A mensch stirred by the generosity of her heart – The Times of Israel
Posted By admin on May 10, 2022
On Yom HaShoah, I was talking to someone at JW3 about Corrie ten Boom, the incredible Dutch woman who saved hundreds of Jews lives in the Shoah, and was later honoured by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations.
I mentioned her famous response to being asked why as a Christian she risked her life to save Jews: You cant love God without loving the Jewish People. And I quipped, as I have often done in the past, that whilst I absolutely love the Jewish People, truth is, as a Jewish communal professional, its not always as easy to love all Jewish people.
Raymond Simonson putting up a welcoming sign onto the door of JW3 (Credit: Blake Ezra)
My phone didnt stop pinging with messages from friends and colleagues across the community sharing the tragic news of the untimely death of a really outstanding Jewish communal professional, Leonie Lewis zl.
Leonie was someone who epitomised ten Booms belief, and who loved the Jewish People, and Jewish people. She took joy and energy from people and from community, and she served the community with such devotion that can only come from real love.
We learn in Parasha Vayekhel that when the Children of Israel collectively built the Mishkan the holy dwelling place of God they did you with nedivut lev generosity of heart and nesiut lev because their hearts stirred them to do so. In all the years I knew Leonie and watched her build community, I believe she did so with absolute nedivut lev and nesiut lev.
I remember clearly over 15 years ago when she invited me to give a key note at a JVN conference she was running, that I used the full text from that parasha, focusing on the idea of how Jewish community can only be built by a critical mass of people volunteers and professionals working together, stirred by the generosity of their hearts.
After the talk Leonie made a beeline for me and was, as ever, extraordinarily generous in her praise and feedback. And I remember saying to her that it was in fact she herself who had inspired my talk as she was the living embodiment of this concept.
Leonies passing is a devastating loss to the community. She was a dedicated, passionate, hard-working leader, completely committed to community, and in my experience, extremely humble and unassuming. More than that, she was one of the loveliest, friendliest communal leaders you could ever hope to meet and serve alongside. Ive known her for pretty much my whole professional career, over at least 25 years, and I had the honour to sit on various committees and panels with her over that time.
She was always one of my champions over my career, so supportive to me (and about me, behind my back as I discovered a number of times after the event). And every single time I saw her, no matter what was going on, she would great me with open arms and that huge beaming smile of hers, and say how good it was to see me, and ask how my children were and how I was and I always knew she actually wanted to know, and that she cared about the answer.
Like a few other great women in our community who have died before their time due to illness in recent years, there may only have been a small percentage of the wider community who actually knew her name or had dealings with her, but believe me when I say that everyone who worked with her, knew or had any encounters with Leonie will, like with those over phenomenal women, be mourning her deeply. And that whether you ever met or had never even heard of Leonie Lewis, you will have almost definitely, one way or another, have been impacted directly or indirectly by her generosity of heart, her leadership and her contribution to the building of community life.
May her name and her memory and her legacy be forever a blessing.
Baruch Dayan Haemet.
Raymond is CEO of London Jewish community centre JW3
Read more here:
A mensch stirred by the generosity of her heart - The Times of Israel
- The Holocaust - Wikipedia - February 2nd, 2023
- The US and the Holocaust: BBC release date of Ken Burns Second World War documentary - how many episodes? - NationalWorld - January 10th, 2023
- What happens when you turn the Holocaust into a video game - Haaretz - December 25th, 2022
- 2022 was a big year for Jews in the arts. Heres what happened on screen and stage. - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - December 25th, 2022
- Cambodian Genocide | USC Shoah Foundation - November 8th, 2022
- Fauquier Community Theatre via ThunderTix - October 17th, 2022
- Passing the Torch: USC Shoah Foundation Announces Board of Councilors Leadership Transition - USC Shoah Foundation | - October 17th, 2022
- Jan Karski: Emissary of the Free World - Warsaw Institute - October 10th, 2022
- The shortcomings of German remembrance culture render it toothless in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine - RKK ICDS - October 6th, 2022
- Fantastic Fest Review: 'Blood Relatives' Is an Imperfect but Charming Debut - We Got This Covered - October 6th, 2022
- Shoah survivors help dental students treat the traumatized - October 2nd, 2022
- Yom HaShoah - Wikipedia - October 2nd, 2022
- A survivor of the Holocaust and the Tree of Life massacre has died. He never lost hope in humanity - WDJT - October 2nd, 2022
- Towards recommendations for working with Holocaust testimony in the digital age - USC Shoah Foundation | - October 2nd, 2022
- Visualizing the Past, a Lesson of Today | USC Shoah Foundation - USC Shoah Foundation | - October 2nd, 2022
- Oskar Schindlers Factory Added to USC Shoah Foundation IWalk App - USC Shoah Foundation | - September 9th, 2022
- Q&A: Ken Burns on his new series, 'The U.S. and the Holocaust' J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - September 9th, 2022
- A Jewish Doctor's 1942 Letter From the Shoah: 'We Cannot Fight Anymore All Is Lost.' Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News - August 27th, 2022
- JFS Receives $50,000 Renewal Grant That Will Assist Holocaust Survivors Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News - August 27th, 2022
- The Holocaust bus tour that was truly a trip to hell (snack bar included) - Forward - August 27th, 2022
- The Startup Bridging Theology and Technology - Analytics India Magazine - August 27th, 2022
- A Mothers Pride and Joy, and Worry and Fear - Jewish Exponent - August 27th, 2022
- Historian reflects on rejection endured by Jews displaced after 1945 - US Sports - US Sports - - August 27th, 2022
- Bidens Wrong About IsraelIts Absolutely an Apartheid State - Scheerpost.com - August 8th, 2022
- Wait, did Alex Jones lawyer really invoke the Holocaust to defend his client? - Forward - August 8th, 2022
- COMMENTARY: Students should learn about the human impact of war - EdSource - August 8th, 2022
- The Great Normalizer of Antisemitism the United Nations - Algemeiner - August 8th, 2022
- France must do more to fight Jew hate, says Shoah survivor 80 years after Vel d'Hiv roundup - The Jewish Chronicle - July 18th, 2022
- Names of the Holocaust - Wikipedia - July 14th, 2022
- Israel and Austria Sign Strategic Pact to Upgrade Relations, Talk Iran Threat and Antisemitism - Algemeiner - July 14th, 2022
- Asserting Israel's legitimacy then and now - JNS.org - JNS.org - July 14th, 2022
- Even an Ordinary Road Can Lead All Too Easily to a Concentration Camp - The Wire - July 10th, 2022
- Documentary lineup announced for New Views series of films, conversations - The Aspen Times - July 10th, 2022
- Donato Di Veroli, the last of Rome's Jews to survive the Holocaust, dies at 98 - Wanted in Rome - July 4th, 2022
- AI identifies rocker Geddy Lees mother in Holocaust photos - The Times of Israel - July 4th, 2022
- The last Nazis ... and the lawyers bringing them to justice - The Irish Times - July 4th, 2022
- ORPEA Announces Major Changes in Its Board of Directors - Business Wire - July 4th, 2022
- Students Bare Witness as culmination of Shoah studies, telling survivors stories - The Jewish Standard - June 26th, 2022
- A History of Antisemitism - The New Face of Antisemitism: 1945 to Today - DW (English) - June 26th, 2022
- The diary of Anne Frank on the 75th anniversary of the first edition - Yahoo Finance UK - June 26th, 2022
- The intriguing tale of Rudolf Vrba, the first Jew to flee the death camp - Jewish News - June 26th, 2022
- Center Symposium Presents Internationally-Acclaimed Holocaust Scholar Prof. Michael Berenbaum with a Re-Evaluation of the Threats of Past and Present... - June 26th, 2022
- The Judenrein town that spoke Hebrew | Lili Eylon | The Blogs - The Times of Israel - June 26th, 2022
- Antisemitic Comedian Dieudonn M'bala M'bala, Who Was Fined, Banned From Performing And Sentenced To Prison For Hate Speech And Is On Twitter ... - June 4th, 2022
- The 50 Best Documentaries of All Time 24/7 Wall St. - 24/7 Wall St. - June 2nd, 2022
- SAR chesed mission: From Riverdale to Vienna - The Jewish Star - June 2nd, 2022
- Why you need to take right-wing comedy seriously - Fast Company - May 10th, 2022
- Educator and Family Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month from Discovery Education and Social Impact Partners - Yahoo Finance - May 10th, 2022
- Author of 'Pillar of Salt' to speak at HMH - Jewish Herald-Voice - May 10th, 2022
- On European Stages, Myths and Memories Merge - The New York Times - May 10th, 2022
- Reflection on the Challenges of Armenian Genocide Education in the 21st Century International Conference - Armenian Weekly - May 10th, 2022
- Leave the Jews out of the war in Ukraine - Australian Jewish News - April 23rd, 2022
- The Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company to Present 'The Shoah Songbook Part Three: Poland' - OperaWire - April 18th, 2022
- The Dreams of Sholem Asch | David Randall - First Things - April 18th, 2022
- Haute Residence and Acclaimed Real Estate Broker Myra Nourmand Continue Their Partnership Into Its Seventh Year - 69News WFMZ-TV - April 18th, 2022
- A confluence of faiths: Ramadan, Passover and Easter come together this month sharing unifying message - Daily Herald - April 18th, 2022
- What I learned at the Ukraine-Poland border - Religion News Service - April 18th, 2022
- Try Putin? What Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal would advise the world - The Hill - April 18th, 2022
- Moon Knights Star of David necklace was easy to miss. It was also a watershed moment for Marvel. - Forward - April 18th, 2022
- In Venice, why the oldest Jewish ghetto in the world still matters - Forward - March 20th, 2022
- When a bomb falls, its impact is felt for generations. I know that from my own familys trauma - The Guardian - March 20th, 2022
- Attack on Ukraine Summons Haunting Echoes of the Past - Jewish Journal - March 18th, 2022
- The truth may not set you free, but its the best weapon against the enslaving lie - The Altamont Enterprise - March 18th, 2022
- Two New Exhibits Explore the Legacy of Eva Kor and Holocaust History - Weekly View - March 18th, 2022
- Guest Column: How Method Acting Elevated Five Films From The Godfather to The Lost Daughter - Yahoo Entertainment - March 18th, 2022
- Ukraine, Russia and the unbearable lightness of never again - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - March 18th, 2022
- Local delegation to go to Poland to help refugees - The Jewish Standard - March 18th, 2022
- 'Life masks' created by Arizona artist to keep stories of the Holocaust alive - TucsonSentinel.com - March 12th, 2022
- Hamilton Scenic Designer David Korins to Serve As Designer and Creative Director for the Academy Awards - Playbill.com - March 12th, 2022
- HOLY LAND The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has two new auxiliary bishops - AsiaNews - March 12th, 2022
- One of our best friends ever in the ALP - Australian Jewish News - March 12th, 2022
- University Community Comes Together in Support of Ukraine - Wesleyan Argus - March 8th, 2022
- 'Classical music is full of women, but policy and decision-making positions are still male dominated': working mothers in music - The Strad - March 8th, 2022
- Oscar and Emmy-Winning Director Barry Levinson Reflects On "The Survivor" - SHOOT Online - March 5th, 2022
- Community, nation commemorate Shoah The Australian ... - March 3rd, 2022
- Here Are The Top 100 Movies From The 1980's! - K102 - March 3rd, 2022
- German Chancellor Scholz visits Vad Vashem with PM: 'We will never forget the millionfold suffering' - The Times of Israel - March 3rd, 2022
- Putin accused of 'trivialisation and distortion of historical facts of the Shoah' - Jewish News - March 2nd, 2022
- Echoes of the Holodomor - Jewish Journal - March 2nd, 2022
- For Trudeau, There Are Only Canadians Who Agree With Himand Nazis | Opinion - Newsweek - March 2nd, 2022
Comments