Author: Glen Berd

Emanuel Feldinger 1913 - 1979   By Rabbi Geoffrey Shisler Menachem Mendel Feldinger was born in Munkatch (Mukachevo), Hungary. Situated near three borders, Munkatch was a large market town, and the young Emanuel, who spoke several languages, made his pocket-money by standing in the market and translating for the merchants from the various countries. Strikingly handsome, with a black pencil-line moustache, he was blessed with a beautiful baritone voice which came to the attention of the Munkatcher Rebbe (the Minchat Elazar) who agreed to his appointment as Chazan of the main shul in Munkatch at the age of 21! The leaders of the community insisted that, since the previous Chazan had been a shochet, Menachem Mendel should also learn Shechita. On his arrival in the Shechita house, he promptly fainted and had to be carried outside! Declaring that he would never learn Shechita, he mastered the art so well that when Dayan Weiss, the Av Bet Din of Manchester needed to demonstrate Shechita to the local...

Oz 77. Honouring Kahalani Fifty years after the Yom Kippur War Avigdor Kahalani in 1973. Illustration (c) Tuvia Book, 2023 This year the State of Israel marks fifty years since the Yom Kippur War.  Israeli intelligence and strategic planners were caught by surprise on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar by underestimating the enemy, and convincing themselves that the Arabs lacked the ability to alter their combat methods.  This way of thinking was known as “The Conception.” Despite committing huge strategic and doctrinal errors, the IDF prevailed, thanks in no small part to the courage, initiative and combat skills of its soldiers, particularly its elite armour crews and commanders. The lone force standing between the Syrians and Israel’s possible destruction was the IDF’s 77th Armoured Battalion, known as Oz 77, under the command of 29-year-old Lt. Col. Avigdor Kahalani.  Kahalani, one of Israel’s greatest living war heroes,  is the son of Immigrants from Yemen. Despite having received horrific burns in his tank during the...

The bloodstained jacket: Yom Kippur, 1973 It was the sirens that pierced the silence. We gathered in the dining room and learned that Israel had been attacked My Golani Brothers-in-Arms, 13th Battalion, Plugah Bet, Syria 1973 Throughout the night the bright flashes of light pierced the darkness. My hands, shaking so badly the previous afternoon, the afternoon of the sixth day of October, had somehow calmed themselves. We gathered there, those of us who were called late, who were not called at all, who knew to find their brothers-in-arms, just below the ascent to the now ever more exploding hell. A captured but emptied Soviet-era troop carrier was brought to our group, but our commander declined. He preferred the World War II vintage half-track that would carry us to outpost 104. I opened the door to the BTR. Blood stained the interior walls, and there it was, a green jacket, soaked in places with blood, whose blood I did not know, nor did I care. I...

At the start of RoshHashanah, the global Jewish population stood at 15.7 million, with around 7 million (46%) in Israel , around 6 million in the US, and around 2.25 million in the rest of the world . Furthermore, approximately 27,000 Jews live in Muslim-majority countries, with 14,200 in Turkey, 9,100 in Iran, 2,100 in Morocco, 1,000 in Tunisia, and 500 in the United Arab Emirates. A happy and sweet Jewish New Year to everyone who celebrated! ...

In MEMORY of CHAIM TOPOL on his BIRTHDAY - Career years: 1957 - 2015   Born Chaim Topol, mononymously known as Topol, Israeli actor, singer, and illustrator. He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye, the lead role in the stage musical Fiddler on the Roof and the 1971 film adaptation, performing this role more than 3,500 times from 1967 through 2009. Topol began acting during his Israeli army service as a member of the Nahal entertainment troupe. He later toured Israel with kibbutz theatre and satirical theatre companies. He was a co-founder of the Haifa Theatre. His breakthrough film role came in 1964 as the title character in Sallah Shabati, by Israeli writer Ephraim Kishon, for which he won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer—Male. Topol went on to appear in more than 30 films in Israel and the United States, including Galileo (1975), Flash Gordon (1980), and For Your Eyes Only (1981). He was described as Israel's only internationally recognized entertainer...

I enjoy all your shul emails of interest and you know how much we love the St Anne’s shul and community introduced to us by our dear friends Naomi and Philip. I wonder if possible if on your weekly email if you could wish the community a Shana tova from us, Beverley and Roger Levy (Leicester) . If not then we understand. We hope to see you in our next visit. Good Shabbos and Shana Tova...

Following a course I took with Israel organisation Maaglei Hanefesh on mental health and Halacha (under the auspices of the Spanish and Portuguese senior rabbi ) I am proud to share their magazine for Rosh Hashana which features an article of mine. There are some fascinating meaningful insights enjoy 😊 https://tinyurl.com/3b76y84d...