Hasidic Jewish Community in the UK
 

I found it interesting

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13417502

I was also amused/interested that, at camp this week, I sat with an almost entirely Jewish group of kids for breakfast on the day when ham, bacon and cheese omlette was served. They were heatedly debating the merits of the Hebrew camp they attended for the first time last summer compared to this camp ...while happily consuming the omelette. Only one said "I probably shouldn't be eating this" (he had three helpings) (scrambled eggs were avaialable as the veggie/kosher alternative) :lol:

A little background... my grandma was the secretary for a large synagogue in the UK and she knew everyone. Many celebs were members there, and she told a few tales (within family). As a result, I grew up knowing more about Judaism than many born to the faith, and am fascinated by the amazing sense of community.

Apparently the London community of Hassidic Jews is larger than any in Europe.

Fascinating programme.

In my last year of uni (the undergrad bit), I worked as a mother's help for the Jewish rabbi and his wife-they had 4 kids under the age of 10. When they left Australia (they felt the Jewish community was too small and wouldn't provide their children with the opportunities they wanted them to have), they went to Essex. I checked out Google maps and it looks as if the group in the article posted by Monster are a different group in a different area a few kilometres away. Anyone who knows the area-Dana, Sundae, would you know if I'm on track with this?

Grandad grew up in the East End of London, where the only families with any money were Jewish. He earned a couple of pennies a week sweeping the local synagogue and as a shabbas goy for a couple of families (decent wages for a young lad in the 20s)

My family moved to Essex after the war, where Mum was born. She grew up eating bagels and cheesecake and knowing her kosher from her treif. She's still good friends by correspondence with Betty, who moved to Israel years back. She talked Betty into wearing green on St Patrick's Day. She wrote (for Mum's 60th birthday scrapbook) "I was the only Jewish girl getting off the Tube at Golders Green wearing shamrock that day!"

When I was in my teens/ twenties, Brick Lane was the place to go for bagels (beigels) after clubbing on a Saturday night. It felt like a Jewish enclave. I was staggered when I revisited there some 15 years later to find it was a thriving Bangladeshi community. Having done a London Walk round Spitalfields however, the Jewish heritage is still there.

Living in Bucks I had no connection with the Jewish faith or community. When I became curious and taught myself, a lot of things fell into place. And then I asked Mum and got some more family history/ anecdotes. I haven't clicked the link yet, but I will do when I have more time. The Jewish faith still fascinates me.

Oh - I played a Jewish woman in a film once.
And it was shown at the British Film Festival.

Wait, what? You're a movie star!? :p

... star might be pushing it a little.

you reckon?

Question for people who have lots of experience with kids, is it normal for a 6 year old to sit still while you read him an 80 page Tintin book from cover to cover without (him) getting bored or needing some distraction? I've always wondered about that. I think I kept on asking at 10 page intervals, are you sure you want me to keep on reading?

Depends on the kid.

Count your blessings!

Maybe that was the trick.

Or maybe he had a good reader.

Like Griff said, depends on the kid. Some can definitely do it. Might be a good idea to check his story comprehension a bit afterwards though, just a few questions about what happened in the story or what he thought about characters or events. He might be calm, but zoning out.

I agree with Griff, count your blessings. You're exposing them to reading and they're obviously digging it. At some level, or multiple levels, the experience is so enjoyable they want it to continue. If as Clodfobble says he's just zoning out, I'd take that as a good thing. "This is so relaxing, so good, aahhhh" but he might be immersed in the story too. There's a lot going on when you read to a kid, much more than just conveying the story.

Cheers.

The kid in question was one of the Jewish rabbi's kids who I looked after fairly often back in 1995 so it's probably too late to ask.

From that year, what I remember most is that particular Tintin reading, having to think really hard about doing the washing up; what was milk, meat and parev (sp?) and not getting them mixed up and the fact that once when two of them were fighting, they stopped mid-fight to pick up their kippahs which had fallen off, put them back on and went straight back to exchanging punches and kicks.

They were nice kids and I was fond of them. It'd be nice to see them again sometime and see what they're like all these years later.