Ken defends record against 'tissue of lies'

Ken Livingstone has said the capital's Jewish community "should be celebrated" and promised to work to defend Jewish rights if elected as London's Mayor next week.

Addressing a London Jewish Forum lunch in Hampstead on Tuesday, Mr Livingstone took issue with his critics.

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Missing OAP

Police have renewed an appeal for information on the whereabouts of a Jewish pensioner.

Margo Leitch, 73, from south-east London, was last seen at her home in March 2011. At the Metropolitan Police missing persons team in Catford, Ian Wall said there had been a sighting in September "at a synagogue in St John's Wood. However, she has still not been seen by police and her welfare checked".

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Tribute to Yoni Jesner

The story of a young Glaswegian killed in a Tel Aviv bus bombing almost 10 years ago was told to British gap year students in Israel.

Youth leader Yoni Jesner was 19 when he died.

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Pupils give seed funds

Pupils from the Naima Jewish Preparatory in Maida Vale have raised almost £3,500 for a grove in Israel in the school's name.

A cheque for the amount was presented by pupils Raquel Menashe and Jonathan Leas to JNF representatives at a school assembly.

The Naima JPS grove will be in the Aminadav Forest outside of Jerusalem.

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Kingsbury welcomes head start

Debra Caplin will start work as head of the Bnos Beis Yaakov School in Kingsbury from the new term.

The governors believe Mrs Caplin - who has varied Jewish school teaching and management experience - will further the development of the girls' school, opened two years ago to cater for demand from the Charedi community.

From the next academic year, the school will have 70 pupils in four class

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Future is not orange at Tesco

Tesco's own brand Passover orange juice has left a sour taste with northern customers.

Manchester shoppers have complained about the quality of the juice in the one litre cartons, which a number of customers returned to stores for refunds.

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It's bleak for Bradford shul

Bradford Hebrew Congregation is on the verge of closure through lack of numbers.

The Orthodox synagogue opened in 1906 and enjoyed a membership peak in the 1950s.

However, as Jewish families left the area, membership declined to 86 in 1999. Today there are just 17 men.

Synagogue chairman Albert Waxman acknowledged the possibility of closure.

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All smiles for charity

A charity set up by a Bushey Synagogue member whose wife died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 33 has received a potential £100,000 boost from global financial services company XL.

Nicki's Smile, a fund of Pancreatic Cancer UK, will be the XL Group's chosen charity from 2012-15.

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Satmar school fights planning rejection

Three hundred supporters of a strictly Orthodox Stamford Hill primary school turned up to back its appeal against Hackney Council's refusal of retrospective planning permission.

The Torah V'Yirah is believed to have been operating as a Satmar school since 2009 and currently has 300 pupils.

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