WATCH: Labour frontbencher says Margaret Hodge right to confront Jeremy Corbyn over anti-Semitism

Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey

Credit: 

BBC

Rebecca Long Bailey said while nobody in the party should “engage in personal attacks”, it was acceptable for MPs to challenge the leadership's view.

Her boss in the Shadow Treasury team, John McDonnell, meanwhile called for the complaint made against Mrs Hodge to be dropped or investigated quickly.

The latest row over anti-Jewish racism in the party comes after the National Executive Committee decided not to fully adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition.

The move prompted a huge backlash from backbenchers and senior Jewish figures, including Ms Hodge, who told Mr Corbyn he was an “anti-Semite and a racist”.

The party has since begun an internal disciplinary probe into the Barking MP’s conduct during the fiery clash.

While Ms Long-Bailey would not be drawn on whether Ms Hodge should face action, she defended her right to "express her opinion".

“I wasn’t there when the so-called incident happened so I can’t comment on what was said, but what we do say in the party is that we treat colleagues with respect," she told the Andrew Marr Show.

"But that’s not to say that it’s wrong for Margaret, if she did state those things to Jeremy, to express her opinion, it’s right to express opinions to the leader of the party.

She added: “I’m not sure where we’re up to in terms of what action is being taken, I just know that the matter’s being investigated, but as I say, within the party we’re expected to treat colleagues with respect and not to engage in personal attacks.

"But as I said it’s not wrong for a colleague to express concerns to another colleague, it just has to be done in the appropriate way.”

Mr McDonnell told Sky News' Ridge on Sunday: “My view is let’s just resolve this very, very quickly – almost drop the complaint and move on – or if someone wants the complaint investigated, let’s get that done quickly.

“I’ve worked with Margaret over the years, I was the chief executive of an organisation that she was chair of for over ten years. She’s got a good heart. Sometimes you can express anger – I’m one of those people who have in the past.

“You have to accept that, you have to accept sometimes it can be quite heated in their expressions. Let’s understand that and let’s just move on.”

Elsewhere Ms Long-Bailey said Labour was right to consult further on its rules around the definition of anti-Semitism amid the backlash, although she defended its initial changes.

“The intention was never to omit part of the IHRA definition. The IHRA define in examples is two-sided piece of A4, it’s not very detailed, but it’s very clear and straight to the point and what we wanted to do was to build on that but we recognise the concerns.

“That’s why this week it was right for the NEC to look at the code again and look at consulting with the Jewish community to make sure that we get it right because we have to restore faith in the Jewish community.

“We started from a very, very dark place due to the actions of a minority in our party and the failure of us to deal with it quickly.”

Watch Ms Long-Bailey on the Andrew Marr Show this morning:

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Shadow business secretary @RLong_Bailey on Labour MP @margarethodge and her confrontation with @jeremycorbyn #marr

10:01 AM - Jul 22, 2018

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Today is the saddest day in Jewish calendar. We commemorate Tisha B'av - the destruction of the Jewish Temples

Whenever Tisha b’Av falls on Shabbat and is thereby postponed, we are treated to a Divine “wink” of sorts and merit to experience a ”taste” of the Messianic era.

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin, Rabbinic Director, United with Israel

In just a few days the Jewish community will observe Tisha b’Av, the day on which we commemorate the destruction of the two Temples that once stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people from their land.

As with all Jewish holidays, Tisha b’Av begins the night before, at sundown, as per the Hebrew lunar calendar. Tisha b’Av literally means “the 9th day of [the Hebrew month] of Av.” What is very unique about Tisha b’Av in 2018 is that it falls on Shabbat!

Since fasting is forbidden on Shabbat (except for Yom Kippur), the fast is postponed and observed a day later, on the 10th day of Av.

Eating on the 9th of Av is something that is virtually taboo. Tisha b’Av is the most serious of all fast days, second only to Yom Kippur. Although no one should risk his or her health in any way, we are obligated to make heroic efforts to fast on Tisha b’Av regardless of any level of discomfort.

However, when the 9th of Av falls on Shabbat, we eat meat, drink wine and celebrate Shabbat, as we do each week. In such cases, Tisha b’Av is all but forgotten on the day it was truly intended to be observed!

So too, in the Messianic era, Tisha b’Av will cease to be observed. When the Messiah comes, the third and final Temple will be rebuilt and the mourning of Tisha b’Av will be a thing of the past.

The rabbis teach that until that time, whenever Tisha b’Av falls on Shabbat and is thereby postponed, we are treated to a Divine “wink” of sorts and merit to experience a ”taste” of the Messianic era.

The (kosher) power lunch

The kitchen at Reserve Cut, a kosher steakhouse in the Financial District.

It wasn’t that long ago that gourmet glatt steakhouses were basically nonexistent, meaning that when observant Jews sat down for a high-powered business lunch over some juicy prime beef, they were often left to order a salad.

Although there were kosher steakhouses in the city, there were few during the 1990s that rose to the level of a first-class dining experience where real estate industry bigwigs could wine and dine clients.

“We’re old enough to remember when there was just one,” said Brown Harris Stevens’ Diane Abrams, who frequently entertains clients with her BHS teammate Felise Gross at many of the city’s top kosher kitchens.

That one was Lou G. Siegel’s, a Garment District institution that shut down in the mid-1990s after a nearly 80-year run.

Today, however, any observant real estate pro with the gelt to spend — and there are plenty of them in this town — can run down the list of the city’s best steak spots. While Fred’s at Barneys, Michael’s in Midtown, and the Four Seasons are some of the go-to dining spots for many New York power players, there are a world of kosher haunts too, including those where real estate deals are getting sealed. 

They are a lot pricier than their non-kosher counterparts. That’s largely due to the stringent standards required to be certified kosher — only the half front of the cattle can be used and many cuts are rejected because the quality is not up to par. So while a 16 oz. rib eye at Del Frisco’s or Wolfgang’s might cost about $50, that same slab of meat might be $20 more expensive at a kosher steakhouse.

Still, these eateries are great places to rub shoulders with industry figures who frequent the same small set of restaurants.

“It’s not like there’s four or five hundred places to go,” Westwood Realty Associates’ Steven Vegh explained.

Prime Grill550 Madison Avenue

Ask an industry pro where to go for the best kosher steak, and before you finish the question you’re likely to get the answer: Prime Grill.

The 16-year-old restaurant is regarded as the city’s first high-end kosher steakhouse. And while the business crowd is by no means limited to the real estate set — finance and political titans are also regulars — it’s the go-to place to rub shoulders with the industry’s hungry machers.

“Once a month, I meet with Gary Barnett on the Upper West Side. The only place he will go is the Prime Grill, a kosher steakhouse,” Sam Sidhu, the founder of development firm Megalith Capital Management, told The Real Deal a few months ago.

Big names like Barnett and George Klein are indeed known to frequent the restaurant, which is located at the base of the former Sony Building on Madison Avenue. Prime Grill’s landlord, Joseph Chetrit, is also a customer. He is converting Sony’s former headquarters into 96 luxury condos with an expected total sellout of $1.8 billion. The penthouse will have an asking price of $150 million.

“It’s probably the hottest building in New York City,” Prime Grill founder and owner Joey Allaham told TRD. “We’re very excited about the $2 billion renovation coming down.”

Allaham is a fourth-generation Syrian butcher who immigrated to the U.S. more than 20 years ago. He first opened shop on East 49th Street in 2000 and briefly relocated to 55th Street before landing at Prime Grill’s current home late last year.

The restaurant’s décor is classic steakhouse, with both white tablecloth dining and plush red leather booths. There are also three private dining rooms.

Prime Grill

The place is also serious about keeping kosher. The restaurant’s mashgiash — the head rabbi who oversees the kitchen — meticulously inspects food and processes to make sure everything complies with kosher standards. He’s even been known to sleep in the restaurant before an impending snow storm.

The full dinner menu includes sushi and sashimi, beef tartar and classic Jewish comfort food like “Grandma Bella’s chicken noodle soup.”

Eastern Consolidated’s James Famularo, a regular at the establishment, said real estate brokers like to visit restaurants in general. “Everyone likes to see if somebody’s got a good concept and a good team,” he said. “Then maybe they can help them find their next location.”

Reserve Cut40 Broad Street

If Prime Grill is the conservative, button-downed establishment for business meals, then Reserve Cut is its hip younger cousin — both figuratively and literally.

The restaurant opened in 2013 at the trendy Setai Hotel near Wall Street and is helmed by Albert Allaham, the younger cousin to Prime Grill’s Joey Allaham.

As the only kosher steakhouse option in the Financial District, it draws heavily from the Downtown and Brooklyn real estate sets. Ralph Herzka of Meridian Capital is said to dine there frequently, as are members of Brooklyn’s Syrian Jewish community.

The restaurant is more contemporary than Prime Grill, with a chic setting that’s dimly lit for dinner. A giant glass wine cellar sits at the center of the 200-seat dining room.

The menu features nearly a dozen cuts of prime steak sourced from Allaham’s Brooklyn butcher shop, Prime Cut, and also offers a full sushi menu.

Dining here can lead to fortuitous encounters. Stefani Markowitz, president of residential brokerage firm Rutenberg, recalled having lunch with a developer at the restaurant and being approached afterwards by a nearby diner. By the time the two finished talking, she had nabbed a new exclusive listing.

Mike’s Bistro127 East 54th Street

When a business meal doesn’t necessarily mean power lunch, many industry pros head to Mike’s Bistro for its relaxed atmosphere.

“You can wear jeans or a suit; you can drink beer or champagne,” the restaurant’s website says. The eatery is known for inventive signature dishes like duck gnocchi as well as chef Mike Gershkovich, who frequently stops by tables to schmooze with diners.

“It’s got a really lovely, great ambiance,” said BHS’ Abrams. “When you walk in you see an elegant bar. It looks more like a place where singles might come. You can carry on a conversation and it’s not overly noisy.”

Daily specials include a prime-grade côte de boeuf for two (available Mondays and Tuesdays) clocking in at $115. But Abrams recommends stopping by for lunch, when the restaurant offers a four-course prix fixe for $75.

Abigael’s1407 Broadway at 39th Street

Abigael’s, named for King David’s wife, recently opened a Brooklyn branch at the Barclays Center, where it’s the exclusive kosher caterer to the private suites and Jay Z’s 40/40 club.

But it’s the original 17-year-old establishment in Midtown that put Abigael’s on the map. The 12,000-square-foot restaurant — which is the brainchild of celebrity chef and winner of the prestigious James Beard award, Jeff Nathan — seats 375 people and even has an area for additional seating when a guest’s security detail is in tow.

“We’re in Midtown; we get everybody,” Nathan said. “A lot of people’s names I’m not at liberty to say.” With basic dishes such as chili and chicken fried steak, the restaurant hits the sweet spot between formal business lunch and casual fare. “Abigael’s is probably the perfect medium,” said JTRE Holdings CEO Jack Terzi. “You’re not going to be there for two hours. You can be in and out in an hour and it’s a decent meal.”

Mr. Broadway1372 Broadway at 38th Street

Mr. Broadway has been around since 1933. And while it does offer steak, it’s more of a burger-and-beer type of joint.

The restaurant does have a dining room in the back, but the real action is up front during midday, when the lunchtime crowd lines up at the deli counter for a quick kosher meal on the go. “Mr. Broadway is a different animal,” said Danny Hedaya, president of Platinum Properties. “It depends on when you go. There are a bunch of tables and people are in and out pretty quickly.” The menu offers a variety of burgers including a Hawaiian version served with salami and pineapple, as well as chops, southern fried chicken and a Chinese/sushi menu.

While Hedaya is based in the Financial District, he said that when he’s in Midtown he tries to make a point to stop at the restaurant, where he strongly recommends the shawarma served on a baguette with hummus.

“I’d argue it’s one of the best in the city,” he said.

Correction: A previous version of this story gave an incorrect name for Stefani Markowitz’s residential brokerage. It is Rutenberg, not Rutenberg Realty.

Hodge attacks Corbyn in anti-semitism storm

Angry Commons confrontation with Labour leader

THE former leader of Islington Council locked horns with Jeremy Corbyn this week when she accused him of being anti-semitic and turning the Labour Party racist.

Dame Margaret Hodge, who headed the council in the 1980s, confronted the Labour leader during Tuesday’s House of Commons vote on Brexit.

The Labour MP for Barking, who is Jewish, stood by her views in a piece in Wednesday’s Guard­ian newspaper, add­ing that the party had purposely weakened the definition of anti-semitism.

Members of Labour’s ruling committee decided on a new code of conduct around anti-semitism on Tuesday at a meeting where Mr Corbyn was present for a short time.

The code does not include all of the “working examples” of anti-semitism as given by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition, which includes claiming that the existence of the state of Israel is a racist endeavour.

A Labour spokesman told the Tribune that its code “adopts the IHRA definition and expands on and contextualises its examples to produce robust, legally sound guidelines that a political party can apply to disciplinary cases”.

It is understood that Dame Margaret may be facing disciplinary measures following her outburst, which has divided the party.

She started her political career on Islington Council in 1973, rising to become leader.

She faced huge controversy following a 1992 exposé which highlighted widespread abuse in the borough’s children’s homes – a scandal which has dogged her career ever since.

A Labour Party spokesman said: “The Labour Party is committed to tackling anti-semitism in all its forms. Labour’s new general secretary Jennie Formby’s first priority is to speed up and strengthen our procedures and to develop a programme of political education on anti-semitism.”

The Jewish State Must Remain Jewish

by Pini Dunner

The Israeli flag at Jerusalem’s Western Wall. Photo: Hynek Moravec via Wikimedia Commons.

A wide range of international voices reacted with outrage to the legislation passed this week in Israel that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people. The law — which has been labeled by almost every media report as “controversial” — legislates Israel as the historic home of the Jewish people, with a united Jerusalem as its capital. It also proclaims the Jewish people to “have an exclusive right to national self-determination” in Israel.

“No mention of equality or minority rights” thundered CNN on its website, while The New York Times referred to the law as “contentious,” noting that its critics believed it to be “discriminatory, racist and a blow to democracy.”

Notwithstanding this hostility, and the hysterical reaction from Arab legislators in the Knesset, along with the concerns raised by some American Jewish organizations such as the Union for Reform Judaism, AJC, and J Street (who think the bill does not do enough to protect Israel’s Arab citizens), the facts are rather less exciting. Even The New York Timesadmitted that “the law is largely symbolic and declarative.”

Since 1948, Israel’s Declaration of Independence has been superseded by a series of “basic laws” passed by the Knesset, which can only be repealed by a super-majority Knesset vote, as opposed to a simple majority vote or a Supreme Court ruling. These laws are in lieu of a constitution, and in combination are considered the de-facto constitution of the state of Israel.

The thorniest issue of Israel’s identity has always been its Jewish character. The delicate, sometimes clumsy balance between a “Jewish” state and the preservation of equal rights for all its citizens has often been used as proof that Israel is inherently undemocratic, and favors Jews over non-Jews. Until this week, attempts to regularize the day-to-day realities of life for the Jewish and non-Jewish citizens of Israel through legislation was purposely delayed, so as to prevent the backlash we have seen erupt over the past few days.

But let’s get one thing straight: this law changes nothing. Israel was originally set up as a country where Jews could live without fear that the government or population would target them for their Jewish faith or ethnic origins. This objective was envisaged by Israel’s ideological father, Theodor Herzl, as well as by his many heirs.

In every period of history, there have been countries who turned against their Jewish citizens, and the Jews have suffered everything from institutionalized discrimination to genocide, and all that lies in between. By establishing Israel as a country that has our backs, Jews simply reacted to the fact that no country had ever consistently protected our rights. Although non-Jewish citizens of Israel have equal rights to Jewish citizens in terms of justice and economic or other benefits, those rights cannot ever include the possibility — however remote — that they might change the dynamic of the world’s only “Jewish” state, so that its Jewish character — which is the only safety net we have — is undermined, or worse.

What I find staggering, and incredibly hypocritical, is that the same people who lobby for a free Tibet, or for Native Americans, or indeed for Palestinian rights, are the very same people who are so critical of Jewish rights in our ancestral homeland.

I am proud to say that I back this law wholeheartedly, without equivocation — and particularly during the days leading up to the Fast of Av, when we commemorate the tragic end of Jewish hegemony over our own country at the hands of the Babylonians and the Romans.

The Haftarah, the selection from the Prophets, which is read on each of the three Shabbatot between the Fast of Tammuz and the Fast of Av, reflect the mood of this period in our calendar — a time of mourning for the destruction of our temples in Jerusalem and the final removal of Jewish control over our national affairs. On the Shabbat prior to the Fast of Av, we read the first chapter of the book of Isaiah. Intriguingly, the prophet mentions Sodom and Gomorrah twice, although the second reference appears to contradict the first.

“Had God not left us a remnant, we would be like Sodom, we would resemble Gomorrah,” Isaiah begins (1: 9), referencing the complete destruction of these two cities during the patriarch Abraham’s lifetime (Gen. 19). Fortunately, God did not consider the Jews to be like those two wicked cities, Isaiah seems to be saying, quoting the national sentiment — otherwise, the Jewish nation would have been utterly obliterated. And yet, in the very next verse, Isaiah refers to the Jewish nation as “rulers of Sodom” and “people of Gomorrah.”

The Talmud quotes R. Yosei, who says: “never open one’s mouth to Satan — one should never speak of one’s own demise, as this might very well create circumstances in which this demise occurs.”

We derive this principle from the two verses in Isaiah. The first infers that the nation believed they deserved to be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah, and by the time we get to the second, Isaiah addresses them as Sodom and Gomorrah. The Talmud explains that by comparing themselves to those evil cities, the Jews gave the prophet an opening to endorse that comparison.

The Talmud is teaching us how to stand up for ourselves, by telling us how we can affect reality in the way we project our image. When we diminish our identity and don’t fight for our rights, we can be sure that our enemies will be in full agreement. Those who succumb to the pressure on Israel to “democratize” by criticizing Israel’s decision to enshrine the primacy of Jewish identity into the fabric of Israel’s constitution, are guilty of pushing Israel into setting itself up for its demise. So many have fought so valiantly for Israel on every stage and in every setting; the least we can do is protect our country from the insidious fate our enemies dream of, by formalizing our right to be in control of our own land in perpetuity.

The opinions presented by Algemeiner bloggers are solely theirs and do not represent those of The Algemeiner, its publishers or editors. If you would like to share your views with a blog post on The Algemeiner, please be in touch through our Contact page.

Israeli Company’s Delivery Drone May Soon Take Flight in North Carolina

by Shiryn Solny

A Flytrex drone carrying a package. Photo: Screenshot/YouTube.

An Israeli technology company that created a drone, designed to deliver food and other consumer goods to residential areas, is preparing to potentially be launched in North Carolina, the local CBS 17 news station reported on Thursday.

The town council in Holly Springs, N.C., reviewed a proposal by the Tel Aviv-based company Flytrex on Tuesday and will meet with representatives from the company on August 7 to discuss further cooperation. If approved, Flytrex will actively test aerial deliveries in the area.

Flytrex’s presence in North Carolina started with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) being selected as one of 10 participants in the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Integration Pilot Program of the Federal Aviation Administration. The program focuses on the future of drones in the United States.

“Our project consists of a drone delivery company coming into town, setting up near a local restaurant, and then those businesses can actually utilize the drones,” explained Holly Springs’ assistant director of engineering, Aaron Levitt. “We are pumped. I think it’s really exciting. What we’re talking about is expanding municipal services, and bringing this technology to a town that most people in the country have never heard of before. So it’s really going to put us on the map and put us out there as an innovative and high-tech town, and a growing town.”

JULY 20, 2018 12:39 PM

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Israel Strikes 

Levitt explained that the drones would work with local restaurants to deliver food faster, with average flight times of 3 minutes. He added, “Every drone in the air is going to be one less car on the street once we start delivering goods so it won’t improve capacity on the roads but it will decrease demand on the roads.”

Testing will also be done using medical supplies, according to James Pearce, communications officer for NCDOT. He said he believes Holly Springs is a great place to begin testing these drones because the town is a good size, fast growing and not in the way of Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Flytrex currently offers drone services in 90 countries, according to North Carolina’s WRAL News. The delivery service was launched in Iceland’s capital Reykjavík in August 2017 and helps transfer goods, and not only food, from restaurants and stores to two parts of the city that are separated by a large bay. The drones cut delivery times and costs, and currently has 23 delivery spots across throughout Reykjavik where customers can pick up orders within five minutes after confirmation of their purchase, according to the website The Drive.

The drones — whether it be a single one or a fleet delivering goods across an entire city — are controlled and managed by the Flytrex Control Center, an online dashboard.

Flytrex CEO and co-founder Yariv Bash told the website NoCamels that his company was “going to change the way we consume goods.”

He explained, “The same way that cars started [by] going on dirt roads and today we have traffic lights and signs, we’ll see a similar evolution in the air traffic management needs for all the different drones — delivery companies, inspection drones, first responders and others who will share the same airspace.”

Bash also co-founded the Israeli startup SpaceIL, which recently announced its plans to launch a spacecraft to the moon in December and land it there in February.

Austrian Police Investigating ‘Antisemitic’ Assailant in Violent Rampage in Vienna Jewish District

by Ben Cohen

Amateur video captured police officers in Vienna arresting assailant Burkay S. Image via oe24.at

A young Jewish man who was violently assaulted on a busy street in Vienna on Thursday has spoken to Austrian media about the ordeal, stressing the antisemitic nature of the attacks on himself and other Jews walking in the same area by a man who shouted angrily in German and Arabic.

In an interview with broadcaster OE24 on Friday, the victim, named as Daniel S., said that he had just left the synagogue on Tabostrasse — a thoroughfare in a district in which many of Vienna’s Jews live and work — “when I felt a firm kick from the back of my hip.”

Daniel said he spun around to confront a man who looked at him “with real hatred.”

Asked whether the attack was antisemitic, Daniel said that he had been assaulted immediately after the attacker — identified as Burkay S., an unemployed 24-year-old — had punched and kicked three Jews outside a kosher restaurant in the same street. He said that a friend had then witnessed the assailant “cross Taborstrasse and walk right up to me.”

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“We were all recognizable as Jews,” Daniel said. “I wore a kippah and my tzitzit and I was carrying a tefillin bag. The other Jews also wore kippot.”

The assailant’s violent rampage had begun an hour earlier, when he punched and kicked a 37-year-old Jewish woman walking in a nearby street.

Following the attack on the Jewish men outside the restaurant, police captured the assailant at a local subway station. Eyewitness Benjamin Gilkarov told OE24 that Burkay S. “seemed mentally ill, but he attacked the three men very purposefully.” One victim was felled by what Gilkarov described as “a karate attack with both legs in the back.”

Alexander Marakovits, a spokesperson for the Austrian Interior Ministry, confirmed on Friday that Burkay S. would remain in police custody — a measure permitted under Austrian law if the offender is deemed to represent a continuing risk.

Quoted by the Kronen Zeitung news outlet, Marakovits said the decision was made after police discovered that Burkay S. had committed similar violent assaults in the same area on Wednesday.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz meanwhile promised a full investigation into whether the attacks were antisemitic.

“We are resolutely fighting any form of antisemitism,” Kurz said on Friday. Austria’s government “will do everything to ensure that Jewish life in Austria is safe,” he added.