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10 Jewish Amy Winehouse moments (and photos) from a new book on her life
(JTA) — Amy Winehouse, the Jewish singer and songwriter whose soulful tunes about her dark personal life became influential pop hits, would have turned 40 this year. Her debut album “Frank” also turns 20 next month.
To mark the moment and to raise money for the Amy Winehouse Foundation, Winehouse’s family collected never-before-seen photographs, handwritten lyrics and excerpts from her diaries — from childhood to adulthood — and wrote “Amy Winehouse: In Her Words,” a biography of sorts to accompany them. On its website, the foundation lists recovery housing for women, music therapy and substance abuse education among its services.
Some have argued that Winehouse’s family — especially her father, Mitch, and her husband Blake Fielder-Civil — enabled her issues with drugs and alcohol. Winehouse first overdosed in 2007, and her father continued encouraging her to travel and perform, even filming documentary footage of an overdose recovery in Saint Lucia in 2009. The pop star died in 2011, and in “Amy,” a well-received documentary about her life from 2015, funeral-goers can be seen wearing kippahs.
But controversy aside, the Winehouse clan has faithfully chronicled Amy’s childhood and young adult years, when she attended a Jewish kindergarten, went to bat mitzvahs and enjoyed singing Jewish spiritual music in her free time. Although she was never observant as an adult (and said she hated going to Hebrew school on Sundays), Amy enjoyed Jewish holiday gatherings. She was also spotted wearing a Star of David necklace at times. In 2013, the Jewish Museum in London devoted an exhibit to her.
Here are 10 Jewish moments from the book, which was published this week.
She attended a Jewish nursery school.
Photos of an infant Amy. (Courtesy of The Amy Winehouse Foundation)
From the book: “[She] went to nursery at Yavneh School, which was attached to [London’s] Southgate Synagogue. She was never hard to spot, singing at the top of her lungs.”
She sat in the synagogue’s front row at her brother’s bar mitzvah.
(Courtesy of The Amy Winehouse Foundation)
Jewish music was a core part of her musical journey.
In addition to jazz, Jewish music was a big influence on Amy in her early years. She especially loved the Hanukkah song “Ma’oz Tzur.”
From the book: “Music also seeped effortlessly into Amy’s consciousness and she could recite lyrics and sing tunes after hearing a song maybe just once or twice. At her nan Cynthia’s house she was surrounded by jazz music: anyone from Frank Sinatra to Ella Fitzgerald to Sarah Vaughan. And at home she performed songs from the musical Mary Poppins or Jewish hymns that we’d taught her. She repeated one hymn, ‘Maʼoz Tzur’, over and over until she got it right. ‘Okay, Amy. Enough,’ was a familiar expression in our house as she sang continuously at the top of her voice.”
She once sang Jewish spiritual music on a Miami beach.
In 1997, Amy traveled to Miami with her mother, Janis, for a family bar mitzvah.
From the book: “Privately, however, Amy was honing her writing talent. Her notebooks from this time showed the reflections of a typical teenage girl trying to find her way in the world: going to parties and having crushes on boys. In 1997 for a break Janis took her to visit her family near Miami, where they attended a bar mitzvah on the beach. Amy set scribbling into her notebook and singing Jewish spiritual songs with her cousins.”
She sent her brother a letter with Hanukkah stamps.
(Courtesy of The Amy Winehouse Foundation)
The letter read: “Dear Ally, Miami great we’re great bar mitzvah great Cochrans great. You great? Weather good today beach & shopping! Miss you! Love Amy x + Mummy x PS. I can play the guitar! (Well, 5 chords) To Mr A. Winehouse London, ENGLAND
From the book: She learned five chords on the guitar and she couldn’t wait to tell her brother Alex. As much as Amy was failing at school, her musical and lyrical talent was developing.
She had American Jewish relatives in Florida.
Winehouse, in the yellow shirt on left, seen at a family gathering in Florida. (Courtesy of The Amy Winehouse Foundation)
The caption for this photo, from the book: Amy with Janis and her American family in Florida at her twin cousins’ Bar Mitzvah. Amy spent much of that holiday either practicing guitar chords from Alanis Morissette songs or jotting down her own compositions.
She connected with her producer, Mark Ronson, over their shared Anglo-Jewish identity.
Ronson — who would go on to work with other superstar artists such as Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars — also seemed to give her the creative freedom she needed. Amy felt an affinity with him as a Jewish boy from North London and responded well to his quiet manner.
She didn’t feel that Jewish identities were represented enough in theater or music.
She subsequently didn’t think she could be part of those worlds.
From a quote in the book: “When I was a little kid it was my dream to go to drama school, but it was never something I thought would happen to me…I was a Jewish girl from North London and things like that don’t happen to Jewish girls from North London called Amy Winehouse.”
She hoped that girls would see their most difficult experiences represented in her music.
From a quote in the book: “I’m not a girl’s girl. I was never part of a scene where I was the leader of a bunch of Jewish girls that sang jazz. I don’t know anyone like myself. I know that if I’m honest about myself and honest about my time and what I do with my life, I know that there are girls that will hear that and be like: I thought that, I’m not a dickhead. I’ve been through times I’ve been so fucked up about a situation that I’ve had to write everything down, and feelings I’ve had to acknowledge. Someone else might hear that and feel I’m not a mug for feeling those things about this man.”
Even during her grunge rock phase, her mom made her dress like a “normie” for this family bar mitzvah.
(Courtesy of The Amy Winehouse Foundation)
From the book: “Amy went through a teenage grunge phase but whenever she got dressed up she always looked lovely.”
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The post 10 Jewish Amy Winehouse moments (and photos) from a new book on her life appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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UK Memorial to Oct. 7 Victims Vandalized Again Amid Surge in Antisemitism
A memorial in Brighton, southeastern England, honoring the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel, has been vandalized. Photo: Screenshot
A Jewish memorial in Brighton, southeastern England, dedicated to the victims of the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has been vandalized once again — one of more than 40 attacks on the site since it was first established.
On Wednesday afternoon, the memorial — which is located in Palmeira Square, in the coastal city of Brighton and Hove — was found badly defaced, with pages displaying victims’ photographs ripped from a folder and strewn across the pavement.
Members of the local Jewish community, who created and maintain the memorial, believe the vandalism occurred in broad daylight between 1 pm and 3.30 pm. They are now urging anyone with information to come forward.
Sussex County Police have confirmed that an investigation into the incident is currently underway.
“They threw the images of murdered children around like they were nothing. Evil unhinged,” Heidi Bachram, one of the volunteers who helps run the memorial, told the Jewish Chronicle. “There have been over 40 attacks on the site including vandalism, theft, and graffiti. The abuse has been relentless.”
“The memorial is not a political place. We simply mourn the murdered. We tell their stories,” Bachram continued. “It’s shocking that grief for innocents is met with such violence. The hate won’t stop us, and every night, a different victim’s story will be told [at the memorial]. We will never let them be forgotten.”
A psychopath has utterly DESTROYED our 7/10 memorial in Brighton AGAIN. Over forty times it has been attacked. The last pro-Pal who did it on camera got away with it, so I’m not surprised. I guess the release of a hostage upset the NASTY bullies. Our dead should not be a target. pic.twitter.com/lg2aNe4H0M
— Heidi Bachram
(@HeidiBachram) May 14, 2025
In less than a day, more than £1,500 has been raised and contributed to the ongoing GoFundMe campaign set up by the local Jewish community to help maintain the site and fund the development of a permanent memorial.
Following the Oct. 7 onslaught, Brighton’s Jewish community has held a daily vigil beside the memorial, honoring one of the approximately 1,200 victims or 251 hostages each evening.
After Sussex Police were called and attendees reconstructed the memorial, the community held Wednesday’s vigil honoring 88-year-old Chana Kritzman, who was critically injured by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 during her evacuation from Kibbutz Be’eri and died two weeks later in hospital.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the leading representative body of the UK’s Jewish communities, strongly condemned the latest vandalism, saying they were “appalled and heartbroken” by the incident.
“We stand in solidarity with the Brighton & Hove Jewish community who have been unwavering in their commitment to hold a public service every single day dedicated to a different victim of the massacre,” the group said in a statement.
“We urge the authorities to investigate this incident fully and to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the board continued.
We are appalled and heartbroken by the news that the memorial in Brighton to the victims of the October 7 Hamas attacks has been vandalised. pic.twitter.com/Rgz7kOGfCL
— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) May 16, 2025
The United Kingdom has experienced a surge in antisemitic crimes following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s attack on Israel, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.
In February, the Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters, released data showing the UK experienced its second worst year for antisemitism in 2024, despite recording an 18 percent drop in antisemitic incidents from the previous year’s all-time high.
According to CST, there have been 3,528 antisemitic incidents reported in 2024, a decrease from the 4,296 incidents recorded in 2023. In previous years, the numbers were significantly lower, with 1,662 incidents in 2022 and 2,261 hate crimes in 2021. These incidents include 201 physical assaults, 157 cases of damage to Jewish property, and 250 direct threats.
The post UK Memorial to Oct. 7 Victims Vandalized Again Amid Surge in Antisemitism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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New York City Mayor, Police Commissioner Detail Increased Security Measures for Israel Day Parade
Thousands of participants and spectators gather along Fifth Avenue to express support for Israel during the 59th Annual Israel Day Parade in New York City, on June 2, 2024. Photo: Melissa Bender via Reuters Connect
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch held a briefing on Friday morning to detail their “comprehensive security plan” to ensure the safety of New Yorkers at the Israel Day Parade on Sunday.
The theme of this year’s parade is “Hatikvah,” which means “the hope” and is also the title of Israel’s national anthem. Several former hostages — abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel — will march in the parade on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, including Andrey Kozlov, Ilana Gritzewsky, Aviva and Keith Siegel, Eliya Cohen, and Doron Steinbrecher. The hostages are marching to raise awareness for the 58 people still held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The logo of this year’s parade is a multicolored tree that has a yellow ribbon on its trunk, in solidarity with the hostages.
Almost daily, there have been anti-Israel protests in New York City, including on college campuses, and the city is facing an unprecedented uptick in antisemitism, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
“We will not tolerate any attempts to disrupt this event or engage those who come to celebrate,” Trish started the security briefing on Friday morning by saying. She then detailed measures that will be taken by the NYPD at the parade on Sunday, which include requiring spectators to enter the viewing area through designated screening entry points. No backpacks, chairs, large bags, and other items will be allowed.
Tisch added that, while currently the NYPD is not aware of any specific or credible threats related to the parade, nevertheless there will be a “robust and visible police presence” at the event, including uniformed police officers as well as bomb squads and both counterterrorism and surveillance teams. NYPD helicopters and drones will also be in the area and intelligence teams will be moderating social media for potential threats.
“The NYPD will be out there to make sure Sunday is safe, joyful, and everything that it’s meant to be,” Tisch concluded.
“We want to ensure we have a safe acknowledgement of Israel’s Independence Day on Sunday,” Adams added. “We look forward to the flags and beauty of this celebration.”
Adams announced earlier this week the establishment of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, the first office of its kind to open in a major city in the US. The new mayoral office will aim to tackle “all forms of antisemitism.”
“There is no place for antisemitism and hate in the state of New York. Plain and simple,” Adams said at Friday’s security briefing. “Those who spread hate want to divide us, but we must remain united. A hateful few will not dictate how the rest of us live.”
Adams is scheduled to march in the parade on Sunday. New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James are also scheduled to attend. The parade is organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York with support from the UJA-Federation of New York.
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Israel’s Yuval Raphael Advances to Grand Final of 2025 Eurovision Song Contest
Yuval Raphael from Israel with the title “New Day Will Rise” on stage at the second semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in the Arena St. Jakobshalle. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa via Reuters Connect
Israel’s Yuval Raphael advanced to the grand final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest after a stunning performance of her song “New Day Will Rise” in the second semi-finals on Thursday night in Basel, Switzerland.
The 24-year-old, who is a survivor of the Oct. 7, 2023, Nova music festival massacre, performed an emotional ballad in English, French, and Hebrew that was written by singer and songwriter Keren Peles. The results of the semi-finals are based solely on public vote.
Ten acts from the second semi-final advanced to the grand final, including performers from Armenia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Malta. Raphael will compete in Saturday’s grand final against those acts and the qualifiers from Tuesday’s semi-final. They include performers from Albania, Iceland, Estonia, Portugal, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, Norway, San Marino, and the Netherlands. Also competing in the grand final is the Eurovision “Big Five” — Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Italy – and Switzerland, which was last year’s winner.
Unlike in the semi-finals, the results of the grand final are based on a combination of the televote and the jury vote, in which professional juries from all 37 participating countries vote for their favorites. Last year, a Eurovision jury member from Norway admitted that he refused to give points to Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, because of his personal resentment toward Israel’s military actions in the Gaza war.
There have been a number of public calls, including from national broadcasters and former Eurovision contestants, to have Israel banned from this year’s competition because of the country’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip targeting the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
During a dress rehearsal for the semi-final on Thursday afternoon, audience members booed at Raphael, whistled, and waved oversized Palestinian flags. Under rules of the competition, all flags are allowed but there are limitations on the size. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, which is organizing this year’s Eurovision events, said in a released statement that the audience members with the oversized flags were escorted out of the St Jakobshalle arena by security personnel.
The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest grand final will take place on Saturday night in Basel’s St Jackobshalle arena. The detailed results of the second semi-final will be revealed after the grand final.
The post Israel’s Yuval Raphael Advances to Grand Final of 2025 Eurovision Song Contest first appeared on Algemeiner.com.