Aron Grünhut: Rescuer of the Jews and Human Rights Defender

“He exemplifies the courage to care, not to be a bystander in the face of great darkness"

Nick Winton (left) and Lubomir Rehak (second from right) at the exhibition © Victor Shack

An intriguing and moving exhibition came to Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue last week to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. Aron Grünhut: Rescuer of the Jews and Human Rights Defender told the extraordinary, and until now little-known, story of this Slovakian Jew who managed to use his business acumen, considerable influence and sheer chutzpah to negotiate with the Nazis to allow over 1,300 Slovakian and Austrian Jews to escape to places of safety, including Palestine and – in the case of 10 children, in collaboration with Sir Nicholas Winton – England. Routes to Palestine by boat involved danger negotiating Europe’s rivers and towards the end of the war, Grünhut’s own luck almost ran out, his life saved only by the courage of a Slovak fireman who hid him.

In this podcast, which begins with an excerpt of an address from the Ambassador of Slovakia, Lubomir Rehak, Judi Herman speaks to Ambassador Rehak, Nick Winton – son of Sir Nicholas – and Israel's Deputy Ambassador Sharon Bar-Li, about this extraordinary man and his story. Herman is a member of NPLS, a congregation with close links to both Slovakia and the Czech Republic as guardian of Torah scrolls from some of the Jewish communities in those countries that did not survive the Shoah.

In conversation: Zigi Shipper

“Whatever you do, do not hate. I don’t hate. Hate will ruin your life”

Zigi Shipper BEM (left) and Frank Bright at the AJR Holocaust Memorial Day event, 23 Jan 2020 © Adam Soller Photography

Survivor of the death camps Zigi Shipper BEM (British Empire Medal) was one of the key speakers at the Association of Jewish Refugees’ (AJR) Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration at Belsize Square Synagogue last Thursday, with the theme ‘Stand Together’. He is passionate about the vital Holocaust education work for which he was awarded the BEM and proud of his children and grandchildren, who are continuing the work. Judi Herman was privileged to be invited to Zigi's Hertfordshire home to speak to him and his wife Jeanette, and to hear more of his story and some of Jeanette’s too. As well as sharing the horror of his experiences, there was laughter from the life affirming Zigi, who has just celebrated his 90th birthday.

The Windermere Children, which Zigi mentions, airs tonight (27 Jan) on BBC2 at 9pm and will then be available on BBC iPlayer. Find out more about what the BBC have programmed to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on the JR blog.

In conversation: Naomi Sorkin

“It was always the dramatic that appealed to me, as it did to Ida”

Actor, dancer and influencer from her teens, an acclaimed Cleopatra, impresario – and a Jewish star… This is an apt description of both the eponymous heroine of Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act, and Naomi Sorkin, the multi-talented performer who takes on the title role in this biographical drama. Rubinstein worked with the likes of Diaghilev, Nijinsky and Debussy, and commissioned Ravel’s Bolero! Famed to this day in Russia and her native Ukraine, she is all but forgotten in the West. But all that is about to change now that Sorkin is championing her in this multimedia show, combining text, movement, music, projections and film to evoke the shock of the new in early 20th-century performance arts.

In the auditorium of The Playground Theatre – one of London’s newest and the only theatre in White City, which she runs with her husband, fellow actor, director and impresario Peter Tate – Sorkin speaks to JR's Arts Editor Judi Herman about her own career, as well as the life and loves of Ida Rubinstein.

Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act runs until Saturday 16 October*. 7.30pm, 3pm (9 Oct only). £10-£22. The Playground Theatre, W10 6RQ. https://theplaygroundtheatre.london

*This show has been rescheduled from 2020.

Read our review of Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act on the JR blog.

Licoricia of Winchester

Discover the story of a powerful 13th-century businesswoman and hear about plans for a statue of her in her home city

Licoricia of Winchester was a name to be reckoned with in 13th-century England, and not just because it suggested delicious sweetmeats. This astute and resourceful businesswoman, moneylender and friend to royalty was also a wife and mother, whose second husband David of Oxford – one of the wealthiest Jews in the country – divorced his first wife to marry her. She was twice confined in the Tower of London and sadly suffered the ultimate reversal of fortune – she was found murdered in her Winchester home in Jewry Street.

Her story plays an important role in the history of the Jewish community in England, particularly before its expulsion in 1290, and indeed a vital part of the history of women in Medieval England. Now the Jewish community is joining with others in her home city to celebrate the life of this prominent daughter and to share the often troubled early history of Winchester’s Jewish community.

An appeal is well underway to raise money for a statue by multi-award-winning sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, to be sited in the heart of the city on Jewry Street itself. Last year, Judi Herman went to the unveiling of the maquette of the statue and met some of the key figures behind the project, including Maggie Carver, Chair of the Licoricia of Winchester Statue Appeal, and the sculptor himself. Before signing off, Judi pays a brief visit to Winchester to check out the proposed site of the statue, appropriately located outside the Winchester Discovery Centre.

By Judi Herman

Sunday 19 January sees Carole Weinberg deliver a talk about the Licoricia of Winchester. 10.30am. FREE. Menorah Synagogue, Manchester, M22 4RZ. 016 1428 7746. www.menorah.org.uk

Visit https://licoricia.org to find out more about the statue.

In conversation: Katy Lipson

"I’ve just got energy and passion. And you’ve got to have business acumen"

Busy theatre producer Katy Lipson divides her time between Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre and a raft of venues in London and across the UK. Her production company, Aria Entertainment, has two stellar shows transferring from Manchester to London (and other UK venues) this January, but she took some time out tell us about her life, work and forthcoming productions. Rags the Musical – with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked), music by Charles Strouse (Annie) and book by Joseph Stein (Fiddler) – follows Jewish immigrants working every hour G-d gives them to build a new life in turn-of-the-century America, while Mame (music and lyrics by the great Jerry Herman*), a show replete with glitz and glamour despite its Depression setting, tells of the eccentric bohemian of the title, who steps up to care for her orphaned nephew.

By Judi Herman

Rags the Musical runs Thursday 9 January – Saturday 8 February**. 7.30pm, 3pm (Thu & Sat only). £18.50-£32.50, £16.50-£23.50 concs, £15-£20 under-16s. Park Theatre, N4 3JP. 020 7870 6876. www.parktheatre.co.uk

**On Sunday 19 January there will be a gala fundraiser: The Spark of Creation. This includes a panel discussion and Q&A, featuring Stephen Schwartz. 7.30pm. £60-£65. All proceeds go towards Rags the Musical.

Mame: Life’s a Banquet runs Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 January. 7.45pm, 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). £24-£40. Royal & Derngate, Northampton, NN1 1DP. www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Tuesday 21 – Saturday 25 January. 7.30pm, 2.15pm (Thu & Sat only). £14-£30. Salisbury Playhouse, SP2 7RA. www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk

*On 26 December 2019, Jerry Herman sadly passed away. Read Judi Herman’s tribute to the great composer and lyricist on the JR blog.

In conversation: Alexandra Raikhlina

“I was saddened that as a Jewish musician I wasn’t familiar with these composers and these works”

Brundibár Arts Festival's Artistic Director, Alexandra Raikhlina, launched the UK event in 2015. Taking place annually in Newcastle, the festival is dedicated to music and arts of the Holocaust and takes its name from Hans Krása's children's opera Brundibár (Bumblebee), which was performed in Terezin concentration camp. Raikhlina, a hugely talented violinist and graduate of the Yehudi Menuhin School, reveals the inspirations that led her to found the festival and tells us about her own background. She also highlights some key events of the 2020 festival, which opens on National Holocaust Day.

By Judi Herman

Brundibár Arts Festival runs Monday 27 January – Tuesday 4 February. Various times, prices and venues in Newcastle and Gateshead. www.brundibarartsfestival.com

Read more about Brundibár Arts Festival and Karel Švenk’s play The Last Cyclist, which will be performed at the festival, in the Jan 2020 issue of JR.

In conversation: Amos Gitai

“All my work is a civic gesture – about war, about religion – about the issues I'm interested in”

As acclaimed as he is controversial, Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai speaks to Judi Herman about the theatrical staging of one of his films in London this month, as well as his screening at the UK Jewish Film Festival. The performance of A Letter to a Friend in Gaza, based on his 2018 film of the same name, features four actors from Israel and Palestine, onstage with Gitai himself and three musicians, seeking common ground between the opposing sides. At UKJFF his 2018 film A Tramway in Jerusalem takes its audience on a tram journey that reflects the city’s fragmentation, even as it celebrates its diversity. Note: this conversation was recorded before the current escalation of tensions and violence in Israel and Gaza, which sadly makes it all the more timely.

A Letter to a Friend in Gaza runs Monday 18 - Saturday 23 November. 7.30pm. £30, £25 concs. The Coronet Theatre, W11 3LB. 020 3642 6606. www.thecoronettheatre.com

A Tramway in Jerusalem takes place Thursday 21 November. 8.30pm. £15. Ciné Lumière, SW7 2DT. https://ukjewishfilm.org

Behind the scenes: First Encounters – Merchant of Venice

"Would Shylock have gone through with the court, had Jessica returned? Absolutely not!"

In an exciting production from Director Robin Belfield, theatregoers as young as primary school age are being introduced to the Bard in an engaging, thought-provoking and funny new way. The Royal Shakespeare Company is currently touring Belfield's 90-minute adaptation of the Merchant of Venice, which involves audience participation, student actors playing Jessica and Lorenzo and a woman in the role of Shylock. Judi Herman captures the essence of the show in her latest podcast, which features music from the production, verdicts from young members of the audience, and an interview with Israeli actor Shani Erez, who plays Shylock as a dignified businesswoman and single mother.

Photo by Sam Allard

First Encounters: Merchant of Venice tours until Saturday 16 November, visiting Cornwall (29-30 Oct), Devon (31 Oct), Kent (2 Nov), Yorkshire (5-8 Nov) and Nottingham (15-16 Nov). See the JR listings for info or visit www.rsc.org.uk; and read our five-star review of the show on the JR blog.

In conversation: Stav Meishar

Find out how a wartime story of courage and daring, which saved a dynasty of Jewish circus artists, made it to the stage

Israeli writer, educator and theatre artist Stav Meishar is currently performing her one-woman show, The Escape Act, based on a true wartime survival tale. Speaking to JR's Arts Editor Judi Herman, she explains how she discovered the story of Irene Danner-Storm, a Jewish circus performer who survived World War II thanks to the generosity of non-Jews Adolf and Maria Althoff, who hid her in their circus. Danner-Storm was a member of the Lorch family, a German Jewish circus dynasty founded in the 19th century, and not only survived by joining the Althoff Circus, but found love too. In this podcast, Meishar talks about her research and how the resulting show is now part of a whole Holocaust learning experience, which also includes lectures, workshops and an exhibition. She also reveals how she met up with nonagenarian Momo, the Moroccan acrobat who was inseparable from Danner-Storm and her Christian lover Peter the Clown, in a heartwarming story of inclusivity in defiance of the Nazis.

Photo by Kati Rapia

The Escape Act is currently touring:
Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 October. 8pm. £10. CircusMASH, Birmingham, B14 7RA. www.brownpapertickets.com
Tuesday 29 October. 8pm. £12, £10 concs. The Lowry, Salford, M50 3AZ. https://thelowry.com
Sunday 22 – Thursday 26 December. Limmud Festival, Hilton Birmingham Metropole, B40 1PP. https://limmud.org/festival

In conversation: Howard Jacobson

What's it like to fall in love in your 90s? The award-winning author talks about the nonagenarian lovers in his latest novel

From his loft high over Soho, Man Booker Prize-winning author Howard Jacobson speaks to JR's Arts Editor Judi Herman about his latest novel, Live A Little, which chronicles the joys – and humiliations – of romance in old age. He also reads an extract from the book, as well as discussing his despair at the cynical antics of our prime minister. And don't even mention "the will of the people"…

Photo by Rob Greig

Live a Little by Howard Jacobson is out now, published by Jonathan Cape, £19.99. www.penguin.co.uk

An abridged version of this interview also features in the Oct 2019 issue of JR.