Kehilat Middlesbrough Newsletter No 4 October 1999

With this fourth issue of our Newsletter coming out soon after the High Holiday season and the annual period of personal stocktaking, it seems an appropriate time to look back on our first year of publication.

The first issue went out to 120 people; this fourth issue is being despatched to more than 260 ex-Boro readers around the world. We have reason to believe that the actual readership is perhaps 400. This is a tremendous compliment to you, our readers. Your response has been so positive and overwhelming that we have simply not been able to publish every letter received. Much of the material which has not made it in the Newsletter for lack of space, can be read on our website.

Our "missing persons" list is slowly reducing. However, we urge you to check again the list printed on page 4 of the last issue and let us have their addresses.

The Middlesbrough Shul - the Penultimate Chapter

On September 1st 1999, members of the M’bro Hebrew Congregation met to discuss a proposed distribution of assets, following the sale of the shul. The initial list of charities drawn up by the trustees had been approved by the Charity Commissioners. As the Jewish Chronicle reported, following their deliberations slight amendments were made by the members. The revised list has been resubmitted to the Commissioners for final approval; it will then come back to the members for their final confirmation.

Kehilat M’bro Newsletter understands that amongst those on the revised list are the following:

North East Jewish Community Services

Philip Cussins House, Newcastle

Sunderland Kollel in Gateshead

Gateshead Jewish Boarding School

Norwood Ravenswood Home

Friends of Magen David Adom in Israel

Two non-Jewish M’bro charities

In addition, a significant sum is to be set aside to provide a fund for the upkeep of the four cemeteries in M’bro (2) , Stockton and Hartlepool.

This has undoubtedly been a difficult and traumatic period for the trustees. To preside over the demise of a community is surely a difficult and unenviable task; to have to make a balanced and equitable allocation of the assets is just as daunting. Accordingly, on behalf of our readers, we should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to John Bloom, Dennis Broady, and all the other trustees and executive members for all they have done on behalf of the shul.

We hope to bring you the final list in our next issue.

A Personal Touch

For those visitors from abroad who contact us, a new service. A few days ago we heard that Dr John Abels from Billingham and Stuart Kohn from Houghton le Spring were here in Israel.

So we got them together, as they had not seen each other since Thomas Mouget closed down in Redcar some thirty years ago—and even though they now live only twenty miles away from each other - see previous Newsletter Issues 2 & 3.

They both called up their old Boro acquaintances on our Israel list and promised to help us locate people on the "missing persons" list.

Future visitors—please contact us!