Abraham Pinter
Encyclopedia
Abraham Pinter is the Principal of the Yesodey Hatorah Senior School for Girls, and is a member of the Stamford Hill
orthodox Jewish community. Pinter is sometimes called upon by the mainstream press for a Charedi opinion on current issues.
.
, Lord Levy, Gerald Ronson
, and Richard Desmond
. In 2007 under Rabbi Pinter as Principal of the school, the school was named "the most effective school" in England, beating 81 grammar schools, under the Department for education's school's "value added" scoring system for pupil progress.
published its 2010 report entitled "Synagogue Membership in the United Kingdom in 2010" its latest five yearly Synagogue Membership report. The report showed that there was an increase in Strictly Orthodox Synagogue membership from 5% in 1990 to 11%, out of the of the total Synagogue membership. They also reported an increase in non orthodox membership from 25.9% in 1990 to 30.8% in 2010. Rabbi Pinter accused the JPR of pursuing its own agenda in reporting on synagogue membership alone, alleging that the JPR had a "discredited track record in trying to delegitimise the position of the Chief Rabbi and artificially boost the position of the Progressives". His accusations were called "a shocking claim" by Geoffrey Alderman
who called on Rabbi Pinter to substantiate his "serious charges". Pinter responded suggesting that although he thought the numbers were accurate, because the Charedi are "bottom heavy" Synagogue membership based upon the head of a household's affiliation, does not take into account demographics and large family sizes. The JPR did not respond to Pinter's accusations, although it did publish Alderman's article on the JPR website.
wrote an article in the Jewish Chronicle, accusing Haredi Jews of working solely for their own interest instead of for Anglo Jewry as a whole, having mentioned a campaign by Rabbi Pinter opposing the erection of homes on a former school site in Stamford hill. Rabbi Pinter responded with a letter in the JC defending his stance.
Since that initial back and forth between the two, Professor Alderman has become increasingly critical of Rabbi Pinter and has criticised him repeatedly both in the JC and through a Hackney blog called Blood and Property.
On 29/12/2010, the Jewish Chronicle published an article by Professor Alderman entitled "Pinteresque drama at school". In it Alderman claims that although Pinter is hero-worshipped in some haredi circles, he is reviled in others, and that he had interviewed a number of people in Stamford Hill who express such revulsion. He claims that some are fed up with what he calls the "Pinter way of doing things" and have reported their misgivings to government bodies.
He accuses Pinter of a lack of transparency in his management of the Yesodey Hatorah School, and of deliberate vagueness in the admissions policies of the school, so that Pinter can whimsically exclude any pupil.
He says that people who do complain to government bodies in relation to Pinter's schools "run the risk of brutal social and religious ostracism, and worse".
Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is a place in the north of the London Borough of Hackney, England, near the border with Haringey. It is home to Europe's largest Hasidic Jewish and Adeni Jewish community.Stamford Hill is NNE of Charing Cross.-History:...
orthodox Jewish community. Pinter is sometimes called upon by the mainstream press for a Charedi opinion on current issues.
Influence
In 2008 he was listed by the Jewish Chronicle as the 8th most influential British Jew. He also represents Charedi interests on the London Jewish ForumLondon Jewish Forum
The London Jewish Forum is dedicated to the promotion of Jewish life in London. The Forum provides a platform for engagement between London Jewry and the Greater London Authority, Mayor's Office, London Boroughs and MPs / MEPs. It works to promote the full and active engagement of the Jewish...
.
Yesodey Hatorah Secondary School
Pinter made efforts to secure state aid for the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls School and was successful. Several notable figures attended the formal opening of the School in 2006, such as Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, Lord Levy, Gerald Ronson
Gerald Ronson
Gerald Maurice Ronson is a British business tycoon and philanthropist.-Career:Aged 15, Ronson left school and joined his father in the family furniture business, named Heron after his father Henry. The company expanded into other activities; in the mid-1960s Ronson brought the first self-service...
, and Richard Desmond
Richard Desmond
Richard Clive Desmond is an English publisher and businessman. He is the owner of Express Newspapers and founder in 1974 of Northern & Shell, which publishes various celebrity magazines, such as OK! and New!, and British national newspapers Daily Star and Daily Express...
. In 2007 under Rabbi Pinter as Principal of the school, the school was named "the most effective school" in England, beating 81 grammar schools, under the Department for education's school's "value added" scoring system for pupil progress.
The JPR Synagogue Membership Report
In 2010, the Institute for Jewish Policy ResearchInstitute for Jewish Policy Research
The Institute for Jewish Policy Research , founded as the Institute of Jewish Affairs, is a London-based research institute and think tank. It specializes in contemporary Jewish affairs, with a particular focus on Jews in Britain and across Europe...
published its 2010 report entitled "Synagogue Membership in the United Kingdom in 2010" its latest five yearly Synagogue Membership report. The report showed that there was an increase in Strictly Orthodox Synagogue membership from 5% in 1990 to 11%, out of the of the total Synagogue membership. They also reported an increase in non orthodox membership from 25.9% in 1990 to 30.8% in 2010. Rabbi Pinter accused the JPR of pursuing its own agenda in reporting on synagogue membership alone, alleging that the JPR had a "discredited track record in trying to delegitimise the position of the Chief Rabbi and artificially boost the position of the Progressives". His accusations were called "a shocking claim" by Geoffrey Alderman
Geoffrey Alderman
Geoffrey Alderman is a British historian, especially of the Jewish community in England in the 19th and 20th centuries, and also an academic, political adviser and award-winning journalist.-Life:...
who called on Rabbi Pinter to substantiate his "serious charges". Pinter responded suggesting that although he thought the numbers were accurate, because the Charedi are "bottom heavy" Synagogue membership based upon the head of a household's affiliation, does not take into account demographics and large family sizes. The JPR did not respond to Pinter's accusations, although it did publish Alderman's article on the JPR website.
Criticism by Geoffrey Alderman
On 11/03/2010 Geoffrey AldermanGeoffrey Alderman
Geoffrey Alderman is a British historian, especially of the Jewish community in England in the 19th and 20th centuries, and also an academic, political adviser and award-winning journalist.-Life:...
wrote an article in the Jewish Chronicle, accusing Haredi Jews of working solely for their own interest instead of for Anglo Jewry as a whole, having mentioned a campaign by Rabbi Pinter opposing the erection of homes on a former school site in Stamford hill. Rabbi Pinter responded with a letter in the JC defending his stance.
Since that initial back and forth between the two, Professor Alderman has become increasingly critical of Rabbi Pinter and has criticised him repeatedly both in the JC and through a Hackney blog called Blood and Property.
On 29/12/2010, the Jewish Chronicle published an article by Professor Alderman entitled "Pinteresque drama at school". In it Alderman claims that although Pinter is hero-worshipped in some haredi circles, he is reviled in others, and that he had interviewed a number of people in Stamford Hill who express such revulsion. He claims that some are fed up with what he calls the "Pinter way of doing things" and have reported their misgivings to government bodies.
He accuses Pinter of a lack of transparency in his management of the Yesodey Hatorah School, and of deliberate vagueness in the admissions policies of the school, so that Pinter can whimsically exclude any pupil.
He says that people who do complain to government bodies in relation to Pinter's schools "run the risk of brutal social and religious ostracism, and worse".