News from Scotland and Newcastle

THE Association of Jewish Refugees is continuing to find and support new first generation members.

Speaking at the AJR Scotland and Newcastle Gathering on Tuesday, chief executive Michael Newman said: “Last year we enrolled more than 50 first gen members and this year we already have 30 more.

“We do have 11 members more than 100 years old and the largest cohort are in their 90s. You are all amazing people.

“The AJR is in the position of changing people’s lives considerably. We receive significant funding from the German Government each year and the vast majority of this money is spent on home care.”

Speaking about education, Mr Newman added: “Evermore in the future, we will be turning our face to education. We are delighted to be sponsoring the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre Holocaust Era Study Centre project and each year we are sponsoring many projects throughout the UK relating to Holocaust Remembrance.

“As we have seen the increase in antisemitism in the world today, particularly the Western world, it’s all the more critical to capture the testimonies, something we are doing through our Refugee Voices and My Story projects.”

The event, organised by AJR Scotland and Newcastle events coordinator Agnes Isaacs and held in the Glasgow Reform Synagogue, was attended by around 50 first and second generation members, volunteers and staff. They came from as far as Huntly, Aberdeenshire and Middlesbrough. They enjoyed lunch, morning and afternoon refreshments, discussion groups and the chance to meet new people or renew acquaintances.

Guest speaker the Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC, told the audience the story of his family. His paternal grandmother came from a prominent Jewish family in Berlin, which was highly successful in the professions, commerce and the arts. Although his grandmother converted to Christianity when she was 16 and was married to a Christian, in Germany mixed marriage couples were often arrested for defilement. When things became extremely difficult for the family because of her Jewish blood, she contemplated committing suicide.

A video message from Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell, who had been unable to attend the event, was shown. Mr Mundell said: “AJR is a very important group in telling the story of the Holocaust. It is something we must never forget nor allow others to try to denigrate or deny.”

The Secretary spoke of attending the March of the Living in Budapest earlier this year and paid tribute to the courage of Scottish missionary Jane Haining, who was honoured at the event. When war broke out she refused to abandon her Jewish pupils and perished at Auschwitz.

Holocaust Educational Trust regional ambassador Kirsty Robson, who is also an AJR volunteer, captivated the audience with her talk on her work for HET.

Sharon Mail, who has taken up the new role of AJR My Story Scotland and Newcastle coordinator, spoke about the project. It will provide individual books of the stories of first generation survivors, who will be interviewed by volunteers. Sharon hoped that members would take advantage of this special gift so that they, their families and future generations could enjoy reading about their life stories in the form of the high quality publications. She also invited people to come forward as volunteers for the project.

To volunteer for the AJR My Story Project or for more information, contact Sharon at sharonmail@ajr.positive-dedicated.net