Editorial
Rosh Hashanah message from Rabbi Cohen
MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF RABBI
Ladies Guild Column
Public Notices
Letters
Yom HaShoah Remembrance Commemoration
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
THE BATTLE OF CABLE STREET
At Home on a Hilltop
Book Review
Rehovot’s Other Institute - Israel’s First Tanning Salon
Humour
You were the first, you led the way
About the London Board for Shechita
Ralph Marks, My Father
Reflections from Stephen Pack
Many Happy Returns of the Day, Your Majesty
The Mignonette Aarons Concert 10 April 2016
80th Anniversary Photos
A Family Photo
La Señora
Yom Yerushalayim Sunday, 5 June 2016
The Jewish Autonomous Oblast
A SURPRISE ENCOUNTER
Mazal Tov
Rosh HaShanah Greetings
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Page 1
W
elcome to our Kingsbury readers and to those of you who are
reading this from further afield. This is our 10th edition.
There can be no room for doubt that the last six months have
been eventful. No one needs reminding of disturbances in France, Belgium
elsewhere in Europe and America.
The UK has chosen Brexit and we
have seen a change of Prime
Minister as a consequence. At the
time of writing the Rio Olympics
are in progress. Britain has done
exceedingly well and Israel has
taken home two medals. Kol
haKavod.
The 80th Anniversary of
Kingsbury Synagogue has been
celebrated in magnificent style,
thanks to the committee and
everyone who helped to make the
occasion an outstanding success.
We enjoy hearing feedback but
would ask you to let us have your ideas and opinions via “Letters to the
Editors” which would help us to know what you, the members, are thinking
about. This is your magazine. We are just the facilitators.
We thank Stephen Phillips for assisting us with sub-editing, and added
thanks to those of you who did submit an article.
We wish Rabbi and Rebbetzen Cohen, the Honorary Officers and all the
Kehilla a Happy, Peaceful and Safe New Year – Shana Tovah uMetukah.
Irene Glausiusz and Leslie Rubner
Joint Editors – The Kingsbury Courier.
Page 2
Rosh Hashanah message from Rabbi Cohen
Y
ou may remember the picture I sent in to last year’s Kingsbury
Courier when we had climbed Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in
England at 3,209 feet (978 metres). This summer we went back to
the Lake District and scaled the next two highest mountains; Helvellyn and
Skiddaw. Both were just as enjoyable, hard work and rewarding, but I
quickly noticed a significant difference to our experience from last year.
Scafell Pike has a winding path making it a slightly easier climb, this year’s
choices were almost straight up, Helvellyn almost a rocky staircase where
every footstep moved us significantly higher.
This got me thinking; our lives are made up of small actions, one footstep
after the other, one good deed, one mitzvah and then another. Although in
our spiritual lives we may not notice how we are growing, in reality every
action we do is of great significance, raising us higher and higher. Creating
souls that are far more majestic and beautiful then anything here on earth.
Three times a year the Jewish People were commanded to leave their homes
and travel to Jerusalem; Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos, to celebrate those
Yomim Tovim in the Temple. Why is there no mitzvah to go for Rosh
Hashanah as well?
The Sefas Emes, Rav Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, answered as follows.
There were two things not allowed in the Temple due to the principle of ‘the
accuser cannot become the defender’. The Cohen Gadol (High Priest) was
not permitted
to wear gold
when
he
entered
the
Holy
of
Holies
on
Yom Kippur
because gold
was used for
the fashioning
of the Golden
Page 3
Calf, and when entering that most hallowed site any such reminder was
inappropriate.
The other is using a shofar made from a cow’s horn on Rosh Hashanah,
again this would recall the episode of the Golden Calf. Even though the
shofar was blown outside the Temple, nevertheless the Talmud equates the
two, as the sounding the shofar is so powerful it is considered as if one were
inside the Holy of Holies.
He suggests that this is why there was no mitzvah to go up to Jerusalem
for Rosh Hashanah as, wherever we are, when we hear the sound of the
shofar we are viewed as being inside that most holy of places.
Our actions on these most important of days have the ability to change
ourselves and the world around us. May we use this auspicious time of the
year to its fullest and may we all be signed and sealed for a year of good
health and much happiness.
Page 4
MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF RABBI –
ROSH HASHANAH 5777
“‫‘ – ”בראש השנה יכתבון וביום צום כיפור יחתמון‬On Rosh Hashanah
it is inscribed and on Yom Kippur it is sealed’
A
s we recited these moving words in the Unetaneh Tokef prayer last
year, we could hardly have anticipated the devastation that would
be wrought by the relentless terrorist atrocities that would follow.
The daily threat of terror is one to which our brethren in Israel have long
become accustomed, but that awful reality has largely been greeted by
silence in the mainstream media. Global terrorism has spread its tentacles
far and wide, making no place on earth immune to this scourge. As the
French philosopher and author Bernard-Henri Lévy has said, the world must
now learn from the experiences of the Jewish State.
Page 5
Never before in the history of human conflict has every innocent man,
women and child found themselves on the front line. As we endure an
onslaught on our freedom, our democracy and our very civilization, what
should our response be?
The Unetaneh Tokef prayer provides an answer:
Repentance, Prayer, and Charity.
‫ תשובה תפילה וצדקה‬-
‫ תשובה‬- Repentance
Teshuvah comes from the Hebrew word meaning ‘to return’. Over our
High Holydays we are tasked with making a uniquely honest and
comprehensive assessment of ourselves so that we can return to our natural
state of piety and purity. Our global challenge is to return to the values of
human dignity, tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. That
process must begin with ourselves and those upon whom we can make a
positive impression.
‫ – תפילה‬Prayer
#PrayersForParis #PrayersForMunich #PrayersForBrussels. If these
popular sentiments from social media are anything to go by, it seems that
the world is rarely more united in prayer than after devastating terrorist
attacks. In July, after a particularly brutal murder of a beloved Catholic Priest
in Normandy, one Twitter user responded to my own message in despair:
“The time for prayer is long gone,” he said. I couldn’t disagree more.
The Talmud describes prayer as avodah shebalev – the ‘service of the
heart’ – because, in essence, prayer is about training oneself to love and
serve God. The Hebrew word for prayer, tefillah, is linked to tofel, which
means connecting to a greater power. We pray with a deep sense of humility
and responsibility because we understand that we can never simply be a ‘law
unto ourselves’. The power of prayer has always been and will always be a
force for good; a spiritual connection with something greater than ourselves,
elevating our souls and directly affecting our future actions. We will never
fully comprehend the potency of our prayers or how things would have
turned out without them but we do know that while terror thrives on a sense
of narcissism and superiority, through prayer, we act with modesty and
accountability.
Page 6
‫ – צדקה‬Charity/Righteousness
The first Chief Rabbi of the Holy Land, Rav Kook, taught that the
antidote to causeless hatred is causeless love. Having embraced Teshuvah
and Tefillah with all of the self-improvement that they require, we will have
an instinctive and deeply rooted love for peace. But Tzedakah is the means
by which we look beyond ourselves and turn that goodness into positive,
meaningful action that will leave a lasting impact on the world around us.
Every one of us can increase the degree to which we give of ourselves to
others, whether as part of an organised charitable campaign or by investing
our time and energy into kindness and generosity. There is no degree of evil
that cannot be overcome and outshone by an equal and opposite desire to do
good for others.
Embracing more fully these three fundamental principles of Jewish life as
a response to global hatred and violence might feel inadequate, even naïve.
But, I believe that we are far more likely to change the world through
positive action and leading by example, than simply by standing in
judgement.
May this coming year be
one filled with only peace
and reconciliation among the
peoples of the world.
Valerie and I extend to you
all our very best wishes for a
happy and fulfilling New
Year.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
September 2016 • Ellul 5776
Page 7
T
he Ladies’ Guild are still being kept busy every week with
Kiddushim and, of course, on Yomim Tovim.
The tea and coffee every Shabbos are very popular, even in the
summer.
This year, to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, we held a buffet for about 40
people, and the guest speaker was Rabbi Fine who used to be at Southgate
Shul. An informal get together was held on a Sunday afternoon in June
where a buffet tea was served.
Our monthly coffee-mornings are still going strong, and our lunches are
very popular.
At our AGM in January, I was, once again, asked to stay as Chairlady,
and Cynthia Jacobs as Treasurer.
If anybody would like to join us for a cup of coffee and a chat or lunch
on a Monday, please contact either:
Chairlady: Sharon Linderman at:
e-mail: [email protected] - tel: 020 8204 8051
Treasurer: Cynthia Jacobs at:
e-mail: [email protected] - tel: 020 8205 1310
On behalf of the Ladies’ Guild, I would like to wish Rabbi and Rebbetzin
Cohen and family, the Wardens, and the whole Kehilla a very Happy New
Year and well over the Fast.
Page 8
KKW5
K
KW5 still meet on Monday evenings at various Shuls in the
surrounding area. This past term we have shown some excellent
films, and have had outstanding talks given by various Rabbonim
at the David Ishag Shul. Also Rabbi Zneimer, who used to be at
Kenton, gave three very interesting talks.
If anyone would like more information about KKW5 please contact:
SharonLinderman at: e-mail: [email protected] tel: 020 8204
8051
My husband Alec and I have lived in Israel; since 1979
Raphael Schiff sent the bumper edition of the Kingsbury Courier to us at
Pesach time, but I have only today got round to reading all of it.
I felt I must write to congratulate the two editors on an ABSOLUTELY
SUPERB JOB. IT IS REALLY FANTASTIC
We lived in Kingsbury from 1954 to 1973 so much of what is written
familiar to me. I particularly loved your tributes to Louis Domb z”l &
Rebbetzen Minna Hool z”l. (Rabbi Hool was a frequent guest in our house
before his marriage)
Once again THANK YOU FOR A JOB SO WELL DONE
Marjorie Tuckman
Page 9
Yom HaShoah Remembrance
Commemoration
By Sharon and Henry Linderman
O
n Sunday 8th May 2016, Henry and I went to Copthall Stadium to
participate in the Commemoration. Before taking our seats, we stopped
to look at the exhibition.
We were very pleased to see that our new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, made
this his first public engagement, alongside the Chief Rabbi and Rebbetzen Mirvis,
his Excellency Mark Regev, the Israeli Ambassador, and the Rt. Hon. Sir Eric Pickles MP, the Government’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust issues.
The Introduction and
welcome were given
by Henry Grunwald.
Also taking part was
Mr. Ben Helfgott of
the 45 Group. There
were various speakers, including Judge
Rob Rinder, representing the Third
Generation.
There
was excellent singing
by chazzanim, including Adrian Alexander, Stephen Leas, the Shabbaton Choir, the London Cantorial Singers, plus several school choirs. Also, there were a umber of videos of testimony. There was a
candle-lighting ceremony, a minute’s silence, a Memorial Prayer, and the sounding
of the shofar. A 14-year-old boy, Zacharie Sciamma, played the violin.
The ceremony closed with HaTikva and the National Anthem.
Page 10
AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN,
AND IN THE MORNING
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
World War One 1914-1918 – The War to end all Wars (if only)
By Irene Glausiusz
M
any
synagogues,
including Kingsbury,
received a letter from
the group LONDON
JEWS IN THE FIRST WORLD
WAR – We Were There Too.
They asked if we would include
their message in our upcoming
magazine. We were happy to
comply.
Does your family have a First
World War story to tell?
Over 40,000 Jews fought in
Britain’s armed forces. Thousands
more were involved in nursing,
manufacturing and other war
work, or kept families and
businesses going through the
years of conflict. A century on,
first-hand knowledge has disappeared, and time is running out to preserve
their stories before they are lost forever. We Were There Too is a unique
cross-community project that will create a permanent digital archive and
interactive website to record the experiences and contribution of London’s
Jewish community during the First World War.
We invite you to investigate and preserve the stories of your family
members by creating a Personal Record. You can also upload photographs,
letters, diaries and even 3D scans of medals and other artefacts. The site
provides guidance, historical information and user-friendly access to a
Page 11
number of First World War archives to help you research your family’s
story.
Community engagement is a vital part of the project. We will be holding
events across London, and involving schools, youth organisations and
volunteers of all ages.
Now is the time to record and celebrate the proud contribution of
London’s Jews – and your family - during the First World War Website
www.jewsfww.london
This project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, partnered by the
Jewish Lads and Girls Brigade, and supported by communal organisations,
The Jewish Museum, Jewish Military Museum, the Jewish Chronicle,
Commonwealth War Graves Commission, AJEX, the Jewish Historical
Society and Jewish chaplaincy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If I may, I would like to explore some more details concerning the First
World War. The 100th Anniversary in 2014 saw the opening of a new gallery
at the Imperial War Museum, continuing until 2018. I guess that for today’s
children and teenagers, WW1 might seem like ancient history; and perhaps
the same could be said for WW2? I sincerely hope not.
This year also sees the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. Take a
few minutes to listen to a haunting song concerning 1916, “The Green Fields
of France”. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COrC1QRejQ0
Be warned, you might shed a tear or two. There is a video of battle scenes
in the background.
I was a volunteer at the Imperial War Museum/War Memorials Archive
for many years. Over the course of time, I came across numerous Jewish war
memorials and would like to share just three with you.
Page 12
Sited at Bushey Cemetery on an outside wall of the Prayer Hall, there is a
stone tablet that was originally at the Stepney Jewish Lads’ Club. Circa 2002
the Memorial was re-established at Bushey.
The names are engraved in two columns, Managers and Members. The
inscription reads as follows:
SJLC
To the memory of the Managers and Members of the Stepney Jewish
Lads’ Club who laid down their lives in the Great War 1914-1919
42 names are listed alphabetically, (but no ranks mentioned) unveiled
1926. The club motto “A Club for All and All for the Club”
IWM (WMR-10831)©
====================
Spanish
and
Portuguese
Jewish
Congregation
Bevis
Marks
London EC3
A
Granite
Tablet with a
painted
Stone
surround,
with
Magen David and
Hebrew lettering:
IN HONOURED MEMORY OF THE YEHIDIM AND SONS OF THE
SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE JEWS’ CONGREGATION LONDON
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY 1914-1919
(39 NAMES ARE LISTED ALPHABETICALLY)
Page 13
IWM (WMR-11628) ©
====================
Central Synagogue
There is a different type of WW1 memorial at the Central Synagogue,
Hallam Street, London W1. A Tripod Bowl with 19 candle sockets around
the rim - the names of 19 soldiers inscribed in Hebrew and English around
each socket. The memorial was consecrated on 19th September 1920 and the
event was reported in The Times on the following day (Page 7, column b)
The Central Synagogue was destroyed by enemy action during 1941. The
candelabrum is the only surviving artefact from the original building and
although badly damaged, was finally repaired in 2003. It is lit on Kol Nidrei
night in remembrance of fallen soldiers.
©
IWM (WMR-36191)
====================
The Zion Mule Corps
A group of Palestinian Jews were sent out to assist in the doomed battle
at Gallipoli. Thus the Zion Mule Corps was formed in 1915 - volunteers
who became not a fighting unit, but muleteers carrying supplies of
ammunition, water and bully beef to British soldiers. With the failure of the
campaign, the Corps was disbanded in 1916.
Colin Shindler wrote in the Jewish Chronicle Online 30-10-2014, “The
British Army used mules because they were resistant to heat and thirst.
These animals were also incredibly stubborn. They were therefore the
entirely appropriate companions for their equally stiff-necked masters who
had embarked on the impossible task of changing the course of Jewish
history” ©
Footnote: Eventually, the Zion Mule Corps was in line to become the
Jewish Legion - leading to the establishment of the Haganah in the 1920s
and the Israel Defence Force in 1948.
Page 14
Don’t miss your chance to see fighter aircraft fill the skies above IWM
Duxford at The Duxford Air Show: Meet the Fighters.
AND ANOTHER 80th ANNIVERSARY
This year marks the
80th Anniversary of
the first flight of the
Mark
1
Spitfire.
There
War Museum) on Sunday 11th
will be displays of
Spitfires at Duxford
(part of the Imperial
September starting 1.30pm. [Go to
http://www.iwm.org.uk/events/iwm-duxford/airshows/2016/the-duxfordair-show for more information and booking details.]
Page 15
THE BATTLE OF CABLE STREET,
STEPNEY
Rampant Fascism in the 1930s
Another 80th Anniversary
By Irene Glausiusz
n 4th October 1936, a huge confrontation in Stepney was averted
between Mosley’s Blackshirts and some estimated 250,000
Eastenders. The Blackshirts were determined to create havoc by
marching through the predominantly Jewish East End to promote
their Nazi anti-Semitic cause.
O
Battle was about to be joined by none other than Jews who lived in and
around the area, supported by Trade Unionists, Communists, dockers and
labourers. They would stop the Fascist march from proceeding. The slogan
“No Passeran” from the motto of the Spanish Republican fighters “They
Shall Not Pass” was the rallying call. Even before the expected arrival of
Page 16
Moseley, scuffles broke out and people were arrested for disturbing the
peace.
The march never did come
through Cable Street, but some
10,000 police, some on horseback,
were there hoping to clear the way
for the anticipated Mosley brigade.
Barricades had been erected;
barrels, coal, and paving stones in
side streets, to stop any blackshirts
gaining access. Even children were
encouraged to participate by
throwing their marbles under the
hooves of the horses. Anything to
cause disruption.
Mosley and his gang
assembled at Gardners
Corner, Aldgate but the
danger of massive rioting
was so great that the Home
Secretary and Metropolitan
Police had no option but to
re-route the march. In the
end it was diverted to the
Embankment
where
it
mainly disbursed. Some reassembled
and
caused
disturbances in Trafalgar
Square and the Strand.
The end result - the Public Order Act 1936 obliging march organisers to
have police permission and a ban was enforced on demonstrators marching
in quasi-military uniforms.
Further literature: http://openplaques.org/plaques/372,
https://www.jacktherippermuseum.com/battle-of-cable-street.html
Page 17
At Home on a Hilltop
By Irene Glausiusz
D
rive through Elon Moreh, an area in the Shomron east of Shechem,
and follow a
steep winding
road
around
many hairpin bends and
you will arrive at a
givah, a hilltop area
named Porat Yosef
(familiarly known as
Skally’s). It is classed
by
the
Israeli
Government as a nature
reserve, said to be 800
metres above sea level.
There are about ten
families living there,
forming
a
close
community who have
decided that this is the
one place to be. How
do I know about this
particular hilltop? Well
my
grand-daughter
Shoshannah,
her
husband Shalom and
four children live here. It is rather remote but the compensation is that the
views are stunning - one almost has the feeling of sitting on top of the world.
Whose idea was it to settle here? Circa 1998, a young entrepreneur,
Yitzhak Skally, with a group of yeshiva students came across the region and
liked what they saw. Initially, they would arrive at the hilltop and, if
questioned on what they were doing, said “We’re just parking our minibus
here,” or “We’re tourists”. Unsurprisingly, they came equipped with water
and an electric generator and thus the seeds of Porat Yosef were planted.
Page 18
At a later stage, homes for young couples and their children were built on
site. Being somewhat remote, it is necessary to travel daily to Elon Moreh
so that the youngsters can attend kindergarten or school.
One of the delights for the children is visiting Mr Skally’s sheep,
corralled in a huge shed. At times, the flock grazes on the surrounding
hillsides. Do not imagine that this is a rustic hobby; it is a serious business
enterprise requiring extensive record keeping and has proved to be
economically viable.
The young men who lived on the givah originally, designed and built a
beautiful small shul, mostly constructed with wood. Not so easy to get a
minyan within a small kehilla, when a family may decide to go away for a
Shabbat, but generally speaking they manage. One thing is certain; these
people are totally united and ready to help one another should the need arise.
Before Shalom married Shoshannah, he lived on the givah for three years
and had fallen in love with the place. During that time, he managed to study
for his first scientific degree via the Open University.
After tying the knot, the young couple decided to move to the hilltop
some four years ago and have put down roots, in more senses than one. They
have
created
an
impressive garden of
fruit trees, pomegranates,
lemons, apples and grape
vines. Although a car is
an absolute must, and
they ruefully agreed,
“We do have to spend a
lot of money on petrol,”
they plan to stay put for
the foreseeable future.
On leaving the hilltop
and driving back down
the zigzag road leading to Elon Moreh, heed my advice. Do not look down
- especially if you suffer from vertigo.
Page 19
REALLY USEFUL
The Origins of Everyday Things
By Joel Levy
Reviewed by Irene Glausiusz
T
he invention of so many everyday items described in this book will
intrigue everyone. I found it on a bookshelf in a basement launderette
of high-rise flats in Manhattan. A “bring and buy of books”, except
that they were FREE! Well I felt compelled to help myself to a copy
of REALLY USEFUL and brought it back to London. This lavishly
illustrated book tells us about so many everyday items. But who thought of
them first? Office equipment, domestic products, gadgets, appliances - the
list is almost endless.
Here are a few of my personal can’t do withouts:
Tea Bags:
The author tells us that after plain water, tea is the most
popular beverage in the world. (I suspect it may now be instant coffee). A
New York Tea and Coffee merchant Thomas Sullivan handed out samples
of loose-leaf tea in small, hand-sewn silk bags in 1904. It seems customers
didn’t bother undoing the bags, but simply plunged them directly into water.
The Tea Bag began its long reign.
Tin Openers: The first can opener patent was granted in 1858 to
Ezra Warner of Connecticut which was rather unwieldly; to be followed by
another in 1870 patented by American William Lyman, the “wheeled” can
opener. In 1925 the Star Can Opener Company of San Francisco modified
earlier designs, adding a toothed gripping wheel, and apart from electric can
openers (1931) this has remained essentially the same to the present day. (I
suspect that ring-pull can lids might replace tin openers before too long).
Page 20
Sliced Bread:
In 1912 Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented the
bread slicer. Producing sliced bread commercially, Rohwedder had a
problem keeping the slices together and a natural progression in 1928 led to
a wrapping device to keep the bread fresher. Also, with the invention of
electric toasters, it was necessary to have even sized slices (Coining the
phrases “Best thing since sliced bread” and “One slice short of a picnic”).
Food wrap:
Plastic film and silver foil. Apart from everyday use,
how could we manage during Pesach without these two invaluable items?
Post it Notes:
Invented by the company 3M, they grew out of
combining paper and adhesive. Originally put to use as book marks, Post It
Notes have become an essential aide beside every computer and work space
or plastered to your refrigerator door.
The Safety Pin:
Joel Levy tells us that in Victorian times, buttons,
laces and hook-and-eye clasps were used. Over the pond, in 1842 a New
Yorker Thomas Woodward patented a “shielded shawl and diaper pin”, not
much different from today’s safety pin. The original was improved in 1849
by Walter Hunt, who invented the self-sprung safety pin which could be used
“without danger of bending – or wounding the fingers”.
Credit Cards:
The first card was issued by Diners’ Club in 1950
and plastic money was born. (Should we say Mazal Tov – maybe not). The
American Express card soon followed. Originally, payment had to be made
in full in a short time until New York’s Franklin Bank thought of extending
the payment time and charging interest on the outstanding amount. The Visa
card appeared in 1977. Is the end of paper money in sight?
This is a fascinating book to dip into, to find out more about who first
thought of - and then commercially developed - instant coffee, paperclips,
zip fasteners, alarm clocks, thermos flasks, toothbrushes, vacuum cleaners,
cell phones and dozens more items.
Published by Firefly Books Ltd. 2002
ISBN 1-55297-622-X (paperback) Available on Amazon
Page 21
Rehovot’s Other Institute - Israel’s First
Tanning Salon
By Jonathan Brody
A
s a frequent visitor to Israel, although it's wonderful catching up with
family, it also good to see parts of the country I haven't seen before or
seeing sights I wasn't previously aware of in parts of the country I've
already visited. Here's somewhere I highly recommend taking a tour.
The Daniel Sieff Research Institute was founded in 1934 in Rehovot and was
renamed the Weizmann Institute in 1949 in honour of its first president, Chaim
Weizmann, who by then was the first President of the State of Israel. Less than
2 miles away on the edge of Rehovot is another institute that also dates back to
before Israel’s independence, the Ayalon Institute.
In the 1930s the leadership of the Palmach realised that it was only a matter
of time before it would be involved in a significant conflict and that it would
not be able to rely upon imported ammunition to sustain it. The ability to
manufacture its own bullets would be vital in order to survive.
Representatives were told to be on the look-out for opportunities to buy the
relevant tools and they heard about an ammunition factory in Poland that was
upgrading its machinery and was looking for a buyer for their old machines.
A deal was done and in 1938 the machinery was loaded onto a ship bound
for Haifa. However, word had reached the British about the consignment and
they planned to be waiting for it when it reached its destination. The Palmach’s
infiltration of British Intelligence meant that they found out about those plans
and word was sent to the ship that the cargo should be unloaded at Beirut, its
port-of-call before Haifa. The machinery stayed in a warehouse in Beirut until
1942, when it was transported to Palestine.
It was three years later when the construction of a clandestine arms factory
at or, more accurately, under Kibbutzim Hill began. The site was just outside
Rehovot and next to a British base. The codename chosen for the location was
the Ayalon Institute.
A space the size of a tennis court was excavated and two entrances were
constructed. A bakery was constructed over one of them and the oven rested on
a movable base so that it could be pushed aside to allow the machinery to be
Page 22
lowered into the workshop. The entrance through which the workers gained
access was inside a laundry. The noise of the laundry equipment helped cover
the noise of the manufacture of ammunition.
The members of the kibbutz did not have enough clothes to keep the laundry
running all the time that work took place underground, so a business taking on
washing from outside the kibbutz started. Much of their work came from the
neighbouring British base and others in the area. The bakery was less
successful, only producing poor quality bread.
The existence of the factory was kept secret from the other members of the
kibbutz, including the laundry workers. Deliveries of raw materials and
collections of the completed products took place in the middle of the night, out
of sight of both the British and the kibbutzniks who weren’t in on the secret.
At the end of each shift the factory workers had to carefully brush any stray
metal from their hair, clothes and skin. One woman was not so conscientious
about this and her husband, who worked elsewhere on the kibbutz, became
increasingly suspicious about the state in which she’d arrive home each day.
The level of secrecy meant she was unable to give him a satisfactory explanation
and he eventually divorced her.
So that the 45 workers did not attract attention by being untanned and to
prevent vitamin D deficiency from spending all day underground, a sun lamp
was installed. So, in addition to being a secret arms factory, it was also Israel’s
first tanning salon.
After the declaration of independence, the need for secrecy had ended and
the machinery was moved to a larger factory in another part of Israel where it
remained in use until the 1980s. In the three years that the Ayalon Institute was
in operation, it produced more than two million bullets that were vital to the
defence of the State of Israel.
When the machines were no longer needed, they were returned to their previous
location, where they can be seen on an interesting guided tour of the Ayalon
Institute.
Page23
These fit so well they should be in a dictionary.
ADULT
A person who has stopped growing at both ends
and is now growing in the middle.
BEAUTY PARLOR
A place where women curl up and dye.
CHICKENS
The only animals you eat before they are born and
after they are dead.
COMMITTEE
A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.
DUST
Mud with the juice squeezed out.
EGOTIST
Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.
HANDKERCHIEF
Cold Storage.
INFLATION
Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.
MOSQUITO
An insect that makes you like flies better.
RAISIN
A grape with a sunburn.
SECRET
Page 24
Something you tell to one person at a time.
SKELETON
A bunch of bones with the person scraped off.
TOOTHACHE
The pain that drives you to extraction.
TOMORROW
One of the greatest labour saving devices of today.
YAWN
An honest opinion openly expressed.
WRINKLES
Something other people have,
Similar to my character lines.
BE WARNED - DO NOT DIP THE APPLE IN THE HONEY
Page 25
“You were the first, you led the way”
By Stephen Phillips
I
n this the year of the 80th Anniversary of Kingsbury Synagogue I thought it
would be timely to write an article about one of the aspects of our
Community which (if I say so myself) it can rightly be proud of, namely the
Kingsbury Chevra Kadisha.
It was established in 1980 and the following are excerpts from the Minute Book
of the Kingsbury Chevra Kadisha written by one of its first Gabbaim, Julian
Sharman. A much longer version of this article, with extensive footnotes and a
section describing the history of Kingsbury Chevra Kadisha from 1984 to the
current day may be found on the Shul website (in the Publications section at
http://www.brijnet.org/kingsyn/publications.htm) and wherein also an explanation
of the title of this article may be found.
---------------------------1980
5740
The formation of a Chevra Kadisha in Kingsbury1 was the inspiration of Rabbi
Maurice Hool.
Rabbi Hool put forward his idea to a small group of Baalei Batim from
Kingsbury Synagogue2 at a meeting at his home at the beginning of 1980.
On the evening of Wednesday, 30th January 1980, a further meeting was held at the
home of Rabbi Hool, when Mr. R. Rothschild, Gabbai of the Hendon Adath Chevra
Kadisha, introduced the group to what was involved in setting up a Chevra Kadisha,
the procedures carried at a Tahara and the equipment that would be required.
On the evening of Monday, 3rd June 1980, the Kingsbury members attended
their first Tahara performed by members of the Hendon Adath Chevra
1
The very first Voluntary Chevra Kadisha within the United Synagogue in modern
times.
2
Membership of Kingsbury Chevra Kadisha, right from the very beginning, was by
invitation only. Before anyone was invited to be a Member, Rabbi Hool was first
consulted to check that the person satisfied certain religious observance requirements that he had laid down as qualification for membership.
Page 26
Kadisha. From then until March 1981 the Kingsbury members trained with the
Hendon Adath from whom every assistance and encouragement was received.
During the Summer of 1980, a Fund was set up in Kingsbury to raise money to
purchase the necessary equipment. Members of Kingsbury Synagogue and others
were approached over a period of a few weeks, in particular on the afternoon of
Tisha b’Av. Donations totalling £640 were received, enabling the equipment to be
purchased.3
Five members of the Chevra participated in the annual Seudah of the Hendon
Adath Chevra Kadisha on the evening of Sunday, 21st December 1980. The Guest
of Honour was Dayan Ehrentreu of the Manchester Beth Din.
Founder Members:
Danny Hillman
David Krasner
Stephen Phillips
Jonny Shapiro
Julian Sharman
Stephen Stone
1981-1982
5741-5742
On Monday, 9th March 1981, the Kingsbury Chevra Kadisha performed its first
Tahara without the assistance of the Hendon Chevra Kadisha. A total of seven
Taharas were carried out in 1981.
In keeping with the tradition of the Hendon Adath, the Kingsbury Chevra held
its first Annual Shabbos on Pareshas Vayechi, 10th January 1982. A Hazkoro was
recited for those whom the Chevra Kadisha performed its services over the previous
twelve months. On the following morning, the Chevra Kadisha held a half-day fast
and attended Bushey Cemetery where the traditional Tefillah was recited. In
addition, Tehillim were read at each of the Kevoros of those for whom the Chevra
Kadisha had performed Taharas that year.
Julian Sharman kindly shared the following reminiscence with me. “One of our
first tasks was to acquire the equipment for the Chevra. I recall going to Wembley
Market with Stephen Stone and Danny Hillman. We were looking at cases and
bags in which to keep the equipment. At one of the stalls we saw a travel bag that
seemed just the ticket. I picked it up and we were about to pay for it when I spotted
on the back the words ‘Bon Voyage’. We felt that in the circumstances it might
perhaps be inappropriate…”
3
Page 27
In the evening, six members participated in the Annual Seudah of the Hendon
Adath Chevra Kadisha.
New Members:
Michael Fisher
Michael Gillis
1982-1983
Richard King
5742-5743
Twelve Taharas were performed by the Kingsbury Chevra Kadisha in the
following year.
From October 1982, members of the Chevra Kadisha helped to form a Chevra
Kadisha for the Wembley Synagogue and, until May 1983, they trained and
subsequently assisted the Wembley Group at its Taharas and provided guidance on
the purchase of equipment.
The Chevra Kadisha held its annual Shabbos on Pareshas Terumah, 19th
February 1983, and, as in the previous year, Hazkoros were recited. All members
of the Chevra, which had grown in number from seven in January 1982 to ten,
participated in the davening and received Aliyas. On the following morning, as in
the previous year, a half-day fast was observed, and members attended Bushey
Cemetery.
In the evening of Sunday, 20th February, which coincided with “Zayin
Adar”,4 the Kingsbury Chevra Kadisha held its first Annual Seudah, catered
by members of the Chevra and their wives. The Guest of Honour was Dayan
Berger of the London Beth Din. Mr. G. Gee, the President of the United
Synagogue, also gave an address. Rabbi Hool made the “Hadran” on
Masechta Horiyos which members of the Chevra had been studying in
chavrusos that year. Other guests present included the Treasurers and Sexton
of the United Synagogue and representatives of the Hendon Adath and
Wembley Chevrei Kadisha. A report on the formation of the Kingsbury
Chevra Kadisha was given and then all stood in silence whilst the names of
those for whom the Chevra had performed Taharos during the past year were
read.
“Zayin Adar” = 7th Adar, which is the Yahrzeit of Moshe Rabbeinu and is the date
on which many Chevrei Kadisha (including the United Synagogue Burial Society)
hold their Annual Seudah.
4
Page 28
New Members:
Alan Morhaim
Laurence Ross
1983-1984
Julian Shindler
5743-5744
The Kingsbury Chevra Kadisha performed or assisted in twenty-five
Taharas this year. Of those, four were conducted with the Wembley Chevra
Kadisha which gained its full independence in May 1983.
From August 1983, the Kingsbury Chevra Kadisha helped to form a Chevra
Kadisha for Edgware United Synagogue, and until February 1984 they
assisted the Edgware group at five Taharas.5
This year the Chevra Kadisha gained two members. However, in
December 1983, one of the founder members, Danny Hillman, went on
Aliyah.
On the evening of “Zayin Adar”, Thursday, 9th February 1984, the Chevra
Kadisha held its second Annual Seudah. The Guest of Honour was the Chief
Rabbi, Sir Immanuel Jakobovits. Honorary Officers of the United
Synagogue, including the President, Mr. G. Gee, were again present. During
the Year members of the Chevra Kadisha had been studying the Mishnayos
of Seder Zeroim and the “Hadran” was made by Rabbi Hool.
The Chevra Kadisha held its Annual Shabbos on 11th February 1984,
Pareshas Tetzaveh. On the following morning the half-day fast was observed
and members attended Bushey Cemetery.
New Members:
Tony Brown
Kevin Goodman
That is the last entry in the Minute Book
Stephen Phillips - Tammuz 5776
5
Subsequently, Kingsbury Chevra Kadisha assisted in the set up and training of
Chevrei Kadisha from Bushey, Hampstead Garden Suburb and Southgate Synagogues.
Page 29
Some facts you may not know about the
London Board for Shechita
What does the London Board for Shechita (LBS) do?
T
he LBS is a charitable organisation operating on a non-profit basis to ensure
the provision of kosher meat to the Jewish public. It has fulfilled this role
for over two centuries.
In simple terms, it’s the job of the LBS to make sure that every one of its licensed
kosher butchers and meat product manufacturers is able to get kosher meat and
poultry throughout the year, for every Shabbat and every Yom Tov. In doing so, it
will know the source of every leg, wing, steak, chicken liver and chop that crosses
a counter or decorates a dinner plate.
That capability and certainty of knowing where it all came from and where it’s
all going is what gives the LBS its cachet in today’s world. The LBS plays no role
in buying livestock or in wholesaling meat and poultry. Its role is to employ teams
of shochetim – Jewish religious slaughtermen (and their aides, who do the checking
and the sealing) at abattoirs, whose job is a religious calling, requiring years of
training before even picking up a knife. The Board also employs shomerim,
essentially Food Inspectors, who oversee kashrut operations in the premises of
Licensees and, particularly, the porging (removal of forbidden fats and sinews) and
the koshering. It finds abattoirs who are willing to provide facilities for shechita –
there are very few in England – and will award Licences only to butchers and
factories it deems fit and worthy to handle kosher meat and poultry.
When consumers see an LBS Licence Certificate displayed in a shop window,
they can be safe in the knowledge that what it says on the label of what they’re
buying is what they will get in their basket.
Is kosher meat as good quality as non-kosher meat?
No - it is superior! Consumers buy Kosher meat for a variety of different
motives. Apart from religious reasons, quality is a very important factor and
consumers are able to choose the level of quality of product by shopping around
amongst LBS Licensees. There is also a large variety of LBS certified product
available in Jewish grocers and some supermarket chains.
Page 30
Why is there a difference between the price of kosher and non-kosher meat?
The LBS is a charity and so is not in business to make profits. It gets no
donations but charges fees to its Licensees for its services and for the people it
employs. Occasionally, one will see negative stories in the Jewish press about these
shechita fees. However, tough management and tighter economic controls have led
to the Board’s “fees per kilo” being lower now than in 2005, and this in a period in
which worldwide meat and poultry prices have increased. The LBS is seriously
concerned about the price of keeping kosher, but it must be stressed that it plays no
part in setting the prices charged by Licensees to consumers.
Regarding price comparisons with the non-kosher world, it must be borne in
mind that all licensed kosher butchers in the UK are operated by their individual or
family owners: none are part of supermarket chains. Their prices should therefore
be compared with local independent non-kosher butchers offering a bespoke
personal service - not with those of multi-national operations, focusing on price or
market share.
The LBS believes from experience and market research that its consumers want
it to try to secure as much of its meat as possible from British Isles-bred and
processed product, with short supply chains offering fresh deliveries several times
weekly. This emphasis on home production demonstrates the need of the Jewish
community for shechita to continue in the UK, which insulates the community from
exchange rate fluctuations and being beholden to other countries permitting
shechita for export.
How can I learn more about the London Board for Shechita?
While the LBS might be more than two centuries old, it fully acknowledges the
reach and influence of social media in today’s world. It has an interesting website
(with lots more information) and has popular Facebook and Twitter pages (search
“Enjoy Kosher Meat”), with lots of information on the various meat cuts and
recipes.
To find out more look at www.shechita.co.uk Like the “Enjoy Kosher Meat”
Facebook and Twitter Pages or write to us [email protected].
Page 31
Ralph Marks, My Father
By Andrea Gordon
D
id you attend Kingsbury Synagogue’s recent 80th Birthday
Celebration Garden Party? The party was wonderful; beautifully
catered, and with fantastic archive displays, and apt and inspiring
Page 32
speeches. For me, however, it meant something more. The grey brick 50year old building was the fulfilment of my late father’s dream, to provide
the Congregants of Kingsbury with a beautiful Shul to daven in and enjoy.
My late parents were Ralph and Sylvia Marks z”l who joined Kingsbury
Shul around 1938, when they married and moved to Beverley Drive in
Queensbury. They became friendly with neighbours Alice and Harry
Frome. At that time, the infant Kingsbury Community held services in
members’ homes, until Harry located Eden Lodge in Church Lane and
persuaded Wembley District Council to sell it for use as a Synagogue and
Community Centre. However, Dad realised it wouldn’t be enough. In 1939,
with his late brother-in-law, the Reverend Chaim Karwan, as the
Community’s spiritual leader, he and a group of dedicated supporters
decided to set up a Building Fund to raise money to build a purpose-built
Shul on the site of Eden Lodge.
Unfortunately, World War II interrupted their plans.
During the
hostilities, my father served as a local policeman. Then, in March 1948, my
mother died. Her death brought him closer than ever to the Shul. I
remember walking
to Shul on Shabbat
mornings with my
father from our
home in “new”
Salmon
Street,
along old Salmon
Street and Slough
Lane, stopping to
meet up friends
along the way, all
going in the same
direction. In Shul, I
would hide behind
Photograph from the wedding tea of Jean and Ralph Marks in
September 1948. Andrea is the small girl standing beside her Dad’s tallit, playing
with the long tassels
new Mum at the back. Her Dad is beside her. The couple
prominent in the foreground are Alice and Harry Frome.
as he davened.
Page 33
I remember the party held in Kingsbury Shul in May 1948 to celebrate
the establishment of the State of Israel. Perhaps Dad couldn’t find a
babysitter that night, but I prefer to think he took me along because he
wanted me to recollect such a momentous occasion. I bounced on his
shoulders as he joyfully danced around the old Shul hall with other young,
lively members of the Community,
In September 1948, my Dad married again, to Jean nee Davis. The
ceremony was in Dunstan Road Synagogue (Golders Green Shul), where my
“new” Zaida davened, but the celebration tea party was, of course, in
Kingsbury, despite
there still being postwar rationing. The
party was held in the
Shul hall; half the
guests
were
Kingsburyites,
the
other
half
close
friends and relatives.
I wore a pale blue net
dress and my cousin
Roger and I hid under
the
tablecloths,
scoffing rare real egg
sandwiches
and
Photograph of Andrea’s Mum and Dad, Jean and Ralph
chocolate cake.
Marks, greeting the Chief Rabbi on Boxing Day, 1966
In 1963 my brother
Paul, Jean and Ralph’s
son, was Bar-Mitzvah
there.
when he attended the annual Kingsbury Building Fund
dinner at The Empire Rooms, Tottenham Court Road.
Every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, from the age of about six, I went
to Cheder. I hated Sunday mornings when Mr P … taught us in the foyer of
the main Shul and rapped knuckles with his much feared ruler when we
misread the letters. However, Tuesday and Thursday lessons with Mrs
Woolf in Eden Lodge were fun and we loved the orange squash and
doughnut teas.
Page 34
Dad was involved in the choice of Rabbi Hool as our spiritual leader after
the departure of Rabbi Cooper.
With the establishment of the “kosher meals” service which Dad was, of
course, involved in, there were no more packed lunches, but there were
bonuses. After lunch, those of us who “caught the coach” to and from
Kingsbury Shul would rush up to the corner sweet shop at the top of the road
to spend our pocket money.
So much of our daily life revolved around Kingsbury Synagogue, with
Dad at the centre. Being allowed to carry his Lulav and Etrog; decorating
the Shul Succah; marching around the hall behind the Sifrei Torah with our
home-made flags on sticks, stuck through with toffee apples and lighted
candles (imagine allowing six and seven year olds to walk around a hall with
flaming candles wobbling on wonky toffee apples today!). Then there were
the fancy dress parties at Purim. There was always something happening “at
Shul”; Bnei Akiva on Shabbat afternoons, and later came Kingsbury Jewish
Youth Club.
My Dad’s vision was for a purpose-built home for Kingsbury. It would
be a modern building; a shining example of how a contemporary United
Synagogue should be. And he did it! I remember vividly the Building Fund
dinner on Boxing Day, 1966. My first husband, Stanley Kon z”l, and I left
our then nine-week old daughter Simone in a carry-cot on my mother-inlaw’s dining-table while we attended this special Dinner and Ball. We
watched my parents enjoy the honour of meeting and greeting Chief Rabbi
Dr. Israel Brodie and his wife. This was, to my father, a Celebratory
Building Fund dinner and it marked the fulfilment of his dream. . . As our
current Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis was giving his speech inside the Shul
to mark Kingsbury Synagogue’s “four score years”, I couldn’t help thinking
how proud Dad would have been to see “baby” Simone sitting beside me in
“his” Shul sporting a badge proclaiming she was Simone Simon, “Ralph
Marks’s Granddaughter”.
Dad passed away on 27th Iyar 5745, corresponding to 18th May 1985, aged
70. I looked around me at the pews filled by members past and present, and
saw Dad’s proud face. A great achievement by a great man.
Page 35
Page 36
Reflections from Stephen Pack
President of the US
R
osh Hashanah provides an excellent opportunity for us all to reflect on the
past as well as to explore building for the future. Here Stephen Pack, The
US President, answers a few wide-ranging questions.
What is the most important message I want to give to our fantastic communities?
I wish all of our members and their families a happy, healthy and peaceful New
Year. I would also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who works hard to
make their communities successful. Who have been the people who have inspired
me? I have been privileged to work closely with the Chief Rabbi and with the
emeritus Chief Rabbi. They are a huge inspiration. I have also been fortunate to
work with many great people over my career and have found you can learn
something from everyone.
What do I think are the most exciting US initiatives that have been implemented
in the last few years? I am really excited by the new things we are doing with our
communities including welcoming several new ones to The US family. The recent
conference on Inspired Leadership was a great success and I was pleased we have
launched the Community Development Fund to help our communities be even
more successful.
What am I most proud of so far during my Presidency? Five things: the
appointment of our new Chief Rabbi, the appointment of our new Chief Executive,
our women trustees and the increased role of women in lay leadership, the
outstanding Strategic Review that has set out our priorities for the next few years
and of course the new communities that have joined us. What does the recent
turmoil in the UK political arena mean for the Jewish community? Political turmoil
is rarely good for the Jews but I am delighted that the new Prime Minister has
shown herself to be a true friend of the Jews and of Israel. I am concerned that we
remain particularly vigilant about security over the coming months. If someone is
thinking about getting involved in the community what would I say to them? I
would say that the more you put into something the more you get back. Communal
work can be very rewarding and you will enjoy it! The funniest thing that has
happened to me as President? There are so many incidents but the application for
Chief Rabbi from Rabbi Hyman Krustovski (of The Simpsons) was a highlight I
won’t forget!
Page 37
Many Happy Returns
of the Day, Your
7
Majesty
Left to right: Jonathan Landaw, Abe Ezekiel, Rabbi Zvi Cohen, Harvey
Jacobs, Yossele Cohen, Avromale Cohen, Moishe Cohen, Shlomole Cohen,
Reuven Lavi, Rabbi Binyomin Mann, Julian Mann, Yehudah Cohen and Dr
Henry Malnick
Left to right: Margaret Ingram, Shirley Labelda, Mavis Hallegua, Pat Brody
and Cynthia Green
Page 38
The Mignonette Aarons Concert 10 April 2016
Page 39
Page 40
Page 41
A Family Photo
and the thoughts it provoked in me.
By Leslie Rübner
M
y only paternal cousin sent me a family photo. Judging by the
clothes that my family were wearing and my father’s age it must
have been taken in the late 1920s. They were in traditional
formation in the back yard for a group photo. The family property
was in northern Hungary, in Balassagyarmat, one of the oldest kehilas in that
country. I knew this house well; I remember a summer spent there with my
mother and younger brother. My father (in the picture, the boy sitting in the
front left) was probably in the army at the time.
The house was touching the pavement and at the end of the property (as
most houses were built) the wall continued as a fence with an arched gate,
big enough to drive a horse and cart through comfortably. Once in the
neglected back yard, there was not a blade of grass, but a few fruit trees here
and there. There was a well for clean, healthy water. The entrance to the
house was through the kitchen, as was customary in Hungary in those days,
Page 42
where at the
door was a
little table with
a jug of water
and a bucket
on the floor to
wash
one’s
hands. Inside
the house it
was darkish
and pleasantly
cool. I had a
close
encounter with
the
wall
outside and I
can confirm it
was covered in
pebbledash! I
climbed up to
the
window
and got out by
jumping off;
and scraped
the skin off my
tummy.
Back to the
photo. In the
back row is
my Aunt on
Balassagyarmat main shul. Destroyed by the
the left, the
Nazis in 1944
wife of Uncle
Shie, my grandparents’ oldest child, who was standing next to her. On his
left is Uncle Shuli, neatly dressed; not the way I remember him. The two
girls next to him are Neni and Hindi. In the middle between my father and
an unknown girl is my great-grandmother Gitl Heber.
Page 43
The boys survived the Holocaust. Uncle Shie was on business in London
when the war broke out. He applied to the Home Office several times to
obtain a visa for his family, but by the time the visas arrived the Hungarian
authorities had stopped all Jewish emigration. His entire family perished in
Bergen Belsen.
Uncle Shuli and his wife Ilonka found refuge in the Swiss diplomat’s safe
haven, the Glass House.
The two girls, by then married with substantial families, were murdered
along with with their husbands and children in Auschwitz.
My Father, Avraham (Armin), first served in the Hungarian Army and
carried on in a Labour Battalion in the virgin forest of Bryansk, in the
Ukraine, ending up in a German Concentration Camp. He survived.
Balassagyarmat, a little town on the Ipoly River with an unpronounceable
name, was an important Ashkenazi Orthodox centre. The first Chief Rabbi
of this town was Aharon Dovid Deutsch aka Rabbi Dovid Prague z’tl. He
was born in 1812 in Raudnitz, Bohemia (today Roudnice nad Labem, Czech
Republic), a descendant of the Maharal of Prague. He studied in Pressburg
under Rabbi Moses Schreiber, the Hasam Sofer, where he was part of a
group of students, described as the Rebbe’s favourites. He moved to Budapest, where he taught Talmud in a small Yeshivah. In 1851 he was asked to
be the Chief Rabbi of Balassagyarmat, a post he accepted, and one of his
conditions was that the kehilla should build a Synagogue with seating for
all. A strong-willed person, he managed to unite a community of different
levels of religious observance. Of course, pretty soon there was a need for
another shul to be built in addition to the big one. My grandfather, whom I
am named after, was one of the gabbaim. He supplied the community and
beyond with matzos for Pesach, made in his matzo factory; he travelled to
Greece to purchase arba minim for Sukkos and did whatever was needed for
the kehilla.
My grandmother, Yittel, was a born businesswoman. She scouted the
countryside for goose feathers which she sold on to wholesalers. All three
boys followed in the feathers wholesale business.
Page 44
La Señora
By Leslie Rübner
W
e are living in an age of women’s liberation. Women are involved
in all walks of life. We have women CEOs, politicians and we
even have Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Let me introduce you to a little known historical figure who
achieved gender equality, way before the Suffragettes, in the 16th century.
She was a top banker dealing with kings and Popes. This lady’s other activity
was the rescue of countless Jews from the jaws of the Inquisition. Later, in
the Ottoman Empire, she assumed the leadership of the Jewish Community;
but when she died she was totally forgotten.
Until now.
In Hollywood a TV mini serial was made about this person, Doña Gracia
(Hannah in Hebrew) Mendes, also known by her Christian name as Beatrice
de Luna, a New Christian.
She was born in Portugal in 1510 as Gracia Nasi into an ancient and
venerable family of Spanish Jews, who were refugees from Aragon in Spain
where they were forcibly converted to Christianity. The converted people
were known as Conversos, Crypto-Jews, Marranos (pigs in Spanish) or
Secret Jews. When she was 18 years of age, Beatrice de Luna married a
cousin of hers, Francisco Mendes (Crypto-Jews, for obvious reasons, tended
to marry within their families), one of two brothers who controlled a growing
spice trading company. The House of Mendes probably began as a company
trading in precious objects but became important spice traders following the
Portuguese explorations that led to the development of the Indian sea route.
On 3 August 1492 the Spaniard Columbus sailed from Palos, Spain, with
three small ships, the Santa María, the Pinta and the Niña, to find a route to
India by circumnavigating the globe; however, the Portuguese Vasco da
Gama’s circumnavigation was around the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa,
and opened the sea route to India, 1497–1499. Valuable spices were now
available from the mysterious East and the Mendes brothers (Francisco and
Diogo), with their ships, were transporting them and distributing them
throughout Europe.
Page 45
In January 1538, when Gracia was only 27 years of age, her husband
Francisco died suddenly, leaving her with an infant daughter, known
privately as Reyna, but publicly to the Christian world as Ana. In his Will
Francisco divided his fortune between his wife and brother, who ran the
banking branch of the business in the then Habsburg Netherlands, in the city
of Antwerp (at the time the financial centre of Europe), Gracia, the infant
daughter Ana and her younger sister Brianda de Luna decided to join the
Brother-in-Law. After a brief stay in London, Gracia, Ana and Gracia’s
sister joined Diogo settled in Antwerp. Previously, on 23 May 1536, the
Pope had ordered the establishment of a Portuguese Inquisition whose
mighty arms were beginning to be felt. The Mendes family was safe in the
Netherlands.
Gracia’s sister, Brianda, and Diogo married in Antwerp. In 1542 Diogo,
like his brother, also died young. Dona Gracia assumed the management of
the Mendes commercial empire, with her sister as a sleeping partner (as had
been stipulated in Diogo’s Will). She proved to be a shrewd and very
successful businesswoman. Her enormous wealth put her in an influential
position in the courts of kings and Popes, which she used to protect cryptoJews; she made money available to free various Jewish hostages and was
involved in a host of charitable activities to help fellow Conversos. She was
influential in the publication of the Ferrara Bible from Sephardic source
texts, the second printing of which was dedicated to her.
The House of Mendes, under the direction of Doña Gracia, a “mere”
woman of the 16th Century, was engaged in business with Henry II of France,
Henry VIII of England, Charles V of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire,
Maria of Austria, Regent of the Low Countries, Popes Paul III and Paul IV
(bribes to the Pope delayed the establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal)
and lastly, but not least, Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman
Empire.
From kings and princes there were numerous proposals of marriage to her
daughter, Ana. Had this happened, the Mendes fortune would have been
largely lost, a problem which was averted by Ana’s marriage to her nephew,
Joaõ Miguez, or Joseph Nasi as he called himself as a Jew.
Page 46
The Inquisition had a long arm and it eventually reached Amsterdam too.
The Mendes family, with their fortune, fled to Venice. The Doges were only
too keen to have the Mendes money in Venice, a port from which many
vessels left for distant lands, including places where Jews did not need to be
afraid of living openly as such. Don Joseph Nasi found refuge in Turkey
where he became one of the mightiest men of Europe, as a minister to the
Sultan.
The king of France, a willing tool of the church, was very angry that
Gracia had slipped away from Antwerp, and even more so that she had taken
most of her wealth with her before he could confiscate it. At his instigation,
and because of Brianda’s desire to free herself from being under Gracia’s
thumb, she reported Gracia to the authorities as a secret Jew; the governors
of Venice imprisoned her with her family, and confiscated her huge wealth.
Cousin Don Joseph interceded with Suleiman the Magnificent. The
Sultan sent emissaries to Venice to free the Marrano woman and her family
to enable them to escape to the Ottoman Empire with her wealth. It took
two years of negotiations and threats of war to set them free; they settled
temporarily in Ferrara, where they openly returned to their Jewish religion.
By 1552 Dona Gracia established herself in Constantinople, where she used
her wealth to help Jews in trouble, supported yeshivot and built
synagogues. A synagogue in Constantinople is named after her- the La
Señora synagogue, where the bimah is made in the shape of a ship.In 1558
Suleiman the Magnificent, as a sign of friendship, granted a long-term lease
on the Tiberias region of Galilee, which was then part of Ottoman Syria, to
Gracia who, in turn, was hoping to persuade Jewish refugees to settle there.
This act may make her an early, if not the first, Zionist. Her aim was to make
Tiberias into a major new centre of Jewish settlement, trade and learning.
After the torture and burning of Jews in the Italian city of Ancona she
organised a worldwide boycott of the port of Ancona.
Dona Gracia Mendes died in Istanbul in early 1569. We are not sure
where she was buried, but it is assumed that she lies next to her husband on
the Mount of Olives. With her passing her name was forgotten.
Until now.
Page 47
Yom Yerushalayim Sunday, 5 June 2016
By Leslie Rübner
Page 48
Previous page: Rabbi Fine. Bottom of this page: These photos are showing some
of the paratroopers then and now
ur annual Yom Yerushalayim celebration took place in our New
Louis Domb Hall. As always the Ladies Guild, under the direction
of Sharon Linderman and Cynthia Jacobs, provided us with a
scrumptious spread of an Israeli style supper. Our guest speaker was
Rabbi Yisroel Yaakov Fine. After reminiscing about his ministry in
Wembley and Southgate, the Rabbi recollected the story of a religious
paratrooper brigade that was ordered to occupy the Temple Mount.
According to our tradition, as we all are impure we are not allowed on the
Mount, but orders are orders, so they occupied the holy site. It occurred to
one of them that after about 2000 years they were the first Jews on the
Mount. When the Rabbi finished his talk our senior Gabbai, Harvey Jacobs,
expressed our thanks. And thereafter the guests mingled, chatted and
socialised with each other.
O
As a footnote, next year, 2017 will be the 50th anniversary of taking back
Yerushalayim.
Page 49
The Jewish Autonomous Oblast
By Leslie Rübner
s early as 1913, in the Bolshevik journal Prosveshchenie, Stalin
published an article defining nationality as “a historically formed,
stable community of people, united by community of language, of
territory, of economic life, and of psychological make-up, which expresses
itself in community of culture”. This definition could be applied to most
nationals, except the Jews had no
common language, territory or
economic life, but in the Soviet
identity documents “Jewish” was
entered as a nationality. Stalin
decided to make the Jews fit into
his description of a nation by
creating a Jewish homeland with
Yiddish beside Russian as the
official language. He relished the
idea of having the Jewish people out of the way in a remote corner of
Siberia. But some Jews also looked forward to a life in a place that would
welcome them, contrasting the increasingly anti-Semitic USSR.
A
On 28 March 1928, the Presidium of the General Executive Committee
of the USSR passed the decree “On the attaching for ‘Komzet’ (the initials
stand for Committee for the Settlement of Working Jews on the Land) of free
territory near the Amur River in the Far East for settlement of the
working Jews.” This decree made it
possible to establish a Jewish homeland
in the Soviet Union. Earlier attempts to
settle the Soviet Jews on dedicated land
in the Ukraine, and later in Crimea, did
not succeed in turning those
“unproductive” Jews into “honest”
agricultural workers. On 20 August
1930, the General Executive Committee
of the Russian Socialist Republic
Page 50
accepted the decree “On formation of the Birobidzhan national region in the
structure of the Far Eastern Territory”. Birobidzhan had neither Jewish
history, nor Jewish identity, and none of the connections to Jewry that Israel
would later have. Very few Jews came, but those who did were from all over
the world. For example, a Jewish Communist organisation in North
America, successfully encouraged the immigration of some US residents;
the Jewish population of Birobidzhan never reached more than 14,000
people, or more than one-fifth of the population. Life in the territory was
hard. Unfortunately for the migrants, there was a good reason why virtually
nobody lived in this region: the winters were extremely harsh, the summers
were hot and the place was infested with flies and the like, the roads were
practically non-existent, and the land was swampy. These town dweller
newcomers were expected to make a virgin, barren land productive. Like
the Chalutzim, they also had to drain swamps, clear rocks from fields, had
to get used to the climate. Diseases were rampant. Religious activities were
strictly forbidden. There was not a single shul, but there was a well-attended
Yiddish theatre.
Stalin showed his true colours in the in the mid-1930s. During the first
campaign of purges the Soviet authorities arrested and executed
Birobodzhan’s Communist Jewish leaders, and Yiddish schools, theatre and
anything else to do with the Jews were shut down.
After the War there was a small revival of Jewish life in the Jewish
Autonomous Oblast. With the fall of Communism a good number
of Birobidzhanis went on aliyah, most of them settled in Maalot, but some
of them found it hard to adjust, a few of the elderly had trouble with the
Hebrew
language,
and
others
complained of discrimination and
returned to the Oblast. The New Russia
dismantled the autonomous territories,
but the Jewish Oblast remained despite
the fact that Jews make up less than 2%
of the population. They have a
beautiful shul now and also a Rabbi
from Israel.
Page 51
A SURPRISE ENCOUNTER
By Ruth Aharoni nee Richendaller/Richards
L
ast week in Edgware an excited voice
called out to me, my old school friend
Monica. We had met about seven years
back but didn’t keep in touch. She was
enthusiastic about a class reunion being arranged
in Shenfield, Essex; “How pleased everyone
would be to see you,” she said persuasively. Of
course it sounded great, if I could get there. She mentioned some of the girls
we had been close to and I asked her if a certain friend would attend – it was
a “Yes”.
Monica supplied the phone number I wanted. It was my turn to feel
excited when I telephoned and a voice said “Hello”. “Is that Pamela Oels
born 29th May 1936 in the next bed to Ruth Richendaller?” I asked. Pamela
exploded, screaming my name a couple of times in disbelief.
This is our story: When we started our new school – Dalston County
Grammar – the teacher asked us in turn to state our date of birth. I gave
mine and the girl in front said “That’s mine as well”.
The next day she arrived at school saying she had told her mother about
a girl called Ruth with the same birthday. Her mother asked for my surname
and told Pamela that our two mothers were in adjoining beds.
Well I finally contacted Pamela. To be honest I didn’t think we would
have anything to say, but the conversation flowed. Pam went over the story
of our place of birth. Her mother had told her I was a much admired baby
with olive skin and tight black curls. Pamela admitted she hadn’t mixed with
Jewish girls before, as she went to a Church School. She recalled one day
arriving for lessons and asking, “Where is everyone?” and discovering it was
the Jewish holidays. We all mixed together with no prejudices, but did have
separate prayers.
We will keep in touch and hope to meet, even if I don’t make it to the
reunion.
Page 52
To Roz and Stephen Phillips on the birth, on 30 March 2016, in Sha’arei Tzedek
Hospital, of a granddaughter, a daughter for Rochel and Chagai Cohen and a
12th ‫ בע”ה‬great-grandchild for Stephen’s mother.
To David and Esther Schneider on the birth of a granddaughter, a daughter for
Bracha and Jonathan Schneider. April 2016.
To Norman and June Cohen on the birth of a great-grandson, a granddson for
Joanne and David Stanhill, and a son for Ma’ayan and Amit Ganz. April 2016.
To Helen and Danny Eckstein on the birth of a great-granddaughter, a granddaughter for Michele and Errol Melman. May 2016
To Ruth Aharoni on the celebration of a very special birthday May 2016.
To Ruth and Wayne Birnbaum on the Bas Mitzvah Shabbos, 28 May 2016, of
their eldest granddaughter, Nechama. Mazal Tov also to Nechama’s parents, Rabbi
Yoni and Elisheva Birnbaum of Hadley Wood.
To Brian and Hinda Lasky on the marriage of their son Adam to Jessica Singer.
May 2016.
A baby girl was born in Israel to Idit and Tzvi Badichi on 2nd June 2016, named
Shikma. A grand-daughter for Rav Aharon and Sharon Badichi, a great-granddaughter for Irene and Gershon Glausiusz.
To Jeremy Ben David on the birth of a grandson, a son for Nava and Yaacov
Liebner and to the great-grandmother, Joan Davis. June 2016.
To Ilana and David Goodman on the birth of a granddaughter, a daughter for
Avichai and Aviya Goodman, and a great-granddaughter for Pat Goodman. June
2016.
To Lydia and Leon Lewis on the Bar Mitzvah of their Grandson, Doron Weil, son
of Dalia and Danny Weil. June 2016.
To Aubrey Goldstein, and to Judy and Paul Berlin, on the birth of a great-grandson/grandson, Gavriel, a son for Miriam and Rabbi Benjy Gordon. June 2016.
Page 53
To Andrew and Aliza Green on the engagement of their son Avner to Rotem Karo.
July 2016.
To Avner’s grandmother, Cynthia Green. July 2016.
To Rabbi Julian and Rosalyn Shindler on the engagement of their daughter, Avital, to Josh Sands. July 2016.
To Rochelle and Stephen Chevern on the birth of a grandson, a son for Mickey
and Elana Levine. July 2016.
To Francine and Simon Stuart on the engagement of their daughter Aviya. July
2016.
To Lionel and Vivien Shebson on the engagement of their grandson Eli Shebson
to Yardenna Cohen. July 2016.
To Stephen and Rochelle Chevern on the birth of a granddaughter, a daughter
for Yisroel and Shuli Harris. July 2016
To Mary Ann and Jonathan Landaw on the birth on Tuesday, 26 July 2016, of a
grandson in Manchester, a son for Rachel and Yitzi Landaw.
To Wayne and Ruth Birnbaum on the birth of a grandson, a son for Sami and
Yaeli Birnbaum, and to the machetunim, Chazan Avromi and Rochelle Freilich. August 2016.
To Lionel and Vivien Shebson on the birth of a great-grandson, a grandson for
Jeremy and Ruth Shebson, and a son for Pini and Ilana Shebson.
To Cynthia and Harvey Jacobs on the Bat Mitzvah
of their granddaughter, Devorah, daughter of Ruthie
and Raphael Jacobs.
To Avromele Cohen, his parents Rivky and Rabbi
Zvi Cohen, his grandparents on both sides and all his
family. Avromele was called to the Torah as a Bar
Mitzvah on Shabbat Parshat Re’eh on 3 September
2016.
To Doniel and Avigayil Hool on the birth of a grandson in Yerushalayim and to
the great grandfather Rabbi Hool. 4 September 2016.
Page 54
From Rabbi and Mrs Cohen and family.
Wishing Rabbi and Rivki Cohen and their family and all our friends in
Kingsbury and beyond Shana Tova Umetukah. From Pat Brody and Jonathan
and family in Israel.
Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year and Well over the Fast from
Della and Tony Brown with Vivienne Saskya and Andrew.
Mignonette and Stanley Aarons wish all the community a Kesiva V’Chasima
Tova, and well over the fast.
Henry and Sylvia Malnick together with their family wish the whole kehillah a
happy, healthy and peaceful new year.
Shanah Tova to all. Greetings from the Ingram family.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year – Cynthia Green and
family.
Irene and Rev Gershon Glausiusz send greetings from our Yishuv Revava in
the Shomron. to Rabbi and Rebbetzen Cohen, the Honorary Officers and all the
kehilla, for a Shana Tovah v’Metukah. A Happy and Peaceful New Year.
Gerald Green, Janice and Ian Donoff and their family wish a Happy and
Peaceful New Year to all their friends in the Kehilla.
Cynthia and Harvey Jacobs, together with their family, wish the whole kehillah
a very Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year.
Rayner and Michael Barnett and family wish everyone a Happy and Healthy
New Year and well over the fast.
Page 55
Roz, Stephen and Tammi Phillips together with Rochel, Chagai, Refael Yosef,
Moriah, Uriel Moshe, Chana, Achiya and Talya Cohen (Jerusalem), and
Samantha, Daniel, Shemaya and Tova Phillips (Edgware), and Abigail, Zvi, Yoni
and Eli Ormonde (Netanya) wish everyone in the Community a very Happy and
Healthy New Year.
Deborah and Leslie Rubner wish the Kingsbury community together with Klal
Yisrael a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.
Wishing Rabbi and Rivky Cohen and family, Kingsbury friends near and far
away, a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year from Pat Goodman and
family, here and in Israel.
Silvia and Harold Stone and families wish all our friends and members of
Kingsbury Shul a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year and Chatima Tova.
I wish Rabbi and Rebbetzen Cohen and children and all the Kehilla and my
family a Very Happy New Year from Ruth Aharoni.
Julian and Rosalind Mann with Stefanie and Daniel Dasa, Shirelle, Itamar, and
Bat Chen, Rabbi Benjamin Mann, Rabbi Michael Mann, Tuvia Yoseph, Yisroel
and Shalom Chaim, wish the whole community a Happy and Prosperous New
Year.
Wayne and Ruth Birnbaum with Rabbi Yoni and Elisheva, Rabbi Dov and
Tehilla, Rabbi Ben and Abi Kurzer, Sami and Yaeli, Rabbi Doron and Zehava
and all our wonderful grandchildren wish Rabbi Cohen, Rivki and their family
and all the community Kesiva V’Chasima Tova
New Year wishes and greetings from Mary Ann and Jonathan Landaw, Jacob,
Raphy, Asher and Rochelle and Eliana and Zevi, Yitzi and Rachel and new baby
boy, Rachel, Naomi.
Reuven, Jeanne and Joseph Lavi and Gabriella, David, Tehillah Shimon,
Yonatan and Tirtza Berrebi wish all the community a Shanah Tovah.
Greta and Lawrence Myers, together with Sharon and Roi, Tehilla, Sara &
Moriah (Blumberg), and Deborah and Binyamin, Betzalel, Elisheva, Tamar &
Avigail (Radomsky), wish all of the present and past Kingsbury Community,
everything they wish for themselves , for a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year.
‫כתיבה וחתימה טובה‬
KINGSBURY SYNAGOGUE
Hool Close Kingsbury Green London NW9 8XR
Telephone: 020 8204 8089
Email: [email protected]
Kingsbury Officials
Rabbi
Rabbi Zvi Cohen
Email: [email protected]
Administrator
Ivan Gold
Wardens
Harvey Jacobs
Jonathan Landaw
Financial Representative
Julian Mann
Board and Council of Management
Stanley Aarons
Stephen Hearn
Wayne Birnbaum
Harold Stone
Richard Shaw (co-opted)
Pat Goodman
Mary Ann Landaw
Sharon Linderman
Representatives on U.S. Council
Mrs Pat Goodman
Mr Richard Shaw
Board of Deputies Representative
Jonathan Brody
Welfare Officer
Reuven Lavi
Chair Ladies’ Guild
Sharon Linderman