20th Birthday Party at AJR Club

If ever there was a party which can be called a full success, it was the 20th Birthday Party of the AJR Club, held on February 1 at Hannah Karminski House. As the guests of the Clubs chairman, Mrs. Margaret Jacoby, about 180 members and friends of the Club were treated to coffee and cake, and both the Club room and the Hall in the lower ground floor were filled to capacity. Fortunately, the loudspeaker system which covers both floors simultaneously, but which had become a bit snaky in the course of the years, could be put in order at very short notice, and thus the speeches and recitals were “Upstairs Downstairs” performances. The high-point was the Charming address in verse by the indomitably youthful Mrs. Jacoby. She recalled the first ten years, when the steadily growing number of members met in a room at Zion House, Eton Avenue, and the Club’s tremendous expansion atter the AJR had acquired the house at 9 Adamson Road. It was her suggestion to name this communal centre after the leading personality of the Jewish Women’s Organisation in Germany, Hannah Karminski, who voluntarily stayed in Germany and suffered a martyr’s Death. The speakers at the Opening Ceremony on December 12, 1965, under the chairmanship of Mr. A. S. Dresel, included Hannah’s first cousin, the late Sir Seymour Karminski, Mr. Samuel (now Lord) Fisher, at that time Mayor of Camden, Rabbi Salzberger, who gave the blessing to the House, and herself. Turning to the present position of the Club, which now has 448 members, Mrs. Jacoby in her inimitable humorous way expressed her thanks to the numerous helpers. The function was enhanced by recitals of the Youth Choir of the Belsize Square Synagogue, conducted by Johanna Metzger-Lichtenstern, accompanied by Paul Lichtenstern. The choice of the well-balanced programme was symbolic: it included works in English, Hebrew and German. the greetings of the AJR Executive were conveyed. by Dr. F. E. Falk and Dr. W Rosenstock and the grateful feelings of the members became evident in the brief speeches some of them contributed to the function. The climax was Mrs. Jacoby’s cutting of the birthday cake with its 20 candles. Supplemented by several further cakes of equal size, every member of the large family received his or her proper share. It was a memorable event, not only in the history of the Club, but of the AJR at large which, by providing the facilities for running the Club, has given a Home from Home to many in our midst.