Why JW3 works

As one

(Non-Jews account for one in five visits to JW3 — JC, Feb 24), might I be permitted to say that, as a fairly regular attender these days, I do so enjoy the time I spend at the centre.

Although my own (non-Jewish) Jewish journey really started in 1967 (what a year that turned out to be) my first visit to JW3 was in 2015 when I retired, enrolled on a couple of history courses and became a member.

The centre is a credit to all who help make the venue a success in hosting a wide range of activities. The quality of some of the lecturers is excellent and two in particular (at the risk of causing unintended embarrassment) are Trudy Gold and William Tyler.

As a bonus, after the HMD event I managed to speak with Howard Jacobson who had been one of my lecturers way back in 1980. He was of course very gracious but perhaps a little depressed to learn that one of his former students was of retirement age!

I am often frustrated that Israel seems to have given up on PR but I hope JW3 will seize every opportunity to encourage the 20 per cent to increase and help more people to appreciate the rich heritage, trials and tribulations and not forgetting the humour of the Jewish community. If I lived in London, JW3 could easily become my second home. William Philpott,

Daventry, Northamptonshire