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Pages 28 & 29

The Jewish Museum in Camden is history

Financial pressure forces

will mean the Albert Street premises close their doors at the end of next month, with the bulk of the museum’s collection of more than 40,000 objects going into storage.

The JML hopes to be out of the building by the end of 2023. Viner said the idea was “probably to set up in a new location with

Discussions are taking place with potential partners about creating “cultural hubs” – perhaps in Camden – where the museum already has strong relations.

It is also intended, with the creation of a lending library of the JML collections objects,

Continued on page 5

LEG-ENDARY ACHIEVEMENT!

Around 60 British military veterans with disabilities competed this week against their Israeli counterparts in the third annual Veteran Games. The event, devised by Beit Halochem UK and funded by British Jewish philanthropists, has been hailed as ‘life-changing’. See p8-9

LABOUR STEPS BACK FROM PALESTINE RECOGNITION

Labour has given its clearest indication yet that a pledge for the “immediate” recognition of a Palestinian state if Sir Keir Starmer becomes prime minister will not feature in the party’s manifesto at the next general election, writes Lee Harpin.

A draft policy programme designed to be fine-tuned over the next few months as it shapes

Labour’s 2024 manifesto confirms a noticeable change in language around the issue of Israel and Palestine compared with under former leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The 86-page draft, drawn up by senior o cials at party headquarters, does still include a reference to Labour’s “support” for recognition of a Palestinian state “alongside the state of Israel, as part of e orts to

contribute to securing a negotiated two-state solution”.

But the language marks a clear shift in tone used by the party under Starmer from that of Corbynled Labour, which promised the “immediate and unconditional recognition of the state of Palestine” in the 2017 and 2019 party manifestos.

The draft policy programme, which places issues such as crime,

the economy and investment into a green and digital industrial strategy at the heart of Labour’s key priorities going into an expected election next year, will be discussed and signed o by the full national policy forum (NPF) in July, and then by annual conference in October.

Earlier this year, Jewish News revealed that Labour could drop the Continued on p2

Union equates support for BDS with boycotts against the Nazis

The UCU union representing university lecturers and academics has been accused of backing an anti-Israel motion at its annual conference that featured “grotesque and antisemitic language”, writes Lee Harpin.

Delegates at the University and College Union’s fourday congress in Glasgow confirmed their full support of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement –concluding this was in the “honourable tradition” of civil society protests including “boycotts of Nazi trade”.

The motion, ‘Israel oppression and the right to boycott’ , tabled by the University of Brighton Moulsecoomb, London regional committee, was discussed at the conference on Saturday, with the UCU’s website stating it was agreed to “fully support the right to boycott campaign”.

It was one of three anti-Israel motions to be passed at the conference, at which delegates also spoke in favour of calling on the government to stop arming Ukraine.

The text of the ‘right to boycott’ motion added: “Congress believes that civil society boycotts have an honourable tradition from anti-slavery campaigns through boycotts of Nazi trade to isolation of Apartheid South Africa.”

Commenting on the comparison between the BDS movement and the campaign to boycott German business under the Nazis, Luke Akehurst, director of We Believe in Israel, told Jewish News: “The language in this motion is grotesque and antisemitic, as it implies that Israel is worthy of boycott because it is comparable to Nazi Germany.

“It’s bad enough that UCU is involved in boycotting the world’s

only Jewish state, but to justify this on the basis that it is part of the same tradition as anti-Nazi boycotts is deplorable on every level. It’s Holocaust inversion – taking the Jewish people who were victims of Nazi genocide and making a ridiculous, o ensive and deliberately hurtful attempt to compare the state that provides a refuge to Jews, including Holocaust survivors, to the regime that committed the genocide against them.”

Goldsmiths University lecturer and UCU member David Hirsh added: “We fought hard against this antisemitism in UCU but we were defeated by the union activists, who had the collabo-

ration of the o cials, the acquiescence of the membership and, in the end, the blessing of the employment tribunal.

“Yes, there is a tradition of honourable boycotts but there is also a tradition of boycotting Jews, who have been excluded from all contact with Christians; from crafts and professions, from universities; who were ghettoised and excluded from whole countries. The Nazis tried to exclude Jews from humankind altogether.

“Reasons were always given, just as they are in UCU, why Jews, and only Jews, should be subjected to this treatment. Antisemites always think they are the victims of the Jews.”

UCU general secretary Jo Grady had backed the proPalestine stance of her union, telling delegates at the conference: “It’s a touchstone of my politics, and my understanding of socialism, internationalism and trade unionism, to always remember that none of us are free until all of us are free. Never is that clearer than when it comes to Palestine.”

The UCU has been at the centre of several disputes involving claims of antisemtism in the past, with some Jewish members leaving in protest.

In 2011, Ronnie Fraser, a lecturer in mathematics, acting through his lawyer Anthony Julius, filed a claim in the Central London Employment Tribunal against the union.

Fraser claimed that the union had created a “hostile environment” for him as a Jewish member, but his claim was dismissed as mostly unfounded by the tribunal in 2013.

LABOUR POISED TO DROP PALESTINE RECOGNITION

commitment to the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state from its election manifesto as part of a shift towards a slimline document “for a party fit for government, rather than one wishing to remain in opposition”.

The document would seem to confirm that the Middle East conflict would not be a priority issue of the party heading into the election, and could well be shelved from the manifesto.

One senior party source told Jewish News: “There may be nothing at all about Israel and Palestine in the manifesto. All the talk is of it being a far shorter document covering far less subjects than in 2017 and 2019.”

The same source added: “There is no particular reason why a manifesto should set out a stance on Israel and Palestine.”

Another party insider said: “Let’s be honest. The issue of Israel and Palestine is not coming up too often in our focus groups. When compared to the impact of the cost of living crisis or concerns around crime, is policy on the Middle East going to be an issue that secures the keys to No 10 for Keir Starmer? I don’t think so.”

Despite the change in priorities for a Starmer-led party, Labour sources stressed they were aware and not ignoring growing frustration and anger within some sections of the UK Jewish community about the increasingly right-wing nature of the Israeli government.

Communal organisations such as Yachad are believed to have relayed the call by many of their supporters for Labour to continue to speak out in support of recognition of a Palestinian state, especially when Benjamin Netanyahu’s coali-

tion government includes ministers who have made known their opposition to a two-state solution known.

But Starmer’s determination to be seen as an honest broker in terms of his approach to the region has become apparent, after he recognised Corbyn’s one-sided support for Palestine had helped inflame the antisemitism crisis.

After the recent cold-blooded murder of three members of Rabbi Leo Dee’s family in the West Bank, Starmer’s condolence message and condemnation of the “senseless murders” contrasted with Corbyn’s silence on the issue. Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy o ered an almost immediate message of condemnation of the Dee family murders.

In February, Labour MP Kim Johnson was made by Labour whips to apologise to the Commons after provoking anger by calling the Israeli government “fascist” during prime minister’s questions.

‘Anti-IHRA’ prof set to be PM’s new free speech tsar 20 PEERS FLY TO ISRAEL

Rishi Sunak is expected to confirm the appointment of a Cambridge professor who is an outspoken opponent of the IHRA definition of antisemitism as his new “free speech tsar”, writes Lee Harpin.

Arif Ahmed, who has spoken out against ‘cancel culture’ on campuses, is understood to have accepted the role of Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom, with the power to investigate universities which censure academics for their views.

Jewish News revealed earlier this year that Ahmed had personally criticised the IHRA definition claiming it “obstructs perfectly legitimate defence of Palestinian rights.”

In a blog written in 2021 after former education minister Gavin Williamson urged all universities to adopt IHRA, Ahmed added: “As such it chills free speech on a matter of the first importance. I hope the

Secretary of State reconsiders the need for it; but these new free speech duties ought to rule it out in any case.”

On Sunday, a source told the Mail on Sunday that Ahmed was about to be confirmed in his new role and that he would “bring critical external experience and knowledge from the higher education sector” to “promote free speech and academic freedom in a practical way”.

His appointment is likely to anger Lord John Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, who has been a staunch supporter of the need for institutions to adopt the IHRA definition.

In January Ahmed took part in a free speech debate at the Cambridge Union.

He spoke of the “right” not to be prevented from discussing issues by the state “just because it is o ensive.” Ahmed then said that it is

“very di cult not to o end somebody” when discussing the issue of Israel/Palestine.

He gave the example of a New

York teacher who placed a New York Times headline “Israel kills dozens of Palestinians” on his door together with a statement saying: “I support Palestinian rights.” The teacher was ordered to take it down, said Ahmed, because it was deemed to cause o ence.

He told the debate: “That’s an example of an issue that, because it’s so important, will inevitably cause o ence.”

A huge Langdon thank you to all our volunteers!

The largest ocial delegation from the House of Lords flew to Israel this week for a four-day visit.

A cross-party group of 20 peers – including former Tory Party leader Lord Howard, exjustice minister Lord Wolfson, Lord Leigh and Baroness Myer – joined the fact-finding tour, organised by The European Leadership Network (ELNET) and the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for Britain-Israel.

Chair of the appg Lord Turnberg said he was “delighted in bringing so many cross-party colleagues to Israel to deepen the bilateral relationship between our countries.

Shock ADL survey

A survey by the Anti-Defamation League found that significant portions of people in 10 European countries believe a range of antisemitic stereotypes, including more than one in three people in Poland and Hungary.

The survey, taken from November to January, polled more than 6,500 people

across 10 countries: Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and Russia. Stereotypes around Israel were especially prevalent. More than 40 percent of respondents in Poland, Belgium and Germany said “Jews are more loyal to Israel than to this country.”

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Israel flag-waving demonstrator disrupts Roger Waters concert

A pro-Israel activist ran onto the stage in the middle of a Roger Waters concert in Frankfurt last weekend, writes

The man, identified as Marcel by Israeli Channel 12, is head of the German-Israeli Society organisation’s youth forum in Frankfurt.

He interrupted the event by waving an Israeli flag in protest against allegations of antisemitism levelled against the Pink Floyd cofounder.

Speaking to the Israeli channel after the stage invasion, Marcel claimed guards threatened to “break his arm” if he did not hand over the flag backstage and to break his neck if he did not give them his phone.

Waters addressed the protest, calling it “unnerving”.

It was not the only Israel-related stunt taking place at the concert. Several people in the audience stood up and waved Israeli flags while singing Am Israel Chai (the people of Israel live).

Outside the venue, a group of politicians, Jewish organisations

and other groups gathered to protest Waters’ concert, which took place at the infamous Festhalle, where Nazis rounded 3,000 Jews and sent them to concentration camps in 1938.

The protest came after Jewish News revealed that Waters was being investigated by police in Berlin on suspicion of incitement, after wearing a long leather jacket and

gloves with a Nazi-like red armband, depicting crossed hammers instead of swastikas, during his concert at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on 17 May.

Police chief inspector Martin Halweg said: “The State Security Department at the Berlin State Criminal Police Office has initiated a criminal investigation procedure regarding the suspicion of incite-

ment of the people.

“The con text of the clothing worn is deemed capable of approving, glorifying or justifying the violent and arbitrary rule of the Nazi regime in a manner that violates the dignity of the victims and thereby disrupts

public peace.”

The police chief added: “After the conclusion of the investigation, the case will be forwarded to the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office for legal assessment.”

Waters also compared the death of Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh with that of Anne Frank, the Jewish diarist who died in the Belsen Nazi death camp.

After the graphics were used during Waters’ gig in Berlin, the Israel Foreign Ministry on Twitter wrote: “Good morning to everyone but Roger Waters, who spent the evening in Berlin (Yes, Berlin) desecrating the memory of Anne Frank and the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust.”

Decision to close 'not taken lightly'

Continued from page 1 to o er loans to di erent regions –including Brighton, Leeds and Liverpool –from this autumn.

JML has occupied the listed Georgian townhouse that has an extension at the rear since 2010. Financial problems before the pandemic meant that the museum lost its coveted status as an NPO – a National Portfolio Organisation under the aegis of Arts Council England – but it has since reacquired NPO listing.

In November 2022 it was announced that the JML had become one of just eight London museums to acquire this accreditation, meaning it receives £224,000 in annual funding until 2026.

But as Viner explained, even with the “pared-back” version of JML, the Arts Council funding was not enough to make the museum sustainable. Topping that up with philanthropic donations was also not a reliable solution. The JML board now believes that selling Albert Street “will release funds for JML’s interim operational costs, contribute towards the new museum site and seed money”.

“Jewish Museum London is the smallest Jewish museum among major European cities,” Viner said, “despite being home to the secondlargest Jewish community and holding the second-largest collection”. The di erence, he said, was that European Jewish

museums are all entirely publicly funded. Besides being home to Britain’s nationally designated collection of Judaica, JML displays and houses collections from the Jewish Military Museum, the United Synagogue and Jewish Historical Society of England.

Viner told Jewish News the decision to close and sell the Albert Street building “had not been taken lightly”. But, he said: “As we approach our centenary, JML is at a crossroads. We have an extraordinary opportunity to re-envisage the museum for the future. As the collection leaves Albert Street for a new temporary home, it will also create opportunities to experiment.”

• Editorial comment, page 18

CLEAN SPEECH PROJECT HAILED A ‘HUGE SUCCESS’

A community project looking to improve the way we communicate has been hailed a huge success, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

The Clean Speech Project UK, run by educational and social action charities Seed and GIFT and sponsored by Wohl Legacy, wants to encourage people to choose positive speech over negative speech.

This May, more than 75 schools, synagogues and com-

munities took part, teaching syllabuses, running parentchild learning, events and programmes, a workshop at Ernst & Young for sixth-form students about communication in the workplace and events and a women’s learning event with more than 250 women.

Hundreds of families attended parent-child learning in schools across the country and more than a thousand people

signed up for the daily Clean Speech video from a di erent educator.

The project produced various resources for communities – from Shavuot shiurim to a booklet by Judge Zeidman KC comparing English defamation law to Jewish laws on lashon hara

Co-founder and Seed’s director of education, Rabbi Daniel Fine, said: “Never have

we communicated as much as we do, and never has communication been the cause of such stress and misunderstanding. Based on a hugely successful campaign in Colorado, the Clean Speech Project UK is one of the most creative and impactful projects I’ve worked on – and it’s been brilliant to work alongside the educational innovation and experience of Rabbi Avrohom Zeidman and GIFT."

/ Tel Aviv concert / Conservatism feedback

Robbie’s two fingers up to the haters as he arrives for TA show

Robbie Williams has arrived in Israel ahead of his muchanticipated concert at Tel Aviv’s HaYarkon Park, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Addressing a press conference at the Sheraton Hotel, the former Take That star said: “I was incredibly excited to arrive here and, much like my last visit, I am excited to experience what Israel actually is and who the people actually are.”

A fan of Israeli indie artist Noga Erez, Williams was due to be the headline act on the second night of the event, with British singer Sam Smith performing tonight.

But Smith cancelled their appearance due to reported technical and logistical prob-

lems and was put under intense pressure by the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement to halt the performance. Minus Smith, the festival is now one-night only, taking place on Thursday.

Ahead of Williams’ last performance in Israel in 2015, Pink Floyd frontman and BDS supporter Roger Waters urged him to cancel, saying that by performing Williams was giving his “tacit support to the deaths of Palestinian children”.

In an open letter to US current affairs magazine Salon, Waters continued: “To be clear, Robbie, whether intended or not, your decision to play in Tel Aviv gives succor to Net-

anyahu and his regime, and endorses their exceptionalist and deadly racist policies”.

Nearly a decade later, Williams wants to avoid his performance being used for political purposes: “I’m afraid to be part of a narrative, afraid to be used as part of a narrative for nefarious purposes.

“It annoys me, because you can’t say anything, because there are two sides with two narratives, and my answer is: ‘I’m here, I’m here to perform for the people.’”

Williams is a passionate supporter of Israel. In a recent interview on the podcast Andrew Gold: On The Edge, he said: “My children are Jewish,” referring to his four children

YOU ONLY

with Turkish-Jewish wife Ayda Field.

He added: “I am a Catholic who has distanced himself from religion and Ayda is a Jew who has distanced herself from religion – but it is important that we have a tribe.

“It’s important to have a sense of belonging. I feel more Jewish than I feel Catholic.”

Social media shared a video excerpt of Williams’ impromptu duet with a street performer in Tel Aviv after he touched down at Ben Gurion. He will appear on stage tomorrow evening following performances by English songwriter Calum Scott, Israeli rapper Static and Dutch DJ Martin Garrix.

‘Offensive’ language at National Conservatism

A former Conservative minister has launched an outspoken attack on speeches made at last week’s controversial National Conservatism conference “which either minimise the Holocaust or are used by others as a cover for more sinister antisemitic tropes”, writes Lee Harpin.

Andrew Percy, the MP for Brigg and Goole, who is himself Jewish, was asked by Jewish News for his response to speeches by MP Miriam Cates, political commentator Douglas Murray, historian David Starkey and American think-tanker Kevin Roberts at the three-day conference in London.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak distanced himself for the views expressed by some at the conference, but refused to condemn Cabinet ministers Suella Braverman and Michael Gove for speaking at the event along with deputy party chair Lee Anderson.

After being shown examples of three speeches that were at the centre of criticism, Percy said: “There were some worrying examples from the National Conservatism event of language which ranges from the sloppy to the deeply offensive.

“It is not appropriate for any colleague in the Conservative family to use language and phrases which either minimise the Holocaust or which are used by others as a cover for more sinister antisemitic tropes. We have not gone through very painful years of anti-Jewish hate on the left of politics to see that replaced by antisemitism on the mainstream right of politics.”

Cates had, within minutes of beginning her speech that opened

the conference, suggested “cultural Marxism” was “destroying the souls” of young children in this country.

Percy, an ex-Northern Powerhouse minister, told Jewish News: “I have repeatedly warned Conservative MPs of the use of what, at best, can be described as ‘sloppy’ language such as ‘cultural Marxism’, which perhaps is not properly understood.”

Shown an extract of the speech made by Murray, who had attempted to suggest nationalism in the UK and Israel should not be tainted by the fact Germany “mucked up twice” in the past century, Percy was critical. “Germany did not ‘muck up’ in

World War Two, it engaged in the state-sponsored murder of six million Jews,” he said. “It was the consequence of centuries of antisemitic hate, which resulted in the near-extermination of European Jewry. ”

Percy was also shown extracts of the speech given by Roberts, who seized on language used by the far-right as he repeatedly blamed “globalists” for the world’s problems today. “We are seeing a rise of conspiracy theories across the political spectrum and you do not have to scratch much beneath the surface of these to find many of them are rooted in antisemitism,” said Percy.

Starkey, meanwhile, was accused of attempting to drive a wedge between the Jewish and Black communities with an inflammatory speech in which he suggested “the left” was attempting to replace remembrance of the Holocaust with slavery.

But defenders of the event point to the fact the conference chair is the American-Israeli theologian Yoram Hazony, whose Edmund Burke Foundation, who has been linked with right-wing Zionist ideas. In his speech, he claimed “woke Marxism” was destroying society and called for a return of military service.

The conference was widely criticised, with one senior communal figure, who asked for anonymity, telling Jewish News: “It seems like some Tories, fearing defeat at the next election, think their party should move further to the right through groups like National Conservatism. It should concern all in the community.”

Every day UJIA is making a difference to the lives of young people. Both here in the UK and in Israel. This is made possible by the generosity of our many supporters who want the causes that are important to them in their lifetime to benefit all over again through a legacy.

Holocaust memorial / Charedi connection / Sleaze concerns / News

Memorial faces ‘delay of five years’

The building of a proposed UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Westminster could be delayed “for five to six years”, a senior Conservative MP has warned, writes Lee

Raising the decision of parliamentary examiners to classify the government’s Holocaust Memorial Bill as a “hybrid” one – meaning those objecting to its proposed location in Victoria Tower Gardens can again raise objections – Sir Peter Bottomley told the House of Commons last Thursday: “Under the present plans, assuming the bill gets through both Houses of Parliament, with or without amendments and probably with amendments, that Memorial cannot be completed for five to six years.”

Responding, the leader of the Commons, Penny Mordaunt, said: “The government is very keen to ensure that a memorial can be built in the swiftest time, precisely because we want remaining Holocaust survivors to be able to witness [a memorial built].”

She said she welcomed his attempt at a “pragmatic” solution.

Noting that it is now nine years since the plan to build the memorial next to Parliament

in a garden, Bottomley, an outspoken opponent of the proposal, also called for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and “those who lead the Holocaust Foundation” to be referred to Parliament’s public administration committee after they claimed

to “welcome” the announcement last week by examiners who confirmed the Memorial Bill was “hybrid”.

Bottomley noted that the government had previously “spent time trying to oppose the bill being classified as hybrid”.

After parliamentary examiners confirmed their decision last week, the Department for Levelling Up issued a statement that quoted Michael Gove and Holocaust Foundation cochairs Lord Pickles and Ed Balls, who appeared to welcome the classification of hybrid.

Father of the House Bottomley said he would suggest the government consider shelving the plan for the “big” memorial in Victoria Gardens in favour of a “smaller more appropriate one either there or in Parliament Square”.

He added the proposed Learning Centre was “well-suited at the Imperial War Museum” and that the new plans be assessed so “Holocaust survivors may see a memorial in their lifetime.”

Mordaunt said her understanding was that the suggestion had already been “made and rejected” although she would make sure the secretary of state “has heard the suggestions today”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this year pledged to push the Holocaust Memorial Bill through the Commons to ensure its construction in Westminster.

LIVE TWICE

SCOTT TOURS STAMFORD HILL Deputies were ‘against Israel’

The Faith Minister at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has paid her first visit to the Charedi community since her 2022 appointment.

Baroness Scott was welcomed to Stamford Hill by the Pinter Trust and was given a whistle-stop tour of the community.

The Trust, a public-facing organisation representing Britain’s strictly-Orthodox Jews, was formed in memory of Rabbi Avroham Pinter from Stamford Hill who died from Covid in 2020.

Baroness Scott’s tour began at Beis Brucha Mother and Baby Home, which provides respite for mothers after giving birthThe peer spoke to the home’s staff and heard from new mothers about the

expert and dedicated care they and their babies have been receiving.

Scott also met Hatzola volunteers and heard about the life-saving work the firstresponders undertake on a daily basis.

The ninister then visited Agudas Israel Housing Association’s (AIHA) Schonfeld Square Care Home where she met residents – some of whom are Holocaust survivors or who had come to the UK on the Kindertransport.

While at the care home, she was invited to unveil the prestigious Investors in People Gold Award plaque.

The minister’s visit follows the publication of the Bloom Report, which recommended that government should maintain more in-depth and meaningful relationships with  faith communities. During the visit, representatives from the community spoke to Scott about how they could take forward recommendations from the  report.

Chaya Spitz, chief executive of AIHA and steering group member of the Pinter Trust, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Baroness Scott to Stamford Hill. We greatly appreciated her taking the time to find out more about us and how we fit into modern Britain.

National Jewish Assembly founder Gary Mond (pictured) has claimed “many” elected representatives on the Board of the Deputies “were against the state of Israel” during his time on the communal body, in an interview on a Christian television channel.

Discussing his decade-long stint as a deputy for the JNF charity on the communal organisation, Mond told viewers of the pro-Zionist Christian channel Revelation TV: “I felt that many of the deputies were against the state of Israel. I remember in my first meeting there was a prominent member of the Board talking about Jews poisoning Palestinian wells. They were speaking about the settler community as if they were the cause of all the problems.”

Asked about his departure from the Board, when he quit ahead of an investigation into Islamophobic tweet, Mond said he was “turned on” by deputies after he refused to condemn comments made by “one of my fellow trustees at the JNF” who he said had insisted “immigration is a subject that needs to be spoken about and debated”. Mond appeared to be referring to comments made by JNF chair Samuel Hayek, who claimed Jews “had no future in England” and blamed the problem on Islam.

Special Report / Veteran Games

UK and Israeli veterans

Athletes at the third Veteran Games

– cheered by their families – connect and compete, writes Jotam Confino

“I was always proud of him.” Travis Eaglesham is watching his dad, Phil, helping another British veteran with his skills at the shooting range in the Beit Halochem sports centre outside Tel Aviv.

It’s clear there’s a strong bond between the two. Phil is one of more than 60 British veterans who came to Israel with their families to compete in the annual Veteran Games, an event initiated by the charity Beit Halochem UK, supported by philanthropic donations from the UK and media partnered by Jewish News

Phil looks like an athlete. Well-built, healthy, and in a good mood. But like a lot of veterans competing at the Games, this isn’t the full story.

He is only capable of walking today thanks to a drug he has been prescribed, which he says “miraculously” brought him on his feet again, as long as he takes it three times a day.

He admits that he is still awaiting a medical explanation for what has happened to him.

Phil had been using a wheelchair for 12

years up until February. He nearly died after contracting Q Fever during his time as a Royal Marine in Afghanistan in 2010.

In the following years, his health drastically deteriorated, causing tremendous pain for him as well as agony for his family, in particular for his son Travis, who su ered with his mental health.

“It a ected my education and I hid my emotions. So it wasn’t really picked up. It broke me down,” Travis said.

It took about a decade until the full impact on him was clear and a few years ago such a trip would have been inconceivable. But it’s clear that Travis is in his element in Israel – bolstered not just by his father’s performances in the sport but by a surprise rendition of Happy Birthday to mark his 20th during the opening ceremony at Beit Halochem on Sunday night.

The Games’ main sponsors are the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust, Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Exilarch’s Foundation, Rachel

PROTECT

Participants and their families in the Beit Halochem sports centre outside Tel Aviv Charitable Trust, Pears Foundation, Maurice Wohl ChariFamily

Foundation. A football of participants is backed by Initiatives

Charitable Trust, Pears Foundation, Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation, Gerald and Gail Ronson Family Foundation, Regatta Professional and the Future Directions Foundation. A football academy for the children of participants is backed by Patron Charitable Initiatives and Power League.

The Games is centred on at the Dead Sea, visiting historic beaches

The Games is centred on the role of sport in rehabilitation but also in the importance of family support in that process. Each afternoon, after the sports and a football academy for the kids provided by Maccabi Netanya, the 62 veterans enjoy family time at the Dead Sea, visiting historic sites in Jerusalem and enjoying the beaches and food Tel Aviv has to o er.

“For wives and kids this event is really important. They realise that a lot of other families have gone through similar things.

event is really important. They competed at high levels. But this is a lot raderie, being together as

“As for me.... I’ve done Paralympics, and competed at high levels. But this is a lot more for me. It’s about camaraderie, being together as a family and being around like minded people,” Phil, who was invited by the

Royal Marines charity, said.

As the sporting competition wound down, Phil is now looking forward to doing what most families take for granted: walking on the Tel Aviv beach with his kids for the first time since he starting to walk.

Royal Marines charity, said. the down, Phil is now looking forward to tears when he talks about his story.

He struggles to hold back the tears when he talks about his story. But his positive outlook on life is similar to those of other British and Israeli veterans competing.

In the gymnastics hall above the shooting range, dozens of veterans are giving it all they have at the X-fit discipline, which consists of a series of fitness challenges. Each station has a referee who is keeping scores.

Stacey Mitchell, 29, is also among the competitors defying their injuries. Having lost part of one leg, she uses a wheelchair. But her physical and mental strength is clear as she strains every sinew to do pull-ups and pushups at one of the most physically challenging stations in the hall.

Israeli veterans competing. shooting range, dozens of veterans are series challenges. Each station has a referee who the competitors defying their injuries. wheelchair. But her physical and mental one of the most physically challenging stations in the hall.

in her leg during her service in the in terrible pain, forcing her to get

Stacey sustained an overuse injury in her leg during her service in the RAF. The nerve condition left her in terrible pain, forcing her to get a knee amputation to get her life back.

“I feel at home.,” she tells . “The camaraderie here is great. Everyone just tends to blend together. It

Jewish News. “The camarajust tends to blend together. It

Veteran Games / Special

bond at Tel Aviv Games

A member of the British team celebrates his win over here. I think I have more work to do in that space back in the UK,” Mercer said. Each of the British veterans was nominated to take part by British military charities Rock2Recovery, BLESMA, Royal Air Force Benevo-

lent Fund, The Not Forgotten Association, The Royal Marines Charity, The Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women, Veterans Scotland, Poppy Scotland, FELIX Fund and Blind Veterans UK.

YOUR LEGACY

would be great if we could have something in this sort of level back in the UK.”

The gymnastics hall is full of energetic veterans of all ages. The oldest one is 98-year-old Moshe Kohalani, an Israeli who was injured in a car accident while serving in the British army in mandatory Palestine, from 1940 to 1944. He later served in the Israeli army.

Kohalani is jogging in the hall, speaking to other veterans, including visiting veterans minister Johnny Mercer, who appears enraptured by his story.

Next to Kohalani, 41-year-old Gareth Golightly from Carlisle is racing through the hall in his wheelchair, cheered by his wife and four children. He has used the wheelchair since being injured in a road tra c accident in 2002 while on guard duty.

“It’s a big boost to be around veterans, not just the Brits but also the Israelis.,” Gareth said. “To share experiences from di erent backgrounds and cultures. But also having your family here makes a massive di erence.”

The enormous support given by the families to their loved ones participating in the Games is clearly visible. They follow them around each station and cheer them on. Each participant’s needs is unique.

For some, like Gareth, being in a wheelchair limits their mobility, while some struggle with blindness or PTSD.

Others have been diagnosed with cancer, such as Tim Crossing from Dorset, who served 20 years as a Royal Marine. Stomach cancer has also a ected other parts of his health, causing heart failure. He is taking part in the Games for

the first time, despite his cardiologist being worried about the physical pressure the disciplines might put on his heart.

“Doctors love to be proven wrong,” Tim laughs. “I’m absolute thrilled and humbled to have been asked to come here. The Games are about shaking hands, making friends, shining a spotlight on veterans and how we face adversaries. There’s a kinship when you meet other military guys. The stories are the same, just told from a di erent point of view.”

For Caroline Beazley, who was shot four times in the face, back and head while serving with the Royal Military Police in 1994, taking part in the first Veteran Games in 2019 changed her life.

“I was absolutely blown away by how quickly everybody bonded. To come to the games, and to be part of a team again, to wear a uniform with the union flag on, it just restored my pride. It has changed my life in an amazing way.” Today, she serves as the Games’ ambassador.

Beit Halochem UK chair Andrew Wolfson, who founded the Games with CEO Spencer Gelding, hailed the inspirational participants. He said of the centre: “This is a place of hope, success and achievement. It’s older veterans showing younger ones that there is a future. We don’t have that in the UK. So when people come here they see a di erent way. It’s inspirational.”

Mercer also attended the event to get inspiration and learn about recovery methods for veterans in the UK.

“I’m interested in what’s working the best here so we can roll it out in the UK. I particularly like the pride and respect a orded [to veterans]

Protecting and securing the Jewish community in the UK against antisemitism is what we do. From the streets of London in the 1950s through to the hate-filled internet chatrooms of today, CST will leave no stone unturned in the fight against those who wish to do us harm. This is not something that we can do without your ongoing and long-term support.

A legacy to CST will ensure that our community is not only protected against the continuous threat of antisemitism but is also given the security necessary to flourish in the future. Contact us on 020 8457 3700 or email legacy@cst.org.uk.

Lid is lifted on Biblical-era dysentry

Analysis of ancient faeces taken from two lavatories has revealed dysentery in Old Testament Jerusalem, writes Joy Falk.

Examination of the latrines dating to the Kingdom of Judah uncovered traces of a singlecelled microorganism Giardia duodenalis, a common cause of debilitating diarrhoea in humans.

The findings are the oldest example of this parasite infecting humans anywhere in the world, the researchers led by the University of Cambridge said.

Both toilets had carved stone seats almost identical in design – a shallow curved surface for sitting, with a central hole for defecation and an adjacent hole at the front for male urination.

Study lead author Dr Piers Mitchell, from Cambridge’s Department of Archaeology, said:

“The fact that these parasites were present in sediment from two Iron Age Jerusalem cesspits suggests that dysentery was endemic in the Kingdom of Judah.”

He added: “Dysentery is a term that describes intestinal infectious diseases caused by parasites and bacteria that trigger diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, fever and dehydration. It can be fatal, particularly for young children.

“Dysentery is spread by faeces contaminating drinking water or food, and we suspected it could have been a big problem in early cities of the ancient Near East due to over-crowding, heat and flies, and limited water available in the summer.”

The samples came from the sediment underneath lavatories found in two building complexes excavated to the south of the Old City.

They date to the 7th century BCE, when Jerusalem was a capital of Judah. At the time the city would have been a flourishing political and religious hub estimated to have had between 8,000 and 25,000 residents.

Dr Mitchell said: “Toilets with cesspits from this time are relatively rare and were usually made only for the elite.” One of the toilets was from a lavishly decorated estate at Armon haNatziv, surrounded by an ornamental garden.

The researchers suggest that the site, excavated in 2019, probably dates from the days of King Manasseh, a client king for the Assyrians who ruled for 50 years in the mid-7th century. While the site of the other toilet, known as the House of Ahiel, was a domestic building made up of seven rooms that was home to an upper-class family at the time.

WZO issues call for democracy ACADEMIC CLEARED

The World Zionist Organisation has passed what it calls a “historically unprecedented series of resolutions” urging Israel to remain a liberal, Jewish and democratic nation state, while opposing the government’s judicial overhaul and proposals to undermine the Law of Return.

It says the resolutions, passed by big majorities, send a “clear message” to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government that world Jewry

opposes “illiberal and anti-democratic elements” of its agenda.

They also call for full recognition of Conservative and Reform conversions, anchoring LGBT rights in Israel and the Zionist Movement, and promoting women’s rights in the Zionist Movement.

WZO vice-chairman Yizhar Hess said: “Faced with the most extreme government in Israel’s history, world Jewry has gone on record:

Israel must remain a liberal, Jewish and democratic state.

“The passage of these resolutions is a victory for democracy. Not only because [they] represent the clear, democratic voice of world Jewry... but because the resolutions show the Jewish world’s firm support for Herzl’s Zionist vision: of a Jewish state that is liberal, democratic, pluralistic and a home for each and every Jew.”

spreading misinformation about

for comments about Jews.

A German microbiologist known for spreading misinformation about the coronavirus was acquitted this week of incitement to hatred for comments about Jews.

In a 2021 video for the fringe political party Die Basis (The Basis), Sucharit Bhakdi, a critic of Covid restrictions, said Jews had learned evil under Hitler.

political party Die Basis

“There is no people who learn Bhakdi ( video, adding: “But they have ...

“There is no people who learn better than [the Jews] do,” Bhakdi (pictured), 74, said in the video, adding: “But they have ... put it into practice. That’s why Israel is now a living hell.”

A Plön district court judge sonable doubt that Bhakdi

A Plön district court judge said on Tuesday it could not be determined without reasonable doubt that Bhakdi had been spreading antisemitic hatred.

Police ‘sorry’ for lost evidence

The Metropolitan Police has apologised after confirming it had lost evidence linked to the death of JFS schoolgirl Mia Janin, writes Joy Falk. The force confirmed it had lost a number of items that belonged to the 14-year-old girl, who took her own life after being bullied by pupils in and outside of her school, her father claims.

A pre-inquest review hearing, held in March this year, into the death of Mia in March 2021 heard her parents had raised concerns over bullying with sta at the Jewish Free School in Kenton, north-west London.

The Year 10 pupil was found dead

at her family home in nearby Harrow on 12 March 2021.

The hearing was told evidence given to the Metropolitan Police after her death by pupils at the school – who cannot be named for legal reasons – had “inconsistencies” and that some of them disputed that Mia was bullied.

Items lost by the force include a SIM card from her main phone and a second mobile handset.

The force also revealed that it believed the items went missing when the investigating team relocated to another station.

A spokesperson for the Met said: “As part of the investigation

into Mia’s death, police examined a number of items belonging to her. This included a SIM card from her main phone and a second mobile handset.

“Both the SIM card and the handset were examined by specialists and then placed into the property store at Barnet Police station with the intention of providing them back to the family at a later date.

“All of our investigations relating to these two items had been completed at this point.

“Unfortunately we have been unable to locate these items within the store. We believe this may be due to the relocation of the inves-

New director at Sacks Trust

The charitable trust which honours the life and teachings of former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks has appointed a new UK director of education.

The Rabbi Sacks Legacy has chosen Rabbi Cobi Ebrahimo , a renowned Jewish educator and programme innovator, to serve as the organisation’s director of education in the UK.

Ebrahimo brings more than two decades of experience in advancing Jewish communal educational initiatives in both the UK and Israel.

He will focus on bringing Rabbi Sacks’ teachings into schools and helping to develop new

innovative educational resources.

Rabbi Ebrahimo most recently served as rabbi for Tribe, the United Synagogue’s youth organisation, where he was responsible for innovating and delivering creative activities for schools and local communities. He is also the executive headteacher at the King Solomon School, an international school in Israel.

Ebrahimo said: “Rabbi Sacks’ teachings inspired a generation of educators like myself to focus on Jewish values and bring Torah to life in the public domain.”

tigating team to another station, during which time property was also transferred.

“We are extremely sorry that these items have not yet been located and have apologised directly to Mia’s family for the added distress this has caused.

“Extensive searches, including reviews of all relevant paperwork, have been carried out but have so far been unsuccessful.

“We are continuing our e orts to search for these items.”

LUCKY’, SAYS DAME ESTHER

Broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen has revealed that her lung cancer, which was diagnosed earlier this year, is now in stage four –the most advanced stage of the disease.

In an interview with The Mirror newspaper, the 82-year-old says she is on a new type of medication but “nobody knows if it’s working or not”, adding: “But I will have a scan fairly soon which will reveal one way or another.”

Rantzen says she has gone public “because I find it di cult to skulk around various hospitals wearing an unconvincing disguise”.

She said her stage four diagnosis has made her realise “how very lucky I’ve been”. She said: “I’m not good at regrets. What I treasure most are the fantastic friendships I have made thanks to That’s Life!, the people I met, and the team who worked so hard, and laughed so hard, together for so long.”

Rantzen is best-known for presenting That’s Life!, a programme featuring a mix of investigations, topical issues and entertainment, from 1973 to 1994 and setting up the Childline and The Silver Line charities.

‘I’M

Lipman denies new show compares Jews to Nazis

Maureen Lipman has hit back at claims that her new one-woman play “demonises Israel” and draws false comparisons between the Jewish state and Nazis, writes Michelle

The actress portrays an 80-year-old Holocaust survivor in a production of Rose at London’s Ambassador’s Theatre. Her character’s two-and-a-half-hour monologue charts Jewish history in the 20th century from the horrors of the Nazi era to the establishment of Israel until almost the present day.

In a scathing review in the Jewish Chronicle, critic Jonathan Sacerdoti writes that it is surprising to see Lipman “supporting a play that invests so much dramatic capital in the outdated notion that Jews kill children” and that the play “relies on an unforgivable comparison between the IDF and the Nazis”.

Referencing the first act, where Rose is sitting shiva for a child, it’s initially unclear who she is in mourning for. Sacerdoti observes that while we “hear about her own child, shot dead in the Warsaw ghetto… she only delivers the punch near the end of the play: she is mourning a Palestinian child, shot in Israel by her zealous Israeli grandson”.

He goes on to accuse the show of “perpetuating the same stereotypes and political manipulation that have historically led to our persecution – before, during, and since the Holocaust”.

Lipman responded: “I note that the JC has taken on a destroyer critic hoping to elevate himself to the ranks of ‘the Butcher of Broadway’.

“Where to start to critique his critique? No. Why bother? He is wrong on so many issues. Let’s take one. The notion of ‘Jews should be better than anyone else’ is denied by two of the protagonists in Rose’s debate. This is a debate not a cancellation like the JC review.

“The reviewer is right about one thing. I was wise not to take the part 25 years ago. I was right because it is such a perfect choice today when I am the right age, a bit wiser, a bit tougher and merely amused by your intentionally provocative review. See you on the way down.”

Jewish News’ review of the play (below) credits Lipman with painting “a vivid picture of life in the cramped Warsaw ghetto where they lived 12 to a room” and says Rose’s “content and observations remain uncomfortably relevant”.

REVIEW: A STORY OF IDENTITY AND RESILIENCE

“A shiva is not a religious thing; it’s just Jewish,” says Rose, the Jew portrayed by Maureen Lipman at the Ambassador’s Theatre in a show transferred from north London’s Park Theatre, writes Louisa Walters.

By the end of her monologue, it would appear that it’s not only Jewish either. You’ll have to go yourself to find out why, and I highly recommend that you do.

The 80-year-old Rose was born in Ukraine –“sometimes Russia, sometimes Poland” – swept up in the horrors of the Second World War and

settled in Miami. She was subject to persecution pretty early in life – “If you have your first period and your first pogrom in the same month, you can safely assume childhood is over” – but nevertheless injects her sad story with the humour and witticisms that Lipman is so adept at.

She paints a vivid picture of life in the cramped Warsaw ghetto where they lived 12 to a room – “I can tell you what hell is. It’s 11 people snoring at the same time” – and where she suffered the horror of losing her nine-year-old daughter. Then she amuses us with her descrip-

tion of life in the Jewish town of Atlantic City where “the air smelled of aspirin and chicken fat and suntan oil” and no one wants to talk about the Holocaust.

Her enthusiastic optimism about the newlyfounded state of Israel – “They built it with their own hands” – contrasts with her disillusionment when she sees Jews with guns.

Martin Sherman’s play, first staged at the National, is nearly 25 years old but its content and observations remain uncomfortably relevant.

Rose’s liberal, tell-it-how-it-is manner draws us to her as she talks about sex, pill-popping and death. Seated throughout on a wooden bench with water, pills and a curious coolbox her only props, subtle lighting changes her only stage set and unobtrusive sound-effects her only background, it is Maureen herself who brings us absolutely everything else.

Rose appears to have come to terms with not belonging anywhere. Lipman, by contrast, is proving that, at the age of 77, she certainly belongs on the stage.

CHAI GAVE US OUR MUMMY BACK

“When I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, I just didn’t know what to do. I had my surgery in Israel as both mine and my husband’s families live there. Then I had a big decision to make - where would I have my treatment? How could I uproot my husband and girls? But equally, how would I get through my chemotherapy here without our families’ support? Then my oncologist told me about Chai. They have been amazing – I truly believe there is nothing like it in the world.

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

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

Request to halt sale of Hitler’s pencil

An auctioneer in Northern Ireland has been urged to stop the sale of a pencil which purportedly once belonged to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The silver-plated pencil is poised to go under the hammer in Belfast next week as well as a signed portrait of the dictator.

The pencil is estimated to sell for between £50,000 and £80,000, while the photograph is expected to sell for between £10,000 and £15,000.

The chairman of the European Jewish Association, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, has written to Karl Bennett, managing director of Bloomfield Auctions, asking him to withdraw the items.

He questioned whether the auction house would sell possessions belonging to a terrorist who committed an atrocity in Northern Ireland, such as the IRA bombing of La Mon hotel in 1978 on the outskirts of east Belfast which killed 12 people.

In his letter to Bennett, Rabbi Margolin said he was making a moral appeal. “I am writing to respectfully to ask you to withdraw these items from the auction,” he wrote. “This is not a legal appeal to you, Mr Bennett, but very much a moral one.

“In comments attributed to you in a national newspaper, you say: ‘But for me, as a high-end collector of military items, they preserve a piece of our past and should be treated as historical objects, no matter if the history they refer to was one of the darkest and most controversial in recorded history.’

“We simply cannot fathom how a love trinket such as an engraved pencil or a signed photograph constitutes a historical object of any inherent historical value.”

The rabbi went on to say that in Europe and

further afield, auction houses are buying and selling other items such as watches, ashtrays and even Wehrmacht lavatory paper purported to have belonged to senior Nazis.

“The defence from Munich to Maryland is the same, these items are of historical interest. They are anything but,” the rabbi wrote.

“Let there be no doubt, items of genuine historical interest do belong in museums or places of learning. This we fully support.

“But the buying and selling of items such as yours are dangerous on a number of fronts: they create a macabre trade in items belonging to mass murderers, the motives of those buying them are unknown and may glorify the actions of the Nazis, and lastly their trade is an insult to the millions who perished, the few survivors left, and to Jews everywhere.”

A spokesman for Bloomfield Auctions said: “We do not seek to cause hurt or distress to any one or any part of society. All items have a story and tell of a particular time in history.”

RABBI CRIES RECALLING PITTSBURGH SHUL ATTACK

The trial of the man accused of murdering 11 Jews in a synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018 began this week.

Families of victims and survivors were in the courtroom and monitoring via videolink elsewhere as, in the Joseph Weis Federal Courthouse, Robert Bowers’ trial began.

On the witness stand, Je rey Myers, the rabbi of Tree of Life Congregation, cried as he described how he recited the Shema, thinking he was about to die.

“I thought about the history of my people, how we’ve been persecuted and hunted and slaughtered for centuries,” he said. “And about how all of them must have felt in the moments before their death.”

Bowers is accused of murdering 11 people and wounding six at three congregations that met in the same building: Tree of Life, Or L’Simcha and Dor Hadash.

He faces 63 charges, 22 of which are death penalty charges that relate specifically to allegations that he targeted Jews: 11 counts of obstruction in free exercise of religious belief resulting in death, and 11 counts of hate crimes resulting in death.

Prosecutors previously rejected a guilty plea so that they could pursue the death penalty — a

punishment that families of victims and congregational leaders have debated.

In their opening statements, both sets of lawyers said the trial would revisit the attack in horrific detail. Judge Robert Colville stressed the presumption of innocence, telling jurors that Bowers had a “clean slate” unless prosecutors were able to persuade them otherwise.

In her opening statement, Bowers’ lead attorney, Judy Clarke, said the defence would not contest the events, or Bowers’ responsibility for them. Clarke is known as “the attorney for the damned” for her determination to keep her clients from execution.

Israeli father shot dead in West Bank

A Palestinian terror group linked with the PA’s Fatah party, has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack that killed an Israeli father of two in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, writes Jotam Confino.

Meir Tamari was driving on a road near the settlement of Hermesh, where he lived, when he came under fire by Palestinians.

He was flown by helicopter to Hillel Yaffe Hospital in Hadera, where he was later declared dead.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which has links to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party, claimed responsibility shortly afterwards.

“We affirm that this operation and others will not be the final response to our

martyrs,” the terrorist group said in a statement.

As of yesterday afternoon, Israeli security forces were still on a manhunt for the terrorists behind the shooting.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Our forces are currently in pursuit of the terrorists in order to settle accounts with them, and they will be settled forthwith.

“Just as we have found every terrorist and closed accounts with them, we will do so this time as well.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry also

released a statement, saying: “We are devastated to announce the death of Meir Tamari, who was murdered by Palestinian terrorists in a shooting today.

“Meir leaves behind a wife and two children, ages one and three. May his memory be a blessing.”

The killing of Tamari, 32, is the latest in a string of Palestinian terrorist attacks in the West Bank, targeting Israeli civilians.

The Israeli military has conducted near-daily raids in the West Bank to crack down on terrorist groups and lone wolfs.

Kissinger denies delaying arms SPERM DOC KILLED

Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger denied that he was delaying airlifts of weapons to Israel during the Yom Kippur war in 1973.

Kissinger, who turned 100 this week, was asked by Israel’s Channel 12 about a comment by a US Navy Admiral accusing him of delaying the airlift because he “wanted Israel to bleed just enough” so that it would be ready for diplomacy after the war.

Kissinger denied this, saying that “nothing happened that could be interpreted in that way”, and that

the US thought Israel was winning the war, which began after Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel’s northern and southern border on 6 October 1973.

The Yom Kippur was is seen as one of the biggest intelligence failures in Israeli history. 2,656 soldiers were killed and 7,251 injured. Israel eventually regained control of the borders, pushing back both the Egyptian and Syrian army.

A Jewish doctor from New York accused of secretly using his own sperm to impregnate patients has died in a plane crash.

Dr Morris Wortman, 72, crashed in an experimental aircraft with a pilot on Sunday.

“The wings of the aircraft became detached from the fuselage and fell to the ground in an orchard,” Sky News quoted Sheriff Christopher Bourke as saying.

Dr Wortman was the target of a lawsuit by a daughter of one his patients who was impregnated in the 1980s. The woman alleged that he had told her mother that the sperm donation she received was from a local student but that it really came from him. The lawsuit also accused Dr Wortman of keeping the information from the daughter, his alleged biological offspring, after she became his gynaecology patient.

NATURE

The of Israel

Having relocated from Manchester to Tiberias, photographer Julian Alper gives Jewish News readers a seasonal sense of wildlife in Israel

THIS WEEK:

White-throated kingfisher

Early summer is a great time to see kingfishers by rivers and lakes.

But this enterprising fellow (a white-throated kingfisher) I photographed in the centre of Tel Aviv – not a place you’d expect to see them. It spotted goldfish in a lily pond during its lunch break and enjoyed a fish treat.

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Situated on Finchley Road and within very close proximity to all shopping amenities including, Marks and Spencer’s and Waitrose is this purpose built warden assisted (for ages over 55 years) one bedroom first floor retirement apartment Internally the property comprises one bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom The block further benefits from a resident warden, communal lounge, communal grounds and residents parking. Located in the Heart of Temple Fortune the property is well served by local bus routes. Chain Free.

One bedroom

Close to amenities

Resident Warden Heart of Temple Fortune Residents Parking

Retirement Block (Over the age of 55)

Museum’s closure leaves a cultural void

Back in March 2010, the Jewish community finally celebrated the completion of the new Jewish Museum.

After a massive planning and fundraising e ort, it had bought, financed, remodelled and combined an old piano factory and a listed Georgian townhouse near Camden Town tube station. Shiny and enticing, the new building was to host the joint collections of the London Museum of Jewish Life (founded in 1983 as the Museum of the Jewish East End), and the Jewish Museum London (founded in 1932 and originally based in Bloomsbury before moving to Camden in 1994 via a 10-year stint at Woburn House in Euston).

With thought-provoking and relevant temporary exhibitions focusing on figures as diverse as Amy Winehouse and Sigmund Freud and attracting national attention, the institution represented an exciting and fresh new cultural chapter.

Sited right next to Camden Market, with its throngs of passing tourists and hordes of young and curious Londoners, the positioning was perfect.

While the museum was forced to close for 15 months because of the Covid pandemic, it reopened in July 2021 after a busy online programme. Late last year, its learning team won a prestigious award. There was a buzz. Most importantly of all: people were back.

So, it came as a shock this week when the trustees announced this week that the museum on Albert Street, that many of us now know and love, is to close by the end of July. Everyone and everything, including 40,000 objects, will be out by the end of the year.

A new home, wherever that may be, could take up to five years to set up, we are now told. Meanwhile, heritage items are to be sent to storage.

Although we hear that there may be museum ‘pop-ups’, and/ or items loaned, it sounds as if there will be no physical national Jewish museum for quite a while, which is sad to contemplate after the cultural delights the site has served up since 2010.

Representation on Board can come at a high price

I represented Finchley United Synagogue as a deputy for the triennium 2018-21. I quickly came to realise that the centrist Modern Orthodox communities, especially those of the United Synagogue, were not taking anything near the maximum number of deputy slots available to them under the Board’s constitution.

Further, Federation communities were barely represented and the Charedi community not at all. What is perhaps not generally understood is that synagogues wishing to send deputies have to pay a fee of £500 per year per deputy (over and above the £30 per member voluntary levy). For a large

synagogue entitled by the rules to send five or more deputies, this becomes a serious expenditure that many congregations choose not to incur.

During my time, Finchley chose to send just two. This was fairly typical among the Orthodox communities. But it certainly seemed as though the progressive communities took up a far higher proportion of their entitlements (and I am happy to be corrected if my perception was wrong).

The result was a Board with a representation heavily skewed towards the religious left, compared to the actual situation in Anglo-Jewry.

RIGHT TO SELF-DEFINE GO FIGURE

I promoted the view that Palestinian Arabs exist and are entitled to define themselves as a people with national rights (27 April, Jewish News). Several correspondents disputed this. Nearly all of them failed to explain why.

For example Miri Rose, on 11 May, mentioned some unspecified act committed by the British Mandate for Palestine in 1946. But its relevance to the question of Palestinian national rights is unclear.

Gerry Solomons stated Palestinians “cannot use selfidentity as a means to appropriate someone else’s land”. Half-marks for mentioning Palestinian self-identity and rights. But no marks for clarifying which land the Palestinians are accused of “appropriating”. With more than 600,000 Jewish settlers on the West Bank, I think I know who did the most “appropriating”. Mr Solomons might clarify.

Israelis and Palestinians have national rights. What is not clear is how each side is entitled to exercise them in this ongoing conflict unless it accepts the rights of the other side.

Concerning Miriam Berger’s views on Jewish matchmaking, one is moved to ask: as a Reform rabbi, would she

help arrange a match between a Jew and a gentile?

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BLINDBRITAIN’SSPOT We’ve never been so focused on fighting racism, so why the deafening silence as antisemitism spirals out of control? ANTI-JEWISH RACISM MADNESS SPREADS: Pages 6, 7, 23 Hospital probes ‘cutthroat gesture’ to Jewish patient Driver with Israeli ag attacked in Golders Green Crucifixion banner at huge pro-Palestinian demo BBC journalist’s #Hitlerwasright tweet revealed Nearly 300 antisemitic incidents in under 3 weeks ONLINE ORTUK.ORG/BOOKS Alternatively, ‘It’s okay not to be okay’ BOOK DRIVE Journey’s end second Page FREE COMMUNITY Freddie’s century! birthday Landmark review of racism in the Jewish community calls for: Time to end the divide End racial profiling at communal events Synagogues create ‘welcoming‘Shvartzer’committees’ be understood as slur Sephardi, Mizrahi and Yemenite songs in Ashkenazi synagogues Schools colonialismincrease and black history ...and Facebook group Jewish Britain and REPORT ANALYSIS PAGES committees’ Magazine News LIFE DRESSING HAART: Inside Julia’s unorthodox wardrobe Pink Rabbit turns 50 New Beginnings YIZKOR–Livingwithloss

Rachel Riley wants her children to have passion for Judaism (Jewish News, 18 May). That only happens if someone marries Jewish and sends their children to a Jewish school.

TWO SPECIAL VOICES

I thoroughly enjoyed your recent interview with Rob Rinder about his trip to Poland and column by Rachel Riley on her Jewish identity. How wonderful to have two such well-known people representing our community. As a retired man, it gives me great pleasure to read Jewish News with such outstanding contributors.

THE JACOB FOUNDATION

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

‘Now that , Mizzy, is how to prank’ ‘Now that, Mizzy, is how to prank’

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When eating treif causes a major

I’m sure there are many things of which one could accuse Woody Allen, but I must admit that being practical in an emergency is not one I had previously associated with the controversial film-maker.

Notorious for his (to say the least) complicated personal life, the one-time stand-up comedian, gag writer and idol of the French cinema is also a musician and foodie – and, of course, still in the throes of an ongoing love a air with the city of New York.

Come with me, then, to dinner, only the other week, to Caravaggio, an upmarket restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Seated round the table of this Italian “see and be seen” fine diner – hey, look, even Google describes it as a place “perfect for people watching” –is Soon-Yi Previn, 52, once Allen’s adopted daughter and since 1997, his wife; lawyer Alan Dershowitz, 84; Andrew Stein, a one-time president of New York City Council, 78; and Woody Allen himself, 87. What, I wonder, could they have been

discussing over dinner? Perhaps Dershowitz’s recently-announced decision to act “pro bono” for the bereaved Rabbi Leo Dee in a multimillion lawsuit against the TV company CNN and, specifically, its presenter Christiane Amanpour. Dershowitz has been all over the media in recent days insisting that Amanpour’s “apology” to Rabbi Dee, for saying that his wife and two daughters had died in a “shootout” rather than a “shooting” by Palestinian terrorists was just that – an apology in inverted commas, in other words not an apology worth having.

It may well be Dershowitz’s argument that there is no “moral equivalence” between “innocent victims of terrorism” and the terrorists themselves, has some justification. But something in me itches at what looks to me like bandwagoning. And do the tragic Dee family not have enough to cope with, without dealing with all-too public lawsuits against CNN?

Ah, well, let’s not go there. Let’s move on to Diner Number Two, Andrew Stein, another man with a di cult reputation. In 2010, Stein, a seasoned New York politician, was indicted and arrested for lying about his involvement during

WOODY ALLEN PUT HIS ARMS AROUND ANDREW STEIN AND MADE HIM VOMIT OUT THE FOOD

the investigation of the multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme involving Ken Starr, a financial advisor to various celebrities.

Stein pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour tax evasion charge and was sentenced to 500 hours of community service.

Apparently, he shortened his name to Stein when he entered politics, having been born Finkelstein to a father who was a multimillionaire publisher of the New York Law Journal. I must say, I don’t know who he thought he was kidding — did he think calling himself Stein made him sound less Jewish?

Anyway, there they all were, three elderly Jewish men and Soon-Yi, possibly swapping

terrible Jewish jokes involving heart conditions and recalcitrant spouses (Dershowitz, Stein and Allen have each been married twice).

And, suddenly! High drama! For Andrew Stein was eating and began to choke!

Who you gonna call? Why, SuperWoody, of course.

Stein – according to the New York Post – was turning an unbecoming shade of scarlet and was struggling to breathe. No problem – SuperWoody was there to help, leaping from his set to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on Stein. Dershowitz and Soon-Yi, according to eyewitness diners, were as much use as chocolate teapots, merely “staring in horror”. But Allen, a diminutive 5ft 5ins, and, less we forget, 87 years of age, put his arms around Stein and made him vomit out the food on which he had been choking.

And here’s the kicker. Stein admitted he normally orders fish – “but this time I went for the pork”. Let that be a lesson to us all. Why, it could be a film. “Why eating treif could be life threatening”.

You would, as Oscar Wilde observed, have to have a heart of stone not to laugh.

Rabin’s assassin is fêted in many Israeli circles

Last week, Yigal Amir, the assassin of Yitzhak Rabin, celebrated his 53rd birthday in Ramon prison. He has spent more of his life behind bars than in freedom. He has served more time in prison than Nelson Mandela in apartheid South Africa and, unlike most Israelis sentenced to life imprisonment, it is highly unlikely his sentence will ever be commuted.

The judges at Amir’s trial wrote in their summing up that “he who so calmly cuts short another’s life, only proves the depth of wretchedness to which his values have fallen, and thus he does not merit any regard whatsoever, except pity, because he has lost his humanity”.

Amir has never expressed remorse and instead has mounted a long campaign to secure his release – even forming a political party to fight for him. The Mishpat Tzedek party ran on a platform of release and retrial for Yigal Amir in 2019 – it received a paltry 1,375 votes.

Figures who came from that same community of far-right activists now sit in the heart of government. Itamar Ben-Gvir, today the Minister for National Security, was deeply involved in the campaign of incitement against Rabin, prior to his assassination.

As a Kahanist, Ben-Gvir revered the memory of Baruch Goldstein, an American follower of Meir Kahane, who was responsible for entering the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and killing 29 worshippers during Purim 1994. Ben-Gvir was proud to exhibit a photograph of Goldstein on the wall of his home in Hebron.

During the investigation, Amir told the Shamgar Inquiry that he, too, had been motivated by Goldstein’s actions. A one-time emissary of Bnei Akiva, Amir told the judges he had moved to Kiriat Arba, next to Hebron, after the Goldstein killings. Amir had desperately searched for rabbinical approval before the murder of the prime minister that Rabin qualified as a rodef (an assailant) who should be eliminated before he caused the deaths of multitudes due to his policies.

No direct instruction from a rabbi on the matter was uncovered and any vague utterance

appears to have been left to the interpretation of the hearer. Baruch Ha’Gever, which praised Goldstein and attributed to the teachings of the Chabad rabbi, Yitzchak Ginsburgh, was later found on Amir’s bookshelf.

In 2007, Ben-Gvir and his fellow Kahanist, Baruch Marzel formed the Committee for Saving Democracy and produced a video that called for the release of Amir.

Amir acted in Rabin’s murder in conjunction with his brother, Hagai, who spent almost 17 years in prison. They believed they were acting according to halachic principles.

When Hagai was released in 2012, he immediately began to associate with Kahanists such as Bentzi Gopstein, who was a keen advocate in the burning down of churches in Israel. Gopstein was also the head of Lehava, which opposed intermarriage, the mixing of Arabs and Jews on beaches, the movement of Reform Jews and the Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem. Ben-Gvir often defended Gopstein as Lehava’s lawyer.

Gopstein, Marzel and Ben-Gvir all became leaders of a reinvigorated Kahanist party, Otzma Yehudit, which won six seats in last

November’s Israeli election. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraced the party to form a component part of his government.

The vast majority of British Jewish organisations have either lightly expressed concern at the composition of the new Israeli government or have overtly condemned the inclusion of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich as ministers in its ranks. Central orthodoxy has remained as silent as the sphinx while advocacy organisations and their media have instead tried to spotlight the good things about Israel in 2023, such as its high placing in the recent Eurovision Song Contest

What would happen if Ben-Gvir pressed for the release of Amir after a statutory 30-year term in prison? Would a red line have been crossed in the minds of many a diaspora Jew? Would being pained observers in silence still be an option for the central orthodox?

Amir’s liberation would cause an irreversible disunity in the Jewish world and bring angry millions out onto the streets in Israel.

Even so, what was thought to be a wild stretch of the imagination yesterday seems possible today in a move by today’s dysfunctional Israeli government.

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Israel’s direction could render it unrecognisable

There has been plenty for the Jewish community in Britain to celebrate over the past few weeks. Israel marked 75 years of independence. Much of the UK came together to enjoy the coronation of a new king dedicated to saving the planet and defending all faiths.

But it is hard to remain upbeat when the vision of Israel’s Declaration of Independence and British values of fairness and free speech are under attack.

Following years of attacking free speech and legislating to limit protest, rushedthrough regulations and zealous interpretation by the police meant dissenters were detained. Volunteers handing out rape alarms were arrested for “conspiracy to commit public nuisance”. Once again,, the spotlight is on a recent prime minister allegedly breaking the law.

In Israel, the current prime minister, once revered as King Bibi, seeks to destroy Israeli democracy. Despite the pause in attempts to eviscerate the Supreme Court, Benjamin

Netanyahu and his partners insist they will drive through “legal reforms”. Desperate to avoid the consequences of his own suspected law-breaking, the man who once lauded the Supreme Court as embodying the vibrancy of Israeli democracy now undermines Israel’s future as a Jewish homeland that seeks to be a just and equal home for all its citizens.

Following the playbook of populists and autocrats, the most extreme coalition in Israel’s history is threatening the courts, press, freedom of speech and, now, civil society organisations.

Netanyahu’s cabinet has reviewed draft legislation to remove the tax-exempt status of an Israeli organisation that receives foreign government funding, including from Israel’s allies and introduce a 65 percent tax on their income. Israeli organisations that support the extremist ideology of the current coalition and receive millions of overseas dollars will be una ected by these plans.

A similar initiative was thwarted in 2016 after objections from the USA and Germany. Two of Israel’s allies have expressed disdain at the return of this draconian plan. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: “…the United States supports the essential role of NGOs [non-governmental organisations] that are part of civil society.

THE MOST EXTREME COALITION IN ITS HISTORY THREATENS THE COURTS, PRESS AND CIVIL SOCIETY

We believe they are critical to democratic, responsive and transparent government, and we firmly believe civil society should have the opportunity and space to operate and raise resources around the world.”

The French Embassy in Tel Aviv reaffirmed its “commitment to the critical role of civil society in the life of every democracy, in Israel and throughout the world”, adding: “It is the responsibility of states to create and maintain a space conducive to their work, for a vibrant civil society can also bring a culture of peace and diversity.”

My colleague and global New Israel Fund CEO, Daniel Sokatch, summed up the threats posed to communities in Israel: “Netanyahu and his government of extremists want to

tax civil society out of existence – especially those working to defend the rights of the most marginalised in Israel and under Israel’s control. Choking funding from advocates for change is not what democracies do.”

Our community has just celebrated Shavuot and the receiving of our laws and values. Ever since Sinai, grappling with the rules and rule of law, with plenty of room for discussion and dissent, has been central to Jewish life.

If the Israeli government continues to push forward extremist and autocratic plans and policies, Israel will be unrecognisable as either the Jewish or democratic state envisioned by its founders and cherished by so many of us here in the UK.

Schools Bill will help to halt educational neglect

Last month, a bill was proposed in Parliament to establish a register for ‘Children Not in School’ by Tory MP Flick Drummond. The register was originally to have been part of the Boris Johnson government’s nowabandoned School’s Bill. It is good to see it back on the legislative agenda.

Every year, thousands of Chasidic parents send their sons to yeshivas, where they learn no maths, no English and where there is no safeguarding oversight. If challenged, the parents will claim the boys are home-schooled, but the boys are, in fact, attending yeshivas full-time.

They can’t be in two places at once. This Bill is not a complete solution to the broader problem of Charedi education; but it nevertheless goes some way towards removing the fig leaf upon which parents and leaders rely. In short, it is a step in the right direction.

On the day that the Bill passed its first reading, a group of Charedi men stood holding

protest placards accusing the government of antisemitism. These men – and unsurprisingly, it is invariably men – wilfully misinterpret any attempts to ensure their sons are literate and numerate and instead allege that any state intervention is ‘an attack on Torah education’.

This Bill should be welcomed by the community at large. Here is an opportunity to ensure all Jewish children count. The cry of antisemitism is patently false. The Bill, if it reaches the statute books, will ensure all children are registered with their local authority; a step towards ensuring that the education children receive will be adequate.

While this Bill does not cover curriculum content, that doesn’t stop its opponents from accusing the government of “taking away their (parental) freedom to choose how their children get educated”. Parental freedom is already limited; the parental right is to decide which (registered) school they’d like their child to attend or if they’d prefer the option of homeschooling. All this Bill does is require them to set out whether their child is home schooled.

But a register will make it easier for local authorities to check on the quality of the home-

schooling. In many cases, when they do, and within the Chasidic community in particular, education will be found to be non-existent.

Those men who restrict their children’s futures and hold on so tightly to the reins of control are railing against free will itself – the basic tenet through which we earn the merit to enter the ‘world to come’. Of course, they help themselves to the freedom our democracy provides and are free to congregate and protest. Let them proclaim their bigotry and extremism for all to see. It means I can spend less time convincing others how extreme their beliefs are and what children are exposed to without legislative reform on yeshiva education.

It means the rest of the Jewish community can make an informed choice about where we stand. With the children, who are kept in a situation of enforced dependency, because of the denial to them of education? Or with those whose grasp on the reigns of communal power rests on their power to deny that education?

This Bill could be transformational for boys in the Chasidic community whose current education leaves them without basic literacy and numeracy skills, unable to lead

autonomous, dignified lives as adults. The men protesting, and the more senior leaders at home providing tacit support, are opposed to that.

Educational neglect is not a phrase to which many of the Jewish community would relate. We think of ourselves as ‘the People of the Book’; we don’t like to think about the 30-year-old Chasidic man who cannot express himself in written English, who doesn’t have the autonomy to choose anything di erent for his sons. We don’t pay enough attention to this growing illiteracy in our community, promoted and paid for through a grey economy that will go on to trap its graduates in a humiliating intergenerational cycle of benefit fraud and undeclared income.

Mrs Drummond told Parliament she believes parents have the right to choose what education their child receives and that right should always be enshrined in law. No one is looking to prevent Jewish children from learning Torah – but the current situation cannot continue. The Bill received cross-party backing in its first reading last week (and will receive its second reading in November).

It has Nahamu’s support. Does it have yours?

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1 FINCHLEY CUB TEAMS ARE RAFT AND FURIOUS

The 20th Finchley Scout group took part in the Cub District rafting day. The children in three teams worked together and built their own rafts in the morning. Once they were safety checked, they sailed and raced in the afternoon having lots of fun. Participants said they had a brilliant day and an amazing time.

2 HERTS ECO-GARDEN COMMUNITY PROJECT

Blessed with a large wild garden with fruit trees, Potters Bar & Brookmans Park United Shul embarked, at the end of 2021, on creating a nature-friendly plot. Herts & Middx Wildlife Trust helped with the garden design and, thanks to Hertfordshire councillo Stephen Boulton, the group was awarded a Locality Budget Scheme Grant to make its green idea a reality. The community has planted about a dozen wildflowers including teasel, wild strawberry, toadflax and red clover and created a long bed filled with shrubs for pollinators, including hebe, foxgloves, lavender and chive. Other features include a log pile for insects and fungi, bird feeders, bird bath, a bat box high up in a tree, bug and bee hotel in a sunny spot and a toad abode by the pond.

3 FAMOUS FIVE JOIN FOR TIKKUN LEYL SHAVUOT

Five communities came together at Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue for the first time in a joint Tikkun Leyl Shavuot with a shared dinner for 150 people. The communities were Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue, Kol Chai Reform Synagogue from Hatch End, Mosaic Liberal Reform and Masorti Jewish Community from Stanmore, Radlett Reform Synagogue and The Liberal Synagogue Elstree. All the rabbis of the five communities taught classes, led services, meditations and song sessions throughout the night into the early hours of the morning.

4

WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF LICORICIA

More than 60 attendees joined walking tours focusing on the life of medieval businesswoman Licoricia of Winchester and learned about the heritage and memory of medieval Anglo-Jewry in the city. The event was organised by The Parkes Institute, a leading centre for the study of Jewish/non-Jewish relations. Pictured are Sarah Sultman ( co-founder of Gesher school, and Michelle Rosenberg, community editor, Jewish News with the bronze statue of Licoricia, unveiled in 2021. People of all ages and geographical locations later attended a roundtable chaired by historian Professor Miri Rubin.

5 GIFT IGNITES THE SPIRIT OF GIVING

GIFT made sure the community made a positive impact in the lead up to Shavuot. Activities included a pre-Shavuot Mother & Daughter event, where flower arrangements were made for families supported by the charity. Batmitzvah girl Annabelle Fleischmann, together with friends and family packed 100 beautiful Shavuot packs for GIFT recipients. These packs included fresh flowers in a vase and the ingredients to create Torah scroll cookies. GIFT Manchester engaged more than 100 students from King David and Broughton Jewish Primary Schools in plant pot decorating for residents of Heathlands Old Age Home, Shavuot cards for GIFT families and flower arranging and cupcake decorating for Beenstock Old Age Home residents, whilst Yavneh Girls made cheesecake truffles for GIFT families.

COVER

As it’s not every day I have the excitement and honour of interviewing a cover girl, I put on a Chanel lipstick. It seemed only fitting. It was a cosmetic touch that bubbly and irrepressible Ellie Goldstein appreciated as she spoke to me from her home in Barkingside, where she lives with mum Yvonne, father Mark, sister Amy and nephew Blake.

Ellie, 21, was one of five models to feature in fashion bible Vogue’s ‘Dynamic, Daring and Disabled’ issue last month. In 2020, she broke the internet after an Instagram post for Gucci Beauty in conjunction with Vogue Italia went viral. Featured as the Italian fashion house’s first Down’s model, her picture racked up 800,000 likes –its most-liked post ever.

Ellie began her modelling career in 2017, signing to the talent agency Zebedee, which works largely with models with disabilities. She has since worked on campaigns for Adidas and Victoria’s Secret and is an ambassador for the learning disability charity Mencap. She’s also doing a four-year course at a local college, focusing on dance and drama.

A look

Your guide to Jewish podcasts Upscale Tenerife

GIRL

like a queen all day. I wore a Gucci dress that I loved. It was a good day.”

The non-stop 10-hour shoot started at 9am. The make-up alone took three hours and there were four outfit changes. But Ellie loves every aspect of doing a modelling shoot. “I love the hair, the makeup, even basic everyday looks. I love the clothes, the camera, posing. And the glamour.”

Balancing the modelling with her studies is a juggling act, but she clearly has a strong, supportive family cheering her on to “keep doing well”.

She recently featured on the cover of art and culture magazine Noctis, for its Game-Changers issue, where she said: “The only game changer in my life is myself and I.” Also coming soon is the aptly titled Against All Odds book. Available this September, it is the first in broad-

caster Katie Piper’s UnSeen series, championing hope in adversity.

On her status as a Down’s model, Ellie is adamant that her community should be represented, and that “diversity education should be out there”.

As for her ultimate modelling dream, it’s an immediate answer: “New York! Please! Like, it’s always been my dream to go to New York. I want to go there to work.”

Ellie’s fashion dos and don’ts are straightforward: “Keep smiling. Be confident. Be comfy.” Her favourite outfit is a long dress in one of her favourite colours – pink, yellow, silver or grey. It transpires that should she ever have a wardrobe of clothes from any designer, it would be Louis Vuitton. “I would die. Just die,” she declares.

campaign

Mattel as part of its inclusive Barbie Fashionistas line, National Down’s Syndrome

Most recently, she appeared in a campaign to champion the first Barbie doll (#208) with Down’s. Manufactured by Mattel as part of its inclusive Barbie Fashionistas line, and in partnership with the National Down’s Syndrome Society, the doll’s dress pattern features butterflies and yellow and blue colours, symbols associated with Down’s syndrome awareness.

Ellie, who also confesses to a passionate love of hip-hop dancing.

Her mother Yvonne says “nothing has fazed Ellie at all, one bit. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind. She’s doing amazing.”

She believes the launch of the Barbie with Down’s, and Ellie being chosen to launch it “has been a bigger deal than Vogue”.

same

When she got the call about doing the Vogue cover shoot, she “couldn’t contain it and had to scream. And cry", she says. I observe that doing both at the same time must have been messy. She laughs and agrees.

The day of the shoot, where she featured as the first Vogue cover girl with Down’s syndrome, was “really good. Fabulous. I was treated

flies and yellow and blue awareness. matching ankle foot necklace - the three copies of the that istics associated with

The Barbie wears matching ankle foot orthotics, together with a three-chevron necklace - the three copies of the 21st chromosome that result in the characteristics associated with Down’s.

The chevrons, or arrows, represent the ‘lucky few’ who have someone with Down’s syndrome in their life.

“I got my face on the Barbie. Yeah!” smiles

As to where Ellie’s modelling genes come from, Yvonne says: “Ellie’s very much like her grandma used to be. Very outgoing, confident, doesn’t care what she says. She used to spend a lot of time with my mum.

I think it rubbed o .

“She was always like this. She always said, ‘I wanna be famous.’ She just knew what she wanted.

“She’s always treated really, really well at modelling shoots. I just go with her to be there, but she goes o to hair and makeup and I sort her out and then I watch her on set.

“She’s always treated perfectly.

Like a queen. If there’s an issue, Ellie will speak her mind.”

The reaction from the Jewish community to the Vogue cover has been wholly positive. “So much so,” says Yvonne, “that it’s a challenge to keep up with all the messages she gets, mainly through Instagram. “Friends have all been really supportive, too, and the family are all incredibly proud. So it’s been good.”

Ellie o ers some words of wisdom as she holds up the Vogue cover: “My advice is to follow your dreams, to never give up on yourself.

“Don’t be scared of the camera. Go for it and you’ll smash it.”

Last month Ellie Goldstein was on the cover of Vogue. Michelle Rosenberg finds out what else the model, who has Down’s syndrome, has been up to

A word

Candice Krieger pops on her headphones to connect with her favourite Jewish podcasters

The podcast, once the humble launchpad for those wishing to share their journalism, comedy or travelogues beyond traditional media, is now the must-have digital accessory for the famous, infamous or wannabe launch and build an audience from scratch

host. Anyone with the wherewithal to can have their own podcast, and virtuo

ally no subjects or opinions are o -limits. Politics, entertainment, lifestyle, health and even crime-solving are but a part of the mix, available on audio files to download and listen to (and sometimes even to watch) on di erent devices. They are more popular than ever, with a reported 465 million podcast listeners around the world.

JONATHAN

Unholy: Two Jews on the News

The Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland presents ,

Unholy: Two Jews on the News together with television anchor Yonit Levi of Channel 12 News Israel. Each week, Levi in Tel Aviv and Freedland in London give their take on developments in politics and life in Israel,

on developments in politics and life in Israel, the US, the UK and beyond.

Launched in 2021, the pod has covered

Launched in 2021, the pod has covered topics from Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reform to King Charles III’s coronation. Guests have included the novelist Howard Jacobson, the author Malcolm Gladwell, the MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow, the Israeli historian

Prof Yuval Noah Harari and the American author David Remnick.

Freedland says: “The idea was hatched during Covid when we realised that geography

during Covid when we realised that geography and distance need not matter and one could do these things via Zoom, and all sorts of opportu-

can talk to each other.”

Unholy

nities opened up. Yonit felt there was a gap for a forum where the Diaspora and Israel is credited as the most-listened-to English language podcast in Israel and has attracted a loyal following. Released every Friday, it has become “part of people’s Friday

Friday, it has become “part of people’s Friday pre-Shabbat ritual”, says Freedland.

The columnist’s wife, Sarah Peters, is a podBed of Lies best limited series and publisher podcast of the year at the Publisher Podcast Awards 2022.

The columnist’s wife, Sarah Peters, is a podcast producer. Her Series 2 of won the year at the Publisher Podcast Awards 2022.

EMMA LEVY

When Life Gives You Lemons

corporate and cultural worlds who have been

following completion of cancer treatment. The

Physiotherapist Emma Levy conducts interviews with high-performers from the sporting, corporate and cultural worlds who have been through adversity and come back stronger. Emma found her own shift in perspective on life following her diagnosis and subsequent treatment for breast cancer, aged 36. “I questioned whether it was my positive mindset, or something deeper, which enabled me to bounce back and train for a triathlon just one month following completion of cancer treatment. The podcast explores how individuals have dealt with adversity and used it to their advantage to achieve incredible things. The goal is to

inspire others to thrive.”

Launched this year, When Life Gives You Lemons adventurer Vicki Anstey, the actress Louisa

When Life Gives You has featured the Olympic gold medallist Matty Lee, the world-record-holding adventurer Vicki Anstey, the actress Louisa Clein, the breast cancer campaigner Carly Moosah and the Holocaust survivor Ruth Posner, among others. Another Olympic gold medallist, a popstar and a broadcaster are

Posner, among others. Another Olympic gold lined up for Season 2.

in your ear

NATALIE SILVERMAN

The F Word at Work

A broadcaster, voiceover artist and veteran podcaster, Natalie launched The Fertility Podcast in 2014 after she underwent fertility treatment to have her son. The podcast was the first in the UK to focus solely on fertility. Last year, she launched The F Word at Work –an insight into the impact of people’s fertility struggles in the workplace with a view to educating managers, HR professionals, and diversity and inclusion and wellbeing leads. It shares people’s stories plus thought leadership on wellbeing at work and best practice from organisations such as Selfridges and Cadent

Gas, who are becoming fertility-friendly.

Natalie says: “With one in six people globally a ected by infertility, how they are treated at work through this is really significant as the reality is, good talent is leaving the workplace

because they’re not being looked after.” of Fertility Matters at Work, a CIC (Comeducating the workplace about the struggles people can have when trying to build a family. Natalie entered the workplace wellbeing space after sharing her experience of IVF in Grazia magazine’s Womb with a View column in 2019.

of conversations, which has been incredibly fulfilling for me and hopefully of some value to the listeners.”

Daniel is also the author of Done Deal: An Insider’s Guide to Football Contracts, MultiMillion Pound Transfers and Premier League Big Business

KATE MORYOUSSEF

The ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast Kate has conversations with experts, authors

clarity, hope and new awareness of ADHD. Launched in January 2022, the podcast was nominated for best wellbeing podcast the same year at the British Podcast Awards, and is consistently in the health and well-being charts on Apple and Spotify. It has 650,000 downloads.

Kate says: “I was diagnosed with ADHD aged 40, alongside my daughter, in November 2020. It helped me understand why I had always felt anxious and why my nervous system never felt settled. There were many other factors but I didn’t have the awareness to connect the di erent issues, which are multi-layered and hard to spot if you don’t understand ADHD

and thought leaders about the complex way ADHD presents in women and girls, and o ers insights and techniques. The aim is that they move forwards in life with more in girls.

Twinset, recently launched Twinset Unzipped Sarah is a former stylist on ITV’s Lorraine and Philippa was a stylist for the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine.

Sarah says: “The podcast celebrates our friendship, our daily musings, thoughts and experiences of mum life, work life and everything in between. We really wanted the space to talk about more serious things and things that are important to us.”

Philippa adds: “It’s something we have dreamed of doing for a long time. Now it’s genuinely the highlight of our week.”

ANDREW GOLD

On the Edge with Andrew Gold

“I wanted to help other women to manage and thrive with ADHD with the tools I’ve learnt along the way, but to bring in guests and experts to pull the conversations together and get more answers for women around the world.”

DANIEL GEEY

The Daniel Geey Podcast

Natalie is one of three female co-founders munity Interest Company) that is aimed at talks mainly about football with expert

Sports and entertainment lawyer Daniel Geey has been podcasting since 2018. He hosts The Dan and Omar Show, where he Omar Chaudhuri, and in Build the Invisible he chats with high-achieving individuals about their career paths in episodes in line with his self-development guide of the same name. His podcast has about 30,000 listeners a year.

Daniel says: “I’d been blogging and tweeting for quite some time but I wanted to engage a di erent audience and I to see if I could amplify my own content through audio as well as the written word.

“I have recorded more than 100 episodes

women to manage and thrive with ADHD with along the way, but to the conversaanswers world.” have lowell – a ADHD – and other guests talking about

Guests have included Dr Ned Hallowell – a leading doctor and author on ADHD – and other high-profile guests talking about their own diagnoses later in life.

SARAH ELLIS AND PHILIPPA ROSS

Twinset Unzipped Stylists and friends Sarah and Philippa, founders of the fashion and lifestyle blog We Are

Robbie Williams, Jon Ronson and Amanda Knox are just some of the high-profile guests who have appeared on YouTuber Andrew Gold’s popular podcast in which he chats with them on a variety of quirky topics, from scientology and cults to royals to Chasidic Judaism.

Andrew, a former award-winning BBC journalist, says: “I’d been trying to get a documentary career o the ground and had a list of people lined up. But it became unsustainable and then Covid hit and I thought it was a shame not to use the people and documentary ideas, so I turned it into talking to them for a podcast instead.”

Some 350 episodes later and Andrew has pulled in some remarkable guests – he even flew out to Barcelona to meet Robbie Williams. “We spoke for three hours, discussing lots of things including addictions and his belief in UFOs.”

Other notable episodes include one with My Unorthodox Life star Julia Haart and with skier-turned-poker-host Molly Bloom of Molly’s Game. Some have attracted close to 800,000 listens and views.

LAUREN MISHCON AND NICOLE GOODMAN Self

Care Club

Women’s coach Nicole Goodman and birth doula Lauren Mishcon came together for the first time in 2020 to host Self Care Club. Three years and more than 380 episodes later, the podcast has had 1.5m downloads.

Each week, Lauren and Nicole trial a different self-care practice for women, reporting on the results. Whether it’s face yoga, selflove, body positivity, a week of saying no or not people-pleasing, listeners can decide what might work for them.

Nicole is a certified professional women’s coach and has worked supporting women for 25 years.

She says: “Lauren and I each had our own podcast and a mutual friend felt we would be good guests on each other’s. We met for a co ee, where we moaned about the women’s mental load, and about how self-care had become yet another ‘job’ for women. Lauren had the idea for a podcast of our own.”

Lauren is a broadcaster, writer and has been a doula since 2006. She says: “We wanted to create a hub where women could look after themselves without struggling to do so.”

The only way is UP The only way is UP

Beverley Sanford chases the sun and upgrades to the full luxury experience in Tenerife

Any opportunity to escape the UK’s neverending grey skies is always welcome, so my husband and I were delighted to board our four-hour flight from Luton to Tenerife, where the sun shines almost every day and temperatures rarely drop below 20C, especially in the south, which is closest to Africa. From here it’s just a 20-minute coach transfer to Playa de las Americas, the beating heart of the island, so it wasn’t long before the grandeur of the Hotel Vulcano’s façade came into view.

Built in 1986, but totally refurbished in 2015, the hotel’s crowning glory is its vast marbled foyer, with flora hanging from every crevice and with natural light cascading through the glass-panelled ceiling. We were immediately impressed with the size and opulence, so we couldn’t wait to see our room.

After a swift check-in, where we enjoyed a complimentary glass of fizz to start our holiday in style, we made our way upstairs and as we opened the door to our home for the next week, we were greeted with more wonderful light flooding the interior, magnificent sea views from the balcony and a beautifully appointed bathroom. We had chosen to upgrade to the ‘UP’ expe-

rience, so with a big tick already in the accommodation box, we ventured off to enjoy our personal guided tour of the facilities.

The hotel’s private roof terrace, reserved solely for UP guests, immediately made us feel, well, ‘up there’. With no shortage of luxury sun loungers, parasols and beautifully fluffy towels – all UP-branded, of course– a heated infinity pool with unbroken views out to the sea, a separate jacuzzi and facilities complemented by a dedicated bar serving unlimited juices, premium spirits and cocktails and a comfortable lounge that served delicious canapes, salads and open sandwiches all day long, we’d suddenly been transported to another level of luxury.

We quickly acclimatised to enjoying unparalleled service levels and being royally spoilt.

After all, isn’t this what a luxury

holiday away from it all is supposed to be about?

Breakfast and dinner in the hotel are buffet-style, and rarely have we seen such an extensive selection of dishes, with something to tempt absolutely everyone and catering for all tastes.

With dedicated sections for each

type of food and themed evenings that focus on specialities, our biggest problem was choosing both what to have and when to stop eating; the vast array of dishes on offer, their skilful presentation and the tanatlising aromas resulted in us eating far more than we would normally, as evidenced by the bathroom scales when we finally returned home.

Venturing out of the hotel, located a mere five-minute walk to the beach and the numerous shops, restaurants, nightclubs and experiences that Playa de las Americas has to offer, leads you into another world away from the hotel’s peace and tranquillity, especially in the evenings, with vibrant streets full of holidaymakers, street vendors, ice cream cafes, restaurants and fashionistas. It’s a joy to clock up your daily steps along the boardwalk as the sea gently

laps the shoreline and the sun sinks below the horizon.

While the Canary Islands – and Tenerife especially – have long been a favourite destination for those looking to escape an English winter, it has plenty to offer all year round. A tour of the volcanic Mount Teide is a great excursion and there are water parks, boat trips and scuba diving plus extensive retail therapy.

Hotel Vulcano is one of three belonging to the Spring Group on Tenerife: sister hotels are Arona Grand and Hotel Bitacora. They all offer the opportunity to upgrade to the premium UP level. For us, the additional cost was wholly justifiable, and gave us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the very best that the hotel has to offer.

We returned fully refreshed and ready to plan our next de-stressing break.

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MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

section in the whole of the Torah. Following the completion of the construction of the Tabernacle, the princes of Israel brought o erings to inaugurate the altar. For 12 consecutive days, each prince, representing his tribe, brought his o ering and the text describes, in monotonous detail, each of the o erings of each of the princes. And they are completely identical.

There is a great story about Albert Einstein and his teaching assistant at Princeton. Einstein was administering a second-year exam when his teaching assistant, in a state of anxiety, informed him that he had given the group of students a exam paper they had completed the previous year. Einstein showed little concern for his blunder. “Why would you do that?” asked the teaching assistant. “Because,” Einstein replied, “the answers have changed.”

Einstein’s perspective will help us to understand an apparent dichotomy in parshat Naso It contains the longest and most repetitive

Compare that with the mysteriously unique law of the Nazirite found earlier in the same parsha. What is so remarkable about this piece of legislation is that at the completion of this period of self-imposed abstention, a sin o ering must be brought as atonement, which suggests that it is a practice that is somehow deviant and disapproved.

The contrast between the two is stark and almost forces us to conclude that conformity is celebrated while individuality is punished. The princes’ slavish contributions are deemed worthy of detailed note, but the Nazir’s attempt at originality is dismissed. We are left

questioning whether the Torah discourages us from expressing our religious and spiritual feelings in a personal and distinct way. Do we really prefer uniformity and homogeneity?

The key to the answer is understanding the error of the Nazir’s methodology. Their intentions are noble, they seek spiritual uplift and to be holy, but Judaism is not a ‘pick and mix’ sweet stand; it does not lend itself to arbitrary selection. In fact, the unity of our people depends on it having shared practices and our communities are founded on a commonality of tradition.

Just as the Nazir is misguided in thinking that abstinence from that which is permitted is the answer to finding holiness, so, too, it is a mistake to think that we can choose convenience over dedication, or that we should adopt new customs just because they appeal to us and discard old systems because they feel outdated.

The 12-century Spanish commentator Nachmanides explains that the o erings in the Tabernacle were not identical – rather, each one

was infused with the individual enthusiasm of the prince who brought it. Each one was permeated with the unique personality of its owner, their own personal devotion and their own spiritual striving.

Judaism does not disincline self-expression; on the contrary, it challenges us to find significance, symbolism and meaning in everything we do so that, even though we may do the same, the experience for everyone is di erent and fulfilling, both individually as well as collectively.

Judaism urges us to find meaning in all that we do

Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

in a broader sense. Secular wisdom became understood as another part of the expression of truth in the world, and mastering the worlds of science, engineering, literature and language became paths into new roles in society for Jews as the world began to open up.

Jews are the people of the book. Learning is central to Jewish culture and our sages dedicate much of their time to extolling the virtues of study and to developing a rich understanding of how best to learn. Jewish learning is noisy, repetitive, conversational, relational and is valuable whether it has a purpose or is learning lishma (for its own sake).

The thirst for knowledge emerges from a desire to take in all God’s wisdom, extended in the period after the Enlightenment to a cultural attachment to learning

Learning was both work and play for our sages of old, and the love of learning permeates some of the most vital spaces in Jewish life today.

As a congregational rabbi, I get to see the uplifting power of mastering a new idea or concept and I spend much time worrying about the impact of contemporary learning and, in particular, assessment environments on students.

We’re in the midst of exam season and I find myself talking often to young people who are finding the pressure of performance and examinations has robbed them of the joy

they once found in a subject. While incredible teachers create 3D worlds of learning, examinations struggle to capture the sparks of joy or insight or the value of hard-fought-for progress.

In congregational life, we have the enormous privilege of meeting young people in the round, not just through what they write on the page. There is very little in life as testing as an exam season. More than 10 life-defining examinations in one week is something most of us will never face again, and never want to face again, but it is still the experience that many of our teenagers are having at the moment.

I am reminded of the words of Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua in chapter 4 of Pirkei Avot: “Let the dignity of your student be as precious to you as your own.”

I sincerely hope that continued debate and discussion around the assessment system in this country

leads to a model where those who find themselves assessed within it are able to say with confidence that they

feel that Elazar ben Shammua’s words reflect their experience of the examination process.

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

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• Worked in finance for more than 20 years

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DR BEN LEVY

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THE JEWISH NEWS CROSSWORD

10 Spanish wine (5)

11 Solid white grease (4)

13 Descend quickly by rope (6)

15 Gap between rows of seats (5)

16 Look casually (6)

17 Christian ___, fashion designer (4)

20 Bumptious (5)

22 Foolish (7)

23 Repairing, mending (6)

24 Goblin, dwarf (5) DOWN

1 Points of reference (8)

2 Alcoholic fruit juice drink (5)

3 Extent (5)

4 Tiny organism (7)

5 Alone (4)

6 Extravagance (10)

8 Talk highly enthusiastically (3,7)

12 ___ Hard, 1988 action movie (3)

13 Old name for beer (3)

14 Displacement (8)

15 Man-made fibre (7)

18 Male monarchs (5)

19 As above (5)

WORDSEARCH

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

21 Elegant (4) MEDIA

HILARIOUS HEBREW Word of the Week

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

Fun, games and prizes

SUDOKU

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

SUGURU

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

See next issue for puzzle solutions.

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