Last week, Barnet United Synagogue held an event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Yom Hashoah. As a community, it is customary for Barnet Synagogue to hold a commemoration event every year and this year was more significant than ever to remember those affected both past and present. The event was well attended by many members who came together for this special day of remembrance.
The evening began with an address by Dame Theresa Villiers, former MP for Chipping Barnet who shared her experiences and work with the local Jewish community during her time in office, and her continued and ongoing support of the Jewish community and Israel.
A candle lighting ceremony was then held to light yellow candles in memory of children of the Shoah. Some members of the community were invited to honour the memory of specific victims who perished by reading out their name, age, date and place of death. The ceremony represented the passing of light from generation to generation within the Barnet Synagogue community, with the youngest being 11 year old Leah Morris and the eldest being Aubrey Shaw who will be celebrating his 100th birthday later this year.
Our guest speaker was survivor Paula Zeff, who shared her inspiring and heart breaking story of survival as a hidden child during the war. Through the use of personal photographs, Paula conveyed to the audience how after her parents tried to escape from Holland to Switzerland in 1941 leaving her with her grandmother, who was later sent to Auschwitz, Paula found herself as a young child being taken in by a large Christian family to live in the countryside.
It was this act of kindness that ultimately saved her life, and she paid tribute to them for everything that they did for her as a young child. She also reflected on her life after the war, when she came to live with her uncle, aunt and cousin in England, who later adopted her, and how she later married and had three children and seven grandchildren.
The final speaker for the evening was Barnet member Daniel Marcus, who shared his views of the current situation of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on University campus. As the Director of UK Campus Affairs for the organisation Stand With Us and currently studying for his Masters, Daniel gave a realistic and insightful view of the experience of Jewish students on campus.
