Celebrity to open Mitzvah Day!

Sunday 15th November 2009, at 10.00am at the MAZ Centre, sees the return of Mitzvah Day. Join 15,000 Jews up and down the country who will be giving their time on a series of

wide-ranging projects. Building on last year’s successful event, Leeds is set to make a massive contribution. This year we are lucky enough to be joined by Coronation Street star Kate Anthony who plays “Molly’s Aunty Pam”. Kate will open the event before volunteering herself!

There are numerous events that you can join in with and here are just a sample:

- Volunteers will be running a huge game of Bingo for Donisthorpe residents. This will be followed an X-Factor-style talent contest devised for the residents’ entertainment.

- Children and teenagers are looking forward to help improve grounds of our community centre, which will be of benefit to the surrounding residents and visitors. Gardener Roy Adams will help volunteers put into practice a design by the centre’s art teacher. If you wish to be involved in this, you should bring your own gardening tools.

- People can volunteer to collect bags of clothes that people are donating to the “WellFair” shop in Moortown.

- Volunteers will request items from shoppers at the Kosherie to be distributed to the disadvantaged.

- Shoe boxes will be filled and decorated for disadvantaged children this Chanukah. People who want to join this activity should bring along non-edible products to fill the boxes with.

- Children are set to design Chanukah cards for the Reger Centre in Latvia.

- The Leeds Jewish Blind Society will benefit from a group of volunteers who will record talking books with the help of Radio JCom.

- Do you have old wellies from when your children were young? Bring them along as they will be filled with plants to help brighten up Donisthorpe Hall.

To find out any more information about any of these events, or to see what other ways you can help, you should call Sara Cross on 07768367955. Do a mitzvah!

The Cemetery Club

Ivan Menchell’s heart-warming, bitter sweet comedy, set in New York, takes a light-hearted look at the life experiences of three middle-aged widows (think “The Golden Girls”). They meet monthly to chat to their late husbands who are all buried in the same cemetery – hence the title.

One of the widows flirts outrageously, one dedicates herself exclusively to her husband’s memory and the third is beginning to realise that she still has a life to live; throw an eligible widower into the mix and watch the sparks fly!



• Production is Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday, 28, 29 & 31 October, 2009 at 7.30 pm
• Tickets £9 (concessions £7, not Saturday).
• Tickets from The Carriageworks Box Office 0113 224 3801

Politics and Israel at Leeds Limmud

Are you interested and concerned at politics and at how Israel and the Jewish community are perceived by our politicians? Come and find out directly at Leeds Limmud on 15^th November 2009. There are three speakers who can illuminate this important area for all of us and you too can question them and voice your concerns while hearing how they and their fellow MPs regard problems in the Middle East and our community back here in Britain. It will be interesting to compare their different approaches to this.

One speaker will be Lorna Fitzsimmons, head of BICOM and a former MP, who will be talking about the current challenges facing Israel, the influence of these on peace in the Middle East and consequences for our community here in the UK

The other two are local MPs Fabian Hamilton, who will also be talking about the prospects of peace in the Middle East and John Battle, who is talking on “The Global is now Local”, exploring faith, justice and peace in building local communities.

There is plenty more that will throw an oblique light on politics from our own local expert Professor Maxim Silverman who will talk on the New Anti-Semitism in France (and Britain?) to Professor Jean-Marc Dreyfus from Manchester talking on A History of Anti-Zionism.

This is just one strand of Leeds Limmud; there are presenters on poetry, music, dancing, food , history, writing, texts, magic, chazzanut and a whole host more and you can mix and match different topics throughout the day. So do come and have a stimulating and exciting day.

Two Little Ducks

There will be a Bingo Evening at the BHH Synagogue on Wednesday 21st October from 8pm Compered by Howard Lee, it promises to be a great night’s entertainment for all!

The evening will cost £10 for 10 Games which will include refreshments, with a raffle that can be entered for £1. There will be great prizes such as facials and manicures. Not only an inexpensive night but raising money for a great charity- Yorkshire Cancer Relief.

For tickets please email ros@rpeters.demon.co.uk or phone 07803293246.