'Our culture must be renewed here'

A sadly heavily edited version of a much longer piece.

Published by The Jewish Chronicle on 22 September 2011. Link here.

This week there were speeches, processions and a wreath-laying in Vilnius and nearby suburb Ponar, where 70,000 Jews were murdered between 1941 and 1944.

Shmuel Ben-Zvi, a Lithuanian Jew who was arrested in the town 40 years ago by the KGB for protesting against the Holocaust denial of the Communist government, returned to Ponar with Israeli choir Anachnu Kan, who were due to perform at a concert yesterday.

The event comes amid fresh questions over Lithuania's attitude towards the Holocaust. Earlier this year, the Ninth Fort memorial - where 10,000 Jews were killed in one day - was vandalised. Meanwhile, last month, Lithuanian authorities sought to prosecute a survivor for publishing a list of dead Lithuanians alleged to have taken part in the mass-killings of Jews.

Given this background, does Mr Ben-Zvi have any misgivings about his presence at the ceremony? "Yes of course the antisemitism, and the recent desecration of memorial sites, is something that is worrying us very much, but really wherever you go there is antisemitism. The important thing is to let them know they will not win. They may have won the pogroms, they may have won in the ghettos, but they did not win the war."

He added: "It is very important that Israel's connection with the diaspora is strengthened. But this is also to renew understanding in Lithuania of Jewish culture."

President of Vilnius Jewish Community Faina Kukliansky remains optimistic. She said: "The government is very friendly to us. They have given us much more money this year for commemorations. Of course there is always more you can do, but you can never, never do enough."

Donor gets update on £6m home

Published by The Jewish Chronicle on 22 October 2011 online and in print edition. Link here. 

Philanthropist Leo Noé donned wellies and a hard hat on Wednesday to visit a £6 million respite home for Jewish children with special needs which is under construction in Stamford Hill.

Standing in what will be an airy, glass-walled atrium at the 25-bed Bayis Sheli, Mr Noé said "the reason this didn't exist before is because it needed women of foresight to make it happen". Those women are Sophie Bernstein and trustees Leah Stern and Tzirel Gluck.

"We've been working on this for eight years now," said Mrs Stern, "and we hope to welcome the first children in July 2012. We've had parents contacting us from Gateshead, even Switzerland".

Mr Noé has donated £390,000 to the project, which is currently £1 million short of its target. Facilities will include a hydrotherapy pool, sensory rooms and a small synagogue.

It will accept children from all Jewish backgrounds, prioritising those from London.

"This project has raised funds from all sectors of the Jewish community," Mr Noé said. "It is for the whole community."

Israeli honey prices cause a sticky situation

Published by The Jewish Chronicle, 22 September  2011. Link here.

 
The Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies (JIMS) has claimed, just in time for Rosh Hashanah, that "outrageous" customs duties mean honey in Israel is 350 per cent more expensive that in the US, and 200 per cent more expensive than in the UK.

Speaking to Ha'aretz, Keren Harel-Harari, an economist at the Jerusalem Institute, said honey prices were so high because retailers were able to charge huge mark-ups due to the lack of competition. 

 

Customs duties of up to 255 per cent of the value of the product made importing impractical, and so Israeli producers could charge what they want.

However, the Israel Honey Production and Marketing Board claimed that figures in the report were "erroneous and mendacious", insisting that honey in the US did not cost $1.60 for a 350g (12oz) jar as JIMS stated, but cost $4 on average.

Given that the price of even the cheapest bottle of the sticky stuff in Walmart is around $3, it seems the Honey Board's figure is more likely to be true.

Ms Harel-Harari said "the average Israeli consumes about 300 grams of honey during the Tishri holidays". At current prices, this much honey will cost NIS 18, or £3.14.