How has the role of CJRA evolved in this context? Since the split, CJRA has been looking for its “raison d’être”, as religious services are, in practice, taken care of by other entities. However, we maintain control of the Chevra Kadisha, which keeps to orthodox practice, and is in the capable hands of Trevor Marcuson, Brendel Lang and for many years, Priscilla Goldstein. She is still involved in the women’s tahara group. I see the role of CJRA as an umbrella group bringing people of different Jewish affiliations together in social, cultural and educational events. Our Chanukah Party is the social highlight of the year. One of our achievements was the setting up of Cambridge Jewish Community Support, which is a very active group providing welfare and support wherever it is needed to all members of both communities. We started the Cambridge Jewish Toddler Group over 2 years ago. It has flourished in the last year and a half, under the dynamic leadership of Lilach Imray, who provided regular monthly meetings of Jewish interest for young mothers and their pre school children. We also have a very successful and popular group for older members, which we call the Cambridge Jewish Cultural Association, which has been running now for over 15 years and meets once a month on a Monday afternoon. CJRA also supports other Societies financially and promotes their events. For example, the money raised at the CJRA concert organized last year at Queens College was shared between the Cambridge Friends of Magen David Adom and the British Technion Society. We have been organising regular, educational evening talks for over 25 years, roughly three a term on a Wednesday evenings. Valerie Collis has been organizing them for 17 years continuously and Brendel Lang for many years before her. I would love to have you all as members of CJRA as we aim to serve the whole community wherever we can. CJRA has a relationship with the ministry for small communities, the Board of Deputies, the Cambridge Ethnic Forum and various interfaith groups. We helped the Cambridge Hebrew School financially when it started up and we continue to give financial support each year to the students for the maintenance of the synagogue. In return, CJRA members are entitled to attend religious services in Thompson’s Lane. We have about 160 fully paid up members and each extra member is precious to us. Our low subscription of £29 per annum has remained the same for over 10 years. Please, do not hesitate to contact me if you would like more information (mfersht@gmail.com)! How are newcomers to Cambridge informed about the existence of CJRA? We have a website (http://www.cjra.org.uk/) giving basic information but it could be improved, and we would welcome any suggestions or practical help. We publish three magazines a year, now in the very capable hands of Carole Gold. We leave some copies in Thompson’s Lane. We also send regular emails with all the activities and events of Jewish interest in Cambridge. Anyone, even non-members, can join the mailing list, which contains the names of more than 300 people. Please send me an email (mfersht@gmail.com). What is the most memorable event you organized with CJRA? It was a two day event called 'Klezmer on the Cam’ held on the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2002. We received a lot of support from the Jewish Music Institute in London. Many excellent Klezmer musicians attended, giving lectures, workshops and performances. We also had a talk from a famous Yiddish actress and from historians. The Burning Bush music band, with Lucie Skeaping, took part. It was a lot of work but a great success and many Jews attended from outside Cambridge, staying overnight at Peterhouse where the event was taking place, as well as many non-Jewish locals. Could you tell us a bit about your youth and how did your commitment into Jewish organizations start? I was born during the war. When I was 8, my parents decided to become members of a synagogue and joined the progressive synagogue in Finchley. We always celebrated Seder night and my mother would light the candles on Shabbat, but we were not religious. I went to Sunday classes but did not learn very much. My school in North Finchley was not Jewish, but a fifth of the students were Jewish and we had a Jewish Assembly, which I attended. This played an important role in giving me a Jewish identity. I joined the Jewish Student Society, when I was a student at Kings College in London and went to Israel in the summer of 1965 on a kibbutz working scheme, organised by Hashomer Hatzair. After I gave up teaching, I became the administrator at Wimbledon Synagogue in London from 1983 to 1988. Dear Lady Marilyn, may I at last ask you the indiscrete question: When will your husband, who was knighted in 2003 for his pioneering work in protein research, get the Nobel Prize? I don’t know, this is a lottery!
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