Vera Goodman
Tory hostess who straddled the worlds of politics, social care and Sephardi Judaism
CENTENARIAN VERA Goodman, who has died aged 103, was a dynamic personality who made her mark in various spheres, from her local Conservative party, to the Lauderdale Synagogue, to her role as a school care worker in London’s East End. An accomplished speaker, she had the courage of her convictions and was never deterred from pursuing policies or ideas which she thought were right.
Vera entered the London Sephardi Jewish community through her late husband, Maurice, whose father, Paul Goodman, had been its Secretary for 50 years. One of the first women to be elected to the Board Elders, she chaired the Women’s Guild, was a member of the British Council of the World Sephardi Federation, and represented the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation on the Board of Deputies of British Jews for some 21 years.
Her two lasting achievements at Lauderdale Road Synagogue. were in encouraging the Elders to commission a portrait of the late Haham, Dr Solomon Gaon, as a tribute to him on his 70th birthday. The second was her involvement in the commissioning and installation of the large stained glass window on the south side of the synagogue, to commemorate the synagogue’s centenary. The window replaced one of plain glass after the original window was destroyed during the Second World War.
Her many years as a voluntary school care committee worker in London’s East End gave Vera an understanding of social problems. This proved a good foundation for her later work as a Governor of the historic Russell School in Petersham, Surrey, the area where she and Maurice moved in 1966. She was also a volunteer for many years at Richmond’s Royal Star and Garter Home for ex-service men and women, and in 2004 was presented with a Volunteer Award in recognition of her service.
A life-long Conservative, Vera threw herself into the local Conservative Association, and was elected Chairman of the Richmond and Barnes Conservative Women’s Constituency Committee. One of her proudest achievements was the organisation of a very successful conference, “Britain in Europe” at Richmond’s Old Town Hall in 1978, at which the then Minister at the Foreign Office, Douglas Hurd, was among the speakers.
Subsequently, Vera took over as the chair of the 372 Group of the constituency party that organised internal events, hosting former PM David Cameron at a lunch in 2006, just after he had become Leader of the Opposition, and in 2007 Sir John Major addressed the 170 attendees with Vera presiding. An active member of the Conservative Friends of Israel, she did her best to present Israel’s case positively at every opportunity.
On her 100th birthday, Vera had a party thrown in her honour at the House of Commons by her then MP Zac Goldsmith. Alongside her political and communal activities, Vera’s great love was travelling. Together with her late husband Maurice, she visited many parts of the world, but they never tired of walking in the beautiful surroundings of Richmond and the river. She will be missed by her relatives and friends, and is survived by a nephew in Australia.
Vera Goodman: born February 3, 1915. Died March 23 2018