This year Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday 27 January marked the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. A very moving and well-attended service took place in Truro Cathedral on that day under the theme ‘For A Better Future’. As always, Kehillat Kernow took a major part in the service and a good number of members attended. A video of the 1 hour event is available here: https://youtu.be/o0tJ-TQewno . A huge thank you to KK member Helen Moreland who made the official recording of the event.

^{‘All That Remains’ video at 2:00 min, conversation with Cynthia Hollinsworth and Bernie Graham at 4: 45min, students from Truro School at 20:00min, Jeremy Jacobson speaking followed by Paul Kleiman reciting El Malei Rachamim at 26:35, Naeem Ahmed at 43:40.}

Before the candle lighting ceremony, those attending had an opportunity to visit stalls and exhibits created by community groups that represent people who have faced prejudice or persecution.

Following an introduction from Canon Alan Bashforth, there was a short video titled ‘From All That Remains’. That was followed by conversations with KK member Cynthia Hollinsworth and Bernie Graham who both spoke movingly, passionately and courageously about their families’ experiences during and after the Holocaust. Cynthia was also interviewed on BBC Radio Cornwall and on the BBC’s Spotlight TV programme which covers the South West.

Students from Truro School provided the music for the event and also read poems and some reflections on those poems. Then Jeremy Jacobson, the Chair of Kehillat Kernow spoke and that was followed by an emotional rendition of El Malei Rachamim – the Hebrew memorial prayer – sung by KK member Paul Kleiman.

Naeem Ahmad, representing the Muslim Community spoke movingly from the heart and without notes. After short speeches from representatives of the church and the police and a short pre-recorded video message from the TV personality Rob Rinder, whose grandfather was a Holocaust survivor, there was a candle lighting ceremony.

About 20 members of the Kehillat Kernow community plus a number of friends and neighbours came together on the last night of Chanukah at a ‘Last Night Party’ hosted by Jo Richler and Paul Kleiman at their house in Truro.

There were enough chanukiahs for everyone to light a cande and behind the blazing candles there were photos of those Israeli hostages who had a British connection, one of whom is related to a member our community.

There was some wonderful singing of the prayer Hanerut Hallalu by Adam and Jacob Feldman followed by a hearty communal rendition of all the verses of Ma’oz Tzur. There was even a table set aside for playing dreidl which some of our non-Jewish guests enthusiastically played.

There was some wonderful food and a toast to our wonderful treasurer Leslie Lipert who was awarded an MBE in the New Year Awards list ‘for services to the Jewish Community of Cornwall’. There was a second toast to the newly engaged couple Viv and Vid.

It was a really lovely, celebratory gathering and our thanks to Jo and Paul for hosting what we hope might become an annual event.

The Kehillat Kernow community was thrilled and delighted to hear that our wonderful and long-standing treasurer Leslie Lipert had been included in the New Year’s Honours List and been awarded an MBE. Officially the award is ‘for services to the Jewish Community in Cornwall’. That is, of course accurate, but doesn’t really cover the range and depth of Leslie’s commitment which includes the contribution Leslie has made to preserving the history of Judaism in Cornwall. This in turn has enriched both Cornish and Jewish heritage and brought their shared history to life for present and future generations. Besides making a significant contribution to our own community, Leslie has played a vital role in the completed restoration of the Jewish Cemetery in Penzance and in the ongoing restoration of the old Ponsharden Cemeteries in Falmouth. He has also worked resourcefully and patiently with institutions and partners in Cornwall and London in order to obtain and restore for the new Jewish community in Cornwall a historic Torah Scroll which once belonged to the former, now disappeared Cornish Jews. This is a lovely story of recovery and renewal.

Mazel Tov, Leslie!

On a very stormy Shabbat, with weather warnings all round the UK, a small, intimate but very active congregation were treated to a lovely service led by Rabbi Barry Baron who is the Chaplain at Colgate University in New York State. On the Friday evening before, he had led the service for the JSoc at the Penryn campus in Falmouth

For his dvar torah, Rabbi Barry took us on an historical tour of the week’s parsha, Chayei Sara, which happened to be his barmitzvah sedrah. We discovered when, how and why vowels were introduced under (and also, originally, over) Hebrew letters; how mention of Abraham meeting with the Hittites places the moment at a particular and identifiable time in history; that it is the first time a prayer appears in the Torah and, significantly, it is a prayer for someone else; and that the story of Rebecca’s veil gives us the tradition of ‘bedecking’ at Jewish weddings.

At the kiddush following the service, Rabbi Barry was presented with a Kehillat Kernow kiddush cup in recognition for his support for our small community.

Members of Kehillat Kernow joined other Faith groups from across Cornwall at Lys Kernow/ County Hall in Truro on Wednesday 13 November to sign Cornwall’s new Faith Covenant. The Faith Covenant is a joint commitment between Cornwall Council and Cornwall’s faith communities to work together to support Cornwall residents.

The Covenant was developed by Cornwall Council in partnership with faith groups to support the council to help bring communities together and promote a sense of pride in Cornwall’s diversity.

Cornwall Council is the first local authority in the south-west to develop a Covenant but many other councils across the UK have developed one using a model created by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society.

All the groups involved came together at Lys Kernow/County Hall to sign the Covenant. Faiths represented were Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hindu, Islam, Judaism, and Pagan, alongside a representative from the Humanist community. Each group brought a sacred object that represented their faith or set of beliefs, to be placed in the Inter Faith room of reflection at Lys Kernow.