In Memoriam Sally Nathan Whyte and Judith Unikower

It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing in late 2010 of two JMI Trustees:

Both were admirers and supporters of JMI from its earliest days.

It was around Judith’s dining table that the first Bnai Brith Jewish Music Festival was created in 1983. As a representative of the Leo Baeck Women’s Lodge, Judith who died in October 2010 aged 89 became the Treasurer of JMI for many years, carefully looking after the funds and being central to all aspects of the organisation. She was also a superb catering manager for JMI events, arranging a reception in the Chapter House of Canterbury Cathedral and miraculously finding a supplier for a hot kosher Shabbat meal for 150 in York! Judith, who came to the UK on her own from Wuppertal as a teenager just before the war, never saw her parents again. She made a success of life as a designer and manufacturer of ladies clothing supplying to major West End department stores. In charitable work she was also a member of the management team of Bnai Brith Day Centres and on the House Committee of one of the OSHA residential homes.  She married follow Refugee Lutz Unikower who predeceased her by over 40 years. In later years she paired up with Gerald Brent and enjoyed many holidays and cruises to far of places with Gerald. JMI always had a place near her heart and even in later years when she was housebound she still helped with mail-outs and advice.

Sally Nathan-Whyte, a writer and commentator with a particular interest in Libraries, Dance and Music Education. Nathan-Whyte was particularly active in the jmi library. It was she who suggested inviting Dr Christian Meyer of the Schoenberg Institute in Vienna to open the Jewish Music Institute Library at SOAS in 2003.  She was also a Member of several Agencies and Associations including the Association of International Art Critics (UNESCO), The Author's Society UK, Conseil Internationale de la Danse (UNESCO), and the International Committee of the Dance Library of Israel.  Although based in Lausanne, Switzerland she travels widely and is considered an Ambassador for JMI.  Sally and husband George particularly valued important musical commemorations of Jewish historical catastrophes such as JMI presented in York in 1990. In fact, George himself has written significant musical works on such subjects as Cabaret in Terezin and the Dreyfus Affair which have been published and performed in prestigious venues worldwide. Sally’s special interest in JMI was our library.

They will both be sorely missed.

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last modified: December 29, 2010