Three Minutes of Hope: Hugo Gryn on The God Slot

This title contains Hugo Gryn's best radio scripts, with tributes from other broadcasters, bringing the wisdom of one of Britain's best-loved spiritual leaders to a new generation. Hugo Gryn's death triggered a huge outpouring of grief, not just from the congregation at the West London Synagogue where he was rabbi for 32 years, but for the much wider audience who had come to know him as a regular panelist on "The Moral Maze" and through the nuggets of wisdom he used to broadcast on various 'God slots' for the BBC and Capital Radio. With just a couple of minutes to inject a dose of spirituality into the daily lives of believers and non-believers alike, Hugo's gentle humour, his warmth and compassion, his deep spirituality and his unquenchable faith in humanity made a lasting impression on listeners and he is remembered with affection by millions. This collection of his best radio scripts, arranged by theme (ranging from the "Holocaust" to "Mahatma Gandhi") and given a personal and historical context by Hugo Gryn's daughter, Naomi, will delight his existing admirers and bring his wit and wisdom to a new generation. It provides a fitting memorial in what would have been his 80th birthday year.Table of ContentForeword Michael Buerk; Introduction Naomi Gryn; Hugo's Anecdotage; Jewish Calendar; Five Books of Moses; The Prophets and other books of the Bible; Loving your Neighbour and the Stranger; Hugo's Spiritual Heroes and the Jewish World; Second World War and the Holocaust; Glossary and Biographies; Bibliography; Index; Acknowledgments; Including more than 40 integrated photographs.Review QuoteExtract reprinted in the Jewish Chronicle (UK) Friday 1st October 2010Review Quote'Gryn's daughter has compiled a fascinating, informative and often moving anthology of her father's short broadcasts.'Review Quote'This book serves to champion the God Slot. It is a collection of small pithy ‘sermonettes' that capture Hugo's erudite thinking but also tell the story of his life, his family and the nation during those 17 years or so of broadcasting... Hugo Gryn's memorable reflections stand alone as an instructive, uplifting read 'Biographical NoteRabbi Hugo Gryn was born in the Carpathian town of Berehovo in 1930 and deported to Auschwitz at the age of thirteen. After the war, he came to Britain with a group of child survivors and then went to America to train for the rabbinate. His first pulpit was in Bombay. Later he became rabbi at the West London Synagogue, a post he held for thirty-two years until his death in 1996, and was the central figure of British Reform Judaism. Education and interfaith dialogue were his major concerns. He was perhaps best known for his 'ministry of the airwaves', with regular broadcasts on BBC Radios 2 & 4, and Capital Radio, and as a regular panel member of BBC Radio 4's The Moral Maze. Naomi Gryn is a writer, broadcaster and documentary filmmaker. She co-authored and edited Chasing Shadows (Viking, 2000).Collection of Hugo Gryn's scripts for radio 'God slots', bringing the wisdom and humanity of one of Britain's best-loved spiritual leaders to a new generation.No biography of Gryn has ever been published, though his childhood memoir was a bestseller.Contributions from Michael Buerk, Maureen Lipman, Tom Stoppard and others.80th birthday commemoration of Hugo Gryn, who had a huge radio fanbase.