‘We can’t do enough for our Holocaust survivors’

Ivor Baddiel has lauded Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre (HSC) as “an incredible place for incredible people” during the centre’s annual fundraising dinner this week.

Compering the dinner on Monday evening, which took place at Kinloss Synagogue in Finchley, north-west London, the screenwriter said that, as a community, “we cannot do enough” to support survivors of the Shoah.

The HSC caters to 250 members every week at its premises in Golders Green at Jewish Care’s Michael Sobell Jewish Community Centre.

Baddiel himself has visited HSC many times to help run writing workshops and Seders for members, as well as delivering challahs every week to survivors in their homes.

“I even showed a group of people a slideshow of my holidays to Canada last summer. They loved it,” he said. “I can say, without fail, they are all astonishing people.

“These are people who have been through the most unimaginable hell and somehow survived and are now this precious group of amazing people. In my experience, they’re open-minded, kind, wise and argumentative, of course – they’re Jews. They’re [also] passionate, they’re welcoming. These are qualities that would be laudable in any person, but after what they’ve been through, I find it mind-blowing. Quite simply, we can’t do enough for them.”

Ivor Baddiel interviews Manfred and Shary Goldberg, members of Jewish Care's Holocaust Survivors' Centre (Photo: Justin Grainge)[Missing Credit]

On stage, Baddiel interviewed Manfred and Shary Goldberg, HSC members who attend more than once a week, including for Tai Chi lessons and play-readings on Fridays.

Manfred, 94, has been a member of the HSC for decades. He said one of the most important and “lifesaving” roles the centre fulfilled was “to keep these elderly, and, slowly but surely, becoming less mobile, survivors, sane.

“Many of them are widows, with not a soul to speak to at home, but they come to the centre to meet friends. The friendships that develop there are as precious as family,” he said.

He added: “As far as I know – and I have friends who live in other countries – I’ve not heard of any centre that can come close to the quality and therapeutic effect Jewish Care’s HSC has on survivors. It is truly unique. And I’m not trying to schmooze here. I really do mean what I say.”

His wife Shary said: “Everybody who works there and all the volunteers actually love all of us. And we feel it, we feel this love. It’s like a home for everybody.”

Approximately 18 Holocaust survivors and members of the HSC were present for the evening, which raised approximately £150,000.

Well known Holocaust survivor and educator Rachel Levy BEM, 94, frequently goes to the centre.

For many years, when Rachel lived in South London, there was no one to whom she could speak Yiddish – the language of her childhood. That was until she came across the Yiddish social club at HSC, which she enjoys every Wednesday and where about 20 members meet for discussions on myriad topics.

“We do misbehave, though. We are a difficult group to contain,” she joked to the JC.

(l-r) Tracy-Ann Oberman, Ivor Baddiel, Shary and Manfred Goldberg at the Jewish Care Holocaust Survivors' Centre annual dinner (Photo: Justin Grainge)[Missing Credit]

The evening’s guest speaker, actress Tracy Ann-Oberman, entertained the approximately 250 guests, humorously recounting her own story of being one of the few “proudly Jewish” actresses in an industry that was often hostile to such displays.

In addition to a raffle to help raise much needed funds and a three-course meal, guests were shown a moving video demonstrating the warm atmosphere within the centre, which included remarks from BBC presenter Fiona Bruce, who recently paid a visit.

The centre, which is located on the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus, receives no government funding and is entirely dependent on donations from the community.