Gemma Blane, Head of Marketing & Communications, The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR)
As AJR celebrates its 85th anniversary, we are delighted to introduce our new website – a modern digital home designed to showcase our work, strengthen connections across our community and support future generations.
This project began with a simple question: how can our website better reflect the organisation AJR is today, while helping us connect with the generations that will carry our community’s stories into the future?
Our previous website had served us well for many years, but it no longer reflected the breadth of AJR’s work or the expectations of modern users. As part of the redevelopment process, we reviewed how members, families, researchers, educators and supporters interact with AJR online and used this insight to create a platform that is more accessible, engaging and easier to navigate.
The result is a modern, mobile-friendly website that places AJR’s core activities at the heart of the user experience. Visitors can more easily discover our welfare services, educational programmes, events, volunteering opportunities and Holocaust Testimony Archives, which now have a more prominent and integrated presence throughout the site.
We have also introduced a simpler membership sign-up process, making it easier for people to join AJR and become part of our community. While AJR remains home to the UK’s largest community of descendants of Holocaust refugees and survivors, membership is now open to anyone with a connection to, or interest in, this history, including researchers, educators and those committed to remembrance and Holocaust education.
Another significant improvement is the new events experience. Existing and prospective members can now browse events, register and make payments in one place, through a streamlined booking system – creating a smoother and more convenient experience for everyone.
Throughout the design process, our aim was not simply to create a new website, but to build a digital home that reflects AJR’s values of care, remembrance, education and community, while providing a strong platform for future growth.
I would like to thank everyone who contributed their ideas, feedback and expertise throughout the project, and our website agency, Two Boys, for helping bring this vision to life.
I invite you to explore the new website and discover everything AJR has to offer at www.ajr.org.uk.
