Kehilat Middlesbrough Newsletter No 11 June 2001 page 4
Rose Saville: First Yahrzeit - 11 Tamuz 5761 - 1 and 2 July 2000
Aishet hayil mi yimtza, Verachok mipninim michra
Such a person was my Mother. Rose Saville had a hard life and was certainly not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. and so her Pasuk was piha patcha hehochma vetorat chesed al leshonah
Whatever she said were words of Hochma, Hochmat Hayim so that she was able to use her long experience in life in order to give in her quiet way, practical wisdom to others and so far as worldly deeds were concerned, it was certainly a case of constant Hesed she was always practising to help people.
Mother was a first class bridge player but, as she often said herself after almost every game, she had been dealt bad hands and in life she was constantly being dealt bad hands. She grew up in Leeds, the eldest of four children, in a family where there was no father and a brother crippled for life, but she did not complain.. Later when she was destined for an academic career she did not take her Matric (Bagrut) because of scarlet fever - the story was that when she was able to resit the exams, there was just not enough money to pay for them.
She married Daddy when she was 25 years old and then lived thirty years together in Middlesbrough, a very bad hand indeed. But there, they brought up a Jewish home and taught their children Yiddishkeit and Yirat Shamayim. They became like Noah Ish Tsadik BeDorotav. Similarly, Yaakov Avinu, of whom Rashi says: Im Lavan Garti Vetaryag Mitzvot Shamarti.
After the children moved out, Mammy and Daddy moved to Sunderland for seven years and they settled in the Kehila as if they had been there all their lives: Mammy was able to work tirelessly for the Sunderland Yeshiva.
Their coming to Israel was a natural transition but unfortunately, whilst Daddy said they were the best years of his life, it was too little, too late, three years only. At this stage Bobbe -Auntie Rosie somehow came into her own and the last twenty-six years as an Almanah were full of activity and creativity. She worked alongside at least half a dozen hospitals, but she put heart and soul into her pet Tzdakah the Alyn Hospital for Sick Children where she got so many Savtot to join in her work, hence the Savta Club.
She now moves to old age, but we don't even notice it - she continues to be wonderful company - she is very independent and never troubles us for anything and never asks for anyone to sleep over. The grandchildren remember the Shabbatot - one Shabbat at Ramot and the next at Katamon - she never had any meal on Shabbat by herself.
But her final year on this earth was really a finale year. In Pirke A.vot it says: Ben Tishim LaShuach. Tosefot Rav Akiva Eiger says: LaShuach, La Torah U-Lemitzvot. Vayetze Yitzchak LaShuach BaSadeh, Zohi: Tefillat Mincha HaRishona. In her old age she never gave up her enthusiasm for the Mitzvot and I recall every Erev Yom Kippur, early in the morning, in the kitchen at 49 HaPalmach her big Siddur was open at the page of Birchat Habanim - this was the highlight of her year, reading the long bracha asking HaKadoshBaruch Hu or as she affectionately called Him, der Ebishter, to grant her children to be Oskim BaTorahUveMitzvot Even though the grandchildren would come for their Bracha just before Kol Nidre. she was Zeriza LaMitzvot.
Then there was the 90th birthday "This is Your Life Rose Saville" where she was probably more excited than anyone, especially since she was correcting the prepared texts that we had so carefully written.
Secondly, Kehilat Middesbrough closes down after 124 years, the Bet Knesset is sold, the last Tefilla has taken place and the Sifrei Torah are brought to Israel.
But with Newsletters, meetings and the Website the Kehila came alive again. It has never happened before and Rose Saville is the senior advisor - no one else. knows better as to what happened in the thirties, forties, fifties, etc.
But there was one thing that was special about this Kehila we had so derided for years -perhaps because they were not frum enough - 150 families, during the dark days of the Second World War, took in over 40 Kindertransport girls into their homes and into their hearts - some for short periods, some for longer periods; such as Lenshen, a 13 year old refugee from Austria, who goes to a family where the father is away in the Royal Air Force and the mother is bringing up three babies, as well as looking after a grocery store. Lenshen goes to stay with Rose Saville, for three years.
She broke her hip and underwent painful surgery, then rehabilitation at the Herzog Hospital. She was always game for "kef" things even when she was almost 91 years old and happily agreed to write a letter concerning her broken hip - this correspondence was her best therapy - as soon as a reply came, it gave her one month's Aichut Haim, Quality of Life, without our asking. Knowing that not only did she enjoy talking about it but also she knew that whoever heard about the correspondence was so happy for her - she was basically a giver rather than a receiver. I bear no shame in continuing to tell people of this correspondence and indeed I walk around all day with these two Queen Mother letters - because I was and I am very proud of my dear mother.