Points of Jew

Doing the Cannes, Cannes

I'm in Cannes in France at the moment with my wife and enjoying a few days of relaxing break. Hence the lack of updates.

Normal service will be resumed when we return with various updates.

But in the meanwhile, we did manage to find somewhere kosher to eat Le Dany's.  Dany not only owns the place, but tonight (Thursday), he was the chef and waiter too!

Frum Jews on the move

Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire could soon be the home to orthodox Jews who have decided it is time to move on from Stamford Hill in north London.

Buying a Challah on a Friday and bagels on a Sunday morning could soon become reality.

Ynetnews reports (via Reuters):

One of Europe's largest Orthodox communities needs new homes for its young families because of a shortage of affordable housing in London, and they have set their sights on a 1960s purpose-built city -  Milton Keynes a city 80 km (50 miles).

Ultra-Orthodox Jews, known in Hebrew as "haredim," have lived in Stamford Hill since World War II. Now, there are around 20,000 haredim in the neighborhood in northeast London.

"(Stamford Hill) is bulging at the seams," said Jose Martin, who lives in Stamford Hill and worked as a liaison officer for the haredi community with the Hackney local council.

The plans are still in the very early stages: The Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations has expressed interest in buying land for 300 family homes on a site in Milton Keynes.

The Union, which represents the haredim, will be able to make a formal planning application once the master plan for the Tattenhoe Park site - which will include several residential developments - is approved by city authorities.

"It very much depends on what the planning authorities will say. We are in their hands," said Shimon Cohen, a spokesman for the haredi community group behind the Milton Keynes project.

Stamford Hill's haredim now have a year to raise the money for the construction of the new homes. Some of the houses will be put on sale, while others will be rented out.

The end is nigh for 2nd Ave Deli

Speculation is mounting that New York's 2nd Avenue Deli may not reopen again following a dispute between its owner and the property company the owns the building.

Jewschool reports (via the New York Times):

The Second Avenue Deli has survived turbulence and tragedy in its 51 years. The decline of the Jewish enclave on the Lower East Side did not kill it. The broad-daylight murder of its beloved founder, Abe Lebewohl, in a robbery in 1996 shut it down but briefly. Dietary fashion campaigns against artery-clogging fare like brick-thick pastrami sandwiches and fat-saturated potato latkes seemed only to make the lines of defiant fans longer.

The Second Avenue Deli at Tenth Street, which has been a gastronomical and cultural fixture on the Lower East Side for half a century, may go out of business.

But the deli seems to have met its match in that implacable beast, the real estate market.

On Sunday, facing a $9,000 increase in his $24,000-a-month base rent, the deli’s owner, Jack Lebewohl, Abe’s brother, pulled down the grates on the glimmering restaurant at East 10th Street and Second Avenue. The closing was described as temporary, but Mr. Lebewohl said yesterday that the next time the place opens it might very well be to clear out.

The rent increase is actually built into the lease that Mr. Lebewohl negotiated with the previous owners 15 years ago. The new owners have volunteered to come down $3,000 in the new rent, but no further.

“If I don’t get this resolved in x number of days,” Mr. Lebewohl said, “I’ll vacate.” He declined to say what “x” equaled but implied that it was a one-digit number. “Less than weeks,” he said.

And so the mourning has begun.

So how was the conversion for you?

The Jewish Chronicle is reporting about a survey taking place by the Reform movement into people who have converted.

In 50 years, the Movement for Reform Judaism has converted 5000 people but to date has not really followed up what the experience was like.

The JC writes:

Rabbi Jackie Tabick of North-West Surrey Reform will be asking converts to complete a questionnaire formulated in conjunction with City University.

More than 5,000 people have converted through the Reform Beit Din in the last 50 years. This is the first time the Movement for Reform Judaism — formerly RSGB — has conducted research among converts, both those who are still members of Reform synagogues and those who have left Jewish communal life. The research will be incorporated into the movement’s 15-year plan, its “2020 Vision” programme.

“It is the only way we can learn how to improve the conversion process and also how we can make people feel more included in our communities after they have chosen to become Jewish,” she said.

Sharon suffers another stroke

Ynetnews is reporting:

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is suffering from a massive brain hemorrhage and is undergoing major surgery, Hadassah Ein Kerem Deputy Director Shmuel Shapira announced Wednesday night.

Full ongoing coverage at Ynetnews.

Board says sorry

The Board of Deputies has issued an apology to Islamic charity Interpal over claims it made two yeas ago that they said the charity was a "terrorist organisation". This was despite an investigation by the UK Charity Commission which looked into Interpal and found no evidence of it funding terrorist activities.

In a statement on its website, the Board said:

"In the item, we referred to “terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Interpal”.  We would like to make it clear that we should not have described Interpal in this way and we regret the upset and distress our item caused."

The Board's allegation was that money raised by the Palestinians relief agency was being used to support terrorist activates and has taken two years for both sides to reach an agreement.

"We are extremely pleased to have won such an important and long-running battle," Ibrahim Hewitt, chairman of Interpal told the BBC.

"All that we ever wanted was an apology to clear the charity's name. We are glad that we can now put the Board of Deputies' attack upon the charity behind us and can focus our energies entirely upon Interpal's essential relief work."

Second eruv for London

Frum Jews in Edgware will soon start to look forward to an eruv being constructed in their area which means they will be able to push buggies and wheelchairs on Shabbos.

TotallyJewish reports:

Construction of the Edgware eruv is set to begin in January after the project cleared its final hurdle.

Plans for the eruv, which will take in sections of the Edgware and Hale wards, were first passed by Barnet Council’s Planning and Environment Committee in November last year.

But although the Edgware Eruv Committee had hoped to have the project completed this Chanukah, it did not receive a highway licence from the Council until last week.

British Jew "marries" dolphin in Israel

Not sure what to really make of this, but the headline says it all:

Brit Jew marries dolphin

And no this is not April 1 or some other date in the Israeli calendar that is similar to April 1.

Ynetnews reports:

An unusual wedding ceremony was held in the southern resort town of Eilat on Wednesday, as Sharon Tendler, a 41-years-old Jewish millionaire from London married her beloved Cindy, a 35-years-old dolphin, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.

The groom, a resident of the Eilat dolphin reef, met Tendler 15 years ago, when she first visited the resort. The British rock concert producer took a liking to the dolphin and has made a habit of traveling to Eilat two or three times a year and spending time with her underwater sweetheart.

"The peace and tranquility underwater, and his love, would calm me down," the excited bride said after the wedding.

After a years-long romance, Tendler decided to embark on the highly unusual path of tying the knot with her beloved dolphin. Last week, she approached Cindy's trainer Maya Zilber with the extraordinary request.

Zilber accepted the challenge and "talked the idea over with the fellow," who apparently consented.

After the ceremony was sealed with some mackerels, Tendler was tossed into the water by her friends so that she could swim with her new husband.

"I'm the happiest girl on earth," the bride said as she chocked back tears of emotion. "I made a dream come true, and I am not a pervert," she stressed.

Show some love for Jewschool

Dan S aka Mobius runs Jewschool, a blog that is now three years old.

Sometimes entertaining, sometimes crap, sometimes thought provoking, sometimes refreshing, Jewschool features a wide variety of Jewish viewpoints and provides a good indication of what many Jews are feeling.

There's generally something each week on Jewschool that offers something to enhance your own self or failing that, an idea to take and run on your own website.

Like most Jewish bloggers, Dan has been running it out of his own pocket and now he is asking for a bit of help.

So if you fancy helping a fellow Jewish blogger and his goal to offer an alternative Jewish media, then as Dan says "show your love".

I've shown the love by advertising on his blog and you can to, or you can just make a small donation or even a large one.

Either way, send him some cash.

Sharon: from politician to dietician

Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon looks set to embark on a second career is he doesn't get re-elected in the New Year's elections - dietician.

The overweight politician who recently suffered a minor stroke has recently been telling his cabinet to improve their own health and not end up like him.

He said:

"I wish you and your families a Happy Chanukah. I hope that you will eat doughnuts and potato pancakes. Eat, yes but don't overdo it."

Thanks Ariel. And please, no secret munching of sweets and candies when no one is looking at you.