Download pdf - wsn Rosh Hashana 2012

wsni ssue: 116the magazine of Wembley SynagogueRosh Hashana 5773

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Yom Kippur is such a special time. It’s when our thoughts turn not only to our own lives, but to the lives of others.

For decades, the Kol Nidre Campaign has been helping thousands of Jewish people across the UK and of course in Israel.

Last year, we came together in our Shuls and made an enormous difference to thousands of lives. Thank you!

This year we really need your support again. Please help us.

Together we can make an amazing difference.

...we can change lives

KOL NIDREGIVING TOGETHER

wsn Rosh Hashanah issue - September 2012 3

inside your wsn...

The editor wishes to thank our contributors, advertisers, printers and everyone who has assisted in the production of this magazine, including: Helen Reisman, Phyllis Vangelder, Vivien Korn, David Fisher, and Sheila Games.

Cover and all photos marked ds by David Simmons

Synagogue and Communal Directory 4A busy year for the US, Chief Executive, Jeremy Jacobs writes 5Various venues, Experiences of a professional musician at home and abroad by David Richmond

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Jewish Themes in Italian Renaissance Art by Hillier Wise 7National Service, 1947 by Stanley Fox 8You’re in the army now, National Service, 1958 by Harvey Pollins 9Chief Rabbi’s Rosh Hashanah message - 5773 10Message from our rabbi, Rosh Hashanah 5773/2012 by Rabbi S Harris 11The S.M.I.L.E shiur by Joel CarmelB’nai B’rith Friendship Club by Pat JacobsBageled at Boggle 12Bernie, whisky and the minyan 131948 and all that! by David Zelin 14Now we are 5 by Esther Gershuny 15Special needs charity Kisharon launches national helplineMazal Tovs 16Making Sarah a rabbi by Jonathan Gershuny 17New Year greetings 18Phoebe Welcome Leon WIZO by Diana PollinsEditor's page 19CST: working together with Jewish communities 20Mazal Tov to this year's chatanim!The wedding of Dan Jacobs and Jemma Lerner by Pat Jacobs 21Where do you think you were by Brenda HymanLetter from Vivian Wineman President of the Board of Deputies 22Diamond Jubilee teawsn recipes by Judith Simmons 23Report from the Executive 24ZAKA – always there 25Obituary, David Games by Stephen Games 26The Koren/Sacks Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur machzorim

by Brian Cowan 27Live long and prosper by David Miller 28Membership statistics for Wembley Synagogue - courtesy United Synagogue

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the magazine of Wembley Synagogue wsn 4

wsnthe magazine of Wembley Synagogue

formerly Wembley Synagogue News

Rosh Hashana 5773 - September 2012 Issue: 116

Synagogue and communal directoryWembley Synagogue Forty Avenue, Wembley HA9 8JW tel : 020 8904 6565email: [email protected] : www.wembleysynagogue.orgAdministrator: Mrs Elaine WeinerOffice hours: Sunday & Thursday 10.30 am to 12.30 pm excluding first Sunday of month Rabbi: Rabbi Simon HarrisChair Stuart HartVice-chair Esther GershunyFinancial Representative: Charles VitezBoard of Management: Edith Andresier David Druce Vivien Freeman Alison Friend Jack Friend Helen Reisman Eve Willman Hillier Wise Morris Wiseman David Zelinex officio Issack CohenRepresentative on Board of Deputies: Leila CumberMembers of United Synagogue Council: Esther Gershuny, Stuart Hart Ladies’ Guild: Maureen Rose; Minyan: Manny BergEducation: Esther Gershuny and Issack CohenSecurity: Martin Kirsch; SEED One to One: Ray FeatherWelfare: Vivien Freeman and Helen ReismanFriendship Club: Clarice Ofstein; SMILE: Joel Carmel

Contact for any of the above is through the synagogue office

United Synagogue: 305 Ballards Lane London N12 8GB; tel: 020 8343 8989; email: [email protected]; website: www.theus.org.uk TRIBE 305 Ballards Lane, London N12 8GB 020 8343 5656, [email protected], www.tribeuk.com

Community telephone numbersOffice of Chief Rabbi 020 8343 6301Kashrus Division of London Beth Din 020 8343 6255London Beth Din 020 8343 6270Initiation Society (Brit Milah) 020 8203 1352Board of Deputies of British Jews 020 7543 5400Agency for Jewish Education 020 8457 9700AJEX 020 8202 2323JNF 020 8732 6100UJIA 020 7424 6400Jewish Care 020 8922 2000Jewish Blind & Disabled 020 8371 6611Jewish Assoc'n for Mentally Ill ( JAMI) 020 8458 2223Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service 020 8457 9710Jewish Deaf Association 020 8446 0502Israeli Embassy 020 7957 9500Community Security Trust (CST) 020 8457 9999CST Emergency 24 hr pager 0800 980 0668Terrorist Hotline 0800 789 321Childline 0800 1111Women’s Aid Helpline 0808 2000 247 Jewish Women’s Aid Helpline 0800 591 203Jewish Helpline (Miyad) 0800 652 9249Chai Cancer Care Helpline 0808 808 4567Chabad Drugsline 0808 160 6606Jewish Marriage Council 020 8203 6311Jewish Chronicle 020 7415 1500The Jewish News 020 7692 6929Jewish Tribune 020 8458 9988Hamodia 020 8442 7777Belmont Synagogue 020 8426 0104Kenton Synagogue 020 8907 5959Kingsbury Synagogue 020 8204 8089Neve Shalom Synagogue 020 8427 0613Wembley Sephardi Synagogue 020 8904 9912London Borough of Brent 020 8937 1234Citizens Advice Bureau 020 8451 7817Raphael - Jewish Counselling Service 0800 234 6236

wsn (Wembley Synagogue News) Editor: David Simmons - email: [email protected]; Advertising: David Fisher - tel: 020 8907 5410wsn is published by Wembley Synagogue, Forty Avenue, Wembley HA9 8JW and printed by City Printers, 171 Hornsey Road, London N7 6RAArticles should preferably be submitted by email as a document attachment in *.doc format; otherwise please hand in to the synagogue office, marked WSN. Photographs are always welcome. All articles are accepted subject to inclusion and editing at the editor’s discretion. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the current policies or practices of Wembley Synagogue. All photos and articles are the copyright of the author of the article unless otherwise indicated. Wembley Synagogue is a member synagogue and part of the United Synagogue, a charity registered in England, Charity No: 242552


A busy year for the USChief Executive, Jeremy Jacobs writes ...

The past year has been a busy one as the US has been working hard to engage members with our values of Jewish living, learning

and caring. We have launched a number of new inspiring initiatives and when added to all the activities developed at our local shuls, we have an impressive list of high-class programmes, delivered by top quality leaders, which are so valued by our members.

Across the US we have employed more Tribe youth directors to ensure our communities can offer their children an array of exciting events and educational projects throughout the year.

Tribe has launched a number of new programmes including; the pre bar & bat mitzvah ‘challenge’, which teaches about the fundamentals of Judaism; ‘Aleph Champ’, a new Hebrew reading programme now offered to all US chedarim and at schools; and ‘Shabbat Interactive’, a revolutionary course where children learn about Shabbat through the use of the latest technology.

These new programmes form part of the Tribe curriculum to enrich our children’s lives with education and social knowledge to use when they reach various life cycle moments.

I was delighted with the initial response to the new Tribe children’s siddur (Shevet Asher) which makes prayer easy to understand and an enlightening experience for children. The reaction from both children and parents has shown that it was an essential product and the dedicated team who produced the siddur deserve the highest praise for their outstanding work.

This past summer saw hundreds of US kids and teens take part in Tribe summer programmes, including schemes at US communities, residential summer camps in the UK and Europe and the Tribe

Israel tour which provided our teenagers with an amazing three and a half weeks. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we are seeing an increased demand for Israel tour places.

For the US, young professionals and students are a vital generation which will ultimately shape our Jewish future. While we have fantastic Tribe campus ambassadors, once university is over and the students move back home, it is crucial that we increase what we have to offer them. In areas such as Hampstead where there is a large number of young professionals and unaffiliated young Jews, we have appointed programme educators to run events and services to excite, inspire and engage them.

So far we have had held popular Friday night dinners at Hampstead and Stanmore and provided inspirational guest speakers such as Sarri Singer, a survivor of a bus bomb in Israel who spoke to a large audience at Hackney and East London Synagogue. For the newly married, our Newlyweds Learning Programme run by US Living and Learning also continues to be a great success.

As for our established members, with the help of our central administrative resource, they have been able to explore their Jewish backgrounds through, for instance, our community heritage tours across Europe, often led by their community rabbis and exciting Jewish learning programmes.

Just as important are the elderly. With years of dedication to their communities, it is essential that we can provide assistance for them in times of need. Isolated and vulnerable members are cared for by local US community care teams whose many activities include weekly bridge games and coffee meetings, day trips, befriending schemes and help

with daily tasks. These are just a very few of the types of help on offer and I would like to thank the teams for their invaluable contribution to our members.

We hope that in the very near future, all of our members will be eager to engage with their local shul community, and we are working hard to ensure that there really is something for everyone. If all work together there is every reason to believe that we will indeed inspire our members, enrich their lives, and pass our heritage on to future generations

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

Shana tova,

Jeremy Jacobs, Chief ExecutiveUnited Synagogue

If you want to ask me anything, or would like to know more about the United Synagogue and our services, please do send me an e-mail to [email protected] as your feedback is valuable to us.

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As a working musician, one becomes used to a continual stream of different performing venues, from the most modest

village hall to grand spaces such as the Royal Albert Hall, and each has its own particular quirks of acoustic, platform space (or lack of!) and backstage accommodation (or lack of - but more repetitions of this phrase would become tiresome!)

Certainly, the perceived glamour of performing is often diluted by rather antediluvian backstage facilities, though the professional usually tolerates this with scarcely a groan. Things have improved somewhat over the years, but still the performer often seems to be the less-regarded of those who frequent some of the major venues. Against all this is the stimulation of visiting different places, and taking live music to areas which may experience it only irregularly.

I shall try to give something of the flavour of a number of venues I've visited over the years.

My first experience of the Royal Albert Hall was with the Middlesex Schools' Orchestra (dissolved along with the County of Middlesex itself ). I had the wrong piece on the music-stand! However, I immediately rectified this, and was forgiven, as I survived to play with the orchestra for quite a while afterwards. The hall itself certainly has a unique atmosphere of intimacy, despite its vast space, in contrast to the Royal Festival Hall, which is rather clinical in sound. Such is the dryness of the sound as heard from the platform, one often has the disconcerting impression that one is playing solo, despite being in a large ensemble. The Barbican was opened some thirty years after the RFH, but many artists are of the opinion that it offers no real improvement on it. Both halls have undergone refurbishment in recent times, with some degree of success, though neither are ideal.

Of venues abroad, I remember the Coliseum in Lisbon, Portugal, from a tour with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the early 1970s, when we played all the Beethoven symphonies. It was a huge, round barn of a place, where the audiences continually lit cigarettes during the concerts, Health and Safety being far less of a concern then! At the conclusion of the Ninth Symphony, the audience sang the Ode to Joy with such fervour, that we began to fear we might have to encore the entire work - all 75 minutes of it!

Israel's chief concert hall is the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv, opened a few years after the RFH and quite similar to it both in architecture and acoustic. I played there once with the Netanya Orchestra, but their regular series of concerts was the hall at the Army Museum, Beit Hagdudim, Avichayil. Most of the concerts, however, took place in rather makeshift conditions, in Moshavim, or as corporate entertainment in various hotels. The orchestra (not to be confused with the Netanya Kibbutz Orchestra) sadly disbanded some years ago.

Helsinki's Finlandia Hall, visited on a tour with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1975, has excellent sound and facilities, typical of Finland in its clean elegance, in marked contrast to the facilities in Tallinn, Estonia (on the same tour), which at that time was still under Soviet rule, and was very grim. The audiences, however, were very appreciative, indicating their need for something more stimulating than the drudgery of their daily lives. Independence has since given a new lease of life to the city, including a rebirth of the Jewish Community, which at the time of my visit, was virtually moribund.

A tour to Florence with an opera company was most fortunately planned

to give us plenty of sightseeing time, and so we were able to visit most of the palaces and galleries, while of course I visited the beautiful, ornate synagogue, with its Moorish-style architecture, though this was not part of our performing schedule! I have, however, played for weddings in Shuls nearer home, at St Petersburg Place, and St John's Wood, and also here in Wembley for a JACS event a few years back.

Concerts outdoors are of course, dependent on the weather, which, if too inclement, causes the performance to be cancelled, though the musicians are still paid on condition that they turn up! You do not fail to show up, however unpromising climatic conditions seem. I experienced this situation once at Kenwood, but even when the concert went ahead, the breeze often caused the music to blow about, despite the use of clothes-pegs or metal holders to secure it! Nevertheless, a Kenwood concert was usually good fun, and it's a pity that the more recent over-amplification of events has annoyed local residents to the point that the venue is currently out of use. Several similar venues merely provoke the same comments. The main worry with string instruments is wet weather, or strong sunshine which can spoil the varnish and in extreme cases, cause the instrument to become unglued. My violin is insured, but I wouldn't care to vouch for the company's support if it was damaged by such outdoor conditions!

So the itinerant musician has to become used to all kinds of situations, hot, cold, cramped, draughty, whatever, without complaint - for after all, unlike the emergency services, the withdrawal of our labour would not threaten life, only our own livelihood, as we would not be re-engaged! So we make do at less commodious venues, and appreciate all the more those performance spaces which do offer a degree of comfort and welcome.

Various venues Experiences of a professional musician at home and abroad

by David Richmond


Jewish themes in Italian Renaissance art By Hillier Wise

For Jewish people interested in Italian Renaissance painting and sculpture there sometimes exists an unease with the natural

preponderance of Christian themes. The Church was the most important patron of the arts at the time, both directly and indirectly. Directly because it promoted religion in painting, sculpture and stained glass quite apart from its great building programmes while indirectly, private patrons would finance religious works, ranging from churches and chapels to the beautifying of interiors with altars and paintings as well as other works of arts. However, there is much of interest for those interested in Jewish themes. At the same time, there was a growing demand for private non-religious works.

For religious reasons, the names of men and women in the Jewish Bible were of great importance to the Church and so there is considerable work inspired from that quarter. David was a very popular subject. One of the most famous repre-sentatives of its kind is Michelangelo's seven foot high David in Florence. In that City, in the National Museum are two earlier statues of David. The one by Donatello is the first nude of its kind since the. Romans. He wears a charming peasant's hat -little else

- and looks rather surprised that he has just cut off Go-liath's head which lies at his feet.

The other charming one is about forty years later in 1478 by Verocchio, Leonardo da Vinci's teacher. This statue is also about five

feet tall, as is the Donatello, but dressed and a much more confident character. One other of Michelangelo's works is well known, his Moses. The incorrect translation of the Hebrew into Latin has given Moses horns and it is strange that Michelangelo should have done this as

he was a highly educated man. Some years earlier Botticelli did a series of the life of Moses in the Sistine Chapel and when he painted Moses descending from Mount Sinai with the tablets of the Law he actually shows beams of light from the head and not horns. ( As an aside, my father was a soldier in the British Army in the first world war and was billeted in Belgium, and the landlady wondered why he and his Jewish fellow soldiers did not have horns!)

Before we leave the sculpture and quite apart from several other works of Jewish interest, there are two which must be mentioned. First, the marvellous east doors of the Florentine Baptistery by Ghiberti and so aptly named by Michelangelo as 'The Gates of Paradise" Beginning with the story 'of the Creation, they then trace Jewish history right up to Solomon and Sheba. Secondly, and one of my favourites, is the marvellous choir gallery by Luca della Robbia, now in the Cathedral museum. In beautiful letters are the words of the 150th., Psalm in Latin with groups of boys and girls singing and playing instruments showing considerable insight into their various characters.

Returning to Michelangelo, his ceiling in the Sistine Chapel is in fact mainly the early part of the book of Genesis, beginning with Adam and Eve, (Not the order of painting though.) There are figures of some of our greatest prophets with other personages such as

Esther, Ahaseuerus and Zerubbabel and even Haman. Adam and Eve feature in other great paintings and sculpture in Italy. In Venice, Tintoretto painted life of Moses in the Scuolo of San Rocco, while the Book of Esther is depicted in the Church of San Sebastiano by Veronese. In the Vatican there is a fine painting of 'The Judgement of Solomon' by Raphael and there also exists one of his with humorous overtones, showing Isaac and Rebecca sporting and being observed by Abimelech. The Apocrypha is well represented, Tobias and the Angel being very popular such as the delightful one by Verocchio in London's National Gallery. Back - in the Vatican, Raphael shows the 'Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple' from the Second book of Maccabees, while the story of Judith and Holofernes is represented in both painting and sculpture .by various artists.

To end there are just two more examples which I feel must be mentioned. One is 'The Vision of Ezekiel' by Raphael. It is the famous vision of Ezekiel which is the Haphtorah on the first day of Shavuot. It is not a large painting and is in the Pitti gallery in Florence. (Unlike the Uffizi in Florence, there seems not to be a queue to enter and the collection is superb.) The other painting in the Uffizi itself owes its origin neither to the Bible nor the Apocrypha. It is 'The Trial of Moses' by the famous Venetian painter, Georgione - it shows the child Moses being given the choice by Pharaoh of either a bowl of glittering gold or a bowl of burning coals. The personages, painted in the latest Venetian fashions, are beautifully executed by Georgione who died very young and whose unfinished works were completed by his fellow artists, one of whom was Titian.

This short article is quite perfunctory, Each subject itself can demand at least a lecture if not books. However, I trust it gives some encouragement to those who may visit Italy to examine some of the works mentioned which have some Jewish interest.

'David' by Donatello

'Moses' by Micellangelo showing the horns


In April, 1947, just after my 18th birthday, I was called up for National Service and sent to a supply depot where I was kitted out with army uniform and

accessories. Then I was sent with the intake to a former Guards camp, Inglis Barracks at Mill Hill East - home to the Middlesex Regiment between 1905 and 1962 where the Guards regiments originally did their basic training. It was well known for strict observance of Army regulations.

I had six weeks basic training on the drill square - square bashing. At a later date we were ordered for further training and sent to another camp at Purfleet, a rifle range somewhere in Essex, where we were subject to weapons training, taught techniques by instructors and learned skills which were handy for future operations here or abroad. We had no idea where we were going to be posted after all the training. Months later we realised, when posted to another camp in the Ordnance Corps (the RAOC) for future service. The intake that I had trained with were then posted to Northallerton in Yorkshire where we remained until we got orders to be posted somewhere else.

The commanding officer (CO) was a very austere type of person (a former prisoner of the Japanese.) I discovered how very strict he was by the following incident. Today, I am certain he would have needed an anger management course. His attitude to me as an 18-year old was certainly out of order. Perhaps it was my laid back attitude that aggravated his authority, as I heard that if ever you came before him on a discipline charge for not complying with army regulations, you got the lashing of his tongue. To say the least, it made you feel humiliated (perhaps his wartime experiences made him like that.) I will always remember his name, rank, and his zero attitude.

On this occasion I was slipping to the NAAFI, where one could purchase food and tobacco, in my slippers and I assumed that was alright - completely overlooking the harsh discipline of the depot and neglecting to put my army boots on. This was a serious crime against army rules and regulations, in those days. Discipline of the

highest order was paramount in this camp, as you will now read. I was not aware the military police (the redcaps) were on patrol around the camp in their jeep at various times. They spotted me with my slippers on, (How unlucky I was!) The following morning I was taken by escort to the CO, marched across the parade ground (You would wonder if I was going to be court marshalled.) to his barracks office, and was kept marching on the same spot in front of the CO until I was told to halt by the company sergeant major, after two minutes - it seemed like two hours! My beret, was then knocked off my head within seconds by the escort and then I got the lashing from the CO’s mouth. (I must remark that, looking back, this type of discipline served me in good stead twenty five years later, at Harrow Road in Wembley in the local special constabulary.)

After a further few months at this camp I was posted with other recruits to a supply depot in Feltham, Middlesex, and given light very light clothing. At the time I wondered why. The answer came very early (5am) one morning, as we were told to pack our kitbags and a few hours later, arrived at London docks where a ship was waiting and we boarded it and settled down for an unknown destination. After a few days at sea we found out that we were heading for Port Said, Egypt. As a teenager it was quite an experience that you were going abroad, especially at such short notice.

We were all paraded in the lower deck a and we could write home later on when settled in our overseas camp. After a further week at sea we arrived at Port Said. We saw small boys swinging on rope ladders at the side of the ship, peering through the port holes and trying to flog you diamonds (pieces of coloured glass). This was all happening before we had got off the ship!

A few months later the State of Israel was declared by the UN. There was a lot of hostility at the time. You could imagine as a 'yiddisher' soldier in a hostile setting, not only against our people - all troops came in for a bashing from a population filled with hate and

anger. We all did many duties including nights guarding the goods - blankets and clothes piled high in the supply depot (part of the Ordnance work .)

The frequent raids by hostile Egyptians continued over many months. We got extra help when a commando unit was sent to help guard the supplies, including the famous Green Howards (now being disbanded), Royal Lancasters. They even brought armoured carriers with mounted machine guns. It was quite frightening, particularly doing twelve hour guard duties around the perimeter of the camp, surrounded by desert.

A Jewish Colonel was in charge of the camp, and we were all called together one day and told how serious the situation could become. We were told to forget about going home and concentrate on defending the supplies we had there. However, with the extra reinforcements that were summoned to help us, it turned out less worrying and the situation improved so, eventually, we got back to the UK.

The Senior Medical Officer in Egypt, was also Jewish and we had a Rabbi Land, from Wales. I got to know these people because we had a regular Friday night service that was arranged by the Jewish officers who were in charge of the camp and helped to provide informal meetings for the small contingent of the UK Jewish personnel serving out there. That certainly gave us some hope and comfort in the hostile atmosphere. We did our bit as servicemen at the time, and got back safely, which was a blessing.

I attend the Cenotaph each year in November and pay my respects to all our brethren who never returned and I will carry on, while I have the legs to march proudly for those who “gave their today for our tomorrows". I will continue with the Wembley contingent at Horse Guards Parade as our Jewish personnel numbers sadly decline each year. Perhaps the relatives of fallen servicemen and women will spare a couple of hours to come along just to remember!

National Service, 1947 by Stanley FoxPh

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You’re in the army now!National Service, 1958

by Harvey Pollins

In 1958 I received my two-year National Service call-up - my big chance to fight for queen and country, contribute to the weakening

of the Iron Curtain and know that my countrymen would be able to sleep easier at night. I asked to be put in the RAF so they put me in the Army. I was given a time, date and ticket to catch the Catterick Flyer from King’s Cross which took me and hundreds of other conscripts to the Royal Signals army barracks at Catterick, Yorkshire. The 'flyer' took over six hours to complete the 250 mile journey and we arrived in the middle of nowhere. There were army lorries waiting to transport us to the Royal Signals regiment; the catch was that the drivers wanted a nominal payment for a 10-minute journey.

When I arrived at the camp the quartermaster issued me with a kit bag, two berets, rucksacks, general military clothing, and two identical pairs of boots. One pair was to be used as general working boots; the other pair, termed 'Best Boots', was only to be used for special parades. I complained that the boots didn’t quite fit my feet. I was told “Don’t worry mate, your feet will adjust to fit the boots!” In fact, after a while I preferred to wear my boots rather than slippers or shoes. For many years I had been suffering with aching feet when I had to stand for a long time. However, once my feet adjusted to the boots it largely solved the problem. I was also given my unique 8-digit army number. Anyone who has been in the services will tell you that it’s a number you will never ever forget.

Normally basic military training lasted eight weeks but in the Royal Signals it only lasted four weeks (and was really intensive) to balance the 31 week technical courses. The working day officially started at 8 am and ended at 6 pm with only a half-hour lunch break. But during basic training you needed to get up at about 6 am to prepare your kit and help to prepare the barrack room

for the sergeant’s 8am inspection. When the sergeant entered the room, one of the accompanying drill instructors would shout out “Stand [to attention] by your beds for inspection. The sergeant would always find something wrong with your personal kit or the barrack room. For example, if he found some unlucky soldier’s cap badge was not gleaming, he would stand next to him and say very quietly “Can you hear anything?” The poor victim, shaking in his boots, would reply “I can’t hear anything Sergeant” The Sergeant would then bellow in his ear, “Your cap badge is crying out for Brasso – don’t let it happen again”. Brasso was the official cleaning fluid for most metals. During the inspection if it was noticed that one of the guy’s top pocket had not been buttoned up on his battle dress (jacket) the Sergeant would shout out “Have you been feeding the baby?”

During basic military training every hour of the day was fully occupied until you went to sleep. One guy had brought his cello with him, thinking he was going to have spare time to practice. He had a rude awakening! Basic military training comprised, masses of square-bashing, assault courses, climbing ropes, route marches on the moors, loads of physical training and firing various rifles and sten guns.

Part of the kit was something called a 'housewife' comprising items such as needles, thread, a thimble and darning equipment. What did I, an East End Yiddisher boy who had lived at home with his parents and had a mum that looked after him, know about such equipment? When I washed my socks, nobody told me that I had to rinse out the soap before hanging them out to dry so my socks were always like boards!

Looking back, going in the Army was probably one of the best things that could have happened to me. I learnt how to look after myself and get along with other people

who had come from a totally different background. During the first few nights of basic training it was not unusual to hear of someone who had broken down in tears – he just couldn’t take it.

My first week’s pay was 30 shillings. I was housed in a barrack room, originally used to hold enemy prisoners during the first world war, with about 20 other conscripts. I found out later that the barracks had been earmarked for demolition in 1912! So the room was really basic with iron frame beds, 6 ft lockers for personal and army equipment and a small old coke boiler in the centre of the room that looked as if it had never been used. All toilet and washing facilities (ablutions) were in a separate nearby building. It was October in the Yorkshire moors so, if you wanted to go to the toilet in the middle of the night you needed to dress up warmly. Even though it was October we never lit the boiler because it would get dirty and we would have to bull it up again so that it was spotless inside and out. The lino on the floor also had to be polished to the point that the Drill Sergeant could see his face in it. This was done by placing a blanket on the floor after applying polish and, with a volunteer seated on it, dragging it up and down until it shone.

From then on, no one was allowed to walk around the room wearing boots (because the studs on the soles left marks) until after the Sergeant had completed his 8 am inspection. Of course, the Sergeant carried out his inspection wearing boots and he therefore marked the floor.

The toe-caps of our new leather boots had to have the pimply surface polished to a shine. Removing the pimples was a long, arduous process of rubbing with wax polish and a teaspoon handle that had been heated in a candle flame. My own instant solution, which became very popular, was to cover the toecap with polish and set light to it. One unfortunate conscript tried this but allowed the wax polish to cover the stitching, which of course caught fire, and the toe-cap fell off the boot. He was put on a charge for damaging army property so he had to do fatigues in addition to completing all his basic training. Typically this meant working in the cookhouse, peeling potatoes.

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Harvey has threatened to continue this in a later issue.


Chief Rabbi’s Rosh Hashanah message - 5773Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are times for stock-taking, individually and collectively. As we pray

for God’s blessings for the future, we reflect on the past: where we have come from, how far we have travelled, and what remains to be done.

As I think back personally to the day 21 years ago when I became Chief Rabbi, my overwhelming feeling is one of thanks and indebtedness to a community that has renewed itself beyond expectation.

Most spectacular has been the growth in education. There have been more new Jewish day schools opened in the past two decades than in any comparable period in the 356-year history of Anglo-Jewry. The percentage of Jewish children at Jewish day schools has moved from some 25 per cent to almost 70 per cent. This is an immense achievement on the part of many people: builders, funders, governors, teachers, parents and children. Together they have given us a future to be proud of.

Nor has the growth in education been confined to schools. There has been an explosion of adult, family and informal education. Never before has there been so much learning taking place in our community. We are better Jewishly educated than we were, and our children and grandchildren will be yet more so.

Then there has been the creativity and exuberance of Jewish life in general. I think of the new London Jewish Cultural Centre, the London Jewish Community Centre currently being built, and events like Jewish Book Week that attract ever larger crowds. Most of our synagogues are no longer simply houses of prayer. They have become community centres with active and dynamic programmes of all kinds.

Jewish welfare organisations like Jewish Care, JBD, Norwood, Nightingale House, Langdon and others throughout the country have achieved unparalleled standards of excellence. Chessed activities thread through almost all of our organisations and schools, and Mitzvah Day has inspired other faith communities, becoming this year a national project backed by the government.

The Jewish voice has become a significant part of the national conversation on moral and social issues, listened to respectfully by people of all faiths or none. Even the demography of Anglo-Jewry has changed. Having declined year-on-year for 60 years, in 2005 the tide began to turn, largely thanks to the growth of the Haredi community. We are now growing, albeit slowly.

And yes, there are negatives: the growth of antisemitism and the various campaigns against Israel. But Britain remains, for the most part, a tolerant society. Jews and Judaism are admired, and in the fight against prejudice we have good and often courageous friends. Were our Victorian predecessors 150 years ago to see us now, they would be frankly astonished at the richness and exuberance of Jewish life.

Lo alecha ha-melakhah ligmor: It is not for us to complete the task, but neither have we desisted from it, and together we have achieved great things. Our children and grandchildren will have new challenges to face, but they will do so with more knowledge and confidence than any Anglo-Jewish generation in the past.

So let us give collective thanks to God shehecheyanu ve-kiyemanu ve-higiyanu lazman hazeh, who has brought us safely to this day. May the shofar of Rosh Hashanah summon us to yet greater achievements. May we remain true to our faith and a blessing to others regardless of their faith. May God write us and our families in the Book of Life.

Bebirkat ketivah vechatimah tovah,

Chief Rabbi Lord SacksRosh Hashana 5773


Perhaps it’s a function of my age (I know I’m a mere boy chick to most of my kehilla) but Rosh Hashanahs appear to come

around with increasing frequency. It seems only yesterday that I was typing the last New Year’s message. And as a rabbi, like every Jew at this time of year, one has to try to dig deep into the innermost recesses of one’s psyche to dredge up the spiritual energy to make this a meaningful Rosh Hashanah too.

And if one is honest, on reflection, you start to question when was the last time I spent a meaningful Rosh Hashanah? It’s almost as if we have become inoculated not to feel anything anymore. We are emotionally weary. We have been here many times before. So we just go through the motions, not because we are anti-religious: but perhaps because we ceased a long time ago to live in an authentically orthodox Jewish framework.

You may ask – what is meant by authentic orthodoxy of the Jewish brand? Can we define such a thing

in broad terms or any terms for that matter? And I hope, as is my wont, to use my sermons over this period of the year, as every year has been spent in my rabbinate, to endeavour to persuade my congregation that there is such a creature and it is a noble and fulfilling way to spend a life: an existence marked by Torah and mitzvot.

However where is the starting point? If I want to know what is the bedrock on which it must all be founded – where do I begin my journey to an orthodox Jewish life? The answer is as old as the hills, but no less true because of its timeless ring: Emunah Peshutah – 'Simple Faith.' This is the great leveller. It can be attained or never acquired by the most sophisticated thinker and the most regular of folk. And the nonbelievers poke fun and say: Aha! You see none of it can ultimately be proved: it’s not scientific.

And the truth is we don’t have irrefutable proof: we have faith. And those who have it benefit from the beauty, purpose and meaning it

brings to their lives, and those who doubt have other coping mechanisms, I guess. The Talmud is clear. God declares: "I created Man riddled with dilemmas and I created the Torah as the cure: the perfect remedy." And to preserve that Torah Jews have been willing to die rather than abandon it. Some might venture: what a waste! However when I heard Gershon Glausiusz speak on Tisha B’Av at Munks, how his mother had treasured a small piece of matzah to be the afikoman on Pesach in Bergen Belsen, I realised there are people of faith, and try what the secular might, they cannot and should not take that faith and debunk it. It has been and remains so precious and sustains our people of Israel.

May I take this opportunity, on behalf of my Rebbetzin and my children, to wish all the community a happy and healthy New Year.

Rabbi Simon Harris

Message from our rabbi Rosh Hashanah 5773/2012

The S.M.I.L.E shiur

“He that desires to become wise should engage in the study of the laws of property (Civil Law), for

there is no branch of the Torah greater than these.” So says Rabbi Yishmael in the last Mishna we learned before our summer break. The tractate of the Mishna that we have just finished studying, Baba Bathra, discusses laws of property, inheritance and one’s responsibilities and respect for other people and their property. Whilst the Mishna dealt with life two thousand years ago in Ancient Israel, so much is similar to the life and attitudes of people today.

During the past year we have studied and discussed Torah and Rabbinic Law as well as the different opinions relating to situations that come up throughout the ages. We have also spent time learning about Yom Kippur, the Temple Service, our present day prayers and Laws as well as its eternal message.

In the Autumn we shall be commencing Tractate Sanhedrin. This deals with the set-up and procedures of the courts. The Mishna refers to the rights and duties of Kings and High Priests as well as judges, witnesses, criminals and civil law claimants.

We meet on Thursday mornings at 10.15 a.m. at the home of Betty and Joel Carmel (121 Carlton Avenue East), where we study Mishna and chat informally over coffee and biscuits. The study is directed at those who have a good Jewish knowledge as well as to people who have never seen Mishna before. There are a number of men who come in week in and week out, but those who are not able to make a regular commitment are welcome to come for an occasional session as one can always learn something even by studying two or three Mishnas.

Why not give it a try? Joel Carmel

B’nai B’rith Friendship Club

Over the past year we have enjoyed music medleys, talks on many subjects from 'Historical London' to the

interesting life of a barrister and 'Opera Houses around the World'.

We have many more pleasant afternoons planned and would be delighted if new friends joined us - you will be sure of a happy time and a delicious tea.

We meet in the shul hall on Tuesdays between 1.30pm and 3.30pm

We are glad to say Clarice Ofstein is back with us after a spell in hospital and Sylvia Donoff, who celebrated a very special birthday recently, will both be there to welcome you.

Pat Jacobs

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Emails can be a really useful means of communication or a great nuisance. In the latter category are the jokes and stories that are forwarded, re-forwarded and forwarded yet again until, by the time you receive them, you have not only seen them three times before but your delete finger has been worn to the bone. Sometimes, however, they are little jewels, like this multi-forwarded story, originator unknown.

When we got our dog, Kasha, we were living in Memphis - I intentionally gave her that name, so that

when we were walking with her in the street, and a stranger would come up and comment on how cute she was, and then ask her name, I would reply: "Kasha".... Their response immediately told me something - The non-Jew would always say "What? What's that name? What does it mean?" Anyone Jewish would respond with: "Oh! What a great name! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!" or something similar. It was my way of immediately finding out, there in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee if the person was Jewish or not.

It all started when my friend, who wears a kippah, was back in college and suffering through a tedious lecture. As the professor droned on, a previously-unknown young woman leaned over and whispered in his ear: 'This class is as boring as my zayde's seder.' You see, the woman knew that she did not look Jewish, nor did she wear any identifying signs like a star of David. So foregoing the awkward declaration, 'I'm Jewish,' the girl devised a more nuanced, and frankly, cuter way of heralding her heritage.

This incident launched a hypothesis

which would henceforth be known as the bagel theory. The bagel theory stands for the principle that we Jews, regardless of how observant or affiliated we are, have a powerful need to connect with one another. To that end, we find ways to 'bagel' each other - basically, to 'out' ourselves to fellow Jews.

There are two ways to bagel. The brave or simply unimaginative will tell you straight out that they are Jewish - a plain bagel - but the more creative will concoct subtler and even sublime ways to let you know that they, too, are in the know. These bagels are often the best, like their doughy counterparts, cultural bagels are more flavourful when there is more to chew on.

I suspect that Jews have been bageling even before real bagels were invented. And while my husband and I may not have invented bageling, we do seem to have a steady diet of bagel encounters.

An early bagel favourite occurred when my kippah-wearing husband and I were dating, and we spent a Saturday evening at a funky coffee house with friends. We engaged in a few boisterous rounds of Boggle, the game where you must quickly make words out of jumbled lettered cubes. Observing our fun, a couple of college students at a nearby table asked if they could play too. After we rattled the tray and furiously scribbled our words, it was time to read our lists aloud. One of the students, who sported a rasta hat and goatee, proudly listed the word 'yad.' Unsuspecting, we inquired: 'What's a yad?' He said with a smirk: 'You know, that pointer you read the Torah with.' Yes, we'd been bageled at Boggle!

On our honeymoon in Rome we were standing at the top of the Spanish Steps next to a middle-aged couple holding a map. The husband piped

up in an obvious voice: 'I wonder where the shul is.' My husband and I exchanged a knowing look at this classic Roman bagel and proceeded to strike up a conversation with this lovely couple from Chicago. After we took them to the synagogue, they asked to join us at the kosher pizza shop. As we savoured the cheeseless arugula and shaved beef pizza - to this day the best pizza I have ever had - this non-religious couple marvelled at travelling kosher and declared they would do so in the future. A satisfying bagel to be sure.

In the years since, our bagel encounters have become precious souvenirs, yiddishe knick-knacks from our family adventures in smaller Jewish communities. Like the time the little boy at the Coffee Bean in Pasadena, California, walked up to my husband, pulled out a mezuzah from around his neck, smiled and ran away - a non-verbal bagel! Or our day trip to the pier in San Clemente, California when an impish girl in cornrows and bikini scampered over to say: 'Good Shabbos.'

We have been bageled waiting at airline ticket counters, in elevators, at the supermarket checkout. And I myself have been known to bagel when the situation calls for it, like the time I asked the Chassid seated a few rows up on an airplane if I could borrow a siddur.

On a recent trip abroad, however, we did not get bageled even once. That was, of course, in Israel where, thankfully, there is just no need.

Ultimately, why do we feel this need to bagel? Does it stem from our shared patriarchs, our pedigree of discrimination and isolation, a common love of latkes or just the human predisposition to be cliquey? I maintain it is something more. Our sages say that all Jews were originally one interconnected soul which stood in unison at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. Now scattered across the Earth, as we encounter each other's Jewish souls, we recognise and reconnect with a piece of our divine selves. The bagel may have a hole, but we bagel in a quest to feel whole.

So the next time a sweaty stranger at the gym says to you: 'I haven't been this thirsty since Yom Kippur,' smile. You've just been bageled - adding another link in the Jewish circle of connection.

ds


Bernie, the whisky and the minyanSadly, Bernie Harris, who did so much for his fellow man and was so loved and appreciated, is no longer with us. These tributes and 'verses' penned while he was a faithful minyan attender, say it all.


Now that the London Olympics have ended and the memories and achievements of the athletes are beginning to fade I

look back to the 1948 Olympic Games.My brother, Bernard and I attended

the athletic events held at Wembley Stadium (the old one!) sitting in the same two seats which our father had bought for us, every day from 30 July to 7 August, excluding the intermediate Sunday (Entrance 1 – row 21 – seats 194 and 197). The occupiers of the intervening seats kindly moved so that we could sit together. Those seats were

about the best to be had; in front of the royal box and about half way along the 100 metre straight.

Look at the ticket price - 7/6d (37.5p in new money) which included

admission to the morning sessions. It did not matter which events were being staged on any particular day, whether heats or finals. Compare this with the prices for 2012. It cost £20 to see one of the earlier football games, Korea v Gabon on 1 August 2012 and a programme another £5. In 1948 a daily programme cost 1/- or 5p.

Bernard has kept all the programmes and the counterfoil ticket all these years. He was then 13 and I was 15. Page 9 of the programme for Monday 2 August shows the start lists for the women’s 100 metres semi finals. The famous Jewish/Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen is listed in heat 1. She went on to win

the final later in the afternoon in 11.9 seconds. She also won gold medals in the 200 metres (24.2 seconds) and 80 metre hurdles (11.2 seconds) and a further medal as a member of the winning Dutch 4 x 100 relay team

In those days there were no long-distance events for women, certainly no marathon 10,000 metre or 5,000 metre races and I cannot see a women’s 1,500 metre or even 400 metre events listed.

Other great names emerged from the 1948 Olympic Games: Emile Zatopek of Czechoslovakia who won the 10,000 metres and was second in the 5,000 metres and Arthur Wint of Jamaica who won the 400 metres and was second in the 800 metres

The men’s marathon provided the most dramatic finish. I noted in my programme: “Gailly (of Belgium) was first into stadium on verge of collapse but was overtaken by 233 (Cabrora of Argentina) and 266 (Richards of Gt. Britain)”.

For local interest look at the marathon route and see how the

geography of the area has changed.The GB men’s team were nowhere

to be seen. They were briefly the holders of the gold for the 4 x 100 relay, the US having been disqualified but they were later reinstated and GB relegated to the silver medal position. E McDonald-Baily, the great sprint hope was soundly beaten in the final of the 100 metres, finishing last, the winner being the American Harrison Dillard whose winning time was 10.3 seconds. Compare that with Ussain Bolt’s winning time in 2012 - 9.63 seconds. In fact the first seven runners broke 10 seconds. A. McCorquodale of Scotland ran himself into fourth place.

Track conditions in 1948 were so different. There was a cinder track and sprint runners were digging their own starting holes. Some did have starting

1948 and all that! by David Zelin


blocks of a primitive type – not the electronic pieces of equipment now used which can detect the slightest twitch and disqualify a competitor for a false start.

All the results were meticulously recorded. Bernard wrote the competitors’ numbers times and distances in pencil as they appeared on the results board and I would write the name in ink when we got home in the evening

It is interesting to note not only the list of 53 competing nations and compare it with the over 200 competing in 2012 but also the list of venues. There were no specially built arenas; all were existing venues many of which no longer exist. They were the 'Austerity Games.'

Special needs charity Kisharon launches national helplineAre you caring for someone with learning difficulties? If so, make a note of the Kisharon Helpline number:0844 496 4636.This friendly new confidential support service can be used by adults or children with learning difficulties, their families and carers. The service covers complex needs as well as mild learning disabilities and will also be useful to professionals, whether teachers or care staff. Helpline Coordinator Sharon Zeidman says: “The helpline was set up in response to an identified need so that people can have someone to talk to if they have any concerns. We can provide emotional support or information on relevant services in the Jewish and wider communities. If you need us, call us, we want to hear from you.”

Kisharon Helpline 0844 496 4636 or

[email protected]

NOW WE ARE 5KKW is now KKW-5.

In addition to the founder-member synagogues of Kenton, Kingsbury and Wembley and the Spanish and Portuguese synagogue down the road who joined us last year, we have now added the David Ishag synagogue (Neve Shalom) to our club. Events at the David Ishag synagogue have attracted large numbers from their congregation, though we are having to work hard to get them to talks at our other member shuls.

It would be fair to say that the KKW programme content for the Summer Term has generally not been too serious. But this year has seen a marked change from this with a three-part series on the laws of shabbat from Rabbi Stephen Phillips who is Warden at Kingsbury. This is not a subject for the faint-hearted, but Rabbi Phillips made it a total pleasure, with well-structured notes and an intriguing (and justified) link to Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

The term continued with two talks on the ( Jewish) ethics of minimum wage and maximum wage. The speaker for the latter was Rabbi Saul Djanogly who is an investment manager (as well as a rabbi) and I found the talk compelling in a way that you only get from an inside expert.

Next term promises to be just as good. Readers may recall that last February Rabbi Black of Kenton and Professor Michael Freeman presented two topics in medical ethics. Rabbi Black spoke about the halachic issues and Michael about the secular legal ones, and they then engaged in a debate with each other and with the audience. The speakers clearly enjoyed themselves as much as the audience did, and we are delighted that they are presenting two more topics this coming term, namely Circumcision and Assisted Reproduction.

On the menu we also have Esra Kahn, a bibliophile and ex-librarian of LSJS, and Professor David Latchman, Master of Birkbeck College who is well known on the London Jewish lecture circuit as an expert on Anglo-Jewish history.

This looks to us (the committee) to be a pretty inviting programme, and we

look forward to seeing you there.

Programme details Oct 22: to be announced Oct 29, Nov 5 Rabbi Black and Prof Michael Freeman - halachic and secular legal views on Topics in Medical Ethics. Oct 29th: Circumcision; Nov 5th: Assisted Reproduction. Nov 12th: Ezra Khan - the Jews of Venice, with items to illustrate.Nov 19th & 26th: Prof David Latchman talks about two contrasting personalities from a specific period in Anglo-Jewish History. Nov 19: Nathan Meyer Rothschild/Benjamin Goldsmid Nov 26: Sir Moses Montefiore/Sir David Salomons Dec 3: Rabbi Aryeh Forta will give the Rabbi Leperer Memorial lecture on 'A Brief History of the Torah': How the Torah has maintained its relevance through more than 3000 years of social and technological change.

Esther Gershuny cont'd next column


newsat Wembley Shul

over 80 and still going strong

We wish a very hearty mazal tov to the following members of the Wembley community

Corinne and Irwin Van Colle who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Married at

Wembley on 6 August 1972, their connections with the shul

go back to 1935

Tracy and Lee Barwin on becoming proud parents of Harry Jay Barwin on 29 June and to grandparents Lana & Roy Solomons and Judy & Ivor Barwin. A special mazeltov to great-grandpa John Komkommer on the birth of his ninth great grandchild There are now four generations of Wembley Shul members. Tracy and Lee thank everyone for their support and good wishes during her pregnancy

Melody and Matthew Collier on the birth of Noah Gabriel

Collier on Sunday 15 January; a brother for Taavi David Collier.

Mazal Tov to grandparents Carol and Ian Collier

Madeleine and Jamie Lustigman on the birth of Leora Aimee on Friday 13th July, a brother for Jonah Eddie. Mazal Tov to grandparents: Carol and Ian Collier

Pat and Martin Jacobs on the marriage of their son Daniel to Jemma and to Jemma and Daniel. (See page 21)

Sarah Gershuny, and to Jonathan, Esther, Asher and Grandmas Phoebe Sadie and Cynthia Gershuny on Sarah's ordination and appointment as Director of Congregational Learning and Assistant Rabbi at community Kol Chaverim, Glastonbury, Connecticut (See opposite )

June and Paul Danciger on the birth of another granddaughter, Rina Chen, to Dr Miriam and Netanel Ishta, in Israel, and a niece to David Danciger

Shirley Harris who celebrated her 80th Birthday in April and the bar mitzvah of her grandson, Jack Phillip Baldwin this spring

Monica and Barry Greenfield on the marriage of their son James to Adina Solomons in New Jersey, 15 September 2011

Alison & Jack Friend on the engagement of their son Matthew to Amy Silver. Also to Miranda, and grandmothers, Myra Murray (Alison's mother) and Pola Friend (Jack's mother)

Sandra and John Thei on the birth of a grandson, Adam to Ruth and James

Marshall on12 June 2012, brother to Hannah

Mrs Barbara Frischman on the birth of a new grandson.

Jenny and Morris Wiseman on the birth of granddaughter Avital Gila Hyman to Ruth and Aaron. more opposite

ds

We welcome to our shul

two new members,

Sarah Price and Ruth Myers

Anna & Rabbi Martin van den Bergh Abigail and Jon had a new pink princess on

Friday 3 August. Little Tiferet Esther was born on Tu B'Av, the Jewish day of love. She is a

miniature version of her big sister Aliza including being born with a tooth! May

we all share many blessings together.


Natalie & Jerome Cohen whose youngest daughter Ruth received an MA from Bar Ilan University in June

Sandra and John Thei on the award of a PhD to Judith on "Investigation into the conservation treatment of antique Japanese Lacquerware " from

Imperial College London.

Sitting with friends on Castle Hill in Cambridge above Magdalene Bridge sometime before dawn shortly after her finals, Sarah

had some sort of mystical experience. She claimed recently to have forgotten this, but I remember her telling us of it and of its influence on her future plans shortly after the event. “I’m going to learn Spanish,” she told us, “and then go to South America to study American Indian mystic practices”. Esther and I were less than entirely enthusiastic about this project.

It was almost to her parents’ relief, therefore, when, some weeks later, she informed us, misnagdisch-educated and therefore almost ignorant of this fact, that Jews too had an ancient tradition of mystical practice and belief, and that she was off to join an intentional community in upstate New York. Fifteen months later she was back in London studying Hebrew grammar at University College (and tutoring A-levels to pay her way). And the next year she was registered in the trans-denominational Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Boston for six years including mechina (preparation), though this was soon reduced to five for good behaviour (her teachers realised that her Hebrew was already quite competent).

So it was that Esther and Ash and I found ourselves on a June Sunday morning this year on the Newton Massachusetts campus of this Boston institution, which has been training Hebrew teachers since the 1860s, attending the 2012 'commencement exercises'. These, with the academic robes and serious speeches, honorary graduands, and valetudinarian’s address, are, contrary to the apparent meaning, the academic end-point not just for the graduating class of five new rabbis,

but also for the recipients of around 100 other postgraduate degrees and other diplomas. And that was just the morning.

The afternoon was quite another sort of party. We returned after lunch to the hall where the degrees had been awarded in the morning, friends and relations sitting again in rows, facing a podium containing at first only an exquisitely carved-wood modern aron kodesh. A member of the

faculty, no longer in academic dress, came to a central microphone, and to everyone’s astonishment—we’d perhaps expected some sort of procedural announcement—started a niggun. Lai LAI la la la la LAI lai, lai LAI la…. Then the entire college, students and faculty, filed into the hall, lining the central passage, forming a hollow column, through which in turn each of the new rabbis were welcomed one by one. Lai LAI la la la la LAI lai. The ordination service when one by one each new rabbi was addressed by the dean of students who gave brief, penetrating

Making Sarah a rabbi by Jonathan Gershuny

observations of character and personal strengths and the gentlest of allusions to areas of future development. In succession, each ordinand was given a tallis and a blessing by one specially chosen rabbi from the college faculty (Sarah asked Rabbi Nehemia Polen, a devout, musical, role model), each new rabbi spending a few moments in silent contemplation before the ark. After all five had been addressed, they stood together in a group in front of the podium, and one by one each member of the rabbinic faculty came to join them, until the central kernel of new rabbonim was completely hidden by the surrounding old ones. The priestly benediction followed, then dancing.

Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny is now Director of Congregational Learning and Assistant Rabbi at community Kol Chaverim, Glastonbury, Connecticut .

more mazal tovs

Vivien and Michael Freeman on their 45th Wedding Anniversary


Andresier: Edith, Martin and family wish you all a shana tova

Berg: Anne, Mannie and family wish all a happy healthy and peaceful New Year

Carmel: Betty, Joel and family

Cohen: Issack Cohen

Cohen: Natalie and Jerome together with all their family wish everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

Cumber: Leila Cumber

Danciger: The Danciger and Ishta families

Druce: David, Roberta, Sara and Elliot wish the whole community a happy, and healthy New Year.

Fox: Brenda and Stanley wish the rabbi, management and all the kehilla a wonderful and peaceful year

Freeman: Vivien and Michael wish everyone a good and sweet year

Friend: Alison & Jack, Matthew & Amy, Miranda and Myra Murray

Fryman: Judi, Michael and Marisa

Best wishes for a healthy, happy and peaceful New Year to all the Wembley community from ...

Gershuny: Esther & J, Rabbi Sarah, Asher and Grandma Phoebe

Glass: Myrna Glass and family

Green: Helen and family

Harris: Akiva, Levana, Alison and Rabbi Simon wish you all shana tova

Hart: Stuart, Barbara Anthony & Abigail, Clive and the junior Harts

Jacobs: Pat& Martin together with Debbie, David, Hannah & Sophie, Jon, Serena, Jordana & Miriam, Dan & Jemma, Ben & Julia wish friends and family shana tova

Leib: Leila & Monty wish everyone a happy, peaceful New Year

Levy: Etty & Simon

Mager: Margaret Mager wishes all her new friends at Wembley Synagogue a happy and healthy New Year

Pelton: Rita Pelton and family

Phillips: Henry Phillips and family

Pollins: Diana, Harvey and family

Reisman: Helen and Ziggy, together with Benji and Sam and their families in Israel

Rose: Maureen Rose and Marc

Sampson: Franie & Stephen, Natalie, Victor, Ross, Toby and Zack, Leon and Tilly, Michelle, Darren, Mia and Max Smith wish all of our family and friends a happy and healthy New Year

Sasieni: Maurice Sasieni and family wish you all a happy and healthy New Year

Silver: Eleanor and Brian, together with the Shaffer clan, the Hartstone clan and the Gross clan wish all our family and friends in Wembley a very happy and healthy New Year

Simmons: Judy, David, Michael & Neil with Claire and Benjy wish you all a happy and healthy New Year

Soloway: Ruth, Seymour and family

Vitez: Charles Vitez

Wise: Hillier wishes a happy, healthy New Year and well over the fast to Rabbi Harris and family and all his good friends in the Wembley congregation

Zelin: Tilly, David and family

Last June we held a very successful Summer Supper with speaker Dorian Gablinski. Our AGM was held at the

beginning of September where the chairman, Diana Pollins, handed over the reins to Jan Saunders and Marilyn Scott. The evening concluded with an interesting speaker, retired policewoman Eleanor Bloom, who spoke about her experiences as a Jewish woman in the Metropolitan Police Force.

We are still collecting good clothes, linen and bric-a-brac for the WIZO Shop (contact Helen Reisman 8904 4136). The PWL Jewish Women’s Week collection raised just under a £1000 and I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the collectors and all the

donors. A special thank you goes to our JWW captain Vivien Freeman, who organised the collection so efficiently.

As our Suppers have been so popular we are holding a special Winter Supper on Wednesday 14th November at 7.30 pm in the Bessie Clapman Hall. The speaker is William French who was butler to the Royal family, film stars, such as Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Robert Redford and many others.

A date for your diary – next year the popular annual wizoquiz@home will be on Saturday 2nd February

Please contact Diana – 8903 4805 or Pat – 8904 4257 for more details of our meetings and events or if you are interested in joining our committee.

A REQUESTI recently took up learning the guitar and would like to form a quartet to entertain elderly members of our synagogue. Would anyone who is musically minded and can play an instrument or can sing and is interested in entertaining along with myself, for an hour or so in some light entertainment, kindly contact me on this number for further details. All young or old, public-spirited, ladies or gentlemen with some talent or interest, please get in touch for this suggested mitzvah. Stanley Fox 020 8385 1997 after 8pm, [email protected]

Phoebe Welcome Leon WIZO


Editor’s Page wsn and the Wembley community

WebsiteFor too long the Wembley website

has looked old-fashioned and in need of a serious review and re-design. This is planned for the latter part of the year. Of course 'review' includes questioning the objectives and utility of a website and whether we really need one at all. There is likely to be a period during which it will be taken 'off the air'. In the meantime the weekly service times at Wembley Synagogue are published on the United Synagogue website at http://www.theus.org.uk/jewish_living/minyan_finder/?synagogue_id=40

Membership StatisticsOn page 30 we show the official

membership statistics for 2011 as provided by the US. This bears careful study. The membership profile graph shows that in 1985, 35% [331] of our 1,003 members were women and this has risen to 62% [290] in 2011 of only 468 members. A clear illustration of how numbers have declined and how women considerably outlive men. The age profile shows that most of our members, by far, are in the range 61 to 90; this compares with membership across the United Synagogue where ages are spread fairly evenly from 31 to 60 then dipping, only to shoot up between 81 and 100! The latter chart also shows that women start to predominate in the 61 to 70 age range. Finally, on aggregate we lost 34 members in 2011; this would

have been 43 but for nine transfers from Dollis Hill Shul which closed down.

Help needed?Wembley is a very caring community

but it's worth repeating from the Executive report: "We do not always find out when a member of our community is in hospital or needs us in some other way. We need you to tell us if you – or any other member – needs our help. The grapevine is not reliable! Please ring the office (020 8904 6565) or send an email ([email protected]) and we will do our best to provide whatever support is needed. So please, TELL US WHEN WE'RE NEEDED."

Your wsnMany people make this magazine what

it is. The most important of these are the contributors and we are very fortunate to have sufficient talent and interest to be able to assemble such wide-ranging material. Of the 32 pages of this issue, 23 are from our own members (including the editor), five are from external* sources and four are advertisements.

Putting the magazine together is the work of an excellent but rather smaller band. For years David Fisher as advertisement manager brings in the income without which we could not pay to print the magazine. After editing, all material must be proof-read by Vivien Korn or Phyllis Vangelder with a final, holistic scan of the proof magazine by Sheila Games who spots the glitches that others

have missed. Helen Reisman is assistant to the editor with particular responsibility for chasing reports and promised articles. As editor I read all material and modify it where necessary to correct the English and condense it, trying to maintain the author's style; I take many photos, report on some of the events in the community and handle the whole of the technical job of page set-up and assembly and liaising with the printers. To be frank, by far the greatest load falls on me and I desperately need more help. If you would consider helping in any area, please contact me to discuss the areas you are interested in. Previous experience is not necessary and help/training will be given as necessary. Please don't leave it until the next issue is about to come out – get in touch now – email me at [email protected]

*Including the US, Board of Deputies and the Chief Rabbi


CST is the Community Security Trust, a charity that provides security for Jewish communities throughout Britain; ensuring that we are all able to lead the Jewish life of our choice. CST is also available - 24 hours a day - for those of us who are unfortunate enough to suffer, or witness, antisemitism.

CST is part and parcel of our communities, drawing upon a long and proud tradition of British Jewish self-defence. Security can only be done with the help, co-operation and participation of the members of our community, its leaders and institutions. We need to share responsibility, together.

This means contacting your local CST and asking what role you can play with our local security teams. It means understanding why we do security and cooperating with our local teams. It means contacting CST if you happen to have information that you think may be of use to us, or to the police. Sharing responsibility also means trying to keep

a healthy balance between keeping calm and being aware of the physical threats that unfortunately do exist.

Since last Rosh Hashana, three separate terrorist plots against British Jews have been revealed. One concerned Golders Green and Stamford Hill, two Jewish neighbourhoods in London; one concerned Broughton Park, a Jewish neighbourhood in Greater Manchester; and the other concerned two British synagogues. Then we have the dreadful shootings at a Jewish school in Toulouse; and, from Iran, appalling state-sponsored antisemitism and terrorism against both Jews and Israelis.

Our enemies do not distinguish one type of Jew from another; and they are targeting both large and small communities. CST’s work is therefore sadly necessary, but we should be determined to keep a sense of perspective about the situation.

Today, our community is largely able to express its Jewishness in whatever

way it wishes. That can be religious, cultural, political, charitable, sporting or whatever sort of Jewish life you do, or do not, wish to have. Our community is, on the whole, successful and well integrated into the rest of society. We have come a very long way indeed since the newly arrived immigrant generations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Antisemitism and the threat of terrorism most certainly do not define our lives as British Jews. At CST, we want to keep it that way. This is why we work so closely with synagogues from across our Jewish communities; and it is why police and government encourage our efforts.

CST can, however, only be as strong as the communities we serve. We need you to play your part: by reporting suspicious and antisemitic activities to us; and by joining our local teams or helping to fund our work.

Thank you and shana tova.

CST: working together with Jewish communities

Chatan Torah, Martin JacobsMartin was born and bred in Bethnal Green and spent his career teaching, latterly in very religious Jewish Schools. He gained a BSc at Birkbeck. He married Pat in 1965 and they have four children, Debra who was bat mitzvah at JFS, Jonathan, Daniel and Benjamin who were bar mitzvah at Wembley. They moved to Wembley in 1970 and were encouraged to join Wembley Shul by their neighbour Steve Robbins. Martin is a regular member of the security team and frequently attends the minyanim. He has a strong interest in genealogy and as a result has found family all over the world - hence trips to New York, Boston, and Washington.

Mazal Tov to this year's chatanim!

Chatan Bereshit, Barry Greenfield Barry is married to Monica and they have two children, James and Emma. James is married to Adina and lives in Manhattan. Barry was born in Wembley and has lived here ever since. In shul he still sits in the seat that his late father was allocated when the shul was built. He has been on the Board of Management which gave him the opportunity to beadle – he says he always enjoyed beadling! Barry has been chairman of the functions committee and a security officer. Whenever he can he tries to help out with the evening minyan.


I had mentally ordered wall-to-wall sunshine for Dan and Jemma’s big day but the morning was cloudy and windy. Then, as if by magic the sun came out.The setting was Ivy House (The

London Jewish Cultural Centre) in Hampstead and the Chupa which was made by Jemma’s father was outdoors. The theme colours were purple and cream, dotted about on tables and hallways and the Chupa was adorned with purple flowers.

Dan was accompanied by his close friend and best man Rabbi Eiran Davies, then Martin and I brought Dan to his place under the Chupa. The flower girls, our youngest granddaughters Sophie and Miriam, who led the bridal party, closely followed by their older sisters Jordana and Hannah, Jemma’s sister Susie, and Jemma’s two best friends, all dressed in purple and cream, were a delightful sight.

With flowers in her hair Jemma walked with her parents down the stairway and into the garden, looking stunning in her pale peach dress in tiers of tulle and lace. The London Jewish Male Choir sang.

Jemma circled Dan, then Rabbi Jeremy Rosen who had travelled from New York, spoke to the couple, in a sweet, gentle and loving way. It was a very special moment. Wine was sipped. All the while Stephen Glass, who had flown in from Canada, played a beautiful accompaniment. Chazan

Steven Robins sang a particularly beautiful piece. Dan’s cousin, Rabbi Zvi Solomons, read the Ketubah.

That might have been the end but we were finally treated to a very tender rendition by Dan singing to Jemma. That is when I lost it and my hankie came out. After Dan broke the glass two white doves were released and they flew away in unison. The music started and dancing commenced.

With our children and friends around us it was the most beautifully happy and spiritual wedding that we’ve ever attended

The wedding of Dan Jacobs & Jemma Lerner

by Pat Jacobs

WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU WERE

by Brenda Hyman

Where do you think you were on Diamond Jubilee Day, Sunday, June 3rd? Easy! A crowd of us were

celebrating together by reminiscing where we were on the actual day of the Queen's coronation. Those amongst us, who had not yet been born, had equal fun listening to the stories that were told.

Unfortunately, the guest of honour, a

choirboy in Westminster Abbey on the day of the coronation, cancelled at the last minute, but was kind enough to send us his written memoir, which Simone Hyman read for us and we all enjoyed hearing. Despite his absence, it was a great morning. The visual presentation provided by Philip Hyman rounded this off nicely then we had memories from

several members of the audience, again, bringing laughs or groans..

Memories and stories continued over the brunch provided by the Wembley Link Committee - with such delights as Coronation Salmon and Jubilee Kedgeree and it seemed that everyone present had a thoroughly good time.

The unexpected and warm vote of thanks indicated that our guests were already looking forward to the next event and that was the best message of all.A further report noted that…

"The food was wonderful, the ambiance warm and welcoming, and everyone stayed until it was time to go home and watch the jubilee flotilla on TV as the rain came down."

Please do come along to other WEMBLEY LINK activities. It is a lovely way to spend time with members of Wembley

community, and show that we are still a vibrant, if rather elderly, group of people. We're planning a Carpet Bowls event for 2 September – report in next issue of wsn.

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I am delighted that, at the beginning of the New Year and the start of the new triennium, we have a new team of honorary officers all of whom are

enthusiastic about their portfolios and have hit the ground running. I look forward to working with them during the next three years to face the challenges and opportunities confronting us.

One can also only be enormously heartened by the unprecedented interest that the community has shown in the Board during the election period. In addition to having a host of new synagogues and organisations represented on the Board, we had more deputies standing for divisional elections than ever before and we are privileged to have elected deputies of an extremely high calibre to the divisional committees. All this is good for the Board and good for the community that it represents.

The Board’s mission is to promote the welfare and vitality of the community of which we have good reason to be proud. Our increasing dynamism over the last few decades has confounded the prophets of gloom. With record numbers of pupils at Jewish schools, with institutions such as Limmud, the Jewish Film Festival, Book Week and the Jewish Music Institute to name but a few, the community is an example to others in the diaspora of how to integrate into one’s host community while retaining one’s own identity and vitality.

At the same time we face increasing challenges and the Board’s mission is also to lead the defence of the community against these. Living as we do in a pluralistic and tolerant democracy, our rights to carry out our religious practices should never be in doubt. In fact, however, in the last few years threats have emerged both in this country and in Europe against some of our practices; principally shechita and brit milah. It would not be fair to attribute these threats to antisemitism, but nevertheless their effect could seriously jeopardise our way of life. The latest attack at the time of writing, of course, comes from Germany on brit

milah. The Board is at the heart of a cross-continental initiative approaching German ambassadors and lobbying parliamentarians whilst trying to ensure that, here in the UK, the community speaks with one voice which is both cogent and rational. I am pleased to say our representations have been well received and we have been able to punch beyond our weight. At some future date we may need a grass roots campaign and here the Board will look to the community to play its part, whether in lobbying MPs or in engaging in the media debate generally.

Above all we have to face the continual attacks on Israel which are now coming from the media, the unions, academia and the churches - the latest being the decision of the Church of England Synod to endorse EAPPI, a grossly unbalanced programme taking people to the West Bank without showing them the Israeli side of the conflict. We must not fall into the trap, however, of branding all critics of Israel as antisemites. On the contrary, I see from conversations with senior churchmen that many of them regard themselves as firm friends albeit critical ones of both Jewry and of Israel. Often they are unaware of the unfortunate antisemitic overtones of the debate instigated. Our task is therefore to confront the antisemites, expose them and ensure that Israel’s case is made effectively to the moderates. Again this is something which must be done in a calm and rational manner, and it falls to all of us to engage with our Christian neighbours to form relationships through which we can express our views. With the support of the community the Board will be ideally equipped to do this in the year ahead. How successful we will be one cannot say at this point but it will not be for want of trying.

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy New Year.

Vivian WinemanPresidentThe Board of Deputies of British Jews

Letter from Vivian WinemanPresident of the Board of Deputies

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Ladies' Guild Diamond Jubilee tea

On a Sunday in June, at Wembley Synagogue, HM The Queen was in attendance at a special Diamond Jubilee

afternoon tea in the gracious presence of the Mrs 'Pearly Queen' Kirsch. There was

dancing in the aisles, great entertainment and, as usual, loads of super food.

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TheFridel Radbil Day Centre

At Edinburgh House Keep loneliness at bay, come

and join us for the dayMondays and Thursdays

10.00 am till 2.30 pmEnquiries: Carolyn Mitchell,

The Day Centre: 020 8904 2195


wsn recipesby Judith Simmons

In this Diamond Jubilee year here is a look back to food from the first Elizabethan age. In this period, when it was believed that, if you

were rich it was your duty to display those riches, the wealthy loved heavily spiced food, dishes sweetened with sugar and used dried fruit in both sweet and savoury dishes – all of which required expensive imported ingredients.

These recipes, which are among some I used when creating a Tudor banquet a few years ago, have been adapted from cookbooks of the time. If you would like to experiment there are many websites devoted to Elizabethan and Tudor food.

Roast Lamb with Raisin and Rosemary Stuffing

1.5kg/3lb Boned shoulder of lamb,250g/8oz fresh white or wholemeal bread crumbs,2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary,75g/3oz raisins,2 egg yolks,200ml/7fl oz parev or soya cream (single),¼ fresh nutmeg, grated,1 teaspoon ground mace,2 teaspoons sugar,1 teaspoon ground cinnamon,1 teaspoon ground ginger,Large pinch of saffron strands, crushed,Salt and ground black pepper.

1. Roll up the shoulder and tie it with string so that you have a ’tube’ of lamb.2. Mix half the bread crumbs with the rosemary, raisins, yolks, half the 'cream', nutmeg, mace and plenty of seasoning.3. Push the stuffing into the tube from both ends then stitch up both ends.4. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4. Weigh the joint and calculate the

cooking time at 30 minutes per 500g/1 lb plus an extra 15 minutes.5. Mix the remaining bread crumbs and 'cream' with the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, saffron and seasoning to make a stiff coating. 6. Remove the joint from the oven and carefully remove the string. Press the coating over the top using wet fingers. Return the joint to the oven for a further 30 minutes.7. When cooked, allow to stand for 15 minutes before carving so that the meat and stuffing ‘sets’. Save the pan juices to make a sauce.

Nese Bekys (salmon and fig pies)

About 350g/12 oz ready-made short crust pastry,250g/8oz fresh salmon fillet,175g/6 oz white fish fillet,4 dried figs, soaked for 20 minutes in warm water, drained and chopped,½ teaspoon ground ginger,½ teaspoon ground cinnamon,1 egg beaten, to glazeSalt and pepper1. Roll out the pastry quite thinly and using a 10cm/4 inch plain cutter or small saucer cut out about 16 rounds, re-rolling the dough as necessary.2. Grind the fish in a food processor until you have a smooth paste. Add the figs and the spices and plenty of seasoning and process again until well mixed.3. Lay eight of the pastry rounds on lightly greased (or lined with non-stick paper) baking sheets and divide the fish mixture between them mounding up in the centre.4. Wet the edges with egg, press on the remaining pastry rounds and crimp to seal with the prongs of a fork. Cut a cross on the top of each and glaze all over with the rest of the egg.5. Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, Gas Mark 6 and bake the pies for 15 minutes then lower the temperature to 190°C, 375°F, Gas Mark 5 for another 10 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and leave on the tray for 5 minutes. Then, using a palette knife, remove to a cooling rack. Serve hot or cold.

Wardens in Conserve (Pears in spiced honey syrup)

6 large firm pears (or 8-12 small ones)75cl bottle dry red wine250g/8oz sugar300ml/½ pint Montilla wine or pale cream sherry250g/8oz clear honey1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground ginger

1. Peal the pears thinly, leave the stalks on and do not core2. Heat the wine in a tall saucepan and dissolve half the sugar in it. Bring to the boil then lower the pears in carefully. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, turning them occasionally, until tender but not soft. You may have to do this in batches. Put the pears in a large preserving jar or a sturdy plastic container.3. Heat the Montilla wine or sherry and stir in the remaining sugar, honey and spices. Strain in the red wine, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes then pour over the pears. Seal the container and allow the contents to cool. Leaving them in the syrup for 1-2 days develops a richer colour.4. To serve, pour off the syrup into a jug, tip the pears onto a serving dish and pour the syrup back over them. Serve the pears on their own, with whipped cream or with lemon syllabub.

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Since the AGM in May, the composition of the executive has changed, with Stuart Hart and Charles Vitez remaining in office

as chairman and FR respectively, and Esther Gershuny joining as vice-chair. Issack Cohen stepped down as warden at the AGM, but following his return from holiday has taken on the role of gabbai and resumed responsibility for services.

As reported at the AGM, our membership is reducing in numbers and income. However the spirit and vitality of our community are holding strong, thanks to the hard work put in by a wide range of members and a strong sense of involvement across the community. We can thus still maintain a varied range of activities. This is something of which we can and should be proud.

Over Shavuot we were honoured to welcome back Rabbi YM Poupko as scholar-in-residence. Thanks to him we were able to continue our local tradition of an all-night study session on the first night of the festival, with about 15 people enjoying his remarkable shiurim followed by shacharit at dawn.

On the Education front, Rabbi Harris continues his scholarly shiurim after Shabbat mincha and his mid-week Talmud study circle, while Joel Carmel continues to inspire a small but hardy band with his SMILE shiur every Thursday morning, and Ray Feather and a group of enthusiasts maintain the momentum of SEED 1 to 1 on Monday evenings after ma’ariv. Meanwhile the combined Kenton, Kingsbury and Kenton (KKW) Monday programme now has the support of both our Spanish & Portuguese neighbours and the David Ishag synagogue on Preston Road.

With an aging community like ours welfare has to be a priority. Our rabbi is key to this work on a day-to-day basis, and is ably supported by the rebbetsin, Vivien Freeman and Helen Reisman. The Friendship Club also makes a huge contribution, meeting every Tuesday afternoon, and we particularly want

to pay tribute to Clarice Ofstein who has resumed her leadership role since recovering from a broken pelvis.

We are grateful to the Ladies Guild who put on a most enjoyable afternoon tea during June for our elderly members. They recently also organised a well-attended spring luncheon, and continue to sustain us regularly with kiddushim after Shabbat and Yomtov services.

The Wembley Link Committee led by Brenda Hyman and Edith Andresier continues to provide entertainment for the community with fund-raising and social activities. A jubilee brunch in early June was very well attended, and by the time you read this we will have enjoyed some healthy exercise playing carpet bowls at a local bowling club.

In addition to those who organise all our shul activities, we wish to thank all those others who support its activities in different ways. Particular thanks go to our security officer, Martin Kirsch, with his colleagues, Marc Rose and Edith Andresier and all those members who serve on the security rota; to our dedicated administrator Elaine Weiner, and our caretakers and cleaners (Andrew, Anthony and Devon).

By the time you read this, Rosh Hashanah will be almost upon us and we look forward to welcoming back Chazan Anthony Wolfson to lead our services over the High Holy Days, supported as ever by David Druce and the choir; we thank them for enriching our shul services.

We hope that when you next come to shul you will notice a big improvement in the appearance of the premises. The areas used by the Noam school have undergone cleaning and refurbishment, and the lobby and staircases a face-lift.

None of this would be possible without the support of you the members, and we are very grateful to those volunteers who already help with any of our activities, and especially with the care of the elderly and house-bound. If you are not already helping and would like to do so please let us know by calling or emailing the shul office.

Meanwhile we have two problems for which we need your help now:

First, the daily minyan needs support both at morning and evening prayers. From time to time we find ourselves unable to provide a minyan, which is particularly sad when we have people who wish to say kaddish. We do need more volunteers to ensure that this vital function of our community can be maintained. So Gentlemen, please help the minyan; more ‘regulars’ are needed, even those who can manage only once a week. It would also be greatly appreciated if you would be willing to put your name on the list of those on whom we can call at times of temporary difficulty. If so, please give your contact phone number to the office, indicating whether you might be available mornings or evenings or both.

Secondly, we currently do not always find out when a member of our community is in hospital or needs us in some other way. We need you to tell us if you – or any other member – needs our help. The grapevine is not reliable! Please ring the office (020 8904 6565) or send an email ([email protected]) and we will do our best to provide whatever support is needed. So please,TELL US WHEN WE'RE NEEDED!

Report from the Executive

L’Shana Tova - Ketiva v’Chatima Tovafrom wsn's printers

City Printing Ltd

For all your Design, printing and large format needs

please contact Michael on 020 7281 5867

[email protected]


In the aftermath of the terror attack in Bulgaria two weeks ago, photos of ultra-orthodox male volunteers, wearing yellow vests emblazoned

with the letters ZAKA, appeared in newspapers around the globe. While familiar in Israel - for people living outside Israel, they are a strange sight indeed. Who are these civilian volunteers who command the respect of professionals and the public alike, who flew from Israel in cooperation with the police, emergency services, and government officials?

They are volunteers in ZAKA, Israel’s dominant rescue and recovery volunteer organization. ZAKA is the Hebrew acronym for Disaster Victim Identification and, although this organization started out over twenty years ago working in the aftermath of terror attacks and road accidents, it has grown over the years into a wide-reaching, internationally-acclaimed body that even has recognition from the United Nations. ZAKA volunteers began planning departure from Israel hours after the terror attack at the Burgas airport, landing the following morning. Israeli survivors greeted the volunteers with overwhelming relief, knowing that people had arrived who could help them. Volunteers spoke privately with

authorities on the ground to ensure that the ZAKA could fulfil the mission for which it had come, to give proper respect to the dead by collecting and returning all human remains to Israel. In the chaos that ensued in Bulgaria, ZAKA was able to make a strong impression, and accomplish its purpose.The attack in Bulgaria was not new to ZAKA;the elite ZAKA International Rescue Unit offers assistance at natural disasters, terror attacks and other mass casualty incidents wherever they happen around the world. The ZAKA International Rescue Unit has assisted in major international disasters, including the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti, Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Thailand and, of course, terror attacks in Turkey, Mombasa and Mumbai, among others. In a recent meeting in his Jerusalem office, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his gratitude to ZAKA volunteers, “I would like to commend you for the many things you have done, and are doing, in the country and around the world... you carry the name of the State of Israel and the Jewish People with you around the world and I would like to thank you for it. You are messengers who deserve all blessings.”

For more information and donations: www.zaka.org.uk or contact British Friends of ZAKA, 233A Golders Green Road, London NW11 9ES. Tel: 020-8458-5391 or [email protected]

ZAKA – always there

ZAKA volunteer finds tephillin in rubble

ZAKA volunteers at aftermath of bus bombing

an elegant font and the Jerusalem bible looks quite beautiful. Koren’s second font was his book font. This is a bit more stylistic. It is the font used in the Koren siddurim and machzorim.

The picture shows the aleph from the bible font on the left and the book font on the right. My personal feeling is that the book font is too far removed from the traditional Hebrew character set. I find it ugly, more like the efforts of a dyspraxic child. I suspect, however, that the font may appeal to the frummer elements of our community (to whom, however, the Sacks authority will not). This is because the characters bear a similarity to the writing style in a sefer Torah. Thus to someone proficient in the skills of leining, the book font may appear as a welcome companion.

Hebrew fonts have a long way to go. Before Ben Yehuda’s re-launch of Hebrew as a living language there was little opportunity for evolution of the character set. The rabbis, in whose hands the language lay, were not interested in improving the shapes of the Hebrew characters. So it is only since 1948 that we can expect any significant changes. In this context one must regard the Koren fonts as but one step in the emergence of beautiful and legible Hebrew characters.

Bottom lineMy conclusion? Koren/Sacks provides a very welcome expansion of our choice of machzorim. Were it not for the inconvenient pagination and the awful font I believe it would have a chance of becoming the machzor of choice. As it is, we remain torn between the ArtScrawl and the Routledge. The former has a beautiful font and layout, but an alien ideology. The latter is unusable, but remains the standard

continued from page 27

A little reminderWe would like to remind you that we are still collecting old coins, foreign coins, broken gold chains and other jewellery which can be turned into good money for the shul. There is a large jar in the shul office where such things can be taken.


David Games was known to everybody in Wembley Synagogue as a local estate agent, and that was just how

he wanted it. Although he would never tout, he would always be mystified when members of the shul chose not to sell their houses through him on the grounds that he was a friend. What better way of showing their friendship than by instructing him, he felt; and what better way of ending a friendship than by not doing so.

In his own mind, however, he had more selfless reasons for wanting to act for the community: he saw himself as the synagogue’s gatekeeper. He had arrived in Jewish Wembley just as its popularity was peaking and was upset by the demise that soon followed. He considered it disloyal—and too easy—to move to Stanmore and beyond, and imagined, Canute-like, that as Wembley’s friendly neighbourhood estate agent, he could hold back the flood.

That is not to say that he was unaware of the social forces working against him. In the same month that he had come to Wembley—April 1965—the London Government Act came into effect. It was this that gave birth to the Greater London Council and pooled Conservative Wembley and Labour Willesden into what would become known as “Barmy Brent”.

As a soldier serving in India during the war, David had been an enthusiast for the Left, and kept as a trophy a copy of the News Chronicle that announced Labour’s unexpected landslide victory in the post-war election of 1945. But he also remembered Herbert Morrison’s boast that Labour would “build the Tories out of London” by creating working class estates that would make the inner city and Docklands a no-go zone for the Conservatives.

He watched with increasing alarm as the new Labour borough of Brent embarked on the same policy. What had encouraged him to move to Wembley was the prospect of a comfortable, settled community of friends. What he found instead was the start of an exodus,

as members of the shul, put off by Brent’s pride in setting the highest rates in England, moved to the Conservative borough of Harrow, which was no less proud of setting some of the lowest.

Where others chose flight, he chose to fight. A political novice, David decided to join forces to resist Labour efforts to upset Wembley’s leafy status quo. To his own surprise he turned to the Conservative Party and in 1974 won a place on Brent Council, where he saw at first hand the antics that were bringing it into disrepute as a centre of the “Loony Left”. Although rewarded by the esteem in which his electors held him, he was constantly dismayed by Labour’s eagerness to spend rate-payers’ money, and by the perversity, as he saw it, of what it chose to spend that money on. He spent long evenings in the council chamber, listening to unpleasant and polarised debates in which the ruling party nodded through initiatives such as classifying Brent’s Irish residents as black, appointing race-relations commissars to oversee selection policies in schools, and giving preferential treatment to recent immigrants on council house waiting lists.

He was particularly pained by the price that housing had to pay for Brent’s experiments in social engineering. In one

case, friends escaped Chalkhill Road just ahead of the compulsory purchase of the entire street for the ill-fated Chalkhill Estate, a policy mirrored in the equally disastrous Stonebridge Estate in Harlesden.

The Conservative Party was not, however, a natural home for David: on his honeymoon in 1948 he had ordered the Daily Worker to be delivered to his hotel room each morning; and when the Conservatives eventually won Brent in 1990, he found himself no less at odds with his own party’s policies than he had been with Labour’s. Where Labour, for example, had wanted to convert Fryent Way into permanent gypsy housing, the Conservatives now wanted to build a golf course on the fields overlooking the Welsh Harp. Fated to swim against the tide, he was nonetheless delighted to be elected Deputy Mayor of Brent in 1993-94 and Mayor the year after, but was sadly aware of his own marginality.

It was within Foster Games rather than on council for twenty-four years that he felt he really performed a civic function. He had never sought out estate agency as a career; he had studied agriculture at Reading University and worked on the land, first as a farming advisor in Oxfordshire and then as a landscape gardener in the Thames Valley. It was only after his parents persuaded him to return to London in 1958 that, at his wife Sheila’s suggestion, he changed to selling houses.

Estate agency has a bad reputation. David, however, had a profound understanding of the role of the home in the life of the family and of the community. It mattered to him that people chose homes well, and in spite of his shyness and sometimes awkwardness in company, he was able to draw on unexpected reserves of sensitivity, knowing that his advice would shape his clients’ lives for years to come. Those he helped still speak with warmth of his kindness in this capacity; his office, at 141 Wembley Park Drive, became a de facto surgery where constituents and others dropped in at any time for sympathy and advice.

Obituary, David GamesWembley member, mayor of Brent and estate agent by Stephen Games

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In spite of the attractions of housing as a form of investment, David was hostile to profiteering. Ambivalent about Margaret Thatcher’s right-to-buy initiatives, he railed against the easing of mortgage restrictions that aided the conversion of owner-occupied housing into the rented sector, and warned about the growing recklessness of lenders long before the banking collapse of 2008. As home-owners sold out to landlords who then installed tenants, and as formerly well-kept houses and streets started to deteriorate physically through lack of upkeep, David chose not to market properties to buyers who only wanted to build up their portfolios, and, in consequence, saw his estate agency sidelined by more ambitious and less scrupulous rivals.

All this was part of his contribution, as he saw it, to Wembley Synagogue. In addition, although never a shul board member, he advised various boards on property matters, and also contributed to the shul’s social life, writing comic as well as journalistic articles for the WSN, performing in the annual Purim spiels (which he co-wrote with Eric Lent) of the Literary and Social Society and Greasepaint, and hosting their rehearsals in his home. In an era when people still had free time on weekday evenings, those rehearsals involved many members in months of effort, and are still remembered for their uproarious laughter.

His death, at the start of April 2012, was sudden though not unexpected. Earlier in his life, he had learnt that the best way to protect himself from personal worries was to look away. When diagnosed with a tumour in 2009, he put this rule into practice and was lucky to enjoy a relatively even quality of life. In February, however, he made the mistake of asking his consultant how long he had to live. She, foolishly, told him, and he had a collapse. Five terrible weeks later, he was dead.

He is greatly mourned by his devoted wife Sheila, to whom he had been married for nearly 64 years, by his sons Stephen and Alexander, and by his grandchildren Fergus, Edie and Sophie. He was predeceased by his second son, Jonty, who died in 1986. David is buried in Bushey, which he was always quick to remind Wembley’s would-be migrants had no other claim than that it housed a cemetery.

The Koren/Sacks Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur machzorim

by Brian Cowan

wsn readers have already had the benefit of two insightful reviews if the new Rosh Hashanah Machzor, published by Koren and under the editorial authority of the outgoing Chief Rabbi. And now we have the Yom Kippur Machzor in time for this year’s high-holy-days. I shall make no comment on the content of these seforim – after all this can be a bit samey. Indeed if the Hebrew words of, say, the Shema were to be ‘upgraded’ for the modern era then we would be talking about a different kind of review entirely. The modernization of the translations indicates a pandering to the politically correct brigade: it’s more ‘Good News Bible’ rather than ‘King James’ gravitas. However it is appropriate to note that serious account has been taken of minhag Anglia, for which Dayan Binstock and the editors are to be commended. Nevertheless the fact that our Yamim Noraim services in Wembley involve serious deviations from these prescriptions should be regarded as a cause for celebration rather than lament.

I want to comment on two matters specifically: both matters of design. The layout is revolutionary, with the Hebrew page on the left and the English on the right. And there is the special Hebrew Koren font, so lauded by our editor. I dislike both the layout and the font. And I’ll tell you why.

LayoutFace-to-face Hebrew and English

is a wonderful idea. It is, however, no easy matter to typeset this, as careful attention must be paid to the page breaks so that both languages ‘turn over’ at essentially the same point. Since the sentence construction of Hebrew and English is so different, this is a well-nigh impossible task. Our publishers of old have wrestled with this problem and, to

all intents and purposes, it is sorted.The original publishers of face-to-

face translations had to decide upon which side to place the Hebrew and which the English. They chose English on the left and Hebrew on the right. Koren have decided to reverse this.

Today’s publishers of siddurim and machzorim are able, by suitable choice of layout, typography etc., to produce seferarim of exceptional beauty. English is justified (aligned) at the left side and Hebrew at the right. The English right and the Hebrew left may be justified or they may remain ragged. Prayer books usually include a carefully chosen mixture of both.

In this vein Koren argue that Hebrew on the left and English on the right is more beautiful. By doing this the necessary right justification of the Hebrew and the necessary left justification of the English both line up with the spine of the book. This may make for elegance, but it is difficult to use. Text close to the spine is often not easy to read – particularly if the white space around the type is ungenerous. But with Hebrew-left and English-right one must look into the spine at the start of every line. By contrast, with English-left and Hebrew-right, only occasionally is one required to squint right into the spine. For these reasons I argue that convenience of use outweighs a superficial enhanced elegance.

Koren fontsThe Hebrew alphabet is one of the

least user-friendly. The characters are too similar. The tops of the yad, vav and gimel are identical, with the bet and resh not much different. And the letters vav and gimel are indistinguishable to anyone with less than 20-20 eyesight. But ideal text will be recognized at a glance, without close inspection or wondering whether what you see is but a spec of dust.

Thus motivated, in the 1940’s Eliyahu Koren started designing a modern Hebrew font. His aim was to create a set of Hebrew characters that had a flavour of modernity and, where each letter could be distinguished by seeing just its top third. In fact Koren designed two new fonts. His bible font was use in the Jerusalem bible. This is indeed

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Live long and prosper David Miller takes us on a ramble through his

own views on how to have a long and healthy life

If you are a Trekie, you know who said the above. Leonard Nimoy -Spock, in the Star Trek series. Born 26 March

1931 in Boston into an orthodox Jewish family, his trade mark was the Vulcan salute which we all know as the Kohanim hand sign used while giving their blessing.

I want to focus on the 'Live long' bit. We wish people "a Long Life", we hope that the life is full and happy and comes with good health. Many people take active steps to try and fulfil these aims. We teach children from an early age to be safe both at home and out in the world. Children used to be given instructions to ‘Look left, right and left again’ before crossing the road. Now they include things like: be aware who may be following you home, don’t take anything from a stranger and definitely don’t annoy dad while he is sleeping or

watching the football on TV (or both).My late grandfather hated old age. In

the first World War he learnt to drive in the army. He never took a driving test and was still tootling around South London in his 92nd year. Eventually after several trees had hit him they took his car away. Loneliness was his major problem. He had out-lived five doctors who had told him that because he had had TB and lost most of one lung, he would not live long. He lived longer than all his friends and he swore that he had survived so long was because he ‘pickled’ himself. Every day of his adult life he had a ‘small’ tumbler of whisky. My granddad died in his 96th year.

I talked to Miss Woolf, 108, a member of the Wembley community, who recently passed away. Her mind was always alert and wishing to interact with others but her body was very frail. I asked what kept her going. She explained that her one vice had nothing to do with

whisky or men. It was chocolate. Not the cheap and sweet variety; she used to have two or three squares of high-quality Swiss dark chocolate daily. There is actually a chemical in the cocoa bean that is thought to stimulate several parts of the brain.

Eating, exercise and not too much stress seem to be important in order to live to a ripe old age. Well, we Jews know too well how to eat! The traditional chopped liver, kneidlach in chicken soup, roast chicken, roast potatoes, lokshen puddings and the side orders of pickles and relishes which normally adorn Friday night meals may well give some of us problems. Exercise is not usually high up on the to do list. Some of us do the usual stretch out and down to pick up the fallen TV remote but is it enough?

Stress, who doesn’t have stress? Those who think they have none please stand up and touch your toes! Stress has bearings


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on physical health. It seems there are only a few places left on this planet where life leads a slow relaxed pace but different dietary traditions have different effects.

Lots of tofu, soya and a big range of fruit and vegetables rich in anti-oxidants seems to be very important to the residents of Okinawa, Japan. They seem to help the adrenal glands to produce an important hormone (DHEA) which is a precursor of both oestrogen and testosterone. They also believe in not eating until full, so eat 20% or so fewer calories than western societies. I think our china plates have got bigger over time and we stuff ourselves with too much food. We could use smaller plates and serve smaller portions.

On the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia in Italy and Ikaria in Greece octogenarians could be living longer because of their diet of olive oil, olives and fish. But there are other reasons. Lots of the old folk do daily exercise and do not smoke. They enjoy being sociable as well as having mid-day naps. This mixture of enjoying life at a relaxed pace and eating natural food stuff produces very low levels of depression.

Religion seems to have a part to play in helping to prolong life. This may seem far-fetched for anyone running a US shul but the residents of Loma Linda in California seem to point a way. They are mostly members of the Seventh Day Adventists. They don’t drink or smoke and eat a vegetarian diet. But, even the ones who smoke or are not vegetarian live longer than the average American. Going to regular services is the only thing that links most of the community; is this what produces less stress?

Or you could move to a warmer, healthier climate - Israel is on the Mediterranean.


Number of Members (Dec 2011)

178

290

468

336

050

100150200250300350400450500

nu

mb

er o

f in

div

idu

als

male female total

membership

estimatedhouseholds

NB: Estimated Households = separate addresses

Age Profile (Dec 2011)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

21-3

0

31-4

0

41-5

0

51-6

0

61-7

0

71-8

0

81-9

0

91-1

00

100+

Unk

nown

numbe

r of

mem

bers

malefemale

Total % Age Profile Across The US 2011

0123456789

21 -

30

31 -

40

41 -

50

51 -

60

61 -

70

71 -

80

81 -

90

91 -

100

100+

unkn

own

MalesFemalesMembership Profile

(1985-2011)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

malefemaletotal

male 672 650 605 554 527 493 465 440 419 411 394 375 356 351 333 324 305 290 287 275 259 251 236 227 217 188 178

female 331 362 393 392 406 410 411 400 402 410 397 386 377 402 387 377 352 334 338 332 319 308 288 286 276 310 290

total 1003 1012 998 946 933 903 876 840 821 821 791 761 733 753 720 701 657 624 607 607 578 559 524 513 493 498 468

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

050

100150200250300350

numbe

r of

mem

bers

divorcedwidowedsinglemarried

divorced 7 15

widowed 20 119

single 36 33

married 115 122

male female

Wembley - Marital status 31/12/2011

United Synagogue- Total % age profile across all shuls 31/12/2011

Wembley - Number of members 31/12/2011

Wembley - age profile, 31/12/2011

Wembley - Membership profile, 1985-2011

Membership statistics for Wembley Synagogue for year ending 31/12/2011courtesy of United Synagogue .

Marital status Male FemaleMarried 66% 43%Divorced 4% 5%Widowed 11% 41%Single 19% 11%

JoinersNew members 5Transfer from other shul 9total 14

LeaversDeceased 21Transfer to a US shul 11Moved away 2Defaulter 6Joined another synagogue 2Other 4Corrections to data 2Total 48net leavers minus joiners 34

We couldn’t provide all these vital services to people like Sharon and Renée without your support.Please make a donation today by calling 020 8922 2600 or donating online at www.jewishcare.org/donate

At Jewish Care we work closely with clients and their families to make sure that we do everything in our power toensure they get the care and support they need. That’s why, when Sharon contacted us about her mother Renée,who was showing signs of dementia, we made sure that we were there for them every step of the way.

Unable to continue caring for Renée at home, Sharon contacted our helpline and after hearing about the differentservices we provide, was then contacted by one of our social workers. He told Sharon about the different ways wecould support them. Sharon was also put in touch with our family carers’ team, where she received both practicaland emotional support to help her come to terms with her mum’s dementia. Renée attended one of our three daycentres for people with dementia before eventually moving into one of our care homes, where she happily lives.

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o. 802559

MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS ROSH HASHANAH

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Total % Age Profile Across The US 2011

0123456789

21 -

30

31 -

40

41 -

50

51 -

60

61 -

70

71 -

80

81 -

90

91 -

100

100+

unkn

own

MalesFemales

We couldn’t provide all these vital services to people like Sharon and Renée without your support.Please make a donation today by calling 020 8922 2600 or donating online at www.jewishcare.org/donate

At Jewish Care we work closely with clients and their families to make sure that we do everything in our power toensure they get the care and support they need. That’s why, when Sharon contacted us about her mother Renée,who was showing signs of dementia, we made sure that we were there for them every step of the way.

Unable to continue caring for Renée at home, Sharon contacted our helpline and after hearing about the differentservices we provide, was then contacted by one of our social workers. He told Sharon about the different ways wecould support them. Sharon was also put in touch with our family carers’ team, where she received both practicaland emotional support to help her come to terms with her mum’s dementia. Renée attended one of our three daycentres for people with dementia before eventually moving into one of our care homes, where she happily lives.

Charity Reg N

o. 802559

MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS ROSH HASHANAH

12-254-JN Rosh Hashanah Ad_Layout 1 13/07/2012 14:08 Page 1