My grandparents were Cissie and Aby Lazarus. Abraham
peddled clothing in the mining villages along the coast. Their sons
were Sydney, my father, who was a pharmacist with a business in
Acklam Road, Jack, an architect who designed the shul, Leon and
Lewis.
Uncle Lewis was a solicitor and a one-time Liberal
candidate for Middlesbrough. He sadly was always dogged by illness
and died young but he will not be forgotten by anyone who knew his
amazing laugh, rolling walk and penchant for fun. Unfortunately his
wild spirits sometimes got him into trouble: when he heard that he
had successfully completed his bar exams, he was caught riding his
bike on the pavement with no hands and no lights, so his first
appearance in court was as the defendant!
My brother David and I would go for Sunday teas to
the grandparents’ house. The table was always laden with heavy kuchen
and other goodies which we were urged to eat until our tummies
ached. We often found ourselves crouching, hands over ears, amongst
the grownups’ legs under the table while arguments raged over the
creation of the state of Israel and the part played by the British
government.
My father was at one time President of the synagogue
and my mother, Helena (Lena) was Treasurer of the Ladies’ Guild.
This last position amused me because she had no head for figures and
I expect Dad helped her with the accounts. My parents were keen
pianists and I was often lulled to sleep as a child by their piano
duets accompanied by animated arguments about tempi. Sometimes, as a
further trial, old uncle Sam Smith, diminutive in his long coat,
would arrive on his bicycle with his violin strapped to his back,
lured by the glamour of having an accompanist for his attempts to be
a second Kreisler. Lieder with Bernard Silverston or Beethoven
sonatas with Theo Richardson made for more harmonious evenings while
my mother gossiped with her friends Brenda Richardson and Freda
Silverston.
My father took an 8mm cine film of the opening of
the shul. I sent this film to someone in the community – I think
it was Philip Niman - after I had been to Middlesbrough for my
parents’ stone-laying but don’t know what happened to it. I do
hope it has been carefully preserved and lodged in an archive
somewhere, as many Jewish people would recognise the faces on it.
Uncle Sam, who wrote romances which he had beautifully bound in red
leather, also wrote a book about the Middlesbrough community,
complete with Brownie box photos. This he gave to Middlesbrough
Reference Library. I would love to know if it is still there. [Ed
note: you can read it on this website]
I was interested to read about the Kindertransport
in your newsletter. A six-year old boy, Pieter Meininger, lived with
us for three years during the war. He was later claimed by a
surviving uncle and went to live in the States and we lost touch
with him,
Although I have long lost contact with the Jewish
community, I have fond memories of some dear friends. Stella Broady
and I were in and out of each other’s houses and she once came on
holiday to Norway with us. Gillian Hush, with whom I have now made
contact after she had a chance encounter with my nephew on a train
and discovered they live within a few hundred yards of each other,
lived at Great Ayton and I remember happy afternoons in her garden
among the sweet peas. Judith Israel and I got up to all manner of
mischief, including furtive hours hiding under her parents’ bed
reading up horrifying facts of life in her father’s medical texts.
I would love to hear from Judith and Stella sometime.
Diana (Lazarus) Grace
Ipswich, England
I am sure all the readers will be as disappointed as
I am that you are both stepping down from editing and publishing the
Newsletter.
It will be a big miss as the Newsletter has brought
back memories of the M’bro community for hundreds of ex-Boro
residents. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you both
for what I am sure must have been very hard work and very
time-consuming.
Peter Niman
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Thanks for the latest newsletter which I read with
great interest - especially the article from one of your more
regular correspondents, namely my father!
It is the first time I have been the subject of a
quiz question as well!
I am sorry to hear that you and David intend to
retire from your positions. Were it not for the fact that I have an
extremely busy practice and am fairly often away from the office I
would be quite happy to assist in your endeavours! However, I would
like to help in some way – if there is any way I can assist I will
try.
Paul Stock
Ashton-under-Lyne, England
Thanks for the Newsletters.
I thought I'd let you know that Harry passed away
last year in shul on shabbos on June 5th 1999.
The only person from Middlesborough I have seen in
Manchester is Pat Jaffa.
Just to keep you up to date, Marlene married a
policeman, Anthony Reubens, in Manchester in June 1992. They have a
4 year old daughter, Lauren Natalie Hayley.
My other daughter Sandra (Sandie) is also married to
a policeman, Stephen Holland. They have 2 daughters, Jemma (6) and
Rebecca (2).
Betty Ellman
Manchester, England
Obituary
