Noah Zerdin

“The Link”—The Association of Home Circles &

“The Noah’s Ark Society”—for Physical Mediumship

—~§~—

NOAH ZERDIN

1889-1972

When in April, 1927, a terrible disaster robbed me of my dear wife and the mother of my seven months’ old baby,
life to me became valueless, purposeless. An atheist from the early days when I began to think for myself,
death to me was the end, without a glimpse of hope. My loss was complete.
My dear love was dead, and death was the end. – N.Z.

Noah Zerdin was born into a strict orthodox Russian-Jewish family in 1889. A month after his wife Bertha’s death in 1927, with a few intimate friends and relations, he carried his own investigations into Spiritualism at his own home, without any help or assistance from any professional medium or Spiritualist resulting in his conviction of spirit return and the development of his home circle. Within a few years he began pioneering a general awareness and the safe practice of physical mediumship, a form of mediumship generally restricted to home circles. Around 1930, Noah began to exchange reports of his home circle with those of Harold Chibbett; the following year in 1931 Light published an appeal

in its March 21st issue:

HOME CIRCLES-AN APPEAL

Sir,—A group of private circles, sitting for physical phenomena, would like to get into touch with other home circles for physical phenomena, for the purpose of exchanging reports and pooling experiences for mutual benefit.

Will those interested please communicate.

32, Sandringham Avenue, N. ZERDIN.
Merton Park,
Wimbledon, S.W.20.[/border]

The Link—the Association of Home Circles, was founded by Zerdin and Chibbett, and it held its first Conference in 1931. This represented 21 home circles, and the following year it increased slightly to 26. The new association was no doubt boosted by Hannen Swaffer, when on Sunday January 3rd 1932, more than a thousand people attended the Marylebone Association at the Queens Hall, London to hear Swaffer speaking on the subject of “home circles”—he said:

“… it was in such circles that the strength of the spiritualistic movement was to be found. That very evening, there were probably 100,000 circles sitting in this country, most of them quite unknown except to the sitters—their existence not even suspected by the people next door or in the flat below. It was in these gatherings that really convincing proof of Survival was to be found. Public clairvoyance was necessary, but it could do little more than arouse the interest and curiosity of the people who heard it, as intimate details must be withheld.”

By the third Conference held on October 15th 1933 in London it had reached 156 affiliated home circles (1934 - 187 home circles). Chibbett was then Hon. Secretary, (providing it is the same gentleman). Chibbett is referenced in the “Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology,” by Gale Research Inc., edited by Leslie Shepard (third edition) which states: 22

Founder of The Probe, a pioneer British group of investigators of psychic and occult phenomena, Chibbett was born February 19, 1900, in England. He was a member of the first London science-fiction club and a friend of Eric Frank Russell, whom he met in 1942 and with whom he shared an interest in Fortean phenomena.

Chibbett spent some fifty years meeting occultists and collecting data on unusual phenomena. At his own expense he maintained a postal chain letter to spread information on Forteana, and during his investigations he met such famous individuals as occultist Aleister Crowley, psychical investigator Harry Price, and Kuda Bux, a fire walker. His correspondents included scientists and occultists.

He suffered from ill health for some years, and died February 23, 1978, after a heart attack.

In 1934 the Link published a booklet on The Modern Home Circle, by Zerdin; later in 1957 a more comprehensive booklet was produced. Zerdin would also publish a booklet entitled Spiritualism in a Nutshell (third enlarged edition 1952).

22.‒Originally taken from: Encyclopedia of Occultism by Lewis Spence, published London 1920 & Encyclopedia of Psychic Science by Nandor Fodor, published London 1934, substantially revised by Leslie Shepard and supplemented by new material. For more on Harold Chibbett see:—Tom Ruffles blog – Preserving the Archives of Psychical Research:—http://tomruffles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/preserving-archives-of-psychical.html

Lis Warwood also notes: Just to confirm the information: Harold Stanley W. Chibbett was born 19 Feb 1900 (GRO Births Mar Q 1900 Islington 1b 353). He married Lily M Walters in 1929 (GRO Marriages Sep Q 1929 Islington 1b 545). Died GRO Mar Q 1978 Enfield 12 0748.

In 1960 Noah retired from the Link due to poor health; he died in March 1972. His cremation service was conducted by SNU Minister Maurice Barbanell, editor of Psychic News and the Two Worlds.23

In a home circle in Ilkeston, Derbyshire on April 25th 1990 it is said:

“The people sitting in attempt to communicate heard an independent voice message (heard apart from any of their member’s speaking), that urged those present to form an organization specifically devoted to the promotion of physical mediumship and the development of mediums in whose present physical mediumship occurs. The voice identified himself as Noah Zerdin, …”24

The message had been given on the anniversary of the inaugural meeting of the Link. The Noah’s Ark Society for Physical Mediumship was begun by Robin Foy and the other members of the circle formed the first committee. The Noah’s Ark monthly Newsletter, first appeared in August 1990, and January 1991 saw its first Seminar, a one day event at the Sleep Inn at Nottingham, Derby with over 70 delegates attending. Their first AGM followed in April 1991. The Society had early success by June of this year when membership had passed 500 Associate Members, and around 150 Member Circles internationally.

The Society Chairman, Robin Foy, built a séance room in the cellar of his home at Scole, Norfolk which was completed in February 1992. The séance room was dedicated by holding a séance for the committee with the physical medium Stewart Alexander who later became President of the Society.25 Scole would become the focus of some astounding documented investigations involving senior members of the Society for Psychical Research asking to observe, test and record what took place. See Psypioneer 2008 for an exclusive report by Dr Alan Gauld A sitting at Scole.26

The Noah’s Ark monthly Newsletter became The Ark Review in 1998; some of the original material is still available on-line.27 The final double issue of the Ark Review was November/December 2004 and the Society closed.

[NAS history is taken from the societies “An Introduction”]


NOTES:-

23.‒Lis Warwood notes: Noah Zerdin’ died in Mar Q 1972 Sutton 5e 636. His date of birth is given as 24 Oct 1888. There is a marriage for him to Bertha Goldesgeyme in 1923 (GRO Mar Q 1923 Southwark 1d 172a). She died in a fire in his furrier business in 1927 (GRO Deaths Jun Q 1927 Pancras 1b 38), and a second marriage Sep Q 1935 Westminster 1a 1679 this time to Golda Goldesgeyme, Bertha’s younger sister.

24.‒Noah’s Ark Society for Physical Mediumship:—http://www.answers.com/topic/noah-s-ark-society-for-physical-mediumship

25.‒Stewart Alexander would hold various positions in the Society starting with Archive Officer. For more information on the Noah’s Ark, and physical mediumship see Stewart’s book An Extraordinary Journey:—The Memoirs of a Physical Medium, by Stewart Alexander; this is available at Amazon with the “Look Inside” feature at:—http://www.amazon.co.uk/Extraordinary-Journey-Memoirs-Physical-Medium/dp/0955705061

The book is reviewed in Psypioneer: Volume 6. No 11. November 2010:—Stewart Alexander’s Journey – Book

Review – Leslie Price:—http://woodlandway.org/PDF/PP6.11November2010.pdf

26.‒Sitting at Scole 24th Jan 1997 – Monty Keen, Donald West, Alan Gauld, Robin and Sandra Foy, Alan and Diana. See Psypioneer: Volume 4. No 7. July 2008:—http://woodlandway.org/PDF/PP4.7July08.pdf

27.‒The Noah’s Ark Society home page:—http://homepage.ntlworld.com/annetts/ark/index.htm