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Supt Raj Kohli, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Holborn and St Pancras George Lee, Nic Careem, Dr Eva Schloss, Shani and Amir Perez, Ananda Zollinger, Barnaby McArthur, Alexandra Vevers, Gamarano Singleton and Anthony Wren |
Holocaust play boost from Eva
Anne Frank’s stepsister at performance
ANNE Frank’s stepsister kicked off the New Journal’s annual Christmas hamper appeal on Tuesday with a special fundraising performance of her harrowing survival story.
Eva Schloss, whose tale of life in Auschwitz is relived in her play And Then They Came For Me, made a special appearance at Teatro Technis in Crowndale Road, Somers Town, to see the production.
The 80-year-old survivor then took the stage to answer questions on her experiences both in hiding and inside the concentration camp.
The £700 raised from ticket sales will go to the New Journal’s annual collection, which will be used to spread Christmas cheer this festive season with the delivery of hampers to those in need.
Dr Schloss, whose father and brother were killed in the Holocaust, said it was important that the stories of those who died are not forgotten.
“It can be a painful experience to remember,” she said. “The play is now 12 years old and when I saw it for the first time with my husband we were in tears from beginning to end. This went on for about 10 shows, then we cried less. I think people get used to terrible things, which I suppose is how these things were able to happen.
“But it is important to remember. We are making progress, but it is very, very slow. It takes people time to realise that we are all fundamentally the same.”
The play, which has been performed in schools, prisons and theatres across the UK, as well as at the Scottish and European parliaments, was well received by an audience of residents and community leaders.
Camden police chief superintendent Raj Kohli was also in attendance along with Amir Perez, the former Israeli defence minister who watched his daughter Shani play the part of Anne Frank.
Nic Careem, who lives in Kentish Town and runs the Blue Sky Club which produces the play, said: “It’s very important that we stand up to hate. One of the things that we want to make clear is that while this play re-enacts something that happened 60 years ago, we think it is just as relevant today. We want to address the hatred that still exists in our society.”
He added: “This goes hand in hand with the hamper appeal. Supporting people at Christmas is a very important.”
Story ‘could ease gangs tension’
RIVAL gang members are being invited to watch Eva Schloss’s Holocaust survival story in a bid to end violence on Camden’s streets.
Dr Schloss – the stepsister of Anne Frank – will speak to an audience of young people about her experiences in Auschwitz, following a special performance of her play And Then They Came For Me to coincide with Holocaust Survival Day in January.
Dr Schloss, aged 80, who moved to Woburn Square, Bloomsbury, to study photography after surviving life in the concentration camp, will then ask an audience of “known gang members” to sign a peace pledge promising to end violence towards each other.
Nic Careem, the play’s director, who is spearheading the initiative, said: “We want to use this powerful story to show young men that being in gangs is not dissimilar from taking part in the Holocaust.
“The idea is that watching Eva’s story will make them think about their actions and they will go away and not commit the same kind of violence.
“We want them to go away feeling that their life has been changed so they will wake up to what their hate is capable of doing. If you can make somebody less hateful, you are making them into a better person.”
Superintendent Raj Kohli, of Camden police, said he was keen to get involved in the project after watching the play on Tuesday. He added: “In terms of sitting around a table with rival gang leaders, that’s still some weeks off, but it’s certainly a concept I’m keen to explore.
“We’ve got to think outside the box.
“I’d be interested in getting young people who are already in the criminal justice system in to watch the play as a punishment. It would be impossible for them not to be moved by it.”
Christmas hamper appeal
Let’s make it a memorable festive season for everyone
IT’S only November but we know that many of our readers are already dreading what’s in store at the end of next month. They shouldn’t be.
What should be a happy time for all, Christmas can be a misery if you’re not invited to the party.
There are the elderly residents – many getting by on their own after the loss of loved ones – who face a festive season with only memories of Christmases past to provide a bit of a cheer. Then there are the single parents who will be nagged all December by their little terrors about the expensive games consoles and mountain bikes that are wanted as gifts.
How heartbreaking must it be for them to have to take a red pen and scrub out their children’s wish list, replacing costly electronic toys with satsumas and socks?
It’s for people like this, who struggle all year to make ends meet, to do the best for their family, that the New Journal organises a hamper appeal every year.
A Christmas hamper isn’t a Nintendo or an iPhone or anything as glitzy as that. It often means much more for those who feel sidelined in the celebrations.
The delivery of a hamper from a New Journal Santa reminds them they haven’t been forgotten while others are swilling mulled wine and stuffing their cheeks with mince pies. As ever, we have started a collection in the hope we can provide more hampers around the borough than ever before.
If you or your business would like to help, with even the smallest donation, please get in touch.
We’ll keep you posted each week on how we are doing and the magical days when the hampers are delivered – and there is a mention in the paper for everybody who helps out.
Where to send your gift
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