As part of our research into Sunderland and inspired by the discovery of a short piece of silent film dating to the early 1960s, now held in the North East Film Archive (NEFA), volunteers Rachel Lewis and Trish Skinner hosted an online event. This brought together the film-maker's son-in-law, Peter Gatoff, and former members of the Sunderland Jewish community to remember the Joel Intract Memorial Home of Rest for Aged Jews. The home closed in the late 1990s and was transferred to Philip Cussins House in Newcastle. The current Chair in Newcastle, Martin Levinson, also joined us for the meeting.
Serving the whole of the North East, the Home was founded just after WWII at 6 Gray Road through the benefaction of Joseph Intract, in memory of his brother Joel. The site already had a history of philanthropy, having served as a Girls' Hostel for refugees during the War.
The Zoom session aimed to identify some of those featured in the short film clip (sandwiched between two others recording the Newcastle community) which captured the opening of the Home's extension wing in 1962. With the help of Sylvie Adler, David Pearlman, Ian Rawson, Dorothy Sadlik and Joe Taylor, as well as emails received from Pat Kremer and Jeremy Topaz, we were able to identify many of those officiating, as well as some of the small boys singing in the choir, and recall the close connections between the Home and the surrounding community. Rachel herself contributed memories of working in the Home until 1994.
The site in Sunderland was demolished some twenty years ago, and so the film, and some photos posted on the Sunderland Facebook page, represent a precious record of the Home and its connections with the wider community.
Although the official minutes and papers of the Home are now lodged in the Tyne and Wear Archives, the evening represented a way to record more personal aspects of its 50-year history, and give NEFA some more detailed information about this clip.
Connecting Small Histories thanks Graham Relton at NEFA and Peter Gatoff for helping us make this particular connection.
Want to see the clips? Go to https://www.yfanefa.com/record/25685
