Donald Trump “God bless the Middle East. God bless Israel and God bless America”

By Glen Berd1 Comment
By Rabbi Danny Bergson The president of the USA Donald Trump just made a statement after the successful operation to strike and destroy Iranian nuclear capability. The statement was unequivocal and displayed his moral clarity, strength and courage to stand up against pure evil and have the faith that Good will prevail. He ended his statement with the words “And I want to just thank everybody. And, in particular, God. I want to just say, we love you, God, and we love our great military. Protect them. God bless the Middle East. God bless Israel and God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you.” It is not unusual for presidents of America to invoke God but remarkable that he spoke about Love of God. Here in Europe reference to God has become an anathama as society has secularised. That Donald Trump not only thanked God in front of the world but also declared his Love for God is no small matter as we see from the...
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Midsummer MDA FUNDRAISER Concert and Dinner – The Movie

By Glen Berd1 Comment
What a night ! Despite the major setback of Rabbi Danny - the star of the concert - becoming unfortunately 'indisposed' the day before - a magnificent cast rose to the challenge and presented a fantastic concert. OK It was cobbled together on the day, but you couldn't tell (wink wink) - but judge for yourselves.  The videos are below ! Dinner was also judged a resounding success, from the Bucks Fizz cocktails while Dave Windle and Mike Frankel serenaded everyone in, to the 3 course homemade dinner created by the ladies of the Social Circle. The players, including Tzvi Bergson, Elliott Cohen, Stuart Levi, Tony Slome and Elaine Green, as well as Mike Frankel and Dave Windle worked their socks off - they entertained us royally ! The raffle contained the usual superlative prizes, and winners were given a proviso to grin, pretend to be thrilled and to actually take their winnings home instead of reject....errm I mean re-donating them. Click on each video -...
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Purim replay and seeing beyond the surface

By Glen Berd2 Comments
By Rabbi Danny Bergson Yesterday was the 23rd of the month of Sivan. This was the date in the original Purim story (circa 2500 years ago) when practically speaking everything turned around in favour of the Jewish people. This was the date when letters were sent throughout the 127 provinces of the Persian empire in the name of the Emperor Achashverosh granting permission for the Jewish people to organise and defend themselves and stand up against those anti-Semites that sought their utter annihilation. The Purim story is characterised by one word in Hebrew contained within the scroll of Esther “venahafochu” literally “ everything turned around“. In other words, everything that the evil Haman and his cohorts tried to do to the Jewish people turned around on its head back onto our enemies. There is no coincidence that of all the nations in the world today it is the genocidal Ayatollah of Iran who seeks our destruction as part of their national agenda. Iran was ancient...
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We Met the Brummies !

By Glen BerdNo Comments
Unusually it was a cold, windy and rainy day in St. Annes on Shabbat 7th June - but inside the shul hall the atmosphere was gloriously warm and glowing ! We were absolutely delighted to host Rabbi and Rebbetzen Jacobs and a party of their members from Birmingham Singers Hill Synagogue - who came for the weekend and joined our members for Kiddush Lunch. The two male choirs sang like angels at the arc to a packed synagogue, before Rabbi Jacobs gave an uplifting and inspiring guest sermon. A 3-course Kiddush Lunch was served in the main hall and we were treated to a further interesting talk by Rebbetzen Jacobs, not without a moment's disruption by her 2 year old who wasn't impressed, but was quickly whisked away by papa, although not before a muted howl of annoyance and shedding a disappointed tear :-) It's no surprise - we can't wait for them to come again ! ...
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Rabbi Danny meets Student Nurses

By Glen Berd1 Comment
Rabbi Danny Bergson of St Anne’s presented a talk to trainee nurses from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA together with UClan School of Nursing, Brigham. Students are here for a few weeks on an exchange programme. We discussed nursing with sensitivity and compassion taking into consideration Jewish and faith issues. Topics discussed in 90 minute session: Assisted dying Organ transplants Jewish guidelines for handling a deceased person and much much more. A highly intelligent group who were open and curious to learn about Jewish people their culture, religious practices and faith. Wishing them success in their nursing careers and the related caring field....
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London based Holocaust Survivor two-day tour of Lancashire

By Glen BerdNo Comments
London based Holocaust Survivor two-day tour of Lancashire. Holocaust survivor and educator Dr Martin Stern MBE came up from London on a two-day tour in Lancashire. The tour was facilitated by Rabbi Danny Bergson  He spoke at St Anne’s Hebrew Congregation, Preston City Council, Baines High School and St Mary’s Catholic High School, Blackpool (children aged 14-17). Dr Martin Stern is a retired Clinical Immunologist who worked at the University Hospital of Leicester.   As a child he was transported with his one-year-old sister to the Westerbork prison camp in the Netherlands and then to the Theresienstadt Ghetto north of Prague.  Both survived due to the care of a woman prisoner who took them under her wing. His father died in Buchenwald concentration camp having passed through Auschwitz, his father’s brother died in Auschwitz and his grandfather also died in Nazi captivity. The gentile man in Holland who hid him from the Nazis and looked after him (together with his wife) for 1½ years was discovered, arrested,...
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