Reflecting on Judaism

          On 28th May 1980 the Local Authority wrote confirming that our application to increase the size of our school to a two-form entry had been approved, in principle. Whilst the building work was progressing they would provide us with school premises elsewhere in the borough. Obtaining this excellent outcome was due, in no small measure, not only to the hard work by the Management Committee but also to the enormous drive, active intervention and support we received from Mr. Vivian Bendall, our local MP at the time, and also from Moshe Davis and Nat Rubin for their continuous interest and advice. Our objective had been achieved and this in turn formed the base that led to the establishment of the Jewish Secondary School in our area in due course, the research for which was already in place.

          Mo Joseph, the Hon Treasurer of the school, Raymond Rudie, the Hon correspondent and I as Chairman had been contemplating resigning as managers of the school for some little while and so, when confirmation of the above approval-in-principle was received in January 1981 we felt that the time had come to announce our decision. In preparing for a smooth handover we had previously approached Jack Godfrey to ascertain whether he would be prepared to be nominated as Chairman, Peter Tobias as Hon Correspondent and Arnold Bookatz as Hon Treasurer. We were delighted when they all agreed to have their names submitted for consideration.
          At the Managers Meeting, held on 25th March 1981 our resignations were tendered and accepted. For me, personally, it represented the end of 25 years involvement with the School; for Raymond Rudie over 20 years and for Mo Joseph over 15 years. A letter from the Chief Rabbi’s office acknowledged the work we had all done for Jewish education in the area and an invitation on his behalf was extended to the outgoing and incoming Honorary Officers of the school to meet with him for a le’chaim.

          This history has been written only from documents in my possession, for memory cannot be very reliable when thinking back over a period of some fifty years. I am therefore conscious that many deserving persons, whose names and contributions do not appear in my documents, may not have been mentioned at all or mentioned only inadequately. There was, for example Mo Joseph, our Hon Treasurer, who kept our finances in balance and under strict control for many years. Also Malcolm Melbourne, who, in the early days volunteered to undertake the management of our finances, and who preceded Mo as Hon Treasurer.
          More mention should also be made of the enormous contribution made to the school by the first Headmaster, Mr. Stanley Rosslyn and his successor Mr. Harry Balkin. Their devotion to the school and the interest they showed in their pupils’ progress and activities together with their aim that each child achieved his/her potential was beyond description. To all those who deserve mention but whose efforts have been overlooked I apologise.
          All the facts mentioned in this history are documented but occasionally, very occasionally, their chronological order was unclear. I don’t think that this in any way detracts from the history.