A Memorial evening to honour The Rt Hon. Sir Martin Gilbert, CBE, DLitt, FRSL, Winston Churchill’s official biographer, was held on the 24 November 2015 at the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in Central London.
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Lady Gilbert, Rt Hon Gordon Brown
Lady Gilbert welcomed guests and Rabbi Nicki Liss from Highgate Synagogue introduced the speakers who gave their personal tributes to Sir Martin:
The Rt Hon. Gordon Brown, “Martin stands out as a great man and a good man”.
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, “He turned History into our memory”
Professor Sir Richard Evans, “Martin taught me how to write English”
Randolph Churchill, “The Churchill family owe him a debt of gratitude”
Lady Gilbert with some of the Churchill family
A recital followed of Sir Martin’s favorite songs by Richard Winch: There’ll Always Be an England (Parker & Charles) London Pride (Coward) For He’s an Englishman (Gilbert & Sullivan).
Recital by Richard Winch
Rabbi Lionel Rosenfeld of Western Marble Arch Synagogue recited the Memorial Prayer. The evening ended with the National Anthems, God Save the Queen and the Hatikvah.
Guests at Sir Martin’s Memorial Evening
Close to 600 guests attended the memorial including, family, friends, parliamentarians and diplomats, scholars and historians, veterans and the military, Holocaust survivors and their families, from the UK and abroad.
Guests attending Sir Martin’s Memorial at The Western Marble Arch Synagogue
The event was supported by Western Marble Arch Synagogue and Highgate Synagogue
