Lady Lira Winston dies, aged 72: Tributes to one of ‘the brightest lights of Anglo-Jewry’
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

Lady Lira Winston dies, aged 72: Tributes to one of ‘the brightest lights of Anglo-Jewry’

Death of Jewish educator and wife of Lord Robert Winston announced with 'enormous sadness and profound shock'

Jack Mendel is the former Online Editor at the Jewish News.

Lady Lira Winston with Rabbi Lord Sacks picking up her Lifetime Achievement Award (Marc Morris Photography)
Lady Lira Winston with Rabbi Lord Sacks picking up her Lifetime Achievement Award (Marc Morris Photography)

Heartfelt tributes have been paid to one of the “brightest lights of Anglo-Jewry” Lady Lira Winston, who passed away suddenly on Thursday night aged 72.

Lira dedicated almost three decades of  her life to Jewish education, culminating in a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Rabbi Lord Sacks at the Jewish Schools Awards, held by Jewish News and the Partnerships for Jewish Schools in 2020.

The wife of academic and peer Lord Robert Winston, Lira started her career as a history researcher before moving in to the Jewish community in 1991 as director of the Sinclair Charitable Trust and for Jewish Continuity.

From 2000 she ran the UJIA Ashdown Fellowship, a leadership programme for education professionals,  before in 2008, becoming the Project Manager of the Jewish Leadership Council report, ‘The Future of Jewish Schools’.  She worked at the Partnerships for Jewish Schools (PaJeS) in 2012 as Assistant Director, supporting Jewish education, and was recognised in 2020 for 25 years of service.

Her award was presented by former One Direction superstar Harry Styles, with the late rabbi Lord Sacks saying at the time, it was “a privilege to present Lady Lira Winston with the Lifetime Achievement Award “Lira has dedicated her life to Jewish education in the UK and our community owes her an enormous debt of gratitude for everything she has done”.

Lady Lira Winston with Lord Winston at the PAJES-Jewish News Jewish Schools Awards (Marc Morris Photography)

PaJeS, with who she worked so closely with a decade, said:  “It is with enormous sadness and profound shock that we share with you the news that our wonderful friend, mentor and colleague Lady Lira Winston passed away last night.

“It is hard to describe the role she played in our lives driven by her love for Jewish education and determination to ensure the best for us all. She was a caring and trusted friend and through her wisdom and love for Jewish Education she has been the driving force behind PaJeS since its inception.

“She was such an exceptional lady and an absolute inspiration and it is fitting that she was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2020, as he has dedicated her life to Jewish Education and been a mentor and guide for school leaders over so many years.

“It is so poignant that the award was presented by Rabbi Sacks z”l, in such a short time we have lost two of the brightest lights of Anglo-Jewry.

“She will be greatly missed by us all and our thoughts are with her husband, children and grandchildren at this time.

The Jewish Leadership Council said she was “a dear colleague and mentor to so many of us.

“We are deeply saddened by this shocking news and our thoughts and prayers are with her  loved ones. May her memory be blessed.”

Board of Deputies Vice President Gary Mond said: “We are very sad to hear of the passing of Lady Winston whose life was dedicated to Jewish education, in particular with PaJeS. She made a huge impact and will be greatly missed.”

Lord and lady Winston married in 1973 and have three children, including Joel, Tanya and Ben Winston, who is a major TV producer in the US.

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: