Special needs pupils gain new skills

Special-needs pupils at the strictly Orthodox Side by Side school are learning more than tikkun olam when delivering weekly food parcels to people in need.

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Manchester King David Schools new campus officially opens

TEL Aviv Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau formally opened Manchester King David Schools’ new campus on Sunday, also helping to bring in tens of thousands of pounds at a fundraiser.

“Education is the most important thing and this is why you must support King David,” Rabbi Lau told an audience of 400, including Bury MP Ivan Lewis.

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Woolf Institute raises close to £1m for new site in Cambridge

The Woolf Institute has announced that it has raised three-quarters of the £1 million required to move to a new purpose-built home in Cambridge.

This was reported at a London dinner this week to honour Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks and his contribution to interfaith relations.

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Ruby Wax wins Jewish Care award

Although Ruby Wax declared herself thrilled to have won “Jew of the Year award”, it was actually the Jewish Care Woman of Distinction accolade, presented at a central-London lunch on Wednesday.

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Ilford Jewish Primary shares site with Hindus

Ilford Jewish Primary staff and pupils will be sharing their Barkingside site with a school for Hindu children.

The Avanti Court Primary is set to open in September. As construction work on the new IJPS building at the nearby King Solomon campus will take at least a year, the primaries will share some facilities.

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Lobby to save Manchester BBC radio show

Manchester’s Jewish Representative Council president has requested a meeting with the BBC’s north-west head as part of a campaign to save the Jewish Citizen Manchester show.

Frank Baigel wants to discuss the axing, on cost-cutting grounds, of the BBC Radio Manchester programme. One campaigner said the corporation had received a “deluge of complaints” over the cancellation.

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Michael Mather scares off robbers

Michael Mather last boxed during his RAF service in the mid-1950s. But the Redbridge pensioner showed a pair of would-be thieves that he could still pack a punch.

The 77-year-old was outside his Clayhall home when two teenage boys wearing hoodies approached him, asking whether they could use his toilet. When he refused, they attempted to force their way in.

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Gefiltefest Jewish food festival attracts 500 people

Challah baking, home-brewed kiddush wine and a controversial fish were part of an eclectic menu at the third Gefiltefest Jewish food festival, held on Sunday at Ivy House, Hampstead.

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Herts rejects Yavneh College plan

Disappointed Yavneh College trustees are having to rethink their options for establishing a primary section after the local authority turned down a second application for a £4 million grant.

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Southend's Raymond House closure put on hold

Supporters of the closure-threatened Jewish Care home in Southend have persuaded the charity to delay its plans in the hope of finding a buyer.

A working group of three representatives apiece of Jewish Care and the Southend community will explore the viability of keeping Raymond House open if sufficient investment can be generated.

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St Albans Synagogue close to appointing rabbi

St Albans Synagogue is closing in on the appointment of a part-time rabbi — its first professional minister for more than half-a-century. The last was the late Rabbi Avrom Chaitowitz, who left St Albans for Stanmore Synagogue, where he officiated for many years.

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Liverpool diners pay tribute to Tilly Rosenblatt

Seven-hundred Liverpool community members sat down to Shabbat meals in a tribute to a young cancer victim.

Shabbat Across the Mersey honoured the memory of former Liverpool King David High captain Tilly Rosenblatt who died in 2010, a year after leaving KD. Tilly’s father, Paul Rosenblatt, said she loved Shabbat and was dedicated to bringing her local community together.

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Rabbi Natan Levy leaving Shenley United Synagogue

Shenley United’s Rabbi Natan Levy will be leaving at the end of July.

Congregants were given the news at the community’s 10th anniversary celebration. The shul’s honorary officers wished Rabbi Levy and his family a successful future, adding: “We very much hope that we will stay in contact.”

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Blackpool Hebrew Congregation rocked by closing ceremony

More than 200 people offered a tearful farewell to the Blackpool Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Sunday. A deconsecration ceremony marked the end of the congregation’s 114-year presence in the seaside town.

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Daniel Taub salutes Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at gala dinner

Israel Ambassador Daniel Taub saluted the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at a gala dinner to celebrate its 40th anniversary. And Mr Taub can claim first-hand knowledge of its benefits — he once was a student there.

While an undergraduate at Oxford, he took a course in Yiddish at the centre with legendary teacher, Dovid Katz.

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Paige Linden wins Rotary Club prize for lamp

A Stanmore schoolgirl looks set for a bright future after her prototype for a flat-pack lamp took first prize in a young inventor contest.

South Hampstead High pupil Paige Linden was a category winner in a Rotary Clubs competition. The 15-year-old — who hopes to study engineering when she leaves school — intends to use the £80 prize to patent her idea.

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Kisharon launches national helpline

Special needs charity Kisharon unveiled a helpline scheme at its gala dinner in central London on Sunday, which raised £450,000.

Chairman Philip Goldberg told the 500 guests that the service would give “Jewish people from around the country somewhere to phone when they need emotional support on issues relating to learning difficulties. It is in response to an identified need.”

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Eliana Mann thriving after removal of 3kg tumour

The life of a 10-year-old Kerem Primary pupil has been transformed by the removal of a 3kg tumour from her abdomen.
Eliana Mann’s tumour was discovered in 2009 after her parents Tara and Paul became concerned that she was not eating and was constantly tired. Mr Mann also noticed that Eliana’s feet had not grown and that her stomach was unusually hard.

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Golders Green Synagogue £3m redevelopment and plans for Rimon Primary School

The Golders Green Synagogue management has reported on the progress of its £3 million redevelopment project and has updated congregants on plans for the Rimon Primary School set to open on the synagogue site in September.

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