91-year-old AJR member, Betty Shane was quite a character; well-known and loved by many at AJR. We were all shocked when Betty died tragically in a fire at her home just off the Finchley Road at the beginning of February.
Betty was born in Antwerp on 2 June, 1931. She was the youngest and last survivor of seven siblings. The family fled Belgium in 1940, although Betty’s father remained to wait for his brother. Alas, both were found by the Nazis and sent to their deaths in Auschwitz.
The rest of the family settled in London. During the Blitz, Betty was evacuated with a couple who helped her learn English, and nurtured her love of literature and poetry. She would later go on study at the University of London and teach English, as well as being a poet and writing her memoirs.
Betty had very few family members and we were determined to ensure there was a minyan for her funeral, which we achieved thanks to social media and the Jewish press resulting in well over 40 mourners coming along to Bushey, most of whom had never met her.
One mourner who knew Betty well was her AJR social worker, Esther, who said, “I am devastated. Betty always made me laugh. She was so independent but would usually be complaining about one thing or other, usually technology. I will never forget her and our time shared together.
“Last time I went to visit her, she told me a story from her childhood. In tears, she relayed a memory that upon leaving Antwerp as a child, she told her best friend: ‘I’ll play with you again when this is all over. But that was the last time she ever saw her friend. Her losing her father and best friend, and others at that time in her life, remained a trauma for her for the rest of her life.”
AJR chief executive Michael Newman said, “I was devastated to hear of Betty’s passing in such tragic circumstances. She was a lovely and cultured lady with a deep interest in poetry and literature.
“She was also determined to ensure that her father was remembered. It was our honour and privilege to support her with our holistic social welfare services and to pay our respects at her funeral.”
