Challenges - Trace Your Roots
Norwood Challenges the community to Trace Your Roots
Over eighty people took up Norwood’s latest sporting challenge on Sunday 1st June 2003, by participating in a trip down memory lane courtesy of Trace Your Roots – a nine mile sponsored walk tracing the historical roots of the Jewish community in London, from the East End to Golders Green.
Trace Your Roots was the brainchild of Frank Green, an 81-year-old retired fine art dealer from Hampstead. “The senior generation of the London Jewish community was rooted in the East End. Our generation was immensely important to the development and success of today’s emerging generation of Anglo-Jewry. We fought against Hitler in the Second World War; we played a big part in the creation of the State of Israel and, in spite of Anti-Semitism, we have achieved great success in so many fields. This sponsored walk gave my generation the opportunity to commemorate symbolically and celebrate our achievements, together with our families, whilst at the same time proving to the younger generation that, even at our age, we enjoy nothing more than a good challenge!”
Originally, the idea was that only people over the age of 70 would take part. But there was so much interest from people who wanted to bring their children and grandchildren along that the Norwood Challenges Team decided to open it up to families and make the event ‘multi-generational’.
Participants in the Trace Your Roots Walk met at Golders Green Synagogue in Dunstan Road at 8.30am where they were transferred by coach to the start at Aldgate Station. From Aldgate, they pasted Old Jewry, The Aldgate Pump, Cheapside, St Paul’s, The Jewish Chronicle offices, Gray’s Inn Road, Russell Square and Woburn Place before making their way northbound into Regent’s Park and heading towards Finchley Road and back to Dunstan Road.
The Jewish Museum, AJEX and the Jewish Chronicle all lent their support to the event; historians walked the route with participants, pointing out specific areas of interest along the way.
Jane Jaffe, Head of Community Fundraising at Norwood was delighted with the success of the event. “When my father Frank Green came to me with the idea of hosting this event, I was very excited about its prospects, and the success of the Trace Your Roots Walk has far exceeded my expectations! There is a determination, strength of will and commitment amongst my parents’ generation that we respect and admire – something that is a worthy example to us all. I was really proud that three generations of my family joined me on this trip down memory lane.”
“It’s been wonderful to see so many generations of Anglo-Jewry walking together today and sharing the experience of learning more about the London Jewish community’s rich history, spanning so many hundreds of years. Walking through the street of London, we passed so many buildings with a historical significance for Norwood. This walk has re-iterated to everyone just how intertwined Norwood’s history is with London’s Jewish community, and just how central the organisation has been to the development of our community over the past 200 years.”
For more information please contact
Ronit Shebson
Public Relations Manager at Norwood
tel : 020 8420 6900
email : ronit.shebson@norwood.org.uk
