A Liverpool shiva house was “Zoom-bombed” by neo-Nazis last week. Many of the 100 people logging in for the digital shiva were met with swastikas and Nazi propaganda.
The incident was reported to the local police by Allerton Hebrew Congregation administrator David Coleman.
The deceased, Linda Huglin, was the founder and chair of Women’s United Jewish Appeal and the former chair of Liverpool’s Community Security Trust and WIZO.
Her husband Victor said, “Linda’s life was one of great inspiration as she was a great leader and took great pride as a Jewish person. If some neo-Nazis and some crazies want to break into a Zoom shiva, then I’ll teach them the prayers that they want so they can participate.”
It is believed that the perpetrators gained access to the shiva via a Facebook post.
Schools Are Ready to Open
Orthodox Jewish schools are eager to open next month.
This week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said re-opening schools is a “moral duty” and will take precedence over re-opening restaurants and shops.
David Landau, chairman of Chinuch UK, told The Jewish Press, “Jewish schools are always very keen to teach. I think every single school will be open in September.” He added, “Chinuch UK has done a lot of work on webinar training to make sure everybody is up to date on safety.”
Landau said Orthodox schools fared relatively well during the lockdown. “Every school in the country had to adapt its curriculum. Engagement and enthusiasm from our pupils, parents and teachers was very positive,” he said.
In other news, Ofsted has reviewed its inspection framework and will no longer expect Jewish primary schools to teach LGBT matters.
Landau said, “Ofsted has made an effort to accommodate our schools about teaching of the Equalities Act characteristics. They are now a bit more in line with Department for Education guidance.”
Chief Rabbi’s Walkout Received Well By Facebook Official
Facebook vice president of Global Affairs and Communications Nick Clegg, who was a former British Deputy Prime Minister, wrote that he “fully” understood Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis’ complaint about the anti-Semitic rant of rapper Wiley, which inspired the chief rabbi’s walk-out from Facebook.
He said, “I hope it might reassure you to know that tackling harmful content like this is the focus of thousands of people at this company.”
Wiley is now banned from using Facebook and Instagram. Meanwhile, the Cabinet Office is reviewing the rapper’s MBE honour, with a view to possibly withdrawing it.
Health Official: Don’t Swap Houses
Families from London, Manchester, and Gateshead have been urged not to house-swap during the holidays due to Covid-19.
Salford director of public health Dr. Muna Abdel Aziz said, “We have higher numbers of people testing positive in the last 10 days and real cause for concern. We are working closely with the public health teams in London and also Gateshead due to the strong links within the communities in the three areas.”