London riots prompt Alyth question time

Alyth Synagogue members heard a black community perspective on the London riots during a panel debate at the Golders Green Reform congregation.

Levi Hall from Brixton Black Families Forum observed that "when young people have no faith in themselves, they turn against their own community.

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Religion's role in the rioting

'Why didn't they steal ping pong tables, then?" was the response of the journalist Tony Parsons to the idea that the London riots had been caused by cuts to youth services.

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Theatre can heal our wound

Growing up in Bournemouth, it was almost holy writ: "when thou art seven or eight, thou shalt join the shul's drama society and there thou shalt remain, yea, even unto thy barmitzvah year." It certainly was compulsory in my house, as my father ran the society.

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Family is the right answer

Was acting Metropolitan police commissioner Tim Godwin joking when he appealed to parents to "start contacting their children and asking where they are" during last week's riots? You can imagine the phone calls - or rather text message conversations - assuming they even have their kids' latest numbers and they bother checking one of their three phones:

"Where r u?"

"Chillin"

"Where?"

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Smug? No, honest and proud

I cannot be sure, but I think I might have met one of the rioters.

It was a couple of months ago and, that day, I felt rather like rioting myself. I had just been confronted by a young, black girl with a distinct resemblance to a kid in one of the pictures published after the calamities of Tottenham.

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