I once heard the following anecdote which is no doubt more fiction than fact, but the message is certainly relevant to this week’s sedra of Korach.

The President of the United States of America and his wife, the First Lady, received a rapturous welcome when they returned to the First lady’s home town. As the presidential state car made its way down the main road, hundreds of locals were enthusiastically waving their national flags; nostalgia filled the air as old and young wanted to catch a glimpse of “their” little girl who had become so famous.

The presidential convoy passed a building site and a builder wearing his hard hat and florescent jacket waved from the top of a scaffolding. The First Lady looked up and, recognising the builder, waved back.

“Who’s that?” asked the President.

“That’s a childhood friend. We grew up together and our families were close friends. Our parents always thought we were going to marry each other. I haven’t seen him for years!”

The President felt a little uncomfortable and sitting up straight said to his wife: “Aren’t you pleased you didn’t end up marrying him and instead married the President of the United States of America!?”

Without missing a beat, the First lady replied: ”You fool! Had I married him, he would have been the President of the United States of America!”

The Gemoro in Sanhedrin (109b) tells us that it was Korach’s wife who instigated his rebellion against Moshe and contrasts her with the wife of On ben Peles who saved her husband’s life by preventing him from becoming involved in the rebellion.

The Gemoro cites the possuk in Mishlei (14:1):

חַכְמוֹת נָשִׁים בָּנְתָה בֵיתָהּ וְאִוֶּלֶת בְּיָדֶיהָ תֶהֶרְסֶנּוּ
The wisdom of women can establish the home
And the foolish woman destroys it with her own hands.

Throughout our history it has always been the Jewish women who have guided us on the right path. It was in their merit that we were redeemed from Egypt, they knew not to participate in the sin of the Eigel Hazahav (the Golden Calf) or that of the Meraglim (the Spies).

The Gerrer Rebbe once told Rav Yecheskel Sarna, the Chevron Rosh Yeshiva, that the greatest Torah personality in the previous generation was not the Chafetz Chaim or the previous Gerrer Rebbe but Sarah Schenirer, the founder of Beis Yaakov and the mother of Jewish education for women today.

As this week’s parsha tells us, the role of the Jewish woman is critical.

Good Shabbos.

Rabbi J Golker
Menahel

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Message to all members of the Chomesh L’Chinuch (‘CLC’) kehillohs :- GGBH, Hendon Adass, Beis Yisroel (“Dayan’s”), Beis Shmuel, Edgware Adass and Beis Yissochor Dov (“Hagers”)

Chomesh L’Chinuch is a NW London kehilloh-based project encouraging Shul members to prioritise and allocate one-fifth (a ‘Chomesh’) of their Tzedokah distributions to the local schools their children attend.

Chomesh L’Chinuch members can either allocate their donations to specific schools or towards the general CLC fund. Over the years, Chomesh L’Chinuch has raised over £1,000,000 for our NW London Schools.

Chomesh L’Chinuch have informed us of two important events taking place this coming July:

a. CLC is now conducting their annual shul survey to assess the schools attended by the members’ children and grandchildren. This survey directly impacts the amount of money that our school will receive. The funds allocated to our school from each shul depend on how many children in that shul attend our school. We therefore strongly encourage you (as parent or grandparent) to fill out the Chomesh L’Chinuch survey for us to receive these much-needed funds. The survey response date has been extended to 6th June.

b. CLC are offering each new CLC member a special sign-up bonus worth up to £1,000. If you (or your family/friends) set up a standing order with Chomesh L’Chinuch and select our school as the sign-up bonus beneficiary, you will be making an important contribution to our school’s financing. Therefore, we encourage all parents, grandparents, and alumni, to sign up to Chomesh L’Chinuch and to please select OUR school for the sign-up bonus. Please find a poster below which provides further information regarding this special sign-up bonus.

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Dear Parent,

PaJeS, the go-to organisation in the community for supporting Jewish Schools, is launching their Power of Partnerships Matched Funding campaign. Whilst we ask our parents to always prioritise donations to the school, PaJeS works very closely with our school and we are happy to endorse this campaign.

Around 60% of children in our community attend Jewish Day Schools. PaJeS plays a critical role in representing our schools at government level and meeting the range of needs of the Headteachers, teachers and governors who lead Jewish schools. PaJeS has been at the forefront of developing our best school leaders, helping our children face the challenges of this past year and been a powerful advocate for Jewish schools at local and national government level. A partnership with PaJeS means greater collaboration between schools, excellence in school leadership and schools being more financially efficient and sustainable.

Please help to raise much needed funds and help ensure that Jewish schools continue to provide the best possible education for our children. Every donation is doubled so whatever you can give will have twice the impact.

Click here to donate.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs K Brice Headteacher
Hasmonean High School for Girls

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Dear Parents and Carers,

The current tensions in the Middle East are clearly of great concern to the whole Hasmonean community. Many staff, students and parents have family who are directly affected by them and all of us – either by virtue of working here or because of our family and friendships – have an indirect connection with people who are directly affected by them.

We are asking all students and staff to be sensitive to the fact that there are a range of opinions on these matters and that this is a Jewish school with a diverse staff body.

What is of paramount importance is that we keep students and staff as safe as possible during this time.

We have:
• Been informed by PaJeS that the police are conducting more frequent patrols of the school
• Asked the police to make frequent visits to the schools/ local bus stops at the beginning and end of the day and been assured there will be more police presence by them
• Received guidance from the CST and our own security company about how they are stepping up their security measures
• Reviewed and improved our own security measures (both recently and in terms of our security infrastructure in recent years)

Further information about how students can protect themselves and respond to anti-Semitic abuse can be found below this editorial.
Wishing everyone a safe and peaceful Shabbos,

Andrew McClusky
CEO, Hasmonean MAT

Dear Parents/Carers,

Unfortunately, many of our students are reporting that they are worried for their personal safety, especially whilst travelling to and from school, and during the weekend when out and about.
We wanted to remind you of some key tips to discuss with your children about keeping themselves safe whilst on the streets.

• stay alert, and when using headphones, they should be sure to look up and pay extra attention and remove the headphones when crossing the street.
• stick to busy, well-lit roads, and avoid short cuts through alleyways
• if your child thinks someone is following them, they should cross the road or go to a place with lots of people around, like a bus stop or shop
• your child could carry a whistle or shrill alarm around their neck or on a key chain to warn off suspicious strangers
• when travelling by bus, your child should try to use bus stops on busy roads
• if someone tries to take something from your child, tell them never to fight back
• tell them to keep mobile phones and other valuables out of sight, and to turn off their mobile phone ringer to avoid attracting attention
• don’t let your child carry weapons because they are more likely to be used against them, and it’s illegal
• encourage your child to speak to you or the school if they are being bullied or feel they might be in danger

We have also included the CST bulletin CST Security Bulletin – May 2021 to remind you how to approach the rise in anti-Semitic incidents and below is an important message from CST.

With kind regards,

Ms R Benarroch
Interim Assistant Headteacher – Pastoral
Hasmonean High School for Boys
r.benarroch@hasmonean.co.uk

Mrs L Waugh
Assistant Headteacher – Pastoral
Hasmonean High School for Girls
l.waugh@hasmonean.co.uk

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Dear Community

I am writing to tell you what Community Security Trust is doing to protect our community at this difficult time, and how you and your family can help.

All of our work is done in partnership with schools, synagogues and communal groups across the country. We thank them all and we thank you also for cooperating with our united effort. If you are going to synagogue or to any other Jewish location, please comply with all the security procedures and follow the instructions of the security guards and volunteers on site. Please read our latest Security Notice.

What we are all going through right now is something that happens whenever there is conflict around Israel. It is a disgrace that there should be such antisemitism here (and in other countries), but the reality is well known to CST, schools, synagogues and other communal bodies. It is why our security measures are in place. We have been through similar times before, we plan for them and we focus on the job of protecting our Jewish community. The antisemitism began to really worsen almost two weeks ago and our staff, volunteers and those assisting in security rotas have worked exceptionally hard since then.

Our security operations have increased greatly and we will keep pushing through until this hopefully comes to an end. CST’s 24/7 National Security Control Centre is connected by CCTV and radio to over 450 sites across the country has been especially busy, including all through each night. Our non-operational staff are helping with the flood of calls from our community so we can give every caller what they need.

The number of antisemitic incidents reported to CST has risen by 500% in the past two weeks, which is consistent with previous conflict situations. We have also received a rise in reports of suspicious activity near to Jewish locations. We need these reports so that we can help you and protect our community. Please report all antisemitic incidents or suspicious activity to CST and to the police – please see details of how to report an incident. In an emergency call 999 and the CST 24/7 emergency number 0800 032 3263. Our specialist incident support staff can help and advise you.

Our role is to support people affected by antisemitism, to act wherever possible against antisemites and to give a sober, reliable picture to our community, police, politicians and media of what is happening. CST is professional, calm and determined, giving physical and moral support that we hope helps make our community less nervous and more robust. Police, government and media are receiving daily updates from CST of antisemitic incidents, extremist incitement and our security needs. If you report antisemitism to us, it makes CST’s briefings to police, government and media more comprehensive and more accurate: meaning we all get better protection. It means our concerns are heard and acted upon. For example, the Jewish community and CST received support from the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer, and the Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle at Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday.

This week I have discussed our concerns with the Home Secretary and one of the most senior Metropolitan Police operational commanders. The police response is a strong one, with officers stationed in our 24/7 control centre as necessary and much strengthened visible policing in Jewish neighbourhoods. I stressed that we cannot have another situation where a large convoy of cars is driven through Jewish neighbourhoods with the clear intent of intimidating and threatening Jewish people.

CST’s security work is visible and obvious, both the guards and the equipment that we have helped install at schools and shuls all over the country. All community locations and guarding companies have received regular updates from CST, seeking to ensure that the measures we have in place for these situations are fully implemented.

CST’s security work is intelligence based, but this happens behind the scenes. Our expert researchers are finding extremist incitement online and passing it to police and government on a daily basis. Some of the evidence we have gathered has contributed to important arrests in recent days for antisemitic hate crimes that we hope will result in prosecutions. Other investigations are ongoing. We want to ensure that there is always a cost for people who attack, threaten and harass our community. Your role in this is vital. If you see or hear something, take down the details and report it to CST. Please help to be our eyes and ears.

We know that all this antisemitism and extreme anti-Israel hatred is affecting our young people particularly badly. Jewish children and students are facing abuse and being singled out, in primary and secondary schools, online and on campus. For children, we have long partnered with Maccabi GB in running Streetwise. If you scroll down their website you will see educational materials that we hope will help keep children safe and enable them to better understand all of this. Streetwise has a specific programme for children in non-Jewish secondary schools, called Stand Up!, which provides education about antisemitism as part of a broader approach to discrimination. For students, we have a dedicated Student Security Coordinator who works closely with the Union of Jewish Students and Jewish Societies across the UK. There is more information about the support that is available for young people on the CST website.

We have also packaged a large amount of our own previous educational resources, now available on the CST website, to help teach people about antisemitism. The CST Blog has a strong public statement that analyses the situation and explains what we are doing.

One important difference now compared to previous difficulties is the amount of material being shared on communal Facebook and WhatsApp groups. It is right that we all stick together at this time, but some of the things being shared in these groups are exaggerated or simply incorrect. CST’s public statements seek to be accurate and sensible. Please follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Please appreciate that this email only scratches the surface of what we are doing, both publicly and privately. Obviously our work will continue for as long as it is needed, both in the current situation and beyond, but together we will get through this as we have done before. We all deserve to live proudly, confidently and safely as Jews in our country, and this is what CST is here to ensure.

Shabbat shalom,

Mark Gardner
CST Chief Executive

www.cst.org.uk
Office 020 8457 9999

The Torah interrupts its discussion about shemitah and the related laws of resting the land in the seventh year to introduce the prohibition of ona’ah, wrongdoing. There are different types of ona’ah. One type is ona’as devarim – harming someone with words.

Why does the Torah place the prohibition of ona’as devorim in the middle of the laws about shemitah?

Rabbi Frand quotes Rav Yakov Weinberg ztl who explains that the motivation behind snide remarks is really a lack of satisfaction with one’s own portion in life. When somebody makes a hurtful remark about another person, he is trying to aggrandise himself by diminishing another. Ultimately, this reflects an insufficient faith in Hashem because it shows a lack of satisfaction with one’s own lot. If a person truly had emunah that he has what he needs, he would not need to make these remarks.

That is why the possuk concludes with “I am the L-rd, your G-d” in order to remind us that our life situations are given to us by Hashem and it is up to us to make the most of them.

Here at Hasmonean we aim to help each student develop their potential. We do this by offering a broad and exciting array of formal and informal educational experiences.

All of this exposes our students to a broad Yiddishkeit which will hopefully enable them to discover who they are and what their potential is. That is the surest way to avoid ona’as devorim and any form of hurtful speech as they embark on their journey in life

Wishing you all a wonderful Shabbos.

Rabbi J Golker
Menahel

Dear Parents and Carers,

We often test out our own thinking by asking other people what they think. They are the touchstones in our own thought processes. Hearing how strongly they hold their opinion allows us to locate where our own response is on the spectrum of public opinion.

Over the weekend I asked a family member an important question. They are not religious. They are politically left of centre. They pride themselves on their open-mindedness. You get the picture.

The question I asked was this: ‘Would you allow a child of under 16 to have unfiltered access to the Internet in your home?’

‘No,’ they replied.

I thought I had misheard, ‘You wouldn’t filter their access?’

‘No, I wouldn’t allow them unfiltered access. Absolutely not.’

I wasn’t expecting them to agree with me. I just wanted to better understand what I thought would be their alternative view.

‘Why?’

‘Why wouldn’t I allow a toddler near the knife drawer? Why wouldn’t I let a child walk blindfold across Helvellyn? Why do you think?’

I understand why many religious families would insist on internet filters at home for their families. I understand why many socially conservative families would insist on them. I now understand that this conviction is shared by some of those on the opposite side of the religious/ political spectrum as well. What I don’t understand is why it isn’t shared by everyone.

Hasmonean is a religious school with strong moral values with a duty to safeguard children. Within school time we do everything that we can to instil good morals within students and to protect them from harm. From the moment our students leave the school building, some of them can be guided by words and images that can harm them and influence them to harm others.

While your child may be raised by your family and the Hasmonean family, for how many hours of the day and night are they left to wander alone among strangers in those dark and dangerous virtual alleys where women are objectified and degraded and self-harm is encouraged?

In a world where self-harm and poor mental health is ever rising, let’s make sure that we are not adding to our children’s burdens.

In a world where ‘Everyone’s Invited’, let’s make sure children understand that to respect themselves they must respect others.

At the end of our conversation, I asked another question.

‘Do you still believe that prisons do not work, that restorative justice is the best sanction even for the most heinous of crimes and that everyone should pay higher taxes?’

‘Yes.’

‘OK, just checking.’

 

Best wishes,

Mr A McClusky

CEO, Hasmonean MAT