WATCH: Meet the people who usually don’t lecture

For a storytelling people, there are plenty of Jews who have never had the chance to tell their own stories to an audience bigger than guests at the Friday night dinner table.

Six guest speakers were recruited for a special storytelling event at JW3 on 28 October, titled ‘People Who Usually Don’t Lecture’ (PWUDL), media sponsored by Jewish News.

Meet some of those who took to the stage at the Jewish community centre, and hear what they had to say. 

Richard Pollins, 41, from North Finchley, who was born without legs.

He detailed the perils of negotiating escalators or climbing up stairs on artificial legs and the challenges of balancing fatherhood with his disability.

Violinist Harry Lyons discussed the personal impact of a horrific car accident that cost him part of his eyesight and the ability to hear for more than 10 years.

The 93-year-old from Golders Green was the last musical director to have worked for Moss Empires circuit and has performed around the world, including for members of the royal family.

Jewish-Iraqi speaker Niran Bassoon-Timan, 62, from Edgware, described her life’s journey from Baghdad to Israel in 1973, and later to the UK in 1987.

She became involved in non-political bridge building between Iraqi and Israeli communities, starting a YouTube channel.

Israeli guest speaker Shai Grosskopf, 45, from Barnet, detailed his own experience of coming out as gay to his parents and later, on the advice of his father, of adopting two daughters in Yorkshire with his partner of 27 years.

Adam Overlander-Kaye, 46, from Finchley, who spent a decade in Jewish education described his relationship with religion and how it has changed.

• Also featured was forensic psychologist Lindy, who could only be identified by her first name, and serves on the Parole Board, a body that determines whether prisoners can be safely released into the community.
• Read more here: ‘Bizarrely, constant talking in Hasmo days prepared me to work with extremists!’