Leonard Montefiore
Item
-
Name
-
Leonard Montefiore
-
Type
-
Person
-
Description
-
Leonard Montefiore was a Jewish philantropist and community leader in the first half of the twentieth century.
-
During the First World War, Montefiore joined the the 1/9th (cyclists) battalion of the Royal Hampshire regiment, serving in India and Siberia.
He was also involved with a number of research and charitable organisations, including but not limited to the Anglo-Jewish Association, the League of British Jews, the Reform Synagogues Association, and the Jews' Free School. In 1933, he also founded the Weiner Library, the oldest institution dedicated to the study of the Holocaust.
In 1939, the Montefore family bought Wintershill Hall in Durley, Hampshire. Leonard and his brother James arranged for 128 boys and 28 girls who had survived Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp to be brought to Wintershill to begin their recovery by October 1945. There, the children received schooling, learnt English, made crafts, and played games. The children particularly enjoyed riding bicycles and freely exploring the gardens, a stark contrast to their horrific experiences in occupied Europe. Staff members including Dr Fridolin Friedmann helped the children to rehabilitate, and recover from illnesses. The children were eventually settled in the UK, with some later moving to America.
Linked resources
Items with "Relation: Leonard Montefiore"
| Title |
Class |
 Wintershill Hall |
Collection
|
Items with "Related Items: Leonard Montefiore"
| Title |
Class |
| Wintershill Hall |
Collection
|
