The Death of a Father and a Generation of Working Class Jews
Thursday, 1 December 2011
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I was rung up at about 12.30 a.m. by the hospital to tell me that he was dying and I immediately rang my mother, who got into a taxi. I drove up to Liverpool soon after to go straight to the hospital to be with my mother.
Dad was a travelling rabbi and most of the synagogues he ministered to in the provinces have now closed as their Jewish communities have dwindled to virtually nothing. Southport, Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry (which may still be going), Merthyr Tydfil and then Birkenhead, across the Mersey from Liverpool and Fairfield which was his last synagogue.
Dad was a travelling rabbi and most of the synagogues he ministered to in the provinces have now closed as their Jewish communities have dwindled to virtually nothing. Southport, Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry (which may still be going), Merthyr Tydfil and then Birkenhead, across the Mersey from Liverpool and Fairfield which was his last synagogue.
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With all this discussion about Jewish identity these days I thought maybe I should also chip in!I am fairly unusual among anti-Zionist Jews in that I come from an Orthodox Religious Zionist background. I had broken effectively with Zionism by the age 16, but maybe the formative break with my father was when I was 14 I declared I was an atheist, not something that goes down too well with the Orthodox, of whatever faith.
Needless to say dad fell out with most of the synagogues and move on after a while.Dad grew up in the East End and he described to me on a number of occasions what it was like living with the violence and thuggery of Moseley’s British Union of Fascists. He described one kid to me who had been put through a plate glass window by the fascists and he was proud of having been present at the Battle of Cable Street in 1936, when the fascists were prevented from marching through the East End. He hated anti-Semitism but he didn’t see that racism was wrong whoever was the target. Nonetheless he always voted Labour since he remembered Tory support for anti-Semitism in the East End, though he forgot that the small English Zionist Federation backed those Tories in the 1900 General Election.
The funeral was held on Tuesday 24th November in the Jewish cemetry.
Tony Greenstein
Minister was a champion boxer
Jewish Telegraph– Liverpool Edition – 25.11.11.
REV Solomon Greenstein, who was minister of the old Fairfield synagogue at the time of its closure, died on Shabbat, aged 99.
He also taught at King David High School and worked as a shochet.
Born in Whitechapel in London's East End in 1912, he was the son of Polish immigrants Rabbi Alter Natan Greenstein and Fayge Rivka.
He studied at the prestigious Etz Chaim yeshiva for seven years and followed his father into the ministry, although in his schooldays he was a keen sportsman, being a champion swimmer and boxer.
He also loved chazanut and studied for a time with the acclaimed chazan Herman Bornstein, of Princes Road Synagogue.
In 1952 he married Esther (nee Mechulam), a primary school teacher from Wallasey who had been active in the local Bnei Akiva.
The couple settled in London, but moved to Merseyside in 1965 when Rev Greenstein was appointed minister to the now defunct Birkenhead Synagogue in Balls Road.
He served as a hospital chaplain and was introduced to the Queen at the opening of Arrowe Park hospital.
After retiring, Rev Greenstein was able to indulge in his passion for painting by attending night classes and he also enjoyed listening to music.
His son Jonny, who lives in Jerusalem, said: "Dad was scrupulously observant, putting on tallit and tephillin every morning even into his 90s when he needed help.
"A week before he died I asked him what he wanted and he replied 'kiddush' which shows how much Judaism meant to him."
Rabbi Malcolm Malits, Allerton Synagogue's emeritus minister, said: "Rev Greenstein was very knowledgeable and we were colleagues at King David.
"He must have been a good shochet because he once worked at Cardiff under the watchful eye of the renowned Rabbi Ber Rogosnitzky - if he was good enough for him, that was quite a compliment."
Dr Eric Toke, former chairman of Fairfield Hebrew Congregation, said: "Rev Greenstein was a charming man who did everything he could to help the congregation and I remember his interesting and illustrative sermons."
Rev Greenstein is survived by Esther, sons Anthony, who lives in Brighton, Jonny, David, who lives in Prestwich, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
One of his grandchildren, 17-year-old Tamar Greenstein, recently performed in London with the Jerusalem Conservatory Orchestra.
While in the UK her piano trio was invited to perform at the Yehudi Menuhin school and at the home of renowned virtuoso Murray Perahia.
Posted by Tony Greenstein at 03:41