9 june 2016, jewish news, issue 954

8/15/2019 9 June 2016, Jewish News, Issue 954

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NEWS

GEORGE OSBORNE hasbranded anti-Semitism in theLabour Party “a cancer thatneeds to be dealt with”,

writes Jack Mendel.Speaking at a World JewishRelief business dinner, thechancellor said the Oppositionhad opted for “the simple butwrong answer” in electingJeremy Corbyn as leader.

He added: “Labour went tothe far left. It abandonedthe middle ground of Britishpolitics, much to the dismayof their MPs. The truth is theLabour Party is very differentto what it was even five yearsago. The membership at thegrassroots is pretty far to theleft. The idea that it’s justJeremy Corbyn is a mistake.”

Speaking about Labour’santi-Semitism scandal, Os-borne said it was a “genuineproblem and I’m yet to seeevidence that they’ve got aconvincing answer to it”.

He said the problem was“borne of accommodationsmade with people whoseviews should never havebeen accommodated”.

He added: “You see it atevery level: MPs, councillors,activists. We should work withthose in the Labour Party try-ing to fight this and stop it.I don’t take any great pleasurefrom this at all. It is a cancerthat needs to be dealt with.”

On Europe, event inter-viewer Lord Daniel Finkel-stein asked whether it was a

mistake to hold a rdum, Osborne saidnever a mistake in a racy to ask people whthink and to make suthe public are engage

would be a mistakepeople to sit it out othey don’t need to vo

“It’s going to be fought referendum omous significance. Ianyone in this room ito take part in a civic dmore important than tNo general election, nelection is like this one

At the event, mo300 people raised £2which will go towarporting vulnerable people in MoldovUkraine to help brecycle of poverty.

2 The Jewish News 9 June 2016 www.jewishn

BRITAIN AND ISRAEL are working togetheron plans for a public celebration of theBalfour Declaration’s centenary, MarkRegev has revealed in his first Jewishmedia interview since becoming ambassa-dor to the UK, writes Justin Cohen.

The envoy said he was looking forwardto the “huge” milestone, with events inboth countries in the months leading up tothe anniversary next November.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-timespokesman said: “It’s being taken very se-riously at the highest levels. We’re hopingto do a public celebration with the Britishgovernment with senior leaders from bothsides uniting to celebrate Balfour.

“It’s a crucial, historic document. The Bal-four Declaration is a manifestation of theprinciples of self-determination of theJewish people and there’s every reason to

celebrate. We’re doing celebrations hereand in Israel and I’m looking forward to it.It’s an important milestone.”

While Jerusalem has decided to stay outof the debate on Britain’s future in the Euro-pean Union, Regev is known to audiences inBritain and around the globe for appearingin international media to defend Israel’sactions, particularly at times of conflict.

Two months into the job in London, he isalready meeting the challenge head-on: hisvisit to SOAS university led to anti-Israelgraffiti on campus.

He has also spoken out on another polit-ical hot potato – anti-Semitism within theLabour Party. Asked if he could engageeffectively with the Labour leader, he said:“I’ve seen Jeremy Corbyn speaking proudly

about his parents’ anti-fascist march inCable Street. I look forward to meeting andhaving a serious conversation.”

He added: “Labour has a proud historyof standing up for the Jewish people, forZonism and for Israel. Some of the iconic fig-ures of Labour – Bevan, Wilson – understoodthe essential justice in Zionism. They saw aJewish people discriminated against, a mi-nority persecuted. They saw in Zionism thedesire of the Jewish people for self-determination. They saw an essential part of an agenda of making the world a betterplace. Zionism fit in with that agenda andthat’s why they whole-heartedly supported it.

“I know today is 2016 and not 1946, butI know Israel has many friends in the Labour

movement and, as ambassador, I would notbe doing my job if I wasn’t reaching out tothe leadership, making the case for Israel.”

While Regev said anti-Semitism had sim-ply morphed into a version that focused onhatred of the Jewish state, he said a n inde-pendent Israel had “changed everything” interms of the plight and prospects of Jews.

“Today we are sovereign and independ-ent. A homeless people has a homeland.We can defend ourselves in a way ourparents’ generation didn’t. That’s the realchange, the victory of Zionism.”

He also lauded the support and loveof British Jewry “from Moses Montefioreto now,” adding: “The relationship is verystrong.”

Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev addresses the community’s main Yom HaShoah event in April

George Osborne at the WJ

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his new hotel in Scotland, has said he sup-ports a British exit from the EuropeanUnion because immigration in Europe hadbeen “a horrible thing”.

In New York last month, a 500-strongalliance of liberal Jews announced thatthey would be campaigning against Trumpthroughout the summer and autumn months.

The Bend the Arc coalition has alreadycreated a mock online “registry” of Jews,in humourous reference to Trump’s call for a registry of American Muslims, leading

David Cameron to say his comments were“divisive, stupid and wrong”.

The group has also produced onlineadverts reading: “The ugly anti-immigrantrhetoric of today sounds painfully familiar to American Jews.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, the Anti-DefamationLeague’s CEO and national director, lastmonth told Forward that “we haven’t seenthis kind of kind of mainstreaming of intoler-ance at this level” for decades.

He added: “These ideas have no place inthe mainstream and we’ll do what we needto make sure that folks understand that.”

Jonny Daniels, a Jewish heritapaigner who met Trump while woIsraeli politics and arranged his endoof Benjamin Netanyahu’s election casaid: “There is place for discourse cussion, but the leaders of British Jewalso understand that Mr Trump coube the next US president. Attacks ondo more harm than good.”

He added: “Mr Tump is by noa racist. In my personal relationship I’ve seen a strong, brash, informenessman with a deep connection to• Editorial comment, page 14

Continued from page 1Community rounds on ‘bigoted’ Donald Trum


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SPECIAL REPORT: THE QUEEN & THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

The Queen and usThe Queen’s 90th birthday festivities began in April and will culminate this

weekend with her official

celebrations. aron emp

talks to three membersof the Jewish community

who share her age who

reflect on the journeys

their lives have taken

“I spent my formative years withmy parents and brother inClapham before being called upto the army, where Iworked as a pathologylab technician sta-tioned in Gibraltar.

“When I wasreleased, I initiallywanted to become adoctor but I strug-gled to find a med-ical school able totake me on in Lon-don, so I began mydentistry training in thecapital instead. This ledme to setting up my ownpractice in Ilford, where Iworked for most of my adult life.

“I met my wife, Rosalind, at aMaccabi summer school inTaunton, Somerset, and we mar-

ried in Dublin in 1955; followingwhich we had two children.

“Now I live alone, with a carerfor support, in Edgware and

am a member of theMichael Sobell Commu-nity Centre in GoldersGreen. I particularlyenjoy sculpting les-sons there, as I havealways been artisticand enjoyed drawingand painting, but thisis something different

and challenging.“I don’t know if there

is any special way to guar-antee a long and happy life,

but I definitely do think it is soimportant to count your bless-ings and be satisfied with whatyou have. There are alwayspeople worse off than you and

acknowledging that and takinthis attitude alleviates a lot ostress in life.”

Dr Sydney Kanter

Leonard Finkle “Having been born and raisedin Hackney, I left school at theage of 14 and went to workbefore being called up to thearmy when I was 18.

“After training in nursing atClifton College in Bristol, I waspart of the medical corps sentout to India, where I spentfour years specialising inblood transfusions.

“I made it my business torelish my experience; I wasaware that I was unlikely everto return and I have many fondmemories of my time there.

“Possibly most significantly,I once had the pleasure of thecompany of Gandhi when wetravelled in the same traincarriage on a journey fromBombay to Calcutta, but un-

fortunately I didn’t talk tohim.“On my return to the UK, I

again set up home with myparents in east London, butleft my nursing career behindin favour of the more lucrativeshoe industry.

“Nevertheless, I dedicated15 years during that time tovolunteering as a first aiderfor the British Red Cross,which led to me being invitedto the annual garden party atBuckingham Palace.

“My greatest regret in lifeis most certainly never marry-ing. I was very fussy about itand wanted to find a niceJewish girl, but I never did.

“That said, I put my longand happy life down to re-maining single. Definitely forme, the secret to good healthat 90 has been dodging mar-

riage. I moved in to the LadySarah Cohen House in FriernBarnet two years ago and I re-

ally enjoy listening to mand sitting in the garhere.

“Many people say proshould be embraced, butlieve children nowadaymissing out on traditionaand the simple life.

“I am proud to say I never owned a mobile ph

I’ve lasted this long witone and my friends where I am if they need m

CHIEF RABBI Ephraim Mirvishas issued a revised prayer for the Royal family to markthe Queen’s 90th birthday tobe recited this Shabbat.

It reads: “We offer our grati-tude for the blessings You havebestowed on our gracious andnoble Sovereign throughoutthe 90 years of her life.

“In Your infinite wisdom,

You have guided the hand of Her Majesty the Queen andmade her a worthy Monarchwho loves peace, inspiresloving-kindness and champi-ons the finest values of our society. May she continue toreign in good health for many years to come.”

In April Mirvis and his wife Valerie were guests at Wind-

sor Castle where they cel-ebrated the Queen’s ac-tual birthday andpresented her with a wa-tercolour of the prayer for the Royal family.

Liberal Judaismwill use a specialprayer composedby Rabbi Alexan-dra Wright.

Chief’s prayer for Queen’s special day


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6 The Jewish News 9 June 2016

www.jewishne

UK NEWS UK NEWS NEWS

JEWISH TEENAGERS res-cued from a beach in Dover after being trapped by thetide have raised £5,000 for the lifeboat station crew thatsaved them – with the prom-ise of more generous dona-

tions to come.The 34 Charedi students

and their families raised the

funds just hours after the chil-dren were rescued by a heli-copter and lifeboats in adaring midnight rescue off theKent coast late on Mondaynight.

The hiking party, which in-

cluded two adults, wereplucked from a hazardousstretch of the coast with fallingrocks after getting lost duringa walk. They raised the alarmwith Kent Police at 9pm after becoming disorientated asthey followed a coastal pathbetween St Margaret’s Bayand Dover Harbour.

The coastguard launched asearch by air and sea involvinga helicopter based at Lydd,Dover RNLI lifeboat, twoWalmer RNLI lifeboats andLangdon Coastguard Rescue

Team. Around 40 volunteers joined the “large-scale opera-tion”. After the incident, UKCoastguard senior maritimeoperations officer RichardCockerill said: “The group wasadvised to switch on their mo-

bile phone lights to help us lo-cate them.”

Shomrim, the Jewish neigh-bourhood watch organisationoperating in north London,said several of its volunteershad gone to Dover to assistthe group. Chaim Hochhauser,supervisor at Stamford HillShomrim, said: “Volunteerswere called by a group of peo-ple stranded near the Dover cliffs as night was falling. Theysupport the group throughoutthe incident, which ended wellthanks to the great work by

the coastguard.”A letter sent to th

RNLI Lifeboat StationWednesday, on behaAhvas Yisroel CoCentre in Stamfothanked the rescuers

“swift action and hwhich “ensured the sour boys”.

The letter added: “ately after the incidboys’ parents began ing in our communitytude for your herothey have already£5,000.

“The boys will be ing more fundraisingthroughout the summI look forward to pryou with additional due course.”The Charedi schoolboys reach safety. Inset: moment of rescue

Charedi pupils raise £5,000 for their lifeboat rescue

OSCAR-WINNINGplaywright Sir

Peter Shaffer, whowrote Amadeus ,Equus and The Royal Hunt of the Sun , has died inIreland, aged 90.

Shaffer’s playAmadeus won

worldwide acclaim, while Equus was given anew lease of life in 2007, when Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe played the lead role inthe West End.

“Peter Shaffer was one of the great writ-

ers of his generation,” said National Theatreartistic director Rufus Norris. “The plays he

leaves behind are an enduring legacy.”Radcliffe said Shaffer was “one of Br itain’sgreatest ever playwrights”.

Shaffer and his twin brother Anthony, theplaywright who wrote Sleuth, grew up in aJewish family in Liverpool, but studied inLondon and then Cambridge.

He was gay and his career tailed off afterhis partner Robert Leonard, a vocal coach,died in 1990.

Still, Shaffer’s enduring legacy will bethree incredibly successful plays, lauded bycritics.

A PROFESSIONAL NETWORK for Jewishwomen has been launched, allowing them to

share knowledge and experience.The Aitza Network was unveiled in Londonon Monday, with more than 40 people attend-ing to hear a keynote speech from Professor Julia Hobsbawm.

At the event, which was focused on thequestion “what does it mean to be a Jewishwoman?”, Hobsbawm spoke about her Jewish

journey and career.The network is the initiative of Women in

Jewish Leadership, a project of the Board of Deputies.

The Board’s chief executive Gillian Merron

said: “I’m delighted we were able ttogether such a dynamic and talented gwomen in this way.”

Launch of professional women’s netwoAcclaimed playwright Shaffer dies, aged 90

Gillian Merron, Laura Marks, Meryl Folb, RUsden, Claudia Bookey and Leah Warren

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8 The Jewish News 9 June 2016 www.jewishne

UK NEWS UK NEWS NEWS

LORD JANNER’S family lawyer has been compelled to submit a9,000-word rebuttal of chargesbrought against him before hisdeath, blasting the claimants asmoney-seeking liars.

In a staunch defence

sent to the God-dard Inquiry latelast week, solici-tor MichaelPether of BLMalso took aim atLeicestershire Po-lice for their rolein the child sexabuse scandal tohave engulfed thelate peer. Many al-leged vic-

tims of Janner are bringing acivil claim against his estate,after criminal proceedings wereended following a ruling that,due to advanced dementia, he

was unfit to stand trial.The Independent

Inquiry into ChildSexual Abuse,

led by NewZealand judgeDame LowellGoddard, willlook morewidely at in-

stitutional fail-ings, and

asked Janner’sfamily to submitevidence that

would “under-mine” claims

a g a i n s t

him. However, the family is con-cerned that any ruling on Janner as part of the Goddard Inquirycould prejudice the civil claimsbeing made against him.

Of Janner’s family - compris-ing Senior Reform rabbi Laura,

leading QC Daniel, and cele-brated mental health cam-paigner Marion – Pether writes:“What they knew of their fa-ther’s professional and personallife totally contradicts the alle-gations. To them the allegationsare an extraordinary abuse of anexceptional, compassionate,kind and unique person.”

Pether said the family wereconcerned that “very signifi-cant public figures” had rushedto “condemn their father in aforensically undisciplined fash-ion, without knowing the

facts,” and that witnesses were“obviously problematic”.

A 9,000-word document,Pether says Leicestershire po-lice were swept up in a “moralpanic” and failed to consider “strong evidence” of collusion

between complainants, who heaccuses of telling “transparent”lies. “The uninhibited languageused in encouraging ‘victims’ totell their stories has swung thependulum too far, and the cli-mate of opinion has been tooaccepting in treating differentcases as similar,” he said.

The lawyer acting for theclaimants reacted angrily. “Tosuggest that alleged victims aredriven by compensation is a wil-ful misrepresentation,” said LizDux of Slater and Gordon,speaking to The Sunday Times.

Janner lawyer brands accusers ‘liars’A SUSPENDED CORNISHcouncillor has been de-nounced by his own col-leagues for posting “whollyrepugnant” links to websitesquestioning the extent of the Holocaust.

Lance Dyer, Truro City

Councillor for RedannickWard, had his membership of Cornish nationalist partyMebyon Kernow (Party of Cornwall) suspended in Mayfor the offensive tweet, withan investigation ongoing.

Dyer linked to a far-rightwebsite, writing: “HolocaustHoax: International RedCross document confirms271,000 not 6m died in con-centration camps!”

Truro mayor Rob Nolan toldthe BBC that the commentswere “abhorrent in the ex-

treme” while Dyerparty leader councillCole said: “The viepressed on the webwholly repugnant.”

The president of Kernow, Cornwall’s community organisatio“It seems absurd to manyone should qsomething which has well-documented. Whis point?”

PESACH IS set to be eventougher now one of Britain’sbest-loved breads has finallybecome kosher.

The Hovis range, includingSoft White, Best of Both andSeed Sensations have securedKLBD (Kosher London BethDin) certification for the firsttime in 130 years.

The move has been wel-comed by Rabbi Conway, direc-tor of KLBD, who said it was“another major step towards our

goal of making kosher as easyand affordable as possible.“

The youth arm of the UnitedSynagogue also welcomed themove. Tribe’s Daniel Glass,said: “Being able to pick up aloaf of kosher bread almostanywhere now is a great help tokeeping kosher on campus.”

Rabbis launch women’s archiveTWO BRITISH rabbis havehelped launch a new onlinecollection of “significant sto-ries in modern Judaism” fromthe Jewish Women’s Archive.

Reform rabbis Julia Neu-berger and Jackie Tabick fea-ture in the Women Rabbiscollection, a new exhibitionshowcasing stories of “women pioneers who en-tered and transformed therabbinate over the past fourdecades”.

“The stories these trailblaz-ing women tell, from the ob-stacles to the amazingcommunities and practicesthey have innovated, are mov-ing and inspiring,” said JWAdirector Judith Rosenbaum.

“Although the rabbinatehas been open to women foronly a short period of time,their impact on the profes-sion and on the global Jewishcommunity has been pro-found.”

Catholics adopt JVN’s modTHE CATHOLIC Church’slargest charity has adoptedthe Jewish community’smodel for volunteering inwhat could be “a first” for theJewish charity sector.

The Jewish VolunteeringService was behind the Caritaslaunch of the Catholic Volun-teering Network on Tuesdayevening in Euston, attendedby senior clergy, includingbishops. It featured the launchof a new website to “match

volunteers with volunopportunities and vice

John Coleby direCaritas Diocese of Wster, adding that he wlighted to be workinthe JVN, which had “their knowledge, skexperience to help velop and progress”.

JVN director Leonisaid the launch was mark event in Catholic relations.

Cornish councillor Shoah

Hovis gets kosher approval

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UK NEWS WORLD NEWS

UKRAINE’S INTELLIGENCEagency has thwarted a plot to at-tack France during the Euro 2016football tournament, with a syn-agogue among the targets.

Security service intelligence

chief Vasyl Hrytsak claimed theman, Gregoire Moutaux, 25, wasplanning 15 attacks and wasdriven by ultra-nationalist views.

He was arrested on the Polishborder, after Ukraine’s securityservice (SBU), said it followedhim since December and al-lowed him to purchase five ma-chine guns, two rocket-propelledgrenade launchers, 125kg of TNT, 100 detonators and other weapons.

He also bought 20 balaclavasbefore he was arrested at the

Yahodyn border crossing be-tween Ukraine and Poland last

month, authorities said.The SBU “managed to foil a

series of 15 terrorist attackswhich were planned to targetFrance before and during” Euro2016, said Hrytsak.

Targets he planned to at-tacked included a French syna-gogue, bridges, motorways anda mosque. The SBU said the sus-pect wanted to protest againsthis government’s migration poli-

cies and the spread of Islam.French regional newspaper

L’est Republicain identified theman as Gregoire Moutaux andsaid investigators raided hishome in Nant-le-Petit near the

eastern city of Nancy in late May.Ukrainian authorities releasedphotos of a fair-haired man, withhis face blurred, holding variousweapons, as well as a video of the arrest which showed Swat of-ficers dragging the man out of awhite minivan and putting himon the ground of what lookedlike a car park with his facedown.

Extremist attacks are a major concern for French authorities asthey host the month-long tour-nament at stadiums in the Parisarea and eight other cities fromFriday until 10 July.

THE REMOTEIndian Ocean is-land of Madagascar now has

its first Jewish community, after 121 people underwent Ortho-dox conversions at the end of May. The group of men,women and children spentyears learning through self-study, online guidance andcorrespondence with rabbis.

Madagascar

A NEW YORK Governor hasordered all state agencies todivest themselves of firmsand organisations linked tothe Boycott, Divestment andSanctions (BDS) movement.Andrew Cuomo signed theexecutive order saying: ‘If you boycott against Israel,New York will boycott you.’

Uni ted Sta tes

BUILDING INSPECTORS inWarsaw have closed the city’sJewish theatre because it is insuch a dire state of repair. In-spectors were called in by aprivate developer who wantsto build a skyscraper on thesite. The Jewish cultural asso-ciation sold the plot last year to finance its other work.

Poland

A SWEDISH NUN whoat least a dozen Jews

the Nazis during the caust has been made by Pope Francis in St. Square. Mary Elizabetselblad had already recognised as RigAmong the Nations by

Yad Vashem 12 years a

Sweden

A PSYCHIATRIST IN Israruled an Orthodox fheadmistress ‘unfit totrial’ in extradition proings. Malka Leifer facsexual abuse charges agirls while she was a prin Melbourne. She fledrael in 2008 before thgations became public

Australia

A FAMOUS DUTCH who has a Nazi fatheJewish mother has died83. Corry Brokken, consa feminist rolemodel, slaw and eventually bec

judge before returning stage in the 90s. She ovealed her unusual famtory in a 1999 interview

Netherlands

WORLD JEWISH NE Your weekly digest of stofrom the international preWith

Stephen ryszczuk

Dangoor centre open in GalilUK LINKS to northern Israelhave been further strength-ened with the opening of anew centre of personalisedmedicine in the Galil, namedafter the late philanthropist SirNaim Dangoor.

The pioneering new unit, of-ficially opened in a special cer-emony on the Medical Schoolcampus in the Galilee city of Safed, will help medics elimi-nate ineffective treatment

methods. New technologybased on genetic mappingnow allows doctors to work outexactly what medicine doesand doesn’t work, and in whatdose, meaning the days of ‘trail-and-error’ are numbered.

The Dangoor Centre for Per-sonalised Medicine, a partner-ship with Bar-Ilan University,came about thanks to the es-tate of Sir Naim, who arrived inBritain in the 1930s.

Shul among targets of foiled French attack

There were plenty of colourful outfits on display last weekend at Tel Aviv’sPride Parade. 200,000 people part icipated in theannual celebration,culminating in a beach party at the city’sCharles Clore Park.

Ukrainian security service agents arrest Moutaux on the Polish border

Thousands

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www.jewishnews.co.uk 9 June 2016 The Jewish Ne

We walked on Shabbat

in the Bustan al-Khass

(lettuce orchards)

on the East bank

of The Dijla (The Tigris),

or in al-Saa’doun, built to look like Hyde Park.

Watch us work, prosper, plod

tread the middle ground during

a two thousand six hundred year

sojourn with family, food, festivals.

Listen to us speak Aramaic, Qiltu,

then Gilit. You never learned

our languages after you arrived,

we wrote literatures preserved

for you now in different geographies.

Watch Britain’s renegade Grand Mufti

translate National Socialism into

his Promised-Land apartheid, listen

to the whispers that the Fuhrer

was born in an Egyptian village.

Watch him and hundreds of Palestinian

and Syrian intellectuals-in-exile train soldiers,

police, militia-men and children, watch

nothing stop the Golden Square Generals,

even once their leaders temporal and spiritual

run away from the British, for whose oil-fuelled

infantry eight kilometers was further than the walk

from Ambassador Cornwallis’ dinner plate

to his card table.

Look, there’s a man in a dark suit at Maqbra,

who’ll later press his cheek and arms up

against a semi-cylindrical grave whereone hundred and eighty Farhud-dead are buried.

This is not the only tomb, they were not the only dead.

But go back before the Omer, watch us

tremble as we asked “Mnein Jitem”

that Erev Pesach after the lawyer,

Rashid al-Gaylani’s coup turned

the hilleq bitter. Watch our hopes surge

when within the month he and the Grand Mufti

escape from the British to Iran, plummet

when Yunis al-Sab’awi dec lares

himself Governor General and orders us

penned in our homes, soar again when i t’s he

who’s deported within the day. Hear us attest

to our treble-terror reprieved when we eatour Tbit on the Shabbat which runs

into Tikkun Leyl, and hear Regent

Abd al-Illah’s due back the next day,

Sunday June 1st. Watch us cheer him home

on the first day of ‘Eid al Ziyarah.

Then watch soldiers, police, civilians attack us

on al-Khurr bridge, at al-Rusafa, Abu-Sifain

everywhere until 3 a.m. and silence. Watch

at 6 a.m. on the second day of Hag when

they start again. Not just the poor from al-Karkh

The Farhud:Baghdad’s

Shabu’ot 1st and2nd June 1941

Yvonne Green read her poem

at Lauderdale Road London on

2nd June 2016 and at The Knesset,

Jerusalem on 6th June 2016.

Yvonne Green’s Poem to

commemorate the 75th

Anniversary of the Farhud.

Commissioned by “Harif ”

who cross the river empty handed,

then load-up having cruelly sacked

our homes, shops, synagogues,

but from everywhere they yelp

“Idhbahu al-Yehud” (butcher the Jews).

Drilled by Salah al-Din as-Sabbagh,or by centuries of knowing our place,

keeping the rules, paying the price

being no guarantee of protection.

They cut up Jewish babies and threw them

into the undertow, no Moses survived.

They raped girls and old women,

cut their breasts, no Dina survived.

They beheaded and severed, taunted

and tore. Dragged Jews from buses

which they used to run them over.

Every attack intended to humiliate.

The dead, hurt, stolen, destroyed

uncountable, even once the Regentcalled in the cut that felled

the saturnine mob. Where was natural,

civil, military, sharia law? The assumed

duty to dhimmi?

In the stand taken by Moslems

like Dr Sa’ib Shawkat, Dean

of Baghdad’s Medical College.

In the acts of landlords

who risked their lives to save those

whose houses the Hitler Youth-styled

Futuwwa had painted with red khamsas.

In the arms of neighbours

who caught children in blankets

when they were thrown to safety

and sheltered families who jumped

across flat roofs where Baghdad

used to spend it’s summer nights.

Yes, we fought back, we boiled

siraj (sesame oil) and threw it

from our shnashil (latticed balconies)

where women, unseen, had watched

their households’ comings and goings.

We used the bricks from our parapets,

we had no guns, few had iron fists.

Since the funerals our children

remember with new knowledge

and their picnics of beith-bla’ham,

timman-ahmar, and kahi never go south

to al-Kifl for the pilgrimage, sing

Shirit Hagvarim at it’s seven

waystations, or hear the tomb

of Yehezkel cry for its Jews.


12/40


NEWS

THE PALESTINIAN ambassador to the UK has condemned stateTV showing children dressedas suicide bombers and cartooncharacters that encourage Pales-tinian children to hate Jews as“wrong” and “demonising”.

Manuel Hassassian, speakingduring an LBC radio debate atthe start of Ramadan on Mon-

day, said: “I agree, in principle,that these incitements are notgoing to help create conduciveconditions for negotiations.”

Hassassian said work hadbeen done on textbooks, with “atremendous improvement in thislevel of stereotyping,” and alsoaccused Israelis of doing like-wise, saying: “The other sidesays ‘death to the Arabs,’ snakes,venom.”

The Palestinian envoy told LBC

host Iain Dale that cultural boy-cotts of Israel helped, but said:“We don’t advocate the boycottof Israel, only products that comefrom these settlements, becausesettlements are illegal.”

Elsewhere, Hassassian usedthe interview to criticise the BBC,saying the national broadcaster only contacted him “when there

is a suicide bombing,” but over the Gaza war in 2014, he said:“I hardly had interviews.”

Asked why, he said: “There isa very strong Zionist lobby inthis country, like BICOM andothers, who have great influenceon the BBC. If I appear on theBBC and criticise Israel, theyare bombarded with letters of protest.”

On the peace process, Has-sassian said: “We’ve been ne-

gotiating for 22 years,”that Jewish settlemequadrupled during that

“We are stuck betweentorically inevitable and thcally impossible,” said thadding that Israeli PrimeBenjamin Netanyahu wmaestro of procrastinatio

Last week, Dale inte

new Israeli AmbassadRegev, who asked whetsassian would denouanti-Semitic charter of H

Hassassian said: “Hawrite what they want. It’swho can judge that. believe in the destruIsrael. I have embarkepeace process with Israerecognised the state oI don’t think Israel showith Hamas.”

PA envoy opposes incitemeLast chance to attend

EU referendum debate

More than 100 pupils from JCOSS, King Solomon High School, Immanuel College, JFS, Hasmonean Girls’

Boys’ schools, King David High School, Yavneh Boys’ School and Yavneh College were presented with the

Yoni Jesner Awards at the Arts Depot in North Finchley on Tuesday night. They all completed 20 or more h

of volunteering. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Marsha Gladstone, Yoni's mother, who is chair of the Yoni

ner Foundation [named after the Jewish teenager killed in a suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv in 2002] ad

dressed the young audience. The event was organised by JLGB in partnership with the foundation.

THE RACE for the support of Jewish voters in theEU referendum campaign reaches fever pitch nextweek when Education Secretary Nicky Morgan andUKIP MP Douglas Carswell go head-to-head to de-bate the potential impact of a Brexit on Israel andAnglo-Jewry.

The community’s most high-profile debate onthe future of Britain’s involvement in the EuropeanUnion is organised by Jewish News and J-TV, justover a week before the country faces one of itsbiggest decisions for decades.

The 14 June event, held at J-TV’s studios in eastLondon in partnership with the Union of JewishStudents, will focus on issues of specific concernto Anglo-Jewry, including circumcision, shechitaand Israel, as well as issues of wider interest includ-ing the potential impact of Brexit on

the economy, the jobs market and immigration. J-TV’s current affairs presenter Alan Mendoza willchair an audience question-and-answer session.

Morgan told Jewish News : “The stakes for thefuture of our country in the referendum couldn’tbe higher. That’s why I’m looking forward to hav-ing the opportunity to set out in this debate pre-cisely why we are stronger in a reformed Europe.”

Writing in Jewish News in March, Minister With-out Portfolio Robert Halfon said he would be think-ing of the “increasing threats to our security, theexistential threat to Israel and whether the worldwill be strong enough to combat extremist Islam”when he votes to stay in the “imperfect union”.

Putting the case to leave, fellow cabinet minis-ter Theresa Villiers wrote that there was “no rea-son why security cooperation cannot continuebetween the UK and EU countries after a vote toleave. It is perfectly possible to make sucharrangements without subjecting ourselves to therequirements of EU membership”. She alsopointed to the EU’s record of criticising Israel.

The event comes two months after Jewish News co-hosted a hustings for the London mayoral race.• Readers’ letters, page 14

THE GOVERNMENT has insisted “safeguardsare in place” to ensure UK aid to pay Palestin-ian civil servants is not misused amid claims thatfunds could be helping pave the way forsalaries to terrorists.

Labour Friends of Israel’s Joan Ryan hascalled for the Department for InternationalDevelopment to suspend payments followingclaims from Palestinian Media Watch (PMW)that there was evidence the PA “effectively”continues to make such payments even thoughit may no longer directly do so.

The PA shut its Ministry of Prisoner Affairs in2014 and instead a PLO Commission of Pris-oner Affairs was set up. But the PA raised theamount it transfers to the PLO by 481 millionshekels to 775 million in 2015, according to thePA report, the same amount the PLO Commis-sion of Prisoners’ Affairs needed to take on theresponsibilities of the PA Ministry of Prisoners’Affairs, which was paying terrorists’ salaries.

DfID minister Desmond Swayne said: “UK aidto the PA is subject to rigorous scrutiny, withsafeguards in place to ensure it’s being used forproper development purposes.”

‘Safeguards’ on fundingA MOMENTUM ACTIVIST has been susfrom Labour after saying Zionists were “with Nazis” and that Labour was “seecurry favour with… the pro-Zionist lobbbeyond the media”.

Marlene Ellis, the chief executive of MoBlack ConneXions (MBC), published an oter to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn callinLondon Mayor Ken Livingstone’s suspenoutrage,” after he said Hitler was a Zioni

Addressing Corbyn, Ellis wrote: “It is othat your statement… plays right into the Zionist criminals.” On suspended LabourShah, who has apologised for suggestinJews be “transported” to the US, she sastatement is not so outrageous within the context and involvement of Zionists with

In the blog post, dated 4 May, Ellis refespeech last year by Benjamin Netanyahu, he said the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Hitler to “burn” Germany’s Jews.

“There appears to be an attempt to reblame of the Jewish Holocaust… onto ontinian,” she wrote. “What Zionism has perverted into is racist.”

Labour activist suspen

A theatre full ofaward winners!

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT

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13/40



14/40

EDITORIAL COMMENT AND READERS’ LETTERS


AN ABSURD PIECE OF EU SCAREMONGERINGJonathan Hoffman is plain wrong to scare-monger readers into thinking leaving the EUwould be a leap into the unknown ( JewishNews , 19 May). His comment is absurd. Heneedn’t be frightened. The unknowns heclaims ignorance of are far more excitingthan the known nightmares we now have.

To list a few: 1. Freedom; 2. Democracy;3. Democratic election of law-makers insteadof laws being conceived and contrived insecret by unelected and unaccountable peo-ple who have little else to occupy and justifytheir existence; 4. Cheaper butter, cheese andother farm products by not having to supportthe Common Agricultural Policy (doesn’t heremember the EU ‘butter mountain’ createdby costly subsidies?); 5. Cheaper wine bybeing able to access the EU ‘wine lake’; 6.

Cheaper fish by reclaiming our territorialwaters; 7. Saving the unnecessary and avoid-able costs of £50 million a day; 8. Peace of mind by not having to worry about whatever else the EU will dream up, to which it wants usto contribute towards or to be responsible for.

It is untruthful of Mr Hoffman to state: “TheUK must remain in the EU and use its seat atthe council table to advance market reformand national interests.”

Can he or anyone else please provide a listof anything the UK has actually achieved?

Melvyn AbrahamsEdgware

Jonathan Hoffman states the EU “hashelped to ensure 70 years of peace in Eu-rope” and therefore believes Britain shouldremain. But what he did not state is thatnever before have democracies gone to war with each other, and why would they?

He cites many economists and securityexperts saying we are better off in. Butthe same number of economists and securityexperts say we are better off out. And as fora leap in the dark, may I remind him thatwhen you change your job or make a largeinvestment, it is also a leap in the dark. Butwe make decisions based on facts and, insome cases, personal instincts.

Britain is the fifth largest economy in theworld, has the fourth largest army and hasa permanent seat on the UN security council.So many countries worldwide wish to tradewith Britain. I believe Europe (with an un-elected president and commission) will moveahead with its plans for a federal Europe

even faster for its own personal gain withouta care for the ordinary people of Europe.

Therefore, even though I love Europe andits wonderful history, I will vote ‘leave’ be-cause I want British people to take back thepower to elect a government and, if we don’tlike it, to kick it out four or five years later.

Sometimes it will make good laws for Britain and sometimes not, but it is a realdemocracy. In addition, the EU discriminatesagainst qualified doctors wishing to cometo Britain from India in favour of unqualifiedworkers from the former eastern Europe.

The best way to reform the EU, becauseit refuses to reform itself, is to vote ‘leave’.

James Marlow By email

A COMMUNITY RULEDBY THE UNELECTEDI strongly disapprove of Adam Wagner tryingto persuade British Jews to back the ‘remain’campaign (Jewish News , 12 May).

Both the EU and the European Court of Human Rights (and the UN for that matter)

were propelled by a post-war idewhich swiftly dissipated. The ECHRthan protecting citizens, puts themger: Britain is unable to deport twhose “human rights” might be immeanwhile, wider society itself is ho

The EU was sold to the British pea common market fostering “politicaand economic co-operation”, whereical union underscored the agenda.

The EU may have been founded foundation of common values – demequality and the rule of law”. In prais governed by unelected commisswe can’t remove and who diminish liament. There’s little point in electwith limited rule and MEPs with ntent rule when commissioners wpower; this is not democracy.

The mother of Parliaments which 800 years over 44 million UK subjehalf the globe, is redundant; our sov

has been pawned, the voter defraudAs for concern about the re-emergBritish nationalism: yes, it was once feel British – that feeling alone fouovercame tyranny on the contineyears ago and 130 years later.

It’s invalid to compare this situatthat in the US – which is a federstates bound by a common, sharitage, the same language and cultu

Would America give up its hard-wdoms and submit to the commissar

Rabbi MenahemSouth London an

SO, WILL SADIQ KH‘WALK THE WALKI have read the glowing reports affonew mayor Sadiq Khan in Jewish Ne

fact he attended a recent Yom HaShemony, that he said he wants tbridges with the Jewish people in and denouncing anti-Semitism wparty. He has certainly said all ththings so far.

However, call me a sceptic, but ha man who has shared platforms withextremists and lobbied for sanctionsIsrael, suddenly have a ‘road to Damoment and renounce these Doesn’t it all seem rather a coincide

Well, he’s talked the talk; let’s swalks the walk. Time will tell.

JudB

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

Letters to the Editor

It can’t be combed overAHEAD OF his UK visit thismonth, is The Trump per-sona non grata? To hear our community’s leaders,you’d certainly think so.

Why? It’s not that we’reHillary fans, necessarily, or that we have a fundamen-tal problem with Trump’shair, opposing it on princi-ple. His small hands don’tseem to be an issue.

And while his commentson women didn’t help,they’re not the deal-breaker. It’s not becausehe’s anti-Israel (he’s far fromit) and it’s not because he’s

Republican. We’re OK withRepublicans [depending onthe Republican].

It’s because he’s anti-eth-nic minority, or seems so.

Mexican rapists? Muslimsbanned? There’s populism,and then there’s lazyracism. Quite rightly, DavidCameron derided him as“divisive and wrong”.

And the Jewish commu-nity agrees.

We’re all for protectionand security. Many of us areright-wing in our views.

But there are limits.Trump is UKIP times 10.Trump is “rivers of blood,”primetime.

Unlike Israeli politicians,the Jewish community hereoften refrains from issuing

party-political broadsidesahead of US elections. Notthis time.

Some things just can’t becombed over.

Sketches kvetches

By Paul Solomons www.daftoons.com

‘Darn these new plastic fivepound notes!’

THIS WEEKEND’S SHABBAT TIMES

Shabbat comes in Friday night at

Shavuot comes in Saturday night at

Yom Tov comes in Sunday night at

Yom Tov goes out Monday night at

Sedra:

Bamidbar

21:01

22:32

22:33

22:33

Editorial Director Richard [email protected]

Head of Sales Russell Bahar020 7692 [email protected]

News Editor Justin Cohen020 7692 6952 justinc @thejn group.com

Foreign Editor Stephen Oryszczuk020 7692 [email protected]

Sports + Community Editor Andrew Sherwood020 7692 [email protected]

Features Editor Francine Wolfisz020 7692 [email protected]

Sub Editor Alex [email protected]

Online Editor Jack Mendel020 7692 6942 [email protected]

Production Manager Diane Spender020 7692 [email protected]

Production Designer

Jodie Goldfinger jodieg @thejn group.com

Production Designer Sarah [email protected]

SalesBeverley Sanford020 7692 [email protected]

JewishCONTACT DETAILS


15/40


THIS WEEK, Sir Philip Green, former owner of BHS,is to make his first public appearance before the

joint Work & Pensions and Business, Innovationand Skills Committees investigating the collapse.

Green feels he has a compelling case to tell.Even though he sold BHS to a three times bank-rupt Dominic Chappell for a mere pound just overa year ago, he claims he went through all the cor-rect steps. He is highly critical of the BHS pensionfund regulators for refusing to negotiate with himon a proper rescue plan for its 21,000 members.

He is also concerned his reputation has been

eviscerated without any reflection of his goodworks. In the public sphere is his support for fash-ion academies set up during the Blair/Brown years.He did unpaid work for the Cameron Cabinet Of-fice on finding efficiencies in government. Muchless known is the financial support he has providedto Jewish Care and other causes for British Jewry.Behind the blazing, excoriating headlines, Greenbelieves there is more than a hint of anti-Semitismin the relish with which he has been attacked.

The truth is that BHS’ demise is a devastatingevent. BHS, in its own way, had a special place inthe affections of millions of Britons. Founded inBrixton in 1928, it had earned a place in 164 highstreets across the land. It was especially loved forits lighting, homewares, school uniforms, women’shats and nightwear. The cultural ties, not least fromgenerations of Jewish women who bought their

Yom Tov hats there, was special. The real damage

is to the 11,000 employees (3,000 on contracts), the21,000 people in the company’s main pensionschemes, the suppliers and the high street itself.When a player of this scale vanishes, it leavesbehind dereliction and loss of trade all around.

Green’s Select Committee testimony will focuson the advisers. He will contend that Chappell’sadvisers, accountants Grant Thornton and lawfirm Olswang (which between them received£8.1m in fees) should have known better than toact for the Chappell vehicle Retail Acquisitions.

We’ll also learn that Green’s own advisers, pres-

tigious law firm Linklaters, relied on Olswang fordue diligence on Chappell and Retail Acquisitionsrather than do its own work. Green, through hisfinance director, did receive a warning from Gold-man Sachs’ Anthony Gutman that Chappell wasnot to be fully trusted (then congratulated Greenon the deal in an email!). The affair is also in dangerof casting a shadow over the unblemished recordof jurist Lord Grabiner who, despite being chair of Green’s private company Taveta, was missing fromthe boardroom at which the BHS sale was agreed.

The issue of what happens to BHS’ pensionfunds is the one that has evoked loudest moralindignation. It is alleged Green sold BHS with scantregard to the £572m hole in retirement provision.Documents released by Green and the PensionsRegulator show that is not strictly true. Green didmake attempts to secure an agreement to helpmend the pension fund, but was coolly received by

the regulator. His first offer was to put £40m directlyinto the fund and provide a further £40 against BHSinventories. Now that most of the stock has beensold off, that part of the offer is moribund.

The fund has, or will be, passed to the PensionsProtection Fund run by Alan Rubenstein. Under thePPF rules, future pensioners will see benefits cut im-mediately by 10 percent. Those who spent their life-time saving for a pension that would pay out morethan £37,000 will see it capped at that level.

I’ve seen a letter from one ex-senior execu-tive of BHS whose pension will automatically re-

duce from £90,000 to £37,000. Green couldeventually be required to provide one-third of the shortfall – some £190m.

The Topshop boss has his own ideas for restruc-turing the pension fund so that the 21,000 employ-ees would not suffer the PPF required reduction.He claims the Pension Regulator has been unwill-ing to engage, as it has all along – the regulatordenies this. One cannot but think that, in the end,Green will be required to write a big cheque.

The whole affair is an embarrassment for theJewish community at a moment when anti-Semi-tism has been such a headline theme. Unfair asit may be, the BHS affair feeds into a narrative of wealthy Jewish entrepreneurs taking advantageof ordinary people. That is why I hope Green willsee sense and make a grand financial gesture tothe pension fund, which would help to see thisscandal wither on the vine.

Alex BrummCity Edit

Daily M

‘The whole BHS affaan embarrassment for

Jewish community when aSemitism has made headlin

Philip, do the right thingand write a big cheque

OPINION: BRIAN GORDON

ALEX BRUMMER

WHEN PEOPLE asked me early on in the refer-endum campaign if I was for Remain or Brexit,I declared myself “very reluctantly pro-Remain”.

I said that for all the EU’s faults, staying withinwas a matter of “better the devil you know thanthe one you don’t”. After the massive debateto which the country has been subjected, I nowbelieve the benefits of remaining in are out-weighed by the burdens.

The overriding burden is bureaucracy. TheEU – its Commission, parliament, judiciary andcolossal civil service – employs thousands of people, many in pointless jobs. It costs billionsanually to maintain. The so-called richer coun-tries like Britain contribute on a totally dispro-portionate basis.

Then there is legislative interference. Stiflingvolumes of rules and regulations are churned

out within Europe on almost every conceivableissue. They range from environment to healthand safety, employment, food control and“human rights”. No longer is the UK in controlof its own affairs. No longer is the Westminster Parliament really sovereign.

As for immigration, I would be among thefirst to argue in favour of hospitality to refugees.That includes, believe it or not, Syrians, for whose welcome I led a motion at Barnet Coun-cil. Thousands of Jews were destitute and state-less not so long ago. Where would many of usbe now if countries such as Britain had nottaken them in?

However, the open-border ethos of the EU

has enabled millions to migrate here from east-ern Europe purely for economic reasons. Theybenefit from a buoyant economy and exces-sively generous welfare state, at the expense of British taxpayers. David Cameron promisedto bring immigration under control. The latestfigures show just the opposite.

All the burdens to which I have alluded arerelevant to Jews, as to all other integratedBritish citizens. And on specifically Jewishissues there are equally strong causes for con-cern. The EU has a strong pro-Arab bias.It gives large sums of money to the corrupt, ter-rorist- sponsoring Palestinian Authority. Its res-olutions are viciously critical of Israel, with theboycott, divestment and sanctions momementoften prominent on its agenda. Do we reallywant Britain to continue to be part of it?

Extremist Islamic activity , particularly terror-ism, poses a continuous threat to thecontinent’s security, which will be further exac-erbated if Turkey joins the EU. Its influenceamong Muslim youth breeds hatred, anti-Semitism and contempt for our democratic so-ciety. A consequent backlash here has been analarmist obsession with countering “extrem-ism” and protecting “British values”. It hasgenerated a sinister secularist campaign withincertain establishment echelons to underminereligion and faith education as a whole. Jewishschools are suffering unfairly, and future teach-ing regulations from the EU could make thingseven worse.

Then there is the festering conspiracy withinEurope to interfere with shechita under theduplicitous banner of animal welfare. If EUlaws are passed against shechita, Britain wouldbe affected, whether it likes it or not. Not farbehind is the equally-virulent anti-circumcisionlobby, waiting to pounce.

Remain campaigners argue that by stayingin, Britain can exercise a moderating influence.However, one country among 27 can have pre-cious little effect. Moreover, if a Corbyn-ledLabour government were ever to be elected, itwould undoubtedly support all that’s bad withinthe EU, exploiting it to advance its new socialistpan-Islamist agenda.

An unfortunate consequence of a Brexitvictory would be the likely resignation of aprime minister who is a genuine friend of the

Jewish community. With his stridency, Cameronhas effectively staked his political future on stay-ing in the EU. However, his likely successor would be Boris Johnson or Michael Gove, bothof whom have excellent track records on Jewishissues and Israel. So the leadership questionneed not sway us.

Weighing it up, my eggs have rolled into theBrexit basket. But I’m not passionate about it.I don’t see the referendum as a make or break.Whatever the result, Anglo-Jewry shouldaccept it graciously. We should continue to beloyal, patriotic British citizens, observing our Torah and making the best of our future –whether we are out or in.

Brian Gord

‘Jewish schools are alresuffering unfairly and fut

EU teaching regulaticould make things wo

Benefits of staying in EU

have been outweighedConservative Counci

Bar


16/40


UK NEWS PINION: MAAJID NAWAZ ZAKI COOPER

QUITTING EUROPEAN information sharingstructures would be a dangerous experimentthat might have lasting effects on our intelli-gence and, ultimately, our safety.

Of course, there is little point in arguingabout the quality of Britain’s intelligence serv-ices. Despite this week’s revealed divisions be-tween MI5 and MI6 during the “war on terror”,it is undeniable that our spy agencies areamong the best and most efficient in theworld. Thanks to a combination of first-classcapabilities of both the Secret IntelligenceService and GCHQ and remarkably close inter-agency cooperation British intelligence hasachieved better results than any other Euro-pean intelligence service.

While I agree with my friend and Quilliam’s

managing director Haras Rafiq, who has writtensupporting Leave, that Britain’s intelligence co-operation will and should continue to takeplace bilaterally and with the Five Eyes alliance,efficient information sharing with continentalEurope will be absolutely crucial in the years tocome.

As Quilliam researcher Julia Ebner and I out-line in our report The EU and Terrorism: IsBritain Safer In or Out?, there are various rea-sons why it would be a bad idea to leave EUstructures from a security perspective.

We may shake our heads at poor intelli-gence gathering capabilities in Belgium orcomplain about the ridiculously inefficient in-formation sharing between their many uncoor-dinated agencies.

Yet, isolat ing ourselves to escape their in-competency will not help us fight the full-blown

jihadist insurgency that is underway on our con-tinent and across the world.

We need to make sure that our partners on

the other side of the Channel get better atwhatever they are doing because their safetyultimately translates to our safety.

Whether we close our borders to EU citizensor not, Brussels will still be only two hours away.

Our Jewish communities know only too wellthe historic cost of turning a blind eye to amurderous ideology rising on the continent.The last time we faced such a continent-widethreat – for Nazism too was fully prepared to

justify killing anyone in it s wa y – intelligencecooperation was crucial in bringing it to heel.

Indeed, the genesis of an ever-evolving Eu-ropean Union was born from precisely this bit-ter experience.

While in terms of mentality and function we

might be closer to our partners in the US, geo-graphically we have always shared immediatesecurity threats with our European counterpartsbefore the Americans.

With the decline of al-Qaeda and the emer-gence of ISIS we have seen a new threat land-scape evolve that has thrived more onEuropean ground than it has anywhere else.

Former Head of Global Counter-TerrorismOperations at MI6 Richard Barrett told our re-searcher that as terrorists today are “morelikely to be Francophone than Anglophone”cooperation with French and the Belgians hasbecome much more important than a decadeago when most threats were emanating fromPakistan and Afghanistan.

In recent years this has translated into morecooperation with Europe; in particular GCHQhas engaged more actively with Europeanpartners.

Adding to our existing cooperation with theUS and Five Eyes countries by diversifying ourintelligence sharing partners can only be agood thing. Continental European agencieshave different geographic expertise that we

can tap into.For example, the French, Spanish and Dutch

have better visibility in North Africa and theSahel and the Polish have good insights whenit comes to Russia.

The same is true for thematic s pecialisations:the EU and in particular Europol is already ourprimary reference when we deal with cyberthreats and weapons of mass destruction.

It is true that bilateral cooperation can con-tinue outside of the EU but to leave would bea waste of existing structures and relationshipsthat we have tirelessly built up since that lastcommon ideological foe that arose before theSecond World War.

Automatic sharing of bulk data on passen-

gers and vehicles allows us to track back suspi-cious individuals and check their DNA againstEuropean databases, which is crucial for thework of our law-enforcement bodies and cansignificantly accelerate crime investigations.

It is only from within the EU that Britain canactively shape the development of these im-portant information sharing agreements andcan push for the reforms that are desperatelyneeded to make Europe safer.

Our German and French sister agencies willbe everything but delighted at our departurefrom the European family. Even if they will stillwant to continue sharing information with us,we should bear in mind that intelligence is asleast as much about trust as it is about capa-bilities. If we violate their trust, our European

partners will think twice before providing uswith data. This hesitation in itself can lead todangerous gaps and time lags in intelligencesharing.

The lengthy, tedious renegotiation processthat will likely follow a Leave vote will not onlybe accompanied by high transaction costs butalso lead to temporarily discontinued or un-certain access to data sharing mechanisms.

This ‘discontinuity of leaving’, as we call it inour report, could leave us more exposed toParis-style terrorist attacks.

Terrorists are good at sensing and exploitinggaps that arise.

Concerns regarding the security of informa-tion are understandable and although intelli-gence should be a team game it is importantthat we keep playing according to our rules.

EU law does not oblige us to commit to anyinformation sharing arrangements that we notwant to be part of.

Intelligence is never self-sufficient. Taking for

granted that our expertise will stay among thebest, is risky and irrational in the light of therapidly moving and complex c hallenges thatthe intelligence world is confronted with today.

In times like these, where threats can movefrom the offline to the online space and fromone country to the next within a matter of sec-onds, it is indispensable to strengthen ratherthan weaken cooperation both internationallyand regionally.

For all these reasons and more, I declare myposition for us to Remain in the EU. Althoughwe may perceive our secret agents as inde-structible James Bonds, in reality they have lim-ited resources and capacity. And they certainlydo not drive Aston Martins.

Maajid NawAuthor and founding ch

man of Quilli

‘Jews know too well historic cost of turninblind eye to murder

ideology in Euro

IF WE are lucky enough to reach 90, most of uswould want to take it easy. According to Ethicsof the Fathers , 90 is the age to stoop. But theQueen, whose 90th birthday celebrations takeplace on 10 to 12 June, is still very active andshows little sign of s lowing down.

As a community, we can reflect on positiverelations with the Queen over the 64 years of her reign. We have said a prayer for her everyweek in shul, and she has reigned with consis-tency and equanimity.

Community members have been feted at

investitures and receptions. She has supportedhundreds of charities, giving her patronage tothe likes of Norwood and the Council of Chris-tians and Jews.

Memorably, the Queen hosted a reception for the Jewish community in 2006 to mark the 350thanniversary of the resettlement of Jews in the UK.

Ironically, this event, a seminal moment inAnglo-Jewish history occurred under Cromwell’swatch in 1656 during the interregnum, the brief period in the mid-17th century when we had arepublic. However, the harmonious relationshipenjoyed by the community with the Queennowadays is in stark contrast to the situation inthe Middle Ages.

In that era, the Jewish community was perse-cuted in Britain – and the Crown, along with theChurch, was part of this culture of hostility.

The 16,000 Jews were expelled when theKing, Edward I (1272–1307), issued the edict of expulsion in July 1290, which coincided withTisha B’Av in the Jewish calendar.

Even though the Jewish community wasnot officially to return for almost 400 years, Henry

VIII (1509-47) ordered a copy of the BombergTalmud, as he was looking for loopholes to over-come the Catholic prohibition on divorce, whichwould allow him to marry Anne Boleyn.

After the resettlement, the community enjoyed good relations with monarchs. Under George III (1760–1820), the Board of Deputieswas founded when the community sent a depu-tation to visit the new King.

Queen Victoria’s long reign (1837-1901) saw aclose bond with the financier and philanthropistSir Moses Montefiore, originating from the time

he allowed the young Princess Victoria family to use his holiday home in Ramsg

Relations with the community reachedpoint during the reign of Edward VII1910). The King was close to a number ish figures and financiers, includinRothschilds, the Sassoons and Sir Ernestwho was known as “Windsor Cassel”.

The King also greatly admired thChief Rabbi Hermann Adler, appointinCommander of the Victorian Order.

The community has had its ups andwith the monarchy but, under this Quhave certainly been in safe hands.• Zaki Cooper, a former assistant press sec

the Queen, will give a talk at JW3 today, T9 June at 7.30pm, on ‘The Monarchy in 10 Details at: www jw org uk

ZAKI

COOPER

Record-breaking monarch has kept us in safe han

UK must not isolate itself just

to escape EU incompetency


17/40


OPINION: RABBI MIRIAM BERGER AND MARK MAIERPINION LYN JULIUS

IN THE lead-up to Shavuot this weekend, we havebeen commemorating a little-known event of 75years ago. The Nazi-inspired pogrom, the Farhud,sounded the death knell for Iraq’s ancient Jewishcommunity. It heralded the ethnic cleansing of 99percent of Jews from Arab countries.

At a moving ceremony last week attended by300 people and Israeli ambassador Mark Regev,eight children lit candles for each of the defunctJewish communities in Arab countries. Twenty-seven notes were blown on a plaintive shofar torepresent the 27 centuries that Jews had livedcontinuously in Iraq since the Babylonian exile.

My mother remembers those fateful two days inJune 1941, when her aunt’s terrified Jewish cookpounded the door pleading to be let in, saying:“I was on a bus, and the Muslims were pulling theJewish passengers out and killing them. I said I wasa Christian.”

At least 180 Jews died in Baghdad and else-where (the figure could be 600); 1,000 werewounded, homes and shops destroyed or looted, women raped and babies mutilated.

Two months earlier, as Field Marshal Rommellooked victorious in North Africa, pro-Nazi offi-cers, led by Rashid Ali al-Ghailani, seized power in Iraq. Britain routed the coup leaders – but notbefore the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Aminal-Husseini, then in Baghdad, had incited murder and mayhem against the Jewish “fifth column”.

Jews, wearing their Shavuot best had ventured

out to greet the returning pro-British Regent, onlyto be ambushed by an armed Arab mob. TerrifiedJews barricaded themselves inside their housesor ran for their lives across the flat rooftops.

The Farhud (Arabic for “violent dispossession”)marked an irrevocable break between Jews andArabs in Iraq. A question mark hovers over the roleof the British: encamped on the city outskirts, theydelayed intervening until the looting had spread toMuslim districts. Yet the victims’ screams could beheard by British ambassador Kinahan Cornwallis.

Loyal and productive citizens comprising athird of Baghdad, the Jews had not known any-thing like it in living memory. Before the victims’blood ran dry, army and police warned Jews notto testify against the murderers and looters.

The Jews understood they had no place in anindependent Iraq. Fear of a second Farhud was amajor reason why 90 percent of Iraq’s Jews fled

to Israel after 1948. But the Farhud was not justanother anti-Jewish pogrom.

The Nazi supporters who planned it had a moresinister objective: the round-up, deportation andextermination in desert camps of the Iraqi Jews.

The inspiration behind the coup, and the Farhuditself, came from the Grand Mufti. Exiled to Iraqby the British in 1939, he whipped up anti-Jewishfeeling. Nazi radio propaganda brainwashed anilliterate populace. On the eve of the Farhud, theFutuwwa Nazi youth brigade daubed Jewish homeswith a red palm print. Before he was deported, the

anti-Semitic governor of Baghdad al-Sabawi –together with the Mufti and Rashid Ali, he spent therest of the war in Berlin – instructed the Jews to stayat home so they could more easily be rounded up.

The Farhud cemented a wartime Arab-Nazialliance designed to rid Palestine, and the world,of Jews. As Regev said, honourable Arabs andMuslims saved Jews, but far too many supportedNazism and identified with its genocidal aims. Hecalled on today’s Palestinians, instead of reveringthe Mufti, to condemn his virulent anti-Semitism.

The uprooting of the 140,000 Jews of Iraqfollowed a Nazi pattern of victimisation – dena-tionalisation, dispossession and expulsion. TheArab League’s Nuremberg-style laws criminalisedZionism, freezing Jewish bank accounts, institut-ing job and travel bans. The result was the exo-dus of nearly a million Jews from the Arab world.

More Jews died than on Kristallnacht, yet get-

ting the Farhud recognised as a Shoah event hasbeen a struggle. Only recently did Israel grantFarhud survivors Holocaust reparations.Thanksto the determined efforts of a few, such as USwriter Edwin Black, the Farhud’s 75th anniversaryhas been commemorated this year in New York,Washington, London and Jerusalem.

In spite of its solemnity, our London commem-oration ended on a note of hope: the candle lit by Vered Regev to represent Israel burned brightly.

As the shofar played out the Hatikvah, the audi-ence leapt to its feet with a rousing chorus.

Lyn JuliCo-found

Ha

‘The Arab LeaguNuremberg-style laws

the exodus of almone million Je

The Farhud: the Arab world’s

long-forgotten Kristallnacht

In making The Promise to leave a legacy gift to UJIA, Bill Benjamin

will continue to make his mark on the Jewish story. He will be helping

to secure the future of the Jewish people, both in the UK and in Israel.

Join him in making The Promise, and receive free expert legal advice*

on drafting your Will, and ensuring your estate planning is as tax-efficient

as possible. We can also be the Executor for your estate,and support you

on these and related matters during your lifetime.

Please call Harvey Bratt, UJIA Director of Legacies & Planned Giving,

on 020 7424 6431 or email [email protected] to receive your free

copy of The Promise & You.

THIS WORK NEEDS TO

CONTINUE LONG AFTERI’M GONE. THAT’S WHYI’VE MADE THE PROMISE.- Bill Benjamin, ujia chairman

www.ujia.org/thepromise

For full UJIA definitions, please visit www.ujia.org/definitions UJIA Legacy Services Ltd. is registered in England No. 8005139. United Jewish Israel Appeal is a registered charity in England and Wales

No. 1060078 and in Scotland No. Sc 039181. A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 3295115. Registered office: 1 Torriano Mews, London NW5 2RZ. *Terms & conditions apply

A member of

Jewish Legacy

Watch my video at www.uj ia. org/thepromise


18/40


19/40


WORKING WITH NORWOOD T: 020 8809 8809 W: www.norwood.org.uk E: [email protected]

Jonathan Arkush, president of the Boardof Deputies of British Jews joined 70members of Sutton & District Synagogueto celebrate an early Yom YerushalayimShabbaton. Speaking on how buildingbridges with British Muslim communitiesis essential, he said: “We have an impor-tant common agenda of protectingand defending ourcore religious prac-tices of shechita/halal and brit milah/circumcision, to-gether with faithschools and thevital role of faithcommunities in oursociety.”

Nearly 1,000 schoolchildren across London and Manchester participated ina GIFT flower collection for local families in honour of Shavuot. NancyReuben Primary School donated their flowers in memory of Liora Rosenberg,which will be distributed through the flower gemach, launched this week inher name in conjunction with GIFT.

UJIA joins shul for Jerusalem brunch

Jewish Care’s ADGS Golf Day at DyrhamPark saw 76 players raise £18,000 for theLawrence Fisher Fund. The money will go tosupport services for people living withdementia, Jewish Care’s Sam Beckman Day

Centre for people living with dementia andthe Alzheimer’s Society ‘singing for the brain’sessions.

Sunridge Courthonours Queen

Finchley-based produc-tion company VanillaFilms picked up a Grand

Prix Award for its power-ful three-minute videoThrough M y Eyes, whichwas commissioned bylearning disability charityKisharon. Dr BeverleyJacobson, Kisharon chief executive, said: “It’simportant to Kisharonthat our films, in additionto their fundraising func-tion, serve to challengesocietal views and advo-cate for individuals withlearning challenges.”

Kisharon’s film challenge

GIFT donates flowers for Liora

Sunridge Court residential care home held atea party in honour of the Queen’s birthday.Residents, along with their family and friends,indulged in their own garden party style food,including biscuits in the shape of Her Majesty’s

silhouette. The room was decorated withbunting and flags and everyone received a facemask of the Queen.

Norwood has been cel-ebrating the invaluablecontribution made byits volunteers, in recog-nition of National Vol-unteers’ Week. Thecharity’s Jennie Whar-ram said: “Norwood re-lies on the hard work,energy and enthusiasmof more than 700 volun-teers who work rightacross the organisation,in every area and atevery level. This weekwe say a special thankyou to them all.”

Norwood thanks its helpersUJIA’s chief executiveMichael Wegier, and EmmaBergen, community en-gagement manager, joinedWoodside Park Synagoguefor a special Yom Yerusha-layim brunch. Wegier dis-cussed the challenges of how the different communi-ties of Jerusalem must learnto be “respectful and re-specting” of each other,while Senior Rabbi Hacken-

broch spoke of howJerusalem continues to beour focus in life and prayers.

Sutton’s special Shabbaton

WE’LL TAKE YOU OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING TRULY AMAZING.

CYCLE, TREK OR RUN.

EUROPE, AFRICA OR ASIA.

CHANGE YOUR LIFE. CHANGE OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES.Places are limited and lling fast. Registration fees and minimum fundraising target

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Sign up for a Norwood 2016 challenge today at

www.norwood.org.uk/challenges.

Picture: John Rifkin

Jewish Care golfday raises £18k


20/40


Pulse community

P h o t o s b y D o v S m i t h P r o d u c t i o n s

World-renowned Orthodox singer Yaakov Shwekey stole theshow at JFS on Sunday, leading Mizrachi UK’s YomYerushalayim celebrations in a concert performed in front of

hundreds of people. It was Mizrachi UK’s third annualcelebration of the reunification of Jerusalem, with director Joshua Pomerance saying: “The atmosphere was incredibleand a true reflection of the appetite that exists in our community to celebrate and rejoice in the success of theState of Israel.” Rabbi Andrew Shaw, the group’s new chiefexecutive, paid tribute to the “record number of people,”noting the huge growth of religious Zionism in the UK over recent years. The organisation says it “sees Jewish nationalismas a tool for achieving religious objectives”.

Shwekey leads celebrations

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P h o t o s b y J o h n

R i f k i n

Pulse community

Israel’s ambassador Mark Regev and his wifeVered opened their London home to cele-brate Yom Yerushalayim in conjunction withthe Jerusalem Foundation. Businessman andTory party treasurer Lord (Howard) Leigh, whois the foundation’s chairman, was among theguests honouring the 50-year anniversary ofthe birth of the organisation, set up in 1966 bylegendary city mayor Teddy Kollek. SeveralLondon families have been invited toJerusalem by the foundation in September, tomeet the Israeli prime minister and president.Leigh said: “We’re very grateful toAmbassador Regev for inviting us to be thefirst community charity to come to the newambassador’s home.”

Joy for Jerusalem


23/40


2 Keeping shtum can speak volumeAuthor’s debut novel provides a moving glimpse in

the challenges of coping with autism See page

‘MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE

Like many others who survived, Ha ï m Lipskyremains haunted by memories of theHolocaust. Now aged 94 and living inHaifa, the Polish-born survivor seldomspeaks about his wartime experiences

and – had it not been for a stage productionbased on his life – few would ever know howthe talented violinist was forced to play ac-companiments to the hanging of innocent pris-oners at a concentration camp in Poznan, or survived thanks to the scant remnants of foodthrown to him by Polish guards after playingChristmas carols for them.

Indeed, his recollections of playing in theorchestra at Auschwitz or on the Death March

to Germany would have been lost forever.But when French-Jewish director GeraldGarutti was told about Lipsky’s incredible taleof survival, he knew instantly that his storyneeded to be saved for posterity.

“I regarded it as a necessity, as a testimonyto Holocaust history. In a way, it was myresponsibility to do this,” says Garutti, writer and director of Haï m – In The Light Of A Violin ,which has been translated by Christopher Hampton and premieres in the UK this week-end at the Print Room in Notting Hill.

The production, which combines narrative(as told by French actress Mélanie Doutey) withclassical and klezmer music, was a four-year labour of love for Garutti and has alreadyenjoyed sell-out performances in Paris andSwitzerland. He first came across the story after meeting Lipsky’s daughter, Shifra, in 2008.

Feeling a compulsion to start working on the

project, Garutti admitshe was concernedabout adapting Haim’shaunting experiencesinto a play.

“How is it possibleto say that which itis impossible to sayon stage?” reflectsGarutti, who directedNotes From Under-ground at the PrintRoom in 2014. “Whatwas important to me isthat the audience were

connected to the rootsof this extraordinarystory.”

To do so, Garuttineeded to speak toLipsky first-hand.

A few initial meet-ings, organised duringvisits to Israel to seehis family from France,unfortunately yieldedfew details.

“The only thing hesaid about Auschwitz was that he got awayfrom it. I tried to ask him more, but I didn’twant to push him back into those dark places.He was far more open to speaking about thehappier moments of his life, before the war.”

Of the latter, Lipsky told him about his earlylife growing up in a Chasidic family. The

youngest of eight chil-dren, he was justa child when he devel-oped a love for classi-cal music, particularlythe violin. He recalledsneaking into concertsat the Lodz Philhar-monic Orchestra, sothat he could listen tothe great performersof the time, such asArthur Rubinstein, Bro-nislav Hubermann andJoseph Szigeti.

As related in theplay, after the outbreakof the Second WorldWar, the youngteenager and his fam-ily were forced into theLodz ghetto. Lipsky’smusical talent gothim accepted into theadult orchestra ofthe ghetto, conducted

by the great pianistTeodor Ryder – and so

began the one constant in his life that wouldsee him survive through moments of suppres-sion, brutality and death: his violin.

Garutti undertook an immense amount of re-search, looking through testimonies of survivorsand their families, to try to explore the yearsabout which Lipsky could not speak, prompting

the director to explain that the play hwritten with “words, music and silence”

He also garnered information from daughter and grandson, Naaman Sluchhas inherited Lipsky’s musical talent as ist and was part of the cast after the shopened.

Following the war, Lipsky moved twith his new wife and two changes oEmotionally wounded by his expeand having lost his entire family, excebro