Pakistan – Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani opposition leader assassinated last week, has been fondly recalled by one man who met her, the former chazan of Woodside Park Synagogue in North London, the Rev Michael Plaskow.
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“It was an unusual experience,” he said. “She came to my home when I performed the circumcision on the baby son of her sister. Muslims in London even now ask Jewish mohelim to do their babies.”
Mr Plaskow, who retired to Netanya after 43 years at the synagogue, said: “I was very impressed with her manner. She was a very educated lady and spoke beautiful English. She told me she had Jewish friends at school and college and she hoped that Jews and Muslims could live at peace together.”
She also returned the next day when he changed the baby’s dressing.
He recalled explaining the significance of the mezuzah and the spicebox and candlesticks in his cabinet — but not the actual year of the meeting, although he believed Ms Bhutto was still at Oxford University at the time.
“I didn’t know a lot at the time about the politics in her area. I just knew she was a well-known figure even then.”
He said of her death: “It was tragic. Her father and two brothers were assassinated. When it happened in Israel with Rabin, it was also a terrible thing.”
Ms Bhutto was assassinated, apparently by a suicide bomber, during an election rally in Rawalpindi last Thursday. This week, President Musharraf announced that he had asked Scotland Yard to investigate all the circumstances of the politician’s death. [thejc]
So, now we’re all happy that HRH Ben Nazir Bhutto of blessed memory was thinking highly (whatever that means) of Jews. That and a token (predecessor of the Metrocard. Can still be seen in the Transit Museum. Or at The Smithsonian Inst.
in Washington, D.C.) will take us on the Subway.
Amazing how we consider the approval of our people by a goy to be so important.
Does anyone bother reporting that Reb Levi Barditchover also spoke highly of klal yisroel?
NO! But a Muslim said we are good people, now that is IMPORTANT HEADLINE NEWS.
We are so sick some times.
She was a big supporter of Yasser Arafat YMSH, and of the Taliban. She was also corrupt to her eyeballs – her husband, who is now in charge of her party until her son is old enough, was known as “Mr Ten Percent”, which was his cut from every government contract. She is also suspected of involvement in the murder of her own brother.