Chas Newkey-Burden's Blog, page 4

In Wenger I trust

Posted in Uncategorized

Arsene Wenger has confirmed he will stay on as Arsenal manager beyond this season.

After months of speculation over his future, he said on Friday: “Look, I have said that many times already, I have given my word to this club and that I want to continue where I am. That means to stay.”

So that’s that. Or is it? Curiously, he added the caveat: “Unless I decide otherwise.”

I’ve been an Arsenal fan for 34 years, and I hope he decides to stay. Whatever happens next, I’ll never forget what Mr Wenger has done for Arsenal, and I’ll never forgive the supposed Arsenal ‘supporters’ who have turned on him over the last few years.

Some of the ‘Wenger Out’ brigade have even said they hope Arsenal will lose next month’s FA Cup final, as defeat would hasten the departure of the Frenchman. What a narcissistic position: they basically want him to fail at Wembley so they can be proved right that he’s a failure.

These are not supporters; they are nothing but glory-hunting leeches. Well, if they genuinely expect success every year (as opposed to very much hoping for it) they should support Apple, not Arsenal.

I find warfare morally repugnant and as a person I’m a bit of a wuss. But oh me, oh my, I’d take up arms to defend Mr Wenger. I trust him to know best when it is time to stay and when it is time to go. Until then, I back him 100%.

The Saturday song

Posted in Uncategorized

Chris and I have been glued to the fantasy TV series Game of Thrones recently.

Israeli singer-songwriter Michael Greilsammer is a fan, too. He has recorded this mashup of the series’ theme tune and the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah.

For those who hold it

Posted in Uncategorized

When I was in Tzfat last month, I visited the gallery of the ‘Kosmic Kabbalah’ artist David Friedman.

We had a fascinating chat about Zohar and meditation, and I bought a poster of this painting of his.

The two fiery figures are Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the purported author of the magnificent Zohar, and Rabbi Issac Luria, whose teachings made the mystical wisdom of the Kabbalah more widely accessible.

The town on the right is Meron, the town on the left is Tzfat. These are the respective resting places of the two giants.

The branches of the tree form a menorah. On the trunk of the tree is the Tree of Life, a central concept of Kabbalah. David based the picture loosely on a Grateful Dead album cover.

The image is called ‘A Tree of Life for Those Who Hold It.’ I love it, and I’m putting it above my writing desk for inspiration.

You can visit David’s website here. And why not pop in and see him if you’re ever in Tzfat?

The Saturday song

Posted in Uncategorized

This video, entitled ‘Happy British Muslims’, makes me happy.

The group behind it describes the project thusly: ‘Cross-cultural, inter-organisational, multi-ethnic; we have all become one. And what has been the unifying force? Happiness. We’ve come together in defence of our right to feel immense pride in a religious tradition that facilitates our happiness in this life and the hereafter.’

Happy weekend everyone!

The Six Day Phwoar, and other headlines…

Posted in Uncategorized

I love a good headline.

Among my favourites of all-time are the New York Post’s ‘Headless Body In Topless Bar’, The Sun’s: ‘Super Calley Go Ballistic, Celtic Are Atrocious’, and the Daily Mirror’s 1998 headline above its photo of France’s jubilant Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit: ‘Arsenal Win The World Cup’.

I’ve written a lot of headlines myself during my career. I’m particularly proud of these:

Following my first trip to Israel in 2006, I wrote an article for Attitude magazine about gay life in Tel Aviv. My trip had been a day short of a week.

My headline: The Six Day Phwoar.

In my forthcoming book, I wrote a section about Barack Obama’s superstition to always play basketball on election day.

My headline: The Audacity of Hoops.

I once wrote an article about an underground nightclub that had recently reopened. One of the quirks of the club was that a live kestrel would be paraded around the venue.

My headline: More Kestrel Manoeuvres In The Dark.

Just the other day I wrote a news story about a whisky which David Beckham is endorsing.

My headline: Blend It Like Beckham.

Do you have a favourite headline of all-time? Alternatively, what would be your fantasy headline to wake up to tomorrow morning?

Just like the Jews…

Posted in Uncategorized

On the opening page of the novel The Source, a man is looking out from a ship towards the dock at Haifa. He sees the white Muslim mosque of Akko, the golden dome of the Bahai temple, and the brown battlements of the Catholic Carmelites.

‘Just like the Jews,’ he says. ‘Denied religious liberty by all, they extend it to everyone.’

Happy weekend.

A true reflection

Posted in Uncategorized

‘All of the negative traits that you spot in others are merely a reflection of your own negative traits. Only by fixing yourself can you change others.’

The quote is taken from The Power of Kabbalah, by Yehuda Berg.Thanks to Louisa for the image.

Wizo’s Rebecca Sieff Day

Posted in Uncategorized

I’m the Guest Speaker at Wizo’s Rebecca Sieff day on June 18. I’ll also be speaking at the Reading branch of Wizo on June 17.

I’ll be discussing, among other things, my recent trip to Israel with the charity. I always enjoy seeing the lovelies of Wizo!

My son, the Dr Shakshuka…

Posted in Uncategorized

As I walked in for breakfast on my first morning at the Daniel hotel in Herzliya, one of the waiters ran up to me, all excited.

‘We hear you love shakshuka – so we are going to make you shakshuka!’ he told me.

It was a delicate shakshuka, appropriate for breakfast. As I began to eat it, one of his colleagues came over and said: ‘Like you, I am meshuggener for Arsenal – so let’s talk Arsenal!’

As starts to a day go, this was a decent one.

I actually found the Daniel a really welcoming and relaxing hotel throughout my stay. It often takes me up to 48 hours to feel comfortable in a new hotel. At the Daniel, I had felt at home the moment I walked in the night before this breakfast.

Other key food memories from my latest trip to Israel:

Jamil shawarma restaurant in Herzliya. Not only does it do the best shawarma I’ve ever had in Israel (better even than the mighty Hakosem of Tel Aviv) it had the Arsenal match live on its screens and a poster of the Rebbe. It also had some light-hearted shawarma-related art on the wall. The highlight of the shawarma was the laffa, which was so springy it was like a mattress. (In a good way. Try Sami’s in Golders Green if you like the sound of such bread.)

Nora’s Kitchen, in the Druze village near Haifa. We ate a delicately prepared feast of Druze food. I only wish I’d asked what each of the dishes were, but I was too busy enjoying it. If you like Middle Eastern food and beautiful hospitality, pay it a visit.

I also dined at the glorious Dr Shakshuka, which is my favourite restaurant in Israel. After a long day of meetings, visits and walking, it was just what the doctor ordered.

The shakshuka itself was perfect – rich, dense and with a kick. The crusty brown bread and natural lemonade accompanied it well, as Steve Wenick had advised me. We ordered a set feast of dishes and they kept bringing more and more food to our table. It’s probably easier to say what food we didn’t eat. I’m fairly sure we didn’t eat any mackerel.

Oh, and I went to Aroma for one of my beloved ice coffees, of course. I had three, actually. Their milkshake brings OyVaGoy to the yard…

The Sunday song

Posted in Uncategorized

I thought I’d write about a song that changed my life when I was a student.

The Pogues’ Streets of Sorrow/ Birmingham Six is technically two songs tied together, but the first need not detain us long. A short, mournful acoustic piece from Terry Woods, Streets of Sorrow is pleasant but, in itself, forgettable.

But I’ll never forget the thundering fury of Birmingham Six. Shane MacGowan arrives like a feral dog from hell, spitting angry lyrics about the real-life injustice suffered by the Birmingham Six and Guildford Four, who were wrongly imprisoned in the 1970s after being framed for IRA pub bombings.

A curse on the judges, the coppers, the screws

Who tortured the innocent, wrongly accused

For the price of promotion

And justice to sell

May the judged be their judges when they rot down in hell

The wondrous fury of it!

I was 16 years old when this song captured my imagination. After hearing it I studied carefully the facts of the cases and then joined the campaigns to have the convictions overturned. I visited some of the guys in prison and I was at the Old Bailey on that glorious day when the Guildford Four walked free. I later became involved in the campaign to exonerate Winston Silcott.

The wonder of music: artists eloquently exposing a horrendous injustice, and galvanising their listeners into working together to redress it.

Have a happy and fiery week!