MODEL, actor and author Ellie Goldstein has swapped catwalks for kitchens to take part in this year’s Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer.

Host Paul Hollywood is joined by Caroline Waldegrave OBE – the former co-owner and managing director of Leiths School of Food and Wine – to judge the best baking efforts in these special celebrity episodes.

Bake Off hosts Alison and Noel will also return to provide encouragement, tea and sympathy for the celebrity bakers going head-to-head tent.

Stand up to Cancer is a joint national fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4.
The show, which has started airing when we went to press, saw a star-studded line up of 20 celebrities – including best-selling author, podcaster and businesswoman Sarah Beeny, comedian Adam Buxton and broadcaster Roman Kemp – go head-to-head in the hopes of being crowned Star Baker.

In each episode, four celebrities were challenged to create their best bakes in the signature, technical and showstopper rounds.

Ellie competed alongside Gloria Hunniford OBE, actor and writer Jim Howick and comedian Jamali Maddix in her episode which will go out on Sunday 13 April – and then go on the Channel 4 app for all those who want to watch after Pesach.

Loughton-based Ellie, 23, was born with Down’s syndrome, but it hasn’t stopped her from becoming a global fashion model, performer, author and influencer.

As a model, she made history as being the first model with Down’s syndrome to feature on the cover of British Vogue magazine, and she continues to use her platform to act as a champion for other people with differences or disabilities.

She will back on our screens again later this year in her first acting role as the history obsessed student, Nancy, in the new series of the BBC’s Malory Towers.

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There’s a new show in town and tickets are selling fast! Time to get your skates on if you don’t want to miss out on the musical Cable Street. 

On Sunday 4 October 1936 cries of “They shall not pass” rang out across the Jewish heart of London’s East End as over 100,000 Jews, Communists, Irish dockers and trade unionists blocked the march of Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists intended to intimidate the Jews. 

Now those chants of “They Shall Not Pass” are calling out once more… this time from the stage of a theatre, which tells the story of The Battle of Cable Street, through the lives of three young people, growing up against a background of rising tensions in the East End.

The show’s first outing in February opened to five star rave reviews and this second run, opening 6 September 2024, promises further accolades and a West End run beckons.

The Essex Jewish News caught up with lead actor 25-year-old Joshua Ginsberg – who revealed a remarkable co-incidence linking the character he plays with his great grandfather, who in real life was one of the Jewish anti-fascists who won the day against Mosley and his Black Shirts.

You can read the full story about actor Joshua Ginsberg, his great grandfather and Cable Street in the next issue of Essex Jewish News, available for Rosh Hashanah.

Cable Street runs from 6 September to 10 October at the Southwark Playhouse. Click here to book.

Suggested age: 13+
Price: £45/£35/£25 plus concessions

Evening Shows: 7.45pm
Matinees: Thursdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm (extra matinees have now been added for Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 October)

On the 88th anniversary of Cable Street – Friday 4 October – there will be a discussion prior to the performance to include Professor Nadia Valman, co-editor of the book Remembering Cable Street: Fascism and Anti-fascism in British Society.

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Brady Girls was a parallel to the older Brady Boys’ Club (founded 1896 by Lady Rothschild), the first Jewish youth club in the country. However, it wasn’t until 1960 that the Brady Boys and Brady Girls Club amalgamated. (They say marriages are made in heaven, but readers of a certain age may know of many who came into being at Brady.)

For eight decades in the 20^th century, the Clubs became a beacon of hope and support for underprivileged youth, provided social opportunities, skill development and even holidays for the youth of the Jewish East End.

Now The Bradians Trust present a new exhibition; ‘We are the Brady Girls part 2’,(Part 1 was held in London Metropolitan University in 2023) opens 6^th September. On show will be previously unseen images, objects from the Brady Archives and personal narratives from young women whose lives were shaped by the pivotal role the Club played in their lives and the lives of thousands of young women across the East End.

Furthermore, stories of the Brady Girls and Boys come to life in the new Brady Memory Map (www.bradymemorymap.co.uk)  where former members discuss formative experiences. There you can listen to fascinating personal stories connected to Brady by digitally pinpointing significant Jewish areas in the East End.  Such as:

Barbara; born 1942,

“We lived in; one bedroom flat – a short walk to Brady – 2 days a week; and God forbid you didn’t have your sub.

I did Hebrew a couple of hours a week and there was PT and there were other classes.  My best memory of Brady was it was just there; as were my friends and the community and there was a lot going on.”

Eric born 1944 ;

“I went to Brady when 12 or 13; I was a bit of a late starter.  We lived in a bit of a flea pit of a flat in Hessel Street market. 

My grandfather was a Kosher butcher; I worked out there were 17 Kosher butchers in the market that was 200 yards long; 20 yards wide; how any of them made a living I have no idea.”

Milly born1926:

“It was a hard life for my parents and I was the baby; one brother no money; We lived in a block of flats Hughes Mansions, Vallance Road.

‘134 people got killed in our flats [after V2 rocket attack in 1934]; my mother was sitting up in bed having a cup of tea and the girder fell the back of her neck; so then I was motherless, homeless and penniless.”

June born 1939:“Our parents loved us going to Brady because it gave us an interest; they knew where we were and there was always someone to come home with.  I was very interested in dramatics and we put on lots of different productions; I also played netball for the club and we did keep fit displays for the parents; and of course we enjoyed the socials.  Eventually I was on the committee and used to buy records for our dances and that’s when the boys used to come. “

‘We Are The Brady Girls’ will be held from 6 September to 28^th September; Mondays to Fridays 9am-7pm and Saturdays 10am – 4pm. at the original home of the Brady Girls Club in Hanbury Street, London E1; now known as the Brady Arts & Community Centre.

For more information please visit www.bradyarchive.co.uk

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Lithuanian author and journalist Rytis Sabas (pictured top), 52, previously worked as an international correspondent in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo.

He has published two bestselling thrillers in his home country, The Gaon Code and its sequel, The Tail Of The Dragon.

Now The Gaon Code is available in English in the UK, and is already proving to be hugely popular with readers.

Dubbed the ‘Jewish Da Vinci Code’ by the Jewish Chronicle, the book centres around the secrets of the real life 18th century Lithuanian rabbi known as the Vilna Gaon, and his mystical code to predict future events.

Rytis said: “While I’m fascinated by the amazing story of the Vilna Gaon, and his significance to the world, what I most wanted to do in this book is draw attention to the remarkable history and heritage of Lithuanian Jews, known as Litvaks.

“This gentle community was virtually destroyed during the Holocaust; and I wanted to celebrate its people and history, and think about the miracles they created and the traces of those miracles they’ve left all around the world.”

The Gaon Code tells the story of Paul, an ordinary Lithuanian-American immigrant living in the Chicago suburbs, who receives a mysterious letter written in broken English, causing long buried family secrets to threaten to blow up his carefully crafted life.

Together with Latvian-Israeli history student Galya, Paul embarks on a dangerous and breathtaking adventure in search of a priceless artefact – last seen in Lithuania in the hands of his grandfather – chased by Russian mobsters, an ancient cult of assassins, Mossad agents and shadows from the past.

The book is set in the present day, with historical flashbacks, and while it’s a work of fiction, the historical events brought to life in the flashbacks are true.

The author added: “I have a personal connection to almost all of the places described in the book. I used to live and study in some of them, and I’ve recreated them from memory and from old accounts and maps.”

• The Gaon Code by Rytis Sabas is published by Inspired World Publishing and available now from Amazon and at selected bookstores.

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Jewish Care’s new Redbridge development has been given a huge boost thanks to generous donations from Lord Alan Sugar and his family, together with the Ronson family via The Gerald and Gail Ronson Family Foundation.

Described as ‘game-changing’ by the charity, the pledges will help to fund the exciting new Jewish Care Redbridge Care and Community Campus development.

Due to open in the summer of 2025, subject to planning permission, the campus will be situated on the current Redbridge Jewish Community Centre (RJCC) site, previously known as Sinclair House. It will be comprised of a community centre space, which will house a centre for people living with dementia along with a 66-bed care home, replacing Vi & John Rubens House in Gants Hill. Additionally, Jewish Care’s local social work and meals on wheels teams will be based on site. 

Despite these new commitments from the Sugar and Ronson families, plus funds already raised by the Redbridge Aid Golf Society, Jewish Care still needs to find the remaining £5million needed to complete the project. The charity has launched a campaign to raise the money from the local community.

Welcoming the donations, Phillip Leigh – life president of the RJCC and chair of the Essex Jewish News said:

“I am delighted to see these wonderful donations towards the new Redbridge Campus. As you can see from the photograph, this is the not the first time that the Sugar and Ronson families have dug deep to help us.

“This photo brought back special memories of my good friends Frank Cass and Ellis Birk, both regrettably of blessed memory, who along with myself were instrumental in negotiating the amalgamation of Sinclair House with Jewish Care way back in 1985.

“It is exciting to see that, at long last, we are now reaching the actual beginning of the project that we kicked into play some 20 years ago“Let’s hope that our passionate Essex Jewish community now support us in making up the shortfall required to complete this long awaited landmark for our local community.”

The Sugar family have been long standing supporters of Jewish Care, showing unwavering commitment to the organisation over many decades.

Lord Sugar said: “We are proud to be supporting the exciting development of a new care and community campus in Redbridge. Our family have had a long and deep association with Jewish Care’s services in Redbridge, where my late mother was a resident at Vi & John Rubens House. We are absolutely delighted to be helping our older community live with dignity and compassion in facilities that deliver high quality care on a state-of-the-art campus.

“We hope our commitment will be a catalyst for other local supporters to join us and the Ronson family in making this project a reality, which the Essex and East London community truly deserves and can rightfully feel proud of.”

Gerald Ronson CBE and Dame Gail Ronson DBE too have been avid and generous supporters of Jewish Care, including funding the thriving Ronson Family Community Centre in Harrow.

Dame Ronson said: ““I have had the privilege of being involved with Jewish Care for over 30 years as a trustee and now as an honorary president and our family are delighted to be involved with this vital project to support the community in Essex and East London.

“Our connection with the Redbridge community goes back many decades now from when I first became involved in the organisation in 1983 where the Sinclair House site was then an independent community centre that was on the brink of closure.

“Gerald and I wanted to do all we could to help save it and hosted a fundraising event, which we were delighted stopped it from closing, and have had the privilege of seeing it thrive. We are delighted to play our role in establishing a new facility for the next generation in a community which we know is so very special.”

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ANY time you’re Wanstead way, any evening any day, you’ll find Doreen Golding doing the Wanstead walk, oi!

That’s because the 82-year-old great grandmother is Pearly Queen of Old Kent Road and Bow Bells… and as far as she is aware, the only Jewish Pearly Queen in the country.

Doreen, who says that the Pearly Kings and Queens are the original Cockney Londoners, has devoted her life to helping others and was awarded the British Empire Medal some years ago for her tireless charity work.

She received a total of six nominations for her BEM, which was awarded during the late Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday Honours List, including nominations from John Cryer MP for Leyton and Wanstead who described her as an “excellent and devoted community ambassador”.

Doreen found her way into the tradition through the London Pearly Kings and Queens Society. She said: “I used to visit my mother-in-law in her care home and I got friendly with the Pearly Queen of Redbridge, who came to entertain. One day she asked my husband and I to be part of her ‘pride’ of helpers.”

The couple became Pearly Royalty in 1995 after spending several years assisting the Pearly Queen of Redbridge, Peggy Oliver, who died in a car accident in 2015.

Doreen’s schedule is punishing. A fully pearled ‘smother suit’ can weigh anything up to 30kg. “No matter how tired I am, I’m out doing charity work,” she says.

‘’I have personally concentrated on raising money for many charities including the Stroke Association (she suffered a stroke in 2013); the London Air Ambulance; Royal National Lifeboat Institute, and any other group that needs my help.’’

Doreen and her first husband Martin were married in Alie Street synagogue in the East End of London but she was left a widow at the age of 34 when Martin died at 37.

She and her second husband Larry were married in 1967 at Newbury Park United Synagogue in Wessex Close. They had moved from the East End to Wanstead.

They bonded over their mutual love of charity work, and going about their Pearly duties together until Larry fell ill.

Now Doreen spends her time raising money for the Pearly Kings and Queens Society’s chosen charities, as well as countless others, visiting community groups, care homes, and schools, including Jewish Care’s Vi and John Rubens House, the Redbridge Jewish Community Centre and Chigwell and Hainault JACS group.

Being a Pearly Queen has seen Mrs Golding meet several of her royal counterparts over the years, including the late Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mother and Duke of Edinburgh. The walls at her home are covered with photographs including her with Sir Michael Caine and Sir Elton John. She has met King Charles III and tap danced with Kate Moss.

Doreen is also a Freeman of the City of London and the longstanding chair and treasurer of the Wanstead Historical Society, who have branded her the town’s “most popular and prominent community member”.

Asked what enables her to keep up with such a busy schedule at 82, Doreen replied “Pearly Kings and Queens do it because we want to. It’s all about willpower.”

• The London Pearly Kings and Queens Society can be found collecting for local charities at the junction of Brick Lane and Cheshire Street on the first Sunday of every month and in Covent Garden on the third Sunday of every month.

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IN NOVEMBER, Chigwell and Hainault United Synagogue hosted a unique film screening with almost 140 people being able to journey to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp without even leaving their seats.

The Triumph of Spirit is a gripping, powerful documentary created using VR (virtual reality) technology giving viewers an immersive 360-degree experience inside the camp.

The hour-long film which was produced by three Israeli-based ultra-Orthodox women and narrated by world-renowned speaker and historian, Israel Goldwasser, shows the power of the human spirit and its ability to not only survive, but to overcome against all odds.

Producer Miriam Cohen was present at the event, the first showing of the film outside of Israel. She explained to the audience that one of the reasons that they wanted to make the film was due her own experience. As a student in the ultra-Orthodox community, whilst many Israelis at 17 visited Auschwitz she was not permitted to do so, and she felt she missed out on this experience. This inspired her as a film maker to create something that would give others the same opportunity to be there.

Rabbi Rafi Goodwin had previously seen the film and was so deeply moved by it that he wanted others to have the opportunity to watch it for themselves. The event was extremely popular, with demand so high that two screenings had to be held allowing almost 140 people to share the experience. He was really pleased with the attendance and the way that the film was received and the inspiring message that it gives.

He said: “Often when people leave after visiting Auschwitz, they can feel distraught and depressed. Amazingly Triumph of the Spirit makes you feel proud to be part of the Jewish people despite all the hardships and persecution. It shines light on the indestructible spirit of every Jew, namely the soul, and tells the story of a rebirth and renewal of our people.”

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Free latkes, doughnuts and hot chocolate will be served as Leytonstone rocks to foot-tapping live Klezmer music and the Mayor of Waltham Forest lights the first Chanukah candle.

All are welcome at the event, which will take place just opposite Leytonstone underground station at the junction of Fillebrook Road and Grove Green Road.

The Leytonstone Menorah was made using funds granted by Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019 and with support from the Highways Agency. The street party is supported by the London Borough of Waltham Forest’s Leaders Fund.

For further information, please email info@lawsynagogue.org.

Meanwhile Chabad will be hosting their popular Chanukah lightings all across North East London and Essex throughout the festival – with everyone invited to come and take part. The dates and times are below:

Sunday 18 December – Buckhurst Hill
Lighting ceremony at 6pm

Monday 19 December – Barkingside
Lighting ceremony at 3.45pm

Monday 19 December – Epping
Children’s entertainment at
Epping Town Hall at 4pm

Lighting ceremony on
Epping High Street at 5.30pm

Tuesday 20 December – Loughton
Lighting ceremony at 6pm

Wednesday 21 December – Woodford
Lighting ceremony at 6pm

Thursday 22 December – Chigwell
Lighting ceremony at 6pm

Saturday 24 December – Gants Hill
Lighting ceremony at 6.45pm

The post <strong>Essex Menorah lightings for December</strong> appeared first on Essex Jewish News.

LAST September I was at the stone-setting for my brother. As well as giving us a sense of closure, it also provided an indelible link in the chain of tradition that spans over 3,000 years. 

We are taught that the soul is brought into Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden) at a stone-setting. It’s a metaphor for permanence.

A stone is immovable, enduring, and constant – traditionally we don’t often see flowers on Jewish graves since they will simply fade away and disappear, and so that’s why we have a tradition of placing stones on the grave.

The Holocaust took away lives – six million Jewish individuals, of which one and a half million were children.

At Auschwitz-Birkenau and the other murder centres, the Nazis turned us into ash.

There are no markers, no gravestones, nowhere for us to place a stone – to preserve a memory – to continue to tell the story.

Yad Vashem UK’s Guardian of the Memory project aims to reverse this. It seeks to ensure that the victims’ life stories are never forgotten.

Just as I light a yahrzeit candle every year for my brother, so each victim can become part of our own treasured family histories by us lighting a memorial candle in their honour on every Holocaust Memorial Day and Yom HaShoah.

Millions of Jewish people were murdered without a trace during the Shoah. It is incumbent upon us to remember them. If we do not take action, their legacies will be lost to us forever.

To find out more about becoming a Guardian of the Memory, please visit www.yadvashem.org.uk.

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ZEC Richardson (pictured) has started a seed exchange at Southend and District Reform Synagogue. As part of the congregation’s eco-friendly mission, members can now donate and share fruit, vegetable and flower seeds.

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