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Kehilat
Middlesbrough Newsletter No 17
July 2003 Page 1 (of 6)
I got a call recently from Jean Hyman and gave her the
address of the website. She reads the printed copy of the Newsletter
that David Niman sends to her mother, who is now 85 and lives in
Southport. Jean Hyman lives near Barnet, North London
Since the sale of the shul, there are no more than 18
of us left in Middlesbrough. We only see each other when David Simon, who still lives in
Stokesley, decides to have a friendly coffee morning. Since the shul was
sold, Dennis and Susan Broady left for Manchester, as did Kay Simons,
who also moved there recently to be near her daughter Helen and her 3
children in Cheadle.
The sad passing of John Bloom last year brought people
from Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds. The Stockton Jewish cemetery was
packed with hundreds of mourners, many of whom were his fellow
solicitors - John Bloom having been ex-President of the North East Law
Society.
Most of those who are left and who are still
interested in Yiddishkeit, go to Darlington Reform services but I`m
still old-fashioned enough to go to the big Orthodox shul in Newcastle.
As for the shul, it did not succeed as a Youth Centre
and has recently been sold again by the agents Dodds Brown to a small
Billingham property company. It is now being converted into 12 disabled
flats. I went inside recently - the marble staircase and entrance
remain the same. It will be ready in July.
Gwen Lamb
Middlesbrough,England
gwenlamb774@hotmail.com
I am Ronnie Goodman. It was nice to receive the Kehilat Middlesbrough Newsletter
[Ed note: Many thanks once again to David Niman for sending out the
printed copies]. I now live in Edinburgh, having moved from Green Lane, Middlesbrough.
I was born in Cannon Street, Middlesbrough, in April
1922. My mother had a little shoe shop. Lionel Levy had a pawn shop on
the other corner. When I was 10 years old, we moved to London and then
to Leeds.
During my youth my friends were Ronnie Niman, Mayer
Baum, David Joseph, David Breckner, and Alan Freeman.
I joined the RAF in 1940, serving in North Africa and
Italy. I was demobbed in 1946. When the war in Italy was over and having
served more than three years abroad, I got three weeks leave. I went to
see my aunt Bella Doberman in Middlesbrough. It just so happened that
Rabbi Miller’s daughter, Naomi, was getting married and I went to the
wedding. There I met my wife, Anne Bloom, a lovely lady. We married in
1947.
Some historical information: My grandfather, Solomon
Aaron Kaufman, was the first Treasurer of the Community. He married
Elizabeth Silvert (1863 – 1926). Their children were: Louis, Isabel
(my aunt Bella Doberman), Leah, Freda and Bertha (my mother).
Carry on the good work.
Ronnie Goodman
Edinburgh, Scotland
My name is Nigel Kersh and I am living in Ra'anana, in
Israel.
Recently I was contacted by a long lost cousin from
Australia. In fact, she wasn't only long lost, I didn't even know she
existed at all. To cut a long story short, we did a bit of Jewish
geography, it would appear that her grandfather, Jack Kersh, and the
Reverend Benny Kersh's father, Louis, were brothers. My father, Dennis
Kersh, is the son of Michael Kersh, who was Jack and Louis's brother.
It's all a little complicated, but it's prompted me to do a bit of
family tree exploring.
I found your name on the Middlesbrough Synagogue
Newsletter site, and I wondered if you could help me uncover any
information on my distant cousin, the late Reverend Benny Kersh. If you
have any personal knowledge, or if you could point me in the direction
of any of his relatives, then I would be truly grateful.
Nigel Kersh
Ra'anana, Israel
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