Continental Friends
There follow reports from recent get-togethers.For information about meetings email Susan Harrod - susan@ajr.org.uk
Southern Groups
AJR Book Club
for further information, contact esther@ajr.org.uk
Inaugural MeetingOur inaugural meeting took place at Café Also in Temple Fortune. We decided to read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society for discussion at our next meeting on 25 August (same venue, 3.00 pm). Coffee/tea and excellent cake were served. All welcome – come and join us!
Birmingham (West Midlands)
for further information, contact esther@ajr.org.uk
Days of suffering and endless lossDavid Lawson’s talk on the Jews of Ostrava, the town which proceeded with the first deportation of a Jewish community in the Nazi period, proved poignant and enlightening. We had one survivor in our midst from those days of suffering and endless loss.
Brighton and Hove (Sarid)
for further information, contact esther@ajr.org.uk
‘Back to the Brink’A larger than usual turnout saw Scarlett Epstein’s documentary film ‘Back to the Brink’, which features Ceska Abrahams and Otto Deutsch. Ceska was there to explain how the documentary came about and to answer questions on her personal story.
Bristol and Bath
for further information, contact myrna@ajr.org.uk
The Suchet familyPeter Suchet spoke to us about his well-known family: brothers David and John and their late father, a distinguished surgeon. Peter showed in a lengthy Q&A session he is no mean public performer himself.
Bromley Continental Friends
for further information, contact hazel@ajr.org.uk
Heated discussionOver a delicious tea at the home of Liane Segal, we had a somewhat heated discussion about Israel – but who are we to criticise any of Israel’s actions? We also discussed future events, welcoming the fact that a commemoration of Yom Hashoah was planned for Hyde Park.
Cambridge
for further information, contact hazel@ajr.org.uk
Co-authors on refugee themesDr Helen Fry and James Hamilton, co-authors of a number of books on themes relating to Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria, gave us a most interesting talk.
Cardiff
for further information, contact myrna@ajr.org.uk
‘Pear’s Transparent Soap’We were regaled with an illustrated talk by Andrea Cameron (from London) on the history of Pear’s soap. Andrea was exceptionally knowledgeable and her slides were of excellent quality.
Cleve Road
for further information, contact myrna@ajr.org.uk
'Catering for a laugh’Bernard Ecker told us about his 50-year career in the hotel and catering business, which began with helping his mother with the cooking. He started by making jam tarts to avoid boredom when his school was bombed and he had to stay at home for months.
Dulwich Continental Friends
for further information, contact hazel@ajr.org.uk
Great start for new groupA great start for our new group. The dynamic seven include three over-90-year-olds and three ex-nurses. We discussed how everyone arrived in the UK initially and agreed future meetings would be on more current topics.
Ealing
for further information, contact esther@ajr.org.uk
‘A fairly cloudy view with some breaks of sunshine’Roger Beales gave an informative talk on the Bank of England from its formation in 1661 to the present day. He gave us a fairly cloudy view (with some breaks of sunshine) on the current economic climate.
Eastbourne Continental Friends
for further information, contact hazel@ajr.org.uk
Warm welcome for Hazel and her cakeWe welcomed Hazel and her cake. It was so noble of her to join us in such foul weather that we plan to show her a sunny sea by meeting in the Conservatory at the Hydro Hotel next time.
Edgware
for further information, contact hazel@ajr.org.uk
The story of Pears soapAt our 4th anniversary meeting, Andrea Cameron treated us to the fascinating story of the origin of Pears soap in the late 19th century. The company was started by a farmer’s son but the family is no longer connected and the soap is now manufactured in India and exported to the UK.
Essex
for further information, contact esther@ajr.org.uk
Hat maker Dee ChaplinDee Chaplin recounted her happy childhood in the Westcliff community and how, through various careers, treading the boards, appearing at the London Palladium, and working as a sales person for Tefal, she finally settled on millinery. She talked us through the complicated mechanics of the finished product, often made from banana leaves!
Hampstead Garden Suburb
for further information, contact hazel@ajr.org.uk
British and/or Jewish?Though our scheduled speaker, Edna Fernandez, was unable to join us, we had a most interesting in-house discussion, moderated by Hazel Beiny, about our British and/or Jewish identity. Also, we thanked Rosemary Lewis for setting up our group 6 years ago, and AJR Director Michael Newman gave us a short information session.
Hendon
for further information, contact hazel@ajr.org.uk
‘Britain a tolerant society’On our 4th anniversary, Susannah Alexander gave us a very interesting talk about ‘The Jews in England’ (Part 2). Britain has always been a tolerant society, she concluded.
Ilford
for further information, contact myrna@ajr.org.uk
A controversial storyWe heard a rather different view of the Holocaust. Prof Ladislaus Löb recounted the controversial story of Reszö Kasztner’s negotiations with Eichmann over the rescue of a number of Hungarian Jews.
Imperial Cafe War Veterans
for further information, contact esther@ajr.org.uk
Veterans interviewedAn excellent show of veterans. Derry Dinkin of the Second World War Experience Centre interviewed some of our veterans. The 70th anniversary of the Dunera’s leaving Liverpool for Australia was discussed, along with much reminiscing.
Kent
for further information, contact myrna@ajr.org.uk
A Jewish Schindler?Prof Ladislaus Löb told us how, in a controversial agreement between Hungarian Jewish leader Reszo Kasztner and the Nazis, he was one of a group of Jews who escaped the Holocaust.
Kingston Continental Friends
for further information, contact hazel@ajr.org.uk
Third birthday celebrationWe met in Susan Zisman’s lovely garden (and home) to celebrate our third anniversary. We enjoyed the warm spring sunshine and delicious cakes.
North London
for further information, contact esther@ajr.org.uk
‘Abstract Impressionism’Myra Sampson’s enthusiasm was evident in her inspiring talk on ‘Abstract Expressionism’, which burst upon the art scene in the 20s and 30s. She pointed out the importance of knowing something about the artist in order to appreciate his/her work.
Norwich (Norfolk)
for further information, contact myrna@ajr.org.uk
Norfolk indefatigablesWe met once again for lunch at the Norwich synagogue, munching the greatly appreciated goodies Myrna had shlepped all the way from the metropolis and only stopping to shmooze at intervals.
Nottingham (East Midlands)
for further information, contact esther@ajr.org.uk
Summer meetingWe held our summer meeting in the home of Jurgen and Ruth Schwiening in Mkt. Bosworth in the heart of Leicestershire. Fifteen of us, including our ‘youngest’ member, 103-year-old Meta, enjoyed our hosts’ lovely garden, a sumptuous lunch, and a talk by a member describing his childhood experiences in Poland during the war.
Oxford
for further information, contact myrna@ajr.org.uk
‘The Diversity of Faith’Rabbi Daniela Thau gave us a most constructive lecture on the ‘Diversity of Faith’, discussing the best-known religions, their symbols and music.
Pinner
for further information, contact hazel@ajr.org.uk
‘Jews along the Thames’The Medieval Jews along the Thames’ proved a novel subject of absorbing interest as presented by Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, who has made a study of English Jews and their special status as chattels of the king before their expulsion in 1290.
Radlett
for further information, contact esther@ajr.org.uk
Rewarding morningDavid Lawson told us there had been an abundance of Jewish artists and bankers, industrialists and ambassadors in Ostrava – and the first mass deportation of a Jewish community in the war was from that town. An extremely rewarding morning.
South London
for further information, contact hazel@ajr.org.uk
South London Group meets for last timeThis was our final meeting as our Group is being replaced by smaller regional groupings, in Kingston and Bromley. Founder members Helen, Lora and Marion paid tribute to Ken Ambrose, who spearheaded the Group’s early work. After a delicious lunch we heard a most interesting presentation by David Lawson on the Jews of Ostrava. We ended the meeting with a birthday cake with 15 candles to commemorate the span of the Group's existence.
Surrey
for further information, contact myrna@ajr.org.uk
Meeting up and catching upOnce again Edmée offered her home for a very pleasant, sociable morning. Amidst the coffee cups and tasty food, we met up, caught up, and enjoyed each other’s company.
Temple Fortune
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Judy Kelner’s Desert Island DiscsJudy Kelner played for us her 8 favourite records. Her wide-ranging choice of music included Verdi’s Requiem and Autumn Leaves sung by Yves Montand.
Welwyn Garden City
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Food for thoughtClimate change is made worse by excessive energy use, we were told. Penny and Siobhan of Cambridge Carbon Footprint provided food for thought: by monitoring in detail how much energy each of us uses in the home, on travel, on food etc, we can identify savings without hardship.
Wembley
for further information, contact myrna@ajr.org.uk
A very pleasant afternoon as usualA report about a visit to Kew Gardens led to a discussion of plants and trees and to the topic of gardening in general. Various other current affairs topics were discussed too. A very pleasant afternoon as usual.
Wessex (Bournemouth)
for further information, contact myrna@ajr.org.uk
Delicious cream tea at AthelhamptonFifteen of us visited Athelhampton, an interesting 15th-century country house in Dorset. After relaxing walks through well-kept, walled gardens, we enjoyed a delicious cream tea.