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A CAPACITY crowd attended the annual Wizo. UK dinner raising over £250,000 for the charity’s support work. Israeli envoy Daniel Taub spoke of his admiration for Wizo, saying it “helps to strengthen family bonds and encourage independence through its network of vocational projects”. Smadar Betsalel, a graduate of Wizo’s Nachalat Yehuda boarding school, received a standing ovation when she recalled her poignant story. Orphaned at eight, she was subsequently unhappily adopted by family members, where she was subject to abuse. At 13, she joined the Wizo school where she “felt at home”. She is now a lawyer. The 300 guests at the Marriot in Grosvenor Square were entertained by pianists Orian Shukran and Gadi Abu Saman — graduates of Wizo’s music centre in Ma’alot.
BEFORE A 200-strong audience at Westminster Synagogue, the ceramicist and author Edmund de Waal announced that he was making his final appearance to talk about The Hare with Amber Eyes, his best-selling book about his family and inheritance. He was in conversation with James Harding, editor of The Times and a member of the congregation. A question-and-answer session followed Mr de Waal’s talk.
CHIGWELL
DR ANNETTE Bar, a practising gynaecologist, was welcomed to Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue as the inaugural speaker at the reformed monthly Levana ladies learning group. Around 50 women heard Dr Bar, the wife of Rabbi Binyamin Bar of Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation, speak about issues facing Jewish women. Dr Bar, who is to retrain as a GP, said: “From both a health and a spiritual point of view, I feel privileged to visit the community to answer questions, and hopefully dispel any myths.”
BELSIZE PARK
ONE HUNDRED people packed into Belsize Square Synagogue for a New Israel Fund Question Time discussion of issues relating to Israel, including the peace process, democracy and the UK’S relationship with Israel as a diaspora community. On the panel were Israeli attorney Talia Sasson, the BBC’S Tim Franks and Israeli journalist Dimi Reider. NIF chief executive Adam Ognall chaired the discussion. He said: “It was tremendous to see so many people engaging in discussion of these important issues.”
EDGWARE
A TEAM from Edgware — hosted by sisters-in law Ann and Sylvia Barnett — were the winners of a simultaneous quiz organised by food redistribution charity, Gift. More than £5,000 was raised on Saturday night through Gift’s Supper Quiz With a Difference. The 25 families across England and Israel who hosted a Gift quiz donated cash raised from the event to a charity of their choice. Charities to benefit included Chai Cancer Care and Kisharon.
DUNDEE
FIONA FRANK held a meeting at Dundee Hebrew Congregation to discuss the initial findings of Scojec’s Being Jewish in Scotland project. Ms Frank led a discussion showing the broader patterns of people’s concerns: access to kosher food, a need for more educational opportunities, concern for anti-israel sentiment and the co-operation found in smaller communities. Dr William Kenefick of the University of Dundee spoke to the 35-strong audience about the experiences of Irish and Jewish immigrants living in the Gorbals district of Glasgow.
GLASGOW
COSGROVE CARE held its annual Care Phone Day Appeal on Sunday. More than 20 volunteers phoned members of the local Jewish community asking for support. Cosgrove fundraising officer Sharon Kaye said: “We are really pleased with how successful Sunday proved to be. We are still receiving donations, but we know that we raised over £10,000. We would like to thank the community for its generosity.”
THE SCOTTISH Jewish Archive Centre teamed up with Jewish Book Week to host an open day for visitors in conjunction with a lecture. Visitors were invited to explore the archives and were then treated to a talk by authors Yehuda Koren and Eilat Negev about their book The First Lady of Fleet Street. The book tells the story of Rachel Beer who edited the Sunday Times and the Observer at the end of the 19th century.
SCOTTISH JEWISH Archives Centre director Harvey Kaplan was the guest speaker at a Thistle Club meeting where he spoke to around 35 people about how the archives illustrate Scottish Jewish life over the past 200 years. Suzanne Neville, chief executive of Jewish Care Scotland, thanked Mr Kaplan for his talk and wished the centre well for its 25th anniversary. Mr Kaplan said: “It was good to have contributions from club members who told me things I did not know, like a lady who remembered the Central Synagogue in the Gorbals.”
LIVERPOOL
A CAPACITY crowd attended King David High School’s annual prize-giving at the Royal Philharmonic Hall. New prizes were awarded this year recognising the Jewish ethos of the school: the Tilly Rosenblatt Tikun Olam prize was awarded to Patrick Bagaza; the joint winners of the Israel project prize were Ruby Peiser and Emma Beaver; the Michael Vallins Israel advocacy prize went to Yael Lesin-davis; and the co-winners of the Norma Sneeden memorial prize for community service were Taylor Moss and Jessica Jamieson. Other prize winners included Rachel Friend who picked up the Bar Ilan University trophy for contribution to the Jewish life of the school and the community, while Adam Fineberg received the Richard Cohen memorial prize for contribution to the school’s Jewish ethos. The guest of honour, Luciana Berger MP, spoke to the 1,500-strong audience about the importance of Tikun Olam. “Pupils should always put this at the heart of everything they do and achieve.” ( See picture.)
BROMLEY
COL SHAUL Arieli was welcomed by a large audience when he gave the first lecture in his Yachadsponsored UK speaking tour at Bromley Reform Synagogue. Col Arieli has been involved in IsraeliPalestinian peace talks at the highest level for several decades, and explained the thinking behind the many options for the two-state solution. Hannah Weisfeld spoke to the 60-strong audience about Yachad’s desire to represent the voice of British Jews who love Israel but do not support its government’s every move. The meeting was chaired by Matthew de Lange who had been instrumental in bringing Col Arieli and his fellow speakers from the Council for Peace and Security to the UK. ACROSS 7 9 10 11 12 14 15 16
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