Medal for Sternberg

Sir Sigmund Sternberg has become the first Jew to receive the St Mellitus Medal which is awarded to those who have made a substantial contribution to London.

The Reform movement president and philanthropist told the JC: “It is a great pleasure to receive this award and to be the first Jew to be given it.”

Sir Sigmund received the medal from the Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres, at the St Ethelburga’s Centre in the City of London for his work in promoting interfaith relations in the capital.

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Top Met officer attends CST northern dinner

Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington, former commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, addressed a capacity crowd at the annual Community Security Trust’s northern region dinner.

In his address to the 350 guests at the city centre Hilton Hotel he highlighted the country’s fight against terrorism and the significance of the controversial new Terror Bill which includes the extension to 42 days in which a suspect can be held before being charged.

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Nursery gets a revamp

The Cockfosters Synagogue nursery school — which counts Amy Winehouse and S-Club 7’s Rachel Stevens among its former pupils — is about to complete a successful first year following a revamp and name-change.

Previously known as Yavneh, the nursery located at Cockfosters and North Southgate Synagogue, has been re-named Keshet, the Hebrew word for rainbow. It has new staff, new equipment and a pupil count of just eight to 12 children who are supervised by two dedicated teachers. Principal Gracie Obadiah said the nursery “provides a fun and varied curriculum”.

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Cancer Research thanks ‘Mothers and Daughters’

A North-West London Jewish fundraising committee has received a national award from Cancer Research UK in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the cause.

The charity’s annual Flame of Hope Awards recognises remarkable efforts in fundraising and volunteering.

The Mothers and Daughters Committee won in the Outstanding Achievement category, beating off stiff competition from across the UK.

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Wembley care home wins praise

Edinburgh House, the Spanish and Portuguese Jews Home for the Aged, has received a three-star award for excellence after a government inspection.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) made an unannounced inspection, which took place over three days. The inspectors concluded that the 51 residents were given an excellent quality of service.

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Triplets’ joy as music comes to aid of barmitzvah boy

Being severely disabled would rule out many people from having a bar- or batmitzvah, but it didn’t stop 13-year-old Ben Dawson from celebrating his coming-of-age ceremony with his sisters at Finchley Progressive Synagogue, North-West London.

Ben, who has quadriplegia, cortical visual impairment, epilepsy and global development delay, joined his triplet sisters Josie and Rachel on the bimah last month.

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Help with heritage

A national scheme which provides free training for people from religious communities to care for their historic places of worship will hold a special one-day event for the North West’s Jewish community on July 13.  The Faith In Maintenance day will be held at Manchester Jewish Museum. It will include a site visit to Higher Crumpsall and Higher Broughton Synagogue, which has recently benefited under the English Heritage and Heritage Lottery Fund Joint Listed Places of Worship Repair Grant Scheme.

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Celebs in charity match

Around £14,000 was raised by a charity football match between an Arsenal ex-pro/celebrity XI and a team of Maccabi League players at Edgware Town FC last Sunday.

The event was attended by more than 300 people, including the Mayor of Barnet, Cllr John Marshall, and Tottenham Hotspur legend Joe Kinnear. It was organised by Mark Silverman of Mill Hill in support of Action Duchenne, a national charity aiming to raise funds for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

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Tough? We’ll swim 22 miles

Two remarkable sisters are about to complete the equivalent of a cross-Channel marathon swim, raising more than £23,000 for Jewish and non-Jewish charities in the process.

Talya and Dani Jacobson have been taking to the water at their local baths most days over the past few months to swim 1,408 lengths of the 25m indoor pool, the equivalent of the 22-mile width of the English Channel.

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Reform renames

The Reform movement’s Assembly of Rabbis has voted at its Annual General Meeting to change its name to the Assembly of Reform Rabbis UK. The move was instigated by its chairman, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, who said they were looking for a more precise description of the group.

The Assembly intends to take a greater role in the wider Jewish community through the publication of a series of pamphlets on contemporary issues. Proposed subjects include healing in Judaism, new creative rituals and ethical investment.

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