The Jewish Home for the Aged, Twenty-Second Annual Garden Party, promotional booklet, Cardiff, 22 June 1969

Description

A booklet publicising the twenty-third annual garden party of the Home for Aged Jews (run by their Welfare Committee), which was to be held at Penylan House, Penylan Road, Cardiff. The cover page features the quote "Cast us not off in our old age; forsake us not when our strength faileth", a photograph of the Home's exterior and a list of the management team. At the time of the party, the President was Mr S. Cohen, the Vice-President was Mr S. Walters, the Life President was Mr Henry Silver and the Vice-Life Presidents were Sir Barnett Janner, M.P. and Israel Brodie, The Emeritus Chief Rabbi.

Sir Barnett Janner was born in Lithuania then moved to Barry, South Wales when he was 6 months old. He was a Labour Member of Parliament for Leicester from 1945- 1970 and was known in parliament for being the spokesman of Zionist views, becoming the secretary for a pro-Zionist parliamentary group he formed. Between 1955 and 1964, Janner was the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Janner was present at the 21 birthday celebrations of The Jewish Home for the Aged. Israel Brodie was made Chief Rabbi in 1948 and founded the European Conference of Rabbis, using this to help rebuild the religious life of the European Jewry in the years following the Holocaust. He was heavily involved in the Freemasons and in 1969 (the year of this garden party) was also the first Rabbi to be given a Knighthood.

The garden party was to be held on Sunday, 22 June 1969. It was to be officially opened at 3pm by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Ald. Sir Charles Hallinan, C.B.E., who is also listed as a guest of honour along with Lady Hallinan. The M.C. is named as Mr Harry Poloway, who had been present at numerous other celebrations involving the Home. Harry Poloway had been a Warrant Officer in the Second World War and was well-known, especially in the Newport area, being the official toastmaster at many events involving the Royal Family.

On the inside of the booklet is a list of the members of the Welfare Committee and an address from the Chairman, Leah Jessel. The address welcomes "My dear friends" to the event, highlighting the difficulty of arranging the party in 1969 as a new Home was being built so the usual facilities were not available. This was part of a £120,000 development project which resulted in part of the premises having to be demolished. However Jessel, stresses that the Annual Garden Party is extremely important for both the happiness of the residents and for the money it raises. Jessel thanks the Mayor and Mayoress for their attendance, the United Synagogue Ladies' Guild for organising the catering and the management team of the Home. Finally, Jessel asks for particular attention to be payed to the Occupational Therapy Stall, which sold gifts made by the residents under the supervision of Mrs Aukland.

The next page lists the stalls, amusements and refreshments available at the party and who provided them, such as the raffle stall by Newport Ladies' Guild and Cakes from the Llandaff W.I.Z.O. Group. On the back of the booklet, the games and entertainment in 'Children's Corner' is detailed such as hoopla, darts and shove-halfpenny as well as a thanks to various individuals and companies who have donated or loaned items and services. For example, the South Wales Electricity Board had loaned electric boilers and Mr A. Schiller had provided transport

An article in Cajex's September 1969 edition describes the event as being extremely successful, "despite the state of the grounds of the Home due to the redevelopment of the building". Over five hundred people attended and the event raised £1,200.

There have been numerous locations of the Home for Aged Jews: Mr Henry Silver and other members of the community had originally founded a Home for the Aged in Canton in 1946, which then moved to Penarth, its official opening being 5 December 1948. Despite the beautiful surroundings, the Home in Penarth was quite isolated so the difficult decision was later taken to move the Home to Penylan Road in Cardiff, meaning many residents were now closer to their friends and relatives. Residents moved to Penylan House in 1959.

Pencare (formerly known as 'The Trustees of Penylan House') is a charity, which offers care for elderly people of the Jewish faith and is currently based in Cardiff, although the catchment area for the home covers South Wales and the West of England. Pencare has been working with Linc Cymru to redevelop their care home, Penylan House, to ensure high quality care to Cardiff's elderly Jewish community and extending the care to elderly people not of the Jewish faith.

Sources:
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/lord-barnett-janner;
https://freemasonrymatters.co.uk/videos-about-freemasonry/the-career-of-the-former-chief-rabbie-very-reverend-sir-israel-brodie-a-energetic-freemason/;
https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/14154389.Salute_to_Harry_Poloway__Newport___s_red_coated_ambassador/;
Cajex, Magazine of the Association of Jewish Ex-service Men and Women (Cardiff), Vol. XIX, No. 4, Nineteenth Year - December 1969, p. 25;
Cajex, Magazine of the Association of Jewish Ex-service Men and Women (Cardiff), Vol. XIX, No. 3, Nineteenth Year - September, 1969, pp. 73-75;
Cajex, Magazine of the Association of Jewish Ex-service Men and Women (Cardiff), Vol. IX, No. 1, Ninth Year - March, 1959, pp. 60- 65;
Cajex, Magazine of the Association of Jewish Ex-service Men and Women (Cardiff), Vol. XIX, No. 3, Nineteenth Year - September, 1969, pp. 73-75;
http://opencharities.org/charities/243968 http://www.housingcare.org/downloads/facilities/generated-brochures/134508-penylan-house-nursing-home-cardiff-wales.pdf.

Depository: Glamorgan Archives.