Chas Newkey-Burden's Blog, page 24

Turn this vile claim on its head

As one who advocates formally and informally for Israel, I have heard the full gamut of misconceptions and slanders that are aired by those opposed to the Jewish state. Over time, my skin has thickened; people can throw whatever baloney they want my way. Except… there is still one anti-Israel argument that makes my jaw [...]

Amy Winehouse: a legacy of love

A year ago this coming Monday, we lost an angel. It might surprise you to hear Amy Winehouse described that way, but as someone who followed her life closely as both a fan and an author, I discovered an Amy quite different to the caricature the media constructed of her. Amy frequently harmed herself, but [...]

Eternal light

Yesterday, after Israelis were slaughtered in Bulgaria, rabbis and other members of the Chabad movement went to work. They watched over the bodies of the dead. They offered comfort, clothing and refreshments to survivors and witnesses at the scene of the attack, translated for doctors at the hospital, and handled a flood of telephone calls [...]

I’ll be back…

You know when restaurants close for refurbishments so they can re-open bigger and better? That. In the meantime, why not follow me on Twitter and enjoy this video, which I find so sweet. See you in due course!

Homeland and Hatufim

The Homeland series came to an end on Channel 4 last night. Having watched the entire gripping series in one sitting a few months back, I can imagine that some Homeland fans are feeling a little sad it’s over. Well, fear not. Firstly, Channel 4 has announced it will be showing series two. But, more [...]

Tom Watson: Dial M for Murdoch

First, a confession: I have bought Tom Watson and Martin Hickman’s book Dial M For Murdoch. This constitutes a confession on my part because, while recognising he has faults, I admire Rupert Murdoch. Still, plenty of people who say they hate Murdoch and his newspapers secretly rejoice when they find an abandoned copy of The [...]

Israel memories: Masada

I thought I would start an occasional series of posts in which I write about memories of various places in Israel. It will be lovely if you want to some of your own experiences of each place in the comments. I’ll start with Masada, partly because it was the first landmark of significance I visited [...]

20 facts I love about Menachem Begin

Regular readers will know that Begin is one of my favourite historical figures. Here are just some of the things that fascinate me about him… The ‘Haftorah’ read the week of his birth begins with the words: “Be comforted, be comforted, my people.” He made his first speech standing on a picnic table in Poland. [...]

Ben Kaye’s Marathon: Am Yisrael Chai!

One of my friends, Ben Kaye, is running the London Marathon to raise funds for a good Jewish charity. Well, I say he is one of my friends – I’ve actually only met him three times. But of all the people I have met only three times – a that group includes David Beckham, Tom [...]

Running for great causes

I’m sure many of you know about the British diver Tom Daley, whose father Rob died last year after battling brain cancer. It was such a tragic loss. Rob and Tom – who I met while researching my biography of Tom – were so very close. Tom has been inspirationally strong since he lost his [...]