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Jewish Care Charity Registration No.802559

Summer Issue 2013No.27

Farewell to Suzy

We may forget what you said,but well never forget how you made us feel.


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EditorialAn exciting new initiative for Shemesh could be in the

pipeline. Under the umbrella of the Jami family we hope

to incorporate all four Centres of Wellbeing into one

quarterly magazine. Itll be great to see new articles,funnies and artwork from the members of Mitkadem,

Jami House and Martin B. Cohen. Watch this space forfuture developments. Wishing all our readers a glorious

summer and as the old song goes, Summertime when the living is easy(Unless the

government have stopped your DLA payments recently).

On the Grapevine

Great to have Debra with us again. Weve really missed her tasty, nutritiouslunches so welcome back to the stove Debra! We would also like to extend a warm

welcome to volunteer Sharon Aspess. (pictured left).

Sharon is our newcomputer volunteer and will be

available at Kadimah every Thursday between

11:00am and 1:00pm for personal tuition. She

will help you with any problems you may be

experiencing with your PC and will be an invaluable

asset to Kadimah for those members who would like

to learn more about computers.

Ann Howard was also unwell at the same time as

Debra and losing our two sterling volunteers at the same time made us realise

that we really missed them and how much time and effort they put in at

Kadimah.

As of last April we are under the auspices of Jami House and are so looking

forward to working with our new partners, who are fully committed to A

positive approach to mental health in the Jewish community. We have alreadyvisited them when they invited us for lunch a while back and Im sure well be

making some new friends there very soon.

Many congratulations to Jocelyne May on completing her doctorate. We are all

so very proud of her achievement, all that hard work has paid off Jocelyne Well

done!

The views expressed in Shemesh are not necessarily those of Jewish Care or its

employees. No article or photo published in Shemesh can be reproduced in part or in

full, electronically or by any other means without prior permission of Jewish Care .

Jewish Care 2013.

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Dave Filabon Editor/Tea-boy Nimrod Allon Advertising/Sponsorship

Ann Howard Assistant Editor Miriam Marmostein Correspondent franais

Nimrod Allon Consultant Deryck Stewart Television Archivist

Peter Fischman Photographer Ann Howard CartoonistPauline Shadlofsky Typing Pool Ian Ephraim IT Support & Magazine Layout

Stephen Bennett Proof Reader Beverley Morris Quiz Compilation

Joe Morris Sports Reporter Chiwyeung Cheung Production

3

4 - Von Strudel

6 - Face to Face

8 - Artbox

9 - Thats Entertainment!

10 - Hammer & Scissors

12 - Tree of Life Workshop

14 - Simply Penelope

15 - Silent Fish & Chips

18 - Cremation - The Jewish Viewpoint

19 - The Freud Squad

20 - Tingle in the Shingle

21 - Victorian Madness

22 - Only in Israel

24 - North London LETS

26 - Need For Speed

28 - Armchair Traveller

29 - Into the Sunset

30 - Postbag

32 - Sponsorship and Advertisements

34 - New Advocacy Service

35 The Rio Matinee

36 - The Lighter Side

Contents

16 - JAccuse!

Contact us

Shemesh HQ - Kadimah Centre for Wellbeing

91-93 Stamford Hill: London: N16 5TP.

Tel: 020 8809 1875

Mon-Thurs-9-5: Fridays 9-1

What features would you like to see in Shemesh?

We welcome your suggestions/comments: please

address your emails to Letters to the Editor

and send to [email protected]

Contributions

Wanted, your articles, poems, funnies and short

stories - please send your typewritten work to

above Email or by the internal mail system.

Advertising & Sponsorship

Shemesh is distributed over the whole of the UK

to charitable organizations such as Community

Care centres in Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and

as far afield as Jerusalem. If you would liketo

place an advert or sponsor the magazine please

contact Nimrod at [email protected]


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Goldilocks Garage

Dear Baroness,Im sick of all these strange characters that

keep coming into the garage where I work. Little Bo Peepdrove up the other day in her bubble-car full of sheep andexclaimed, Theres smoke coming out of my bonnet. And Itold her, Yes, your hairs on fire! Can you recommendanother kind of work for me where it would be more realistic?

Yours Fairytaleing-lyLittle Jack Horner

Dear Jack,How about applying for a job at Burger-Queen? (the names been

changed as king is sexist). I had a sly chuckle when I overheard a conversation attheir Mayfair branch just last week. Andrew Lloyd Webber walked in and asked fortwo Whoppers and the waitress quickly replied, Youre very good looking and yourmusicals are better than Rodgers and Hammersteins!

Yours Pounder-ly

Von Princess

Temple Fortunate

Dear Special One,My boyfriend is addicted to anything to do with car brakes; he

loves brake fluid and puts it on his cornflakes in the morning and uses it in the bathas well, plus he dusts the house with brake pads! I believe hes deluding himselfbecause when I ask him why hes so enamoured with all things brakes; he replies,

I can stop at any time! Is there a safer option for his health?Yours GorgeouslyJoanna Plumley

Dear Joanna,How about getting him some Old Mice aftershave, which has the

seductive aroma of breadcrumbs. The birds love it!

Yours SeductivelyVon Volga


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James Dean Alley

Dear Excellency,A lots gone wrong for merecently. The first thing that went awry was whenmy bank manager got run over by a bus andsurvived. And to top it all off I lost my job at thebus company. Can I take them to an industrialtribunal for unfair dismissal?

Yours SwervinglyReg Varnished

Dear Reg,Im fed up with you crazy London bus drivers, last week I was on a night

bus and it was just me and the driver as we raced along, a really scary journeybecause he was sitting at the back, with me!To return to your question, youre notdue a penny in compensation because I recently read in the local paper that thelast time you went to McDonalds you destroyed the front of the shop andhospitalised 4 innocent burger-munchers. Its a pathetic excuse that you say in yourdefence there was a sign outside saying Drive-In!

Yours KnowinglyVon Legal Eagle

Kishkas Street

Dear Highness,Ive been having surreal experiences at my therapy sessions

recently. Last week I told my psychiatrist. Ive got crows feet on the side of myeye. And he said, Yes, you have a crow sitting on your forehead. And then Isaid, You look like a large, fat tube of Evostik. So he sectioned me on the spot forsolvent abuse! When I get out of hospital do you think I should stop the therapy?

Yours UnsteadilyGefilte Fischer

Dear Gefilte,Cant help you at the moment because Im being stalked by a

deranged man who keeps shouting in the street when he sees me, Ive got designs

on you. And then he pulls out an x-ray of my spleen!Psychologically YoursVon Harassed

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In the summer Issue of Shemesh we are interviewing Project Worker,Barbara Reggio.

What first attracted you to come to London?

Ive always been fascinated by the many different

customs and traditions as well as the sound of

languages other than Italian. Since I was a child I had

an innate curiosity towards foreign cultures and

languages and a love for travelling. I started learningEnglish while in primary school, and went on studying

French, German and Tourism later on. In my early

twenties I spent a month in London, living with an

English family during my summer holidays, thats

when I fell in love with this fantastic city. What I really like about it is its

multicultural identity, a melting pot of life styles, music, food and colours as well

as a feeling of travelling the world without physically going too far, basically

finding anything at your doorstep! It goes without saying that after a few furtherholidays, I ended up living here!

Did you enjoy your schooldays and can you tell our readers what it was like

growing up in Venice?

Growing up in Venice was a surreal experience! I still go back to Venice a few times

during the year to visit my family and friends. Two of the major events I would

enjoy (and still do) are the Carnival around February and the Redentore Festival in

July (Pictured below), a historical-religious event that has been occurring every

year since 1576, to celebrate the end of the plague that afflicted the town. On this

occasion Venetians and tourists alike currently start gathering at sunset in the

streets, balconies, rooftops and the whole lagoon is filled with boats, small or big;

people are dining, drinking, listening to

music while waiting for the late night

fireworks which last for about forty-five

minutes: thats when the lagoon becomes

an incredibly stunning and atmospheric

stage while the fireworks reflect their lights

onto the water. Once the fireworks are over,

people head off to the beach of Lido,


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dancing on the sand until dawn!

I still have very fond memories on how it was so much fun playing hide-and-seek

in St. Marcos Square on a very foggy day. Even though I used to live on one of the

islands on the Adriatic Sea, I was only fifteen minutes away from the centre ofVenice and spent much time there to study or to meet friends, travelling back and

forth on water buses. My school days were

fun and I feel quite nostalgic thinking about

them. Not so pleasant were the times

when I had to face the acqua alta (high

waters) which delayed my journey, having

to walk on wooden planks on iron supports.

At times, especially in the winter, the fogwas so thick that even the vaporetto (water

bus) could not reach its destination!

I Know you have a love of music, have you ever sung in front of an audience and

who first installed in you a passion for music?!

I do indeed love music and Ive been singing in small venues like pubs and

restaurants as well as bigger venues like the 100 Club in Oxford Street. Ive also

been busking in the Underground and performing outdoors. My dad is a Jazz

fanatic and used to sing and whistle tunes (still does!) as I was growing up. I think

hes the one who instilled in me a passion for music, especially for jazz even

though I also sing ska and reggae songs and I have started composing my own

songs which have a pop flavour. My mum sings out of tune. I hope I did not take

that from her!!

What figure from history would you like to buy a glass of Chianti and have a chat

with?

The figure from history I would have liked to talk to died a long time ago Isuppose Chianti wine would have not existed at that time I would have loved to

be sitting under a tree and be talking to Siddharta Gautama aka the Buddha while

sipping a mango lassi.

If your home was on fire what prized possession

would you retrieve?

Well, lets really hope it wont happen. However, I

suppose I would take with me my mobile phone, my

plant, which has been with me for the last fourteen

years since I have been living in London and of course

my ice cream maker!


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By Ann Howard


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1. Which romantic 1960s film featuredthe hit song Moon River sung by the

leading lady? (Pictured right.)

2. Which musical is based on William

Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet?

3. Name the actor who played GuyMasterson in the musical film Guys and

Dolls. (Clue: He loved Stella!)

4. From which musical does When I Marry Mr. Snow come from?

5. Which Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical is currently a hit

on the London West End stage?

6. What was The Good Ship Lollilop that Shirley Temple sang

about in the 1934 musical Bright Eyes?

7. Kiss Me Kate is based on which Shakespearean play?

8. Name the longest running musical in the London West End.(Clue: It has just celebrated its 25th birthday this year.)

9. Which musical is based on the poems by T. S. Elliott?

10. Which dancer starred in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and

West Side Story? (Pictured on the far right.)

Answers: Page 35


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This is a story of a bygone era that might put a smile on your face.In fact, if he were alive today Im sure my grandfather would shake

my hand, smile knowingly and ooze with appreciation.My granddad was the gentleman from whom I inherited my enduringsupport of West Ham United. He wasthe man who introduced me to thewondrously fascinating game that isfootball. He was the man who sigheddespairingly when the Hammers werebeaten and would then just sit forlornlyin his armchair until the rest of theClassified football results were read outon World of Sport.

But the highlight on a Saturday afternoon was his weekly helping ofthe memorable Wrestling. Now Wrestling was the only sport thatcame from a draughty town hall in Northern England. It was theonly sport that showed enormous men in leotards performing

ridiculous routines in a dusty wrestling ring.Of course, it was preposterous nonsense and weall know that wrestling will always remain theprovince of showbiz and the old fashionedfairground booth. Still, my grandfather - rest hissoul - embraced the whole spectacle with all thewarmth of an old friend.

Wrestling was complete escapism, a joyous

distraction from the weeks toil and drudgery. Tothe outsider of course wrestling might haveseemed a frothy and frivolous pastime, but to mygrandfather it was the most satisfying andexhilarating of any TV sporting programme in theworld.

And, for as long as I can remember, he was anindustrious barber, who took inordinate pleasure in cutting hair and

styling it to the point of perfection. For years he worked tirelessly anddiligently in a barbers shop called Kellys in Upton Park.

Without any shadow of a doubt though, Ill always treasure some of the


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funnier stories about my grandfather. My mum, who, like her dad wasfluent in Yiddish would revel in the telling and re-telling of some magicalmoments.

There was the occasion when, after the final whistle had gone for the1966 World Cup Final, my granddad, accompanied by his triumphantcolleagues, raced out of the shop and happily proclaimed that West Hamhad won the World Cup. His colleagues voices could be heard the lengthof the Barking Road. The mood of celebration and jubilation wasunashamedly obvious.

Now heres another misty eyed recollection from my grand-dadsrepertoire of stories. Ive always craved a claim to fame. My

granddad, wait for it cut the hair of the fabled 1966 World Cup trioof Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters at Kellys Barbershopin Green Street. No, I hear you cry sceptically not Moore, Hurst andPeters. Yes, those immensely talented West Ham players who jiggedand skipped around the old Wembley Stadium with the World Cup firmlyin their hands.

The point is though; he cut the golden locks of Bobby and his teammateshair; three of Englands finest footballers and so every time the Hammers

graced us with their presence, my grand-dad would produce his trustyscissors, shaving brush and comb.

To this day my mum has in herpossession the very scissors, comband shaving brush that my granddadused (pictured right). Now I knowmy mum attaches a great deal ofsentimental value to this priceless

keepsake and will always cherish it.A man proud of his profession; mygranddad cut, styled and crimpedthe hair of all and sundry.

He did have one customer whoregularly had his hair cut in their Gants Hill home, but the image of threeof English footballs finest asking my grandfather for a hair cut is one tosavour. Jack, (for that was my granddads name) Ill have a short backand sides please!

Joe Morris


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Can trees tell stories about our lives?Can trees tell stories about our lives?Can trees tell stories about our lives?Can trees tell stories about our lives? Can we build up our self

Can we build up our selfCan we build up our selfCan we build up our self-

---confidenceconfidenceconfidenceconfidence

by remembering our roots?by remembering our roots?by remembering our roots?by remembering our roots? Can we dream about our future?Can we dream about our future?Can we dream about our future?Can we dream about our future? How can we celebrate and honour our life experiences?How can we celebrate and honour our life experiences?How can we celebrate and honour our life experiences?How can we celebrate and honour our life experiences?

The Tree of Life is a hopeful and inspiringapproach that was developed by NcazeloNcube (REPSSI) and David Denborough

(Dulwich Centre) in 2006 in order tosupport communities/people who haveexperienced a lot of difficulties. Thisapproach enables people to speak abouttheir lives in ways that make them feelempowered and it strengthens theirrelationship with their own history, culture

and significant people in their life. It is aworkshop using trees as a symbol to express their experiences.

Here are some views and comments among the eight Kadimahparticipants with regards to the five session workshop:

Joe Morris said: The Tree of Life workshop was an enormouslyrewarding experience where I could freely write down all my

innermost emotions. I felt extremely comfortable and happy toexpress all of my feelings. I felt a real affinity with the group.

This is what Marilyn thought: The Tree of Life workshop wasfacilitated by Barbara and Trisha. In the first session we weregiven a large piece of paper and were asked to draw a huge treewith its roots, branches, fruits and flowers. Choosing paint andcrayons from a selection felt like going into a sweet shop and I

wanted to make my illustration quite girly!! I am sure everyoneelse on the group felt a little apprehensive at first and a bit sillywhile drawing a tree on paper. However, I found it to be a very


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cathartic experience and I liked it when people wrotecomplimentary messages on my tree. I have kept the notes onmine and will cherish them forever.

During the following sessions, we were given different topics toexplore and write on our tree: some people found it very easy tolook at their lives, others found it more difficult and had troubleremembering things from the past. All through the sessions,Trisha and Barbara were so understanding and patient and were

amazing facilitators, sitting down with us and helping in everyarea.

Here are a few further comments:

I never knew how much fun therapy can be; I enjoyed beingtogether and listening to similar life situations.

I found the Tree of life project

helpful in looking at what Ineed to put childhood behindme and move on in life.

I am appreciating myselfmore now; I am learning tolook after myself. Ive

realised that everyone hastheir path in life.

It was daunting at first to be back in a therapeutic environment.The following sessions were much more pleasant. I reallyenjoyed other participants putting post-it notes on my tree andcomplimenting me.

The workshop highlighted my inner resources and I felt valued;It made me feel important in a good way.


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SIMPLY, PENELOPE

Wasnt she such a delightful lady with such a happy face, youthfuloutlook on life and chirpy personality. I was always happy to see her atthe Day Centre, believe me. But now shes passed away and I do miss

her so badly. So where do we all go from here? Life just carries on butthere wont be another one like Penelope.

I also went to her funeral, where they played two or three pop recordsand the Elvis song played at the end of the service was very moving.Also, I only wished I could have asked her for her help in something thatwas on my mind while there was still time. She always went on theoutings and also had articles in the Shemesh magazine. She was like amother to me; nothing was ever too much trouble for her when you had

a problem and needed to talk it through, and we all loved her. I believethat she still had a long way to go in this life so it was a tremendous

shock when she was taken from us.

Anyway, I do hope that G-d is taking good care of Penelope up in

heaven.

Deryck Stewart

A LIONHEARTED LADY

The news of Penelopes passing last December hit us like a thunderbolt.Of course, we knew she was ill but I suspect not many of us had anyidea how serious her condition really was.

She was fun in every respect. There shewas, always the life and soul of the party,life was never dull when Penelope was

around!

Kadimah will never see her like again,thats for sure. Im asking myself whocan possibly take her place? But I get noanswer, because there is no answer.

Those of us who are left behind can only cherish her memory as shewould wish us to do. Knowing Penelope, Im sure she wouldnt really

want us to be overly upset. In conclusion, let us pray that her dear soulrests in peace.

David J. Cohen


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Yep; so whats the

fastest way to check

the train times from

London to Glasgow? Blimey, thats a bit

dangerous, isnt it!?

AH

So you're off to

Bonnie Scotland?

Why dont you

look online?

My old man says nothing at allBecause hes become a Trappist monkFor twenty years now he has been CistercianBases is life on King Jamess Version'e washes the dishesAnd carries out G-ds wishesBut ardly does a word pass through is lips

Now es opened a shop in the Eternal CitySelling silent fish and chips!

Jay Marcham

Sung to the tune of My Old Man Said Follow the Van


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In 1894, Albert Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army,was wrongfully convicted of spying for Germany. Publicly

disgraced in front of a crowd baying Death to Judas; death tothe Jew, his epaulettes torn from his shoulders and his sabre

broken in two, he was led away to begin serving his sentence:

solitary confinement for life on the notorious penal colony in

French Guiana, and spent nearly five years there in cruel

conditions.

Here is an extract from Ruth Harriss excellent biography of

Dreyfus entitled The Man on Devils Island:

Albert was kept in the Sante Prison after his court martial, but on 17th January 1895, he was

brusquely moved without his family being told. Bundled onto a train and manacled in awagon, where he had been forced to crouch, unable to stretch his legs out.

At midday the train reached La Rochelle, where he was to embark

on his journey to exile. The word went round that the traitor wason board and a small interested gathering soon turned into a mob.So dangerous was it that he had to stay in the train all day. Finally,

at night, he was released to face their violence. As he later

recalled, blows rained down on me, around me, scuffles

occurred. He was forced to trudge through the snow to thefortress of Ile-de-Re and his wife was left to wait in the freezingcold for an interminable age until she could say her last goodbyes to

Albert.

After a sea voyage of more than two months (read the classic true story of Henri Charierreaka Papillon to give you an idea of the inhuman conditions on board ship) he arrived onDevils Island and, although conditions were harsh, they were relatively benign in

comparison to what came later.

Albert was the only prisoner on the island, (his prison cell, pictured below) as the main

penal colony population were on the mainland and he was allowed to walk a few

hundred meters at a time. At night he was locked in a 4 metre-square hut,continuously watched by five guards, who were not permitted to speak to him.

Frequently struck low with tropical fevers and made nauseous by the rations of hard

meat, he wore clothes that never dried in the dripping humidity and built smoking fires

that made his eyes weep.

He lived for his wifes letters, although heavilycensored and, with no one to talk to, they kept himfrom going completely mad. Despite all his effortsto survive, he came close to losing his reason in

early autumn 1896. This was not surprising as theterms of his detention changed after rumours of anescape plan rattled the minister of prisons. Hisguard was strengthened and a palisade built around


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his enclosure, so that his view of the world was now restricted to the sky above him. Atnight he was manacled to his bed and awoke painfully swollen. Through all of this, he knewnothing of the efforts being made on his behalf. He was totally unaware of Zolasinterventions and of the riots and demonstrations that his case had triggered across France

and its colonies.Two years later, evidence came to light that identified a Major named Esterhazy as the realspy. The top brass in the army suppressed the new evidence and, incredibly, Esterhazy was

acquitted on the second day of his trial and to cap it all they trumped up additional chargesagainst Dreyfus based on yet more false documents fabricated by French counter-

intelligence!

Word spread like wildfire on the framing of Albert,

chiefly owing to the famed author Emile Zola writing

an open letter entitled JAccuse, which appeared on

the front page of newspaper LAurore in 1898,accusing the government of unlawfully imprisoningDreyfus and the subsequent cover up. This letter

created such a furore that Zola was prosecuted and foundguilty of libel just five weeks after the publication of hisletter! To avoid imprisonment he fled to Britain, not

returning home until June 1899.

Theodor Herzl, at that time a Hungarian-Jewish journalist,had been assigned to report on Alberts trial and aftermath. Soon afterwards, Herzl wrote

Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State 1896) and founded the World Zionist Organization,which called for the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. The rampant anti-Semitism inFrance revealed by the Dreyfus affair had a radicalizing effect on him and he realized that

Jews, despite their assimilation, could never hope for fair treatment in European society.

Pictured right: a 1898 cartoon depicts a fictional family

dinner. At the top, somebody remarks, "Above all, let's not

discuss the Dreyfus Affair!" At the bottom, the family is

fighting and the caption reads, "They have discussed it."

Over the next few years, France was torn apart as attempts to

correct the injustice broke up families and set off anti-Semiticriots. A second trial, in 1900, again resulted in a conviction,

but Albert was pardoned later that year and, in 1906, was at

long last finally exonerated, reinstated and restored to the

rank of major.

However his years of captivity had deteriorated his health to sucha degree that he was granted an honourable discharge in 1907.Despite his appalling treatment, Albert was still a patriot and volunteered to fight in the FirstWorld War and, despite his age, in a range of commands rising to the rank of lieutenant-

colonel. Dreyfus died in 1935 and his funeral cortege passed through ranks assembled forBastille Day at the Place de la Concorde and was laid to rest in Montparnasse Cemetery.

History Reporter


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For thousands of years, it has always been the Jewish practice to

bury their dead.Abraham, our forefather, buried Sarah,and so on through the ages. To thisday, you can visit Israel and see theTomb of Rachel (pictured right)showing where Jacob buried her at thattime.

This has been our sacred tradition,faithfully adhered to by millions of ourco-religionists over the ages.

From generation to generation, burial was always regarded as theappropriate method to dispose of the deceased.

However, it seems that over the fairly recent past, things havechanged, since there are some amongst us who have decided to havetheir loved ones cremated.

Here, we have a problem. Judaism emphasises that the human body,even a dead body, does not belong to the deceased, but to G-d and,therefore, it is not for the deceased to decide to cremate his or herbody.

Jewish law regards cremation very seriously, so much so that we donot recite the Kaddish prayer after cremation has taken place.

Also, the ashes of the deceased cannot be buried in an Orthodox

cemetery.It is to be hoped that those contemplating cremation will have secondthoughts and instead arrange burial in accordance with our holyprocedures.

Incidentally, Shiva is not observed following cremation and

neither is there any mourning.

I am a traditional Jew and therefore cannot agree to the procedure ofcremation although of course I understand that there may well bethose of our people who choose such an option.

David J. Cohen

Cremation - The Jewish Viewpoint


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Forever Jung,

I want to beForever Jung!

Come with us.

You need therapy.

Lets blame your mother!

Youre an imposter.

Jung died years ago!

Who needs the West End; Hackney has itsown swanky shops!


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Oh Tel Aviv how you glow

You make us imbibe and growYour beaches are of sand and shingleWhich give us such a tingle.

You have an energy and vibeWhich could inspire any scribeAnd you are what I may describe

A place that would give a home to any tribe.

Tel Aviv peopleAre with who you would like to mingleAnd you have that sparkleThat is truly remarkable.

Leo


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Gee Liz, this magazines

the best read this side of

East of Eden.

Make sure you reserve a copy

Jimmy, otherwise youll be a

Rebel Without a Shemesh!

BOOK REVIEW

Victorian Madness Lyricsis quite the most bonkers bookyou're ever likely to read (I should know, cos I wrote it!); aglorious homage to the brilliant ska band Madness, a

fabulous festival of words and language at their zaniest.My book is a crazy, quirky, literary work of art that you'll want toread over and over again (but only if youre marooned on adesert island with nothing else to read, but hold on youll have

to rip a load of pages out to start a campfireto roast your coconuts!). It is an outstandingtome (which means its best read outdoors,

standing up) full of fun and frivolity, verbalvivacity and hilarious descriptions.

Joe Morris

Available to buy at Amazon and see merattling on about the book on youtube video

at ht tp: / /www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuqmN8adV1Q


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We were invited to Ashkelon to my husbands nieces wedding last November. The couplelived a simple life on a kibbutz, and theyd been

saving really hard for this wedding.We flew over on the Wednesday evening. Whenwe arrived at the hotel, (pictured left) my husbandgot this phone call from his sister saying, Come fordinner, just come over for dinner.

When we got over there and I looked at the bride,she looked a bit concerned, but we went into thehouse and my son said, Mum, have you heard?The weddings cancelled - youre going to have tohelp them to arrange another wedding!

So I said, Why, whats going on?

And they explained that because the Israeli army had killed the leader of Hamas, they wereexpecting heavy rocket fire so they werent able to hold the wedding in Ashkelon, because wewerent allowed to hold a gathering of over a hundred people.

We didnt know what to do, so I said, Does that mean were to expect rocket fireimminently?

So they said, Yes, thats right.

So I nervously replied, OK, I need a glass of wine to calm my nerves, because that wasnt

what I was expecting.There followed a lot of discussion and voices were raised as they tried to find another venue for thewedding. They had found a venue in Rehovot that we were going to go and look at, but the bridessister had a friend who was quite high up in the Diplomatic Corps who said, Why dont you go tothe TV station and make an appeal to see if they can get another venue?

My niece didnt really want to go on TV, but my husband and I helped her write the appeal and inthe end she spoke on TV asking if someone could please help she explained that we had 300guests in need of a venue somewhere in Israel - but not in the south.

We left them trying to find a venue and when we got back to our hotel to check in at reception wesaw reporters from Sky News and the BBC. Later, we returned to the reception for a suitcase wehad left there and were wondering what to do when all of a sudden the siren went off. My husbandwas nowhere to be seen; I looked at the kids and they looked at me - the reception staff began tousher us down the steps into the bowels of the earth - the thing is, in Ashkelon youre so close to

Gaza you only get 15-20 seconds warning.What you have to do is go down and listen for the boom - thats the interceptor taking out therocket. If theres a bang thats not good, but after the boom you wait 10 seconds and then you cango back up. (Pictured below: An Israeli launcher fires an interceptor rocket near the Israelicity of Ashkelon: November 2012.)Meanwhile my husband was going up to our room whenthe siren went off and when he came out of the lift intothe atrium he could see all these men (there werent verymany women there for some reason). These men wereall coming out of their doors to go to the security roomwearing only their pants!

I went upstairs with the kids and wed just got to bedwhen whooo! the siren went off. I was trying to wake thekids, banging on their door, but you know teenagers,they werent keen to get up. They said, Well it was 97%


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OK and itll be only seconds before wed be out again so we dont need to move.

My husband said, Lets have a look. He went to the window and we could actually see thesmoke trails from the rockets in the sky!Five minutes later my sister rang to say theyd found a venue - the wedding was now going to be on

the 49th floor in this prestigious tower block, the Israeli Centre in Tel Aviv, and thats where we wereall having to move. I said, OK, well check out in the morning.

Next day we sat down to breakfast and immediately whooo! the siren went off and we went down tothe shelter; we got the all-clear and then went to reception - my husband said, We want to checkout.

And again, whooo! So down we went again. That morning we went down to the shelter seven oreight times. The kids were quite brave, calm, no panic; they were used to it. They even wentoutside to watch and record it on their phones. They werent frightened. I think its incredible howthey learnt how to live with it. After checking out we went to pack our things and got ready to leave.

We then drove to Tel Aviv. It was so bizarre that after the way wed spent the morning, the same

afternoon we were shopping in the mall looking for something to wear to the wedding! We alsowent to the Israeli Centre to see what the venue would be like. It was wonderful, with thispanoramic view of Tel Aviv. My niece really lucked out: theyd been expecting to have the weddingin Ashkelon, and now it was going to be in this luxury venue. They didnt even have to pay anyextra - from what I understand the Israeli government would make up the difference thats what Iheard, anyway.

I phoned the bride to tell her (shed been in tears all day) but I told her, Youll love it, dont worry, itllbe fine.

The wedding was to start at 7:30, so at 6:30 we were just beginningto get ready when - whooo! another siren! From the window of ourhotel we could see the people running through the street screaming

and panicking. After all, there hadnt been an alarm in Tel Aviv fortwenty years and you see they werent as comfortable with it as theyare in Ashkelon. The drill is if youre in a car you have to stop andget out and stand with your back to a wall and if youre withsomeone else you put your arms around one another. At least inTel Aviv you get a bit longer to prepare yourself, being further awayfrom the border.

Well, the wedding was wonderful. In the middle, the TVCompany came and interviewed the couple who talked abouttheir experiences and how grateful they were for the result ofthe appeal. Some celebrities turned up, two famous guys, and

sang for us. They didnt want any money or anything. There was afantastic atmosphere.

We partied till 3:00am and went to bed happy, but at 8:00am thesiren went off again. At lunchtime we had to go down to the shelter

again and had to wait a long time before we could come out, we werent told why.

In the afternoon we went to the beach, where people were discussing their experiences. Apparentlyone of the rockets had come down in the sea. Some bathers were swimming out to see it - notsomething I would do!

The next day the happy couple went to the Crown Plaza City, (its a place where there are thesebuildings, skyscrapers: one triangle, one circle and one square), to do some shopping &

sightseeing. While they were in the mall people were stopping them in the street and askingabout the wedding - theyd seen them on the TV; the couple had become celebritiesthemselves!

Juliette Most


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Jody Scheckter was crowned World Formula One Champion in 1979driving for Ferrari, in a close and exciting season where his main rival

for the championship was his team mate the late Gilles Villeneuve.Both drivers won three races each in the fifteenth racechampionship driving the Ferrari 312T4. Jody clinched thetitle at Monza, Italy, in a thrilling one-two for Ferrari. JodyDavid Scheckter was a Jew of Lithuanian origin and wasborn in East London, South Africa, on the 29 January1950.He developed a taste for speed at an early age when his

father, who owned a couple of Renault garages, built hima go-kart. He then raced motorbikes and karts for anumber of years, completed his National Service and thenheaded to London where he competed in Formula Fordand Formula Three.His big break came when McLaren offered him several Formula One drives inthe 1973 season, however, in only his third F1 race at Silverstone Jody spun-off causing an a massive nine car pile-up, resulting in many of the established

racing drivers calling for him to be banned. (pictured:below). EmersonFittipaldi even describing him as a madman!Though he had developed areputation as a wild and aggressivedriver many F1 teams showed aninterest in him.Off the track Scheckter was viewedas being coarse and crudecompared to the rest of theglamorous and sophisticated F1 pit-lane. Others however appreciatedhis sharp mind, honesty and strongfamily ties.

His career then took off in the 1974 season when Tyrrell made him hisnumber one driver following Jacky Stewarts retirement and the death of histeammate Francoise Cevert.It was Ken Tyrrell who sought to tame Jody and he brilliantly won two Grand

Prix , eventually finishing a very respectable third in the championship. Jodywon a further single race in 1975 and again in 1976 in the famous Tyrrell six-wheeler.


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Scheckter also had to be discreet about his Jewish background so asnot to draw attention to himself in a time when international terrorism

such as the Munich Olympics tragedy scarred the world of sport.

Jody though was ambitious and moved to the new Wolf F1 team in 1977. Itwas single car entry so that meant that all the teams attention would be onJody. And did it pay off! Jody won the first race of the season in Argentina inspectacular style and won a further two Grand Prixs that year including theMonaco G.P. and just lost the championship to Niki Lauda in his moreconsistent and reliable Ferrari.Friendships amongst drivers are rare due to their highly competitive natureand obvious risks associated with the sport but Jody and James Hunt got on

famously.The 1978 season turned out to be a disappointment as Walter Wolf lostinterest.Jody though had proved his class, and the call from Ferrari came. The 1980season was bitterly disappointing though, a lowly fifth place being his bestfinish all year, yet he took his responsibilities as a champion seriously andcampaigned hard for improved safety in racing.Jody though had had enough and finally called it a day at the end of the 1980

season. His record being 112 GPs starts, 10 wins, 3 pole positions and oneWorld Championship.He then went into business developing a Hi-Tec firearms trainingsecurity company which provided training simulators to the police and

military which he then sold in the 1990s for a 100 million dollars!

He now runs an organic farm inHampshire and appeared on aepisode of Countryfile in 2011 tomake the case for organic food.In 1983, Jody was inducted to theInternational Jewish Sports Hall ofFame.So, to sum up Scheckter as aman, I would describe him as theracing driver most at ease withretirement; didnt care what otherpeople in the racing establishment thought of him, forged a very successful

business career after retiring from racing- seemingly not missing Formula Oneand all its dangers at all. He got out at the top of his sporting life which manysportsmen fail to do.

Leo


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Iwould like to travel by armchair-that way I neednt worryabout being comfortable and I could still see my favourite

TV shows ( there would have to be a TV attached, naturally)

and have the odd shluf whenever I felt like it.

A few blankets around wouldcome in handy if the weatherproved to be inclement and an

overcoat and umbrella if theweather got too severe. Cometo think of it, a drinks cabinetattached with my favourite tipplewould come in handy, too. Howwould this armchair travel?Well, an arrangement could bemade with my friend, Doctor

Who, for a similar mechanism to that of the Tardis and all I wouldhave to do is press a button and feel free to go anywhere Iwanted to be

I could even visit my cousin Ray in California, who enjoys tellingjokes and make a quick getaway when bored by the experienceand see my Uncle Hymie in South Africa and leave quickly afterhed written me a cheque!

With so little activity while on holiday, I would have tocompensate by taking on a working holiday like rowing in a slavegalley from London to New York, a la Ben-Hur, and back again;then tipping the drummer for the experience. So, I think Ill stick

to a normal holiday instead.

Ralph Savoy


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I went to Lyon in January; from there I took a coach to Aix-Les-

Bains. I was spending a long weekend with my parents.The plane took off at 4:00pm. We soon roseabove the clouds, spread out under us like afluffy carpet of snow. Soon, I saw a hugegolden ball on the horizon, the sun flaming inall its rays. Suddenly, the sun droppedbehind the clouds, but the rays were stillshining strongly from below.

The yellow colour proceeded to change to orange, then red, purpleand finally night fell and enveloped us.

At my window seat, I felt as if I had watched a beautiful show from myprivate box at the theatre. We carried on flying in the dark until the pilotstarted descending. Soon we landed the land of my birth. In my mindseye, I was still watching the unique spectacle Id just witnessed. When Iarrived back home, I shared it with all my friends. It was truly awesome!

Myriam Marmostein

Ow! Why did you

punch me?I dont like

your altitude!


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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

HollowayN7

Dear Sir,Regarding the poem in the winter Shemesh entitled Like Crusoe, signed The

Loner, I was just leafing through the magazine when I saw the poem and I felt a strangesensation; the words read exactly like they had been written by me, but I had lost mymemory of it or more intriguingly, had been written by my doppelganger (only the writerwas much more expressive in the way he or she wrote itevery sentence is the same as Ifeel and makes me humble that I am not the only person who has these feelings.

Anon

Stamford HillN16

Dear Sir,In last winters issue you included my article La Maison du Diable and I

marvelled at the illustration and photo you found on the internet to accompany my story.The picture that struck the most sensitive cord in me is the one with the Yeshivas logo.

E.S.T. stands for cole Suprieur Talmudique (Talmudical Secondary School). It alsomentions science, as the Yeshiva takes its students up to O and A level examinations.The Hebrew name is Yeshivath Hachmei Tzafath. Yeshiva means literally a place whereone sits and studies.The reason why I am so overwhelmed by this picture is that I remember it from over fiftyyears ago. It looked very old then. It was like looking at an old friend, and one tends tobe very attached to the things that happened in ones childhood I certainly do.

Myriam Marmostein

Clapton

E5Dear Sir,

Following your excellent editorial regarding the passing of our dear friendPenelope, may I be allowed to add my own tribute, my reminiscences, to those which mayhave already been submitted to you?I well remember Penelope on one of the first days we went out as a group after she joinedKadimah. It happened to be to Beverleys funeral and afterwards we all went back to thesheltered home where Beverley had lived her last years, for tea and refreshments andPenelope insisted on making sure that I got back safely to a central place from where Icould get my bus home.

Since then she always treated me very well and thoughtfully and, even though she wasvery friendly and caring towards everyone, she had a way of making each person thinkthey were her special friend.Some memories I treasure: staying a couple of times on the Friday night at her home so


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that I could attend the Shabbat morning service at Fieldgate Street Shul in the East End,and sharing a room on the Gaunts House trip, where we went for two nights and ingeneral socialising with her on days when I attended Kadimah. How I miss Penelope!

Meelia Chester

Castleview GardensDear Sir,

I was particularly interested in D. Cohens contribution in Issue 26. He wastalking about the power of Beethoven, which reminded me of two aspects of thecomposers music that occurred to me some time ago.

First, there is the positive effect that the symphonies can have on ones mood, forexample at the beginning of the 7th Symphony in A, the music seems to match - evensympathise with your depression but little by little it lifts you up to a feeling of joy. Each of

the four movements ends in a very satisfying way, leaving the listener refreshed andready to get back to the everyday business of life.

This leads to my second point which is the unexpected, possibly unintended, introductionof humour. I came to realise this when my brother was in charge of the curtains at aschool stage production. His cue to close the curtain at the end of the play was the end ofthe Eroica. He described how at the rehearsal he started to close the curtain four or fivetimes before the end, this being one of the most long-drawn out finales of any majororchestral work. Every time I hear this piece I smile to myself when I recall how much welaughed when we remembered the twitching opening and closing in time to the many falseexpectations of the end. Please try it and see for yourself!

Yours sincerelyHannah Munday

Essex RoadDear Sir,

I always read Shemesh with great enjoyment, but what I particularly appreciateis the balance between serious issues, fun, challenge and information. Issue 26 (TheBiggest Ever) gave us history, foreign travel, music, crime, poetry, personal recollections,and the usual Kadimah news with lively illustrations and excellent photographs. I like thethoughtful reflections on mental health; best of all is the sensitive advice from Baroness

von Strudel in response to some of your readers astonishing problems!I note with interest the recent changes in The Lighter Side, your back page cartoonist isdoing his best I suppose, but is not as consistent in style as your previous artist. Pleasetell him practice makes perfect and Im sure he will soon settle into his role.

G. Abrahams

Email your articles to [email protected] hand them in to the Editors Officein the computer room on the 3rd Floor.

Be a part of Shemeshwrite an article or

send us a picture!


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Over 60?

Want to go to the cinema for FREE?

Come to the Rio Cinemas

Classic Matinee

Second Wednesday of every month at 2:30pm

Free For OAPS, Carers & Kadimah Members

With free tea, coffee & cake!

Donations in our yellow donation bucket much appreciated.There is a 15 minute interval for comfort.

Rio Cinema 107 Kingsland High St, E8 2PB

Tel: 020 7241 9410For group bookings call 020 7241 9419

Quiz Answers

1. Breakfast at Tiffanys

2. West Side Story

3. Marlon Brando

4. Carousel

5. Top Hat

6. Paris

7. It was actually an aircraft, not a ship

8. The Taming of the Shrew

9. Les Miserables

10. Russ TamblynPhotographer Peter Fischman welcomes

Sports Reporter Joe Morristo the Shemesh HQ


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THE NESTCAF Youre robbin usblind with these prices!

Stop badgering me!

I feel like

Chicken tonight!

OK, Chuck - I dont

think much of thesecocktails anyway!

Ha ha ha ha

ha ha ha!

You need a good noseto appreciate

these fine wines!

I think its time

we left hen.

Its Ok for you to laugh, mate,

but I recognise those ivories!

Ill teach you

to ignaw me!

star wards - shemesh 27

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