The 40th anniversary of the ending of World War II is to be a major theme in the four-month festival of British Jewry starting next month. The festival, marking the 225th anniversary of the founding of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, will have a program of about 60 events in London and 12 other centers throughout Britain. It will culminate on June 4 at a reception at Hampton Court Palace to honor the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Among leading events are two exhibitions depicting Jewish heritage and art at London’s Common wealth Institute and a documentary exhibition of Anglo-Jewish achievement at London’s Camden Arts Center. There also will be light entertainment and concerts at a West End theater and the Royal Albert Hall, as well as services marking Israel’s Independence Day.
Among several events linked with the anniversary of victory over Nazism is a commemorative dinner for survivors of the Holocaust. Several provincial cities are staging exhibitions of Jewish music, art, drama and cuisine.
The festival is largely the initiative of MP Greville Janner, whose six-year term as president of the Board of Deputies comes to an end this year.
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