Reflections on Chanukah

By Glen Berd1 Comment
Reflections on Chanukah by Peter Beyfus In Isaac Asimov’s short story entitled ‘Nightfall’, he postulates what would happen to humanity in the absence of sunlight; in short we would all go mad! Darkness still holds a grip on our imagination, no matter how old we are, evoking primeval fears of being vulnerable. This theme of vulnerability is taken up by John Wyndham in ‘The Day of the Triffids’, where unsighted people are helpless and increasingly fall victim to the scourge of intelligent carnivorous plants. It is hardly surprising that so many world religions regard light as a powerful symbol, embodying hope, joy and life. Diwali, the Hindu festival, celebrates the triumph of good over evil; Christmas lights symbolise the birth of Jesus, “The Light of the World”; Ramadan, the month of fasting for Moslems, is marked by illuminating homes, streets and mosques; Bodhi Day, commemorates the day the Buddha attained enlightenment, and Loi Krathong and Yi Peng, Buddhist festivals observed in Thailand, Burma and Laos is a dazzling sight where rafts of...
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Well Known Member of our Community

By Glen BerdNo Comments
Fleetwood Market's oldest and longest-serving stallholder retires aged 87 Courtesy Blackpool Gazette - By Richard Hunt.    Published 28th Aug 2023, 18:06 GMT The oldest and longest-serving stallholder at Fleetwood Market has hung up his hat at the age of 87. Until recently, John Richmond had been working on Fleetwood Market since the 1940s, when as a youngster he helped out at the glove stall run by his dad Sidney. Incredibly, John’s direct involvement with the popular market – recently voted the third most popular in the UK – stretches back to almost 80 years. Sidney had come to the Fylde coast from the East End of London where he had been running his glove stall on a busy market – until the wartime blitz brought the family up north. John Richmond has recently retired as a veteran stallholder at Fleetwood Market It was in 1971, aged 35, that John took over the stall from his dad. Later he added a wide range of stylish hats – English trilbies, hombergs (like Sir Winston Chuchill’s)...
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‘Historic’ gathering of 50 Jewish small communities in Parliament

By Glen Berd1 Comment
‘Historic’ gathering of 50 Jewish small communities in Parliament ’We’re vital to British society’: Small communities meet Parliamentarians at Westminster reception The Jewish Chronicle - November 7, 2025 By Jane Prinsley Tory MP Andrew Snowden addressed the Jewish Small Communities Network reception in the House of Commons on Wednesday (Yakir Zur) Leaders from more than 50 small Jewish communities gathered in Parliament on Wednesday afternoon for what organisers described as an “unprecedented and truly historic” meeting. The event – the first of its kind – brought together community figures from “the length and breadth of this country,” Ed Horwich, CEO of the Jewish Small Communities Network (JSCN) said. Representatives from communities from Belfast to Plymouth and Cardiff to Newcastle attended the lunchtime gathering, alongside Members of Parliament from across the House. Leaders from shuls in Cardiff and Lincoln at the JCSN reception (Yakir Zur)Delivering the opening remarks, Conservative MP for Fylde, Andrew Snowden, praised the “vibrant” Jewish community in St Anne’s, his constituency. “It is so important that we...
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Remembrance Day 2025

By Glen BerdNo Comments
We had a good turnout joining the local community at the cenotaph in Ashton Gardens, notwithstanding the weather,  As usual it was raining, but by some amazing quirk of fate ...[or was it ??], .... the rain stopped just in time for our Rabbi Danny to sing the Memorial Prayer, which has never been recorded before.... CLICK ON LINK FOR VIDEO =   .https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IF8_n5vNKcE?feature=share I'm sure everyone's thoughts today were for, as well as those who gave their lives so we could live the life we do today, but also for the tragic loss of all those in Israel at the Nova on 7 October, and some before, and especially of the 4 hostages still not returned, to give their families peace and honour them with the dignity of a home burial. I'm proud to say that we, the Jewish community who live in UK join all religions to come together to remember,  and never forget. ...
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The Pilgrimage Road

By Glen BerdNo Comments
The Pilgrimage Road One of the most expensive and complex excavations currently taking place in Israel The Pilgrimage Road in the City of David is considered one of the most expensive and complex excavations currently taking place in Israel, due to all of the construction required and the challenging underground conditions of the excavation. The total length of the road connecting the Siloam pool at the south of the City of David to the Temple Mount is 600 meters long. It is 8 meters wide, however at its southern end the road widens even more and reaches a width of 30 meters! The Pilgrimage Road is like the Mahane Yehuda Market, or 5th Avenue if you will, of ancient Jerusalem: many coins, weights and even a special weighing table were discovered along the route – all these were used for the extensive commercial activities that happened on the route. An ancient drainage channel passes underneath the road. The channel was used...
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Lytham St Annes named Lancashire’s happiest place to live

By Glen Berd1 Comment
Lytham St Annes has been named the happiest place to live in Lancashire. The coastal town claimed the top spot in the county in a poll ranking the UK’s 75 happiest places to live. Carried out by online retailer Furniturebox, the survey gathered responses from 5,000 people across the UK. It considered factors such as natural beauty, green spaces, school quality, and access to pubs, restaurants, independent shops, and cultural attractions. A spokesman for Furniturebox said: "Lytham St Annes is the happiest place to live in Lancashire. "All 75 places on the list would have been worthy winners and show why the UK is such a wonderful place to live, loved by visitors from all over the world. "Most of the locations in the top 75 are not the most affluent in their localities and have access to some affordable housing including Lytham St Annes which is very popular with families. "The survey shows that the happiest places are not defined by wealth but by the quality...
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In response to Heaton Park

By Glen BerdNo Comments
Peter Beyfus, 6 October 2025 The attack on Heaton Park Synagogue on Yom Kippur left many of us stunned but not entirely surprised. The climate of hatred that has existed during the last two years, since the massacres on 7 October 2023, has prepared Anglo-Jewry to expect the rising wave of antisemitism to result in an outrageous act on our community. The Government may wish to row back on its statements criticising Israel’s necessary war in Gaza and the recent proclamation of recognition of a Palestinian state, all of which, along with the poison of social media, prepared the ground for an extremist to perpetrate murder. Such is the present climate of fear in the United Kingdom, Jews rely upon the sterling work of the CST to protect them from arbitrary attacks. The fact that shuls have to be manned by those trained in security says everything about the Britain in which we now live. It was in August a young man, on his way to synagogue in Bournemouth, was shot...
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St.Anne’s Does Lake Windermere

By Glen Berd1 Comment
Sukkot 2025 and the time has come to cast aside our sins. As luck would have it - we are not too big a stone's throw from Lake Windermere, which is well deep enough to hold a whole guilt-fest of sins. There was no shortage of takers when everyone was invited onto the Good Ship 'Tomfoolery' - ably steered around the lake by Captain Robert, excellently assisted by First Officer Ingrid, who provided wonderful refreshments from the galley. We were a motley crew and we were all exhausted and hungry after all that sin casting. I must add a short note about Captain Roberts commentary of the sites as we sailed along - which was not to be missed. (Oh, actually, it was !) :-) Here's  message from Rabbi Danny : Members of St Anne’s enjoyed a boat ride on Windermere - reciting Tashlich “throwing our sins into the depths of the sea - well lake Windermere is deep enough!Thank you to Robert and Ingrid for...
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