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Oberman and Roden are highly prized by Jewish Care
Actress honoured for fighting antisemitism; cookbook writer for contribution to Jewish food
October 8, 2021 10:01
Actress honoured for fighting antisemitism; cookbook writer for contribution to Jewish food
October 8, 2021 10:01Tracy-Ann Oberman and Claudia Roden have been recognised for their contribution to Jewish life.
The two were honoured at Jewish Care’s Women of Distinction lunch on Tuesday — the actress for her “courageous work” in fighting antisemitism, Ms Roden’s lifetime award in respect of her contribution to Jewish food and heritage.
Nine special recognition awards were also presented to women who “greatly contributed” to the community and the NHS during the pandemic.
In her speech, Ms Oberman said her first visit to the Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem, had spurred her to act against antisemitism, having seen its “end game”.
When she began fighting “woke Corbynites” online, she was shocked at how little attention anti-Jewish racism received from her thespian peers.
Despite receiving death threats, threats towards her daughter and warnings her career would be ruined if she did not back down, the thought of those lost during the Shoah gave her purpose.
Indeed, Ms Oberman’s career is thriving, with her latest role in Ridley Road, which premiered on BBC One on Sunday.
“Throughout everything I do, my Jewishness is weaved through it like a golden thread,” she added.
Noting that Ms Oberman had once played her in a Radio 4 drama, Ms Roden also spoke of antisemitism shaping her life’s purpose, her family being expelled from Egypt after the Suez crisis.
The cookbook writer said collecting Sephardic and Mizrahi recipes was a way of reconnecting with a legacy “that would disappear if not recorded”.
Her work was “a mission close to my heart, a way of connecting with people and communities. Through food, I discovered my roots and my heritage.”
The £55,000-plus raised from the event will benefit Sidney Corob House, a Jewish Care residential home supporting adults with enduring mental health needs.