Hundreds mark the 140th anniversary of Sir Moses Montefiore’s death
Financier and philanthropist was one of the most influential Victorians of his day and the most famous English Jew of his time
Nearly one thousand visitors gathered in Ramsgate to mark the 140th anniversary of the passing of Sir Moses Montefiore, the eminent Victorian philanthropist, statesman, and tireless advocate for Jewish communities across the globe.
Born in 1784, he married Judith Cohen, sister-in-law of Nathan Meyer Rothschild and made his fortune before the age of 40, when he retired from the Stock Exchange and devoted the rest of his life to the interests of poor and oppressed fellow Jews.
He died in 1785 at the grand old age of 100, almost unheard of in that era.
For the past 25 years, Ohel Zadikim, a charity dedicated to preserving Jewish history, has organised the annual commemoration at the Montefiore Synagogue and Mausoleum, Sir Moses’s final resting place.
Over the decades, the charity has brought together supporters from cities including London and Manchester to pay their respects.
Among the largest groups in attendance were members of Canterbury Camp, 20 minutes from Ramsgate at the University of Kent campus.
Led by the Pinter family, it has for generations championed Montefiore’s historical mission and his rescue efforts for Jewish communities worldwide.
The Montefiore Endowment continues to steward the estate in Ramsgate and supports rabbinic training programmes.
Montefiore was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1837 and made a Baronet in 1846.
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