‘Father’ of community Kopelowitz dies aged 92

DR LIONEL Kopelowitz, a former president of the Board of Deputies and widely respected communal figure, died on Saturday at the age of 92.

He was educated at Clifton and Cambridge and practised as a physician, serving on the council of the British Medical Association.

He was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne but grew up in Durham.

He was president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews from 1985–91 and was also president of the National Council for Soviet Jewry in the same period. He acted as Father of the Board in his later years.

Current President of the Board, Marie van der Zyl, said: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of our Senior Past President and Father of the Board, Dr Lionel Kopelowitz. Dedicated: Lionel Kopelowitz

“Lionel was a doughty fighter for Jewish causes. He was a forceful figure with strong views and he was extremely generous with his advice and time with me.

“We pass our love, admiration and gratitude to his widow Sylvia and to all the family.”

Jonathan Arkush, former president of the Board, added his tribute to Dr Kopelowitz at the plenary meeting on Sunday. He said: “There were not many communal roles in Newcastle that Lionel did not fulfil, including bringing congregations together to form the United Hebrew Congregation.

“He came to live in London, married Sylvia and continued to shoulder the burden of communal work that he always did.

“He was a true servant of the community, a son of Newcastle to the end, and a man whose dedication to the Board was quite exceptional.

“Lionel was someone I always admired on his breadth and depth of his knowledge on Torah matters.

“He’s going to be deeply missed. It’s hard for me to look at the front row and see that he’s not here.”

Vivian Wineman, another former Board president, said: “He was a proud Jew, a proud citizen of this country, a devoted servant of the community and a particularly proud member of the Board of Deputies.”

He was a true servant of the community’