Almost 50 strangers heed the call to attend burial of Holocaust refugee

Forty men and eight women paid their respects today at the funeral of a Holocaust refugee they had never met.

Their mitzvah followed a public plea by the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) following the death of 91-year old Betty Shane in a fire. She was one of around 800 survivors in Britain given help and assistance by the organisation.

Her father was murdered at Auschwitz and she had almost no family.

Whilst AJR requested enough mourners to form a minyan (quorum of 10 men) to ensure she could be buried at Bushey Old Cemetery, the community ensured there were enough, four times over.

Michael Newman, CEO, Association of Jewish Refugees, told Jewish News: “We were devastated to hear of Betty’s passing in such tragic circumstances. A former teacher, with a passion for English, she was a lovely and cultured lady with a deep interest in poetry and literature and wrote her memoirs about her time in Israel in the 1950s.

“She was also determined to ensure that her father, who was murdered at Auschwitz, was remembered. It was our honour and privilege to support her with our holistic social welfare services, as we continue to do with hundreds of other Holocaust refugees and survivors, including now to pay our respects at her funeral.”