STANMORE & CANONS PARK SYNAGOGUE - Stanmore and ...

STANMORE & CANONS PARK SYNAGOGUE 

SPRING 2013 PESACH 5773

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Editors’ Note 

The views expressed in Habimah are not 

necessarily those of Stanmore & Canon’s 

Park Synagogue or of the Editors. We 

should also point out that no checks have been 

made as to the kashrut or halachic suitability 

of establishments, products or services 

advertised in the magazine. 

We are pleased to include in this issue 

several articles on Israel each offering 

unusual viewpoints. Through old 

postcards Martin Kisner reminds us what 

Israel looked like fifty years ago. Ilana 

Metzger tells us about her visit to Israel 

with some non-Jewish friends, Bernard 

Woolf describes a visit to Israel with the 

exceptional Matthew Kayne and Sue 

Garfield reports on a talk given in the Shul 

last autumn by a very brave Palestinian 

Christian on life on the West Bank. 

Alistair de Kare Silver, in his article, ‘Get 

involved’ highlights the need for more 

people to get involved in promoting the 

interests of the Jewish community to 

Members of Parliament in particular. 

At the risk of being labelled a feminist 

magazine, we are sure you will enjoy 

reading Ashley Goldblatt’s article ‘In 

Praise of Women’ and Ian Goodman’s 

article ‘Are Jews Hardwired to be 

gynaecologists’. 

We are also pleased to see so many 

reports from younger members of the 

community in the Young Stanmore 

section and look forward to more such 

contributions in future issues. 

Since our last issue, the Women’s 

Learning Experience held a Shabbaton 

lunch in September and the Sephardi 

Minyan did likewise in February. A 

capacity crowd of 250 enjoyed a mouthwatering 

Sephardi style lunch and 

Shabbat Zemirot in keeping with their 

traditions. Last month also saw the 

groundbreaking Stanmore Shul Purim 

Shpiel play to a capacity audience in the 

Freeman Susman Hall. 

This issue also reflects upon the lives of 

some prominent members of our 

community who are sadly no longer with 

us. We held a Memorial Service for Past 

President of United Synagogue and 

Elder of our Community, Sidney Frosh 

z’l last month. His obituary is included in 

this issue, as is an obituary for Celia Levy 

z’l who passed away just after Rosh 

Hashanah. Last November we held a 

Memorial Service for Stephanie Kosky 

z’l and her husband Jonathan z’l last and 

on page 47 you will find a photograph of 

the Torah cover presented to the Shul by 

their family. 

Sadly, as we went into print, Rebbetzen 

Anita Bloom z’l passed away. In her 

heyday, she was a stalwart of our Shul’s 

Ladies Guild and worked tirelessly for our 

community as well as other charities. We 

will include a full obituary for her in the 

Rosh Hashanah edition. Our former 

Editor Michael Reveres z’l also passed 

away in December after a long illness and 

we have included a lovely article by his sonin-law 

Craig Kent. Michael was Editor of 

Habimah twice and was instrumental in 

achieving a Board of Deputies Award for 

best synagogue magazine. 

It only remains for us to wish Rabbi & 

Mrs. Lew, Rabbi & Mrs. Shaw, Rabbi 

& Mrs. Landau, Chazan & Mrs. Turgel, 

the Honorary Executive, Board of 

Management and you, our members, a 

Happy and Kosher Pesach. 

Stewart Cass, Sue Garfield, Glynis 

Kuzuk, Susan Lipman and Gabrielle 

Perez 

Cover photos – clockwise from the top: A 

view of Mount Zion in 1964 and now, 

Stanmore members at the AJEX Remembrance 

Parade with Bob Blackman MP, children from 

Emunah’s Afula home during their visit to 

London, Bernard Woolf with Matthew Kayne, 

a Friendship Club celebration, Cheder children 

at GIFT, Year 9 visiting York Castle with 

Rabbi Landau. 

Contents 

Editors’ Note 1 

Chairman’s Report 2 

Welcome New Members 4 

From the Wardens’ Box 5 

Strategy Update 7 

Anthony Angel 

PESACH THOUGHTS 

Rabbi Lew 9 

Rabbi Shaw 11 

Rabbi Landau 13 

Chief Rabbi 15 

Fresh Faces, Fresh Places 17 

Jeremy Jacobs 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT 

In Praise Of Women 19 

Ashley Goldblatt 

Hardwired to be gynaecologists 21 

Ian Goodman 

A Yarzheit with a twist 23 

Aviva Landau 

ISHA CHACHMAT LEV AWARDS 

Susan Lipman 25 

Profiled by Melanie Angel 

Naomi Passer 27 

Profiled by Sue Garfield 

FEATURES 

Nachus 29 

Joan Sheridan 

A Man with Special Chemistry 31 

John Marchant 

A Muslim, a Hindu, a Roman 

Catholic and a Jew Went 

to Israel…….. 33 

Ilana Metzger 

Matthew Kayne’s Dream Holiday 34 

Bernard Woolf 

FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION ON EVENTS AND ACTIVITES PLEASE VISIT 

WWW.SACPS.ORG.UK. 

1

EXECUTVE REPORT 

Chairman’s Report 

Having completed nearly another 

year on the Executive, we look back 

on a busy and full year of events in 

the life of Stanmore and Canons Park 

Shul. Our full report will appear in 

the Annual Report, but here are some 

highlights since Rosh Hashanah. 

AGM 

This year’s AGM is scheduled to take 

place on Wednesday 8 May. 

The posts of Chairman, Vice Chair, 

Financial Representative as well as one of 

the Warden posts will come up for election 

as well as the annual election of the Board. 

Strategy Review 

The Executive, supported by our 

Rabbonim and the Board, initiated a 

strategic review in May 2011 to ensure that 

Stanmore and Canon’s Park Synagogue is 

in the best possible shape to meet the 

needs of our members and community, 

and to face the challenges of the 21st 

Century. 

This strategy review is being led by 

Anthony Angel and the process 

approved by the Board envisages three 

broad steps – a review of where we are, 

an extensive consultation process, and 

the development of a strategy for the 

future – with the following terms of 

reference: 

To undertake a comprehensive, thorough 

and deep review of the existing activities 

of the Synagogue in the community; 

To ascertain the views of the community 

as to the proper role of the Synagogue 

in the community and the way in which 

it should carry out that role; 

To set out a vision for the long-term role 

of the Synagogue in the community 

within the context of being a member 

Synagogue of the United Synagogue, 

and to determine a strategy for achieving 

that vision over the next decade. 

The Strategy Committee has recently 

released its Green Paper for consultation 

with the Community and the aim is for 

us to complete the Strategy Review and 

be in a position to publish final proposals 

to the community by the AGM this May. 

The Strategy Committee report is at 

pages 7 to 8 below. 

Eruv Update 

As you are aware, we celebrated the 

anniversary of our Eruv going live on 

Shabbat Parshat Vayeitzei on 24 

November 2012 with Dr Nigel de Kare- 

Silver speaking to the Community at the 

seuda that Shabbat afternoon. 

The ongoing maintenance and operational 

costs of the Eruv is reliant on the financial 

support of the community. These 

are estimated to be approximately £20,000 

per annum. As a result, we encourage 

everybody to become an Eruv Supporter. 

For an annual donation of £50, you will be 

sent weekly updates of the eruv status by 

text message or email each Friday 

afternoon. Or you can become an Eruv 

Sponsor for an annual donation of £200 

to mark a simcha, yahrzeit or other special 

anniversary, where, in addition to the 

weekly eruv status updates, your 

sponsorship will be recognised on the 

Eruv website of that week, with a message 

of your choice. 

We would strongly recommend that 

members visit the Eruv website at www. 

stanmore-eruv.org.uk which includes 

lots of information about the Eruv, 

including links to PayPal for supporting, 

sponsorship and ongoing donations. 

Chief Rabbi Selection 

In November last year, the Chief 

Rabbinate Trust (“CRT“) launched the 

process for the appointment of the 

Rabbi who will succeed Lord Sacks as 

Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew 

Congregations of the Commonwealth, 

when he steps down in September of 

2013. The process culminated in 

December 2012 with the appointment of 

Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis as Chief Rabbielect. 

The selection process – which was 

formulated following wide-ranging 

consultation across a number of key 

stakeholders in the Jewish community - 

was carried out by three groups. First, a 

Representative Group which was comprised 

of a cross-section of the community 

including the chairman and a woman 

elected to the Board of Management of 

every affiliated synagogue community as 

well as representation from communal 

institutions for whom the Chief Rabbi is 

recognized as their religious authority 

including Jewish schools, Jewish 

Chaplaincy, The London Board for 

Shechita and the Initiation Society. The 

second, smaller, Consulting Group 

included representation from the larger 

Representative Group as well as Trustees 

of the CRT, and US Trustees. Thirdly, a 

Working Group which carried out much 

of the day-to-day work involved in the 

process comprised of senior members 

of the CRT, United Synagogue and non- 

United Synagogue communities. 

The Shul had representation in each of 

these three groups with Russell Tenzer, 

as a US Treasurer, serving on all three 

groups, Philip Hertz and Saul Taylor 

serving on the Consulting Group and 

Sidney Frosh z’l, Philip Hertz, Jacqui 

Rudolph and Saul Taylor serving on the 

Representative Group. 

We wish Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Mrs 

Mirvis a hearty hazlacha raba and mazel 

tov on his appointment. 

Memorial Services 

On 21 November 2012, a service was held 

to commerorate the lives of Jonathan z’l 

and Stephanie z’l Kosky, both long 

standing members and stalwarts of this 

Community. In what was a very moving 

and poignant service, addresses were 

delivered by Rabbi Dr Jeffrey Cohen, Leslie 

Lipowicz and Pauline Newman. Tamar 

and Mascha Kosky, responded on behalf 

of the family and presented a beautiful 

Torah cover to the Shul. 

On 5 February 2013, a service was held 

to commemorate the life of Sidney 

Frosh z’l. As past President of the US, 

many Rabbonim and dignitaries were 

present including the Chief Rabbi, Lord 

Sacks, who delivered the memorial 

address. Steven Pack, President of the 

US and Ronnie Metzger, one of the 

Shul’s Elders also spoke about Sidney z’l. 

Stephen Frosh responded on behalf of 

the family. 

2


Stephanie z’l, Jonathan z’l and Sidney z’l 

each gave so much to the kehilla and the 

wider Community and they will be 

missed. 

Refurbishment Update 

The Executive and Premises and 

Procurement Committee led by Martin 

Leigh has been working on bringing 

forward refurbishment and renovation 

plans for the entrance foyer, Main Shul 

and Board room. These plans have been 

approved in principle by the Board and 

works will be moving forward in the 

coming months. 

We are indebted to Martin and his 

committee for their hard work and look 

forward to enjoying the fruits of their 

labour once the works are complete. 

Security 

The risk of attack on Jewish communities 

remains a very real possibility. Special 

thanks go to Steven Newfield and all of the 

security team for their work in all weathers 

and especially Howard Greenfield and 

Naomi, Andrew and Katie Passer for their 

support in running the security rotas. 

After three years at the helm of the 

Security Committee and as the Shul’s 

Security Officer, Steven Newfield has 

decided to stand down with effect from 

31 December 2012. We are delighted to 

report however that Adam B, an 

experienced and senior CST security 

officer and member of the Shul, has 

agreed to take over from Steven aided by 

Naomi and Andrew Passer as well as 

Samantha Jacobs. 

We owe a huge debt of thanks to Steven 

(as well as to Howard Greenfield who 

has also decided to step down from the 

Security Committee) as well as to Adam, 

Naomi, Andrew and Samantha for 

agreeing to step into the breach. 

We would please ask that members 

support Adam and the new Security 

Committee by turning up for their security 

duty or, at least, informing the security 

team if they are not able to do so. 

From Chazanut to Broadway 

On 25 November 2012, the Freeman 

Susman Hall was bursting at the seams as 

the Community enjoyed a wonderful 

concert by our Chazan Jonny Turgel. It 

was a truly memorable evening enjoyed by 

all and expertly hosted by Lewis Bloch. 

The concert featured the world renowned 

Shabbaton Choir under the musical 

direction of Stephen Levey, together with 

Miriam Kramer on violin, Stewart Curtis 

on Flute, Clarinet and Saxaphone and 

Stuart Izon on Piano. A highlight was the 

unannounced appearance of a young 

member of the community, Joshua 

Nesbitt, whose rendition on the keyboard 

of Broadway favourites belied his youth. 

Jonny left the crowd shouting for more 

and the audience was rewarded for their 

cries of encore by a finale they had all been 

waiting for- “Oseh Shalom”. It was a night 

to remember. 

Isha Chachmat Lev 

On Shabbat Shira, 26 January, the 

community honoured two women as our 

Nashim Chachmot Lev recipients, Susan 

Lipman and Naomi Passer. A beautiful 

seuda was held in their honour on 

Shabbat afternoon where Philip Hertz 

addressed Naomi and Jacqui Rudolph 

addressed Susan, thanking them both for 

the contribution each has made to our 

community in a variety of areas such as 

the Seniors team, Habimah, security, 

youth, Stanmore Community Care and 

many many other areas. The Freeman 

Susman Hall was full as friends and family 

of Susan and Naomi came to celebrate 

with them. Mazaltov to them both. 

Living and Learning 

Adult education events continue to be 

varied. General events such as a Jewish 

History in a Flash, an information evening 

for women on hormones with Chana 

WellWomen and the History of Jews in 

Shanghai have all been very well attended. 

More focussed groups such as the Crash 

Course in Hebrew Reading, run by Rabbi 

Benji Landau, have proved popular and 

there will be a follow-on course entitled 

Foundations running after Pesach. 

Rebbetzin Aviva Landau continues to run 

shiurim for women, as does Shelley 

Morris, to complement our weekly 

shiurim by Rabbi Lew and Rabbi Bloom. 

Our Learning Shabbat on 29 December 

2012, where members were able to 

choose from five parallel sessions after the 

morning service, was very well received 

and requests have been made to offer this 

more often throughout the year. 

Our scholar-in-residence programme 

kicked off this year with a visit from Rabbi 

Dr Naftali Brawer and Mrs Dina Brawer 

on Shabbat Zachor 23 February. 

Programmes for the men and women 

were enthusiastically received. This led 

into the Purim celebrations with events on 

both Erev Purim and Purim evening – 

Contents cont. 

A Week of Firsts 36 

Sara Greenfield 

Associate Vice-Provost at UCL 37 

Get involved! 38 

Alistair de Kare Silver 

The Other Side of the Wall 39 

Sue Garfield 

Postcards from Israel 40 

Martin Kisner 

Before and Afters 43 

Sue Garfield 

What is Spiritual Healing 44 

Graham Newman 

OBITUARIES 

Sidney Frosh z’l 45 

Seymour Saideman 

Celia Levy z’l 46 

Glynis Kuzuk 

AROUND SHUL 

Purim Shpiel 47 

Baby Blessings 48 

Susan Lipman 

Harrow’s Holocaust Memorial Day 

Commemoration 49 

Sue Garfield 

Stanmore Synagogue Community 

Care 50 

Running to beat cancer 50 

Craig Kent 

Sephardi Shabbaton 51 

Jacob Levy 

Yad Sara 51 

David Kibel 

Exercise with a difference 52 

Rachel Karabon 

Weddings 6 

Condolences 63 

Group Reports 60 

YOUNG STANMORE 

Youth Department Update 53 

Our younger members report 

HaCheder visits GIFT 56 

Alan Wilkinson 

Tots to Tens 57 

Emma Brown 

Toddler’s Services 57 

Laura Jaffe 

One girl, three hospitals and many 

lafas on the side 58 

Ashleigh Jacobs 

Representing the UK 59 

Barmitzvahs and Batmitzvahs 62 

REFERENCE 

Calendar 62 

Pesach times 63 

3


Bingo and tea after the megillah reading 

and the Stanmore Players’ Purim Spiel and 

dinner at the end of Purim. Together 

with the many events held for our children 

and youth, during the day, Purim continues 

to be a highlight of the Stanmore year. 

Our Pre-Pesach learning programme was 

held together with the Belmont 

community, a partnership that continues 

to grow as we work to share resources and 

events. 

Mitzvah Day 

This last November saw Stanmore Shul’s 

fourth involvement in the annual Mitzvah 

Day event. On Mitzvah Day, around the 

world, thousands of people take part in 

hands-on projects, without fundraising, to 

support existing charities. We helped 

a number of Jewish and non-Jewish 

charities but more importantly, members 

of our community were engaged in the joy 

of giving and doing for others, including 

collecting food for the Watford New Hope 

Trust, working in the gardens of the New 

Hope Trust, collecting warm clothes for 

WJR, running an art workshop at the 

Princess Alexandra Jewish Care Home, 

and many other worthwhile projects. 

Many thanks to Estelle Hirschowitz, 

Bernice Gaon and Rosina Eder for 

leading the Stanmore team so ably. Many 

hours of work go into making this project 

run so successfully. 

Seniors Group 

The Seniors Group, aiming to provide 

social events for older members of our 

community, continues to go from strength 

to strength and to receive an extremely 

positive response to the vast variety of 

events they have offered and plan to offer. 

Recent events have included speakers, 

Music Appreciation, Current Affairs, cards 

and games, as well as weekly Zumba Gold 

and seated exercise classes. Recent trips to 

the Jewish Museum and to Bletchley Park 

have been very well received and other trips 

in the future are being planned. 

Thanks to the entire team of Naomi 

Passer, Sue Lipman and Rochelle Ezra 

who have worked tirelessly at initiating 

new ideas, setting up and running events 

and maintaining communication with all – 

either through email, phone calls or 

through the post. Their efforts are much 

appreciated by those who attend these 

events. 

Tots to Ten Committee 

We would like to thank Emma Brown 

4 

and Elliot Welby for their work to 

engage our younger families. The 

Toddler Shabbat morning service is 

thriving and Elliot, Emma and their team 

have worked hard to put on exciting 

events for this a events held at Shavuot, 

Chanukah and Purim. These have all 

been very well attended reflecting the 

energy of their parents 

Communications 

The Synagogue website continues to 

flourish thanks to Norman Jonas who 

has recently upgraded our platform. 

In addition, an email newsletter is 

now distributed each week providing 

information on Shul events during the 

current week and further ahead. Thanks 

must go to Stewart Cass for editing the 

e-news each week. If you are not yet 

receiving the email newsletter, please 

either sign up via the Shul website or 

contact the office. 

Yomim Noraim 

The Yomim Noraim services this year 

again did not disappoint when we 

welcomed Rabbi Farhi and Rabbi Rowe 

to complement our existing Rabbonim 

team. This is covered in more detail by 

the Wardens on pages [ 5 and 6 ] but we 

wanted to place on record our sincere 

thanks to Andrew, Allen and Lewis for all 

their hard work in organising these, as 

well as our weekly and Shabbat services. 

Thanks 

Last but not least, we would like to thank 

the Rabbonim, Honorary Life President, 

our colleagues on the Executive and 

Elders for all of their guidance and 

support so far this year, our Board and 

Committee Chairs for all of their hard 

work and their contribution so far, 

Brenda Dresner, Lauren Wolman and 

Shelley Mordecai in the main office for 

their hard work, Lynn Shaw, Josh Pyzer 

and his team in our Community 

Department for their assistance in our 

family and youth programmes and, of 

course, Wayne Brooks and Ram Ragoobir 

for their efforts behind the scenes. 

It remains only to wish you all, our 

members, a Chag Kasher v’Sameach. 

We look forward to seeing you all over 

the coming Yom Tov. 

Philip, Jacqui and Anthony 

NEW MEMBERS 

We are pleased to welcome the 

following new members: 

Daniel Austin 

Adam & Katie Axelrod-Harash 

Georgina Barker 

James Barker 

Richard and Shelley Baskind 

Chloe Belchak 

Susan Berman 

William and Carole Blass 

James Brick 

Caroline Chilton 

Frances Christie 

Benjamin and Erica Fearnley 

Ellis and Sandra Friedman 

Ashley & Mary Goldblatt 

Isla Goldstein 

Amy Gower 

Stacey Gower 

Gloria Grabski 

Lee and Hayley Greenfield 

Corinne Harrison 

Robert Harrison 

Phillip and Gabrielle Jacobs 

Adam Jaffe 

Anthony and Gaby Kluk 

Nathan and Michelle Kosky 

Katie Layton 

Darren and Michelle Lee 

Mordecai and Adele Lesler 

Adam and Louise Lustigman 

Mark Lyons 

Bradley Marchant 

Gidi and Katie Matlin 

Stanley and Shirley Matthews 

Danielle Meisels 

Gary and Barbara Nesbitt 

David and Michele Phillips 

Ivor and Janis Rosenthal 

Vera Ross 

Damon and Alison Segal 

Gemma Shamah 

Peter Silver 

Richard and Carly Stanton 

Nicholas and Lauren Stern 

David Stone 

Alyson Torns 

Daniella Waitzman 

Marcia Woolf


From the Wardens’ Box 

For anyone who may have blinked 

and missed it, it is approaching three 

years since Lewis and Andrew have 

been neighbours in the “box” and 

almost 15 months since Ian joined 

the “Wardens’ team”. We are truly 

grateful for all your support over this 

time. 

Shabbat Services 

The vibrancy of our community is 

reflected superbly through our Shabbat 

morning services which have, over the 

last year, hosted 15 Barmitzvahs as well 

as numerous Bat Mitzvah ceremonies 

and blessings together with a wide range 

of other simachot. We are truly grateful 

to our Rabbonim and Chazan who 

continue to inspire our services and 

particular thanks must also go to Rabbi 

Benji and Rebbetzen Aviva Landau for 

their positive impact on our community 

since their arrival almost two years ago. 

From time to time, Chazan Jonny Turgel 

is away from Stanmore and our thanks 

must also go to Chazan Henry Black 

(prior to his move to Elstree), Benji 

Caplan and many others who kindly lead 

or assist our services. Putting these 

positive aspects to one side for a moment, 

we are also doing our very best to ensure 

that services are run efficiently and with 

appropriate decorum. In this regard, we 

work closely with our Rabbonim and 

Chazan to plan and coordinate as much 

as possible in advance. 

In addition, we are trying to keep 

Shabbat morning aliyot to a reasonable 

minimum and are grateful to those 

members who have been so very 

understanding and are happy to attend 

weekday services in memory of a 

yarhzeit. We do, however, empathise 

with those members who, for whatever 

reason, can only attend on Shabbat and 

do our very best to accommodate such 

requests where possible. 

Having trialled a number of models for 

Friday night services in and outside of 

the main Shul, and having taken on 

board the views of those who attend 

regularly, we are currently piloting a 

fortnightly shiur and kabbalat Shabbat 

service in the Boardroom and will review 

feedback of this trial after Pesach. 

Following last year’s introduction of a 

Friday night l’chaim after the service 

over the winter months, this continues to 

be well received and sends everyone 

home with a warm smile. 

Weekday Services 

Our weekday services are the lifeblood 

of our community and we are extremely 

grateful to the loyal supporters of these 

services. We offer thanks to the many 

male members who have responded 

positively to our invitation to attend a 

weekday service perhaps once a week or 

even once a month and would encourage 

others to join us. 

From time to time, you may be that 

person who is essential to help make a 

minyan for others and there is no doubt 

that a long term commitment in this way 

will strengthen and enrich the future of 

our community. Many thanks go to 

Moshe Judah and Richard Ward, 

amongst others, for their sterling efforts 

in supporting the Wardens in organising 

these services. 

Limmud and Sephardi Services and 

the Women’s Learning Experience 

Diversity and choice is a strong theme 

uniting our 2,500 community under one 

roof. It is now almost three years since we 

commenced monthly Limmud and 

Sephardi services and, more recently, the 

quarterly Women’s Learning Experience 

in the Boardroom and the feedback on all 

of these initiatives has been very positive. 

The Limmud service is held on the first 

Shabbat of each month and offers an 

intimate learning environment. We offer 

very grateful thanks to Dani Goldberg 

and Robbie Hall for their leadership of 

this initiative. Attracting almost a 

hundred on a regular basis, the learning 

sessions and davening are complemented 

by a D’var Torah delivered from either 

side of the mechitza. 

The Sephardi service is held on the last 

Shabbat of each month and appeals to a 

significant number of our members and 

also attracts others from outside of 

Stanmore and brings them in to 

experience the wide range of benefits of 

being a member of our thriving 

community. Their inaugural Sephardi 

Shabbaton on 16th February was a great 

success. We offer very grateful thanks to 

Nissan Moradoff, Jacob Levy and Daniel 

Abrams for their efforts and drive in 

organising this service. 

We continue to host the Women’s 

Learning Experience, also in the 

Boardroom, on a Shabbat morning once 

a quarter. In December, they held their 

first Shabbaton with Maureen Kendler 

as guest speaker. Our very grateful 

thanks go to Shelley Morris and Pauline 

Newman for many years devoted to 

developing and running this activity. 

Yomim Noraim 

The Honorary Executive offer very 

grateful thanks to all those who were 

involved in organising, leading or taking 

part in the many services over the 

Yomim Noraim. 

Whilst the feedback has been positive, 

we held an extremely useful debrief 

earlier in the year and have taken on 

board many of the helpful comments in 

planning for the Yomim Noraim later 

this year. Services were held in the main 

Shul, in the Freeman Susman Hall, in a 

marquee on the main Shul site and in the 

Bernays Hall in Stanmore. 

Our local Rabbonim, Rabbi Lew, Rabbi 

Shaw and Rabbi Bloom were supported 

by our visiting Scholars-in-Residence, 

Rabbi Shlomo Farhi over Rosh 

Hashanah and Rabbi Daniel Rowe over 

Yom Kippur. Rabbi and Rebbetzen 

Landau played a key role in leading 

services for the young adults, youth and 

children of our community and a host 

of experienced local and visiting 

chazanim kindly led our inspiring 

services. 

Chattanim 

The Wardens were delighted to be joined 

in the box by David Metzger and Colin 

Gaunt as Chattanim on Simchat Torah 

5


Colin, together with their families, are 

long-standing members of our 

community. For David, this was a third 

generation honour with his father and 

our Elder, Ronnie Metzger, being so very 

proud. Philip Hertz and Andrew Eder 

spoke of the tremendous contribution 

that both David and Colin had made 

over many years before making formal 

presentations and inviting the 

congregation to a festive kiddush. 

Isha Chachmat Lev Awards 

We were delighted to present Isha 

Chachmat Lev awards to Susan Lipman 

and Naomi Passer at a Celebratory Seuda 

on Shabbat 26th January. Formal 

addresses reflecting the enormous 

efforts of Susan and Naomi were given 

by Philip Hertz and Jacqui Rudolph prior 

to presentations being made by Rabbi 

Lew. Earlier on the Shabbat morning, 

Susan and Naomi were supported in shul 

by family and friends and a “fruity” Tu 

B’Shevat kiddush allowed the whole 

community to join in the celebrations 

and offer heartiest congratulations. 

Community Occasions, Memorial 

Services and Development 

The Honorary Executive has continued to 

host seudot between mincha and maariv 

on Shabbat Mevorachim afternoons. 

These encourage an increased attendance 

over normal weeks and we look forward 

to continuing this initiative with a variety 

of local speakers. 

The Community came together on two 

sad occasions. Firstly, in honour of the 

Kosky family and to remember 

Stephanie z”l and Jonathan z”l on 

Sunday 18th November when Gabby, 

Tamar and Mascha and close family 

friends shared fond memories. Then 

once again on Tuesday 5th February, 

when the Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, 

joined Stephen, Barbara and Paul at a 

memorial service in honour of their late 

father, Sidney Frosh z”l, a former 

President of the United Synagogue and 

an Elder of our Community. Both 

occasions truly reflected the great esteem 

in which both the Kosky and Frosh 

families are held within our own 

Community and also the wider Jewish 

Community. 

Other developments on Shabbat have 

included the first of our Visiting 

Rabbonim with Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer 

and Rebbetzen Dina Brawer spending 

Shabbat with our Community in 

February. This was an inspirational 

Shabbat and we are grateful to them for 

taking time out of their hectic 

professional schedules to be with us. 

Amongst other Visiting Rabbonim, 

Rabbi Saul Zneimer is scheduled to be 

with us later in the year. 

We look forward to hosting the Chief 

Rabbi, Lord Sacks, on Friday 3rd May. 

The Chief Rabbi will spend Friday night 

in our Community and we shall be having 

a Communal Dinner in his honour as this 

will be his last formal visit to Stanmore 

as Chief Rabbi before he retires later in 

the year. 

CEPfS – Community Engagement 

Programme for Services 

By way of update, please be aware that 

the various outcomes from the 

“Community Engagement Programme for 

Services” which took place through 

“thinking outside the box” consultation 

meetings have been fed into the Strategy 

Review. The Wardens also continue to 

meet regularly and work with our 

Rabbonim and Chazan for the 

enhancement of all our services. 

Please do not hesitate to contact us 

at any stage as we always welcome 

any comments. We also take this 

opportunity of wishing you all a 

Happy, Healthy and Kosher Pesach. 

Lewis Bloch, Andrew Eder, Ian Pyzer 

WEDDINGS 

We wish a hearty mazeltov to the following couples, 

and their families, on the occasion of their recent 

marriage: 

Hannah Kaye and David Greenberg 

Bracha Calvert and Jonathan Schneider 

Joanna Miller and Paul Walker 

Sarah Shear and Rob Halon 

Sarah King and Simon Woolf 

Natalie Besbrode and Richard Silverman 

Joanna Goodman and Daniel Polak 

Lauren Wober and Nicholas Stein 

Katie Passer and Adam Axelrod-Harash 

Charlene Myeroff and Benjamin Marks 

Katie Gaunt and Gidi Matlin 

Marilyn Kidoushim and Stephen Wiser 

Carly Gray and Richard Stanton 

Justine Helman and James Altman 

Gaby Tannenbaum and Anthony Kluk 

Carole Cohen and William Blass 

Natalie Welby and Daniel Austin 

Jennifer Lipman and Simon Friend 

Danielle Foux and Jonathan Cohen 

6

STRATEGY REVIEW 

Anthony Angel 

Strategy Update 

In January the Strategy Committee 

published its initial report, or Green 

Paper, on the future direction of the 

Shul. The full 46 page report is 

available on the Shul website 

(www.sacps.org.uk), and hard copies 

are available from the Shul office. 

Much of what we have heard about our 

community has been encouraging. Whilst 

there are areas where we can do better, and 

issues to address if we are to secure a 

successful future, the 66 years since we 

first affiliated to the United Synagogue 

have in general been a period of success 

in which the Shul has established itself as 

one of the major communities in the UK. 

For this we owe a significant debt to the 

various Rabbonim, Chazanim, Honorary 

Officers, Board members, executives and 

many, many unsung member heroes of 

the community who have contributed to 

making the Shul what it is today. 

The challenge we face is to build upon the 

work of the past and to reinvigorate the 

Shul for the period ahead. 

In undertaking our work, we were sorry to 

hear that some members felt disengaged 

from the Shul, and that their ideas were 

neither welcome nor likely to influence the 

strategy process. Far from it; in response 

to the Strategy Survey that we undertook 

we were delighted to receive extensive and 

detailed comments from a large number 

of members who plainly feel deeply and 

passionately about the Shul and its future. 

Some of them are deeply involved in its 

activities; others currently a little distant 

from it. We want to encourage input from 

everyone. This is a once in a generation 

opportunity for us to set a new and 

exciting direction for our community and 

to create a revitalised and dynamic future. 

Drawing on the work of the Committee 

and the Strategy Survey, the report covers 

a wide range of topics. There is an 

Executive Summary at the beginning, and 

a list of the Strategy Committee’s main 

initial views and proposals for 

consideration and comment in Chapter 10. 

In broad terms the general themes and 

main specific recommendations are as 

follows: 

The Strategy Committee believes that, 

whilst authentic to traditional Judaism, our 

community should maintain its long 

tradition of inclusivity and remain a 

modern, forward thinking – and nonjudgmental 

- community, respecting the 

wide diversity of our membership. The 

Strategy Committee believes that, in this 

way, by welcoming all Jews who wish to 

join our community, whatever their degree 

of observance, whilst remaining in every 

way a modern orthodox community, we 

can best serve our community and help 

those who so wish to come closer to a 

modern orthodox way of life. 

The adult membership of the Shul has 

declined from a peak of 2,700 in 1999 to 

around 2,350 today. We are also a slowly 

ageing community on the border 

between Harrow, where the Jewish 

community has declined by 19.6 percent 

in the past ten years, and Barnet, where 

it has grown by 15.8 per cent. More 

detailed information on demographic 

trends will become available during the 

course of this year as the Office of 

National Statistics releases more 

information form the 2011 Census. 

Nevertheless the community probably 

includes over 3,250 people in total and 

we continue to attract new – and young 

-members and Stanmore & Canons Park 

is, and is likely to remain for the 

foreseeable future, a large community by 

any standard. We should expect the Shul 

over the next many, many years to need 

to serve well over 2,000 people. 

The growth and future vibrancy of our 

community relies on persuading young 

people, in particular young married 

couples, to join the community, and on 

maintaining its appeal to a people with a 

wide range of current levels of religious 

observance. The Shul needs to 

acknowledge and respond to the core 

members on whom its existence 

depends, but at the same time recognise 

that if the Shul is run simply for its 

existing core members, it will slowly age 

and lose its vigor. With a lack of younger 

people to maintain a vibrant community, 

even existing ageing members will be 

poorly served. 

The establishment of the Eruv was seen 

as an important step in allowing more 

observant young people to join the 

community – but whilst a necessary it is 

not a sufficient step. There is more we 

need to do: 

Ensuring our existing children and 

young people are well looked after. 

Not only is this intrinsically a key value 

of the community, but for young 

orthodox people choosing to establish a 

new home, being close to a Shul where 

they consider they and their children are 

welcome and will have a real place in the 

community is an increasingly important 

factor. Stanmore will not attract the new 

members it wishes unless it is seen as 

such a place. 

Recognising that, in making choices, we 

must serve both our existing engaged 

membership and the unengaged and 

those we wish to attract in the future. 

Doing something a particular way 

because that is the way it has always been 

done may keep existing members happy 

today, but we must also look at these 

choices to ensure they are not made at 

the expense of a vibrant growing future. 

Most respondents to the strategy survey 

consider that in general the Shul meets 

their needs. But this is at odds with their 

answers to more detailed later questions 

and the reality that we are an ageing 

community with many members who do 

not engage with the Shul or its activities in 

any meaningful way. The Strategy 

Committee considers many respondents 

say the Shul meets expectations only 

because they have fairly limited 

expectations of what it can and should 

provide. We believe the Shul should reset 

expectations and provide truly exciting, 

differentiated and varied services, facilities 

and activities that are best in class. 

Specific Recommendations 

Generally, the Strategy Committee 

considers that increasing the number of 

options for religious services available to 

members is likely to increase the number 

7

STRATEGY REPORT 

of members who find a service that 

meets their need. It therefore supports 

developments along these lines so long 

as they are undertaken in conjunction 

with the main Shul and within the 

framework of the lay and religious 

leadership of the community. We believe 

there is value in exploring further how 

this can best be done whilst retaining the 

sense - and huge value - of a single 

community, and avoiding fragmentation 

and damage to the ‘main’ Shul service. 

Areas which seem to us to be most 

obviously potentially additive are services 

which are genuinely different from the 

main Shul because they offer a different 

format altogether (e.g. an explanatory or 

women’s learning service) or because 

they follow a different nusach and 

melodies (e.g. the Sephardi Service). 

There is no shul in Stanmore, Edgware 

or Bushey that has yet assumed the role 

of a major local centre for the local 

modern orthodox Jewish Community. 

The Strategy Committee considers the 

Shul should establish itself in that role 

and that the local community will 

respond well to such an initiative. It 

considers that if Stanmore were to turn 

itself into a top level location for a range 

of Jewish religious, educational, youth 

and community activities, it would both 

better meet the needs of its members 

and attract widespread interest from 

surrounding communities. How this can 

best be done, and at an acceptable cost, 

is for further consideration. 

The Shul suffers because there is not a 

Jewish school for years 1 to 6 in 

Stanmore. If a major building project is 

undertaken (see below), the possibility of 

establishing such a school should be 

considered. 

We have got used to premises that, by 

present day standards, are tired and 

antiquated – because ‘that is how shuls 

have always been’. The Strategy 

Committee believes the current facilities 

are no longer good enough. Our 

demands – and needs - of a shul today 

are simply different from previous 

generations and we have been slow to 

respond. Certainly, if the Shul is to 

provide the greater range of religious 

services we call for, and differentiate 

itself as a major local centre, a radical 

renovation and/or rebuilding 

programme is necessary. We need advice 

and a presentation on the options and 

the financial support that might be 

available. This work need not stand in 

the way of the essential repairs and 

renovations to a reasonable expense level 

already approved by the Executive and 

the Board as a long-term premises 

strategy will take time to emerge. 

An option to consider is working with 

other local orthodox Jewish 

communities to build a collective centre, 

perhaps on a different site, that meets 

the needs of all of us for a community 

centre – although that will not solve our 

own shuls pressing need to renovate or 

reconstruct our existing buildings. 

Despite the efforts of our existing 

professional staff, and the huge 

contributions made on a voluntary basis 

by many members (on which the Shul 

will continue heavily to rely and which are 

a cornerstone of our community), the 

Strategy Committee considers that a 

thorough review of the organisational 

and administrative structure of the Shul 

and its professional staff is required. 

Premises and facilities are poor and 

fragmented, and roles and responsibilities 

need to be clarified. 

Although there would be a potentially 

significant cost involved, the Strategy 

Committee believes that the engagement 

of a full time ‘Chief Executive’ would do 

a tremendous amount to improve the 

smooth running of the Shul. Whilst 

halachic issues must remain the domain 

of the Rabbonim, there is much else that 

can be done better to build links with 

and support the community; it would be 

all but impossible successfully to 

implement all the recommendations of 

this report without a Chief Executive to 

support the community, manage the Shul 

and to drive implementation of the 

proposed recommendations and 

projects. 

We should engage with other local 

communities to see whether we can 

make significant savings by combining 

administrative support across the 

communities. 

There is a major task to be undertaken 

by all of us to build on our existing sense 

of community to make the Shul even 

more welcoming and inclusive. Too 

many of our members, and would be 

members, still feel like outsiders and 

unwelcome. Some have suggested that 

perhaps we need a big community 

project - something that people can get 

behind, contribute to and so begin to feel 

more involved. Others have suggested 

that it needs to be handed down from 

the community’s leadership – a spirit of 

inclusiveness, cohesion and openness. 

The scale of the community makes the 

creation of a community spirit more 

difficult, but other communities show it is 

feasible. The Strategy Committee urges 

the entire community to make greater 

efforts in this respect. We need to enquire 

of each member of the community as to 

their needs and concerns, and then to 

engage one on one to see how we might 

meet them. We should then put in place 

processes to do so. Currently our 

administrative and organisational structure 

is not well resourced to do this; it needs to 

be looked at as part of the recommended 

organisational review. 

The Strategy Committee welcomes 

comments on these, or any other aspect 

of the Green Paper. They should be sent 

by post to: 

Stanmore Strategy Committee, 

Stanmore & Canons Park Synagogue, 

London Road, 

Stanmore 

HA7 4NR 

or by email to: 

stanmorestrategy@btinternet.com. 

The Committee hopes to produce a 

final report and recommendations 

immediately after Pesach in time for 

presentation at the AGM in May, and 

so any comments should be submitted 

by 5 April 2013. 

8

PESACH MESSAGE 

Rabbi Mendel Lew 

All you need is love 

Ah, precious words from a great song 

- All you need is love! But, what is 

love, how do we give it, and how do 

we get it Love is the most 

spectacular, indescribable, deep 

euphoric feeling - usually for another 

person. That much is straightforward. 

How we give, and receive it, is the 

much bigger question. 

When two people meet and become 

married, they are obviously in love. To 

maintain that love they must be prepared 

to work very hard at pleasing one 

another - by compromise, by doing the 

unexpected, by respect and by total 

devotion. The more one puts into the 

relationship, the better the chances of 

success. Crucially, one must be focused 

on giving. Receiving will invariably 

follow. 

There is another type of relationship - 

no less important - where the interaction 

is less apparent. The relationship we 

have with G-d. Before you turn to the 

next page, please read on. It’s important. 

Soon, we will sit around the table for the 

annual Seder, when we remember how 

our ancestors were freed from Egyptian 

tyranny. It also marked the beginning of 

our relationship with G-d. The rules to 

this relationship are the same as in any 

partnership. There is giving and taking. 

G-d is the giver extraordinaire. He gives 

life. He gives health. He gives happiness 

and He gives success. What are His 

expectations of us Loyalty, devotion 

and performing our religious duties in 

the best way possible. 

As we are busy people, and find it 

difficult to remain constantly focused on 

this relationship, we have aide mémoires to 

help us. One of these is the Mezuzah. 

The Mezuzah is, and has always been, 

one of the most recognised Jewish 

symbols. 

There is something about Mezuzah 

which no other Mitzvah can match. 

Onkelos, a nephew of the Roman 

Emperor Titus, decided to convert to 

Judaism. His uncle was so enraged that 

he ordered his arrest. Before leaving his 

home, he touched the Mezuzah. 

Onkelos explained to his captors that a 

mortal king has servants standing 

outside his house on guard. The King of 

Kings, however, is Himself guarding His 

servants outside their homes [A”Z. 11a]. 

In an era where our homes sometimes 

resemble Fort Knox, that is a comforting 

thought - G-d is watching over us! 

The large Hebrew letter SHIN on every 

Mezuzah is the first of three letters, the 

others being a DALED and a YUD. The 

combination is a name of G-d. They 

also spell the words: Shomer Daltot 

Yisrael - He guards the entrances of the 

Jews. G-d actually protects us, and our 

belongings, when a Mezuzah is erected 

on the doorposts of our home. Why 

Because he loves us and that’s His part 

of the deal. And, boy, does He invest so 

much time, effort and attention to see 

that we are happy and content. 

When we look towards the Mezuzah it 

reminds us that our partner is working 

hard for us. And we are more 

determined to return the favour. 

Purchasing a Mezuzah is only the 

beginning. When I visit homes I am 

always impressed by the commitment to 

having a Mezuzah. But when I have the 

Mezuzah checked, all too often it turns 

out as not Kosher. And even when they 

are reliable, they are usually fixed 

wrongly. 

With so much at stake (G-d’s protection, 

which also includes personal health, 

success and blessing), let’s take a quick 

look at some important points regarding 

Mezuzah: 

1) A Mezuzah is a scroll of parchment - 

not the protective box. The cover is 

necessary, but is inconsequential to the 

Mitzvah. 

2) Every doorpost (besides for the 

bathroom) requires a Mezuzah - not just 

the front door. 

3) The positioning of the Mezuzah is 

critical - this includes the height, and 

correct doorpost. Affixing a Mezuzah 

incorrectly is like not having one at all. 

4) Purchasing a Mezuzah is not easy. A 

Mezuzah is work-intensive, and is a 

complicated product. Unfortunately, 

fake Mezuzahs abound aplenty. Buying 

in Israel is no guarantee of authenticity. 

Please discuss with me before spending 

your hard-earned money on a Mezuzah. 

5) A Mezuzah is a ‘raw’ product, which 

means it is prone to erosion. A Mezuzah 

must be checked twice in 7 years. 

Obviously, there is so much more to the 

Mitzvah. I would be happy to assist in 

any way I can, including to get the 

Mezuzah checked. I will also help you to 

affix it accurately. 

Rivkie and I wish you all a happy, 

healthy and Kosher Pesach, followed 

by an inspiring and relaxing summer, 

free of all worry and trouble. 


9


Rabbi Andrew Shaw 

An Ancient Solution to a Modern Problem 

A few months ago was a learning 

Shabbat and I was told (in jest) not to 

put Jewish Education or United Synagogue 

in the title of my shiur as I 

speak about those two topics rather 

often! I admit, I do, my passion for 

both runs quite high and as we come 

to Pesach I feel once again compelled 

to speak about a fascinating aspect of 

the festival and how it relates to both 

Jewish Education and the United Synagogue! 

Pesach – Seder night in particular is remarkable. 

It is one of the greatest educational 

evenings of the year. How is that 

education achieved Through sights and 

sounds, through questions, through engagement- 

it’s enjoyable, it’s family based 

and it’s fun! To me Seder night is the 

blueprint of how all Jewish education 

should be. 

In fact Seder night would be defined 

today as informal education which is a 

general term for education outside of a 

standard school setting. Informal education 

in my opinion allows people to access 

the information in a way that is 

engaging and relevant and hopefully also 

experiential. 

There has been a case made over the last 

few years that informal Jewish education 

should not be confined to a place or a 

methodology but rather is a well-defined 

philosophy of how people should be educated. 

That means that the concept of 

informal education should be infused 

into all educational programming. 

In reality informal education has been at 

the core of the success of our youth 

community over the years. Plays, trips 

and clubs have all been wonderful ways 

for the youth to interact with positive 

role models both rabbinic and otherwise 

as well as learning various Jewish values 

and ideals through experiential education. 

The pinnacle of this has been the 

myriad heritage trips over the years to Israel, 

Prague and Poland not to mention 

the numerous Shabbatonim. 

All of this has been achieved without a 

single ‘lesson’. However a ‘curriculum’ 

has been followed taking our children 

from age 9 or 10 through to age 18 and 

beyond. This curriculum was not a set 

course of studies, with lists of subjects 

to be covered, books to read such as in a 

formal setting. Rather it was rooted in a 

well-defined body of Jewish experiences 

and values. I had the honour and pleasure 

of leading the programme for many 

years and am now delighted to see it 

growing and developing under the current 

leadership of Rabbi Benji and Aviva 

Landau. 

However it doesn’t stop at kids. Initiatives 

such as the women’s learning experience, 

baby blessings and adult heritage 

trips to Poland and Israel have allowed 

parents and adults to sample the delights 

of informal education. They have left 

these experiences with a deeper connection 

to each other and to their Judaism. 

Professor Barry Chazan in his work ‘The 

philosophy of informal Jewish education’ 

(2003) states that 

Informal Jewish education is aimed at the personal 

growth of Jews of all ages. It happens 

through the individual’s actively experiencing a 

diversity of Jewish moments and values that are 

regarded as worthwhile. It works by creating venues, 

by developing a total educational culture, 

and by co-opting the social context. It is based on 

a curriculum of Jewish values and experiences 

that is presented in a dynamic and flexible manner. 

As an activity, it does not call for any one 

venue but may happen in a variety of settings. 

It evokes pleasurable feelings and memories. It 

requires Jewishly literate educators with a “teaching” 

style that is highly interactive and participatory, 

who are willing to make maximal use 

of self and personal lifestyle in their educational 

work. 

I believe that paragraph sums up part of 

what we are doing at Stanmore, presenting 

Judaism as a way of life not simply 

facts to be learned for examination or 

shul services to turn up for which does 

not challenge our heart or our soul. A 

shul community, a United Synagogue 

community can create these experiences 

to allow people to move on their own 

personal Jewish journey 

None of these ideas are new – Moshe 

Rabbenu – our teacher told us over 3,000 

years ago to v’higadta l’vincha – to tell it to 

our children through the prism of Jewish 

experience. That telling takes place on 

Seder night when through informal education 

we attempt to inspire ourselves 

and hopefully the next generation. 

On behalf of Gila, Yori and Daniel, 

wishing you all a happy and kosher 

Pesach 


11


Rabbi Benji Landau 

What’s really important 

Matzah – love it or hate it, for eight 

days of the year (or seven if you’re 

lucky enough to get away to Israel for 

the holiday), we have to eat it. 

For some of us, matzah invokes happy 

memories of Pesach holidays gone by, but 

for some of us it only invokes some 

serious stomach cramps! So what’s it all 

about Why are we commanded to eat 

matzah for these holidays Why do we 

need to eat something that is not nearly 

as filling as bread, and tastes far worse 

As with all similar Jewish questions there 

are various levels on which to answer this 

one. We understand that though there 

may be simple answers to the question, 

we’re searching here for something 

fundamental, an idea with which we can 

enhance our lives. 

So let’s start at the beginning. We all 

know why we’re commanded to eat 

matzah – we say it in the hagaddah: 

This matzah that we eat, for what reason 

Because the dough of our forefathers did not 

have enough time to become chametz until the 

King of Kings, the Holy One Blessed Be He, 

appeared unto them and redeemed them. 

In other words, we eat matzah to 

commemorate the phenomenon that 

took place on the night our forefathers 

left Egypt, namely, that they did not have 

time to wait until the dough could rise 

before baking it into bread. Rather, they 

had to bake it when it had not yet risen 

thus resulting in matzah, as opposed to 

normal bread. 

Perhaps though, we need to look a bit 

deeper to find an answer that resonates 

within each of us. 

We live in a world that has found a way 

to manufacture a device, gizmo or utensil 

for every conceivable situation in which 

a human being may find himself. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of 

everything modern technology has 

contributed to society. Information and 

resources sharing, ease of living and 

ability to communicate are fantastic 

achievements. 

But this has come at a price. iPhone, 

iPad, iPod, Tablets, Ultrabooks, online, 

mobile, BBM, Facebook, Twitter. Our 

world has been taken over by 

technology; by our inability to let go of 

our phones, where with twitching 

thumbs we tap away in the hope of 

enhancing our relationships, whilst 

actually neglecting to relate to the people 

standing next to us. 

It’s reaching new levels every day. At the 

recent Consumer Electronics Show in 

Las Vegas, Sony were delighted to be the 

pioneers of new mobile phone 

technology that actually allows a person 

to use their phone in the shower. Their 

new Xperia mobile phone is waterproof 

for up to half an hour. 

Is that really where we’ve come to 

I understand that our oneness with our 

mobiles has led to our mobiles coming 

with us into the small room, but is our 

addiction to technology so strong that 

we cannot even wash ourselves without 

being able to ‘Tweet’ about it in real 

time 

In all seriousness though, this is a 

problem that is having terrible 

consequences. An increasing number of 

hitherto fully observant modern 

orthodox teens in America have fallen 

into a group known as the ‘half Shabbos 

group’. 

These are teenagers who are so uneasy 

without their mobile phones that they 

text on Shabbat with no compunction. 

We’re talking here, about kids who come 

from frum homes, from families who are 

shomer Shabbat, but have been robbed of 

their sensitivity towards what was 

previously a special day. 

How has society allowed itself to lose 

sight of priorities in this way How has it 

become culturally acceptable for a group 

of youngsters to sit round a table in a 

restaurant or coffee shop and all have 

their mobiles out, instead of 

concentrating on enjoying the company 

of those in whose presence they find 

themselves. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if together as a 

community, as a united society, we were 

able to collectively reorganise our priorities; 

to take a step back from the constant 

barrage of offers and deals, from the 

on-going release of yet newer, faster, 

smaller technological advancements, and 

to make a firm decision as to what is really 

important to us in life. 

And that’s what matzah is all about. After 

all, what is matzah; it’s almost exactly the 

same as bread, just that it’s manufactured 

with fewer fancy ingredients; without 

taking as much time. In a way matzah is a 

more efficient and stream-lined version 

of bread. It allows us to eat and to 

become nourished and satiated, whilst not 

getting drawn into superficial factors 

regarding how good it smells or how 

delicious it looks. 

And that really is the lesson of Pesach. 

Once a year we are given the opportunity 

to decide for ourselves what’s really 

important; to identify the goals we should 

be striving for, and the pursuits that are 

worth chasing and then to ascertain 

whether or not our actual priorities in life 

are commensurate with those aims. 

It could well be that after engaging in this 

analysis we might find that we have 

unnecessarily imposed ‘task-masters’ over 

ourselves, that we have made ourselves 

into ‘slaves’ to all sorts of different 

factors; technology, work, sport, shopping 

and others, whilst neglecting to focus real 

time and energy on what really matters, 

such as family, friendships, relationships 

and overall development as human being. 

This Pesach, whether we are matzah’s 

biggest fans or we can’t stand the stuff, 

let’s all bite into it with relish and taste the 

taste of freedom. 

On behalf of Aviva, Chananya, 

Yehuda and Millie, I wish the entire 

kehilla a happy and kosher pesach, 

and that next year we will all be free in 

Jerusalem! 


13


Chief Rabbi 

Pesach Message 

The Seder opens with a strange 

declaration: “This is the bread of 

affliction our ancestors ate in the 

land of Egypt. Let all who are 

hungry come and eat.” What kind of 

generosity is it to invite strangers to 

eat the bread of affliction 

In my Haggadah I offered a radical 

interpretation. We find that in the course 

of the seder two conflicting 

interpretations are given of matzah. At 

the beginning, it is called the bread of 

affliction, the food of slaves. Later, 

however, we speak of it as the bread of 

freedom that our ancestors ate as they 

were leaving Egypt in such a hurry that 

there was no time for the dough to rise. 

How does affliction turn into freedom 

When we share our bread with others. I 

learned this from the harrowing account 

of the last days of the Second World 

War by one of the survivors of 

Auschwitz, Primo Levi. Levi writes in If 

This is a Man, that the hardest time was 

the ten days between the evacuation of 

the camp by the Nazis and the arrival of 

the Russian army. 

The only people left in the camp were 

prisoners deemed too ill to take part in 

the “death march” as the Germans left. 

It was bitterly cold, mid-January. There 

was no electricity, no heat, and no meals. 

Levi and a friend were digging 

desperately in the frozen earth, trying to 

find vegetables, when they were 

observed by a fellow prisoner who 

invited them to share the food he had 

found. 

At that moment, writes Levi, we ceased 

being prisoners and became free human 

beings again. As long as the Nazis were 

in power, it was suicidal to share your 

food with a fellow prisoner. You would 

starve. This first act of generosity, of 

empathy and altruism, was the sign that 

the survivors had recovered their 

humanity. When we share our bread with 

others, it ceases to be the bread of 

affliction and becomes the bread of 

freedom. 

We are, thankfully, a very long way from 

that particular Egypt, but the principle 

remains. There are Jews and non-Jews 

today who live in poverty, in Britain, in 

Israel and elsewhere. Let us do what we 

can to help them. In the last month of 

his life Moses warned the Israelites – 

children of the people he had led to 

freedom – that the biggest challenge they 

would face would be not poverty but 

affluence, not affliction but freedom. 

When we are affluent we tend to forget 

about others. Affluent societies 

throughout history have tended to 

become self-centred and individualistic. 

People lose the sense of solidarity they 

had when they and their friends and 

neighbours were poor. The Jewish 

answer to this has always been tzedakah, 

giving to others, and hachnassat orchim, 

hospitality to others. 

So, before Pesach, the custom was to 

give ma’ot chittim, money to those who 

lacked it, so that they could buy the 

requisites for the Seder meal. I can still 

remember from my childhood how my 

late grandmother, who ran the Frumkin’s 

wine shop in London’s Commercial 

Road, would give away free bottles of 

wine to all needy Jews in the East End 

so that they and their families would 

have their four cups for Seder night. 

Please this year make sure that you give 

tzedakah to those in need. The move 

from affliction to freedom begins in the 

act of sharing our blessings with those 

who have less than us. 

This is the last year that I will write a 

Pesach message as Chief Rabbi. The 

words I most want to say are simple 

thanks for the privilege of serving this 

great community these past twenty-two 

years. In that time Jewish life has been 

renewed in ways none of us thought 

possible. There are more Jewish schools, 

more Jewish learning, more cultural 

activities and outstanding welfare 

facilities than have ever existed in British 

Jewry since the return of Jewish life in 

1656. 

As I wish my distinguished successor, 

Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, every blessing, I 

want to thank you for all you have done 

to bring about this renaissance. May our 

children and grandchildren go further 

still, and may our re-invigorated 

community bring blessings to all its 

members and nachat ruach, delight, to 

Heaven itself. 

Wishing you all a chag kasher 

vesameach. 

Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks 

15

NOBODY CARES 

True or False 

False 

We do care – if we know 

If you let us know you are housebound, we can send someone to visit you. 

If you let us know you have difficulty shopping, we can arrange for someone to shop for you. 

If you let us know you are unable to get to a hospital appointment, we can arrange for a volunteer 

to drive you. 

If you let us know you are in hospital, we can send someone to visit. 

Stanmore Synagogue Community Care does care 

contact us: By phone: 020 8954 3300 (24 hour answerphone) or sscc@stanmoresynagogue.org 

If you have any spare time to volunteer, we would welcome your call. 

‘Thank you for 

your business’ 

The Jewish Contribution 

to the British Economy 

Derek Taylor 

Foreword by the Rt Hon. 

George Osborne, MP 

Introduction by Andrew 

Godley 

320 pages, b/w illus 

978 085303 853 5 cloth £40.00 

978 085303 916 7 paper £16.95 

The Worlds of 

Wolf Mankowitz 

Between Elite and 

Popular Cultures in 

Post-War Britain 

Anthony J. Dunn 

290 pages 12 pages b/w plates 

978 085303 865 8 cloth £50.00 

978 085303 906 8 paper £19.95 

‘The contribution of Britain’s Jewish community 

to the nation’s commerce is immense. Derek Taylor 

has done a service by pulling this info rmation 

together in a single volume.’ 

Alex Brummer 

‘A Renaissance man.’ Richard Burton 

‘A sort of East End [James] Joyce.’ Anthony Burgess 

.... assertively proud of his roots. Frederic Raphael 

‘Three assessments of the prodigious playwright, 

producer, scholar, poet, journalist, screenwriter, TV 

panellist, artist and authority on Wedgwood china.’ 

Gerald Jacobs, The JC 

Vallentine Mitchell Publishers 

T: +44 (0) 20 8952 9526 F: +44 (0) 20 8952 9242 E: info@vmbooks.com 

www.vmbooks.com


Jeremy Jacobs 

Fresh Faces, Fresh Places 

All our work at The US, be it in 

communities or at the centre, 

underpins our mission to provide our 

members with an authentic and 

inclusive brand of modern Orthodox 

Judaism through living, learning and 

caring. All of us work hard to ensure 

our members are engaged and 

excited by their Judaism, and there is 

always plenty going on both within 

your own community and across the 

United Synagogue that you can get 

involved in. 

Of course, many people followed with 

great interest the lead up to the 

announcement of the next Chief Rabbi. 

Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis is an exceptional 

man, and a highly qualified and worthy 

choice and I look forward to working 

closely with him when he takes up his 

post in September. 

With the impending retirement of Chief 

Rabbi, Lord Sacks, the US are organising 

a very special evening to show our 

thanks and appreciation for his 

inspirational leadership. On 21st May 

2013, members of the community are 

invited to attend this event which will 

feature an “In Conversation with The 

Chief ” and choral tributes by many of 

our schools, performing together with 

the Shabbaton Choir. 

Locally, we were delighted to welcome 

new Rabbis and Rabbinical couples and 

those communities that became full 

member synagogues. We are already 

seeing the benefits of these appointments, 

with many new programmes and 

initiatives receiving positive feedback 

from the communities. For example the 

initiatives we are doing to promote Young 

US, aimed at the 21 – 35 year olds, have 

been exceptionally well received with 

literally hundreds of young people 

attending events at a number of 

communities. There has also been the 

landmark announcement that women are 

now able to stand for the highest 

positions of lay leadership at their 

respective communities. 

That being said, our shuls and 

communities could not possibly function 

without the incredible teams of full-time 

staff, volunteers and lay leaders who all 

work to provide a great community 

atmosphere, offering social and 

educational events for their members. I 

would like thank them for their tireless 

work and dedication to their communities. 

One of the great strengths of our 

communities is that we take pride in 

looking after our members’ needs. At 

this time of year we need to think about 

those members who see Pesach not as a 

time of celebration but of dread. 

Unfortunately these members struggle to 

afford essential items for Pesach. Our US 

Chesed Pesach appeal raises money for 

Pesach food packages, purchased for 

those in need in our community. A huge 

thank you to all of those who have 

already donated and our amazing US 

Community Cares volunteers who have 

delivered, in confidence, these highly 

appreciated packages. This is what it 

means to be a community and I am so 

proud to be part of an organisation 

where its members look out for each 

other. 

Thanks also to the sterling work of the 

KLBD, there are a huge number of 

approved food items for Pesach, and 

their new Pesach website has made 

understanding the process of preparing 

for Pesach that much simpler. 

Post Pesach, the Tribe team focus their 

attention on providing our children and 

teenagers with a summer they will never 

forget. Tribe Israel Tour is now in its 

third year and for the younger ones we 

have Tribe Summer Camps and Schemes 

based in the UK and Europe. Our Tribe 

summer programmes are a great way to 

keep your kids entertained in a fun, safe, 

Jewish environment, and give you a bit 

of a breather for a couple of weeks. 

I would like to take this opportunity 

to wish you a Chag Sameach, 

Jeremy Jacobs 

If you have any questions, comments or would 

like to get in touch with me, you can either e- 

mail me at jjacobs@theus.org.uk or you can 

Tweet me @jeremy_s_jacobs 

17



In Praise of Women 

The idea for this piece came from me 

recently gaining some awareness of 

the work of the current Poet 

Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. 

For several reasons Ms Duffy is unique 

as a Poet Laureate. First, Duffy is the 

twenty second Poet Laureate, but the 

first female to have occupied the role. 

Next, she is the first openly bisexual 

honoree and, third, she is the only 

Laureate best known for feminist 

writing, and there is some belief that 

these last two facets are linked. It is one 

of her feminist specialisms, the genre 

called revisionist mythology, that I’d like 

to bring to your attention. 

The idea behind it is that from earliest 

times story-telling, whether in verbal or 

written form, has either diminished or 

marginalised females. A classic example is 

the Greek myth Pandora’s Box. In the 

story, the gods place Pandora in a paradiselike 

setting where she will have a 

wonderful and untroubled life. But there 

is a condition, which is that she must not 

open a box that is in this special place. 

Surprise, surprise, Pandora does exactly 

what she has been told not to do, and 

when she opens the box out come 

Hunger, Greed, War and every other nasty 

thing that humans have to contend with. 

The story was an attempt by the Greeks 

to rationalise why there are bad things in 

the world. There is no problem, from the 

revisionists’ point of view, with this 

attempt at rationalisation. Their beef is 

that it is a woman who is to blame for 

bringing all the ills into the world. Why 

does the culprit have to be Pandora; why 

not Pan 

Now we might say they are being oversensitive. 

Does it matter whether the 

person to blame is a man or a woman 

Surely the point of the story is that we 

could still be living in paradise if rules 

had been followed. Their answer is that 

it really does matter, because the main 

audience for such stories is the young, 

and if, either consciously or subconsciously, 

children are presented with 

stories where heroics are associated with 

men while women either are not present 

or have a negative influence when they 

are, that view of the respective statuses 


of men and women is what they are likely 

to carry with them through their lives. 

Now, is their idea reasonable or not To 

help you decide, think about all the 

predatory mammals there are in the 

world. We have lions, tigers, bears and so 

on. Many figure in nice, non-threatening 

tales. For example, Goldilocks and the 

Three Bears, the Lion and the Mouse, 

the Disney films The Lion King and The 

Fox and the Hound, and so on. Now 

think about wolves and honestly ask 

yourself if you see them in the same way. 

And if the answer is ‘no’, might it have 

anything to do with stories such as The 

Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood 

or The Boy Who Cried Wolf that you 

heard when you were young 

The revisionists’ response to stories 

containing anti-female bias is to recast 

them either loosely or fairly drastically so 

that the point of the story is still there 

but the female is no longer being 

disadvantaged. And this, they hold, will 

help society see women for what they are 

really worth and will allow them to be 

valued accordingly. So Pandora’s Box 

might be rewritten as Pan’s Box or, as 

actually happened, the story of King 

Midas, the mythical king who turned 

everything he touched to gold, was 

rewritten by Duffy as Mrs Midas, giving 

the perspective of the wife who doesn’t 

even appear in the classic myth. 

So what has any of this to do with us 

Well going back to Pandora and her box, 

it’s not difficult to see the analogy with the 

Garden of Eden and that we’d all still be 

there if Eve, the woman, hadn’t eaten the 

apple. And that puts that story in the 

revisionists’ line of fire. Indeed, certainly 

up to the Middle Ages and in some 

quarters beyond then there were powerful 

views expressed within Christianity that 

woman was either solely or primarily 

responsible for the Original Sin. 

And it’s not just that story which is fair 

game for revision. The revisionists could 

argue that the Bible is replete with stories 

that perpetuate the imbalance between 

the perceptions of men and women, so 

children need to have the stories adjusted 

for them to see the world more fairly. 

Could they have a case Well, on the face 

of it, you might argue that they do. Let’s 

look at some other very familiar 

occurrences. 

In the Flood, Noah’s wife and three 

daughters in law are saved, but that’s all 

we know about them. Noah is the hero. 

Abraham and Sarah Hashem tells 

Abraham to leave his land and go to 

Israel, He promises Abraham that a great 

people will be descended from him, He 

allows Abraham to plead for Sodom and 

Gomorrah and He puts Abraham to the 

supreme test via the binding of Isaac. 

Sarah, on the other hand, laughs when 

she is told she will become a mother and 

tells Abraham to get rid of Hagar and 

Ishmael. 

Isaac and Rebecca Rebecca persuades 

Jacob to mislead Isaac. 

19


Jacob and his wives Jacob has the dream 

with the ladder, he works for 14 years to 

acquire his wives and he wrestles with the 

angel. Meanwhile, Rachel conspires with 

Leah so that Jacob marries Leah first, and 

Rachel steals her father’s idol and then 

misleads him about it. 

Moses, Aaron and Miriam They are all 

Jewish superheroes, but when Aaron and 

Miriam bad-mouth Moses only Miriam 

gets smitten with leprosy. 

In each case (and there are others) either 

the female is irrelevant or is portrayed 

negatively, so maybe the revisionists have 

something! 

However, if you take the time and trouble 

to study such stories you will see a number 

of things that help mitigate a revisionist 

view. 

First, there were some females that were 

truly bad. There isn’t much you can do to 

paint Jezebel or Delilah in a good light. 

Second, there are plenty of episodes that 

involve females, and males are irrelevant. 

For example, those involving the midwives 

in Egypt and the rescuing of Moses from 

the river Nile quickly come to mind. There 

are also others where men and women 

appear but where the woman is the hero, 

for example, Judah and Tamar, Rahab and 

the spies in Jericho, Deborah and Yael 

versus Barak, leader of the Israelite army. 

Third, Torah comes from the same root 

as the word moreh, teacher. The Torah’s 

purpose is to get messages across about 

the right way to live, and it employs a very 

concise style to do that. Consequently introducing 

characters or imagery to make 

it a ‘good read’ the way that you might in 

a novel just isn’t appropriate. Sometimes 

the Torah uses a man to be the medium 

for the message, sometimes a woman, 

sometimes both sexes and sometimes neither. 

So if a male or a female presence is 

not mentioned or enlarged upon it’s because 

it isn’t necessary for the message. It 

isn’t done to try to exclude or diminish 

anyone. 

But, even allowing for those explanations, 

what about the situations we have 

highlighted where women seem to come 

off badly 

Since the classic biblical case that could be 

challenged by revisionists is the Garden of 

Eden story let’s examine what really went 

on. Hashem’s command was that the fruit 

should not be eaten by Adam and Eve, or 

they would die. Eve said to the snake the 

fruit should not be eaten and the Tree 

should not even be touched or she would 

die. Eve is criticised by the rabbis for 

saying more than she had been 

commanded, so giving the snake the 

chance to deceive her. (According to the 

Midrash, the snake pushed Eve against the 

Tree and convinced her that as she did not 

die when she touched it she also would not 

die if she ate its fruit.) But, in her defence, 

she was trying to keep away from sin, and 

she was up against what the Torah says 

was the most cunning of creatures. Now 

look at what Adam’s position was. The 

Torah says simply, “…and she did give 

him and he did eat.” Adam didn’t try to 

stop himself or protest to Eve. And then 

when G-d asks him to account for his 

actions he replies, “The woman that You 

gave me gave me of the Tree and I ate.” In 

other words he makes two attempts to 

pass off blame. It’s your fault, Hashem, for 

giving me a poor quality wife, and it’s my 

wife’s fault for putting temptation in my 

path. Eve, by contrast, tells it the way it is 

when she explains, “The snake deceived 

me and I did eat.” Consequently, who 

should really want the story to be revised, 

the woman or the man 

While there are other stories that the 

revisionists could attack, each such attack 

could equally be refuted by a more 

balanced or better understood appraisal of 

events. And a further idea refuting antifemale 

bias will be drawn from the weekly 

progression of the sedrahs. 

In each sedrah up to and including Yisro 

there is direct reference to females. In 

most weeks the women are named. 

However, after that sedrah there are very 

few direct references to women in the 

Chumash. Why is this I don’t know, but 

I’d like to offer this suggestion. The sedrah 

of Yisro contains the giving of the Torah. 

Men have to perform all of the 

commandments in the Torah, but women 

do not. This is partly for practical reasons; 

women are not required to perform timedependent 

mitzvahs. But it also recognizes 

that women are spiritually superior to men, 

who need the moral and spiritual 

framework that the Torah gives them. 

Prior to the giving of the Torah, observing 

it was voluntary. We know that our 

patriarchs did perform the mitzvahs, but 

there was no requirement for them to do 

so, and so there was also not the same set 

of boundaries within which they had to 

live. And this is why the women had to be 

prominent and keep appearing in Torah 

episodes at that time, because their 

spiritual superiority gave the men the extra 

direction that was missing up till the giving 

of the Torah. Indeed the rabbis say that 

the the Jews were redeemed from Egypt 

in the merit of the women. And maybe 

this is why in Genesis, Chapter 2, woman 

is called ezer k’negdo, which is normally 

translated as ‘help meet’ but is more 

accurately ‘against / opposite help’; in 

other words, woman helps by opposing 

what man’s inclination is! 

Education is a big thing in Judaism. We are 

expected to review our understanding of 

even the most familiar stories, rituals or 

mitzvahs so that we get fresh insights and 

achieve greater attachment to our belief 

system. It is to be hoped that those who 

would set themselves up as revisionists 

would get a better understanding of what 

they are critical of. They may then 

conclude that there is one thing in this 

world, the Torah, that does not need 

revision, and that one of its less obvious 

messages is that it really is written in praise 

of women. 

20


Dr Ian Goodman 

Are Jews hardwired to 

be gynaecologists 

We all know that every Jewish mother 

wishes for nothing more than her son 

to become a doctor. It is also a 

commonly held view that Jewish 

mothers are the pushiest in the 

world. It therefore seems logical to 

assume that the reason so many Jews 

become doctors is because of their 

mothers. However I would like to 

suggest there is a more fundamental 

reason. 

Judaism has a profound tradition for 

learning, education and intellectual 

pursuit. Throughout the past 2000 years 

Jews have been persecuted in almost 

every country they have lived in. Often 

they have been prohibited from taking 

up certain professions particularly in 

finance and law. In fact they have also 

been banned from taking up medicine 

except when practising within the Jewish 

community itself. 

It is a worthy cause to follow the 

profession of medicine. It is intellectually 

stimulating, ethically challenging and 

extremely rewarding. Within the realm of 

medicine, gynaecology is a fairly new sub 

speciality. Although matters of pregnancy 

and infertility have populated the Torah 

narrative from its origin doctors did not 

really pursue the subspecialty of 

gynaecology until the 19th century. For 

thousands of years the care of pregnant 

women and midwifery was in the hands 

of midwives. It was only with the 

Chamberlen family, a very secretive 

Hugenot family of doctors who 

developed the use of forceps that 

obstetrics moved into the realm of 

medicine. Matters of infertility have really 

only been accessible for the past 75 years 

and assisted conception for 35. However 

narratives of infertility and genetics are 

to be found in the Torah from its very 

early chapters. 

Many Jewish children attend cheder or 

Jewish primary schools. Here they learn 

about Torah, halachah and the Jewish 

way of life. 

The stories they listen to are full of 

emotional imagery and meaningful 

ethical interpretations. We know that the 

stories exert a powerful effect on young 

children’s imagination. They are vivid 

metaphors of ethical principles. We also 

know from developmental psychology 

that such powerful messages can be 

imprinted on the developing minds of 

the young. I have no doubt that such 

tales which young Jewish children are 

taught about and discuss from a very 

early age have a profound effect in 

developing their ideas on future 

professions to follow. 

As they get older and learn Torah in a 

more profound way they learn about the 

rules of ethics, health and hygiene. 

The first commandment in the Torah is 

to Adam and Eve “peru urevu” go forth 

and multiply. This is a clear indication 

that mankind has a duty to procreate. 

All well and good, but procreation which 

is the most basic function of all lifeforms 

is not an automatic natural process 

which works unfailingly in all couples. 

The narratives of our matriarchs vividly 

highlights this issue. It is made even more 

poignant as these women know that they 

should become the mothers to whole 

mighty nation. These women lived in an 

era where pregnancy and childbirth was 

an almost absolute product of getting 

married for most couples. There was very 

little in the way of contraception that 

could be reliably used and therefore 

marriage would almost inevitably lead to 

pregnancy. Women became pregnant as 

soon as they were married and continued 

with serial pregnancies until they either 

died in childbirth, reached the menopause 

or refrained from sexual relations. 

This being the case it stretches the 

realms of coincidence that three out of 

four matriarchs had fertility problems. 

Sarah had only one child and that at the 

unlikely the age of 90. Rebecca only 

managed to get pregnant once but 

produced twins and Rachel went 

through many physical and psychological 

traumas before she conceived and 

ultimately she died from complications 

of childbirth and possibly, pregnancy. 

The Tanach mentions four more barren 

women in addition to the matriarchs. 

There is Manolo’s wife (Samson’s 

mother) Hannah (Samuel’s mother) 

Michal (David’s wife) and finally the 

Shulamite woman in Kings II. Each of 

these narratives has an important tale. 

Each of them shows the psychological 

traumas of barreness and the joy of 

finally having a successful pregnancy. 

These narratives set the scene 

highlighting how fundamental to 

Judaism is procreation. That despite the 

seemingly naturalness of the procreative 

process it must not be taken for granted. 

The subliminal message here clearly is of 

importance . Helping those with fertility 

problems wherever possible. 

The Tanach highlights these narratives to 

show that infertility affects even the most 

righteous women. It is not a punishment 

for some possible sin and that out of such 

barren wombs come exceptional 

offspring. 

The Talmud states that one of the reasons 

why God tested these women with the 

curse of infertility was that “God desires 

to hear the prayers of the righteous”. This 

is a somewhat poor reason to inflict 

infertility on these women. 

To my mind it is man’s duty to challenge 

God in this arena. Doctors, however, were 

incapable of doing so until very recently. It 

was only in the second half of the 20 th 

century that we were able to use hormone 

therapy to manipulate menstrual cycles to 

stimulate pregnancy. And assisted 

conception really only began in 1979 with 

the birth of Louise Brown. The pioneers 

of in vitro fertilisation, Steptoe and 

Edwards were not Jewish. However the 

next generation of gynaecologists 

included that well-known Jewish scientific 

pioneer Lord Winston who developed 

many essential innovations to improve this 

process. 

Ironically, whilst many Jews entered 

gynaecology to improve the outcomes of 

infertile women it was a Jewish doctor, 

Carl Djerassi, who invented the 

contraceptive pill which has had such a 

profound effect on the latter half of the 

20 th century and beyond. 

It is a humbling thought to consider that 

the mysteries of procreation have been 

elucidated by pioneering Jewish doctors. 

One who has used his abilities to make 

many people’s lives much more 

manageable by allowing them to control 

their family size painlessly and others who 

strive to end the pain of the childless 

couple. Perhaps it was the Torah narratives 

which sowed the seeds in these doctors 

minds to pursue their careers. 

21


Aviva Landau 

A Yahrzeit commemoration with a twist 

Having noticed articles in previous 

editions of Habimah about lifecycle 

events – mainly simchas, I thought I 

would share something a little 

different. Here is a brief account of 

how my family and I found a 

meaningful way to commemorate a 

grandparent’s yahrzeit. 

As my grandmother’s yahrzeit approached 

this year, I felt sad that the day would not 

mean anything to my children. My 

grandmother was taken from us eighteen 

years ago following a brief illness, so 

unfortunately the next generation does not 

remember her. 

My children don’t know what we mean 

when we discuss Safta Clare’s warmth, 

her sense of humour or her courage to 

innovate, which was behind her role in 

founding the Jewish Marriage Council. 

Having never tasted her delectable 

“Auntie Bessie’s biscuits”, lovingly 

mailed to us when we were at camp or 

having never heard her exclaim “men are 

just big babies” and other such 

witticisms that my Mum is now fond of 

repeating, I felt my children do not really 

have a connection with their past and 

with their own roots. 

With these thoughts in mind, I recalled 

something I had learnt a couple of years 

ago, which gave me a new dimension to 

the understanding of life after death. 

The way that people live on after death is 

through the extension of their actions. 

When a person leaves behind descendants 

who have been educated to impact the 

world in a positive way, the actions of 

these descendants are an extension of the 

essence and soul of the deceased. 

This continuity is not limited to 

descendants but includes any people that 

were touched, helped or inspired in some 

way by the deceased. Similarly, any 

mitzvot performed which have ripple 

effects years down the line are a 

perpetuation of the very being of the 

deceased. Their persona is still present 

in so many ways in this world. 

With this in mind, I decided to bridge 

past, present and future by marking my 

grandmother’s yahrzeit with an 

expression of the commitment to Jewish 

values which she instilled in her children 

and grandchildren. 

My children and I decided to host a 

“blessings party”, celebrating the various 

blessings we make over food. A trip to 

the most exciting aisles of the kosher 

store (the snacks section), a flurry of text 

messages and a mass gingerbread men 

production later and twenty five of my 

children’s friends were sitting on my 

dining room floor in a circle. They each 

received a host of goodies and took 

turns at making the relevant blessings 

out loud before eating each of the foods. 

All the children called out “amen” 

together beautifully at the end of each 

blessing. 

As I looked round the room and saw the 

precious young faces smiling back at me, 

saying their “amen”s with contagious 

enthusiasm, I felt touched and hoped 

that my grandmother was getting 

“nachas”. 

A few words were spoken about the 

importance of being grateful for 

everything we have – something we 

express by blessing before we eat – 

although admittedly some of the small 

pairs of eyes were already on the gigantic 

platter of sour sticks. 

We concluded the nosh fest by declaring 

that all of the mitzvoth performed 

should serve to elevate the soul of Chaya 

Rivka bat Aron Shlomo, of blessed 

memory and then shepherded our young 

guests out of the house before too much 

of the sugar high kicked in. 

We hope to do this again another year, 

perhaps with a get-together themed 

around a different mitzvah. It certainly 

was a nice way of bringing my 

grandmother into my kids’ lives, whilst 

also doing something positive for her to 

mark the day. 

Please be in touch if you have done 

something similar – I would love to 

hear others’ ideas! 

23

ISHA CHACHMAT LEV 

Melanie Angel 

Susan Lipman 

She’s one of our Nashim Chachmot 

Lev, confesses to being the last 

woman to leave Shul every Shabbat 

and regularly completes The Times 

cryptic crossword but there is 

nothing remotely cryptic about Susan 

Lipman. 

It’s easy to flatter your friends, but I’ll 

come right out with it. Susan is one of the 

most straightforward people I know. She 

is what you see. Friendly, kind, ridiculously 

young-looking, helpful and genuinely 

interested in other people. She confesses 

to being embarrassed about the honour 

conferred on her, though thrilled she is 

receiving it with her friend, neighbour and 

long-suffering Shul colleague Naomi, and 

her only concession to admitting she 

might just conceivably deserve it, is a 

rather self-deprecatory “Well it is nice to 

be appreciated and I can’t think of anyone 

I’d rather be honoured with than Naomi. 

We work really well together.” 

That Susan deserves to be recognised in 

this way goes hand-in-hand with her longstanding 

record of service to Stanmore 

Shul, of which she has been a member all 

her married life. When her four daughters 

were young, she co-ran the Cheder 

Parents’ Association, was responsible for 

midweek teas and a member of the 

Education Committee. As a fieldworker 

for Stanmore Synagogue Community 

Care, she took over the running of 

Brighter Horizons, a group for bereaved 

members. Having been “invited” into the 

Community Care office, she quickly 

became responsible for the volunteers, the 

job she describes as an ideal fit. In 

addition, she co-organises Stanmore 

Seniors. “I love working with older people 

who often moan about the world but who 

are fabulous to me.” If juggling her life 

to fit everything in makes her sound 

overly worthy however, it’s worth noting 

she is not quite so co-ordinated physically. 

“One meeting, they were doing sitting 

down exercises, Naomi and I got into a 

real muddle with our clapping. It made 

everyone laugh and made us realise that’s 

the best reason for attending.” 

It’s enough to make anyone feel exhausted. 

But, as you’d expect, Susan’s day job 

doesn’t stop there. As a co-editor of 

Susan Lipman 

Habimah, she is responsible for, among 

other things, making sure the names of 

Stanmore’s youngest members appear in 

print after the annual Baby Blessing. 

“I love being busy, feeling useful and 

being part of the community,” Susan 

states somewhat superfluously. “I know 

a lot of people and their history and I 

love all the people I work with. There is 

a flip side that on Shabbat there is always 

someone to see and talk to and I never 

seem to be able to leave Shul, but then 

nor does Ian!” 

Ian, the boy-next-door in Wembley, to 

whom she has now been married for 34 

years, is by Susan’s accounts her biggest 

fan, always boosting her feelings. “As far 

as Shul is concerned, everything I’ve ever 

done has been because of him as he has 

always been communally minded and has 

worked so hard for our community.” 

Despite having known each other since 

Susan was in her early teens and dragged 

by a friend to one of the Lipman 

brothers’ legendary parties, it was only 

when Susan was at Sussex University 

dating someone else that Ian made his 

move. Now, Susan rates him and their 

daughters as her greatest source of pride. 

“I would say my life has panned out OK 

and I am pretty content. I am most 

proud of Ian and the girls and feel that 

my greatest achievement is the fact that 

my children are the best of friends.” 

It is not surprising to learn the Lipman 

girls are as capable as their mother, a 

former editor of scientific text books. 

Emily, married to Daniel, is on maternity 

leave from her job as a Maths teacher. 

Says Susan: “I love being a grandma to 

their lovely baby, Simeon, and Ian and I 

are enjoying a little boy in the family.” 

Vanessa is also married to a Daniel and 

works as a Management Consultant. 

Jennifer, a journalist, tied the knot just 

last month to Simon, and Stephanie is in 

her second year at Cambridge University 

reading French and Spanish. The sisters, 

like their parents, have illustrious 

communal CVs, covering leadership at 

Shul and with both FZY and BA. 

The Shul and Zionism are very much 

part of the Lipman fabric. Susan loves 

“belonging to a club where we have 

things in common. I think we are a great, 

active, non-judgmental community. I also 

love walking round Neve Tzedek in Tel 

Aviv, where we have an apartment. My 

family and friends make me happy. I 

don’t really have any regrets in life but I 

do wish my mother was here to see me 

now. She’d be dismissive about this 

honour but, secretly, she would have been 

very proud.” 

25

ISHA CHACHMAT LEV 

Sue Garfield 

Naomi Passer 

Sensing in advance that Naomi’s 

natural modesty would prevent her 

from talking about the wide ranging 

communal activities she undertakes 

for the Shul, I thought it seemed a wise 

move to conduct some ‘Eamonn’ style 

investigative research before appearing 

at the door with my ‘Big Red Book’. It 

soon became apparent that Naomi’s 

personal attributes and charitable 

endeavours make her a very worthy 

joint recipient of this year’s Isha 

Chachmat Lev award and Naomi is 

particularly happy to be sharing this 

honour with her good friend and 

neighbour, Susan Lipman. 

Turning back the clock, Naomi told me 

that she grew up in Brondesbury and at 

that time, considered Stanmore to be ‘the 

end of the world’. Very sadly, Naomi lost 

her mother, Sylvia Lichman a’h, in 2011, 

but having had the genuine pleasure of 

meeting Aubrey and Sylvia on several 

occasions in the course of interviewing 

Aubrey about his experience as a 

Japanese prisoner of war for two years, I 

can testify first hand to the warmth of 

hospitality and traditional Jewish values 

which made every visit so enjoyable. 

Naomi met husband Andrew at a 

Charity Evening and they married in 

Stanmore Shul in 1982. Andrew’s 

association with the community goes 

back considerably further, having moved 

there at the age of ten and celebrating 

his barmitzvah under Rabbi Chaitowitz. 

He went on to become a founder 

member of the JLGB and his dad was 

chairman of the Parents Association. 

Andrew and Naomi spent several years 

in Canons Park with their two children, 

Katie and Mark before moving to their 

present home in Stanmore. Katie, who 

married Adam in September, is an estate 

agent and Mark is a trainee surveyor. 

Naomi was nominated to the Board, 

where she worked closely with Adrienne 

Cinna to arrange the first ‘Magic 

Moments’ programme. This initiative 

was to host children from towns in 

Northern Israel, affected by ongoing 

disruption and to try to build bridges and 

ongoing friendships between themselves 

and communities in England. Their task 

NaomiPasser 

was to plan a programme of special 

events during the children’s one week 

stay. From there, Naomi started to help 

the Ladies’ Guild with weekly Kiddush 

duties and is now responsible for 

arranging both the Kiddush rota and the 

more recent ‘Meet and Greet’ desk 

which is designed to welcome visitors 

attending a simcha on Shabbat. For both 

these tasks she credits her personal 

‘computer guru’ Mark for putting in 

place the ‘doodle’ rota to ensure that 

arrangements run to plan on a weekly 

basis. 

Moving on to her involvement with 

security arrangements for the 

community, Naomi traces this back to a 

chance conversation with Richard 

Hyams and simply offering to help out. 

This job has now evolved to Naomi 

ensuring that security arrangements are 

in place for user groups such as guides 

and cubs, as well as consulting with the 

appointed security firm and shul office 

regarding security for every function that 

takes place on the synagogue premises. 

In fact security duties and the Passer 

family seem to go hand in hand, judging 

by the number of times a Passer family 

member can be seen guarding the Shul 

on any given occasion and in any type of 

weather. 

More recently, and following concerns 

expressed by the Honorary Executive 

that ‘there was a pocket of people being 

forgotten’, Naomi teamed up with Susan 

Lipman and Rochelle Ezra to organise 

what has now become affectionately 

known as the Stanmore Seniors’. It takes 

place on Mondays and Thursdays and 

provides a full programme of card and 

board games for senior members, as well 

as book clubs and discussions on current 

affairs. Future events planned for the 

group include a variety of guest speakers 

and visits to museums, including a 

proposed outing to Bletchley Park in 

March. Naomi has also found the time 

to undertake voluntary work initially for 

Jewish Care, and more recently for 

Jewish Blind and Disabled, where she 

takes great pleasure in acting as a regular 

bingo caller, as well as organising lunches 

and teas. 

When I asked various friends of Naomi 

to describe her attributes, instant 

sentiments expressed were that she is 

someone who always has an open house, 

that she is an Eshet Chayil for the shul 

and a person who quietly works behind 

the scenes without any fuss. ‘Unsung 

heroine’ and ‘good friend’ were other 

tributes which were forthcoming. It 

certainly came as no surprise to anyone, 

other than to Naomi herself, that she had 

been accorded the honour of receiving 

this year’s Isha Chachmat Lev award. 

27

FEATURES 

Joan Sheridan 

Nachus 

Nachus – it won’t quite translate but 

whatever it is my family and I had a 

good share of it at Brixton 

Synagogue which was founded one 

hundred years ago. 

Laza and I had a super chupa in the shul 

officiated by Rabbi Swift a long, long 

time ago, and our two boys Ian and 

Dennis celebrated their barmitzvas and 

daughter Hazel married Duby from 

Israel – a very joyous occasion. 

My life at Brixton began a long time 

before these events. I was about five years 

old when I went with my sister, Vera, to 

shul. “Sit next to Sybil Mishcon she will 

show you the pages to follow the service” 

were our final instructions before we left 

home. I remember joining the Hebrew 

classes. I must have liked the lessons or 

maybe it was the teachers, they were kind 

and understanding, but the classrooms 

were so dull – no pictures or decoration 

to distract the attention of us students. 

The books too fitted the scenery and 

from them I gathered our history was sad 

and dull. Fortunately, I won a prize for 

progress and good conduct. “Stories 

from the Bible” written by Dr. Gaster 

PHD and illustrated by I Lawson and A. 

A. Dixon. The stories and coloured 

pictures were so colourful and bright they 

restored my confidence in Jewish history! 

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are 

especially memorable. Tony Jaffe stirred us 

with his deep bass voice accompanied by 

Rev Reuben Turner and the choir. “Oh 

yes” we had a choir in its own choir box – 

trained and conducted by Mr. L. Cohen 

who as a young man had been a musician 

but tragically he lost an arm during the 

First World War. He terrified disruptive 

boys in the classroom by waving his false 

arm at them – they dived under their desks 

and then quietly returned to their seats. 

Sadly Rabbi Mishcon died – I hadn’t 

known anyone outside of the family who 

had passed away so it was strange to see 

so many people upset but I was told at 

home he had created a congregation 

from a wide area of South London by 

his tolerance, devotion, understanding of 

people and Judaism. He was much 

admired and missed. 

Joan pictured with her husband Laza z'l 

Rabbi Swift became the new Rabbi and 

he at first took the top class on Sundays. 

His lessons were lively and interesting 

but his tuition didn’t last long as he was 

called away to the telephone or to meet 

someone and we young teenagers were 

left to ourselves - not much studying 

then and so ended my pleasant formal 

Jewish education! I heard that his 

sermons on Yom Kippur in Yiddish 

brought some women to tears and they 

loved listening to him. Rabbi Swift 

introduced what we now know as a 

batmitzvah. Groups of us girls sat an 

exam and on 13 December 1936 there 

was a special ‘consecration’ service with 

Chief Rabbi Dr. J H Hertz and Rabbi 

Swift officiating. We were presented with 

a copy of “The Ways of the Household” 

and a certificate which I rolled up and 

put away – but then much later showed 

it to my husband – “So unique,” he 

claimed we had it framed and gave it a 

prominent place on his study wall. 

There always seemed to be a party or 

show being arranged. It was a time when 

the members did not live in close 

proximity to one another but were able 

to meet one another and the same for us 

youngsters. 

I realise now that much of what we 

learned about festivals was enacted on 

the shule hall stage. On one occasion I 

was an Omer Day and recited a sad 

poem, draped in a black and white sheet. 

I have never forgotten the Fancy Dress 

Party. It was decided at home that I go as 

a nurse. My mother made my outfit. It 

could hardly have a red cross 

on the apron so my mother 

made a Magan David with 

blue ribbon. I really enjoyed 

wearing it. The next day we 

were off to a photographer 

Jeromes on Brixton Road to 

immortalise this splendid 

outfit – the Magan David was 

gone, my mother had removed 

it. When I questioned her she 

said that “the photographer 

wouldn’t understand it” – she 

explained a lot more to me 

later. It wasn’t long before I 

understood too well when the rumours of 

the horror of the Jews on the continent 

became fact. Many refugees came to 

Brixton and some families stayed but 

others especially groups of young people 

were moved onto other areas. Also, the 

fascist groups were gaining prominence in 

the city areas culminating in a march 

through London’s East End where they 

were forced to disband by very angry 

crowds of Jewish people and supporters. 

By now it was 1938 – all the news and 

conversation was about war. Some 

thought it couldn’t be there-were still 

scars and suffering from the First World 

War, a “War to end all Wars” it was 

supposed to have been. I was too old to 

be evacuated – the courses of study I 

was doing were cancelled so when war 

was declared a year later life changed 

suddenly – call-ups for certain age 

groups in to the services, school children 

evacuated to country areas away from 

town centres. We were advised not to 

congregate in groups – theatres and 

cinemas closed, for a while TV, which 

was in its infancy, was shut down for the 

duration of hostilities – but radio 

gathered strength. We would hurry 

home to listen to Winston Churchill on 

the radio – suddenly life was 

transformed, I was now in my teens – 

but that’s another story. 

29

FEATURES 

John Marchant 

A Man with Sheer Chemistry: 

Arthur Israel Vogel 1905-1966 

This article came about as a result of 

a Lecture given at the Royal Society of 

Chemistry by a colleague of Dr Vogel 

in September 2012 entitled, “The man 

and his contributions to chemistry”. 

Dr Vogel (the late father of Stanmore 

member Merlis Cohen) was born in 1905 

in Dembicza, Poland to an orthodox 

family. The family (including Dr Vogel, 

his parents, grandparents and his two 

brothers) on arriving in England in 1908 

lived in Wellclose Square, Tower Hamlets. 

This must have been quite an arduous task 

bearing in mind that Dr Vogel and his two 

brothers were all under three years of age. 

Details of their voyage to England are 

unknown. 

Dr Vogel attended the Davenant 

Foundation School and then went on to 

East London College of the University 

of London (now known as Queen Mary 

College). A distinguished undergraduate 

career was crowned by the award of a 

First Class Honours Degree in Chemisty 

and of the Neil Arnott Medal of the 

University of London. He remained at 

College for postgraduate work under the 

direction of Professor J.R.Partington and 

in 1925 gained the degree of M.Sc. for a 

thesis on sulphur sesquioxide (which I am 

sure we are all familiar with). During this 

period he also collaborated with Dr A. 

Ferguson of the Physics Department of 

the College in investigating problems 

connected with the measurement of the 

surface tension of liquids and with the 

calculation of the equivalent conductance 

of strong electrolytes at infinite dilution: 

these investigations had a profound 

influence on his subsequent choice of 

fields of research. There followed a 

short interlude at University College, 

London, but after the award of a Beit 

Scientific Research Fellowship he 

proceeded to the Imperial College and 

joined the Research School of Professor 

J. F. Thorpe. The years spent here were 

a period of intense activity and in 1929 

he received the degree of D.Sc. at the 

University of London, at the amazingly 

young age of 24. He became an A.I.C. 

(now A.R.I.C.) in 1928 and F.I.C. (now 

F.R.I.C.) in 1931. 

Arthur Vogel 

After leaving the Imperial College he held 

an industrial post for a short time but was 

anxious to return to academic 

surroundings with freedom to continue 

with his research. This ambition was 

fulfilled in January 1930 when he was 

appointed to a lectureship in the 

Chemistry Department of the then 

University College of Southampton. His 

stay in Southampton was short; his heart 

was in London and in January 1932 he 

became Lecturer-in-Charge of the 

Chemistry Department at Woolwich 

Polytechnic. Two years later he was made 

Head of Department and for the 

remainder of his life the “Department” 

was his prime concern. In the early years 

conditions were not easy. The problems 

to be faced in a Department catering for 

the Junior Technical School (which was 

at that time housed in the Polytechnic) 

and for a wide variety of evening courses 

ranging from Matriculation to the 

University of London Special Chemistry 

Degree, were manifold. The war years 

brought their own particular problems, 

and later came the development of fulltime 

courses. To all of these tasks he 

applied himself with unflagging energy 

and through his wisdom and foresight 

the Department developed steadily and 

became the home of a vigorous Research 

School. He became a Recognised Teacher 

of the University of London and was an 

active member of the Board of 

Examiners and of the Board of Studies 

in Chemistry. 

In the late 1920s and the early 1930s there 

were great problems for Jews in London. 

Apparently non-Jewish students were 

giving Dr Vogel a bad time. For example, 

documents stored in his locker were 

mysteriously destroyed. Hence it was not 

surprising that in 1928 he adopted an 

additional, very English name, “Arthur”. 

Merlis indicated he never liked to discuss 

the matter. 

The war years brought their own 

particular problems; evening classes were 

transferred to weekends. As Dr Vogel 

was a practising Jew part of his teaching 

load was taken over by a colleague. 

Periods of “firewatching” during the war 

provided opportunities for experimental 

work, the results of which were presented 

in a number of papers of the series which 

appeared in 1948, and in 1966 (a few 

months before he passed away) he had the 

intense satisfaction of seeing Part 50 

published. The manuscript of a further 

Part, prepared a few weeks before his 

death included data on the one 

thousandth pure compound to be 

investigated in his laboratory. 

Dr Vogel was a workaholic to say the 

least. Whilst away on his August holiday 

staying in a kosher hotel in Bournemouth, 

he was phoned at 10am each day with the 

attendance list, had any correspondence 

read over, stores orders checked/agreed 

etc. A colleague tells that it fell to him 

when Dr Vogel was on holiday to sign an 

order for 1lb of best senna pods. He 

asked “Who is working on senna 

alkaloids” “No one, it’s the annual 

order.” He duly signed. He often could 

be found working in his study at home 

into the early hours of the morning. 

Despite his enormous workload he still 

found time to play bridge. His other 

passion was stocks and shares. Unusually 

for such an academic he also had an astute 

“business brain”. Usually the both do not 

31

FEATURES 

go together. From what I have read, Dr 

Vogel was a very private man and rather 

shy who compartmentalized his family 

and working life. He always made time for 

his wife, his daughter Merlis and son 

David. He was happily married for thirty 

years and tragically was only 60 when he 

died. This no doubt was contributed to 

by his heavy smoking. David (his son-inlaw) 

told me that he was once sitting in his 

father-in-law’s smoke filled study while he 

was writing his books. David looked 

around and saw four cigarettes burning 

away in four separate ashtrays! 

He is undoubtedly best known, however 

as an author of text-books of Practical 

Chemistry; books which are known and 

used in laboratories throughout the 

World. His first venture was Elementary 

Practical Chemistry (1936) intended for 

use by students up to Matriculation 

standard. This was followed by the 

Textbook of Qualitative Chemical 

Analysis (1937) and the Textbook of 

Quantitative Chemical Analysis (1939), 

both intended to cater for students 

reading for the Intermediate B.Sc. and 

Final B.Sc. examinations. The initial 

writing and the constant revision of this 

large volume of publications represent a 

prodigious effort by one author, and 

(typical of the man) all new material 

incorporated into the books was carefully 

checked in the laboratory. 

The affairs of the Chemical Society were 

of great interest to him; he was a Member 

of Council for a number of years and had 

been elected in April 1965 to a further 

period of service. The welfare of his 

students was always of major concern, 

and whilst exhorting the able students to 

greater efforts, he took particular care to 

encourage the weaker ones. He was 

particularly attentive to the progress of 

junior members of his laboratory staff, 

and nothing gave him greater pleasure 

than to witness the careers of “lab boys” 

who subsequently achieved the status of 

qualified chemists. 

To his colleagues, the wide breadth of his 

interests, the probing mind and the 

insistence on high standards were a 

constant challenge; he was intolerant of 

incompetence and had no hesitation in 

condemning it. Dr Vogel was a world 

class chemist and it is astounding that he 

did not receive the national recognition his 

merit deserved and/or awards from the 

various bodies previously mentioned. As 

often happens, a person’s achievements are 

only realised when it is too late to honour 

them. Having learnt a little about Dr 

Vogel’s life and having seen the vast 

number of books he wrote (Merlis kindly 

showed me shelves stacked with his 

books) I think she and her family can be 

enormously proud of her father’s life and 

achievements. 

Don’t forget 

to visit ….. 

For up to date 

information on: 

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Employment opportunities 

And much, much more …… 

32

FEATURES 

Ilana Metzger 

A Muslim, a Hindu, a Roman Catholic 

and a Jew Went to Israel…….. 

Sounds like the start of a joke doesn’t 

it That is what everyone said when I 

told them that I was going on a girlie 

break with my non-Jewish friends to 

Israel last June. 

We could have gone anywhere. We had 

talked about New York, Barcelona, 

Prague and Rome so I was delighted 

when they enthusiastically agreed to go 

to Israel. It was down to me to plan our 

trip and I felt an enormous pressure to 

fit the best of Israel into three short 

days. I decided that the visit had to 

include elements of history, religion, 

culture and obviously shopping – this 

was a girlie trip after all. 

I booked the Mamila Hotel in Jerusalem 

as I had never stayed there before and 

may not stay there again as it is not really 

a family hotel but its location was 

fantastic as we spent much time walking 

through the pedestrianized shopping 

area to and from the old city and its 

beautifully displayed sculptures and 

artwork along the way. 

On our first evening we went to the 

Anna Ticho House a milky restaurant 

with a beautiful garden which has to be 

one of my favourite restaurants in Israel. 

Unfortunately my carnivorous husband 

is not as keen as me to eat there so it was 

a real treat for me. One of girls, Mala is 

a vegetarian who has given up rice for 

religious reasons. Everyone loved the 

restaurant particularly Mala. Although 

we were all tired from our long day of 

travelling we all went to the roof top bar 

at our hotel for a drink and were treated 

not only to the breath-taking views of 

Jerusalem but to a light show that was 

taking place throughout the whole of the 

old city that week. My timing couldn’t 

have been better. 

I decided to start our tour with a visit to 

Yad Vashem. I thought that the girls 

would get a better understanding of the 

Jewish people and our homeland if they 

went there first. 

We had a fantastic guide who waited 

until nearly the end of our tour to tell us 

that her father was a survivor and he had 

left to right- Azmina, Ilana, Mala and Michelle at Regina in theTachana in Tel Aviv 

only recently informed her that he had 

had another family before the war 

including a baby but his first family had 

been murdered by the Nazis. He was 80 

years old when he told her. My friends 

were visibly moved by her story and 

impressed with Yad Vashem. 

A quick taxi ride back to Mamila – in 

typical Israeli fashion it turned out that 

our friendly driver was driving his 

father’s cab; his father having passed 

away recently. The driver himself owned 

a company that leased cameras and 

camera crews to Fox and Sky News and 

was actually a very intelligent and 

obviously wealthy man. My friends 

found his stories fascinating, as did I. 

A super-fast change at the hotel and then 

lunch at Rimon in Mamila. Everyone 

loved the huge salads and the ‘yummy’ 

freshly baked breads, then off we rushed 

to meet our guide Tzvi Goldwarg. An 

Israeli with American parents. He looked 

thoroughly modern, wearing a casual 

shirt with chinos, sandals and a baseball 

hat. The only thing giving away the fact 

that he was orthodox was his peyot 

tucked neatly behind his ears. When he 

greeted us he apologised to my friends 

saying that he was sorry that he could 

not shake their hands out of respect to 

his wife. Their reaction was “Ahh, that is 

so sweet!” – we hit it off straight away. 

Tzvi was informative and funny and very 

very patient. Neither he nor I had ever 

spent quite so long in the souk as my 

friends went from shop to shop looking 

for trinkets whilst I tried to impress on 

them that time was short. My Roman 

Catholic friend Michelle bought some 

rosary beads and my Hindu friend 

bought a metal sculpture of two clasped 

hands with a Hebrew prayer underneath 

that she has put into her temple at home. 

My Muslim friend bought a milk pot – 

no we don’t know why either! 

At the entrance to the Al Aqsa mosque 

Azmina (my Muslim friend) was 

questioned by security to check that she 

was actually Muslim and had to purchase a 

floor length dress for modesty as the skirt 

I had advised her to wear that covered her 

knees was not acceptable. The rest of us 

waited outside and I explained to them that 

the Mosque together with the Dome of 

the Rock were both built on the site of the 

Jewish temples – our holiest place. 

Next we visited the Church of the Holy 

Sepulchre. Having been educated in only 

Jewish schools where we didn’t learn 

about other religions, my knowledge of 

Jesus Christ came (I am embarrassed to 

say) from the film ‘Life of Brian’! I 

remember Jesus being crucified on top 

of a hill – not in a Church. Following my 

visit I am now aware that the church was 

built over the place where Jesus was 

crucified and died. Michelle rubbed the 

rosary beads she had just purchased on 

the stone where it is said that Jesus was 

laid after they took him down from the 

cross. I could see that it was a time to 

leave her to her own thoughts. 

cont. on 34 

33

FEATURES 

cont. from 33 

By the time we got to the Kotel it was 

nearly dusk and I gave the girls pens and 

paper for them to write their notes on. 

They asked me what they should write. 

Frustratingly because we had spent so 

much time in the other two quarters we 

had much less time to spend in the Jewish 

area but I know that all the girls were quite 

overwhelmed with the start of our tour 

and even Mala who is Hindu and has no 

religious connection to this part of the 

world fell in love with Jerusalem. 

A rush again to prepare for the evening at 

the Tower of David Light show which was 

absolutely magical. If you haven’t been I 

would highly recommend it to everyone 

but ensure you go on a warmish night as it 

takes place outdoors. 

Early the next day Tzvi drove us to 

Masada and then the Dead Sea. Have you 

ever heard of anyone not being able to 

float in the Dead Sea No, neither had I, 

until that day when two of the girls 

struggled to get their feet off the ground 

and float. One can’t swim and the other 

isn’t a confident swimmer but we managed 

to get them to float holding on to us for 

just long enough for a photo. Onlookers 

must have found the whole situation 

comical. 

On to Tel Aviv where we checked into the 

David Intercontinental hotel. A walk over 

to the very pretty Tachana (the old 

Palestine Railway Station) and on to 

Regina for a Middle Eastern meal 

followed by a walk around the port. The 

girls were surprised by how safe it was and 

how friendly everyone was towards them. 

On our final day we walked to the boho 

district of Neve Tzedek and then 

Nachlat Binyamin and the Carmel 

Market for some retail therapy. They all 

wanted to buy ‘Israeli’ trousers for their 

daughters. How did they know about 

Israeli trousers After a quick meal and a 

trip to buy chocolates from the Max 

Brenner shop we were rushing to the 

airport for our flight home. 

The girls were exhausted but very happy 

and said that they couldn’t wait to come 

back with their families one day. I felt a 

great sense of pride and I had done a 

mitzvah. A non-Jewish person telling 

their friends to visit Israel because it is 

amazing holds far more gravitas than a 

Jew telling people to do the same thing. 

We arrived at the airport and it all went 

downhill from there. Michelle and 

Azmina were taken away by security, 

questioned a strip searched. I had no idea 

if they would even make the flight. 

Finally they re-joined us just before we 

had to board. There was no time for duty 

free shopping (a disaster for most 

women travellers). 

Our plane journey conversation focused 

almost solely on what had just happened. 

Luckily there was a large party of men 

(with perfect teeth and suntans) who had 

just returned from a Gay Pride visit to 

Tel-Aviv who told us how much they love 

Israel as it is so accepting of everyone and 

it was one of their favourite places to visit. 

After a stiff alcoholic drink the girls 

relaxed a little for the rest of the flight. 

On our return I made up a photo book for 

each of my friends and gave it to them as 

a memento of their visit. We often talk 

about our wonderful trip but the 

conversation always ends with the horrible 

experience they had with the security at 

Ben Gurion. I am not sure if those two 

particular friends will be rushing back or 

if they will recommend Israel as a tourist 

destination but I can only hope that the 

memories of Jerusalem and the other 

places we visited will outweigh the not so 

great memories and that they will return 

one day in the future. It would be a shame 

if it was all in vain. 

Bernard Woolf 

Matthew Kayne’s Dream Holiday 

About a year ago, I asked Matthew, a 

quite exceptional young man and 

resident of Jewish Care’s Rela Goldhill 

Lodge, what his dream would be. He 

told me without any hesitation that it 

would be to go on holiday to Israel. My 

reply was that I’m not promising, but I 

would do everything I could do to 

make it happen and happen it did. 

So, I set to the task of organising a six day 

trip that would not only take in several 

main places of significance, but would also 

leave him time to relax, soak up the 

daytime and evening atmosphere of the 

Country and meet up with some friends 

who were now living there. Some 

challenge. 

This trip and dream-come- true could not 

have happened without the support of 

others. Firstly his energetic Mum Myra, 

Donna Delane for arranging the transport 

to and from Heathrow, and Claire Davies, 

the one and only carer extraordinaire. Also, 

for the staff at Rela Goldhill for preparing 

all his essential medication. 

Matthew, who was born with CP, had only 

ever been on a plane twice before, the last 

time being fifteen years ago and then being 

with a disabled group. It was my thought 

to afford him the experience of travelling 

as much as possible in a regular capacity. 

Having the benefit of his bespoke electric 

wheelchair (and his manual one for backup) 

he was able to have some 

independence, which he exercised on a 

regular basis. 

We travelled with El Al, who were 

exceptionally good to us, apart from the 

ground staff at Ben Gurion on the return 

journey. They managed to drive a truck 

into Matthew’s very expensive electric 

wheelchair whilst loading the plane, 

causing a huge problem which thankfully 

has all now been resolved. We were based 

at the Dan Panorama hotel in Tel Aviv 

who were great, providing Matthew with a 

fully functional disabled room 

interconnecting to both mine and Claire’s 

rooms. He loved that amazing buffet style 

breakfast that keeps you going all day. 

I had researched how best the trip could 

work, taking into account Matthew’s 

difficulties and benefitted greatly from the 

following helping hands: 

Heartway, a new company specializing in 

the hiring of adapted vehicles, which 

provided a brand new Mercedes with 24 

hour assistance at the touch of a button. 

This vehicle was essential to our trip for 

both safety and comfort. 

Etgarim, an amazing charity that 

organises sporting activities for the 

disabled. On our second day, Matthew 

went sailing for two hours from the 

Marina at Tel Aviv to Jaffa and loved every 

34

FEATURES 

minute, even pulling the ropes to hoist the 

sails. 

ISCD is the Israeli Sports Centre for the 

Disabled based in Ramat Gan. They offer 

a huge amount of disabled children and 

young people, some recovering from 

injuries sustained in military action, the 

regular opportunity to achieve great things 

from various sporting activities. They also 

have computer and craft classes. 

Boaz Cohen, our superb guide, who we 

engaged for two days of our trip, to help 

us with the main sightseeing. 

Day 1 

Off to Jerusalem for a long day. We picked 

up Matthew’s friend Justin who made 

Aliyah earlier this year. Together, we drove 

past the Knesset, met a camel at Mount 

Scopus, then Mount of Olives and onto 

Yad Vashem which was a very moving 

experience for Matthew, particularly in the 

children’s section; however we cheered 

him up with some delicious cheesecake. 

Then to the Kotel where a new Sefer 

Torah was being unveiled and where 

Matthew put on Teffilin and said a prayer 

touching the Wall. What a moment, 

especially as he bumped into a friend from 

Golders Green. Falafel and Pizza 

followed at the Jaffa Gate, an arranged 

meeting with an old friend Simone and 

finally the amazing light show at the David 

Citadel Tower. 

Matthew on Masada 

Matthew with Bernard at the Kotel 

Day 2 

Sailing with Etgarim from Tel Aviv 

Marina. Kobee and Chico, two wounded 

soldiers, took us sailing and explained how 

vital sailing had become to their own 

rehabilitation. A late lunch overlooking the 

sea and back to the hotel to get ready for 

Shabbat dinner where we were joined by 

my sister and cousin. 

Day 3 

A massage in the Hotel Spa, Matthew’s first 

one ever, which he loved followed by a day 

of relaxing by the pool and a stroll along 

the sea front in beautiful warm sunshine. 

Then a taste of Tel Aviv nightlife with one 

of Matthew’s friends who joined us for 

dinner in Disengoff, finishing off at Max 

Brenner’s chocolate shop. 

Day 4 

The Israeli Sports Centre for Disabled in 

Ramat Gan, saw us have a guided tour 

around the campus before Matthew was 

able to use the swimming pool which he 

loved, take part in a wheelchair exercise 

class and even go cycling on an adapted 

bicycle. We went to a mall for coffee and 

shopping and what should have been a 20 

minute return drive took an hour and a 

quarter when we got lost!! Dinner in the 

trendy Neve Tzedek area close to the 

hotel. 

Day 5 

An early start heading for Masada and the 

Dead Sea, the long drive broken up with a 

camel and souvenir stop at the ‘Sea Level’ 

sign. After watching the historic film, we 

ascended Masada via the cable car, another 

first for Matthew. A good tour around the 

top, seeing the old Shul amongst other 

things as Masada has been made really 

wheelchair friendly now. So, off to the 

Dead Sea for a great lunch and a close 

look at the people floating. Matthew went 

swimming in the main Crown Plaza Hotel 

pool with the assistance of a clever hoist 

before buying some Dead Sea gifts to take 

home. Back to the hotel, where yet 

another friend came to see him for a drink 

in the bar. 

Day 6 

We had the morning free before leaving 

for the airport and spent it is the market 

which Matthew absolutely loved, food and 

gifts galore. 

And so ended Matthew’s dream holiday, 

I’m certain one he will never forget. It was 

mine and Claire’s ‘privilege’ to be involved 

in making a special dream come true for 

this amazing and inspirational young man. 

I hope others will be inspired to encourage 

and facilitate more disabled people to be 

given the opportunity to visit our great 

country and realise just what can be 

achieved. 

35

FEATURES 

Sara Greenfield 

A Week of Firsts 

The children in London for a Duck tour 

In the Rosh Hashanah edition of 

Habimah in 2011, I wrote about the 

wonderful experience of taking part 

in the Emunah Mother and Daughter 

Israel Trip, when our Bat Mitzvah 

age daughters were able to visit the 

Sarah Herzog Children’s Centre in 

Afula and meet the girls they had 

twinned their B’nei Mitzvah with. 

We appreciate how lucky our families are 

to be able to visit Israel on numerous 

occasions, as well as taking holidays in 

many other parts of the world, 

something that the children from Afula 

have never been fortunate enough to do. 

With this in mind, a small group of 

“Emunah” mums decided it was time to 

do something about this, and through 

the wonderful generosity of our families, 

friends and communities, we raised 

enough money to bring 15 children, plus 

two of their counsellors, over to London 

during Chanukah for a very much 

deserved holiday. 

The children arrived late on the Monday 

evening (3rd night of Chanukah) and 

after lighting candles and the giving of 

gifts (much needed hats, scarves and 

gloves as temperatures plummeted to 

just above freezing that week), they were 

dispatched off to bed, as we had planned 

a very full few days of activities ahead. 

The first morning they went off to see 

Buckingham Palace and then the 

36 

Changing of the Guard at Horse Guards 

Parade. This was followed by a trip 

around some of London’s other famous 

landmarks on the Duck Tour. The 

children returned for supper to their host 

families and then all the families got 

together for an evening of bowling and 

fun. The following morning we were 

back in Central London, this time on a 

guided tour of the National Gallery. The 

children were amazed to see the huge 

Chanukiah in Trafalgar Square and had 

fun climbing up the base of one of the 

lions. In the afternoon, one of the 

highlights of the trip was the matinee 

performance of the Lion King, and in 

the evening they were hosted at the B’nei 

Akiva Bayit, where there was candlelighting, 

entertainment and doughnuts. 

Thursday morning the boys spent at Top 

Golf, whilst the girls went on an eagerly 

awaited shopping trip to Primark. 

Accompanied by some of the host 

mothers, the girls were able to experience 

the sort of mother and daughter activity 

our own girls would take for granted, but 

one that they had never had the 

opportunity to do before. The children 

were invited to the Independent Jewish 

Day School in Hendon for lunch and a 

Chanukah concert. From here it was on 

to Hasmonean High School, where the 

boys were entertained by a graffiti artist 

at the boys’ campus, whilst the girls went 

to a Chanukah fair at the girls’ school. In 

the evening all the children were 

generously hosted at the home of Lisa 

Ronson and her husband, Paul Altheson, 

where they had a wonderful supper and 

were entertained by a magician. 

Erev Shabbat the children went to the 

Harry Potter experience, where they 

were able to go behind the scenes of the 

famous movie(s), look at room sets, 

costumes and studio lots. They then 

returned to their host families for a rest 

and to prepare for Shabbat. Many of the 

host families joined up to share their 

Friday night dinner, and in Stanmore 

alone, there were 25 of us on Friday 

night kindly hosted by the Bower family 

(themselves hosting two of the boys). 

Some of the Stanmore families joined 

together again on Shabbat for lunch 

hosted by the Sudaks. 

Motzei Shabbat, their final evening in 

London, the Emunah Executive put on a 

Malava Malka farewell party, with 

burgers, JooDoo drums (another 

Stanmore favourite) and dancing. It was 

a fabulous party, enjoyed by all, young 

and old. 

Posing with Trafalgar Square's giant 

Chanukiah

FEATURES 

Before we knew it, we were helping our 

visitors to once again pack their cases. It 

was an early start on Sunday morning as 

we dropped the children back to Luton 

for their flight back to Israel. As we said 

our goodbyes, there were lots of tears, as 

in the few short days these children had 

been staying in our homes they had 

become part of our extended families. 

The entire week, whilst pretty hectic, gave 

the children the most incredible 

experience of their lives. For the majority, 

it was a week of “firsts” - their first time 

on an aeroplane, their first time, away 

from Israel, their first theatre trip and, 

even more significantly, the first time 

they spent a Shabbat with a family 

instead of in their home. None of this 

would have been possible without the 

most amazing group of girls getting 

together to make this trip a reality. Once 

again we give our heartfelt thanks to 

everyone who supported our mission 

both financially, by offering to host the 

children, chauffeuring them to the 

outings and providing copious amounts 

of packed lunches and dinners. 

At the farewell Jo Jo drum party 

Please consider twinning your child’s 

bat/bar mitzvah with a child in Afula, or 

visit the home and spend some time 

there with the children when you are 

next in Israel, where you will see firsthand 

the incredible difference Emunah 

has made to the lives of the children in 

its care. 

We are already planning for another 

group of children to come to London in 

the future, and if you would be 

interested in sponsoring or donating 

towards the flights or outings, or any of 

the other vital projects funded by 

Emunah, please contact Emunah Head 

Office on 020 8203 6066 or email 

info@emunah.org.uk. 

Professor Andrew Eder appointed 

Associate Vice-Provost at UCL 

Mazaltov to our Warden, Professor 

Andrew Eder, who has been 

appointed Associate Vice-Provost at 

University College London. This new 

position is to facilitate development 

of new courses in all disciplines 

across the University and follows 

Andrew’s recently completed ten year 

term as Director of Education at the 

UCL Eastman Dental Institute, for 

which he was recognised for his 

excellence and innovation in teaching 

and learning at UCL as a recipient of 

a Provost’s Teaching Award in 2010. 

“With a background in educational 

entrepreneurship and leadership, I am delighted to 

have been invited to play a leading role in this 

exciting initiative at UCL,” said Andrew. “As 

the global demand for high quality lifelong learning 

continues to expand almost exponentially, UCL 

is superbly placed to be a leading provider.” 

Andrew will also continue to be involved 

in teaching at the Eastman and in 

Specialist practice in Wimpole Street. He 

is a past President of Alpha Omega, the 

British Society for Restorative Dentistry 

and the Royal Society of Medicine’s 

Dental Section, is an examiner at UCL 

and the Royal College of Surgeons and 

serves on the Editorial Boards of several 

international dental journals. Andrew’s 

academic interests include innovative 

teaching methods and the impact of 

training on patient outcomes in practice. 

Professor Andrew Eder 

37

FEATURES 

Alistair de Kare Silver 

Get involved! 

I have recently been working in 

Parliament with Bob Blackman, MP 

for Harrow East, with the aim of 

going into public affairs. During the 

past year I became a deputy on the 

Board of Deputies of British Jews 

representing Stanmore Synagogue 

and, in the summer, I was then 

elected to the Community Issues 

Division. The intention of this body 

is to launch initiatives which increase 

communal involvement in many 

different areas such as education, 

heritage and social action. 

Given my interests in political activity, I 

decided that I want to create a working 

group to increase political engagement 

with MPs at a grass roots level. I believe 

that we need a concerted effort to ensure 

we have strong relationships in place 

with MPs of all political persuasions in 

order that the relationship is already 

there, should issues arise. At the 

moment there are a number of MPs who 

have strong ties to Conservative Friends 

of Israel, but have little or no 

relationship with the wider Jewish 

community. Whilst it is usually perceived 

that Israel is the most pressing issue 

facing the Jewish community, recent 

events have clearly demonstrated that we 

are going to face renewed difficulties and 

threats to core Jewish practices such as 

Shechita and Brit Milah. It is important 

therefore that we bring these MPs on 

board and engage them with the wider 

community. It is also important to 

consolidate existing relationships with 

them, as well as forge new relationships 

with MPs with whom we have no 

contact. 

In constituencies where there are large 

Jewish populations, strong relationships 

already do exist; for example with 

Matthew Offord, MP for Hendon, Mike 

Freer, MP for Hendon and Golders 

Green, and Bob Blackman, MP for 

Harrow East. The importance of these 

relationships cannot be underestimated 

and these MPs have been the most vocal 

in their unequivocal support for Israel, in 

particular during the recent crisis in Gaza. 

In the summer Bob Blackman MP 

secured a debate on the 40th Anniversary 

Bob Blackman with a group of Stanmore members at the AJEX Remembrance Parade 

of the massacre at the Munich Olympic 

Games. In a speech to the House of 

Commons he said: 

Everyone will have their own views on the 

opening and closing ceremonies of the London 

Games. I think that it was right that we 

remembered the fallen of two world wars and, 

of course, the victims of the 7/7 terrorist 

attacks, but the one thing that was not mentioned 

was the darkest hour of the Olympic games—the 

Munich massacre. I think that it is indeed 

shameful that the International Olympic 

Committee could not find one minute during the 

six weeks of the games to commemorate the 

victims of the worst terrorist attack in Olympic 

history. I feel very strongly about this and have 

been very vocal in my belief. I have trumpeted it 

not only in the House of Commons, but at every 

event during the summer to do with the Olympics. 

Whilst it is essential that these excellent 

relationships are maintained and 

consolidated, the wider aim of this 

project is to move beyond the confines 

of North West London and establish 

relationships where they either don’t exist 

or in areas where there are few or no 

Jewish constituents. 

Consolidating existing relationships and 

establishing ones where they don’t exist 

can be done in a number of ways. What we 

need to do as members of Harrow East, 

together with other groups who live in 

heavily Jewish populated areas, is to 

maintain regular email contact with MPs 

and invite them to communal events. I 

have already started to do this with Bob 

Blackman MP as demonstrated recently 

when he attended the AJEX memorial 

parade and subsequently events taking 

place in Stanmore Synagogue as part of 

Mitzvah day. He recently attended the 

annual doughnut party. 

In order to establish new relationships with 

MPs which are not already in place, I am 

going to start inviting them to high profile 

activities in the communal calendar such as 

Mitzvah Day and other important services 

that take place during Holocaust Memorial 

Day. Over time the objective is to see more 

and more MPs at important events 

throughout the communal calendar such 

as the Ajex parade, Mitzvah Day and 

Israel’s Independence Day. I am convinced 

that the more MPs we have on board over 

time, the more support we will have in 

times of crisis. 

38

FEATURES 

Sue Garfield 

The Other Side of the Wall – Christy’s Story 

Christy is a Palestinian Christian law 

student from the West Bank who has 

endured intafadas and occupation by 

Israeli soldiers but who views the 

situation from a unique perspective: 

she stands with Israel. 

Howard Stern is a mediator who works 

to reconcile the UK church to Israel and 

who, in the course of a visit to Israel, 

found himself staying at Christy’s family 

guesthouse in the West Bank. Together, 

Howard and Christy went on to form the 

Emmaus Project with a view to working 

with Arab Christians, Palestinians and 

the UK church to raise awareness of all 

the key issues surrounding Israel and to 

simply speak the truth. 

Christy’s extraordinary journey and the 

vision of the Emmaus Project made for 

a compelling evening organised by the 

Stanmore & Canons Park and Belmont 

Synagogues Israel Committees, together 

with the Zionist Federation. The subject 

of the talk was ‘The Other Side of the 

Wall’ and Dani Goldberg welcomed 

Gary Zakol from the Zionist Federation 

before inviting Howard Stern to take the 

microphone. 

Howard told the large audience that he 

wanted to share two narratives: Christy’s 

incredibly brave and personal journey, as 

well as information concerning Palestinian 

Christians which does not reach the 

mainstream media. He movingly told how 

he and his wife had ‘adopted’ Christy as a 

member of their family now that she was 

in the UK and he was hopeful that the 

newly formed Emmaus Project would be 

a dynamic and effective force to educate 

those who needed to be enlightened. 

Howard introduced Christy who, for 

obvious reasons did not wish to have 

further details disclosed, nor have 

photographs taken. He told how Christy 

had been rejected by her own family and 

was experiencing great emotional pain. 

Christy told how she had been born in 

Bethlehem and described how life had 

been peaceful before Palestinians started 

throwing stones and the Israeli army 

occupied buildings, often conducting 

their searches when she was half asleep. 

Their house was surrounded on all sides 

by the Wall and she had already decided 

that she wanted to learn more about 

Human Rights and Justice at the time 

when Howard was looking for 

accommodation and her mother was the 

only person to reply. Christy started to 

question how Israel could win so many 

wars with massive numbers stacked 

against them, sometimes 500 against 

80,000 soldiers, and concluded that it 

must be ‘the work of God’s hand’. She 

recalls weeping at Yad Vashem and how 

she insisted on taking friends there to 

share the experience. She became 

increasingly convinced that ‘As a 

Christian, you can’t stand against Israel’. 

Talking about the problems which had 

beset her people, Christy identified three 

key words which epitomised the situation 

as she sees it: 

WAR – people are indiscriminately 

killing each other. 

WEALTH – benefits are taken by the 

corrupt Palestinian Government. 

WOMEN – wives and daughters are 

only regarded as ‘property’ and hitting is 

permissible, other than to the face which 

is seen in public. 

Furthermore, she told how regular 

contact with the Christian community 

showed that corruption was widespread 

in both the State and the church, tribal 

law preceded Christian values and radical 

Islam was rising. Honour killings were 

commonplace and bodies could just be 

thrown into the garbage. 

‘First we will finish with the Saturday 

people, then the Sunday people’, was the 

chilling message which was being openly 

and increasingly conveyed. 

Christy decided she would apply for a 

visa to come to the UK, but was shocked 

to find that barbaric Islamic rituals such 

as female circumcision could be rife, 

even in this country. She stated that it 

would be her mission to speak out and 

tell the truth. 

At this point people were invited to ask 

Christy and Howard questions and the 

hope was universally expressed that 

Christy’s inspiring story and the work of 

Emmaus would be heard by a wider 

audience, especially those who were 

hostile to Israel’s very right to exist. 

Someone suggested she should speak to 

the House of Commons and challenge 

the financial aid which is being given to 

the West Bank, as well as highlight the 

position of Israel. Appreciation of all 

Christy had achieved was expressed on 

behalf of everyone by adding, ‘We are 

behind you every step of the way’ which 

was greeted with long applause. 

Dani gave a personal vote of thanks to 

Christy and Howard for their moving and 

inspiring talk and presented them both 

with books as a token of appreciation. 

Gary Sakol added his thanks on behalf of 

the Zionist Federation and showed a film 

on the work of the Zionist Federation. 

His message to the audience was direct – 

‘Don’t Let Others Determine Israel’s Fate 

– Get Involved’. 

39

FEATURES 

Martin Kisner 

Postcards from Israel 

‘By my calculations this card should 

arrive the same time as I get home’ 

——— 

So I started the last postcard from Israel 

to my parents and brother, posted from 

Eilat in August 1964, a very different 

place from the one we know today. 

The variety of instant communication 

that we now take for granted was then 

but a dream in a science fiction writer’s 

mind. The humble postcard was 

generally the way we stayed in touch. 

First postcard posted 12 July 1964 - El Al Boeing 720 

When I recently came across those 

postcards and airmail letters I sent home 

during that 6 week visit to Israel, it 

occurred to me that had I been able to 

communicate via email and text those 

writings would have long been deleted or 

consigned to the recycle bin. 

Now, 48 years on, as I hold and read 

those postcards and letters, I can still feel 

the excitement and the thoughts I 

experienced on that first visit to Israel. I 

was also struck by the amount of 

information I could cram onto one card 

and the legibility of my writing. Thank 

goodness for Microsoft Word today! 

I set out for my first visit to Israel on the 

12th July 1964, as part of a Jewish Agency 

Youth and Hechalutz group. The trip 

lasted six weeks and was the fulfilment of 

a childhood dream. 

First postcard - posted from Lod 

Airport. 

‘Have landed safely at Lod Airport’… 

A picture of an El Al Boeing 720 on the 

front. Details of the flight, places we 

passed over and the novelty of an in-flight 

kosher meal. The excitement of setting 

foot in Israel. The heat experienced as we 

left the aircraft, which I remember 

likening to walking into a blast from a 

hairdryer. Next stop Jerusalem. 

There were two airmail letters posted 

from Jerusalem over the next 12 days. 

‘The building is large and cool, food 

good and plentiful, sanitary 

arrangements could be better’… 

We were based in Beth Hakerem at a 

teachers training college, which in the 

summer became the Summer Institute. 

This is a divided city. We visit the 

Mandlebaum Gate and see the Jordanian 

soldiers on the other side. No visit to the 

Kotel, no walk down the Suk and along 

the Cardo. But there is plenty to see in 

West Jerusalem. The image from that 

first visit to Yad Vashem, entering a 

darkened hall and looking down on the 

candles flickering on a relief map of the 

concentration camps across Europe 

named in Hebrew and English will 

always stay with me. 

Memorably some of us attended 

a concert given by Yehudi and 

Hepzibah Menuhin or 

Menuchin as the Israelis call 

him. I managed with one other 

member of the group to visit the 

Kol Israel radio studios of the 

then Israel Broadcasting 

Company. We were shown 

around the studios, watched a 

programme being recorded and 

were treated extremely well by 

the staff. 

The second letter covers a sixday 

tour of the Galil. We stayed 

in a hostel on the unspoilt shores 

of the Kinneret, a beautiful 

place. The night sky on the 

shores of the lake was 

unforgettable. We visited 

Kibbutz Ein Gev, where we had 

a fish and chip lunch on the 

other side of the lake beneath 

the Golan Heights. It was a 

dangerous place to be in those days. 

We travelled to Rosh Hanikra, Akko, and 

Safed and stayed on Kibbutz Ayelet 

Hashachar with a much-appreciated 

swimming pool. 

On our return to Jerusalem on 21st July 

we repacked and set off to Tel Aviv for 

2 days where we stayed at the Maccabi 

Village. ‘ It was a wonderful place to 

stay if only for two days’ ... 

I visited the Weitzman Institute and also 

went to a Beethoven Concert at the 

Mann Auditorium given by the Israel 

Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by 

Josef Krips. 

40

FEATURES 

Second postcard – 24 July, posted 

from Haifa, although strangely the 

picture on the front shows Jerusalem. 

‘I’m writing this card from Haifa, 

where I’m staying with Uncle’s 

relatives for the weekend’… the only 

two members of his family to survive 

the Holocaust. I’m the first member of 

our family to visit them. They made me 

very welcome and I spent an extremely 

enjoyable two days there taking in a more 

relaxed view of the city. 

I returned to Jerusalem on the 26th July 

where the next few days were spent 

attending lectures and cultural events, 

prior to setting out for 10 days working 

on a kibbutz. 

Third Postcard – 9 August, posted from 

Kibbutz Tel Re’im in the Negev, close to 

the Gaza border, picture of views of 

Be’er Sheva and camels on the front. 

‘The work is hard the heat intense 

and the accommodation lousy’… 

More details of Kibbutz life covered in 

airmail letter postmarked Be’er Sheva - 

6th August. 

Up at 5.00 am. A tractor and trailer 

collects us at 5.30am and takes us to the 

orchards. 

We then spend over three hours of 

backbreaking work hoeing weeds between 

the grape vines. Collected at 9.00 am by 

tractor and taken back to the kibbutz for 

wash and breakfast. 10.00 am to 

2.00 pm rest period, spent mainly 

in the swimming pool. Then back 

to the orchards in the afternoon 

heat for over three hours picking 

and packing plums. After supper, 

collapse worn out into bed to be 

ready for the next day’s labour. 

Return to Jerusalem then 

straight up to Haifa to spend my 

final free weekend with my 

uncle’ relatives. Exhausted, sleep 

the clock round. 

Final letter postmarked Haifa 15 

August ends ‘Time is now 5.15 

and all the buses and trains 

have stopped and the shops 

and cinemas have closed and 

the streets are becoming 

quiet as very shortly the sun 

will set and it will be Shabbat 

in Israel’ 

Second postcard posted 24 July 1964 - Jerusalem 

Third postcard posted 8 August 1964 - scenes from Beer Sheva 

41

FEATURES 

Fourth postcard posted 18 August - Dead Sea views 

Fifth postcard posted 19 August - unspolit Eilat 

Fourth postcard - 18 August, 

postmarked Beersheva. Staying at 

Kibbutz Ein Boker. Picture of views of 

the Dead Sea and surroundings on the 

front. 

‘I’m writing this card from the lowest 

place in the world, the Dead Sea’… 

We were amazed at the amount of 

greenery and cultivation on the Kibbutz 

close to the shores of the Dead Sea. 

Enjoyed the strange sensation of 

floating and attempting to swim in the 

mineral laden waters of the Dead Sea. 

Took a refreshing dip in the pool 

beneath the waterfall at Ein Gedi. A lot 

more water there then than now. 

Travelled past Masada but were unable 

to visit because excavations were still 

ongoing. 

Also the cable car was yet to be 

constructed! Visited Be’er Sheva on the 

day of the Bedouin Market. 

Photographed with camel outside a 

petrol station. Only in Israel… 

Fifth postcard – 19 August, posted 

from Eilat. 

‘Arrived in Eilat after fabulous 4 to 5 

hour journey through the Negev’… 

Picture of a small wooden pier stretching 

into the crystal clear waters of the Red 

Sea with a couple of people boarding a 

small launch. Needless to say the 

shoreline was completely undeveloped. 

There was one hotel, The Queen of 

Sheba. In our hostel the water 

was turned off at midday. 

Daytime temperatures were as 

high as 120 degrees. In spite of 

the heat of the day we toured 

the Negev visiting kibbutzim 

and exploring some of the 

amazing landscape. 

Some evenings were spent at a 

nightclub called The End of the 

World (they served a mean iced 

chocolate) and occasionally lying 

on the deserted beach watching 

the (shooting) stars fall out of a 

clear night sky. Too much light 

pollution to do that today! 

I next returned to Israel in 1979, 

but on this occasion it was with 

my family. It is absolutely true 

to say that however many times I 

have visited Israel since then it 

has been with the same 

excitement of that very first trip. 

Thanks to Palphot (www.palphot.com) for permission to use copies of the postcards in this article. Thanks too to Simon Kisner for assembling the 

image on the cover showing Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion as it was in 1964 and now. 

42

FEATURES 

Sue Garfield 

Before And Afters 

HEARTACHE 

CHOCOLATE CAKE 

This cake is very rich .......... you 

have been warned! 

Elad whilst working at the Shul 

Renowned for his ready smile and 

personable disposition, Elad has 

been working as the regular security 

officer for Stanmore Synagogue 

during the last two years, having lived 

in England for the last seven. By the 

time this magazine is published, he 

will have left and taken up a 

somewhat different position as 

patisserie chef at a leading London 

restaurant. He told me his story. 

Elad was born in Jerusalem and moved 

with his family to Givat Ze’ev. He 

recalled how as a youngster he always 

loved to cook and enjoyed nothing more 

than watching Jamie Oliver on television, 

‘The Naked Chef ’ being a favourite. 

Karate was also a passion and after he 

had completed his army training he 

decided to come to England, work and 

save enough money to travel further 

afield to Thailand and India. Elad 

wasn’t sure what he would do here, only 

that he wanted to join his brother who 

was already living in London and ‘do 

something different’. Tragically, Elad 

shared with me that his brother has now 

passed away following a sudden illness. 

Security seemed a natural career choice 

given Elad’s ‘Israeli mentality’, basic 

common sense and skills learnt from his 

army days. Elad told me that his 

heightened ability to profile people was a 

natural instinct and he proceeded to 

obtain the SIA licence, a pre-requisite for 

doing security work in this Country. He 

worked privately at the headquarters for 

CST training, as well as at JFS and 

Kinloss Synagogue. 

At the same time Elad sought to perfect 

his culinary skills and undertook a 

Cordon Bleu Patisserie Diploma 

specialising in French Patisseries, 

Chocolate and Sugar. Achieving the 

results required to apply for work at the 

highest level, Elad applied for a position 

at The Dorchester Hotel, as well as a 

new restaurant opening in London 

which had already established its 

reputation in New York. He was 

actually offered both jobs, but incredibly 

turned down The Dorchester in favour of 

starting afresh with the exciting new 

restaurant venture at The Balthazar. 

When Elad was assigned to security 

duties at Stanmore he was sincerely 

touched and surprised by the kindness 

of all the families who showed him such 

warm hospitality and said that he very 

much wanted to retain links with the 

Stanmore community. He hopes that by 

sharing his signature chocolate cake 

recipe with Habimah readers he will be 

remembered in the sweetest way. 

Elad in his new role 

lngredients 

400g aubergines 

300g dark chocolate 

50g cocoa powder 

60g ground almonds 

3 eggs 

200g clear honey 

2 tablespoons baking powder 

¼ teaspoon salt 

I tablespoon brandy 

Oil, for brushing 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to l80c 

2. Brush a 23cm tin (square tin is 

better) on base and sides and line 

baking paper at the base 

3. Cook the aubergine by 

puncturing the skin then place 

them in a plastic bowl cover in 

cling-film and microwave on high 

for 8 minutes. 

4. Skin the aubergine and discard 

any water 

5. Break the chocolate to pieces 

and mix with the aubergine until 

the chocolate is melted 

6. Puree the aubergine and 

chocolate in a blender until smooth 

7. In a different bowl sieve the 

cocoa powder, baking powder, salt 

and ground almonds and whisk 

8. Add the eggs slowly then add the 

honey and the brandy 

9. Whisk for I minute until well 

blended then fold in the aubergine 

10. Pour the mixture to the tin 

11. Place at the bottom of the oven 

and bake for 35 minutes 

12. Remove from the oven and 

leave lo cool to room temperature 

13. Tum the cake out of the tin, 

place on a flat surface and peel off 

the baking paper (be careful when 

you remove the cake as it’s very 

delicate) 

14. You can dust cocoa powder or 

icing sugar for presentation 

43

FEATURES 

Graham Newman 

What is Spiritual Healing 

I have asked many well-known 

healers and only one has given me 

the hint of a good reply. He said that 

there is a source of energy in the 

universe. If you are religious it is 

God, but if you declare yourself as a 

non-believer, you would describe it as 

universal energy. It is similar to a 

source of electrical energy with a 

patient being like a light bulb. The 

healer is the inert wire that joins the 

two. 

Spiritual healing does not require a 

statement of faith in a religion either on 

the part of the healer or the patient. 

Often people have been cured of quite 

serious illnesses by a spiritual healer and 

they did not even know it was 

happening. I personally have seen many 

people healed of physical illnesses. A big 

change has happened in their body 

merely by somebody putting their hands 

on the body or even near their body. I 

can often feel a physical pain in a person 

merely by putting my hand in his or her 

aura. That is the electrical body a few 

inches from their physical body and is 

part of the “Daled Amut” or 4 cubits, 

which we Jews believe is around all our 

bodies. 

Many healers also do absent healing. 

This can be over telephone or even just 

thinking of somebody. That may sound 

very strange to a non-believer, but it is 

not an enormous leap from accepting 

that if a cure can pass through 

someone’s hands, to accepting that the 

cure can be passed by merely thinking 

strongly of someone wanting to be 

cured. After all it is the brain or outside 

“energies” that affect the healing, not 

necessarily the hands. 

I came across “healing” by accident. 

One evening about 36 years ago I was 

with a friend who comes from a medical 

family. He told me that his mother had 

suffered a tumour on her brain 15 years 

previously and had been given up by the 

doctors. She had seen a man called Harry 

Edwards who put his hand on her head 

and the tumour went and she was still 

alive. 

Two days later I was arranging a 

mortgage for David, a hotel manager 

running a 200- bedroom hotel. He saw 

that I had a plastic brace on my wrist as 

I was suffering from a serious form of 

carpal tunnel syndrome and asked if I 

would like him to cure me. I asked him if 

he was a doctor as well as a hotel 

manager and he replied that he was a 

spiritual healer. It meant little to me at 

the time, but his next sentence was vital 

for changing my life. He said ‘ I could 

cure you myself or I could send you to 

Harry Edwards ‘. As it was only two days 

since I heard that Harry Edwards could 

cure people of cancer, my knee-jerk 

reaction was to say ‘ I have heard of 

Harry Edwards but I have never heard 

of you. I would prefer to see Harry 

Edwards, with all due respect’. 

David then phoned Harry Edwards’ 

secretary and booked me an 

appointment within six weeks. This was 

a big favour as his queue was normally a 

year. He took 30 seconds to cure my 

wrist that had necessitated my going 3 

times per week to hospital and having 2 

hot wax baths every day plus many 

unpleasant injections. A further 2 

minutes cured my spine of a problem for 

which I had traction 3 or 4 times a year 

and regular physiotherapy. I felt I had 

experienced a true miracle and watched 

30 other people being cured at the same 

session. 

About 5 years later, again by coincidence, 

I found that I had the gift - later 

remembering my family having 

mentioned that my late Grandmother 

had also been able to heal people. 

I introduced David to a very frum family 

friend with a son who was hardly able to 

get out of bed because of M.E. After 

consulting a Dayan, they agreed for 

David to come to their home, and his 

cure was so good that the young man 

was soon able to marry, and became a 

Rabbi. David was then recommended 

from one person to another and made 

regular trips to Stamford Hill. At the 

aforementioned “Charedi” wedding, 

David and his wife (who were not 

Jewish) were invited and I was amazed 

how many of the other guests came up 

to David to thank him for his successful 

healing. Both David and I have healed 

several Rabbis and their wives amongst 

many others, so I guess there is no 

problem as it is for “pikuach nefesh” and 

not seeking information from “spirits”. 

The latter is, of course, strictly forbidden. 

No form of medicine is 100% 

successful, but my own (and most other 

healers’) experience is that everyone gets 

some relief or at least temporary 

comfort, and a good proportion are fully 

cured. 

44

OBITUARY 


Sidney Frosh z”l 

Sidney and Ruth Frosh 

Sidney Frosh was born in Stepney on 

22 August 1923 and died in the Royal 

London Hospital in Whitechapel on 12 

August 2012, aged 88. He was 

passionate about Anglo-Jewry and 

devoted his life to the service of the 

community, focusing on its religious, 

educational and welfare organisations. 

He joined the Stanmore & Canons Park 

Synagogue in 1955, became Chairman of 

the Building Fund Committee 3 years later 

and in 1959 was elected to the Board of 

Management. From 1961 to 1965 he 

served as the Synagogue’s Financial 

Representative. 

This launched Sidney into his love affair 

with the United Synagogue, first as the 

Stanmore representative on the US District 

Synagogue Council, then as Treasurer and 

later Chairman of the District Synagogue 

Council and ultimately in 1973 he was 

elected as an Honorary Officer of the 

United Synagogue, serving as Treasurer 

Bequests & Trusts. In 1977 he was elected 

Treasurer of the United Synagogue, 

became its Vice President in 1984 and 

elected President of the United Synagogue 

in 1987, which position he held for 5 years. 

Sidney firmly believed that the United 

Synagogue’s mission was to take care of 

Anglo-Jewry and ensure its wellbeing and 

growth. Where in his opinion there was 

a gap in the provision of any community 

service or a need to improve standards of 

delivery, he enlisted the United Synagogue 

to do the work, maintaining that the US 

had the responsibility to provide services 

from cradle-to-grave. Not only was the US 

to provide religious services, it was to 

become involved in Jewish education, 

university chaplaincy, supervision of 

kosher food and youth and welfare 

services. Whilst there was no selfaggrandisement 

in his expansion of the 

United Synagogue, nevertheless it 

gradually became clear that there were 

insufficient resources to match the 

demands on the organisation. This led 

Sidney to take a courageous step in 

October 1991, and call in outside help, by 

asking Stanley (now Lord) Kalms to lead a 

group to review the United Synagogue. 

A year later, the Kalms’s report “A Time 

for Change” pulled no punches. It said 

that while the expansion intentions were 

honourable, the commitments outstripped 

the financial capacity of the United 

Synagogue to meet them, and that it was in 

a state of “acute financial decline”. Sidney 

accepted the report’s findings and whilst it 

did not call for his resignation, he took the 

honourable course and stood down. His 

legacy is that lessons were learnt and the 

report he commissioned has guided the 

revitalisation of the United Synagogue 

over the past 20 years. 

Sidney Frosh was the son of an East End 

tailor, and like most of the boys of the era, 

was a pupil at the Jews’ Free School, then 

in Bell Lane and an active member of the 

Jewish Lads Brigade, where he witnessed 

the dayanim of the London Beth Din lead 

Shabbat services in full Brigade uniform. 

He was enormously gratified in later life to 

have had a child and three grandchildren 

attend JFS, of which he was in due course 

to become a Governor and a Trustee. 

But it was in his teenage years that he first 

gave a hint of his future communal life, by 

volunteering at the London Jewish 

Hospital during the Blitz, going straight 

from work, often sleeping overnight on 

one of the hospital beds. During one 

attack, the force and proximity of the 

explosion threw him from his make-shift 

bed to another side of the room. When 

called up, he joined the Royal Corps of 

Signals, and saw active service in France. 

On his return from France, Sidney became 

a leader of a local youth club, heralding a 

life of total commitment to young Jewish 

people. It was at this time that he married 

his forces sweetheart Ruth Glicksman with 

whom he shared 48 very happy years, 

most of which were spent in Stanmore. 

Ruth was his constant support and took 

pride in his achievements. After the war he 

ran and developed several successful 

furniture businesses and served as a JP, but 

always found the time to carry on with his 

voluntary work. 

In the early 1950s Sidney was invited to 

join the Boys Welfare Committee of the 

Jewish Board of Guardians, the 

forerunner of today’s Jewish Care. This 

committee took responsibility for orphans, 

delinquents and youth at risk. In due 

course, this led him to become active in 

Norwood and he was responsible for the 

transfer of troubled and challenged 

youngsters from the Board of Guardians 

to Norwood. This was the start of a major 

influence he had on modernising 

Norwood at that time, encouraging the 

closure of the orphanage and advocating 

for child care services to be provided in 

local communities rather than an 

institution in South London. He was also 

instrumental in establishing joint meetings 

of the Norwood and Ravenswood 

trustees which eventually led to the merger 

of these two charities. In the 1970s Sidney 

was Chair of the Education Committee of 

the European Council of Jewish 

Communities. 

After 15 years of active service with 

Norwood, during which he chaired the 

Norwood Welfare Committee and was at 

one time as Joint Treasurer, he became 

involved in the development of Jewish 

day schools through the London Board 

of Jewish Religious Education and later 

the United Synagogue. He encouraged the 

relocation of the Stepney Jewish Primary 

School to Ilford and the Bayswater Jewish 

Primary School to Kenton, where it 

became the Michael Sobell Sinai School. 

In the 1990s, he continued to play an 

active role in support of the creation of 

the Wolfson Hillel Primary School in 

Southgate, the Moriah Primary School in 

Pinner and the King Solomon High 

School in Redbridge. 

Following Sidney’s appointment as an 

45

OBITUARY 

Synagogue in 1973, it was through his 

leadership that the London Jewish 

Chaplaincy Board was created and the first 

Jewish student chaplain was appointed, and 

he headed committees recommending the 

creation of informal youth activities under 

the auspices of the United Synagogue. 

With a policy paper called “Beginning 

Anew” published in 1980, he put the 

appointment, pay and terms of service of 

Rabbonim on a professional footing and 

created in-service training and mentoring 

programmes for them. Whilst US 

President, Sidney presided over the 

publication of the Centenary Edition of 

the Singer’s Siddur and led the Chief 

Rabbinate Council in the appointment of 

Chief Rabbi Jonathan (now Lord) Sacks, 

consulting widely with the provinces, the 

Commonwealth and all strands of British 

Jewry. 

After standing down as President of the 

United Synagogue in 1992, Sidney took 

on a new lease of communal life. He 

became a Trustee of various grant 

making charities including the Jews 

Temporary Shelter, and returning to one 

of his communal passions, served a 

second term as Governor and then 

Trustee of the JFS, where he was involved 

in the relocation of his alma mater, from 

Camden Town to Kenton. 

Sidney brought to all his communal 

activity, energy, enthusiasm, optimism and 

a deep compassion. He was convinced 

that by working harder, challenges that 

seemed intractable could be resolved. He 

was the first member of the Stanmore 

community to be elected President of the 

United Synagogue, followed in succession 

by Seymour Saideman and Elkan Levy, to 

become known as the “Three Presidents”. 

Sidney was honoured by the Stanmore & 

Canons Park Synagogue as Chatan 

Bereshit in 1966 and appointed an Elder 

in 1993. He always felt relaxed and at 

home sitting in his Elder’s seat and is 

sorely missed by all. 

He is survived by his three children 

Professor Stephen Frosh who is Pro-Vice 

Master Birkbeck College, University of 

London; Hendon GP Dr Barbara Frosh 

and Professor Paul Frosh of the Hebrew 

University, their spouses Judith, David and 

Caroline and nine grandchildren. 

A Memorial Service was held on 5 

February 2013. 

May his memory serve as a blessing. 

Glynis Kuzuk 

Celia Levy z’l 

A past prominent member of our 

Community, Celia Levy sadly passed 

away in Israel just two days after 

Rosh Hashanah after a long illness. 

Daughter of Rabbi (later Dayan) and 

Mrs. Michael Fisher, Celia was born on 

6 th October 1946, and grew up in 

Hackney. Her love of Israel began when, 

as a teenager, she often visited her 

Grandparents in Israel. On one such trip, 

in 1963, she was crowned Beauty Queen 

on the ship Theodore Herzl. 

Celia was introduced to her husband-tobe 

Elkan Levy in 1964 but they were soon 

parted due to Celia’s plans to spend a year 

in Aix-les-Bains to study French and 

Jewish Studies. Elkan meanwhile spent 

two years at The Jewish Theological 

Seminary in New York where he was 

awarded a Masters Degree for a Thesis on 

“Anglo Jewry in the Great War.” 

Despite the distance between them, Celia 

and Elkan exchanged letters and in March 

1967 they became engaged and were 

married by their Fathers in the New West 

End Synagogue on 13 th September 1967. 

In May 1968 the young couple moved to 

Stanmore where they lived for 28 years and 

were heavily involved in our kehillah. Celia 

served on the Board of Management, 

while Elkan became a Warden. Elkan was 

also honoured as Chatan Torah in 1995, 

and went on to become US President 

from 1996 to 1999. 

Celia started the publicity committee (the 

forerunner of the current Communications 

committee), chaired a WIZO committee 

and helped run New Horizons, but her 

proudest time was being a founder 

member of the Women’s Tephillah 

Group. Their first Shabbat services were 

held at the Levys’ home in Glanleam 

Road and Celia became a regular Baalat 

Koreh at these services. 

She was very proud to hear that the 

Group (having changed its name to “The 

Women’s Learning Experience”) was 

now permitted to gather on shul 

premises, but sadly she was not able to 

visit and take part due to ill health. 

When Elkan became Minister for Small 

Communities, the Levys moved to 

Radlett in 2005, but for Celia her love of 

Israel meant that having a holiday home 

in Netanya from 1986 was not enough 

and they finally made Aliyah in 2011. 

Whilst settling well in Israel and 

spending quality time with her son, 

daughter, their spouses and all the 

grandchildren, Celia still remembered 

their US roots and was finally laid to rest 

in the beautiful and serene United 

Synagogue cemetery in the foothills of 

Jerusalem. 

We wish long life to her husband Elkan, 

son Julian with daughter- in-law Edwina, 

daughter Abigail and sonin-law Lior 

and her 4 Israeli grandchildren Jasmine, 

Jamie, Joshua and Sam. 

46

AROUND SHUL 

Purim Shpiel 

We put on first ever Purim Shpiel on 

24 February, “Saving Stanmore”, to a 

packed audience seated cabaret style 

with their Michelin-starred meal of 

shwarma in pitta, top of the range 

Diet Coke and artisan baked 

hamantaschen. It truly was a classy 

do. 

It was high-class art-house theatre – 

Purim style. An alien with semicha, a 

ladies guild meeting circa 1953, a shul 

where every seat “belongs” to someone 

choreography, sound engineering and 

casting were faultless, leading to an 

unmissable production. 

Now we are just waiting for the script for 

Purim Shpiel 5774! 

Thanks to Daniel Bower for the great photos. It 

was a pity that space prevented us from being 

able to include more. 

else – even if they are dead, Monty 

Python’s Jewish Yorkshiremen joining a 

Kiddush club and a high-kicking Chorus 

Line finale were all in the mix. 

The script, written by Rabbi Andrew 

Shaw, was complex, involving three 

aliens seeking the four segments of their 

sacred stone which has been scattered in 

the Stanmore of the 1950s – in the shul, 

the cheder, a ladies guild meetings and at 

the Kiddush. 

The minimalism of the set – blue simcha 

chairs, cheder tables and not a lot else – 

served to emphasise the theme of 

alienation versus community. The 

lighting by well-known lighting designer, 

Wayne (aka the shul caretaker) enhanced 

the production through its creative and 

innovative use of black-outs at the end 

of each scene. The costuming, 

Torah Scroll cover presented 

to the Shul by the 

family of Stephanie z'l and 

Jonathan Kosky z'l at the 

Memorial Service held in 

November 2012. 

47

AROUND SHUL 

Susan Lipman 

Baby Blessings 

Tammy Ava Calvert 

Tammy Ava Calvert was born on 14 

December 2011, she has an older 

brother Joshua who is thrilled to have a 

little sister to play with and who 

throughly enjoyed showing off his new 

sister on the bimah at the baby blessing. 

They love matching shul teddies they 

received. Tammy enjoys spending time 

with her grandparents and all her family 

and friends. 

Matan Chaim Cohen 

My name is Matan Chaim Cohen and I 

was born on the 15 June 2011. My name 

means “gift”...and my mummy and 

daddy say that I am the best present ever 

I LOVE staying at my Grandma Ruth 

(“ffff ”) and Grandpa David (“Pa”) 

Proops’ house and coming to Stanmore 

Shul and seeing all their friends and 

Mummy’s second family the Hertz’s! 

When I was on the bimah bring blessed, 

I spent the whole time grinning and 

waving to everyone. It was a very happy 

day - thank you for my teddy bear! 

Jacob Yaron Courts 

Born on 31 July 2012, Jacob arrived just 

in time for the Olympics. He is a very 

lively and alert baby, and always wants to 

watch everything that is going on. At 5 

months he is growing fast and on course 

to be taller than his daddy by his bar 

mitzvah! He loves playing with his older 

cousins, who all adore him; as do his 

grandparents. Jacob loves to go for 

walks, play on his rainforest mat and 

dance with his mummy at Hartbeeps 

baby group! We are enjoying every 

minute, seeing him try to sit up and 

crawl, as well as entertaining him with 

the saxophone and piano which we hope 

he will learn to play one day too! 

Matan Chaim 

Cohen 

Jacob Yaron 

Courts 

Sophia Hakkak 

Simeon Moses 

Levere 

Frankie Theo 

Lipowicz 

pink teddy to show for it. I look forward 

to seeing you all in shul soon. 

Simeon Moses Levere 

Simeon was born on 1 September and is 

named, in a somewhat convoluted 

manner, after Daniel’s Grandpa and 

Emily’s Nana. He is the first member of 

the next generation on both sides of the 

family so has attention lavished on him by 

his doting Grandparents, Aunts and 

Uncles. He has learnt to reward them with 

lots of gorgeous smiles and gurgles as well 

as plenty of sick on their best clothes. Ask 

Nana Susan about her interesting 

conversations with him and Grandpa Ian 

about what happened to his suit!. 

Frankie Theo Lipowicz 

Frankie Theo Lipowicz was born on 10 

December 2011 and is now 1 year. He is 

always happy and smiling and loves 

playing with all his cousins, Louis in Leeds 

and Tyler, Ava, Anya and Leo in London. 

He loves going to music group, playing 

with his toys and watching baby TV. 

Frankie loves saying two things - DaDa 

and Uh Oh! 

Gavriella Odette Relevy 

My name is Gavriella Odette Relevy and I 

was born on the 18 May 2012. Mummy 

and daddy say I am an absolute joy. I eat 

well, sleep well, and always have a smile 

and a giggle to share. I have two beautiful 

older sisters Adina and Saphira who play 

with me all the time and teach me how to 

be princess number 6. Oh yes, I meant to 

mention I am also known as princess 

number 6 as Grandma Linda and Papa 

Ronnie have another 3 granddaughters 

Sophie, Amy and Lucy so all in all they 

have 6 princesses. How lucky they are!!! 

Sophia Hakkak 

Hiya! I’m Sophia (aka ‘princess’ to my 

parents). I was born on 26 December 

2011 just in time for lunch. I’m a real 

cutie and have bought my parents and 

family so much delight and happiness. I 

love music, talking lots and playing with 

all my friends. I really enjoyed my first 

shul experience. Standing on the bimah 

made me feel so special and I even got a 

Gavriella Odette 

Relevy 

Sacha Tyler Rosen 

Hello. My name is Sacha Tyler Rosen and 

I was born on 16 May 2012. I am the 

fourth Rosen boy, and my brothers are 

Jake, Nathan, and Ashley, so I have good 

protectia. 

I am a happy chappy. Everything amuses 

me. I like biting things and I don’t sleep 

much. 

48

AROUND SHUL 

Sydney Ray Rubens 

Sydney Ray Rubens born 29 July 2012, a 

daughter for Katy and Ian Rubens. 

Sydney always has a knowing look and 

smile for those closest: grandparents, 

great grandparents, aunts and uncles. 

Nathan Slatkin 

Hovering around the 9th percentile, our 

little Nathan may be small in stature but 

he is certainly big on heart He joined the 

Slatkin clan on the 20 April 2012, and 

besides his aversion to sleeping for 

long stretches, he has brought to our 

household a new sense of calm and 

patience this is where he differs from his 

favourite person in the whole world (big 

brother Ollie), who at 3, is and always has 

been rather more demanding! Most of 

the time 

Nathan wears a quiet smile and is ready 

to be made to giggle with tickles and 

peekaboo. He can regularly be seen 

hanging with Grandma and Grandpa, 

Linda and Robert Brody of Kenton, and 

skyping with his long distance Bubbe and 

Papa, Trudy and Mark Slatkin of Kansas 

City, who are delighted with his newly 

acquired waving skills. Come and say hi 

– Nathan’s looking for new friends. 

Sydney Ray 

Rubens 

Nathan Slatkin 

Talia-Chloe Lexi 

Tash 

Zara Yaros 

Talia-Chloe Lexi Tash 

My name is Talia-Chloe Lexi Tash and I 

am now 10 months old. I can now crawl 

forwards as well as backwards which 

means that all my big brother’s toys are 

within easy reach. My favourite games are 

eating anything I can lay my hands on, 

throwing things off my high chair and 

then looking for them and giggling lots. I 

am always smiling and my mummy, 

daddy, sister and brother love me lots and 

lots. 

Zara Yaros 

Zara’s favourite activities are eating food 

of all types, singing and dancing to 

music. She loves spending time with all 

of her family and her best friend, cousin 

Ruby Kober.Her favourite toys are her 

teapot, handbag and cookie jar. She also 

loves having books read to her. 

Harrow’s Holocaust Memorial Day 

Commemoration 

The theme of this year’s Holocaust 

Memorial Day Commemoration 

at Harrow Civic Centre was 

‘Communities Together: Build a 

Bridge’ and all who attended the 

ceremony from Stanmore were most 

grateful to Glynis Kuzuk for her 

endeavours in reserving 25 seats in the 

Council Chamber. 

Following the lighting of the Yahrzeit 

candle by Rabbi Michael Hilton and one 

minute’s silence, two police cadets 

introduced the Worshipful Mayor 

Councillor Nizam Ismail who reflected 

on how we should live our lives today to 

create a better future. Rabbi Hilton of 

Hatch End Kol Chai Synagogue 

expressed his hope that we would live in 

a world of justice and peace for all 

people and Olivia Marks-Woldman from 

the Holocaust Memorial Trust reminded 

the audience that everybody is a member 

of some kind of community. Hannah 

Nathanson from the Harrow Youth 

Parliament presented a moving video. 

The Holocaust Testimony was presented 

by Bob and Ann Kirk who each gave 

harrowing accounts of their escape from 

Nazi Germany as kindertransport 

children. They recalled the horrors of 

‘Kristallnacht’ and all the notices of 

‘Juden Verboden’. Ann told how her 

parents had sent her to live with ‘two 

aunties’ in London for her safety and 

that when she saw her parents waving to 

her from the train platform, it was the 

last time she ever saw them. Ann and 

Bob married and went on to have two 

sons, but could not discuss their 

holocaust experiences for over 40 years. 

The Moriah Jewish Primary Day School 

Choir performed two beautiful songs 

and were joined later in the evening by 

blues singer, Cathy Edgar for a specially 

commissioned rendition of ‘A Bridge of 

Voice’. Ten year old Max Adam from 

Stanmore, who formed part of the choir, 

is no stranger to performing publicly as 

he has sung Anim Zemirot with younger 

brother, Theo, on several occasions in 

Shul. Max’s mother Nadine and Theo 

watched proudly from the audience in 

the Council Chamber. 

The ceremony closed with thanks to all 

the contributors and concluded with 

kosher refreshments for all the guests. 

49

AROUND SHUL 

Stanmore Synagogue Community Care 

What Stanmore Synagogue Community 

Care does is best summed up in the 

words of one of our volunteers and of 

someone who has experienced their 

help. 

My Friendly Experience 

If it’s Tuesday it’s Friendship Club Day. 

Having retired during 2011, I decided to 

look around at volunteering prospects. 

One of the first opportunities was the 

most local - our very own Stanmore 

Synagogue Community Care staffed by 

the marvellously dedicated and caring 

volunteers with whom it has been my 

pleasure to work. I chose to help taking 

and bringing home ladies and gentlemen 

to the Friendship Club run by the 

admirable Sylvia Michaels every Tuesday. 

This project has proved to be one of the 

most rewarding of my life. It helps 

people who live alone to get out of their 

homes at least once a week and meet up 

with others in a similar situation to play 

cards, chat, enjoy a lunch together. On 

Craig Kent 

Editors’ Note: We are very sad to 

report the passing of Michael Reveres, 

the first permanent Editor of 

Habimah in the late 1960s. He served 

another three years at the helm from 

Rosh Hashanah edition 1998 to Rosh 

Hashanah 2001. Under Michael’s 

Editorship, our magazine reached new 

heights, receiving the best synagogue 

magazine award from the Board of 

Deputies in 2001. For more than two 

years Michael suffered from a form of 

Pancreatic Cancer. Soon after 

Michael’s death last December, his 

son-in-law Craig decided to raise 

money for research into this particular 

cancer which claimed the lives of both 

his Father and Father-in-law. This is 

Craig’s story……………… 

my short journeys with them I am able 

to share some of their stories, hear about 

their families, commiserate about some 

of their ailments and complaints and 

enjoy some of their life experiences. It 

has been a great honour and pleasure. 

During the year a few special lunches are 

organised such as birthday celebrations, 

Chanukah, Pesach and other light 

entertainment which of course adds to 

the experience 

As a volunteer driver I can help by 

reporting any difficulties that I might 

hear about or notice, such as health 

problems back to the Community Care 

Office, who can then take the matters 

further if necessary. Confidentiality is, of 

course, crucial at all times. 

If you know of somebody who could 

benefit from the Friendship Club 

facilities please contact the Community 

Care Office. Anyone who has some 

spare time and wishes to give back 

something to the community please get 

in touch with the Office. As well as 

Running the Marathon to 

beat Pancreatic Cancer 

Pancreatic and Bile Duct cancers have a 

survival rate of less than 3% but they are 

increasingly common forms of illness that 

in the last 18 months has claimed the lives 

of both my father, Alan Kent and my 

father-in-law Michael Reveres. As a 

lifelong member of the Stanmore 

community I am attempting to raise 

awareness of these horrible forms of 

cancer and raise as many donations as I 

can as I prepare to run the London 

Marathon for the first (and most likely 

only) time on 21st April. 

The grief that we have been experiencing 

is unimaginable as both men were 

wonderful people, dedicated to their 

families, and who will both be missed by 

a great many of you. It was Michael 

himself who actually started the Habimah 

taking people to the Friendship Club you 

might be asked to take someone to a 

hospital appointment or home visiting, 

taking someone shopping or even going 

to the barbers. 

You will find it most rewarding and 

satisfying. 

Michael Stephens, SSCC Volunteer 

In Praise of SSCC 

I can only speak as I find and I have had 

only help and kindness from everyone in 

the cabin, and all their volunteers. You 

can ring anytime during their working 

hours and someone will help you, If not, 

then they will phone you back. They sit 

in their office in the car park away from 

the Shul and are completely vulnerable, 

but they turn up whatever the weather 

and give their all. AlI I can say is a very 

big thank you, and long may you 

continue. 

Faye Serota, SSCC Client 

and his input and service to the Stanmore 

community will be cherished by all who 

enjoyed the benefits of his wholehearted 

contribution to the shul and wider 

charities. 

A few months ago I approached the 

Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund 

(PCRF) who agreed to designate a 

charity place for me on this year’s 

London Marathon. The goal of running 

26.2 miles is the biggest physical 

challenge I have ever undertaken but it 

is allowing me to channel my grief in a 

positive way and to involve my family in 

the memory of lost relatives. 

The PCRF and I would be most grateful 

for any donations to this extremely 

worthy cause. Every penny raised will go 

towards research to try to improve future 

survival rates for pancreatic cancer, a 

shocking disease that could affect any 

one of us. 

50

AROUND SHUL 

Jacob Levy 

Sephardi Shabbaton 

David Kibel 

Yad Sarah 

Ground-breaking – not a word one 

readily associates with a Shabbaton. 

Yet on Shabbat 16 February 2013 

something truly ground-breaking did 

indeed take place at Stanmore and 

Canons Park Synagogue; and it wasn’t 

just the difference in catering either. 

On Shabbat Terumah with the 

Stanmore Sephardi Minyan having 

entered its third glorious year – the 

occasion was marked by a Communal 

Sephardi Shabbaton. 

The Synagogue halls were wired with 

anticipation as 120 congregants convened 

in the Community Centre (a change of 

location and pace from its usual home in 

the Boardroom) to celebrate the monthly 

Sephardi Service. Swollen by the ranks of 

four visiting Rabbonim and their families, 

a healthy phalanx of Stanmore’s Sephardi 

members and supporters as well as 

curious, interested Ashkenazim from the 

main Shul – we were treated to an awe 

inspiring Service. The tunes were melodic, 

robust, rousing and represented a perfect 

fusion of competing styles (Persian, 

Moroccan, Afghan, Spanish and 

Portuguese, Iraqi and Bombay Baghdadi). 

The supremely talented Amran Mamane 

led an engaging Shacharit and Haftarah, 

whilst Baal Koreh David Chazan, making 

his debut at the Sephardi Minyan, was a 

jaw-dropping revelation. The sermon was 

delivered with style and humour by Rav 

Mashiach Kelaty followed by a short, 

interesting daroosh on Sephardic minhags 

by Rabbi Yitzy David – and this was a 

foretaste of great things to come. 

After a communal Kiddush and with the 

numbers now at 250 – the congregation 

amassed in the Shul to hear an inspiring 

daroosh on the meaning of ‘happiness’ 

from Rav Moshe Levy. His humour and 

wit set us up wonderfully for what would 

be an even more moving and spine 

tingling lunch. From the Sephardic 

catering to the welcome address by Nissan 

Moradoff whose energy has wrought this 

occasion through to the specially sent 

blessing from the Sephardi Chief Rabbi 

of Netanya wishing the Stanmore Minyan 

good fortune, relayed by Simon Monk – 

the diners were treated to speeches of 

great emotion from Rabbi Lew and the 

honoured guest and visiting Rabbi Farhi. 

In their own ways they shared a common 

vision – not a vision of differences and 

distinctions; of foreign minhags or alien 

ways; but one of collaborative efforts and 

shared philosophies. As I looked around 

the room at my Sephardi and Ashkenazi 

friends (and at my Ashkefardi family) I 

was struck by the warmth, the glow, the 

true wonder of people enjoying 

something new, something traditional, 

something highly charged and emotional. 

I am certain that none of us will forget the 

electricity in the room or the sight of 3 

young children aged between 3 and 6 

standing on their chairs separately reciting 

to the whole hall in small, firm, tuneful 

voices beautiful Sephardic Shevachot 

(Zemirot) whilst the surrounding tables 

joined in. Who could forget the visceral 

power of Rabbi Farhi’s daroosh, or the 

whiskey that we all consumed, or the food 

served in copious quantities, or the sense 

of unity of purpose - Sephardi showing 

Ashkenazi the dignity of difference - or 

the room as a whole embracing the event 

with purpose. Ashkenazi Sephardi For 

me, none of these phrases capture it. 

There was only one phrase that had 

meaning in that room: “Am Yisrael Chai” 

Last year’s Kol Nidre appeal partly 

benefited Yad Sarah, an Israeli charity 

little known by the diaspora, but which 

is actually one of Israel’s largest 

charities helping some 420,000 Israelis 

annually. It is known as Israel’s best 

kept secret – outside of Israel. It is a 

charity which operates mainly through 

volunteers (95% of its personnel are 

unpaid volunteers) helping Israelis of 

all persuasions – orthodox and nonorthodox, 

Arab and Jew, young and 

old. It has an annual budget of around 

NIS 100m, of which 97 percent is 

funded by donations from either 

Israelis who have used equipment, 

and from overseas donors. 

During 2011, Yad Sarah assisted 420,000 

people around the country via its 100 plus 

branches and saved NIS 1.5bn that 

otherwise would have come from public 

coffers. This included the lending of 

270,000 pieces of medical equipment - 

from walkers and wheelchairs, to air 

mattresses for the bedridden, breast 

pumps for mothers of new born babies, 

bed hoists, oxygen-producing machines, 

and myriad other pieces of equipment 

both at home or following their release 

from hospital. Additionally they have 

occupational therapists to help severely 

disabled people, run groups for mentally 

challenged persons, provides meals for 

them, and collects and takes them home. 

It also provides day centre care for the 

disabled, dental clinics for the elderly and 

a host of other activities for those with 

disabilities and special needs. 

The organization, founded by former 

Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupolianski, also 

repairs medical equipment, runs a 

laundry service for the bedridden, has 

A recipient of help from Yad Sarah was 24 year old Odelia Lavie, who was 

taken in her wheelchair to the hairdresser, makeup artist and bridal gown 

salon, and then to her wedding ceremony, in a specially converted van. 

Born with disability, Odelia had been receiving the organisation’s help in 

getting around for many years, and her bridegroom who became disabled 

in school when he was 17 also uses a Yad Sarah wheelchair. 

51

AROUND SHUL 

cont. from 51 

medical devices that are available for 

purchase, provides an emergency call 

centre for the elderly, gives legal advice to 

those in need, and answers medical 

questions. 

One particular service offered by Yad 

Sarah is for visiting tourists who may 

need assistance with wheelchairs or other 

medical equipment while in Israel, or 

special transport to get to their hotel or 

families. The Jerusalem head office has a 

dedicated department which helps 

tourists who have such special needs. 

If anyone would like further information 

about Yad Sarah, please contact David 

Kibel on: 

david@kibel .co.uk. 

Rachel Karabon 

An Exercise Class with a Difference 

About 10 years ago, I was watching 

my grandma and my mum with my 

two young children. My mum was 

on the floor playing and my 

grandma was on a chair watching. 

She loved all her greatgrandchildren 

but there was a limit 

as to how much she could play with 

them, because she had bad 

arthritis and many of her joints 

were stiff. Although active when 

younger, always working hard, she 

didn’t do any exercise as she got 

older. It made me wonder whether, 

if she had done anything different 

and tried to use her joints and 

muscles, she could have stayed 

more mobile for longer. 

I was already an exercise instructor, 

teaching in gyms, aerobics classes and 

personal training, so I decided to look 

into teaching exercise to older adults, 

specifically those who couldn’t go to 

regular exercise classes, through 

medical conditions, age, or even just 

choice. Not everybody wants to get 

hot and sweaty but most people want 

to stay mobile and active and retain 

use of their muscles and joints for as 

long as possible. In addition I really 

wanted my mum to be like this. 

I researched the idea and found a 

company I liked the sound of. They 

had been endorsed by the Department 

of Health and some noteworthy 

professionals. In September 2003 I 

began my training with Extend. They 

were very thorough and, despite my 

previous courses and qualifications, I 

still found it quite rigorous and learnt 

a completely new approach to teaching 

this older section of the population. 

Extend classes are suitable for 

absolutely everyone. It is possible to 

52 

cater for a completely mixed ability 

class at the same time. For example, 

at least 20 minutes of every class is 

done sitting down, but the whole class 

can be done seated if necessary, 

meaning that those in wheelchairs, or 

the chairbound, or those who are 

simply having an “off ” day can still 

join in and get the full benefit. 

Also, the class is designed to work 

through every body part and joint, so 

it might start with a warm-up to get 

the blood flowing and the joints 

moving, followed by a few minutes of 

mobility of all the major body parts 

and then move on to concentrate on 

strengthening and mobilising the legs, 

the shoulders, then the hands and 

wrists, feet and ankles and tummies 

and neck. 

Another great thing about these 

classes is that it emphasises the fun 

part of exercise. We use lively music 

mostly from the 50s, 60s and 70s. A 

few minutes of each class usually 

includes use of equipment such as 

ribbons, squeezy balls, dynabands and 

even paper towels, all of which 

provides lots of merriment as well as 

encouraging participants to exercise 

various body parts without even 

realising they are doing so. 

Perhaps most importantly for some, the 

classes mean a chance to get together 

with other people, to chat, share advice 

and enjoy themselves. They get to flex 

their mental muscles too with a section 

on co-ordination and it’s amazing to see 

how quickly people’s reactions and 

memory improves after only a few 

weeks and how pleased they are when 

they can do something one week that 

was impossible previously, even 

something as small as lifting their arm a 

little higher above their head than they 

have done for a long time. All these 

things contribute to maintaining 

independence and quality of life for 

longer. 

Current participants in my classes have 

commented on the benefits they feel: for 

Len Rickman it means that he will have 

the strength and ability to get down and 

play with his current and forthcoming 

grandchildren for longer. Barbara Glass 

says that the exercises help her to feel 

‘looser’and without them her joints start 

to stiffen up. 

There is a class every Wednesday 

morning at Stanmore Synagogue from 

11.15 -12 noon. For more information 

on this class and others in the area please 

contact Rachel Karbaron on: 

07931 543502, or 

email rkarbaron@yahoo .co.uk


Youth Department Update 

The past few months have been nonstop 

in the youth department. We’ve 

had a busy festival season, followed by 

trips, activities, events, clubs, 

rehearsals and plays. At Stanmore 

Tribe we create programmes for all the 

year-groups between Year 5 and Year 

13, and make sure that there is 

something for everyone. The following 

is made up of different pieces written 

by the youth of our community. We’re 

looking forward to another six months 

full of exciting programmes for our 

youth. 

Josh Pyzer 

Inters Service 

The Intermediates’ Service, for Years 5- 

7 runs every Shabbat from 10.30-11.30 

and aims to provide a fun, interactive 

Shabbat morning experience. We 

recently said farewell to our devoted 

Year 8s, as they moved up to the Youth 

Service, and we watch proudly as the 

Chatanim become essential members of 

that service. 

At the same time, we were delighted to 

welcome Year 5 into the Intermediates, 

and there were so many graduates from 

the Children’s Service that it was difficult 

to find a seat. 

Accompanied by all their favourite tunes, 

sweets, and a quiz based on the Parsha, 

everyone who comes to the 

Intermediates’ Service has only good 

things to say about it. Oh, and of course 

there is a great Kiddush afterwards too. 

Sam Adler 

Learn To Lead 

Learn to Lead teaches us how to become 

responsible members of our community, 

whilst growing into young adults. It is 

an interactive course where we learn 

about different issues affecting everyday 

lives, whether Jewish or not. Learn to 

Lead is an excellent course, which 

although run through Stanmore Shul, is 

not religion based. The course does 

exactly as the title says. 

So far, we have been taught the 

beginning stages of First Aid – 

comprising of CPR, choking and 

recovery position. The second part of 

First Aid is coming up. Streetwise has 

shown us how to keep ourselves safe on 

the streets, by protecting ourselves on 

the buses, trains, shopping malls and any 

public place. Also, if we are in the 

unfortunate event of being mugged, we 

have been shown how to deal with the 

situation. 

Rabbi Landau has taught us the 

importance of how a leader thinks and 

acts for themselves. Peer pressure is 

something all teenagers are faced with 

during everyday life and being able to 

keep to your own principles is a positive 

way of dealing with it. 

I know we have plenty more to learn 

including the problems of addiction and 

dangers of drugs, taking responsibility 

of being in charge at a campsite, as well 

as the basics of camping skills, disability 

awareness and Israel awareness. 

Our group, of approximately 15-20, all 

studied at SMILE together. We know 

each other well and have all become 

good friends so we are extremely lucky 

to be able to work together again and 

continue to enjoy this worthwhile and 

necessary course. 

I’m proud to say I’m taking part in Learn 

to Lead! 

Harriet Zulman 

Tribe Poland Trip 

On the 24-28 October, a group of 36 left 

for Poland. Though many of us didn’t 

know what was ahead of us, it is safe to 

say this trip was one of the most 

memorable experiences any of us would 

have. We arrived early on Wednesday 

and were taken around part of the 

Warsaw Ghetto, followed by a mass 

graveyard. At this point we began to 

realise the brutality of the Holocaust and 

how it is still affective today. 

On the first night, the Group had itsfirst 

sikum, which is a general discussion 

about our day. These nightly talks 

became a large part of the trip and 

helped us all to deal with our emotions. 

The next day, we journeyed to Majdanek 

concentration camp, just outside Lublin. 

Inside the gas chamber and 

crematorium, though they were difficult 

to bear, we knew it was all necessary in 

order to try and relate to our ancestors 

who had been killed in the very place we 

were standing, just less than 70 years ago. 

In an attempt to lift our spirits, the group 

briefly visited Avimelech’s grave, which 

resulted in an unexpected tisch with 

Israeli strangers. We began to appreciate 

how lucky we were to be living as part of 

the Jewish nation in the 21st century. 

The following day, Friday, we went to 

Auschwitz. We davened at the entrance, 

looked around the museum camp and 

then at the real thing. After the March of 

Living, where as a group we walked the 

path from the gates to the crematorium, 

and shortly after lit candles in the coldest 

barracks, we all felt the importance of 

the experience and our duty as Jewish 

teenagers. 

We then experienced an uplifting 

Shabbat in Krakow that put the whole 

trip into perspective and left us all on a 

spiritual high for the last few stops on 

our way back to London. 

Michael Bower 

SHED 

Every week, Shabbat is really enjoyable 

for me. The Youth Service plays a big 

role in my life and it is always full of joy 

and enthusiasm from the youngsters of 

the Stanmore kehilla. After B’nei Akiva, 

I attend SHED. This stands for seudah, 

havdallah, entertainment, dinner. 

After an enjoyable seudah and Maariv, 

we head up to the very well developed 

youth lounge and get the chance to chill 

with our friends, play FIFA, and indulge 

in a delicious take away from Met Su 

Yan, K Grill or Pizaza. The great thing 

about SHED is that whilst it is long 

enough to have fun, it isn’t too long that 

it eats into your Saturday evening. This 

allows you to still be able to do your 

regular evening activities. In my view, 

53


SHED is an awesome way to bond with 

Rabbi Landau and the madrichim and 

have loads of fun!!! 

I think this programme will attract more 

youngsters who may not attend Shul 

regularly and encourage them to come 

more often and be yet another addition 

to the amazing Stanmore Youth Service. 

Maddy Assor 

Year 9 Trip to York 

Stanmore and Hampstead Garden 

Suburb Tribe organised a York trip for 

Year 9. 

We left Stanmore Shul shortly after 

Shabbat and headed up to York. We 

arrived at the Premier Inn hotel and 

watched a movie. 

We woke up bright and early Sunday 

morning ready to have a long and 

exciting day. First, we went to Clifford’s 

Tower. Thanks to Rabbi Landau and 

Rabbi Levene, we learnt all about the 

history of York. We said prayers in 

memory of the many Jews that died and 

explored the monument. 

Next, we went to a Viking center called 

Jorvik. It taught us all about the history of 

the Vikings in York and it was great fun. 

By the time we had finished, we were all 

starving. We headed to a site to eat and a 

delicious lunch came. We had schnitzels, 

pita and salads. 

After lunch we went to a museum called 

DIG. A very helpful man gave us a tour 

around and showed us what they 

managed to dig up in the city of York! 

The archaeologists had found objects 

that date back to the 1600s. The centre 

also had an archaeological dig. The 

museum workers made pits full of 

shredded rubber and put in objects that 

you would find underground. The man 

then gave us each a small shovel and we 

had to dig up the objects. I think that it 

was fun and I learnt so much. 

Finally, after a very long day, we went to 

the York Wheel. It is a big wheel similar 

to the London Eye but just a bit smaller! 

It was a great chance to see all the 

buildings of York and the beautiful view. 

We headed back to London after a very 

long day, yet so much fun. 

Natalie Saideman 

Year 9 Trip to York 

Year 9 from Stanmore and Hampstead 

Garden Suburb visited York for a 24 hour 

trip. On Saturday night as Shabbat went 

out we gathered our bags and arrived at 

Shul, all excited for this incredible 

experience. After a long and tiring journey, 

we reached the Premier Inn and watched 

a film, before going to our rooms. 

In the morning, after a sleepless night we 

had a quick breakfast and davening 

session, and set off for the day. We first 

visited Clifford’s Tower where we learnt 

about the awful events that occurred there. 

I found this part of the trip very moving 

as we listened to a diary entry written by a 

girl around my age, making me realize how 

lucky I am that I can be Jewish and proud, 

without massacres and attacks like the 

Jews of York had to face. After a look 

around the tower and a climb to the top 

to see the stunning view of York, we left 

for the Jorvick Viking Museum. 

It was an interesting experience, and I 

learnt about Viking life in York. We went 

on a small train which took us around a 

model Viking village, with smells, sounds 

and wax work models. By then, we were all 

hungry and we went to a site called DIG, 

where we ate a delicious lunch and chatted 

for a while. After that we learnt about 

archaeologists, and were given small 

shovels to find the hidden artefacts in the 

pits and try to identify them. We also saw 

many bones of humans and animals, and 

tried to identify what part of the body they 

were from and where they had come from. 

To finish off the fantastic day we visited 

the York Wheel. We could see the whole 

of York and the view was incredible. After 

a long day we headed back to Stanmore, 

sad to leave such a fun experience behind 

us. 

Overall the day was inspirational, a 

learning experience and a chance to meet 

new friends and learn about how 

important it is to be a proud Jew. I would 

like to thank all the amazing leaders who 

made this trip so incredible and enjoyable. 

The group with Rabbi Landau at the foot of York Castle 

Gaby Schwarzmann 

Shabbat Morning Girls’ Discussion 

with Aviva Landau 

Each Shabbat morning during the Youth 

Service all the Year 9 girls go to the 

Brides’ Room with Aviva. Each week one 

of the girls gives a short D’var Torah on 

the Parsha from that week, then Aviva 

asks us questions related to that Parsha. It 

54


is a great opportunity to discuss what has 

happened during that week in the news 

and our own lives while learning a lot at 

the same time. Recently we have discussed 

many fascinating topics such as modesty 

and, most recently, self-esteem, what it is 

and how and why it is important to have. 

Each week we go home having learnt 

something new, and that is really amazing. 

After our session we all go back to the 

Youth Service together to daven Musaf. 

A scene from Haim Potter and the Chanukiah of Good and Evil 

It is a really nice way to catch up with 

your friends as well as making sure you 

have someone to sit with in the service. 

We all really enjoy going and are really 

grateful to Aviva for having set this up. 

Zoe Hajioff 

Mitzvah Day 

The project which the youth worked on for 

Mitzvah Day was to put together special 

Chanukiah packages for Jewish servicemen 

and women in the British Armed Forces. 

Doing something for the Jewish soldiers 

who could not be with their families was 

indeed a very special thing to be part 

of. Every child present at Mitzvah Day, 

made a lovely card wishing the soldiers a 

happy Chanukiah. This was done on 

behalf of the Stanmore Community. 

We then wrapped some presents which 

included a Chanukiah, candles, dreidels 

and, of course, chocolate coins which I am 

sure they were very grateful for. It really 

made everyone appreciate what we already 

have at home. A movie was also shown 

about the Jewish soldiers in the British 

army, which was very moving and 

interesting. 

There were many clothes, shoes and 

other goods donated to World Jewish 

Relief. Time and effort came from every 

person who took part in the event and 

everyone should be very proud. 

From the young to the old, there were so 

many people who did something on the 

day! 

Rabbi Landau 

Haim Potter and the Chanukiah of 

Good and Evil 

Ten years on and the latest production of 

Haim Potter was just as exciting, just as 

fun and just as busy. We had a cast of 

more than 30 children who came together 

Rabbi Benji and Aviva Landau with the Haim Potter cast on the 

Harry Potter studio tour 

for rehearsals for weeks and months, and 

despite lots of hiccups along the way, they 

performed a most beautiful production 

of ‘Haim Potter and the Chanukiah of 

Good and Evil’. 

After the conclusion of the second night’s 

performance in mid-December I handed 

out some gifts to those who had helped 

make the production possible. One of the 

things I said then was that in Stanmore, 

Haim Potter is not just a play – it’s a way 

of lif This series of plays has done so 

much for the youth of our community 

and still continues to bring the children 

together and forms the basis of 

relationships that continue for many years. 

. 

Jason Saidel 

Harry Potter Studio Tour 

On the 16 December 2012 the cast from 

Haim Potter and the Chanukiah of 

Good and Evil visited the Harry Potter 

studios in Watford. 

It was a wet and drizzly night but the 

weather did not dampen our spirits. We 

were met by Rabbi Landau and our tour 

began. 

The tour started in a screening room 

where we watched a factual video about 

the life inside Harry Potter. The video 

highlighted how the actors lived and 

worked as characters on the set and how 

the set was made and later destroyed. 

We then moved on to the Great Hall 

which was not so GREAT in real life. 

(That was the only part of the tour with a 

guide). We saw the costumes for all the 

teachers in the movies and learnt that 

Snape wore the same costume the whole 

time, as well as the secrets of the floating 

cont.on 56 

55


cont. from 55 

candles, how real food became pretend, 

how the hall was decorated for Christmas 

and the weather changing roof. We were 

all amazed by the trickery and special 

effects. 

Next we entered a grand room which 

housed the gate to Hogwarts, the 

headmaster’s office, the potions’ 

classroom and many more scenes. I had 

two favourite scenes – the potions’ 

classroom with moving wands that stirred 

potions in cauldrons and the burrow with 

interactive visual displays. We also had a 

chance to fly on a broomstick and sit in 

the flying car. I felt as if I was Harry. 

After that we went outside where we had 

our snacks surrounded by the ‘night bus’ 

which was 22 feet tall, the bridge where 

Neville killed Nagini and the Potter’s old, 

destroyed house in Godrics Hollow. There 

were also kiosks selling butterbeer and 

firewhisky which I was dying to try but 

unfortunately were not kosher. 

Our next destination was the room filled 

with electronics where I was in my 

element as I could press lots of buttons 

which controlled mandrakes (plants that 

scream), baby Voldermort, Hadrig’s head 

and Dobby. Another favourite of mine 

were miniature models of different places 

depicted in the movies e.g. Hogsmead and 

Hogwarts. 

The last room was a massive structure of 

Hogwarts that was used for pan out 

viewing of the castle. I was disappointed 

not to see the Whomping Willow and 

Hagrid’s hut but I had a great time. It is a 

must see for Harry Potter lovers. 

HaCheder visits ‘GIFT’ 

Following hot on the heels of ‘Mitzvah 

day’ the pupils of HaCheder could not 

resist the chance to be involved in 

some more practical mitzvot. Having 

learnt that Judaism involves more than 

Hebrew reading, Jewish history and 

learning about Shabbat and Festivals, 

the classes took the opportunity to 

volunteer at the ‘GIFT’ centre in 

Hendon on 2 December 2012 to pack 

some food parcels for those less 

fortunate than themselves. 

GIFT is an independent charity, based in 

Hendon, whose purpose it is to encourage, 

educate and promote a culture of giving 

and volunteering in the community. 

Was the visit a success This is what some 

of the pupils had to say: 

‘I felt happy coming today because we are helping 

people who do not have food and can’t afford food. 

Today we pack food into bags and put them into 

big boxes and we filled about 150 big boxes. 

It was good fun. We packed things like toothpaste 

sweeties and cans! They are going to feel very 

lucky.’ Ellie 

‘We packed food for poor people. We are sad for 

them. The food we packed was sweeties and pasta.’ 

Chloe 

‘We packed food for poor people. We are sad for 

them. The food we packed was pasta.’ Samantha 

‘We packed food. It was very fun. It was for people 

that can’t afford it. We packed 150 bags.’ 

Benjamin 

‘Today at GIFT I put lemon Jif and grape juice 

into a bag with other food. It was tied up and put 

in a box and it will get taken to people who cannot 

afford it. The other food that was packed was 

pasta, cans, toiletries and cereal.’ Daniel 

‘I put tins of stuff in big bags and the big bags 

went in a big box for 2 hours. I did 2 big boxes. 

We got 150 bags in the big boxes. It was fun 

!!!!!!!!!!!! But we are sad for the people who don’t 

have food. I hope they enjoy it.’ Leo 

‘Today I put honey, sugar and crackers in a bag. 

We packed about 150 bags and I bet that the 

people who recieve the bags are going to feel lovely.’ 

Annabel 

‘I really enjoyed this morning., because when we 

were packing the bags I thought of poor people and 

how happy they will be.’ Jess. 

‘Today we packed food and toiletries for charity. 

We packed the bags by passing the bags around. 

Each bit of a table each person packed their own 

type of thing. After we finished we helped other 

people to pack their food. It was very fun and a 

little bit crazy with all the bags going around.’ 

Hannah 

‘Today I went to a place where we pack bags. We 

packed food and things like toothpast, soap and 

other stuff. We did it for poor people who have no 

food or water. We each had some food and we 

packed it in a bag and put it in a box. We filled 

more than 100 bags. It was so fun and exiting. I 

fell very happy to be here and help people who are 

poor and I hope they enjoy all the food. I put a lot 

of pasta and tins in lots of bags.’ Charlotte. 

‘Today we packed food for about two hours for 

people who are poor and do not have any money to 

buy food and toiletries. Some may have money but 

they do not have enough for everything. We packed 

some sweets, pasta, toiletries. We packed about 

150 bags.’ Stephanie. 

When we are not volunteering HaCheder 

meets in the Synagogue every Sunday 

during term time from 9.30-12.30 (Years 

1 to 6). 

The Cheder children at the GIFT centre 

56


Laura Jaffe 

Toddler Service 

“We light the Shabbat candles, the 

Challahs on the plate. Make Kiddush, 

make Kiddush and stay up LATE!” our 

littlest members shriek with delight. 

Starting at 11am every Shabbat and Yom 

Tov morning, the Toddler Service actively 

involves all children from birth to age five 

with a warm, welcoming sing-song. No 

newborn is too small for this service, 

keeping them involved until the end of 

their reception year at school. 

We say “hello and Shabbat Shalom” (or 

Chag Sameach) to each of the children 

and invite them to tell us about their own 

Jewish experiences from home. Around 

our cosy circle, we sing about the family 

traditions of Shabbat and festivals to 

familiar tunes, as we act out what happens 

at home and in shul: making a giant pot 

of chicken soup from everyone’s favourite 

foods, saying bedtime Shema as we go to 

sleep and Modeh Ani when we wake up. 

We bless the boys and the girls, we jump 

up and down to show how ‘Hashem is 

here, there and everywhere’ and every 

child is given their very own call-up to 

bounce/crawl/dance/run around with 

our cuddly Torah! 

We often talk briefly about the weekly 

Torah portion or an upcoming festival, or 

sit down quietly for a picture book story. 

And for some fun, we sing about a 

‘Shabbat/Yom Tov feeling’ in different 

areas of our body that we name in 

Hebrew. Let us know when it’s your child’s 

birthday so we can include it in the 

celebrations. After joining together in a 

circle for Adon Olam, we meet up with 

our older brothers and sisters in the 

Children’s service, where there is a 

children’s Kiddush full of delicious treats. 

For the High Holydays 2012 we brought 

in some new games and activities to the 

Toddler Service. The children did so well 

to raise the roof with the tooting of paper 

shofars, for which they certainly deserved 

their special Yomtov badge! If you haven’t 

yet been hopping with the ‘Shabbat 

bunnies’ or caught a cuddly falling star for 

Shema prayers, please do come join us 

soon. We are very proud of the five and 

six year olds who moved up to the older 

children’s service in our graduation 

ceremony in September. Special thanks to 

Niki Caplan whose talented handiwork 

has brought us such beautiful new props 

for the children to play with this year, and 

to all the parents on our rota team who 

lead the service bringing their own unique 

contribution. Bring your little ones along, 

they will love it. We hope to see you there 

soon. 

Tots to Tens 

Since its creation last year, the Tots 

to Tens Committee has had a flying 

start. We have held four fantastic 

events for the families of our 

Community. 

Lunch on Yom Kippur was a sell out and 

we hope to make this an continuing event 

for years to come. We learnt Circus skills 

at the Succot Party and boogied away at 

the Chanukah Disco. Our last event, on 

Purim, was a huge amount of fun, with a 

fantastic Fancy Dress Parade, and loads 

of arts and crafts. We are extremely 

pleased that each event we organise is 

attended by more and more people. 

Our focus is always the same, to create an 

enjoyable and safe enviroment for the 

families of the community to meet up, 

celebrate and have fun, and as anyone 

who has attended will know, there is 

always an abundance of sweets!!! 

We look forward to seeing our regulars 

and lots of new families at our future 

events. 

Please look out for our posters and flyers 

and check out the shul website for details 

of upcoming events. You can also 

email us at totstoten@hotmail.com. 

57


Ashleigh Jacobs 

One Girl, Three Hospitals and many 

Lafas on the Side 

In November 2011, like many other 

16 year olds I was going through the 

gruelling task of wondering which 

tour to pick. The dilemma was 

whether to join my friends, or go with 

just a few people I know, so I could 

make new friends. It was a very tough 

time in the Jacobs’ household during 

that period until I had an epiphany to 

venture onto FZY. 

Fast-forward seven months, and the day 

which every 16 year old anticipates from 

receiving their tour list to changing their 

tour in April, arrives. I had to make sure 

I had all the right equipment to get 

through tour, this being nothing less 

then 20 pairs of a plethora of Jack Wills, 

Abercrombie and Topshop shorts, with 

matching t-shirts of course. Add to this 

the minimal six pairs of shoes, and six 

Shabbat outfits, as well as the many other 

elements to the survival kit; constantly 

being added to the suitcase by your 

Jewish mother, naturally. Then realising 

that you are only allowed 25 kg, when in 

reality your suitcase is currently weighing 

30 kg and you have not even finished 

packing, the day becomes somewhat 

more stressful than planned. 

Nonetheless, 120 FZY participants 

entered the doors of Stanmore and 

Canons Park Synagogue on Sunday 8 

July 2012, after an as expected, heart-felt 

Jewish goodbye. I was one of these 

participants. However, I had already 

started my Tour Experience slightly 

differently to them. Living so close to the 

shul, I was made to walk down my road, 

while pulling my own suitcase, and 

holding my hand luggage, this needless 

to say being bigger then me, while trying 

not to get run over. After arriving at the 

shul successfully and saying my Jewish 

goodbye, I knew that I was about to have 

a month to remember. As you will see I 

was not wrong there. 

Skip ahead a week later, having had an 

extremely smooth week on tour, I knew 

that something was not right. After 

arriving at the Bedouin tents that day, I 

noticed that I had managed to drink 

seven litres of water. This, for someone 

like me, was a very abnormal occurrence, 

even though I am often known to be in 

constant need of the toilet, which I get 

from my Dad no doubt. Nevertheless I 

decided that there was no harm in going 

to the medic. My medic asked my 

symptoms, and then came to the 

conclusion that I was over-hydrated, but 

I was not satisfied with this answer. I 

pestered him more, much like my Mum 

did to get me to write this article, and it 

was decided I should go to the hospital 

for the night. 

Arriving at Be’er Sheva Hospital, I was 

slightly taken aback, as I have been very 

privileged to be able to utilise the private 

health care system in the UK. The 

difference in facilities was not what 

initially surprised me. My initial reaction 

was in fact amazement at the people 

surrounding me, as I had always thought 

that arriving at a hospital in Israel would 

be dominated by Israelis who had been 

wounded after being attacked by rockets. 

However I could not have been more 

wrong as there were many people who 

were not Jewish, let alone Israeli. This in 

fact was a key reason for my view on 

Israeli hospitals to immediately change, 

as well as on the media. The media, 

while constantly slating Israel, seem to 

naively overlook the ‘tiny’ detail that 

Ashleigh in the Hadasah Hospital 

Israeli hospitals are in fact extremely apt 

in dealing with not only Israelis but sick 

Arabs too. Needless to say I’m not sure 

that if an Israeli was to end up in an 

Arab/Palestinian hospital they would be 

treated with such care and respect. 

Another element the media fail to report 

is the work ethic, which entails Israelis 

and Arabs working alongside each other. 

The media implies that Israel are not 

willing to get along with Arabs. 

However after being an integral part of 

that society, I would beg to differ. 

Anyway, after being in the hospital for 

little under an hour, and already seen by 

two nurses, I was sent into a doctor’s 

room after just a 45 minute wait. The 

doctor was Palestinian and working in an 

Israeli hospital. I was given blood tests 

immediately, and various other tests, until 

only two hours later, I was given the very 

quick diagnosis of Type One Diabetes. 

This astonished me, for I was not 

expecting the Israeli medical system to 

be so advanced in comparison to Britain. 

This became even more apparent when I 

was sent to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem 

and, again, seen quickly and sent for more 

tests. Eventually I was taken up to the 

room where I would be staying for 

the next few days. My time in 

Hadassah was yet again an eye 

opener into the Israeli medical 

system. For again I was seeing how 

Arabs and Israelis were working in 

harmony together, and how 

wrongly the media seems to 

portray their relationships. 

Not only that but within my first 

meeting with my doctor, Professor 

Weiss, I was straight away put on 

insulin, being taught carbohydrate 

counting, as well as the many 

different aspects of Type One 

Diabetes, that I did not know of. 

For someone who is not often 

shocked by things, this certainly 

was peculiar time for me, as there 

was a constant sense of shock due 

to everything that the Hospital was 

doing for me. I had no idea how 

incredible the Israeli health care 

system is. 

58


Two days into my stay, an Arab girl joined 

me. At first I have to admit I was not too 

pleased about sharing, but after a while I 

got used to the idea and she had the space 

she needed, and use of the computer too. 

This once more highlighted how unfairly 

the relationship between Jews and Arabs 

is portrayed. For it is clear to see that after 

all Israel is put through by other countries 

they do not let the political differences 

affect medical care. 

Not long after my roommate arrived, I 

was given the opportunity with great 

thanks to FZY, and especially Dr Stewart 

alongside my most incredible madricha 

Aimee Nathan, to go back on tour. Even 

though I was not initially too pleased 

to have to join the Tikkun Olam, 

volunteering track, if anything it created 

an extremely poignant way for me to 

spend my first week out of hospital, giving 

back to the country that had helped me so 

much. 

This event happened six months ago, but 

the entirety of my journey only really 

ended recently, after taking a trip to 

Poland with my school. As when entering 

in Poland we were told “Take one week 

for the rest of your life.’ This quote 

instantly took me back to this time of my 

life, as after visiting the concentration 

camps it made me finally come to terms 

with the idea that a nation who can keep 

picking themselves up after such hardhitting 

situations, surely deserves a better 

portrayal within the Israel never seem to 

be in the press for the positive actions 

they take, only their negative aspects. 

People fail to realise that Israel being such 

a small country, has achieved far more 

than those that are so much bigger. 

From their delicious cuisine, which I was 

lucky enough to enjoy for the month, to 

technical abilities, to their medical care 

which I received on the same level as that 

of a larger country like America. They are 

far too often knocked down unjustly, for 

what the media fail to realise is although 

Israel are often seen to be firing rockets, 

as the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin 

Netanyahu recently said ‘If Gaza put 

their weapons down there would be 

peace, If Israel put their weapons down 

there would be no Israel’. Putting religion 

aside, it goes without saying that a world 

without Israel would most certainly not 

be a better place. 

Representing 

the UK 

Fifteen year old Gregory Berg Fifteen 

Gregory Berg 

Fifteen year old Gregory Berg (Grandson 

of our members Simone and Richard 

Ward) has been chosen to represent the 

UK Team in the Maccabiah Games this 

July in Israel. He will be part of the under 

18's Golf Team. 

BARMITZSVAHS AND 

BATMITZVAHS 

We are delighted to wish a 

hearty mazeltov to the following 

boys and girls who have 

celebrated their Barmitzvah or 

Batmitzvah : 

Barmitzvah 

Sam Friend 

Benjamin Fraser 

Alexander Sacks 

Joshua Koffman 

Benjamin Markham 

Elliot Solomon 

Oliver Light 

Ben Lazarus 

Harry Lane 

Daniel Bower 

Joshua Lack 

Jonah Magar 

Batmitzvah 

Emily Green 

Isabel Minkof 

Eden Fixman 

Francesca Wall 

Amy & Natasha Hertz 

Tatiana Magar 

Abbie Saul 

Raizy Lew 

59

GROUP REPORT 

YITZCHAK RABIN LODGE OF B’NAI 

B’RITH 

Our Lodge meets about one a month and 

we have a wide variety of events and 

activities. Recent events have included a 

speaker from the new Jewish Cultural 

Centre in Finchley Road, which is due to 

open this year. 

We celebrated Jewish Heritage week with 

a very successful evening of Jewish 

humour comprising contributions from 

members of the Lodge and a supper. Our 

outing to Hampstead Theatre to see “Old 

Money” with Maureen Lipman was a sell 

out. We had a private visit to the British 

Library to view ancient Jewish manuscripts 

with the curator, Ilana Tahun. We also 

arranged an annual summer outing to 

Chartwell House, which proved of 

immense interest. 

In addition to our successful Bridge 

Group which meets once a month, our 

future plans include the formation of 

special interest groups which meet from 

time to time covering Current Affairs, an 

easy walking/rambling group and the 

regular showing of films of Jewish interest 

in private homes. 

Our annual Musical Soiree is one of the 

highlights of our year, with professional 

musicians carefully chosen to enable us to 

enjoy a convivial evening in a lovely setting. 

The funds we collect support medical and 

food programmes for Holocaust survivors 

and Righteous Gentiles in the Ukraine, 

and also provide help for needy families in 

Kiryat Gat, Israel. 

You do not have to join in order to attend 

our meetings we are a very friendly Group, 

we always welcome new faces. If you 

would like to attend a meeting, please 

contact either our President, Carole 

Orchover on 020 8958 8867 or our 

Membership Secretary, Karol Bernstein 

on 020 8907 6547, both of whom will be 

happy to help you. 

1ST STANMORE RAINBOWS 

We meet on Wednesdays 4.30-5.30pm and 

its for girls aged 5 and 6. We have great fun 

with arts and crafts, games and songs, as 

an introduction to Girl Guiding. If your 

daughter would like to join us please 

contact Niki Caplan on 020 8954 4330. 

6TH STANMORE GUIDES 

Mitzvah Day 

On the evening of Monday 19th 

November, the 6th Stanmore Guides all 

came to Stanmore Shul with empty shoe 

boxes and gifts to make Mitzvah boxes to 

send to children less fortunate than us. We 

started off by wrapping our shoe boxes in 

tissue paper; pink and light blue for girls 

and red and green for the boys. Once we 

had wrapped up the boxes we then got a 

notelet and wrote a message to our friend 

(the person who would receive the box.) In 

this message we wrote that we hoped they 

would enjoy the gifts and to wish them 

well. Our Guiding leaders, Katy and Sarah, 

then gave us some more little gifts that they 

had provided to put into our Mitzvah 

boxes. These included nail varnish, lipgloss, 

crayons and bracelets for the girls 

with paper aeroplanes, bouncy balls and 

colouring pencils for the boys. After we 

had put the gifts and letter into the box we 

tied the lid and box together with some 

ribbon, and then wrote the age of the 

person that the box should go to and the 

gender on a sticker and stuck it onto the 

box. These boxes have now all been sent 

to the Barnardo’s Children’s Home in 

Harlesden. We had a great evening making 

them and we all hope that the children 

receiving these boxes enjoy the box filled 

with gifts. Thanks to Katy and Sarah for 

organising such a fun evening. 

By Gemma Adamis 

STANMORE JACS 

Stanmore JACS continues to meet every 

Wednesday afternoon in the synagogue 

hall at approximately 1.30. We are now 

beginning to get some new members and 

everyone is made very welcome. 

We were lucky enough to have Lord Levy 

as one of our many speakers during the 

year, when we had about 150 in 

attendance. He spoke about his role as 

Middle Eastern Envoy for Great Britain. 

In appreciation of his visit, we donated 

£100 to Jewish Care. Among our other 

activities were trips to the seaside, a visit 

an Old Time Musical and our annual 

Chanukah tea party. 

Betty and I were delighted to have 

celebrated our Diamond (60th) wedding 

anniversary with a tea for the members of 

Stanmore JACS. It was a great success. 

We look forward to JACS having a very 

bright future. Albert Arnold 

STANMORE AND EDGWARE LEAGUE OF 

JEWISH WOMEN 

As usual we are very busy. Our regular 

welfare work continues weekly. A number 

of our members are involved in the Way 

Ahead Scheme. They visit hospitals in 

London and the provinces or people’s 

homes and advise and support people 

with hair loss due to chemotherapy. They 

demonstrate how to tie attractive scarves, 

if people do not want to wear a wig. This 

has proved a very successful venture and is 

expanding all the time. 

We also take people to the 

Edgware Day Centre and 

some of us stay and help with 

discussion groups, keep fit, 

and socialising. Our members 

help out at the Norwood 

family centre in Hendon in 

their Nursery as well as the 

Twins group when we watch 

the children while mothers 

attend a support group. Once 

again we stood outside 

supermarkets as well as 

collecting door to door for 

Macmillan Nurses. 

Our monthly meetings are always well 

attended. Speakers have covered some 

very interesting subjects including lip and 

cleft pallet repairs in Shri Lanka, Jews in 

the British forces, behind the scenes at 

Covent Garden, and how to manage back 

pain. Last summer, on a very wet day, we 

went by coach to High Clere, where 

Downton Abbey was filmed. 

Stanmore and Edgware LJW’s year ended 

when we joined with Stanmore Synagogue 

to collect goods outside Edgware’s 

Broadwalk Shopping Centre for Mitvah 

Day. These were then sent to a homeless 

centre in Watford. 

If you are interested in volunteering and 

our activities, please call either Jean Levy 

0209 958 4979 or Caryll Rose 

020 8958 8146 

LITTLE GEMS NURSERY 

Under New Management, but with its 

existing fantastic and caring staff, Little 

Gems has had a great start to the 

Academic year. 

During our open days in the first term, 

many prospective parents visited and 

chose to enrol their children for both 

the January and April 2013 Terms, 

resulting in ever increasing attendance. 

60

GROUP REPORT 

We were fortunate to procure a number 

of beneficial changes during the January 

2013 Term, primarily, that of extended 

hours on Mondays and Wednesdays to 

2.30pm, which includes lunch. This has 

proved extremely popular with our 

parents. 

Little Gems complies with all the 

government standards and regulations 

regarding nurseries and infant and child 

education. All staff members have 

completed EYFS training and are CRB 

accredited. The nursery is listed on the 

London Borough of Harrow’s register of 

nurseries and is subject to inspections and 

support from the Borough. 

We are now confirming places for the 

September 2013 Term and urge parents 

who are thinking of sending their children, 

to get in touch soon. Due to the quality of 

care we offer, we have a limit as to the size 

of our classes, and with a much greater 

demand on places this year, we extend an 

invitation to all parents to pop in to see us 

during term time. (By appointment only). 

We look forward to seeing both our 

returning and new children for the start of 

the Summer Term. Please call Jo or Ruth 

on 0208 954 0841 or email little.gem 

s@mail.com to book an appointment. 

STANMORE SENIORS 

Since our return from the summer break, 

Stanmore Seniors has continued with its 

regular programme of monthly cards and 

games, a book club, a current affairs 

discussion group led by Eric Silver and 

Sheila and Gerald Hart hosting a music 

appreciation afternoon. All these groups 

have their loyal followers and we greatly 

appreciate the help from all the leaders of 

these groups. 

As well as our regular activities, we had our 

first and very successful outing. We took 

36 people by coach to the Jewish Museum 

in Camden, where they enjoyed an 

introductory talk put 

on by the museum 

and were then free to 

wander round the 

exhibits. We supplied 

a light lunch and, on 

the strength of this 

outing, other trips 

are in the planning. 

We also enjoyed a 

fascinating talk by 

Howard Lanning, 

full of anecdotes on 

his family’s business 

in the Film Industry. 

An equally amusing 

afternoon was spent 

listening to Ruth Sheer talk about her life 

in Colonial Africa and another with 

Geoff Bowden talking about British 

Comediennes from the 1930s to the 

1950s. A slightly more interactive time 

was spent exchanging tales of 

coincidences, led by Bernard Ecker. 

Rabbi Lew joined us to light the Chanukah 

candles and, of course, led us in singing 

Moaz Tsur, after which we all enjoyed the 

doughnuts. 

There is also an exercise class every 

Wednesday morning which consists of 

gentle seated exercises for the over 60s 

using the extend programme, which is 

specially devised for the less sprightly. 

Rachel who runs it came to one of our 

afternoon gatherings and showed us the 

programme and a hilarious afternoon 

followed. 

We would like to thank Ram and Wayne 

for their invaluable help in setting up all 

our meetings, including regular slide shows 

and all the necessary for the tea we always 

conclude with. 

All our events are well supported and 

much enjoyed by those who attend and we 

always welcome new faces. As well as our 

regular activities, we have an exciting 

programme lined up for the coming 

months. For further details please contact 

us through the Shul office. 

STANMORE WIZO 

Stanmore WIZO programme for 2012 

ended with a Bridge Luncheon in 

September followed by an Open Meeting 

on 5 November. The guest speaker was 

Jill Shaw who is WIZO UK National 

Chairman. The subject of her address was 

most inspiring, detailing the work of 

WIZO UK. 

Supporting a wide range of charitable 

activities in Israel WIZO UK also makes 

contribution to the social welfare of so 

many living in the State of Israel. She 

added that Stanmore WIZO is a large and 

major contributor of the money raised for 

WIZO UK. The total raised for Jewish 

Women’s Week this year by Stanmore 

WIZO is £12,514. 

A Chanukah Supper hosted by Gena 

Turgel MBE at her home in December 

was a great success and included lighting 

the 8th candle and a most enjoyable 

musical entertainment by Douglas Poster. 

Gena Turgel, together with the Executive 

Committee wish everyone a kosher Pesach 

WOMEN’S LEARNING EXPERIENCE 

We are well settled now in our new home 

– the Board Room at Stanmore Shul. We 

hold our shabbat morning service for 

women once a quarter plus enjoying pre 

yom tov shiurim given by our members. 

It is a great sense of pride that we were the 

first of the speciality services to hold a 

shabbaton last December, and are 

confident of this being an annual event. 

Our future services are confirmed in the 

Shul’s calendar for 15 June, 12 October 

and 14 December. Our services start at 

9.45 am and we welcome all women and 

girls whatever their knowledge or level of 

observance. For further information 

please contact Pauline Newman on 

020 8954 9486 

JEWISH WOMEN’S WEEK (‘JWW’) 

JWW started in 1947 with an 

overwhelming number of women 

volunteers. £50,000 was raised in that 

first year alone. By l997 JWW had more 

than 2,000 collectors and was on target 

to raise in excess of £2,000,000. Last 

year the campaign celebrated 65 years 

but had just 800 collectors. Even so, 

more than £240,000 (including Gift 

Aid) was raised which we consider to 

be a remarkable achievement in the 

current economic climate. Stanmore 

JWW raised £2,500 towards that total. 

The JWW campaign continues to 

protect children at risk, help to alleviate 

child poverty, shelter victims of 

domestic violence and provide 

vocational training for vulnerable 

teenagers - key aspects of WIZO’s 

work in Israel. 

You don’t need to be a member of 

WIZO to help with JWW. If you are 

interested in helping please contact 

Ruth Synett on rutisynett@aol.com. 

61

CALENDAR 5773–5774 

2013 5773 

Monday 25 March Fast of the Firstborn 

Tuesday 26 March Pesach 1 

Wednesday 27 March Pesach 2 

Thurs-Sun 28-31 March Chol Ha’moed 

Monday 1 April Pesach 7 

Tuesday 2 April Pesach 8 

Sunday 7 April Yom HaShoah 

Monday 15 April Yom HaZicharon 

Tuesday 16 April Yom Ha’atzmaut 

Sunday 28 April Lag b’Omer 

Wednesday 8 May Yom Yerushalayim 

Wednesday 15 May Shavout 1 

Thursday 16 May Shavout 2 

Sunday 25 June Fast of Tammuz 

Tuesday 16 July Fast of Av 

5774 

Thursday 5 September Rosh Hashanah 1 

Friday 6 September Rosh Hashanah 2 

Saturday 14 September Yom Kippur 

Thursday 19 September Succot 1 

Friday 20 September Succot 2 

Sat-Tues 21-24 September Chol Ha’moed 

Wednesday 25 September Hoshana Rabbah 

Thursday 26 September Shemini Atzeret 

Friday 27 September Simchat Torah 

Thursday 28 November Chanukah 1 

WHEN YOU ARE 21 

Unmarried sons and daughters of members are only 

covered under the funeral expenses scheme until they reach 

the age of 21 years. They are recommended to enrol as 

members, in their own right. Please contact the synagogue 

office for full details. 

Alternatively, Tribe Community Membership (TCM) is the 

new membership scheme for singles aged 21-30. For just 

£5 per month TCM makes young adults part of their local 

community by giving full membership to Stanmore 

(including burial). They will receive a TCM card that will 

give great deals including Tribe Tuesday Restaurant 

promotions. Join TCM via its website www. 

tribeuk.com/tcm 

62

PESACH TIMES 

Sunday 24 March 

Search for Chametz after 

Monday 25 March 

EREV PESACH 

Fast of the firstborn 

Shacharit 

Followed by Siyyum 

Stop eating Chametz by 

Chametz to be burnt by 

Pesach begins and 

candle lighting 

Mincha and Ma’ariv 

7.06 pm 

7.00 am 

10.02 am 

11.04 am 

The correct time for the seder to 

start is from 7.09 pm 

Tuesday 26 March 

FIRST DAY PESACH 

Shacharit 


(begin Sefirat Ha’Omer) 

6.07 pm 

6.15 pm 

9.00 am 

6.11 pm 

The correct time for candles to be lit 

and the seder to start is from 7.11 pm 

Wednesday 27 March 

SECOND DAY PESACH 

Shacharit 

Mincha 

Ma’ariv at end of Yom Tov 

Thursday 28 March 

FIRST DAY CHOL HAMOED 

Shacharit 

Ma’ariv 

9.00 am 

6.13 pm 

7.13 pm 

7.00 am 

7.30 pm 

Friday 29 March 

SECOND DAY CHOL HAMOED (BANK 

HOLIDAY) 

Shacharit 

Mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat 

Candle Lighting 

8.15 am 

6.15 pm 

6.14 pm 

Shabbat 30 March 

THIRD DAY CHOL HAMOED 

Shacharit 

9.00 am 

Mincha and Ma’ariv 6.18 pm 

Shabbat ends 

7.18pm 

Clocks go forward 1 hour tonight 

Sunday 31 March 

FOURTH DAY CHOL HAMOED 

Shacharit 


Yom Tov begins/ 

candle lighting 

8.15 am 

7.30 pm 

7.17 pm 

Monday 1 April (bank holiday) 

SEVENTH DAY PESACH 

Shacharit 

9.00 am 

Mincha and Ma’ariv 7.22 pm 

Candles should be lit after 8.22 pm 

Tuesday 2 April 

EIGHTH DAY PESACH 

Shacharit 

Yizkor not before 

Mincha 

Ma’ariv at end of Yom Tov 

9.00 am 

10.30am 

7.22 pm 

8.22 pm 

Rabbi Lew is available for the sale of 

Chametz after the Shacharit service 

or by appointment. 

DEATHS 

We are sad to report the deaths of 

the following members and wish 

their families Long Life : 

Rivella Manners 

Jennie Harvey 

Gillian Lewis 

Murial Silver 

Jean Gilbert 

Barry Taylor 

Sidney Frosh 

Sandra Silver 

Max Silver 

June Gold 

Yitzchak Perl 

Dora Ostwind 

Freda Helman 

Nachum Stechler 

Lily Egan 

Sheila Grant 

Murray Marks 

Walter Rosen 

Henry Milich 

Judith Fox 

Israel (Ivor) Miller 

George Ansell 

Sybil Tankel 

Norma Newman 

Martin Levy 

Marion Daniels 

Dora Jackson 

Alan Grant 

Esther Cohen 

Pamela Newman 

Michael Reveres 

Ettie Shoolman 

Susan Deen 

CONDOLENCES 

We wish Long Life to the following 

members of our community who 

have recently suffered a loss : 

Sybil Manners 

Howard Sherbourne 

Angela Gordon 

Hedva Goldberg 

Joanne Lewis 

Lynton Stock 

Hilton Lewis 

Deborah Orelowitz 

Max Silver 

Corinne Chilton 

Ros Allen 

Raymond Pollock 

Judith Taylor 

Stuart Eppel 

Peter Silver 

Nathanial Singer 

Ramon Gold 

Michael Margo 

Murial Kauffer 

Ruth Synett 

Rina Greenaway 

Lisa Benzaken 

Martin Grant 

Helena Marks 

Karen Zeff 

Andrew Rosen 

Valerie Rosen 

Shirley Miller 

Michael Goodman 

Karena & Manny Selman 

Gerald Tankel 

Bev Newman 

Jean Levy 

Graham Levy 

Evelyn Mendelsohn 

Rachel Krol 

Helena Marks 

Daphne Hyman 

Edmund Allen 

Sidney Klein 

Steven Lewis 

Richard Rose 

Willy (Wolf) Cohen 

Paul Cohen 

Marilyn Ashton 

Harold Newman 

Lorraine Mullem 

Carol Weintroub 

Nicky Ginsberg 

Lewis Bennett 

Shelley Morris 

Josephine Reveres 

Nicola Hall 

Karen Kent 

Rosalind Barnett 

Myra Tordjman 

63

CONTACT INFORMATION 

YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT ALL OF THE GROUPS LISTED BELOW 

VIA THE SYNAGOGUE OFFICE. 

AJEX 

Myer Malin 

ART CLASS 

Marion Lewis 

ARTS & CRAFTS 

Margaret 

Rochelle 

BEAVERS 

Susan Glass 

susan@16thedgware.org 

YITZCHAK RABIN LODGE OF 

B’NAI B’RITH 

Carole Orchover 

B’NEI AKIVA 

Josh Pyzer 

jbpyzer@gmail.com 

BROWNIES 

Carol-Ann Sevitt 

Carole Waller 

HACHEDER 

Headteacher: 

Alan Wilkinson 

CRP (CERTIFICATE OF 

RELIGIOUS PRACTICE) 

Howard Greenfield 

mail@stanmoresynagogue.org 

CHEVRA KADISHA 

Gentlemen 

CHILDREN’S SERVICE 

& KIDDUSH 

Jeremy Saideman / Danny Isman 

Jeremy Harris 

CUBS 

Alison Jacobs 

akela@16thedgware.org 

FRIENDSHIP CLUB 

Sylvia Michaels 

GUIDES 

Sarah Harris 

Katy Lesner 

katyandscott@dsl.pipex.com 

ISRAEL COMMITTEE 

Allen Gaon / Stewart Cass / 

Dani Goldberg 

c/o Shul Office 

JACS 

Albert Arnold 

KADIMAH WIZO 

Shirley Josephs 

LADIES SIDRA DISCUSSION 

GROUP 

Tuesday morning at 10.30 in the 

Shul library led by Shelley Morris 

LEAGUE OF JEWISH WOMEN 

Jean Levy 

Caryll Rose 

LIMMUD MINYAN 

Dani Goldberg 

dani@danigoldberg.com 

LITTLE GEMS NURSERY 

Jo or Ruth 

little.gems@mail.com 

PARENT & TODDLER 

Laura Jaffe 

RAINBOWS 

Wednesdays: 

Niki Caplan 

SCOUTS 

Colin Glass 

gsl@16thedgware.org 

Sam Gaus 

sam@16thedgware.org 

SECURITY 

security@ 

stanmoresynagogue.org 

SEPHARDI MINYAN 

Nissen Moradoff 

nissmor@writeme.com 

SMILE & FILE 

Lynn Shaw 

communitydept@ 


STANMORE SENIORS 

Naomi Passer 

the_nome@hotmail.com 

STANMORE SYNAGOGUE 

COMMUNITY CARE 

STANMORE WIZO 

Gena Turgel 

TODDLER SERVICE 

Laura Jaffe 

TOTS TO TEN 

Emma Brown / Elliot Welby 

emmadebson@hotmail.com 

WOMEN’S LEARNING 

EXPERIENCE 

Pauline Newman 

Ruth de Kare-Silver 

WHO’S WHO IN 

STANMORE SYNAGOGUE 

Senior Rabbi 


69 London Road, Stanmore 

Telephone: 020 8954 2877 

Mobile: 07717 202559 

rabbilew@aol.com 

Community Development 

Rabbi 


Tel: 020 8385 7263 

rabbishaw@ 


Assistant Community Rabbi 


rabbilandau@ 


020 8385 7263 

Chazan 

Chazan Jonny Turgel 

Jonnyturgel@gmail.com 

07740 334 737 

Community and Youth 

Department 

PA to Community Dept: 

Lynn Shaw 

020 8385 7263 

communitydept@ 


Youth Director 

Josh Pyzer 

stanmore@tribeuk.com 

Synagogue Administrator 

Brenda Dresner 

mail@stanmoresynagogue.org 

Synagogue Office: 

Shelley Mordecai 

Lauren Wolman 

Telephone: 020 8954 2210 

Fax: 020 8954 4369 

office@stanmore 

synagogue.org 

Synagogue Office Hours 

Office hours are: 

Monday to Thursday 

10.00am - 3.00pm 

Friday and Sunday 

10.00am - 12.30pm 

Caretakers 

Wayne Brooks and 

Ram Ragoobir 

HABIMAH 

Editors 

Stewart Cass 

Sue Garfield 

Glynis Kuzuk 

Susan Lipman 

editor@habimah.org.uk 

Advertising 

Gabrielle Perez 

adverts@habimah.org..uk 

Typsetting 

Mick Alabaster 

claretnblue46@aol.com 

STANMORE & CANONS PARK 

SYNAGOGUE 

YEAR 2012/13 

REPRESENTATIVES 

Honorary Life President 

Jack Lewis 

Elders 

Ronnie Metzger 


Chairman 

Philip Hertz 

Vice Chairman 

Jacqui Rudolph 

Anthony Angel 

Wardens 

Lewis Bloch 

Andrew Eder 

Ian Pyzer 

Financial representative 

Robert Schneiderman 

Board of Management 

Emma Brown 

Stewart Cass 

Howard Davis 

Suzi Davis 

Nicky Ginsberg 

Jeremy Harris 

Glynis Kuzuk 

Ian Lipman 

Nicki Marks 

Naomi Passer 

Jeremy Saideman 

Saul Taylor 

Oliver Tenzer 

Nicole Wall 

US Council Representatives 

Suzi Davis 

Andrew Eder 

Philip Hertz 

Glynis Kuzuk 

Ian Pyzer 


Jeremy Saideman 


Saul Taylor 

Board of Deputies 

Alistair De Kare-Silver 

Nigel De Kare-Silver 

Pier Lambiase 

David Saul 

Committee Chairs 

18-30 

Ian Lipman 

Adult Education 


Catering 

Nicky Ginsberg/Nicki Marks 

Nicole Wall 

Communication 

Stewart Cass 

Eruv 

Nigel de Kare-Silver 

Finance 


Functions 

Naomi Passer/Gabrielle Perez 

Israel 

Allen Gaon / Stewart Cass / 

Dani Goldberg 

New Members 

Judy Singer 

Premises 

Martin Leigh 

Security 

Adam c/o Shul Office 

Strategy 

Anthony Angel 

Youth & Education 

Jeremy Harris/Jeremy Saideman 

64

STANMORE & CANONS PARK SYNAGOGUE - Stanmore and ...

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