The winter skies are thick with kites as various names are thrown up for successors to Lord Sacks as Chief Rabbi. This week Uri Geller was championing his old buddy Shmuley Boteach, telling the Jerusalem Post that he was the only man for the job.

Rabbi Boteach quipped during his Limmud appear-ance last week that the UK post would be a downgrade, since "I've recently been voted intergalactic Chief Rabbi of the Milky Way".

But Geller would need to use all his mysterious powers to get his friend chosen. The United Synagogue, I feel, would rather pick Baroness Neuberger as Chief than bring back Shmuley.