DEDICATED TO THE LOVE, INSPIRATION & GUIDANCE OF THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE

This issue has been dedicated in loving memory of

‫ר‘ נחום פסח בן שרה‬ ‫ומרת באשה חינא בת צביה ע“ה‬ And in the merit of their children ‫ שיחיו‬and families May they see success in everything This issue has been dedicated in loving memory of

‫ר‘ מנחם דובער ב“ר חיים שניאור זלמן ז“ל‬ ‫ומרת גיטא בת רייזל ע“ה‬ And in the merit of their children ‫ שיחיו‬and families May they see success in everything

DIRECTOR: Rabbi Y Cohen EDITOR: Moshe Cohen SECTION EDITORS: Chabad.org editorial staff, Doreen Wachmann, David Ben-Yosef DESIGN: [email protected] PHOTOGRAPHY: Lawrence Purcell, Lchaim photo archives SUBSCRIBE: To subscribe for a free copy of The Holiday Times email: [email protected] ADVERTISE: To be part of The Holiday Times contact: [email protected] THE HOLIDAY TIMES: L’Chaim-Chabad Manchester Correspondence Office 42 Singleton Road, Salford, Manchester M7 4LN Tel: 0161.792.6335 WEBSITE: www.lchaim.org.uk © 2017 by L’Chaim-Chabad Lubavitch of Manchester, all rights reserved, including the right to reproduce any portion of The Holiday Times in any form, without prior written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages. The content in this publication produced by Chabad.org, is copyrighted by the author and/or Chabad.org. If you enjoyed these articles, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you do not revise any part of it, and you include this note, credit the author, and link to www.chabad.org. If you wish to republish these articles in a periodical, book, or website, please email [email protected]

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Letter From The Rabbi Dear Friend, Please enjoy this complimentary copy of our Magazine, full of inspirational and timely content on the theme of Pesach and Jewish education, which we are sure you will thoroughly enjoy. Passover is the most ancient of all rituals in the Western world. It has been passed down in an unbroken chain of tradition for over 3300 years, that’s over 100 generations! That means that every one of our ancestors, without exception, sat at a Seder and shared the meaning, the mystery and magic of Passover. Each year again we ensure the next link in the chain. During the Seder, we call upon the four sons to join in and engage all their senses in this dynamic and moving experience. The tastes, the aromas, the textures, the sounds and the sights of Jewish continuity in action all combine to achieve the meaningful events of the Seder for each of them. Passover is certainly a holiday that has Jewish education at its core. Whilst we constantly strive to grow and expand in all areas of our educational activities, ensuring that every Jewish child is at a Seder, we invite you to take a look at the some of the highlights of our activities in the recent months, and take this opportunity to thank all those who support the work of Lchaim – Chabad Lubavitch. May G-d bless you and your family with a Passover filled to overflowing good health and happiness! Sincerely, Rabbi Yisroel Cohen

There, Here, and Nowhere Based on the Rebbe's talks and writings, including a public letter addressed "to our brethren the Jewish people, and all educators in particular" dated Nissan 11, 5717 (April 12, 1957)

The Torah's discussion (in Exodus 12 and 13 and Deuteronomy 6) of the seder dialogue reveals several versions of the child's questions and the parent's response. The Haggadah explains that, "The Torah is addressing itself to four sons: the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one who does not know how to ask." Depending on how (and if) the child articulates his question, the Torah offers four different approaches to explaining the message of the festival and the significance of our freedom. The wise son asks intelligent, detailed and well-structured questions that reflect the thoroughness of his observations and his desire to know, appreciate and participate. The proud father responds with a detailed explanation of the seder observances from beginning to end, all the way to the law that "one should not serve up any dessert after the meat of the Passover offering," so that its taste should linger in our mouths long after the seder. (Today, the same law applies to the afikoman, the matzah eaten at the end of the meal in commemoration of the Passover offering.) The wicked son, observing the labor and expense that go into the making of the seder, asks: "Whatever for is this work of yours?" (Exodus 12:26). "This work of yours," notes the Haggadah -- this is something he wants no part of himself. "This is because of what G-d did for me," replies the father in kind, "when I left Egypt" (Ibid. 13:8). "For me... when I left Egypt" implying, explains the Haggadah, that "had he (the wicked child) been there, he would not have been redeemed." To the simple son, who can manage only a lame "What is this?", the father responds with an appropriately elementary explanation of the night's significance. And to the father of "the son who does not know how to ask", the Torah instructs: "And you shall tell your child." You initiate the discussion; you prod him into conversation and participation.

not redeemed. For though G-d accepted the Jews in Egypt as they were, despite their lowly spiritual station after two centuries of enslavement to the most debased society on earth, there was one condition: one had to desire freedom in order to deserve it. Still, what is to be gained by telling the wicked son that had he been there, he would not have been redeemed? Do we wish to further alienate an already alienated child? Explains the Lubavitcher Rebbe: In truth, our response to the wicked son is not a message of banishment and rejection, but one of acceptance and promise. The emphasis is on the word "there" in our reply. Had he been there, we tell the wicked son, he would not have been redeemed. The Exodus from Egypt was before the Giving of the Torah at Sinai, before G-d's ultimate choice of Israel. There, in Egypt, redemption was contingent upon the Jew's choice and consent. Had he been there, he would still be there. But he was not there -- he is here. Here is after Sinai. Here, free is what we are rather than something that we might elect or decline to be. True, we are currently in exile, but "on that day," prophesies Isaiah, "you will be gathered up one by one, O children of Israel." When G-d shall again come to redeem us, not a single Jew will be left behind. The Fifth Son As different as they may be, the four sons of the Haggadah have one thing in common: whether involved, challenging, inept or indifferent, they are all present at the seder table. They are all relating, albeit in vastly differing ways, to our annual reliving of the Exodus and our birth as a nation. The line of communication is open; the potential wise son that resides within every Jewish child is approachable.

Of the above responses, our answer to the wicked son begs clarification. Why do we tell him that he would have been left behind in Egypt at the time of the Exodus?

Today, however, in our era of spiritual displacement, there also exists a fifth son: the Jew who is absent from the seder table. He asks no questions, poses no challenges and displays no interest. For he knows nothing of the seder, nothing of the significance of the Exodus, nothing of the revelation at Sinai at which we assumed our mission and role as Jews.

Factually, this was indeed the case. Our sages (based on Exodus 13:18) tell us that only one out of five Jews departed Egypt for Sinai on the first Passover. The other four-fifths refused to leave, preferring slavery to Pharaoh over commitment to G-d. These Jews were

To these children of G-d we must devote ourselves long before the first night of Passover. We must not forget a single Jewish child; we must invest all our energies and resources to bringing every last fifth son to the seder-table of Jewish life.

Talking to the Wicked

Spring 2017

3

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Passover 5777

L’chaim Chabad Lubavitch

Roundup

Autumn/Winter 2016-17/5777 Tishrei / October

Cheshvan / November

Budget

Budget

£34,000

£17,000

11,000

3,000

reaching out to

reaching out to

people

people

Highlight: High Holidays Campaign

Highlight: : Shabbat UK Programs

Kislev / December

Teves / January

Budget

Budget

reaching out to

reaching out to

£29,000

£12,000

8,500

3,000

people

people

Highlight: Chanukah Campaign

Highlight: Home Visits to the Lonely

Shevat / February

Adar / March

Budget

Budget

£36,000

£22,000

3,000

7,000

reaching out to

reaching out to

people

people Highlight: Cteen NY Trip

42 Singleton Rd, M7 4LN 0161 792 6335 www.lchaim.org.uk

Highlight: Purim Campaign

Support L’Chaim Chabad Lubavitch! JEWISH WOMEN’S CIRCLE

MI TZ VAH TANK

Spring 2017

5

Over 1000 event Servicing every sect

KIDS • Weekly C club – King David Primary School • Weekly C club – Bury & Whitefield Primary School • Twice weekly Mishmar extra-curricular study program • Weekly Shabbat children’s services • Weekly Shabbat afternoon club • High Holiday interactive session for nurseries • Rosh Hashana Mitzvah Mission • Yom Kippur Mitzvah Mission • Sukkos Mitzvah Mission • Kids Sukkos party • Sukkos family Simchas Beis Hashoeva • Kids Sukkah Hop • Shabbos UK package • C Club pre Chanukah Pizza Party • Pre Chanukah concert & puppet show for nurseries • Chanukah parties for kids • Chanukah Mitzvah mission • Kids Adar dancing • Purim kids megilla Presentation • Purim interactive session for nurseries • Travelling Purim Theatre • C Club purim kids parties

TEENS • Girls bi weekly Kosher Food Clubs • Boys weekly Kosher Food Clubs • Junior Cteen monthly meetings • Bar & Bat Mitzvah tutoring • Weekly Shabbat services • Teen Shabbos meals • Teen Leadership Program • Trip to NY Shabbaton • TGIS - Thank G-d It’s Shabbos • Teen humanitarian projects • Chanukah party and parade • Purim hypnotist party • Winter holidays paintball trip

ADULTS • One on one study sessions, all over, all the time • Thursday night weekly Chavrusa Programme • Sunday morning men’s ‘Torah Studies’ session • Sunday evening students ‘Torah Studies’ session • Monday evening women’s ‘Torah Studies’ session • JLI My Studies course on Talmud • JLI ‘How Success thinks’ series • JLI ‘Intreractve Talmud’ series • Pre Rosh Hashana lecture series • High Holidays explanatory service • Post high holiday Torah Conference • Shabbos UK programs • JLI Chanukah celebration • Pre Purim lecture series • Periodical special guest speakers

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Passover 5777

ts and programs or of the community COMMUNAL •Home visitations •Hospital visitations •Minyan and kadish services •Mitzvah Mobile •Synagogue support services •Mezuza campaign •Tefillin campaign •Shabbat Candle campaign •Sefer Torah campaign •Kosher Kitchen campaign •Jewish Book drive •Moshiach campaign •Noahide laws campaign •Shofar blowing campaign •Lulav and Esrog campaign •Public Sukkos •Simchas Beis Hashoeva •Chanukah holiday campaign •Car Menorah parade •Let It Glow Chanukah celebration •Purim holiday campaign •Joyous holiday visits to synagogues •Torah study cycle completion celebrations •‘Chayenu’ daily study booklet for people on the go •Small community support

SENIORS • Weekly visitations • Friday night Kiddush services • Monthly Shabbat meals • High Holiday gift packages • Sukkos Party • Chanukah visitations • Chanukah menorah lighting ceremony • Mishloach Monos visits • Purim seniors party • Kids performances for seniors

SOCIAL SERVICES • Daily food distribution • Shabbat to share • Home visitation to the alienated & lonely • Clothes distribution • Emergency financial aid • Bereavement support • Pre-holiday food parcels • Pre-holiday financial aid & gift parcels

PUBLICATIONS • Weekly Lchaim Publication • Weekly Kids C Club Spirit Publication • Mitzvah Campaign Brochures • Noahide Laws’ Brochures • L’Chaim Year Calendar - 5777 • The Holiday Times – Tishrei Edition • L‘Chaim Chanukah Edition • L’Chaim Purim Edition

Spring 2017

7

SPOTLIGHT ON…

THE dynamism of Texas and New York has been brought to pupils at King David and Bury and Whitefield Primary Schools, thanks to Lchaim Chabad Lubavitch’s CClub. Naftoli Levertov of Texas and Yisroel Blesosky of New York have been running the lunchtime club at KD since the beginning of the academic year and have just started doing the same in Bury and Whitefield. The two 18-year-olds are as excited as the pupils at the club’s success. Naftoli said that KD Jewish studies staff were overwhelmed with the demand for the voluntary activity. At CClub pupils play games, do activities, make crafts and listen to stories with relevant Jewish messages. Children also join Tzivos Hashem through which they gain army ranks and prizes for performing mitzvot like boys wearing tsitsit and girls lighting Shabbat candles. For Purim the club put on a play which was performed before the whole of KD. Yisroel said: “The Chassidic idea of the Baal Shem Tov was to reveal the love, joy and fun of Judaism. That’s what we do with the kids so that they shouldn’t think Judaism is just a dry tradition. It’s about experiencing the joy and love of Judaism even during school breaks. Naftoli and I take off time from learning Torah to spread that fun and excitement.” And Naftoli said: “Sometimes when we come to inspire the children we get inspired by them. We enjoy their excitement.” But the boys admitted that it took the English kids time to get used to their American youth leaders. Naftoli said: “English kids are very different from American ones. They are more polite and less energetic. It took them time but they seem to have gotten used to us now. At the beginning when we walked in the first time, I think they were a little wowed and shocked, but we quickly established a great connection and now they are excited.”

8

Passover 5777

The boys, who have just started going to Bury and Whitefield, go to KD Wednesday and Friday lunchtimes, taking different groups of pupils every term. They were the ones to re-introduce the club which used to run at KD three or four years ago. They are now expanding the project beyond CClub members to reach out to all KD junior school pupils who will be invited to undertake Tzivos Hashem missions, rise through the ranks of private, colonel, lieutenant and general to gain exciting prizes, like scooters. Naftoli said: “We encourage the kids to do mitzvot through the competition. We have had a pretty good reaction. They like us and the prizes they receive”. The boys, who have been studying at the local Lubavitch Yeshiva for two years, love Manchester. They both intend to continue their yeshiva studies, probably in New York, after a few years here and both want to become Chabad shluchim. They feel their experience at Manchester schools will stand them in very good stead for their future careers. On Friday afternoons they visit families in Whitefield, often those of their KD pupils. Naftoli said: “I like Manchester a lot. The yeshiva is very, very good. The Jewish community here sticks together, which is very nice.” However, he admitted that, compared with Texas, the weather was less favourable. But the boys don’t let that dampen their enthusiasm for spreading the joy of Judaism to the younger generation. Rabbi Cohen, director of L’chaim Chabad Lubavitch commented “Educational activities for young Jews are a top priority for us, and we are very grateful to Yisroel, Naftoli and the other Yeshiva boys that do such amazing work. We also thank the heads of Jewish studies Mrs Glickman and Mrs Lewis for going out of their way to enhance the Jewish studies departments and facilitate these activities.

Since his wife died, Len hates eating alone, but he’s discovered he doesn’t have to... Reg ch no:1117126

THE DROP IN is a life-line for Len and other local Jewish people a safe, welcoming place to come for a tasty kosher meal, a chat and a mixture of activities, with support from staff and volunteers.

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TWICE a week, all year round, they can come to our evening sessions, as well as our bagel brunches, once a month.

The Drop In receives

NO PUBLIC FUNDING Please support The Fed’s

PESACH APPEAL Your generosity will help our battle against loneliness and social isolation, all year round.

TO DONATE CALL 0161 772 4800 or visit

www.thefed.org.uk

Spring 2017

9

PASSOVER PREPARATION WIZARD Your Pre-Pesach Check list A month before Passover:  Begin learning about Passover and studying its laws.  Begin the housecleaning process. Methodically inspect and rid every part of your home of any traces of chametz. Be on the lookout for crumbs of all sorts, hidden stashes of crunchy chocolate, fermented drinks (nearly all are made with grain), etc. Make a list of all the rooms in your house, and cross off each one as you complete it.  Set aside a special space or spaces to stash the chametz you will be selling for the duration of Passover (see next item). This can be a closet, a cabinet in the kitchen or a room in the basement, as long as it can be locked and inaccessible to you for all of Passover.  Arrange for the selling of your chametz. Fill out a form and bring it to your Rabbi, delegating to him the task of selling your chametz before Passover. (You can also sell your chametz online on www.lchaim.org.uk)  Buy the Passover essentials: purchase your matzah and wine in advance, and store it in a place where it is absolutely safe from any contact with any chametz. If you’re not making a Seder at home, contact L’chaim Chabad Lubavitch to arrange a place at communal seder.

A few days before Passover:  Begin work on making your kitchen “Kosher for Passover.” Put away all utensils that have been used year round, and lock or seal those cabinets. Put away all non-kosher-for-Passover food, and seal those cabinets. Once your kitchen is completely clean, do the special procedure to kosher your kitchen and appliances for Passover. (Now that your kitchen is clean and all your non-kosher-for-Passover food put away, you will only be able to prepare and eat kosher for Passover foods there. If you’re not ready to start eating only

10

Passover 5777

kosher for Passover food yet, you can buy ready prepared food and eat it outside of the house, or in a place that will be “sold” for the duration of Passover.)  Take stock of your Passover inventory. Take out any special-for-Passover dishes or silver from where they are stored. Polish the silver. Make sure you have Haggadahs for the Seder.  Do your Passover shopping. Buy the Seder ingredients, plus general food for Passover. Store these in your newly cleaned refrigerator and cabinets - empty, of course, of any non-Passover food. You can now begin cooking for the holiday in your kosher-for-Passover kitchen.  Make sure that your holiday clothes and shoes are ready, ironed and polished. Treat yourself to something new - an outfit, shoes, or even just a tie.

Sunday Night, 9th April 2017 (24 hours before Passover):

 Do the ritual search for chametz. Take a candle, a spoon and a feather, and search the house for any remaining or forgotten chametz.

Monday Morning, 10th April 2017  If you are a firstborn son, or the father of a firstborn son under the age of bar mitzvah, participate in a siyum or other mitzvah feast, in order to be absolved of the “fast of the firstborn”.  The last time for eating chametz is approximately two hours before midday. Past this point, no chametz is eaten until after the festival. The final time for getting rid of chametz is approximately one hour before midday. (By this time, all cabinets and areas containing chametz that will be sold should be sealed.)  Burn any leftover chametz that is not being sold, including anything that was found Sunday night at the search for the chametz. Recite the “nullification statement”, renouncing all ownership of any chametz that may still remain in your possession.

You are now chametz-free, physically and spiritually - and free to fully enjoy the liberating experience of the Seder rituals and the eight-day Festival of Freedom.

Seder The

Wizard

What Is a Seder? The Seder is a marathon feast that includes reading, drinking wine, telling stories, eating special foods and singing. It is held after nightfall on the first night of Passover and the second night (if you live outside of Israel), the anniversary of our nation’s miraculous exodus from Egyptian slavery more than 3,000 years ago. This year’s Seders will be on April 10 and 11, 2017.

What’s on the Menu? During the course of the evening you will have: • Four cups of wine • Veggies dipped in saltwater

Here are the

15 steps of the Seder, with a bit of explanation:

1

• Flat, dry cracker-like bread called matzah • Bitter herbs, often horseradish (without additives) and romaine lettuce, dipped into charoset (a paste of nuts, apples, pears and wine). • A festive meal that may contain time-honoured favourites, like chicken soup and gefilte fish. Each item has its place in a 15-step choreographed combination of tastes, sounds, sensations and smells that have been with the Jewish people for millennia.

What Do We Use? • Ceremonial foods are all arranged on a platter, called a ka’arah or Seder plate. There may be one ka’arah for the entire Seder, or several. • The procedure is all laid out in a book called a Haggadah. Although the text is in Hebrew (with a sprinkling of Aramaic), it is perfectly acceptable to read the Haggadah in translation if you don’t understand Hebrew.

Kadesh The Benediction The Seder service begins with the recitation of kiddush, proclaiming the holiness of the holiday. This is said while holding a cup of wine, the first of the four cups we will drink (while reclining) throughout the Seder.

2 Urchatz - Washing We wash our hands in the usual, ritually prescribed manner, as is done before a meal, but without the customary blessing. The next step in the Seder, Karpas, requires dipping food into water. Jewish law specifies that certain wet foods be eaten with a utensil or that one’s hands be purified first by washing. On the eve of the Seder, we choose the less common (but more ideal) observance to arouse our children’s curiosity. Spring 2016 2017 11

Karpas - The “Appetizer”

3 4

A small piece of vegetable (an onion or boiled potato in Chabad tradition) is dipped into salt water and eaten (after reciting the blessing over vegetables). Dipping the karpas in salt water (after having washed our hands) is part of a series of acts intended at arousing the child’s curiosity. The Hebrew word karpas (parsley), when read backwards, alludes to the backbreaking labor performed by the 600,000 Jews in Egypt. (The last letter, samech, has the numerical equivalent of 60, representing 60 times 10,000, while the remaining three Hebrew letters spell perech, “hard work.”)

Yachatz Breaking The Matzah

The middle matzah on the Seder plate is broken in two. The smaller part of the middle matzah is returned to the Seder plate. This broken middle matzah, the “bread of poverty,” remains visible as we tell the story of Exodus (see step 5) and will be eaten shortly thereafter. The larger piece is put aside for later use as the afikoman (see step 12). This unusual action of breaking the matzah not only attracts the child’s attention once again, but also recalls G d’s splitting of the Sea of Reeds to allow the children of Israel to cross on dry land.

5 Maggid - The Haggadah At this point, the poor are invited to join the Seder. The Seder tray is moved aside, a second cup of wine is poured, and the child, who by now is bursting with curiosity, asks the time-honored question: “Mah nishtanah ha-lailah hazeh mikol ha-leilot? Why is this night different from all other nights?” Why the dipping? Why only matzah? Why the bitter herbs? Why are we relaxing and reclining as if we were kings? The child’s questioning triggers one of the most significant elements of Passover, which is the highlight of the Seder ceremony: reading the Haggadah, which tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The answer includes a brief review of history, a brief narrative of how Abraham rejected idolatry and entered a pact with G d, a description of the suffering imposed upon the Israelites, a listing of the plagues visited on the Egyptians, and an enumeration of the miracles performed by the Almighty to redeem His people. We conclude by thanking G d for the having set us free from Egypt and a prayer for the Final Redemption.

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Passover 5777 5776

6

Rachtzah—Washing Before the Meal After concluding the first part of the Haggadah by drinking the second cup of wine (while reclining), the hands are washed again, this time with the customary blessings, as is usually done before eating bread.

78

9 11

Motzi Matzah We Eat The Matzah Taking hold of the three matzahs (with the broken one between the two whole ones), recite the customary blessing before bread. Then, letting the bottom matzah drop back onto the plate, and holding the top whole matzah with the broken middle one, recite the special blessing “al achilat matzah.” Then break a bit of the upper matzah and at least one ounce from the middle matzah (ideally an ounce from each), and eat the two pieces together while reclining.

Maror The Bitter Herbs Take at least one ounce of the bitter herbs. Dip it in the charoset, then shake the latter off and make the blessing “al achilat maror.” Eat without reclining.

10

Korech The Hillel Sandwich

In keeping with the practice of Hillel, the great Talmudic sage, a sandwich of matzah and maror is eaten. Break two pieces off the bottom matzah, which should be at least one ounce together. Again, take at least one ounce of bitter herbs and dip them in the charoset, which is shaken off. Place this between the two pieces of matzah, say “kein asah Hillel…,” and eat the sandwich while reclining.

Shulchan Orech The Feast

The holiday meal is now served. We begin the meal by eating the hard-boiled egg dipped into salt water. Traditionally associated with mourning, the egg reminds us that our meal lacks the sacrificial lamb. Note: The zeroa (the leg of lamb or chicken leg or neck on the Seder plate), is not eaten at the Seder. Spring 2017 13

12

Tzafun Out Of Hiding After the meal, the half-matzah that had been “hidden” and set aside for the afikoman (“dessert”) is taken out and eaten. It symbolizes the Paschal lamb, which our ancestors ate at the end of their Passover Seders. Everyone should eat at least 1½ ounces of matzah, reclining, before midnight. After eating the afikoman, we do not eat or drink anything except for the two remaining cups of wine.

13

Berach Blessings After the Meal

A third cup of wine is filled and Grace After Meals is recited. After the Grace, we recite the blessing over wine and drink the third cup while reclining.

14

Now we fill the cup of Elijah and our own cups with wine. We open the door and recite the passage inviting the Prophet Elijah, the harbinger of the coming of Moshiach, our righteous Messiah.

Hallel Songs of Praise

At this point, having recognized the Almighty and His unique guidance of the Jewish people, we go still further and sing His praises as L rd of the entire universe. After reciting the Hallel, we again recite the blessing over wine and drink the fourth cup, reclining.

15 14

Passover 5777 5776

Nirtzah Acceptance Having carried out the Seder service properly, we are sure that it has been well received by the Almighty. We then say “Leshanah haba’ah b’Yerushalayim - Next year in Jerusalem.”

Overview Passover 2017

Sunday 9 April 13 Nissan

Did you remember to sell your chametz? Your local rabbi can help, or complete an online “Authorization for the Sale of Chametz” form. Search for the chametz after dark. Recite the blessing prior to the search, and the nullification of the chametz (Kol Chamira) following the search.

The day before Passover

Monday 10 April 14 Nissan

Fast of the Firstborn. For a male firstborn to be exempt from fasting, he must participate in a meal marking the fulfillment of a mitzvah; such a meal is generally held in a synagogue after morning prayers on this day. Have you sold your chametz? Final call! Stop eating chametz before the end of the 4th hour of the day. Burn your remaining (unsold) chametz before the end of the 5th hour of the day. Light the Passover candles, reciting appropriate blessings. See the Holiday schedule for exact times and candle lighting blessings. First Seder The first night of Passover is referred to as leil shimurim - a night of guarding, based on Exodus 12:42.

1st day of Passover

Tuesday 11 April

Beginning with the Musaf Amidah, we recite morid hatal, the prayer for dew, and we omit the prayer for rain. This practice continues until Shemini Atzeret, the day after Sukkot.

15 Nissan

During Maariv evening prayers We count the 1st day of the Omer. The counting of the Omer is recited during each of the next 49 days, leading up to the holiday of Shavuot on the 50th day. After dark, light candles for the second day of Passover, using an existing flame, and recite the appropriate blessings. See the Holiday schedule for candle lighting times and blessings.

Festive lunch meal.

Second Seder

2nd day of Passover

Wednesday 12 April 16 Nissan

Thursday 13 April 17 Nissan

Festive lunch meal. After nightfall, count the 2nd day of the Omer, and perform the havdalah ceremony, omitting the blessings on the spices and candle. See the Holiday schedule for exact time. Celebrate Passover’s intermediate days. Between now and the last two days of Passover (apart from Shabbat), we may resume much (but not all) of our regular workday activities; but, of course, we continue to eat Kosher for Passover foods exclusively. It is customary to drink a glass of wine each day, in celebration of the festival. During all of the intermediate days, “Yaaleh Veyavo” is inserted during all prayers and in the Grace After Meals.

3rd day of Passover 1st day of Chol Hamoed (intermediate days) The intermediate days are observed with limited work restrictions. After nightfall, count the 3rd day of the Omer.

Spring 2017 15

4th day of Passover

Friday 14 April 18 Nissan

2nd day of Chol Hamoed (intermediate days) The intermediate days are observed with limited work restrictions. Light Shabbat candles before sundown. See the Holiday schedule for candle lighting times and blessings. After nightfall, count the 4th day of the Omer. Shalom Aleichem is recited quietly, followed by Kiddush and Friday night meal.

5th day of Passover

Shabbat 15 April 19 Nissan

3rd day of Chol Hamoed (intermediate days) The Shabbat festive lunch. In some communities it is customary to read the Song of Songs. Havdalla is recited upon the end of Shabbat. See Holiday schedule for exact time. After nightfall, count the 5th day of the Omer.

6th day of Passover

Sunday 16 April 20 Nissan

4th day of Chol Hamoed (intermediate days) The Intermediate Days are observed with limited work restrictions. Light candles for the 7th day of Passover, and recite the appropriate blessings. See the Holiday schedule for candle lighting times and blessings. After nightfall, count the 6th day of the Omer. Festive holiday meal, complete with the holiday kiddush. It is customary in many communities to remain awake all night, studying Torah, in commemoration of the great miracle of the splitting of the sea, which occurred on the 7th day of Passover.

7th day of Passover—Shevi’i Shel Pesach

Monday 17 April 21 Nissan

Festive lunch meal. Light candles for the 8th day of Passover, using an existing flame, and recite the appropriate blessings. See the Holiday schedule for candle lighting times and blessings. After nightfall, count the 7th day of the Omer. Festive holiday meal, complete with the holiday Kiddush.

Final Day of Passover - Acharon Shel Pesach

Tuesday 18 April 22 Nissan

Wednesday 19 April 23 Nissan 16

Passover 5777

The Yizkor memorial service is recited following the Torah reading. Festive lunch meal. On this final day of Passover we strive for the highest level of freedom, and focus on the final redemption. Following the Baal Shem Tov’s custom, we end Passover with “Moshiach’s Feast”—a festive meal complete with matzah and four cups of wine, during which we celebrate the imminent arrival of Moshiach. The feast begins before sunset and continues until after nightfall. After nightfall, count the 8th day of the Omer. After nightfall, perform the havdalah ceremony. See the Holiday schedule for the exact time. Nightfall is the official end of Passover (see below for the exact time). Wait an hour to give the rabbi enough time to buy back your chametz before eating it.

The day following the holiday is known as Isru Chag. It is forbidden to fast on this day.

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Passover 2017 Holiday Schedule Friday 7 April

Light candles: 7:40pm Recite blessing 1

Shabbat 8 April

Shabbat Parshat Tzav - Shabbat Hagadol Shabbat ends: 8:49pm

Sunday 9 April

Search for Chametz after night fall.

Monday 10 April

Day before Passover Fast of first born Finish eating Chametz before 10:15am Burn Chametz before 11:43am 1st Seder night Light Candles at 7:46pm Recite blessings 2 & 3

Tuesday 11 April

First day of Passover 2nd Seder night Light candles* after 8:55pm Recite blessings 2 & 3

Wednesday 12 April Second day of Passover Holiday ends at 8:57pm

Friday 14 April

Light candles at 7:53pm Recite blessing 1

Shabbat 15 April

Shabbat Chol Hamoed Shabbat ends at 9:03pm

Sunday 16 April

Light candles at 7:57pm Recite blessing 2

Monday 17 April

Seventh day of Passover Light candles* after 9:08pm Recite blessing 2

Tuesday 18 April

Eighth day of Passover Passover ends at 9:10pm

Wednesday 10 May

Pesach Sheini Second chances are always needed, take another bite of matzah. *Light candles from an existing flame.

CANDLELIGHTING BLESSINGS:

1 Baruch Atah Ado-noi Elo-hei-nu Meleh Ha-olam Asher Ki-de-sha-nu Be-mitz-vo-sav Ve-tzi-vanu Le-had-lik Ner Shel Shabbos Kodesh

2 Baruch Atah Ado-noi Elo-hei-nu Melech Haolam Asher

Ki-desha-nu Be-mitz-vo-sav Ve-tzi-vanu Le-had-lik Ner Shel Yom Tov.

3

Baruch Atah Ado-noi Elo-hei-nu Melech Ha-olam She-hehche-yahnu Ve-kiye-ma-nu Ve-hi-gi-ah-nu Liz-man Ha-zeh

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By David Ben-Yosef

EDUCATED HERE, EDUCATING THERE Yeshivas Lubavitch Manchester - where every student of today is looked at as a community of tomorrow Yeshivas Lubavitch Manchester, based at 62 Singleton Rd was founded in 5742- 1982, with the blessing and direction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The establishment of this Yeshiva was carefully crafted in order to produce community leaders, its staff and curriculum were selected in order to achieve excellence. The Yeshiva’s humble beginnings were with 10 students and 2 staff members. Before long, the Yeshiva became a magnet for all sincere students looking for the best chance to achieve and has since attracted students from around the globe with the Yeshiva tripling its staff and taking on 6 student mentors on a yearly basis. The Yeshiva seeks to develop scholars thoroughly trained in higher Jewish learning. It prepares its students for positions as rabbis, teachers, communal leaders, as well as responsible, conscientious and intelligent lay membership in the community. By means of small classes, seminars and individual consultation, the student is guided towards the realization of his full potential as a scholar. The Yeshiva provides opportunities for original research and intensive advanced study and encourages the publication of such research. The Yeshivas success and influence, both, with its students and with the greater Jewish community is legendary. The Yeshivas alumni now proudly fill the roles of Rabbis and educators across the UK and around the globe. Here we bring a small peek at some of alumnus that fill educational positions across the globe, all of whom accredit their years spent studying in Yeshivas Lubavitch Manchester as a one of the key components in what has shaped their lives dedicated to Jewish education.

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Chelyabinsk, Russia

Alamty, Kazakhstan

Manchester yeshiva alumnus Rabbi Meir Kirsh and his wife Devora Leah have been running Chabad programing for the local Jewish community.

Kazakhstan, which was part of the former Soviet Union, is famous for being a place of exile for those who were considered offenders against the former Soviet regime. Many of these exiles would not return to their former homes for many years. Among them was Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Schneerson, father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who was exiled to Kazakhstan for his activities in maintaining Jewish life. Rabbi Levi Yitzchok passed away in Almaty after suffering many hardships during his time in exile. His final resting place is in the local Jewish cemetery.

For nearly four decades, the entire Chelyabinsk region had been closed off to foreign visitors following a nuclear accident. The isolation was especially devastating for the Jewish population who, unlike Jews elsewhere in Russia, could not benefit from even the occasional visit by a Jew from abroad- together with the Jewish books and the information about Jewish life that these foreign visitors often smuggled in to Russia’s Jews. In 1994, shortly after the Russian government opened the region to foreign visitors once again, Chabad bochurim began visiting Chelyabinsk. Staying for a few months at a time, these revolving groups of bochurim managed to establish a minyan in Chelyabinsk that met and prayed together every Monday, Thursday and Shabbos. They also started a small Sunday school program, in addition to hosting celebrations at Passover, Purim and other Jewish Holidays. Yet the local Jewish community on the one hand was still struggling against assimilation and fears of anti- Semitism on the other. To help combat the threat of assimilation, the Kirshs made education a top priority from the moment they arrived. Their Ohr Avner Day School, which began with just 17 students, today includes full student body, numbering in the hundreds. The school along with their popular summer camps have truly brought about an explosion in Jewish life and learning. “Those years spent in Manchester give me much inspiration” says Rabbi Kirsh

Most of the Jews living in this country are descendants of Jews who were exiled there by the Communists. They include Jews of all types, such as Sephardim and Ashkenazim, and they are united by their tremendous thirst for authentic Judaism. For many years, Kazakhstan was a spiritual desert, without any synagogues or religious institutions. Needless to say, there were no mikvah’s, and the only Jewish religious services that took place were held on Shabbat mornings in a rickety hut. In 1994, a Jewish religious revolution took place in Kazakhstan when Rabbi Yeshayah Elazar Cohen was appointed as head Chabad shliach. Rabbi Cohen, who studied for 3 years in Yeshivas Lubavitch Manchester had already experienced life in the CIS as a shliach in S. Petersburg, was appointed by Agudas Chassidei Chabad to serve in Kazakhstan at the request of the local communities. Since then, Jewish life has re-emerged and flourished in this remote country. Today, Chabad caters to all of the material and spiritual needs of the Kazakh Jewish community. A network of synagogues has been established around the country, as well as luxurious mikva’os, medical centers for circumcision, a kosher meat processing plant, the Chief Rabbinate, and mobile Chabad Houses to reach out to every Jew.

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Las Vegas, Nevada

Melbourne, Australia

As a young married couple, Rabbi Shmuel and Shaina (nee Cohen) Attal knew that their desire to reach out to their fellow Jews could take them anywhere. In fact, it had already taken them from Manchester, where Shaina grew up and where Shmuel attended Yeshivas Lubavitch Manchester, to Brunoy, France where he worked as the assistant principal.

The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe sent 5 Chabad families to establish a community in Australia. They originally moved to Shepparton as there was already a Chabad family there, in the 1950s they moved to Melbourne.

Yet, they both felt they could best serve the Jewish people as a whole by going out as Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries to a place with fewer Jewish resources. For several years they continued to live in Brunoy, doing whatever they could to further the cause of Jewish education there, while keeping an eye out for a community in need of a Chabad House. One day they received a call from Rabbi Harlig, head Chabad of Las Vegas was looking for someone who could teach classes in English, French, and Hebrew, and who could understand and develop a connection with Jews from a wide variety of cultures. On his initial visit to Las Vegas, Rabbi Attal passed the test- he gave a series of classes, one in each of the languages he would be working in. Response was enthusiastic in each of the communities. In fact, the Attals are still in touch with individuals from those initial classes. Las Vegas is lauded as something of an engineering miracle- given that the city is built on a desert plain subject to flash floods and other inhospitable weather conditions. Since arriving in the city in 2002, the Attals have engineered a few miracles of their own in what was once a spiritual desert—with a now flourishing and ever growing Chabad House. Rabbi Attal studied at Yeshivas Lubavitch Manchester for three years, and he credits his experiences there with shaping his life, giving him the sense of purpose he has, and enabling him to do the work he is now engaged in. 20 Passover 5777

Under the auspices of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yeshivah Centre School opened its doors to the Jewish community welcoming 3 full times students to the new day school in 1949. Fast forward to 2017 and Yeshivah and Beth Rivkah Colleges (YBR), with Yeshivas Lubavitch Manchester Alumnus Rabbi Yehoshua Shmukler as principal, now has over 1300 students from Kindergarten to Year 12. Meeting the needs of each of the students and their families, YBR is renowned for providing an inclusive, inviting and nurturing environment where all children are warmly accepted and confidence and success are born. Broadening their minds and life experiences, YBR students are well prepared for a life of accomplishment, contribution and personal fulfilment. Their excellence in Jewish and General studies, see YBR students rise and shine high above the rest, with results always ranking top in the state.

Jerusalem, Israel For the thousands of Jewish students who travel to Israel each year to immerse themselves in their heritage, finding a place where they can truly feel welcome and at home is as critical to having a successful year as finding a program that will challenge them intellectually. Many have found just such a place at Mayanot institute in Jerusalem, and while the entire staff share credit one name that particularly stands out is that of Manchester yeshiva alumnus Rabbi Chaim Moss. As the educational director for Mayanot, Rabbi Moss has played a role in developing many of the current programs, including the highly regarded women’s program and the yeshiva for Spanish speakers as well as the ever popular post-Birthright program and regular summer learning sessions. He is also involved in the innovative Executive Learning Program, which allows professionals and academics to taste authentic Jewish learning within a limited time frame—usually ranging from 2 or 3 days to 2 weeks. Rabbi Moss and other staff members work to create a customized ‘itinerary’ of study for each student at the ELP, often including one-on-one learning with the faculty themselves, and in the process develop close ties with participants. For many, it has been life-changing. Rabbi Moss noted the special challenges Talmud study presented to those who did not have a yeshiva background. Together with his colleagues there, particularly Rabbi Baruch Kaplan, he began to work on developing a system of learning that would help make the Talmud accessible. Moss has built on his own memories of being a first-time student of the Talmud and the skills he learned to help others. “My own experience of coming into Manchester with no background has definitely influenced my interest in helping students of all backgrounds feel at home with the text,” Moss relates.

Seine-et-Marne, France With 'enchanted' castles, giant mice in suits and bowties, and hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world filling the Disney Land resort in the heart of their community, you might think the residents of Seine et Marne have seen it all. They might be tempted to think so, too, but Rabbi Yossi Amar and his wife Tzal'ha have given the local Jewish community a chance to experience Judaism in a way that none of them had ever seen before. Rabbi Amar who studied in Yehsivas Lubavitch Manchester in 1992 has very fond memories of his studies and has nothing but praise for the Yeshiva staff. “It is a real Jewel in the Manchester community” he says. The Amars settled in Pontault Combault, the major town of the Seine-et-Marne (the 77th) district, in 2002, at the request of Rabbi Shmuel Azimov ob”m, the France Chabad national director. Rabbi & Mrs. Amar successfully opened a brand new, purpose built Chabad House and their programs are thriving. With over 3,600 Jewish families in Seine-et-Marne, spread out over a vast swathe of the French landscape (Seine et Marne is actually a semi-rural area comprised of over 1,200,000 residents in 572 small towns and villages), Rabbi Amar is kept tremendously busy giving lectures, counselling individuals and families, arranging Shabbat and Tom Tov hospitality, fixing mezuzahs, and providing a warm and friendly face when people feel the need to reconnect to their heritage. At least 1,000 families receive his weekly E-Tor@h newsletter (which can be read at the Chabad house website www.chabad77.org ), and many are encouraged to attend weekly classes and celebrate the festivals in true Jewish spirit. In addition to providing Shabbos and Yom Tov hospitality together with her husband, Madame Amar also directs programs for women and youth, including the Sunday Hebrew School.

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FROM FAILING SCHOOL TO OUTSTANDING SUCCESS By Doreen Wachmann

NEARLY 30 years King David Orthodox Hebrew “Many of very, the kids Y 30 years ago King Davidago Orthodox Zionist school Zionist Hebrewschool “Many of the kids were verywere very, very School was facing closure. tuition mainly from capable Israeli teachbutlabel thatthe was the label the hool wasHigh facing closure. tuition was mainly from was Israeli teachbut thatcapable was the ers who were sent here on shlichot. school received. The kids who went ers who were sent here on shlichot. school received. The kids who went Today it is schools one of the is one of the top in top schools in thereaswere labelled failures and as failures and the country, only equaling The nursery, infants there and were juniorlabelled ntry, not only equalingnot leading The leading nursery, infants and junior they too didn’t perform too well. didn’tthen perform well. independent schools in schools its academic thrived while then King they David dent schools in its academic thrived schools while King David Five years later the results weren’t Five years later the results weren’t but aalso providing Jewish floundered, High School floundered, unable to but alsoresults, providing Jewish Higha School unable to particularly great. Their maximum particularly great. Their maximum education andproporethos to a compete large proporcompete in academic on and ethos to a large in academic results with the results with the pass rate GCSE pass rate in GCSE was 32inper cent.was 32 per cent. tionJews of Manchester of secondarray of topschools independent schools Manchester of second-Jews array of top independent Anyone who could get to a private who could get to a private available to Greater pupils in Anyone the Greater ool age. ary school age. available to pupils in the grammar school did so and the school grammar school did so and the school which were a great Manchesterisarea,Manchester which werearea, a great This near-miraculous ar-miraculous turn-around is turn-around was going to close. was going to close. attraction towanting Jewish parents wanting to Jewish parents due to one man, the efforts of the one efforts man, ofattraction very best education for their themodestly: very best the education for their Joshua Rowe says h Joshua although Rowe says modestly: children. children. am sure others have done a ure others“I could have donecould a better job.” With numbers dropping, the state-aidob.” With numbers dropping, the state-aided high school wasinfacing closure in edKing highDavid school was facing closure Historically Manchester’s ally Manchester’s King David 1990. Mr Rowe 1990. Mr Rowe was then the was then the Schools grew out of Manchester grew out of Manchester chairman of UJIA, the Israel charity chairman of UJIA, the Israel charity Jews’was School which chool which founded at was founded at also funds Jewish educational whichto also fundswhich Jewish educational the turn of the turn n of the 20th century to 20th turn century around the world. He also projects into around projects the world. He also European Jewish an Jewish immigrants intoimmigrants acted as the Chief Rabbi’s Manchesacted as the Chief Rabbi’s ManchesEnglish gentlemen gentlemen and women. Theand women. The ter representative. ter representative. was much more on the secular was muchaccent more on the secular curriculum studies He late told Chief me: “The um with Jewish with studiesJewish He told me: “The Rabbilate Chief Rabbi coming a poor second. Lord Jakobovits Lord and his successor a poor second. and Jakobovits his successor Rabbi Jonathan Sacks had both been Rabbi Jonathan Sacks had both been the mid-20th century the school mid-20thIncentury the school crazy to driving me crazydriving to getme involved in get involved in from its site in Derby d from relocated its site in Derby educationBut in Manchester. But educationJewish in Manchester. Street, Cheetham Hill toJewish its present Cheetham Hill to its present it was the last thing on my mind until it was the last thing on my mind until Cheetham Hill siteitsand changed its am Hill site and changed was when it suddenly clicked “That was when“That it suddenly clicked it suddenly clicked. The UJIA were it suddenly clicked. The UJIA were name to King David, with nursery, o King David, with nursery, withweme, why are with me, why are allowing thiswe allowing this JewsEthiopia in Chechnya, Ethiopia saving As Jews Chechnya, infants, junior and high schools. an in saving junior and high schools. As an to collapse? I called the infrastructure to infrastructure collapse? I called the ButJews what about the Jews and Belarus. But and whatBelarus. about the UJIA together and whole executive whole of UJIAexecutive together of and of Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds? of Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds? them busy that with we were busy with told them that told we were “Justthe at government that time the every government “Just at that time every the world, but that youngster in the youngster world, but in that it was going toforgotten shut announced that announced it was goingthat to shut we forgotten we had ourhad own kids.” our own kids.” High School because few pupils the High Schoolthe because few pupils Rowe’s planKDH was to turn KDH Mr Rowe’s planMr was to turn were Everyone was coming. were was coming. was Everyone was of the from one of the from worstone schools in worst the schools in the goingschool. to theThe primary going to the primary high school. The high to one of the best. country to one ofcountry the best. school thego one school was the one youwas didn’t to,you didn’t go to, He told the meeting: “If we don’t He told the UJIA meeting: “IfUJIA we don’t the resort. school Even of last the school of last KDresort. Even KD we get hold of the school, it will close. we get hold of the school, it will close. primaryitschool labelled it the `dunce’ primary school labelled the `dunce’ We will turn it into the best school in We will turn it into the best school in school. school. England England and then kids and will then come kids will come 22 Passover 5777

because it’s the best. We will then be able to feed them with Judaism, Zionism, community values, decency, all the things we hold so dear.”

At the meeting Mr Rowe received a standing ovation from all but one member of the executive and then they all left him to get on with the project alone. He was helped by the fact that at exactly the same time Manchester’s Jewish High School for Girls was moving very much to the religious right, causing modern Orthodox parents, like Mr Rowe himself, to wonder whether Jewish High School was the right one for their daughters. Mr Rowe’s brainchild was to set up a Torah im Derech Eretz girls’ school on KDH campus which would lead the way in improving both academic and Jewish studies standards. He told me: “We were in contact with the Jewish High School and asked them if it would disturb them if we set up another school. They gave it their blessings because we would take the more modern girls they did not want.” Yavneh girls school began in 1991. The aim was to create a unit of excellence in both secular and Jewish studies alongside KDH which would attract children with a greater interest

in Jewish education. It was later followed by Yavneh boys. It worked. Mr Rowe and his wife Michelle were personally involved on a daily basis in Yavneh and the High School, constantly inspiring the children with confidence in their abilities, indoctrinating them with the belief that they could achieve great results. And they did! Very soon after the Rowe takeover of the High School, KDH was topping national league tables and has remained one of the best comprehensive schools in the country. Parents who used to spend a fortune enrolling their children in the top non-Jewish independent schools in the area like Manchester Grammar, Manchester High and Bury Grammar Schools, etc, were now sending their offspring to KDH and receiving similar, if not better academic results. Mr Rowe said: “It is not an illusion to say that independent schools are marvelous, but it is not true that excellence can only be obtained there. You can do the same in the state sector with streaming and setting. Our aspirations are exactly as they are in the non-Jewish private schools. We aim for the sky and that’s why we get there for every child, in kodesh and secular. “We want the children to achieve because our aspirations are high and our support mechanisms are fantastic. The kids love the school. It is a formidable combination.” Last year eight KDH pupils were accepted into Oxbridge. But it is not only in GCSE, A level successes and top university acceptances that the school excels. Spearheaded by the Yavneh example, an enthusiasm for Jewish learning and practice has

permeated the whole KDH campus. Local kodesh teachers have now replaced those sent by Israel. Partly for financial reasons and partly because it results in greater continuity and communication between staff and pupils. Most Yavneh pupils go onto yeshiva or seminary before taking up university or career places and now that fashion is growing among regular KDH pupils who also benefit from the Beth Hamidrash and Aish Lunch and Learn extra-curricular activities. Other youth movements like Bnei Akiva, FZY and Habonim also hold programmes in the school, which also offers a wide variety of extra-curricular activities in such varied subjects as Chinese, Latin, science, maths and English.

Thanks to Mr Rowe the majority of Manchester Jewish teenagers and pre-teenagers now attend a Jewish school where they will become steeped in their ancestral faith. The more than 800 who have opted for KDH will receive that Jewish education in tandem with the best the secular world can offer without it clashing with Jewish values.

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24 Passover 5777

T’mimei Lev

By Doreen Wachmann

Uncompromising Jewish education for those with special needs

T’Mimei Lev special school celebrates its 20th anniversary with a gala dinner on May 22. Chair of governors, Gershon Glickman remembers its foundation very well. He and his wife Hadela had an 18-month-old Down syndrome son Yossi. Mr Glickman told me: “At that stage we had no idea what the future would hold for him. His development was slow in crawling and sitting, compared with other children.” The year before T’Mimei Lev was founded, along with parents of other special needs children, Mr Glickman was invited to a meeting hosted by the then head of Manchester Jewish Social Services, Ivan Lewis, now Bury MP. Mr Glickman recalled: “There were probably about 20 families represented at the meeting. Some had children in school already and some had already been through school. These children with a range of special needs were not really suitable for mainstream schools. “There was a very strong feeling from parents whose children had to go to non-Jewish special schools. They really felt there ought to be a provision at a Jewish school. The poignant thing for me out of that meeting was that parents described how their child attending a non-Jewish school became very alienated from his or her family because he or she was learning about things that didn’t relate to their family. The family couldn’t relate to what he or she was doing when the child would, for example, be singing nativity songs. You can imagine the alienation and heartache of the parents,” he said. Following the meeting a steering committee held discussions with local authorities, rabbis and community leaders, looking at the feasibility of a Jewish special needs school in North Manchester and at what support it might gain. Jewish special needs provision was already available at Delamere Forest School in Cheshire, but that was residential, and at Brookvale for an older age group. Mr Glickman was disappointed with the initial level of community support for a North Manchester Jewish special school. He said: “The support from the community was quite cool. It was a revolutionary idea. I went to one supporter of local Jewish schools who said he didn’t see any need or possibility for such a project.” Nevertheless, T’Mimei Lev, meaning pure of heart, began at the Jewish Cultural Centre with just three boys aged between two and three, one of whom was Yossi. Mr Glickman explained: “Out of the 20 families there were children of different ages. To put together a class you need kids of a similar age or ability. All the children had individual programmes, each with their own abilities and challenges. “ The school began with a nursery of three children and two Spring 2017 25

staff. Head of the nursery and later the school was Mina Gold, who had run the Jewish Day School nursery for many years and was now teaching at a special needs cheder at the JCC on Sundays. She was supported by Wendy Brown, a retired local authority special needs teacher. Three mainstream children joined the special needs nursery, which also used facilities at Brookvale. Later when the special needs children became of school age and the parents of a two-year-old with Asperger’s wanted him to join the group, but was too young to do so, the integrated special needs and mainstream nursery Torah Tots was established. This was later followed by Mitzvah Tots which caters for older nursery-age children. Mr Glickman explained that at nursery age, when children develop at different rates, integrated education works well. He said: “Young kids don’t have hang-ups. It exposes the mainstream kids to difference. There is a higher teacher-pupil ratio so that mainstream kids gain more attention and the special needs kids gain role models. In the nursery you do not necessarily know which children are

26 Passover 5777

special needs.” Torah Tots rapidly gained popularity. But at school age, integration into a class situation becomes more problematic. Mr Glickman said: “It depends on the ability of a child to sit in class. We have children with a whole range of learning difficulties. Within that range there are some who are able to and some who are much slower. They are learning at a slower level. They may be working at the age of two or three even though they are five or six. It doesn’t work to go into a mainstream class like that. Each child has potential, each on their own different level. We want to let them reach that potential.” The school employs a speech and language therapist. All staff are trained in dealing with the challenging behaviour which may result from special needs. Mr Glickman said: “We have had children in wheelchairs or a special chair. We had a child who was only able to lie on the floor. Some pupils can read and write. Some don’t have speech. Some communicate through singing, are deaf or have hearing issues, or through pictures and communication devices. We look at individual achievement rather than national standards, helping each child, as much as possible, to able to function within the family and community, for instance to be able to go home and sit at a seder.” Hebrew studies are very much integrated into the curriculum. Subjects like geography, Mr Glickman said, are adapted to the individual

child. For instance, besides learning about the wider world, more important for the special needs child is to learn how to cross the road and find their way home. T’mimei Lev pupils, who have been mainly boys, also learn cookery and home skills. The school is now considering introducing a NASDAN special needs examination system, which breaks down the national curriculum into very small steps. For some time the roll in the main school, T’Mimei Lev, remained small until a change in the law allowing local authorities to fund special education for statemented children made it financially easier for parents to send their children to T’mimei Lev. That and the school’s growing reputation increased the roll until there are now 65 pupils, 30 of whom are in Torah Tots. Some pupils come from South Manchester and even a few from Leeds. Torah Tots, which is a registered nursery for which pupils receive local authority funding, now has a waiting list. The school also runs an out of school

davening by heart. davening just putbyonheart. Some just put on programme on Sunday programme mornings and on Sunday mornings andSome weekdays from four to six weekdays pm, attendfrom four tephillin to six pm, and attendsay Shema.” tephillin and say Shema.” ed by a number of Langdon ed by College a number of Langdon College One boy, when I visited,One wasboy, sitting when in I visited, was sitting in pupils and their carers. pupils and their carers. the JCC beth hamidrash the JCC learning beth hamidrash learning Mr Glickman said: “Twenty Mr Glickman years agosaid:mishnayot “Twenty years with his agostudy mishnayot partner. with his study partner. the tendency was to sweep the tendency special was toMr sweep special But Glickman said: “Because But Mr Glickman of his said: “Because of his needs under the carpet. needs Weunder have thebehavioural carpet. Wedifficulties, have behavioural he may bedifficulties, he may be become established andbecome recognised.” established and recognised.” spending more time chatting spending than more time chatting than Around two thirds ofAround the school’s two thirds learning.” of the school’s learning.” costs are covered by fees costs andare parencoveredYossi by fees parennowand goes in the mornings Yossi now to goes the in the mornings to the tal contributions with the tal contributions rest made with the rest made Lubavitch Yeshiva with his Lubavitch one-to-one Yeshiva with his one-to-one up by fund raising activities. up byWith fundthe raisingsupport activities. With the worker. support worker. change in the law, change T’mimei inLevthe law, T’mimei Lev His father said: “He puts Hisonfather tephillin, said: “He puts on tephillin, partnered with Chadderton’s partnered Kingfishwith Chadderton’s Kingfisheducational provision educational provision s answers `Amen’ and can answers say some `Amen’ of and can say some of stops. er School, one of the leading er School, special one of the leading special the prayers by heart, but the he prayers cannot by heart, but he cannot Mr Glickman said: “It will Mr depend Glickman onsaid: “It w schools in Europe. Kingfisher schoolsprovidin Europe. Kingfisher providread. But he can join in breakfast read. But time, he can join in breakfast time, the student and parent the body student how we and parent ed much help on registration ed much and help on registration and helping himself to food.helping To be able himself to todevelop food. Tofurther be able and to ultimately develop further look and u policy development. policy development. sit with people in publicsit is an with achievepeople in public is an achieveinto residential provision intoasresidential parents provisi As special needs educational As special provision needs educational ment for a provision special needsment child.for A achild specialget needs child. A child older.” get older.” is officially available till is theofficially age of 25, available tillspecial the ageneeds of 25,takeswith with a lotspecial of time needs takes a lot of time Although not officially Lubavitch, Although not twoofficially the original three pupils,the who original are now three and pupils, who are effort andnow stretches and time effortand and stretches time and of the school’s foundersofMr the Glickman school’s founder aged 23, still haveaged school-run 23, still resources have school-run for everyone.”resources for everyone.” and Mrs Gold, who nowand livesMrs in Israel, Gold, who now programmes. Their number programmes. has beenTheir number has been Yossi is still having maths Yossi and is English still having maths and English are Chabad. are Chabad. joined by others joining joined the by school others joining the school tuition. Once a week hetuition. helps out Once in aa week helps out said: in a “The Mr heGlickman Mr Glickman Chabad said: after 16 when mainstream after provision 16 when mainstream provision local shop. local shop. outlook is to help outlook every child is to help ceased for them. ceased for them. But his father said: “He But still his needs father said: “He still needs non-judgmentally and non-judgmentally to let each and Mr Glickman said: “The Mrolder Glickman boys said: “The older boys on-going support.” on-going support.”person reach their potential. personThat reachis their pot have individual programmes. have individual They do programmes. They do kind run of mindset the kind to of deal mindset n whichallis now Therun school, by Yael whichthe is now by Yael needed not necessarily sit in a not classroom necessarily all sitThe in school, a classroom with the challenges with of the these challenge Chocron, is now looking Chocron, at what is will now looking at what will day. They might go today. shulThey in the might go to shul in the children.” children.” happen in two years’ happen time when in two years’ time when morning with a carer. Some morning know with thea carer. Some know the

L’Chaim Foodbank salutes our dear friends, pillars of kindness,

L’Chaim Foodbank salutes our dear friend, pillar of kindness,

Zalman, Risa and Dubby Klyne

R’ Dov Lent of

of

Chevington

Best wishes for success and blessing in everything

Best wishes for success and blessing in everything

Spring 2017 27

Become a Leader

By Doron Kornbluth

We had been in basic training for two weeks. Up until now, the Staff Sergeant had been dealing with us directly for over 18 hours a day. Now, things were changing. Tonight we were voting, by secret ballot, for our "leader" – the person who would represent us to the brass, the upper echelons of the military. Many of the sergeant's commands and orders would go through this person. He was to be called the First Private. And he could also make requests on our behalf. Decades later, it is hard to imagine what all the fuss was about. But then it seemed like life or death. Who was more likely to get us an extra 30 minutes of sleep? Who would best represent us and make us look good? Whose voice did we want to listen to day in and day out? Who was less likely to annoy the Staff Sergeant? The entire platoon got together. Anyone running for the position had one minute – that's right, 60 seconds – to speak. After all the speeches, candidates left the room for a secret vote. No discussion at all. Very simple. Danny Abraham stood up first to announce he was running. No surprise there. He felt he was G d's gift to humanity. Big Talker. Confident. Charismatic. Bit of a smart-aleck. A group of followers cheered. He told us he would have the Staff Sergeant wrapped around his little finger in no time, and get us extra sleep, free beer and Shabbat off. He had the wild vote, and the gullible one. Yakov Milinsky stood up next. Big Boy. Big Smile. Likeable. "I was President of my student council and many other organizations. I know how to organize, persuade and deliver." Straight pitch. He had the thinking crowd. Josh Cohen was pushed from behind into the ring. Josh sheepishly smiled. "Well," he began, "I wasn't gonna run but I was taught that whenever something needs to be done – you do it. And I've tried to live that way. So if you choose me, I'll do my part." His words rang true. Everyone had noticed that Josh was always the first to volunteer his help. He was never late for roll-call and helped weaker recruits on hikes. He would carry the stretcher more than anyone else, and never take a rest on it. He was reliable and responsible. If you needed help, you went to Josh. He was a rock. Simply put, he was there. I wasn't surprised that Josh won. All of us, however, were surprised that Josh won unanimously. The platoon understood 28 Passover 5777

that someone who takes personal responsibilities that seriously is the best person to take responsibility for us. Moses, Our Leader Passover is the time of the Exodus from Egypt. G d is the One who took us out, of course, but He appointed a man named Moses to be our leader. The interesting thing is that until that time, Moses was not one of the leaders of the Jewish people. He wasn't an orator, and we have no evidence that he was student council president or anything of the kind. So why was he chosen to lead the Jewish people? Let's take a look at what leadership is. Leadership does not mean the ability to get other people to do what you want. A leader is one who takes responsibility. Moses ... went out to his brethren and observed their burdens and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren. He turned this way and that and saw there was no man, so he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (Exodus 2: 11-12) On a superficial level, it seems that Moses was checking to see if he could "get away with it" without being caught. But Jewish sources explain that the message is much deeper; the Torah needn't have told us that Moses checked for Egyptian onlookers, and certainly wouldn't have phrased it in such a strange way ("there was no man"). The Torah is teaching us that Moses understood that no one else was going to stop the Egyptian and do justice. Moses understood that, as the sage Hillel formulated it in a passage 1000 years later, "In a place where there is no man, strive to be a man" (Ethics of our Fathers 2:6). He understood what he needed to do – he saw that he had a responsibility – and he did it. There is a tendency in society – and in each of us – to go with the flow or to choose the path of least resistance. This is the opposite of freedom; ultimate slavery is living my life as others do, or not taking the energy to figure out what is really important to me. But a leader is someone who leads himself, rather than let others do it for him. The Torah is filled with the story of our people. It tells us the history, the high points and low points, the successes and failures. It reveals man's greatest opportunities and the risks inherent in life, and asks us to make the right choice. Judaism wants us to become knowledgeable, growing individuals. A person who

takes responsibility for his own journey will inevitably influence others, as I learned from Josh Cohen all those years ago. This is where the role of questioning enters. I can ask questions, grapple with ideas, share insights. A person who asks questions is someone who will eventually figure things out… and then have more questions. He will grow, take responsibility, and make the world a better place. But a person who doesn't ask questions will have difficulty learning. He will be passive, need direction, be dependant on others. There is an old joke that says, "Two Jews, three opinions." Shortly after his retirement, French President Charles de Gaulle had a conversation with the Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. De Gaulle complained, "Do you know how difficult it is to lead a country that has 265 kinds of cheese?" Golda Meir answered, "Can you imagine how difficult it is to lead a country that has three million Prime Ministers?" We Jews are an opinionated people. While occasionally this has its disadvantages, there is a big plus to such an attitude: we are not a nation of followers. Jews could never commit genocide and say "we were following orders." It goes against our very nature. Life is not supposed to be passive. Life is about learning, understanding, growing. It is about asking questions and getting answers. As the Mishna says, "Im ain ani li, mi li?" which loosely translates as "If I don't take responsibility for myself, who will?" Teaching Responsibility Passover night reminds us that our job as Jewish parents is to help our children ask questions about being Jewish, so they can begin to take responsibility for their own Judaism. We need to teach our kids that they can understand the world, at least some of it, and that they can work toward a meaningful goal. As they grow older, teenagers need to know that they should not follow the path of least resistance, but be the greatest kind of leaders: people who lead themselves.

Spring 2017 29

Support us YOUR MOMENT. YOUR LEGACY. YOUR COMMUNITY.

Remember us in your Will After taking care of loved ones, consider leaving a gift to L'chaim in your Will. This is your moment to hold hands across the generations. This is your moment to ensure a Jewish future that is spiritual and meaningful. This is your moment to leave a Jewish Legacy. Now it is your turn to lead us Forward. Whatever the amount, we're extremely grateful for any gift that is left to L'chaim, as it will help us to continue supporting the thousands of people in the North of England. Planned Giving to L'chaim builds Judaism where it is needed most, in your local community. From children programs, visiting the sick or comforting the poor, this is your moment to make a difference. Join with L'chaim through the loving act of Planned Giving by leading your community to a strong and vibrant future. This is your Moment. We don't expect you to update your Will right now - instead, we only ask that you consider making room for L'chaim in your Will. Should you have questions about leaving a gift to L'chaim in your Will, please contact us on 0161 792 6335 or email us [email protected] If you do include L'chaim in your Will you don't have to tell us, but we would be delighted if you chose to and we will treat any information you share with us in the strictest confidence.

L'Chaim has teamed up with Mr. Jeffery Gilbert from Aubrey Isaacson Legal Services, 0161 959 6000 a provider of Wills and other legal services, trusted for their strong ethical beliefs and socially responsible working. They can help you to decide which Will is right for you and help you to amend an existing Wills. Mr. Jeffery Gilbert from Aubrey Isaacson Legal Services 0161 959 6000, offers a free initial consultation over the phone, in person or a home visit and can advise you on making a Will. 30 Passover 5777

Do We Lie to Our Children?

By Yanki Tauber

It would seem that we do. Even if we manage to avoid saying outright untruths, there seems to be something intrinsically dishonest in the process we call “education.” We award a candy to the toddler who remembers to go sit on the potty. We promise the second grader that we’ll buy her the longed-for bicycle if she gets enough A’s on her report card. We threaten to suspend the allowance of the 12-year-old who won’t clean his room. We remind our teenager that if he’s caught drinking and driving, he’ll probably go to jail. Essentially, we tell our children that the reason for their toilet training is to acquire squares of chocolate, that the purpose of learning is a two-wheeled chrome-and-plastic dream, that orderliness and cleanliness are means of earning pocket money, and that it’s wrong to drink and drive because you may end up in prison. But this is just one example of the lies we tell our children in the endeavor to educate them. Every step of the way, the process of “bringing down” the knowledge and values we wish to convey to their level inevitably involves abridgement, inaccuracy and simplification. Well, one might say, it may be true that much of education is a lie of sorts, but it’s a necessary lie. Without these “lies,” by the time our child will have attained the intellectual and emotional maturity to comprehend the truth, he or she will be so saturated with negative habits that the truth will not affect him or her. The crucial thing is to get the child doing the right thing, even if it’s for the wrong reasons. As he matures, he will gradually outgrow his “childish” motives and come to appreciate the inherent good in goodness and the inherent bad in evil. And because this appreciation will be consistent with her learned behavior, she’ll now be doing the right thing for the right reason. King Solomon, however, disagrees. In his Book of Proverbs (22:6), the wisest of men advises: “Educate the child in accordance with his way, so that also when he grows old he will not depart

from it.” Isn’t there something wrong in this sentence? “Educate the child in accordance with his way”—that makes sense: we have no choice but to relate to the child on his level of maturity. But weren’t we saying that the point of it all is that he should depart from “his way” when he grows older? ________________________ But why are we talking about the “lies” we tell our children? Why don’t we speak about ourselves? Have we ever done something, believed something, understood something, without discovering five, ten or twenty years down the line that we were wrong? Looking back, isn’t the belief always somewhat naive, the understanding somewhat lacking, the action just a wee bit misguided? For how could it be otherwise? We now know more, understand more, are more experienced than we then were. We now see nuances to which we were then blind; we are now sensitive to realities which then lay beyond the horizon of our soul. We are constantly growing and evolving. So the only way to live our lives is to “educate” ourselves. We tell ourselves: this is right, this is wrong. Why? Because looking at our reality, measuring it against the accumulated wisdom that has been handed down to us, weighing the nuances in the scales of our minds, hearts and souls as we now possess them, we reach the conclusion that X is good and Y is bad. And when a voice rises in us to protest, “Wait a minute! That’s how you see it now. But in ten years you’ll know better. Don’t you realize now how wrong you were ten years ago? You’re living a lie!”—we answer that voice: “No, my life is not a lie. It is true, because I am living the truth of my utmost potential. I am a living being, a growing thing. And my Creator, who imbued me with the gift of life, also commanded me to be good. This means that a living, growing thing can be good—by attaining the utmost limit of the goodness it is capable of comprehending and actualizing, all the while acknowledging that there exists

a greater good and a truer truth towards which it must continue to strive.” This is “the way” from which the child should never depart. If ever there comes a time at which we believe our education to have ended, if ever there comes a point at which we say, “My life up to now was a lie, but now I know”—this is the greatest untruth of all. Rather, we should always say: “I am a finite being, yet I am also infinite, in the sense that I am always maturing. Recognizing and cultivating goodness is never a lie; it is always true, as long as it does not fall short of the true potential of what I now am, and as long as I never cease to attain my utmost truth as I grow beyond yesterday’s truth.” This is what we teach our toddler when we reward her with a piece of chocolate for sharing a toy with a friend. In the universe inhabited by her two-year-old mind, a square inch of sweetness and yumminess is the epitome of good. So we’ve taught her that sharing is good. Is hers a “false” conception of good? No more false than our own conception of good in this particular point of our development. And yet, her two-year-old mind also knows that there’s a good beyond her good. It knows that she is “little” and that Mommy and Daddy are “bigger” than she, and she wants to be bigger, too. If our 25- or 40- or 80-year-old mind knows this as well, then we’ve been educated as King Solomon says we should be educated. We’ve been taught to relate to goodness “in accordance with our way,” and we’ve kept on journeying along this path also when we’ve grown old.

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Through an array of educational, social and business opportunities, Chabad in the City offers a bespoke service for Manchester's Jewish business and young professional community.

chabadinthecity

Thank you to our Patrons and Corporate Sponsors Mike Backner & Gilbert Cohen Andrew Berkeley & David Hammelburger Sir Howard & Lady Vanessa Bernstein Stephen & Shoshi Elias Nick & Adi Freeman Zalman & Risa Klyne Richard Shonn & Steven Shonn Yousef & Jaleh Tishbi To partner in future events and programmes contact Spring 2017 33 Rabbi Shneur at [email protected]

Best Wishes for a

Happy and Kosher Pesach Stacey, Kevin & Family Feddy

Wishing the Entire Community a

‫חג פסח כשר ושמח‬ from Josh Huglin

‫חג שמח‬

from Vikki, Lee and Family Benjamin

Wishing the community a Happy & Kosher Pesach from all at

Best Wishes for a

Happy and Kosher Pesach

Best Wishes for a

‫חג פסח כשר ושמח‬

Lorraine, Neville, Daniel & Jamie Gouldman Wishing the community a Happy & Kosher Pesach from all at

from Yakov Hendel Rosen & Family

Wishing the community a Happy & Kosher Pesach from all at

‫חג שמח‬

from Mike & Sharon Wertheim and family Wishing L’chaim Chabad Lubavitch much success. From Phil Carlick

34 Passover 5777

Best wishes for a

‫חג כשר ושמח‬

and much success to all at L’Chaim Chabad Lubavitch Mr David Berkely QC, S. Johns Buildings, 24a-28 St. John St. Manchester, M3 3DJ 0161 214 1500 [email protected]

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36 Passover 5777