[{"id":"1.464748","headline":"Charedi schools are a true model of British values","subheadline":"Ofsted has got it wrong in penalising strictly Orthodox schools, says a former student","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;The last few months have witnessed the words “British values” being used as a battering ram to demolish the schools of the strictly Orthodox Jewish community, which collectively educate thousands of children.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e The powers entrusted to Ofsted inspectors have been used out of all proportion. Visits upon visits, criticisms upon criticisms have been piled on the Charedi community, all for the sin of having a different value system.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e The fact that these very same schools educate some of the most law-abiding citizens of the United Kingdom is ignored. The fact that these children are being educated in schools where violence and drug use is unknown is ignored. The fact that the children are happy and well taken care of is ignored.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e What the inspectorate thinks important is “British values”— a euphemism for a set of values completely at odds with the beliefs of the strictly Orthodox community. The words “male”, “female”, “marriage”, “family”, among others, which until two decades had an unequivo \u0026nbsp;cal meaning, have been reduced to nebulous and murky definitions; and the powers-that-be at Ofsted have decided to make an example of the Orthodox community for not going along with this alarming social experiment.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e These are not British values. This is not the England to which Manasseh ben Israel in his Humble Address to His Highness the Lord Protector aspired , when he appealed to Oliver Cromwell in 1655: “ that ye would, according to that piety and power, wherein you are eminent beyond others, vouchsafe to grant, that the great and glorious name of the Lord our God may be extolled and solemnly worshipped and praised by us through all the bounds of the Commonwealth, and to grant us place in your country, that we may have our synagogues and free exercise of our religion.”\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e This was the England to which my great-great-grandparents fled — a country which placed no condition or limitation to being a Jew other than that of being an upstanding citizen. This was the England where I was educated, not all that long ago. I was provided a classical religious Jewish education in a Charedi school, an education which no doubt would keep the current band of Ofsted inspectors fretful and sleepless. And yet, as an adult I have had no problems navigating the secular world successfully, researching and lecturing in university. \u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e These days I have chosen to go back and study in kollel in Israel, where I am expected to devote all my time to the study of Talmud and halachah. (Writing for the JC is not part of the curriculum, hence my writing under a nom-de-plume.) Most of my peers are a credit to their community and to the society in which they function. Some have achieved great success either in business or in the sciences. They are the results of the best of what England as a country has to offer.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e These so called “British values” are actually continental values. They are French values, when during the Reign of Terror that followed the Revolution, tens of thousands were killed in the name of “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”. They are the values of the Yevsektsiya (Communist Jewish section), which closed down thousands of Jewish schools in post-revolutionary Russia. In fact, using government power to suppress freedom of religious thought, is the hallmark of extremist regimes throughout history.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e A tolerant, free and multicultural society is not one where everyone shares the same core beliefs — that would be a monocultural society reminiscent of North Korea — but rather one where many disparate, divergent and contradictory values live at peace with one another. Using progressive-sounding phrases such as “British values” or “preparing youngsters for life in modern-day Britain” cannot hide the fact that tens of thousands of British citizens live in fear of the day when these phrases will be used to destroy their way of life.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e The best example of British values, I would argue, is actually within the \u0026nbsp;strictly Orthodox Jewish community. This is a community with attitudes and a code of conduct vastly different to those of its surroundings. The make-up of the community, the way they educate their children, the goals the individuals set for themselves, their belief system, their hopes and aspirations, are undeniably unique and different.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e Yet, this is a community which prays regularly for the stability of the government. This is a community which supports strong ties with their elected representatives and the local police force, as any civic council member will tell you. Their rabbis believe strongly the Jewish way is the correct way of life, yet they cultivate positive relations with their non-Jewish neighbours.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e At parades and demonstrations which promote values antithetical to Jewish values, the Jewish community has a firm policy of non-interference and letting others behave as they see fit. Judaism believes moral people of all nations will have a share in the world to come. You will not hear of Jewish fanatics who go off to the Judean desert to learn bomb-making skills so that they can blow up their local church or mosque. Neither do religious Jews run wildly down the street holding a knife and screaming Yehei Shmei Rabbah (“May His Great Name Be Blessed”).\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e Two thousand years of diaspora living have taught the Jews a thing or two about getting on with others. If the Ofsted inspectors were truly intent on creating an open and pluralistic society, then instead of seeking to educate the Jewish community, they would do well to learn from them.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe author is a student at a kollel in Israel. Leibel Black is a pseudonym\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464748.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/education/education-features/charedi-schools-are-a-true-model-of-british-values-1.464748","publication_date":"May 30, 2018 9:39:16 AM","section":"Education features","modification_date":"May 30, 2018 10:12:26 AM","author":"Leibel Black","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464747:1527669574/F160904NS037.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d19527d6","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464705","headline":"I’m not anti-Corbyn enough for some, so they say I’m not a ‘real Jew’ because I’m a convert","subheadline":"Charlotte Nichols says the abuse she faces illustrates the outrageous double standards Jews-by-choice face","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI was heartened to see Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner\u0026nbsp;say that abuse over political differences threatens to put our community on a path to “self-destruction”.\u0026nbsp;As someone on the receiving end of much of this abuse, I could not agree more.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the last week alone, I have been accused of attending (or even organising) \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/gaza-palestine-israel-jewish-meretz-uk-saying-kaddish-hamas-1.464359\"\u003ethe controversial Kaddish for Gaza\u003c/a\u003e, told I should not be allowed within a hundred miles of Jewish children, labelled a bully and a fraud, a \u0026quot;vociferous critic of Israel\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp;and someone who \u0026quot;attacks Jews\u0026quot;.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI\u0027ve\u0026nbsp;had strangers trawl my family’s social media to “prove” I’m not Jewish, been repeatedly likened to Rachel Dolezal\u0026nbsp;and been sent thousands of messages including many so abusive that I have had to get the police involved.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis harassment campaign has led people to maliciously contact my employer, my synagogue, the Movement for Reform Judaism, the Jewish press, and the Labour Party, culminating\u0026nbsp;in a piece published in the national press admonishing me for the ‘chutzpah’ of speaking about antisemitism on the left as a relatively recent convert to Judaism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy experience illustrates\u0026nbsp;the outrageous double standards Jews-by-choice are held to.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.461827\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.461827/corb.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOne of the big points of contention is that I did not disclose my convert status in \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/why-jeremy-corbyn-should-be-applauded-for-going-to-the-jewdas-seder-1.461818\"\u003ea previous piece for the JC\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;about\u0026nbsp;the Jewdas seder, or that I describe myself as ‘Jewish’ without qualifying it in any way, as though this were some great deception.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePreviously, my status was informal.\u0026nbsp;I have identified as Jewish and been an active part of my local synagogue community, both in the US and in the UK\u0026nbsp;for a number of years.\u0026nbsp;When\u0026nbsp;I left the mikvah,it was made formal.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI am Jewish.\u0026nbsp;That is a statement of fact.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe conversion process is a gruelling one, and the idea that anyone undertakes it for reasons other than a sincere love of Judaism is as offensive as it is patronising.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt ignores all that is involved in conversion- taking on Jewish practice, changing your diet, learning a new language and festival calendar, intensive learning on aspects of Jewish theology, law and custom. It means trying to navigate your way to something that feels comfortable and authentic, all the while risking your personal and familial relationships, and knowing that whatever you do, you’ll never be a \u0026quot;good enough\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp;Jew for some in the community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePolitically, it’s brought me far greater grief than benefit (as a cursory glance at the replies on any tweet criticising Ken Livingstone, for example, should make\u0026nbsp;clear).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor people who lack the integrity to say outright that converts are lesser Jews, there has been this odd notion that there is some sort of nebulous time-limit during which time Jews-by-choice should defer to them.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is no universal Jewish experience, nor any individual or group who can claim to speak with authority on behalf of a community so diverse in its beliefs, practices and opinions. I have never claimed an experience that isn’t mine by talking about a Jewish family I don’t have, or a Jewish childhood that I didn’t experience. But I have every right to speak my own Jewish truth.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’ve spent over a decade on the Labour left, holding local, regional and national positions in the party. When I first began to speak openly about my conversion with friends and comrades, there was a fairly mixed reaction\u0026nbsp;but I’ve been able to bring them with me through sharing it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s not a particularly wild idea that I might have something worth contributing to the debate about how to tackle left antisemitism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDebate and disagreement is a fundamental part of living in a democracy.\u0026nbsp;Seeing my faith attacked to delegitimise my beliefs and demonstrably-untrue statements being bandied around is vile. It seems intended to stamp out any dissent by self-appointed community gatekeepers.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eImagine how boring it would be if we all agreed about everything all the time. It’s also, dare I say, pretty un-Jewish: the Talmud wouldn’t exist, for starters, if disagreement was something out-of-bounds.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe can all be guilty of lashing out sometimes\u0026nbsp;but that cannot be the starting point for a serious conversation. What makes the rich tapestry of the Jewish community so beautiful is as much about what makes us different as what makes us the same. It’s time we started celebrating that, instead of trying to shut it down.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464705.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/jewish-convert-kaddish-gaza-charlotte-nichols-1.464705","publication_date":"May 29, 2018 1:30:30 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 29, 2018 1:48:34 PM","author":"Charlotte Nichols","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"Charlotte Nichols","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464713:1527598086/jpg.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9d14ecb","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464638","headline":"The personal is political","subheadline":"As a Jew it\u0027s hard to remain neutral when it comes to politics, finds our student blogger Asha Sumroy","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOne of the only conditions I was presented with when asked to be a student blogger for the \u003cem\u003eJC\u003c/em\u003e was to not use the pieces as a ‘personal political platform’. Priding myself on being an opinionated and politically charged but considerate individual I figured this wouldn’t be too much of a challenge. Especially realising a few weeks into my time at Durham that, as universities go, it made it surprisingly easy to be Jewish and not be challenged on Israel or religion or, actually, anything.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYet, every time I sit down to write these blogs I always feel like I’m reigning myself in, scared of crossing the imaginary line of ‘political’. I gradually realised that to a huge extent the soul of personal writing comes from ideologically, politically and thus emotionally charged, thought and opinion. And so I\u0027ve aimed to (and succeeded, apparently, as I haven’t been fired yet) write as close to this line as I can - crossing it only, perhaps, in implications.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOver the past two weeks it has been difficult to not be political. As is the mantra of one of my lecturers “The personal is the political”, the Jewish is the political. Even if I wanted to disengage from conversation about the protests in Gaza and the accompanying shootings by the IDF, its impossible to ignore the arguments flooding social media\u0026nbsp; - tsunami-ing seems even more appropriate a description of the sheer volume and ferocity of the online conflict. On top of that, family and friends of mine hold and act upon strong opinions at both ‘sides’ of the issue (though that such a binary condemnation of opinions lacks nuance is, in itself, another opinion). Moreover, and perhaps the most important internal battle for me, I can\u0027t choose to engage with the complexity of Judaism and Israel when it is easy and then disengage when it is hard.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI\u0027ve come to see being Jewish (in the UK at least) as not only a religious identity, but also a political one. And as a result to write of Judaism is, in many ways, to write of politics - a very hard thing to do without turning platforms into personal political ones.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn short, I wouldn’t use this blog to discuss my opinions on these recent events even if those opinions were consolidated and clear (which they’re not). But I will share that I have been overwhelmed with sadness at the fracturing of the Jewish community. A fracturing which I refuse to believe is based merely on differences of opinion, but on the letting go of a much deeper unconditional connection between us.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs I spent the first few days of my summer immersed in Amos Oz’s beautiful and poignant \u003cem\u003eScenes from Village Life\u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;I came across this passage which reflects the heaviness that has settled in my chest as the last few weeks have unfolded:\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Thats a lovely tune…it reminds us of a time when there was still some fleeting affection between people… Thats all over. Now our hearts are blocked…Nobody turns to anyone else except from self-interested motives. What is left? Maybe only this melancholy tune, as a kind of reminder of the destruction of our hearts.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAsha Sumroy is one of the JC\u0027s regular student bloggers for 2017-18. She is studying at Durham University.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/mental-health-at-university-student-views-blog-1.464494\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eRead the previous blog post\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464638.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-personal-is-political-gaza-1.464638","publication_date":"May 29, 2018 10:01:00 AM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 25, 2018 3:05:08 PM","author":"Student Views","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464639:1527257083/GettyImages-165638691.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003ddb29656","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464633","headline":"Labelling Jews may do more harm than good","subheadline":"The view from the data","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs we all know, there are two groups of Jews: the affiliated and the unaffiliated. The purpose and role of most Jewish community professionals and volunteers is to move those in the unaffiliated pot into the affiliated one. The winner is the one with the most Jews in the affiliated pot and the fewest Jews in the unaffiliated pot at the end of the game.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eExcept, of course, that this is nonsense. There is no straightforward dichotomy between the affiliated and the unaffiliated. Dividing the Jewish world into these two groups may be simple and intuitive, but in reality, the groups overlap, and there are shades of affiliation in both.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe binary categories typically emerge from synagogue membership data. Either you are a synagogue member or you are not. According to the latest counts, about 80,000 Jewish households in the UK hold synagogue membership, and about 62,000 do not.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe thing is, within those 80,000 households are Jews who daven three times a day, Jews who turn up at shul once a year, at best, for Kol Nidre, and all manner of Jews in between. And equally, in those 62,000 ‘unaffiliated’ households are Jews who daven three times a day (albeit not many), Jews who are involved in Jewish organisations that aren’t synagogues, Jews who don’t even know what the word ‘daven’ means, and, indeed, a number of non-Jews who happen to live with Jews.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn fact, some analysts argue that the official count for the unaffiliated should exclude those mixed households with both Jews and non-Jews living within them, in order to remove any possibility of non-Jews being captured within the statistics. Technically, this is questionable, as it would also exclude Jews who could potentially be synagogue members, but if we do remove them, we find that there are not 62,000 unaffiliated Jewish households in the UK, but rather about 32,000.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, if we adopt a more expansive definition of Jewishness instead, to include, for example, anybody who is eligible for Israeli citizenship under the terms of the Law of Return, we would find that the unaffiliated pot rises to an estimated 100,000 households.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo, even if we insist on maintaining the simple distinction between the affiliated and unaffiliated, it’s difficult to determine the size of the unaffiliated pot. And even when we use official socio-demographic statistics, we can see that the nature of those within it ranges from Jews who are heavily engaged in Jewish life, all the way to those who have never set foot in a synagogue in their lives, and are not, in fact, Jewish at all.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eRight now, I am actively working on surveys of Jews in 14 different countries around the world. Each one includes a question \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e or questions \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e about affiliation. And each country study conducted so far has picked up vastly different proportions of so-called ‘unaffiliated’ Jews, ranging from less than 10% to well over 50%.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn part, this is due to the different types of communal structures that exist in different places. Some have well-established, centralised systems, where relatively few are unaffiliated to begin with. Others have poorly developed community infrastructures that only attract small proportions of Jews, even though many others continue to regard their Jewishness as an important part of who they are. But partly, it’s also because affiliation means different things in different places. And that suggests that affiliation figures, whilst critical for statistical purposes, are not terribly meaningful in terms of what is actually going on in Jewish people’s minds, hearts and souls.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYet we continue to use these terms in community discussions and debates all the time. “How can we attract the unaffiliated?” “What proportion of those coming to our programmes are affiliated?” “What kind of balance are we seeking to achieve between the affiliated and the unaffiliated?”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’m not sure this type of language is very helpful. Not only are the categories somewhat amorphous, they also reinforce a language of “us” and “them.” By implication, we are categorising Jews into those who are like us and those who are not, and classifying the latter group in some way as imperfect, flawed or unfulfilled.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI wonder whether we might devise a less binary, more multi-faceted view of affiliation going forward. Maybe that way, we might make a little more progress engaging those on the periphery of communal life. Whoever they are.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJonathan Boyd is Executive Director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) \u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464633.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/labelling-jews-may-do-more-harm-than-good-1.464633","publication_date":"May 29, 2018 9:17:00 AM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"May 25, 2018 1:21:01 PM","author":"Jonathan Boyd","byline":"Jonathan Boyd","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":null,"url":null,"caption":null,"copyright":null}},{"id":"1.464678","headline":"Stop calling fellow Jews \u0027traitors\u0027 for holding different views","subheadline":"After the controversial Kaddish for the Gaza dead, we must get better at disagreeing when temperatures run high, writes Adam Wagner","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere\u0027s a Facebook group where Jews are being\u0026nbsp;described as “disgusting little trolls”, “repulsive\u0026quot; and “scumbags” . They were named and shamed for expressing a controversial view on the Gaza\u0026nbsp;conflict. Direct links to their personal and professional social media profiles were\u0026nbsp;posted, encouraging others to get them sacked from their jobs.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e The Facebook group has thousands of followers. Was it\u0026nbsp;Momentum? The Alt-Right? No, this was one of our own - a relatively new Jewish\u0026nbsp;communal organisation with a high profile and a loud voice.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e The post was about a\u0026nbsp;group of mostly young Jews who took part in a\u0026nbsp;protest about the IDF’s conduct in Gaza. They recited kaddish, the Jewish memorial\u0026nbsp;prayer, for the 62 Palestinians who died in a single day - many of whom were\u0026nbsp;members of Hamas.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e “Traitors”. This was the word was used to describe the Kaddish protestors which\u0026nbsp;worried me the most. The implication is that these are Jews who have\u0026nbsp;betrayed\u0026nbsp;the community. The punishment? Excommunication. Many in the Facebook group were calling\u0026nbsp;for the protesters to be removed from communal positions. They \u0026quot;should not be\u0026nbsp;allowed within 100 miles of Jewish children”, said a blogger. Some have been\u0026nbsp;threatened with violence.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.464360\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464360/gaza.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e Reciting kaddish was provocative. But by\u0026nbsp;using the language of betrayal and contamination, the implication is that there are\u0026nbsp;‘good’ and ‘bad’ (perhaps ‘kosher’ and ‘non-kosher’) Jews, depending on a political viewpoint. This is the logic that so\u0026nbsp;many in the community were incensed by in relation to the Labour Party and antisemitism.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e Disagreement and\u0026nbsp;debate are\u0026nbsp;healthy and fundamentally Jewish. But the accusation of\u0026nbsp;‘traitor’ and language of ‘contamination’ is a familiar cry of antisemites throughout\u0026nbsp;history. We should be more careful before turning this weapon upon our\u0026nbsp;own.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e What are we afraid our children will be contaminated\u0026nbsp;\u003ci\u003eby\u003c/i\u003e? If the answer is ‘alternative\u0026nbsp;viewpoints’ then this is precisely what I want my children to be exposed to. Surely the\u0026nbsp;purpose of education is that one day our children will be able to outthink us, so that\u0026nbsp;we can say - as the God does in the\u0026nbsp;Talmudic tale\u0026nbsp;- “my children have defeated me”.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e We need a range of opinions. We need it even more on complex and\u0026nbsp;emotional issues. Diverse views\u0026nbsp;should be\u0026nbsp;nurtured, not scorned. Alone, we are flawed and partial. Together,\u0026nbsp;there is no\u0026nbsp;issue so complex that we can’t figure it out. Perhaps even the Israel Palestine conflict.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e Most people say they value diverse views. But\u0026nbsp;the same people also say that some viewpoints ‘cross lines’ or fall\u0026nbsp;outside of free speech protections. This is exactly the wrong approach. Because\u0026nbsp;what is sacred and therefore untouchable for one person is fair game for another.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf\u0026nbsp;we shut down certain topics because they offend\u0026nbsp;us, we lose genuine diversity.\u0026nbsp;All difficult conversations involve an element of offence. That’s because it is usually\u0026nbsp;offensive to be proven wrong. So it is natural to elevate our most cherished beliefs to\u0026nbsp;being “sacred” - it’s a way of protecting them and signalling to others what we value\u0026nbsp;most.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe name for a society where people are punished for\u0026nbsp;speaking for defaming that which is sacred is\u0026nbsp;a theocracy. Free speech sometimes means offering up our sacred cows at the alter of\u0026nbsp;reason.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.464681\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464681/GettyImages-958876436.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has always been controversial\u0026nbsp;but the level of personal abuse is new. Social media bring together people with similar viewpoints. This can\u0026nbsp;create echo chambers, where those who hold strong views on an issue surround\u0026nbsp;themselves with others who think the same. Controversial views are reinforced rather than reasoned away or ridiculed.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI have no\u0026nbsp;doubt that the rise in visible antisemitism and conspiracy theories partly\u0026nbsp;because\u0026nbsp;of this.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e These echo chambers\u0026nbsp;could have serious implications for Jews. Despite our diversity, we have until now been surprisingly united. That\u0026nbsp;shouldn’t be taken for granted. Unity can rapidly turn to conflict if people feel\u0026nbsp;that their opinion is not represented by mainstream bodies or that they are\u0026nbsp;being personally threatened from within.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e How can we stop things spiralling out of control? There is wisdom in the work of\u0026nbsp;Jonathan Haidt, an American psychologist who has written on why people\u0026nbsp;disagree\u0026nbsp;over politics and religion.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e First, we should emphasise what we have in common.\u0026nbsp;Focussing on difference makes people more intolerant. The Kaddish controversy is a\u0026nbsp;good example.\u0026nbsp;It has already spurred a plan for a counter-protest by a group saying\u0026nbsp;kaddish for an IDF soldier. The protest is taking place outside a Liberal synagogue.\u0026nbsp;The message is clear. The original protesters were from progressive denominations,\u0026nbsp;here is the Orthodox (read: correct) response. Suddenly a political controversy is\u0026nbsp;splitting us along religious lines too.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e The mainstream communal\u0026nbsp;bodies can help. For example, when deciding how to respond to\u0026nbsp;a flare-up in the Middle East, they should emphasise uniting Britain\u0027s Jews\u0026nbsp;on an equal footing with defending the IDF and Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis means responding in\u0026nbsp;a way that speaks to as wide as possible a cross-section of the community. If\u0026nbsp;people feel represented, they are less likely to escape to the comfort of echo\u0026nbsp;chambers. To achieve this, the communal bodies will need to listen more carefully\u0026nbsp;and respond more cautiously.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e Our leaders should also emphasisee how crucial freedom of\u0026nbsp;speech and civil discourse are during times of emotional upheaval - and\u0026nbsp;stand up to vocal bullies if needed.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e Haidt emphasises the importance of social connections across political lines. It’s a lot\u0026nbsp;harder to abuse someone online if you know them or their family. The UK Jewish\u0026nbsp;community is already good at creating spaces like this, for example Limmud. These\u0026nbsp;kind of events, which involve a wide section of the community in a mostly respectful\u0026nbsp;environment, are priceless and should be encouraged and\u0026nbsp;replicated in other spaces such as inter-denominational settings.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e I am not suggesting the community should be cleansed of strong opinions, nor that\u0026nbsp;people should suddenly stop reacting to controversial issues. But we should be be\u0026nbsp;wary of the language of betrayal, disgust and personal abuse.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe should build our\u0026nbsp;communal spaces as open platforms for reasoned debate, and try not to support closed\u0026nbsp;loops and echo chambers. We should encourage diverse viewpoints, even when that\u0026nbsp;means being offended. Most of all, we should listen.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464678.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/kaddish-gaza-idf-parliament-square-abuse-adam-wagner-1.464678","publication_date":"May 28, 2018 12:34:50 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 28, 2018 12:35:49 PM","author":"Adam Wagner","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"Whitehall Gaza protest","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464680:1527504204/GettyImages-958885648.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d7c69ff4","caption":"An orthodox Jew holds up a Palestinian flag in support as people take part in a protest against Israel in Whitehall on May 15 in London","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464632","headline":"I’m an armchair Zionist — I deserve to be heard","subheadline":"How do you choose to speak out about Israel?","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eCentrist Dad. Remoaner. Gammon. It’s tough keeping up with the nicknames being bandied about to describe one’s affiliations. Add to that “armchair Zionist”, used readily over the last fortnight in response to Diaspora Jews raising their voices.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTechnically, it does apply to me. Certainly, I’m a Zionist outside of Israel, with no intention of making aliyah. And\u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e because this term is applied specifically to those with the temerity to express an unfavourable opinion \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e I’m a Zionist with plenty to say about the Jewish state.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e What I’m not \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e and let’s get this out of the way – is an IDF soldier. I did a week volunteering on a base once, but it was mostly spent making burekas. I’ve never served a country, never risked my life for it. And I wasn’t anywhere near the front line in Gaza last week.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut, here’s what I am. Someone with family in Israel, who visits regularly. Who lived there for ten months at 18; who led a tour, taking 40 British teens from north to south to build their passion for an amazing country. A former FZY member, a vocal advocate of Israel’s right to exist and an opponent of boycotts on these pages and beyond, even when it is far easier to avoid the abuse this invariably attracts. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhich is why it bristles to have “armchair Zionist” levelled at me as some kind of slur; chastised for venturing a view that goes beyond whether Netta should have won Eurovision. Because here’s what it’s like, right now, for us “armchair Zionists”. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s that sinking feeling online, or at the office water cooler, when words like massacre or murder are being flung about\u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e not only by those who would wish Israel out of existence but by those you trust and respect. It’s being held to account for a government you didn’t vote for, that you probably wouldn’t have voted for.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s not wanting to shore up the position of those who hate Israel \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e and indeed those who use this as a shield for their hatred of Jews \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e but also of wanting to speak up, as you would about anywhere else, while still making clear that this situation is not black and white.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s the frustration that so many rush to condemn Israel even when they overlook bloody atrocities elsewhere and ignore Hamas’ barbarities. It’s knowing that Israel is under attack and has been near constantly since 1948; that many of its critics won’t invest even a tenth of the energy they spend attacking Israel on attacking those who seek its demise. But it’s also the shame as Israel’s leaders cosy up to a xenophobic, intolerant US administration in thrall to the Christian right, simply because that xenophobia is not directed at them. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s recognising that, yes, what occurred last week was a deliberate provocation, that most the protesters were not peaceful and many were Hamas members, that Israel could not let them storm the border \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e no country could— that children are not there by chance, that no soldier would have fired without it weighing heavily. Or that it serves Hamas’s purpose to repeat this pattern; that every death is a propaganda victory helping them recruit and retain their hold. It’s acknowledging that this was not about the embassy move, but the latest chapter in an unrelenting endless offensive by terrorists who want to annihilate the other side. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut it’s also feeling that Israel’s government knows this and lets the narrative perpetuate. That it isn’t focused on finding a better way or \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003eif there is not one \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e invested in communicating why this tragedy is happening, and acknowledging that it is indeed a tragedy. It’s seeing that Benjamin Netanyahu has abandoned any pretence of seeking a peace process; that he prefers to applaud pointless stunts like moving a building from one city to another over building bridges. It’s worrying that there is no hope for better, 13 years after disengagement from Gaza and 25 since Oslo. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s the frustration that so many hold Israel to a higher standard, but also the disappointment that Israel’s leaders no longer seem driven to meet this. It’s recalling the visionaries who made a dream a reality, and despairing of there being anyone today with the courage to replicate that.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s watching another generation of Israel’s children growing up knowing war as the norm, conscripted into a battle their grandparents too had to fight. But it’s also watching another generation of Palestinians growing up this way too.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s challenging antisemitism and emphasising that it is distinct from legitimate criticism of Israel, to then be chastised that any criticism is unacceptable by a non-Israeli.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s loving a dynamic, diverse, miraculous country and watching the world hate it. It’s understanding that friendship means honesty, not acting as an echo chamber.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd it’s feeling that it’s better to be an “armchair Zionist” than one who stays silent. \u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464632.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/i-m-an-armchair-zionist-i-deserve-to-be-heard-1.464632","publication_date":"May 28, 2018 10:17:32 AM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"May 25, 2018 1:20:14 PM","author":"Jennifer Lipman","byline":"Jennifer Lipman","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"F180103YS26","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464631:1527250795/image/F180103YS26.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d0654249","caption":"Netanyahu: abandoned peace process? (Photo: Flash90)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464625","headline":"Beware of antisemites in disguise","subheadline":"I came to regret I ever let my guard down and trusted Alison Chabloz, writes Fiyaz Mughal","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAntisemitism has rightly become the focus of media attention in recent months and has lifted the lid on how many antisemites have been operating ‘under the radar’.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eRegardless of whether their antisemitism is a product of far-right, far-left or Islamist views, covert antisemites are adept at hiding their underlying extremism.\u0026nbsp;I’ve personally experienced how people can conceal their antisemitism by pretending to care about civil liberties and minority rights.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe majority of my professional life has been devoted to tackling hate speech and hate crime.\u0026nbsp;I founded and was director of Muslims Against Anti-Semitism and from 2012 to 2017. I\u0026nbsp;was the director of Tell MAMA, a national project monitoring anti-Muslim hate and supporting victims.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFrom 2013 onwards, our small team at Tell MAMA were inundated with an overwhelming number of reports of anti-Muslim hatred.\u0026nbsp;The brutal murder of Lee Rigby on Britain’s streets and subsequent terrorist attacks resulted in an unprecedented spike in the number of incidents. Most of these reports came from sincere members of the public, concerned about the scapegoating of the Muslim community.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn July 2013, a woman called Alison Chabloz started to provide written reports to Tell MAMA.\u0026nbsp; Over months, Chabloz impressed me with her apparent dedication to reporting abuse and defending minority communities against hate crime.\u0026nbsp;I grew to admire her, to the extent that I offered her support when she was sacked from her job overseas and needed help to travel home.\u0026nbsp;I came to regret I had ever let my guard down and trusted her.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.464614\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464614/GettyImages-903236532.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eUnbeknown to me, Chabloz had lost her job because she had been outed for online antisemitism.\u0026nbsp;Shortly afterwards, this evidence was presented to me, making it very clear that Chabloz was not who I thought she was.\u0026nbsp;Chabloz’s mission wasn’t to defend Muslims, it was to target Jews.\u0026nbsp;She was obsessed with trying to find evidence that would result in Jewish people being investigated and humiliated.\u0026nbsp;I realised that I had not only been conned, but used.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eToday, \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/alison-chabloz-antisemitic-songs-blogger-1.464612\"\u003eChabloz was\u0026nbsp;convicted of two counts of causing obscene material to be sent\u0026nbsp;and one of sending obscene material over a series of antisemitic songs\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe unpleasant reality is Chabloz is far from alone.\u0026nbsp;Apparent concern for Muslim communities is widely used as an opportunity to marginalise and slander Jews.\u0026nbsp;We see this when opposition to Israel is used as a smokescreen by people who care most about demonising Jews.\u0026nbsp;We see this when the word ‘Zionist’ is used as a convenient insult for all Jewish people.\u0026nbsp;The same tactics are being increasingly used in reverse.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe far-right who fly the Israeli flag at English Defence League marches around the country are not marching in support of Israel.\u0026nbsp;They\u0026nbsp;want to make Muslim communities feel unwelcome and are appropriating the Israeli flag as a hate symbol.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe tactics of people like Chabloz means that, now more than ever, all organisations need to implement due diligence processes to ensure that supporters and advocates are who they profess to be.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy lasting legacy at Tell MAMA was ensuring another Chabloz would not be able to pass through our firewall of checks.\u0026nbsp;Vetting where our information comes from is not just a challenge for organisations.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEveryone who uses social media has reason to be cautious about the images or tweets they share or endorse.\u0026nbsp;Do these come from authentic sources that we sympathise with or are we making ourselves useful to online influencers with more suspect motives?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe best response to the subtle and misleading tactics of extremists who want to sow division between Jews\u0026nbsp;and Muslims\u0026nbsp;is for Jews and Muslims to work together. After finding out about Chabloz, Tell MAMA’s response was not only to strengthen vetting of all communications, but also to redouble our efforts to work with Jewish communities.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’m so proud of Tell MAMA, Muslims against Anti-Semitism and all the members of the Muslim community who have been real allies of the Jewish community in the fight against anti-Semitism.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s a sad truth that extremists are at work where you least expect them and it’s necessary to be more cautious than ever about the information we receive.\u0026nbsp;At the same time, caution shouldn’t give way to cynicism. When Jewish and Muslim organisations work together, we send the strongest message to the extremists and racists who feed off division and hostility. I for one am determined that they won’t succeed.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFiyaz Mughal founded Tell MAMA and was its director from 2012 to 2017.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464625.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/alison-chabloz-fiyaz-mughal-antisemitism-tell-mama-1.464625","publication_date":"May 25, 2018 1:29:21 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 25, 2018 4:43:17 PM","author":"Fiyaz Mughal","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.429855:1527252172/chabloz%20for%20web.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d2098a27","caption":"Alison Chabloz in her \"Survivors\" video","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464602","headline":"Livingstone and Labour: Getting out of it","subheadline":"The Jewish Chronicle leader column, May 25th 2018","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was difficult to see how the Labour Party could find a way to make the Livingstone affair worse. But it has managed to do just that.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere appears to be no limit to the party’s ability to demonstrate that its fine words on tackling antisemitism are pure sophistry. As if not concluding its disciplinary process against the former Mayor of London within two years was not bad enough, by engineering his resignation from the party and thus scrapping the disciplinary procedures against him, the Labour leadership have contrived a way for Mr Livingstone to emerge without any finding against him, despite his having spent those two years seizing every conceivable opportunity to utter the words “Hitler” and “Zionist” in the same sentence.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut after letting him leave the Labour Party scot free, Jeremy Corbyn then found a way to ensure that no one should be in any doubt that the refusal to tackle antisemitism stems directly from the top.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eInstead of condemning Mr Livingstone for his words and behaviour and stressing that Labour would not tolerate antisemitism in its ranks, Mr Corbyn issued a statement paying warm tribute to the former London Mayor.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSince the “Enough is Enough” rally in Parliament Square, Mr Corbyn has spoken some fine words about tackling antisemitism. But he and his allies should be judged on their actions.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd their actions this week involve concocting a plan so that a man with a career-long history of Jew-baiting can — formally — leave the party without a stain on his membership of it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eCan there be anyone left who still thinks that Mr Corbyn is in any way serious about tackling antisemitism within the Labour Party?\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464602.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/leaders/the-jewish-chronicle-leader-column-may-25th-2018-1.464602","publication_date":"May 25, 2018 8:54:00 AM","section":"Leaders","modification_date":"May 25, 2018 2:10:46 PM","author":"The JC Leader","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464605:1527234951/Livingstone.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003dbdb024b","caption":"Ken Livingstone","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464595","headline":"Delisserie downfall:all down to social media? ","subheadline":"A north west London favourite Jewish deli-style restaurant closed its doors this week. Was social media to blame?","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHigh street restaurants are closing up and down the country -\u0026nbsp;Prezzo, Carluccio\u0027s and Jamie\u0027s have all announced they are closing branches. But last week saw another casualty - and this one really hurt.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e The Delisserie, a favourite haunt for many north west Londoners with its menu of Ashkenazi staples, has gone into liquidation after 15 years.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e The doors closed on their Borehamwood, Temple Fortune, Stanmore and St Johns Wood restaurants for the final time. Where\u0027s a girl going to get her haimish fix now?\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e I spoke to owner, Justin Davies, who founded the businesses with brother Ian Davies. He blamed a number of factors for his company\u0027s demise.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e \u0026quot;The restaurant business is in absolute turmoil. Rent, rates and wages have all increased and ever since the Brexit vote, food costs have spiralled. The slide started the day after\u0026quot; he told me.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e He also blamed the culture of discounting: \u0026quot;Customers are spoilt for choice these days and discounting is what is killing the trade\u0026quot; he said. \u0026quot;Who goes out for a pizza without a discount voucher?\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e \u0026quot;On top of that the venture capitalists are opening hundreds of stores which saturate the market and then we lose more trade to Deliveroo. People eating delivery food don\u0027t come in and spend on drinks and we then also have to pay a cut to Deliveroo. Open the paper every day and there\u0027s another casualty!\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e That aside, the biggest problem Davies blames for The Delisserie\u0027s misfortune is the arrival of keyboard warriors on social media. He feels particularly sore about some comments on one Facebook group, The Restaurant Club, which has 21,660 members, many of whom are based in north west London - in particular those suggesting that his menu was too big to be really fresh food.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e A few weeks ago, to answer the doubters, Davies decided to slim down his menu.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e \u0026quot;We reduced it down to almost nothing. The small menu was much harder to implement than the big menu. The larger menu had been a make-up of the same base ingredients, mixed and matched, which meant everything sold, nothing sat and everything was fresh. The smaller menu was more difficult than the bigger menu because we were trying to make every dish different.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e Davies says that the new smaller menu lost him trade. \u0026quot;Our loyal customers alienated us from the day that smaller menu went in. On the day that smaller menu went in our turnover dropped off a cliff. That online advice killed us.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e I asked Davies why he listened to the keyboard critics. \u0026quot;Because they are our customers. You got to try to change the perception, of 25,000 people thinking all your stuff is coming out of the freezer. We were just in a catch 22 -\u0026nbsp;we couldn\u0027t win. We gave them the small menu and with eight weeks of poor trading, we were in a hole that you can never get out of.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e \u0026quot;It was a nightmare. I never wanted to be spoken about, good or bad. I just wanted them to stay away from me. But we became the joke of north London.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e \u0026quot;You plant the seed and now you\u0027ve got customers coming into the restaurant searching to find fault, and you\u0027ll always find fault of you look hard enough.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e \u0026quot;The Restaurant Club had a major impact. It didn\u0027t kill us off but it didn\u0027t help. The frustrating part of our business was that we never made money from it ever. Ever. I\u0027ve got a huge weight off my shoulders now. To run a business and to battle and not make money from it, to have all the headaches that we did.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e I spoke to Louisa Walters, founder\u0026nbsp;of The Restaurant Club, who said: \u0026quot;It is unfortunate that Delisserie has now closed, but we know that our members will continue to support independent restaurants in these challenging times. The group is an open forum for foodies to share their news and views.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e She feels the Club is a positive force for independent restaurants: \u0026nbsp;\u0026quot;We have a discount scheme which drives thousands of cardholders into hundreds of independent restaurants, saving the diners money and keeping the restaurants busy and there are several restaurants in north London that attribute their continued success to the group. We actively encourage constructive comments and we always give the opportunity for restaurateurs to respond to both happy and not so happy diners.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e Davies plans to continue wholesaling salt beef to customers. \u0026quot;I was supplying 2000 kg of salt beef a week. All the salt beef that these people are raving about everywhere else is my salt beef.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e Is London simply falling out of love with old-school delis in the same way New York has said goodbye to several of its most famous salt beef bars in recent years? Davies thinks not. \u0026quot;No, if anything Jewish food has become a much bigger product. Everywhere you go, all these foodie outlets, stalls and street vendors are selling it. It\u0027s become a very cool product.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e For now, Davies will be licking his wounds and hopes to continue sell his salt beef, pastrami, latkes and chicken soup to other businesses. \u0026quot;I hear from my suppliers that customers think it\u0027s the best thing ever -\u0026nbsp;it\u0027s so ironic.\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464595.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/delisserie-downfall-was-facebook-s-restaurant-club-the-nail-in-its-coffin-1.464595","publication_date":"May 24, 2018 5:10:03 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 24, 2018 10:31:47 PM","author":"The Fresser","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464597:1527178561/Delisserie1.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003dcf51790","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464590","headline":"The JC Archive Blog No.17 – Flower Day, or 228kg of Coppers","subheadline":"Forget sponsored swims, in the early 1900’s, one of the favourite ways to raise funds would have been a Flower Day","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eImagine you have a charity you’d like to raise some funds for. If you google ‘fundraising ideas’, the results would advise bake-sales, book sales and junk sales. Or you could hold a sponsored marathon, bike-a-thon, or wrestling match of you are feeling really big and strong.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the early 1900’s, one of the favourite ways to raise funds would have been a Flower Day.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFlower Days were first reported in The Jewish Chronicle as fundraisers for the Jewish National Fund. The first mention is in 1913, and continue until the 1930’s - when, I suppose Flower Days either changed their name or went out of fashion.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo what happened on flower day?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHere is a description from The Jewish Chronicle, 24\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e Oct 1913:\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ctable border\u003d\"1\" cellpadding\u003d\"1\" cellspacing\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"width: 500px;\"\u003e \n   \u003ctbody\u003e \n    \u003ctr\u003e \n     \u003ctd\u003e \n      \u003cdiv\u003e \n       \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJEWISH NATIONAL FUND FLOWER DAY.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n       \u003cp\u003eThe result of the Jewish National Fund Flower Day last Sunday, exceeded all expectations. The Commissioners expected about a hundred young ladies, and therefore, only twelve thousand flowers were reserved for London. But at the meeting on Saturday evening, the Secretary (Mr. S. Lipschitz) reported that two hundred and fifty young ladies were anxious to sell the flowers for the National Fund.\u003c/p\u003e \n       \u003cp\u003eThe result was that \u003cstrong\u003eon Sunday morning, at nine o\u0027clock, not a single flower was left,\u003c/strong\u003e and high prices had to be paid for fresh supplies of flowers. The sale of flowers terminated at about half past two in the afternoon, as no more flowers could be obtained.\u003c/p\u003e \n       \u003cp\u003eIn all about twenty-five thousand flowers were sold in London, and \u0026pound;140 was collected already, while money is still to come in. In Liverpool \u0026pound;17 was realised from about 2,000 flowers. There too, there was a shortage of flowers. …the Commissioners are very grateful to all those ladies and gentlemen who worked hard on Sunday to make it a success\u003cstrong\u003e. It is interesting to note that \u0026pound;80 was collected in silver and \u0026pound;110 in coppers (weighing four-and-a-half cwt.)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n      \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \n    \u003c/tr\u003e \n   \u003c/tbody\u003e \n  \u003c/table\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cp\u003e4.5 cwt is 36 stone, or 228.5kg. That’s heavy – the weight of a big pig!\u003c/p\u003e \n   \u003cp\u003eFlower Day was used during the war to encourage gardening and raise funds for injured soldiers. The Museum Victoria website (link: \u003ca href\u003d\"https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/items/266327\"\u003ehttps://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/items/266327\u003c/a\u003e) tells us that:\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003ctable border\u003d\"1\" cellpadding\u003d\"1\" cellspacing\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"width: 500px;\"\u003e \n    \u003ctbody\u003e \n     \u003ctr\u003e \n      \u003ctd\u003e \n       \u003cdiv\u003e \n        \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFlower Day had its origins in the League of Young Gardeners, created in Victoria in 1916 to \u0027swell the war relief fund, by cultivating garden plots at home\u0027. From this movement sprang several \u0027Flower Days\u0027 which raised \u0026pound;126,354 for war relief. \u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n        \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e…The main event of the Day was to be a fund-raising flower show from school gardens - \u0027Let the children feel that the show is to be their show\u0027, advised Supervisor of School Gardening, Cyril Isaac. At schools, the day consisted of morning lessons on war-related topics; in the afternoon schools set up street stalls to sell bouquets and button holes. \u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n        \u003cdiv\u003e \n         \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe main show was not held in 1918 due to stringent war economies, but \u0026pound;50,000 was still raised. The event petered out after World War I.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n        \u003c/div\u003e \n       \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \n     \u003c/tr\u003e \n    \u003c/tbody\u003e \n   \u003c/table\u003e \n   \u003cp\u003eAnd here is an ad for a Jewish War Relief Flower Day.\u003c/p\u003e \n   \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.464591\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464591/archive blog.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n   \u003cp\u003eSo when’s the Flower Day for your charity? I’m sure it will be a great success – as long as you don’t have to lug a few hundred kilo of pennies to the bank afterwards!\u003c/p\u003e \n   \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRivka Goldblatt is a genealogist specialising in Jewish family history. Her website is www.jewishfamilyresearch.com\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n   \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/landing/Author/The%20Archive%20Blog\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead more from the Archive Blog here.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464590.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-jc-archive-blog-no-17-flower-day-or-228kg-of-coppers-1.464590","publication_date":"May 24, 2018 3:43:12 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 24, 2018 3:50:54 PM","author":"The Archive Blog","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462652:1524062582/Archive%20blog%20large.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d6442cfe","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464720","headline":"A recent study into rising antisemitism in Europe ignores the role of Muslim migrants","subheadline":"The Pears Institute-EVZ Foundation report is a case of burying one\u0027s head in the sand, the AJC\u0027s Andrew Baker says","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eReports of rising antisemitism in Europe—ranging from the horrific murder of an elderly Holocaust survivor in her Paris apartment to a kippah-wearing young man being assaulted on the streets of Berlin to innumerable lesser indignities recounted on social media—are distressing.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn many cases the perpetrators appear to be Muslim. But do we know this for a fact, and if so what should be done about it? Does the recent surge in immigration from Muslim countries further endanger European Jews?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.pearsinstitute.bbk.ac.uk/research/publications/antisemitism-and-immigration-in-western-europe-today-is-there-a-connection\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003erecent study by the Pears Institute at the University of London and the EVZ Foundation in Germany\u003c/a\u003e purports to offer guidance. This five-nation analysis, entitled “Antisemitism and Immigration in Western Europe Today: Is there a connection?” focuses on immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa now living in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, rather than analyse existing data, define the extent of the problem, and offer targeted recommendations on how to deal with it, Professor David Feldman and a team of researchers ignore the data, dismiss the problem, and blame the victims.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is substantial anecdotal evidence that many antisemitic incidents in recent years, including physical threats and violence, can be traced to certain sectors of the Muslim community, although until recently most governments have been reluctant to acknowledge this.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the ground-breaking 2013 EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) survey of Jews in eight EU countries, respondents said that about 40 per cent of the most serious incidents of physical violence or threats that they witnessed or experienced came from “someone with a Muslim extremist view”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBy contrast, “someone with a left-wing political view” accounted for 14 per cent of incidents, and “someone with a right-wing political view” accounted for only 10 per cent. A number of monitoring organizations established by Jewish communities in those countries provided a similar picture.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut the Pears study dismissed these direct experiences of European Jews themselves as mere perceptions. For good measure, the researchers remind us of popular fears of Islamist terrorist attacks and cite the anti-Muslim rhetoric of extremist political parties. They conclude that those Jewish perceptions have little relationship with any “objective threat carried by immigrants.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHowever, the available data is quite clear: all the recent surveys measuring this phenomenon find that Muslims exhibit higher levels of anti-Jewish sentiment than the general population.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf government data does not always corroborate the FRA report findings that a high percentage of antisemitic incidents are carried out by Muslims, it does not refute them. Some countries do not record information on perpetrators or do not include religion or ethnicity as a category. And in some places, giving a Nazi salute or shouting Nazi slogans will be recorded as antisemitism from the far-right, even if Muslims are the actual perpetrators.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut, remarkably, instead of confronting these results, the Pears researchers take pains to discount them. Thus they assert that Muslims are still a small minority in Europe; that antisemitic attitudes do not automatically translate into antisemitic actions; and that a “good deal of antisemitic behavior is antisocial and opportunistic in nature without any clear ideological or religious motive.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut if so much antisemitic prejudice is just “antisocial” and “opportunistic,” why bother studying it at all?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn striking contrast, they consider the discrimination that Muslims experience in Europe today a very serious matter and maintain that it accounts for the very prejudices against others that this minority may harbour.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBy the Pears logic, Muslims are the victims of a “thwarted integration” that in turn has become “a driver of anti-Semitism among some Muslims.” In other words, because European societies have not welcomed Muslims, Muslims have come to hate Jews.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eRationalising this questionable observation, the Pears study observes: “It should be possible for us to acknowledge the significance of discrimination and grievance in giving meaning to anti-Semitism among some Muslims without at the same time legitimizing anti-Semitism and without denying the significance of the ethical and political choices made by individuals.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWith this single sentence, these researchers of antisemitism have upended everything we know about fighting antisemitism as well as other forms of prejudice: namely, one must not justify antisemitism, and individuals must be held responsible for their actions.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAccording to the Pears researchers, far-left, far-right, racists, bigots, xenophobes – all can and must be held accountable. But Muslims? Since they’re victims of prejudice, they should be excused.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs for recommendations, if Muslims cannot be blamed for their antisemitism, then the work must be done by someone else. General prejudice-reduction programs are good, the authors say, provided Muslims are not singled out as a target nor antisemitism as a problem.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere should be more positive Jewish-Muslim projects as a “counterweight to the negative stereotypes,” and so Jewish leaders will need to step forward. And then there is one final—and truly outlandish—proposal: “to examine the attitudes of Jews to Muslims.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWould anyone suggest that to combat racism or homophobia we must poll their victims about the prejudices they may harbour toward others?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhy then is it “appropriate” and what would we learn by measuring the attitudes of Jews toward Muslims if we are trying to understand the source of antisemitism? This only makes sense to those who blame Jews for antisemitism. One might expect as much from antisemites.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut who could have imagined hearing this warped assessment from respected researchers of antisemitism?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFortunately, there has been slow but steady progress in getting European authorities to recognize that an inordinate number of antisemitic incidents and heightened anti-Jewish attitudes can be traced to Muslim communities.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSome of the first studies of recently-arrived Muslim immigrants conducted in Germany, including one commissioned by the Interior Ministry, show them to hold antisemitic views.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eGovernments are scrambling to determine what might work with this special segment of the population. In the interim they will be well-advised to ignore this Pears study.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBurying your head in the sand is rarely good advice, even if it comes in a fifty-page package with footnotes.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRabbi Andrew Baker is the American Jewish Committee’s director of international Jewish affairs\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464720.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/recent-study-into-rising-antisemitism-in-europe-ignores-the-role-of-muslim-migrants-andrew-baker-ajc-1.464720","publication_date":"May 24, 2018 3:16:24 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 29, 2018 3:27:43 PM","author":"Andrew Baker","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463615:1525422219/kipah.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d027f9d8","caption":"Protesters against antisemitism at a ‘kippah gathering’  in Cologne last week. It followed an attack on an Israeli Arab, who wore a kippah in the street to see what the reaction was like  (Getty Images)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464557","headline":"Hamas calls a halt to the violence in Gaza — for the moment","subheadline":"Anshel Pfeffer on the situation on Israel\u0027s border with Gaza after last week\u0027s protests","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAfter clashes with Israeli forces that claimed the lives of 62 Palestinians, Hamas leaders gave the order at the end of last week to end the violence.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBy last Friday, the marches no longer resulted in fatalities.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHamas was quick to claim victory, with senior leader Ismail Haniyeh saying that “the blood shed during the March of Return achieved its goal” and that, due to international pressure, “the siege on Gaza is beginning to be truly lifted”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere was at least some truth to this.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor the first time in years, Egypt allowed the Rafah border crossing into Sinai from Gaza to remain open for longer than a week — although this had been planned in advance, before last week’s clashes.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere are other reasons for the end, at least for the moment, of the violence on the border.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe large number of wounded — assessed by the Palestinian Ministry of Health at 13,000, most of these from tear-gas but about a quarter from live fire — has placed a great strain on Gaza’s hospitals. It led to criticism of Hamas for instigating the clashes with the Israeli army.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA heat wave in the region and the beginning of the month of Ramadan have also helped end the violence for now.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd there are reports that the Israeli government warned Hamas, in a message directed via Egypt, that if the violence on the border continued, Israel would return to its policy of “targeted assassinations” of Hamas leaders.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn a rare interview with \u003cem\u003eAl Jazeera\u003c/em\u003e, Hamas’s prime minister in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar said that, while it “will continue in the path of popular resistance… we will do everything possible to prevent these demonstrations from spilling into armed action”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Sinwar is a hardliner, but Israeli analysts believe that in recent months he has taken the pragmatic decision to prevent a further violent escalation with Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHowever, the lull does not mean that calm has been restored. Palestinians on the border continued taking advantage of the wind and the hot, dry weather to launch flaming kites which set fire to fields on the Israeli side.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn Tuesday, a group of Palestinians managed to cross the border fence from Gaza’s southern region, near Rafah, and set fire to an empty Israeli military position.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsraeli tanks responded by shelling nearby Hamas outposts and, on Wednesday morning, the Israeli air force bombed a Hamas tunnel in northern Gaza and two boats belonging to its naval force in Gaza City’s small harbour.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464557.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/analysis/hamas-calls-a-halt-to-the-violence-in-gaza-for-the-moment-anshel-pfeffer-1.464557","publication_date":"May 24, 2018 2:23:13 PM","section":"Analysis","modification_date":"May 24, 2018 2:28:02 PM","author":"Anshel Pfeffer","byline":"Anshel Pfeffer in Jerusalem","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"GettyImages-954589244","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464556:1527168360/image/GettyImages-954589244.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003dd3c616d","caption":"A Palestinian man readying a kite for dispatch over the border","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464547","headline":"With a survival plan in action, Benjamin Netanyahu is staging a remarkable turnaround","subheadline":"Israel\u0027s prime minister, mired in multiple allegations of corruption, has shown how two months is enough time to reverse a trend","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe last time I spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu was six months ago, in a small conference room at the Savoy in London. He asked me how my biography of him was going and, upon hearing it was coming out in May, said that he had no plans to pay for a copy. Though he expected to get one.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Israeli Prime Minister is always more accessible when outside Israel. Back in Jerusalem, months or sometimes years can go by without him giving an interview to the Israeli media. Things are different when he’s abroad. Mr Netanyahu feels freer, more in his element as global statesman, released from the constant political pressures of maintaining a fractious coalition.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOver the past year, these frequent trips have become a respite from the never-ending stream of leaks from multiple police investigations into allegations of corruption. So, at some point on most trips, the Israeli journalists are summoned to the hotel for the kind of relaxed briefing that rarely takes place at home.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat ensues is a good-natured tug of war: the Prime Minister wants to focus on his “very important” meetings and how he urged a much tougher line on Iran; the reporters are much more eager to press him on the latest revelations in the police and judicial investigations against him. On this occasion in London, however, Mr Netanyahu had an interesting tidbit on the investigations to offer.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAttorney General Avichai Mandelblit, he revealed, had told the German government there was no suspicion of any senior officials being involved in bribery in the deal to buy the Israeli navy submarines from a German shipyard. The assurance was necessary as the Germans had announced that, if there was any proof of corruption, the deal would be cancelled.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut this meant the submarines could be built because the most senior Israeli official involved, Mr Netanyahu himself, was not even being considered a suspect. With that, yet another “Netanyahu investigation” had ceased to be.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA few minutes later, in response to another unrelated question, he smiled broadly: “I’m keeping the answer to that for my memoirs — which I intend to write many years from now.” He emphasised the word “many”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Prime Minister may have received advanced exoneration in the submarines case but other investigations are still swirling around.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Attorney General has for months been deliberating over whether to press charges after the police recommended Mr Netanyahu be indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two cases relating to businessmen who are closely linked to him.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, police are still deep into a separate investigation — potentially the most devastating — on allegations that the Prime Minister directed his right-hand man Shlomo Filber to make regulatory decisions that would benefit Bezeq, Israel’s largest telecoms company. It is claimed that the glowing coverage Mr Netanyahu received from Bezeq’s website \u003cem\u003eWalla! \u003c/em\u003ewas in exchange for these decisions.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Filber has signed a state witness agreement, as have two other ex-Netanyahu aides, and the Prime Minister himself will soon be questioned by police again — for the ninth time in the past year-and-a-half. His wife Sara and son Yair have been questioned as well.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe investigators are convinced that the evidence will ultimately result in a series of indictments and that the scrupulous and painstakingly methodical Attorney General will have no recourse but to charge the Prime Minister.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Mandelblit has said in private that, if indicted, Mr Netanyahu cannot remain in office. The Prime Minister is convinced otherwise.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.464546\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464546/image/GettyImages-687249136.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat a difference two months can make. As recently as March, when new revelations were leaking from the police investigation on an hourly basis, there was a feeling that it could not go on for much longer.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSeasoned watchers and even some insiders were blithely predicting that, given his former campaign manager and spin doctor were telling the police everything they knew in return for reduced charges and no jail time, Mr Netanyahu would be forced to resign very soon.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNow, Bibi is riding high again. US President Donald Trump announced the end of the Iran deal and a week later sent his own daughter to inaugurate the new US Embassy in Jerusalem. Vladimir Putin hosted the Israeli Prime Minister in Moscow at the Victory Day parade and hours later turned a blind eye while Israel bombed Iranian positions in Syria.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat other Israeli leader has ever scaled such heights of international recognition?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn April, the opinion polls began to turn against Mr Netanyahu and his right-wing, religious coalition. They indicated that, if elections were held at once, a centrist bloc could triumph, prompting the Prime Minister to end talk of an early vote.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut the polls, too, have turned back in his favour, prompting one senior adviser to say just last week: “Netanyahu wants elections now.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHis only concern is that Likud may now do too well and deprive one of its coalition allies, Shas or Yisrael Beiteinu, of the 3.25 per cent of the vote necessary to elect MPs to the Knesset. He is now trying to push a quick law that would lower that threshold.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Netanyahu survival plan begins with elections in the second half of 2018. He is convinced that if all his partners cross the threshold, a fifth victory that would equal David Ben-Gurion’s record is assured. The centre-left is too divided and devoid of a credible leader to challenge him.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe believes elections would also pre-empt the Attorney General’s decision on the corruption cases and make it much more difficult for a judicial official to challenge an elected leader with a renewed mandate.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Netanyahu is laying down a compelling argument for the Israeli public: If you vote for me and my coalition, how can the police, the attorneys and the media take me down? That would be a coup.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn principle, no one stands above the law. Israel’s courts have demonstrated this by sending a prime minister and a president to prison in the past decade. But this time Mr Netanyahu is convinced it will be different.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe won’t resign because of police recommendations, not even if he is indicted. He is prepared, he has told allies, to fight this through the courts while in office, convinced he can prove there was nothing illegal in accepting gifts from “close personal friends” and that the favourable coverage was his due as a successful leader. Why not investigate why other news organisations have been unfairly criticising him?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Netanyahu knows the Attorney General well. He was his cabinet secretary for three years. The last thing Avichai Mandelblit wants is to provoke a constitutional crisis and be remembered as the civil servant who brought down an elected prime minister.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePrevious attorneys general were just as hesitant: Elyakim Rubinstein did not press charges on Mr Netanyahu in the Hebron-Bar-On case, nor did Menny Mazuz on Ariel Sharon over the Greek island bribery investigation. Other prime ministers — Yitzhak Rabin in 1977 and Ehud Olmert in 2008 — had been weak and resigned before they could be indicted. But this is not a weak prime minister: he outlasted Barack Obama and can hold out against the Attorney General.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf Mr Mandelblit perseveres, then let them come, Bibi will say. It will be the people against the elites, a leader who won five democratic elections in defiance of the hostile media and plans to remain in office for many years to come, despite the ‘deep state’. Who are they to deny the nation its choice?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnshel Pfeffer’s ‘Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu’ is published in the UK by Hurst\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464547.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/analysis/anshel-pfeffer-survival-plan-swings-into-action-benjamin-netanyahu-staging-a-remarkable-turnaround-1.464547","publication_date":"May 24, 2018 1:07:31 PM","section":"Analysis","modification_date":"May 24, 2018 1:20:46 PM","author":"Anshel Pfeffer","byline":"Anshel Pfeffer","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"F180516YS55","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464545:1527164111/image/F180516YS55.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003dec005d6","caption":"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara last Wednesday","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464516","headline":"My DNA is totally Jewish — and I’m a bit miffed ","subheadline":"Hilary Freeman found out her ethnic profile from a DNA test, and it\u0027s made her ponder her identity","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was curiosity that made me do it. That, and a little bit of vanity. I was hoping for a surprise, something unexpected and intriguing about my family history, like an Indian ancestor, or a drop of Viking blood \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e something to fire up my imagination.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut my DNA test results could not have been more banal or predictable. They told me that I am 99 per cent European Jew (Central and Eastern Europe), with one per cent Middle Eastern genes.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt certainly feels like the joke is on me. I paid \u0026pound;70 and patiently waited for over two months to find out something you could have told me by looking at me: I am pure Ashkenazi Jew. Inbred. Not even a sniff of Sephardi, let alone anything else. Honestly, I have never been so disappointed. I should have deposited my saliva somewhere more useful. Like a tissue.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the advert for the website that I used, it says you can “discover your unique ethnic mix”. Assuming that the test is accurate \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e and there is some controversy over the reliability of these tests \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e what I discovered is that there is no mix in me at all. My ethnicity is only unique in the sense that it’s all one and the same.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe website tells me that I now have lots of third and fourth cousin matches, but I’d have to pay another \u0026pound;90 to find out anything else about them. I’m not going to bother. Let’s face it: pretty much all the Jews I know are fourth cousins, or thereabouts.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWith so much Ashkenazi Jewish DNA, I do now feel that it would be very wise to get a BRCA test, in case I carry the mutation prevalent in Ashenazi Jews that greatly increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. My research has also revealed that 75 per cent of Ashkenazi jews are lactose intolerant, which makes me wonder if I should be avoiding dairy.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eUltimately, taking the DNA test has made me question what being Jewish really means. As an secular Jew, with a strong Jewish identity but no religious belief, it’s something I’ve often pondered. Perhaps as a reaction to the Nazis, we’ve been encouraged to reject the idea of Judaism as an ethnicity, to view ourselves not as a race but a people. But if my DNA is pure Jew, if all my blood for generations is Jewish, how can I think of it as anything else? \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ewww.ancestry.co.uk \u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464516.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/hilary-freeman-dna-test-1.464516","publication_date":"May 24, 2018 11:28:15 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 24, 2018 11:57:40 AM","author":"Hilary Freeman","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464528:1527159438/841813998.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003db08fb85","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464474","headline":"Ken Livingstone is being made into a scapegoat","subheadline":"The ex-London Mayor\u0027s case reflects the British left\u0027s institutional antisemitism, writes David Hirsh.","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eKen Livingstone wanted to be remembered as London’s natural mayor, whom Margaret Thatcher couldn’t abolish and Tony Blair couldn’t deselect. In the end, he will be remembered as the man who couldn’t stop talking about Hitler.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor his whole career, he has been involved in a relentless campaign to normalise the idea that Zionism is similar to Nazism.\u0026nbsp;Both are racist ideologies, goes this pernicious story, because they agree that Jews and gentiles cannot live together.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAt the Greater London Council in the 1980s, Livingstone pioneered rainbow politics, which aimed to bring oppressed minorities together to make them more powerful than their oppressors. But Jews were not welcome. Jews, at least those who were unwilling to disavow Israel, were characterised as similar to their own oppressors and as collaborators with their own murderers.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eInstead they were designated\u0026nbsp;‘Zionists’ - racists, imperialists and Nazis - and they were excluded. This was presented as a benign impulse to side with the Palestinians. Anyone who didn’t like it was accused of siding against the Palestinians.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis illustrates a fundamental problem. Often, parts of the left have not known how to think about the Jews.\u0026nbsp;As victims of the Holocaust, they symbolise oppression but as a cosmopolitan elite, as bankers, as controllers of minds and exploiters of Labour, and now as the vanguard of global imperialism, Jews are made to symbolise all that is wrong in the world.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLivingstone accused Jews of opposing antisemitism only as a dishonest trick to try to silence criticism of Israel. He portrayed those who raise the issue of antisemitism on the left as not simply wrong or oversensitive but part of a Jewish conspiracy to lie for Israel. I coined the phrase ‘The Livingstone Formulation’ to describe this refusal to engage with allegations of antisemitism by making counter-claims about the people making them.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut Livingstone is being made into a scapegoat.\u0026nbsp;Those running today’s Labour Party hope\u0026nbsp;that the stink of antisemitism can be laid upon Red Ken as he​ goes\u0026nbsp;into the wilderness and that he can take ​it with him.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut it isn’t antisemitism they want to drive out, it is what they see as the persistent and dishonest allegation of it, made by Zionists, Blairites and Tories.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLabour still hasn’t got the message. The Corbynites insist that antisemitism is a matter of bad people who need to be found and expelled.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut the problem is still politics, not process. There is an institutional antisemitism on the British left which cannot be reduced to individuals who happen to hate Jews. And it cannot be purged with the exit of its most explicit, articulate and popular spokesperson.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ccite\u003eDavid Hirsh is a Sociology lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London and the author of \u0027Contemporary Left Antisemitism\u0027.\u003c/cite\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464474.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/ken-livingstone-labour-party-antisemitism-1.464474","publication_date":"May 23, 2018 1:16:59 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 23, 2018 1:37:36 PM","author":"David Hirsh","byline":"David Hirsh","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"Ken Livingstone","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464475:1527077180/GettyImages-482866846.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9bdff65","caption":"Ken Livingstone, who has quit as a member of the Labour Party.","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464453","headline":"Secret Shul-Goer No 23: Bushey United Synagogue","subheadline":"After a break from regular shul-going, our correspondent is back, but a bit disappointed and missing a kiddish","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eName of Synagogue: Bushey United Synagogue\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAddress: 177-189 Sparrows Herne, Bushey WD23 1AJ\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDenomination: United Synagogue (Orthodox)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRabbi: Rabbi Elchonon Feldman\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize of Community: 1000-1500 member households\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.464456\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464456/Bushey_Synagogue___232-12.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI had a great aunt who loved funerals. She would travel the length and breadth of the country to attend a funeral. The minute a relative passed away, she’d ring round the cousins to ask for lifts, or get busy with train timetables. No matter how far, or how inconvenient, my great aunt would make sure she was there. There wasn’t a single family funeral that she missed.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWeddings, on the other hand, she didn’t like at all. She didn’t come to mine or any of my siblings’ weddings. And bar mitzvahs? Forget about it! Often, we marked her down on the ‘not coming’ list before we’d even sent the invitation, because we knew she’d never turn up. But a funeral? She was there in a shot.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe irony was, that at the end of every funeral or shiva visit, she’d take you by the hand, look you in the eye, pause, and say ‘Only at simchas’. Which was ironic, because in my entire life, I never once saw her attend a single simcha. In fact, what she really meant was “Never at simchas!”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eShe has herself passed away now. (There was a MASSIVE turn out for her funeral.) But to this day, it has become something of a family joke. Whenever my cousins or siblings visit Bushey and drive past the cemetery, we all shout (often to the bemusement of our children) NEVER AT SIMCHAS!\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs luck would have it, on the morning of my visit to Bushey United Synagogue, there was a simcha! It was a barmitzvah in fact. And the shul was packed to bursting with barmitzvah guests. There was a really big crowd. Bizarrely, it seemed that every guest on the women’s side of the mechitzah was dressed in black. In fact, I didn’t spot a single woman in the bar mitzvah party who wasn’t wearing black. And to be clear, I’m not saying this to fashion-shame these women. I mention it purely to point out that it was very striking that there were eight or nine rows of women, on densely packed seating, all dressed in black. It was like a funeral scene in a Godfather movie.\u0026nbsp; (If my late great aunt had known this was possible, she might have made more effort to attend our family simchas.)\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo what of the shul itself? Well, they say that forewarned is forearmed. And rather fortuitously, a good friend of mine visited Bushey Synagogue the week before I did. So, in a bid to save myself some of my usual pre-visit preparation, I asked her about her experience there. Now, it wouldn’t be fair to repeat verbatim what she told me. (Not least because I have no intention of doing myself out of a shul-reviewing job.) But she did give me one piece of advice, which was that I should avoid sitting in the upstairs gallery, where both seeing and hearing the service is, apparently, quite difficult. Instead, she strongly encouraged me to sit in the women’s section downstairs.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNow, obviously, you can’t rely on hearsay evidence. And as I took my friend’s advice and sat downstairs, I can’t tell you whether it’s difficult to hear the service from the gallery. What I can tell you, is that if the downstairs area is the better option, upstairs must be pretty ropey, because it was mighty tricky to hear what was going on from where I was sitting.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis was partly down to decorum. I’m sorry to say, it was really bad. There was lots of chatter throughout much of the service although, in fairness, near silence for the barmitzvah boy’s leyning.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was also difficult to see what was going on because of the position of my seat, which was in the very back corner of the allocated space. The women’s section was absolutely chock-full, and I was wedged in between the wall and the mechitzah barrier. If you’re thinking ‘Serves her right for choosing to sit in the most awkward seat in the entire women’s section’, you’d be right. Only I didn’t initially choose to sit there. In fact, I ended up there because something happened at Bushey United that has never happened to me at shul before. When I arrived, I chose a seat in the middle of the row, a good few rows from the back. About an hour into my visit, I popped to the loo, leaving my siddur and chumash open on my seat, and my jacket on the back of the chair. When I came back, less than five minutes later, someone was sitting in my seat, using my books. I politely told her that she was in my seat, and she said “We don’t have set seating at Bushey” and carried on chatting to her friend, holding my siddur and leaning against my jacket.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’ll be honest, I was more than a bit miffed at the time. And my mood wasn’t lifted by the fact that I spent the rest of morning rather hemmed in on the only remaining seat, which made following\u0026nbsp; the service more than tricky. (At that point, I wondered if I might have been better off sitting upstairs, after all?) My frustration was obviously shared by the lovely old lady next to me, who at one point closed her chumash and said “No point trying to follow. I can’t hear a thing!”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo, apart from Seatgate, and the loud chatter during the service, how did I find Bushey United?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWell, the building itself is light and modern. The d\u0026eacute;cor has a nautical feel, with blue windows and a mechitzah that has a wave design. Which was more than a little ironic, as I sat there, not waving, but drowning.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWomen and men sit on the same level, and there is an air of informality, especially on the men’s side, where there was a fair bit of wandering around during the service. Small groups of men were standing around and chatting together, especially towards the back.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe sermon, delivered by the American rabbi, Rabbi Elchonon Feldman, was thought provoking and very personal, by which I mean that the Rabbi shared with the barmitzvah boy his recollections of his own barmitzvah. There seemed to be a genuine desire on the rabbi’s part to connect with the young 13 year old in an individual and meaningful way. However, this was, in my admittedly cynical view, slightly overdone, in that the rabbi referred to the barmitzvah boy, by name, no less than 26 times. (Yes, I did count!) I don’t know how this was received by the boy himself, who was obviously the most important member of the audience. But to me it sounded like the advice you might find in one of those \u003cem\u003e“How to Connect with your Audience”\u003c/em\u003e manuals, only the advice had been taken a tad too far.\u0026nbsp; You know the thing I mean. \u0026nbsp;“Horatio, on this special day, as you stand with your family, Horatio, and read your portion, Horatio, we wonder where you will be, Horatio, in another 13 years’ time, and Horatio, we give you our blessing, and we hope, Horatio, that…” (Just to confirm, the boy’s name is \u003cem\u003enot\u003c/em\u003e Horatio.)\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe musaf service was fairly quick, after which the congregation was invited to Kiddush in the shul hall. At this point, I experienced another secret shul-goer first. I decided not to go in to the Kiddush at all. I did try, but the room was absolutely heaving with people; it was clear from the doorway that it would have taken a fair amount of elbow shoving just to get in the room, let alone make it all the way to the tables. And to be honest, after an hour and a half stuck in the corner, I didn’t feel like pushing my way through the rugby scrum again.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was as I was leaving the shul that I understood, for the first time, my great aunt’s ambivalence towards simchas. Without the heaving crowds and the noise, the service would no doubt have been a pleasant experience. Indeed, I was left with the distinct feeling that I’d be happy to go back to Bushey United. But NEVER ON SIMCHAS!\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWarmth of Welcome 2*\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDecorum 2*\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eService 3*\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKiddush ?*\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead our first 22\u0026nbsp;reviews, of \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-22-edgware-and-hendon-reform-synagogue-ehrs-1.463022\"\u003eEdgware and Hendon Reform\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-16-cockfosters-and-north-southgate-synagogue-1.456798\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eCockfosters and North Southgate\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-15-finchley-reform-1.451338\"\u003eFinchley Reform\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-visits-new-london-masorti-synagogue-1.450585\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eNew London Synagogue\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-no-1-hampstead-garden-suburb-synagogue-1.440313\"\u003eHampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-no-2-west-london-synagogue-1.440977\"\u003eWest London Reform\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-no-3-radlett-united-synagogue-1.441584\"\u003eRadlett United\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-4-kol-nefesh-masorti-synagogue-1.442296\"\u003eKol Nefesh Masorti\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-no-5-wimbledon-reform-1.442633\"\u003eWimbledon Reform\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-6-st-john-s-wood-liberal-1.443490\"\u003eSt John\u0027s Wood Liberal\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-no-7-golders-green-synagogue-1.444260\"\u003eDunstan Road\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-8-lauderdale-road-1.445043\"\u003eLauderdale Road\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-9-edgware-lubavitch-1.445567\"\u003eLubavitch of Edgware\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-10-oxford-jewish-congregation-1.446607\"\u003eOxford Jewish Congregation\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-11-kinloss-1.447437\"\u003eKinloss\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-12-brighton-hove-reform-1.448105\"\u003eBrighton and Hove Reform\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-13-mill-hill-united-synagogue-1.449081\"\u003eMill Hill United\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-17-ilford-synagogue-1.457767\"\u003eIlford\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-18-shomrei-hadath-synagogue-1.458683\"\u003eShomrei Hadath\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-19-woodside-park-1.459639\"\u003eWoodside Park\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-alyth-north-western-reform-golders-green-reform-judaism-1.460624\"\u003eAlyth\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;and \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-21-barnet-united-synagogue-1.462093\"\u003eBarnet United\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;And read her end-of-year\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-s-awards-for-2017-1.450910\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eawards for 2017 here\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464453.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-23-bushey-united-synagogue-1.464453","publication_date":"May 23, 2018 9:38:17 AM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 23, 2018 9:38:17 AM","author":"Secret Shulgoer","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.440324:1498042354/SECRET-SHULGOER-4b.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003deb8e708","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464531","headline":"Our community risks tearing itself apart if we do not recognise there are multiple truths ","subheadline":"Yachad\u0027s Hannah Weisfeld says the reaction to recent events in Gaza should be a cause for concern","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe seem to forget, in our world of post truths, that there can still be multiple truths about any one set of events or a specific situation.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThey may uncomfortably coexist with each other, but refusing to acknowledge them is what turns one truth, devoid of any context, into a post truth in order to suit a personal agenda.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd in no situation does this ring more true than\u0026nbsp;the events on the Gaza border over the past few weeks, and our community’s reaction to it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBetween March 30\u0026nbsp;and May 14, there were mass demonstrations on the Gaza border in which, according to reports, over 110 Gazan Palestinians were killed, and thousands injured. The bloodiest day of this latest round of violence took place on May 14 in which 62 people were reportedly killed.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is true that tens of thousands of Gazans demonstrated and protested during this period of time; the vast majority of them did so peacefully.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFamilies attended, faces were painted, and music was played as Gazans took part in what they called \u0026quot;The Great March of Return\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp;highlighting their demand to return to their ancestral homes in what are now the borders of Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDemonstrations take place every year within Palestinian communities on March 30\u0026nbsp;(known as Land Day for Palestinians) and\u0026nbsp;May 15 (Nakba Day), but this year Palestinians in Gaza had been planning these six weeks of demonstrations since December, shortly after \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/world/us-to-recognise-jerusalem-as-israel-s-capital-donald-trump-announces-1.449770\"\u003ethe US announced it was intending to move its embassy to Jerusalem\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eUtter desperation within the Gaza strip drove thousands of people out onto the streets.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Gaza strip has been declared as being uninhabitable by 2020, and the Israeli security establishment and the IDF have made it clear to the Government of Israel that unless there is a significant change to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, renewed violence between Israel and Hamas is likely.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEgypt, The Palestinian Authority and Hamas all bear responsibility of the total strangulation of the Gaza Strip, and it is also widely understood that the continued Israeli blockade of Gaza is having a \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/israel-s-dilemma-over-gaza-1.440262\"\u003edevastating impact\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNone of this takes away from a further truth that Hamas rules the Gaza Strip with an iron fist and that there is plenty of evidence that they encouraged and incited violence at the Gaza Border.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSince May 14\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/world/senior-hamas-figure-admits-majority-of-gaza-border-deaths-were-terror-group-members-1.464210\"\u003ethey have claimed 50 of the dead were members of Hamas\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, was quoted as having said he would like to see people break through the border fence.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePeople were told to bring knives, daggers and handguns to the border, and stones, Molotov cocktails and kites bearing incendiary devices were thrown over the border with one armed Hamas cell also trying to infiltrate.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYet, even with the serious nature of the violence on the border, some of which undoubtedly posed an immediate threat, and with Hamas claiming 50 of the victims, there are reasonable and legitimate questioned to be asked of the IDF and the large number of dead.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is for this reason that many in the international community, including friends of Israel such as the British government, have \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-usa-britain-parliament/britain-calls-for-investigation-into-gaza-violence-idUSKCN1IG1QU\"\u003ecalled for\u003c/a\u003e an open investigation into the violence. Membership or support of Hamas does not necessarily mean that you are legitimate target.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn a world of multiple truths, it is possible to both recognise the real danger Hamas poses, and ask questions about how events played out.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe reality is\u0026nbsp;we are unlikely to know exactly how many were killed and injured or exactly how many of those killed were armed and posing an immediate danger when they were killed. \u0026nbsp;And the chances of an international investigation bringing to light these facts is slim.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs the old adage says, the first casualty of war is truth.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut surely for a community where the vast majority of its members count themselves as supporters of Israel one way or another, surely the sensible response should be to acknowledge all of these truths? \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen the Board of Deputies released a statement responding to the violence which simply laid the blame for the violence squarely and unquestioningly solely in the hands of Hamas, with no further context, they failed dismally to represent large numbers in the community who do not share such a black and white view of the world.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat’s why so many active members of the community within a few hours of it being released had signed a public letter to the Board of Deputies, organised by Yachad, explaining their immense dissatisfaction at being represented in this manner.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe decision by a group of individuals to recite, in public, Kaddish for those that were killed in Gaza\u0026nbsp;was not an event Yachad was involved in - \u0026nbsp;contrary to some of the \u0026quot;untruths\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp;circulating to suggest otherwise -\u0026nbsp;because it is our belief that it also failed to address or represent the complexity of the situation.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe sad reality about the debate raging in the British Jewish community about how we should respond to the violent events of the past few week\u0026nbsp;is that it masks the most important question which is how to prevent another round of violence, and what role we have as British Jewish supporters of Israel in lending our support to those on the ground who are desperately searching for a political resolution to this conflict.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBecause when the dead are buried, the one truth that will remain is\u0026nbsp;that in the absence of a political agreement, we will find ourselves here again and again.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd as the violence gets worse, our community will pull itself apart embroiled in a debate about what the truth really is.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHannah Weisfeld is the director and a founder of Yachad\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464531.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/gaza-hannah-weisfeld-yachad-community-risks-tearing-apart-recognise-there-are-multiple-truths-gaza-1.464531","publication_date":"May 22, 2018 12:42:00 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 24, 2018 1:06:40 PM","author":"Hannah Weisfeld","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464089:1526309939/image/GettyImages-958273548.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003df0f09b9","caption":"Protesters watch the tear gas and smoke billowing from burning tyres east of Gaza City","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464494","headline":"How should we approach mental health at university?","subheadline":"Inspired by Mental Health Awareness Week, student blogger Orli West looks at how mental health is dealt with in the exciting but stressful university environment","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLast week (14\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e-20\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e May) was Mental Health Awareness Week. According to \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk\"\u003ewww.mentalhealth.org.uk\u003c/a\u003e, two thirds of us will experience a mental health problem in our lifetimes, which is an enormous amount. In recent weeks, I know of multiple people who have committed suicide. Although I have never had to feel the pain of losing someone like that, several people close to me have had to watch their closest friends struggle with their mental health struggles. University is a time when mental health can be at its most precarious, and, as we meet new friends at university and have new experiences, we will encounter different approaches to life.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eRecently on social media and in society in general, it has become much more acceptable to discuss mental health disorders. As someone who is a huge advocate for talking about a problem (and continuing to talk, and talk, and talk if necessary), I feel that this is a huge win for anyone struggling with mental health. Although it is not easy, and there are still stigmas attached, reaching out for help and being open about diagnoses is now much more accepted than it used to be.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe issue with more open mental health discussion is that it tends to be more easily trivialised. I have lost count of the amount of times someone has said something like “this kitchen is so untidy, it triggers my OCD” or “Love Island doesn’t start for a month, I’m so depressed.”\u0026nbsp; I have also lost count of the amount of times I have wanted to shake the person who says it and shout at them that they most likely have no idea what those mental health disorders involve, and how it’s so much more than they assume. Depression is more than just being sad, bi-polar is more than just having a day with a couple of mood swings, anxiety is more than just being nervous before an exam.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat said, I think that it is important to know what some of the signs are, so that we can recognise changes in ourselves or those we care about. Key early symptoms of most mental health disorders are changes in sleeping or eating habits, social withdrawal, growing inability to cope with daily activities and responsibilities and prolonged negative moods. Although these symptoms seem scary, they are all manageable with the right support system and coping methods.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTherefore, I am going to give you three ways to support someone you care about who is struggling with their mental health:\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003col\u003e \n   \u003cli\u003eBe there for them! This doesn’t necessarily mean taking them to doctor’s appointments or making sure they take their medicine… just make sure they know you’re there. Ask them what they will need on a bad day, and follow it. Do they need food? Space? A hug? Each person is different but let them know you’ll do whatever you can to help.\u003c/li\u003e \n   \u003cli\u003eListen to them! As mentioned, each person’s experience with mental health is different. Some people don’t want to talk, but lots of people do, as long as they know you want to listen. Reassure them that you’ll be there whether it’s two in the morning or two in the afternoon, and try and stick to that (as long as it doesn’t impact on your physical and mental health).\u003c/li\u003e \n   \u003cli\u003eValidate their feelings! You have no idea what a person is going through and what’s going on in their head. Please, if you take anything away from this, don’t tell someone with depression to “just cheer up!” or something with anxiety to “calm down”. It doesn’t help. Let the person know that how they feel is valid, and that you’re there to support them.\u003c/li\u003e \n  \u003c/ol\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe point is: mental health is hard. It is confusing, and stressful and upsetting to see someone you love hurting or struggling. But you aren’t expected to fix it. Let the person know that you will be there on both the good days and the bad, and remember that sometimes the smallest act of care can make a big difference.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrli West is in\u0026nbsp;her second year at Birmingham University where she is studying Education.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/student-views-blog-of-poetry-and-religion-1.464034\"\u003eRead the revious post\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464494.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/mental-health-at-university-student-views-blog-1.464494","publication_date":"May 22, 2018 10:14:00 AM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 24, 2018 3:38:48 PM","author":"Student Views","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464496:1527148172/mental-health-thumbnail-1.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003dfb27ac7","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464375","headline":"That mysterious sense of Jewish connection","subheadline":"Some of my best friends are Jewish, jokes Daniel Finkelstein","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSome of my best friends are Jewish. Well, all right, most of my best friends are Jewish. And I’ve been thinking about why.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis week, reports on the wedding of George Osborne’s brother Theo, included accounts of an Orthodox ceremony and Theo’s discovery that his maternal grandmother was Jewish. In other words, George himself is halachically Jewish.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is the second time that one of my small circle of very close non Jewish friends has turned out, in fact, to be Jewish. Something that not only I didn’t know when we first became friends, but they didn’t know either.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn George’s case this is made even more intriguing and amusing by the fact that I have often joked to him about how he seems to have made so many close Jewish friends and how striking that was. (George has often talked about being jealous at school of his friends having barmitzvahs. Former Israeli ambassador Daniel Taub responded by presenting him with a fountain pen.)\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhich has led me to wonder whether this is all more than mere coincidence.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy wife and I have a group of friends we acquired in our teens and twenties, all of whom are Jewish. There is no mystery to this. We met in Jewish youth clubs, and Jewish student societies and at the social events these groups produced.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eStrictly speaking I married into this group. They were my sister’s social circle first and then I married one of her best friends. As a result many of us have known each other since we were in school.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWith these people we have shared 21st birthday parties, 30ths and 50ths. We’ve been at eachother’s engagements and weddings, and at the bar and batmitzvahs of each other’s children. It is one of the great joys and blessings of our life.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat we are all Jewish is just an unspoken part of our bond. And Judaism is wrapped up in our friendship, intertwined with it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut this is understandable because it was deliberate. I did not pick any of these friends because they were Jews, but I did pick to socialise in the community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut then there is the undoubted bond that exists with other Jews, sometimes even complete strangers. Take, for example (although, yes, I’m fully conscious this is a ludicrous example) other Jewish members of the House of Lords.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is no doubt that across parties and across the House there is a connection between those of us who are Jewish. It isn’t a political connection particularly (although there have been moments). It’s more a sympathy and an understanding of where we are coming from.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd also a common sense of humour. I recall sitting in the chamber waiting for the Queen to arrive to open parliament. It’s first come first serve for the best seats, and I noticed that the first dozen peers to bag a place with the best view of Her Majesty were all Jewish.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe all looked at each from different sides of the Lords and knew instinctively why it was funny. And then we began the conversation Jews have been having since the ancient of days. Where shall we have lunch?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe first time, in my early twenties, a friend (from school and also Jewish) told me I had a Jewish sense of humour I bridled slightly because I wanted to feel I was a bit more original than that. Now I love the fact that I share it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNow again, all this is not much of a mystery. Even though we may not all share a past, we share a culture, a language, an experience. Even where we don’t have anything at all in common, there are Jewish cultural characteristics that are at least familiar.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut now \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e and I’m speculating \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e I wonder if this connection is, if not exactly genetic, then at least much deeper than I have ever understood. Something beyond culture, beyond social connection, beyond common experience. Something that is not explicit and certainly not explicitly understood. Something that carries on even when you have travelled so far from Judaism that you don’t know where you came from.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA sense that we are all family.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd that every time you meet another Jew for the first time, you are really taking part in a family reunion.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDaniel Finkelstein is Associate Editor of The Times\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464375.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/that-mysterious-sense-of-jewish-connection-daniel-finkelstein-1.464375","publication_date":"May 22, 2018 9:25:00 AM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"May 18, 2018 12:33:50 PM","author":"Daniel Finkelstein","byline":"Daniel Finkelstein","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464377:1526642879/GettyImages-888278248%20CUT%20OUT.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003ddb8956a","caption":"George Osborne: one of us? (Photo: Getty)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464380","headline":"There’s more to Shavuot than cheesecake","subheadline":"As this Shavuot approaches — the holiday begins Saturday evening — I am keenly aware that  I remain imperfect. I have yet to grow — particularly where Jewish learning is concerned","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs a young child in my birthplace of Brooklyn, New York, I knew that “Shavuos,” as my grandparents pronounced it, was a Jewish holiday. I knew that this holiday generally fell each May. I knew that, unlike Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, it was a holiday during which the local schools remained open, even if a few of my more observant classmates might not appear at their desks. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBeyond that, what distinguished it from other Jewish holidays, apart from its length (one day, instead of Chanukah’s eight) or cuisine (a “dairy dinner” capped off by cheesecake at my grandparents’ home, rather than, say, a matzah-filled Passover seder), was unclear. Yes, in introductory Hebrew School, I was surely told that this holiday commemorated God’s giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Torah to the Jewish people. But the words did not yet hold much meaning.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen I was nine, my parents and sister and I moved to a New Jersey suburb, where we joined a Reform congregation. There, my understanding of the holiday — which I began to call “Shavuot”— expanded. I acquired a better, if still incomplete, grasp of what happened on Mount Sinai and what it meant for Jewry. I also learned to count Shavuot among the major harvest festivals and pilgrimage holidays. And for a number of years, I attended a series of Confirmation services, culminating with the one on Shavuot 5745 (1985), when, just turned 16, I was among the Confirmands. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI still possess a bound, printed copy of that service. From the opening lines, it affirmed what we’d come to understand as the holiday’s connection to the act of study: “Let us affirm our faith in Torah,” we Confirmands intoned. “Our people’s legacy of learning and faith.” \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTucked inside my service copy is a printout of remarks that I delivered before the congregation that day. My speech concluded with this story:\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Then Isaac asked the Eternal: King of the World, when you made the light, you said that it was good; when you made the heaven and earth, you said that they were good, and of every herb and beast, you said that they were good, but when you made us in your image, why Lord, did you not call humanity good? And God answered him: Because you I have not yet perfected. All other things are completed; they cannot grow. But humanity is not complete; you have yet to grow. Then I will call you good.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs this Shavuot approaches — the holiday begins Saturday evening — those words resonate. I am keenly aware that all these decades later, I remain imperfect. I’m incomplete. I have yet to grow — particularly where Jewish learning is concerned. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’m trying. Two years ago at Shavuot, thanks to a re-immersion in text study and a new appreciation for the Book of Ruth’s relevance for the holiday, I wrote and published a series of poems inspired by that story. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJust last year, I attended my first “Tikkun Leil Shavuot,” an all-night study session. I lasted until 3 am, migrating from classroom to classroom, learning about American Jewish history and Israeli history and still more about Shavuot — breaking for cheesecake around midnight —before succumbing to my droopy eyelids.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis year, I am learning still. I’m grateful for Senator Joe Lieberman’s recent appearance on the \u003cem\u003eUnorthodox \u003c/em\u003epodcast, during which he discussed his new book \u003cem\u003eWith Liberty \u0026amp; Justice: The 50-Day Journey from Egypt to Sinai\u003c/em\u003e. He made convincing cases for Shavuot to occupy more of the major-holiday limelight than it has traditionally, and for it to be appreciated less as an isolated event and more as a conclusion to that central story begun with Passover. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’m also trying to track down a citation for the God-and-Isaac conversation referenced above. So far, I’ve been led to understand that it comes from Edmond Fleg (1874-1963), based on traditional commentators.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis much is certain: On Saturday, I’ll begin my day — like many of you, surely — watching the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. But when evening comes, my attention will turn to Shavuot. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhether I’m attending another all-nighter or reading Senator Lieberman’s book or observing Shavuot in some other way remains to be decided. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn Sunday, I’ll celebrate the Confirmation of a young woman in my family’s next generation. At some point, there will be cheesecake. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’ll still be imperfect. But I’ll continue to grow.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464380.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/there-s-more-to-shavuot-than-cheesecake-1.464380","publication_date":"May 18, 2018 12:32:56 PM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"May 18, 2018 12:40:12 PM","author":"Erika Dreifus","byline":" Erika Dreifus","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464381:1526643568/CHEESECAKE%20(1%20of%206)%20USE.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003db919718","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464339","headline":"Caramel apple cheesecake from Joe \u0026 Seph","subheadline":"I just can\u0027t get enough cheesecake, so was delighted to add this unusual recipe from Joe \u0026 Seph to my collection.","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI love a bit of Joe and Seph’s popcorn and must have eaten my body weight in the crunchy golden kernels when I visited their kitchens. Read about it \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/joe-and-seph-s-visit-1.460126\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor Shavuot, they have given us this amazing sounding cheesecake. As if it weren’t indulgent enough, they suggest topping it with their Brandy Butter Caramel Sauce…\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf you’re still deliberating which cheesecake to make this weekend, this is definitely one to consider. And why stop at one?!\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIngredients\u003cbr /\u003e 160g crushed digestives\u003cbr /\u003e 125g butter, melted\u2028\u003cbr /\u003e 200g\u0026nbsp;soft cheese\u003cbr /\u003e 65g sugar\u003cbr /\u003e \u20282 eggs\u003cbr /\u003e 1 apple chopped into small pieces (leave a few slices for decoration)\u003cbr /\u003e To serve:\u0026nbsp;\u2028 1 jar of Joe \u0026amp; Seph’s Brandy Butter Caramel Sauce\u2028\u2028\u2028 to serve\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMethod:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cul\u003e \n   \u003cli\u003eHeat oven to 180\u0026deg;C. In a bowl mix together the crushed digestives and melted butter, once combined press into the bottom of a lined but ungreased 20cm loose bottom cake tin.\u2028\u2028\u003c/li\u003e \n  \u003c/ul\u003e \n  \u003cul\u003e \n   \u003cli\u003eBeat together the\u0026nbsp;soft cheese and sugar until smooth then add the eggs one by one, mixing after each addition.\u0026nbsp;\u2028\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e \n  \u003c/ul\u003e \n  \u003cul\u003e \n   \u003cli\u003eFold in the chopped apple pieces then pour the mix on top of the digestive base.\u2028\u2028\u003c/li\u003e \n  \u003c/ul\u003e \n  \u003cul\u003e \n   \u003cli\u003eBake for 40 minutes or until set. Once out of the oven leave to cool for 20 minutes. Remove cheesecake from the tin on to a serving plate and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.\u2028\u003c/li\u003e \n  \u003c/ul\u003e \n  \u003cul\u003e \n   \u003cli\u003eOnce chilled you can layer on your decorative apple pieces and serve with a drizzle of Joe and Seph’s Brandy Butter Caramel Sauce\u003c/li\u003e \n  \u003c/ul\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464339.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/caramel-apple-cheesecake-from-joe-seph-1.464339","publication_date":"May 17, 2018 9:38:26 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 17, 2018 9:38:26 PM","author":"The Fresser","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464340:1526589331/Baked-Apple-Cheesecake%20Joe%20and%20Seph.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d5e23106","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464337","headline":"Now that Hamas\u0027s plan is foiled, Egypt must act to help Gaza","subheadline":"Jerusalem Post senior commentator Amotz Asa-El on what must happen after a tumultuous week","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDespair, Gaza’s mindset, and tragedy, have produced a morally bankrupt leadership’s weapon of last resort.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHaving used suicides, rockets, tunnels and most recently fire-bearing kites along the years, after using schools as armories and children as human shields, Hamas has now weaponised the populace itself.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOffering money to families whose youngsters would storm the Israeli border, and bussing there the very men it maneuvered to joblessness, Hamas has ushered thousands into confrontation with the IDF.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJoined by squads tasked with planting explosives along the border fence, the multitude had to be treated by the IDF as invaders. That is why it ordered its snipers to prevent any crossing of the fence at any point.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYes, dozens were consequently killed, but a broad Israeli consensus applauds the IDF for foiling Hamas’s stated aim of pouring thousands into Israeli communities opposite Gaza.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat the violence was organised became obvious by dusk on Monday, when the multitudes vanished, and then Tuesday morning, when they failed to return.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThough it is too early to conclude that Hamas’s effort has been exhausted, there is reason to believe Gaza’s government does not want further escalation — either because its leaders fear they might be targeted next, or because of Egyptian pressure that Hamas cannot resist.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs seen from Cairo, Hamas’s new weapon is bad for business.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eUp to their neck in a war with Islamist terrorists east of the Suez Canal and with the Muslim Brotherhood to its west, the last thing the Egyptians need is fresh excitement in its streets fanned by Gazan upheaval.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs a gesture of goodwill, Egypt opened Gaza’s lone gateway into Sinai, the Rafah border crossing, on Tuesday morning. It also said it would admit Gazans into its hospitals.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael, at the same time, reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing through which Gaza imports most of its goods and which a Gazan mob had torched.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhatever the depth and durability of this fledgling de-escalation, salvation can only come from a Gazan leadership that will welcome development — unlike Hamas, which has torpedoed progress since violently overthrowing the Palestinian Authority 11 years ago next month.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe chances of such a transformation seemed good last October, when Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah visited Gaza. It generated hopes to extend water supply and power generation, build new sewage systems and create thousands of jobs where nearly one in two people are jobless.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut these hopes were dashed after Mr Hamdallah survived an assassination attempt in Gaza.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eCairo will now hopefully realise it is in its interest to help the Palestinians overhaul Gaza’s economy, so two million Gazans have enough work, income and dignity to stop courting death and begin believing in life.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe writer is the Jerusalem Post’s senior commentator and former executive editor\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464337.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/now-that-hamas-s-plan-is-foiled-egypt-must-act-to-help-gaza-1.464337","publication_date":"May 17, 2018 4:26:11 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 17, 2018 4:28:45 PM","author":"Amotz Asa-El","byline":"COMMENTAmotz Asa-El","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464338:1526570835/GettyImages-958922664.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d953696f","caption":"Hamas\u0027s Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464236","headline":"Did Bibi care how awful the pictures looked?","subheadline":"Anshel Pfeffer looks at the \u0027optics\u0027 of the events on the Gaza border","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTelevision screens across the world were split in half: one side showing the US embassy opening ceremony in Jerusalem; the other, scenes of carnage on the borders of the Gaza Strip.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDid Benjamin Netanyahu, a master of media management, not realise on Monday how awful the pictures would look?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd no less important, did he even care?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Trump administration chose May 14 as the date to hold the ceremonial opening of its new embassy, because it is the anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOf course, Israelis celebrate independence on the Hebrew date, the Fifth of Iyar, which this year fell nearly three weeks earlier.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen this date was originally set no one in Washington — or, it seems, in Jerusalem — paid any thought to the fact that Palestinians observe May 15 as “Nakba Day”, when they commemorate the tragedy that befell them as hundreds of thousands of people were made refugees overnight by Israel’s establishment.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt should have been obvious then that the adjacent dates would be a source of tension.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBy the time the series of violent protests on Gaza’s borders — which the Palestinians call the “Great Return March” — began on March 30, it was clear that Hamas, which moved quickly to assert control of the protests, planned for them to culminate on May 14-15.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was probably too late to back down and change the embassy ceremony date, but no one even tried. None were fully aware in the Trump White House, while in Mr Netanyahu’s office very few professionals remain who are capable of detecting such potential crises in advance.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMost seasoned advisers have long since left the prime minister’s team — some now under criminal investigation.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe communications department particularly has no lack of young millennials adept at building up Mr Netanyahu’s social media profile, but is woefully short of experience.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd what about the prime minister himself?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWas he too busy to micromanage such a world event? Too distracted by his own legal troubles? Too swept up in the hubris of his recent foreign policy triumphs?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOr maybe he was aware of the explosive potential of the juxtaposition of the events and he simply didn’t mind.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJust as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who in his last visit to Washington did not get to meet the President but went on the \u003cem\u003eFox and Friends\u003c/em\u003e morning show in the hope that Mr Trump was watching, Mr Netanyahu has also lately been crafting his message for an audience of one.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe most powerful man in the world sees the world through a very different prism to that of many viewers.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Trump administration has fully endorsed Israel and placed the blame for the deaths on the Gaza border fully on the shoulders of Hamas.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe fact is that if President Trump does not feel violence overshadowed the event in which his own daughter was guest of honour, then neither does Mr Netanyahu.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464236.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/analysis/did-bibi-care-how-awful-the-pictures-looked-gaza-1.464236","publication_date":"May 17, 2018 3:55:54 PM","section":"Analysis","modification_date":"May 18, 2018 9:34:52 AM","author":"Anshel Pfeffer","byline":"Anshel Pfeffer","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464313:1526564148/GettyImages-958322960.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003da2d7cf2","caption":"(Credit: Getty/Flash90)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464328","headline":"Non-violent myth","subheadline":"The Jewish Chronicle Leader column, May 18th 2018\r\n\r\n","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor six weeks, the “Great Return March” in Gaza has been building towards this week’s conjunction of the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem and the so-called Nakba Day. What might have once been planned as a non-violent protest was soon taken over — like almost everything in Gaza — by Hamas and became anything but non-violent. Certainly, there were large numbers of unarmed protesters among the tens of thousands gathered on the border with Israel. But many were armed, and among them — leading them — were Hamas terrorists, whose murderous intentions were open. Hamas’s Prime Minister, Yahya Sinwar, was clear about their aim: “We will take down the border and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.” We know from Hamas itself that 50 of the 62 Palestinians who were killed on Monday were members of the terrorist organisation. They were not at the fence for a peaceful protest.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMonday’s events were a perfect illustration of the problems of asymmetrical warfare. Even though the IDF is plainly superior militarily, Hamas is able to exploit a fundamental dilemma. Hamas wants the world to see Israelis killing Palestinians. Everything about the past six weeks has been designed to produce such an outcome. But for all that this is obvious, Israel cannot stand back and let the fence be breached. To that extent, Israel walked straight into Hamas’s PR trap. It did so consciously, because for Israel, quite rightly,\u0026nbsp; the priority will always be protecting its citizens rather than winning a PR war. But now what? The issue for Israel — and, of course, for the Palestinians — is whether there is an alternative, even when Israel is confronted by marauding terrorists. Is there a way to break this terrible cycle of violence and fear?\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464328.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/leaders/non-violent-myth-1.464328","publication_date":"May 17, 2018 3:20:10 PM","section":"Leaders","modification_date":"May 25, 2018 8:49:44 AM","author":"The JC Leader","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464329:1526566769/JPG%20(3).jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d007cb12","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464324","headline":"Do not be fooled by what Hamas is doing","subheadline":"I am a military man. Those who claim the IDF should have acted differently are ignorant or malign — or both","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s hard for people in Britain and Europe to understand what has been happening on the Gaza border. Most can recognise rockets fired at civilian communities and attack tunnels dug into kibbutzim for mass murder as acts of war by Hamas terrorists — even those whose default setting is to blame the Jewish state.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut Hamas has succeeded in portraying their latest aggression against Israel as peaceful demonstrations in support of a so-called ‘right of return’ and the world has been horrified by what they’ve been told is an Israeli massacre of innocents.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDon’t be fooled. Like the rockets and the tunnels, these mobs — including armed terrorists — have been mobilised by Hamas for one purpose: to force the IDF to respond with lethal force, killing as many Palestinians as possible.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe reason? To bring down upon the State of Israel international outrage, condemnation and isolation — exactly the same as in the last three Gaza conflicts.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThose who claim the IDF should have acted differently are ignorant or malign — or both.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis week I was on the border with IDF commanders, snipers and observers. As the British Army would in such circumstances, they used graduated force, including non-lethal weapons, and only as a last resort opened fire.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI was a soldier for 30 years, commanding troops in combat zones around the world. Watching the IDF in action I dug deep into my military knowledge and experience to find another answer to the horrific challenge they faced.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere isn’t one that would work.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd none of the politicians or armchair experts in human rights groups, the UN, EU or the media have come up with any viable solution despite their vehement criticism from air conditioned offices of the men facing the heat on the front line thousands of miles away.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Hamas-organised crowds were hell-bent on breaking through the border fence. Had the IDF allowed the fence to be breached, they would have surged through in their thousands. Using their Google maps showing routes from the border, they would have dashed for pre-designated villages, intent on mass slaughter.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYes, the IDF would have stopped them — but to do so they would have had to kill many times more than have been killed already.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Jewish community in Britain must not succumb to the hysteria demanded by Hamas and stoked by a predominantly anti-Israel media which has the world howling in outrage as the Gaza terrorists again and again jerk the strings.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOf course, we can only be horrified by the heart-breaking death toll on the Gaza border in the last six weeks and especially on Monday. But those of us who remain sober know this has been directly caused by Hamas and their Iranian paymasters.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAt the Gaza border, I met five officers and four soldiers from North London. With their brothers in arms from Israel and around the world, these young people were risking death every minute of the day to stand between innocent men, women and children in villages like Nahal Oz and the bloodthirsty hordes desperate to butcher them.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThese fine, courageous soldiers are your brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. They would no more indulge in an orgy of unnecessary killing than you or I would. Do not believe the lies that are told about them.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is another reason you must stick up for them and the Jewish state in this dark hour. Those who falsely condemn Israel play into Hamas’s hands, fuel their terrorism, encourage their use of human shields and contribute to the death and bloodshed.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eStanding up for the IDF is also standing up for innocent Palestinian civilians so betrayed, exploited and sacrificed by their leaders.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf the Jews won’t find the courage to do that, who will?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eRetired colonel Richard Kemp commanded British armed forces in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464324.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/do-not-be-fooled-by-what-hamas-is-doing-gaza-israel-1.464324","publication_date":"May 17, 2018 3:06:09 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 18, 2018 9:26:29 AM","author":"Richard Kemp","byline":"Richard Kemp","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464325:1526566049/GettyImages-958439512.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003db85c700","caption":"The IDF patrolling the Israeli side of the border with Gaza on Monday (Photo: Getty)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464301","headline":"Hassell ruling is legal milestone","subheadline":"Leading lawyer John Bowers QC argues that the High Court ruling against Mary Hassell has major implications","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe case of \u003cem\u003eR (ota) Adath Yisroel Burial Society v HM Senior Coroner for Inner London North Coroner \u003c/em\u003eis a legal milestone and has major implications beyond the facts of the case. It affects the Muslim as well as Jewish community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe High Court had to consider an application from the orthodox Jewish burial society which took issue with the policy of the North Inner London Coroner which was not to prioritise deaths from the Jewish and Islamic communities. Both of course seek to bury their dead soon after their death.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMs Hassell, the Coroner, was in effect operating a “Cab rank” rule and taking deaths in chronological sequence. The only prioritisation she would allow was for cases of homicide and organ donations. The Coroner’s policy excluded prioritisation of deaths at any stage of coronial process including the early release of bodies; she described it in her evidence as “queue jumping”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is unusual for a court to interfere with the decisions of a Coroner and without precedent for a policy like this to be struck down.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe first ground on which Singh LJ and Whipple J in the Divisional Court found the policy objectionable was that it was over rigid and risked fettering the discretion as to when to bury and it also failed on the public law irrationality ground (which is usually difficult to establish).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMost interesting however was the court’s treatment of the claim by the Society in reliance on Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights, the right to freedom of religion, thought and conscience.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Divisional Court pointed out that the third right protected (beyond freedom of thought and the right to change religion which are absolute rights) that is the right to manifest religion was subject to limitations. The judges reiterated the guidance given in \u003cem\u003eR (BBC) v Secretary of State for Justice \u003c/em\u003ethat “The jurisprudence of the ECHR has frequently stressed that the hallmarks of a democratic society are pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness” (para 96). A balancing exercise was required and the judges said that the “policy does not strike a fair balance between the rights concerned at all”. Instead a rigid policy had been adopted by the Coroner.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Coroner\u0026nbsp;suggested in response that the policy was equal across the board and therefore fair and equitable; the court responded “to treat everyone in the same way is not necessarily to treat them equally; uniformity is not the same thing as equality” (para 111).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe judges also pointed out that “coroners in other areas do not adopt the strict policy which the Defendant has adopted for her area and this does not seem to cause undue difficulties” (para 123).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eImportantly, the court decided that the “coroner cannot exclude religious reasons for seeking expedition of decisions by coroner” (para 123). The court quashed the policy although it did not uphold the claim under the public sector equality duty.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSomewhat unusually the Coroner asked the court to give guidance about what a lawful policy might look like. To use a well-worn legal expression, the court thought this was something of a chutzpah, but did state that the “Coroner cannot lawfully exclude religious reasons for seeking expedition of decisions by that Coroner” which is highly significant.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAlthough resources might be relevant in drawing up the policy, “limitations on resources does not justify discrimination”. On the other hand it would be wrong for a Coroner to impose an automatic priority for cases where there are religious reasons for seeking expedition.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere was also no encouragement for further individual claims to be brought. The court would be unlikely to entertain claims in individual cases as it would be subject to a “margin of judgment” for the coroner.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe three key features of the case are\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ea. The court was prepared to overturn a policy that was too rigid and to view it as irrational;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eb. A cab rank which appeared to treat everyone equally was seen to boomerang against the two religious communities which needed to bury early;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ec. Individual claims are discouraged.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is unlikely however to be the final chapter in this story.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eJohn Bowers QC is Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464301.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/hassell-ruling-is-legal-milestone-1.464301","publication_date":"May 17, 2018 1:04:38 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 17, 2018 1:05:39 PM","author":"John Bowers QC","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":null,"url":null,"caption":null,"copyright":null}},{"id":"1.464261","headline":"Through this week\u0027s events in Gaza, Hamas has shown how it can set the news agenda","subheadline":"As the news agenda moves on, it is clear that both sides have lost","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs the sun set over the Mediterranean on Tuesday, Israel’s military commanders allowed themselves some cautious optimism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe doomsday scenario of a second day of violent protests and rioting had not taken place.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Only” 4,000 Palestinians had returned to the five encampments on Gaza’s border to confront Israeli soldiers, less than ten per cent of the number that arrived on the previous day. The casualty rate fell as well: two Palestinians were killed by Israeli sniper fire, down from 60 dead on Monday.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNakba Day, extended due to the ceremony opening the US Embassy in Jerusalem to a two-day event, was finally over.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnother source of cautious optimism was the situation in the West Bank. While there had been clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces at 18 separate locations, these were all small and isolated, involving just 1,300 protesters or rioters.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eContrary to the original fears, the scenes of death in Gaza had not triggered violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — at least, not yet.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eUnder the auspices of the Egyptian government, messages were passed between the leaders of Hamas and Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFrom Israel came a threat of violent retribution against Hamas leaders and veiled suggestions of a possible easing of the closure on Gaza, which were met by half-promises from Hamas to rein in the protests that have been taking place every Friday since March 30 — at least, for now.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHamas hope that they have demonstrated that — even during a period when they enjoy no international support, not even from their Arab brothers, and the Palestinians have rarely been so divided and demoralised — they can still dominate the world’s media agenda when Gaza bleeds.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the space of just over six weeks, 110 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. But with the exception of the first two Fridays and Monday of this week, Hamas struggled to attract the masses to the border.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIts leaders realise that they are still not trusted by the people of Gaza to deliver them from their beleaguered status and that inviting further violence and destruction on the strip is not the way to endear them to its inhabitants.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe next few days will remain tense but as the month of Ramadan has begun, with its daily fasts and nights of feasting, there is reason to expect at least a temporary lull.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAssuming that this round of violence is nearly over, it is clear that both sides have lost.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor the people of Gaza there has been more death and thousands of wounded. Hamas may have succeeded in bringing Gaza and the Palestinian cause back to the headlines for a\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003efew days, but the world’s attention is likely to be short-lived.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat is more, they have no tangible achievements to point to. The overall goal of Hamas’s Gaza Prime Minister Yahya Sinwar of ending the closure is no closer.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn the Israeli side, there is some satisfaction at the fact that there were no Israeli casualties and that at no point did the Palestinians come close to entering Israeli territory, as was feared.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut the price in Palestinian casualties was bad for Israel, and not only for image and international public-relations purposes. Many Israelis, including senior figures in the security establishment, believe that the dozens of deaths could have been avoided by a more flexible approach towards the rules of engagement.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe intransigence of politicians at the top is bad for Israeli policy-making. Worse, the refusal of the government to seriously consider a long-term solution to Gaza’s plight means opportunities were lost to preempt the current predicaments.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe headlines in the international media will change in a day or two, especially now it is known that at least 50 of the 62 killed were Hamas terrorists.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe diplomatic fallout has been largely limited to the expulsion of Israeli diplomats from Turkey, whose government under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is resolutely anti-Israel, and from staunchly pro-Palestinian South Africa.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe lingering damage will mainly be a deep feeling of unease among some of Israel’s supporters, particularly in the Jewish diaspora, who believe that much of the bloodshed could have been avoided.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThey have heard Israel’s explanations, of Hamas trying to carry out terror attacks under cover of “non-violent” protests, and are not entirely convinced.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEven if the Gaza violence is dying down for now, Hamas have seen how they can place the Palestinian issue back on the international agenda very quickly and are likely to use this tactic again if none of their demands are met in the near future.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThey cannot seriously threaten Israel’s security, and entertain no such illusions, but they have succeeded in portraying it as a lumbering and unthinking regional bully.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn Gaza’s dismal and desperate situation, even that is an achievement.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464261.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/analysis/through-this-week-s-events-in-gaza-hamas-has-shown-how-it-can-set-the-news-agenda-1.464261","publication_date":"May 17, 2018 11:36:45 AM","section":"Analysis","modification_date":"May 17, 2018 11:53:42 AM","author":"Anshel Pfeffer","byline":"Anshel Pfeffer","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464262:1526554388/GettyImages-958462634.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003de53ecd3","caption":"A woman documents the scene in Gaza on Monday","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464260","headline":"Two Jews got into a lift and …","subheadline":"...sparked a row about political correctness. David Robson finds out who pressed the wrong buttons","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf you’re looking for a friendly phrase to calm Simona Sharoni in a moment of stress, try to avoid “don’t get your knickers in a twist.” However kindly intended, it might not go down well. Sharoni, a professor of women’s and gender studies at a US college, is a fervent campaigner against sexism \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e her position appears to be not so much #metoo as #metooangry or, some might say, #metotallybonkers. She describes herself as “a survivor of sexual harassment in the academy [academic life]” so you can just imagine what a dreadful ordeal it must have been for her when Professor Richard Ned Lebow did what he did. Excuse my French but this is a story of how lingerie became a cause c\u0026eacute;l\u0026egrave;bre.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is the terrible, brutal thing Professor Lebow did: at 10.20am on April 5 the eminent 76-year-old American scholar from the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London stepped into a crowded elevator in a Hilton Hotel in San Francisco where the International Studies Association (ISA) conference was taking place. Professor Sharoni, 56, also at the conference, was near the lift buttons and asked which floor people wanted. “Ladies’ lingerie,” called out Professor Lebow in jest.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere was the odd chuckle but I think we can agree that really you’d have to go back well into the last millennium to find it funny, and even then it wasn’t very funny. It certainly wouldn’t make it onto the Old Jews Telling Jokes website though, as things turned out, it may crop up on Old Jews Oy Vey!\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eProfessor Sharoni, far from being amused, described herself as “quite shaken by the incident”. She said the woman standing next to her turned to her and said, “I wonder if we should have told him that it is no longer acceptable to make these jokes!” By then the moment had passed, Professor Lebow had left the lift. You might have thought Sharoni would find an opportunity later to buttonhole him and have a quiet corrective word in his ear about this silly little comment. No big deal. But that isn’t the way of things. In these days of #metooangry everything’s a big deal.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSharoni decided it was her duty on behalf of womankind and civilisation to report this outrage to the ISA disciplinary authorities. Lebow then wrote to her directly saying he had not intended to make her feel uncomfortable and was strongly opposed to the exploitation, coercion and humiliation of women. To him these were important issues but, he added he thought her complaint to the authorities about his lingerie remark was “frivolous.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWas “frivolous” really the word? It may have been piffling, wrongheaded or bonkers, a ludicrous diversion from what really matters. But frivolous? If “frivolous” even slightly suggests lightness or fun, Simona Sharoni and frivolous are not known to each other. She is also quoted as saying that Lebow’s comment implied that she was being characterised as a lift operator rather than an academic. This is troubling. It shows her total lack of respect for lift operators and is anyway weird as she says she was the one pushing the buttons and asking “which floor?”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDespite the fact that the ISA rules encourage people at odds with one another to sort things out before going to the authorities, Lebow’s communication with Sharoni was disapproved of and he was instructed to issue an “unequivocal apology”. This he (quite rightly) refused to do because this was a “horrifying and chilling example of political correctness that encourages others to censor their remarks for fear of retribution.” He now awaits punishment\u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003epossible suspension or eviction from the ISA.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSharoni is clearly a very serious woman \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e watch her YouTube videos \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e but now she is being seriously ridiculous about a bad joke. In fact the whole business is a bad joke. She shouldn’t be wasting her time on this. Professor Lebow shouldn’t be wasting his time on it but now he must. I shouldn’t even be wasting your time on it, except that it’s a small example of a sort of lunacy that is getting wilder and wilder and stronger and stronger and running out of control.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is probably neither the first nor the last time Professor Sharoni will be “quite shaken” by some innocent remark that she identifies as a sort of harassment bringing back memories of previous trauma, and I doubt if it’s the first or last time that Professor Lebow comes up with some slightly off-key remark that was meant to be funny but wasn’t. At the age of 76, you neither start doing new things nor stop doing old ones.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYou might like to think twice before getting into a lift with either of them.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464260.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/lingerie-lift-row-between-two-jewish-academics-1.464260","publication_date":"May 17, 2018 11:15:53 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 17, 2018 12:44:43 PM","author":"David Robson","byline":"David Robson ","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464263:1526556389/article-0-1C0E128D00000578-263_634x485.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d0f42d57","caption":"An old-style lift attendant, from the film Grand Budapest Hotel","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464233","headline":"I said Israel should be ashamed – now I am the one who is ashamed","subheadline":"On Tuesday Daniel Sugarman wrote an article on the clashes at the Gaza border. Today he acknowledges that he was wrong.","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cdiv\u003e \n    \u003cdiv dir\u003d\"auto\"\u003e \n     \u003cdiv\u003e \n      \u003cdiv id\u003d\"m_-7620170153774188995cm_replymail_content_wrap\"\u003e \n       \u003cdiv\u003e \n        \u003cdiv id\u003d\"m_-7620170153774188995cm_replymail_content_1526544812\"\u003e \n         \u003cdiv dir\u003d\"auto\"\u003e \n          \u003cdiv\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eIt’s never easy to say you’re sorry.\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eTo admit you’re wrong. To announce publicly, “I made a mistake”.\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eBut to apologise when that apology comes bound up with what is, perhaps, the most intractable conflict on earth, makes it a thousand times harder.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eBut that is what I am. Sorry.\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eA few days ago I wrote a column about the latest round of violence on the border with Gaza.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eIt was a cry from the heart. I love Israel. I have always loved it, and cannot envision a time when I will not love it.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eBut in my office, I sit near a television set. And\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan data-term\u003d\"goog_1581591530\" tabindex\u003d\"0\"\u003eon Monday\u003c/span\u003e, I saw the following, side by side.\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eOn the left, in Jerusalem, I saw happy faces. Self-congratulatory faces. I saw the Prime Minister of Israel talking about how the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem was a big step towards peace.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eAnd on the right, simultaneously, in Gaza, I saw tear gas, and smoke, and bullets.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eAnd it was in this context that I wrote my piece, which was an extremely personal one. I wrote it in anguish. I wrote it making clear that I despised Hamas and all it stood for. But I also wrote the following:\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“Every bullet Israel fires, every life Israel takes, makes this situation worse. There are ways to disperse crowds which do not include live fire. But the IDF has made an active choice to fire live rounds and kill scores of people. You cannot tell me that Israel, a land of technological miracles which have to be seen to be truly believed, is incapable of coming up with a way of incapacitating protestors that does not include gunning dozens of them down. But no. In front of the entire world, Israel keeps shooting, and protestors, including very young protestors, keep dying. You may tell me that Hamas wants these deaths, wants to create martyrs, wants to fill the hearts of the people of Gaza with rage against Israel because the alternative is for people to look at their lives in Gaza and rage against Hamas. But if you tell me that, why are you not asking yourselves why Israel is so willingly giving Hamas exactly what it wishes?”\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eI received a lot of praise for my piece, from people I admire greatly, as well as from a great many unexpected sources, including from within the Jewish community.\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eI also received a lot of criticism. I got called a traitor, and that most vile of all insults a Jew can bestow or receive, a “Kapo”.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003ePeople also wrote pieces in response. I was told that, as a Jew not currently living in Israel, my greatest worry was whether Starbucks would have almond-soya milk for my latte.\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eBut the criticism I paid more attention to was from people who pointed out that it was absurd to deal in hypotheticals. I’d said that surely there must be a way the protestors could be stopped without shooting live ammunition at them – that Israel, with its incredible technological capabilities, must be capable of developing a way. That was a cry of anguish, but it was not an argument. If no such technology currently exists, then it was absurd of me to blame the IDF for not magically willing it into existence. The traditional crowd stopping technology would not have worked effectively. Rubber bullets are only short range. The same with water cannons. And with tens of thousands of people rushing the border, this would have been extremely unlikely to work effectively. The border would have been broken through. And then, without much of a doubt, a lot of people in Israel would have died.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;That was, after all, Hamas’s stated aim.\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eBut what really affected me the most was yesterday, when a Hamas operative went on television and claimed that, of the 62 people killed in the last two days, fifty were Hamas operatives. Islamic Jihad claimed three more, meaning that over 80 percent of the people who were killed while trying to breach the border were members of terrorist organisations whose direct aim is to bring death and suffering into Israel.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eAnd I opened my eyes and saw what I had done.\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eI had fallen into the trap I had always been convinced I would not fall into. I had condemned Israel for defending itself.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eThere are things one can write about how Israel could have acted differently in the run-up to these attempts to charge the border. But I did not write about those in my original piece. I wrote that, by killing the Palestinians running towards them, the IDF was giving Hamas exactly what it wished for – martyrs for the cause.\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eI failed to acknowledge that, either way, Israel would be giving Hamas what it wanted. Shoot at those charging at you and Hamas would have its martyrs. Fail to shoot and Hamas would break through the barrier and bring suffering and death – its stated aim - to Israelis living only a few hundred metres away from that barrier. The march may have originally been, as it was declared to be, about Palestinians returning to the homes they had to leave 70 years before. But Hamas’s aim was far more straightforward - “We will take down the border and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eI wrote in my previous article that Israel was a regional powerhouse, and that it was strong enough to take criticism from Jews in the Diaspora.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eI still believe it is strong enough to do so. I just don’t believe that my criticism of it was valid. Given the circumstances, and the situation on the ground, I am at a loss in terms of coming up with a better solution. The choice was, quite literally, shoot at people running at you with the stated aim of killing you and your families, or fail to shoot and let them do it.\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eA few days ago I said I could not and would not defend Israel’s actions. Now, in the cold light of day, I could not and would not see how I would fail to defend them.\u003c/p\u003e \n           \u003cp\u003eI said that Israel should be ashamed of its actions. But today I am the one ashamed.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n          \u003c/div\u003e \n         \u003c/div\u003e \n        \u003c/div\u003e \n       \u003c/div\u003e \n      \u003c/div\u003e \n     \u003c/div\u003e \n    \u003c/div\u003e \n   \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464233.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/i-said-israel-should-be-ashamed-of-its-actions-on-the-gaza-border-now-i-am-the-one-who-is-ashamed-1.464233","publication_date":"May 17, 2018 9:43:17 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 17, 2018 9:43:17 AM","author":"Daniel Sugarman","byline":"","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464232:1526546597/Gaza%20pic.JPG?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d63e35bb","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464197","headline":"Don\u0027t be an armchair soldier","subheadline":"Natan Slifkin says it\u0027s irresponsible to criticise the IDF if you don\u0027t know anything about soldiering ","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLast summer, my sister was sitting with her family at Shabbat dinner, when suddenly they heard screaming from their next-door neighbor\u0027s house. My brother-in-law ran next door to find a nineteen-year-old Palestinian stabbing the neighbours to death. My nephew, an off-duty soldier, shot the terrorist, which incapacitated him (but did not kill him).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThen he checked that the house was safe\u0026nbsp;and attempted to help the wounded, until the security forces arrived.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e In the aftermath, many people were criticizing my nephew for not killing the terrorist. It\u0027s painful to see pictures of the terrorist smiling proudly in court, secure in the knowledge that his family will receive more than a million dollars as a reward from the Palestinian authority, knowing that he will one day walk free, while three members of the Salomon family lie underground and the surviving family members had their lives shattered. Why didn\u0027t my nephew shoot to kill?\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e Such criticisms came from armchair soldiers - people with little knowledge of combat scenarios beyond what they\u0027ve seen in James Bond. People with actual knowledge of such things are aware that such situations are chaotic, and that there\u0027s rarely such a thing as \u0026quot;shoot to kill.\u0026quot; You shoot to stop what\u0027s happening as quickly as possible, and the largest target is the torso.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOnce the attacker is neutralized, it\u0027s up to the courts to decide what to do with him. The IDF was extremely proud of my nephew\u0027s professional conduct and awarded him a medal. The goal of soldiers is not to kill terrorists; it\u0027s to follow the rules of engagement under very difficult conditions.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e A different group of people are acting as armchair soldiers with regard to the situation on the border with Gaza. \u0026quot;Why did the IDF have to kill anyone? Why didn\u0027t they stop them some other way?\u0026quot; Such criticism invariably comes from people with no experience or knowledge of such situations. If they would bother doing proper research before publicly condemning Israel, they would discover the facts of the situation.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e The IDF does not want to kill anyone - if you speak to people in the IDF, you would know that. And it\u0027s absolutely not in Israel\u0027s interests to do so. But sometimes, situations arise in which there is simply no choice, if you want to prevent much worse bloodshed from happening.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e There were not only protestors present - there were also numerous Hamas terrorists armed with butcher knives, guns and firebombs, whose explicitly declared goal (as can be seen in video footage) was to break into Israel and kill people. The terrorists were mixed together with the protestors in several huge mobs. And there is simply no way to stop them at a distance without using guns.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe IDF used tear gas, but its effectiveness is dependent on wind conditions, and the canisters can be quickly buried or thrown away. Rubber bullets only work at short range. And you can\u0027t wait for it to be a short-range confrontation - with a mob of thousands, many of whom are armed, it would turn into a sheer bloodbath, on both sides.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e \u0026quot;But Israel is so technologically advanced, there must be non-lethal ways of stopping them!\u0026quot; No, there aren\u0027t. No army in the world has yet discovered a way of stopping enemy combatants without using bullets.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMaybe one day there will be such technology, but it does not yet exist. It\u0027s the height of irresponsibility to condemn Israel\u0027s actions based on a completely fictitious, baseless claim of the existence of \u0026quot;alternative technologies.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e \u0026quot;But it ends up being so disproportionate - sixty Gazans dead, and no Israelis dead!\u0026quot; This is perhaps the most bizarre criticism of all. Should Israel wait until the Gazans had broken through the fence and killed some Jews before stopping them from killing any more? You don\u0027t measure the morality of a confrontation with terrorists or of a war by comparing the number of dead on each side.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e Unless you\u0027re one of the many outright antisemites who believe that Israel has no right to prevent its civilians from being butchered by terrorists, then please, show some responsibility. Don\u0027t criticize the IDF\u0027s method of preventing a larger bloodbath if you don\u0027t have any expertise in this area. Learn what the IDF says about these situations.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eContact soldiers (as I did) and listen to what they have to say. If you don\u0027t trust the IDF, then listen to what Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, has to say about the absolutely necessity and propriety of what the IDF did.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e Don\u0027t be an armchair soldier. It\u0027s morally irresponsible. And it\u0027s plain stupid.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRabbi Dr\u0026nbsp;Natan Slifkin is\u0026nbsp;Director of the Biblical Museum of Natural History in\u0026nbsp;Beit Shemesh, Israel\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464197.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/don-t-be-an-armchair-soldier-1.464197","publication_date":"May 16, 2018 9:01:47 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 16, 2018 9:23:17 AM","author":"Natan Slifkin","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464198:1526457920/HamasGaza.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d8ad52d1","caption":"Screenshot from video","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464174","headline":"I love Israel - that\u0027s why I\u0027m criticising it today","subheadline":"It is possible to be an ardent Zionist and a keen defender of the State of Israel - and yet be appalled by the current actions of the IDF","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eGrowing up in North London, in the Jewish heartlands of Golders Green, I was something of a solitary child.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt wasn’t that I had no friends, but I was perfectly happy in my own company. I would spend hours in the back garden kicking a football around, concocting scenarios of Cup Final glory.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd then one day I looked over the fence and saw another boy, kicking a ball around on his own.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAt first I said nothing. But as we kicked our respective balls in our respective gardens, it struck me that it might be more fun to kick a ball around together. So I introduced myself.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe was Israeli, and slightly older than me – maybe nine, I was about seven. Over the next few months, we played together on the weekends. I don’t remember that much about what we talked about, but I remember him quite well – he had a lopsided smile, untidy hair and round glasses. If it had been a few years later, I would probably have compared him to Harry Potter – but Harry Potter hadn’t yet been published.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe had an older brother, who was about thirteen or so. He used to practice skateboard tricks in the driveway. He wasn’t particularly good, but I guess that’s why you practice – to get better. I remember their father, vaguely, a tall man with an Israeli accent who loomed high above me.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThey only lived next to us for a few months. Then they left, and I got on with my life, and they got on with theirs.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eUntil 2002. March 31, 2002.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy friend, now 15, was sitting with his brother , now 18, and their father, in the Matza restaurant in Haifa. It was the height of the Second Intifada, and there had been a suicide bombing in the city just a few days before, but people weren’t overly worried. The Matza restaurant was owned by an Israeli-Arab family, and therefore it was believed it was an unlikely target for a terror attack.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was lunchtime, and the restaurant was busy. A man walked in. His name was Shadi Tubasi, and he was a member of Hamas. He was wearing an explosive device, which he detonated.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe killed he killed my friend, his brother, their father and 13 others, and injured 40 more.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI remember being told about it. It was the first time someone from my small world had died – not just died, but killed, murdered, despatched violently from this world. For me, he wasn’t 15. He was the nine year old, with the round glasses, messy hair and lopsided grin. Whatever age he was, he didn’t deserve to die.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is not a story I have told publicly before, and I am only telling it now because of what I am about to say. I am telling this now to demonstrate that I am under no illusions regarding Hamas. I know what sort of organisation it is. I know about its genocidal ambitions, the death and destruction it has wrought. I loathe it with a passion.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs I write this, however, I am in the depths of despair, because yesterday was a terrible day in Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSome people will not recognise this description of yesterday. For them, it was a day of great triumph. After seventy years and countless prevarications, the United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs a symbolic gesture, it was a meaningful one. Jerusalem is the historic capital of the Jewish people and the religious epicentre of Judaism. Although it is recognised by Israel as its capital, there has been little international recognition of that status. The US embassy move to Jerusalem, it could be argued, heralds the start of a new era, of an Israel standing unashamed before the world.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut it should be ashamed today.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe violence on the Gaza border is not new. For the last few weeks, as part of what has been dubbed “the great return march”, thousands of Palestinians have approached the border, and have attempted to breach it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis march was initially billed as non-violent. Whatever it may originally have been, once Hamas got involved, the non-violence was a thing of the past. Hamas is an acronym – its full name is \u003cem\u003eḤarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah \u003c/em\u003e– but the word itself means “violence” in Hebrew. And the protests have been violent. Non-violent protestors do not throw rocks and Molotov cocktails. They do not launch flaming kites aimed at Israel with swastikas painted on them. The Hamas Prime Minister, Yahya Sinwar, described the stated aim of the attempts to breach the border as follows: “We will take down the border and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut the response from Israel has been death. Death and mutilation. A cloud of tear gas and a hail of bullets. Over fifty Palestinians were killed at the border yesterday, and well over a thousand wounded. Today, those numbers will likely be surpassed.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI know that Hamas has orchestrated these attempts to breach the barrier. I know that Hamas has offered stipends to the families of those killed or wounded in these protests, in the same way that it gives stipends to the families of those who have died while carrying out terror attacks against Israelis. I understand why Israel cannot allow these protestors to cross the border.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut every bullet Israel fires, every life Israel takes, makes this situation worse. There are ways to disperse crowds which do not include live fire. But the IDF has made an active choice to fire live rounds and kill scores of people. You cannot tell me that Israel, a land of technological miracles which have to be seen to be truly believed, is incapable of coming up with a way of incapacitating protestors that does not include gunning dozens of them down. But no. In front of the entire world, Israel keeps shooting, and protestors, including very young protestors, keep dying. You may tell me that Hamas wants these deaths, wants to create martyrs, wants to fill the hearts of the people of Gaza with rage against Israel because the alternative is for people to look at their lives in Gaza and rage against Hamas. But if you tell me that, why are you not asking yourselves why Israel is so willingly giving Hamas exactly what it wishes?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI am a Zionist. I believe that the Jewish people have a right to a State in their historic homeland, \u003cem\u003eEretz Yisrael\u003c/em\u003e. I believe that the Palestinians have passed up a number of opportunities for peace, from 1948 right up until the present day.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut I cannot defend Israel’s actions yesterday and today. I will not defend Israel’s actions yesterday and today.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is sometimes a feeling within our community that Israel should not be criticised publicly. That Israel is fighting a constant battle for recognition and acceptance by the world, and every negative comment about it from Jews in the diaspora makes its position weaker.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMaybe that was true in the first decades of its existence. But today’s Israel is a regional powerhouse, forging increasingly strong ties with other nations – and having just demonstrated this past weekend with its Eurovision win how pitifully feeble the BDS movement against it really is. I think it is strong enough to withstand our criticism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd it deserves our criticism, and our full-throated condemnation, of its current course of action.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eScores more Palestinians will die today. If we do not speak up now, when will we?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis article has been updated to remove the names of the victims, after correspondence with their family.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464174.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/the-hamas-attacks-on-the-gaza-border-have-met-with-an-overwhelming-and-deadly-response-by-israeli-forces-this-must-be-condemned-1.464174","publication_date":"May 15, 2018 9:42:42 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 17, 2018 9:33:34 AM","author":"Daniel Sugarman","byline":"","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464173:1526546013/Gaza%20protests.JPG?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d36789de","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464034","headline":"Of poetry and religion","subheadline":"Sometimes you just can\u0027t escape your Judaism, says student blogger Jamie Rodney - and that\u0027s OK","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLook, I didn’t want to write a blog post about studying -\u0026nbsp;it’s all I’ve been doing the last couple of weeks, and God knows I could use a break. But unfortunately, just like my looming English exams have taken over everything else in my life, they’re going to take over this blog as well. One of my modules this semester is on Victorian poetry, and memorising all that heavily ornate language is pretty hard going. It’s taken hours of my life trying to memorise the first four lines of Alfred Tennyson’s \u003cem\u003eMaud,\u003c/em\u003e and I’m pretty sure those are hours I’m not getting back.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe one exception to this, however, is Thomas Hardy’s \u003cem\u003eDarkling Thrush. \u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;I know that one off by heart, because I learned it for a (much lower stakes) exam in high school. Now, at first I just took that for granted, and chalked it up as a studying win. But recently, I’ve been thinking more seriously about it. I haven’t read -\u0026nbsp;or\u0026nbsp;even thought about - \u003cem\u003eThe Darkling Thrush \u003c/em\u003esince I was about sixteen;\u0026nbsp;that’s over four years ago, but I can still recite it off by heart, while I can barely remember some of the stuff I studied earlier this semester. Now, you might be wondering what the relevance of this is (other than humblebragging about my memory), but I think my weird relationship with late 19\u003csup\u003eth\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003ecentury poets feeds quite strongly into my Jewish (or Jew-ish) identity.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy lifestyle is pretty secular. Most of my university friends with any sort of religious identity are Christians. As a result, I don’t really talk about Judaism too much either at university, or with my totally non-observant family. But somehow, the combined legacy of interminable cheder lessons and feverish preparations for my barmitzvah\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003emean I can reel off facts about everything from the meaning of the Purim story to the behaviour of Balak son of Zippor that I learned about for my\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eportion. (I also remember, with perfect clarity, the dude who sat next to me at cheder turning round and calling me a pillock for literally no reason, but let’s not get into that.)\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut what’s the significance of this? I mean, sure, it makes it much easier to come up with topics for these articles, but what can you say for a religious and cultural identity built out of things that my younger self learned when he would rather have been doing literally anything else?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWell, a fair bit actually. See, I may have resented having to pace around my kitchen trying to learn \u003cem\u003eThe Darkling Thrush \u003c/em\u003eoff by heart, but it’s still a really good poem, with layers of meaning that I’m only able to grasp because I’m returning to it now. I’m not sure either my cheder teachers, or the deeply agnostic Hardy, would appreciate the comparison, but Judaism is like that. Sometimes, we remember things for a reason.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJamie Rodney is one of the JC\u0027s regular student bloggers for 2017-18. He is studying English at St Andrews University\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/courage-vs-success-1.463833\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead the previous entry\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464034.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/student-views-blog-of-poetry-and-religion-1.464034","publication_date":"May 15, 2018 9:39:22 AM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 16, 2018 9:32:56 AM","author":"Student Views","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464036:1526050127/GettyImages-847291566.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d535bd82","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464082","headline":"Mazeltov, Netta!","subheadline":"Keren David, the JC\u0027s Features Editor, talks about how Israel\u0027s winning Eurovision song struck a chord with her","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI am not generally very attached to Israel, if I’m being completely honest. I haven’t been there for years, and feel very British and not a scrap Israeli. (That doesn’t mean, of course, that I’m against Israel. It’s just that it’s not my country). I’m not that bothered about supporting Israel in a competition. \u0026nbsp;It’s nice to see them win, but that’s all.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo, why did I feel such utter joy when Israel triumphed at the Eurovision song contest on Saturday?\u0026nbsp; Why was I posting ‘YES!!!!’ on social media, then dancing round the room, flapping my elbows in a chicken dance?\u0026nbsp; And why has that joy lingered beyond the weekend?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWell first, there’s Netta herself, and her song, Toy. She seems to be a complete darling, super talented, full of chutzpah and blessed with an ability to be silly and serious at the same time. Her song -\u0026nbsp; cue chicken noises, brrr, ouch, heh -\u0026nbsp; hides a message that all girls need. “I’m not your toy, you stupid boy” she sings, feminism boiled down to a few words. “Wonderwoman don’t you ever forget…you’re divine…”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJust looking at her at the end, alongside Portugal’s four-woman presenting team, told a story. They were all tall, skinny, wearing clothes cut to show off their bodies. So was the singer from Cyprus that Netta beat into second place. Netta doesn’t look like that. She’s zaftig and happy to talk openly about the prejudice that larger women face: \u0026quot;I celebrate myself no matter what my size is, how my hair is, how my voice is. I just have to be me, listen to myself,\u0026quot; she said the day after the contest.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI like to think that an army of curvy women across Europe voted for Netta. We looked at her and saw a great role model -\u0026nbsp; someone who gets on with life and follows her dreams, without hiding away or punishing herself with starvation diets \u0026nbsp;to achieve someone else’s ideal figure. It’s only when we see a performer like Netta that we realise how rare it is on television to see someone who looks like her -\u0026nbsp; like us -\u0026nbsp; treating herself as a divine Wonderwoman. Seeing \u0026nbsp;that attitude on display is more helpful to plus sized girls and woman than any number of diets, or finger-wagging, scare-mongering speeches and articles.\u0026nbsp; Lucky kids who had Netta teach them at kindergarten.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd isn’t Israel the fat girl of the world? Constantly criticised and attacked, misrepresented and told what to do? Wasn’t it great to see the prejudice against her set aside and people celebrate a different side of her? In those viewer votes that Netta got, the BDS bullies were defeated by the silent majority, which accepts Israel’s right to exist and sing and dance like any other country. Just for once the anxiety about antisemitism, which is linked to hatred of Israel, lifted. Netta’s win gave us a glimpse of another way of seeing the world.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMazeltov Netta, and l’chaim. Long may your clucking bring you fame, fortune and much happiness. Whenever I’m feeling down, I’m going to play your song.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464082.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/mazeltov-netta-on-your-eurovision-2018-triumph-for-israel-1.464082","publication_date":"May 14, 2018 12:33:16 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 14, 2018 9:37:24 PM","author":"Keren David ","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464081:1526297595/Comment.JPG?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d8b65634","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464020","headline":"For Palestinians, the Nakba is every day, not just once a year","subheadline":"This might be Israel’s day of independence, but for the Palestinians it is known as al Nakba, \u0027the catastrophe\u0027","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis might be Israel’s day of independence, but for the Palestinians it is known as al Nakba, “the catastrophe”, marking 500 ruined Palestinian villages and millions of refugees. It is a reminder of the misery and suffering of a nation, generation after generation.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI believe I am right in saying our Nakba is every day, not just once a year. I would like to tell you a little bit about the life that I and millions of other Palestinians endure every day in Gaza and the West Bank.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Nakba today is the hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank that are manufactured to treat humans like caged animals. It is the people killed in Gaza — medical staff, journalists and UNRWA employees — who are not safe from Israeli attacks.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is the thousands of houses, mosques and charities destroyed by air strikes. It is the innocent people living in the streets, each with enough misery and experience to fill the pages of a book.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYou may not have heard of the woman giving birth at a checkpoint because soldiers did not allow her through to a hospital. Or the whole family who had to enter and leave their house through a window because the Israeli army blocked their door.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere are constant, unending restrictions: you aren’t allowed to look through this window, you may not access your own rooftop, you cannot step out of your house after five in the evening.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eToday, Israel is deliberately concealing the realities of day-to-day life in the West Bank and Gaza.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSettlements are increasingly taking away what is left of my country’s land. The number of checkpoints is rising, some of them resembling military bases and with specific opening and closing times.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn Hebron, Palestinians have to go through multiple cages and electronic gates and are body-searched three times in five minutes — simply so they can pray. While Israelis celebrate their independence with parties on the streets of Tel Aviv, their fellow soldiers are proudly stopping frail old men from crossing a checkpoint to get to the Ibrahimi mosque.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn Gaza, youthful soldiers — themselves with no experience of life — film themselves shooting dead Palestinians.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is the victory of hatred and insanity over morality and compassion.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is a huge difference in the narratives that Israelis and Palestinians tell their respective sides but I think there are some basic points about the situation today that we should all accept are true.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI do not understand why this situation is called a “conflict”. A conflict requires some sort of power clash, a semblance of parity, but in Palestine and Israel this is not the case.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe have two different sides: one powerful, the other powerless; one armed, the other punished for peaceful resistance; one an occupier and conqueror, the other the occupied and conquered.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf you ever come to Palestine, you will see how there are borders everywhere that we do not control. The West Bank is divided into three zones: Zone A under Palestinian control, Zone B shared by both sides and Zone C under total Israeli administration — and it is the last of these that covers most of the West Bank.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJust anybody can visit, but not every Palestinian can exit.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn its 70th year, Israel is a deeply contradictory country. I hope that, in time, its actions in Palestine today and the steps it took to reach this stage will be fully revealed to the world. I hope that the Palestinians will reverse their situation.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe author is a university student who lives in Ramallah.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464020.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/our-nakba-is-every-day-not-just-once-a-year-israel-independence-1.464020","publication_date":"May 11, 2018 12:11:30 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 14, 2018 12:28:45 PM","author":"Ehab Naser","byline":"Ehab Naser","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"GettyImages-916195626","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464019:1526048983/image/GettyImages-916195626.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d186de2b","caption":"Palestinian protestors look toward Israeli forces during clashes following a demonstration near the West Bank city of Nablus in February 2018","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464018","headline":"It’s not a cliché: the Giro d’Italia showed how sport can break down barriers","subheadline":"200 of the world’s top cyclists rode through Israel for the opening section of the Giro d’Italia last week and close to a billion people worldwide watched","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHour after hour last weekend, television stations around the world screened footage from Israel. For once, much of it had nothing to do with terror, geopolitics or the conflict — instead viewers were watching the wheels go round and round.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs nearly 200 of the world’s top cyclists rode through Israel for the opening section of the Giro d’Italia and close to a billion people worldwide watched, Israelis suddenly discovered just how much interest there is in cycling internationally.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBike fever has begun, with sales in cycling shops rocketing.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat is more, it has got the public thinking about the power of sport to showcase their country.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eUntil now, if you asked Israelis about big sporting events here, they would talk about the Maccabiah Games: huge, a source of great pride, but a mostly Jewish event that does not showcase Israel to the world.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBy contrast, the Giro got people everywhere tuning in to Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael has been making steady efforts in recent years to bring in tourists for sporting and recreational events, like the big marathons that talk place in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, triathlons and dance festivals.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Giro took this to a whole new level and opened people up to a whole new range of possibilities.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt must be why Tourism Minister Yariv Levin decided during the race to “exploit the tremendous exposure and interest in Israel as a result of the race” and, his office said, “expand the various campaigns currently live in countries around the world, with an emphasis on Europe.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Giro also demonstrated that talk of sport breaking down barriers between nations is not just a clich\u0026eacute;. Teams from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain took part, breaking a longstanding taboo.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSome will downplay this, saying that the people representing the teams were not natives of those places, but they were still wearing national colours and representing the countries.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was certainly a blow to the idea of an Arab boycott of Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAmid all of this, there was a political lesson: Charedi politicians did not fight against the Giro, even though one of the three days was Shabbat, and it required huge numbers of Jewish Israelis to work.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere were almost certainly a larger number of people working on Shabbat than there have been as maintenance workers on the railways, an issue which caused a row in the coalition last year.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis underscored the fact that Charedi politicians are carefully weighing which battles to pick, and that if other politicians invest the time and energy in entering dialogue with them, clashes can be avoided.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Giro also reminded Israelis how often it is the citizens with passion, as opposed to to the politicians and bureaucrats, who bring great things to Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHaving the race begin in Israel was the vision and dream of one man, the Canadian-Israeli Sylvan Adams.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“I am a little emotional at this moment,” he said as the race began, calling it his “proudest moment” since making aliyah.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464018.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/it-s-not-a-clich%C3%A9-the-giro-d-italia-showed-how-sport-can-break-down-barriers-1.464018","publication_date":"May 11, 2018 12:11:28 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 11, 2018 3:02:05 PM","author":"Nathan Jeffay","byline":"Nathan Jeffay in Jerusalem","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.442267:1501580741/Cycling.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d55f2784","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.464010","headline":"At last I’m a novelist — and clairvoyant, too","subheadline":"","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA few weeks ago my first novel, \u003cem\u003eThe Legacy\u003c/em\u003e, was published in America. Although a work of fiction, it has turned out to be quite eerily prescient.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt took me more years to write than I care to admit. Most of that time I was staring at a blank screen telling myself that writing a novel was beyond me.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI was merely a journalist who analysed current issues. Other, superior beings were creatives who could excavate from the recesses of their psyche a page-turning plot and characters who leapt from the page.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNot me. Why, then, was I unable to get out of my mind the framework of a story that had floated into it?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI didn’t dare tell anyone anything about it. I knew it would only take a curled lip, a stifled laugh, a look of pity, and the whole thing would run through my fingers like sand.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI plucked up courage to tell my London literary agent, Luigi Bonomi. “It’s a great story, “said Luigi; “write it.” Over the ensuing years he’d ask periodically how it was coming along. “I can’t do it,” I’d moan. “You’re a writer!” he’d say in exasperation. “Stop moaning! Just write!”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI vowed I wouldn’t write another book until it was finished. I wrote part of it and sent it to Luigi. “This is really promising,” he said. “You’re only saying that because you like me,” I said. I finished it. Luigi loved it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat’s remarkable is the current resonance of the story that formed in my mind all those years ago. While writing the novel, I was astonished to find a particular historical event in my story suddenly exploding into public controversy, involving a contemporary foreign politician with an identical name to one of my central characters (which I promptly changed).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Legacy\u003c/em\u003e is a historical mystery dealing with conflicted British Jewish identity. It’s set in Britain, eastern Europe and Israel and spans many centuries. It’s also about family relationships, love and loyalty, death and grief.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI wanted in particular to get under the skin of antisemitism and ask the giant, never-ending question: why do they hate us? What does their hating us do to us? And what is this thing called the Jewish people that causes us so much trouble?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThen the antisemitism row exploded in the Labour party and I was amazed \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e not at the antisemitism on the left but the fact that, after years of pretending it wasn’t what it was, people were now calling it by its name.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was obvious why. That mural depicting Jewish bankers was the point at which the antisemitism could no longer be denied.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s also obvious that it won’t be dealt with. For it’s simply impossible for Jeremy Corbyn and every other true believer on the left ever to accept that anyone on their side of politics can be antisemitic.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat’s because they tell themselves that to be on the left is axiomatically to be virtuous and moral and anti-racist. Antisemitism therefore can only exist on the right, who are intrinsically evil because they are not the left.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat’s why Labour members have come up with the comically revealing claim that the antisemitism charge is a lie \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e created by an anti-Corbyn Jewish conspiracy!\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI know all this because I used to identify with the left. And now I have created one of them in my novel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNow it’s out there, I’ve just about stopped hiding behind the sofa with my fingers in my ears. Readers are actually saying they enjoyed it! Some very nice reviews have appeared on the Amazon site.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOne reader has written: “If only the antisemites of the world would read it. Will the NYT [New York Times] review it? Probably not. They covered up the Holocaust; why would they review this book?” Another has written: “ In the unequal Arab-Israeli war of propaganda this is a welcome breath of truth.” So you can see why I’m not holding my own breath for the mainstream media reviews.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat’s delighted me more than anything is that readers tell me it’s a page-turner they can’t put down. More than one has urged me to write a sequel because they’re desperate to know what eventually happens to a particular character.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWow! When they tell me this, I look instinctively over my shoulder. They must be talking about a real novelist. They can’t possibly be talking about me.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Legacy is published by Bombardier Books\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMelanie Phillips is columnist for The Times\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.464010.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/melanie-phillips-at-last-i-m-a-novelist-and-clairvoyant-too-1.464010","publication_date":"May 11, 2018 10:54:27 AM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"May 11, 2018 12:08:24 PM","author":"Melanie Phillips","byline":"Melanie Phillips","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464017:1526036904/melanie.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003dea1b224","caption":"Proud author: Melanie Phillips","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463996","headline":"The Board of Deputies hustings - an inadvertently comic evening","subheadline":"From leadership to antisemitism to Israel, the evening was surprisingly entertaining","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf you’ve ever been to a political hustings, you’ll know that what it is, essentially, is one large public job interview for multiple applicants. Each attempts to demonstrate their eminent suitability for the role, while attempting to imply, with greater or lesser subtlety, that the other candidates are inferior choices.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Board of Deputies hustings at JW3 in North-West London on Tuesday night, was no different. Edwin Shuker, Marie van der Zyl, Sheila Gewolb and Simon Hochhauser all want to be president of the Board. There were around 150 people in the audience, which was overwhelmingly… non-young. It was quite surreal listening to all four candidates talk about the need for more youth participation in the Board when not a single one of the people talking was under the age of 50.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTo my surprise, the evening was far more entertaining than I had expected.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Don’t vote for me if you want a president who will tell you what you want to hear,” Mr Shuker said, telling the audience exactly what they wanted to hear.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“I was the first person to call out the Shami Chakrabarti report for what it was, a whitewash,” said Mrs van der Zyl. An accurate statement, but followed by the sublime “my quote is in Wikipedia”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSheila Gewolb gave a stirring opening speech about combating antisemitism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“The next president”, we were told, would need to engage with those outside the community open to engagement. Unfortunately, Dr Gewolb initially said the president would need to “engage tiresomely”, before correcting herself. It was “tirelessly”. Certain people in the Labour leader’s office might have agreed with the former.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Hochhauser gave an urbane introductory speech, safely focusing on Labour antisemitism and waiting for the first question – what would you do differently to Jonathan Arkush - before sticking the knife in. All four candidates praised the incumbent president, but Mr Hochhauser said “there are areas that we need to improve quite substantially, and I feel have been left a little bit lax, not by Johnny, but by the whole team, over the last three years.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eGiven two members of that “whole team” were sitting beside him, it was not a terribly subtle dig.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eCandidates were asked to talk about a life decision they\u0026nbsp;regretted. Mr Shuker responded that he had no regrets, opting for the my-weakness-is-that-I -try-too-hard\u0026nbsp;standard interview answer. Mr Hochhauser said he regretted not being Mr Shuker, a man of no regrets.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe candidates were then given the chance to question one other candidate.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“I’ve been working 3,000 hours on the defence division, dealing with lots of antisemitic issues,” Mrs van der Zyl said.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Edwin, how would you deal with antisemitism?”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Shuker said he didn’t need 3,000 hours to know how the next few months could go for the Jewish community. A strategy was clearly needed, to involve more people from outside the community. “A single tweet from JK Rowling [on antisemitism] is worth two demonstrations,” he said, not providing the calculation behind that equation.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen\u0026nbsp;questions were accepted from the audience,\u0026nbsp;one of those called upon was “Geoffrey”, a pseudonym used by members of the hard-left Jewdas group when speaking publicly.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Geoffrey” claimed a survey last year had showed that one in four Jewish students were “OK with BDS” and that a Yachad survey found that one in three Jews in Britain don’t call themselves Zionist.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“What are we going to do about the scourge of Jewish anti-Zionism,” he asked sarcastically.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI had wondered whether any of the candidates would take issue with these figures. For example, when that same Jewdas activist mentioned the second figure in an interview with \u003cem\u003eHa’aretz\u003c/em\u003e a few years ago, the reporter had felt compelled to point out that “his reading is clearly partial; the same survey showed that 90 per cent support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, whether they self-identify as Zionist as not.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut the response from the four candidates, in a way, was even better. Not a single one appeared to realise they had been asked a sarcastic question, so the Jewdas contingent were treated to four very sincere answers about anti-Zionism, antisemitism and the Jewish community. It must have been quite frustrating for them, but it was highly entertaining from a few rows away.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAll levity aside, the four candidates are clearly deeply committed to the Jewish community’s well-being. I don’t know, however, whether it is better to congratulate or commiserate with the victor – the three years ahead look likely to be challenging for Jews in the UK, and, as Board president, Sunday’s winner will be at the centre of that storm.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463996.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-board-of-deputies-presidential-hustings-at-jw3-surprisingly-entertaining-1.463996","publication_date":"May 11, 2018 10:32:26 AM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 11, 2018 11:41:44 AM","author":"Daniel Sugarman","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464011:1526033374/b-large.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9ab90ff","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463964","headline":"This was Netanyahu\u0027s triumph: Trump used Israel\u0027s language, word for word","subheadline":"Anshel Pfeffer examines what Donald Trump\u0027s Iran decision means for Israel","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNo matter how the ongoing saga of the Iran nuclear deal turns out, Tuesday at the White House was a moment of crowning glory for Benjamin Netanyahu.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe President of the United States made a major foreign policy announcement that word-for-word repeated the very messages Mr Netanyahu has been making for years.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDonald Trump’s main motive in pulling out of the Iran deal and announcing new, as yet unspecified, sanctions against Iranian regime was his burning desire to obliterate every last shred of his predecessor Barack Obama’s legacy.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut for Mr Netanyahu that does not matter: the US and Israeli governments are now connected at the hip, on the same page like never before.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd next week, as Mr Trump’s daughter and son-in-law Ivanka and Jared Kushner arrive in Jerusalem to celebrate the relocation of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel’s capital, a move that was originally a largely empty gesture will symbolise a virtual twin-city pact between Washington and Jerusalem.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBenjamin Netanyahu was not sure in November 2016 that he wanted a Trump presidency. The Republican candidate was like no Republican he knew — unpredictable, and Bibi hates unpredictability.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut in the sixteen months since his inauguration, the president has delivered just about everything that Mr Netanyahu could have dreamed of: the embassy in Jerusalem, a complete marginalisation of the Palestinians, erasing the word “occupied territory” from the State Department’s annual reports and, now, pulling out of the Iran deal.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt may all go horribly wrong. The Europeans could ignore Mr Trump’s move and find a way to stick to the JCPOA. Iran could use the period to “breakout” to nuclear weapons capability. Or a war could break out.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut for now Israel’s leader is basking in the victor’s glory. On the day after Mr Trump’s announcement he was in Red Square, standing beside Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Victory Day parade, a master-statesman, America’s closest ally, and a mega-player on the global stage.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNo matter what happens next, no one can take this moment away from him.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnshel Pfeffer’s Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu is published in the UK by Hurst on May 17\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463964.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/analysis/this-was-netanyahu-s-triumph-trump-used-israel-s-language-word-for-word-1.463964","publication_date":"May 10, 2018 3:21:45 PM","section":"Analysis","modification_date":"May 10, 2018 3:26:19 PM","author":"Anshel Pfeffer","byline":"Anshel Pfeffer","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"GettyImages-956342948","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463963:1525962332/image/GettyImages-956342948.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9f49710","caption":"Benjamin Netanyahu meets Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463844","headline":"Israel has the chutzpah to clinch a two-state deal with Palestine and the Arab world","subheadline":"Writing exclusively for the JC, former UK prime minister Tony Blair says this week\u0027s protests require \u0027careful handling and solid leadership\u0027","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael feels like a second home to me. It is probably the country I have visited the most often — close to 200 times.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI admire Israel for building up a cutting-edge high-tech industry, and more often than not, there is an Israeli angle in major advances in medicine, agriculture, science, cyber and energy.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Israel that I have had the privilege to get to know up close is creative, innovative, dynamic, with argumentative politics.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe issues faced by Israel are among the most important challenges for the international community. The security of the State of Israel is not only an Israeli interest; it is a global interest.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIran clearly remains a major concern, not just because of its nuclear programme but also due to its support of extremist groups throughout the region.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is one reason for the strategic alignment we now see between Israel and the moderate Arab states.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe region has changed dramatically since Israel’s establishment — and now more than ever before we have the opportunity to move towards a real and lasting peace between Israel and its neighbours.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe 70th anniversary of Israel’s establishment is an opportunity to look back and see how much has been achieved; and Israel is an overachiever, without a doubt. It is also a time to look ahead, and decide how best to build on those achievements, building a secure and peaceful future.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIncreasingly, Israel’s moderate neighbours see it not as a threat, but as a possible ally with shared interests.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis opens up an opportunity to finally move towards a two-state solution, where a reimagined Arab Peace Initiative enables key Arab states to actively engage in a process between Israel and the Palestinians.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI firmly believe that the key to an open relationship between Israel and the moderate Arab states, where Israel’s place in the region is secured for the next 70 years and beyond, is through ensuring the Palestinian issue is put firmly back on the path to resolution.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Arab states have an important role to play in bringing about a reconciled Palestinian politics that supports peace and recognises Israel, and an engaged region will provide the strength to help carry any peace process forward.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTrue, relations between Israel and these states are already moving forward, but they remain limited in scope, sensitive to any adverse developments on the Palestinian front, as we see when tensions rise around Jerusalem or Gaza.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs a friend and supporter of Israel, I cannot ignore that we are no closer to an independent and viable Palestinian state, and this is something that should worry us all.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTwo states for two peoples remains the most viable and realistic option to resolving this conflict finally.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere remains a latent and clear desire for peace amongst both Israelis and Palestinians: Israel knows that a binational state would mean it would no longer be the country we know and love today; Palestinians know that the State of Israel is not going to disappear.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe reason I remain so committed to finding a way to move forward on the two-state solution is out of the belief that without resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we will find it harder to build the alliance necessary in the Middle East region to defeat extremism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo, the opportunity exists — but there are many forces with a vested interest in scuppering any chance of progress.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe coming weeks will require careful handling and solid leadership as the “March for Return” culminates in Gaza, and all eyes will be watching the response on the ground to the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eProgress is always the product of circumstance and leadership. The circumstances are ready; we need the leaders to have the wisdom to understand the opportunity, and the courage to seize it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd here, in the UK, the progressive part of British politics must help the sides explore this opportunity. The efforts for peace will not be helped by affording a vocal minority the platform to question whether Israel has a right to exist.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI find it distressing that 70 years on, there are those who question not the policies and actions of Israel’s governments, but whether there should be an Israel at all. Too often, we have seen how anti-Zionism trends easily into antisemitism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe scourge we fought to eradicate in the 20th century has been allowed to make a comeback.\u0026nbsp;We must once again stamp it out, by progressive political forces ensuring that antisemitism is not allowed to take root in any space in our national life.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael has achieved an extraordinary amount in its first 70 years.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe region is undergoing huge transition, where the ultimate goal should be rule-based economies and societies of religious tolerance. In the right circumstances, Israel can and should be a part of the overall change in the region, a change that is based on values and not just on interests.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI firmly believe that its courage, innovation, and chutzpah can propel Israel forward towards peace with the Palestinians and the Arab world.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI am proud of my relationship with Israel, and remain committed to helping Israel achieve this peace so that it can preserve its rightful place as a light unto all nations.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTony Blair, a former UK prime minister and Quartet envoy, is Executive Chairman of the Institute for Global Change\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463844.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/tony-blair-jewish-chronicle-israel-chutzpah-to-clinch-a-two-state-deal-with-palestine-and-arab-world-1.463844","publication_date":"May 10, 2018 2:57:00 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 14, 2018 12:29:38 PM","author":"Tony Blair","byline":"Tony Blair","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"GettyImages-954874562","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463843:1525940025/image/GettyImages-954874562.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d96b03a2","caption":"Spectators watching the Giro d\u0027Italia\u0027s second stage in Haifa on Saturday","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463958","headline":"Sense on Iran...Platinum Prince","subheadline":"The Jewish Chronicle Leader column, May 11th 2018","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSense on Iran\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs we have repeatedly pointed out, Donald Trump has brought shame to the office of US president. But we must now ask the same question that has often been asked about a predecessor, Lyndon Johnson: can a bad man do good? Because, for all the issues with President Trump, his withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran is a bold and sensible move that offers fresh hope that US foreign policy is returning towards reality. The single most ludicrous argument against US withdrawal — the line being pushed by the foreign policy establishment — is that it will propel Iran towards behaving recklessly and move it towards war in the Middle East. What do they think has been happening since the signing of the JCPOA? Do they think Iran’s involvement in Syria and Yemen has been as some kind of peace-keeper? Have they not noticed Iran’s steady moves towards forcing Israel into military action? It is this kind of fantastical approach to foreign policy that led to the deal, easing sanctions that were working, causing huge difficulties for the regime, and instead embracing one of the greatest sources of poison in the world. President Trump has now moved towards recognising reality. For that he deserves praise.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlatinum Prince\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Royal Family has been much criticised for its failure to visit Israel. But now, as a 70th birthday present, we not only have Prince William’s forthcoming official visit — we can also look forward to welcoming Prince Charles to Platinum, the official celebration to be held on Thursday week, 24 May, at the Royal Albert Hall.\u0026nbsp; And you can join him! Tickets are still available at \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.royalalberthall.com\"\u003ewww.royalalberthall.com\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463958.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/leaders/the-jc-leader-sense-on-iran-platinum-prince-1.463958","publication_date":"May 10, 2018 2:54:05 PM","section":"Leaders","modification_date":"May 10, 2018 2:55:01 PM","author":"The JC Leader","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":null,"url":null,"caption":null,"copyright":null}},{"id":"1.463855","headline":"We are BAME too, but what does it really mean?","subheadline":"Is Sajid Javid the first minority ethnic person to be Home Secretary?","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/new-home-secretary-sajid-javid-spent-shabbat-at-lauderdale-road-synagogue-1.463261\"\u003eThe appointment of Sajid Javid\u003c/a\u003e was noted as a moment of progress in British politics, as he was hailed as the first BAME (black, Asian, minority ethnic) Home Secretary.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTo see someone visibly from an ethnic minority running the Home Office is absolutely worthy of remark, particularly in our anti-immigration and Brexit climate, but my niggling question is this: is Mr Javid the first minority ethnic person to hold that office?\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere have been Jewish Home Secretaries; Leon Brittan, Michael Howard, even Jack Straw, who has a Jewish great-grandparent in his lineage. Where do they sit under the BAME umbrella term?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is some debate about what BAME means. It is mostly defined as an umbrella term for people who are part of non-white communities in the UK or of non-white descent. Some interpret it to include ethnic minorities regardless of skin colour.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEither way it is a complex term for the diverse heritages making up the UK Jewish community. Our Jewish identities and legally protected ethnic minority status under the Race Relations Act are not dependent on skin colour.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI have never felt fully comfortable with “White — British” when box ticking on forms, but I feel silly ticking “White — Other”, as if I’m deliberately making a point.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut Jews are “other” and have always been treated as such. So perhaps it is a point worth making.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePart of the complication is that we are seen primarily as a religion rather than a race or ethnicity. On equality and diversity forms you will rarely find “Jewish” listed as an option in the ethnicity category.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut another part of this is the perception of our privilege. In a line up you could not necessarily identify a secular Jew as he or she would not have any distinguishing features or clothing to indicate Judaism.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eUnless you are strictly Orthodox, choose to wear a kippah or bear another emblem of Judaism on your person, you blend in. You pass as white if that’s your skin tone and\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003etherefore on physical first impressions carry the privileges associated with appearing to be part of the powerful majority.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd that’s before we factor in the antisemitic tropes that Jews have money and social status.\u0026nbsp;\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/1.463854\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463854:1525940910/GettyImages-495462512.jpg?f\u003ddefault\u0026amp;$p$f\u003d5411bce\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo even when we “come out” as Jewish, many do not see us as the minority we statistically, legally and rightfully are. And those tropes are helping to write us out of progressive historical narratives.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOf course, the Sephardi community may more easily identify with the BAME term despite being no more or less Jewish than any pale Ashkenazi Jew.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn 2015 Trevor Phillips spoke about how the term BAME had become out-dated. He said its use can “mask the real disadvantages suffered by ethnic and cultural groups”. But his suggested replacement was “visible minorities” — a nice idea, but a lateral move for the Jewish community.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is an idea that privilege is invisible. You cannot see the advantages someone has behind them and often they cannot see them either. I believe this works both ways and you cannot always see disadvantages or persecution either.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAt such an important time when we are actively protesting and trying to tackle ingrained societal antisemitism, we must not let ourselves be written out of the historical places where we have achieved.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is not the minority Olympics — it’s not a petty attempt to take away anything from Sajid Javid or the minorities who identify with him.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI am looking forward to seeing what he achieves in his new position. But the media coverage surrounding his appointment shows that Jews are not perceived accurately as the diverse minority ethnic group that we are.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAbi Symons is a freelance writer\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463855.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/jews-are-bame-too-but-what-does-it-really-mean-1.463855","publication_date":"May 10, 2018 9:28:31 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 10, 2018 9:28:32 AM","author":"Abi Symons","byline":"","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463853:1525940910/pZW47uRL%20(1).jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003dd3ad64c","caption":"Sajid Javid is the new Home Secretary","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463833","headline":"Courage vs success","subheadline":"Oprah Winfrey is a source of inspiration for many all over the world, and her podcast has now inspired our student blogger Asha ","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI\u0027ve spent a large proportion of the last few mornings walking alone to the library from my room at 7am,\u0026nbsp;trying to balance a Greggs coffee and the stack of books I thought I would need but turned out to be useless in one hand, whilst the other cradles my iPhone as I scroll through the same social media feeds I’ve already seen twice in the half an hour I’ve been awake.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOk, so the last part of that isn’t actually true, but its necessary to complete the image of the streams - even at 7am - of millennials who fit that description, swarming up the cobbled streets of Durham towards the library.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn fact, I’ve taken to listening to podcasts on my unfortunate treks - a welcome near-replacement for the books which I haven’t had the opportunity to read and won’t again, until summer. And I’ve actually ended up quite invested in Oprah Winfrey’s series ‘SuperSoul Conversations’, where she speaks with ‘celebrities’ for want of a better word - she describes them as ‘thought-leaders, best-selling authors, spiritual luminaries’ - about their work and their lives, their beliefs and their feelings. Essentially right up my street.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnyway, her two-part conversation with Maya Angelou really stuck with me (actually brought me to tears twice - which is not ideally how you want to start a 12-hour day in the library). Above the beautiful purity of the relationship between the two women who have been friends for years, above the almost-majesty of Angelou speaking about everything from her childhood to how she understands God, above everything there was one thing she said that simultaneously caught me off guard and filled me with so many thoughts and feelings that I’ve still not finished unpicking.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Courage, Oprah, is the most important of all the virtues” she says, as the first episode draws to an end, “because without courage you cannot practise any other virtue consistently.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen my friends finally join me at the library - after having promised to match the early rise but inevitably sleeping in (I love them, but they know this is true) - we’ll coordinate breaks and escape the card-scanning barriers in a Breakfast Club-esque emergence into the fresh air to drink too-expensive, too-hot coffee on the ground together.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn the same morning I’d listened to this quote, we’d ended up sat in silence, baffled by the streams of students, heads lowered, rushing around the university on their own, consumed by the stress that has infiltrated the air above Durham since the beginning of third term. It was actually really shocking to sit in that reality check for a moment.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe system that we live in has created this for us, and forced us to believe that these years of our lives spent under crumbling pressure are necessary for success. It has defined for us what success is. It has trained us to compete, always and ceaselessly and brutally.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt takes courage to live in that system and it takes even more courage to challenge it. As Angelou continued:\u0026nbsp;“you have to do [courage] in small ways”. And I think thats whats been keeping me going through this term and, in fact, always. The people and spaces in my life that foster the courage that the system is training out of me.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA Jewish community has been such a defining source of courage for me, as have my family and the moments like this one, where a shared look with friends\u0026nbsp;is enough to reassure me that there are people who see the need for change and want to make it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn short, that\u0027s my lasting insight for anyone struggling through exams or just struggling - find those people and spaces that help you build up the courage and confidence you deserve to feel and help others to find that courage in themselves, for it is the most important virtue of all.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAsha Sumroy is one of the JC\u0027s regular student bloggers for 2017-18. She is studying at Durham University.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/when-life-goes-on-around-us-1.463468\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead the previous post\u0026nbsp;here\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463833.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/courage-vs-success-1.463833","publication_date":"May 9, 2018 3:41:04 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 9, 2018 3:41:49 PM","author":"Student Views","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463836:1525876905/oprah2.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003de7485c4","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463813","headline":"Trump\u0027s Iran decision is a victory for Netanyahu, but leaves Israel in the crosshairs","subheadline":"The hawkish US administration could now consider the \u0027fire and fury\u0027 routine it trialled with North Korea","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePresident Trump’s decision has taken us back to the future as it was in 2009, a time before serious negotiations began.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis was a time when Iran’s ambitions threatened a military clash with Israel that risked dragging in other Middle East countries and the United States.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat possibility may not be imminent now, but the logic of the situation says that is the trajectory for the long term.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Trump’s decision also risks accelerating the slow decoupling of America from Europe.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe president means business — or rather, he means to halt the business of trading with Iran.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eRe-imposed US sanctions are designed to force other countries to reduce imports of Iranian oil and curb investments.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFailure to so do means that by November they could themselves face sanctions and find it increasingly difficult to do business in the US.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis includes American allies: South Korea and Japan are major importers of Iranian crude, the EU gets 5 per cent of its oil from Iran, and large companies such as Peugeot and Renault have made cautious investments in the country since the 2015 nuclear agreement.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the short term, we can expect the EU nations to stand by the agreement in a bid to save it. Brussels could even pass legislation helping companies which fall foul of the US measures.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut as the months pass it is likely many governments will quietly reduce their economic involvement with the Islamic Republic.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf so, the deal is worthless to Tehran, which only signed up because its economy was hurting so badly from sanctions.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt may declare the agreement null and void and could even re-start its nuclear enrichment programme.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat would lead the increasingly hawkish Trump administration — which now includes Mike Pompeo at the State Department and John Bolton as National Security Advisor — to revisit the \u0026quot;fire and fury\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp;routine Trump trialled in the North Korea stand-off.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAll this lays bare the failure of the Europeans to influence Mr Trump and show how hollow the “bromance” between him and president Macron really is.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is less of a problem for the Russians. They are happy to see fissures between the EU and the US widen, and overjoyed to see the oil price rise as Iranian crude supplies in the world market fall.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Americans are not without support. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel were all highly critical of the 2015 agreement and now back Mr Trump’s decision.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Obama administration and the Europeans argued that the deal would result in Iran reining its ambitions in to become the leading regional power, instead becoming more integrated with its Arab neighbours.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTehran’s involvement in the wars in Syria and Yemen, and its repeated testing of long range ballistic missiles, gave lie to that.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Israeli government was the one most vehemently against the agreement.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThey pointed out that although the UN inspectors reported that Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium had been drastically reduced, they had not visited all of Iran’s nuclear sites and that visits could be delayed by 24 days under the terms of the deal.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBenjamin Netanyahu repeatedly claimed that Tehran had not stopped developing other elements of a weapons programme, especially long-range missiles.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut despite heralding Mr Trump’s decision it is Israel which is the most nervous about it, fearing Iranian retaliation from its forces and proxy army Hezbollah, both of which are now just across the border in Syria.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor the rest of the year the US and Iranian governments will watch to see if other countries abide by the new sanctions, and if so, how much this hurts the fragile Iranian economy.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf it does, the recent street protests seen in Iran are likely to grow. Either way, the relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani will see his strength within the Tehran power structure wane and the hardliners grow in confidence.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDespite this, Iran will use diplomacy to try and save the 2015 agreement and forge an unlikely common front with the Europeans.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf and when this fails, and if enrichment recommences, then the 2009 scenario will come into sharper focus again.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTim Marshall is a foreign affairs writer. His latest book is ‘Divided: Why We Are Living in An Age of Walls’.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463813.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/analysis/trump-s-iran-decision-is-a-victory-for-netanyahu-but-leaves-israel-in-the-crosshairs-1.463813","publication_date":"May 9, 2018 12:27:14 PM","section":"Analysis","modification_date":"May 9, 2018 12:30:18 PM","author":"Tim Marshall","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463814:1525865191/GettyImages-956113088.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d560de67","caption":"President Donald Trump holds up a memorandum that reinstated sanctions on Iran on Tuesday","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463784","headline":"Labour and the Jews - things can only get worse","subheadline":"Synagogues sent out messages reminding members “to exercise your democratic right to vote”. They didn’t suggest which party people should vote for. They didn’t need to.","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs far as the Jewish vote is concerned, the 2018 local elections can be summed up in two videos.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe first was filmed in the run up to polling day. A Labour canvasser in Haringey knocked on the door of a Jewish man, seeking his vote.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eInstead of getting angry, or abusive, the resident launched into a version of Rogers and Hart’s “Blue Moon”, with adapted lyrics.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe video shows the Labour canvasser beating a hasty retreat, pursued by the refrain “…with Jeeeeews! You’ve got a problem with Jeeeeews. You’ve got issues with Jeeeeews…”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe resident in question told me he plans to continue doing the same when Labour canvassers come knocking in future.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cdiv data-oembed-url\u003d\"https://twitter.com/jakegoretzki/status/990177898878337024\"\u003e \n   \u003cblockquote align\u003d\"center\" class\u003d\"twitter-tweet\"\u003e \n    \u003cp dir\u003d\"ltr\" lang\u003d\"en\"\u003eHey \u003ca href\u003d\"https://twitter.com/UKLabour?ref_src\u003dtwsrc%5Etfw\"\u003e@UKLabour\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d\"https://twitter.com/HaringeyLabour?ref_src\u003dtwsrc%5Etfw\"\u003e@HaringeyLabour\u003c/a\u003e - hope you enjoyed my serenade. Come again! x \u003ca href\u003d\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/LabourDoorstep?src\u003dhash\u0026amp;ref_src\u003dtwsrc%5Etfw\"\u003e#LabourDoorstep\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheManyNotTheJew?src\u003dhash\u0026amp;ref_src\u003dtwsrc%5Etfw\"\u003e#ForTheManyNotTheJew\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d\"https://t.co/5fVpeVnf3K\"\u003epic.twitter.com/5fVpeVnf3K\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e — Jake Goretzki (@jakegoretzki) \n    \u003ca href\u003d\"https://twitter.com/jakegoretzki/status/990177898878337024?ref_src\u003dtwsrc%5Etfw\"\u003eApril 28, 2018\u003c/a\u003e \n   \u003c/blockquote\u003e \n   \u003cscript async\u003d\"\" charset\u003d\"utf-8\" src\u003d\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\"\u003e\u003c/script\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe second video was filmed in the aftermath of the results.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLabour had its best chance in decades to take control of Barnet Council, needing to gain just two seats.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut in the end, the party lost five council seats to the Conservatives – including three seats in West Hendon, a ward which had been Labour for 40 years.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs Daniel Finkelstein tweeted,\u0026nbsp;he’d begun his political life as a candidate in that very ward, “with a Rabbi with a huge beard who worked in an abattoir. He said we could win \u0026amp; made me refold all our leaflets in a ‘winning’ style.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“I told him it was a waste of time. Only Labour could win. Today I say sorry to Rabbi Levy.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cdiv data-oembed-url\u003d\"https://twitter.com/Dannythefink/status/992331850680020993\"\u003e \n   \u003cblockquote align\u003d\"center\" class\u003d\"twitter-tweet\"\u003e \n    \u003cp dir\u003d\"ltr\" lang\u003d\"en\"\u003eWest Hendon was where I first ran, as a paper candidate with a Rabbi with a huge beard who worked in an abattoir. He said we could win \u0026amp; made me refold all our leaflets in a “winning” style. I told him it was a waste of time. Only Labour could win. Today I say sorry to Rabbi Levy\u003c/p\u003e — Daniel Finkelstein (@Dannythefink) \n    \u003ca href\u003d\"https://twitter.com/Dannythefink/status/992331850680020993?ref_src\u003dtwsrc%5Etfw\"\u003eMay 4, 2018\u003c/a\u003e \n   \u003c/blockquote\u003e \n   \u003cscript async\u003d\"\" charset\u003d\"utf-8\" src\u003d\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\"\u003e\u003c/script\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAdam Langleben was one of those three West Hendon Labour councillors. A hardworking and dedicated public servant, he is also Jewish.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSpeaking to \u003ci\u003eChannel 4\u0026nbsp;\u003c/i\u003eafter losing his seat, Mr Langleben spoke with dignity and poise, but his crushing weariness was almost palpable.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Knocking on doors, we speak to so many Jewish Labour voters who say to us, ‘been Labour all my life, but I can’t do it this time’,” he said.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“This woman opened the door to me and she started crying. And she pointed to the Mezuzah, which is the Jewish scripture at the top right hand corner of our door, and said to me ‘turkeys don’t vote for Christmas. I’ve been Labour my whole life, I was brought up in the union movement, I’m from Yorkshire, but I cannot vote for this party. This party, for me, is racist and antisemitic and it’s hostile.’\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“And the Labour party have to deal with that. There’s no going forward unless we tackle this sickness in our party… due to the leadership’s inability to tackle antisemitism, we believe that this has cost us Barnet Council.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cdiv data-oembed-url\u003d\"https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/992417175632785408\"\u003e \n   \u003cblockquote align\u003d\"center\" class\u003d\"twitter-tweet\"\u003e \n    \u003cp dir\u003d\"ltr\" lang\u003d\"en\"\u003e\u0026quot;I\u0027m ashamed that this sickness has come into our party.\u0026quot;\u003cbr /\u003e 　\u003cbr /\u003e Defeated Labour councillor Adam Langleben says he believes \u0026quot;the leadership\u0027s inability to tackle anti-semitism cost us Barnet Council\u0026quot;. \u003ca href\u003d\"https://t.co/8Lg6GwHjn4\"\u003epic.twitter.com/8Lg6GwHjn4\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e — Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) \n    \u003ca href\u003d\"https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/992417175632785408?ref_src\u003dtwsrc%5Etfw\"\u003eMay 4, 2018\u003c/a\u003e \n   \u003c/blockquote\u003e \n   \u003cscript async\u003d\"\" charset\u003d\"utf-8\" src\u003d\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\"\u003e\u003c/script\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Langleben also said Jeremy Corbyn had been due to come and hold a victory rally in Barnet. He called on the Labour leader to come to Barnet anyway and apologise to Labour activists.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLabour should have won Barnet. As a resident of the borough, I can attest to the fact that the Conservative-run council isn’t particularly well-loved. Its outsourcing of services to firms like Capita has been unpopular. The streets are a patchwork of potholes. Despite placing its weekly bin collection policy at the heart of its manifesto, just last month the Tories came under fire after reports that across the borough bins were not being emptied and waste was not being collected.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the end, though, none of that mattered.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Literally had no bin collection in two weeks,” a Jewish Barnet resident told me.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“I own a 4x4 to navigate the roads. But it’s all about priorities. And Labour losing was the priority.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy own social media was awash with Jewish Labour friends and acquaintances in Barnet agonising over their decision. They weren’t going to vote Conservative, but they just couldn’t bring themselves to vote Labour. Not this time.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe surge in turnout in some areas was also remarkable. As Barry Rawlings, the leader of the Labour group on the council, pointed out in \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/05/barnet-paid-price-for-labour-record-on-antisemitism\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003ean article\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;in the \u003cem\u003eObserver\u003c/em\u003e, turnout in parts of Golders Green, for example, an area of the borough with a large Jewish population, was over 70 per cent, in contrast to below 40 per cent in other areas.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePolitical apathy was put on hiatus. Synagogues sent out messages to members reminding them “to exercise your democratic right to vote”. They didn’t suggest which party people should vote for. They didn’t need to.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHaving followed both Conservative and Labour canvassers in the borough, I spoke to a young Jewish man who was part of the Tory team. He said he hadn’t been involved in politics at all until recently. When I asked him what had changed, all he said was: “Jeremy Corbyn”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat, if anything, will Labour learn from its defeat in Barnet?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eChances are, very little. The party’s main social media influencers have focused on the minor gains Labour made elsewhere across the capital. Unsurprisingly, Mr Corbyn did not come to Barnet to apologise to the hard-working Labour activists there.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd, in the wake of his comments, Adam Langleben has been targeted by hard-left trolls on social media, accusing him of being a “paid Israeli agent.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAfter two and a half years and countless examples of antisemitism, Labour has done the bare minimum, having finally acknowledged that it has difficulties in this area. To paraphrase the 12-step programme combating addiction, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe second step, however, is believing that a power greater than oneself will restore you to sanity. And it’s a lot harder to see how that will be accomplished.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor many Labour members, Jeremy Corbyn is that power. But it’s quite clear Mr Corbyn still, even now, doesn’t realise the extent of the problem. Antisemitism is apparently, limited to “small pockets” of the Labour Party.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd the one thing that is noticeable throughout all the many recent statements on antisemitism Mr Corbyn has released is their abstract quality – he is utterly incapable of understanding his own role in allowing this antisemitic rot to spread. Unless he miraculously achieves enlightenment on the issue, things can only get worse.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463784.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/labour-and-the-jews-after-the-local-elections-defeat-in-barnet-things-can-only-get-worse-1.463784","publication_date":"May 8, 2018 4:37:01 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 11, 2018 11:10:36 AM","author":"Daniel Sugarman","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464012:1526033426/b-large.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9ab90ff","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463692","headline":"Sunny afternoon - Delamina transports us to Tel Aviv","subheadline":"On a boiling hot April afternoon, the menu at Marylebone\u0027s Delamina was spot on.","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI took\u0026nbsp;JC features editor, Keren David,\u0026nbsp;for lunch at Delamina, where I\u0027d been invited by owners, Limor and Amir Chen. This is their second London restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI\u0027d ruled out\u0026nbsp;their\u0026nbsp;first (East London-based)\u0026nbsp;eatery —\u0026nbsp;Strut and Cluck —\u0026nbsp;for a visit.\u0026nbsp;Shoreditch is\u0026nbsp;a bit of a schlepp from the wilds of Hertfordshire where the Fresser household sits and\u0026nbsp;the opening concept had been\u0026nbsp;turkey-based. It has since\u0026nbsp;evolved into a broader Middle Eastern-based menu including\u0026nbsp;a range of proteins and vegetable dishes.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMarylebone is a much more achievable venue. Nonetheless, we arrived, on an unexpectedly hot Thursday lunchtime, glowing with heat and had to sit, fanning ourselves with menus.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe room is casual and airy, with a long bar. Calming neutral colours and simple wooden tables and chairs plus hanging plants give a chilled vibe — even if we weren\u0027t.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Our friendly waiter delivered water and ice to help cool us down, and then explained how the menu (divided into three sections:\u0026nbsp;vegetables; meat and fish\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;seafood) worked.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNot a natural food sharer, I prefer a old-fashioned \u0027starter, main course, dessert\u0027 format. Sharing\u0026nbsp;makes me grumpy,\u0026nbsp;hangry and ready to spear my table mate(s) with a fork. However, I went with it as I (a)\u0026nbsp;wanted to taste as much of the menu as possible, and (b)\u0026nbsp;needed to rein it in as I\u0027m still weightwatching.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.463699\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463699/IMG_8866.JPG?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWith little negotation needed, we went for Charred Cauliflower; Baby Aubergine smothered in black sesame, crumbled rosary goats cheese (I\u0027m copying directly from the menu here, as I would describe cheese made from goat\u0027s milk as\u0026nbsp;goat\u0027s rather than goats. Having seen it debated at length on Facebook by people who clearly have nothing better to do with their time - I was one of them — I know that it is a moot point and some even go for goats\u0027. So is it cheese that belongs to the goat (goat\u0027s)\u0026nbsp;or is it cheese belonging to many goats (goats\u0027)? How many goats does it take to make a crumbled rosary goats cheese anyway?)\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.463696\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463696/IMG_8861.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI digress. Third pick was Pita Balagan - loving that name - which changes daily, depending on what the chef has available. Ours was a\u0026nbsp;za\u0027atar spiced pita loaded with spicy onions and feta roasted with honey, some fris\u0026eacute;e salad\u0026nbsp;and concasse tomatoes. Quite the multicultural carb.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe elected for one main course to come with our mezze of starters:\u0026nbsp;a whole fish (which will never win pick up any gongs at a beauty pageant) rubbed with dried lime and then charcoal-grilled (also not helpful for it\u0027s appearance) with roasted fennel, garlic and olive oil dressing.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNo wine for us on a working lunch but plenty of iced water, as the air conditioning struggled to make any inroads on the hot air from the street.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.463697\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463697/IMG_8863.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEach starter was superb. The cauliflower, topped with juicy pearls of pomegranate and a slug of zesty creme-fraiche to more than match\u0026nbsp;the rustic earthiness of this trendy veg. I\u0027d have forked Keren for\u0026nbsp;the last bite, but fortunately, her fork was trained on the baby aubergines. We cut the crispy pita in half, so no issues there.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.463698\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463698/IMG_8865.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe star of the show though was that whole-roasted fish. It arrived cleverly intact but wtih skeleton removed.\u0026nbsp;Using my chef-training, I split the fillets between us. Keren\u0027s first mouthful sent her into revery. \u0026quot;It tastes like Israel\u0026quot; she swooned. \u0026quot;That took me\u0026nbsp;right back to the port...\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp; It was the Med in a mouthful, all charcoal, garlic and lime. Perfect.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.463700\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463700/IMG_8871.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe\u0027d decided to share a pudding, choosing the Flourless Mousse Cake, which contained cherries and sported a perky salted sesame cracker that was a perfect foil to\u0026nbsp;the sticky softness of the cake. The clever waiter delivered an extra plate — halva parfait, drizzled with date syrup and tahini and scattered with roasted almonds. That was far more in keeping with the flavours of our meal, and the heat of the day. Having protested we could not manage a mouthful more, we cleaned the plate.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.463702\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463702/IMG_8872.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy pomegranate and hibiscus tea was extremely girlie and delicious. Keren was equally happy with her green tea with mango rose. You\u0027re not there for the tea, but it all adds to the\u0026nbsp;vibe.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDefinitely worth a visit, come rain or shine — I\u0027m sure it will give you a sunny glow even when more typical London clouds are looming. I may even pack my bags for a trip to Shoreditch...\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFind their website \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.delaminamarylebone.co.uk/\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463692.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/sunny-afternoon-delamina-transports-us-to-tel-aviv-1.463692","publication_date":"May 8, 2018 11:54:45 AM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 8, 2018 5:28:02 PM","author":"The Fresser","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463695:1525780454/IMG_8860.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d067e0d4","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463545","headline":"The truth from Gaza that no one wants to hear","subheadline":"Facts don\u0027t matter when it comes to online political rhetoric, says Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eRhetoric, accusations and definitives have replaced debate, conversation, and nuance. This is true for discussions on politics, racism or any topic about which someone has an opinion that differs from one’s own.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut add to this a refusal to discuss history and context and you have the tenor of most online discussions about Israel and the Palestinians. As such, it has been somewhat surreal to watch online discussions about the events at the Israel-Gaza border.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eArmchair experts thousands of miles away abandon logic while firing off rhetoric-filled tweets and flaming opinion pieces condemning Israel for its “disproportionate response” and “massacre of innocent protesters”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAre these descriptors true?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWho cares? In this conflict, truth doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that Hamas is a terror organisation dedicated to the destruction of Israel and genocide of Jews. It doesn’t matter that Hamas hijacked these protests declaring that their ultimate goal was to “erase the border and liberate Palestine”. It doesn’t matter that molotov cocktails, firebombs, and flaming kites have been hurled over the border, sending fields of wheat up in flames. And it doesn’t matter that there have been numerous attempted \u003cem\u003e— \u003c/em\u003eand successful \u003cem\u003e— \u003c/em\u003einfiltrations of the border fence by armed men.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf the truth mattered, people might ask about the billions of missing dollars in foreign aid. If the truth mattered, people might ask why instead of hospitals, universities, and neighborhoods, Hamas has built dozens of tunnels from Gaza to Israeli communities at $3 million a pop. If the truth mattered, people might ask why Hamas focuses more on trying to kill my children than feeding their own.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYes, Gaza is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis. But, not because of Israel. Israel allows thousands of tons of food, textiles and goods into Gaza every single day. Moreover, Israel left Gaza in 2005 when it expelled 9,000 Jews, presenting the Palestinians with the opportunity to begin building a state. Gaza should be an example of thriving Palestinian autonomy. Instead, it’s a locked down strip of land whose residents are sacrificed on Hamas’s altar of Greater Palestine.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis blockade, lamented as creating an “open air prison” and enforced by Israel and Egypt, is a result of Hamas’s take over of the strip. Hamas, the terror organisation. Hamas, that drags “collaborators” through the streets to their deaths. Hamas that hides behind its own people, placing its headquarters in a hospital, relying on the fact that Israel wouldn’t attack it. Hamas, that continuously attempts to smuggle weapons to use against Israelis, via land, sea, and tunnels.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn 2016 alone, Israel foiled 1,226 smuggling attempts. Imagine for a moment that Hamas succeeds in smuggling missiles that Iron Dome cannot intercept. Imagine that it fires these rockets at Israeli cities as it has fired thousands of rockets in the past. Imagine the carnage.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNow, imagine Israel’s response. What would Gaza look like then? If you don’t want to think about it, you aren’t being honest about what’s on the line here. When discussing this conflict, one cannot forget facts. To do so is to ensure that conflict continues. Because the answer to a better Gaza doesn’t lie with Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael left Gaza in the hope that it could be a model for two state existence. Instead it has become a haven for terrorists, a launching pad for rockets. Given what we know about Hamas, and its continued calls for the destruction of Israel in what universe would Israel open its borders to them? The only way this blockade will end is for Hamas to declare an end to its desire for Israel’s destruction, or for the Palestinian people of Gaza to overthrow Hamas.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHow fascinating that no one arrives at this conclusion. How stunning that no one stops a moment to think how illogical it is to expect a country to open its border to an entity that calls for it’s destruction.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI wish the Gazan people peace and prosperity. I wish them a life free of Hamas, a life in which we can be open-bordered neighbors. But until they turn their sights inside to those truly oppressing them, to those whose pockets are lined with the future of their people, and so long as they are used as human shields by the terrorists who direct them, we will be at odds, on opposite sides of a border that I expect my government to protect, no matter what the internet says.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eShoshanna Keats Jaskoll is a writer and activist\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463545.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/the-truth-from-gaza-that-no-one-wants-to-hear-1.463545","publication_date":"May 7, 2018 10:51:00 AM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"May 4, 2018 12:43:15 PM","author":"Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll","byline":"Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"Gaza city","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.72199:1480902893/Gaza-city.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d630c6ec","caption":"Gaza city","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463648","headline":"The JC letters page, 4th May ","subheadline":"Paul Edlin, Adrian Cohen, Herbert Goldberg, Russell Waterman, Gordon Kay , Jeffrey Levy, Dr David Fligg and Herzl E Hamburger share their views with JC readers","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eBoard-ering on farce\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe refer to the recent reports in the JC (\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/the-board-of-deputies-still-has-questions-to-answer-in-the-row-over-its-elections-1.463206\"\u003eApril 27\u003c/a\u003e) on the upcoming elections at the Board of Deputies. We are deputies and a former honorary officer of the Board and are greatly concerned by this matter.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhile what has occurred may appear almost farcical, there is at least perceived damage to the previously impeccable record of transparency and democratic accountability of the Board in relation to its election processes. Going forward, we want to ensure that the nomination and election processes are seen to be unquestionably and transparently carried out fairly and correctly and in accordance with the constitution of the Board.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe call for:\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e1. The current chairman of the constitution committee to resign immediately — failing that, to recuse himself from further involvement in the current election pending his retirement at the end of the current triennial.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e2. An independent audit of the nominations to ensure that only correctly nominated candidates will be eligible for the election.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e3. The election process going forward to be organised and supervised by the Electoral Reform Society to ensure impartiality and fairness or the appointment of at least four independent scrutineers to guarantee transparent impartiality in the count.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaul Edlin\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdrian Cohen\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is a plot worthy of Gilbert and Sullivan. The Board of Deputies decided to end its current triennial with a Gibraltarian jamboree.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWith the forthcoming elections for president only weeks ahead, and buoyed up by the brew at the Rock’s branch of Costa Coffee, Simon Hochhauser huddled together with some of his backers and decided to make a last-minute stand for the top job, having previously ruled himself out.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEach candidate’s nomination paper requires 20 other deputies to endorse it but each deputy can endorse only one presidential candidate. With three other declared candidacies, accounting in total for 60 supporting deputies, Dr Hochhauser needed a legal “fix” that would allow each deputy to endorse more than one candidate.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe principal constitutional adviser to the Board immediately ruled that this would not be permissible but then changed his mind.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd then changed his mind again.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFinally, Dr Hochhauser managed to get 20 nominations and will be on the ballot paper.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf that weren’t enough, Dr Hochhauser said that he would be unable to take over the presidency immediately if elected so another “fix” was attempted to keep Jonathan Arkush as president for six months after the end of his term.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe conclusion to be drawn is that Dr Hochhauser could be elected only by overriding the constitution but the ends justify the means.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI would remind Dr Hochhauser of Elbert Hubbard’s quotation: “The graveyards are full of people the world could not do without”.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAll that Dr Hochhauser’s intervention has done is bring the Board into disrepute, distract it from its sterling work fighting antisemitism and cast a shadow over the final weeks of the outstanding presidency of Jonathan Arkush.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHerbert Goldberg\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePinner, Middlesex HA5\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eHassell acted ‘fairly’\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI am disgusted by your call for the senior coroner for Inner North London, Mary Hassell, to resign (L\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/landing/Tag/Coroner\"\u003eeader online and P60\u003c/a\u003e). Without going into the varied and complicated arguments on the rights and wrongs of Mary Hassell’s so-called cab-rank policy, it is clear that your response to Friday’s announcement is vindictive.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis was a difficult question of how to respond to religious demands in a supposedly secular society during a time of public service cuts and limited funds.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI have followed your coverage as this story has unfolded, and your lack of foresight and sensitivity is astounding.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYour reporting has been completely unbalanced and helped turn a judicial matter into a political witch-hunt.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is my understanding that Mary Hassell has acted in a manner that she believed to be fairest for the local community as a whole and sensible for those working under strain within a very busy coroner’s office.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYou can believe her approach is right or wrong, and thankfully we live in a liberal democracy where you are able to express your opinions, but the JC has turned this into a personal vendetta against an individual.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYou are calling for her to resign. Why? She is a hard-working human being like many of us and you would ruin her career for what?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis judicial matter has now been discussed in the appropriate place. If she now chooses to ignore this ruling, then you may have a case. But thus far she has done nothing wrong. She has acted in a way that she believed was appropriate to protect the interests of the whole community and the coroner’s service.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd, crucially, she also believed her policy had the approval of her superior, the chief coroner.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI believe that, in the eyes of the UK public, those baying for Mary Hassell’s blood will eventually reflect badly on the Jewish community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRussell Waterman\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLondon\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eNot all about Corbyn\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI am surprised Miriam Shaviv (\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/our-family-s-long-term-future-cannot-be-in-the-uk-miriam-shaviv-jeremy-corbyn-antisemitism-labour-1.463111\"\u003eJC April 27\u003c/a\u003e) has such a fragile response to antisemitism and is considering moving her family to Israel to avoid it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eShe blames it all on Jeremy Corbyn, believing he is the sole reason for increasing recorded number of incidents. The fact is antisemitism has always been there and always will be.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy children have asked similar questions and I have answered simply. There will always be people who choose to hate us, whether through ignorance or malice. The former can be solved by engaging with all communities and all ways of life, being ambassadors for our faith and culture, and learning and connecting with others. Knowledge can defeat ignorance.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMalicious antisemitism is always going to be there, left or right, but I agree with the recent comments by Rabbi Lord Sacks who suggested that antisemitism is the litmus test of a fair society.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYou can blame Corbyn as much as you like for not properly dealing with antisemitism in his own party, but you cannot blame him for the rise of it across the UK.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOur current government’s policy of hard-right economic austerity, anti-immigration rhetoric and a badly conceived Brexit referendum has done much to stoke the fire.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAdd to this the new aspect of social media adding petrol to the flames. Now, what might have been said to a TV screen or down the pub 10 years ago can now be published and republished with even greater ferocity.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWorking to build a more open, fairer and united society reduces antisemitism and other forms of racism and is a Jewish value. Compare what’s going on now with the economic and social policies of the Blair-Brown years and you will see the difference.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI have great respect for those making aliyah, mainly because they are choosing to live in Israel for positive reasons.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHowever, to consider moving to escape antisemitism is not a good idea; some of the world’s most vicious antisemites live in nearby states, with threats or actual acts of violence being all too common. Israel needs to show a military presence in most public places and there is a demand for all adults to serve in the forces.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eCompare this with the UK, with over 350 years of tolerance to Jews and a voluntary CST. Jewish people have senior roles in nearly every industry and aspect of society.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIs that really worth throwing away, because one party leader is not doing enough?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe need to increase our good work at showing the beauty of Judaism and what being a modern Jew in today’s Britain is all about.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDrop the fear, and be confident. It will engage our children to be more active Jews and citizens, loving their faith and being of service to their society.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGordon Kay\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrighton BN1\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJeremy Corbyn quite rightly comes out in a rush of wind to give media interviews on Windrush. But where was he last Wednesday following \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/corbyn-jlc-meeting-what-really-happened-1.463018\"\u003ehis meeting with the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council the previous day\u003c/a\u003e? Not a puff of air to be seen!\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe left it to his comrades to put his case\u0026nbsp; in the media. He can’t even bring himself to face questions from the media over his inaction to deal with antisemitism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe’s just not fit for purpose to be leader of his party or, indeed, a potential prime minister.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJeffrey Levy\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLondon N2\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003ePleasant Promenading\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHarry Levy and A. Miles (\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/letters/the-jc-letters-page-27th-april-2018-1.463227\"\u003eLetters, April 27\u003c/a\u003e) comment on the lack of any recognition of Israel’s 70th anniversary and Daniel Barenboim’s West East Divan Orchestra premiering David Robert Coleman’s Looking for Palestine, at the forthcoming BBC Proms.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt should be noted, however, that an important feature of this year’s Proms will be the centenary commemoration of Leonard Bernstein.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOne of the most significant musicians of the 20th century, Bernstein wore his Judaism and Zionism as badges of honour, and his close associations with Israel in general, and the Israel Philharmonic in particular, are on record.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAfter the debacle of that orchestra’s last appearance at the festival, with their performance wrecked by anti-Zionist hoodlums, one wonders whether they would brave a return visit, 70th anniversary or not.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePerhaps, as Mr Levy fears, Barenboim might once again offer a post-performance, politically motivated speech. One hopes not. Last year, his glorious account of Elgar’s Second Symphony was sullied by a muddled anti-Brexit speech about isolationism, nationalism and European culture.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhatever stance Coleman’s new work takes —and let us not try to second-guess this — I hope that Maestro Barenboim allows the music to speak for itself, and for the audience to reach its own conclusions.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDr David Fligg,\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLeeds LS17\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eFree of freemasonry\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eProfessor Geoffrey Alderman’s\u0026nbsp; comment\u0026nbsp; (\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/letters/the-jc-letters-page-27th-april-2018-1.463227\"\u003eLetters, April 27\u003c/a\u003e) that my late father (Sir Sidney Hamburger) advanced his public and communal career through his involvement in Freemasonry is totally incorrect.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy father’s connection with that organisation was tenuous at best, almost minute.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHis position as an influential Jewish communal statesman was solely due his leadership, vision, oratory and a unique ability to connect with all strata of society irrespective of race, colour or religion.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHerzl E Hamburger\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463648.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/letters/the-jc-letters-page-4th-may-2018-1.463648","publication_date":"May 4, 2018 3:25:00 PM","section":"Letters","modification_date":"May 4, 2018 12:26:59 PM","author":"JC Reporter","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.451202:1514550007/jpg%20(33).jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003da1b8a0b","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463653","headline":"Barnet sends a message that could change politics","subheadline":"The Barnet result means moderates must act to change the political centre, says Stephen Pollard","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOf all the responses to Labour’s failure to take control of Barnet, this by defeated councillor Adam Langleben is perhaps the most poignant: “Jeremy Corbyn was supposed to come here tomorrow for a victory speech. We want him to come to Barnet anyway, to apologise to Jewish Labour activists, to Barnet Labour and to the Jewish community here so we can start the healing process.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn normal circumstances, Labour would have walked to victory in Barnet. The Conservative council is unpopular; there was a swing to Labour in last year’s election; and the party fielded a strong set of moderate candidates.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut these aren’t normal circumstances.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLabour is run by a cadre which has allowed antisemitism to grow and grow, and done next to nothing to deal with it – despite fine words.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYou can say you are a “militant opponent\u0026quot; of\u0026nbsp; antisemitism and an ally any number of times but it means precisely nothing when your actions show the opposite. And when your response to serious and sensible suggestions from the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council is to shrug your shoulders, your real intentions are crystal clear.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSome election results have a wider significance beyond just the number of votes cast. Barnet, 2018, is surely one of those. I live in Barnet. It’s no exaggeration to say I am proud of my fellow Barnet residents. They put aside what they might ordinarily want to have done – give the council a kicking – in order to send a bigger, more important message. They simply would not accept Labour’s toleration of Jew hate.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYes, Barnet has the highest proportion of Jewish voters of any borough in the country. But that 15 per cent are not enough on their own to have sent that message. Crucially, many non-Jews joined the protest to Labour.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe turnout in some areas – seventy per cent in Golders Green – is extraordinary. This was the very definition of a mass protest – a protest delivered via the ballot box.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOne sidenote: today’s result in Barnet destroys Jewish Voice for Labour\u0027s attempt to sow division and pretend that Jews aren\u0027t worried by Labour antisemitism. It shows that the Board of Deputies and JLC were absolutely right to claim they spoke for mainstream Jewish community, and were right to call a demonstration in March in Parliament Square. Because Barnet voters – Jew and non-Jew alike – have also now said Enough is Enough.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor Corbyn and his allies, however, the only response is one of wilful deafness. Antisemitism has only ever been a political crisis to be neutralised, not a serious issue to be examined. That’s why he shrugs his shoulders when asked to act. That’s why we will never see genuine action rather than words – because he is literally incapable of acting. To do so would require Mr Corbyn to challenge the very hard left mindset that has been with him since he first began to think about politics. He cannot do that, just as he cannot challenge his closest allies.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs Barnet shows, the real tragedy of the Corbynite takeover of Labour is that so many decent people who would normally vote Labour are now effectively disenfranchised.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eGiven that we know the Corbynites cannot change their own DNA, the onus is now on the Labour moderates. They may have been destroyed within the Labour Party, but they are far from powerless outside it. The future of centre-left politics is in their hands. Now they must use that power to reshape the centre.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463653.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/barnet-sends-a-message-that-could-change-politics-1.463653","publication_date":"May 4, 2018 1:34:20 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 4, 2018 1:52:22 PM","author":"Stephen Pollard","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463654:1525437982/DcVSZM0V0AEz248.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003da915972","caption":"Conservatives in Barnet after the local election results (Photo: Twitter)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463652","headline":"Parents\u0027 right to peace of mind","subheadline":"We need preventative measures in place to minimise risks for our children, says United Synagogue\u0027s Joanne Greenaway ","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOver the past 15 years, an epidemic of child sexual abuse has overwhelmed police services and our daily news-feeds.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAwareness of this scourge has increased across society — partly thanks to the bravery of survivors who have explained its devastating impact — and it is clear that safeguarding has not been adequately addressed in the past, particularly by faith organisations.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is no place for naivety: the Jewish community is no different. We need preventative measures in place to minimise risks for our children.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis includes creating a culture in which people are aware of the importance of child protection and feel comfortable raising a concern, in the knowledge that it will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the United Synagogue, we have taken a number of steps to safeguard our 12,000 child members, and any young visitor, as fully as possible.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe created a network across our synagogues of trained and experienced individuals to co-ordinate child protection and feed any issues arising on the ground through to our central team. In this way, members of a shul have ready access to someone to whom they can take their concerns.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe work with these individuals to ensure that we know whose volunteering roles bring them into contact with children.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eCommunal organisations are blessed with a spirit that drives so many to get involved and give of their time contributing to the life of the community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHowever, we cannot be complacent. We can no longer be informal in accepting these services without the rigour of DBS checks and appropriate training. We need to know who we are trusting with our children and they need to know they have an important responsibility. This is not fail-safe. Communities are not corporates but need robust and professional procedures if we are to tackle this challenge effectively.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eParents today have many concerns. Can they hire a bar- or batmitzvah tutor, for example? We would suggest that anyone working regularly with a child must have undertaken an appropriate level of safeguarding training and have a clear DBS check. The safest course is always to supervise.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe have also had to formulate approaches to such thorny issues as how to deal with a situation where a sex offender wishes to reintegrate into a community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe have created “safeguarding contracts”, ensuring this could only be done with a full risk assessment, working with police and probation officers and with all appropriate safeguarding measures taken. We have worked closely with other faith organisations to learn from their expertise.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSafeguarding is a major commitment for any organisation. It involves not only the will to look after our next generation but significant time and resources. There are no guarantees.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is a sad reality that this investment is necessary — but we have no choice.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJoanne Greenaway is Head of Safeguarding at the United Synagogue\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463652.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/parents-right-to-peace-of-mind-1.463652","publication_date":"May 4, 2018 12:41:26 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 4, 2018 6:32:05 PM","author":"Joanne Greenaway","byline":"Joanne Greenaway","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"JOANNE GREENWAY","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463651:1525434084/image/JOANNE%20GREENWAY.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003da0be661","caption":"","copyright":null}},{"id":"1.463571","headline":"The horror that the world ignores","subheadline":"Rabbi Maurice Michaels  asks why so little attention is paid to the genocide being carried out in Sudan","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eChemical weapons used against unarmed civilians, including children. Half a million unarmed civilians killed by their own government. Barrel bombs dropped by the air force from 30,000 feet on unsuspecting villages, and the systematic rape of women by soldiers. I am not describing Syria, but Sudan.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt has been 15 years since the start of the Darfur genocide, and yet the ethnic cleansing of Sudan continues. You probably haven’t heard much recently about this Rwanda-in-slow-motion. Why? Because the regime responsible for the slaughter is also the West’s partner in stopping Africans migrating over their territory toward Libya and the Mediterranean coast. Even though the Sudanese ruler, Field Marshall Omar al-Bashir, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court(ICC) for genocide, we avert our eyes to his campaign of ethnic cleansing.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor decades, Bashir’s regime has been trying to rid Sudan of its non-Arab and non-Muslim population, aiming to create a purely Arab and Muslim country. This policy ignores centuries of intermarriage, and the presence of millions of black African citizens. However, the regime also targets Muslims who do not subscribe to its narrow, jihadist interpretation of Islam. And it jails brave Arab lawyers, journalists and human rights activists who want democracy and freedom of speech.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn 2015, Genocide Watch estimated that 500,000 Darfuris had died in the conflict, and millions have fled to squalid internally displaced persons camps, or across the border to refugee camps in Chad. Many have been there since 2003, dreaming of going home to their farms, but knowing their villages have been destroyed, their livestock stolen, and their wells poisoned.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eApart from the regime’s blatant racism toward black Africans, climate change has played a role. The southward drift of the Sahara allowed the regime to enlist aggrieved Arab herders as its proxies. With diminishing grazing land, a militia of herders, known as the Janjaweed, took the Darfuris’ farms by force, killing the inhabitants. Journalists have been denied access since the start of the conflict, but the NGO Waging Peace, with whom I have been working for years, collected hundreds of children’s drawings. They are eerily familiar to anyone who has seen the Theresienstadt concentration camp pictures. The ICC accepted the pictures as evidence of the context of the genocide, and I was honoured to speak at the event marking the transfer of drawings to The Wiener Library in London. The pictures can be viewed\u003ca href\u003d\"http://wagingpeace.info/activities/darfur-drawings/\"\u003e here.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.463570\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463570/image/Chad, drawing 7,1 C.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn 2016, Amnesty International reported that the Khartoum regime had used chemical weapons against civilians in the Jebel Mara region of Darfur. A British journalist who tried to retrieve soil samples there was captured, imprisoned and tortured by the Khartoum regime for five weeks. Yet, there was no demand from the West to send the chemical weapons inspectors who are now in Syria to investigate Amnesty’s claims.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSome years ago, when Darfur was briefly in the news, the international community dispatched a joint African Union-UN peacekeeping force. This followed the Save Darfur campaign, led by the American Jewish community, to respond to the horror occurring away from the television cameras, in the remote and arid western region of Sudan. However, there was never much international political will behind the soldiers, and the Sudanese regime regularly prevents them investigating attacks on civilians. In theory, it should be protecting Darfuris, but it has neither the resources nor the necessary political backing to do so. It is only a matter of time until it leaves the people of Darfur to fend for themselves.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe UN has passed numerous resolutions condemning the violence, and together with the African Union, it has convened a series of peace talks. However, as long as the regime breaks its word, denies humanitarian groups access, and continues to bomb its own people, any deals lack legitimacy with its war-weary citizens.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eRecently, President Trump dropped sanctions against Sudan, and is said to be preparing to remove it from the US list of state sponsors of terror. Khartoum, which sheltered Osama bin Laden for five years, is being rewarded for giving intelligence of dubious quality to the CIA. Ironically, this avowedly Islamist regime is counted as our partner in the global war on terror. This is despite their role in transporting weapons from Iran, taken by land across Sudan, into the northern Sinai Peninsula, and then smuggled into Gaza. Wikileaks revealed that on two occasions, in 2009 and 2012, it is believed that Israeli fighter jets bombed the shipments as they headed for Sudanese docks. On a third occasion, in 2014, Israel intercepted a shipment of Iranian arms heading for Sudan.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo, while the people of Sudan suffer in a media vacuum, the international community contorts itself like a pretzel to justify ignoring one human rights outrage, while reacting, occasionally, to another, in Syria.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAt Waging Peace, we are members of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust Partnership Group. We continue to support Sudanese refugees who make it to the UK, helping them to build meaningful lives here.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://wagingpeace.info/\"\u003ewww.WagingPeace.info\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMaurice Michaels is rabbi of Bournemouth Reform Synagogue\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463571.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/darfur-the-horror-that-the-world-ignores-1.463571","publication_date":"May 4, 2018 8:19:00 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 4, 2018 8:54:46 AM","author":"Maurice Michaels","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"Chad, drawing 8 C","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463569:1525354707/image/Chad,%20drawing%208%20C.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9585056","caption":"This boy was 8 when his village in Darfur was attacked in 2004.\nHis drawing describes this attack, where Janjaweed forces (drawn on horseback) and Sudanese forces (in vehicles and tanks) worked together to burn his village, kill many civilians (shown lying on the ground) and displace survivors.","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463586","headline":"The prospect of a Corbyn win should be ringing alarm bells for Jewish charities","subheadline":"Marketing expert Lionel Salama looks at how a Corbyn government could devastate Jewish charities","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eInvited over from France by William the Conqueror to support his cashflow, Jews have been here for almost 1,000 years. Apart from an enforced absence, thanks to expulsion by King Edward I in 1290, we have enjoyed good times here, prospered and made significant contributions to all walks of British life, to a scale that is disproportionate to our size.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOne that always brings a smile to my face is the national dish, fish and chips, created by Joseph Malin, an enterprising Victorian Jewish boy.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMore seriously, we’ve built a range of communal institutions, particularly in the area of social care, which are admired and have served as models for others.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOf course, not everything is rosy. We’re now experiencing a tsunami of antisemitic outbursts, spurred on by the explosion in social media. That traditional political home for many in the Jewish community, the Labour Party, is especially rife with this disease.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd yet, while we must always call out antisemitism — and all other forms of racism — it is the promised policies of a Corbyn government that pose the greatest threat to the future of our community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe success of Jewish charities is predicated on a unique fundraising model, where roughly 95 per cent of the donations come from five per cent of the donors.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn reality, this means that around 100 communal organisations are able to function and flourish thanks to the support of about 400 families.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is a major donor scenario that is the envy of the charity sector, which can only marvel at how our DNA ensures an inherent commitment among those who have done well to support those in need. It is truly something to be proud of but it is now also our Achilles heel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe have all learnt not to rely on poll predictions but there are clearly strong signs that Jeremy Corbyn could be the next Prime Minister. Despite the Shadow Chancellor’s recent schmooze of the City, many in business still see John McDonnell’s policies as a sufficiently scary prospect to start to plan their departure from the UK.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor the Jewish community, this should be ringing some very loud alarm bells. Indeed, if the conversations I have been having and heard of are any indication, a significant proportion of our major donor families will leave if Corbyn wins the next election.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYou don’t need to be a maths genius to calculate the likely impact of this. Let’s take a low number, such as 20 per cent, deciding to leave. The current communal structure would be decimated as many organisations could not weather this reduction in support. Some have even told me that 20 per cent is far too optimistic.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhile there is no doubt that those giving to Israeli charities will continue to do so from wherever they are in the world, I can’t see absence from the UK as engendering any desire to support the old country. The recent communal unity in seeking to bring Corbyn and his flock to book over antisemitism is commendable but it is this bigger threat that needs the urgent focus.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor several decades, many of us have called for the consolidation of our communal landscape. There are simply too many organisations for a community of our size. Yes, it is wonderful that our major donors keep this going but even their patience has been wearing thin.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA new generation wants to see more efficiency, clearer impact and, above all, a more intelligent way of servicing the growing needs. An aging community and one that is certainly not yet meeting all the needs of those with disabilities — particularly those with learning disabilities — needs to update its delivery model through consolidation to ensure that donors will step up to the challenge of greater funding. The continued duplication of services will be met by rejection.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis consolidation is now more urgent than ever. At best, we have just under 1,500 days until the next election. But if the Brexit process unravels or some international crisis leads to a vote of confidence, it could come much sooner.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eInstead of the unseemly sight of questionable election processes or the tepid review of communal funding, this is the moment for some bold thinking to plan the required surgery.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is the moment when all those who can help secure the future of our community should come together and engage in frank and open discussion.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJust as the City and others are engaged in contingency planning for Brexit, so should the Jewish community be doing for a Corbyn premiership and a likely modern Jewish exodus.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd if I’m wrong, we will have still done a great service by creating a new architecture that can secure even more funding from our fantastically generous donors.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLionel Salama is co-founder of HOPE, a brand consultancy for organisations which make a social impact.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463586.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/if-corbyn-wins-alarm-bells-should-be-ringing-for-jewish-charities-1.463586","publication_date":"May 3, 2018 3:02:58 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 3, 2018 4:20:35 PM","author":"Lionel Salama","byline":"Lionel Salama","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"PA-35715403","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463585:1525356177/image/PA-35715403.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003dc16fff2","caption":"A demonstrator holding a painting saying \"For the many not the Jew\", as people protest against anti-Semitism in the Labour party in Parliament Square, London, as Jewish community leaders have launched a scathing attack on Jeremy Corbyn, claiming he has sided with anti-Semites \"again and again\".","copyright":null}},{"id":"1.463580","headline":"Was Mary Hassell driven by an unspoken agenda?","subheadline":"The five-year battle with the coroner is far from over says the lawyer at the heart of the matter","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNotwithstanding last week’s victory, the battle with Coroner Hassell seems far from over.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt started almost as soon as she took office five years ago, when she unilaterally withdrew an out-of-hours service.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt has continued through three cases — two taken to final judgment — and a disciplinary tribunal. Hassell has lost all of them but is still fighting.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHassell has created trouble broadly in two ways: by ordering invasive autopsies, which desecrate the body, and by causing delay to the burial. For Jews and Muslims, desecration and delayed burial cause huge anguish.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHassell has been inflexible.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI first came across Hassell when members of the Jewish community turned to me in 2014, to seek to stop an invasive autopsy she had ordered which was entirely unnecessary.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAn injunction was obtained to prevent the autopsy. The court found that where “there is nothing to be lost and something to be preserved, namely the rights in respect to the religion of the family”, the coroner should allow non-invasive autopsy.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn 2015, Hassell tried to force another unnecessary invasive autopsy on the body of a Jewish woman, despite the court’s clear earlier ruling. Following an injunction and judicial review, which included a full trial, the court found her decision to be unlawful.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTo most, it would seem obvious to allow a non-invasive autopsy where possible, and compassion would demand such a conclusion in any event. Not so for Hassell.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn late 2017, Hassell, beaten over autopsies, decided to devise new methods for causing distress. Most coroners offer an out-of-hours service. Hassell, by withdrawing an out-of-hours service when she took up her post, caused significant delay to anyone who has passed away between Friday and Monday. But this, it seemed, was not enough.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn response to attempts by my firm to speed up her decision-making process in the case of a Jewish man who had died in October 2017, she issued a “protocol” which declared: “No death will be prioritised in any way over any other because of the religion of the deceased or family, either by the coroner’s officers or coroners.” Hassell’s protocol — described by her as a cab-rank rule — denied priority to all Jews and Muslims, thus causing undue and unnecessary delay during the week as well as at weekends.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn a misguided wish to equate uniformity with equality, Hassell had formed a view that treating everyone in chronological order was fair. The court’s ruling last Friday strongly disapproved of Hassell’s protocol. The law requires officials “to treat differently persons whose situations are significantly different”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor example, a vegetarian prisoner is treated the same as others if given meat to eat, but the effect is different. He will starve, while others can eat well. Recognising and dealing with this lies at the heart of a pluralist society.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe judge held that “where a single rule has disparate impact on one group as opposed to another — it is the disparate impact that has to be justified”. Hassell’s protocol was found unjustifiable, but it has taken huge effort and a full trial to get it scrapped.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNo sooner was the judgment published, however, than Hassell issued a new protocol that “in future… [she] will consider every family for prioritisation”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eGiven her history, it is difficult to read into this any genuine desire to get the law right, let alone to be compassionate towards Jews and Muslims or others seeking speedy burial.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt raises a concern that it is a new strategy to prioritise everyone, and thereby thwart the effect of the judgment.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAfter three defeats in court describing her variously as “unlawful, rigid, flawed, discriminatory, and irrational,” and one disciplinary finding that she has a “serious lack of judgment”, some coroners might pause for thought.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut Hassell seems driven by some unspoken agenda. While I would like to think that the High Court victory was decisive, I fear that, with her latest intention to consider everyone for prioritisation, battle potentially remains joined.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTrevor Asserson is senior partner of Asserson Law Offices, based in London and Tel Aviv, and solicitors for the claimants\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463580.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/was-mary-hassell-driven-by-an-unspoken-agenda-1.463580","publication_date":"May 3, 2018 2:37:46 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 3, 2018 4:13:27 PM","author":"Trevor Asserson","byline":"Trevor Asserson","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463583:1525355913/image.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d74cdde9","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463534","headline":"A rushed day of dreams when Israel was born","subheadline":"If declarations are moments of national birth, Israel was a baby delivered in a hospital lift, says Jonathan Freedland as he ponders its 70th anniversary ","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere’s a childhood photograph of me in an old family album wearing a T-shirt in yellow and blue, with a pattern that formed an elaborate ‘25’. It was made to celebrate Israel’s 25th anniversary, which identifies the year as 1973. I was six years old.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI can remember later anniversaries too. I was living on kibbutz for the 38th anniversary in 1986. In 1998, I shuttled between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, profiling for the \u003cem\u003eGuardian\u003c/em\u003e four people who, like the country, were turning 50 that year. Just ahead of the 60th, I was in Israel again, this time with my wife and two sons: our eldest was six years old.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor all that, I’ve never contemplated what happened on May 14 1948 quite as intensely as I have for this, the 70th anniversary. I’ve been making a documentary for BBC Radio 4 about the events of that extraordinary day, including tracking down the only two people left alive who watched the ceremony unfold in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. They are the last surviving witnesses to the official birth of the state of Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt turns out to be a better story than I’d ever realised. The whole thing was done in a near-chaotic rush, David Ben-Gurion urging his fellow Jewish leaders to seize the moment in a meeting just 48 hours before the British were due to pull out of Palestine. They debated the idea for eleven hours, before deciding \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e by just two votes \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e to go ahead and declare statehood.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI met Yair Sharef, whose father Ze’ev would be Israel’s first cabinet secretary. He remembers his dad frantically booking the room, hiring a set designer to dress it, rushing out the invitations \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e all on a budget of one hundred Palestine pounds. Yael Sharett, whose father Moshe would be Israel’s second prime minister, remembers her dad pacing the room, dictating drafts of the declaration for her to take down. She was just 17.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe founders were still debating the exact wording of the text at 3pm on the Friday, with just an hour to go. Sharef got it typed up, then stepped out to hail a taxi to the venue \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e only to see that the streets were deserted. Text in hand, he eventually flagged down a driver who told him he had no time to stop: he wanted to get home in time to hear the declaration. “If you don’t take me to the museum right now,” Sharef said calmly, “there won’t be a declaration.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eStopped by a policeman en route for speeding, he somehow arrived at 3.59pm, handing the document to Ben-Gurion who promptly rose to his feet and started reading.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn other words, this was not a polished ceremony in a grand, gilded hall of state, as you might imagine for a moment of such import. It was a makeshift, improvised rush job, thrown together by people in a terrible hurry. If declarations are moments of national birth, Israel was a baby delivered in a hospital lift.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd yet the consequences were enormous and felt to this day. For Jews there and around the world, it was a modern miracle, a day of liberation ending an exile that had endured for two millennia. For Palestinians, it was a day of dispossession, the catastrophic moment when the land they regarded as home was lost.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs for the document itself, rushed as it was, it proved to be an enduring marvel. The former Palestinian foreign minister, Nabil Sha’ath, told me that when the Palestinians came to issue their own symbolic declaration of independence in 1988, the text they took as their template, even their inspiration, was the Israeli document of 40 years earlier.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe novelist and veteran peace campaigner Amos Oz said he still regards the declaration as the greatest text ever produced by the Zionist movement. Its promise of “complete equality” for all the inhabitants of the land “irrespective of religion, race or gender” remains a noble ideal.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOf course, it is an ideal that has not been fulfilled. This week alone saw the Knesset approve the first of three votes on a bill that would formally allow Jewish-only towns and which spells out that Arabic, the language of one in five Israeli citizens, has a status below that of Hebrew \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e moves at odds with the spirit, if not the letter, of the declaration. And, of course, Israel continues to rule over another people, one of almost equal size, thanks to a 51-year occupation that none of those who signed the declaration ever imagined or wanted.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn other words, the Israeli reality is a long way from that rushed day of dreams in May 1948. But that makes marking the anniversary more, not less, worthwhile. It’s valuable to be reminded of the path the founders set out on – and to which, one day, Israel will surely have to return.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePresent at the Creation, written and presented by Jonathan Freedland, will be broadcast on Radio 4 at 8pm on Tuesday May 15 and at 5pm on Sunday May 20\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463534.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/a-rushed-day-of-dreams-when-israel-was-born-70th-anniversary-israel-independence-1.463534","publication_date":"May 3, 2018 12:23:08 PM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"May 3, 2018 3:22:54 PM","author":"Jonathan Freedland","byline":"Jonathan Freedland","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463536:1525346910/jpg%20(44).jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003db8277a4","caption":"David Ben Gurion announces Israel\u0027s declaration of independence on May 14 1948 (Photo: Getty Images)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463470","headline":"Wanted: new Charedi leaders","subheadline":"In the clash between the state and the Charedi system, one thing seems clear: Strictly Orthodox leaders are struggling to make the case for their schools, says Simon Rocker\r\n\r\n","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSomeone recently collared me over kiddush and asked why the JC was not writing about the problem of education in Charedi schools. I was surprised as I believe we have covered the subject extensively and sometimes I have had to stop myself from writing more. Over the past two or three years, I have consumed more Ofsted reports than I care to remember - including another only last week criticising one of the largest Chasidic schools in Stamford Hill.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe travails of Charedi schools at the hands of Ofsted continue to be a major headache for them. While it may affect only one section of British Jewry, it raises a wider question: how far does a liberal democracy with a commitment to egalitarianism make allowance for religious diversity.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the clash between the state and the Charedi system, one thing seems clear: Strictly Orthodox leaders are struggling to make the case for their schools.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFar from alleviating the pressure on Charedi schools, the latest proposals from the Department for Education would tighten the screw even more.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe meetings with ministers, the delegations to department officials - for all their lobbying, Charedi leaders have had little to show for it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Charedi community either needs fresh faces to plead their cause or fresh ideas - perhaps both.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere are two main areas of contention. Firstly, the question whether schools should be required to talk about same-sex relationships as part of the “British values” agenda to teach respect for different groups of people. Secondly, the failure of a number of schools - primarily in Stamford Hill - to teach an adequate secular education, in Ofsted’s view.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLondon’s Charedi rabbinate has said teaching about same-sex relationships represents a “red line” it will not cross. A few weeks ago rabbis from Charedi communities across the country met in Nottingham to agree a common position.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe latest draft guidelines from the DfE suggest that avoiding the subject is simply not an option. A recent report from a House of Lords committee on citizenship also made it clear that the inspection services could not be expected to turn a blind eye.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Board of Deputies has come up with one possible compromise. Strictly Orthodox\u0026nbsp; schools should not be compelled to teach about sexual relationships that contradict their religious ethos - but staff could be trained to deal with LGBT issues and, if necessary, refer pupils to an organisation like Keshet UK.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEven that would be a big step for some schools. But it is the kind of compromise the education authorities could be persuaded to take on board. Whether the “Nottingham” group can produce an alternative that will satisfy the state and take the heat off Charedi schools remains open to question.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs far as secular education goes, the situation varies across the Charedi spectrum - from children who may take A-levels and even a degree to boys who attend unregistered yeshivot from soon after barmitzvah where secular tuition is minimal or non-existent.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe days of unregulated yeshivot are surely numbered, even though it may take a few years to pass the necessary legislation to bring them under state scrutiny. While the more conservative sections of Stamford Hill may continue to resist, pragmatic rabbis must realise that with some concessions towards teaching basics like English and maths, they may still be able to preserve a traditional yeshivah education for most of the week. It is not as if the state is looking to impose the full national curriculum on independent schools.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eCharedi leaders also need to consider whether to go it alone or try to enlist the support of the wider Jewish community. The fact that the recent Lords report cited Chief Rabbi Mirvis in a number of places shows his office still carries influence.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn a recent interview in Hamodia, Yaakov Grosskopf, the chairman of the Strictly Orthodox charity, the Interlink Foundation, remarked, “We have been too content to talk to ourselves, and have failed to speak to wider audiences.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePerhaps outreach should start with the broader Jewish community. It hardly could have helped when Charedi rabbis lined up to announce a ban on JW3 because of LGBT activities there. While their intervention may have deprived a few children from Orthodox schools of a trip to the JW3 skating rink last winter, I doubt whether Charedim who already frequent JW3 will pay much heed to the rabbis. The effect was more likely counterproductive in alienating middle-of-the-road Jews from the Charedi community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe DfE’s latest proposed guidelines are not cast in stone, they are out for consultation and therefore open to emendation. But it will take far more skilful advocacy from the Charedi community than its leadership has so far demonstrated.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463470.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/wanted-new-charedi-leaders-1.463470","publication_date":"May 2, 2018 3:25:08 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 11, 2018 11:11:11 AM","author":"Simon Rocker","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.464013:1526033453/b-large.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9ab90ff","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463468","headline":"When life goes on around us","subheadline":"Student blogger Orli West looks at how your experience of life can differ so widely depending on when and where you live","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTo coin a phrase used by \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-jc-s-student-blogger-on-eastern-europe-antisemitism-pogroms-israel-1.463001\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eJamie Rodney in his last blog\u003c/a\u003e, what I am about to write also feels a bit like copying your (in this case, more clever) friend’s homework. His article, \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/while-i-m-getting-ready-for-university-exams-my-israeli-cousins-are-serving-in-the-idf-1.462551\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eas well as Asha’s\u003c/a\u003e, inspired a train of thought for me.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJamie was discussing how, when he thinks about his family, it is not Israel that his mind is drawn to; it is Eastern Europe. For me, this is very similar. My Booba and Zeida’s family came from Lodz, in Poland, and the two of them made their way across Russia, and eventually to England to escape the Holocaust. They have an incredible story, but they were the lucky ones. Devastatingly, almost all of the rest of their family perished, leaving no trace of their existence other than in the memories of my grandparents. I have grown up hearing their story, and the untold story of the rest of their family. So when I think about the roots of my family and my history, my mind does not drift to Israel, it drifts to Poland. It drifts to experiences that I will never come close to understanding, yet nevertheless spend much of my time thinking about.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhilst pondering this, I was also inspired by Asha’s article about the juxtaposition for her of being in England studying for exams, when only 2245 miles across the sea, her cousins are fighting for their country in Israel. This is also very similar to my experiences. My cousins in Ra’anana, whilst currently too young, will eventually have to fight for both their country and their lives against innumerable threats. Some of my closest and oldest friends are currently on the borders of Gaza, defending a country I feel privileged to call my own. And yet, whilst over in England I will defend Israel until I am red in the face, I have never had to see the pain and fear and bloodshed of war up close. It is something I will hopefully never experience; despite knowing some of the people I love the most are forced to endure it day in, day out.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe concept of not truly understanding is something I, if you cannot yet tell, think about on quite a regular basis. It bothers me that whilst I am sitting in the library, studying the impacts of war or techniques for teaching, I am not truly understanding. I cannot truly comprehend these things because they are not just facts, they are experiences. It recently occurred to me that I learnt far more from going to Poland for five days than I ever did learning about it at school, or even doing a specific module at University about the Holocaust. Some things are incomprehensible. The presence of evil I felt walking through the forest into Majdanek, is incomprehensible. The feeling of pride and companionship singing the Hatikvah next to a gas chamber, with hundreds of Israeli soldiers and other students, is incomprehensible. The emotion of telling the story of my Booba and Zeida whilst standing in front of the grave of my great great grandpa, the only member of my Booba and Zeida’s whole family to be buried… that is incomprehensible. These are things we cannot learn in a classroom. They are things no teacher, however passionate and charismatic, can teach us.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI will never understand how it feels to have to run away from your family because you fear for your life. I will never know how it feels to grieve over a fellow soldier who died in combat. But what I do know is that no matter what happens academically during the next few weeks, we need to remember what is important. Because it isn’t the facts on that page of notes you’ve been staring at for two hours. It isn’t the exams or the essays or the work. It is the experiences. Don’t get so swept up by the stress that you forget to look around and remember what is important. It isn’t the university of Birmingham, or Nottingham, or Oxford that will teach me the most important lessons I know. It is the University of Life.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrli West is in\u0026nbsp;her second year at Birmingham University where she is studying Education.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-jc-s-student-blogger-on-eastern-europe-antisemitism-pogroms-israel-1.463001\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eRead the previous blog entry\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463468.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/when-life-goes-on-around-us-1.463468","publication_date":"May 2, 2018 2:56:58 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 2, 2018 3:00:01 PM","author":"Student Views","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463469:1525269576/paperdoll-people-holding-hands-around-the-world-globe.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9b26914","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463409","headline":"There is a reason the Corbynites won\u0027t accept the definition of antisemitism","subheadline":"Accepting the widely adopted IHRA definition of antisemitism would cut across far left anti-Israel ideology, writes Ronnie Fraser","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJeremy Corbyn is a self- professed anti-racist who never ceases to tell us of his opposition to all forms of racism, including antisemitism. He has yet to tell us exactly how he defines antisemitism. But one thing is clear: his definition is not the International Holocaust Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe has made it clear that any Labour member promoting \u0026quot;Holocaust denial, crude stereotypes of Jewish bankers, conspiracy theories blaming 9/11 on Israel, and even the one member who appeared to believe that Hitler had been misunderstood\u0026quot; has no place in the party.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut he and his supporters refuse to adopt the IHRA definition on ideological grounds -because they cannot accept the illustrative examples in the definition that show when criticism of Israel crosses the line into antisemitism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat definition of antisemitism is the Labour Party disciplinary committee using?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAlthough Mr Corbyn is said to be concerned about the use of the explanatory examples in the IHRA definition, the reality is that he has no intention of accepting the IHRA definition. His ideology will not allow him to do so - and he wants to protect his friends (and himself) from being labelled as an antisemites.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen I first heard that Mr Corbyn had refused to accept the IHRA definition at his meeting with the Jewish leadership Council (JLC) and the Board of Deputies (BOD), it made me recall my own similar experience. Seven years ago this very week, my trade union, the University and Lecturers Union (UCU), at its annual Congress in Harrogate disassociated itself from the he EU Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) definition of antisemitism (from which the IHRA definition was derived).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe BOD and JLC were involved at the time as they tried - unsuccessfully - to persuade the UCU not to disassociate from the definition.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhenever I spoke in anti-Israel boycott debates at UCU Congresses I was always listened to in silence. I never really understood before why this was so. But now I realise it was a form of \u0027blanking\u0027. They were not interested in the views of the pro-Israel Jew and wanted instead to return to their anti-Israel fest as quickly as possible.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt wasn\u0027t personal but an ideological hatred of what I stood for. The election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in September 2015 provided his acolytes with the perfect opportunity to step up their demonisation of Israel and, worse, to cross the line into antisemitism by attempting to mask it as anti-Zionism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is exactly what happened when the far left took control of the UCU in 2006. Back then, we saw it as it as a takeover by a group who were on the periphery of Labour politics, and whose anti-Zionist policies made the union an intimidating, hostile and offensive environment for Jews.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was, in hindsight, the model for what has since happened in the Labour Party - with fringe racist anti-Israel policies crossing over into mainstream politics, and with a resulting rise in claims of antisemitism within the party.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBetween 2007 and 2011, the UCU Congress was gradually cleansed of any delegates willing to speak up on behalf of Israel and pro-Zionist Jews. By 2011\u0026nbsp; I was the sole remaining Zionist at Congress.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA similar process is now taking place in the Labour Party. MPs who speak out against antisemitism in the party are accused of disloyalty to Corbyn or part of a plot to remove him as leader.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere are signs that the Corbynistas want to do what they did in the UCU - to cleanse the Labour Party of Zionists.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNow is the time for our communal leaders to put in place a strategy for when Jeremy Corbyn eventually formally refuses to accept the IHRA definition, as he surely will.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt won\u0027t be easy. In 2002 the BOD met with the academic unions, who had backed the call for an academic boycott of Israel, and warned them that \u0026quot;those who engage in anti-Israel rhetoric should have regard to the antisemitic consequences.\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf the unions and their far left supporters refused to take on board concerns first raised sixteen years ago, then we need more than the vague promises to deal promptly with a backlog of alleged antisemitism disciplinary cases.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis may convince the general public that the Labour Party is tackling antisemitism but history shows it\u0027s not real.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRonnie Fraser is Director of the Academic Friends of Israel. He has written about his legal action against the UCU in the forthcoming book, Anti-Zionism on Campus to be published in May by the Indiana University Press\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463409.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/corbynites-won-t-accept-ihra-definition-of-antisemitism-with-israel-1.463409","publication_date":"May 1, 2018 3:43:17 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 1, 2018 4:30:33 PM","author":"Ronnie Fraser","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"Jeremy Corbyn","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.100224:1511972156/KORBZZZZZZ.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003da8010e5","caption":"Jeremy Corbyn","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463407","headline":"Does the Netanyahu evidence contain anything we did not know about Iran?","subheadline":"Israel’s spies pulled off an incredible coup by spiriting documents out of Tehran, but we do not know if they say anything new","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt had all the hallmarks of a classic Netanyahu show.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eReporters were called in at short notice, promised with intriguing “game-changing” details of Iranian duplicity. A stage was filled with props and a slideshow of breathtaking evidence.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd at the centre of it, the prime minister himself, master of ceremonies, determined to prove that Iran had been hoodwinking the world for years and that the nuclear deal signed with it three years ago was based on lies.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe first headline in Benjamin Netanyahu’s delivery was indeed explosive.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsraeli agents had succeeded in locating Iran’s secret nuclear archive in Tehran and, in a daring operation, removed half a ton of documents and electronic files overnight and spirited them to Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnalysed by intelligence experts, the trove yielded fascinating details of years of nuclear weapons research.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut what Mr Netanyahu failed to explain was whether there was anything actually new in the material that changed the way the world should see Iran’s nuclear programme.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMost of the information he presented tallied with what had already been reported years ago by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWas there any actual proof that any of this research had taken place after Iran signed the agreement?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn this score, the prime minister was less clear.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs the skepticism of an underwhelmed media grew, Mr Netanyahu’s office sought to underline his message, putting out talking points such as “It’s hard to believe that if they had this information, the IAEA would have closed the case on Iran’s military nuclear programme.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut the IAEA has not closed the case; it is verifying the Iran deal’s implementation.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd as US Secretary of Defence James Mattis, who was appraised of Israel’s findings, said last week, deal was “written almost with an assumption that Iran would try to cheat”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf everyone already knows Iran was working on a nuclear bomb, and if everyone is assuming Iran lied and will continue to lie, why was Mr Netanyahu holding a dramatic press conference?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe answer arrived in the shape of that White House statement saying that the secret archive obtained by Israel “provides new and compelling details about Iran’s efforts to develop missile-deliverable nuclear weapons.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe statement was of course coordinated.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Netanyahu is working closely with President Donald Trump and his team, who have almost certainly decided already to announce by May 12 that the US is pulling out of the Iran deal.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe prime minister was trying to use the incredible coup pulled off by Israel’s spies in obtaining the nuclear archive to prove Mr Trump’s case against his predecessor Barack Obama’s legacy.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut he failed to resolve a key question. Does the wealth of technical information on what Iran was up to in the past mean that the Iran deal should never have been signed, or does it mean the deal more crucial than ever?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo far the prime minister has only succeeded in entrenching the two sides in their positions.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463407.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/analysis/does-the-netanyahu-evidence-actually-contain-anything-we-did-not-know-about-iran-1.463407","publication_date":"May 1, 2018 1:47:49 PM","section":"Analysis","modification_date":"May 1, 2018 1:48:17 PM","author":"Anshel Pfeffer","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463408:1525178630/GettyImages-953158856.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003dd91a839","caption":"Benjamin Netanyahu\u0027s speech made us of slides and props on stage","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463307","headline":"Bold, brave girls have a place to speak freely","subheadline":"Jewish teenage girls have now got an online magazine of their own","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen my oldest daughter was seven, she took it upon herself to write to an app company to complain that boy characters in their game could dress as doctors and astronauts, while girl characters only had choices of various dresses. “For example,” she wrote, “I want to be a chemical engineer.” She is now 11, and she and her sisters, ages eight and five, like to climb trees and perform in talent shows. Their teachers tell us that they are often the first to speak up in class, and that, when they are wrong, they try again, unflustered and undeterred. I want them to always stay this way, brave and assertive. Yet, as they move into their teen years, media messaging, social pressures and Jewish communal mores will encourage them to become quieter, smaller, self-conscious, less self-assured. Statistically speaking, they will probably stop taking risks and stop demanding to be acknowledged.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTo be sure, there are examples of outspoken Jewish teenage girls and young women all around, challenging gender-biased dress codes in their schools, fighting for more religious opportunity, and now, in the United States, getting involved in gun-control reform on the public stage. Yet, research carried out by various organisations in the Jewish community and in wider society \u0026nbsp;shows that these girls and their adult counterparts are the exceptions, not the rule.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI would like my daughters to consider careers in Jewish institutional leadership, but I hesitate because here in the US only 17 per cent of leaders of top Jewish non-profits are female and the pay gap persists within those organisations. Worse yet, those speaking up as part of the #GamAni movement (Jewish #MeToo) tell us that sexual harassment and assault are pervasive in Jewish spaces, particularly against women at the beginning of their careers. When women feel able to report it, they are often dismissed or disbelieved. Of course, the absence of women in positions of power and the voicelessness of women without power are related. These issues are not unique to the Jewish community, but, as in other communities, they are unacceptable and they damage its very fabric.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI envisioned a project that told girls, we want you, we value your voices, we believe in what you have to say, you matter. To this end, in 2016, I started developing jGirls Magazine, an online forum for Jewish teen girl leadership and expression. Today, jGirls features the voices, opinions, successes and challenges of girls through their writing, art and music. Along with training and support, our teen editorial board members are given autonomy and decision-making power, selecting content, shaping the direction of the magazine, and amplifying the voices of other girls like them. The magazine brings writers, artists and readers together to create a community of girls who believe in and support one another.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf you have a teenage girl in your life, directing her to jGirls and otherwise finding opportunity for her to express herself in a safe and supportive environment demonstrates belief in the power of her words, and sets her up to believe in herself. For girls who are not inclined to write or produce art, reading the work of other girls facing similar challenges or modelling success is also an opportunity to feel pride and connection.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSupporting, encouraging and celebrating the voices of girls in their teens builds a pipeline to future bold, committed Jewish female leaders and enhances our community overall.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIndeed, the girls I work with, editors and writers, have told me that their experience with jGirls has made them feel more confident in school, taken seriously by those around them, and more connected to and valued by their Jewish community. And my daughters know that, when they are older, there is a world waiting to cheer them on.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eElizabeth Mandel is the founder and executive director of jGirls magazine.jGirls accepts content submissions from self-identifying Jewish girls, ages 13-19, from across Jewish backgrounds and across the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://jgirlsmagazine.org\"\u003ehttp//:jgirlsmagazine.org\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://http//:jgirlsmagazine.org\u0026nbsp;\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463307.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/jgirls-magazine-for-jewish-girls-1.463307","publication_date":"Apr 30, 2018 2:54:11 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"May 2, 2018 9:18:56 AM","author":"Elizabeth Mandel","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463431:1525249047/dKjveMtx_400x400.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d0ed3287","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463227","headline":"The JC letters page, 27th April  ","subheadline":"Maureen Lipman, Lady Valerie Cocks, Baron Turnberg of Cheadle , Beverley Brown, Rabbi Margaret Jacobi, , Alan Miller, Anthony Joseph, Stephen Goldstein, Elliot Bishop, , Harry Levy,  Stuart Kira and A. Miles share their views with JC readers","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003ePlaying a wrong note\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTrue to form, on the 70th anniversary of the rebirth of Israel, the BBC have decided to mark the event by turning the 2018 Proms into a medium for Palestinian politicking.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNot only have they (once again) not invited the Israel Philharmonic but, (once again), they have invited Daniel Barenboim’s West East Divan orchestra to play. This time the West East Divan will be playing a new piece, Looking for Palestine.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eComposed by David Robert Coleman it contains texts taken from the book Looking for Palestine by Najla, daughter of the late Edward Said, Barenboim’s fellow campaigner for Palestinian Arab Nationalism.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhy has the BBC decided to turn the Proms into a platform for Palestinian Arab propagandising? Surely this is not within the remit of the proms, known around the world for its celebration of music and not for the art of using music as a political propaganda tool.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA. Miles\u003cbr /\u003e London NW3\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHow disappointing that the BBC could not find a place anywhere in this year’s promenade concerts programme to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWould it not have been appropriate to devote just one night in a programme of music lasting from July to September?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAre there not sufficient Jewish composers, song-writers, musicians, or choirs, past and present, whose \u0026nbsp;contribution to the music world would have provided a special concert in recognition of this special year for the Jewish nation state?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePerhaps the BBC thinks that inviting the ever-present Daniel Barenboim to make yet another of his politically-motivated speeches will be more acceptable?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarry Levy,\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e Middlesex\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e Not in our name\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYou published a letter (\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/letters/the-jc-letters-page-6th-april-2018-1.461985\"\u003eApril 6\u003c/a\u003e) from a number of Jewish Labour members who support Jeremy Corbyn and believe the Board of Deputies is “playing politics” and failing to combat antisemitism. As Jewish members and former members of the Labour Party, we wish to dissociate ourselves from them. Instead of being part of the solution to antisemitism in Labour, they are part of the problem.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe signatories include one who appeared on LBC and laughed at antisemitism; the author of a gushing review of a deeply antisemitic book; and someone who, as a Palestinian Solidarity Campaign member, produced the antisemitic play Seven Jewish Children.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAround half the signatories are founder members of Jewish Voice for Labour. JVL is a tiny group of Jews and non-Jewish supporters who question the most widely accepted definition of antisemitism, because it calls out their lies about Israel as antisemitic. JVL thus denies Jews the most fundamental right of any minority — to define what constitutes prejudice against it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe fully back the actions of the Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council and Campaign Against Antisemitism in highlighting the failure of the Labour Party to effectively deal with antisemitism. Only by eradicating this scourge can Labour again become a party worthy of opposition, let alone government.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaureen Lipman CBE\u003cbr /\u003e Lady Valerie Cocks\u003cbr /\u003e Baron Turnberg of Cheadle\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI am writing to express the sense of shame I feel when academics write (whether to the JC or other newspapers, notably the Guardian) in support of Jeremy Corbyn in respect to the issues of antisemitism in the Labour Party.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs academics, these are people who presumably are able to access and assess relevant evidence. Equally, as academics, these are people that one assumes are all too aware of the contemporary lure of conspiracy theories. Yet many seem happy to go along with the view that any focus on antisemitism in Labour is either a plot of get rid of Corbyn or ploy to distract attention from the Netanyahu government or Israeli state generally.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/world/natalie-portman-i-am-not-attending-1m-israeli-prize-ceremony-because-of-bibi-not-bds-1.462879\"\u003eI applaud Natalie Portman’s clarification on her stance\u003c/a\u003e as distinctly not supportive of BDS boycotts but condemnatory of Netanyahu. Natalie Portman is an actor. Are academics in the UK capable of making the same distinctions?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBeverley Brown\u003cbr /\u003e ex Birkbeck Law School, University of London, ex Professor of Law, University of East London\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e Positivity\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAmid all the gloom about antisemitism in the Labour party, readers may like to know about a more positive aspect. I attended a Labour Party event to mark 50 years since Enoch Powell’s infamous “rivers of blood” speech. \u0026nbsp;It was organised by Ian Austin, MP, well known for his support of Israel and the Jewish people. Speakers included Birmingham MPs Preet Gil and Shabana Mahmood and they were unanimous in their call to the Labour Party to address antisemitism and put an end to it, and applauded by the audience for doing do.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThey did not know there were any Jewish people in the audience but were genuinely concerned by the issue. It is encouraging to know we are not without friends in the Labour Party.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRabbi Margaret Jacobi,\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e Birmingham B13\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e Facts on Gaza\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAvi Moshe (\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/letters/the-jc-letters-page-20th-april-2018-1.462846\"\u003e20 April\u003c/a\u003e) really should get his facts straight before rushing into print. The only truth in his letter is that there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, that it is blockaded by Egypt and that Hamas diverts aid for what he describes as military purposes and those who know recognise as terrorism. If Mr Moshe had stood, as I have, watching an unending stream of Israeli lorries entering Gaza with supplies of food, fuel, cement, etc, he would not talk of an Israeli blockade. In that context, some years ago, the Israeli government did decide to blockade Gaza but the decision was overturned by the Israeli Supreme Court as it was considered a breach of Gazans’ human rights.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe “blockade” has not impeded the importation into Gaza of the rockets and mortars so indiscriminately fired into Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe situation in Gaza is the responsibility of its rulers. When Hamas recognises Israel and is prepared to live in peace with its neighbour, it will have peace and plenty.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlan Miller,\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e London N20\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e A remarkable man\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe tribute to the late Bill Williams (\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/obituaries/obituary-bill-williams-1.462821\"\u003eObits, April 20\u003c/a\u003e) was totally deserved. His expertise developed in the use of oral history and his success in marrying this data (which was teased out by skilled personal interview) with other more traditional sources of information made him a much valued colleague.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe was inspirational in Birmingham when the late Zoe Josephs and the late Elizabeth Lesser were masterminding our team working on producing volumes on the history of our local Jewish community. He was also a pioneer in realising the importance of the decennial Census as an invaluable source for research.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBill’s experience as being brought up a Catholic in Wales was a powerful influence on his choice of life career, investigating so often the historical and current experiences of minority ethnic communities such as ours.\u003cbr /\u003e It was a deep privilege to have known him and to have had the benefit of his wisdom.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(Dr) Anthony Joseph\u003cbr /\u003e Emeritus President, Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI was disappointed by the obit of my friend Bill Williams. \u0026nbsp;While Bill’s efforts on behalf of the Manchester Jewish Museum received full treatment, scant attention was paid to his history of Manchester Jewry and no mention at all was made of his magisterial biographies of Sidney Hamburger and Michael Fidler.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHis account of the rise of Manchester Jewry set new standards for the writing of histories of provincial Anglo-Jewish communities. \u0026nbsp;It is a tribute to Bill’s integrity that he treated his subjects “warts and all” — analysing (for example) the ways in which both Fidler and Hamburger used their involvement in Freemasonry to advance their public and Jewish communal careers.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProfessor Geoffrey Alderman, University of Buckingham\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e Plaudits due\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eCan I congratulate those wonderful MPs, Ruth Smeeth \u0026nbsp;and Luciana Berger on \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/landing/Tag/Debate\"\u003ethe magnificent speeches\u003c/a\u003e they recently made in the House of Commons.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI not only admire their words but their bravery, shown also by many others who find themselves facing the possibility of being deselected.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt made me wonder why so few in the Upper House have spoken up — after all none in the Lords can fear being de-selected. Perhaps they should speak up a little more .\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStephen Goldstein CBE\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e Solihull , B91\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was a privilege to watch the House of Commons debate antisemitism, and hear some sincere and articulate contributions from the likes of Margaret Hodge and John Mann.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLess impressive was the absence from the Chamber for much of the session by Mr Corbyn, and the response from Diane Abbott who singularly failed to appreciate the strength of feeling not only from those seated behind her, but among the Jewish community in particular.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOne remains at a loss as to how the moderate wing of the Labour Party can still believe they can effect change from within. If enough really is enough, surely the time has come to break away.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eElliot Bishop,\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e London NW4\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e In working order\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI was intrigued by Susan Reuben’s article (\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/family/susan-reuben-pesach-children-s-haggadah-1.461498\"\u003eMarch 30\u003c/a\u003e) about her mother’s copy of Routledge’s The Children’s Haggadah, printed in 1942. My mother-in-law, Betty Freeman (n\u0026eacute;e Baker) has a copy, which was printed in 1937 and is still very much intact, albeit showing serious signs of wine staining on some pages.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMiraculously, unlike Susan’s mother’s copy, all the tabs work and Moses is still rescued from the bullrushes and the Egyptians still drown -— twice every year! Not only that but the plagues’ spinning-wheel still turns unaided. Another miracle?\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBetty by the way is approaching her 97th birthday on June 9, and her solo rendition of Chad Gadya at every Seder is a sight and sound to behold for her family every year, and PG will be for many years to come.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Haggadah was originally presented as a prize to Betty’s late sister Celia on 4th July 1937 at Eleanor Road School.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStuart Kira,\u003cbr /\u003e Hatfield AL9\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463227.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/letters/the-jc-letters-page-27th-april-2018-1.463227","publication_date":"Apr 27, 2018 3:25:00 PM","section":"Letters","modification_date":"Apr 27, 2018 3:29:41 PM","author":"JC Reporter","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.451202:1514550007/jpg%20(33).jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003da1b8a0b","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463206","headline":"The Board of Deputies still has questions to answer in the row over its elections","subheadline":"The rumpus over next month\u0027s Board of Deputies election was farcical at times, but there was a serious issue  underlying it","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor Jonathan Arkush, it was\u0026nbsp;probably the most important week of his presidency of the Board of Deputies, when he had\u0026nbsp;a crunch meeting to discuss antisemitism in the Labour Party with its\u0026nbsp;leader Jeremy Corbyn. So it must have been galling that this very week\u0026nbsp;the Board should descend into a deepening row over the election to choose his successor.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhile some of the antics in recent days\u0026nbsp;may have been the stuff of “the silly season,” the issues were not trivial. By mid-week, before the Board performed the second U-turn over its election rules in as many days, the possibility loomed that next month’s election could well have been the subject of legal challenge.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Board of Deputies’ credibility, and its claim to represent the community, rests on in its democratic mandate. Its democratic structure may be imperfect and have plenty of room for improvement. An important and growing section of the community, the Charedim, are conspicuous by their absence. Still, the Board represents a broad swathe of British Jewry, and more so than most of those who attack it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut that makes it all the more important the election process for its leaders is fair.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn my younger days, I regularly reported on the Board’s monthly meetings and\u0026nbsp;would groan whenever the word “constitutional” came up; it was the prelude to interminable argument over whether sub-clause A should take precedence over sub-clause B. But the significance of constitutional niceties was demonstrated this week.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen nominations opened last month for officers, deputies were told they could endorse one person for president, three for the three vice-presidencies, and one for treasurer.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn Monday, just three days before the deadline for nominations, the Board changed its mind and told deputies that they could nominate more than one person for each post.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTwo days later, however, it had backtracked and ruled out multiple nominations.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe change would not have been academic. To be nominated for office, candidates need to secure the support of at least 20 deputies. Anything which made the nomination process easier would obviously help candidates entering the contest late in the day and scrambling to beat the nomination deadline.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn Sunday, the former United Synagogue president Simon Hochhauser, who had earlier ruled himself out of the running for presidency, had a change of heart and decided he would make a bid for it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHis team were also exploring the idea of Mr Arkush staying on as president till the end of the year rather than step down a fortnight after the election at the end of the May, on the grounds that this would enable him to continue to be involved in the Board’s dealings with Labour. The arrangement would have been helpful to Dr Hochhauser, who was concerned about sorting out his business commitments in time to take office if he were elected next month.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e(I am told the idea would, in practice, have been a non-starter. It would have required a constitutional motion to go to the Board and to be passed by a two-thirds majority, but the deadline for putting constitutional motions to the next meeting in May would have elapsed before there was any possibility of submitting it.)\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhether it was a member of Dr Hochhauser’s campaign team who dreamt up the idea of prolonging Mr Arkush’s tenure or someone else, we don’t know.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat we do know is the head of the Board’s constitutional committee,\u0026nbsp;Tony Leifer, says he discussed the idea with Mr Arkush on Sunday.\u0026nbsp; But whether Mr Leifer let on that the idea would be beneficial to Dr Hochhauser, or whether Mr Arkush already knew about this, we don’t know.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, at least one of his supporters asked the Board whether it was possible under the constitution to nominate more than one president.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn Monday morning, Mr Leifer seemed pretty clear - he rejected multiple nominations as “nonsense”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJust a few hours later, he apparently changed his mind and deputies were notified by the Board they could endorse more than one candidate per post.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDid Mr Leifer consult others in the Board and if so who;\u0026nbsp;or take external advice before the new guidance was issued? We don’t know.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNot surprisingly, supporters of the other three presidential candidates were not best pleased.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut by Wednesday, the Board had undergone another rethink and told deputies they\u0026nbsp;should stick to the original procedure,\u0026nbsp;nominating only one person per post.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat prompted this second volte-face is not hard to guess.\u0026nbsp; A supporter of one of the candidates had obtained legal advice that changing election rules during the election was invalid. The Board, clearly, did not want to risk a trip to the courts.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDeputies will be entirely justified in pressing their leadership for a fuller explanation of these, at times, near-farcical events. But with little more than two weeks to the actual election, the focus now will be on the campaign and what the candidates have to offer.\u0026nbsp; May the best woman - or man - win.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463206.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/the-board-of-deputies-still-has-questions-to-answer-in-the-row-over-its-elections-1.463206","publication_date":"Apr 27, 2018 12:45:07 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 27, 2018 1:05:59 PM","author":"Simon Rocker","byline":"","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463207:1524831152/gibraltar.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d7f99db5","caption":"Members of the Board of Deputies at their regional meeting in Gibraltar (photo: Board of Deputies)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463204","headline":"The JC Leader extra: Hassell must now resign","subheadline":"High Court ruling damns Coroner - she must now go","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eJC\u003c/em\u003e first highlighted the appalling behaviour of Mary Hassell, senior coroner for Inner North London, in \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/coroner-row-escalates-1.65704?highlight\u003dHassell~Jews\"\u003e2015.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLast year \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/leaders/the-jc-leader-hassell-must-go-time-to-give-1.450731?highlight\u003dHassell\"\u003ewe began to campaign\u003c/a\u003e for her discriminatory policy against Jews and Muslims to be overturned. We were met with contemptuous silence from Ms Hassell – the same contemptuous silence she offered to grieving relatives.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNow, thanks to a judicial review brought by Stamford Hill’s Adath Yisroel Burial Society, that policy will be replaced.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is a good day for justice.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut is a very bad day for Ms Hassell, who throughout her term in office has displayed – to put it at its least – a wilful disregard for the rights of the families of those who live under her jurisdiction.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is quite clear from her behaviour that she has an issue with religious minorities. In 2016, for example, she was reprimanded by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office after complaining that she was being \u0026quot;bullied\u0026quot; by Jews – which amounted to nothing other than her discrimination against Jews being questioned.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMs Hassell is the only coroner in the country who behaves in this way to Jews and Muslims. Every other coroner understands that it is fundamental to their position to be able to work with minorities.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/mary-hassell-coroner-burial-policy-st-pancras-cab-rank-high-court-1.463195\"\u003eThe High Court is damning of Ms Hassell personally.\u003c/a\u003e If she has the slightest degree of integrity – although there is nothing in her previous actions to suggest she has – she will resign immediately.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463204.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/leaders/the-jc-leader-extra-hassell-must-now-resign-1.463204","publication_date":"Apr 27, 2018 12:02:35 PM","section":"Leaders","modification_date":"Apr 27, 2018 12:20:02 PM","author":"The JC Leader","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.459967:1520254112/Mary%20Hassell%20court.JPG?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d3314e17","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463119","headline":"Remarkable consequences of growing self-confidence","subheadline":"It\u0027s the ordinary which makes Israel extraordinary, writes Jonathan Boyd","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLast Wednesday evening, I attended a powerful Yom Hazikaron ceremony and Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration at my synagogue. But, as I listened to evocative Israeli songs and the poignancy of their lyrics, I wondered to myself what it is that makes Israel so special? Because when I review the basic demographic statistics about Israel in their global context, the answer is clear. Very little.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael has a population of about 8.8 million today, making it about the 100th largest national population across the world. It is home to just 0.1 per cent of the world’s population — ie 99.9 per cent of people live somewhere else. Its population is growing, at a current rate of 1.6 per cent per annum, higher than the global average, but nothing remarkable. Israelis have a higher than average fertility rate of 3.0, well above replacement level of 2.1, but 67 other countries have higher rates. And Israelis have a median age of 30 — younger than average, but 113 countries have younger levels. In short, looking at most of the global demographic variables, Israel doesn’t really stand out at all.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd yet, viewed through Jewish statistical lenses — historical and contemporary — Israel today is utterly extraordinary. A hundred and fifty years ago, in 1878, a census took place in the Ottoman Empire. It found 15,011 “Jewish citizens” living in the area roughly equating to the State of Israel today, plus an estimated 5,000-10,000 foreign-born Jews. Remarkably, Jewish year books from the turn of the century, all of which include national Jewish population statistics, do not even contain counts for that part of the world. They are rather subsumed under the category “Turkey” or “Turkey in Asia.” In theory at least, they could have been extracted, but this was either too complex a task, or, more likely, the Jewish population of the area was simply not deemed significant enough to isolate.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eToday, such a view is unthinkable. At 6.6 million, Israel has the largest Jewish population in the world, and while most Jews continue to live in the diaspora, the trajectory is clear. One hundred years ago, just 0.6 per cent of all Jews worldwide lived in Israel. The proportion rose to 6 per cent in 1948, 20 per cent in 1970, and 31 per cent in 1990. Today, it is about 43 per cent\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIndeed, almost a third of all Jews in the world today live in just two Israeli cities: Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Just over 100 years ago, about 35,000 Jews lived in Jerusalem. Tel Aviv was sand.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEqually importantly, Israel is a majority Jewish society. About 75 per cent of its citizens today are Jewish. The equivalent proportions for the US and UK are 1.7 and 0.5 per cent respectively. A century ago, the proportion in Palestine was 12 per cent, but the simple idea of a nation state with a Jewish majority was still largely unimaginable. Today, we almost take it for granted.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd one general demographic statistic stops me in my tracks. Today, Israel has the twelfth highest life expectancy rate in the world, at 82.4 years. That would be a phenomenal achievement for any 70-year-old nation state but, given what was happening to European Jews in the decade prior to Israel’s establishment, it is astonishing.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe statistical transformation is clear. But Israel has also transformed Jewish life psychologically. We argue a lot about the rights and wrongs of Israeli governmental policy, but it is worth stopping for a moment to appreciate the simple fact that, today, an Israeli government exists that \u003cem\u003ecan\u003c/em\u003e make policy.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe shift from Jewish powerlessness to power is an extraordinary historical development, and has helped Jews to grow in self-confidence, both in Israel and beyond. The change happened particularly in the post- Six-Day War period, when Israel’s remarkable military, diplomatic and cultural achievements helped Jews to stand tall everywhere.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIndeed, ironically, it is possible that those Jews who seem to condemn Israel at almost every opportunity today only have the courage to do so because Israel’s existence has helped to transform collective Jewish self-confidence everywhere. And, conversely, those Jews who struggle to accept criticism of Israel under almost any circumstances may, paradoxically, lack the robust sense of Jewish self-confidence that Israel affords us, and which we need to bring the long years of conflict to an end.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI wonder sometimes if Israel’s future depends on us getting that balance right — acknowledging how Israel has transformed Jewish self-confidence across the world, while simultaneously finding that same self-confidence to ensure that it continues to do so.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eJonathan Boyd is Executive Director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463119.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/yom-ha-atzmaut-israel-70th-anniversary-of-israel-jonathan-boyd-israel-is-extraordinary-1.463119","publication_date":"Apr 27, 2018 7:55:00 AM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"Apr 26, 2018 12:10:13 PM","author":"Jonathan Boyd","byline":"Jonathan Boyd","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463120:1524740944/TelAviv%20(2).jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d3432b74","caption":"Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan Skyline at sunset","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463180","headline":"Over-the-top maybe, but people loved Dale Winton","subheadline":"Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain with a personal tribute to the much-loved TV presenter","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI was at Orley Farm School in Harrow with Dale Winton and recall him being very chubby in those days, a weight issue with which he later battled and overcame.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe had a very glamorous mother who picked him up — I did not know at the time that she was an actress.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDale was on record in recent years saying he was tired of his life and “had had enough”. This jars when one considers both his successful career and his relative youth.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHowever, it did reflect the inner turmoil and depression he experienced. It is all the more poignant given that so many tributes have been paid to him.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs can often be the case with those whose view of life is darkened by an overpowering blackness, he did not realise how valued he was and how many friends would have been only too willing to help him through a difficult period.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDale also said how he hated ageing and felt his best years were behind him. There are many who might echo this of themselves but it is a tragic misperception: for although ageing certainly involves a loss of certain abilities, there can be gains and compensations too.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAgeing and being diminished are not the same — witness the number of retired people who say they are so busy that they don’t know how they ever found time for work. Ageing is as much a state of mind as a physical process but for Dale the thought of the passing years became something he feared and wanted to avoid. As with others in his situation, the great sadness is that, given a different mindset, he could have had so much longer to enjoy, and so much more to offer others.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHis deliberately over-the-top style never grated because it was always accompanied by a remarkably self-deprecating style, for instance declaring: “I was born to do ‘win a fridge television’. Let’s face it, I was made for this and probably very little else.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTrue or not, he will be mourned by many.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463180.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/over-the-top-maybe-but-people-loved-dale-winton-1.463180","publication_date":"Apr 26, 2018 4:25:04 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 27, 2018 2:35:28 PM","author":"Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain","byline":"Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"PA-8023411","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463179:1524756302/image/PA-8023411.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d0bb739e","caption":"Actress Sheree Winton and her husband Gary Winton, play with their son, 3 year old Dale, at his birthday party.","copyright":null}},{"id":"1.463148","headline":"The JC Leader: a worrying result ","subheadline":"Mr Corbyn will say what he thinks he needs to say to quell the storm over antisemitism. But when it comes to real action he is not merely uninterested but hostile. ","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe depressing truth is that no one could have been in the least surprised that Tuesday’s meeting between community leaders and Jeremy Corbyn ended as it did — with the Labour leader offering not a single commitment to do anything of substance.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe meeting only happened because of a protest in Parliament Square prompted by Mr Corbyn’s defence of an antisemitic mural — hardly the most propitious background. But, if anything, the meeting turned out to be even worse than feared, with Mr Corbyn rowing back from the Labour NEC’s 2016 commitment to implement the full, International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and then refusing to agree that he had any role to play in demanding that Labour MPs do not share platforms with alleged antisemites.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is desperate stuff. For a man who says that he wants to be a “militant ally” in the fight against antisemitism, his actions — or lack of them — are rather those of someone who does not give a damn about it.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFine words in newspaper articles are meaningless. All that counts is action and, on this, the jury is no longer out. As things now stand, only one conclusion is possible.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Corbyn will say what he thinks he needs to say to quell the storm over antisemitism. But when it comes to real action that might begin to tackle the problem — which would take him out of his political comfort zone and necessitate criticism of long-standing allies — he is not merely uninterested but hostile.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe message to the mainstream Jewish community is not so much loud and clear as contemptuous. It is that the Leader of the Labour Party, and the man who may well be our next Prime Minister, could not care less about antisemitism. It is difficult to see how, as a community, we can be anything other than worried by such a prospect.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463148.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/leaders/the-jc-leader-april-27-2018-a-worrying-result-1.463148","publication_date":"Apr 26, 2018 2:03:14 PM","section":"Leaders","modification_date":"Apr 26, 2018 2:03:14 PM","author":"The JC Leader","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"Corbyn and Chakrabarti at the inquiry (Picture: Getty)","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.102728:1480917130/gettyimages-543774878_1.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003ddb39a97","caption":"Corbyn and Chakrabarti at the inquiry (Picture: Getty)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463111","headline":"Our family\u0027s long-term future cannot be in the UK","subheadline":"It\u0027s Jeremy Corbyn who has made Miriam Shaviv a more ardent Zionist - and she thanks him for it.","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was a heartbreaking moment. Driving down the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, on holiday in Israel, my husband and I were discussing the demonstration against antisemitism outside Labour’s headquarters, which was to be held later that day. We were upset not to be able to attend and were worried sick about the rising levels of antisemitism we were witnessing back home. Then, from the back seat, a voice piped up.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Ima,” asked one of my young daughters. “Why do so many people not like Jews?”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI froze.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI had grown up in complete security as a Jew in the UK. Yes, I was aware of antisemitism — in a vague, theoretical way. It was something out of history or happening somewhere else. It wasn’t personal. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe reality of contemporary antisemitism didn’t really sink in until I was much more politically aware, in my 20s.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI would never have believed that, one day, I would have to explain to my pre-teen why people so close to home seemed to dislike Jews. I could not have imagined that I would have to find the words to reassure her that the problem was them, not us, and that she was safe.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTears filled my eyes, and then I filled with rage at Jeremy Corbyn, who had created this reality for my innocent child.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn that split second, it became clear to me. No matter how the next few weeks and months pan out, our family’s long-term future cannot be in the UK. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI resolved to visit Israel more often; to make sure that all my children speak fluent Hebrew; and to encourage them to see Israel as their ultimate destination.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s the ultimate irony — or perhaps the law of unintended consequences. Jeremy Corbyn has spent his career fighting against Zionism, and allying with people and organisations who want to destroy the Jewish state.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd yet, with Corbyn at the helm of the Labour Party, the need for Zionism has never been clearer. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eCorbyn embodies the reason why Israel’s existence is forever necessary, as a refuge for Jews fleeing persecution and distress.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the early years of the state, in the wake of the Holocaust, this was self-evident. But, latterly, for the Jews of the West at least, this fundamental rationale for Zionism had begun to fade. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor several decades, the Jews of the diaspora never had it so good. The United States, UK, France — the countries where the majority of diaspora Jews lived — were wealthy, democratic, liberal, and broadly speaking, economically and politically stable. Jewish life flourished, with Jewish schools and synagogues popping up everywhere. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere were some tremors — 7/7, Ken Livingstone as Mayor of London (in retrospect the canary in the coal mine) — yet it was hard to imagine that we would ever need to flee anything ever again. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDespite the best efforts of Israeli politicians to convince us that Israel was our true home, Western aliyah rates remained minuscule. Many people believed that Israel had completed its role gathering in the exiles, and we had entered a “Post-Zionist” era. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael became a country Western Jews like me visited, loved and supported. But move there? Only if they were attracted to the lifestyle or Jewish life, or felt compelled to turn their large fortune into a small one. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was entirely a matter of choice, not necessity — unless of course you were Russian or Ethiopian. But that was “them”, this was “us”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOr so it seemed back then.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePerhaps, miraculously, Corbynism will be defeated politically and in due course, the Absolute Boy and his antisemitic followers will disappear from public life. But this period has left its mark on me, and I suspect many of us, forever. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe’re not ready to leave quite yet. But I will never again pooh-pooh suggestions that there might arise a time when British Jews feel compelled to seek a haven elsewhere. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd Israel has a new meaning and relevance to me. I see now that its historic role as a place of refuge is far from over — indeed, will never be over. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo, thank you, Mr Corbyn, for making me a more ideological, committed Zionist. I take great pleasure in telling you: It would never have happened without you.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463111.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/our-family-s-long-term-future-cannot-be-in-the-uk-miriam-shaviv-jeremy-corbyn-antisemitism-labour-1.463111","publication_date":"Apr 26, 2018 10:56:23 AM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"Apr 26, 2018 11:18:39 AM","author":"Miriam Shaviv","byline":"Miriam Shaviv","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, also defended his attendance of the Jewdas Seder (Photo: PA Images)","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.461827:1522769643/corb.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d3fb100f","caption":"Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, also defended his attendance of the Jewdas Seder (Photo: PA Images)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463071","headline":"When will the Royals reveal the name of the new Prince?","subheadline":"Jessica Weinstein thinks it\u0027s OK if they wait a bit longer ","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.463072\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463072/GettyImages-950374768.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e“I wish Kate would just reveal the name!” So said my colleague as we were leaving JC HQ last night. And she’s not alone. The whole country it seems is waiting with bated breath to know whether we have an Arthur or an Albert. (I’m secretly hoping for Albert but unfortunately I don’t have the Duchess’s\u0026nbsp;ear).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut my colleague’s comment took me back to the days after my baby was born. After an unexpectedly early labour my husband sent both sets of parents a picture of the exhausted but glowing new mum and her gorgeous bundle of joy. “What’s her name?” was the first response.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAlthough we had decided on our baby’s name almost as soon as we left the 20 week gender-reveal scan, we hadn’t revealed it to family and friends in advance. First of all, what if we changed our mind at the last second? Secondly, if someone were to turn their nose up at the name, it would be forever tainted, no matter how much we loved it. Better to present it as a fait acompli.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe had a girl, but if we had had a boy we would have waited to announce the name anyway, eight days, in accordance with Jewish custom - once he had had his bris.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThen of course there is the legacy issue. It’s hard enough working out which dead relative common folk like us are going to name our children after (happily with middle names and Hebrew names thrown into the mix we manged to honour most departed grandparents). The name that Kate and William choose for their son will weigh heavily on not only them but the whole Royal family, and the nation. I mean yesterday William ‘joked’ they could name the new prince Alexander. What a wild-card name!\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOr what about looking to the bible? The Royals go in for old-fashioned, classic names and biblical names are making a comeback. Noah was the number three baby name for boys in 2017. Wouldn’t a Prince Noah be lovely? Or how about Prince Elijah, the number nine top boys\u0027 name?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Duke and Duchess have now entered their third day of silence. They waited two days to announce George and Charlotte’s names but this is their third child. Possibly their last. I can imagine, as Kate sat in the Lindo Wing having her hair and makeup done for the photo call, the happy couple having a conversation a bit like this:\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWilliam\u003c/em\u003e: Kate darling, shall we break with tradition and announce his name at the same time as we show him off to the world?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eKate\u003c/em\u003e: Wills, maybe this time we can wait just a little bit longer?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eW\u003c/em\u003e: But darling, everyone’s waiting. The bookies are on \u003cem\u003eshpilkes\u003c/em\u003e; the nation needs to know.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eK\u003c/em\u003e: Yes but the bookies and the nation haven’t just given birth. I’m doing this photo call. I put on a pair of tights! Can’t we just hole up for a week, just the five of us and bask in the private joy of our new baby?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo maybe we’ll be waiting a bit longer to find out the name of the new prince. Maybe.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463071.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/kate-and-william-royal-baby-name-2018-1.463071","publication_date":"Apr 26, 2018 9:41:18 AM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"Apr 26, 2018 11:10:42 AM","author":"Jessica Weinstein","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.460980:1523629632/b-large.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9ab90ff","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463059","headline":"Jeremy Corbyn is a leader who will not accept his own role in the mess","subheadline":"Antisemitism in the Labour Party is the product of an antisemitic political culture that Corbyn seems no closer to recognising or confronting","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOne step forward, two steps back.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTuesday began with what looked like \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/labour-leader-jeremy-corbyn-publishes-emotional-apology-to-jewish-community-over-labour-antisemitism-1.462997\"\u003ea heartfelt apology from Jeremy\u0026nbsp;Corbyn\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;for the antisemitism in his party and a commitment to take the necessary steps to drive it out.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt ended with yet more disappointment as, again,\u0026nbsp;fine words failed to materialise into solid action.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLabour seems\u0026nbsp;to think that\u0026nbsp;some education and\u0026nbsp;hiring more lawyers to process complaints quicker\u0026nbsp;will fix things, rather than taking up the more fundamental actions requested by the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHowever, Labour’s problem goes much deeper than just\u0026nbsp;bad processes. Antisemitism in the Labour Party is the product of an antisemitic political culture that\u0026nbsp;Corbyn\u0026nbsp;seems no closer to recognising or\u0026nbsp;confronting,\u0026nbsp;even though\u0026nbsp;he now accepts that antisemitism exists in his party and seems contrite about the failure to deal with it previously.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWriting in the\u0026nbsp;\u003ci\u003eEvening Standard\u003c/i\u003e,\u0026nbsp;Corbyn\u0026nbsp;vowed that anyone who indulges in “Holocaust denial, crude stereotypes of Jewish bankers, conspiracy theories blaming 9/11 on Israel” and who believes\u0026nbsp;that “Hitler had been misunderstood” has “no place in the Labour Party.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis looks like a\u0026nbsp;welcome\u0026nbsp;promise to expel anybody who holds such views.\u0026nbsp;We will see, in time, whether this promise is fulfilled.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYet Jeremy\u0026nbsp;Corbyn\u0026nbsp;himself has associated with Holocaust\u0026nbsp;denial promulgators\u0026nbsp;Paul\u0026nbsp;Eisen\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;Dyab\u0026nbsp;Abou\u0026nbsp;Jahjah; supported 9/11 conspiracy theorist\u0026nbsp;Stephen Sizer and blood libel cleric Raed Salah; expressed support for a mural with crude stereotypes of Jewish bankers; and Ken Livingstone still has not been thrown out of the party despite\u0026nbsp;his claims about Hitler and Zionism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eCorbyn\u0026nbsp;blames antisemitism on “individuals on the fringes of the movement of solidarity with the Palestinian people”, but never seems to ask\u0026nbsp;why he personally has been so close to people with these views, or\u0026nbsp;if there is anything intrinsic to\u0026nbsp;his own political culture\u0026nbsp;that attracts antisemites.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is still, for\u0026nbsp;Corbyn, a problem of other people, not about him and his closest allies.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMeanwhile the promise of education is undermined by Labour’s apparent refusal to adopt the full IHRA definition of antisemitism because it cites examples of antisemitism directed at Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLeft-wing antisemitism is typified by the way \u0026quot;Zionist\u0026quot; has become a term of abuse. Zionism, the movement designed to free Jews from antisemitism, is denigrated daily in far left circles.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eCorbyn himself has previously said that: \u0026quot;We are opposed to Zionism and what Israel is doing towards the Palestinian people... They can\u0027t live if you’ve got Zionism dominating it all.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is impossible to fully oppose antisemitism without recognising this anti-Zionist part of the picture, but in his \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/jeremy-corbyn-what-i-m-doing-to-banish-antisemitism-from-the-labour-party-a3821961.html\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eEvening Standard\u003c/i\u003e article\u003c/a\u003e Corbyn\u0027s only reference to Zionism was to write that\u0026nbsp;\u0026quot;Anti-Zionism is not in itself antisemitic and many Jews themselves are not Zionists.\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis may be true, but it is also completely irrelevant to the task at hand.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s important to welcome progress when it comes, and\u0026nbsp;Corbyn’s\u0026nbsp;words and tone have definitely changed.\u0026nbsp;But every time\u0026nbsp;he\u0026nbsp;insists he has always opposed antisemitism, despite all the evidence to the contrary,\u0026nbsp;it feels like the most important piece of the jigsaw is still missing.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJeremy\u0026nbsp;Corbyn\u0026nbsp;may genuinely want to\u0026nbsp;lead the Labour Party out of this mess;\u0026nbsp;it is unlikely he will ever acknowledge his own role in creating the mess in the first place.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDr Dave Rich is Head of Policy at the Community Security Trust and author of \u0027The Left\u0027s Jewish Problem: Jeremy Corbyn, Israel and Anti-Semitism\u0027 (Biteback, 2016)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463059.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/jeremy-corbyn-is-a-leader-who-will-not-accept-his-own-role-in-the-mess-that-is-labour-antisemitism-1.463059","publication_date":"Apr 25, 2018 6:41:32 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 25, 2018 6:41:32 PM","author":"Dave Rich","byline":"","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463058:1524678091/small%20-%20PA-20565547.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d5be36c0","caption":"Jeremy Corbyn at a rally - he remains a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463056","headline":"Time for change on female representation in the Jewish community ","subheadline":"Unfortunately diversity is not wanted or welcomed by all. And often those who do not want it, who feel threatened or afraid of change, are at the top end of organisations.","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSix months ago Jewish Care organised a property industry panel event fundraiser and the panel comprised of 15 men. \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/fifteen-is-the-magic-number-but-only-if-you-re-a-man-1.446286\"\u003eDespite an article here \u003c/a\u003ein the \u003cem\u003eJC\u003c/em\u003e and indications that Jewish Care understood future panels should include at least some female representation, another all male panel event, a \u0026quot;Young Jewish Care Industry Leaders Property Breakfast\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp;occurred yesterday.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOscar Wilde might have said that to do one all male event may be regarded as a misfortune; to do two looks like carelessness. But Wilde would have been a step behind – to do one is careless. To do two comes across as pure indifference.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAll-male events in the Jewish communal world are hardly a rarity. In fact to hear diverse voices – whether that is through gender, orientation, abilities, age, ethnicity or heritage – is not the norm. This is despite organisations such as JW3, which have upheld a commitment to diversity for years and aim for gender balance as much as possible, even when their events incorporate supposedly male dominated industries.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut unfortunately diversity is not wanted or welcomed by all. And often those who do not want it, who feel threatened or afraid of change, are at the top end of organisations.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.463060\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463060/jewishcare.png?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDaniel Carmel-Brown, Jewish Care’s current Director of Fundraising and Marketing and Chief Executive Designate, shows no such fear. He provided the following comment in response to criticisms of the repeated all male panel events:\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“We know that we need to do more to address the gender balance of speaker panels at some of our fundraising events. Our recent Young Jewish Care property events are an example of an area where we can do more to tackle this gender imbalance.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is refreshing to see an organisation own up to making mistakes and addressing how to rectify them in future – not indifferent after all.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Carmel-Brown also noted that many of Jewish Care’s events recognise or are hosted by women. An example of these is the Woman of Distinction, an award presented to such prominent recipients as Dame Esther Rantzen and Ruby Wax. Of course we should have these events recognising great achievement in our communal repertoire, but why should we hear about or from only the most virtuous women?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePushing for diversifying the voices we hear is about normalising the presence of more than one type of person and giving a space on a platform to someone who hasn’t always had it. The status quo inequality means that women already have to work much harder to be heard. By committing to more diverse events, we see women elevated for the same achievements as men and given equal recognition on the same regular basis.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Carmel-Brown continued to note that Jewish Care employs more women than men, which is unsurprising and typical of an organisation in the care industry and charity sector.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“The only [gender pay] imbalance is at the top of the organisation, as only one of the six directors is a woman. As the incoming CEO, I am aware that as we inevitably experience some change in the top team this could well create an opportunity for more women to take on leading roles, readdressing the gender balance of the Directorate team.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis kind of acknowledgement is brave\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;- many organisations would try to paint a different picture, make excuses or pave over the existence of a gender pay gap problem. After all, the rest of the organisation shows no signs of gender imbalance. The charity’s 2017 gender pay gap report shows a median result of -0.11 per cent\u0026nbsp;and a mean of 10.47 per cent, below the national average figure. But it’s still there and that means it is still a problem.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Carmel-Brown is clearly aware of the situation and has plans to make space for change. Others could easily follow the positive example set at the top of this prominent communal organisation, if they admitted they have similar problems in the first place. The strategy is simple:\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eName the problem.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eClaim responsibility for it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eChange it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI look forward to seeing how Jewish Care implements its changes and hope other organisations follow suit.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463056.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/time-for-change-on-female-representation-in-the-jewish-community-jewish-care-1.463056","publication_date":"Apr 25, 2018 6:40:35 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 26, 2018 11:43:09 AM","author":"Abi Symons","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463057:1524739300/Can-do.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003da19fea3","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463032","headline":"We must speak out over Windrush","subheadline":"Jews have also experienced a \u0027hostile environment\u0027 to immigrants, says Edie Friedman","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis spring sees three iconic anniversaries.\u0026nbsp;April 20 marked the 50\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e anniversary of Enoch Powell’s infamous Rivers of Blood speech, April 22 the 25\u003csup\u003e th\u003c/sup\u003e anniversary of the murder of Stephen Lawrence on the streets of Eltham, south London\u0026nbsp;and June 22 the 70\u003csup\u003e th\u003c/sup\u003e anniversary\u0026nbsp; of the arrival of the Empire Windrush bringing\u0026nbsp; 948 Caribbean migrants to Britain to help rebuild the country after the horrors of the Second World War. All three events mark defining moments in our “national story”.\u0026nbsp; They provide not only an apt time to remember the past, but should also encourage us to take stock of the current state and direction of race and community relations in Britain.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is a Jewish connection to two of these events. In the case of the Windrush,\u0026nbsp;there is a little known but tragic irony that this originally German ship (then called the Monte Rosa) was used in 1942 to deport\u0026nbsp;46 Norwegian\u0026nbsp;Jews to Poland, all but two of them subsequently\u0026nbsp;killed in Auschwitz. Dr Richard Stone, former chair of JCORE and member of West London Synagogue, was, along with Bishop Sentamu and retired judge William\u0026nbsp; Macpherson, on the panel set up to examine the circumstances of Stephen Lawrence’s death and the systematic failure of the police to investigate it. The current experiences of the Windrush generation in being denied basic citizenship rights demonstrate, as with Powell’s speech and Stephen’s murder, the continuing consequences of a “hostile environment” directed towards people perceived to be different.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJews are, of course, no strangers to the repercussions of a hostile environment, much in evidence in the British press of the late 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e century. This was incorporated into government policy in the 1905 Aliens Act, directed against Jewish refugees and migrants seeking safety and a more secure future.\u0026nbsp; Jews also felt the brunt of a hostile environment from the press and certain politicians when Jewish refugees in the 1930’s sought refuge in Britain.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHostility is not just a reflection of our past. The Brexit vote brought to the fore an increase of hate crime against many communities, Jews included.\u0026nbsp; And the economic uncertainties as Brexit unfolds do not bode well for those seen as outsiders, the “other”. Ominous manifestations of the scapegoating of minority communities are also all too apparent in various European countries.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut challenges can also bring opportunities.\u0026nbsp;We must resist the temptation to pull up our respective drawbridges and instead seek alliances to oppose those who seek to divide and demonise communities.\u0026nbsp;Three suggestions:\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cul\u003e \n   \u003cli\u003eAsk your MP to attend the debate in Parliament next Monday\u0026nbsp;April 30 to support the \u003ca href\u003d\"https://clicktime.symantec.com/a/1/Dz6xPr8h-7XrGpWtKqVw-Ee4kIPCJCSvn9t8bykUzWE\u003d?d\u003dafaG_G6AQwJ0Q8kJk2E_5s3gfNmiJ9rGyUUprjGrtLww1vr7g9XmoiOzS0Uh0jQxvK1jeKQWIQnoVBIG4JZhWVZYQ92N8M9e5Wriz2CdzbxOvQjcCM8tiOjSV5wZr8utQ5TaFvFXFP7eJZ1XgZ3hpcxAxlrIuTCKUM0avpsQgnCeBC7n9QSXwxeSPEUawAnUbhU2tIxtzbiiBHmJhdY-hij-UI5mdRNa_jr5qcK8qeKRoJZVqP-xgwWevNUUUvtXo3sxhAonCLhROj_b1QBCup77gPh0quzsulTbYJ6Q5ZFZ_yAWZVOV_FeFhP6_z32GojFNffudEbT6f9bQKUrBLC282TpV74WHWDFNnR8Pa1g%3D\u0026amp;u\u003dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.jcwi.org.uk%2Fwindrush-campaign\"\u003eWindrush Campaign\u003c/a\u003e to establish an independent commission into immigration policy and practice;\u003c/li\u003e \n   \u003cli\u003eWork to bring together different organisations and communities to combat the online hate speech which has become so prolific and demeans us all;\u003c/li\u003e \n   \u003cli\u003eJoin with others to ensure today’s refugees are welcomed to Britain with justice and dignity.\u003c/li\u003e \n  \u003c/ul\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eImplementing such measures means that we will indeed have ensured that the lessons of these anniversaries are not forgotten.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDr Edie Friedman is the Executive Director of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE).\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463032.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/the-jewish-link-to-windrush-1.463032","publication_date":"Apr 25, 2018 1:05:12 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 25, 2018 1:11:19 PM","author":"Edie Friedman","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463033:1524658076/GettyImages-3404899.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003db4b16b1","caption":"The British liner \u0027Empire Windrush\u0027 at port (Photo: Getty Images)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463022","headline":"Secret Shul-Goer No 22: Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue (EHRS)","subheadline":"From the minute they arrived at EHRS, the Secret Shul-Goer and her daughter were both made to feel very welcome - the visit was a hit","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eName of Synagogue: Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue (EHRS)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAddress: 118 Stonegrove, Edgware HA8 8AB\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDenomination: Movement for Reform Judaism (Reform)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRabbi: Rabbi Daniel Smith; Rabbi Steven Katz; Rabbi Neil Kraft; Rabbi Emily Jurman\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize of Community: [Information for EDRS and HRS separately, pre-merger: EDRS \u003d 1500-1900 member households and HRS \u003d 500-750 member households]\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.103663\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.103663/Edgware_0.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’m going to begin this review by quoting my seven-year-old daughter. Indeed, I could probably save myself the time it takes to write the entire review, and the time it takes you to read it, by simply repeating what she said as we were putting on our coats to leave \u003ca href\u003d\"http://edrs.org.uk/\"\u003eEdgware \u0026amp; Hendon Reform Synagogue.\u003c/a\u003e At the end of our visit, she looked me in the eye and said, \u0026quot;Mummy. Please can we come here again?\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTo put that in context, my daughter is not the greatest fan of shul. (Which seven year old is?) And she has never, ever, asked to revisit a synagogue, let alone done so before we’ve even left the building. But from the minute we arrived at EHRS, we were both made to feel so welcome, and our visit was so positive, that she was already thinking about another visit before we’d finished this one.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA number of factors contributed to our experience. The first was the warm welcome we received when we arrived. Now, many shuls I’ve visited over the past year have been welcoming. But what made EHRS stand out was that the welcome we received was not limited to a friendly face on the door by a designated volunteer, vital though that is. What made EHRS different, was that we were made to feel welcome by a number of different congregants, none of them acting in any official capacity, and who checked in with us a couple of times during the course of the service to make sure we were still okay and had everything we needed.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen we entered the prayer hall and sat down towards the back, a female congregant approached us, and asked if we’d prefer to go to the family service. She then led us through the building to a side room, where a group of children were eating snacks, and chatting to a young woman. She introduced herself as Rabbi Emily Jurman, and my daughter was immediately brought into the children’s conversation by the other kids. Within minutes, my naturally shy child was happily chatting to the other children, who ranged in age from three\u0026nbsp;to 13, and who I have to say were among the most friendly and inclusive I’ve ever met. I stayed with my daughter for a short while, but the other kids made her feel so at home that I was soon able to go back to the main service, while she stayed with Rabbi Emily for a sing-song service with guitar accompaniment.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd so, with my daughter happily entertained, I was able to enjoy the service without distraction, barring the odd check-in to make sure she was still happy to stay where she was.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEHRS is a community formed by the merger of Edgware and District Reform Synagogue and Hendon Reform Synagogue, neither of which I visited independently before their amalgamation. To the first-time visitor, the only discernible effect of the merger is that there do seem to be a lot of rabbis. In addition to Rabbi Emily, there were a further three rabbis running the main service.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe prayer hall at EHRS is very large and brightly lit. The ceiling is shaped like a pyramid, with hundreds of large spot lights that brought to mind the interior of Dr Who’s Tardis. There are tall illustrated window panes along the walls, in a slowly evolving spectrum of colours. And the curtain in front of the ark is a striking design in shades of orange and burnt reds.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe service itself was pleasant enough, although, if I’m honest, it dragged a little bit towards the end. (It began on time at 10:30, but was still not finished by 12:45.) That said, on the morning of my visit the synagogue had much to celebrate.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere was a joint Bar Mitvah of twins, the Aufruf of a couple about to be married, and a baby girl, just a few months old, who was in shul for the first time and who was welcomed by name by Rabbi Neil Kraft during his sermon. There was a palpable warmth with which he referred to each of these separate celebrations. And which was at rather comical odds with the fire-and-brimstone recitation of the Haftarah portion, delivered by a congregant in a theatrically booming voice reminiscent of Billy Graham.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor reasons that I couldn’t fathom, the choir, made up of 15 or so singers, was sitting at the back of the synagogue, quite a distance away from Rabbi Daniel Smith who led the service. This meant that the choir leader had her back to the rabbi, and had to repeatedly look over her shoulder to see where he was up to, then turn back again to conduct her singers. It made as much sense as putting the orchestra of a musical at the back of the stalls, next to the audience but away from the performers.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut a service that over-runs and a choir that’s inexplicably positioned fade into insignificance when the overall experience is so positive. And it was a very positive experience. My daughter joined me in the main prayer hall for the final 15 minutes of the service, accompanied by her new-found friends, and then we both made our way to the Kiddush hall.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe synagogue clearly hadn’t had time to replenish its food stocks after Pesach, so the Kiddush was still largely made up of Passover fare. But there were plenty of dips, matza crackers and fishballs to tempt us before we went home. And as we left, and my daughter asked if we could come again, we were once again approached by Rabbi Emily and another congregant, reminding us of the kids’ activities taking place in the coming weeks. And I’ve absolutely no doubt that if it were up to my daughter, we’d be there.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWarmth of Welcome 5*\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDecorum 4*\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eService 3*\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eKiddush 3*\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead our first 21 reviews, of\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-16-cockfosters-and-north-southgate-synagogue-1.456798\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eCockfosters and North Southgate\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-15-finchley-reform-1.451338\"\u003eFinchley Reform\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-visits-new-london-masorti-synagogue-1.450585\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eNew London Synagogue\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-no-1-hampstead-garden-suburb-synagogue-1.440313\"\u003eHampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-no-2-west-london-synagogue-1.440977\"\u003eWest London Reform\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-no-3-radlett-united-synagogue-1.441584\"\u003eRadlett United\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-4-kol-nefesh-masorti-synagogue-1.442296\"\u003eKol Nefesh Masorti\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-no-5-wimbledon-reform-1.442633\"\u003eWimbledon Reform\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-6-st-john-s-wood-liberal-1.443490\"\u003eSt John\u0027s Wood Liberal\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-no-7-golders-green-synagogue-1.444260\"\u003eDunstan Road\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-8-lauderdale-road-1.445043\"\u003eLauderdale Road\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-9-edgware-lubavitch-1.445567\"\u003eLubavitch of Edgware\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-10-oxford-jewish-congregation-1.446607\"\u003eOxford Jewish Congregation\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-11-kinloss-1.447437\"\u003eKinloss\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-12-brighton-hove-reform-1.448105\"\u003eBrighton and Hove Reform\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-13-mill-hill-united-synagogue-1.449081\"\u003eMill Hill United\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-17-ilford-synagogue-1.457767\"\u003eIlford\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-18-shomrei-hadath-synagogue-1.458683\"\u003eShomrei Hadath\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-19-woodside-park-1.459639\"\u003eWoodside Park\u003c/a\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-alyth-north-western-reform-golders-green-reform-judaism-1.460624\"\u003eAlyth\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;and \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-21-barnet-united-synagogue-1.462093\"\u003eBarnet United\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;And read her end-of-year\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-secret-shul-goer-s-awards-for-2017-1.450910\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eawards for 2017 here\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463022.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/secret-shul-goer-no-22-edgware-and-hendon-reform-synagogue-ehrs-1.463022","publication_date":"Apr 25, 2018 9:59:40 AM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"Apr 25, 2018 1:05:44 PM","author":"Secret Shulgoer","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.440324:1498042354/SECRET-SHULGOER-4b.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003deb8e708","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463023","headline":"We will not allow Jewish voices to be drowned out by hate\r\n\r\n","subheadline":"Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons, pledges to combat antisemitism after hearing MPs’ concerns","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLionel de Rothschild, the first British Jewish MP to sit in the House of Commons, persisted through 11 years of unthinkable systemic antisemitism before being allowed to take his rightful seat in the House as Liberal member for the City of London in 1858.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was his campaign for representation and equality that I was reminded of when I heard the awful abuse received by some of my colleagues on the opposition benches.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhile the systemic barriers to representation that Lionel de Rothschild faced have been removed, new challenges for minority groups appear in their place.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHate speech online and in the public seeks to intimidate and threaten Jewish Members of Parliament, community groups and individuals into silence.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn Parliament last week, those who speak out against this hatred admitted to having received death threats and fearing for the safety of their own families.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSince becoming Leader of the House of Commons, I have travelled around the country meeting people of all ages, races, and religions, and talking to them about their views on our democracy.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJewish constituents, colleagues and friends have told me they are scared, angry, and uncertain.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is clear that our democracy is not yet as equal as it should be.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs the Prime Minister said earlier this year, a tone of bitterness and aggression has entered into our public debate. Hearing the appalling reality faced by my colleagues online last week was as moving as it is unacceptable, and as Leader of the House, I want to work to stop it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs the local elections loom closer, many people will be thinking about how to vote. And voting is, of course, hugely important – a pillar of our democracy. But one must not forget that a true democracy goes further than that.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe reality in politics is that you only ever achieve change through on-going, persistent campaigning. The resilience and bravery demonstrated by my parliamentary colleagues Luciana Berger, Ruth Smeeth and others in the debate last week echoes that of Lionel de Rothschild and others like him – just in a new context, with new challenges.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s the same approach taken by the Suffragettes and suffragists to reach their goal of universal suffrage 100 years ago: fighting hard, showing tenacity and patience, grit and determination, which in turn eventually gives way to transformational change.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMPs must pay attention to the interests and needs of all constituents. We must now look to work with the Jewish community, taking up the causes of their constituents and campaigning on their behalf on Westminster.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd in turn, as the Leader of the House of Commons, I ask that you help us do that. Voting is one way to impact democracy, but it was the voices of the suffragettes and the persistence of Lionel de Rothschild that eventually impacted change.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWrite to your MP, campaign, get involved in local and/or party politics – but please, do not give up on us or on democracy.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe voices of British Jews must not be drowned out by those that seek to silence them.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAndrea Leadsom is Leader of the House of Commons and Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463023.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/we-will-not-allow-jewish-voices-to-be-drowned-out-by-hate-1.463023","publication_date":"Apr 25, 2018 9:52:21 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 25, 2018 11:06:29 AM","author":"Andrea Leadsom ","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463030:1524650738/Lionel_de_Rothschild_HOC.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d90b051e","caption":"Lionel de Rothschild introduced in the House of Commons on 26 July 1858 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463018","headline":"How the Corbyn Board of Deputies meeting collapsed into excuses","subheadline":"Stephen Pollard reveals what went on behind the closed doors of the Labour leader\u0027s office ","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe mood music, to coin a phrase, in advance of tonight’s meeting between Jeremy Corbyn and Jewish community representatives\u0026nbsp;was not good. It could hardly have been, when the meeting only came about because of an unprecedented demonstration last month in Parliament Square.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis afternoon, Mr Corbyn published a decent enough apology in the Evening Standard, in which he went further than ever before in appearing to have some grasp of the issues (even though it contained the odd assertion that anti-Zionism is not antisemitic).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut Mr Corbyn\u0027s years of giving support to antisemites mean that his words alone are meaningless. He will be judged only on actions.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhich is why today’s meeting was so important.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHad he offered some substance, it would have dispelled the idea that his behaviour and words over the past few weeks have only been about neutralising a damaging political issue rather than a genuine desire to grapple with a deep-seated problem for the hard left.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBecause Mr Corbyn’s own political career is critical to this. He has allied with antisemities in Hamas (describing them as being dedicated to social and political justice);\u0026nbsp;he has given money to a Holocaust denier, Paul Eisen;\u0026nbsp;he has worked for Press TV. The list goes\u0026nbsp;on.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo the real question about today’s meeting was whether Mr Corbyn would offer real substance – whether he would commit to genuine action and, perhaps even more important, show that he was open to the suggestion that he could himself learn. Whether, to be blunt, he could accept that there is a valid issue as to how he might himself have contributed to the hard left’s issue with antisemitism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is clear from the formal statements from the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council after the meeting that this was not a genuine attempt to tackle antisemitism but rather\u0026nbsp;a meeting designed to solve a political problem – that Labour is now viewed as having an issue with antisemitism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut formal statements are only so useful. I have now pieced together much of what went on in the lengthy (well over an hour) meeting. And the picture is even more damning.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe meeting opened with Jonathan Arkush, President of the Board of Deputies, raising the community’s key points, to which Mr Corbyn gave a warm response. “He was warm and personable,” according to one account of the meeting.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“But when it came to proposals for concrete action there was absolutely nothing. Nothing. The bottom line is that we got nothing from the meeting. Not a thing.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnother source said that the opening of the meeting set the tone, with the party’s representatives – Jennie Formby and Seumas Milne - entirely concerned with process.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAfter Mr Corbyn’s opening remarks, he passed over to Ms Formby, the new Labour Party General Secretary, who gave a “day by day account of the processes she followed and the bits of paper she has signed”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs one source present at the meeting put it: “They think it’s all about process, that process is all that matters. Process is what they offer and it’s the excuse they give why they can’t do anything”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJonathan Goldstein of the JLC\u0026nbsp;told Mr Corbyn that his parents had attended their first ever demonstration last month in Parliament Square. When they were nearby they were jeered by supporters of the Labour leader. “Why won’t you stop these people?”, Mr Goldstein demanded.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“It’s not in my name”, Mr Corbyn replied.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“So why are you not saying that loud and clear, with the passion you have shown over the Windrush scandal?”, Mr Goldstein responded.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Corbyn is said to have shrugged.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen Mr Arkush raised the issue of appointing an independent ombudsman to deal with allegations, the Labour leader said he did not have the authority to take such action.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs a source put it: “Every time you ask him to do something he finds an excuse and relies on process.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTellingly, Mark Gardner of the Community Security Trust raised Mr Corbyn’s friendliness towards Hamas and Hezbollah, pointing out that the reason Jewish buildings in the UK have long had to have such severe security measures is that in 1994 Hezbollah had blown up the AMIA centre in Argentina. “You have”, Mr Corbyn was told directly, “done nothing to deal with Muslim antisemitism.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn response, Mr Corbyn again simply “shrugged it off.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFinally, the issue of Chris Williamson was raised. The Labour MP is scheduled to appear on a platform with Jackie Walker, currently suspended by the Labour Party. When asked if he would order Mr Williamson not to go ahead, Mr Corbyn said he had no power to do so. “But you can simply tell him that he mustn’t do it”, he was told.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is the crux of it. Hiding behind procedural excuses gives the game away. If Mr Corbyn was serious about tackling antisemites he would tell Mr Williamson that if he goes ahead with the meeting with Ms Walker then Mr Corbyn will denounce him for it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut you and I both know he would never, ever do that.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhich says everything.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463018.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/corbyn-jlc-meeting-what-really-happened-1.463018","publication_date":"Apr 24, 2018 9:33:59 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 24, 2018 10:08:18 PM","author":"Stephen Pollard","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463019:1524604115/deps.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d1bd2cc2","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.463001","headline":"My family history explains Israel\u0027s importance","subheadline":"So much of my Jewish heritage is bound up not in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, but in Central and Eastern Europe, writes Jamie Rodney","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis feels a little bit like copying a friend\u0027s homework, but this article is inspired, in part, by the \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/while-i-m-getting-ready-for-university-exams-my-israeli-cousins-are-serving-in-the-idf-1.462551\"\u003eone that my fellow student blogger Asha Sumroy wrote last week\u003c/a\u003e. I’d advise reading it anyway because it’s much better than this one, but Asha’s point was essentially about how, on Yom Hazikaron, she was made more aware of her diaspora identity, and especially her connection with our\u0026nbsp;Jewish cousins\u0026nbsp;in Israel. While I agree with everything Asha wrote, I’m going to use this article to focus on another part of that identity.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhile I am, and always have been, passionately Zionist, when I think about my Jewish roots, Israel’s never the first thing to come to mind. Instead, I fixate on my family history, wondering at the tortous route that my family took through pogroms in Poland and Lithuania, through salt mines in Czarist Russia, through the hell that was Central Europe in the 1940s, to end up in - of all places -\u0026nbsp;the suburbs of Glasgow.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNow, the reason for this could be that I’ve only been to Israel once for a cousin’s wedding, and spent most of my time there ill, but I don’t think it’s that. I’ve never been to Leipzig or Riga, but I could expound at great length on the significance of those places to my family history.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA more likely explanation is that it’s just natural to be interested in where you come from. If my parents had made \u003cem\u003eAliyah \u003c/em\u003ebefore I was born, there’s every chance I’d be much more interested in Scotland and Glasgow than I am having grown up here. Who knows, maybe in some alternative reality I’m writing a blog post in Hebrew about my deep spiritual connection with Irn Bru and deep-fried Mars Bars.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut there’s something else, too. Talking about my family history makes me feel more interesting - exotic, even - but more importantly, it makes me feel proud. Proud of the fact that Tsarist millitias, Teutonic knights, Nazi soldiers and whatever other flavours of murderous antisemites that have existed in Europe over the centuries all tried to expunge my gene pool from existence, and yet here I am. I know I had literally nothing to do with it, and I don’t want to be glib about the scope of the human tragedy that my ancestors had to suffer through, but that’s pretty damn cool.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat’s why so much of my Jewish heritage is bound up not in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, but in places across Central and Eastern Europe that haven’t had sizeable Jewish populations since the 1940s.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s also, conversely, the reason for my Zionism. Israel might not feature too heavily in my family history, but my family history - marked as it is by what happened when Jews were left without a state to defend them - has given me all the convincing I need about the importance of Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJamie Rodney is one of the JC\u0027s regular student bloggers for 2017-18. He is studying English at St Andrews University\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/how-to-behave-like-a-jew-1.461799\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead the previous entry\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.463001.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-jc-s-student-blogger-on-eastern-europe-antisemitism-pogroms-israel-1.463001","publication_date":"Apr 24, 2018 2:34:17 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"Apr 24, 2018 2:35:26 PM","author":"Student Views","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.463006:1524576807/1024px-Buchhaendlerboerse_Leipzig_1900.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d1391663","caption":"Leipzig - where Jamie\u0027s ancestors came from","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462990","headline":"The collapse of Jeremy Corbyn\u0027s antisemitism round table is telling","subheadline":"The fact that so many Jewish community figures felt unable to attend Mr Corbyn\u0027s round table should give the Labour leadership pause for thought, says Rina Wolfson","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI spent much of the past weekend obsessively scrolling through Twitter, watching the depressingly predictable collapse of the Labour Party roundtable negotiations. If it weren’t so serious, it would have been comical, as the increasingly bizarre list of proposed invitees slowly emerged.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs anyone who has ever planned a wedding or barmitzvah will testify, deciding whom to invite, and then working out the table plan, is the most stressful element of making a simcha. (Do we invite all the cousins? What about 2nd cousins? Are we including children, or just grownups? And how do we factor in Uncle Stanley, who can\u0027t sit anywhere near Cousin Barbara, because they’ve not spoken to each other since 1987 after that \u003cem\u003ebroiges \u003c/em\u003eover selling Grandpa Gerry\u0027s business.)\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBy\u0026nbsp;6pm on Sunday, the round table was effectively dead in the water. At that point, it seemed clear that all Jewish community leaders who could reasonably claim to act as community representatives had ruled themselves out.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDavid Baddiel, who has eloquently tackled the issue of anti-Semitism in football, appeared to be hedging his bets. And the only people whose names were confirmed on the guest list was the anti-Zionist fringe group, Jewish Voice for Labour, and some chap called Gary, who\u0027s not actually Jewish, but is somehow an expert on all things anti-Semitic.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs the fiasco slowly unfolded, it became frighteningly apparent that those hoping to engage with the Jewish community, my community, had little or no real understanding of what it actually means to live and identify as a British Jew in the UK today.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNow, I’m not for a moment suggesting that I am representative of all Jews in Britain. I’m not even sure that I’m representative of all the Jews who are living in my house.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn fact, the only positive lesson that I think can be learned from this sorry saga is that there are, of course, many ways to identify as Jewish, and many ways to express that identity.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat said, I believe that when it comes to representing the Jewish community as a whole, there are a few ‘givens’. Firstly, just because you happen to be Jewish doesn’t mean that you somehow represent Jews, or Judaism, or the Jewish community, and the suggestion that you might is, frankly, quite offensive.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’m sure I’m not the first to have become exasperated by the tweets that begin ‘As a Jew…’ and go on to pontificate about something that is wholly unrepresentative of Jewish life, culture, or belief.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe fact that a person is Jewish doesn’t automatically make their stance on any given issue, whether it’s climate change or Brexit, a ‘Jewish view’. (I love the Beatles. I don’t love the Beatles ‘as a Jew’. And my passion for the B-side of Abbey Road \u0026nbsp;is not representative of Jewish attitudes to 20\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e Century popular music.)\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSecondly, and perhaps controversially, I believe that anyone who wishes to identify as Jewish should have the right to do so. I don’t adhere to a strict notion of matrilineal descent. If someone identifies as Jewish because their paternal grandfather was Jewish, that’s enough for me. I’m not going to check the Ketuba of everyone who claims to be Jewish.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut, and it’s a crucial but, I add this proviso. If the \u003cem\u003eonly \u003c/em\u003eway a person identifies as Jewish is in opposing the right of the State of Israel to exist, then I do begin to question the use of that Jewish identity.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’m not saying they’re not Jewish. I’m not suggesting they can’t oppose the State of Israel. But they cannot claim to do so ‘as a Jew’, if they do absolutely nothing else, at all, ever, ‘as a Jew’.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere are many ways to identify as Jewish. Jewish identity is not homogenous. It can be religious, or cultural, or familial, and many other things besides. But it does have to be \u003cem\u003esomething\u003c/em\u003e. If the \u003cem\u003eonly \u003c/em\u003etime a person calls upon their Jewish identity is in order to use it as a means of legitimising anti-Zionist philosophy, then I call BS.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYou don’t get to call your voice Jewish, if you only raise it to criticise Israel. (And yes, I am well aware that Hitler would have disagreed with my definition of Jewishness. But, unless I’ve read history wrong all these years, I’m pretty sure that disagreeing with Hitler is a good thing.)\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMany hardworking and respected communal leaders were invited to the roundtable; people who work tirelessly, day in and day out, for their communities. The fact that they felt they could not attend should give the Labour leadership pause for thought. To suggest that their representation of our community is somehow on a par with groups whose sole public Jewish engagement is to delegitimise Israel is insulting to them and to those of us whom they represent.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBeing a Jew is not the same as representing Jews. Being Jewish does not automatically make someone’s personal opinions ‘Jewish’. You can’t just stick the word ‘Jewish’ in front of your pet cause, and magically turn it into an authentic Jewish expression of that cause. (Even if the leader of the Labour Party agrees with you.)\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd for those of us who are not community leaders, who don’t run single-issue fringe groups and who don’t have the ear of the party leadership, I can say that being Jewish isn’t easy.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThese past few years, it’s felt more difficult than ever before in my memory. But as the protest organised by the JLC and the Board of Deputies at Parliament Square proved, antisemitism galvanises Jewish identity.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSupport for the Board of Deputies and the JLC has been overwhelming. Ultimately, whether those planning the roundtable choose to believe it or not, they are the organisations that represent the vast majority of those of us who identify as British Jews.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBecause, ultimately, Jewish identity is more than just having Jewish grandparents, and using them to give legitimacy to your anti-Zionism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd the Jewish community won’t be bullied into inviting those who do onto the seating plan.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462990.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/the-collapse-of-jeremy-corbyn-s-antisemitism-round-table-is-telling-1.462990","publication_date":"Apr 24, 2018 10:39:12 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 24, 2018 10:39:12 AM","author":"Rina Wolfson","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462993:1524562473/semitism_0_bpanla_0_kleozj.png?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d344f244","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462832","headline":"Fizz and flowers at the Baglioni Hotel","subheadline":"It was all about flowers and floral notes at London\u0027s Baglioni Hotel as I sipped rose scented tea and munched on lavender meringues with bergamot cream.  ","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe second day of our mini-heatwave\u0026nbsp;felt surreal. I\u0027m enjoying every sun-soaked second but aware that at any minute (this weekend?) I shall be\u0026nbsp;watching those clouds roll in and pulling on my\u0026nbsp;winter clothesagain.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWith an invitation to head to Knightsbridge for tea, I was digging around in my wardrobes at 6am looking for something suitable and\u0026nbsp;hurriedly painting nail varnish over my winter toe nails. #sonotreadyforthesun\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was all floaty summer dresses and a few flip flops on the\u0026nbsp;host of (mainly) female journalists and bloggers also\u0026nbsp;invited to sample the launch of a Chelsea Flower Show-inspired tea at Knightsbridge\u0027s Hotel Baglioni.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe menu has been developed with\u0026nbsp;Italian perfume house, Aqua Di Parma. The floral notes in their Coloniali cologne being\u0026nbsp;used to inspire\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;ingredients for one of the prettiest teas I\u0027ve eaten.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTables were strewn with gorgeous yellow and white flowers to match the Aqua Di Parma branding and\u0026nbsp;candles scented with the company\u0027s\u0026nbsp;Colioniali perfume burned.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt wasn\u0027t just about the flowers, the menu — with a very Italian focus –\u0026nbsp; had plenty of classic teatime ingredients, kicked\u0026nbsp;off with neat, lady-sized\u0026nbsp;squares of cruncy focaccia filled with mozzarella. Perfect with the glass of prosecco included in the feast.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTeas were either rose and lime — a gentle pink — or bergamot and mint. Unsurprisingly, most\u0026nbsp;went pink.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.462836\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462836/IMG_8817.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA generous tea stand was delivered to each pair of guests, looking so full we\u0027d never get through it all. (As if.) At the foot of the tea stand, sandwiches included ricotta and sundried tomato; smoked salmon and cream cheese and egg mayo.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.462837\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462837/IMG_8821.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.462839\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462839/IMG_8826.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWarm scones were served with (the standard) cream and strawberry jam or Sicilian blood orange am or \u0027L\u0027unica e sola\u0027 (one and only to you and me) Nutella. A rare treat in a grown up outing. (I had to hold back from spooning it straight into my mouth as I do when the mini-Fressers aren\u0027t loooking.)\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI tried not to eat all of the pastries — not wanting to wreck my recent Weight Watchers success - see previous post - but managed to taste everything. A mini lemon brioche was no more than a delicious mouthful, Sicilian cannoli was filled with the most delicious creme patissiere and candied orange peel and pistachio tuiles were tiny green, crunchy wafers. Surely too small to be\u0026nbsp;bad for my waistline?\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.462838\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462838/IMG_8824.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHaving worked my way up the tea stand, I could not leave out\u0026nbsp;the verbena and lime zest panacotta, topped with very pink rose coulis and it would have been rude to ignore the mini tiramisu next to it.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe were dispatched with a mini bottle of Coloniali scent and huge\u0026nbsp;smiles.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe tea will run for the month of May to celebrate the Chelsea Flower Show. More info \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.baglionihotels.com/baglioni-hotel-london/restaurant-baglioni-hotel-london/our-cuisine-london/enjoy-menus-london/festive-menus/\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462832.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/chelsea-inspired-floral-tea-at-the-baglioni-hotel-with-aqua-di-parma-1.462832","publication_date":"Apr 23, 2018 1:00:00 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"Apr 20, 2018 12:52:29 PM","author":null,"byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462835:1524224507/IMG_8812.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d4aa8e8d","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462904","headline":"Like Moses, Arsène Wenger brought miracles before discontent ensued","subheadline":"Things might get better, they might get worse. But life has, undoubtedly, changed forever on the news that the veteran manager will leave after more than 20 years in charge of the Gunners.","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe end, no matter how expected or anticipated, still has the ability to arrive with a surprise.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd so it was last Friday morning. I had been in an early morning meeting. On arriving back at my desk, I had no sense of what was awaiting. I took a casual glance at my phone, expecting nothing more than the usual set of requests from my wife (“can you just…”).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eInstantly, I knew something had happened. Messages, missed calls and a WhatsApp notification counter that you only usually see when the Year 3 parents are really upset. And there it was.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWENGER OUT!\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn that moment I knew that nothing would ever be the same again. Things might get better, they might get worse. But life (or at least the part of it subsumed by football) has, undoubtedly, changed forever.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn Nick Hornby’s \u003cem\u003eFever Pitch\u003c/em\u003e there is a line that, as I have got older and more responsible, has increased in resonance - and has undoubtedly driven many people close to me, crazy beyond despair.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e“I have measured out my life in Arsenal fixtures, and any event of any significance has a footballing shadow.”\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI completed the week of my wedding with a trip to Villa Park to see the ‘Invincibles’ win 2-0.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhenever we celebrate number three’s birthday, I think back to the tackle that almost ended Aaron Ramsey’s career at Stoke at the time she was being born. I could list more, but I don’t want you to think of me as an obsessive…\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOf course there were momentous, euphoric occasions before Wenger and there will hopefully be plenty in the future. But I\u0027m 40 and Wenger\u0027s been around for more than half of that time.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo life\u0027s \u0026quot;footballing shadow\u0026quot; has been cast by Ars\u0026egrave;ne\u0027s Arsenal. And the fact that that\u0027s going to change will take some getting used to.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAm I being melodramatic? It is after all, \u003ci\u003eonly\u003c/i\u003e football. Well, consider this. When Wenger joined Arsenal, John Major was still Prime Minister. That’s not just another era, that’s another world.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn October 1996, I was in my first few weeks at university. I have since graduated, got a job, got married, bought a home, bought my company and had four children. And I don\u0027t remember ever feeling how I feel right now.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWenger seemed to transcend football. He brought with him an ethos, a vision and a set of ideals that set him apart from those who had gone before. He was, in many ways, a figure cut from Mosaic cloth.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSeemingly plucked from obscurity. Chosen to lead his people out of their misery and in to a land flowing with domestic milk and European honey. At first there were miracles - and plenty of them. But the miracles begun to dry up and discontent ensued. For Korach’s rebellion read the ‘Wenger Out’ brigade.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLike Moses, Wenger benefitted from a highly supportive chairman. Yet, there is a point when even the most benevolent employer loses their patience. And so it was for Ars\u0026egrave;ne.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere would be no final year on the contract and no last shot at redemption. If Premier League titles and Champions League success is the promised land, then Wenger will need to watch on from afar as his successor plots the unlikely path to glory.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI just hope that history can see past the final years of his reign and afford the cerebral Alsatian the same reverence that was afforded to his biblical predecessor.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThose that loved him and even those that had begun to loath him, will all miss him when he’s gone.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462904.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/ars%C3%A8ne-wenger-to-leave-premier-league-arsenal-1.462904","publication_date":"Apr 23, 2018 12:24:58 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 23, 2018 2:23:28 PM","author":"Barry Frankfurt","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462903:1524482698/GettyImages-949932554.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d286712e","caption":"The news of Arsène Wenger\u0027s planned departure from Arsenal has left fan Barry Frankfurt devastated (Photo: Getty Images)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462748","headline":"I can\u0027t get that Israel Feeling","subheadline":"I’m admitting something that I’ve kept hidden all my life...I don’t feel any particular connection with Israel","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEver since I can remember, Israel has been, for me, a land of promises as well as a Promised Land. And what I was promised was a Feeling. Capital F. No one could describe it for me, but I was assured that it would come, and that, when it did, I would know it. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDuring my Jewish upbringing in Edgware, I was given the impression, from a very early age, that Israel was a home away from home, somewhere I would belong with ease. Being there would be natural and comforting. But when I finally did visit Israel for the first time, nearly five years ago, the Feeling wasn’t there. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI don’t remember deciding that I would not go on “Tour” during the summer after GCSEs. I don’t think it was ever an option for me. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI was encouraged to go along to some Jewish clubs with the vague idea that, if I got along with any of them, I’d probably join them on the traditional rite of passage that is Tour, but it never happened. I came home from a Maccabi meeting crying because the evening’s activity involved dance routines (the horror!) and I didn’t seem to be wearing the right clothes for any of the other girls to like me. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOne FZY meeting ended with my being shamed by one of the leaders in front of everybody for not knowing the words to the Israeli national anthem. I barely knew the words to the British one, so why they expected me to know the Israeli one was baffling. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThese weren’t people I wanted to hang out with for an entire summer in a strange, hot country. So, instead, I handed in my CV to the desk at the Natural History Museum and ended up getting a summer job as a gallery attendant. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael became an issue again when I hit my mid-twenties. I lost track of the people assuring me that I was still entitled to my Birthright trip and that I really didn’t want to miss out on that. Except… I did want to miss out on that. On my list of places around the world I desperately wanted to visit, Israel was never even in my top ten. But I did visit Poland. I visited the camps, plus the sites of the ancient and now decimated Jewish communities in Lublin, Warsaw and Krakow. There, in places clouded over with horror and misery, I felt my first inklings of the Feeling I had been promised as a child. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy first visit to Israel finally came about due to a family wedding, and I was thrilled to be able to experience such a happy occasion with all the people I loved most in the world. But, earlier that summer, I’d made a two-week solo trip by train through Central Europe. Berlin, Prague and Vienna were on the itinerary, and often I was completely overcome by the abundance of Jewish heritage, as well as the beauty of those great cities. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Feeling found me among the layered gravestones in the Jewish cemetery in old Prague, in the schnitzels and strudel caf\u0026eacute;s of Vienna, and in a model of a centuries old mikveh found in a corner of the Jewish Museum in Berlin. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis was my heritage. Here, was the story of my people, not just my allegorical ancestors, but quite possibly my actual, real-life ancestors, going back generations upon generations. The connection was profound and moving, the Feeling was strong. But when I finally \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e finally \u003cem\u003e—\u003c/em\u003e got to Israel, I was left cold. Despite the heat. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWriting this feels like a “coming out” of sorts; I’m admitting something that I’ve kept hidden all my life. This is a forbidden topic at family gatherings, the thing I must refrain from mentioning. But, lately, as I’ve been following the relentless negativity of British politics, I realise that many people, most of them outside our community, view Jewishness as one distinct thing, with one distinct opinion. It’s not. We are individuals with unique experience and knowledge. And, yet, as a community, we tend to follow convention. We do what’s right. Or, more specifically, we do what our parents and their parents think is right. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWell, this is what I think is right: I don’t feel any particular connection with Israel, certainly nothing spiritual. It doesn’t make me a “bad Jew”. I still have deep respect and appreciation for the country, but it’s not, in any way, my home, nor somewhere that I feel I belong. My Jewishness is not to be found there. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’m not without the Feeling. It is a rich and beautiful thing, and as promised, I recognised it straight away. It makes me proud to be Jewish, and excited to learn about my heritage and my community. But for me, it’s not to be found in Israel, and I want to shout it loud: that’s OK. \u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462748.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/nicole-burstein-i-can-t-connect-to-israel-1.462748","publication_date":"Apr 23, 2018 8:59:03 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 19, 2018 12:09:30 PM","author":"Nicole Burstein","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462754:1524136136/NicoleBurstein_RGB.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003db524dda","caption":"Nicole Burstein","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462854","headline":"Yom Hashoah and the London Marathon ","subheadline":"This week, two very different open-air gatherings","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003ch2\u003eMemory’s duty\u003c/h2\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor all those gathered at Hyde Park on Sunday for Yom Hashoah, it was — as always — a moving experience. As we report, the March of the Living goes from strength to strength.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd this year also saw the widespread adoption of the yellow candle scheme, each one lit in memory of a victim of the Holocaust.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNext year, the organisers plan to expand its scope even further. All of these are important and very different forms of Holocaust remembrance and education. But the yellow candles in particular are a perfect example of how to deal with an increasingly relevant fact — that every year there are fewer survivors still with us.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere will come a time, relatively soon, when the Holocaust is no longer within living memory. So it is vital that we come up with creative methods for keeping the memory alive.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEven now, a recent poll in the US showed that two thirds of millennials and four out of ten Americans overall have never heard of Auschwitz. The Holocaust Educational Trust does a superb job here in Britain but responsibility cannot be devolved to it alone. This is for all of us.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch2\u003eKeep on running\u003c/h2\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAmong the tens of thousands of runners in Sunday’s London Marathon will be a sizeable contingent raising large amounts of money for Jewish charities.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSome are experienced runners for whom the marathon is just another, albeit longer than usual, outing.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor others, it will be a once unimaginable achievement. Whatever it may be, we have a simple message for them: good luck, and thank you.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462854.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/leaders/the-jewish-chronicle-leader-column-april-20-2018-yom-hashoah-london-marathon-1.462854","publication_date":"Apr 20, 2018 3:46:55 PM","section":"Leaders","modification_date":"Apr 20, 2018 3:46:55 PM","author":"The JC Leader","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.460803:1521121664/candle.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003db3cb66c","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462846","headline":"The JC letters page, 20th April  ","subheadline":" Lyn Julius, Avi Moshe, Professor John Strawson, Dave Whippman, David Levenson, (Dr) Anthony Joseph, David Wirth, Andrew Gilligan and Gideon Falter share their views with JC readers","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003ch2\u003eIsrael and ‘occupation’\u003c/h2\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDaoud Kuttab’s piece is a case of “the kettle calling the pot black” (JC April 13). He calls into question the legitimacy of Israel, when the Palestinian Authority has not called an election in ten years.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhatever the competing claims in the West Bank, Kuttab should be reminded that Israel’s “occupation” is a consequence of Arab aggression — not its cause. Moreover, international law has been silent about the mass theft of Jewish-owned land and property across the Arab world, estimated by the World Organisation of Jews from Arab Countries at four or five times the size of Israel itself.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhile lecturing Israel on the dangers of apartheid, Kuttab breezily ignores the dire situation for minorities in Arab countries, where the ancient Jewish presence is almost extinct.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs the Arab world tears itself apart, Israel derives much of its legitimacy from having gathered in Jews from oppression and persecution. In its 70th year, its citizens have a great deal to celebrate.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLyn Julius\u003cbr /\u003e Harif-UK Association of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa\u003cbr /\u003e London SW5\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch2\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e Crisis in Gaza\u003c/h2\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLast week, Dr Reynolds wrote to you about recent protests on the borders of the Gaza Strip, suggesting that demonstrating Palestinians were being “manipulated by Hamas”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePerhaps, she would do well to remember that the Gaza Strip is gripped by a dire humanitarian crisis caused by Egyptian and Israeli blockades, and exasperated by Hamas’s insistence on diverting aid for military purposes.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhile certainly being utilised for Hamas’s own purposes, these demonstrations are also a very real indication of the prevalent desperation in Gaza: something many of us have seemed to overlook.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvi Moshe,\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e Higher Blackley M25\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch2\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e Israel at 70\u003c/h2\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn Leslie Turnberg’s article The Moment that Israel was born (JC, April 13) there is an error identifying Molotov as the Russian Ambassador at the United Nations in 1947. Molotov was the Soviet Foreign Minister and it was Andrei Gromyko was the Ambassador to the United Nations.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was Gromyko who delivered the critical speeches, first in May in setting up the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine and then in the debate on the Partition resolution in November (November 26 1947).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the latter speech, he reminded his audience that “as a result of the war unleashed by Hitlerite Germany, the Jews as a people, have suffered more than any other people. You know there was a not a single Western country that succeeded in adequately protecting the interests of the Jewish people.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was a ringing endorsement of the justification for the creation of a Jewish state, by the representative of the USSR. Contemporary leftists should take note.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProfessor John Strawson\u003cbr /\u003e London N19\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch2\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e Already for the many\u003c/h2\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMark Goldberg (\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/letters/the-jc-letters-page-13th-april-2018-1.462297\"\u003eLetters April 13\u003c/a\u003e) suggests we can counter the antisemitism in Corbyn’s Labour by demonstrating that we “care for the many, not just the Jew.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut this fact is already obvious to anyone who is not a bigot. Individual Jews are prominent in the ranks of reformers and philanthropists. Jewish organisations speak out, and offer help on matters of concern to the wider community. Among the nations, Israel is always in the vanguard of aid efforts, as in Haiti.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe whole problem is that Corbyn’s power base is indeed infested with bigotry against us. In fact, the kind of dialogue that Mr Goldberg is proposing \u0026nbsp;would only further convince the Jew-haters that we do indeed have something to apologise for. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLike other evil, the prejudice within Corbyn’s party must be fought against, not appeased.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDave Whippman,\u003cbr /\u003e Blackpool FY1\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI am not sure where Mark Goldberg has been living and whether he is being naively or wilfully ignorant about the contribution of the Jewish community to civic society.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYou only have to search through a random selection of statements made by any of the serving Prime Ministers of the past 20 years, about the Jewish community in Britain or by leading politicians from any major party, to appreciate how much the community’s contribution to Britain is valued.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOrganisations like JCORE and Ren\u0026eacute; Cassin apply Jewish values to solving general problems of inequality. \u0026nbsp;There are many Jewish professionals in the fields of law, medicine and education who demonstrate on a daily basis that they care “for the many not just the Jew”, as Goldberg puts it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council could meet Jeremy Corbyn to make these points, but they will fall on deaf ears. The reason is that Corbyn, uniquely among major political leaders, has never acknowledged the wider contribution of Jews to British society except those who side with his own partisan views.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Jewish community in Britain has always been aspirational, and there is no shame in admitting this. It has enabled us to care for our own for the most part without placing undue reliance on the State for hand-outs, and to make the contributions to British society that political leaders other than Corbyn acknowledge.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBecause of the Government’s present difficulties, Labour is expected to fare well at local council elections and, politics being cyclical, will at some point return to power in Westminster. However, Labour will never be a party of government so long as Corbyn is its leader.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDavid Levenson\u003cbr /\u003e Stanmore Middlesex\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch2\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e First time?\u003c/h2\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFirstly, I would like to congratulate Jodie Renaud and her family on what must have been a most auspicious occasion in Lincoln.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHowever, the headline (\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/community/community-news/emotions-run-high-as-lincoln-celebrates-first-bnei-mitzvah-in-700-years-1.462225\"\u003eApril 13\u003c/a\u003e) suggesting this is the first time any such ceremony has happened there in 700 years is open to a (gentle) challenge. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAbsolute proof there is none, but the eminent historian, the late Professor Cecil Roth, writing in 1950 in The Rise of Provincial Jewry, states about Lincoln: “there was more than one household and possibly an organised religious life, all traces of which has now disappeared”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA little later, after listing known 18th- and 19th-century Jewish families living in Lincoln, he writes: “It can hardly be imagined that so numerous a group did not hold regular religious services”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe instance that makes me feel it likely that an experience like Jodie’s may have happened within the past 200 years is my own family contribution: my three-times great grandparents, Rosceia (n\u0026eacute;e Nathan, 1790-1832) and her husband, Jonas Lazarus (1771-1851) lived in Lincoln from 1810 till their respective deaths. They raised two sons and five daughters, all of whom remained in Lincoln till their adult lives and one son (Isaac Lazarus Lincoln) became the first mohel in Port Philip (now Melbourne), Australia. It would seem more than probable that these children’s “rite of passage” into their adult Jewish status would have been celebrated and marked in some way in Lincoln.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(Dr) Anthony Joseph,\u003cbr /\u003e Emeritus President, Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain,\u003cbr /\u003e Smethwick, West Midlands\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch2\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e Across the river\u003c/h2\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYour headline \u0026nbsp;article Scale of Community’s Housing Crisis Revealed (\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/housing-crisis-london-jewish-community-industrial-dwellings-society-1.462228\"\u003eApril 13\u003c/a\u003e) quotes recent research which reveals troubling problems across many London boroughs and from Welwyn to Westminster, and Hillingdon to Redbridge. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYet there is no mention of the position of the many thousands of Jews (according to the 2011 census) living in boroughs south of the river. Do they all live comfortably? Is this an omission which reveals an anti-South London bias? \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDavid Wirth,\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e London SE21\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch2\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e No contact\u003c/h2\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eRussell Dove, chair of Tottenham Labour Party, claims that I, “\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/haringey-councillors-say-it-is-now-impossible-to-be-a-jewish-labour-councillor-1.460947\"\u003efailed to contact\u003c/a\u003e” him before publishing an interview in which one of his councillors, Joe Goldberg, spoke of the party’s “extraordinary levels” of “institutional antisemitism.” I regret that\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Dove’s words are no more accurate than his claim that his party has “always taken very seriously any complaints” about the issue. I made several attempts, which I can document, to contact both Mr Dove (whose constituency the allegations related to) and a senior Momentum official.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThey demonstrated the level of seriousness of their commitment to tackling antisemitism by failing to respond.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAndrew Gilligan,\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e Sunday Times, London SE1\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch2\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e A success\u003c/h2\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor the past two weeks, the JC and its editor have berated the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) for going ahead with a national demonstration outside Labour Party Head Office, saying that it “\u003ca href\u003d\"https://twitter.com/stephenpollard/status/978699809354903552\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003ewill pale into insignificance and give succour to the antisemites\u003c/a\u003e”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/caa-demo-corbyn-antisemitism-labour-1.461989\"\u003eIn the event\u003c/a\u003e, over 2,000 Jews and non-Jews alike travelled from Glasgow, Manchester, Brighton, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham and other parts of the UK to stand together in driving rain, demanding that the Labour Party hold Jeremy Corbyn to account.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe demonstration was covered extremely positively in mainstream newspapers and television news. The coverage was so significant that both Sky and the BBC included it in the next day’s newspaper reviews.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe demonstration increased the pressure on the Labour Party over its antisemitism problem, which is unsurprising because, before going ahead with the demonstration, we sought advice from journalists, political figures and the Jewish community itself, and the advice to proceed was overwhelming.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHowever, instead of reporting accurately, the JC sought to downplay the turnout, to the sheer delight of antisemites on social media, claiming that merely 500 attended, even though double that figure alone signed complaint forms against Jeremy Corbyn at the demonstration. In the end, to satisfy its ego and its petty grudge against CAA, it was the JC that gave succour to the antisemites.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGideon Falter Chairman, CAA\u003cbr /\u003e London W1\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462846.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/letters/the-jc-letters-page-20th-april-2018-1.462846","publication_date":"Apr 20, 2018 3:25:00 PM","section":"Letters","modification_date":"Apr 20, 2018 3:04:24 PM","author":"JC Reporter","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.451202:1514550007/jpg%20(33).jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003da1b8a0b","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462776","headline":"Jeremy Corbyn thinks ‘good Jews’ are the ones he knows","subheadline":"Why, ask yourselves comrades, could Jeremy not just get this one little thing right, says David Aaronovitch","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt wasn’t a problem. You’ll remember that. Or, insofar as it was a problem it was a small one being exaggerated by enemies of Jeremy Corbyn. Lady Chakrabarti would sort out what difficulties there were, there’d be a suspension here, of, say, naughty Ken, a distancing there, and some political education everywhere else and we’d all get on with the business of fighting the Tories. This was what you might call the mainstream Corbynite position — the Jon Lansman, Owen Jones, not-much-to-see-move-along-but-we’re-on-your-side position.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThen that fell apart. The mural. Half the Corbynites said it wasn’t antisemitic before the other half admitted that it was. Jeremy said sorry. Then the Facebook groups. \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/unite-denies-senior-official-hired-labour-activist-vicky-kirby-suspended-over-antisemitic-comments-1.460871\"\u003eThen the discipline person on the National Executive Committee turned out \u003c/a\u003eto have sent an a email in support of a Holocaust denial-supporting Labour candidate (a what? Am I mad?), then says she hadn’t read the complaint against him and she’s sorry. And then she resigns. And still half the stuff people like me are seeing from grassroots Corbynistas is: “it isn’t antisemitism, you’re lying”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut now the mainstream Corbyn people have either spotted the danger of this label sticking or are actually — as they say — suddenly apprised of the truth of the situation. It’s a terrible thing, who knew? And those groups, including the ones who turned up at the \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/jewish-community-protests-in-parliament-square-against-labour-antisemitism-enough-is-enough-1.461420\"\u003eEnough Is Enough \u003c/a\u003eprotest to counter-demonstrate and who might just as well call themselves Jews Against Talking About Antisemitism, are sadly mistaken. Furthermore, Jeremy himself is fully committed etc etc etc. So he’s going to be taking it all very seriously and meeting the Board of Deputies and the Leadership Council and listening to what the Jewish communities have to say.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd you know (and the mainstream Corbynites know), that’s all he really had to do. That and make sure Ken stays out of the party.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut he couldn’t even do that. Because his idea of a really good Jew is almost certainly Leah Levane. Ms Levane has got a voice on her. At the Labour Party conference in the autumn she represented Hastings and Rye constituency party (she is now a local candidate there) and Shouting As a Jew, condemned those complaining about Labour antisemitism. It was terrible, she yelled, somewhat incoherently, “that you can treat antisemitism and make that accusation every time you criticise the despicable behaviour of the state of Israel towards the Palestinian people”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Great contribution from LeahLevane —Jewish human-rights activist and my comrade,” tweeted Jackie Walker, “Our voice at last being heard.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“Well Said LeahLevane,\u0026quot; Tweeted a Kamel Hawwas. “Important Jewish voices speak up for Jewish Labour members against Zionist apologists for Israeli crimes.” Though that hadn’t been what she was supposed to be doing at all.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMs Levane was once of Jews for Justice for Palestinians and is now of Jewish Voice for Labour. She claims to speak for the Jews who the other Jews don’t speak for. But the thing is that if you read all her tweets from 2013 to 2016 there is one aspect of life completely absent. There’s a lot about austerity and the NHS. There’s a lot about Gaza. In 2015, she goes mad for the Corbyn leadership campaign. Off the scale. Then in 2016 there’s some stuff about there being no antisemitism in Labour. But there is NOTHING about being Jewish at all. Nothing about Jewish life, Jewish events, Jewish holidays, Jewish history — zip. For someone who claims to represent Jews (as for example, I don’t) it is a bit of a gap.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOf course she may have done all the Jewish stuff on Facebook. I don’t know. What I do know of is that she wrote online, regarding an article titled \u003cem\u003eAustria’s neo-Nazis find friends in Israel\u003c/em\u003e that this was “no surprise” and wrote elsewhere online that “Jews are often agents rather than instigators of exploitation.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/board-of-deputies-and-jlc-will-not-attend-corbyn-s-antisemitism-round-table-1.462525\"\u003eit’s to a meeting with the organisation of which this person is a leading light that Jeremy Corbyn this week\u003c/a\u003e invited the Board and the Leadership Council to discuss the problem of antisemitism. Oh Owen Jones! Ah Jonny Lansman! Shall we next hold a round-table on racism in Britain featuring Caribbeans for the Confederacy and the Empire Asian Association? Why, ask yourselves comrades, could Jeremy not just get this one little thing right?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBecause to him Leah Levane is the real thing. She is the authentic voice of what he thinks a Jew should be. He thinks a good Jew would not even really want there to be a state of Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe believes the good Jews are the ones he has been mixing with all these years. He can’t help himself. And you, \u003cem\u003eJC\u003c/em\u003e reader, sure as hell can’t help him.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462776.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/jeremy-corbyn-thinks-good-jews-are-the-ones-he-knows-antisemitism-jvl-charkrabarti-1.462776","publication_date":"Apr 20, 2018 7:45:45 AM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"Apr 20, 2018 8:22:04 AM","author":"David Aaronovitch","byline":"David Aaronovitch","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462777:1524143736/AbbottChakr.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d4bfebf0","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462778","headline":"How should we celebrate Yom Haatzmaut?","subheadline":"There is no standardised way to celebrate Israel Independence Day from a religious point of view, so how do you learn as well as party?","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYom Ha’atzmaut is not quite a festival. While today may well be a big day for many children in Jewish schools which annually celebrate Israel’s birthday, it has yet to take its place on the religious calendar in the same way as Chanukah or Purim.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSome Anglo-Jewish synagogues may hold special services of thanksgiving but it is by no means the norm.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is no set liturgy. The latest edition of the Singer’s Prayer book for the Chief Rabbi’s congregations notes Hallel is recited in “most communities” in the morning service (just as on Chanukah, because of events which took place in the land of Israel, but not on Purim).\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eStill, some religiously hedge their bets by reciting Hallel without the accompanying brachot. In view of the unresolved conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, perhaps the most appropriate custom would be to recite a half-Hallel with blessings.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut there is one tried and trusted way to acknowledge any Jewish occasion - and that is to get together with a group of friends and study. To mark Israel’s 70\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e anniversary, Limmud has brought out an eight-page resource pack, which reflects on the significance of the state of Israel and its place in contemporary Jewry.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead the Limmud resource below:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cdiv id\u003d\"publitas-embed-abxhcuoo5qs\"\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cscript data-cfasync\u003d\"false\" data-height\u003d\"undefined\" data-publication\u003d\"https://view.publitas.com/the-jewish-chronicle/chavruta_limmud_yom-haatzmaut_2018_independence/\" data-publication-aspect-ratio\u003d\"1.4143007360672977\" data-responsive\u003d\"true\" data-width\u003d\"undefined\" data-wrapperid\u003d\"publitas-embed-abxhcuoo5qs\" publitas-embed\u003d\"\" src\u003d\"https://view.publitas.com/embed.js\" type\u003d\"text/javascript\"\u003e\u003c/script\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSince for once our weather is happily spring-like, you may feel it more in the spirit of the day to follow Israeli example and bring out the barbecue, leaving learning for another time. But the Limmud pack is not simply tied to Yom Ha’atzmaut and can be used as a prompt for any discussion on Israel in this milestone year.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe resource couples the text of Israel’s Declaration of Independence with a selection of passages by way of commentary from the Bible to modern Zionist speeches, as well as a collection of maps illustrating the changing borders of the Land of Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Declaration sets out the state’s ideals and aspirations but it is also an ambiguous text because of the balance it had to strike between religious and secular sensitivities. Hence there is no explicit reference to God - another reason perhaps why Yom Ha’atzmaut has struggled for full calendrical acceptqance\u0026nbsp; - but instead a phrase from the psalms, Rock of Israel, which the non-religious can understand in a secular way.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOne of the questions Limmud poses is whether the Declaration of Independence is a “sacred text”. In its invocation of the values of freedom, justice and peace “as envisaged by the prophets of Israel,” many treat it as one.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462778.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/how-should-we-celebrate-yom-haatzmaut-israel-independence-day-1.462778","publication_date":"Apr 19, 2018 2:46:17 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"Apr 19, 2018 2:55:18 PM","author":"The JC Comment Blog","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.460980:1523629632/b-large.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9ab90ff","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462760","headline":"Iran: No more a shadow war","subheadline":"Anshel Pfeffer analyses developments in Israel\u0027s \u0027shadow war\u0027 with Iran","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNothing said “We know where you live!” more than the information briefed to the media on Tuesday morning by the Israeli security establishment.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the dossier sent to reporters was satellite footage of airbases in Syria, with enlarged insets of what Israeli intelligence says are secluded compounds of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), being used to launch drones.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThey also released a map showing the location of five bases used by the IRGC in Syria, a satellite photo of its main base at Mehrabad airport in Tehran (where cargo planes are loaded with arms destined for Syria) and, for good measure, a mugshot of the IRGC air-forces commander, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSuch a blunt and detailed warning in the shadow-war which has been ongoing between Israel and Iran for nearly four decades is unprecedented. It is a sign of how concerned Israel’s leadership has become over the direct confrontation developing over the last two months between the two countries.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIran once fought Israel through proxies, mainly Hezbollah and Palestinian movements such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. But since the attempt by the IRGC to enter Israeli airspace two months ago using a drone (which Israel claims was carrying explosives), and the resulting attacks by Israeli warplanes on the T-4 airbase from where the drone was launched, the confrontations has become direct.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn Monday, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c/em\u003e columnist Thomas Friedman quoted an Israeli officer telling him that the strike on T-4 last week, in which at least seven IRGC officers were killed was “the first time we attacked live Iranian targets — both facilities and people”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe IDF spokesman later tried to have the quote retracted and clarified that Israel’s policy of not acknowledging attacks was still in effect. But the content of the quote was not denied.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsraeli intelligence believes that the Iranians now intend to go ahead with their plans to build permanent bases in Syria. Despite the consistent urging of Benjamin Netanyahu, neither the Trump administration or the Kremlin are going to stop them.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNeither have threats to strike at President Bashar Assad’s regime worked. The IRGC air-force’s expansion in Syria is taking place in order to enhance the regime’s air-defence capabilities, and to add an offensive dimension in the shape of attack drones. The Iranians hope these will deter Israel’s air-force from operating over Syria.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIran’s closest ally, Hezbollah, has been explicit. “The axis of resistance will not allow its freedom restricted in Syria,” said Hezbollah’s deputy leader his week. “Israel is trying to show that it dictates the rules of the conflict and we cannot agree with this.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBoth sides are trying to steal a march on the other. Israel was monitoring Iran’s drone operations and was ready two months ago to shoot down the first that entered its airspace. By striking at the Iranian compound at T-4, Israel hopes to have preempted the Iranian buildup. But it has also escalated the confrontation.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIran will now feel compelled to retaliate, perhaps as early as this week, to try and dampen Israel’s 70th anniversary celebrations.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael’s threats are unlikely to change Iranian plans, but they may compel Russia or the US to act. If not, the Israeli leadership hopes they will create legitimacy for future attacks, in the unending spiral of violence between the Jewish State and the Islamic Republic.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462760.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/analysis/anshel-pfeffer-analyses-developments-in-israel-s-shadow-war-with-iran-1.462760","publication_date":"Apr 19, 2018 12:28:23 PM","section":"Analysis","modification_date":"Apr 19, 2018 12:34:30 PM","author":"Anshel Pfeffer","byline":"Anshel Pfeffer ","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"GettyImages-916435868","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462759:1524137302/image/GettyImages-916435868.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d7bd42d2","caption":"A picture taken on February 10, 2018 show Israeli solders taking positions in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights near the border with Syria.\nSyrian air defences repelled an Israeli raid on a military base in the centre of the country, hitting more than one warplane, state media said. The report came after the Israeli military said one of its fighter jets had crashed during strikes against \"Iranian targets\" in Syria after intercepting a drone. / AFP PHOTO / JALAA MAREY        (Photo credit should read JALAA MAREY/AFP/Getty Images)","copyright":null}},{"id":"1.462755","headline":"Jeremy Corbyn\u0027s \u0027round table\u0027 will be a defining moment for British Jews","subheadline":"Significant as Tuesday’s meeting will be, the omens are hardly propitious","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNext Tuesday at 5pm will be an appallingly significant moment for British Jews.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSignificant, because representatives of the community will at that moment sit down with the leader of the Labour Party. Appalling, because they will be doing so as a consequence of Mr Corbyn’s refusal to deal with antisemitism among Labour members.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe meeting follows last month’s rally in Parliament Square, which changed the political climate.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor more than two-and-a-half years, this newspaper and others have been relentlessly highlighting the problem. Few have taken much notice.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNow, however, there seems to be a widespread awareness that a poison has re-entered our national life and that antisemitism is again an issue of real importance to British Jews, for the first time since the Blackshirts.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis week’s Commons debate seems to have had a similar impact. The mere fact it was necessary was itself shaming for the Labour Party. But a series of searingly powerful speeches revealing the scale and regularity of the abuse that prominent Jews now receive opened many eyes.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEqually notable in its own way was the cold indifference of Diane Abbott, the Shadow Home Secretary, in response. She was rightly attacked by her Labour colleague Wes Streeting, who spoke of the “vast majority of British Jews who are horrified by what they have seen in the Labour Party and who I fear will be horrified by the response from our front benchers to this debate”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSignificant as Tuesday’s meeting will be, the omens are hardly propitious. Mr Corbyn could not bring himself to stay for more than a small part of the debate, despite it only being called as a result of his own refusal to deal with antisemitism.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd this week it emerged that the Labour leader is attempting a crude “divide and rule” tactic in his relations with the Jewish community.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDespite the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council agreeing in good faith to meet him next Tuesday, a further “round table” meeting has now been called by Mr Corbyn for the following day, to which fringe groups such as Jewish Voice for Labour have also been invited. JVL was created by the Corbynites solely to give the false impression that the Jewish community is split and that a significant proportion believe that the issue of antisemitism within the Labour Party is a “smear”. \u0026nbsp;But JVL speaks for no one other than its tiny number of members.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eQuite rightly, the Board and JLC — along with the Community Security Trust and all other serious Jewish bodies — have refused to play Mr Corbyn’s blatantly obvious game and turned down this second meeting.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTuesday’s meeting will be a defining moment. It will show if there is any possibility that a man with Mr Corbyn’s history and beliefs can indeed be an ally against antisemitism. So far, the evidence shows that that idea is fanciful — to put it mildly.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462755.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/leaders/the-jc-leader-jeremy-corbyn-s-round-table-will-be-a-defining-moment-for-british-jews-1.462755","publication_date":"Apr 19, 2018 12:19:21 PM","section":"Leaders","modification_date":"Apr 19, 2018 12:31:55 PM","author":"The JC Leader","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462756:1524137385/Luciana-j.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d4f8ef37","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462671","headline":"A prayer for more accurate historical knowledge","subheadline":"If I’m worried about levels of Holocaust knowledge in my country, I’m also anxious about Americans’ grasp of the history of the Jewish state, writes Erika Dreifus from New York.","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn a recent episode of \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/the-atlantic-interview/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Atlantic Interview\u003c/em\u003e \u003c/a\u003e— a relatively new podcast from one of America’s oldest and most esteemed magazines — editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg interviewed Michele Norris, the former National Public Radio host who currently directs \u003cem\u003eThe Bridge\u003c/em\u003e, an Aspen Institute programme on race, identity, and inclusion. Toward their conversation’s end, Goldberg asked Norris to suggest ways to improve “where we are” as a country insofar as those topics are concerned.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“A big part of it,” Norris replied, “and this is the piece that we seem never to get right — is understanding our history. I mean, we don’t understand where we have come from as a country. We don’t understand the vestiges of slavery, we barely understand what slavery meant in America, how it manifested itself in everyday life. Most people really don’t have a strong understanding of how this nation was formed.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNorris’s comments resonated, and not only because I’m an academically trained historian. Especially given the timing — I listened to the episode on the eve of Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), while I was simultaneously monitoring coverage of happenings along the Israel/Gaza border — my mind travelled to other topics that “most people really don’t have a strong understanding of,” historically speaking.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor starters, last week also drew attention to a survey, commissioned by the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, on Holocaust knowledge and awareness in the United States. Reporting for \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c/em\u003e, Maggie Astor summarised: “Many adults lack basic knowledge of what happened — and this lack of knowledge is more pronounced among millennials, whom the survey defined as people ages 18 to 24.” (You can find more about the survey and its \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.claimscon.org/study/\"\u003eresults here\u003c/a\u003e; this \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/us-news/two-thirds-of-american-millennials-never-heard-of-holocaust-or-are-unsure-1.462282\"\u003enewspaper has also covered it\u003c/a\u003e.)\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis news rang alarm bells for many, especially since it coincided with Yom Hashoah. Even with certain silver linings among the results, such as the finding that “virtually all US adults (93 per cent) believe all students should learn about the Holocaust in school”, I, an American-born granddaughter of Jews who’d fled their homes in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s, was dismayed.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eStill, as I read the articles and social-media shares around this subject, I was already moving on, as we Jews are compelled to do at this time of year. Last week, we focused on Yom Hashoah. This week, we turned to Yom Hazikaron (Israel Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day), holidays which take on even deeper meanings in 2018/5778, 70 years after the establishment of the State of Israel. And, if I’m worried about levels of Holocaust knowledge in my country, I’m also anxious about Americans’ grasp of the history of the Jewish state.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHere, data seem scant. A quick search as I prepared this column revealed no research analogous to the recent Holocaust survey regarding American knowledge of the history of the Jewish presence in what is now Israel, or understanding of the defensive wars Israel has had to fight, or awareness of the multiple offers that have been made — and rejected — that could have provided the Palestinian people the state that still eludes them.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePerhaps the closest approximation to such a study is a Brandeis University\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.brandeis.edu/cmjs/noteworthy/IsraelLiteracy.html\"\u003e 2015 \u003cem\u003eIsrael Literacy Measurement Project \u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003ereport, which includes results from a survey administered only to a select group: American Jewish college students planning to join Birthright Israel trips.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThose findings, too, are troubling: “The testing to date has demonstrated a less than acceptable level of knowledge about Israel… More than half of all students answered less than half of the questions correctly, and over 90 per cent scored less than 75 per cent.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBased on the distortions and omissions that I encounter regularly when it comes to Israel — from Jewish and non-Jewish Americans alike, including highly educated ones — I can imagine similarly (if not more) discouraging results if the survey were to be administered to a wider swathe of subjects.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAmong the prayers for Israel’s future at this milestone moment, then, we should perhaps add this one: a hope for more accurate knowledge and awareness of its past. That won’t resolve every problem facing the Jewish state today. But, as Norris’s conversation with Goldberg emphasised to me, little will be improved without it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eErika Dreifus is a writer who is based in New York,\u0026nbsp;@ErikaDreifus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462671.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/at-israel-70-we-need-more-historical-knowledge-holocaust-antisemitism-1.462671","publication_date":"Apr 19, 2018 7:45:00 AM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"Apr 18, 2018 5:53:41 PM","author":"Erika Dreifus","byline":" Erika Dreifus","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462672:1524070291/BenGurion.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d043d6a4","caption":"Prime Minister David Ben Gurion (m) reads Israel\u0027s independence declaration in Tel Aviv\u0027s museum in Israel. Picture taken on the 13th of May, 1948","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462651","headline":"The JC Archive Blog No.16 – Things can only get better","subheadline":"A look at the JC from 100 years ago suggests that, despite appearances, things are improving","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLet\u0027s take a look at\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://clicktime.symantec.com/a/1/2y4dKvgNQzApxslSNLqh9-MYZmGmIyAtMASm7IOIrC0\u003d?d\u003d71F00egwN-hf3QrlROMoU70I-ikRBn4MJUDAHPph6nCjHHv81hgv2br0NWZWIridlyZcBpOYpOJRnpM2zZPz758alQN4xIizP2pzjjK8u1sJpDRa9yIQk6P9qlC7JGnQXYIZztPJHfsVnpWOu6RN-5KLFidMO3Rjul2LUGOv2z4h7ltHX5CiOkFtlMzD4wsvQFT1i71dRfDpeZUJr1IB1zbn6Ez_3mfGOgm2symquWlWxWMsbNbZkfxGgtPGADe-8xB9Mv8oTFwWS9Lznv79XYqT8y68ruGE7Z-yIMFvZualMKnxhlDg70NPd0qgtbpOp_qZ7F2c-9ZvyR5Gfh0dTGND7P3r6QFSwYsl76Va99w8Vs-F_fspgRGXoEtff94X704Kg-MTEPmB6XGRUfF0dY4xqN11cxygO3k%3D\u0026amp;u\u003dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejc.com%2Farchive%2F1.221128\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cu\u003eThe Jewish Chronicle, 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e April 1918\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;“Jews Massacred in Russia” “Pogrom in Ukraine” “More Anti-Jewish Riots in Galicia” the headlines scream. In the UK, people are protesting the ‘invasion’ of thousands of Jewish refugees, and as usual during the war,\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Jewish Chronicle has a list of the Jewish soldiers named dead, wounded and missing in action -\u0026nbsp; this week, it’s five dead, four died of wounds, forty three wounded, and two missing.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s not all bad news, though. The Shechita prohibition has been abolished in Switzerland. Someone in New York has given a million dollars to charity. Best of all, Lloyds Bank is completely transparent, putting out the following ad:\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.462653\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462653/Lloyds.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe adverts talk about the difficult times as well. Harrod’s advertise that\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ctable border\u003d\"1\" cellpadding\u003d\"1\" cellspacing\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"width: 500px;\"\u003e \n   \u003ctbody\u003e \n    \u003ctr\u003e \n     \u003ctd\u003eIn these days when it is difficult in many quarters to obtain one\u0027s needs at all, the fact that Harrods most wonderfully maintain the Quality of all they sell is appreciated and is little likely to be forgotten.\u003c/td\u003e \n    \u003c/tr\u003e \n   \u003c/tbody\u003e \n  \u003c/table\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cp\u003eGlaxo, purveyors of Full Cream Dried Milk, claim to promote ‘mother’s own milk’. They write\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003ctable border\u003d\"1\" cellpadding\u003d\"1\" cellspacing\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"width: 500px;\"\u003e \n    \u003ctbody\u003e \n     \u003ctr\u003e \n      \u003ctd\u003e \u003cp\u003eYou know, and we know too - that there is nothing SO good for Baby as Mother\u0027s own milk. And if you’re able to feed your darling yourself, you are to be congratulated.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBut unfortunately, in these days of strife and worry, Baby\u0027s natural food is often not forthcoming. Something else has to be found and without delay!\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \n     \u003c/tr\u003e \n    \u003c/tbody\u003e \n   \u003c/table\u003e \n   \u003cp\u003eOf-course, the solution is Glaxo’s dried milk.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe obituary column mentions Frederic Mocatta, ‘our never-to-be-forgotten friend’, who, like almost everyone else, has by now been forgotten.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo that’s the gloomy review of a 100 year old newspaper. Is the world brighter today? I think so. Do you?\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462651.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-jc-archive-blog-no-16-things-can-only-get-better-1.462651","publication_date":"Apr 18, 2018 3:43:24 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"Apr 18, 2018 3:44:07 PM","author":"The Archive Blog","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462652:1524062582/Archive%20blog%20large.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d6442cfe","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462606","headline":"My first time in Poland; the gentle chaos of defiance","subheadline":"This was the first time I  have managed to have a sliver of comprehension of the enormity of the number of victims, writes Laura Janner Klausner. ","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis week I visited Poland for the very first time. I’ve probably avoided this journey because I grew up in a Holocaust-drenched-home and then lived in Holocaust-steeped-Israel. A few years ago, I visited Lithuania where our family comes from and where, in the village which my great-grandfather left, 2,000 Jews were locked into the synagogue and burnt alive.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e I am so glad I finally went to Poland. We were beautifully held within the loving, gentle community of March of the Living UK, and guided by knowledgeable, wise, calm educators. The March of the Living is particularly outstanding in its educational approach as it is neither emotionally manipulative nor has a religious or Zionist agenda. I am most deeply grateful that I could weep without embarrassment, free to do so because others held my hand and did not fret.\u003cbr /\u003e \u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e The March itself was on the last day of our journey and is an ingathering of thousands of Jews and allies from around the world. We filled the paths of Auschwitz.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI was concerned about being squashed amongst what seemed like a vast number of people. Eleven thousand of us marched in defiance of the Nazis and in memorial to our victims.The people there who I knew and loved from the UK and from Israel were too numerous to count. Then the penny dropped. This was the first time I\u0026nbsp;have managed to have a sliver of comprehension of the enormity of the number of victims. Our large group that day was the same as the number of people who were gassed and burnt and exterminated in Auschwitz every two days, when the conveyer belt of hate was functioning fully.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn the March, people swop badges, bandanas and benign March of the Living memorabilia. It’s gentle chaos. Initially this jumble of people, sounds and motion grated on me but then I realised that it is precisely this organised balagan (apparently originally a Polish word) which vindicates this beautiful display of \u003cem\u003eAm Yisrael Chai\u003c/em\u003e. I imagined the ghost of the Auschwitz camp commander, Rudolf\u0026nbsp;H\u0026ouml;ss looking down on us. Not only were we there \u0026nbsp;— \u0026nbsp;thousands of Jews and friends and among us survivors in defiance of the Final Solution. Our reverent irreverence in and of itself representing and celebrating the opposite of the repulsive perverse “order” that the Nazi regime attempted to force on the world. I feel blessed to have gone, and even more blessed to return.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLaura Janner-Klausner is Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462606.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/laura-janner-klausner-on-her-first-time-in-poland-march-of-the-living-holocaust-1.462606","publication_date":"Apr 18, 2018 12:34:09 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 18, 2018 3:43:30 PM","author":"Rabbi Laura Janner Klausner ","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462609:1524051146/MarchoftheLiving.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d17a2f66","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462551","headline":"While I’m getting ready for university exams, my Israeli cousins are serving in the IDF","subheadline":"Student blogger Asha Sumroy on the contrast between her life, and that of her Israeli friends, especially on Yom Hazikaron","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor most students, this week marks the return to university as the Easter holiday we convinced ourselves was infinitely long comes to an end, and exam season looms suddenly closer than we’d like to think about.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA time, perhaps, when the nights-out are put on hold (or at least their frequency reduced) and the threat of not getting a seat in the library is enough to scare all of us into the 9am wake-ups we’ve been sleeping through for the rest of the year. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’m dragging out my return to Durham as long as I can. Partly because I’m enjoying living in a room where I can’t touch my hands on both walls at once, but also because this Wednesday specifically has been a day that my Jewish friends and I have been planning for months.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis time last year we were in Israel, where this week marks a time of commemoration and celebration. On Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s memorial day, commemorating fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terror) we attended one of the hundreds of memorial services held across the country to join those remembering those lost from their community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe stood silent alongside the morning errand-runners and shop owners, car drivers and passengers, residents on balconies and our \u003cem\u003emadrichim \u003c/em\u003e(leaders) in the streets of Jerusalem as the two minute-long siren sounded, before travelling to a memorial for fallen foreign soldiers who came to fight in Israel’s wars.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHere, our \u003cem\u003emadrichim \u003c/em\u003e- our friends - shared their stories of serving in the IDF and of loss and of the reality of living in this complex reality.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEven as the day drew to a close and the country’s radio stations started to transition from the quiet melodies, songs of grief and loss towards the celebratory music played for Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence day, which follows directly from Yom Hazikaron), we were left with the overwhelming knowledge that this was a reality that we could invest in listening to, but that we could never truly understand.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs Reform Zionists we believe in the state of Israel, many of us want to make aliyah in the future and we invest our time in educating diaspora Jewish youth, led by the belief that Zionism demands being critical of Israel whilst striving to make it a state that truly reflects Jewish values. Yet, whilst I’m getting ready for University exams, my Israeli cousins are serving in the IDF. Its a different world that I often imagine, but can only imagine.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo we’re left, a year on, with an even greater sense of conflict over this day. How do we mark this time of remembrance and celebration? When we are privileged to not be commemorating the loss of our own friends or family, when we engage critically with the multiple narratives surrounding this day, when we can take for granted the fact that our peers in Israel are conscripted to serve and protect a country we hope to live in, when we aren’t even in Israel to join in the ceremonies of those whose reality this is - what do we do?\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe’ll do our best. There’s been suggestions of peer-leading some discussions about narratives and then going out that night, some might even join the synagogue communities we haven\u0027t been to in years to join commemorative services and celebrations. I’m still not sure what feels right to me. But, tomorrow morning I’ll be up at 9am like thousands of students across the UK - not to race for a seat in a library, but to observe two minutes-silence in sync with the sirens sounding across the seas.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAsha Sumroy is one of the JC\u0027s regular student bloggers for 2017-18. She is studying at Durham University.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462551.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/while-i-m-getting-ready-for-university-exams-my-israeli-cousins-are-serving-in-the-idf-1.462551","publication_date":"Apr 17, 2018 3:47:39 PM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"Apr 18, 2018 10:33:13 AM","author":"Student Views","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462555:1523976302/channel-29.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003dd5b408b","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462543","headline":"United in love, hope and horror","subheadline":"Sir Bernard Zissman took part in the March of the Living for the first time this year, while in his 80s, and felt \u0027totally helpless\u0027 as he witnessed the mass graves in front of him","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis is a personal reflection of a “never to be forgotten” experience of four days in Poland in April 2018. That is when we joined 270 others from the UK to see, hear and remember the horror of the Holocaust.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOur party was a party of 11,000 Jews and non-Jews who marched from Auschwitz to Birkenau to show that, however evil the Nazis were,\u0026nbsp;Jewish life continues through the hopes and enthusiasm of a new generation of Jews determined not to forget, but to remember and continue to build a future.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo what did I feel? Why had I not done this trip before? Why wait until now? I have followed the example of my own grandchildren who have made this pilgrimage. But what were my thoughts as someone who had lived as a child through the Second World War, been rushed into the air raid shelter every night and evacuated from the bombing in my home of Birmingham.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003e\u003cimg data-image-id\u003d\"contentid/policy:1.462548\" src\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462548/ausch.jpg?f\u003d3x2\u0026amp;w\u003d400\u0026amp;q\u003d0.3\" /\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eWhy did I know so little?\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy first thoughts were: why did I know so little in 1945 of the horrors that had struck the Jews of Europe?\u0026nbsp;We had seen news pictures on \u003ci\u003ePathe News \u003c/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Movietone \u003c/i\u003ein the cinema and images in the newspapers of the liberation of the camps, the unbelievable scenes of skeletal human beings and the discovery of the mass graves.\u0026nbsp;This was a time of little or no television in the home. And then nothing! There were no further pictures, very few, if any reports, no debate, no discussion. Through my teens I cannot recall any obvious reporting of a tragedy which had claimed six million Jewish lives and the lives of millions of others, until until the reporting of the Nuremberg trials.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhy was there so much silence I now ask? The obvious answer is that the images and pictures were too horrific, too awful for us to see and take in.\u0026nbsp;We would be too shocked, and some might not even believe what had happened.\u0026nbsp;The other explanation was the onset of the Cold War and the\u0026nbsp;feeling that West Germany, a key ally in the “conflict” with the Communist Soviet Union, should not be upset.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd then there were the survivors themselves.Too scarred and damaged to even speak, many for 50 years, of their own terrifying experience and unbelievable loss, even to their own children and grandchildren, family and friends.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThank God they found the courage to share with us what happened, thank God they found the strength to tell us of this terrible act of evil and tyranny before it was too late and thank God we and the world, or some of the world, listened and have been given the opportunity and yes, the responsibility to continue to uphold the Jewish traditions and way of life for which the survivors’ parents, brothers and sisters, children and extended family all died.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eHow should I feel?\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI spent every minute during my visit to Poland and since, thinking of what I feel or indeed should feel. There is not a single feeling.\u0026nbsp;I felt intrusive of the deeply personal loss of each survivor, and an intruder in so much private grief.\u0026nbsp;I thought of my own grandparents and great-grandparents who had fled Poland and Russia in time and protected me and my children and grand-children from such a horror.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAt every \u003ci\u003eYizkor\u003c/i\u003e (memorial) prayer we recite in Synagogue on festivals we remember the six million.\u0026nbsp;Numbers can by themselves mean so much or so little.\u0026nbsp;We can be overcome by repeating how many died, millions here, hundreds of thousands there, 90 per cent of the 3,500,00 Jews in Poland, another 90 per cent in Austria, Germany and the Baltic Countries, over 50 per cent\u0026nbsp;of the Jews in Yugoslavia, Belgium, Hungary, Holland, Greece, Slovakia and the list goes on and on. And similarly only one from Finland out of 2,000 Jews living there.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eI cannot get my mind around the numbers\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor each survivor the impact is their own one or two, or ten, or all of their family. I simply cannot get my mind around the numbers, I cannot imagine the scale of killing and utterly inhuman tragedy. I cannot find the words. \u0026nbsp;And all this perpetrated by a nation of such intelligence and cultural history, a country which gave us Beethoven, Bach, Thomas Mann, Goethe and Felix Mendelssohn who will surely outlive other German names - Hitler, Himmler and Eichmann. This was not a people of uncivilised tribal savages but a nation who were proud\u0026nbsp; to “get it right” and probably surpassed every other country in their organised crime and tyranny.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eWe listened in awe\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe stood in the centre of Birkenau and listened in awe and deeply respectful silence to \u0026quot;our own\u0026quot; survivor,\u0026nbsp;Ivor Perl, accompanied by his daughter and grand-daughter. Each of the seven buses\u0026nbsp;had its own survivor,\u0026nbsp;to tell his or her story.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI know we have heard the testimonies on TV and even in gatherings back home, but we listened and watched\u0026nbsp;as Ivor recounted his experience by the side of a wagon similar to one in which he travelled as a 12-year-old boy, where he watched\u0026nbsp;an SS guard nod his head or click his fingers or merely point his finger to\u0026nbsp;decide\u0026nbsp;who would live and who would die.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe stood in the billet in which he and his brother had lived - perhaps existed is a better word - as we walked through the the gas chambers which had claimed the lives of his loved ones. We could\u0026nbsp; feel his emotion and struggle to overcome the terrible memory and desperation of what had occurred in this hell on earth. This experience will live with me for as long as I am allowed to live\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe were privileged to have Clive Lawton as our Educator and he explained in graphic detail that we should not confuse the death camps, of which there were only six, with the concentration or labour camps, the former designed by the Nazis primarily to exterminate Jews and others and the latter where those who died did so from hunger, disease, over-work and being shot for being too slow, too old, too young or too infirm.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eRemembering\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe visited\u0026nbsp;Madjanek and Belzec where we stood many in tears and recited the Memorial Prayer\u0026nbsp; \u003ci\u003eEl Malei Rachamim\u003c/i\u003e and the Mourners\u0027\u0026nbsp;\u003ci\u003eKaddish \u003c/i\u003eremembering the families\u0026nbsp;of those in our group.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAlthough we were not alone as visitors, these sites were places of personal quietude, little natural habitation, no shrill of birds, just a silence, a place of unbelievable death, of the memorials so erected and maintained with such care by a Polish people who themselves had been decimated with huge loss of life murdered by the Nazi cruel machine. To be told, and to witness the sight of mass graves of children, “our” children, torn from the grasping hands of utterly distraught parents, some shot and thrown into a heaped grave, some still alive. cannot be absorbed by the human mind. I felt totally helpless and even a sense of shame that I had known so little. As it is said “ the more I learn shows how little I knew “.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe came together to mark the Shoah and heard from the inspiration behind the \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.marchoftheliving.org.uk/\"\u003eUK March of the Living,\u003c/a\u003e Scott Saunders, Chairman of MOTL UK. With huge emotion and gratitude we applauded the presence of Ian Austin MP together with Sir Eric Pickles (former UK\u0026nbsp;Government Minister, former Chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel and the United Kingdom Special Envoy for post-Holocaust issues) and Joan Ryan MP\u0026nbsp;(Chairman of the Labour Friends of Israel) both of whom spoke movingly and courageously as true friends of the Jewish Community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eHope\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOur visit ended on a note of hope.\u0026nbsp; We had stood by the memorial at Madjanek and joined young Israelis as we sang together the\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eHatikvah\u003c/em\u003e, the anthem of hope, and stood as one people, the young, the old, those who had survived, those who had been spared the horror, those who were deeply religious, and those who were not.\u0026nbsp;And that hope was the core of the March of the Living, 11,000\u0026nbsp;marchers from the four quarters of the world in the midst of a sea of Israeli flags walking many in silence some with strong voices.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe pledge by Jew and non Jew alike to ensure the Jewish people who paid such a heavy price will continue as a living beacon, not just of the pain of the past but a force for future hope and good. The impressive closing ceremony held in the shadows of the crumbled gas chambers at Birkenau and under a clear blue sky was addressed by the President of the State of Israel Reuven Rivlin and Polish President Andrzej Duda. All those present rose to the strong voice of Lt Col Abramson with the IDF choir as he recited \u003ci\u003eEl Malei Rachamim. \u003c/i\u003eAnd\u003ci\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/i\u003ewe then departed with our own thoughts and memories.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI cannot ignore the experience of the day before we left the UK for Poland when we stood in Victoria in London protesting with hundreds of others against those who continue to perpetuate the lies that the Holocaust never existed and who wish to continue the evils of antisemitism, a shame on them all. When will they learn that they can burn our synagogues, even burn our scrolls of the Torah as well as our families, but they will never burn our resolve and our faith to live on as a Jewish nation?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTo be a part of this visit to Poland has been for my wife\u0026nbsp;Cynthia and myself a unique experience. Perhaps we waited too long to make it, but we have achieved it and we will be inspired by the words of the educators, the commitment of UJIA, our bus organiser and MOTL UK and of course the courage and strength of the survivors.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSir Bernard Zissman served as President of the Birmingham Hebrew Congregation, remains President of the Birmingham and West Midlands Representative Council and is a former Lord Mayor of Birmingham.\u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462543.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/a-personal-reflection-on-the-march-of-the-living-sir-bernard-zissman-auschwitz-holocaust-1.462543","publication_date":"Apr 17, 2018 2:59:34 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 17, 2018 3:03:44 PM","author":"Bernard Zissman","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462547:1523973671/MOL.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d99f127d","caption":"The 2018 UK group taking part in the March of the Living","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462501","headline":"Corbyn\u0027s \u0027round table\u0027 on antisemitism is an attempt to divide and rule","subheadline":"Jeremy Corbyn is using classic Soviet tactics in his dealings with the Jewish community","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf you want to understand the politics behind\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/corbyn-invites-jewish-groups-to-round-table-1.462496\"\u003e Jeremy Corbyn’s invitation \u003c/a\u003eto a variety of groups to a ‘round table’ on antisemitism next week – including Jewish Voice for Labour\u0026nbsp; - you need first to understand the history of the World Peace Council.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn 1948, the Soviet Communist Party set up the WPC as a propaganda organisation to push the aims of Soviet foreign policy. It supposedly consisted of a range of groups, all of which had credible sounding names: the Christian Peace Conference, the International Federation of Resistance Fighters, the International Institute for Peace, the International Organization of Democratic Lawyers, the International Organization of Journalists, International Union of Students, the World Federation of Democratic Youth, the World Federation of Scientific Workers, the World Federation of Trade Unions and the Women\u0027s International Democratic Federation.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eEach of them was nothing other than a Soviet front, funded by the USSR and with only one purpose: to push the idea that the world had two alternatives, the peaceful Soviet Union and the imperialist USA.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe tactic was clear and obvious to anyone willing to look with their eyes open: to undermine the West by portraying NATO as the very opposite of its true intent as a defensive alliance.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt worked. The likes of CND acted as the USSR’s ‘useful idiots’, to use Lenin’s phrase, pushing the Soviet line and undermining Western defence. It worked to such an extent that although some within CND and the so-called peace movement knew exactly what they were doing – some were simply Soviet agents - others were simply very, very gullible and thought they were genuinely campaigning for peace rather than acting as Soviet stooges.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe tactic was a classic of Stalinists. If you want to undermine your opponents, don’t meet them head on; sow division and watch as they undermine themselves.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhich brings us to Jewish Voice for Labour.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBe under no illusions about Mr Corbyn’s round table. He is not serious about tackling antisemitism – or more accurately, about tackling antisemites. He cannot be, because that would mean tackling and distancing himself from the very groups and people he has been immersed in since he first entered politics.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe has been forced to confront the issue over the past few weeks because the media have at last cottoned on to the extent of the issue within the hard left, and many of his own MPs and members have refused to let it die down. The Board of Deputies and JLC’s ‘Enough is Enough’ rally in Parliament Square upped the ante.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFor those around Mr Corbyn, there is only one requirement: to neutralise the issue.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat means sowing division and undermining those organisations – the Board and the JLC – which genuinely represent the vast bulk of the community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd it means portraying the Jewish Labour Movement – an affiliate of the Labour Party – as merely one alternative voice for Jews within the Labour Party alongside JVL.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat’s why, for example, Mr Corbyn’s first contact with any Jewish organisation since the rally was to attend the Jewdas ‘Third Seder’. And look how well it worked. Instead of focusing on the issue of antisemitism within the Labour Party, attention within the Jewish community itself has been focused on the (ridiculous) question of whether or not Jewdas are\u0026nbsp;‘good’ or ‘bad’ Jews.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut Jewdas are an irrelevance in the bigger picture. The Corbynite version of the World Peace Council is Jewish Voice for Labour.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJVL has only one purpose: it was set up last August to undermine the claims of antisemitism within the party. Its chair, Jenny Manson, has admitted this, saying its core purpose is to “tackle allegations of antisemitism in the Labour Party”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMany of its members are not Jewish. And of those that are, many only use their Jewish roots as a political tool to undermine the mainstream community. As Ms Manson put it, she only “began to identify as a Jew in order to argue against the state of Israel”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJVL’s secretary is Glyn Secker, who recently said that the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council were acting in the service of Israel and protesting about antisemitism because they were “baying for a political lynching” – a reference to the suspended Labour and Momentum activist Jackie Walker. He went on: “We stand alongside Jackie Walker.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Secker was readmitted to the Labour Party after he was suspended over his membership of a secret Facebook group in which antisemitic material was posted.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJVL’s role is to provide a ‘counter narrative’ to the Board and JLC to provide an entirely misleading alternative, so it seems as if the Board and JLC are merely competing voices alongside JVL.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Corbyn used this tactic in his recent interview with the Jewish News, in which he praised JVL for giving a “Jewish voice in the party. We already have the Jewish Labour Movement. JVL was established last year and I think it is good that we have organisations within the party that are giving that voice to people.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs the World Peace Council showed, it may be an old and obvious tactic but it works. Already, social media is full of praise for the idea of the round table, with tweets saying how good it is that Mr Corbyn is willing to meet with diverse Jewish voices, and attacking anyone who is not enamoured of the idea of walking straight into Mr Corbyn’s trap.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBe clear what is going on. The round table next week has no other purpose than to divide the Jewish community, giving spurious comparable legitimacy to Jewish Voice for Labour, a Corbynite front organisation, as to the genuinely representative bodies of the Jewish community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt should be treated with the contempt it deserves.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462501.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/corbyn-round-table-labour-antisemitism-1.462501","publication_date":"Apr 17, 2018 9:17:55 AM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"Apr 17, 2018 11:03:37 AM","author":"The JC Comment Blog","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.460980:1523629632/b-large.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9ab90ff","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462493","headline":"Israel: Seventy years young","subheadline":"Neil Lazarus says that the country refuses to act its age — and this may just be a key to its success","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael was a very different country when I made the move from England in 1988. High-tech had not taken hold, and the country was bulging at the seams with new immigrants from the former Soviet Union. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eToday you arrive at one of the world’s most modern airports. But when I landed at the beleaguered old terminal I was met by an elderly official. All he said to me was: “Run.” \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe took one suitcase, I took the other, and together we dashed. I asked him why we were running. He pointed at three planes that had just landed and said: “They are full of Russian immigrants and will choke up immigration for hours. Running is your only chance of leaving the airport today.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLife here, after all these years of development, still lends itself to the absurd.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI came to a standstill driving near the Dead Sea when a camel stopped in the road, stubbornly blocking both lanes. My online search for “how to move a camel from a road” yielded no useful results. A while later, a Bedouin man came and quickly moved his camel, but he did not see me waiting. Why? Because he was so busy on his smartphone. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis summed up today’s Israel for me: an old-age scene, and a man using cutting-edge technology, several components of which were developed here. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe are the nation where high-tech execs end up, like me, being late for meetings because of camels in the road, where old and new mix. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe state’s mentality matches this old-new combination. The country is 70 years old — the age of maturity — but in a sense it still has the mentality of a 20-year-old. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael still has the fearlessness of a young person: the energy, determination and strength to try new things. I see this as both a weakness and a strength. Perhaps, like any youngster, it does not listen to others enough — in this case, friends in the international community and the Jewish Diaspora. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut on the other hand, this gutsiness and chutzpah — the same qualities that made a bunch of idealists decide to establish this state — gives it the originality to innovate and pioneer, in art, culture, technology, and many other spheres. ■\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNeil Lazarus is an educator and speaker. Find his website at: awesomeseminars.com\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462493.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/israel-seventy-years-young-1.462493","publication_date":"Apr 16, 2018 5:28:34 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 17, 2018 9:50:54 AM","author":"Neil Lazarus","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462494:1523896221/IMG_4838%23medium.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d865aeeb","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462388","headline":"Of course we must celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut - here\u0027s why","subheadline":"What we are celebrating on Israel Independence Day is not Israel’s positive aspects, but the fact that such a country exists full-stop, writes student Gavriel Cohn","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen I read \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/a-student-asks-what-we-are-celebrating-as-israel-turns-70-palestine-antisemitism-1.462120\"\u003eNina Morris Evans’s article\u003c/a\u003e, which asked \u0026quot;What are we really celebrating as Israel turns 70?\u0026quot;,\u0026nbsp;I was shocked, and felt a need to respond.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHer piece indeed acknowledged Israel\u0027s positive aspects — being the only democratic country in the Middle East and a country of great economic and cultural vitality. However, she notes that the Occupation and Israel\u0027s severe human rights breaches have\u0026nbsp;caused her love for Israel to wane and so she will \u0026quot;not put on her party shoes for any birthday celebrations\u0026quot; this year.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI do not intend to argue with her in regards to the Israel-Palestine conflict\u0026nbsp;per se —\u0026nbsp;such an exercise would be futile. With both of us respectively maintaining opposing and incompatible viewpoints in regards to the conflict, it would just end up with the lobbying of pieces of information that support each of our respective outlooks and re-qualifying or dismissing those that do not. By this I do not mean to admit that my personal view on Israel is uncritically one-sided, rather it is an acceptance of the reality of how Israel-Palestine debates generally ensue.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHowever, to tell you the truth, entering into a political debate is besides the point. I object to her decision not to celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut on a more fundamental level. Even if I were to grant her the \u0026quot;indisputable facts\u0026quot; of Israel possessing the moral low-ground, that is of no bearing, I would argue, on whether or not to celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Her reluctance to do so instead means to lack a basic understanding as to what it is Israelis and Jews around the world are actually celebrating.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat we are marking on Israel Independence Day is not Israel’s positive aspects - that Israel is the \u0026quot;tech capital of the world\u0026quot;, or the only democracy \u0026quot;of all the countries in the Middle East.\u0026quot; Rather it is because such a country exists full-stop, because the Jewish people’s right to self-determination was materialised.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWe \u0026quot;put on our party shoes\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp;for no reason other than out of this basic historical sensitivity. To be grateful for such an event — the establishment of a Jewish homeland — requires not “unconditional love”, nor possessing moral or political identification with Israeli government policy, rather it is the product of this simple ability to understand what the creation of such a country means for the Jewish people.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBeing a Jew, by definition, means being a member of the Jewish people. One is therefore obligated to lift oneself out of being solely a British individual standing within the year 2018, and to take a step back, to view the world through the eyes of the Jewish people as a whole, and their particular past. Doing this will enable a person to recognise the sheer magnitude of being able to finally establish a state for ourselves as a people in 1948, and to celebrate.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNina\u0027s approach rejects all of the above. By refusing to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut, she would rather, I fear, have no state at all.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGavriel Cohn is a first year student studying\u0026nbsp;Jewish Studies at UCL\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462388.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/a-student-explains-why-we-should-celebrate-yom-haatzmaut-israel-at-70-1.462388","publication_date":"Apr 16, 2018 4:02:37 PM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 16, 2018 4:22:31 PM","author":"Gavriel Cohn","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462412:1523890364/TelAviv.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d3c660d4","caption":"Tel Aviv","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462360","headline":"How a food editor contains middle age spread - a confession","subheadline":"I\u0027m always being asked how I manage not to look like Mrs Blobby when my work is all about food. ","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen you have the word \u0027food\u0027 in your job title, it\u0027s hard not to eat 24:7.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf I\u0027m not eating out, I\u0027m trying out new foods or developing recipes at home. I\u0027ve never been one of those lucky people who could eat what they wanted and remain svelte. I\u0027ve always exercised to balance out my greed. Even if I did outdo myself and put on a few pounds, I could rein it in for a few days, move more and the pounds would drop off.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI\u0027ve reached an age where that is no longer possible.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The pounds were creeping on any my clothes were straining. Just a little.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo, just before Pesach,\u0026nbsp;I took myself off to my local Weighwatchers meeting.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt worked wonders. There is no rocket science to it - you eat less, you move more and you lose weight.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat I like about it this time is that the plan is clearly steering you to a new and healthier way of eating.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA huge number of foods (fruit, veg, eggs, grilled poultry\u0026nbsp;and fish plus herbs, spices and fat free yoghurt) are \u0027free\u0027. Provided you don\u0027t eat them to excess you can eat fress freely.\u0026nbsp; Other foods are given points values. They clearly steer you towards healthy choices and to make full us of those free foods. Higher\u0026nbsp;sugar and fat foods and even breads have fairly\u0026nbsp;high\u0026nbsp;point scores.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI can eat 23 points a day, and to give you an idea of how those points go, a plain white bagel would be 5 points and the tiniest slither of cake could be 15 or 20! Two tiny\u0026nbsp;spoonfuls - just about 30g - of Ben and Jerry\u0027s fudge brownie ice cream was a mega 4 points. It was hardly worth opening the freezer for!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOver Pesach - which included a family holiday - I halted the usual cinnamon ball fuelled increase and actually managed to lose a couple of pounds.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI\u0027m still doing my job - sampling less than I would normally and making healthier restaurant choices, but I\u0027m feeling so much better.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462360.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/how-a-food-editor-holds-back-middle-age-spread-a-confession-1.462360","publication_date":"Apr 16, 2018 11:15:31 AM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"May 2, 2018 2:39:25 PM","author":"The Fresser","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462498:1523943183/fruit%20salad%20pixaby.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d7368641","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462297","headline":"The JC letters page, 13th April  ","subheadline":"Les Cazin, Judith Ornstein, Andrew Fisch, R Dassa, Susan Field, Mark Goldberg, Henry R. Magrill, Stuart Harris, Maurice Vidowsky, Dr Jacqueline H Reynolds, Ian Napper and Jenny Kassman Julia Bard Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz Louisa S Kaplin Julian Lousada Sue Lukes Prof. Mica Nava Jenny Richardson David Rosenberg Monika Schwartz Prof. Lynne Segal Annabelle Sreberny Ruth Steigman Annette Thomas Dr Gillian Yudkin and Prof. John S Yudkin share their views with JC readers","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eTime to talk\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    The BoD, JLC, CAA, JC \u0026nbsp;and whoever else, \n   \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/if-we-are-divided-on-challenging-labour-antisemitism-and-jeremy-crbyn-we-will-all-fall-1.462141\"\u003eall need to sit down and talk\u003c/a\u003e. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    It probably needs a mutually agreed arbitrator to help these talented and good leaders and organisations to realise it’s time to focus on solutions and respect differences of approach. It’s time to put aside the past and to reach a \u0026nbsp;detente for the sake of all of us at this dreadful time.\u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    If those involved can’t recognise or do this, regardless of any wrongs that \u0026nbsp;have led to this horrible internal situation, then they honestly sacrifice the right to be called leaders \u0026nbsp;and leave the British Jewish community rudderless. \u0026nbsp;This is a plea. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eJudith Ornstein, Producer of the Whitewashed Project, www.whitewashed.co.uk\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eBushey, Herts\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    It is sadly true that the biggest problem that Jews face in this country is the constant display of antagonism displayed by various factions within it. Do people not realise that antisemites loathe \u0026nbsp;all Jews, not just some depending on their religious or political views ? \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    We can learn from the recent display of cohesion shown by the the JLC and the Board in how to work together and display a show of strength and unity. \u0026nbsp;It is time we all heeded this warning in order that we don’t provide any further reason for those who hate us to see disquiet amongst our own people. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eAndrew Fisch,\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eLondon NW8\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    I was shocked to hear the Board of Deputies criticising Corbyn for going to a Seder with the “ \n   \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-jc-comment-blog-no-11-what-is-corbyn-telling-us-when-he-breaks-unleavened-bread-with-jewdas-1.461785\"\u003ewrong Jews\u003c/a\u003e”. The role of the BoD is to be “the voice of the British Jewish community”, not to decide who is the “right” kind of Jew. By doing this they have shown themselves to be disingenuous in their recent attacks on the Labour party. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Labour may have a problem with antisemitism they are committed to fix; the Tories have a problem with the poor, vulnerable and young, the NHS, social care, schools, housing, nurses, doctors, libraries and nefarious deals with the DUP.\u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    My daughter’s school, JFS, had to make staff redundancies due to government funding cuts; my mother had a stroke in November and waited four hours for an ambulance — everyday is a struggle to get the care she needs; my son will be leaving university and starting his young life with debts of over \u0026pound;50,000. For all those reasons I will be voting Labour in the next elections.\u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    The BoD are being divisive, they need to realise that their duty is to represent me too. We are all Jewish, whatever our political or ideological differences, stop trying to break up our community.\u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eR Dassa,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eLondon N5\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner \n   \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/jewdas-jeremy-corbyn-labour-party-antisemitism-seder-pesach-passover-1.461826\"\u003eis reported as having attended the Jewdas Seder\u003c/a\u003e but left immediately upon seeing Mr Corbyn. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Surely, as Senior Rabbi of Reform Judaism, Rabbi Janner-Klausner should check the hosts (and their values) of any event to which she is invited before deciding whether or not to attend.\u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eSusan Field,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003ePreston PR2\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eCorbyn’s aims\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Daniel Finkelstein \n   \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/daniel-finkelstein-jeremy-corbyn-jewdas-seder-not-a-political-error-1.461849\"\u003e(JC \u0026nbsp;April 5\u003c/a\u003e) writes that Jeremy Corbyn divides the world between the oppressors and the oppressed. “Jewdas he sees as for the oppressed, while the Jewish communal bodies, erm, aren’t. Like Israel.”\u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    To many people, this is unsatisfactory and irrelevant. Unless Corbyn is unmasked or removed, they will regard Labour — former political home of Jews in the UK — as irredeemably tainted by antisemitism. But what to do about it apart from demanding “action”? \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Finkelstein’s astute analysis holds the key: get back to our roots. After all, as we are fond of telling everybody, who knows more about suffering and oppression than we do? \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    In almost every Western country, Jews are amongst the most successful and upwardly mobile ethnic groups. In less than three generations we have grown from humble shoemakers, carpenters and tailors to leadership in industry, commerce and the professions, and gained the wealth that comes with those achievements. What we have given back to the community has been massive, but with little impact, apparently, on many outside of our own community, which has benefited significantly if not quite unilaterally. That needs to change.\u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    So let’s do a Jewdas on Jeremy. When the BoD and the JLC sit down with Labour leaders let them discuss how our community can actively promote their agenda to target the massive gaps in our society. Let our property tycoons lead the battle on homelessness. Let our Law Lords lead the battle to extricate young Afro-Carribeans from gang-warfare and knife-crime. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Let our bankers, lawyers and accountants lead the war on tax-evasion, money laundering and tax havens to benefit society as a whole. Let our Ofsted-beating schools offer scholarships to youth from deprived backgrounds. Let our well-endowed Jewish institutions share their resources and expertise with the sick, disabled and disadvantaged in the wider community. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    And, above all, let our communal leaders and spokesmen unflinchingly denounce injustice, inequality and oppression from whichever source it stems — including Israel. After all, as the Talmud says: he who does not do so is responsible for its consequences. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Will that end all antisemitism? Of course not. Could it remove some essential components of that disease such as conflation of Jews with oppressors, exploiters, colonialists and the like? Maybe. Even if it does not, what greater demonstration could there be that Jews do care for the many, not just the Jew. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eMark Goldberg,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eLondon NW11\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Malvyn Benjamin’s tongue in cheek thought ( \n   \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/letters/the-jc-letters-page-6th-april-2018-1.461985\"\u003eLetters April 6\u003c/a\u003e) that Jeremy Corbyn is working closely with the Aliyah Department to increase emigration to Israel is not as irreverent as he suggests. After all, we have it on good authority that Adolf Hitler adopted a similar strategy in the early 1930s. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eHenry R. Magrill,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eLondon W2\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    “Leaders have to listen” says Jeremy Corbyn. How come Jeremy Corbyn only listens to extremists not moderates ? \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eStuart Harris,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eLondon N12\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    I am retired and a lifelong Jewish Labour Party member. In view of recent events I wrote to the Party and said I was stopping my direct debit and withdrawing my membership until further notice. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Nobody has bothered to contact me. Nobody has tried to discuss this with me or clarify what could be done to make me reconsider. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Clearly my lifelong membership (and some voluntary work) is not of any great value to the party at this time. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eMaurice Vidowsky,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eLondon N8\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    As Jewish Labour Party members in Islington North we know from experience that our MP, Jeremy Corbyn is a strong believer in human rights and \u0026nbsp;respects and values minority communities here, including our Jewish one. We are sure that the same applies to his leadership of the Labour Party. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    We are dismayed by unbalanced media reporting ahead of the local elections of allegations of antisemitism against Jeremy. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    We believe this partly results from his legitimate criticism of Israel’s cruel and racist treatment towards its Palestinian and Bedouin populations. This is because one definition of antisemitism includes criticism of the Israeli state as racist. We reject that definition. Indeed, many Israelis criticise actions of their state. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Any genuine antisemites and racists among the 600,000 members of the Labour Party should be challenged and, if necessary, expelled. The recommendations in the Chakrabarti Report will greatly help deal with such abuse. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    We dissociate ourselves from the accusations of antisemitism made against Jeremy by the Board of Deputies and some Labour MPs. We confirm our confidence and support for Jeremy as MP and as a future prime minister of this country. \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eJenny Kassman (Finsbury Park Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eJulia Bard (St George’s Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eCllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz (Junction Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eLouisa S Kaplin ( Junction Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eJulian Lousada (Highbury East Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eSue Lukes (Highbury East Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eProf. Mica Nava (St George’s Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eJenny Richardson (Tollington Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Rosenberg (St George’s Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eMonika Schwartz (Junction Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eProf. Lynne Segal (Highbury East Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eAnnabelle Sreberny (Highbury East Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eRuth Steigman (St George’s Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eAnnette Thomas (St George’s Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eDr Gillian Yudkin (St George’s Branch) \u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eProf. John S Yudkin (St George’s Branch)\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eManipulation\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    The people who live in the Gaza strip are being manipulated by Hamas. This is not a statement of profound insight! We all know this. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    However, seeing the howling mobs of Palestinians attacking the border fence between Gaza and Israel was a frightening experience. Imagine yourselves on the Israeli side of this fence with a family — elderly parents,spouse and children — waiting for an attack from the Hamas driven hordes. \u0026nbsp;Wouldn’t you be frightened and feel blessed that IDF is out there protecting you. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    I am a gentile, but those individuals at the border fence terrified me. How much more terrified must be the inhabitants of Israel facing the prospect of a breakthrough if IDF fails to stop them. And yet again Jeremy Corbyn does not condemn the violence. \u0026nbsp;He, of course, is not in the path of a crazed mob about to attack anyone they see as an enemy, \u0026nbsp;and, unfortunately, they see most of the civilized world as “enemy”. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    The hatred and violence of the humans I have seen storming the Gaza/Israel fence is so overwhelming that I despair. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eDr Jacqueline H Reynolds, Prof. Emeritus,\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;Duke University USA.\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eA remarkable man\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Not many people have their name give rise to a verb because of what they have done. Henry Knorpel, whose obituary recently appeared in the JC, unintentionally originated the phrase “been Knorpeled”. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    In his role as Counsel to the Speaker of the House of Commons, Henry scrutinised statutory instruments drafted by all government departments. Any draftsman who received a probing letter from Henry querying the way a piece of legislation had been written or, indeed, the power to make it, knew he would have to put his hands up to an error and redraft. (Something I had to do more than once.) \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    You had “been Knorpeled” — almost a badge of honour from a man with a brilliant mind and generous heart. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eIan Napper,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eEssex IG8\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003eHelp needed\u003c/h3\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    I am trying to trace relatives or friends of musician Michael Flome (Hyman Flaum), who was killed in an accident while on military service in WW2 and buried in a Commonwealth War Grave at Marlow Road Cemetery. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Michael was a well known bandleader in the 1930/40s. His parents were Harris and Annie Flaum and I am aware that he had a sister Hettie.\u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    Amazingly, next to his parents’ graves at Marlow Road are buried a Harry and Anne Flaum who could be related although I cannot find a connection. I have traced several Flaums, but cannot make contact with any direct relatives. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    I believe the Flaums were cousins to my grandparents Marks and Leah Cazin as they put an obituary notice in the JC of April 1945 following Leah’s death. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    I and several cousins would welcome any information about Michael, Harris or Annie Flaum which would help find the links to our family. \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u0026nbsp; \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eLes Cazin, \u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003cstrong\u003eHerts AL2\u003c/strong\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e \n  \u003cdiv\u003e \n   \u003ca href\u003d\"mailto:les.cazin@sky.com\"\u003eles.cazin@sky.com\u003c/a\u003e \n  \u003c/div\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462297.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/letters/the-jc-letters-page-13th-april-2018-1.462297","publication_date":"Apr 13, 2018 3:25:00 PM","section":"Letters","modification_date":"Apr 16, 2018 12:31:42 PM","author":"JC Reporter","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.451202:1514550007/jpg%20(33).jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003da1b8a0b","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462287","headline":"The JC Comment Blog – Let\u0027s talk about sex","subheadline":"Sex education has never been more essential, but some Jewish parents are actively trying to block it - that\u0027s a mistake, argues Rosa Doherty","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eA banana and a condom in a PSHE lesson, in year 10, sums up my sex education at the hands of appropriate adults.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe only other conversation I had about sex happened when I was 16.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was with my mum and we were sitting in her car outside a tube station. I was about to get out when she uncomfortably found the words to say that she knew I was probably thinking about sex, and that I could talk to her for advice. It was of course, by that point, too late.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLooking back, the lack of information available to me at the time was terrifying.\u0026nbsp; My sex education came from my peers, spread through gossip about what other people were doing, along with pressure about when you’re meant to do it.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNo one told me what a healthy relationship looked like, or more importantly how to get help if you found yourself in an unhealthy one.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eLuckily I was the kind of young person who was not easily pressured, however others are not so fortunate and early negative experience of sex and relationships can impact you forever.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhen Damian Hinds, the recently appointed Education Secretary, reiterated the right of parents to take children out of SRE — although not from lessons on reproduction in science, I did wonder.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn what planet would any parent conclude\u0026nbsp;that educating their child about a subject that will help to keep them safe, is in fact a potential harm?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMy school was a local comprehensive:\u0026nbsp;friends who attended Jewish schools tell me tales of biology lessons where the pages about sexual reproduction were stuck together.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd that it wasn’t until they were in their late teens that they learnt about sex and what the opposite sexes’ body looks like, or more importantly, how it functions.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat learning wasn’t done through formal education but through porn, which often presents an entirely unrealistic expectation of sex, and regularly promotes negative attitudes towards women.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“It is obvious that teenage boys regardless of their religious background are going to find out about these things one way or another.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e“I would have preferred for it to have been through formal education,” remarks one friend, who like many turned to porn for education.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe idea that some parents want to withdraw their children from sex education today, blows my mind.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eInstead of making these subjects less taboo, they are pushing young people to learn about it from unreliable sources.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI grew up without the pressure of social media, where today children as young as 12 are goaded by their peers into sending nude photos of themselves.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is a problem we know exists in Jewish schools and many have struggled to protect their students from harm.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe Jewish Orthodox Feminist Association UK says a child’s access to accurate information on sex and relationships should not be determined by their religious background.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd I agree.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eJofa UK says that while there should be some flexibility depending on schools’ cultural needs, this should not allow them to omit “whole subjects that are slightly less comfortable to conservative faith communities”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe government wants to extend sex education to academies and free schools as well as primary schools, meaning many Jewish schools might have to teach students about things they traditionally liked to avoid.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eUnder legislation passed last year, this education should be “appropriate” to the age and religious background of pupils.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe law says the education authorities should produce further regulations on when pupils may be “excused” from receiving SRE.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd those religiously conservative schools “should not be able to ignore this education by saying it is not relevant to them”.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd why should it, it doesn’t mean that a school should be stopped from teaching its preference for pre-marital abstinence from sex, but that it teaches about the mechanics of sex, safe sex, and healthy relationships.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’d challenge anyone to explain to me how that level of knowledge causes harm.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003ch3\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-jc-comment-blog-no-16-why-corbyn-s-labour-will-come-unstuck-1.462079\"\u003eRead the previous post\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462287.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/blogs/the-jc-comment-blog-no-17-let-s-talk-about-sex-1.462287","publication_date":"Apr 13, 2018 11:47:42 AM","section":"Blogs","modification_date":"Apr 13, 2018 3:27:12 PM","author":"The JC Comment Blog","byline":"","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.460980:1523629632/b-large.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d9ab90ff","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462164","headline":"Was that safety and security just a blip?","subheadline":"It really felt like things were going in the right direction - when the 2012 Olympics opened, it felt as if the battle of ideas was being won. But that\u0027s all changed, writes Jennifer Lipman","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI’m of the generation for whom things were supposed to only get better. Tony Blair (via D:Ream) told us so in 1997, while before him Francis Fukuyama argued we were at the end of history, that western liberal democracy had won out. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBorn at the tail end of the Cold War, alive — although I don’t remember it — when the Berlin Wall fell, during my 1990s childhood the world never felt especially unsafe. The conflicts of that era — Bosnia, say — were largely distant but contained, not things that impacted on your average north London child. Air travel may well have been stressful for adults, but not because of the necessity of endless security checks. In primary school I did a project on the EC, leaving me with an abiding picture of European nations joining together, not breaking apart. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAt cheder we learnt about antisemitism and the Holocaust as historical fact, never as a contemporary issue. With grandparents there, Israel was always in the background (I vividly recall Rabin’s assassination), but other than being shocked by the counter-protest at the Wembley Israel’s 50th celebration, I absorbed little of the vitriol directed towards the Jewish state. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI spent my A Levels studying politics and being told that Britain had a stable two-party system, that the Northern Irish question was settled, that devolution meant Scotland and England could co-exist, and, most of all, that our political system guarded against extremism. There was the BNP, of course, but it was a joke, a monster under the bed, hardly a force to be reckoned with.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTo an extent, 9/11, Iraq, the second intifada and then 7/7 shattered some of my complacency; to an extent growing up did. Politics certainly got murkier as I entered my teens, not least when we looked across the Atlantic. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYet even while waters were stormy on the foreign front, overall it still felt things were indeed getting better for Britain and beyond. In 2005 the world was going to make poverty history, not make history repeat itself. There was Obama’s election and everything it represented, and, while New Labour collapsed, socially liberal politics didn’t; the Lib Dems made it into government and progressive, centrist ideology seemed to be on the ascendant. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn campus, we were elated about the future. We demonstrated in favour of free speech rather than shutting down contentious ideas for fear of offence. Social media was billed as our generation’s magic formula to unlock opportunity; technology was supposed to break boundaries and solve intractable problems. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt’s easy to be rose-tinted; the 1990s and early noughties were far from perfect even from the privileged perch of a western liberal democracy. Iraq was immensely divisive; as I graduated we careened into the worst recession in decades and opened the doors to an austerity agenda that continues to cause misery. It’s been more than a decade since the Middle East has felt anywhere close to peace.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eYet, and call me too cocooned to notice, for my first quarter century or so, it really felt like things were going in the right direction. When the 2012 Olympics opened, it felt as if the battle of ideas was being won. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt doesn’t today. Things just feel angrier and the time for moderation seems to be over.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe internet no longer feels like a platform for possibility, but a home for prejudice and misogyny. Politicians thrive on discord, not consensus. Leave aside the global terror threat, or Russian interference, Brexit has torn Britain asunder; Trump’s election has done the same in the US and extremism appears to be thriving left and right, not just in already unstable countries but in places Fukuyama suggested were done deals. Israel’s government seems to be moving ever further from democracy; in Syria, the carnage continues. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo here’s the question. Was it a blip? Was it a blip that fanaticism couldn’t thrive in Europe, that technology could be a force for good, that Russia and the West weren’t archenemies? Was it a blip that governments could solve problems rather than just sling mud? Was the globalised, interconnected, tolerant world of my adolescence not, indeed, the start of the end of history, but an anomaly?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAnd, as a Jew, was it a blip that we felt secure and accepted? I’ve always scoffed at claims history could repeat itself in Europe, and I still feel that way, but then again, growing up in the 1990s, I could never have imagined attending a demonstration against antisemitism at the heart of UK politics. \u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo was it merely an aberration? Or does every generation go through this feeling? \u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462164.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/was-that-safety-and-security-just-a-blip-olympics-war-syria-hatred-antisemitism-1.462164","publication_date":"Apr 13, 2018 8:00:27 AM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"Apr 12, 2018 12:00:49 PM","author":"Jennifer Lipman","byline":"Jennifer Lipman","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462182:1523530733/PA-31155625.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d1cad13e","caption":"People on the west side of the Berlin wall chip away at it in 1989","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462227","headline":"The JC Leader: Reset the story","subheadline":"The Jewish Chronicle Leader column, April 13th, 2018","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt has been an uncomfortable few weeks, with our community’s fears over antisemitism dominating the news agenda for days on end.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBritish\u0026nbsp; Jews are hardly characterised by a readiness to take to the streets. But if doing so helps defeat the antisemites, so we must. And from the moment that 2,000 people gathered in Parliament Square some three weeks ago, Labour’s refusal to tackle antisemitism properly has at last been widely reported on the front pages and on TV news bulletins.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat must surely help. But it is one of the more pernicious aspects of the re-emergence of Jew hate that it defines British Jews through the prism of antisemitism. That is in itself an outrage — and one we must always seek to counter.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo while it is vital that we tackle antisemitism, we should make an equal priority of asserting our identity — proudly.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat identity is\u0026nbsp; multi-layered — including, among many other things, patriotism, charity, education and energy. It also, of course, includes a deep attachment to Israel.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNext week sees Yom Ha’atzmaut and the start of the celebrations of Israel’s 70th anniversary. Here, those celebrations will culminate with ‘Platinum’ — in which the whole community can come together for what promises to be a fabulous celebration of contemporary Israel at the Royal Albert Hall on 24th May.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThree weeks ago we demonstrated against antisemitism outside Parliament. Next month, let’s demonstrate something far more positive and uplifting — our pride in Israel and in our own community. Let’s fill the Royal Albert Hall with happiness. And in doing that, let’s send a message to the antisemites that their hate is no match for our joy.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462227.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/leaders/the-jc-leader-reset-the-story-1.462227","publication_date":"Apr 12, 2018 1:59:15 PM","section":"Leaders","modification_date":"Apr 12, 2018 2:03:45 PM","author":"The JC Leader","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":null,"url":null,"caption":null,"copyright":null}},{"id":"1.462166","headline":"The moment the State of Israel was born","subheadline":"Even at the last minute there was uncertainty over how Israel’s birth would be greeted","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOn May 14 1948, in what is now Independence Hall on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, David Ben Gurion signed the most remarkable statement in over 2,000 years of Jewish history: the announcement of an independent state for the Jews in Palestine.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThree days earlier, Ben Gurion’s cabinet-in-waiting had debated their position in a 13-hour meeting and agreed unanimously to go ahead with announcing independence.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e That, however, is not the normally accepted story. It is usually suggested that Ben Gurion had single-handedly strong-armed his 10 colleagues into accepting his view and that a vote — six to four in favour — followed.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut there is no record to support this romantic picture of the leader, and the minutes make no mention of a vote. In truth a decision had already been taken a month earlier by the Zionist Central Council and the population at large \u0026nbsp;— and there would have been uproar if it had not gone ahead.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMenachem Begin threatened to announce independence himself with Irgun, backed by public support, if Ben Gurion did not do so. So there was little choice; a decision had already been taken and there was no disagreement amongst the ten.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere was indeed a vote. But this was on a different issue, the decision not to include anything in the Declaration about the new state’s borders.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe absence of defined borders would have worked against Israel if it had lost territory in the war that followed independence. But it worked to Israel’s considerable advantage as it grew with its conquests. Much later, Ben Gurion spoke of his pride at this decision.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut external pressure was severe. United States President Harry Truman, having supported the UN Partition Plan of November 1947, was now beginning to vacillate. Pressed by his immediate advisors not to accept Israeli independence and to go instead for some form of United Nations or US oversight, he hesitated.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e Britain’s Ernest Bevin, still stinging from the impact of the activities of Irgun that had hastened Britain’s departure by exposing its vulnerability, was pressing Truman not to accept Israeli statehood.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTruman in turn was refusing access to any of the Zionists clamouring to see him. Chaim Weizmann, by now old and ill, was in despair of gaining a hearing.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e Weizmann spoke to a major American Zionist supporter, Dewey Stone, who connected him to Eddie Jacobson, a long-time business partner and friend of Truman, and he in turn persuaded the President to meet Weizmann. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWeizmann worked his charm, Truman seemed convinced and the US becane the first nation to recognise the new state.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e But there were many strings attached. Truman’s Secretary of State, George Marshall — always sceptical about the prospects for statehood — had on May 8 warned Moshe Shertok (who as Moshe Sharett later became Israel’s second prime minister) \u0026nbsp;that the US would not come to Israel’s aid when the Arabs attacked.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eFurthermore, Marshall was convinced that the Jews would then lose the war and their state. To make matters worse, Truman later placed an arms embargo on Israel in its War of Independence.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is possible that it was the position adopted by Russia that finally persuaded Truman to rush to recognise the new state. It had been a huge surprise when Russia’s ambassador to the UN, V Mikhailovich Molotov, had without warning spoken strongly in favour of an independent home for the Jews in Palestine. There was shock, amazement or delight, depending on the perspective.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is true that Weizmann had had several meetings much earlier with the Russian ambassador to Britain, Ivan Maisky, who seemed to have been impressed by Weizmann and by what he saw later as a form of socialism in action in a kibbutz on a visit to Palestine.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut while a socialist state in the Middle East may have been an attractive prospect for Russia, it seems unlikely that Stalin had suddenly come to a fondness for the Jews or a respect for the Zionists. More likely he was keen to loosen Britain’s hold over the Middle East when it was already in a strong position in Jordan and Egypt.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhatever Stalin’s motives, it may well have convinced Truman to try to stay ahead of Russia, not being keen on a gain for communist influence in the Middle East. So he was first to announce support for Israel’s independence. Russia was second — and indeed proved a more reliable ally for the next two years. While America exerted its arms embargo, Russia encouraged Czechoslovakia to provide arms that the new state desperately needed.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt is always difficult to understand the motives of international players but they are almost always based on self-interest and the machinations of the USA and Russia in 1947 and 1948 bear this out.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt remains little short of miraculous that Israeli statehood was gained and that it survived the immediate onslaughts.\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003e A combination of steady, quiet diplomacy continued over many years, exerted first by Weizmann and later by others, together with attacks by the Irgun to hasten Britain’s departure (later by the Palmach) allowed Israel to emerge against all the odds.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBeyond the Balfour Declaration by\u0026nbsp;Lord Turnberg is published by Biteback\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462166.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/the-moment-the-state-of-israel-was-born-1.462166","publication_date":"Apr 12, 2018 11:19:13 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 12, 2018 11:45:57 AM","author":"Leslie Turnberg","byline":null,"local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462165:1523528353/GettyImages-53051673.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003dc6dc09b","caption":"David Ben Gurion announces Israel\u0027s declaration of independence on May 14 1948","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462141","headline":"Beware — divided we will fall","subheadline":"To see the Board of Deputies’ president on national television calling other Jews antisemites must have been as thrilling for Mr Corbyn as it was shocking for the rest of us.","body":"\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHow quickly a mood can change and a different atmosphere can take hold.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIn the days leading up to Pesach, British Jews and their allies stood shoulder-to-shoulder in Parliament Square, protesting against Jeremy Corbyn’s inaction on tackling antisemitism in the Labour Party.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMPs took notice. The national media took notice. It felt as though, after two-and-a-half years of whistling into the wind, the country was finally taking notice.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHere we are, a fortnight later, and what have we got? Mr Corbyn emboldened by supporters who rally around him — rather than against him — and our own community doing a reasonable impression of acting like ferrets in a sack, engaged in petty squabbling among ourselves.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eOne of the great strengths of the activity around the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council “Enough is Enough” initiative to hold Mr Corbyn to account last month was the sense that it was a spontaneous cross-communal surge of feeling.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSince then, we have gone backwards. The appearance of the Labour leader at a Jewdas Seder last week was, for him, a rare strategic masterstroke; it immediately set British Jews against one another.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTo see the \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/jonathan-arkush-claims-jewdas-is-a-source-of-virulent-antisemitism-1.461817?highlight\u003djewdas\"\u003eBoard of Deputies’ president on national television calling other Jews antisemites\u003c/a\u003e must have been as thrilling for Mr Corbyn as it was shocking for the rest of us.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eNext consider the \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/caa-demo-corbyn-antisemitism-labour-1.461989\"\u003eCampaign Against Antisemitism demonstration outside Labour’s headquarters\u003c/a\u003e on Sunday.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWell-intentioned it might have been, but the event quickly became the scene of pantomime booing of the Jewish media and criticism of prominent figures and invited speakers.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eDavid Abrahams, \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/major-jewish-labour-donor-explains-why-he-has-quit-the-party-1.461586?highlight\u003ddavid+abrahams\"\u003euntil recently a major Labour donor\u003c/a\u003e, was attacked for suggesting the community might want to consider how it will continue dialogue with Labour in the future.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHe was booed and subjected to chants of “off, off, off!” as though he were a lower league footballer who had mis-timed a clumsy tackle, rather than a multi-millionaire with a nuanced outlook on dealing with a political party.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe aftermath of the event focused on that most interminable of post-rally regularities — a row over the number of attendees. This is what we are now reduced to: “Look how big our crowd was!”, “No, we’re the toughest on tackling Jew-hate!”, “Our placards have the nicest font!”.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIf British Jews cannot be on the same side in tackling antisemitism, what hope is there?\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe hard-left thrives on splinter groups going head-to-head, internecine rivalries that baffle normal, mainstream people and hamper those involved, stopping them from holding the government to account, or indeed planning for a Labour government to lead the nation.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMr Corbyn and his supporters have, in relatively short order, succeeded in halting the momentum that was building against him on antisemitism and, it seems, fracturing the resolve of the Jewish community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eGood Jews versus Bad Jews. Red Jews versus Blue Jews. True Jews versus Fake Jews.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eWhat a mess — and how Mr Corbyn and his band of deluded conspiracy theorist allies must be chuckling to themselves.\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462141.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/if-we-are-divided-on-challenging-labour-antisemitism-and-jeremy-crbyn-we-will-all-fall-1.462141","publication_date":"Apr 12, 2018 9:30:20 AM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"Apr 12, 2018 9:30:20 AM","author":"Marcus Dysch","byline":"","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462140:1523521819/GettyImages-943367480.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003db670094","caption":"A woman protests against antisemitism in the Labour Party during Sunday\u0027s CAA demonstration (Photo: Getty)","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462132","headline":"Hoping for a place we really can be proud of","subheadline":"Israel needs friends abroad and in the neighbourhood, but it also needs to look inwards, writes Alona Ferber","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eTo mark Israel at 70, Miri Regev’s Culture Ministry launched a celebratory campaign. In the promotional video, religious and secular Israelis wax lyrical about the Jewish state’s achievements. The finale is a man exclaiming “Yesh!” or “Yay!” just because he is happy. The official message is that, after 70 years, “Yes, there is something to be proud of.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs nationalist pride-inducing slogans go, it leaves much to be desired. First of all, it sounds more like an exercise in defensiveness than a festive refrain. The lady, in this case Regev, doth protest too much. And it leaves one wondering: If you really are so proud, who are you working so hard to convince?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIs it Israelis worrying what the next 70 years might hold? Is it diaspora Jews unsure whether to support Israeli policy when they see violence against Palestinians and prejudice against African asylum seekers? Maybe it is anyone who might – shock, horror – criticise the country.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eI was born in Israel, but moved to London as a child. Growing up, Israel did not seem like some long-realised political dream. It was where my grandmother lived, where I played with my cousins on holiday. I never exactly thought of myself as a Zionist, either. It might sound hopelessly na\u0026iuml;ve and smack of privileged ignorance, but I didn’t really grasp the reality of the ongoing conflict until the Second Intifada. Israel was just another fact of life, not a matter for debate.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003ePerhaps this means that, when I respectfully disagree with the thrust of Regev’s argument, I feel less disappointed than those for whom Israel was meant to be an ideal, who talk about “losing their Zionism.”\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSurely, though, after 70 years, we should swap the talk of “Should Israel exist? Yes it should! No it shouldn’t!” for trying to live at peace with our neighbours and making Israel a better run, more humane place.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael may have ranked 11th in the latest UN “Happiness Report” (compared to the Palestinians at 114), but anyone familiar with the Israeli news cycle will be a close personal friend of the low-rumbling headache. The headlines only four months into 2018 include such gems as a leadership crisis and corruption scandal, the cancellation of a long-awaited (and needed) refugee deal, Israeli troops killing Palestinians protesting in Gaza, and, for dessert, another possible Israeli strike in Syria. This gives just a taste of the issues with which Israel needs to grapple for a sustainable future.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIsrael needs friends abroad and in the neighbourhood, but it also needs to look inwards. It needs to focus on how it treats the Palestinians, over whom it has so much power, and be willing to give up control over them. It needs to focus on how it treats the Arab minority. It needs to think about its treatment of African asylum seekers. It needs to look at the growing divide between religious and secular Jews and the exclusion of women from the public sphere. It needs to work hard to improve ordinary citizens’ lives.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAll this means brave leadership. It means taking real steps towards peace. It means politicians taking responsibility. It means Israelis thinking honestly about how they can make the country better. It means not forgetting what Israel pledged in its Declaration of Independence: “Complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex,” among other worthy aspirations.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eSo, after 70 years, how about getting on with the job of making Israel a place of which we really can be proud. So proud that no one needs a campaign to convince them.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlona Ferber is a writer and editor based in London. She is writing in a personal capacity.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462132.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/alona-ferber-reflects-on-70-years-of-israel-1.462132","publication_date":"Apr 12, 2018 8:05:00 AM","section":"Comment","modification_date":"Apr 12, 2018 10:45:50 AM","author":"Alona Ferber","byline":"Alona Ferber","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"GettyImages-526101887","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462131:1523469955/image/GettyImages-526101887.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003d4c834ef","caption":"","copyright":""}},{"id":"1.462129","headline":"The importance of bringing names back to life","subheadline":"The very youngest Holocaust survivors are now almost exclusively in their late 80s. And the critical question is what will happen when they are gone, asks Yoni Birnbaum","body":"\u003c!--PSTYLE\u003dWT Web Text--\u003e\n\u003chtml\u003e\n \u003chead\u003e\u003c/head\u003e \n \u003cbody\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHenio is only nine years old, yet he has managed to attract over 2,279 friends and over 6,500 likes on Facebook. Even more surprisingly, there is nothing unusual about his story. He is an ordinary child, who goes to school, plays with his friends and is loved by his family.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eHis profile on Facebook looks ordinary too, it shows a picture of a small boy with black hair and impish looks, dressed in shorts and a white shirt. There is only one small detail in his profile that is unusual. It tells you that Henio was born on March 25, 1933 in Lublin, Poland. Henio will never be more than nine years old because he was murdered in Majdanek in 1942.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThis week, March of the Living commemorates 30 years since its inception. It was founded as an international educational programme, designed to bring people from around the world to Auschwitz-Birkenau each year on Yom Hashoah. Thanks to the inspirational leadership of Scott Saunders, the UK delegation has grown year on year, with some 275 participants this year alone, many of them young future leaders of the British-Jewish community.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThere is a growing sense of urgency around Holocaust remembrance. The very youngest of Holocaust survivors are now almost exclusively in their late 80s. And the critical question is what will happen when they are gone? How will those memories continue? And most importantly of all, how can young people be inspired to continue the sacred work of memory, even without the power of a living survivor’s testimony?\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eIt was this concern that led the founders of a research centre in Lublin dedicated to the preservation of the history of Jewish life in that city, to establish this Facebook page for Henio. They chose Henio because the boy’s parents had survived and had given a photo album to the research centre in which there was a picture for each year of his short life. The researchers post messages on Henio’s behalf and his “friends” from around the world respond. This is a medium which helps young people relate to Henio as a real person, not just another statistic.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThe United States Holocaust Museum in Washington DC takes a similar approach, handing visitors a card with the name and profile of a victim of the Holocaust to take home and personally remember. And the highly successful “70 Days for 70 Years” programme, as well as the more recent Yellow Candle Project, also encourage people to remember just one person as they take part in the initiative.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMovingly, I know one individual who developed such a close connection with the person they had been remembering that they named their own son after him.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eBut there is also a more fundamental reason why this approach is an essential one to take.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThose prisoners who survived the initial selection at the gates of the death camps underwent a systematic process of dehumanisation, designed to strip them of all vestiges of their independent identity. Their heads were shaved, their clothes changed into camp uniforms and they were given numbers to replace their former names.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eThat deprivation of personal identity was a deliberate attempt by the Nazis to reduce the victims of the Holocaust to a set of statistics, rather than individuals with aspirations, loves, dreams and names. That is why the process of remembering the names of individual victims returns to them the most precious gift of all — their individual names and identities.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eMarch of the Living is always full of inspirational and emotional moments. One of the most moving of all, however, involves listening to the words of Israeli poet Zelda Schneurson Mishkovsky (d. 1984) in Auschwitz-Birkenau: “Every person has a name, given to him by God…” For many Israelis, these words, recited every year throughout the country on Yom Hashoah, have become emblematic of the importance of Holocaust remembrance. They command us not to remember mere statistics, but to breathe life back into lost names.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003eAs the years go by, sadly more and more of those who perished in the Holocaust have no-one left within their own extended families to remember them. As collective members of the Jewish people, we all share a joint responsibility to remember every single victim of the Holocaust. And when we remember specific individuals like young Henio, we do our own small part to ensure that they are never forgotten.\u003c/p\u003e \n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYoni Birnbaum is the Rabbi of Hadley Wood Synagogue\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  \n \u003c/body\u003e\n\u003c/html\u003e","version_id":"1.462129.LATEST","uri":"https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/yom-hashoah-yellow-candles-holocaust-remembrance-day-march-of-the-living-1.462129","publication_date":"Apr 11, 2018 6:18:50 PM","section":"Columnists","modification_date":"Apr 12, 2018 11:03:48 AM","author":"Yoni Birnbaum","byline":"Yoni Birnbaum","local_caption":null,"image":{"title":"","url":"https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.462159:1523527276/Henio.jpg?f\u003dDefault\u0026w\u003d1024\u0026$p$f$w\u003deb18488","caption":"","copyright":""}}]