AJR Holocaust Memorial Day 2019

We held our memorial service for Holocaust Memorial Day on 22 January 2019 at Belsize Square Synagogue in London.

The speakers who addressed this year’s theme, Torn from Home, included Lord Eric Pickles as keynote speaker. Pickles, who is Co-Chair of the Holocaust Memorial Foundation, spoke about plans and progress of the new memorial to be built in Victoria Tower Gardens.

Freddy Kosten was interviewed as part of the ceremony by Dr Bea Lewkowicz, director of AJR’s Refugee Voices testimony archive. Freddy arrived in England on the Kindertransport in March 1939 and was taken in by Benn Levy – a successful playwright and screenwriter who became a Labour MP in 1945, and Benn’s wife American-born actress Constance Cummings. Freddy was apparently picked up from Liverpool Street Station in a Rolls Royce, and got to meet people such as Laurence Olivier. His fascinating story is available to view on the Refugee Voices website.

The ceremony was very well-attended by AJR members, their family and friends as well as guests of honour Their Excellency Ambassadors of Israel (Mark Regev), Germany (Dr Peter Wittig), Austria (Michael Zimmerman), and Slovakia (Rehak Ľubomír).

Six candles were lit in memory of the six million victims of the Holocaust by Lord Eric Pickles, Hedy Argent (refugee and volunteer for AJR), Freddy Kosten (Kind), Ruth Jacobs (Kind), Danny Kalman (second generation) and Tamara Fulton (third generation).

Also in attendance were representatives of The Claims Conference who were in the UK to assist Kinder in registering for the new payment from Germany. Thanks to Rabbi Stuart Altshuler and Cantor Paul Heller of Belsize Square Synagogue for leading the service.

The service was live-streamed and the recording will be available to view on the Belsize Square Synagogue website.

Photos by Edward Serotta/Centropa