£12m home looks back

TIME WAS of the essence as the Belong Morris Feinmann care village in Manchester was officially opened on Sunday.

A feature of the ceremony was the unveiling of a timeline installation detailing the work for Jewish refugees of the man in whose honour the complex is named, plus the history of the Morris Feinmann home, developed originally to house refugees after the Second World War.

Mr Feinmann came to England in 1914, establishing a paper and twine business in Manchester. When the Second World War broke out, he helped Jews to escape Nazism and was instrumental in the purchasing of buildings which could be turned into hostels. He also provided employment opportunities.

Mr Feinmann went to Casablanca to assist in the establishment of a camp for displaced Jews from all over the Continent. He died there, aged 53, in 1944.

Belong has partnered with the Morris Feinmann Trust to develop the £12 million care facility, comprising six households, social and kosher dining facilities. It also incorporates independent living apartments and a synagogue, exercise studio, hair salon and library.

Rabbi Shlomo Ellituv said that as the facility’s chaplain, he had been allowed “major input in promoting Jewish culture in the new village. The timeline installation is a poignant reminder of the origin of the Morris Feinmann Trust.”