Page 13 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - September 15

TH
IVH: 14 ANNUAL REUNION
WEEKEND 2014
JOSÉ PATTERSON
T Dancers from all corners of the country assemble
hanks to the sterling efforts of Denise,
Phil and Nick, the 14th annual reunion
of Irgun Vatikei Habonim, at the Dolphin
Hotel, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, was an out-and-
out success from start to finish. As a long-
standing member of Vatikei Habonim and a keen
devotee of our North/South Reunions, it was
everything I had come to expect: - welcoming,
well-organised, thought provoking and
impressive.
After Kabalat Shabbat and a hearty dinner,
Maurice Samuelson’s talk entitled: “Confessions
of an Armchair Zionist” gave us a fascinating
historical insight down ‘memory lane’. During
the periods 1963-1967 and 1967-1974,
Samuelson was first Assistant and then Editor of
the Jewish Observer & Middle East Review.
Notwithstanding his self-description of an
Armchair Zionist, it was very clear to us - as it
must have been to every single one of the papers’
subscribers - that he kept the Zionist flag flying
with regular news bulletins on the important
issues of those times.
Saturday offered a choice of interesting outings:
a guided tour of Cambridge or a boat trip on the
Great Ouse River. I joined the Cambridge group
who used the amazing ‘Busway’ transport – a
sort of speedy mono-track. Built on special bus
tracks, this direct route into the city felt just as if
we were travelling on an express train! Our
Cambridge guide took great pains to show us
many interesting examples of old and new(ish)
buildings of great architectural interest.
Unexpectedly, we became delighted witnesses to
an unscheduled diversion. That day -10th May -
had been booked by a Morris Dance Convention
when hundreds of colourful groups of Morris
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to dance on every busy thoroughfare in the City
centre! Camera clicking went into ‘overdrive’!
Our tour ended with a visit to the famous Kings
College Chapel. A good guide will always share
some fascinating inside information and we were
not disappointed. In 1941 a momentous decision
was taken to remove all the precious ancient
stained glass windows and stored in various
local cellars for safe keeping throughout the
duration of the war.
Later on, after our return to the hotel, we listened
to a talk by Dame Judith Herman, a prestigious
former Research Fellow of the Woolf Institute,
Cambridge. Her moving and stimulating talk
focused on the importance of inter-faith relations
between Jews and Christians, with particular
emphasis on her extensive work both in the U.K.
and in Hungary and other Central European
communities.
A delicious dinner was followed by a well-
chosen evening programme which kept everyone
amused, entertained and in high spirits.
After breakfast in the Riverside Bar Room, the
film “Beyond Violence” was presented by Iris
Singer. This controversial film stimulated a great
deal of thought provoking ‘feedback’.
My sister Eve celebrated her 89th birthday that
day and, before we left for a planned family
lunch, she was presented with a lovely birthday
cake and a rousing ‘happy birthday’ chorus.
Thank you all very much for helping to make her
day rather special. Without a doubt it was a
Reunion to be well remembered. We certainly
will.