Author: Glen Berd

Michelle Morris writes :  It was a real honour to meet The Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis at The Nicky Alliance Community Centre on Monday and then to join Eileen’s 100th birthday celebrations with another special guest Sharon Osbourne.   ...

Dear all,   I hope you had a good Shabbos and are enjoying the rest of your weekend.   Some of you may have already received this message via local police contacts or neighbourhood teams, but I have also been asked to help distribute it across our community. The police are taking this matter extremely seriously and I have been contacted by multiple officers to relay their support.   The message is not unexpected for CST and our work to protect our community will not change because of it. Our key message remains that we must be alert to potential threats, keep doors and gates locked at all times, and report any suspicious activity in real time to the police and then CST.   If you need any additional support from CST, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.   “The Iranian regime has a long history of targeting Jewish and Israeli interests around the world. Iran’s publicly stated animosity towards Jewish and Israeli interests has manifested in...

The Deal by Peter Beyfus The anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, 24 February, is fast approaching and at the diplomatic level we have heard speeches of defiance from Presidents Zelensky and Biden and a predictable rant from Vladimir Putin, so reminiscent of the nonsense spouted during the Soviet era and what is the common currency of  totalitarian regimes around the globe. Russia’s spring offensive could well have started and the next few months will be a telling time for the Ukrainian people; there will be further loss of civilian lives, destruction of the country’s infrastructure, but, hopefully, with Leopard 2 and Challenger 2 tanks being deployed and surface-to-air missile systems, capable of destroying cruise missiles, being supplied by the USA, there will be no significant territorial gains by the aggressor. Whether this war of attrition will ultimately favour Russia, that has far more capacity for a long struggle, must be central to NATO’s strategy regarding support for the Ukraine. However, the indomitable...

Leslie Howard, born Leslie Howard Steiner, was a renowned Jewish film actor playing Ashley Wilkes in Gone With The Wind and a quintessential Englishman in other films After the rise of Nazism, Howard made anti German propaganda his goal and during the war decided to help shore up support for the Allies He was involved, so it is said, with British or Allied Intelligence When flying back on a passenger plane from Lisbon to Bristol...the Luftwaffe shot the plane down and Howard was killed. It was said at the time that the plane was shot down as the Nazis thought that Churchill was on board But it later emerged that Howard was the target as it was believed that he had been on a secret mission for Churchill A long-standing but ultimately unsupported hypothesis suggested that the Germans believed that the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, was on board the flight. Churchill's history of World War II suggested that the Germans targeted the commercial flight because the British Prime...

Unlike fluden, chremslach or many of the delicacies featured on the Yiddish cooking show “Est Gezunterheyt,”, you’ve undoubtedly had a bagel before. We’re willing to bet, though, that you’ve never tasted one this good! Rukhl Schaechter and Zach Golden are the staff of the Forverts, the Yiddish Forward. In this episode of “Est Gezunterheyt,” Rukhl Schaechter and Eve Jochnowitz show you how to make bagels from scratch in your own kitchen. Hint: the secret is steam. Instructions: Adapted from George Greenstein Secrets of a Jewish Baker The Crossing Press 1993 2 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoon yeast 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon oil 6-8 cups bread flour 1 tablespoon salt Dissolve yeast in the water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the other ingredients beginning with 6 cups flour and mix with dough hook, adding more flour as needed to make a stiff dough. Allow to rise one hour and form into bagels. Allow the bagels to rise about 20 minutes or until they sink slowly in a bowl of water. Boil the bagels briefly in salted sweetened water and...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Peter John Beyfus is an historian, published author, poet, and a person who prides himself on “thinking outside the box”. I have written many essays on Jewish themes, published in various journals, including ‘Wessex Jewish News’ and ‘Westminster Quarterly’, the magazine of Westminster Synagogue, London. Westminster Hall in London has witnessed, during its 900 years’ history, many famous speakers: Charles de Gaulle, Nelson Mandela, Pope Benedict XVI and Barack Obama to mention a selection of twentieth century prominent leaders; but, today, in a packed Hall, parliamentarians experienced an exceptional address by Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of the Ukraine. He paid tribute to the unwavering moral and practical support of the British Government and the people of these islands. Zelensky, drawing inspiration from Churchill’s indefatigable resistance to Nazi aggression, went on to describe the bravery of Ukraine’s military, and the determination of his government to free his country from Russian occupation. He cited, more than once, what binds Britain and...

A peek into Rebbetzen Anna's latest Girl Talk Meet and Greet. Monday 6th February 2023 was Tu B'shvat and some 15 of us talked ABOUT trees (we've not reached the stage of talking TO them yet !! :-) ) Our get together was generously hosted in the home of Jennie Lipshaw, who produced a table groaning under the weight of every fruit available from our local Sainsburys. Rebbetzen Anna told us of the four New Years in a year (who knew !!) Tu B'shvat, the New Year of Trees, being the first one, followed by Kings, Rosh Hashana and Tithes. Why New Year of Trees ?  It represents the new cycle of life.  Spring is on the way, we can shed the winter blues and welcome the birth of new plants and trees. We were delighted by the Rebbetzen's surprise, a beautiful singing voice proving she'd possibly missed her way for Hollywood stardom.    Who knew ! What followed was a superb hour or so of...