Selfless Morris is remembered with new mural
THE good deeds of selfless humanitarian Morris Feinmann will be immortalised in a giant timeline mural unveiled this Remembrance Sunday.
Morris, who settled in Cheetham Hill as a Jewish refugee during the First World War, dedicated his life to supporting Jews fleeing Nazi persecution.
His work during the Second World War as chairman of the Jewish Refugee Committee and as the first Jewish relief worker to go abroad led to the Feinmann Trust being named after him.
The new 16ft mural is to be unveiled by Britain’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi Joseph Dweck, and the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester Warren Smith, at the official opening of the new £12m Jewish community care village in Didsbury.
Belong Morris Feinmann village, on Palatine Road, Didsbury, used to house Jewish Second World War refugees and its history, alongside Morris’s, will be detailed on the mural.
Tracy Paine, deputy chief executive of Belong, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer our village model of care to the local Jewish population as well as providing outreach services and use of the village centre facilities to the wider community. The occasion will provide an opportunity to take a step back and celebrate what we have achieved so far.
“The timeline we are unveiling on the day charts the fascinating history of the site from its modest beginnings as a home for Jewish refugees after the Second World War to the stateof-the-art care village it is today.
“It’s a testament to the work of Morris Feinmann, whose legacy inspired the foundation of the original home, as well as the many founders, trustees, staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to carry on his vision over the years.”
Morris was born in Koningsberg, East Prussia, in 1891 and became a paper and twine merchant when he moved to England in 1914. He quickly became a prominent figure in the Jewish community by helping those less fortunate than him, including the elderly and other Jewish refugees who had fled Eastern Europe with him. In his work as director of welfare for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) he helped set up a camp in Casablanca, Morocco, for nearly 2,000 Jews from across Europe, which became a model for others around the globe. He died in Casablanca in 1944 aged just 53, but his work to help ‘aged and needy Jews’ provided the catalyst for the founding of the Morris Feinmann Home dedicated to his memory. Care villages by Belong specialise in supporting people with dementia and provide 24-hour care.
It’s a testament to the work of Morris Feinmann Tracy Paine, chief executive of Belong