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Opening Maccabi House in No. 9 Windsor Crescent, Newcastle upon Tyne, by the Rt. Hon. Lord Nathan of Churt

A big welcome for former Labour politician Lord Nathan at a smart new post-war Maccabi club in Newcastle.

Amateur film 1951 15 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for North East Film Archive

Overview

The Jewish community in Newcastle welcome former Labour politician Lord Nathan, who officially opens the Maccabi sports and social club on Windsor Terrace. A new generation twist and jive at the Blue and White Ball, dance the Hora and compete on the soccer pitch in this unique amateur film of Jewish communal life and sports in the 1950s - a celebratory retort to the horrors of World War Two.

The two amateurs who shot this film were active in Newcastle Jewish community life. One filmmaker was Monty Rosen, the owner of Fenhams photography shop, located first in Clayton Street and then in Grainger Street. Lord Nathan was Vice President of the Union of Maccabi Associations in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which was set up to promote the active participation in sports and education of young Jewish men and women, in order to enhance their Jewish identity, values and commitment to the community. Most of Windsor Terrace was demolished in the 1970s to make way for Newcastles Central Motorway.