Community champions among those honoured by Queen
Inspirational members of the Jewish community have been honoured by the Queen in her Jubilee Birthday Honours, marking her unprecedented 70 years on the throne.
Inspirational members of the Jewish community have been honoured by the Queen in her Jubilee Birthday Honours, marking her unprecedented 70 years on the throne.
In tribute to The Queen, recipients have been awarded for their outstanding contributions across all sectors, but in particular for sustained public service, the environment and sustainability, and youth engagement.
Among those honoured are Ella Marks, a former president of the League of Jewish Women, who receives the MBE for services to the community. Ella has undertaken numerous voluntary roles across the Jewish and lay community. Following a selfless career devoted to others as a social worker and pastoral manager, she also chaired Ealing U3A, a co-operative of older people sharing educational, creative and leisure activities and was a board member of Age UK Ealing.
Ella said: “I was amazed to be awarded the MBE, and absolutely delighted. I love being part of the multi-cultural community in Ealing and greatly enjoy supporting people and organisations in the borough. I’m particularly pleased to be awarded this honour to mark Her Majesty’s platinum jubilee – I have enormous admiration for the Queen and was given the middle name ‘Elizabeth’ after her!”
A recipient of the OBE is Zdenka Husserl, who has volunteered for many years for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT), giving talks to schools and community groups.
She was born in Prague in February 1939. When she was only two years old, her father Pavel was deported to the Lodz ghetto, where he was murdered. In November 1942,
Zdenka was deported with her mother to Theresienstadt, and her earliest memories are from the camp. She remembers screaming as her head was shaved. Zdenka was separated from her mother in the camp and learned years later that Helena was deported to her death in Auschwitz in 1944.
Zdenka was just six when she was brought to Britain in 1945. “I don’t know what emotions I have really,” she said on Holocaust Memorial Day last year, amid lockdown. “Sad. And especially on days like this, when families are together and I sit alone.”
HMDT deputy chief executive Rachel Century said: “We are delighted that Zdenka has been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
“Despite living with the weight of trauma and grief, Zdenka has dedicated her life to Holocaust education and commemoration and has contributed significantly to Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations.
“Her energy and commitment have had a huge impact, with thousands of people hearing and learning from her testimony. It is wonderful that Zdenka’s contribution to society, spreading the message of tolerance and understanding, has been recognised by Her Majesty the Queen.”
Dr Adrian Weller a senior research fellow at Cambridge University who specialises in artificial intelligence (AI), ethics, trust and transparency, has been made an MBE for his innovative work with academics, industry and government.
Dr Weller, who works at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, said: “I am delighted to receive this honour, acknowledging the incredible work taking place across the AI ecosystem. I have been fortunate to work with many inspiring colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines at Cambridge, Turing, the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation and beyond.
“I hope I can encourage more people to get involved as we try together to design, develop and deploy trustworthy technologies which benefit individuals and society.”
Bradley Fried, chair of the Court of the Bank of England, has been knighted for his public service.
He is the co-founder of Grovepoint Capital and before that had been chief executive of Investec Bank Plc. He was previously also a non-executive board member of the Financial Conduct Authority.
Fried is a governor at the London Business School. He is married to Lauren, with two sons, and lives in St. John’s Wood.
Sir Bradley told Jewish News he is “honoured and delighted” by the news.
Receiving an MBE is Andrew Lawrence, a history teacher at Hampton School, in west London, for his work in Holocaust and genocide education.
A statement from Downing Street said: “The honours system strives to be inclusive of all of the UK society. Of the 1,134 people who receive an award: 13.3 per cent of the successful candidates come from an ethnic minority background: 6.8 per cent of recipients are from an Asian ethnic group; 4.3 per cent of recipients are from a black ethnic group; 1.8 per cent of recipients with a mixed ethnic background; 0.4 per cent of recipients come from another ethnic background.”
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