The Good Old Days

By Glen BerdNo Comments
Member, David Senator, has sent in a couple of old photos ... Can anyone dredge up their memories to fill in the gaps ? Photo One - (with memory stretched by Moishe Richman - E & OE)) :     Left to Right : ? ?    Rev. Feldinger.  Mrs Feldinger. Chief Rabbi's wife Mrs Brodie, Isaac Gould., Chief Rabbi Brodie. Casper Gordon, Mr and Mrs Phil Lewis. Mr Mrs Senator, Arthur Marsh and wife.   ? ?     Photo Two Well, there's Len Fairclough from Coronation Street .... ...
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2023 Holocaust Memorial Day

By Glen Berd2 Comments
On 27th January 2023, some 130 invited guests joined St. Anne's Synagogue for the Annual Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration. Remembering the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi Persecution and in more recent genocides. We were honoured by local dignitaries including : Two local MP's, Mayors and Mayoresses of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre, The High Sheriff of Lancashire, Chief Executives and Leaders of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Councils. Members of Lancashire Constabulary. Our Guest Speaker was a 2nd generation Holocaust survivor, Leah Burman   THANK YOU for the  expertise and help  generously donated in making a video of the whole event to : Brian Hurst Producer, Brian David Films Click on the following link to watch the whole service : https://vimeo.com/793811992 The access password is 2468. It can be shared, watched or downloaded. You will find a download button underneath the video window. Please note that whilst it can be downloaded to any computer or laptop, it cannot be downloaded to a mobile device or...
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Israel’s Newest Ambulance, Courtesy Rene Black z.l.

By Glen Berd1 Comment
This concerns one of the many charitable requests made by our late member, Renee Black z.l., this one being used to buy an ambulance.    I truly do not know which of us is happier today: me being able to send you the attached pictures of the sparkling new Renee Black funded ambulance at last parked in the entrance quadrangle of the ALYN Hospital, during its first day of service, or you to be receiving them at long last. This truly has been such a long process, due to the inability of Volksvagen or any of the van suppliers to give an import or delivery date in 2021 and part of 2022 as a result of Corona - (something inter alia to do with the “chips” which are manufactured in China) – which meant that they would not accept any orders. When, well into 2022, we learnt that Ford were the first importers of the kind of van that we needed to then...
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HMD Notification for 27.01.23

By Glen BerdNo Comments
Dear Member I have pleasure in advising that our Holocaust Memorial Day will be held live at the Synagogue, Orchard Road, St Annes on 27th January at 10:30 a.m.  and am very pleased to extend to you our usual invitation. Our headline speaker this year will be Leah Burman, daughter of holocaust survivors, and founder of the Northern Holocaust Education Group We expect the event will close, with refreshments, at about 12:30 pm. There will be many civic leaders, MP’s and other dignitaries present, and I do hope that our own community will be very well represented. For security reasons please let me know by email or mobile if you plan to attend Kind regards Robert Pinkus President 07768 400144 On behalf of St. Annes Hebrew Congregation www.shulbythesea.co.uk...
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A Demo For Life

By Glen BerdNo Comments
PG it shouldn't happen to you ! But what if someone near you - in shul, in the street, in a shop or in your home - should suffer a cardiac arrest, a heart attack, a catastrophic accident ? Would you know what to do ? Would you want to know what to do ? Wouldn't it be good if you knew what to do - how to help - maybe how to save a life ? Some 20 people braved the weather on a cold, wet and very windy night in St. Anne's to listen to Ian Barton of NW Air Ambulance who generously devoted a couple of hours to join us in the shul hall to demonstrate our defibrillator. Our thanks to Ian for the important information he gave us. ...
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Ever Wondered ? Where Do the Notes In the Western Wall Go?

By Glen BerdNo Comments
Where Do the Notes In the Western Wall Go? Thousands of notes are placed in the wall each year. What happens to all that paper? BY MY JEWISH LEARNING Each year, countless notes are stuffed into the cracks of the Western Wall, the last remaining wall of the Temple Mount, the elevated plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem on which the Temple stood. The site is the holiest in Judaism and a tradition emerged centuries ago of placing notes in the wall as a kind of written prayer, a counterpoint to the verbal prayers recited at the wall every day. The origins of the custom are somewhat unclear, but there is evidence that Jews were engaging in the practice as early as the 18th century. Today, notes are left by people of all faiths, including visiting dignitaries: American Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Popes Francis I and Benedict XVI have all placed notes in the wall. Various online...
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THE LADY PLUMBER

By Glen Berd1 Comment
THE LADY PLUMBER What criteria is used to select people for the peace prize ??. Read the story below and we then understand how pathetic and superficial our world has become. Remember this lady? WHAT A WOMAN Irena Sendler Died: May 12,2008 (aged 98) Warsaw , Poland During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an ulterior motive. Irena smuggled Jewish infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried. She also carried a burlap sack in the back of her truck, for larger kids. Irena kept a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto.   The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to dowith the dog, and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.     During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. Ultimately, she was caught, however, and the Nazis broke both of her legs and arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record...
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Ukraine will Rise Again !

By Glen Berd2 Comments
The following was sent to me by one of our local community : Margaret Fingerhut was a bridesmaid to my first wedding, and became a concert pianist of some renown.  The video is very high quality, beautifully made. The email was forwarded to me by my first wife, who is Margaret's cousin.... Born in London of Ukrainian and Polish ancestry, Margaret Fingerhut has a distinguished career which has taken her all over the world. Described by Gramophone as a pianist of “consummate skill and thrilling conviction”, she is particularly known for her innovative recital programmes in which she explores the highways and byways of the piano repertoire. As a concerto soloist she has appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the London Mozart Players, in major venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican. She is often heard on...
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A New Babylonian Captivity

By Glen BerdNo Comments
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Peter John Beyfus is an historian, published author, poet, and a person who prides himself on “thinking outside the box”.  have written many essays on Jewish themes, published in various journals, including ‘Wessex Jewish News’ and ‘Westminster Quarterly’, the magazine of Westminster Synagogue, London. A New Babylonian Captivity Likud leader, Binyamim Netanyahu, would be wise to heed the warnings of history. In forming a coalition with acknowledged extremist elements he runs the real risk of alienating many Israeli and Diaspora Jews. The price of another term in power may prove too high, even for a political acrobat and survivor like Netanyahu. Israel has reached a critical point in its short history and rather than put in jeopardy its good relations with Western democracies it should see how dangerous the present proposed lurch to the far Right is for its future well being. Whether Netanyahu and his supporters like it or not, Diaspora Jewry, particularly influential Jews in the USA, cannot be...
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