STANMORE & CANONS PARK SYNAGOGUE - Stanmore and ...

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YOUNG STANMORE 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
YOUNG STANMORE 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
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STANMORE & CANONS PARK SYNAGOGUE SP
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Editors’ Note The views expressed
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EXECUTVE REPORT Stephanie z’l, Jo
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EXECUTVE REPORT From the Wardens’
Page 9 and 10: STRATEGY REVIEW Anthony Angel Strat
Page 11: PESACH MESSAGE Rabbi Mendel Lew All
Page 15: PESACH MESSAGE Rabbi Benji Landau W
Page 18 and 19: NOBODY CARES True or False False We
Page 21 and 22: FOOD FOR THOUGHT Ashley Goldblatt I
Page 23: FOOD FOR THOUGHT Dr Ian Goodman Are
Page 27: ISHA CHACHMAT LEV Melanie Angel Sus
Page 31: FEATURES Joan Sheridan Nachus Nachu
Page 34 and 35: FEATURES go together. From what I h
Page 36 and 37: FEATURES cont. from 33 By the time
Page 38 and 39: FEATURES Sara Greenfield A Week of
Page 40 and 41: FEATURES Alistair de Kare Silver Ge
Page 42 and 43: FEATURES Martin Kisner Postcards fr
Page 44 and 45: FEATURES Fourth postcard posted 18
Page 46 and 47: FEATURES Graham Newman What is Spir
Page 48 and 49: OBITUARY Synagogue in 1973, it was
Page 50 and 51: AROUND SHUL Susan Lipman Baby Bless
Page 52 and 53: AROUND SHUL Stanmore Synagogue Comm
Page 54 and 55: AROUND SHUL cont. from 51 medical d
Page 56 and 57: YOUNG STANMORE SHED is an awesome w
Page 58 and 59: YOUNG STANMORE cont. from 55 candle
Page 62 and 63: GROUP REPORT YITZCHAK RABIN LODGE O
Page 64 and 65: CALENDAR 5773-5774 2013 5773 Monday
Page 66: CONTACT INFORMATION YOU CAN ALSO CO
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