What does it mean to be Jewish?
In Jonathan Freedland's new play Jews. In Their Own Words. he asked 12 Jews to sum up 'Jewish' in just one sentence. We asked 21
Brigit Grant is the Jewish News Supplements Editor
“Being in a close community, looking out for each other.” Phil Dave, Talk TV host
“That warm feeling you get being part of a tradition that connects you to our past and our future.” Natalie Press, school administrator
What am I, chopped liver?” Graham Gouldman, 10CC
Cooking too much, feeding anyone the moment they walk through the door and giving them things to take home in foil.” Nigella Lawson, TV chef and author
“Can I have two sentences?” Bennett Arron, stand-up comedian
“Oy vey – two words that say everything and nothing.” Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, actor, star of Brian Epstein bio-pic The Midas Man
“It’s not a religion, it’s a feeling of belonging.” Russ Kane, writer and broadcaster
“It’s about being part of a transnational community that connects me with others all over the world.” Toby Cohen, financial technology analyst
“In my experience the Jews are ‘a difficult minority’ for the English.”
Julia Pascal, playwright and theatre director
“Being a Jew means so many different things to me – most of all it means family, and the wider community, which I feel extremely fortunate to be part of.”
Jonny Benjamin, author and Mental Health Campaigner
“Being Jewish allows me to live my life based on a solid foundation of ethics, morals and values that have shaped my identity.” Sharon Walters, teacher at Kerem school
“Being part of an enriching and evolving culture of wisdom and tradition.”
Maxine Levy, art and yoga mentor
“It’s belonging to an ethnicity that could get me killed, along with a comedic tradition and some shared trauma, culture and history.”
Andrew Gold, Living on the Edge podcaster and presenter
“I am a product of Jewish immigrants and Holocaust survivors and have
a responsibility to represent those things, as the possibility of me being alive is so slim.” Rashida Jones, actress daughter of Quincy
“Being part of a culture that accepts so many unique people.” Madison Grant-Gold, Year 10 pupil at JCoSS
“Family history, contemporary politics, and everything in between.” David Legmann, UJS sabbatical officer
“Jewish for 5783 years!” Saul Hyman, tennis coach
“We have to work so much harder just to stay in the same place.” Maureen Lipman
“I’m an atheist, but I’m very proud of being Jewish which means I have a good work ethic, get Jewish humour and I’m allowed to tell Jewish jokes.” Daniel Radcliffe, actor
“She wants me to describe Jewish in one sentence, with my back, and everything else I have to do, and I haven’t eaten yet, no, I can’t do it, I’ll just tell her that, but I feel so guilty, so maybe I will, yes, okay, I’ll send her something, but do I get paid?” Ivor Baddiel, script writer and author
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
