I recently had the good fortune to appear as a presenter in a BBC documentary about some of my scribal adventures.

According to the blurb, I'm 'keeping Jewish tradition alive [as a] Sofer, a scribe. It’s a dexterous skill that has been passed down for thousands of years. Scrolls are always hand written, otherwise they are not Kosher. Scrolls hold the sacred words of the Torah, God’s instructions to Moses and they form the basic tenets of the Jewish faith as well as playing a vital, symbolic role in the synagogue. But throughout their turbulent history, Jews have been forced to move on, sometimes at speed, communities have disappeared, or were banned from practicing their faith, and forced to abandon their scrolls. Heart and Soul hears why it so important to find, rescue, repair and return scrolls to Jewish communities throughout the world. It’s slow, painstaking work, writing over one letter at a time, repairing tears and removing stains on ancient manuscripts.'

The blurb ends with my description of myself as a “Jedi with a quill” which I often mention in my talks because the scribal apprenticeship puts one in mind of the padawan learning the Force. However I don't use a light sabre to cut the sheets of parchment to shape!

In the programme we revisit Tyburn Convent, scene of my interfaith megillah adventure. We also visit the Czech Scrolls Memorial Trust for whom I'm an authorised scribe and we pay a short visit to my Sefardi shul shortly before the building we were in closed down. The programme also features my wife Avielah who was the first modern female scribe. For those of you who think this isn't permitted I (and she) can cite a whole raft of important Orthodox authorities, who permit it.

The programme coincided with Holocaust Remembrance Day and so has that as a theme and was also appeared in the middle of the appalling rise in anti-Semitism in the UK as a result of the behaviour of the far left and their leadership (if one can use such a word to describe these people). It is available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct0485 to listen on line or download as a podcast. There was also a short video shot to promote the programme showing me with a Czech scroll held by the Thanet community, in for and extensive repair job  viewable at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p081hnq4