Points of Jew

Heil Honey, I'm Home - it really is...

Way back in the early 1990s, a satellite TV channel in the UK decided it would make great telly to make a series called Heil Honey, I'm Home.

The concept was that it was set in Berlin in 1938 and featured Adolf Hitler and his better half Eva living next door to a Jewish couple and the comedy that errupts between them.

Well, after one episode, it was canned and for over 15 years, it has never been seen in full, until now...

The good folks at YouTube have the episode in question. Part one is here, and part two is here.

Make up your own mind about it.

Jewish Chronicle goes blogging... sort of

In an attempt to try and be more "with it", world's oldest Jewish newspaper, The Jewish Chronicle has launched a blog at www.thejewishchronicle.com

Following the lead of Points of Jew, the JC blog is hosted by those nice folks at Typepad for less than £10 a month.

Of course, most blogs, including yours truly allow people to post comments, both the good, the bad and the plain ugly, but at chez JC, you can read what they want to tell you, but if you want to comment, there's no chance.

Quite why they are not able to enable commenting, is a question that needs an answer, as otherwise, what is the point of having a blog if your readers can't express their views.

So if you want to comment on a JC blog entry, then feel free to post it here.

Points of Jew is back...

OK, we took a bit of a long break. About six months since the last posting.

But now refreshed and revived, Points of Jew is back and we promise to post at least once a day.

New look for Points of Jew

Points of Jew beta update!

Points of Jew is in the process of undergoing some changes. One of those changes will be a new look with some enhanced features.

If you want to be part of Points of Jew, then get in touch.

We are looking for Jewish contributors across the community from the left to the right and from the orthodox to liberal and every shade in between.

Points of Jew version 2.0 is coming soon. Be part of it.

Muslim views on Jews

SomethingJewish.co.uk reports:

Sad but not surprised say Jewish community leaders following the release of a poll that asked for the views of British Muslims towards Jews and Israel.

Conduced by Populus for a group of Jewish organisations and first published in The Times, it surveyed 500 people across the country between December 9 and 19 last year, nearly 50 percent agreed with the conspiracy theory that "the Jewish community in Britain is in league with the Freemasons to control the media and politics". while 37 per cent believed that Anglo-Jewry was a "legitimate target as part of the struggle for justice in the Middle East".

Of the conspiracy theory, Board of Deputies chief executive Jon Benjamin said it was "completely bizarre" while he added. "It is concerning to hear that Jews are considered legitimate targets."

Other findings of the poll found:

57 per cent of British Jews have no interest in Palestinian suffering

More than half think it is right to boycott Holocaust Memorial Day

52 per cent think the state of Israel has the right to exist, though 30 per cent disagreed.

Muslim Council of Britain spokesman Inayat Bunglawala told the Jewish Chronicle on the question of Jews being an legitimate target, "completely unacceptable. I just hope people were confused by the question, otherwise it is very disturbing."

Jewish leaders have called for seeking better dialogue with Muslims.

"None of these responses surprises me at all," said Dr Richard Stone who is active in interfaith dialogue and is chair of the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia. "It's a demonstration of how urgently work is needed to being Jews to meet Muslims."

Anti-Semitism in the UK

The number of UK anti-Semitic incidents on people and property during 2005, was the second highest ever reported.

According to The Community Security Trust (CST) which works to combat anti-Semitic hate crime, 455 incidents were recorded with 82 being described as "violent assaults".

Two extreme violence incidents were reported. In Manchester, a Jewish religious student was stabbed by a man who chased him and shouted: "I knew I could get you, you f**king Jewish bastard", while in London a man was attacked by 15 youths who smashed a bottle over his head, kicked and punched him and then tried to set fire to him

The number of incidents recorded as "abusive behaviour" were 273.

Record levels were reached in 2004, when 532 incidents were reported

According to the CST, the number of "threats" including phonecalls dropped in 2005 to 25 compared to 60 in 2004.

While overall anti-Semitic attacks continue, those described as "desecrations of Jewish property" dropped from 53 in 2004, to 48 in 2005.

"The number of anti-Semitic race hate incidents remains unacceptably high," said CST spokesman Mark Gardner. "The key indicators of violent assaults and abusive behaviour are remarkably consistent with the record 2004 figures."

Tributes to Muslim leader

Members of the British Jewish community have expressed shock and sadness at the sudden death on Tuesday of Dr Zaki Badawi, Principal of the Muslim College in London and a well respected religious leader.

As a strong supporter for interfaith dialogue between religions, Dr Badawi, who was 83, was involved in many projects involving Jewish and Muslim communities including the Three Faiths Forum and Vice President of Maimonides Foundation

"I have known Zaki for many years. There are tears in my eyes as I say that he is unique and irreplaceable. At a time when the Jewish and Muslim communities have been put at loggerheads by extremists exploiting the Middle East situation for nobody's gain, Zaki was a rock and an unfailing dialogue partner," said Rabbi Tony Bayfield, head of the Movement for Reform Judaism.

"Dr Badawi was an extraordinary man who showed courage and leadership in reaching out to other faiths and communities. The areas in which he worked and had such a great impact will be the poorer for his loss,” offers Board of Deputies president Henry Grunwald.

Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks offered: "He was a man of conscience and courage and I cherished his friendship."

Interview with Irving

He may be in prison in Austria for his denying the Holocaust, but that hasn't stopped The Observer from getting an interview with David Irving from his Vienna jail.

Top quote from the interview:

Has the German dictator become a surrogate father figure for Irving, who grew up without his father? 'I wouldn't go that far,' Irving answers warily. But what does he make of Hitler? 'He's like the curate's egg - good in parts,' comes the somewhat quaint reply. 'I'm not right-wing, you see,' he continues. 'I do enjoy reading The Guardian.'

Community divides itself again

A number of leading Jewish businessmen have resigned from their involvement with the Jewish Association for Business Ethics following the denial of the organisation to allow non-orthodox rabbis to get fully involved.

Once again, it shows how some parts of the community, are actually dividing it, rather than trying to unite it. Sure, we may have some differences, but at the end of the day, we are still all Jews.

Outside of their respective synagogues, it's important for all sections of the Jewish community to respect each other. By preaching one thing of tolerance to all, but by excluding it to your own fellow Jew, it really is pathetic.

Among those leaving the JABE are Stephen Rubin of leisure and clothing company Pentland and Dixons-founder Lord Kalms.

The Jewish Chronicle reports:

Mr Rubin told the JC that he would quit the organisation — which was founded under the patronage of Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks — after several years in the chair. Lord Kalms and Gerald Rothman announced their resignations following a trustees’ meeting on Monday.

A proposal has been under discussion for several months for a non-Orthodox rabbi to address students of the Leo Baeck College-Centre for Jewish Education — the Progressive rabbinic training institute — under Jabe’s auspices at a neutral venue.

But some Orthodox rabbis are understood to have threatened to stop working with the association if the idea was implemented.

Lord Kalms, a United Synagogue member, pointed out that “the Chief Rabbi stood on a platform of inclusivism. Once again, after many other examples, he has tossed it into the long grass.”

I'm back!!!!

Well, after a few great days in Cannes, south of France, I'm now back in the UK, catching up with everything, so normal service on Points of Jew will be resumed shortly.

Meanwhile, if you would like to contribute to Points of Jew, then get in touch. We need some more writers and voices.