British Jewry’s two largest newspapers were on the brink of closure over Pesach.
On erev Pesach, the 179-year-old Jewish Chronicle and the Jewish News – with whom it was holding merger negotiations – announced that they were being put into liquidation due to the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic.
Then, last week, the Kessler Foundation, which owns The Jewish Chronicle, submitted an offer for both titles, with a view to a merged publication. Under this offer, Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard would step down to become editor at large with Jewish News editor Richard Ferrer in charge.
Pollard then resigned from his post to support a rival bid fronted by top writers, politicians, and Rabbi Jonathan Hughes of Radlett Synagogue. However, mystery surrounds the funding for the bid, which has been slammed by Jewish Chronicle chairman Alan Jacobs.
Top Charedi Activist Passes Away From Covid-19
The voice of British charedi Jewry has been silenced with the death of Rabbi Avrohom Pinter last week.
Rabbi Pinter, 70, was unique in his community for being always available to both the Jewish and non-Jewish media, as well as to government and local authority agencies. Ironically, Rabbi Pinter was the person liaising between NHS England and London’s Stamford Hill community regarding the lockdown when he contracted the coronavirus.
Rabbi Pinter stepped into the shoes of his father, Viennese-born Rabbi Shmelke, who headed Stamford Hill’s Yesodey Hatorah schools. In his position at Chinuch UK and as principal of Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls School, Rabbi Avrohom was active in the recent fight against Ofsted over LGBT issues being taught in charedi schools.
A Hackney Labour councillor for many years, Rabbi Pinter was not afraid to stand up against anti-Semitism in the party. Despite his differences on the issue with his local MP, Diane Abbott, she described him on his death as a “giant of community politics.”
Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl called Rabbi Pinter her “friend and mentor.” She said, “Rabbi Pinter was a much loved figure across the community, building bridges between different groups of Jews, government and wider UK society.”
Tributes also came from Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the Jewish Leadership Council and the United Synagogue.
Anti-Semitism czar Lord John Mann said, “I worked for 15 years with Rabbi Pinter. He became a trusted ally and friend as well as a major communal leader.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that the rabbi “did so much to help community relations in London.”
Stamford Hill Shomrim president Rabbi Herschel Gluck told the Jewish Press, “He was a very profound, warm, charismatic individual, who really cared deeply for the whole Jewish community.”
Elaine Isaacs, who successfully campaigned to change the law on family consent for organ retention, told The Jewish Press, “Rabbi Pinter contacted me after I had been on the radio. He…gave me information for the Human Tissue Authority and also arranged a meeting for me with the former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks. He did so much for me even though I wasn’t part of his community.”
Other Coronavirus News
* Among the nearly 300 British Jews who have died from the virus are veteran Soviet Jewry campaigner Mancunian Sylvia Sheff and Jewish Volunteering Network chairman David Lazarus.
* Police have fined Stamford Hill men for breaching social distancing requirement when using a mikveh. The United Synagogue and the Sephardi Community have ruled that women’s mikva’ot should remain open during the lockdown. Jewish doctors have advised closing men’s mikva’ot.