Awards and prizes

Angela Merkel honoured for opposing antisemitism

Zoe Winograd — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:27:36 +0100

German chancellor Angela Merkel has been awarded the Lord Jakobovits Prize for European Jewry by the Conference of European Rabbis.

At a ceremony in Brussels on Wednesday Ms Merkel was honoured for her support of the German Jewish community and her outspoken denunciation of anti s emitism throughout Europe.

CER president, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt said: "Chancellor Merkel is a worthy recipient in recognition of her continuing efforts of inter-communal harmony across Europe, her friendship towards the Jewish community and outstanding contributions to the promotion of tolerance and understanding."

Receiving the award , Ms Merkel said: “We must learn to talk to one another and not to about one another... Freedom needs to be defended anew every day. I am deeply moved to have received this prize and I see it as an encouragement as there is much work still to be done across Europe.”

She also stressed the importance of Holocaust education. "The fight against anti-semitism is a paramount duty of a free democratic state."

Ms Merkel has been recognised for her efforts to protect the religious practice of circumcision which has been under threat in Germany.

Recession? What recession? Billionaires getting richer

Jennifer Lipman — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:00:38 +0100

Britain’s Jewish billionaires, including Sir Philip Green and Sir Martin Sorrell, have seen their wealth rise this year despite continued economic gloom, according to the findings of the annual Sunday Times Rich List.

The list, now in its 25th year, profiles the 1,000 richest people in the country based on assets including land, property, art and shares. It will be published in full this weekend, with the least wealthy featured worth £75 million.

According to Ian Coxon, editor of the list, it will “reflect a very rosy picture of the wealthiest families and individuals in Britain”.

“The entry point is up £3 million on last year, and there is a record number billionaires in the new list,” he said.

Likely to be positioned high up is Chelsea Football Club owner, Roman Abramovich, whose £9,500 million fortune placed him third on the 2012 list and made him by far Britain’s wealthiest Jew.

Others who usually appear high up on the list include the Reuben brothers, placed eighth in 2012 for their £7,083 million fortune. Property entrepreneurs David and Simon Reuben, who are of Iraqi Jewish descent, have seen their wealth steadily increase since 2010, and have appeared in the top 10 for two consecutive years.

Certainly, purse-tightening has not found its way to those parts of the high street controlled by retailing entrepreneur Sir Philip and his wife, who were ranked 17th on the 2012 Rich List. Their fortune has risen by nearly £600 million in the past 12 months, following the £2 billion sale of a stake in Topshop and Topman.

In advertising, brothers Maurice and Charles Saatchi have enjoyed a £5 million rise in their worth, while WPP chief executive Sir Martin has had a bumper year, with his wealth increasing from £174 million to £210 million.

Bernard Lewis and his family, owners of the River Island fashion chain, saw no change in their fortunes, while sportswear entrepreneur Stephen Rubin is £100 million better off than he was last April.

Herzog play for London

Jennifer Lipman — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:30:15 +0100

The play that put a Jewish-American writer in the running for a Pulitzer Prize, will be staged in London next month.

Amy Herzog was named as a finalist for the most prestigious award in American culture this week, for 4000 Miles, her drama about the reunion between a communist grandmother and her 21-year-old grandson.

The play is currently being staged at the Theatre Royal Bath, before coming to the Print Room in Notting Hill next month.

Nathan Englander, a New York-based writer who has lived in Israel, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his Jewish-themed collection of short stories, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank.

The prize was awarded after a two-year gap — in 2012, the judges felt that no book was good enough to win it

Revealed: the UK’s best young writers

Jennifer Lipman — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:29:47 +0100

A rabbi's son and the author of a book about a rabbi's daughter have been named as two of the most promising novelists in the country.

And in a sign that Britain's Jewish literary scene now rivals that of the United States, a quarter of the 20 men and women featured on Granta magazine's prestigious, once-a-decade list of young writers are Jewish - more than on any of its three previous lists.

"It's an exciting time," said Adam Foulds, the author of four books, including The Truth About These Strange Times, who was selected alongside Naomi Alderman, Benjamin Markovits, Ned Beauman and Adam Thirlwell. "I guess there are a few of us out there."

Mr Foulds, the son of New Essex Masorti rabbi Michael Foulds, said he was inspired by the work of Jewish American novelists such as Saul Bellow and Philip Roth. "There is now a very rich tradition to draw on of fiction by diaspora Jewish writers - literature of a high standard that comes out of their experience or the experience of their grandparents' generation.

Several of the Jewish novelists listed by Granta - which highlights writers aged under 40 - have drawn on their religious heritage in their work. Ms Alderman, daughter of JC columnist Geoffrey Alderman, is the author of three novels, including Disobedience, a discussion of sexuality in the north-west London Orthodox community.

She said: "It's always good to have an accolade like this - it helps to get the voices of past critics out of my head."

Mr Beauman, whose second novel was longlisted for the 2013 Man Booker prize, had a largely secular upbringing, although his mother, Perspehone books founder Nicola Beauman, is Jewish.

"I went to my first seder this year," he said. "You have to get through a lot before you're allowed to eat."

Nevertheless, his debut novel Boxer, Beetle was set against the backdrop of Hitler's rise and told the story of a gay Jewish boxer and a Nazi sympathizer.

"It was interesting to explore that knowing that, as my mum always says, if id been born 100 years earlier id have been a rabbi."

At 28 Mr Beauman is one of the younger members of a list that features only writers under the age of 40, although older than Mr Thirlwell was when he first appeared on it in 2003.

Now 34 and working on his third full-length novel, the former Haberdashers Aske pupil said he is delighted to have made a second appearance. "In retrospect it feels like a huge relief – not being on it would have looked like I'd declined."

"It's a great thing," added Mr Thirlwell, who also cites Roth and Bellow as his literary heroes. "It gave me confidence in my career, and confidence to do more crazy things with writing. And in a practical way, getting attention to books is difficult."

"Because there are 20 of us, you get some sort of economies of scale," said Benjamin Markovits, the author of a celebrated trilogy about Lord Byron. "So you don't have to jump up on your own, and you get international publicity, which is much harder to do on your own or without the backing of something like Granta.

"Will this boost my career? Ask me in 10 years."

Women's Prize for Fiction: AM Homes on shortlist

Jennifer Lipman — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:47:16 +0100

Jewish novelist AM Homes remains in the running for the annual Women's Prize for Fiction following the shortlist announcement this morning.

The author is shortlisted for the £30,000 prize – formerly the Orange Prize – for her novel May We Be Forgiven, of which JC critic Madeleine Kingsley wrote: "I would not lose a word of her whip-sharp wit or unerring dialogue".

Although five Jewish writers, including Francesca Segal for her north west London-set tale The Innocents, were longlisted for the award, only Ms Homes made the cut.

The American writer, who has seven fiction novels to her name, was adopted by a Jewish family

May We Be Forgiven tells the story of two brothers who loathe each other, one an academic and the other a pompous television executive. Unusually for her work, the main character – Harry – Jewish and deals at times with questions of religion.

The author has compared it to the film A serious Man, made by the Coen Brothers, which was in part inspired by the biblical story of Job.

In an interview about the book, she revealed that she has been considering "the notion of faith or the belief or need for some kind of spiritual or communal life" for several years. "In this book, there is a Jewish theme that I hadn't ever risked exploring before. In some ways I was afraid to do it because I thought this will be my Jewish book and people will be upset by that. But the secret, or the truth, is that I'm incredibly happy about it."

Naomi Alderman, Benjamin Markovits on 2013 Granta List

Jennifer Lipman — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:22:59 +0100

Jewish novelists Naomi Alderman and Benjamin Markovits have been named among the 20 most promising young British writers by Granta on its prestigious once-a-decade list.

The Granta List, which first appeared in 1983, identifies 20 promising wordsmiths under the age of 40.

Published every ten years, past lists have included well-known literary figures, from Martin Amis to Ian McEwan and Jeanette Winterson.

Although not all those who have been identified by Granta have enjoyed subsequent career success, inclusion on the list typically boosts both sales and public recognition.

Ms Alderman, daughter of JC columnist Geoffrey Alderman, is the author of three novels, including Disobedience, about a rabbi's daughter, and Liar's Gospel, which was published in 2012.

"Alderman brilliantly places the beginnings of the world’s most successful religion against the chaotic background of an occupied country," said the JC's review of the book.

Mr Markovitis is the author of a trilogy about Lord Byron, the first installation of which was published in 2008.
The Yale-educated writer, whose father is Jewish but whose mother is a German Christian, was converted to Judaism shortly after he was born.

Having lived in Texas and in Germany, he now lives in London and teaches creative writing at Royal Holloway.

Also on the 2013 list is 27-year-old Ned Beauman, whose debut novel Boxer, Beetle followed a gay Jewish boxer and a Nazi sympathiser. The novel, which was published last year, won the 2012 Goldberg Prize, given out by the Jewish Book Council.

Palestinian and Israeli children are batting for peace

Nathan Jeffay — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:30:00 +0000

A Palestinian boy who plucked up the courage to play cricket with Israelis has won an international prize for the Israel’s biggest cricketing organisation.

Three months ago, Shehadeh Salamin, 16, from the West Bank, entered an International Cricket Council-Europe competition entitled “How cricket has made a difference to your life?”

He wrote about how his sporting contact with Jewish youngsters has given him a “new lease of life”, and as a result won a rollout cricket pitch for the Israel Cricket Association (ICA).

Mr Salamin wrote in his story: “All my life, I dreamt of being a famous Palestinian footballer…until our village was introduced to cricket. The game rapidly became our flagship sport, with most kids preferring cricket over soccer.”

The local youngsters decided to play with Israeli youngsters in Beersheva, even though Mr Salamin admits that he had “concerns”, but the Israeli coach’s “words broke the barrier of fear in me”. He wrote that cricket made him more confident.

He concluded: “Today I dream of a cricket club in Palestine and of becoming the first Palestinian cricketer to play in an international league. I’m sure that with those Israeli and Palestinian children who participated with me, we can also realise the dream of peace together.”

The ICA’s Cricket for Peace programme has signed up 120 children, half of them Israeli and half Palestinian, who play cricket together in Beersheva or Dimona once a month.

The Peres Centre for Peace oversees the complex logistics involved in getting permits for the youngsters to pass through Israeli checkpoints.

The accolade has special significance given that in most of the 37 country members of the International Cricket Council-Europe, cricket is far more widespread and well resourced than in Israel.

The International Cricket Council-Europe’s development manager for Europe, Nick Pink, said that the ICA has “deservedly received worldwide recognition for the way they have used cricket as a vehicle to break down global barriers in and around Israel”.

Herschel Gutman, cricket development officer for the ICA, said that the friendships that the youngsters build on the pitch continue between matches. “The players are connecting all the time with each other on Facebook, as are the coaches — it is building relationships and creating connections.”

For the ICA’s chairman of 19 years Stanley Perlman, the award was recognition of a longstanding vision. “This was a dream of mine, to have Palestinian kids playing with Israeli kids,” he said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to have world recognition for something that has been so hard to do.” The future of the Cricket for Peace programme is not certain, despite the award. It costs £30,000 a year to run, and only half of its costs for 2013 have been secured.

Medical man honoured by UCLH

Zoe Winograd — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:27:19 +0000

Radlett Synagogue co-founder Professor Tony Goldstone has received the University College London Hospital Chairman’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

The haematology expert - a patron of Chai - said: “I am honoured to have been chosen for this award and thank all my colleagues for their support and encouragement over many years.”

Professor Goldstone , 68, is a pioneer in bone marrow transplants and blood disorder treatments. He is medical director of the HCA International NHS ventures division and a joint private patient venture between HCA and UCLH. He was director of services of the North London Cancer Network and is currently chairman of the Royal National Orthopaedic NHS Trust.

Segal's The Innocents up against Mantel for Women's Prize

Jennifer Lipman — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 07:33:03 +0000

A novelist who brought to life the quirks and peculiarities of Jewish life in north west London is in the running for the top prize given to female writers in the UK.

Francesca Segal is one of 20 novelists shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction – formerly the Orange Prize – which comes with a £30,000 cheque and the chance of increased publicity and book sales.

Ms Segal, who has already won Costa Prize for first novel, is on the longlist for The Innocents, a modern Jewish love story loosely based on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence.

Also in the running for the 18-year-old prize, which is being judged by actress Miranda Richardson and a panel that includes former editor of The Lady Rachel Johnson, is Israeli author Shani Boianjiu. Ms Boianjiu's book, The People of Forever Are Not Afraid, follows a trio of Israeli teenagers drafted in their country's army. The book was described as "a passionate debut novel" by the Observer. The 25-year-old author was born in Jerusalem and served in the Israeli army.

Deborah Copaken Kogan, a Jewish American author who while working as a photojournalist in Israel covered the first intifada, is nominated for her latest novel, The Red Book, about four university friends 20 years later.

Michèle Roberts' latest book, Ignorance, which focuses on two friends – one of them with Jewish roots - in a French village as the Nazis invade, is also in the running.

The shortlist is announced on April 16, with the prizewinner named at a ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on June 5.

"The list we have ended up with is, we believe, truly representative of that diversity of style, content and provenance, and contains those works which genuinely inspired the most excitement and passion amongst the judges," said Natasha Richardson.

One of those nominated is likely to figure highly in the odds for taking home the award: Hilary Mantel, who has already won the Man Booker Prize, the David Cohen Prize and the overall Costa Prize, is also on the shortlist.

Youth campaign for Nobel Prize to go to British Schindler

Jennifer Lipman — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:34:42 +0000

Campaigners are urging the Nobel Prize Committee to bestow its most important award on a British hero of the Holocaust who saved hundreds of children from almost certain death.

A petition to honour Sir Nicholas Winton , now aged 103, with the Nobel Peace Prize was launched earlier this year by pupils at a school in Prague, and has already attracted more than 173,000 signatures.

The schoolchildren have already passed the first hurdle in the process, and registered their nomination of Sir Nicholas – who is widely referred to as the British Schindler - with the Nobel Foundation nominated.

In a statement, pupils at Open Gate Grammar School in Prague expressed hope that not only would their petition attract "as many signatures as possible", but that the campaign would "spread information about the brave Sir Nicholas to a worldwide public".

"We would also like the term 'The Winton List' to gain the same value as 'The Schindler List'," they said.

Now living in Maidenhead, Sir Nicholas was a young stockbroker of Jewish extraction when he visited a refugee camp in 1938, three months after Adolf Hitler annexed the border region of Sudetenland.

The experience moved him to organise the eight trains that made up the Czech Kindertransport and carried 669 children from German-occupied Czechoslovakia to safety as war broke out.

"Despite the reluctance of the government in his homeland, Winton on his own organised train transportations into Great Britain, giving the children new hope and a new home," said the campaigners. "By this act, he contributed to [Alfred Nobel's] idea of 'the fraternity of nations'."