Category: NEWS

RIDLEY ROAD, THE 62 GROUP AND CST CST Blog   30 September 2021  This Sunday a new BBC drama series, Ridley Road, brings to life the story of the 62 Group: a Jewish street-fighting movement in the 1960s that was a forerunner of CST and remains a proud part of the Jewish community’s history of fighting antisemitism. The 62 Group infiltrated far right organisations, smashed up their meetings and fought fascists on the streets of the UK. Decades later, some of its members went on to form CST – including, most notably, CST’s current Chairman Gerald Ronson. Jewish self-defence today as led by CST is different in many ways, but the principle of a community that can defend itself against antisemites lies at the heart of all CST’s work. In the early 1960s the British far right was resurgent. Violent attacks on new immigrant communities were growing, Oswald Mosley was back on the scene and a new generation of neo-Nazis were behind dozens of arson...

The Bevis Marks Synagogue Heritage Foundation  The BMSHF has been hugely honoured to receive the support of HRH Prince Charles as the Royal Patron of our project. Prince Charles recently recorded a message of support for us that he has kindly agreed to share with you. We hope that you find his words as inspirational and meaningful as we have done – Prince Charles’ commitment and keen interest in the BMSHF is an important example of why our cultural and educational offering is of national importance and will shape the contours of understanding of the Jewish contribution to the UK and experience in this country for years to come: https://youtu.be/8EQA202r64k...

INTERESTING STORIES YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW FROM THE HOLOCAUST PART 1 The German Holocaust could be regarded as a significant or perhaps the most significant landmark of recent history. It was indeed a long extended event in its entirety. Brutal it might be in its core, yet the vast period saw some considerable stories that are very interesting to know. Now it’s pretty obvious that many of these instances might have been overlooked. The following list is an attempt to revive such lost tales and consists of 10 lesser-known yet interesting stories from the Holocaust. 1. Eugene Lazowski and Stanisław Matulewicz, a pair of Polish doctors, saved the lives of 8,000 natives of the Polish city, Rozwadow by creating a fake Typhus epidemic during the Holocaust. The Nazis quarantined the city instead of sending people to concentration camps since they feared the epidemic to break out. A glimpse into Rozwadów, Poland today. Image credit: Krzysztof Dobrzański/Wikimedia Commons via atlasobscura The very first fake typhus patient was a...

Many of the pictures hanging on the wall of the Daniel Rose Hall have been kindly donated by members Click on the picture to enlarge. These 4 beaded plaques were created by his daughter and donated by Raymond Gordon               This tapestry was donated by Anne and Ian Glass                     This oil painting was donated by Sandra Samuels             This beautiful painting by Beverley-Jane Stewart is hanging in the Daniel Rose Hall in the shul, presented to, and kindly donated, by Marilyn Katanka, wife of the late Rabbi Katanka.     The copperplate of the young sleeping student was donated by Glenys and Spencer Berd...

YOM KIPPUR. On the Day of Atonement, the practice of lighting a memorial candle and saying Kaddish during Yizkor. Here is a beautiful melody composed by Canada's Amy Sky. https://youtu.be/2EFl1U7mx3s...

Back in the mid nineties a Jewish advertising executive in New York came up with an idea. What if the New York Times – then considered the world's most prestigious newspaper - listed the weekly Shabbat candle lighting time each week. Sure, someone would have to pay for the space, but imagine the Jewish awareness and pride that might result from such a prominent mention of the Jewish Shabbat each week. He got in touch with a Jewish philanthropist and sold him on the idea. It cost almost two thousand dollars a week, but he did it. And for the next five years, each Friday, Jews around the world would see 'Jewish Women: Shabbat candle lighting time this Friday is ….pm. Eventually the philanthropist had to cut back on a number of his projects. And in June 1999, the little Shabbat notice and stopped appearing in the Friday Times. and from that week on it never appeared again. Except once. On January...

ED HORWICH CEO Jewish Small Communities Network  I was blown away by the response to our ONE Shabbat services this weekend for Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah. It truly moved me to tears of joy. Thank you to Rabbi Bergson, Elkan Levy and everyone who contributed, and thank you for the multitude of ways in which you partook in ONE Shabbat. You can share the experience and the messages, with your community and friends, through these links to the recordings on YouTube. WISHING YOU ALL  SHANA TOVA A happy, healthy and peaceful Year 5782 ONE Shabbat Message from the Chief Rabbi https://youtu.be/5J-4M6Wjd5Y Shabbat Shalom messages from the communities https://youtu.be/02DKV7VAvFo Shavua Tov & Shana Tova messages from the communities https://youtu.be/-RNTJ16DjfE Kabbalat Shabbat Service https://youtu.be/0SdmzCoUKhc Havdalah Service https://youtu.be/Sdmgx1FA0rg...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09smx3r Tune in at 1hr 46mi 44 sec on the link above to hear Rabbi Danny speak about Rosh Hashana and Shabbat to the BBC ...

Prince Charles ‘humbled’ to help launch survivor Lily Ebert’s memoir Heir to the throne pays tribute to Lily's great-grandson for his “engaging and effective use of social media" in sharing her story. Prince of Wales speaking at the World Holocaust Forum at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem (Photo credit: Oded Karni/Government Press Office/PA Wire) Prince Charles has paid tribute to the great grandson of Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert for his “engaging and effective use of social media” in sharing her story. In a deeply personal foreword, the heir to the throne praised the book, ‘Lily’s Promise: How I Survived Auschwitz and Found the Strength to Live’,   written by Lily Ebert, 97 and Dov Forman, 17. Prince Charles recalled lighting memorial candles in 2015 alongside Lily, saying that by co-writing the book, she “lit her own candle, and recognised the urgent necessity of passing both its light and the responsibility of remembrance between generations.” He said Dov, who thanks to Lily has more than 1,000,000 followers...