There’s no such thing as coincidence….

By Ann E---- Or is there? Here are a few of amazing coincidences that I have heard which defy logical explanation.

A distant relative of mine in the UK called Brian was a very naughty boy when he was young. He was fascinated by many

forbidden things including his mother’s Shabbat candlesticks. These were hollow inside so he placed a cork in the base of each one and then proceeded to carve his initials with a penknife as if claiming them as his own.

This all happened in London during the Blitz. As fate would have it, his house was bombed and the whole family was forced to move down to the south coast. Unfortunately, most of the contents of the house were either destroyed or disappeared.

Fast forward several years. Brian is now a grown man and has fallen madly in love with a Swiss girl who is underage and whose parents are dead against her marrying a Jew. So they elope to Scotland, to Gretna Green, which apart from providing a quick marriage under Scottish law, was also famous for its antique shops. Brian noticed in the display window of one of these shops a pair of candlesticks that looked very similar to his mother’s. He raced in and, sure enough, there were the corks and his carved initials. Of course he bought them - but to this day he has no idea how the items got from London to Gretna Green, many hundreds of miles away.

Another family coincidence also occurred in the UK during the war. My father’s cousin Sydney was a US soldier stationed in London. He was dating a local girl at the time who happened to be a hairdresser. While waiting for her to get ready for their date, he started to leaf through the magazines and newspapers lying around for the customers. He picked up the Jewish Chronicle, a leading paper for the Jewish Community in Britain, and lo and behold, he saw an announcement detailing the engagement of my parents and their forthcoming wedding. And that’s how Cousin Sydney ended up attending my parents’ wedding!

And in case you were wondering, all the above stories are absolutely true. Readers are invited to write in with any other amazing coincidences they may have experienced, preferably with a Jewish connection....