Chelsea refute Zahavi allegations 09/05/2008 Chelsea Football Club have issued a statement regarding the comments of Pini Zahavi, the agent of Blues boss Avram Grant, who claimed that the Israeli was not getting due recognition for his achievements because he is Jewish. Since taking over from Jose Mourinho in September, Grant, 52, has led the Stamford Bridge club to the Champions League fina...

Ken was ‘hit by Jewish rows’ 09/05/2008 By Simon Rocker Nicky Gavron, the outgoing deputy mayor of London, acknowledged this week that the Qaradawi and Finegold incidents had cost Ken Livingstone Jewish votes. Ms Gavron, the only Jewish politician on the London Assembly, noted that the mayor had eventually apologised over comparing Jewish journalist Oliver Finegold to a concentration-camp guard. But a...

Olmert faces political ruin over bribes inquiry 09/05/2008 By Anshel Pfeffer, Jerusalem and JC reporters A new, potentially devastating corruption investigation into the financial affairs of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert threatens to unseat him. If Mr Olmert, who was questioned by police under caution last Friday, and will be questioned again next week, is formally charged, he will be forced to resign. The investigation involves at least two of...

JC Power 100: Sacks stays on top, as new names emerge 09/05/2008 Today we reveal the top spots in our second annual list of those who wield the greatest influence on British Jewry, as chosen by JC readers and an expert independent panel representing all strands of community life. Over the next four pages we profile numbers 1-30 on our list, recap those from 31-100, and suggest some names to watch for the future....

‘Being a black Jew means ordered spontaneity’ 09/05/2008 By Alex Kasriel Rebecca Walker, a leading feminist, tells Alex Kasriel how writing a book helped her heal her ‘fragmented’ identity as black-Jewish. Overleaf, another woman explains her own solution The last time author Rebecca Walker met up with her friend Lenny Kravitz, the rock star, he jokingly suggested co-authoring a book entitled Barbecues and Barmitzvahs....

Israel is a given. So let’s do a deal 09/05/2008 By Poju Zabludowicz On Israel’s 60th anniversary, the chairman of Bicom urges its neighbours to grasp the chance to make peace As we celebrate 60 years of Israel’s independence this week, it is an opportune time for reflection. Yom Ha’Atzmaut ends a week of introspection and remembrance in Israel, with memorial days for the Holocaust and Israel’s fallen soldiers in t...

They gave us Les Mis. Next up: Vichy France 09/05/2008 By John Nathan The new West End musical Marguerite takes a 160-year-old love story and updates it to wartime France. John Nathan asks its creators: will it be a hit? What a great idea. A musical adaptation of the classic 19th-century novel by Alexandre Dumas, Le Dame aux Camelias. The pathos, the intrigue, the scandal, the romance, the sex, the Nazis, the…Wait a...

Maccabi GB crowned champions of Europe 06/05/2008 Maccabi GB made history on the weekend by becoming the first British team to win a men’s Open Football tournament. A management team of Gavin Stollar and Alex Gilbert were offered the opportunity and made the decision to select a relatively young group of boys, who were hungry to learn and succeed on the international stage. Vintage Financial spon...