Jewish Festival of Culture

Festival 2009 was a special day to remember - thank you to everyone who came and participated - it was a sell out!  We were delighted to welcome so many visitors.

Throughout the day, guests took part in lectures, discussions and a guided visit to Cheltenham Synagogue.  

Clockwise from top left: Chairman, Sam Stone, welcoming the Mayor and Mayoress of Cheltenham; attendees sign up for lectures in the Mozart Room; Elkan Levy ready to go; Sam Stone discussing the day with Robert Landberger (a participant in the Memories DVD) and his guest

Pleasures of the day included Dr Alan Ford, from the University of Gloucestershire, speaking about Jewish art and architecture in the 20th century and impressing with an encyclopaedic knowledge of his subject, Rev Brian Torode, author and local historian,  giving an authoritative and entertaining presentation on the history of the Jews in Gloucestershire and a literary journey by Mrs Marge Clouts, writer and poet.  Elkan Levy, Director of the Office of Small Communities, gave an extremely interesting introduction to Judiasm, especially valued by those with little knowledge of Jewish life; he also shared his insights on the pleasures and challenges of life in small communities.

A highlight for many was seeing a DVD containing memories of life in the community.  This had been made especially for the day in collaboration with the Faculty of Media, Art and Communications of the University of Gloucestershire. 

Clockwise from top left: Dr Alan Ford; Rev Brian Torode and Martin Horwood MP; Marge Clouts; the organising committee (Judy Bavin, Christine Dyer, Lea Elliott and Abigail Fisher), together with Elkan Levy and Betty Stone; Malcolm Wiseman

Particularly memorable for many visitors was a visit to the synagogue where Rev Malcolm Weisman, Minister for Small Communities, and community members led a guided tour.  Also on offer were a Passover Seder table with expert advice on hand, and a bookshop.

The Festival ended with a foot-tapping celebration of the music of George and Ira Gershwin and their, mostly Jewish, contemporaries given by the charismatic Tony Jacobs and the brilliant Jim Barry Quintet.

You can still see our programme for the day on the Festival flyer [320 Kb].

Most computers will open the flyer automatically, but you may need Adobe reader.