The Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester
Established to develop the cultural and social ties between the Muslim and Jewish communities of Greater Manchester

Our Co-Founder Henry Guterman MBE

Posted 18 June 2015

The late Henry Guterman MBE was co-host (along with Afzal Khan CBE MEP, then Deputy Lord Mayor of Manchester) of the open meeting in Manchester Town Hall where Rabbi Herschel Gluck OBE and Ismail Amaan spoke about their Muslim Jewish dialogue in London. That meeting led to the setting up of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester, and Henry served as its Jewish Co-Chair until his death in May 2007.

Henry Guterman was born in 1926 in Germany. His father Berthold was a soap manufacturer in Berlin and a great admirer of Britain. After Kristallnacht in 1938 when Henry was 12, the Guterman family were able to emigrate from Germany to Manchester, thereby escaping the Holocaust.

Henry became a great servant of the Jewish community. He served as Manchester Jewish Representative Council President and for over 40 years was a member of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Henry was also extremely active in many other Jewish organisations, some of which are listed at the bottom of the page.

Throughout his life Henry was at the helm of most of Manchester’s interfaith groups, some of which are included in the list below. His funeral was attended by bishops side by side with Hindus and Muslims wearing yarmulkes.

British Library "Jewish survivors of the Holocaust" project

Henry gave 12 interviews for this project, as part of the compilation of oral history. You can listen to them on the British Library website, starting with this 1 of 12.

A partial list of organisations Henry was involved with

The organisations named below are listed alphabetically, but numbered to make the list easier to read.

1. Bury Inter-Faith
2. Collyhurst Police Community Action Group
3. Commonwealth Games Advisory Committee
4. Disabled Living
5. Greater Manchester Criminal Justice Board Diversity IAG
6. Heathlands
7. Indian Jewish Association
8. Manchester City Council Housing Committee Black and Ethnic Committee
9. Manchester Council for Community Relations
10. Manchester Council of Christians and Jews
11. Manchester Inter-Faith Forum
12. Morris Feinmann Homes
13. National League of Hospital Friends
14. North Manchester Crime Prevention Council
15. North Manchester Hospital Black & Ethnic Committee
16. North Manchester Jewish Youth Project
17. Outreach
18. South East Lancashire Housing Association
19. South Manchester Health Authority Fair Access Group
20. South Manchester Synagogue
21. Tameside Area Health Authority
22. The Black Jewish Forum
23. The Three Faiths Forum
24. Trafford Partnership Board Diverse Communities Forum
25. Trafford SACRE
26. Trafford Safer Partnership
27. Zionist Central Council

The Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester
Established to develop the cultural and social ties between the Muslim and Jewish Communities of Greater Manchester