On 30 January, 2022 Kehillat Kernow, the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), the Cornwall Faith Forum (CFF) and local people converged on the historic Cholera Field at Paul, near Mousehole in Penwith to plant an oak tree. The tree is one of eighty being planted around the UK to mark places where Jewish people have been given homes and shelter. Paul is one of these places as, together with Mousehole, it offered homes to 100 children and 5 teachers from the Jews Free School in East London in 1941 when they were evacuated because of the Blitz. Their stories are recorded in From East End to Lands End  by KK member and local author Susan Soyinka 

The tree was planted by another KK member, David Hearle, with help provided by children from Mousehole School. One Mousehole resident,  Melvia Williams, who remembered the Jewish children’s arrival ‘as if it was yesterday’ attended the ceremony and spoke of a warm coming together of the two groups of children. Besides the tree planting itself, the ceremony included welcome speeches by CFF Head and Priest in Charge at Paul Church Andrew Yates and by KK Chair Jeremy Jacobson, talks by AJR representative (and coincidentally KKK member) Dr Bea Lewkowicz and by Susan Soyinka, plus the recital of Psalm 104 by everyone, a moving rendition of El Malei Rachamim by KK Vice-Chair Adam Feldman and, finally, the Priestly Blessing recited in Hebrew by Adam and in English by Andrew.

After the ceremony, which was attended by around 100 people, Kehillat Kernow, together with Paul Church, invited the attendees to an informal lunch of Cornish pasties (vegetarian included!) tea, coffee and wine. The ceremony was a great success, bringing together communities and organisations in an affirmation of chayim (life) and chesed (loving kindness). 

We are back! For the first time in two years, Kehillat Kernow finally met together face-to-face for a Shabbat morning service. It was an emotional affair and also a challenging one as we tried to remember how we had done things in the past. When should we cover the Sefer Scroll with the mantle? What was the tune we used for this section of the Amidah? Should we dress the Torah Scroll before the Haftorah or after? We struggled a little, but we got there in the end. We completed the service, reading, praying, singing with the same intensity as before, perhaps more, as we revelled in the occasion. Kiddush lunch which would in the past have lasted a half-hour or so, went on for well over an hour as we chatted and chatted and chatted. A wonderful occasion, tinged with sadness at the absence of our greatly missed service leader among service leaders, our guide and touchstone but tinged also with joy that we were able to honour her in our observance of Shabbat.

(KK Friends and Members can see more photos of the occasion here.)