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Editorial Rosh Hashanah Message from Rabbi Cohen Rosh Hashanah Message from Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis Ladies’Guild Column Events Mazal Tov A Farewell to Friends Another Saturday Night Out with a Difference The Harbin Community The Wooden Etrog Box My Trip to Ypres The Imperial War Museum, New First World War Galleries The Kingsbury Jewish Aid Society Mignonette and Stanley Aarons in Conversation Dealing with Diabetes A Long Shlepp – North to South Israel Our Future's Foundations The Board of Deputies President’s Rosh Hashanah message New Year Greetings

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We are happy to welcome you to the sixth edition of the Kingsbury Courier.

The Ladies’ Guild are to be congratulated for their ongoing coffee mornings

and lunches, which have been outstandingly successful. At each coffee

morning, one of the members or friends gives a short talk on a subject of their

choice. Alternatively, everyone discusses topical issues “What the Papers

Say” which always evokes lively debate.

The daily minyanim need your support – young people have married recently

and moved away and numbers inevitably have diminished.

May we respectfully inform you that the price for Pesach or New Year

Greetings in future editions of the Kingsbury Courier will rise from the

longstanding £5 to £7.50p per insert.

Should you wish to insert your simcha in our Mazal Tov section, please let us

know. No charge.

We take this opportunity to wish all our readers a Shanah Tovah - A Happy

and Peaceful New Year 5775.

We hope with the help of the Almighty that events in Israel will come to a

speedy and satisfactory resolution. Our thoughts are with all the families

whose husbands, sons, brothers, fathers and relations are presently serving or

have served with the IDF. May Hashem grant peace in the Holy Land.

Joint Editors Irene Glausiusz and Leslie Rübner

Footnote: Irene Glausiusz is hoping IY”H to continue co-editing the

Kingsbury Courier at long distance from her new home in Reveva in the

Shomron.

E-mail: [email protected]

Page 1 The Kingsbury Courier Rosh Hashanah 2014

The Kingsbury Courier Page 1 Rosh Hashanah 2014

Rosh Hashanah Message from Rabbi Cohen

It is 5.30am on Shabbos morning, the sky ahead of me is a mixture of

hues of blue and orange as it begins to light up, waiting for the sun to

break over the horizon. I am part of an Ashkenazi Minyan led by a

Chasidic Chazan with an American reading the Torah. To my left is a

Sefardi Minyan, to my right a Chasidic Minyan and behind and in

each direction along the length of the Kotel are even more. I am told

that in these troubled times people are staying away, but on this

Shabbos morning on the week before the 9th

Av a wide spectrum of

the Jewish People stand together in prayer at this very special time of

the day.

We are soon to approach the holiest days of the year. Rosh

Hashanah, with its Shofar recalling creation, crowning G-d as our

king, reminding us of the commitment we made at Mount Sinai,

helping us look forward to a Messianic era and calling us to return

and improve. Yom Kippur, when we stand in prayer and remove

ourselves from this world, emulating angels. Sukkot and Simchat

Torah; times of joy when we show our reliance on the One Above

and our commitment to His Torah.

Which is the Holiest? The Talmud gives us a guide by which to

determine the sanctity of a day. Come to Shul on a weekday when we

lein and you will notice that we call up three men; a Cohen, a Levi

and a Yisroel. Rosh Chodesh and Chol Hamoed, days when we have

Musaf but work is permitted, we call up four. Yom Tov, when most

work is forbidden, bar that which is allowed for food preparation, we

move up to five, and Yom Kippur, when no work is permitted, we

have six. There is one day, however when we increase the number to

seven, this most holy of days which is given even greater honour than

Yom Kippur is none other than our weekly Shabbos! That one day in


2

seven when we remind ourselves that it is not we who run the world,

when we take a break from work, media, telephone, emails and even

Facebook! Time with our families and our communities; in the words

of one great Jewish thinker, ‘more than the Jews have kept the

Shabbos, the Shabbos has kept the Jews.’ It helps us reconnect with

who we really are.

This year on Parashat Noach 24th

/25th

October is ShabbatUK, and we

are joining part of an international initiative where Jewish individuals

and communities worldwide join together to enhance their Shabbos.

Each of us can find some way to enrich our Shabbos experience,

invite some friends over to join you or join in with one of the

communal events that will be happening near where you live. Look

out for the pre and post Shabbos events as well, the Challah bake and

concert.

There is another aspect of Shabbos that begins this Rosh Hashanah;

that of Shemita–the Sabbatical Year–when Jewish farmers across the

length and breadth of Israel are enjoined to leave their fields in G-d’s

hands, reaffirming that the land and all that is in it is His. Over the

course of the year we will look at ways we can help these courageous

individuals and learn how to correctly deal with produce from Israel.

This year we wish a fond farewell to Rev. Gershon and Irene

Glausiusz as they make Aliya after decades of outstanding service to

many communities in this country, especially our own community. I

owe Rev. Glausiusz a personal debt of gratitude for all the help he

has given me over the last ten years, when either my teaching or

family commitments have clashed with Shul responsibilities.

On behalf of myself, Rivky and our children I wish you a Happy

New Year, and may you and the whole of Klal Yisrael be blessed

with a year of peace, good health and prosperity.


Rosh Hashanah Message for 5775

from Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis

In our prayers for the High Holy Days we

say Simcha le’artzecha vesasson le’irecha

- Give joy to the land and elation to the

city of Jerusalem. Following a traumatic

and difficult summer it is our fervent

hope and prayer that the New Year

ushers in peace and security for Israel

and the entire region.

Aspiration for happiness is central to our

Jewish psyche. We are encouraged to celebrate what we have in a

key passage in the Book of Genesis, which we will begin to read on

Simchat Torah.

The Talmud (Chulin 139a) asks a surprising question: where can

Haman be found in the Torah? Surely nowhere! The answer is

mystifying: he appears in the Biblical account of the Garden of Eden.

We read: “Hamin ha’etz…” With these words, God confronted

Adam and asked whether he had eaten of the forbidden fruit of the

Tree of Knowledge. The Hebrew Hamin has the identical spelling to

Haman. On this basis the Talmud declares “This is where Haman can

be found in the Torah”.

As we often find in our sources, a creative interpretation of the

Hebrew language is the vehicle for an insightful teaching – in this

case about inner peace and happiness. The entire Persian nation paid

homage to Haman. Only one person, Mordechai, refused to bow

down to him. Instead of being content with what he had, Haman


fumed and obsessed about the one thing he lacked - Mordechai’s

submission.

The Torah provides us with a guide to all situations that confront us

in life. In asking where we find a phenomenon like Haman in the

Torah, the Talmud answers by identifying him with the precedent of

Eden. Instead of being happy with their bountiful blessings, Adam

and Eve were miserable about being forbidden the fruit of one single

tree. This destructive dissatisfaction led them to lose their paradise.

A year ago, as I took up office, I called on you to ‘Come with me’ on

a journey. During my first year in office, I have enjoyed immensely

the privilege of visiting the majority of our communities in the UK. I

have been deeply impressed with what I have seen. Our

congregations boast spiritual and lay leaders of the highest calibre.

Many dedicated and selfless men and women give contributions of

inestimable value to their synagogues through their deep and

unwavering commitment. We are blessed with warm and hospitable

synagogues that stage beautiful services and provide a welcoming

home for wonderful people, some of whom might otherwise be

forgotten.

Unlike Haman, we recognize and rejoice in our many achievements

and take pride in the work of our hands.

While feeling gratified and fulfilled we should not, however, be

complacent. There is far more that we can and should be doing to

breathe new, fresh and exciting life into our synagogues and

community centres. With this in mind, I look forward to being your

active partner on this journey, in our quest to build on our

attainments to date in order to achieve even greater success in the

years to come.

Valerie and I extend our warmest wishes to you all for a happy,

joyous, healthy, peaceful and successful New Year.


Once again the Kingsbury Synagogue Ladies' Guild have been

busy. Apart from Kiddushim every week, for Yom Ha Atzmaut

we had a breakfast sponsored by Irene and Rev. Gershon

Glausiusz and our speaker was Rev. Glausiusz. For Yom

Yerushalaim we held a buffet and the guest speaker was Rabbi

Jonny Hughes from Richmond Shul. Both events were well

attended.

The coffee mornings have been outstandingly popular. One

month, Stephen Hearne, a member of our shul, spoke about his

work as a special constable. This was most interesting, as is our

current affairs programme. In August we are holding a lunch

instead of a coffee morning.

If anybody is interested in joining us for coffee once a month you

will be most welcome, or if you would like to know about any of

our future functions, please contact either:

Sharon Linderman - Chairlady

e-mail:

[email protected]

Tel: 0208 204 8051

On behalf of the Ladies' Guild may we wish Rabbi Cohen, Rivky

and family, the Honorary Officers and the Kehilla a very Happy

and Peaceful New Year.

Cynthia Jacobs - Treasurer

e-mail:

[email protected]

Tel: 0208 205 1310


04 May 2014 There was a Yom HaAtzmaut breakfast

sponsored by Irene and Rev. Gershon Glausiusz.

12 May 2014 the Ladies’ Guild organised a

coffee morning.

31 March 2014 we celebrated Joan Fish’s 92nd

birthday.

27 May 2014 Yom Yerushalayim. Guest speaker

Rabbi Johnny Hughes.

09 June 2014 Steve Hearne, a community policeman,

talked about his work.

07 July 2014 at a coffee morning we discussed

current affairs. Mr Tobias was there.


30 June 2014. Mazal Tov to Ruth and

Wayne Birnbaum on the marriage of

Sami to Yaeli Freilich (pictured

above).

Just a few of the Simchas in our Community since Pesach

26th

July Mazal Tov to Rayner

and Michael Barnett on the

occasion of their Golden

Anniversary

28th

June 2014 Mazal Tov to

Shoshannah and Shalom Bloch

on the birth of Canna Zipporah

- a grand-daughter to Jeffrey

and Esther Glausiusz and great

grand-daughter to Irene and

Gershon Glausiusz.

May 2014. Mazal Tov to

Raphael and Rochelle Schiff

on the birth of a grandson, a

son for Avital and Refael

Salab, and a great grandson for

Evelyne Schiff.

May 2014. Mazal Tov to

Rabbi Dr. Julian and Ros

Shindler and on the birth of a

grandson, a son for Rivka and

Noam Levy.

August 2014. Mazal Tov to Stephen and Roz Phillips on birth of a

grandson, Yonatan Chaim, a son for Abigail and Zvi Ormonde.

April 2014. Mazal Tov to Dr. Gerald Green on the engagement of his

granddaughter, Sabrena, to Yaakov Leibovitch.


A Farewell to Friends By Leslie Rubner

It is no secret that the

Rev. Gershon and

Irene Glausiusz are

about to make aliya.

In the past we have

said farewell to many

members who were

either moving to a

different part of

London or to Israel.

Lawrence Myers

moved to Israel only

a couple years ago,

and his absence has

left us with an

irreplaceable

vacuum; it will be

likewise with the

Irene and Gershon.

Gershon’s beautiful

leining, his extensive

religious knowledge

and deep wisdom

will be greatly

missed.

Irene has just compiled a book written by some of the evacuees of the

Second World War. She spends one day a week helping out at the Imperial

War Museum, she was involved with the Association of Friendship Clubs

until it closed down and last, but not least, Irene is the joint editor of this

magazine. We sincerely hope she will carry on with The Kingsbury

Courier from Reveva, Israel.


Rev. Gershon Glausiusz in deep

discussion with the Chief Rabbi.

When I arrived in this country in

1957, my family lived in Stoke

Newington and were members in

the Beit Knesset Torah Etz

Hayim, the “69”, Rabbi Shloymé

Baumgarten’s community, where

the Glausiusz family was one of

the pillars of the Kehilah. So my

association with Rev. Gershon

goes back some way. Rev.

Gershon was active in the

Federation of Synagogues as

spiritual leader of Ohel Shem, a

by now defunct shul, and later

became the minister of the

Cricklewood United Synagogue,

a position he held until his

retirement.

After we moved to Kingsbury,

one Shabbat morning, walking

home, a bearded gentleman

joined me, saying that it is better

to walk together than separately.

This person was the Rev.

Gershon whom I did not

recognise. As we were from a

similar background, both of us

from Hungary, we struck up a

friendship. I feel privileged to be

their friend. Irene and Gershon you will be greatly missed by Kingsbury.


Another Saturday Night Out with a Difference By Harvey Jacobs

As I mentioned in my previous article in the Kingsbury Courier, in May

1969 the soup run was split so that a second run could be established in

the East End. The originators of the soup run were the Simon

Community, but when the split took place St. Mungo was founded to

differentiate it. The moving force behind St. Mungo was Jim Horne, a

Glaswegian. (St. Mungo is the patron saint of Glasgow). He set up the

organization in a house in Clapham, at the back of Clapham Junction

station. Jim lived on the top floor with his wife and a very large Alsatian

dog. The rest of the house was to be a sort of hostel for people who

were sleeping rough but wanted to rehabilitate themselves into society.

And, of course, there was the kitchen where the soup was prepared. At our JYVS group meeting, it was felt that the commitment might be

too much for the small number of eligible members in our South

London group. To spread the load, my friend Sammy and I decided we

would put the idea to other JYVS group leaders at a Leaders' Training

weekend in Manchester. The idea was greeted enthusiastically by other

London leaders, mainly from NW London, and we decided to set up an

inter-group Soup Run group. We kept to the same parameters - no one

under 16, at least one driver from a group and no less than five or more

than eight people on any night. We would do Saturday nights, as we had

been doing. Each group had a rota so that any one group would

volunteer about every five or six weeks. My new co-leader in South London was Jeff Galvan, and we would go

out every week so that new recruits to the soup run wouldn't be left to

fend for themselves. We had to arrange cover when a Yom Tov was on

Saturday night and also over Pesach. Suitable locations for distributing the soup had to be found and this we

left to Jim Horne and his regular staff. These locations were all

interesting, with some including the spice of adventure and danger -

Petticoat Lane, outside the Salvation Army hostel, Spitalfields Square,


the railway arches at the back of Liverpool Street Station, various

abandoned Peabody and Guinness Trust buildings, Cable St. and Kings

Cross/St. Pancras Station.

Preparing the soup in the early days was always an experience,

depending on what was available and what was scrounged by Jim from

local butchers, grocers, greengrocers and bakers. One night we were so

short of ingredients that Jim disappeared and came back with a large

bone. I asked where he got it from as he tossed it into the pot, and he

replied that his Alsatian could have it back after we had made the soup!

There was always something going on in Spitalfields. During the week

it was the site of a big fruit and veg market, similar to Covent Garden,

but at night those who were sleeping rough moved in. A huge bonfire

was built in one comer of the square using abandoned pallets and boxes

and the men would sit around it, talking, arguing or sleeping, and

drinking of course. They were always pleased to see us as much for new

faces as the soup. Jeff and I acquired nicknames once they got used to

us, Jeff being Thelonius Monk, and me being Rasputin (I think it was

something to do with a wild black beard). We came to Spitalfields one

night and the men were very subdued. When asked what had caused

their gloom, we were told that a couple of the men who were sleeping

rough had covered themselves with large pieces of cardboard to keep

warm, and a lorry driver, not realising that there was anyone

undemeath, had backed over them.

Going under the railway arches was, in retrospect, one of our more

dangerous stops. The arches were boarded up, abandoned premises and

the men sleeping there could be unpredictable if disturbed. Some of

them were definitely odd and one had what appeared to be some sort of

shrine that he had made using old toys and other odds and ends. Mostly

we gave them a shake and asked if they would like some soup and

bread. Some were pleased to have the food but many tended to be

solitary individuals and told us to go in no uncertain terms, although

others were glad to talk.


The Salvation Army hostel in Petticoat Lane always had about half a

dozen people outside. They were mostly those who had wanted a bed

for the night but had arrived too late, after 10.00pm. The clients here

were men who were striving to better themselves but not always

succeeding. They always welcomed our arrival and were very chatty.

One night, as we were handing out soup and bread, the officer in

charge, a major I think, put his head out of the door and asked if we

would like to look around. We, of course, said yes so he gave us a

guided tour. There was a mess hall where their clients could have a

basic breakfast and supper, some large dormitories, sleeping twenty or

so men. Most of them slept with their possessions and boots under their

heads to protect from theft. These beds cost between 2/6d (half a crown

– twelve and a half pence - Ed) and five shillings (25p). There were

some individual sleeping cubicles with doors that cost ten shillings a

night. There were also bathroom facilities. Many of these men had

casual jobs such as kitchen porters, waiters, market porters etc., all low

paid and irregular. It was very interesting to see the inside the Sally Am

Citadel as it is called.

The Peabody and Guinness Trust buildings were built as tenement

blocks by those charitable foundations to provide cheap housing for the

poor and their families. Accommodation was fairly basic with a kitchen,

living room and one or two bedrooms, with loo and bathroom facilities

shared on each floor. In some buildings, the kitchen was communal too.

Construction was sturdy, but by the 1960's local councils were building

new council housing and rehousing residents of what were seen as a

bygone age. We knew of a few of the flats that were occupied on an ad

hoc basis so we used to check them out - it was all part of the adventure.

One Xmas day we went out during daylight to make an extra special

food delivery. We stopped near the docks in Limehouse and a number

of our regulars were there. Suddenly there was a little altercation and a

number of the men disappeared. They came back a few minutes later

and I spoke to one that I had known for a while and asked what was


going on. He told me that the guy they hustled away had tried to pick

my pocket so they took him round the comer to teach him a lesson!

Our last stop was in Vallance Road (off Whitechapel), not to give out

soup, but to refuel ourselves and get breakfast from the all night Blue

and White Beigel Bakery. We used to buy smoked salmon filled beigels

and eat them sitting in our cars. We would then retum to Clapham to

return the urns.

Once an amusing incident occurred when going to the West End with

Cynthia. We were in Piccadilly Circus and were approached by a

gentleman of the road who asked for a couple of bob for a coffee (code

for an alcoholic beverage) I said to him “Hello Korky. How about me

buying you a coffee to take out?” He looked at me and laughingly said

“Oh, it is you, Harvey. You caught me out.” (The words are slightly

altered but that was the gist).

After about four or five years St. Mungo became more professional,

with full time workers, and the various voluntary groups who helped out

during the week were thanked for their effort and commitment. By then

we were getting bread and rolls from the Lyons bakery in Cadby Hall

and rotated tins of soup from Heinz. The bread was from packaging that

had split so couldn't be sold and Heinz warehouse system rotated stocks

in their warehouses on a 3 year schedule so that although not out of

date, they donated goods to organisations such as St. Mungo to free up

space.

It was a worthwhile experience for all the JYVS members who

participated over the years and I think we all learned a lot about another

aspect of life that we might never have encountered otherwise. A big

thank you to all the young members of JYVS for their time and effort

over a long period which for many encompassed GCSE's, A levels and

Uni.


Harbin Synagogue

The Harbin Community By Leslie Rübner

In 1895 the Russians leased a land concession from China to build an

extension of the cross-country Trans-Siberian line, the Chinese Eastern

Railway, across Manchuria.

Tsar Nikolai II was eager to

establish a Russian

economic hold on the

territory and, to this end; he

offered Jews a life without

restrictions and without anti-

Semitism in Manchuria.

Jewish newcomers were to

be free to settle anywhere,

but most of them established

themselves in the premier

city of Harbin (“place of

drying fish nets” in

Chinese), nesting at the

convergence of the Songhua and Heilong or Amur Rivers. Jews from the

Pale of Settlement as well as from just across the border, from Siberia, had

heard the Tsar and some of them packed their belongings, collected their

families and undertook the arduous journey to Harbin. The first Jew,

S.I. Bertsel, arrived in 1899. Indeed, just as the Tsar had promised, the new

railway offered good opportunities for the newcomers to thrive financially

and the local Chinese, not being Christians, had no tradition of anti-

Semitism.

In February 1904, in search of raw materials for her industries, Japan

attacked Russia. Right at the start Japan realised that they had bitten off

more than they could chew. Russia had limitless resources, manpower and

money, the Japanese desperately needed funding for their war effort from

the international money market. By April the vice-Governor of the Bank of

Japan, Baron Korekiyo Takahashi, was dispatched to London to organise a

line of credit. But he was offered only half the amount required and on the


most humiliating of terms. Before returning home Talahashi was invited to

a formal dinner party given by one of the bankers. There, he was

desperately complaining to all who would listen about the difficulties he

had in obtaining capital. The Jewish banker, Jacob Schiff (who

hated Nikolai II for the pogroms in Kishinev on April 6–7, 1903), a

partner in the American investment bank of Kuhn-Loeb, was sitting next

to Takahashi and he arranged for his bank to underwrite the Japanese

loan. Takahashi and Sieff became lifelong friends.

After 1919, the Japanese and White Russians (White Russians were

fighting the Reds also known as the Bolsheviks) joined forces against the

Soviets and were fighting side by side in Siberia. The White Russians,

especially General Gregorii Semononv, rabid anti-Semites, were each

issued with a copy of the “Procotols of the Elders of Zion”. This libellous

forgery was taken as the absolute truth by these people.

Captain Norihiro Yasue, a Russian language specialist in the Japanese

Army, who translated the “Protocols” into Japanese, was posted to

General Semenov’s staff, and Koreshige Inuzuka, a naval officer, who was

stationed on a battleship off Vladivostok, and a few others, after reading

the “Protocols”, came to the firm conclusion that the Jews, not having a

country of their own, had been conspiring for years to make the entire

world do their bidding. These two military officers and a small band of

fellow travellers began collecting data about this “Jewish threat”.

Newspaper and magazine columns were published on the subject by these

“Jew experts”. In 1926 Yasue was sent to Palestine to investigate Jewish

intentions. Yasue travelled up and down the country, speaking to the

Jewish political leaders, trying to elicit proof for his prejudice.

Japan was struggling with the problem of over population and it seemed

logical to persuade some of the Japanese to relocate in the newly

‘independent’ state of Manchukuo. It was imperative for Japan to develop

and exploit Manchukuo’s vast natural wealth, but capital was not easily

available in the early 1930s. The plan was to bring to Manchuria Jews from

Europe, paid for by American Jewish finance and investment and a grateful

American Jewry would influence the U.S. government to acquiesce to

Japanese colonial interests in East Asia and Oceania


The Jewish Cemetery in Harbin, the

People’s Republic of China. The

Chinese take good care of this

cemetery, putting Eastern Europe to

shame.

The Harbin Jewish population

grew to 20,000 by the 1920s.

There were Jews in every walk

of life. The community was

proud of the two synagogues,

the Old Synagogue and the

New Synagogue, a library and

Talmud Torah, an elementary

and a secondary school. They

had a hospital which treated

everyone, a home for the aged

and their own cemetery. The

Jewish owned

Hotel Moderne could boast a

restaurant, a cinema, a billiard

room, a bar and a barber shop.

There were about 20 Jewish

newspapers and magazine publications in Russian (except one in Yiddish).

With the arrival of the fiercely anti-Semitic White Russians everything

changed. There were discriminations, abductions and kidnappings of Jews

by the White Russians.

In 1931, the Japanese Army invaded Manchuria and in 1932 occupied

Harbin. The city became part of the puppet state of Manchukuo.

Gisuke Ayukawa, an industrialist who created a major steel works (later

Nissan Industries), imported scrap metal from the U.S.A. Through his

business activities he had extensive contact with American

Jews. Ayukawa and the “Jew experts” together with the Japanese foreign

minister discussed the idea of settling Jews in Manchukuo. And so, in June

and July 1939, two memoranda “Concrete Measures to be Employed to

Turn Friendly to Japan the Public Opinion Far East Diplomatic Policy

Close Circle of President of USA by Manipulating Influential Jews in

China,” and “The Study and Analysis of Introducing Jewish Capital” were

reviewed and approved by the Japanese in China. They named the project


the “Fugu Plan” because, like this fish delicacy, wrongly handled it will

poison you. Should the plan succeed, those participating would reap all the

benefits, but if the project failed the consequences would be dire. They

were planning to settle from 18,000, up to 600,000 Jews with complete

freedom of religion, culture and education. Emissaries were sent to the

U.S. to talk to prominent Jews. Gisuke Ayukawa was trying to arrange for

his suppliers to contact Washington and influence American policy

(how naïve can you get!). Dr. Abraham I. Kaufman, the head of the Harbin

Jewish Community, tried to persuade Rabbi Steven Wise, honorary

president of the American Jewish Congress, to use his considerable

influence to the same end. Rabbi Wise did not even bother to reply.

While these activities were going on, in Harbin the situation for the Jews

deteriorated. White Russian criminal gangs carried out systematic

harassment of the Jews, while the Japanese looked the other way (the

Harbin Russian Fascist Party was established in 1931 two years before the

Japanese occupation of Harbin). Citizens were kidnapped, tortured and

often murdered by the occupying army and its White Russian

collaborators. Simeon Kaspé, a 24 year old naturalised French concert

pianist, the son of the Russian born Joseph Kaspé, the owner of the

Hotel Moderne, a large jewellery store and a chain of theatres, was

kidnapped by White Russian bandits in 1933. When, on the advice of the

French consul, Joseph refused to negotiate with the kidnappers, they sent

him his son’s ears. Simeon was tortured for months and all this time Japan

ignored both the French Consul’s protests and widespread international

outrage. 95 days later, Simeon was found shot dead in a shallow grave. As

a consequence, instead of coming, the Jews began leaving Harbin

and Manchukuo for Shanghai, or if it was at all possible, abroad.

On 7th

December 1941 the Empire of the Rising Sun attacked Pearl

Harbour in Hawaii and the U.S. entered the War on the side of the Allies.

The Fugu Plan had been overtaken by events. As a footnote to this, I have

to mention that although, towards the end of the war, the Japanese had

confined all stateless Jews of Shanghai into a ghetto where

they underwent all sorts of hardships, nevertheless thousands of Jews in

Harbin, Shanghai and in Japan survived.


The Wooden Etrog Box

By Michael Roodyn

The wooden box sat

on my mother’s

dressing table for as

long as I can

remember, so it must

have been in front of

her for the better part

of 75 years or so.

She kept in it all sorts

of knick-knacks -

buttons, needles, pins, rings and small ephemera. On reflection, that box,

hexagonal in shape, had been a part of my childhood as well. I never gave

it any real attention because, after all, it belonged to my mother then.

After my mother passed away,

and the inevitable and painful

clear-out of her possessions and

clothes, I had the opportunity to

examine the box more closely and

what I discovered is the reason

I’m writing this now.

As it sits in front of me, 16.5cm

high, 12cm in width and 10cm in

depth, I shall make a crude

attempt at its description. The

box was probably made of olive

wood during the Mandate period,

probably between 1935 and

1939. The front has two

intertwined olive branches framing the 10 Commandments, with Hebrew

inscriptions surrounding the top. Along its seven sides are scenes


depicting sites in Eretz Yisroel. The front depicts, I think, the Kotel, the

Western Wall, as it was at the time it was made, and it has a small lock,

although the key was lost many decades ago. The inside still has the

original material, though slightly stained.

This would be an appropriate moment to narrate how the box came into my

mother’s possession. The story begins around 1938 when my maternal

grandmother brought my mother over from Lodz to Hendon to stay with

her grandparents, my great-grandparents. My grandmother then made the

fateful journey back to Lodz to re-join her husband and son. A few years

later all three had died at the hands of the evil Nazis.

My great-grandfather was very

frum by the standards of the day

and he and my great-grandmother

looked after my mother until 8th

October 1947, giving her a

traditional Jewish upbringing. At

Hendon Shul, on that day, when

my father, resplendent in the

uniform of an RAF Squadron

Leader, a rank he held as a young

doctor, married my mother. The

only action he ever saw, in

uniform, was when his car

collided with a bridge on the North Circular Road when returning to his

base at RAF Uxbridge!

At some point my great-grandmother must have given the box to my

mother following her husband’s death. There it remained on various

dressing tables throughout their 65 years of marriage.

Let us now stop referring to it as a box, because it has morphed into an

heirloom and the box can now be used for its proper purpose for seven

days of the year, at Succoth, to keep my ethrog, as it did for my great-

grandfather and as it will do, G-d willing, for my son and his children.


The Menin Gate

My Trip to Ypres By Odelia Glausiusz Aged 14

A pupil at Hasmonean Girls School

This year I had the good fortune to partake in a history trip to Ypres, a

town steeped in the history of one of the bloodiest wars our world has seen.

Although the town was speedily rebuilt at the end of World War One, our

tour guide told us that after the war, if you were to stand at one end of

Ypres and your friends were to stand at the other, you would not be able to

see them. This piece of information really gives you a feel for the

magnitude of the destruction that fell upon Ypres; it was not merely

damaged, but totally destroyed. The war had turned what was once a

thriving, industrial town, into a barren wasteland.


Wreath from the Hasmonean Girls’ School

However, you would never guess all that had happened there (Ypres is now

a quaint, pretty town), if not for the many cemeteries and war memorials

that appeared every

few miles of our

coach journey.

Our first stop was at

the Passchendaele

Museum, dedicated

solely to World War

I. It started with

exhibitions of

soldiers’ uniforms

from different

countries, and

various artefacts

from WW1,

accompanied with

interesting facts.

Next we explored the

replica tunnelling

that the museum had

produced. They were

very realistic, and

really gave me a feel

for what it must have

been like to be a

soldier living in the

trenches. It was quite

dark, with flickering,

dim lighting, which gave it an eerie feel and I was actually feeling quite

scared, even though I knew that it was just a museum! There were different

rooms in the tunnels; the one I remember most vividly was the

commander’s, as he was given the privilege of his own room, whereas the

soldiers had to sleep on hard wooden bunks. The commander, however,

had his own bed that even had a thin mattress! There was also a small table

with a map on it, and an oil lamp. In another room there was a lifelike


A massive dip in the ground. The site of a bunker that had been

packed with explosives, then blown up by the Allies. Over the years a

pool formed – surrounded by grass and trees.

waxwork of a soldier cleaning out his gun. The long, windy tunnels then

finally came to an end and we were back in the museum again. The next

part of the museum showcased the different weaponry used in WW1.

There was a big room that had shelves of bombs, and another with rifles

and bayonets. I was struck by how big the bombs were - I had expected

them to be quite small. We were then led to replica trenches which were

fascinating, although I was particularly interested in seeing some of the

real trenches, but apparently they’re closed on Mondays! Also, our tour

guide told us that some trenches are too dangerous to visit. The replica

trenches were all lined with sandbags and thin wooden slats. There were a

few rooms which, if I remember correctly, were bomb shelters that were

lined with corrugated iron taken from the real trenches, and so looked very

rusty in places and were peppered with bullet holes. I thought this was all

intriguing, because you get a real sense of how this war was fought, and

the terrible conditions the soldiers had to endure.


The grave of a Jewish soldier, Lance Corporal S.

W. Harris, who served with the 20th

Battalion

Australian Infantry. He died 9th

October 1917.

Finally, we walked

through a replica

house that the

American soldiers

would have built for

accommodation,

before having lunch

in the beautiful

grounds. We then

went back on the

coach to set off for

our next destination.

We stopped by a

memorial, which we

all examined, before

walking down to a

remarkable site. It

was a massive dip in

the ground, the size

of a house, covered

in lush green grass

and trees. At the

bottom was a small lake of water that must have collected over the years.

Our tour guide told us that in it the allies had dug a few bunkers, packed

them all with explosives and set them all off at once. The noise was so loud

that it could be heard in Dublin! What really struck me was that this site is

now very pretty, as you can see in the picture, but was once the site of

terrible destruction and death. In fact, under the very ground that we stood

on were probably the bones of the dead soldiers killed in the explosion.

Next, we arrived at a massive cemetery where thousands of soldiers are

buried. It was very well-tended, with flowers growing in front of each

white gravestone. We were each given a poppy and we had to choose a

grave on which to lay down our poppy. Our tour guide told us to try and

remember the name of one soldier and the date he died, because the sad


truth is that most of those soldiers are forgotten, and this should not be the

case, for if those soldiers had not given up their lives for their country, we

might not be here today. The soldier that I remembered was F. Robinson;

he died around the 16th

March 1915. We then laid a wreath down on the

memorial in the centre of the graveyard, on behalf of our school, to say

thank you to the soldiers.

We then went to a much smaller graveyard that the Germans had built, for

the young soldiers, who were really still children, who died in the war. The

wretched fact is that those teenagers were used as cannon fodder.

Next we stopped at the town centre of Ypres, which was very pretty, and

we visited the chocolate shop ‘Leonidas’, which was opened just for us.

We were offered excellent deals, so everyone bought lots of Belgian

chocolate to take home with them! We were then free to roam around the

town square for a while, before visiting the Menin Gate.

The Menin Gate is a huge arch, and every inch of its high walls is filled

with the names of the fifty thousand soldiers whose bodies were never

found. The sheer number here is simply overwhelming, and it is really

dreadful to think of the number of people who were killed as a result of the

war; altogether there were over 16 million deaths.

Every evening the people of Ypres hold a ceremony in memory of the

soldiers who died, and the arch was soon packed to the brim with the

people of Ypres, and also lots of other school children. It was a very grand

ceremony, trumpets were blown, and everyone fell silent, whilst

representatives from different schools laid wreaths, including our own.

The ceremony was the perfect end to our trip, and I can truly say that I

learnt a lot from our trip to Ypres. However, I think the main message that

I got from the trip is the immense bravery of the soldiers who fought in

World War One because if the Allies had not won the war, who knows

what the outcome would have been for all of us.


The Imperial War Museum

New First World War Galleries Review by Irene Glausiusz

The Imperial War Museum re-opened to great acclaim on the 19

th

July 2014 after a long period of extensive refurbishment, showcasing

new galleries to portray the story of the First World War

commemorated on the 5th

August, exactly 100 years after the

outbreak of hostilities. On entering the exhibition, visitors are met with an unfolding film

portraying life in Britain from the years 1900 to 1914. People are

going about their everyday lives, travelling mostly on trams - when

the average wage was £1.40p a week and a pint of beer cost 2p; when

the richest 1% of society controlled 70% of the nation’s wealth; when

one person in twenty emigrated in search of a better life abroad,

mostly to America, Australia or Canada; and a child could leave

school at the age of twelve. Moving on, the exhibition has lots of inter-active push button films

which are fine for children. Poison gas canisters are shown as a “Deadly New Weapon”. On 15

th

April 1915 the Germans released a cloud of chlorine gas on Allied

troops at Ypres. The Allies were horrified, yet in September at Loos

the British launched their own. Wandering around, visitors can see

what the shell holes looked like; how they gathered great pools of

water and, if a soldier fell in, he would most likely drown. Images of

the Belgian areas before the war are compared to the

peaceful Kent scenery and the picture changes to show the

devastation caused by the explosives - nearby a quotation “G-d’s

lovely earth wrecked beyond recognition”.


There are extracts from popular newspapers and details about the

official documentary “The Battle of the Somme” which was shown

in cinemas during August 1916 - it was estimated that 20 million

people saw it. Many hoped for a glimpse of a son, brother or

friend. The Government used this method because it wanted to

motivate the Home Front about how important it was to support the

soldiers. Admission to the exhibition is free, but entry is timed.

Understandably, during the school holidays there are huge crowds

wanting to see everything, but in a month or two, waiting will be less

of a problem. If you have time, visit the Lord Ashcroft Galleries of “Extraordinary

Heroes” to see his collection of Victoria Cross and George Cross

medals, citations and memorabilia, built up since 1986. I looked in

vain for any Jewish sounding names but there were none in the

Ashcroft collection, although for the record, five Jewish men were

awarded a VC during World War One. I couldn’t resist having a quick look around the “Family at War”

exhibits encompassing the Second World War, which included an

Anderson Shelter which children could squeeze into, a 1930’s type

kitchen with ancient gas cooker and a hand operated mangle for the

washing. Lots of posters encouraging parents to evacuate their

children to places of safety and films about the blitz. You can’t miss a car on the ground floor - or rather the mangled

wreck of a car blown up by a suicide bomber in Baghdad - displayed

alongside a pristine ambulance and a huge upright V2 rocket. This is just a brief snapshot of what is on offer. It might take a few

hours to see everything! Log onto IWM.ORG.UK for more

information. Nearest tube station Lambeth North on the Bakerloo

line.


The Kingsbury Jewish Aid Society By Pat Goodman

The Kingsbury Jewish Aid Society began over 35 years ago, comprising

11 Kingsbury couples, with the aim of raising money for Jewish Care.

We have held many functions over the years, including supper quizzes,

entertainers, walks, car rallies, film shows, theatre groups and speakers.

Over the years we have sadly lost 8 of our original committee members,

but the remaining 14 – with the help of good friends – held our last

function on Sunday 3rd August 2014. This was our yearly “Walkabout”.

We had over 80 people in 22 different cars heading to a mystery

destination; this time it was St Albans. Once there, they had to walk

around a prescribed route looking en route for the answers to 45 written

questions. Then, on completion, return to the Bushey Centre for

refreshments and the answers.

The day was extremely successful - we did not lose anyone, everyone

appeared to return with smiles on their faces and thanked us for a lovely

day - though we could not really be responsible for the weather, which

was glorious! We raised over £700 for Jewish Care.

Unfortunately we do not feel able to continue any more, arranging

functions like this which are very physically demanding and time

consuming.

However, we all started off as friends and now, many years later, we are

all extremely close friends and have supported each other over good

times and bad. We have no idea how much money we have raised for

Jewish Care over the years, but we know that it has helped and we have

all gained something ourselves from being on our committee.

Kingsbury Jewish Aid Committee


Mignonette and Stanley Aarons In conversation with

Irene Glausiusz and Leslie Rübner

Both Mignonette and

Stanley proudly proclaimed

“We are both Cockneys”–

that is, born within the sound

of Bow Bells, Mignonette at

Mrs Levy’s Jewish

Maternity Home and Stanley

at the London Hospital.

Mignonette (nee Granat)

began life in a house in

Queen Elizabeth’s Walk,

Stoke Newington – the

eldest of 6 children, four

girls and two boys. At age

two, the family moved to

nearby St Kilda’s Road. Her

father was a Master Milliner

with a business in the City of

London. Mignonette recalled

how at around the age of

four she learnt Hebrew from her father whilst he was sitting at his machine.

When his firm was blitzed during World War Two, the family moved to

Luton, famed for its millinery trade (whilst her grandparents moved to the

house in St Kilda’s Road.) Mignonette was four years old at the time and

was enrolled in the local infants’ school, followed by the primary - where

she was the only Jewish girl, subjected to substantial bullying; not a happy

time. Evacuation followed to the Aryeh House School in Wales where

Mignonette stayed until the end of the war. Back in London, her education

continued at the John Howard Grammar School in Clapton – known

locally as “Laura Place”. Her talent for music was established when she

played the piano at concerts, assemblies and for the school choir.


Stanley lived in Gossett Street off Brick Lane in London’s East End and

attended the Virginia Road Primary School. His father was a

Tailor/Presser. At age eleven he won a scholarship to the prestigious

Davenant Foundation School. He was briefly evacuated to Manchester

during the advent of the V1 and V2 rockets over London and enjoyed his

time there, staying three months until VE Day was declared. Stanley,

whose Hebrew name is Ziesel ben Zvi, celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at the

Cheshire Street Stiebl (a Federation Shul) reciting Maphtir and Haphtorah.

Stanley had one brother, Marcus (who came to live in Kingsbury, thus

encouraging Mignonette and Stanley to follow suit – but more of this

later). Stanley had the ambition to become a chartered accountant, but the

required fees were more than his parents could afford. Nevertheless, he

started work in a chartered accountant’s office and learned the hard way,

studying constantly to become qualified.

Mignonette had always wanted a career in music, but her parents thought it

would be too risky and secretarial

work was thought to be the safer

option, and so her working life

commenced at the office of the

United Synagogue, followed by a

stint at the Beth Din. Mignonette

also travelled on behalf of her

father’s business, taking orders for

the hat trade.

At this stage in life both liked to

go out socialising, and their first encounter with each other was at the

Vienna Club in Baker Street. Sometime later, following a few chance

encounters, the romance really took off. Stanley explained that he was

exempted from National Service (two years compulsory service at the

time) for health reasons. They married in 1957 at the then rather grand

New Synagogue at Egerton Road in Stamford Hill. Rabbi Dr Lehrman

officiated. Stanley was still studying at the time and qualified six months

after they married. They lived in Stoke Newington where Stanley became

Chairman of the Parents’ Association at the Shacklewell Lane Shul. He


started his accountancy practice at home. Mignonette, at that time working

for a chartered accountant, introduced Stanley to her boss and eventually

they became partners.

Around 1960/61 they moved to Kingsbury where his (late) brother Marcus

and family had set up home.

Their twins were born on 29th

December 1962 at the Whittington Hospital,

a boy named Rowland and a girl called Beverley. Three years later in 1965

their daughter Bracha Belinda arrived. At this time, Stanley became

Chairman of the Kingsbury Building Fund, taking over from David Fish,

and he chaired the JIA and JNF fundraising committees. Stanley also took

on the position of Financial Representative and Warden of the Shul and

Mignonette taught at the Cheder. The young couple initiated the rota for

the Succah crawl each year.

With the children a little older, Mignonette decided to start a Teacher

Training programme and, having enrolled at the Kilburn Polytechnic, she

duly passed her English A level exam. But her constant love was music,

and attendance at the Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute was a source of

great pleasure with lectures in music, leading to an LRAM (Licentiate

Diploma of the Royal Academy of Music), studied externally, in piano and

singing. To put it mildly, the day of the exam was not without its drama.

When they awoke, no water came from the taps and Stanley tried to fix the

problem, thus causing a flood to descend from the upstairs tank.

Notwithstanding this crisis, Mignonette set off for the exam, only for the

train to break down. On arrival at the Royal Academy the room where she

was due to perform, and in which was the required musical score, was

locked. However, despite these setbacks, Mignonette passed with flying

colours, specialising in singing with a diploma as a Singing Teacher.

Some 13 years ago, Mignonette became seriously ill and was in hospital

for five months, at which time her life was “touch and go”. She went into

hospital the day after Pesach and was in intensive care until recovery and

discharge on erev Yom Kippur. Mignonette said “I had to learn to do


everything again, but I put my life back together and I made progress,

thanks to everyone’s prayers on my behalf”.

At the present time Mignonette gives piano lessons, performs at concerts

and hosts concerts at home in aid of charity. She has also become

fascinated by the music of composers who were forbidden by the Nazis,

including music written in Teresienstadt Concentration Camp. Stanley and

Mignonette went to Prague recently out of historical interest and, whilst

there, managed to buy original manuscripts of a Czech Jewish composer.

Having retired nine years ago, Stanley now enjoys playing bridge. His son

Rowland took over the business, but Stanley still goes to the office to

“keep his hand in” and, together with Mignonette, they are looking forward

this year, G-d willing, to their 59th

Wedding Anniversary. Their children

and grandchildren all live in nearby Hendon.

FOOTNOTES

a) Mignonette’s grandfather, Avraham Zev Granat, was a chasid, a Talmid

Chacham and unofficial Rabbi in Paris. Local Jews would approach him

with any questions that needed to be solved. When the Germans over-ran

Paris, he was asked to supply the names of the Jewish people in the district,

which he refused to do. Subsequently he ran away to the forest and died

there.

b) Grandmother Rivka had a stall in the market and had the bright idea of

approaching Galeries Lafayette (a store somewhat equivalent to Selfridges)

asking if she could buy their leftover stock at the end of the season.

Motzei Shabbat she would open her stall and her customers queued up for

the metzias. She survived the war.

c) Post war, when Mignonette’s Yiddish speaking grandparents were living

in the same house in St Kilda’s Road, her father asked one of the local

people to visit them and thus Mignonette was taught to read and write

Yiddish.


Dealing with Diabetes By Mary Ann Landaw RN

Local District Nurse Self-Blood Sugar monitoring is an accurate, easy and quick way to

know the level of the blood sugar in the patient’s circulation at that

precise moment and therefore to find out if there are any problems, such

as hypoglycemia. The procedures involved in monitoring blood sugar levels are easy to

learn, thus the patient could be taught to do it him or herself in order to

create independence for him or her. It should be borne in mind that any

individual result is valid only for its respective period, and might vary

during the day with food input, exercise regime and the interaction of

the medication. It is useful to monitor the blood sugar when going to

sleep and waking up, to find out if there has been a nocturnal

hypoglycemia and before meals to find out if the patient is hypo or

hyperglycemia. All results should be documented on paper or

electronically, to enable the community diabetic nurse to plan optimum

insulin management. The community diabetic nurse should take into consideration a patient’s

medical condition, which may include poor eye sight and poor

dexterity, when deciding on which type of machine and lancets should

be used, as there are several types on the market. Most of the machines

today have a programme to record and save the result, time and date -

the patient does not have to document the result and the community

multi-professional team can get a correct reading for his or her

management of the insulin and tablets. There should be a Quality

Control guidance to make sure the equipment is accurate.

Although every diabetic patient should have their own electronic

glucose meter to keep track of their glucose levels, it is also essential

that it is used in conjunction with other tests. For instance, ghe

Glycosylated Haemoglobin blood test will give more details and precise

measurements of the level of blood glucose over a longer period of

time.


A Long Shlepp – North to South Israel By Irene Glausiusz

I was staying with my daughter on

the Golan settlement of Keshet and

had plans to travel to my son who

lives in Reveva in the Shomron, and

en route I wanted to be in Jerusalem

to visit the Kotel. Of course I could

have travelled on the buses, but the

hope was that someone would be

going to Jerusalem by car and I

might cadge a lift. The opportunity

arose to be a passenger with a certain Rav Yissi Smith (not his real name)

who was going the next day, which would take me at least half of the

distance I needed to cover, so I jumped at the chance.

Duly arranged, we met at 7.00am in the Keshet car park and a look of

dismay crossed my daughter’s face when she saw his old jalopy –

something that could possibly be dumped on a scrap heap. Well, nothing

ventured, nothing gained. Along with Rav Yissi came his teenage

daughter Yael and younger son and daughter aged about 8 and 6.

We set off and half way en-route for Tiberias, where Yael was due to meet

her friend, predictably in the middle of nowhere the car overheated and we

ground to a halt. After some time, when the motor had cooled, and after

much cranking of the engine, the car sprang into action. However, before

reaching the centre of Tiberias Rav Yissi decided to stop at a special shul

where it was imperative for him to daven. We all waited in the car until he

reappeared. Finally we drew up in the town centre and Yael left us, not

before nagging her Dad for money to buy new sandals – he suggested X

number of shekels, she wanted Y. After some dispute, he caved in (what

father can resist his teenage daughter? Not me! – Ed) and he handed over

the cash. Again we set off, but along the way Rav Yissi asked if I minded

but he wanted to pray at the tomb of Rabbi Meir baal HaNess – did I want

to go in? I declined and resigned myself to another hold-up.


Maybe another half an hour passed - Rav Yissi concluded his prayers and

we started off on the next leg. He asked me if I was in a hurry, and

foolishly I said “No”. He explained that he had had some health problems

– his doctor had told him that swimming was very good exercise - and thus

we arrived at the shores of the Kinneret, where he jumped out of the car,

cast off most of his clothes and jumped into the water which, I had to

admit, looked very inviting. It was getting hotter and hotter and I had no

option but to sit on the rocks until the swimming session concluded. Then

(loud cheers!) we hit the road again and bowled along until turning into a

wayside cafeteria. Rav Yissi announced that he felt tired and needed a rest.

He promptly tilted the seat back and fell into a deep slumber. I took the

two children into the café, bought them ice lollies and we hung around

until Rav Yissi felt in the mood to resume driving. Another hour had

passed by.

At last, I thought we were really on the road to Jerusalem. Wrong! We

were going to visit one of the Rav’s sons in his yeshiva and this presented

him with an opportunity to meet some of his colleagues into the bargain.

My heart sank, but there was nothing I could do. Arriving at the yeshiva,

lunch was in progress (but no-one asked me to join them). Now around

mid-day, it was very hot and I’d

had enough. More than

enough! At least another

hour passed (the two

youngsters had fallen

asleep on the back seat

of the car) and then

Yissi re-appeared –

he had acquired a

large roll of wire

netting which he

hoisted on top of the car - he explained it would be handy for his house in

Keshet. Time seemed immaterial – we, that is I, Rav Yissi, his two young

children plus a student who wanted a lift to Jerusalem, squeezed into the

car and we were actually on our way to the Holy City. The car chugged

along; we climbed the hills, encountering heavy traffic and then, shock


2014201420142014Rosh haShana 2014

horror, on a major roundabout, in the midst of an immense number of cars

and lorries, the car conked out yet again. We all jumped out and with our

combined efforts attempted to push the car into an inner lane. By now

desperation had set in.

Then a minor miracle occurred. I saw a passing taxi - I yelled “Taxi -

Kotel b’vakasha!” - grabbed my case, thanked Rav Yissi and made my

escape. I spent some time at the Kotel, took the bus back to the town

centre and waited around for the banks to open at 4.00pm so I could

change some money. You might think this is the end of the story. Wrong!

Next on the list, I looked for the bus-stop to take me to Reveva. I thought

the number I needed went from the central bus station. (Then in the process

of being rebuilt). It appeared not – “You need to go from the new bus

station; take a bus. It’s just one stop” a passer-by advised me. OK let’s

try. I queued up at the new ticket office and was politely informed by the

clerk that the bus I needed, went from the old bus station. I couldn’t

believe my ears. I had to re-trace my steps and eventually found the

appropriate stop right back where I started! My case was becoming

extremely heavy and the heat was taking its toll.

Eventually, when the bus arrived, I wondered if I was seeing a mirage but

truthfully I was just thankful to be sitting down. This last stage of my

nightmare journey lasted about two hours. The bus pulled into every

passing yishuv, both large and small, along the way and there were quite a

few!

On arrival at Reveva sometime around 7.30pm, I was greeted by worried

family members who had been phoning all over the place, wondering

where I had been all the day. (This was before the advent of mobile

phones). There was only one thing left to do. Have a cool shower, sink

onto a bed and call it a day.

Please believe me, I could not begin to invent any of the events that

happened to me on my exhausting ‘one-day’ Cook’s Tour of Israel.


Our Future's Foundations By Stephen Pack - President of the United Synagogue

In recent weeks, over five thousand US members have

taken the time to share their views with us in probably the

most comprehensive survey our community has

conducted. The extent to which our members have been

willing to participate in this process demonstrates on a

grand scale that they care passionately about the future of

their community. As I begin my second three-year term as President

of the United Synagogue I am acutely aware of the responsibility that

I and my fellow Trustees have to meet the many needs of our

community. Following the Trustee elections in July, I am particularly

pleased that we have a talented and experienced mix of former

trustees as well as some new younger faces and that we now have

four women trustees helping to shape the governance of the United

Synagogue.

Thankfully we are building on extremely solid foundations. Just

twelve months ago we welcomed our new Chief Rabbi, Ephraim

Mirvis, who has already demonstrated his strong leadership and

vision for our community. His recognition as the pre-eminent voice

for the wider Jewish community and his launch of 'The Chief Rabbi's

Shabbat UK ' testify to his masterful assumption of one of the most

important and challenging roles in Jewish public life.

The United Synagogue firmly supports Israel as it continues to face

the terrible challenges with which we are all too familiar. This crucial

aspect of our Jewish identity is one that we can never take for granted

and our work continues to strengthen our members' connection with

and love for Israel, I am very proud that dozens of members of Tribe

had the transformative experience of Israel Tour this summer.


Closer to home, many of our communities have exellent new Rabbis,

Assistant Rabbis, Rebbetzens and many dedicated professionals

providing the services, programmes and support that our members

want and need. In addition, it has been a great pleasure to have

welcomed a number of new member synagogues this year, including

the addition of Sheffield as our first ever provincial community.

Looking to the future, a real priority is to connect with our younger

membership. The work of Tribe and Young US have continued to

provide opportunities for our youth and young professionals with

events such as “Chanukah on lce” and “Learn2Lead” alongside

summer camps and schemes. It may come as a pleasant surprise to

know that this work is bearing fruit, and that our younger

membership is beginning to see real growth. My trustees and I are

optimistic about the future of the United Synagogue.

I am extremely proud of the “70 Days for 70 Years project” which

will launch in January. This should connect thousands of people

around the world who will learn for 70 days in memory of those lost

in the Holocaust. It carries a message that resonates so strongly with

the United Synagogue: “Remember the Past to Build the Future”.

Building a strong future for our vibrant and engaged communities is

a huge task and so I look forward after the Yomim Tovim to working

with our new Chief Executive, Dr Steven Wilson, and many others

across the United Synagogue family. The task that lies ahead for us

all is a great one and with the support of dedicated professionals and

volunteers throughout our many local communities, I am confident

that the future for the United Synagogue is something we can all

anticipate with excitement.

With best wishes for a Shana Tova u’Metucha - a happy, healthy and

sweet new year.


President’s Rosh Hashanah message 5775

A tale of two elections By Vivian Wineman

At the time of writing

this piece Israel is

under continuous

rocket attack and there

is no prospect of a

cease fire. I hope and pray that by the time this is read, the

situation will have settled. I am writing to you with what will be

my final Rosh Hashanah address, as my term as President comes

to a mandatory end in May next year. Being President has given

me many pleasing moments and enormous pride. I am delighted

that the Board has made so much progress so that we now have a

good team led by a first rate CEO, Gillian Merron, and soon

hopefully will be housed in modern up to date premises. Our

discussions with the JLC for a unified organisation of the

community continue but, whether on its own or as a part of a

wider organisation, the Board has a bright future.

None of what we achieve would be possible without our dedicated

Deputies, from across the UK – I thank them for their hard work:

they represent their constituencies and are vital to the functioning

of UK Jewry. Needless to say, the Board exists on money from

individuals in the community - half of which comes from the

Communal Levy: still, less than half of synagogue members pay

the relatively small sum of £25 a year to support our work. I think

that the message here will support the fact that we are deserving of

that contribution.


We are helping to counter BDS, witnessed by our close work with

the Methodist Church leadership which led to a moratorium

around BDS activity.

We are protecting Jewish education through our lobbying

ministers, such as the right to teach Ivrit as a first language and are

promoting Judaism through our revamped Jewish Living

Experience exhibitions and Tours, in which thousands of non-

Jewish children learn about our faith every year.

We are reaching the edges of the community through Jewish

Connection, which is supporting small communities all over the

UK who need pastoral, social care, networking and advocacy

support from the mainstream of the community.

We consulted the community and then worked with the Equality

and Human Rights Commission to produce new guidelines that

clearly define the right to religious practice both at work and in

educational institutions.

Finally our APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Groups) on British

Jews has already drawn wide support from politicians and has

helped us hone the community’s lobbying on core rights issues,

namely, social care, restitution of property for Survivors,

protecting Shechitah, the right and value to a religious education

by showcasing our excellent schools, lobbying on child benefit

credits and many other issues affecting the entire spectrum of the

community.

You will shortly become aware of a General Election Jewish

Manifesto produced by the Board, which encapsulates all the

interests, concerns and aspirations of the UK’s 300,000 Jewish

community.


The Board will send this manifesto, which follows on from this

year’s successful European Elections Jewish Manifesto - to

Jewish communities, policy makers, and election candidates - in

order that the Jewish community has one clear policy document

around the 2015 elections. The idea is that as individuals and local

Jewish communities you take the Manifesto to candidates and use

it as the centre piece of lobbying efforts - be it at hustings, in

letters or in public debates.

We recognise the diversity of the community and range of interests

which is why we consulted throughout the community - reaching

three hundred individuals and organisations. The Manifesto is

divided into 14 sections including Religious Freedom and

Observance, Israel and the Middle East, Education, and Health and

Social Care. There are also a list of ‘Ten Commitments’ which

encapsulate in a breath the key aims of the document.

The Board’s ‘Parliament’ dissolves in May 2015, and there will be

elections not only for a new President, Vice Presidents and

Treasurer but for nearly 300 Deputies on the Board. We have done

much good work to improve our representation in the past few

years, including with our Women in Jewish Leadership project to

ensure female talent is allowed to flourish, the setting up of a

Youth Forum, to improve contact with younger community

members, and through working with Change in the Board: the

result has been a marked improvement in our representation - but

we must go much further.

5774 has been a significant year of achievement for the Board.

Let’s hope that 5775 will be a year of peace for Israel and the

Middle East and a successful one for the community.

Shana tova


From Rabbi and Mrs Cohen and family.

Rayner and Michael Barnett and family wish everyone a Happy and

Healthy New Year and well over the fast.

Henry and Sylvia Malnick, together with Hannah, Avi and Bassy

Friedwald and Ruth, Avraham, Dina Malka, Yehoshua and Mendel

Yosef Klein, wish everyone a peaceful, happy and healthy Shana Tova.

Rev Gershon and Irene Glausiusz extend New Year Greetings to Rabbi

and Mrs Cohen, the Honorary Officers and all the Congregation for a

Shanah Tovah uMetukah.

Reuven, Jeanne and Joseph Lavi and Gabriella, David, Tehillah

Shimon, Yonatan and Tirtza Berrebi wish all the community a Shanah

Tovah.

Shanah Tova from Simon Levy to all readers.

Cynthia and Harvey Jacobs, together with their family, wish the whole

kehillah a very Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year.

Deborah and Leslie Rübner wish a Happy New Year to all members of

the community.

Julian and Rosalind Mann, Stefanie and Daniel Dasa, Shirelle, Itamar

and Bat Chen, Rabbi Benjamin Mann, Rabbi Michael and Chana Mann,

Tuvia Yoseph, Yisroel and Shalom Chaim, wish the whole community

a happy New Year.


Best wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year – Cynthia

Green and family.

New Year wishes and greetings from Jonathan and Mary-Ann Landaw,

Jacob, Raphy, Asher, Rochelle and Eliana Tova, Yitzi and Rachel,

Rachel, Naomi and of course Wembley.

Wishing all my family and friends here and in Israel a happy and

healthy New Year and may we all be able to celebrate a more peaceful

future together. Pat Goodman.

Greta and Lawrence Myers, together with Sharon, Roi, Tehilla, Sara

and Moriah Blumberg and Deborah, Binyamin, Betzalel, Elisheva and

Tamar Radomsky, wish all our friends in Kingsbury, Israel and

everywhere, everything they wish for themselves for a healthy and

happy New Year.

Kesivah Vechasimah Tovah from Wayne and Ruth Birnbaum; Rabbi

Yoni and Elisheva with Nechama, Shimi, Tobi and Sara in Hadley

Wood; Dov and Tehilla with Gavriel, Chaya, Shmuel and Yaacov in

Yerushalyim; Rabbi Ben and Abi Kurzer with Ahron Eliezer in

Edgware; Sami and Yaeli in Hendon; and Doron and Zehava in

Hendon.

Mignonette and Stanley Aarons wish everyone a

Kativa v’Chatima Tovah.

Della and Tony Brown, with Vivienne Saskya and Andrew Monchar,

wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year and Well over the Fast.

Roz, Stephen and Tammi Phillips together with Rochel, Chagai, Refael

Yosef, Moriah, Uriel Moshe, Chana and Achiya Cohen (Jerusalem), and

Samantha, Daniel, Shemaya and Tova Phillips (Edgware), and Abigail,

Zvi and Yoni Ormonde (Jerusalem) wish everyone in the Community a

very Happy and Healthy New Year.


KKIINNGGSSBBUURRYY SSYYNNAAGGOOGGUUEE Hool Close Kingsbury Green London NW9 8XR

Telephone: 020 8204 8089

Email: [email protected]

Kingsbury Officials

Rabbi Rabbi Zvi Cohen

Email: [email protected]

Adminstrator Ivan Gold

Wardens

Harvey Jacobs

Reuven Lavi

Financial Representative Julian Mann

Board and Council of Management Stanley Aarons

Michael Barnett

Wayne Birnbaum

Stephen Phillips

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 Michael Barnett

Chair Ladies Guild Sharon Linderman

mailto:[email protected]

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