News & Events

To the St Annes Community, Peter & Yve wish you all:  And may we all be blessed with good health, joy and peace in the coming year, and let us say Amen. Yve and Peter Beyfus

At 8.15 on the morning of the 6th August 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped above Hiroshima by the United States and on the 9th August, a second atomic bomb was exploded above the city of Nagasaki which caused less destruction due to the nature of the terrain.  It is estimated that 120,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and […]

A Remarkable Man: The Vanished World of Stefan Zweig by Peter Beyfus This article, first published in the ‘Westminster Quarterly’, reminds us of why we should be eternally vigilant, ever watchful of evil trends in society. A man and his wife decided to commit suicide by taking an overdose of barbiturates on the 22 February […]

The message below was sent to us by a non-Jewish friend : My friends /colleagues  and I  –   are sending this out to as many Jewish people  –    as we can find       with the declaration The shocking documents from the Church of England –  general. Synod have nothing whatever to […]

Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915): Scientist and Visionary By Peter Beyfus We have learnt a great deal about the COVID-19 virus since it impacted our lives in 2020; and the development of vaccines with breathtaking speed has impressed both the scientific fraternity and all of us who have little knowledge of the esoteric field of immunology. At […]

By Rebbetzen Anna Bergson I wasn’t going to share this upsetting antisemitic incident I experienced last Shabbos afternoon but my hubby has just mentioned it on Love World TV and as the interviewer was shocked and the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, here goes… So late last Shabbos afternoon me and […]

About the Author Peter John Beyfus is an historian, published author, poet, and a person who prides himself on “thinking outside the box”. I have written many essays on Jewish themes, published in various journals, and I take a keen interest in international affairs. I believe in robustly defending Israel’s right to exist, to expose […]

“Don’t cry and don’t rage. Understand”: Baruch Spinoza  By Peter Beyfus   Philosophers,  by their challenging natures,  are likely to cause disturbance among academics and religious authorities, and that was certainly the case with Baruch Spinoza, a man who was controversial, ruffled more than a few feathers, and took inspiration from earlier eminent thinkers like […]

Seaside stories for Chizuk by Rebbetzen Anna Bergson    My husband and I have had the pleasure of leading the St Anne’s Hebrew Congregation for close to almost eight years now! Whenever I meet people and tell them I’m the Rebbezten of St Anne’s I am met with perplexed and surprised faces – they can’t […]

Three boys who fled Nazi Europe on Kindertransport and found refuge at a Lancashire school Many were told they were ‘going on an adventure’, expecting a short term trip. The truth was far more horrifying by Rachel Smith Court reporter of Lancashire Life Gerd Haag fled Nazi Europe on Kindertransport and found safety at Rossall […]

Ronnie Scott (1927-1996) “All That Jazz” by Peter Beyfus During my younger days, in the sixties, I used to enjoy listening to jazz, both traditional and modern. I was lucky enough to be taken by my boss, when I worked in London, to Ronnie Scott’s club in Firth Street, Soho. The club was a magnet […]

Reflections on Chanukah by Peter Beyfus In Isaac Asimov’s short story entitled ‘Nightfall’, he postulates what would happen to humanity in the absence of sunlight; in short we would all go mad! Darkness still holds a grip on our imagination, no matter how old we are, evoking primeval fears of being vulnerable. This theme of […]

Fleetwood Market’s oldest and longest-serving stallholder retires aged 87 Courtesy Blackpool Gazette – By Richard Hunt.    Published 28th Aug 2023, 18:06 GMT The oldest and longest-serving stallholder at Fleetwood Market has hung up his hat at the age of 87. Until recently, John Richmond had been working on Fleetwood Market since the 1940s, when as […]

Lytham St Annes has been named the happiest place to live in Lancashire. The coastal town claimed the top spot in the county in a poll ranking the UK’s 75 happiest places to live. Carried out by online retailer Furniturebox, the survey gathered responses from 5,000 people across the UK. It considered factors such as […]

Peter Beyfus, 6 October 2025 The attack on Heaton Park Synagogue on Yom Kippur left many of us stunned but not entirely surprised. The climate of hatred that has existed during the last two years, since the massacres on 7 October 2023, has prepared Anglo-Jewry to expect the rising wave of antisemitism to result in […]

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About the Author Peter John Beyfus is an historian, published author, poet, and a person who prides himself on “thinking outside the box”. Shanah Tova Umetukah “In response to the shameful decision of the British Government and many other nations to recognise a Palestinian state, I thought I would share with you my thoughts on […]

Israel: At the Crossroads Aug 3, 2025, 2:35 PM by Peter Beyfus Some western democracies have once again scored a home goal with their latest proclaimed gesture politics in announcing recognition of a Palestinian state in September, if Israel, cast as the aggressor, does not agree to a ceasefire in Gaza and allow the aid […]

In which The Chief Rabbi draws out from Ben the sort of information we need when facing criticism of the Gaza war.