as Youth Director.
The last few months in the job have been far from
quiet in the Youth Community. Our Caribbean
beach party at Purim saw over 100 people join us for
an evening of cocktails, surfing and a calypso atmosphere provided by our steel band. There was little
opportunity to catch a breath as 2 weeks later we
were putting on our second youth production, the
Lion King, which proved to be (pardon the pun), a
roaring success! The cast and crew worked tirelessly
to make the production the success that it was.
Despite the stresses, the tears, the prima donna outbursts from certain cast members and an instance
of a certain Eliot Cukier getting locked in the cupboard (how this happened I still don’t quite know!),
the show, as with Oliver last year, was by far the
most rewarding project that we have done. A huge
thank you must go out to all the volunteers who
made the fabulous costumes and once again to our
musical maestro Eliot Minn for having the patience
of a saint in working some very difficult musical
numbers.
Our Youth Service has continued to flourish
under the guidance of Youth Workers David and
Naomi Kaplan. The Service has made great progress
over the year in terms of the quality of Davening
and Leining and almost all of our services over the
High Holy Days will be led by the Youth, an incredible progression from 2 years ago when practically all
the davenning was led by adults. As many of you
will know, David and Naomi are making Aliyah over
the summer and I would like to thank them for all
their hard work and wish them all the best for the
future.
The summer term kicked off with the launching
of our new Shabbat afternoon educational programme, L.S.D – Learning Seudah Davenning, in
partnership with Bnei Akiva. The programme has
seen 40-50 young people spend the last few hours of
Shabbat learning together, discussing contemporary issues and enjoying (an occasionally spiritual)
Seudah Shlishit.
Our community also hosted its first ever Yom
Yerushalaim celebration in the shape of ‘Borehamwoodstock’, which saw 100 people come to the Shul
for a festive service followed by a barbeque and live
music and dancing outside. Yom Yerushalaim, to
my dismay, has never been given the pride of place
it deserves as a festival by Anglo - Jewry, and I hope
that this is an event that we as a community maintain and build upon in the years to come.
A hectic Shavuot programme proved once again
to be a huge success for the youth. A record-breaking
60 people attended our Youth Tikkun Leil where top
speakers engaged in hot debates with participants,
despite the time of night (or day), whilst gorging on
copious amounts of pizza and ice cream. This was
followed up by our Second Shavuot Meat Fest once
again kindly hosted by the Freedmans where a good
time was had by all.
The Tribe Football Frenzy 5-a-side tournament on
the 6th July gave Borehamwood and Elstree Shul its
best ever finish. Under the leadership of ‘the not so
special one’, our team reached the semi-finals,
knocking out the big guns of Stanmore on our way
and losing to eventual winners Kinloss 2-1 in the
semis. The lads did us proud but, needless to say, a
semi final position wasn’t good enough for the high
standards of the Shul and the manager will not be
there next season!
In my first article for the LINK 2 years ago, I wrote
that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Building a Youth
Community takes time and a lot of hard work. The
past two years working for the community have
been the most difficult yet rewarding years of my
life. The results we have achieved could never have
been reached without the tireless work of Estelle,
who has not only been a great colleague, always
willing to go the extra mile for the work we have
done, but also a great friend. Having Estelle stay on
as Youth Administrator will do wonders for ensuring a smooth handover to the next Youth Director.
Having said all that, the work we have done is
only the beginning for the Youth community and
there is still more required. I know that under our
new Youth team the community will continue to
thrive. I wish them all the best in the job and look
forward to seeing the fruits of their labour.
Aryeh Richman
SWIMMING FOR CHARITY
Sister Strength
Beverley Jacobson
Dani and Talya Jacobson have raised more than £23,000 for six charities by each swimming
1,408 lengths of a 25m pool which equates to 22 miles - the equivalent of the English Channel.
Dani, 12, came up with the idea as a way of marking her Batmitzvah which she celebrated with
some style and panache in July this year. She wanted to express her gratitude for all she has and
give to others less fortunate than herself. In particular, she wanted to raise money for the charities
and groups which have helped and supported Talya, 13, who suffers from cerebral palsy, epilepsy, a
severe visual impairment and learning difficulties as a result of meningitis contracted at birth.
Always compassionate, insightful and supportive, Dani encouraged Talya to take part in the
challenge which she named "Sister Strength". Besides showing enormous commitment in completing the challenge on her own, Dani has helped and encouraged her sister to do the same.
She said: "Talya has very little social life and she enjoys physical activity so it has been a wonderful way for us to spend time together and for her to focus her energy.
I sometimes swim with Talya but other times on my own. Talya swims doggy paddle and can
only manage 20 lengths at a time but she never gives up and is an inspiration to me."
The money raised will be divided between Norwood, Lonsdale School in Stevenage, where Talya
is a pupil, Borehamwood-based Noah's Ark playscheme for children with special needs, Emunah, a
charity funding youth projects in Israel, Kisharon, which helps Jewish people with learning difficulties, and Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue.
link community
OFFICE MANAGER REPORT
A View From the Shul
Office
Esmond Rosen
Sixty years of existence is a fantastic
achievement for such a tiny country such as
Israel and the Borehamwood community continues to give its support, morally, materially,
critically or financially, especially at this time
of year. The UJIA Magic Moments project is
one tangible example of this support where we
played host to teenagers from the Galil and
these young people brought a part of Israel to
our community. The Magic Moments Borehamwood committee, host families and office
support from Estelle combined to provide a
great example of Borehamwood friendship,
hospitality and organisation.
The farewells to Rabbi and Miriam Plancey,
together with the induction of Rabbi and Dina
Brawer, were particular highlights in a packed
shul calendar dominated by the repairs to the
shul heating system. The office again provided
the necessary support to ensure that things
ran smoothly. Amanda is now virtually acting
as the Rabbi’s P.A in addition to her other
duties and at times of extreme pressure we
also receive assistance from Linda Felsenstein
and Helena Freedman.
The shul has been encouraging a warm and
close relationship with Yavneh College which
is seen as an important factor for our growth
as a community. It is hoped that we will use
the College for religious services but also for
community learning and communal events.
Our assistant caretaker, Darren, has left to
be replaced by Joseph de Sousa, shortly to be
joined by his wife Edna. His cheerful disposition and hard working character has tremendously
assisted
the
dedication
and
commitment provided by Bernie.
Over 1000 individuals use our premises on
average every week. The site is open seven days
a week and is home to a diverse number of
groups and simchas. Religious services are
held every day and complemented on Shabbat
by services for children, youth and adults.
When you add learning and youth programmes plus the daily use by Gilah Nursery
you begin to gain a better picture of what the
office supports.
May I wish you all a very successful, healthy
and peaceful New Year 5769.
Shannah Tovah Tikoteyvu
Esmond (Es) Rosen
'2<281(('72/26(:(,*+7"
T 07887 712285 or
E [email protected]
PHILLIPA LEON MRSH YMCA FETC
(67<($56
MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE
PROMOTION OF HEALTH
Sports and foot pain clinic
Musculoskeletal gait analysis
Orthotics to suit any budget
Wide variety of foot conditions treated
Day, late evening and Sunday appointments
Suitable for all ages - children especially welcome
To make an appointment call us on 0800 195 9891
or email [email protected]
A&A Podiatrists and Chiropodists
Michael J Abrahams BSc(Hons), MChS, SRCh
Martine R Abrahams BSc(Hons), MChS, SRCh
9 Station Road, Radlett, Hertfordshire, WD7 8JY
www.painfreefeet.co.uk
OAKLANDS BANQUETING SUITE
ALL INCLUSIVE PRICE
For hire on a Venue only basis with your own choice of caterer
We have a list of selected
independent excellent
caterers with varying
specialities and prices
dependent on your choice of
cuisine including
Strictly Kosher under the
supervision of the
London Beth Din
Our Suite includes
The Celebration Hall
Art Gallery Reception Hall
Stage and Dance Floor
Gold or Silver chairs
Round and Oblong Tables
Rainbow Lighting
Fully Disabled facilities
Reasonably priced
Ample Car Parking
Secure environment
With dancing area
for up to
150 seated guests
We also offer
Personalised Theming
Flowers and Balloons
Entertainment
For all occasions including Barmitzvah Batmitzvah and Weddings celebrate in the leafy suburb
of Northwood with close and easy access to the M25, M1 and M40
For more information please telephone our
Venue Co-ordinator Doffy Aarons on 07980 498314
or NPLS OAKLANDS Oaklands Gate Northwood HA6 3AA 01923 829772
What can we do
for you?
Inheritance Tax
Planning
Offshore Bank
Accounts and Funds
Pension Fund
Management
Israel Property
Mortgage Advice
Family & Business
Protection Insurance
Call Freddy David today on
020 8953 3444
www.hbfs.co.uk
HBFS is the trading name of HBFS Financial Services Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered Address: 49 Watford Way, Hendon, London NW4 3JH
Independent Financial Advisers • 3 Theobald Court, Theobald Street, Borehamwood, Herts WD6 4RN
Registered in England, Reg no. 5273179

LINK by ivor final:Layout 1 - Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue

Transcription

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