President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Marie van der Zyl, has paid tribute to Senior Past President Lionel Kopelowitz whose death was announced at the weekend.
Marie said: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of our Senior Past President and Father of the Board, Dr Lionel Kopelowitz. Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1926, Lionel was a doughty fighter for Jewish causes, serving as Board of Deputies President from 1985-1991. During the same period, he was also President of the National Council for Soviet Jewry. In recent years he remained active in the Board of Deputies and other causes, including serving as a Vice President of the Council of Christians and Jews. He was a forceful figure with strong views and he was extremely generous in his advice and time with me. His passionate commitment to the Jewish people was evident until his sad passing. I will miss him. We will miss him. We pass our love, admiration and gratitude to his widow Sylvia and to all the family.”