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the norrice leader april 2015
1
April 2015
September
2014
ALL THE NEWS FROM HAMPSTEAD GARDEN SUBURB SYNAGOGUE
Rabbi Kaplan & Freda,
Rabbi Levene & Lisa,
Chazan Avromi Freilich &
Rochelle
and the The Honorary
Ofﬁcers wish all members
a Happy and
Kosher Pesach
Photograph by Geoffrey Behrman
Catching the mood
T
he photograph above shows a relaxed moment before the start of this year’s Lvov Concert. It reﬂects the mood of
the evening which was truly melodious and happy (p14).
This was just one of many events we have enjoyed during the winter. There has been something for everyone,
from seniors to youth and tots. We hope you enjoy reading the reports in the following pages. There were no spare seats
in the Max Weinbaum Hall for the visit of Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of the leader of Hamas (p9) – a truly fascinating
evening. Over 200 people joined the Chief Rabbi for Friday night dinner on 20 March and, a few weeks earlier, 60 guests
enjoyed a Shabbat lunch for young adults at 8 Norrice Lea..
A special pre-Purim event for grandparents and grandchildren, hosted by Rebbetzen Freda at 8 Norrice Lea was
a great success. There was a full house for Purim celebrations with over 600 people in the Shul, 450 in the Hall for the
Shadow Theatre show, 100 at the Youth Megillah reading and activities, plus 60 at the Sephardi reading. Later in the
evening, a large audience gathered for the Ladies’ Megillah Reading (pp10-11).
The Education Committee, under the chairmanship of Martin Kaye, has introduced a new Shabbat morning dialogue
series which has proved very popular (p4). In preparation for the Israeli General Election, we hosted an election debate
(p16). There was a Sunday morning breakfast with MK Dov Lipman, organised in association with the UJIA, then, on
Tuesday, 17 March, we were able to watch a live transmission of the results as they came through, at an event organised in
conjunction with The Zionist Federation. With the impending General Election in this country, we took the opportunity
to put questions of interest to the community to our local parliamentary candidates (p5).
We are also able to report on the many charitable initiatives undertaken by some of our members which include some
remarkable stories.
A pending change of leadership
Three of our Honorary Ofﬁcers will be standing down at this year’s AGM: Simon Johnson, who has been Chairman for
the past two years, Julian Lewis who stepped in as Vice President for the past year and Jeffrey Davidson who has served
as Financial Representative for eight years. They have contributed to the continuing growth, energy and strength of our
community. They have been keen to empower more people to become involved and further develop our vibrant community.
They have also overseen the recent refurbishment of the building, in particular the renovation and modernisation of the
Max Weinbaum Hall. They have responded sensitively to this time of heightened alert and have not hesitated to instal
increased professional security cover. Our heartfelt thanks go to them for all their dedication and hard work.
Things to come
On 15 April, we will commemorate Yom HaShoah with testimony from Susan Pollack who was liberated from BergenBelsen exactly 70 years ago (15 April 1945).
Following the Annual General Meeting which will be held on Sunday morning, 10 May, there will be Lag b’Omer
celebrations at the home of Rabbi & Freda Kaplan. The AGM will also offer an opportunity for members to discuss
and then vote for which charities the community will support from fund raising events. HGSS is recognised as a very
generous community with the Kol Nidre and Shavuot appeals last year raising almost £200k. The Shavuot Appeal this
year will be in aid of Jewish Care’s Alzheimer’s services.
Whatever you are doing through the summer, we hope it will be enjoyable and memorable – please be sure to let us
have your stories and photographs for the next edition of The Norrice Leader which will appear at Rosh Hashanah.
Nearly 100 people watched the the Israeli election results
come through live in the Max Weinbaum Hall. On the
platform (L to R): Sol Undorfer, Likud, Paul Charney
of the Zionist Federation, Richard Ferrer of The Jewish
News and Shai Bazak from World KKL
STOP PRESS
Bringing people
together
The rewards of working on communal
publications come when you receive a letter
like this which arrived just as we were going
to print:
Dear Hilary Halter,
I work with Dr Vivienne Cohen in Jerusalem and I
saw the issue of The Norrice Leader in which you
interviewed Herta Stiefel. My parents, Manfred
and Florence Vansen ran The Sunshine Hotel where
Herta worked.
I have written to her telling her about my parents
and our family, and asking her if I may visit her next
time I come to England.
Since I have no address for her, please could you
forward it . . .
Thank you so much,
Esther Rosenfeld
the norrice leader april 2015
2
A Pesach message
The
Chief Rabbi’s
from Steve Pack
President of the United Synagogue
A
s I write this Pesach message we are still reeling from the dreadful
terrorist events in Paris, Har Nof and elsewhere. We are also extremely
concerned about the record levels of anti-Semitic incidents in the UK.
Against this background it is reassuring to read the report of the All Party
Parliamentary Inquiry into anti-Semitism. This impressive document has
important recommendations that are supported by all the main political
parties, by leaders of other faiths and by the police. The report calls for zero
tolerance of anti-Semitism and of attacks on our Jewish traditions. We cannot
be complacent about future attacks but we do know that the authorities and
the CST will do everything they can to protect us.
This has been a very active time for the US. It is particularly pleasing to
note the expansion of our US family through the addition of Shefﬁeld and
Waltham Forest Hebrew Congregation. These additions have increased our
membership by over 800 members.
I was pleased to be able to participate in the launch of 70 Days for 70 Years
which commemorates 70 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. This worldleading project was the brainchild of our Living and Learning department. It is
encouraging thousands of people to learn daily in the memory of a victim of
the Holocaust. The 70 for 70 book has been translated into several languages
and the project has been taken up by communities in many countries. The
70 days ﬁnish on Seder night which is a most appropriate time for us to
‘remember the past to build the future’.
Many of our communities participated in the Chief Rabbi’s ShabbatUK
project which was spectacularly successful. This really inspired so many
people to get involved and plans are already being made for the 2015 event.
Pesach is a most busy time for the US Chesed department which distributes
over 600 Pesach parcels to families who appreciate this help at this time of
year. This enables them to transform Pesach into a celebration rather than a
burden. We ask all of our communities to get involved by identifying people
who should be sent a parcel and also to help fund this important initiative.
The report summarising the results of the United Synagogue Strategic
Review has been published and we are now actively working on implementing
the recommendations. This provides us with a blueprint for the future of
The US as we work together to deliver our new guiding mission -’Building
vibrant, engaged communities at the forefront of British Jewry’. The review is
the culmination of much hard work and I am extremely excited by the results.
If you have not already seen the report it is available on The US website.
Finally I am delighted to welcome our new Chief Executive, Dr Steven
Wilson. He joined us in October and has already made a huge impact on the
organisation. He will be leading the implementation of recommendations in
the strategic review and we are so fortunate to have such a talented individual
leading our excellent team of professionals. I would like to thank them and
indeed all of our Rabbonim, lay leadership and volunteers for everything they
do for our community.
Cheryl and I wish you and your families a wonderful kasher Pesach.
Pesach Message
5775
A
t our Seder tables we will declare:
“My father was a wandering Aramean
and he went down to Egypt … and
there he became a nation.” (Deuteronomy 26:5)
However, after our deliverance from
Egypt, at the time of our acceptance of the
Torah, the Almighty declared: “Now if you
obey Me fully, and keep My covenant, then
you will be My treasured possession out of all
the nations … you will be for Me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:4-6)
So, when did we become a nation? Was
it during our time in Egypt, arriving as an
extended family group, which then expanded
into a people that was cruelly persecuted, or
was it through our commitment at Sinai to
a life of Torah and mitzvot that we became
God’s chosen people?
There are two routes through which
a nation can be formed. One is through a
shared past and the other is through a shared
future. A group of people can meaningfully
be fused into a national entity not just on
account of where they have come from, but
also based on where they are going to. When
a group of people shares a common set of
ideals, values and dreams, they are bound
together by a treasured common destiny.
At Pesach-time, while we celebrate our
historic redemption from Egypt, we are
particularly mindful of our eventful past.
Looking back through the history of British
Jewry, we can be immensely proud of our
The Board of Deputies of
British Jews President, Vivian Wineman writes
A
s I write my ﬁnal Pesach message as President I reﬂect on a period of great challenges
and achievements. The challenges are obvious; the achievements made possible with our
new team, new premises and new leadership are becoming ever more so.
First within a matter of weeks there is the General Election. We at the Board have been
attempting to seize on a historic opportunity to ensure our programme of Ten Commitments,
that summarises our key policy asks, is adopted by as many MPs and prospective parliamentary
candidates as possible. The 2015 General Election: A Jewish Manifesto has already been sent out
to all selected candidates and there has been a hugely gratifying response. We have also been
urging our Deputies and members of the community to join our online campaign, launched
in association with We Believe in Israel. By using a new online tool you are able to enter your
postcode and simultaneously write to all prospective parliamentary candidates to request their
support for our Ten Commitments. We hope these efforts will result in a Parliament with MPs
aware and responsive to the needs of our community.
In the meantime whilst there has never been a boring period during the last two triennia no time
has been quite as challenging this. At the time of writing we have just received the report of the All
Party Parliamentary Group on anti-Semitism – their ﬁrst since 2006. This followed the awful events
in Paris and Copenhagen. The community itself has been rocked by the upsurge in anti-Semitic
incidents which in 2014 exceeded all previous years for which records have been kept. Paris and
then Copenhagen remind us all how terrorists can easily be inspired by one another.
In the face of this upsurge we have had a continuous dialogue with the Government over the
measures we hope will ensure the continued safety of our community. Alongside our communal
partners we have met the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary, the Communities Secretary and
Education Secretary. In addition we have met the Shadow Home Secretary and London’s Deputy
Mayor for crime and policing. It has been gratifying to see the ﬁrm response of the government
and of all the mainstream political parties and particularly pleasing that the Home Secretary
and Communities Secretary were prepared at very short notice to attend our plenary meeting,
reassuring Deputies of their continued commitment to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the
Jewish community in the ﬁght against anti-Semitism.
The Board have been at the forefront of tackling anti-Semitic attitudes – from politicians, the
media and clerics. Yet we see also that though the level of reported anti-Semitic incidents was
up, the proportion of violent incidents was down with only one incident of extreme violence and
according to the research carried out by the Fundamental Rights Agency of the EU, the UK remains
the most secure place for Jews in Europe. The APPG report mentions this as well and also speciﬁcally
●
2015
achievements, many of which were attained
through adversity and hardship. On my
travels to communities large and small I
always hear memories of previous eras with
their highs and lows, their challenges and
achievements. We can be immensely proud
of where we have come from.
At the same time, what is even more
important is how we approach our future.
This recognition has inspired the United
Synagogue to engage in a strategic review,
while many other communities throughout
the UK are likewise carefully investing in
developing a clear, realistic and ambitious
approach to their future.
As is the case at the Seder table, within
British Jewry we are deeply aware of our
origins and are keenly anticipating our shared
future. With attention to strengthening
our communities, deepening our Jewish
awareness through education and enhancing
our environment through acts of kindness
we will invest in a great destiny for ourselves,
our families and our communities.
Valerie and our family join me in wishing
you all a chag kasher vesameach.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
commends the Board’s outreach to the
Muslim community. Nevertheless we
cannot afford to be complacent.
Anti-Semitism, however, is not
our only problem. The campaign for
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
directed against Israel is going to
get stronger as will the calls for the
UK to recognise a Palestinian state
independent of any peace or even negotiations with Israel.
Directly but also through the Fair Play Campaign Group, we ﬁght a constant battle against
the growing anti-Israel campaign whether on campus, in the media, the unions, local authorities
or anywhere else it may arise. Although some question whether the Board has a role to play on
Israel, we recognise its centrality to the community and the consequent need for the community’s
representative body to speak out on Israel’s behalf.
On the domestic side, the challenge to shechitah is growing with calls for a ban even from
quarters normally sympathetic to our community. In education matters, many of our schools
have come under pressure because of reasons utterly unconnected with them. We continue to
challenge misunderstanding and malicious attacks with clarity and vigour.
There are however, plenty of positives for Jews in the UK. Britain is also home to a community
which for its size is probably the most vital in the diaspora. Our schools are ﬂourishing with
outstanding standards and ever greater numbers of pupils. The Board through its advice and
above all through Pikuach, its inspectorate, is playing an important role here. Our service to
small communities, Jewish Connection, sustains a fulﬁlling Jewish life for the approximately
20% of the Jews of this country living in communities too small to support a minister.
Throughout the country, at cross communal events such as Jewish Book Week and Limmud,
the Board has been active in making presentations and appearing at more events than ever before.
The Board also continues with its work with the Jewish Living exhibition, attended by over 8,000
adults and school children in the past year alone – explaining Judaism to the outside world.
Finally we should mention our efforts to reach out to parts of the community not previously
represented on the Board. We have increased substantially the representation of students and
young people and are working with the Israeli community in London. The Charedi community
remains largely outside the Board but we work very closely with them and by their account our
relations with them have never been as good as they are now.
Pesach is our festival of freedom but it is also the deﬁning seminal event in our history. Whatever
the challenges, the Board will be determined to meet them – we know that this country continues to
offer beneﬁts that few other Jewish communities boast. Of that we continue to be proud.
Chag sameach
the norrice leader april 2015
Look who’s coming
to Seder
by Rabbi Dov Kaplan
A
few years ago, a few weeks before Pesach, a friend sent
me an email titled “Look Who’s Coming to Seder”. It included
a sizeable list of politicians, actors, and other famous people
who were planning to join a seder that year. It wasn’t leading
up to an election and it didn’t appear to be for any publicity. These
“stars” were interested in sharing the seder night experience.
What is it about the seder that arouses curiosity? What makes it extraordinary?
The exodus from Egypt occurred approximately 3,500 years ago and considering
how radically the world has changed since then it seems a very long time ago.
However, now consider that families have been sitting down together to celebrate
that night. Considering that at most sedarim, people of three consecutive generations
sit together to tell the story of Moses, Pharaoh, and the plagues, it might not appear
that ancient. Calculating that than there is a 60-year difference between the eldest
and the youngest, the chain of sedarim in each family is less than 60 links long. The
grandparent who sat with you when you were a child, was told the story by their
grandparent….wherever they were in the world.
This notion of telling the story in every family from one generation to the next is
what makes it more believable and exciting. No other nation or culture has such a
train of tradition. Our parents and grandparents serve as the ‘ministers’, conducting
the ritual – and we trust our parents more than any other. In modern society, where
the integrity of the family and parental authority has become tragically weakened,
this phenomenon is even more unique.
By joining a Seder we become part of a human chain that has spanned centuries
and continents. This is the night when we discuss the important lessons of the Exodus
with those who are closest to us. We ask questions to gain further understanding.
Questions of right and wrong, divine punishment, the feasibility of miracles, and
why does G-d care.
We hope that just as we were fortunate enough to be there, so too will future
generations, our own progeny will continue to tell the story of our People.
Wishing you all a happy, healthy Pesach surrounded by dear and loving members
of your family.
Chag sameach
HGSS Advert 190x265mm.indd 1
3
The signiﬁcance
of the day
by Rabbi Marc Levene
W
ith Pesach almost at our doorstep, it is so important to look
up once in a while, take a step back from the cleaning, take your
head out of that old dusty cupboard and reﬂect on the signiﬁcance
of the day. If we wait until Pesach actually starts, we might miss the
opportunity completely.
Why do we put ourselves through this every year? Pesach
only lasts one week, yet we seem to take several weeks turning
the house upside down and generally driving ourselves mad – is it
worth it? Is it a healthy obsession to take cleaning to its ultimate level?
Our sages teach us that eating even one minuscule crumb of chametz on Pesach means we
have transgressed. This is not the case in other areas of Jewish Law. With regard to issues of
kashrut, if one accidentally mixes meat and milk, we can sometimes rely on the principal of ‘batel
b’shishim’ – which means the one drop can be nulliﬁed into the mixture as long as it is less than 1
in 60. One tiny drop of milk in our chicken soup, of course, is not allowed, but if it happened by
mistake and is less than a 60th then the dish would remain kosher.
Another example is on Yom Kippur. As we know, eating or drinking on Yom Kippur is
strictly forbidden, but if one ate a very small amount (less than the volume of an olive) then,
technically, this person has not eaten. This leniency is often given to those that are sick. So, on
the holiest day of the year, the smallest amount of food could pass your lips and you might
still be fasting.
However, we see that on Pesach it is not like this. Every crumb must be found, removed
and destroyed lest we ﬁnd or eat even a morsel. Pesach is so central to our Jewish life, and is
taken so seriously, but for good reason.
Pesach, amongst other things, represents God’s involvement in the world. In his discourse
on the Torah, The Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194 – 1270) explains that the wonders and
miracles surrounding the Exodus were so public and awesome especially so that the world
would take note that it was Hashem running the world. He moved nature from its normal
life so that every person in the world, from Jew to Gentile, would stop and pay attention and
see the mighty hand of Hashem. He did not just create the world for us to live and go about
our lives in, but he also had an active involvement in its fruition.
Pesach gives us the opportunity to remind ourselves of this fundamental principle, even
if we sometimes feel that a crumb of bread can defeat us. We are not in charge, nor are we
alone.
Please God we can all use Pesach as a chance to reinvigorate our relationship with
Hashem, and to help us focus and reﬂect on the important things in our lives.
Wishing us all a crumb-free and wonderful Pesach – Chag Sameach!
20/03/2014 14:27
the norrice leader april 2015
4
Lord Sacks speaks –
The conﬁdence
to question
it’s standing room only
Michael Fishman records a very special
Shabbat morning sermon
O
n Shabbat, 10 January 2015, Ben, younger son of
Sharon and Jonathan Goldstein, celebrated his Bar
Mitzvah, and leined the Sedra Shemot superbly
well. Among his personal guests was Emeritus
Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, who delivered the sermon – a great
honour for Jonathan and his family and one in which we were
all privileged to share.
Lord Sacks is a renowned orator but, this being the day
after the terrible events in Paris, the stage was set for one of
the most impassioned speeches ever made from the pulpit of
HGSS – he did not let his audience down.
He prefaced his remarks by thanking us for inviting him –
surely it should have been the other way around. He praised
Rabbi and Rebbetzen Kaplan for their energy in rejuvenating
the community, Rabbi Levene for his work with our youth
and Chazan Avromi Freilich for his beautiful chazanut and for
being Avromi Freilich. Finally, the golden touch, paying tribute
to our distinguished long-retired member of the clergy, Rabbi
Dr Jeffrey Cohen.
His theme, both powerful and simple: “You cannot impose
truth by force – even if you are Hashem himself” – as militant
Islamists think they can at this present moment. Time and
history have shown that it cannot be done. The Romans
discovered it with their conquest of Jerusalem and the Middle
East, the Christians discovered it with the Crusades and, in
the 20th century, the Germans discovered it under Adolf Hitler
and the Russians with their occupation of Eastern Europe.
Even the Jews in the ﬁrst century, starting with the rebellion
of Josephus through to the rebellion of Bar Kochba, tried to
impose themselves on others and failed, thus creating the
diaspora and the destruction of the First Temple.
Now it appears to be Islam’s turn and they, too, will fail
– the truth ﬂourishes in freedom not by imposition by the
sword. You have to remove the “s” from the beginning of the
word, transfer it to the end and come up with ‘words’, ‘words
A message from the Association
of United Synagogue Women
of the truth’.
The tragic events in Paris
have a history going back to
the publication of Salmon
Rushdie’s Satanic Verses, in
1998, when 30 people died as
a result of the protests. This
was followed by events in
Holland, in 2005, when there was rioting because cartoons of
Mohammed offended the Muslims, two hundred people died.
He listed many more atrocities, foremost among them, the
shootings in Toulouse in 2012 .
“Death to the Jews” placards are common in French
demonstrations; every day anti-Semitic incidents go
unreported in our media.
Referring to the recent events in Paris, with the murder of
ten cartoonists and two policemen in the Charlie Hebdo ofﬁces,
and brutal murder of four Jews in the Jewish delicatessen, as
well as the gunning down of a young policewoman elsewhere,
he said that recent surveys show that 74% of Jews, the largest
Jewish population in Europe, are thinking of leaving France
because of the ever-growing anti-Semitism.
Rabbi Sacks then stunned his audience by saying “If the
Jews leave France, it will be the end of France”. History shows
that it has happened to many countries where expulsion of the
Jews has taken place.
He ﬁnished as he began: “Truth ﬂourishes in freedom”. He
prayed that Hashem would strengthen the bereaved people of
France. He feared for his Muslim brothers.
“Let us stand together and pray that violence may end and
faith become what it has always been – Peace, Liberty and
Life – Rabbi Sacks’ interpretation of the French Revolution’s
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.
He then addressed Ben, congratulated him on his superb
leining and offered words of encouragement for his future. I
am sure this day will be remembered by the young man and
by all those present for a long time to come.
W
hy is this night different from other
nights? Why do we eat bitter herbs?
Can we eat yet? Seder Night is full of
questions – some intended to explore the story
of the Exodus from Egypt, others from young
children eager to ﬁnd out more, and some from
the weary who have spent many weeks preparing
for a night of family and food. What an expertly
pedagogical religion we have, teaching us the value
of questioning rather than answering.
At US Women we have been running our
Female Jew Educational Roadshow over the past
15 months, travelling to many of our communities
to encourage members to ask questions about
women’s involvement in Judaism. Where does
Halacha about women come from? Is it taken
from a time when women’s status in society was
different? How have things changed and should we
be embracing or running away from this change?
Feedback from the course has also taught us a
number of things. Importantly, that many people,
especially women, do not have the conﬁdence
to question. They are scared that their lack of
knowledge trumps their right to ask ‘what is my
role in this community?’
Judaism embraces a good machloket or
disagreement in Halacha. It forces us to ask
questions and to educate ourselves to ﬁnd answers.
Whether it is in pairs through hevruta, by attending
a shiur or lecture, or by signing up to a course, there
are many ways we can search for a deeper meaning
to what we do and for a reason as to why we do
it. Asking that ﬁrst question can be intimidating –
it takes courage and conﬁdence to say we do not
know. However, as Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks says
in his Hagaddah, “to ask is to grow.”
Just be careful though, as the very wise Albert
Einstein said “The more I learn, the more I realise
how much I don’t know.”
Lauren Hamburger
US Women’s Executive
THE PlAgUES HAvE
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The ten plagues that blighted the
Egyptians before the Jewish people
were set free have now been replaced
by new ‘plagues’.
Norwood’s social work teams are
supporting children and their families,
and adults with learning disabilities to
overcome everything from family
breakdown to discrimination.
www.
Donate online
norwood.org.uk/appeal
We can’t eliminate all of society’s
problems, but if we don’t take action
now, our problems will get worse.
Help make a difference to 7,000 lives
by giving Norwood a gift this Pesach.
Chag Sameach and thank
you for your support
by phone
020 8420 6970
To: FREEPOST, RTJU-RHJK-RRTT, Norwood,
Broadway House, 80-82 The Broadway,
Stanmore HA7 4HB
I enclose:
£25
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Address:
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However, please let us know if you would prefer for us not to.
I do not wish to receive information about Norwood by:
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I do not want an acknowledgment
or send a cheque
with the attached form
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HGS
the norrice leader april 2015
5
Sarah Sackman, Labour
Mike Freer MP
Conservative Member of Parliament for
Finchley & Golders Green
1. David Cameron as PM has been
robust in defending the Jewish
Community as have Theresa May
and Eric Pickles. One of the ﬁrst things
the Government did in 2010 was
create the security fund for Jewish
Schools. The £3m fund helps
Jewish schools in the state sector
meet the additional costs of school security. On 4 February,
the PM reiterated that no-one in the Jewish community
should feel that the UK is not safe for them and that the
Government would do what it can to help meet the costs of
security. On 9 February I met with the Education Secretary
to explore increasing the fund by another £5m to help
meet the security costs at Independent Jewish Schools. The
Government will work with organisations such as the CST
to help fund security measures such as CCTV and guards.
I am also working with colleagues in the Culture, Media
and Sport department to look at helping cultural buildings
such as JW3 and the Jewish Museum.
The Government will continue to block hate preachers
from entering the UK and deport those who seek to spread
hatred and work to combat anti-Semitism on our campuses
and on the internet. Theresa May has issued
to the Police on combating hate messages
on demonstrations. Vigorous prosecution
will be delivered for those spreading antiSemitism. Attempts to boycott goods and
individuals will be ﬁrmly rebuffed.
1. Let me start by telling you a little about myself. I went to Kerem Nursery School, grew up going
to Norrice Lea with my parents, was privileged to be President of the Jewish Society at Cambridge
and met my husband at Limmud. So, when I talk about the CST, it’s not just as a politician; it’s as
someone who knows what it means to feel safe because of the CST guys on the door.
I think Labour can be proud of what it did before 2010, proposing direct funding for security
personnel outside Jewish schools. In his speech at this year’s JFS graduation, Tristram Hunt MP
restated Labour’s commitment to continue with the current Government’s funding for security
of Jewish schools, and if I am elected in 2015 I will argue strongly that this should be increased and extended to other
Jewish institutions.
Finchley and Golders Green probably has more Jewish schools, shuls, shops and community facilities than any other
part of the country. Immediately after the dreadful attacks in Paris, I arranged for Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary,
to meet with CST and visit key Jewish sites. If elected, I will liaise closely with the CST to see what other measures would
help both to provide protection and to make Jewish constituents feel safer going about their day-to-day business. This
will be a priority for me.
2. I believe strongly that the ability to practise Shechita is a matter of civil and religious rights and that any interference
with the current practice, particularly when based on frankly unproven animal welfare arguments, would be an
infringement of fundamental rights of the Jewish community, and indeed of Muslims too.
3. Labour is committed to a negotiated two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Personally, though achieving a twostate solution will be enormously difﬁcult I do not see any real alternative. The demographics, the ever increasing
hostility of many countries and institutions towards Israel - DBS and “apartheid state” to give just two examples - and
the problems of ruling over a large alienated population all militate against a one-state solution. As someone who has
grown up visiting Israel, has family there and has worked at the Israeli Supreme Court, and so understands Israel from
the inside, I want to see a negotiated settlement that entails the territorial integrity of both states and would strongly
support guarantees of that integrity by the
international community.
It’s your decision
2. Having been to see the Shechita method
and the stunning methods for myself I
understand the debate more than many.
Having taken part in several debates in the
House of Commons, it is not the policy of the
Conservative Party to ban Shechita.
3. The PM has been absolutely ﬁrm in leading
the Conservative viewpoint on this. We
support Israel’s right to exist and to defend
itself. We will not reward terrorism by any
pre-emptive recognition of a Palestinian
State until the peace process delivers a two
state solution. The Conservative Party is
the only party to say a Palestinian State can
only be supported when all sides recognise
each other’s right to exist, when borders
have been agreed and when security issues
have been resolved. There can be no political
posturing to give encouragement to Hamas
to continue its reign of terror.
Polling in the General Election is just a few weeks away. The national contest is
likely to be close. Locally it may be even closer – the current MP for Hendon has
a majority of just 109, making it one of the most marginal seats in the country.
With rising anti-Semitism across Europe, threats to shechita in England, and
increasing demonization of Israel, Julian Pollard asked our local candidates to
explain their position on keys issues which affect NL readers.
Here are the questions:
1. Against a background of sharply rising anti-Semitic acts and threats in the
UK, what speciﬁc measures will your party implement to protect and defend
Jewish religious practices, educational establishments and cultural activities?
2. Will your party preserve the current law and practices of Jewish religious
slaughter?
3. Where does your party stand in the argument that a two-state solution
between Israel and Palestine is the only realistic basis for a peaceful resolution
of the Middle East conﬂict and that the territorial integrity of both states should
be guaranteed by the International Community – ie UN/EU?
4. Should the interests of minority communities in the UK be subordinated to
the wishes of the majority?
4. We value our pluralistic society as it allows
5. At a recent Oxford Union debate, the motion, This House believes that Hamas
minorities the freedom to practise their
is a greater obstacle to peace than Israel, was overwhelmingly defeated. Do you
religion and culture freely. Whilst a majority
agree with that verdict?
view may shape the debate, a minority has
the right to be defended. In a pluralist society
6. The European Union recently condemned Israel for ‘Human Rights violations’
unique groups coexist side by side. The
while failing to condemn any other nation involved in current Middle East
consequence of living in a pluralist society
conﬂicts (eg Syria, Iraq, Yemen). Might this be considered an anti-Semitic act
is recognition and tolerance of cultural and
hiding behind condemnation of Israel?
ethnic diversity. We can allow a majority
view but that is very different from allowing
a majority to oppress the minority. So
subjugation is not acceptable; co-existence is the answer.
5. No – Israel remains a beacon of democracy and minority
rights. On one of my recent visits to Israel I accompanied
the PM on his visit to the Knesset. Where else in the Middle
East are there Jewish MPs (from reform to ultra-orthodox)
alongside Muslim, Christian, Druze MPs? Which other
country in the Middle East has synagogues alongside
churches and mosques or is able to host one of the largest
Gay Pride events in the world? Israel makes mistakes – all
democracies do, but whilst Hamas shields its combatants
behind its citizens (and Israel shields its citizens behind its
combatants) – Hamas remains the obstacle.
6. I wouldn’t go so far as saying the EU is being anti-Semitic.
However it is part of a concerted effort to delegitimize Israel;
undoubtedly some anti-Semites will use the anti-Israel lobby
as a ﬂag of convenience. That is why we need to be vigilant to
European attempts to ban Shechita or link male circumcision
to female genital mutilation. Some may simply disagree
with Israel others may be seeking to undermine Israel and/
or Jewish traditions as a Trojan horse to undermine Judaism.
I don’t believe that the move by the EU was, in itself, antiSemitic but we need to be on our guard.
4. I am committed to human rights and
to the protection of minority rights within
the rule of law. That has been a guiding
principle of my work as a barrister.
But beyond that, I know from the inside
what it is like to be part of a minority
community. This constituency is a mix of
minorities living and working together and that everyday co-existence is something
I’m most proud of as a Brit and something I
will work hard to preserve and protect.
5. In my view, Hamas’ actions are a far
greater threat to peace and stability in the
Middle East than Israel’s. The ﬁring of
rockets at innocent civilians and Hamas’s
stated objective in its charter of destroying
Israel clearly make the achievement of any
negotiated settlement hugely more difﬁcult.
6. I don’t support unbalanced criticism
of the complexities of the Middle East by
any agency. I am proud to be a Zionist.
However, I don’t believe that anti-Zionism
always equates to anti-semitism, though
there can sometimes be a thin line between
the two. While the EU has undoubtedly
been more critical of Israel than the US, the
responses of European leaders to the tragic
events in Paris and Copenhagen belie any
charge of general anti-semitism in the EU as
an institution.
Jonathan Davies, Liberal Democrat
1. The Liberal Democrats in Government ensured the provision of public funding for the security needs
of Jewish schools and we will ensure that continues. I support the recommendations of the recent All
Party Parliamentary Group on anti-Semitism (which included an senior Liberal Democrat ex-minister)
to enhance and improve measures to safeguard synagogues and other Jewish institutions and to issue
clearer guidance for police, prosecutors and judges to make sure our response to anti-Semitism is
as strong as it can be
2. Absolutely. Nick Clegg has said “The Liberal Democrats have never adopted any policy that threatens the right to
shechita, and it is my intention that we never shall.”
3. The Liberal Democrats are committed to a two-state solution. Nick Clegg has always said that Israel and the Palestinians
have the fundamental right to live in peace and security.
4. Freedom of every individual is the fundamental tenet of liberalism, and in the Preamble of the Liberal Democrats Party
Constitution we say: “no-one shall be enslaved by conformity”
5. Hamas is guilty of war crimes for ﬁring missiles indiscriminately targeted at civilian populations in southern Israel.
Hamas’ charter commits it to the destruction of the State of Israel. Hamas is part of the same Islamist terrorist network as
Islamic State.
6. It’s amazing how the EU, and even more so the UN, apply double standards in condemning every failing by Israel
whilst ignoring human rights violations by Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran to name just three offenders.
Jonathan is Vice Chair of Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel
the norrice leader april 2015
6
What they did next
In the last issue of The Norrice Leader we featured the book Glamour in London’s East End which tells the story of wedding photographer Boris
Bennett . It mentioned how Boris’s family are still very much part of the HGSS community. Here, his sons, Michael and Maurice, are interviewed
by Michael Fishman. Hilary Halter visited his daughter, Ruth Press, whose help was invaluable in the creation of the book.
Ruth Press –
Treasuring her father’s legacy
R
uth
began
by
recalling how her
parents met – when
a young Julia went
to Boris for passport photos.
This was not something he
normally did but, in her
case, he took one look and
made an exception. He was
captivated by her. She told
him she needed them because
she wanted to go and settle
A young Ruth with her mother, Julia. in America. He encouraged
Photo by Boris
her to go but, while she was
there, he bombarded her with
telegrams telling her how much he missed her. She returned after
six weeks and the rest is history.
Ruth began helping her father in his studio as soon as she was
able to hand him the slides. She was, however, expected to keep quiet
– not easy for a naturally chatty seven-year-old. Eventually, she was
proﬁcient enough to be a photographer herself as well as working
in the production of the
prints – all highly skilled
work. She recalled how, as
the wedding parties came
and went, her father, who
had a passion for people,
would study the characters
he was photographing –
which unions were likely
to be happy, which were
unlikely to survive.
Today,
we
think
nothing of doctoring our
photographs
digitally,
using Photoshop. Ruth had
to do it laboriously, by hand,
ensuring perfect smiles and
trimming the ﬁgures of
overweight brides. Colour
was applied laboriously by Ruth took this photograph of her father,
hand. However, the quality
at his request, as he neared the end
of the materials used has
of his life
ensured that the quality of
the prints is as good today as it was at the time they were produced.
In 1945, the studio moved from Whitechapel to Oxford
Street. Here, not only did they photograph bridal couples but
also international personalities. She well remembers a visit from
Hastings Banda, then President of Malawi. He and Boris got on
very well and she took a photograph of them walking down Oxford
Street with a police escort.
For years, she wanted to mount an exhibition of her father’s
work but he always refused. Eventually, in 1985, the day before he
died, he gave his permission. Ruth put her mother to work, helping
to organising the event which took place in the Sternberg Centre
– Ruth was so pleased that this kept her mother occupied during
the difﬁcult ﬁrst year after her father’s death. The exhibition was
a huge success. Items for exhibition came from all over the world
and, when it closed in London, it travelled to several countries
including Israel.
Ruth worked with her father until his retirement, then she ran
her own business, ﬁrstly with Julia Bennett Studios in Oxford Street,
then Hilton Cameras in Golders Green.
In 2003 she suffered a double tragedy when her elder sister,
Phyllis Horal, died followed, within two weeks, by her mother,
Julia. Ruth was extremely close to both and felt the losses very
keenly. However, she has lovely memories and lives surrounded by
beautiful examples of her father’s work.
What do you do with your life once
you have reached 80?
Michael Fishman speaks with Michael and Maurice Bennett
For one who has just achieved octogenarian
status, interviewing two fellow octogenarians
could not have come at a better time. Michael
and Maurice Bennett, already members of the
’club’, show no sign of growing old.
Michael, the elder of the two brothers,
has been married to Lesley Ashe for 57
years. They have four children and twelve
grandchildren. Maurice is younger by a year,
has been married to Jackie Segal for 58 years
and has four children and nine grandchildren.
Michael and Maurice are part of the long list
of highly successful Jewish retailers which goes
Maurice (left) and Michael
back to Sir Simon Marks and Sir Charles Clore,
coming to the present day with David Lewis of
River Island and Philip Green of Topshop.
Both left school at an early age with very few qualiﬁcations and joined their father in the family
business, Bennett Cameras, which Boris had started soon after the WWII when post-war austerity
almost cancelled out wedding celebrations and the wedding photograph. They turned the business into
a small group of shops, sold out to Dixons and were left with “what’s next?”
Well ahead of their time, they started a retail chain called Bottom Price, which sold surplus fashion
manufacturers’ stock and seconds. Their main supplier was Jeff Banks, the well-known fashion designer
and creator of The Clothes Show. Jeff experienced ﬁnancial problems with his manufacturing business,
producing too many ‘seconds‘ and not enough ’ﬁrsts‘. To protect their main source of supply, the Bennetts
got involved in rescuing his company and, in 1975, together with Banks, they started Warehouse which,
over 11 years, they built into a successful retail chain of around 80 shops, Warehouse PLC. They sold the
group to Freemans Mail Order for whom they produced a successful catalogue.
Two years later, they bought a small company, Oasis Trading Ltd, and again built a very successful
group of 90 shops, Oasis PLC and, in 2000, organised a management buy-out. For most this would have
been enough, but Michael and Maurice are not like most, and they love a challenge.
In 2003 they bought a small family group, Phase 8, which they sold three years later, turning over
their investment 7 times. They are currently running Long Tall Sally, a group of retail and online shops
specialising in the tall women’s market and another retail/online operation with the Oliver Sweeney
shoe and clothes shops.
As one who spent his working life in the fashion industry, I can only admire what they have achieved,
all the more since they had no fashion training and did not come from a fashion background. They were
and are brilliant retailers – a lost art – and very clever businessmen, attaching no emotion to a brand and
knowing when to leave. To quote Michael, “We learned on the job”.
Maurice has a CBE for services to the fashion industry, which I am sure they have shared and they
are proud to say that their success was built not only on their own skills but also on those whom they
chose to employ, creating 17 millionaires along the way.
Looking forward, I asked “With the advent of Internet shopping, do they see a future for retail
shops?” Their answer was simple. “ Nothing stands still and, in fact, now moves faster. Keeping up
is difﬁcult, but that is the name of the game. The future is already happening, shops are becoming
showrooms and many items are ordered online, usually in the shop itself. Warehousing and speed of
distribution is becoming more and more important.”
Who do they admire in the High Street ? The answer, “River Island – another family business that
has progressed from strength to strength through the years, The White Company and Primark. Just
when you believe it has all been done, along comes a newcomer to prove otherwise. To show they do
not always get it right, whilst they admire Net-a-Porter, the upmarket designer group, they would never
have touched it as a potential business..
And ﬁnally, I asked the question every woman asks, “Why can’t M & S get their women’s wear right?
“ “Times have left them behind and, like the ocean liner, it is very difﬁcult to turn around. Once known
for their quality, moving their production off shore, has lost them their main selling point. Their food is
brilliant . . .” “And,” I dared to add, “so is their Menswear”. Maurice disagreed.
Since both brothers had just returned from long far-away holidays, I asked “ are you easing up?”
“We have an excellent partner, Maurice Helfgott, ex-M & S, who looks after the day to day running of
the business and we do not work nine-to-ﬁve every day“. So I assume the answer is ”yes” but not for
one moment would I suggest that they have taken their eye off the ball..
To ﬁll the spare hours, there is family, very important to both brothers, and Michael is involved in
the Nefesh Network, charitable work and lecturing to many Jewish groups. Maurice runs a website,
London Unlocked, dealing with London’s trafﬁc problems.
I have known both Michael and Maurice throughout my own career, and having spent an hour
with them, I left with a greater admiration for what they portrayed.They may be brothers, but they are
also best friends, very supportive of one another and dividing their responsibilities in their business
enterprises very successfully. Their deserved ﬁnancial success is an added bonus.
The book, Vintage Glamour in London’s East End, which was featured in Jewish Book Week, is available from all the usual outlets.
the norrice leader april 2015
7
Rabbi Livingstone
– Goes into battle for Judaism
By Julian Pollard
J
ews have served with distinction in the Armed Forces of the Crown ever
since the readmission of the Jews to England in 1656.
The ﬁrst Jewish Chaplain to the Military was appointed in 1892. In World
War One, many Jewish chaplains served in the front lines and, during World
War Two, Rabbi Israel Brodie (later Chief Rabbi) supervised over thirty commissioned
chaplains, three of whom died on active service. There were numerous military
synagogues and chaplains were posted all over the world, mainly to combat situations.
Between 1961 and 2009, Revd Malcolm Weisman was the Senior Honorary Jewish
Chaplain. However, in 2009, the post of Senior Jewish Chaplain was abolished when
the ﬁrst full time civilian chaplain to the military was appointed. Our esteemed former
Minister, Rabbi Reuben Livingstone, now holds that post, together with a commission
in the Army and his story of post-congregational communal service is fascinating.
His father, and many other male relatives, served in the South African Army and
saw service with the British 8th Army under Field Marshall Montgomery in North
Africa. In 2008, while looking for other interests to develop, Rabbi Livingstone applied
for an Army commission as a reserve chaplain and underwent a three-day military
selection test in Wiltshire. He was accepted, granted a Commission and, subsequently,
undertook extensive training, eventually passing out of Sandhurst in 2013 after
numerous gruelling physical and intellectual tests. This process alone was proved to be
a “big culture shock”. Many undergoing the process were injured or even hospitalised,
and he then understood the signiﬁcance of the waiver of claim form he had to sign in
advance of the training course!
Formerly, Army chaplains held honorary military rank and none had undergone
serious infantry training. Rabbi Livingstone is the only Rabbi in the history of the British
Army who has gone through this process and he graduated from the Royal Military
Academy Sandhurst – indeed, no other minority faith can boast any commissioned
Chaplain within the three Armed Services.
With current MoD cutbacks his role is diverse and much wider than in the past.
Based at Wellington Barracks as part of the Household Division, he has a dual role – a
civil service role as adviser to the Ministry of Defence (where he holds the rank of Lt
Colonel) and Chaplain to the British Army (carrying the rank of Major). His entire
insignia carries the Magen David emblem (even the buttons).
He is the Jewish faith advisor to the Ministry of Defence and his role involves vetting
speeches, advising Government Departments such as the Foreign and Commonwealth
Ofﬁce and No 10 on faith issues. Until very recently, the armed services were engaged
in active duties around the world – in Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland and the
Falkland Islands. Military chaplains were expected to play a full operational role if the
situation required – hence the intensive physical training.
His role as Jewish Chaplain is to support Jewish faith observance, identity, culture
and practice across the three services and the MoD around the world. He deals with
pastoral and crisis support, injury and bereavement cases. In his own words he “goes
into battle for Judaism” to enable Jewish serving personnel to observe their faith
without restriction.
He supports Kashrut provision, recently supervising the preparation of 60,000
special kosher (and Halal-compliant) ration packs for soldiers on active service as well
as ensuring appropriate meals at army canteens.
He organises regular Shabbaton services, attendance at parades and commemorative
events, such as the recent dedication of a Sefer Torah to mark the life of an ofﬁcer (a
relative of Chief Rabbi Mirvis) who was killed in Afghanistan.
In April 2015 he is organising the representation of the British Army at the service to
commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the liberation of Belsen. He recently consecrated
the memorial to Frank De Pass, one of the Jewish soldiers to be awarded the VC during
WWI. As AJEX Chaplain, he attends the Annual AJEX Service of Remembrance at the
Cenotaph and also at the National Memorial Arboretum. He ensures that observance
of the chagim is facilitated and, for those soldiers not allowed leave for Pesach, he
arranges sedarim and visits to local families.
The Jewish military community is a close-knit organisation. Every year, this group
meets for an intensive weekend at The Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre in Andover,
Hampshire, where full Jewish facilities are available.
Only about 10% of serving personnel state their religion and, on this basis, around
200 deﬁne themselves as Jews. However, Rabbi Livingstone believes that upwards of
1000 Jews may be operating in the Army or MoD. Like all army chaplains, his pastoral
work involves providing speciﬁc Jewish input regardless of denomination.
Jewish soldiers carry
dog-tags showing their
religion. Given the added
risks of active service in Iraq
and Afghanistan, they have
been given replacement
dog-tags with evidence of
their religion removed.
The British army
today employs a hugely
multi-cultural,
multiethnic and multi-religious
On ﬁeld exercises in Canada
background. His ‘congregation’ is
diverse in terms of observance but does
not cover pseudo-Jews such as Jews for
Jesus or Black Hebrews (such as two RAF
men deployed in the Falklands who
recently sought his help) who observe
the trappings of Judaism but also those
of other faiths.
Asked about anti-Semitism in the
army, he replies that there is none of the
‘new’ anti-Semitism under the guise
of anti-Zionism and only very limited
‘old style’ anti-Semitism, driven by
ignorance and limited education.
With Esther at Horseguards Parade, Whitehall
He feels strongly that high visibility
presence of Jews in one of the country’s oldest and most important institutions
is vitally important to show the role Jews play in our national life. Recently, while
being inspected by the Queen at a parade, she noticeably paused to take note of the
Magen David emblem on his uniform. The government at the highest political level are
similarly aware.
There is close military co-operation with Israel’s IDF and very high regard for Israel’s
military strategy which is taught and admired at Sandhurst. Innovative technology
transfers from Israel’s high-tech industries are helping improve the British soldiers’
protective armour and general capability. The support for Israel’s position is strong;
especially when the principal enemy now is radical Islamic terror in all its diverse forms.
British Jewry has every reason to be proud of the contribution it continues to make
to the Army. Thus, soldiers like Colonel Simon Soskin, a Grenadier Guardsman, has the
senior role in the Household Division, and Brigadier General Simon Bell is in charge
of recruitment of UK military reserves. Jews represent a signiﬁcant proportion of the
Royal Army Medical Corps.
The work undertaken by Rabbi Livingstone represents an adventurous departure
from local community service but, equally, a brave and valuable contribution on
national and international level to an institution whose role may be increasingly
important in an uncertain future.
the norrice leader april 2015
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the norrice leader april 2015
9
Son of Hamas
attack. He quickly asserted his newly found authority, commandeered the car and told
them to wait until he could order them on to their mission. He paid for their safe custody
with his salary from Israeli intelligence, managed to warn Mossad of the attack and the
terrorists were apprehended or killed. Scores of lives were saved.
The Max Weinbaum Hall was full to capacity for the visit by
His own life was (and remains) at constant risk from Hamas (if his role was discovered)
Mosab Hassan Yousef.
but also from the IDF who often targeted Hamas houses unaware that one of its occupants
Julian Pollard gives an account of the evening
was their own secret intelligence agent.
The debate turned to current events, including the terror attacks which had taken place
he visit by the son of the founder of Hamas to HGSS in January was an
unprecedented event in the history of the Shul. What he had to say to a large and in Paris few days earlier. At this point he was at his most outspoken and controversial. He
rapt audience was truly astonishing. It was a shocking and revelatory insight into advocated complete freedom of speech – the very issue which Muslims could not accept.
the mind of a former Islamist and his perception of the true nature of Islam today. Mosab – now a practising Christian living in California – turned on his former religion
Mosab Hassan Yousef, born 36 years ago on the West Bank, is the eldest son of Hassan with anger and fervour. The present problems with radical Islamic across the world were
Yousef, founder of Hamas. His father spent 17 years in Israeli jails and the young Mosab the result of fundamental ﬂaws within Islam itself, with competing Wahabi Sunni and Shia
had the double responsibility of supporting his family while, at the same time, living up to sects engaged in a 1400-year-old struggle which was not yet played out.
More surprising was his unﬂinching critique of the Prophet Mohammed himself who
the role expected of his father and other Hamas leaders. Hatred of Jews and their national
state was instilled in him from birth. At the age of 10, he was throwing rocks at settlers’ cars was in reality a ‘terrorist’ who had, without compunction, slaughtered thousands of Jews in
and, by the age of 17, motivated by personal, political and religious reasons for revenge, he the Arabian Peninsula and whose teachings were unambiguous and full of hatred. Mosab
drew no distinction between peaceful (and deluded) Muslims and extreme hate mongers.
was arrested for buying guns with which to wreak havoc on the Israeli enemy.
In reality, the guns he had acquired did not work and, when he complained, he used his All derived their beliefs from the same textual sources and founder. The Koran was
father’s mobile phone to berate the Hamas members who supplied them. A bad move – Israeli fundamentally ﬂawed in advocating limb removal, beheading, violence against women,
intelligence, who were monitoring the phone, soon picked him up and realised they had acquired cruelty to animals and complete disregard of human rights.
Israel was to be congratulated for leading the ﬁght against tyranny and for democratic
a source of the rarest pedigree – the son of the Hamas leader himself. Arrested and imprisoned,
freedom.
Hamas, on the other hand, was founded on a perverted ideology and not a coherent
he was approached to spy for Israeli Intelligence. Initially he refused. He had no love of Israel.
political manifesto and therefore Israel, he urged, must never
However, he began to witness, at ﬁrst hand, the
negotiate with Hamas. The failure of the West to support Israel
horriﬁc torture and murderous paranoia perpetrated
and to take a stand for these values was disappointing. We have
against fellow Palestinians in prison by Hamas
seen the consequences of failing to take a stand on these issues
leaders. Many were cruelly tortured as collaborators
which had resulted in more blood on the streets of Europe.
and several were killed. He later discovered that
Mosab is a man of calm assurance, digniﬁed resolution
none of those victims were actually spies for Israel.
and
ﬁ
rm
commitment. His spiritual approach to life and the
The scales were gradually lifted from his eyes and,
reality
of
its
living transcended everything he said. His espousal
as he became ever more enquiring, he realised that
of tolerance, humanity and honesty were self-evident. And, if
what he had been indoctrinated with from birth was
his life is in danger, he gave no evidence of any fear.
a myth. Jews were not demons to be despised, hated
His concluding remarks were a rallying cry of support
and killed. He realised that Hamas was promoting a
for the Jewish values and culture and the honest integrity of the
lie to deceive and control its people. The reality of life
Israeli State.
in Israel was far from the image he had been taught.
“I am proud to serve the Israeli people and the Jewish nation.
His hatred for the deceptions being forced on his
It is an honour. I am part of your struggle. I am not afraid for
people by his own father and his associates grew.
Mosab Hassan Yousef with Rabbi Kaplan and Alan Mendoza
the future of the Jewish people. You overcame the Holocaust,
They lived in a dream world, divorced from reality,
of the Henry Jackson Society who chaired the evening
forgave the Germans and moved on. I put my trust in the Divine.
and were suffering, not because of the actions of the
You may be outnumbered but this is not about numbers. It is
Israelis, but because of the actions of their leaders.
He agreed to work with Israeli Intelligence who encouraged him to continue his studies, about consciousness and truth. You are an example to humanity. The Palestinians could
learn this lesson”.
respecting his family and observing his religious duties and routine.
The audience rose as one to its feet in admiration and respect.
It was when he was asked about his operational role that the audience were most
Intelligently and perceptively interviewed by Alan Mendoza of the Henry Jackson
attentive. He recalled one occasion when, in his father’s absence, ﬁve Jordanian suicide
Society,
Mosab calmly and humbly took the attentive audience through the life events
bombers, on their way to Jerusalem, arrived at his home seeking sanctuary as their liaison
which
had
changed him from an avowed hater of Jews and Israel to a passionate lover
contact had been apprehended. Their car was full of home made (and unstable) explosive
devices and armaments. His dilemma was acute. Should he provide shelter and allow them and respecter of his former foe. His book “Son of Hamas” was recently made into a prizeto proceed on their murderous mission or somehow contact his handler to warn of the winning feature ﬁlm called “The Green Prince”which is well worth seeing.
T
Two days in Prague
by Flo Kaufmann
D
r Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish
Congress and now a member of HGSS, asked me,
in my capacity as co Chairman of the Political
Council of the EJC, to invite some prominent
leaders of the community to join him at the Let My People
Live! Anti-Semitism Forum in Prague and the visit to
Terezin (Theresienstadt), to mark the 70th anniversary of
the liberation of Auschwitz.
Joining Aubrey and me were Rabbi Dov Kaplan, Vivian
Wineman, President of the Board of Deputies and Chairman
of the Council of the EJC, Adam Cannon, Helen and Julian
Taylor, Alexandra and Jeffrey Davidson, Hilary and Meyer
Pearlman, Bernard and Graham Taub. In addition, we were
joined by Dame Gail and Gerald Ronson, Lord Michael
Levy and Mick Davis. The forum was held in the grand
surroundings of Prague Castle with its sweeping views
across the city. As we entered the Castle, we were greeted
by a guard of honour in full military regalia!
Among the many prominent participants from across
the world were Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, Speaker of the Knesset,
Martin Shulz, President of the European Parliament, Milos
Zeman, President of the Czech Republic, Rosen Plevneliev,
President of Bulgaria, Stephen Sackur from the BBC, the
philosopher, Bernard-Henri Levy, Professor Timothy
Snyder, Abe Foxman from the New York Anti-Defamation
League, Irwin Cotler, Professor Alan Dershowitz, and the
Oscar winning actor, Sir Ben Kingsley.
The speakers drew attention to the rising levels of
intolerance in Europe. The issues of free speech were
keenly debated between politicians and journalists with
some campaigning for the
rights of governments to block
offensive speech, others calling
for far more liberal openness to
free speech and pointing out
the inherent dangers in such
legislation.
On the ﬁrst night, the
highlight of the gala dinner
was listening to the wonderful
Sir Ben Kingsley talk about the
making of the ﬁlm Schindler’s
List.
On the Tuesday, Holocaust
Memorial Day, we returned to
the castle where the Russian
Back row (l-r): Aubrey Kaufmann, Jeffrey Davidson, Julian Taylor, Graham Taub. Rabbi Kaplan
Philharmonic Orchestra, condFront Row: Alexandra Davidson, Flo Kaufmann, Helen Taylor, Hilary Pearlman, Meyer Pearlman
ucted by Vladimir Spivakov,
Kneeling in front: Adam Cannon
played the evocative Yellow
Stars by Isaac Schwartz. This
piece of music was composed in 2000 and, at the time, listened to the testimony of Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, the former
the composer dedicated it to Raoul Wallenberg and to the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel and himself a holocaust
“unity of people who managed to overcome death”. The survivor. He said that we must remember as that is “the best
orchestra played before a backdrop of newsreel footage of evidence, the best proof that there is a chance for a better
the period immediately prior, leading up to, and including life and future”. The Haskara was sung by Cantor Joseph
the Holocaust.
Malovany, from the 5th Avenue Synagogue in New York.
In the afternoon, we were taken by coach to the Terezin
This was an incredible two days organised by the
concentration camp for an extremely moving ceremony, European Jewish Congress together with the Czech
where several dozen children laid candles in the shape of a Government and the European Parliament.
Magen David over the graves of Jews murdered there. We Additional reporting by Adam Cannon
the norrice leader april 2015
10
Purim a
HGSS Youth
Our youth came in wonderful,
colourful fancy dress to hear the
Megillah.
Overture
Our Years 11-13 then enjoyed a
lovely meal with entertainment by
a hypnotist.
Chazan Avromi speaks at
the Martin home Roadshow
Before the festivities
even started, we had the
opportunity to enjoy the
Rabbinic Roadshow
when Rabbi Kaplan and
Rebbetzen Freda, Rabbi
Levene and Chazan
Avromi visited
the Grossman,
Martin and Hoff
families in turn
and spoke
about the coming
Chag, each
taking a different
theme. This was a really well
organised and most enjoyable
evening.
Act One –
Wednesday evening
The festival started with a Megillah
reading in the Shul and, of course
the family event in the Hall. This
year shadow theatre accompanied
Andy Kaufmann’s excellent reading
and the Hall was full to capacity with
whole families in fancy dress.
There were special readings
for Youth, for Sephardi members and
the very popular reading for women
by women. Just in case you had
The Aleph
Learning
Centre
The ALC had their Purim
Funday on Sunday, 1 March.
More Youth Activitie
Each Year group dressed up
in a different colour and the
staff put on a Purim story skit
on the stage which was a great
success.
There was
dancing, a
Hamentashen
and an enjoyable
Sunday was had
by all.
Comedy at Chanukah with comedian Mark Maier
For our Purim ou
go-karting. He
boys befo
the norrice leader april 2015
11
ww
at HGSS
Purim
at
Kerem
missed done of these, there was
another opportunity at
8 Norrice Lea.
Later in the evening,
there was the opportunity to
enjoy a Casino Evening.
The children at the EYU enjoyed
a number of activities including
making their own Purim masks
T
Act Two – Thursday
morning
Next morning,there
was an early
Megillah reading
following Schachrit
followed, later by
second reading
together with
Kerem School.
All agreed that
Rabbi Kaplan’s
reading was superb and
wonderfully expressive.
After this, the
ladies went to 8 Norrice
Lea for a thoroughly
enjoyable Champagne
Breakfast
The Hall was packedd for the family
fancy dress reading with shadow theatre
Rabbi Kaplan readin
g Megillah
to the EYU children
In Reception, the children
made special raashanim out of
balloons, rice and papier mâché
which they painted in bright
colours. The Nursery children
enjoyed a number of activities
including making Purim masks.
Year 4 joined Reception to
Andy Kaufmann reading in the
hall on Wednesday evening
Breakfast at
8 Norrice Lea
sings for Jewish Care
The Community Choir
make delicious hamentashen.
The children in Years 1 to 6 were
challenged to design a Mishloach
Manot for a friend in their class,
based on their friend’s interests,
which they gave each other Purim.
Some very creative and thoughtful
designs resulted.
Year 6 in their Purim costumes
The Kerem Community Choir,
comprising children from Years
1 to 6, went on a visit to Jewish
Care to bring them some
Kerem Purim excitement! They
entertained in the day-centre
with a number of songs and
distributed Mishloach Manot
packages made from food
items given by Kerem families.
The women’s Megillah reading team
Reception and Year
4 making
hamentashen togeth
er
es
uting, years 7-10 went
ere’s a picture of the
ore the big race
he children at Kerem
enjoyed an incredibly
busy and exciting Purim
at school.
This year we incorporated Purim
into Design and Technology
Week and the children enjoyed
a number of creative Puriminspired activities including
making paper bag Purim
puppets (Year 2) and sock Purim
puppets (Year 3).
On Purim, the children had a jampacked day. They heard Megillah
read by Rabbi Kaplan (who also
read a shortened version for the
EYU children) – several parents
also joined us.
Listening to Megillah
Later in the day children were
entertained with a wonderful
Talent Show including
songs, dances and comedy
impressions! There was also
a Fancy Dress Parade and a
Purim Singalong.
This term at our Learn to Lead programme,
Year 9 packed Mishloah Manot at GIFT,
had an Israel Advocacy session,
learned about disability awareness
and practised Krav Maga.
Year 2 made paper bag purim puppets
the norrice leader april 2015
12
Celebrations
Births
Mazal tov to
Stephanie & Benjamin Grunberg on the birth
of a son. Also to grandparents, Louise &
David Grunberg, Shelley & Paul Spring and
great grandfather Michael Fishman
Shari & Simon Black on the birth of a son, a
grandson for Ruth & Stanley Black
Lori & Adam Hudaly on the birth of a son,
Ezra Max
Gwen & Alan Cohen on the birth of a great
granddaughter
Janet & Stephen Kirsch on the birth of a great
granddaughter in Israel
Louis, son
of Tracey &
Lawrence Engel,
grandson of Sue
Bond and Janice
& Joey Engel,
great grandson
of Nita Harding
Natasha, daughter of
Claire & Jason Leek,
granddaughter of Avril &
Stephen Segal
and Paula & Michael Leek
Photo by Susannah Fields
Photography
Sue & David May on the birth of a grandson in
Israel, A son to Tamara & Ben May
Eden & Lulu, twin daughters of Jessica & Shimon
Cohen, granddaughters of Louis & Elaine Cohen
and Sydney Blair
Betty & Freddie Overlander on the birth of a
great granddaughter in Toronto.
Alex & David Pinnick on the birth of a grandson
Albert Rosenberg on the birth of a great grandson
in Zurich, Switzerland
Maddy & Alex Drucker on the birth, in Hong
Kong, of Libby Esther, a sister for Yishai. Mazal
tov to grandmother Sharon Drucker and great
grandmother Hilary Halter who is also celebrating
the arrival of a great grandson
Alicia & Jacob Durkin on the birth of a daughter.
Mazal Tov also to grandparents
Rina & Jeff Durkin
Janine & Colin Glasenberg on the birth of
a son, Jonathan
Sara & Jonathan Hirschﬁeld on the birth of
a daughter, Ariana Cicely. Mazal Tov also to
grandparents Michelle & Graham Hirschﬁeld
Rochelle & Anthony Selby on the birth of a
grandson, a son to Zara & David Brooks. Mazal
Tov also to great grandmother, Hilda Marks
Esther & Romie Tager and Lilian & Julian
Finegold on the birth of a grandson, a son to
Simon & Nikki Tager
Bar Mitzvah
Mazal tov to
Jacob, son of Emily & Alex Bernstein, grandson
of Debbie & Moni Levy and Joy &
Robert Bernstein, great grandson of Stella
Margolis and Sima & Albert Levy
Edward, son of Katherine
& Marc Isaacs, grandson
of Marilyn & Kenneth
Bieber and Nora Isaacs
Avril Joseph on the Bar Mitzvah of her grandson,
Sam, son of Joanna & Elliot Grankin
Isabella, daughter of
Julie & Barry Pactor,
granddaughter of Helen &
Stewart Pactor and
Barbara & Peter Rackind,
great granddaughter
of Connie Green
Noah, son of Claire & Daniel Lipman, grandson of
Pamela & Ivan Lester and
Vicky & Richard Flateau
Yona, daughter of Rebecca & Adam Taub,
granddaughter of Esther & Brian Taub
Brenda Lee Martin on the Bar Mitzvah of her
grandson Asher Martin, son
of Nicole & Alan
Engagement
Betty & Freddie Overlander on the Bar Mitzvah
of their grandson, Sholom Ber
Mazal tov to
Roy & Shoshana Bard on the engagement of their
daughter Rebecca to David Goldenberg
Joshua, son of Claire & David Blakeney, grandson
of Shirley & Malcolm Davis and Eric Blakeney
Bat Mitzvah
Ben, son of Sharon & Jonathan Goldstein,
grandson of Ann & Jerry Goldstein
and Norman Roback
Shani, daughter of Dara & Eitan Boyd,
granddaughter of Betsy, Wynne, Esther & Sydney
Boaz, son of Shoshana & Joel Greenwood,
grandson of Naomi & Jeffrey Greenwood
and Shirley & Harold Davis
Maayan, daughter of Ilana & Ian Carno,
granddaughter of Hilda Carno and
Charlotte & Itamar Shein
Mazal tov to
Taly & Baruch Dahan and Tracey & David Kyte on
the engagement of their children Yaelle to Jamie
Celebrating?
The newly refurbished Max Weinbaum Hall offers:
Seating for up to 200 people
Contemporary decor and mood lighting for an elegant look
2 inbuilt 60” plasma screens and full audio and sound systems
Fully air conditioned
Discounted rates for HGSS members
Contact Sharon in the Synagogue Ofﬁce
8455 8126 / sharon@hgss.org.uk
the norrice leader april 2015
Angela & Louis Gershon on the engagement of their daughter,
Caroline, to Raﬁ, son of Debbie & Brian Addlestone of Leeds
13
Bar Mitzvah Giving
Mark Gould (our facilities manager) on his engagement to Nicki
Flynn
Rabbi Dov and Freda Kaplan
on the engagement of their son,
Avinadav to Avital Benami
Judy & Julian Lewis on the engagement of their daughter, Emma
to Nicholas, son of Sara & Jeremy Swerner
Esther, daughter of Jacqui and Jeremy
Marshall on her engagement to Adam
Zecharia, son of Berni and Sass
Zecharia (Southend). Mazal tov to
grandparents Shirley &
Barry Marshall
and Donald Cusse
Fay & Nigel Miller on the
engagement of their daughter,
Sophia, to Baruch, son of
Mindy & Johnny Wiesenberg
Adam Naylor on his engagement to Gaby Goodkin. Also to
parents Olivia and Alan Naylor
Marriage
Mazal tov to
Henry & Linda Cohen on the marriage, in Paris, of their son
Andrew Greenwall-Cohen to Deborah, daughter of David &
Alejandra Cicurel
Frances & Paul Elster on the marriage of their daughter, Elizabeth
to Ben, son of Madelaine & Stephen Sheldon
Ann & Jerry Goldstein and Marion Silverblatt on the marriage of
their grandchildren, Shoshana Goldstein and
Benjamin Silverblatt
B
en Goldstein, seen here with father Jonathan
and grandfather Jerry, at the Kotel, is the ﬁrst Bar
Mitzvah boy in London to donate to the Big B’Mitzvah
Appeal. The appeal encourages Bar and Bat Mitzvah
children to donate a little of the money they receive for
their simcha to help Jewish children with special needs.
The Big B’Mitzvah Appeal is raising funds to support
Bayis Sheli, a ground-breaking children’s care home that
will enable disabled children and their families to gain
vital respite care. Bayis Sheli (meaning ‘my home’) has
been created to act as a ‘home away from home’ for
disabled Jewish children from around the UK and from
all sections of the community. All of the money raised in
London from the Big B’Mitzvah Appeal will go to Bayis
Sheli to fund a sensory garden
Ben explains: “When I was in Year 6, I visited disabled
Jewish children and it had a really big effect on me. It made
me want to do whatever I could to make their lives better. So,
when I heard about the Big B’Mitzvah Appeal, I knew this was
where I wanted to give my money to.”
Big B’Mitzvah Appeal in London, said: “We’re very
proud of Ben for choosing to donate some of his gift money
to charity. We hope that many other Bar and Bat Mitzvah
children will also decide to use this milestone to help children
with special needs. Every donation will be a fantastic
gesture and will be very welcome, no matter how small.”For
more details on the Big B’Mitzvah Appeal visit www.
thebigbirthdayappeal.org or call Suzanne Barnett on
07713 741 721.
ith his love for both Israel and football, Tyler
Edwards decided to combine his two loves by
asking his guests to donate money to renovate a mini
football pitch for children in Israel.
His parents, Gina and Graham, made the contact
with Beit Hayeled AMIT in Jerusalem, a home for underprivileged children, and requested to celebrate Tyler’s
Bar Mitzvah with the children there. The money received
was used to replace the old football pitch with a state-ofthe-art one.
At the ofﬁcial opening, Tyler celebrated his Bar
Mitzvah with the children. During the party, Tyler, his
family and the children played the ﬁrst game on the
pitch. And that’s not all, apart from renovating the
pitch, Tyler and his family gave each child a pair of
Nike football shoes, a football, a bag, a sweatshirt and a
football shirt.
Tyler explained how excited he was, because “It is a
privilege to be here to help the children and make them happy.
Maybe, the next Messi will be born on this pitch!”. Gina,
Tyler’s mother, added “In my opinion, the fact that Tyler
has made other children happy, is a Bar Mitzvah present in
itself”. Graham, Tyler’s father, noted “It’s a message that
will accompany Tyler for the rest of his life – share with others
whenever you can”. Deputy head of AMIT, Judith Schveid
Leon, said that “This is a perfect example of giving as well as
receiving”.
Anniversaries
For a moment of pre-Shabbat calm
Vicki &Alex Harris on their 40th (Ruby) Wedding
Anniversary
every other Friday morning at 9.30 am
Various venues (see weekly news sheet) – all ages welcome
No Hebrew knowledge necessary
Enjoy a moment of peace and contemplation in friendly company
Mazal tov to
Susie & David Rodney on the
marriage of their son Daniel
to Victoria White, daughter of
Lydia & Brian White. Mazal tov
also to grandparents Frances &
Monty Samuels
W
Deanna & Malvern Kaye on Golden Wedding
Anniversary
please join us at the
Ladies’ Tehillim Group
Judy & Charles Landau on their
40th wedding anniversary
Carrol & Harold Stern on their Diamond Wedding
Anniversary
Birthdays
Happy Birthday to
Maurice Berman on his 90th birthday
Lorna Harris on her 90th birthday
Michael Fishman on his 80th birthday
Quality Eye care
for the whole family
Richard Sotnick on his 80th birthday
Rabbi Dr Jeffrey Cohen on his 75th birthday
Jerry Goldstein on the occasion of his 75th birthday
Lawrence Harding on his 75th Birthday
Michele & David Yamin-Joseph on the marriage of their daughter,
Yael, to Mikey, son of Shula & Yoel Salem. Also to grandparents
Lela & Fouad Yamin-Joseph.
Please send your photographs
for these pages
to the Editor at hilaryrh@f2s.com
Sporting
success
Amelia Shiner,
daughter of
Sara and Ian,
runner-up in the
Maccabi Junior
Sportsperson of
the Year 2014
54 The Market Place London NW11 6JP
Tel. 020 8731 9999
www.gavzeyopticians.com
the norrice leader april 2015
14
An evening of song
Annual Concert for the Jewish Community of Lvov
T
to Lvov, Rebbetzen Sara Bald wrote to Jerry as follows”
his year, Chazan Avromi with
visiting Chazanim Shloime
Gertner and Simon Cohen
were joined, as in previous years,
by Marc Temerlies and the Ne’imah
Singers. Piano accompaniment was
provided by Raymond Goldstein.
An innovation this year was
the participation of violinist Mirian
Kramer as well as a cellist and oboist.
These instruments proved a perfect
accompaniment to the voices and
added another dimension to the
enjoyment of the evening which was,
once again, a great success and much
enjoyed by all who came.
Congratulations
to
Jerry
Goldstein and his team for the
excellent organisation. On her return
“Wow, Purim is back to bring some happiness and joy. Purim tells us that even in the darkest of times
miracles are around the corner. I wish all of you, dear friends and supporters, a happy Purim! On this holy
day you will all be in our prayers and I ask of you to have the Jews of Lvov, your twin community, and
Jews the world over in mind as you pray for modern-day miracles.
“It sounds like only days ago that I boarded the plane to join you for the annual concert. Jerry Goldstein
and his committee outdid themselves with this year’s fabulous concert. Everyone in attendance raved
about its success. No matter how many guest chazanim are invited to perform at the concerts, Chazan
Avromi stands as the favorite. This is not only my personal opinion. The atmosphere was electrifying as
the chazanim and musicians took everyone’s emotions from sadness to hope and then on to jubilation.
“My daughters and I were warmly hosted by Rabbi and Rebbetzen Kaplan. I am in awe at the wonderful
work they do at HGSS. They are a powerhouse, but act so unassumingly as if no credit is due to them.
“We enjoyed an inspiring Shabbat with your community. Being amongst friends, the smiles, words of
encouragement, memories of previous trips to Lvov, were amazing chizuk (encouragement) for me. Once
in a while it feels great to get that pat on the back from friends who really care.
“Rebbetzen Freda took us on a sponsored shopping spree in the kosher supermarket! Since we do not
have a kosher supermarket in Lvov, the shopping experience itself was exciting. You can just imagine being
greeted by our small children’s excitement when we arrived home. It was one of those times that I did not
have to beg help in unpacking the suitcases. My thirteen-year-old daughter Esther Tzirel, who joined me
on the trip, pointed out that ﬂying into London we were greeted with a blaze of shinning lights, whereas
ﬂying over Lvov, the grey, dull, grimness of life in there hits you hard. I guess that part of the beauty of
our life in Lvov is that, with your generous assistance, we can bring some light, happiness and comfort to
the lives of so many. My visit with you gave me the strength needed to tackle the responsibilities ahead.
“A grandmother in our community is seriously ill with cancer and we are assisting her and her
grandchild to make aliya. This she would have done years ago had not her daughter, who is not mentally
stable, has refused to move. She felt compelled to stay and help her daughter and her two children. Now,
with her health in such a delicate state, she has made the decision to leave for Israel so that she can have
some hope for a recovery. As it is, she neglected her health far too long. She ﬁrst tried working with the
medical system here. She was told by the local doctors that she needed an emergency operation (she had
an unnecessary operation a year ago from which she is still suffering pain). The doctors told her that the
operation would cost $2000, an outrageous sum for a woman living on a $100 pension when medicine
is supposedly government sponsored. When she told the doctor she will think about it he went down to
$500. When she ﬁnally mustered up the courage to say that she was declining the offer of surgery, he said
he could do it for free – and he really does have the equipment needed. She exclaimed “What is this? A
bazaar, where you bargain!” She went home and, the next day, called me to help with the aliya process.
Simple things like getting to the Israeli embassy, getting a quick appointment at the embassy are all not so
simple, especially if you are elderly, ill and don’t have the ﬁnances. We are grateful that you trust us with
your money so that we can help a Jewish family with a sick elderly
grandma get to Israel.
“Just today a baby, born prematurely, passed away. This
couple have two healthy children in our school. Where does one
turn to in time of sorrow if not to the Synagogue and to the Rabbi?
The funeral will be tomorrow. Although we cannot heal their
immense pain, your supporting us in Lvov gives the parents a
compassionate shoulder to cry on.
“On a happier note I just returned from New York where I had
attended the wedding of a girl who graduated from our school. We
sent her to Touro College where she and her twin sister graduated.
At the wedding her mother said to me, “Thank you so much for
making this sacriﬁce to join in the wedding festivities. It means
so much to my daughter. We have no family, you are her second
mother”. The wedding was beautiful bride and groom radiant.
HGSS, you can take pride, these young people’s victories are your
success stories.”
A three-day visit to Lvov is planned for mid-June. For more
information, phone 8343 5884.
Rebbetzen Bald at the
wedding in New York
the norrice leader april 2015
David Lew is
Still Grumpy
A
couple of recent events have attracted my attention. We
experimented with accommodating women downstairs for
Friday evening services, a trial that has now ended. Our adult education committee
have given us an alternative to Shabbat morning prayers with a short programme
which started with a talk by Charles Landau entitled ‘Modern Orthodoxy; The Blind
leading the Blind?’ Modern orthodoxy is a concept that has been around for so long
that the word ‘modern’ may now be a breach of the Trade Descriptions Act. There is
also the danger of it being a movement where the bland is leading the bland.
So, what is modern orthodoxy? And why did our experimental seating scheme
end? Your editor considered these questions so important that she requested funding
to enable me to visit the United States, modern orthodoxy’s birthplace and spiritual
home. She was unsuccessful in her bid for a grant from the Secretary of State for
Communities and Local Government, and so then pleaded with our very own Eric
Pickles – Jeffrey Davidson. In a ﬁnal act of largesse prior to his enforced retirement in
May, Jeffrey agreed to fund a business class ticket to New York together with associated
expenses such as daily contributions to the shul pushkas). I needed someone to report
from behind the mechitza, so to speak, so Susan joined me, but as beﬁtted her role in
this research project, she sat behind the partition at the back of the plane.
I visited three Upper West Side shuls during our trip. We omitted the Carlebach Shul
(no patience to sit through a service) and the Reconstructionist (no apparent religion,
modern or otherwise). I started at Lincoln Square. No-one spoke to me, not even the man
with the pushka, so I moved on to West Side Institutional Synagogue. Frankly, I wasn’t
expecting much, after all, the name was not very promising, but the morning minyan was
welcoming and I was even asked to lead the service. Both these communities are housed
in large buildings. Although both ‘main sanctuaries’ are high enough to accommodate a
ladies’ gallery, men and women are fundamentally at the same level. Lincoln Square is a
round synagogue, with a segment representing about 40% of the ﬂoor space for women,
slightly raised and with a glass mechitza. West Side Institutional’s ladies are seated to
one side, again slightly raised and with a glass mechitza.
On Shabbat we visited a community called Kehillat Rayim Ahuvim (KRA) – you
can ﬁnd them on Facebook. It is rather similar to Central Square, Shabbat and Yom
Tov services only, but with a rabbi. The morning started at 8.45 with a thirty minute
15
Parshat Hashavua shiur by the rabbi and the whole service was over by just after 11.
This included a shiur by a young (female) teacher of Talmud at the Ramaz High School
and was followed by a sit down hot, meaty, Kiddush/lunch. Unlike many shuls in the
USA, where news of the end of Prohibition has not yet arrived, there was also a ﬁne
selection of malts. The women were seated to one side with a mechitza made of net
curtain material, but at shoulder height which, I understand, was the height which
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein considered adequate. I was told, years ago, by a very reliable
source that the London Beth Din’s Dayan Swift was of the same view. He expressed
it rather less elegantly as ‘bosom height’, presumably the top thereof. When the Torah
was taken out the Ark, after being paraded around the men’s section, it was handed
to a woman who carried it around the ladies’ area. A young woman read the prayers
for the Government and the State of Israel. Certainly not a ‘partnership’ minyan, but a
decent effort to bring women closer to the service. They also started maariv on Shabbat
afternoon ten minutes before the end of Shabbat, which, unless I am mistaken, is what
we did in HGSS when I was a child.
When we returned, I had a look at the new United Synagogue Strategic Review
which, disappointingly, ‘does not look in-depth at gender based issues’. We are told
that ‘halachic issues are out of scope and due to the relatively small differences in
satisfaction between men and women highlighted by the survey, this report does not
look in-depth at gender-based issues’. Sorry, I don’t get it. The halachic issue point is
the usual cop-out and the second point an extraordinary piece of non-logic. Remember
that twenty-ﬁve years ago the Beth Din were adamant that, according to halacha, no
woman could be a shul chairman. We had to empty-chair the chairman position so that
Naomi Taub could be elected vice-chairman and effectively act as chair. From 2012,
women have ﬁnally been deemed suitable to be chairmen of shuls by the Rabbinical
Council. It is disappointing, but the only way any changes are ever going to happen
is by constantly nagging the halachic authorities and not by bestowing upon them a
Papal infallibility totally alien to our creed.
So why did the women who sat downstairs on Friday evenings drift back to the
gallery? From sitting at the front of the shul in week one, they were shifted progressively
backwards in spite of being behind a mechitza rather higher than the halachic norm
(according to Rabbi Feinstein). Let me just ask you this. Given a choice of theatre seats,
which would you prefer? The front row of the dress circle or a restricted view seat at
the back of the stalls?
Chag sameach, wherever you sit.
PS. This article contains a few inaccuracies. Well, lies actually. I will give a year’s
subscription to Jewish Renaissance to the sender of the ﬁrst email to david@thelews.
co.uk listing all the ﬁbs. The list must not include any truths. T&Cs apply!
the norrice leader april 2015
16
OPINION COLUMN
Anyone for staying?
asks Derek
Taylor
A
t last I have an ally. Dame Esther Rantzen, no less, writing in The Daily Mail,
isn’t leaving either. What is more, like me, she is getting a bit tired of the
community wingeing all the time about anti-Semitism.
Take the latest Community Security Trust report. In 2014 there were 267,500 British
Jews out of 270,000 who did not encounter any anti-Semitism. And I’ve more than
doubled the 1,168 incidents which were reported. Of that 1,168 there was one incident
of a Jew being knocked down and kicked. No deaths, no hospitalisation. 269,999 were
uninjured. Your chances of being in a road accident are greater.
Seventy-ﬁve per cent of the incidents were abusive behaviour; 75%. Now I don’t like
being called names either, but it’s hardly a reason to emigrate. There were an average
of 50 incidents between January and June 2014. In December there were 52. During July
and August, over Gaza, you got 542 incidents. Forty-eight per cent of the incidents
mentioned the conﬂict. If Israel has to defend itself, there will always be a spike in antiSemitic incidents in this country because there always is; the few anti-semites come out
of the woodwork. You’re not going to entirely eliminate any form of intolerance. Shikser,
goyim, schwartzers; yes, I’m embarrassed for my grandparents too.
In 2014 there were 81 anti-Semitic incidents categorised as assault, which sounds
terrible. What is assault though? “19 of the incidents involved objects, usually eggs,
being thrown from....passing cars.” John Prescott got spattered by an egg as well; it
didn’t mean that the Inquisition was in town. Eleven assaults were carried out by
minors. A typical assault instance was in a kosher restaurant where a man gave a Nazi
salute and clasped a diner in a bear hug. He was convicted of racially or religiously
aggravated harassment and assault. Assault!
Worried about the children at University? Just 19 incidents the whole year. None
involved assault.
Shouldn’t we be worried about the Arabs? Where the reports identiﬁed the likely
ethnicity of the perpetrators, only about 10% were categorised as Arabs. Most were
extreme Right Wing white males. Not that the Right Wing is choosy. After the murder
of Lee Rigby 34 mosques were attacked, including nine cases of arson. The Right Wing
were blamed for a lot of those too.
Older members will remember in their youth that Jews couldn’t get a decent table in
a West End restaurant. That they were turned down for golf clubs. Even Lord Weinstock
was black-balled for membership of Brooks Club and his company was praised for
holding up the British economy at the time. Hardly anybody wore a yarmulkah in the
street. You couldn’t get into a lot of hotels if your name was Cohen.
There has been enormous progress in the years since and all political parties are
determined that this should continue. I’d rather have every major cabinet minister
speaking out on my behalf than the anti-Semites, who have a couple of political
has-beens pandering to a large Moslem segment of their electorate. In January the
Economist reported the ﬁndings of the Pew Global Attitudes Survey. It said only 7% of
Brits “harbour unfavourable views of Jews.”
Alright, 24% in Italy and 47% in Greece. I agree, the attitudes in some countries in
Europe should be condemned as abominable, but I don’t live on the Continent. I live in
England and this is the most tolerant country you’re going to ﬁnd around. So G-d save
the Queen and think yourself lucky.
Understanding Israeli politics
Elections have been very much to the fore in the past few months. By the time you receive this, the Israeli elections will have been
decided. In the run-up, two events at Norrice Lea sought to throw some light on the subject
O
n Sunday, 25 January, following breakfast at 8 Norrice
Lea, a large crowd sat down to hear from MK Rabbi Dov
Lipman who represents the Yesh Atid party, led by Yair
Lapid.
Rabbi Lipman, from Silver Springs, Maryland, made Aliyah, with
his family, in 2004. For him, reﬂecting on the wanderings of the
Jewish people over the centuries, arriving in Israel was coming
home. He had visited Bet Shemesh and, impressed by the mix
of its population – Charedi, secular, Ashkenazim, Sephardim,
Russians, Ethiopians, etc – he decided, in his innocence, that this
was where he wanted his children to grow up – in a place where
people from so many varying backgrounds can live together in
harmony! Little did he know what he was to ﬁnd.
One evening, he heard a commotion outside his house and went to investigate. Outside were three police cars and
he was told to get out of the way. Before he had time to ask why, a hail of stones came ﬂying through the air, one of
them hitting him in the leg. A group of extremist charedim were protesting about the desecration of some graves in Yafo.
Bleeding from the encounter, he was deeply shocked. He had come to live in Israel, making considerable sacriﬁces in the
process, only to be injured by a missile thrown by a fellow Jew. He felt that something must be done about it.
Although the extremists make up a very small proportion of the Charedim in Bet Shemesh, they make a lot of noise
and the mainstream Charedim are reluctant to stand up to them because it would affect such things as their children’s
schooling. Eventually, Dov withdrew his children from the Charedi school system because he realised that they would
not receive any secular education in high school. His son was being made to feel that if he did not study Torah day and
night he was somehow an inferior member of society.
This is when he decided to become involved in politics. Particularly, he wanted to ﬁnd a way to bring the different
elements of Israeli society together and break down barriers. He had not considered working with Yair Lapid who, he
had heard, was anti-Charedi, anti-religion, anti-Torah. However, he found a clip of a speech which Lapid had given
before a Charedi audience. He had said, “We revere the founding fathers of Israel for their courage and initiative, but
they wanted a state which was devoid of religion, of Torah and, possibly, even of God. This led to a battle with the
religious establishment.” He said to his Charedi audience, “You won. There is Torah, there is mitzvah and there is God
and we want this, we do not want you to stop. All we want is that you leave us alone and do not try to coerce us. Let’s
work together and try to ﬁnd a way to bridge this gap.”
So impressed was he that he wrote to Lapid and said that he would like to become involved. Lapid was invited to
Bet Shemesh to give a similar talk, after which they sat together and talked for an hour. It was incredible, he says. “We
are from such different backgrounds – him from the secular aristocracy of Tel Aviv and me from an orthodox family
in Maryland, yet we agreed on 80% of the issues.” In spite of the 20% of differences, Yair said that they should work
together on bridging their differences.
Eventually, in the 2013 Parliamentary elections, Lapid placed an orthodox rabbi , Rabbi Shai Piron at number two
on the Yesh Atid list of candidates – he came under attack as a result. Dov came in at number seventeen. It had never
occurred to Dov that he would actually be elected but they won 19 seats and he was in. He described the pain of going
through the required process of renouncing his US citizenship. He felt so guilty that he sat down and wrote a letter of
thanks to President Obama!
One of the ﬁrst things in which he was involved was the passing of a law which, while not anti-Charedi, made it
possible for young people, between the ages of 18-24 to do some form of military or national service without compromising
their faith. There were some 55,000 young men involved. They set a target number which was surpassed in the ﬁrst year.
The Yesh Atid party is devoted to building bridges between the Charedi and secular communities. They seek, while
being non-confrontational, to introduce secular studies into Charedi schools and to offer Charedim the opportunity to
learn a trade and earn money. Their efforts are beginning to bear fruit and Rabbi Dov says how rewarding it is to see
people who have been struggling along on government hand-outs become self-sufﬁcient. The UJIA, equally committed
to encouraging Charedi men into the workforce, organised the event.
O
n Tuesday, 10 February, the Adult Education
Committee, chaired by Martin Kaye, hosted a panel
discussion entitled The Big Debate – voting on Israel’s
future.
On the panel, under the chairmanship of Dermot Kehoe,
Chief Executive of BICOM, were Zalmi Unsdorfer (Likud), Tal
Ofer (Zionist Coalition) and Lawrence Joffe (Meretz).
Each panellist laid out their party line. Led by Binyamin
Netanyahu, Likud, generally right-wing and ﬁscally conservative,
accepts the concept of a two-state solution although many are
sceptical. The Zionist Coalition an electoral pact between Isaac
Herzog’s Labour Party and Hatnuah led by Tzipi Livni, combines
a socio-economic agenda with calls to advance the diplomatic
process and improve Israel’s international standing. While these
two parties are running neck and neck in current polls, Likud is
currently the favourite to form a government.
Meretz, the only self-identifying left-wing Zionist party, has
six seats in the present government. It is much concerned with
social issues – the right to civil marriage and mutual respect
between different nationalities and faiths within Israel.
This was followed by questions from the ﬂoor. As with most
such debates, it raised more questions than answers – how do
you negotiate for peace when there is no credible leader on the
other side? Is there fair treatment for Israeli Arabs who make
up 20% of the population? How to counter the racism which is
raising its head – against Ethiopians and illegal immigrants for
example? Is Netanyahu right to address the US Congress just
before the Election? One thing on which we were all enlightened
– the Israeli system of proportional representation which does
away with geographical constituencies and seats in government
according to the total number of votes won nationally.
Inevitably, opinions remain divided but when the audience
was invited to indicate whether the evening had done anything
to change their opinions a couple of tentative hands were raised.
the norrice leader april 2015
Shabbat Morning
Dialogues
T
he new Education Committee, under the chairmanship of Martin Kaye, has
launched this series which takes place in the Library at 10.45 am. At the
ﬁrst, on 24 January, Charles Landau gave a talk entitled Modern Orthodoxy:
the blind leading the blind?
Quoting renowned sages from down the centuries, he set out to argue that
practices have adapted to the contemporary environment while remaining true
to the Torah. For example, today, we are able to avail ourselves of time switches
and controls which allow us light and warmth not available to our ancestors. It is
possible to adapt to contemporary needs using the facilities at our disposal without
compromising our faith.
With this in mind, the time has come, he said, to change the way that boys
celebrate Bar Mitzvah. What merit is there is requiring a boy to spend a year
learning to lein from the Torah yet leave him ignorant of Jewish learning and
virtually unable to read Hebrew? At least the girls, when Bat Mitzvah, get to follow
some really useful Jewish study. One could say that they are better served.
On Shabbat, 21 February, well known educator Elana Chesler gave a talk entitled
Judaism, why all the details?
All but one of The Ten Commandments apply to all humanity, Jewish or not
Jewish. However, there is one which applies just to us and that is Remember the
Sabbath day and keep it holy. This was Shabbat Terumah when we are given a detailed
account of the construction of the Mishcon – the portable tabernacle which, having
arrived in the desert, the people set about constructing.
In a riveting talk, she told of the difference between two types of work – the
labour which contributes to everyday life, avodah, and the 39 creative tasks,
melachot, which went into building the Mishcon. It is these melachot from which
we refrain on Shabbat.
Two excellent talks and food for thought indeed. Two speakers are still to come
in this series, Adam Taub and Lindsey Taylor Guthartz.
17
New boys crowned
champions!
N
orrice Lea had another
great showing at the
National Shul Table
Tennis League Championships,
supported by Maccabi GB
(NSTTL). Junior new boys
Jacob Zakaim, Benjy Callman
and Sonny Gayer secured the
2015 Junior Consolation title in
a day that saw over 100 players
from the community compete.
Jacob Zakaim in full ﬂow
For the ﬁrst time, HGSS ﬁelded two junior sides with our ﬁrst team of Eddie Lisberg,
Joe Sinclair and Oliver Ross bravely battling through to the later rounds despite star
players Nathan Sonn and Jonathan Stelzer being unavailable.
But it was the second team that proved to be the successful trio with Callman, Gayer
and Zakaim sharing the honours in their ﬁrst ever table tennis tournament together.
Norrice Lea Seniors, comprising Peter Wilson, Michael Gerrard and Adam Black
also emerged with silverware, taking the Senior runners-up spot for the third year
running with winners Mill Hill still too hot to handle.
NSTTL organiser and Norrice Lea player
Adam Black said: “Our boys had never played
at this level before but came out with a trophy
and a fantastic experience. There’s a wave of
enthusiasm for table tennis in the community
and Norrice Lea is enjoying every minute of it.”
Norrice Lea’s table tennis club, NLTT
takes place most Wednesdays. For more
information about how to take part email
Adam Black at nltt@live.com
Event organiser Adam Black with Norrice
Lea Juniors 2:
(L to R ) Jacob Zakaim, Sonny Gayer and
Benjy Callman
Holiday
encounter
Jerry Goldstein with Rabbi
Knopf during a recent visit
to South Africa.
An opportunity to see the deeply moving ﬁlm
Rock in the Red Zone
the story of life in Sderot, the town that has suffered
more rocket attacks than any other in the world
The London premier will take place at
The JW3 Cinema
341-351 Finchley Road, London NW3 6ET
on Monday, 11 May 2015 at 7 pm
Tickets £15 in aid of Magen David Adom
from mdauk.org/events/8201 5900
“The ﬁlm, using music and art, becomes a powerful, unnerving
expression of the rich inner world … of Israel” Natan Sharansky
the norrice leader april 2015
18
Annual Tu
B’Shvat
Fruit Salad
aids the
Homeless
Cookbook
launched
Jacqui Marshall reports
F
or the seventh year running, HGSS put on its annual Tu B’Shvat Fruit Salad event. The original challenge
from Rabbi Knopf to the then Chesed Committee was to think of a mitzvah in which everyone in the
community could participate, which would cost as little as possible to run and which would do the most
good. This event ticks all these boxes!
Rebbetzen Freda spoke to Kerem School, encouraging all to take part and they certainly came up trumps.
Even the Early Learning Unit brought donations of fruit. This, coupled with outstanding generosity of the
community, meant that we had more than enough fruit for the event. Some even brought whole crates!
This year, we needed 1000 portions (which equates to 200 litres of cut fruit). Well we had that and more!
On Motzei Shabbat, 17 January, people came in their droves to help in the preparation. We had little tots
pulling grapes off the stalks, youngsters peeling and desegmenting tangerines, apple slicers and experienced
fruit salad preparers cutting up pineapples and mangos. Special thanks go to Leslie Nelkin who washed all the
fruit and Eli Ezra who performed his usual magic with the melons (you have to see it to believe it).
The entire team were amazing. We achieved a new record – the event started ofﬁcially at 6 pm and, by 7.10, we
had to stop preparations as all our containers for the hostels were full. There was still a considerable amount of
fruit left and this we packaged so that the hostels could have fruit, not only on the day, but for the week as well.
On Sunday morning, a team of dedicated drivers came to collect the donations and deliver them to 28 hostels.
These are now getting to know us and several drivers fed back that they are really touched that we remember them
every year. Many of their residents rarely eat anything
fresh, so this is a real treat for them. Most are so unused to
anyone doing anything for them that the thought that, not
only had complete strangers given fruit, but had taken the
time to cut up, package and deliver it, is truly something
very special. It serves to awaken their self worth. Indeed,
the concept of Tu B’Shevat as New Year for Trees and the
whole concept of renewal has been used by many of the
hostels as a springboard for workshops to help get these
people off the streets.
Perhaps most remarkable is that St Mungos has
started asking new clients about their background and
they now include ‘Jewish’ as an option. In one year a
minyan of men were identiﬁed and connected with
Stamford Hill Soup Kitchen so that a process of rehabilitation could be started.
So how do you run an event that involves everyone in the community, costs very little to put on and does as
much good as possible? Simple, come to HGSS and show how it is done!
A million thankyous to all who took part.
The meaning
of community
support
F
abienne Luzzato-Viner (left) and Jo LeslieBriggs distribute tasty samples at the launch
of their recipe book Steamer the Cooking Wizard
which we reviewed in our Chanukah edition.
Steamer, a fun attempt to tackle the ever-growing
problem of childhood obesity and encourage healthy
eating, is self-published is on sale priced at £8.99.
More information from:
Fabienne Luzzato-Viner on 07973 698046 or Jo LeslieBriggs on 07966 223330
Seniors’ Tu
B’Shvat Tea
A
large crowd of seniors enjoyed afternoon tea
while hearing from Rabbi Hyman of Ilford
Synagogue tell how he took a break from the
rabbinate and spent several years earning his living as
a gardener. Now a Rabbi once more, he still ﬁnds joy
and relaxation in tending his garden.
Simcha Dancing
I
n February, Gillian and Martin Kaye
hosted an evening in their home for
concerned members of the HGSS to
meet Beth Alexander, a young girl from
Manchester who married a boy from
Vienna and had twin boys.
Gillian writes:
“Unfortunately, the marriage broke down and Beth lost custody of her children. Having
researched the story for over two years, I have been very close to Beth, supporting her on a
daily basis.
“In support of Beth, the Board of Deputies issued a public statement as follows: ‘This is
a miscarriage of justice and a stain on Austria.’ The British Government have also extended
their support and many senior Rabbis around the country have written open letters in her
support. Sadly, despite this, Beth is being treated very badly, by her ex-husband, Michael
Schlesinger, and the Jewish Community in Vienna. There seems to be no compassion for her or
her children who are not thriving in their father’s care.
I am pleased that, as a community, we have come together to support a girl, who has been
treated so badly by members of her Jewish community.
Having been active members of HGSS synagogue for nearly forty years, we have only
known warmth and care from our community, It is our pleasure to help others who are less
fortunate. If you would like to offer Beth your support in any way at this very difﬁcult time in
her life please contact me: gillian@familykaye.co.uk.”
After a very successful Simcha Dancing session in November, there were several requests to
repeat the exercise so, on Tuesday, 20 January, ﬁfteen ladies braved the cold winter weather to
attend another Simcha Dancing lesson with Louise Leach, from Dancing with Louise, in the
Max Weinbaum Hall.
Familiar and new dance steps were practised – an enjoyable and energetic evening was had
by all participants. The money raised went towards a Medical Trauma Kit for Magen David
Adom.
the norrice leader april 2015
19
Musings on the amber nectar
The Editorial Team
Martin Kaye reﬂects on this year’s whisky tasting evening
Editor
E
very generation has its 30 righteous and they gathered together
in the Landy Gallery for the annual HGSS whisky tasting
evening. A selection of ﬁne whiskies from the various regions
of Bonnie Scotland, chosen by Dan Rickman and Bernard Fromson,
were imbibed and discussed at great length.
Each year, the event is highlighted by presentations given by select
speakers, renowned for their ability to explain the ﬁner points of a
good single malt. This year was no exception. Simon Johnson, our
esteemed Chairman, spoke of the high regard in which HGSS is held
in when it comes to the appreciation of ﬁne malts. Michael Bronstein
elaborated on the meanings behind a variety of whisky brands. Irving
Grose offered his musings when drinking clandestinely on shul
premises. James Kaufmann elaborated on the beneﬁts of imbibing both
Torah and whisky in moderation while maintaining good family relationships. Martin Kaye explained how the Hashkama service
times its whisky drinking to perfection while maintaining a good quality of service.
At the evening’s end, among much mirth and merriment, the remaining whiskies were ably auctioned off by Simon Johnson,
raising £1250 for Chai Cancer Care. The whiskies were accompanied by crackers, cheese and shmaltz herring to cleanse the palate
in between tastings – Louise Felder and Sarah Fromson carried out the whisky preparation and serving throughout the evening.
Louise Felder
Naomi Fisch
Michael Fishman
Madeleine Gottlieb
Julian Pollard
Renée Green
Ylana Roback
Artwork & Typesetting
Hilary Halter
Proof Reading
Cynthia Delieb
Louise Felder
Editorial Ofﬁce
24 Fairacres
164 East End Road
London N2 0RR
Telephone 8365 2187
Email hilaryrh@f2s.com
Norrice Lea, London N2 0RE
Tel 8455 8126 Fax 8201 9247
Email ofﬁce@hgss.org.uk
Website www.hgss.org.uk
Executive Ofﬁcer David Sagal
Ofﬁce Manager Sharon Drucker
Accounts
Harris Turgel
Events
Gayle Kravitz
PA to the Rabbis Shelley Castaldi
H
Three Spread a Smile entertainers with appreciative audience
and a more positive view of life when these children are at their
lowest ebb. The power happiness can bring to reduce stress and
contribute to healthy outcomes, is remarkable and recognised
by medical practitioners.
Spread a Smile visits 17-year-old Motty Davis at UCH. He
suffers from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, and says about
the charity’s visits, “When Spread a Smile come to entertain
me with their magicians, like Gary Schiffman and Neb, it’s
amazing. I try to catch them out and enjoy being taught tricks.
Gary does this amazing trick where he puts a playing card in a
sealed bottle with my name on. I keep it by my bed and show
it to everyone. I tell everyone about the tricks. After I’ve seen
a Spread a Smile entertainer it cheers me up for a good day or
two. “
HGSS members were involved in hosting and attending
coffee mornings throughout February, raising money to send
entertainers into hospitals. HGSS members, including Loren
Berkowitz, Katie Taylor and Caroline Lisberg are central to the
charity and volunteer in Spread a Smile’s ofﬁce.
Keeping Jerusalem’s
patients on the move
G
Editorial Board
The Synagogue
Ofﬁce
HGSS members
spread smiles
in hospital
GSS Member Josephine Segal, with friend Vanessa
Crocker, have dedicated themselves to providing
entertainment to seriously ill children and teenagers
who are in hospital for prolonged periods of time suffering
from conditions such as cancer, heart and kidney-related
illnesses.
Since January 2013, their state-registered charity, Spread
a Smile, has been taking entertainers including fairies,
pirates, magicians, singers, face painters, character costumes
into children’s wards in Great Ormond Street Hospital
for Children, University College Hospital and The Royal
London Hospital. Its aim is to bring much needed joy to
children, diverting their minds away from their treatment,
stimulating their minds and alleviating the boredom and
monotony associated with sustained hospital stays. The charity
also takes children and teenagers out of hospital to theatre trips,
pop concerts and parties.
The idea arose when Josephine’s then nine-year-old nephew,
was diagnosed with a form of cancer in 2012. His diagnosis
came as an unbelievable shock to the whole family. Time
seemed to move in slow motion, with very little to occupy and
distract him from his treatment. The extended stay in hospital
had a dispiriting effect on a naturally bright child. So she
brought a magician into the hospital to see him. Instantly, the
positive impact this had on him and the family was palpable.
It invigorated him with renewed energy, lifted his mood and
broke the inevitable monotony of such a long stay in hospital.
This was an important turning point for the entire family unit.
Spread a Smile provides vital emotional support to these
children and their families when they are most vulnerable and
frightened. As well as laughter, the entertainment brings hope
Hilary Halter
ina, daughter-in-law of Janet and Steven Kirsch runs a charity, Keren Yosef, which provides free
ambulance and deﬁbrillation services for people who cannot afford the charges required by the Israeli health services. It
started as a small undertaking but has become huge, covering several districts around Jerusalem.
In Israel, medical services are centred in large hospitals in major towns. Unlike here, there are generally no small, community
hospitals. This means that people needing to attend outpatient appointments have to undertake long bus or taxi journeys in
order to attend which can be both physically and ﬁnancially exhausting.
It operates in Beit Shemesh and beyond, providing a minibus service to and from hospitals for those without their own means
of transport. Each specially equipped minibus can accommodate ﬁve wheelchair-bound seniors, ten other passengers plus an
escort. KY also transports over 30 seniors every morning and afternoon ﬁve days a week.
Gina, a qualiﬁed dentist and reﬂexologist, is married to Jonny Kirsch. She took over the running of Keren Yosef, on the death
of her mother, the founder. This endeavour brings help and peace of mind to numerous vulnerable people in the Jerusalem area –
a huge achievement. To ﬁnd out more, visit www.kerenyosef.com
Ofﬁce Hours:
Monday to Thursday 9.30 am to
4.00 pm
Friday
9.30 am to 1.00 pm
(Telephone queries only)
Sunday
9.30 am to 1.00 pm
Email Addresses:
● Does the ofﬁce have your
email address?
● Has your address changed?
In either case, please send the
current information to the Ofﬁce –
ofﬁce@hgss.org.uk
Useful Contacts
Rabbi Dov Kaplan
rabbi@hgss.org.uk
Rabbi Marc Levene
rabbilevene@hgss.org.uk
Rabbi Jonathan Tawil
rabbitawil@hgss.org.uk
Chazan Avromi Freilich
chazanavromi@gmail.com
Aleph Centre
Nefesh Network
Beth Din
Burial Society
Kerem EYU
Kerem School
8457 7048
8455 0040
8343 6280
8950 7767
8455 7524
8455 0909
The opinions expressed in The
Norrice Leader are those of the
authors. They do not purport to
reﬂect the opinions or views of the
Editorial Board.
the norrice leader april 2015
20
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