Sharon Carr: Eishet Chayil 2022

Graham Nussbaum is Manchester through and through. He grew up in the Whitefield community and, apart from spending 9 years in Sunnybank, Bury after he got married, spent the rest of his life in England in that community until retiring and fulfilling the dream to make aliya in 2012.

Graham organised BBYO in the area and served as chairman. After finishing school, he went to UMIST, where he studied Optometry. After graduating, he worked for a few years for an Optometry company and then in his mid-20’s opened his own optometry practice, which he successfully and enjoyably ran until retirement.

Graham met Rowena in his teens and, after starting to date in 1971, got married in 1975. They have two children, a son in Israel and a daughter in England. They each have four children. Their grandchildren are their pride and joy, and they love spending as much time with them as they can (pandemic permitting).

Graham and Rowena have worked as a team throughout their married life and Graham says that without Rowena beside him, he would not have been able to do all the communal work that he did. This comprised helping to build a Youth

Graham Nussbaum – Chatan Torah

By Hilton Share Centre for the community in the late 80’s, also helped setting up a Community Kollel in the early 90’s, both of which he was heavily involved in until retirement. He commenced his work on the Executive of Whitefield in 1986, and he fulfilled the roles of hon. secretary, warden, treasurer, vice chairman and chairman through to 1993. He also helped with security in the Shul and in the wider community.

Graham became involved in the Chief Rabbi’s Award Scheme, in which two talented young people each year were taken to London to visit the Chief Rabbi and talk to him and receive the award. Graham, as chairman of the committee from 2006 to 2012, accompanied the awardees, together with their parents, other committee members and Rowena.

Graham was involved in charity work with the Manchester Jewish Blind Society from 1975 and when the organization became Manchester Jewish Community Care, he served as chairman for three years.

Graham is very keen on sports, a Manchester United supporter, and he started an under 7’s football team in 1984, which he coached for 10 years until the players reached the age of 16. He also did karate in his early 30’s for 6 years, and only stopped when he broke his arm and then found that after it healed, he was unable to continue. communal work Graham did in the UK, he also helped set up two student homes for university children, in Whitefield, one for boys, the other for girls, which he helped run for 8 years until 2012.

On making aliya in 2012, he became involved in clothes collection for the poor, which he helped with for 7 years. He also coached a football team for boys and girls aged 14-17 for 5 years at a local school and commenced playing tennis and loves his weekly matches. He appreciates the advice and encouragement he received from tennis players in the YINN community.

Graham came on to the board of management of YINN not long after coming to Israel, and then spent three years as vice chairman and then three years as chairman, completing his term at the last AGM. He helped to organise the security team in the Shul and helps with the gabbaim as and when requested.

Graham is a complete and ideal volunteer for communal life, with his gamut of involvement, both in the UK and then in Netanya, and we are proud to honour him as Chatan Torah for 5783. Kol hakavod to him. A

As a final comment to all the