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AJR Journal Catalogue Available Online

08.02.2011

The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) of Great Britain is delighted to announce that they have made the entire back catalogue of their monthly AJR Journal, stretching back to the first edition in January 1946, available on its website at www.ajr.org.uk/pdfjournals.

To mark the 65th anniversary of its first publication, the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) has made the entire back catalogue of its monthly Journal available on the AJR’s website at www.ajr.org.uk/pdfjournals

First published in January 1946 as AJR Information, the AJR Journal is a unique collection of literature which chronicles the story of the Jewish refugees from Nazi oppression, their traditions and customs as well as their strong cultural identity. The Journal tells their story in real time, and covers in great detail many historic post war events – from the Nuremberg Trials to the Declaration of the State of Israel, the Hungarian revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall – all from the perspective of the refugees from Nazi oppression.

In addition to historians of refugee and migration studies and people seeking information about their families, the material is a valuable archive for sociologists and psychologists examining the impact of the Jewish refugees from Europe and of refugees in general.

Today the AJR Journal combines topical news analysis with feature articles as well as book, theatre and film reviews. The Journal also contains profiles of personalities with a connection to the refugee community and promotes forthcoming AJR events and activities. Regular features include information and reports from regional group meetings, search notices for those looking for relatives or friends from the past and family announcements.

AJR Chairman, Andrew Kaufman, said: “As we celebrate our 70th anniversary this remarkable and precious archive documents the considerable contribution to Britain made by the refugees and reflects the social and cultural context of how they rebuilt their lives as well as their absorption into British society. It also includes valuable biographical information such as obituaries and search notices, all of which makes it of great interest to the public and to researchers and academics.”

AJR Consultant Editor Dr Anthony Grenville, whose recent book, Jewish Refugees from Germany and Austria in Britain: Their Image in ‘AJR Information’ draws heavily on the Journal archive, added: “The AJR Journal is a wonderfully rich source of material on the Jewish refugees from Hitler in Britain from 1946. Making it available for public access will transform the whole area of research on the community that the AJR represents and creates the legacy of the refugees’ achievements.”

For further information please contact Michael Newman:
Tel: 020 8385 3074
Fax: 020 8385 3080
Email: mnewman [at] ajr.org.uk
Website: www.ajr.org.uk

Notes:

The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) provides comprehensive social and welfare services and grants financial assistance to victims of Nazi persecution living in Great Britain.

Directed by Dr Antony Grenville and Dr Bea Lewkowicz, the AJR has produced the groundbreaking audio-visual testimony archive, Refugee Voices. This collection of 150 filmed interviews creates a legacy of the experiences of the refugees and will advance and enhance Holocaust research for future generations. Refugee Voices enables Holocaust researchers and scholars to watch up to 450 hours of film and read fully edited and transcribed accounts. For the first time, researchers will also be assisted by time-codes that, together with a summary sheet and key words section, direct users to specific sections of the films. Details of Refugee Voices are at www.refugeevoices.co.uk

In conjunction with the Jewish Museum in London, the AJR produced the exhibition, Continental Britons - Jewish Refugees from Nazi Europe, which relates the remarkable and compelling story of the Jewish refugees who fled Nazi persecution in the German-speaking countries before World War II and came to Britain. The exhibition, directed by Dr Antony Grenville and Dr Bea Lewkowicz, can be seen online at http://www.ajr.org.uk/continental-britons

Through a unique survey entitled the AJR has recorded the Continental background, journey to Britain, reception and subsequent experiences and lives of some 1,500 Jewish children of the Kindertransport. Making New Lives in Britain can be seen at http://www.ajr.org.uk/kindersurvey

The AJR is part of the UK delegation to the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF), which brings together governments and nongovernmental organisations to raise awareness of the Holocaust and places political and social leaders' support behind the need for Holocaust education, remembrance, and research both nationally and internationally.