King Charles III and the Jews
 

6 Facts about Britain’s new king.

With the passing of Britain’s beloved Queen Elizabeth II at age 96, the longest serving monarch in the United Kingdom’s history, her eldest son Prince Charles has become Britain’s newest monarch.  Here are six facts about King Charles III, Jews, and Israel.

Circumcised by a Rabbi

King Charles III has something in common with thousands of British Jews, he was circumcised by Rabbi Jacob Snowman (1871-1959), a brilliant physician and one of London’s leading mohelim (Jewish ritual circumcisers).

The tradition dates back to the early 1700s, when Britain’s King George I – who was born in Germany – imported the custom of German noblemen to have mohelim circumcise their sons.  It’s unclear why this became a tradition, but some speculate that their extensive experience reassured anxious parents that their sons would be safe during the procedure.  Charles’ mother Queen Elizabeth wanted only the best for Charles, so she turned to Rabbi Snowman, who was well known in London’s Jewish community.

Visiting Israel

Unlike Queen Elizabeth II, who never visited Israel in all her long years on the throne, her son Charles has made trips to the Jewish state.  One emotional visit occurred in 2016, when he travelled to Jerusalem for the funeral of former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres.  While there, Charles visited the grave of his grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece, who saved Jews during the Holocaust and was named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.  She is buried in Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

Born in 1885, Princess Alice was the great granddaughter of Britain’s Queen Victoria.  She married Prince Andrew of Greece and moved to Athens with her new husband. She was intensely unhappy. A religious Christian, Alice watched as her husband drifted into a life of dissolution. With the rise of Nazism in the 1930s, her three daughters all became ardent Fascists and married Nazi officials.  Only her son Philip, King Charles father, defied Nazism, moving to England and fighting with distinction in the British air force during World War II.

Princess Alice remained at home in Athens alone; her husband had long since left her and was completely devoted to a life of drinking and gambling. During the Holocaust, Princess Alice invited a Jewish family she was friends with, the Cohens, to move into her apartment with her. Her building was next to the Gestapo’s Athens headquarters, and Princess Alice was even brought in for questioning at one point, but she refused to divulge the fact that she was sheltering Jews.

After the Holocaust, she was named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.  Alice founded a religious order and died in 1969.  Her wish was to be buried in Israel.  At first her family ignored her request, but in 1988 the Royal Family arranged for her remains to be reinterred in Jerusalem.  On his 2016 visit to her grave, Charles brought purple flowers that had been grown in Scotland – her favorite – and placed them on her grave.

King Charles visited Israel again in 2020, when he attended the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem, commemorating the 75^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.  There, Charles lingered, speaking with Jewish Holocaust survivors at length, and hearing their stories. “He was very interested in how it was in Auschwitz and how we managed to survive,” explained survivor Marta Weiss, who met the newest monarch during his visit. “He was very sympathetic. He came across as genuinely interested, not just doing it for the sake of it.”

He Owns His Own Personalized Kippah

King Charles III owns his own personalized kippah: a blue velvet yarmalke adorned with the official royal crest of the Prince of Wales, his previous title, embroidered in gold and white thread.

One of the first sightings of the royal kippah was at the installation of Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mervis in 2013. Charles was the first member of the royal family to attend an installation of a chief rabbi.

Friends with Leading Orthodox Rabbi

King Charles and Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of Britain, of blessed memory, forged a close bond, brought together by their public roles as community leaders in Britain and by their shared commitment to making the world a better place. When Rabbi Sacks died in 2020, Charles delivered an emotional eulogy for his friend and teacher.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks “and I were exact contemporaries, born in the year of the foundation of the State of Israel, and, over many years, I had come to value his counsel immensely.  He was a trusted guide, and inspired teacher and a true and steadfast friend.  I shall miss him more than words can say….  He taught us how to listen to others, and how to learn from them without compromising the convictions of either party; he taught us to value participation in the common life of the nation; and through it all, he taught us the need to respect the integrity and harmony of God’s Creation.”

Adding Portraits of Holocaust Survivors to the Royal Collection

Last year, King Charles commissioned seven major new paintings to add to the official Royal Collection of art, displayed in Buckingham Palace: seven paintings of Holocaust survivors.  The project was part of the prince’s long-standing aim of educating future generations and ensuring that the horrors of the Holocaust are never forgotten.

King Charles himself wrote an introduction to the exhibit’s catalog: “Behind every portrait is a unique story, of a life lived, of love, of loss.  However, these portraits represent something far greater than seven remarkable individuals.  They stand as a living memorial to the six million innocent men, women, and children whose stories will never be told, whose portraits will never be painted. They stand as a powerful testament to the quite extraordinary resilience and courage of those who survived and who, despite their advancing years, have continued to tell the world of the unimaginable atrocities they witnessed. They stand as a permanent reminder for our generation – and indeed, to future generations – of the depths of depravity and evil humankind can fall to when reason, compassion and truth are abandoned.”

Seven Portraits: Surviving the Holocaust went on display in Buckingham Place in January 2022.

Touched by Jewish Prayers for the Royal Family

Each week, Jews across Britain and the Commonwealth pray for the welfare of the monarch and their near relations in synagogue on Shabbat.  For decades, that meant praying for the welfare of Queen Elizabeth II – and her son, “Charles, Prince of Wales, and all the royal family….”

In 2019, at a royal Hanukah party at Buckingham Palace, King Charles praised Britain’s Jewish community and formally thanked them for their prayers. “I say this from a particular and personal perspective, because I Have grown up being deeply touched by the fact that British synagogues have, for centuries, remembered my family in your weekly prayers. And as you remember my family, so we too remember and celebrate you.”

King Charles III is consoling his nation from the depths of his very own grief. It is a testament to his commitment to a life of service and giving to others.

After Queen Elizabeth II's death, Britain's Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, noted that "Throughout her extraordinary reign, she conducted herself with grace, dignity and humility and was a global role model for distinguished leadership and selfless devotion to society… Every week in synagogue we have prayed for her welfare, well-being and wisdom, and she never let us down."

We wish those very same qualities for her son, Britain's new king, and extend our deepest sympathies and our wishes for a long a successful reign.

aish.com > Current Issues > Society
September 11, 2022 | by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
 

 

LEICA AND THE JEWS

The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera. It is a German product - precise, minimalist, and utterly efficient. 

Behind its worldwide acceptance as a creative tool was a family-owned, socially oriented firm that, during the Nazi era, acted with uncommon grace, generosity and modesty. E. Leitz Inc., designer and manufacturer of Germany's most famous photographic product, saved its Jews. 

And Ernst Leitz II, the steely-eyed Protestant patriarch who headed the closely held firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe , acted in such a way as to earn the title, "the photography industry's Schindler." 

As soon as Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany in 1933, Ernst Leitz II began receiving frantic calls from Jewish associates, asking for his help in getting them and their families out of the country. As Christians, Leitz and his family were immune to Nazi Germany's Nuremberg laws, which restricted the movement of Jews and limited their professional activities. 

To help his Jewish workers and colleagues, Leitz quietly established what has become known among historians of the Holocaust as "the Leica Freedom Train," a covert means of allowing Jews to leave Germany in the guise of Leitz employees being assigned overseas. 

Employees, retailers, family members, even friends of family members were "assigned" to Leitz sales offices in France, Britain, Hong Kong and the United States, Leitz's activities intensified after the Kristallnacht of November 1938, during which synagogues and Jewish shops were burned across Germany. 

Before long, German "employees" were disembarking from the ocean liner Bremen at a New York pier and making their way to the Manhattan office of Leitz Inc., where executives quickly found them jobs in the photographic industry. 

Each new arrival had around his or her neck the symbol of freedom - a new Leica camera. 

The refugees were paid a stipend until they could find work. Out of this migration came designers, repair technicians, salespeople, marketers and writers for the photographic press. 

Keeping the story quiet The "Leica Freedom Train" was at its height in 1938 and early 1939, delivering groups of refugees to New York every few weeks. Then, with the invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, Germany closed its borders 

By that time, hundreds of endangered Jews had escaped to America, thanks to the Leitzes' efforts. How did Ernst Leitz II and his staff get away with it? 

Leitz, Inc. was an internationally recognized brand that reflected 
credit on the newly resurgent Reich. The company produced cameras, range-finders and other optical systems for the German military. Also, the Nazi government desperately needed hard currency from abroad, and Leitz's single biggest market for optical goods was the United States. 

Even so, members of the Leitz family and firm suffered for their good works. A top executive, Alfred Turk, was jailed for working to help Jews and freed only after the payment of a large bribe. 

Leitz's daughter, Elsie Kuhn-Leitz, was imprisoned by the Gestapo after she was caught at the border, helping Jewish women cross into Switzerland . She eventually was freed but endured rough treatment in the course of questioning She also fell under suspicion when she attempted to improve the living conditions of 700 to 800 Ukrainian slave laborers, all of them women, who had been assigned to work in the plant  during the 1940s. 

(After the war, Kuhn-Leitz received numerous honors for her humanitarian efforts, among them the Officier d'honneur des Palms Academic from France in 1965 and the Aristide Briand Medal from the European Academy in the 1970s.) 

Why has no one told this story until now? According to the late Norman Lipton, a freelance writer and editor, the Leitz family wanted no publicity for its heroic efforts. Only after the last member of the Leitz family was dead did the "Leica Freedom Train" finally come to light. 

It is now the subject of a book, "The Greatest Invention of the Leitz 
Family: The Leica Freedom Train," by Frank Dabba Smith, a California-born Rabbi currently living in England. 

Thank you for reading the above, and if you feel inclined as I did to pass it along to others, please do so. It only takes a few minutes. 

Memories of the righteous should live on.
 

The Israelis do not make islands in the shape of palm trees, nor towering skyscrapers, nor expensive hotels, nor do their leaders use cars with massive silver bodies (clear allusion to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates).  The pride of the State of Israel is that soon its technologies will be able to be used by all humanity:

1. Tel Aviv University is developing a nasal vaccine that will protect people from Alzheimer's and stroke.
2. The Technion, Institute of Technology (Haifa), has developed a simple blood test capable of detecting different types of cancer.
3. The Ichlov Center (Tel Aviv) isolated a protein that makes colonoscopy unnecessary to detect colon cancer, with a simple blood test.  Colon cancer kills about 500,000 people annually.
4. Acne doesn't kill anyone, but it does cause anxiety and dissatisfaction in teens.  The Curlight Laboratory has created a cure by emitting UV rays - high intensity, which kills the bacteria that cause acne without generating additional complications.
5. The Given Imaging Laboratory has developed a tiny camera in the form of swallowed pills and transmits thousands of photos of the digestive tract.  These high-quality photos (2 per second for 8 hours) can detect polyps, cancers, and sources of bleeding.  The photos are sent to a chip that stores them and sends them to a computer.  At the end of the process, the chamber is eliminated via the rectum.
6. The Hebrew University (Jerusalem) developed an electrical neurostimulator (batteries) that is implanted in the chest of Parkinson's patients, similar to the pacemaker.  The emissions from this device block the nerve signals that cause tremors.
7. The simple smell of a patient's breath can detect if a patient has lung cancer.  The Russell Berrie Institute for Nanotechnology has created sensors capable of sensing and registering 42 biological markers that indicate the presence of lung cancer without the need for a biopsy.
8. Catheterization can be dispensed with in many cases.  Endopat is a device placed between the indicator fingers, which can measure the state of the arteries and predict the possibility of a heart attack in the next 7 years.
9. The University of Bar Ilan studies a new drug that fights viruses through the bloodstream.  It is called Vecoy Trap, as it tricks a virus into self-destruction.  Very useful to combat hepatitis, and in the future Aids and Ebola.
10. Israeli scientists at Hadassah Medical Center (Jerusalem) may have discovered the first cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as Lou Gehring's disease, in an Orthodox rabbi.  

UPDATES FROM 20 APRIL 2020

I have been derelict in my duties.  I should have reminded the Community that Yizkor was on April 16, and for that I apologize because many of us who could have had an opportunity to light a yahrzeit candle for a loved one may have missed it. But from sundown tonight until sundown tomorrow it is the 27th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, Yom Hashoah -- Holocaust Remembrance Day.  This date was established by law in Israel in 1959 because on 27 Nisan 1943, the Warsaw Ghetto uprising began, and would be valiantly fought until May 16, when our brothers and sister were finally overcome by the considerably more powerful and well armed German army.  Today, on this Yom Hashoah, we find ourselves in a different type of crisis, one that is affecting not only us, as Jews, but every man, woman and child in every state, every country, and almost every continent on earth.  Regardless of any of our other differences in culture or beliefs or lifestyles, as a people we are all in this together now and it is incumbent upon us to fight with everything we have to ensure the safety and well being of our family, our friends, our neighbors, and our world.  The worst that can be said about our fight during Covid-19 is that we're inconvenienced and bored.  That seems a small price to pay, though, when you look at the big picture.  None of us is in this alone.  The entire world is in this together. It is easy to feel helpless when your primary function is to stay at home and have no contact with others.  But that doesn't necessarily have to be the case because as Jews, this isolation still provides us with plenty of opportunities to practice the three basic principles of Judaism -- Torah, Tzedakah (charity) and Tikkun Olam (Repair the World).  Find some time to call old friends, or neighbors who may be truly alone right now.  Make contributions to those so in need right now -- food banks, hospital workers, and the CDC Foundation for instance. Tonight you can light a yahrzeit candle for all the heroes and martyrs of the Holocaust.  And when you're done, maybe drink a L'chaim to our loved ones that we have already lost, and to the front line workers everywhere from hospitals to grocery stores, and to those we never even met who were taken by disease or war or poverty.  We are all brothers and sisters, and we are all in this together.  Needless to say, there will be no minyan this month.  I have my doubts that we will be able to get together even the end of next month for Shavuot.  But we are strong and smart and resilient and will continue to fight, even if that means just practicing social distancing and common sense.  One day we will be able to gather again and drink a l'chaim to each other, and it will be glorious. Stay strong, stay safe, stay at home. B'shalom. Shelli Copyright © 2020 Brunswick Jewish Community, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Brunswick Jewish Community 3700 Pepperbush Dr Southport, NC 28461-2787 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

 

SPECIAL QUARANTINE EDITION

Many thanks to everyone who has sent me links, jokes and other items of interest and humor during this unusual time.

Hopefully next month we can meet together again for our monthly Minyan.  In the meantime, this was really sent to me at an appropriate time!   The Art of Silence This link above is from an article in The Tablet.  Jesse Eisenberg stars in this new film as the iconic mime, Marcel Marceau, who not only was Jewish, but was also deeply involved in the Jewish French Resistance.  The film was supposed to open today but will instead be available via streaming on various platforms which you can reach via a link at the end of the article. 2020 PROTOCOL FOR SEDERS We wanted to update you on the precautions we are taking in light of the COVID-19 situation so that we can make this Passover as safe as possible for our guests. We have been instituting enhanced cleaning and hygiene practices in our home. We have also been consulting with the CDC, the World Health Organization, and local health officials so that we are up to date on the latest recommendations given the ever changing situation. We will not panic, but neither will we fail to prepare. So that you are prepared, we want to let you know about some changes in the Passover 2020 celebration: 1. To maintain social distancing, only two people will be allowed to attend at a time, and we will be metering entry. We will be sending a Google doc so that you can sign up for your preferred portion of the seder in 15 minute shifts: The Four Questions; The Four Kinds of Children, Dayenu, The 10 Plagues, Elijah and the Afikomen. We anticipate a lot of interest in the Plagues section so we will have to make some hard choices. (NOTE: if you have children under 5 who can only attend with their parents, as long as they are entirely wrapped in plastic, you can bring them; no need to sign them up). 2. Some Seder practices and traditions will have to be modified. For example, the family style servings of haroset, matzoh, horseradish, and salt water will have to go. Each guest will receive a pre-packaged box of the essential ceremonial items plus a bowl of matzoh ball soup. You should be able to cry your own salt water tears. 3. The ceremonial hand washing, however, will be emphasized. Everybody will wash their freaking hands every freaking five minutes. 4. I inquired with the Almighty about the four glasses of wine limit and proposed raising it to eight. She said no problem at all. So there's that. 5. Elijah has advised that due to COVID-19 restrictions in his own organization, he will not be able to attend in person. He is learning how to use Zoom (like the rest of us) and we are hopeful that he will be up to speed by then. 6. The 10 Plagues section will be modified to focus on the one obvious plague. The other plagues don't seem that relevant. The kids are hard at work making custom COVID-19 plague masks. The design will be reminiscent of a dog cone. The good news is that they won't mess up your hair! (And we are obviously not sticking our pinkies in our wine and placing drops on our plate and then drinking the wine!!) 7. For the Afikomen, we have determined that having children with grubby hands engage in a hunt all over the house for a small piece of matzah split between all the guests will not work. We will conduct the Afikomen ceremony ahead of time wearing our N-95 masks and gloves and apportion it in separately wrapped pieces. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If, despite these changes, we are not able to hold the seder in person, don't worry. We will send everyone a Zoom link and it will be like you're actually there! If Zoom does not work, we will proceed by group text, or group sext depending on how we are feeling. You will be hearing more from us as we navigate this unprecedented situation together. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions or concerns. Dayenu! Have a Great Passover.  Stay safe and healthy!

December 30, 2019

First of all, TODAH RABAH (THANK YOU!) for joining our annual Chanukah celebration this past Saturday night!  I loved seeing so many new faces, and I can't begin to express how heartwarming it was that everyone so enthusiastically participated in our minyan, Havdallah, singing Hatikvah and lighting the menorahs.  First and foremost what we are as a Jewish community is family, and do hope you were able to feel that spirit. 

I want to thank everyone for their patience and respectful attention while I was on my soapbox.  The message I was trying to convey could not have been made more clear than what happened in Monsey, New York even as we were enjoying our Chanukah celebration together, just a few days after an Op Ed in the Dallas Morning News made a plea for an end to rising anti Semitism all over the world. 

We are simply not that far removed from anti Semitism.  It's very likely your grandparents and parents were victims of it at some point, and not too far off base to think of times when we, ourselves, or our children may have been subjected.  Being able to meet and pray and celebrate as a community is not something I take for granted.  I hope we continue to grow in strength and numbers and in friendship to one another, and that together we can form the kind of community where everyone feels safe, and knows they have a home.

May 2020 bring you good health and many simchas to enjoy.