YOM KIPPUR APPEALS

HWPS 2008 Yom Kippur Appeal, delivered by Alan Solomon on Thursday 9th October.

First of all, may I wish you all Good Yomtov.

To quote from the Theme Service on Giving in our Siddur, “To give to those in need is not to be gracious, but to do one’s duty.  It is an act of love, but also of justice – which is the root meaning of the Hebrew word tzedakah, charity.  It is to relieve suffering and correct injustice, and so to ensure that God’s gifts are shared by all in a society whose members care for one another as brothers and sisters.  Giving is a supreme ethical obligation, second only to the still greater Mitzvah of gemilut chasadim, the doing of kind deeds.”

As you will see from the letter which you found on your seats this morning, we have again chosen four charities as the main beneficiaries of this year’s Yom Kippur Appeal: a Jewish organisation in this country, a non-Jewish hospice, a project in Israel, and our fellow Progressive Jews in the Ukraine.

The acronym JCORE stands for the Jewish Council for Racial Equality.  This organisation, the Director of which is Dr Edie Friedman, whom I have been to see, was established in 1976 to combat discrimination and promote racial justice in Britain. They work with the Jewish and wider communities to promote a positive multi-ethnic UK free from all forms of racism.  JCORE believes that concern for social justice should become an integral part of our identity, our values and our interaction with the rest of society.  This is vital, not only for what it demonstrates to the wider community, but also perhaps more importantly for our sense of what it means to be Jewish in Britain today.  For many minority ethnic communities in the UK, discrimination, harassment and violent attacks remain a common occurrence.  As Jews, we know what happens when others stand by and do nothing.  That’s why our community needs to speak out – to help to bring about change and challenge racism at its roots. 

So what does JCORE do?  Firstly, they are concerned to educate people on race equality.  They are committed to working with all sections of the community, and for the past ten years have been active in assisting both our formal and informal educational institutions deliver anti-racist education.  They offer a wide range of resources and information sheets to highlight current social justice issues.  The education team prepares and delivers programmes on a wide range of subjects including anti-racism, slavery, diversity, citizenship, refugees, asylum and immigration.  Their staff can also provide training on race equality education and implementation of race equality policies, and they work in both Jewish and non-Jewish schools.  The aim is:

·         to help to prepare children and adults for life in a multi-cultural Britain;

·         to encourage a deeper understanding of racism and the relevance of Jewish teaching and experience to this issue;

·         to develop an awareness of and commitment to understanding our responsibilities as Jews to combat racism; and

·         to produce and disseminate first class educational material and training both within and outside the Jewish community.

JCORE is also committed to promoting many different models of Black-Asian-Jewish dialogue, and they undertake joint activities with other minority ethnic communities and groups.  The major part of this work centres around a Black-Asian-Jewish discussion group which meets on a six-weekly basis.  The group has now been meeting for ten years and serves as a vehicle for examining issues and concerns facing our communities and society in general.  It is their aim to see an increase in the number of such dialogue groups not only in London but elsewhere in the country.  They would also like to see the establishment of a Black and Jewish teachers’ group in the near future as well as other profession based groups.

Thirdly, JCORE is active on asylum and refugee issues.  The portrayal of refugees and asylum-seekers in some sections of the media has contributed towards increasing popular misconceptions about and prejudices against refugees.  The plight of refugees especially resonates with Jews because of our history and values.  JCORE works on three fronts – campaigning, raising awareness and practical support.  They are active in campaigning for the rights of asylum-seekers from Darfur who face torture if sent back to Sudan.  Dr Friedman is one of the authors of a new book entitled “Reluctant Refuge – the Story of Asylum in Britain”, which is a layperson’s guide to refugee and asylum issues and examines in some depth topics such as the influence of the media on shaping attitudes and social policy.

And on the practical side JCORE formed a Refugee Doctors’ Group in 1996 in partnership with other individuals and organisations to assist refugee doctors arriving in Britain who encountered enormous difficulties in resuming their professional careers, and they have produced a free guide for such doctors. 

They also run the JCORE Unaccompanied Minors’ Project or JUMP. Each year a few thousand unaccompanied asylum-seeking children come to the UK.  Many are lonely or isolated and receive little support. JUMP is a befriending scheme for volunteers able to commit to meeting regularly with children who have become separated from their families due to war, natural disaster, or through being the victims of trafficking. 

As Dr Friedman says in JCORE’s latest Annual Report, their work endeavours “to change the climate in Britain so that it becomes more receptive to tackling racial inequality and to creating fairer policies for asylum seekers and refugees.  Do keep supporting us.”

I am sure that over the years all of us have attended, or even organised, parties of one sort or another at hotels, banqueting rooms or restaurants celebrating a wedding, bar or batmitzvah, birthday, etc., and perhaps wondered what happens to all the surplus food.  Of course there is always food left over as no self-respecting caterer can afford to run short.  The answer is that it goes to waste, as our dreaded Health & Safety legislation makes it virtually impossible for it to be passed on to the needy.  However, in Israel they don’t seem to have that problem.  I had learned of an operation there, Table to Table, that was established in 2003 which collects nutritious food that would otherwise be discarded, which it then distributes to organisations caring for the country’s economically disadvantaged.  When my wife Janet and I visited Israel in March we met Paul Leiba, Table to Table’s Director of Development, and learned about their activities.  A report released in Israel in February  indicated that over 1.65 million of the country’s residents including 36% of children and 23% of the elderly live below the poverty line.  At the same time that social service organisations struggle to feed the poor, large quantities of quality prepared food and agricultural produce are discarded due to a lack of public awareness and the means and logistics needed to collect and redistribute the food. 

 Table to Table was established to address this paradox of growing hunger and large scale food wastage in Israel.  Through the operation of five programmes, their 37 staff and thousands of volunteers, using seven refrigerated vans and volunteers’ private vehicles, collect from hundreds of suppliers on a weekly basis 12,000/14,000 meals and 45/50 tons of agricultural produce and perishable manufactured items that would otherwise be destroyed.  The food is then redistributed free of charge to a hundred non-profit organisations caring for a wide range of  population groups at risk throughout Israel.

 The five programmes comprise:-

·         the rescue of prepared meals during the day from corporate cafeterias and army bases which have not been used and would otherwise go to waste;

·         during the evening they rescue prepared meals from restaurants, shopping malls and banqueting halls (bar/batmitzvahs, wedding parties, etc.);

·         they rescue surplus produce from packing houses; perishable products from food producers; and excess agricultural produce, this last job being carried out by both aid workers and volunteers picking in the fields.

 Through its food rescue activities Table to Table aims to:-

·         encourage the most efficient use of existing food resources in Israel;

·         raise awareness in the country of the issues of waste and the environment;

·         reduce the food expense of non-governmental organisations caring for population groups at risk;

·         encourage joint communal responsibility in Israel;

·         offer Israeli food producers  an effective and cost-efficient solution to the problem of excess production;

·         demonstrate to the Government that hunger and poverty can be reduced through the rescue of existing food resources.

Paul Leiba took us to a farm where a number of volunteers were picking surplus strawberries that would otherwise have gone to waste, and I was persuaded to join them for half an hour and fill a few baskets.  He then took us to a canteen in a large office block where we both donned aprons and ladled out into containers enormous quantities of perfectly edible and untouched meat, fish and mashed potato which again would otherwise have just been thrown out but which were then to be distributed to those in need.  The food is then transported in the refrigerated vans and redistributed to the needy.  We also visited a warehouse where a number of Arab women, previously unemployed, had been hired to sort the agricultural produce brought in.

Table to Table’s Rosh Hashanah Newsletter contained these impressive statistics:-

·         50,000 prepared meals and 550,000 lbs of fruit and vegetables rescued monthly;

·         4,000 volunteers;

·         99,000 sandwiches per month supplied for schoolchildren at risk;

·         1,000 venues for nightly pick-ups per month.

Table to Table’s current programme includes:-

·         developing gleaning teams in the northern and southern peripheries of the country;

·         employing additional at risk Israelis to glean on a full-time basis;

·         purchasing two additional food transport vehicles;

·         promoting the further involvement of Israeli industry in its food rescue activities.

One last statistic.  They estimate that for each dollar donated they can rescue $5 worth of food at wholesale value.  If we at HWPS can keep to our level of donations of last year, enabling us to send £2,000 to each of our four main charities, Table to Table will be able to rescue a further £10,000 worth of food!

As I am sure you all know, we have for some years been supporting the Ha-Tikvah Progressive Jewish Congregation in Kyiv, the Rabbi of which is our former Assistant Minister, Alex Duchovny, and the Religious Union for Progressive Jewish Congregations in the Ukraine, for which he also has responsibility.  In addition to the money which Rita Asbury collects through the Kyiv Koppers scheme -  as she said in her article in the October Hakol, the total for the two kindergartens is now £10,400 – and the pound a head we collect at Council and Rites & Practices Committee meetings, we have also included them in our Yom Kippur Appeal for the last two years, and the e-mail I recently received from Alex telling me how much they all appreciate our financial support leaves me in no doubt that we should continue to do so.  I quote from the e-mail:-

The financial support from HWPS’s Yom Kippur Appeal was essential for the Ha-Tikvah Congregation, especially this year when the level of inflation in Ukraine is above 20%.  Following the decision of the Council of the Ha-Tikvah Congregation the funds we received from your Yom Kippur Appeal last year (£2,000) were directed to the following:-

·         paying a supplementary salary to six teachers in our two kindergartens.  A teacher receives £80 to £100 per month from the State, which is hardly enough to manage in Kyiv.   That is why the contribution of £25 to £50 per month for a teacher helps to make our Jewish groups the best among the other national minority groups in the region;   (That took care of £1,500.)

 ·         contributing to the salary of a presenter of a new project “Screen, Memory, Text”, which enabled discussion among the viewers of old and new films picturing Jewish life before and after the Second World War;  (£200)

 ·         paying the salary of a para-cantor, who was trained last year following our support of a programme directed to train lay leaders to lead services as well as to train youngsters to learn music in order to accompany services on musical instruments;  (£100)

·         buying books for the Rabbi’s library, Judaica souvenirs from Israel, etc.  (£200)

 Alex goes on: “However, the most important part of our relations includes the lessons we have learned from your generosity, friendship and awareness of being one big family, which 2,000 miles cannot separate.  Twinning relations with your congregation in the UK are invaluable to us in building a strong Progressive Jewish Movement in Kyiv and throughout Ukraine.  With your financial support we will continue to develop the above mentioned activities and programmes in the year 5769.  Thanks to all of you and to the members of HWPS for your help, thoughts and friendship!”

 The Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead, was originally based in Swiss Cottage but later moved to a Victorian house on the present site in Lyndhurst Gardens.  The house was replaced in 1976 by a more modern building and officially opened by the Queen Mother.  It is one of ten Marie Curie Hospices in the UK, and the only one in London, run by Marie Curie Cancer Care, a leading independent hospice provider offering excellent care in a safe and supportive environment.  The hospice staff specialise in helping people with life-limiting illnesses including cancer, motor neurone disease, heart disease and renal failure.  The Marie Curie Hospices Summary Statement of Purpose says that:

·         they aim to promote the best quality of life and death according to the wishes of the individual person, and to meet each person’s overall needs;

·         their services include physical, emotional and spiritual care for patients together with support for the people who are close to them;

·         they aim to meet the needs of people from all cultures and communities;

·         and that each hospice employs a team of health and social care professionals including medical and nursing staff specially trained in pain and symptom control, occupational therapists, chaplains, physiotherapists and social workers.

 I have visited the Hospice at Lyndhurst Gardens and was shown round by the Manager, Rachel Anticoni.  She emphasised a number of points to me: the high level of care they provide; the dedicated team of doctors and nursing staff;  their ability to assist with emotional problems and spiritual and social issues; their unrestricted visiting hours – family and friends can visit any time of the day or night.  They have 32 beds, about 100 full and part-time staff with 80 volunteers, a high ratio of nurses to patients, a fully equipped gym, and a hydro-therapy pool.  They concentrate on rehabilitation and symptom control, and 60% of their patients go home after treatment.  All care provided at the hospice is free of charge to patients and their families.

The hospice costs £4.2 million a year to run (that’s equivalent to £360 per patient per day), of which almost 50% comes from the NHS.  Administration costs are kept to the minimum necessary.

 They are currently in the second phase of a refurbishment programme which started in December 2007 and is due for completion in January, involving the upgrading of in-patient facilities on one side of the building including converting four-bedded bays into single rooms with en suite facilities, and replacing single glazed windows with energy efficient triple glazing.  The money we are able to send them will help in a small way towards the cost of this work.

 Rachel Anticoni made a comment to me which changed the impression that I, and I suspect many others, have of the purpose of a hospice: “It’s not about dying, it’s about living!”.  Let us at Harrow & Wembley play our small part in helping the Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead, to continue their wonderful work.

In the present difficult economic situation in which we all find ourselves, with the credit crunch, rising inflation, the fall in share prices and so on, it would be somewhat optimistic of me to expect everyone to respond in the way I would hope to the request I made last year to increase your donation by 10%.  But let us not forget, whatever our own circumstances, there are many, many others out there who are less well off, not only financially but in other ways: those suffering from racial prejudice and discrimination in this country; our fellow Jews in Israel who live below the poverty line;  the Progressive Jewish community in Ukraine who are desperately in need of funds to help pay for teachers and equipment; and those suffering from cancer and other illnesses who rely on the wonderful work being carried out at the Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead, to help them.  I would take this opportunity, my last Yom Kippur Appeal address to you in my last year as Chairman, to ask you to search your hearts and respond to this Appeal as generously as you can – and certainly to give something – to show in a material way that we at HWPS really care about others beyond our own community.

 Amen

HWPS 2007 Yom Kippur Appeal, delivered by Alan Solomon on Saturday 22nd September.

First of all, may I wish you all Good Yomtov and Shabbat Shalom.

 In thinking of how I might begin this year’s Appeal Address rather than just repeat the introduction I gave last year, I googled tzedakah.  The word means the acts that we call “charity” in English:  giving aid, assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes.  However, the nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity.  The word “charity” suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by the wealthy and powerful for the benefit of the poor and needy.  The world “tzedakah” means righteousness, justice or fairness.  In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act;  it is simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving the poor their due.  And so, without further ado, I’ll expand on the charities we have chosen to support this year and whose work we have summarised in the letter which you found on your seats this morning.

Benji Hillman was four years old when his family left Kingsbury to make aliyah and settle in Ra’anana.  At the age of 26, as a major in the IDF, the Israeli Defense Force, and a company commander in a special forces unit of the Golani Brigade, Benji led his troops into a hotbed of Hezbollah activity on 20^th July last year.  The force encountered heavy resistance, and Benji and three of his soldiers were killed.  He had married just three weeks earlier, and in fact did not have to go back to his unit at that time as he could have been on honeymoon.  Tributes flowed in about the outstanding officer who was admired by comrades and commanders alike.  The Ha’Aretz military correspondent wrote that “even among a generation of remarkable Golani field commanders, Benji Hillman stood out”. 

After the funeral his family and friends sought a way to commemorate Benji, and they focused on the care he took of his soldiers. They came up with a plan, developed mainly by Benji’s cousins, of creating a home in Ra’anana for lone soldiers encompassing both those who serve in the IDF without family in Israel and soldiers from deprived backgrounds without a proper home to go to when they are on leave.  Benji’s platoon and the Golani Brigade as a whole have a significant number of such soldiers, many of whom Benji was involved in assisting.  The project has been named “Habayit shel Benji” (Benji’s Home). 

 When my wife Janet and I were visiting Israel in March, we met Saul Rurka, one of Benji’s cousins, and learned more about the project.  40 or so lone soldiers at a time will be able to go to the Home when on leave and will be provided with cooked meals, a laundry service, warmth and support, and generally be cared for.  They will be “adopted” by a local family and will receive help in planning for their future as regards a job, where to live, and further education.  The Hillman family is planning to raise $2 million in Israel and abroad and has already secured $1.5 million.  The Ra’anana municipality has rallied to the cause and agreed to offer a plot of land for establishing the Home.  Planning for the construction is being finalised, and the family is hoping that work will begin very soon.  Barring any unexpected delays, the hostel will be ready by the end of next year.

We would like to make a small contribution to the costs involved in setting up this wonderful project.

JAMI sounds as if he could have been a friend or colleague of Benji Hillman.  But, as many of you will know, JAMI stands for the Jewish Association for the Mentally Ill. One of its Patrons is Rabbi Danny Rich, the Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism.  It is the only Jewish charity concerned exclusively with serious and enduring mental illness and the devastating impact this has on the lives of those who are ill, their families and all who care for them.  Set up in 1989 by parents, relatives and friends of young adults with mental illness, they are committed to providing culturally familiar services for their users.  JAMI House was opened in Golders Green in 1996.  It provides a safe refuge for those who desperately need support, a friendly face and the chance to get involved.  It may just be pottery, a yoga session, a trip to a local park, theatre visit or a simple coffee and chat, but for someone who struggles through each and every day, JAMI House is a lifeline.  And for their families, JAMI House offers much needed respite and the knowledge that their loved ones are in a supportive, compassionate environment.  JAMI House has around 80 members, and an average attendance of 20 every day. 

I would like to read you a brief summary of the problems faced by just one of their members and how JAMI has helped him.  Daniel is well read, talented and a cultured 37 year old.  On a good day he is funny and engaging, but these are rare as he battles against depression which haunts his every thought.  Early on, things looked hopeful for Daniel.  He had fallen in love with an attractive, smart woman, had a good job, and was planning to get married.  Unfortunately by his mid-20s his dreams came crashing down as his volatile mood swings and erratic behaviour patterns led to his relationship disintegrating.  And, as he became more depressed, he became more and more obsessed, believing his car was being tracked by Russian spies, until he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.  It was a devastating blow for his devoted parents, for whom life became a constant source of worry and anxiety.  As his father says: “…. when the illness takes over it’s as if his Mum and I become the enemy.  We just want him to find some stability, some peace from the exhausting battle he has with reality.”

And this is where JAMI House helps.  Here Daniel is respected, listened to and supported – his behaviour is not seen as odd or mad … just Daniel’s way.  He is given space to be himself and not be judged but accepted for who he is.

 As well as providing a day centre, JAMI’s team visits Jewish people in psychiatric units and runs carers’ support groups and a befriending service matching isolated members with volunteers.  JAMI needs financial support to continue its very important work of providing essential help to Jewish people affected by severe mental health problems.

 I have visited JAMI House, a converted house in Golders Green Road, and was impressed by the range of activities offered to their members, the friendly atmosphere, and the way in which everyone is individually treated.  JAMI’s Fundraising Co-ordinator tells me that they try to provide some stimulating therapeutic activities as part of their social and recreational programme.  This is a priority because many members have become increasingly inactive as a result of their condition and as a side effect of their drugs.  The programme includes Dance and Movement Therapy and Drama Therapy.  However, while these activities have been very successful at motivating members and are proven tools in the care, treatment and therapy of people with severe mental health problems, each of these therapies costs £50 a session or £2,600 a year.  The money we are able to send JAMI will assist with this expenditure.

 Retinoblastoma (or Rb) is a form of eye cancer which affects children and which develops in the cells of the retina at the back of the eye.  In the UK about one child a week – or 50 a year – is diagnosed with the condition, and about 80% need to have an eye removed to prevent the cancer from spreading.   Rb usually develops before the age of 5 and some children are born with it.  In about 45% of cases it is inheritable, and these children have an increased risk of developing second tumours later in life.  One of the signs of retinoblastoma is an abnormal appearance of the pupil which tends to reflect light as a white reflex, like a cat’s eye, and it’s often noticed in flash photography.  A squint is another sign, and, less commonly, the child’s vision may have deteriorated or the eye may be red and inflamed.

 Established since 1985, the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust is the only UK wide organisation dedicated to children with retinoblastoma.  Started by a group of families with support and advice from experts in this type of childhood cancer, its aims are:

 *          To provide information and support to families and individuals with Rb, at diagnosis, during treatment, and in later life;

*          to raise funds for research into Rb and its treatment; and

 *          to raise awareness of this cancer amongst the public and health professionals in order to promote early diagnosis.

The Trust employs Family Support Workers to guide families through the shock, stress and challenges facing those who have just heard that their child has a cancer;  they provide support and information to families by means of a website, a regular newsletter, and information sheets on various aspects of living with retinoblastoma.  Through a network of family contacts, they encourage the exchange of knowledge and support, putting families of similar experience in touch with each other.  They promote fund-raising activities amongst their members in order to fund research projects directly related to Rb.  They fund professional training days and national awareness campaigns.  And they work with the NHS and medical teams to encourage development of good, family focussed, medical practice. 

 Children come from all over the UK to be treated for retinoblastoma at one of two specialist centres – the Royal London Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.  The Support Worker and Information Officer for the Trust at the Royal London Hospital is Juliette Carter, formerly Greenglass, the daughter of long-standing members here, David and Gina Greenglass.  Juliette tells me that she sees families when they come in for a diagnosis, during treatment, and for a check-up after the treatment has finished.  Many families find it greatly comforting to have someone with them during the traumatic time whilst they are waiting for a diagnosis.  She can answer their questions on subjects relating to Rb.  This may be about treatment, artificial eyes, or sources of support or finance, and she can link families to others who have been through similar experiences.  The simple message that the Trust wants to get across is that “Children can get cancer in their eyes but it is treatable”.  If parents or grandparents should notice the white mark in a family photograph, the child should be taken to the GP or Optician.  If the cancer is picked up quickly, the eye can be saved. 

 We would very much like to make a contribution to the cost of the valuable work undertaken by the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust in helping children who are suffering from this form of cancer and their families.

I make no apology for our having included once again the Progressive Jewish Congregations in Ukraine as one of the main beneficiaries from our Yom Kippur Appeal.    As I said last year, many of you will recall Rabbi Alex Dukhovny’s time here among us prior to his ordination.  In the eight years of our twinning arrangement we have given them a Torah scroll which has travelled to many congregations within the Ukraine and has been seen by thousands of Ukrainian Jews who had never seen one before; our Kiev Koppers project, run by Rita Asbury, has helped them to run two pre-schools for over 70 children and a Sunday Jewish School for 15 families; and we have raised other funds which have been spent to help the poor and needy in Kyiv and to help Jewish inmates in the maximum security prison. 

 Alex has written to tell me that the money we gave them from last year’s Appeal

*          has enabled them to start a programme of training lay leaders to lead services and training their young people to learn music to enable them to accompany the services; 

*          to enable this group to travel to congregations throughout the country to train other lay leaders;

 *          has enabled the Ha-Tikvah congregation in Kyiv to support some of the activities in a youth programme and to run Jewish education for adults;

 *          to assist with payment of teachers’ salaries at the two pre-schools; and

 *          to run an educational seminar for eight congregational para-rabbis.

 The participants at the seminar have written: “Dear members of HWPS, we are very grateful for your financial support of our seminar.  It was great to feel the unity of the large Jewish family, the greatness of your hearts and the openness of your souls.  Thank you!”.

 As Alex writes, the most important elements of our relationship are the generosity, friendship and awareness of the one big family, which 2,000 miles could not separate.  The relationship between them and ourselves is invaluable to them in building a strong Progressive Jewish movement in Kiev and throughout the Ukraine.  They will continue to develop the activities and programmes I have mentioned in the coming year.  Need I say more?  It is obvious that the money we are able to raise here and send to the Ukraine, small though we may consider it to be, is so important to them and enables them to continue with their work. 

 May I remind you of the section of Rabbi Frank’s sermon on Rosh Hashanah when he told us of the Muslim lady on the multi-faith trip earlier this year to Andalucia who, after having been told by a policeman that she must leave a mosque as it was now a Christian church, did as she was asked although deeply upset by the incident.  On departing, the group encountered some beggars on the steps, and the Muslim lady gave very generously.  Even though feeling low, she could still give generously to others.  I ask you to follow this outstanding example of tzedakah.  Last year members of HWPS contributed a total of around £9,800 to our Yom Kippur Appeal.  I know we all have increasing calls on our finances, and many of us make charitable donations during the rest of the year, but I would ask you, on this Day of Atonement, when of all days we should be honest with ourselves, 

- if we didn’t make any contribution last year, surely we can afford something this year, however small it might be,

- and for those of us who did respond to the Appeal last year, could we not increase that donation by 10% this year and help us as a community to raise enough to make significant contributions to these four very deserving causes.

 Remember the late Benji Hillman and the lone soldiers in Israel, Daniel and the other members of JAMI House, the young children with retinoblastoma, and our fellow Progressive Jews in the Ukraine, and let’s show in a material way that we at HWPS really care about others beyond our own community.

 Amen

_________________________________________________________

HWPS 2006 Yom Kippur Appeal, delivered by Alan Solomon on Monday 2nd October.

First of all, may I wish you all Good Yomtov.

In the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 15, we are told: “If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your settlements in the land that the Eternal One your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart and shut your hand against such a needy person.  But you shall give liberally, and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Eternal One your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.”

So there you have it !  The commandment to support those less fortunate than ourselves.  And on Yom Kippur of all days surely we should do our best to observe such a commandment.  This year we have again chosen three organisations or charities to be the main beneficiaries of our Yom Kippur Appeal, although we will also be making smaller donations to various other good causes.

It is now seven years since we started our twinning arrangement with the Religious Union for Progressive Jewish Congregations of the Ukraine.  Many of you will recall Rabbi Alex Dukhovny’s time here among us prior to his ordination.  He has been instrumental in increasing the number of Progressive Jewish congregations in the Ukraine from 14 at that time to approximately 40 now.  Progressive Judaism  with its message of pluralism and tolerance is important in the Ukraine, especially after the Second World War and eighty years under an authoritarian regime.  The challenges Alex and his colleagues face are huge, and a world away from those experienced by congregations in the UK and Western Europe, from the dearth of synagogue buildings, to an estimated 80% of the community living below the poverty line, to the fall-out from Chernobyl.   Over the 7 years of our association with the Ukraine, we have given them a Torah scroll which has travelled to many congregations, enabling thousands of Ukrainian Jews, who had never seen one before, to learn from it.  We have enabled them to start a computer training program in Kyiv, and helped them to support a youth programme, to run Jewish education for adults, and to develop inter-faith dialogue in their country.  Rita Asbury’s initiative in persuading many of us to part with our coppers and sometimes larger coins and notes – which to date has raised £8,500 – has helped them to run two pre-schools for over 80 children and a Family Sunday Jewish school for 20 families.  And the collections of a pound donated by all members of Council and of the Rites & Practices Committee at each of our regular meetings have gone to the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund in Kyiv and have been spent in helping the poor and needy of the community as well as helping Jewish inmates in the maximum security prison.

But, as Alex wrote to me, “The most important are the lessons we learned from your generosity, friendship, and awareness of the one big family, which 2000 miles could not separate.  Twinning relations with you and your congregation in England are invaluable to us in building a strong Progressive Jewish movement in Kiev and throughout Ukraine.”

 We should continue to give them all the support, particularly financial support, that we can.

Karen Morris was born in 1975, was brought up at Finchley Progressive Synagogue, went to Cheder there from the age of 7, was batmitzvah there and had her Kabbalat Torah at the age of 15.  She taught at their Cheder, went to the Kadimah Summer School, was involved in ULPSNYC (the then title of the Liberal Judaism Youth Movement), and led an RSY (the Reform Youth Movement) tour to Israel in 1996.  She had gone to Warwick University in 1994 and read French and History, whilst there taught at the Coventry Reform Synagogue Cheder, and led an RSY Summer Camp in Holland in 1997.  But in September of that year, at the age of 22, she was diagnosed with leukaemia.  On her first visit to Hammersmith Hospital that month, Karen saw a poster for the Sue Harris Bone Marrow Trust.  In her desire to “channel this terrible fear I have into positivity”, she contacted them and agreed to front a campaign which resulted in thousands joining the bone marrow donor register and tens of thousands of pounds being raised.  In March 1998 she herself had a bone marrow transplant, but very sadly died six months later aged just 23.

My wife Janet knew her at Kadimah, and I have met her mother Sylvia.  I wish I had also met Karen.  I quote from just two of the many letters received by her family following her death. From one of her friends: “Funny, kind and considerate, intelligent, shy at times but always vivacious ….. definitely one of life’s givers ….. I will always remember her as a beautiful person”.  And from a Telegraph journalist: “I spent perhaps an hour with her but I came away totally beguiled by her personality and impressed by her courage and honesty, optimism and determination …. in her tragically short life she seemed to have achieved many qualities – grace, fortitude and forbearance – that we spend many decades striving towards.”

 In 2002 the Karen Morris Memorial Trust, set up in her memory,  added the necessary funds to the amount she had raised for the day room (£40,000) in the new Leukaemia Centre at Hammersmith Hospital.  In 2003, and in response to a request from the Haematology Department at Hammersmith, the  Trustees agreed as an interim project to support their flat opposite the Hospital for patients’ families.  The Trust has provided additional furnishings to make the flat as comfortable and welcoming as the situation allows during these trying times, thus enabling a much needed facility to continue.  The Trust has just exchanged contracts for “Karen’s Home from Home” for leukaemia patients and their families at Hammersmith.  This will consist of three self-contained flatlets in a new development next to the Hospital.  Each one comprises a sitting room, double bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.  The money we give them will be put towards the cost of enhancing the furnishings to make the Home more comfortable and attractive for the patients, who can’t get out as they have no immune system, and their families at a bleak time in their lives, e.g. by the provision of TVs, DVDs and entertainment systems. 

As the Rabbi said in his eulogy at her funeral: “Karen never said ‘why me?’.  Instead she became a focus of love and affection for an enormous extended family of friends.  Just as her enthusiasm had inspired many who saw her as the very model of a youth leader to give of themselves to Jewish children, so too she inspired extraordinary efforts on her behalf to add to the donor pool for bone marrow transplants.”  We would like to be able to make a really worthwhile contribution to the valuable work of the Memorial Trust bearing the name of this remarkable, lovely and courageous young lady.

Last Friday was billed by Macmillan Cancer Support as The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, something which perhaps I shouldn’t be referring to on Yom Kippur.  But even if you didn’t hear of the Coffee Morning, you will undoubtedly have heard of Macmillan Nurses and Macmillan Cancer Support.  This organisation improves the lives of people affected by cancer.  They provide practical, medical, emotional and financial support and push for better cancer care across the country.  Every 15 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer.  There are now 1.3 million people living with the illness and, if current trends continue, this is set to more than double to 3 million by 2025. 

Macmillan Cancer Support are currently working to fund a number of new projects in Greater London, including a new Cancer Information and Support Service for the North-West London Hospitals NHS Trust (incorporating Northwick Park, St Mark’s and Central Middlesex Hospitals).  If successfully funded, this will comprise a Cancer Information Manager and new Information Unit at Northwick Park Hospital, where the manager will be based.  The Trust serves a diverse population in Brent and Harrow – total population 600,000 – 54% of whom are from black and minority ethnic communities.  In addition, the boroughs include areas of high social deprivation and need.  The Trust diagnosed 1,200 new cases of cancer in 2004 and 1,350 in 2005, and as there is an ageing population in the area, it is projected that the numbers will continue to increase.

There is currently no dedicated information and support service within the Trust.  For many people affected by cancer the amount of information and support depends on the staff with whom they come into contact rather than a standardised provision of these services.  This can mean that on many occasions they are not given the necessary information, often leading to uninformed choices about their treatment and increased worry about their condition. 

Two quotations from patients: “I felt so alone when I got home from being told I had cancer.  I didn’t know who to turn to.  I felt my world was caving in”.  And another: “I left the hospital dazed.  I was so desperate to talk to someone that I felt like stopping a stranger in the street”

 The Macmillan Information Manager will help deal with the various issues by providing information services for cancer patients throughout Harrow and Brent, focusing on the many diverse communities.  The team will provide high quality, accurate and appropriate information to patients, carers and healthcare staff.  They will aim to ensure that information and support is available on all issues relating to cancer and throughout any stage of the cancer journey.

The new Information and Support Centre planned by Macmillan Cancer Support will include an open access information area.  This will be offered in a variety of formats including books, leaflets, tapes, videos, the internet and verbal communication.  There will also be a closed ‘quiet’ area so that users can have time to reflect or have private consultations.  The Centre will also be used for the viewing of videos, listening to tapes and for the meetings of local support groups. 

All of us unfortunately know someone who has suffered or is suffering from cancer, a member of the family, a friend or a colleague at work.  An estimated 3 million people living with cancer by the year 2025!  Macmillan Cancer Support will have an increasing job to do over the coming years, and our financial support this Yom Kippur will assist in their provision of information services for cancer patients in Harrow and Brent.

I make no apology for the fact that two of the main charities we have chosen for this year’s appeal are in similar fields and the third – our fellow Progressive Jews in the Ukraine – is one that we also raised funds for last year.  All three are very worthy of our support.  I know the Council tax bills keep rising, gas prices are regularly increasing, and children have to have this season’s new replica Arsenal, Tottenham, Watford or even Crystal Palace football shirts and the latest computer games.  But if we give it a little more thought, most of us can probably dig just a little deeper into our pockets, purses or bank accounts, and help us to raise a record amount this year to enable us to distribute really worthwhile sums to these truly deserving causes.  Remember, tzedekah - charity – is a mitzvah which Yom Kippur obliges us to observe. And don’t forget, if you can, to pay under Gift Aid, thus increasing the value of your donation at no cost to yourself.

 I urge you to remember our fellow Progressive Jews in the Ukraine, the Trust set up in the name of young Karen Morris, and the work of Macmillan Cancer Support, to take home the letter and accompanying papers on your seat, and to send in your cheque in the next day or two rather than put it on one side and then possibly forget.

 Thank you.

HWPS 2005 Yom Kippur Appeal, delivered by Dr. Stewart Drage on Thursday 13th October.

Good Yomtov everybody.

 For those of you that haven’t twigged, this is the last time you will be subjected to a Yom Kippur Appeal!.............. from me, as it’s the final year of my final 3 year stint as Chairman!  As some of you may know, I agreed to do a second term for one year only! Two years later I’m still here! But I’m definitely going in April, and nothing is going to stop me, privilege and honour though it has been! So, to that end I want to echo the thanks given by Rabbi Frank on Rosh Hashanah to all those who have worked to ensure the smooth running of the Shul, particularly during Frank’s sabbatical, but also throughout my period in the chair.

As Frank said, it has been an eventful period in the life of our community. This building is the pinnacle of years of planning, and more recently, months of angst about our substantial cost overrun. As Chairman, I and the Synagogue Council have a legal and moral duty to ensure that members' contributions to our charitable organisation are spent appropriately and with good husbandry. Last year at Yom Kippur I indicated that we would be overspent due to unforeseen structural reasons beyond our control, and I signaled that we would be seeking your help, and looking to our members to help us manage the problem. I suggested there were 3 ways you could help. 

A)  by holding simchas and events in our new hall instead of going elsewhere

B)  by making donations – and legacies in particular, and

C)  by helping to organise and participate in fundraising events.

Well some of us did indeed made contributions in these areas. But, I’m afraid to say, nowhere near enough of us. In last year’s address I pointed out that until that point we had not had to levy one single penny on the community in terms of membership subscriptions. Unfortunately, as you will have seen from your bills,  I am not able to say the same this year. Those of you who attended the AGM will have  heard a detailed explanation of the underlying reasons, and had the opportunity to raise questions. I value the support of members who attended that meeting, and if I can sum up the feeling, it was of support for the leadership of the Shul in having got us to this point – a new building and land worth £1.6m – and a desire to see the community fulfil its potential through maximum use of the building for religious, educational and social reasons. We were also supported in our quest to investigate the reasons for the cost overrun, and to take every appropriate and necessary step to seek redress from contractors and advisers where indicated, and we continue to pursue this approach, and will report back to the forthcoming AGM in April.

 Substantial savings have been made on our running costs over recent months, and be assured we will continue to monitor these for maximum value for money. But for now, the crucial task of ensuring financial balance remains our top priority. Which is why we have, after much reflection,  chosen our our own synagogue as one of our three prime charities for your donations this Yom Kippur. This community has offered many of us a home within Judaism where otherwise we would have none. Now that home needs underpinning from those who have used it, so that we can keep it alive and see it reach its full potential, and provide a home for people with similar needs in the future. Charity begins at home. Let it begin with Harrow and Wembley, and let us all pledge what we can to see the shoots of  our new beginning take root and blossom for future generations.

Continuing on the 'Charity At Home' theme, we have once again decided to support our sister community in Ukraine. As in the rest of the former Soviet Union, political and economic stability is crucial to the freedom and safety of Ukrainian Jews. Active and sustained external Jewish involvement is needed in advocacy and community-building efforts. Jewish communal organisations are still  in the early stages of development. The vision, energy, and commitment are present, but the resources are lacking. Life is tough in Ukraine. Outside of the major cities, Jewish communities are struggling to maintain their communal services, and life for individual Jews is often desperate. The revitalization of Jewish life in these emerging communities requires economic support, Jewish educational resources, medical supplies, and advocacy in the context of an ongoing partnership. Where an active partnership exists between external Jewish communities and with communities in Ukraine, the Jewish population responds enthusiastically and creatively. To add to the pressures, Progressive Judaism in Ukraine is constantly competing with all the old prejudices from the old orthodoxy. And that WE can identify with.

So, for a number of years now, following the departure of our previous student Rabbi Alex Duchovny back to his native Ukraine, we have been supporting the Kiev Progressive Community by the regular collection of small change. During Alex's visit to the UK in June 2005, we were able to give him a further £400 from our Kiev Koppers campaign. The total donated is now £6,900!In addition to this, from our last  Yom Kippur Appeal we were pleased to give Alex a further £3,000 to fund two kindergartens. Life is tough in Ukraine. Every penny we contribute makes it just that little bit less tough, and opens up opportunities where previously there were none.

In the heart of non EU Eastern Europe – a place from where many of us emanate – let us fulfil our own potential to help our own through righteous conduct and tzedakah. Please remember to give extra generously this year for those who have so little, but seek to achieve so much.

 Thursday July 7^th started out as just another ordinary day for me. I got in my car, headed off to Euston, forgot to pay my congestion charge as you do, approached my offices at the British Medical Association from the north side of Tavistock Square at 9.15am, and drove through the arch and the security barrier into the car park at the back of the building. At 9.25, ahead of our scheduled 10am meeting a few of us were chatting away about this and that, when we became aware of the noise of sirens and switching on our media TV learned of the apparent power surges on the tube and an incident in Russell Square station. At 9.45 we were remarking that this explanation for the rapidly developing chaos seemed less and less plausible and that perhaps this was a terror attack. At 9.47 we felt the terrifying and unmistakable boom of an explosion – an explosion directly outside our own office window. Immediately we ran away from the window, pulled down all the blinds to protect ourselves from risk of glass and metal and, with one of my medical colleagues cowering in my arms, took cover in case of further or secondary devices. The phones were dead. Acrid smelling dust filled the room, and it seemed as if time stood still. The only noise other than our own being that of the BMA fire alarm. When we came to our senses, we realized that most of the building had been immediately evacuated from the rear. However, on looking out of the front window we could see the freshly mangled wreckage of the bus, and of course the bodies and body parts. Rushing down to the courtyard the six of us joined the porters and other staff endeavouring to assist the victims ahead of the arrival of the emergency services. Doors were used as stretchers, we had no fluids or drugs at hand, but among us we did have a colleague with whom I work closely, who happens to be one of the country’s finest emergency incident docs, who took control as we turned the BMA into an emergency casualty receiving centre – a field hospital – providing increasing levels of care as the emergency services gradually arrived with more and more resources. An hour later and the bomb squad performed a controlled explosion to finally eliminate the risk of secondary explosions. 3 hours later and we were just about finished with the seriously injured, leaving those with less serious wounds to be transported later, and two corpses in the courtyard in addition to those on the mangled bus. 

 So that was the immediate effect of just one of four bombs, in a city of 7 million people, with a NHS ambulance service funded by 26 million taxpayers.

 5 days after 7^th July, on Tuesday evening, July 12 at 6:45 , A terrorist bombing took place in front of the Sharon Shopping Centre in Netanya.

The first MDA teams arrived on site within 2 minutes of the bombing, at 6:47 . MDA reports from the scene of the blast indicated that 3 women died, 6 people suffered critical injuries, 3 people suffered moderate to critical injuries, and 35 people suffered light injuries. Later reports from the hospitals indicated that another woman died and 45 people, who suffered light injuries, arrived independently to the hospitals. Those suffering critical to moderate injuries were transferred by MICUs to the Laniado Hospital in Netanya, which was the nearest hospital to the place of the bombing, and later transferred, to other hospitals for further treatment.

At the time of the bombing, the MDA Netanya Station was celebrating a dedication ceremony of a new multi casualty ambulance. While the ceremony was taking place, a sudden blast was heard which also shook the building; seconds later reports indicated the exact location of the bombing. MDA Sharon Dispatch Center began its emergency regional protocol. The near by regions activated the 'regional automatic assistance response protocol' and the national dispatch center, according to the MCI operational protocol, sent out beeper alerts calling for volunteers and employees who were in the area of the bombing to respond to the event.

The first 'First Responder' later recalled that he heard the blast, seconds later he received indications on his beeper of its exact location. "I ran to the Shopping Center, at first everything was silent. There was no movement. I quickly scanned the area trying to identify the ones that were suffering life threatening injuries. Moments later more MDA personnel arrived." Another paramedic recalled that he was trying to save a young woman. "She must have been around the age of 16. I resuscitated her, the moment I was able to somewhat stabilize her condition we transferred her to the Tel Hashomer Hospital . When I later asked about her, I was told that she had died."

Unlike the UK, Israel has  to cope with numerous such incidents each year. Israel, however, relies on the voluntary services of Magen David Adom for its emergency medical services at all times during peace and war.

Imagine there were no state-funded emergency ambulances or state-funded paramedics over here. Magen David Adom continues to need your cash so that it can continue to provide the essential immediate emergency care to victims of events like Tavistock Square, in a way that we over here take as a given. Without those services there would have been even more deaths in London on 7^th July, of that I can assure you. You can help ensure it doesn’t happen to our families and friends in Israel.  

 On your seats you have an envelope containing our Appeal letter and donation form. You KNOW what you need to do……..  write down the amount you want to give, and then cross it out and write down a little bit more. Gift Aid it, and then send it in immediately, so that we can maximise the benefits, and so that we don’t spend endless weeks or volunteer’s time – Rita Asbury’s in particular – chasing up donations we know you wanted to give, but that you just somehow didn’t get around to posting off.

 "Is this the fast I look for? A day of self-affliction? Bowing your head like a reed and covering yourself with sackcloth and ashes? Is this what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Eternal One? Is not THIS the fast I look for: to release the shackles of injustice, to undo the fetters of bondage, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every cruel chain? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and to bring the homeless poor into your house? When you see the naked to clothe them, and never to hide yourself from your own kin?"

Amen.

 Dr Stewart Drage

Chairman

_____________________________________________________

HWPS 2004 Yom Kippur Appeal, delivered by Dr. Stewart Drage on Saturday 25th September.

Good Yom Tov Everybody, and Shabbat Shalom.

I’d like you to look around this building. Take it in. The way the light streams in above your head. The flakey paint. The creaky chairs. The sliding partitions that don’t slide.

Those were the words with which I opened my address to you this time last year. And what an incredible year this has turned out to be for our community. Week by week we’ve watched as the foundations were laid, the frame was erected, the bricks were built, the roof was laid, the electrics wired, the plastering applied, the lift installed and the paint dried. And as we sit in this dedicated sanctuary on this Day of Days, still there is yet more to do before we can say Yes, we’re there. For this is just the beginning of what will be the development of a Jewish Community Centre of which we will be even prouder than we feel now. A place of worship, yes of course. But also a place for the celebration of our simchas, a place for children and grandchildren to learn and play. A place for all of us – whatever age -to gather and to belong. The seeds have been sewn over recent months with our Live and Learn programme about which you all receive information in Hakol each month, with the redevelopment of our cheder, and with the many other activities and groups such as the lunch club, the singing group and the art group which have developed from the interests of you, our members.

And now all of these exciting initiatives, along with others in the pipeline, have a new home. So the project continues. It does not stop with what you see here today. To get to this point we have taken many risks which demonstrate the faith we have in our future. This leap of faith was not pie in the sky. It was based on sound and solid preparation, and what you see is exactly what was ordered. Nothing flashy. No changes to the specification mid-project, like .. we’d like you to move the the upstairs a bit to the left… ! Yet even the best laid plans can run up against costly challenges, and yes, we have indeed bumped into one such an issue – for reasons beyond our control we had to sink the building way below the level originally intended, which resulted in significant structural changes being made, and a significant additional cost to the project. Ahhhh .. I can hear you say…. So that’s what he’s leading up to….

Well …..

So far this development has not required us to levy one single penny on the community, its costs being funded from the sale of land to the tune of one and a quarter million pounds. But in order to cover these additional unexpected structural costs we are going to need your help over the coming months, and, it seemed only right to me, after careful consideration, that talking to you about this today, was the right thing to do.

So there are three ways in which you can help, and they are not mutually exclusive so you do can one, two or all three. I don’t do guilt so if you choose to do nothing, well that is up to you. But I believe I know this congregation better than that!

First, you can hold your simchas in the new hall instead of going elsewhere. In fact you can celebrate more simchas! Secondly, you can indeed make donations and you can gift aid them to make them larger. And thirdly, you can help organise and participate in fundraising events of which there will be a constant number of opportunities over the coming months and years.

Look around you. Take it in. The way the light streams in above your head, The soothing paintwork. The comfortable chairs. The sliding partitions that do indeed slide. The concept of a new Jewish Community Centre being put into action and succeeding.

Show how much you value the faith that we have all had in bringing the community to this exciting new high point in our history, by responding to the approaches for help which we will be making over the coming weeks, months and years.

Traditionally on Yom Kippur, appeals are made across the land for charity, for Tzdakah. As Jews we’re all bound to respond to such appeals as best we can, and last year this congregation raised over £9000 in donations. But hand in hand with Tzdakah goes Gemillut Hassaddim. Acts of lovingkindness. The mitzvah of Doing Good Deeds. And I am now going to ask Stella Bennister, who chairs our Care Group, to talk to us about what acts of lovingkindness you can do to help those of our own community in need.

And so, onto Tzdakah itself. The mitzvah of performing Charity – which is Jewishly defined as the performance of a duty, giving those in need their due. Social Justice if you like.

This year the synagogue council has selected 3 charities to which I urge you to generously support.

Firstly, as the summary in our letter which is on your seat explains, we continue to look beyond our own country to our sister community in Ukraine, where Rabbi Alex Dukovny, a previous student Rabbi here at Harrow and Wembley, has developed, one of the most accessible streams of Judaism for post-soviet Jewry. This gives everyone who identifies her/himself as a Jew an opportunity to obtain information and knowledge about their roots, traditions, and their history. Earlier this year a group of young people from Kiev came and stayed with members of our community. A reverse trip is being planned fo