Avrohom Pinter

Avrohom Pinter, also known as Abraham Pinter,[1] Avraham Pinter[2] or Avram Pinter,[3] (1949 – 13 April 2020) was an English rabbi and a leading figure in the Haredi community in Stamford Hill, London.[3][4] He was also a local government politician who served as a Labour councillor on the Hackney Borough Council[5] (Northfield ward, elected 1982 and 1986).[6] He represented Haredi interests on the London Jewish Forum.[3] In 2014 he was ranked by The Jewish Chronicle as no. 32 on their list of influential British Jews.[3] He was the principal of the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls' School,[5][7][8] a role in which he received praise and criticism.[9][10]

Rabbi
Avrohom Pinter
Personal
Born1949
Stamford Hill, London, England
Died13 April 2020
London, England
ReligionJudaism
NationalityBritish
SpouseGittel Rochel Beck
DenominationCharedi Judaism

Early life

Pinter's parents were Rabbi Shmuel (Shmelke) Pinter, who arrived in London from Vienna in 1938 as a teenager,[11][12][13] and his wife Gittel Margulies, the daughter of the Premishlan rebbe.[11] He was born at his parents' house[11] in Stamford Hill in 1949[1] and had three brothers and two sisters.

Antisemitism

In July 2018, along with 67 other rabbis, he signed an open letter to the UK Labour Party's then-leader Jeremy Corbyn making the case for the full definition of antisemitism drafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) to be included in the party's code of conduct.[14]

Family life

Pinter married Gittel Rochel Beck (known as Rachel);[15] in 1971 and they had several children, two of whom became rabbis.[16]

Death and legacy

Pinter died in London from COVID-19 on 13 April 2020.[2][17][18] According to The Independent, Pinter "gave his life to save his neighbors. When the British government ordered a lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus, Pinter went door-to-door in northeast London to deliver the public health warning to the ultra-Orthodox Jews in his community. Within days, the 71-year-old rabbi had caught COVID-19 and died."[15]

On his death, he was described by the Board of Deputies of British Jews as "a much loved figure across the community, building bridges between different groups of Jews, Government & wider UK society".[19] His friend Maurice Glasman paid tribute to the fact that "Avruham Pinter, for many years, was trusted by the different Chasidic groups and represented them on the Kedassia board, in the Union of Independent Orthodox Congregations and to the outside world." The Hasidic newspaper, Hamodia, said "It is rare in the U.K. for a chassidishe rabbi to be mourned equally by schoolgirls, Rabbanim, the Bishop of London, pillars of the Anglo-Jewish community and the Mayor of London".[20]

In January 2022 it was announced that a new organisation, the Pinter Trust, named after the late rabbi and chaired by Rabbi Avroham Sugarman, is being set up to seek to improve public perceptions of Charedi Jews in the United Kingdom.[21][22]

References
  1. "Oral History Interview – Rabbi Abraham Pinter". Hackney Museum. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  2. "Renowned British Rabbi Avraham Pinter succumbs to COVID-19". Ynetnews. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  3. "JC Power 100: Numbers 50 – 11". The Jewish Chronicle. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  4. Booth, Robert (6 February 2019). "Judges reject bias claim against Jewish housing association". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. "Tributes paid to Rabbi Avrohom Pinter who dies from coronavirus". Jewish News. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "London Borough of Hackney election results 1964–2010" (PDF). Plymouth University. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  7. Gabbitas Educational Consultants (2004). The Independent Schools Guide 2004–2005. Kogan Page Publishers. p. 121. ISBN 0-7494-4164-X.
  8. Oryszczuk, Stephen (14 April 2020). "'God bless the compromisers' – a personal tribute to Rabbi Pinter". Jewish News. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  9. Paton, Graeme (1 March 2007). "Comprehensive that's in a different class". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  10. Alderman, Geoffrey. "Pinteresque drama at school". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  11. Super, Mendel (1 June 2020). "Rabbi Avrohom Pinter, 70, London". Chabad.org.News. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  12. Glasman, Maurice (17 April 2020). "Rabbi Pinter: A most faithful man". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  13. Rubinstein, William D.; Jolles, Michael A.; Rubinstein, Hilary L., eds. (2011). Yesodey Hatorah Schools. ISBN 978-1-4039-3910-4. Retrieved 14 April 2020. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  14. Eckersley, Max (17 August 2018). "'Victims are becoming the perpetrators': Rabbi and former Labour councillor hits out at 'toxic' atmosphere in local party". Hackney Citizen. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  15. "Lives Lost: London rabbi worked to end community's isolation". The Independent. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  16. "Mrs. Gittel Pinter, a"h". Hamodia. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  17. Harpin, Lee (13 April 2020). "Rabbi Avrohom Pinter dies after contracting coronavirus". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  18. "HUGE LOSS IN STAMFORD HILL: Petira of HaRav Avrohom Pinter ZT"L Of London, Face Of Chareidi Jewry In U.K." The Yeshiva World. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  19. "Statement on the passing of Rabbi Avrohom Pinter" (Press release). London: Board of Deputies of British Jews. 13 April 2020.
  20. "BD"E: Rabbi Avraham Pinter, Zt"l". Hamodia. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  21. Rocker, Simon (24 January 2022). "New Charedi PR initiative launched in memory of Rabbi Avrohom Pinter". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  22. Sherwood, Harriet (24 January 2022). "UK's ultra-Orthodox Jews launch trust to engage with wider public". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
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