YOUNG JEWRY – JOINT EMERGENCY COMMITTEE for JEWISH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION in GREAT BRITAIN Woburn House, Upper Woburn Place, London, W.C.1 – A volume of consecutive issues published over approximately three years, from August 1943 until the early months of 1946, including the special Victory in World War II issue, which was printed in color. Rare.
A monthly for Jewish youth in England, published during the war years with the aim of supporting the education of young Jews, in light of the mass enlistment of their parents and the disruption of formal educational institutions. In the various issues, each month featured puzzles and quizzes for children, sections on science, reading studies, and more. In addition, there were regular articles on the Jewish festivals, in which the different writers intertwined contemporary events with the message of the approaching holiday; a section titled “Remember the Days of Old” – passages relating to Jewish education throughout history; attempts to reorganize Jewish education within new frameworks (the efforts that preceded the establishment of the Council for Jewish Education in Great Britain and Ireland, which was responsible for the religious education of Jewish youth), and more. Alongside these appeared numerous pieces addressing events experienced by the Jewish people during the war years: the persecution of Jews by the Nazis throughout Europe, the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, “Join your friends at the Hebrew School”, immigration to the Land of Israel, the festival of Sukkot under Nazi rule, articles of encouragement anticipating the fall of fascism, letters from world Jewry, letters from the Land of Israel, about the Tehran Children, the story of Youth Aliyah, Jewish soldiers in the British Army, the establishment of Torah institutions destroyed in the war, in memory of the Jews who perished in Dachau, and more. Among the contributors: Dr. Yaakov Cohen, Rabbi Yehuda Goodman, Yehuda Slutsky, Rabbi Gottlieb, Rabbi Arental, Rabbi Leherman, Maurice Nathan, Isidore Fishman, and many others.
Among the issues before us appears the Victory in the War issue, which was printed in color. On the front page, a Star of David appears alongside British flags, accompanied by an enthusiastic editorial and words by Maurice Nathan: “Victory – after six terrible years, perhaps the most terrible and tragic years in human history, we can breathe freely once again. The victory, for which we suffered, struggled, and prayed, has come—even earlier than many of us dared to hope. It is such a great and complete victory that we still find it hard to grasp its full meaning…”. This issue includes a long article on how the youth in England coped during the war years, and their devotion to maintaining educational frameworks despite mass enlistment, the contribution of British Jewry to the victory over the Nazis, the religious significance of the victory, Mr. Churchill and his warm relationship with the Jews and his support for Zionism, reports on Victory Day celebrations, and more. In the final issues, regular reports and photographs document the fate of the She’erit Hapletah.
The monthly Young Jewry was published in Britain during World War II at the initiative of the Joint Emergency Committee for Jewish Religious Education in Great Britain. The committee was established to provide religious education for Jewish children during the war, especially those who were evacuated from major cities or were refugees who had arrived in Britain. The monthly was published from the committee’s address at Woburn House, London, and served as a central tool for delivering educational, religious, and cultural content to the Jewish community. It included articles, lessons, news, and updates aimed at preserving Jewish identity and supporting religious education during a time of uncertainty and crisis.
A complete volume of issues. Good – very good condition.
