Thomas told the JC: “I’ve always liked to touch upon Jewish life in the East End because even in the 1970s, where we are now, it was integral to life in the East End and to the Jewish way of life.”
Last Christmas, Dominic McGann, her son with Stephen McGann – who plays Dr Turner in the show – married his fiancé Kimberly Glassman, an academic from Canada.
Paying tribute to her daughter-in-law, Thomas said: “She loves Christmas as well as Chanukah and we celebrated them on the same day and the links between the two festivals just struck me.
“They are all about shining light on the darkness. And so I thought it would be lovely to have not only a Jewish story but a Chanukah story too.”
Kimberly’s uncle, Jonathan Katzauer, 59, goes to Richmond Synagogue, London. The show makers drew on his expertise for the special. Thomas says: “I rang him up and asked, ‘Would you like to come in and light the Chanukah lights?’ So he brought all the props and everything – we have definitely kept this in the family.”
Katzauer, 59, took a menorah owned by his parents, who escaped from Nazi Germany. He told the JC: “I’m not sure I actually want to watch myself but it’s a wonderful show, Heidi writes so movingly, she is so inclusive, and so it is brilliant to have a small part in it.”
Kimberly introduced Thomas and her husband to Friday night dinners as well as Chanukah when she lived with the family during the Covid pandemic. Dominic is a keen cook and now often makes Challah for Friday nights.
They had a full-blown Jewish wedding over in Montreal before a civic ceremony in Britain a month later.
Having made Jewish friends when she grew up a Catholic in Liverpool and then enjoyed attending several barmitzvahs, she now says, laughing: “I always wanted to go to a Jewish wedding, but I didn’t think that the first one I would go to would be my own family.”
She recalls with delight the festivities in Canada, where she got to go up on chairs for hora dancing.
“About 16 of my immediate family went out and were all knocked out by it – not only of being included but also how beautiful it is.
“They had a nice liberal rabbi and they did their marriage preparation classes with him over Zoom. He conducted their ceremony, which was under a chupah, and there was a lovely moment where he took Kim’s grandfather’s tallis and wrapped it around them both.”
The couple have since recycled the glass stepped on at their wedding into a mezuzah on their door.
Henry Goodman in the Christmas edition of Call the Midwife (Image :BBC / Neal Street Productions / Olly Courtney)CREDIT LINE:BBC / Neal Street Productions / Olly Courtney
In the Call The Midwife holiday two-parter, the elderly Mr Fischer played by Henry Goodman arrives in the area to return to the home where he grew up. In a deeply moving storyline, the nuns and the midwives help him to enjoy what may be his final Chanukah, in his old family flat.
Thomas has long been an admirer of Goodman, but only discovered the significance of Call The Midwife’s setting for the Whitechapel-born actor after he had been cast.
She said: “We didn’t realise until he came on set that he is from an East End background. I’ve seen him in so many musicals in which he plays an American, so it was lovely to have that extra link.”
For Thomas, the recently forged family connection to Judaism attaches particular personal significance to the subject matter in the festive special.
She says: “It’s very important for me to understand as much as I can about the culture of my future grandchildren.
“I feel very protective of the small Jewish community in Britain – of my friends and family here and in Montreal.
“So I want to shine a light – excuse the pun – on things like Chanukah, to show just how lovely it is and try to draw together the threads of our different communities. This is my small way of helping to prevent othering, and it is something we have done with other religious communities.
“The fictional world can sometimes let you go behind closed doors and open people’s eyes. It’s a small thing, but if it makes a difference, any difference at all, then I am very glad.”
The Chanukah storyline is the fifth time Judaism has featured in the show based on Jennifer Worth’s books. Thomas is planning a prequel series set in 1939, featuring younger versions of characters. Given Mr Fischer is returning to his old home, we may soon see his younger self in the East End.
Call the Midwife Christmas special, BBC One on Christmas Day at 8.15pm and Boxing Day at 8.30pm
