London: 19:42 Birmingham: 19:47 Sheffield: 19:46 Jerusalem: 18:28 London: 20:43 Birmingham: 20:52 Sheffield: 20:57 Jerusalem: 19:44 Our fantasy football mini-league
As you may know, Fantasy Premier League is an official online game where players choose a team of real-life Premier League footballers in their own personal combination, and score points according to the real-life performance in that week’s games. Players can create mini leagues with friends and enemies to compete with each other. The United Synagogue has its own fantasy Premier League mini-league (USFPL), which has over a hundred US members.
We are delighted to announce that the winner of our fantasy Premier League is Dr Max Sayers with his team ‘All in the Smallings’. Racking up 2,339 points, Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue member Max beat over 130 players in the US’ FPL league and finished the season in the top 40,000 places worldwide.
Max and his wife had a baby boy in January, and he attributes much of his success to late nights with his new teammate. As well as his son, Max also credits Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne, who featured in All The Smallings from early in the season. Despite being a United fan himself, Max says “Don’t be biased!” and followed his own advice, swooping early for the surely-undervalued Belgian back when he cost just £9.5m.
Fantasy Premier League attracts millions of players, with a compelling mixture of statistics and action, planning and chance. But not even the global winner gets £100 to spend at Tish Bar & Restaurant, which is Max’s well-earned prize. Duck croquette followed by grilled chermoula marinated lamb cutlets, for instance, arguably makes the USFPL the best league to win, so why not join the United Synagogue Fantasy Premier League 2020-21 right now by clicking here? Use league code 'd01rqz'.
US Virtual Chesed Conference 2020
Please join us for this year’s US Chesed Conference! Our Chesed Conference should have taken place earlier this year, but due to Covid we have built a brand-new programme that we will be delivering online for the first time.
You will have the opportunity to hear from Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, followed by a range of speakers from different organisations on a variety of topics designed to help you learn new skills and increase awareness including mental health, domestic abuse, unemployment and bereavement. We are delighted to announce that our keynote speaker for this event will be the Minister for Loneliness, Baroness Barran MBE.
The session timetable can be found here. You will need to select a ticket for your chosen session, as they will all be running side by side on the evening. The US Virtual Chesed Conference will be taking place on Wednesday 9 September at 7:30pm. For more information and to register please click here. Shabbat shalom,
Richard Verber Communications Director, United Synagogue Willesden Jewish Cemetery's new visitor experience Willesden Jewish Cemetery is nearly ready to extend a warm welcome to the public, who from Monday 7th September will be invited to discover the lives of people buried there and to explore the customs and history of London’s Jewish community. The United Synagogue has built a new visitor centre and exhibition with trails through the 21-acre site to explore the fascinating 150-year history and stories of the cemetery. But before the formal public opening, we’re inviting You&US readers to spend a morning or afternoon out in a welcoming and COVID-secure environment. There’s no need to book, and opening hours can be found by clicking the link below. Choral midnight Selichot film premiere Please join us on Motzei Shabbat 12th September at 9.30pm for a YouTube premiere of 'Choral Midnight Selichot, a unique service featuring the traditional evocative Shabbaton-style melodies. The service was held in September 2019 and filmed live at the 120-year-old Hampstead Synagogue. It showcases the British Jewish Community convening for one of the only major synagogue services able to be recorded. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks gives a pre-Selichot address, and the event also features Rabbi Lionel Rosenfeld of Western Marble Arch Synagogue, Chazan Jonny Turgel of Stanmore & Canons Park Synagogue, and The Shabbaton Choir. Watch on TheUS.tv by clicking the link below. DISCOUNT AVAILABLE Koren Machzorim discounts We are grateful to our friends at Koren Publishers for offering very generous discounts on the Koren Sacks "Minhag Anglia" Machzorim for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The closing date for this offer is Wednesday 2 September. To order, please click on the link below. SIGN UP NOW US Virtual Chesed Conference 2020 The US Virtual Chesed Conference 2020 will take place on Wednesday 9 September at 7:30pm. You’ll have the opportunity to hear from a range of speakers on a variety of topics designed to help you learn new skills and increase awareness. For more information and to register please click the link below. WATCH AGAIN Global Staycation: India Last week's episode of Global Staycation took place in India, with presenters Rabbi Haron Zalfasy from Israel, Ralphy Jhirad from India and Zipora Meir from Israel. They discussed travel and tourism ideas and plenty more. Watch it again by clicking the link below. BURIAL SOCIETY Cemetery visits Visiting a loved one at this time of year usually takes place a few Sundays before the Chagim. The Burial Society is asking that this year with the need for social distancing, you should try and come during weekdays, and it would be appreciated if you could stagger visits over the weeks before Rosh Hashanah. NEW WEEKLY SERIES FOR FAMILIES Watch this week's Parsha Cast! We are delighted to bring you Parsha Cast - a brand new video series for families from South Hampstead United Synagogue produced by Rebbetzen Lauren Levin and Rabbi Eli Levin of South Hampstead and Tribe. Each week you get the lowdown on the weekly parsha in a short fun video with some questions to discuss with your family. View the series on TheUS.tv. Parents should never be jealous of their children.
In Parshat Ki Teitsei, the Torah gives us the mitzvah “כִּֽי־יִקַּ֥ח אִ֖ישׁ אִשָּׁ֑ה” – it is a mitzvah to get married. The Gemara in Mesechet Pesachim, Daf 49a, describes for us a couple well suited to marriage with these words “ענבי הגפן בענבי הגפן דבר נאה ומתקבל – when you have the fruit of the vine with the fruit of the vine it is something lovely and absolutely acceptable”. So here we have a description of a bride and groom who are similar in their aspirations, their attributes, their qualities, they are similar in their values and they both come from similarly wonderful families.
But the question we need to ask is, why are they compared to ‘ענבי הגפן – the fruit of the vine’ – to grapes?
Well you see, when it comes to the laws of brachot, the blessings we recite over food, it is well known that the Bracha for fruit is בורא פרי העץ – we thank God for creating the fruit of the tree. When that fruit produces, say orange or apple juice, then we have a downgrading of Bracha. The Bracha on the juice is שהכל נהיה בדברו – it is the general blessing thanking God for creating everything according to his will. This is because the juice has lost the special identity of the fruit.
But there is one exception – and that is grapes. The Bracha over grapes is בורא פרי העץ, thanking God for creating the fruit of the tree. But when we make a Bracha over the juice that comes from grapes, which of course is used to make wine, then we have an elevation of the blessing to בורא פרי הגפן. A special blessing for wine, thanking God who has created the fruit of the vine. So, therefore, we see that grapes produce a juice which actually becomes superior to the grapes themselves.
And here we have a description of parents under a Chuppah. They are looking at their children with such pride and they’re deriving so much nachat from them because they can see that they have internalised their values and continued to practise the good deeds learned from them. However they’ve gone one further, and now they’re even better than their parents in so many respects. But rather than being jealous of their children, for the parents, this is a דבר נאה ומתקבל. It is something that’s lovey and most definitely acceptable.
You know, it’s so nice when we describe children with the old adage that and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But it’s even better when we can say the tree is finding it difficult to catch up with the apple that fell from it. That is the ultimate nachat that we can derive.
Shabbat Shalom LUTON UNITED SYNAGOGUE Corona blues, Jews & the new Year Join Luton for a wrokshop led by Luton born and raised Shloime Zacks, Rabbi and psychologist, who will be sharing a uniquely Jewish-psychological approach to finding joy and meaning during difficult times. Sunday 6 September at 7.30pm, live on Zoom. EDGWARE UNITED SYNAGOGUE Edgware presents: Dr Dave Rich Join Edgware for the next episode of Wednesday Night Live, this week featuring Dr Dave Rich, Director of Policy for the Community Security Trust, in conversation with David Oliver. They will be discussing 'How safe is the Jewish community?'. Wednesday 2 September, 8pm on Zoom. NEW WEST END AND HAMPSTEAD UNITED SYNAGOGUE Cooking Demo with Denise Phillips Join New West End and Hampstead for a cookery demonstration with Denise Phillips, who will be making chicken roulade stuffed with apricots, carrots and garlic, and rugelach. Find the recipes by clicking the link below so you can buy your ingredients ahead of the event. Thursday 3 September at 8pm. COCKFOSTERS AND N SOUTHGATE SYNAGOGUE CLC presents: Simon Goulden Join Simon Goulden for the second episode of his two week virtual tour of the National Portrait Gallery, the oldest art gallery of its kind in the world. This is a free event but booking is essential. Next Tuesday (1 September), 11am. This email was sent with love from the United Synagogue. If you no longer wish to receive this email, please unsubscribe here |