Monthly Archives: December 2014

Jerusalem Post’s Letter from London 25th Dec 14 and 3 Tevet 5775

Christmas is a funny time of year for London’s Jews. For many children who are not in Jewish schools the experience post-Chanukah is of hearing your friends get increasingly excited about Christmas and what Santa will bring. Whether it be snow filled vistas, the sound of Christmas songs (from Phil Spector to Slade to traditional Christmas carols), the Queens Speech or the presents waiting to be opened at the crack of dawn by kids in pyjamas; these remain some of the most endearing images of British society at Christmas. For those children not party to this, for whatever reason, these images can cause envious gazes. Now many Jewish (and other non-Christian) parents feel pressured into creating the full Christmas experience for their children. Santa and his sleigh no longer pass over the muzuzah’ed houses and only drop down the chimneys of the good little Christian boys and girls. And you are as likely to see Rachel or Rupal or Ahmed or Asher sitting on Santa’s knee in his grotto discussing whether they have been good this year! Santa now reassures all children that he will visit them, no matter in what language they pray for their presents!

But as the season is about giving, and with this spare time on our hands, what better time to turn our minds to the needs of others. There is no better time for us Jews to give up our time and resources.

With that in mind, it was with joy that a few mensches gave up their seasonal break (all 4 days and nights of it) to provide warmth and comfort, love and friendship to some in their community who are less fortunate; a homeless shelter with “all the Christmas trimmings” over the festive period in a synagogue! Surely, this is the true meaning of the giving season. And in giving, there is the privilege of feeling appreciation and the glow of gratitude. This is what is missing in the commercial experience in British society’s festive spirit. Giving should not be restricted to Christmas, or restricted to Christians at this time. In North London, the remarkable work of the same synagogue has set a wonderful precedent. This summer, during Ramadan, the synagogue converted nightly into a mosque for prayers and the breaking of the fast and Iftar celebrations. Every night for the duration of Ramadan, over 50 Muslims came to pray and eat. The Imam’s call to prayer, from the Bimah, echoed throughout the halls. Finally, on one special night, 150 locals from Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Sikh communities came together to sing ‘Salaam, Shalom, Peace’. An unforgettable image of people of all faiths and ages peering over the scrolls on the Bimah in wonder will serve many of us well in the darker days of hatred, bigotry and religious restriction that are becoming ever more frequent in today’s world.

Sadly, some of those darker days have been described by the inspiring Canon Andrew White. He told of a far more sinister tale of the ability and freedom to rejoice. In Nineveh, in this past week, the celebration of birth of Jesus has been an altogether different affair. This vast plain, once the hub of Christianity for Iraq and across Persia, and where Jesus’s mother tongue (Aramaic) is still the language of choice for prayer; the voices have fallen silent and been replaced by the sound of gunfire. Fear has replaced joy. Tragically, for the first time in 2 millennia, the prayers of Christians will be a covert occasion risking lives rather than the overt celebrations venerating life.

Canon Andrew White with the last cross to be made in Nineveh

Canon Andrew White with the last cross to be made in Nineveh

Andrew is also a great mensch in case you didn’t know. And I’m sure that even at such a busy time for most Christians (especially the clergy) Andrew will still have taken time out to tilt his hat to Chanukah. Somewhere in Israel, Andrew will have been lighting the menorah with as much gusto as any of his more customary duties.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, did his very best to show that he is a mensch too. My wife and I listened to his Chanukah speech, made whilst lighting the menorah candles at No 10. He remarked that there are 26 different ways to spell Chanukah, but there is only one meaning: Dedication. He then made 3 wonderful dedications. These assured and unequivocal dedications he gave to Jews across the globe:

Firstly: to Jewish community in its role in the UK. He went on record to recognise the vast contribution that UK Jewry makes to the wider community plus their extraordinary contribution to the country as a whole.

Secondly: to the State and people of Israel. Britain remains a good and candid friend to our state and people. He has pledged that as long as he is Prime Minister this will remain so.

Thirdly: to the memory of the Holocaust. Soon there will be survivors of the Holocaust left, so David Cameron (inspired in part by his visit to Auschwitz), dedicated part of his legacy to ensuring that the messages and lessons are never forgotten.

Whilst other leaders in the UK made positive noises at this time too, David Cameron’s speech was inspiring and his unswerving admiration of Jews and Israel quite moving. His sincerity, at a time when many UK Jews are feeling less safe than ever before, is hugely appreciated and cannot be underestimated. You can read the full speech here, David Cameron’s Chanukah 2014 message

Finally, when it comes to dedication, there are none more dedicated than those at the UN. Their dedication to undermining world politics, congratulating the unworthy and generally making a mockery of justice is unparalleled. Whisper it quietly in the UN’s corridors of power, but they “don’t seem to like us Jews or Israel much” tends to be the general feeling. Whilst that might sound somewhat cynical, the amazing work of UNWatch published (via Buzzfeed if you’d like to read, here UNWatch Top 10 Worst UN decisions) some amazing acts of ignorance by the first global organisation in 2014. Amongst its most stunning proclamations:

  • Electing Iran to Women’s Rights Commission
  • Electing China, Russia, Cuba and Saudi Arabia to the New Human Rights Commission

That’s just the numbers 10 and 9. Even the UNRWA handing back weapons to the terrorists of Gaza didn’t make No.1 on the “mis-hit parade”. No, No 1 in the Top of the Flops was this:

UN adopts 20 Resolutions on Israel versus 4 on the Rest of the World combined. Despite the gross and systematic abuses committed by China, Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Turkey, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Rwanda etc., the only other countries who received condemnations were Iran, North Korea, Ukraine and Syria (and only one for each of them). Is Israel really 5 times as bad as the rest of the world put together? Well seems like the UN think so.

Israel 20 v The Rest of the World 4

Israel 20 v The Rest of the World 4

At the UN, Christmas is a time for giving, and the UN has certainly given more generously than ever before to the State of Israel. Unfortunately the receiving has not been greeted with the same enthusiasm as the giving.

Stinging Criticism

Matthew Parris, a venerable writer in The Times and former Conservative MP, made the assertion in the aforementioned paper that we are all just a bit over anxious and losing perspective about the egregious attacks (in Australia, Pakistan and France) of the past week. He feels that the public and the media unfairly play the racial card on this and, especially in the US, overreact to the events. Matthew’s research led him to the intriguing fact that there are more Americans dying from wasp stings than from religiously driven beheadings, by a factor of 11 to 1. The numbers are undeniable. 55 US citizens died as a result of a sting or stings from an insect last year, whilst during the same period 5 US citizens were murdered by barbaric extremists. There are so many ways to dissect this but none of them support Matthew Parris’s rationale. Furthermore, this ongoing apologist view of race-based hatred and murder seems to be gathering far more pace than it should.
So I posed these simple points to Matthew:

a) 5 American citizens “only” are killed a year because the US has to spend billions of dollars to prevent daily massacres of biblical proportions by terrorists mainly driven by Islamic narratives.

b) Trivialising murders by terrorists by comparing to attacks by wasps is massively disrespectful to those who are victims of terror attacks. A friend of mine is, at this time, remembering the 4th anniversary of being the victim of a Palestinian terrorist kidnapping, being stabbed 14 times, being left for dead whilst witnessing her friend being brutally murdered.

The still far too frequent terrorist events such as these are, I suggest, not the same as being stung by a wasp.

A wasp is an insect. It attacks as a basic reaction to an imminent threat. That is NATURE. Humans rarely die from a wasp sting as it we have enough body mass and protection to render the sting a mere irritation. Beheadings are the result of a specific philosophy and upbringing. That is NUTURE. Humans rarely survive a blow with a knife to the neck.

One criticism levelled by all sides is that there are numerous tracts within religious books of many faiths that speak of violent and belligerent acts. Unquestionably these tracts exist. They are not obscure but relatively clear. However, responsible society has learnt to moderate and interpret these stories for what they are; stories not instructions. They represent a different time when barbarism and violence went unchecked and the moral compass had no direction. In Christianity and Judaism no one is using these violent tracts as “just cause” for murder or punishment. The Old Testament talks of stoning, an eye for an eye, ritual slaughter, yet I have never heard a rabbi or a vicar demand that we implement these actions or encourage such behaviour (nor, I am sure will I ever). Actually, the contrary is usually the case when I listen to rabbis sermons of such events. These stories act as a reminder of how not to behave. There lies the fundamental difference with fundamentalists.

The liberals seem all too keen to excuse the Sydney café murders as a one off “lone wolf attack” (despite three vehicular terror attacks in France this week done with similar intent and intonations). This was just a madman. The Islamic flag, the screams of “allah akbah” were just a fashion not an extolling of intent. In Pakistan, when there is no denying that religion was the justification to murder innocents in their classrooms, everyone appeased the notion that religion was involved by denying it was their religion.

David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, at his residence for Chanukah candle lighting this week said:

“I know that it happened on the other side of the world, but I think the appalling events in Peshawar…. are a reminder, whether we needed it, that there aren’t bad terrorists and less bad terrorists – there are terrorists. They kill. They maim.”

So, to the crux of the matter. Within religion, there are all manner of aspects of humanity. It does depravity as well as beauty. That is our nature. But only the evil in mankind has the ability to nurture the horrors. Stop that nurture. Rather than trying to excuse it, we need to be brave and confront it. Matthew Parris feels that ISIS, Islamic Jihad and the like are trying to draw us into a holy war by trying to associate murders with religion. If we keep on denying it, it will continue and proliferate.


 

David Cameron, PM, lighting the Menorah candles

David Cameron, PM, lighting the Menorah candles

Read David Cameron’s full speech here:  https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0CCEQFjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fnews%2Fchanukah-2014-david-camerons-speech-at-reception&ei=vjeZVLbYGfCu7AbMqYGYDg&usg=AFQjCNE6P2Kgs2Hz319lt0JeC19W9rm8OA&sig2=hDPJ1qT1QaMIb-Y3_S-XHQ

Jerusalem Post’s Letter from London 8th Dec 14 and 16 Kislev 5775

The weather in London is getting a little colder, the nights are drawing in, and thoughts on the BBC turn to the Christmas season’s entertainment. Time was we couldn’t wait for the TV Times. But enough of the British sentimentality. And moving on to, British sentimentality.

 

 

TV Times

This week, the Bishop of Oxford, Bishop Harries decided it would be in the best spirit of inclusion and welcome to incorporate tracts from the Quran into the next royal coronation ceremony. It is a charming thought. And one not at all meant to curry favour with Britain’s ever growing Muslim community. Yet to be really inclusive, we shouldn’t forget those in Britain who are already well integrated into the British way of life. The Sikhs, the Hindus, the Buddhists and, of course, the Jews. And then there are those more traditional British spiritual faiths that we mustn’t forget like Quakers, Druids and, well, atheists. I think the TV Times Coronation Celebration Special Issue will be featuring a Coronato-thon of a show with hours of tracts from every faith.

In a further complication, how does Bishop Harries see this working out for the inclusion aspect? In the synagogues around Britain Jews say prayers of wellbeing for the Royal Family, the British government and the British Armed Forces every Shabbat. This is integration and respect for ones adopted community at its best. In other examples, Hindus and Sikhs have long shown their loyalties at their temples to their environment and the nation where they are free to practice their faith without trepidation or threat. Yet on several occasions the suggestion of putting such patriotic narratives into the mosques has been firmly batted back. This lack of reciprocation suggests that Bishop Harries welcome and inclusion is not a two way street.

But back to our fascination with the weather and as it gets decidedly chillier in London, David Cameron took the opportunity to go somewhere even colder. The PM went off to a very frosty Poland. He went to visit Auschwitz. Unquestionably, any man or woman who visits there is compelled to reassess their values and to address their perspectives of humanity. David Cameron didn’t need words to justify his visit. His actions spoke for him. He wanted to reflect and be touched by horror. At a time when we see the heinous cruelty with ISIS, (as Canon Andrew White points out, this is an organisation which is driven without any notion of negotiation towards the destruction of all that disagree or do not meet with their philosophy, nihilists or new age Nazis if you like) maybe the PM wanted to come face to face with the evil so as to understand it better. A chill wind that might blow some good.

He promised to assess how the Holocaust is taught here in the UK and ensure it remains prominent and relevant in our educational curriculum. But also, it was apparent he reached out to the Jewish community here in the UK to remind us that he stands by us. Anti Semitism is rife and his actions reaffirm his real determination to address this. It is not some vote grabbing headline or antic; it is the continued reinforcement of David Cameron’s moral belief. If he wanted to grab votes he might simply take the left’s tactic of appealing to the masses and joining the Miliband-wagon of anti Israel rhetoric to ensure he curries favour with the pro Palestinian lobby. It is a sentiment not lost on the Jewish voting public which is pulling away from its Labour roots in droves.

Finally, the ever erudite Daniel Finklestein got a rather cold reception in some quarters for daring to go all “Jewish humour” on us in The Times. A pity that some couldn’t enjoy some good ol’ fashion Yiddisher self deprecation. Fantastic and very old school.

“30 Reasons why I like being a Jew”. Amongst his amusing musings were:

2 Jews, 3 opinions and 4 cars. We’re never short of a lift home.

Chickensoup with matzo balls. One way to tell a Jew from a gentile. For all Jews chickensoup is one word.

What’s the difference between a Jew and a non Jew. A non Jew pays retail.

But numbers 29 and 30 were, I would suggest, on a level with Richard Pryor’s re-appropriation of the N-word. The last two reasons why Daniel (and I) like being a Jew

29. Control of the media

30. And Control of the international banking system

Bravo!

If there has been a 31st, it might have been “Being a Zionist”. But unfortunately here in the UK, the Z-word is still a little tougher to sell. Even to Jews.

Flags of Convenience

It might be a small thing, it might be trivial and not even noticed by many of the millions of light entertainment viewers and sport fanatics around the world. But I observed three small images that made disturbing viewing for their sentiment. All three are within the context of the celebration of man’s / woman’s ability to entertain and strive for athletic and graceful perfection.

Strictly Come Dancing, the doyen of the BBC’s weekend evening light entertainment schedule, is a programme which my wife and many of my friends are gripped by. On the menu last Saturday was the fantastically themed concept of “dance from around the world”. Behind one of the judges, Len, were flags from all the countries. Every one of the states were draped behind the judges, with one odd addition. A Palestinian flag. Curiously, there were no other unofficial states. I wrote to the BBC to ask if the precedent they had set would be continued using other unofficial state flags such as Islamic State? After all they are an unofficial state, just like Palestine. I now eagerly await a reply. And just to advise, when complaining through the BBC’s circuitous web complaint form, don’t hold your breath for a response. They are never quick and often you have to pursue them.

Len's Lens missed this little gem

Len’s Lens missed this little gem

Next to Qatar. Qatar has become a centre for athletic excellence. Despite having almost no history in any form of athletic endeavour, this tiny state will host the World Athletics Championships, the Top World Tennis Tournament outside the big four majors, an annual World Golf Open and most notably the 2022 Football World Cup. On top of that, it is currently hosting the World Swimming Championships. Israel has had a notable success at the swimming championships, a Gold Medal for the Israeli Guy Marcos Barnea. The Qatari broadcast of the Championships put a banner up on the screen with a curious omission. The Winner, the winner’s name, the winner’s time, the winner’s 3 letter abbreviated country name were all up there. But next to that a new and unrecognised flag. A white flag, with two blue horizontal bands, one near the top and one near the bottom of the flag. Nothing else. Of course, missing was a blue Star of David.

Star of the pool?

Star of the pool?

Although this is not without precedent. In the third example of misappropriated references, Real Madrid‘s new UAE sponsors removed the Christian Cross from the top of their club crest. The Spanish (pro Madrid) newspaper, Marca, advised that the club removed it from their logo on the new £1bn Real Madrid Resort’s promotional materials (based resort in the UAE). Marca describes the change as a means “to avoid any confusion or misinterpretation” in relation to a project being built in a largely Muslim region. The cross in question is part of the Royal Family crest relating to the crown worn by the head of state (who’s name is part of the club of course, Real = Royal). Next for Real Madrid’s misinterpretation avoidance department? Well maybe replacing the “MCF” in the centre of the crest with a picture of the club president hugging a spouting oil derrick.

Real-ity bites the cross off

Real-ity bites the cross off

It will be intriguing to know, at the 2022 World Cup, whether there are plans to remove other country’s religious references. With that in mind, should we now expect the England flag to be a plain white flag with the removal of the Cross of Saint George. The idea of a “white flag” and England’s football team might be too obvious. But what about a Swiss Flag without a Cross, it is just a Red Flag. That would be like a red rag to a Swiss bull. The FIFA executives in Zurich may feel like this is a price worth paying though (and usually FIFA has no shame in considering the price of World Football’s soul).

Either way, these flags of convenience are a troubling trend. It smacks of eradicating other cultures and histories. In the case of the cross atop of the Real Madrid emblem, it is clearly a case of selling the soul of the football club. In the case of the missing Star of David it is denial of history and existence. And in the case of the BBC, well, it’s just the good ol’ Beeb showing its true colours.

Remembering the Jewish Refugees

Some 70 years ago, as the Jewish state of Israel was approaching its birth, many Arabic regimes through the Near and Middle East began wicked campaigns of intimidation and oppression against their own Jewish citizens. Jews from all over the region were systematically brutalised tortured and murdered, their businesses destroyed or stolen, their possessions and homes ramsacked and expropriated. 850,000 refugees in a matter of just a couple of years were left desolate, isolated, hated and abused; refugees and victims. It should be remembered, this brutal ethnic cleansing was taking place just months after the end of the Holocaust in Europe and whilst millions of European Jews were now refugees wandering through a desolate war torn landscape with nowhere else to go.

Displacement of Jews

Much less of the Arabic Jewish refugee situation was made than that of the circumstances in Europe. Israel and many of the refugees looked to Europe and thought to themselves “what happened in Europe was far far worse, so let’s just get on with it”.

Jewish refugees in Arabia

Despite the abominable circumstances, the nascent State of Israel, did what Israel was set up to do. It provided the only safe haven and security that these near 1 million could rely on. Jews relied on Jews. The world’s only Jewish State protected, saved and gave new life and purpose to these refugees. Jews had no UN to fund them, no wealthy oil money to provide for them, no parent global organisation to put care around them. Indeed quite the opposite, a world reeling from World War II had no capacity to help and a country barely borne and already accomodating refugees from Europe was already struggling both financially and psychologically.

It is not without irony that in the Near and Middle East today a global organisation with massive resources operates to assist refugees. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East was created to support Palestinian refugees in Gaza, The West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan. Whilst these countries and many others in the region disposed of their Jewish citizens, robbed them of their wealth and lives, the UN resolved to set up a refugee status for those other than Jews. Jews had been systematically murdered and made refugees across the region yet those who continued this persecution were provided with funding and resources to sort their Palestinian refugee problem?

Stretching the irony yet further, the part of the UNRWA work that has by far the highest visibility is the work in Gaza and the West Bank. In Syria, Jordon, Egypt, Lebanon and elsewhere in the region the majority of the refugees exist that this organisation is aiding, yet the world and the UNRWA make much smaller investment and effort. Instead, the UNRWA’s multi billion budget and extraordinary large organisation make much of the need for Israel to be responsible for the refugee problem. This convenient association between Israel and Palestinian refugees makes for a convenience that suits much of the Arab world. It plays into the hands of anti semites who profess their hate against Jews through the accusation of role reversal in crimes against humanity.

And in one final paradox, this huge and high profile vehicle for Palestinian refugee aid (along with the extraordinary global donations from charities and Arabic States equating to small nation incomes) consumes much of the global efforts for refugees. 1 in 7 of our planets inhabitants (around 1 billion people) are classified as refugees. Yet the lions share of the support and effort for refugees goes to just 5 million or so people. And one country alone takes the brunt for the issue. That one country being the only country that has successfully resolved this without cost to others, without seeking funds from others and without fuss.

It is surely to Israel that the UN should come to address how to resolve the world’s refugee problem. Indeed countries like Somalia and Ethopia already have. And Israel has opened its doors and let those that need help in.

So just to repeat, with no support from the UN and incredibly limited resources, the lives of these 850,000 Jewish refugees were safeguarded as they were given safe haven in Israel. The UN, in 1947 resolved to set the UNRWA to help refugees in the Near and Middle East region. Yet not one cent of this was for Jews or Israel, but only for the region’s displaced Arabs. Billions upon billions and huge global resources continue to be invested in specifically supporting those Palestinian refugees whilst the only refugee problem that was resolved in the region was that of the Jews which ironically the UN’s agency did not address.

Israel may now seek some reparation for those Jewish refugees. But even that will be used to preserve the history of the Jews in the Middle East and to support the less than 5,000 Jews still in the Arabic diaspara. Retaining and protecting synagogues in places like Syria, Morocco and Tunisia and protecting tiny Jewish communities like the 6 remaining Jews of Bagdad (who are still able to practice due to the leadership, love and care of Canon Andrew White) is a more meaningful way to use reparations rather than the “blood money” provided by Egypt to residents kicked out of their homes on the Gazan borders.

So just who is making the refugee problem for Palestinians a problem…. Maybe the UNRWA, in existence since 1947 has forgotten that its objective should be to resolve the refugee problem not to create and maintain one to justify it’s own existence.

Peace ends here too.....

Peace ends here too…..

Israel, on the 30th November this year, remembered these 850,000 refugees amongst others and continues to help refugees from around the globe.  Maybe the UN could learn a thing or two.