CROSSWORD 899

ACROSS

1 Valuable items of property, like TVs maybe (6)

4 Ancient port named after old Rome’s boss 40 km south of Haifa (8)

9 Destroyed in the tempestuous Red Sea (6)

10 One of the Nevi’im known for his woeful predictions (8)

12 Jewish religious songs often hummed or with the melody repeated (Hebrew) (8)

13 ‘David went up from thence, and dwelt in the strongholds of ‘ ** **** ’ (1 Sam. 23:29) (2,4)

15 Original plot written about in Genesis (6,2,4)

18 Traditionally Jewish area of north London (7,5)

21 King of Ammon (1 Sam. 11:1) (6)

22 A fool, a buffoon (Yiddish) (8)

24 The stone between Mizpah and Shen named by Sanuel (1 Sam. 7:12) (8)

25 Old port town near Haifa whose castle was the Knights Templars’ last redoubt (6)

26 Greasy fat for cooking (Yiddish) (8) 27 Looked to be in deeper trouble! (6)

DOWN

1 One of three fired - retired and gone to pieces (Dan. 2:49) (8)

2 Walks jauntily, as does a happy dog on board (8)

3 Solomon’s dusky girlfriend (1 Kings 10:4) (3,5,2,5)

5 Victim of early murderer competent in hearing (Gen. 4:8) (4)

6 London’s HQ of British Reform Judaism (9,6)

7 Bankrupt union, regularly overdrawn? (6)

8 Ancient site and coastal National Park between Acre (Akko) and the Lebanese border (6)

11 French Department ignored in reorganisation (7) 14 Fire stations? (7)

16 Eating heartily, scoff as stone-setter, perhaps? (8)

17 Tanned suspect going round old island ceremonially smeared in oil (8) 19 Heavenly messengers a German Marxist beheaded (6)

20 Beat about the ears! (6) 23 Grass, being open to bribes (4)