Once again, Aberystwyth led the way as the town council laid a white poppy wreath at the Cenotaph on 7 November. Despite the weather, the ceremony was well attended. Those present remembered the suffering caused by organised violence and “all the places where our humanity has been denied”, commented Jill Gough of CND Cymru.
Rhidian Griffiths chose the hymn “Let There be Peace on Earth” by Fred Kaan, “a lifelong pacifist, whose convictions grew out of his childhood in the Netherlands under German occupation, when he had seen neighbours disappear overnight”.
The Kaan family sheltered a Jewish girl for a long time; she survived the war and was reunited with Fred in 2006 – “a story of the triumph of justice and determination even in dark times”.
Seven children
The effects of war were the theme of another Aberystwyth event. The play Seven Jewish Children was performed by Louche Theatre Company and Côr Gobaith at the Arts Centre on 12 November.
The audience was led on a journey from the holocaust in Nazi Germany to Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories. The shift from victim to oppressor was illustrated through seven intense family conversations contrasted by songs of peace.
The event raised over £430 for Medical Aid for Palestinians.