Special reports

Banking on JSoc growth at Canary Wharf

Sandy Rashty — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:48:07 +0000

JSocs are spreading into the corporate arena, allowing Jewish employees at major financial and law firms In Canary Wharf to get together for social, cultural and religious activities.

“It’s become a common trend,” observed KPMG Jewish Society member Alexander Gold. “The JSoc gives us a chance to socialise, provides networking opportunities and forms a big part of our voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme.”

Regular breakfasts and lunch-and-learns and annual Chanucah parties are among KPMG JSoc activities.

“We’re very fortunate that KPMG has been so supportive in terms of the budget and time off from our day jobs,” Mr Gold said. “But the JSoc, like all societies at the firm, brings benefits to the organisation. It has a positive effect on the work environment.”

Another active member of the JSoc is former headhunter Amy Woolf, who recalled that her previous job was in “a very Jewish working environment where I didn’t have to explain who I was. The KPMG JSoc gives me a chance to have a Jewish life at work — it makes me feel very comfortable. I felt so proud when we lit the candles and had doughnuts in our offices during Chanucah.”

Ms Woolf is applying her skills as a member of KPMG’s diversity and inclusion team to advance the JSoc. “I can be the only woman at most events and I haven’t seen enough going on for secular people. It’s something that I wanted to address so I’m encouraging more people to get involved.

“We’ve lately had some fascinating speakers. One rabbi discussed the relationship between Jewish law, business issues and current affairs.”

Mr Gold said the JSoc was also an important source of information. “A lot of junior employees don’t know how the system works and how to take time off for Yomtov or Shabbos. They come to us and we clarify things.

“Since I started here more than four years ago, we’ve also managed to have kosher sandwiches every day in the office. Our monthly lunch-and-learns are not only for KPMG employees, but other Jewish workers in Canary Wharf.”

Another Canary Wharf JSoc is at law firm Clifford Chance, described by partner Adrian Cohen as part of a “conscious effort to promote diversity. We have a budget and the firm will pay for many of our events. We have a minyan, lunch-and-learns and a cheesecake party for Shavuot. There’s always a lot of food and the events also give us an opportunity to network as we bring together our Clifford Chance connections, from clients to barristers.”

A variety of activities — for example, a succah — are facilitated through Canary Wharf Group.

“The succah is aimed at Jewish employees in the area, but it also gives us a chance to invite in non-Jewish passers by, give them a cup of tea and explain what an etrog is,” Mr Cohen said.

Danny Seliger, a director at Canary Wharf Group, organises activities for Jewish employees.

“We have a main distribution email list that informs people when minchah is and what upcoming events are taking place,” he reported. “On a fast day, we bring up a Sefer Torah from Bevis Marks shul.

“We just had a big Purim event funded by the Canary Wharf Group and we invited more than 200 elderly people to take part — a lot of them have roots in east London.”

Mr Gold highlighted the benefits of JSocs for networking. “If you work in tax, it’s quite likely that most people you meet will also be from the tax department. The JSoc gives you a good opportunity to meet other people.”

Employees also use their firm’s CSR time to support charities such as Jewish Care, Norwood and The Fed in Manchester. Some participate in volunteering days at homes and day care centres.

Teachers learning a fresh perspective on the Holocaust

Sandy Rashty — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:51:07 +0000

There is calling out in class and scribbling in notebooks as 22 British students learn about the Holocaust.

But this is adult education as heads and other staff members from Jewish schools make up the bulk of those taking the seminar at the Yad Vashem International School for Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem, which gives participants the tools to teach the Shoah in innovative and engaging ways.

Staff from JFS, JCoSS and Hasmonean were among those on the week-long programme, which ended yesterday. Sessions ranged from lectures by experts in the field to PowerPoint presentations and group discussions.

“I’m quite enjoying the student role,” confessed Rabbi Eliezer Zobin from Immanuel College in Bushey. “It’s a healthy reminder of what it’s like to be a student and it’s also nice to share ideas.

“We’re given the knowledge and asked what the value of this information is to our students. It’s not an ideological discussion.

“Every member of the group has chosen different sessions as their favourites. That’s part of the success of this trip.”

Seminar teacher Shani Luria — education director of the ISHS Jewish world division — reasoned that “the best way to get to students around the world is through the teachers. It’s the most important job a person can do.

“These are all experienced educators. I enjoy the debate and intellectual challenge I get from them.”

Debates in the classroom were heated — for example, on the dilemma of showing images of non-Jews being humiliated by Nazis for having relationships with Jews when intermarriage contradicts halachah.

The course has inspired Rabbi Zobin to instigate an “enrichment programme that focuses on Jewish identity. The Holocaust is an important part of Jewish identity because it has instilled a deep-seated insecurity in the Jewish community and is mentioned in everything from Israel to rising antisemitism and interaction with the Muslim world.”

Primary school teachers were among the group, including Hertsmere JPS head Steven Isaacs, who wanted “to link ideas of racism and discrimination with the Holocaust — it needs to be broken down and made more accessible for students”.

Subject specialities of participants covered art and music, as well as history and politics. “Holocaust education is not only the responsibility of the Jewish studies department,” pointed out JFS assistant head Simon Appleman. “It’s the responsibility of all teachers.”

Mr Appleman was joined by non-Jewish colleagues Keith King and Neil Davenport respectively from the JFS art and politics departments. Mr King, an art and photography teacher, was a key contributor.

“He just notices things that we don’t see,” said one attendee. “He notices what is photo-shopped [in images from the Holocaust], how the photographer used the camera and why they used it in the way they did. It’s so interesting.”

Mr Appleman, who also teaches music, wants to implement a specialised programme by the new academic year. “Music and songs can be a means of accessing the Holocaust, whether it’s looking at music written at the time or in response to the Holocaust. We could also look at putting on a concert.”

For Karen Gill from the Brodetsky Primary in Leeds, the seminar was her first time in Israel. “My history experience was very focused on the German perspective,” she said. “I didn’t know that the majority happened in Poland. It was probably very naïve of me. We learnt that whole communities in Poland and Eastern Europe were wiped out.”

She was grateful for the chance to “build up my basic knowledge about the Holocaust so I can introduce it to children in a more sensitive way — for instance, looking at people’s lives before the war and before they were transported. We don’t just want to leave the children with an image of the brutality.”

From a networking viewpoint, it had been “a good opportunity to meet people from other Jewish schools. We can be isolated in a smaller Jewish community.”

The Yad Vashem school runs more than 60 seminars annually, offering programmes for teachers from India to New Zealand. The seminar for British teachers coincided with one for a Lithuanian group from non-Jewish schools. ISHS also dispatches staff to countries including South Korea, Vietnam, Greece and Argentina to spread the word.

Research conducted by the behavioural sciences Henrietta Szold Institute showed that 70 per cent of participants in ISHS seminars had implemented fresh Holocaust educational programmes at their schools. And almost all had passed on Yad Vashem’s educational principles to other teachers.

“You don’t find these numbers anywhere,” claimed ISHS director Dorit Novak. “Educators leave the seminar and say it’s been life-changing. They plan to implement new programmes the minute they get back. We wanted to see if they keep their promises so we conducted this survey.

“The work we do with the educator is ongoing. We stay in touch and always provide them with further teaching materials.”

How charities are attracting the young generation

Sandy Rashty — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:18:23 +0000

Cash-strapped charities are looking to the future by trying to attract the next generation of donors. But for now, involving the young is more important than the cash they contribute.

Communal organisations devote increasing resources to engaging those aged between 20 and 35. Norwood chief executive Elaine Kerr believes “the key thing is get awareness among young professionals of what we do and the services we have — that’s priceless”.

Since the learning disabilities and families charity founded its 24-member Young Norwood Consultative Committee, there has been a rise in creative events to complement the more lucrative traditional dinners.

“The young committee is not there for fundraising but to develop our future strategy,” Ms Kerr explained.
“We’ve opened our books to them. They look at us from an external perspective and challenge us on areas we should be expanding and how to engage with younger people.

“A lot of them haven’t traditionally been involved in Norwood — we selected them with the knowledge of who was out there. These are a group of lawyers, doctors, accountants and people involved in media who are going to get to the top of their fields. We are hopeful that some will stay involved in the future.”

Young Norwood supporters raised more than £400,000 in 2012 through events ranging from a Sri Lankan bike ride to abseiling down a London landmark.

Ms Kerr also emphasised the value of young volunteers. “We’ve opened up our staff training to volunteers, from event management to corporate roles in head office.

“A lot of young people are looking to get on the work ladder and build up their experience. We gain a talented young workforce and they build up their CV as we give them references.”

Led by a team of 85 in eight committees, Young Jewish Care raises around £150,000 annually for the welfare charity.

Chairman Steven Altman-Richer, 26, said it organised “many innovative events to attract new and different people. Some people are able to give more money than time and some people more time than money.”

YJC involvement varies from members donating a proportion of salary to volunteering at the charity’s Jack Gardner House in Golders Green for young adults with long-term mental health issues.

Mr Altman-Richer said that when organising fundraisers, YJC tried to be different. “We had an event at the Google campus, which was cool. It sold out with a waiting list, so we know that new things do work.”

Jewish Care chief executive Simon Morris said the aim was to provide a framework for charity engagement and potential communal leadership for recent graduates who were “building careers and starting to lay down roots in the community”.

For smaller charities, voluntary initiatives led by young professional supporters can be a lifeline.
At MyIsrael, which assists a variety of Israeli causes, co-founder Danni Franks said: “We don’t have a marketing budget so we do it organically and get people involved in any way they can.”

For example, Emily Jacobs, 24, helped to organise a group of eight friends working in the fashion industry to raise more than £13,000 for MyIsrael’s Forgotten People Fund, aiding the Ethiopian community in Netanya.

“We used all the contacts we could and got as many free clothes, shoes, bags and accessories as possible,” the Edgware resident reported.

“We sold donated Prada bags for £80 and Cos dresses for £6. It was a lot of work but absolutely amazing, exciting and so fulfilling.”

Sophie Green, 27, from St John’s Wood is co-directing an art project to raise money for MyIsrael-supported Misholim, helping children with a wide range of emotional, developmental and neurological disabilities through art therapy.

The project entails selling artistically renovated pieces from a property in Israel and so far has raised £20,000.

“It’s very easy to go to a cocktail or supper party, write out a cheque and leave,” Ms Green said. “But this project was hard work, very hands on and an inspiration for the children it’s raising money for.”

Supporting the Nightingale Hammerson home in Clapham maintains a family link for its Young Business Group co-chair, Timothy Lipton.

“My father is president of the charity and my grandmother was a resident — so it’s always been with us,” the 35-year-old property developer explained.

“People should come and visit the site. The charity does amazing work.”

Nightingale chief executive Leon Smith stressed that “young people really are important to us, not solely for fundraising but because they’re future lay leaders of the charity.

“But the fact that we only deal with the elderly makes it difficult to get young people interested.

“We had a young event with a comedian and they raised around £2,000, if that.

“But never mind the money, it’s the interest that counts.”

At Manchester’s main welfare charity, The Fed, manager Joyce Kahn said: “We are always doing what we can to get young people involved, they’re our future.

“It’s not always about raising money. It’s essential but we also value their time and skills. People don’t always realise how much charities need them.”

Bosnians say thanks on rescue anniversary

Sandy Rashty — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:38:22 +0000

Former members of the Bosnian Jewish community brought to Britain from the war-ravaged country 20 years ago marked the anniversary with an emotional reunion at Jewish Care’s Wohl campus in Golders Green.

Along with World Jewish Relief and the American Joint Distribution Committee, Jewish Care was instrumental in assisting the Bosnians to escape and helped them adjust to life in the UK.

The 140 guests at the event included Janet Cohen, former chair of WJR’s Jewish refugees committee, who observed: “It’s so wonderful to see that they’re a community here. They’ve managed to integrate and keep their own identity at the same time.

“Many came with a suitcase of summer clothing and didn’t speak the language. Some had survived the Second World War and faced very difficult and emotional problems because they were refugees twice over.”

Help provided by Jewish organisations included housing, welfare benefits and language lessons at the Hampstead School of English.

The rendition of a traditional Bosnian song, Adio Querida (Goodbye My Love) brought back memories for Branko Danon, 74, who acted as a community worker for the group and is now assistant director of Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors Centre (HSC).

“Many of us grew up with this song and it is also a beautiful tune,” he said. “It is a very emotionally charged feeling.”

Mr Danon added that the refugees had “gradually stopped looking backwards [and] started dealing with day-to-day issues”. Finally came “citizenship, security and the birth of little British subjects”. Group members had gone into a variety of professions and many had married Britons.

Jewish Care chair Steven Lewis said the charity had recognised “the vital importance of traumatised people being together, strengthening each other and having a sense of belonging and identity.

“We realised that those members of the Bosnian community who were also Holocaust survivors could have become members of the HSC. But the language problems excluded them from easily participating in the social programmes. Also the fact that the Bosnian refugees were from a Sephardi background and Ladino-speaking meant that they would feel less at home in the predominantly Ashkenazi/Yiddish-speaking environment.”

He told the former refugees: “I have the greatest admiration for what you as individuals and as a group have achieved.

“Despite all the odds against you, you have made lives for yourselves.”

Read Dragan Ungar and Ela Smiljanic-Hurley's story on the links below.

Shul find brings recognition for wartime heroes

Jay Grenby — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:04:05 +0000

Families of 11 Harrow Jewish servicemen who died during the Second World War have been brought together by the chance discovery of a long-lost memorial board at Pinner Synagogue.

The wooden memorial was found at the back of a rarely-accessed storeroom underneath a stairwell during refurbishment work.

It is believed the board was displayed in the old Harrow Synagogue and brought to Pinner after its closure in 1972. Now restored, the board has a prominent position in the Pinner shul hall.

Among the servicemen was the Rev Solly Hooker, who was Harrow Synagogue minister before becoming an army chaplain during the war. Another was Captain Simmon Latutin, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for gallantry.

Tracing the families has been a labour of love for Pinner congregants, in particular Laurence Harris, a professional family historian and specialist in Jewish genealogical research who has also been an adviser to the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?

The online JC archives were a rich source of information, with family announcements leading to surviving friends and relatives. Military records were also fruitful, providing information about three of the servicemen. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission furnished details such as place of burial — and often names of parents. Help was also provided by the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women, the Royal Air Force Museum and the Ministry of Defence.

Mr Harris discovered that two of the men commemorated, Corporal Harold Simmonds and Sergeant Alfred Sandow, were uncle and nephew. They were also the oldest and the youngest of the 11. Corporal Simmonds, a wireless operator attached to RAF Bournemouth, was 45 when he died after his billet was bombed. Sergeant Sandow was 21 when his Lancaster bomber was shot down over Holland on a mission to Germany.

Captain Latutin was a talented violinist who joined the London Symphony Orchestra at the age of 20. He was decorated for gallantry after attempting to rescue three men from a blazing rocket inferno in Mogadishu. All, including Captain Latutin, subsequently died of their injuries.

The majority were interred where they died in places far from home — India and Iran, for example. One of the 11, Flight Sergeant David Cohen, has no known grave. He was reported “missing in action” after his plane did not return from a bombing mission.

More than 50 relatives of the men were among the 300 at a rededication service at Pinner on Remembrance Sunday. Thrilled at the turnout, organiser Brian Aisenberg said: “To have an opportunity like this where we can come together and pay our respects to these men 70 years after they died is absolutely incredible.”

Those at the ceremony included Peter Tarl from Stanmore, a nephew of Flight Sergeant Joey Shaer, a Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve member who died, aged 24, in 1944 when his plane crashed near Oxford as he was returning to base.

Although Mr Tarl was just one-year-old when his uncle died, he recalled that his grandparents often talked about their lost son.

“It was said in the family that my grandmother never got over Joey’s death,” he recalled, “and though she did not die until 1963, it was rumoured to be of a broken heart”.

FORCES CHAPLAIN WHO HOPED FOR PEACE, NOT HATE

The Rev Solly Hooker was born in 1915 in London’s East End to immigrants from Lithuania. He studied at Jews’ College and University College London, gaining a BA in semitics. After working at the Central Synagogue as student minister, he was appointed to lead Harrow Synagogue in 1939.

In 1942, Mr Hooker became a forces chaplain, serving with the Eighth Army in Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Italy. In a letter home, he wrote: “I am learning and I am strong and I am confident in ultimate success. G-d bless my darling wife and daughters, and may we soon experience the grand reunion — peace and love, where now is war and hate.”

In August 1945, he returned home on leave, seeing his younger daughter for the first time on her second birthday. He was posted to India in September. There, after developing a tumour on the brain, he was admitted to the British military hospital, where he died the following February, aged 31. He was buried in the Madras war cemetery.

Mr Hooker’s two daughters, who live in New Zealand and Israel, were “heartbroken” at being unable to attend the Pinner service. However, his brother and sister-in-law, Cyril and Sally Hooker, were among a group of relatives present, Mrs Hooker in a dual capacity, as her uncle, Hillier Field, was another of the 11 soldiers remembered.

Now almost 80, Cyril Hooker said his brother “was already 18 when I was born, but I remember him as a very loving person. When he was able to take time off from his studies, he took his younger brothers and sisters to see his favourite Disney cartoons.”

Jewish Women's Aid: Helping abused children

Sandy Rashty — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:27:14 +0000

As cases of domestic abuse within the Jewish community rise, Jewish Women’s Aid’s first specialist children’s worker is now dealing with 55 children from the Barnet area.

Nicola Wilson, whose position is funded by Children in Need, has seen more than 100 children since joining JWA two years ago. The youngest are just three, the oldest sixth-form age.

She works only with those “who are no longer living with the perpetrator because it’s too confusing for the child if they then have to go back to that situation. I’ve had situations where the perpetrator knows I’m working with the child and he’ll turn the child against me.”

Meetings are held weekly at the child’s school as “it’s a neutral environment”.

Ms Wilson used to have a caseload in Stamford Hill and Redbridge but said she was now focusing her efforts on Barnet. There was a waiting list for her services.

In her experience, “mothers tend to leave when the perpetrator starts to physically or sexually abuse the child. The sooner they’re out of the situation, the better for the children.”

Within the strictly Orthodox community, she had encountered “naivety about sexuality. One man told his wife to not put their two-year-old in a short skirt because it turned him on. She didn’t know what that meant.”

The long-term effects of growing up amid domestic violence included “suicidal thoughts and actions, a lack of sleep and eating disorders. They often can’t form social relationships — or even play.”

And “if you grow up in an abusive environment, you are likely to be an abuser or end up in an abusive situation”.

JWA Executive Director Emma Bell highlighted the importance of its educational programme at London area Jewish secondary schools, established in 2005.

The charity runs seminars at both Hasmonean girls and boys, JCoSS, JFS, Immanuel College, Yavneh College and King Solomon.

“We run sessions on healthy relationships for boys and girls from year seven to sixth-form. These vary from bullying to putting on sexual pressure in an unacceptable way.

“Abuse in young relationships is a new significant dimension. Young people, because of outside influences, have a sense of acceptance regarding verbal and physical abuse. There are cases where they think being sworn at or slapped is an acceptable part of the relationship.

“We find that young people will disclose their own or family experiences in these sessions.”

Ms Bell said the community needed to understand that domestic abuse was as big a problem within British Jewry as in the general population. “Studies show that this cuts across age, religion and economic background. It’s not a ‘them, not us’ thing.

The JWA is raising awareness in advance of the UN Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Read Aaron, 15, and Laura's, 24, stories on the links below.

JFS in the spotlight

Jessica Elgot — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:13:24 +0100

The pupils and staff of JFS have found themselves in the spotlight this year. After the Supreme Court ruled the school must not enquire about the halachic status of pupils, the face of Jewish education was changed forever – sparking endless debate in the community.

JFS pupils discussed the court's decision too, says head Jonathan Miller, because they discuss everything.

"I am sure our students were very aware of it, but it's not the biggest issue for them. You can guarantee it will have been fiercely debated on both sides, with intelligent arguments, by our students in the lunch hall. But otherwise it has been business as usual."

Political awareness was also evident the second time the school hit the headlines. Pupil Joel Weiner became an overnight sensation in 2009 putting BNP leader Nick Griffin in his place on BBC's Question Time and took centre stage again in April during the first party leaders' televised election debate on ITV.

Ten months have passed since the court's decision and the 300-strong batch of Year 7 pupils are settling into the new term. There were more than 650 applicants for 300 places and more than 95 per cent will stay on before taking up a university place.

Apart from its admissions procedure, little has changed. Teachers and pastoral staff are pursuing the same formula that saw the school ranked "Outstanding" in every category by Ofsted and named the country's top comprehensive.

Mr Miller, who has taught at the school for 27 years, explained why he believes the school is so exceptional. "We have a relentless pursuit of excellence. But there are three things we value; the first is progress, whether it's Oxbridge or a clutch of GCSEs.

"Second, we want our pupils to go on a Jewish journey, whether they are shomer Shabbat or from a non-Orthodox background. Third, we want pupils to give back, to be the next generation of leaders."

He added: "I think the school is the hidden jewel of the community and it is undervalued. There are preconceptions about us. Anyone can come to see the school and have those shattered."

The school's outstanding record means it has the opportunity to become a new Academy. "We have expressed interest in becoming an Academy and we have an obligation to consider it so there's a working party looking at it.

"I don't know what the answer will be, but I'm hoping there will be one by the end of the academic year."

The school's head of community liaison, Jamie Peston, says the school has transformed since moving from Camden to a 26-acre site in the leafy suburbs of Kenton in 2002. Originally in London's East End "we were always finding ourselves in the wrong place, Camden was quite a rough area and although it was a very good school, it wasn't the exceptional place it is now."

The design of the school makes it feel manageable, even with 2,000 pupils.

"We have spacious corridors, nearly twice as big as standard. There are huge windows, it feels light, people don't push past each other and it means behaviour is better. Outside pupils can sit or play in beautiful courtyards. Staff offices have large windows so you can see who is in there - teachers and pupils can't hide away from each other."

Although the school is known for its academic achievements, it also has a Special Educational Needs department, for those with difficulties ranging from autism to Down's syndrome.

"The department is right at the entrance to the school," Mr Peston points out. "We are very proud of the students here, so we don't shut them away at the back. Some go on to
GCSEs and some just learn life skills but we measure their success on what improvements they have made."

The school has invested a great deal in facilities, including recording studios and astroturf pitches. Students can take home thousands of pounds worth of HD cameras "because we trust them".

Catering is quite an operation, Shelley Poll, head of catering, explains: "We run a milky kitchen and we have a shomer from the London Beth Din; I honestly don't know how it's possible to do meat. There's hot meals, salad, bagels and even sushi." Chips are only on the menu once a week.

The most striking building is the onsite synagogue. Mr Peston explains: "In planning law now, your building must make a contribution to the surrounding architecture. When the lights are twinkling through the stained glass window of the synagogue, it really is a magical sight."

Judaism is at the heart of JFS, but Mr Peston stresses "No student is forced to daven. We hope both girls and boys study and develop a connection with Judaism. We teach them to use the text as a springboard to discuss modern life."

Some parents prefer their children to learn more traditionally about Torah so some pupils opt to do text classes instead of Jewish studies lessons. Some even do extended text study after school twice a week.

Israel is central to the school's Jewish ethos, and students are encouraged to learn the facts of both sides of the Middle East debate, says Mr Peston.

"We have been running trips to Israel since the 1960s. We were the very first Zionist school."

In Year 9, 65 students spend three months on Kibbutz Lavi in the Lower Galilee – a trip which is always oversubscribed. Others have a chance to do a two week tour of the country.

Keeping a school of JFS's size secure is paramount. Security manager Warren Singer spent many years with the CST. "Staff check the IDs of all non-uniformed people entering the school, we have CCTV, night vision and 24 hour security presence. But we are mindful that it's a school, and the last thing we do is scare people. We don't teach our kids to be paranoid. They should feel safe and happy wearing a kippah to and from school."

Glasgow: Community where less is more

Stephanie Brickman — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:29:57 +0000

Ask any Scot to complete the sentence “I belong…” and the immediate answer will be: “I belong to Glasgow, and Glasgow belongs to me”. What is true of the general population equally applies to Scottish Jewry. There is pride and passion about being a Jew and a Glaswegian.

However, two-thirds of what was once a 15,000 population now reminisce from a distance — usually London, Manchester or Tel Aviv.

The remaining 5,000, clustered mostly in the leafy suburbs of East Renfrewshire, are catered for by six synagogues, a primary school and some active welfare, cultural and social organisations, notably Jewish Care Scotland, Cosgrove Care, UJIA and Maccabi. It is certainly an enviable infrastructure, but the question being raised increasingly is the long-term viability.

There has been a steep decline in numbers over the past 15 years with a steady stream of departures among the younger community. Empty nests have led to empty shuls as younger retireds, traditionally the pillars of community life, leave to be close to children who have long since high-tailed it and grandchildren born elsewhere.

Glasgow Jewish Representative Council, the oldest in the UK, is now taking the first steps to address future planning. However, its convening of an initial meeting next week with 17 delegates from a cross-section of organisations prompted a furore on the Glasgow Jewish Educational Forum (GJEF) blog, seen by many as a barometer of community opinion.

“This is only a talking shop to try and find the best way forward,” stressed rep council chair Philip Mendelsohn. “That group is not going to come up with the solution. They will agree on the methods for finding the solution. If people can’t agree to work together, then there won’t be a plan but I hope that people will recognise that there is a need and an opportunity.

“The big thing is community buildings and as the community reduces we have to review that. There should be some kind of strategic plan for dealing with the buildings. Over time some will have to go, but which and when?”

As the father of two young children, GJEF chair Tony Tankel has a vested interest in the community’s future — and no confidence in the rep council.

“I don’t see the need for a rep body,” he said. “The reality is they’re irrelevant to the vast majority of the community, who don’t know what they do and aren’t interested.”

Nonetheless, he is one of the more optimistic voices, observing: “There’s been too much emphasis on being a community in decline. You can never control the demographics but there’s still an active community with a structure and there are numerous organisations. For those who want to participate, it has a lot to offer.”

Involvement is certainly a key issue for Rabbi Moshe Rubin, who has been in Glasgow for 20 years and minister of the 850-member Giffnock and Newlands Synagogue for 11 of them.

“There are far fewer people now who have the shul as the main focus of their lives,” he said. “Before you always knew there’d be an audience at events. Now it’s not guaranteed.

“It’s a different type of community. In Giffnock we had observant families who were very active. Many of them have left. Now the top tier of the community is made up of people who were in the background before, who we perhaps ignored for many years. The challenge as a rabbi has changed. We’re looking for ways of making people aware of what the shul can be for them. Shul is not only for davening, it’s a part of everyday life. The shul is the only communal body that people sign up to and we owe them value for money.”

He can see a time when there will be just a single shul — “we won’t have the people for six”.

Giffnock and Newlands administrator Michael Conn agreed, predicting: “In years to come the community will still exist but everything will be much smaller. Our shul building is 40 years old and it’s too big. It costs a lot to heat. Income is reduced and the shul survives on the fact that people pay for a seat and then only come three times a year.”

In a personal capacity, he felt the rep council was approaching things in the wrong way and should instead be facilitating meetings of groups with common interests. “Each grouping needs to find consensus and then bring it all together. Planning for the future is a good idea but not like this.”

A more positive note was sounded at the 145-pupil Calderwood Lodge Jewish Primary, which has a firm commitment from East Renfrewshire Council on its continued aided status.

Businessman Neville Barmack, who has two children at Calderwood Lodge — Gabrielle, 10, and Greg, seven — said it was “a vital part of the community. The children are the future. And you often hear of people who say how much the school helped them forge their Jewish identity.”

Without the school, more people would leave Glasgow. “If you couldn’t keep young families in Glasgow, the community would be in trouble.”

Twenty per cent of Calderwood pupils are non-Jewish and outside support has been crucial in keeping other communal institutions afloat.

For example, Sue Faber of Glasgow Maccabi reported that hiring out its impressive May Terrace premises to non-Jews helped to keep the facility operational.

However, of the 250 people of all ages using the facilities every week, 200 are Jewish and the proportion is growing. “The numbers in the community will never get bigger but the use of our facilities can grow,” she said. “I’m showing people who Maccabi are.”

And at Jewish Care Scotland, chief executive Ethne Woldman spoke proudly of its special, and she claimed, unique partnership with the East Renfrewshire authority. “We have a team of staff seconded by the local authority to work within the charity,” she said. “The resources in Glasgow and the quality of the services are better than anywhere else in the UK. This is a good place to be old at the moment.”

Yet in common with many Glasgow Jewish organisations, there were problems finding younger people to take up the baton. Ms Woldman has been trying to retire for a number of years, but there have been “difficulties” finding a replacement. “There just aren’t the younger people with the right skills.”

Another Glasgow stalwart is Harvey Kaplan, a civil servant by day, who administers the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre in the refurbished basement of the Garnethill Synagogue, a stunningly beautiful Victorian building on top of a hill in the West End of the city. The tartan kipot and posters in Yiddish recall a community that was once served by 14 kosher butchers and a kosher hotel.

“There are similarities between being Scottish and Jewish,” Mr Kaplan said. “Scots feel dominated by the English and Jews are also a minority. Being Scottish is a strong brand. Jewish is also a strong brand. Within Scotland Glasgow has a strong identity so when you’re a Glaswegian Jew that means something. There’s a good story to tell in Glasgow about tolerance.”

Stoke: 22 members over 200 miles

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:18:03 +0000

The last time a couple walked up the aisle at Stoke on Trent Hebrew Congregation was in 1995. The time before that was 1956.

There were a few barmitzvot in between, but not many. This is because Stoke, once a thriving congregation with 175 families, is now one of the smallest in Britain.

“We have 22 members scattered over about 200 square miles of north Staffordshire,” said Sydney Morris, 84, president of the synagogue since 1982.

Mr Morris, a widower, is by no means the oldest member. That honour belongs to a 92-year-old, while the youngest is 47.

Those rare weddings were conducted in the old synagogue in Hanley, Stoke On Trent. The decline meant the synagogue, built in 1923, was replaced by a smaller one three years ago.

Services are held every Friday night and on all chagim. “We have a service even if we don’t get a minyan,” said Mr Morris.

“The Rev Malcolm Weisman [minister for small communities] comes three or four times a year and so does Rabbi Brian Fox of the Reform Synagogue in Manchester. At Pesach, we had a communal seder for 36 people, with relatives and non-Jewish people asking for invitations. It was a wonderful night.

“We look after and support each other, and I think this is how we survive.”

Mr Morris and two fellow congregants, joint treasurer Rae Elias, 75, and Paul Lewis, who is 65, attend representative council meetings in Manchester. Before they go, Mr Morris takes orders for kosher food as there is none in Stoke.

Mr Elias, who came from Bombay 50 years ago, said: “When we go to the Rep Council meetings we explain how we manage and they just have no idea. It would make a huge difference if volunteers from elsewhere could come to our services, even once a year.”

In the past the community has brought someone in to run services for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Mr Elias said: “A couple of years ago we tried to get a reader. Even a student wanted £3,000 plus expenses, and we would have had to pay for accommodation. How on earth can we afford that? Our subscriptions are £50 a year minimum plus £8 a year for burial. The most people pay is about £70 a year.”

Leeds: Community looking to stem the tide of migration

Jessica Elgot — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:46:42 +0000

Many people in Leeds tell the story of their forebears’ supposed exodus from eastern Europe to Yorkshire.

Fleeing Russian persecution, they boarded boats in the belief that they were bound for New York. But rather than seeing the Statue of Liberty, they alighted to the very different skyline of Hull, going on to Leeds to work in the clothing mills.

Whatever the veracity of the tale, Leeds became home to Britain’s third largest Jewish community, flourishing first in Chapeltown and latterly in the more affluent suburbs of Moortown and Alwoodley.

Today, the Jewish community is estimated at over 8,000 and has eight synagogues, a number of kosher shops, a community centre, youth club, a care home in Donisthorpe Hall and two Jewish primary schools, as well as a comprehensive welfare network. There is even a local Jewish radio station.

Yet this seemingly robust framework does not blind local leaders to the growing migration of youngsters to London, Manchester and Israel.

The warning signs are clear to Rabbi Ian Morris of Sinai Reform Synagogue, who has spent 13 years in the city, having moved from Australia. “We have to look at communities in the north like Darlington and Grimsby which had functioning, viable communities. Now they are hanging on by their fingernails,” he said. And in Bradford, “the once large community is teetering on the edge of tragedy”.

When he arrived, he was told Leeds “was becoming a great financial and legal centre where graduates would be seeking jobs. I expected an influx of young Jews, but I haven’t seen it. Maybe they are here and haven’t affiliated”.

Families with children of 11 and above who remain in Leeds face the dilemma of committing them to a 90-minute commute to a Jewish school in Manchester, or a secular local education.

Rabbi Jason Kleiman of Beth Hamidrash Hagadol Synagogue felt the community had resigned itself to life without a Jewish high school. He added: “The last time we realistically talked about a high school was 15 years ago. Tell me there’s no will, or no money and I’ll accept it. But don’t tell me there aren’t enough people to fill it — that’s nonsense.

“More and more Leeds children are going to school in Manchester now. We have got the demand. But there are people who believe we should just tread water and decline gracefully.”

Around 60 of the community’s 1,000 youngsters attend the Manchester King David High.

At the Zone youth club, which draws 250 regulars, chief executive Raina Sheaf saw the Manchester link as a significant long-term threat. “Once a child gets used to going to Manchester every day on the bus, they’ll go there for their social life. But we are trying to counter attack and we pay to bus kids over from Manchester to Leeds and hold parties here.”

But Rabbi Daniel Levy of the United Hebrew Congregation viewed the thirst for Jewish schooling as a positive sign. “Jewish education is so important, it is a good thing people are taking that step,” he said.

The main Jewish primary, Brodetsky, has around 300 pupils, if including its Deborah Taylor nursery. Former headteacher Simon Camby said it was crucial to the community’s future.

“Friendships made at Brodetsky are for life. They don’t disappear just because there’s no Jewish high school. There isn’t any formal system to keep the children in touch but there are places for them to mix. The Zone has been terrific for that. And you have to remember that it’s not such a massive community. People can’t lose one another.”

The aims of the new head, Jeremy Dunford, include a more creative curriculum and use of the site beyond the school day.

Shelley Ross has children of 13 and seven who attend the Zone. She said: “There is an awful lot on offer here for Jewish families. My children do go to a secular school, but I prefer that to be honest. I want them learning about other faiths. I wouldn’t send them to King David — the commute is too long. And I grew up in Reading, where I was the only Jewish girl in the class.”

She had made many friends “but it’s easier when you have children. I don’t think it would be appealing for young, single people. Whether we stay here forever really does depend on our children. We would probably move to London if our children were there..”

The consensus of Rabbi Levy, and other local ministers, is that the problem is not the elusive high school, but intermarriage and secularisation.

In a 2001 Board of Deputies’ survey, more than a quarter of Leeds Jews said their children had married out — and 47 per cent called themselves “secular”.

He said: “It is a close knit community here, apart from for people who are outside the ‘knit’.” He believed the true Jewish population to be considerably higher than generally believed. “We’re not just talking about people who have married out, but people who for whatever reason choose not to practice or identify themselves as Jewish.

“A Jewish high school for whatever reason isn’t going to happen right now and so we need to focus any vast investment on outreach.”

Leeds Jewish Representative Council president Sue Dorsey said efforts were being made to reach those outside the mainstream, but added: “There will always be people who don’t want to be associated. Not just those who have married out but students who are based in Headingley, rather than in the Jewish area of north Leeds, and young single professionals who move here for work.”

Leaders take pride in the Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Centre, opened four years ago. It has a kosher restaurant and is home to the rep council and Leeds Jewish Welfare Board, which helps around 2,000 people, just under half of them pensioners.

The centre is run by the welfare board, whose chief executive Rebecca Weinberg highlighted its unifying impact. “It has really provided a binding focus. There is a true sense of ownership about the centre and this is entirely appropriate. After all, it is community funded and led.”

With the departure of many younger Jews, elderly community members had been deprived of family care, increasing the burden on welfare providers.

“We have seen a significant increase in the number of older people who need our support,” Ms Weinberg said. “People are living longer but they are not necessarily healthier and these factors impact on the community.

“They are much feistier. Recently we conducted a survey of older people. One respondent asked for ‘a singles club for ancients with life still left in them’. We also had several requests for belly dancing classes so it just shows that age is only a number.”

Yet those who remained from the young generation were aware of the need for involvement. “The strengths of this community are perhaps driven by the very factors that threaten its survival.

“Small is beautiful, but there is an increased sense of responsibility for community sustainment. Lay leadership here is comparatively young. Proactive work has become almost a family tradition.”

At Donisthorpe Hall — where capacity has just been increased to 180, but there is still a waiting list of 68 — chief executive Carol Whitehead said: “Older people are staying in their homes for as long as they can..”

Leeds Jewish Housing Association administers nearly 500 properties, with a further 62 homes for the elderly being built this year. In partnership with the welfare board, it is offering to install call-out alarms in the homes of those who opt against or cannot receive residential help from the LJHA.

Chief executive Sheila Saunders said demand for housing had always been high among the elderly “but we are now seeing more and more families asking us for help. And we don’t have enough accommodation for them. All our housing is based in the heart of north Leeds, where the community is, which is obviously appealing.”

A major problem, particularly in recession “is that the community is based in very pricey suburbs like Alwoodley. And if people move out, they move out of the community.”

It was vital to change the provision for the next generation of older people. “They are educated and middle class. They don’t want to sit around and play bingo. These are the wild children of the ‘60s. They might want to listen to heavy metal. We have got to adapt to that.

“We want to celebrate that people are living longer, but as they do, there is a lot less left in the money pot from their savings. And with very old people there are higher chances of Alzheimer’s and mental infirmity.”

Ms Dorsey added: “This community has such assets. We have got our own radio station with an AM licence, a hugely popular theatre festival, a vibrant youth club with tons going on every day. And for the first time in years, Brodetsky Primary is fully subscribed.”

Rabbi Morris agreed that Leeds was an increasingly attractive proposition. “There are people eager to leave London, seeking something different. The stereotype that the grim north is backward just isn’t true. We have so much to offer.”

CASE STUDIES

Why I will be leaving for London

Sophia Levine, 20, from Alwoodley, attended Leeds Girls’ High School and is in her third year reading history at Nottingham University. She and her family are members of Sinai, the city’s Reform congregation.

Ms Levine does not intend moving back to Leeds after university — “I’m planning to continue studying for a masters next year and then make the big move to London. Although I love Leeds, I think there will be more opportunities for me in London. The only reason for me to stay locally would be serious unemployment.”

Although describing Leeds as “a brilliant and vibrant community, full of opportunities”, she feels these “tend only to extend towards the very old and very young, with few available to my knowledge for my age group.

“Since I came to university, I’ve had little involvement with the Nottingham Jewish community. I went to the Jewish society once and hated it, although I did appreciate the latkes. Having said that, I do still have a lot of Jewish friends at uni and it is in some way comforting to be around those people while I’m away from home.”

Less people but more commitment

Alwoodley-based Colin Grazin, 63, is an employment tribunal chairman. He spent 20 years on the Leeds Jewish Welfare Board executive, some as joint vice-president, and also served on the rep council and as a Board of Deputies delegate.

“I think that my family is fairly typical here,” he says. “One of my daughters moved away to live in London, the other one went to Israel. Like many young people, they don’t feel the community in Leeds would offer them the kind of Jewish life they had at university, where they got to mix with a lot of Jews from London. And there are a lot of Leeds Jews now in north London.”

Such migration did cause problems. “When I was visiting my late mother in Donisthorpe Hall, there were a lot of people there who clearly didn’t have people visiting them because their families had moved away.

“But in a different kind of way, I also think the community is getting stronger. Those young people who stay here tend to be more involved.”

Mr Grazin cites the “huge advantages” of Leeds Jewry as its friendliness and loyalty. “It does have a lot to do with location, and how close people live to each other.”