Home Office acts on child neglect case

Immigration officials have told the JC this week that solving the case of two Israeli children who entered Britain unaccompanied was a "top priority".

The sister and brother, aged 12 and nine, have been in the care of social services for more than a month while attempts are made to organise their repatriation.

They were sent to Britain by their mother, a 38-year-old Russian-born Israeli, who was later arrested by Tel Aviv police on suspicion of neglect.

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This caps it all: free dry-cleaning for your Yomtov kippah

Here is a new Yomtov anxiety, to add to cleaning the house for your relatives' approval, and agonising over just the right shul outfit. Is your kippah as clean as it should be?

Now the largest chain of independent dry-cleaners in London is offering a solution to the stress of grubby kippahs. It is offering to dry-clean them for free.

Julian Stone, founder of the American Dry Cleaning Company, says he expects a round 30,000 people to take up his offer on September 1.

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Shoah leaflet refers to gays but not Jews

The Socialist Workers Party (SWP) has launched a campaign that condemns the Holocaust's slaughter of gays and lesbians, disabled people and trades unionists - but fails to mention the fact that there were Jewish victims.

The party circulated a petition in a "Stop the Nazi BNP" leaflet at the British National Party's annual festival last weekend and encouraged signatories to join the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) campaign.

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Orthodox cemetery bans Reform rabbis

Glasgow's Orthodox-run burial society has ended a long-standing arrangement which permitted local Reform rabbis to conduct funerals at its cemetery for members of their synagogue.

Barry Cooper, chair of the Hebrew Burial Society, remained tight-lipped over the reason for the change of
policy.

He would say only: "We are an Orthodox burial society which is bound by the halachic regulations as relating to all aspects of Jewish burial and Jewish services.

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British split over push for greater democracy at Claims Conference

British representatives to the Claims Conference, the international Holocaust restitution body, are split over whether it should introduce greater democracy.

Paul Edlin, a vice-president of the Board of Deputies and one of its two delegates on the conference board, is among those pressing for change at the New York-based organisation, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars annually to Holocaust survivors.

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Former MP dies at 91

Former MP and gay-rights champion Leo Abse has died at the age of 91.

The former Labour MP for Pontypool, and later Torfaen, died at Charing Cross Hospital in West London on Tuesday night after a short illness.

In 1967, Mr Abse guided a Private Member's Bill through Parliament making sex between men legal.

Cardiff-born Mr Abse, elder brother of writer Dannie Abse, was also credited with helping liberalise divorce laws with the 1969 Divorce Reform Act.

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Shalit march planned

The Zionist Federation is organising a march and meeting in London on September 21 to publicise the plight of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.   

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Orthodox community steps up its anti-drugs campaign

A strictly Orthodox charity is planning to step up its campaign over the next few weeks to educate its constituency about the risk of drugs.

Talking Matters, a Stamford Hill-based welfare agency specialising in mental-health issues, last autumn published a ground-breaking 128-page guide in Yiddish, Hebrew and English on understanding addictions, ranging from gambling, sugar and "shopaholism" to alcohol and drugs.

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Wrapit: no refunds

Newlywed couples and their wedding guests are unlikely to receive money or undelivered presents from collapsed online gift company Wrapit, administrators confirmed this week.

KPMG said it "did not consider funds would be available" for unsecured creditors, including gift-less couples, staff and suppliers.

A full report into the company's failure would be published within the next eight weeks, said the administrator.

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United Synagogue removes gag on relatives speaking at funerals

The United Synagogue has relaxed one of its most controversial rules that restricted the delivery of funeral eulogies to rabbis or ministers.

A letter has gone out to rabbis from the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogues recommending that lay people should be allowed to give a hesped (eulogy) on certain occasions at the discretion of the local rabbi.

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