120418 April 18th 2012 Yom ha Shoah – Holocaust Memorial Day Dancing under the gallows. Alice Herz-Sommer, at 108, is the oldest Holocaust Survivor in the world. Her secret is in her music, which she still plays for hours every day, and the fact that she loves people. Her neighbour in North London laughingly tells…

120412 12th April, 2012 Moadim le Simcha, Shabbat shalom and Chag Sameach Imagine the scene, a famous German writer and poet comes to Israel in the late 60’s and the cultural officer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is asked by the Ministry to arrange events for him. “He denounces the Shoah, he wants to…

120408 April 8th 2012 To all my Christian friends, of whom there are many and much loved, I wish you a Holy Easter. I apologise for missing Good Friday but I was busy cooking for the Passover Seder. Let’s celebrate our similarities and accept our differences with love and tolerance and remember how close we…

120406 April 6th 2012 Shabbat Shalom and a Happy and Kosher Festival of Freedom This is going to be a very fast and short letter – my cooking is underway but unfinished; my dishes are changed; the shopping is over, the cakes baking, the fridge full and everything is wonderful just waiting for the table…

120330 March 30th 2012 Shabbat Shalom dear friends. We are all still reeling from the diabolical shootings in Toulouse last week which left a young woman without her family and parents without their beautiful little girl. The father of the murderous brothers says he will sue the French government for killing his son – surely a…

120322 March 22nd, 2012 I want to wish you Shabbat Shalom but I cannot stop thinking about the funerals held in Jerusalem yesterday. I am angry, very angry. The atmosphere created by media and Islamic fundamentalists allowed it to happen, sanctioned anti-Semitism through their disinformation gave him the right to shoot and http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmade us dispensable.…

120316 16th March, 2012 Shabbat Shalom dear friends Unfortunately despite protestations from both Hamas and Islamic Jihad that they are doing everything in their power to stop the launching of missiles from Gaza onto Israeli towns and cities but they are failing. The terrifying conclusion that must be drawn from their failure is that Hamas and…

120311 11th March 2012 Update on the South Over 100 rockets, both Kassams and the longer reach Grads, have been launched from Gaza onto the citizens of the South of Israel. It is almost impossible to find the launchers since they are on the backs of small trucks and move from place to place –…

120309 9th March 2012 Chag Shushan Purim Sameach!!! Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom to one and all As one reads the “Megilla” or story of Esther, Uncle Mordechai, King Achasueros and the evil villain Vizier Haman it is really difficult not to make comparisons to today and the situation with Iran. Few leaders are willing…

120306 6th March 2012 Happy Purim! Before I talk of Purim, here is the full story of Ezekiels Tomb on the new news website from Israel – The Times of Israel http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-conversation-with-the-vicar-of-baghdad/http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Purim in Jerusalem http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Purim.shtml The world celebrates the festival of Purim on Wednesday night and Thursday but Jerusalem, Jerusalem celebrates on Friday – Shushan…