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10/11/2017
AJR Commemorates Kristallnacht in London
The annual Association of Jewish Refugees’ London Kristallnacht Commemorative Service was held this year on 9th November at Belsize Square synagogue. The service was led by Rabbi Stuart Altshuler and included a candle lighting ceremony by AJR members who lived through Kristallnacht. Speakers included Eve Kugler who told of what happened to herself and her family on that fateful night in 1938; Ben Barkow, Director of the Wiener Library, and Janet Weston who is a second-generation Kristallnacht survivor.
09/11/2017
AJR’s Northern Kristallnacht Commemorative Service 2017
The Annual AJR Northern Kristallnacht Commemorative Service was held this year on Wednesday 8th November 2017 at The Shrubberies in Manchester. Following lunch and a welcome from AJR Chief Executive, Michael Newman, guests listened to AJR member Werner Lachs, who gave a moving account of his personal memories of Kristallnacht and its subsequent effect on his family. Rabbi Eisenberg conducted the memorial prayers after which guest speaker, Robert Kanter, Head of History at Bury CE High School, gave an excellent talk on how the rest of the world reacted to Kristallnacht. Guests were delighted to be joined by students from Bury High School who had the opportunity to speak with AJR members and hear their stories first hand. Photograph ©Karen Herman Wright
10/09/2017
AJR Annual Lunch Hits the High Notes
This weekend The Association of Jewish Refugees welcomed members and their families to the September Serenade, an opportunity to meet up with old friends and enjoy a delicious lunch and top-class operatic entertainment. In his welcome speech, AJR Chairman Andrew Kaufman described the event as “a highlight of the AJR’s calendar” before mentioning plans to mark the forthcoming 80th anniversaries of Kristallnacht and the creation of the Kindertransport in 2018. Kaufman said “It is the AJR’s great honour to now be the leading benefactor in the fields of Holocaust education and memorialisation programmes and projects. We see this area of our work developing greatly in the future but we are equally not distracted from our primary task: to deliver transformative social and welfare services to our members.” Formalities over, guests had plenty of time to enjoy lunch and the ‘September Serenade’ programme performed by Jonathan Fisher (Baritone), Glenys Groves (Soprano),...