Ben Winston: “so many looked to my mother for leadership and guidance”
Ben Winston explains why a new initiative in his mother’s name is so important
Sometimes it’s whilst I’m trying to resolve an issue at work. Occasionally it’s whilst I’m handling a tricky situation with a friend. Often it’s whilst negotiating how many more spoonfuls I can get my six-year-old to eat for breakfast. There’s only one thought worth thinking – what would my mum do here? What would she have said? She always had the answer.
It was only after she passed away that I realised I wasn’t alone in relying on my mum; I was just the one blessed to be at the front of a very long queue. So many people looked to my mother Lira for her leadership and guidance.
But hers wasn’t the traditional leadership we often hear about. It was never about being the loudest in the room. Mum’s leadership was rather of the ‘speak a little, do a lot’ type, as Shammai advises in Pirkei Avot.
Her professional life was dedicated to education throughout the Jewish community. In 2020, she received a lifetime achievement award from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks for her work with PaJes. An award she didn’t know about until he said her name, otherwise it is something she would never have allowed. She was equal parts mortified and embarrassed, honoured and proud.
That is why we are so excited to inaugurate, in conjunction with PaJes, the Lira Winston Fellowships, which will identify and train the future leaders of our schools, the future leaders of our children. Teachers who can instill a love for Jewish education in their pupils.
The nature of education has changed radically over the past few years. The expectations, demands, even regulations, have made the job of teaching harder. A third of headteachers drop out of their job after three years.
With this new investment, guidance, and training that the Lira Winston fellows will receive, we hope that the values my mum stood for live on in the next generation of great leaders and beyond, creating a lasting legacy befitting of the greatest person I’ll ever know.
For more information or to donate please visit peoplesfundraising.com/donation/lira-winston-fellowship
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