Memorial Service for Ismond Rosen (part 2)

Continuation of recording of the memorial for Ismond Rosen (see PP/ROS/N/1/15 for part 1), held in the Royal Society of Medicine auditorium, c.Jul 1997. Labelled 'Debbie Ellis. World Index. Rolls Ismond Rosen #1. Rushes'. The first 2 minutes and 30 seconds have poor sound quality but this improves to acceptable standard thereafter. The recording and filming is done from the back of the hall/venue and the camera is static although it zooms in now and again on the speakers.

Content: Eighth speaker is Reverend Canon Paul Oestreicher, Canon of Coventry Cathedral (former director of the cathedral's Centre for International Reconcilliation). Oestreicher describes how he came to know Ismond when he received a letter from him offering to donate the Holocaust Triptych to the Cathedral as its permanent home. As this was one of many offers the cathedral regularly received Oestreicher wrote back showing mild interest and offering to visit in due course. Soon after he received a phone call from Ruth who explained that time was of the essence due to Rosen's severe illness. Oestreicher describes his visit to see Rosen and the triptych sculptures in Hampstead. He says he will never forget the light of joy he saw in Ismond's face when he arrived. Oestreicher goes on to explain the meaning and symbolism of the Holocaust Triptych and that during the visit he and Rosen agreed Coventry Cathedral was not the right place for it. They felt that it should go to Germany where the people needed to come to terms with what happened and ultimately accept forgiveness for it. Oestreicher recommended the Church of Christ in Berlin where it now stands. This church built at the end of the 1900s lay in a poor area of Berlin housing many refugees and, Oestreicher says, represents the struggle for justice (drawing parallels with Rosen's refugee parent's Tsarist Russian origins). Berliners were very welcoming of the idea of accepting the statues which was formally confirmed around the same time as Ismond passed away. Oestreicher finishes by paying tribute to Ismond Rosen's psychiatry and his art, his work as a healer and a reconciler, with a joy for life. He also mentions Rosen's sense of humour and the book 'Know Your Analyst' he privately published.

There follows a pictorial tribute to Rosen's Holocaust Triptych.

The ninth speaker is film-maker Duncan Kenworthy. He states how he came to Rosen as a patient following the death of his father and then his mentor Jim Henson and that Rosen became more than a father figure to him and their work together helped Kenworthy to progress and go on to make films such as 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. His tribute takes the form of two poems by Raymond Carver, 'The Tressle' followed by 'My Boat' .

Hugh then quotes from Rosen's autobiography where Rosen refers to his own father.

This is followed by the memorial prayer which is sung by Cantor Reverand [Fern] Abramovitz.

Hugh finishes the service on what Ismond meant to him and to his family and quotes from the autobiography where Rosen describes his mother's bedtime stories and activities for the children which included a riddle or puzzle the solution of which was to put the drawing of the man back together to make everything fall into place. In this way, Ismond put people back together again to make the world fall into place. Ecce Homo.

The memorial ends with a pictorial life of Ismond Rosen from childhood onwards with a jazz soundtrack of Louis Armstrong.

There are 3 copies of this video.

c. Jul 1997

3 video cassettes: each 29 mins, 12 secs (with about 40 seconds of sound only at the end)