London reunion
Six friends who graduated together from high school over 50 years ago, met for a week's reunion in London to celebrate our 70th birthdays. On the first day we hired a mini-bus that took us and our spouses to various sites of interest in East London, from whence we had originated. That day the weather was beautiful.
We first visited the oldest synagogue in the UK, Bevis Marks in the City of London. It was consecrated in 1701, and is Sephardic. It is well worth a visit and is an active shul that is also historic.
From there we went to the Whitechapel Art Gallery that played a key role in the culture of East End Jews. It fell on hard times for a while, but recently was renovated and updated by the infusion of funds and is now a notable art gallery and museum, although we found some of the "modern" art not to our taste. Nearby on the wall is a plaque commemorating Isaac Rosenberg who was a noted WWI British poet. The area has changed out of all recognition from the time we used to meet nearby at "Gardiner's corner" that no longer exists.
Then we drove around the East End, from Whitechapel to Hackney, visiting the sites where some of us had grown up. In some cases we could recognize the place, but in many cases the roads and building no longer existed.
We ended up at our former school, Central Foundation Boys' School, Cowper Street, near Old Street in the City of London. The entrance looked the same, down a dingy side street, but inside there were tremendous changes. We were taken around by the School's Assistant Head. The adjoining Law Court that had been built on school land, has been reunited with the school and turned into a modern IT center, with rooms full of computers and a large library, as well as improved gym facilities. One of the most notable changes is that when we went there in the 1950s the school population was ca. 50% Jewish, but now there are no Jews. Like us they have all moved away, and have been replaced by subsequent immigrants, Afro-Caribbeans, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Poles.
That evening we assembled for a festive (kosher) dinner and toasted our ability and luck to have reached that juncture. It is quite extraordinary that we each chose different professions, in law, business, academica and computers, and all have been reasonably successful.
The following day, with the weather typically overcast for Britain, we sailed down the Thames to Greenwich and visited the National Maritime Museum. We wore our custom-made T-shirts and school hats for the occasion, that caught some curious attention. Then we returned by boat to Westminster and made our way to the Globe Theater, where some of us went to a performance of Shakespeare's "As you Like it." Never having seen a play there before I was quite thrilled for the first 15 mins or so, but then the discomfort of the pews and the inability to hear well took a toll. We walked back at night with the magnificent view of London lit up along the Embankment.
The next day we had a festive lunch at the Oslo Court restaurant near Regent's Park. This is an excellent restaurant with a high reputation and a friendly atmosphere, and we were joined by the owner for a long chat about its origins. Finally on Saturday night the Berkovitz's gave a party for his and the others birthdays.
Altogether it was a very memorable reunion, a unique experience with the customary camaraderie borne of long-term friendships.
We first visited the oldest synagogue in the UK, Bevis Marks in the City of London. It was consecrated in 1701, and is Sephardic. It is well worth a visit and is an active shul that is also historic.
From there we went to the Whitechapel Art Gallery that played a key role in the culture of East End Jews. It fell on hard times for a while, but recently was renovated and updated by the infusion of funds and is now a notable art gallery and museum, although we found some of the "modern" art not to our taste. Nearby on the wall is a plaque commemorating Isaac Rosenberg who was a noted WWI British poet. The area has changed out of all recognition from the time we used to meet nearby at "Gardiner's corner" that no longer exists.
Then we drove around the East End, from Whitechapel to Hackney, visiting the sites where some of us had grown up. In some cases we could recognize the place, but in many cases the roads and building no longer existed.
We ended up at our former school, Central Foundation Boys' School, Cowper Street, near Old Street in the City of London. The entrance looked the same, down a dingy side street, but inside there were tremendous changes. We were taken around by the School's Assistant Head. The adjoining Law Court that had been built on school land, has been reunited with the school and turned into a modern IT center, with rooms full of computers and a large library, as well as improved gym facilities. One of the most notable changes is that when we went there in the 1950s the school population was ca. 50% Jewish, but now there are no Jews. Like us they have all moved away, and have been replaced by subsequent immigrants, Afro-Caribbeans, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Poles.
That evening we assembled for a festive (kosher) dinner and toasted our ability and luck to have reached that juncture. It is quite extraordinary that we each chose different professions, in law, business, academica and computers, and all have been reasonably successful.
The following day, with the weather typically overcast for Britain, we sailed down the Thames to Greenwich and visited the National Maritime Museum. We wore our custom-made T-shirts and school hats for the occasion, that caught some curious attention. Then we returned by boat to Westminster and made our way to the Globe Theater, where some of us went to a performance of Shakespeare's "As you Like it." Never having seen a play there before I was quite thrilled for the first 15 mins or so, but then the discomfort of the pews and the inability to hear well took a toll. We walked back at night with the magnificent view of London lit up along the Embankment.
The next day we had a festive lunch at the Oslo Court restaurant near Regent's Park. This is an excellent restaurant with a high reputation and a friendly atmosphere, and we were joined by the owner for a long chat about its origins. Finally on Saturday night the Berkovitz's gave a party for his and the others birthdays.
Altogether it was a very memorable reunion, a unique experience with the customary camaraderie borne of long-term friendships.
posted by Jack Cohen at 8:32 AM
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