21 april 2016, jewish news, issue 947

8/17/2019 21 April 2016, Jewish News, Issue 947

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THE NATIONAL Union of Students haselected as president a woman who has at-tacked the “Zionist-led media” and sym-pathised with the “armed struggle”against Israel.

Malia Bouattia [pictured, right ], who hasbeen the union’s black students officer since2014, was elected to the top job after a singleround of voting yesterday, despite concernsfrom Jewish students over her remarks.

Previous comments include branding Birm-

ingham University “a Zionist outpost in Britishhigher education”. She has also said that Pre-vent, the government’s anti-radicalisation pol-icy, is dictated by “all manner of Zionists” andcriticised “mainstream Zionist-led media out-lets” during an event at which she appeared tosympathise with Hamas terror attacks.

Bouattia, 28, who says she wants to make

the NUS more “democratic”, was elected with371 votes to incumbent president MeganDunn’s 328 – her nearest competitor.

The Union of Jewish Students reacted cau-tiously. A spokesperson said: “There will bemany Jewish students who have not been sat-isfied with Malia’s response so far to concerns

raised over the last few weeks. Now, after the result of the election, these questionsstill need to be answered. We hope sheshows her commitment to opposing anti-Semitism and other forms of racism.”

Board of Deputies President JonathanArkush said: “We are deeply concernedby the failure of Malia Bouattia to satis-

factorily clarify past remarks and associ-ations. There can be no excuse for associating with groups who have ahistory of anti-Semitism, equivocatingon terrorism or considering Jewish

Continued on page 5

BY JACK

MENDEL

21 April 2016 | 13 Nissan 5776 | Issue 947@JewishNewsUK

Happy Pesach!

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MAZELTOV, FROM THE‘ZIONIST MEDIA’Anti-Israel activist elected NUS president


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LONDON DECIDES: COUNTDOWN TO 5 MAY

2 The Jewish News 21 April 2016 www.jewishn

SADIQ KHAN has backed pro-posals for a change in Labour’srules that would make it easierto permanently kick anti-Semi-tes out of the party.

The front-runner in the racefor London mayor (pictured ),who has spoken of incidentsof hatred among party mem-

bers as a “badge of shame”,said he “absolutely” supportedthe plans put forward by the

Jewish Labour Movement.During a visit to Jewish Care’s

headquarters in Golders Greenwith GLA candidate AndrewDismore, he said: “I know whatit’s like to be a victim of hatecrime. The idea that we as theLabour Party would have a hier-archy of racism, would not un-derstand the importance of addressing this, beggars belief.

“I’ve been quite plain about

my disappointment in theLabour leadership. It’s not sim-ply trying to court your vote –I find it unacceptable that peo-ple in London of Jewish faiththink the Labour Party is not forthem because they’re Jewish.”

He urged voters to look atthe “experience of each of us,the values, the vision” includingefforts at tackling anti-Semitismas communities minister.

Asked what could be done toaddress anti-Semitic attitudesamong parts of the Muslimcommunity that were high-lighted by a recent ICM poll, theTooting MP said: “In the firstmajor speech I gave during thiscampaign, I said most BritishMuslims had come into contactwith somebody who have thesesorts of views – who think 9/11was a conspiracy. I’ve been clear

from day one that we tackle these views.

Despite lobbying fotions against Israel aroeration Cast Lead, Kh“I’ve never been in faboycotts. People haveuted words to me. I’m gbe the most pro-busineswe’ve ever had; I’m goian inclusive mayor... swho unites rather than d

Khan backs Labour rule change to tackle anti-Semit

ZAC GOLDSMITH has dismissed hisLabour rival as not being a “believable”candidate after changing his position onsanctions towards Israel, writes Justin

Cohen.The Tory candidate for London mayorlaunched one of his strongest attacks onSadiq Khan during an interview with Jew-ish News as he wound his way throughnorth London on a campaign day organ-ised by Conservative Friends of Israel.

Khan, who lobbied for sanctions aroundthe time of Operation Cast Lead in 2009,has insisted in recent weeks that theboycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS)campaign will not help achieve peace andurged the world not to “turn its face”against the Jewish state – drawing fireonline from anti-Israel activists.

“I don’t think Sadiq Khan is a believable

candidate because I sense he speaks withone message to one audience andanother to another,” Goldsmith claimed.

The Richmond Park MP added: “I

value consistency and principles in poli-tics. I hope people viewing my record willsee I don’t speak with a forked tongue, Ido what I say and, when I make promises,I keep them.”

Goldsmith stopped off in Stanmore,Edgware and Golders Green, tucking intorugelach and bagels and being presentedwith a box of matzah on the way, before arally at the new Work Avenue in Finchley,a return to Golders Green to visit Hatzolaand to meet a group of rabbis.

Despite the stories of anti-Semitismplaguing Labour, Goldsmith insisted hewas not taking Jewish voters for granted.“You never think you have a community

sewn up and I think any candidate whothinks they do is taking a huge gambleand also being disrespectful... but I’m get-ting a very good reception in the Jewish

community.”He used the visit to pledge £130,000 forfour more neighbourhood police officersfor Golders Green and Finchley ChurchEnd if elected, pledging to tackle theissues “causing massive anxiety” includ-ing the rise in anti-Semitism and the feel-ing that London is “less safe than it was”.

Goldsmith, who has himself sufferedanti-Semitism online because of his nameand has outlined plans for an army of vol-unteers to work with police to tackleonline extremism, said: “My concern is it’snot a big jump from aggression online toaggression on the streets. If we’re com-placent on the first, we’ll end up with

physical aggression.”Goldsmith has claimed that Khan has

provided cover for extremists by sharinga platform with those with extremist views

in the past, resulting in former shadowminister Yvette Cooper claiming Gold-smith’s campaign was moving from “sub-tle dog whistles” to “racist screams”.Hitting back, Goldsmith said: “My cam-paign has been overwhelmingly positivebut it is absurd to pretend it isn’t legiti-mate to ask questions about Sadiq Khan’slinks, of which there are many, many,many. To try to close down those ques-tions by shouting Islamophobia is not onlywrong, it’s completely irresponsible.”

He also spoke of his hopes of leadinga trade delegation to Israel should hereach City Hall, praising Boris Johnson forbuilding on the “natural relationship”. Zac Goldsmi th in Golders Gre

young supporter Sienna Lo la Po

ZAC: ‘SADIQ KHAN IS NOT BELIEVABL


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www.jewishnews.co.uk 21 April 2016 The Jewish N

THIRTEEN PEOPLE were hospitalised andone man was left fighting for his life on Mon-day after a bus bomb in Jerusalem providedan eerie echo of the Second Intifada.

A Jerusalem Police spokesperson said:“Based on an investigation by demolitionsexperts, it appears that a bomb went off inthe back of the bus, which caused injuries topassengers and the bus to catch fire.”

Security officials were initially reluctantto confirm that the explosion, which injuredat least 21 people, was an act of hatredbefore investigations were complete, butJerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and IsraeliPresident Reuven Rivlin both said it was aterrorist attack.

“It is clear to us all that our struggleagainst terrorism will never stop,” saidRivlin, after the blast in Talpiot, in south-west Jerusalem. “We will chase down andreach all those who bid us harm until weachieve quiet.”

Following what analysts called a “seriousescalation” in attacks, Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu promised that theperpetrators would be brought to justice,

and increased security across the city.Police are investigating whether the criti-

cally injured man planted the deviceon the number 12 bus, which set fire to aneighbouring bus and nearby car. A judge’sgagging order prohibits the media fromrevealing his identity.

Joint Arab List leader Ayman Odeh“utterly condemned” the attack but Hamas,which did not claim responsibility, saidit was “a natural response to the crimes ofoccupation”.

Magen David Adom said 15 peoplewere wounded in the attack, two seri-ously, with the injured taken to Shaare

Zedek and Hadassah Ein Kerem, thecapital’s two medical centres.

A spokesman for Shaare Zedek,where the critically injured man in beingtreated, said his condition was “unstableand life-threatening.”

In its analysis, London-based think tankBICOM said: “This is a serious escalation inseverity of attacks that Israel has experi-enced within the wave of terror of the lastsix months.”

It added: “More than the injuries caused,

this touches on psychological scars carriedby Jerusalemites to the days of the SecondIntifada, when suicide bus bombings wereprevalent. Only time will now tell if this was

just an aberration or new phase in the cur-rent wave of terror.”

AN ISRAELI military courthas charged a soldier withmanslaughter over the fatalshooting of a wounded Pales-tinian attacker in the WestBank, an incident caught ontape that deeply divided thenation.

The soldier, a medic whosename was not released undera gag order, has also beencharged with inappropriate

military conduct.The shooting took p

month in Hebron, a city been a focal point of amonth wave of Israeli-Pian violence. Initialmilitary said two Palestabbed and wounded abefore troops killed the

A video showed theraise his rifle and shoo jured attacker in the he

Soldier’s manslaughter cha

ISRAEL HAS accused the UN of “rewriting history” after lastweek’s UNESCO resolution onJerusalem failed to mentionJewish ties to Temple Mount.

Benjamin Netanyahu reactedangrily to the “absurd” decisionpassed at last Friday’s boardmeeting of the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cul-tural Organization in Paris.

Following a motion submit-

ted by Arab memberincluding Egypt and LNetanyahu decried thsion of Jewish links to twhich is considered thholiest in Islam.

Yesh Atid leader Yasaid: “The decision ESCO feeds incitemencontributes to the wavrorism. It is a stain United Nations.”

UN ‘rewriting’ Temple Mount his

A CAMPAIGN has beenlaunched to have every branchof Hezbollah proscribed as aterrorist organisation, not justits military wing.

The Zionist Federation’s re-newed attempt to have theShi’ite group banned in its en-tirety follows a move by SunniMuslim states to proscribe thegroup, which is supported by

Iran. The UK campaigna new ZF project callerael-Britain Alliance (IBthe support of both Cand Jewish groups, members are being aged to write to Foreretary Philip Hammon

The IBA said events where Hezbollah is fshowed its “barbarity”

Push to outlaw all Hezbollah w

21 injured in Jerusalem bus attack

The bus on fire and the wreckage


4/48


SPECIAL REPORT: ISRAEL’S UNEMPLOYED STRICTLY-ORTHODOX

Half of Israel’s strictly-Orthodox men are unemployed. StepheOryszczuk visits a unique project in the Galil that’s giving thecountry’s Charedim a crucial first step on the career ladder

CAN WORK, WILL WORK

Stark facts: Male employment among the str ictly-Orthodox has nosedived Just the job: Kemac h participants he ed career adv ice

Israel’s strictly Orthodox are work-shy. They don’t wanta career. They don’t want to participate. They’d rathersponge off the state. “I hear it all the time,” says a weary

Tzvika Shreiber from Kemach, a non-profit organisation, ad-dressing a room full of sceptical Jews from the UK. “Well, Icome from the Charedi sector myself, and I’m telling you: it’snot true. We want to do it. The question is how .”

With the support of private benefactors in London and else-where, Shreiber tells a UJIA delegation how Kemach helps getstrictly Orthodox men into employment using training, job place-ments, mentoring and aptitude tests for those who don’t knowwhat they want to do.

There are even counsellors and “employment psychologists”thrown in for good measure. Money is given for vocational trainingfor Charedi men to learn a profession, but is only dispensed onceKemach has evidence that the learner has already paid his tuitionfees. If they don’t finish their studies, they’re liable to repay whatKemach has dished out to-date.

Half of Israel’s Charedi men are unemployed. Shreiber agreesthat there is a problem, and that the curriculum should be “wider”in Charedi schools, but says that learning per se isn’t an issue.“Until the eighth grade they’re learning secular studies, then untilthe age of 30, 40, 50, they don’t stop learning… They have thehabit to learn, to open a book every day, almost all day. They havemuch more than 16 years of studies, just not secular studies.”

Most Israeli politicians agree that increasing workforce partici-pation is a national priority, which is one of the reasons UJIA alsohelps fund Kemach, but Schreiber says that motivating Charedi

men with a nationalist appeal won’t work.“If I say to him: ‘We have to save the state of Israel,’ it’s not speak-ing to him. There’s too much distance between the Charediman and the state of Israel that he will care. Better to give them“the opportunity to maintain their families with dignity,” he says.

Will it work? The scepticism in the room grows as, minutes later,he warns that “the Charedim want to preserve their way ofliving”. Of the 12,000 scholarships Kemach has supported(most in Jerusalem, but many here in the Galil), there are somesuccess stories.

Paris-born father-of-four Yedidiel Elbaz is 30, but looks barely18. He lives in Zfat, in the north, and is learning to be a doctorat the city’s medical school. Crucially, perhaps, both his ownparents are also professionals (his father a dentist, his mother aspeech therapist).

“I always thought that as long as I can study the Torah whilemy wife will work, I will continue, but from the moment itwill be necessary, I will work,” he says. “When I saw mywife’s difficulties, I decided to take my responsibilities, butI did not want to enter a simple job with no future, so I

looked for satisfactory and respectable work.”Following “bad advice,” he enrolled on an engineering course,

but knew he was “looking for a job with the human touch, givinghelp”. He had been first aid trained and helped in the immediateaftermath of terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, so later settled onmedicine, beginning a degree in molecular biology, while workingin a bank part-time to support his family as he learned. Theorganisation provided income top-up, or “subsistence” payments,he says. “It would not have been possible without the financialsupport of Kemach.”

Kemach needs to succeed in Israel’s north, where 12 percentof the population is Charedi, and where more strictly-OrthodoxJews migrate every day owing to the high property prices inIsrael’s centre.

With an average of 7.7 children per family, their share of thepopulation will quickly grow. Prof. Dan Ben-David, founder of theShoresh Institute and one of Israel’s leading economists, advisesthe government on policy vis-a-vis the Charedim, and knows thattwo thirds of Charedi children live in poverty.

He also knows that education is key: despite the growth of Charedi colleges, only one in eight Charedi men have academicdegrees (compared with a quarter of Charedi men in the US). Of those who do have a job, only 2,000 have jobs in Israel’s all-impor-tant high-tech industry, where 300,000 Israelis work.

It’s an existential threat, he argues, and impacts on security.“Today’s children are tomorrow’s adults, and the fastest growingsegments of Israel’s population are receiving the worst core edu-cation.” Most do not study the basic subjects, he says. “Children

with a third-world education can only maintain a third-world econ-omy, which cannot support a first-world defence.”Israel can’t afford for the strictly-Orthodox not to work, he

says: Israel can’t afford the welfare payments or the lack oftax receipts. Newly-discovered off-shore gas in the Mediter-ranean eases the urgency, but if employment and productivityrates among Charedim and Arab Israelis (who also havelarge families) do not start to match those in the rest of Israelisociety, the government deficit will increase four-fold, accord-ing to the Finance Ministry.

With Israel’s elderly population set to increase by half over thenext two decades, the pressure is on, especially in the Galil, whichhas a 45 percent child poverty rate and the lowest incomes of any region, up to 70 percent below the national average.

The stakes are high, the risks are great, but so are the rewards.While Kemach believes “the true benefit to society will only bethe personal growth one finds in pursuing additional opportuni-ties,” Ben-David takes a slightly different view. “When a largeshare of future adults will not be able to maintain Israel’seconomy,” he asks, “who then will fund it?”


5/48


SYNAGOGUES ACROSS the religiousspectrum are set to celebrate the Queen’s90th birthday in June following a callfrom Jewish News to mark the occasion incommunities across the country.

The bunting will be out as specialRoyal-themed kiddushes, sermons andcheder activities mark the first ever Royal

Shabbat on 11 June, the day of Her Majesty’s official birthday.

The weekend will be the centrepieceof national celebrations with a hugestreet party for charities in the Mall anda service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s,although synagogues unable to mark theoccasion that weekend are urged to doso on another occasion around thesame time.

The Chief Rabbiis urging the commu-nities under hisauspices to host cele-brations fit for aQueen, with the Cen-tre for Rabbinic Excel-lence poised to issuea ‘tips and ideas’ guidefor planning a patrioticevent and providingfunding to make the best

proposals come to fruition.Details of the plans areexpected to be sent out after Pesach and will enable the syn-agogues to order a free, person-alised banner to mark the bigbirthday.

“The Chief Rabbi will also send a shortmessage to his communities to mark thisauspicious occasion, as well as a specialversion of the Prayer for the Royal Family,which will incorporate an additional

passage composed in honour of theQueen’s birthday,” a spokesman said.

In response to Jewish News ’ campaign,which is backed by the Board of Deputies, Liberal Judaism has alsopledged to mark the occasion. Chiefexecutive Rabbi Danny Rich said: “Wewill be marking the impressive achieve-

ments of Her Majesty the Queen,along with people of all

faiths, and none, allover the country.

“The JewishNews ’ call for aRoyal Shabbat issomething we’ll betaking up as amovement, and I’msure our communi-

ties will think of lotsof fun, innovative and

educational services

and activities to cele-brate this milestone.”Jonathan Wittenberg,

senior rabbi of the Masortimovement, said: “We support

the Royal Shabbat initiative and willencourage our communities to partici-

pate in it.”The Movement for Reform Judaism ex-

pressed support for the initiative, whilethe S&P Sephardi Community has alsobeen contacted.

THE PRIME Minister andLeader of the Opposition havesent personal Pesach messagesto the Jewish community.

David Cameron addressedthe scourge of anti-Semitism inBritain. “As you gather withyour families for the start of Pe-sach, I’m delighted to send mysincerest good wishes and myhope that you’ll enjoy a happyand peaceful Passover,” he said.

“As Jewish communitiesunite to celebrate the festival...our thoughts will turn to theincreasing number of abhorrentanti-Semitic attacks over thepast year. Jewish communities,wherever... they are, must not

be left to live in fear. Sadin the UK, we still see anti-Semitic abuse. I ammined to do everythinpower to stamp it out.”

Jeremy Corbyn, measaid: “I would like to swarmest regards to communities all overwho are preparing Pesach holiday.

“I have always beenby the Passover storyIsraelite escape from ment. It is a universal mof the struggle for liband one that continuespire many who fight foand equality all over the

Continued from page 1societies on campus as ‘a chal-lenge’. Jewish students have asmuch right to feel safe on cam-pus as anyone else.

“Ms Bouattia claims she will

fight all forms of racism includ-ing anti-Semitism, and thisshould also include exceptionaland discriminatory attacks onthe right of Jews to self-determi-nation, or terrorism directedagainst Jews in Israel or abroad.

“We stand shoulder to shoul-der with the Union of JewishStudents and demand that our students are enabled to studyhard and enjoy campus life,

without fear or intimidaZionist Federation c

Paul Charney said Boelection would be “achallenging day for Jewdents”.

Meanwhile, conferengates applauded argagainst specifically comrating Holocaust MemoRussell Langer, campaiager for UJA, tweeted: “that there was just so mplause for a speech Holocaust Memorial Da

• Editorial comment, pBrendan O’Neill, page

PM and Corbyn’s messa

THE HEADS of Liberal and Re-form Judaism in the UK told pro-gressive European Jews that

their formula for Jewish life actsas a “magnet” for couples, fam-ilies and unaffiliated Jews.

Liberal Judaism’s Rabbi DannyRich and Senior Reform RabbiLaura Janner-Klausner spoke atthe Biennial Conference of theEuropean Union for ProgressiveJudaism in London.

“If Progressive Judaism in Eu-rope is to have a bold future, it willneed to accommodate itself to aneven more complex array of iden-tities which will make up the mod-ern European Jew,” said Rich.

Janner-Klausner added: “Our innovative formula for Jewish lifeis a magnet for young families,mixed couples and previously un-affiliated Jews. We need to showwho we are and why we love our Progressive Judaism using that

famous Jewish skill – chutzpah.”

JFS HAS sought to reassure par-ents that it is “business as usual”after its headteacher JonathanMiller took a leave of absencewith immediate effect and re-placements were asked to “movethe school forward”.

No reason for his extended ab-sence was given in an email sentto parents yesterday. Debby Lipkinis to act as “consultant head-teacher” while deputy Simon Ap-pleman will become acting head.

Progressives willshow ‘chutzpah ’

Our campaign begins fora Shabbat fit for a Queen

Her Majesty’s official birthday is in June

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UK NEWS NEWS

YOUNG EDUCATORS have launched anexhibition about Britain and the Holocaust tomark the end of their three-year terms asHolocaust Educational Trust regional ambas-sadors, writes Jacqueline Gordon.

Dilemmas, Choices, Responses: Britain and

the Holocaust at the Wiener Library featurescollections of photographs, posters, archivedocuments and survivor stories, exploring theUK public’s reaction to Nazi atrocities.

Also displayed are personal declarationsfrom the young ambassadors explaining whythey were inspired to support HET.

Many have no Jewish heritage but weremoved by survivor testimonies and witnessingthe concentration camps for themselves.

Exhibitor William Pinder, 21, a student fromAnglia Ruskin University, said: “We have allworked so hard on this, it is incredible tofinally see it all come together. It’s been ateam effort and we are massively proud.”

Survivors were among the guests. Zigi

Shipper, 86, who was just 14 when he wassent to Auschwitz, said: “No one will ever know what this means to me. I have spentthe last 30 years working with young people.They are unbelievable. There are so few of us left and there is little more we can do, so

it is so important that these young peoplecarry on the work for us.”

• Dilemmas, Choices, Responses: Britain and the Holocaust remains on display at the Wiener Library in Russell Square until 15 June

Students host Shoah exhibit

A NEWSPAPER ADVERT featur-ing a quote from JosephGoebbels has been criticised fortrying “to equate the Holocaustwith the migrant crisis,” writes Jacqueline Gordon.

The promotion by onlinesupermarket Etefy, which waspublished in last Friday’s EveningStandard, shows a child graspingbarbed wire and the headline:“Millions of refugees have fledfear and persecution last year.”

Below it features an infamous

quote from the ex-Nazi propa-ganda chief, saying: “The Jewshave deserved the catastrophethat has now overtaken them.”

Campaign Against Anti-semitism has complained aboutthe advert to the AdvertisingStandards Authority and theEvening Standard .

A spokesman said: “The inclu-sion of the quotation, withoutcontext, explanation or rebuttal,is inexcusable.”

CAA claims it could lead to

some to believe Jews are evento blame for the crisis. Karen Pol-lock, of the Holocaust Educa-tional Trust, said the advert wasin “very poor taste”.

A spokesman for Etefy toldJewish News: “We have offeredan apology to everyone. In hind-sight the advert was created andplaced wrongly.”

The Evening Standard said:“We’re hugely regretful that theadvert in question has causedsuch offence.”

HET young ambassadors with survivors at the Wiener Library on Monday evening

The advert quotes Goebbels

Supermarket ‘sorry’ for Goebbels advert

THE COMMUNITY has been ad-vised not to read too much intoa judge’s decision not to allowa devout Muslim father to cir-cumcise his son, after the child’smother refused.

The man, an Algerian wholives in England and is separated

from the mother, heard Mrs Jus-tice Roberts refuse to make acircumcision order on Monday,after hearing arguments at afamily court in Exeter.

The father argued circumci-sion was “in the child’s bestinterests” but the motherpreferred to wait “until suchtime as the child has reached anage where they are competentto give consent to such aprocedure”.

Milah UK founder Shimon

Cohen said the judgemnot set a precedent a“case specific” and cobe seen as a general rbrit milah (male circum

“It could have an ethe rare occasion whendisagree, but I can’t

ever seen a case like thcourt,” he said. “Were case to come before thinvolving a Jewish parwould support the arfor brit milah, which is atial covenant, but the iof the child is paramouthe rule of law.”

Board of Deputies viident Marie van der Z“There would not seemreligious freedom aspecase.”

Circumcision ruling ‘case spec

THE CHIEF Executive of the Jew-ish Leadership Council, SimonJohnson, has walked the entirestretch of the Northern Line withhis son Max for charity.

Simon, 49, and 13-year-oldMax (pictured) started at thebeginning of the line in Mordenand reached their final destinationmore than 24 hours later.

They completed the 14-hour walk through of all 40 stations –stopping for breaks – and raised£3,000 for Norwood and theIsrael Guide Dog Centre for theBlind to celebrate Max’s barmitz-

vah. They were met at Hnet station by friends, fatwo Mars bars to commthe end of their 28-mile j

Father and son walk the Tu

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8/48

8 The Jewish News 21 April 2016 www.jewishne

UK NEWS NEWS

NERVY PARENTS breathed asigh of relief this week after

Yavneh College in Boreham-

wood said it would open a pri-mary school in September.

It comes after the Departmentfor Education agreed to a fund-ing agreement, which paved theway for the opening with 60 re-ception places, easing fears of apotential shortage of places atJewish schools in the capital.

A spokeswoman for the Part-nership for Jewish Schools(PaJeS), a division of the JewishLeadership Council, said: “Weare delighted that this has cometo fruition and we wish theheadteacher and team everysuccess. We look forward to

working with Yavneh Primaryover the coming years.”

The Hertfordshire establish-

ment announced an extra 30 sec-ondary school places last month,recognising the growth of theJewish population. The new pri-mary school will eventually cater for more than 400 pupils, whichMP Oliver Dowden said was“great news for the community”.

Under rules governing freeschools, Yavneh can only guar-antee 50 percent of places toJewish children, the other half based on location. It is as yet un-clear as to how many Jewish andnon-Jewish primary school chil-dren will start this September.

Caroline Field has been con-

firmed as the new headteacher for Yavneh’s new primary school.She joins after three years atMenorah Foundation School.

Chair of governors SueNyman thanked the governmentfor its support, adding: “It is anincredibly exciting developmentin the educational landscape of Hertfordshire.”

Meanwhile, college head-teacher Spencer Lewis said: “Our

vision of providing fiJewish and general educhildren of four to 19 finally coming to fruitcould not be happier.”

Earlier this year, Yavnounced it would dfeeder system, giving status to children of lege’s teachers and preto applicants with WDpostcodes in Hertfordsh

THE GOVERNMENT isto fund a statue hon-ouring British Holo-caust hero Frank Foley[pictured ] and increaseits support for theHolocaust EducationalTrust to the the of £500,000, the chancellor hasannounced.

George Osborne made thepledge during a parliamentary

reception honouformer British gence officer, whis position wordercover as a pcontrol officer thousands of Jcape Nazi Germ

Dudley MP Ian Austhosted yesterday's rehas campaigned for thenent memorial.

A MAN IS in hospital afterbeing stabbed in synagogueduring a kiddush fight, writes Joshua Levi.

It is understood that twocongregants at the RambamSephardic Synagogue in Mel-bourne had a row about alcoholduring kiddush at around mid-day on Saturday.

It is believed that after theargument, one of the men left,before returning with a knife

where he stabbed a third per-son, who had tried to intervenein the dispute, in the abdomen.

Police sergeant Jack Russellsaid the two men were known toeach other, adding: “It was a sin-gle stab wound and the victimsuffered non-life threatening is-sues.” A 46-year-old man hasbeen arrested and charged withintentionally causing serious in- jury, recklessly causing serious in- jury and assault with a weapon.

Man stabbed during shul Kiddush

Relief for parents as Yavneh PrimarySchool gets green light for September

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UK NEWS NEWS

DETAILS OF the InternationalOlympic Committee’s plans tohonour the victims of the Munichmassacre in Rio have been pre-sented to the families by the or-ganisation’s new president,writes Justin Cohen.

Thomas Bach has met two of the widows from the 1972 at-tack, which claimed the lives of 11 athletes and coaches in whatbecame the darkest moment inthe history of the Games.

He confirmed that a major ceremony would be conductedinside the Olympic village daysbefore the opening ceremony,during which the victims’ nameswill be read out in front of fami-lies, athletes and journalists.

A mourning area will be set

up in the village throughout thetwo-week event, and a stonebrought from Olympia will beplaced on top of a monument,in a nod to Jewish tradition.

Following an “extremelywarm” meeting lasting morethan two hours at IOC head-quarters in Lausanne with Bachand his deputy, campaigner Ankie Spitzer hailed the IOC’s“historic and courageous” steps.

“It’s much more than we’vehad before. We hope it will teachyoung athletes who may not beaware about the darkest days inthe history of the Olympics. Our message is that it must not hap-pen again. From the moment hecame to office, Thomas Bachwanted to do something.”

Spitzer, who was joined byIlana Romano, said Bach was“moved” to learn for the firsttime of the invitation that thefamilies had issued to the Pales-tinian delegation to a commem-oration organised by the IsraeliOlympic Committee at the At-lanta Games in 1996.

The families have spentdecades campaigning for a trib-ute during the Games openingceremony. A petition ahead of the London Olympics gained

tens of thousands of supA moment of reflec

also be held during theceremony in Rio to enabipants and viewers to reloved ones. But no plabeen revealed to mentioitly the Munich victimsfamilies would like to se

Spitzer, whose husbanwas among those who lives, said she had not ghope of such a tribute bcorporated into the mom

Campaigner Ankie Spitzer has praised the IOC’s decision

A JEWISH FORMER BBC ex-ecutive has compared Jewsvoting for Labour leader Je-remy Corbyn to Muslims vot-ing for American presidentialhopeful Donald Trump.

Danny Cohen, the nationalbroadcaster’s head of TV untillast year, made the commentsin an interview with The Times , published last week-end, in which he said he was

“not comfortable” that anti-Semitism in the Labour Partywas being tackled.

In reference to Trump’s infa-

mous promise to ban Muslimsfrom entering America,Cohen said: “If you are Jewishhow can you vote for them?How could you? For me itwould be like being a Muslimand voting for Donald Trump.How could you do it?”

Cohen’s comments will beseen as political, and timed toheap yet more pressure onthe Labour leadership, which

has faced criticism aferal weeks in whichcouncillors and mwere suspended or for anti-Semitic comm

“You have to feel abconfident that it is totacceptable and it won’erated and I pehaven’t felt comfortabit is happening yet Labour party,” he said

Under fire: Corbyn and Trump

Jews voting Labour are like Muslims voting Trump, says ex-BBC ch

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jamiuk.org or calling 020 8458 2223.

Rio Olympics to host ceremony forIsraeli victims of Munich massacre


11/48

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UK NEWS WORLD NEWS

ISRAEL HAS the highest level of child poverty in the developedworld, according to a new Unicef report, and is falling behindhugely in health and education.

The damning figures were

identified in the Fairness for Chil-dren study report card, whichasked: “How far behind are chil-dren being allowed to fall?”

They show that child poverty,as a percentage of the popula-tion, is higher in Israel than inplaces like Chile, Turkey, Mexicoand Romania, with povertymeasured as “households withincome below 50 percent of thenational median income”.

In health, too, Israel camecomfortably bottom in the list of 35 countries, which charts the“gap” between the health of children living in poverty com-

pared to the national average.In this, Israel was 12 percentworse than Turkey, which wasthe second-worst state.

In education, the gap wasstarker still, the rankings showing“how far low-achieving students

are allowed to fall behind the av-erage child in reading, maths andscience literacy at the age of 15”.

Israel’s “achievement gap,”the study shows, is more thantwice that of almost all other de-veloped countries.

THE ISRAELI military said ithas discovered and destroyeda tunnel burrowing from Gazainto Israel – the first to be un-covered since Israel’s 2014war with the militant Hamasmovement that runs thecoastal strip.

Israeli troops detected thetunnel’s exit, still under-ground, several days ago, ac-cording to military spokesmanLt Col Peter Lerner, whoadded he believes the tunnelwas built after the war.

It extended about 100 me-tres (325ft) from Gaza into Is-rael and was lined withcement and outfitted withelectricity, ventilation and railtracks to cart away dirt fromdigging, Lt Col Lerner said.

He said it was not clearwhen exactly the tunnel wasdestroyed.

Tunnel found

Sanders Jewish aide suspended Ukraine appoints Jewish PM

Unicef: Israel is falling behind

Israel has the highest level of child poverty according to a new report

AN ELECTION row betweenOrthodox and progressive Jews

at the Jewish AMIA centre inBuenos Aires escalated thisweek after a judge ordered ahalt to voting amid allegationsof irregularities. Complainantssay discounts for Charedi fami-lies unfairly increased the num-ber of Orthodox voters.

Argentina

CROATIAN JEWS have held aHolocaust commemoration inline with Jewish tradition, a weekbefore the government event,which is being boycotted by thecommunity. Up to 300 Jews at-tended the ceremony at the siteof the former Nazi death campJasenovac, near Zagreb, where30,000 Jews were killed.

Croa tia

A JEWISH FAMILY was celebrat-ing “a victory for common sense”this week, after a Filipino carer who has looked after a 103-year old Holocaust survivor in Sydneyfor eight years was given gov-ernment permission to attendher daughter’s 18th birthdayparty in the Philippines and thenreturn to her job in Australia.

Australia

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DOCTORAL STUDENTSUniversity in New Yorkoverwhelmingly on Fridan academic boycott ofThe campus comprises 5,000 students. Days students at the UniverChicago also voted to from 10 companies withests in the West Bank and

United States

A HOTEL OWNER in theUman has banned Chasidfrom staying there duringnual pilgrimage to the gRabbi Nachman of BUman City Plaza said thehad been introduced becthe prohibitive cost of needed to rooms followinvious stays from the pilgr

Ukraine

WORLD JEWISH NE Your weekly digest of stofrom the international preWith

Stephen ryszczuk

BERNIE SANDERS has sus-pended his Jewish outreach co-ordinator just days after her appointment over commentsabout Benjamin Netanyahu.

A Facebook post by SimoneZimmerman, 25, uncovered bythe Washington Free Beaconcalled Netanyahu ‘arrogant, de-ceptive and cynical’.

Zimmerman also used her ex-pletive-laden post to accuse Ne-tanyahu of “sanctioning the

murder of over 2,000 people” inGaza in 2014. Both the Confer-ence of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisationsand the Anti-Defamation Leaguecalled for her suspension.

A spokesman for Sanders con-firmed Zimmerman had beensuspended pending investigation.

Zimmerman is the co-founder and leader of IfNotNow, a coali-tion group calling for an end tothe Gaza war.

UKRAINE HAS appointed itsfirst Jewish prime minister,writes Natasha Sporn.

Vlodymir Groysman, 38,took office following the resig-nation of Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

The 38-year-old from Vinnyt-sia began his political career atthe age of 28 when he was ap-pointed the country’s youngestmayor. He also has strong tieswith Israel through his father’sfamily in Ashdod.

Josef Zissles, leader of the VAAD Ukrainian Jews organisa-tion, said Groysman’s appoint-ment showed “the absence of serious anti-Semitism in Ukraine”.

Groysman has previously toldhow his grandfather Issac sur-vived the Holocaust by pre-tended to be dead after Nazisthrew him into a mass grave.

Parliament held a minute’s si-lence on Holocaust MemorialDay for victims of the atrocities.

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IN FOCUS: PREPARING FOR PASSOVER

IT SEEMS seder isn’t seder without our familiar bottles of fizzy pop on the table along-side the four cups of wine,writes Lisa Sanders.

According to Deborah Fel-stein, the UK’s sole importer for kosher for Passover Cokeand Sprite, we can’t getenough of thestuff. UK cus-tomers knockback far more of the carbonateddrinks duringthe week-longholiday thanFrance, Italy,Belgium andSpain. “I’m notgoing to tell you

how much wedrink, but it’s alot,” she says.

Felstein’s company, Food-fads Ltd, is now in its 25thyear. “I was newly married,”she remembers, “And when Iwent to do my Pesach shop-ping at the kosher supermar-ket, there was just thisSnowcrest lemonade to drink.My parents lived in Belgiumat the time. And when wewent to visit them for theseder – they had Coke! I fig-ured, if they can get it inBelgium, why not bring it toLondon?”

Why not indeed. The bot-tles are shipped from the

Coca Cola factory Brak during the first wFebruary, ready for dtion to the supermarkkosher shops.

Discerning drinkehave noticed that thiCoke tastes differensweeter,” admits Felst

“It is bthe Israeis nsweeter.”

Ensurindrinks arefor Passotricky bOrdinarydiet Coktified bBrak’s R

dau. BuLandau wprove th

version since Coca-Cnot reveal the sourceaspartame it uses.

The diet drinks arefore certified by therabbinate. But isn’t Cosupposed to have arecipe? In which casdoes kosher certwork?

“Coca-Cola gives tbinate a list of 20 ingrof which some are drink,” reveals Felstei

“The rabbinate ghechsher to all the ents. So it’s definitely

Giving the festival its f


The Islamic Society of Britain’sJOE DO SON

enjoys an interfaith seder hosted by ReformJudaism’s top rabbi – and gains more than just an education in Jewi sh tradition

AS I SAT on the tube on the way to a pre-Pesachseder hosted by Senior Rabbi to Reform Judais mLaura Janner-Klausner, it dawned on me that I amnot ‘friends’ with any Jewish London-ers. Jewish acquaintances, yes. I’veattended interfaith events at syna-gogues, but true friends? Not really.

Upon arriving at Rabbi Laura’slovely home, we were swiftly intro-

duced to our fellow guests. I metleading activists within Britain’sfaith communities, including YasmeenAkhtar of the Three Faiths Forum andBharti Taylor, the first Hindu womanto be invited to be a Member ofthe European Council of ReligiousLeaders.

Straight talking Naz Shah MP spokeabout her own belief in equality between us all ashuman beings.

By the time Elizabeth Joy of the Indian OrthodoxChurch introduced her PhD research into theimpact gender, ethnicity and class have on one’sperception of God, I was left feeling entirely inad-equate in my knowledge of my own faith – never

mind anyone else’s.Rabbi Laura, together with rabbinical students

Yaera Ratel and Roberta Harris, led us throughwhat I understand to be a typical Reform seder,using the Reform Haggadah.

Each guest took turns to read sections with thesinging, led by the Jewish guests. Conservative MPAndrew Percy arrived after the explanation of the

practice of leaning to the left wheneating, so when it was later mentionedin passing that “we all lean to the left”he incredulously exclaimed: “Well,I don’t lean to the left”. I’m still not sureif it was a joke or a misunderstanding,

but it was the funniest line of the night.The evening did briefly descendinto something akin to a sitcom plotwhen Alex Fenton, Rabbi Janner-Klausner’s director of public affairs,phoned the cook to clarify if thecharoset was alcohol free. It wasn’t.So the Muslim guests and the gameRabbi Laura ate the maror neat, caus-

ing Faisal Iqbal of the British military to note:“It’s never wise to invite Muslims to dinner.”

Moments of theological and geopolitical dis-agreement could not be avoided entirely. StephenTunstall of the Christian charity Embrace TheMiddle East controversially suggested that thesearch for the afikoman is clearly trumped by the

Easter search for chocolate eggs, while postgrad-uate student Alyaa Ebbiary and Andrew Percy gotinto a heated debate about two peoples in con-flict over several hundred years – the nations of

Yorkshire and Lancashire.At this point, with laughter from all those

around the table, I saw the positive impact thisseder would have. This is not about Christians,Hindus or Muslims knowing how Jewish rituals are

conducted – Wikipedia could have told It is about friendship, trust and laughter.

Hosting a seder in your home and invitiof other faiths to join you is a far braver apersonal act than to host an interfaith evplace of worship.

It demonstrates, in a very personal wayfree peoples we have the choice to show lfriendship to all.

THE LONDON Beth Dinhas said a combination of foreign imports and adrive to certify regularproducts as kosher-for-Passover means some Pe-sach products in the UK this year are “cheaperthan ever before”, writes Angie Jacobs .

The claim, made byRabbi Jeremy Conway, thedirector of the Kashrut Di-vision of the KLBD, cameamid renewed attentionon the price of goods forthe Jewish holiday, whichneed special certification.

“We are delighted thatdue to imports from Israel

and America, and in-creased competition lo-cally, a huge range of Pesach products, and es-pecially staple items, areavailable at cheaper pricesthan ever before,” he said.

Conway added that theLondon Beth Din’s super-vision is provided “at cost-price” and that the KLBDwas working “to certifyregular products as suit-able for Passover use”.

As an example, headded that Tate & Lylesugar bearing a KLBDPstamp was now available“at the normal price”.

Pesach shoppers re-

searching prices havefound the cheapest mat-zos are currently availablefrom Morrisons, at 50pper box when buying six.

Sainsbury’s, which sellsthe next cheapest at 80p,has also been selling a finematzo meal at £1 per bagand Kedem grape juice onsale for £1.50.

Other items need to bebought at a specialist out-let, with shoppers ex-pected to pay upwards of £3.99 for a box of shmu-rah matzos in KosherKingdom and up to£20.99 for gluten-free oatshmurah matzo in Kay’s.

Shopper Kathryn Phil-lips praised Kosher King-dom “because it’s anexperience, it’s fun, espe-cially that Israeli lady onthe till”, but added: “It isexpensive, but you wouldexpect that.”

Barbara Edwards fromHendon, said she had seena horse-radish/mayonnaisecombination at £3.69 for a1lb bottle, and a 1kg car-ton of whole egg for£4.15 in Kay’s.

“I just buy the basics,”she said. “We spent a for-tune between KosherKingdom and the KosherOutlet.”

Beth Din: ‘Pesach staples at their cheapest’

Pricey price: Cheese £11.59, horseradish £6.49, prune juice £5.75, honey £4.99

BREAKING MATZAH WITH

MANY FAITHS

Guests including Joe Dobson, inset, gathered around Rabbi Laura’s dinner table for a special s


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UK NEWS SPECIAL REPORT: UK-ISRAEL MEDICAL COLLABORATION

WITH A GRIN, one of theorganisers of the third Biraxconference on regenerativemedicine noted that part of the second day of the eventwould be devoted to… speeddating.

She was not altogether joking. Birax – the Brit ish-Israel Research and AcademicExchange Partnership – washolding its largest ever confer-ence, this year based atthe Mathematical Institute inOxford. More than 350 Israeliscientists had come to theUK to join their British coun-terparts for two days ofpassionate discussions andpresentations.

About a third of the dele-gates are already involved in

scientific projects in vital fieldssuch as Parkinson’s, dementia,multiple sclerosis and other degenerative conditions.

But many of the other par-ticipants had come to Oxfordactively looking for a partner –and the Birax organisers weredetermined to help them.

From basic indicators, suchas different coloured lanyardsfor the Israeli and British

scientists to a “speed dating”session in which peoplecould meet each other to seeif their research was compati-ble, everything at Biraxwas dedicated to gettinggroundbreaking co-operationin place.

Dr Roi Gazit, who holdsa chair in health sciencesat Ben-Gurion University, wasmaking his first visit to Britainin the hope of linking up witha British opposite number tohelp him in his research.

He said: “It’s very easy

to read other people’s work,but this conference gives usa great opportunity to meet.

“Like so many Israelis,

I studied first in Israel andthen took the usual routeof post-doctorate studies inAmerica. But I heard aboutBirax and the possibility of working with UK scientists,and this conference is great:it’s just big enough to beimpressive, and just smallenough to be intimate.”

Dr Gazit’s work relates tothe reprogramming of stemcells and whether contami-nated adult blood cells canbe cleansed. Presently heworks with mice, but hopes toattract a British partner whocan advance the research anddevelop the programme inhumans.

Dr David Hampton of Edin-burgh University is coming

to the end of a three-year Birax funded project inwhich he works with Dr YossiNishri, who is a research stu-dent at Hadassah Hospital inJerusalem.

Dr Hampton, who is basedat the Centre for Clinical BrainSciences, is working on re-search into multiple sclerosis.He and Dr Nishri are workingon two aspects – a model of

the path of the human diseasein Edinburgh, and cell systemsin Jerusalem.

“Hadassah contacted us ini-

tially,” explained Dr Hampton.“I’ve had many collaborationsin the past 15 years, but whatmakes Birax work is where thescience is good and the peo-ple are good, too – becausethere is a social element tothis, as well.

“We really get on. Yossi hasbeen to Edinburgh three or four times and I’ve madereturn visits to Jerusalem.

“It’s been very worthwhile. You can make all the phonecalls and read all the litera-ture, but talking is key –and that’s what this eventoffers.”

Dr Hampton acknowledgedthat some scientists wereterritorial about their work,but pointed out the dozens

of conversations going onaround us – Israeli blue lan-yards deep in discussion withBritish grey, men and women,young and old, religious andatheist.

Partners in the Birax workinclude the Alzheimer’s Soci-ety, Arthritis Research UK,the British Heart Foundation,the MS Society and Parkin-son’s UK.

MORE THAN 130 churcministries have weMark Regev to his newIsraeli ambassador to t

Regev was given a wcard by Christian broaSimon Barrett and Jaffe, a consultant to th

of Deputies.Barrett signed on b

the signatories of the Declaration, a Christiative to combat anti-Sand support Israel.

Regev, who marked of his term by addressBoard last week, said:forward to working wmany Christian friendthe UK.”

Regev welco

BARNET COUNCIL is a Pesach waste and ccollection service to heish residents prepare festival, writes Natash

Waste will be co

today, 21 April, from 3ignated roads – inGolders Green Road aple Fortune Lane – wdents asked to place ain black bins or sacks their property before 6

Barnet Council – careas with a sigJewish population – hrunning the Passovertion scheme for severa

Pesach collec

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EDITORIAL COMMENT AND READERS’ LETTERS


A SLUR THAT WILL BE

SPREAD TOO EASILY I was saddened by your recent headline, “Toprabbi: ‘Ban non-Jews’” [Jewish News , 31March], about Israel Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef’ssermon in which he declared “non-Jewsshould not be allowed to live in Israel unlessthey abide by the Noachide laws”.

These laws amount to little more thanagreeing to live according to the rule of law,expected by any civilised country.

Rabbi Yosef only excluded, for example,those who wish to exercise their ‘right’ tomurder. Why should Jonathan Arkush andRichard Verber find that “an embarrassment”?

A more appropriate headline would havebeen: “Israeli Chief Rabbi states that,according to Jewish law, all non-Jews whouphold basic moral values and the rule of laware welcome to live in Israel.”

Giving an untrue impression that he advo-

cated ethnically cleansing Israel of all its non-Jewish residents is a slur that will be all tooeagerly spread by those who delegitimiseIsrael preparatory to its, for them, hoped-for final elimination.

Martin D. SternSalford

MOVE FORWARD FOR OUR CHILDREN’S SAKE Re your “Does My But Look Big In This?”column on Orthodox schools and Ofsted, thewriter must live on another planet. “Girls whostudy only Torah”? Chasidic communities likeSatmar follow the strict view of Maimonidesthat it is wrong to teach girls Torah and do noteven open a Chumash in a girls’ school.

Aside from the Hirschian ‘Frankfurt School’,most Haredi girls’ schools limit girls’ Torahstudies to the practical Halacha required for women. Only boys follow the intensiveTalmud and Codes curriculum.

In some Charedi circles, the boys haveintensive Torah studies and their future wivesget the broad general education, includingfluent English, they will need to help to keeptheir husbands in Kollel.

Many Chasidic schools are in Hackneywhere the ‘outside’ world seems to includedrugs, HIV, crime and promiscuity. We arehappy if our children keep a distance fromsome elements of British society.

Until quite recently, it was prohibited for schools in any way to encourage same-sexrelationships. When the question was raisedof lowering the age of consent for homosex-

uality to the same age of consent as hetero-sexuality, the then Chief Rabbi Lord

Jakobovits ztl spoke for mainstream Anglo-Jewry when he said it would be better toraise the age even higher for homosexuality.

Rather than dragging a ‘human rights’issue through the courts, we must work withthe government and Ofsted to find aconsensus and move forward for the bestinterests of our children.

Joseph Feld By email

SOMETIMES KOSHER REALLY ISN’T KOSHER“All food is either kosher or not,” claims letter writer Michael Rosen [Jewish News , 31March], while complaining about your Hungry Housewife page.

Really? How come some Jews find kosher food not kosher enough for them, but have

to have special glatt kosher pre-wrappeddishes provided for them? As George Orwellalmost said: “All kosher is equal but somekosher is more equal than others.”

Barry HymanBushey Heath

HISTORIC TREATY

SIMPLY IRRELEVANIf only Middle East peace was as sisome of your correspondents hbelieve. For Uri Rabin and Peter Baall so clear. If only the Palestinianread the 1920 San Remo Treaty or thof the Mandate (from the same vinwould be so blindingly obvious to ththeir supporters that they would their fight for a state.

The truth is that for every treatyfrom a period when imperial rule wasnormal, there is another that could in support of the opposite view (for ethe UN resolution of 1947 that validata Jewish and an Arab state).

Looking backwards 30, 60 or 100 ynot help anyone, because no one going to base his or her views on whahappen now in the 21st century o

statesmen declared in the early 20thThe tragedies of that century cshape today’s political thinking, breally matters is what is happening on the ground, to both peoples.

The senseless terrorism and conoccupation, the despair and incneed to be tackled. The text of the Satreaty will not be of much consolatio

MikeSt

THINGS TO KEEP MIND THIS PESACI’d like to share my Pesach poem aJewish News readers a happy festiv

Celebrate Pesach with our family Since many others as we know Will not be able to do soPossibly due to being held in captivitOr they live in an autocratic country Being too poor and so unable to affoIt or have family members who live aPerhaps not in good health and too sFor whatever reason, not in 5776So as we prepare for our seder nightsI believe that we should never lose sigOf these facts sitting round the table anThe story of our ancestor’s exodus fromMay next year 5777 not only be in JeBut all Jews everywhere, Baruch HasBe free to celebrate this chag like us

J D

PO Box 34296, London NW5 1YW • [email protected]

Letters to the Editor

Sketches kvetches

By Paul Solomons www.daftoons.com

“Here we are subliminally advertising ‘Brexit’ to Jewish

referendum voters.”

90 mazeltovs Ma’am!THE RECORDS keep on tumblingfor Her Majesty. The longest serv-ing Monarch, the oldest servingMonarch and now the first Kingor Queen of England to reachthe big ‘9-0’. During a reign last-ing 64 years, she has seen 12prime ministers come and go.

Her’s is a record of dedicatedand unbroken public serviceunlikely to be overtaken. Somuch so that even avowedRepublicans happily put aside

their reservations to provide amazeltov message as part of our 90 For 90 initiative with the Boardof Deputies.

We didn’t, of course, need sixpages of messages from thegreat and good of Anglo-Jewryto show the affection in whichour Queen is held by British

Jewry – you just need to pop intoshul on Shabbat to hear prayersfor the Royal family’s wellbeing.

But the 90 messages fromleading lights in the world of poli-tics, business, the arts and charityare a reminder of her impact onso many facets of British life aswell as the wide-ranging contri-bution of British Jewry during her reign; ironically, they are at thesame time a reminder of thehuge changes she has overseen

and as an effective retort tothose who argue for an end toroyalty as you can get.

There are many reasons tocelebrate today. We hope thou-sands will join our call to mark aRoyal Shabbat [see page 5] during the time of the mainnational celebrations in June.

Bottom of the barrelHOW DID it come to this? Thenew representative of students in

Britain thinks the Zionists are outto get her. As if things on campuscouldn’t get any worse.

Malia Bouattia may possiblybe a well-meaning person. Shemay just need to grow up. In themeantime, she seems to have noproblem stoking hatred andperpetuating the feeling thatIsrael is at the centre of all evil.

She’s beyond the boycotters.She’s beyond the academics argu-ing about Israel’s legitimacy. She’snot quite with the jihadists, butshe’s close, and is unapologeti-cally sympathetic to Palestinian“resistance” i.e. armed struggle.

To be clear – Jewish News applauds any student bodydiverse, inclusive and sureenough to elect a black, Muslim,Algerian-born left-winger forcedto flee her country when she was11. That’s not our issue.

Our issue is that it has

approved the views of someonewho refused to condemn Islamic

State. It has approved thethoughts of someone who rantsagainst “Zionist-led media” and“Zionist outposts” when evil anti-Semitism is on the rise. It’s that ithas elected someone who thinksIsrael-Palestinian peace talks“strengthen the colonial project”.

Even before Wednesday’sannouncement, which waspreceded by applause for some-one arguing why the NationalUnion of Students shouldn’tcommemorate HolocaustMemorial Day, we worriedabout Jewish students. Nowwe’re terrified. Because she’stheir representative. If she heldviews anything like their own,she wouldn’t be.

So mazeltov to Malia from theZionist media she loves to hate,and to the 371 people whovoted for her. Well done to thelot of you. You must be proud.

THIS WEEKEND’S SHABBAT TIMES

Pesach and Shabbat come in at:

Shabbat goes out at on Saturday:

Yom Tov goes out at on Sunday:

Sedra:

PESACH

19:54

21:07

21:09

WANT TO HAVE YOUR

VOICE HEARD?The Jewish News in partnership with the Union of Jewish Students

(UJS) has a dedicated online student section and we are always

looking for contributors. Whether you’re passionate about arts,

science, culture, politics or anything in-between, we want to hear

from you!

For more information email

[email protected] or

[email protected]

To find out more about UJS,

visit www.ujs.org.uk

GIFTPesach Box Buy One, GIFT One

Buy extra Kosher-Le-Pesach items andmake a difference to families in our community

HOW DOES IT WORK?

When shopping, simply purchase extra non-perishablefood items and place them in THE GIFT PESACH BOX

at the front of your local Jewish store.

Make a difference to someone’s life today!

GIVING just got easier.

For more info call the GIFT office on: 020 8457 4429 or email: [email protected] GIFT -makin


19/48


OPINION: RABBI MIRIAM BERGER AND MARK MAIERPINION JENNI FRAZER

PERCEPTION, I have begun to think, is ninepoints of the law. If something looks bad, our nat-ural assumption is to believe it IS bad, and gen-erally we fail to make the necessary inquiries. Thequestion is whether to take something at facevalue or pick it apart for its probable motivation.

What, for example, are we to make of the re-cent visit to Israel, at the invitation of the rulingLikud party, of the leader of Austria’s FreedomParty, Hans-Christian Strache?

It’s only four years since Strache posted an anti-Semitic cartoon on his Facebook page; and yet,apparently, according to a report in a Viennanewspaper, his intention in going to Israel was to“make himself kosher”.

Strache’s ambition was duly achieved with avisit to Yad Vashem, though a more politically-

savvy response came from former Israeli presidentShimon Peres, who refused to confer on Strachethe legitimacy of a meeting.

According to reports, some Likud politicianshave been pressing for years for the ban on con-tacts with the Freedom Party to be lifted.

Most notorious under its late leader JorgHaider, the party has become a by-word for itsanti-Muslim sentiments – and, allegedly, it is nowin favour of settlement building in Israel, thus po-tentially explaining Likud support.

So was it a good thing that Strache got to tour

Yad Vashem? Possibly: if I thought for a minutethat it might go to changing his mind about Jews,I might applaud it.

As it is, it seems to me to have been a cynicalexercise in rebuilding the Freedom Party’s imageand not much more. I can’t, comfortably, believethat the Strache leopard changed his spots.

However, in another part of the right-wing for-est, some other perceptions may be changing. UriAriel is Israel’s agriculture minister and has justpaid a visit to some of the West Bank checkpoints.

Ariel is a member of the Jewish Home Partyand has no automatic love for prime minister Ben-

jamin Netanyahu, whom he frequently denouncesas not right-wing enough.

But even Ariel appears to have been shockedat the conditions imposed on Palestinians wait-

ing to come in to Israel to work.He said: “Go and see how they stand and waitto enter Israel at the checkpoints. It’s shameful anda disgrace to the state of Israel and to the securityestablishment. People stand there in terrible con-ditions: in the summer, heat, in the winter, rains.”

He added that workers often arrived beforedawn and waited for hours without shade or water. He asked: “Why can’t we fix this?”

I may say that – in line with the general air of cynicism about such pronouncements – some of Ariel’s words it may have been uttered as a way

of attacking Netanyahu. Part of me also respondsby saying “and now the late news”, insofar asAriel appears just to have woken up to this “dis-grace to the state of Israel” when others havebeen pointing it out for many years.

But, you know, we should sometimes takewhat we can get. And if a politician like Uri Arielcan make a statement like this and, in fact, gofurther by saying that Gaza should have an inter-national port, then should we not embrace whathe is saying, wholeheartedly?

I don’t for a minute think that the minister isabout to become the Palestinians’ best friend.But he appears to have been struck by a rare po-litical moment of clarity, which should be wel-comed by both those of the Left and of the Right.

This weekend, those re-telling the story of Pe-

sach will have the annual opportunity to unpickthe thinking behind the Exodus, the plagues, thesuffering of the Jews as slaves in Egypt.

But above all, the seder is an occasion to cele-brate freedom – freedom from opportunism anda chance to applaud simple human courage.

A friend has taken to signing off his emails, “Dogood things.”

That’s not a bad message with which to wel-come Pesach as our liberation festival. Remem-ber, perception is – almost – everything.

Chag sameach.

Jenni Fraz

‘If a politician like this make a statement like t

should we not embrwhat he is sayin

Rare political moment of

clarity for the Israeli right

LAS YEA 5,000 PEOP E PLEDGED TO REMEMBER

N YOM HASHOAH HONOUR THAT PLEDGE

the event will also mark the occassion of VE day

www.facebook.com/yomhashoah @yomhashoahuk

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW AT

W W W. YOMHASHOAH.ORG.UK/Na tionalE ven t


20/48

OPINION: RABBI MIRIAM BERGER AND MARK MAIER

20 The Jewish News 21 April 2016

www.jewishne

OPINION: CHIEF RABBI EPHRAIM MIRVIS BRENDAN O’NEILL

IF YOU want to know how screwed-up studentpolitics has become, get this: the National Unionof Students is now run by someone who de-scribes the mainstream media as “Zionist-led”.

Yes, this supposedly radical student outfit, fa-mously packed with lefties who fancy them-selves as progressive, now has a president whopeddles the same foul myths that are spoutedby hard right-wingers. NUS presidents once hadconvictions; now they have conspiracy theories.

The new president is one Malia Bouattia. Shewas formerly the NUS’s black students’ officer, andhas now been elected its president.

She is a walking, talking snapshot of howbonkers student politics has become.

In 2014, she refused to back an NUS motion

condemning ISIS and expressing support for theKurds on the basis that it was Islamophobic. Shesaid “condemnation of ISIS” is used as a “justifi-cation for war and blatant Islamophobia”.

When you can’t even bring yourself to say ISISis wicked, to take a stand against a barbaric armythat slaughters “infidels” in the most obscene wayimaginable and treats women as the lowest formof life, then you know your moral compass isbusted beyond repair.

Bouattia, as revealed by the student newspaper The Tab, has also given a speech in which shepraised Palestinain violence and attacked theWest’s “Zionist-led media” for failing to tell thetruth about the Middle East.

In the speech she unwittingly exposed her own disdain for ordinary Muslims. She said thereason some of them don’t support Palestinianviolence is because they’re suffering from “in-

ternalised Islamophobia”.In short, they’re riddled with self-hatred, no

doubt as a result of having been brainwashed withanti-Muslim misinformation by the media.

So, unlike her, your average Muslim is a bitdim, fickle, suggestible, their hollow mindscolonised by Big Media. For someone whoclaims to be concerned about Islamophobia,Bouattia is weirdly fond of promoting a view of Muslims as overgrown children.

Then there’s her view of Zionists. She movesfar beyond criticising the idea of Zionism, into ru-mour-mongering about the evil reach of Zionistsinto media life across the West.

She talks about “mainstream Zionist-led mediaoutlets” and claims they’re helping to oppress

the “global South”.This echoes the foulest arguments pushed byanti-Semites of old: that the press was controlledby Jewish forces and that they used their privi-leged pedestal to hoodwink people and controlworld affairs.

Bouattia might prefer “Zionist” to “Jew”, and“global South” to “the world”, but her argumentamounts to a PC-rehashing of the vile notion that“those people” have too much power.

Old fascistic cartoons showed caricatured Jew-ish figures feeding people slop/information froma cauldron marked “Juden Presse”. Now thisidea has been given a bit of leftish spit-and-polishand has been embraced by the NUS.

In some radical student circles, a nasty newanti-“Zio” politics is taking hold. The chairmanof Oxford University’s Labour Club resigned ear-lier this year, claiming some members have

“some kind of problem with Jews”. Other stu-dents now find it virtually impossible to hold pro-Israel meetings without facing the shouts anddemands for censorship of student agitators.

The talk of “Zios” and their “white privilege” isespecially worrying. It suggests that the very stu-dent leaders who pose as anti-racist harbour someworrying racial ideas of their own.

Indeed, it’s becoming a new rule of today’sKafkaesque student politics that those who shoutloudest about the scourge of racism and the needfor Safe Spaces against bigotry will likely be pur-veyors of the oldest racism and the oldest bigotry.

This is because their outlook isn’t really one of anti-racism, that old, noble goal of achievingequality and freedom for all. Rather, they practise

the politics of identity, something altogether dif-ferent, something sectional and ugly and moti-vated more by the culture of victimhood than abelief in egalitarianism.

And in this privilege-checking world, wherethey’re constantly creating hierarchies of theoppressed, Jews are just too white and nicefor their liking, so they must be bad, undeserv-ing of sympathy, and perhaps deserving of ha-tred. In the pseudo-radical name of “checkingwhite privilege”, they resuscitate some veryold racial thinking.

When I was at university 20 years ago, the NUSwas obsessed with No Platforming the far right.Now, in an eye-swivelling turnaround, it hasadopted some of the arguments of the far right.

Talk of a “Zionist-led media” is not progres-sive, it’s prejudice – old, ugly prejudice, now atthe very top of the NUS.

Brendan O’NeEditor, Spiked On

‘The new NUS presidena walking, talking snaps

of how bonkers studpolitics has becom

Bonkers student politics has

the NUS president it deserves

PERHAPS SURPRISINGLY, this year, YomHaShoah poses a great challenge to us.

Last year I was enormously proud of BritishJewry at the 2015 Yom HaShoah National com-memoration. It brought together people fromall parts of our community. Young and old, reli-gious and unaffiliated – Jewish people came intheir thousands to make an immensely powerfulstatement: Seventy years on from the liberationof concentration camps across Europe, theShoah would never fade into the annals of his-tory, as the preserve of textbooks and muse-ums. Rather, it would live within each and everyone of us as a part of our consciousness, a partof our very identity. I was truly inspired by theatmosphere and the shared commitment.

Indeed, the 70th anniversary, quite rightlymade international news headlines. The world’smedia gathered at Auschwitz earlier in the year.prime ministers, royalty and parliamentarians

joined survivors at various events across theglobe to make a similar pledge.

There can hardly have been a single Jew onthe planet for whom the commemorations didnot invoke a sense of commitment to HolocaustMemorial. And yet, even as I looked proudlyover the gathered crowds, a very deep concernwas forming – what kind of statement will webe able to muster for next year?

The 70th anniversary was certainly an appro-priate time for the world to make its own

proclamation about the Shoah. But 70 is just anumber. With each passing year we must ac-knowledge that our collective task becomesever more challenging and, as such, particularlyfor our precious Holocaust survivors, the 71stanniversary is a whole year more important thanthe 70th. Next year will be more important still,and so on.

Consider the following, unavoidable truth.This year, many tens of thousands of Jewishchildren will be born who will probably never hear the first-hand testimony of a survivor.

By the time they are old enough to do so,there will be few, if any, survivors left for themto listen to. For decades, we have talked abouthow we would react when this time arrived.Sadly, that time is now. We must internalise thefact that there is no longer any opportunity for planning or pledging. Our mantra of “never for-get” must cease to be just a promise for the fu-ture and become a rallying call for action today .

It was with this thought in mind that at lastyear’s Yom HaShoah event I explained thathopefulness alone will simply not be enough, if it is not accompanied by tangible action to be-come a living memorial.

It is no accident that in Jewish tradition weuse the symbol of a flame to identify the pointat which the material meets the spiritual. Thebest known example of this is the way that wememorialise those dear to us who have passed

on from the material to the spiritual world. Butthough a flame can be extremely powerful, it isalso fragile and vulnerable. Left to burn alone,it will eventually extinguish and disappear – itonly survives if we protect and cultivate it.

This is a particularly evocative lesson for usas we face up to the challenge of the 71st year.It is too easy to make a gesture on the 70th an-niversary and to feel that we have fulfilled our obligation as a community, at least until the75th or 80th anniversary.

A casual or occasional relationship withHolocaust memorial is a recipe for extinguish-ing a flame we pledged to protect and it is adereliction of our collective responsibility.

So, this year, as Yom HaShoah approacheswithout the tailwind of publicity that prompted5,000 people to attend last year’s nationalevent, every one of us must ask ourselves whatpersonal ongoing commitment we will make toHolocaust memorial. If you are able, take a fewhours out of your weekend to attend this year’scommunity commemoration at Barnet CopthallStadium or perhaps attend an event at your local synagogue or elsewhere.

But wherever you are and whatever you do,it is essential that together, we rise to the chal-lenge of the 71st year.• To book your tickets for this year’s YomHaShoah National Commemoration Ceremony www yomhashoah org uk nationalevent

Chief RabEphraim Mirv

‘The 71st anniversary of tHolocaust is a whole yemore important than t

70th anniversa

This year’s Yom HaShoah

poses a challenge to us all


21/48


OPINION: RABBI MIRIAM BERGER AND MARK MAIERPINION LAURA MARKS

LAST WEEK’S Jewish News reported on a pollfrom a Channel 4 programme called ‘What British Muslims Really Think ,’ which can only bedescribed as dispiriting and very worrying.

The survey found more than a quarter of BritishMuslims felt Jews were “responsible for mostwars” compared to a six percent average acrossthe UK – with more than a third agreeing Jews“talk too much about the Holocaust”, “have toomuch control over global affairs” and “don’t careabout what happens to anyone but their ownkind”. Generally the survey found a much lower level of integration and higher level of antipathytowards Jews than we would have hoped for.

However, as we have seen many times, in-cluding at the last General Election, polls areoften flawed. And this one – by ICM, which in-terviewed 1,081 adults between April and Maylast year – certainly has some serious problems.

Primarily, the survey took place in areas witha high density of Muslims, which also happento be the poorer areas of the country. As youwould expect, and as is true for any race or re-ligion, these are areas where you get the high-est levels of inward looking dissatisfaction.

The results were then compared with a tele-phone survey of people generally in the UK, sodid not compare like with like.

That said, even if flawed, these findings are stillvery disturbing and not to be ignored.

The question is what can the Jewish commu-

nity do about it? We often tend to face inwardsand hope to be safe in our own sheltered world.We may express our upset and demandchange, but if all we ha

21 april 2016, jewish news, issue 947

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