Inside your 32-page Community Newspaper Holocaust The new Cambridge Jewish Cubs going ESSEX commemorated chaplains strong JEWISH NEWS Pages 12 & 13 Page 21 Page 25 PASSOVER ISSUE 5780/2020 ---=== ---=== ---=== THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER FOR THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN ESSEX & EAST ANGLIA Coronavirus shatters King Solomon students scoop community events ‘Dragon’s Den’ award BY MANNY and enforcing strict social dis- Rubens House and The Dennis ROBINSON tancing. Those sitting shiva can- Centre in Redbridge and Sheb- not have visitors. son Lodge in Westcliff. COMMUNITY and religious People over 70, particularly The exceptions will be for events at Jewish organisations in those with respiratory problems, relatives visiting loved ones re- Essex and beyond have been are most at risk of the coron- ceiving end-of-life care and decimated - with the UK Gov- avirus and have been advised to medical professionals. ernment putting strict curbs in self-isolate from all social con- In a statement, Jewish Care place on everyday life in order to tact for at least 12 weeks. said: “We will do whatever we tackle the spread of coronavirus. With around 85 per cent of can to help facilitate phone All physical synagogue JACS members over the age of calls, FaceTime or a Skype call services and communal Seders 70, Martin Moss of the Chig- with a loved one instead of a have been suspended. Schools well and Hainault branch con- physical visit. have been closed. Social clubs firmed: “We have cancelled our “We are also able to extend – including those run by JACS programme so far until after Pe- the offer of a number of addi- and the Redbridge Jewish Com- sach. But if the situation contin- tional services to those that this munity Centre – have been can- ues, we will have to cancel may affect. These include but celled. week by week unless we are are not limited to: Meals on Progressive communities told by the Government to do Wheels; telephone befriending have moved online entirely – otherwise.’’ services; face to face befriend- using platforms including Jewish Care’s Redbridge ing where possible and appro- Zoom, Facebook Live and Jewish Community Centre priate; the Jewish Care Direct YouTube to broadcast Shabbat (RJCC) has suspended all activ- helpline (open Monday-Friday services, education classes and ity until further notice. Sharon 8.30am to 5pm on 0208 922 online get togethers. Virtual Imber, programme co-ordinator 2222); and the Jewish Helpline Seders are also planned. at RJCC, told the Essex Jewish (open Sunday-Thursday 12pm- Orthodox communities are News: “Our priority is the 12am and Friday 12pm-3pm on King Solomon winners Harrison, Emily, Mia and Elisha with teacher unable to use technology during safety and protection of our 0800 652 9249).” Jordana Aaronson (centre) Shabbat and parts of Pesach, guests and those in our care.’’ Sadly, at the time of writ- but are embracing streaming at Many of the most vulnera- ing, a very small handful of BY SIMON to implement positive changes with recycling bins and envi- all other times. ble in the Essex Jewish commu- people across four Jewish Care ROTHSTEIN to help the planet. ronmentally-friendly water pu- Lifecycle events including nity live in Jewish Care and resources have tested positive The four-person judging rification machines. bar/batmitzvahs, weddings and Jewish Blind & Disabled prop- for the coronavirus. It is not KANTOR King Solomon High panel at the event – run by the Teacher Jordana Aaronson, baby blessings have been erties. Both charities have put in known if these are in Essex or School (KKS) students were Jewish Leadership Council’s who assisted the group, said: banned by the Government. place a number of measures to elsewhere in the country. victorious in a Dragon’s Den Partnerships for Jewish Schools “The students worked excep- Funerals can still take help prevent the spread of coro- The statement added: “We style competition at the Jewish (PaJeS) – praised the students tionally well as a team and rep- place, although at the time of navirus. are being led by Public Health School Awards 2020 – winning for “an incredible, passionate resented the school and writing Liberal and Reform Ju- Jewish Care has “taken the England on measures following £8,000 to help make the school and well-researched pitch em- everything we stand for. I’m so daism are not allowing mourn- very difficult and painful deci- the confirmed cases, including more environmentally friendly. bedded with Jewish values”. proud of them and this ers to attend in person and the sion” to suspend all visits to its continued restricted access to Pupils Harrison, Emily, The prize money will help achievement and look forward United Synagogue were limit- care homes and dementia day the buildings. These homes will Mia and Elisha won for their set up the Eco Club and pro- to seeing their project imple- ing to “immediate family” only centres, including Vi and John undergo an additional deep idea of creating an ‘Eco Club’ vide every KKS classroom mented.” clean and will continue to take steps to ensure the highest stan- dards of hygiene and infection A message from control.” Jewish Blind & Disabled’s the editor of EJN tenants live in their own self- We also contained apartments in the charity’s three buildings in THIS issue was completed in the shadow of the coro- had Essex. JBD has advised them navirus. Unfortunately due to so many of our distri- and their families to strictly fol- bution outlets closing, a print edition proved low all Government guidance. impossible. But we are glad you are reading this Communal lounges have been some jam-packed issue online –whether via your syna- closed and events postponed. gogue website, the Essex Jewish Community Council The charity’s chief execu- or our new online platform with Issuu. tive, Lisa Wimborne, said: “We smiles... have no plans to shut our doors We have endeavoured to make the issue as up- completely, we simply can’t do beat as possible with lots of community news and this. Carers need to be able visit photos, as well as the features and columns you have and tenants need to get shop- come to love. ping and supplies to them. We But naturally some things may now be out of are however restricting who we date, for example stories with details of upcoming bring into the buildings by car- events and charity treks that may now not be hap- rying out only essential mainte- pening or interviews that were conducted earlier in nance works and postponing all the year. communal events. Volunteers Also, with our small volunteer team under the have been asked not to come into our buildings but to pro- same pressures and stresses as everyone in this pe- vide telephone and online be- CHILDREN aged 4-11 from riod of uncertainty, we have not been able to feature friending instead.” across the Essex Jewish every story we had been sent. Due to the high number of community had a fantastic Please enjoy the issue and we hope you and your cancelled events, with more week attending Jewish loved ones are safe and well. likely over the coming months, Care’s Redbridge Jewish Chag Pesach Sameach from all of us at the Essex our regular What’s On column Community Centre’s (RJCC) Jewish News. has been suspended for this half-term scheme. issue. 2 ESSEX JEWISH NEWS PESACH 5780/APRIL 2020 ESSEX But there’s no room JEWISH NEWS for complacency ... The Essex Jewish News is the newspaper of the Jewish community in Essex and is published by Essex Jewish News Ltd. N last Chanukah’s issue of the Essex ney and Salford. Antisemitic acts in- Jewish News, your ‘Comment’ writer cluded damage/desecration to real and CIRCULATION AREA noted that, bearing in mind the Gen- COMMENT personal property/synagogues and burial Barking, Barkingside, Brentwood, Cambridge, Ieral Election was scheduled for 12 De- grounds; a large number also involved Chigwell, Chingford, Chelmsford, Epping, cember 2019, the earlier-deadlined piece stamp out anti-Jewish hatred and preju- schools/colleges, pupils/students, teach- Gants Hill, Gidea Park, Harold Hill, Harlow, could only hope and trust that, after elec- dice”. ers/academics. Some 505, clearly ‘Jew- Hainault, Highams Park, llford, Leyton, tion results became known, 47 percent of Even the Chief Rabbi Ephraim hatred’ incidents were recorded as Leytonstone, Loughton, Newbury Park, the UK’s Jewish population – who had Mirvis had felt the need to speak out having included references to Israel and Redbridge, Romford, Southend and Westcliff, indicated they would “seriously con- publicly against the Labour Party during Zionism, with 63 of them comparing the Wanstead and Woodford. sider” emigrating if a certain led Party the election campaign. However – and State of Israel to Nazi Germany. were voted into power – could comfort- although we can and should be thankful Some 75 years after the Holocaust, Chairman Philip Leigh ably reassess this albeit understandable to the necessary extent regarding the it’s virtually beyond belief that the in- stance. General Election result – there can be no creasing growth of antisemitism around Managing Director Clive Bayard That “hope and trust” were over- room for complacency so far as concerns planet Earth has attained proportions Directors Manny Robinson, Melvyn whelmingly met and satisfied, as almost antisemitism in the UK; or, indeed, in which haven’t existed since that disas- Weinberg, Simon Rothstein, Jonathan inevitably foreseeable in the prevailing (now ‘Brexit’) Europe or even in today’s trous epoch for Jewish communities in Bloom circumstances, when the Corbyn-led world generally. Nazi-occupied Europe and Russia. Jew- Labour Party suffered a well-deserved During 2019, the Community Secu- ish Leadership Council chairman Editor Simon Rothstein and shattering defeat in the electoral bal- rity Trust recorded 1,805 antisemitic in- Jonathan Goldstein was reported (in the Editorial Consultants Manny Robinson, lot, its worst performance in several cidents in this country, the highest JC) to have commented to the Times of Mark Harris, Irving Angel decades.