Three Counties Liberal Jewish Community gathered for a Shabbat service commemorating Anne Frank, led by Rabbi Anna Gerrard and attended by members, friends, civic guests and faith leaders from across Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.
At the heart of the service was Eva Mendelsson, a member of Three Counties, now in her 90s, born in Offenburg, Germany. As a child she was deported to an internment camp in south-west France. Her mother and sister were murdered in the Holocaust. She later came to the UK and has written about her life in A Life That Might Not Have Been. During the service, members of the congregation read from it aloud, and Eva was called to the Torah for an aliyah.
Rabbi Anna spoke about shared responsibility, drawing on the Torah portion in which Moses is instructed to appoint seventy elders. “As leaders, as humans, we have to stand and work together,” she said. “It means a huge amount to us that so many local leaders have chosen to stand with us today.”
Among those who came was the Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Rev Richard Jackson, who condemned the recent rise in antisemitic activity and pledged support for the community’s freedom “to live and practise your faith in peace and safety”.
The community also welcomed the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Rev Dr Rachel Treweek, Dr Ellie Chowns MP for North Herefordshire, the Mayor of Hereford and a number of other local clergy and notables.
None of this happened by accident. 3CLJC member Raoul Smith worked with tremendous dedication to bring so many guests to the service, handling the considerable task of outreach to civic and religious leaders with skill and persistence. The community owes him a great deal for the day’s success and his year-round commitment to interfaith work.
The High Sheriff, Tamsin Clive, said afterwards: “I was particularly struck by the strong feeling of community that you had created – all of us standing together, giving such an example in a fractured world.”
The service also marked the renewal of the lease of 3CLJC’s Torah scrolls from Hereford Museum. The community were glad to welcome Ben from the Museum and to recognise the continuing relationship that keeps the scrolls in active use across the Three Counties. Two police officers were present throughout and were warmly appreciated.
Kiddush was provided by the community – a generous spread that gave everyone, guests and members alike, the chance to talk, eat and linger. The police officers, it should be said, were particularly enthusiastic.
After the service, leaders and members gathered by the cherry tree planted in 2014 in memory of Anne Frank.
Rabbi Anna said: “It was a very special day of the kind our community does so well. The packed hall, filled with guests and community members, was a reminder that we belong and that our lives and stories matter without question.”