There were flames everywhere, clouds of ash, and a smell that left you gasping for air. There was fear, as people ran from their homes, and tears, as 44 people died.

Everyone thinks they know the story of the Volkswagen Beetle. Created by Ferdinand Porsche, under the guidance of Adolf Hitler, the Beetle is not only the most popular car of all time, it was the most successful project of the Nazis.

Lynne Franks: How has the Jewish aspect of your upbringing influenced you?

Susan Greenfield: My Jewish credentials are through my father's father who was a first-generation immigrant from a shtetl in Austria who came over as a baby towards the end of the 19th century. My dad was born in 1915 and grew up in the East End and spoke some Yiddish.

It is not unknown for Jews to make up new words. It is part of the psyche of a people as rich in vocabulary as in history. But there is one four-letter word that is wonderfully redolent of service to the Anglo-Jewish community. It will not be found in any dictionary. It is frequently misspelt. But at this time of year, in particular, it should be on the lips of every thinking British Jew.

Bar- and batmitzvah celebrations happen to coincide with the onset of adolescence for many youngsters. Inevitably they will be experiencing a series of dramatic psychological changes and social occasions during this time can feel like an emotional obstacle course. The self-esteem of early adolescents can be fragile, and little is more important than the feeling of being accepted by their peers.

London Walks, one of the capital's longest established walking tour companies, offers an "Old Jewish Quarter" tour of the East End. I have been on several of their enlightening guided walks - they have scores of them - but I wondered about this one. Hasn't that Jewish past been swept away by the curry houses and mosques of later Asian immigrants? What is there left to see? Quite a bit, actually.

Birth rates are sky high and intensive care baby units are running out of space for cribs. But while British hospitals might buckle under these conditions, Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Centre is thriving.

In fact, the growth in demand at Shaare Zedek's maternity department has been larger than most British hospitals can imagine.

This year marks 70 years since the founding of the Palmach, a force of Jewish fighters consisting of both men and women, who showed the world that even in their darkest hour Jews could still fight.

In Tel Aviv a tent city runs the length of Rothschild Boulevard. In Jerusalem they are preparing for a Million Person March. But in the Jerusalem suburb of Mevasseret Zion all is calm, especially in the house of Aharon and Yudit Appelfeld. I am here to talk about Appelfeld's new novel, and to consider his illustrious career as he approaches his 80th birthday.

Lynne franks: You grew up in Manchester in what was quite a Jewish home, didn't you?

Arlene Phillips: We actually were a religious family. We were a huge extended family because my mother was one of 11 children. Her parents were immigrants - Polish, Russian. We were all very close and I had lots of cousins who were even more observant than we were.