July 2021 marks the 80th anniversary of the AJR. To commemorate this milestone we are launching a special campaign, 80 Trees for 80 Years, which will see 80 native oak trees planted around Britain in honour of people and places that symbolise the enormous contribution made to every walk of British life by refugees who escaped from Nazi Europe.
The first tree will be planted during National Tree Week at the end of November, with the majority of the trees planted in January for Holocaust Memorial Day. This exciting project has already caught the imagination of dozens of communities around the UK, which have each applied to host one of the trees and will be organising local activities around the tree planting ceremonies.
“As well as helping to mark the heritage of many of our members and places of historic interest associated with them, the planting of these trees will enable the AJR to give back to and create a living legacy within the country that became their home. Britain’s native oak trees are in decline and new trees are desperately needed. We hope these 80 special trees will be appreciated by future generations and provide natural habitats for other native species for many decades to come,” said AJR CEO, Michael Newman.
Each tree will act as a platform for telling the story of Britain’s Jewish refugees and celebrating the remarkable contribution to British life. We will plant a time capsule alongside the roots of every tree, containing key facts about the Jewish refugee community and sharing the life story of one or more AJR members.
Logistically, this is an enormous project which requires significant resources and support. So the AJR is are delighted to be working with a number of key organisations, including The Tree Council, The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, The Jewish Small Communities Network and The Holocaust Educational Trust. 80 Trees for 80 Years has also been endorsed by the organisers of The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) – the unique tree planting initiative which will mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, which described the AJR’s project as a “wonderful initiative”.
We are offering a number of ways for our members to get involved with this project including sponsoring a tree or time capsule, making a donation or volunteering to help plant and care for one of our oaks by liaising with the local community on our behalf.
Click here for more information on the 80 Trees for 80 Years project.
