AN Essex resident has played a major role in the launch of a new Jewish Deaf History London website.
Found at www.jdeafhistorylondon.co.uk, the site is crammed with Jewish Deaf people’s stories, photos, videos and memorabilia, preserving the history of the Jewish Deaf Association (JDA), World Organisation of Jewish Deaf, Jewish Deaf Sports and the Residential School for Jewish Deaf Children (RSJDC).
Ann Clements, from Buckhurst Hill, was part of a team of Deaf volunteers who spent months compiling the content. She was joined by Barry David, Mira Goldberg (JDA Trustee), Linda Woolfe, Carolyn Denmark, Sara Olsen and Daniel Clements, and supported by the help and input of many Deaf people in the community.
Ann comes from a Deaf family. Her parents met through the JDA, which is also where she met her late husband Harvey.
Ann said: “During lockdown, I was sorting out our hundreds of old family photos. I came across historical photographs, including from RSJDC, JDA and Deaf Sports such as the Deaf Olympics and wondered why we were keeping these hidden.
“Everything really took off from there and we’ve had some great finds – such as the census for RSJDC from 1871 and so many fabulous photographs and videos from over the decades.”
The site was launched as the JDA celebrated its Platinum Jubilee with a spectacular event organised by Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users for 100 guests from the Deaf signing community.
Whilst paying tribute to the JDA’s invaluable work at the heart of the Deaf community over the past 70 years, the event also reunited lifelong friends – now aged 63–97 years old – who grew up together at the RSJDC, which was founded in in 1865 and closed down in 1965.
Four elders of the community and former school pupils – Harold Fallman, Miriam Solomon, Leslie Bieber and Martin Binysh – cut a stunning 70th Anniversary cake, created by deaf baker Ravit Freeman of Peaks and Swirls.
JDA enables deaf people – young, old and everyone in between – to overcome daily obstacles in our hearing world, and to get the very best out of life.
JDA Chief Executive, Sue Cipin said: “As we join The Queen in celebrating our Platinum Jubilee, we’re so proud to celebrate 70 years of our loving, caring, laughing, wonderful JDA community. Here’s to many more years of creating Jewish Deaf history together!”
- If you have any photos, trophies, memorabilia, videos that would benefit the Jewish Deaf London website, or wish to find out more, please email jdeafhistory2021@gmail.com.
